Pokémon Academy: Ch 3: Winter Cup [IC]

[Sutoratosu]

Kylie (Zephyr)

The wave hit the Deluded Sumo like a wall, the sheer force of the cry of a dragonborn the dragon type enhanced by the draconic force that issued out and beared down upon his ears, sending him sliding back several meters on his feet as he brought up his hands in some attempt to block whatever the source was; He couldn't find it... all he could see was Pomeg. Pomeg everywhere... and roaring.

Meanwhile the Gourgeist entered out of the shadow realm just as the attack ended, having watched and heard everything as she'd trapised about on the other side, dancing across the strange and vexing barrier that separated this world and whatever one Phantom Force takes it's users... heard, indeed, heard it like the call of the dark lord Giratina himself, but not been injured.

Oh no, for her next injury in the match came from a rather unexpected place; her own comrade,his confusion made even more severe from the effect of Tootheless's scream on his equilibrium, grabbed her up in his palm with a Dark-Grip, his hand crackling with the same energy from before with the litwick, squeezing the other ghost type as he tried to find the peel... in his delusions, he only saw those other combatants on the field as his favorite food, and when on of them had just popped up right beside him in a haze of purple light... well, He wasn't about to pass up that opportunity. Now if only he could find the damn end of the peel so he could actually eat... where was it? he had never had this much trouble finding it before...

Gourgeist meanwhile was starting to get beyond pissed off with this nonsense- it was funny earlier when the big idiot had gone off charging like some big damn hero into battle only to fall flat on his face, but there was a few things she didn't tolerate, and nasty, short-attention spanned fighting types puting their hands on her was at the very top of that list.

Even despite the pain she felt from being crushed, she began to charge up a gift of her own... if he wanted a fight; the sumo had just gotten one. See him try to eat any of those damn berries she'd heard Kylie promise him while he choked on a few dozens of seeds...

"What the hell are you doing!?" Kylie shouted as she could only stand there and watch the giant continuously shake and harm his own teammate with the black grip. And then Gourgiest fired off an angry barrage of Bullet Seeds right in the fighting type's face, causing him to release her and back away before using foresight and hauling off with a rage driven Arm Thrust attack (since when were berries capable of fighting back?), only for the Pumpkin to dodge it and come in for a Secret Power... and the two went back and forth- fighting one another instead of the blind dinosaur sitting across the field.

"S... Stop..." Her voice was lost as the scuffle went on, only able to stand there and watch as she lost complete and utter control over the entire situation... she fumbled to take their capsules from her belt, only for her hands to slip and fumble clumsily as she shook her head, looking more and more distressed with every blow that was thrown. It was all just so... humiliating. Not only could she not even control the fucking lug of a fighting type most of the time, but now not even her oldest partner wasn't listening to her. Why did she even bother anymore? Not like she had ever had much standing before around the school, but at least she could fly under the radar, avoiding attention from her peers whether positive or negative. She was a no one, and she had been fine with that, because it had at least meant she wouldn't be ridiculed; it meant that she could've still sunk further; that she hadn't hit rock bottom and become a pariah like that Baldwin kid that everyone hated.

Yeah, fat chance of that still being the case after.... this. This right here? this had turned into a complete fiasco for her; not only was she losing the battle, she'd even lost control of her team members, and the latter was something she obviously wasn't going to get back. And to make it worse, it wasn't like it was just the people in the stands watching, oh no no nooooo.... this shit was being broadcast all over the world in every region; international television... there was no way she could live this down, she'd be a God Damn laughing stock. And the wasn't even the worst part; what about her parents? They were watching back him in Sinnoh, they'd see this... and that's what hit her the hardest: the fact of knowing she'd let them both down. She was done, fin, zero; so why... why even bother anymore?

"I'm done..." She said dejectedly as she finally forced her fumbling hands to steady and tore the red and white spheres from the belt, her grip bone white as she pointed them at respective residents and recalled the two before this mess could go on any further. She could still bow out with at least a bit of grace here, not like it mattered or would make her feel better... but still.

"Good match..." It was said emptily though. she knew it, and chances were Raiza probably did too. The next moment the breeder turned her back to Raiza and Toothless on the other side of the field, wiping away a few stray tears of shame and frustration beginning to form as she headed back inside the stadium as fast as she could...

either way, it looked like Raiza and her dinosaur had won... by default, yes, but it was still a victory, was it not?

