Hello to everyone on Fanfiction, and welcome back to another installment of Mesoa League: The Ultimate Challenge. As always, I'm your host, A.M.P 1008
In the last chapter, two more teams kicked things off in…unique ways, some more than others.
This time though, we'll be focusing on a total of three teams. I hope this will be worth the wait. Also, someone told me they had a problem about me making up moves (Sunny Blade) If you have a problem with it, then go somewhere else. So, without further ado, here's chapter 7
Oh, and I only own the plot and my OCs (can't believe no one told me I forgot disclaimers)
It had been a week and a half, and Team 5 was nearing the outskirts of the Kamahyala Desert, known for raging sandstorms that swallowed one up, leaving them for dead while wandered around. They all wound up succumbing to the intense heat or frigid night.
Despite this, there was hope. If one had a Trapinch, or any of its evolutionary relatives, they could find a safe passageway. It was using this method that allowed the ancient Mesoans to place flags along the safe ways, and build shelters that would allow travelers to rest during the days and nights.
But, even with this advantage, the desert still held one deadly element; distance. Going across, the desert's radius reached a total of 140 miles, meaning all the way across was 280 miles. All around, it was anywhere from 400-500 miles.
"So your hometown is across the desert?" Iris asked Sierra
"Yeah, and the best part is I know the shortest route across the desert." Sierra replied
The tension between the Team had somewhat defused when Sierra had said it wasn't them personally, or just the fact they were outsiders, but that was all she said. She wouldn't explain any further. Iris and Cilan saw it was enough for them, and managed to hold minor conversations with Sierra, but had yet to get Mike to say a thing.
"How short is the pathway?"
"It's, at most, just a day if we can make good time."
"Great!"
They had arrived at a checkpoint, which sold necessary supplies, and even rented out Trapinch to those who needed them
"Ah. Welcome, young travelers. What can I help you with, today." The shopkeeper asked with a noticeable Indian accent (I have no intention whatsoever to offend anyone. If anyone is offended, then I apologize in advance)
"We need two tents, four sleeping bags, and four large canteens of water."
The shopkeeper easily gathered all the requested items and somehow managed to wrap it all in one large knapsack.
"The total comes to 8,374 poke."
"That much?! Why?" Iris asked
"Water's a real necessity for everyone around here. That, and salt to prevent over hydration." Sierra said without complaint, paying the respective amount.
"Thank you for your patronage, but don't you require a Trapinch for the journey?"
"I have my Flygon with me, so it's fine."
"Ah, I see. Safe travels, and pray that Crysaurich is with you."
"Crysaurich?" Iris whispered to Sierra
"The Earth Dragon. Didn't Daisuke tell you this, already?" she whispered back
"How do you know him? And how do you know what he told us?"
"To answer your questions, I've known him for a while, and he told me."
"He mentioned that there were six of them, but he didn't give any names." Cilan replied
With all the necessary supplies in hand, they decided not to waste anymore time, and headed for the desert. Once they were at the entrance to the Kamahyala Desert, Sierra decided to release the Flygon.
"Flygon, make the earth tremble!"
The Flygon was eager to help, and its instincts soon took over, it flew a loop-de-loop in the air before flying off at an astonishing speed, leaving the four teens to run after it.
Although the Flygon occasionally paused for a few moments every half-mile, it just kept flying. Soon enough, Iris was starting to question how Flygon was flying so fast in this brutal desert heat.
Cilan soon voiced her concern after a few minutes of running, managing to pant, "Although Flygon is a powerful dish... perfectly seasoned to the desert environment, we... aren't. How long will we... keep going?"
Sierra sighed. "If you wanted an easy journey, you should have stayed in your home region."
After a few more minutes of running, the Flygon circled around a spot in the ground that looked a little different, meaning that the sand was darker and the patch of ground had a small outline that could be seen if one looked closely.
Iris sighed with relief, gasping for air. "Thank goodness we... made it..."
Cilan sighed with relief, also breathing heavily. "I think that's one of the most exhausting courses I've ever served."
Sierra rolled her eyes before nodding to the Flygon, not straining for breath like the other two. Mile stood off to the side, observing what was happening.
Sierra called to her Flygon, "Now!" Her Flygon began to beat its wings with vigor, excited. It then flew into the air, steadily gaining altitude, before diving down at an astonishing speed, It slammed into the ground, using a powerful Earthquake move and causing the darker patch of ground to shudder before falling into the ground, revealing steps made out of earth that led down to a dark passage. Sierra smirked at her compatriots.
"Shall we go on now?"
Iris sighed. "I could use some water."
Cilan nodded. "That sounds like a great idea!"
Sierra sighed. "Everyone knows you need to bring a lot of water on a trip to the desert." She pointed to her pack, which had several bottles of water hanging out from karabiner clips. She sighed with frustration. "This is Mesoa! This could be the toughest adventure of your lives. You need to be prepared for this. This is no time to be naïve!"
Iris glared at her. "Hey! I'm not a kid! I don't need to be told what to do out here! I can handle myself very well out here." Cilan slowly backed away, feeling an argument coming on. Mike just shook his head in distaste.
Sierra scoffed at her. "You wouldn't survive here without my guidance. You know basically nothing of the Mesoa region, and you haven't been pulling your weight as a member of this team!"
Iris' eyes looked like they were aglow with a raging inferno. "And just how can you determine that? Who put you in charge?"
Sierra smirked. "I've been in charge of this team since we started!"
Iris glared at her. "I challenge you to a battle, then! For leadership of this team!"
Sierra shook her head. "I don't need to battle you to know I make a better leader than you'll ever be!"
Mike then walked over to stand between the two, holding a hand out in both directions. He shook his head, as if to say, "That's enough."
Iris and Sierra still gave each other death glares before turning away from each other, arms crossed.
Cilan sweatdropped. "Well, that didn't exactly go as planned."
As soon as his sentence finished, the ground started shaking. Mike just stood there, unaffected, but the others fell to the ground from the gigantic vibrations.
After a few seconds, Iris shouted, "What's going on?"
Sierra shrugged, confused. Mike pointed towards Sierra's Flygon, who seemed to be focused on something, shaking in what seemed to be fear. A stentorian roar resounded all across the desert and the Flygon cringed. As soon as the roar stopped, the ground appeared to burst open at the seams, flooding the area with what looked like hundreds of Pokémon from the Trapinch evolutionary line. There were even a few Shiny Trapinch, Vibrava, and Flygon among the group.
Sierra, noticing a territorial dispute when she saw one, ordered an attack.
"Flygon, use Hyper Beam!"
The Spirit of the Desert launched a beam of orange heat and power at the enemy Pokémon, but the Vibrava and Trapinch, working together, used a combination Earth Power, Dragonbreath, and Hyper Beam, to bring it down.
Iris stared at this in shock. She couldn't bear to see a dragon Pokémon in harm.
She then noticed that Flygon and Vibrava were moving aside near the back of the group, as if to let something pass unharmed.
Sierra looked at them, her eyes narrowing, and said, "I believe we're about to meet their leader."
Iris nodded and turned back to the group, seeing the Flygon that was currently imprisoned within a mass Sand Tomb began to whimper from the pain and glared fiercely at the group of enemies. The group eventually split down the center, which revealed a group of Flygons of a different color; a few different Shiny Flygons all hovered around one; the ring leader, so to speak. Sierra stared in shock, saying, "Each of those Shinies has a 0.00012 percent chance of appearing. And there are quite a few of them in this colony."
Iris nodded. "But I thought the only Dragons in this region were in Dragon Valley."
Sierra shook her head. "Some of the Dragons are special cases. They live in their home environment, preferring it over the fighting and territorial rivalry of Dragon Valley. I assume they made their home underground, only ascending to the surface after my Flygon appeared."
