Back at it with a new chapter! Enjoy!
After the pairings of the Random Duo Tournament ended, the participants scrambled to find and meet their partners for the days ahead. Kristine and Bran were lucky enough to be paired together and to be standing next to each other. Jason was paired with a girl named Sydney, and her name was all he would know about her.
"Here's your chance to be friends with that cute girl, huh?" Kristine nudged Jason.
"Uh, how do I approach her and say hello?" Jason asked nervously.
"You approach her and say hello," Kristine shrugged. "Take a deep breath and break the ice!"
"Right," Jason took a deep breath.
"Hi!" Sydney walked right up to Jason, Kristine, and Bran without being detected. "I'm Adams. Sydney Adams. Pleasure."
There was a distinct accent Sydney possessed, far different from the ones Jason and Kristine had, and the western Inventum drawl Bran had. She extended her hand to Jason.
"Uh, Kyar. Jason Kyar," Jason shook her hand. "Nice to meet you."
"I've seen you on the telly!" Sydney recalled. "Not the one up there, mind you," she pointed at the screen that went blank just a moment ago, and seemed to have caught herself in an awkward observation. "You were in a tournament like weeks ago. I've caught a glimpse of you on the telly back home," she then faced Kristine and offered her hand. "And you as well. You two were absolutely brilliant!"
"Why thank you," Kristine smiled and shook her hand.
"Where are you from, if you don't mind me asking?" Bran became curious.
"I'm from Galar," Sydney responded. "I'm on holiday visiting my aunty for a couple of weeks. It's a beautiful town here."
"Well welcome to Inventum," Kristine smiled. "Jason is an excellent trainer. He will be more than happy to show you his team and his tactics."
"It would be splendid to get your input!" Sydney faced Jason. "Shall we begin?"
"Yeah," Jason nodded.
Sydney began to proceed out the exit of the atrium. Jason glanced back at his sister.
"Go!" Kristine insisted.
"And you're okay with it?" Jason asked.
"Why not?" Kristine laughed. "You have my approval. That's a keeper for my knucklehead if I ever saw one, now go! Hurry!"
"Right," Jason ran off to catch up with Sydney.
"If I didn't know any better, I would've reckoned you just sent Jason off on a date," Bran said.
"You know," Kristine looked on as Jason ran out the atrium's doors. "I think I may have."
"Well, would you like to get started?" Bran asked.
"Sure," Kristine nodded. "We need to see who we are facing first."
Jason caught up to Sydney.
"Saying farewell to your sister I take it?" Sydney asked.
"Yeah," Jason responded.
"I think I understand. I'm probably the only tag team partner you've had besides her, right?"
"To come to think of it, you're right."
"Well, I hope to be pretty good for you," Sydney smiled. "I have a full team and all, and I've been featured on the local telly a couple of times."
"Hey, two times is impressive!"
"You think so?" Sydney smiled. "Well, every gym battle in Galar is televised. And, well, I've been featured four times on the pitch, not two."
"The pitch?" Jason asked, never hearing of the term.
"You know, the pitch. Oh sorry, the field."
"Ah. Must be a Galarian term."
"It is. We have a lot of terms," Sydney continued. "We have kits that we wear on the pitch, or uniforms or jerseys as you would call it. Braces for a single pokemon with two knockouts, hat tricks for three. Clean sheets are for, well, sweeps. I can go on and on."
"I would actually like to learn more about Galar," Jason looked at Sydney. "Sounds awesome, and competitive."
"Yeah," Sydney chuckled. "We take battles super serious over there. It's really hard."
"How many badges do you have there?"
Sydney looked down briefly and faced Jason with slight embarrassment. "Two."
"Two badges isn't bad," Jason smiled. "Gym leaders are tough."
"Getting into the League was tough in itself," Sydney explained. "You need to be endorsed by a representative or a participant in the Galar League. It's a lot of responsibility. Not to mention it's seasonal, not year-round."
"Wait, the Galar League has seasons?"
Sydney nodded. "Big celebration to kick off the season, and matches pop up everywhere. All the sponsored trainers battle the gym leaders. Eight badges qualify you for the tournament rounds. Now you can continue where you left off every season; many gym leaders battle each other in the tournament rounds too, because they're all career trainers."
"Wow," Jason seemed amazed. "Can you lose your sponsorship?"
"You can," Sydney let out a slight sigh. "I've only won two badges in my first go-around and Nessa, my sponsor and gym leader, didn't seem too happy about that."
"Well, you're not cut," Jason tried to be optimistic.
"No, not for now," Sydney gave an uncertain smile. "I have a good team and sometimes I'm not feeling it click. I guess that's why I decided to come here when my mum encouraged me to do so. My aunty lives a few blocks away."
"I could try to help you," Jason offered. "I mean, I don't know how helpful I would be to you."
"Well, you're too kind," Sydney came to a brief stop at a fork in the pathway. "My aunty's home is up here," she pointed to the left side of the road.
"Mind if I take you home?" Jason asked. "Walk with you, I mean."
Sydney chuckled. "I would like that."
The two walked down the cobblestone path.
"So Jason," Sydney continued. "How long have you been a trainer?"
"Oh wow," Jason laughed. "Many months. I honestly think I lost track of how long it was."
