Pokémon Academy: Ch 3: Winter Cup [IC]

[Tacos]

((Sorry, 'tis what I do.))

Ryan looked up from the floor to give the hollow response to Danielle. "Yeah, totally fine. Nothing to worry about. Ha ha." His eyes contrasted his words and screamed for help. He turned around and sat in a chair, letting his head hang again, as Victoria spectated the small battle from the comfort of Ryan's lap.

[Azeria]

Seeing her dodge his attack so easily only angered Solaris even further,making him remember that he had access to a certain move called Magnet rise.Using it he quickly went up to the same elevation that Corona was at and smugly looked towards her."Don't think you can get away from me young one,i've been bred for flight before evolution!"Solaris screeched before trapping her with String Shot.

[Aurorix]

"I hope we get a good battle soon,no offense to you or Henry,Danielle but the battles so far have been quite..how should i say it..flavourless."

"Well, at least you can look forward to our battle." Slade chuckled as the two Larvesta had their bickering. Then Ryan came up from behind and apologized for no reason with a distraught face. before sitting back down in a chair. "Are you sure?" Slade asked Ryan, "You seem kinda worried about something." He said looking back at the moping Ryan in his chair.

[DarkLight]

Avis flew over from her spot on the ground and landed on Ryan's head; her toes were curled up to avoid scraping the boy's head with her sharp talons. The overly-curious Murkrow recognized Ryan's expression from the time he ran off into the mountains. Maybe if she asked for a pat, it would make him feel better again? Avis attempted to nuzzle Ryan's head with her own, uttering soft cries all the while.

"Come on Ryan, even Slade could see that something is wrong, and he's usually oblivious to these things." Danielle replied gently, at the expense of Slade's pride. She quickly gave Slade a peck on the cheek before she continued. "Is there something bothering you? You could tell us."

Corona allowed him to wrap her inside a cocoon, and braced herself to land on the ground. A thump confirmed that she had made impact with the hard surface. She then tapped the shell to get his attention and uttered a few cries. "What are talking about? We are all capable of flight already~"

[Azeria]

"You use flames to help you stay in the air,my magnet rise allows me to levitate and move around freely with nearly no cost!"Solaris said as he levitated back downwards."Unlike the other pokemon i've seen,you're not afraid of my agressive nature it seems..you seem like a nice person."He muttered the last part.It wasnt everyday people managed to get past his anger.

-James-

"Huh Ryan,what's going on? You sound down,you know if something's bothering you,you could tell us.I mean we're in the same year and are roommates.So what's wrong?"James questioned his roommate.He had seen him like this back on the trip but it hadnt been all that noticeable.Shade was interested aswell and floated in closer than before.

[Tacos]

Ryan felt so much remorse the second Avis landed on his head. Be careful who you get close to Avis. They might find a way to hurt you, or disappear in a heart beat. "No, guys, I actually made a bad decision showing up in here." Ryan gently took Avis and placed her down on the seat and got up, leaving poor Victoria to jump for her safety to the seat. Ryan quickly shut the door and made his way outside the stadium. He threw himself against the wall and held his head in his hands. What's the point in even trying anymore. I'm gonna die soon, so I might as well lessen the heartbreak.

Victoria landed on top of Avis when she jumped. Within seconds, she pushed herself off of the Murkrow and began crying on the seat, devastated that her trainer had suddenly left her alone with a bunch of strangers. She quickly threw herself off the chair and began slamming her tiny hands on the door, desperately trying to reach Ryan.

[Aurorix]

"Come on Ryan, even Slade could see that something is wrong, and he's usually oblivious to these things."

"Hey, I'm not oblivious to anything!" Slade said to Danielle as Ryan left the building. "Looks like he left and leaving his Bagon here too." Xemnas looked at the crying dragon on the seat, he wanted to cheer her up. So he reached into Slade's bag and grabbed two oran berries and went over to where Victoria was. He held one out for her to make her feel more comfortable around them. "Are we gonna go after him, and what are we gonna do about his pokemon?" Slade asked the three still in the room.