Iris nodded in realization. "Was this Flygon banished or something? Is that why they're so opposed to its presence here?"
Sierra shrugged. "I'm not sure. I caught her as a Vibrava, but I suppose we'll find out."
The two girls watched as the small group of Shiny Flygon dissipated, revealing a figure, at which all the gathered dragons roared. Sierra's Flygon began to struggle in its bonds, showing a highly unusual combination of fright and bloodlust. The shadowed figure, after a few seconds, flew out into the open.
Both girls gasped in surprise as they saw a Flygon that was not only bulkier than the rest and twice as agile, but bore a color scheme that was neither regular nor Shiny.
Iris, in particular, stared in awe and amazement at the oddly colored Flygon. She saw it had an orange body with dark green stripes and horns, with cobalt blue eye coverings and outlines on its wings.
Sierra was also amazed, and said, "I... I've never seen a Mesoic Shiny up close before."
Iris blinked in a bewildered look, still gazing at the Flygon. "Mesoic... Shiny?"
Sierra nodded. "Yes. They're eight times as rare as normal Shiny Pokémon and look really amazing. Not to mention how much stronger they are."
Iris nodded in agreement. The Mesoic Flygon flew over to Sierra's Flygon and glared at it. It began to hover around it, which then decided to act and charged a Hyper Beam between its jaws.
The Mesoic Flygon slammed its feet into the ground, which started to glow green. The Hyper Beam appeared to be fully charged when vines burst out of the ground and absorbed the fully charged Hyper Beam, taking the energy for itself.
Sierra blinked in shock. "I've never seen Giga Drain used like that before."
Iris nodded, still amazed by the Flygon. She saw the Mesoic Flygon and Sierra's Flygon glaring daggers at each other and her eyes opened in realization. "I know what happened."
Sierra looked at her, confused. "What, then?"
Iris sighed. "Your Flygon and that one…were siblings. They fought over who would lead the tribe... and yours lost." She looked at her Flygon and saw that one of its legs was injured. "They knew that she had returned because of its limp."
Sierra blinked in surprise. "Wow. I'm impressed you were able to determine all that."
Iris smirked. "It was nothing, really." The other Flygon broke out of the Sand Tomb, and the Mesoic Flygon glared at it. They both charged Dragon Claws and flew at each other, the crowd of their evolution family just watching on the sidelines. Iris was appalled at first. However, as the battle continued and the crowd just watched intently, Iris realized that they probably just let the two decide for themselves over leadership.
The Two Flygons fought first with Dragon Claw, fighting and slashing as if it were a martial art. After a while, the other Flygon began to charge up a SolarBeam while still using Dragon Claw. The Mesoic Flygon retaliated by charging a multicolored beam between its hands. Sierra's Flygon fired off the SolarBeam after a few seconds, while the Mesoic Flygon fired off a similar beam of energy, which collided with the SolarBeam, causing a powerful explosion, covering the area in a sandstorm.
Iris' eyes widened. 'That was a Signal Beam, and an extremely powerful one, too!'
The Mesoic Flygon flew out of the cloud of sand as most of the members of its tribe, as well as Sierra, Cilan, and Mike, retreated to a safe distance to watch. Iris, however, was too engrossed in the battle to notice.
Cilan was about to run over to Iris, to get her to their shelter, when Mike raised his arm, stopping him.
Cilan looked at him like he was crazy and said, "What are you doing? We should get her over here with us!"
Sierra sighed before saying, "I hate to agree with him, but he's right. She's a member of our team and we should get her over here."
Mike shook his head and spoke to Sierra, whispering, "I believe she's meant to be there."
Cilan sweatdropped and said, "How does that even make any sense?" Sierra saw the Mesoic Flygon being attacked by a... Garchomp?
Sierra pointed and said, "Look!"
Her shout reached Iris at the same time she noticed, and she saw the Mesoic Flygon being taken down by a group of several Garchomp, followed by Gabite and Gible. The vast groups of Vibrava and Trapinch were already busy trying to deal with the Gible and Gabite. Most of the Flygon were fighting the group of unexpected guests while Sierra's Flygon was hovering above them all, smirking. All the Garchomp each fired off a Draco Meteor, hitting one of the Shiny Flygon and knocking them out as well. Sierra's Flygon roared in triumph at the Mesoic Flygon, who only growled in persistence. The group of Garchomp charged a Dragon Claw on all of their claws, which would severely wound it, at least.
Sierra sighed and said, "The Garchomp family was always against the Flygon in this area, although I've never seen them act so rabid."
Iris gasped at this change of events, and she wanted to defend the Flygon who had been so unrightfully ganged up on. She sighed and said, "Go, Dragonite!"
Iris' Dragonite appeared out of its Poke Ball, glaring at her before seeing the swarm of Garchomp. It immediately fired an ice beam at several of the Garchomps, which prompted them to dodge. Three of them charged at Dragonite with Dragon Rush. Two of them charged directly at Dragonite, forcing it to dodge. However, it didn't notice the third one above it, and was slammed into the ground. Dragonite managed to get up, though it was sporting a lot of cuts and bruises. Deciding to retaliate, it charged at the Garchomp that slammed it to the ground with speed that took the enemy off guard, and used its own Dragon Rush, followed by a Fire Punch and Ice Beam that rendered the Garchomp unconscious. The other Garchomp were ready to charge at Dragonite, but were blind-sided by Flygon who were using Dragon Claw, and they began their own battle.
The other Flygon glared at Iris, recognizing her as Dragonite's trainer. It immediately charged a Dragon Pulse, throwing it a little above Dragonite. Although Dragonite braced itself for impact, it flew over it and zoomed towards Iris. Iris screamed in pure terror, covering herself with her hands, bracing herself for the powerful blast.
Cilan, and Sierra especially, were aghast at the cruelty of her Flygon, attacking its opponent's trainer. Mike closed his eyes and bowed his head, afraid of what was going to happen.
However, Iris did not feel pain, and her eyes widened at the Mesoic Flygon blocking the Dragon Pulse by using Dragon Tail to hit it like a baseball at twice the speed its opponent threw it. Sierra's Flygon was in shock as it was hit by both its own Dragon Pulse as well as an Ice Beam from Dragonite, knocking it out immediately. Sierra sighed.
"Well, there goes our chance of getting through here."
A man stepped out from the sandstorm, glaring angrily at Iris. "Do you realize what you've done?" The strange man asked. "You've allowed the Flygon take control of this desert. The Garchomp family was the only chance we had, but now the Flygon will continue to expand from there!" He angrily pulled out eight Pokeballs and returned some members of the Garchomp family that had appeared. "They will take over this entire region, all because you have let them have this victory here!" He walked up to Iris and slapped her in the face, angering Dragonite and the rest of her team.
Iris stepped back, clearly alarmed and shocked. The Mesoic Shiny Flygon hovered up protectively in front of Iris, glaring at the man. He appeared to speak to the man, causing his face to flush redder and redder.
Iris smirked and said, "I think he said that if you don't get out of here now, he'll blast you to the Hoenn Region. He can govern this group well enough that they'll never get past the limits of the desert."
The man angrily glared at her and walked away. "You'll regret this, I tell you!" Before he could disappear, a large, diagonal, gash suddenly appeared on his back. Cilan and Iris looked towards the Pokemon, but they weren't the culprit.
Sierra did know who it was though, and looked towards Mike, whose arm was positioned the same exact way as the gash, with eyes so wide, they threatened to pop out of their sockets.
Iris shook her head. "Raving Lunatic."
The Mesoic Shiny Flygon nodded its assent before flying off towards its companions and using what appeared to be Giga Drain in reverse, healing up the Flygon, Vibrava, and Trapinch which proceeded to use Recover to heal their brethren. Before long, the entire clan was standing before us. The Mesoic Flygon then flew all around one of the Shiny Flygons, taking off what appeared to be an ornament from his head and placing it on the Shiny Flygon's head, causing the entire crowd to cheer in their respective calls.
