The Preliminary and First Round Matches of Francesco Rojas and Joey J. Sweet
Cesc strode proudly through the crowds, having selected what he figured to be a rather dashing outfit. Today, he wore a royal purple shirt with a blue vest over top., black slacks and a red bow tie. To round out the ensemble, he wore a red and gold bandana around his head, letting his hair fall out in a ponytail behind him as he moved.
He had just parted ways with Branwys as they moved towards the registration desk, a bit amazed at the sight of the massive sprawl. He had gotten word from his Auntie and Uncle that they'd closed down La Sastreria over in Arasam for the week just to be part of the festivities here. Business had been booming, and it seemed only fair to capitalize on the popularity. Francesco Rojas would be sure to put on a show to shamelessly plug his family's wares.
But first, he had to battle regularly.
He and Branwys had signed up for the battle contest, for their own reasons. He could've just signed up for some Exhibition contests and a few contest battles, but he also chose to sign up for the battle portion as well. So far, on their past few outings, Cesc had done rather poorly in the battles, usually relying on Branwys for support. In the last 'adventure', it had nearly gotten all of them eaten by Carnivine. While honing the beauty and coolness of their techniques, Cesc also had to make sure that they all got stronger. It seemed like a good way to improve in all fields, and that was surely what Cesc wanted today.
He wondered, briefly, whether he'd run into anyone he knew. He knew that Darryn and Lyla were certain to be around, confirmed when they'd parted ways back at Bonnie's. Surely loudmouth Seiccan, his new eternal rival, would be there. Maybe even Hunter, the kid who ditched them in Fidona before the contest would be there? Hunter seemed like a battling sort of fellow, so it made sense that he'd probably turn up too. Maybe Theo? The green-haired kid he'd met over on his first trip to Fidona. Was his name Theo?
Cesc breezed through the registration, and the level-scaling with ease, not really paying too much attention to any of the details. Level 50. New moves. He'd already studied up on each of his pokemon's new moves once he'd learned that level scaling would be involved.
Making his way to field D-8, Cesc waited patiently for his turn to be called. He had to get through these few rounds, then make his way back to the dorm room provided for him...then promptly over to Branwys' room.
"Next up! Francesco Rojas and Leona Maxwell!"
Sadly, this was no one that Cesc knew. He sized her up as they both stepped onto the nicely drawn arena. Across the gently grassy field, his opponent looked like a total tomboy.
"Hello!" Cesc smiled cheerfully, waving to her. "Pleased to meet you, Ms. Maxwell!"
"Likewise, Rojas. But you're nothing but a warm-up. I gotta get to that tattoed face guy and cream him!"
Tattoed face guy?
"Ah, well, I hope you'll at least enjoy your battle with me, first." Cesc gave a little bow, sweeping his hand under his stomach as he did so. As he came back up, he tossed a pokeball forward without missing a beat, revealing none other than his Scyther, Bardolph.
"Samurott. Let's go!" She threw out a pokeball in the way that trainers did. No class, no glamour. Just a throw. Cesc sighed, figuring that once again, he had to dive back into the world of regular battles. Glitz and showmanship would win him no points here.
"Trainers at your ready!" With that, a sharp whistle pierced the air, and the referee's flags shot up, indicating the start of the battle.
"Samurott!" Leona yelled,
"Bardolph!" Cesc replied.
"SLASH!" the two yelled in tandem. With that, the two pokemon charged forward, meeting at the center of the field. Samurott, reared back before snapping his head forward, slashing viciously with the horn on his head. Meanwhile, Bardolph spun, meeting the slash with a pair of his own. The first one met the horn, deflecting it, while the other scored a direct hit, forcing the Samurai otter to stumble backwards.
"Aqua Jet!""Vacuum Wave!"
Once again, the commands came simultaneoulsy. Cesc seemed quite pleased with that, but the girl seemed visibly irritated. It made sense to her, though, the co-ordinator was watching her breathe, and announcing his commands at the same time to keep her from getting anything to react with.