"I know you're from the other side of Inventum, right?"
"Kinda. I'm from Mountain Spring, closer to the center of Inventum. It's a small town among a cluster of other small towns, nearby Cheron Forest if you've seen it on the news."
"Oh yeah," Sydney recalled. "I'm sorry to hear about that."
"It's fine. It's under control last I've heard."
"I'm happy it is. We've been very active about conservation and how circumstances can affect the environment."
A moment had passed.
"Oh yeah, we have a battle tomorrow!" Sydney nearly forgot. "How clumsy of me."
"Hey, I forgot too!" Jason added. "How would you like to tackle this?"
"My aunty wants me back in real soon," Sydney looked at the night sky as the sun had recently given way for the moon to shine. "How about we research tonight and meet up, say, an hour before the scheduled battle tomorrow?"
"Sounds good to me!" Jason agreed.
The two walked by a two-story house made of dark red bricks, complete with a crimson roof.
"This is it," Sydney said. "Thank you for walking with me."
"Not a problem," Jason replied.
"Well I hope you have a good evening," Sydney smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Jason. I'm looking forward to battling with you!"
"It was nice meeting you too!" Jason waved goodbye. "Have a nice night!"
Sydney gave a cute smile at Jason before walking up the three steps that led to the front door of her aunt's house. After seeing her walk inside, Jason proceeded back down the street and towards the pokemon center. Sydney was adorable, he thought, yet he wondered how well they would work together in battle.
A short while later, Jason returned to the pokemon center as he headed upstairs and knocked on the door to his and Kristine's room. With Kristine carrying the only key card, Jason was hoping she would be inside.
And sure enough, Kristine opened a moment later, her hair untied and damp as she was in her pajamas.
"Hey you," she greeted as she let Jason in. "Sooooo?"
Jason walked in and turned around to face Kristine. "You seem excited about this."
"I'm a girly romantic. What do you expect?"
Jason laughed. "Okay. Well, it went fine. I walked with her back to her aunt's place."
"Aww. That's cute."
Jason blushed. "It was only because I was trying to get to know her!"
"Aww!"
"I'm just gonna use the shower now," Jason quickly retreated to the bathroom, mostly out of embarrassment.
"It's really okay Jason, I was teasing you!" Kristine spoke loud enough for Jason to hear through the closed door. "What you did was actually nice of you!"
Still, Kristine heard no reply.
"He probably did no research on the competition," she giggled to herself.
She walked over to the computer terminal and sat down on the chair, using the extranet to access the schedule.
"So Jason and Sydney are up tomorrow right after us," Kristine browsed. "Looks like against a Presley and a Jonathan."
She scrolled through Jason and Sydney's opponents. "Presley has three badges, and Jonathan one. Jason can take them on, but what about Sydney?"
Kristine checked out Sydney's profile for the tournament.
"Zero Inventum badges but two Galarian badges," Kristine read on. This prompted her to enter "Sydney Adams Galar Trainer" in the extranet's search engine.
Kristine brought up all the information she needed to know about Sydney's career.
"There's videos too?" Kristine clicked on Sydney's first gym battle.
The video displayed Sydney in a uniform, wearing all white with yellow stripes as she faced a gym leader known as Milo. There were many spectators within what appeared to be a stadium. The battlefield was green, and the flowery decor at the ends of the field made it apparent that Milo was a grass type specialist.
"I think we're the only ones who don't do type specialists, well mostly," Kristine muttered, intrigued by the thought. "I mean, aren't the leaders supposed to make us get creative, and not the other way around?"
The battle was underway, with Milo bringing out a lombre to start the match. Sydney responded by bringing out a ponyta unlike anything Kristine had seen.
"It's so pretty and purple and cyan," Kristine looked on. "But why is it like that?"
Kristine pulled up another window, searching "Pretty and purple ponyta." In return, she got the answer: ponyta and rapidash that are native to Galar adapted to this form since ancient times, making them psychic types.
"Because of overflowing life energy within their habitat?" Kristine read out loud, very intrigued.
After several minutes of intense fighting, a psybeam from Ponyta's horn impacted Lombre directly, bringing it down. The crowd cheered and chanted.
"This is intense," Kristine observed. "The audience is really into this, and it's a gym battle."
Milo responded by bringing out a roselia. Despite the disadvantage in typing, Roselia managed to keep Ponyta at bay with Leech Seed, Mega Drain, and Stun Spore. To top it off, Roselia had laid down Toxic Spikes.
"Yikes," Kristine witnessed as Milo regained control and had Roselia knock out Ponyta. The crowd cheered immensely.
Sydney brought out a small, dark colored avian pokemon.
"A rookidee," Kristine determined after a quick search. "Flying types should work here."
With Rookiedee being brought out in midair, it didn't touch the ground, and therefore, avoided Toxic Spikes for the meantime.
"Clever gal," Kristine commended.
Moments later, Rookidee used Peck as a finishing move to knock out Roselia. Milo responded with a pokemon Kristine wasn't familiar with. It floated in the air, like a large cotton in the breeze.
"Eldegoss," Kristine searched. "Milo's first companion, no doubt."
Eldegoss used Sing to put Rookiedee to the ground, causing Toxic Spikes to poison it. Multiple barrages of Leaf Tornado were just enough to knock Rookidee out.
