Author: Pokemon Ranger D
Notes: All the real pokemon and pokemon characters in this story are the property of Nintendo of America, Game Freak, and Creatures. All the made up pokemon and pokemon characters belong to me, unless otherwise noted in the closing credits.
Special Thanx!
Right off the bat I would like to thank all the trainers who responded to the invitation and donated characters to this story. I had some of the best Pokemon fan fic writers on the web contributing no less than the stars of their own stories to be in this cooperative effort. Without them, the following story would not have been possible (well, it would, but it would have probably sucked). The following story is a long one that is the result of the combined creativity of many different people. After the story I have listed the closing credits, giving credit where credit is due. If you like, love, or hate a certain character, or if you just want to know where these people came from, then refer to the credits. Keep in mind, however, that I dropped this project for about five years now, so most of the e-mail addresses are now defunct, but hopefully those who helped me (and to them I apologize whole-heartedly) will read this and know how much I appreciated their help. Thanx again to you all. Now, without further ado, the best writers in the pokemon universe present…
The InvitationalDay 1
I was awakened at dawn by the telephone, a regular occurrence in my line of work.
"Hello?" I said, not bothering to activate the view screen.
"David, it's Ash." The leader of the Elite Four said. "Get up and get busy, the tournament starts in a few hours and you need to be prepared."
I rolled over out of bed. "Alright, alright, I'm up, I'm up." I said, turning on the view screen so Ash would believe me.
"Good. Now, most of the competitors have already arrived and signed in. Not much to talk about, mostly just rookies looking to get some exposure in the big leagues. However, there are a few that caught my attention. I'm transmitting the data we have on them now. Study it on the way over. Also, make sure you bring Mewtwo with you. This thing will last about two weeks and we can't risk it going nuts on The Ranch."
I finished tying my shoes and looked up at the screen. "Anything else, boss?" I said.
"Yeah." Ash said. "Watch your back. Team Rocket escaped last night."
Immediately I grew serious. "When?"
"About two in the morning. Get this, it was Cassidy and Butch that broke them out, along with these two kids we've never seen before. They must be trying to recruit new members."
I threw on my jacket and clicked on my shades. "Do you think Giovanni had anything to do with it?" I asked.
Ash shook his head. "I doubt it. He's still locked up in the loony ward. These guys are acting on their own."
I nodded, the thought of the rockets running without Giovanni at the helm was not a comforting one.
"Now," Ash continued, "Slate is on his way to pick you up, we can't risk parking any of your fliers on the mainland for so long. He should be there any minute, so get ready."
The screen blinked off as Ash hung up. We had been suspecting that someone might try to crash the tournament, and now with the Rockets on the move again we all had to be on our guard. I went down into the lab and activated the computer.
"Dexter, I'm going on a long mission, I'm going to need my team."
"Acknowledged. Retrieving pokemon." The pokedex voiced image of the late Professor Oak replied. The central computer instructed robot wardens all over the island to retrieve my pokemon team, the ones I trusted most in a pinch: Charizard, my starter pokemon; Articuno, the legendary ice bird; Raichu, my pokemon power plant; Blastoise and Venusaur, the best of their types; and Muddogg, the first new pokemon I ever caught; and of course, already on my belt, was the masterball containing Mewtwo, the pokemon that nearly killed me and is now my partner.
I went about, making sure everything was in order before I left. I checked on all the crossbreeds and left instructions to make sure they got their medication. I activated all The Ranch's security systems and finally shut down on my way out.
I was standing out on the helipad when the chopper settled down. I quickly jumped in. Slate Stone was of course at the helm, and to my surprise, Jennifer Oak was in the back waiting for me.
"What's the matter, sweetie, Meowth got your tongue?"
I smiled as she leaned in and kissed me. "Just didn't expect to see you, that's all."
She smiled, holding my hand as the chopper lifted off. "Well, I figured as long as we were both going to the same place I might as well ride with you."
I turned to her. "So, you're competing in the tournament too, huh?"
She made a funny face. "God, I wish! They won't let me compete now that I'm the head of the league. They say I just need to be there to watch along with the Elite Four. I'm telling you, this job has a lot of disadvantages."
I smiled at my girlfriend again. "Well, look on the bright side, at least you won't be busy scouring the tournament for illegal pokemon, or watching out for Rockets."
