In Her Name: A Pokémon RP (Game Thread)(CLOSED,STARTED)

[Dogmatic99]

The pack finished their meals up pretty quickly, never one for hanging around Danny thought it was time to call it quits soon after. Though he'd deny it like crazy Sparks was starting to get sleepy, his little puppy head dipping up and down slowly as he fought the need to sleep.

"C'mon guys. We got an early start tomorrow." Danny smiled fondly at his collected hounds.

After dragging Doom away from the table, he kept staring at something in the distance super hard. Nothing new there, even before he evolved Doom was always itching to pick a fight. Some poor table was probably gunna get it good if Doom got set loose in the restaurant.

The clock ticked on and Danny lay out on the bed staring at the ceiling. It didn't help that the clock was stupidly loud!

That was when he felt a little tapping at his shoulder.

"Can't sleep either, huh, Belle?"

Belle dragged herself toward Danny's face by her front paws, the curls of her tail swishing against the pillow.

"I'm nervous too. We've never gone into a fight this big before."

Belle pressed her own nose against Danny's.

"Guess all we can do is our best, huh?"

Belle gave him a quicksilver lick across the forehead.

"You're so wise, Belle. I love these talks."

"Vul." Belle whispered softly as Snubbull snored and rustled loudly in her corner of the bed.

 

[SamtheDeathclaw]

"My name's Elle! Enchantée, nice to meet you!" the girl said. She seemed, er, rather bubbly. Haruki decided he liked her, though it wouldn't save her when the tournament rolled around.

"Haruki. The pleasure is all mine," he replied, then turned to his food. Once he and his team tucked in, there was no getting him to talk. He didn't even register whether Elle said anything further to him, so engrossed was he in his meal.

Once he finished and pushed his plate away, only Dan was left still eating. Haruki stretched and yawned, then pushed Dan's plate away.

"Aright, pal, that's enough for tonight." He turned back to Elle, ignoring the dirty looks that Dan was shooting him. "Well, Miss Elle, I suppose I'll see you tomorrow at the tournament, then. It's about time my friends and I headed on up to bed."

He picked up Manami, and wrapped her tentacles around his neck, then motioned for the others to follow him back to their rooms. The dining room was already significantly emptier than it had been- Haruki hadn't noticed anyone leaving, but that was to be expected.

Once back in the room, Haruki set through a set of stretches, with Akio and Miyako following along beside him. Dan was already snoozing in the corner, and Manami was curled up in the center of the bed, sound asleep. As soon as they finished their stretches, the two Pokémon and Haruki joined them in slumber.

 

[Texas Joker 52]

= HARLEY =​

Nodding to Remy as he stood and told them that he was heading in to bed, Harley waved before turning to her newly arrived food. While Godmother and Cutter respectively ate their PokeBlocks sedately, Harley and her Combusken wasted no time in eating, with the two of them practically shoveling their food into their maws. Celsius was the only one left out as she casually popped the occasional block into her mouth.

Once they were finished, Harley reached into a pocket, pulled out her wallet, and placed the cost of the meal along with a tip on the table. Standing, she slipped the wallet back into her pocket then motioned to her team.

"Alright guys. We have a tournament tomorrow. Lets get some rest." she told them, waving to the waitress as she strode out.

The five of them promptly made a beeline to their hotel room, and the moment the door was closed, Harley began to strip even as she walked to the bed. When she reached it, she simply fell forward and lay face-down, sprawling on the covers.

Her Pokemon followed close behind her, with Fahrenheit climbing up onto one side and slipping underneath one of her arms. Cutter took the other side, while Celsius and Godmother took the foot of the bed. It wasn't long before they were all soundly asleep, ready for the tournament the following day.

 

[Pappytech]

Though the meal had passed in anything but silence, Grace hadn't really done much to contribute to the commotion herself. For the most part, she'd simply eaten her food in peace, kept an eye on the antics of some of the inn's more vocal residents, and tried to keep herself from being noticed. And it looked like she'd succeeded; at the very least, no one was confronting her yet.

Her Pokémon, on the other hand, didn't bother trying to go unnoticed. While Terry ate primly and properly, conspicuously avoiding any bits of food that failed to meet his standards, Sasaki and Ditzy dug into their grub with an unmatched enthusiasm, quickly tearing their way through several plates worth of Pokéchow. Though they exchanged greetings with a few of the other Pokémon present, the two were largely preoccupied with filling their stomachs, so the bulk of their focus was on their food. Thank goodness the buffet was free, or else the Sleeping Sunkern would probably have just made back a year's worth of expenses.

Eventually, however, the activity in the dining room began to settle down. One by one, the trainers and their teams started to head off to bed, and Grace decided that it would probably be best to follow their lead. "Come on, guys," she whispered, gently nudging her Pokémon to get their attention, "time to go, okay?"

Satisfied with their meals, Terry, Ditzy, and Sasaki trundled after their trainer, and the group eventually made it back up to their room. While the young woman went about her nightly routine, the Pokémon set about claiming their spots throughout the room. Ditzy eventually fell asleep in the bathtub, thankfully someplace where her mucus wouldn't make an enormous mess. Terry, meanwhile, slowly inspected every last inch of the only slightly sub-par bed, finally claiming what he believed to be the most comfortable spot and curling up into a ball. Sasaki, trying to look cool as always, settled into a relaxed slouch in the room's sole chair, his arms crossed behind his head. The position looked all sorts of uncomfortable, and odds are he'd relocated to the bed sometime during the middle of the night.

Her preparations and cleaning rituals complete, Grace settled into the bed herself, trying to best to avoid disturbing Terry. It had been a long day, and it wasn't long before the girl's eyes slid shut, her mind sinking into slumber. Tomorrow would doubtless be full of all sorts of excitement, but for now, it was simply time to rest...

 

[Daystar Clarion]

"Haruki. The pleasure is all mine."

