Printable Version of Topic

Posted by: 2gamers Jun 19 2010, 10:46 AM

*Beep Beep Beep*

Pan scrounged around for her poketch, her eyes half-open. The alarm had just woken her up after a very good night’s sleep. Most of her days in Furoh ended with couch surfing at local pokemon centers (or sleeping outside), sometimes not even changing clothes. Last night however, Pan entered the Arasam Pokemon Center, complete with two stories of rooms. Each room had its own fluffy bed and full bathroom, perfect for a nice refresh after a long journey. This also meant sleeping in more comfortable sleepwear: a long red T-shirt emblazoned with the emblem for the Cinnabar Burger House. Still, she felt really good; would it be so bad if she spent the rest of the day in bed?

Pan turned to the other side to see her pokemon. Turnip, being a venusaur, was far too big to fit in the tiny room, so he was still within his pokeball. Her growlithe Fenrir was lying at the end of the bed, playing the role of Pan’s foot warmer. Chi-Chi was using Pan’s vest as a hammock, the pachirisu hanging off the bathroom door handle. Her baltoy Pivot was simply floating in a corner. Strangely, the baltoy had a bucket on top of its head, perhaps from a certain cleffa. Speaking of which, where was Lima? Pan looked around to see that the door was ajar. She must have gotten out.

“Crud,” Pan muttered, quickly getting out of bed. After checking underneath the bed, she slipped on a pair of denim shorts and headed downstairs for the pokemon center.

“Fenrir, watch my stuff. I’m going to see what Lima’s up to.”

The growlithe stretched out as he waited for Pan to come back.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Pan walked into the lobby, she found it practically empty with the exception of one star-shaped pokemon. Lima was sitting on the floor with a bowl of sugary cereal, her eyes directed to the TV. On the screen, a trainer had just finished a juggling performance with his exeggcute. The audience was cheering and clapping in response, something that intrigued the cleffa. She imagined herself on stage, being the center of attention. Her little grin caught Pan’s eye; what was she thinking?

“Alright you,” Pan said, causing Lima to turn her head towards her human, “You shouldn’t be sneaking out of rooms like that!”

Pan spoke in a stern voice, but she certainly wasn’t screaming at the top of her lungs. Still, Lima looked quite sad, looking up to Pan with watery eyes. Not wanting to make a scene, Pan sighed and sat cross-legged on the floor. Lima sat upon her lap, pointing at the TV. Flashing on the screen was the Arasam Contest Hall.

Ever since she heard of Darryn’s recent contest exploit, Pan was a bit curious as to what he does. How long was the training? What happened behind the scenes? Who was this Troy he’d been hanging around with? What better way to find out than to join in on one of these contests?

“You want to try a contest? Be on stage?”

“Cleffa cleffa cleffa!” Lima said excitedly, pointing at the screen for emphasis. Pan nodded and kept watching the contest performance.

Posted by: Douken Sota Jun 19 2010, 01:38 PM

Morning soon arose, along with the male trainer. With a quick morning stretch, he looked around the room, saying, "Good morning, guys," as Growlithe and Duskull began to wake up. Seel and Croagunk had to be treated from last night's combat, so he left them with Nurse Joy for the night, not to say the other two didn't have a check up. "Just relax, you two. I'm going to take a shower." Duskull went back to sleep, but Growlithe pawed at the door. "Alright, but behave yourself," he said as he opened the door, which had Growlithe dart right out to the lobby as Douken went for a quick wake-up shower.

Douken's Growlithe charged right past Pan's room, the set of stairs, into the main center where Pan and Cleffa were watching television, and, without any control of his speed, charged right into the front desk.

It was then the doors slid open as a pink-haired "clone" walked in. "Ah, good morning," Nurse Joy said to Pan as she walked to the back room, closing the door behind her. Then, the door opened again and it seemed she walked back out, complaining about the night shifts as she left, yet she also went behind the counter to check the logs on the computer to see what happened last night (after looking at the pup whose face was on the desk).

After a couple minutes, Douken and Duskull came from the staircase that led to the rooms, his hair still wet and laying flat on his head as he walked to the counter. "Good morning. I am here to pick up my Pokemon."

"Oh? Let me see..." checking the computer, only one name seemed to register Pokemon left overnight. "I take it you are Douken Sota then, who left a Croagunk and Seel?"

"That would be me."

"Okay. Give me one moment," she told him before heading to the back room.

As Douken waited, he headed for Pan, who had in her lap a Cleffa. "Morning, Pan. Sleep well?"

Posted by: 2gamers Jun 19 2010, 10:58 PM

Judging from the young growlithe’s sudden appearance, Pan guessed that Douken was on his way. He was likely preparing for the upcoming gym match, though perhaps he might be interested in doing a contest before then.

“It was better than sleeping on the ground,” Pan replied with a smile. “Come sit down and watch this.”

She patted the ground next to her, indicating the spot Douken was to be seated. The program was showing a replay of the previous appeals match, the trainer juggling exeggcute in slow motion. Lima looked quite excited, pointing to the performers as well as the cheering audience members.

“It’s a contest. From what I can tell, there are two parts: an appeals round and a double battle. The appeals round looks like a fancy talent show: you and one of your pokemon perform an act,” she pointed to the match on screen, “and get judged. If your score is 35 or over, you move on to the doubles match. The doubles match is just that, but you win based on how well your pair of pokemon work together.”

The cleffa nodded in approval of Pan’s explanation. She looked between Pan and Douken to see what they thought of the event.

“Lima here really wants to try one out, but I’d hate to enter that competition alone…”

Pan looked at Douken with pleading eyes. If this were going to happen, it might as well be a group affair. Besides, she didn’t want to be the only newb participating.

Posted by: Douken Sota Jun 19 2010, 11:26 PM

"I see," he said as he watched. "I guess I can give it a try, but when it comes to making attacks look fancy, I can only think of Seel off the top of my head. Croagunk jsut seems to love a good fight, not making it look good, and my ADD pup of a Growlithe, I doubt has the focus for it," he chuckled as his pup ran up to him, Douken ruffling up his collar. "Seel does love attention, though, and I'm not completely sure if Duskull would enjoy it."

Duskull, hearing everything, landed on his head and told him, "Sounds like fun to me!"

Douken laughed at the comment and said, "Alright, alright. I will put you in." Looking back at th television, he noticed they never repeated anyone, just one for appeal and two for battle. "Guess I need a third then. Guess Growlithe can be my third then, if he can focus..."

It was then Nurse Joy walked up to the two, Croagunk and Seel next to her. "Here you go, sir. These two are all better, however, it seemed that Croagunk's blood pressure was very high recently, though it is now back to base level," she told him as she handed him the receipt, which had data on all four Pokemon.

Douken could understand why. It was the Ursurang from yesterday that placed him on edge, and most likely returning to normal meant he had calmed down from it. "Thank you," he said, taking the sheet of paper to look it over, and his teammates heading for his sides.

Nurse Joy took a look at the screen and felt like asking, "I take it you plan on entering the contest here in town?"

Posted by: 2gamers Jun 20 2010, 09:05 AM

Pan felt that Douken was unsure of his choices in pokemon, particularly the growlithe.

“I’m sure we’ll have enough time to train,” Pan added. “If nothing else, it will give you an idea on how well your team will perform come the gym match.”

Soon after her comments, the nurse appeared to inform Douken about his pokemon. It wasn’t particularly strange that blood pressure would rise during a time of stress (i.e. a battle). What Pan found unique in this case was that the croagunk was still stressed well after the fighting was over. Her friend wasn’t kidding about his pokemon’s fear of ursaring.

Pan’s thoughts refocused on the contest as Joy asked about their intent to join.

“That’s the plan,” Pan replied. “Lima wants to try it out, and I’m a bit curious myself.”

“Well just so you know, the next contest is this evening,” the nurse said, “so start preparing!”

“Tonight?!” Pan commented, shocked by how soon it was. “I guess we don’t have a lot of time. If you excuse me, I need to get ready.”

Pan held her cleffa as she went back to her room to get dressed. She allowed Lima to take her bowl of cereal with her; breakfast was an important meal after all. She was not aware that it was the cleffa’s third bowl…
-----------------------------------------------------------

Pan came back down in her normal attire, ready to find a good training place. Chi-Chi was nestled safely inside Pan’s vest, while Lima was having a blast riding on top of Fenrir. The cleffa giggled wildly, bouncing around as the growlithe followed his human into the computer room.

The pachirisu, wanting a ride herself, left her “nest” and hopped on behind the cleffa.

“FasterFasterFaster!” cried Chi-Chi, wanting to race around the room.

“No, we’re going to walk, because we don’t run inside, correct?” Fenrir maintained his walking speed around the computer room, though the cleffa was having loads of fun nonetheless.

Posted by: Douken Sota Jun 20 2010, 12:26 PM

AS Pan went off to get dressed, Douken went to talk to his teammates. "Alright, I think today will be used for a nice change of pace, alright?" He pointed at the screen to show what was going on before it hit a commercial break. "Croagunk, i don't see you doing these sorts of things, so you can rest this one out. Besides, the doctor says you need a a day to relax as well. Seel, you will be opening for us on the appeal stage. It won't be a battle, but you will use you attacks to gain attention. Duskull and Growlithe, you guys will be in a Double Battle together if we get past Round 1. Alright?" Everyone let out a cheer (Croagunk's cheer was his usual blank stare as his cheeks puffed, so it was hard to tell if he was excited or not) at Douken's words as he smiled, and said, "Well then, let's get to work!"

AS Pan went over to the computer room, Douken went outside to hear some commotion, sounding like a battle. Curiosity on hand, Douken ran over to check it out, using time he could use for training to watch a battle.

It seemed the battle was a kid using a Jolteon versus an adult who seemed to of been cosplaying as Palkia (very poorly, might I add)using a Porygon-Z. It was mid-battle, so a lot of moves were made, but a few things were catching his eye. First off was the blue hue that surrounded the field, and the next was how slow Jolteon was moving! It was like a movie where they had him run in slow motion to make it more dramatic, but the other's Porygon was amazingly fast! In the end, it was Jolteon that fell and the blue hue faded away.

"Hey, mister," he called out to the cosplayer. "What was that blue hue just now?"

The odd man looked over and said, "That, my interested friend, is called Trick Room! With it, your Pokemon messes with the fabrics of reality, altering speeds of those around you. As you saw, it can make the fastest of Pokemon move as slow as a Wurmple, but the slowest move as fast as a Ninjask!"

"So, in other words, it messes with speed so slower Pokemon are faster and vis versa..."

"Exactly! With something like that in someone's arsenal, they can mess with the tempo of anyone! Since you were so curious to ask about my magnificent ability, I want you to have this!" Digging into his backpack, he pulled out a CD and handed it over. "This disk holds all you need to know about learning Trick Room, just remember not everyone can learn it. And now, for the next battle!" he cried.

Douken, a little nervous backed away from him with disk in hand back to the Pokemon Center, thinking, "So, how does this teach someone a move?"

As he entered the Pokemon center once more, staring at the Disk, Nurse Joy said, "Excuse me, Mr. Sota. If you are planning to enter a contest, you have to get registered, unlike gym battles where you just walk in. Now if you can get your friend, we can get you all set up."

With his focus broken from the disk, he nodded and looked in the direction of where she went. "Hey Pan, Nurse Joy wants to see us..."

Posted by: 2gamers Jun 21 2010, 09:35 AM

As soon as she gathered the printed papers, Pan headed towards Douken. Nurse Joy was preparing two computers for the registration process.

“Just fill out these boxes and you’ll be all set,” she said with a smile. As the nurse walked off, Pan seated herself and began filling in the form. The first part was basic information: name, contact info, waivers, etc. When it came time to fill out the background and choose pokemon, she had to pause. She didn’t really have any background in contests, so she simply put “first time in contest.” Pan wondered if she should add her friendship with Darryn in there, but decided not to. It might’ve come off as showing off. Besides, she didn’t want the extra attention that came with the association with a rising star.

Choosing pokemon proved to be a bit more difficult. In addition to choosing, Pan also had to type in their “style”. She had yet to see exactly how they would perform during practice, so this took a bit of guessing. It was clear that Lima fell into the cute category and was going to be in the Appeals round, but doing what exactly? The way Pan imagined it (During the brief moment between haphazardly declaring to enter and actually entering), the two would perform a singing routine. She had a thing for karaoke back in school, and if she could manipulate Lima’s abilities just right, it may be enough to get them to the second round.

For the battle round, Pan figured her strongest pokemon, Turnip and Fenrir, would do the trick. She had a glimpse of their teamwork back in the Underground. With a little bit of polishing, they should at least put on a good show. Her chances of winning were pretty slim, but the main goal was to give Lima a chance to shine on stage. That being said, Pan would love having a ribbon to rub in Darryn’s face. She smiled as she thought of his shocked face and finished the form.

“You done there, Douken?” Pan asked. “We should really find a place to train.”

When Douken was finished, Pan and her pokemon led the way out of the pokemon center and into the city.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

The city of Arasam was built with the mountain’s vast reserves of slate. Though every business and office building had the same color of stone, architects and artists put details unique to each building. There were designs carved out of the tops and paintings along the wall, a testament to their alliance with the artistic community of Gigarte. Each design emphasized individuality, but the shared color coordination promoted unity among the citizens.

There were trees and areas of grass just like any other city, but the entire eastern side consisted of the concave crater built into Mt. Carello. The western edge had the beautiful view of Furoh stretched out below the mountain. Park benches provided seating to watch the spectacular sunsets.

Pan walked beside Douken, looking around the city for interesting sights. Her cleffa was back on the ground; Pan was making her walk so she could lose some of her weight. Fenrir obliged Pan’s wishes, only permitting the pachirisu upon his back. Normally, Lima would complain, but since they were working on a contest, she held her tongue…for now.

“Ooh, I almost forgot,” Pan said to Douken. “We’ll need to dress up for this. Do you have anything formal to wear?”

As they discussed clothing options, the two came across a nice open green area, one of the parks around the city. Trees were sparse in the park, but the ones that were there were tall enough to provide decent shade for weary visitors. There was plenty of space for a couple of people to train their pokemon.

“This looks like a good spot,” Pan commented as she walked off the sidewalk and onto the grass.

Posted by: Douken Sota Jun 21 2010, 12:39 PM

Douken was not used to working on computers, and it could be shown right away. His hands hovered a half a foot over the keyboard, slowly typing away, one finger at a time as he filled in the information, most of the time having to ask Nurse Joy for help. When Pan asked when he was done, he just only reached the section that mentioned his Pokemon, taking him another ten minutes to finish up something that would be done in one.

"Alright, you two area all set," Nurse joy said, pulling out two trays to hand to them. Each tray held a card on it, an envelope, and three clear Pokeballs. "Here are your Poke-Capsules, Seals, and ID. Using them is simple. All you do is place the Pokeball inside the capsule as well as a Seal before you let them out. It adds an extra touch to when they reveal themselves to the crowd."

When Douken took his things, he was about to ask about the disk, before Pan decided to vanish, dragging him along so he wouldn't lose her.

-------------------------------------------------

"I'm a little too concerned about other things than clothing," Douken told her as they walked down the stone-carved streets, "such as how this thing here teaches someone on how to use a move..." He was tempted to poke Duskull with the disc, thinking that would do something, but voted against it in his head.

When they reached the park, Douken's Pokemon ran forward into the open area. "Okay, so then I guess we should start with the Appealing stage then?"

Posted by: 2gamers Jun 21 2010, 07:31 PM

“Hey, where’d you get the Tech Machine?” Pan asked as Douken as he examined the object. It was pretty clear it didn’t come with an instruction manual, so she looked at the object while it was in her friend’s hands. Pan looked through the middle of the CD with one eye open, making quite an odd face to onlookers.

“Maybe it’s a retina scanner. Or perhaps you need a computer. Maybe you should give it to one of your pokemon and see if they know-”

Pan’s suggestion was cut short when she spotted Lima impersonating her face as if she too were examining the CD. It was quite an amusing expression and an excellent example of her Copycat ability. This was just the trick needed to score big points with the judges.

“Let me know if you get that to work. I’m going to work on Lima’s appeal, so holler if you need help. I’d love for you to watch, but I’d much rather the performance be a surprise.” She said, winking and grinning.

Pan and Lima went towards a tree to practice within the shade.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pan was sitting against the tree trunk, facing her cleffa.

“Now, repeat after me: Dor Re Mi Fa So La Ti Doe.”

