PWT Arc: The First Round Ends
When Mari arrived at the grandstand and sat down next to Jacky again, she nudged her shoulder. "You made it through the qualifiers! Well done.",
"Jeez, I was so nervous..." Mari laughed awkwardly. "I know I'm usually not one to lose my cool over something like this, but the pressure was extremely high...",
"Yeah, I can totally understand that. I'm sure I'll have stage fright too when my time comes."
Laslow rose up from his seat as the man came to accompany him. The woman tapped Gwin, who stood up and followed her. He was quite tall in build, which had not been apparent at first.
As Laslow entered the arena, the girls shrieked as if a horde of psychos with knives were after them. Laslow looked up at the spectator stands, and his gaze seemed somehow... cold. As if he didn't like what was happening at all. All those girls cheering him on... it was like he was rather irritated than pleased by it. He didn't seem to enjoy it at all.
"Ladykiller," Mari commented next to Jacky, as if it were a disease.
"Mmm... he's really not bad-looking..." Jacky had to smile and Mari looked to her. "...average, maybe. What does it matter, anyway? Besides... That guy looks like he has the emotional wealth of a stone.",
"Mari, don't be so mean." Jacky reprimanded her. "I think he's extremely kind.",
"Hard to judge from the little interaction we've had with him. I wonder if he really informed the authorities about Hypno. That thing still lingered around, evidentally, so maybe, those were just empty words.",
"We don't know. Though... he doesn't seem like one to give empty promises. He seemed really serious and genuine when he said that.",
"Well, we might as well ask him about that later."
Gwin sent a Lucario into battle, Laslow countered it with a Gothorita. "Bone Rush, Lucario!" Gwin shouted as the referee opened the fight. The Lucario formed a bone in its hand and charged at Gothorita, which dodged rather deftly. "Gothorita, time for Future Sight", Laslow said calmly, and his Pokémon's eyes glowed briefly.
"Aurasphere!" Lucario fired off a blue orb, which Gothorita dodged again. "He's acting passively..." Mari muttered. Lucario continued to attack and Gothorita kept its distance and dodged. As the battle raged, however, Jacky stared at Laslow rather than the fighting Pokémon. The silver-haired boy didn't show any kind of mimic, as if his face had frozen. He looked thoughtful. Calculating. "Oh dear. He really did a number on you, didn't he?" Mari asked, noticing Jacky's look.
"Oh, uh..." She blinked and bit the inside of her cheek. "No, I just got distracted for a second..."
A Bone Rush attack hissed hair-straight over Gothorita's head as it ducked. "Now is the time! Gothorita, Psychic!" Laslow extended his arm and Gothorita's eyes lit up brightly. Lucario was suddenly held in place by invisible forces and tried to fight back, but unsuccessfully. Crystals suddenly formed above the fighting Pokémon's head, swooping down and digging into Lucario's body. "Whoa, what was that?" Mari asked, puzzled, as Lucario sank to its knees and toppled to the side. "That must have been the effect of Future Sight...", Jacky speculated. "An attack that's delayed, but when it hits by surprise, it causes devastating damage... Nothing can stop it, not even defensive moves such as Protect or Endure. Just one attack was enough...! That's madness..." She swallowed quietly. Loud shrieks and cheers filled the stadium as Laslow was declared the winner. Mari covered her ears. "Oh god, the screaming of dying girls is unbearable!" Laslow called Gothorita back and disappeared, at which moment Jacky was tapped. "It's your turn now." Jacky jumped onto her feet. "O-Oh! Yes, sorry!",
"Good luck!" Mari whispered to her. "Thanks." Jacky smiled and then went along with the man. Laslow met her halfway and Jacky stopped shortly. He did the same and met her gaze. "Good luck out there", he said. "Don't let the nervosity get the better of you. Take a few deep breaths before entering the arena... It really helps to calm your nerves. Just focus on your opponent and not too much on the many people watching you... I know it freaks many people out to be under the gaze of so many spectators, but it really is secondary at this very moment. Don't let your insecurities show, just remain confident and nothing can go wrong.",
"Th-Thanks. That's too kind of you to say that to me.",
"Nonsense. I can see how very anxious you are. I just hoped to be able to help you keep your composure when you need it the most.",
"Your performance out there was breathtaking... I've never seen something like that before! You're strong as anything!",
"Eh, I wouldn't say that... At the moment, I'm rather content finding out where my limits are... I am not too focused on showing off. If you understand what I mean.",
"Uh... I think I do, yes.",
"You should go. Your companion looks like he wants to say something. We don't want your battle to be delayed because you prefer chatting, do we?",
"Oh, y-yes, right. Sorry.",
"No worries." Laslow gave her a brief smile before walking up to the grandstand.
