Pokémon Academy Chapter 4: Abduction

[Chim]

Phoebe

The water type expert grinned. “Don't worry about the stones just yet. There are other circumstances you'll have to meet. The first one is obvious; strength. Just like any other evolution, your Pokémon's body needs to be capable of wielding all that power. Even if the species can mega evolve, it doesn't mean all of them can.” Phoebe raised a second finger. “The second requirement is the one Professor Sycamore is currently studying. He calls it the bond between trainer and Pokémon, but he basically means trust. If I would do something right now that pisses off Gyarados, I guarantee he won't be able to mega evolve next time. It's the most tricky requirement since it can screw up any time. And the third thing that's mandatory,” she said, still counting on her fingers, “is the one most Pokémon lack; a reason. Or determination. Something needs to trigger their desire to push themselves far beyond their normal limit. It can literally be anything. 'I want to be strong to protect my trainer' or 'I want to destroy the woman who gave me this scar'. Anger is what drives my Gyarados. Last time I faced Veronica, Gyarados swept through her team on sheer force, anger, determination and stubbornness alone.”

She turned around and faced Spytfire. “Desire to become this strong isn't enough. Many Pokémon share that thought. In the forest alone there's a certain Rookie who is like that, but he never managed to take down Sawsbuck despite being equally strong.”

Gyarados roared yet again. That little fire type wanted power? How ridiculous. Same for that Mawile. They both looked like fools hunger for battle. They would never beat someone like him. But at least they weren't so annoying like that little Spheal. The desire to chew on the fat Pokémon was strong...

Phoebe sighed. “You never learn do you?” she asked before recalling the powerhouse. “Sorry about that but it seems like my Gyarados still has issues... Anyway I got to go. See you all later and for those that reach the finals; make sure to embarrass Veronica!”

The next day, 10.30 AM, Danielle vs Evan

“And Danielle is the first to reach the final four! Evan came close but lost his cool early on and made mistakes which costs him the match. His Vaporeon and Clefairy put up a decent fight but Danielle's Mawile and Larvesta pulled through. Congratulations Danielle!” Brand said. “Now the next battle starts between Jacob and Slade. Both of you report to the field!”

((To give people time to react to Danielle's battle, ExLink and Jory post their characters are at the field. Once they had enough time, one of the hosts will make an update 24 hours later with the outcome of that battle. After that ExLink and Jory can keep posting like usual))

[Jory]

{Jacob vs. Slade}

Jacob walked out of the waiting room, determined to move on in the tournament. There's no way I'm getting knocked out this early, he thought to himself. Especially not after seeing Phoebe's Gyarados. Spitfyre's going to be even stronger than that someday. It's important that we show that strength! The teen moved into his place on the field, preparing for the battle.

[Aurorix]

'Welp, here goes nothing.' Slade thought to himself as he made his way to the field. He was pretty sure he wasn't going to go any further judging by the way their last battle went. Though that won't stop him from giving it his all and trying to come out on top.

[Sutoratosu]

"And there they go..." Mareek mused as he lounged in one of the chairs in the waiting room, the screen blaring overhead as the latest match was called. The area he had chosen to occupy today was one near the very back wall of the room, with barely anyone besides his own team in earshot. He'd honestly had far more than enough of the strange stares he got whenever people thought he was carrying on full conversations with himself. He wore no jacket today, the only one he had really cared for having to be trashed thanks to the grievous stains that, while true, he could've just ignored, would likely have raised future questions from people who noticed, questions Mareek honestly didn't care to have to answer over and over again. Instead he wore a zippered, high collared hoodie the color of a fresh snow drift, the bolded words Dr. Sisto scrawled across the right breast and Silph Company across the back as if branded by a hot iron. Oddly enough the garment still carried the faintest trace of the scent of the cologne of it's last owner... something Mareek couldn't help but find a bit comforting even despite the sparse memories it brought back.

"So Java," he asked, turning his attention to the Cubone and Porygon2 sitting nearby, watching the screen. "What's this master plan you were going on and on about at breakfast? The one about Conversion2 or whatever it was..."

"I already explained it twice..." Java said, brow furrowed. He nodded at the sleeping riolu curled up in the patterned bundle of woolen cloth in Mareek's lap, near contemptuous as he went on. "You would've heard it had you not have been too busy caring for the cripple."

