CHAPTER SEVENTY
While Daniel completed his Indigo League entrance examination, Natalie spent time with Amy buying items at the PokeMart counter, browsing the stalls of merchandise and buying ice cream from an outdoor vendor. Natalie was glad to catch up with Amy, whom seemed to open up more with someone to listen and share ideas. Daniel, whose enthusiasm could not be dampened, talked for long periods of time in which Natalie felt Amy could barely get in a word edgewise.
Similarly, Amy was glad to have Natalie around. Natalie was a good listener, providing a sounding board upon which Amy learnt she was not the only one who felt inferior and isolated. Both girls experienced difficulty with pleasing their mothers, who held high standards or expectations against their achievements in life.
Returning to where they had left Daniel, Natalie and Amy concluded that he could have been paged for his entrance examination. They headed back inside, across the tiled foyer to where the entrance examinations were being conducted, taking seats beside each other on the row of metal chairs against the wall. Behind the cordon of velvet ropes and clipboard-checking attendant, the double doors were closed and no sounds of battle penetrated from within.
"What three Pokemon will you use?" Amy asked Natalie.
Shrugging, Natalie replied, "I'll keep Butterfree as the exception to my all Water-type Pokemon, and probably retain Squirtle and Poliwhirl."
"Good thinking," Amy added, glancing around at the Trainers who paced and fidgeted nervously in anticipation. "I suppose it could work to your advantage, having most of your Pokemon as the same type."
Natalie nodded and removed Seadra's Pokeball from her belt, playing with it in her lap. "Thanks again for letting me use your room at the inn."
"No problem," Amy smiled. "It's booked for one more night. Here's hoping you pass and get your own room in the stadium complex -"
"Own room?"
Natalie and Amy glanced up to the girl whom had interrupted. She wore a pantsuit and her shiny blonde hair tucked in a hairclip. Amy cast her mind back to when she had first dyed her hair blonde to match her friends, the painstaking labors required to keep up with fashion. Meanwhile, the girl who had interrupted them glanced between Amy and Natalie.
"I thought you said your own room, and you must be kidding," the girl tinkled with laughter. "Because of course, you don't get your own room until you're out of the preliminaries. I thought everyone knew that."
Hesitating, Natalie replied, "If you don't get your own room, where do you stay in the stadium?"
Frowning, the girl replied, "You share a room with others. Y'know, dormitories with bunk beds and shared bathroom. They try to separate guys and girls, but if one gender comes up short they find a way to make it work."
"Sharing's not all that bad," Natalie commented. "I can understand that they would want to foster communication between the contenders."
Amy was worried for a second, but glad that she would be at least sharing a room with girls rather than boys. She had enjoyed her brief stay in Fuchsia City where she had shared a room with Connie and her friends. She had not been raised to be overly familiar with boys.
"Yeah, that's the point," replied the girl, offhandedly. "So you two still are waiting on your entrance exams, huh?"
"I've passed mine," Amy said with relief. "I battled Lorelei."
"Ah, she's tough," said the girl. "I battled her as well. My Magnemite and Gloom took care of her Water-types, though. See ya round."
"Thanks," Natalie watched her depart, turning to Amy. "Perhaps I should have a more balanced strategy. I do focus a lot on Water Pokemon... "
Amy glanced towards Natalie, whose pocket began buzzing. "Is that yours?"
Natalie eagerly retrieved the vibrating pager, the display informing her that her entrance examination was for noon tomorrow. As though on cue, the attendant repeated the information to the crowd, receiving groans and complaints in reply.
"Hey!" the attendant silenced the onlookers with a stern glare. "No complaints! The Elite Four need their sleep, too."
It was still light outside, but evening was beginning to fall. Natalie stood up and consulted the attendant, who was glad to be off-duty.
"Excuse me. I think my friend is in there battling... "
"We have Daniel S. in there at the moment. Is he your friend?" the attendant snapped. Natalie nodded. "Great. You can wait until he's done. The entrance examinations will commence tomorrow morning at nine."
