A/N: Holy crap you guys, we're back but so is Pokémon! I know that technically speaking this chapter is going up literally three weeks after the announcements of Sun and Moon, but I still feel like the announcement was made just yesterday! I could not be more hype about this!
Tyler: Sun?
Wendy: Moon? What are you talking about Phil?
DrPhill26: The new Pokémon games that are coming out at the end of the year! I can't wait to go to the newly discovered Alola region and go on a whole new adventure with brand new Pokémon! I can't decide between Popplio or Rowlet as a starter. But Litten is so freaking cool too! Why isn't it November yet?!
Tyler: What are you smoking? The Alola region isn't newly discovered. It's been around for... well like forever.
Wendy: Yeah, I've been to Alola twice in the past three years for work. Once with the Poké press, once with Sweet Kiss.
DrPhill26: WHAT?! You've already been there!
Wendy: *nods* Oh yeah, the beaches are simply gorgeous. And the locals aren't exactly shy on those beaches if you know what I mean. *winks*
Tyler: So... what then, they're like super friendly and personable?
Wendy: *laughing* Oh honey, you're so innocent sometimes it's just too cute.
DrPhill26: ... ... Okay so I'm gonna go book a plane ticket to Alola because of... reasons. So I need you two to go ahead and get this chapter started without me okay? You two think you can handle that?
Tyler: Wait, are you sure you want to leave us alone with the chapter? Because I'm pretty sure in our hands-
DrPhill26: No Nomel Berries in the chapter! That's an order! We have a tournament to finish so get working on that.
Wendy: Awwww...
DrPhill26: But if you do me a favor here and give the reader a proper tournament chapter, we'll have some more Nomel scenes in the future. Deal?
Ty & Wendy: Deal!
DrPhill26: Great. So reader, I'm leaving you in their capable if not entirely reliable hands. Hopefully they can give you another quality chapter that you've come to expect from us. So yeah, go read your chapter. I'm going to Alola to uh... to conduct some research. So... later and have fun :)
"Sawsbuck is unable to battle! Therefore, the winners are Aaron Ryder and Noah Storm!" The judge at South Stadium announced over the television monitor backstage. The camera then cut to the victorious trainers, the red-haired trainer on the right celebrating with a joyful fist pump as his ice-blue haired partner simply nodded, looking pleased with the result.
"Damn, those two looked pretty good." Rose remarked as they showed the defeated Sawsbuck being retreated to its ball. "That guy's Bisharp looked really strong."
"His partner is pretty good as well." Will agreed as the camera cut back to the aforementioned Bisharp and his partner, a large Arcanine that barked once before being retreated. "That Arcanine of his is definitely stronger than Kacela is right now. I wonder how long they've been training together."
"So Ty, you think you can top that battle?" Wendy turned to Tyler with a teasing stare as the eyes of the rest of their friends fell on him as well. "I mean; your next match is the final match of the first round at the big stadium. You don't want to send everyone home unsatisfied with a weak battle do you?"
"Of course not." Tyler smirked back at her, brimming with confidence. "This isn't going to be a repeat of yesterday where I was some timid Sandshrew in the Gym. There's no Ghost types anywhere to be seen. My head is on straight, I'm focused, I'm dialed in. We're going to win this battle and advance to the knockout round next weekend."
"Now we might not be a part of team perfect like Will over here, mister twelve-and-oh." Jason gave a sneer of his own to Will who shyly looked away, rubbing the back of his head with an embarrassed laugh. "But what are we at? Eight and two, plus six through the first two matches? That's better than the rest of you."
"That may be hun." Rose joined in the growing smirk-fest with a teasing jab of her own. "But if you don't win, you'll be the only ones of our group who didn't win all three of their matches in the first round." Wendy and Madison gave each other hi-five, still basking warmth of their victory from earlier today.
"Guys, it's not a competition to see who did the best in the first round…" Will tried to interject.
"Says the guy who won." Jason's quip cut him off.
"Be that as it may, my point is that we should all be proud of the fact that we've each done exceptionally well in the tournament so far. Look at you Wendy, this was your first official tournament and you passed the first round."
"Well… I might have had just a little bit of help from Maddie." Wendy laughed gleefully, wrapping her up in an enthusiastic hug.
"Wendy stop it!" Madison laughed as she tried to push her partner away from her. "You're going to make me blush."
"And Rose, you and Alicia have been just as impressive if not even more so."
"Th-thank you." Alicia smiled shyly at Will's praise before being tackled in a by her partner. "I'm very fortunate to have Rose by my side as well."
"Oh you're just saying that. I'm sure you'd do great with anyone." Alicia blushed as she looked at her partner. She opened her mouth to say something but Rose put a finger before it, making her stay silent. "Don't you try to say otherwise. You're better than you think."
"See?" Will smiled again as he turned to the group. "This tournament has already done wonders for all of us in bringing us together. It's just like what Cynthia said in the opening ceremony. The bonds we choose to make in life, both with Pokémon and with our friends and family, are forged stronger through the experiences and memories that we share with each other."
"Yeah I kind of missed that part." Tyler raised his hand sheepishly, then pointed at Wendy. "She and I were in a bit of an argument at the time."
"That reminds me, what were you two even whispering about back then?" Rose asked curiously, leaning towards the two with a look of intrigue. "Will and I were close enough to hear you bickering, but we have no idea what you were talking about."
"Oh that." Wendy rolled her eyes disapprovingly at Tyler. "Yeah I'm still bitter about that myself actually."
"Oh for the love of – I didn't do anything wrong!" Tyler began but Wendy shook her head at him.
"So get this, the night before the opening ceremony, Tyler actually went out for ice cream with Cynthia and didn't tell me about it."
"WHAT?!" The collective group gasped in unison.
"You mean the Cynthia?! As in champion of Sinnoh Cynthia?" Rose asked in shock to which Wendy nodded. "What the hell, why wasn't I invited?"
"I know! That's what I said!" Wendy said in an outrage.
"Wow, dude I'd kill for a night with her. You're a lucky bastard and you know it." Jason laughed at him.
"Uh, I think all of us would like to spend a night with the champion." Rose added onto her previous outrage, which was now reaching Wendy's level.
"Okay to be fair to you guys, I didn't know you yet when this took place." Tyler defensively raised his hands in front of his face. "Remember, this was the night before the ceremony took place."
"Then what about me?!" Wendy loudly complained. "You could have at least told me!"
"What part of I broke my phone that night do you not remember? You know, the part where I ran face first into her Garchomp and my phone fell on the ground? Ring any bells?"
"You met her Garchomp too?" Will nodded, looking impressed. "Impressive, I'd love to meet a champion's signature Pokémon."
"Don't give me that!" Wendy retorted, ignoring Will's comment. "So the screen cracked, big whoop. Your phone didn't break completely; you could have still called me with it!"
