Fandom Pokesync

[Fluff]

Snowpoint City

art by Mixeli

Date:

5th July, Bronze League

Location:

Snowpoint City

Inventory:

$3,000, 9 pokeballs, 1 premier ball

Avery was no psychic pokemon, but it didn't take one to sympathize with the waves of dejection rolling from the girl like a heaving tide. The Hoothoot hopped closer, peering up helplessly at the girl's downturned face, blinking away the tears welling in her eyes, as he debated whether to stretch out a comforting wing. He knew what it felt like, of expectations and regrets, of the should've's, could've's, would've's. Of the stumbling block that trips you up when you least expect it and are ill-prepared for the downfall. And of the grief and sorrow that brambles around you, pricking and tearing in equal measure as it sinks its thorns in ever deeper...

Or so he thought, until the girl bent down, teary eyes now replaced with quizzical ones as she gazed and spoke to him evenly. Those bitter memories, the sour pill that had been so hard to swallow - where was the roiling frustration from just a moment ago? The girl was back to a calculated, measured look over the concerned pokemon, and in time, a smile spread across her face. Just as fast as the stupor had begun; a veil of contrition and reproach settling like the snow around them; it had risen in equal manner, as though she had never been touched by the despondency in the first place. And if there were a lack of miracles, the girl took another step forward - both metaphorically as well as literally - as confidence slowly returned to her bearings and her stride.

It was... odd. Were humans not as wont to wallow in their misery for an indeterminate period of time? Wide-eyed, he followed, keeping his incredulous gaze trained on her as he hopped along on his one leg. No, he had it on good authority that they did, in fact, do that. So what was it with this girl? The defeat, nay, the failure wasn't even on Avery's part, and already he could feel the pricklings of shame, of regret, of anger, of wishing that he could find an excuse to blame the performance on, of an excuse that would work. But no, everything he could say to himself in this state felt simply like a cover-up of the problem, the failure at hand, and an avoidance of fault. It made one wonder, where these words within the internal dialogue came from - Mari had never spoken these words out loud, but the voice in his head... it was hers. It was Mari stealing glances at passing powerful pokemon, it was Mari watching unimpressed as he stumbled across the ground on his feeble wings, it was Mari laughing on an off-handed self deprecating comment he made as though in agreement. Mari, Mari, Mari. He wanted to do so too. He wanted to be like Nua and exhale all this pain mottled up within, exhale it like a great puff of white smoke in the cold air of Snowpoint. He wanted to put this foolishness past him, to break out of this roundabout, to put this fault out of his heart and out of his mind, but said heart and mind didn't seem to be listening to him. Maybe because the sky is blue and the sun is shining that tears stick out all the more. Maybe because the cycle, round and round, hurts, which makes one wonder why one needs it at all. But the sky is blue and the sun is shining, and Avery hurried up, keeping pace with his new friend.

In the pokemon centre, Mari was doing absolutely nothing of importance. Nursing Avery's pokeball in her hand, she could feel the gentle tug of the Sync bond - Avery was never a very demanding pokemon in terms of consuming fortitude, whether it was out of self-sustainance or an unwillingness to as, she never knew - and she could feel his small, round presence inch closer through the plains of Snowpoint city. The steady flow of energy kept him warm, and made the pizza before her look more and more appealing by the second. Despite the man's bloodless face sitting from across of her, she couldn't quite tear her eyes off of the plate kept before her, watching... and waiting...

"Dang, sound'n laik'ey'rrrreyle roof taime," Musing absently, her fingers trailed across the cheek that rested on her open palm, gaze trained on the steaming food. "Ye gunna'b'aybul't'faynaysh tha'- er, ay mayne, maenej awl'tha'traynin'en'nis here'n cold? Wot plans fer gonna'awn aheyd? Viy gotta dip'poutta this 'ere Snowpoint at'som pooint too, eh? Ah'm'inna bituva reyl scurry 'ere tay get some'n'ere badges un'nermey belt," She absently scratched at the side of her nose as her eyes remained fixed on the slice that made its way to Ron's mouth and watched as he chewed.

Code by Nano

 

[Patriot]

Nuatsiki Tenkiwara

Journey's Start

Date:

July 5th - Bronze League

Location:

Snowpoint City, Sinnoh

Inventory:

$5,000

Snowpoint's Pokémon Center was as recognizable as any other Nua had come across, but even if the building were completely featureless she had Astonishing Ron and Mystifying Maribelle's footsteps to follow. Whoever came behind her would likely have an even easier time navigating, given her red-hot temper was rising with every CRUNCH-CRUNCH-CRUNCH! of her boots and surely melting all the snow in a five-foot radius!

She BURST! through the Center doors, eyes scanning for the pair of con-artists whom she'd managed to get herself roped in with, until...there!

"You!" Nua stormed over to her new—bleh—teammates while they celebrated their most recent successful famoose, tucking her hands onto her hips when she arrived at their table and leaning forward to better lay into them. "The classic 'World's Most Powerful Magikarp' scam, huh? Congratulations! You got me!"

She rounded on Ron specifically, who looked even worse for wear than fainted Seido did. "State you're in, hmpf, serves you right! Luring in an innocent girl—" Nua brought her hands together in a show of mock purity. "—then waylaying her with...what, divine intervention?!"

In one fluid motion she slung her ruck from her back and dropped into the seat next to the punk, leaning in and continuing the yap session. "How'd you manage it, huh, and don't play dumb! Blue fire balls? Magikarp don't get moves like that! They get, like, two attacks! And you just have the only Magikarp on the face of the earth who can use...wait, don't tell me, <Dragon Rage>?!"

Nua groaned and leant back in the seat, crossing her arms only to suddenly lean back in. "What's your secret? No, wait, really don't tell me!" Her hands shot down to the table and she stood up, announcing, "I'll figure it out for myself! In the meantime just consider your strategies, because the same trick won't work on me twice!"

With that she bid the couple a wordless adieu and crossed the Center to the nurse's counter. Her experience there wasn't much better, though, because along with Seido's poké ball she had to fork over a hundred bucks! What was she, a fuckin' cash printer? Able to reach up into her portable money tree and pluck a few bills off the branches? She'd known that competing in the Bronze League would be expensive, but actually paying the healing fee for the first time was like a kick in the pants!

Five thousand starting funds, minus a thousand for paying out to the swindlers, minus a hundred per party heal...shit. She was already at $3900 without even visiting the Poké Mart! She'd have to sit down and start a budg—

GRRRR!

Nua's cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she locked eyes with one of the nurses across the counter, both of them understanding that the hellish sound that'd just insulted their ears was, in fact, not the death throes of some unfortunate soul in the back but the girl's hungry stomach.

The budget would have to wait. She hadn't eaten all day, and however brief the battle with Ultimate Magikarp: Plus Ultra had been it still drained more energy from her than if she'd kept walking and kept her mouth shut about the cold-resistant girl and her boyfriend. Food time it was, then, and back to the table with Maribelle and Ron she went.

Nua retook her seat as though she'd never went on her rant, and with an elbow rested on the table she pointed down at the positively delectable pizza. "We're teammates now, right? Care to share a slice?"

Code by Nano

 

[Hecotoro]

Bronze

League

Date:

July 5th >:c

Location:

Snowpoint woohoo

Inventory:

1,500$, x10 Poke Balls, x1 Premier Ball

Ron chewed his pizza with tranquility as his eyes examined the raging female in front of him. It wasn't his first rodeo, a woman yelling at him simply for existing was common in his life and Nua was actually not as good yet. Once she stormed off all he did was shrug and look at Mari. "Not gonna lie, that was kind of hot." He smirked and pushed the pizza towards her. "Stop eyeballing and just get some, we're a team now. Speaking of, to answer your question. You're going to help me train this Magikarp."

Ron took a big bite from his slice, reaching for his soft drink and taking a long sip from the straw. He looked at Mari as he chewed, finally speaking up after a few moments. "Going to need that Hypnosis of you if it goes out of control. I don't know if it's bipolar or just doesn't like getting surprised like that." Ron finished chewing and swallowed his food, leaning back on his booth with a loud, "Ah".