As Samurott flew forward, enshrouded in what looked like a bullet of water, the Scyther's vacuum wave slashed hard into it, knocking it off course. The Aqua Jet hit the ground hard, as the slash that sprung from Bardolph's claws forced it downwards.
"Samurott!"
"Bardolph, use Fury Cutter!"
"Use Fury Cutter!"
From its downed position, Samurott rose immediately, slashing at Bardolph with one of the shell blades from his forearm. The Praying Mantis, in turn, met the samurai stroke for stroke with his own blades. Both sides built in ferocity until Bardolph broke off, avoiding the last of Samurott's furious slashes.
"Excellent, my friend. Use X-Scissor!"
"Samurott! Water Pulse!"
Cesc's Scyther charged forward, narrowly avoiding the whirling pulse of water from his enemy, before crouching down and springing upwards, slashing out both of his blades in an "X" pattern.
The resilient Samurott shook off the hit, launching into an Aqua Tail while Bardolph was at close range. The battle-hungry Scyther flew back through the air, landing shakily on his feet with a little assistance from his now waterlogged wings.
"Let's finish this! Aqua Tail!"
"Bardolph, Night Slash!"
As the Aqua Tail came flashing downwards, Bardolph disappeared in the splashy display. Within seconds, before the Samurott had a chance to right its balance, he reappeared, his claws glowing with sinister energy. Both blades flashed, scoring heavy hits on the Samurai's unarmored underbelly. He fell back, utterly defeated.
"The winner is Francesco Rojas! Please proceed to the Cliffside Arena for your next match!" The referee made a notch on his clipboard as the two trainers recalled their pokemon. The tomboy, Leona Maxwell, huffed a grumpy salute over at Cesc before disappearing back into the stands.
Bardolph looked over at Cesc, nodding appreciatively at his trainer for the fight. The co-ordinator in turn recalled his pokemon, smiling as he did.
"Next stop, the Cliffside!"
After a quick stop at one of the makeshift Pokemon Center tents, wherein he'd dressed his Pokemon up, Francesco Rojas was brimming with energy as he strode towards the Cliffside Arena.
"Your Eevee is going to be just fine," the Nurse Joy's words broke the worry cloud over Joey's head. Babylon was laying back on a small, portable stretcher and Joey was gently holding his small brown paw, stroking the toes with admiration.
"We did it, buddy," Joey told the Eevee as he beamed down at him.
"Oooeeee!" Babylon sat up, energized and well, and with a shimmering smile lighting up his small canine visage. Joey patted him lovingly and recalled him to his Pokéball. He had to get ready for his next match. Nurse Joy complimented his battle.
"I saw it from one of the television kiosks here at the healing center. Your Eevee worked really hard for you."
Yes, yes he did, Joey silently agreed. He thanked the nurse and headed for the Cliffside Arena and his next opponent. Bartholomew was at his side with a suspicious looking suitcase, and before the young boy was able to make his way onto the field, his assistant hauled him off to a nearby changing room and revealed the contents of the suitcase.
"No, no, nooo-," Joey moaned. "We agreed on one costume. That one looks horrific!" Joey signed "horrific" repeatedly and emphatically to mournfully emphasize his point.
"It won't be so bad," Bartholomew stated which really meant, "Deal with it." Joey groaned and resigned himself to the new costume change behind the curtain.
"Hurry up," Bartholomew called as he tossed accessories over the curtain. "After this, we have some free time. I saw some vendors I want to take you by." Then, remembering that Joey was deaf and couldn't see through the curtain, he chuckled to himself. He reached through the curtain and one-handed signed everything he had said. He didn't see Joey's reaction, but the young boy pushed his hand back out, causing Bartholomew to chuckle some more to himself.
