"Hey Tracey, you almost done in there?" Gary knocked on the bathroom door while putting a shirt on.
"Just another minute. Almost done." He replied on the other side of the door.
"Okay." He walked to a small hall table on the opposite wall and put on his wristband and his trainer bag. Brock was peering into the mirror that was sitting above it, hung up on the wall, making sure his hair was spiked up. Gary brushed past behind him between him and the wall and walked over to the night stand by his bed and picked up his x-transceiver. Max walked over to the door and opened it to leave.
"I'll meet you guys down there." He said to them.
"Okay Max." Brock said with a rushed look on his face. Max closed the door as he left. The breeder walked away from the mirror and beside his bed where he picked up his heavy backpack. That way he wouldn't have to come back for it when everyone wanted lunch.
The bathroom door opened as Tracey stepped out and went to put his toothbrush back into his bag. Gary squeezed past both of them and walked out of the room. Brock, with his backpack resting on his shoulders turned towards Tracey.
"Ready to go?" He asked.
"Sure. Let's go." Tracey responded, securing his headband. The two of them quickly followed Gary's path out of the room and hurried down the stairs the meet up with the girls who were waiting for them.
"What took you guys so long?" May asked impatient with her hands on her hips.
"Two words. Over. Sleeping." Iris answered for them, counting the words with her fingers.
"Right. Our bad." Brock rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"I tell ya, guys have no concept of time." Dawn said with a shrug.
"And people say we're the sexist ones." Max said to himself while pushing up his glasses.
"Guess you shouldn't've stayed up so late talking with the guys." Misty said referring to Ash and Tyler.
"Got us there. I guess we just lost track of time." Tracey admitted.
"And what about you? You went to bed before any of us." Dawn directed at Gary. He turned his head away in embarrassment, refusing to answer.
"By the way. Has anyone seen Barry?" Brock asked, looking around for the hyperactive trainer.
"Not today. But if he asks to sit with us feel free to say no." Iris encouraged.
"How come?" Asked Tracey.
"Because he screams." Iris simply said. "A lot." She emphasized. "Like a little kid."
"Good point." Dawn said in agreement.
"So, are we all set?" Misty asked the group.
"Let's get a move on. The tournament's gonna kick off in an hour." Gary said. They all nodded in agreement and headed out the Pokémon centre doors.
The walk to the stadium, while usually short, was fairly crowded today. Several people from probably really far way places walked through the streets of the city towards the arena. Just the brief walk there was so congested to the point where the trip there took almost triple what it should have. The tournament doesn't start for another hour so they thought to arrive early to beat the crowd and meet up with Tyler and Ash beforehand. Now it became clear that that was probably not going to happen. Everyone else seemed to have the same idea as they all wanted to show up early and try to meet their favorite trainer before the battles began.
They finally arrived within the thresholds of the stadium walls. They continued down the halls where everyone seemed to disperse in their own directions. There were many reporters and personnel representing various media outlets hanging around with TV cameras outside some of the rooms where participating trainers were assumably waiting before the opening ceremonies. The gang decided to just cut their losses and tried to find themselves some good seats.
"Where do you think Ash and Tyler are right now?" Tracey wondered.
"I don't know. I just hope Ash isn't still asleep at this point." Iris said in concern.
"Come on. I don't think Ash is that stupid." Brock said. Everyone stopped in their tracks and turned to the breeder with knowing expressions on their faces. He looked up in surprise as they all stopped and stared at him.
"Really?" Brock asked as he looked around. "Would it have killed you to just go with it?" Brock exasperated. They all shared a look and chuckles with each other with raised eyebrows and smirks on their faces and just continued walking. Brock rolled his non-existent eyes and followed them.
The eight of them carried themselves up the staircase and came out the entrance to the stands in the front row. There were only dozens of people there so far, in contrast to the thousands that the stadium could hold, scattered around in various seats. All the other's presumably stopping by concession stands or trying to visit their favorite competitor.
(I don't think I've described the arena before, but it was an open air stadium that could seat over 8000 people.)
"Let's take these seats right here." Dawn pointed to some seats in the front row. Four of them took the front and the other half sat behind them so that they weren't yelling across each other in one straight line. Misty, May, Max and Iris took the front, while Gary, Tracey, Brock and Dawn sat behind them. They all filed into their seats and saw the empty battlefield below, save for some officials and the announcer who were still preparing for the opening ceremonies.
"I can't wait for this to get started." Misty said in excitement.
"It looks like it won't be much longer now." Brock said.
"It looks like they're still setting up." Noticed Dawn.
