Chapter 39- Tournament: Top 16

Watching Roy’s match left me with a bittersweet feeling. The guy was skilled without a shadow of a doubt, but his attitude prevented most people from honestly praising him. His Axew was also a force to be reckoned with judging by how it manhandled the other Axew. The battle was more balanced at first, but once it revealed Dragon Dance, things went south quickly before snowballing. It didn’t help that the guy only brought his Axew.

That... might have been an oversight on the part of the organizers. The format of the qualifiers has the potential to allow trainers with only one Pokemon to reach the tournament proper. Or maybe they considered it but simply saw no need to fix it. Regardless, it at least revealed one of his Pokemon. After that, the tournament continued without any other surprises.

“Ladies and gents, we now have our top 16 trainers for this year! BUT?! This is far from the end! Join us tomorrow as these talented seeds battle tomorrow to cut their number in half! And don’t forget to tune in for the advanced tournament later today at this very stadium. In the meantime, here is a word from our sponsors...”

I ignored the advertisement and turned to talk to the two people next to me. No words were exchanged but we all understood that Roy might have been an asshole, but we had to admit that he was a skilled asshole.

Now that the tournament table was decided, we could at least see our next opponents. Both Sera and Armold were unlucky in that matter, given that their opponents were completely unknown aside from their match today. Mine was someone I kind of knew given that she helped me in Virbank. I would have to face Cara who if I remember correctly had a Gothita. The previous time she defeated us through the clever use of a hidden Calm Mind and Shadow Ball, so it was also an opportunity for our revenge.

On a side note, her brother Craig will face off against the annoying guy who uses a Palpitoad.

“What now?” Sera asked a bit nervous.

I understood it since she would have to face Roy eventually if she wanted to reach the final.

“I say we just-” my words were interrupted by a growling noise.

I turned to face a red-faced Arnold. “Eat?” he asked a bit sheepishly.

At that moment, the tension broke as we went to rejoin the rest of our group.

---

After we ate, we just spent time lounging around until the beginning of the advanced tournament. Mainly because Frank was participating in it. He was one of the first to fight so thankfully we didn’t wait long. After that, we all went our separate ways since we all had our plans.

For mine, I planned to simply walk around the city. I would check to see Tia’s Earth Power before walking through the town. Earth Power was mastered but she took enough time that it was too risky in the middle of a battle. But the simple fact that she managed to figure it out was a victory in and of itself.

While I was at it, I decided to stop by the Pokemon Center to have Tyr checked out and change his bandages. I could have done it myself but I was in town so there was no reason to not have professionals do it. Nike was perched on my head and we made our way to the closest Pokemon Center, but things weren’t as easy.

There was a large group of trainers crowding the entrance while the nurse on duty tried to convince them to move to at least move to the side. At first, I thought that maybe Elesa decided to come out given the number of fans that she had, but the placating voice I heard was a masculine one.

“What is happening?”

The sudden voice coming from behind made me jump in the air. I turned around to see the same boy from the last time in the forest, this time with his brother in toe.

“Jesus! You really are going to give me a heart attack if you keep doing that!” I exhaled.

“Jesus? That’s not my name though,” he answered puzzled.

“It’s just a saying that I heard somewhere, don’t mind it. And to answer you, I don’t know I just arrived as well.” I quickly changed the topic and thankfully he didn’t seem to mind.

“Shall we investigate?” He asked while tilting his head.

“Well, I needed a check-up either way.” I shrugged. “ Come to think of were you also heading there? Also sorry, but I still didn’t catch your name.”

“Apologies I forgot to introduce myself. People call me Shade, because of... you know.”

“Got it,” I said. It was an interesting name, but since he didn’t volunteer his full name, I wouldn’t push him on it.

“And for your other question, Zor noticed you so we decided to say hi.” He said and the boy in question simply nodded.

