A/N: Good morning, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have been revealed! Pretty exciting things though, it will be a long 6 months lol. I'm leaning towards Sprigatito at the moment. What about you guys? Do you have a starter in mind?
Pokemon Journey: Indigo League
Chapter 25: Quarter Finals
"Congratulations son," Lisa says, hugging Brandon. He has just came off the field, earning a place in the quarter finals. "That was great thinking."
"Wasn't sure if it would work," Brandon admits. "Luckily it did. I do feel bad that Tangela didn't battle much though."
"I'm sure Tangela understands," Fred says.
"If not, you can use him against Zoe," Saul suggests.
"You're right," Brandon says, walking towards one of the many restaurants onboard. "I have time to come up with a strategy against Zoe."
"Just don't overthink it," Ava warns him, as they take a seat at a vacant table. "One thing new trainers have a tendency to do."
"Including you?" Brandon grins cheekily.
"Yes, including me," Ava answers him, grinning. "Smart-ass."
They quickly placed their order, trying to keep in budget but their waiter tells them that trainers competing in the tournament eat free, along with whoever they came on-board with. Knowing this, they still ordered relatively small.
"So you are battling Zoe next huh," Fred says, taking a sip of his water.
"Yeah," Brandon replies. "I already know I want to use Joltik and Tangela. Can't decide on my third Pokemon."
"Just be careful," Ava advises him. "Don't get caught in her game. Stay focused on your gameplay."
"Thanks," Brandon says.
"How are you feeling with battling in front of people?" Saul asks. "You seemed to be comfortable today."
"I was nervous at the beginning but I think, once I tuned out the crowd, I was able to focus on the match," Brandon says truthfully.
"That is good," Saul says with a nod. "Small progress."
Brandon brought out his Pokemon, allowing them to participate with the group. Other diners, especially young kids, came over to pet his Pokemon. Soon, their meals came. The group didn't talk much as they were hungry. Once everyone was done, Brandon excuses himself to go back to his room. He wanted to do some research on Zoe and see what type of team she may have.
Brandon opens his door, quickly changes into his PJs before sitting down at the PC. He opens the browser and looks up PokeNet, the site Kyle told him about and pulls up Zoe's page. As he begins to scroll through it, he realizes it's been awhile since he talked with Kelly. He quickly dials her number. Within seconds, Kelly's face lights up at seeing Brandon.
"Hey Brandon," Kelly says, sitting at a Pokemon Centre.
"Hey Kelly," Brandon says, flashing her a smile. "How are you?"
"Doing extremely well. How about you?" Kelly asks her brother.
"Doing well," Brandon answers her. "We are currently on the S.S. Anne. I made it to the quarter finals."
"I saw that. Congratulations," Kelly says with a smile. "You have made it further then I did in that tournament."
"How did you know?" Brandon asks as he resumes his research on Zoe.
"PokeNet," Kelly chuckles, also looking at the site. "I use it to scout out the next gyms type and then plan a strategy around it."
"That… why didn't I think of that?" Brandon exclaims.
"Isn't that what you are doing right now?" Kelly asks him.
"Yeah, but in my defense, I only learned about this site yesterday," Brandon says, reading through Zoe's basic profile. "Not much is listed on Zoe's page."
"Zoe?" Kelly asks.
"My opponent tomorrow," Brandon replies. He filled Kelly in on Zoe's actions. "I'm trying to use PokeNet as a way to scout out a possible team."
"I see," Kelly tells him. "The Helvan Region huh? Would love to go there sometime."
"Maybe we can travel it together," Brandon suggests.
"That would be a great idea," Kelly nods her head. "A family trip. We will have to look more into it later. Now, tell me about your team."
Just then, Joltik pops out of his Pokeball and climbs onto Brandon's lap. Kelly let's out an audible gasp. Brandon chuckles, petting Joltik's head.
"Kelly, this is Joltik," Brandon says. "Joltik, this is Kelly, my sister. She's currently in Kalos with five badges."
"Six," Kelly corrects him before smiling at Joltik, trying to fight her instincts. "Hello Joltik. Nice to meet you."