"And I guess I also would've heard how you were giving me the occasional few suggestions about it all the while earlier, too, now wouldn't I?" Java had no response to that one, simply looking away at having the retort thrown in his face. "Well, go on. She's asleep now, so not like we're very busy at the moment."

"The plan is too stop holding back whenever Conversion2 is used by myself." Java sighed, rolling his eyes. "So far we've been using it in the same manner that we did to train my reaction time. Well it's increased as high as it can go, so there's no point in doing it like that anymore. The competition from this point forward will only get more formidable, especially him..." The program gestured with his tail towards Jacob's face on the television overhead. "Hence we have no reason to continue like we have been-"

"Get to the point."

"The gist is that I stop waiting for attacks to make impact. This more or less allows me to shift types as necessary and as a result have no vulnerabilities against any particular type at a given time. I basically start adapting to whatever the foe uses the moment they use it- without the ability to actively rely on super-effectiveness, any fight I'm in will be one of pure attrition, and with the training we've done so far..."

"Alright, great. Then do it, and stop talking about." The boy looked over to the ground type. "How's Chidori Blade going? I know you've definitely gotten Thunder Punch down..." "Yeah, thanks to how you decided to freaking wake me this morning..." He still felt a bit stiff in his left arm and leg, the welt on his shoulder still throbbing a bit now that he thought about the pain.

"Cube!" Nemo responded, leaping up to his feet and holding out his palm, focusing as a sound rivaling the chirping of a thousand birds began to fill the seating area, his entire palm cloaked in a blazing blue aura, sparks leaping and crackling. He moved the electrified mit over to his side, as if drawing a sword, then the next moment he wiped it about in single fluid motion, the teal length of a Bone Rush attack materializing and crackling with the same power that was congealed in his palm. Mareek's face was cast in the bright blue light as Nemo held it up high before releasing his grip and letting it all dissipate into nothingness, ground type energy and lightning both.

"Well, good then..." Mareek said as he recalled the young Swordsman, tucking his capsule back into the hoodie as he turned his attention to Java. "You did a pretty good job teaching him... maybe what you want to do out there won't be so impossible after all if he's mastered the blade work."

"Yes, well... we can only hope he doesn't screw it up." and with that said, both of them gazed up at the fight about to begin... though they both knew full well who was likely to emerge on top right from the get-go.

[Felicity]

Claude

Claude was amidst the crowd, watching the action from the audiences perspective now that he was out of the running. He cheered alongside the rest of the audience in excitement as he watched his classmates demonstrate their skills. Only Doux was out of his pokeball today but Claude had considered taking another hike later, the last one being so cathartic.

Alvin

Despite not being a competitor any more, a young boy rudely marched up to Mareek. Alvin seemed rather agitated, no doubt angry at himself for losing for no good reason yesterday when all the odds were in his favour. He needed desperately to distract himself and it looked like he had found out how. "You, Mareek Sisto. I want to see your Scyther."

[Sutoratosu]

"And look who pops out of nowhere..." Mareek thought as he gave the briefest of glances towards Alvin. "I really don't feel like talking to him after seeing the guy completely self-destruct yesterday, especially when he just marches up and starts demanding shit. But... guess it's better to just see what he wants so that he'll go away." "Yeah, fine I guess..." He sighed, turning to face the miffed Bug Catcher fully as he produced Erce's capsule from his hoodie. In a flash of white, the Scyther soon stood inbetween the two students. She gave a single look to Mareek, vexed as to why the boy had released her from the device's confines.

"What do you want with her though?" Mareek asked, ignoring the questioning stare. "If it's not too much to ask..."

[DarkLight]

Danielle had rushed off to the medical ward after her battle with Evan was finished. After dropping off her Mawile and Larvesta's Pokeballs off with the nurse, she took a seat right in front of the screen and let out a jubilant Murkrow from her Dusk Ball. "Yes yes Avis, they won. But it was tough due to our water weakness in our team so far." Danielle looked up at the screen, watching as Jacob and Slade took their places on their battlefield. " We really need to find a grass type after this tournament is over."