Then it came to Sydney's last pokemon.
"Scorbunny?" Kristine searched. "A fire type!"
Just then, Jason emerged, in his pajamas and his hair still dripping, as he walked towards Kristine.
"Towel. Head. Please and thanks!" she snapped her fingers once without even looking.
Jason turned around and patted down his hair before returning. He leaned over Kristine's shoulder to see what she was watching.
"Are you watching Sydney?" he asked.
Kristine nodded. "Scorbunny vs. Eldegoss!"
"Who against what?"
As the two pokemon battled it out, the crowd went nuts. Systematic foot stomping and hand clapping ensued, as well as loud chants. Many stood up to cheer on Sydney and Milo.
"This is just a gym battle, right?" Jason wanted to clarify.
"It doesn't seem to be a gym battle that we know of, but a tradition," Kristine responded.
Scorbunny used its speed to dodge many of Eldegoss' attacks. Its final move came in the form of a flame charge, striking Eldegoss directly and knocking it out. The crowd exploded in cheers.
"She's good," Jason gave a nod. "She didn't seem quite confident when we talked."
"Type specialists are tougher than I thought," Kristine admitted. "I guess you should never let your guard down when fighting one."
"Okay, who do I have tomorrow?"
"A girl and boy named Presley and Johnathan. Presley's good, Jonathan's a little new with one badge. As far as pokemon goes? They're spread out."
"I think I know who to go with," Jason said.
"You're after me and Bran tomorrow morning. We're ten, you're ten-thirty."
"Nothing like some morning battles."
"Anyways," Kristine got up and stretched her arms and legs. "Big day tomorrow."
"Yeah, well, good luck, sis," Jason walked over to his bed.
"Yeah you too!" Kristine smiled. "Hope to match against you in the tournament!"
Jason chuckled. "One match at a time, sis. One match at a time."
The next morning, the twins got up and were ready to go well before their matches began. Kristine ran a few laps outside around the pokemon center while Jason remained inside, grabbing two muffins at the dining area within the lobby. Bran emerged from upstairs, grabbing two muffins and a glass of orange juice before sitting across from Jason.
"Hey Bran," Jason greeted.
"Howdy," Bran waved.
"Kristine's out jogging," Jason mentioned.
"I figured," Bran gave a nod. "How's your new partner?"
"Fine, I think," Jason replied. "We're going to do great, I'm certain."
"Well, good luck to you." Bran sipped his glass of orange juice. "We all should take this one round at a time, but wouldn't it be great to go up against each other?"
Jason pondered the thought. Facing Kristine at any point was going to be a tough challenge to overcome.
"It would be one heck of a battle," Jason replied before taking a bite of his muffin.
Jason, Kristine, and Bran proceeded towards the stadium a short while later. Sydney stood just outside of the entrance to the atrium, where trainers and spectators alike were pouring in. She gave a smile and a wave towards Jason as she noticed him.
Jason was quick to notice her. He faced his sister and Bran. "Good luck guys. See you later!"
"Well then," Kristine looked on as Jason ran over to Sydney. She faced Bran. "Are you ready for this?"
"Let's do it," Bran spoke with confidence.
So I think I know who to send in for our first match," Jason said to Sydney.
The two walked around the stadium, where they sat at a bench nearby a decorative fountain.
"I have ideas," Sydney replied. "I've looked up the competition. And please don't see me as some sort of creeper, but I may have researched you a bit, and Kristine as a result of that too."
Jason laughed. "It's okay, really. What did you find?"
Sydney was slightly embarrassed. "Four badges. A kick-butt team, and Jolteon is very impressive. Your sheet is amazing for someone who hasn't been a trainer for more than seven months and change."
"Is that how long I've been a trainer?" Jason rubbed his chin. "Honestly I lost track of time in the Mountains. Let's see, sixteen days to get to Fort Lexing, plus Aria, then about seven to get to Saint Brandon, then Justin. Nearly four months from Saint Brandon to Richland Port…"
"Oh gosh," Sydney looked down in complete embarrassment. "I know exactly how long you've been at this more than you do."
"Then there was the time I nearly died, so you add some days to that…"
"Wait, what?" Sydney faced him.
"And our pace slowed immensely to Richland Port, so add more days to that…"
"You nearly, well, you're alive now so I'm glad you're safe."
"We won the Power Duo, add a few days to that, and add like one more week to that too. Then we went south, went through Pattersbaugh Falls. I remember! Same distance as Mountain Spring to Fort Lexing. So another sixteen days or so from Richland, and we got to Raley City. Did cool things there, won said cool things, defeated Scarlet, spent nearly a week. Two days to get here, spent the night, and here we are. That's a total of…"
Sydney was comfortable about spewing out the exact number of days Jason had been a trainer. As Jason tallied a rough estimate, she said the exact number. "Seven months, seven days!"
"About seven months," Jason said at the same time, hearing Sydney adding on the more accurate version. "Wow, it's been a while."
"And now I totally sound like a creep!" Sydney whined, leaning back even though there was no back support on the bench.
"No you don't," Jason smiled. "The info is there for everyone to see. I just don't pay too much attention to it. "Besides, Kristine and I saw one of your gym battles last night! The one against Miles I think? You did great!"
