by Martial Arts Master
The original concept of Pokemon and all related characters copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc., 4Kids, TV Tokyo, Satoshi Tajiri, and Wizards of the Coast. All characters I use as Pokewomen are copyrighted by their original creators and owners. I made up Rick, though. See the first chapter for the rules by which the Pokewomen world operates by. Now, on with the story.
***
After a long time walking, Rick finally reached the Indigo Plateau.
It was humongous.
There were five different stadiums, and one receptionist area, and some paths connecting everything.
Rick hurried inside the receptionist area.
Once inside, he walked up to the receptionist.
"Hi, I'd like to enter the Indigo League," Rick said.
"Ok, please give me your badges so I can authenticate them," the receptionist said.
Rick handed her his badges.
The woman ran the badges through a scanner, then handed them back to Rick.
"I see that all eight of your badges have been proven to be authentic," the receptionist said. "You qualify for entrance into the Indigo League. Please state your name and where you live."
"I am Rick, from Pallet Town," Rick said.
"Very well, let me enter it into the computer," the receptionist said, typing it into her computer.
Once she finished, she said, "You have now been officially entered as a challenger. Would you like to know the rules?"
Rick was about to say no, since he'd already heard some of them from his parents, but he figured he might still not know everything, and he didn't want to be disqualified just for accidentally breaking a rule.
"Yes," Rick replied.
"Very well," the receptionist said. "This is a single elimination tournament, which means if you lose one match, you are out of the tournament. For your first four matches, you must battle in the Water, Ice, Rock, and Grass fields, and the order you fight them in is determined psuedo-randomly. If you win all four matches, you will get to battle in the Indigo Stadium for the remainder of the tournament. For your first five matches, you may only use three Pokewomen to battle, but during the sixth match and onward you may use all six Pokewomen. You must show up for each match at the appointed time, or you are disqualified. During this entire tournament, Indigo League challengers may buy food from any nearby restaurants for free, and you may go to a Poke Center between matches to heal your Pokewomen. Any questions?"
"No," Rick said.
"Very well," the receptionist said.
She typed something into her computer, and a screen suddenly showed an four-squared image of a raindrop, a snowflake, a rock, and blades of grass.
The receptionist then pressed a blue button next to the computer, and a highlighted square superimposed itself on the screen, highlighting each square in turn rapidly.
"Press the button again, and whatever square the highlighter square stops on corresponds to the field you will be battling on," the receptionist said.
Rick pressed the button, and the highlighted square stopped on the picture of a raindrop.
"That's the Water field," the receptionist said. "Now I will have the computer select your opponent."
The receptionist typed something else into her computer, and a picture of Rick appeared on the screen.
Then, a picture of Rick's opponent appeared.
The opponent was a boy with long blue hair dressed in a pink shirt and white pants.
"Who's that?" Rick asked.
"His name's Mandi," the receptionist said.
She then handed Rick a slip of paper that had the time of the match written on it.
"Be at the Water field at this time, and good luck," the receptionist said.
"Thanks!" Rick said.
Later, after Mandi had been informed somewhere else that Rick would be battling him, Rick headed outside to enjoy the sights, and to his surprised, he saw Mandi, the opponent he'd be fighting against.
Rick rushed up to him.
"Hey, Mandi, turns out I'll be your opponent!" Rick said.
"You? You will lose quickly," Mandi said. "I am the Astounding Mandi. I am a famous magician. Observe."
With that, Mandi made some hand motions, and some birds appeared out of nowhere, diving into the air. (Author's Note: What, you thought this world didn't have regular animals?)
"Hey, pretty cool trick!" Rick said, clapping his hands.
"That was nothing," Mandi said. "I have gotten on television networks with tricks better than that. Another reason why I am famous enough to appear on television is because of my exciting battle style. You are no match for me by far."
With that, Mandi rudely walked off.
"What an arrogant jerk," Rick said. He resisted the urge to come after him by thinking of how he'd humiliate him later.
Speaking of later, when the time of the match arrived...
Rick walked to the Water field.
He was nervous. This would be his first match in the Indigo League.
Since Mandi was famous, Rick would win much glory if he won.
If he lost...he'd suffer the humiliation of losing his very first match.
And this was single elimination. One lost match cost one the Indigo League.
Rick eventually got to the Water field, and discovered that the name had been deserved.
The "field" was actually a very large pool, with many platforms.
The crowd cheered upon Rick's appearance.
"Ladies and gentlemen, here come one of the challengers of this match now! I introduce the Red trainer: Rick, from Pallet Town!" the announcer said.
