Hello and welcome to another chapter of Pokémon Journey: Hoenn!
Last chapter, the group stopped off on Ryka Island on the way to Pacifidlog Town and ended up going out on a boat trip to see a colony of wild lanturn that lived in the area.
Upload Date: 23rd September 2020
Chapter 116: The Floating Town
Route 131, Hoenn
12:23pm, 5th September 2006
"If we go with that combination…"
"…But I'm not sure if Kipa can handle…"
"…Needs to give it his all, really."
"…That move might work…"
Will turned to Richard. "Feels kinda lonely when they're like this, doesn't it?"
"Can't say that I blame them," Richard replied. "It's an important contest."
The ferry was cutting a smooth path through the waves as it drew closer and closer to Pacifidlog Town. After a long journey, they would soon be arriving at the site of the Pacifidlog Contest. James and Nicola had spent most of the trip ensconced in their preparations, consulting the books they had on contests, assessing as many of their previous combinations as they could remember ("I really need to start writing all this down!" Nicola had lamented) and weighing up which pokémon should be assigned to which roles.
For Will, ever the contest sceptic, seeing them fret over it was slightly amusing, though the nerves his companions were starting to suffer from emanated outwards and affect the whole group. With them so on edge, it was difficult for him and Richard to relax as well.
"Alright, I think I've got it," said James. "If I lead with Kacha, then… Hang on…" He paused and screwed up his face. "Well, Lusk can't handle it…Is there anyone else?"
"I think you're overthinking this, James," said Richard. "You've got lots of good combinations and most of your team is pretty experienced with contests. They'll do fine at both."
"You're right, you're right," James replied. "I just don't know how to get myself to see that!"
"Well, the contest is tomorrow," Will said. "So, don't spend all of today worrying about it."
There was something about the fact that they were approaching their destination that made that difficult to do though, and even Will could see that. When they'd first left Sootopolis City and when they'd been on Ryka Island, the contest had felt very distant. Obviously, it was there, but it was easy to put it to the backs of their minds and focus on other things. Seeing the lanturn had been a good distraction, but Will was starting to wonder if it had made James and Nicola more anxious: seeing that beauty and then having to think of something for their contest performances must be daunting.
And, of course, they didn't have much time left before the Grand Festival. It was going to be touch-and-go if they both wanted to win their final ribbons…
"Hey," Will said, looking over at James. "Is there another contest after Pacifidlog?"
"Huh?" James looked back at him. "I don't think so. Today's Tuesday and the Grand Festival starts on Sunday. Everyone'll be focused on that."
"So…what you're saying is that there's only one ribbon left that's up for grabs?" said Will.
The four of them looked at each other. Somehow, this was the first time that it had occurred to them. James and Nicola were used to always having more contests further down the line and not having to worry about treading on each other's toes. Perhaps it was because they'd still been basking in the knowledge that both them and Richard had earned eight gym badges and were going to the Hoenn League?
But it was true. This was the last contest and there could be only one winner. Only one of them could make it to the Grand Festival.
Pacifidlog Town, Hoenn
1:03pm, 5th September 2006
Pacifidlog Town was a very distinct town in Hoenn. Rather than clinging to the coast or hillside like so many other island towns, Pacifidlog instead straddled the narrow channel of sheltered water that separated two large islands. With only a handful of exceptions, every building in the town sat atop floating wooden platforms which bobbed atop the small waves and were connected to the islands and to each other by a series of pontoon bridges. In a way, it reminded James of Fortree City.
The pokémon centre was no exception to this, but both the ferry port and the contest hall were. Instead of being sat atop the floating platforms, they were built on dry land on the eastern shore. It was understandable: a lot of materials went into a contest hall, making it a very heavy building. To say nothing of the fact that contest battles within often involved fire-type pokémon. Not a good thing if the building was made of wood.