"You saw one of my battles? Oh man!" It was too much for Sydney to handle as she leaned too far back. She fell off, landing on her back on the cobblestone below with her legs hanging over the bench.
"Are you okay?" Jason got up and looked over.
"You didn't scurry off," Sydney seemed dazzled from the fall. "That's a good sign."
"I'm sorry if I embarrassed you," Jason smiled, offering his hand to Sydney. "I think you're a good trainer. Truth is, I was media-shy to begin with. I might still be. But I've come to peace with the thought because it comes with trying to be the best of the best. Now that doesn't look comfortable to you, so let's get you back on your feet."
Sydney nodded and grabbed Jason's hand with both of her hands. Jason pulled her up and she rose above the bench and stood on her two feet on the cobblestone.
"Thank you, Jason," Sydney gave a cute smile. "I'm sorry for being so quirky."
"You have nothing to apologize for," Jason assured her. "Besides, I don't want you to be uncomfortable. We're in this together, hopefully until we win it."
"You're just so collective about it," Sydney admired. "And here you might think I've gone completely mad."
"Sydney," Jason began to snicker. "I'm sure Kristine thinks I'm the weirdest person alive, and probably a little insane. Maybe I am weird. Maybe I am a little insane. Maybe it's true, maybe it's not. Perhaps it depends on who you ask. But that's who I am, and I trust Kristine with my life. She trusts me with hers as well. I get on her nerves now and then but she hasn't killed me yet. I'm not sure why, but I'll take the wins where I can get them."
Sydney laughed. "I think you answered it even before you asked."
"Perhaps. But I don't think you're weird. Quirks, yes, but who doesn't have them? You can't stop being you. I think you're cool, Sydney."
"Well," Sydney blushed. "You're not so shabby yourself, Jason."
"I uh," Jason blushed slightly. "Would you like to hang out with me after today's rounds, win or lose?"
"I would love to!" Sydney smiled. "By the way."
"What's up?"
"It's Milo."
"What?"
"The gym leader I faced in the video you saw. It's Milo. Sorry, it was in the back of my head this entire time."
"Oh yeah. My bad. The Galar League is all new to me."
"No worries! Besides, I can't name a single gym leader here myself."
"It's fine. Let's focus on the two people we're facing soon."
"Right!"
"So what are your ideas?"
Jason and Sydney began to talk strategy about the upcoming battle as more spectators traverse through the main entrance of the stadium. The first matches of the morning were already underway.
"Showtime, Dratini!" Kristine threw out Dratini's pokeball onto the field.
"Dratini!" Dratini slithered out, facing the opposing mightyena and hypno on the other side.
"Honedge! Go!" Bran called out.
"Hon!" Honedge floated in the air.
Kristine and Bran just started their first round battle against two trainers both named Ryan, and as a result of them being paired, were chi being designated by their last name initials. Ryan S, a light brown haired boy, commanded Mightyena while Ryan T, a girl with long dark hair, was working with Hypno. Hundreds of cheering spectators looked on, a scene Kristine was already familiar with. Bran, on the other hand, had to make extra effort to maintain his composure before the battle began.
"They have the edge in attrition!" Kristine said to Bran.
"Correct," Bran nodded. "We'll lead in, and you cover!"
"Got it!"
"Take advantage of Honedge's No Guard!" Ryan S said to Ryan T.
"Right!" Ryan T agreed. "Hypno, Hypnosis on Honedge!"
"Hypno!" Hypno locked eyes on Honedge, gently swinging his pendulum back and forth.
"Here we go! Honedge, Protect!" Bran commanded.
"Honedge!" Honedge created a barrier that bounced off the hypnotic waves, preventing the pokemon from falling asleep.
"Mightyena, use Fire Fang on Honedge!" Ryan S followed up.
"Dratini, move in and use Thunder Wave!" Kristine responded.
As Mightyena ran to pounce on Honedge, Dratini slithered by its side to deliver a close range Thunder Wave directed to Mightyena.
"Might…" Mightyena was stopped in his tracks, electric currents rippling throughout his body.
The crowd cheered at Dratini's move to cover Honedge.
"Dragon Rage!" Kristine quickly issued. "Bran, move in on Hypno!"
"Dratini!" Dratini unleashed violet flames, striking Mightyena head on.
"Yena!" Mightyena snarled, trying to withstand the brunt of the attack.
"Shadow Claw on Hypno!" Bran yelled.
"Honedge!" Honedge projected a ghostly claw that slashed across Hypno.
"Hyp!" Hypno fell on his knees before quickly springing back into action.
"Disable so Honedge's super effective attack is out of commission!" Ryan T sought the opportunity to counter Bran and Honedge.
"Hypno!" Hypno reached out with an open palm. The ensuring energy emitted from his palm prevented Honedge from using Shadow Claw again for the time being.
"Mightyena, leap and use Ice Fang on Dratini!" Ryan S yelled.
Mightyena howled, and leapt towards Dratini.
"Use Agility and get to Hypno!" Kristine yelled.
"Dratini!" Dratini picked up speed, moving right under Mightyena as he tried to close in with Ice Fang. Dratini was well outside of Mightyena's reach, racing towards Hypno.
"Night Slash!" Bran followed up with another super effective move.
"What!? Night Slash too!?" Ryan T seemed shocked.
