In Her Dominion - A Pokémon Roleplay (Closed, Started)

[Mush]

The battle was short and decisive but Trevor had been right, it was a close match. The Misdreavus's initial confuse ray had swung the battle in its favor right from the get go but the Vulpix certainly had some surprises of its own.

"Good match." He remarked simply. He was actually mildly worried by this short bout. These two clearly had some experience under their belts. Wasn't this an amateur tournament? Even passing the first round could be a serious fight if he went up against either of them. He looked to Alisia. She seemed to be taking the loss pretty damn well too. He felt glad battling was done by the pokemon and not their trainers when he met trainers like Alisia. He felt pretty sure she could beat the hell out of him pretty easily. He reassured himself by noting that he could probably outrun her if the need arose.

"It's hard to believe that little furball is packing Flare Blitz. That's one hell of a nasty trick. I like it." He grinned at that. "I'm looking forward to tomorrow, hopefully I wont have to fight either of you too early. Name's Trevor, by the way. I don't think I introduced myself properly before."

Meanwhile, Ice had made his way up to Kumi. He flashed a smile and gave a particularly complimentary "Charr..." to the Vulpix. He didn't get to hang out with fellow fire types very often and Kumi had impressed him somewhat.

 

[Texas Joker 52]

=HARLEY=​

Harley had to pause in the doorway as one of the others spoke up.

"Good match. It's hard to believe that little furball is packing Flare Blitz. That's one hell of a nasty trick. I like it. I'm looking forward to tomorrow, hopefully I wont have to fight either of you too early. Name's Trevor, by the way. I don't think I introduced myself properly before.".

At that, she sighed softly and looked back. "It was a close match, that was for damn sure. But if I'm really honest, I shouldn't have won. The only reason I did, was on sheer dumb luck, emphasis on dumb.", she said, turning fully and leaning against the door frame.

"If it wasn't for the Confuse Ray at the beginning, Oracle wouldn't have stood a chance, though by no fault of her own. As it was, Kumi had her dead-to-rights, and that Flare Blitz maneuver, which really was ingenious, by the way, should have turned the tide. And anyone watching closely, had to know it. I certainly did.", she said, before nodding to Alisia.

"I really wish I didn't feel the need to hold back my heavy-hitter, but I'm getting the feeling you did the same. Not sure if I should be excited, or nervous.", she told her with the slightest smirk.

Then she turned and waved. "I'm off to bed. Whoever I end up fighting first, say your prayers.", she told them playfully.

As she headed up the stairs, she gently patted Oracle's head. "Don't worry Oracle, I know you gave it your all. Sometimes, it just comes down to luck. Next time, we'll be more careful.", she reassured her.

By the time she stepped up into the main hall, she spotted someone, along with several large Pokemon, in the foyer. One of those Pokemon was an Arcanine, which in and of itself was enough to pique her interest. Joining it was a Noctowl and a Bayleef, two Johto natives. Curious, she stepped forward and managed to catch the last of what their trainer said.

"Leaf! Bay, Bayleaf!".

"But...I... Oh, you must all be starving. Come on, let's go see if this place serves anything.".

"They should still be serving dinner in the dining hall. But really, you shouldn't let your Pokemon boss you around like that.", Harley piped up.

Even as she stopped at the front desk and leaned against it, her arms crossed over her chest, her Pokemon seemed to size up his. Fahrenheit and Godmother in particular were looking over their counterparts, with the Murkrow hopping over to the Noctowl.

"Murkrow, Krow-Krow?", she cawed inquisitively, tilting her head to one side as if asking, "Here to fight too?".

 

[Arcanist]

"They should still be serving dinner in the dining hall. But really, you shouldn't let your Pokemon boss you around like that."

Anthony bristled at the voice. He knew he had a bad habit of letting others walk over him, but he wasn't letting his own pokemon do it... was he? He turned to see its source, a surprisingly tiny girl given its volume in biker's attire. Flanking her was a severe looking Combusken and a Murkrow. It didn't take a professor to tell they were probably here for the tournament as well. Almost as if on cue, the girl's pokemon began staring them down, clearly sizing them up. Kelvin responded to this scrutiny as he usually did - by grandstanding.

"Arc! Arcanine!" With a loud bark, he straightened his posture and leveled his gaze the Combusken's way, refusing to break eye contact. "Kelvin, keep it down! People are trying to sleep!" The Arcanine ignored his master except to swivel his ears in his direction, keeping his eyes locked with his counterpoint in a clear display of dominance. Anthony sighed again and let it drop - while good and reliable friends, when they got worked up Artemis was the only one that could get them to stop, and she was too hungry to care for their games.

Artemis peered down at the Murkrow and responded to its question with a hoot of her own. "Towl. Noc, Noctowl." Her voice was level and calm, much like the rest of her demeanor. "We are, in fact." She moved towards the door, clearly interested in eating before continuing this conversation. "Noc, Noctowl." She called back, as thought to say "We can talk again in a moment."