Ella smiled as she continued to eat her food, the man's attention drawn to his own meal. As the room of trainers began to thin out, the girl and her Pokemon finished their own meals. Glancing to her side, it appeared that whatever was distracting Tai Chi was now gone, his eyes closed as his headband waved gently to the side.

"Lots of tough lookin' opponents, huh?" She muttered to the Mienfoo, he merely replied with a low squeak as he got to his feet.

"Yeah, I guess we better rest up too, huh? It's been a long day." She yawned slightly as she rested her chin on Matchstick's head, who was already half dozing in the remains of his meal.

"Well, Miss Ella, I suppose I'll see you tomorrow at the tournament, then. It's about time my friends and I headed on up to bed."

"Heh, yeah, good luck." Ella grinned as the Haruki left the table with his own Pokemon. She waited until the man had left the room, before grabbing her half asleep Cyndaquil and plopping him on her head. "Alright little buddy, let's get you to bed." She chuckled, Tai Chi leading the team back to their room.

Ella brushed her teeth and changed into her nightwear, enthusiastically climbing into bed as she she pulled the covers to her chin. By the time everyone was settled, Matchstick was long gone, already snoozing in Ella's hair in a undignified manner, his legs in the air as he lay on his back. Blitz was curled up at the foot of the bed, breathing gently. Serenity cooed as she snuggled up to her trainer under the covers. She always liked being the little spoon.

Ella yawned as she spoke. "Tomorrow's a big day guys, we have to be at our best if we're gonna... ZzZzZzZz" The girl's quiet snores joined Matchstick's.

Tai Chi, as always, was the last the fall asleep. He was sat in the middle of the room, facing the door, his hands resting on his knees as he slowly began to doze, headband still wafting gently.

They weren't a formidable team, but they had spirit.

And sometimes spirit was formidable in its own right.

 

[JdaS]

*YAAAAAAAAAWWWWNNNNNNNN*


Remy stretched his appendages as he strolled down the street towards the arena with Darumaka on his shoulder and Zangoose strutting on all fours beside him. It was nothing short of an amazing morning. Warm, but with a gentle breeze coming in from the sea. Not a cloud in the sky. You could feel the streets busting at the seams with excitement, every single person in the city eagerly awaiting the day's matches.

Zangoose. Goosezan... Zanzan? Zangoose asked his partner in a slightly exasperated manner.

Remy looked down at his Cat Ferret friend with a cheeky grin.

"Hhaahahaha! I'm sure they'll be fine. C'mon now, they ARE Pokémon Trainers, after all! I'm sure they can find the country's biggest Arena!"

The Sinnoh native had indeed left the inn early, without any of his new acquaintances. He figured it best to get acquainted with the brackets by himself.

No point in getting too close to anyone if I'm just going to have to fight 'em... Best to be saf... "GAH!!"

*THUD*

"Ooops! Sorry about that, man!" He said as he accidentaly ran into someone, quickly apologizing before disappearing into the crowd.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Remy had bumped into a huge mountain of a man. A really tall, buff guy in a grey gi. The man had a scruffy mane of black hair and thick eyebrows that seemed to be locked in a stern, steely gaze.

"Hmph. Damn hooligans... Come, Blaziken."

The burly man turned and resumed his stroll, motioning to the impressive Fire/Fighting type behind him to follow, which it did without so much as a peep. The two fighters kept going until they reached a vacant bench in a small square. The man sat down, his Blaziken taking up a position, not unlike that of a student between his master and any would-be challengers.

The pair waited for a spell before hearing the man's name being called. The voice had become familiar to them. Indeed, it had become synonymous with headaches and trouble...

"FORTE!!! OVER HEERE~!! OOOII!!!"

"...Tatya..."

...ken...


The one called Tatya made her way though the crowd to where the man named Forte sat. She was a young woman, in her twenties, beautiful fair skin, with a long braid of jet black hair reaching down to her knees. Her attire was pretty simple, a pair of black jeans, red hi-tops and a t-shirt underneath a brown bomber jacket with "DISASTER" embroidered in the back.

"Geez... Took me forever to get out of that PokéMart... But you know what they say: 'Ya can't watch a fight on an empty stomach'!"

She said as she waved a bag full of snacks in front of Forte's face, a huge grin on hers. Forte however, didn't seem very pleased.

"...There is no such saying. Now, enough of this. You're wasting time. I must get to the arena and prepare for the battles ahead of us."

"Awww, come oooonnn... I know you'll wipe the floor with those hacks. I wouldn't have hired you as my bodyguard otherwise!"

Tatya said, slapping Forte's shoulder. Forte quickly got on his feet and with Blaziken in tow, started making his way to the arena.

"You didn't hire me. You're not even paying me. In fact, you're the one following me."

"Details, dear Forte, details. Besides, I'm gonna find him here, I just know it! And once I do, I'll be out of your hair."

"We can only hope."

"OI! DON'T PRETEND YOU DON'T LOVE HAVING ME AROUND!! YOU SHOULD CONSIDER YOURSELF LUCKY!!! WHY, IF REMY WERE HERE, HE'D..."
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"HEEEEELLLLLLLOOOOOOOO GOLDENROD!!!! WOOOOO!! HAPPY TO BE HERE!!!"


"Well Hachimitsu, it took us a while but we're finally where we're supposed to be! YESSIRREE, JACK ALMOND AND ENTOURAGE HAVE ARRIVED!!!"

Pan? Sagepan Panpan. Sagge? Pansage asked his Trainer quizzically, as the boy made a total spectacle of himself outside the Goldenrod Magnet Train Station.

"Well yeah, we did lose a whole day, but what do ya want? I can't help it that they don't label ferries properly in this country! Though, admittedly I should've known we were in Sinnoh by the time they announced 'Snowpoint Harbor'..."