"In the middle of the goddamn ruins?! Zero bars Wendy! ZERO!" Tyler turned to her and the two of them continued bickering for a moment, growing in intensity as Tyler continued to adamantly deny any wrong doing in spite of the growing opposition around him.
"What kind of ice cream did she get?" Alicia finally asked, her soft voice somehow silencing the growing argument between Tyler and Wendy as they and the rest of their group turned to her. "I'm kinda curious about that."
"Uh… well she took forever to decide. Actually held up the line for a bit too." Tyler scratched his chin as he tried to remember. "I know it wasn't chocolate cookie dough, that's what I got… I think she finally settled on mint? Or was it strawberry?"
"Oh, I see." Alicia looked a little disappointed at Tyler's answer.
"No wait! It was rum raisin. She said she wanted something more adventurous that night." That made Alicia perk up again, smiling with an innocent grin.
"That's my favorite flavor."
"Mine too." Madison smiled herself, the two of them exchanging a look with each other.
"Dammit, now I want ice cream." Wendy folded her arms across her stomach in a deep pout as her frustrations suddenly shifted from Tyler to a lack of frozen deliciousness. "Can we go get ice cream after this match?"
"Why just settle for ice cream?" Will asked as he now finally donned a smirk on his lips. "I say that we do more. If we're gonna celebrate, we should go all out for this."
"What, you mean like we get sundaes instead of just ice cream?" Jason asked but Will shook his head.
"Bigger, I think we us all advancing is a good excuse for another Ryding-Weiland family barbecue. Am I wrong Wendy?"
"Oh my God yes! Yes! A hundred times, no a thousand times, no no no wait, a million times yes!" Wendy's eyes sparkled just like she was in Eeveelution mode, something that greatly startled Tyler as he'd never seen her don the mode outside of that specific context. These barbecues must be something special to make her react like that.
"You seem… excited to say ze least no?" Madison looked at her partner with the same bewildered stare.
"Maddie you just have to come! Both my dad and Will's dad are phenomenal when it comes to barbecue."
"She's not wrong." Will added. "The two of them have combined to win each of the last nine summer cook-off competitions in Solaceon. You're guaranteed some top level food if you come."
"Please come!" Wendy begged her partner. "You too Alicia! It just won't be the same without either of you."
"Oh I see, I'm not important enough to come." Jason rolled his eyes.
"Dude you know you're invited." Will patted Jason's knee.
"I was gonna go anyway." Jason laughed a response.
"Right, so, all in favor of the barbecue?" Will asked and saw every hand that wasn't his rocket towards the ceiling. "I think that goes without saying then. I'll give dad a ring and see if we can make the necessary arrangements."
"Where are we gonna have it though? Your place or ours?" Wendy asked to which Will shrugged.
"We'll figure that out once we're all on the same page of having this party."
"Oohhh I can hardly wait!" Tyler just shook his head at Wendy's childish antics. As he did, he caught a glimpse of the two trainers who'd just finished their fight walking towards them.
"Oh hey guys, nice match out there." Tyler waved at the two men, who stopped and looked at the group and gave them a friendly wave themselves. "That
"Thank you, it was pretty fun." The red-haired trainer smiled at them, then chuckled as his eyes fell to Tyler's. "H-hey! A fellow red-head, nice. You guys up next?"
"Yeah, me and him." Tyler answered, pointing at himself and Jason.
"Tough act to follow, but I think we can pull it off." Jason stood up and approached the redhead, holding his hand at him and got a quick handshake.
"Well you two certainly aren't lacking in the confidence department." The boy grinned as he pulled his hand free. "You guys are already planning a victory celebration from the sounds of it."
"Yes, but really I think this is just an excuse to have a get-together that we've been wanting to have ever since we got back in town." Will joined the conversation, getting a look of awe from the red-haired trainer.
"Holy... dude I know you!" He pointed at Will and smacked his partner's chest with the back of his hand. "Dude Aaron, this is the guy I was telling you about. This guy and his partner swept their block, a perfect twelve and oh record."
"Really, so you're one of the mister perfects are you?" The blue-haired trainer said as he scouted out Will.
"Oh jeez, not you too." Will looked away at the remark. "I really hope that doesn't become a nickname."
"Hey you could do worse than that." The redhead chuckled to himself. "Then again you have to share it with a few other people so… maybe it's not the best name to have."
"Yeah, Eric doesn't seem like the type to want to be called perfect." Will said thinking of his partner.
"But that other guy? The black one with all that purple? Now he seems like someone who would want that nickname." The group's general expressions soured as they all imagined that boisterous prick and his condescending laugh.
"Well he won't be perfect anymore when I knock him off his high horse." Will growled confidently as he punched his fist into his hand.
"Ooh! Do I smell a rivalry?" The redhead laughed again. "Dude I'd pay a ton of money to see these two ace teams of the tournament, two rivals with perfec-"
"He's not my rival." Will's growl deepened, making both the two new trainers flinch at the unexpected anger in his voice. "Calling him my rival means I'd have to acknowledge him as an equal, someone worthy of my attention and respect as a trainer. Simply put, he isn't, and he never will be."
"Whoa! Chill mate, I get you." The redhead laughed nervously, stepping back a bit from the rumbling giant. "Seems like some bad blood, I know better than to stir the pot."
"Stir the pot… maybe mom can make some of her chili for the barbecue too." Wendy spoke aloud absentmindedly.
"You're… planning a barbecue."
"Yeah." Will's smile returned as he began thinking of food. "My Rosebud and I haven't been in town for quite a while so we thought we'd have a get together with our friends and family like the good ol' days."
"You guys should come too, the more the merrier." Rose chirped up as she hopped over by her fiancée.
"Really? Oh dude that would be awesome!" The redhead said with a gusto, but his partner just shook his head coldly at him.
"Odds are we'll be busy next week, so I don't think we could make it… wherever it is anyway." The blue-haired partner spoke up.
"Oh well we don't know when it'll be either. But knowing us, the party will probably last all week." Rose smiled at the two as she rested her head on Will's arm. "Just swing by the daycare up in Solaceon sometime next week, we're bound to have leftovers if this guy doesn't eat them all."
"I wouldn't eat all of the food." Rose looked at Will with an eyebrow cocked in smug disbelief. "Well... maybe the leftover ribs."
"The daycare you say…" The blue-haired boy began mulling over the thought. "Alright, we'll have to keep that in mind. But after the battle we just had, we really should go heal our Pokémon. Come on Noah, let's get going."
"Oh right! Coming Ast- I mean Aaron!" The redhead now left, making his way after his partner as the two of them rounded a corner and left the lobby.
"Speaking of which, we should probably get going ourselves." Will said glancing at a clock on the wall. "Knock them dead out there guys."
"You already know it." Jason nodded at him as the rest of the group got up and made their way towards the exit.
