The Frontier Tower, Chapter 70
My stay in Ever Grande that night was all well and good. I won't meander on it for long, because despite being built on a lake atop a mountain, there really wasn't much else to the city. The main attraction anyway was the Pokemon League building in the center of town, and going there was not on my list of priorities. Though, something else was on my mind that morning, as I had breakfast in the hotel with Roxanne. Two things, to be exact.
"Roxanne, where is the League Tournament held?" See, back in Kanto, the tournament held prior to allowing a single trainer to face the Elite Four. And it was held right inside Indigo Plateau. However, the building in the center of Ever Grande was far too small to serve that purpose.
"Well, we've always held that tournament in the Battle Frontier, prior to it actually donning that name. When the Frontier organized into what it is today, the Hoenn League changed its rules and procedures quite a bit."
To sum up the lengthy, if detailed explanation. Rather than hold a seasonal tournament like Kanto, the Battle Frontier offered qualifying battles year-round. To get a shot at the Elite Four, you'd have to accumulate enough prestige at the frontier. It was essentially a do-it-yourself tournament, where you set your own pace and had a bit more freedom in how to earn your merits. The Frontier had plenty of fighting styles to choose from: from simple one-on-one fights, to the point based battles I experienced in Fallarbor Town, and many more. I wasn't expecting to take part in any of them, but I'd soon be told otherwise.
"Thanks for the explanation," I told Roxanne. "There's one other thing I wanted to ask you."
"Go ahead."
"What's the deal with you, Flannery, and Winona?" Perhaps that was a question I shouldn't have asked. Roxanne's expression darkened instantly.
"It's a long story," she muttered. "I'd rather not say. Besides, it's none of your business!"
That pretty much solidified it. Roxanne wasn't going to share, Flannery foamed at the mouth when she tried to explain, and Winona seemed to be the one on top with all the answers. Once I got to the Battle Frontier I had the strangest feeling this would all come crashing down on me.
Still, an invitation was an invitation after all. After breakfast, Roxanne and I hopped aboard a small ferry that would take us to the Battle Frontier. Circling around the island of Ever Grande, the ferry carried us south for an hour. In the distance I could see a massive tower jutting out from the island, with several other large buildings all around it. Vulpix barked when she noticed what looked like a giant Seviper hissing at us.
"What's that?"
"The Battle Pike," responded Roxanne. "It's one of the attractions. It's something of a maze the trainer must conquer, battling along the way and avoiding potential hazards."
"Sounds interesting," I said. And indeed it did, but I also didn't want to have anything to do with it. The entire thing smelled of Trick Master, and that was one memory I didn't like brought up.
~o~
Once the ferry docked and we were let off, Roxanne and I went our separate ways. I was here to explore and have fun, after all, while she was currently on a mission.
"When you get tired, just head for the Battle Tower," she said, pointing at the ridiculously tall building on one side of the island. "You'll have a room waiting for you."
"Thanks, Roxanne! I'll see you later!"
And with that, I let myself get lost in the crowds of trainers populating the island. I guessed with the Frontier being a relatively new attraction, most of the trainers from Hoenn were running around here. Would explain why I didn't run into very many of them on my travels the past few weeks.
Aside from the gatherings around the battle stadiums, there were numerous gatherings around stalls and stands selling stuff. From food to trinkets and souvenirs, it was a Pokemon trainer's paradise park, indeed. A familiar face I happened to come across was the woman who sold me my doll in Slateport City! She was still hawking those dolls, so I kept my distance a bit. I didn't want to go wasting more money on another useless toy. And I knew if I got too close, I'd succumb to the impulse.
I picked up Vulpix at one point and carried her around with me. The island's paths were packed, and I didn't want her getting hurt trying to weave through the sea of legs. As a matter of fact, pushing through the crowds was tiring me out much faster than I anticipated. After all, I was typically half the size of most of the trainers running about. After less than half an hour of walking I was already feeling beat. I looked for the nearest place to sit and take a breather, settling on a table that was occupied by someone having something to eat.
"You don't mind if I sit here, do you?" I asked the person across from me.