Nike was more than happy to return the greeting with a friendly. As we made our way closer I could see flashes of the person that was getting mobbed. White hairs were gathered in a ponytail while people hurried to take a picture with them. It was only when we got to the entrance that I recognized the person since they weren’t just a local celebrity, but rather a national one.

Emmet from the Battle Subway.

He was different from how I knew him. His hair was now longer and grabbed into the ponytail that I previously spotted. Instead of his controller outfit, he wore casual pants and a simple gray shirt. But the most noticeable change was his eyes. While smiled at the different trainers that came up to him, his eyes were devoid of emotions. Not like someone who had no empathy for others, but rather someone who lost an important of themselves. Nike was the one to give the last piece of the puzzle.

‘Sadness. Grief...’ It came out as a murmur, even telepathically.

I looked when I felt something wet strike the top of my head. Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she stared at Emmet. I grabbed her and brought her down to my chest and she clung to it like she was afraid I would vanish. But given what I knew, what she felt from Emmet and what I saw must have been the void left by the disappearance of-

“Master Ingo...”

I quickly turned to face the source of the whisper; Shade. He was about to step toward the crowd but his brother latched onto his arm and shook his head. He looked on and seemed to be hesitating on something before sighing and turning to me.

“Do you know who that is? I am not exactly knowledgeable you see,” he said finally.

I hesitated. He clearly said Ingo, but if so, how didn’t he know of Emmet? They rose to fame together and have been attached at the hip ever since.

“Well, you at least know his brother. His name is Emmet. He and his twin brother are some of the most skilled trainers in the entirety of Unova. But please don’t say the name you just said out loud.”

“Why?” he asked and the genuine curiosity behind the question meant I couldn't just ignore it.

I lowered my voice further before answering. “ About a year or two back, Ingo disappeared...”

The surprise at my statement made him open his eyes wide, revealing his milky white eyes.

“Oh... I see. You are right. It would be unwise to mention it then. You have my thanks, I almost made a blunder.”

“Don’t sweat it. Let’s go I still have to go to the center and I'll treat you to something,” I said trying to change the mood.

When we walked by, the gathering of people, Shade gave a little wave to the ground next to Emmet. That was concerning until I remembered how he spotted Missy in my shadow the last time.

Once at the front, I unloaded the Dusk Ball to the nurse so that they could check on Tyr while we went to the side to grab something to snack on. At the same time, my mind went back to what I saw in Emmet’s eyes, and the expression of Nike. She took a while to calm down after the emotion she felt, and she kept glancing toward the doors.

‘Are you okay?’ I asked telepathically but she only shook her head. I hesitated but in the end, I added something. 'Don’t worry I'll try to help’

She perked up a bit and I smiled. I said that, but the only thing I could give him was closure, or rather, the next best thing, reassurance that his brother was fine. The only question now was how I would go about it. I explained to Nike and even while shaken she proved how smart she was.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

‘Sleepy lady?’

Caitlin was really the easiest way for me to tell him so that he would believe him. But that still left how to convince her... in the end the closer I was to the truth, the more believable it would be. Coincidentally, the perfect way to contact her was sipping a lemonade just in front.

“Say, can you pass a message to your aunt for me?”

He raised an eyebrow but nodded.

---

“Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome back to our yearly tournament for talented young trainers! Today for your entertainment, it’s my pleasure to deliver the news that we will continue with today's battle in the top 16! By the end of the morning, only the 8 most talented will be left to compete for your viewing pleasure! Without further ado, let us welcome our first pair of contestants!”

The first one to battle was Arnold, and his opponent wasn’t that interesting. I watched the battle, but it went by in a blur. Mainly because I was still thinking back to what happened yesterday. It wasn’t that shocking when compared to some of the other things that happened to me, but it stuck out.

At least, Caitlin couldn’t come right away due to being busy and all. That gave me more time to think about what I'd tell her and how. I also considered if I should tell her something about Neo Plasma, but the only thing I remembered from the sequel was the battle in the Giant Chasm. I was still intent on letting her know that since it hadn’t happened yet, but not everything lined up.