Honedge delivered a dark slashing attack that seemed to devour all light and color nearby, striking Hypno without remorse.
"Hypno!" Ryan T yelled in concern.
"Dratini, Flamethrower!" Kristine commanded.
"Dratini!" Dratini unleashed red flames at Hypno, engulfing him.
"Hypno!" Hypno couldn't withstand the powerful flames. He fell to the ground, unable to continue.
"Hypno is unable to battle!" the female referee declared.
"One down!" Kristine cheered.
"Mightyena, hang in there!" Ryan S yelled, seeing Mightyena being succumbed to paralysis.
"Return, Hypno!" Ryan T recalled her pokemon before grabbing another pokeball. "Come on out, Seel!"
"Seel!" Seel clapped.
"Use Aqua Jet to get to Mightyena, and knock out anyone that stands in your way!" Ryan T commanded.
"Seel!" Seel propelled herself with a sudden burst of aquatic energy, strafing Honedge who tried to dodge it.
"Hon!" Honedge maintained its composure.
"Having No Guard is gonna put Honedge in a pickle when it comes to avoiding anything," Bran mentioned to Kristine.
"That's why you have Protect, right?" Kristine replied. "What do you want to do?"
"I'll keep Honedge out," Bran determined. "We encircle them, we have this whole match in the bag!"
"Right! Control the field!"
Kristine faced Dratini. "Thunder Wave on Seel!"
"Dratini!" Dratini slithered at immense speed to paralyze Seel through Thunder Wave.
"Use Encore on Dratini!" Ryan T responded. "At least there won't be any tricks up their sleeves!"
"Seel!" Seel made a series of claps that put a projection of a spotlight over Dratini.
"Dra?" Dratini looked up in curiosity.
"Dratini can only use Thunder Wave for the time being," Kristine informed Bran. "I have to recall."
"Do it."
"Return, Dratini!" Kristine recalled. "Good work out there! Standby just in case!"
She readied her next pokeball.
"Mightyena, Fire Fang on Honedge! Put the pressure on it!" Ryan S yelled.
"Honedge, Protect!" Bran called.
Mightyena lunged at Honedge, only to be warded off by a protective barrier that prevented Honedge from being harmed.
"Aqua Jet on Honedge!" Ryan T followed up.
"Seel!" Seel began to propel herself at Honedge. Just as she began to lunge, she felt something pull her tail fins back.
"Machoke!" Machoke spoke sternly.
"Now complete Vital Throw and aim for Mightyena!" Kristine yelled.
"Choke!" Machoke tossed Seel, striking Mightyena directly.
"Honedge, use regular Slash on Mightyena!" Bran issued.
"Honedge!" Honedge slashed across Mightyena. Mightyena fell, unable to get up.
"Seel!" Seel sprung back into action, but her paralysis prevented her from clearing at a safe distance from Machoke and Honedge.
"Mightyena is unable to battle!" the referee declared as the crowd cheered.
"Return, Mightyena!" Ryan S recalled.
"They're too good!" Ryan T said to her partner.
"Perhaps," Ryan S began to acknowledge. "But let's go down fighting!"
"Right with you!"
"Go, Toxicroak!" Ryan S called out his last pokemon.
"Croak!" Toxicroak approached the fray.
"Now Seel, let's -" Ryan T began to call for a move.
"Machoke, use Thunder Punch on Seel!" Kristine commanded.
"Machoke!" Machoke leapt at Seel, delivering a powerful super effective Thunder Punch.
"Seel!" Seel felt the direct impact, electricity pulsating throughout her body. She fell over, unable to get up.
"Seel is unable to battle!" the referee declared.
"Well," Ryan T looked down in shame, recalling Seel. "That's it for me."
Ryan S looked on, his pokemon facing formidable odds. He looked past Toxicroak, seeing a very determined Kristine and Bran looking to seal the deal.
"Well, they're not messing around," he said to his tag team partner.
Ryan T looked up. "They're both very accomplished trainers."
Kristine looked at Bran, and only nodded at him.
"Return, Honedge!" Bran recalled it. "You did awesome out there! Get some rest."
"Toxicroak, use Poison Jab!" Ryan S issued.
Toxicroak charged at Machoke with a purple glowing fist.
"Match it with Thunder Punch!" Kristine responded.
The two punches collided, Thunder Punch and Poison Jab cancelling each other out as electrical currents and poisonous mists covered the surrounding area.
Ryan S looked on in horror when he saw what his opponents were planning. Bran just called Kadabra into the field, and he knew a single psychic type attack would spell the end for his short run in this tournament.
Machoke became poisoned, either by the effects of Poison Jab or Toxicroak's Poison Touch ability, Kristine thought. Nonetheless, Machoke's Guts ability was triggered, and what seemed like an incredibly tall order for Toxicroak became all but impossible.
"Vital Throw, Machoke!" Kristine called.
"Venoshock!" Ryan S yelled.
Machoke grabbed onto Toxicroak before he could react. He tossed him towards Kadabra.
"Kadabra, use Psybeam!" Bran commanded.
"Kadabra!" Kadabra aimed at Toxicroak and fired.
The ensuing beam struck Toxicroak head on, sending him crashing onto the floor and unable to get up.
