Ethan tapped his foot on the ground in nervous anticipation. There was a lot more of a crowd than he had expected for a tournament of this size, considering there were only sixteen participants. Eevee and the others were in their pokéballs since Ethan wanted to give the competition as little as possible to go on.
"What's the matter? Never been in front of a crowd?" Gary asked from the wall he was coolly leaning against.
The aura adept considered the question for a moment from where he was sitting before answering. "Not for this kind of event, at least."
Gary grunted. "Well, you better get used to it. The stadiums at the Indigo Plateau are at least ten times bigger, and they always sell out."
Ethan huffed and started circulating his aura, having gotten into the habit since yesterday when he found that the rhythmic motions of his inner energies were soothing and great for calming his nerves.
The silence between the two resumed as they waited in the locker room for the last few competitors to arrive. A TV on one of the walls was broadcasting a couple of sports analysts going back and forth about who had the best odds of coming out on top.
"It's gotta be Gary Oak, right? Come on, there's no way the grandson of a retired Champion doesn't take it all!" The woman on the left argued with the young man.
Gary watched the analysts with an impassive face, though his emotions betrayed a small amount of irritation.
"I'm not necessarily disagreeing with you there, Yuki. But you have to remember that Gary Oak, while he is a very talented trainer, is not his grandfather. Remember, he only started his Pokémon training career a few months ago and has a long way to go before he comes close to being a champion-level trainer."
The annoyance that was hitting Ethan's senses dimmed, and he glanced at Gary from the corner of his eye before returning his attention to the TV.
"You also need to take a closer look at the competition. Take this one, for example. Ethan Dust, from Rota Town, is also being sponsored by Professor Oak, and he doesn't give those sponsorships to just anyone. Ethan breezed through his first two gyms without losing a single Pokémon. His Pokémon didn't even take a hit in his second gym challenge. Not many rookie trainers can say that!"
"You've got a point there, Hal. We'll have to wait and see how things go, though I have a feeling that if Gary and Ethan end up on opposite sides of the bracket, the odds are very high that they'll be facing each other in the finals."
Ethan rolled his eyes and tuned out the broadcast as they began analyzing the other contestants they hadn't gotten to yet. "They're really hyping us up, aren't they?"
Gary smirked. "As they should."
"Yeah? Why's that?" Ethan asked.
"Jeez, do you really not know?"
"Know what?"
Gary stared for a moment before straightening. "Do you know how many gym badges the average trainer gets in their first season?"
"...I don't know. Five?" Ethan threw out a guess.
"Two," Gary answered. "Three if they're lucky. You and I have only been trainers for three months. I have three badges, and you have two. We're both on track to get into the Pokémon League competition this season, and it's a big deal. Most trainers you see at the Pokémon League take years to get their eight badges, and even then, most of them get their badges from the minor gyms."
Gary's smirk returned to his face. "Still, how did you not know that?"
Ethan placed a hand over the wiggling green-topped ball on his belt, and it stilled. "I guess it's something I haven't bothered to look into much. Still, only two?"
"Yup," Gary said before a look of realization crossed his face. "Oh, right. Gramps did tell me you were from another region. Guess things are a little different where you come from, right?"
"Uh… yeah," Ethan said, looking away. After a few moments, the double doors that lead into the hallway opened.
"Attention, everyone! May I have your attention?" a man wearing a Celadon University referee's uniform yelled over the gathered trainers. "Thank you all for arriving on time. We will now decide where you will be placed in the brackets. When I call your name, please come forward and pick a ball out of this box. The number on the ball will indicate where you will be placed in the bracket. Numbers one through eight will be on one side of the bracket, while nine through sixteen will be on the other. Number one will battle number two, number three will battle number four, and so on."
Two more people, members of the local chapter of the Pokémon Fan Club, if their club jackets were any indication, carried in a small table, where the referee set the box so he could free his hands to hold the clipboard tucked under his arm.
"Gary Oak!"
Gary walked to the front and stuck his hand in the box before pulling out a ping-pong-sized ball and showing it to the referee.
"Number thirteen. Next, Harold Winston!"
The trainers went up one by one, as they were called, picking a ball out at random and getting assigned a place in the bracket until only spots seven and nine remained.
"Ethan Dust!"
Ethan walked up and picked out the first ball he found, reading the number before showing it to the official.
"Number seven! Which means Katie Hutch will be number nine," the official said as he made his final notes.
"The first battle will begin in ten minutes! Harold and Aedan, please follow me. The rest of you will sit at the stands to watch the battles until it's your turn," he said before gesturing to the two Pokémon Fan Club members. "These two will escort you to your seats."