[Commander]

While the tournament was going on, Henry didn't even bother visiting the stadium. His fight was over so there was no point. Even if he wanted to learn about his competitors, this site he heard about would have the battles on there. The boy made his way over to a lone tree, one he had visited many times, and began to train once again. He had trained in this exact spot many times to the point he referred to it as his usual spot. Burrows was out trying to hit Techie with a Metal Claw, but the ghost easily maneuvered around every attempt to make a scratch. Henry learned from his battle with Danielle there was a fatal flaw in his team, just like the battle with Ryan. Just like before, he watched his team to figure out a way to resolve this issue.

"So that's where you went off to. You couldn't even give us a simple good-bye." Henry turned to see Citrine trying her best to give an angry face. It didn't really work as she turned back to her happy self. "I forgive you though. I'm pretty much used to you being like this."

"Good. Then you'll leave me in peace," responded the boy.

"Don't be like that Henry. I know you enjoy the company. That's not what I'm here for. I came to give you an early birthday present." Citrine tossed one of the Poke Balls from her belt.

"I...I can't accept this." Henry caught the Poke ball in his free hand and was about to toss it back.

"Don't you dare!" yelled Citrine. The coordinator halted a bit surprised by her outburst. "I know what you said before, but you were wrong about something. He's not my Pokemon, he's yours."

"You're just being foolish. You're the one who raised him all those years though," responded Henry quite calmly.

"No, all I ever did was keep him safe and alive. You were the one that raised him. Before he met you, Zuko was nothing but a coward. He got that from me. After...I'd seen what he had done, I could never give him an order. I would freeze up and still do when giving him an order. The though of...it...happening again is all I can think of. Everything changed when we made that deal. I know you probably pushed him too hard, but Zuko was determined to get stronger and give his all in every battle. He trusted you and looked up to you. Must've been that stubborn nature of yours or something. Must be contagious or something." Citrine couldn't help but tease about the similarities between the two.

"That still doesn't mean you can't do the same. It honestly isn't that hard."

"That's the thing though. I'm not you. I heard about you're little accident about why you have to walk around with that cane. If something like that happened to me, I...probably would let Zuko go. I don't know how you do it. Even after that incident, you still trusted him, and even taught him how to control that Heat Wave move he has. I mean.."

"Alright, I'll take him. Just please stop blabbering. It's getting on my nerves." Henry already heard enough of to know he didn't have a choice.

"Thank you, Henry. I could just hug you right now."

"Please don't."

"Wow, you really are in a grumpy mood. It can't be about that loss since you kind of faked that loss anyways. That Dribur of yours could've taken an attack or two more. It's almost as if you like to lose." Citrine noticed Henry was a bit angered by this. "What did I say this time?"

"Nothing...I just have a feeling something bad happened yesterday...more like a lot of bad things. Maybe I should go talk with Evan or Danielle before they battle," mumbled the Coordinator.

"It's a bit late for that. They fight just ended a few minutes ago. That boy lost and he screwed up big time. I think he was kind of upset."

"...It all makes sense now. Well played shadows, well played. Can't do anything about it now I suppose."

"And you're being weird again. I guess that's my cue to leave," Citrine turned and was ready to tail when she remembered something. "By the way, Henry, I promised Zuko you'd give him an all you can eat buffet today." Knowing what was coming, the girl booked it out of there as if her life was in danger.

"What am I going to do with you?" Henry then turned to his two pokemon focused on fighting. "Training is over for now. I have to go find Danielle and tell her something I regret hiding." Burrow griped a bit, but followed behind Henry as they made their way back to the stadium.

[Azeria]

James had taken to sitting in the waiting room,he prefered somewhere quiter since sitting in a seat with a large crowd shouting and cheering disturbed him a bit. Growing up in a rather isolated town didnt help with that. The match from yesterday didnt help that much either but that feeling was more present within Shade than him,the ghost was the one who got beaten down to a crispy possesed cloth. "Might aswell just stay here and watch the matches I guess...."He muttered to himself before opening his Pokedex and scrolling over to the Magikarp page,He'd need help training Leviathan of course,as strong as Gyarados were,training a Magikarp enough for it to evolve was one of the hardest things you could do.

[Felicity]

Mareek

"I wish to see what differentiates your scyther from others of the species. Your Scyther knows the move Vacuum wave yes? That is a rather rare move for the species to have, given the much more viable options." Alvin rattled off as he stepped over, pulling out a measuring tape and a camera to record his findings. He began measuring wing span, length of Erces scythes, texture of her hide and spoke softly into the camera with his analysis.