Panpan... Pansage... The Grass-type said, somewhat embarassed.

"Well yeah, it was a cargo ship but..."

At this point, Jack Almond was getting all kinds of bemused looks from the locals. He was of average height and build, with light skin and a dirty blonde fauxhawk. He wore blue jeans and white sneakers and a white t-shirt covered by a Castelia Braviaries baseball varsity jacket. Then there was his mannerisms and loud personality. You could almost hear a collective sigh as the various locals pegged him. Just another Unovan...

"Enough of that. We'd better get going or we'll miss the opening ceremony. Plus I wanna see who were going up against first!"

With that, the pair was off. Running to where they thought the arena was. The complete. Opposite. Direction.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

At the arena lobby, spectators eagerly scanned the brackets for their name. One of these competitors was Ukiyo Fuji. An intimidating looking young man wearing a Saffron High School uniform, albeit with the jacket hanging over his shoulders. He wasn't particularly tall but he had an athletic physique. His black hair was slicked back and shaved at the sides while his visage was seemingly locked into a determined, almost furious gaze. In fact, his demeanor had scared all other participants to vacate the immediate area around him.

Hmm... Quite a turn out. Most of these guys look like chumps, though... I do recognize some of the names on here... Melpomene Mallory... Huh... Didn't think she'd ever set foot out of that town.

Ukiyo kept scanning the lists until he got to his name.

Lee Brook, huh? Sounds like a wimp.

"Excuse me, sorry, lemme just squeeze in here... Huh? Why all this empty space here?"

Ukiyo's train of thought was interrupted by none other than Remy who had arrived and nonchalantly planted himself right next to the intimidating high schooler. The two stared each other down for a bit before briefly introducing themselves.

"Ukiyo Fuji. You Lee Brook?"

"Nope. Remy Olivier. Nice meetin' ya." Remy answered, going back to scan the bracket. "Oh, wow... Hahahahah. Talk about your amazing odds..."

Bracket 3

Remy Olivier VS Harley Edwards
Grace Heller VS Jack Almond
Melpomene Mallory VS Anthony Larch
Ella Renoir VS Haruki

Bracket 6

Danny Huntly VS Dante Pace
Forte VS Dave Itosu
Lee Brook VS Ukiyo Fuji
Matt Fuller VS Patrick Goyer

With that out of the way, it was time for Remy and his Pokémon to find some seats. It'd be a while before their fight with Harley. They'd eventually settle with a place on the south side of the arena.

 

[SamtheDeathclaw]

Haruki was up and out before dawn, running the streets while his Pokémon slept. He couldn't sleep. Too much to think about, too many ways the tourney could go terribly wrong. He ran to avoid thinking, and to limber himself up. For Haruki, his own body had to be in just as good of shape as his Pokémons', or else he was no better than a false leader, content to sit on the sidelines ordering others to fight for him.

So he ran, until his muscles ached and his breath came short. Then he kept on running. He ran around the Stadium, where he'd be competing hours later, and saw the crowds already beginning to gather. He saw a few trainers already battling, testing themselves against others. What Haruki saw didn't particularly impress him. He wasn't sure he could win easily. But he had no doubt that he could win, at least against the few battles he passed.

Before he knew it, the sun was up and it was time to return to the inn, where he showered and roused his Pokémon, who immediately began their morning routines, as best they could in the smallish rooms.

"Half counts, everybody. Akio, you're with me," Haruki said evenly, glancing at the clock. "We're on a tight schedule. Now, Akio. Give me everything you've got. I want to be bloodied by the time they finish."

Ten minutes later, Haruki was carefully wiping blood away from his nose, trying to stop the bleeding, laughing all the time. Dan and the others weren't yet done with their routines, but Akio had already beaten Haruki like it was nothing.

"Have you been holding out on me, old boy?"
"Foo... Mien, mienfoo."
"Taking that as a yes. Well, good job. Now, go see if Miyako's as easy a target as I was."


_____________________________________________

Haruki and Co. left around an hour later, having eaten breakfast and finished out their training. Haruki put his team back into their Pokéballs, but not before one last pep talk in the room.

"I don't care. I honestly don't. Not about this tournament, not about what any of those fools out in the streets think of us. I know we've trained our hardest, and now? Now all that's left is to give it our very best shot. If we lose, I'm still proud of all of you. You've all come so far since I first met you, and you've taken me places I never thought I could go. If we win, I'll be overjoyed, of course, but it doesn't matter. We're not in this to prove ourselves to them." Here, Haruki gestures towards the outside wall. "We're here to prove ourselves to us. Now, let's go show some Goldenrod punks what an Olivine team can do!" The gathered Pokémon let loose their best battle cries, and lined up for Haruki to withdraw them. As was his tradition, he spoke to each in turn.

Then, it was time to go. Haruki trudged out the door and into the now-crowded streets, his significant bulk causing many people to open a path for him. And so Haruki strolled along to the Stadium, steadily and with a slight smile on his lips. He whistled an old tune, one that Master Xiao had always been fond of.

​

Haruki stepped up to the brackets, his eyebrow lifting when he saw the name next to his- Ella. The girl who he had sat next to at dinner the previous night. He then smiled, remembering the strange Mienfoo, who'd been wasting energy just to dramatically wave his headband, and the rest of Ella's Pokémon. A strange bunch, to be sure.

"This will be interesting," Haruki muttered quietly to himself with a grin, then went and found a seat near the very top of the east side of the Stadium to wait for his match. He wouldn't have a very good view, but he'd be away from the worst of the crowds, he hoped.

 

[Arcanist]

The first rays of dawn slid through the window as Anthony slept peacefully, his things still only half-unpacked and strewn haphazardly about the room. His pokemon, likewise, were also slumbering, their large frames taking up much of the free space in the cozy single's floor.

All, however, except for one.

