Alright, nothing new to say, so let's get started. I do not own Pokemon.
Felix was lined up on the track, runners from rival schools on both sides. An Exploud was on the side, and one loud burst from him signaled the start of the race. Felix took off down the track, starting in first place. He kept a good lead for a while until one of the others suddenly increased their speed, managing to catch up to Felix. The two kept focus and continued running, each paying no attention to the other. The race finished quickly, Felix just barely managing to pull ahead by the end. Damien personally didn't cheer (he really didn't do that anyway), but all the other Anville students did, Pamira probably being the loudest.
After a few minutes, Felix came up to where they were in the stands. "Hey, you're here." His Swampert was behind him, softly spraying him with some cool mist.
"Of course!" Pamira said, hugging him. "We wouldn't miss it."
"Gah." Felix said, getting out of her arms. "I'm all sweaty. Wait until I've showered at least." Jacob gave him a quick pat on the back.
"Don't you have another run after this?" Damien asked.
"No, Andy took it over." Felix explained. Damien assumed that Andy was another member of the track team. "I can' t shower until after anyway. We've got to keep uniforms on until the closing ceremony ends." Swampert stopped spraying mist.
"Can't you just shower and put the clothes back on?" Damien asked.
"You do not want to do that, trust me." Karek said. "That sort of thing is disgusting, especially in warmer weather, which we're having."
"Okay." Damien said, shrugging.
"Not to mention that this is a smaller meet, hence the only a few schools showing up." Karek said. "Anyway, I should get down and prep. See you all later." He ran past Felix and Swampert up the stairs and disappeared into the crowd.
"I can't wait to see his run." Pamira said. "I've never seen the leads run before, it was always too cold or some other thing during the events that would have them."
"There's only been one meet that would've had it." Felix said. "And you couldn't make it anyway."
"I'm still excited." Pamira pouted.
"Yeah, well I'm going to be lead next year." Felix huffed.
"That would require you to be faster than him, which is a hard task." Damien said. "Since he races against some of the fastest Pokemon in existence."
Felix just grunted and looked away. "I can dream."
"I believe in you." Pamira said.
"Yeah, you can do it." Jacob said. "Also, does your bus take you back or do you want to come with us?"
"It takes us back, but I'd prefer to ride with you." Felix said.
"Alright." Jacob said.
"I'll just ride with Karek, since I know he knows where I live, and no doubt he's gonna want to talk to me." Damien said.
"Alright." Jacob said.
"Are you-" Pamira started, but she was interrupted by the Exploud, which meant another race was starting. They watched through more races until it was time for the final race.
"And now, the moment you've all been waiting so patiently for, it's time for the lead runners to compete!" The announcer, well, announced, and the people on the stands went crazy. Damien had to cover his ears due to the loud sudden burst of loud sound, though he quickly adjusted.
"Up first, from right here in Opelucid City, the runner with something to prove, Andrew Webber!" A boy walked onto the field, his Machoke following behind him, both wearing the red and purple colors of the school.
"Up next is the girl from Mistralton City who runs like the wind, it's Jessica Thompson!" A girl who wore blue and white walked onto the field next, her Swellow following behind her, wearing a white and blue sash.
"Up third is the man who can't sit still from Driftveil City, it's Charlie Yoroña!" A boy walked out next to his Simisage, both wearing brown and gray bandanas.
"Fourth is from Icirrus City, the girl with an icy coolness, it's Taylor Peters!" A girl walked out onto the field wearing orange and black, followed by her Haxorous, who wore an orange and black handkerchief around its neck.
"And last but not least, a runner who quickly rose up the ranks of his school, hailing from Anville Town, it's Karek Clive!" Karek walked onto the field, his Blaziken following suit. Blaziken wore long yellow and green ribbons around both wrists, which fluttered in the breeze.
"Alright competitors, let's give a quick run down of the rules." The announcer said. Pamira turned an ear towards the closest speaker. "Trainers and their Pokemon will be required to complete eight laps around the track, totalling to two miles per runner. Both trainer and Pokemon must cross the finish line in order to count. Along the way, various obstacles will pop up from the ground, and trainers and their Pokemon will need to work together to clear them. The race is complete once all five teams cross the finish line. The team to come in first is the winner! Oh, and one last announcement. Once one team starts their eighth lap, other runners may attempt to disrupt them. Each runner only gets one attempt, so make it count! Now, line up and get ready!" All five runners went to their appropriate spots and got into position, a stand having been brought out for Jessica's Swellow. The Exploud roared once more, and they were off. Damien went quiet so he could focus on the race.
