I was, once again, in a good mood as I stood in the contest hall lobby, the day after the appeals round. The fact that my friends and I had all made it this far certainly showed just how skilled we were as coordinators.
Doubly so, in my case, since this was my very first time taking part in a contest. And at the very least, Brittany and my dad certainly felt that I did a good job, judging by what they were saying in the little talk that they were currently having with me.
"I said it yesterday," my dad said with a proud smile on his face, "And I'll say it again now: you did a great job with your appeal."
"Your dad's right, Adam!" said Brittany, a gleeful smile of excitement on her face. "Granted, your appeal seemed to be a lot more brute-force-based than elegance-based, but at least I can compliment you on trying out your own style instead of trying to hard to copy your mom's."
I chuckled and said, "Well, we've already established that I'd probably not be quite as good as my mom, and trying to copy her style would probably only make it even more obvious. So the best that I could do was try out my own thing and see how well I do in that capacity."
"Well, it's certainly doing wonders for you so far." my dad admitted. "And judging by what she said when I called her last night, your mom certainly believes the same."
I nodded my head, pleased to hear that my mom liked what she'd seen of me on TV.
It was at this point that I managed to start overhearing Michelle and Amber's talks with their own respective family groups.
"I sure hope that I'll continue to put on a good performance in today's round, after how well I did yesterday." Amber said to Antonio, Annie, and Oakley.
"I'm sure you will." Antonio said confidently. "I have full confidence in you."
"You've certainly got a good momentum going." Annie stated.
"Definitely not regretting my first time attending a contest." said Oakley. "Keep making me proud, Amber!"
"I'll...I'll do my best!" Amber said, flattered by Oakley's words.
Meanwhile, Robyn and Michelle seemed to be having quite the delightful conversation going on as Misty and Ross watched silently with pride.
"Your appeal was so amazing yesterday!" Robyn squealed, truly incapable of keeping her joy and excitement contained. "I know I've already said it a million times, but it's so true! I couldn't keep my eyes off of you and Bayleef the entire time that you were onstage!"
"Glad to hear it, Sis." Michelle said, giving her adoptive sister a warm hug. "I'll make sure to put on an extra good show for you today as well!"
Robyn nodded her head, a gleeful smile still on her face...before she then abruptly let a small frown come onto her face instead.
Michelle raised her eyebrow in concern at the sight of this and asked, "Is something wrong, Robyn?"
"Are you...not worried about how your friends will feel later?"
"What do you mean?" Michelle asked.
"You might have to battle against your friends soon." Robyn responded, gesturing towards me, Amber, Nikki, Skye, and Megan in the process. "And if you beat them, they'd be so sad that they didn't win the tournament! I love my own friends and I wouldn't want to make them sad, so aren't you worried about hurting your friends' feelings, too?"
At this point, all six of us couldn't help but briefly look at each other. In all honesty, this wasn't really something we'd seriously considered from that point of view. But eventually, Michelle nodded her head and looked back to Robyn.
"It will definitely suck if any of my friends and I lose." she admitted. "But we all knew the risks, going into this tournament." She then put a comforting hand on Robyn's shoulder, a warm smile on her face. "Plus, we're well aware of how only one of us can win in the end, and we're gonna make sure to wish the best for the lucky one of us who does. And besides, as friends, we'll all be willing to put in the effort to help cheer up and comfort any of us who feel bad about losing. After all, that's what friends are for, right?"
Robyn thought to herself, and then eventually nodded, saying, "I hope you're right, Sis."
Misty chuckled, and patted Robyn on the head affectionately and comfortingly, saying, "It will be fine, sweetie. You'll see."
"This is almost enough to make me feel bad that my family's not here right now." Megan admitted.
Skye placed a comforting hand on Megan's shoulder, saying, "I'm sure that they've got their eyes glued to their TV screens for the Wallace Cup."
At that moment, we all took a quick look at the nearest clock.
"We should get to our seats right about now." my dad said. "And you kids need to change into your contest outfits."
"Agreed. Good luck today, everyone." Misty added.
And from there, we parted ways and headed to the dressing rooms. We couldn't wait to get the show on the road!
About fifteen minutes later, once we were all backstage and ready to go, the introductions began.
"Good morning, everyone!" Sofia yelled excitedly as she stood in front of the judges' panel. "I hope that you're all ready for a truly spectacular show today! Because today's the day that the battle round begins!"
She then gestured towards the stage, which was, true to tradition, in the form of a large pool with pool pads provided for terrestrial or aerial Pokemon to stand or rest upon, similarly to the setup at the pool in Juan's gym.
"As you can see, today's lucky contestants will have plenty of opportunity to sweep us off our feet...not to mention sweep themselves and their Pokemon off their feet as well, if they're not careful!"
A small round of laughter erupted from the audience at Sofia's little joke.
"Nonetheless, we all know what you're here for, so let's get this show on the road!"
