The Preliminaries of Jill Ariana Cortoma and Elizabeth Nadira Shir.
The great masses throughout the event were a sight to see. People of all shapes and colors were gathered for one event; the Petropolis Grand Invitational.
Liz found comfort in traveling with the maniacal Dr. Adelaide and skilled Tag Lee. However, the time came to say farewell and good luck to her friends, and her attention returned back to her plans. The Invitational was to be her practice for the double battles of contests. Alongside that, and perhaps much more subconsciously, the young trainer was curious to taste the thrills of competitive battling. She had participated in simple battles before, but never a tournament of such scale, and she was as energetic and excited as a shaken up soda for the chance to take part in such an event.
The level scaling factor astounded her. After registering her ID and entering as an official competitor, she was sent to a small station where a Nurse Joy stood beside a machine. The nurse described the process easily, explaining the extent and limits of its boosting or lowering technology developed by the best minds in Daioh. Liz barely retained the details as her mind was distracted by a bombardment of ideas with her newly acquired moves.
Her team prepped, she checked her Pokédex as a precautious first step. With the majority of her team in their first stages of evolution, besides her Kirlia, their movepools expanded spectacularly. Such a feat fulfilled her wildest dreams of having an excelled team with only the best Co-ordinator combination appeals.
“We are so going to rock this!” She cheered to herself. Liz was sorely tempted to release her full team and share her excitement with them, but with the rather dangerous and violent outcomes of her last encounter with a large public event, she felt directed to take better precautions. Instead, she checked her pamphlet for her assigned battle scene. “Field A-14. Huh.”
Ignoring her urges to check out the Co-Ordination Station (she promised herself a trip to the contest temple after her sacrilegious battles), she made her way to the simple battle field. Her tardiness, caused by completely accidental over-awing at the various benefits and stations throughout the Invitational as well as a quick change out of her old traveling clothes, left her mere minutes to decide on her first Pokémon for the preliminary round.
She stepped onto the platform dressed in black skinny jeans, flats, and a white shirt with a folded collar and long sleeves. The professional outfit left her feeling energized and focused on the task at hand. Opposite of her, an older teenage boy with dark skin and hair strode to his position. He flashed a shiny, pearly white grin as the referee took his position.
“Elizabeth Shir vs. Jonathan White!” The man called. “This will be a one on one battle. Standard battle rules are in effect. No substitutions are allowed, and the winner will be decided when the opponent’s Pokémon is no longer capable of battling. Begin!”
Liz chose a Pokéball from her belt with practiced grace, tossing it into the air with the flick of her wrist. “Ryan, take the spotlight!” Her Riolu appeared in the air, falling to the ground in a single flip and landing like a bird perched on a branch. His paws came up to a defensive position as he waited for his opponent.
Jonathan threw his Pokéball like a lasso, his arm swinging back and deftly snatching the ball out of the air after it released its contents. A white and fuzzy bug came forth from the ball. Red tufts stuck out, circling its face like a crown.
Bug type, at least. Might be a ground or fire type to boot… Either way, there’s no advantage on either side unless it’s a dual type. “Ryan, quick attack!”
“Larvesta, use string shot!”
While the Emanation Pokémon charged almost invisibly, the white bug spewed sticky white goo in front of itself. Ryan faltered in his steps upon contact, but his inertia tore him through enough to land a quick blow that sent the Larvesta backwards.
“Take down!”
The bug flew with incredible speed, slamming into the Riolu with the force of a small tank. Liz winced as she watched her Pokémon take the hit bravely. He was unable to move, pinned to the ground like a dummy punching bag. Though an effective blow was dealt to him, the shorter distance between himself and his opponent gave him the upper hand on his offensive moves. “Counter it,” Liz called.
A slamming fist sent Larvesta flying back again. The counterattack dealt him double the damage the Riolu had taken, a mighty force that turned the opponent’s strength against him. Ryan gave a short snort and tore himself free from the webbing to take a stand further away. Meanwhile, Jonathan broke into a cocky grin. “Flame charge, Larvesta. Burn this thing to the ground.”