"Joltik," Joltik says, looking at the screen.
"Joltik is my newest Pokemon," Brandon says. "He's a helpful guy, aren't you?"
"Jolt," Joltik cooes as his chin is scratched.
"I have Wartortle, Nidorina and Tangela," Brandon answers her earlier question.
"Sounds like a great team so far," Kelly says approvingly. "Congratulations on Squirtle and Nidoran evolving."
"Thanks," Brandon says with a smile. "I must be doing something right."
"Any ideas on what your last two Pokemon?" Kelly asks, as she begins to eat a bowl of soup.
"Honestly, no," Brandon replies. "I do have have a choice of a fossil in Cinnabar City but other then that, nothing."
"Oh nice. Which one are you thinking about?" Kelly asks again.
"Haven't given it much thought, to be honest with you," Brandon admits. "What about you? I noticed you don't have one."
"I wasn't interested in one," Kelly tells him, finishing her bowl of soup.
"How is your team?" Brandon asks as Joltik climbs onto the couch and drifts off to sleep.
"Looking very good," Kelly answers, a twinkle in her eye. "I just had my most difficult gym match to date. So in the morning, I'm headed to Anistar City."
"Not long before the Kalos League," Brandon points out. "You must be excited."
"Extremely but also nervous," Kelly says. "At least, you have companions to help you. Me, I travel alone. It's great because I can choose what route I want to take but it also has it's drawbacks."
"Traveling alone sounds like it can get boring at times," Brandon points out.
"For sure," Kelly nods, agreeing with her brother. "Which is why I look forward to these calls."
"I look forward to these calls as well," Brandon says. He looks at the time. "Thanks for the chat Kelly. Good luck on your next gym battle."
"Thank you Brandon," Kelly says. "Best of luck in the tournament as well."
Brandon hangs up the phone and resumes his research on Zoe. Not much is on her profile, other then her family owns McMichael's Boutique. A chain of stores that sells many things, that are located all across the region. As for battles, Zoe took part in the Helvan League last year but failed to make it through the preliminary rounds. According to PokeNet, Zoe is taking part in the Indigo League. It shows that she has used Pikachu, Furfrou, Bagon and a Glameow.
Getting an idea on a potential team, and getting a little insight into why she's acting like she is, Brandon logs off and lays in bed, thinking before drifting off.
"Welcome to the quarter finals!" John exclaims. "Get ready for some more exciting battled today. We will start off with Zoe McMichaels vs Brandon Adams. If both battlers can make their way towards the field please. The match will begin in 15 minutes."
"Good luck," Fred says as Brandon makes his way towards the field.
"Good luck Brandon," Lisa, Ava and Saul echos Fred.
Brandon waves at them before disappearing through the door. He notices that Zoe was already waiting, giving him a glare. Ignoring her, Brandon waits for the signal. It was soon given, so Brandon and Zoe exit the tunnel and onto the field, to loud cheers. Brandon closes his eyes momentarily, as he struggles to tune out the crowd. He barely registers that John is speaking to them, missing the first part.
"We are going to flip a coin to see who has what first," John says, taking out a coin. "Brandon, heads or tails?"
"Heads," Brandon says.
"Brandon calls heads. Time to flip the coin," John says. He flips the coin as Camera Rotom zooms in on the coin. It falls to the ground, showing heads.
"Brandon, since it landed on heads, you decide," John announces. "Do you want to reveal first or first move?"
"First reveal," Brandon says, thinking.
"Brandon has first reveal, Zoe will have the first move. Battlers, take your positions!" John shouts. As Brandon and Zoe take up opposite sides, John nods to them both. "Ready? Let the match begin!"
"Joltik, I choose you!" Brandon cries out, summoning the small, yellow spider.
"Pfft. This will be easy. Bagon, come out and use ember!" Zoe counters, summoning a light blue Pokemon with three thick gray ridges covering its head.
Brandon takes out his dex and scans the new Pokemon.
"Bagon, the Rock Head Pokemon. Dragon type. Bagon is a solitary Pokémon that doesn't form groups with others of its kind. It also has a head hard enough to cleave a boulder in one strike," the dex chimes back.