"I still can't believe that Ash and Tyler made it and I didn't." pouted Max.
"Come on Max, be happy for them." May tried to convince her brother to cheer up. "These guys have worked really hard to get this far."
"That's right. You all know how much work Ash has done over the years. Traveling though region after region, he's ready for this." Brock said.
"You're right Brock. We've all seen Ash travel. And he has at least been learning from his mistakes." Iris said with a shrug.
"It's not just that. Ash always seems to come through when it really matters." Misty said.
"You said it. Ashy-boy has really come a long way." Gary agreed.
"No mistake about it. This tournament, will be one Ash will never forget." Brock said.
"And what about all the other trainers we've met? Tyler, Jamie, Morrison, Tobias, Cynthia, Paul, Brandon, Steven, Nitro, Clair, Barrett and Reggie." Max showed of his studious knowledge, listing off several tournament competitors. "I really want to see Ash battle any of them!"
"I would too." Tracey agreed. "I tell ya, there sure are a lot of strong trainers, from really faraway places." He said in wonder.
"I know. It's really exciting to think about. The places that people have travelled and all the experiences they've had. It really makes me want to keep traveling again myself." Said Brock.
"Me too." Misty giggled to herself.
"One thing's for sure, there's always a lot more to see, and a lot more to do." Gary nodded to himself. The others looked around and saw more and more people were taking their seats around them. The people quickly filled in before the opening ceremonies were set to start.
"It's getting busy." Max noted.
"It's almost time." Gary said.
"So, any bets anyone?" Iris asked, trying to stir the pot.
"Tobias. Hands down." Max immediately said with his arms up.
"Really? Asked May in sudden surprise.
"You guys all saw how powerful he was before. Who's going to beat someone like that?" He asked.
"Well I say Alder or Cynthia. They are champions after all." Dawn said.
"Well I'm going with Wallace. He's my choice." Tracey argued. "That guy's done it all."
"Makes sense. He is a really powerful water trainer." Misty nodded.
"Are you betting on anyone Misty?" May asked.
"Uhh… nope." Misty said after a thought. "I'll let the tournament decide that."
"What about you Brock? Any ideas?" Dawn turned to the breeder.
"Hmm." Brock thought while rubbing his chin. "I think I'll go with… Barrett."
"He's the guy who beat you isn't he?" Iris questioned.
"He is. I got to see his power and skill first hand. I have a better feel of his strength because of that. I can't really give a fair opinion of trainers I haven't battled with before, so he's my pick." Brock said.
"Fair enough." Gary nodded in agreement.
"I'd have to say Cynthia as well. She's a champion that utilizes dragon type Pokémon. She's going to win." Iris said.
"Well if I have to guess, I'd say Tobias. It's hard to ignore that kind of strength." May threw in her opinion.
"And there's others to consider. Like Brandon, Steven or Flint." Said Gary.
"Or even Tyler and Ash. Who knows? This could be their time." Misty added.
"Heh, we'll see." Brock chuckled in unlikeliness. With that done the giant screen roared to life as it started up, showing trainer profiles and logos with fire in the background for competitive effect.
"Welcome ladies and gentlemen, to the Driftveil World Tournament's fourth round." The audience cheered with passion as the announcer's introduction meant the battles were soon to begin.
"Starting from now every battle will be full battles, and the battlefield will change from several different types of terrain for each match. So with that in mind, please welcome our competing trainers for the fourth round!" Thousands of claps and cheers were heard as the remaining trainers were seen setting foot from out of the side tunnel and out to the side of the field where they could watch the battles.
"These trainers are going to battle it out for two days to determine who will make it past to the next round. So without further ado, we'll get started with our first matchup. It's Annabel vs. Tobias!" The two trainers in question parted from the group and walked back into the entrance they came from. Everyone waited a few minutes for them before they would re-emerge from opposite ends of the field.
"It's finally starting!" Max cheered.
"Tobias vs. Annabel. What a way to kick-off." Brock smiled.
"Hey! There's Ash!" Misty pointed below towards the side of the field. The Pikachu on his shoulder was hard to miss.
"And Tyler is with him." Iris saw.
"I wonder what's going through their minds right now." May thought.
"This… is… in-credible." Tyler said as he looked around. Sure he'd battled in this stadium already, but never had it drawn that kind of crowd before. He already knew about the millions watching at home, but the thousands of people screaming at him in person may be tough to concentrate with.
"You hear that Pikachu? They're cheering for us." Ash said to his partner on his shoulder. The yellow mouse fully matched his excitement.
