Holla' at ya boi! 3 chapters in 3 months? Could it be?! Hope everyone is having a great summer! I know I'm loving the break from teaching and getting to work on Heart and Soul material! Up next is the conclusion of the Whirl Islands Tournament! Will Chris be able to pull off the incredible upset? I hope you enjoy! Please Review and Subscribe!
Chapter 31
"Then let the final battle of the Whirl Islands Tournament begin!"
The words made the hair on Chris' neck stand up. The finality of the statement seemed to draw hesitation from even the more experienced Nathan. Both trainers eyed each other closely as the crowd held their breath in anticipation. The trainer from Cherrygrove felt his stomach turn, and knew he'd be sick if he didn't get the battle underway.
"Earthquake!"
Despite taking longer than most Magikarp's to evolve, Chris had come to be thankful for the delay. Magikarp had grown to such a high level, that when it evolved, it gained many of the moves that an under leveled Gyarados would have to work hard to reach. Waterfall, Earthquake, and Ice Fang were three excellent moves. Chris would have to study to find an appropriate, final move to teach the sea serpent.
The atrocious Pokémon slammed his tail through the water, sending shards of concrete from the pool floor at the stationary opponent.
"Agility, Floatzel."
Chris was stunned that Nathan had already revealed the fourth and final move he had avoided showing in the semifinals. The trainer was even more surprised to see Floatzel using the speed booster with an attack heading straight at him. The Sea Weasel flexed as a white light spread across his body. The light faded just as Gyarados' Earthquake arrived. The hardened shards pelted the exposed Water'type, launching Nathan's Pokémon out of the water. Chris saw a chance to follow up his successful strike.
"Knock him out of the air with Ice Fang!"
The scarlet beast was quick to pursue the airborne weasel. As his pale blue fangs went to snatch his opponent, Floatzel suddenly nosedived back into the water, throwing Chris and his partner off balance.
"Ice Punch," Nathan said plainly.
The sea weasel blasted back out of the water and delivered a powerful jab to the unsuspecting Gyarados' underbelly. The Sea Serpent grimaced, showing Chris how strong his adversary really was.
"Bounce back with Waterfall!"
"Aqua Jet."
Nathan was prepared with an excellent follow up. Before Gyarados could start his attack, the incredibly speedy Water-type had drilled Chris' Pokémon with his priority aquatic tackle. This resisted blow did not pack nearly as much force as Ice Punch, but Chris knew it had served a purpose. Nathan had illustrated to Chris that his Pokémon was capable of swimming circles around Gyarados in terms of speed. He was attempting to break the trainer and his newly evolved partner's will early on.
"Charge." Nathan kept a calm about him that made Chris feel uneasy.
Floatzel closed in on Gyarados even quicker than the young trainer had expected. Chris would have to take advantage of his newly evolved Pokémon's build.
"Roll to the right!" Chris was willing to wait for an opening. He couldn't take many chances with the blazing fast adversary. Floatzel shot past Gyarados as he rolled, but was soon swimming back towards the serpent.
"Crunch."
This was Chris' chance. "Swing your tail at him!"
The trainer's unorthodox command was carried out, forcing the Sea Weasel Pokémon off his path, and right into the line of fire.
"Ice Fang!"
Icy blue fangs lashed out to take hold of the swift Pokémon. The scarlet sea serpent shook his head back and forth, swinging the much lighter Pokémon like a rag doll. The creature flung Floatzel to the opposite end of the pool. The pure Water-type skidded across the surface like a rock, but managed to gracefully come to a stop, and await his trainer's command.
"I'm curious to see his power compared to yours," Nathan spoke quietly to his partner. "Let's try another Crunch, this one head on."
As Floatzel sped through the water, his fangs took on a black glow.
"Let's see how strong you've really become," Chris grinned. "Meet them with a Waterfall."