"Suit yourself, I'm eating anyway." She said with her mouth full. I had a feeling I recognized the voice, but I didn't bother to get a good look at her face. I sat down in the chair and let Vulpix sit on the table. The crowd just ahead didn't thin out, making me wonder where all these people came from.
"I swear there weren't so many people here when I got here," I said to myself.
"The Battle Arena just closed for lunch. All those trainers got to eat, too." I looked over to the person across from me, finally realizing who it was.
"Flannery?" She looked up at the mention of the name. It was certainly her, though it baffled me how I didn't recognize her outlandish red hair at first.
"Well, I'll be! Star! Never expected to run into you here! I was gonna look for you later elsewhere." Flannery dragged her chair around the round table so we could sit closer together. Vulpix barked at her to say hello. "Good to see you, too!"
"Did I get here just in time to meet up or something?"
"Something like that. We get a week off with every season, though most of the time we just go where the League tells us. That's what I was told, anyway. And since you were coming here, I was hoping we'd run into each other! So, how've you been?"
"Great! After I beat Winona, she let me borrow this," I told her, showing Winona's ID card. Flannery snatched it out of my hands, staring at it for a moment before glaring at me.
"So Roxanne gives you a free pass and Winona lets you in with her own card," she scowled.
"Guess I'm just popular," I said, scratching the back of my head.
"Yeah, popular. We'll see about that."
I didn't like the sound of that, but it didn't worry me too much either. I knew Flannery and the other two all had something old amongst them, so it was just a matter of time before I was in on it. And to be honest, by now I was more curious than reluctant. After Flannery finished eating, she asked to join me on the rest of my stroll through the island. I denied, though, and suggested we check into the room at the Tower before going out again later. Perhaps in the afternoon or late at night the streets wouldn't be so crowded.
The Tower's interior was practically identical to a hotel. Sure, there were trainers and their Pokemon all over the lobby, but that was also a pretty common sight in normal hotels. I checked in at the front desk, and was informed that I had a room reserved on the eleventh floor. How appropriate, I thought to myself, as I hopped into an elevator with Flannery. We stood in a corner, surrounded by a dozen other trainers on their way up.
"You have a room here, Flannery?"
"Not yet, but I'll make arrangements later. You don't mind some company for a while, do you?"
"Of course not!" I replied with a smile.
"That's cool. We're friends, after all."
My first interpretation of that line was simple enough. We were friends, but it wasn't the reason she brought it up. Of the three ladies, Flannery was so far the only one not to make an effort on my behalf. I wasn't looking for charity, mind you, and neither did I want any of them giving me anything else free. I was appreciative of the offer Roxanne and Winona made, but I didn't ask for any of it, either. If only I could put that into words as easily as it flowed in my head.
When the elevator arrived on the eleventh floor, I got off with Vulpix and Flannery. My room number was 1148, so we'd have to do a bit of searching in the halls to find it. To relieve some of the tension I felt around Flannery, I brought up some conversation.
"If most of these rooms are for trainers to stay," I started, "where are the battles held?"
"Beats me, I've never been here. Maybe there's an arena on some other floor? Oh! Maybe it's on the top of the tower!"
"This tower is huge. How high up do you think it goes?" From the ground, you couldn't see the top. And while I was on the ferry, the higher end was covered by the clouds.
"Eighty floors? Maybe a hundred, who knows. Look, this hall has rooms starting with 40!"
We went down the hallway, passing over a few doors on the left hand side until we reached the room marked 1148. I opened the door with the electronic key I was given, and went inside. The room wasn't anything special; a bed, a couch, a table and a few chairs, a TV, bathroom and closet. A tiny little house to live in while you were on the island. But since this was my first visit, I was left wowed all the same.
"This is so cool!" I tossed my bag on the floor and jumped on the bed, testing out the softness. The bed was surprisingly bouncy, which just begged for me to start jumping on it. Even Vulpix jumped on it, letting herself get tossed around as I bounced.
"What are you, four? Get down from there before you hurt yourself," said Flannery from the other side of the room. Ignoring her for a second, I let myself fall down on my back, bouncing me off the bed and right on my feet.