Immediately the first obstacle made itself known. A blast of Razor Leaf shot out from vents, right towards the runners.
"Machoke, use Brick Break!"
"Swellow, Aerial Ace!"
"Simisage, counter with a Seed Bomb!"
"Haxorus, Dragon Pulse!"
"Blaziken, Flamethrower!"
Each runner slowed a little for their Pokemon to use their respective moves, except for Karek. Due to his short height, he was able to keep running while Blaziken shot fire right over him, turning the leaves to ash. This meant that Karek was now in the lead. Damien smiled, and clenched his hands in excitement. He could hear the shouts of his fellow students as they cheered Karek on. The runners ran around the corner and the next obstacle appeared on the other end. A steep flight of stairs. They all ran straight for it. Damien knew that Karek would have some trouble, and would likely fall behind. He couldn't use Blaziken since Pokemon were not allowed to carry their trainers during the race. Sure enough, when the obstacle was over and they all jumped down, Karek was in last, but only by a small margin. "Come on." Damien muttered. "Speed up."
The next obstacle didn't make itself known for a while, and during that time, Karek managed to catch up. It was on the fourth lap that glass panels rose up, with a clearly labeled space for hitting. Damien knew what this one did. The Pokemon was supposed to attack it with enough force so that the glass would recede into the ground, allowing their trainers safe access.
"Machoke, Brick Break again!"
"Swellow, Quick Attack!"
"Simisage, Bullet Seed!"
"Blaziken, you use Brick Break too!"
But Taylor kept quiet for a bit, letting the other competitors execute their moves and getting close before having her Haxorus use a move. "Now, use Giga Impact!" Damien was surprised. Giga Impact required that the user rest for a bit before they could move again after it was used. So why would she risk losing the whole race when it was barely halfway done? Her Haxorus didn't skip a beat though, charging through and shattering the glass completely. Then the next thing that happened astonished Damien. Haxorus… kept going. He didn't slow down at all.
"How is that possible?" Damien asked. "That Haxorus shouldn't be moving right now."
"I don't know." Pamira said. "But I guess we know why she's their lead runner. If her Haxorus can ignore the side effects of Giga Impact, it must be incredibly powerful."
"The only good thing is that they're in the middle in terms of speed," Felix said, "So they still might not win."
"I think she's just waiting to go full speed." Damien said. "I know Karek and Blaziken are. They're conserving energy until the final stretch. Those two could be doing the same."
"That still doesn't explain how Taylor's Haxorus wasn't stopped." Pamira said. "Power doesn't prevent that effect from happening. I mean, you saw Marcus's Electivire. It still stopped after using Giga Impact. And Marcus is really powerful."
"True." Felix said. "I guess we'll just have to watch." Damien turned his head back to the race as the runners cleared yet another obstacle, although he didn't get the chance to see what it was. Karek was back in the lead though, with Taylor right by him, and the others not far behind. The rest of the race went on smoothly, with no more obstacles, and then a whistle sounded, signalling the final lap.
"Swellow, use Aerial Ace on Blaziken!" Jessica called.
"Machoke, Low Sweep on Blaziken too!"
"Simisage, use Leech Seed on Haxorus!"
"Haxorus, use Dragon Pulse on all three of them!" Taylor called, and her Haxorus responded quickly, causing all three Pokemon to hit the ground and their trainers to rush to their sides.
"Why would she attack all three of them?" Damien wondered. "She just wasted her one opportunity to mess with them." Taylor and her Haxorus put on a burst of speed, overtaking Karek and Blaziken, who also put on some speed to keep up. Now they were neck and neck.
"I think she wanted to make it a match between just her and Karek." Felix said. "Look at the others. They're so far behind now." Damien looked and saw that while the trainers and their Pokemon were back on their feet, there was no way they were making a comeback. They'd lost too much time.
"She knows that Karek never messes with people on this part." Damien said. "So she's making it so that they lose, or he attacks. She's already pulled ahead of him. Just barely sure, but it's enough."
"But won't Karek just attack anyway, now that the option's there?" Pamira asked. "What's the point?"