The tournament brackets were then shown on the screen, with pictures of the contestants and who they would be facing. And as it so happened, the coordinators set to engage in the first match were already in position at their respective stations on the battlefield, with Megan standing opposite the gray-eyed blonde girl from the appeals who'd used a Hoothoot.
"To my left is Megan." Sofia stated. "And to my right is Annabeth. Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"
"Showtime, Combusken!" Megan yelled as she released Combusken onto the pool pad directly in front of her.
"Lucario, spotlight!" Annabeth screamed as she released her Lucario onto the pool pad directly in front of her.
Megan, quick to take the initiative, pointed her finger towards Lucario, shouting, "Alright, Combusken! Let's open things up with a Flamethrower!" Combusken shrieked before opening his beak and spewing a jet of flames towards Lucario.
"Dodge that!" Annabeth yelled. "And counter with Aura Sphere!" Lucario howled determinedly as it effortlessly jumped aside to dodge Combusken's Flamethrower, landing gracefully upon a pool pad to the left before sending an Aura Sphere rocketing towards Combusken.
Combusken squawked in equal parts surprise and pain as he got sent flying off of his pool pad and landed at Megan's feet. At that moment, Megan was not off to a good start. But right now, she cared only for her Combusken.
"Combusken, are you okay?" Megan asked in concern.
Combusken warbled in pain, but managed to get back to his feet and hop back atop his pool pad before squawking defiantly.
"Well, I guess that answers that. Let's switch things up! Run at Lucario with Quick Attack and combine that with Double Kick!" Combusken squawked determinedly and enacted Quick Attack, rushing across the water towards Lucario in a blur!
Unfortunately, Annabeth was already prepared for this strategy as well.
"Lucario, use Force Palm!"
"No!" Megan screamed.
But it was too late, and with a Force Palm straight to the face, Combusken was sent flying backwards, landing right back on his pool pad. And this time, Annabeth was not about to allow him the chance to recover before making her next move.
"Lucario, it's time to win this! Use Bone Rush!" Snarling, Lucario jumped over to where Combusken was positioned, summoned a large blue energy bone staff into its paws, and started striking Combusken with it.
"Ooh, that's gotta hurt." Sofia stated, a noticeable wince on her face as this beatdown ensued.
"Come on, Combusken! Come on!" Megan said, wincing visibly at the sight of her Pokemon getting wailed upon by Lucario and its Bone Rush attack. "Fight through this! I know that you can do it!"
After hitting Combusken a full five times, Lucario dismissed the bone staff and jumped back to its pool pad, leaving Combusken panting and gasping on his hands and knees.
"Things are not looking good for Megan right now, ladies and gentlemen." said Sofia. "But could her Combusken yet turn the tide?"
"Well, you won't have to wait very long to find out, everyone." Annabeth declared, pointing at Combusken, her blonde hair flying in the gentle breeze. "You know what to do, Lucario! Finish him off with Aura Sphere!" Lucario snarled, already starting to charge up its Aura Sphere...only to pause in surprise at what suddenly happened next.
Combusken became encased in a glowing white aura. The light slowly began to change its shape and size before it faded away to reveal that Combusken had now evolved into Blaziken! In a flash, the newly-evolved Blaziken stood upright to full height with both fists raised skyward.
"Well, isn't this a fortuitous turn of events?!" Sofia yelled in excitement.
"Whoa..." Megan whistled before hurriedly taking out her Pokedex to scan her new Blaziken for its data.
"Blaziken, the Blaze Pokemon and the evolved form of Combusken. In an encounter with especially powerful foes, fire blazes around its arms and legs. The flames surrounding its wrists in these conditions cause its punches to become especially powerful and damaging, while the high power in its lower body grants it the ability to jump high enough to clear tall buildings in a single leap."
"Well, it looks like this fight will last somewhat longer than I thought. But then, I suppose that's hardly something to complain about." Annabeth said.
"Lucario, resume what you were doing earlier." Lucario growled and resumed its work in charging up an Aura Sphere.
"No you don't!" Megan yelled before pointing at Lucario. "Hurry, Blaziken! Use Quick Attack, combined with Slash!" Blaziken did as asked, rushing over to Lucario and striking it across the face with a swing of his right claw.
"Don't stop now!" Megan yelled, eager to capitalize on her new momentum. "Use Double Kick!" Blaziken did as ordered, striking Lucario in the chest with his right foot, then his left. Howling in pain and surprise, Lucario crumbled onto its back on the stage floor at Annabeth's feet. Megan chuckled at this, especially as she also caught sight of how Annabeth's points were starting to get close to the level that her own were currently at.
"Looks like the tide has turned!" Megan bragged to her opponent.
"So it has. But don't start getting too comfortable! Lucario, use Force Palm!"
"Get back!" Megan yelled.
Blaziken quickly obeyed, jumping backwards and returning to his pool pad just in time to avoid getting struck when Lucario managed to swiftly jump back to its feet and unleash Force Palm at the spot where Blaziken had been standing, only moments prior.
