Nine days remain until the Pokemon League tournament begins, but a different kind of tournament is about to take place.
"Ugh, what am I gonna do for ten days?!" Diego sighed as he lay in bed and stared at the ceiling, he took a moment to look around the room of the hotel that participants of the Pokemon League and Grand Festival were granted. It was a cozy looking room but it was also very fancy.
"You could go to the training centers." Jack replied.
"Went there earlier and there was way too many people there, I gotta work in private." Diego scoffed, causing Jack to roll his eyes at the statement. Diego turned to face Jack and saw that he was getting dressed in what looked like a mix of formal and casual clothes. "Where are you going?"
"Don't you know that the Grand Festival is today?" Jack replied. "Sinead, Yuki, Gareth and Simon are all competing today so the girls and I thought we would go and support them. If you get dressed you could still come with us."
"I mean our friends are in it but why else should I go? Contests bore me to be honest." Diego responded lazily.
"But this is the biggest contest event of the year and even though they might not appeal to you, no pun intended, this gives us a great opportunity as trainers in the League."
"How?" Diego asked, his eyebrow raised in curiosity.
"Watch how the coordinators do their performances in the appeal and battle rounds and then try to think of a way you could turn it into an attack in battle." Jack explained.
"Good to know you've been keeping up with your practice." Yuki said.
"Of course I would, good to know you've been doing the same.
"You got a point... I'm in, but I don't want to wear a tie!" Diego stated adamantly.
A large crowd began to enter a large outdoor arena that was separated from the arenas that would be used for the League.
Jack and Diego waited outside the arena, they wore red and purple buttoned down shirts respectively with black and tan dress pants and black loafers.
"Hey guys! We're over here!" A familiar voice called. The boys saw the twins heading towards them, they styled their hair to go down to their lower backs and bangs that covered one of their eyes, Julia had her left eye covered while Reneé covered her right. They both had on formal dresses that had the same color as their normal clothing (Light pink for Julia and Light blue for Reneé), they looked like the apitting image of their aunt.
Jack had to physically turn away from the girls so that they couldn't see his face turn tomato red, though Diego could see clearly and it didn't take long for Reneé to figure out why Jack turned.
"Sorry to keep you boys waiting." Reneé said.
"Oh no, no! Not a problem!" Jack replied quickly, his back still turned to the twins.
"Just turn around." Diego said impatiently as he turned his best friend around. Julia looked rather concerned to see Jack's blushed face as she placed a hand on his forehead.
"Jack, is everything ok?! You're really warm!" Julia said. Reneé nudged Diego's side and motioned for them to slip away so their friends could share a moment in peace.
"Oh n-no I'm ok it's just that I think you look really beautiful..." Jack admitted, trying to hide his face and look away after he spoke. Julia looked surprised at the compliment but she blushed and gave Jack a hug.
"Aww thank you! I think you look handsome too!" Julia squealed in glee. Julia took Jack's arm as the two entered the Contest Hall.
"About time." Diego laughed, taking a moment to give Jack a sly smirk, which Jack returned with a glare.
"Glad you guys could come!" Gareth said as he approached the gang. He was accompanied by Simon, Sinead and Yuki, all of whom looked excited for the Festival.
"Yeah, now you get to see me win the Grand Festival!" Yuki gloated, though she was half joking.
"Nope, I'll be the one winning it all." Gareth replied.
"Ok, let's not make a scene." Jack pleaded, hoping the two coordinators wouldn't start arguing.
"I assume these are friends of yours, Yuki?"
Everyone turned to face who spoke and saw a young man who was about the same age as Yuki approaching them. He wore a fance suit with a blue tie, he had a gold watch and gold pendant with a key stone on its end. The boy had an aura of wealth about him which the group could see in his rather prim and proper voice and mannerisms.
"I should've known you got five ribbons by now." Yuki pouted. "Guys, this is Andrew, he and I have had a bit of history ever since we competed in a contest in Fuchsia."
Andrew approached the trainers and offered a rose to Reneé. "Andrew Gallowmere, at your service, but if it is more convenient for you, call me Chris."
Reneé couldn't help but blush at the gift, which earned her a look from Sinead and Gareth that was identical to the one she would give to Jack alongside Diego.
"I thought I heard the sound of a loser." A female voice remarked.
"Oh not now..." Gareth groaned.
A girl with wavy, honey colored hair approached the group, she had tanned skin and wore a yellow coat with blue jeans and white high heels.
"Guys, this is-"
"My name is Carmella, future winner of the Grand Festival and Contest Queen! Now listen Gareth, I know you've been trying to get back at me ever since I beat you in Saffron but please just let it go. I'll see you on stage! Hahahahaha!"
Everyone watched as Carmella headed to a hallway reserved for the coordinators and any special guests that were allowed to enter.
"She seems nice." Diego said sarcastically.
"Well if it ain't Sinead, glad to see ya' made it here!"
A girl a little older than Sinead cheerfully rushed over to her. Sinead herself looked happy to see the girl and gave her a high five.
"Hey Noelani, of course I made it here!" Sinead replied. Noelani had a heavy tan, she wore a bright green tank top, mean shorts and green flip flops. Her hair was dark brown and was in a ponytail. She was from the Alola region as she had a trial amulet.
"These are friends of yours?" Noelani asked.
"Yup, they're gonna watch us compete!"
"Well its mighty fine to meet y'all, the name's Noelani and I'm from Poni Island, straight from the Alola region!"
"Isn't Poni island a farming society?" Diego asked. "Not to sound like a jerk but was the change from that to a really urban region like Kanto kinda drastic?"
"Nah, I've been to Melemele island and there's a ton of people there! 'Scuse me folks, but I think it's about time I headed to my dressin' room to get ready. Enjoy the show folks!" Noelani said cheerfully as she went down the same hallway as Carmella.