Already being near the front, Ethan followed the two out the door.
----------------------------------------
"Welcome, ladies, gentlemen and Pokémon, to this year's Junior Summer Showdown, brought to you by the Pokémon Fan Club!"
Cheers and applause echoed from every corner of the stadium. While the stadium wasn't packed per se, there was still a good turnout. A lot of the crowd was comprised of college students taking a break from studying for their final exams, if the bags under their eyes were any indication. One section of seats was taken by Celadon University's marching band, their brass and percussion instruments playing loudly to further hype up the crowd.
"Before we begin, the president of the Pokémon Fan Club, Mr. Sukizo, would like to say a few words."
The large screens at the top of the stadium flickered to life, showing a rather unremarkable-looking man in a suit.
He looks almost exactly like his anime counterpart, Ethan mused.
"Thank you! I'd like to thank you all for joining us here at this remarkable event! It is always important to show our support for the next generation."
Applause and cheers sounded for a brief moment before Mr. Sukizo continued.
"Now, this wouldn't be much of a remarkable tournament if there were no remarkable prizes! So in addition to the cash prize, the first-place winner will receive a remarkably rare Pokémon! What kind of Pokémon, you ask? You'll have to wait to find out!"
"I might have to take this seriously, then," Ethan heard Gary mutter.
"May the most remarkable trainer win!" Mr. Sukizo concluded and bowed before the screens flickered again. The image was replaced by a scoreboard showing the first two participants and a space under each of their portraits meant to show their Pokémon team for the fight.
The band began their playing anew as the referee stepped up to his post at the side of the field. He took a few moments to visually inspect the field, then nodded before turning his microphone on.
"Testing, testing," he said before clearing his throat. "The field is set! Harold Winston, Aedan Hines, please step forward and shake hands!"
The two trainers entered the field from opposite sides and met in the center before shaking hands. They then separated and took their positions in their respective trainer boxes.
"The first round will consist of one-on-one matches. Each trainer may use one Pokémon, but no substitutions are allowed. When either Pokémon cannot continue, the match will be over, and the winner will be declared. Trainers, are you ready?"
"Ready!" "Yes!" both trainers confirmed as they readied their pokéballs.
"On one, send out your Pokémon! Three!"
The crowd joined in on the countdown. "Two! One!"
Harold and Aedan threw their Pokéballs at the same time. At the top of their arc, the balls flashed and popped open.
A mareep formed before Harold, while a jigglypuff formed in front of Aedan. The ref pushed a button on a remote he held, and a barrier shimmered into place around the field.
"Let the battle begin!"
Ethan watched the first minute of the battle before turning to look at Gary, finding that he already looked bored.
Gary noticed him looking. "What? I already know we're facing each other in the finals, so why bother watching them?"
"I mean, you never know what you could learn by watching someone else," Ethan countered, keeping half of his attention on the battle. "What do you think the prize Pokémon could be?"
Gary shrugged. "It's probably going to be a rare Pokémon from a breeder, so most likely an eevee or a vulpix."
"Really? Okay, now I definitely have to win," Ethan said as he grinned at the thought of what it would be like to have an entire team of eeveelutions. "Wait, what about the traditional Kanto starters?"
"Unlikely. Gramps is one of the few people in Kanto authorized to distribute those three Pokémon, and he reserves those for potential trainers who score well in their trainer exams. Mr. Sukizo is not one of those people."
"Ah, I see," Ethan said, fully turning his attention back to the battle. Jigglypuff had sung Mareep to sleep and was pounding away. This continued until Mareep briefly woke up. Jigglypuff hit them with one more pound, which put them down.
"Mareep is unable to battle! Aedan and Jigglypuff win and move on to the next round!"
The screens changed to show Aedan advancing in the bracket. After that, the graphic highlighted trainers five and six as the next battle to commence.
"Why… Ah. I guess the reason three and four aren't up next is so that Aedan has a chance to heal his Pokémon before his potential next opponent battles," Ethan deduced after a moment.
"Makes sense to me," Gary shrugged. "We've got a few minutes before the next round. Want to get some snacks?"
Ethan shook his head. "No thanks. I could be facing off against whoever wins the next battle, and I don't want to miss a thing."
----------------------------------------
"Hey guys, come inside quickly!" Brock yelled so Misty and Ash could hear him. "Ethan's on TV!"