"This going to be awesome." Jamie said to them.
"Yeah. And better yet, fun too." Ash flashed a thumbs-up.
Tyler nodded back. "I wonder how everyone else is feeling." He said as he looked around at the other trainers.
"Yeah! This is what it's all about!" Morrison suddenly appeared from behind Ash and put an arm over his shoulder.
"Hey Morrison!" Tyler greeted after he got over the surprise of his sudden appearance.
"Are you guys ready?! Because I am all pumped up!" He yelled over the cheering crowd.
"Come on Morrison, you should know me better than that by now!" Ash matched his energy.
"You're right! And I didn't expect anything less. Good luck to ya Ash." Morrison encouraged.
"Thanks. You too." Ash said.
"Who are you battling Morrison?" Tyler asked.
"It doesn't matter. I'm going to beat anyone they put in front of me." Morrison puffed out his chest in confidence.
"Ummm… … so who are you battling?" Tyler still wanted to know.
"I'm up against someone named Joe. He's going to be sorry he ever got matched up with me!" Morrison flexed his arms. "What about you?" He pointed to Jamie.
"I've got to face Ash's old rival Paul."
"Paul huh? Never heard of him." Morrison said with a blank face.
"He's a really strong trainer I met in the Sinnoh region. I learned a lot about strategy just from battling him." Ash told him.
"Is that so?" Morrison said impressed. "Then I can't wait to watch him in action!" He said, fists clenched in excitement.
"My Cynthia, don't you look lovely on this fine day." The Sinnoh champion turned around to see Alder standing by to her right with a big grin on his face.
"Hello to you too Alder." She greeted back with a smile.
"It's no surprise to see that you've made it to the finals. But it's your beauty that has really captivated me thus far."
"If you continue to allow your focus to stray from you, your battle may just end with an upset loss for the Unova champion." She replied with a sly smile.
"Ah, but It can't be helped. The elegance and majesty of your presence is too alluring to be ignored." He said as though he was a real smooth talker. "I would gladly throw away my concentration if only for a moment to bask in your glory."
"That will be hard for you once you've been eliminated." She said with closed eyes.
"Well neither of us are battling right now. How about you and I go grab some lunch?" Alder offered.
Cynthia simply chuckled at his undying persistence. "Still so straight forward I see. But my schedule is just too full to allow such a thing." She said folding her arms over her black coat.
"Oh, come now. Don't let something so materialistic like a time-table get between us." He persisted.
"Now if only you and your Pokémon could battle for as long as you talk." Cynthia exhaled.
"So what do you say we bug out of here? I have the perfect setting for our first date." He leaned towards and smiled at her. She just rolled her one visible eye for why he couldn't take a hint. His persistence, while flattering, could be quite irritating. Her championship has her lead a very busy professional life and she can't just go out with any guy who comes up and hits on her. Besides, he was nearly twice her age.
"Come on. I'll ask again if I have to." He said with a cheeky smile.
"You are sick."
Alder straightened up and the two looked in front of them to see a black haired trainer with a dark jacket looking back with a hard stare.
"Ah it's you. Good to see you Barnett." Alder said. Barrett closed his eyes with a growl of irritation. God that mispronunciation was annoying.
"Friend of yours?" She asks.
"He's a trainer with a lot of spunk who challenged me a few years ago." Alder explained. He went right up beside her and said quietly behind his hand. "Him." He said pointing at Barrett and looking between the two of them. "I thrashed him." He told her, trying to score some points.
"I see." She said smiling then turned to Barrett. "I've heard a bit about you since the tournament began. Quite impressive from what I hear."
"Appreciate the acknowledgment." He said with a nod but still kept a straight face. "But I'm far from finished."
"You must've really improved to make it this far." Alder said.
"That's right. Because unlike you, I don't spend every day fawning over any pretty girl that I happen to find."
"What's wrong with that?" Alder asked defensively. "There's just so much beauty in the world." He said looking over at Cynthia.
"I've spent every day training to be better than anybody else, and it turns my gut that you treat this like its one big joke." Cynthia was rather surprised. She didn't think anyone had the gall to talk to a Pokémon league champion like that.
"But if you spend all day training, then there's no room for fun. You should enjoy life too." Alder said.
"Coming from the guy who, instead of focusing on the tournament, has been throwing himself at her all day." He said, motioning an arm to the Sinnoh champion.
"Oh come on, lighten up. No need to be so stiff, live a little!" Alder padded him on the back.