[Zephyrus the Priestess]

Both Trainer and Deino watched the mess quietly(or at least, Toothless listened). Under normal circumstances it would've been a funny show, but the look on Kylie's face... As soon as the girl turned and exited through the doors, Raiza hurriedly praised Toothless and recalled him back into his Pokeball, dashed onto the field to pick her unconscious Litwick up, and raced after the Breeder. "Hey, wait up," she called, jogging up to the other girl.

[Chim]

Hosts (Murdoc)

“After Raiza, Alvin also wins his battle and both trainers will face each other in the final round of Block E. But first the competitors of Block F will get a chance to show off their skills. Professor Redwood, if you please?”

“Certainly, I’ve been looking forward to this Block. Two of the main outsiders are in it; Kyle, the favorite amongst the Coordinators, and Kageharu, who is considered the strongest Breeder. First up is Kageharu. His opponent Caleb is a new face. He’s an exchange student and just like Louise he showed up early to secure a place in the top 32. I can’t say all that much about it but he seems to rely on his Zorua a lot.

((If the Zorua fights or not is up to you and feel free to also pick the second Pokémon))

Dobby and Commander

Lily glared at Henry’s remark about Evan. She had the best big brothers in the world and no one had the right to insult them!

Jaime noticed her glare and put his hand on her head. “That’s right, I’m Jaime and this is Lily. We’re Evan’s siblings but I’m not surprised he never mentioned us. He isn’t much of a talker is he?” the boy smiled before turning looking Henry directly in the eyes “Claude has been a wonderful companion and the best guide I could ask for! But you’re right that he is an interesting character. I can’t wait to see you battle, Mister Number One Coordinator,” he grinned.

DarkLight

And the Skarmory talked. She explained her entire story. She told Zared how she was taken away from a breeding facility and had to do harsh training in an excluded environment. She had to spend most of her time underground and never really had someone to call her friend. Not until she received the news she would be given to a trainer, a partner of her own. She didn’t pick Evan herself but she was glad with him. He often gave her the cold shoulder like he didn’t care, but he looked after her and made sure everything was okay. She never experienced treatment like that.

The steel bird completely went up in her storytelling that she didn’t see Alvin’s battle or noticed Evan had entered the waiting room.

[TurboAura]

Robert

After hearing Shiro's reply, Robert headed off to his waiting room, happily having Shiro in tow. He made his way Tyron's room and sat on one of the benches by the monitors. Part of him wanted to take some of the time alone to calm himself, concentrate on the upcoming match, but he couldn't really think of focusing like that after he had brought Shiro back for the point of being with him.

Parents

Throughout the battles coming after Robert ran out, Eregansu had came back and watched from Robert's previous seat as Will's Jellicent, with respect to the other people in the stands, began letting out soft streams of water whenever Nikki experienced the 'dry-out's that were common of owned Goomys.

"Hmm, that Hariyama... seems she needs a bit more reigning in with it." Will looked towards the field with a more serious expression than usual, something that he himself would describe as 'looking at the approaching storm' when looking back. Akako herself kept her usual cheerful demeanor.

"Well, that just means she has a good job ahead of her for the Hariyama. And you act like YOU, of all people, and would be the one to know how to deal well with Fighting types."

"Hey, just because you're a Fighting gym trainer doesn't mean I have no idea how fighting types act. And either way, I had to go through SO much wrestling to show Poliwrath dominance, so I'm not too far off." Will's expression then turned to a curious one as he began a tangent of the other Hariyama's he'd know at this point to get a comparison. Sure, Brawly and the other Gym trainers had them, but he was quickly reminded of a Hariyama that would likely be around the same experience as a good comparison, changing back to a happy attitude and laugh once he got the comparison. "Haha, well hopefully it's not just a thing for younger Hariyama's then. Otherwise I feel bad for Brunon too."