Ash and Misty looked at each other and stopped their practice battle before running up to Bill's lighthouse, which they had been staying at for the past couple of days, followed by Pikachu and both of their squirtle.
"Why's Ethan on the TV?" Ash asked when they passed through the lighthouse doors.
"Ethan's competing in the Junior Summer Showdown tournament," Brock explained. "It's a tournament hosted once every summer by the Pokémon Fan Club, and it's happening in Celadon City this year."
"Really? Oh man, I would have signed up if we went there," Ash lamented. Pikachu patted Ash's leg comfortingly.
"I don't get why you're complaining," Misty said. "I'm sure Ethan would have loved to be here. We're learning so much about Pokémon from Bill, for crying out loud!"
"I know, but I really want to battle, too," Ash sighed as he sat on a chair facing the TV. Pikachu hopped up and sat on his lap while the pair of squirtle sat on the floor.
Brock walked in and set some lemonade and jelly-filled donuts on the coffee table. "Well then, let's make sure to cheer Ethan on, yeah?"
The TV finished its ad break and returned to its broadcast, showing Ethan standing across the field from another trainer that the commentator identified as Isabelle Hodge.
"Oh, hey! He cut his hair," Misty pointed out when the TV showed a closeup of Ethan's face. Ash and Brock nodded in acknowledgment but kept their eyes forward.
----------------------------------------
"Trainers, are you ready?"
"Ready!" "Ready!" Ethan and his opponent confirmed. Ethan took a Pokéball with a mountain sticker in his hand and enlarged it. The music playing from the band section intensified his nervous excitement, so he continued circulating his aura to take the edge off his nerves.
"Send out your Pokémon!"
"Let's do this, Sandslash!" Ethan yelled as he threw the ball over the field. Sandslash appeared in a flash of light between him and the middle of the field. Her opponent, a Nidorino, formed just inside the center ring.
Huh, what a coincidence, Ethan thought, remembering the encounter with the Team Rocket grunt the previous day.
The barriers shimmered into place. Once the referee was satisfied, he raised his flags. "Let the battle begin!"
"Nidorino, Focus Energy!" Isabelle yelled.
"Dig down!" Ethan commanded and began tapping his foot on the ground.
Sandslash swiftly dug her way underground while a white aura gathered around Nidorino.
"Use your ears to find out where Sandslash is, Nidorino!"
Nothing happened for a few moments while Nidorino's ears twitched. Ethan stopped tapping before lifting his foot and rapidly tapping the toe of his boot against the ground twice as if he were trying to get more comfortable.
A geyser of sand and earth shot up from under Nidorino, sending him skyward and spiraling out of control in a cry of pain.
"Don't let up! Swift!" Ethan yelled, pressing the advantage. Sandslash obliged and shot a plethora of star-shaped projectiles that swiftly homed in on her helpless opponent.
"Nidorino, counter with Poison Sting!" Isabelle yelled desperately. Nidorino, to his credit, managed to orientate himself and shot a barrage of needles at the incoming stars, managing to destroy a good chunk of them. The remaining stars made it through and hit home.
Nidorino fell out of the smoke cloud caused by the stars' explosion and hit the ground. The referee held up his flags to signal the trainers to hold while he assessed the fallen Pokémon.
Nidorino got back on his feet, having had his breath knocked out of him from the fall, but he was still ready for more.
"Continue!"
"Fury Attack, Nidoran!"
"Metal Claw!"
Nidorino's horn glowed and elongated while Sandslash's claws took on a metallic luster. On an unspoken signal, the two charged. The battle became one of technical skill, with Nidorino thrusting and then dodging strikes with good footwork while Sandslash deftly parried or deflected each strike that came her way.
Before long, Nidorino growled in frustration and lunged forward. Sandslash took advantage of his overextension and smashed her claws into his face, diverting him to one side before she raked her other set of claws against his flank. Nidorino lay on the ground growling and breathing heavily, about to get back on his feet again while Sandslash backed up and held her claws at the ready.
"I-I withdraw Nidorino!" Isabelle declared as she returned her Pokémon, looking dejected.
The referee nodded. "Isabelle has withdrawn Nidorino! The victor of this battle is Ethan and Sandslash!"
Ethan breathed a sigh of relief. "Great job, girl! How do you feel?" he asked as she ran up to him.
"Slash!" she exclaimed, flexing her arms before melting into Ethan's hand as he scratched her jaw.
"You did awesome! I think you're ready to learn a new move," Ethan praised. "We'll work on it on our way to Vermilion City."