"Good work, Blaziken." Megan said, clearly relieved at the incidental rejuvenation that had been granted upon Blaziken evolving out of his Combusken form.
"Lucario, use Aura Sphere! Now!"
"Deflect it with Slash!"
Blaziken used Slash just in time to deflect the Aura Sphere and sent it flying right back at Lucario, who yelped in surprise as it got hit in the face and sent stumbling backwards.
"What a turnaround, everyone!" Sofia exclaimed.
Annabeth grumbled, her eyes narrowing. Still, she would not go down easily!
"Use Swords Dance, Lucario!" she snarled. "I want you to really hurt Blaziken the next time you strike him!" Lucario snarled and performed Swords Dance as requested.
"Get ready, Blaziken." Megan stated. "This could really hurt if we're not careful."
"Now, Lucario!" Annabeth yelled once Lucario had finished the Swords Dance. "Jump at him and use Force Palm!" Snarling, Lucario prepared a Force Palm and jumped into the air, flying high in an arc as it worked to lunge at Blaziken.
And for what felt like an eternity, we all watched, hearts in our throats as Megan seemingly just stood and did nothing as the Lucario reached the zenith of its jump and then started to head downwards towards Blaziken, hands already in ideal position to unleash Force Palm when it landed.
"BLAZIKEN, USE FLAMETHROWER!" Megan screamed at the top of her lungs. Blaziken opened his beak and unleashed a huge jet of flames! Lucario howled in shock, eyes widening as it saw the flames rocketing up towards it. But there was nothing that it could do as it got engulfed and sent flying upwards before landing in a heap upon its pool pad.
Miraculously, despite the direct hit from an attack that it was especially weak against, Lucario wasn't immediately knocked out. And in that moment, it began to weakly try to get back on its feet.
"Be ready, Blaziken." Megan said. "That Lucario may still have a bit of fight left."
"And...time's up!"
Eyes widening, Annabeth and Megan looked to the screen in time to see that not only was time indeed up, but Megan had just barely managed to get a lead in points.
"The winner is...Megan!"
And at that moment, Lucario finally collapsed, unconscious. Annabeth nodded her head and returned Lucario.
Megan let out a loud cheer of victory with a look of relief and pride on her face.
... ...
"To my left is Nikki and to my right is Gavin." Sofia announced after Megan and Annabeth had departed, with Nikki now standing on the stage opposite the blue-haired and red-eyed boy from yesterday, evidently named Gavin, who'd used a Magnemite. "Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"
"Dragonair, charm up!" Nikki yelled as she unleashed her Dragonair.
"Salamence, curtain!" Gavin shouted as he unleashed a rather intimidating-looking Salamence. And as if the Salamence hadn't already looked intimidating enough, it suddenly became encased in a shadowy purple and black aura, with the sight of Dragonair briefly cringing in fear only further confirming what was now happening.
"The Intimidate ability." Amber growled from where she and Megan were currently standing next to me as we watched the battle backstage. "It activates once, immediately upon the moment that a Pokemon who possesses it first enters a battle, lowering the attack power of the opponent's Pokemon."
"This complicates things." Megan stated.
"Got that right." I agreed. "After all, considering that Dragonair and Salamence are both Dragon Pokemon and therefore weak to Dragon attacks, Gavin could have victory guaranteed by that Intimidate if Nikki's not careful."
Nikki, however, was not about to let her Dragonair's intimidated status put a damper on her confidence.
"I'm not giving up just because of an Intimidation!" she declared. "Dragonair, use Dragon Rage!" Dragonair let out a low bellow, the orb on its neck glowing before it summoned a swirling cyclone of powerful winds that it subsequently sent at Salamence.
"Salamence, use Fly!" Salamence roared and promptly took to the air just in time for the Dragon Rage to harmlessly fly by where it had been standing. Salamence soon came to a stop in the air afterwards, roaring in Dragonair's direction.
Nikki gritted her teeth. While it wasn't often that the move Fly got seen in combat, she was nonetheless aware that there were not very many attacks that a Pokemon could use to hit a Pokemon already in the midst of using that particular move.
Gavin let a small smirk come onto his face and taunted, "Thinking of giving up?"
Nikki glowered and replied, "And look undignified in my first contest since winning the Johto Grand Festival last year? You wish!"
"Good. I was hoping you'd allow this battle to continue." He then looked up towards Salamence.
"Now, Salamence!" Salamence roared, and then quickly started flying down at Dragonair.
"Dodge!" Dragonair hurriedly dove under the water, only just barely managing to avoid getting crashed into by Salamence when it slammed down atop the spot where Dragonair had been. And judging by the aggrieved look on Salamence's face when it subsequently flapped back over to where it had been standing before using the Fly attack, it was not pleased by the fact that Dragonair had dodged.
"It's alright, Salamence." said Gavin. "It shouldn't be too hard to get back into the lead. Just wait for Dragonair to surface."
"Well, I guess now's the time for you to put your money where your mouth is!" Nikki suddenly yelled.