As Gyarados charged, water began to snake across his body. As the two Pokémon collided, it almost appeared as though the scarlet serpent's head was covered by an aquatic helmet. The two attacks collided with a mighty crack. The force knocked Gyarados slightly back, but the Cherrygrove trainer was ecstatic to see that Floatzel had been knocked out of the pool entirely.
"To say I'm surprised by your Gyarados' strength would be an understatement." Nathan eyed the Atrocious Pokémon cautiously. "For you to have made it this far, shows me that your Magikarp possessed a strength unusual for its species. To see it multiplied this much since evolving is quite impressive. You've done well in raising it."
Chris was a little taken a back by the stoic trainer's compliment. "Th-thanks."
"I may have been wrong to judge you as being simply inexperienced," Nathan continued, "but that won't change the outcome of this battle."
Chris' nerves were building again. He had to get back into the flow of battle. "Let's keep up the offensive. Charge at Floatzel!"
The battle raged on in a back-and-forth manner. Neither trainer could really get into a rhythm, with each cutting the other's combination off before it could begin. Each time Floatzel attempted to string together a speedy combination, Gyarados would eventually catch on to his movements, and rebuff the Sea Weasel with a powerful blow. Nathan's partner used the water to often dart gracefully out of the water, avoiding several attacks in this way. On the flip side, Gyarados churned and twisted up waves when he snaked beneath the surface to minimize the amount of targets on his body. With Floatzel resisting Gyarados' attacks, Chris and his partner had to work extra hard to make sure their hits counted. After observing the battered state of each Pokémon, Chris realized the crescendo was at hand.
"Aqua Jet." Nathan's command was quickly carried out.
"Be patient, Gyarados." Chris spoke softly. "We have to time this just right."
"Freeze."
As Floatzel rushed towards his opponent, the Sea Weasel Pokémon began to spin. Floatzel's fist took on a pale hue, and soon, so too did the aquatic aura around him. Chris realized that Nathan was again going for the frozen Aqua Jet technique. The trainer had seen first hand how powerful this spin on the priority move was. He could not meet it with a head on attack, or else he'd be playing into Nathan's hands. Once Floatzel was within Chris' stationary partner's range, the trainer finally relayed a command.
"Ice Fang!" The margin for error on this move was slim at best. Catching the fast weasel was already difficult, but catching the speed-enhanced Water-type with your teeth? "C'mon, Gyarados." Chris knew that a split second too early or late, and this battle would be over.
With a ferocious crunch, Gyarados' elongated blue fangs smashed through the ice block surrounding Floatzel. The strike shattered the see through missile, splintering the ice into a thousand tiny pieces. Chris felt great about the interception, until he noticed that Floatzel was not in Gyarados' fanged grip. The trainer gasped upon seeing Floatzel slide around Gyarados' head and land on the top of the creature's spine. Before Chris could call out a command, the Sea Weasel Pokémon clamped down above Gyarados' head with a vicious Crunch attack.
The Atrocious Pokémon swayed back and forth, causing Chris to forget to breathe. With a tumultuous thud, Gyarados tipped to his right and collapsed against the edge of the pool. Much like his trainer, Gyarados remained still.
"Gyarados is unable to battle," the judge pointed his flag to Nathan's corner, "meaning the winner of the Whirl Islands Tournament is Nathan of Sunnyshore!"
The crowd roared in approval of the match and its surprising finish.
"And with the escape of the century," the announcer's voice rang into Chris' ears. "Floatzel and his trainer are the Whirl Islands Champions!"
Chris felt his shoulders slump as he slowly approached his fallen partner. "You did awesome, Gyarados." That was all Chris could muster before returning his fallen partner to his capture device. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Nathan was beside him.
"Great match," he extended a hand. "You've earned my respect."
Chris wasn't sure what that was worth, but any pick-me-up would be appreciated. "Thanks." As Chris turned to leave, the judge grabbed his shoulder.
