The following day was something to behold in the Orange Archipelago. It was the most incredible day I'd ever experienced. When we woke up, we had breakfast in the hotel dining room. It was a fantastic spread. Eggs, bacon, both belly and back, toast, pancakes, you name it, they had it hot and ready. I filled my plate with ham, cheese, spinach, mushroom omelets, pancakes, and enough bacon to log a Snorlax heart. When I sat down, Dane and Alex were already digging in.
"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. You want some pancake on your syrup there Dane?" I asked as he drowned his cakes in sweet maple. "Fuck off," He said. "I like a sweet breakfast,". "Well yeah but, dude, there's a sweet breakfast and then there's diabetes," Alex said. He had always been far more health-conscious than us at breakfast. His breakfast consisted of a bowl of granola, yogurt, and fruit, with one or 2 slivers of back bacon for protein. "Hey, you know I have a high metabolism," Dane said through a mouthful of pancake. I was about to retort when I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was Charity with her plate that looked like a weird amalgamation of all three of ours.
"Morning everyone!" She chirped. "How was your night?" She asked as she began eating. "Oh, pretty boring. We had to go clear to the Entertainment District to get something to eat," Dane said sipping his soda. "Did you find anything?" She asked. "Yeah, we found some bowling alley with a concession stand. The owner's daughter was a big fan of the Pokémon League so Alex whipped her ass and got us a free meal," I said, sipping my coffee. "I did not 'whip her ass' I was just the more experienced trainer," Alex said with a shrug. Charity looked at me knowing I couldn't lie to her, not with those eyes. "He's being modest. He never even made it to his third Pokémon before she was done," I said. "I thought so," Charity said with a smile. "I would expect nothing less from the second-place winner of the Indigo Plateau,". Alex blushed a little and we all had a good chuckle at that.
Once we were finished, the four of us made our way to the stadium to check the schedule. Dane was going first at noon, then I was scheduled at 1:30, followed by Alex and Charity battling at 3. Luckily they were opponents. I couldn't imagine rooting against my best friend but at the same time, I liked Charity and hoped she'd do well. Thankfully I was spared that misfortune for now.
It was only 9:30 so we had plenty of time before Danes's first match. Alex and Dane decided to head back to the beach. Charity was sure to remind them not to pick fights with Pokémon that know hypnosis which got a good laugh from us all. Since we were alone, I suggested we drop our Pokémon off at the PokéPal Resort for another good day of R and find a good spot to shoot the shit. She agreed and we made our way to the resort. When we arrived, we were greeted by the smiling face of another employee. We filled out all the paperwork and stepped into the large indoor paradise. We released our Pokémon and without a word, they took off to play. Well, almost all of them. Molly was right at Charity's side looking ferocious and Ampharos was hiding behind my leg as always.
"Hey, it's alright buddy. You can hang out with us today," I said lightly stroking its static fur. "I think Molly wants to as well," Charity said stroking Molly's fur. I looked down at her and she glared at me. She didn't like me. "Are you sure? Don't you think she'd enjoy a good romp with the other Pokémon?" I asked trying not to sound intimidated. Charity just chuckled lightly and shook her head. "No, Molly's a lot like Ampharos. She's a mama's girl, aren't you?" She said kneeling and snuggling Molly. Molly smiled and cuddled her back with her giant head. When she stopped, I looked down at Ampharos and shrugged. 'Well, I suppose being killed by an Ursarang isn't the worst way to go' I thought to myself, and we left.
The two of us and our Pokémon walked around nearly the entire Business District in an hour. We spoke more of our hometowns. "So you guys just have a giant graveyard tower in the center of your town filled with Ghost Pokémon, and you don't find anything about that odd?" She said puzzled. "Not really. I mean, the Ghost Pokémon can get a little rambunctious around Halloween. They play pranks on teenagers who think it's cool and edgy to party in a Pokémon cemetery, but other than that, it doesn't bother anyone. We find it peaceful," I said. Charity shook her head and smiled. "You guys sure have a unique way of looking at death in Lavander Town," She said. "Well, we are just simple town folk. Not like you big city slickers in Jubilife City," I said playfully. "Oh, please. I'm sure it's not that different in Lavander Town, aside from the fascination with death, of course," She retorted.