"Dragonair, use Dragon Tail!" Dragonair suddenly burst up from the water directly in front of Salamence, its tail becoming encased in a green scale-patterned aura as it used its Dragon Tail attack as commanded, and slammed its tail down upon Salamence.
"She's certainly off to a good start." Amber said. "Especially considering that she's still in the lead in points."
But Gavin was not about to take Nikki's current lead lying down. It wasn't long after Dragonair had landed back into the water after using Dragon Tail before he immediately took advantage of Dragonair's disadvantageous position the instant that he saw Salamence already starting to get back to its feet.
"Hurry, Salamence! Use Dragon Claw!"
"Get back!" Nikki yelled, a horrified look on her face as she realized that Dragonair was well within reach of Salamence's incoming Dragon Claw.
But her order to retreat came too late and Dragonair bellowed in pain as Salamence struck it across the base of its neck with its glowing bright green claws. And he was not about to stop there!
"Good work, Salamence! Now follow up with Dragon Pulse!" Roaring determinedly, Salamence opened its jaws, an orb of purplish black energy taking shape within, and then fired a beam of black energy with purple sparks surrounding it from its jaws, striking Dragonair point blank. Dragonair howled in shock and pain as it got sent flying backwards through the water by the impact, coming to a pounding halt when its back slammed into the side of the pool where Nikki was standing.
But Dragonair wasn't down for the count yet, and there was still time for Nikki to turn the tide. Dragonair moved away from the pool wall that it had slammed against and looked to Nikki as if asking what to do next.
"Don't you worry, Dragonair." Nikki said confidently. "We can still salvage a win out of this!"
"Ha!" Gavin chuckled. "We'll see about that. Salamence, Fly!" Salamence growled and took to the skies once more.
"A clever move." Nikki said, smirking. "But unfortunately for you, I've now remembered a move that Dragonair knows that can harm Pokemon using Fly. Dragonair, use Twister!" Dragonair raised its tail, the orbs on the end glowing as a mighty tornado was summoned that rapidly expanded skyward while rushing at Salamence. Within minutes, the Twister reached Salamence's position and the mighty Dragon Pokemon could only roar helplessly as it got viciously blown around. So powerful were the winds of the Twister, that by the time the attack finally ended, Salamence had been lowered down from its earlier height and into a more than adequate range for some of Dragonair's moves that wouldn't have been as effective against Salamence prior to now.
"Quick, before Salamence recovers!" Nikki yelled. "Use Dragon Rage!" Dragonair quickly obeyed, the resulting cyclone swiftly blasting Salamence back towards Gavin. Salamence took almost a full minute to recover from this hit.
"Haha!" Nikki yelled. "I'm back in the lead!"
"Not for long!" Gavin snarled.
"Salamence, use Dragon Pulse!" Salamence roared, already preparing another Dragon Pulse.
But Nikki wasn't about to let Salamence use that move against Dragonair again!
"Hurry, Dragonair! Rush over with Agility and hit it with Dragon Tail!" Dragonair quickly obeyed, zooming towards Salamance and jumping out of the water directly in front of it while it was only halfway finished in preparing its Dragon Pulse. From there, Gavin and Salamence both had enough time to widen their eyes and gape in surprise before Dragonair slammed its glowing tail down hard on Salamence once more, sending it slamming down upon its pool pad and the water beneath it with a loud splash. And when the resulting upwards burst of water receded, Salamence was revealed to be floating upon the pool pad, completely out cold.
"Salamence is unable to battle!" Sofia yelled. "Nikki is the winner!"
... ...
With Nikki having won her match, the next match was between the red-haired and yellow-eyed boy named Leon, who'd used a Gengar, and the yellow-eyed blonde boy named Orville, who'd used a Taillow. And this battle only lasted three minutes before Leon's Luxray had gotten Orville's Braviary soundly defeated.
And from there, I ended up being called next, so I took my place opposite the chartreuse-haired and dark-green-eyed boy from yesterday that I'd remembered using a Zigzagoon for his appeal. Pikachu was watching me backstage with the girls.
"To my left is Garfield and to my right is Adam." said Sofia. "Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"
"Showtime, Sceptile!" Garfield yelled.
"Charizard, spotlight!" I yelled.
Garfield's eyes briefly widened at the sight of my Charizard, but quickly worked to hide his initial shock.
"Let's get a move on, Sceptile! Use Screech!" In a flash, Sceptile opened its jaws and unleashed an earsplitting shriek that soon had everyone covering their ears, including the audience. Once the Screech was finally over, Garfield smiled.
"Alright, Sceptile. Now's the time to get dangerous! Use Dual Chop!" Sceptile raised both of its brightly glowing green arms, jumped at Charizard, and unleashed a brutal x-shaped slash. Charizard roared in surprise and pain as he got sent stumbling backwards by the impact, barely avoiding losing his footing altogether.