"We still have the trophy presentation," he said, "you'll be rewarded for your success."
It took everything within Chris not to keep walking. Second place was a good step in the right direction, but that's all it was. Being rewarded for not winning felt like a step backwards for Chris. Nevertheless, the trainer put on his best smile, and was guided to a podium that had been brought out to the center of the coliseum.
The announcer had made his way down to the trainers' sides, carrying a wireless microphone.
"First off," he spoke to get the crowd's attention, "let's give a huge round of applause for all the competitors who participated in this year's event." Once the crowd had finished, he placed his arms around both competitor's shoulders. "And how about we make some noise for the great matches today, including the beautiful finale we just witnessed!" After the second wave of applause, the announcer turned to the man beside him, who Chris recognized from the locker room. "Here to present the trophies today is the GLPT's own Head Chairman of the Board, Oscar Puentez."
After the noise had died down, the chairman took the microphone from the announcer's hands. "How about one more round of applause for these two awesome competitors and their resilient Pokémon!" As the crowd cheered, an official handed Mr. Puentez a decent sized, sterling silver salver. "First, I'd like to present this runner-up trophy to a young man who, I think we can all agree, brought us a lot of enjoyment in this tournament." Chris' mood was lifted somewhat by the enthusiastic response. "You, and especially your Magikarp, will be remembered at this tournament for years to come. Congratulations to Chris and Magikarp!"
The trainer gently took the shiny dish and held it in front of him. Chris' face was perfectly reflected back at him from the spotless dish. After Nathan was presented with his golden trophy, the two shook hands once more and they headed their separate ways. After having so many eyes on him, Chris felt the need to spend a few extra minutes in the makeshift locker room. He sat still, soaking up the growing silence as the crowd above him filed out. It felt like an eternity passed before another individual joined him. A woman in a white, two piece suit walked into the room and came to stand in front of the trainer. She stood quite tall and held a briefcase by her side.
"Hello, Chris!" her jovial display fell flat against the vanquished trainer. She coughed quietly and changed up her approach. "I know you're probably not in the highest of spirits, so I'll cut the crap. I work for the second largest company in the trainer industry. Trainer Tech Incorporated is the fastest growing developmental and production company on the planet." She pointed at Gyarados' Poké Ball, which Chris still clutched tightly in his hand. "The healing machines that you've seen at each of these tournaments," the woman couldn't hold back a smile, "have been developed by our team! These awesome stadiums that you have battled in were built using our equipment. Much of the renovations going on in this very region are headed up by our COO!"
Chris blinked twice, barely registering the words as she said them. "Uh, yeah, that's pretty cool."
She either was unaware of his defeated state or simply didn't care. She placed a card in his hand. "The best venture that TTI is currently involved with though, is the support and tech they supply to trainers they see promise in. We wanted to let you know that we are interested in helping you out along your journey in any way we can."
Chris looked down at the smooth card with an etched in Poké Ball water mark. "Thanks. I'll talk it over with my folks."
"You are very welcome!" she seemed eager to leave the somber atmosphere of the locker room. "Have a safe journey to Cianwood and we hope to hear from you soon!"
A second silence overtook the room. This time though, Chris refused to let the quiet overtake him. The trainer decided to bring out his team, with the obvious exception of Gyarados. As they materialized, the trainer could see the eager look on his Pokémon's faces. He prayed they wouldn't be too disappointed.
"We came up just a bit short, guys." Chris could see their shoulders drop. He scooped up the 2nd place dish. "If it's any consolation, we got this cool looking trophy thing."
Nidoking snatched the plate from Chris' hands and looked over it intensely. "Nido!" The Drill Pokémon seemed blown away by how shiny and reflective the salver was.
Feeling his mood lift somewhat, Chris grinned. "I thought the same thing too. It's like a silver mirror."
Quilava and Scyther seemed less than impressed by the runner-up award, but refused to be negative, sensing how the mood was on the upswing. As he took a knee, Chris was approached by Flaaffy, who gave the trainer a comforting pat on the shoulder.