“Force palm and stop it Ryan!” Liz forced herself to remain calm. Professional battles held a distance that she disliked. Smaller battles were held closer together, where she could easily see every expression her Pokémon made and every signal to defend or attack. Her strategy was torn to pieces, along with her connection to her team. For once, she was forced to strategize without advice.
Larvesta engulfed itself in flames like a torch and charged ever faster towards Ryan; his only response was to stare his foe straight in the eyes. As the bug leaped into the air to bring it’s flaming fury down upon him like a meteor shower, Ryan lunged with lightning reflexes and grabbed the bug’s face, the fire reflecting in his red eyes. Liz’s momentary hope was crippled as her Pokémon fell to one knee. His paw grew black from holding his opponent.
“Looks like a burn, folks, and a nasty one, too!”
The announcer’s loud voice sent the audience into silence as they waited. Would this be the final act?
“You can do it Ryan!” Liz called from her platform, gripping the metal railing tightly.
The Riolu stood slowly, and the Larvesta’s flames ended. Taking his unharmed paw, he gripped the bug by its abdomen and jumped, throwing it down. Its body broke up the soil and sent dirt and dust flying. Liz shielded her eyes with an arm and stole a peek. Ryan stood over the Larvesta, who lay in the crater before him. The bug crept out of the hole and fell back down, frozen in place momentarily.
“Force palm’s paralyzed it! This match is evening out, folks!”
Liz calculated the damage in her head. Larvesta was still wounded from the earlier counter, and now with the paralysis taking place its boosted speed was dropped back down. Ryan’s burn put the match on its last string; the next move could easily decide the match.
Jonathan did not appear quite as calm as his opponent. “End this match! Bug bite it!”
“Endure!” Liz knew that the type disadvantage would give bug bite minimal damage, but coupled with the burn she was less than eager to put her Pokémon at risk.
The bug shook the dirt from its fur and tackled Ryan, biting his sore arm. He let out a howl and fell to his knees again, but he did not turn away from the Larvesta or dare to look to his trainer.
“Reversal it, fast,” she barked, her heart racing. Endure wouldn’t last forever…
Repeating his earlier paw-switch, Ryan swiftly tore the bug from his limb and beat it about the ground like a rag doll. A savage expression overcame his normally calm demeanor. Pain made him vicious and cold. When he felt his work was done, he dropped the bug back into the crater he had made and turned, walking towards his trainer’s platform and never looking back.
“Larvesta is unable to battle! Riolu and Elizabeth have won the match!”
Liz cheered and ran out to Ryan, picking him up in her arms and spinning. “You did it! That was amazing, I could kiss you-“ She stopped as the referee approached her.
“You have officially advanced to the second round of Preliminaries. Your next match is in the Sky Arena. Heal up your Pokémon and be there in an hour.” Handing her a new paper, he went to the main room to prepare the following match.
The addressed trainer stuffed the paper away and returned her Riolu, promising him plenty of poffins for his good work. She left the arena, thanked the multiple people that stopped to congratulate her on her win, and headed to the Pokémon center. Nurse Joy took Ryan into her care with the promise of healing him within the night.
Liz knelt down in front him and brushed a spot of dirt from his fur. “I’m in the Sky Arena next because of you. You did absolutely wonderful out there. I’m not putting you in the next match though. You need to recover, and besides, I don’t want to tempt fate to have you face a psychic or flying type on the field. Get some rest, and if I make it I might put you in for the Quarterfinals.” She hugged him tightly, and he returned the gesture gently, avoiding touch with his burned paw. Liz released him and stood, handing over his Pokéball. “Don’t forget to watch my match!” With that she left, aiming for her specified arena.