"Don't take that lying down, Charizard! Grab Sceptile and use Seismic Toss!" Charizard grabbed onto its shoulders, took to the sky with it in his clutches, flew around in circles, and then dove back down towards the pool before sending it hurtling down to its earlier pool pad, where it landed with a heavy impact!
"Wow!" Sofia yelled excitedly. "Looks like things are off to a strong start for the son of Master Ketchum, everyone!"
"Charizard, use Flamethrower!" Charizard roared, breathing out a jet of flames from his jaws.
"Hurry, Sceptile!" Garfield shouted. "Use Dual Chop on the water! Hit it as hard as you can!" Sceptile bellowed determinedly and did as asked, with the impact of the Dual Chop causing a massive wave of water to surge at the Flamethrower and extinguish it while still heading towards Charizard.
"Dodge that!" I yelled in a panicked tone. Charizard swiftly obeyed, taking to the air just in time to avoid getting engulfed by the water wave. I gritted my teeth, equal parts annoyed and grudgingly impressed at how Garfield had worked to take advantage of the environment to cancel out the type advantage that I had against him.
"Don't let your opponent's flying stop you! Use Leaf Storm! See how long that Charizard stays in the air after a round or two of that!"
"Don't let that hit you!" I yelled. "Use Flamethrower!"
Charizard roared and breathed fire at the incoming Leaf Storm, reducing it to ash before it could reach him. This did not sit well with Garfield, who stomped his foot once and clenched his right fist with an irritated scowl on his face.
"Charizard, use Dragon Rage!" With another roar, Charizard caused his tail flames to expand to a large size before spitting out a ball of fire that exploded into a devastating inferno upon making contact with Sceptile. Miraculously, the direct hit from Dragon Rage didn't immediately knock Sceptile out. But judging by how Sceptile was now panting and gasping in exhaustion and pain, it was clear that I wouldn't have to deal too much more damage before I knocked Sceptile out.
"Sceptile, use Dual Chop on the water! Hit it as hard as you can!" Sceptile bellowed and did as asked, sending a massive burst of water flying at Charizard.
"Deflect it with Wing Attack!" Charizard crossed his wings together in front of him, both of them glowing white, before he unleashed a gale force wind that immediately dispersed the water before it could reach him, causing it to also dissipate into mist and water droplets for good measure.
But that turned out to be something that Garfield had been hoping would happen!
"Hurry, Sceptile! Leap at Charizard with Dual Chop!" Sceptile screeched before lunging at Charizard, bursting through the water droplets and mist like a rocket!
"Flamethrower! Now!" With a determined roar, Charizard unleashed Flamethrower once more, with Sceptile having only enough time to widen its eyes in surprise before getting directly hit by the jet of flames and sent pounding down upon the pool pad, completely out cold.
"Sceptile is unable to battle. Adam is the winner!"
"You tried your best, dude." said Garfield to his downed Pokemon as he returned it. "Take a long rest."
And at that, we departed from the stage.
... ...
"On my left, we have Michelle! And on my right, we have Colton!"
Michelle was on the stage, standing opposite the scowling pink-haired boy from yesterday who'd used an Espeon.
"Here's to a good fight. May the best coordinator win!" Michelle said.
Colton only glowered at Michelle, his eyes narrowing and teeth gritting into a silent snarl as he replied, "Oh, I very much intend to."
"Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"
"Poliwrath, Spotlight!"
"Ursaring, Showtime!"
In a flash, both Pokemon were released upon their pool pads and Michelle was quick to take the initiative.
"Poliwrath, use Hydro Pump! Now!" Poliwrath obeyed, its belly swirl pattern glowing purple before a jet of water burst from the center.
"Counter that with Hyper Voice!" Ursaring roared, a beam of noise waves erupting from its jaws and colliding against the Hydro Pump and both moves began moving back and forth in a duel for dominance.
"Wow! What a strong start!" Sofia yelled.
"Come on, COME ON!" Colton yelled irritably. "You can do this, Ursaring! We need to show this arrogant latecomer some real dedication!"
Hearing this, Michelle's eyes narrowed into a glare and she asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Colton growled. "You haven't taken part in a contest all year. And now you're suddenly taking part when you already have minimal chance of getting enough ribbons to take part in the Grand Festival? You clearly need a lesson in humility!"
The other girls and I couldn't help but silently whistle as we saw all of this unfold on the screen.
"Oh boy." I said.
"This is about to get rough." said Amber.
And indeed, Michelle did NOT look happy.
"Lesson in humility? Hate to break it to you, but that's what I should be saying about you, considering how you seem to think that winning ribbons and qualifying for the Grand Festival is the only thing of value that you seem to view when taking part in a contest. Unlike you, I can at least enjoy performing in a contest, even just for the fun of the participation!"
"Whoa, it looks like we've got some drama unfolding on the stage today!" Sofia stated. "This could get interesting!"
"We'll see how much good your precious 'fun of participation' does for you once I win! Ursaring, keep at it!"