Joey emerged onto the Cliffside battlefield upon the announcement of his name, and he looked some odd combination of hideous and stunning. This costume was fashioned after a Pidgeotto and was in his opinion, far too tight. He was consistently self-conscious of the gut he hadn't managed to shed yet, and tried to somehow loosen the material around his waist to hide it. Luckily, his costume was designed to keep his hands open and free for signing, so the plethora of feathers ended slightly before his wrist. From that point down, he had "wings" hanging down from his arms with shining material emblazoned in traditional Pidgeotto colors.
Smaller feathers decorated the body of the costume, leading all the way down to flesh colored shoes with protruding talons. The stiff tail feathers with alternating pink and yellow hues were held on with a belt tucked under the shirt of the costume, and they were a little too long on his small form. The last remaining piece was the feather cap held in place on his head using an itchy elastic band. The head feathers were perfectly glorious, crisp and shining in the Cliffside environment.
Bartholomew had had a stroke of mercy and allowed Joey to pass up on the beak accessory, much to Joey's grateful relief.
Joey took his place on the arena and called out his first two Pokémon, crossing his arms and ending with them splayed in the "I love you" sign similarly to his previous battle. He hoped Bartholomew hadn't been lying that he didn't look stupid doing it.
A medium sized bird form burst through an explosion of confetti and a slew of exploding bubbles welcomed the sleek form of an intense looking Seel.
"Pidddggeeeoooo!"
"Seeeeel Seel Seel!"
Both Pokémon, Pidgeotto and Seel, turned back to acknowledge their trainer and were ready to receive their beginning signs. Joey nodded and waited for his opponent, trying to fight the building anxiety.
Francesco Rojas tilted his head to one side as he saw his opponent enter the ring. He had heard that some Pokefans liked to dress up as Pokemon...and if that was their thing, he wasn't one to judge. Stifling the urge to make fun of his opponent, for he was a gentleman until the other person proved 'worthy' of jokes, he set about dramatically plucking two pokeballs from his waist.
With his usual, casual grace, he nonchalantly tossed the two pokeballs forward. A cloud of smoke puffed out on the field from the first one, and a small shower of pink hearts burst upwards like a volcano from the other. Valentine popped upwards, like he had been shot through the fountain of hearts, performing a little backflip before landing on the ground. Today, the fire monkey sported a flowing cape that matched the colours of his final evolution. Infernape Cape. Infercape.
The cloud of smoke lingered on the field for a moment, until Oberon, Cesc's Sneasel stepped through, looking for all the world like he'd stepped through a portal onto the field. The Sneasel wore a white fedora that matched his claws, giving him a classy, gangster like look.
Meanwhile, Cesc watched as the other trainer's pokeballs burst into carefully chosen seals as well. With their entrance through the seals, and the pristine condition in which they appeared, Cesc knew immediately that he was facing a fellow co-ordinator. This was going to be much closer to his preferred style of battle.
He smiled dashingly over at Joey, giving a thumbs up as he called across the field:
"It's nice to see another co-ordinator here! Let's make this a spectacle to remember! Boys, at the ready!"
With that, his two pokemon took their pieces of clothing, the cape and fedora, respectively, and tossed them back towards Cesc, who caught both neatly. Even their entrance had been co-ordinated.
"This double battle between Francesco Rojas and Joey J. Sweet will now commence! SLASH!" With that, the ref sharply blew into his whistle, shooting both flags into the air.
Wasting no time, Cesc extended his hand forward before flicking his wrist.
""Valentine, Fake Out Seel!! Oberon! Ice Shard, Pidgeotto!"
Cesc had two very fast Pokemon on the field, and he set about to use that to his advantage. Valentine charged forward, aiming to clap both of his hands on either side of Jet's face. If the move impacted, it would be an immediate flinch, keeping Jet from acting that round, but only if it came in contact. It was one of the fastest moves in the Pokemon world, and only worked if it was the first command issued.
