I groaned when my alarm went off and blinked sleepily. Looking around I realized that I was in my bed and the covers were over me, even though the last thing I remembered was talking to Paul on the couch. With a small smile, I pushed off the blanket and quickly got changed into the outfit I had chosen for my pokemon league debut. Since it was pretty cold I'd gone with a white, faux leather jacket with three-quarter length sleeves and it was open to expose the dark red undershirt I was wearing with dark wash skinny jeans and white ankle boots. Then I braided my hair and draped it over my right shoulder to complete the look.
Once I was sure I looked okay I quickly went down to the building's lobby where I called Professor Rowan and exchanged my pokemon for the six that I had decided on for the preliminary rounds today. With that done there was still an hour before the Pokemon League was going to start, but when I peeked into the cafeteria I didn't see any sign of Paul.
I walked quickly up to his room and knocked on his door. Slowly I counted to ten and then knocked. After another ten seconds went by I chewed my lip and slowly reached my hand to the doorknob. To my surprise, it turned easily and I swallowed, glancing up and down the hall where a few trainers were walking out of their rooms and heading to the cafeteria.
Taking a breath I slowly pushed the door open. I nearly yelped in fright as the door opened to reveal Paul was standing on the other side, his expression filled with wicked amusement. I could feel myself blush as he smirked when I met his eyes and I scowled at him to try and hide my embarrassment.
"If you were awake why didn't you answer?" I asked in annoyance and he shrugged slightly.
"I wanted to see if you would try opening the door," he said with a twinkle in his amethyst eyes.
Part of me felt annoyed that I fell into his trap, but the other part of me couldn't help but be thrilled that he was acting so attentive in his weird, teasing way. The teasing look in his eyes faded into a guarded expression as he reached out and fingered the collar of my jacket.
"New outfit?" he asked calmly and I shrugged.
"I figured I should go for a tough-ish look since it's the pokemon league," I explained, trying not to fidget as his fingers lingered at the collar of my jacket.
He looked me up and down and then to my surprise his fingers moved to my neck and ghosted over my skin until they reached a small lock of hair that had come out of my braid and was laying along the side of my jaw. He tucked it behind my ear and smiled with faint amusement.
"White leather doesn't look tough, Coordinator," he said with a smirk.
I blinked, needing to pull myself out of the fuzziness that had descended on my brain at Paul's gentle touch so that I could process his jab and then scoff at him. I reached out and poked him in the side, which made him jerk away. Slowly I felt my mouth break into a huge grin.
"Paul, are you... ticklish?" I asked with uncontained glee.
Paul dropped his expressionless mask into place and looked at me imperiously. "Of course not. You just surprised me," he said gruffly, but when I moved forward he took a tiny step back.
"I don't believe you," I said teasingly and reached out to poke his sides again.
He pushed my hand away before it made contact but I jabbed him lightly with my other hand, making him jump. I laughed with delight and tried to tickle him some more but a dangerous glint came into his purple eyes and suddenly he clamped his hand onto my wrist. With a firm pull and twist, he twirled me into him so that my back was pressed against his chest with my one hand trapped against my side. He then grabbed my free hand, wrapped his other arm around my waist, and lifted me off the ground. Surprised laughter escaped me as I kicked my legs in gentle protest.
"You should know better than to start a war you can't win," Paul's amused voice grumbled against my ear and I tried to stop laughing so I could answer him.
"Pu-- put me down!" I gasped out.
He shifted slightly so that he was holding my arm pressed against my stomach with his own arm, but then he let go of my wrist and began to tickle my sides. I shrieked as he tickled my side incessantly. Squirming furiously I tried to push against his hold on me to break away, but I was too distracted by his tickling and couldn't get free.
Thankfully he apparently took pity on me and gently set me back onto the ground and released me. Laughter tears dripped from my eyes and I dropped to the ground, laying on my back and rubbing my side while I waited for my laughter to stop. My eyes were closed but I could feel Paul sit down next to me and I heard him chuckle lightly.
