Chapter 9
The Time has Come
A/N: Everyone seems to think that something will backfire with her ability or Team Rocket will suddenly appear. Sadly, I'm not that clever nor do I want to take this story even deeper with another twist like that. That being said, you're probably wondering, "What could he possibly use for the climax?" Well, now's the time to find out!
The time had finally arrived. The Grand Tournament was here. Only trainers with all eight badges were allowed to enter, making it the true challenge to win to be declared the best. But it wouldn't be easy, as a hundred entrants fought for contention.
Sarah herself had submitted an entrance form. She was guaranteed to get in. Since honing her skills, she had been undefeated for almost seven months in battle. The past two years of travelling and training had shaped her mind and body nicely, and Luke couldn't help but look.
He had also shaped up. His muscles had grown into a nice six pack and biceps that Sarah adored, but she kept that to herself.
The pair stood outside the Great Coliseum where the tournament was being held surrounded by other trainers and their Pokemon. The stone structure loomed over them, filling Sarah with a sense of awing accomplishment. When she won, no one would be able to call her a freak anymore.
"We've come a long way," Luke said looking over at her. She nodded. "You ready to do this?"
She clasped his hand and they walked in through the door.
A few other trainers she recognized waved with a smile. She returned the welcome thankfully.
A woman with a blue vest, signifying tournament staff, walked up to her. "Sarah?"
"Yes?"
"This letter is for you, from the Tournament Board." She held out a small envelope. Sarah took it and the woman bowed and left.
"The Board? I wonder what this is about?" She ripped open the letter and softly read.
Dear Ms Adams,
We regret to inform you that, due to aspects of your situation, you will not be able to participate in the Grand Tournament.
You have our dearest apologies. Best of luck with your future.
The Grand Tournament Board
A few tears began to fall as she froze in shock. Luke became worried and took the letter, reading it for himself. "I can't believe this!" He grabbed her hand. "Come on! We're going to have a talk with whoever is responsible for this!"
Sarah couldn't help but cry as he pulled her along. All the work she had gone through to have people accept her was worth nothing.
"We're truly sorry," the head member said from across the table. "But we feel that Sarah's…gift would give her an unfair advantage over the other trainers. It was this reason that we chose to remove her from the competition."
"But that's ridiculous," Luke screamed. "She's gotten this far on her own skills as a trainer. You have no right to make that kind of accusation."
"Relax, son. Sarah doesn't seem to mind."
To tell the truth, she had only been half listening. The nagging thought still took over her mind: she would never be normal. She was bound to being this freak for the rest of her life.
Luke took hold of her elbow gently. "Come on, Sarah," he whispered. "Don't you want this?"
"What's the point? I can't escape it." She looked over the board, gave a short bow, and left, leaving Luke alone.
"You all should be ashamed! She spent years training and working to have people accept her! Now you've ruined all of her hard work! I hope you're happy." Luke turned and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
Sarah collapsed into a chair in the lobby, sobbing quietly. The trainers gave her a small space and continued on as if she wasn't there. Luke came out and sat down beside her and pulled her close in a hug. "Don't worry, Sarah. It's just the bunch of them. Who cares what they say."
Sarah pulled back. "I care and the world cares. I can't participate in the tournament because of them. And because of that accusation, no one will want to battle me." She went back to sobbing.
"Do you honestly believe that? You think the world will change their view because of only a few people?" She didn't answer him. "You need to accept that there will always be people who will not accept you. But then you need to accept that they don't matter. Forget what they say; they don't know you like I know you." She looked at him with tear-filled eyes. "And I know that you are better than any other human being on this planet."
She smiled. "Thank you, Luke. I really needed that."
"WOULD ALL TOURNAMENT ENTRANTS PLEASE REPORT TO THE FIELD. ALL ENTRANTS TO THE FIELD."
He took her hand one last time. "I have to go."
She pulled him in to a hug and kissed his cheek. "Good luck. We'll be watching."
He patted her hand one last time and went out into the sunlight with the others.
"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. This is Eric Sparks reporting live from the Grand Tournament. We've got a great line-up this year, including hundreds of the world's toughest trainers and the famous Elite Four. A bit of bad news, also-famous trainer Sarah "Shaiya" Adams will not be participating this year. What a shame. I for one was looking forward to seeing her in action."
Sarah smiled at the compliment. The television reporter continued through the opening ceremony, giving stats on a few key players including Lance, head of the Elite Four after winning the previous tournament five years ago. He was placed as being the most likely to win this year as well.
After the opening ceremonies, the first rounds began.
Luke started off calling out his Pikachu. His opponent, a young boy, chose to use a Sandshrew. It was a good choice. The Sandshrew's ground attribute would reduce the effect of Pikachu's electrical attacks.
"Nice match. Pikachu, start off with a Tackle, just to warm up." The Pikachu charged forward.
"Dig, Sandshrew!" The small Pokemon disappeared into the ground. Pikachu stopped and looked around, totally confused. "Now charge!" The Sandshrew charged up and nailed Pikachu right in the chest.
Pikachu took the hit, but swung in with his paws, grabbing the shrew tightly by the head. Sandshrew suddenly became scared and started flailing.
"Great job, Pikachu. Now Thunder!"
"Say goodnight!" A great bolt of lightning shot down from the sky and coursed through the Sandshrew. It shook violently for several seconds before collapsing.
The rest of the battle passed quickly. That night, Luke and Sarah sat in her hotel room, talking about the battles. The next round would put Luke against a trainer of grass Pokemon. "You know, Nana would do really well against those grass Pokemon. Why don't you use her?"
"Am I allowed to do that?"
"Yeah. I read over the rulebook. Line changes are allowed to be made between battles. And there aren't any rules against using another trainer's Pokemon."
"Sweet. Yeah, I'll definitely use her."
Sarah got Nana's pokeball and called her out. The canine took up a good part of the room. "Nana, you're going to be helping Luke in his battles tomorrow."
"Sure." Nana had really grown from the scared puppy Sarah had found her as. She was now a ferocious fighting machine.
"Great." Nana was called back into her ball and she handed her to Luke. He took a ball off his belt and replaced it with Nana's.
The clouds parted and Sarah looked up into the sky to view an almost perfect full moon. Luke caught her gaze and followed it up into the sky. "It's that time, isn't it?"
She nodded, her body already beginning to shrink. Every month, from a night before to the night or two after the full moon, she would be forced into her Bulbasaur form during the night.
"It's funny. How the tournament is set on these exact days." He looked down at her. "You look really beautiful in the moonlight."
She smiled and blushed, hoping her green skin would mask the discoloration. In her mind, she knew that he was only trying to make her feel better from what had happened earlier. She didn't tell him, but it worked.
"Well, I'm going to get some sleep. Tomorrow starts the biggest part of the tournament." He stood up and left, closing the door behind him.
Sarah jumped up onto the bed, turned once, and settled down against the pillow.
Instantly her mind began to wander as it always did in the minutes before sleep took her. The tournament brought up memories of the journey she had shared with Luke and her Pokemon, all the way back to her first conversation with Bulbasaur and the Pidgeotto in the woods. The mental trip continued: her first transformation, her first battle, her secret finally being set free. So many pleasant memories; she smiled to herself. And today…
Tears wet the pillow beneath her head.