Natalie returned to her seat, consulting Amy. "Daniel's still in there. I wonder if anyone's seen Lance around? He's the Champion, after all."
"He'd probably be mobbed by a group of fans the moment he walked in the door," Amy added dryly. "It's hard to tell what sort of person he is, apart from an excellent Pokemon Trainer."
"Yeah," Natalie said dreamily. "He's not bad. I'm not as into him as some girls, but he's good looking and his Pokemon are powerful. He's quite alluring."
"Good-looking and powerful don't always lead to good things," Amy replied. "For all his fan base, he manages to seem modest and above criticism. He is the only Dragon-type Trainer in Kanto, after all. People respect and revere him."
Amy and Natalie glanced up as the double doors to the practice battlefield opened, footsteps following as Daniel emerged, weary but gratified.
"Daniel!" Natalie called out in welcome, waving him over. She got to her feet and rushed over, while Amy followed without haste. "We heard you were battling!"
"I won, Natalie," Daniel gushed, glad to share his victory. "I beat Agatha!"
"Great job!" Natalie hugged him.
"Well done," Amy added coolly. She moved to hug him, too, but he froze and the two ended up patting each other's shoulders in the kind of awkward embrace you have with an overbearing great-aunt. "Agatha's tough, I'm told."
"She uses Ghost- and Poison-type Pokemon. My Meowth's attacks were useless and I couldn't poison them with Arbok's attacks. Luckily I had Seel to help me through, too." Daniel noticed the dispersing crowd, turning to Natalie. "What about your entrance examination?"
"It's scheduled for tomorrow," Natalie smiled weakly. "I was prepared for it today, but a good sleep should set my nerves right."
"I need to head to the Pokemon Center counter to heal my Pokemon, and the PokeMart counter to stock up on supplies," Daniel began to veer away from the two girls. "Should I meet you outside?"
"Meet us at the Blue Moon Inn, room 403," Natalie replied. "Now that you've passed the entrance exam, you have accommodation in the stadium and I get the room to myself!"
Laughing though puzzled, Daniel turned away as Natalie and Amy exited out into the darkening dusk, cool air tingling their arms. Walking among the grumpy crowd of Trainers who wanted the instant gratification of success all in the same day, Amy pointed the inn out to Natalie and the two walked through the front door.
Spotting a familiar face among the Trainers who headed up to bed, Natalie cried,
"What are you doing here?"
Amy sensed the tension as Alesha walked forward, tall and imposing with a smirk on her face. Alesha's firm build was draped in a halter-neck top which revealed her belly button and stone washed jeans. She bore outright confidence in an environment where Trainers were addled with nerves.
"I'm here to win the tournament with my Pokemon," Alesha sneered, noticing Natalie's discomfort and Amy's cool reserve. "Everywhere's booked out. Give me your room."
"No," Natalie replied, shocked. "You can't threaten me here, Alesha!"
Reaching into her leather wallet, Alesha extracted a sheaf of cash. "What'll it take, huh? Five hundred? A thousand? Two thousand?"
"You can't possibly have that much spare cash," Natalie retorted.
"Oh, I do," Alesha smiled contentedly. "I'm not the idiot giving Mum more money to spend."
"Alesha!" Natalie hissed.
"I don't know why you're entering the tournament," Alesha glanced at Natalie disdainfully. "You were never good with battling Pokemon, only rocking them to sleep."
Reddening, Natalie replied, "I won all eight Gym Badges in Kanto, and I'm taking my entrance examination tomorrow -"
"Then I'll call Mum and tell her to expect you tomorrow, when you lose," Alesha replied. "You're a loser Natalie, if you spend the rest of your life trying to help Mum. She's beyond assistance. Now how much for the room? You must be as poor as an urchin."
"You're heartless," Natalie shot back.