Sierra looked on in awe as Cilan raised an eyebrow, confused. "What, exactly, is this new flavor?" He asked.
Sierra smirked. "I believe we've just seen a change in leadership."
The Mesoic Flygon then bowed to him, as did all the other members of the Flygon evolutionary chain. Iris was still awestruck at the Mesoic Flygon's presence and leadership, as well as his battling prowess.
She was even more surprised when the Mesoic Flygon hovered over to her, looking at Dragonite first, then at her. Iris appeared to understand, and said, "You... you want to come with me on our journey?"
The Mesoic Flygon nodded, and Iris grinned widely, her heart filled with joy at the amazing Pokémon she had befriended. She held out a Premier Ball, which she was saving for one of her best Pokémon. The Mesoic Flygon smiled and tapped the Premier Ball with its head, causing the rare Pokémon to be sucked into it. The Premier Ball fell to the ground, shaking once, twice, thrice, before stars emitted from it, indicating a capture.
Iris smiled and held the Premier Ball up high, indicating her newfound ally. "Alright! I caught... a Mesoic Flygon!"
Dragonite smirked before using its wings to shield itself from the sandstorm. Iris sighed. "You did great, Dragonite. Return!" The Dragon Pokémon nodded before willingly going into the Pokeball, a sign that it was actually starting to trust Iris.
Sierra, Cilan, and Mike ran up to her. Sierra and Cilan asked, "What happened?" and "Are you alright?" Mike merely raised an eyebrow.
Iris smiled. "I captured a Mesoic Shiny Flygon!"
Sierra smiled. "Awesome!"
Cilan nodded. "A truly inspiring spice to add to the already flavorful dish of your Pokemon team."
Iris, however, started to see spots, and sighed as her head started to swim in dizziness. "Does... anyone... have any water?"
Sierra nodded. "I have a spare in my pack. Why?"
Iris' eyes started to feel heavy as she slowly spoke, "I would... like that..."
After a few seconds, Iris faded into unconsciousness, falling onto the sand. Sierra sighed. "Mike, do you carry any smelling salts with you?"
Mike shrugged. "I'll check." was his reply. Sierra decided to tag along, to ask a few questions
Once out of earshot, she decided to investigate into what Michael had done, starting with the simple question; "Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why did you attack him like that?"
"He deserved it. Besides, you would've done the same."
"Yeah, but with my fists, not with my…tell me you used a weapon."
"Sort of."
"What does sort of mean? If you're telling me you used Aerokinesis…"
"If I had used one of my concealed weapons, everyone would have focused on me, and they would pester me about it."
"Seemed better to tell them you can use weapons rather than manipulate wind. Besides, you're already dressed for the part. If they couldn't have figured it out just by the look, then they're more ignorant than I first thought."
"But I wasn't caught. I'm not Ginji."
"Sure as hell acted like him there. Look, all I'm saying is that take a little caution before you do that in front of them again. I'm not really in the mood to explain about kinetics, I'm sure you aren't either."
Mike just nodded his head
"Alright, now let's get back. I found a smelling salt in your bag while we were talking."
As the two came back, Cilan could only sigh. "This was not how I planned this day to go at all."
Paul sighed as he trudged onward, hoping to find a town where they could do something, anything at all. He hadn't found any exceedingly powerful Pokémon, which was a major disappointment to him. He did treat his Pokémon better, but most of the old attitude still stuck to him.
Zoey was trying to think up strategies for the next Contest while Ari and Jack were in a heated debate over battle strategy and its importance. Paul just sighed; it had been this way ever since they were teleported in the middle of the road.
After a few more hours of this, Paul was struggling to keep a calm demeanor. The monotony of it all was just getting to him. He turned around, his arms crossed.
"Give me one reason why I shouldn't desert you all."
Ari and Jack were too busy talking to notice, but Zoey snapped out of her reverie.
She sighed as she said, "If you leave our team, you'll have to face teams of four powerful trainers on your own, with 48 Pokémon against 12. It just doesn't check out."
Paul sighed. "I could take on a lot of them on my own."
Ari, who had apparently been listening, said, "There's no way you could! I mean, there are really powerful trainers here like Tobias and this Shadow Dragon guy! There's no possible future where you beat 48 Pokémon with just your team of twelve Pokémon."
Paul huffed and turned away. "Whatever." He muttered. He had to admit that Tobias' team would be exceedingly difficult to deal with, just because of the Darkrai and Latios alone. While he reflected on that, he couldn't help but wonder what other Pokémon he had.
Zoey sighed. "Even if you were to win the Mesoa League,"
"Which I will." Paul interrupted while being interrupted from his thought, frustrating Zoey before she continued,
"You'd only win once. If we work as a team, we at least have a chance of winning both the Mesoa League and the Grand Festival."
Paul shook his head and turned away. Jack remarked, "She has a point. It would be near legendary to win both the Mesoa League and the Mesoan Grand Festival!"
Paul finally sighed, reluctantly admitting defeat. "Fine, but if you ever give me any reason to drop out on you, I will." He grunted and turned away from the group, continuing the monotonous trudge towards, hopefully, a town.
Zoey merely sighed, sweatdropping before following after him. Ari and Jack both gave Paul scathing looks before following after the other team members, waiting a few minutes before resuming their discussion.
Paul smirked. "It's been a few days, but we're finally here."
Zoey, Ari, and Jack finally caught up to him to see that they were, indeed, above a beautiful city with orange-and white buildings.
Ari and Jack high-fived while Zoey appeared to be lost in thought.
A few minutes later, she asked. "Why is it that whenever people reach a new city, they're always on a hill or another high place and they stare, in awe, at the new city's grandeur?"
Paul raised an eyebrow. "Who cares? The only thing that matters is where we can earn a badge."
Zoey crossed her arms, an irritated look in her eyes. "Real team player there." She muttered under her breath
Paul glared at her, meaning he heard. "What do you mean by that?!"
Zoey looked at the map she was given and pointed out a city that looked similar to the one that they had reached. "Well, according to this map, we've just reached Kiranus City, which is without a Gym. They do, however, have a Contest Hall."
Paul shook his head in annoyance. "I don't care much for Contests."
Zoey was angry at Paul at this point. "Contests are an art, and are harder to win than gym battles. That's why we have to win five ribbons, while you have eight gym badges in comparison."
Paul sighed. "Whatever. Just go to your contest, then. I don't even care about them at all, anyways."
Zoey glared at him, now actually angry. "Fine! Just don't go! I'll go there myself and see if they have a contest this week!"
Paul grunted and walked away. Ari looked towards Zoey with a fearful expression. "Oh great, there goes 25% of our team!"
Jack sighed. "I'll go after him, and you two should go see if there's going to be a contest."
Ari shook his head. "Why split up? Paul's going to return, right?"
Zoey sighed. "After the argument we had a few days ago, I doubt it."
Jack frowned. "I'll just go after him, alright?"
Ari reluctantly nodded. "Alright. See you back soon, hopefully."
Jack nodded before dashing off in the direction Paul stormed off. Zoey nodded before motioning Ari to follow her towards the city's contest hall, which he did a few seconds later.
Zoey walked into the contest hall, pausing as she saw a girl wearing a golden dress, waiting to register for the contest. Zoey looked at her oddly. "Are you going to register for the contest?"
The girl turned around and nodded, revealing silver eyes and wisps of red in her hair. She smirked. "Indeed I am. My name is Uruma, and I'm going to win this contest. Of course, I'm not in the Mesoa League, but that doesn't stop me from competing."
Zoey blinked at Uruma in confusion. "O… kay... So, the contest is tomorrow, right?"
Uruma nodded. "Be prepared to lose."