We made our way to a local park called the Citrus Bloom Park. It was a lovely and well-manicured place with a large hill and various playground equipment. We settled on top and sat with Molly and Ampharos. Molly almost immediately fell asleep with her head on Charity's lap, and Ampharos sat with his head on mine. I looked around and saw kids of all ages playing tag, hide and seek, and all kinds of games. I watched a small group of Butterfree examining flowers when Charity spoke up.
"So, do you mind if I ask a personal question?" She said carefully. "Of course. Go right ahead," I said, looking at her. "Well, I've noticed how attached Ampharos is to you and how scared he gets when you release him, so, I was wondering why?" She said easily. I chuckled a little and looked down at him, scratching behind his ear. "Yeah, most people are a little taken aback by his anxiety," I explained. "I found him when he was a Mareep. He got lost from his farm and ended up in an Ariados nest. When I rescued him, he was a few seconds away from being Pokéfood. The farmer was so thankful, that he let me keep him and Mareep gladly came with me, but he's always been very anxious since then." She looked down at Ampharos with sorrow. "He turned out to be one hell of a Pokémon though," I said patting him lightly. "Got me all the way here."
"What about Molly?" I asked. "What about her?" She replied curiously. "Well, I mean, she's a beautiful Ursarang, but she's..." I tried to say. "Temperamental?" She asked bluntly. "Well, yeah. She stares at me like she's wondering what my blood tastes like," I said awkwardly chuckling. "She just has a hard time with sharing my attention," She said. "When she was a Tediursa, I caught her stealing food from our trashcan. I guess she never had a family so I captured her. I think she's just afraid someone will steal me away from her."
I watched her as she spoke. Her strawberry-blonde hair seemed to glow as the sunlight hit it, and her eyes sparkled emerald green. "Do you mind if I ask you something personal?" I asked. She nodded and gave me her full attention. "Could...Could you..." I tried to say. "Look, I'm not good with things like this, but I... I like you. I was wondering if... Well... If you could ever see yourself with a guy like me?" I finally managed to get out.
She seemed to take in my question for a few minutes. "Nikki, you're a very sweet and charming guy. I could see myself with you, but not right now," She said finally. "I haven't been in a real relationship in a long time, and I'm not sure I'm completely emotionally available yet." I smiled at her as warmly as I could and looked into her emerald eyes again. "I understand," I said, watching her eyes sparkle. "I promise, it's nothing to do with you. It's just... If it ever does happen, I want to fully commit," She started, but I stopped her. "Charity, you don't owe me an explanation. I understand more than you know, believe me," I said with a smile. To my surprise, she leaned over and kissed me on the cheek.
"What was that for?" I asked blushing heavily. "For being a gentleman and accepting my answer," She said. She then leaned in and kissed my other cheek. "And that's for the other night when you sent me on my way instead of doing what most drunk guys would have done," She said playfully. "I'd never take advantage of a situation like that, especially with you. As you said, if anything ever does happen, I want to be able to fully commit," I said as I moved a strand of strawberry-blonde hair out of her face.
An hour later, we made our way back to the stadium. Dane's match would begin in thirty minutes. When we entered the foyer, Dane and Alex were waiting by the elevators. "Hey, how was the beach?" I asked as we approached. "It was decent. Muscle Boy wasn't there, so we didn't have anyone fucking with us," Alex said as the doors opened. We all stepped in, and Dane pressed the button to the bottom floor.
The elevator stopped, and we stepped out into the competitors holding area. When the time came, Dane stepped through the turnstile onto the platform. "Good luck!" Charity said waving to him. "Don't fuck up!" Alex yelled as the platform began to rise into the arena. The last we saw of Dane, he was flipping us off as he went out of sight.
We immediately got back on the elevator and got out on the observation deck. We had a complete view of the arena. We could see Dane standing on the green platform and opposite him, we could see a young girl with long brown hair dressed in a purple shirt, black pants, and sneakers. "Who's that?" I asked. "Annamarie Lopez," Alex said. "How the hell do you know that?" I ask. "I can read," he said, pointing to the monitors over the window. I looked up and there it was; her name, overall ranking, and region of origin, Hoenn.