The Sky Tower certainly lived up to its name. After boarding an elevator all the way to the top, a referee directed her to a small waiting room for her to prepare in until her match. Liz sat down on one of the benches provided and took the chance to look up several more of the newer Unova Pokémon. She didn’t plan on going unprepared in her next battle, or so she hoped. After successfully memorizing at least several of the Unovan Pokemon types and names, she decided to use the room's TV and view other matches in an attempt to discover new stratagems.
Liz observed her upcoming opponent’s previous match with a calculating prejudice. The girl, Jill Cortoma by the sound of it, displayed a flare in her moves that was worthy of a contest match. Elizabeth felt even more anxious to battle then, though the girl’s display of power and prowess gave her a slight paranoia underneath the layers of adrenaline.
A crackle noise came from above, the PA announcing, “Elizabeth Shir, your match begins in ten minutes. Please make your way to the field. Only three Pokémon are allowed for the next battle.”
The addressed trainer stood from her bench. Choosing her team, she separated their Pokéball from her remaining two with the empty gap between them where Ryan’s ball normally was placed. For a moment, she panicked, having forgotten that he was healing. Her mind was eased as she made her way to the field, imagining Ryan in bandages watching the Pokémon Center television.
Sunny skies and a beautiful blue sky shone up above, with the tower’s ceiling pulled open to allow a fresh breeze through. Clouds hung incredibly close thanks to Daioh’s scientists designs. Spectacular aerial performances could occur on such a stage, Liz thought as she gazed around.
The ref approached her on the field below the platform. “You may choose from a Singles, Double, Triple or Rotation match. Should you and your opponent’s choices disagree, a coin will be flipped. What is your selected option?”
She already knew her answer. “Double, please.” The ref put it down on her recording device and left to find the other trainer. Meanwhile, Liz placed a hand on her first two choices. Various scenarios played through her head. A lack of preparation was her greatest fear, and so she took any measures to avoid it. However, a new fear arose over the others; what if she went up against someone of greater experience or skill? The technological improvement on her team had made her subconsciously cocky, feeling immortal against typical limits. But another trainer with greater skill could easily be chosen as her opponent, if not now than later, and she felt a wave of dread storming over the dam of her thoughts.
Shake it off, she told herself as she grit her teeth. I won’t win any matches if I don’t have my wits.
With a sigh she widened her stance and leaned against the railing. She felt as though she had just climbed aboard a rollercoaster, strapped in to mental seats and rubber padded belts, and at the worst moment possible she felt like protesting the dangerous undertaking. Either way, there was no backing out now.
"Jill Cortoma, you're second match is about to begin, please make your way to F14's battlefield."
The speakers announced her second match and Jill calmly rose from the oaken bench she'd been sitting on. She'd been watching the replay from her opponent's previous battle, hoping she could somehow figure out a strategy that'd prove effective against this further unknown opponent. And now the time had come for her to get back in the arena. However she wasn't having any stress at all, somehow she felt more tranquil then ever. "It is better to have a calm mind if one needs to think of strategies..." she muttered to herself as she called her Carracosta.
"Come on boy, let's give them another great match!"
She smiled at her new friend, who smiled back at her while fiercely clinging on to a pink curvy berry with yellow tip. It must have probably found it in the basket with pokémon-food, and since she knew that Carracosta was a real gourmet, or at least one with an odd taste for food, she didn't mind him keeping it. Who knew, it might come in handy later on?
Jill walked into the elevator and pressed the button for F14. The doors closed and she felt the elevator moving upwards. A last check if all her pokéballs were present and she inhaled slowly, rearranging her thoughts as she awaited the elevator's bell.
*DING*
The elevator doors opened and the hot rays of the midday sun touched her skin as she stepped out of the TL-light and into the sun-filled arena. A soft wind blew up some dust, making her entrance look like that of Clint Suduwood in a typical Western movie. The Carracosta happily tagged along, holding the berry between its paws. A ref approached her, seemingly he'd just came from the opposite side fo the field. Jill could see a girl standing at the other side, her body-language expressed that she was quite tensed.
"Miss Cortoma, please, could you pay attention to what I've just asked?"