Ursaring roared again, pushing his Hyper Voice against Poliwrath's Hydro Pump even more strongly than before, with Poliwrath naturally increasing the power of Hydro Pump at the same time in response. Miraculously, the two moves continued to remain evenly matched and it wasn't long before a convergence point started to take shape in the center of the beams between the two Pokemon. And as the convergence point continued to expand, as if in preparation for an explosion, it wasn't long before Michelle and Colton both decided for their Pokemon to stop their respective moves. Once this was done, Colton was quick to call his next move.
"Ursaring, use Scary Face!" Ursaring roared, making a truly nightmarish-looking facial expression that caused Poliwrath to visibly step back in brief fright. Naturally, Colton was quick to try to take advantage of this new momentum.
"Don't stop there, Ursaring! Lunge over with Hammer Arm!" Ursaring growled, its right paw glowing with white light before jumping towards Poliwrath.
"Hurry, Poliwrath! Counter with Dynamic Punch!" Poliwrath obeyed, his glowing blueish-white aura-encased right fist slamming into Ursaring's glowing right paw with enough force to send it flying into the water with a splash.
"Get outta there, Ursaring!" Colton yelled, well aware that Poliwrath would have the advantage in the water.
"Not so fast!" Michelle yelled, a confident grin on her face. "Swim after Ursaring, Poliwrath! Strike with Double Slap!" Poliwrath jumped into the water, rapidly swimming up to the fleeing Ursaring before unleashing Double Slap, brutally smacking Ursaring multiple times with both hands. The final slap hit Ursaring with enough force to send it flying back onto its pool pad.
"Beat that!" Michelle shouted.
"Gladly." Colton snarled, now really sounding irritated.
"Hyper Voice! Now!" In a flash, Poliwrath was sent flying back onto his pool pad after getting hit by Hyper Voice. Colton was quick to try to press his advantage once more, once Poliwrath had landed.
"Ursaring! Lunge at Poliwrath with Metal Claw! It's time to finish this!" Ursaring roared and lunged towards Poliwrath, its claws already crossed and glowing. But Poliwrath had recovered quickly, and Michelle had a trick of her own up her sleeve!
"Poliwrath! Brick Break! NOW!" In a flash, Poliwrath hit Ursaring right on its crossed claws just seconds before it could slash with Metal Claw, sending Ursaring rocketing skyward.
"Hurry, Poliwrath! Jump up at Ursaring and finish this with Hydro Pump!" The resulting jet of water sent Ursaring rocketing back down to its pool pad with a heavy impact! And as the resulting geyser-like splash receded, Ursaring was revealed to be completely out cold.
"NO!" Colton yelled, visibly outraged as he clenched both fists. "NO FAIR!"
Michelle shook her head side to side, an amused smirk on her face as she returned Poliwrath to his Pokeball.
"So much for true dedication." she purred.
Colton could only growl irritably, his eyes narrowed grudgingly in defeat.
"Well, there you have it, everyone!" Sofia yelled excitedly. "Ursaring is unable to battle! Michelle and her Poliwrath are the winners!"
... ...
Five minutes later, Amber had taken her place on the stage, standing opposite the violet-haired and violet-eyed girl who'd used a Misdreavus the day before.
"Your friend who's the Pokemon Master's son, may have managed to successfully beat my boyfriend Garfield not too long ago." the girl said. "But I'm not gonna let you hinder my own chances of making it to the Grand Festival without a fight!"
"I'd be insulted if you did." Amber chuckled.
"On my left, we have Amber! And on my right, we have Rachel! Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"
"Absol, curtain!" Amber yelled, tossing her Pokeball.
"Spotlight, Murkrow!" Rachel yelled, tossing her Pokeball.
"Absol, use Quick Attack!" Absol howled determinedly before rushing off towards Murkrow as commanded.
"Murkrow, use Foul Play!" Rachel ordered.
"Get back!" Amber screamed.
But it was too late, and with a triumphant caw, Murkrow grabbed onto Absol's horn mid-rush, lifted it in the air, and did a front flip before sending Absol rocketing back at its pool pad with a thunderous slam.
"Absol!" Amber yelled, clearly concerned. "Are you okay?"
Absol grumbled in discomfort, but nonetheless managed to get back to its feet.
"Not for long!" Rachel stated before snapping her fingers.
"Murkrow, use Mean Look!" Murkrow's eyes starting to glow a dark violet color as it subjected Absol to the effects of Mean Look.
"But the coordinators aren't even allowed to switch their Pokemon in the battle round in the first place. Why stop her from recalling Absol?" Megan asked, confused.
"Because it's an impressive-looking move." Michelle answered. "Remember that contest battles aren't just about defeating you opponent like a gym battle is. You can make your opponent lose points by making your Pokemon's moves eye-catching, even if they don't do any direct damage."
"Now let's really show the audience a good time with Air Cutter!" Murkrow unleashed a storm of air blades, with Absol snarling in surprise and pain at the resulting bombardment.