Sandslash nodded before Ethan returned her to her Pokéball. "Proud of you! You've gone from a shy, little sandshrew to my confident, strong sandslash."
The ball wiggled in acknowledgment as Ethan made his way to the Nurse Joy on standby.
----------------------------------------
"That battle was intense! But in the end, Sandslash won without taking a single hit! I told you he was one to look out for, Yuki!"
"Yes, you did! Well, that concludes the first half of the first round. The next battle will be between Selah Bean and Jayda Harris. But first, a word from our sponsors!"
Ash, Brock, and Misty watched in stunned silence for a moment before being startled by clapping hands.
"That was a wonderful, if quick, battle," Bill said from his chair. "It really showed how in sync Ethan and Sandslash were when Sandslash never hesitated to follow commands."
Bill turned to face the three. "Ethan is your other traveling companion, correct?"
"Uh, yeah! He would have been here with us, but he had to run an errand for Professor Oak," Ash explained.
"Pity. I would have loved to pick his brain," Bill said as he took a bite of a donut. "Mmm! These are very good! Did you make this, Brock?"
"Of course! I'd be happy to give you the recipe if you'd like," Brock said.
"I would love that," Bill said, happily munching away. "This is much better than tofu."
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
----------------------------------------
The next battle went by quickly as well, with Jayda scoring a quick win with her meowth against Selah's cubone, which looked like it had little battle experience. After another short break, the next battle was between Gary and a trainer named Emmanuel Marshal.
Emmanuel… That's a name from the Old Testament. Does the Bible exist here? Ethan idly wondered. Since the other competitors now knew he had Sandslash, he brought her out so she could keep him company and watch the other battles.
"Send out your Pokémon!"
A scyther appeared in a flash of light in front of Gary, swinging its blades through the air before holding them at the ready when its opponent, a parasect, clacked its claws, trying to appear threatening.
Emmanuel noticeably slumped at the matchup before squaring his shoulders.
The eyes on that parasect are… disturbing, Ethan decided as he skimmed his Pokédex for tidbits of information he might not know about the two Pokémon. Ah, right. Mind-controlling parasitic mushroom. Got it.
"Let the battle begin!"
"Focus Energy, Scyther!"
"Parasect, use Stun Spore!"
Scyther tucked his blades close to his body as he began to focus while Parasect shook the mushroom on its back, creating a cloud of yellow-orange spores that drifted swiftly to the Mantis Pokémon's position.
Gary snapped his fingers. "Now, Vacuum Wave! Follow through with Wing Attack!"
Scyther began twirling his blades, creating a tunnel of wind that sent the spores away and opened a direct path to his opponent.
"Parasect, Cross Poison!" Emmanuel cried.
Parasect reacted quickly, exchanging blows and catching Scyther in his chest, leaving a pair of cuts behind, though not without suffering several gashes littered throughout its mushroom.
Even as Ethan watched, the cuts in the mushroom began to close and heal over, though it seemed to be draining energy from its host, if the transfer of aura Ethan was reading was correct.
Wow, Ethan thought as he pulled out a notebook he kept in a pocket for research purposes. Professor Oak will definitely want to hear about that.
Scyther staggered a little as he landed, his veins turning a sickly purple visible even through his exoskeleton as poison began spreading through his body.
"Fury Cutter! Finish this!" Gary ordered.
Parasect was already on its last legs from the previous critical hit it took, and it finally went down after a few hits of Fury Cutter.
----------------------------------------
"Parasect is unable to battle! The victor of this battle is Gary and Scyther!"
"What!? Gary's there too?" Ash yelled in surprise from the door.
"So that's your rival you told us about?" Brock asked. "Seems pretty strong."
"Ash, if you had gotten back here on time, you wouldn't have missed that battle," Misty said with a roll of her eyes.
Ash grumbled. "It's not my fault that this place is so huge. Why does the bathroom have to be so far away?"
"It's not. I bet you were stuffing your face in the kitchen," Misty said cheekily, furthering Ash's grumblings.
----------------------------------------
After the subsequent two battles, the round of 16 came to an end, leaving eight participants remaining for the quarterfinals. After the final battle of the round, a 12-minute break was announced to let everyone rest and prepare for the next round. Ethan gladly took the opportunity to find a space in the empty locker room where the other trainers still in the tournament wouldn't be around, and he brought Eevee out of her Pokéball.
"Eeveev?" Eevee asked quizzically, looking around before eying her trainer and tilting her head.
"We're between rounds right now, Eevee. I guess I just missed you, is all. It's been a few hours," Ethan informed her as he pulled her into his arms. Eevee smiled and pressed her head into his chest.