A shadow cast itself over Anthony's head. At first indistinct, its form slowly grew a sly smile as the sun's growing rays continued to trickle in. A head still cloaked in what few shadows remained in the hotel room crept towards Anthony's head in utter silence, an impish grin plastered on its face.

Then, with the force of a fire hose, a jet of water burst over the sleeping man's face.

As soon as the rush of cold water struck him, Anthony's body unconsciously jerked to the side, sending him tumbling off the bed in a tangle of bedding and sheets. Coughing and sputtering, Anthony's eyes flew open to see Pascal's face, laughing uproariously at his master's undignified response. Stunned from the fall from his bed and still more than a little groggy, he only managed a confused "Bwa?" before coming to his senses.

Turning his head first to the window and then to the clock sitting on the adjacent nightstand, his still-reeling mind slowly came to the conclusion that it was morning and he should be getting ready for... something. He was still too tired to remember what, really - but if his pokemon were so excited(he guessed, Pascal being rambunctious hardly needed a stimulus) to be awake this early, he should probably do something to oblige. Casting his exhausted gaze across the rest of the room revealed that his display had woken up the others, with Kelvin giving Pascal an annoyed glare and Chick stretching and wiping the sleep from his eyes with his vines.

Chick marched imperiously to his master, turning up his head. He affixed a glare Anthony's way, before poking his still befuddled master with one of his vines. "Bay." He commanded, the stern tone making the message clear.

"I don' wanna..." Anthony tried to pull what remained of his blanket over his eyes to escape Chick's glare, but was stopped by a vine wrapping around his wrist. "BAY." The command came again, this time tinged with annoyance. "Too early..." Anthony struggled feebly against the vine before feeling a second creep along his leg, pulling him forcibly from the tangle of sheets. Casually lifting the stunned man above him, Chick marched from the room, ignoring his trainer's feeble offerings of resistance.

Artemis rolled her eyes at the embarrassing display and shot Kelvin an annoyed glance. He merely shrugged in response - this was the morning routine, after all. It was more effort than it was worth to get any of it to change. He shook himself to ruffle his fur and stretch his sleep-sore muscles before plodding after his hapless master.

------

After a going through their morning routine(including Anthony downing an entire pot of coffee from the Sleeping Sunkern's kitchen to force himself awake), Anthony found himself in the Goldenrod City streets, in the front of the gates of the stadium the tournament would be taking place. While stage fright wasn't one of his defining traits, Anthony couldn't help but feel a bit intimidated by the sheer volume of people trickling into the arena even at his early hour. Would he really be doing this with such a large audience?

Kelvin seemed to sense this apprehension and nudged his master's shoulder with a concerned whine. Anthony shook his head in response, trying to clear his head. "It's okay, boy. I'll be okay." A beat followed as he looked back towards the stadium. "...I think."

Trying to keep his mind off that subject, Anthony sought out the bulletin posting the match-ups for the tournament's first round. Scanning it for his name revealed he would be in the third round of fights, up against one Melpomene Mallory. Scanning that same bracket he spotted a name he recognized - Haruki. 'Hey, the guy that helped me find our hotel. He did mention something about coming to compete here too. I wonder where he is...'

 

[Anayna]

The quiet morning hours were not all that quiet in room 20. There the air was filled with static and electric voices.

"zzztt... Are we seeing this right, Jeff?! Does that Exeggutor have that Marshtomp in a tilt-a-whirl crossbody?!"
"He sure does, Scooter... zzzzZZZttt... this may mean an early victory for Eterna City."

Dave's old portable TV was lying on the floor amidst dozens of beaten VHS tapes, and was right now playing a recording of a years old Indigo League qualifying tournament. In front of said TV sat a trainer and a pokémon, both more excited than the other despite the fact that they must have seen this tape some 50 times. At least.

"OOOOOHHHH! You see that, Shellder?! You see that?! That's a classic move! Totally classic! We're going to teach you that!"

"Shellder! Shell! Shell! She... dur?" The Bivalve Pokémon's gleeful cheers had to end in a quizzical gasp. Him learn a hold? But he didn't have any...

"Of course, what makes this tilt-a-whirl all the more impressive is that Exeggutors don't have arms."
"I KNOW!"

"SEE?! SEE?!"

Shellder fell over in sputtering elation and Dave was literally jumping for joy. They really liked League battles. Of course, if one were to ask the extraordinarily grumpy Pikachu lying in the bed not five feet away from them, the two could also be described as "piKAU chaus", which roughly translated to "fu*king League nerds".

Said Pikachu was in a particularly bad mood this morning because she hadn't gotten enough sleep. While the whole 'chili cheese in Dave's eyes' thing yesterday had been funny, it seemed to also have given the insufferable twit some extra pep. He was up extra early for his daily dose of brain-rotting commercialized violence. Stupid League.
A sunbeam snaked its way up her belly. She hissed at it, and it decided that it might be in its own best interest to pick up its photons and scram.

As the frightened sunbeam retreated back down the bed Pikachu lazily rolled off the side of the bed until she fell down with a soft thud. She sleepily staggered across the room over to Dave's huge backpack. It was just the three of them in the room; the rest of the team were in their respective pokéballs and that's where she was headed now. She wanted nothing more than to be set free from her dumb ass trainer, and hated being a domesticated 'mon, but at least she could get some peace and quiet in that spherical prison.

Before the Pikachu reached her pokéball Shellder fell onto her in a display of elated exuberance that mostly resembled an epileptic seizure.
God, she hated her life.

 

[Texas Joker 52]

= HARLEY =​

Harley hated mornings. They were the bane of her existence, and always had been. That morning, she woke up late, as usual, and had to basically browbeat her Pokemon into getting out of bed before getting cleaned up and dressed for the day. And once she and her team had eaten, they took out to the streets for some time to spare, with Harley slowly making her way to the Goldenrod City Arena on her bike with her entire team in tow behind her.