Zoey shook her head. "I like to go into my Contests with an optimistic attitude, because I have a chance of winning every single one."
Uruma scoffed. "That's extremely unrealistic."
Zoey sighed. "It works for me."
Uruma rolled her eyes. "Fine. Come tomorrow, we'll see who the better coordinator is."
Zoey nodded. "Sounds like a plan to me."
Uruma was soon out of the way, as she registered for the contest. Zoey went up to the registration counter, where a man was waiting for her. He nodded, smiling. "May I assume that you're registering for the Kiranus City Pokémon contest?"
Zoey nodded. The man continued, "Great! Any coordinator can help out." He sighed. "We haven't had much traffic since the Mesoa League started up, since my daughter, Uruma, usually wins."
Zoey blinked in surprise, finally noticing the man's silver eyes and reddish-brown hair. "Well, we're a team in the Mesoa League, and I'm going to sign up for this contest."
The man smiled. "Great! Your name is Zoey, right? You won the Sinnoh Grand Festival a couple years back."
Zoey nodded, still surprised. "How... how did you know?"
The man smiled. "Uruma enjoys watching contests, even if they're from other regions." He sighed. "Many people have adapted to the worldview of hating the other regions, but I go against that, insisting on giving everyone a chance."
Zoey smiled. "Thank you, sir."
The man owed his head. "It's my pleasure... and please, call me Midas."
Zoey nodded to Midas. "Thank you for letting us register for the contest."
Midas looked at her strangely. "Us? I only see you."
Zoey looked around before coming to the conclusion that Ari had probably followed Jack after Paul, and she sighed. "My teammate probably went to help someone else."
Midas nodded before typing on a computer. "You're all set. I'm looking forward to your performance tomorrow."
Zoey smiled. "Thank you, Midas."
Midas nodded his head in acknowledgement and motioned for the next participant to register, as Zoey walked away in search of Ari.
The next day arrived all too quickly, and none of her teammates appeared to her at all. Fortunately, Midas had offered to provide her team with hotel accommodations free of charge, and she simply couldn't refuse that deal.
Either way, she was dressed in attire that was similar to her grand festival clothes, except redone in shades of indigo and blue. After all, it was her Mesoa debut; she had to make this one of her best contests.
Since no one, not even Ari, had reappeared, she walked by herself to the contest hall.
Midas was there, waiting for contestants to arrive. There were a few assorted coordinators, both guys and girls. However, the one that she recognized was Uruma, who was wearing golden sweatpants, a black shirt, and a golden jacket over it, and a red headband in her hair. She then noticed that Uruma was the only trainer there in casual clothes.
Zoey walked over to her, asking, "Are you making a fashion statement or something?"
Uruma chuckled and turned around, already recognizing the voice. "You don't need to have fancy clothes to win a contest... but I thought you would have known that already."
Zoey frowned. "I know that... I was just curious." She sighed. "Look, I think we started off badly. My name is Zoey, by the way."
Uruma nodded. "I know who you are... and that's exactly why I'm going to beat you down."
Zoey smirked. "We'll see about that."
Uruma scoffed and walked away. Another coordinator walked up to her, smirking. "That dress looks terrible, you know."
Zoey jumped before frowning in shock. "Why do you say that?"
The coordinator chuckled to himself. "Because it just doesn't fit you."
Zoey glared at the guy. "What would, then?"
The guy mused to himself. "Nothing. Nothing at all." The smirk on his face kinda creeped Zoey out, and she moved away from him slowly, only to crash into another guy, who looked like a Machamp that had too much Protein. His glare, combined with his gargantuan size, scared the living hell out of Zoey as he said,
"What's the big idea?"
Zoey pointed to the guy from earlier, who was musing to himself. "I was trying to get away from him."
The big guy chuckled. "Oh, him? We all stay away from him, frankly. My name is Garrett; it's a pleasure."
Zoey nodded. "I'm Zoey."
Garrett chuckled. "This is your first time in Kiranus City, right? I hope your run-ins with Uruma and Cysero haven't ruined your view of the city."
Zoey merely shrugged. "They just have different natures. Uruma just seems accustomed to winning and ambitious as well, because she hasn't had time to go to the Mesoa League yet. Cysero is just... creepy."
Garrett nodded. "That makes perfect sense." He then sighed as he looked at his Poketch. "Well, it's almost time for the Pokémon Contest to start. I guess I'll see you there." He waved a hand before walking towards where the other contestants were gathered.
Zoey nodded before walking over to the conglomeration of coordinators. "This should be an amazing contest," Zoey thought, "And I'm going to win!"
"Welcome to the Kiranus City Pokémon Contest! I'm your host, Marilyn, and it's always a pleasure to have you as an audience!"
All who were watching erupted in screams of approval. As Zoey scanned the crowd, she couldn't see any of her team members, much less anyone else from the Mesoa League. She sighed to herself as the host continued.
"I will now be introducing our judges! As you well know, two of the judges in every contest remain the same while a resident judge takes the third spot! So, without further ado, our first judge, the Kiranus City Nurse Joy!"
She waved to the crowd, saying, "All Pokemon will remain healthy under my watch."
The host then said, "Our second judge is Kiranus City's Battle Master, Siryn Wylei!"
A woman with dark purple hair that curled perfectly into three 'tails' that slid down past her shoulders stood up. Her top was fairly low-cut, and was colored black with a white stripe down the center. She also wore a miniskirt, which was indigo and had golden stripes down the side. There were louder roars of approval and even a few wolf whistles from the crowd as she spoke out in a stentorian voice, saying,
"I have high expectations from this group of coordinators, and it's always a pleasure to have an exuberant crowd like you!"
She was applauded further as she sat down. Zoey raised an eyebrow and thought to herself, "I've never heard of a 'Battle Master' in any contest before. Maybe it's just the Mesoan way."
The host continued with, "And our resident judge this evening will be Midas Shaurum!"
Midas stepped up to the podium besides Siryn and smiled. He said, "I expect a great performance from each and every one of you! Best of luck to all of you!"
He was applauded even more than Siryn as he took his seat. Zoey smiled and surmised, "He's got to be well-respected if he gets that much applause."
The host went on to say, "As Mesoa contest rules dictate, each coordinator must first win a contest battle against the local Battle Master to advance to the appeal round, where each will give a single performance. Each coordinator will be judged on their tactic, grace, and skill. If there are any ties, it will dissolve to a contest battle. The Pokémon each coordinator uses in their battle and the appeal may be different."
Needless to say, Zoey was shocked. "This is completely unlike any of the other contests I've ever seen, much less participated in."
The Battle Master, Siryn, stepped up to the stage, eliciting several cheers from the audience. She said, "Alright, all of you are going to have to face me before you can perform, so let's hope you're ready for a challenge!"
One of the guys in the group immediately yelled out, "I'll go first!"
She giggled. "Don't be fooled by my looks. They can be completely deceptive, you know."
The guy chuckled. "Any beautiful girl can't battle; everyone knows that! Go, Flareon!"
The Flame Pokémon appeared in the battlefield, standing before yowling at Siryn, who chuckled.
"Interesting choice... But can it beat... Quetzlpter?"
She sent out the fiery dragon-bird that Zoey had only seen once before; in the Mesoa Champion battle, and she was awed by this one's luster and beauty.
The boy with the Flareon paled. "I have to beat... That?"
Siryn nodded, a wide grin on her face.
"But of course. Now, Quetz, use Dragon Pulse!"
Quetzlpter fired a blast of draconic energy from its mouth that hit Flareon right in the face, causing an explosion. When the smoke had cleared, Flareon was out cold. Two red "X"es from the other judges later, the boy returned his Flareon and ran away faster than an Ursaring with a swarm of Beedrill on its tail.
Siryn merely smirked. "So, who's next?"
