Dawn rose over Richland Port. The ocean was calm, as a gentle breeze kicked in. It was a perfect day to visit the beach. And for the twins, it was their first time ever visiting a beach.
"I love it!" Kristine embraced the environment. She wore a green bikini top to go along with her black shorts. "The smell of the ocean, the white sand, the people here. There's a lot of good energy going on!"
Jason, wearing a black t-shirt with his blue trunks, looked around. There seemed to be hundreds of beach goers. Many were relaxing or playing with their pokemon on the sand, while others were in the water.
He chuckled, slightly overwhelmed by the amount of people and activities going on at once. "To each, their own."
"Is the beach not your thing?" Kristine asked.
"Give me a nice quiet island, and I'll be okay," Jason replied.
"Hmm," Kristine observed her brother and the environment. "Well, maybe you should head to your tournament and sign up before the cut off time."
"Yeah," Jason agreed. "Have fun, sis."
"You too, bro!" Kristine smiled.
Before Jason could depart, Kristine got his attention. "Hey."
"Yeah?" Jason turned around.
Kristine extended her arm out with a closed fist. "Good luck out there."
"Thanks," Jason fist bumped Kristine.
Kristine and Jason departed in different directions. Jason walked down the beach, flanked by the towering condos and hotels to his left and the ocean to his right. He kept walking until he saw a series of platforms and buoys organized to form aquatic battlefields.
"This must be the tournament," Jason muttered.
"Hi Jason!" he heard the voice of Amanda behind him.
"Oh, hey!" Jason turned around.
Amanda wore a two-piece deep blue bikini, and did not keep her hair in a ponytail.
"You competing in the tournament too?" She asked.
"Yeah," Jason replied. "Magikarp and I are going to compete!"
"Magikarp?" Amanda seemed a little surprised. "Can he…battle?"
"Why not?" Jason replied with a straight face. "Have you used Feebas in battle?"
"Actually, no," Amanda felt ashamed. "Am I supposed to?"
"It depends," Jason continued. "See, Magikarp has a headstrong personality. And when I caught him in Lake Serenity, I made a promise to him. As a trainer, I must uphold at promise."
"Then I hope we meet in battle!" Amanda gave a determined look. "Wartortle and I plan on winning the whole thing!"
"Yeah, well, good luck!" Jason snickered.
The two continued towards the tournament area.
"So Amanda," Jason began to ask. "Any new pokemon lately?"
"Yep! I caught Mareep the other day in the outskirts!" Amanda said. She pulled out her pokeball. "Come on out!"
"Mareep!" the electric sheep-like pokemon greeted as it was summoned.
"Oh nice!" Jason complimented.
"Thanks!" Amanda smiled. "Okay, return!" she recalled Mareep.
"That means you have a full team, right?" Jason asked.
"Yep! And you have one more pokemon to go, huh?"
"That's right!"
"Any ideas?"
"Not a clue," Jason laughed. "Whatever happens, happens."
The two approached the registration table overlooking the ocean and battle fields.
"You two look like trainers!" observed one lady who was sitting behind the table. She looked at Jason. "And you're definitely a trainer. Congrats on winning the Power Duo!"
"Thanks!" Jason replied.
"We're here to compete in the tournament!" Amanda added.
"Absolutely!" the woman nodded. "Spots are filling up fast. We aim to have sixteen trainers today."
"Four rounds," Jason mentioned.
"Yep!" the woman confirmed. "Informal one versus one through endurance brackets, which means there's very little to no breaks in between rounds. Only one water type or water dwelling pokemon allowed per trainer. Who would you like to register?"
"I'm entering Wartortle!" Amanda said.
"Wartortle, huh?" the lady seemed impressed. "I like to see how well you will do today."
She then turned to Jason. "And who will you be entering?"
"Magikarp!" Jason spoke with confidence.
"Haha, nice one!" the lady began to laugh. Then she realized Jason was serious.
"You're… you're not kidding," she blushed.
"Nope," Jason maintained a straight face.
"I have to say, you'd be the first one entering a magikarp in well, probably since before I got a job here," she mentioned. "Can it battle?"
