Chapter 23:
Opening Ceremony Sesame
Location: Driftveil City
"Today's the day!" Hugh yelled. "The day we help open the PWT! I can't say I'm not nervous, but I'm certainly excited."
I laughed a bit. "Sure you are. Who are you using?"
Hugh sent out his Pokémon. They were Pignite as well as his newly evolved Tranquill and newly acquired Simipour.
Simipour (ヒヤッキエ)
042
Water Type
Geyser Pokémon
3'03" (1 m)
63.9 lbs (29 kg)
It prefers places with clean water. When its tuft runs low, it replenishes it by siphoning up water with its tail.
Panpour -Water Stone- Simipour
Tranquill (ハトーボー)
015
Normal/Flying Type
Wild Pigeon Pokémon
2'00" (0.6 m)
33.1 lbs (15 kg)
No matter where in the world it goes, it knows where its nest is, so it never gets separated from its Trainer.
Pidove -Lv 21- Tranquill
"Hey Mr. Cheren," I asked. "You trained a Simipour and Tranquill didn't you?"
"I did indeed!" he said, adjusting his glasses. "And whilst I won't be using either of those, I won't reveal what I will be using."
"I will though!" I said. "Servine, Growlithe and Trapinch. It's a good coverage if you ask me."
"Sure is," Hugh said. "Okay. We should get to the PWT lobby. Come on, it's south!"
Location: PWT
We walked through a glass blue tunnel to a blue area with a big blue stadium.
"We're here," Hugh said. "The Pokémon World Tournament. A place with ambitions to be a central hub for competitive battles from all over the world. It's exciting stuff."
"And I'll help people get there!"
It was Zack and Drilbur! "Hey!" I said. "How's the Relic Passage coming along?"
"Finished just in time!" he said. "It will be opened alongside the PWT. Here's a big bit of news though; for my efforts, I'm allowed to be a competitor!"
"That's great!" I said. "You'll be using Drilbur I presume?"
"You bet!" he said. "The others I'll keep a secret. Okay, we should sign up!"
Location: PWT Lobby
"Here we are," I said. "Come on, let's sign up!"
Already at the check in desk was Nate, who let us through immediately.
"Don't forget us," I said. "So, who else is participating?"
I looked through the other three names. Harlequin Emmanuel, Lass Imane and…
"Oh," I said. "Colress is in this."
"Zack," Hugh said. "Colress was that Scientist from the Castelia City Sewers. He wants to bring out a Pokémon's fullest potential, whatever that means. We don't know if he's a good guy or not."
"Whatever he is," Zack said looking at the line-up. "I'm up first, and against him to. Wish me luck."
"Hey!" I said. "Hugh, we're up against each other as the last round of the first group!"
"Great!" Hugh said. "Okay, we're signed in. Let's get ready!"
First round:
"Hello everyone, and welcome to opening ceremony the Pokémon World Tournament! We have eight Trainers here who will battle for the top. The winner has the honour of cutting the ribbon for the opening! That's a front news story for you right there! Okay, without further ado, onto the first battle! From anonymous, it's Scientist Colress Vs. Worker Felix from Castelia City!"
We watched on the screen as Colress and Felix entered either side of the court.
"Felix has got this," I told Hugh. "Felix uses a Drilbur and Colress uses Steel Types. It should be a piece of cake for him!"
"Battle begin!"
Felix Vs. Colress
"Onix, I choose you!" shouted Felix, sending out the giant rock monster.
Onix (イワーク)
071
Rock/Ground Type
Rock Snake Pokémon
28'10" (8.8 m)
463 lbs (210 kg)
Opening its large mouth, it ingests massive amounts of soil and creates long tunnels.
"Go Magneton!" replied Colress, sending out three Magnemite stuck together.
Magneton (レアコイル)
049
Electric/Steel Type
3'03" (1 m)
132.3 lbs (60 kg)
The stronger electromagnetic waves from the three linked Magnemite are enough to dry out surrounding moisture.
Magnemite -Lv 30- Magneton
"Magneton, start with Mirror Shot!" Magneton fired a clear beam at Onix. Due to Onix having weak Sp. Defense as well as a weakness to Steel Type moves, it was almost taken down. The Sturdy Ability prevented a knockout.
"Onix, Rock Tomb!" Onix made a tomb of rocks cave in around Magneton. It wasn't very effective, but it did lower speed. "Now use Stealth Rock!" Onix threw a bunch of rocks around the field.
"Use another Mirror Shot!" Magneton fired another clear beam at Onix, taking it down.