"You're no fun," I told her, checking out the small fridge stashed behind the table. There was plenty of bottled water inside, but nothing to eat. "I'm getting hungry, but all we have is water."
"Order something, then. There's the phone by the door." Flannery pointed at the wall, where a small panel and receiver sat. I walked over to it and picked up the receiver. There was a dial tone for a moment, before a voice sprung up.
"Room number?" It asked me.
"Um, r-room 1148, sir."
"Is there anything you need, miss?"
"Well, I'm kinda hungry," I said, unsure how else to put it. Suddenly, the panel flashed on, showing me a wide selection of meals with prices attached to them.
"The menu should be displayed, miss. Take your time in making a selection, then pick up the receiver again and input the corresponding code. For special orders, please contact us directly by dialing zero. Is there anything else you need help with?"
"Um, no, not really."
"Thank you for staying with us. Good-bye." Just like that, the person hung up, and the dial tone returned. I put the receiver back on the wall, and looked at the menu onscreen. After settling on a bowl of fried rice, I dialed it in, and went back to jumping on the bed. Flannery just shook her head at me from the couch.
"You really should stop doing that."
"You're just scared~!" I taunted. Perhaps I was still at that age where these dangers registered as fun instead, but I'm certain everyone knows the sheer joy of jumping on a bed. I didn't expect Flannery to buy into my taunt, either. Then she started taking off her shoes.
"I'll show you!" She ran at me, hopping on the bed to bounce alongside me. Before long, it became less about trying to get me down, and more about who was having more fun. This lasted for a little while, until I heard a knock on the door.
I got off the bed to answer the door, figuring it was the rice I ordered. When I opened the door, I saw not only the waiter, but Winona standing there. She took the meal from the waiter, and let herself into the room. That's when she caught Flannery jumping on the bed.
"Just what are you doing?" She told the redhead on the bed. Surprised by the random guest, Flannery miscalculated a jump and fell right off the bed after bumping her head on the ceiling. By the sound of it all... well, it must've hurt bad.
"Winona, what are you doing here?"
"I came to visit Star. And you? What were you doing jumping on the bed like some wild kid?" Ironically, Flannery looked over to me for some kind of answer. When Winona turned to look at me, I just slyly turned my head away from the two.
"Never mind, it's your neck, anyway. Star, I have something to tell you." Winona placed the rice on the table and motioned for me to sit with her. Whatever this something was, at least it couldn't possibly ruin my lunch for me.
"What is it?" I asked as I took a seat and prepared to eat. As I started chewing the first spoonful, Winona dropped it on me.
"I took the liberty of signing you up for some matches here in the Battle Tower." That first swallow went down harder than trying to swallow a rock. Not that I'd know what that felt like.
"What!? I didn't want to do any battling here!"
"How thoughtless of you, Winona," remarked Flannery from the couch.
"I'm sorry, but in order to authorize the cost of having you in this room, you have to at least participate in some battles. If you lose, there's no harm done. But if you win, there's some spectacular prizes to be had." I just sighed.
"I came here just to enjoy myself," I muttered. "I didn't want to have to worry about battles. Do I have to?"
"Yes," Winona said bluntly. "If not, I'm afraid I'll have to ask the Tower to charge you for the expenses of the room."
"How much will- actually, never mind." If there was one thing I didn't want, it was to have to pay for being here. I didn't have much money to begin with, and I was certain this place wouldn't be cheap.
"I'm sorry, Star, but rules are rules. I suggest you finish eating promptly, because your first match is scheduled to begin in less than an hour."
"So soon?"
"Once you check in, your matches are determined by the computer downstairs. Your first match is at 2pm, so prepare accordingly. I'll see you after the match."
Winona rose from her seat and left, just as suddenly as she entered. I was wrong: what she had to say did end up ruining my lunch. I took another bite, finding it didn't taste half as good as the first.
"Hey, don't let it get you down, Star. You're a pretty good trainer, so long as your Pokemon don't fly off the handle on you." Flannery said, taking Winona's chair in front of me.