"Actually, it's my room," Amy stepped forward, attracting Alesha's glare. "I gave it to Natalie as a favour after winning my entrance exam. If you wouldn't mind leaving us alone, we are tired and need some rest."
Conspiratorially, Alesha leaned close to Amy, who remained mute.
"Poor Natalie," Alesha began, not bothering to lower her voice. "She's all alone with no one to help her. You look like a smart girl. Why don't you hand over the room key to the tune of, say, three thousand dollars?"
Natalie was shocked, both at Alesha's conduct and the merest chance that Amy might comply.
"I don't need your money," Amy replied, defiant. "Now back off and leave us alone."
Not perturbed, Alesha gave a harsh back of laughter, red curls bouncing upon her shoulders.
"I'd challenge you both to a battle, but I'd prefer to defeat you on live TV. Enjoy your sleep, don't let the Weedle bite."
Sauntering away, Alesha was a sight for sore eyes with her buxom figure and impenetrable confidence. Amy collected herself, feeling thin as a weed that she could not back up her threat. Natalie was denuded of optimism, lifeless and out of sync.
"I'll let you rest," Amy placed a hand on Natalie's shoulder. "I see why you detest your sister so much."
Defensively, Natalie replied, "I don't detest her, I just - well, OK. I hate her, but that's not a good thing to say about your sister."
"I don't know," Amy mused. "My little brother's a pompous ass. I can barely stand him when he's in a good mood."
Natalie smiled and headed for the staircase. "Thanks again for the room, Amy... and for standing up for me. Alesha's not an easy person to lock horns with."
Amy felt a surge of validation. "You're welcome, Natalie. If she bothers you again, let me know."
Natalie ascended the staircase to her room, while Amy exited outside to the village, where dusk had begun to set. Amy was surprised to see Natalie bicker with Alesha, not alone in the struggle with her sibling. Most of all, Amy was sad to see how kind Natalie wilted in the face of fiery Alesha's cruelty.
Heading back towards the stadium, Amy had been excited to have her own, all-expenses-paid room throughout the duration of her stay in Indigo Plateau, until she remembered that she would have to share with others unless she rose higher in the tournament ranks. For the time being, it was a sacrifice worth its weight. With all the money Amy had earned from her victories over Sabrina, Giovanni and subsequent Trainer battles, she was in possession of thousands of dollars which could lead her astray if she didn't maintain her self-control.
Amy entered the stadium, finding Daniel in front of a payphone, gesticulating wildly with a broad smile on his face. From the few words she had overheard before giving him privacy, she gathered he was talking to his mother, Mary, probably about securing a place for himself in the tournament.
Silently, Amy wished she had a family member to call about every obstacle she overcame. Her mother didn't encourage friendship, her brother was forced to keep out of contact and her father was absent-minded, preferring to let his wife handle the children while he worked all hours at a large firm in Saffron City to provide for the family.
Daniel said his goodbyes after remonstrating Beth not to move her spare things into his bedroom at home, hanging up the phone and noticing Amy waiting patiently nearby.
"Hey," he smiled, still in the afterglow of sharing his victorious battle. "I thought we were going to meet at the inn?"
"That was the plan, but Natalie's decided to go to bed early. We ran into her sister, Alesha," Amy said, as Daniel stiffened. "They shared some harsh words and I think she's better being on her own tonight."
"Oh, OK..." Daniel's mood dampened. "Is there something we can do for her?"
Amy warmed at Daniel's concern, though he lacked the subtle tact. Insistently, she replied, "Natalie will be fine, Daniel. Really, she's stronger than she looks."
"Is she?" Daniel asked, doubtful. He didn't see Natalie as weak, but liked to boost her spirits with a pep talk. Failing that, he felt miserable.
"You should have more confidence in yourself," Amy was quick to say. "Perhaps some time apart will do you two some good."
"I guess," Daniel said, not putting on any show of bravado or pride in front of her. It told Amy a lot about what she suspected. "I'll probably head to bed, then."