Edited January 24, 2015 by EXLink32

[Azeria]

"I'm going after him,my match is the second to last one in the tournament.Danniele,would you mind taking care of Solaris while i go and follow Ryan?"James asked her before leaving the room in a hurry,Shade following behind him floating as always."Damnit,that guy's been acting strange ever since we got back from the trip and i'm getting to the bottom of this.He should tell his friends if something's wrong with him."James said as he exited the stadium and looked at Ryan."What's going on,you've been acting strange for a while now...did something happen recently that's affecting you?"He asked the Mossdeep Native.

[DarkLight]

Corona titled her head in confusion inside of her cocoon. She didn't realize that Solaris was being aggressive at all; how odd. Deciding not to broach the subject, she let out a few flurries of fire to burn the silk shell. Once she could see light once more, Corona shook herself loose, allowing her white fur to become fluffy again. She then crawled over to James' Larvesta and chirped happily to her new friend. "You're nice too! You just don't see it~" Corona then snuggled next to the larger, male Larvesta, comforted by the amount of heat their kind tends to release. "Are you going to stay here with your master?"

Avis squawked as Victoria landed on top of her. At least the shiny Bagon had the sense to quickly get off of the small bird before the said dragon began to throw a tantrum. She watched silently as Xemnas got up to try and comfort Victoria, trying to make the least amount of movement as possible to avoid startling the Bagon.

Before Danielle could offer to get Ryan back, James had already raced out the door to comfort his distraught roommate. "I guess I could watch Solaris, although Corona seemed to have pacified him on her own..." she answered distractedly, looking at the two Larvestas. Danielle could now see just how small Corona actually is now; her firebug looks to be about half the size of Solaris! And yet, Corona has a healthy appetite ever since Danielle choose her on the second day of class. Maybe Corona is just the runt of the pack, or swarm in bug terms. Danielle turned her attention back to the door, contemplating on what to do when she remembered Ryan's tired boyfriend. Kage seems to be more awake now, so perhaps the breeder might know what is going on. "Kage, I know I may be intruding, but do you think that that thing has to do with Ryan's mood lately? I have never seen him this upset before the trip happened..."

[Tacos]

Ryan stared resentfully at James. "Yes, something's happened. And my way of accepting it is what's happening now. I'm grateful for your concern, but it's probably for the best that everyone refrains from forming or strengthening any sort of bond with me. If you really want to know, go talk to Danielle. I'm almost certain she knows the exact reason. And it's good that this little..." Ryan had finally noticed his hands were empty and that Victoria was nowhere around him. "Even if she can't tell you, at least bring Victoria back to me. The poor girl's probably in tears and it's all my fault. If you manage to bring her back, that's probably the best thing you could do for me right now." He dropped his hands in defeat and looked up at the sky, hoping that the Skarmory that was mentioned would be soaring in the sky. He was looking for his angel of death, and nothing else, at this point.

[Azeria]

"...you went to see that Lady to see what the future holds for you..didnt you?"James muttered as he remembered his Aunt talking about the old lady with a Gothithele that could look into the future."Let me tell you something,the future is not set in stone...you make it with your own 2 hands and being! What the lady saw is only 1 possible outcome,if you're gunna give up simply because of that think about this; If you weren't able to create your own path why would you be able to take choices?!" He shouted at Ryan

Edited January 25, 2015 by AzeryM

[Tacos]

"Just go... get... Victoria. Please." Ryan was not about to get the same speech he'd hear so many times, regardless if it was from his roommate. His face remained stationary, still facing the sky.