So, James and Nicola had sent the others on ahead to the pokémon centre while they made their way off to the contest hall. It was a quiet and sombre trip. Since Will had first mentioned it, they'd hardly spoken about the contest at all.
The contest hall itself was as elegant and well-decorated as the others. There were a couple of other coordinators already there, either registering or making pokéblocks for their pokémon. Despite the fact that it was the last contest of the season, it didn't seem like there'd be that many people competing. Perhaps most had already earned their five ribbons and were on their way to Slateport City?
"We're here to register," James said as they reached the registration counter. He handed over his trainer card.
The receptionist swiped the card and quickly input his data. "Alright, that's all done," he said, returning the card to James. "The contest starts at four o'clock tomorrow afternoon. Please make sure you're here at least fifteen minutes before the contest begins."
"Will do," James replied. "Thanks." He stepped aside so that Nicola could register as well.
As soon as they were done, they started heading back outside.
"Feels strange," Nicola said, pausing to look back at the lobby before stepping through the doors. "I almost can't believe that this will be the last contest before the Grand Festival."
"Yeah." James nodded. It was a contest hall like any other. The memories of all the other contests he and Nicola had competed in flashed through his mind and he was suddenly hit by the knowledge that, after months of travelling, they were starting to reach the final stages of their journey. It sent a jolt through his heart.
"Well, let's get going," said Nicola, turning away and starting to walk down towards the floating town. "Don't want to keep the others waiting, do we?"
2:58pm, 6th September 2006
The rest of the evening and the following day seemed to flash past quickly. The usual training sessions continued, the advice and help flowed in from both coordinators and from Will and Richard. The pokémon still practised their moves and combinations side-by-side.
But there was an undertone to it all that felt utterly different. Try as he might, James couldn't shake off the guarded feeling he now felt towards Nicola. They were travelling companions, but they were also rivals. She now stood between him and the Grand Festival, just as he did for her. It gave him an odd twinge of pain to know that every tactic he helped Nicola with was one that might be used to defeat him.
As they finished packing up from training and prepared to set off for the contest hall, the confrontation felt even more real and raw than it had the previous day.
They were used to going up against each other in every other contest they both took part in. They'd always faced the situation where only one of them would win and the other had to lose. It was the way contests were. There could only be one winner.
But it was different this time. Before, they could reconcile themselves to losing to one another. There was always the next contest. In fact, there were plenty of contests, every opportunity for both of them to win their five ribbons. And now there were none. The only way for one of them to win was to see the other defeated. For one of them, this would be the last contest of the year. The finality of this lodged itself in James's heart and mind and refused to be budged.
It would hurt to not make it to the Grand Festival after all he'd put into his contests over the length of the season. It would hurt to fall at the final hurdle, and to then have to go on and cheer for Nicola, Mia, and Hannah at the Grand Festival. And it wasn't just him: how would his pokémon feel? The team had nearly split over the contest side of things. Would he be able to look Muro in eye? And, finally, what of his meagre but still valued fanbase? He owed it to them to get to the Grand Festival, surely?
He looked over at Nicola, walking alongside him. She looked back and gave him a wobbly smile. Though she was trying to stay upbeat, James could tell that she was struggling with these same things just as much as he was. They both wanted, so desperately, to win. To get to the Grand Festival. But doing so meant hurting the other. Nicola didn't want to hurt him, and James didn't want to hurt her either. Even now, they were still friends before rivals.
And that was what made it hurt so much.
3:42pm, 6th September 2006
"Well, I guess this is it," said Richard as they reached the contest hall lobby. He turned back to look at James and Nicola. "So, err…" He suddenly found his tongue catching in his throat. What could he say? How could he truly wish them luck when only one could make it through? But getting all sombre would only make things worse for them.
Will, less concerned by such things, interrupted. "Look, guys: would you rather lose to each other, or for some other guy to win the contest?"
James and Nicola glanced at each other.
"Obviously, if I can't win the contest, then I want Nicola to win it!" said James.