Chick muscled his way through the crowd, not interested in this trainer or her entourage. Why should he, when there was food waiting to be eaten? Anthony responded to this chaos as he usually did - with a resigned shrug. He'd given up on trying to control them a long time ago. He'd have to stay near Kelvin in case he decided to do something really rash to assert himself, however, at least for the moment. "So... I guess you're in the tourney too? How do you figure your odds?"

 

[Texas Joker 52]

=HARLEY=​

As the Arcanine, Kelvin, barked loudly and locked his eyes on Fahrenheit's, the Combusken merely stared back with a bored expression, clearly unimpressed. He didn't even bother looking over at his trainer as he motioned with one clawed hand towards the oversized dog.

"Combusken?", he squawked derisively: "Really?".

Godmother, on the other hand, was calm and civil as she replied to the rather formal Noctowl Artemis.

"Krow-Krow Murkrow, Murk, Murkrow.", she called after, basically saying, "Try the bitter blocks, they're good.".

Harley watched both Pokemon in amusement, and knowing that Godmother wasn't the type for out-of-battle confrontations unless really provoked, she turned to Fahrenheit and the Arcanine before addressing the latter.

"Don't bother. Fahrenheit is the type to not give a shit until after you fight him, and even then, only if you manage to get beat him, or get close.", she told him with a chuckle.

"So... I guess you're in the tourney too? How do you figure your odds?".

At the trainers question, she hesitated and looked back in the direction of the rec area before turning back to him and answering.

"I am, yes, and I'm not sure. Competition is sure to be steep, so I don't know. I'm damn sure I'm going to give it my best shot.", she said, before offering a hand and introducing herself, "I'm Harley.".

 

[Arcanist]

"I am, yes, and I'm not sure. Competition is sure to be steep, so I don't know. I'm damn sure I'm going to give it my best shot." She offered a hand in greeting. "I'm Harley."

"Anthony." He took the hand and shook what he assumed was firmly before turning to Kelvin. "You heard her, boy. No point in getting all riled up before the main event." Kelvin eyes continued their gaze on Fahrenheit, except now he bared his fangs with a low snarl. "Arc..." he growled, as though to taunt "Yes, really. Have the guts to say otherwise?"

"Kelvin, that's enough!" Anthony's sudden snap finally broke the beast's concentration, who looked to his master with a mixture of surprise and confusion. He as further taken aback to see his normally placid trainer sporting a deepening frown. Anthony jerked his pointer to the door he assumed leaded to the dining hall before continuing. "Go get your dinner - that's a direct order." Kelvin gave a small huff before complying, being sure to blow a small puff of smoke Fahrenheit's way before he left. "Arc-Arcanine, Nine..." he barked, clearly meaning to say "We can settle this later, little bird."

Anthony let out a sigh of relief as Kelvin slipped from view. Keeping him under control was hit or miss, even when he decided to put his foot down, and being on bad terms with his heavy hitter so close to a tournament could only spell trouble. "I'm sorry about that. Stubbornness is his hobby." He motioned to follow, a pang of hunger having worked its way into his stomach as well. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow. You know, if I don't get knocked out in the first round or something..."

 

[Texas Joker 52]

=HARLEY=​

Both Harley and Fahrenheit stared blandly at the Arcanine as it snarled, and the Combusken merely shrugged. As far as Fahrenheit was concerned, he couldn't fight there, and words were next to meaningless unless you could back them up with a fight. So he merely shrugged derisively, making it clear that Kelvin didn't so much as faze him.

Celsius, on the other hand, bristled and stepped up, though she didn't say anything either.

When Anthony introduced himself, she nodded, and had to chuckle as he ordered the Arcanine to back off, then get its food. As it called back, Celsius felt that she had enough having the leader of Harley's team, and the currently reluctant recipient of her affections, be taunted like that.

"Snea-Snea Sneasel, Snea-Snea!", she called over angrily, which translated into: "We'll kick your ass, little *****!".

Harley merely chuckled at the little exchange, though while she didn't know exactly what they meant, Fahrenheit did, as well as the rest of her team. Oracle seemed mildly amused as she swayed from side to side, while Godmother let out a soft, laughing squawk. The Fire Chicken, on the other hand, felt a mixture of irritation as well as pride: It was irritating that Celsius, who seemed hell-bent on being 'involved' with him, was once again speaking out. At the same time, he felt a surge of pride in the fact that she had such confidence. So, he let it slide.

I'm sorry about that. Stubbornness is his hobby. I guess I'll see you tomorrow. You know, if I don't get knocked out in the first round or something...".

Harley just shrugged and waved vaguely after him. "Sure. Good luck and all that.", she said, before looking at her Pokemon.

"Lets get some rest. Tomorrow is bound to be a big day, and I want us all rested and relaxed before the Tournament starts. Meaning, we sleep in and lounge around for a bit before it starts. No overexerting ourselves.", she said, smiling at them before leading the way back to her room.

 

[Terratina.]

"Unless you have any other questions, I think that's about everything."