[Azeria]

"Sigh, whatever."James said before walking back into the building and into the waiting room.He looked at the green bagon sitting there crying while next to it was a Gible comforting it with some berries."Hey little one, Ryan's outside and probably wants you with him..so can you come with me and i'll take you to him"James asked quietly while pickin the Bagon up.He walked back out of the changing rooms and at the outside of the stadium."Here you go, 1 shiny bagon"

[Tacos]

Ryan peeled his eyes away from the clear sky to look at James. He was quick to snatch Victoria from his hands and then suddenly curl himself around her, enclosing the small dragon within his own sphere of affection. "I'm sorry I left you there. I hope you'll forgive me." He whispered softly to her. Victoria was just excited to be back with her trainer and did her best to snuggle up to Ryan. "Thank you." Ryan spoke briefly, deciding it was the only words he needed to say to James.

[Azeria]

"..Just take care of yourself...i'd rather not have another die on me. . ." James said before dissapearing back into the building with only Shade remaining behind looking at Ryan."This young one...he seems different..what could the cause of his death be"Shade thought before following James.Back in the waiting room,James came back in and looked at Danielle."I hope you won't mind me asking but what happened to Ryan to make him this depressed?"He asked the Kalos native girl.

-Solaris-

Seeing the younger and much smaller Larvesta cuddle up to him felt weird to say the least."I hope you didnt mind my..playing..yeah.It's sorta a habit and i don't wish for it to be a lasting impression"

Edited January 24, 2015 by AzeryM

[Bfroger6]

Shiro trembeled as Nadia allowed his Pokemon to recover their footing. However noble that might've appeared, Shiro's heart remained uneasy. He was losing the first actual match! This girl was too much for him to fight against... Sure of herself, strong, passionate... And he was none of that! So how? How could he ever be able to defeat her? His determination hadn't died out completely just yet, though. He could still try, he wasn't out of tricks... But victory seemed more distant than before, escaping further beyond his reach with each new breath he took...

"S-shun..." The Kirlia was already on her feet, ready to fight at any cost. Sharph, on the other hand, seemed pretty beat up... He did take that Mirror Shot straight on, along with the Featherdance... "Shun, y-you'll take over for now, is that... I mean, uhm..." She looked at him and nodded, filling his heart with a new glimmer of hope. "I-it's only until Sharph can resume..."

*growl* It was Sharph. He stood up next to Shun, looking Shiro straight in the eyes. He wanted to fight too.

"A-are you sure? Y-you not..." The dragon nodded. "I-I see... Well, alright... Shun, yo-you strike them with your combo move, a-alright? We know they can c-counter ou, I-I mean... the Shadow Sneak didn't work, s-so!"

"You ready kid?" Nadia asked, standing there as an intimidating obstacle in Shiro's way, together with her two Pokemon. They appeared so much stronger than Shiro's team... "Oh, attacking already?"

He nodded, frowning a bit. "Sharph, y-you charge up a Hone Claws! G-go!" Shun shot herself like some sort of missile at the opponent, using her Confusion while Sharph stood strong, his claws growing long and shining white. The Kirlia flew, aiming at the Prinplup with her mighty punch...

"Too slow!" Nadia screamed as her Klink suddenly emerged between Shun and Prince, blocking her punch. No matter how hard she tried, she could not make the Gear Pokemon budge even a bit. "Vice Grip!"

"Shun!" The Klink split into two all of a sudden, leaving Shun frozen in the air for a moment in shock. Shiro's hand flew to his face, guarding his eyes from the sight as the two halves came closer and closer, threatening to trap Shun in their clutch...

--- Shun time ---

Shun was left frozen in air for a brief moment in shock as the Klink split in half. The force of her own punch pulled her forward and, as she was unable to make a swift turn of any kind, she was easy bait for Klink's metallic teeth. This helplessnes gave birth to a speck of fear, regret, sadness and dissapointment in her heart. She couldn't do anything to save herself and help Shiro...