Hearing the announcer introduce him as the Red trainer, Rick climbed onto a red platform that was out of the pool's range. He guessed this was where he'd give battle commands from.
Then, Mandi appeared, and the crowd cheered even louder.
"And here comes the Green trainer: The Astounding Mandi, the fan favorite!" the announcer said.
Rick groaned. If Mandi was the favorite everyone would be rooting for him.
Mandi got on to a green platform that was also out of the pool's range. Rick guessed this was where Mandi would give battle commands from.
Rick looked over to the side of the pool and noticed a referee standing there.
The referee would make sure both trainers played fair and would also announce victors.
"Now, let the battle begin!" the announcer said.
"Go, Anita!" Rick said, sending out Anita.
Rick didn't have any Pokewomen who were great in water, so maybe someone with telekinetic powers might thrive on lots of water to control.
"And Rick has chosen Anita, a little girl who is extremely silent and has telekinetic powers!" the announcer said. "Now, let's see who the Astounding Mandi chooses!"
"Go, Sailor Mercury!" Mandi said, throwing a Poke Ball.
A blue-haired girl in a sailor fuku appeared.
Rick pointed his Pokedex at her.
The Pokedex said, "Sailor Mercury. This is a character from an Earth TV show called Sailor Moon. She has an IQ of 300, can call up a visor to scan opponents, and has four attacks."
"And Mandi chooses Sailor Mercury, the Sailor Scout who specializes in ice and water!" the announcer said.
The referee raised both flags, and said, "Let the match begin!"
"Sailor Mercury, scan Anita's weaknesses with your visor," Mandi commanded.
Sailor Mercury nodded and called up her visor.
But then there was a blue flash, the signature of Anita using her telekinetic powers, and the visor was thrown into the water.
The visor shorted out temporarily sending electricity through the water, and then it was still.
"Ooh, what a start! Mandi's strategy has been thwarted by the powers of this amazing little girl!" the announcer said. After all, the announcer was paid to make witty comments throughout each match.
There was another blue flash, and Sailor Mercury was telekinetically thrown into the air.
"And Sailor Mercury's been thrown sky-high!" the announcer said. Then he chuckled and said, "Of course, folks, that's nothing new, as the Sailor Scouts have always been able to survive high jumps. High falls shouldn't be that much of a problem either."
Indeed, Sailor Mercury landed expertly on her feet.
"Try your first attack," Mandi said.
"Mercury Bubbles Blast!" Sailor Mercury said, throwing so many bubbles that the area was filled with fog.
"It's like pea soup out there!" the announcer said.
There was yet another blue flash, and the fog was telekinetically lifted into outer space, where it instantly dissipated.
"Try your second attack," Mandi commanded.
"Mercury Ice Bubbles Freeze!" Sailor Mercury said.
These bubbles hit Anita, and they froze her.
"Wow, finally Sailor Mercury landed a move! If Anita can't escape, she'll be ruled out for being unable to continue battling," the announcer said.
"Come on, get that ice off of you!" Rick shouted.
There was still another blue flash, and the ice was instantly on Sailor Mercury instead. Apparently those months of training had paid off.
Now it was Sailor Mercury who couldn't move.
"Hmm?" Mandi asked, confused.
"The tables have been turned!" the announcer shouted.
Moments passed, and Sailor Mercury was unable to unfreeze herself.
"Sailor Mercury is unable to continue the battle!" the referee said, raising the red flag.
"Yes!" Rick shouted.
Anita, as usual, said absolutely nothing, with no change of expression.
On the scoreboard, which was composed of two portraits, one of each challenger, and three red lights and three green lights, one of the green lights dimmed.
"Mandi is one Pokewoman down, and must make up for lost ground," the announcer said.
"You had some beginner's luck," Mandi said. "But let's see you luck your way through this!"
Mandi then threw a Poke Ball and said, "Go, Storm!"
A white-haired lady in a grey jumpsuit with a cape popped out of the Poke Ball.
Rick pointed his Pokedex at her.
The Pokedex said, "Storm. This is a character from a TV series and comic books called X-Men. Storm is a mutant with the ability to control the weather. Although she cannot create the weather, she can take certain things from other places. For example, although she cannot create rain, she can bring rain from somewhere else. Her real name is Ororo Monroe. As a miscellaneous skill, she is an excellent pickpocket."
"Let's whirl things up!" Mandi said.
"All right," Storm said.
Storm concentrated.
Suddenly, a tornado appeared.
The tornado sucked up some of the water in the pool and became a waterspout.
"Wow, this is incredible! With some deft manuevering, Mandi had Storm create a waterspout!" the announcer said. "This is getting exciting!"
Anita was sucked into the waterspout, and was tossed around quite a lot.