"No thank you." Mel replied and went on her way. Casper returned the smile to the employee and gave him a goofy grin. The Haunter's mood perked right with his Trainer now officially registered in the tournament. Meanwhile, Mel wondered about those who hadn't even bother to register at all, but still wanted to enter into the competition. Yeah, there would probably be rush of entries tomorrow from those lazy people... Wait. Couldn't she had just registered via PC? Was Casper that desperate? Mel often thought she knew what was going through the Haunter's head, but now she was at a loss. She turned to face Casper and demanded an explanation, "Why did you drag me out here when we could've used a PC to register?"

Casper shrugged, "Haunter, 'aunter."

"Hmmph." Was all Mel had to say to that. So the Gas Pokémon just wanted her to check out the competition? Well, all she did was stand in line for a few minutes or so. The other trainers just seemed like the normal, everyday sort. Not much could be glimpsed from their choice of clothes, hairstyle or other aspects or their appearance. Not to mention that Mel wasn't particularly the competitive type or the sort who would do such things. Casper sighed, which caused Mel to elaborate her response while the pair walked back to the hotel, "If you want to win that much, then just give it your all on the day, okay? Knowing what sort of people and Pokémon we may be up against is all and good, but we don't know what sort of moves or strategies they have."

"Haunter." Casper reluctantly agreed.

The pair made it back to the Sleeping Sunkern and immediately went to their room to rest, or at least Mel dragged Casper to the room. Tomorrow would be a big day, one Mel had to admit she was looking forward to.

 

[Belmarc]

"Look, if it was any other day, I'd probably just kick you out of here. But, you're in luck. Did you see that guy in the dining room? All dressed up, glasses, had a Magneton? I'm pretty sure he's got an extra room or two, and if you ask him nicely, he might loan you one. Alright?"

Ty's face went under a few quick emotions: surprise, happiness, and suddenly shame, before wiping clean again. "Th-thank you." He made a small, sort of stumbling but thankful nod of his head, turning away quickly and hoping she wouldn't notice the color in his cheeks. Of course, this lead him to walk directly into who he was looking for, almost literally. "Ah, excuse me. I--" his jaw dropped and whatever color was in his cheeks grew. "O-oh. You're..." The Swinub looked between the two trainers, reading the mood. He rubbed against his trainer supportively. "I uh... was actually looking for you. I heard..." a particularly uninteresting and especially unoccupied part of the room suddenly seemed to take up all of his attention. "I was wondering if you still had any of those extra room keys..." He considered trying to manage to look the other in the face, but figured he'd explode on the spot.

 

[CJ1145]

In a quiet room at the back of the Sleeping Sunkern, a Nidorina was wrapped snugly in the sheets of a queen-sized bed, its contented snores the only sound. And in the corner, huddled beneath a sink, Simon laid on his side, staring into the darkness.

"...I miss mattresses."

 

[JokerboyJordan]

Seemingly satisfied with her pleasant wishes, Harley left Alisia with her Vulpix as she herself chose to retire to her room for the night. Kumi, whose condition had now drastically improved since being treated with the Super Potion, looked up at Alisia slowly, with a look that seemed to seek some form of approval from her trainer, whilst simultaneously being ashamed of her performance.

"Pix...?"

Alisia gave the small fox a pat on the head."You did good Kumi" she said as she stroked her Pokemon's fur. "You've just got to train harder okay? Our regime has been thrown off recently, but there should be no excuses for when we're in the tournament"

"Vul-pix!" she chirped in agreement, although the prospect of further training after such a close shave hardly served to inspire her confidence. Alisia meanwhile began to immediately draw up training regiments in her head. Utilizing the Inn's facilities she now had at her disposal, Alisia wagered that her teammates could improve train hard enough to offset the last few days of inactivity.

That's if she could get Sprig to comply...

As if on cue the boisterous Grovyle burst through the basement door, drawn by the commotion generated by the battle and its aftermath. He was still gorging himself as he hurried down the stairs, his arms filled to the brim with a cornucopia of Poffins and Pokeblocks of varying shapes and colours. Upon seeing his trainer his eyes light up with delight, and filled with newfound energy he sprinted to greet her, slipping halfway down the stairs and sending food flying in every direction.

"VYYYYYLLEEEEEE!!!" he cried, his face meeting each step as he crashed down the stairs like a leaved slinky.

Alisia brought her palm up to her face, before burying her head in embarrassment of her 'partner'. How the heck was she meant to be respected after a display like that?

With a groan, Sprig rose to his feet whilst massaging the bumps on his head with his hand.
"Grovyle..." he whimpered in apology, as Alisia tried to avoid meeting his gaze.

"Charr..."

Undeterred by all the proceedings, the lone Charmander had traipsed over to congratulate Kumi. The fox-pokemon was initially shy, she wasn't used to such attention from others, however there was something reassuring about the compliment coming from a fellow fire-type.

"Kumi, come on! There's a big day ahead of us"

Any such introductions between the two would have to wait however, as Alisia ordered her team to vacate the recreation room.