"I believe I should be taking my leave as well, pardon me. I hope you all enjoy our performances." Andrew said with a polite bow as he left as well.
"We should probably head to the back too, you guys should take these." Simon said, handing the four trainers special passes that allowed them to enter the dressing rooms.
"We were talking it over and we agreed that you guys should take those and help us get ready. We could catch up on old times too!" Yuki explained.
"Yeah, that would be great!" Julia said in joy.
"Well come on, we need to get ready." Gareth said, the eaight of them hurried over to the dressing rooms.
Julia helped Sinead style her hair while she put on a special dress that was styled similarly to her Roserade.
"So, are you excited?" Julia asked.
"Totally!" Sinead replied. "But I'm honestly kind of anxious too..."
"I completely understand. That's how I'm feeling about being in the League Tournament. But I'm sure you'll do great, you practiced so much for this!"
"You really think so?"
"I know so!" Julia replied, her words put a smile on Sinead's face. "How did you meet that girl, Noelani, by the way?"
"Oh, we were competing together in the Pewter City Contest, we were in the semifinal round together and it was a super close match but I wasn't able to win. But after the contest was over she came over to me and she told me that our match was the most fun that she'd ever had, and it was the same for me. I guess we've just been friends ever since."
While Julia helped Sinead get ready, Diego was talking with Gareth, who had already finished getting dressed in a red cape and orange glasses that looked like something straight out of a fantasy anime.
"So you're ready?" Diego asked.
"Oh yeah!" Gareth replied.
"Who's that chick by the way?"
"Who, Carmella? She and I competed against each other in a Contest at Cinnabar Island before the eruption. I beat her and she's been acting like that towards me ever since."
"Do you think she's like some kind of tsundere?" Diego asked with a smirk.
"What?! No way!" Garetht replied, the two boys shared a laugh at the seemingly impossible thought.
In another room, Reneé and Yuki caught up on every that had happened since they last spoke to each other in Saffron. They talked about everything that happened with Team Dark Star, the eruption that took place on Cinnabar Island and both of their returns to the Vermillion Pokemon Academy to greet Dr. Goff. Eventually the topic shifted to a much more recent encounter...
"So it looks like Andrew likes you." Yuki joked, prompting Reneé to blush again.
"I-I'm sure he does that with every girl he meets." Reneé replied.
"Not to me, or to any other girl I saw him meeting."
"Well... Um... D-don't you have to finish getting ready?!"
Finally, Jack and Simon continued talking about Team Dark Star and how they were still a large threat, eventually there was a knock at the door.
"Hey Simon, you there?" A male voice called. Simon opened the door, allowing a skinny, auburn haired young man to walk in. He was dressed in a light blue suit and had goggles that resembled the compound eyes of a Butterfree.
"Sorry for coming in like this, I just wanted to ask if you had any spare seals I could use for my Ball Capsules... Was I interrupting something."
"Not really." Simon answered. "Jack, this is Harry, the two of us competed against each other way back in Cerulean City."
"I remember that actually, in guessing you two ended up having a friendly rivalry ever since then?" Jack asked.
"Yup, and I do have some extra seals." Simon replied, handing Harry a variety of stickers that Harry applied on to a Pokeball covered by a blue capsule. "Should we tell him, Jack?"
"Well, it would be good to get more people informed..." Jack replied.
"Informed about what?" Harry asked.
"Attention coordinators: the Appeal Round will begin shortly, please head to the backstage area." The intercom announced.
"We'll tell you later. Jack, I hope you and the others will enjoy the show." Simon said.
"I'm sure we will." Jack replied as he left the room.
The twins sat at the best seats they could find and saved two for the boys, who we're nowhere to be found.
"Where are they?" Reneé asked.
"You don't think they got lost in the crowd or something?" Julia added.
"Excuse me. Sorry. Pardon us."
The twins saw a mountain of food being carried towards them, carried by Jack and Diego, who took their seats next to them.
"Sorry about the wait, Diego just had to get snacks." Jack stated as Diego munched away on a large bowl of popcorn.
"Are you gonna share those?" Julia asked in a jealous tone. Diego was too busy eating to hear her so Jack shared his popcorn and candy with the girls and gave them both a soda.
"Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, to the Indigo Plateau Grand Festival!" A woman on center stage announced. She wore a dance white and gold dress that seemed to match her olive skin, she had blonde hair and a sweet smile. "My name is Atago Kataragi, MC and owner of this Contest Hall. Today we will crown one master coordinator as the winner of the Grand Festival! But this won't be easy, we have sixty-four coordinators in total that are willing to fight for victory! Now alongside yours truly, there are two more judges with me today. Please give a round of applause for Daisy Oak; Contest Legend of the Kanto region, and Janie; a member of Kanto's very own Elite Four! But that's not all! We also have the highest honor of having the Royal Family as guests today!"
A jumbotron set up above the judges' table turned on and showed the King and Queen of Kanto, they were a middle aged couple dressed in royal purple clothing. Their hair was jet black with a bit of grey hair peeking out.
"Do they look familiar?" Diego asked.
"They look kind of like Bella..." Julia noticed.
"Now let's get the Grand Festival officially underway! First we'll have our appeal round which will have these coordinators amaze us with the best appeal they can muster. But here's the catch, out of the sixty-four that make their appeals, only sixteen will advance to the next round!" Atago explained.
"Only sixteen?!" Julia said in shock.
"Wow, contests are more brutal than I thought!" Diego added.
"Now, with everything being said, let the Appeal Round begin!"
As the appeal round began the audience was dazzled by the many different and well practiced appeals by the coordinators. Some of the appeals were absolutely stunning while others unfortunately fell flat, even some that the audience applauded for were rejected by the judges, eliminating the coordinator from the Contest. This continued until Appeal #12, when Sinead had her turn.
