Chapter 20
"Now, for the finals, you two will be using two pokémon simultaneously. You have 15
minutes to decide on your team, and then your choices must be handed to myself or one
of the officials behind me. The arena choices will then be altered accordingly." The man
dressed in a navy blue suit, with a thick red and black striped tie explained the situation
of the finals to Setijin and Errol, both sat in the gym area of the stadium. Both nodded.
"And then we choose the arena once we're out there, right?" Errol asked.
"Yes, by way of coin," the official explained. "We shall be waiting outside the room
while you two decide on your squads for the match, and remember, you cannot enter
pokémon whom have already battled." The officials left, and Errol enthusiastically
heaved up his backpack and pointed towards the door leading to the pool.
"I'll just be going out here, ok?" he said. Setijin agreed, leaning back, removing two
pokéballs.
"Well, you two are the only pokémon I have left for the battle. He held up both of the
balls, the timer and the premium, encasing Umbreon and Medicham respectively. "I don't
know how well you two work together, but I know you can do it." He looked through the
glass panes out at Errol, shuffling through his collection of pokéballs. "I wonder what
kinds of pokémon he has left," Setijin said to himself, startled as his pokénav rang. He
removed it from his pocket, and held it up to his ear.
"Hi Setijin, its Winona!"
"Oh, hi Winona."
"Almost time for the big match, eh? Lucia and I are back at the hotel, and we're gonna be
watching and rooting for ya!" Winona called down her nav.
"Thanks," Setijin replied quietly.
"I heard about Gyarados from Arc. But chin up! You've got everything to look forward
to! Don't let something like this bring you down!"
"I guess so…"
"Come on, you know you've done the right thing, so may as well make the most of this!
You've gone way too far so quickly; it'd be stupid to let it all go now!"
"You're right! Seize the day!" he cheered.
"Something like that, yeah. So which pokémon are you going to be using for the big one
then?" Winona asked.
"It's a two on two, so I'm having to use Umbreon and Medicham."
"That should be quite interesting."
"That's the bit I'm worried about."
"Ah don't worry too much. Medicham may be unpredictable, but he's incredibly
powerful when he wants to be!"
"I guess so. He hasn't had a waving fit for a good while now, although he has grown an
unhealthy fixation on candy."
"Sounds like you've had your hands full. Anyway, I better not keep you. You've got a
match to prepare for!"
"Yup. Thanks Winona. Tell Lucia I said 'hi'"
"Will do. Bye-bye!"
"Bye…" Setijin closed the nav and slotted it back into his trouser pocket. He stretched
up, and walked through the door, pokéballs in hand.
"Sir," the rocket member began, "we've reclaimed the grunt held captive. Our force is
now completely accounted for." The room was dark, and square, furnished in a similar
fashion to an office, with lush red carpet, fine floral trimmed wallpaper, pot plants
arranged in the corners, bookshelves crammed to maximum capacity leant against the
back walls, in between random landscape pictures, a fine wooden desk sat in the center,
the leader of the rockets waiting and listening behind it. He reached forward, and
removed a pencil from the holder at the edge of the desk. He tapped it on the bare wood
next to the folder of papers he had in front of him.
"Great work. Everything's on track: get all rockets back here for tomorrow. It's time to
thicken the plot," he explained, his voice calm and soft, surprising considering his role in
the terrorist organization.
"Ok sir. I'll alert all section admins immediately," the rocket replied.
"Thank you," the leader replied. "Promotion prospects times 2," he chuckled. The rocket
nodded, and left the room. The chuckle grew into a deep booming laugh, leaning back in
his chair, brushing his black hair backwards. "Let the mayhem commence!" he growled
to himself.
Setijin and Errol waited in the tunnel, the sky pitch dark, the moon radiating down on all,
stars playfully twinkling, and a handful of white wispy clouds swimming high above. The
lights of the stadium throbbed down on the audience, ecstatic, awaiting the final round of
the competition.
"Here it is ladies and gentlemen! The Finals of the 'Ever Grande Pokémon League
Novice division challenge'!" the announcer shouted down his microphone. Screams and
cheers rattled all around, Setijin and Errol growing anxious.
"This is nerve racking, isn't it?" Errol said to Setijin.
"Yeah. Who'd have though a beginners tournament would be so popular?"
"The people here live for tournaments, no matter how small!" I've tried in this
competition so many times already: the crowds just get bigger and bigger."
"You've done this before?"
"Oh yeah, loads of times! I've lots count, but I've never managed to get this far. Getting
quite excited though. How many competitions have you been in?"
"None. I've only been training for about a week."
"Wow…that's…spectacular to say the least." Setijin blushed lightly. "Anyway,
competition time now. May the best pokémon win." He slung out his hand, Setijin
clasping and shaking it. The announcers voice grated once more, the crowd howling and
Errol and Setijin making their way out onto the pitch.