Jennifer's mood quickly became serious. "I heard they had broken out. Do you think they'll attack the tournament?"
I took out the portable interface and began going over the info that Ash had sent me to study. "With all the rare and powerful pokemon that are going to be there, I'd guarantee it. If they do, though, I hope these kids can handle it."
When we arrived at Indigo Plateau the place was already bustling. I decided I would go mingle with the crowd, see if I could detect anything suspicious. There were trainers and fans from everywhere who had come to see the big invitational tournament. As I mingled with the crowd I noticed that several trainers had a pokemon out of their pokeballs and either walking beside them or riding on their shoulders. Looks like Ash and Pikachu had started a trend.
"Well, when in Rome." I said, taking a pokeball off my belt. "Come on out, Muddogg." I said, opening the pokeball. My mud pokemon materialized beside me.
"Mmmmmuddogg, mud!" it said, happy to be out in all the excitement.
We walked over to an official sign in station to register. Muddogg and I were at the very end of a rather long line. These folks must have camped out all night. Then, I noticed a trainer sitting on a bench next to the station. He looked like he had slept in his clothes and his hair was wild and uncombed. He was holding up something, a pendant of some kind, and was staring into it almost hypnotically. He had pokeballs on his belt, so I figured he was there for the tournament. The line quickly grew shorter. Finally, there were only two people ahead of me. Suddenly, the background music stopped and was replaced by an announcement.
"ATTENTION PLEASE, ATTENTION PLEASE! WOULD DAN SERGEIN PLEASE REPORT TO THE NEAREST COURTESY PHONE. DAN SERGEIN, PLEASE REPORT TO THE NEARES COURTESY PHONE. THANK YOU."
The boy right in front of me slapped himself on the forehead.
"(sigh) What does that girl want now?" he said to himself. "C'mon, Venusaur, maybe there's a station by the phones." The boy, apparently Dan Sergein, walked away from the line, his massive Venusaur following beside him. I quickly registered and made my way to the coliseum for the pre-tournament festivities.
"Hello, Jennifer." Dan said tiredly into the phone.
"How did you know it was me?" his Jr. Trainer girlfriend asked.
"Because," he said with a grin on his face, "you called every hour while I was on the train out here. It was time for the next one."
"Sorry," Jennifer said, "I just wanted to make sure you got to Indigo Plateau all right. How are you?"
Dan's grin broadened into a smile, his annoyance quickly melting away. "I'm fine, Jen. Don't worry so much. I'm in the lobby now, I just need to register, which I was about to do until SOMEBODY called for me."
Jennifer giggled at the other end of the line. "Sorry. How's my pokemon?"
Dan patted one of the pokeballs on his belt. "Don't worry, Majesticorn is right here on my belt. It's fine."
On the other end of the line Dan could hear a young voice call out something.
"Allen wants to know how Stingun is." Jennifer said.
"Tell your brother Stingun misses him and can't wait to get in the ring to show how good it is." Dan said smiling.
Jennifer relayed the message. "I still can't believe he let you borrow his first pokemon for the tournament."
"Oh right," Dan said, feigning exasperation, "like you gave up Majesticorn without a fight. I practically had to sign a release form before you'd loan me that one."
"Just be careful out there." Jennifer said. "I wish we could be there with you."
Dan's smile faded slightly as he patted his Venusaur on the head. "I wish you could, too. Don't worry, I'll be home as soon as I win this thing!"
Jennifer laughed on the other end of the line. "Good luck, honey." She said, making kissing noises over the phone.
"Not that I'll need it." Dan said smugly. "But thanks for the kisses. Bye Jen." He said, hanging up the phone. "Well, come on Venusaur. Let's find a sign in station."
"Saur." The plant pokemon said in it's deep voice as it waddled after it's trainer.
"Aliessa, will you wait up!" Jordan called to his friend as she ran through the lobby, her Vaporeon running along beside her.
"I can't wait up, Jordan, we need to register before the stations close!"
Jordan shook his head. "That isn't for hours, what's the hurry?"
Aliessa stopped and indicated the lines at the stations.
"Oh." Jordan said.
Aliessa grabbed his arm and dragged him over to what looked like the shortest line. "Now, we're gonna stay right here and register. There's nothing, and I mean nothing that's gonna make us loose our place."