"Pix.." the perky fox cried before being lead away, seeming to say to Ice "Sorry...

 

[Mush]

After the grovyle fell down the stairs in the most gratuitous manner possible, Alisia and her pokemon began to leave the room. Ice merely nodded in reply to Kumi's apology and he and Trevor watched them file out. Trevor could certainly understand the rationale behind keeping pokemon out of their balls but...he looked at the food strewn about the floor as it provided all the counterpoint he needed. Heading up to his room he decided to have dinner with his team there and then call it a night. Tomorrow...well, he'd work out what to do tomorrow when tomorrow came.

 

[Anayna]

"Humph."

The fight was over quickly. Too quickly for Wash's liking. The shorter girl had taken the victory with some more of those shadowy blob attacks, hindering the captain from learning anything more about the girls' pokémon. No matter. Wash had seen enough to know that the Misdreavus and Vulpix, while no doubt competently trained, were nothing extraordinary. They weren't a problem. After all, Wash wasn't going to fight them; he was going to fight their trainers. Pokémon were just pokémon; dull beasties in need of discipline. A trainer's strength was derived from just that: the trainer himself. And it would be a cold day in Hell indeed before Wash lost to one of these girl-children.

That being said, the taller girl was definitely the bigger threat in Wash's mind. So what if the little firecracker in the tank top won? Bah! Their post-fight behavior said far more than the actual battle. The shorter one was all smiles and congratulations. Clearly she was frivolous and facetious. The taller one on the other hand, she might offer something of a challenge. The glare in Alisia's eyes that she had to mask when Harley offered her a potion did not go unnoticed by the old captain. Wash wasn't the most perceptive of men, but he recognized his own character traits in others. Takes one to know one, and all that. The girl had a vengeful streak in her. Good for her! Hostility gets things done!

Satisfied with his assessment of the two Wash turned to the door, so that he might finally find that meal he so richly deserved. He was somewhat impeded in this ambition by said door bursting open right into his sizable nose.

"VYYYYYLLEEEEEE!!!"

"Miserable molecules of mildew! AAAAHH!"

Wash clutched his nose as the Grovyle fell trough the doorway and to the ground along with a multitude of multicolored pokéblocks and poffins. That really hurt! Who was responsible for thi... oh. Judging by Alisia's facepalm the Grass-type was hers. Well. Time for a complete 180° in Wash's perception of the young woman.

"OI YOU, BLITHERING BEANSTALK! YEAH, YOU! YOU SUCK, YOUR POKÉMON SUCK AND YOU DESERVE EACH OTHER! Ow."

That was about as eloquent an insult as the captain could manage with his nose feeling like red-hot intersecting pikes were showed up each nostril. He then resolutely stomped up the stairs and entered the foyer still clutching his nose.

"Grumble... amateurs, the lot of them... girl-children with no discipline... mumble... stupid coast guard banning keelhauling... AND YOU! Get that Arcanine stowed away! The foyer was cramped enough with that lanky socialist's Tauros! Is common courtesy completely lost on you people?!"

Wash only stopped grumbling when he found his way to the dining area, and occupied his mouth with grub.

 

[Arcanist]

Anthony let his mind wander as he took another bite out of his sandwich. It had been a while since he'd really let himself just sit back and think, what with all the work Rowan usually had him doing and... whatever this last week had been. It was comforting, in a way, knowing that he could really think about whatever he wanted without fear he was wasting time or doing something inane. After a few minutes of idly wondering about the sights he'd seen around Goldenrod, his mind eventually settled on his dinner. The meal the hotel served was simple but sufficient assortment of breads and lunch meats, arrayed in such a way as to make the construction of a sandwich easy. He'd definitely had worse meals in his time, especially considering how little Rowan paid his associates.

Anthony took another bite... only to nearly choke on it as a very loud, grumpy voice erupted behind him.

"AND YOU! Get that Arcanine stowed away! The foyer was cramped enough with that lanky socialist's Tauros! Is common courtesy completely lost on you people!?" Anthony hacked and coughed, trying to clear his panicking windpipe. Kelvin, for his part, barely gave the source any note, only giving a disinterested glance in its direction before continuing to eat his own dinner. Eventually, Anthony righted himself and took in a deep breath to confirm he had indeed regained control over his breathing. He gave a bewildered look in the voice's direction to see a very grumpy-looking old man piling food onto a plate and subsequently shovel it into his mouth. "Uh... excuse me?" He stammered, still trying to register what just happened.

 

[Pappytech]

"I was wondering if you still had any of those extra room keys..."

"Mmmm?"

Stopping, Thomas turned to face the newcomer, a fairly bashful looking trainer. Someone else looking for a room, eh? At least this one was polite enough to ask first...

"Ah," the scholar replied, rummaging around in his pockets, "I believe I have a spare left, yes. Just give me a... There we are."

