"A recent study showed that the nation's crime rate is still on the rise. We're seeing a 1.7 percent increase in the statistic when compared to last year's numbers. Authorities largely attribute this to the increasing amount of teen anxiety caused by social orientation and academic pressures. In other news, archaeologists have been excavating the remains of many structures in Cinnabar Island that seem to remain largely intact following the island's infamous eruption more than three years ago. Geologists estimate that the mud flows caused by the volcanic eruption were launched in such a way that preserved much of the architecture of the island. Cinnabar's rebuilding is still far from complete, allowing teams plenty of room to do excavation. The teams are focusing on the island's center where the Cinnabar mansion and laboratory facilities were located. The famous eruption caused no fatalities, however valuable information and equipment and pieces of historical significance did not make it out of the island before the eruption."
Will shut the television off. Casually he rose from bed and reached on top of his dresser drawer. His hands clumsily felt around until they felt a cold small rectangular object. Snatching this, they drew nearer to his face and pressed the against it. Will fumbled some more and found a light switch. After turning it on he could see the numbers he was looking for. He dialed the number from memory and waited impatiently for an answer.
"Yes?"
"Koga, were you watching that?" Will inquired.
"You mean the report that the nationwide crime increased stemmed largely from teen dysfunctionalities that weren't addressed in the status quo?" replied Koga.
"No, the excavation. All kinds of interesting stuff could be preserved in those buildings. What's more, the pokemon league should be the first to have a shot at that information. If it's all right, I'd like to go ahead and check it out. I'm having a hard time getting leads on these legendary pokemon when I only have legends to work with," said Will.
"It's absolutely fine. You may leave immediately."
"I'm curious, if you wanted me to go, why didn't you notify me earlier?" asked Will.
"There's a message waiting for you at the front desk detailing your departure time and contacts. I was hoping you had gotten the message sooner, but you must have looked unapproachable to the hotel personnel. Good night," replied Koga.
Will hung up. Koga always seemed to be one step ahead of him. He was always trying to adjust to being a newer member of the elite four and it seemed as though the senior members were always picking on him. This time he would prove himself. If he could just manage to uncover key information that would lead to the finding of a legendary pokemon, or even something of scientific significance, he would gain their respect. This would be his big chance. It would let him shrug off some of the mockings given to his personal appearance and head gear if nothing else...
--------------------
"Will trainers Marlow and Jessica please report to the battle arena?" Marlow exited the tunnel and made his way to the blue side of the arena. As was his custom, he looked at his opponent through the corner of his eye. What Marlow saw made him look another time. Jessica was incredibly young, She appeared to be no more than twelve years old. Her small size seemed to contribute to the youthful impression she gave. She wore a t-shirt with a pikachu on it and she was singing something to herself, but Marlow could not make out the words. As the two reached their respective corners, their gaze met.
"Good luck Marlow," said Jessica.
"Good luck Jessica," replied Marlow.
"This league preliminary match will begin now. This is a first round league preliminary match. It will be a three on three battle with no time limit. From Olivine City and on the blue side is Marlow and he will be facing Jessica from New Bark Town on the red side. Trainers begin!" voiced a loudspeaker.
"Pikachu, I choose you," cried Jessica.
A scruffy looking pikachu came out of its pokeball. Suddenly several people in the crowd rose to their feet and chanted "pikachu" in unison. A chorus of applause followed and Jessica smiled and waved to the crowd. The electric pokemon had many fans in the crowd and the spectators took its appearance as a rare and special treat.
"Tentacruel, go," said Marlow.
When tentacruel emerged, Jessica's eyes seemed to light up and she smiled at Marlow and nodded. Marlow glared at her to return the expression. She either knew something he didn't or she thought she knew something he didn't. Marlow reserved judgment kept his mind on the defensive.
"This should be easy pikachu, use your thunder attack now," said Jessica.
"Tentacruel, mirror coat," Marlow said calmly.
The tiny yellow rat's scarlet cheeks began to glow with electric power and its entire body tensed up before it sent a beam of pure electricity up into the sky. It focused as it directed the electricity down at its aquatic adversary. The process was difficult and not always the most accurate, but pikachu was able to pinpoint the electric attack properly and it came down on tentacruel. Tentacruel did not attempt to dodge, it just channeled all of the pain and destructive energy into one body. It let that body flow around it and then it began to glow a reflective light. Pikachu eyed the display closely. Tentacruel's attack seemed to make itself into a perfect mirror. Pikachu could see the reflection of the stadium, the crowd, the sun, and even itself. Pikachu's reflection then started to unleash a thunder attack and the thunder hit tentacruel. Pikachu felt the pain of unleashing all of that power again and it also felt the pain that the attack did to tentacruel all at the same time. The feelings and the pain were so great that the electric rat winced and doubled over on the ground. Pikachu lied there for a couple of seconds before staggering back to its feet.