"Alright Pokémon fans, it's time for the next battle!" The announcer said over the loudspeaker. "On the green side, from Lavander Town in the Kanto region, Dane Kizza!" He announced. The crowd went wild as Dane's stats popped up on the jumbotrons. "And on the red half, from Mossdeep City in the Hoenn region, Annamarie Lopez!" He announced. The crowd gave her the same reaction as her stats popped up. "I wonder what kind of Pokémon she has," Charity said as the crowd died down. "I just hope Dane is ready for anything," I said.
"This match will be three vs three. Trainers, select your first Pokémon," The official said over the loudspeaker. Dane thought for a moment, then selected his Pokémon. Annamarie did the same. "Trainers! Release your Pokémon and begin!" The official said as he threw his hands down.
From Dane's side came his favorite Pokémon, Tyranitar. "The green trainer has chosen Tyranitar!" The announcer called. The crowd erupted in applause and cheer. On the red side, Annamarie's Pokéball exploded open, and a large and ferocious Salamance appeared. "And the red trainer has chosen Salamance! This is shaping up to be a dragon showdown!" the announcer said.
"So, it's a dragon on dragon round," Alex said as we watched from the observation deck. "She's fucked," I said with a slight grin. "Why do you say that?" Charity asked. "Because Dane is the most indomitable Dragon-Type trainer since Lance himself," I said. I saw Charity thinking it over for a second before watching again.
"Dragon Pulse!" Annamarie called to her Salamance. Salamance responded by rearing back on its tail and unleashing a monstrous purple beam at Tyranitar. To the amazement of everyone but Alex and me, Tyranitar swatted the beam away with a flick of its wrist.
"You're gonna have to do better than that," Dane said with a smirk. We could see astonishment mixed with rising anger on Annamarie's face. "Salamance! Dragon Claw!" She yelled. Salamance flew at Tyranitar with amazing speed and slashed at it time after time, but Tyranitar wasn't phased. It dodged swipe after swiper, finally catching Salamance off guard and catching the last one.
"Body Press," Dane said casually. A second later, Tyranitar pulled Salamance in and slammed his own body against it in one move. Salamance went flying and landed back on the red side of the arena. "Breaking Swipe," Dane said. Tyranitar swiftly stomped to Salamance's side of the arena. As he approached, Tyranitar's tale began to glow. It swung its tail wildly and connected with Salamance just as it was getting to its feet.
"That was brutal! Ladies and Gentlemen, Dane's Tyranitar has landed a devastating blow!" The announcer yelled over the loudspeaker as the crowd erupted in applause. Salamance tried to get up again, but it only managed a last defiant huff before it was rendered unconscious.
"Salamance is unable to battle! Round 1 goes to Tyranitar!" The official said over the loudspeaker as he raised the green flag in his right hand. The crowd erupted again as the picture of Salamance beside Anamaries darkened with a light ping noise to accompany it.
"Holy shit!" Charity said amazed. "I told you. This chick's gonna have to bring her A game if she wants to break down that wall," I said still watching. "I just...I can't believe Tyranitar just swatted away that Dragon Pulse like it was a fly! I mean, it's supposed to be a super effective move!" She said, unable to contain herself. "Oh yeah, Dane trained with the Dragon Masters of Blackthorn City. The first thing they teach their students Pokémon is how to get over super effective Dragon-Type moves," Alex said. I could see the amazement rising on her face as we continued watching.
"Red trainer! Select your next Pokémon! Green trainer! Do you wish to select a new Pokémon?" The official asked. "Yeah, I'll turn down the heat a little," Dane said, recalling Tyranitar back to his Pokéball. Annamarie went bright red at Dane's words. She snatched her next Pokéball and readied it. Dane thought for a second, then pulled his next Pokéball as well.
"Begin!" The official said as he dropped his hands to start round 2. Both competitors threw their Pokéballs and both erupted from them and landed on their side of the arena. Standing on Annamarie's side was a large and well-fed Walrein. On Dane's side stood his ever-loyal companion Ninetails.
"Oh he's turning down the heat alright," Alex said sarcastically. Charity looked at me puzzled. "Ninetails is Dane's ace in the hole. He's betting on Annamarie underestimating Ninetails so she can smack that Walrein around," I explained. "What, did he train with some ancient fire sages to teach his Ninetails how to ignore its weakness to water?" Charity joked. I shook my head. "No, she's just as susceptible to water as any Fire-Type Pokémon, but to hit her with that water, Walreins gotta be able to catch her," I said, turning to the viewing window.