[hr]


The arena itself was more than just impressive, partly because of what it meant for her. This was the first real step to getting fame and stature. The first step to testing her strength along with her teams. A slow, wicked grin spread on Harley's lips as she turned to her team.

"Right! This is it. The beginning of the tournament. TODAY WE SHOW THESE FOOLS WHAT WE'RE MADE OF!" she told them, raising a finger to the heavens.

Silence was the only reply.

After a short pause, Fahrenheit jabbed an elbow into Cutter's side before letting loose a half-convincing caw, and the others joined in quickly as a show of support. As strange as he thought his trainer, Fahrenheit had to have her back regardless. After all, it was his lot in life, and since it gave him plenty of other Pokemon to fight, he supposed he couldn't really complain.

Harley didn't even seem to notice as she grinned at them. "That's right! Now, lets go in there and kick some wholesale ass!" she told them before pulling out four painted Pokeballs and returning each member of her team, including her Combusken, into them.

Then she made her way inside so she could do her first order of business: Look at the brackets, and then convince the special effects team to make a few minor changes for her entrance...

 

[Dogmatic99]

The morning arrived. Not with the gentle, pale light of the fresh dawn. Not with the usual cawing of a Dotrio.

But with a super happy to be alive Electrike jumping all over Danny's face and the rest of the bed too. Because Sparks was up and he demanded that other people should be up too! Belle looked on in dignified bemusement, her bright red crest slightly scruffy from a heavy night of sleep. Doom shifted and grumbled to himself, no doubt something about letting sleeping dogs lie. Ever since he'd evolved he'd become a total not-morning person. Snubbull grunted.

Danny dragged himself out of bed with a groan, practically slamming against the floor as he almost fell face first against the floorboards. "Good times." He mumbled groggily. Sparks panted away, content in himself.

The pack just went about getting themselves up as Danny brushed his teeth, looking at the spikey haze that was his blurred form in the mirror. The few seconds that passed for personal grooming went by quickly and he threw on his tattered old jeans and torn up shirt. Sparks was still going crazy.

"Alright, little dude, I'll get breakfast ready in a sec. Just give me a minute." It wasn't until he saw that Belle hadn't gotten off the bed. She was just sat there, dead straight and looking at him all serious like. "What is it?" Danny groaned. Doom stalked up next to the bed and gave an aggressive snort. "You too?"

What was up with everybody? They were all acting so strange, had he forgotten something? That was when the alarm went off. Sparks jumped on the clock, turning it off before it could really get started. On that digital clock there was also.... the date.

TODAY WAS THE DAY!!!!

"AAAWwwwwwwww!!! How could I forget!?" Danny almost exploded, grabbing at his hair in sheer panic! "The tournament starts today!" He was about to dash out the door when the pack gave a chorus of barks that stopped him in his tracks. "Right, right, breakfast."
======================================================================

Fed! Watered! Ready to roll! Yeah! It was battling time!

For most of the pack anyway, not for Danny, he hadn't been able to eat anything since he remembered that the most important battle of his life might be today. What was the matter with him? He'd done battles before, he'd challenged people to face him in epic fury of pokemon going head to head as they tested their trainer skills. This wasn't so different.

Except that it was huge! There was an audience and crowds and cameras and everyone would see and he hadn't even done any gym challenges yet and if everyone back home saw this then he'd have to move away to Kalos and hide away in the mountains out of shame and...and...and...

'Breath!

Danny stilled his mind, breathing in deep. In through the mouth, out through the nose. He shouldn't have put Belle away in her pokeball, she could always calm him down no matter what. But belle had never liked crowds and the stadium was heaving with people, spectators and trainers alike. As pack trainer he had to be strong for them, for all of them.

'Just take it slow, not like you can do anything else in these crowds anyway.'

Eventually Danny found the bracket and scanned it for his name like a hunter searching for his prey.

"Dante Pace. Okay... I can do this." Danny nodded solemnly to himself before gathering his thoughts and making his way to the waiting area.

"I CAN DO THIS!" He roared again, punching the air.

It was time to get hyped up!

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Spoiler: Training go!

Ella and her Pokemon had risen early to get in some last minute training before the tournament. Nothing too strenuous, mind you, she couldn't risk any of her team getting an injury. "Just ten more minutes, guys!" Ella panted, wiping the sweat from her brow as they ran laps in the park.

Blitz whizzed by the group, having lapped them several times already, the Jolteon barked derisively as she passed. "It's not a competition." The young girl frowned as Tai Chi squeaked in disagreement. "You wanna go, tough guy?" She held her arms wide as she challenged the Mienfoo. "Because I will end you." She chuckled breathlessly.

As Tai Chi scoffed, he launched himself forward with a burst of speed. Matchstick and Serenity looked at eachother, sighing in unison. This happened every time.

Every time.

"Oh it's on!" Ella followed after the Mienfoo, keeping on his heels as she taunted him. "Yeah, you better run, 'cos if I catch you, it's eleventy billion push-ups, ya hear?!" Tai Chi responded by increasing the pace, his headband waving wildly, giving the illusion that he was moving a lot faster than he actually was.

Matchstick and Serenity kept their leisurely pace, discussing how pleasant the weather was, the Kirlia's hair ruffled gently as Blitz lapped them once again.

As Ella matched Tai Chi's pace, the pair looked at eachother, their competitive spirits flaring, it was all very exciting, well, until Blitz passed them too. Both sporting unamused expressions, the pair glared at the Jolteon as she made a quip about evolution being quicker than them.

"Show off." Ella muttered, the Mienfoo squeaked in agreement.

============

With the morning cobwebs shook loose, the team returned to their room. Ella had a quick shower while the others ate their special formulated pre-tourny meals. They weren't really different from any other meals, but Ella liked to think the white lie boosted their spirits and put them in the right mindset.