Managing to extract the key with only a minimal amount of effort and checking to make sure that it was indeed an empty room, Thomas tossed it towards the young man. It occurred to him that, what with all the rooms he was loaning out to people, he would probably be justified in asking a favor or two of them... But that wouldn't exactly be polite. Nor would it really accomplish anything significant.

Shaking his head to clear away that particular train of thought, Thomas looked back ahead and noted that the rest of his party had apparently already made their way into the basement. Mmmmmm. He could probably still catch up if he hurried, but he'd likely already missed a good portion of the battle; no doubt everybody would be dispersing soon enough.

With a slightly rueful sigh, the man turned around to face his Pokemon.

"Bzzzz zzzzzt," Faraday buzzed, gesturing with one of its "wings" towards the basement stairs. "Brrrk bzzt."

"Yes, I'm aware," Thomas replied, holding up an open palm to placate the Electric-type. "I'm sorry about the distraction, but I doubt there's much of a point in going after them now, yes?"

"Tzz, tkkkk... Bzzt, brrrrrk." The Magneton rose up a few inches, stayed there for an instant, and then fell back to its original height. Its trainer chuckled lightly in response.

"Good, good. A shame, yes, but tomorrow'll come soon enough." A slight smile danced across Thomas' face for a moment, but faded away soon enough. "Very well, is it time to call it a night?"

"Tkk."

"Alright, come on then." Pulling out a Pokeball, Thomas retrieved Faraday, reducing his companion to a sphere of red light with a simple tap. After shrinking and stowing the ball away, he gave one last, polite nod to the shy trainer and the young woman working behind the desk. Then, without further ado, he set out for his room.

Tomorrow would certainly be a busy day, after all. No sense in not being well-rested for it.

 

[Belmarc]

Ty stared after the young man in shock. He just... gave him the key? Like it was nothing. As if it wasn't surprise and even expected. Without another word, he'd just walked away, not waiting for so much as a "your welcome." Not that Ty's mouth was in any position to deliver, open as it was. It took him a few moments to recover well enough to speak again. "Well... I guess that's that, Colossus. That wasn't... so bad." His face still burned. Him, begging. Everyone back at home would be roaring with laughter if they'd seen it. He was glad they would never hear of this. With the new key in hand, he found his room, settled in, and drifted off to sleep, still too embarrassed to show his face for food.

 

[Pappytech]

Even as night fell, Goldenrod City stayed awake. Oh sure, its streets and venues were drastically less crowded, and many of its businesses had their doors shut and tightly locked, but life still pulsed throughout the metropolis. Groups of people and Pokemon still roamed about, either enjoying the city's nightlife or working graveyard shifts. Neon and fluorescent lights still bathed the streets with their artificial glow, all but drowning out the stars overhead. Scents of fried food and car exhaust still filtered through Goldenrod's roads and alleys, accompanied by (only somewhat subdued) shouts and conversations.

Goldenrod, as close to sleep as it was ever going to get, was still packed full of boundless energy and movement. Perhaps even more so than usual, considering what was about to go down tomorrow. One could almost feel the excited tension in the air, the tightening of nerves as countless people eagerly anticipated the swiftly approaching tournament.

Sure enough, even when the moon began to sink back towards the horizon, Goldenrod was still quite awake. In fact, as the silver sphere slowly disappeared, the metropolis steadily rose from its state of half-slumber. By the time the sun was making its daily ascent, last-minute preparations for the tournament were already well underway. And things would only get more hectic as people finally began to rush into the stadium, nearly filling the Pokeathalon Dome to overflowing.

[hr]

Inside the grand structure, so tightly packed with hordes of onlookers of both the human and Pokemon variety, one could barely take two steps without bumping into somebody else. The ambient noise, generated by thousands upon thousands of overlapping conversations, was almost enough to deafen someone. The smell of sweat and various confections, especially popcorn and hot dogs, of course, flooded the arena as the crowds eagerly waited for the event to begin.

Even when the PA system finally screeched to life, the crowd still didn't fully die down, though they still quieted by the tiniest degree.


"Hmm! I suppose a proper opening ceremony simply isn't complete without an opening speech to match! Salutations, everyone! My name is Calvin Jean Blanc--but I do not need any introduction, do I?"

As the commentator spoke, an almost physical cheer, a sheer wall of sound, rose up the crowd. Though nearly every member of the audience was participating in the shout, it was impossible not to notice that the female spectators, likely in response to the announcer's voice, were really giving it their all.

"Hoho," the announcer, Calvin, continued, "I thought not! I say again, salutations! I'm here with with wonderful co-hosts! Please, I beg, give a warm welcome to our humble ceremony, all the way from Mauville City, our esteemed veteran, that cheerfully electric man, Wattson!"

A new voice crackled to life, noticeably more robust and just as cheerful as Calvin's. "Ho ho ho, let me tell you, Calvin, it's brilliant being here in Goldenrod City! Ha, just look at that crowd out there; hello everyone! I hope that you all won't mind me talking in you ears for the next few hours; I plan on enjoying myself, after all!"