"Same here," Amy nodded, squeezing his shoulder in a brief, dry fashion. "See you tomorrow, Daniel."
The dormitories which housed three Trainers each were separated by gender, so that the boys' rooms ran around the west section of the stadium while the girls' rooms ran around the east section. Daniel and Amy went their separate ways.
Amy unlocked the door leading to the girl's dormitories, following the nameplates upon each door as she walked around the circular length of the stadium. She found her dormitory, swiped her magnetised Trainer Card across the slot and pushed the door open.
It was clean, spartan and held one bunk bed and a single bed, with a cork board above a writing desk and an adjoining en suite bathroom with shower and facilities. The standalone single bed was taken by a girl who wasn't back yet, but whose earmarked book and backpack contents were strewn across the covers to reserve her spot. The top bunk bed was taken by another girl who climbed down the ladder to greet this newest addition to the dormitory, wearing satin pink pyjamas with a Jigglypuff print, her face caked with night cream and her straw-blonde hair tied in a messy ponytail.
"Hiya," she smiled, enveloping Amy in a bear hug. "I'm Lucy. Congrats on passing your entrance exam!"
Extricating herself with care, Amy smiled and nodded. "Thanks. I'm Amy. It was quite a challenge, wasn't it?"
Lucy widened her eyes in horror. "I thought I was going to lose for sure! My Wigglytuff and I were up against Bruno's Fighting-types."
"You have a Wigglytuff?" Amy asked, remembering that Jigglypuff evolved using a Moon Stone into Wigglytuff.
"She's my best pal," Lucy said. "What Pokemon do you have?"
Amy just wanted to sleep, but chatted for as long as she could be polite.
Meanwhile, Daniel entered the corridor where the boys' dormitories were housed. He found his dormitory and swiped his Trainer Card, noticing at once that the single bed hadn't been slept in, but had a Charizard plush doll atop the covers to reserve it for someone else. There was another boy tucked in the lower bunk sound asleep from the exertions of the entrance exam while the top bunk remained free.
Not wanting to disturb his fellow bed mate, Daniel changed into pyjamas in the adjoining bathroom and climbed the ladder to get into bed. He would've liked Meowth to join him, but he would like to get to know the people he was staying with, first. He hadn't made many male friends and this would be a good time to start.
The boy whose bed was reserved by the Poke Doll didn't return the whole night.
Natalie awoke frazzled with nerves for her entrance examination the next day. Her face was red and puffy from sleep, though she had shed a few tears last night over the encounter with Alesha. The pressure was mounting for her to win, not just to get away from her sister but win a new life for her mother.
She was glad Amy had given her the room for the night. It was decently spacious, with a bathtub she made use of to soak her worries and forget any pain. While she was changing into pyjamas, Squirtle, Poliwhirl and Seadra had snuck into the bathroom to fill the tub themselves, so that they could splash in a little pool all their own. Natalie had been aghast at the overflowing tub of scented bubbles, admonishing them in a harsher tone that she usually reserved for her sister. Warily, her Pokemon had been sad and backed off.
This is it, Natalie told herself, tying her red hair into a plait fastened with a blue ribbon. After this tournament, no more Pokemon battling for me. All this competition drives people to extraordinary lengths for greedy self-fulfilment.
While Daniel's ambition was to become Champion and Amy's was to prove to her family that she could make it on her own, Natalie wanted the prize money. She hated that family circumstances had forced what should've been a carefree, fun journey into one bent on personal profit. Never again would she let herself be used.
Natalie hadn't made plans for breakfast with Daniel and Amy, but she decided to surprise them in their personal quarters on her dime. Natalie knew she shouldn't spend money earmarked for her mother, but if she lost her sense of goodwill and generosity, she was no better than Alesha, who battled mercilessly for money.
To her surprise, her pager vibrated and Natalie glanced at the display, noting the dread that informed her the entrance examination was being moved up. One of the Trainers scheduled to take the exam ahead of her had been caught cheating, having only won seven of eight Kanto Gym Badges and snuck into the proceedings.