"Now, speaking of badges..." He leaned forward, taking a slice and picking it up to his mouth. "We should consider getting a third Pokemon before the first match. I mean, I have all the advantages, Furia is a fire type and you saw what Magikarp can do, but what's your plan? Ice isn't exactly a good match to fight with your current team." He took a big bite of his pizza, pondering his next words just as Nua returned and took a seat.

"Teammates?" Ron raised an eyebrow at her and then looked at Mari. "This girl got taken out with one move, should we let her in? I mean she still hasn't even paid up..." He smirked and leaned back, chewing his pizza as he spoke. "How about you use my prize money, get some more pizza and transfer the rest to me. Then we can talk about becoming a team. Anything you want to add Mari? Cupcakes? Coffee? Chewing Tabaco?"

Furia
Rage

Code by Nano

 

[Fluff]

Snowpoint City

art by Mixeli

Date:

5th July, Bronze League

Location:

Snowpoint City

Inventory:

$3,000, 9 pokeballs, 1 premier ball

"Mari..." Avery's faint murmur couldn't warn the trainer and her companion in time as the new acquaintance - the new addition to the travelling team, he wasn't quite sure how he felt about that yet - descended upon the two with the force of a thousand suns. With a temper like that, surely the girl was all but impervious to the ice and the snow? The wrath radiating off of her like a space heater - the PokeCentre had some of those installed, how nice - would certainly go a long way in keeping her and all her party members warm, but it scorched as easily as it balmed, and the Hoothoot found himself taking slow, steady backward hops towards his trainer. Mari was kind enough to respond to the unspoken words passed between them and bent to pick up the Owl, slipping on a jacket and letting him under it, feeling him press up against her stomach like a cat. The Hoothoot was still young, and it hadn't been many days since she had met him, but in those few days he had grown remarkably, and she knew that he wouldn't always fit under like this. The time we have together is not so long.

As the fiery new addition stomped off, Mari lifted one tired eyebrow at Ron.

"Sow tha's'da'kinda woomun yer'entoo, huh? Ain'gunna sa'yer guna'b'good frands'n'th peec no mo'. Tempah like tha', shey'ould startan- an argyumen'innen EMPti'ouse, shey'ould,"

Even as her mouth moved, her hand moved faster, working to snatch up a hot slice of pizza and shovelling it in halfway through her sentence. Avery rustled and jostled his way through to peek through the top of the zipped up hoodie, gazing upon the rapidly devoured slice intently until his trainer relented and let him have a few pecks at it.

"'notha'okemaw? Naw naw, ah'meen aye, mebbe these two ain't'a'bes'fit fer the gym... tenni'it's gunna be'a grey'test. Ye know ma pappy use't'say ye ken'ake'ey'sssssilk pers'outta sow's'ear neyweys, no sirree. Eef'ay getta chayse down'ha' Chaympionshi'masel', theyse'wo lil preetiy'peyches gotta learn't'gussy up, aye"

Mari leaned back in her own chair, gnawing on the pizza crust now that Avery lost interest. Even the bit of dry bread couldn't distract her enough to prevent a wide smirk from spreading across her face as the new girl reappeared, only to finally take a seat at the table.

"Tabacca? Naw ey'in't aboot'ha'laif. Naw'hat ey DO laike,"

She enunciated, leaning forward with both hands on the table, with her face tilting towards Nua,

"Arr tho's'moves yer lil snayk'go'. Ay vo't'o gedder'in ayh-sap, ay'gottasee wot'her lil one ken do."

Code by Nano

 

[Hecotoro]

Bronze

League

Date:

July 5th >:c

Location:

Snowpoint woohoo

Inventory:

1,500$, x10 Poke Balls, x1 Premier Ball

The rest of the day with the team was spent resting, except for Mari who was doing who knows what with her Pokemon. Ron had eaten enough to be able to move comfortably again but decided to spend the rest of the day in his room. He had let his Magikarp flop around, trying to see if he would go berserk again, but the red fish Pokemon just enjoyed bouncing on the bed, despite Furia's annoyance. Still, Ron felt comfortable with his two starting Pokemon, enough to fall asleep with their company.

Nua on the other hand had actually joined the team after some teasing and giberish from Mari. She then retreated to her own room, probably to rest after getting dunked on in her first battle and go over the online registration to join the team.

Next Day

Ron was ready to go early in the morning. Despite his hate for the cold weather, he was on the Pokemon Center battlefield already training. His coffee trembled in his hand, from the cold and from the draws of energy his Pokemon took with each move. The training was more focused on moving about, but every now and then he would ask for them to use a move to test it out. Once the sun was finally warming things up and their stomachs began to growl, Ron found himself with his Pokemon and team eating some breakfast.

It was odd with Nua there at first, but the three managed to settle in quickly. With that, the three headed to the battle field once more. They watched their Pokemon run around, Mari ready with the hypnosis just in case, luckily Rage didn't freak out. Instead the water Pokemon seemed to really enjoy the company of the others, splashing as high as he could around them. After a long training session, each went their way for the rest of the day to work on whatever they needed, like Ron resting more and watching some gym battles online.

Next, Next Day.

Ron woke up, a bit sore from the constant energy drain, but good enough to start his day. He made his way out of his room and into the Pokemon Center, where he went to what had become their local booth. He slid in with his hot coffee and a serving of eggs with bacon. He sat there, stretching his neck and shoulders while Furia warmed the place up with her presence next to him. His Magikarp was quietly stored away, who had enough bouncing around the day before. Ron sighed and began eating, trying to earn enough energy just to get through in the morning.

Furia
Rage

Code by Nano

 

[Fluff]

Snowpoint City

art by Mixeli

Date:

7th July, Bronze League

Location:

Snowpoint City

Inventory:

$3,000, 9 pokeballs, 1 premier ball

With the warm welcomes out of the way, and Nua successfully integrated into the group, Mari found herself quickly relying on the well-spoken young lady. Surrendering her 'foon' to her new teammate, the registration was done in a jiffy, all the while the country-dwelling female staring in awe at the deftness and efficiency of Nua's slender fingers. Further conversations made it clear that the girl was a scholar, not a brawler, and a very good scholar at that. And what the new addition lacked in physical strength, she made up for with a sharp wit and a fiery tongue, lashing out indiscriminately to scald any who overstepped. Avery had already grown fond of her decisive nature, and knowledgeable discussions, and Mari briefly closed the Sync link between them so that he may not feel the smouldering embers of a twisting pain inside. Why, when she had been blessed with a generous nature and a powerful fortitude, was she cursed with a jealous heart?

With Nua and Ron both out of commission for the day, Mari had taken to wandering off by herself, taking in the immediate sights of the frozen city before opting for a quick training session. The round red devices - pokeballs - had proven to be very handy, automatically limiting how much fortitude her pokemon could take from her; in all honesty, she had more to offer than the two young pokemon required. While they would likely catch up to, and even exceed her own reserves, they had today - a day where she could focus on keeping them warm with a gentle defensive matrix upon them, as well as instruct them with a clear head. The back of the Pokecentre was already littered with several trainers, though she couldn't spy many others like herself - visibly new, inexperienced trainers with untrained pokemon. It seemed that the snowy retreat wasn't the starting point of choice for many of her peers - without further thought, she joined in among the throng of trainers, letting Avery and Zorya out and watching them stretch their wings out.

Avery wasn't the strongest flier; with slow, awkward flaps, he cleared the ground in little hops, always returning to touch terra firma with his solitary foot soon after. His wings, while still scruffy, were vastly improved from the condition they were in when he had met Mari, and it was clear that with regular exercise and nutrition, he would quickly make a full recovery. Zorya, on the other hand, as a seasoned wild pokemon, was quickly handed the title of flight instructor, and Mari idly watched as the two communicated in chirps and hoots. The Zubat wasn't quite in her element in a wide, open plain, and every so often she'd cheep loudly, and the trainer would watch her ears swivel about as the bat echolocated her way around the larger pokemon sharing the field. But thankfully, without instruction, Avery seemed to have taken over watching her back, and every time it looked as though she were about to fly too close to another pokemon's training area, she was quickly corrected with a psychic warning, and was led back home by the sound of Avery's fluttering.