"Same here!" Nicola nodded. "Oh, I-I mean, you know… If I can't win, I'd want James to win!"
Will snorted and the other three started laughing. The tension had eased a little, even if it wasn't going to go away completely. And it helped clear their minds a little as they prepared for what was to come.
It helped clear Richard's mind as well. "Guys," he said. "The world will still be here no matter what happens on that stage."
"Yeah." James nodded. "No matter what happens, we'll move on." He glanced at the clock above the reception desk. "We should get going. Make sure you cheer extra hard for us this time, guys!"
"Sure, not a problem!" Will replied. "Make this your best performance yet, okay?"
"I won't disappoint you!" Nicola smiled at them.
The two pairs split and went their separate ways.
James and Nicola joined the queue to sign in at the reception desk. There were quite a few other contestants lining up as well, more than James had thought there'd be when they'd registered the previous day. Well, it was still less than in contests on the mainland. A small part of him hoped that the fiercest competition had already set off for the Grand Festival.
His heart was still pounding in his chest as the line shuffled slowly forwards, each new step bringing him and Nicola closer to their final contest. Once they were past the door leading to the holding room, they'd be beyond the point of no return.
His mind cleared again as he spoke to the receptionist, handed her his trainer card, confirmed that he accepted the rules of the contest, and received his card back. Mercifully, it remained somewhat clear as he walked through the door to join the other contestants. It was a contest like any other. He just had to keep telling himself that.
4:09pm, 6th September 2006
While Richard and Will had seen the pressure the Pacifidlog Contest was putting on its contestants first-hand, they were surprised to see the effect it had on the spectators.
Truthfully, Richard had thought that the crowd would be treating this contest the same as any other: after all, they were there to be entertained by the appeals and combinations the contestants would be putting on. What did the high stakes of this particular contest matter to them?
There probably were a number of people in the audience who did feel that way, but there were also lots of people seized by the same tension that was afflicting the contestants below. It was only really now that Richard truly grasped the depth of loyalty contests created. Many of the people in the audience with him weren't there simply as spectators, but as fans of individual coordinators. They'd come to place their hopes on and give their support to those whose exploits they'd been following throughout the season. They knew full well what was at stake here. And they stood to lose as much as the contestants did.
Even those with no particular loyalty to an individual seemed to grasp what this contest meant. It created an odd tension which flowed through the crowd, yet it felt somewhat different to what he'd felt while he was around James and Nicola. It was almost like being a witness to an accident that was about to happen, not wanting anyone to get hurt but being powerless to stop it.
The only relief that Richard and Will could take for now was that James and Nicola's competition didn't seem particularly challenging. It was almost like all the best coordinators had already qualified or something!
Perhaps James had picked up on it as well while watching from the holding room, because he seemed more relaxed when he and Charka walked out onto the stage to begin their performance.
It started explosively with Charka leaping up and shooting and blast of flames down at the stage. He landed at the epicentre just as they cleared and started circling his head as he pointed it at the ceiling. A thin jet of flames shot from his mouth, winding and twisting around in the air above him until it threatened to drop down onto him.
With a shout, he suddenly leapt up and slashed at the flames, scattering them and sending the remaining embers flying out across the stage. He jumped and danced from one side of the stage to the other, shooting out flames which he then immediately dispersed with the swift strikes of his claws.
He spun around at the left side of the stage and shot a jet of flames back towards the right side. Then he charged through the flame as it faded away, finally leaping and landing at the right end. Once again, he turned. This time, he spat out four small clouds of thick black smoke. As a final flourish, he blasted each with a stream of flames, annihilating each one in turn.
As the flames vanished and Charka turned back to face the crowd, there was an eruption of applause.
James bowed quickly as Charka walked back to him and the two of them departed the stage.
"I think that was one of Charka's best performances," said Will.
"He doesn't use Charka in the appeals round that often," Richard replied. "I guess he really wanted to leave an impression this time."