'Okay... Here we go...' Sinead thought to herself. She sent out her Roserade and a Pidgeot. A flurry of flower petals and feathers burst from the pokeballs when they were sent out.
"Okay, lets put on a show with our Flower Power combo!" Sinead announced. Pidgeot flew upwards using Feather Dance while Roserade used Petal Blizzard creating a tornado of pink petals and white feathers that seemed to create a luminescent glow.
"Now, we put a little spin on our combo. Roserade, use Poison Leaf and Pidgeot, use Twister!"
Roserade spun in place, unleashing a barrage of deep purple leaves that melded with the tornado of pink and white. Pidgeot's flapped its mighty wings and unleashed a bluish-purple tornado that combined with the first tornado.
The two tornados melded together beautifully, the colors blended together, releasing the pink, purple, blue amd white colors that gave off a very comfortable and soothing feeling.
The judges unanimously agreed in a positive vote and allowed Sinead to move on the the next round.
"All right! She did it!" Diego cheered.
"I bet she isn't so nervous now!" Julia added.
The appeals continued, Harry was the next to make an appeal, he came out at #16. He cracked his knuckles and sent out a Butterfree and Beautifly.
"Time to show off my mad skills! Let's show 'em our Powder Fireworks!" Harry announced. His Bug pokemon released a variety of Powder attacks like Sleep Powder, Stun Spore, and even the move Powder itself. The attacks created a swirling rainbow of spores that formed a spherical cloud as the two pokemon flew around it.
"Now! Explode!" Harry called out. The Bug pokemon combined a Psychic attack to make the cloud form a rocket shape which flew upwards and exploded into a display that looked like fireworks.
The judges communicated amongst themselves for a while, making Harry nervous but his nerves calmed when he was accepted into the next round.
Carmella was immediately after Harry's appeal. She had her hair in a bun and she wore a black and red Flamenco dress.
"Now it's time for a more graceful display." Carnella said confidently. She sent out an Oricorio that was in its Baile form and a Vivillon that had a Sun pattern. Carmella placed her PokeGear on the floor, it then began to play flamenco music.
"Ok team, let's show them our BambOricorio!" Carmella proclaimed.
Oricorio used Double Team to form three clones of itself. Vivillon began to use Quiver Dance in tune with the music. Oricorio then used its Dancer ability to copy the Quiver Dance at the same tempo as the music. Carmella herself was also dancing in tune with the music. With every heavy beat, the Oricorio used Revelation Dance, which let out a red energy blast that resembled fire into the air. At the end of the song, Vivillon used Powder in the shape of a ring around the dancers and with one last Revelation Dance, the Powder ignited releasing small embers into the air when the very last heavy beat of the song played. The timing and elegance of the appeal resulted in a unanimous positive vote for Carmella to advance.
As Carmella headed backstage she met up with Gareth who adjusting his outfit.
"Good luck, you'll need it!" She laughed, as she walked away she turned to look at Gareth again, she blushed a little bit. When Gareth turned to face her again she stuck her tongue out at him.
More and more coordinators took their turns until it was Noelani's turn on #23. She wore a cosmic black dress and had a masquerade-esque mask on. She sent out her two pokemon, as with Carmella she sent out an Oricorio, however Noelani's was in its Sensu form, making it a Ghost and Flying type as opposed to the Fire and Flying type of the Baile Oricorio. She also sent out a Persian, however this Persian was the Alolan form.
"Eww, what is that?!" Diego said in disgust.
"What the Persian?" Reneé replied. "It's just its Alolan form."
"It looks nasty! Look at its head!"
Jack nudged Diego in his arm to get him to keep quiet as Noelani was beginning her appeal.
She had Persian use Feint Attack to charge at Oricorio, who use Feather Dance and then immediately Hurricane after, sending Persian high up into the air. Oricorio flew up onto Persian's head. At that moment, Noelani activated something on her wrist that began to glisten, revealing it to be a Z-Ring. After performing the motion of the Z-Move, Persian began to glow in a dark purple aura as it unleashed it's Z-move: Black Hole Eclipse.
Once the attack was complete, Oricorio and Persian leaped into the black hole causing the attack to explode harmlessly as the two pokemon used Feather Dance and Power Gem respectively. The two pokemon of Alola landed gracefully onto the floor as tiny balls of energy from the Power Gem and the Feathers cascaded down in a violet energy, glistening in the light.
Gareth was the very next coordinator to make an appeal coming out from backstage with confidence and poise. He sent out his Machamp and an Excadrill.
"Alright! Lets turn it up and show everyone our Horn Drill Breaker!" Gareth announced with pride.
Machamp began charging up a Focus Blast in all four of its hands until it was almost as large as all four of its arms. Excadrill curled up into a still shape ans began spinning and rushing forward as though it was a missile. Machamp then combined the four energy spheres to form one gigantic sphere that continued to grow in size to the point where the Focus Blast looked like a small blue sun. With one mighty heave, Machamp tossed the Blast upward before it ran towards Excadrill, grabbing it and spinning alongside it.
"This is the drill that pierces the heavens!" Gareth thundered.
The two pokemon used their momentum to rocket upwards and into the giant energy sphere. Drilling right through it and causing it to burst in a brilliant bright light. When the light had dissipated, Gareth and his pokemon were making a dramatic pose as the remnants of the giant Focus Blast floated down as tiny lights of energy.
The judges took a few minutes to discuss the appeal. Gareth and the audience grew nervous and anxious of what the result would be. Even Carmella who watched from backstage was growing worried.
The anticipation in the air was cleared when the judges allowed Gareth to move on to the next round. With a With of relief Gareth went backstage and was met with Carmella.
"You barely scraped by, you know, I'm actually kind of impressed! D-don't think I actually like you or anything!" Carmella snapped, Gareth raised an eyebrow at her statement.