The night passed quickly, for Mari atleast. Accompanied by two nocturnal pokemon, she had to drift to an uneasy sleep while the two kept themselves entertained, creating a small racket around the room until she woke up to Avery falling softly on her and sent them to their pokeballs with a stern earful. Rising early had allowed the girl a headstart in warming up her little companions, and by the time Ron and Nua were awake, Mari had run a mile out of town and back with Avery and Zorya flying alongside. The young Zubat was still inexperienced, and quickly learnt to slow down when flying through the dense, snowy trees along the trail, matching pace with the slow but tenacious Avery. Still drawing energy from Mari, the two were able to bounce harmlessly off of any branch or tree trunk they collided into, while allowing the girl to maintain an easy run rhythm while keeping the two energized. Feeling better than ever as they returned to the Centre, they were faced with the thrilling new prospect of helping Ron train alongside his pokemon, specifically his terror of a Magikarp. Somewhat to Mari's dismay, however, Rage refused to cooperate according to his namesake and was his regular, cheerful self the entire day, requiring no intervention from either of her pokemon.

However, the day being spent training did give her an opportunity to speak to Nua and absorb as much information about Avery and Zorya as she could. By following the to-be-scientist-surely's instructions, she learnt that Avery, like many Hoothoots, had an ability called Keen Eye. Well, she certainly hoped so, with those great big eyes of his! He needed them to see in the dark, didn't he? And Zorya, also typical of many Zubats, had an ability called Inner Focus. Mari didn't have a clever quip for that one, so she resorted to quiet contemplation in watching Zorya, trying to understand where this focus and peace came from. The Zubat did seem focused - obedient and prompt, the little cave-dweller had never shied away from a training session or an order. An admirable trait, really; Mari hadn't known the swarms of Zubat she'd often seen in the caves around her home made for such ideal companions. And as though her thoughts were broadcasted live into Avery's mind, she caught a hurt look from him before he returned to his flight training.

The latter half of the day was spent in more physical training - it was as much of a learning experience for Mari to bark out orders as it was for her companions to take them. Thereof came the question of trust, to obey instantly without assessing the situation themselves first. Perhaps the process would have been simpler with a canid or a horse, a kind of pokemon that had been specifically bred to be alongside humans for centuries. Regardless, neither Avery nor Zorya were particularly difficult to handle, past the first few hesitations. Emboldened by the safe training environment, Avery was much more receptive to Mari, and supplemented by her fortitude, effortlessly fired off Hypnosis after Hypnosis as Zorya flapped her way around them, dodging the psychic blasts as best as she could. The little Zubat was swifter on the wing, despite being just as small as Avery, and lasted longer in their little game of tag - Avery was still uncoordinated and unwieldy and it didn't take too long for him to catch one too many stray Hypnosis' and be sent straight to sleep.

This night passed much better - even Mari was tired from the long day of exercises and training, and as though a secret, fourth entity had used Hypnosis on the group, all three of them were quick to fall into deep, dreamless sleep. The girl even tried letting them sleep outside of their pokeballs, despite the beginning signs of discomfort upon her body, and if anything, found it putting her to a deeper sleep than usual. Despite all this, she didn't have any difficulties outside of the usual in waking up, and met up with the team again downstairs, bright and early on July 7th. Having briefly shared their upcoming goals the previous day, Mari knew Nua was eyeing the upcoming contest in Lilypad Hall, with but a few days to spare. But their resident analyst had also come up with some interesting news - there was something else before that. A Tournament, for trainers across all leagues, to be hosted in Lilypad, very soon. Very very soon, in fact - it was tomorrow. Thankfully, Lilypad wasn't too far off, and if they set off early tomorrow, they'd make it in time for the tournament itself, so spurred by the excitement and the spontaneity, the three agreed to sign up for the event.

Nua herself had decided to go ahead to Lilypad a day early, to watch the contest preparations there, as "the Bronze League's brightest upcoming contestant" or something of the sort - she spoke in too many words, it made Mari's head hurt sometimes - which left the original terrible two. Mari looked across her breakfast to Ron, munching silently and slurping on steaming hot milk. Their supply of pokemon food had run out, the one that she had brought from home, and for all of yesterday as well as today's breakfast, she had to pay a fee to get her pokemon fed. The dry pebbles they had provided went under strict scrutiny from the ever vigilant trainer, and to Avery and Zorya's horror, she even popped a handful of the kibble into her mouth to verify the quality of the food. After a loud minute of crunching and hmm'ing and haa'ing, it was determined that while low quality, it seemed to be nutritious and nourishing - as long as it was backed by half an hour of brushing after food, to keep feathers and fur alike smooth and aerodynamic. Keeping time was spectacularly simple with Aves alongside her, and like clockwork, they were up and hitting the road running in an hour.

Ron seemed to match her enthusiasm for more all-out offensive, so following Nua's lead, they made a beeline to the Snowpoint City Gym to watch any ongoing battles. Through luck, fate, destiny, whatever be it, they were met with a burgeoning crowd in the gym, far bigger than they had expected.

Chee... where did all these buggers come from...? Even the training field from yesterday was emptier than this here building...

Clearly unbeknownst to the two, the crowd was palpably excited - and deservingly so. Spying Mari with her two flying types, the usher at the door perfunctorily guided them to the warmer seats in the building and returned to guiding the more seasoned trainers with a pleasant tone.

Sidling up in the vacant spots, Mari found herself exchanging excited glances with Ron.

"Gee whaiz, woo'dja look'it'dis crawud? All 'bout'as nervous's'a cat inna room fulla rockers, they are! Wha's'he occasion?"

Nonplussed by Ron's noncommital shrug, she turned to seize the poor unaware trainer on the other side. After repeating her question atleast five times slower than a no-legged man in a butt-kicking competition, he finally seemed to grasp her confusion - or didn't, maybe he was hazarding a lucky guess - and explained equally slowly. "The crowd is here to watch Candice fight! You seem like a new Bronze League trainer, so you probably don't know this yet, but usually when you fight in a gym, you don't actually fight the leader themselves. They're far too important and far too busy to come fight trainers like you personally," Feeling her mouth twitch, she ignored the pointed comment, allowing the man to go on in a clipped, taut tone, "But if you're so confident that you deserve to fight the gym leader themselves, you can undertake the encrusted badge challenge. You gotta pay a fee to register, and if you win, you get a special encrusted version of the badge. Winning it is no easy task though, Candice is a High Master Rank trainer, leagues above those of your kind. Oh! Look! Here she is right now!"

Amidst thundering applause, Candice strode out with a dazzling smile, waving to the trainers and the news reporters alike. Watching the Rotom cameras buzz around the arena, Mari relished the buzz in the air, slowly realizing the scope and weight of the situation. Seemed like encrusted challenges like these were few and far in between, and several trainers had banded together on this specific day to make it worth Candice's while. The centre of the gym floor split apart to allow a platform to rise from beneath the surface, and with a flourish, the referee signalled the first challenger to step ahead and submit his pokemon for the challenge. It seemed like this particular challenger was opting for a two-versus-two, as he set down two black and golden pokeballs in the podium, showcasing his pokemon of choice to the entire audience. A little flower wreath and an odd sea creature, two members that he seemed particularly proud of if the smirk across his face were to indicate anything. But his confidence was matched by Candice's, whose fingers lilted over her pokeballs in order until she plucked two from her belt and placed those on the podium. The display terminal went green - "To show that they're of equal strength, otherwise Madam Candice would have picked stronger or weaker pokemon accordingly to match the challenger" - and the show was on. Mari could only catch a glimpse of the selection of the Gym Leader - she briefly saw a quadruped, but that was the extent of her perception. The thrum in the air rose to a crescendo as the two trainers took their spots - and the show was on!