"We should probably go eat breakfast so we can get to the league stadium on time," Paul suggested after my breathing calmed and only a stray giggle escaped me every so often.
Wiping my eyes I looked up at him and was surprised at the tender affection that softened his sharp features as he looked down at me. I met his eyes and wondered how I had been lucky enough to bump into Paul right when I was at my lowest point in life. Swiftly I pushed myself up on my elbows and pressed my lips against Paul's in a brief, happy kiss. I pulled away and echoed the small smile that Paul gave me.
We picked ourselves off the floor and left his room to go and grab a quick breakfast. To my delight, Paul held my hand as we left the cafeteria and walked into the large crowd of trainers that were all heading toward the stadium. The sun was bright, but the top of the mountain was still frigid and I pressed myself against Paul's side to share our bodyheat. He squeezed my hand and graced me with a small smile, but then turned his attention back to the gigantic stadium. I was sure that he was going through all of his mental preparations for the battles we were going to be fighting in less than an hour so I remained silent and went through all of the moves that each of my pokemon had mastered in these last five months of training.
The opening ceremonies finished by 8:30 am and all of the trainers gathered in the middle of the four battlefields to see who they would be up against in the first preliminary round today. The announcers greeted the spectators as all of the participant's pictures were displayed on the screen and then shuffled before pairing off trainers on one of the four big screens above each battlefield. I scanned the screens on my left but I didn't find my picture until I turned to the back right corner. The boy in the spot next to my picture looked smug and confident in his picture, but he couldn't have been more than 15.
"My first battle is over here," Paul said while nodding to the battlefield diagonal from my own.
"I hope I get to see your battle," I said with a small frown, not wanting to let go of his hand yet. He squeezed my hand before letting go and patting my head.
"You'll do great. We should line up in our own fields though," Paul said reasonably and I sighed but nodded.
Waving sadly I walked away from him and towards the corner of the battlefield to await my turn for the first preliminary match. The pokemon league shared some similarities with the Luau Showdown Tournament since the first round was a battle with only one pokemon, the second round was with two, and the third and fourth rounds were three-on-three battles. Whoever survived all four preliminary rounds would be the top eight trainers and those last eight would battle the next day in full six-on-six battles.
Standing on my tiptoes I tried to see if Paul was still waiting for his turn at the other battlefield, but it was too far and I couldn't catch sight of his purple hair. With a sigh, I sank back to my feet and kicked lightly at the ground. I wonder when we'll get to battle each other, I thought to myself.
I was in the middle of the line but it didn't take long for it to be my turn. Taking a quick breath to calm my nerves I walked purposefully forward and took my spot in the painted trainer's box. The referee tossed a coin and I inwardly sighed with relief as it was decided that my opponent would release his pokemon first. Glancing at my opponent I took a step back and shuddered as his glasses reflected the stadium lights and I had a weird flashback to Conway, the guy that used to pop up behind me all the time when I was traveling with Ash and Brock.
"Cower in fear, little girl! My ghost pokemon and I will destroy your dreams of victory!" the boy proclaimed arrogantly and then released his pokemon, which turned out to be a Gengar. The large pokemon swayed back and forth in a confident swagger as he floated a few inches off the ground and I quirked an eyebrow at my younger opponent.
Little girl? Hmph. We'll see who cowers after I'm finished with you, I thought with annoyance but tried to emanate Paul's calm exterior and reached for a Pokeball at my hip.
"Lopunny, Spotlight!" I called, not able to contain my happiness as she appeared from my Pokeball in her full glory.
Lopunny came up to my shoulder when she was standing tall and her body was built like a graceful ballerina dancer. Her long, fluffy ears draped down to her knees, and seeing the cotton-like fur cuffs circle her wrists always made me want to stroke them.