"Oh no!" Ryan S looked on in despair.
Ryan T patted him on the back. "Nice try."
"Yeah, you too," Ryan S let out a slight sigh. "Nice working with you, fellow Ryan."
"Yeah, same!" Ryan T smiled.
The referee just called the match as Jason and Sydney could hear the crowd roaring for Kristine and Bran. They watched from the hallway leading to Kristine and Bran's side of the field.
"Wow, your sister and her friend are incredible," Sydney looked on in awe.
"Yeah, let's be happy we're not fighting them for now," Jason laughed.
Moments later, Kristine and Bran entered the hallway, where they exchanged high fives with Jason and Sydney.
"Nice clean sheet out there!" Sydney commended.
"Thanks!" Kristine smiled, assuming a clean sheet meant a perfect sweep. She faced Jason. "Go get 'em."
"We got this," Jason spoke with confidence as Kristine and Bran departed down the hall.
"So what's a clean sheet?" Bran bluntly asked Kristine within earshot of Jason and Sydney.
"I'm just a little too strange, am I?" Sydney looked down in embarrassment.
"Don't worry," Jason put his hand on Sydney's shoulder. "You're not. He just doesn't know what that means."
"Right," Sydney looked up. "Let's do this!"
"And for our next match," the announcer was heard over the speakers throughout the stadium. "We have Jason Kyar and Sydney Adams!"
The crowd cheered as Jason and Sydney entered the field, approaching the center.
"Jason Kyar is the twin brother of Kristine Kyar from the last match," the announcer continued. "Like her and Brandal, he currently has four badges. Sydney Adams hails all the way from Galar, where he currently boasts two badges."
Sydney looked around and waved towards the surrounding audience.
"Smiling cute and waving goes a long way in these ordeals," Sydney muttered to Jason.
"I see the appeal," Jason took note, and waved around as well.
"Their opponents today will be Presley and Jonathan!" the announcer added.
Two trainers emerged from the other side. Presley had blonde hair in a short ponytail and wore a white top and skirt that came down to her knees. Jonathan wore a blue cap backwards, wearing a yellow shirt and black shorts. They met Jason and Sydney at the center.
"Presley has three badges from Kenalta, Raley City, and Richland Port. Jonathan has one badge from Richland Port," the announcer mentioned.
"Hello," Jason waved.
"Hi!" Sydney added.
"You guys are gonna go easy on us, right?" Presley lightly laughed, perhaps out of nervousness.
"I'm a fan of yours, Jason!" Jonathan admitted. "The way you and your sis dethroned the Donnovan Twins, it was awesome!"
"I appreciate it," Jason chuckled. "It wasn't easy. Let's have some fun, shall we?"
The referee approached the two teams. "Alright, ladies and gents, please return to your respective side of the field. I'm running a little tight right now!"
Jason and Sydney walked to their side of the field.
"Jason and Sydney will make the first throws. Presley and Jonathan will make the first actions," the referee announced as she stood at her box on the sideline. "Now, begin!"
The crowd cheered as Jason and Sydney called out their first pair.
"Rowlet, let's go!" Jason brought out.
"You too, Wooper!" Sydney called.
"Rowl!" Rowlet greeted.
"Wooper!" Wooper hopped.
"Sandslash, go!" Jonathan threw out his first pokeball.
"Come on out, Flaaffy!" Presley did the same.
"Slash!" Sandslash faced its opponents.
"Flaa!" Flaaffy stood behind Sandslash.
"Sandslash, use Dig and aim for Wooper!" Jonathan called.
Sandslash burrowed underneath the ground.
"Flaaffy, use Electric Terrain!" Presley commanded.
"Flaa!" Flaaffy stomped the ground, electrifying the entire surface. There was no immediate damaging effect done to Rowlet in particular, as Wooper would have been immune due to his ground typing despite also being a water type.
"Jason, you need to be careful of Flaaffy!" Sydney warned.
"Right, and we need to watch out for Sandslash!" Jason added.
"We got this, but it has to be timed!"
"Charge, Flaaffy!" Presley followed up.
Flaaffy began charging energy.
"We need to hit Flaaffy hard," Jason suggested.
"Right," Sydney nodded. "We'll handle Sandslash and join you."
Wooper heard rumbling beneath him, and warned Sydney. "Woo!"
"Jump and Aqua Tail! Now!" Sydney yelled.
"Woo!" Wooper jumped in the air just as Sandslash emerged, lunging at him.
Wooper counterattacked with his tail bursting with aquatic energy, striking at Sandslash.
"Protect!" Jonathan quickly called.
Sandslash broke off his attack and shielded himself from a super effective hit.
"Now Muddy Water!" Sydney continued her attack.
"Wooper!" Wooper unleashed a muddy flood at Sandslash, striking him head on. The water filled the adjacent hole Sandslash had lunged from, and the impact was too far to hit Rowlet or Flaaffy.
"Slash!" Sandslash slammed to the ground.
Meanwhile, Rowlet flew towards Flaaffy.
"Leafage!" Jason yelled.
"Rowl!" Rowlet fired a compressed barrage of leaves at Flaaffy.
"Electro Ball!" Presley commanded.
Flaaffy unleashed a powerful Electro Ball thanks to Electric Terrain and Charge. Electroball tore through the leaves, aiming right at Rowlett.