"Really now?" He replied.
"Y-yeah, now I get to beat you myself!" Carmella said, regaining her composure.
"If you say so." Gareth chuckled as he walked away.
"Idiot..." Carmella hissed.
Simon walked on stage to make his appeal as #31. He sent out Classy, his Victreebel and a Decidueye.
"Alright, let's show them how snazzy we are with Dazzle Powder!" Simon proclaimed. Classy let out various spores that ranged in color from yellow to green to a light blue.
"Now Decidueye, Brave Bird!"
Decidueye grabbed Classy and flew directly upwards, spores from the Dazzle Powder being spread as they flew.
"And we'll end it with our Sinister Venom Raid!"
Simon then activated his Mega Ring that reacted to a Z-Crystal that Decidueye held, prompting it to let out an unknown number of Spirit Shackle arrows into the air around it. Classy use Sludge Bomb on the arrows, coating them in a glowing purple sludge.
Decidueye dove toward the floor, unleashing the flurry of venomous arrows in its wake and a trail of the Dazzle Powder behind them. Before hitting the floor, Decidueye flew towards Simon, ending the appeal.
The arrows Decidueye had unleashed were in the shape of two arrows crossing each other to form an X, the arrows then exploded from the Sludge Bomb, the explosions changed color due to the Dazzle Powder spores.
Simon's appeal was accepted by the judges for it's unique idea and the usage of a Z Move certainly helped.
Nearly forty-five minutes passed before another coordinator the group recognized came on stage. This time it was Andrew, who came out at #52. He was dressed in clothes that looked similar to a stereotypical prince.
"It'll be interesting to see his appeal, won't it, sis." Julia teased, causing Reneé to blush again.
Andrew silently sent out his pokemon, an Arcanine and a Stoutland.
"Begin with Wild Charge and Flare Blitz!" Chris announced. The two Dog pokemon leaped to the opposite ends of the field before engulfing themselves in fire and electricity respectively. The two pokemon charged at each other, the collision caused the elements to burst out, revealing the two dog pokemon. Flames and sparks of electricitt caused the two to look as though they were in a detailed painting worthy of being owned by a king.
This continued several more times, with each clash making the two pokemon look more elegant and powerful than the last. This culminated with Arcanine and Stoutland leaping off of the walls and colliding in the air above the arena. Unlike the previous clashes though, the attacks didnt burst, instead the two pokemon circled around each other, creating a white ball of burning energy. This energy began to plummet to the ground and burst one last time, creating a white flash of light. When the light finally cleared, the dogs were in front of Andrew, posing like guard dogs protecting royalty.
The audience's cheering and judges's approval made Andrew smirk.
"As expected." He snickered as he went backstage.
Yuki was the last of the group to make her appeal at #60. Her rather late appeal didn't bother her at all as it gave her the time to make any last minute preparations. She had a dress on that had ribbons that looked sinilar to the tails of her Ninetales, Ember. If one didn't know any better, they would say she looked like some sort of Magical Girl.
"Ok, its up to you two!" Yuki proclaimed, sending out Ember and a Chandelure. "Let's turn up the heat and show everyone our Crossfire Hurricane Special!"
Ember's tails extended, her eyes began to burn red. The flames coming from Chandelure grew as well.
Ember used Fire Blast on the arena floor below her and Chandelure, creating a ring of fire that flared out in all directions, several shapes seemed to form from out of the fire. Chandelure used Heat Wave while it spun to blow the fire outward further, giving the fire a proper shape; they looked like ankhs. The ankhs of fire spun around the ring of fire as Ember used Extrasensory on them, making them change shape into various other objects and shapes until it coerced every single flame to be absorbed by Chandelure using its Flash Fire ability.
The appeal ended with Chandelure using Inferno to form a geyser of flame shooting upwards to let off the excess fire power. The crowd was so entranced and enchanted by the appeal that it took them a moment to cheer when it had ended. The judges were the same and the votes were unanimous to her advancing.
After the Appeal Round had finally ended, Atago took center stage to explain the next round.
"Weren't those appeals amazing! But now that sixteen coordinators remain, its time for the second half of the Grand Festival, the Battle Round! Coordinators will compete in Double Battles against each other. But these aren't like typical double battles! If both pokemon on one team faint, that coordinator is eliminated, but if a coordinator can outshine their opponent in flair and talent, they will win the match! To decide the matchup, we'll randomly group up our sixteen coordinators.
The jumbotron showed pictures of the sixteen coordinators remaining and flipped them over as though they were cards, shuffling them and them revealing them to the audience. The matchups immediately made the main four trainers intruiged, it was Noelani against a coordinator that was the designated favorite to win. It was a young adult woman wearing a pink, orange, and yellow sundress with a sun hat, her skin was bronze and her hair was straight and black that went down to her shoulders.
This woman's name was Minh, just from looking at her Diego could feel as though she was much more powerful than she appeared.
This matchup seemed to be the one that interested the rest of the audience the most. The reactions they had to most of the other appeals wasn't as strong for the other coordinators as it was for the other matchups...
While the Second Round of the Grand Festival went underway, Team Dark Star was regrouping in an old factory used by Silph Co. in Vermillion City. The scientists were building a large machine while some of the grunts were testing out another that had the silhouette of a giant robot of some sort.
Dakota watched the robot in awe... but he also looked terrified.
"Hey kid, what are you just standing around for?" Typhoon called out to Dakota, snapping the boy out of his trance. "You ought to get back to training, you're in that League Tournament and you're our ticket in. If you win then Team Dark Star will be in control of Kanto, once that happens Johto is right next door!"
"But what if I lose?" Dakota asked.
"You won't lose, you have the mutt training you." Typhoon replied. Upon mentioning the RM, it made its way over to the two TDS members, standing at attention and ready for the next order. "On the off chance someone gets lucky and beats you, we'll take matters into our own hands. Now go and train, that's an order."