Cheren was supposed to begin his tenure as gym leader at the same time the protagonist from the game left Aspertia. Yet he was already a gym leader when I left, not to mention that there is no mention of Nate or Rosa. I did manage to find out that Hilbert and Hilda were brother and sister, but both of them already moved out of Unova. Either way, it was all to say that I had no idea what would happen when. Just some event that would have to occur at some point. Which was why I would tell her that, as a heads up so to say.

“...on and Cara! Nexon and Cara!”

I exited my thoughts as I heard my name and quickly moved to walk towards them. I was stopped by someone grabbing my arm and turned to face both Sera and Arnold.

“Are you sure you are fine?” Sera spoke up.

“Yeah, I'm good don’t worry.”

“Certain?” Arnold followed up and I nodded. “ Good because I would hate to miss a battle in the semifinal because you are busy daydreaming on your way there. Now go get her!”

At that they let me go and I shook my head. They were right. Trying to help was all well and good, but I also had to focus and the present and that implied winning as many matches as possible.

Because of the delay, Cara was already in her trainer box and waiting for me. Her chestnut-colored hair flowed over her shoulder and her eyes shone with anticipation. Clearly, she remembered me, either yesterday or now that I stood facing her once more. We simply nodded to each other and waited for the referee. Everything that needed to be said will be said through battling.

“And now, we have Nexon versus Cara. This match will be a 1v1 with two Pokemon each and one switch for each trainer. The battle will end when both Pokemon are rendered unconscious. Please send out your Pokemon in 3,2,1! Begin!”

This time, I came out in full force, directly sending out Nike onto the field. She was particularly eager since she was made aware of who we will face today. She seemed to have a rivalry, hopefully not one-sided, with Cara’s Gothita. Or I should say Gothorita since the evolved form was deposited onto the field. She now stood roughly at the same height as Nike, with four ribbon-like feelers on her head instead of the previous two.

Nike shared her glee through our bond, immediately wiping any stray thoughts from my mind. Both Pokemon locked eyes, and immediately sparks seemed to fly in the arena. As if both of us could feel the sparks, Cara’s and my orders came out at the same time.

“Psybeam.”

Identical beams of concentrated power smashed into each other generating an explosion that smoke and dust flying in the middle of the arena. It was ironic that we ended up using the same move, as previously.

“Nike, Mystical Fire!” I commanded.

It was time to put some of what we learned to the test. The witch didn’t hesitate as a ball of purplish fire manifested between her nubby arms before shooting forward toward the black and white Pokemon. Following her trainer’s account, Gothorita dodged to the side running around Nike until she ran out of steam and let the flames fizzle out. And their counterattack came in the form of a Shadow Ball flying at a surprising speed for Nike. Which is exactly what I was waiting for.

“Brutal Swing. Send it back,” I called out.

With a little twirl to gather a bit of momentum, the ponytails started to glow with dark type energy before swinging forward. At the moment of contact little sparks of the conflicting type energies were emitted before the Shadow Ball sped back toward its origin point, Gothorita. Unfortunately for her, she didn’t expect the move to actually be sent back and was hit squarely.

“Now Psybeam! Aim for the ground.”

Nike did as ordered, and with Gothorita still standing back up she didn’t react despite her trainer asking her to move away. She didn’t need to, given that the move crashed down just before hitting her. The ground exploded in a cloud of dust and Nike following up move arrived before it settled. The fairy-laced soundwaves of Disarming Voice made contact with Gothorita while she was still obscured by the dust cloud.

Once she was revealed she was still standing, but she obviously took damage. I wanted to finish her and bag the first K.O. but Cara reacted faster.

“I’m using my switch.” as she said so, the red beam of the returned pulled the psychic type back into her capsule.

And she wasn’t intent on giving me the time to set up between switches like I did previously. Another Pokeball flew into the field as soon as Gothorita was returned. Out popped another Pokemon that was very reminiscent of Unova, Minccino. The grey-furred chinchilla Pokemon announced its presence with a cute squeak while rubbing its cheeks.

