A/N: Sorry I took so long to update this, but, as payment for the lateness, here's an extra-long chapter. First battle of the Tournament for Amari and co., woo!
The Full-Bred Phony
Chapter Six
The four Trainers sat in the hotel lobby together, sipping hot chocolate and tea. Amari was staring out the large window overlooking a dark blue ocean, the gray horizon of a dull, cloudy morning framing the body of water. A small beach with sand and long grasses rolling in the wind took up the expanse of space between the ocean's edge and the parking lot of the hotel. To the east of the hotel was the makeshift PokeCenter, a dingy little shack in comparison to the hotel.
As Amari stared out the window, she heard her traveling companions discussing strategies for the Tournament. The four Trainers would have to pick only six of their Pokemon to use during the Tournament, and they were still debating a lot over which variation of Pokemon would work best. They all agreed that a balanced team was absolutely essential, but beyond that, there was no more concurrence. Yvonne was currently hacking it out with Aaron over which Fire Pokemon would be better to use: Sunny, her Ninetales, or Blaze, Geki's Growlithe.
"Sunny is an evolved form! She's got to be stronger than the Growlithe; I trained her hard with Clefi," argued Yvonne. Her voice was loud and screechy, near yelling.
"Peh," spat Aaron, "Blaze has battled and won against other Trainers before. Geki, tell Yvonne how Blaze was the reason why you earned the Rainbow Badge. Maybe she'll listen then, if she knows what her Pokemon is up against."
Geki sighed. "Stop arguing; it's not helping anything," he ordered. Yvonne and Aaron promptly shut up. "Ninetales is probably stronger than Blaze. Have Sunny enter the Tournament as our Fire Pokemon."
Aaron pouted. "Fine, but LD gets to go in over Clefable."
"What? That Loudred does nothing but make a lot of noise! How will that help us?" Yvonne roared.
Amari turned her head. "Yvonne, let it rest. Sunny's already in the Tournament; besides, Clefi isn't feeling her best, is she?"
Yvonne lowered her head. "Fine, whatever."
"Is Rover going to be in the Tournament?" Amari asked curiously. She wondered how her dog would fare against real Pokemon.
"He's a Dark type, right?" said Aaron.
"Sure, he's in," Geki approved.
"So, LD, Rover, Sunny," Amari counted on her fingers, "Who else is going in?"
"Tsunami, definitely," Aaron said before Geki could answer Amari.
Amari nodded. "Yeah, she's strong. But there are still two slots for Pokemon…Will they be yours, Geki?"
"I guess Sprout and Kamikaze will be the last ones to enter, then," he stated.
"Sure, sounds cool. So, let's see… Loudred, Ninetales, Poochyena, Wartortle, Fearrow, and Bellsprout? Sounds like a pretty good team. Don't we need a team name, though?"
"How about Team Rowan? Is that good?"
"Sure."
A moment of silence rang as they finished off their drinks. Aaron's cell phone rang, and he picked it up, speaking to someone on the other end. Amari wasn't quite sure who it was, but when Aaron hung up his phone, he told his companions, "We have our first match tonight at seven. It's against another team from the US."
"Really?" piped up Yvonne.
"What's their team like?" inquired Amari.
"All I know is that we're facing off with Team Spark of the USA at noon. That's what the Tournament manager told me," Aaron stated matter-of-factly. "But we'd best choose who's going to act as the representative for our team at the match."
"Me! Most definitely me!" Yvonne declared. Not wanting to argue over another issue, the team just decided to stick with it. Yvonne would have to do her best while they helplessly watched her efforts from the sidelines.
"And now, the final preliminary match-up of the West Division, Team Rowan of the USA versus Team Spark of the USA! Representing Team Rowan, Trainer Yvonne and her team of Ninetales, Loudred, Poochyena, Wartortle, Bellsprout, and Fearrow," announced the announcer exuberantly. Amari clapped her hands and shouted; Aaron cheered beside her, and Geki looked on the scene below, uncharacteristically tense.
"And, representing Team Spark, Trainer Leah and her team: Jolteon, Pichu, Elekid, Magneton, Chinchou, and Mareep." A burst of applause from the other side of the battle stage erupted, and cheers such as "Thunder 'em into oblivion!" and "Thunderbolt them before they know what's happened!" were heard over the loud cheering.
"Now," said the announcer, trying to build suspense, "the referee will explain the rules."