Ping!

Mari glanced down at the bag clutched in her hand, as did Avery, who was nestled comfortably in her arms. Digging into it, she found the offending source of the sound - her Rotom Phone. There was a glowing bar across the front of her screen, and the girl squinted at it, trying to get rid of it somehow.

"Whuh, whatsitsay?"

Aves took a second look at it. "You have a message. From Nuatsiki. You need to tap on it to open it." It was no small comfort to her that Avery could read better than she could, and she stamped her thumb on the bar. Beside her, she caught Ron tilting his Rotom phone camera to the battlefield, and heard his Pokedex app come to life, rattling off information about the combatants before them. From the corner of her eye, she caught the names of the challenger's pokemon, before snapping her attention to the field as Candice released her own two pokemon. One was indeed a quadruped, a graceful white fox with flowing tails and a frosty air while the other was... a mirage, for a lack of a better word. The moment the ethereal fox creature stepped onto the field, it was swept by a vicious snowstorm, separated from the viewers by a thick Barrier shield that she just noticed. Craning her neck, she spied four Mr. Mimes on the playing field, maintaining the powerful shields and keeping the audience safe.

Struggling to catch more than a good glimpse of the second pokemon on Candice's team, she returned her attention to the device in her hand.

"Whatsitsay, Aves?"

She asked, struggling to be heard over the uproarious cheering all around her, even as her eyes drifted to the image accompanying the text message. Looked like Nua had sent her a 'pickchure' of... something. "She's showing you the contest hall in Lilypad," Avery pointed out with his talon, speaking to her telepathically, "and asking you about your plans for the day. The last sentence is "are you guys training today?", so you should probably tell her 'no'." Mari discreetly wiped away the sweat beading on her forehead despite the comfortable temperature and steadied the shake in her hands as she gripped the phone with both hands.

"Er, right, yes, I will. Where... how do I..."

Another gigantic roar from the crowd, looks like first contact had been made, although who struck who was not clear to her. "Here, the keyboard is over here. You type in the letters one by one, like spelling," Avery reached out and tapped the Rotom phone with his clawed foot, but in her eagerness to follow, Mari tapped the same button after him, causing the keyboard to collapse back into oblivion.

Like a wraith, the Froslass moved through the raging snowstorm, watching as the Grapploct struggled through the battering winds, tentacles curled tight around the tenuous spring shoots bursting from the floor, supplied by the Comfey. It felt a familiar shimmer settle upon its body as its partner, Alolan Ninetales, created an Aurora Veil unprompted. Despite the match being against a Master rank trainer, the two of them definitely held an advantage over the challenger in making autonomous decisions and controlling the terrain of the battlefield. The Grassy Terrain set up by the healer pokemon was not an immediate problem to be addressed -

"Aye, Aves, the t'ing wennaway, wai'-"

"Mari, hold on, I'm bringing it- okay yeah great, it's here, stop touching it now, just spell 'no', look, there's N," and the Jujitsu pokemon seemed to know that time was against it. It lunged forward with surprising speed, wrapping its tentacles around the Ninetales in an Octolock, and the Froslass' sneaking suspicion that she had let the attack land on purpose turned out to be true, as with a wail, the fighting type pokemon was battered back with a fierce Dazzling Gleam. Under ordinary circumstances, the duo would have posed a great threat, a fighting type backed by a powerful triage, but too bad for the trainer, Candice was always prepared for challengers like him. Preparing an encapsulated orb of shadows and strength between her dainty arms, she timed it perfectly to interrupt the Comfey attempting to heal her partner with a Floral Healing.

"N... okay aye, N, an'n'hen after'it coomes Ooo right? I's-"

Mari physically pressed the key next to the N, resulting in a word that was decidedly not "No". "No, wait, that's not right, you've typed N twice-- and the O is-"

"Oh yeah yeah yeah gottit, yeah, 'ere, pressit, O, hey theys tec-sting stuff is easy,"

With a triumphant flourish, she thumbed the Send button, watching her carefully formulated message leave her device and fly straight to Nua... atleast that's how it worked, she was pretty sure. How else would it be? Almost immediately, she received a response back. What a prompt way of communication!

Chatter​

Chat between Maribelle and Nuatsiki

Nuatsiki_straight_ten

Yo, what's up? I just reached Lilypad Hall, this place is stunning. Take a look! How's it going on your end? Not getting up to more trouble, I hope? I don't care about you guys but I am NOT having my trainer record getting tarnished by one of you guys going to jail! Anyways, what's the plan for today? Are you guys gonna be training?

Nuatsiki_straight_ten

Maribelle​

N n m o

Nuatsiki_straight_ten

Huh? What the? Are you butt texting me? Arceus, fine, we'll talk when we meet up then. Train hard, don't let me down!

Maribelle​

O K

Nuatsiki has gone offline

Type a message...

|

| |

SEND

.

Code by Pretzel Heart, refined by tsurene
Picture credits by Bulbapedia​

Satisfied with her final answer, an "okay" that she had put her whole heart and soul into, Mari flashed a grin at Avery and tucked her Rotom phone back in, playfully nudging Ron hard in the ribs. Finally being able to focus on the fight, she watched, now with bated breath, as the Comfey desperately set up a Sunny Day, only to be effortlessly swamped into another fierce hailstorm, getting pelted by both ice as well as the ghost type that lurked within the Blizzard. The two ice type partners were cunning, easily outmanuevering the blinded Grapploct in the snow and dodging the occasional Brutal Swing while wearing down the Comfey bit by bit, allowing some heals to succeed, and interrupting others, until the little floral medic was on its last legs. Just as the snowstorm died down, Froslass nailed it with a swift Ice Beam, rendering it out for the count. Both challenging Pokemon had been crucified early in the fight by the powerful Imprison, rendering them unable to access several of their moves, and the unlucky Grapploct, who had been toughing out the Will-O-Wisp it had been struck by, was quickly taken down by two counts of Hex. And with the clever use of Pain Split and Draining Kiss, neither of the two icy queens looked any worse for the wear, smugly watching the referee claim their overwhelming victory with a wave of his flag. The stadium erupted in a medly of cheers and hoots, ridiculing and cheering on the losing trainer in equal parts as Candice took a victor's lap, waving and cheering with the crowd.

+$500, spoils of victory, July 5th, from Nuatsiki Tenkiwara
-$450, food and lodging for self and two pokemon, July 6th, breakfast, lunch, dinner
-$150, food for self and two pokemon, July 7th, breakfast​

Code by Nano

 

[Patriot]

NUATSIKI TENKIWARA

JOURNEY'S START

Date:

July 7th - Bronze League

Location:

Lilypad Town, Sinnoh

Inventory:

$3,300

Busy, busy, BUSY!

After only two days spent in the frozen hellscape that frost spirits disguised as people called "home" and the rest of the world called "Sinnoh", Nua felt as run-ragged as her father! Tight deadlines with even tighter margines were supposed to be his field of expertise, but despite an absolute refusal to follow in his footsteps in some laboratory she'd still somehow managed to find herself in the same position he lamented constantly.

Had she done it to herself by showing up five days after the league started? Maybe. Did it put enough pressure to turn coal to diamonds on her every move since arriving? One could say that, sure.

She was positively thriving under it, though, and thanks to her ingenious planning and people skills (and a lot little luck) she had the two biggest components missing from her Bronze League Super-Stardom Debut plan; a team and a plan.

Both were...solid enough. After spending a couple of days with what she'd intially thought were the most conniving scammers this side of Mt. Coronet, Maribelle the Mystifying and Ron the Astonishing had proven themselves to be...something she could work with.

Nua had no idea what remote corner of bum-fuck-nowhere the former had crawled out of, but if nothing else Mari brought an earnestness with her that was hard to keep up with—eager to train and eager to learn. The bumpkin's instincts for battle were sharp, and even though her factual knowledge was...how to say...lacking...it gave Nua a good base to build on for some basic lessons.