"Things aren't looking good for Amber right now, folks." said Sofia. "Can she turn things around? Let's find out!"
"Absol, use Double Team!" Absol performed the requested move, causing several copies of itself to take form around it.
"Watch carefully, Murkrow." Rachel stated reassuringly. "One of those is still the real one!"
"Quick, Attack Absol! Combine it with Night Slash!" In a flash, Absol dashed over and slashed with its glowing light blue claws.
"Don't just let her beat you up like that, Murkrow." Rachel stated encouragingly. "Fight back with Foul Play!"
"Dodge that!"
Absol dodged, just barely avoiding getting caught in Murkrow's talons.
"Good job, Absol! Now use Quick Attack combined with Night Slash again!"
"No you don't!" Rachel shrieked. "Give yourself some breathing room with Shadow Ball, Murkrow!"
"Get back!"
But it was too late. Absol got hit by the Shadow Ball in mid-dash and was sent sprawling upon its pool pad.
"Again!" Rachel yelled. Murkrow obeyed, sending another Shadow Ball flying at Absol.
"Deflect it with Night Slash!" Amber yelled. Absol swiftly obeyed, sending the Shadow Ball flying back at Murkrow, who barely managed to fly out of the way.
For several minutes, Amber and Rachel continued to engage in a back and forth duel of Shadow Balls and Night Slashes, with both girls looking visibly determined to win. And right as we'd all quite lost track of the time, and with neither Absol nor Murkrow showing any sign of getting knocked out...time ran out.
"Time's up!"
Eyes widening in surprise, Rachel and Amber turned their heads towards the screen...and Rachel promptly slumped dejectedly at the sight of Amber having just barely edged her out in points.
"Amber wins!"
... ...
The next battle to unfold occurred between yesterday's white-haired and red-eyed girl named Yolanda, and yesterday's green-haired and brown-eyed boy named Felix. And while the resulting conflict between Yolanda's Alakazam and Felix's Sawsbuck had ended up stuck in an unexpected stalemate for the majority of the battle, the former was ultimately able to have more points than the latter by the time the time limit ran out. And just like that, it wasn't much longer before the final battle for this current round finally began.
"On my left, we have Skye." Sofia said as she gestured towards where Skye was standing, opposite the black-haired and green-eyed boy from yesterday who'd used a Carvanha. "And on my right, we have Percy."
"You'd best be on your toes." he said confidently. "You may be Wallace's daughter, but I'm not gonna let you hinder my efforts at reaching the Grand Festival without a fight. Especially not after your friend, who's the daughter of Drew and May Hayden, already put my girlfriend Annabeth out of the running today."
"I'll be holding you to that," she stated with a nervous smile, trying her best to sound brave.
"Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"
"Electrike, charm up!"
"Showtime, Feraligatr!"
"Here's the last match for this round, ladies and gentlemen!" Sofia yelled excitedly. "Here's hoping for a spectacular closing performance!"
"Use Quick Attack, Electrike! Combine it with Thunder Fang!" Skye commanded. Electrike snarled, voltage already starting to build up around its jaws as it went rushing towards Feraligatr at high speed with Quick Attack.
"Use Crunch! Now!" Electrike howled in surprise and pain as it found itself caught in Feraligatr's jaws.
"Fight through the pain, Electrike! You can still break free with Thunder Fang!"
Percy's eyes widened as he realized that Electrike was still in a condition good enough for using Thunder Fang on Feraligatr, and would now have an even easier time inflicting it than before!
"Spit Electrike out!" he yelled. "Now!"
But it was too late, and Feraligatr soon snarled in shock and pain as Electrike bit it with its electrified jaws.
Percy shook his head, clearly feeling it best to just accept the screw-up as a learning experience. And eventually, Electrike finished its Thunder Fang attack and jumped back to its pool pad in front of Skye.
"Good job, Electrike. Now use Howl!" Electrike did as requested, strengthening its attack power.
"Two can play at that game! Feraligatr, use Work Up!" Feraligatr snarled, clenching its claws and baring its teeth as it began to glow with a light red aura, increasing its own attack power at the same time.
"Okay, then. Use Shock Wave!" Electrike howled, allowing its body to become coated with light blue electricity before firing a beam of that same electricity from its jaws.
"Dodge that!" Feraligatr jumped into the water just in time to avoid getting zapped by the Shock Wave.
"Be ready for anything, Electrike." Skye said. Electrike snarled in confirmation and started carefully watching the water for any sign of Feraligatr coming to attack.
"Now, Feraligatr! Use Superpower!" Before Skye or Electrike had the chance to fully process this and enact a defence strategy, Feraligatr suddenly burst out of the water from directly underneath Electrike, disorienting Electrike enough for it to be easily grabbed when Feraligatr, now glowing with bright red light once more, snapped its arms around Electrike while both of them went rising up into the air. Immediately after Feraligatr came to a stop in the air, it roared before throwing Electrike down at incredibly high force towards where its pool pad had landed. And even after this, Percy wasn't done!