"Shun!" She heard his scream, but it was too late. The Klink already had her... The impact was immediate, almost even painless... She felt it squeeze her tiny waist. The two fell straight down... Klink just wouldn't let go... It wouldn't, until she fainted, of course. She could still hear Nadia's voice as she began to lose conciousness. "I told you these cheap tricks won't work. What kind of strategy this is even? Two Confusions stacked together? Give me a break!" Sharph's roar could be heard afterwards, but it meant no real difference. He wasn't gona win on his own. This was the end. Shiro will be taken home by force straight away tomorrow... There was nothing any of them could do... Perhaps... if only she were stronger! If only she could've become a Gallade! She was worthless this way. A puny, stuck up Kirlia, not good enough at either battles or contests! But, for Shiro, she always tried her best... Shiro... ... ...

--- ---

Sharphs's efforts were futile. No matter how hard he tried, in the end, without Shiro's commands, he lost against the powerful duo. All that while Shiro sat there, curled up in a ball... Just thinking about everything and crying his eyes out...

"Hmpf!" Nadia returned her two Pokemon. The battle was over. "Come on, kid." She walked over to Shiro, lending him a hand, wondering why was he so shook up. "Look, here's your Kirlia. She's only fainted, so don't worry. It's not the end of the world just 'cause you lost, is it? So man up, come, stand up with me. You fought well, contrary to what my insults could've made you believe. Huh?"

"it isn't the end of the world..." Shiro stood up suddenly, almost pushing Nadia backwards as he did so. "Is it, right!? Not the end of the world!? Maybe not your world!" He exploded. "Give her back, give her back!" Tears flowing down his face, he grabbed Shun from her embrace.

"Hey, what's up with you?"

"Shut up! You don't understand! Nobody undrstands! So screw you!" Everything beame a blurr for Shiro, he didn't even notice as he forcefuly pushed Nadia aside, running towards the nearest exit. It was over, over... He didn't care about what happened next, he knew his fate from this point onwards... They were gonna lock him up, seal him away again! He would be homeschooled to become the next big CEO of their frickin' company! And all that because of Anna, that incompetent bitch blew their job after inheriting her father's place in the company! She was the reason behind all of this! She was to blame! Everything he worked for, everything he accomplished in these past few months, everything he could've become! Robert! All dissapeared! All was now... meaningless! What was it all for, if it was going to fade away now into his memory? Mere memory which would fade too through time as his very being would be disassembled and reassembled by his parents in order to fit the role they gave him! No, no, he didn't want that sort of life! He wanted to stay here forever! Forever! With Robert and Shun and even Henry! Everybody hated him, but he still remained somewhat dear in Shiro's heart... Whatever they said about him, he didn't listen. He knew Henry was better than what they said! They were all liars! Just like his parents, and Anna, and Nadia! All of them should just go away!

Shiro's throught all rushed through his head at the same time as he ran across the Academy field, towards the dorms. Yes, he wasn't gonna just let them take him away! They can go screw themselves, he is old enough to make his own decisions!

--- ---

Shiro entered his room...

Team Reference:

Shun

lvl 23/Adamant

-Confusion

-Shadow Sneak

-Magical Leaf

-Will o' Wisp

-Confuse Ray

Shauntal

lvl 21/Sassy

-Icy Wind

-Ice Shard

-Bite

-Weather Ball

-Hail

Sharph

lvl 25/Brave

-Slash

-Crunch

-Bulldoze

-Hone Claws

-Leer

[Chim]

Commander and Dobby

“Claude the Extraordinaire?” Jaime chuckled. “I don’t have such a great intro, but I’m Jaime, Evan’s brother. As you can see I inherited the looks, personality and skills!” he laughed. If Claude had an eye for detail he could see the brothers shared a similar build and cheekbones. The hair and eye color and Evan’s glasses seemed to be the only differences.

“Don’t forget the ego,” Evan added before turning to Henry. “I had to deal with that every day so I can handle the extra trouble.” He then looked at the screen. “It looks like the crying kid lost so I’m heading towards the waiting room. My Block is almost up.” He passed by Claude and Jaime and smacked the latter on his back.