The field was back to its original self, metal, with a huge pokéball painted on the center.
Both Errol and Setijin walked straight across it to the official waiting on the other side,
standing at the foot of a single columned podium behind him. He held out a coin, and
pointed towards Setijin.
"Pick a side," he said.
"Tails," Setijin selected. The coin was flung high into the sky, shimmering before falling
back down, wetly slapping the back on the official's hand.
"Heads. The stadium choice is down to Errol," he explained.
"I'll choose mountain," he replied emphatically. The official nodded, and waved up at
group of technicians at the far back of the stadium, high above the seats in a small room
in the center of a balcony held up in the rafters. The two trainers and the official stepped
back away from the center as the metal screens crunched apart, lifting a platform with a
rocky outcrop on it. The flat sections were coated with sand and grit, most of the field
arranged with large boulders and rock formations, shaped like mountains and ridges,
extending high above the ground. Errol watched with joy while Setijin looked around at
the crowds, looking down the sidelines, the officials and pokémon sat behind the
advertisement boards, with cameras dotted around. He watched as a series of Kadabra
and Mr. Mimes concentrated, lifting small handheld cameras into the air, guiding them
towards the field and arranging them to get the best views from every angle, high above
the action.
The stadium finished rumbling, the pitches transformation completed, the official
ushering Setijin and Errol towards their starting positions. Setijin walked to the left, while
Errol approached the right, both looking through gaps in the rocky outcrop at each other.
The countdown started, the trainers ready to release their pokémon. Errol stood with both
of his pokéballs at hand, Setijin stood legs astride, his hands waiting just above the slots
in his belt. As the crowd's countdown hit 'one', both reached, and threw the balls high
into the sky. Hanging in the air, 'Go' rang around, the pairs of balls clattering to the floor,
exploding in a flurry of blue light.
"Ready guys?" Setijin asked.
"Umbreon."
"Cham, Medicham."
"Lets rock and roll" Errol shouted to his two pokémon. One was a Golbat, flapping
wildly low above the ground, the second, an Onix, an enormous rock snake, roaring
mightily, shuddering the entire field.
"Ok, here we go!" cried Setijin. "Umbreon, use double team!" Umbreon leapt forward,
barking its name, splitting its image into 3, the two copies blurring and shivering every
now and again. It waited as Setijin called orders to Medicham.
"Medicham, get ready to Ice punch Onix!" he shouted. Medicham turned to him, and
held out his hands.
"Cham, Medicham!" he grunted.
"What? No! Turn around!"
"Cham!" it huffed angrily. Errol barked orders at his pokémon, Golbat lunging for
Umbreon, swiftly swooping down, dissolving one of Umbreon's copies. Umbreon span
around, and unleashed a ball of shadow, which burst towards the bat. The ball followed a
jagged path, turning uneasily after Golbat as it banked around towards the field. The ball
connected, forcing it backwards, Golbat squealing his name in pain. Onix reared its head,
and bellowed, its rock segments shimmering with newfound hardness. Medicham
continued to protest with Setijin.
"No candy Medicham!" Setijin desperately shouted. Medicham grunted and turned back
round to face the arena, his arms folded and eyes closed. Golbat spread its wings and
charged at Umbreon again, obliterating the second copy. Umbreon bolted towards the
nearest rock heap, and ran up the side, zipping into a blur of shadow at the top. Golbat
stopped and looked around; only to get talked from above as Umbreon reappeared.
Golbat flailed back into the sky, its wings now in tatters. It squeaked sharply, crippling
Umbreon as it covered its ears.
"Great work Golbat! Now Onix, 'iron tail' that Medicham!" Errol ordered, almost
maliciously. Onix growled as it slithered forward, weaving around the rocks, extending
its neck as it reached halfway across the field, edging itself backwards, levering its
almighty tail around. It shone like freshly polished metal, the force ripping cleanly
through the rock formations that stood in its way. It swept right around in a long, loose
arc, powerfully slinging into Medicham, sending him flying sideways, into a lone
boulder. The boulder crumbled with the force of the hit, Medicham violently flopping to
the floor.
"Medicham!" Setijin cried. The fighting pokémon whimpered as it pulled itself to its feet,
bruised and battered, brushing the dust off of its legs. Golbat lunged for Umbreon one
last time, both of its wings glowing with energy. It flew directly downwards, smashing
both itself and Umbreon into the ground. Dust kicked up, and both pokémon lay, out for
the count as it settled. Medicham and Onix were left alone, Medicham breathing heavily,
Onix at the peak of its power, curling its tail around a nearby pile of rocks, scooping them
up, preparing to sling them into the air. The crowd screamed with excitement.
