Kyla takes the evening to get to know her new extended family. Her 26 Pokemon, minus Suicune, Ark, and her 27 other family members all sit down in the forest. Kyla prepares food for all of them, with the help of some of the smaller Pokemon. After sitting down, Kyla notices the difference between the two Gyarados, one being red and her's being blue. She also takes note of the quickly growing relationship between Chaz, Blastoise, and the new Venasaur. Then her eyes lock on an odd sight, an electric type Golem!
Kyla chuckles at the odd Pokemon, how its appearance looks so drastically different from her own Golem. Her attention moves quickly, however, to Absol who is prancing around an annoyed Houndoom. She appears to be going out of her way to cause an issue.. as usual.
Lugia, Moltres, and Celebi watch curiously to see what Kyla will do.
Kyla gets up slowly and walks over to the pair. "Absol! What are you doing?!"
Absol stops prancing about and looks up with a big smile. "May I battle him?!"
Houndoom turns up his nose. "Such a pretentious little girl.." He growls. "As if you could ever stand on my level."
Absol turns her head back to Houndoom, not breaking her smile. "OH! Such a bad boy, talking down to me, a little girl, like that! Perhaps you'd just like to try!"
Houndoom turns his head further away. "I have no reason to prove myself to you. Leave me be."
Kyla rubs her head. "Absol, you have already beaten a Houndoom, remember?!"
Absol looks up, trying to remember. "Oh yeah!" She turns and prances off. "Sorry, tuffy!"
Houndoom spits in her direction as she leaves. "Annoying pest."
Kyla leans over and smiles angrily at him. "You should really watch your tone with Entei's wife!"
Houndoom looks wide-eyed between Kyla and Absol. "You have got to be kidding me!!! That little thing?!!"
"Yep! She kicked his ass and told him, in no uncertain terms, that she was going to be his bride!" Kyla replies, turning her attention back to the others.
As she walks away, Houndoom turns to Ark. "This group is weird."
Ark chuckles with a wide smile. "Yeah, our kind of weird!"
Houndoom smiles slightly. "I could.. get used to some of them."
Moltres turns to Lugia. "Isn't Kyla such a wonderful trainer, Uncle?"
Lugia nods. "She is quite talented, even when dealing with new additions to her team."
Celebi zips around them. "Do you think she has a chance of winning the tournament?!"
Lugia looks at him. "It is no easy feat, but if anyone has the ability to overcome the threat presented, I believe it is her."
Kyla lays back onto Snorlax. "Keeping track of this many Pokemon is exhausting! How does David do it?!" Then her eyes widen. "Wait.. oh no.."
Snorlax yawns. "What is it, Kyla?"
"I just realized.. I have more Pokemon than David!" Kyla replies.
Snorlax's eyes open for a moment as he thinks. "So you do! Congratulations!"
Kyla groans. "I'm not so sure that is a good thing.."
Ark walks over and leans against Snorlax. "Ah! Snorlax! You're so comfy!"
Snorlax groans. "I am not a bed.."
Kyla looks sadly at Ark. "What am I going to do?! I never dreamed of having 43 Pokemon!"
Ark smile wide. "Don't worry about it! You forget it will take time for our two families to get used to each other! Even then, Chaz and I can act as mediators for you! After all, we are the oldest of the two groups!"
Snorlax groans again. "If we are speaking of actual age, I am the oldest.."
Ark turns and winks at him. "And you're such a cute grandpa, but we need two mediators who can be active with the others.. maybe even occasionally putting them in their place!"
Snorlax scratches his face. "You.. have a point."
Kyla sighs as she relaxes further against Snorlax. "That is a perfect idea, Ark!"
Ark turns and smiles at Kyla as she slowly falls asleep.
A commotion begins to rise between Hitmontop and Machamp. Chaz begins towards them, but Ark quickly leaps up and stops him.
"I got this." Ark says as she approaches them. "You two need to keep it down."
Hitmontop points a Machamp. "He said I was a poor excuse for a fighter!!"
Machamp flexes. "Damn right! All you do is spin! That doesn't take much muscle!"
Ark glares at them as she towers over them. "You will shut your traps before I remind you who helped capture you!! Kyla is trying to sleep, we have a huge match tomorrow." Ark grabs them and pulls them closer with a smirk. "This is our big shot at the tournament. I don't need to remind you what that means."