"Pikachu, are you okay?" asked Jessica sensitively.
"Tentacruel, sludge bomb," Marlow said insensitively.
"Pikachu, use thunder one more time," said Jessica.
Tentacruel's tentacles parted asunder to allow for a sudden burst of toxic sludge that quickly covered pikachu. The electric pokemon collapsed instantaneously.
"Pikachu is unable to battle. Marlow now leads 3-2," said an announcer.
Following the announcement, the same people that had cheered on Jessica's pikachu now were beginning to boo its defeat as well as the one who had defeated it.
"Water versus electric, I ought to have won," Jessica muttered to herself as she recalled pikachu. Looking at her two remaining pokemon carefully, she made her selection and tossed it out onto the field. A clefairy emerged from a pokeball and did a little dance. Marlow's neutral and contemplative expression fell into a frown. This was just like Conrad's battle only worse. Much, much worse. To top it all off, he had the popular vote against him.
"Clefairy, use your sing attack to put tentacruel to sleep!" exclaimed Jessica.
"Tentacruel, surf," said Marlow.
Clefairy began to sing a sweet lullaby aloud. The melody was akin to the sirens that drew in the crew of Odysseus. Tentacruel fired a massive stream of water downwards, creating a thick column of water. When the column reached its apex, tentacruel stopped the stream and tilted itself forwards. The column curved and decompressed until it became a wave. Tentacruel brought the wave down from the sky and right onto its puffy foe. Clefairy took quite an injury, but it was not yet defeated. As tentacruel moved back towards its battling position, clefairy was focusing skyward.
"Tentacruel, do another m.c. in a moment," said Marlow.
"Get ready, clefairy. Do your solarbeam attack!" shouted Jessica.
Clefairy quickly fired a glowing green beam directly at tentacruel. Tentacruel absorbed it in the same fashion. It glowed in reflective light and clefairy was soon floored and unconscious. Shock ran across Jessica's face.
"Clefairy is unable to battle. Marlow now leads 3-1," said the announcer.
"Go charmeleon, fire blast tentacruel," exclaimed Jessica.
"Tentacruel, surf," said Marlow.
Tentacruel initiated its surf attack and was well out of the range of charmeleon's fire blast. Charmeleon fired at the ever rising column of water anyway and was treated to a small cloud of steam. The water rose higher and soon tentacruel came down riding a crashing wave. Charmeleon was lay wet, broken spirited, and fainted moments later.
"Charmeleon is unable to battle. This match goes to the blue trainer Marlow.
The crowd voiced protest. All manner of booing commenced as Marlow congratulated Jessica and hurriedly made his way out of the arena. Marlow lengthened his stride as he approached the visual safety of the tunnel. Marlow rested for a few seconds and then poked his head out to look back at Jessica. Tears seemed to be strolling down her cheeks. She was looking straight down towards the ground and she apparently did not want to see anything else. She had not even left the arena. Marlow would've gone out to reassure her, but the crowd was all too foreboding. He simply turned away and walked back down the tunnel.
Marlow put his hands over his face for a few seconds in frustration as he walked back towards the trainer quarters. He would get the information on his next battle later when he was feeling better. Just as Marlow removed his hands from his face and looked forward he saw Conrad. Conrad greeted him with a warm smile and a face that was sincerely trying to restrain laughter.
"That was absolutely great. Were you watching her when she was battling you? She went from being the embodiment of pride and hope to the embodiment of misery and despair," said Conrad laughingly.
"I know, Conrad, I know," replied Marlow.
"That wasn't the half of it. What you did to the crowd was great. Those foolish people. All it took was for her to use a favorite pokemon and the next thing you know they all hate you. It's amazing how quickly people just operate on emotions and then start conforming. That's just social psychology for you, isn't it?" asked Conrad.
"Yeah, I suppose you're right. I really don't mind the crowd though, even if they do hate me. I'm more concerned about Jessica," replied Marlow.
"It serves her right. Her sheer sentimentality for those popular pokemon just set her up for that kind of a defeat. She had it coming, whether or not it was from you doesn't really matter," said Conrad.
"That's my point exactly. What kind of opposition did she have to go through to get here with those kinds of pokemon? She must have worked her guts out. The pressure to change that style must have been enormous, but she somehow managed to get all the way to this league. As soon as she makes it here, I just come and destroy it all in the first round," said Marlow sadly.
"It just sets itself up like this. A universally recognized title with competition for it creates people who seek after it. If they don't do the things necessary to achieve that title then they are going to fail and it's as simple as that. She set herself up for this and you happened to be her executioner. There's nothing you can do. It would have either been her or you. The only other solution is you change the system, but you're not in a position to do that," put in Conrad.