"Thanks, Flaaffy," Chris smiled appreciatively. "If I could have snuck you in to battle, there wouldn't have been a Water-type that could stop ya."
Crobat, ever the emotionless observant, took his place on Chris' shoulder. The Bat Pokémon seemed to feel more comfortable in the dimly lit canals of the coliseum.
"Thank you guys for all your support," Chris thanked each of his teammates, "but I think it's time I head back to the trainer center. They probably want me to check in one last time."
The trainer walked back through the empty, silent corridor before arriving at the stadium exit. After he stepped out into the setting sun, he was eventually able to backtrack his way to the center. As he walked, he was surprised to have several people approach him and congratulate the trainer on his performance. Outside of the support of his teammates, this did more to lift Chris' spirits than anything. After checking in with the officials one last time, and getting Gyarados healed, the trainer was given the signature Whirl Islands Tournament T-shirt, and sent on his way.
As he went to leave, a voice caught his attention. "What am I, chopped liver?"
Chris tossed a salute toward Luke. "I couldn't spot you in the crowd, ya know, with so many people there cheering me on and all."
"Well I certainly wasn't cheering for that Sinnoh cat," Luke rubbed his chin, "but I wouldn't have minded seeing that Daisy girl in one more battle."
"Me either," Chris grinned.
"Hope losing on the big stage didn't crush your soul," Luke tried to phrase the statement in more of a lighthearted way.
"It didn't feel good, that's for sure." Chris sighed. "Gyarados did awesome, but it's gonna take some time for me to get over that loss. It was a step in the right direction, but I still see how far away I am from my goal. I've got some work to do."
"You don't have to bust your own balls," Luke joined him and they began walking back to the boat. "That's what you have me for."
Chris nodded. "What did you think of the battles?"
Luke shook his head. "I thought Gyarados was as scary in battle as he looks in person." He tapped his satchel. "I wish Quagsire could have seen that aggression and focus."
"That may not be Quagsire's best mindset for battle," the Johto native suggested. "Crobat is very mellow in battle, and I think it cuts down on the mistakes between us during heated moments." Chris laughed. "And don't even get me started on Nidoking. His hyped up persona has gotten him knocked out more times than I can count."
"I may try to get more in tune with Quagsire," Luke said, adding somewhat absentmindedly, "If I ever get the time."
On the boat ride back to the cruise ship, Chris noticed that many of the passenger vessels were already leaving for Olivine and Cianwood. Chris remembered seeing that their boat would not depart until later that night, striking the trainer as odd. The sun was floating on the horizon as they arrived, basking the entire ship in an orange glow. Once they had stepped on to the deck, Chris seemed to catch his second wind. "Feeling a round two on the party barge?"
"Fuck no," Luke let loose a loud yawn. "I thought getting thirteen hours of sleep would help me survive staying up late last night. Think that experiment failed when I woke up way late this morning."
Chris shrugged. "Suit yourself."
"Don't do anything that I wouldn't do," was the last thing Luke said before passing out on the couch.
After getting cleaned up, and throwing on a baby blue button up and slacks he had packed at the beginning of his journey, Chris stepped out into the cool night air. The trainer admired his barely worn boat shoes. "Feels good to finally feel safe wearing these." The trainer's other two pairs of shoes were either caked in mud, or meant to be worn with a suit. Laundry mats at the Pokemon Centers he had stayed at had been a godsend, but shoes were a trickier matter. Chris would probably have to toss his dirty tennis shoes and invest in some boots once winter rolled around. The young man from Cherrygrove made his way to the party deck where, after being laughed at by the bartender for a full minute, he took a seat with a glass of lemonade. Slow dance music filled the room from a live band at the far end of the space. Several older couples danced on the open floor, while middle aged men and women fraternized at the bars. It was a comfortable atmosphere despite Chris seeing no one his age.