The referee stood in the center of the arena; Yvonne was on one end, Leah from Team Spark on the other. Raising his arms to draw attention, the referee began to speak. "This battle will be a six-on-six battle. No items may be used. Pokemon may be switched out only after a previous Pokemon has fainted. When all six of a Trainer's Pokemon have fainted, the Trainer with Pokemon left standing is the winner. In the event of a draw, a seventh Pokemon will be chosen from each team and used to battle in a one-on-one sudden death match. Cheating of any type will not be tolerated. Am I understood?"
Yvonne nodded her head eagerly. The tension was mounting, and the battle hadn't even begun. Yvonne's opponent looked just as determined as Yvonne, face emotionless and eyes concentrated.
"Well, then, begin!" shouted the referee. The spectators applauded as the two Trainers released their first Pokemon.
"Sunny, go!" Yvonne released her Ninetales, the beautiful Pokemon landing gracefully on the floor of the arena.
"Jolt, you're up first," said Leah as she let an intimidating Jolteon out of its Pokeball. Electricity sparked through its jagged yellow fur. "Jolt, let's finish this quick. Thunderbolt!"
The Jolteon charged up its electrical attack, yellow sparks jumping over its body. "Jolteon!" it screeched as it unleashed a savage thunderbolt towards Ninetales.
"Sunny, use Quick Attack to dodge it," ordered Yvonne confidently. Sunny started to run forward and then flashed out of sight, reappearing not that far away from Jolt, slamming into the Pokemon. "Now," Yvonne continued, fists clenched, "Use Fire Spin to trap Jolteon."
Taking a deep breath, Sunny unleashed a wreath of fire that encompassed Jolt on all sides. Jolt growled angrily, tearing its head from side to side, looking for an escape. There was none, though. Jolt was at Sunny's mercy.
"Jolt, concentrate!" The Pokemon's ears picked up, and it looked to its Trainer for instructions. "Try a Thunder Wave," Leah ordered. Bearing its teeth, the Pokemon charged electricity again and rushed Sunny. Jolt yelped in pain as the fire licked its side, scorching its jagged fur. The Jolteon crashed into Sunny; Sunny screeched and toppled over. Panting, the Jolteon collapsed as well. Its underside was singed; it had a burn that has weakened it considerably.
Sunny wasn't faring much better. She hadn't moved anything but her eyes since colliding with Jolt. The powerful Thunder Wave had paralyzed her. "Sunny! Come on, you can do this!" called Yvonne. Struggling greatly, Sunny finally opened and closed her mouth. It wasn't much, but it was something.
Leah, the opposing Trainer, recognized that her Pokemon was severely weakened, so it wouldn't be able to do much. "Be quick while it's still down, Jolt. Thundershock attack!" Electricity leaped from its fur and towards Sunny's body.
"Ninetales," Sunny cried in pain. Jolt's teeth were gritted, but it was utterly tired out; it collapsed again, licking at its burn.
"Sunny, you've got to protect yourself! Use Ember attack," declared Yvonne, concern evident in her voice. She didn't want Sunny to be hurt too badly. And her team was relying on her, too.
Inhaling slowly, Sunny spat a fireball at her opponent. Crying out, the Jolteon collapsed one more time. It did not get up again.
"Jolteon has fainted!" declared the referee.
"Trainer Leah of Team Spark must use a new Pokemon now," observed the announcer as Leah recalled Jolt and sent out a Chinchou. The dual Water/Electric Pokemon's antennae glowed in eagerness.
"Chou! This Pokemon's really weak, and we've got a type advantage. Finish your opponent with Water Gun!" commanded Leah. The Chinchou walked up to the paralyzed Ninetales, uttered a single "Chou" and squirted Sunny in the face with a blast of water. Sunny promptly fainted, having taken too much damage from her previous opponent.
"Ninetales has fainted," the referee stated.
"You did really well, Sunny," Yvonne said softly as she recalled her Ninetales. Looking over the Chinchou, she thought it over hard. Finally, she picked a Pokeball off her belt. "Sprout," she said, staring down at the Pokeball, "I know I'm not your Trainer, and that I'm not all that experienced, but I need your help."
The Pokeball opened and released the small flower Pokemon from its containment. The Bellsprout spread its leaves, opening its mouth wide, awaiting orders. Yvonne was about to give an instruction when Leah cut in with a, "Chou! Spark attack!"
The electric attack sizzled from the Chinchou's antennae, streaking rapidly and viciously through the air towards Sprout. Upon colliding with Sprout's body, it sparked over Sprout's stem and leaves, leaping all over Sprout's tough outer covering. Sprout, impervious to the attack, just tilted its head and looked curiously over at the Chinchou that had attacked it.
"What?" Leah practically yelled, furious.
"Ha, that's right!" declared Yvonne. "Electric attacks have no effect on Grass Pokemon. Sprout, Vine Whip!"