"Rowlet, Synthesis!" Jason reacted.
"Rowlet!" Rowlet's grass and flying typing rendered Electro Ball a regular hitting attack, but a powerful one at that. As Rowlet took the hit head on, her body glowed green as she managed to heal through the brunt of the ensuing explosion.
"You can't heal through that all day!" Presley continued the attack. "Electro Ball again!"
"Flaa!" Flaaffy fired another Electro Ball.
Just then, Wooper jumped in between Rowlet and Flaaffy. He took the direct hit, but Electro Ball dissipated upon impacting Wooper as if it didn't even faze him.
"Aqua Tail!" Sydney followed up.
"Woop!" Wooper flipped, striking Flaaffy head on and sending her tumbling back.
"Sandslash, use Swift!" Jonathan called.
"Slash!" Sandslash fired off a volley of stars, striking both Wooper and Rowlet.
"Use Cotton Spore!" Presley yelled.
"Flaa!" Flaaffy shook herself, unleashing Cotton Spore over Rowlet and Wooper.
"Use Dig again and get Wooper!" Jonathan commanded.
"Sandslash!" Sandslash burrowed beneath the field.
"Stay in front of Rowlet!" Jason said to Sydney. "We're gonna flush him out with Leafage!"
"Electro Ball! Get Rowlet!" Presley pointed.
Flaaffy fired another Electro Ball. This one was more powerful, considering Flaaffy had slowed Rowlet down considerably. Nonetheless, Wooper jumped up to take and nullify the attack.
"Leafage in the hole!" Jason issued.
"Rowl!" Rowlet unleashed a volley of leaves into the hole. Seconds later, Sandslash bursted out nearby, scratched up from the super effective attack.
"Secure the score!" Sydney yelled to Wooper. "Aqua Tail!"
"Wooper!" Wooper unleashed Aqua Tail, slamming Sandslash against the ground. Sandslash wasn't able to recover from such an attack.
"Sandslash is unable to battle!" the referee declared.
"Return, Sandslash," Jonathan recalled his pokemon.
"Return, Rowlet!" Jason recalled his as well. "You did great out there. Standby."
"Great teamwork!" Sydney commended.
"Right back at you!" Jason smiled. "I say keep Wooper out. As long as Flaaffy is out there, she can't harm him."
Just then, Jonathan called forth his second pokemon. "Go, Hawlucha!"
"Hawlucha!" Hawlucha posed.
"All right," Jason primed his second pokeball. "Let's go, Growlithe!"
"Growl!" Growlithe barked.
"Stay focused, bud!" Jason instructed. "You're with Wooper. We're going to take out your opponents together!"
"That growlithe has an eyepatch!" Presley observed. "Sure reflects Jason's toughness."
"Hawlucha, use Aerial Ace on Growlithe!" Jonathan commanded.
"Lucha!" Hawlucha leapt into the air, preparing to strike Growlithe.
"Aim Flame Burst at Flaaffy once Hawlucha closes in!" Jason responded.
Just then, Electric Terrain subsided.
"Dang it, use Electric Terrain again!" Presley yelled.
Flaaffy stomped the ground once more, reissuing Electric Terrain. Presley was too concerned about maintaining control of the field to notice Wooper closing in.
"Aqua Tail one more time!" Sydney pressed.
Wooper flipped forward, striking Flaaffy once again with Aqua Tail. Flaaffy tumbled to the ground.
"Now!" Jason called as Hawlucha descended upon Growlithe.
"Growlithe!" Growlithe fired a burst of flames, causing Hawlucha to break away from the attack.
Wooper backed away as Flame Burst impacted the area Flaaffy resided in. As the smoke cleared, Flaaffy was down and out.
"Flaaffy is unable to battle!" the referee declared.
The crowd cheered. Jason and Sydney were two pokemon up.
"Come back, Flaaffy!" Presley recalled her pokemon. She pulled out her last pokeball. "Lampent, go!"
"Lamp," Lampent hovered off the ground.
"Oh good, a ghost," Jason muttered sarcastically, loud enough for Sydney to decipher.
"Wooper can take Lampent!" Sydney said.
"All right," Jason gave a nod, facing Growlithe. "Fire Fang on Hawlucha!"
"Growl!" Growlithe lunged at Hawlucha, sinking his fangs into his arm. A burning sensation rippled throughout Hawlucha.
"Haw!" Hawlucha became burned from the attack.
"Now grab onto him with Submission!" Jonathan responded.
"Hawlucha!" Hawlucha grabbed a hold of Growlithe and flew towards the sky before rapidly descending below.
"Growlithe, use Protect!" Jason quickly responded.
"Growl!" Growlithe complied, and shielded himself before the impact.
Dust covered the immediate area as Hawlucha delivered the risky move, inflicting damage on himself. Growlithe was unscathed due to Protect.
"Lampent, use Will o Wisp on Wooper!" Presley called out.
"Lampent!" Lampent fired swirling flames that approached Wooper.
"Dissolve it with Aqua Tail!" Sydney responded.
Wooper met Will o Wisp with his tail, dispersing the flames before they were able to afflict him with the burn condition.
"Now Muddy Water!" Sydney followed up.
"Woop!" Wooper unleashed a murky flood upon Lampent.