"Pride, likely." Jacob said. " Or intimidation. Likely the latter. She doesn't want to lose. Icirrus City has won the championships so many times, they probably expect themselves to win again. Which means they want to win this first meet. I've seen similar things happen on college level."
"Is that even allowed?" Pamira asked.
"Of course it is." Damien answered. "It makes for a more fun experience. Besides, nothing serious ever happens."
"You're used to this?" Pamira asked.
"I've been to these meets before." Damien said. "Karek's been interested in these for years, so he went to all of them. And dragged me along."
"I thought he wanted to be a ninja." Felix said.
"He does." Damien said. "He just believes that this could help him. It doesn't hurt that he enjoys it." Damien watched as Karek and Taylor were on the last stretch, both trying desperately to maintain their speeds. But on the last few steps, Karek fumbled, and although he crossed the finish line, Taylor and her Haxorus finished first.
Damien heard the roars of the cheering crowd from Icirrus, but he ignored it, getting up and running down to the field. When he got there, Karek had his hands on his knees, breathing heavily. "Karek!"
Karek looked up. "Damien?" He panted.
"Are you okay?" Damien asked. "You stumbled back there."
"I'm fine." Karek said, placing his hands behind his head. He took a few breaths before saying, "I definitely need to work on my stamina though. I didn't have much energy by the end."
"You came in second though." Damien said. "So that's good."
"Yeah, it is." Karek sighed. But it didn't sound like he believed it. "Come on. The awards ceremony is coming up. We still have a chance of winning because we did so well everywhere else." Damien nodded.
Damien was quiet as he and Karek drove home. They'd gotten second place, just barely being outscored by Icirrus. Damien knew that Karek and Blaziken, who'd been quiet the whole time before being returned to his Pokeball, weren't taking it well. They'd trained for months specifically to get first on that race. "Karek-"
"Please." Karek said. "Don't. I know what you're going to say, and I don't want to hear it." Damien got the message and stayed quiet. Karek pulled into Liara's driveway and Damien got out. He watched as Karek drove away before heading inside.
So, that ended badly. They got second though. Anyway, that means the next chapter is for Damien's upcoming contest, but there will be some things first, so it won't happen first thing next chapter. It'll also more than likely take a few chapters. Anyway, time for the next team.
Character: Jack
Team: Totodile, Rotom, Spinarak, Smeargle, Zangoose, Zeviper, Zorua, Mimikyu, Grubbin, Voltorb
Totodile: Toto
Level: 20
Ability: Torrent
Item: Everstone
Nature: Hardy (Neutral)
Moveset: Water Gun, Scratch, Bite, Ice Fang
Rotom: Motor
Level: 18
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Relaxed (Up Def, Down Speed)
Moveset: Double Team, Confuse Ray, Thunder Shock, Thunder Wave
Spinarak: Spidey
Level: 19
Ability: Insomnia
Nature: Naughty (Up Atk, Down SpDef)
Moveset: Shadow Sneak, Leech Life, Night Shade, Poison Sting
Smeargle: Paint
Level: 17
Ability: Own Tempo
Nature: Bashful (Neutral)
Moveset: Sketch, Sketch
Zangoose: Henryu
Level: 20
Ability: Immunity
Nature: Adamant (Up Atk, Down Sp Atk)
Moveset: Quick Attack, Swords Dance, Fury Cutter, Slash
Seviper: Sword
Level: 18
Ability: Shed Skin
Nature: Hasty (Up Speed, Down Def)
Moveset: Poison Tail, Lick, Bite, Wrap
Zorua: Danny
Level: 18
Ability: Illusion
Nature: Naive (Up Speed, Down SpDef)
Moveset: Pursuit, Scratch, Feint Attack, Fury Swipes
Mimikyu: Pikachu
Level: 16
Ability: Disguise
Nature: Gentle (Up SpDef, Down Def)
Moveset: Copycat, Shadow Sneak, Double Team, Astonish
Grubbin: Buddy
Level: 17
Ability: Swarm
Nature: Rash (Up SpAtk, Down SpDef)
Moveset: Mud Slap, Bite, Bug Bite, Spark
Voltorb: Boomie
Level: 16
Ability: Soundproof
Nature: Timid (Up Speed, Down Atk)
Moveset: Sonic Boom, Spark, Rollout, Charge