"Right." Jordan agreed.
"Yoooooo hoooooo, Jordan!" a girl's voice called from across the lobby.
Jordan squinched up his eyes, like he was in pain. "Is it?" he asked Aliessa, afraid to turn around.
"It is." Aliessa said.
Jordan rubbed his forehead. "When does the pain end?"
A young girl in a green dress with long blonde pigtails ran up behind Jordan and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Hey, Jordan." She said happily. Then she cut her eyes at Aliessa. "Hello, tramp."
Aliessa smiled. "Yeah, it's nice to see you too, Meme. So, you traveling alone or what?"
Meme held Jordan even tighter at the word 'alone.' "Not that it's any of your business, but I'm here with Tasha and Electra." She said, fiddling with Jordan's hair as he tried without success to put it back into place. "By the way, Aliessa, when I win this tournament Jordan will finally see what a loser you are and come back to Celadon City with me, won't you schnookums?"
Jordan managed to get free from Meme's clutches. "Excuse me, but…uh…I've gotta go make a phone call." He turned quickly and walked away.
"Oh, Jordan wait, I'll come with you!" Meme called as she pranced after him.
Aliessa stood there, shaking her head. "That girl's pigtails are too tight." She said.
"Vap, vaporrrrr." Her pokemon agreed.
A young boy came up behind Aliessa. Hey, 'Liessa." He said to her
Aliessa smiled at her friend. "Hey, Red, glad you could make it." The two friends hugged.
"Yeah, I would have been here sooner, but I had to get away from my folks and their 'fire beats everything' speech." He said. "Wasn't that Meme I saw here just a minute ago?"
Aliessa nodded. "Yup, Tasha and Electra are here too." She said.
"Well," Red said. "This should be an interesting tournament."
"Sure are a lot of people here, huh Angel?" Fox Lee said to her Ninetails as they waited patiently in line. Fox looked around at the growing crowd of trainers and spectators. "I hope everyone gets here alright." She said to herself, rubbing Angel's ears. As the two waited in line to register, Angel's fur stood on end at it started to growl. "What is it, Angel? Is something…oh." Fox turned around to see a boy, about nineteen, walking over to the line. She clenched her fist and gritted her teeth, not looking forward to this encounter.
"Hello, Fox." the boy said as he came up behind the girl, her Ninetails softly growling the whole time. "So, how have you been, sis?" the boy asked Fox.
Fox crossed her arms angrily. "Since when, Vance? Since you had me arrested or since you tried to have me killed?" she snapped sarcastically at her older brother.
"Either or." Vance said casually. The older boy pushed his way to the head of the line and quickly registered. "You had better watch yourself, Fox. At a big like this it's very common for trainers to get hurt in a fierce battle. After all, accidents do happen, don't they?" Vance turned and walked away.
Angel calmed down and looked up at Fox. "Looks like trouble, huh Fox?" it said.
"It sure does, Angel. Big trouble."
"Hey, where can a guy find a Subway around here! I'm starving!" the young Asian boy asked one of the other trainers.
The trainer, a young man dressed in a long dark blue coat, looked at the hungry trainer like he was crazy. "There's a food court in the upper levels of the visitor's center. Try looking there." The trainer in the coat turned and quickly walked away.
The hungry trainer chased after the long coat. "Where are you off to in such a hurry, man?"
The coated trainer stopped. "I'm on my way to register for the tournament."
The hungry trainer smiled. "Hey, I'm in the tournament too!" he said. "The name's Bill, Bill Nguyen." Bill said, extending his hand.
"Robby Maximillion." The coated trainer said, shaking Bill's hand hard.
Bill's eyes widened. "Not Robby 'The Wrecker' Maximillion?" he asked.
Robby grew a smug smile on his face. "The same."
Bill smiled back just as smugly. "Yeah, I've heard of you. Gym leader of Bio City, right? Never been there before."
Robby nodded as he moved away from Bill and into a line to register.
"Well," Bill said, "I'll see you on the battle floor. Hope you won't take my beating you personally." Bill quickly ran off to find his Subway.
Robby's eyes followed him until he was out of sight. He took one of the many pokeballs out of his coat and rolled it around in his hand. "We'll see about that, won't we Razorbax?"
The food court was packed with people, the loud hum of many happy conversations filled the air. At one table a group of girls were sitting together and discussing the tournament.