Edited February 6, 2015 by TurboAura

[Felicity]

Claude was grinning ear to ear. Recently it seemed all he had been doing was grinning. "Well, nice to know I've captivated both of your interests, but I've hardly been a guide for you Jamie. I mean, if you wanted me to show you around, you have but to ask. It also looks like you'll get what you want soon too, It's my block now" Claude looked up who the other competitors were on his pokedex.. "Honestly, the guy i'm really worried about is Kage. He has got the rep as the top Breeder too, a title not earned by being charismatic."

[Tacos]

One would think that the Skarmory's presence would disturb Ryan in some way, but he had instantly fallen asleep as soon as his head fell upon Kage's shoulder. He had only been sleeping for a few short minutes before a scene began to develop from the black mists of his dreams.

When he began to focus on the scene, he realized that it was inside the stadium. His family caught his attention from the stands. Then again, it's not like it was unusual, what with Jason's tendency to hop over Wally to fulfill his constant desire for love and passion. Suddenly, the speaker crackled and a voice spoke through it. "Ryan Johnson is our next contestant. A battler who, while skillful, often let's his emotions take over his actions. This quality can be good, but also an incredible hinderance in battle." The shpiel continued, and the scene focused on the exit to Phoebe's waiting room, but the door never opened. "Is he even here?" But still, nothing. The scene focused back to Ryan's family. Their faces seemed disappointed to see that Ryan wasn't entering the arena. The door burst open, and an unidentified student ran out screaming.

"Ryan's missing! No one can find him!" The faces of the Johnson family turned ghost white. Jason's face began to develop tears and Lexis' face was overwhelmed with worry. Wally, even with a distraught face, held his family closer to him, in an attempt to comfort them.

The loudspeaker spoke again and suddenly Ryan jolted back into reality. His eyes instantly focused on a Skarmory in the middle of the room. The small hairs running down his neck suddenly bristled. His knees were suddenly drawn to his chest. His eyes began to glaze over as he scanned the bird pokemon. It doesn't seem hostile. But, I have to say, after that dream, I'm not too happy to see it here. I can't afford to give up at this point. I'll take it one step at a time. Get through this tournament. Then I'll deal with this.

[Commander]

"Can't say I really blame him for that one. Some of the students here are lacking what I call intelligence or what you'd probably call common sense. If you mention a Hydreigon to him he'd holler up a storm on what they did. There's a good chance they're doing something right now that they'll immediately regret later." Henry then turned to Claude. "You worry too much there. Your Excalvier has quite the advantage on him so as long as you plan your moves carefully, there's a good chance you could win." He then had a grin of his own. "That also goes for recklessness as well. Attacking blindly is a surefire way to get your ass handed to you."

[Felicity]

"But at least you don't have to see the hit coming. Small mercies though" Claude replied. "you must be happy about your win then."

[Commander]

"No, that was a pathetic excuse of a victory. I took a gamble by holding back nearly all of my tricks. Not much I can do about it now, but I won't be so careless in the next round." Henry tried not to think too hard on his mistakes. He still had another battle to come and he needed to keep his mind clear when he got to that one. "Now that I think about it, it's kind of ironic Kristen of all people would choke. She gave me the impression that she loves big crowds."

[Felicity]

Claude smirked a little bit. "But do the crowds love her? That is the question. Besides, the idea that you were holding back means several different things. For one, how many tricks are in that despicable little head of yours? Maybe i'll have to find out..." Claude scooted closer, leering, knowing full well what he was doing.

[Azeria]

Wanting to go and get a breather before his battle started, James quickly congratulated Slade on his Victory and left the waiting room once more."Staying in that room for too long gets tiring"He thought as he walked along the corridor,turning another corner however he came to see Henry,Claude and 2 others.The one in the wheelchair seemed to have an odd similarity to Evan it seemed..perhaps they were related.He decided the best thing to do at this point was to just talk and continue on."Hey guys"

[Sutoratosu]

Kylie (Zephyr) ((This was while Alvin's battle was going on, just to clarify))

"What do you want?" The breeder demanded after she realized Raiza had followed her all the way off the field and into the stadium Corridors. Her face still held that dejected, defeated look from the fight- on the verge of tears though she fought to hold her emotions back. She didn't even bother to try to meet the other girl's eyes; though Raiza could still see they were a bit red. "Oh, what? was being able to watch that little fiasco not enough enjoyment for you? Did you feel the need to come rub it in about what happened, To gloat about how I can't even control my own partners long enough to even actually finish a preliminary battle? Well go on then, just do it and get it over with and leave me alone- it's not like anything else can make it all any worse at this point..."