When the stadium speaker announced them, Jacky entered the arena with her heart pounding. She closed her eyes for a moment to concentrate and take a few deep breaths, just like Laslow suggested. "It's all good, there aren't that many people watching you. Just... A few hundred... maybe..." And Laslow. But she immediately banished the thought. "Weavile, make it short and sweet", Dave said, sending out a sly-looking Pokémon.
"I promised myself I'd win my first tournament battle with you... Let's go, Noivern!" Snarling, Noivern reared up in front of her.
The referee opened the fight. "Icy Wind, Weavile", Dave commanded, and his Pokémon whirled icy gusts toward Noivern. "Fly up!" Jacky shouted. Noivern pushed itself off the ground. "Now, use Heat Wave!" The hot wind defied the icy breeze and neutralized it. "Shadow Ball!" Weavile aimed at Noivern from below. "Iron Tail!" Noivern readied itself to counter and smashed the ball back at Weavile with its tail. The foe had not expected that. "Now Dragon Pulse!" At breakneck speed, a blue beam of energy shot at Weavile. Weavile jumped to the side in a flash. "Icy Wind! Let's take out some of that speed!"
Weavile returned an attack that Noivern managed to dodge. The dark-type Pokémon jumped against the grandstand wall and pushed off. "Blizzard!",
"Heat Wave!" Noivern fought back against the freezing storm as Weavile appeared in front of it and sent it crashing to the ground with Poison Jab. "That fast?!",
"Now Slash, Weavile!" Weavile quickly followed up. "Fight back, Noivern! Iron Tail!" Noivern straightened up and blocked Weavile's attack. It jumped back. "Icy Wind!",
"Okay, that's enough! We'll end this fight now!" Noivern screeched and lunged at Weavile, flying right through the breeze. "Iron Tail! Finish it!",
"Groaaaaaar!" Noivern struck, sending Weavile to the ground, where it remained. "And Jacky is the winner!" the referee announced. "Yay!" Jacky raised her fist in the air. "Well done, Noivern!" The spectators applauded her. Dave withdrew his Pokémon and frowned in disappointment. Jacky petted Noivern and then withdrew it as well before returning to the stands. Mari hugged her tightly. "YAS! We've both passed on to the next round! Let's gooo!",
"Yeah!" Jacky laughed.
Mia and Caroline entered the arena next. "Okay, Skorupi! Let's crush them!" Mia shouted. "Swanna, we'll get through this together!" Skorupi immediately attacked its opponent with Poison Sting as the referee opened the fight. "Aerial Ace!" Caroline retorted, and Swanna lunged at its opponent. It was so fast that one could hardly follow it with your eyes. The Skorupi was hit and backed away. "Strike back! Night Slash!",
"Feather Dance, my love!" commanded Caroline and Swanna released some feathers that swirled around its opponent before swinging over it. "Poison Sting!" Skorupi shot a volley of poisonous spikes after its tormentor. Two hit Swanna's wing and poisoned it. "Crap... Bubble Beam, quick!" Swanna shot water bubbles at its opponent. "Let them burst!" Skorupi nodded and shot the bubbles with more poisonous spikes. Swanna was getting weaker and weaker from the poison. "Now we finish it off, Skorupi! Night Slash!" The scorpion leapt at Swanna, which could no longer hold itself up in the air as its strength waned, and hit it critically. It crashed to the ground knocked out. Mia was declared the winner and Laslow leaned on the railing of the stands. He looked at the field with visible interest. Jacky toyed with the idea of picking up conversation with him again, but she refrained. Instead, she followed the other battles with Mari. Soleil's Froslass won with flying colors against Kacy's Swadloon and Xenia's Vullaby had no chance against Chris' huge Tyranitar. Jacky was amazed. "That guy has a Tyranitar?! At this level?",
"Holy moly..." Mari whistled through her teeth. Tyranitar thundered its tail on the ground as Chris raised his hand. "Enough, Tyranitar. We mustn't intimidate anyone. It's enough to have secured the victory. Let it rest now." He withdrew it, and then walked off the field as the victor. "Pupitar don't evolve into Tyranitar until very late into their training..." Mari mumbled. "To have a Pokémon such as this at this level... that's absolutely nutso. How did he manage to do that? What the hell is his training regimen like? I just can't wrap my head around this.",
"Me neither..." Jacky agreed.