"So, Diane, what class are you at Pokemon Tech?" Topo Starlight, a young trainer with soft hazel eyes behind small oval glasses asked the pink haired girl in the Pokemon Tech varsity jacket.
"Oh, Topo, I've already graduated." Diane McClain answered. "I had planned on entering the Pokemon League right away, but then this tournament came up. I figured this would be fun and give me the chance to get in some good practice before I take on the Four."
A blonde girl dressed all in black spoke up. "Will you still take on the Four after you get beaten, Tech girl?"
"Oh, Jackal, leave her alone." Heather said.
Diane smiled and crossed her arms. "I choose to think positive, Jackal. Negative thinking rots your brain."
The blonde girl, Jackal Andromeda by name, smirked and shook her head. "Whatever. See you losers in the arena." She said as she got up and walked away.
Diane leaned in closer to the center of the table. "Now there's a Rocket wannabe if I've ever seen one." She said to the group
Heather rolled up the sleeves of her baggy sweater. "No wonder I don't like her."
"I don't know, guys. Do you really think I should be here?" Rich Greenhorn asked his friends.
"Sure you, should, Rich." Evan Evolveon said to his young friend.
"Besides," Anthony Spinella spoke up. "This may be the only chance we'll have to be in the Pokemon League together before you go off to finish your journey."
Rich smiled at his friends. "You're right, Ant."
Mike Heinz came over to the table with a tray full of food. "Don't worry, Rich, you'll do fine. You have the courage and determination of a trainer twice your level. You're liable to outlast some of us." He said, indicating the group.
Suddenly, Anthony slapped Mike on the shoulder. "Mike, trouble at four o'clock." He whispered to his friend.
Mike glanced in the indicated direction and saw the problem. "Great, Joe's here too."
Joe Sordid swaggered over to the table. "Well, well, well. Look who actually had the stupidity to even show up." Joe said, indicating the four friends. "It is going to be a true honor for me to send each and every one of you losers packing. Especially you, Mike." He said, cutting his eyes sharply at his rival. "See you losers later." He said as he walked away.
Evan leaned in to the group. "I don't really care which of us wins this thing, as long as SOMEBODY beats that jerk."
It was early evening and most of the trainers had registered by now and gathered in the coliseum for the opening ceremonies. I had been on the look out for suspicious looking people all day, and except for a few eccentric trainers every one looked clean. If the Rockets did decide to attack they might wait until later in the tournament. I flipped open the interface one more time and scanned the roster, which had grown significantly as more trainers registered. I knew some of the people from my own journey, even a couple of gym leaders showed up.
I quickly put the interface away as a horn sounded, calling everybody to attention. On the large stage in the middle of the coliseum the Elite Four along with Jennifer Oak and some high ranking Pokemon League officials were taking their seats. Jennifer walked up to the podium and began her welcoming speech.
"Greetings trainers. From master to amateur, trainers from every skill level have gathered here to compete in this invitational tournament. I would officially like to welcome you all to Indigo Plateau. Before we begin the welcoming ceremonies, I ask that we all observe a moment of silence for a great man that the pokemon community lost just one month ago. I would like to dedicate this tournament to my great grandfather, the late Professor Samuel Oak." Every trainer in attendance bowed their heads and gave respect to Professor Oak, his loss still greatly felt in the pokemon world. "Now," Jennifer said, trying to get some cheer back into her voice, "let's get started. Here to explain the rules of the tournament is the leader of the Elite Four, the one and only Ash Ketchum!"
The massive room exploded with the applause of the thousands of fans gathered in the coliseum as the legend himself made his way to the podium. "Thank you, Madam Administrator." He said to Jennifer as she took her seat. "When I look out over this sea of young trainers, I see myself. I see the excitement and energy of youth sitting alongside the power and experience of age. As I stand before you today it is perfectly clear to me that this tournament will be one of the best in the history of the Pokemon League!" The cheers went up like flames, lighting the arena with our excitement. When we had calmed down again Ash continued. "The first round of the tournament will begin tomorrow morning. For those of you who have never attended an invitational tournament before, this is how it works. All the battles will be fought in neutral arenas, giving no specific element or type an advantage. All match ups will be randomly chosen from the names of the remaining participants after each round. This is a single elimination tournament, and will continue until only two trainers are left. These two will compete for the grand prize: one million dollars!"