"Er, eh, yes yes, of course..." She chuckled, noticing she'd been ignoring the ref.
"Okay then" the ref rolled his eyes "As I was saying, you may choose from a Singles, Double, Triple or Rotation match. Should you and your opponent’s choices disagree, a coin will be flipped. Which one do you prefer?"
"Double will be fine"
The ref nodded and went back to the side, leaving Jill at her side with Carracosta. Now, with the match about to begin she couldn't resist smiling. What will this battle hold for her? She would soon find out.
After her opponent had taken a stand on the opposite side of the field, Liz watched the ref position himself at the sidelines where the two sides split. “Both competitors have chosen a double battle. The battle will be in standard format, with no substitutions allowed. The match is over when a single trainer’s lineup is knocked out. Are you ready?”
Liz took her two choices, a Pokéball and a Safari ball each outfitted with a capsule and seal, and balanced them between her fingers on one hand. “Guini, Kelli, take the stage!” She threw them into the air with a flourish. The balls flew high until they sprang open, releasing a brilliant blue bolt like lightning. Two figures landed from the light.
The first was shrouded in flower petals. As they cleared, the figure spun and shot out a blue-white ethereal flame. It caught on the petals and turned them to dust with a brilliant flare before the fire dissipated completely, revealing a graceful Kirlia poised to dance.
Beside her, black smoke flew out from where the Safari ball’s contents had landed. Unlike the previous foliage effect, the fog grew larger, refusing to fade until a final flash of electricity lit up the darkness, and with a great yowl a Zorua broke apart the mirage. She gave the crowd a wicked grin reminiscent of her scary face move, with a sadistic gaze bearing down upon her opponents.
The referee roared, “Begin!”
Liz caught the two balls in her hands as they flew back and deposited them on her belt. She felt a greater comfort then, now situating herself as a clear Co-ordinator with a capable pre-show exhibit. The only obstacle now was to back up her entrance with a battle even greater.
But first, a little preparation…
“Guini, use calm mind. Kelli, start off with agility!”
The addressed Kirlia’s eyes shut and her hands came together as she concentrated, raising her two special stats through meditation. Meanwhile, her foxy companion gave a short ‘yip’ and held still. As her body grew lighter and her speed increased, the manic look in her eye. Her whole form seemed to twitch with anticipation.
The Co-ordinator took a step back and gave a small smile. It was Jill’s move, and Liz was thrilled to meet the challenge.
Begin!
The narrator's voice echoed through her mind as she snapped out of her tactical wondering. Both Jill and her carracosta gazed at the precission and swift movement of their opponent as she threw up her pokeballs with utmost grace. It made her think of those Pokemoncontests she'd liked watching on tv, back in Fallarbor Town with her fosterparents. "So you're a co-ordinator eh? Interesting..." she thought as she saw which pokemon she'd thrown on the field. One she remembered to be a Kirlia, the other black fox-like pokemon was unknown to her. But it at least helped her in chosing who she were to send in. "Okay then, here I come! How about we show them the true, inner beauty of pokemon, Axis!!" With a swift gesture she pulled a pokeball from her belt and threw it into the air. The red beam shot from the twirling ball and pointed at the middle of the field where it took on the silhouette of a small wolf-like pokemon. It barked happily and gazed back at Jill for a second before looking back at its opponents, barking eagerly.
"And my second partner will be you Carracosta!" she said with a smile. The carracosta was busy looking adorably at the berry in its paws, so it had a surprised look when he noticed Jill talking to him. The tortoise nodded and showed his berry to her, as if asking permission to eat it. Jill nodded but made a gesture that he'd had to be quick about it. So Carracosta made his way up the field, taking his position next to Axis. It then stuffed the berry in its beak, swallowing it in one bite. Carracosta roared, the berry seemingly made him feel better, though Jill noticed something was off, his eyes had changed all of the sudden, as if it was confused.