“Oi! I’m in a wheelchair! Be gentle with me!” the boy pouted. Evan raised his finger in reply. “Ah, you got to love brothers. Tell me, Claude the Extraordinaire, do you have siblings?”

Zephyr

Lana mused. “To be honest I would’ve preferred to battle him later in the tournament. I know what people say and I really wanted to prove them wrong. Despite that I’m shy and don’t show confidence, I know my Pokémon can put up a decent fight. I just hope Mareek doesn’t go easy on me…”

Phoebe’s waiting room (Jory and everyone else in there)

The Water type expert entered the room again with a big grin on her face. This was her chance to gain the advantage over Tyron and make the score three to one.

“Alright troublemakers, where is Jacob? You better win your match, Pretty Boy!” she yelled.

Hosts (Jory)

“Poor kid,” Marco said when he saw Shiro cry.

Devin and Redwood were silent. They made eye contact and the Elite Four member shook his head. It was time Shiro stood on his own two feet and this was an opportunity the boy could learn from.

Redwood accepted Devin’s decision and took the word. “Now the Coordinator’s winning streak is broken, it’s time for the second battle in Block B. A lot of students have been waiting for this one. Jacob, considered the favorite by many, is facing Bert. Both are in the trainer program.”

Before Marco could officially announce both trainers, Bert already entered the field. He walked confident like he didn’t fear Jacob and maybe even tried to intimidate him. The boy took his place and already released both of his Pokémon and waited in silence, arms crossed.

“What’s this?” Marco asked surprised. “We’re only in the first round but it’s one thing after another! Why would Bert already release his Pokémon?”

It was Devin who replied. “He’s making a statement. He doesn’t care if he has to fight at a disadvantage. He prepared for this battle and hyped up his Pokémon, just look at the expressions on Poliwhirl and Hitmontop’s faces.

Tacos

A cry could be heard as a Skarmory swooped down from the sky and entered the Arena’s hall. The steel bird overslept after the performance she gave on top of the Haunted House yesterday and Evan hadn’t bothered waking her up. To be honest he probably felt relieved the bird didn’t stalk him for a few hours.

[Felicity]

"I do have a younger brother, and I do love him dearly, but sometimes he does make me worry." Claude responded, thinking of little Ricky, much shyer than Claude himself. "Ah, but please allow me digress, I'd rather not think of my family out there, watching and waiting. I'd much rather hear about you, my new-found friend~ Did you enjoy the opening ceremony yesterday?" Claude asked, wanting to turn the topic right back around.

[Jory]

Jacob took a deep breath as he stood at the end of the tunnel. This is it. My big debut. He began to count to ten in his head, each number coming with a flash of the huge audience he was going to be fighting in front of. We've got this. We're the favorites for a reason, he told himself as he began to place one foot in front of the other. His thoughts were racing as he moved down the long corridor to the field, but he wasn't nervous. He was thinking of ways to win against his opponent, Bert. I remember he's got a Hitmontop. He'll definitely use that, so I'm going to need to come prepared for a Fighting-type. Or... he trailed off, a grin appearing on his face. I can make a show of it. Intimidate my opponent for the next round. He fingered the Poke Balls on his belt as he exited the tunnel. The crowd roared at his appearance like the Romans for bloodsport. He paid them no mind as he walked to his side of the field and took his position opposite Bert.

"So, you're going to start with those two? Well it wouldn't be very sporting of me to take a type advantage, now would it?" With that he took two Balls off his belt, the Capsules shining in the daylight as the Poke Balls enlarged in his hand. "Let's start with some old favorites of mine! I'm sure you know them from class, Bert. Teotlatl, Chalchi, you're up! Show'em what you've got!" He tossed the two Poke Balls in the air and they came apart. Teo was released in a flash of yellow light and a swirl of sand reminiscent of his desert origins, while Chalchi's ball erupted into a flurry of snowflakes and dark clouds. The Lapras hit the ground with a thud, while Teo raised a column of sand to bring him gently to the earth.