Again the crowd cheered for the prize, and what a prize it was. Ash held up his hands, calling for silence. "This will be a fair tournament. Any attempts to cheat, commit fraud, or any other dishonest or illegal actions taken to win or otherwise interfere with the outcome of this tournament will be dealt with severely. I trust everyone understands." We all nodded silently. Ash's jovial mood quickly returned to him. "Very well, then. Tonight there is going to be a big mixer party for everyone to get to know one another, but don't stay up too late. The first round starts bright and early tomorrow. Now, if you'll all check your registration ticket you'll see that rooms have been provided for all participants in the visitor's center. Go unpack, get settled, then get back to the celebration. Good luck to you all tomorrow, and welcome to the Pokemon League!"
The crowd erupted into one last thunderous cheer before slowly filtering out to get to their rooms. As Muddogg and I walked towards our room the interface beeped. I opened it to read a message from Ash. 'Come to the boardroom as soon as possible. We have things to discuss.' I sighed and put the interface away. "So much for the party, huh Muddogg?"
"Mmmuuuuud." My pokemon whined sadly.
I dumped my bags on the bed in my room then went straight to the boardroom. Jennifer and the Elite Four were already there waiting for me. "What's up?" I asked, taking my seat.
Gary handed me a computer chip. "This contains a complete record of all our participants. League records, criminal records, psych profiles, and family histories. We need you to look them over tonight, get an idea of who you need to pay special attention to tomorrow."
Misty spoke up. "The highlighted names are the people we feel need the most watching out for. Incidents in their pasts have gotten them into some…trouble. We think these are the most likely people to be carrying illegal pokemon."
"Or working for Team Rocket." Slate growled from his chair.
I put the chip into the port on the interface and began looking them over. "Let's see here…Joe Sordid…Jackal Andromeda…Vance and Fox Lee…Robby Maximillion!" I couldn't believe his name was on the list. "This can't be right, I know Robby, and he's not a criminal."
Ash stood up. "I know Robby too. I met him a long time before you did. We went through some heavy stuff together. He's a good guy, but he can get very competitive. I just think we should keep an eye on him."
I nodded. "Alright, anything else?"
"Yes." Gary said. "We need you to throw some matches."
I jumped out of my seat. "You want me to what!" I almost yelled, unable to believe what I had just heard.
"Not the whole thing." Misty said. "Just hold back a little. We can't risk anyone even accidentally discovering what you really are. Besides, you're here to watch out for crooks, not win the tournament."
I thought about it and realized they were right. "OK, I'll be careful."
Ash stood and shook my hand. "Good luck, Ranger."
I half smiled. "Thanks." I said as I walked out the door and up to my room for a long night of studying.
"Oh yeah! Party over here!" Leo Katsumara said as he entered the main lobby where the mixer was in full swing.
"Leo, over here!"
Leo looked to the sound of the voice to see his friend, Rachel L. coming towards him. "Hey, Rachel. How have you been?"
"Not bad." Rachel said. "Have you seen Fox anywhere? It's been a while since we've all seen each other."
Leo shook his head. "No, but I think I saw Vance earlier today."
Rachel shuddered. "I really don't like that guy."
About then, a tall snooty looking boy walked into the party.
"Who do you suppose that is?" Rachel asked.
"I don't know. Let's go ask." Leo said as he and Rachel headed for the stranger. "Hey, how are you doin'?" Leo asked the boy. "You here for the tournament?"
The boy looked at the two of them, but did not answer.
"Well, we're here for the tournament." Rachel said, trying to be friendly. "I'm-"
Suddenly the strange young man cut her off with his quiet, yet sharp voice. "Rachel L. from Pallet Town. Yes, I know. And you're Leo Katsumara from Arkon City. The one with the 29 pokemon."
Rachel and Leo looked at each other in amazement. "How did you know that?" Leo asked.
The boy stood up. "My name is James Kelley. I am from Saffron City. I am a powerful psychic. And yes, I am here for the tournament. Good luck tomorrow, amateurs. You will need it if you get drawn against me." James said as he stood and walked out of the party as quickly as he had come in.
"Weird." Leo said.
"Crazy's more like it." Rachel said, annoyed.
