Chapter 15: The Tournament Begins
"Greetings, Indigo Plateau, and welcome to the League Invitational Tournament!" The crowd erupted in applause and cheer, for the moment they had been waiting for was fast approaching. The tournament was finally about to begin.
"The very best trainers from all over the world as chosen by the Gym Leaders, Elite 4 and champions of every region have all gathered to compete for the title of Pokémon Master!" Gathered in the middle of the stadium were all the trainers who were competing, and amongst them were Ash, Bianca and Max.
"There's a lot more here than I expected," Max commented.
"No kidding," Bianca agreed. Ash was also amazed by the number of trainers competing, but as he looked around he began to see a lot of familiar faces.
"Oh man. This is going to be tough with them competing as well," he said.
"Are they really that strong?" Zorua asked.
"They're among the strongest I've ever faced. Some of them even managed to beat me," Ash told her. After hearing that Zorua turned her attention to the other trainers.
"If they're that strong then I want to face them," she said.
"I'm sure we will at one point in this tournament," Ash assured her. By now the announcer was going over the battle format for the tournament.
"To begin all participants will compete in single elimination battles until we there are only 64 trainers left. For those battles the trainers can only use one Pokémon each with no substitutions. From there the remaining trainers will be placed in 16 blocks of four trainers each. They will then compete against each other round-robin style with points being awarded for their performances. A victory will be worth three points and a tie will be worth one point. No points will be awarded in defeat. Battles for this round will be double battles. The trainer who earns the most points will move on to the round of 16. From here on the battles will be six-on-six. The trainer who manages to defeat all their opponents will certainly have earned the title of Pokémon Master!" The crowds' excitement swelled even more upon hearing of the different types of battles that would be involved.
"This is going to be tough," Max commented.
"Nervous?" Ash asked.
"A bit, but I think I'm more anxious than nervous," Max replied.
"That's good. I wouldn't want you getting cold feet on me," Ash said.
"No chance! I'm going to see this through to the end!" Max declared.
"No matter what happens let's vow that at least one of us makes it to the finals," Bianca suggested.
"You got it," Ash said.
"Consider it done," Max agreed.
"Who's going to win and be elevated to the rank of Pokémon Master?! Let's find out!" And with another resounding cheer from the crowd the League Invitational Tournament officially began.
The battles that began the tournament were nothing short of nail-biting. Insurmountable odds gave way to impossible comebacks that had the crowd whipped into a frenzy. Finally, it was Ash's turn to battle.
"Okay, folks! Let's give a warm welcome for our next competitors! Here on behalf of Misty Waterflower of the Cerulean City Gym, is Mason Cruz!" The crowd cheered as Ash made his way out on the battlefield.
"Alright! Let's go!" Bianca cheered.
"Remember, we can't use his real name while we're cheering for him," Misty advised.
"We'll remember, Misty. No need to worry," Dawn said.
"I think I recall Ash saying whenever you said that was when we need to worry," May joked. The group shared a laugh before the announcer's voice boomed through the speakers once more.
"And, here on behalf of Fantina of the Hearthome City Gym, is Nando!" Ash looked on with a smile as Nando made his way onto the battlefield. He recalled their last battle during the Sinnoh Championships. It was a tough battle as he expected, but in the end Ash managed to emerge victorious.
"I wonder how much stronger his Pokémon have gotten since then," Ash spoke.
"And now it's time to decide who will send out their Pokémon first!" Everyone turned their attention to the massive screen hanging above the stadium, which showed pictures of both Ash and Nando. The pictures began lighting up in an alternating pattern. After a while the lighting stopped on Nando's picture, indicating he'd send his Pokémon out first. Nando wasted no time grabbing a Poké Ball and tossing it out.
"Come to me, Armaldo!" he called. Ash smirked as he watched Nando's Bug-and-Rock type emerge. When they battled in the Sinnoh Championships Ash had used his newly-evolved Quilava to battle Nando's Armaldo to a draw.
"This time things will be different," he whispered, grabbing a Poké Ball of his own. "Time to take the field!" He threw his Poké Ball, calling out his companion.
"Is that Quilava?" Dawn asked.
"Not anymore," Brock answered. The Pokémon Ash called on resembled Quilava, but was much bigger and stood up on his hind legs rather than all four. Then, with a loud roar, he ignited the ring of flames around the back of his neck.
"Looks like Quilava decided to evolve into Typhlosion," Misty commented.
"Now that he's fully evolved I bet this time to battle is going to go much differently," Brock said.
"Armaldo, use Rock Blast!" Nando called. The Plate Pokémon roared and fired off a series of rocks from his mouth.
"Dodge that!" Ash instructed. Using his superior speed and agility Typhlosion easily dodged all the rocks.
"Now go on the attack with Flamethrower!" Ash followed up. Once Armaldo's attack was done Typhlosion spewed forth a massive stream of fire.
"Counter with Protect!" Nando said. A green dome appeared over Armaldo, protecting him from Typhlosion's Flamethrower.
"Now use X-Scissor!" Nando shouted. Armaldo dropped his Protect barrier and charged towards Typhlosion, his claws crossed in front of him.
"Smokescreen!" Ash instructed. Before the Plate Pokémon could reach him Typhlosion blanketed the area around him in a thick cloud of smoke, completely obscuring Armaldo's vision. The Plate Pokémon ceased his attack and came to a stop. His eyes darted back and forth, trying to determine where Typhlosion would attack from.
"Stay calm, my friend. He cannot hide forever," Nando calmly spoke. "Once his Pokémon launches his next attack we'll know where his is." As Nando and Armaldo waited Ash was already planning ahead.
"They're waiting for me to make my move so they'll know where Typhlosion is," he mused. "In that case I think it's time for a little trick play." With his next series of moves planned out Ash executed his strategy.