Hitmontop begins hopping excitedly. "Our Zoey's dream will come true!"
Machamp sniffles a bit, rubbing his eyes. "Stop it, top head! You are getting dust in my eyes!"
Ark pats them on the back. "Now go get some rest."
Hitmontop and Machamp part ways.
Chaz crosses his arms. "Nice! Very big sister of you!"
Ark turns with a smile. "Sometimes it takes a lady's touch! However, I can dig that gruff big brother approach too!"
Chaz smiles. "It seems to work.. sometimes!"
Ark shrugs. "It all depends on what they are used to!"
Absol approaches Ark from behind, preparing to ponce, but Chaz quickly shoots her a displeased glare. Absol locks eyes with him and backs away.
Ark chuckles. "I could have dodged that easily."
"Yes. But she needs to learn she can't just go around picking fights for the hell of it." Chaz replies.
Ark falls back on the grass, staring up at the star-lit sky. "I used to be like that.. picking fights I could never win."
"What changed?" Chaz asks.
"I.. fell in love with the idea of my big sister, our family, and our adventures. They became my reason for living and I wanted to protect that." Ark replies.
Chaz sits next to her. "So what will you do now?"
Ark shrugs. "I am just going to take it day by day, try to fit in here, and find my new role."
"And what of that form you have taken?" Chaz presses.
Ark raises her hand in front of her, examining it. "It.. may take me some time to let go of it. Other than our family, this form is all I have left of Zoey. I am afraid if I let this go.. I might forget her beautiful face."
Chaz leans closer. "We never forget. We honor the dead with our continued efforts every day." Chaz gently wipes a tear from Ark's cheek with his claw. "Zoey would want you to live on with a smile rather than a flood of tears, just like Matt would want me to live without wrath in my heart!"
Ark weakly smiles up at Chaz with a chuckle in her voice. "It is so nice to finally have someone who relates. You know, you are pretty good at this big brother thing!"
Chaz smiles gently back. "It is just my nature."
Ark rolls over. "We all have unique natures about us." Ark looks at Kyla sleeping soundly. "What is she like?"
Chaz smiles. "Anyone that crosses her, be it human or Pokemon, quickly regrets their choice.. even me."
Ark turns back to him quickly. "You?! The big bad Charizard?!"
Chaz looks up at the stars. "Once upon a time, shortly after Matt passed away, my heart was filled with rage. My rage knew no bounds, short of Kyla herself. I would never harm her, even in a blind rage. One day, we engaged in a battle.. I let my rage get out of control. Before I hurt the other trainer, Kyla jumped on my back and put me into a chokehold. It was not the fact that I could not breathe that snapped me out of it. Instead, it was Kyla's voice in my ear saying, 'Relax for me, big brother. Everything will be okay. Remember, we are a family. I will always love you!'."
Ark sits up in surprise. "Are you freaking serious?! She put herself in harm's way just to calm you down?!"
Chaz nods. "She could have recalled me, but I would have just escaped my Pokeball. She knew that, so she took the most direct and effective approach." Chaz smiles. "She has always been the key to my peace, even before she became my trainer." Slowly, his gentle smile changes to an intensely serious expression. "If anyone was to harm her I would likely loss myself and burn them to dust."
Ark moves closer to Chaz and slowly puts her hand in his claw. "I have never told anyone this.. after Zoey was buried.. I wondered around in despair. After about a week, I stumbled upon the Rhydon herd that had caused the accident. They ran from me, and I gave chase, catching one of them. I beat him mercilessly as he pleaded with me to stop.. I was moments away from killing him when I clearly heard Zoey's voice telling me to stop. I stopped, as I believed I had been ordered. I turned away from the Rhydon and walked for what seemed like months. I was lost.. until Celebi found me. He had been a regular visitor, in the past. Zoey had often found great joy in his company. He didn't know about the accident.. it fell to me to tell him." Ark squeezes Chaz's claw.
Chaz slowly places his other claw gently on Ark's head. "Ark, tell me the rest later, okay? We need our sleep for the match." He says gently.
Ark looks around, seeing that the others are already asleep. "I guess we lost track of time."
Chaz lays on his side and yawns. "That is pretty easy to do."
Ark smiles and lays back. "I hope you don't mind sharing a spot with me!"
"As long as you remember we are brother and sister, it will be fine." Chaz replies.