Sprout charged the Chinchou, striking at its sides with short vines that extended from its body. The Chinchou yelped out in pain, curling in a ball to defend itself as best it could, trying to escape the vicious vines by creating as small a target as possible. But Sprout was as accurate as ever; she may have looked weak, but Geki had trained her well.
"Yes, Sprout! Nice job!" cheered Yvonne as the Chinchou fell over in a complete faint.
"Humph," Leah said indignantly. "Well, if you're going to play type-immunity, then so can I. Magnet, go!" The three joined Magnemites that made up a Magneton emerged from Leah's Pokeball, emitting metallic sounds as well as some beeps for good measure. The six horseshoe-shaped magnets attached to it by a magnetic field waved around enthusiastically, ready for battle.
Yvonne clenched her teeth. Both Grass and Poison moves were no good against Steel type Pokemon; Leah had recognized this and used it to her advantage. The only other moves Sprout knew were Normal type, and those weren't good against Steel either. The only hope would be to put the Magneton to sleep with Sleep Powder and hammer away at the Magneton until it fainted or until it woke up and knocked out Sprout.
"Magneton! Don't be afraid of that joke-for-a-Pokemon; it can't hurt you. Go ahead and Sonicboom it," shouted Leah. Magnet swung its magnets around, summoning up a swirl of energy. The Sonicboom whirled in the air of the battlefield and tore its way to Sprout. Sprout tried to avoid it, but it still hit. Though the attack hadn't appeared to do much damage, it still was damage inflicted; and thus, it would continue. "Again, Magnet!" called Leah. The Magneton repeated its previous actions, readying another Sonicboom to be fired at Sprout.
"Sprout, this can't continue! Put that over-confident Sonicboomer to sleep with Sleep Powder!"
Sprout spoke its acceptance of the plan with a sharp, staccato "Bellsprout!" It sent flurries of the powder from its skin to where Magnet hung in midair. The cloud of the sleep-inducing dust was all consuming and inescapable; after a minute, when the cloud cleared, Magnet was asleep, hovering calmly over the ground.
"Magnet, wake up," called Leah irritably. The Pokemon snoozed on, oblivious to its Trainer's frustrated shouts or the spectators' gasps at the sudden turn of events.
"Hmm," mused Yvonne, "Sprout's attacks will barely affect that Magneton…If only there was a way to make it so that her attacks are stronger…"
The Bellsprout turned around, drawing the attention of its substitute, temporary Trainer. It waved its leaves around and chanted "Bellsprout!" as if speaking to Yvonne. Sprout then closed its eyes; at first, nothing happened, but then its leaves grew larger. The Pokemon opened its eyes again, staring directly at Yvonne as if it was seeking her approval.
Yvonne grinned. "Of course! How could I forget the Growth technique? Sprout, keep using your Growth technique until you feel you're strong enough to inflict some major damage on that Magneton."
The Pokemon turned back to the still sleeping Magneton, but did not focus on its opponent; rather, it focused on itself, utilizing its Growth technique to gain strength as the Magneton slept on.
"Magnet!" Leah kept calling furiously. The Pokemon would not awaken, no matter how much or how loud she pleaded with it and yelled at it. She was just making a fool of herself in front of all the spectators; she had to think up a new strategy, but that didn't look very promising at the moment. She would have to wait it out until the Bellsprout attacked Magnet; hopefully, the impact would cause the Pokemon to wake up.
Amari stared on at the battle in amazement; Yvonne was doing pretty well, considering the circumstances. She was impressed with the battle so far. Leah and Team Spark looked to be good competition, but she had faith in Yvonne and the Pokemon of Team Rowan.
"Keep it going, Sprout!" called Geki, swelling with pride for his beloved Pokemon.
Amari smiled. "Sprout's quite intelligent, isn't she? You raised her well."
Geki nodded, a faint grin on his face. "Sprout's not one to be underestimated," he commented in agreement.
Back on the battlefield, Sprout opened its eyes and glanced up at Yvonne. Its leaves were significantly enlarged and strengthened, enough to do plenty of damage to the opposing Magneton. "Sprout," Yvonne said calmly, "are you ready to try it? How about a Razor Leaf, then!"
"Bellsprout!" bellowed Sprout, firing a flurry of leaves at its adversary. The leaves left several scratches on the Magneton; it tumbled around in its sleep, but didn't wake.