Oberon, meanwhile, stayed back towards Cesc, quickly using his ice-based powers to create a slew of daggers in his clawed hands. Like a ninja, he slashed both of his hands forward, sending dozens of tiny little ice daggers streaking towards the Pidgeotto. It was a quick-striking combo, and with any luck, Cesc's initiative would pay off.
When that Sneasel appeared on the field in his gangster style, Joey clenched in the deepest realms of his spirit. That hat clearly announced that this was the Pokémon that mama warned you about. Joey felt incredibly discouraged to see such a formidable opponent so soon. The deaf trainer had a hunch that the Sneasel would be the main threat, especially against his Pidgeotto. He cursed himself for using Claw, but deep down he knew that Claw was his strongest and most reliable Pokémon.
Unfortunately, the devastating speed of his opponents became apparent quite quickly. Joey wanted to freeze and withdraw into himself, as if the Ice Shard were destined to cut through him. The pressure was already too much! But as he started to recede mentally, there was a sudden block, and he could go no further. Then his analytical side took over, and he knew what to do.
"Jet!" He got the Seel's attention as he turned back from the flinch. Joey then signed the move he wanted to be used on the Chimchar: Encore.
The Ice Shard pelted Claw and sent him out of the air, but the adept bird caught himself and managed to land on his gripping talons and gained enough traction for his next attack. Joey knew he had to go on the defensive for Claw and they both needed to focus on the Sneasel. Joey made a sprinkling motion then brought his closed right fist against his pointing left hand: Sand-Attack. Then he made the sign for Whirlwind. Claw started flapping emphatically. Sand started to rise in a funnel around the bird. To signal Jet's next move, Aqua Jet, Joey brought his W-hand against his mouth and then jerked a sideways "I love you" sign across his torso.
Speed and ice spelled a bad combo for Claw, and Joey didn't want to risk getting another hit.
Joey fought a cringe as the Sneasel slashed against thick Seely skin. Jet squealed in pain and was sent tumbling back while fumbling with his flippers for traction. The Seel was looking quite weathered, but still held his ground. The determined look upon his puppy-ish muzzle marked him as the most courageous of Joey's team.
Once he saw what Claw was up against, he started flopping over there to help without Joey's command. But luckily, the Seel turned to look at his trainer and caught the Aqua Jet sign that Joey was making, except he was twisting his hand differently at the end. Jet understood and water engulfed him to propel him towards his teammate. He maneuvered himself so that the Aqua Jet would come from the front of Claw as the Sneasel came from behind, then Joey signed for Claw to Roost by tapping two fingers parallel against each other.
Claw managed to touch ground just in time to take the Faint Attack with a subtle glow, signifying HP regain and the temporary loss of his Flying type. The move knocked him forward but Claw moved with the momentum and instead of struggling to rise, Claw flattened himself as much as he could as Jet propelled above him, dispelling the Will-o-Wisp flames in a hypnotizing spiral as the Aqua Jet zipped towards the Sneasel from over Claw's feathered back.
As soon as Claw was safe to rise, he turned his avian head and prepared a Quick Attack towards the Sneasel off Joey's command. Glowing feathers appeared around Claw's form and rotated in a vortex around him like Saturn's rings as he started off the combo with a Featherdance.
Joey was starting to lose hope though. How could he compete with a Pokemon that could become a shadow?
Cesc nodded in approval at the combo, even as it struck Oberon, sending the dark weasel tumbling backwards.
The Sneasel, not known for high defenses, looked as ragged as the Seel, and unlike his opponents, had no means of recovery. Cesc's teams focused on tight-coordinated offenses, and the simple fact of the matter was that he had to end battles quickly; drawing it out was only detrimental to his team.
"Valentine, Will-o-Wisp." Once more, Cesc's Chimchar summoned the purple balls of flame into the air, but Cesc had calculated that the Encore had hopefully ended. Risking it, he issued a command: "Acrobatics!"