"Love you," Ethan said as he rubbed his thumb in circles around the fur on her chest. "So, are you bored to death of waiting yet?"
Eevee rolled her eyes. "I- vee vee eevee vui eevee- need- eev," she said.
Ethan sighed. "I heard the words 'I' and 'need' between all the eevs and vees. I guess you said something along the lines of 'I know you'll send me out when you need me'?"
"Eeev," Eevee drew out the syllable before nodding in a 'close enough' gesture.
"I'm sure I'll be able to understand you word for word before long," Ethan said before smirking. "Maybe I'll figure it out and just wait to tell you for a bit to hear what you say to the others about me."
Eevee's green eyes rolled once again. "You- eevee- not- eev eev vui."
Ethan chuckled. "Fine, fine. I won't make you wait."
They spent another minute like that, Ethan petting Eevee and noticing her fur feeling a little nicer since her trim yesterday. They made idle chatter, with Ethan picking up a word or two in most sentences Eevee spoke.
"Say, have you given any more thought about what you'd like to evolve into?" Ethan asked. "I know I started telling you about your evolutions before we came across Charmander. Want to continue that discussion now?"
"Yes!" Eevee nodded enthusiastically.
Ethan laughed as he pulled out his Pokédex, allowing Eevee to sit on his lap with her back to him so they could both view the photo the Pokédex had. "Alright then. I think you said no to both vaporeon and jolteon. The next one is flareon, a fire type. They're more of a physical attacker, but if I remember correctly, they don't have a lot of good physical fire moves to take advantage of that. The few I can remember off the top of my head are Fire Fang, Flame Charge, and Flare Blitz."
Eevee looked at the picture and hummed for a few moments before shrugging. "Eev vui," she said.
"So that's a maybe? Well, we still have five more to go through, and I don't have pictures of any of them, so I'll just tell you what I know," Ethan said as he pocketed his Pokédex. "The next one up is espeon, a psychic type. They're more of a tactical special attacker and are one of the speedier eeveelutions. And since I know this next bit of info is important to you, their tail is thin and long and forks near the end, like this."
Ethan, as if in a game of rock paper scissors, showed his hand with his index and middle finger pointed out and away from each other.
Eevee giggled at the display.
Ethan smiled and brought his hand back down to pet her down the length of her body, from her head to the tip of her tail. "If I get my phone back soon, I'll at least have something to show you with how they look. Anyway, next is Umbreon. They're a dark type and the tankiest of all the eeveelutions. They're endurance fighters who try to outlast their opponent with status effects and defensive moves. Their tails are like yours, just longer and black, and have a glowing ring on 'em."
Eevee had a considering look on her face, though it felt like she had some doubts.
"You don't have to decide anything now. In fact, I should see if I can get an everstone for you so you don't accidentally evolve until you decide what you'd like to evolve into. How does that sound?" Ethan asked.
Eevee snapped out of her musings and nodded seriously. "Yeah- eev vee eevee."
"Sure thing. We'll hit the mall today after the tournament and see if we can find one."
The intercoms overhead crackled to life. "Attention all tournament-goers! The action will resume in four minutes. Grab your concessions and make your way back to your seats!"
"Time to go," Ethan said. "Be ready. Okay?"
Eevee nuzzled his chest and then nodded as she was returned. He rubbed the crystal-shaped sticker on her Pokéball for a moment before shrinking it to its travel form and putting it back on his belt.
----------------------------------------
"Mankey is unable to battle. Aedan and Snubbull win!!"
Like most of the battles in the first round, the battle between Aedan Hines and Angel Davis didn't last too long. In the end, Aedan's snubbull overpowered Angel's mankey, whose fighting-type moves couldn't hit hard enough to knock out the fairy type.
That's two fairy types Aedan's brought out so far, Ethan noted. Either he recently got them, or he's had an affinity for them since before the fairy reveal.
Ethan set thoughts of Aedan aside to go over what he knew about his next opponent as he made his way down to the arena. Gillian used a Pidgeotto in the first round and looked strikingly similar to flying-type trainers from the games. What cemented the idea in Ethan's head was the leather gloves with long, thick sleeves covering his opponent's forearms.
Ethan stepped into the trainer box and tugged on the ends of his gloves at the thought, finding that they were perfectly snug, as usual.
"Trainers, are you ready?"
Ethan nodded and thought for a moment over which of his Pokémon to send out, grinning before picking out a Pokéball with a forest sticker and enlarging it.