Dakota left with the RM to go to a training room, on the way he pondered if being a part of Team Dark Star was worth it. He joined the team to get stronger and be a better trainer. But now they wanted him to win and become the Champion so that they could be in control, more or less making Dakota a figurehead and puppet to his bosses and to Singularity, who looked as though he wanted to take over Johto next. Plus if he were to be beaten, who knows what the boss would do to him. The fact that Typhoon said that they would 'take matters into their own hands' also unnerved him...
"You seem troubled." The RM said.
"Yeah, I've just got a lot on my mind with this League Tournament stuff." Dakota replied.
"I may not understand what exactly is going through your mind at the moment, but as your ally I shall do what I am capable of to support you."
Dakota smiled, as anxious as he was feeling right now at least he had something to talk to. He had nine days to train for the pokemon league but there were so many questions going through his head that he couldn't even think of training. The robot that the grunts were testing, it reminded him of a Dragonite, which he adored, but it looked sinister. The sheer size of it unsettled him, but it's purpose was his biggest concern as he wasn't told what it would be used for...
The first round of battles had passed by; Yuki, and Gareth were discussing the matches that they had done.
"So we're all in the Top Eight then." Gareth stated.
"Honestly I thought that battle would be a lot harder." Yuki replied with a chuckle, she couldn't help but gloat with a hint of confidence at her progress.
"It's only been easy since ya' didn't have to face that lady, Minh."
The two of them turned to see Noelani dressed in her casual clothes.
"That lady is somethin' unreal. She beat me before I even realized what happened!"
"And Minh takes the victory in almost record time!" Atago announced. The three of them turned their attention over to the monitor and saw that Minh had quickly and easily beaten Harry.
"How did you do that?" Harry asked.
"Sorry, young man, but I'm afraid that's a trade secret." Minh replied with a giggle.
"Aww man!" Harry pouted.
"Up next we have Sinead up against Carmella!"
The two girls took their places at the arena. Carmella looked confident, snickering to herself at the thought of going up against someone who she thought she could beat easily. Sinead however gulped, nerves beginning to take their toll on her.
"Alright girls, you know how this works. Two against two!" Atago said.
Carmella sent out a Lopunny and Tsareena while Sinead used her Roserade and a Togekiss.
"Woah! What pokemon is that?!" Diego questioned, scanning the Tsareena with his pokedex.
'Tsareena, the Fruit Pokemon: Its long striking legs aren't just for show but to be used to kick with skill. In victory, it shows off by kicking the defeated, laughing boisterously.'
"And... Begin!"
"Ladies, show them your Feet of Fury!" Carmella ordered. Tsareena and Lopunny leaped up into the air and rocketed towards Sinead's pokemon with a High Jump Kick.
"Energy Slash!" Sinead responded. Roserade charged up an Energy Ball that was as big as it was , launching it at the two feminine pokemon, however its trajectory was in between the two, which would have caused it to miss.
"Hmph, this might be easier than I thought." Carmella gloated. Her calm demeanor quickly shifted when Togekiss used Air Slash to slice the Energy Ball into two Balls which hit their two targets dead on. Damaging the two pokemon and lowering Carmella's score.
"Hmph, I guess you can fight. In that case; Lopunny, Tsareena, use Dizzy Turn!"
Tsareena leaped forward, glowing in a yellow-green aura. Lopunny followed right behind her, its hand glowing with a white swirling energy.
As Tsareena got close to Roserade, Togekiss shielded its ally to prevent damage but when Tsareena suddenly did a sharp turn in the opposite direction the two were stunned. The next thing they knew, Lopunny had hit Togekiss with a wicked Dizzy Punch, the U-Turn was just the distraction. The combination attack reduced Sinead's points to about the same level as Carmella.
"Hmph, ok, then lets show them our Sunny Side Up!"
Roserade brightened up the arena with Sunny Day and followed up with a Weather Ball that rocketed towards Tsareena as it quickly ignited in a white hot flame. The Fruit pokemon jumped up to avoid the attack. However it was quickly smashed back down to the floor by Togekiss, who bashed it with full force in a wicked Sky Attack. The strike was enough to knock Tsareena out completely.
"And just like that, Carmella only has one pokemon left! That ought to put a heavy dent into her remaining score!" Atago announced. Just as she said, Carmella's remaining score was down to only a fourth of what it had been when the match began.
"Argh, you just couldn't play nice, could you... Lopunny, Mega Evolve and use Frost Kick!" Carmella ordered, activiating a mega stone hidden within her hairclip. Lopunny jumped into the air, doing several somersaults until it lunged forward having finished Mega Evolving with its leg outstretched, coated in an icy blue energy headed right for Roserade.
Togekiss, using Extreme Speed, shielded Roserade from the attack, however the heavy blow knocked out Togekiss, putting both girls at the same score again.
"You're a real piece of work, you know that. Making me go this far." Carmella scoffed, Sinead grew worried, Togekiss's type advantage over Mega Lopunny could have given the advantage she may have needed to win. "But you might as well give up now. As far as your concerned I'm just stringing you along for the ride like a puppet."
'Stringing me along... Like a puppet...' Sinead thought to herself.
"But its over." Carmella boasted.
"You're right. It is over..."
"So you agree then?" Carmella asked.
"No, I'm saying you lost! Roserade, Extrasensory!" Sinead announced. Roderade's eyes began to glow blue, it let out its arms, the flowers glowing in a similar blue hue. Strings of psychic energy blasted out if Roserade and latched onto Lopunny. Roserade moved its arms, causing Lopunny to move accordingly as though it were a sort of marionette. Roserade then spun Lopunny in the air above the arena and slammed it back down onto the floor, knocking it out giving Sinead the victory.