Several trainers went up, and all saw Uruma use an Altaria that was Shiny and Garrett use a Houndoom, and both had made it through. Even the creepy guy made it through with a Haunter. Both Uruma's and the creep's battles were completely in the air, which made a dazzling display of aerial tactics. Nurse Joy healed every trainer's Pokémon after every round, so it was fair.
Finally, it was Zoey's turn. The orange-haired trainer slowly walked up to the stage, the Pokeball with her choice in her right hand. Siryn smiled.
"You're in the Mesoa League, right?"
Zoey nodded. "Yeah. I'm not sure where the rest of my team is right now, but that doesn't mean I'll try to win my team's first ribbon!"
Siryn smiled, a twinkle in her eye. "That's the spirit! Quetz, I choose you!"
The fiery Pokémon appeared, fully refreshed by Nurse Joy, and gave out a great roar that immediately silenced the crowd.
Zoey nodded and threw her Pokeball. "Gallade, go!"
The Blade Pokémon appeared in a flurry of stars, brandishing its elbow blades.
Siryn sighed at Zoey's choice. "Aww... I was hoping for another aerial battle."
Zoey smirked. "Trust me, this won't be easy."
Siryn giggled. "I can't wait!"
The host smiled. "Battle, begin!"
Zoey immediately called out, "Use Vacuum Wave, Gallade!"
The Blade Pokémon nodded its head before spinning at a rapid pace, charging its blades with energy. The result was a tornado that flew at QuetzlPter.
Siryn smirked. "Dodge and use Dragon Pulse!"
The fiery bird dodged the twister before firing a blue orb of energy from its mouth. Zoey smirked.
"Knock it back with Psycho Cut!"
As soon as the ball of energy was about to strike Zoey's Pokémon, Gallade hit it back by charging its blades with psychic energy, throwing the Dragon Pulse back at an astounding velocity. Gallade then went on to fire several Psychic projectiles.
Siryn reacted quickly.
"Use Fiery Dance!"
Quetzlpter covered itself in flames and rushed at the flurry of attacks, rushing through them, although he was slightly damaged by the Psycho Cuts. Unfortunately, he accumulated the Dragon Pulse into his attack, creating a Draconic, blazing fury.
Zoey's eyes widened. "Quick, Vacuum Wave!"
Gallade spun around quickly, creating a tornado. This time, the attack collided, knocking Quetzlpter backwards.
Quetzlpter didn't even look tired, which frustrated Zoey.
"I have to win this, but it looks like it doesn't have even a scratch!"
Gallade's glare at his opponent intensified, and he rushed up to Quetzlpter without instruction, surprising everyone.
Ari was frantically looking around, trying to find Jack and Paul, who had gone missing.
Then, Ari suddenly heard a familiar voice call out, "Honchkrow, use Steel Wing!"
Ari turned towards the sound of the voice, to see Jack frantically waving him towards Paul.
Ari ran over, and Jack sighed.
"I was wondering when you'd get here," he said, "Paul's a hopeless case!"
Ari looked at the battle, and saw that Paul, despite his powerful Pokémon, was currently losing to a trainer with a Volcarona.
The other trainer called out, "Use Fiery Dance!"
Enveloped in flames, the Volcarona smashed into Paul's Honchkrow, defeating it. Paul huffed and recalled his Pokémon before walking off.
The trainer raised an eyebrow. "Do I even get my prize money?" She shrugged before walking off.
Jack frowned. "I told you! His focus is off; he's been in this funk since I found him yesterday."
Ari nodded. "Let's just follow him."
Paul glared at the two of them, having heard everything.
"Stay away from me!"
Ari frowned. "Do you even know how Mesoa contests work?"
Paul raised an eyebrow. "They're different than the stupid performances?"
Ari facepalmed. "They have to defeat the city's Battle Master before they perform their appeals."
This caught Paul's attention, as his glare softened a bit. "Seriously? Mm… I guess it might be worthwhile after all."
He then started to walk at a leisurely pace towards the Contest Hall. Ari and Jack looked at each other, confused, before they both shrugged and followed him, striking up another conversation.
Gallade then began a series of punches and kicks, which gave Quetzlpter some major damage.
The host smiled. "That was a marvelous Close Combat!"
Zoey smirked. "A new move? Awesome!"
Siryn chuckled. "Impressive show of power... but we've got some powerful moves, too! Quetz, use Draco Meteor!"
The blazing dragon-bird roared fiercely before blasting a pulse of draconic energy high above the stadium, where it split into several meteors, which were all aimed at Gallade and falling fast.
Zoey gasped, unsure of what to do.
"How am I supposed to counter that?"
Gallade sighed, apparently flummoxed that it had to do everything on its own. It created a powerful green energy shield around itself, blocking out all the meteors and creating a radiant blue-green shine around himself.
Zoey was shocked before she recovered, smiling. "That was Protect! Great job, Gallade!"
Gallade shrugged before resuming its battle stance. Quetzlpter was starting to look worn out, and Siryn was starting to look worried. "Use Flamethrower!"
The dragon-bird redoubled its efforts, belching out a stream of flame.
Zoey smirked as she yelled, "Gallade! Counter it with Signal Beam!"
The Blade Pokémon nodded, firing off a multicolored beam of energy from its chest spike. The two attacks met, each pushing the other away, before the Signal Beam broke through the opponent's attack and knocked Quetzlpter back a bit, but it looked relatively unscathed from the attack.
Gallade sweatdropped as Zoey shrugged. "Well, it wasn't very effective, but this will be! Gallade, combine Vacuum Wave and Psycho Cut!"
Gallade smirked as it charged its blades with psionic energy before spinning around in circles, creating a purplish tornado with projectile blades twirling along with it.
Siryn smirked. "Now, this gets interesting! Quetzlpter, use Fiery Dance plus Dragon Pulse!"
Quetzlpter roared as it fired off a Dragon Pulse in midair, then covered itself with flames and flew through the draconic attack, covering itself with blue-and-red flames as it charged at the tornado that was aiming straight towards it.
Paul, Ari, and Jack walked through the doors of the hall just as the two attacks collided; creating a gigantic explosion that was accompanied by blue, red, purple, and white sparkles.
Paul blinked in surprise. "Well, that was... interesting."
When the smoke had cleared, Quetzlpter had fainted, revealing Zoey's Gallade little the worse for wear.
The host smiled and announced, "And Zoey makes it through to the appeal round! Joining her will be Uruma, Garrett, and Cysero! This concludes the first part of the Kiranus City Pokémon contest!"
Paul sighed and sat down in one of the seats. "What a scam."
Ari and Jack sweatdropped before sitting next to him, waiting for the contest to continue.
The host smiled. "We will now be moving to the appeal rounds. Be prepared for our first competitor, Uruma Shaurum!"
The golden-clad girl stepped out to the stage. She was heartily applauded by the entire crowd except for Paul, who was bored with the whole thing, and the two other members of Zoey's team, who were talking about contest battles and their difference from regular appeals.
Uruma called out, "Let's go, Volcarona!"
The fiery moth Pokémon appeared in a flurry of flames, with a small ring of stars around it. Unlike the one that Paul had been battling, though, this one had golden wings and light bluish undertones.
Ari was shocked. "That girl has a Shiny!"
Paul raised an eyebrow as Uruma started her performance.
"Use a combo of Fiery Dance and Quiver Dance!"
The Golden, sunlike Pokémon screeched and danced around, cloaked in flames and an odd, greenish energy.
"Now use Bug Buzz!"
The moth complied, vibrating its wings at high speed and releasing a wave of red energy, coated in the flames and energy from the Quiver Dance.
She smirked. "Now Psychic!"
Volcarona used psychic energy to manipulate the ring of energy to create several copies of itself, comprised of green, red, and fiery energy.
Uruma chuckled.