Lima, Fenrir, and Chi-Chi were quite pleased to hear Pan’s beautiful voice. The scales were sung in soprano in a nice melody that went well with the beautiful day. Chi-Chi clapped enthusiastically; if she were the hall leader, she’d give Pan a ribbon right there. What was even more surprising was Lima’s response.

“Cle Fa Cle Fa Cle Fa Fa Fa.”

Though she couldn’t say the exact words, the cleffa was able to replicate the pitch of each scale. It was a combination of the Copycat and Sing attacks, minus the sleep-inducing lullaby. Her child-like voice was a bit higher than Pan’s, but nonetheless clear and adorable. Pan laughed and clapped her hands upon her cheeks. She was really happy that Lima pulled it off.

“That was beautiful!” Pan commented, causing Lima to bounce up and down in excitement. “Now, can you a blow a kiss?”

Aiming to gain even more attention, Lima responded by bringing her hands together over her puckered lips and “releasing” a Sweet Kiss to no one in particular.

“Great! How about Magical Leaf?” Pan commanded. “This time though, I want you to pretend that this tree is me. I want the leaves to go around the tree, but don’t hit it, OK?”

Lima gave an affirmative cheer, and began the attack after everyone moved out of the way. Leaves were emerging from her palms, floating momentarily as the cleffa commanded the foliage. Unfortunately, Lima focused too much on the tree; every leaf cut into its thick bark. Chi-Chi gasped while the growlithe winced; had this been an actual contest, Pan would have been skewered.

“Er, we’ll work on that," Pan said, scratching her head as she looked at her would-be corpse. "For now, let me tell you about our act…”

Posted by: Douken Sota Jun 21 2010, 08:01 PM

"Some guy just gave it to me after I asked about an attack he used. I was interested in it, so he gave me it, without any idea on how to use it..." Douken gave it some thought, before saying, "You know what, how about we meet up at the Hall, about thirty minutes before things get started. This way, we won't see what each other are going to do." This would also give him time to talk to Nurse Joy some more.

With Douken and his team leaving, he headed back to the Pokemon Center. "Excuse me, you know how to use this?" he asked her as he went up to the desk, holding the disk up.

"A Tech Machine?" Nurse Joy asked. "Sure, but it only works on certain Pokemon. Do you know what it does and who its usable on?"

"The person who gave it to me called it Trick Room, but I really don't know..."

With that noted, the nurse typed away on her computer, looking at his team as they were out. "It seems your Duskull is capable. If you leave her with me, I can have her know it."

"Will it be in time for the contest?"

"It won't take that long. Just remember everyone gets affected by the move, so if you plan to Double Battle, then her teammate's must be used to the effects as well."

"Thanks. What say you?" he asked the Requiem Pokemon, who seemed to enjoy the idea of using the move. Returning her back to the Pokeball, he said, "We will be outside when you finish." With that noted, Douken, Seel, and Growlithe ran back outside.

"Alright Seel, you got the opening play, and this is the plan..."

Posted by: 2gamers Jun 22 2010, 07:59 AM

Pan had spent much of the morning getting Lima ready for her Appeal round. They managed to get their routine down just right. The cleffa’s focus was also improving; Pan was no longer worried about getting sliced up by magical leaves. With things looking up for their contest debut, Pan and co. took a break for lunch at a nearby food stand. Pan and Fenrir enjoyed hot dogs while Chi-Chi and Lima were eating fruit bowls (the cleffa needed the change in diet anyway). Pan released Turnip from his pokeball so he could sunbath. While the venusaur could get enough sustenance from photosynthesis, Turnip still enjoyed regular food, enjoying the pieces of fruit offered by Pan.

The growlithe was a bit taken aback by Turnip’s new form.

“Gadzooks! Did you eat a bus since I last saw you? You’re huge!”

“I evolved, you old fart,” Turnip growled.

“You’re supposed to evolve into something stronger, not wider,” the growlithe jested.

After lunch, Pan decided to turn to Turnip and Fenrir to get them ready for the double battle.

“Alright guys, we’re entering a contest tonight,” Pan said. “Though our main goal is to give Lima a chance to be on stage, it’d be really great if we could bring home a ribbon. To do that, you guys need to work together to win and put on a good show.”

Pan knew that their biggest asset would be Turnip’s vines, so she started by commanding the venusaur to start swinging the growlithe in a circle. Turnip obliged, wrapping his vines around Fenrir’s hind legs and swung him in a circle. It was a similar maneuver performed in Castle Vonmoto with Chi-Chi, only this time, Turnip was playing with fire. Of course, the venusaur seemed as though he was enjoying the move a bit too much; the growlithe was a bit dizzy upon landing.

“That was great, but try not to do it for too long,” Pan commented, not noticing Turnip's slight chuckle at Fenrir's state. “Now, we also have that charging move…”

Turnip pressed the tips of his vines on each side of Fenrir. The growlithe then started to run, held in place by the vines. Faster and faster he went, the fire building up beneath his feet. The venusaur released the growlithe, causing him to race across the park within a fiery wheel. This also left a big scorch mark across the grassy field.

“Er, perhaps we should hold off on the fire attacks for now,” Pan added, a little worried about burning the park down. “Let’s try some other moves…”

Posted by: Douken Sota Jun 22 2010, 10:57 AM

"Good job, Seel!" he cried out as she clapped to her own performance. "All you need to do now is get that aim down, and you are golden!"

AS they celebrated, Nurse Joy came out with Duskull's Pokeball. "Hope I am not interrupting, but your Duskull has successfully learned the move, Trick Room."

"Thanks," Douken said, taking the Pokeball in hand. "Perfect timing, to be honest. Thank you."

"Your welcome. Good luck with your performance," was her last words before she went back into the center.

"Alright, cmon out, Duskull!" He tossed the Pokeball into the air, and in the burst of white light, the Ghost type stood in front. "Alright now, Duskull, Growlithe, you two will be working together when it comes to the battle round, and we are going to throw the enemy for an entire loop! Duskull, show us that new move you learned. Show us how you can do Trick Room!"

Duskull's eye went from red to blue as the same color hue surrounded her body, flooding the entire area, placing Douken and Growlithe inside. Inside the field, Douken's body felt completely odd. Even the simple swing of the arm felt odd, the sensation of a slow swing being sped up, and a fast one slowed down. It was one of the ultimate adaption challenges.

"Alright you two, i want you guys to get used to how this attack feels. We master this, and we can throw anyone off!"

-----------------------------------------------

After the training, Douken let the three Pokemon to rest up inside their Pokeballs. "Guess I should head to the Hall, anyways." With everything on hand and ready (forgetting the aspect about clothes), he headed off to the Contest Hall. and waited in front of the doors for Pan. As he did, he closed each Pokeball into a Capsule, labeling each with their own Seals: a snow flake for Seel, a fire for Growlithe, and black smoke for Duskull.

Posted by: 2gamers Jun 22 2010, 04:35 PM

As the afternoon waned on, Turnip’s and Fenrir’s combos were looking pretty good by Pan’s standards. By that time there were still a couple of hours left before she had to meet up with Douken. She still needed to get dressed up, so she called off the training session.

“Great job everyone,” she told her team. “Let’s head back to the pokecenter.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pan and co. made it back to their room (strangely, she missed Douken standing outside), where she began dressing up for the contest. She made a stop at the computer room and grabbed her dress, shoes, and a big plastic case filled with cosmetics, conditioners, and other related items. The gift tag remained hanging on the handle: “From Darryn”. Though she received the box a few years ago, most of the products remained untouched. She only dragged it out of storage for special occasions (unlike Darryn, Pan did not think “Tuesday” was such an occasion). If there was a time for the budding coordinator’s magic, it was today.

“Well, here goes nothing,” Pan said, staring at a bottle of Figy Berry conditioner in her hand. This probably would have been a good time to ask Darryn for beauty tips, but she really wanted to keep this contest as a surprise.

Pan disappeared into the bathroom to shower and dress, leaving her pokemon to wonder what she could possibly be doing in there. After almost an hour, Pan emerged in her contest outfit: a purple sleeveless dress over a white long-sleeved blouse. The skirt went halfway down her thighs, while the sleeves and collar of the blouse remained uncovered. The conditioner brought a shine to Pan’s hair she hadn’t seen since…well, since the last time she used conditioner. Finally, instead of her usual boots, she wore a pair of strapped sandals. The straps extended halfway up her calves and had the advantage of keeping her toes free.

“How do I look?” she asked her pokemon. Fenrir nodded, Lima clapped her hands, and Chi-Chi whistled in response; Pan looked quite stunning. She smiled at her pokemon and went back to the cosmetic case. She grabbed a purple bag of stardust and took a pinch of the glitter. Stardust was pretty expensive (Darryn knew a guy…), so Pan was careful to use only a tiny bit in her hair. The added glitter effect contrasted with her black hair and soon attracted the cleffa and pachirisu.

“Alright, you can have some too,” Pan said, sprinkling the stardust over Lima and Chi-Chi. She then sat down upon her bed to assign seals to her pokemon. Pan quickly skimmed through the manual, placed the capsules over the pokeballs, and stuck the stickers upon the capsules. Lima received a pink heart seal, Turnip a floral seal, and Fenrir had a flame seal. She didn’t want to overdo it with the effects, so she stuck with one seal per pokemon.

“Chi-Chi, would you like a seal- oh, Chi-Chi…”

Pan looked up to see her pachirisu’s face covered in stardust. Her face looked like the moon, if the moon had a squirrel-like face on it.

“IisSUPERshiny!!!”
----------------------------------------------------------------------

After cleaning up Chi-Chi and recalling most of her team, Pan was off to the contest hall. Lima was waddling behind her, sporting a purple ballerina skirt around her waist. Pan took it off one of her toy stuffed teddiursa; she knew putting all of her things into data storage would pay off. Luckily, the doll was just as chubby as the cleffa.

The Arasam Contest Hall was the most extravagant building in the city. Decked out like a sports arena, bright lights put focus on the star-shaped ornaments and banners. Each banner highlighted the symbolic ribbon coordinators were vying for. Pan picked up Lima as they maneuvered through the lines of spectators towards Douken. She noticed that he wasn’t quite dressed for the occasion; did he decide not to enter? Whatever the reason, Pan assumed Douken would take the hint when he saw her.

“Well, what do you think?” she asked Douken, spinning around to show off her dress.

Posted by: Douken Sota Jun 22 2010, 11:09 PM

Douken smiled when Pan showed up, saying, "You look good," before it slapped him in the face that he had to get dressed up too. He spent more time working on the new skills and setting up tactics, that he completely forgot to get new clothing. "Please tell me they will let me in like this..." He really doubted it, though, but looking around, most of the males were formal to semi-formal. Maybe i just need a shirt and tie... he thought as he looked around. "Well, let's head in and register, and see if they got anything a bit last minute," he said with a nervous laugh in his voice. He doubted he had enough time to run to a store and grab some clothes before things got started.

AS they headed for the counter, Douken looked around at everyone. They all seemed to of been dressed for the occasion, stunning dresses, fancy coats. Douken had never had to dress up this fancy for anything! This almost made him glad that being a trainer had no uniform or dress code to it.

As they walked up to the desks, he pulled out his card and asked, "Excuse me, is it too late to enter now?" hoping that they were still able.

Posted by: 2gamers Jun 23 2010, 08:12 AM

“Well, I told you about the dress code,” Pan added as they went inside. “I don’t know if they’d kick you out, but the judges may frown on it.”

As the two headed inside, Pan looked around the reception area. Dozens of prospective contestants were waiting with their pokemon, while many more spectators were already heading inside for seating. Lima was waving at various people, drawing some “aww…s” and smiles from the crowd (much to her delight; she loved attention). The decorative stars and banner motif continued inside the hall, with some banners marking the areas for registration. Pan and Douken came up to the booth to confirm registration.

“To clarify, we already registered online earlier today,” Pan added. “They should be under Gibbs and Sota.”

The receptionist typed in a bunch of things into the computer program. She then turned the screen so they could confirm their registration:

“Looks good,” Pan confirmed after reading through the form.

“Great! Is there any particular music you’d like us to play?” the receptionist asked. Pan proceeded to give her a CD of the song she was going to sing.

“Alright, if you’re interested in props or accessories, our prop room is in the basement.”

The receptionist then turned to the underdressed Douken, who didn’t seem to have any other clothes with him.

“Er, the dressing rooms are upstairs. You should be able to find something in your size up there,” the receptionist said with a bit of distaste. She apparently wasn’t fond of those who came unprepared for such a challenge.

When they finished with registration, Pan addressed Douken once more.

“Hey, I’m going to check out the prop room. I’ll meet you backstage?”

With that, Pan headed to the basement of the hall.
-----------------------------------------------------------

The prop room was filled with accessories and items of all sorts. Lima was trying to grab all of them for her personal collection, but Pan kept her fingers away. That said, there were a few items Pan thought would greatly improve their appeal round. There was a medium-sized fold-up table, about (human) chest-high so that the cleffa would be more visible to the audience. There were also several hats, which reminded Pan of a certain riolu back in Castle Vonmoto. His antics were pretty cute; perhaps they could help out their act?

“Lima, I want to add a few last-minute things to our act. You up for it?” Pan asked Lima, to which the cleffa answered with a nod and a smile.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

With everything ready to go, Pan waited patiently backstage for Douken to arrive. Most of the other contestants were waiting for the show to begin. Pan could feel the pressure building in the room, yet she wasn’t nervous. After all, to her, this was just for fun. Perhaps that would be her greatest advantage…

Posted by: Douken Sota Jun 23 2010, 11:47 AM

"Mine looks good," he told the female receptionist. When she told him about an upstairs dressing room, he nodded and said, "Thank you," ignoring the ugly look she gave him. It wasn't like he was completely devoted to Contests, like some of the others here, he was just trying to help make his friend ease up a bit.

"Alright. See you in a bit, then..." he said as they parted ways again, Douken heading upstairs to the dressing room. Inside, he saw the walls were full of different coats and dresses Feeling a bit on the clock, he skimmed through the clothing in silence (minus the hangers dragging on the poles), seeing how everyone else had outfits ready.

One suit interested him enough and went to try it on. It had the basic tuxedo vest and pants, but the coat itself stood out, looking more like a cowboy coat than anything else. The only trouble was the neck piece, which was completely crooked (not saying he didn't try). With a cowboy hat to add to the piece, he looked in the mirror and told himself, "That's the best I can do, I guess..." [!]

Being all dressed up, he placed all of his regular clothes in his bag and headed down backstage, only stopping because someone offered to fix the neck piece. With thanks and good luck statements passed on by, each went their own way, Douken looking for Pan. Luckily, her dress and sparkles stood out and ran towards her. "So then, what do you think?" he grinned, giving her question back.

Posted by: Living Arrow Jun 23 2010, 03:54 PM

Troy of Arasam lounged back in the broad judge’s chair while waiting for the Contest Announcer of Furoh, Gillian Meridian, to take the stage and start the day’s events. He watched with idle eyes as the crowds around him whooped and cheered, a gaggle of girls nearby screaming and pleading for his autograph.

“Good evening, Troy.” Joy smiled softly as she seated herself next to him in the judges’ bay. “I trust you had a pleasant flight – they say all the fun is ‘mile high’ nowadays, hmm?” She raised a quirky eyebrow that confirmed her more than suggestive comment.

Troy grinned back. Hags were the best.

“Best. Flight. Ever.”

“Oh, your poor Skarmory. Let’s hope he doesn’t need any Burn Heal for the friction burns I’m sure he endured.” Joy went on, stacking the judge papers in front of her neatly.

Troy sniggered and elbowed her lightly in the arm. She stuck her tongue out at him playfully and settled in for the Contest.

“Actually, I’m rather looking forward to this.” Troy confided, running a hand through his silky black hair. “The Petropolis Contest was a blast and Darryn naturally came out on top. He’s given me ideas for combinations that I can’t wait to use on the finalists today.”

“Oh? Saw stars, did you?”

“And then some.”

Mr Contesta and Mr Sukizo plopped themselves down on the other side of Joy, reaching over to shake Troy’s hand while Gillian went through mic checks on stage. Troy checked his watch and smiled to himself - the Appeals were about to get underway.

Posted by: 2gamers Jun 23 2010, 07:45 PM

“Ooh, very Western,” Pan replied to Douken. “Is this foreshadowing for your appeal?” Pan was sincerely curious of what her new friend was up to.