"Don't blow it tonight Ty." Wendy wrapped her arms around him with a hug before whispering into his ear. "Because if you win, I'll give you something special when we get back to my place."
"Like I needed the extra motivation to win." Tyler rolled his eyes, turning around and giving her a short kiss. "Thanks though."
"Bye cutie-Ty. Good luck Jay." With Wendy gone, the two boys were left by themselves again in the lobby, eyeing up the door that would take them out onto the battlefield. They looked at each other, neither saying a word to the other as they both walked towards the door and pushed it open, stepping into the entryway that would lead them towards the waiting eyes of tens of thousands of people.
The sun was setting off behind the side of the side of the stadium as the two trainers made their way onto the newly reset battlefield. The lowly flying clouds drifting overhead changed in color from vibrant orange to a rosy pink, to a calming violet off to the east. The stadium lights popped on, casting their intense white light down on the pair as the crowd began to roar again with the promise of one additional battle about to begin.
"Hey, at least there aren't any windows we can break here today." Tyler laughed as looked around the open air of the stadium.
"So was that my fault or not?" Jason laughed as well, remembering the incident from yesterday's battle. "Because it was Roserade's attack that broke everything, Gengar only knocked her off balance."
"Regardless, I'm just glad we didn't have to pay for it."
"No shit." Jason shivered at the thought. "I looked up the price of that stuff online after we were done with our battle. You know how much just a little thing of stained glass is that's like the size of our chest?"
"How much?"
"Like 7500 to ten grand."
"Holy shit!" Tyler blurted out, then covered his mouth as he remembered the mics might have been live at this point. "Uh… sorry. Didn't mean to say that." But with the atmosphere of the crowd staying the same and not hearing an echo of his voice, Tyler breathed a sigh of relief that the crowd hadn't heard his swearing.
"Yeah, so something that big would probably cost an arm and a leg.
"Wow…" Tyler chuckled nervously at the financial bullet all four of them had dodged yesterday. "But I bet the Gym has insurance to cover damages from Pokémon attacks and the like."
"I would hope so, though if anyone could afford to replace her Gym's décor it'd be Fantina." Jason stretched his arms over his head, trying to loosen up. "Gym Leader, runway model, fashion designer and one of the best contest performers in the entire world? She's definitely loaded."
"And yet she has to use Ghost types." Tyler shook his head again, not wanting to think of this eerie side of her.
"Well these two should be able to keep your mind off her again." Jason pointed his head towards their two opponents who made their way out of the opposite tunnel. Tyler noticed the man on the left first and did a double take seeing the man's physique that looked carved out of stone. Every muscle on his body was virtually flawless, and with only a black tank-top and basketball shorts beneath him, you could see each sculpted bulge on his body. It made Tyler feel tiny seeing this man approach across from him.
At least his partner wasn't as massive in size, but still had an air to him that made Tyler a bit uncomfortable. To muscle-man's right was another boy about Tyler's age sporting a navy varsity jacket with tan sleeves, his hands resting in both front pockets. Pretty boy face compared to the muscle-man's bald head? The swagger in his step? The small but noticeable swell of squealing from in the crowd as he stepped onto the battlefield? This guy just screamed "I play all the sports in high school" and his cheering section seemed to verify that fact, as well as the large flaming soccer ball emblem on the back of his jacket. Then again, he didn't seem to let his small star status swell his head, unlike a certain someone that made a scowl mold into place on Tyler's face.
"So… you think you got a strategy for these two?" Jason quickly asked as their two opponents began talking to themselves as well.
"I say we just punch them in the mouth. Hit them as hard and as fast as possible." Tyler casually shrugged before starting to loosen himself up as well.
"That's… kind of a straightforward strategy for you. You sure about that?"
"I don't really have a choice, you're the one who can mix it up remember?" Tyler cracked his knuckles, then his neck. "Yuki is unfortunately still up at the daycare and Felix… well he's a bit inexperienced still. Sure he did great yesterday, but I'm not willing to roll the dice on his inexperience a second time."
"So we're playing fast and loose today then? So I should use Gengar again like we did-."
"If you spring Gengar on me again like you did yesterday, I swear to God I will kick your dick so hard it'll fly out your nose."
"Relax, I wasn't going to." Jason rolled his eyes, slapping Tyler on the back. "Come on, let's get going." The two of them made their way to the center of the arena, approaching their opponents for today.
"So it comes down to this huh?" Varsity jacket spoke as Tyler and Jason stepped forward. "We're the last match here today. You guys pumped to put up a show?"
"Of course the two of us are always spotlight ready." The muscle man punched his two massive fists together, letting out a low cackle. "You two though? You look straight-up soft compared to the two of us."
"Oh joy, another person in this tournament with a mouth." Tyler rolled his eyes, folding his arms confrontationally. But before he could say anything, varsity jacket smacked his partner upside the back of his bald head.
"Dude! We've been over this before; we don't need the tough guy act today. We never needed it."
"Yeah, I know, but I saw the redhead in the lobby before the tournament kicked off." Muscle man explained, rubbing the back of his head. "And his group of friends were talking smack with that purple guy I told you about. I thought riling him up might get him off his game a bit." His partner though just pressed his hand to his head and slowly shook his head.
"Emilio… I don't need to explain it again do I?" He put his arms on his hips.
"N-no Silas." The man named Emilio looked away embarrassed. Varsity jacket however then pointed at Tyler and Jason, making a "go-on" gesture with his hand. "Sorry. I'm not really that kind of guy."
"Hey, it's cool… sorta." Jason patted Emilio's shoulder. "We would be if you didn't call me soft. And if there's one thing we rangers hate, it's being called soft."
"Oh shit, you're a Pokémon ranger?" Emilio looked at Jason horrified, bowing quickly before him as a sign of respect. "Forgive me sir, I meant no disrespect!"
"Uh… I um… would you mind standing back up? You're kinda weirding me out." Emilio quickly did exactly that.
"I'm sorry. I have nothing but respect for the Pokémon rangers. In fact, I've wanted to join for the longest time but still can't."
"W-why not?" Jason laughed as he sized up the man. "I bet you could bench half the force with your body.
"Well… I'm not old enough to join yet. I'm only fifteen."
"FIFTEEN!" Tyler and Jason both said in complete disbelief. This man practically towered over them, not to mention looked like he could throw them across the arena. How was someone this huge and this strong only fifteen years old?
"We're both classmates at the north side high school." Silas explained. "Though we didn't know each other before this tournament started."
"Well I'll be dammed." Jason continued staring at Emilio. "Okay kiddo, consider this an audition then. You pass my eye test today you'll be a shoe-in once you're of age."
"Really?!" Emilio's eyes lit up, making both Tyler and Silas chuckle to themselves.
"Yeah, just keep your ego grounded and I bet you'll be golden."
"Yes sir!"
"So… see you after the battle?" Jason said trying to speed up the process some.