"Again, Sprout! This time, try focusing in on one particular spot," directed Yvonne. Sprout let loose another flurry of leaves, but these ones weren't just randomly slicing at Magnet. Rather, they were aimed, accurate; they sliced away at one particular scratch on the Magneton's body, eventually cutting deeply into the Pokemon's side. Magnet screeched and awoke, angered and gone crazed from pain. It fired shot after shot of electricity at Sprout, who blocked the sparks with its leaves.
"Try a Vine Whip, Sprout," Yvonne advised. The Pokemon lashed at the frenzied Magneton with vines that extended from its body. The vines whipped at the deep gash Sprout's Razor Leaf had already inflicted.
Magneton, confused and considerably weakened already, couldn't handle another blow. It crumpled to the ground. Yvonne gave a shout; in the audience, Geki was clapping earnestly, yelling, "Sprout, that's two down! Three more to go!"
Suddenly, a coat of bright light covered Sprout's entire body. The Pokemon's outline changed and contorted, and slowly the light faded. Where a successful Bellsprout had stood before now sat a newly evolved Weepinbell. The audience burst into applause; it was rare to see a Pokemon evolve during battle. But back in the stands, Geki sat, his expression of pride and joy completely gone.
"Sprout…evolved?" Geki said slowly.
Amari looked at him with concern. "What is it?"
"It's just that, no matter how much I trained with Sprout, and no matter how happy she was, she never evolved. She didn't evolve for me, but she evolved for Yvonne. It's kind of…weird to know that your Pokemon changed so drastically without you being there to guide it and help it become accustomed to its new body. I trust Yvonne, but a fierce battle such as this, and without her real Trainer, Sprout might have some trouble." He paused, biting his lit. "I'm worried," he admitted honestly.
"Cheer up!" laughed Aaron, patting Geki on the shoulder. "Here, have some popcorn." Amari's attention shifted back to the battle.
"Go, Elekid," cried Leah as she released the small electric Pokemon into the battlefield. The Pokemon sparked, healthy and set for battle. Though it wasn't evolved, it would still be a tough opponent; Leah had raised Elekid herself, and taught him a set of valuable moves through TMs.
"Sprout! Um, Weepinbell? Whatever. Just use your Acid attack!" Sprout fired a burning acid out of its mouth; the acid landed on Elekid's delicate body and caused a deal of damage. "Again! Acid attack."
"Block it with Light Screen, Elekid!" shouted Leah. The acid was deflected as a shield appeared in front of Elekid. "Now, use Psychic." Elekid closed its eyes and sent a wave of sheer psychic energy at Weepinbell. The Pokemon, being a Poison type, wasn't immune to the attack; it survived the blow, but just barely.
"Quick, Sprout, finish Elekid off with Razor Leaf," shouted Yvonne. Sprout, having recovered from the psychic blow, shot a cluster of leaves at Elekid. The leaves, rather than being blocked by Light Screen, went around the shield; Sprout had enough smarts to know to direct the leaves around the shield, hitting the opponent fiercely. Though Elekid was a speedy and strong attacker, it had a very low defense. It fainted upon impact with the leaves.
"Unbelievable," muttered Geki.
"That Pokemon is ridiculously good!" declared a girl sitting behind Amari, Geki, and Aaron. She had a British accent; she was dressed very nicely, and had a pair of frameless glasses on that made her appear incredibly intelligent.
"Huh?" Amari said, turning around, her eyes prompting the British girl to continue.
Adjusting her glasses, the girl said, "That Pokemon right there can formulate its own winning battle strategies, as shown when it took on the Magneton, so it's incredibly analytical, a wonderful strategist. It takes into account its opponent's moves, such as that Elekid's Light Screen, and finds ways to overcome them. Notice how it aimed its leaves around the Light Screen? Also, though most Pokemon are incredibly awkward immediately after evolution, due to their unfamiliarity with their body, this Weepinbell just picked up right where it left off and seems unaffected by the evolution. If anything, it's much stronger, and must more resistant to attacks as well, seeing as how it survived that Psychic attack. It's a smart, strong Pokemon. Makes me wish I was its Trainer."
Geki rounded on the girl, glaring at her. "I'm Sprout's Trainer," he told her. His voice was emotionless, without intimidation or humility, but his eyes said it all: he was furious. Sprout was his Pokemon; no, not just Pokemon, but friend. At least, they had been friends when Sprout had been a Bellsprout. Sprout seemed to have changed greatly since its evolution not that long ago, and it concerned Geki.
"Really," commented the British girl, her eyebrows rising. It was a sort of challenge, but for what, Amari didn't know.
Geki kept his cool, the heat in his gaze dampening down. "Yes. She's very smart." He turned back around in his seat and kept focused on the battle, where Leah had released her Mareep. Aaron was oblivious to the entire exchange, cheering on Sprout as she dominated the battlefield yet again; Amari, feeling strange, shrugged.