The group left for the tournament grounds, finding themselves in front of the matchup list, Ella crossed her arms over her chest, smiling slightly as saw who she was up against. Matchstick tilted his head slightly, perched on Ella's hair, he squeaked curiously. "Of course it's fate!" The girl smirked.

Finding a seat. the girl released the other three Pokemon from their balls. "Okay guys, we need to pay attention." Kirlia hopped onto Ella's lap, while Blitz and Tai Chi sat at the girl's feet. "The more eyes the better, we need to see what we're up against."

 

[CJ1145]

The morning sun peeked over the horizon, beckoning the gathered trainers in Goldenrod to march off to battle. But a few soldiers had never gone to bed. Down below the Sleeping Sunkern, behind soundproofed walls, the grizzled man named Dante sat squarely between two of his Pokemon, aiming for the kill. "GYAAAAAOOOOO!" roared the mighty Rock-Type, Eclair, as he trampled flat the ground beneath him in a display of his power. Its vicious stomps jostled stones between mighty fissures, shot into the air by the pressure. Using its Rock Blast attack, Eclair shunted every loosened stone at his own trainer. His fists vibrated with pent-up energy, meeting every shot with a punch. "KAH! GRAGH! HUNH!" His bloody knuckles shook the stones into gravel, powdered and gathering at his feet. But the volley was too great, and his defenses were punctured.

The world went topsy-turvy as a bullet of stone collided with Dante's forehead, and the trainer flipped up in the air. It was the moment they'd all been waiting for. From the ceiling descended a purple shadow, the Mismagius called Geist, who conjured a flurry of violet leaves around its form, ready for the killing blow. She cackled in adrenaline-fueled glee as she fired. Eclair seized its chance as well, and rushed the vulnerable man with a Horn Attack. Or so he thought to do. With a triumphant yell, Pace twisted his body in the air and returned to the ground in grace. And a downward chop struck his racing Rhyhorn square in the eye. Stunned and flinching, Eclair could do nothing but roar in defiance as Dante's sinewy arms hugged his horn tight and swung him around. Swung him right around to meet the coming Magical Leaf attack...

KA-TOOOOOOM

Smoke billowed out from the site of impact, being sucked up into vents on every side of the room, leaving behind nothing but a man and his unconscious Pokemon. Dante was truly something to be seen in the thick of it. Every inch of his body was bulging with muscle and drenched in sweat and blood from every last pore and scabbing cut. All that remained of his clothes were tattered pants, little more than shorts now, drifting in what wind was left from the explosive Grass attack. His eyebrow kinked up, and he made a taunting glance Geist's way. "Maaaaaag?" She drifted closer, waiting for his command. Surrender, or...?

"Heh!" Pace fixed one hand upon his bicep, and flexed his arm at the ghost. "Come on!"

Not done yet, then. Geist's unnatural grin extended beyond her face as the tendrils of a purple shadow drew her into its embrace. "Mis-maaaag-ag-ag-ag-ag..."

Her favorite trick. Shadow Force. She was playing for keeps then. That was good, just the way he'd trained her to fight. No holding back, even among friends. A'course, that means I can't hold back either. Dante did the only thing he could do. He waited. His knees slacked, letting the blood flow as he tilted his head down and placed his palms together in a meditative stance. He'd only have one chance to do this right, and he only had seconds to prepare. He focused, drawing his attention inward, as the masters in Sinnoh had taught him to do so many years ago. He could still remember the words of his Master. "Shut all else out. Envision only the outcome you desire, and let your body project it into reality." A low, burred hum droned out of his body, overtaking all other sound. His attention turned inward.

Geist saw her chance. She burst from the shadows, cackling in glee as her arms wrapped around Dante to choke him out. Oh, she couldn't wait to see the shocked look on his face--

"KIYAAAAAA!"
"MAG?!"

A solid punch connected with her body. A punch, of all things! A blue flash erupted from the point of contact, so bright it blinded even Dante to its effects. He was nonetheless satisfied when his vision returned, and a crater on the far wall contained his groaning training partner. He was silent for a moment, letting his shoulders droop down. His body nearly hit the floor, and only his steadfast refusal kept him standing. His arms tugged on their muscles, begging to be released and just drop to the floor. His knees ached more fiercely than he could recall they ever had, and the sweat was so thick it was starting to drip into his eyes. But he couldn't rest just yet. A mighty worm coiled above him; Ancalagos bared its fangs, eyes shrunken to dark slits as purple flames gathered deep in its throat. Dante still had one more foe to conquer. He shrunk down, knees bent and ready to leap as he put his fists up for another round.

"Don't think that our history together means a damn, Ancie," Dante teased. "I'll kick your ass as hard as the others combined!"

The Gyarados rose higher, asserting its massive size over its diminutive human. "GYAROOOOOOOOOOSHH--"

"Hmph. Same to you, pal."

[hr]

The brackets were displayed above the tourney grounds for all the audience to gawk at. At the southern end of the stadium, all sorts of folk had gathered, trainers in the waiting area hoping to claim that tantalizing prize. The menagerie grew larger as more and more arrived, hoping to scope out the competition. One late arrival was easier to scope out than the rest.


"Somebody stop that man!"

That was the cry of a security guard. A few wary eyes were drawn to the nearest entrance, where a peculiar event was unfolding. A giant Pokemon was snaking its way through the door. A Gyarados to be specific. Its horrific visage was snarling at security forces, who could only back away in terror as it steadily worked its way down into the contestants' seats. This would have been cause for concern--a wild Pokemon on a rampage always was--but it clearly wasn't wild. A man was riding on its head, standing perfectly still as he observed the crowd of would-be champions beneath him. His body was covered head-to-toe in bandages, concealing what must have been a hundred separate wounds of varying severity, and all he wore were a pair of jogging pants and a long, black and pink coat that left his impressive torso revealed. Dante Pace was still as a statue, patiently moving his eyes from man to man, until he finally asked. "Which one of you is Danny?"