The mood helped give the trainer a chance to reflect. Despite coming up short, the more Chris thought about the tournament, the better he felt about it. Magikarp's impressive showing the first day would have been a good enough outcome for Chris. But to have made it to the finals and have his resilient Magikarp evolve into the ferocious Gyarados? It was more than Chris could have imagined. At that moment, the trainer realized the Pokégear on his wrist was glowing. Opening it up, Chris realized he had two unread messages. He felt a small rush of pride upon reading the encouraging and impressed message Professor Elm had sent him. A lump formed in the trainer's throat upon reading the second message. Hey, Chris! One of my producers told me you were on the battling network this evening. He recorded it for me and I just finished watching both battles. WOW. How about Gyarados putting in all that work?! Oh, and you did alright too ha. Just wanted to let you know that I'm proud of ya. Just remember, never let success keep your nose off the grindstone. Your passion has to be what drives you. And you CAN'T TEACH THAT. -Pops
"Dang it, dad." Chris chuckled, wiping away a speck of water from his eye.
A sultry voice in front of Chris spoke. "Do you also like your lemonade shaken, not stirred?"
Chris' head snapped up to see a dark haired woman around his age. She had dark, sharp eyes that seemed to cut into Chris the longer she looked at him. Unfortunately for the trainer, his emotional being was currently all over the place. "Uh, hi, hey…" Chris tried to compose himself. "How's it going?"
Wow, that was lame.
"Maybe you should think about trying a harder drink," she stood up and patted him on the shoulder, "it might loosen you up."
As she walked away, Chris punched his leg as hard as he could. "Blew your one shot, idiot." The trainer downed his drink, but before he could leave in defeat, Chris noticed a change in music. A dj had taken over, driving out the older crowd in droves. In mere minutes, the deck's mean age had dropped almost thirty years.
As we get this party started," Chris heard the dj speak over the music, "the bar wanted me to let all Whirl Islands Tournament participants know that there will be two free drinks on the house. Just show the bartender your tournament I.D. and you're set!"
"Luke would probably be in heaven right now," Chris grinned, seeing a crowd of young people rush the bars. The young man from Cherrygrove had sworn off alcohol before he had even reached the legal age. He had seen and smelled enough to realize the drinks weren't for him.
"Well if it isn't the high flyin' rookie."
A pair of hands reached into Chris' view. Two young men, a little older than Chris, beamed at the trainer.
"I think I recognize you two," the Johto native shook both of their hands. "You both battled in the tournament, didn't you?"
"Indeed!" the taller of the two men answered. "We just wanted to swing over and congratulate you on your success in the tournament." He pulled out a card and handed it to Chris. "We also are advocates for a group called Businesses for Trainers. They're a sponsor for over two thousand active trainers."
"Appreciate it," Chris remembered Wallace's prediction and began to realize just how right he was. "I'll give it some serious thought."
"You should also give some serious thought to your drink," the shorter of the two trainers smiled. "A big time drink for a rising star!"
As the night went on, Chris who had somehow become a proficient dancer over the years, took to the packed floor. He found several willing dance partners, a few recognizing him from the tournament. After a couple hours of dancing and mingling, Chris found a seat close to the edge of the deck. Sitting this close, Chris could see the waves rolling gently past the boat and realized the ship had still not begun its voyage to Cianwood. There were no clouds in the sky, and above the open water, Chris could see what must have been a billion stars overhead.
A flicker of light across the water to his left got the trainer's attention. Suddenly, he could hear the soft hum of a boat over the breeze. Chris glanced at the ocean below and noticed a makeshift ramp had been placed by a small side entrance to the ship. Several crew members were walking back and forth along the ramp, carrying boxes of all shapes and sizes. At the end of the elongated platform, Chris noticed a couple of boats, each with an individual in them. A man wearing all black, including a black cap stood on the front of one, while a woman in grey resided in the other. In the pale moonlight, Chris could barely make out the man's pale green hair, and the woman's vibrant red locks. As they barked orders to the crew, Chris was perplexed as to what could possibly need to be loaded at this time of night.