Brandon pockets his dex, as Bagon begins an ember assault on Joltik.
"Joltik, keep dodging the ember attacks," Brandon instructs the small yellow spider Pokemon.
Joltik keeps jumping to the side, avoiding the small fireballs but unable to do any sort of counterattack.
"What a pitiful opponent," Zoe sneers. "Bagon, run towards Joltik and keep using ember!"
"Bagon is charging at Joltik, who can only dodge at the moment!" John commentates. "How will Brandon counter this?"
"Joltik, use string shot," Brandon calls out desperately.
Joltik releases a string shot but falls short of the target. Bagon rushes towards Joltik, firing off a barrage of small fireballs. Two hit Joltik, scoring direct hits.
"Way too easy," Zoe grins. "Just what I thought. Bagon, finish this up with a headbutt!"
Brandon grits his teeth, trying to rack his brain. Joltik likes to use his speed to counter his opponents but it appears that Bagon likes to get in close to battle its opponent. Brandon looks around the field, hoping to spot anything he can use. That's when his eyes fell on some rocks and an idea began to form in his mind.
"Joltik, jump as high as you can. Aim for those rocks!" Brandon shouts, pointing at the rocks near center field.
"Running away huh?" Zoe taunts him gleefully. "Bagon, chase Joltik and use headbutt!"
"Perfect," Brandon thinks to himself, as Joltik jumps onto one of the rocks. Bagon follows him, sending a headbutt towards Joltik. But Joltik is more agile, allowing him to jump to safety as the rock breaks. The process repeats as the last two rocks are destroyed.
"Ha! Nowhere to run now. Bagon, hit that spider with a headbutt!" Zoe commands.
"Joltik, jump between the rocks. As you are jumping, use string shot!" Brandon shouts, hoping his idea works.
Bagon again charges at Joltik, who quickly jumps away, leaving a stringshot behind.
"If we learned something yesterday, it's that Brandon likes to be creative!" John shouts to the crowd. "So what sort of plan does Brandon have up his sleeve today?"
"Kinda wondering that myself," Saul comments, sitting beside Ava. "Whatever it is, it involves string shot."
"Umm," Ava says, watching the battle. She's trying to figure out what Brandon is trying to do but couldn't figure it out yet.
Brandon watches as Joltik jumps from small rock to small rock, holding his breath. He just hopes his plan works. Finally, he smiled as his plan did indeed work.
Woven around the small rocks is now a spider web created by string shot. And right in the middle of the spider web, stuck, is Bagon.
"Well folks, it seems like he pulled out another unique strategy. How will Zoe deal with this?" John shouts.
"Oh wow," Lisa says, impressed. "Didn't see that coming."
"Great job Joltik," Brandon praises his Pokemon. "Now, use shockwave on the web!"
Joltik scurries along the web, feeling right at home on it. He sends out a shockwave along the webs, hitting the immobilized Bagon, scoring a direct hit. But at the same time, the attack fries the spider web, causing it to dissolve.
"Well, that kinda sucks," Brandon mutters to himself. "Great job Joltik."
"Huh, that was actually pretty cool," Zoe mutters to herself. She looks over at Bagon who is pulling himself to his feet. "Bagon, you got this. Use dragon breath!"
"Joltik, jump to the right!" Brandon calls out.
Bagon opens his mouth and a purple beam comes flying out, hitting Joltik. Joltik cries out in pain, slumping to the ground though not out of the fight just yet.
Brandon quickly thinks before taking out Joltik's ball and returning him.
"You did well Joltik. Take a rest," Brandon says as he unclips another Pokeball. "Tangela, I need your help!"
"Brandon switches out Joltik with Tangela," John shouts. "We saw Tangela briefly yesterday. Let's find out what happens next!"
"Tangela, use stun spore," Brandon immediately calls out.
"Bagon, use ember!" Zoe counters.
Tangela unleashes a cloud of orange powder while Bagon shoots 2 small fireballs at Tangela. Neither attack does any damage.
"Bagon, rush Tangela and use headbutt!" Zoe orders.