"Use Swift!" he called. Both Nando and Armaldo tensed as they waited to see where the attack would come from. Seconds later a volley of stars emerged from the Smokescreen to the left of the Plate Pokémon.
"Use Protect and then counter with Rock Blast!" Nando instructed. Once again a green dome appeared over Armaldo, protecting him from Typhlosion's attack. Once the Swift attack was done the Protect barrier dropped and Armaldo transitioned to his Rock Blast, preparing to fire his projectiles into the Smokescreen.
"Now, Flame Wheel!" Ash shouted. Moments later a spinning ball of fire emerged from the Smokescreen, this time from Armaldo's right.
"He's coming from the other way, Armaldo! Stop him with X-Scissor!" Nando yelled. Ash was confident that his plan would work, but Armaldo surprised him by quickly spinning around and blocking Typhlosion's Flame Wheel with an equally powerful X-Scissor. The two Pokémon battled for supremacy before Nando called out his next attack.
"Rock Blast!" Ash swore under his breath. From that close there was no way Typhlosion would be able to avoid the attack. There was only one way for the Volcano Pokémon to get out of this unscathed.
"Employ the Counter Shield!" Ash said. Right before Armaldo fired his Rock Blast Typhlosion used his Flamethrower. Due to the constant spinning from the Flame Wheel the Flamethrower was launched all over the place, creating a makeshift fire shield that forced Armaldo back.
"Alright! He remembered the Counter Shield!" Dawn cheered.
"Counter Shield? What's that?" Iris wondered.
"It's a battle strategy he came up with back in Sinnoh. It allows him to defend against otherwise undefendable attacks while at the same time damaging his opponent," Brock explained. "It's a technique that won him battles on more than one occasion." Those who had no knowledge of the strategy beforehand could only stare at Ash in awe.
"Amazing. Just when you think you know all his tricks he show you that he still has something up his sleeve," Bianca commented.
"Just how do you plan for a battle against someone who uses such unorthodox tactics?" Cilan wondered.
"Easy… you don't," Brock answered.
"It's impossible to plan for Ash," Misty added. "Believe me. I've tried."
"Well, it looks like the battle's over with now," Dawn stated. As they turned their attention back to the battle everyone noticed that even though Armaldo was still standing he appeared to be running on empty.
"They may not have been landing any attacks but both Pokémon used up a lot of energy with all those attacks they launched, and getting hit by the Counter Shield didn't do Armaldo any favors," Brock observed. "All Ash needs to do is land one more attack." This was a fact that Ash was also aware of.
"Time to finish this, Typhlosion! Flamethrower!" he called. The Volcano Pokémon inhaled and spewed forth a massive stream of fire.
"Use Protect, quickly!" Nando instructed. Armaldo tried to erect his Protect dome as quickly as he could, but in his current state his reaction speed was slowed considerably. As a result he couldn't bring up his barrier in time and instead took the full force of Typhlosion's Flamethrower. The massive Fire attack lasted on seconds, but it was long enough to render Armaldo unconscious.
"Armaldo is unable to battle! Typhlosion wins! The victory goes to Mason Cruz!" the referee announced.
"And there you have it, folks! In a hotly contested battle Mason Cruz advances!" The crowd erupted in a loud cheer for both competitors. After recalling their Pokémon they met in the middle of the battlefield and shook hands.
"Alas, victory was not meant to be mine this day," Nando sighed.
"No, but it will be one day. Of that I am sure," Ash told him.
"Perhaps," Nando agreed. "Good luck in the rest of the tournament." With those final words the two of them left the field.
"Oh boy! Watching those two battle has me excited for my qualifying battle!" Bianca exclaimed.
"I know! I can't wait to see who I'm facing!" Max agreed. While those two talked about their upcoming qualifying battles Misty had her eyes on the tunnel entrance that Ash walked through moments ago.
"Way to go, Ash," she thought, a smile on her face.
That evening everyone was gathered in Ash and Misty's cabin. The battles had concluded that day with Max and Bianca also winning their respective qualifying battles in convincing fashion.
"You three are looking unstoppable out there," May praised.
"We are, aren't we," Max boasted.
"Perhaps, but don't get too cocky. There are still a lot of competitors left, and we each have at least one more qualifying battle to go through before we get to the round-robin round," Ash advised.
"He's right, Max. Overconfidence at this point is a dangerous thing," Brock warned.
"I'm not taking anyone lightly, but I don't see anyone who can beat us," Max stated.
"Well, just to be safe I plan on having some strategies in place for tomorrow," Ash said.
"Care to tell us what they are?" Bianca inquired.
"Just so you can have counterstrategies in place in case we face off against each other tomorrow? I don't think so," Ash refused.
"Aw nuts. Oh well, it was worth a shot," Bianca relented. "Still, that's not a bad idea."
"Yeah. I'm going to have to do that myself," Max agreed. They talked for a few more minutes before heading back to their own cabins for the night, leaving Ash, Misty and their Pokémon as the only occupants.
"So, how did it feel to be back out there again?" Misty asked.
"Honestly, I missed the excitement of big tournaments like this," Ash told her.
"That's good to hear," Misty responded. "Seeing you like this reminds me of the old days."
"It sure does," Ash agreed. "Well, I still have some planning to do. I want to make sure I'm ready for whoever I might face tomorrow."
"Need a hand?" Misty offered.
"Sure. The more the better," Ash agreed. For the rest of the evening until they decided to turn in for the night Ash, Misty and their Pokémon planned for the next day's battle.
Day one of the tournament has ended with Ash, Max and Bianca emerging victorious. With day two right around the corner who will their next opponents be? Find out in the next chapter of Regrets & Redemption!
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