Will was silent for a second. "I think he got it."
Typically, Nicola's turn didn't come until the very end. Not good for her nerves, Richard assumed, and not good for him and Will, who liked being able to switch off once both their friends had done their appeals.
It was her first time back on stage since the Topacra Contest and she emerged onto it accompanied by… Mule?!
That came as a surprise. Mule had had her fair share of contests, but Nicola didn't tend to lead with her. What kind of plan had she devised?
Richard was snapped out of his thoughts as the performance began: just like in Ornlay, Mule started by shaking the room with tremors that immediately seized everyone's attention. As they died down again, a blank look came over Mule's face. She blinked a couple of times and turned her head to one side, making a show of being confused by her amnesia.
Just as the crowd had started to laugh, Mule suddenly snorted out two small bursts of flames. They spread out as they reached the ground and drifted backwards, surrounding Mule in a light ring of fire. She lowered her head further and expelled another jet of flames. As they gathered around her, they started rising up around her humped back, making it look like she was on fire.
Finally, she shot out a proper Flamethrower from her mouth, obscuring her for a brief second. The room started shaking again, taking the audience by surprise. As the flames cleared and the shaking died down, a blank look came back over Mule's face and, once again, she tilted her head to the side and looked at the audience in confusion.
The crowd applauded loudly as Nicola and Mule bowed their heads and left the stage. With their departure, the appeals round of the Pacifidlog Contest came to an end.
6:30pm, 6th September 2006
That both he and Nicola made it through the appeals round felt strangely natural to James, arrogant as that might have seemed to an outsider. The way that the contest had warped in his mind to centre on the inevitability that either he or Nicola would succeed and the other would fail made all the other contestants feel irrelevant to him.
Of course, he and Nicola had both made it through the appeals round, because this was a contest between the two of them.
It had been inevitable that both of them had easily swatted aside their opponents in the first battle rounds, because their only true opponents were each other.
So, when they both found themselves stood on the stage for the final time, looking across at each other from opposing corners, it felt like the most natural thing in the world.
The churning mixture of feelings inside James was starting to make him feel sick. As he looked across at Nicola and tightened his grip on his poké ball, he felt as though he'd rather go three rounds with the Hoenn League champion instead.
As the MC started announcing the start of the battle, James felt as far from ready as he could be. His heart somersaulted with the realisation that in five short minutes, it would all be over, one way or the other.
"Begin!"
4:59.
James threw his poké ball forwards, the ever-reliable Charka springing forth for the night's final performance. Across from them, Nicola sent out…
…Zaggy?
The zigzagoon seemed the total opposite of everyone else on the stage. Charka was great at putting up fronts, but James could tell from the slightly different way he swung his tail that he was feeling the pressure of this final decisive battle just as much as James was.
Zaggy, on the other hand? He yawned widely, blinking blearily as if he'd only just woken from a pleasant, restful nap. There was no doubt whether or not he understood what was at stake here: of course, he didn't!
4:55.
Charka kicked off his performance with a jet of orange flame, bathing the hall in a warm orange light. He carefully weaved it into a swirling, fiery vortex above Zaggy, taking care not to attack him directly.
Zaggy blinked a couple of times and then hunched down, his tail suddenly wagging from side to side. He leapt upwards, swinging his front paws as if trying to catch the fire in his grasp. He missed and dropped back down, only to immediately leap up a second time.
"Whoa!" James exclaimed.
Charka jerked his head higher, making the vortex destabilise and dissipate. He quickly snapped his mouth shut to extinguish the flames before they went any more out of control.
4:42.
James gritted his teeth. After so much time spent watching Nicola struggle to train Zaggy throughout their journey, it startled him how little he was used to his style of battle. Even with everything he knew, he'd still launched his first attack expecting Zaggy to react the same way as any other opponent.
Time to switch gears. "Use Swords Dance!" he called to Charka.