"Now, for the finals, you two will be using two pokémon simultaneously. You have 15
minutes to decide on your team, and then your choices must be handed to myself or one
of the officials behind me. The arena choices will then be altered accordingly." The man
dressed in a navy blue suit, with a thick red and black striped tie explained the situation
of the finals to Setijin and Errol, both sat in the gym area of the stadium. Both nodded.
"And then we choose the arena once we're out there, right?" Errol asked.
"Yes, by way of coin," the official explained. "We shall be waiting outside the room
while you two decide on your squads for the match, and remember, you cannot enter
pokémon whom have already battled." The officials left, and Errol enthusiastically
heaved up his backpack and pointed towards the door leading to the pool.
"I'll just be going out here, ok?" he said. Setijin agreed, leaning back, removing two
pokéballs.
"Well, you two are the only pokémon I have left for the battle. He held up both of the
balls, the timer and the premium, encasing Umbreon and Medicham respectively. "I don't
know how well you two work together, but I know you can do it." He looked through the
glass panes out at Errol, shuffling through his collection of pokéballs. "I wonder what
kinds of pokémon he has left," Setijin said to himself, startled as his pokénav rang. He
removed it from his pocket, and held it up to his ear.
"Hi Setijin, its Winona!"
"Oh, hi Winona."
"Almost time for the big match, eh? Lucia and I are back at the hotel, and we're gonna be
watching and rooting for ya!" Winona called down her nav.
"Thanks," Setijin replied quietly.
"I heard about Gyarados from Arc. But chin up! You've got everything to look forward
to! Don't let something like this bring you down!"
"I guess so…"
"Come on, you know you've done the right thing, so may as well make the most of this!
You've gone way too far so quickly; it'd be stupid to let it all go now!"
"You're right! Seize the day!" he cheered.
"Something like that, yeah. So which pokémon are you going to be using for the big one
then?" Winona asked.
"It's a two on two, so I'm having to use Umbreon and Medicham."
"That should be quite interesting."
"That's the bit I'm worried about."
"Ah don't worry too much. Medicham may be unpredictable, but he's incredibly
powerful when he wants to be!"
"I guess so. He hasn't had a waving fit for a good while now, although he has grown an
unhealthy fixation on candy."
"Sounds like you've had your hands full. Anyway, I better not keep you. You've got a
match to prepare for!"
"Yup. Thanks Winona. Tell Lucia I said 'hi'"
"Will do. Bye-bye!"
"Bye…" Setijin closed the nav and slotted it back into his trouser pocket. He stretched
up, and walked through the door, pokéballs in hand.
"Sir," the rocket member began, "we've reclaimed the grunt held captive. Our force is
now completely accounted for." The room was dark, and square, furnished in a similar
fashion to an office, with lush red carpet, fine floral trimmed wallpaper, pot plants
arranged in the corners, bookshelves crammed to maximum capacity leant against the
back walls, in between random landscape pictures, a fine wooden desk sat in the center,
the leader of the rockets waiting and listening behind it. He reached forward, and
removed a pencil from the holder at the edge of the desk. He tapped it on the bare wood
next to the folder of papers he had in front of him.
"Great work. Everything's on track: get all rockets back here for tomorrow. It's time to
thicken the plot," he explained, his voice calm and soft, surprising considering his role in
the terrorist organization.
"Ok sir. I'll alert all section admins immediately," the rocket replied.
"Thank you," the leader replied. "Promotion prospects times 2," he chuckled. The rocket
nodded, and left the room. The chuckle grew into a deep booming laugh, leaning back in
his chair, brushing his black hair backwards. "Let the mayhem commence!" he growled
to himself.
Setijin and Errol waited in the tunnel, the sky pitch dark, the moon radiating down on all,
stars playfully twinkling, and a handful of white wispy clouds swimming high above. The
lights of the stadium throbbed down on the audience, ecstatic, awaiting the final round of
the competition.
"Here it is ladies and gentlemen! The Finals of the 'Ever Grande Pokémon League
Novice division challenge'!" the announcer shouted down his microphone. Screams and
cheers rattled all around, Setijin and Errol growing anxious.
"This is nerve racking, isn't it?" Errol said to Setijin.
"Yeah. Who'd have though a beginners tournament would be so popular?"
"The people here live for tournaments, no matter how small!" I've tried in this
competition so many times already: the crowds just get bigger and bigger."
"You've done this before?"
"Oh yeah, loads of times! I've lots count, but I've never managed to get this far. Getting
quite excited though. How many competitions have you been in?"
"None. I've only been training for about a week."
"Wow…that's…spectacular to say the least." Setijin blushed lightly. "Anyway,
competition time now. May the best pokémon win." He slung out his hand, Setijin
clasping and shaking it. The announcers voice grated once more, the crowd howling and
Errol and Setijin making their way out onto the pitch.