The scented smoke slowly rose from the small incense holder on the desk in the room of Kyosan Lee. His Venusaur sat in a corner of the room, absorbing the last rays of the setting sun through the window. His Arcanine was curled up on the floor at the foot of his bed, and his Persian was also asleep on the bed. His Haunter was floating in the air over the bed, resting. His Dragonite, too large to fit in the room comfortably, was still inside it's pokeball on the desk. Kyosan stood in the middle of the room in a dark blue karate gi, his light purple hair tied back and his teal eyes focused as he performed a slow and powerful kata. His Golduck stood next to him, performing the same moves. A knock at the door stirred him from his meditations. He opened the door to find Fox standing there.
"Hello, Fox." he said to his friend. "How have you been? Why aren't you at the party?"
Fox quickly stepped into the room. "Kyosan, there's trouble." She said to her friend.
"Oh? What is if?"
Fox sat on the bed and gently stroked the sleeping Persian. "Vance is here too." She said.
Kyosan immediately understood. "I see. Do you think he might be involved with the Team Rocket breakout everyone's talking about?"
Fox shook her head. "No. Vance is too much of a lone wolf for that. I think he's after me and Angel."
Kyosan nodded. "Well, don't you worry, Fox. I'm here for you, and Leo and Rachel are here too."
Fox stood up and headed for the door. "Thanks, Kyosan, but when it comes to Vance, I'm afraid that might not be enough."
"Hey, Aliessa. Long time no see."
Aliessa and Jordan walked across the floor to the table where the three girls were sitting. "Hello Tasha, Electra. Hello again, Meme."
The girl with the blonde pigtails quickly stuck her tongue out at Aliessa.
"Meme told us she saw you earlier, Aliessa." Tasha said. "How have you been? Haven't been getting beaten too badly I hope." Tasha laughed at her rival.
Aliessa just grinned and bore it. "No worse than you have I suppose, Tasha."
"Vap vap, vapoooor."
"Vul-pix. Pix, vul vul pix."
Aliessa's Vaporeon and Tasha's Vulpix talked to each other, resuming their old friendship.
"So," Electra spoke up, "caught any new pokemon lately?"
"Not really." Aliessa said. "I've been busy training the ones I've got first, especially since I heard about this tournament. What about you, Electra? Are you still just the 1-2-3 kid?"
Electra gritted her teeth. "I may only have three pokemon, but I can guarantee they're more than a match for yours."
Aliessa grinned, happy to have gotten a rise out of the electric trainer. "We'll see, won't we?"
"This can't be." Lauren said to her two winged Ninetails. "This can't be the plateau that leads to Vultopia." The three were standing outside of the Pokemon League.
Lunaninetails folded her lavender feathered wings. "Perhaps we misread the tablet. Maybe it said 'mountain?'"
The other winged Ninetails flapped his bat-like wings agitatedly. "I read it right, Luna. I've been after Vultopia a lot longer than you have. I know what I'm doing. This is supposed to be Vultopia.
Luna growled tiredly at her companion. "Well, it isn't, is it Tramontane! We came all this way for nothing!" Lauren tried to calm the two down.
"H-h-hello." A boy's voice said behind them. The three friends whirled around, the two winged Ninetails growling. They were face to face with a young man with messy hair and clothes that looked like they had been slept in. Around his neck was a pendant, a pewter dragon's claw holding a bead of glass. "M-my name's Marcus. Are y-you here for the tournament?" he asked softly, an odd inflection twanging his voice.
"What tournament?" Lauren asked Marcus.
"T-the Pokemon League Invita-tational. It starts tomorrow. A pair of magnificent Ninetails like those could sure turn some heads." He then cut his eyes at Lauren. "Especially talking Ninetails."
Luna looked up at Lauren. "Perhaps we should enter. It would give us the chance to look around inside, maybe find out what happened to Vultopia."
"Yeah." Tramontane said. "Let's do it."
Lauren smiled down at her two friends. "Alright, let's join the Invitational."
"Waiter! Get me a chocolate sundae, with sprinkles, and a cherry on top, now!" Leah said to the man at the ice cream counter.
"Jeez, what a brat." He mumbled under his breath as he quickly gave the eight-year-old girl her order.
She carried it over to a table where a young woman in a light blue Eevee shirt was sitting and enjoying the music coming from the jukebox in the corner.