Urgently, Natalie returned her Pokemon to their Pokeballs and headed downstairs, handing the room key back to the receptionist and thanking her for a lovely stay. She raced outside, through the village and into the bulk of the looming stadium, where Trainers yawned and fixed their tousled hair, munching toast and complaining about the prices of accommodation.
Healing her Pokemon at the Pokemon counter, and stopping at the PokeMart counter to refill her supplies, Natalie headed to the entrance examination battlefield, taking a seat and compulsively checking her watch. Waiting on tenterhooks, Natalie watched as a guy emerged from the double doors, his wide grin informing onlookers as to the success of his exam, then -
"Natalie C!"
Getting to her feet, Natalie introduced herself and handed over the Pokeball which contained Seadra, retaining three of her Pokeballs as per the rules.
"Good luck," said the attendant, lifting the velvet rope.
Natalie walked through, heart thudding in her chest as she pushed open the set of double doors and entered the examination battlefield. It was wide and well-lit, with empty bleachers and no interference from the outside world. She took her place at one side, adjusting the Pokeballs on her belt as her opponent came into view opposite.
"Welcome!"
It was a man, whom she immediately recognised as Bruno since she knew Lorelei and Agatha were women. Bruno was muscular and shirtless, wearing sparring pants but barefoot. Though he was undeniably masculine and rugged, Bruno was a professional member of the Elite Four.
"My name is Bruno," he introduced himself. "Who are you, challenger?"
"I am Natalie, from Viridian City -"
"Ah! Viridian City! You must have gone out of your way to collect the Badges and conquer Victory Road to reach Indigo Plateau."
"It was a tiring journey," Natalie smiled slightly. "But it will be worth it in the end."
"Let me be the judge of that," Bruno said, deadpan. "As you'll know if you watched the previous tournament, I prefer to use Fighting-type Pokemon. Are you prepared?"
Natalie nodded, selecting her first Pokeball. "I am."
"Good," Bruno smirked roguishly, selecting his first Pokeball of three Pokeballs. "Then let us begin!"
The ground shook as the battlefield slid into side recesses, so that a platform from below could elevate and take its place. The stony, hard battlefield was covered with boulders and dusty cliffs with sparse vegetation, a desert wasteland for Pokemon battling. Pumped, Bruno threw his Pokeball into the field.
"Let's roll, Onix!"
Bursting with red light, the large serpentine form of Onix materialised and towered over Natalie. She didn't flinch as she threw her Pokeball onto the battlefield.
"Go, Poliwhirl!"
Poliwhirl walked forward, swinging his arms with gusto and readying for the fight against Onix, who roared loudly in dissent.
"Onix, Rock Slide!" Bruno shouted.
"Poliwhirl, Hypnosis!" Natalie cried.
The spiral upon Poliwhirl's chest glowed as he released a hypnotic wave towards Onix, while Onix slammed its tail against a cliff side, demolishing it so that a small avalanche of boulders headed straight for Poliwhirl. Onix was blasted by the hypnotic wave, sinking to the hard ground in slumber.
"Poliwhirl, watch out!" Natalie cried.
Agile, Poliwhirl shot jets of water at the incoming boulders to veer them off course. One of the boulders hit a groove in the ground, gained momentum and sailed straight into Poliwhirl, knocking him flat.
"Poliwhirl!" Natalie shrieked, watching him struggle to stand. Meanwhile, Bruno began applying a Full Heal to Onix. Getting to his feet, Poliwhirl was injured but focused his attention on Onix. "Hydro Pump!"
"Onix, Harden!" Bruno shouted, knowing Onix would not escape in time.
Rousing, Onix's body became stiff as Poliwhirl's powerful surge of water blasted it full force. Though still taking great damage, Onix managed to prevent some harm and roared, headed straight for Poliwhirl.