"Use Hydro Pump! Make the landing extra fast!" Feraligatr roared and spewed out a Hydro Pump from its jaws that hit the falling Electrike and sent it pounding against the pool pad.
"Ouch! That's gotta hurt!"
Even despite Electrike's natural resilience against Water attacks, the enhanced power that had been granted by the earlier Work Up, plus the impact against the pool pad, couldn't have allowed Electrike a very pleasant experience.
"It's okay, Electrike." Skye said encouragingly. "You can still do this!"
Electrike growled, clearly in pain, but nonetheless began to make the effort to get back onto its feet.
"Oh, we'll be ready." Percy said before looking to Feraligatr, who was now climbing back onto its own pool pad. "Feraligatr, ready yourself with Work Up!"
But in that instant, right as Electrike finished getting to its feet, it suddenly became encased with white light! All eyes widened, for this turn of events could only mean one thing! Sure enough, the obscured Electrike began to expand and change shape while covered with the white light. And when the white light faded away, Electrike was revealed to have evolved into Manectric!
"Well, isn't this something?" Sofia announced. "First we get an evolution in the very first match of this round and now we get another evolution in this round's final match!"
Standing next to me, Megan hurriedly took out her Pokedex to scan Manectric's data.
"Manectric. The Discharge Pokemon and the evolved form of Electrike. Its mane has the power to gather and store local electrical energy, which can then be violently discharged, creating thunder clouds in the process."
Back on the battlefield, despite being caught off-guard by the evolution, Percy was not about to let himself get intimidated so easily, and he pointed at Manectric, a determined glare on his face.
"We can still salvage this, Feraligatr. Lunge at Manectric with Crunch!" he ordered. Feraligatr roared and lunged towards Manectric as ordered, jaws already open to the fullest extent.
"Shock Wave! Now!" Manectric howled and unleashed a considerably larger beam of blue electricity from its mouth after charging itself up in preparation, with Feraligatr roaring in pain as it got sent flying backwards by the beam. Feraligatr landed and started groaning in pain from the impact.
Skye swiftly ordered what she clearly planned to be a finishing move by shouting, "Manectric, rush over with Quick Attack! And combine that with Thunder Fang!"
"Hurry, Feraligatr!" Percy yelled encouragingly. "Get up!"
But Feraligatr was too weak to get up in time to dodge and it soon roared in pain as Manectric successfully rushed to its position and snapped its electrified fangs upon its left arm, ending the battle.
"Feraligatr is unable to battle." Sofia announced. "Skye is the winner!"
Percy nodded his head in acceptance before returning his Feraligatr.
"Better luck next time." Skye said. "I'm sure that Annabeth will appreciate your effort."
And just like that, the first round of the battles was over.
"Only eight contestants remain. We will now take a short break before the quarterfinals begin." Sofia announced to everyone.
... ...
We were all in good spirits. After all, all six of us would be competing in the quarterfinals.
"We sure got lucky today, didn't we?" I asked.
"You can say that again, Adam." said Amber. "And I've got a feeling that things are gonna get very exciting during the quarterfinals!"
"I know exactly how you feel, Amber." Megan agreed, nodding her head. "I can't wait to see how well my Blaziken will perform from now on."
"Took the words right outta my mouth." said Skye. "I mean, considering I just got my Electrike to evolve into Manectric, it will certainly be interesting to see how he handles things from here."
"Well, however things unfold," said Michelle, "I'm sure we'll have plenty of fun to go alongside all of the excitement and drama."
"Can't say that I disagree." Nikki said. She then directed a serious look at all of us. "Regardless, you're all aware that we'll definitely end up facing each other over the next three stages of the tournament's battles, right?"
For a minute or two, we all stayed silent in thought as we considered what Nikki had just brought up. After all, with the six of us, plus Leon and Yolanda, as the only people left in the running for the Wallace Cup, the possibility of us facing against each other was now an inevitability that would be impossible to avoid.
"Well," Megan stated, "We all knew that this would eventually happen."
"Yep." Amber agreed. "And besides, it shouldn't be any different from facing each other in any of the other contests we've performed in."
"You can say that again." Michelle said before a determined look came on her face. "Just remember that just because Nikki, Adam, and I aren't planning on actually going to the Grand Festival after this, it doesn't mean that we'll be going easy on you."
"You heard her, everyone." I said with a grin. "We want you to earn any victories that you get in this contest, so you'd better not hold back!"
"Oh, don't you worry." said Megan.
"We won't be holding back." said Amber.
"Got that right." said Skye.
Author's Note: The first round of battles in the Wallace Cup have ended, with Adam, Michelle, Megan, Amber, Nikki, and Skye all winning their battles and advancing to the quarterfinals.
But now they will, unavoidably, have to start facing each other. And with all of them eyeing the prize, can their friendship survive the fires of competitiveness?
Find out as the Wallace Cup continues in the next chapter of Pokemon NG!