"Alright, tough guy, take this!" Annamarie yelled as she pointed to Ninetails. "Hydro Pump!" She commanded. Walrein took a deep breath and shot a blast of water at Ninetails. Ninetails ducked and raced across her side of the field in a flash while continually dodging Hydro Pumps. When Walrein ran out of steam, she stopped on the dividing line.
"Energy Ball!" Dane said enthusiastically. Ninetails opened her mouth, and a swirl of energy began gathering between her jaws. Seconds later, a green ball of energy shot towards Walrein. Walrein tried to duck it, but it clipped the side of its face and spun it on its tail before it recovered and stood firm.
"Ha! Nice try!" Annamarie said, but her face changed when her eyes shifted from Walrein to Ninetails. Ninetails raced toward Warein with a wreath of flame beginning to engulf it. In seconds, Ninetails was no longer running towards Walrein but was rolling as she used Flame-Wheel.
"Incredible! Ninetails has followed up her Energy Ball with a powerful Flame-Wheel attack!" The announcer said, astonished.
"Walrein! Aqua Tail!" Annamarie yelled. Walrein's tail instantly became soaking wet and it quickly lumbered its body toward Ninetail's incoming Flame-Wheel attack. As the two came within inches of each other, Ninetails jumped high in the air.
"Zen Headbutt," Dane said with a smirk. Ninetails dissipated the flames around it and came screaming toward Walrein like a meteor. Walrein had just enough time to look up before Ninetails collided with it and launched it back towards Annamarie.
"Walrein is unable to battle! Round 2 goes to Ninetails!" The official said over the loudspeaker. The crowd erupted again as Annamarie recalled Walrein and drew her last Pokéball. "Unbelievable! Ninetails overpowered Walrein with a mighty Zen Headbutt!" The announcer said.
"Wow, you guys weren't kidding!" Charity said as she watched Dane withdraw Ninetails. "I told you. Ninetails is fast!" I said. "You think he's gonna give her a chance or finish her early?" Alex asked as Dane unclipped his third Pokéball. "Nah, he's on fire. You know how he gets when he's on a winning streak," I laughed.
Annamarie and Dane threw their Pokéballs at the official's word. On Annamarie's side stood a large Seviper and on Danes, Hitmontop. The two Pokémon locked eyes and waited for a command.
"Hitmontop, Rollout," Dane said. Hitmontop turned into a tornado of high and low kicks as it sped toward Seviper. Seviper used its more nimble nature to avoid the kicks and when it saw an opening, it struck.
"Poison Jab!" Annamarie yelled. The tip of Sevipers tail glowed bright purple and it began jabbing it at Hitmontop. Hitmontop used Rollout again and this time, Seviper's nimble nature wasn't enough to outpace him. As Seviper went for a jab, Hitmontop caught it square in the jaw, sending it back a few feet before it recovered.
"Grr, Seviper! Use Psychic Fangs!" Annamarie yelled out angrily. Sevipers fangs glowed, as did its eyes. It rushed towards Hitmontop who was executing another Rollout attack. As Seviper went for the attack, Hitmontop misjudged its timing and missed Seviper as it struck. Hitmon top was thrown off balance and dropped to its feet to regain its composure.
"You're alright, Hitmontop! Don't let him rile you up!" Dane said encouragingly. Hitmontop nodded at him and jumped back on its top-like head. "Alright buddy, let's show her how we won the regionals," Dane smirked.
"Earthquake," Dane said finally. Hitmontop top spun rapidly and took off for Seviper. "Seviper! Poison Sting!" Annamarie yelled. Seviper slithered its way toward Hitmontop and shot thousands of poison barbs from its mouth. A few connected with Hitmontop but it was nothing it couldn't handle. As it neared its target, Hitmontop suddenly shifted to its powerful legs, grabbed Seviper, and launched itself into the air. As the two fell, Hitmontop began spinning again.
"Seviper!" Annamarie yelled. The two collided with the ground sending out an incredible shock wave through the arena. When the smoke and dust settled, Hitmontop stood triumphant while Seviper lay defeated.
"And he's done it! Dane has managed to sweep his opponent! What a Pokémon Battle!" The announcer said excitedly as Annamarie retracted her final Pokémon. "Dane has advanced to the next round! Let's hope his next battle is as thrilling as this one!" The announcer yelled as Dane's platform lowered.