Danielle

Thrilled at her room-mates success, Lana went to congratulate Danielle, guessing she would be there after the fight. Lana hadn't been able to find Raiza that morning so she wanted t find someone to talk to anyway. "Danielle! Congratulations..."

James

Phoebe, ever one to keep up with the recent gossip, had heard of a certain students capture of a Magikarp. And that student had decided to come to the waiting room of all places... Normally Phoebe would have removed him from the room, it was meant for contestants after all but maybe he had a reason for being there? The other boy, the bug maniac everyone avoided, certainly looked busy... "Hiya Gramps, why are you in here? I heard you caught yourself a new pokemon" She said as she plopped herself down into a seat next to James.

[Azeria]

Phoebe

"Eh,I feel really uncomfortable in the stands with all the others,too noisy for my liking. Blame it on where I grew up but having lived in really quiet areas all my life,I'm just not used to it."James said while looking over to Phoebe. "And yeah,I got a Magikarp,well more likely he got me in a way....."He was reminded of just how the red fish had made it's entrance....."I actually wanted to ask you for help on how to train him yesterday but I didnt get the chance to do that."He put his pokedex back into the pocket that he had designated for it.

Edited May 4, 2015 by Azeria

[Tacos]

Ryan sat in the weighting room, completely zoned out, as he held Glacien tight in his hands. He had realized he hadn't been paying much attention to the naive Spheal's actions towards Phoebe's Gyarados. So, to compensate, he was showering his pokemon in affection, completely forgetting that the battles were coming by quickly, and it wouldn't be long until he had to battle Raiza.

[Sutoratosu]

Mareek watched on in silence as Erce fidgeted at every touch from the Bug Maniac, shaking his head and sighing all the while "Damn it Alvin. Of all the things you could've possibly done..." He knew he should also blame himself though... after all, he should've anticipated this would precisely what the boy intended to do, all things considered. Both Java and the crippled fighting type in his lap were recalled in a flash of crimson as he got up.

ERCE

Erce didn't know how long she could keep it up with this little weirdo so insistent on putting his damn hands on her, acting just like that accented man with his tape measurer and recorder and his commentary on her features like she was some mere specimen under a microscope. She could barely stand Mareek doing such a thing, and luckily the boy hadn't, not after the results of the first time. But yet here this fool was... the same expression on his face, the same look of gross intrigue in those eyes....

"Scy..." she hissed lowly as Alvin went on, fighting the subtle urge to just raise one scythe and eng the damn 'examination in one fell swoop. Her claw fidgeted at her side, a scowl on her dragon like face, fangs bared as the bug trainer still failed to get the message...

MAREEK

"This has gone far enough." Mareek said, stepping in between Alvin and Erce the moment he saw her aggression begin to rise. He didn't need to look around to know she was already lowering her lethal weapons. She made a mistake with them around him once...

Mareek meanwhile glared hard at Alvin, eye's cool as glaciers as he debated whether or not to show it just to drive the idiot off. Very few people knew about it, and not of them aside from Erce and his own mother here were among them. No one, not even Lana, not even Nemo. Even Java knew absolutely nothing about it. He had vowed he wouldn't do it as a way to let her live it down and not feel guilty. It was the reason he made sure to keep his hair at the length he did. The reason why he always refused to let anyone other than himself cut it or even mess with it. But he already knew that if he didn't, Alvin would be back eventually, and they'd just have the same issue pop up down the road.

"I'm sorry about this, Erce..." He thought, glancing at the giant mantis briefly before turning to Alvin. "You say you want to examine her? Well too damn bad, I'm not going to sit here and let that happen..." He brought his hand up and brushed aside the hair on one side of his head, grabbing hold of it in a fist and raising the stuff up. Erce's eyes lit up and her jaw gaped when she realized what he was doing. "Because this is what when people 'Examine' Erce like she's some peice of property to be bought and sold..."

It was soon visible from the Bug Catcher's viewpoint what he was talking about. A long, smooth semi-crescent scar arced from behind the top of Mareek's right ear across his temple and onto the very top of his fore head just beneath the hairline, stopping over top the right eye brow. It looked as though it had been bad once, though from the slight fading present the thing had healed years and years ago, even despite still being easily visible from even a few feet away.