And for as naiive in theory and competent in practice as Mari was, Ron was adept at both.

Ugh. Annoying, annoying, ANNOYING!

Part of Nua hoped his win when they first met was the result of some legendary pokémon blessing him with the world's sole dragon-fire-flinging fish, but no. Ron's battling was just as effective when he wasn't executing world-class deception, his training methods were simple but efficient, and to top it off he was loud-mouthed, and arrogant, and...and...

UGH!

At least she'd snatched a reprieve for herself. Nua's compatriots were back in Snowpoint, but she had work to do! The contest hall was scouted out, but she still preparations to finalize, a tournament to get ready for, and about a million other things to take care of all in the next couple of days.

Whatever. It was exactly how she liked it, anyway. So much to do, all so she and Seido could perform—she was getting pumped up, up, UP!

Code by Nano

 

[Hecotoro]

Bronze

League

Date:

July 5th >:c

Location:

Snowpoint woohoo

Inventory:

1,400$, x10 Poke Balls, x1 Premier Ball

July 7th, Snowpoint City Gym.

As the match went on, Ron sat down like some wise man who thought he knew what was going on. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the battle while Mari jumped and wiggled about, hitting his ribs and smirking like a kid on Christmas eve. Even if he tried to focus though, some of the moves or strategies were a bit confusing to the young trainer. In a way, it made him, or Furia, a bit frustrated to be so far behind and not yet at the level the trainers were competing. Even the trainer that was getting dunked on by Candice, would destroy Ron and his team in a blink of an eye.

With a loud sigh, Ron watched the battle finally come to an end. He stood, "Let's get out of here.", he said to Mary as he walked away with his head held high. Once outside, he looked down at the fire mouse Pokemon walking next to him. "You feeling as fired up as I am?" He smirked, looking over at a small park with a battlefield on it. "Come on, before someone else gets to it. Mari, we're gonna need that Hypnosis on standby."

With a fire ignited in his soul, Ron and his team burst into training. Furia working on her movements, trying to improve on her diving and dodging while Rage, he just splashed around and smashed his tail around. Once again, no incidents regarding the Magikarp. It was good news, but it still made Ron worried that whatever happened against Nua, could happen once more. Still, after a few hours, Ron and team were once again beat.

The punk rock sat down, on the nearest bench, sighed and looked at Mari. "So, how are the teams looking? Any word from Nua?"




Furia
Rage

Code by Nano

 

[Patriot]

NUATSIKI TENKIWARA

JOURNEY'S START

Date:

July 7th - Bronze League

Location:

Lilypad Town, Sinnoh

Inventory:

$3,300

The air in Lilypad Town was as thick with energy as its streets were clogged with crowds, and in the midst of it all Nua felt like a Combee hive in the middle of spring; buzz-buzz-BUZZING! with excitement! Two events back-to-back was an alluring prospect, and it seemed like just about every Bronze League participant from there to Lake Verity had convened for a shot at the cash, equipment, and glory that only a select few would be able to seize.

"I want to see the Contest Hall!" "Do you think everyone's here for the tournament?" "I'm hungry!" "Did you know that Vaporeon..."
"I hope my routine is good enough to make top three." "Where's a good spot for lunch?" "Some of these guys look strong."

Their shouts melded together to form a disjointed cacophony that in all honesty made Nua feel a little bad once she'd heard it. All of these trainers flocking for their chance to win big, and every one of them was delusional! They might as well leave now and save themselves the trouble; the top spot was her's for the taking!

Oh, sorry. Our's for the taking!

Her brief lapse in inclusivity had earned Nua a tighter squeeze around her chest, and she felt Seido slithering further up beneath her coat until the wyrm wrapped around her throat and popped his head through her furry collar. Some heads turned when they saw the Dreepy, and of those some whispered about Arceus-only-knew what, but as they passed by both trainer and pokémon had a single thought on their minds.

We we could would beat soar them above them.

They'd have their chance, too, as long as Maribelle and Ron ever showed up. Staying behind to, what, train? They could train in Lilypad! The star-crossed lovers, bless their hearts, were missing out on...WOAH!

The pair had finally reached a towering marble ring, etched with grand archways that funneled in dozens of trainers and prospective-spectators alike; Lilypad Coliseum. The contest hall had lived up to the hype, all LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION!, but the Coliseum would be the stage for their true debut.

Sixty four fresh-faced trainers, all under the pressure to win and perform. Too bad for them. Only one trio would emerge from the pressure of the tag-team tournament as diamonds—the rest of these lumps of coal might as well go home!

They stubbornly refused to recognize their outclassed-status, though, since TONS of trainers were down on the sprawling battlefield practicing their moves, strategy, and coordination. Did they never hear of keeping their cards close to their chest?

Nua figured she might as well take the opportunity to scope out their competition. She took a seat in the stands, and while her and Seido watched the chaos on the field she snapped a few photos to send to Maribelle.

They'd better be ready!

Code by Nano

 

[Fluff]

Lilypad City

art by Mixeli

Date:

8th July, Bronze League

Location:

Lilypad City

Inventory:

$2,600, 9 pokeballs, 1 premier ball

The day of spectating the encrusted challenge at Snowpoint had passed by all too quickly, leaving Mari in deep thought over the nature of pokemon battling. She had certainly picked up as much from her discussions with Ron and Nuatsiki, although any conversation with the latter made her head hurt more than swell with knowledge, really, but things over here certainly did seem to be very far from her reality. Pokemon battling was seen as a sport, not a form of self defence or fight for survival, and pokemon were trained accordingly - to be glamorous, to be showy, to strike with less power and be shown mercy. It was a low stakes, low reward sort of scenario Mari found herself in - defeat was forgiven and the losers were pardoned from death, and the final victors were granted fame, and sometimes fortune. The mountaineer girl had found herself twisting her face in contortions as she tried to wrap her head around this new system. She supposed money was pretty valuable - not as valuable as your life, but it'd do.

She'd asked Avery and Zorya their thoughts on it. Zorya couldn't 'speak' the same way Avery could with his psychic powers, but until the two grew better acquainted, Aves was happy to be the middleman with the translations. Zorya was unaffected by it - being a young wild pokemon born after The Darkest Day, this was what she'd always been used to. Zubat were rarely captured, and those that were often found themselves released and returned to either their homes or doomed to roam lost in a world too bright and busy for their delicate senses. The little bat couldn't 'speak', but even as she squeaked and chirped, Mari could feel the warmth radiate off of her, a dim glow that flickered like a light too afraid to burn. The feeling, too subtle for the loud and proud girl to discern, but not too quiet to not be felt all the same. Avery cast an uneasy glance at his companion before turning to Mari.

He was on the same wavelength, except from him wafted dense waves of sorrow and concern. Mari nodded in quiet agreement, drawing the frightened young owl closer to herself - while undoubtedly a safer existence by a trainer's side, no pokemon was ever truly and completely prepared for what entailed in a battler's life. It was odd, a girl on a mission, a Zubat who had hoped to be captured and a Hoothoot snatched too early from his haven, a ragtag bunch of travellers on the same journey.

The next day began far too soon for a trio who stayed up late conversing - silently cursing the two nocturnal pokemon and feeling them wiggle in glee in their pokeballs, Mari stomped her way to the bus station, dressed warmly for the bus ride ahead. Ron, despite his many failings, was a reliable partner when it came to showing up on time, and spurred to action by the pictures Nua had shared the previous day, the journey to Lilypad went off without a hitch. The sun peaked over the snowy horizon as the bus rumbled over the plains and rolled into the stop, hissing in the misty morning as it let its passengers off. Mari let Ron disembark first, fiddling with her device as Avery peered over her shoulder, trying to let Nua know they were here and ready to rumble-- rumble? The only thing rumbling were their stomachs as the girl weakly clutched her stomach, dramatically leaning with her entire weight on Ron and cast a miserable, sopping wet look at him that could only mean one thing in Mari-speak. Food?