[Zephyrus the Priestess]

"What, no, man," Raiza said, with her hands up in denial. "That's... I'm not into doing that kind of thing. I just wanted to say thanks for the match and make sure you were okay." The Trainer looked genuinely weirded out as well, muttering, "What kind of sick person enjoys watching people suffer?" Okay. Uhh... Crap. I'm not used to doing this sort of thing, let alone talking to absolute strangers... What do I say?! "I know it doesn't make sense for me to try talking to you, but... if it means anything, I'm actually the kid of two Breeders. Got a childhood friend who's also in the Breeding program... heck, I was supposed to be in the Breeder program at first, but I thought it'd be boring and went for Trainer... And now I'm wondering what I might've just missed out on. Cause, y'know, you're pretty clever and you've got a good head on. Didn't really see that Role Play coming and boy, you sure were tying my hands back there!" The Trainer tried for an awkward smile. "... No, really, I couldn't use Fire and probably wouldn't have been able to T-Wave Hari at all, and Lucifer doesn't actually... know a Ghost type move--" she made a mental note to fix this later-- "so I was kinda grasping he air for ideas. It's also evident you've put a lot of care and effort in raising your Pokemon. I mean, Phantom Force? That's the coolest Ghost move ever, you know? Too bad the Chandelure line can't really learn it... but it's seriously, seriously cool that you and Gourgeist got that trick down." Raiza thought for a bit, then added, "Oh, and Hariyama's actually pretty cute and spunky. Try to forge a stronger connection with the big guy-- y'know, do everything together-- and he should be listening to you more." After that, she breathed and paused for a moment, trying to think of anything else to say, quite aware of how incoherent her rambling speech was just now, but... She had to say something.

[Sutoratosu]

Kylie (Zephyr)

Here, have some more music

"You don't get it..." the girl shook her head, turning away from Raiza even despite the compliments. "You don't get it at all... yeah, sure it might've started out OK, but... you saw everything. Do you even realize how many people were watching that; how many people saw that complete embarrassment in the end?" She glanced at the capsule still in her left hand from the recalling earlier, her grip tight as iron as she cast a glare into the reflective red surface- seeing only the face of a failure starring back up at her. "To make this all even worse; He wasn't always like this, ya know... He used to listen, back when he was a Maukihita- used to actually respect whatever I said- but then it came time for him to evolve, and he started acting like some selfish, overly macho show-off who would always charge off like an idiot as soon as a fight began." She let her hand drop down to her side, staring at the monitor against the far wall as she continued. "I had a strong connection with him; but as he evolved and got stronger, so did his Ego... I've tried everything I can think of, every God Damn thing! and then even after that, I still tried coming up with even more new ways to rebuild the bond... And none of it has worked at all."

She whirled back to face the other student, a bit of anger showing in her eyes now; though the majority of it was simply a by product of pure frustration. "Do you know how much of a fool I looked like out there? Before all this, I was a nobody, I was just a fly on the wall, managing to stay under the radar... But this? How the hell am I supposed to live this down!? I'll probably become the school laughing stock; I mean, do you know how fucking ridiculous some of them can be? Just look at that Baldwin guy, they all hate him and hurl slurs at him and call him a dessert rat simply for the fact that he beat a few of them hard and they're jealous of what his team can do; If they do that to someone who happened to be better than them in a fight, then what do you expect is gonna happen when with me, The girl whose own team started fighting each other in a match on international television and instead of stepping in and retaking control, she froze up and turned quiet as a mouse!?" She backed up a little, realizing she had been drifting a bit close to the trainer during the rant. She let out a sigh, turning away and shaking her head yet again; reminding herself that it wasn't Raiza's fault for the incident- but hers, and hers alone. "And then, like that's not enough as it is, there's also my parents at home in Sinnoh too; and I guarantee you they saw their daughter let them down on the battlefield today... I've become the class fool and a failure, all in the same day..."

[Chevaleresse]

Kage felt Ryan moving. "What's up?" He followed the other teen's gaze. "That metal chicken bothering you?"