"Those were exciting fights, ladies and gentlemen!" The announcer shouted. "Advancing to the next round are Kattlea, Viv, Mari, Laslow, Jacky, Mia, Soleil and Chris! Let's hear it for our winners!" The crowd went wild with excitement. "These duels were won by talent, all in their own way and with fire in their hearts! Get some rest and I look forward to welcoming you tomorrow, fresh and alert for the next round! Have a great day." The audience rose from the stands and streamed outside. "Jeez..." Mari peeked at Chris who came up to the grandstand. "I already know this dude is gonna be top tier.",
"I hope he gets beaten by someone before I have to fight him..." Jacky muttered, gritting her teeth.
"I don't really believe in that..." Mari confessed. "That guy is way too fierce for that... If he already owns a Tyranitar, I dread to know what other Pokémon he has in his possession..."
She got up as the other participants left the stadium as well. "Come, this is our chance to catch up with the silver boy. Or else he might disappear on us again." She caught up with him just as he was also starting to leave the stadium. "Hey, wait a second.",
"Huh?" He turned to her, "What wrong?",
"Because of what happened the other day... did you really report that to the authorities?",
"Yeah." He nodded. "I informed the police about it... the gym leader, even the mayor of the city. I really went out of my way for this. Why?",
"Because we saw Hypno again just yesterday. Doesn't seem to have done much good, if that's really true.",
"Hm... That's extremely disappointing..." He crossed his arms. "I don't see what else can be done, though. It's their job to make sure that the city and its surroundings are secured.",
"To be honest... Hypno is pretty smart and cunning and knows not to show its face to those pursuing it. Besides, it didn't show up until late in the evening... The last time was the brightest day. I think all of this has at least made it reconsider to appear during daytime.",
"Tracking a Pokémon with that level of intelligence is a difficult endeavor, I agree... I found out a little bit, by the way.",
"About Hypno?",
"Yes. It's been known to be on the loose for some time now, and people have been searching for it for quite some time. It's been tracked down time and time again, but it's escaped every time. Finding its trail seems to be very difficult. The kidnapping of at least 26 children is attributed to it so far, but it has not yet been found out where it took them... Basically... no one seems to have gotten very far in the hunt for this Pokémon. I was asked to keep being on the lookout for it or any strange incidents hinting at its activity. Anyone who manages to capture it, or helps out in the great struggle to capture it, will gain a reward. That said, with a literal bounty being put on it, Hypno will be alerted not to act recklessly from this point forward. The only problem will be that few will dare to oppose it knowing what it's capable of. Plus, it's not really being served up in a big way that this Pokémon is out there doing its thing to prevent mass panic. It's only been advised so far to not be out and about when it gets dark. While I understand that, I can't say I agree with the approach of not really making the problem public. A danger is a danger, whether you openly warn others about it now or not... But we can't really do anything about it. It's not our place to interfere in the affairs and actions of the authorities. What's your take on this?",
"Well..." Mari tapped her chin. "Even though I hate to admit it, I'm afraid you're right. We don't really have the reach to warn others about Hypno. How the matter is handled is... debatable. Anyway, thanks for your support.",
"Don't mention it... It was unfortunate that the incident a few days ago not only got wild Pokémon caught up in it... but also involved Pokémon from other trainers... Like Kattlea's Deerling.",
"Oh, that was her Deerling?",
"Yes." He nodded. "I overheard her mention it went crazy from one moment to another... But... while we're on the subject. You said that you encounter it quite often.",