I could almost hear the crowd going “aww” but was distracted by the wave of displeasure emanating from Nike. She didn’t really appreciate her chance to win against a Pokemon she lost to being snatched away like that.

‘Calm down, Nike. All you have to do is beat this one as well so you can finish your match, right?’ I sent her, and that at least seemed to do the trick.

“Minccino, use Attract!” Cara said with a little smile.

That was frankly a shitty thing to do. I mean, it wouldn’t affect Nike, but I wanted to keep her ability hidden for now. While I was tempted to simply let it hit her, I wasn’t sure of the gender of her Minccino but I wasn’t willing to take the risk. Even if it meant exposing one of the trump cards I was keeping hidden.

“Nike. Teleport then Disarming Voice.”

When the heart-shaped attack got close to my Hattrem, she disappeared from the field, only to reappear right behind the normal type. Then with a lungful of air, soundwaves blasted off of her and into every direction. The Minccino was forced to cover its ears and back away from her. With the sound and the damage from the type energy, it wasn’t able to hear Cara’s command of using Swift. That didn’t apply to us but I still had to keep up appearances.

“Brutal Swing!” I shouted to be heard over the scream.

Her braids slammed into the ground as she dashed forward. Dark energy coalesced around them before two hits saw the Minccino flying back toward Cara. It made a whole show of trying to stand up before falling back to the ground and trying again. At first, I was confused, until Nike refused to listen when I called for a Psybeam. I frowned at first, but once I called for another move, Mystical Fire, she turned around, and from her expression, I could see that something was wrong. Then came the feeling of infatuation and reluctance to attack...

“Use Swift now!” I heard Cara shout.

Without hesitation, The grey Pokemon’s tail glowed with a blinding radiance as stars were sent flying toward Nike. Even when she tried to move out of their way, they simply followed her until they made contact, creating a cloud of dust as they impacted her and the ground around her. I immediately called out to the ref before another command was issued.

“I am using my switch.”

I pulled out the Premier ball, then switched it for the only Pokeball I had that was occupied. He was after all the only one to be able to resist Cute Charm...

Skoll arrived on the ground and was already bouncing in excitement. Since the previous day wanted to fight. He did his part in the qualifiers, but it wasn’t close to enough for him. The fact that Nike wouldn’t get the win she wanted was sure to be a sore spot for a while but I couldn’t take the risk in the tournament.

“Skoll, we’re going fast and hard. Bullet Punch!”

He didn’t to hear more than that and shot forward with surprising speed. As usual, a metal-coated fist slammed into Minccino. This time, despite his theatrics, the attack didn’t stop. Once he was sent flying, he gave up on the act and jumped back into the fight.

“Minccino! Play Rough!”

When the command came out, I wasn’t really surprised. As a normal type, of course, he would have at least a way to deal with fighting types. And ironically, Play Rough was the best-case scenario for Skoll.

“Detect. Look for the opportunity then Brick Break.”

Fairy-infused tails, fists, and kicks flew in the direction of my Pokemon as the Minccino lashed out in every other direction, trying to catch the aura Pokemon. The latter part was not so easy as fighting type eyes flashed and the hits did nothing but fly by him, with only the tiniest of margins. Then once the Minccino overextended, Skoll struck as fast as he could, the side of his calm glowing with the orange-ish glow of fighting type energy. It made direct contact with the small Pokemon, the pinkish hue around his limbs faded as he fell over.

“Cara’s Minccino is unable to battle. You have 30 seconds to send out your next Pokemon.”

Gothorita found her way back into the field and she locked onto Skoll. That was all the signal we needed.

“Quick Attack.”