-$300, food and lodging for herself and two pokemon, July 7th, lunch and dinner​

Code by Nano

 

[Hecotoro]

Bronze

League

Date:

July 8th >:c

Location:

Lilypad Town

Inventory:

1,100$, x10 Poke Balls, x1 Premier Ball

"Let's get this over with." Ron squinted his eyes as he looked at the snow covered town known as Lilypad. While he was one for competition and the thrill of battling, he couldn't ignore the fact that they were running low on money. Rage had been a nice investment, but it cost him a few days of food. A small feeling of regret swelled in his stomach, probably coming from said Magikarp, but the punk smirked and shook his head. "Don't worry, we're winning this thing."

As he lifted the spirits of himself and his bipolar fish, Mary leaned on him. His eyes met those eyes similar to a Growlithe asking to be fed. "The faster you find Nua, the faster we can eat, come on." We a slight push to get Mary to stand on her own, he took a big stirde forward and started walking amongst the crowd.

The busy town had a mixture of annoyance and excitement in his chest as Furia detested being around so many people but Rage was eager to spring into the event. Ron would take a sip from his coffee and sigh loudly, trying to focus on the goal and not get distracted. While battling was his passion, he couldn't help but notice there were a lot of girls around his age. His eyes would dart to the side, trying not to look to obvious when taking a sneak peak at the ones passing by. He felt alomst invisible to them, which was something odd. His style and personality had always been, loud. So, getting all kinds of attention was somthing common. But here? He was just one more of the bunch. It didn't matter what you looked like or your tastes in music, what matter was your results in the following months.

"Soon." He smiled as he cheered himself on while taking another drink from his cup.

Finally, thanks to Mari's almost perfect instructions on how to get lost, they arrived to the meet up spot. Ron tossed his empty cup into a nearby trash can, taking a peak inside just in case someone had thrown out a Great Ball or something. His eyes scanned the area, with the first intention to locate Nua, but fell on the sight of a goth girl. As their eyes met, Ron grinned and nodded towards her, only to feel a strong tug in his mind from Furia to focus. "Aw come on, you can't expect a hungry man not to look at the menu." He shook his head and looked around. "Look at all the potential, man. Check that one out, she looks bitchy but I do like em a little feisty, right Mari? Oh wait..." he groaned and dropped his head. "That's Nua, found her."

Ron sighed and looked towards the goth girl once more, but she was distracted talking to other trainers. Next time. Ron led Mari to the bleachers, standing at the end of them and copping his hands over his mouth. "Yo! We have to get ready, let's go!" He called out to Nua, crossing his arms over his chest as he waited for the uptight girl to get her shit together.




Furia
Rage

Code by Nano

 

[Patriot]

NUATSIKI TENKIWARA

JOURNEY'S START

Date:

July 8th - Bronze League

Location:

Lilypad Town, Sinnoh

Inventory:

$3,000

The tournament's final preparations were underway, and Nua wouldn't miss them even if Siebold himself had a free five-course meal prepared just for her down the street! She reclined high up in the Coliseum's stands, Seido coiled around her crossed arms, and her black-boot-clad feet were kicked up in front of her.

Her fingers tap-tap-tapping on her arm and the quickening BADUM-BADUM-BADUM! of her heart betrayed the otherwise relaxed demeanor she portrayed to the nobodies and soon-to-be-losers milling about. Nua was getting excited, and why shouldn't she?! In only a few hours, they'd have their first test of the Bronze League! The only missing pieces were...

Nua and Seido looked around in tandem, swapping angles to get a full view of the steady flow of people in-and-out. Yep, it was true. Maribelle and Ron were LATE!

"Whe-e-re, ♪ oh ♪ whe-e-ere ♪ are ♪ my ♪ teammates?" Nua broke into murmured song and held Seido up, swooshing the coiled wyrm back-and-forth in time with her tune.

"Whe-e-re, ♪ oh ♪ whe-e-re ♪ are ♪ our ♪ team—"

Suddenly and in the most ANNOYING! way possible, Ron made his presence known at the bottom of the stands. If she could've done it all over again, she would've chosen someone who didn't do their best to get on her every nerve!

Seido repositioned himself to coil around his partner's shoulder and neck while the girl stomped down to Maribelle and —yuck— Ron, and as though he was designed by Arcues-itself just to annoy her she had to look up at at the punk to chew him out. "You've got some fuckin' balls yelling up at me like you've been waiting!"

Code by Nano

 

[Fluff]

Lilypad City

art by Mixeli

Date:

8th July, Bronze League

Location:

Lilypad City

Inventory:

$2,450, 9 pokeballs, 1 premier ball

Mari was having absolutely none of it. Stomach growling, head spinning, mouth watering, body hungering - there was only one thing on the girl's mind right now, and it certainly wasn't listening to these two bicker. She enjoyed a good scrap herself, but there was a time and place for everything, and right now there was only time and space for eating - in her belly! Subjecting Nua to the same miserable, sopping wet, pathetic face, she grabbed the two teammates - teammates, what a lovely word - by their arms and dragged them wherever her nose would lead them.

"Aye, an'awl'm sayin's'f yall'r hankerin'ferra faightso ba-ad, yalls'shood get'it. Jes'supannatem, yer druthers'smai ruthers afta'll, ain'no good'n'keepin'tisheere team goin'sow piddlin at'en'rate, nosirree."

She wolfed down another mouthful of food, in a remarkably more talkative mood now that she had fuel in her.

"Ain'no... no sense'n'havin'yer nous'sso'ighup, ye'kood'rown inna rainstorm, alli'm'sayin, yknow? But oy,"

She raised a fork threateningly, pointing it at both of them in turn,

"'f'ye do be thinkin't'throw down, an'one'o'yalls'is THROWING, ai'll come'n'cream yer coorn mahself. Ye 'eard'm'raight, ai'll knok'y'e'bo'h'nne mid-dl'o'necs'week lookin' boff'ways o' Sunday, y'heardtit, y'heartit raight, raight'ere, raigh'now, toDAY,"

Seemingly satisfied with all the barking, the girl finished her last bite and leaned back comfortably, letting out a contented sigh. After a long moment of silence, she turned to Nua, grinning cheerily at her.

"Soo, whass'aboo'dis 'ere partay we'r'at? Wa's'th' giz 'ere?"

Avery continued peacefully eating, shooting Nua sympathetic glances, and Zorya was face first in the food with reckless abandon.

-$150, breakfast for herself and two pokemon, July 8th​

Code by Nano

 

[Patriot]

NUATSIKI TENKIWARA

JOURNEY'S START

Date:

July 8th - Bronze League

Location:

Lilypad Town, Sinnoh

Inventory:

$3,000

Leave it to Maribelle the Mystifying to live up to her name every time she opened her mouth. As usual Nua caught maybe every third word in the girl's ranting, but the gist of "knock off your shit or I'll beat both your asses" was...easy enough to follow.

Did she deserve a talking to? FUCK no! Ron started it, and she shot him an annoyed look to make sure he knew it, but Nua wasn't eager to end up on the receiving end of Mari's wrath. The bumpkin looked like she could twist her into a pretzel and wrap Seido in a bow without so much as breaking a sweat, so Nua decided to be the —ugh— bigger person and took a deep breath.

The girl pushed her plate aside and with a quick flourish of her fingers produced a pen and grabbed a napkin. "First off," she began, sketching a quick diagram matching her words for Mari's benefit. At least she hoped Ron wouldn't need it, too. "There are 64 teams competing in the tournament. Each round eliminates half of those teams—" The bracket format took shape, and Nua drew an arrow leading to the final matchup. "—meaning we have to beat four teams to win."

"Everyone following me? Good," Nua flipped the napkin over and started another drawing. "Each one of those battles is two versus two, with two of us battling at the same time and the third sitting out. We can only use one pokémon each per round, which really only applies to you two, but you don't have to use the same one the entire time and the tournament organizers are providing healing services between rounds."