"Slam, Onix!" Bruno yelled.
"Poliwhirl, use Hydro Pump again!" Natalie screamed.
Poliwhirl took a deep breath, releasing another powerful surge of water which Onix evaded, no easy target with its serpentine form and crashing its tail down upon Poliwhirl. Stunned and flattened, Poliwhirl could not move as Onix bore down on the Water-type with glee -
"Poliwhirl, return!" Natalie held out her Pokeball, so that her fainted Pokemon would come to no more harm. Already sweating, she considered the heaving bulk of Bruno's Rock/Ground Pokemon and selected her second of three Pokeballs, aware she had underestimated Bruno's skill.
"Take that Onix out, Squirtle!"
Squirtle burst forth, sprinting for Onix -
"Onix, Earthquake!"
"Squirtle, Hydro Pump!"
Onix leapt into the air and slammed its tail upon the ground, causing a fissure deep within the battlefield, while Squirtle shot a powerful jet of water towards Onix. The ground split and snaked a crevice straight for Squirtle who jumped out of the way in time, while Onix was blasted full force by the Hydro Pump, groaning as it crashed upon the battlefield.
"Return, Onix!" Bruno held out his Pokeball, red light flashing. "I see you're a fan of Water-type Pokemon!"
"I came prepared, Bruno," Natalie smiled. "But yes, my favourites are indeed Water-types."
"That may have helped you against Gym Leaders Brock and Blaine," Bruno said, selecting his second of three Pokeballs. "But Onix is the exception, for I specialise in Fighting-types! Go, Hitmonchan!"
Hitmonchan sprung forth, the only other Pokemon of its kind that Natalie had faced was against the Karate Master in Saffron City. Luckily, she had some inkling of what to expect, though this Hitmonchan seemed faster on its feet.
"Return, Squirtle!" Natalie commanded, switching out her Water-type for her remaining Pokeball, throwing it into the field. "Fly with me, Butterfree!"
Soaring into the air, Butterfree twittered and flew above Hitmonchan, far out of reach. Hitmonchan remained steady and unafraid.
Tasting triumph, Natalie cried, "Butterfree, Psychic!"
"Hitmonchan, Double Team!" Bruno yelled.
Splitting into three copies, Hitmonchan became a blur as Butterfree blasted one of the intangible copies into nothingness. The two copies remained, seemingly identical.
"Hitmonchan, hit that Butterfree with a Thunderpunch!"
Natalie shrieked, "Your Hitmonchan's out of reach, Bruno! Butterfree, use Swift!"
The two Hitmonchan copies took off independently, casting a wide berth between one another as they climbed a cliff side and kicked off to gain momentum, soaring higher than Butterfree had predicted, their fists glowing with electricity. Butterfree chose one at random and shot shining stars towards a copy, which dissipated while the real Hitmonchan electro-punched Butterfree out of the air and smack into a cliff wall, sliding down and suffering great injuries.
"No!" Natalie cried, as Hitmonchan landed with ease, pumping its fists. "Butterfree, Psychic!"
"Hitmonchan, freeze that Butterfree cold with an Ice Punch!"
Breathing heavily, Butterfree shook with psychic energies as Hitmonchan used Double Team on the spot, splitting into three copies with ice-covered fists drawn back. Butterfree directed her Psychic at the copy in the middle, blasting the real Hitmonchan backwards as the two copies dissipated into nothing.
"Great work, Butterfree!" Natalie whooped, worried for her fallen friend. "Sleep Powder!"
"Hitmonchan, on your feet!" Bruno demanded, as Hitmonchan shook off the surreal psychic energies that pervaded him, greatly injured. Butterfree spread Sleeping Powder throughout the battlefield, lifting above the cliffs and through cavities. "Double Team!"
Splitting into three copies once again, Hitmonchan raced towards Butterfree -
"Fire Punch!" Bruno demanded.