"Oh absolutely, let's go Silas." Emilio quickly turned about with his partner following, leaving Jason dumbstruck in the middle of the arena.
"You got a fan." Tyler teased after a moment.
"How the hell is he fifteen?" Jason asked with a dumbfounded expression. He then looked at his own muscles and flexed them, sighing at the complete lack of size in comparison to Emilio. "Dude's like ten years younger than me, and yet he's built like a Machamp and I'm the one who looks like a Machop. That's not fair man!"
"You can ask for his secrets later. Come on, we've kept our audience here waiting lon enough. We need to get started on our battle." Tyler saw a cameraman focusing on the two of them and he waved at it, seeing himself and Jason projected up onto the videoboard behind the cameraman. Jason did the same, both of them stopping as they saw their judge walk past them in the shot and head towards his raised platform. By the time the judge got into position, both Tyler and Jason, as well as their opponents stood ready for the match to begin.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the final first round matchup in the Hearthome Tag Battle Tournament between the team of Emilio Bolden and Silas Vincent, versus the team of Jason Ivy and Tyler Lawson!" The crowd roared their delight as the lights began to focus and shine on the arena floor before them. "Once again the rules are simple. Two teams of two Pokémon per trainer for a total of four. You are the winner when all four of your opponent's Pokémon are defeated. Understood?"
Yes!" The four said at once, Tyler flinching slightly at hearing his voice projected over the PA system. It was finally setting in; in a few short moments he'd be battling on a huge stage like this for the first time. And with a bit of fortunate luck, it wouldn't be the last time he stepped foot here.
"So, Emilio, Silas, are you two ready?" Another yes from the two was given as they grabbed their balls. "Jason, Tyler, are you two ready?"
"Hell yeah!" Jason and Tyler each grabbed their own lead Pokémon.
"Then let the battle begin!"
"Let's light them up Magnus!"
"Let's go Breloom!" Tyler and Jason released their Pokémon first, the two of them landing beneath their silver spark showers with a flash. Both Magnus' head and back flames were already lit with a vibrant red-orange
"Flex on these fools Machamp!"
"Get ready to roar Druddigon!" Emilio and Silas both released their Pokémon beneath a loud roar from the red and blue dragon as his bellowing cry filled the arena with an intense energy. His partner meanwhile simply stood up proudly, showing off his own muscular physique across all four of his arms.
"You just had to say Machamp didn't you." Tyler shook his head at Jason. "You couldn't have said something fluffy like, I dunno, a Clefable?"
"Yeah right, like this guy would have a Clefable." He shrugged then shook his head as well. "But who cares, we've got a battle to win. Use Mach Punch on Druddigon Breloom!"
"Flamethrower on Machamp Magnus!" As Breloom charged forward with a glowing blue fist, alongside him Magnus reared back and spat a burning pillar of red-orange flames that raced just as quickly towards their target.
"Blast it back with Fire Punch Machamp!" Before the attack could reach the Machamp, its left two fists ignited in their own flames as he tried to punch the attack away from him, the flames lapping at his arms and legs as he stood in the middle of the attack. The Breloom meanwhile had made its way to his target, throwing his claw forward and punching the Druddigon clean in the chest.
"Give him some Revenge Druddigon!" The blue dragon scowled at the mushrrom capped Pokémon beneath him, making a fist of his own and throwing it into the Breloom's head and pushing him away from him.
"Hmmm… I'm gonna need all the speed I can get against him." Tyler said thinking aloud. "Magnus use Flame Charge!" The Quilava nodded, trailing after his attack as flames surrounded his body and he raced towards the Machamp.
"Bullet Punch!" But as he did, the fire punching Pokémon's other fists began glowing a steely silver as he now charged into the rest of the attack, throwing his fists into Magnus' burning headbutt. The two attacks collided together, pushing both Pokémon back as they looked at each other with a respective smirk.
"Oh I'm looking forward to this even more now. This is gonna be an all-out brawl! Breloom, use Iron Tail!" Shaking off the damage, Breloom leapt forward again, whippin his tail around as it glowed silver and threw it towards the dragon's head.
"Catch it and use Dragon Claw!" Druddigon however raised one of its claws and wrapped it around the attack as the other became engulfed in jagged green energy as he reared back for an attack.
"Quick, use Bullet Seed!" Breloom swiftly spat out a barrage of seeds into the dragon's face, each one causing a small explosion of smoke that made him loosen his grip on Breloom, dropping it as he dodged the attack.
"Let's dial up the pain Machamp, use Dynamic Punch!" Now Machamp races forward with all four fists glowing the same vibrant red, intent on punishing the smaller Fire type before him.
"Use Quick Attack and get away from him!" Relying on their speed, Tyler watched as Magnus darted between the lumbering Pokémon's legs and got behind him. But the Machamp turned around himself and continued his charge, forcing Magnus to keep running around the battlefield. Eventually, Magnus stopped briefly to take a breather, but Machamp still chased after him, finally getting in a position as he swept down and delivered a vicious uppercut with his two fists together, sending the poor Fire type sky high.
"Magnus!" Tyler cried out as his partner flipped helplessly through the air.
"Nice, now let's go hit the Breloom, use Fire Punch!" Again the Machamp's fists burst into flames as he shifted attention to the Grass type on the field.
"Tag team him Druddigon, use Dragon Claw!" Now both of Druddigon's claws glowed with the jagged green energy as he raced followed after the Breloom as well.
"Mind Reader Breloom, let's go!" A crystal clear glint overcame the Breloom's eyes as he looked at the two Pokémon. Machamp and his burning fists arrived first, throwing a punch that the Breloom sidestepped towards the Druddigon with. The dragon seized the attack, throwing a claw downward at the Breloom only for the spry Grass type to spin his tail around and parry the incoming attack. Machamp swung another low punch in perfect tandem with his partner's attack, but Breloom again saw it coming and jumped over the attack, taking a large hop back to dodge another Dragon Claw.
"Make the momentum your own Magnus! Use Flamethrower!" With his trainer's call, Magnus began embracing the flips and slowed his rotations until he looked down at the battlefield. As he began to descend, he launched another spiraling fiery blast from his maw that looked like a tornado as it descended around the two aggressors. Magnus landed as the flames dissipated, appearing to only annoy both Pokémon as they growled at him. But Magnus did the same back, although Tyler saw a very noticeable black mark underneath his partner's eyes on landing.
"Impressive, but it'll take more than that to take us down." Silas clenched his fist in excitement. "Use Dragon Pulse on Quilava!"
"Flamethrower again Magnus!" As the Druddigon molded a prismatic ball of energy in its mouth, Magnus also charged an attack as flames dripped from his maw. But as they attacked, Magnus' burning shot fired high above the Druddigon's head, while his opponent's attack struck him in the face.