Jacob looked up at the crowd, a smile coming over his face. So this is what they mean by "living the dream", he thought to himself as he looked up at the big screen to see his own face. Now let's give them a show they're not likely to forget anytime soon.

[TurboAura]

Robert watched in a mix of fear and suspense as Shiro's battle went on, unable to even cheer for him through all the emotions welling up. But at the end, he fully knew that Shiro had lost, was finally snapped out of his saddened daze by Shiro's own reaction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIrjgE2-C-s&list=PL74931D74E8A93AA4&index=24

"it isn't the end of the world... Is it, right!? Not the end of the world!? Maybe not your world! Give her back, give her back!"

"Shut up! You don't understand! Nobody undrstands! So screw you!"

Seeing Shiro run right out of the field in tears, there was only one thought that ran through Robert's mind. 'I've got to get to him, now!' Without any warning, he quickly got up and ran to the nearest exit in the stands hoping he catch up to Shiro.

"Robert, where are you going?!" Despite Will calling to him, Robert dashed straight out, too focused to hear him. Just watching as he ran, they simply sighed as Will turned to Akako, with Nikki just being confused at what just went down. "Hmm, should we get it to him? Just in case?"

Akako simply nodded to him, pulling out a small cardboard box while releasing Eregansu where Robert had been sitting, who was confused as to why she was released here of all places. Akako simply had to give her the box for the Mienshao to realize what was needed, and exited the stands in hot pursuit of Robert.

------------

After having gotten out of the stands, Robert had released Kiai to help find Shiro. Doing his best to hold himself together, Robert had tears down his face, looking all around as he ran in whatever direction he thought Shiro could be. With the state he was in, he hadn't been paying any attention to what was ahead of him and ended up running straight into Henry, only realizing it until he hit the ground.

"Ugh... W-what n- Oh, Henry! I-I'm so sorry, I-I didn't see you." He got himself up and held his hand down to Henry, ready to help him up and go back to locating Shiro.

Edited January 25, 2015 by TurboAura

[K_H]

Kenny was shocked by how Shiro was just completely flattened by his Opponent, and looked extremely concerned for Shiro when he ran offstage. Then, when Jacob sent out his Pokemon, Kenny was impressed by the Ball Capsules' Effects. as he watched the Match in Phoebe's Waiting Room, thoughts ran through his mind.

well, no wonder Coordinators use them. they need all the visually impressive tricks and techniques to succeed, and Ball Capsules do that excellently. it's kind of like Battling, in a way...

Kenny then watched the screen, eager to see what would happen.

Edited January 25, 2015 by K_H

[Zephyrus the Priestess]

"Hey, y'know, if he's out for your good, then he won't go easy on you. I mean, he should know that that's the only way to improve and fully enjoy a battle, pon," Raiza said in reply. With a half-grin, she added in agreement to her friend's last statement, "Might is right, Lana - you've got even more skill than meets the eye. Trust in your buddies, pon. And in yourself." She let the last words go, ignoring how ironic they were coming from her right now.

[Sutoratosu]

"Seems like this little lion grew himself some fangs..." Galen remarked at the sight of the battle's conclusion and the shy kid, Shiro apparently, running off the field in an angry huff. He glanced at Mareek as the boy only shook his head at the events below. "Do you see the true meaning of my question now? of why hold back rather than using real force?"

"I have a feeling this might've happened regardless of if she hadn't held off in the battle," Mareek said, returning the man's gaze with one of his own. "Holding back or full annihilation, I have a hunch that it honestly would've ended the same in this fight... but I see your point with it..."

"And you're thinking about your own match now, are you not?"

Mareek gave him a withering glare at that. It kinda irked him that a complete stranger like this Spaniard could read him like it was absolutely nothing in the world at all, though to be entirely honest, he just got irked whenever he felt people might know what he was thinking in general. "What's it to you?" He asked, more than a bit of curtness lacing his voice. "What, you have bets on the matches or something? Afraid you're gonna be in the poor house or something?"