Marlow sighed. Conrad was quite correct this time. If only there was something he could do for Jessica. She was on the verge of adolescence and this would be a shocking introduction. So many people, so many lost souls. Could he be more merciful?
"Cheer up. The next round is going to have better competition. It's just going to get better after that. You'll have those true honorable battles you've been waiting for. These last few battles were pathetic. The latter ones won't leave you with any guilt for doing your best," said Conrad warmly.
Will shut the television off. Casually he rose from bed and reached on top of his dresser drawer. His hands clumsily felt around until they felt a cold small rectangular object. Snatching this, they drew nearer to his face and pressed the against it. Will fumbled some more and found a light switch. After turning it on he could see the numbers he was looking for. He dialed the number from memory and waited impatiently for an answer.
"Yes?"
"Koga, were you watching that?" Will inquired.
"You mean the report that the nationwide crime increased stemmed largely from teen dysfunctionalities that weren't addressed in the status quo?" replied Koga.
"No, the excavation. All kinds of interesting stuff could be preserved in those buildings. What's more, the pokemon league should be the first to have a shot at that information. If it's all right, I'd like to go ahead and check it out. I'm having a hard time getting leads on these legendary pokemon when I only have legends to work with," said Will.
"It's absolutely fine. You may leave immediately."
"I'm curious, if you wanted me to go, why didn't you notify me earlier?" asked Will.
"There's a message waiting for you at the front desk detailing your departure time and contacts. I was hoping you had gotten the message sooner, but you must have looked unapproachable to the hotel personnel. Good night," replied Koga.
Will hung up. Koga always seemed to be one step ahead of him. He was always trying to adjust to being a newer member of the elite four and it seemed as though the senior members were always picking on him. This time he would prove himself. If he could just manage to uncover key information that would lead to the finding of a legendary pokemon, or even something of scientific significance, he would gain their respect. This would be his big chance. It would let him shrug off some of the mockings given to his personal appearance and head gear if nothing else...
--------------------
"Will trainers Marlow and Jessica please report to the battle arena?" Marlow exited the tunnel and made his way to the blue side of the arena. As was his custom, he looked at his opponent through the corner of his eye. What Marlow saw made him look another time. Jessica was incredibly young, She appeared to be no more than twelve years old. Her small size seemed to contribute to the youthful impression she gave. She wore a t-shirt with a pikachu on it and she was singing something to herself, but Marlow could not make out the words. As the two reached their respective corners, their gaze met.
"Good luck Marlow," said Jessica.
"Good luck Jessica," replied Marlow.
"This league preliminary match will begin now. This is a first round league preliminary match. It will be a three on three battle with no time limit. From Olivine City and on the blue side is Marlow and he will be facing Jessica from New Bark Town on the red side. Trainers begin!" voiced a loudspeaker.
"Pikachu, I choose you," cried Jessica.
A scruffy looking pikachu came out of its pokeball. Suddenly several people in the crowd rose to their feet and chanted "pikachu" in unison. A chorus of applause followed and Jessica smiled and waved to the crowd. The electric pokemon had many fans in the crowd and the spectators took its appearance as a rare and special treat.
"Tentacruel, go," said Marlow.
When tentacruel emerged, Jessica's eyes seemed to light up and she smiled at Marlow and nodded. Marlow glared at her to return the expression. She either knew something he didn't or she thought she knew something he didn't. Marlow reserved judgment kept his mind on the defensive.
"This should be easy pikachu, use your thunder attack now," said Jessica.
"Tentacruel, mirror coat," Marlow said calmly.
The tiny yellow rat's scarlet cheeks began to glow with electric power and its entire body tensed up before it sent a beam of pure electricity up into the sky. It focused as it directed the electricity down at its aquatic adversary. The process was difficult and not always the most accurate, but pikachu was able to pinpoint the electric attack properly and it came down on tentacruel. Tentacruel did not attempt to dodge, it just channeled all of the pain and destructive energy into one body. It let that body flow around it and then it began to glow a reflective light. Pikachu eyed the display closely. Tentacruel's attack seemed to make itself into a perfect mirror. Pikachu could see the reflection of the stadium, the crowd, the sun, and even itself. Pikachu's reflection then started to unleash a thunder attack and the thunder hit tentacruel. Pikachu felt the pain of unleashing all of that power again and it also felt the pain that the attack did to tentacruel all at the same time. The feelings and the pain were so great that the electric rat winced and doubled over on the ground. Pikachu lied there for a couple of seconds before staggering back to its feet.
"Pikachu, are you okay?" asked Jessica sensitively.
"Tentacruel, sludge bomb," Marlow said insensitively.
"Pikachu, use thunder one more time," said Jessica.
Tentacruel's tentacles parted asunder to allow for a sudden burst of toxic sludge that quickly covered pikachu. The electric pokemon collapsed instantaneously.