"Damn, he must still be disoriented from that last punch." Both Tyler and Magnus growled at their draconic opponent. "Keep your focus Magnus, he's right there in front of you!"
"Let's flatten them Machamp! Use Close Combat!" Emilio's Machamp raced forward, each of its four fists clenched together ready to deliver a clubbing blow to Breloom.
"Now Stun Spore!" But before he could get there, Jason's Breloom shot out a cloud of golden spores from the pores in its head, slowing down the charging brute and dropping him to a knee with a faint pulse of golden light surrounding his body.
"Shake it off Machamp, use Dynamic Punch!"
"You use Dynamic Punch too Breloom!" Both Machamp and Breloom eyed up their targets and raced ahead, their two red-orange fists brushing past each other as they both connected and sent each other flying backwards, rolling around on the arena before standing back up with a pained expression and black bands beneath their eyes.
"Now let's slow them down with a Shock Wave Druddigon!" A brief small ball of energy forms in the Druddigon's mouth before dispersing in a faint moving pulse of electricity that strikes Magnus, leaving a lingering jolt of electricity that forces him to shake his body free of the static buildup.
"We won't slow that easily, use Quick Attack Magnus! Shaking the slowness off of himself, Magnus raced forward with a white glow behind him and crashed into the Druddigon, pushing him back a few steps at the impact.
"Get Revenge Druddigon!" Again the dragon lumbered forward and threw a punch into the Quilava, knocking him back with a flip as Magnus struggles to keep his legs underneath him.
"Damn, we're getting pasted out here." Tyler frowned as he watched his partner shake the cobwebs from his eyes, thought the black bands remained. "I don't think we have a choice, use Lava Plume Magnus!" At that moment, Magnus' back flames exploded into a vibrant orange, crawling up his head as he spat out a huge burning cloud of smoke and sludge that made a clear path towards the Druddigon. Before he could react, the sludge clung to him, burning across his arms and legs and making the dragon cry out in pain as he hobbled back away from the attack with noticeable scorches across his body.
"Yeah that's how we get our revenge, let's go Magnus!" Tyler's partner looked back at him with a nod, showing the band had disappeared from his eyes, further making Tyler's mood improve.
"Guess I was right when I thought this match would be hot." Silas grinned as he surveyed the battlefield. His Druddigon seemed to agree, letting out a prideful roar as well.
"Time to power up Machamp, use Bulk Up!" Both Emilio and his partner flexed their impressive arm muscles, the Pokémon taking on a faint orange glow at the same time, even appearing to grow in size slightly as well.
"Flex all you want; it won't matter if you can't stand up. Use Fore Palm Breloom!" Jason took the initiative, his Breloom lunging forward with a golden sparkling claw as it raced forward and threw it into the Machamp's stomach. A pulse of energy shot through his body, and a moment later he was knocked backward. But he managed to stay on his feet, a smirk growing on his lips as he slid back towards Emilio.
"That tickled." Emilio chuckled with his Machamp, before throwing a fist forward of his own. "Now use Drain Punch!" With that, the Machamp charged ahead with a pair of yellow fists of its own, throwing them at the Breloom and hitting it. As they did, not only was Breloom pushed back, but the fists turned to green and briefly left connecting trails of green energy with the Pokémon that they'd hit before shrinking into Machamp's body.
"That's what's up, now let's add on Druddigon. Use Bulldoze!" The large Dragon took a large stomp, sending a shockwave into the battlefield that slowly rippled across the battlefield towards all the Pokémon in the arena.
"Use Defense Curl Magnus!" As the attack rumbled forward, Magnus curled up into a ball, letting the ground shake beneath him as it rocked the other battlers, knocking them off balance.
"Now Dragon Claw!" The large Dragon rumbled forward with a head of steam, his claw glowing bright green as he reared it and slashed down into Magnus' ball, sending him rolling back towards Tyler and wobbling around looking dizzy from the hit.
"Hmph, well I guess I can play your game too Emilio. Breloom use Growth!" Like his rival had, Breloom's body began to glow with a faint green light, becoming larger as he made a slashing motion with his claws.
"But can you keep up with us? Use Drain Punch again Machamp!"
"You're damn right I can keep up, use Sky Uppercut!" Once again the two Fighting types charged forward towards each other with their fists curled and ready to strike. They pulled their arms back, throwing them forward as both of them ended up running past their target completely and tripping over their own feet as they tried to turn back around, kicking up a small cloud of dust at the same time.
"Come on Breloom, get up and smack him for real this time!" Jason called out as his Breloom stood, trying to shake the cobwebs from its head.
"Get up Machamp, you've got work to do!" Emilio's champion stood up as well, stretching his arms like a windmill as him and Breloom locked eyes again. They charged a second time, hoping to connect with their attacks this time. With the extra reach, Machamp threw his gargantuan fists first and connected with the side of Breloom's head. But as he did, a jolt of lightning flared up the side of the Machamp's body, his muscles seizing as his punching power dropped drastically, allowing the Breloom to throw his glowing blue claw under the Machamp's chin and blasting him into the sky.
"Take over Druddigon, use Thunder Punch!" With lightning crackling around his claws, Druddigon ran forward and threw a quick punch into the Breloom, pushing him back a short distance before turning back towards Magnus with the other and charged.
"Blind him with Smokescreen Magnus!" But on the dragon's charge, Magnus coughed up a thick cloud of black smoke straight into the Druddigon's eyes, making him wildly swing over where Magnus stood with his attack. The smoke itself drifted across the battlefield completely, covering both Magnus and Breloom from view at the same time.
"I think we need to flip the script Emilio." The two looked at each other and nodded in agreement. "Use Dragon Pulse and aim it into the ground!" Again the Druddigon roared as a ball of prismatic energy formed and shot from its mouth. The ball fell into the ground with a heavy explosion, quickly blowing back the smoke and exposing the two Pokémon that were underneath it.
"Now use Flamethrower Machamp!"
"WHAT?!" Tyler and Jason both looked up in disbelief as Machamp threw its arms out wide, the band underneath its eyes gone and its fists caught fire again. He then reared them back like he was going to throw a punch but instead spat out a blast of fire from his mouth towards the startled Breloom.
"Show him a real Flamethrower Magnus!" The Quilava quickly raced in front of his partner, rearing back himself and spat his own spiraling blast of flames into Machamp's. The two fiery attacks exploded against each other, sending rippling waves of heat across the battlefield before a massive fireball exploded in the center of the arena, blinding everyone from the action momentarily. When the dust had settled, Machamp had landed by his partner, flexing defiantly while Magnus and Breloom stood across from them.
"His Machamp… knows Flamethrower… And I'd thought I'd seen it all as a ranger already." Jason said still stunned in disbelief before finally cracking up into laughter. "God damn this battle is too intense."
"So I'm passing your test then?" Emilio asked eagerly.
"Hell yeah you are."