Fiery fists at the ready, triplicate Hitmonchan raced towards Butterfree, slowing as they got close and slumping in slumber upon the rocky field, burning fists extinguishing. Two copies disappeared as the real Hitmonchan snoozed. Butterfree was still panting, but had enough time to recover to fly up out of harm's reach.
"Finish Hitmonchan, Butterfree! Gust!" Natalie cried
Flapping her wings furiously, Butterfree created a cyclone within the rocky battlefield, causing great harm to Hitmonchan and fanning dust and debris to Natalie, who cringed and shielded her eyes, while Bruno watched on with grim discontentment.
Holding out his Pokeball, Bruno ordered, "Hitmonchan, return!"
Red light flashed out and Hitmonchan's sleeping form disappeared. Bruno weighed his third and final Pokeball in his hand.
"You're a tough little kid!" Bruno threw his Pokeball into the battlefield. "Come and challenge my heavyweight champion, Machamp!"
Machamp was the evolved form of Machoke, with an extra set of hands so that four fists flailed through the air to get pumped. It was muscular like Machoke but undeniably more powerful.
"Your Fighting-type is going down, Bruno!" Natalie taunted, fearful at the muscles bulging on Machamp. "Butterfree, Psychic!"
"Machamp, Strength!" Bruno roared.
Picking up a heavy boulder, Machamp threw it without restraint into the path of Butterfree, knocked out of the air by the sudden projectile. In great pain, Butterfree raised her head to aim her Psychic blast, just as Machamp leapt to avoid it and delivered a Karate Chop that knocked Butterfree unconscious.
"No!" Natalie shrieked, hands over her mouth. Hands shaking, she held out her Pokeball. "I'm sorry, Butterfree, please be OK!"
Red light flashing to return Butterfree inside, Natalie now had only her Water Pokemon pal remaining. Bruno fixed Natalie with an intense stare.
"I'll beat you, Bruno! Your Fighting-type is tough, but so is my Squirtle!" Natalie threw the Pokeball into the battlefield, bursting open with red light.
Squirtle walked forward, confident though rattled that its flying friend had fallen to this fighting foe.
"Ready, Squirtle?" Natalie asked. Squirtle nodded, turning to face Machamp with its fists clenched.
"Your turtle doesn't stand a chance! Machamp, Submission!"
"Squirtle, Skull Bash!"
Machamp and Squirtle sprinted for each other, Machamp leaping and Squirtle with his head lowered. Both collided in an impact that sent each reeling, Squirtle knocked against a boulder while Machamp landed cleanly, suffering recoil all the same. Each slightly injured, Machamp and Squirtle faced each other once more.
"Squirtle, Hydro Pump!"
"Machamp, Strength!"
Squirtle took a deep breath and expelled a giant surge of water, as Machamp picked up and threw a heavy boulder towards Squirtle without abandon. Squirtle's jet of water pushed back the incoming boulder so that it crashed into Machamp's face, knocking him flat as well as the surge of water itself.
"Excellent work!" Natalie cried, as Squirtle sprinted for Machamp's recovering figure. "Finish Machamp with Ice Beam!"
Directing an icy beam towards Machamp, Squirtle froze Bruno's Fighting-type Pokemon solid and lowered his neck, propelling himself forward for a final Skull Bash which shattered Machamp's glacial prison and tackled him across the field, rolling towards Bruno's feet, unconscious.
"Unbelievable!" Bruno roared, as likely to enter the battlefield as Machamp's reserve, with all the sweat that dripped down his muscles. "That Squirtle packs a punch!"
Squirtle raced back into Natalie's arms, as she threw him around with joy, glad not only for her prospects in the tournament but for herself.
"I have to concede, kid. You're better than I thought," Bruno smirked. "Congratulations. You have passed your entrance examination."
Flushed with joy, Natalie watched Squirtle's face contort in delight and thought how lucky she was.
I will not squander these moments with my Pokemon, Natalie told herself. Whatever it takes, I will find a way to repay them for all they have helped me achieve.