Nua pressed a finger to her lower lip, trying to remember if she'd forgotten anything. "Oh! And of course I have a few ideas for our strategy, but..." The girl trailed off and her eyes flickered back-and-forth, scanning the diner Mari's nose had led them to. They weren't the only trainers there, let alone the only customers, and discussions on how to beat the brakes off of opponents were best held out of their earshot.

"We can talk about that later."

Code by Nano

 

[Hecotoro]

Bronze

League

Date:

July 8th >:c

Location:

Lilypad Town

Inventory:

1,100$, x10 Poke Balls, x1 Premier Ball

Ron sat there, his brown eyes glaring at the two females barking at him and then giving him orders. It was like being back home again, two woman demanding things and giving out complaints. He escaped one hell and end up in another one. He could only feel amused a bit by Nua's explaination of the tournament. He understood Mari needing one, but him?! Did she forget just who the better trainer was?

"I know how a tournament works." He took a long drink from his lemonade and looked at Mari. "Let's keep it simple. You and me sweep every single opponent we get, if we need a break, Nua steps in. But with Furia and Rage leading the charge, we shouldn't even break a sweat in the first rounds." A confident smirk on his face as his eyes switched to the coordinator. "Just make sure we have fresh water ready in between rounds."

Ron leaned back, looking at his empty plate with pride before letting out a loud yawn. "Besides, we've been training with Rage a bit and you two know what he can do. No need to plan, just follow our lead." He nodded towards his Pokemon.

The fire mouse, Furia, was already done eating, curled up and resting. Although to anyone else she looked peacefull, Ron could feel her excitement and need to get into a fight. On the other hand, the Magikarp was splashing about, just happy to be with his team. Some trainers were pointing at him and laughing, probably since his species is considered one of the weakest in the world. If only they knew he was basically their secret weapon.

"Y'all done stuffing yourself? We should walk around a bit and maybe do some warm ups first."




Furia
Rage

Code by Nano

 

[Fluff]

Lilypad City

art by Mixeli

Date:

8th July, Bronze League

Location:

Lilypad City

Inventory:

$2,450, 9 pokeballs, 1 premier ball

Unfortunately the hot blooded trainers' plans to squeeze in some warm-ups was a pipe dream; as Mari stared and nodded at Nua's descriptive drawing in what she hoped was a convincing display of understanding where there was none, the announcement system crackled to life. A hush fell over the milling crowd as the speaker cleared their throat before beginning.

"Attention, all trainers. Attention, all trainers. We will begin, the, Lilypad Rotation Tag Team tournament shortly. I repeat, we will begin, the, Lilypad Rotation Tag Team tournament shortly. Bronze League trainers will begin their matches at 9 AM, and will conclude their tournament at half past 11. Silver League trainers will begin their matches at 12 PM, and will conclude their tournaments at 3 PM. Gold League trainers will begin their matches at 3 PM, and will concluded their tournaments at 8 PM. I repeat, Bronze League trainers will begin their..."

Mari tilted her head, craning herself to note the wall clock hanging over the familiar healing station every PokeCentre was equipped with. There was time, not much, just enough to wrap up their meal and head to the digital display on the far right of the room, where a rowdy crowd had already formed as every aspiring Bronze League champion-to-be fought to view their matched teams. Evidently it wasn't necessary, as in the brief period of silence that followed the announcements' end, a sea of ping!s arose from the room, as every registered trainers Rotom or Porygon Phone buzzed to life.

"Team 71,025, Everleigh, Towers, Tenkiwara. Matched against, Team 74,886, Thurio, Song, Farello."

As the crowd dissipated, bunching up in their teams to discuss the new allotments in excited, hushed whispers, the speakers buzzed again, attracting instant attention.

"All Bronze League trainers have been assigned opponents. In case of technical difficulties, please approach Terminal 1, West Wing. Each match is scheduled to last 10 minutes; if the verdict is not declared by the end of the scheduled time, trainers will be granted an extra 2 minutes of overtime, following the competitive rules of Sudden Death. If the verdict is still not declard at the end of the extension, the decision falls upon the judges. All teams are granted 30 minutes of downtime between matches to strategize, rest and heal their pokemon. It is the winners' sole responsibility to approach Nurse Joy to seek healing; no escort will be granted to remind you. If you fail to heal your participating pokemon, no concessions will be made. Healing is only subsidized and granted to the winners who will be progressing forward in the competition - those who have been eliminated from the tournament may seek medical facilities at their own expense."

Ignoring the dissatisfied murmurs rippling across the crowd, Mari invited Avery to hop onto her lap, both of them observing the large words plastered on the Rotom phone screen. Team 74,886. The team that was ranked... that. That number. It was far too large for Mari to conceptualize, but she could tell that it was a team that was actually ranked below them. The two moved in sync as the system continued onwards with the announcement.


"Please note that trainers will be responsible for all damages caused to the venue, if any. Conflicts outside of the tournament matchings are strictly forbidden, however, the Lilypad Contest Hall is not responsible for what occurs outside of the Hall grounds. All trainers are advised to fight with caution and to manage their fortitude well, as you risk putting your team at a disadvantage due to overexertion. Please note that the following areas are out of bounds for Bronze League trainers: the East Wing, the Northern Stadium, the Southern..."

The voice continued rattling off warnings and guidelines, but the murmur amidst the young bronze trainers arose again, and with it, Mari's spirits. Taking a giant swig of water, she grinned at her teammates before bounding off to join the rest of the trainers lining up to enter their respective matchgrounds.

-x-

This was it. Their very first official battle. Heart hammering, eyes darting, pokeball clutched in a hand that trembled ever so slightly. Mari licked her lips nervously, pursing them after as her foot tapped a rapid staccato on the floor. A plethora of thoughts flooded her head, all fighting to be heard,

Not confident... look at Nua... at Ron...

as her hands shakily passed over her clothes for the hundredth time, smoothing them over, making sure she was presentable,

what if... I don't fit in... what then...

and tapped into her sync bond within the pokeball, checking in on its inhabitant, feeling their thoughts drip into her own mind, what if... I'm not strong enough...?

But the doors opened, and the horn blared, and the flags waved, and it was show time. Adrenaline surged like fire in her veins, feeling her heart throb in her ears; no time to think, this was the time to act. First official battle be damned, she was going to WIN. Walking out alongside Ron, the crowd that greeted them was... rather pitiful. Only a few citizens of Snowpoint and Lilypad sat watching, clapping and cheering demurely. Some of them appeared to be the parents of participants, others, too young to be trainers, but certainly aspiring to be one if the hopeful glint in their eyes was anything to go off of. It stood to reason, with so many different stadiums hosting fights simultaneously, the crowd was worn thin - not that there was much of a crowd gathering to watch Bronze League trainers fight in the first place. Now Silver or Gold... the girl could feel her thoughts drift to the jam-packed Gym she had squeezed into to watch Candice battle, and her heart twinged slightly. The fire in her veins cooled, and she stepped forward to exchange the customary handshake with her opponents.

They were facing off against two boys, both appeared to be older than her, but perhaps not by much. One of them sported a large, cocky grin, so like Ron, and the other seemed more subdued, but nevertheless coasting off of his teammates' confidence, there was an air of quiet assurity over them. Mari felt her hackles rise, lip rising in an instinctual snarl - men, always with the shit-eating grin before a tussle. She'd wipe that smirk right off their face, as soon as they're done eating her dust--! She made sure to deliver them both an extra-firm handshake, flashing them a warning glare before retreating to their side of the battlefield. At long last, it was time to reveal their cards.

With a flash of red, Furia popped up, blazing brighter than ever, clearly pumped up by the occasion. Her appearance was met with a modest amount of applause, and a few kids cheered upon seeing the popular fire mouse. Next went the arrogant looking fellow; Mari narrowed her eyes, studying his demeanor. Was he truly in possession of a hidden weapon like Ron with Rage? They'd have to be clever about dealing with him if so. He rubbed his nose before flourishing his pokeball, letting out his pokemon in a fearsome buzz of wings.