"Thanks. I guess it won't be too bad, right? It's just a regular Pokemon battle."
"The Tower has some rules you have to follow, but other than that it's all routine. Just give it your all, and have fun with it! You can count on me to be cheering you on, right beside you!"
Flannery gave me a wink, causing me to smile slightly. I looked over to Vulpix, who was sleeping soundly by the bed. After all was said and done, it was her and my other Pokemon that had to do most of the work to keep me in the room. And I knew they had no problem doing their part. I took one more bite, and my smile widened. The delicious flavor of the rice seemed to have returned.
~o~
The elevator stopped on the 37th floor, opening its doors to let myself, Vulpix and Flannery off. Unlike the other floors, this one consisted of a single hallway, with a total of three doors on either side. There were a couple trainers standing in the hall, typically two of them on either side of a door. Guarding each door was also a man dressed as a referee. I walked over to door five, seeing a teenager slouched beside the door.
"Hello," I whispered to the referee, "I'm supposed to go into room five?"
"Is this your first time here?"
"Yes, sir."
"Please select three Pokemon to take with you into the battle." I looked down at my belt, unsure what Pokemon to take into the battle. Without some clue as to what kind of Pokemon this other trainer would be using, I could very well prepare for the advantage. I'd have to go in with a well-rounded team. I picked out Pelipper and Haunter, which complete with Vulpix gave me plenty of diversity for the upcoming fight.
"I'm ready," I said, holding the two Pokeballs in my hands. The referee checked his watch.
"Are you ready as well?" He asked the teenager by the door. In response, the young man showed off his three Pokeballs. "Very well, you two may enter the arena now."
The referee opened the door, allowing us through. The teen went in first, followed by myself and Vulpix. When Flannery was about to enter, the Referee stopped her in her tracks.
"I'm sorry, but only the two combatants may enter the arena. You'll have to wait outside, no exceptions."
"Oh, that sucks. I'll see you when you get back to your room, Star!" Flannery screamed into the room, despite me being no more than a few feet away. She gave me a cheerful wave as the Referee closed the door. I turned around, seeing the teen standing close by. Since he took the side closest to the door, I had to walk across the arena to the other end. Once I was in position, he released his first Pokemon. It was a familiar one, Golem.
"Aren't there some rules we have to follow?" I yelled out to him.
"We battle until either of us loses," he said, not raising his voice much. He then pointed to a camera mounted on the wall. "The League is watching this battle to make sure it remains fair."
"Oh, okay!" I reached for Pelipper's Pokeball, when the teen waved his finger in my direction.
"Your Vulpix is already visible, so you must begin the battle with it. Rules." I looked to the camera, and though I obviously couldn't see anyone looking back at me, I didn't want to get disqualified on the spot.
"Okay, fine. Vulpix, you're on." My small Pokemon took to the field, ready to face that Golem head on. A soft bell went off, and the battle had begun.
"Golem, Earthquake!"
"Vulpix, use Quick Attack!"
The heavy hitting Pokemon stomped on the ground with all its might, causing the arena itself to crack and break up into several pieces. However, Vulpix had already vanished from sight, dodging the powerful blow. She reappeared on top of Golem, safe from the Pokemon's attacks.
"Golem, Smack Down!"
"Vulpix, return!
The rock Pokemon tried to shake Vulpix off its back, but she gracefully leapt off the Pokemon and ran back across the field to me. There was no rule about calling back critters, so I had no problems turning this battle to my favor. I picked Pelipper's Pokeball, and released him. The teen's expression darkened, but he remained composed.
"Golem, Rock Throw!"
"Pelipper, Water Gun!"
Golem pried several rocks from its own body to use as projectiles, lobbing them at Pelipper. He swooped in up close to Golem, skillfully flying underneath the rocks to deliver the attack right in Golem's face. The Pokemon was forced off its legs, remaining helpless on it is back as it tried to regain its balance.
"Golem, Explosion!" My eyes shot open.
"Pelipper, Water Gun again!"