"I got this because I was standing right next to her while some strange girl who was a bit too fond of bug types was gawking over her and "Examining" her, just like you were a few moments ago..." Mareek continued, letting go of the hair and fixing it back into place over the region, completely concealing the old memento. "An interesting thing I learned from it though: Moves like Wish and Heal Pulse can potentially leave behind scars of whatever they fix...go figure."

[DarkLight]

{Lana}

Avis was the first to respond to Lana's voice, flying over to her human roommate and crowing proudly as if she was the one that participated in the last match. It wasn't until Danielle got a hold of her small frame that the Murkrow finally went silent. Maybe that Dusk Stone wasn't a bad idea after all... Then Danielle couldn't grab her so easily... All of the evolutions that had taken place so far looked pretty cool and badass... Except maybe Java's; Avis wouldn't want to go through another puberty stage.

Avis' obnoxious voice had broken Danielle out of her thoughts and allowed her to witness her flying type showing off in front of Lana. She got up and pulled her Murkrow back down to give her roommate some space to breathe. "Lana knows that you weren't in the match, so don't even try to trick her." she chided her bird. After Avis finally calmed down, Danielle beamed at Lana. "And thank you, Lana! The credit goes to Zared and Corona though... With a little luck." she frowned a little at the thought. "To be honest, Evan should have had that match since my team has a disadvantage against his but... he seemed to be out of it as the battle dragged on..."

[Commander]

Henry eventually found his way into the healing center using Rosie's hearing to follow Danielle's voice. He only caught the last little bit, but that's all he needed to hear. It confirmed his fear that Evan lost when he could've easily won. "Sorry to interrupt your little conversation here," Henry spoke out to the two girls. "Danielle, after our battle, you asked me a couple of things of what was going on. Turns out that hiding what I knew turned a bad situation into a worse one." Henry looked over and saw a show was about to go off between Alvis and Mareek. "It also might be a good idea to keep what I tell you away from Mareek, Jacob, and Slade. It won't bring anything good to the table...especially Mareek."

[Felicity]

Mareek

Alvin turned off the camera before Mareek revealed the scar. Alvins face was expressionless, unsympathetic to Mareeks revelation. "All I see is the result of an uncontrolled pokemon." He said bluntly. "Of course no one likes being considered a test subject, who's worth is based solely on the merit of the information one can gleam from them. Who could?" Alvin continued. "However, that information is important and if it can be used to further our understanding of one another, the discomfort of the subject is negligible. Raise whatever ethical issues you may, I'm well aware, but if there were any to worry about you would have been informed about them." Throughout his tirade Alvins eyes never wavered, this was one thing that he would never budge on, even if it concerned one of the beloved bugs.

James

"Advice huh? Well, I'll tell you the same thing I told you yesterday with my Gyarados." Phoebe said. This factor was very important for a trainer and their Magikarp. "build up a trusting, respectful relationship. One day that Magikarp is going to get a whole lot of power it doesn't have any experience using and you need that trust to make sure it doesn't go berserk. That is the single most important thing to establish first. Then you work on raising its power., understand Gramps?" Phoebe explained.

Danielle

"I'm sure Avis worked hard cheering for her team-mates" Lana giggled. "And congrats to Zared and Corona too" She said with a smile. Then the topic of Evan was brought up and Henry came by. "Ah, hello Henry... What do you mean by that?" She asked meekly. She remembered her conversations with Mareek...

[Azeria]

Phoebe

"Seems fair enough,Believe me,those ancient myths they tell about Gyarados coming into the mainlands of regions and destroying cities within days in their rage are enough to make me want to bond with him,I'd rather not have an all destroying Pseudo Dragon that wants to smash everything that peeves it of...."James said back while he looked at the pokeball that contained Leviathan..a bond was something he consistently talked about and he'd make damn sure that it wouldnt be different with Leviathan.

[Jory]

Arena {Slade vs. Jacob}

In front of Jacob and Slade a new battlefield arose from the ground. It looked pretty normal except that this time also parts of the grounds between the field and the audience were replaced and soon they were surrounded by molten lava. The temperature sky rocketed and people on the front seats already started to sweat.