"Onix! There wasn't much you could do anyway. Okay Drilbur, come on out!" Zack said. "Use Dig!" Drilbur made a hole underground.
"Magneton, Mirror Shot!" However, the Mirror Shot missed just in time.
"Do it!" Drilbur came back up above ground and attacked Magneton. It was knocked out.
We could see Colress typing on his computer. "Okay then. Elgyem, go!" he said, sending out his next Pokémon.
Elgyem (リグレー)
188
Psychic Type
Cerebral Pokémon
1'08" (0.5 m)
9 kg (19.8 lbs)
Rumors of its origin are linked to a UFO crash sight in the desert 50 years ago.
When Elgyem was sent out, the Stealth Rock attacked immediately, dealing damage. It was a clever move.
"Drilbur, Slash!" Drilbur ran up to Elgyem and slashed at it.
"Elgyem, Psybeam!" From its fingertip, Elgyem fired a colourful beam at Drilbur. When it hit, Drilbur was confused.
"Snap out of it Drilbur! Use Dig!" Instead, Drilbur hurt itself in the confusion.
"Hidden Power, go!" Elgyem fired a green ball at Drilbur. It hit for Super Effective damage, and Drilbur was done for.
"No!" Zack yelled. "Okay, you asked for it. Raticate, go!" Zack's last Pokémon was a brown Pokémon with two sharp teeth at the front.
Raticate (ラッタ)
060
Normal Type
Mouse Pokémon
2'04" (0.7 m)
40.8 lbs (18.5 kg)
With its long fangs, this surprisingly violent Pokémon can gnaw away at even thick concrete with ease.
Rattata -Lv 20- Raticate
"Okay Raticate, Bite!" Raticate scurried over to Elgyem and bit down on it. Elgyem was almost down, and Colress was fascinated.
"Elgyem, Psybeam!" Elgyem fired a colourful beam at Raticate. It was also confused.
"No, Raticate! Give it another Bite!" However, Raticate hit itself.
"Another Psybeam!" Elgyem attacked with another Psybeam. This Psybeam was a Critical Hit and Raticate was finished.
"No," I heard Zack yell.
"Hey," I told Zack in the waiting room. "You did your best. And that should be good."
"I know," he said. "But that Colress. What is up with him?"
"I hope to find out," I said. "Hey look, Mr. Cheren beat Imane!"
We saw Mr. Cheren's Watchog deal a Crunch attack on Imane's Buneary.
Buneary (ミミロル)
080
Normal Type
Rabbit Pokémon
1'04" (0.4 m)
12.1 lbs (5.5 kg)
By expanding its rolled-up ears and striking the ground, it can bound so high it surprises itself.
"I guess we're next," Hugh told me. "You ready?"
I nodded. "Anytime."
"And coming up now are two friends that are journeying together. Both from Aspertia City, it's Rosa Wright and Hugh Brennan!"
We walked opposite each other.
"First battle in a while!" I said. "Don't go easy!"
"I don't plan on it!" Hugh responded.
Rosa Vs. Hugh
"First, I choose Pignite!" Hugh shouted, sending out his Fire Type.
"And I choose Trapinch!" I replied.
"Pignite, Heat Crash!" Pignite covered itself in fire, then jumped onto Trapinch. Trapinch barely held on.
"Come back with Bulldoze!" Trapinch made a shockwave through the ground that hit Pignite. It was a Critical Hit! Pignite was down in one. "Alright Trapinch! That's one less Pokémon to worry about!"
"Simipour, go!" Hugh shouted. Okay, this Pokémon Trapinch did need to worry about. "Scald!" Simipour spat boiling water at Trapinch, which thankfully missed.
"Sand Tomb!" Trapinch made a whirlpool of sand below Simipour's feet. It couldn't retreat.
"Another Scald!" This time, the Scald was a success. Trapinch fainted.
"You did good. Just what we needed. Go Servine!" I shouted. "Use Leaf Tornado!" Servine span around and fired leaves at Simipour. It did a lot of damage to it.
"Use Lick!" Simipour jumped to Servine and licked it. Servine shuddered; it was paralyzed! "Now Fury Swipes!" Simipour started swiping repeatedly at Servine. It hit 4 times.
"Mega Drain!" I shouted. Servine fired a beam at Simipour that drained away the rest of its HP.
"Nice one Simipour. Okay Tranquill, let's go!" Out came Hugh's Flying Type; my paralyzed Servine was in trouble. "Use Air Cutter!" Tranquill fired streaks of air at Servine. Servine didn't quite go down.
"Leech Seed!" I shouted as Servine fired a small seed at Tranquill. It attached it to and started draining its HP.