Calvin's voice crackled back to life, eliciting another shriek of admiration from the female half of the audience. "Yes, thank you, Wattson! And of course, no contest of Pokemon is complete without Goldenrod's very own Gym Leader. Please put your hands together for the prettiest woman in Goldenrod, Whitney!"

Another voice, familiar to anyone who'd been in Goldenrod for more than a few days, sparked to life, full of boundless vigor and cheer. "Hey there, Goldenrod! It's good to see that so many of my fans were able to turn out for the tournament today. Let's make sure to make this a day to remember, okay!?"

For a third time, a rousing shout rose up from the audience, this one equally comprised of both genders. Also for the third time, Calvin's voice blared out over the stadium: "Are you as excited, no, ecstatic as I am for this titanic clash of trainers, ladies and gentlemen? That's what I thought! We've all come from across the globe on a pilgrimage to watch the up-and-coming trainers of our generation, my dear audience! The amateurs, the rising stars, the aces! Young and old, they've all come to set their very souls alight in a contest of trainer and Pokemon alike, vying for that coveted grand prize! Oh, my heart's already roaring like a jet engine, I can barely stand to wait! To have come so far for such a contest of wills, you're all winners in my book! Ohoho, it's true! But alas--I'm only one judge, and we only have one grand prize to give!

"So I lay this challenge out to you, trainers! Step onto the field and fight with all the fire in your hearts! And today, we will have the honor of deciding who among you has earned the right to be called a true Champion! Do you hear that, trainers?! That's the sound of a roaring crowd, clapping and cheering for you! So, let me delay no further! The day has begun, the matches shall commence! Let... the games... BEGIN!"

One last deafening shout of excitement and anticipation filled the air, sending an overpowering spark sliding down everybody's spines.

Things were about to get crazy.

[hr]

First Set:
...
Field 2: Kayla Denit vs Victor Matou
Field 3: Grace Aldritch vs Melpomene Mallory
...
Field 6: Simon Wayne vs Jenny Stewert

Second Set:
Field 1: Harley Edwards vs Riley Stanfield
...
Field 3: Trevor Boles vs Tyler Bradshaw
...
Field 5: Marie Nanba vs Alisia Hunt
Field 6: Herman Wash vs Anthony Morris

 

[Anayna]

Wee hours of the morning, at the Sleeping Sunkern:

*clunk*

*clunk*

*clunk*

"Shellll..."

Shellder stopped to take a break on the 14th step of the stairs. Phew. This was hard work. Wasn't made any easier by being effectively blinded. The Water-type had her shell closed tightly, so that she didn't lose her grip on the electric cord. Unfortunately, this meant that she couldn't really see anything. Oh well. Shellder was sure that she could find her way back to their room. It was very important. Spheal was having his bath right now, and she couldn't miss her window of opportunity. Back to work.

"Shelll... der!"

*clunk*

As the Shellder wriggled its way onto the next step, the cord clamped in its shell was dragging the attached toaster along with it. Shellder had stolen this toaster from the inn's kitchen, and she was planning to drop said toaster into the bathtub. That was sure to take care of Spheal. Shellder had seen it in a movie. Once that presky seel was gone, Wash would only have eyes for her. Shellder was sure of it. She would once again be the only Water-type on the team.

Well, there was still that little Horsea. But she wasn't a threat. And should she ever become one Shellder would take care of her too. Shellder imagined Wash's proud face as she won the tournament for him, all on her own. It was good that no one could see her rosy cheeks, hidden as she was in her shell.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, at the nearest park:

Rhyhorn and Wash had just felled a tree.

"Alright, you bovine bully. Eat your fill. And be quick about it."

Rhyhorn hurriedly started slowly munching down leaves and branches, while Wash kept lookout for any park attendants. This probably wasn't strictly legal, but how was a man supposed to feed his tonne heavy, armor plated, living tank? This was a public park! Wash paid his taxes! He was exercising his rights! Well, he paid his taxes to Hoenn, not Johto, but still.

"You better give me a solid performance today for this, you hear me?"

The Rhyhorn did not. With its one-track mind it was focusing fully on methodically stripping the downed tree for all the foliage it had. Rhyhorn wasn't usually allowed this extravagant a meal; usually he just ate whatever grass his trainer directed him to eat. Today however, Wash wanted his star-player in perfect condition for the tournament, so when Rhyhorn had looked longingly at the vibrant green leaves of the park's trees, the captain had allowed him to ram one down.

In Rhyhorn's mind, it was pretty idyllic really. The morning sun, the scent of grass, a great meal, and Wash grumbling about the happy couples out for a walk who stopped to stare.

"P*SS OFF, you googly-eyed inamoratas!"

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

In the not-so-wee hours of the morning, at the Sleeping Sunkern:

It turned out that toasters needed to be plugged in before being dropped into filled bathtubs. If not, they were quite poor murder weapons. Shellder was not aware of this. As it was she was sitting on the edge of the bathtub, staring desperately at the sunken toaster, beseeching it to do something more than just a not-terribly-impressive splash. Spheal, on the other hand, was just floating around wondering what was going on. Then the toast floated to the surface.