"Send out your Pokémon!"
Gillian threw his Pokéball out, Ethan following an instant later. Both Pokéballs popped open, their contents coalescing in the air opposite of each other before the light died down. The same pidgeotto Gillian used in the first round flapped in place while Jade hovered in the air, her body glinting in the sun's light.
The referee waited a moment before raising his flags. "Let the battle begin."
"Pidgeotto, Wing Attack!" Gillian yelled.
"Jade, dodge and Supersonic," Ethan ordered calmly.
Gillian made no order to abort, and Jade patiently hovered in place, waiting for her opponent to get closer. When Pidgeotto was nearly upon her, Jade locked her wings and dropped toward the ground, avoiding the attack before reorienting herself and… making some kind of sound with her mouth?
Ethan had little understanding of how sound waves could confuse an opponent, but if it worked, it worked. He could tell the exact moment the confusion took effect, as Pidgeotto's controlled flight became erratic.
"No! Pidgeotto, snap out of it!" Gillian cried.
Ethan smirked. "Jade, Stun Spore, then Psybeam!"
Pidgeotto's wings glowed, and they took a swing at something that wasn't there. Jade quickly flew over the confused bird and shook her wings, releasing a cloud of yellow-orange spores that surrounded her opponent.
Confused and now paralyzed, Pidgeotto locked up and began to fall to the ground. Jade helped them along with a Psybeam to the back, dealing the first hit of damage.
Ethan had a thought and then gave his next order. "Jade, Silver Wind!"
Gillian was looking more and more flustered. "Pidgeotto, get out of there!"
Pidgeotto was no longer confused, but their speed was still significantly reduced due to the paralysis. As a result, they couldn't get away before the Silver Wind hit, though it didn't seem to deal much damage.
All right, Jade probably doesn't have Tinted Lens. Compound Eyes isn't bad, though. Probably helped land that Supersonic, Ethan thought before looking at his butterfree when he felt a small surge of power flow through her. Feels like she hit that 10% chance of raising her stats with that hit, though. Neat!
Pidgeotto managed a shaky flight into the air, still having some strength left. Ethan looked between them and Gillian's flustered face and knew the battle would end soon.
"Pidgeotto, Quick Attack!"
"Electro Web!"
Jade's antennae began to spark as Pidgeotto built up speed. Despite Pidgeotto's reduced speed, it disappeared in a blur and hit Jade beak first with its Quick Attack, causing a cry of pain from her.
Jade still maintained her focus even through the hit and launched the Electro Web. Pidgeotto started flying away but locked up as the paralysis fully kicked in.
Pidgeotto squawked in alarm, getting tangled up in the web, which forced its wings to tuck against itself and plummeted to the ground, electricity coursing through their entire body even as they hit the ground. A faint snap was barely audible as they landed on a wing.
Ethan winced at the noise.
The referee immediately raised his flags. "Pidgeotto is unable to battle! Ethan and Butterfree win!"
"Good job! How do you feel?" Ethan asked as he eyed the small bruise forming on Jade's chest. She landed before him and trilled before leaning into his hand as he pet the side of her head, making him smile.
Some rather loud cheering drew his attention to a section of young boys with what looked like hastily drawn depictions of a shiny Butterfree. "Looks like you have some fans among the bug catchers, Jade," Ethan chuckled.
"Hey, um."
Ethan looked past Jade and saw Gillian standing with a hand behind his head. "Um, good match," he said.
"Good match," Ethan echoed, offering a hand for a handshake. "Sorry about Pidgeotto's wing. I didn't mean to do that."
The tension in Gillian's shoulders eased, and he shook the proffered hand. "It's alright. He should be as good as new in a few days."
"Pokémon Centers are amazing, aren't they?" Ethan grinned as he returned Jade, and both trainers walked off the field.
----------------------------------------
"Ethan's doing great so far," Daisy commented from her seat in the luxury suite of the Pidgeot Transport Arena. "Don't you think so, Gramps?"
Professor Oak nodded as he set down a half-empty glass of Moo-Moo Milk. "He's been training consistently and working very hard. I'd be surprised if he were struggling this early."
"It's hard to believe that that butterfree is the same one Clefairy and I battled a few months ago. I'm sure he'd win if we had a rematch."
The Professor took another swig of his milk.
"Gramps, what happened with Ethan and Ash last week?" Daisy asked. "Ethan had this faraway look when asked about his charmander yesterday, and it looked… haunted."