 

[Dogmatic99]

Danny had been hunched over in his seat, anxiously twiddling his thumbs and scanning the arena grounds as his foot rapidly tapped away with a mind of its own. He'd been going over everything he knew about Pokemon type advantages and all the little strategies he'd formed over his time as a trainer. His love of all warriors canine had always left Danny's system of training a little limited compared to more varied trainers, but if you were doing something you loved then that shouldn't matter. Besides, it forced him to think out the box.

What time was it again? AARGH! How could he be having stage fright and still be chomping at the bit to get out there? This was, like, crazy. But pretty awesome too, the tournament grounds looked really cool and the chance to be a part of the epic battles Danny used to watch on TV when he was little, who could pass that up?

Danny was quickly shaken out of his thought, literally, as a mini earthquake that sent Danny bumping up and down in his seat like it was turning into a robot Tauros at a bar. Everybody else was looking pretty confused too by the looks of all the panicked expressions and people eyeing up the emergency exit. Any thought of escape was quickly forgotten though as a feakin' Gyarados squeezed its way down the aisle! And perched on its head was a....

... badly burned wrestler? Danny couldn't say for sure.

"Which one of you is Danny?"

'Of course... I always knew it would come to this.'

Danny calmly rose from his chair to meet the steely stare of the newcomer and the giant stare of his Pokemon.

"That be me." He said, stepping away from the bystanders. "I guess this makes you Dante?"

 

[Anayna]

At the Goldenrod arena a quite short young man (even with the extra inches afforded to him by his spiky hair) was making his way through the crowd.

"Excuse me, coming through... champion in the making coming through. Thank you. Sir? Sir? Can I just...? Thank you. Exsqueeeeeze me... Heh. Squeeze. I'm squeezing through the crowd. Heh heh. Accidental puns. I am funny."

Dave was in high spirits. The crowd certainly wasn't bothering him. As far as he was concerned this was already his crowd. In not too much time all these people would be worshiping him as the winner of the Goldenrod Tournament. Even as he was buffeted back and forth by the undulating horde trying to find their seats, he maintained his cocky grin. Dave welcomed these people; he wanted as many spectators as possible to see him when he trounced his opponent.

Speaking of, who was his opponent? Dave hadn't thought to actually check the tournament bracket. Eh. Didn't matter really. Who ever it was there was no way Dave could lose!

Still anticipating the screams of his adoring fans Dave was forced to make a trip out of his la la land due to the actual screams that were now coming from people around him. And now some were fleeing.

Hey, what's going on? Don't leave now. I haven't had my fight yet! You'll be back to see me fight, right? No? Dammit. Okay, seriously what the heck is going on... thought Dave as he turned around and finally saw what was "going on".

"Oooh. Oh."

Yeah. A giant sea serpent known to have the power to level entire cities on the loose. Yeah, fleeing was probably the only reasonable response to the situation at hand.
Unfortunately, Dave was not known for being all that reasonable.

"Which one of you is Danny?" said the intimidating bandaged man who Dave could have sworn he recognized from somewhere.

"That be me." answered a seemingly unfazed young man with blond hair. He too seemed familiar to Dave.

Dave himself hadn't moved an inch. He just stood there frozen wearing a somewhat awkward expression. Should he just leave, or...? This clearly didn't concern him. Actually, compared to his earlier daydreams about being champion, the current situation made him feel kinda insignificant. He felt like an movie extra on set in the scene where the protagonist and antagonist first meet. This didn't fit Dave's internal narrative of how this whole tournament thing was supposed to go, and made him feel really uncomfortable.

 

[Pappytech]

If left to their own devices, Grace and her team would love to do nothing more than doze through the early morning, savoring those last delightful hours of sleep before they had to get up and face the day. However, considering that today was going to be pretty special, the young trainer took it upon herself to make sure that she and everyone else was awake bright and early! To that end, she set the room's alarm clock for 8, scheduled a wake-up call with the front desk at 8:05, and set her Pokétech to go off at 8:10.

And at 9:30, after slamming the snooze button a few dozen times, Grace finally fully woke up when Terry's twitching legs kicked her half out of bed.

From then, it was a simple matter of getting everyone through their daily routines. Grace had to get a shower, brush her teeth, brush her hair. Terry had to groom himself to perfection using whatever tools were at hand, including his paws and his trainer's hairbrush. Sasaki and Ditzy, meanwhile, went through an impressive array of stretches and exercises to keep them loose and limber. Or, at least the Grovyle did; Ditzy didn't have much in the flexibility department, but damn if she didn't try!

Once they were all prim and proper, it was time to head downstairs, grab some fruit and Berries from the inn's complimentary selection, and head off into Goldenrod to really get their day going! As before, Terry and Ditzy retired to their Pokéballs, preferring to stay out of the heavy foot-traffic, while Grace and Sasaki did all the real legwork.

Though they stopped by a small convenience store first, to pick up a couple Super Potions, like most of the people and Pokémon in the city, the trainer and Grass-type slowly made their way towards the Pokédome, even if that did mean they had to deal with all the people. After all, they would be fighting their later today; it only made sense to get a good view of the place as soon as possible, so that they could know what they'd be in for...

[hr]

Getting inside the Pokédome wasn't too bad, all things considered. Once she managed to explain that she was a contestant in the tournament, Grace was ushered past the long lines for tickets and into the stadium itself. From there, it was just a matter of finding some seats high enough that there were largely unoccupied, but close enough to see the arena clearly.

Leaving Ditzy behind to save their spots (Quagsire mucus was good for deterring potential seat-stealers) Sasaki and Terry, armed with some cash from their trainer's wallet, went to go get snacks for the group, while Grace tried to find a copy of today's bracket. Though it took a bit of walking, she eventually found a stand that was selling programs and picked one up for a few Pokédollars. As she settled back to read the brochure, the young woman picked up on some background chatter: People were talking about a trainer who had actually ridden a giant Gyarados into the stadium.