"I've trained Magikarp just as much as I trained the team that won the Power Duo," Jason assured her. "He's ready for this."
"If you say so," the lady cautiously replied. "Since you've proven you're a capable trainer, I'll let you register. Just please don't get me into any trouble."
"I promise you, we will aim to win this whole thing," Jason looked on with determination.
A short while later, the tournament was underway. Sixteen trainers converged on a wooden bulletin board plotted into the sand. It displayed the tournament bracket, matching trainers against each other throughout eight different battle fields. A nearby sign also clearly stated that pokemon riding was prohibited in waters close to shore.
"So my first match is field seven," Jason muttered. He looked over to the ocean, noticing the fact that he had to swim to his respective field.
"All right, let's do this," he said to himself.
Jason entered the water and began swimming once he could no longer stand without being completely submerged. He continued on for another couple minutes, climbing onto a trainer's platform on field seven. After getting up, he took a second to maintain his balance. The platform was sturdy, but the fact that it had no railing and it was in a completely open environment made it somewhat dizzying for him.
"Wow, look at this!" he said, looking at the deep ocean far away. He could make out a pair of lapras from a distance, and a fin creeping out from the water, possibly belonging to a sharpedo. A least half a dozen wingull were flying over him, and a low flying pelipper swooped by him.
"So this is the ocean," he observed, in awe. Being from the countryside, the ocean environment was completely new to him. He loved the sight, the sense of quietness even if it was just for a moment. And above all, it reminded him how lucky he was to be alive to see this. The beautiful sights, the battles, and the adventures; this was what he lived for.
"Hey, country boy!" he heard the voice of his opponent on the other side of the battlefield. She appeared to be slightly older than him, having light brown hair to the bottom of her neck and wearing a one-piece yellow swimsuit. "That's called an ocean!"
Jason turned to face her. "It's to me like mountains would be to you."
"You're the boy who won the Power Duo with your twin sister," she noticed.
"That would be me," Jason gave a nod.
A male referee took to the center platform on Jason's left, as onlookers swam towards the boundaries of the battlefield.
"All right," the referee began. "We have a first round matchup between Jason and Caitlyn. This will be a standard one versus one battle with informal commencement, meaning both trainers release their pokemon at the same time. Anything goes afterwards. Now, are both trainers ready?"
Both Jason and Caitlyn confirmed they were ready to battle.
"Then may the battle begin!" the referee declared.
"Go, Goldeen!" Caitlyn threw her Pokeball.
"Goldeen goldeen!" Goldeen greeted.
"Let's go, Magikarp!" Jason summoned.
"Karp karp!" Magikarp was determined to win this battle.
Several gasps can be heard from onlookers. Caitlyn was also surprised.
"A magikarp?" she began to laugh. "This is a joke, right? Surely you're joking."
"I'm not," Jason faced her with a serious look, just as determined to win as his pokemon. "You'd be making a mistake if you take us lightly," he then faced Magikarp. "Use Tackle!"
"Karp!" Magikarp charged Goldeen head on.
Caitlyn sighed. "This is the first round, after all. Okay, Goldeen, use Water Pulse!"
"Goldeen!" Goldeen projected a water sphere from her horn, hurling it at Maikarp.
"Let's use Bounce!" Jason followed up.
"Karp!" Magikarp used his strength to propel himself out of the water, narrowly dodging Water Pulse as he soared into the air.
"Ugh, he's way up there and I can't see him!" Caitlyn became frustrated as Magikarp soared underneath the sun, forcing her and Goldeen to look away.
"Karp!" Magikarp dove back down, aiming at Goldeen.
"Hit 'em with everything you have!" Jason cheered Magikarp on.
"Magikarp!" Magikarp turned to his side before forefully striking Goldeen. The impact knocked Goldeen well beneath the water.
"Oh no! Goldeen!" Caitlyn became concerned.
"Goldeen!" Goldeen emerged, slightly shaken but ready to go.
"Well well," Caitlyn seemed very impressed. "You trained your magikarp well, but it's still a magikarp at the end of the day!"
"Keep talking like that, and we will definitely win!" Jason warned.