Lopunny was normally super busy with her modeling job, but when I contacted our agent she told me that Lopunny seemed despondent lately. I decided to bring her here to train and over the past three months, she had gotten back to her perky self. When I asked if she would like to be one of my pokemon for the preliminary rounds she had immediately jumped in excitement from the thought. I was happy that I already had a chance to use her and the strategy Olivia helped me develop for dealing with ghost type pokemon.
Glancing over at my opponent I couldn't help but let out a small smirk at his obvious shock at seeing Lopunny as my pokemon of choice. His glasses slipped down his nose as he blinked at my normal type and then pointed over at me, pushing his glasses back up with his other hand.
"Wh-what's the big idea? Our moves won't work against each other if you use that pokemon!" he argued angrily and I quirked an eyebrow at him.
"Don't tell me your pokemon only knows ghost type moves?" I asked sweetly and the boy spluttered, shoving his glasses back after they once again slipped down his nose.
"Ha-ha! Of course not. That's... that's preposterous!" he huffed with a forced laugh and I put a hand on my hip and glanced over at the referee.
"We're ready to battle," I said calmly.
The boy set his mouth in a determined line as the referee called out the rules of our one-on-one battle and then started the battle. I waited for the boy to make his move. Even across the battlefield, I could see his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed hard and then growled at me.
"Gengar, use Hypnosis!" the boy demanded and instantly his pokemon complied.
"Use Bounce to dodge it, Lopunny!" I instructed calmly.
Before the shimmering soundwaves could reach Lopunny she bent down and used her powerful leg muscles to launch herself high into the air. Gengar flew up to meet her midair and I smiled as he got closer than he needed for another Hypnosis attack to land.
"Shadow Ball, Lopunny!" I yelled up at my falling pokemon.
As Lopunny continued to fall she brought her ears in front of her and a purple mass of ghostly power formed and shot towards the approaching Gengar before it could react. The move connected and Gengar flipped backward a few times in the air, shaking his whole body at the unexpected attack as Lopunny landed gracefully back to the ground.
Lopunny's special attack was super low, but even so, the surprise ghost type move had done its job of throwing Gengar's trainer off his rhythm. I glanced over to see the boy gritting his teeth, frustration building behind his reflective glasses, but he was tenacious and pointed at Lopunny.
"Use Hypnosis until it hits!" he yelled frustratedly and Lopunny glanced back at me.
I smiled at her and nodded. She returned my smile and stood still, allowing Gengar to come up to her and shoot off a Hypnosis right in her face. Instantly her ears and arms drooped.
"Yes! Yes! Yes!" my opponent crowed in triumph and I smiled, waving at the referee who looked like he was about to call the match.
"Lopunny, Sleep Talk."
My opponent instantly froze and looked over in horror as Lopunny, who had been slumping towards the ground, suddenly froze and stood erect once again. Her eyes remained closed but she slowly began to bounce back and forth on the balls of her delicate feet, ready for battle.
"No... no way..." my opponent whimpered and I grinned wickedly.
"Use Brutal Swing, Lopunny!" I called out.
Instantly Lopunny raised her slender arms and one of her ears to the right and then flung them down, releasing a ring of black energy that flowed from her body and smacked into the dumbfounded Gengar. The super-effective dark type move slammed into it, flinging it back through the air
"No way! Dreameater, Gengar, quick!" The boy, who looked more terrified than I had expected, ordered his pokemon.
Gengar shook himself, looking a little pale, but streaked through the air towards my sleeping Lopunny.
"Jump to the left and use Brutal Swing again!" I called out seconds before Gengar reached her.
Lopunny jumped and flipped through the air beautifully, dodging Gengar's outstretched hands, and then let loose another ring of dark energy. The attack slammed into Gengar, who hadn't corrected his path yet, and the ghost type spun through the air before coming to rest on the ground.
"Gengar is unable to battle, which means Dawn and her Lopunny are the winners!" The referee called out, giving me an approving look.