"Oh no, certainly nothing like that," Galen said. Though I'm impressed, kid, that's actually not too bad of an idea... bit too late now though... "I simply saw you thinking just now and saw your matchup on the announcements yesterday evening... well it wasn't too hard to simply, how do you say, piece the two together."

"Maybe I am, Maybe I'm not..." His younger brother said snidely, his guard now back up as it had been before. The next moment the boy was out of his seat and walking away... "Look, it was nice chatting with you and all, but I've got something to attend to now... so, see ya." Galen said nothing... only watched him leave.

****

"So that's what you need my advice on..." Alexandria remarked as her youngest son sat beside her in the relatively uncrowded area of the stands she'd managed to find earlier that morning. She bridged her fingers as she gave the question some thought, something she commonly did whenever giving heavy consideration to an issue. "You want to know whether you should hold back or not against your friend?"

"Yeah, that's about it..." Mareek answered. "I'm sure you've probably heard the rumors yourself by now, about whose considered the weakest around here..."

"Didn't even have to," his mother said. "I could tell from my first look at her yesterday that the girl wasn't much of a fighter, or at least doesn't seem to be... I wouldn't be surprised if she fails miserably on the battlefield here because of that, but you know Mareek, with everyone else going and pegging the girl to fail here and thinking of her as weak, it's very shitty of you to go jumping on that bandwagon. I thought she was a friend of yours..."

"Mom, you just..." He shook his head, sighing in confusion. "Well you kinda just bashed her yourself and now you're lecturing me about not having any faith?"

"But of course," She answered without sympathy to his vexed expression. "Yes I did just bash her, but I don't know the girl, I'm just going off what I've seen and the intuition for things like this I've gained over all the years. You on the other hand, you're supposed to be her friend, stand by her through thick and thin like a real friend should, and yet you've gone and basically abandoned her as soon as the wolves started prowling, And another thing, even if you went out there and it proved to be a one sided fight, what makes you think it would humiliate her? If anything, a girl would probably handle defeat better than you or any other male, be mature enough to look past the obvious and see their mistakes and think of how to fix them in the future. I have to say, I'm very disappointed, Mariiku-kun, I thought I had raised you to have more integrity than this meager amount you're showing me."

Mars let out an authoritative grunt in agreement with his trainer, sounding like some ancient, angered Japanese shogun shouting out commands as he slammed his iron mit down on the arm rest in mock outrage, looking at Mareek with those piercing eyes...

"Yeah, thanks..." He sighed, "Now I feel like complete shit... you're right though, I guess. I shouldn't be one of the ones betting that she's going to be run straight into the ground. Guess a bit of my own arrogance came back up again without me even realizing it...ironic really, I try not to underestimate any opponent, and yet here I am, doing that exact thing to her"

"Indeed it has," His mother agreed. "Who knows, maybe the girl will surprise everyone and whip you mercilessly, maybe she has a hidden ace up her sleeve, the possibilities for how it can go are just about endless. And yet you were considering going out there later on and holding you punches? did it ever occur to you that that might come off as a bit sexist to some people?"

"Hey, give me at least some credit, mom..." He said, a little angry. "You know that wasn't the reason I was thinking about all this... I just didn't want to humiliate her or anything is all..." He paused, thinking about how his mother had just scolded him for automatically assuming Lana would be humiliated... "And there I go again with the damn arrogance... but you and Mars are right, that would probably just humiliate her in and of itself if she thought I didn't take her seriously... and it would be awkward as hell if she ended up curb stumping my partners out there and I had been holding back our full strength. It would be just like Slade all over again."

"Good to see I've been able to point out your wrongs to you," Alexandra said, eyes on the battle field as Jacob's opponent entered into the arena and cockily threw out his chosen partners. She shook her head at the foolish student's reckless abandon before returning her gaze to her son. "So how do you intend to remedy this? It shouldn't be too difficult if you were smart enough not to say anything that you might've been thinking..."