Dismissing the rumor as pure silliness, Grace flipped through the program's pages until she found the bracket, and quickly spotted her own name among the contestants. "Jack Almond?" she said. "Hmmm. I wonder what his team looks like..."

 

[CJ1145]

"That be me." Danny said, stepping away from the bystanders. "I guess this makes you Dante?"

"It does," replied Dante himself, towering over the crowd atop his Gyarados. Smiling wryly the older man tapped a foot on his Gyarados's head. The great serpent hissed in response, relaxing its tremendous muscles and slamming its head down against the ground. "I've been looking forward to this." Dante stuffed his hands into his pockets and off of his Pokemon's head. "Hope you're as psyched up as I am, because--"

Trouble was, his foot snagged.

"Whuh?"

The old man howled like a dying Mighteyena, flipping upside-down in a perfectly disgraceful motion. An unpleasant cracking noise filled the ears of everyone in the vicinity when he hit the ground head-first. "YOOOWCH! Cringing, Dante flopped down onto his back, little Starlys filling his vision, flying about in a circle just above. "S-stop tweeting, you smug little bastards..." He could feel a fresh, aching pain settling into the upper portions of his spine, which was some comfort. At least that probably meant he didn't break anything important. Except maybe his pride. Yeah, yeah now that he thought about it... he was prostrated like some invalid right in front of his upcoming opponent.

And the focus was back. The bizarre muscleman roared in exertion, tensing up every muscle he had as he threw himself into the air, landing crouched but on his feet. The intense sneer on his face and the shadow on his brow made him look like some mad devil.

Ouchouchouchouchouchouchouch what the heck was I THINKING?! Oh jeez I probably just twisted my spine, I think I need a doctor. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Maybe I should just lay back down and wait for Delilah to come take me home...

His body only twitched a little bit as he stood back up stretching out his back in forced ignorance of his own pain before extending a hand to his opponent, Danny. He flashed a pleasant smile that had just a little strain behind it. "The name's Dante Pace, and I absolutely mean t'do that!" As they shook he gave the standard pleasantries. "Glad to meet an up-and-comer. Where ya from, Danny?"

[hr]

Two ghostly appendages slammed on the counter. "Mag-mag-MAGIUS! Mismagius, mis!" Geist pointed at the menu for the fifth time, patience evaporated as the astoundingly slow clerk at the ice cream stand try to process what she'd been saying over and over.

The pimply girl blinked once or twice--Geist swore the eyes were out of sync when they did--before drawling out the question, "So you don't want the Oran Berry sauce?"

"Mag..." She was hopeless. Completely hopeless. Geist turned to her companion, the wide-eyed little bird called Elo, and pointed up at the menu. Apparently someone had to spell it out for this human, and she couldn't be bothered to deal with the slackjaw a moment longer. "Mismagius, mag," the Ghost-type commanded, brandishing a limb at the stand. Elo crooned in acknowledgement, puffing out his chest and saluting with a wing before he started flapping. As soon as he'd gained air, the little bird zipped up to the board and started pecking at each topping they desired on their treat. The clerk's eyes followed him with surprising dexterity. Apparently this girl had a brain behind those big amber saucer plates after all. If she managed to get it right, Geist was even considering not putting a hex on her.

That was probably just the delirium from hunger talking.

When Elo finally got through showing the girl what they wanted, she impressed Geist by fetching exactly what they wanted. She handed over a pair of ice cream cones with Miltank-shaped sprinkles, Sitrus berry sauce, and fudge chunks on top. Geist handed over a trainer card. She didn't know whose, she just pulled it out of some stranger's pocket on the way over. It was run through the swiper and the proper amount of currency was extracted in payment. More than the clerk deserved. The card was returned, and the dozy girl waved them goodbye. "Thanks again," she droned, "for choosing Miltank Milly's for your refreshment needs. Have a nice--"

"Ma-mag-mag." Geist waved her arm and cast a Confuse Ray. The girl's head tilted backward and started leaking drool before she tripped and fell to the floor. Geist began to float away, cackling to herself. Elo trilled a happy goodbye to the confused clerk before following Geist, nipping at one of the cones she was holding.

Sweeth tooth satisfied, the Ghost turned her eyes toward the rest of the stadium. A whole new playground to explore. Where, oh where to begin?

 

[Dogmatic99]

Danny was about to try and come up with something totally manly and cool, what with having his chest puffed out and his arms crossed all serious style he had no doubt that had some girls been watching they would have swooned at the sight of him boldly staring down the yawning maw of a fully grown Gyarados and its titan of a rider. Girls did actually swoon, right? Problem was their epic moment came crashing down around him, along with Dante Pace. The older trainer landed in a twisted heap, his limbs all splayed in ways Danny didn't even know limbs could splay in. Startled as he was Danny quickly forgot any macho smack talk and just kind of stammered along with the the situation.

"Aye-yaow-oh j-areyou-whoah." He didn't really know how to finish any of the senteces he started.

Luckily Dante appeared to be a man made of steel as he leaped to his feet again as if a spine busting fall was just a warm up! This guy was tough. Danny counted his lucky Staryus that it wasn't him he was facing in the match, guy must have been built like a Machoke. He looked even more pumped than before, shaking Danny's hand with a grin full of fire an zeal. Danny kind of got lost fpr a second, trapped in awe of this speciman of sheer manliness in front of him.

"Glad to meet an up-and-comer. Where ya from Danny?"

"Uh, me?" Danny snapped back to reality, still a little unsure what the heck he wwas dealing with. "I'm from Cianwood City, been away for a while so I thought I'd sign up here before goin' for the gym challenge..." That maybe wasn't so manly.