I ran over to Lopunny and threw my arms around her shoulders. Lopunny blinked her eyes opened blearily and glanced around her before wrapping me in a hug with both her arms and her legs.
"How.... how could this happen?"
I glanced over to see my opponent looking at his fainted Gengar in utter confusion. I was wondering whether I should go over and shake his hand but the referee asked us to leave the battlefield to make room for the next pair.
After thanking Lopunny one more time I returned her to my Pokeball and rushed away from my battlefield towards the one where Paul had been waiting. As I pushed my way through the trainers milling around the battlefield I realized that Paul had just begun his own battle. I shoved my way through a few people so I could watch from the sidelines.
Paul was battling against one of the oricorio forms. It was mainly pink with an off-white feather skirt and hat, making her look like the bird version of a traditional alolan dancer. From my research, I was pretty sure that this was the psychic type oricorio form and couldn't help but think that my own ghost type Oricorio was much more elegant. Turning away from his opponent though I was surprised to see that Paul was battling with a Weavile.
I winced as the opponent's Oricorio released a Feather's Dance, which caused a dull sheen to go up and down Weavile's body, signaling that its attack stat had just been lowered. I gasped as Paul calmly ordered Weavile to use Icicle Crash. A giant icicle formed above Oricorio, who was finishing her Feather Dance, and slammed into its little body. The oricorio stumbled back to its feet and while it was recovering Weavile followed Paul's orders to use a Hone Claw, which raised its attack back up.
I watched in fascination as Paul expertly directed Weavile to use Foul Play to dodge the Air Slash attack Oricorio sent towards his pokemon. Weavile popped up suddenly behind the Oricorio and slammed its smoking claws into her back, propelling her down to the ground where she stayed. Weavile returned to Paul's side as they were declared the winners and I couldn't help but cheer loudly. Surprisingly Paul somehow heard me because he glanced over and made eye contact with me. I grinned broadly as a ghostly smile turned up the corner of his normally flat mouth and he turned away without acknowledging his opponent.
"That seemed like an easy battle for you," I compliment as he made his way through the crowd to stand by me. He snorted and folded his arms.
"I chose my pokemon first," he said with contempt and I blinked in surprise.
"But... That was the psychic form of Oricorio right? Doesn't that mean it was doubly weak against your Weavile?" I asked in confusion and Paul rolled his eyes.
"I guess he'd never seen a weavile before. Or thought that he'd be able to weaken Weavile enough to pull off a miracle victory," Paul huffed with obvious annoyance and I glanced up at him.
"Were you disappointed that your first match was so easy?" I asked and he shrugged then looked down at me with a quiet smile.
"I'd prefer to beat strong trainers, but if it means I'm one step closer to battling you then I don't really mind," he said with a twinkle in his amethyst eyes and I quirked an eyebrow, trying to keep my smile from emerging.
"You're that eager to be beaten?" I asked quietly as another battle raged in front of us.
"I'm excited to have a day where you have to do everything I say," he retorted with a smirk. I folded my arms, trying to look affronted, but the teasing expression in his eyes absolutely melted me and I couldn't muster even a spark of anger.
Paul and I watched the remaining battles for the first round and then split off for our second-round matches. Our pictures had both appeared at the beginning of our separate fields and I was disappointed that I wouldn't be able to watch Paul's battle, but I promised myself that I wouldn't lose until I battled him. Walking quickly I took my spot on the battlefield, surprised to see that it seemed to have a grass theme with several trees and a stretch of grass growing across the battlefield. The fields Paul and I had battled on previously were just normal dirt but looking diagonally from the field I was on I saw that the other field had a similar grassy/forested theme.
Turning my attention back to my battle I smiled at the middle-aged woman in front of me. It looked like she was in her late twenties or early thirties. She nodded politely to me and I returned it before the referee announced that I would be the first to choose my pokemon and make a move in this battle. After weighing my options I picked a Pokeball and looked down at it, feeling a rush of affection and pride go through me.