With a nod, Charka broke into a frenzied jig. At first glance, it was no different to a regular Swords Dance, but they'd spent hours practising to add in a couple of extra movements. They were just short, smooth glides and turns, but when they were added together with the rest, it created a string of elegant, yet still-sharp movements. It was as though Charka's toes were scarcely touching the ground as he spun and jumped. It had taken so long to master it without Charka accidentally stumbling. James was glad that all the practice had paid off.
Across the stage, Zaggy was looking over at them, his large brown eyes twitching from side to side as he watched Charka's dance.
"Give it a try, Zaggy!" Nicola called, giving him a grin.
Zaggy glanced back at her, then turned back to face Charka and started leaping about haphazardly. He sometimes landed oddly, even crashing down to the ground on occasion, before pulling himself back up and jumping again. He tried to spin like Charka was, only to accidentally fling himself halfway across the stage.
"Keep it up, Zaggy!" Nicola called. "You're…pfft…doing great!"
Zaggy's head snapped around and he shot an indignant look at Nicola. He chittered at her loudly.
There was a wave of laughter from beyond the stage lights.
"S-Sorry, sorry!" Nicola tried to suppress her smile. "You're doing fine, it looks good!"
3:30.
It was time for something different.
As Charka wound up his dance, James called out to him. "It's time, Charka! Let's show 'em your newest move!"
With a nod, Charka took a deep breath. He swung his head to the side as he unleashed a burst of flames. They spread out in an arc, following the movement of his head. As he reached one side, he swung back the other way and sent another wave of flames flying over towards Zaggy.
The zigzagoon frantically ducked low to avoid the first wave, but then made the mistake of jumping up again too soon afterwards. He yelped in pain as the second wave washed over him and singed the fur on his back and tail.
"Hang in there, Zaggy!" Nicola called.
With a cry, Zaggy hurled himself into the air, just in time to avoid the third wave. He landed and skidded slightly on the stage before firing himself at Charka.
There was a thud as the zigzagoon slammed into the charmeleon's stomach, forcing him to take a step back.
2:59.
"Alright, Zaggy, use Belly Drum!" Nicola called.
Zaggy sprang back from Charka with surprising speed. As he landed, he dropped to his side and rolled about on his back, pounding his stomach with his paws. As he moved, rolled, pounded, letting out the occasional playful growl as he did, the noise of the crowd suddenly seemed to pierce the bubble of focus around James's mind. Hearing their laughter and cheers made him freeze up for a second. Of course, he was sure that some must be cheering for Charka as he started another smooth dance, but he was struck by the light atmosphere. He'd noticed the tension among the audience during his appeal and, later, during his other battles. That tension seemed to be fading as they were drawn into the performances.
In an instant, he felt his own tension start to melt and his heart, thumping uncomfortably from the start, began to settle. He and Charka didn't need to worry about perfectly performing their combinations. Sure, it would be nice to impress the crowd with the well-thought-out performance, but it wasn't just about the techniques.
As Nicola laughed at Zaggy's rolling and thrashing, James was reminded of the most important part of pokémon contests: they were supposed to be fun.
2:27.
"Charka, shadowbox!" James called.
Charka stopped jigging about and glanced back at James. Was it really okay to use that technique here? Hadn't he ruled it out after an earlier contest?
James just grinned at him and gave him a thumbs-up.
Truth be told, Charka had been feeling it too: the tension of this last battle. The one which would decide if the team went on to the Grand Festival or went home empty-handed. He'd felt James's nerves as surely as though they were his own.
But now, James had relaxed. The expectations seemed to have shifted. And Charka felt the cool tension being consumed within him by a sudden, burning fire.
He lunged outwards into the centre of the stage and started swinging out his claws in sharp, precise jabs. He loved doing this, feeling the rush of air between his claws as he slashed. Each strike out made him speed up slightly and he started varying his slashes even more. It was martial and tough, but it was very Charka.