Ark waves her hand. "Yeah yeah! I already heard Suicune has dibs on you!"
Chaz sits up quickly. "IT'S NOT..."
Ark looks at him with one eye. "Yes, it is. Denying it isn't going to help the situation."
Chaz mutters something and lays with his back turned to Ark.
Ark closes her eye again. "I get it. Females flock to the strong." Ark glances at Chaz, seeing no reaction. "You are just too used to being the big brother, huh?"
Chaz sighs. "yeah.." He mutters in reply.
Ark chuckles softly. "I am the same way. I have never allowed a suiter to pursue me because I am so comfortable being the big sister."
Chaz groans before falling asleep.
"You will get there someday.. my new big brother." Ark says softly before also falling asleep.
The next morning, Kyla makes her way to the shore. She is met there by the others. They then walk together to a nearby dock.
David points out to the sea. "Out there, just over the horizon, is the carrier battlefield. The only people allowed on it will be the competitors. Everyone else will watch from other smaller ships. If the battle becomes overwhelming, the smaller ships are capable of high-speed transport out of the area."
"How likely is it that the carrier might sink?" Kyla asks.
David smiles at her nervously. "Well.. if it sinks, we have ten more in waiting!"
Kyla glares at him. "That really does not answer my question.."
David sighs. "We have estimated.. by gauging the power of the Giga Beam with that of a normal Hyper Beam.. it has only a 65% chance of remaining afloat if faced with a direct blast of that magnitude."
Sam and Blare look at each other with worried expressions.
Kyla shrugs. "Then I will have to choose my Pokemon wisely. I can't have any of them sinking with the ship."
As they continue to speak, a small ship nears the dock.
David glances at the approaching ship before he shakes his head. "There are emergency measures in place should the carrier begins to sink. I am assured even a hundred Steelix would remain dry."
"And exactly what are these emergency measures?!" Blare asks.
"Hoover fans, attracted inflatable flotation devices, and a last-ditch escape vessel." David replies happily.
"As long as, if Chaz's wings are damaged, nothing puts his tail flame out!" Kyla says annoyed.
"That crossed my mind also.." David replies. "However, I took everyone and every Pokemon into consideration."
The small ship finally reaches the dock and they all climb aboard. Without another word, the ship makes its way to the career.
Once they arrive at the career, David hugs Kyla. "I can not give you any further assistance nor advice from this point forward. I hope you understand."
Kyla hugs him back. "I understand. It is your position that warrants this."
David pulls away. "Yes. However, you know I am rooting for you!"
Kyla nods then looks up at a rope ladder that has been lowered to her. "I guess I will go see the others now." She then begins climbing.
"Best of luck!" Sam exclaims.
"See you at the tournament, big sister Kyla!" Blare adds.
Kyla would love to respond, but she realizes quickly half this match is just getting onto the career.
The small ship retreats quickly.
Blare quickly turns to David. "Surely there were better ways of boarding that career!!" She growls.
David raises his hands nervously. "I could not show her any special treatment! This initial test of each trainer was a joint Pokemon League decision! Had you and Kyla not been involved in the tournament, you would have had to vote on this matter! However.. as it stands.. I was outvoted.."
Blare moves closer to him. "You know.. I find that very hard to believe." She says behind clenched teeth.
Sam puts her hand on Blare's shoulder. "Blare.. they must have had good reason."
David looks back at the career. "It is believed that the Giga Evolutions are a threat to trainers, Pokemon, and the world as we know it. Thanks to Lugia and our own small understanding on the subject, a trainer's heart rate must be relaxed to properly and safely perform a Giga Evolution.. Therefore...."
"You make the trainers climb, to purposely put their heart rate out of sync." Blare interrupts, calmer than before.
David nods. "The rules are on board. The first two trainers to reach the top, the most worn out, must be the first to compete." He says this while pulling up a hologram of the competitors climbing onboard.
They see Hoss, Victor, and Kyla climbing their rope ladders. Of the three of them, Victor and Kyla appear to be having the hardest time. Hoss appears to be calmly taking his sweet time, even resting at times before continuing.
Sam points at Hoss. "Isn't there some kind of time limit for them to reach the top?!"
David shakes his head. "I am afraid not. This was the loophole of the vote.. the only thing I could do to help.."