Professor Oak finished his milk and set the glass back down, considering his answer carefully. "I don't have all the details myself, but I think that it came as a shock to him to actually meet someone who could be so cruel to their Pokémon."
The Professor turned to face Daisy fully. "It's one thing to hear about Pokémon cruelty. It's just not something you hear about very often. But it's another thing to see it in person. Thankfully, Ash and Ethan stepped in, and the abusive trainer in question is now behind bars pending trial."
The aged Professor stared into his empty glass. "As long as I've known him, Ethan has treated his Pokémon as equals, as if they were members of his own family. It's obvious to anyone who cares to look. When you consider that, can you see why someone doing the complete opposite may come as a shock?"
Daisy considered this for a long moment and nodded. "Yeah, I see what you mean. I remember him telling me he loves Eevee as if she were his daughter."
"Hmm," Professor Oak considered. "Well, enough about this for now. Gary's next battle is about to start, and I need another drink."
"Gramps, your stomach will hate you if you have any more milk. I'll make us some tea," Daisy said, pushing her grandpa back into his seat and taking his glass before walking over to the kitchenette.
Professor Oak grumbled but stayed where he was.
----------------------------------------
Gary was in the middle of a battle with one Haven Rich. As the surname implied, he was loaded with daddy's money. Haven had a very strong machoke on the field, but that was all he had going for him.
Haven was a very poor battler, and it was evident to anyone experienced enough that he didn't train that machoke himself.
It still took Gary's kadabra several good hits to bring the thing down. He used Kadabra's mobility well with Teleport and spammed super-effective psychic-type attacks. The strategy was simple and straightforward.
With only four trainers remaining, an hour-long break was announced, and the crowds dispersed to browse the local stands or venture into the nearby commerce district.
Ethan was in the midst of deciding where to spend the break when he heard someone call his name. He looked in the direction the call came from and saw Professor Oak over the heads of other people in the crowded hallway walking up to him.
"Good to see you, Ethan! Would you and your Pokémon like to join me for a small bite to eat?" he asked. "It would just be something light to take the edge off. No need to start feeling lethargic before the real battles begin."
"Professor Oak! Good to see you," Ethan said as he dipped his head in a nod and shook the professor's hand. "What do you have in mind?"
"There's a cafe not far from here. I've made a reservation already, so let's get going," Professor Oak said before taking the lead. Ethan walked by his side.
"By the way, Ethan," the professor started, "Do you have that growlithe and eevee with you right now?"
"Depends," Ethan said. "Can you tell me what was in that photo I showed you when I first met you?"
"You showed me your cat stuck in a tree," Oak replied.
"True enough," Ethan laughed. "Yeah, I have them on me. Do you want to hold on to them for now?"
"That won't be necessary. I just want to know if their mood has improved at all."
Ethan thought back to yesterday morning. "Vee was lucid for a few seconds when I gave him his nickname, like he was surprised to hear that name. Other than that, not by much."
"Gramps! About time you got here," Gary called from a table outside a cafe. "What's Ethan doing here?"
"You weren't kidding when you said it wasn't far," Ethan remarked.
"Ethan's joining us for lunch," Oak said as he sat at a large table, prompting Ethan to do the same. "Go ahead and bring out your Pokémon, boys. They can eat as well."
Ethan thought it over for a moment and shrugged before calling out Eevee, Jade, Sandslash, and Charmander. Gary already knew what Pokémon he had and saw no harm in it.
"Pretty gutsy of you to show me your charmander," Gary said as he brought out a few of his Pokémon.
Charmander hid behind his trainer's leg before being lifted up into Ethan's lap. "He's not ready for a tournament quite yet," Ethan said.
Charmander looked a little down at that.
"But maybe I'll challenge the gym before I head out, and Charmander will be the first in the lineup," Ethan said, brightening Charmander's expression.
"Char, charmander!"
"Man, I just keep adding to the list of things I need to do before I head out, don't I?" Ethan realized.
"Eevee- do!" Eevee nodded helpfully.
"I'm sure you'll have time to get some of those out of the way after the tournament," Professor Oak said as he opened his menu. "Now, what to get?"
----------------------------------------
"Welcome back, folks! Let's get right back into the battles. The next match is between Ethan Dust, whose Pokémon have been dominating in their matches thus far, and Aedan Hines, who has showcased two of the new fairy types.
"Now tell me, Celadon City. ARE. YOU. READY?!"
The crowd, who somehow seemed bigger than before the break, roared.
Ethan breathed and continued circulating his aura to keep his nerves down. They're just background noise. I'm here for my team, not for them.