"YES! I'm gonna be a ranger!" Emilio cheered triumphantly like he'd already won the battle.
"Well hold up kid, our match isn't over yet. Use Mach Punch Breloom!"
"Right, Bullet Punch Machamp!" The growing rivalry between these two Pokémon renewed yet again as the two raced past each other with another glancing exchange of blows as they shot past each other. They turned again and charged again, firing another powerful blow into their opponent. A third pass stopped with both of them standing before each other and trading punches like a boxing match.
"Druddigon, use Dark Pulse on Quilava!"
"Dodge and use Flame Wheel!" As the dragon's jaw unhinged and formed a sphere of blackness in its mouth, Magnus raced forward and tucked his body into a burning ball, rolling towards him. The attack launched, a spiraling blast of black and purple from the Dragon type's mouth, but Magnus' agility shined through and he dodged the attack as his burning wheel rolled into the dragon from the side he bounced out of the attack. He rolled around again for a second charge and charged forward again.
"Dragon Rush Druddigon!" For the first time, Druddigon took flight, beating his massive wings as his massive body became shrouded in a thick blue aura. Magnus jumped up for his next attack but ate the dragon's attack, knocking him skyward and over Tyler's head before landing in a crumpled heap behind him.
"Quilava is unable to battle!" The judge said as he raised a flag and pointed toward Tyler. "Tyler is down to his final Pokémon!"
"Booyah!" Sirus pumped his fist as his Druddigon let out a victorious roar. "That's what I'm talking about buddy!"
"Nice hit partner!" Emilio shot his partner a thumbs-up, getting one in return. "But we're not slowing down any, use Fire Punch Machamp!" As the Breloom again struggled to get back to his feet, the Machamp raced forward with his burning fists as he tried to add to their numbers advantage.
"Oh hell no, you're not taking going up two-nill. Caelum! Take flight and use Brave Bird!" Tyler ran over towards Jason and threw Caelum's ball as hard as he could. As the ball burst open, Caelum's already burning blue body burst forth like an arrow. As Machamp reared back his fists, the Predator Pokémon slammed violently into his stomach and stopped him instantly, sending him flying backwards as he landed with a heavy hit. "Now finish him off Jason!"
"Can do, use Dynamic Punch Breloom!" The Breloom's eyes glinted with a red hue as he jumped up with his powerful legs and cocked his fist. His claw glowing the same vibrant red hue as Breloom fell into the downed Machamp, the ground cratering beneath the force of the blow. The pure power of the blow behind it could be felt through the stadium, telling everyone that was watching the fight that Machamp wasn't getting back up any time soon.
"Machamp is unable to battle! Emilio is down to his last Pokémon!" The judge said raising another flag.
"Wooo! Let's go Caelum, that was beautiful!" Tyler cheered with a fist pump as Caelum turned his flight back towards him.
"Star-raptor!" Caelum let out a shrill cry, a powerful cry of intimidation made even more threatening with the residual flames dripping off his wings.
"Hell yeah! Beautiful work Breloom, you too Caelum!" Jason roared with approval at his team as Emilio retreated his Machamp to its ball.
"Damn, now that's how you finish an opponent! No shame in going down to that." Emilio laughed as he swapped balls. "Now let's keep the party rolling Marshmallow!"
"M-marshmallow?" Tyler watched on as Emilio's Pokémon materialized, making the name seem appropriate. Its body was somewhat star-like despite its puffiness. Its ears were pointed and black capped, but everything else was some shade of pink from its arms, to its legs, to the curl of hair above its eyes, to the small wings and tail behind it.
"Why'd you have to say Clefable earlier Tyler?" Jason shook his head at him like he had earlier.
"You're the one who said he wouldn't have a Clefable though." Tyler shrugged a response. "Man, what are the odds though?"
"All I know is that the odds of us winning are still the same as theirs, so let's tip the scale in our favor. Breloom, use Force Palm on Druddigon!"
"Counter him with Dragon Claw!" Moving on from his rivalry with Machamp, Breloom ran forward with his golden claws aimed at the dragon and his green claws. The Breloom struck fist and aimed a second blow between the dragon's ribs, but with one heavy smack of his claw the Druddigon knocked him away from him, rearing his second attack as the two attacks hit each other in a small explosion of dust.
"Show them your more than fluff Marshmallow, use Thunderbolt on Staraptor!"
"D-double Team Caelum!" The Clefable briefly caught Tyler off guard as it shook its body and waggled its finger briefly before an electric aura surrounded it. It fired a bolt of lightning from its finger that electrified one of the Staraptor clones before a small group of them now appeared flying around and scattering across the battlefield.
"Use Swift Marshmallow!"
"Aerial Ace, let's go!" The finger pointing continued from the Clefable as now shooting stars shot forth from its finger in a wide arc as the Staraptor clones all dive-bombed it. Only one of them remained however, but blasted through the stars with his white contrails surrounding his body and crashed into the Clefable, bouncing off its puffy body.
"He's weak Druddigon, finish him off with Dragon Rush!"
"Get underneath him and use Sky Uppercut!" The dragon raced forward with his thick blue draconic aura once again and a look of finality in his eyes. But Breloom stayed firm and at the last possible moment threw a powerful blue uppercut of his own into the dragon's chin. Still, the dragon's momentum was too much for Breloom to withstand, sending him hurtling backwards end over end before lying face down in the dirt before his trainer. The Druddigon, also looked like he was on his last legs. He dropped to his knees, trying desperately to stay upright but he too fell like his opponent.
"Breloom and Druddigon are unable to battle!" The judge announced with his raised flags. "All trainers are down to their final Pokémon."
"Wow, nice job out there Breloom." Jason said retreating his partner.
"You too Druddigon, take a break." Silas added himself as he and Jason both switched to their last Pokémon.
"Let's go Manectric!"
"Ready to rumble Seismitoad." The two Pokémon made their way to the battlefield, Jason's Electric type already brimming with pent up electricity, where the large warty blue toad across from him just sort of stood there with a grouchy expression.
"Not bad, but now hit him with Meteor Mash!"
"Wait what?" Even Caelum looked a bit surprised as he turned around to see the Clefable already jumping towards him with a star-coated fist and slammed it into the bird's face. His crash landing kicked up a fair bit of dust, but he seemed able to shake it off and stand back up.
"Let's not take any chances, use Roost Caelum!" Caelum locked eyes with his opponent, narrowing them as he folded his wings into his body and let a soft white glow surround him.
"Oh no you don't, freeze him with Ice Beam!" Another finger wag from the Clefable and this time a blast of frigid energy shot from it, striking Caelum and beginning to coat him in a thin layer of ice.
"Caelum! Use Close Combat and break the ice!" But despite his flailing of his wings and furious pecking, the ice started getting thicker around his legs, rooting him in place as the attack continued.
"Really? An Electric type against us? Not a good pick mate." Silas taunted feeling sure of himself. "Use Mud Bomb!"