"Pikachu is unable to battle. Marlow now leads 3-2," said an announcer.
Following the announcement, the same people that had cheered on Jessica's pikachu now were beginning to boo its defeat as well as the one who had defeated it.
"Water versus electric, I ought to have won," Jessica muttered to herself as she recalled pikachu. Looking at her two remaining pokemon carefully, she made her selection and tossed it out onto the field. A clefairy emerged from a pokeball and did a little dance. Marlow's neutral and contemplative expression fell into a frown. This was just like Conrad's battle only worse. Much, much worse. To top it all off, he had the popular vote against him.
"Clefairy, use your sing attack to put tentacruel to sleep!" exclaimed Jessica.
"Tentacruel, surf," said Marlow.
Clefairy began to sing a sweet lullaby aloud. The melody was akin to the sirens that drew in the crew of Odysseus. Tentacruel fired a massive stream of water downwards, creating a thick column of water. When the column reached its apex, tentacruel stopped the stream and tilted itself forwards. The column curved and decompressed until it became a wave. Tentacruel brought the wave down from the sky and right onto its puffy foe. Clefairy took quite an injury, but it was not yet defeated. As tentacruel moved back towards its battling position, clefairy was focusing skyward.
"Tentacruel, do another m.c. in a moment," said Marlow.
"Get ready, clefairy. Do your solarbeam attack!" shouted Jessica.
Clefairy quickly fired a glowing green beam directly at tentacruel. Tentacruel absorbed it in the same fashion. It glowed in reflective light and clefairy was soon floored and unconscious. Shock ran across Jessica's face.
"Clefairy is unable to battle. Marlow now leads 3-1," said the announcer.
"Go charmeleon, fire blast tentacruel," exclaimed Jessica.
"Tentacruel, surf," said Marlow.
Tentacruel initiated its surf attack and was well out of the range of charmeleon's fire blast. Charmeleon fired at the ever rising column of water anyway and was treated to a small cloud of steam. The water rose higher and soon tentacruel came down riding a crashing wave. Charmeleon was lay wet, broken spirited, and fainted moments later.
"Charmeleon is unable to battle. This match goes to the blue trainer Marlow.
The crowd voiced protest. All manner of booing commenced as Marlow congratulated Jessica and hurriedly made his way out of the arena. Marlow lengthened his stride as he approached the visual safety of the tunnel. Marlow rested for a few seconds and then poked his head out to look back at Jessica. Tears seemed to be strolling down her cheeks. She was looking straight down towards the ground and she apparently did not want to see anything else. She had not even left the arena. Marlow would've gone out to reassure her, but the crowd was all too foreboding. He simply turned away and walked back down the tunnel.
Marlow put his hands over his face for a few seconds in frustration as he walked back towards the trainer quarters. He would get the information on his next battle later when he was feeling better. Just as Marlow removed his hands from his face and looked forward he saw Conrad. Conrad greeted him with a warm smile and a face that was sincerely trying to restrain laughter.
"That was absolutely great. Were you watching her when she was battling you? She went from being the embodiment of pride and hope to the embodiment of misery and despair," said Conrad laughingly.
"I know, Conrad, I know," replied Marlow.
"That wasn't the half of it. What you did to the crowd was great. Those foolish people. All it took was for her to use a favorite pokemon and the next thing you know they all hate you. It's amazing how quickly people just operate on emotions and then start conforming. That's just social psychology for you, isn't it?" asked Conrad.
"Yeah, I suppose you're right. I really don't mind the crowd though, even if they do hate me. I'm more concerned about Jessica," replied Marlow.
"It serves her right. Her sheer sentimentality for those popular pokemon just set her up for that kind of a defeat. She had it coming, whether or not it was from you doesn't really matter," said Conrad.
"That's my point exactly. What kind of opposition did she have to go through to get here with those kinds of pokemon? She must have worked her guts out. The pressure to change that style must have been enormous, but she somehow managed to get all the way to this league. As soon as she makes it here, I just come and destroy it all in the first round," said Marlow sadly.
"It just sets itself up like this. A universally recognized title with competition for it creates people who seek after it. If they don't do the things necessary to achieve that title then they are going to fail and it's as simple as that. She set herself up for this and you happened to be her executioner. There's nothing you can do. It would have either been her or you. The only other solution is you change the system, but you're not in a position to do that," put in Conrad.
Marlow sighed. Conrad was quite correct this time. If only there was something he could do for Jessica. She was on the verge of adolescence and this would be a shocking introduction. So many people, so many lost souls. Could he be more merciful?
"Cheer up. The next round is going to have better competition. It's just going to get better after that. You'll have those true honorable battles you've been waiting for. These last few battles were pathetic. The latter ones won't leave you with any guilt for doing your best," said Conrad warmly.