As she continued talking, Pan put Lima down and started straightening out the tassels and fringes on Douken’s vest. Her fingers ran through the material, making sure they pointed downward. She may have played with the fringes a bit much, but rubbing the material between her fingers proved to be quite addictive.

“Thank you for joining the contest with me,” she said with a smile. “It’s way more fun when someone you know has your back, right?”

The coordinators around them suddenly started chattering again as the judges started seated. Pan stopped messing with Douken’s jacket to get a look at the hall leader Troy. Darryn hinted of a relationship between the two back at Castle Vonmoto. Of course, Pan would have to meet with him after the contest to get her approval. After all, Darryn would do the same for her.

“I’m going to have to talk with the hall leader after this, if that’s alright,” Pan said to Douken. “We have a mutual friend we have to discuss.”

The audience erupted in applause as the announcer stepped onto the stage. The contest was about to begin!

Posted by: Douken Sota Jun 23 2010, 08:32 PM

Douken chuckled at the Western comment and said, "I doubt it. I just picked it because it stood out and didn't look completely formal. I mean, this is the first time I had to dress up like this," and stood there as she adjusted everything to be straight and fit (and looked like a Skitty playing with string).

When she thanked him for being here, he grinned and said, "Hey, no problem. Just don't forget this is a competition, and when it comes to the field, we are opponents. I will not hold anything back."

When the commotion built up, Douken looked at the screen. Nurse Joy was obvious to recognize, but the others didn't ring any bells. However, one of them seemed to of been the center of attention. Guess he's the Hall Leader, he thought, comparing him to a Gym Leader.

"Not a problem," he said. "Who knows, maybe I will drop by as well to see how I did, and if I met him at the castle."

When the announcer took the stage to introduce everyone, his final words to her were, "Good luck."

Posted by: Living Arrow Jun 24 2010, 04:52 PM

Sixteen sets of spotlights ignited in a dazzling flare of brilliant golden light illuminating a woman at the centre of the stage, her sporty outfit and crazy curled tawny hair as one of the Meridian sisters. Gillian Meridian held her arms aloft, receiving the wall of applause like a cliff embracing the crashing sea, waving and smiling to her captivated crowd. With wave-down gestures and an appreciative, toothy smile she walked up to the front of the stage, golden mic in hand and ready to go.

“Aaaand WELCOME to the Arasam Contest Hall here atop the Magnificent Mount Carello!” Gillian near-on screamed into the microphone, a fresh wave of shout and applause being thrown down at her from the spectators in the wide hall. “Registration complete! Capsules and seals set! Co-ordinators backstage! We're set for an amazing show today but first, let’s meet our judges!

“First off, we have our Pokemon Contest Director - Mr Contesta!”
“It's great to be here!”

“Next up is the President of the Pokemon Fan Club! Mr Sukizo!”
“I’ve been told to expect something truly remarkable!”

“And the third member of the panel is our very own Nurse Joy!”
“The bond between a Co-ordinator and their Pokemon in a beautiful thing that all of us will be able to enjoy after seeing these performaces!”

Gillian waited for the dramatic cheering to die down slightly, building a little suspense before announcing the fourth and final judge.

“And for our final Judge for the Appeals Round, it’s our very own Hall Leader. Give it up for TROOOOOOY!”

It took more than a little while for the noise to calm from utter calamity to a thunderous roar but Gillian loud, clear tones were magnified over it all as she positioned herself at the side of the stage, drawing the crowd's attention to the screen above the stage.

“Keep your eyes on the screen and we’ll see the running order for the entrants! This has all been selected by impartial lottery and Co-ordinators should get into their positions immediately. So, with no further ado, here is how our evening shall play out!” Gillian announced again, a massive screen flickering to life above the stage. Photos of each Co-ordinator began appearing one by one, marking who would follow who out onto the stage for their Appeal.

A girl with dark hair styled into a neat bob, framing her smiling face flickered into poll position.

"First up, from Celadon City, it's PAAAAAN!"

Posted by: 2gamers Jun 24 2010, 07:30 PM

As her name rang through the hall, Pan knelt down to Lima to quickly straighten out her ballerina skirt.

“It’s time to show them our stuff!” she said to the excited cleffa, giving her a high-five. Pan gave a thumbs up to Douken as she took position.

Pan and Lima both took their bows amidst ecstatic applause. The cleffa took her time leaving, waving and blowing kisses at the audience and judges. Pan picked up Lima and headed off the stage to prevent further delay of the events.

Like Lima, Pan was beaming; she felt really good about her performance. Even if they didn’t get to the second round, the audience was thrilled with the song. Even better, Lima was all smiles; she was a star!

“So, what did you think?” Pan turned to Douken, still smiling from her awesome performance.

Posted by: Living Arrow Jun 26 2010, 12:48 PM

Troy slowed his applause as the first entrant left the stage and bent closer to Joy.

“She had a good voice… the girl, too.” He remarked, filing his score for the results draw. “Decent use of attacks, too. But was it Cute for a top score? That last bit was more Beautiful than Cute.”

“Combining Sing and Copycat then using a costume change was Smart.” She replied, filing her own score. “But ultimately any baby Pokemon is going to come out with a Cute Appeal no matter what they do.”

“You have a point…” Troy mused, re-adjusting himself on his judge’s throne as Gillian called on the next Co-ordinator: An old woman and her Jynx. Troy grimaced. He had never and would never give a thing like Jynx more than a 6 – didn’t people know this?!

More Co-Ordinators came and went, none standing out overly much. It went largely without incident (except for a cracked Exeggcute) and before they knew it, the twelfth entrant was priming himself backstage, waiting for the Announcer to call him forward.

“And now from across the pond on our sister island, Fidona, give it up for Douken!” Gillian threw her arm wide, the audience captivated by her presentation – whooping with excitement to see who the next Co-ordinator was and how he would make use of his Pokemon on stage.

Posted by: Douken Sota Jun 26 2010, 01:11 PM

"You did very well," Douken commented, smiling. "However, I think i did heard some people around say that you were trying to do stand out more than your Cleffa. I mean, don't get me wrong, you have a wonderful singing voice, its just, I think there is a reason why they call it a Pokemon Contest." He let off a nervous chuckle at the end of it, scratching the back of his head, as he waited for the Lottery to select him.

With his name declared, he smiled to Pan and said, "Well, look's like I'm next. See ya in a bit!" With that said, he ran to the stage.

With one final bow, Douken called out, "Thank you, everyone!" before petting the Seel's horn, soon to head back to the others as the next contestant waited behind the curtain.

Heading back to where Pan stood, he grinned and asked, "So, did you enjoy that?"

Posted by: 2gamers Jun 27 2010, 08:52 AM

“Right, it was other people that said that,” Pan replied with a smirk. She had a feeling it was more Douken’s opinion being expressed. As for her role in the appeal, perhaps there was some basis to it. Pan wanted her performance to resemble Darryn’s to better figure out what he was up to in Furoh. She wasn’t sure if she succeeded; that would be up to the judges to decide…

“Hey, break a leg,” Pan said as Douken came up on stage. She watched Douken command his seel to make an icy ring. Pan and others in the back started clapping along with the audience as the seel started flipping the ring upon her nose. After the performance, Pan was the first to congratulate Douken.

“That was great!” Pan replied to Douken, kneeling down and rubbing the seel’s horn in approval. “Frankly, that act was begging for some hoola hoop action, but I’m sure you’ll get lots of points regardless.”

With the appeals over, the coordinators waited nervously for the scores to come in. Though Pan was doing this for fun, she couldn’t help feeling a little anxious about the results. She wondered how Lima would take the news.

What Pan didn’t know was that the cleffa had wandered a few feet away, at the refreshment table. She was coping quite well with her two éclairs.

Posted by: Douken Sota Jun 27 2010, 10:13 AM

Douken gave a nervous chuckle when it came down to the "hula hoop" comment. "Its not like we didn't try it out," he replied as Seel grinned at the horn rub with her tongue out. "Some of the main problems was how fragile and heavy the ring got when it began freezing. If I wasn't next to her, the ring would of fell and shattered. If she tried hula hooping it around her neck while freezing it, it would pass through her as well as have a hard time focusing. In all, the better option for right now was to do flips with most of it with a nice coat of ice around it."

As other contestants passed by, Douken watched the screen, watching the performances go one by one, also keeping an eye on judge's expressions. Most of them seemed pretty even, especially the judge that had one line to add at the end of every performance: "Remarkable." Looks like none of them are really going to hint who was going on next.

With the appeals done with and the votes began to tally up, Douken let off a stretch. "Certainly some interesting performances, wouldn't you say?" he grinned. "Now, we wait to see who goes on, right?"

Posted by: 2gamers Jun 29 2010, 12:07 PM

“Yeah, there were some good performances,” Pan replied. “I just hope that cracked exeggcute is OK…” The gasps of the audience witnessing the performer stepping on the egg pokemon were still fresh in her mind. It was a reminder of what could go wrong without proper preparation. Still, it was a little funny when said performer fell into the audience, who proceeded to pass him around before bringing him back on stage. Pan wasn’t sure if it was planned or unplanned, but it certainly was the highlight of her evening so far.

As the votes were tallied, Pan addressed Douken’s second question.

“That’s right. Anyone who makes it past the appeals round with 35 or more points gets to challenge the hall leader. I bet it’s a tough decision- Lima!”

The cleffa came back to her human, her front and skirt covered in chocolate and whipped cream. Pan quickly grabbed some napkins and started wiping the mess off of Lima.

“No more food for you,” Pan said to her cleffa, a stern tone in her voice. “I swear you could out-eat a snorlax!”

Lima simply gave a shrug and giggled. Her stomach knew no bounds. The cleffa wondered if this food was in every contest hall. If that were the case, Lima could get use to life as a coordinator.

Posted by: Living Arrow Jul 1 2010, 10:59 AM

Troy handed his score sheets over to Gillian as she came by the judges’ desk, collating the results and calculating who, if any, of the Co-Ordinators backstage would meet him for a Ribbon Battle. The buzz of the excitement from the crowd went unnoticed by the Hall Leader as Gillian gave him the nod, indicating that at least one of the entrants had scored at least thirty-five points in the Appeals Round and so would be making their way on stage any minute.

He rose fluidly, producing a scream from the audience as he moved up to the battle stage and moved to the storage box where his Pokeballs lay. Rolling them around in his hands as he picked them, Troy thought back to the most recent entrant who had managed to take a Ribbon from him.

“Darryn…” He whispered to himself, oblivious of the hundreds of onlookers.


“And now!” Gillian took centre stage, the crowd roaring into a frenzy and the screen behind her began to flicker to life to show the scores. “What we’ve all been waiting for! Your Ribbon Battle finalists!”

The screen split down the centre, two images flickering to life on both sides. The left side showed two faces – the first a young man with messy hair poking out from under a grey cowboy hat and the second a teen girl with a bob of black hair and wide smile. And on the right…

[35]

[35]

“Woooow! Would you look at that! Two finalists getting through by the skin of their teeth!” Gillian crooned. “So, without any hesitation, let’s welcome back our friend from Fidona – Douken Sota!”

Troy groaned to himself. The kid with the audience participation actually got into the final round. What was the world coming to?! One of the others would have had to have given the kid a 10 after the low score Troy had donated...

*He’s not cut from the right cloth to get much further… let’s see how he deals with these guys…*

Troy slipped two Pokeballs from his storage counter and armed himself on the Leader’s side of the Battle Stage.

“Marowak, Skarmory! Time to face the music!”

Posted by: Douken Sota Jul 1 2010, 12:12 PM

The room was filled with suspense when they awaited the results of who would come on stage. He had no idea how experienced any of these people are, but it was obvious that they had more on their belt than this trainer, who never even thought he would be in the spot he was now. So, as he awaited for the results, he took off his glasses and began to wipe them off with a napkin as Pan cleaned up her Cleffa. "Well, I think right now, it would be a Munchlax," Douken commented to her as the announcer began speaking again, revealing the winners of appeals. Curious on who was going on, Douken placed his glasses back on his face and looked.

The screen then flickered from the camera display to the monitor's display, showing the two images of the winners with matching scores, and to Douken's surprise, it was the two newcomers, Pan and himself! "We made it!" Douken couldn't help but call out at the results before the announcer called him out to battle first. "Wish me luck," he told her as he ran out to the stage, though in all honestly, he would of prepared to gone second (just to see what his style was like).

Running back on stage, he was greeting by the cheering of the crowd as he saw Troy standing at the end of a dance floor, which had the markings of a battle arena. So I guess this is where we battle then, he thought as he walked down to the other side. he turned to face his opponent and gave him the tip of his hat before saying, "May I tell you it shall be an honor facing you tonight. However, do not expect me to hold back!"

With each side ready, Douken removed two Pokeballs from his belt, each being held inside a capsule, and held one in each hand, showing the one on the left had a Black Smoke Seal and the right had Fire. "And now, my companions, to the stage!" Douken called out, doing the same floor roll as Seel, but when the ball erupted, it let out a wall of black smoke, a red dot glowing out of the smoke. With that set, Douken tossed the other ball in the air, having it burst open as it past through, a fiery figure breaking the smoke and sliding on the floor, the Seal's effect dissipating as a Growlithe was revealed in the flames, and a Duskull from the smoke. All that was left now was the call to begin, and to see what he had.

Posted by: 2gamers Jul 1 2010, 09:16 PM

Pan looked up upon hearing Douken cheer: their faces appeared on the big screen. They had indeed beaten all comers and made it to the second round. Pan and Douken were now contending for their first ribbon. Not bad for their first time.

“Look Lima! We did it!”

The cleffa looked up at the screen and started dancing in Pan’s arms. She loved the applause, unaware that she was sharing it with Douken. As she held onto Lima, Pan shouted “Good Luck” to her friend as he accepted the challenge.

Her attention turned to the hall leader. At first, Troy didn’t seem eager to battle Douken, but he summoned his pokemon with a snazzy phrase nonetheless. He was keeping an upbeat attitude no matter what, something Pan tried to do all the time (well, most times).

“Hm, maybe that’s why he likes Troy…” Pan thought to herself.

Still, she wouldn’t get to know Troy from backstage. For now, Pan would have to stand back and watch the show…

Posted by: Living Arrow Jul 2 2010, 12:26 PM

*A Ghost and a Fire type. Not bad choices but what can they do in a Ribbon Battle? Is he even a Co-Ordinator or just a lucky one-timer? I guess we'll see...*

"It takes more than a flashy appeal to win a Ribbon in my Hall." Troy frowned across the arena. "But it might be best to wait and see how you attack... Marowak! Sandstorm! Skarmory, get inside the vortex and use Iron Defence!"

Troy's Bone Keeper held firm, swirling her Thick Club up into a frenzy, and produced a roaring cyclone of sand from her fists that ripped around her own body and into the Skarmory who had just taken flight. Trapped inside the vortex, a glittering white light emitted from the Armor Bird, cutting through the storm like sunlight through a protective canopy of trees. With a downwards swing of her club, Marowak scattered the storm to whirl throughout the battlefield, revealing a sparkling bird high over the field to dazzle the audience. In all, it apeared as though a hurricane had ended to give way to a shining moon - a sight that the audience went wild for.

Instantly, points dropped off Douken's score.

"With Sandstorm on the field, we'll see how long your Pokemon will hold out. If you thought battling in a Hall would be easier than in a Gym - you're wrong. And when you consider that I was the Gym Leader of Arasam for three years, you'll know it'll be twice as hard to beat me!" Troy taunted Douken, waiting for the Challenger to make his own first move.

Posted by: Douken Sota Jul 2 2010, 12:47 PM

The small bit of advise only gave him a bit of a grin. "That's what I want to hear! Gives me a chance to get ready! Growlithe, Flame Wheel! Duskull, Trick Room!"

AS Growlithe began to charge at the sandstorm, fire forming in his mouth, Duskull put her arms forth, producing a blue hue in her hands before it spread across the field, a grid lighting up all that touched it before fading and the area around them began to warp. Sure, it also had Growlithe seem like he slowed down, but it slowed down anything fast moving anyways.

With the Room set, Growlithe jumped and began to curl up, as if going for a Rollout, as the flames slowly curled around his body, almost like the swirl of a Poliwhirl's belly, before becoming a ball of fire rolling into the sand tornado. From the inside, it ran upon the sandy walls, a blazing trail on the outside being seen as he curled his way up, until he flew from the top and spun at the Scarmory. As he spun, the flames on his body could be seen dancing around him, almost like he was a shuriken with ten points.