"Everybody, dance now!"
They all did a Quiver Dance as a strange music montage played in the background. The music was catchy, though, and people all started to dance, except for Paul, who was still bored.
Uruma giggled with glee at the reception she was getting. Even the judges were trying to dance.
By now, all the Volcarona copies had fluttered above the original.
"Alright, now use Hyper Beam!"
The dance music abruptly cut off and people sank back into their seats. Volcarona had charged its Hyper Beam attack and fired, blasting the copies in an explosion of multicolored sparkles that rained down, highlighting the shine of Volcarona's golden wings.
Everyone applauded, even Paul in his own way, which was shrugging and saying, "Not bad."
The appeals went on until it was Zoey's turn. She stepped up to the stage, her Pokémon of choice in hand.
"Let's go, Lumineon!"
The fish Pokémon appeared, and the stage opened to reveal a pool of water underneath. The Host grinned.
"We always keep a pool of water under the stage for aquatic appeals! Now show us what you've got!"
Zoey smirked. "Lumineon, Jump and use Aqua Ring!"
The Neon Pokémon jumped up and created three rings of water around itself, throwing them into the air. "Now, use Waterfall!"
The Neon Pokémon complied, throwing the Aqua Rings vertically, then coating itself in water and going through the rings, absorbing them and creating a powerful attack.
Zoey smirked. "Now use Silver Wind!"
Lumineon flapped its fins wildly, causing several blades of peridot-colored energy to cut the pillar of water in half.
Siryn smirked. "An impressive display of power!"
Zoey nodded. "Now use Aqua Ring and Silver Wind!"
Water and peridot-colored, bug-type energy swirled around Lumineon, creating a dazzling display.
"Now, Air Cutter!"
Blades of Air surged from Lumineon's fins, breaking the rings and creating a dazzling luminescence as she appeared to hover in the air before firing a Water Pulse earthward, creating a pillar of water for her to land on, a grin appearing on Zoey's face.
The judges applauded her performance. Ari and Jack cheered Zoey's excellent performance, as did the rest of the audience.
Paul shrugged, a hint of a smile appearing on his face. "Not half bad."
After several minutes, the host called out, "I now have the results of the appeal round!"
The crowd cheered as Paul huffed and said, "Took them long enough."
"We have an interesting case this time, because not only is this contest not finished yet, but we must have a contest battle to determine first place between Uruma and Zoey!"
This news was met with yet a louder uproar, which caused Paul to grimace and cover his ears.
"Yeesh. You'd think they'd lower their voices a few decibels."
The host continued, "For the record, Cysero got fourth and Garrett got third place!"
There was more applause heard from the audience.
The host nodded. "Now, let's continue with the proceedings! On my right is Uruma Shaurum, usually the winner of this city's Pokemon contest!"
There was applause as the golden-clad girl took the stage.
"And now, on the left side, is Zoey, competing in the Mesoa League!"
There was an encore of applause as Zoey stepped up to the podium.
The host smirked.
"This will be a one-Pokémon contest battle! Are both contestants ready?"
Uruma and Zoey nodded. Even from the audience, Ari, Jack, and Paul could feel the fire in their eyes.
"Three minutes on the clock; let's go!"
The time started as Uruma sent out her Pokémon.
"Let's go, Shedinja!"
The Shed Pokémon appeared, glowing with a golden light.
Midas smirked. "Wonder Guard is now active!"
Paul just shook his head. "Why would you choose a Pokémon that can basically take almost no attacks?"
Zoey sighed. "Let's go, Mismagius!"
The ghost-type Pokémon giggled eerily at its opponent.
Uruma smirked. "I'll start off this match! Shedinja, use Shadow Sneak!"
Shedinja's shadow started to expand, as if it could have hit Mismagius.
Zoey smirked.
"Use Thunder Wave!"
Mismagius let out a burst of electricity from the red crystal on its chest, creating a barrier. Just as Shedinja's shadow rose out of the ground and was about to strike, Mismagius turned around, and the shadow lurched backwards, covered with electricity, tracing itself back to Shedinja. Uruma smirked, as Shedinja was encased in a golden light, and the electricity merely flowed around the barrier, encasing the bug-ghost hybrid in a shine.
Nurse Joy clapped her hands together. "Simply marvelous!"
Both coordinators' points went down, but Zoey's a bit more so.
Zoey frowned. "Now use Shadow Ball!"
Mismagius quickly created an orb of ethereal energy and fired it at Shedinja, whose golden glow faded.
Uruma scowled at her. "Counter it with your own!"
Zoey smirked. "Counter her counter with a Psywave!"
Mismagius called out its name as it sent out five glowing tendrils of Psychic energy.
Uruma's scowl intensified to the point where you could literally see the sparks flying out of her eyes from her gaze of fury.
"Use Dig!"
Shedinja dove underground , digging its way out of danger as the Shadow Balls exploded, leaving a field of sparkling, astral energy in their wake.
Both coordinators' points went down again, so they were about evenly matched.
Zoey smirked. "You've just dug your own grave! Mismagius, use Shadow Ball and use Psywave to throw it down the hole!"
Uruma was taken back. "What?!"
Mismagius chuckled as it fired off another Shadow Ball, then used Psywave to throw it at high speed into the hole Shedinja had dug. The Pokémon's call was heard once as Shadow Ball exploded. When the smoke cleared, Shedinja was unconscious.
The host smiled as she confirmed, "And the winner of the Kiranus City Pokemon Contest is Zoey!"
Uruma's eyes widened and she stepped back in shock. "Bu... but... h... how?"
Zoey smirked as she returned her Pokemon.
"Shedinja, while having the marvelous ability of Wonder Guard, can't take any hits."
Uruma sighed as she returned her Pokemon.
"Well played; well done."
She walked to the middle of the stage for a handshake. Zoey met her in the center of the stadium and completed the gesture, leaving both girls smiling.
Midas, the guest judge, stepped up to the podium.
"It is my pleasure to award Zoey, a Mesoa League competitor, her team's first ribbon; the Kiranus City ribbon!"
Zoey smiled as she accepted the ribbon, which was orange with a gold trim, and held it up for all to see, which brought up another round of applause from everyone, even Uruma.
Paul sighed and said, "One down, four to go."
He then left the stadium, causing Ari and Jack, once they were done cheering for their teammate, to sweatdrop and run after him.
Zoey sighed, as she could see this even from the stage.
"Just another average day for my team," she thought.
Team 7, consisting of Alex, Chase, Jen Triando, and Tim Commandan, were in a bit of a situation. Right now, they were outside of Árbol Village, which was basically White Forest and Arborville, together, on a much larger scale, as well as a home to a grass type gym.
The village was surrounded by a set of security towers setup with a set of spotlights that did a total 360 degree turn, which were set up in a 360 degree style around the village. Below the towers were a set of guards and Pokémon, armed and prepared to defend, which was the main problem trying to gain entry into the village, the tight security. While proper identification would work most of the time, it wouldn't work now. For Team 7 to get in, they would have to battle their way in.
"Why do we have to do this again? I thought presenting I.D would be enough." Alex said
"I guess it's because they want to test our skills and see if we're "good enough" for the Mesoa League." Chase replied
"We'll just have to prove it to them then!" Jen said enthusiastically. Tim just smiled and nodded at his girlfriend's enthusiasm.
"Since you're determined to gain entry, three of you will have to battle three of us in three 1-on-1 battles. You'll only have to win 2-out-of-3 of the battles to gain entry. Lose two, and you'll be denied entry and will have to wait a full week until you can try again." A guard explained
"Great, no pressure there." Alex muttered
Team 7 stood on one end of the battlefield while four other guards stood on the other end
"Since it's ladies first, how's about you and me battle first." A female guard said, pointing to Jen
"Sure, I don't mind, and I hope you don't mind this: Help me out, Pidgeot!"