"Shelll?!"

"Spheal?"

Spheal's face split into an enormous smile. So that's what was going on! How kindly of his good friend and teammate to bring him breakfast in the tub! Spheal grabbed both slices of burnt, and now very wet, toast up with his flippers, and of course offered one to his fellow Water-type. Silly Shellder. She wasn't too dextrous with that tongue being her only limb. And yet she had gone out of her way to surprise him like this. It really was very nice of her.

Spheal was overjoyed. Shellder felt like crying.

 

[CJ1145]

Earlier that morning...

Even amongst the tight clusters of skyscrapers that was Goldenrod City, little rays of sunshine managed to peek through. And right now, a ray was peeking into the window of a room in the Sleeping Sunkern. This ray, some would suggest, was directed by divine forces. Surely there was no other way that such a little dappling of sun could slink into the dark room, and manage to land only upon the closed eye of a man huddled under a sink in the back corner. A pillow, craftily stolen in the night for a bit of feathery refuge, was launched into the window to plug up the intruding daylight.

"The sign says 'DO NOT DISTURB'!!'"


"Hup!"

Simon flipped his body up and onto his rear, legs tucked in front of him as he let out a tremendous yawn. "Oh, criminy! I didn't think--'scuse me a sec--"

KKRAAAAKK. KKRAAK. KRAAAAAAAAKK.

He interrupted himself long enough to viciously crack his neck, his shoulders, and a few toes before stretching out in a fresh wave of relief. "Oh-ho, man! That's better. I didn't think sink-centric sleep habits would give me such a crick in the morning." He rose to his feet as he scratched a few wayward itches around his body before dragging his lazy feet to the door, where a light switch awaited. Unnatural, yellow light flooded the room. Simon moaned in contentment and nodded. This was much easier on the eyes than that blasted sun. A hand idly rested on his hip as he observed his room for various means to prepare for the day with. The most notable thing was that a certain Nidorina was no longer sleeping on his bed. Well, that was nice, he guessed. She must have stuck herself back in her Pokeball when she was done with her nap. He ran a suave caress across the rented bed's quivering sheets.

"Fear not, my love. We shall be together... someday."

But not today. Today he had a tournament to enter, and money to probably not win. He fetched his bag and fished out a change of clothes for the tournament--that is to say a three-piece suit.

One quick change later, and... voila. A semi-presentable gentleman. He stood in front of the mirror above his bed--wait, he meant sink. Above his sink. He stood there, in his usual hunch, scratching his neck as he tried to find a pose that looked badass that didn't involve humanlike posture. He settled on a sort of reverse slouch that involved his torso leaning back from his legs. Yeah, yeah, that looked pretty apathetic. Apathetic was cool, right? Simon thought so. He completed his ensemble with a complementing fedora hat, an orange scarf, a peacoat and his Pokeball belt. As he admired himself in the mirror, he tried not to ask the question of how all this fit in his traveling bag. All in all, he looked about a million bucks richer than he was. Patting his team's containers, he grinned into the mirror as he said, "You know guys, today might actually go pretty great!"

[hr]

"Oh my god this blows so hard."

The roar of the cheering crowds had deafened the whole stadium. Simon had his head wrapped in his scarf, trying not to let himself be seen as the entire Pokeathlon Dome rumbled with fans crying out for the idol by the name of Calvin Jean Blanc. The only ones that didn't seem to be completely losing themselves in the noise were his fellow patrons from the Sleeping Sunkern, who were scattered close to him in his section of the stands. Wayne had stuck his fingers in both ears and was trying very hard to sing over the sound of that blasted Kalosian's verbal sewage.

"Crap, how can anybody stand this guy?" he groaned to nobody in particular. "He's got the ego of a Wailord and the aura of a damned Jynx..."

Poke. Poke.

"Tini?.."

"Er, what?" Simon looked at his Dratini, baffled, until Rankine pointed him over to the brackets. It appeared that he was up for his first match. His fingers dropped out of his ears as he quietly stared at the words for a minute. "...Huh. Guess I should get down there then."

He abruptly stood, Rankine wrapped around his shoulder as he scooted down the aisles, waving to the other patrons. "Hey, wish me luck down there, everybody that I barely talked to!"

[hr]

Several moments later Simon stood on Field 6, all gussied up in his suit and ready for a battle. He idly tossed a Pokeball up and down in one hand as he glanced about the field in search of his opponent.

"All right! I'm here, so I won't tolerate being kept waiting, ya hear me?! Come on out, Jimmy Stewart! You and your heartfelt portrayal of the downtrodden working-class man are no match for a trainer of my caliber!"

 

[Mush]

The atmosphere in the the dome was seriously intense. Trevor had never been live at something like this let alone competed. As his excitement grew something else began to gnaw away at him, something he'd never really felt, not like this. Nerves. He'd be battling in front of all these people? How many were there? Too many to count. Plus, all the people watching on TV. Hell, people he knew might even see him! Not his parents though, not that he really cared what they did. "That's not important right now, concentrate."

