The Matches Begin

Inside the meeting area, Professor Oak met with us to give us our orientation.

"Though we're all friendly right now," he said to the thirty of us, "It will get bitter. The thirty of you will compete against each other for the title of League Winner. Once the League winners from all eight Leagues are decided, then they will compete against each other for the title of League Champion. Understand?"

We all nodded.

"All right then! Make sure your Pokemon are in full health, then go see Mr. Hulk over there to see who you'll compete against first."

As I walked over to the bearded man at the end of the room, Professor Oak pulled me aside.

"See Kris?" he whispered, "What did I tell you? You DID become a trainer! Now I don't have to eat my hat after all!" He slapped me on the back. "I have high hopes for you, kid! Go get em!"

Mr. Hulk set me against a trainer named Travis for my first match. With courage and fear at the same time, I stepped out into the stadium.

The match against Travis was brutal for a first match. I used Seltzer, Hertz, and Big Ben as my three Pokemon, but we just barely made it through. Travis had his Raichu give Big Ben a nasty dose of Paralysis, and it was only by luck that its next attack, a Thunderbolt, missed its mark so that we could use Razor Leaf. Hertz was amazing defensively, and Travis's Lanturn had a hard time with it and eventually fainted. The third match up was Seltzer against a Hitmonlee. Since there were no weaknesses for either of us to play on, I simply had Seltzer use Hydro Pump until the Hitmonlee went down. VICTORY!

My second match was against a girl called Sunny. I chose Peeps, Ringding, and Big Ben. Peeps faced off against a Kadabra, and though he fought gallantly, it was no match. So the score was 2-3 against me. I sent out Ringding, which knew a vast variety of moves, including Thunderpunch, Shadow Ball, Surf, and Iron Tail. The Kadabra in turn was no match for the shadow ball. With an even score, I kept Ringding out to face a Typhlosion. Obviously, Sunny didn't know that Ringding had Surf, so she cried out in surprise as the water started to fill the stadium. The third matchup was Ringding against a Hitmontop. Hitmontop was vicious, spinning, striking, then moving away again. When he came close to Ringding, Ringding used a Thunderpunch, startling the fighting type and paralyzing it. With two hits from Iron Tail, it fainted and the match was over.

"So you won both your matches?" Chris asked as we sat in the dining area during the break, "That's great! I did, too. I think we both may be league winners."

I chuckled nervously. "A few times it was only luck that saw us through. It's just a matter of time before I get eliminated."

Chris took my hand. "That's not the kind of attitude to have. You have to stay positive."

"Hey you two!"

I looked up to see Cindy, Lisa, and Tracy arrive.

"Can we join you?"

"Sure." I said, scooting over.

"So tell me about this good-looking guy," Tracy said. Chris blushed.

"What's to tell?" he asked.

"Tell them about your goal, and what you owe to your family." I said.

"Oh, that… well, ladies, it seems that every single member of my family that became a trainer and made it to the Indigo Finals lost. Every single one. I owe it to my family to win. I just have to. I won't be another one of us to lose!"

"You GO, boy!" Lisa cried.

"ATTENTION! BREAK IS OVER! PLEASE REPORT BACK TO YOUR RESPECTIVE LEAGUES!"

"I gotta go." I said to Chris with a smile. "Good luck. Keep winning."

"You too." he said, and after giving me a quick kiss, we all rushed back to prepare for the next match.