"You might think so, but a ranger is ready for anything. Use Magnet Rise Manectric! As Seismitoad spat out a blob of mud, Manectric howled at the setting sun as the electricity stored in his fur materialized around his feet. He then jumped up over the attack and to everyone's surprise, stayed floating in midair and snarled down at the toad before him. "Hey worry about him later Manectric, we need to unfreeze Tyler. Use Flamethrower!" Doubly surprising was now that the Electric type was literally running on the air with his electrified feet. He raced through the sky towards Caelum and spat out a blast of flames towards the ground by Caelum's feet, melting the ice and letting the bird free of his icy prison.
"Thanks mate."
"Don't mention it, it's what we do." Jason laughed as he struck a pose. "Ain't that right Manectric?"
"Manectric Mane!" He howled once again as the sky began to darken overhead and a faint rumbling of thunder was felt more than heard in the stadium.
"Interesting strategy, but we can get creative ourselves. Use Hyper Voice Seismitoad!"
"Throw in a Blizzard for good measure Marshamllow!" Both Seismitoad and Clefable charged up their attacks. Seismitoad simply opened its mouth and let out a loud bellowing croak that rippled through the sky. While the Clefable again made a waggle of its finger and threw its hand forward, summoning a frosted gale of hail and snow from behind it that bore down on the two flying Pokémon.
"Doesn't look like we can dodge this one, so let's zap them instead. Manectric use Thunderbolt on Clefable!"
"Fall back Caelum and set up a Tailwind!" While the Staraptor retreated, Manectric stayed firmly entrenched in its aerial position and discharged a massive Thunderbolt towards the Clefable. The lightning bolt cut through the hail and electrified the puffy fairy to halt its attack. The rippling croak of the Seismitoad however made Manectric cringe as it stunned him and pushed back towards Caelum. However, the bird gained height with his retreat, beating his wings down on the battlefield to further muffle the gale of the Blizzard and dissipate the attack while also forming his trademark flight path above the battlefield.
"That's it, now use Return Caelum!"
"Another Thunderbolt Manectric!" With their speed advantage cemented, Caelum falls into his Tailwind and starts darting around the battlefield with a mach cone forming behind him before shooting out towards the Seismitoad. Manectric meanwhile roars out another Thunderbolt towards the Clefable.
"Seismitoad, absorb that Thunderbolt!" The toad finally moved for the first time this battle, jumping in front of Manectric's attack and absorbing it perfectly with his immunity. And although he took Caelum's swift attack pretty hard, he still looked at his two trainers with a nod of support.
"Time for our trump card Marshmallow, use Gravity!" This time Clefable stood ramrod stiff and held its finger to the sky as a ball of blackish-purple with a white orb at its center formed above its head. As it did, both Manectric and Caelum struggled to keep themselves aloft, the former actually falling back to the ground on all fours while his avian partner managed to stay airborne albeit just barely off the ground.
"Now hit them with Earthquake Seismitoad!" Sirus' Pokémon meanwhile reared its fist back and slammed it into the ground, creating a rippling shockwave that fractured the ground beneath him and rumbled towards Manectric and Caelum. Both Pokémon struggled in their efforts to try and avoid the attack, but with the intense gravity weighing them down, both Pokémon took the force of the seismic shift and crumpled into the ground taking substantial damage.
"Dammit, I am sick of everyone and their mother using Earthquake in this tournament!" Jason growled in annoyance as his Manectric growled himself in pain.
"Keep your head on Jay, we need to take out that Clefable immediately or we're going to lose." Tyler said more calmly, although there was a noticeable tinge of irritation in his voice as well.
"Don't need to tell me twice. Full power Manectric, use Thunder!"
"Caelum Roost again! We need to recover!" As Caelum grounded himself again with the same faint glow of before, Manectric got up and howled at the sky as he discharged a massive jolt of electric energy into the sky. The clouds responded in kind by thickening, darkening as they grew in intensity above the battlefield and rumblings of a violent storm grew more prominent. Suddenly a bolt fell from the sky, thick and powerfully towards the stationary Clefable.
"Take the hit once more Seismitoad!" For the second time, Seismitoad shielded itself over the smaller Clefable and absorbed the lightning strike that fell from the sky.
"Nice partner, now Marshmallow let's go! Use Drain Punch on Manectric!" Emilio's partner tossed the ball above its head up a short distance and began slowly running forward with its fist glowing with a green aura.
"Thunder again!" Stubbornly, Jason orderd another powerful lightning bolt to be dropped from the sky towards the charging Clefable.
"Change of plans Marshmallow, use Thunder yourself!" The Clefable slowed down to a halt itself and launched its own discharging bolt of electricity into the clouds, further thickening the storm above. At the same time, two bolts of lightning fell from the sky, one striking the Clefable and the other striking Manectric with both of them making a sharp cry as the attack hit them. However, as the attacks wore on, Clefable's became more pained and discomforting, whereas the Manectric seemed to be absorbing the lightning that flowed into him.
"Focus on the Staraptor Seismitoad, use Sludge Bomb!" Silas ordered his juggernaut of a Pokémon to turn his attention to the still stationary bird. He opened his mouth and fired a blast of purple sludge towards Caelum.
"Take flight Caelum, use Brave Bird!" His recovery now finished, Caelum took off straight and low towards the Seismitoad as his body ignited into a fan of blue flames. The sludge attack exploded against Caelum's body, but still he continued to fly towards his foe. He charged up another attack and fired it to the same result. A third was attempted, but before it arrived, Caelum slammed into the Pokémon's chest, causing both of them to fall over onto the ground from the recoil of the powerful blow. And with the Clefable's Gravity orb still weighing both of them down, neither one was easily able to right itself back to its feet.
"Back on your feet Seismitoad, use Poison Jab!"
"Take the hit and use Endeavor!" Instead of standing back up, Seismitoad simply rolled over and let its warts begin secreting a sludge from them that coated his arm. He then threw his arm towards Caelum, hitting him plainly with the attack. But surprisingly, Caelum managed to hold the weight of his opponent's fist before squirming around enough to break free of it. He then jumped up and landed on the frog's stomach and began furiously clawing at soft underbelly with his sharpened talons. Seismitoad tried and eventually succeeded in swatting the bird off him, but not before looking just as injured as Caelum was as they both lay on the ground together.
"Keep pressing on Marshamllow, use Meteor Mash!"
"Bite his arm with Fire Fang!" Having realized his strategy apparently backfired, Emilio and Marshmallow charged forward again with a blue star-shaped aura surrounding his fist. But Manectric saw the attack coming and sidestepped it, Clefable hopping forward a short distance before the Manectric pivoted around and lunged for it, biting the Fairy type's arm. As he did, his mouth caught fire as small embers dripped from his tongue as he sunk deeper into the Pokémon's arm, not letting go despite his attempts to free himself.