Zaggy had finally finished rolling around and drumming on his stomach. Seemingly exhausted, he rolled over onto his feet and gave himself a shake. Then he started clawing at the stage floor like a madman.
Nicola burst out laughing. "Come on, Zaggy! You know you can't dig through that!"
Zaggy turned back and shot her another indignant look and hissed at her as the laughter from the audience rose. Then he turned forwards again and slumped down onto the ground. His chest heaved as he started snoring loudly.
"Zaggy! You're supposed to be performing!" Nicola shook her head and let out an exaggerated sigh.
"Try waking him up, Charka!" James said. "Slash right above him!"
Charka leapt closer to Zaggy and started slashing out with his claws just above the zigzagoon's head. Even though he was so close that he was nicking the ends of Zaggy's fur with each jab and swipe, the zigzagoon remained fast asleep.
"Try something else!" James called. "Fire Spin!"
Charka jumped back and fired a controlled jet of flames from his mouth. Twisting his head around and carefully managing the path of the flames, he whipped them up into a whirling tornado around his sleeping opponent.
The flames rose more gently to the top of the stage, flickering almost peacefully as they circled. For a few seconds, it seemed almost like they had stopped moving altogether, leaving only a solid pillar of fire at the centre of the stage. The world seemed to stop for those few seconds, for James and Nicola, for Charka and Zaggy (probably), and for the audience.
Maybe it was just his opinion, but James thought it was the most beautiful Fire Spin Charka had ever performed.
The flames suddenly parted and an irate Zaggy burst out, fur singed and newly-awakened eyes livid. He slammed into Charka, who thrust his head back in turn. They jumped back from each other as the trailing embers dropped to the ground around them.
"Time's up!" the MC called loudly. "The winner of the Pacifidlog Contest is…"
After five minutes of avoiding it, both James and Nicola looked up at the two point bars on the big screen. It was a close result: clearly a demonstration of how much the audience and the judges had enjoyed both performances.
And, ultimately, that's what it was all about, wasn't it? As memorising and beautiful as perfectly-executed and elaborate combinations could be, the reason that coordinators kept competing, that judges kept assessing, and that spectators kept watching wasn't just for the high quality of the contests. It was because these contests were so much fun.
Whatever the result.
…And there we have it, the final (standalone) contest of Pokémon Journey: Hoenn. Very satisfyingly, it's been exactly 100 chapters since the very first contest that appeared in this story.
Anyway, apologies for the delay on this chapter. I had some last-minute changes I wanted to make to the ending which required some extra time. Since these changes mean parts of Chapter 117 need rewriting, there may be a delay on that chapter being published as well.
I decided to go with a slightly unconventional approach to the Pacifidlog Contest by both James and Nicola, with Nicola using Mule and Zaggy (though I guess he wasn't too much of a surprise – he had been responsible for winning two of Nicola's three previous ribbons after all!), and James making the rare choice to use the same pokémon in both the appeals round and the final.
Both Zaggy and Charka have seen their fair share of contest action, so I tried my best to make their final performances both familiar, yet also unique. Hopefully, I succeeded!
As ever, I appreciate any feedback you have on this chapter.
Until next time!
Team Listings:
James Burton:
Active:
Charka (Charmeleon): Male. Naïve. Often scatters things. Likes sweet food. Fire type. Blaze ability. Knows Fire Spin, Swords Dance, Flamethrower, and Slash.
Kacha (Pikachu): Male. Modest. Sturdy body. Likes dry food. Electric type. Static ability. Knows Thunderbolt, Agility, Brick Break, and Volt Tackle.
Muro (Exploud): Male. Careful. Loves to eat. Likes bitter food. Normal type. Soundproof ability. Knows Howl, Stomp, Screech, and Hyper Voice.
Kelaar (Tropius): Male. Bashful. Likes to run. Eats anything. Grass-flying type. Chlorophyll ability. Knows Gust, Razor Leaf, Synthesis, and Body Slam.