"What a move! Personally I would have never thought of using Extrasensory that way! The victory goes to Sinead!" Atago announced to the applause of the audience.
"I... Can't believe it..." Carmella said in shock. She tried to compose herself as best as she could, while she looked horrified at her loss she also looked rather inpressed at how her opponent beat her.
Simon and Andrew were next to have their match, both looked confident in their abilities and eager to begin.
Simon sent out Classy and a Claydol whereas Andrew sent out the same Arcanine and Stoutland he used during his appeal.
"And... Begin!" Atago announced.
"Wild Charge!" Andrew announced. The two hounds sparked with electrcity as the charged at Classy.
"Claydol, you know what to do." Simon commanded. Claydol floated in front of Classy, taking tje two attacks but not taking any damage due to its immunity.
"Let's see how you like this; Homing Sludge Bomb!" Simon proclaimed.
Classy spit out a number of the venomous bombs, Claydol then used its Psychic powers to make them freeze in midair for a moment before rocketing toward the dog pokemon.
"Evade!" Andrew ordered. Arcanine and Stoutland leaped away from the Bombs, however the Bombs simply followed in their direction, no matter where the two went the Bombs followed. Andrew wasn't sure of what to do, he glanced at his scoreboard and saw that he was beginning to lose points fast.
"Argh... Arcanine, use Flamethrower and Stoutland, get behind Arcanine!" Andrew commanded. Stoutland did as instructed as Arcanine tried to prematurely detonate the Bombs. The resulting explosion didn't fully protect the hounds but prevented it from doing maximum damage.
"Now then, it's our turn. Bait and Switch!" Andrew announced. The dogs charged at Simin's pokemon using Flare Blitz and Ice Fang respectively however the two criss-crossed multiple times, switching between Simon's pokemon as their target.
"Reflect!" Simon commanded, Claydol then used its power to form a blue barrier around it and Classy, shielding both of them from some of fhe damadge caused by the Flare Blitz that hit Claydol and the Ice Fang that hit Classy.
Claydol wound up becoming burnt from the attack, making Simon lose a considerable akount of points and putting Andrew in the lead.
"Now we level the playing field! Classy, use Leaf Storm on the floor!"
Classy expanded and leaped upwards, turning itself upside down so that the force of the Leaf Storm blew it higher up.
"Claydol, Earthquake!"
Claydol's arms spun around its body, shaking the battlefield enough to disorient the hounds, the attack would have done more damage if it had not been burned. Classy forced its Leaf Storm over to the dogs, this was enough to bring Stoutland down, but Simon wasn't done yet.
"Now end it with Psychic!" Simon commanded. Claydol began to glow, forcing Arcanine skyward and slamming it back down with force, knocking Arcanine down as well.
"What an amazing match, the winner is Simon!" Atago proclaimed.
Andrew recalled his pokemon and gave Simon a respectful smile.
"The match was almost completely one sided, you truly are one of the snazziest trainers I have ever met! Best of luck to you in the semi-finals!" Andrew said as he and Simon left backstage.
"Alright everyone, coming up is the last battle of the quarter-finals. It's Gareth up against Yuki!" Atago announced. The two long time friends prepared themselves for what could be their toughest challenge. Gareth sent out his Machamp and Excadrill, Yuki sent out Ember and Altaria.
"And, START!"
"Lets turn it up to twelve! Omega Drill Punch!" Gareth proclaimed. Excadrill curled up into a drill using Drill Run, Machamp quickly grabbed its ally with both of its right hands, which began to glow red.
"Give 'em the Razzle Dazzle, girls!" Yuki responded. Altaria used Dazzling Gleam to stop Machamp, who released Excadrill. The Drill pokemon continued to rush forwards, but Ember's Heat Wave promptly blew it back. The stunning combination of the two combination attacks was such a spectacle that both coordinators lost points.
"Good to see you've been keeping up with your training." Yuki said.
"Of course I have! But remember that just because we're friends doesn't mean I'll go easy on you." Gareth replied.
"Hehehe, I hope you don't, but I hope your pokemon are strong enough to handle us. Altaria, Mega Evolve and use Double-Edge on Machamp!" Yuki stated.
"So you think you can judge my pokemon?!" Gareth responded with a purposefully exaggerated voice. "Well, my Machamp will be the judge!"
When Altaria got close, Machamp held it back as best as it could with two of its hands. Machamp used the other two hands to rapidly punch Mega Altaria. Up in the audience, Jack sent Diego a tect message on his PokeGear.
'ORAORAORAORAORA!'
Diego gave his friend a sly grin as he knew what Jack was referencing, the two shared a laugh as they watched the battle.
While this was happening, Excadrill had dug a number of holes in the arena to attack Ember from underground. With Machamp manhandling Altaria and Ember being slammed around by Excadrill, Yuki was rapidly losing points. With one final punch, Altaria was sent back over to Yuki's side of the field.
Yuki waited for Excadrill to make its move again, Gareth noticed this and decided to take action.
"Machamp, use Dynamic Punch!"
"Use Cotton Guard, Altaria and Ember, lets use the Crossfire Hurricane Variation, just like we practiced!"
Machamp charged at Ember, its fist vibrating in as it surged with immeasurable power. Altaria flew in to protect Ember, fluffing up its cotton body amd completely stopping the punch. Excadrill drilled upwards to hit Ember again, but the Fox pokemon used Fire Spin into one of the holes Excadrill dug into the arena, blasting the Mole pokemon out of the ground, the flames erupted out of the holes creating flaming geysers.
With Excadrill knocked out after the attack, Gareth was left with little choices left...
"Alright, you asked for this!" Gareth warned. "My Machamp and I, our hearts resonate with a heat thats stronger than yours! A heat that's enough to burn! Our blood is razor sharp! Machamp, Sunlight Yellow Overdrive!"