Brandon raises his eyebrows, not sure if this is a set up. Deciding to risk it, Brandon issues his next command. "Tangela, side step it, wrap your vines around its arms and throw it!"
By the look on Zoe's face, she wasn't expecting that as Tangela sidesteps the headbutt, wraps his vines around Bagon's small arms and with a mighty heave, chucks it across the battlefield. Bagon crashes on the ground, not moving.
"Bagon is unable to battle. Tangela wins this round!" John screams over top of the crowd's applause. "Who will Zoe bring out next?"
"Bagon, return," Zoe says, recalling her downed partner. She unclips a Pokeball. "Furfrou, you're up!"
A white furred dog Pokemon appears on the ground. Though this one is styled with a blue star on its head. Brandon pulls out his dex.
"Furfrou, the Poodle Pokemon. Normal type. Trimming its fluffy fur not only makes it more elegant but also increases the swiftness of its movements," the dex chimes back.
"It's pretty cute," Brandon says, pocketing his dex again. "Tangela, use growth!"
"Furfrou, use sand attack!" Zoe calls out though the look on her face says she made a mistake.
Tangela grows a little in size. Furfrou kicks up dust, obscuring Tangela's view a little.
"Furfrou, use headbutt!" Zoe shouts.
"Is she really trying that again?" Ava whispers to Saul.
"Could it be a ploy?" Saul whispers back.
"Tangela, side step the headbutt and trip Furfrou," Brandon counters, not realizing he was playing into Zoe's plan.
"Bite the vines!" Zoe shouts.
Furfrou rushes Tangela, who nimbly jumps out of the way. Tangela tries to use his vines to trip Furfrou, who immediately sinks its fangs on the vines. Tangela cries out in pain.
"That's it Furfrou," Zoe praises her partner. "Now use dark pulse!"
Furfrou unleashes a dark pulse directly onto Tangela before letting go and stepping back.
"Tangela, are you alright?" Brandon asks, trying to determine if he needs to switch him out.
"Tangela," Tangela nods, shaking itself.
"Good. Use growth once more!" Brandon commands.
Tangela grows in size again, glaring at Furfrou.
"Furfrou, use headbutt, quick!" Zoe shouts out.
Furfrou lowers its head and smashes into Tangela, who quickly snaked his vines around Furfrou's tail.
"Use mega drain!" Brandon quickly calls out.
Tangela begins to drain Furfrou's health and restores his health a little. Furfrou sinks its teeth on a vine, causing Tangela to cry out in pain again.
"Dark pulse!" Zoe shouts.
"Tangela, use mega drain again!" Brandon counters.
Furfrou fires off a dark pulse, scoring a direct hit, causing Tangela major damage. However, Tangela, through sheer will, quickly sucks the health from Furfrou, though this one seemed to do a lot more damage. Furfrou collapses onto the ground. For a second, it looks like Tangela will follow suit but stands up at the last second.
"Tangela scores a critical hit to secure the knockout!" John shouts to an excited crowd. A small "Tangela" begins to go around the audience. "Brandon is up 3-1 but two of his Pokemon are close to being done. Can Brandon clutch out the win here?"
"Furfrou, you battled hard. Take a nice rest," Zoe says, returning the Poodle Pokemon. She closes her eyes briefly before summoning her last partner.
"Pikachu, it's all up to you!" Zoe yells, summoning a yellow mouse Pokemon.
Brandon pulls out Tangela's ball. "Great battle Tangela. Take a rest for now. Nidorina, you are up!"
"Nidorina vs Pikachu. Can Zoe turn this match around or can Brandon win?" John yells euthasically to the crowd.
"Pikachu, use agility and get close to Nidorina!" Zoe cries out.
"Nidorina, wait it out," Brandon calls out.
Pikachu began to pick up speed, flying towards Nidorina, who was patiently waiting.
"Now, double team!" Zoe commands.
There are four copies of Pikachus, surrounding Nidorina. Nidorina is spooked and immediately fires off poison stings, dissolving the copies.
"Now Pikachu, use quick attack!" Zoe commands.