Elizabeth had already ordered her pokemon to perform precautionary attacks, which made her take her thoughts back to the battle. The Kirlia had just performed Calm Mind while her other pokemon used Agility to raise its speed. The manic look in its eyes made Axis fired up, which she knew wasn't all too good. That'd mean her poochyena would rush into things and with the opponent's heightened speed that'd only cause problems. "Speed is useless when one cannot see..." she thought as her strategy started to take form.
"Alright!" Jill extended her arm towards her team "Axis, Sand Attack! Carracosta braise yourself for an Ancient Power attack!"
Axis barked and started digging a small hole while throwing up the sand with her front paws. The curtain of dust covered the entire area between Axis and her opponents, making it unable for both parties to see each others movements. In the meanwhile Carracosta had started charging power for Ancient Power, its body glowed brightly.
"Now Carracosta! Use Ancient Power!"
The Carracosta released all the power, sending several greenish orbs into the sandy curtain. The orbs bursted through the sand, appearing at the other side with the sand in their tail, going straight towards the two pokemon on the other side.
A sandstorm flew up and filled the air with a choking dust. Liz attempted to glean through it, but she was as blind as her Pokémon. Dim light came through the clouds, and several large rocks tore through like meteors. They slammed into Kelli and Guini with full force. The Kirlia’s improved special defense managed to lessen the blow, but her ally felt a greater wound as it yowled in pain.
“You can do it!” Liz called encouragingly. As they shook off the attack, their trainer processed her options. She had not foreseen a direct attack, mainly the fault of her Co-ordinator mindset. Such mistakes could not occur again. Neither of her opponent’s Pokémon appeared formatted for appeal (although she had to admit that the ancient power strike appeared rather comet-like with a sand tail). The Poochyena was her biggest concern according to type advantages; although the large turtle’s power felt to be a greater worry to her.
However, any attacks were useless if they missed. The party would have to start sooner than planned. Waving her hand into a small bow as if to say, ‘Well done’, she ordered, “Magical leaf! Torment!”
With little more than the direction of their attacker to go off of, both Guini and Kelli aimed there. Around the Kirlia several leaves appeared, the foliage blades glowing every color of the rainbow. She lined them up like a whip and directed them with her hands. A twirl sent them flying at the giant turtle, flying through the sand with extreme precision. This was an attack that could not miss and, boosted by the calm mind, its strength had increased beyond normal.
Meanwhile, the Zorua scampered through the dust, howling like a mad dog. Her illusion ability fired up and gave her shadows a greater breadth along with her sounds and shape, giving the appearance of a great beast in the sand. Each yip was like a savage wolf scaring its prey into a corner.
Liz leaned back against the railing, holding it loosely as she balanced on her heels. She could only wait to see what faced her Pokémon next while she laid down the foundation for victory.
Liz lost her breath at the magical leaf’s strike against the protective shield. Her opponent may not have been a Co-Ordinator, but she certainly seemed capable of being one. She shook off her distracting thoughts just in time to witness the foliage pierce through, as the barrier had fallen. Liz scrutinized the event. How had the move broken through? Only feint was capable of piercing the defensive block. Still, the magical leaf had crippled the turtle some, and that was supposed to be her main goal at the moment.
The other Pokémon, the Poochyena, had stormed into the sand in search of Kelli. Unable to predict its chosen move, Liz made plans to impede its strength at the least. Hadn’t Jill called it ‘Axel’ or ‘Axes’, or something of that nature? Whatever the name, it certainly held masculinity that Liz felt fully capable of seizing for her own purchase. “Kelli, captivate. Guini, use psychic.”
Kelli spotted the dark shape charging her and came at it head long. As the dog became clear, she sparked her ability to life, giving her body a feminine charm. Her mane gleamed beautifully against her poised neck, and the glint in her eyes appeared mischievous in more ways than one. She bat her eyelashes at the puppy, brushing him gently with her tail as she passed.
As the fox flirted, Guini’s eyes became filled with a blue glow. Her hands came out like a puppeteer as she telekinetically lifted the Carracosta into the air, throwing him back into the dirt. She lapsed her hands back at her chest and waited for the next move patiently, observing her opponent and waiting for a possible counter attack.