Using Bullet Punch, Machamp punched right through Altaria's Cotton Guard, beating it with an increasing intensity that culminated with one brutal punch that sent Altaria flying away, knocked out. The assault brought Yuki down to the last of her points.
"Ember, use Psyshock!"
Ember created several stones from psychic energy and flung them at Machamp.
"Now Machamp, hit her with our Scarlet Overdrive!" Gareth proclaimed.
Machamp ignited its bottom two fists, before it charged at Ember.
"Use Psyburn!" Yuki ordered.
Ember began to glow purple, its tails extending outward. Ember appeared to telepathically release a purple stream of fire towards Machamp. The Superpower pokemon used its burning hands to clash the telekinetic flame. The flames burned Machamp, activating its Guts ability and increasing its power.
Machamp pushed forward as much as it could, the two pokemon now only a foot apart from each other. Ember used every ounce of power it could muster for its attack. The two pokemon clashed for about two full minutes before Ember was able to overpower Machamp and blow it into the wall opposite of Yuki. The blow was able to make Machamp faint, awarding Yuki with the victory.
"And that's the match! We now have our four semifinalists!" Atago announced.
"Gotta give Gareth props for that one! That was one hell of a match!" Jack stated.
"That move that Yuki used, I have got to see if one of my pokemon can use it!" Julia added.
"We'll be having a short intermission so that the coordinators can prepare for the next round, make sure you don't miss it!"
Gareth went back to his dressing room, changing back to his casual clothes when he heard a knock on the door. He opened it to see Yuki giving him a sympathetic smile.
"Hey, I just wanted to say that was a great match."
"Great? That was awesome! Seriously, congrats on the win." Gareth replied. "It would've been cool to win though."
"Well it definitely wont be the last contest we'll be in, maybe we can have another match to top it!" Yuki said confidently.
"Definitely!" Gareth nodded. There was another knock at the door and Atago entered.
"Oh good you're both here! Sorry for barging in, I just wanted to congratulate you two. That match might just have been the best we've seen all year! I certainly hope you two continue to have matches that amazing. The King and Queen themselves even said it was great!" Atago explained.
"Woah, you're serious?!" Gareth asked.
"Completely! I have to go back and get ready for the next match. Best of luck to you Yuki, and I hope I get to see another match from you two!"
"I better get ready too, I guess you'll be in the locker room?" Yuki asked, Gareth nodded.
When the intermission ended, Sinead and Minh did not waste time in taking their places on the battlefield. The two sent out their pokemon; Sinead using her Roserade and Pidgeot, Minh using a Liepard and Zoroark.
"Let the first match of the semifinals... Begin!" Atago announced.
"Pitch Black Blade!" Minh ordered. Zoroark used Night Daze to completely shroud the battlefield in darkness, nobody on the field or in the audience could see what was happening but they could hear the sound of slash attacks.
"Whirlwind!" Sinead pleaded. The darkness was blown away by Pidgeot flapping its wings. However the bird was covered in slash marks and Roserade was knocked out completely! Being down to one pokemon against two would make things more difficult for Sinead.
"Now use Twister"
Pidgeot flapped its wings to create a number of small tornadoes headed straight for the dark type pokemon. However Minh and her pokemon smirked.
"Jump into it." She said.
Liepard and Zoroark leaped into one of the tornadoes, using the momentum to jump into another, and then another until they were headed straight towards Pidgeot, knocking it out with a quick Night Slash.
"T-that's incredible! The match didn't even last two minutes and Minh has already claimed victory!" Atago announced.
"Your name is Sinead, right?" Minh asked. "You have a talent for pokemon contests, and I know you'll be a tough opponent someday. Until then, I hope you continue training."
The two of them headed backstage, as she went to go change Sinead was met by Gareth, Harry and Noelani.
"Hey, don't feel bad about losing to that lady." Noelani said, trying to console her friend. "She's super strong, I wonder if she's in the league tournament."
"Honestly I'm not all that upset at losing, sure it stinks but I just want to do better in the next contest." Sinead responded.
"That's the spirit!" Gareth stated.
"Come on, the next match is starting!" Harry exclaimed.
Back on the arena, Simon and Yuki had sent out their pokemon: Classy and Decidueye vs. Ember and Chandelure.
"Alright, let the second match of the semi-final round: Begin!"
"Shadow Flame!" Yuki ordered without hesitation. Ember used Will-O-Wisp, forming small blue flames in front of the two fire pomemon. Chandelure followed up by using Shadow Ball, which fused with the Will-O-Wisp, created dark blue orbs of spiritual energy that headed straight for the grass pokemon.
"Counterattack with Arrow Leaf!" Simon responded.
Decidueye sent out several Spirit Shackles while Victreebell used Razor Leaf to destroy the Shadow flames, coating the leaves and arrows in some of the flames which went straight towards Yuki's pokemon.
"Use Psychic!" Yuki ordered. The fire pokemon began to glow purple, stopping Simon's attack right in the air, turning them back towards the grass types, damaging then as they had little time to react.
'I already have the type disadvantage, I cant let her beat me in style too...' Simon thought to himself. He rolled up his sleeve to reveal his mega ring, however instead of activating a mega evolution, he instead activated a Z-Crystal that Decidueye had been holding to unleash its special Z-move: Sinister Arrow Raid.
"I guess I have no choice but to use my Z-Power combo! Leaf Arrow Rain!" Simon proclaimed. Decidueye grabbed Classy, flying upward and releasing as many quill arrows as it could before firebombing towards Yuki's pokemon, spinning alongside its arrows as Classy used Leaf Storm to create a tornado of leaved heading straight at Ember and Chandelure.
Yuki wasn't sure if she would be able to counter an attack like that but she knew that she had to try.