"Hey there, Carl!" a slurred voice rattled in Chris' ears.
The trainer was surprised to see Nathan, arms draped over two, buzzed girls, standing beside him.
"Hey man," Chris wasn't quite sure what to say to the clearly inebriated trainer. "I didn't know you were a passenger on this boat."
"I'm not," he laughed, planting a soggy kiss on the girl to his right, "but I wasn't about to miss out on the party boat."
"Hi," both girls waved at him, giggling.
"Hello," Chris politely responded.
"Listen man," Nathan paused to regain his balance, "this boat is rocking all over the place! Must have started moving and I didn't realize it… what was I saying?"
"Uh…" Chris' eyebrows were as high as they could go.
"About the thing!" the blonde on Nathan's left yelled at him.
"Oh right," Nathan nodded, completely understanding the girl's nonsensical hint. "Just wanted to say again that we had a fuckin' radical battle. Your Gyarakarp was something else man."
Chris muttered under his breath, "You're not wrong there," before shaking the trainer's hand. "You and Floatzel were the real stars though."
"I guess that's true," Nathan shrugged, looking at the two girls. "Nathan's here, dominating and…uh, procreating!" He held a huge smile after that somewhat coherent rhyme. "And Camden is here, sipping on your… is that lemonade?!"
Enough with the lemonade shade.
It was around one when Chris finally set off for his quarters. The boat had finally begun to move, making Chris even more puzzled as to what had delayed it in the first place. The scene of the boats unloading cargo stayed in Chris' head as he walked. That was until a girl bumped into him halfway to his room.
"S-sorry!" the brunette, around Chris' age, apologized.
"It's all good." Chris waved away her guilt.
"Would you happen to know where room eighty-seven is?" she asked, brandishing her door key. "It's my friend's place, but she forgot to tell me how to get there, and I'm a little more buzzed than I'd like to admit."
Seeing the girl stammer again, Chris decided on a different course of action. "Maybe it's best I escort you there. It'd suck to have to swim after the boat now that it's actually moving."
As they walked, Chris discovered the girl was an aspiring Pokémon breeder who lived in Pewter City. Her friend, a trainer participating in the tournament, had invited her along.
"Here it is!" the girl named Taylor proclaimed. She gave Chris a hug, before opening the door, and stumbling inside. She whispered at him, "I don't want to flip on the lights and wake my friend up, but it's way too dark to see. You mind one last escort mission?" Chris threw her arm over his shoulder and waved his way through the darkness until they arrived at what Chris felt was a bed. "Here you are." The trainer set Taylor down on the bed gently. As he turned to leave, he felt her grab his arm.
"Won't you stay with me for a bit?"
"I," Chris took a deep breath, "can't. He nodded his head, reinforcing himself that this was the right decision. She was past the point of being buzzed, and he was sober as could be. It was as simple as that. "You're going to want to get some sleep and have plenty of orange juice ready. G'night."
A few minutes later, the trainer was in his own bed, staring up at the ceiling. Tomorrow the boat would be arriving at Cianwood City, meaning his next gym battle was on the horizon. Before they departed the boat, Chris would need a game plan to tackle the Fighting-type expert. He quickly sent a message to his mom, before rolling over and falling asleep.
Sadly, our rising trainer couldn't get the final victory needed to secure his first tournament championship. However, the experiences and lessons learned from this exciting run will only benefit Chris down the road. As Chris and Luke prepare to take on the western peninsula of Johto, what new challenges, Pokémon, and adventures await them? You'll have to find out later this summer in the next thrilling installment! Don't forget to review and subscribe if you enjoyed it! I'll see ya in the next chapter of Heart and Soul!