"Hmph," Caitlyn crossed her arms. Even for a good trainer, he puts too much faith in that magikarp.
"Goldeen, let's get serious!" she commanded. "Use Rain Dance!"
"Gold goldeen!" Goldeen's horn glowed bright white.
Seconds later, a rain cloud formed over the battlefield.
"Goldeen's special ability is Swift Swim!" Caitlyn explained. "You won't match her speed!"
Jason smirked. "Magikarp's special ability is also Swift Swim!"
"Karp karp karp!" Magikarp began moving rapidly throughout the battlefield.
"How does he move that fast?" Caitlyn seemed dumbfounded.
"Use Tackle!" Jason commanded.
"Karp!" Magikarp darted at Goldeen.
"Dodge, and hit 'em with Horn Attack!" Caitlyn responded. "Show 'em what an attack should feel like!"
"Goldeen!" Goldeen dodged to the left, narrowly avoiding Magikarp's head-on Tackle. Her horn glowed as she lunged towards him.
"Flail! Now!" Jason promptly called.
"Karp karp karp!" Magikarp threw his tail around, effectively thwarting off Goldeen's attack by throwing her back.
"Er, Water Pulse!" Caitlyn became frustrated.
"Submerge, find Goldeen, and use Tackle!" Jason said.
Magikarp dove underwater to avoid the fast-coming water sphere. He was able to quickly spot Goldeen, and with sheer speed and force, charged at her.
"Karp!" Magikarp struck Goldeen's underside, propelling her into the air.
"Goldeen!" Caitlyn yelled.
"Let's finish this with Bounce!" Jason followed up.
"Karp!" Magikarp bounced high into the air as Goldeen began to fall back into the water. He then dove back down, using his strength to propel himself at a velocity faster than Goldeen.
"Magi-KARP!" Magikarp struck Goldeen before she even landed.
"Goldeen…" Goldeen floated on her side, unable to continue.
"Goldeen is unable to fight!" the referee declared, unsure as to what he just witnessed. "Magi-Magikarp wins!"
Everyone but Jason seemed shocked by the outcome as Rain Dance evaporated.
"Great job, Magikarp!" Jason cheered as he recalled his pokemon. "You did it, buddy! Excellent job!"
"How did I lose to a magikarp?" Caitlyn wondered, recalling Goldeen.
"The question should be 'what can we do better next time around?'," Jason corrected. "Magikarp and I fought as one. We trained as one. We believed in each other even when there are those who thought they were here to watch a comedy."
The onlookers seemed embarrassed.
"Then you and Magikarp better win this thing!" Caitlyn pointed at Jason with a smile. "You're breaking the standards today!"
The first round soon concluded. Jason quickly realized that the victors remained on their respective platforms as the losers swam back to shore. Jason noticed at a far away platform that Amanda remained standing.
"Wartortle will be a tough match if we fought," he mentioned to himself.
"All right, trainers!" announced the woman from registration through a loudspeaker. "The second round will commence, and we will use fields three, four, five, and six! The brackets are as follows: the winners of one and two proceed to platform three, the winners of three and four go to four, five and six go to five, and seven and eight to go six.
Jason looked behind him to see the adjacent adjacent battle field he needed to go to.
"All right, let's do it!" he dove to the water.
He swam around the nearest platform in respect to the trainer who needed to travel here from platform eight. Onlookers cheered as they chanted Magikarp's name. He climbed up the platform on the other side of field six, looking at platform five as Amanda stood right where she was the entire time.
"Hi Jason!" Amanda waved.
"Hi!" Jason waved back.
"Don't lose!" she gave a wink.
Jason chuckled. "We won't! Don't lose either so we can battle in the next round!"
Jason turned to face his field. The other trainer had already climbed on his platform.
"One of my biggest pet peeves is when the opponent closer to the next battlefield than you takes the closest platform, forcing you to swim alllllll the way around when we can't use our own pokemon to take us there," stated a tan boy slightly older than Jason, sporting a black mohawk and same colored trunks. His muscles showed that he was incredibly fit and athletic. Jason, sporting muscles of his own, was even curious as to how he became that strong.