"Inferno! Fire Spin!" Yuki called out. As the grass duo spun closer, Ember used Fire Spin to burn all the projectiles and use the momentum of the attack to its advantage, moving the tornado directly above Yuki's pokemon, allowing Chandelure to use Inferno and create a geyser of fire that caused the grass attack to burn up, causing an explosion when Simon's pokemon managed to make contact. Despite taking damage, Decidueye flew away from the explosion still holding Classy.
When the smoke cleared up, a buzzer rang...
"And that's the match! Simon ran out of points which means Yuki joins Minh in the finals!" Atago announced.
The two coordinators looked up at tue monitor and saw that the bar representing the points Simon had left was black, signifying that it was empty, compared to Yuki's which only had a few points left. Simon looked shocked for a moment but his expression then changed to one of understanding.
"I suppose that figures." Simon said. "You had a counter to everything I had to throw at you. Even if I could prolong our match you most likely would have won anyway. Good luck in the finals." Simon said.
Yuki could feel Minh watching her from backstage. From her previous matches, Yuki knew that this upcoming match could very well be one of, if not the most, difficult contest match she has ever been through, even if it was the finals of the Grand Festival.
The stadium's cieling retracted, revealing the orange sky above. Spotlights shone on the arena, where Minh and Yuki were standing.
"Ladies and gentlemen!, this is it!" Atago announced. "This is the final round of our Grand Festival! In one corner we have Yuki: the coordinator who has had what could be one of the best matches I've personally ever seen! In the other corner there's Minh, who has singlehandedly taken out every opponent in less than three minutes at most! Between these two talented coordinators we can only have one winner!"
The two ladies sent out their pokemon, Yuki used her Altaria and Ember again whereas Minh sent out a Drapion and Pangoro.
"Both coordinators look ready to begin, now without further adieu, let the final match: Begin!"
"Altaria, Mega Evolve and use Double-Edge, Ember use Fire Spin!"
The purple glowing sphere of Mega Evolution enveloped Altaria, after the process was complete, Altaria rocketed towards towards Drapion like a pink rocket. Ember blew out a spiraling flame that enveloped Altaria, increasing the damage the Double-Edge would inflict.
"Poison Jab!" Minh commanded.
Drapion twisted its body and arm around as its claw began to seep with a potent venom. Once Altaria was close enough, Drapion twisted back and smashed Altaria with the Poison Jab, causing it to stop dead in its tracks. The sheer power of the attack created ripples of poison that completely stopped the Fire Spin. The strike knocked Altaria out as though it were a lowly Swablu.
"Now follow up with a Bullet Punch into the air."
Pangoro ran towards Ember, who braces herself for a counterattack however everyone became shocked when Pangoro punched the ground, causing it to rocket skyward.
"Hammer Arm!"
Pangoro suddenly shifted downward towards Ember with its arm reaching forward.
"Ember, use Fire Blast!" Yuki called out. Ember exhaled one of the biggest bursts of fire the audience had ever seen in an attempt to stop Pangoro but the Daunting pokemon just went right through it like tissue paper.
The flames burned out as Ember fainted as well...
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner! Minh!" Atago proclaimed. As the crowd roared in applause, Yuki sank to her knees in defeat. She then saw a hand reach out to her; it was Minh.
"You have a potential inside you that you haven't realized. One day you may be a better coordinator than I am." She said before going to accept her trophy. Yuki headed back to the locker room and was met with the rest of her friends.
"Sorry none of you were able to win..." Julia said trying to console her friends.
"Well there's always next time I guess." Gareth replied.
"So what do you plan on doing now?" Jack asked.
"Watch you guys in the tournament of course!" Sinead replied.
"Maybe we'll get to battle each other!" Harry stated.
"You're in the tournament?" Andrew asked.
"Yup, I like battling and battles so I traveled around Kanto getting both ribbons and badges. I may have lost today but I intend to win and become Champion!"
Diego noticed Minh leaving the dressing room area and decided to confront her.
"Hey, I don't wanna sound weird but... Who are you?" He asked. The others came over, some thinking that Diego intended to start trouble after what had happened. Minh looked confused for a moment but smiled.
"Well I believe you all habe a right to know." She began. "My name is Minh Saotome, I'm from Ecruteak City in the Johto region. I became a coordinator after watching a Contest where May, the Contest Queen of Hoenn was participating. Ever since then I became infatuated with Pokemon Contests. But my strategy of inflicting heavy damage was inspired by watching Brendan Birch, the champion of Hoenn."
The mention of May and Brendan made Diego take a quick glance at Jack, who looked back at him.
"I guess that makes sense." Julia said.
"Now if it's alright I should he heading back to my room, I need to prepare my team for the League Tournament." Minh said.
"You're in the Tournament?!" Reneé asked in surprise.
"Of course! I assume you are as well?" Minh replied.
"Yup! And I'll be the one winning!" Diego boasted.
"Well we'll see what happens in nine days. Until then, take care." Minh said as she took her leave.
"If someone as strong as her is in the Tournament, you guys should train your butts off." Carmella said. "As for me, I'm getting dinner."
Meanwhile in Cerulean City, Celeste appeared to be heading inside a cave that was isolated from the rest of fhe city on a lone island. As soon as she took a step inside she instantly felt as though she was being watched...
As the Grand Festival comes to a close the Pokemon League Tournament draws closer. But Celeste appears to be going on an adventure of her own...
New moves:
Poison Leaf
70 Power
95 Accuracy
The user sends out a wave of poisonous leaves at the foe(s)
...
Dazzle Powder
- Power
100 Accuracy
The user sends out strange spores that confuse the foe
...
Psyburn
120 Power
75 Accuracy
The user uses telekinetic power to create a flame that harms the for. May burn.
...
Frost Kick
85 Power
90 Accuracy
The user kicks the foe with icy force. May cause a critical hit or freezing.
...
I hope you all enjoyed what has been the longest chapter so far.