"Can you believe that worthless waiter called me a brat!" the girl said with no introduction as she sat down uninvited and began digging into her ice cream. "How rude!"
The girl in the Eevee shirt, Crystal by name, said "Well, you were kind of rude to him yourself. You could have asked a little more nicely."
The little brat rolled her eyes. "Please, he's a servant! Back home I treated the servants just like that, and they never called me a brat."
Crystal looked at her funny. "You have servants at home? Where are you from?"
The little girl greedily licked the ice cream off her spoon. "Vermillion City. My daddy founded the Pokemon Fan Club there. Only the richest trainers can become members. I'm their one and only daughter, Leah." She said, giving Crystal the big cute eyes.
Crystal nodded. "I see. Are you here with your parents, then?"
Leah's big cute eyes cut down to burning knives. She slammed her spoon into the glass with a loud clink. "No." she said, crossing her arms in a pout. "My parents kicked me out when I called my daddy's Drowzee 'dicknose.' Said I needed to learn to respect all pokemon. I'll show them, though! Once I win this tournament and get rich all on my own, they'll be sorry they were so mean to me!"
Crystal's jaw dropped. "You're competing in the tournament? How? You're not even old enough to have a license?"
Leah coughed and rolled her eyes. "Duh! Didn't I just tell you who my daddy is?"
"Oh. Well, I need to go." Crystal said, getting up to leave. "It was nice meeting you, Leah."
Leah finished off her sundae and looked back at the waiter behind the ice cream counter. "Look at him. He even looks like that old dicknose. WAITER…!"
"Hey, Matt! Look who I found!" Katie Gottall called to her friend Matt Ketchum from across the crowded room. She came running up to his table, dragging a girl behind her. She was tall with chin length black hair under an old red Pokemon League cap turned backwards.
"Selena!" Matt got up and ran over to his sister. They hugged each other tightly, it had been almost two years since they had seen each other. "Oh man, it's so great to see you again!" Matt said.
"You too, bro." Selena said. "How's your journey going?"
Matt smiled smugly. "Not too bad. Had a few run ins with some Rocket wannabes, but nothing serious."
Katie gasped. "Yeah, right. Those wannabes would have stomped you into the ground in Viridian City if I hadn't shown up!" Katie said, ready to bash Matt in the head.
Matt laughed. "Anyway, so far it's gone off without a hitch. I'm probably the best trainer in my class from Pallet Town."
"Try second best." A voice said behind him. The three turned to see Mike Oak.
"Hey, Mike!" Matt said, smiling widely. "It's been a while. How's your journey coming along?"
Mike crossed his arms angrily. "Don't even start with me, Ketchum." Mike said. "I'm here for one reason and one reason only: to win this tournament. Maybe then when people think of pokemon they'll think of the name Oak for a change, not Ketchum. See you later, losers!" Mike turned and stormed off.
"Wow, Mike's changed." Selena said.
"Yeah." Matt sighed. "Ever since we both started training he's been obsessed with the idea that he has to avenge his father's defeat in the Pokemon League all those years ago."
Selena sighed. "I don't get it. His dad's in the Elite Four. Shoot, Gary and dad are the best of friends. Why can't Mike just be happy for him?"
"(YAAAAAAWWWWWWNNNN!) That's it, Muddogg. I can't study this stuff anymore. I'm going to bed."
"Muddogg." My pokemon yawned in agreement, curling up on the floor next to my bed.
I took off my glasses and laid them on top of the nightstand next to the interface. The sounds of the party downstairs echoed softly even up to my room. "You all better get some sleep." I said out loud to the darkness. "Tomorrow's gonna be a big day." I clicked out the light and went right to sleep, and dreamed about pokemon battles.
Outside the Pokemon League a night watchman sat bored at the registration station. He looked up to the sound of soft footsteps coming towards him. A woman in her mid to late twenties came up to the station.
"I'd like to register for the tournament." She said, brushing her blonde hair out of her eyes and adjusting the blue Pikachu cap she wore.
"Waiting till the last minute, huh?" the guard said. "Name?"
"Ashley." The girl said. "Ashley Ketchum."
At the name the guard looked up. "Ketchum, ay? You any relation to Ash Ketchum?"
The girl smiled. "Sure am. I'm his sister."