A large, tan bird with a cream belly appeared from a pokeball. It also had sharp talons and pink feet, with yellow and pink plumage that reached down towards its tail feathers.
"No problem. Graptor, attack to win!"
The female guard's pokeball released a raptor-like Pokémon that had vine like veins spread in its body, from the start of the neck, to the base of the tail, to where the beginning of the abdomen was. Its eyes were yellow with vertical, black slits in them. At the end of the tail was a three sided leaf with small holes in it. Its hand, while longer than a regular raptor's were, still only had two claws. Its feet were also akin to an actual raptor's, having three claws on each foot.
Jen, curious about the new Pokémon, decided to scan it with her pokedex.
"Graptor, the Grass Dino Pokémon. Graptor is a Grass and Dragon type. Using its powerful legs, it can reach speeds of over 80 mph in less than 5 seconds to chase prey and enemies. Its jaws are powerful enough to break a tree apart at its base." The female computerized voice explained
Everyone on the team couldn't help but whistle at its stats. Speed and Power seemed to be its main points, though it seemed a little low in Special Defense stats. Despite the setback, it was definitely a powerful Pokémon.
'I shouldn't have sent out the first Pokémon. I could've used Froslass instead.' Jen thought, cursing her mistake. While Flying types held an advantage over Grass types, Froslass could've done double the damage.
"Since you sent out the first Pokémon, I'm calling the first attack. Graptor, use Dragon Claw!"
Graptor charged at the bird, claws glowing a turquoise color.
"Pidgeot, dodge and use Quick Attack!"
Pidgeot managed to dodge and charged at Graptor in a burst of fast speed
"Catch it!"
Graptor managed to do just that, and caught Pidgeot at the wings. Graptor wasn't even moved back, Pidgeot was stuck in its grip
"I can't believe that Graptor managed to catch Pidgeot like that!" Alex exclaimed
"It's clear that the guards train their Pokémon seriously." Chase said
"All that still doesn't mean Jen doesn't stand a chance." Tim replied, defending his girlfriend
"She'll definitely have a tough time though." Replied Alex
"Now use Dragon Tail!"
Graptor's tail glowed the same color as its claws did, and slammed into Pidgeot, sending it into the ground
"Quick, use Dragon Tail once more!"
Get out of the way! Use Mirror Move!"
Pidgeot managed to get into the air in time and a portal appeared in front of it. From the portal came a turquoise tendril that caught Graptor off guard and slammed into it.
"Now use Sky Attack!"
"Use Foliage Fang!"
Jen, not knowing what to expect, just had Pidgeot go towards the grass dinosaur, and crashed into it, kicking up a lot of dust. After it cleared, it showed both Pokémon injured, but Graptor was somehow less injured than expected. It looked like it was barely hit. Pidgeot meanwhile looked a lot worse than expected
"But…how?" Jen asked, which was also on all of their minds
"Foliage Fang is a move that works like Giga Drain in the sense that once the user bites down, it drains energy from the target. It's like how bats and vampires feed." The female guard explained
'Hmm…' Jen thought, forming a plan
"It's time to end this. Graptor, use Dragon Rush!"
Graptor jumped into the air, where it was cloaked in energy shaped like a dragon, and charged at Pidgeot
"Use Agility, then Roost!"
Pidgeot barely dodged the charging opponent, and began to heal itself
"Don't give it a moment to recover. Again!"
Graptor charged again at the bird
"Mirror Move!"
The same portal appeared, and cloaked Pidgeot in the same energy as its opponent. Since Graptor was too close to dodge, the both of them collided, kicking up more dust.
"Giga Impact!"
Pidgeot emerged from the clouding, covered in purple and yellow energy, and slammed into Graptor, and slammed it into a tree, where its eyes turned in the infamous swirly style that signified a K.O.
"Graptor is unable to battle, the winner is Pidgeot. Round 1 goes to the challengers." The ref, one of the challenging guards, announced
At that, Chase and Alex were ecstatic at the news, while Tim was smiling at his girlfriend and her Pidgeot
"You did great Pidgeot. Take a good rest."
"You've done well, Graptor. Rest now."
Both girls simply smiled and nodded at each other and returned to their respective sides, where Chase and Alex congratulated her verbally, while her boyfriend kissed her on the cheek as his way of congratulating her on the battle.
The next set of battlers were Alex and a male guard, the ref for the previous battle.
"Since your Team claimed victory in the first round, you will choose first." The guard said, leaving no room for complaints
While Alex mentally groaned about it being a little unfair, he complied and sent out a Shiny Typhlosion
The guard's Pokémon was a dog with orange brown limbs, with cream colored fur on its face that formed a moustache with a blue colored pelt around its torso
"Herdier vs Typhlosion! Begin!" declared the first female guard
"Typhlosion, use Flamethrower!"
Typhlosion shot a large jet of fire from its mouth
"Dodge by using Dig!"
Herdier burrowed underground, dodging the Flamethrower
"Typhlosion, jump now!"
Typhlosion managed to jump a pretty considerable height. It might've worked with any other trainer, who would normally be right under, or near their opponent, but that was the opposite in this case
"Use Rain Dance, then Wild Charge!"
From the hole it dug, a large ball of water was shot to the sky, making it rain. Just after that, Herdier emerged from the hole, and went towards the now falling Typhlosion
"Use your own Wild Charge, and mix it with Mega Punch!"
"Mix your Wild Charge with Ice Fang!"
Both opponents, one surrounded by electricity and a silver sphere enveloping its fist and the other cloaked in electricity, its fangs frozen over had collided with each other, causing an explosion.
When the smoke cleared, it showed Typhlosion banged up, but still raring to go. Herdier…wasn't around. The Loyal Dog was no were to be seen, causing Alex and Typhlosion to look around for it. The second guard just smirked
"Now, use Giga Impact!"
Herdier emerged from the ground, catching both Alex and Typhlosion off guard, and tackled the latter right in the gut, sending it onto the ground, skidding towards its trainer
"But…when?"
"The Herdier your Typhlosion collided with was nothing more than a substitution the real thing created the second it burrowed into the ground." The guard explained "It's a common tactic around here."
Alex, meanwhile, seethed at the situation. Typhlosion took a lot of damage in the collision, and just now from one of the most powerful attacks while it was caught off guard. The only reason Herdier looked a little winded was because of the energy it took for the clone and the Giga Impact. Other than that, though, it didn't have a single scratch on it. Alex was going to have to think fast if he was to get out of this one. While this was going on, he realized two things:
1. It was raining still.
2. There was still only one hole in the ground
'Perhaps…'
"Typhlosion, use Thunderbolt!"
"Dodge it!"
Herdier dodged by jumping into the hole it made
"Aim it at the hole!"
"What?!"
The bolt of lightning was aimed into the single hole made from the dig, and shocked the dog like Pokémon since both it, and the ground, were completely soaking wet.
Herdier emerged from the ground, finally creating a second hole, but Alex was putting the next phase of his plan into action
"Use Mega Punch!"
Typhlosion's fist closed, surrounded by a silver ball of energy, socked the dog right in its face, skidding along the ground to the guard.
"Now use Wild Charge while before it can recover!"
"Get out of the way!"
Typhlosion was once more cloaked in electricity, and charged at the dog, still lying on the ground. It could react to its trainer's commands in time, and the attack made direct contact, causing another explosion.
When the smoke cleared, it showed Typhlosion was battered and bruised from the damage, but it was still standing. Herdier though, was completely scratched up, bruised all over, and had sparks coming off of its body. It also struggled to get up
"Come on, Herdier! Get up! It's not over yet!"
Herdier continued to struggle in its attempts to get up, but was having little to no success. It was starting to look like Team 7 would have its second victory
"Get up, Herdier! I know you can! I believe in you!"