He had his pokemon all stored away in their balls. No need to give away any information the competition might find helpful. He'd given them the pep talk earlier but he wasn't too sure it had stuck. Jagg was too excited to stay still let alone pay attention to him, Sickle simply stared with an unimpressed look on her face and Ice hadn't looked like he was even listening. Then again, he always looked like that. Trevor let out a small sigh. "I'm going to be crushed aren't I? No, I can't afford to think like that. They're going to be relying on me out there and I'm sure they'll give it their all. I can do this." He mustered all the resolution he had and held it. For a few seconds, anyway. Then it left. Fast. "Or, y'know, I can't. Whatever. I guess we'll see, wont we?" His excitement dulled as he went through these thoughts and his nerves died down too. "Good, now I can think straight."

He checked the bracket and searched for his name. It seemed he wouldn't be up till the second set meaning he could watch the first comfortably. He was matched up with..."Tyler Bradshaw...not ringing any bells. He's probably just some beginner like me. Hopefully he's not very good, getting knocked out first round is the worst." Scanning through the rest of the roster he looked for any names that he recognized. None in the first set. Well, except...did he say his name was...?

"Hey, wish me luck down there, everybody that I barely talked to!"

Yeah, his name was Simon. As he rushed past Trevor noted his attire, particularly the fact that it looked really weird. Suffice it to say the man was unable to pull off the three piece suit with fedora and orange scarf, partially thanks to a terrible posture (is he leaning backwards? How does that even work?) but also because of his untidy appearance, especially the stubble. All in all, he stuck out like a sore thumb and Trevor felt disconcerted just from looking at him. "It takes all sorts, I guess."

He decided he'd keep an eye on Simon's match if only because he was unable to put Simon out of his head. Leaning back on his seat he casually glanced around for anybody he recognized. Maybe he could find someone to chat with?

 

[Texas Joker 52]

=HARLEY=​

That Morning​

The following morning Harley, and by extension her Pokemon, woke late, refreshed and relaxed, and she had every intention of continuing to relax right up until her match a little later that day. As she sat up in her bed, she yawned widely before glancing at the half-asleep Pokemon gathered around her started to stir.

"Alright, time to get up. Need everyone awake for the big day, c'mon.", she drawled sleepily while clapping her hands to help wake them a little faster.

While each one slowly made their way off the bed for their various morning routines, Harley did the same, throwing off the covers and swinging her legs over the side. She made her way to the small adjoining bathroom with another yawn, and within half an hour came back out in a fresh Team Rocket outfit. Stretching with a groan, she cracked her neck and back in a few places before finally sighing contentedly and looking at her Pokemon.

"So, are we ready to kick some in the name of 'truth and love'?", she asked them with a grin.

They all replied in unison, with varying amounts of enthusiasm, but she was satisfied that they had gotten their rest, same as her. She grabbed her team's Pokeballs and with a trio of flashing red lights, safely tucked all but Fahrenheit away in them, then she motioned for him to follow her out. She only stopped for a moment before leaving the Sleeping Sunkern, and decided to take the small tourists map of Goldenrod, since while she had a map of the region, it didn't do jack shit to tell her where she was in the city.

The Rocket Girl consulted it immediately after exiting, while her constant companion simply glanced at it, then pointed in the right direction and squawked.

[hr]

Twenty Minutes Before The Tournament​

As it turned out, she got there relatively early, since while it was already being filled to bursting she had some time before any of the matches were going to start, so she could sneak off and enact her plan for whenever it was time for her first round to come up. Before she finally went to sleep the night before, she had decided that, if at all possible, she'd find a way to the lighting and sound department and either persuade or bribe a tech there to do something rather special for her slot.

Taking a quick glance at the matches that had been set up for that day on the large screen overlooking the entrances of the dome, she realized that her match was in the second block of the day on Field 1, against some chump named Reily Stanfield. With a wicked grin, she made her way through the crowd, and found herself at a clearly labeled door, leading just where she wanted to go.

She stepped inside confidently, and smiled at the first technician she saw.

"Hi there! My name's Harley, and I'm one of the trainers battling today. I was just wondering if we could do something to, say... Spice up the beginning of my match a little, really give the spectators a show.", she said smoothly even as Fahrenheit seemed to sigh wryly behind her.

[hr]

Just Before First Matches​

Persuading the tech crew took a little doing, but thankfully she was lucky that she managed to make them see that, really, it would make a great show, so she didn't have to bribe them. So, once her match began, the crowds were going to get a surprise.

She chuckled smugly to herself as she made her way through sitting area where the other trainers waited for their next match, and spotted a familiar face among them. She couldn't help the wicked grin as she sat next to him.

"Well, well, well, fancy meeting you here. Trevor, right? From the Sleeping Sunkern. Gotta match not too long from now. Nervous?", she asked, leaning back and pulling Fahrenheit up into her lap.