[Commander]

"Honestly, I don't even know what goes on in there sometimes. As for how I fight, you'll have to thank Citrine for that one. The girl's harassing after a long losing streak made me rethink how I battle. Instead of going full force, I started playing tricks along with that infamous taunting. People weren't too happy with my winning streak, but honestly, they weren't as bad as this." Henry then noticed James come up to the group. He simply pretended not to notice him at first, but eventually responded. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be getting ready for your battle or something? The first round is quickly coming to a close."

[Felicity]

Claude stepped back, annoyed that Henry hadn't reacted awkwardly. He noted that in his head. "Hey, to be fair, so should I, i'm literally next after Kage fights, I think."

[Azeria]

"Eh,no worries.I've got a decent amount of time left since there's another block before my battle.I was just going to go get some fresh air but i've come across some new faces."James replied while still looking at the kid in the wheelchair."Pardon my questioning but are you perhaps related to Evan,i've noticed some similarities between him and you."

[Zephyrus the Priestess]

Shouts of anger and frustration ensued. This wasn't at all what Raiza, who'd visibly cringed, was trying to bring about. It took her a while before she said something again. "The reason why people screamed and booed Henry isn't entirely because he's better, but cause this was how they saw him even before this Battle Royale began. Similarly, people like Danielle and Jacob were applauded and got the crowd going because they'd been popular even before the Winter Cup." The Trainer'd just realized something. Weren't the two of them alike-- both so-called flies on a wall that nobody noticed, the wallflowers or whatever people walked past? Invisible? "I'll bet you twenty BP that people out there probably didn't care much for our battle," she said, shrugging. "Heck, I didn't even know who you were until I had to look you up, and I'm pretty sure you'd never heard of anybody named Raiza before till today... or uh, yesterday. Wouldn't you not care much for a contestant you'd never heard of if you were waiting for your favorite battler, or if your favorite battler'd already finished earlier? Think about it. Two more favorites-- Kage and Mareek-- and I think that the poofy fabulous Coordinator guy hasn't battled either-- are coming up after our block. Then there's Ryan, easily one of the most controversial people of this batch. They really won't remember us over these other more interesting guys. That's how I treated the Winter Cup; once this guy I was rooting for finished, I barely gave a damn about the other people, only until they'd actually battle the guy. Unless you were a talent scout or something, you probably wouldn't care at all about all the players on the field."

Looking away, she continued, "We're pretty forgettable compared to everyone else. That's how I see it. Maybe not to what friends we have and to our family, but after this, the rest of the world'll forget who we are." And that's why I don't bother remembering other people, either, despite the fact that I go out of my way to be the oddball with a catchphrase. Pon. "... But before I go into a totally unrelated catharsis, let me tell you the principle of failure: You, good lady, only fail when you stop there," she said with much faux pompadour. "... Really. That's how it is, because when you just stop dead after a big loss, well... You're not giving yourself another chance to rise and make up for it.

"Especially with your Hariyama... You can't just give up on him. I'd heard that somebody on the trip caught a misbehaving Pokemon. Took em a while too, but they finally got it to cooperate. Just as your parents won't give up on you even if you do fail for a while," she said. "They will see you through and support you as you work hard, eventually win Hariyama over... and, if it's what you really want, one day make your debut as one of the greatest Breeders out there."

[Chim]

Murdoc

Before Ryan could reply Phoebe grabbed Kage by the arm. “What are you doing? It’s your turn!” She dragged him all the way to the entrance of the field and gave him a push. “Make sure to win! That way Tyron can’t make a comeback and I get free lunches!” she grinned.

((You can choose your opponents Pokémon))

[Sutoratosu]

Kylie (Zephyr)

Kylie again gazed at the sphere in her hand. Perhaps Raiza was onto something... she'd honestly completely forgotten the fact that there were still several more matches still to come in her all despair out there. The girl had a good point; chances were the crowd would completely push the very memory of their mediocre battle out of their minds to make room for the more epic ones between the class favorites- hell, they'd all be completely and utterly overshadowed by the stronger competitors...