"Use Confuse Ray!" Presley reacted, knowing there wasn't much she could do to avoid Muddy Water.
Lampent's body began to glow while being enveloped by Muddy Water. As a result, Wooper became dazed as he stumbled around.
"Growlithe, use Take Down on Hawlucha!" Jason commanded.
"Growlithe!" Growlithe lunged at Hawlucha before he was able to recover, taking him down to the ground with a risky attack.
"Haw!" Hawlucha rolled over and got back up.
"Growlithe!" Growlithe barked.
"Wooper, hang in there!" Sydney tried to encourage her pokemon.
"Woo woo woo," Wooper spun around.
"Lampent, now use Will o Wisp again!" Presley followed up.
Lampent unleashed wispy flames that struck Wooper, causing him to be burned.
"Woo!" Wooper cried.
"Lucha!" Hawlucha felt his burn coursing through from Growlithe's Fire Fang.
"Go in and use Thunder Punch!" Jonathan yelled.
"Haw!" Hawlucha jumped, aiming at Growlithe with an electric fist.
"Wooper's in trouble, Growlithe!" Jason yelled. "Dodge Hawlucha and help him out!"
Growlithe had to make a split second decision. As much as he wanted to continue the fight against Hawlucha, he knew his personal ambitions were of little importance compared to working as a team, as well as Jason's expectations for him. Growlithe ran forward, going underneath Hawlucha and narrowly avoiding Thunder Punch. He ran fast as he could towards Wooper.
"Lampent, put Wooper away! Use Hex!" Presley issued.
Lampent's eyes turned from yellow to a very bright red. Ghostly energy began to manifest.
"We're on the way!" Jason informed Sydney.
"That Hex will deal double damage!" Sydney warned.
"Growlithe!" Jason yelled towards the canine pokemon. "Intercept and use Protect!"
"Growl!" Growlithe leapt just in the nick of time. The ghostly energy consumed him instead of Wooper, but Protect prevented Growlithe from taking any damage. The energy dissipated, leaving Growlithe ready for further instructions and Wooper still stumbling around from being confused.
"Ugh!" Presley seemed frustrated. "It was our chance to help even it out a little!"
"Hawlucha, use Aerial Ace on Wooper!" Jonathan commanded.
"Haw!" Hawlucha ran towards Wooper and Growlithe. Suddenly, his burn condition got the best of him. The burn coursed throughout his body, leaving him completely tapped out. He fell to the ground, unable to get up.
"Hawlucha is unable to battle!" the referee declared.
"Oh no!" Jonathan looked on in despair. He recalled Hawlucha.
"If Wooper can snap out of it, Growlithe can cover him as he finishes Lampent!" Jason said to Sydney.
"Right," Sydney replied before facing Wooper. "You can do it, Wooper! Use Aqua Tail!"
"Woo!" Wooper used his tail to blindly strike all over the place. Growlithe had to dodge out of the way.
"Use Hex one more time!" Presley yelled.
"Lamp!" Lampent's eyes glowed red once more.
"Flame Burst! Now!" Jason commanded.
"Growl!" Growlithe quickly fired Flame Burst in an effort to thwart Lampent's concentration.
"Lamp!" Lampent endured the attack, though it seemed staggered.
"Woo?" Wooper seemed to snap out of confusion.
"Wooper! Aqua Tail!" Sydney repeated.
"Woo!" Wooper lunged at Lampent, striking it with his tail.
Lampent slammed to the ground, unable to continue. "Lampent…"
"Lampent is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "Jason Kyar and Sydney Adams are the winners!"
The crowd erupted in cheers.
"Yeah!" Jason cheered.
"Brilliant!" Sydney did the same.
The two shared a high five.
"Sydney, you and Wooper were awesome out there!" Jason commended.
"Great cover!" Sydney smiled. "Not bad for first time tag team partners, eh?"
Jason recalled Growlithe. "You did great buddy! I want to see that effort every single time!"
"Come back, Wooper!" Sydney recalled her pokemon. "You were amazing out there, staying out the whole time."
She faced Jason. "Wooper is the newest in my team. I'm so proud of him!"
"As you should be," Jason gave a nod. "Growlithe and Rowlet are the newest to my team as well."
"You can let them know I thought they were splendid," Sydney gave Jason a thumbs up.
Meanwhile, Kristine and Bran spectated the victory from the second row behind the referee.
"She's good," Kristine said of Sydney. "And Wooper, too."
"Jason did good as well," Bran observed.
Jason noticed Kristine and waved. She smiled and waved back.
"If we ever go up against them, we're going to need a big plan," Kristine mentioned.
"Well, you do know Jason better than anyone else," Bran added.
"And that's the biggest advantage I have."
Jason and Sydney took the center of the floor, meeting Presley and Jonathan once again.
"Good match, everyone!" Jason commended.
"Well, considering you just wiped the floor of us," Presley chuckled.
"Nah, you did great," Jason asserted.
"You guys are tough," Jonathan added. "Which means I need to train and get more badges."
"I'm sure you'll get there!" Sydney chimed in.
With Jason and Kristine being split and grouped with Sydney and Bran, respectively, the second round would be just around the corner, with matches scheduled as early as the afternoon. All four trainers could only imagine what challenges await them.