Posted by: 2gamers Jul 4 2010, 08:24 PM

Due to server issues, the last two posts were deleted. Luckily, I went through my history and recovered them here:

Posted by: Living Arrow Jul 6 2010, 11:52 AM

“Skarmory, use Swift wide range, too! Marowak, use… Marowak?!”

Troy gasped as his club-wielding Pokemon staggered around blindly, completely lost to the Confuse Ray. She tottered precariously, always millimetre from toppling completely, swinging her club around limply. Then, seeming to have focused on something to the right of her, Marowak swung out hard, only to make contact with nothing and end up hitting herself in the face.

“Marowak, focus!”

*Darryn’s tactic in Petropolis can’t work here… I guess we’ll have to wait for that confusion to wear off…*

“Skarmory, do it!”

Star-shaped rays flew out from the Armor Bird’s mouth in a spray that shot down the incoming Ember and releasing the energy as powdery red-gold sparks that the audience gasped and applauded for. It seemed that this Douken fellow was all about the hard battle – the way someone would expect to see a Gym battle conducted. It did not seem, however, that his battle style had a true concept of a Contest’s points scheme nailed down. Sure, his Pokemon looked good, but how did they make Troy’s Pokemon look?

Normally, Troy would go for the hard battle and aim for a technical KO within the time limit but it would be far easier for him to hold out and decimate the challenger’s points.

“Skarmory, use Fly and keep out of reach of the opponent’s moves! Marowak… Marowak! Stop fighting yourself and use Bonemerang on the Growlithe!”

Posted by: Douken Sota Jul 6 2010, 07:24 PM

It seems the Marowak is nice and dazed, he thought as the two long range moves created a fireworks-like show in the center of the arena. Now if I can just hold out for... His thoughts were interrupted as he looked at the board. The short time limit clicked down slowly, but what surprised him was the difference in points, and how far down he was behind! How were all of those points were lost?! He knew a good looking move would reduce points, but it never did click that a nice counter would have the same effect.

With Scarmory out of range for any of his attacks, the only other option was the Marowak. "Growlithe, charge in for Bite. Duskull, assist with Night Shade!" When Growlithe began to charge, Duskull's eye glowed, projecting two balls of smoke on each side of the charging puppy, soon to take form to seem there was three. With Marowak dazed as is, her throw missed the real one, causing the one on his right to vanish. With the Bone Keeper wide open, the illusion went ahead to pass right through her before Growlithe jumped and chomped down on her arm.

It was then a sharp blow hit the back of the pup's head. The bone, acting like a boomerang, went to come back to the owner's hand, to be intercepted by Growlithe's head. His body grew limp before sliding down to the floor, out cold. "Growlithe!" He couldn't fight anymore, seeing how it took only three super effective blows to take him down. The only positive that came from this was a temporary disarmament for the Marowak, since the bone bounced away from her.

After returning Growlithe back into his Pokeball, he only had one thought. Two on one and points low... this isn't looking good...

Posted by: Living Arrow Jul 8 2010, 03:37 PM

"One minute remaining!" Gillian hollered into the microphone, the crowd going wild with her commentary. "With only seconds to go, can our challenger turn the scoreboard around with their dazzling moves, or will Troy win the day!?"

*Uh, Troy will win the day?* He said to himself, rolling his eyes sarcastically.

Marowak stumbled backwards, the Night Shade crackling into her chest like needles made of shadow. She slid to a halt, searching around frantically for her club to resume battle. Finding nothing, she regained her footing (albeit shakily) and clapped her hands together. A glowing white light immediately shone between her palms and, as she drew them apart, a staff made of bone began to appear. While her recovery took a few points from Douken, Marowak's readiness to battle faltered. Troy chewed his lip - she clearly knew as well as he did that she would have nothing to use against a Ghost type that could dodge her Ground type attacks with ease.

"Marowak, Growl!"

Finally, Troy's Bone Keeper managed to attack properly and she let out a fearsome Growl whch made the foe Duskull falter slightly. Even so, the Ghost type was on the offensive once more, a blast of black light crackling out to claim Marowak again. With a wail, the Ground type hit the deck and fell limp.

"Skarmory, take it out with Fly!" From the air, the Armor Bird sped like a bullet and struck the Duskull with an outstretched wing. An eerie scream left the Duskull as she sailed through the air but by the time the Requiem Pokemon had righted herself, the buzzer for the end of the match sounded and the scoreboard was illuminated for all to see.

"AND OUR WINNER IS OUR HALL LEADER, TROY!" Gillian announced, the crowd whooping and cheering for both sides. With the cameras rolling and Gillian informing viewers of sponsors and the upcoming ad-break, Troy quickly crossed the field to shake Douken's hand.

"That was a great battle, Douken." He said with a smile and a small nod of his head. "But your style isn't generally what's needed for Contests. Really, you should go in for Gym Battles with your strategies and the guts of your Pokemon - I know our local Leader would be pleased to have a challenger sometime soon. Excuse me, but I'll have to prep for the next match - it was a pleasure!"

Posted by: Douken Sota Jul 8 2010, 06:32 PM

"Thanks," he replied, returning the handshake. "Still, I never expected myself to get this far with little training I had for this stuff. Maybe I will just stick to the Gyms after all." With that, Duskull drifted off to his side and he patted her head. "You did wonderful, Duskull. You deserve some rest." With her returned to her Pokeball, the Trick room field began to disperse, the area around them returning to normal. "Anyways, don't let Pan throw you off," he told him. "She said she wanted to talk to you later about a certain someone, so maybe we will catch up later."

With those final words, he began to walk off stage as a camera zoomed into him as he went to the back room to grab a bottle of water, where the other contestants were at. After a quick swig of the drink, he head back to Pan before removing his hat, wiping his brow. "Man, a Double Battle alone is a lot harder than having a partner. Got to keep your eyes everywhere at once.

"Anyways, you go get ready. He is definitely a tough opponent." Placing his hat in his lap, he took the time to get a quick catch of his breath. "Man, those five minutes felt a lot longer, and yet shorter at the same time."

Posted by: 2gamers Jul 8 2010, 10:36 PM

Douken’s battle was over in a matter of minutes (as dictated by contest rules). It looked like he was taking his loss in stride. It was a good attitude to take considering he still had a gym match to attend.

“Hey, you did good out there,” Pan remarked. “Just make sure your pokemon know that. Gotta keep up their confidence before the big day tomorrow.”

When her name was called up, Pan gave thumbs up to Douken and walked up on stage. Lima followed behind her, waving at the applauding audience. While the cleffa’s confidence was high, Pan wasn’t so sure of her strategy. She was more focused on performing neat combos than on putting together moves in their proper categories (fire moves were cool, right?).

Relax, it’s just fun match-up. It’s not like we’re out to get all the ribbons. If we lose, we’ll just buy a bunch of ribbons at a store. That’ll show ‘em!

With that thought in her head, she smiled back at the audience as she waited for her opponent to reemerge.

Posted by: Living Arrow Jul 9 2010, 06:17 PM

“And now for our second Ribbon Battle of the day! Please welcome, from Celadon City, Pan back to the stage!”

Troy took a long swig of water and loosened the muscles in his neck as he made his way back to the Leader box. His opponent, the girl who had Appealed with the cute Cleffa, looked confident enough on her own side of the stage but yet again she didn’t carry the sort of swagger or grace of a true Co-Ordinator. That, however, did not mean she should be taken lightly.

*Let’s see how my latest Pokemon does with this… he may be new but he’s got a load of dazzling moves that’ll take the audience’s breath away. Of course, we’ll go with an old favourite as support…*

“Steelix, Mawwie! Time to face the music!”

In a flash of electric seals the duo emerged, Mawwie immediately leaping atop the great Iron Snake's head which reared high over the stage.

Posted by: 2gamers Jul 9 2010, 10:21 PM

Pan watched as Troy took his position. He was wearing a black sleeveless shirt with some unknown logo upon it, a pair of red pants, and some gelled-up hairstyle (Pan thought it was messy. She would never understand the fashion world). He unleashed his pair of pokemon: a mawile and a steelix. With two steel types on the field, Turnip didn’t have a type advantage to work with. This could be the venusaur’s toughest fight yet.

“Fenrir, Turnip! Let’s give these guys a show!”

Her growlithe emerged amidst the flames of his seal, while a floral arrangement of seals unveiled the venusaur. Turnip had a brief look of the flowers around him and then turned to Pan in disbelief.

“What? They make you look nice!” Pan replied. The venusaur turned back to face the opponents.

Rather than suck up to the hall leader about having a good match, Pan decided to start her inquiry of Troy. If nothing else, maybe she’ll catch him off guard.

“How’s Daz doing?” she said with a smile.

Posted by: Living Arrow Jul 11 2010, 04:55 PM

"Da-?" Troy blinked. How did she...? Unless she was... Surely not... But then again... She was from Celadon, too.

"I take it you're Darryn's 'old friend' that he talked about last time I saw him, then?" Troy asked raising an eyebrow across the field. "Funny he didn't mention you were a Co-Ordinator, too. Unless, of course, you aren't."

"Busted!" Pan laughed from across the stage, waiting as Gillian got the crowd worked up and the timer reset. "But I thought it was about time to work out why he's on this route now - he was going to be a Trainer when he left Celadon."

"And he was a Trainer when I met him, too." Troy smiled as he ran a hand through his hair with mock vanity. "But see how I changed that around. You should pick up a copy of Co-Ordinators Weekly - he's front cover with his second Ribbon, y'know?"

"A magasine cover again?! Wow, I knew he loved the media but twice!?"

"What can I say - my man's a diva."

"And so's my opponent."

"With cause."

"We'll see."

Troy grinned openly - he loved banter and this girl was a firecracker worth setting light to. As for Co-Ordinating, he was about to find out, but afterwards he'd have to grab her and take her out on the town for a drink or five. With five minutes on the clock and the timely blaring of the buzzer, Troy was immediately on the offensive.

"Steelix, Rock Polish! Mawwie, Flash Cannon on the Venusaur!"

In a whirling spin of his segments, Troy's Steelix began to shine like enormous diamonds, glitter rising up through his body to meld with the Mawile as her jaws were directed forwards and opened wide, releasing a streaming wave of silvery light directly at the the grass type.

Posted by: 2gamers Jul 11 2010, 07:41 PM

Pan was taken by surprise as the large beam collided with her venusaur. Turnip was pushed back by the blast, but he was sturdy enough to recover from the hit. Troy was starting off rough; she had to keep up if there was any hope to pull through.

“Shake it off, Turnip! Let’s show him our wheel combo!”

The venusaur shook his head to get his head back into the battle. Fenrir immediately took position front and center of Turnip. Vines quickly emerged from the grass pokemon, their tips holding the growlithe at his side. The pup immediately started to run, fire forming under his feet. As he charged, the fire grew a bit more intense.

“Aim for that steelix’s tail!”

Turnip released Fenrir, causing the growlithe to speed across the stage. A wheel of fire formed above and below him, the old pup running through it like a hamster wheel. He zoomed past the mawile in hopes of climbing the steelix like a racetrack.

Posted by: Living Arrow Jul 12 2010, 11:57 AM

Troy blinked and grinned. Charging up a Flame Wheel like that was so Cool that he wanted to give it a score right there and then! Even so, it was clearly a bad match-up for his own Pokemon and ignoring the fact that a Fire-type was on the stage could be a massive mistake. True, Steelix held an equal advantage over the canine (and was by far the physical superior) but the same could not be said for little Mawwie.

Before Steelix could react, the Growlithe was bursting up his tail and making the great Iron Snake roar angrily. Up and up the whirling fire raced, right into the path of a waiting Mawile. The crowd cheered as Fenrir scorched the Hall Leader's Steelix but Troy wasn't ready for the move to end so well for the challenger - points were already being taken from his own score.

"Mawwie! Hold down that Growlithe with Vicegrip!" Troy called out.

With a grin, Mawwie surged at the oncoming Growlithe, running down Steelix's neck and bringing her jaws about for an attack. The fire-type poured more speed into the Flame Wheel, intending to crash into the Deceiver in a two-hit combo but she had other plans. Enormous jaws clamped down hard on the Growlithe's midsection even as she continued to run down the Steelix's back. Although she did not manage to stop the Growlithe, she had slowed it.

"Great! Now, Steelix! Use Bind on the Growlithe and Mawwie!"

The crowd gasped as one as the glowing orange Iron Snake brought up his pained body to ensnare both Pokemon in a fierce grip, squeezing them hard with powerful metal muscles. Troy chuckled to himself as Fenrir whined loudly and Mawwie laughed in response. She, naturally, had a resistance to regular physical attacks like these but the dog was clamped between jaws and a glowing orange coil.

Points fell from Pan's score.

Posted by: 2gamers Jul 12 2010, 01:29 PM

Pan watched as the steelix took in his ally as well as his opponent. Soon, after, her points were down. She had to think of something quick before she lost even more points.

“I’m too old for this stuff,” Fenrir growled as his two foes worked together to crush his old bones. The only good thing to come out of this was that the orange steel coils were hot enough to activate his Flash Fire ability. His body glowed in flames, waiting to unleash its energy in a new assault. The growlithe looked over to Turnip and Pan for assistance.

“Turnip, Vine Bat! Distract that steelix!”

The venusaur obliged, unsheathing two vines out of his sides. The vines wrapped around each other to form a much thicker weapon. Turnip charged into the fray and leaped upward. His strength combined with gravity allowed the vine bat to come down upon the steelix.

“Fenrir, Flamethrower!”

With the venusaur providing a distraction, the growlithe was able to face the steelix and bellow out searing flames from his mouth. Hopefully, it would provide enough incentive for the steelix to unbind his coils.

“I think Darryn made you soft,” Pan playfully sang to Troy. It was likely a bit premature to start issuing taunts though; the night was still young…

Posted by: Living Arrow Jul 12 2010, 03:06 PM

While the 'vine bat' had regained Pan some distance on the score board, Troy wasn't surprised to note that the Growlithe's Flamethrower gave relatively little respite to the different in points - where was the Co-Ordinator-trained flare in that move? Where was the stylish flourish of flames?

"Soft!? Hah!" Troy laughed, not flinching as his Steelix unwound and toppled to the stage under the weight of Turnip. "Is this soft?! Mawwie, Flash Cannon!"

Despite being released by Steelix, Mawwie and Fenrir were still attached to each other. In truth, Mawwie was in pain from the searing heat in her jaws, but Fenrir was hardly in great shape, either. She screamed with pent-up rage, whirling her jaws and blasting out with a fearsome Flash Cannon that through Fenrir high into the air where his flame-covered body was extinguish by a wave of silver light that capture the fire and dispersed it like fireworks in night air.

"Steelix, Dragonbreath on the Growlithe!"

Segements spinning to regain purchase on the stage, the Iron Snake tilted its head back and spat free a swirling blue vortex of mystical flame toward the plummeting fire-type.

"Darryn only makes me hard, my dear." Troy snorted back across the stage, nodding to the scoreboard where Pan lost even more points.

Posted by: 2gamers Jul 12 2010, 04:43 PM

There were only moments to contemplate what to do next; Fenrir was in midair, about to suffer Steelix’s attack. In her past adventures, Pan always had to think fast. Usually, the consequences were a bit more severe than a lost match. Within seconds, Pan was recalling her high school chemistry. She also remembered messing up on several questions, so her next move would be an awfully big risk.

“Fenrir, counter with Flamethrower!”

The interaction of flames and the chemicals emitted from each pokemons’ breath caused a small explosion, enough force to propel the growlithe further upward. After floating over the arena for a second, Fenrir headed downward, back to the mawile. Using the momentum of his fall, the growlithe latched onto the less-toothy base of Mawwy’s ponytail. This caused him to spin around the base, but he landed on his feet in the end. Fenrir was relatively safe behind the large jaws and the pokemon’s body, but that probably wouldn’t last long.

Fenrir, Fire Fang! Turnip, grab your mace!

The growlithe’s fangs were drenched in flame, enhancing his bite attack further. Meanwhile, the venusaur’s vines latched onto Fenrir’s hind legs and started spinning his vines around. He was going to take both pokemon for a ride.

Round and round they spun, eventually spinning over the venusaur. They were going faster and faster until…

“Fenrir, release!”

The growlithe let go of the mawile’s ponytail, allowing her to sail across the stage towards the steelix.

Meanwhile, Turnip stopped spinning Fenrir and allowed him to rest on his back. The growlithe was laying flat on his belly, taking advantage of the momentary lapse in fighting. He panted heavily; it was the hardest fight he had in a very long time.