"Luckily I was," he said. "I won't hold back, not at all, I'll face her like any other opponent and give her the respect she actually deserves as such. Thanks, mom...." He began to rise from his seat, intending to head back to the stadium's corridors to try to find her and wish her luck in their fight later, but Alexandra grabbed hold of his arm tightly, refusing to let him leave just yet.

"And one more thing, my young son," She said simply. "I judge people's strength based on my hunches from all these years, it may seem as though I just go off appearance or other shallow things like that, but I've got real experience behind it, I see body language, how they speak, how they carry themselves, and I take those and construct a power profile out of the information. You on the other hand, are far too young, and lack that life and battle experience that I always use and draw upon when I'm evaluating people. I know you've probably been trying to emulate me here, like you did when you were little as well, but I have to tell you, Mareek... stop trying. This right here is proof that you lack the necessary tools and know how to make it work effectively and accurately."

"A-alright..." He stammered, a bit sheepish that she had known precisely how he'd been sizing up opponents so easily... well, the woman was his mother after all. "Alright, I see your point... I'll stop trying to copy you. But what do you suggest I do then?"

"Use an easier method," His mother said simply, beginning to release her surprisingly powerful grip; restocking the shelves in the City's PokeMart must've built quite a bit of muscle over the years... "Don't judge a book just by it's cover like I can, but instead judge it based on it's actual contents, Mareek. Observe your opponent, and you will learn all that you need to know from how they act and react to things around them, make note of who they are. But just don't allow yourself to start making an evaluation of them before you see how they actually fight." She released him finally, his arm actually throbbing a bit where her hand had been clasped..."You're free to go now."

"I... I'll do that then, thanks..." with that said, he began heading back towards the same stair case he'd used earlier to escape that Kenny guy, taking out Java's ball and speaking to it as he saw Jacob's fight about to begin... "You already know what to do, Java."

The porygon2 did, exiting his ball and into Mareek's Dex, beginning to look for a suitable lookout point in order to keep an eye on the fight as his trainer found the stairs again and began his descent back down to the halls...

[Commander]

Henry ignored Robert's hand and grabbed his cane in one hand to prop himself back on his feet. "Instead of apologizing, maybe you should just learn to be more careful. Seems like people are running into each other more and more these days." He was about to move away, but noticed the troubled look on Robert's face. "You seemed trouble. Please tell me you aren't worried about Shiro. It feels like these episodes happen once a week honestly."

Truthfully, Henry was fully aware that something was up with Shiro, but he tended to keep away from the boy. Whenever something like this came up, he tended to avoid Shiro even more than usual. Besides, he had bigger problems to worry about right now, especially with the tension between him and the crowd. It was rather fortunate no one tried to sabotage him or his team yet. He guessed Ymora had a bit more honor compared to Orre tournaments.

[DarkLight]

{Corona}

The Larvesta squeaked gleefully from underneath Solaris' white fur, making sure she left a part of her head visible so that she could see could see her surroundings. Corona chirped sadly when Shiro ran off of the field in tears. She could sympathize with the shy boy, he deserves a chance to prove himself. "Poor shy guy... If only someone gave him a chance, like how Master gave me one..."

{Danielle}

Danielle frowned as Shiro's team went down; she could have sworn that he was doing better these past few weeks since they met. "This is just one bad news after another, huh? At least Jacob would be okay. That guy is way too arrogant for his own good." She watched as Zared clapped quietly at the previous match before he settled down once more. He seemed more distracted since James asked her about Ryan though. Knowing him, Zared was probably listening in this whole time, just like how Avis was. Danielle could feel her Murkrow's stare at her back.

"Anyways, James, I... Really don't know if I should say it out loud. It's pretty serious..." she looked to Kage to see if he would respond.