In fact, she couldn't get out of the waterspout.
"Uh-oh, Anita looks like a rubber ducky in a whirlpool, to the third power!" the announcer said.
"Anita, you've got to take control of the waterspout!" Rick said.
There was a blue flash, and suddenly Anita was still, not moving within the waterspout.
Then, the waterspout headed towards Storm. Anita had succeeded in taking control of it.
"Anita's a regular Pecos Bill out there!" the announcer said. "She's taken control of a waterspout like Pecos Bill took control of the tornado in the famous tall tale!"
"That won't get you an easy victory," Mandi remarked.
Indeed, Storm was already flying high above the waterspout.
But, with another blue flash, Anita telekinetically sucked all of the water in the pool into the waterspout, making the waterspout grow larger.
Storm was sucked into the waterspout.
After tossing Storm about, Anita had the waterspout throw her hard against one of the platforms.
Storm landed headfirst and was knocked unconscious.
Then, with one more blue flash, the waterspout was gone, all the water having gone back in the pool.
Anita landed softly on her feet on another platform.
"Storm is out of the match!" the referee said, raising the red flag again.
On the scoreboard, another one of Mandi's lights went out.
"Amazing! Taking control of the waterspout a la Pecos Bill, Anita has defeated another Pokewoman!" the announcer said. "Now Mandi must stage a magical comeback. Can he win this match with his only remaining Pokewoman?"
"The answer is he can and he will," Mandi said.
Mandi, using a magic trick he learned as a magician, levitated a Poke Ball into the air.
"And now, fans...may I present...Gi! Go!" Mandi said, sending out his final Pokewoman.
A young black-haired girl with a blue ring popped out of the Poke Ball.
Rick pointed his Pokedex at her.
The Pokedex said, "Gi. This is a character from an Earth cartoon called Captain Planet. Gi is one of the Planeteers. With her ring, she has the ability to completely control water.
The announcer, overhearing that description, said, "This must be the ace Mandi had up his sleeve! With complete control over water, and with a water field to fight on, Gi will be a devastating opponent!"
"Gi, wash her away!" Mandi commanded.
Gi concentrated, and her ring sent out blue waves, hitting the water.
Suddenly, lots of small waterspouts shot up.
"Uh-oh, trouble!" the announcer said. "Things don't look good for Anita!"
With more concentration, Gi sent all of the waterspouts towards Anita.
With lots of blue flashes, Anita sent each waterspout away.
All but one.
That one got to Anita before she could telekinetically deflect it, and the waterspout sent her up into the air.
That ring is going to cause a lot of trouble during this match, Rick thought.
The ring!
"Anita, get the ring away from her!" Rick said.
Anita, landing on her feet, telekinetically lifted the ring from Gi's finger.
Then Anita took the ring.
"Give me back my ring!" Gi, shouted, beginning to jump across the platforms to get to Anita.
"That's right, Rick figured out that without Gi's ring, Gi was powerless!" the announcer said.
That's when Rick remembered that Anita had another attack, besides the telekinetic powers.
"Anita, do your Love For You move!" Rick shouted.
Anita pointed her finger at Gi.
Suddenly, about a hundred or so dolls' heads appeared out of nowhere, flying at Gi.
Gi's eyes widened, and she was hit with all of the heads.
It was like being hit with a hundred or so hailstones.
Gi didn't have a chance, and was immediately knocked unconscious.
"Gi is unable to battle! The winner of the match is the Red trainer, Rick!" the referee said, not only raising the red flag but also pointing it at Rick. Pointing it at Rick signified that Rick won the battle.
On the scoreboard, not only did Mandi's last light go out, but the scoreboard changed to say, "Congratulations, Rick!"
"Rick has done it!" the announcer screamed. "Rick has won a devastating upset victory over the fan favorite without losing a single Pokewoman!"
"But I am the Astounding Mandi..." Mandi said to himself. "How could I lose...?"
Mandi recalled both Gi and her ring into the same Poke Ball, Anita willingly giving up the ring.
Then, as the crowd went wild over such a surprising victory, Mandi walked off.
Rick cheered, recalling Anita.
Well. That hadn't gone too badly. However, Rick still had a long way to go in the Indigo League before he found out how good he was as a trainer...
To be continued...
***
You're probably thinking, "Oh no, not another new trainer fic that the author won't bother to finish!" Well, let me tell you, I hate those kinds of fics too, and let me tell you in advance that I DO plan on finishing this fic. I never start a fic that I don't intend to finish. In fact, if I'm lying about planning to finish the fic, may I get pounded by a madman. E-mail all questions and comments to bleifer@msn.com.