The venusaur kept both his vines and his guard up, awaiting the next move from their opponents.

Posted by: Living Arrow Jul 13 2010, 11:39 AM

"Mawwie, NO!" Troy cried as his Mawile soared through the air, an openly pained expression on her face as she wailed miserably. He chanced a glance at the scoreboard and hissed to himself as his points rolled down.

"Steelix, catch Mawwie!"

With his Iron Snake scooping his Mawile out of the air with his tail and replacing her atop its head, Troy frowned intently. He'd made a mistake by using such straight-forward attacks and as a result, Mawwie was flagging. Too many fire attacks had truly taken their toll and now she was on her last legs... Then again, so was the Growlithe. Whatever the case, she was going down and she'd have to make the last move count if Steelix was to be left out on his own.

*Damn fire types in my Hall!*

"Steelix, Dragonbreath one more time! Mawwie, jump into the stream and use Iron Defense!"

The crowd gasped once more as the tiny Deceiver leapt into the rushing flames of Steelix's attack and was swept into the current, fired at the opposing duo like a flaming bowling ball. Amid the azure rush, shining silver sparks poured out like ice in a comet's tail stimulating raucous applause.

Like a mini-nuke Mawwie hit her mark on the Venusaur-Growlithe duo in a flash of glitter and flame that consumed all three amid a cloud of diamond dust.

Troy narrowed his eyes and peered into the fog. Mawwie was out cold but what about the other two...

Posted by: 2gamers Jul 13 2010, 10:12 PM

Pan and Turnip watched their opponents ready their next move. Together they created a spectacular comet that hurdled towards Fenrir and the venussaur.

“Turnip, do the boomerang!” Pan shouted. She had to get Fenrir out of there; they needed to get one more hit on the other side. Turnip used his vines to grab the growlithe by his hind legs once more.

Then the mawile hit with a furious impact. The fog created by the dragon breath clouded the stage. Pan couldn’t see how her pokemon made out. Was that it for her? A few seconds later, just as Pan was about to grab their pokeballs, Fenrir came flying out of the fog. Turnip had managed to hurl his tired body across the stage, the growlithe spinning in circles as he approached the steelix.

“Come on Fenrir. One more attack. Reversal!”

With a powerful roundhouse kick, Fenrir hind feet were headed for the steelix. Whether they hit or not, it would be the growlithe’s final attack for the night. He landed on his side and made no attempt to get up. Finally fainted, Pan returned Fenrir back to his pokeball and hoped the match wasn’t totally lost.

Unfortunately, things weren’t looking much better for Turnip. When the dust finally cleared, the venusaur’s vines were laying limp on the ground. There was a large bump on his head from where the mawile crashed. The venusaur growled furiously as his limbs remained mothionless. He was paralyzed from the dragon breath attack.

“Hang in there, Turnip,” Pan said, attempting to reassure the venusaur. “Stupid timer. Beep already!”

Posted by: Living Arrow Jul 15 2010, 04:55 PM

When Pan made the call for her Venusaur to hang on, Troy began to panic. Hanging on with their scores so close only meant trouble for him and the loss of a ribbon. He grit his teeth and survey his own Pokemon’s injuries.

Steelix was tired. That much was clear, but his Rock Polish was still in effect… For them to definitely pull off a win, all they had to do was beat the opponent down…

*Let’s hope that paralysis holds fast!*

“Steelix, Iron Tail!”

“Turnip! Vine Whip!”

Glowing tail met ensnaring vines and the two mighty Pokemon locked heads as their respective appendages fought to slam the other to the ground. The struggle was fierce on both sides, the crowd clamouring for their favourites to come out on top but in a one-on-one match the two were tied in strength.

“Turnip, toss it!”

Troy gasped as his Steelix was lifted clear from the ground in an unexpected turn of events and thrown up and away, the Iron Tail never quite meeting its mark. The points on the Hall Leader’s side of the board began to dwindle and the onlookers gasped in apprehension as the timer counted down the final few seconds.

“Now, Steelix! Dragonbreath, full power!”

“Turnip, dodge it!”

Troy held onto his breath as the final moments played out, watching as everything seemed to move in slow motion at the end of the match.

Four seconds…

A roaring gout of azure flame spiralled down towards its target.

Three seconds…

Turnip’s wide face gained a painful expression as his muscles tensed up under paralysis.

Two seconds…

Pan gasped in shock as her Venusaur was consumed by the raging attack that descended upon him.

One second…

Troy clenched his fists as his Pokemon crashed to the ground, his score lower than that of the opponent… A buzzer rang.

It took a few more seconds before Troy recognised the sound of that buzzer. The call for a technical knock out. He looked back to the timer. One second remained… And looked back to the stage… Pan’s Venusaur lay in a very large unconscious heap. And finally, Troy began to breathe again.

Posted by: 2gamers Jul 15 2010, 07:39 PM

As the smoke cleared, Pan gave a heavy sigh: Turnip was finally knocked out. She walked across the arena, not to great Troy, but to make sure the venusaur was all right. Pan knelt next to the creature’s giant head, caressing his forehead with her left hand. Turnip weakly opened his eyes as his human kissed the big bump on his forehead. Though his body wasn’t the only thing that was bruised, Pan’s touch more than made up for it.

Meanwhile, Lima was enjoying the utter applause from the audience, not realizing that the people were cheering for the hall leader. In her mind, she had won: her face appeared on the screen earlier and she already claimed her prizes: those tasty pastries. Someone threw a bouquet of roses onto the stage, which the cleffa promptly pounced on. Ripping off the plastic wrapping, she started to devour the red petals, oblivious that they likely weren’t meant for her.

“Lima!” Pan shouted as she returned Turnip back to his pokeball. She got up from the floor and picked up the cleffa (Lima was still clinging to a single rose). Pan then turned to Troy, finally reaching out to shake his hand. She had no harsh feelings about the loss, but Pan was certainly not leaving empty handed.

“You owe me drinks. Douken too.”

Posted by: Living Arrow Jul 16 2010, 02:14 PM

Troy placed his hands on his hips and sighed out, content in his defence of the Metalliclaw Ribbon once more. The last Co-Ordinator to get by him had already claimed another... and his heart. Troy had absolutely no idea when it had happened but Darryn Kellor had managed to break into his mind and showed no sign of leaving ever since they had met in the Pokemon Center of Arasam.

“You owe me drinks. Douken too.”

Troy rolled his eyes and nodded. "That, I do. But be warned - we drink nothing softer than vod... how old are you?"

"Eighteen?"

Troy shook himself. "Oh good! I thought you might be, like, fifteen or something - seriously, more make-up would work wonders. Where was I...? Oh yes! Like I was saying, nothing softer than vodka and shots are always doubles. Buuuut fiiirst..."

He quickly moved out of the way as a camera crew, headed by Gillian Meridian, approached them with Douken being urged forward to join Pan mid-stage. They were out to get a post-match interview and no doubt would air it on the Channel 4 News.

Posted by: 2gamers Jul 17 2010, 10:34 PM

Perhaps she should have chosen her words better. By drinks, Pan was thinking sodas or even milkshakes. Not that she was going to correct Troy.

Pan was actually a bit excited for tonight, more so than for the contest itself. Though she wasn’t proud to say it, this would be her first night out for “drinks”. Back in Celadon, she respected her parents’ wishes to abstain from that kind of stuff. Now that she was on her own, curiosity took over. It wouldn’t exactly be a gateway to adulthood (Pan was determined to never grow up), but it was definitely a momentous occasion.

What she wasn’t excited about was the upcoming interview. She didn’t want the big media attention her stint in Arasam would bring. The gossip would be flying all over the place; who knows what stories would come out? At least the science magazines didn’t have a propensity to spread nasty rumors around.

“Hey, let’s dump these reporters and head out now,” Pan asked Troy. She signaled Douken to avoid the stage and start heading out.

“Sorry, no comment,” she told Gillian and the cameramen. Pan flashed a smile as she headed off stage, towards Douken. Lima climbed up on her human's shoulder to face the disappointed reporters. She started waving and blowing kisses, hoping for some pictures and more attention for herself.

Posted by: Douken Sota Jul 17 2010, 10:58 PM

As Douken watched the match on screen, some of the more experienced coordinators came up to him and congratulated him on the match, even if he did lose, and gave their own bits of advise and what they would of done with their own style. The only one he thought would be most interesting was a male with his Machoke who had a performance to demonstrate his strength, telling him that he shouldn't feel ashamed on using an offensive move defensively (who also bragged he got his first and only ribbon that way).

However, with the match coming close to an end, he pretty much became a shadow to everyone around him with the moves both sides were having. Douken took that moment to head back to the dressing room and return to his usual attire. Luckily, there was a monitor in there too so he could see the ending. A second short of victory, he thought as the screen showed the judges declaring Pan's team couldn't fight anymore. It was a disappointing win for him, seeing how she still had more points.

As he hung the jacket back in place, Douken glimpsed at the monitor to catch the sign from Pan to avoid the stage. It was a good idea, seeing how he didn't want to get bombarded with cameras. So with her heading backstage, he went back to the waiting room to wait for Pan to come back (most likely to get bombarded with "Congratulation" comments).

Posted by: 2gamers Jul 19 2010, 07:18 AM

Though Pan walked off stage without a ribbon, one wouldn’t be able to tell with all the cheering. There was still a crowd of coordinators backstage watching the outcome of the match. Most were very happy with Pan’s performance, congratulating her with pats on her shoulders. Some had brought cameras to take pictures, which Lima was more than happy to pose for. Pan, however, was just trying to get out of everyone’s way.

Though the recognition was nice, Pan could do without the crowds of admirers. She preferred to be admired from afar. She would rather be around a small gaggle of friends than a giant crowd of unknowns. Stage life did not suit her, even if it made Lima happy. Pan loved her cleffa, but how would they be able to compromise between two very different lives? This troubling difference between human and pokemon was something they would have to deal with in the future.

Finally, Pan was able to reach Douken. He had already changed back into his street clothes and likely ready to leave the premises.

“So, what did you think?” Pan asked. “Anyway, Troy has graciously offered to take us out on the town. Care to join us?”

Posted by: Douken Sota Jul 20 2010, 01:08 PM

"If you only had one more second less," he laughed as she was able to break through the crowd. True, it wasn't as hard for him, since he just got pats on the back and tips since he lost of points. Pan, however, was leading and would of won if it wasn't for the last second knockout.

When she said that Troy was going to 'take them out on the town,' Douken chuckled and said, "Sure, but first, how about we hit the center and let you get changed? We can also let our injured team recover while we are out as well. They deserve a rest."

Posted by: Living Arrow Jul 22 2010, 02:58 PM

Troy kicked back in the lounge of the Pokemon Center, waiting for his guests to prepare themselves for a night on the town with a local celeb. Oh, they didn’t know how lucky they were!

“Wile!” Mawwie came tottering towards Troy from behind the reception desk, her master’s Pokeballs clacking around in her jaws. He smiled fondly and lifted her to the seat beside him. She nestled close, enjoying the tickling scratch the he placed behind her neck and purred softly.

“Remember when we were here a little while ago, Mawwie?” Troy sighed, thinking back to the day he had met Darryn. “He was just some random trainer passing through. Sure, he failed that Gym match with dumb old Oaty but he beat me hands down. First time. Damn, he’s good… He’s just so…”

“Mawile!” Mawwie giggled, grinding her nose into his side and laughing merrily.

“But he’s out there and those… those thugs are still out there! Who knows what they might try next!? If he were here, with me, then at least I could protect him! At least he’d be safe…” Troy warred with his emotions, remembering the stories that the boy who plagued his thoughts had told him. How brave he had been…

The sound of approaching footsteps drew Troy out of his Darryn-induced stupor. Troy grinned and stood, tilting down his sunglasses to get a better look at the two younger trainers. He was dressed for a night out but they… *wow* they were innocent! A perverse smile spread out across the Hall Leader's face.

*Time to defile the pure!*

Troy awoke groggily.

A headache… One shoe was missing… His knuckles were scraped and bleeding… His shirt was torn in two places… Someone’s name was signed on his neck… From the feel of it, his ear was pierced... again... The taste of vomit was stale in his mouth...

He smiled. It had been a good night and with friends like Pan in Darryn’s life, Troy knew he didn’t have to worry about him anymore.

Posted by: 2gamers Jul 22 2010, 10:05 PM

“Change? I thought you said I looked good?” Pan feigned disbelief at Douken’s comment, but quickly set aside any fears of offense with a smile.

“Just playing with you,” she said to her friend. “I think I’ll stick to my outfit for the rest of the night. Who knows when I’ll put on something like this again?”

Though Pan disagreed about changing, that didn’t mean she wasn’t willing to go to a pokemon center. Both Turnip and Fenrir took a beating tonight. It would do them well to have the rest of the night fully healed inside their pokeballs.

“If there’s no healing machine here, I suppose we have to head back.”

With that, the pair (presumably followed by Troy) made their way through the crowds and headed for the local pokemon center.

Two quick heals later, Pan and Douken were ready to hit the town with Troy. The hall leader led the way, talking about the virtues of their first stop: Phoenix. The lounge was the hot spot for the young crowd in Arasam. In addition to the full bar, the lounge was also equipped with a karaoke area (a combination that often proved hilarious).

The three passed a series of torches before entering the building, identified only by the emblem of a fiery bird perched upon the doorway. The atmosphere inside was similar: darkness only broken by torches and dim lighting. The music playing was rather loud, though that didn’t seem to stop people from talking and otherwise enjoying themselves.

Troy went off to get drinks, while Pan and Douken found a table near a roaring fireplace. It was a fairly comfortable place considering the cool night outside.

“I have to say, not a bad place to hang out,” Pan said, looking around at the scenery. It didn’t take long for the conversation to lead to the big day.

“So, is everyone ready for the gym match tomorrow?”

Posted by: Douken Sota Jul 23 2010, 08:32 PM

The Phoenix was an interesting place, indeed. Just the sheer fact that they were using flames instead of light bulbs to light the place gave an interesting feel to the area. That didn't mean the place was completely void of electricity, however. The television was broadcasting some events they called "Pokeathelon" over from an area named Jhoto, showing a trainer and a team of three were showing off how stamina they had with a lot of different endurance tests. It was hard to hear it, however, seeing how someone was on stage, singing some Karaoke to the others a song called http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oot0GtjQuxQ, his fingers flying through the air, as if he was playing the guitar himself.

"For the most part, yeah," Douken replied to Pan's question. "I am just curious on a few details. For instance, what does he use? I mean, my dad told me a few stories when he was younger and having his adventures traveling around a place called Sinnoh. Apparently, there were a lot of strong Gym Leaders there as well, each confident in controlling a specific type. I mean, if I was to make any guesses, part of me would think of ice from what happened in the Castle, but seeing how we are not as high, I can't see that as a main possibility."

He sighed, thinking about his battle plan before setting his teammate's Pokeballs on the table. "I knowq Croagunk would love a strong challenge, but I am not willing to place him in a situation where he has a major disadvantage. The others, I am not sure how they do against strong foes. Still, I am placing my trust in all of them!"

Posted by: 2gamers Jul 24 2010, 01:29 PM

“Wait, you haven’t looked up the gym leader yet?” Pan asked curiously. “There isn’t some Furoh League website where you can look this kind of stuff up, or are you keeping things as a surprise?” It was admirable to go for a challenge; it was good for personal character (for both human and pokemon). However, it was foolish to enter a battle unprepared. She couldn’t tell which one Douken was.

“If you’re still looking for hints, I can tell you that, according to the tourist guide I read, Mt. Carello isn’t a mountain but a dormant volcano. Maybe that’s a hint…” The guide also mentioned the typing of the gym, but out of respect for Douken’s challenge, Pan didn’t outright tell him.

As the two continued the conversation, a stream of fire flashed between them. Pan nearly fell out of her chair to avoid getting singed. It turned out that Troy was the source of the flames (along with a nearby torch): one hand held a read glass bottle while the other supported a tray of drinks intended for his guests.

“Spitfire,” Troy began, smiling at the reactions of Pan and Douken. “You can drink it AND breathe fire with it. It’s one of the newest selections at the bar. Don’t worry, I got you some kiddie drinks.”

Troy’s tray revealed a dark bottle with a couple of shot glasses. According to the label, the drink was vodka, a blend created in a Gigarte vineyard three years ago. The hall leader poured the glasses for the pair.

“So what did I miss?” Troy said, taking another swig from his bottle.