Nidorina looks up, and sees Pikachu jumping into the air. In the air, Pikachu speeds up and slams into Nidorina before jumping to the side.
"This will be a difficult fight," Brandon thinks for a moment. "Pikachu is faster then Nidorina. I need to slow it down but Nidorina can't. Not sure if Joltik is rested enough. Do I risk bringing Joltik in?"
"Nidorina, use double kick!" Brandon calls out, trying to buy time.
"Pikachu, use thunder shock!" Zoe calls out.
Nidorina rushes towards Pikachu before attempting a double kick. Instead, she begins a barrage of scratches, causing damage to Pikachu. Pikachu fires off a thunder shock, hitting Nidorina who just shrugs it off.
"Use your tail to trip Pikachu!" Brandon calls out.
Pikachu though, is faster and dodges the tail before sending another thunder shock at Nidorina, causing damage.
Brandon tries to come up with something but can't. His eyes met Nidorina's, who growls and nods her head. Brandon immediately understood that look and nodded back.
"You got it Nidorina," Brandon says. "Go for it."
"Go for what?" Fred asks.
Ava just shrugs, watching the battle intently.
Brandon watches as Nidorina grabs Pikachu's tail, pulling it back before sending a punch towards Pikachu's body. The mouse pokemon slams into the ground, though Pikachu attempts to stand up. Nidorina slams her body onto Pikachu, effectively knocking out Pikachu, thus winning the match.
"Well, will you look at that folks. Pikachu might be faster but Pikachu couldn't dodge the physical attacks of Nidorina. Brandon wins the match. Who will he face off against next? Stay tuned and find out later today."
Brandon returns Nidorina and joins Zoe in the middle of the field. They shook hands (begrudgingly in Zoe's case) before they parted ways.
Brandon is walking towards his friends and parents when he spots Zoe standing by the rail. Her head swings around at the footsteps before rolling her eyes.
"Oh great. Just the person I wanted to see," Zoe says sarcastically.
"Why? Why did you target me and my Pokemon?" Brandon asks, standing beside her. "We don't know each other."
"I mean, you are an easy target," Zoe tells him. Seeing the look on his face, she relents. "Where I come from, you win at all costs. Doesn't matter how you win. You just win."
"I think I understand," Brandon says as Ava, Saul, Fred and Lisa join them.
"You don't," Zoe says, shaking her head. "In Helvan, you win or you don't matter. In Helvan, winning means fame. Which is how my family is wealthy. My parents won the Helvan League, and so I'm expected to win."
"So you will do anything to win right?" Ava asks. Zoe nods. "My family would fit right in there. But trust me, winning at all costs has a price."
"I get that you want to win at all costs," Brandon says. "But why target me?"
"Simple. You are a rookie trainer, someone who should have been a great target," Zoe shrugs shoulders. "Looks like I was wrong but I will be winning the Indigo League. Just stay out of my way, newbie."
Brandon realizes they aren't going anywhere with this conversation. "Have a good rest of your cruise."
Brandon leads the group away from Zoe and back into the stands to watch the rest of the matches. The day flew by and soon, it was revealed that Brandon will be battling Kyle in the semi finals.
Team Listings:
Brandon Adams:
Wartortle - Male, Torrent ability. Knows Water Pulse, Ice Punch, Withdraw, Rapid Spin
Tangela - Male, Leaf Guard ability. Knows Bind, Stun Spore, Mega Drain, Growth
Nidorina Female – Poison Point ability. Knows Growl, Poison Sting, Double Kick, Fury Swipes
Joltik – Male, unknown ability. Knows: Shockwave, Electroweb, String Shot
Ava Mcarthur:
Umbreon - Female. Run Away ability. Knows growl , Quick Attack, Double Kick, Snarl
Omanyte - Male. Weak Armor ability. Knows: Withdraw, Constrict
Growlithe – Female. Flash Fire. Knows: Ember, Bite
Saul Raymond:
Yungoos – Male. Unknown Ability. Knows Tackle, Sand attack, Leer
Pikipek – Female (Shiny). Unknown Ability. Knows Peck, Growl
Mantyke – Female. Unknown Ability. Unknown moves