On the career, Hoss loops his arms into the rope ladder. "Freaking pain in my ass.. even for me.."
Meanwhile, on a different side, Victor struggles to reach the top as quickly as possible.
Likewise, on her side, Kyla's hand slips and she falls backward, her leg becomes caught in the ladder. She screams in pain as her hip is dislocated by the sudden stop. Kyla hangs there for a moment, fighting through the pain, and allowing her adrenalin to numb her pain.
Her Pokeballs begin shaking, none more violently than Chaz's.
"Relax! You can not help me right now! Trust me to make it to the top on my own!" Kyla quickly exclaims to her Pokeballs.
They slowly stop shaking, but Chaz's continues for a moment more before stopping.
Blare, Sam, and David look away, disturbed by the sight of Kyla in pain.
Kyla groans painfully. "No rest for a Poketech, even when in battle." She then hooks her other leg into the ladder, taking her weight off the dislocated hip. She pulls a syringe, with needle, out of a pouch and stabs it into her dislocated hip. She gives a sigh of relief as the medication numbs her pain. Kyla then turns her attention back to the top of the ladder. "No time to rest. I have two very eager men waiting on my arrival to the top." Kyla takes hold of the ladder and pulls herself up, freeing her leg. "One leg and two arms!" She chuckles. "I have had worse!"
On another ship, Sue watches with a wild grin on her face. "She knows no end to her determination!"
The shadow appears next to her. "That may not be a good thing.." He groans as he watches Kyla climb. "She may yet overexert herself, leaving us to wonder whether she was truly worthy."
Sue turns to him. "You doubt a human so easily?!"
The shadow huffs. "Humans are fragile."
Sue turns away from him. "Our spirits are not. They burn brighter than any star you have laid eyes on. She may yet change your tune!" She rebuts.
He glances at her. "I certainly hope so." He then turns his attention back to Kyla.
Kyla slowly makes her way up the ladder, until she finally reaches the top. Hoss holds out his hand to her, to help her the last little bit up.
Kyla looks up at him curiously. "Wouldn't helping me disqualify you or something?"
Victor pushes up his glasses with a smile. "I read through all the new rules, no such disqualification clause exists!"
Hoss smiles gently. "Besides, we are here to challenge you, not each other."
Kyla chuckles. "This much attention might spoil a girl's ego!" She takes his hand as he pulls her up.
Hoss chuckles back. "You are far from a girl, Miss Kyla!" He then releases her hand. "So what happened here?"
Kyla wabbles a bit before reclaiming her balance. "I dislocated my hip in a fall. I apologize for my poor showing."
Hoss opens his backpack and pulls out a collapsible walking stick and hands it to Kyla. "Perhaps this will help."
Kyla takes it with a nod and smile. "My, what a gentleman! Thank you!"
Hoss begins to walk towards Victor. "You are first to battle Kyla. Try not to keep me waiting for the outcome."
"Yeah yeah!" Victor replies snarkily. He turns to Kyla. "I will wait for you. Do not rush yourself."
Kyla pulls out three Pokeballs. "I will be ready shortly."
Kyla opens the Pokeballs and Chika, Nidoqueen, and Miltank emerge.
Kyla lays back on the field. "I need you three to follow my instructions. I need my dislocated hip put back in quickly before the swelling progresses further."
Victor and Hoss watch as Chika holds Kyla still while Nidoqueen carefully relocates her hip. Miltank provides her with a fresh bottle of milk and some herbs to put on her skin. Then Chika wraps her hip and leg in vines, and Nidoqueen breaks them free and ties the makeshift cast in place.
Kyla sits up and pets each of them. "Thank you, you did great!"
Hoss crosses his arms. "Forgive me, but it is not very wise to show off your team before a battle."
Kyla slowly stands, with her Pokemons' help. "Oh, they are my support team, not my battle team! You.. do not know I was a Poketech?!"
Victor smiles. "I knew that!" He says looking a Hoss who is glaring at him.
"You could have shared that information and saved me from looking like a fool!!" Hoss growls.
"I am an information broker, Hoss. Had you paid for the information, it would have been at your disposal!" Victor snaps back.
Kyla recalls her three support Pokemon and slowly walks to her side of the field. "I am ready, Victor."
Victor cuts his eyes at Hoss as he steps forward.
"Remember, don't keep me waiting!!" Hoss growls again.