A collective gasp went around the arena, and Mari felt herself clutch her pokeball a little harder. A Beedrill. Everybody knew what they were - aggressive, territorial, notoriously hard to control and to train. And the way its stingers glistened and its head tilted this way and that, busily buzzing about, there was no doubt - this was a young Beedrill too, unburdened by age, ripe with rage. That rhymed. The boy wiped the sweat off his brow, smile untouched, revelling in the shock and the attention, raising his arms in the air to herald a choir of hoots and cheers for the powerful challenger. His quieter companion waved, and released his own pokemon, one Mari didn't recognize, but Ron would know it to be a Charcadet. It was a tough matchup, and for the first round too.

The girl bit her lip, uncertainty prickling under her skin again, finally opening the chosen pokeball in her hand, letting Zorya flap out with a little screech. An uncomfortable silence settled on the arena, eyes flitting from the most promising of pokemon to... the least. Everybody knew what Zubat were too, but with none of the pomp and splendor. Much like Ron's Magikarp, Zubat were seen poorly; as a pest and a common invader, vermin to be exterminated and kept far away in their screeching droves. There was an awkward round of applause, but not loud enough to drown out the whispers and the knowing nods - there was no doubt in any mind who the victor of today was going to be, atleast in the eyes of the audience. Mari uncomfortably rubbed her arms, looking about to meet Nua's eyes from the sideline, even as the referee raised his flag to signal the start of the match.

"And... Begin!"​

VS​

Code by Nano

 

[Hecotoro]

Bronze

League

Date:

July 8th >:c

Location:

Lilypad Town

Inventory:

1,100$, x10 Poke Balls, x1 Premier Ball

"You feel that? People think we have the odds stacked against us." Ron gave Mari a side glance. "Let's fuck them up so bad, they're going to have confidence issues the rest of the lives." His eyes set back on their opponents.

The confidence from the punk rock fanatic spread from himself on to the fiery Pokemon on the field. Despite her small size and her "roar" that looked more like a yawn and got several adorable reactions from the crowd, Ron could feel her need to start beating up their enemies. "Let's go with the obvious and scout out their skills, Ember!"

The fire burned brightly as the small fire mouse sent several small balls of fire towards their opponent, who were already expecting such move. The Beedrill swayed from side to side trying to avoid them while the Charcadet just take them on head on. "Now watch this! Smokescreen!"

Ron looked at Mari, "We will make sure they can't see shit, you focus on taking them down. Zubat can move around in such a dark place with no problems!"

Furia opened her mouth wide and released a long thick cloud of pitch black smoke. The move kept on going and going as the battlefield started to become envolved in the Smokescreen. It seemed Furia was bent on making sure neither side could see what was going on, even though it would also affect her, they knew very well Zorya would be in her element.




Furia
Rage

Code by Nano

 

[Fluff]

Lilypad City

art by Mixeli

Date:

8th July, Bronze League

Location:

Lilypad City

Inventory:

$2,450, 9 pokeballs, 1 premier ball

Bolstered by Ron's ever-cheerful words of confidence, Mari gathered herself enough to flash him a toothy grin and shift her attention back to the fighting arena. This was her first official battle in every sense of the word; neither had she entered into battle with another trainer like Ron had, nor had she attempted any gym fights. In all senses of the word, this Beedrill and Charcadet were her first real opponents outside of the training field. Albeit awkward, she dragged her feet into a wide-legged, stable stance, forcing herself to focus on the Sync bond and the back of the flapping Zubat before she got enveloped in thick smoke.

The Beedrill evaded the Embers with ease while the Charcadet flared to life as Flash Fire triggered. The pokemon powering UP instead of weakening at the hit drew a confused glance from Mari and she made a mental note to check in with Ron on that later. She hoped it wouldn't do that every time it got hit, and in her uncertainty, she found herself stuck between a difficult choice - chase down the much more powerful Beedrill as an opponent, or focus down the mysterious little fire humanoid first, with its little quirks and all? The little opponent was quick to make her decision for her - the trainers called out their muffled orders through their covered noses and mouths, fanning away the Smokescreen as their eyes watered, and the pokemon sprung to action. The Beedrill was quick to whip into a frenzied flurry, sweeping away the smoke with ease while the Charcadet began soaking it all up in a smoky tornado amidst a Fire Spin.

"Uhhh, kweyk, get'tem'en'fair'uh'g',"

Mari called out uncertainly, and Zorya picked up the slack, striking with a lot more decisiveness than her trainer felt at the moment. Upon not being given a clear order, the little cave dweller had defaulted to a Bite, latching down on the fire type pokemon and beating against it with her wings, causing them to roll across the floor in a confused thrashing mess of arms and wings. Not the most graceful of solutions, but Zorya screeching up a veritable storm did atleast alert Mari to the fact that the Beedrill was on the move as its partner struggled on the floor. With its trademark blistering speed, it zipped towards Furia, stingers glistening in the harsh artifical light.

"Do it, Fury Attack that mouse!" Its trainer called out, albeit sounding rather choked up, perhaps due to the Smokescreen. No trainer had eyes for anything besides the playfield, and while it lacked the finesse and grace that the trainer Mari had spectated in the Snowpoint Gym, the battle nevertheless got her heart beating to the same rhythm - a rapid, hammering beat that pumped her full of a familiar heat. Alfush in the joy of combat, Mari joined in the yelling and uncoordinated orders, cheering on Zorya as the two continued floundering in the dirt.

Spurred by a sense of urgency, the Charcadet finally managed to kick the Zubat off, nursing the shoulder she'd latched on to, and spat an Ember at her in retaliation.

"Zorya!"

Mari called, but the bat was just a little too late to react - she raised a wing to block the attack but still let several stray sparks through, sputtering in her face and driving her into a panic. It was hot, it was HOT! Warmth was already foreign to a Zubat living in the cold, damp caves of Rustboro, and many Zubat felt weakened by sunlight, but even with Mari's defensive matrix shielding her, the little pokemon panicked and acted of her own accord, firing a Supersonic wildly that, through some miracle, actually connected with the Charcadet.

She heard a squeal and tilted her head towards Furia's altercation with the Beedrill, just in time to watch the Poison Bee pokemon collapse weakly to the floor before beating a hasty retreat to its trainer. Its flight pattern was irregular and stumbling, and in an odd turn of events, it exited the battlegrounds in its beelining retreat; had Furia beaten it that bad in their brief interaction? Eyes following the pokemon, then a shriek ringing in the air; the referee waved a flag and spoke low into a device, immediately summoning two paramedics onto the battlefield. The Beedrill's trainer had collapsed.

The battle ended abruptly, with the trainers being swept out of the room and back into the lounge, foreign in its odd vacancy when it had just been full of teeming challengers just a few minutes ago. Confused, disoriented, worried, Mari clung to Ron's sleeve as she worriedly looked about for the men who'd carted away the opponent. She still wasn't quite sure what exactly had transpired, but she could see his remaining two teammates huddling together, looking similarly lost. They may have been older than her, but they were no more experienced as trainers, and their faces ranged from concern to dismay to resignation as they spoke in low tones to the supervisor who had taken them aside. Their eyes briefly met hers, and Mari wished she had a comforting smile to offer them, but all that met them was her own ashen face of puzzlement and disarray.

Finding themselves with far too much time and far too little knowledge, she'd taken to wandering about in the empty lounge with Zorya in her arms for the remainder of their 10 minutes until trainers began trickling back inside, either triumphant with victory or crestfallen with defeat. Several disqualified trainers began lining up to heal their pokemon, shelling over a hundred pokebucks at a time, and Mari clasped Zorya's warm body a little closer to her chest. An official had agreed to pass a unanimous decision of the opposing team's withdrawal from the tournament given the severity of the situation, and Mari, Ron and Nua were automatically vaulted to the next bracket of fights. A victory that felt awfully hollow, but a victory nonetheless.

Code by Nano