As Golem's entire body began to glow, Pelipper blasted him with more water, slowly but steadily cooling him down. If Pelipper could keep up the spray, Golem would be knocked out before gathering enough energy to explode. For several seconds Pelipper kept the spray strong, until finally it thinned out and he had to take some deep breaths to recover. Golem was out cold.
"Yes! Good work, Pelipper!" My Pokemon touched down on the ground for a moment, resting its wings before the next battle. The teen put his Golem away, and released the next one. This one I didn't recognize, so I quickly produced my Pokedex to scan it for more information.
"Girafarig, the Long Neck Pokemon. Its tail, which also contains a small brain, may bite on its own if it notices an alluring smell."
"Girafarig, Psybeam!"
"Pelipper, defend and return!"
Girafarig's two small horns began to glow, releasing a rainbow colored wave towards Pelipper. The Pokemon used its wings as a shield, but this did little to reduce the impact of the attack. Pelipper went rolling back to my end of the field, taking a bit more damage as he rolled over the debris from the arena. I put him away, and released Haunter. Since Girafarig was part psychic, Haunter's ghost abilities would easily defeat him.
"Girafarig, Psybeam again!"
"Haunter, block it with Night Shade!"
Both Pokemon released their respective attacks, causing them to collide in the middle. Rather than the typical explosion, Haunter's Night Shade overpowered Psybeam, and struck Girafarig dead on. However, to my shock the Pokemon was completely unaffected by the attack! The teen smirked, causing me to flip open my Pokedex again. Being part normal as well made his Pokemon completely immune to Haunter's attacks.
"Girafarig, Zen Headbutt!"
"Haunter, dodge it for now!"
Concentrating the power on its horns again, Girafarig blasted Haunter with a fast moving wave of psychic energy. My ghost Pokemon tried to vanish beforehand, but was caught by the attack just before he went completely invisible. Since it was immune to ghost type attacks, I'd have to try for a one shot victory with one of Haunter's dark abilities.
"Girafarig, Psybeam!"
"Haunter, Sucker Punch!"
Haunter lifted itself back up into the air just as Girafarig charged up the Psybeam attack. Launching its fist like a rocket, Haunter delivered the attack just as Girafarig was about to shoot its beam. The punch caused his aim to be way off, blasting the ceiling and even managing to strike its own tail when its neck reached backwards.
"Haunter, again!"
While Girafarig was still trying to recover from the attack, Haunter's second fist flew right into its neck, causing it to lose balance and fall down. Haunter's part in this fight was over, so I quickly returned him to his Pokeball.
"Girafarig, get up, quickly!"
"Vulpix, finish with Flamethrower!"
My small fox ran out onto the field as fast as she could. By the time Girafarig had recovered from those quick punches, Vulpix was in the air raining down fire on him. When the attack was over, Girafarig was covered in burns and down on his knees. The battle was over. After putting Girafarig back in his Pokeball, the teen raised his hand at the camera.
"I forfeit," he said, shocking me. Right after, a bell went off, signaling the end of the match. Behind him, the door opened, and the Referee stepped into the room.
"Congratulations on your victory," he yelled out to me, then turned to the teen. "And our compliments on your loss. Your trainer card, please."
The teen gave up his card, which the Referee scanned with a small device before handing it back to him. Snapping myself out of my daze, I ran over to them, catching the teen just before he walked out of the room.
"Excuse me, but why did you quit the battle?"
"I underestimated your Pokemon," he said, "and my last one didn't stand a chance against the might of your team. So why waste time? Congrats."
"Thanks. Good battle, I guess?" The teen smiled, the first real emotion he had displayed this whole time. Once he was out of the room, the Referee asked for my own trainer card. I gave it to him, and watched as he scanned it.
"What's this for?"
"Registering your victory with the Tower database. You're free to return to your room for now. You will be informed when it is time for your next match. Good day."
I stepped back out into the hall, and into the gaze of many of the same trainers. There were some whispers and murmurs as I walked by, as if no one truly expected me to beat that teen. It wasn't until I was practically in front of the elevator door that it occurred to me to hold my head up high and smile.
After all, I had managed to win my first Frontier battle!