"Let's show everyone what you can do. Arcanine, Spotlight!" I cried happily as I tossed my Pokeball.
Arcanine appeared several feet in front of me, raised his muzzle, and howled menacingly up at the sky. From the corner of my eye, I saw the referee jump in surprise at the dramatic display from my larger-than-life pokemon. My opponent didn't seem intimidated though and she grinned and then released an Araquanid. The massive water spider glared up at my 6'5" fire type and I thought I saw an evil smile glint in its giant eyes trapped in a water bubble.
You'll regret it if you underestimate us, I thought silently to the creepy thing.
The referee dropped his flag and announced the beginning of our battle. Immediately I flung my arm out as if I could throw my confidence towards Arcanine, who was regarding his opponent loftily.
"Use Double Team, Arcanine!"
With a loud bark, Arcanine took a step forward, and suddenly there were ten giant dogs circling around the large Araquanid. I glanced over to see that my opponent was smirking, and I could almost see her thinking that I didn't have anything to combat her choice of pokemon.
"Use Bubble Beam and find the real one!" she ordered confidently.
Araquanid immediately shot out a stream of water and bubbles towards the nearest Arcanine, bursting the illusion apart. It slowly spun in a circle, taking out the copies one by one.
"Use Extreme Speed!" I yelled.
The five remaining Arcanines leaped forward in one motion. Araquanid spewed his Bubblebeam around it, but not soon enough to avoid the rapid-fire kicks and swipes from Arcanine's large paws. Arcanine allowed his doubles to drop away as he backed away from Araquanid, which he had kicked to its side. I tried not to shudder as its spindly legs wriggled in the air creepily for a few seconds before it righted itself.
"Liquidation!" Its trainer yelled, her confident smirk dropping a little bit.
As water spread from the bubble wrapped around Araquanid's head to encase his whole body I waited until it jumped towards Arcanine before yelling, "Protect!"
Instantly a shimmering wall burst between Araquanid and Arcanine and the water spider slammed into the protective barrier, unable to breakthrough. As Araquanid stumbled back, shaking his head from the force of slamming into the protective wall I allowed myself a small smile.
"Wild Charge, Arcanine!"
"Use Lunge to dodge!" my opponent yelled, her eyes widening in shock as electricity began to spark up and down Arcanine's body.
Her Araquanid tried to leap out of Arcanine's path but he was way too slow. Arcanine slammed forcefully into the large Araquanid and the huge spider flew through the air and then crashed to the ground, legs flying this way and that as he rolled along. When the pokemon finally stopped rolling its legs crumpled to the ground and it didn't move.
The referee called out that Arcanine was the winner and I watched as my opponent returned her Araquanid with a confused expression. Her eyes hardened though and she quickly pulled out another Pokeball and released a Decidueye. I watched as the regal grass and ghost type flew over the top of the battlefield gracefully before touching down and taking its spot on the battlefield in front of his trainer.
She knows that Arcanine's used his four moves now. My Extreme Speed won't have any effect against Decidueye and electricity is not effective against a grass type, so she must be betting that I won't switch Arcanine out or that I won't know that Electricity isn't effective against Decidueye, I thought as I watched Decidueye position itself and stare silently at my large pokemon.
With a small smile, I held up my Pokeball and saw my opponent narrow her eyes.
"Arcanine, return," I said and whispered a heartfelt thank you to his Pokeball. I wasn't sure if he could hear me when he was in there, but I would thank him again afterward just in case.
I replaced his Pokeball and removed another one from my hip with a small smile.
"It's been a while, but it's time for your Spotlight!" I said and tossed the Pokeball.
A red light streaked from the Pokeball and revealed a lumbering figure. As he materialized, flames shot from his broad shoulders and Typhlosion let out a loud roar of excitement. I grinned at his familiar sight in front of me and for the first time thought fondly back to all of my contest battles where I had used Typhlosion's power and control to wow the judges while putting pressure on my opponent.