Posted by: Douken Sota Jul 24 2010, 01:53 PM

"Well, I am not all that great with computers," he said with a slight chuckle, rubbing the back of his head. Maybe it wasn't that obvious with how long it took him to register for his contest pass. "I spent more time helping my parents with their work than leisuring in front of a monitor. I mean, if I didn't, then I wouldn't have my companions with me."

Still, the information about the town resting on a dormant volcano was very useful advice. In that respect, then there is a better chance the gym deals with fire types more than ice. If that's the case, Croagunk will be disappointed, seeing how his Dry Skin will have him suffer, and I won't place him in a disadvantage. However, before he was able to share his battle plan, a stream of fire went across their faces, showing that Troy came back with a very interesting drink.

Douken took the small glass when it was offered, but didn't even budge to drink from it just yet. Instead, he merely held it in his fingers, rolling the shot's bottom on the table. "Well, you did suggest I should try going after the Gyms, so we are just trying to think of some plans for tomorrow, seeing how I will challenge the leader then.

"Which reminds me, during our match, you said you used to be the Gym Leader for here. Any chance you know of who the current leader is and his style?"

Posted by: 2gamers Jul 25 2010, 03:05 PM

“What, ol’ Oaty? Yeah, I know him,” Troy said. “Hee Hee…Oaty. He hates it when I call him that. Oaty Oaty Oaty!”

Pan raised her eyebrows as the hall leader became fixated on funny nicknames. Something told her his behavior had something to do with his chosen beverage.

“Er, how strong is that drink you’re having?” Pan asked. It must have had quite a bit of alcohol to be able to breathe fire with the stuff.

“No clue; I’m the first one to test it out,” Troy said with a big goofy smile. “Yep, it’s good to be the hall leader.” The hall leader took another gulp out of his bottle and blew contents through another torch. Fire stretched towards the ceiling as Troy performed his best Flamethrower impression. Pan attempted to get his attention before he burned the place down.

“Hey, why don’t you get us some water to wash all these drinks down,” Pan asked politely. In response, Troy gave a look of surprise.

“That will dilute the taste! You’ll ruin it! *sigh* Maybe I should just get you some lemonade, or are lemons too strong too?” Both stuck their tongues out at each other as Troy walked back towards the bar, though the hall leader had a bit of a stumble in his step.

“Hope he’s alright,” Pan said to Douken. She quickly changed subjects to avoid Troy overhearing.

“How do you like Furoh so far?”

Posted by: Douken Sota Jul 25 2010, 08:24 PM

After a small chuckle, Douken replied, "Yeah," as he watched him stumble away. Still, even like this, he wasn't going to get answers about Oaty and his game plan, so all he could rely on was judgment from his gut.

With the change of subject, however, he turned his attention back to Pan and replied, "You make it sound like this is my first time here," he said with a laugh, even though she was technically right. All he knew of was the island that his home was. Everything else was new to him, and it was all a great experience. "Still, its not that bad. What about yourself? You having fun here?"

AN applause broke though the building as the song ended. The singer bowed to the audience and went off stage, letting the next couple up for a lot more http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v35fWf1CWFQ.

Posted by: 2gamers Jul 26 2010, 09:03 PM

“What, you think Fidona gives you everything Furoh has to offer?” Pan said almost mockingly. “Trust me, I’ve been there; it’s a pretty unique place. Hell, every place I’ve been to in Furoh has it’s own feel. Barley has all the shops and beaches, while the Underground is a labyrinth of tunnels largely undiscovered. Best of all, this continent is still young. You wouldn’t believe the things I’ve found.”

Pan was in her comfort zone upon talking about her adventures in Furoh. She leaned forward towards Douken, her elbows on the table.

“I discovered the Wooden Skyscraper, the largest tree found in Fidona, possibly in all of Furoh. There was a forest of mushrooms inside the tree! And while getting carried around by a diglett colony, a friend and I found a shrine dedicated to Groudon! Stick with me, and you’ll have your own adventures to talk about.”

Just then, the music changed. On stage appeared a group of three men who started singing a certain reggae song (to much applause from the crowd)…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFwiH4Bkdhs&feature=related

It was a similar routine to the other karaoke players until about 2min 40sec into the song when a particularly drunk man appeared on stage with a mop head over his once-styled hair. The crowd went while as he did his best impression of the singer. Being really drunk, he didn’t do a particularly good job. Pan couldn’t even tell what some of the lyrics were. Just then, she noticed the clothes he was wearing.

“Troy?!”

The song ended when Troy took another swig of Spitfire. He spit out through another torch, causing more flames to stretch over the stage. Unfortunately, the fire came too close to the sprinklers, causing water to rain down upon everyone within the lounge.

“Ah!” Pan quickly dived under the table for shelter, waiting for Douken to join her.

“We need to get Troy out of here before he causes more trouble!”

Posted by: Douken Sota Jul 26 2010, 11:13 PM

"And if you stick with me, you may learn something about some Amazon culture," he said with a smile. "I will warn you now, I may start dedicating some things to the golden bird we saw on that fateful day. My mom's tribe believes that we should be thankful for every great encounter we have, and if they give us something, we should return the favor. So if we ever see that bird again, I should at least return the favor for saving our lives."

It was then the drunken voice could be heard, which had the duo turned their heads to see Troy's drunken body imitating the singers, before using the Spitfire to set off the sprinklers. To avoid getting wet, Douken dove under the table next to Pan as the room began to become dark. The water that was triggered from the Flamethrower imitation was putting out the flame torches, soon to have only the light from the television which showed an Aipom on a trampoline hitting lights and turning them off.

"Yeah. Looks like Troy here either can't hold his liquor, or the bartender made the stuff way too strong. Either way, I don't think it will be sold very long," he chuckled, joking at the situation. "So, got any ideas to get our drunk Hall Leader out of here safely?"

Posted by: 2gamers Jul 27 2010, 07:56 PM

“I‘ll summon Chi-Chi and get some light in this place. He’s probably still on stage, so I’ll need your help leading him out.”

“Sounds like a plan! Who are we getting?”

Pan looked behind her to see that Troy had taken shelter under the same table. She grabbed the hall leader by the arm and dragged him out of the building. Douken grabbed his pokeballs and followed.

“Let’s get you to the pokemon center. Hopefully, Nurse Joy will know what to do-”

“Nonsense, I’m fit as a fittle,” Troy rebuked. “Wait, that’s not the right word. Should be one though. Fittle fittle fittle!”

As Troy put himself in a laughing fit, he was stumbling all over the place, almost taking Pan to the ground. It was clear that walking wouldn’t get them far. Luckily, an alternate mode of transportation was available. A ponyta-drawn carriage stopped in front of the Phoenix lounge, the driver waiting for a young couple (or anyone who would pay him) to board. The outside had gold-colored rims around the roof, though most of the exterior was an ivory color. It appeared as if it came off a carousel, giving an enchanting appearance to what would hopefully be a comfortable ride.

“Great, lets get on that. I think I have enough for the ride.” Pan started going through her pockets to pay the fee, but Troy took initiative.

“Allow me. You are my guests, and I shall pay to give you kids the night of your life. Here you are, good sirs.”

The drunken hall leader presented a bottle cap, a wrapper, and a crumpled piece of paper to the pair of ponyta. By then, Pan had paid the driver. She and Douken boarded onto the carriage and sat upon the soft red velvet chairs.

“Come on Troy. We should really get back to the pokemon center.”

“Bonzai!”

The hall leader quickly climbed next to the driver, kicking him off and taking the reins. With a loud battle cry from Troy, the ponyta rushed forward, causing Pan to jerk forward and fall onto the carriage floor. The carriage rushed through the town, causing the girl to tumble left, right, up, and down. Pan couldn’t even get herself up.

“We’re going to tour Arasam in five minutes flat! Flat flat flat!”

Posted by: Douken Sota Jul 28 2010, 08:39 PM

"I thought you were supposed to make sure the drunk didn't drive!" Douken yelled as Troy's reckless driving threw the duo around the carriage, the Pontya in a panicked run. "We need to get Troy away from the reins and calm down the Ponyta. Think, Douken, think! What was it that Dad used to tell me?!"

It was hard to focus on all the stories his Dad told him from the many years of being a trainer himself, sicne he would either hit the wall, or Pan and break his thought. However, in about half a minute, he remembered it. "That's right, my dad calmed down crazy Ponyta with Shuca Barries! All we need is some of those..." he went over to grab the bag that is usually on his shoulders, but then he remembered it was in the Center ever since they went for the contest! "Figures... We need to find another way to calm them down, but first get the control of the reins." This only meant one thing: climbing out of the carriage and crawling on the walls to Troy, while moving at high speed...

Posted by: 2gamers Jul 29 2010, 12:51 PM

“Look! There’s the local Pokemart, which has everything a traveling trainer needs! And over there! The Hot Springs, powered by geothermal energy or something. Hey, an ice cream shop!”

Troy was rambling about locations as the cart zoomed through the city. A crowd of tourists dodged the incoming carriage as Troy yelled at them in some incoherent babble. Pan was still trying to stand on her own two feet, while Douken grabbed onto the outer edge of the vehicle. It seemed he was going to attempt to climb across the side to get to the driver’s seat to commandeer the carriage. That was quite brave of him considering the speed they were traveling at. Douken probably would have been able to pull it off had Troy not made a sharp right turn. The carriage was traveling precariously on its right wheels. One wrong move and the carriage would tip over and fall off of…

“Sky’s Edge! The only thing separating the city from the sky! It’s a pretty long drop from here. Hey cool! I’m doing a wheelie on Sky’s Edge! WOOOHOOO!!!”

While Troy was enthusiastic about his cool trick, the sober people among the group were seeing a completely different picture. Pan used the momentum of the acute turn to stand up and hold onto the doorway. From there she was able to see Douken hanging on for dear life as his feet dangled over the distant base of Mt. Carello. Seeing that his plan took a turn for the worst, he was climbing back towards the passenger portion.

“Hang on Douken!” Pan shouted, hoping that the carriage would stay on the solid side of the cliff’s edge. She wasn’t afraid of heights, but the prospect of certain death was enough to get anyone’s blood pumping. It would really suck if, after everything they’ve been through in Furoh, their adventure ended with a drunken joyride gone wrong.

Troy made an equally sharp left turn, abruptly putting the carriage on all four wheels. The sudden change caused Douken to fall safely into the passenger area. He wasn’t hurt too much as Pan broke his fall. He tried to get off of her, but the carriage made an abrupt stop, causing Douken to slip and fall back onto Pan. She coughed as the wind was knocked out of her lungs. Strangely enough, after the traumatic experience, Pan started laughing.

“We really need to stop meeting like this,” Pan said in between her laughs.

They were interrupted when Troy came by to greet his passengers. He too was smiling, but in a goofier manner.

“Uh, ew. Get a room.”

He then proceeded to fall asleep against the carriage, still standing on his feet. Pan looked up to see that they had parked in front of the pokecenter.

“I say we let Nurse Joy take care of Troy for the rest of the night. Phew…” Pan was not making an effort to get up; near death experiences took a lot out of a person.

Posted by: Douken Sota Jul 29 2010, 03:34 PM

With everything calmed down, and his heart beating like crazy from the near-dangerous fall, Douken rolled over off of Pan to catch his breath. He felt lucky that his body found some strength from out of the blue to help him hang on for the moment. If he didn't, he would of been a bloody red mess laying on the mountain side. "Good... idea..." he said, a pause between words being replaced by a huff of air.

"Maybe... we should call it a night too," his breathing calmed down a bit, but it was still rough. "I think relaxing after a near-death experience is good. I mean, it won't be fancy, but we could see if we can order in some dinner... I mean, I do owe you," Douken said with a chuckle.

Luckily, there was a Pokegear number on the carriage to call the owner and tell them where they were and that we were all fine. As they waited for the owner to arrive, Douken decided to call up a local pizza place, number provided by the night shift Nurse Joy, that was was up at this hour and delivered and ordered up a half pepperoni/half pineapple pizza. With two people to wait for, Douken took to his room to gather all the Shuca Berries he could muster and head back out to feed to the Ponyta to relax them.

After the carriage was returned to the owner and the pizza arrived, the duo returned inside where Douken placed the pizza box on the table, opening it to show the simple dinner. Sure, he bet that Pan was expecting something a little more than a pizza for the dinner he owed, but he just wanted to relax as he took one of the pepperoni slices and took a bite from it. "What a day," he merely sighed.

Posted by: 2gamers Jul 30 2010, 07:53 AM

Pan and Douken dragged Troy into the pokecenter, his arms over their shoulders. The hall leader was mumbling something in his sleep; it sounded like he was saying, “You smell good.” This was shortly after he started smelling Douken’s hair. They never found out how much Troy liked Douken’s hair: Nurse Joy took over. Judging from her relative calm demeanor, this likely wasn’t the first time Troy went too far in his festivities. With the hall leader in capable hands, Pan and Douken decided to call it a night.

Douken had set up the perfect way to end the night: pizza in a private room. Pan loved pizza as well as quiet evenings after a grueling adventure. Sure, this wasn’t anything like her escapades in Fidona or the Underground, but a day of training, contests, and traumatic carriage rides was enough to qualify as an adventure in her book. The two stayed in Douken’s room, just them and their pokemon.

Since the small table was only large enough to hold the pizza box, Pan took her plate of pineapple pizza and lay down upon the floor. Her pokemon weren’t far off: Fenrir was eating his meal of pokefood, while Chi-Chi was munching on a particularly large piece of pineapple from the pizza. Pan motioned for Douken to join her down on the floor.

“I don’t expect to have an adventure like that for quite a while,” Pan added to Douken’s sigh.

“Let’s get back to catching up though. Have you kept up with the others from Castle Vonmoto?”

Posted by: Douken Sota Jul 30 2010, 11:31 PM

"Yeah, life-threatening events are bad for your health," Douken laughed, labeling this the second dangerous thing he went though ever since he left, the first was the avalanche. Who knows, maybe the mountain was just bad luck for him. With half a slice in hand, Douken walked past the bed where his Growlithe rested on the foot of his bed and over to the window, looking down at the people walking by. I wonder if this is what Maxy meant when he always said, "Find your own path." Every day carries a new trail. Every trail carries a story. Every story carries an experience. Every experience will follow you for a life time.

Douken looked over to Pan when she asked the question about meeting up with others. "The only one I can say off the top of my head would be someone that I got teamed up with. He went by the name of Malcolm. The visit didn't last, since he seemed to of been rushed to somewhere else. Other than that, no one, really." He then pulled out his Pokegear and switched it to the phone setting, showing a list of empty boxes. "I got this after the mountain event, and didn't register in my head back then to get numbers from anyone else. Besides, at the end of all that, my body didn't feel like moving," Douken told her with a silly grin on his face.

Douken took another bite from the slice he had, holding onto the fragment of crust remaining. "What about yourself? Seen familiar faces around?"

Posted by: 2gamers Aug 1 2010, 07:34 PM

“Me? I saw my friend Darryn over the videophone a while back. Last I heard, he just scored his second ribbon in Petropolis.” Pan didn’t get quite as much insight into the other aspect of Darryn’s life (that involving Troy), but at least she knew he was doing all right for himself. It’s not like he was running away from goons through a forest fire, right?

For a woman of small stature, Pan finished her half of the pizza rather quickly. She stretched herself outward upon the floor and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. The girl flipped herself over to face the still-standing Douken. Fenrir joined her side to receive a friendly scratch behind his “special ear”. The growlithe thumped his leg happily while Pan continued her conversation with Douken.

“Anyways, let’s hear more about you. Were you a trainer your whole life or did you do something else before making this journey?”

Posted by: Douken Sota Aug 1 2010, 10:51 PM

Well, I just started as a trainer, really," he told her after finishing off the rest of the crust, 3 slices of his pizza still sitting in the box. "Before all this, I helped my parents with their small business." He headed back to her and grabbed another slice and took a bite before continuing, "They're breeders, for the most part. My dad used to be a trainer, but retired when he came to here, and my mother took care of wild Pokemon along with her tribe of Amazons. Me, I get stuck in the middle, my dad wanting me to be a trainer, and my mom wanting to take a role in her tribe." He laughed off the end of that, just the idea of a male Amazon surprised him, but then again, there was Maxy Z.

"So most of my time was spent taking care of some Pokemon that were trusted to my parents, working on becoming a strong trainer, and getting on the good side of an army of women who wish not be part of the whole technology ordeal. A weird life, if you asked me.