"So I thank you for your respect," the boy continued. "Country kids sure know how to be humble."
"Name's Jason," Jason introduced.
"I know," the boy snickered. "You've been on the news. Also, people are talking about how you just won using a magikarp."
"It's a team effort," Jason said.
"Right," the boy gave a nod. "Name's Ty. I'm from Viceport. Sol Peninsula is where it's at!"
"So being a trainer is what brought you here," Jason said.
"Mmhmm," Ty gave a nod. "After this, I'm taking up the challenge of the Mountains! I have five badges, and once I cross, the rest will be mine in no time!"
"Five badges, huh?" Jason seemed really impressed. "You must have a powerful team."
"Oh I do!" Ty replied. "But like you, I'm priming up one of my guys for the battles to come."
"All right, trainers!" the referee grabbed their attention. "Are you ready?"
"Yes!" both trainers shouted at the same time.
"Then let's begin!"
Onlookers cheered as both boys primed their pokeballs.
"Go, Carvanha!" Ty summoned.
"Car!" the Savage Pokemon snarled.
"Let's go, Magikarp!" Jason threw his Pokeball.
"Karp!" Magikarp stared down Carvanha with determination.
Some onlookers laughed despite knowing that Jason and Magikarp had won in the first round.
"Stay frosty, Magikarp!" Jason warned. "This is going to be a tough match!"
"Let's use some speed!" Ty yelled. "Carvanha, Aqua Jet!"
"Car!" Carvanha propelled himself out of the water at a high speed, lunging right at Magikarp.
"Quick! Go under!" Jason yelled.
"Karp!" Magikarp dove underwater as Carvanha jetted over him.
"Screech!" Ty continued his offensive.
"CAR!" Carvanha let out a pulsating screech that affected Magikarp.
"Karp karp!" Magikarp flailed around, unable to cover his ears.
"He's vulnerable! Use Bite!" Ty followed up.
Carvanha swam towards Magikarp, clamping down on his side.
"Er," Jason looked on, knowing that Magikarp wouldn't be able to hear him underwater. "Hang in there!"
Magikarp, however, use his strength to push himself upwards, taking Carvanha up with him.
"All right!" Jason breathed a sigh of relief. "Use Flail to shake him off!"
"KARP!" Magikarp used all of his might to throw Carvanha off.
"Magikarp," Magikarp remained strong, but he looked like he took considerable damage.
Magikarp only suffered from Bite, Jason observed. But Carvanha could have the special ability Rough Skin. Any physical attack will hurt back a bit.
"Okay, Magikarp!" Jason instructed. "Fast defense, hard offense. We're going to make each hit count!"
"Karp!" Magikarp acknowledged.
"He knows your special ability!" Ty said to Carvanha. "Don't let him out speed you. Let's win this!"
"Car!" Carvanha complied.
This kid's bold to fight with a magikarp, Ty thought. He's showing his true strength as a trainer.
"Propel yourself with Aqua Jet and hit him as hard as you can!" Ty commanded.
"Car!" Carvanha leaped towards Magikarp.
"Use Bounce!"Jason responded.
"Karp karp!" Magikarp bounced high into the air, just dodging Carvanha's Aqua Jet.
"Hit him in the air!" Ty followed up. "Use Bite!"
"Carvanha!" Carvanha made a leap into the air, aiming to chomp down on Magikarp.
"Karp karp!" Magikarp began his descent.
"Change of plans!" Jason quickly issued. "Use Tackle and knock him down!"
"Karp!" Magikarp dove down on Carvanha, who was already in midair. Magikarp had the advantage of speed, gaining speed as he shot straight at his opponent.
"Oh no!" Ty realized he succumbed to his opponent's adaptability.
"Karp!" Magikarp struck Carvanha with such force, slamming him back in the water and creating a huge splash.
The onlookers cheered in amazement.
"Karp!" Magikarp caught a deep breath. Jason knew Carvanha's Rough Skin had struck again, but that Tackle seemed like it was a critical hit.
"We're in this, Magikarp!" Jason cheered. "We got this!"
"Car!" Carvanha was able to shake off the damage done.