But this field also had safety measures; Pokémon couldn't get knocked into the lava. A metal construction made sure to guarantee a Pokémon's safety, but of course it couldn't stop a fire type from diving straight into it. There was one downside; the bars were incredibly hot so burns were more likely to happen.

"Alright Spitfyre, let's show'em what we're made of! Come out and play!" Jacob shouted as he released his Charmeleon. The Ball Capsule burst in a swirling vortex of orange and blue flames. Spitfyre roared and shot flames in the air. He earned a cheer of approval from the audience, who remembered the Fire-type from his quick victory against Nadia in the previous round.

"Flare, lets show them how bright we shine together! Come on out!" Slade yelled. He threw his Arcanine's Ball onto the field, releasing the Legendary Pokemon in a shower of white sparkles. The crowd shouted in excitement as the powerhouses of each team squared up to start off the match.

Announcers' Booth {Slade vs. Jacob}

"Wow!" exclaimed Marco. "Looks like things are really heating up in this lava-filled battle of the burners!" he said quickly.

Brand chuckled, grabbing his mic from its holder and staring into a non-existent camera. "Things are about to get hot and spicy despite the weather here at the second match of the Ymora Academy Winter Cup's Quarter Finals!"

Arena {Slade vs. Jacob}

After exchanging small talk, Slade and Jacob began their battle in earnest! Spitfyre charged toward the opposing Arcanine, trailing smoke from his mouth as he went. It blanketed the field, creating an environment with low vision. Suddenly, the Charmeleon leapt through the air and landed just before Flare, swinging a vicious Iron Tail at his foe!

However, thanks to his Odor Sleuth attack, Flare was able to locate and dodge his opponent through the smoke. "Show him our bark isn't nearly as loud as our bite!" Slade ordered as the Fire hound went on the offensive, lunging toward Spitfyre with his fangs outstretched...

Only to find that the Charmeleon wasn't there anymore! Thanks to a slick bit of footwork from his partner, Jacob's strategy paid off and Spitfyre ended up in the perfect position for a counterattack. His chest swelled and he fired a Dragon Rage directly upward, sending Flare tumbling backward across the field!

Announcers' Booth {Slade vs. Jacob}

"HOLY GUACAMOLE!" Marcus screamed into the mic. "What a stupendous opening attack from Jacob Robertson and Spitfyre, who we've come to expect big things from in the short time he's been on our radar!"

Brand shook his head. How dare he steal my thunder like that! he though angrily. "And not to mention how steamy it looked on that lava field!" Ha, I showed him. Suck it, Marcus, he thought smugly.

Arena {Slade vs. Jacob}

Despite tumbling backward for a few yards the Arcanine regained his footing, looking fit and ready to fight. Suddenly, Flare was on the move again, darting side to side with Agility as he readied another Bite attack!

Jacob shouted for defensive strategies to be implemented and Spitfyre put his tail in front of his body, catching the Arcanine's fangs with his flaming appendage. He then grabbed onto the canine's mane and fired another Dragon Rage at close range, sending him rolling backward once more.

However, true to form the Aracanine got up once more. Blue orbs surrounded his body as he charged in with a Reversal attack, intending to turn the tide of the battle. Just before he reached Spitfyre he feinted, trying to draw out a counter move.

Thinking quickly, Jacob ordered Spitfyre to use Dig to avoid the Reversal. Thanks to the feint, the Charmeleon had enough time to fully submerge himself and dodge the attack! A shocked gasp came up from the crowd as another Dragon Rage shot out of the hole, threatening to KO the Arcanine!

Luckily, Slade reacted quickly and ordered Flare to dodge using the speed from his accumulated Agilitys. His nose glowed once more as he used Odor Sleuth to lock onto the Charmeleon's position underground, but he was unable to do anything about it except ready another Reversal.

The response from Spitfyre was clear as another Dragon Rage roared past the Arcanine: I'm not going anywhere. So, Slade's partner fired a Flame Burst into the hole to try and flush out the Flame Lizard once and for all!

The break in Reversals was all the Charmeleon needed as he surfaced with a powerful Dig attack, taking only marginal damage from the flames as he slammed into the Arcanine's abdomen.