"My dad thought it was weird that I didn't leave at ten, but my mom thought it was good to mature and get practice living in the wild. My dad tried to teach me some techniques to win battles, and my mom took me to the tribe to learn to rely on your surroundings. I swear, when I was thirteen, they had me live in the woods alone for six months, and even if I was nearby town, I couldn't step foot in!"

After the long rant about parts of his past, Douken let off a bit of a yawn. "I think I will save the rest for a quick breakfast tomorrow. For right now, I'm tired..."

Posted by: 2gamers Aug 2 2010, 07:52 AM

“Sounds like someone kept busy,” Pan commented on Douken’s story. He seemed to have a great background in pokemon. Growing up with breeders surely gave him the skills to understand pokemon (to an extent). That would most certainly come in handy one day. Pan also thought that it would be cool to hang out with the Amazon tribes. It would be a change of pace for one who grew up in modern civilization.

When Douken called it a night, Pan couldn’t help but agree. It had been a long day; she welcomed a good night’s sleep.

“That’s right, you have a big day tomorrow,” Pan added. Tomorrow was the big gym challenge; if anyone needed the sleep, it was Douken. She raised her arm to signal to Douken to lift her onto her feet. Being a gentleman, he did just that. Pan brushed herself off and headed for the door, her pokemon close behind.

“Good luck tomorrow,” she added as a final farewell for the day. She closed his door and entered her own room across the hall. Suddenly, the comfy bed looked very enticing. She took off her sandals and plopped onto the mattress. Pan didn’t even bother getting undressed as she curled up under the covers and rested her eyes.

The sun rose into the sky to begin another day. Pan was already in the computer room, checking her messages. Sure enough, Professor Stone had another task for her…



Pan grabbed her Fire Stone from the item box, examining its features. It was still warm to the touch, just as it was when she found it. She slipped it into her bag, hoping it would become handy one day.

After grabbing her outfit for the day from her computer, Pan headed back to her room to change. When she reentered the hall, the young woman was in a mostly new outfit. While her brown leather boots, belt, and purple vest were retained, Pan was wearing a purple mini-skirt with short, form-fitting black bike shorts hidden underneath. Her short-sleeved black shirt was covered under the vest, though it bore the Celadon gym badge emblem on the front pocket. The new outfit served the same purpose as the old, though with a more feminine look. Pan liked the new look, not to mention the second glances from boys passing by.

Pan released Chi-Chi and Lima into the lounge for breakfast. They woke up in time to get their hands on the glazed donuts provided by the pokemon center. It was on a first-come, first-served basis, so Pan made sure she grabbed one for her and her two pokemon (and made sure Lima only had one). One could tell the donuts were fresh from the oven: the warm pastry practically melted in Pan’s mouth. While enjoying the sweet taste of breakfast, she waited for Douken to make his appearance.

Posted by: Douken Sota Aug 2 2010, 01:11 PM

Even though he felt tired, he had a hard time falling asleep. It was the anticipation in him that kept him awake. His mind racked over what the gym leader would be using to try and form up his team, eating the est of the cold pizza along the way. In the end, he couldn't really do anything except guarantee that Seel and Growlithe were going to be in there, just for the simple fact of the chance of fire or ice.

it was about eleven PM when Douken was finally able to fall asleep, but woke up at around five in the morning. From what he could hear, the only person up was the Nurse Joy. With that in mind, he decided to quietly slip by Pan's room, past the Nurse Joy who was distracting herself with a Pinball game (from what he could here) installed on another PokeGear, to head out for a morning run alongside the four Pokemon he had with him, and of course, the only one who disapproved of the idea was Seel, show was slowly flopping behind the rest of the legged beings. Luckily, Duskull was kind enough to use Trick Room around her in a small bubble, which made her all of a sudden feel like she was swimming though the air, catching up to the others.

After an hour's run, they soon got back to the center to see Pan sitting with Chi-chi and Lima, enjoying their own donuts. "Morning," he told them as a Chansey walked up to them, holding out a tray of warm donuts to them. Normally, he wouldn't think of giving them any human food, but he figured it would be good to help return some energy. "Alright guys, you can each have one," he told them as he picked one up himself, telling the assistant Pokemon, "Thank you," before joining the others.

"So, I take it you sleep well?" he said, taking a biter from the fresh donut. He couldn't remember the last time he had one this fresh, though. In fact, it was so long, it felt like the first time all over again. Douken's Pokemon ate them casually, not really minding the taste since none of them seemed to have a huge sweet tooth. However, the pickiest one out of them all was the Croagunk, who preferred sour over the sweet. "Cmon, Croagunk, don't make a huge fuss over flavor. At least be thankful for what they gave you." However, all he seemed to of gotten was a full of his cheeks with a slow croak.

Posted by: 2gamers Aug 2 2010, 08:02 PM

“Wait, you’ve been up this whole time?” Pan asked, surprised at Douken’s unexpected entrance. He and his team must have been out for some last minute training; at least, that’s what she suspected.

As Douken and co. were getting seated, Lima had already devoured her donut. The cleffa was eying Croagunk’s donut; no need for it to go to waste. She was about to crawl across the coffee table to obtain it, but Pan quickly summoned Lima back into her pokeball. One could hear a small pout as the cleffa disappeared into the red light.

“Anyways, is everyone prepared for the big match?” Pan asked Douken.

With just a simple question, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvQkl7qa6RQ Douken and his pokemon quickly looked upon the clock hanging on the adjacent wall. The time was now. The trainer gave a slow nod to Pan, one followed by each of his pokemon. Douken devoured the rest of his donut into the nearest trash bin and stood up, flicking off a sprinkle. Nothing could stop them now. Each of his pokemon followed their human out the door in a slow motion stroll, as if they were all listing to the same epic song.

“Hey, wait up!” Pan quickly headed after the group, stuffing the rest of her breakfast into her mouth.

Douken and co. sped up as they went through town. The rest of the town went about their own business, but they were on their own path. The path of champions…

Pan and Douken stood in front of Arasam gym, admiring its beauty. Like most of the Arasam buildings, it was built of black slate. Over the doorway was a pair of fiery wings, hung high for all to see. The walls continued into the mountain itself, the building’s small size all but an illusion. Douken returned his team to their pokeballs as they approached the inner reaches of the gym.

As the pair continued inside, they walked down a massive hall carved from the rock. At the end of the hall was a stone arena built atop thick rock pillars over a bubbling pool of magma. Up above, a domed roof opened up to the blue skies. Taking in the detail how the arena was set, as well as the emblem on the door, it was a good bet that he was going to use Fire and Flying Pokemon. The magma must act as a natural defense to most Ice and Water attacks, Douken thought to himself. The heat provided can easily melt or evaporate any of them before hitting an opponent from a long distance.

“Neat-o,” Pan said as she looked around. Her eyes landed on a man at the opposite end of the battlefield. His tall, lean figure stood to oppose the future contender for the badge.

“Challengers, I presume?” Otis remarked. “You’re just in time. My last opponent had just left empty-handed.”

“Actually, it’s just Douken here,” Pan replied, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Good luck,” she whispered in her friend’s ear. Pan then retreated up a stairwell, towards the spectator area. Otis remained in position, listening as the challenger officially introduced himself.

"The one you will be facing is me," Douken called out to him. "I am Douken Sota from Fidona, and I promise you that I will not leave here empty-handed. Now then, I take it a Gym like this has their own set of rules to go by?"

“Very well then,” Otis replied, knowing full well that every challenger tended to make big promises, only to fall well short of their goals. “There will be three Pokemon per side. Two shall take to the field, while the remainder replaces the fainted teammate. You may switch if need be, but if I see one healing item used, you will be disqualified.” Otis seemed adamant about the last point. He wanted this match to be based on skill, not the amount of money spent at the pokemart. In response, Douken grinned and took hold of his bag straps, removing them from his body before throwing it back into the cave entrance. "You know, I hate having to rely on items too. This will make sure you get the fight you want."

Otis then looked upon the trio of pokeballs before him. His team was ready to be unleashed.

“Mere words will not earn you a badge, Mr. Sota. You do not face a paltry trio of Pokemon. Lying before you are those that embody the spirit of the phoenix, Moltres. When you think you’ve won, my pokemon will demonstrate how they rise from the fires of defeat and soar to victory!”

With that, Otis pressed the button on each pokeball. Two pokemon appeared on the arena: a fearow and growlithe. Both cried out their names in a battle cry. The remaining Pokemon stayed at Otis’s side: a charmeleon of golden scales that shined in the sunlight.

Douken couldn't help but smile as he reached into his pocket to pull out a simple feather, one he got from the castle higher up. "You are not the only one who posses the fighting spirit of a famous bird." Placing the Rainbow Feather back into his pocket, replacing them with two Pokeballs.



Pan was watching the exchange between Otis and Douken from the bleachers. The audience was watching the match from above the arena, ideal for seeing all the action from every corner. The amount of spectators was surprising for a morning match. They were mostly kids fresh out of school, watching what could be one of their first exposures to pokemon battling. Pan, Chi-Chi, and Fenrir had front row seats to what could be an exciting duel.

Though there were some significant cheers when Otis’s shiny charmeleon appeared on the stage, several awes echoed around the room as Douken showed off his Rainbow Feather. She smirked as he flaunted the item towards the gym leader, but Pan also worried about who else would be seeing the item. The words of Mr. Vonmoto echoed in her mind.

“I fear certain people will catch wind of Ho-Oh’s existence. To return the favor, we must do all we can to keep Ho-Oh our secret, to keep him safe. This isn’t a mere souvenir; it is a physical representation of our mutual friendship and our vow of silence.”

“There’s just kids here,” Pan thought to herself. Surely it’s all right to show it off here...

Those thoughts were quickly pushed back amid Chi-Chi’s cheers. The battle had begun!

Posted by: Douken Sota Aug 2 2010, 08:30 PM

"Now then, let the fun begin!" Douken tossed the Pokeballs out into the air, bursting open to reveal his Seel and Growlithe. The pup growled at the competition to Intimidate them. "Now then, Growlithe, Helping Hand! Seel, Aurora Beam!"

With the opening command set, Growlithe let off a howl in support of Seel, raising her spirits and power as a ball of rainbow-colored energy formed on the tip of her horn, soon to be blasted at the flying type.

“All you’ve shown me is a feather,” Otis smartly replied. “I will show you what spirit looks like. Growlithe, Helping Hand! Fearow, Aerial Ace on the Seel!”

Otis’s Growlithe followed up his fellow pup with his own howl to support the Fearow. Fearow dove downward, performing a barrel roll to dodge the ice attack. He continued diving downward, aiming his sharp beak at the water Pokemon.

A direct strike, Douken thought as he watched the bird barrel forward. All I have to do is ground him. Just have to wait for the right moment. With how long he took care of Seel, it was almost like she knew what he was up to and got ready, getting ready to brace herself until the Fearow was close range. "Icicle Shard!" Being too close to effectively get out of the way and being a large target as well, it wasn't hard to send a barrage of icicles at the Flying-type's left wing without it melting before contact.

"Now Growlithe, charge in and use Roar on the other Growlithe!" Without having to worry which was which, the chance of having Flash Fire, AND to fight that golden Charmeleon right away, the puppy let out a booming roar, to attempt to scare the other pup into his ball.

Otis scowled as his growlithe ran back to him, his tail between his legs. At the same time, his Fearow was taking super-effective hits from the seel. Despite the hit, the Fearow stayed airborne, flying over the lava portion of the gym to warm back up. Though applause was clearly in Douken’s favor, the match was far from over. It was time to test the strength of his newest fighter.

When he wasn’t beating noobs to a pulp, Otis spent a lot of time breeding Pokemon to get prizefighters for his gym. His pair of Charizard produced many young back at Loch Ranch; almost all went to young trainers starting their journeys. This particular flame Pokemon not only had the right attributes of his champion Pokemon, he also had the rare golden sheen upon his scales. Otis was eager to show the world his latest addition.

“Fearow, Charmeleon! Divebomb Special!” Otis shouted, pointing at Seel and Growlithe in that order.

The Charmeleon stepped onto the field, roaring in delight as the Fearow grabbed him from behind. The two soared to the upper reaches of the gym, right up into the spectator stands. Then, they took a dive straight for their opponents. Fearow released Charmeleon mid-air, allowing gravity to take over. In a surprise maneuver, the Charmeleon headed for Seel, his fist crackling with electricity. Combined with his fall, the Flame Pokemon prepared to deliver a mighty Thunder Punch to the water Pokemon.

Meanwhile, the Fearow kept going down, making a sharp turn at the last second. He turned straight for Growlithe, unleashing his Fly attack. The crowd was going wild at the spectacular use of teamwork. Even Pan couldn’t help but smile (though she kept it a bit subdued for Douken’s sake).

"Growlithe, intercept, now!" Douken declared. He couldn't let the punch go through. Right now, he was letting them go with instinct maneuvers to help save each other.

With the simple command set, with no other moves to add to the list, Growlithe ran up to go block the falling Clarmeleon, rolling into a Flame Wheel before jumping to act as a shield to the electric-charged fist, using the spinning to block the punch and throw off the direction it was in as he landed, even if it did mean flying back a little with some injury. Meanwhile, Seel, kept her focus on the incoming Fearow to fire off another Aurora Beam at the incoming foe.

Charmeleon landed on his feet, furious that the pup deflected his hit. He roared in defiance, targeting his next opponent. Meanwhile, the Fearow was hit by the Aurora Beam, but remained airborne. This time, however, his flight pattern was a bit erratic; it wasn’t going to be able to take a hit like that again. If Fearow was going to go out, Otis was determined he would go out swinging.

“Team up! Fearow, Aerial Ace! Charmeleon, Dragon Rage!”

Both Pokemon targeted the Growlithe. Charmeleon spewed out purple flames at the pup, while Fearow dived in from above. The flying type zipped around to keep his target in his sights.

"Growlithe, Flame Wheel straight into the Charmeleon!" Douken called out. Taking the form of the ball of fire once more, he took the dark flames head on, forcing his body into the Charmeleon in hope for one thing: Fearow colliding right into his partner. Sure, there were some things to keep in mind like angle, but if successful, then the golden Charmeleon would also get hurt from it. Taking on a pincer attack like that would definitely hurt, most likely having Growlithe on the brink of fainting. However, Seel wasn't going to let the birdbrain stay around much longer and fired another Aurora beam at the Fearow’s injured wing, hopefully to ground him and maybe even knock him out.

The Charmeleon was surprised that the Growlithe charged straight through the purple flames. As a result, the Pokemon was knocked to the ground by the flame wheel. By being low to the ground, the Charmeleon managed to avoid the Fearow’s attack, leaving the Aerial Ace unimpeded upon impact.

Fearow wasn’t so lucky. As he rose up to the sky, he suffered another direct hit from Seel’s Aurora Beam. The bird Pokemon screeched in pain, falling abruptly onto the stage, where the gym leader promptly called back the fainted Fearow.

With the pup panting from the damage, Douken pulled out his Pokeball and called, "Rest up, Growlithe. You need it." There, a red beam struck him, sucking him in to switch out for his last choice. "Duskull, we need you!" With the toss of the ball, his Requiem Pokemon who managed to survive the Contest yesterday appeared, ready as ever.

Posted by: 2gamers Aug 2 2010, 08:32 PM

“Congrats on the first knockout,” Otis called out amidst audience applause. “This isn’t over yet though. Now, will audience pokemon remain seated please!”

The gym leader’s attention was directed to a pachirisu standing upon the railing, waving a red #1 foam finger around. Pan quickly pulled Chi-Chi back into her lap so the battle could continue.

As Douken’s Duskull entered the field, Otis’s growlithe returned to it. His charmeleon was ready as well, back on its feet and awaiting orders.

“Growlithe, Roar on the duskull. Charmeleon, Thunderpunch the seel!”

With the growlithe forcing a switch, it was a prime opportunity for Charmeleon to rush the water type. His fist cracked with electricity as he aimed for Seel’s side. In response to the echoing roar, Duskull panicked before retreating back to her ball before she could pull off another Trick Room. Douken could feel Croagunk's Pokeball shake; in response, he held onto it to prevent the pokemon from bursting out. "Calm down. I already sent out three, and it’s a three on three match. You being a forth would disqualify us." The ball still shook as it tried to escape. However, Seel was in trouble. "Seel, use Headbutt!" With the Charmeleon charging forth, she readied the horn on her head to strike the midsection of the Charmeleon as she took a strong hit from the punch, feeling the electricity flow through her.