Lusk (Dusclops): Female. Mild. Likes to fight. Likes dry food. Ghost type. Levitate ability. Knows Curse, Shadow Ball, Will-O-Wisp, and Shadow Punch.
Richard Winter:
Active:
Naro (Nidoking): Male. Mild. Sturdy body. Likes dry food. Poison-ground type. Poison Point ability. Knows Thrash, Megahorn, Poison Sting, and Double Kick.
Chena (Mightyena): Male. Docile. Capable of taking hits. Eats anything. Dark type. Intimidate ability. Knows Take Down, Howl, Swagger, and Crunch.
Dish (Ludicolo): Female. Gentle. Capable of taking hits. Likes bitter food. Water-grass type. Rain Dish ability. Knows Rain Dance, Growl, Giga Drain, and Hydro Pump.
Arro (Aggron): Male. Naïve. Loves to eat. Likes sweet food. Steel-rock type. Sturdy ability. Knows Metal Sound, Iron Tail, Iron Defence, and Double-Edge.
Vortex (Claydol): Genderless. Lonely. Sturdy body. Likes spicy food. Ground-psychic type. Levitate ability. Knows Hyper Beam, Psybeam, Cosmic Power, and Ancient Power.
Pincer (Anorith): Male. Modest. Good endurance. Likes dry food. Rock-bug type. Battle Armour ability. Knows Ancient Power, Mud Sport, Metal Claw, and Water Gun.
Nicola Hewitt:
Active:
Kipa (Swampert): Male. Quiet. Somewhat vain. Likes dry food. Water-ground type. Torrent ability. Knows Take Down, Endeavour, Earthquake, and Muddy Water.
Mushy (Breloom): Female. Calm. Likes to relax. Likes bitter food. Grass-fighting type. Effect Spore ability. Knows Mega Drain, Mind Reader, Mach Punch, and Dynamic Punch.
Zaggy (Zigzagoon): Male. Adamant. Quick to flee. Likes spicy food. Normal type. Pick Up ability. Knows Belly Drum, Rest, Body Slam, and Dig.
Tricky (Manectric): Male. Quirky. Somewhat of a clown. Eats anything. Electric type. Lightningrod ability. Knows Bite, Spark, Charge, and Howl.
Mule (Numel): Female. Docile. Often lost in thought. Eats anything. Fire-ground type. Oblivious ability. Knows Flamethrower, Earthquake, Amnesia, and Take Down.
Blu (Altaria): Female. Brave. Strong willed. Likes spicy food. Dragon-flying type. Natural Cure ability. Knows Refresh, Dragon Dance, Peck, and Dragon Breath.
Will Burton:
Active:
Toya (Blastoise): Male. Modest. Very finicky. Likes dry food. Water type. Torrent ability. Knows Skull Bash, Bite, Hydro Pump, and Ice Beam.
Turkey (Swellow): Male. Mild. Alert to sounds. Likes dry food. Normal-flying type. Guts ability. Knows Aerial Ace, Steel Wing, Return, and Fly.
Gulpy (Swalot): Female. Mild. Nods off a lot. Likes dry food. Poison type. Sticky Hold ability. Knows Stockpile, Swallow, Sludge Bomb, and Toxic.
Blue (Shelgon): Female. Adamant. Proud of its power. Likes spicy food. Dragon type. Rock Head ability. Knows Dragon Claw, Crunch, Flamethrower, and Double-Edge.
Grum (Spoink): Female. Naughty. Hates to lose. Likes spicy food. Psychic type. Own Tempo ability. Knows Magic Coat, Psychic, Reflect, and Confuse Ray.
Shup (Shuppet): Male. Quiet. Thoroughly cunning. Likes dry food. Ghost type. Insomnia ability. Knows Shadow Ball, Spite, Feint Attack, and Will-O-Wisp.