"Elizabeth, Team Quintessence," the girl introduced herself as before Amari could turn away.
"Amari, Team Rowan," Amari returned.
Elizabeth smiled, but it wasn't a warm smile. "American, are you?"
Amari nodded, very much disliking the awkwardness of the encounter.
"I'm from England, in case you're wondering," Elizabeth informed Amari.
"Nice meeting you," Amari muttered before quickly turning back to the battle.
"What did I miss?" she asked Geki. Wordlessly, he thrust his hand out, his index finger pointing at a Mareep that was toppling over.
Amari gasped. "The Mareep fainted that quickly?"
Geki nodded, frowning. He rubbed his temples, watching as Yvonne and Sprout finished off the battle against Leah's last Pokemon, Pichu. The Pichu managed to finally knock out Sprout with a Mega Punch. The Weepinbell had been significantly weakened from all its battling, but it had done well.
"Sprout, you did awesome," Yvonne said softly as she recalled the powerful Pokemon back into its Pokeball.
Back in the stands, Amari remarked, "Wow. That was something."
"Sprout completely dominated! You've got awesome Pokemon, Geki!" exclaimed Aaron enthusiastically.
Geki opened his mouth as if to speak, but he shut it as the girl behind them spoke again.
"What a disappointment," muttered Elizabeth, wiping her glasses on her shirt. "To think that such a brilliant, evolved Pokemon as that couldn't even beat a Pichu, of all things…"
Geki spun around, anger finally evident on his face. "Sprout took out four strong Pokemon! How is she a disappointment? And her evolution had nothing to do with it; it was hard work and training that made her strong," he spat.
Amari's eyes widened. She had never seen Geki like this; it was obvious that he was upset about Sprout, but she didn't know that it had affected him that much. He really loved his Pokemon, she realized, even if he didn't display much emotion that often.
Elizabeth smirked. She had Geki right where she wanted him. "How would you know what makes Weepinbell strong? It didn't even evolve for you. And now it's different from the Bellsprout you knew. Are you certain you are a qualified enough Trainer to handle Weepinbell?"
Amari was certain that Geki would be confident, strong, calm; that he would tell Elizabeth off, saying that it was love, not power, that determined how qualified a Trainer was. But he shocked her yet again. He lowered his head, wordless. Amari was about to comfort him, but Aaron interrupted her thoughts.
"Amari, look! Rover is battling now!"
"What?" she said, eyes tearing to the battlefield. Sure enough, Rover was out, jumping this way and that to avoid Pichu's electric attacks.
"Rover, Faint attack!" yelled Yvonne. Rover ignored Yvonne, continuing to run around the field to dodge the electric attacks. The dog whimpered and whined, running circles around the Pichu. Trying to follow the dog, the Pichu grew dizzy and fell over. It was a delicate Pokemon, so the fall did a lot of damage to it. But it still hadn't fainted yet.
Rover had stopped, trotting lightly over to the dazed Pichu and sniffing it with his wet nose.
"Rover, finish it off while you can! Why aren't you listening to me?" shouted Yvonne.
Amari grimaced, wishing she had trained more with Rover. He only knew three moves, but Yvonne didn't know that.
"Use Faint attack! Or Sand attack? What about Crunch…?" Yvonne stared at Rover, puzzled. Why didn't this Pokemon follow her orders?
"I know! He used Bite against Tsunami in that one battle… Rover, Bite!" Rover jerked his head over at Yvonne, wagged his tail, and turned back to the Pichu. He gave the small Pokemon a good chomp in the stomach. Pichu finally lay completely limp; it has passed out.
"Rover beat Leah's last Pokemon! Yvonne did it! We're advancing to the next round!" shouted Aaron, standing up and cheering loudly. Geki stayed in his seat, eyes distant; but he clapped his hands all the same, to show a little bit of gratitude towards Yvonne. Amari's mouth gaped open, surprised that her dog had actually beaten a Pichu.
"C'mon, guys! We're celebrating tonight with the other Teams that won!" She and Aaron ran down and congratulated Yvonne, losing Geki in the crowd.
"Don't worry about it, I'm sure he'll catch up," Aaron assured her when she brought it up. Yvonne and Aaron dragged her off to socialize with the other winning teams. Everything from that moment on was a blur as Amari battled the countless emotions inside her: shock, elation, apprehension, eagerness, smugness, anger, and worry for the newly evolved Weepinbell. Even through all the festivities, she couldn't help but notice how Geki was mysteriously absent from the celebration, never showing up once.