The field was back to its original self, metal, with a huge pokéball painted on the center.
Both Errol and Setijin walked straight across it to the official waiting on the other side,
standing at the foot of a single columned podium behind him. He held out a coin, and
pointed towards Setijin.
"Pick a side," he said.
"Tails," Setijin selected. The coin was flung high into the sky, shimmering before falling
back down, wetly slapping the back on the official's hand.
"Heads. The stadium choice is down to Errol," he explained.
"I'll choose mountain," he replied emphatically. The official nodded, and waved up at
group of technicians at the far back of the stadium, high above the seats in a small room
in the center of a balcony held up in the rafters. The two trainers and the official stepped
back away from the center as the metal screens crunched apart, lifting a platform with a
rocky outcrop on it. The flat sections were coated with sand and grit, most of the field
arranged with large boulders and rock formations, shaped like mountains and ridges,
extending high above the ground. Errol watched with joy while Setijin looked around at
the crowds, looking down the sidelines, the officials and pokémon sat behind the
advertisement boards, with cameras dotted around. He watched as a series of Kadabra
and Mr. Mimes concentrated, lifting small handheld cameras into the air, guiding them
towards the field and arranging them to get the best views from every angle, high above
the action.
The stadium finished rumbling, the pitches transformation completed, the official
ushering Setijin and Errol towards their starting positions. Setijin walked to the left, while
Errol approached the right, both looking through gaps in the rocky outcrop at each other.
The countdown started, the trainers ready to release their pokémon. Errol stood with both
of his pokéballs at hand, Setijin stood legs astride, his hands waiting just above the slots
in his belt. As the crowd's countdown hit 'one', both reached, and threw the balls high
into the sky. Hanging in the air, 'Go' rang around, the pairs of balls clattering to the floor,
exploding in a flurry of blue light.
"Ready guys?" Setijin asked.
"Umbreon."
"Cham, Medicham."
"Lets rock and roll" Errol shouted to his two pokémon. One was a Golbat, flapping
wildly low above the ground, the second, an Onix, an enormous rock snake, roaring
mightily, shuddering the entire field.
"Ok, here we go!" cried Setijin. "Umbreon, use double team!" Umbreon leapt forward,
barking its name, splitting its image into 3, the two copies blurring and shivering every
now and again. It waited as Setijin called orders to Medicham.
"Medicham, get ready to Ice punch Onix!" he shouted. Medicham turned to him, and
held out his hands.
"Cham, Medicham!" he grunted.
"What? No! Turn around!"
"Cham!" it huffed angrily. Errol barked orders at his pokémon, Golbat lunging for
Umbreon, swiftly swooping down, dissolving one of Umbreon's copies. Umbreon span
around, and unleashed a ball of shadow, which burst towards the bat. The ball followed a
jagged path, turning uneasily after Golbat as it banked around towards the field. The ball
connected, forcing it backwards, Golbat squealing his name in pain. Onix reared its head,
and bellowed, its rock segments shimmering with newfound hardness. Medicham
continued to protest with Setijin.
"No candy Medicham!" Setijin desperately shouted. Medicham grunted and turned back
round to face the arena, his arms folded and eyes closed. Golbat spread its wings and
charged at Umbreon again, obliterating the second copy. Umbreon bolted towards the
nearest rock heap, and ran up the side, zipping into a blur of shadow at the top. Golbat
stopped and looked around; only to get talked from above as Umbreon reappeared.
Golbat flailed back into the sky, its wings now in tatters. It squeaked sharply, crippling
Umbreon as it covered its ears.
"Great work Golbat! Now Onix, 'iron tail' that Medicham!" Errol ordered, almost
maliciously. Onix growled as it slithered forward, weaving around the rocks, extending
its neck as it reached halfway across the field, edging itself backwards, levering its
almighty tail around. It shone like freshly polished metal, the force ripping cleanly
through the rock formations that stood in its way. It swept right around in a long, loose
arc, powerfully slinging into Medicham, sending him flying sideways, into a lone
boulder. The boulder crumbled with the force of the hit, Medicham violently flopping to
the floor.
"Medicham!" Setijin cried. The fighting pokémon whimpered as it pulled itself to its feet,
bruised and battered, brushing the dust off of its legs. Golbat lunged for Umbreon one
last time, both of its wings glowing with energy. It flew directly downwards, smashing
both itself and Umbreon into the ground. Dust kicked up, and both pokémon lay, out for
the count as it settled. Medicham and Onix were left alone, Medicham breathing heavily,
Onix at the peak of its power, curling its tail around a nearby pile of rocks, scooping them
up, preparing to sling them into the air. The crowd screamed with excitement.