“Dodge it! Then use Psychic Terrain”

As much as Gothorita wanted to dodge, the difference in speed with Skoll was simply too high and he rammed into her. That didn’t stop her from performing the second part of the order as the ground started to shimmer in a strange way. Then, with her as the epicenter, it turned purple before the entire field was covered in a purple haze. I frowned when I saw this because it made Skoll's usual method of attacking useless. He couldn’t rush with Quick Attack or Bullet Punch. Also, I wanted Nike to experience the field since it was the next move I wanted her to learn, but I wouldn’t let Skoll go down just for that. The fighting type had been watching the field and try moving around, but snapped at attention when I called out.

“No more Quick Attack. Get close and use Ice Punch.”

“I don’t think so! Psyshock! Keep him away!”

Gothorita’s eyes glowed with a vibrant blue for an instant as several orbs of psychic power manifested around her. They coalesced and even from the distance I could see that they were solid enough to do actual physical damage. Then they shot forward, straight toward Skoll. And as if that wasn’t enough, the wisps emanating from the ground were sucked toward the orbs as they close to the ground.

“Abort and Detect,” I called out.

There was no point in trying to close the distance against a psychic type devoted to staying far away. Instead, it was better to deal with avoiding the attacks coming his way. Between Protect and Detect, it was hard to hit Skoll if he didn’t want to. The only problem was that it was draining and it showed since he was already panting. What’s more, the attack seemed to grow more powerful. It was when a crack formed on the next Protect that I looked up and noticed something. The Pokemon’s eyes were consistently shining blue rather than briefly like they did with the first barrage.

She is using Calm Mind!

As if sensing my realization, Cara looked at me and smiled. I should have realized it sooner since they were the ones who gave the idea of silent orders. I quickly ran through the options I had available.

Skoll can’t rush in because of the Psychic Terrain and doesn’t have any long-range attack yet. He can’t get in close normally because Gothorita is focused on keeping him at a distance. My only options are to wait for the field to fade-

“Refresh!” Cara called out.

Shit. Then I guess I have no choice. It is risky but the only solution I can think of.

“I am retiring my Pokemon,” I called out.

These words took everyone by surprise, Skoll included.

“Are you sure?” the referee double-checked and nodded. “very well. Nexon’s Pokemon is considered unable to battle. You have 30 seconds to send out your Pokemon.”

For the second time today, I returned my Pokemon. He was clearly displeased and made sure to let it know by shaking his ball violently in my hand.

“Sorry bud, I'll make it up to you. Promise.” I murmured and the ball shook once in acknowledgement before growing still.

Nike Appeared back on the field and immediately noticed the abnormality. She moved her braids up and down and made a happy twirl when she felt the psychic powers coursing through the ground. Not that our opponent was keen on letting her enjoy herself. The Psyshock once more soared through the air but Nike effortlessly dodged them. And it was time to retaliate.

‘Think you can do it, baby girl?’ I asked.

My answer was two, albeit smaller, orbs condensing before she threw them toward the surprised psychic type. Meanwhile, I couldn’t stop my grin from reaching my face. She was really a little monster.

“Nike! Close the distance then use Brutal Swing!”

Upon hearing the command, the braids were once more charged with Dark type energy. But this time, instead of simply teleporting and punching her opponent, she started to spin. And spin. And spin. By the time they realized what was going on, she had built up quite speed already. So much so that the wind picked up near her. Then she moved. It was a slow movement because of the spin, but it was one that wouldn’t be stopped.

Orbs of psychic power flew once more, but they were either batted aside or shattered entirely. The opposing side grew frantic in trying to stop the black blur that was moving in their direction but it was for naught. Shadow Balls were dispersed until finally, they broke.

“We forfeit!” Cara shouted and withdrew the Gothorita without waiting for confirmation

I watched a bit puzzled by the reaction. Sure the move would have likely knocked her Pokemon out, but to the point that she would give before the end? It felt really...anticlimactic.

Nike slowly started to slow down from the spin before coming to a teetering stop. She shook her head to regain her balance before looking around the field, dazed.

‘We won?’ Came her tiny voice in my mind.

‘Yes, we did.’ I answered.

My only question was why with a forfeit though. But ultimately, it seemed I was the only one to care given the cheers coming from the audience.