"I'm not going to live as a laughing stock. I've been training too long to come here and lose to you." His seriousness was reflected in his brown eyes as he stared at the Unova champion. At this Alder was slightly taken aback.
"Well, I'm sorry you feel that way." Alder slouched; disappointed that he couldn't get the guy to cheer up.
"Different people have their own ways of living with Pokémon. No one's way is right or wrong. What matters is that we find our own path, and walk it together along with our pokémon." Cynthia told him. Barrett grunted but he didn't argue. Despite being from Unova, he held a lot more respect for the Sinnoh champion. He turned his head and looked back to the battlefield. Cynthia followed his gaze.
"I look forward to see what you can do out there, and see everything you've accomplished throughout your journey."
Barrett nodded and went to walk away. "Oh and Cynthia." She looked up to see him looking back with a grin on his face.
"I will be eager to challenge you soon as well." He said before the turned away. No doubt he thought they'd get matched up at some point. Cynthia smiled back, looking forward to the challenge.
"So are you two ready for this?" Clair asked the brothers.
"As ready as I can be." Jamie went with it.
"I think so. I feel good about this." Tyler said.
"Good. Now above all else, keep your pride. Remember, we're representing Blackthorn city. We've got to make them proud." She told them.
"Right." The both said back.
"Clair, what about you?" Jamie asked.
"I've prepared my strongest Pokémon for battle. Don't worry about a thing." She assured him.
"Be careful with Paul. I've heard Ash and Dawn tell me he's a pretty tough competitor." Tyler warned.
"Don't worry about it. I looked up all his data and put together a pretty diverse team. I got this." Jamie said.
"I hope so." He said.
"You think I don't." Jamie questioned.
"Well they all say Paul is tough. Just don't let your guard down."
"Worry about yourself." Jamie said slightly offended.
"I know you two will be fine. Just remember all the experiences you've had, and put them to use." Clair said to the both of them.
"I won't forget." Tyler said.
"So than good luck with your battle."
"You too."
"The finals. I hope that today's battles don't disappoint." Said the man in a black tux and a bow tie.
"I'm sure they won't Joe. Everyone here must have some great skill. I look forward to the competition ahead." Nitro said.
"That's good. The last thing I want is this to be a dreadful bore." Said Joe.
"Try not to sound too excited." Nitro said sarcastically at his friend's usual lack of enthusiasm.
"I hope you at least enjoy your battle. They've paired me up with some greenhorn. I don't expect much of a challenge." Joe said with a lack of interest.
"I wouldn't be so sure. The unknown factor could pose the biggest threat to you. Make sure he isn't underestimated." Nitro said, giving him a piece of advice. Joe looked down and closed his eyes in annoyance and continued to speak in his calm, quiet tone.
"When I need your advice, that'll be the day I step down from my title of coliseum master." Joe shrugged it off. "I didn't get this title for nothing you know." He looked up and turned to Nitro. "I have battled many powerful trainers. And I have surpassed all of them. A child will fare off no better. Now don't bother me with your concerns. Leave this match to me." He assured and walked off.
Nitro had a raised eyebrow and a smile on his face as he watched him leave. "Man if that guy had his nose any farther up in the air, he'd be sniffing the moon." He turned and looked out at the field. "Someone really needs to put his ego in check. Before he embarrasses himself." He said jokingly, looking around with an amused smile.
"Oh man I just can't wait! I want to get these battles started now!" Ash said, overcharged with excitement while gripping the rail in front of him tightly.
"Relax Ash. It'll start soon." He turned around to see the familiar face of Reggie. He looked back at the older breeder as he contracted his excitement. He looked past him and saw his brother too, but unlike Reggie he had and eerie calm about him.
"Hey Paul, and Reggie. I'm just so stoked for the battling to start."
The breeder smiled back at him. "Me too. I haven't battled competitively like this in a long time."
"How about you Paul? You're going up against Jamie aren't you?"
"Yeah." He said simply.
"And I also hear that you have quite a challenge ahead of yourself." Reggie said to him.
"Yeah, the Unova region champion." Ash said. He looked down in apprehension. Alder will be really tough to beat. The other two were quiet as they took notice of Ash's worries about his upcoming match.
"Well, if anyone can do it it's you." Paul broke the silence.
"Really?" Ash asked in disbelief.
"You did beat Brandon after all." Paul looked away with a stoic look on his face.
"Well thanks Paul, and good luck in your match." Ash said.
"Thanks. You too." Paul said with closed eyes. The sudden cheers of the crowd got their attention and they all looked to see Tobias and Annabel standing on opposing sides of the field. Here, the finals would begin.