That seemed to trigger something in the Loyal Dog, since it howled for a second before it was enveloped in a light blue light.
Suddenly, its body grew in side, and its moustache had grown larger and longer, coming down to the ground, and stretching to its back legs, looking more like plumes. When the light died away, it showed that it had blue on the inside of its ears, and the lower half of the blue fur on its torso was now gray.
"Stoooouuutland!"
Alex pulled out his Pokedex and scanned the Pokémon before him
"Stoutland, the Big Hearted Pokémon. This intelligent Pokémon excels at saving people from mountains and blizzards. Its thick fur keeps it warm even in powerful blizzards."
It was at that point that Alex realized it was no longer raining, and his opponents Pokémon had just evolved, its former injuries no longer looking like a burden.
Stoutland's trainer, also using Pokedex, saw that Stoutland had acquired a new move
"It's time to end this. Stoutland, use Last Resort!"
"Counter with Mega Punch!
A sphere of silver power and a body of gold energy and stars met head on, struggling for dominance. Then, another explosion.
When the smoke cleared, both were still standing. Then, not even a second later, Typhlosion fainted.
"Typhlosion is unable to battle. The winner is Stoutland, so Round 2 is ours!
"Typhlosion, return. You were awesome."
"Return, Stoutland, You did great out there."
As the battlers for Round 2 returned to their respective sides, Chase, and a second female guard stepped up to the battlefield.
"Don't think because you're a woman I'll go easy on you in this battle."
"Good, because it'll be your end. Burn em' up, Magmortar!"
The guard's Pokemon was humanoid with yellow and red stripes in the form of a flame-like pattern. Its arms took the form of cannons, and it had a duck bill for a mouth that seemed to be smiling. Its feet were red, with two clawed toes
"A Magmortar, huh? I've got just the thing! Show them your will, Electivire!"
Chase's Pokemon was humanoid with yellow fur and black stripes. It had five fingers on each hand, three toes on its feet, and red eyes. It had two antennae on its head, and a power circuit pattern on its back. It also lacked a neck
"Electivire vs. Magamortar! Battle begin!"
"Magmortar, start things off with Flamethrower!"
"Electivire, counter with Light Screen, then use ThunderPunch!"
A yellow screen formed around Electivire, blocking off the Flamethrower. Electivire then began charging at Magmortar with a fist surrounded by electricity.
"Meet it head-on with DynamicPunch!"
Magmortar's fist glowed a reddish-orange before it met the ThunderPunch head-on, causing them to struggle for dominance. After a short while, with no side giving an inch, an explosion occurred
When the smoke cleared, it showed neither side was harmed.
"Electivire, try using Thunder!"
"Eeelllectiviiiiree!" it shouted as a humongous stream of lighting shot from the antennae on its head towards its opponent.
"Use Flamethrower to counter!"
A jet of fire met with the stream of electricity, but the latter was stronger, so all it did was weaken it, but not by much. Magmortar got electrocuted.
"Maaaaaag!"
"Magmortar, no!"
"Now use Giga Impact!"
Electivire was surrounded in the familiar gold and purple energy and went towards Magmortar. (Un)fortunately, Magmortar had recovered and was prepared to counter-attack.
"Magmortar, use Protect, then use Psychic!"
A green shield of energy surrounded Magmortar, preventing all harm. When the Giga Impact died down and the Protect ended, Magmortar's eyes glowed blue, holding Electivire in place.
"Electivire, get out of there!"
"Slam it into the ground and use Earthquake! Then use Hyper Beam!"
Electivire was slammed into the ground, trapping it in the earth, preventing escape. Then, Magmortar stomped its foot on the ground, causing it to shake wildly. Then, the earth began breaking apart, sending rock fragments everywhere, and fissures all over the field, and the hole from the dig was filled up. Luckily, the damage was limited to the battlefield.
Magmortar's onslaught wasn't over yet, though. Its cannon-like arms were charging an orange-yellow ball of energy, and were ready to fire.
With Electivre, it was just getting up from the ground, signs of damage from the Earthquake were obvious, and it was clear that if the Hyper Beam made contact, it was all over. For some reason, electricity was circulating its body
"Electivire! Are you okay?!"
Electivire just nodded weakly, and acting on instinct, condensed the electricity on a single point on its tails, and formed a yellow ball of electricity, and fired at the now released Hyper Beam. It was forced to release early as to end the battle quickly, so it didn't have enough power to overcome the newly learned Electro Ball.
"Woah. Electivire learned Electro Ball? Awesome!"
Electivire let electricity dance around its body to show its happiness while it smiled with glee
"Electivire, let's end this with a Thunder-Ice-Fire punch combination with Giga Impact!"
"Magmortar, counter with a Dynamic-Fire Cross Chop* with Iron Flare Tail*" Both the guards and the members of Team 7 looked surprised for different reasons. The former because they knew that combo move was still in development, and the latter because of the move combinations that were being shown
Electivire's fist became surrounded in electricity, then fire, then ice, which began changing in rapid succession. It then charged at Magmortar, surrounded by a gold and purple energy. Magmortar crossed its arms, which were covered in reddish-orange energy surrounded by fire. It charged at Electivire surrounded by an intense blue fire, its tail covered by a metallic coating.
Both were an inch apart from making contact with each other, when it happened. The elements composing the attacks destabilized, causing them to explode.
The smoke cleared to show both Pokemon completely bruised, battered, exhausted, and lying on the floor,
"Since neither Pokemon are able to continue, the winner will be decided by whether or not their Pokemon can continue
"Come on Electivire! I know you can get up! We've come too far to quit now!"
"Magmortar, get up! We've almost one! I just need you to hold out for a little while longer!"
Both Pokemon woke up, and slowly but surely, began to stand up. After a few minutes, both were standing, but were in such bad shape that a feather could knock them down!
Magmortar and Electivire eyed one another, but the former went down after that, this time for good.
"Magmortar is unable to battle. The winner is Electivire, so victory goes to the team competing in the Mesoa League." the referee declared
"Alright! You got us in to town, Electivire, and learned a new move! Way to go!" Chase yelled excitedly as he hugged the Electivire, causing the latter to smile and let sparks dance on its antennae.
"Return, Magmortar. You did your best."
"Alright, Electivire. Return and get some rest. I'll have you healed up soon."
"Since you beat us 2-out-of-3, we'll show you to the Pokemon Center to get you accommodated.
"That would be nice. Thanks." Tim said
Aaaand cut, print. That's a wrap on this chapter. Phew, finally done.
I know it's very late, but many things had factored into it. Writer's block, self-doubt, and a few others. But, no more. The story stays as it is.
These chapters featuring the teams are actually my own way of showing appreciation to those who submitted OCs for the competition. Hope you all appreciate it as much as I do, even if some do more than others. That'll change in the first tournament I feature.
Now, a few announcements
1. The two chapters, which were really the author's notes and announcements, will be deleted soon after I post this. Since they're not really that significant at this point, they're just taking up space at this point.
2. My penname will be changed to TheGhostOfSparta, something with Kratos, or something similar. I feel I should give you all a small heads up so none of you are confused and asking "Who is this guy?" or "Who the hell are you?" or anything like that
3. I've created a new poll to ask you "What draws you to a story?" Is it plot? Pairing(s)? More plot than pairing and vice versa? Let me know
Subscribe to me and this story for future updates. Favorite me and this story if you enjoy it. Leave concerns, comments in the review box or in a PM. No flames shall be tolerated (unless you feel offended about that whole shopkeeper accent. Indian, desert, mini convenience store thing. Again, I do not intend to offend anyone, and have no wish to start anything, so once again, I do apologize. But you have to admit the real Pokemon would've done something similar)
So, I'm A.M.P 1008, soon to be TheGhostOfSparta, signing out!