"We end this right now!" Ty yelled. "Carvanha, use Screech!"
"Car!" Carvanha let out a pulsating screech once more, sending Magikarp into an annoyed frenzy.
"Rush in and use Bite!" Ty followed up.
Carvanha charged at Magikarp.
"We can't get hit!" Jason yelled. "Magikarp, use Splash!"
"Karp karp karp!" Magikarp splashed all around him, effectively creating large waves and concealing himself.
Carvanha was unable to get a visual lock on Magikarp.
"Break through with Aqua Jet!" Ty commanded.
"Carvanha!" Carvanha propelled himself through the waves.
"Flail! Now!" Jason yelled.
"Magikarp!" Magikarp threw his tail in the air, catapulting Carvanha into the sky.
"Well, I was not expecting that to happen!" Jason laughed. "Kristine ought to be proud of me."
"How in the world!?" Ty was in disbelief.
Jason shrugged. "Magikarp must've hit him perfectly."
He faced his pokemon. "Use Bounce and bring him down!"
"Karp!" Magikarp bounced high into the air. As Carvanha began to descend, Magikarp locked right on him and dove down. With a powerful strike from his side, Magikarp slammed Carvanha back down once more.
"Karp!" Magikarp landed safely, but he appeared fatigued. Jason knew he wouldn't last much longer.
Carvanha, however, did not get up. Jason breathed a sigh of relief.
"Carvanha is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "Magikarp is the winner!"
"Karp karp!" Magikarp knew he was triumphant.
"Good job, Magikarp!" Jason cheered as he recalled him.
"Amazing," Ty chuckled as he recalled Carvanha. "We have a lot of work to do, it looks like."
"You did great, Ty!" Jason commended. "You almost had us!"
"Well, you outplayed me immensely," Ty smiled. "It was a simple special ability keeping us alive. Now go win this thing and show 'em it's not just the pokemon but their trainer as well."
The other battles soon concluded. There were two rounds left. Jason looked over to see that Amanda was still standing. And because she was on field five, that could only mean one thing.
"The winner of field six, please swim on over to field five!" the lady instructed through a megaphone. "The winner of field three swims over to field four, as well."
"Well, this is it!" Jason said as he dove into the water. Onlookers continued to cheer him on.
He realized that Amanda took the courtesy of swimming to the far platform, leaving Jason with the closest platform to him. He climbed up, as did his to-be opponent a moment later.
"Well well," Amanda primed her pokeball. "Ready for this?"
"You bet!" Jason looked on with confidence.
"She has a wartortle," Jason heard one of the onlookers say to those around him. "And he didn't even take a single hit the entire time."
Jason realized endurance was part of the tournament. Magikarp only got a little bit of rest since the last battle. He knew the odds were stacked against him; not only Magikarp was fatigued, he had to go up against an evolved pokemon.
Even for someone who sees winning as the only strategy to battle, Jason knew he was outmatched in every way possible. Amanda was by no means a pushover. Under any other circumstance, he would have the confidence to defeat her in a standard battle, though she'd put up a real fight. Here, however, many would agree this was the end of the line for Jason.
"Trainers, are you ready?" the referee asked.
"Ready!" Jason and Amanda yelled at the same time.
"Then let the battle begin!" the referee declared.
"Get 'em, Wartortle!" Amanda threw out her pokeball.
"Let's go, Magikarp!" Jason did the same.
"Karp!" Magikarp looked at his opponent with determination.
"Wartortle!" Wartortle greeted, signaling Magikarp to attack.
"Magikarp, let's use Tackle!" Jason commanded.
"Magikarp!" Magikarp charged at Wartortle.
"Wartortle, use Protect!" Amanda responded.
"Wartortle!" Wartortle crossed his arms, using them as a shield as a barrier projected before him. Magikarp crashed into it head on.
"Now use Bite!" Amanda followed up.
"War!" Wartortle grabbed a hold of Magikarp with his hands and chomped down on his side.
"Karp!" Magikarp felt the pain from the powerful attack.
"Flail! Now!" Jason issued.
"Rapid Spin!" Amanda countered.