"Yeah, but every time we chase it or push back, it takes off. I can see why it's a real pain in the ass to track that critter down. But it seems to have it's sights set on us. For some reason.",
"Set on you? Why?",
"I don't know. Because we ratted it out? Because we keep screwing up its plans? Because Jacky has constantly broken out of its control so far? I don't know, I've been wondering about that for ages.",
"Hmm, that's extremely strange. Normally, a Pokémon like that wouldn't focus on a single target. Especially not so persistently that it constantly risks being caught... There's something not right about this. Whatever it is, be careful. I know you guys have experience with it, but it still shouldn't be handled lightly. Come to think of it... maybe, this is a chance for you.",
"In what way?",
"If it keeps bothering you, that means you don't necessarily have to look for it. You might find out more about it that way. Where it's... hiding the other children, for example.",
"Hm... I haven't thought about that at all... Tricking it or outsmarting it is probably proving rather difficult, but we've never tried it before... I know that my cousin is in Hypno's clutches.",
"Ah, really? I'm sorry to hear that.",
"Yes... Maybe we can find a way to catch it.",
"I wouldn't put it past you guys, at least. I will also keep my eyes and ears open and pass on anything I overhear.",
"We thank you, Laslow.",
"No problem. It's nothing worth mentioning, I'm just doing what's logical." He waved it off.
"Hey... another question..." Jacky dared speaking up. "You... seem to know Chris.",
"I do. Quite well, at that. I presume you're asking because of what you saw today?",
"Uhm... yes... It was very, uh... surprising... to see that he has such a strong Pokémon at this level.",
"I already knew he was gonna be a challenge... but this far exceeded my expectations. Even I, as someone who knows him well, was caught off-guard by this. I know that he comes from a trainer family and probably already got profound knowledge from them even before attending trainer school... though his parents are separated now due to a major dispute. I don't know myself how he managed that, but that he managed it shows how capable he is as a trainer.",
"Does he own more than five badges?" Mari asked. Laslow shook his head. "No. For this tournament, four badges are the minimum, and five badges are the maximum you are allowed to have, to make sure the participants are roughly on the same level so it's fair to everyone. He indeed only has five badges. He must know what he's doing 100% of the time.",
"Maybe, he's cheating?",
"I resent such accusations. Chris may be a very ambitious fighter, but he is always fair and abides by the rules. He is not the type to resort to foul means. Never. I respect him for both his strength and his camaraderie. He doesn't want to degrade anyone. He's just a very... competitive trainer who takes every battle very seriously. Which is not to say that he has no regards for his opponents at all, quite the opposite. He always sees them as equals and gives everything he has in every battle he partakes in. But that's how it usually is in battles like these, isn't it? I suspect that Chris has put a lot more into his training than most and took the time to hone his skill, and that's why he's already reached such a high level. To be honest, I haven't seen him since we went our separate ways... But I know what he's like. He really is a very honest and very kind soul, believe me.",
"If he's already this tanked with five badges, then I'm sure he would be someone who can take on Dino...",
"Who is Dino?",
"Just some random douche we met on the river. He doesn't deserve to be mentioned, but a good beating would do him some good. Maybe I should pay Chris to give him a smack.",
"Haha... You guys really don't seem to like this Dino character, huh?",
"Not at all. He's such a dick.",
"It's not to be ruled out that one meets people like that on one's journey... Idiots are everywhere.",
"Like Virion?",
"Hah, yes. He was quite the experience. But I don't think he will linger around much longer after this embarrassing outcome for him.",
"I don't think so either. Well, anyway, thanks for the chat. See ya tomorrow.",
"Yeah, see you tomorrow." He waved at them with a graceful smile and left.