"One more Air Cutter!" Tranquill fired one final barrage of streaks at Servine, taking it down.
"Servine! You did well." I recalled it. "Okay Growlithe, finish the fight!" Out came my Fire Type.
"Use Air Cutter!" Another set of streaks were fired. Growlithe took them all.
"Use Fire Fang!" Growlithe jumped into Tranquill and, with flaming fangs, bit its wing. Tranquill was also burned!
"Another Air Cutter!" Tranquill fired another set of streaks at Growlithe, who was barely hanging on.
"Reversal!" Growlithe started glowing blue. It then charged into Tranquill, finishing it off.
"Congrats Rosa! Onto the next round!"
Round 2
"And with that, Colress' Klink makes good work of Emmanuel's Baltoy. Which means Colress is on his way to the final!"
I gulped.
"Nervous?" Mr. Cheren asked. "Nothing to worry about. You beat me when I had zero Gym Badges. I mean, I am stronger now."
"It's Colress," I said. "I've beaten him before to. Why is he gathering this data?"
"I would just focus on the battle!" Mr. Cheren said. "Come on, it's you Vs. me next!"
Me and Mr. Cheren entered the Stadium and stood opposite each other.
"When we last battled, I won my first Badge from you. Now I have five."
"I'll have you know that I've already gained eight Badges. So, let's see who wins this!"
Rosa Vs. Mr. Cheren
"Okay Stoutland, you're first!" Mr. Cheren shouted, sending out the hairy Normal Type.
Stoutland (ムーランド)
024
Normal Type
Big-Hearted Pokémon
3'11" (1.2 m)
134.5 lbs (61 kg)
Being wrapped in its long fur is so comfortable that a person would be fine even overnight on a wintry mountain.
Lillipup -Lv 16- Herdier -Lv 32- Stoutland
"Come out Trapinch!" I shouted.
"Stoutland, Work Up!" Stoutland started getting angry. This raised its Attack and Sp. Attack.
"Trapinch, Bulldoze!" Trapinch created a shock wave that hit Stoutland. Its Speed fell.
"Come back with Take Down!" Stoutland charged into Trapinch. It was down in one, but luckily for me, that also meant that Stoutland took a fair amount of recoil damage. My plan was in place.
"Okay Growlithe, go!" I yelled "Fire Fang!" Growlithe leapt at Stoutland and bit it with its fiery jaws. Stoutland flinched! "And again!" Growlithe used another Fire Fang. Stoutland was finished.
"Nice work. But can you deal with Cinccino?" Mr. Cheren sent out Minccino's evolved form.
Cinccino (チラチーノ)
108
Normal Type
Scarf Pokémon
1'08" (0.5 m)
16.5 lbs (7.5 kg)
Cincinno's body is coated in a special oil that helps it deflect attacks, such as punches.
Minccino -Shiny Stone- Cinccino
"Okay Cinccino, Wake Up Slap!" Cinccino ran over to Growlithe and started smacked it in the face.
"Come back with Fire Fang Growlithe!" Growlithe chomped down on Cinccino. It was a direct hit, but at the cost of something I wasn't expecting. Growlithe started acting weirdly flirty towards Cinccino. "Growlithe, now is not the time for crushes!"
"Maybe it is," Mr. Cheren said. "My Cinccino has the Ability Cute Charm. This means when a Pokémon of the opposite gender, such as your male Growlithe, makes contact with my female Cinccino, there is a chance it will be infatuated."
Well, that wasn't fun. Trapinch, the only female on my team at that point, was knocked out already. "Growlithe, return!" I said. "Go Servine!" Servine came out to take two Wake Up Slaps. "Now use Leaf Tornado!" Servine span around and hit Cinccino with multiple leaves. Since Leaf Tornado does not make direct contact, Servine was not at a Cute Charm risk. Plus, Leaf Tornado had lowered Cinccino's Accuracy!
"Wake Up Slap!" Cinccino went for the attack, but it missed!
"Great job! Finish it with Mega Drain!" Servine sucked the last of Cinccino's HP away.
"No!" Mr. Cheren yelled as Cinccino fell down and fainted. "I mean, you're talented Rosa. But now it's time for my final Pokémon, Watchog!" Mr. Cheren sent out the tall, brown Pokémon. "And don't even think about using your Leaf Tornado strategy. My Watchog has the Keen Eye Ability; its Accuracy can't be lowered."
"Mega Drain Servine!" Servine fired a beam at Watchog, draining some health.
"Crunch!" Watchog bit Servine on the tail. It could only take one more hit.
"Servine, Slam!" Servine slammed down on Watchog's head, doing quite a bit of damage.