Jill watched closely as the scene unfolded before her. Her Carracosta was near the brink of collapsing and that psychic the Kirlia had used on him wasn't helping at all. Carracosta shook its head as it tried to get up from the dirt, almost falling over by the damage it had taken.
"What's the matter Carracosta?" she asked him while taking a good look at him, even so, she did not leave her poochyena unattended. She knew exactly that most people thought of 'Axis' as a masculine name, but actually Axis was a female, so she didn't really worry about the fox-pokémon's flirting. It was a trick she'd learnt Axis long ago, that if a pokémon was flirting she had to act as if the move worked, putting the opponent on the wrong way. At least it'd gave her time for stronger attacks.
The Carracosta in the meanwhile mumbled softly. "Carrraa.." It shook its head fervently and tried to keep it all together. Its eyes now stood dull and it had trouble staying upright. Jill went over the moves that had been used, hse couldn't remember one of them having such an effect on Carracosta. "But what caused that confused lo-? No!" The solution struck her like lightning on a cloudless day. "The berry! Now I know what it was, a Mago Berry... Damn it!" she thought as she now knew Carracosta had been suffering from a severe confusion since the beginning of the battle. Mago berries only cause confusion when the pokémon eating it hates sweet flavour and thus likes bitter food, which Carracosta did, sadly enough.
"Alright Carracosta, try to snap out of it and use Smack Down!"
The Carracosta nodded and started charging an orb of metalish energy between its paws. Jill then turned towards her poochyena. "Enough fooling around! Axis, Roar!" Axis looked back and barked happily, then turned back towards the Zorua. Its eyes sparkled with confidence as it stopped faking the puppy-dog eyes. It filled its lungs with oxygen and roared viciously, making the sandcloud it had created disappear. Small veins popped up on its legs, showing that his attack power had increased tremendously.
"Now Carracosta, Smack Down!"
Carracosta looked up from the orb it held in its paws. His eyes were bright and it held the orb ready to throw, as the confusion seemed to have passed. But then the orb exploded, throwing Carracosta out of the field. It bashed against the wall with a loud bang, then falling down on the ground. Jill's heart skipped a beat as she ran towards the pokémon, even Axis looked back for a second as it heard the enormous blast.
"Look at that ladies and gentlemen! Jill's Carracosta has been knocked out of the field and into the wall, KO'd by its own Smack Down! How will this match fare, now her strongest pokémon has been defeated?"
Jill glared at the announcer as she tried to get her Carracosta back on its feet, who only laid in her arms exclaiming a weak cry. "Hold on Carracosta, we'll get you some help!" she said as took out his pokéball and quickly put him into safety. Wishing to leave the announcer again stopped her.
"Leaving will end in a forfeit, Miss Cortoma, are you sure you're willing to do that?"
Hesitant she looked back at Axis, still willing to fight. "I-eh..." she whispered, but another voice interrupted her. "I'll take him to get treated, you fight on Jill!" Damien had come up the field, taking the pokéball out of her hands and running back off the field without her being able to utter a word of protest. "I suppose I'll press on then..." she thought as she turned back and ran towards the field.
"Sorry for the...eh, inconveniences Elizabeth! I hope you don't mind..." Jill said as she took out her last pokéball. "Here goes nothing... Now go, Vex!" She threw the pokéball towards the field and soon the flashing light that escaped the ball and took on the form of a small chimpanzee. It didn't even found it necessary to give her a look, as it looked dispraising at both her and his opponents. "I should've expected that..." she muttered.
"Well then, it's worth the shot... Use Ember!"
The chimchar inhaled deeply and then blew out a large blast of flames towards the Kirlia. "I thought so... Flamethrower instead of Ember. Well, at least its fire, so that's a step in the right direction, I suppose..." she sighed as she saw the flaming hazard flying towards Kirlia with great speed.
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