When Croagunk's ball finally calmed down, he took Growlithe's and threw him back on the field, growling at the foes to Intimidate them once more. "Now Growlithe, I need you on guard duty. Seel, Rest up." With those commands, Seel plopped her belly onto the stone floor, laying flat as a small bubble began to appear on her nose, as if she was sleeping the pain off, when Growlithe stood in front of her, ready to Bite anyone who would dare to get close.

Charmeleon stumbled backwards from the headbutt attack, but the damage was already done. The attack convinced Douken to Rest his seel. With his growlithe back on the field, the match turned into a two vs. one fight. Otis liked his odds.

“Your foe is weak, Charmeleon! Dragon Rage!”

Once more, the flame pokemon spewed purple flames towards the Growlithe. Should the pup move out of the way, then the seel would take the hit. Otis would be satisfied with either scenario.

“Growlithe, Helping Hand!”

The other growlithe howled in support of his ally, preparing the charmeleon for an inevitable counterstrike.
Douken didn't like doing this, but all he could do was tell Growlithe, "Brace yourself!" He had to make sure Seel didn't get hurt from the flames, even if the attack knocked him out.

"You did well, now rest." he said, returning his ally. "Now Duskull, return to the field!" The Requiem Pokemon returned t the field in front of Seel, taking a quick look around to understand the situation. "Now, Duskull, place things in our favor. Use Trick Room!" Just like in the Contest Hall, Duskull created a warped dimension around them in a sense of a blue hue. However, this time was different. With Seel on land, and Duskull being Duskull, the dimension warp would place everything in his favor once Seel woke up.

Both of Otis’s pokemon looked around in confusion as the room was enveloped in a blue haze. The gym leader immediately took notice of the differences in movement speed of his team and Douken’s.

Trick Room…interesting, Otis thought to himself. The tides were changing once more.

“Charmeleon, Ember on Growlithe. Growlithe, Flame Wheel!”

In a surprise move that caused several audience members to gasp, the charmeleon swung his tail towards his teammate, launching a large ember into him. The growlithe jumped a bit in surprise of the attack, but recovered as soon as he was fired up. Flash Fire had activated, giving the pup a boost for his next attack. The growlithe charged towards the duskull, a hamster wheel of fire forming above and below him.

Thought so, Douken thought, seeing how his Growlithe never tried to Intimidate his foe in the beginning. This only meant his other ability was Flash Fire, which only surprised him that Otis didn't go to trigger it earlier. "Duskull, Confuse Ray!"

Duskull's eye glowed a bright blue as as wave of energy pulsed from her, messing with Growlithe's mind. She went to rewrite what he was seeing. Instead of what was out there, she placed everyone (besides trainers) as Seel, everything as Seel, even what wasn't there as Seel. It would make his judgment on who to attack hard, that's for sure. C’mon girl, wake up soon.

Confusion. Every trainer’s bane. For several turns, any attack the growlithe made would be a risk to itself. Still, Otis couldn’t simply let him stand idle; he would adjust after several rounds at most. The sooner Charmeleon could take out one of the other pokemon, the better.

“Growlithe, bite the duskull! Charmeleon, Thunderpunch that seel!”

With this tactic, the pup would distract the duskull while Charmeleon would take out the seel. A perfect tactic…had it not been for the confusion. Instead of the duskull, the growlithe bit down upon the charmeleon’s fist. The growlithe yelped as electricity went through his body, while the charmeleon roared in pain from the bite. The two quickly separated, but this did nothing to dull the lizard’s ire.

The flame pokemon did not take attacks like growlithe’s lightly. He was charging his target when he was stopped by one of his own. Punishment would be swift. In his rage, Charmeleon used his Dragon Rage attack. He overwhelmed his former teammate, his anger in physical form.

“CEASE! CEASE!” shouted Otis, but the growlithe had enough. The pup slumped down on its side, fainted. Charmeleon put his foot down upon the pup, roaring in victory to the audience above. He completely ignored his actual foes.

*POP* The nose bubble popped all of a sudden before a yawn could be heard as Seel woke up from a delightful nap, feeling completely refreshed. "Morning, girl. Feel better?" She stuck out her tongue and gave a little clap, showing she was full of energy. "Good, because now its time to finish things here. Aurora Beam, Night Shade, lets go!"

Seel launched her rainbow-colored beam from her horn at the gloating Charmeleon. Sure, it wasn't going to have a strong effect anyways, but that was why Night Shade was there. To tease the golden-scaled foe, Duskull made mirages of multitudes of Growlithe around him, all grinning before they charged to simulate the Bite attack, over and over again.

Charmeleon was knocked off his trophy by both attacks. As he lifted himself off the ground, the dozens of growlithe tackled him from all angles. The flame pokemon swung his tail wildly in all directions, launching embers across the arena. With his Blaze ability activated, the attack would be a bit more dangerous to get caught in.

As Otis returned his growlithe, he knew his charmeleon was not far off. His spirit said “Fight!” but his body was clearly saying “Rest”. The lizard was panting after the ember attack, yet he refocused his attention upon the duskull and seel.

“Keep up with the embers,” Otis commanded, pointing at the duskull. They would have to take advantage of the pokemon’s type and ability to even hope for the match to continue.

"Disable!" With Duskull's eye glowing bright blue, she locked the small flames in mid-air and had them dissipate as she locked that skill away, taking advantage of seeing it earlier with the mirage attack. "Now, finish this with Headbutt!" Although she was wobbly upon hopping forward, her movement was as fast as her swimming, which allowed her to move in close to jab the lizard with her sharp horn once more as the finishing touch, cause by the look of his tail, he had Blaze going, which meant he was almost out of steam.

The charmeleon was knocked backwards by the headbutt, the sharp horn poking his underbelly. It appeared that the lizard wasn’t about to give up yet. He leaned his head back, preparing to launch another Dragon Rage attack. He had the seel right where he wanted him.

Then his entire body leaned back, causing the pokemon to land on his back. This time, however, he did not get up. His rage had finally surrendered to his weariness. The charmeleon was reabsorbed in red light amidst an ecstatic crowd.

Douken had won his first gym match.

Otis walked across the stage to greet the successful challenger. Rather than harsh words on luck, he offered a handshake. Within that hand was the beautiful Emberwing Badge.

“Well done,” Otis said. “You have no idea how few people make it this far. And you better go much farther or I’ll demand a rematch.”

"Thank you," Douken replied, shaking his hand and accepting the badge. "I plan on it. You did was powerful as well. If we do have a rematch, it will be a good one."

Letting off a whistle, Seel hopped her way back to him. With Duskull, Growlithe and Croagunk joining his side, Douken revealed the badge they earned. "Look guys. Its what we came here for." All but Croagunk was ecstatic about it, cheering happily. "I know, you wanted in on it too, but this place wasn't for you. Besides, the Nurse said you needed some days off to recover." His cheeks puffed up, as if accepting that fact, but also demanding he gets in the next fight.

Behind Douken, Pan managed to beat the crowds and be one of the first to greet the winner. Chi-Chi was still wielding her foam finger, waving it around like a maniac.

Once his team got a good look, Douken felt like he had to show everyone watching, so he stood up and held the badge high, letting it shine in the sunlight. Lowering it down, he returned everyone and turned back to Otis. "Thank you. Take care now." With those words, he walked back to the entrance to pick up his bag and left the gym with Pan.

Posted by: Douken Sota Aug 2 2010, 09:15 PM

“That was a great battle!” Pan told Douken. They were on their way back to the pokemon center, enjoying the bright morning rays of sunshine. “You still had two pokemon at the end. It looked pretty hectic down there.”

Chi-Chi was perhaps the most excited of the group. She loved cheering and loud excited crowds. Her foam finger waving continued; every time the group passed someone, the pachirisu would erupt in cheers and finger waving. After the fourth time, it was starting to get annoying, so Pan took the finger away, allowing Chi-Chi to sulk inside her vest.

They had accomplished a lot in the past two days; she wished she could explore the city a bit more. But duty called once more; the professor wanted her in Petropolis. He wouldn’t specify as to the reason; he claimed it was a surprise. That was enticing enough for Pan to head over there. It would also be the first time she set foot into her workplace, not to mention into Petropolis itself.

Baby steps for now though. There was a huge distance between Arasam and Petropolis. There was still a lot of adventure to be had.

“So, after the pokemon center, where are you off to? I have to be in Petropolis for work stuff.”

"Petropolis, huh?" he repeated before reaching into his other pocket, pulling out his Pokegear and opening it up. Sure, it only had two features on it currently, but he was lucky that one was a map. After tinkering around with it, he soon got information on the ciy's information. "According to this, there seems to be a Gym there as well. And besides, a journey with allies is more fun than a journey alone, right? Mind if I tag along?"

“Allies?” Pan said, feinting astonishment with a grin. “I guess we will have to travel together some more if all I am is an ally.”
"You know what I mean," Douken said, grinning back at her, realizing he chose the wrong words right there.

When they arrived at the Pokemon Center, she held the door for Douken, playfully shaking her head at him for his choice of words.

“Alright, you go heal your pokemon. I’m going to pack. My door’s open if you need me.” With that, Pan walked up the stairs to her room to gather her things.
***

There wasn’t anything major to pick up; Pan was careful to put things back in her backpack when she was done with them. The only things that needed to be done were picking up clothes and making the bed. The dress she wore for the contest was still lying on the bathroom floor (Darryn would have died if he saw that), while the bed looked as though a tornado went through it. Though they were just a couple of chores, that didn’t mean she would do them alone. Pan grabbed two pokeballs and released her cleffa and growlithe.

“Fenrir, make sure I didn’t leave anything behind. Lima, Chi-Chi. Let’s make this bed.”

The growlithe started sniffing around the room for lost items, while the cleffa and pachirisu climbed up on the bed. Both looked up expectantly at their human. Pan grabbed one of the sheets and smiled, causing her pokemon to smile. She quickly lifted the sheet, causing Lima and Chi-Chi to launch into the air. They landed back on the bed in a sea of giggles.

Chores were fun when Pan’s pokemon were around.
***


When Pan headed off to her room to clean everything up, Douken headed back to the counter, placing the three Pokeballs on the counter.

"My, what happened to you to be back so early for healing?" she questioned as a Chansey ran up to take the balls in hand, heading back for healing up. Douken only replied by showing the badge he won with a grin. "Oh, congrats! Good luck with your future Gym challenges."

"Thanks, Douken replied. "Any chance you have a phone to call my parents?" She pointed him over to a computer sitting out there with a mic and camera attached. Taking her word, he headed for the computer and dialed his home number.

"Hello, this is Sota Daycare," came a reply as the screen turned on, showing an old man's face who had a large scar on his left eye, "How may I he- Oh, why hello there Douken. How is your journey going?"

"Its going great, Dad," he said, holding out the badge.

Oh, your first Gym badge, I see! I must say, congrats! A celebration, I say!"

"Dad, there isn't enough time to hold a party. Besides, I am all the way in the middle of Furoh while you are on that island."

Right, right... Well, I guess the next best thing would be a reward, then. Tell me, how many Pokemon do you have on hand?"

"Only four. Why do you ask?"

"A trainer is allowed to have six on hand. The rest are sent to a caretaker, which would be us. Still, with room for two more, I am sure I can send this to you," he said, holding out a Pokeball, before placing it out of sight. "Just wait and look to your left. It should come to you there any moment now."

Almost on command, a bright light shined out of the device next to it, a Pokeball appearing from there. It popped open to reveal a floating ball with magnets on the side. "This is a Magnemite who goes by the name Rusty. It was left here from a trainer who thought this was a foster home. We think it would be better if it came with you instead of sitting here."

Douken looked at the Magnemite, and the Magnemite looked back at him, before shocking him and hiding behind the computer. "I forgot to say it a little timid to new faces, but I am sure it will get used to you."

"Right..." he said, recovering from the shock.

Posted by: 2gamers Aug 2 2010, 09:21 PM

With her room finished, Pan and her pokemon headed back downstairs to put away the dirty laundry. As usual, she went into the computer room, logged into a terminal, and deposited her clothes into her box. That was when she noticed Douken having a conversation with his own computer. Curious, Pan made her way to her friend’s side to investigate.

“Hey Douken,” Pan said, “Who’s on the other line?” She peeked at the screen to see an older man wearing a beret and sporting an awesome mustache. He also seemed to have trouble winking; his left eye refused to open.

“Why is he winking at us like that?” Pan asked quietly. It was curious at first, but the wink was starting to creep her out.

"Hey Pan, this is my Dad, Sven. Dad, this is a friend I met earlier named Pan. She's doing some research around here for a professor."

"A pleasure," he replied. It was then a question relating about the eye came up. "You know, there is an interesting story with that. You see, when I was 15 in Sinnoh -"

"Dad fought with a Scyther, one of the blades got to his eye, and he still won." Douken had to interrupt, having heard the story so many times.

"Aww, that's no fun now. She didn't hear any of the good parts!"

"Sorry Dad, but i am sure we have to leave soon. I am sure if she wants to know, I will tell her the whole story."

"Right, right. You two lovebirds go on and have an adventure then. Don't forget to send your parents an invitation to the wedding! I'll tell Mom you said hi!"

"Dad!" Douken called out with a slight red as the screen went blank, him hanging up. Pan giggled as Douken blushed in reaction to his father’s comments. Parents could get that way sometimes. She was a little embarrassed that she thought he was winking at them, but the man took the mistake quite well. Perhaps they would meet in person one day.

"That's my Dad for you," he said with a slight chuckle before picking up the Pokeball from the machine.

"Cmon, Rusty. Stop hiding and let’s go. You will have fun." The small Magnet Pokemon looked over from behind the computer before slowly moving out, before being taken in by the red beam.
After heading to the desk to get everyone back from Nurse Joy, Douken asked, "So Pan, I take it you are all set?"

“Yep, I’m good to go,“ Pan replied, straightening her backpack out. “Hey, where did that magnemite come from?”

"My dad sent it over as congrats for my first badge,” Douken replied. “It won't respond to any name besides Rusty, which I can guess is the nickname the old trainer gave it. I mean, the only reason why I don't give nicknames if because I have trouble thinking of new ones," he said laughing.

“Well, if nicknames are a problem, I can help you out,” Pan added. “In my experience, pokemon like it when you give them names. It’s another bond between you and them.” Pan always made it a point to nickname any new pokemon of hers, if they didn’t have one already. It set them apart from all others; they were uniquely her friends.

Both talked about Douken’s new Pokemon and nicknames as they left the Pokemon Center and headed back to the tunnels. Just then, Pan spotted an old man setting up a hot air balloon. Joining him was a pair of Chimchar, who were playing around before they had to get back to inflating the balloon. The balloon was still deflated, obscuring its design. The sign next to him read ‘Balloon Rides Down the Mountain: $20 One Way, $35 Round Trip.’ It would cost them some money, but the trip would save the two time, not to mention be much more scenic than the caves.

“Ooh, let’s go on that!” Pan said, pointing to balloon.

Looking at the sign and the prices, Douken pulled out a small wallet and looked through what he had. "Well, I think I have enough to pay for myself," he said with a light chuckle. He was glad he had that much, seeing how he had no job.

When it came time to pay, Pan brushed Douken’s hand aside and handed the man her debit card.

“I’ve got this,” she said to Douken. He did pay for last night’s dinner after all.

After he handed Pan her card and a receipt the man shouted at his chimchars in what sounded like gibberish. Immediately, the fire monkeys scrambled, using the fire on their bottoms to get the balloon into the air. Fully inflated, the balloon resembled the head of a meowth with its paw raised as if waving.

The man and his pokemon entered the large basket, the chimchars taking position above the humans. He offered a hand to Pan and Douken to help them inside.

“Up!” he shouted, causing the chimchar to unleash their fire to raise the balloon into the air. Higher and higher they went. Arasam was beginning to become distant in the physical realm, but the city would always be close to the trainers’ hearts. Under them was a massive highland rainforest surrounding the mountain. A flock of pidgey flew by the balloon; Pan had her camera ready to capture the moment.

Pan kept leaning on the side with Chi-Chi in her vest and Lima in her arms. None of them were afraid of the great heights they attained (though they were technically descending). She smiled widely as she looked upon the cloudless sky.

“It’s beautiful,” Pan said, taking pictures of the scenery. Unexpectedly, she turned around to stand next to Douken. She set Lima on her shoulder so she would be between the two humans, while Pan held the camera towards them. The scenic background would provide a nice picture to round out their adventure.

“Smile.”