"One more Crunch!" Watchog chomped down on Servine once more, defeating it.
"Growlithe, it's up to you!" I shouted.
"Crunch Watchog!" Watchog sunk its teeth into Growlithe. One more hit and Growlithe would be done for.
"Fire Fang it back!" Growlithe snapped its teeth onto Watchog's arm. It was a Critical Hit! Watchog was down!
"Yes. I can see you've gotten much stronger since our first battle. Congratulations."
Final Round
"Well, here we are folks! The decider to see who will cut the ribbon on the PWT! Our spectators? It's Colress from anonymous Vs. Rosa of Aspertia City!"
I walked up to the Stadium. Colress was opposite me.
"The amount of research I've received from these battles is astounding. Can you give me an interesting spectacle to?"
Rosa Vs. Colress
"Magneton, go!" shouted Colress.
"I choose Trapinch!" I replied.
"Mirror Shot!" Magneton fired a beam at Trapinch, but it missed. Ironic how a move that has a chance of lowering Accuracy is, in and of itself, not very accurate.
"Bulldoze it!" Trapinch sent a shockwave through the ground that hit Magneton. It was almost down.
"Use another Mirror Shot!" This Mirror Shot was a successful hit, but not a strong one per say.
"One final Bulldoze!" I yelled. Trapinch sent another shock wave through the ground and finished Magneton.
"Fascinating. Okay Elgyem, go!" Colress sent out the green Psychic Type.
"Good job Trapinch," I said. I wanted to give Trapinch a break before Klink. "Come on out Servine!" I was confident it would work. "Leaf Tornado!" Servine span around and fired leaves at Elgyem who flew back a little from impact.
"Hidden Power!" Elgyem fired a green ball at Servine for Super Effective damage. Well, that wasn't fun.
"Another Leaf Tornado!" Another barrage of leaves later, and Elgyem still wasn't down.
"Hidden Power again!" Elgyem fired yet another green ball at Servine. Critical Hit! Servine was down.
"Growlithe, you're next!" I shouted. "Take Down!" Growlithe ran into Elgyem with all its might, and it was down.
"Good hit. Okay Klink, you're up!" The revolving gears were sent out.
"Flame Burst!" Growlithe fired a ball of fire at Klink that exploded on impact.
"Charge Beam!" Klink charged up a ball of electricity, then fired it in the form of a beam at Growlithe. It wasn't very strong.
"Now use Reversal!" Growlithe, coloured blue, hit Klink. It was the final blow.
"Yes, I think I've got what I need."
Everyone cheered.
"And with that, the PWT opening ceremony has come to a close with Rosa of Aspertia City as our winner! In commemoration of this, in an hour, she will cut the ribbon on the PWT, declaring it open!"
I waved nervously.
Location: PWT
"I declare this PWT… open!" I said as I cut the red ribbon with a giant pair of scissors. All around me, the press took pictures for the newspaper.
"This is Gabby here, coming at you live from Unova's newly opened Pokémon World Tournament! We hope to see you soon! Ty, stop rolling. I SAID STOP ROLLING!"
After the crowd dissipated, me and Hugh were left on our own.
"What an honour!" he said. "On this journey, you've been a movie star and a front pager! Must be a lot to take in!"
"I know," I said. "Yeah, this is a lot of fun!"
"Am I interrupting anything?"
Suddenly, Colress turned up from round the corner.
"Oh, hi," I said. "Thanks for the battle earlier; it was a lot of fun! Did I help with your research?"
"More than helped!" he said. "And I would like to show it to you."
"Really?" I asked. "When?"
"Tomorrow. And I would like to meet you, on the Plasma Frigate."
We both stopped.
"What?" I asked. "Did you just say…"
"Yes," Colress replied. "Both of you. It will be parked here in the morning. I don't expect either of you to be late. Goodbye for now."
With that, he walked off.
"Oh no," I said. "This isn't good. Have I been assisting Team Plasma without knowing it?"
"Calm down!" Mr. Cheren said. "First of all, as you said, you had no idea you were doing it. Secondly, we don't know if he's part of Team Plasma next; he could be teaming up with us. If so, I see this as an opportunity. A good one to give Team Plasma what for!"
"Are you sure about that?" I said. "Well, we might as well not blow this chance. I'll let Rood know."
Hugh stopped me. "I think this should be kept secret."
I nodded. "Okay. You have a point."
I… don't know whether today was great or not. On one hand, I opened up the new signature battle facility in the Unova region! On the other, I might have been assisting Team Plasma unknowingly. I will find out tomorrow what is up with Colress. How could I have been so stupid?