As Magikarp began to use Flail, Wartortle retreated to his shell and used Rapid Spin, knocking Magikarp away while making a safe retreat.
"Karp…" Magikarp was clearly fatigued.
"Hang in there, Magikarp!" Jason cheered him on.
"Do not let up, Wartortle!" Amanda said. "Do not take them lightly!"
"Wartortle!" Wartortle gave a nod.
If he made it this far with Magikarp, then he has the potential to be one of the best trainers around, Amanda thought. He will make those who overlook him pay. He feeds off the underdog mentality. Very admirable, but it's time for me to win this!
"Water Pulse!" Amanda called.
"Wartortle!" Wartortle shot out a water sphere aimed at Magikarp.
"Use Bounce!" Jason quickly called.
"Karp!" Magikarp bounced high into the air, leaping over Water Pulse.
"Hmph," Amanda crossed her arms with a smirk. "We got 'em! Wartortle, jump and use Rapid Spin!"
"Wartortle!" Wartortle jumped high into the air while withdrawing in his shell, spinning rapidly at Magikarp.
Magikarp dove down towards the spinning shell, and Jason realized there was nothing he could do to advert the collision.
"Oh no!" Jason yelled in concern.
"Karp!" Magikarp charged head on.
Wartortle struck Magikarp with Rapid Spin, knocking Magikarp off his trajectory and sending him spiraling down towards the water.
"Finish him with Water Pulse!" Amanda saw her opportunity to win.
"Wartortle!" Wartortle fired off Water Pulse, striking Magikarp before he even reached the water. As the smoke cleared, it became clear that Magikarp's highly impressive run came to an end.
"Magikarp is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Wartortle wins!"
"Good job, Wartortle!" Amanda cheered.
"Ah, oh well," Jason smiled, and recalled Magikarp. "Good job, buddy. I'm proud of you."
He then faced Amanda. "You're one tough trainer. I didn't even get a hit off."
Amanda chuckled. "Well, I know who I'm facing. You've got a thing for beating the odds and you've won the Power Duo."
"Well, I guess I need to swim back to shore," Jason said. "Great battling with you, Amanda. Maybe we'll have a standard battle sometime?"
"For sure!" Amanda gave a thumb up towards Jason. "It was great battling with you, too!"
Jason dove back into the water and swam back to shore, but not without an applause from onlookers. He returned to shore the same time as the other semifinalist, a girl with jet-black hair.
"It was a good run," she said with a smile on her face.
"For sure," Jason agreed.
Soon enough, Amanda swam to the fourth battle field to face a boy in the final round, winning decisively. Upon swimming back to shore, she received a necklace with a sapphire in the shape of a water droplet, a token of winning the competition.
"Wow, it's beautiful," she looked at it, holding it at the palm of her hand before putting it on.
"Hey Amanda, congrats!" Jason approached her.
"Thanks!" Amanda smiled.
The two walked down the beach.
"Any other plans while you're here?" Jason asked.
"I'll stay here a while longer like you guys are," Amanda replied. "It's like Richland Port is our reward for being in the Mountains for so long."
"For sure," Jason gave a nod.
"And you of all people deserve it," Amanda continued.
Jason knew where Amanda was coming from. He had gone through a lot, especially through his near-death experience. But Jason knew that he had overworked himself to that point, and that experience put a lot of emotional stress on his sister. He knew Amanda was right; Jason deserved the time at Richland Port, and so did Kristine.
The two continued down as a familiar faced ran towards them.
"Hi Julian!" Amanda waved.
"Hey guys!" Julian caught his breath.
"You looked like you've been running for quite a long time," Jason noticed. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah I'm fine!" Julian replied. "Everything's fine. You're not going to believe what's happened!"
"What happened?" Jason asked.
"It's your sister," Julian began to explain.
"Is she okay?"
"Yeah! Yeah she's fine. She saved a pokemon, man! And it's a part of her team! Come on, I'll take you to her!"
A/N: The next chapter is pretty much a Kristine chapter, and will run at the same time as the start of this chapter, when the twins departed from each other. Kristine completes her team next chapter.