With a nod, the Fire Monkey shot forward, springing high up into the air in a graceful flip, the Will-o-Wisps following in his wake. He aimed to slam down on the less mobile Seel, wherein the Will-O-Wisp flames would flash down after the impact, adding a ghostly burn to the technique.
"Oberon, Counter!" Having received damage from the Aqua Jet and Quick Attack combo, Cesc sought to return the damage twofold to the encroaching Pidgeotto. "Follow it up with Icy Wind!"
With a nod, the Sneasel built up the power in the pain he'd received from Aqua Jet and Quick Attack, ready to return the compounded damage two-fold to Claw, which turned out to look like a grapple. Oberon appeared to be reaching for the bird's feet in the air, and with a successful grip, he would spin and slam the bird into the ground. With any luck, the ground-bound bird would then have difficulty dodging the point blank Icy Wind attack, but if Claw managed to escape the initial one, the Icy Wind would at the very least keep him on the defensive for the next turn.
Cesc looked across towards Joey, who now wore a grim face as the battle drew on. The young boy was out of his element, but was holding his own in a truly spectacular way. He couldn't wait to face the boy in a true Contest Match, where he was sure they'd be dead even.
The young trainer couldn't see a way for Jet to avoid the attack on him, and although he knew it was inevitable, he wasn't pleased that the Encore had worn off. If he was barely staying in the battle before, he didn't stand much of a chance now. Since Jet couldn't dodge, the only thing to do would be to meet it with another attack, and a fitting combo to match. After struggling to remember the sign for it, Joey signed for Brine, and Jet started to accumulate crashing water around him. So, Joey brought up his W-hand to his mouth again for what could be the last time that match, and Jet obliged willingly to Aqua Jet right into the oncoming Chimchar with the Brine following him in a spiral.
They met in mid-air and crashed horribly, and when Jet landed he was noticeably wobbly, battered, and bruised. He was also wincing from obvious burn marks along his Seely hide, and Joey's spirits sank. He tried hard to get Jet's attention, who was focused on his Fire Monkey opponent, and signed Rest by closing his hand in a downward fashion against his eyes.
There were a few heart-pounding moments when Claw was dodging the Sneasel's grasp. Joey didn't understand what the Sneasel was going for, but he signed for Claw to get away from it anyways as it probably wasn't good news. But alas, Claw couldn't gain altitude quickly enough from a standstill and one Sneasely claw wrapped around the Pidgeotto's talon-ed foot and dragged him down. In one smooth stroke, Joey's first Pokémon was slammed into the ground with a shrieking call. His avian body was sprawled belly down wings contorted outwards, and the Sneasel was gearing up for an Icy Wind attack. Claw looked done for, and he wasn't facing Joey so he couldn't tell if he was conscious.
Watching Claw get slammed like that made Joey feel like his gut was wrenched out. He desperately wanted to call it off right now, like he had before when Kimiko was in a bad position against a Makuhita. That had been the right choice, hadn't it?
But for only a brief moment, Claw lifted his head and glared intently at his opponent that was bearing down on him with ice crystals forming around his breath. Then Claw managed to get his feet underneath him and he started to glow subtly and bruises started to disappear and feathers became unwrinkled. When the Icy Wind came, he stood his ground and took it with his head bowed and his wings snapped shut. Joey looked on in awe as his Pokémon kept going. If Claw wanted to, Joey would hold out too. He signed for his next move to be Wing Attack.
He didn't really want to follow up his very first win with a loss, but Joey was getting nervous.
Cesc allowed himself an uncharacteristic frown. The Pidgeotto and Seel kept healing themselves with Roost and Aqua Ring, and had been slowly whittling away at his Pokemon. Their offensive capabilities were mitigated by his opponents' defensive ones, and now Cesc feared that a loss was heading his way.
The Aqua Jet-Brine combo hit Valentine hard. Combined with the earlier damage, as well as his weakness to water, Cesc's original pokemon was knocked completely unconscious in one blow. Brine was a move that hit especially hard once the opponent had already been damaged; Joey had made an excellent call.