Her attention was pulled away by a strange tugging on her shirt as she pondered. Standing there- still burning in a flares of dark violet aura from having used Phantom Force to escape the capsule in the girl's hands, was none other than Gourgeist. The pumpkin seemed to actually be apologetic as she lowered her hairlike arms back to her side; not daring to look Kylie in the eye as she looked down at her, stirring one of her stubby feet in the dust of the floor as she submissively folded her hands behind her back. But the breeder could tell that the ghost was ashamed of what had gone down earlier...

"Maybe you have a point..." She finally said, turning her gaze away from her partner and glancing at Raiza. "I... actually hadn't thought about the other matches after ours, to tell the truth. Guess I got so caught up and panicked about what happened I completely forgot about students like Sisto and Burlinski and the Blind guy... maybe you're right, maybe this whole thing won't make any difference afterall."

She turned back to her Gourgeist afterwards, staring at the phantom for a while. After a few moments of trying to keep an annoyed look on her face, she finally sighed and relented- the Ghost jumped up a little in rejoice; She knew from their history together that whenever her trainer stopped looking pissed at her, that meant all had been forgiven... she herself was still a tad bit miffed with the fighting type though...

"Um, hey..." She said, turning back to Raiza as the thing continued to jump for joy at exoneration "By the way...thanks for that. I Guess I might've... overreacted a little just now."

[DarkLight]

{Skarmory}

Zared's eyes widened as the Skarmory explained where she came from. It was obvious to him now that these captives were not from the infamous Team Rocket, as he and his team had previously suspected. Harsh training in secrecy? Team Rocket was never in hiding; they are definitely dealing with a team that is much smarter than the Kanto-based group of criminals. Zared gave the unfortunate bird a pat on her wing, reassuring her that she won't have to experience such treatment again under Professor Redwood's guidance. With a smile, he then pointed up towards the screen, inviting her to watch the rest of the battles with him and forget about the bad stuff.

Avis, however, was not about to have any of that yet. She flew off of Danielle's shoulder abruptly and landed beside Zared. The black bird asked the Skarmory if she knew any more about her captives. Perhaps the Skarmory has overheard of their motives, where they are located; even a simple name of the organization or her captives would suffice. Avis explained to the Skarmory that any information could help save a certain individual in the future.

{Danielle}

"Looks like most of us made it out in one piece!" Danielle exclaimed happily as Slade, Raiza and Alvin finished their matches. She quickly called out a "Good Luck!" when poor Kage was dragged out onto the field by Phoebe. The female coordinator turned her attention towards Ryan, who was staring straight at the Skarmory with a very dazed look. She waved her hand in front of his face in an attempt to bring Ryan back into reality. "Helloooo~ Earth to Ryan~ Don't worry about that bird. It seems like Zared has got it covered." At that point, Avis also flew from her perch. "And Avis will make sure of it, I guess. You should focus your attention on cheering for Kage!"

[Zephyrus the Priestess]

A smile couldn't help forming itself on the Trainer's lips. She felt like Jackson Galaxy or something, having helped somebody out in need and seeing the bond between Breeder and her partner reform. Hopefully the same would happen with Kylie and her Hariyama. When she apologized, Raiza waved it off dismissively. "It happens, it happens. Don't worry about it." Although she was glad Kylie seemed to have calmed down, her concern shifted to getting Toothless and Lucifer some first aid...

[Sutoratosu]

Kylie (Zephyr)

"No, really, I mean it- it's only right that I do something to help you in return..." Kylie said, looking at the fainted ghost type in Raiza'a hands for the first time and getting a solid idea of how she could do just that. "Um...here," She said, reaching to her belt and replacing Hariyama's ball in her hand with another, depressing the trigger and sending out a Chikorita that glanced around curiously at it's surroundings. "Let chikorita here heal your team, it's the least I can do...I've taught her to use Heal Pulse and Aromatherepy, and she could use some practice with them anyway."

[Zephyrus the Priestess]

Her dark brown eyes lit up. "You sure? Aw, thanks!" With a big smile, she cradled Lucifer tightly before kneeling down to Chikorita's level and presenting her beloved little Ghost-Fire type to the Grass type. "Hi there, sweetie," she said softly. "I hear you're pretty skilled and you learned some new things. Could you help out my babies here?" Right on cue, the Dark-Dragon popped out of his Pokeball, rasping and sniffing Lucifer, then bounding over to the new Pokemon. What was this? It smelled like a mixture of nut and fruit.