"Knock him off Marshmallow! Use Drain Punch!" Fighting through the pain, Clefable raised its other hand as it glowed yellow and punched the Manectric with it. But despite literally stealing the energy from Manectric and absorbing it to itself, Manectric stayed firm with his teeth digging into the Clefable's body.
"Shut him down with Thunderbolt!" As the Clefable continued to punch into Manectric's body, Jason's partner let the electricity surge through its body and electrify the Fairy type. As it did, the gravity orb that had been floating above the battlefield began to fluctuate, expanding and contracting inward on itself in a sign of instability.
"One more time Caelum! Brave Bird!"
"Hydro Pump Seismitoad!" With the two Pokémon making their way back to their feet again, Caelum took off with his blue flames surrounding his body. The Seismitoad stood back and spat out a torrential blast of water from its mouth which Caelum flew straight into, cutting through the water like a knife. The two collided together once again with a powerful explosion sending mist, smoke and dust everywhere, completely blinding the entire battlefield except for some electric pulses from where Manectric and Clefable were still fighting.
The clouds stayed put for a moment, but with a flash of purple and white light they finally began to lift up the clouds as the gravity well over the battlefield had ceased. And finally upon the smoke being lifted, the carnage of the attacks was able to be seen. The Seismitoad laid sprawled out on its back with its arms laying limply by its side. The Staraptor, lay on the toad's stomach, wings equally sprawled out before he slid off to the side of the Pokémon's body and laid unresponsive. On the opposite side of the battlefield from them lay the pink Clefable, which lay on its stomach with the curl of pink hair on its head looking like an afro and a large bite mark on its wrist. Manectric meanwhile even laid down on its stomach, small arcs of lightning jumping around the tufts of yellow fur on its body.
The judge looked over the group of four prone laying Pokémon, unsure of what to do. Who was the victor if all the Pokémon were unresponsive? Then he saw one as both the Manectric and Clefable began to stir. The crowd held their collective breath as they each fought to get themselves back upright. Manectric slowly pushed itself back onto its front legs, while the Clefable tried to push itself up. They kept trying and trying, struggling against their exhaustion until finally the Clefable's arms couldn't keep itself upright and it collapsed. Manectric meanwhile pushed its hind legs up as well, and although they were incredibly wobbly, he was able to take another step away from the fallen Clefable.
"Manectric is the only Pokémon still able to battle!" The judge said raising one of his flags. "Therefore the winners are Jason Ivy and Tyler Lawson!"
"Manectric!" Jason rushes out towards his Pokémon, catching it in his arms as its legs fall out from underneath him. "Dude that was insane, you were nothing short of legendary out there!"
"Oh my God… I can't believe this fight." Tyler said as he fell to his knees, trying to catch his breath and control his heart that had jumped into his throat. "Holy… Goddamn that was too intense."
"Wah-hooo! That was straight up awesome!" Emilio said completely unfazed by the apparent defeat. "Such an amazing battle!"
"Yeah," Silas laughed himself. "Man I don't even care that we lost. I'm just glad to be a part of that!"
"Amen!" Emilio agreed as he jogged out towards his downed Clefable. "Marshmallow you did great!" He slid into the ground and scooped up his fluffy Fairy type, holding it above his arms. "I couldn't be prouder!"
"Clefable…" The Pokémon looked a bit upset, shying away from his trainer's praise.
"Bah, don't be upset we lost. That could have gone either way easily!" Still the Clefable didn't return his trainer's excitement. "You do know you earned as many s'mores as you want though right?" That seemed to make the Fairy type excited again as Emilio stood them both back up again while Tyler and Silas returned their Pokémon to their balls.
"So is that why you call him marshmallow?" Jason asked with a chuckle, to which both Emilio and his partner nodded.
"He just can't stop eating them. They're his favorite after all."
"Hard to disagree with that. Though I have to ask now… burnt or just toasted."
"Toasted." Sirus and Emilio said in unison.
"Burnt." Tyler answered, getting a weird stare from all three of them. "What? They're so much better burnt!"
"No they're freaking not!" Jason and Sirus said together.
"You're eating nothing but char at that point. Burnt sugar is just disgusting." Emilio began to explain. "When it's golden brown it looks visually appealing and tastes better."
"Not to mention if it falls off the stick while you're burning it, then what do you do? You just start wasting marshmallows that belong to everyone else." Jason added on.
"Yeah, why should we be punished because you're the one who screwed up cooking his marshmallow." Sirus completed the argument.
"First of all, it is better burnt because you get the core melted faster, meaning it becomes even gooier." Tyler began his counterargument. "Second, it adds a texture and a flavor element to making a s'more because you get a crispiness from the char which also adds a smokey flavor. Third, it's called pulling it out of the fire once it catches and rotating it around so the fire spreads evenly instead of losing it in the flames! And last but not least-" Tyler was about to continue but an audible sound of someone's stomach rumbling interrupted his argument. They looked towards the source of the noise and saw the Clefable shyly pushing its fingers together before the group began to laugh together at the silliness of the moment.
"Maybe we can argue about marshmallow cooking at a different time. These guys deserve a trip to the Pokémon Center." Jason said and all four of them agreed.
"Maybe we should have Clefable settle our argument. After all, it is actually called Marshmallow." Emilio suggested as the group began to walk off towards the back of the arena.
"Hey Ty." Tyler looked at Jason and saw a raised fist to him. "We made it to the next round."
"Damn right we did." Tyler enthusiastically bumped his fist back and felt his fire grow even larger in his heart. "We're that much closer being champions."
"That's what I want to hear." Jason slapped his partner on the back as he and their two former opponents turned fellow marshmallow enthusiasts stepped away from the trials of south stadium and towards the nearest Pokémon Center with their Pokémon in tow.
A/N: Okay, so I just got back from booking my trip to Alola and looks like we got a decent chapter out of the way. Nice, that's 38 in the books. So yeah, obviously big news in the Pokémon world is the announcement of Sun and Moon coming up at the end of the year. Now I'm sure a couple of you might be asking the question already as to whether or not this story will incorporate the new mons/characters etc. from those games when they come out. The short answer is yes to the Pokémon and a maybe to the characters. Obviously we need more information on the plots of the games and the characters before I can begin to find ways to incorporate them into the future of this story. But for the time being, assume that there is a chance for everything that you've seen in the trailers that have already been released and the ones yet to come to be utilized in this story at a later time. So, all of that being said. I've got some research to start conducting, which means that it is time for me to sign out and wish you all a fantastic day once again and that I hope I'll get to see you guys again next time.
Tyler's Team: Magnus (Quilava, Male), Caelum (Starator, Male), Felix (Gligar, Male), Yuki (Glaceon, Female)
Wendy's Team: Pulse (Lucario, Male), Tess (Ampharos, Female), Yuri (Lilligant, Female)