Meanwhile, even as Icy Wind bore down on the Pidgeotto, the deaf trainer had managed to signal for a Roost, undoing all of the damage that Oberon had been laying on the bird. With a grimace, Oberon prepared another technique:
"Oberon! Beat Up!"
With a malicious grin, Oberon ducked low, just beneath the face of the roosting bird, before knocking him upwards. From Cesc's belt, two bolts of light shot forth, materializing his Zangoose and Scyther. As the Avian was knocked airwards, he was met with two more sets of wicked blades. Tybalt, the Zangoose, let out a mighty swipe of his claws before disappearing back to Cesc's belt, knocking the bird back down towards the ground. Before he hit, however, Bardolph, Cesc's Scyther, would flash into view, sending another vicious slash before disappearing. While it seemed like cheating, Beat Up was a legitimate Dark-Type move, and Cesc was not above playing to his advantages.
However, it was for naught. The healing Roost had given Claw enough health to remain standing. With Joey's signal for a Wing Attack, he launched forward, catching the surprised Oberon across the body. The Sneasel's eyes widened in surprise, as he had not expected the opponent to remain standing after that series of hits. He stood, shocked, as the Wing Attack seemingly passed through him, leaving a trail of energy across his body.
With a strangled gurgle, he slumped to his knees, and then very gracefully fell.
The crowd erupted in cheers for the exciting battle, which had combined both elements of true battling and the brilliance of co-ordination from the two trainers. Few had witnessed such a feat, and they should their admiration for the two trainers with wild applause.
Recalling Oberon with a disappointed smile, Cesc strode proudly out to the center of the field. He reached out his hand for a handshake from the boy dressed like a bird. Once they clasped hands, Cesc would bow with Joey to the audience, thanking them for their attention and applause.
"That was an excellent battle, Mr. Sweet. I hope to meet you again on the Co-ordinator Circuit."
The deaf trainer suppressed a cheer when he saw Jet beautifully take out the opponent's Chimchar in one hit. He started to feel a little giddy, and Jet didn't stop from celebrating, which was a little too early to go help his teammate.
Joey sucked in his breath when he saw the Beat Up technique being used. He had never seen anything like it and felt almost outraged. Luckily, Claw pulled through for him in a breathtaking sweep, which left Joey in awe. His eyes followed the energy trail to his crouched battle stance Avian with an incredibly intense and battered look. As the Sneasel fell, the Pidgeotto slumped in relief and exhaustion, but remained standing. Joey kept his calm when all he wanted to do was run to his Pokemon. That's when he started looking around.
The audience members were standing and he could see their mouths open in cheers and he could see them clapping, but it felt almost hollow that the first time he experienced applause at this magnitude, he wouldn't be able to hear it. He shook off the morose thoughts and reminded himself that hearing it wasn't important. The fact that it was happening, and despite all his pessimism, he had won.
Upon his opponent's cue, Joey followed suit in going to the center of the field and recalling both his Pokemon. He met his opponent in the center and as least awkwardly as he could manage to situate the costumed feathers flowing from his wrist, participated in his first real handshake. The bowing together caught Joey off guard, but he hoped it didn't appear that way. During that motion, he caught a glimpse at the giant televised screen of the match and immediately wishing he had the beak so he would have had something to hide behind. But also, it was the first time he learned his opponent's name: Francesco Rojas. He had never seen anything like it, and he wasn't even sure how to say it.
He turned to meet the boy's gaze in time to see that he had been talking. The boy looked older than him, but that didn't mean much because everyone did. It could go either way. Looking at the boy reminded him of something his mother used to say, that beautiful people had the opportunity to do anything, and Joey thought his opponent to be an apt example. Shockingly, Joey noticed that his eyes were of different color. Feeling silly that he noticed such a close detail, Joey responded in the deaf culture's catch-all phrase that was best pulled off with confidence and a small smile.
"Thanks! You too."
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