"That's what I like to hear! For the semifinals, each trainer will use two Pokémon, and no substitutions are allowed. Referee, whenever you're ready."
The referee nodded and stepped up to his platform before turning on his microphone. "Trainers, are you ready?"
"Ready," Ethan yelled, enlarging a green-topped Pokéball with a crystal sticker.
"Send out your Pokémon!"
"Show them what we're made of, Eevee," Ethan said to the Pokéball in his hand before throwing it.
Both Pokémon formed on their respective sides of the field. Eevee within the circle in the middle of the battlefield, and a kirlia closer to their trainer.
"Oh, wow! That's a Pokémon I haven't seen before," the hypeman boomed through the speakers. "Is it another fairy type? This is going to be an interesting battle!"
"It'll be that for sure," Ethan muttered, reviewing what he knew about the psychic and fairy type.
The referee raised both flags. "Let the battle begin!"
"Show them our passion, Kirlia! Calm Mind!" Aedan shouted.
"Shadow Ball!" Ethan ordered, Eevee having formed the attack by the end of the first word and shooting it off by the second.
"Cancel and Teleport!"
Ethan focused his aura sense to try and feel out where Kirlia would appear and felt a disturbance to one side of Eevee. "Quick Attack, nine o'clock!"
Eevee obeyed immediately and blurred to the left, impacting Kirlia right when they reappeared.
"Huh!?" Aedan cried before shaking his head. "Kirlia, blast them back with Confusion!"
"Back off and Shadow Ball!" Ethan yelled.
Eevee jumped back to avoid Kirlia's Confusion attack, which still pushed her back further than she anticipated. However, she quickly regained her balance and retaliated with a Shadow Ball. The ball flew swiftly, but Kirlia managed to Teleport away again, causing the Shadow Ball to hit the ground and break it into chunks of earth.
"That's annoying," Ethan muttered as he sensed out the field and pointed to a spot to his right. "Swift, three o'clock!"
Eevee fired star-shaped projectiles from her mouth toward the location indicated by Ethan. Kirlia reappeared, and the stars adjusted their course before exploding upon impact. Kirlia cried in pain as they were blasted back but still managed to pull off another teleport.
Kirlia appeared in front of their trainer, legs a little shaky but standing nonetheless.
"Kirlia, I believe in you! Give them a taste of Psychic!" Aedan yelled.
Eevee was suddenly lifted into the air and her fur pressed against her body as a force began squeezing her body, causing her to cry out in pain.
"Eevee!" Ethan yelled, scrambling to come up with something. He focused on his aura senses and felt something that he couldn't physically see.
"Eevee, listen to me! There's a psychic tether between you and Kirlia. Use Bite on the air in front of you!"
Eevee opened her eyes and gritted her teeth in a growl before forming her dark-type energy into a set of ethereal jaws and biting down.
Kirlia cried out at the backlash as Eevee was dropped to the ground, a little breathless but more than ready to continue the fight.
"Quick Attack!"
Eevee immediately charged and rammed into her opponent, sending them skidding back in a cry of pain to the foot of their trainer. Kirlia tried to push themselves back onto their feet but collapsed to the ground, unmoving.
"Kirlia is unable to battle! Aedan has 30 seconds to send out his next Pokémon."
"What a mind-blowing round! It was as if Ethan knew exactly where Kirlia was going to teleport to! How did he do that, I wonder?"
"Good job, Eevee!" Ethan praised. "Up for another one?"
"Eev eevee!" Eevee affirmed as she shook her fur out before retaking her starting position on the field.
Aedan, meanwhile, looked nervously between Eevee and Ethan, seemingly indecisive about which Pokémon he would send out.
"10 seconds!" the referee said.
"We're not out of this yet. Show them our passion, Snubbull!"
Snubbull formed and began growling, pawing eagerly at the ground. Eevee just grinned confidently and lowered herself to the ground, ready to pounce.
"Begin!"
"Quick Attack!" Ethan said.
"Roar!" Aedan commanded.
Eevee, quick as she was, charged straight into Snubbull and drove them back a few feet. Snubbull groaned but gathered itself and let out a deep roar that had no right coming out of something so small.
"Uh oh. Eevee's not going to like that," Ethan whispered as Eevee dematerialized into red energy and was forced back into her ball. Ethan looked at the two remaining Pokéballs on his right hip, wondering who of Jade and Sandslash would be sent out.
A flash of light from his left side had him looking at the field. He looked on in growing panic as a very confused Pokémon looked around.
"Char? Charmander?"