"Che. Decidueye, use Brave Bird!" my opponent yelled.
Decidueye launched himself into the air and began to glow blue. He angled himself and began to dive down, picking up speed as he descended towards my upright Typhlosion.
"Roll and use Eruption!"
Typhlosion waited until Decidueye was nearly on top of him before dropping to the ground, rolling underneath his outstretched talons, and then let loose a column of fire straight up to its unprotected belly. Decidueye banked to the left, missing the full brunt of the move, but his talons and tail feathers smoldered as he flew quickly away and dropped to the ground, wincing at the painful burns he had acquired.
"Use Flamethrower, Typhlosion!" I instructed, wanting to press our advantage.
"Sucker Punch!" the other trainer yelled and I gasped.
I watched in slow motion as Typhlosion raised himself back to his hind legs, getting ready to let loose his attack, but Decidueye's body seemed to melt out of existence for a second, and then suddenly he was standing in front of Typhlosion while digging his wing into Typhlosion's stomach in a powerful punch. Black smoke billowed out of Typhlosion's mouth as the punch cut off his fire buildup and I gritted my teeth.
"Shadow Claw, Typhlosion!" I called as Decidueye continued to drill his balled-up wing-fist into his chest.
Typhlosion was obviously winded, but even so, his left arm exploded into a spectral claw shape and raked across Decidueye's back. The large pokemon shrieked in pain and jumped away from Typhlosion, favoring one of its legs heavily. Both pokemon glared at each other and glancing over at my opponent I felt the blood rush from my head. She was halfway through the ghost type pokemon Z stance and the standard black Z bracelet that she was wearing was glowing brightly.
"Typhlosion, run in a zig-zag! Quick!"
I mentally cursed myself for not having taught Typhlosion a defensive move as I watched him drop to all four legs and begin to run in a crazy pattern across the grass-covered battlefield. Decidueye's body began to glow and I watched in horror as he lunged into the air. As he flew after Typhlosion, who appeared to be faster than Decidueye, purple arrows began to appear all around him.
"Use Eruption, Typhlosion!" I yelled as Decidueye began to close the distance between them.
Just as Typhlosion stopped to release his explosion of fire up at Decidueye, the deluge of ghostly arrows slammed all around Typhlosion. A huge blast nearly knocked me off my feet as the two moves collided. Quickly turning back to the battlefield I craned my neck, trying to see through the dust cloud that had spread over the battlefield. As the air cleared I saw both Typhlosion and Decidueye standing a few feet away from each other. They were breathing laboriously but were both on their feet.
Swallowing quickly I stepped to the edge of my trainer's box. "Typhlosion!" I yelled.
He glanced over at me and gave me a tired smile. I could see the exhaustion and determination in his eyes and I knew that whatever happened, everything was going to need to go into this last attack.
I didn't mean to activate your Blaze Ability, Typhlosion. But please, don't give up! I thought before nodding firmly at him and looking at Decidueye, who seemed to be trying to flap and get his tired body back in the air.
"Blast Burn!"
A red glow encased Typhlosion's body and his entire back exploded into flames. Letting out a courageous roar a ring of fire appeared around Typhlosion's and Decidueye's bodies and I watched as Decidueye was trapped in a vortex of flames. I shielded my eyes from the intensity of the flames and after a few seconds the move burnt itself out. Typhlosion dropped to all fours, panting heavily, but I could see him smile triumphantly as his opponent dropped to the ground and did not move.
The referee announced Typhlosion as the winner. I ran onto the field and wrapped my arms around Typhlosion's neck. His legs gave out and he sank to the ground, leaning his head on my lap and letting out a tired but happy rumble.
"I'm so proud of you, Typhlosion! Thank you," I whispered to him and he smiled up at me.
A/N Alrighty, here are the first rounds of the pokemon league! I hope you are excited for more intense battles ^.^