Despite being badly hurt, Flare got up, ready and willing to fight. "Ok, I get it Flare. Show them your true burning spirit!" Slade shouted. The canine seemed to grin as he sprinted at his opponent, readying his Reversal attack. It sparked white white energy as he ran, his fatigue and pain fueling it to its maximum power.

Jacob pumped his fist and shouted across the field, "This is what it's all about, Slade! Let's give these people a battle they'll remember all year!" He looked toward Spitfyre, who stood resolutely in the face of the incoming attack. His chest swelled with blue flame and he cocked his head back, the fire beginning to escape out the back of his jaw as he prepared a powerful blast. "Spitfyre, Dragon Rage!" Jacob ordered. The Charmeleon let the blast go just as Flare's attack impacted, meeting it head-on. A shockwave came out of the impact, followed by a cloud of dust being thrown violently in the air. As the dust cleared, Spitfyre could be seen getting up while the Arcanine walked out of the dust cloud.

Flare collapsed, unable to battle anymore, while Spitfyre's Blaze ability activated!

Announcers' Booth {Slade vs. Jacob}

"WHAT AN INCREDIBLE FINISH!" Marco shouted. Brand scrambled toward him to get the mic while Marco leaned back in his chair and held it high over his head. Looks like there wouldn't be any more commentary for just now!

Arena {Slade vs. Jacob}

Slade sent out his Frogadier. After a flurry of exchanged attacks, Sasuke finally managed to bring down Spitfyre. However, only half of Slade's work was done. Chalchi was sent out and used Rain Dance immediately while Sasuke tried to get in close. However, the Lapras's large, cold body made it difficult even for Sasuke's Grass Knot to do a ton of damage! He kept diving into the holes made by his Grass Knot, narrowly avoiding several Body Slams from the Lapras. His luck ran out when he got trapped underground underneath the Lapras. With a huge attack, the Lapras was able to KO the Frogadier.

Announcers' Booth {Slade vs. Jacob- Jacob's Victory}

Brand finally got the mic from Marco, his excitement boiling over. "Wow! What an amazing battle between two determined young men! But it's Jacob Robertson, who started the tournament as the favorite, who will be moving on to the semi-final round, where he will face Danielle, the small Coordinator with a huge set of pipes!"

[Sutoratosu]

"Uncontrollable? Fuck you, Beetle..." "Hey alvin, you know about the Celadon Game corner....?" He paused, realizing from the look in the other boy's eyes it would be like talking to a brick wall. He would only be wasting his breath sitting here and trying to explain that Erce's disdain and aggresion in the matter wasn't a question of simple obedience or control, trying to explain all the complexities of what Rocket had done to ensure prize quality within their main front establishment and so on and so forth...and what effects it would've had on those Pokemon held captive for it.

"On second thought, nevermind-" The boy turned and recalled Erce as he started walking away, stopping in the door on his way out. "Forget it, You've gotten what you wanted, right? Then we're done here." And without another word, Mareek headed off towards the medical center, figuring he might as well go get the Riolu checked out and get some advice... though quite honestly he was just glad to have just about any errand that would get him away from the Bug Maniac.

"God help us all if he follows me though... God help us all."

[DarkLight]

{Lana and Henry}

Danielle raised an eyebrow at Henry's request. She then turned back to the screen to see a part of the match, contemplating on the offer. If Henry found something to be dangerous, it must mean something, especially since the Orre native is never one to hand out information just to strike a conversation. Still, the thought of withholding potential key clues from her best friends doesn't sit well with her.

Avis gave her master a light peck on the finger and gestured over to her companions. To her, it's worth hearing Henry out whether Danielle could tell the boys or not.The more information on the pest, the better. And who is to say that she couldn't tell the boys' Pokemon about this?

The Murkrow's trainer gave the bird a pat and nodded to Henry's suggestion. "Alright, I'll bite. If it is as bad you say it is, I'll listen to what you have to say."

[Jory]

{Jacob vs. Slade- Aftermath}

Jacob walked to the middle of the field after returning Chalchi to her Ball. "That was a great match, Slade. You've really improved since the last time we fought." He then bowed gracefully and waved to the crowd before walking back down the tunnel and into the waiting room.

[Commander]

(Danielle and Lana)

"I'll keep it simple so that this all goes through that thick head of yours," spoke the coordinator. "I didn't think it mattered at the time, but anyways, this happened back during that dragon field trip. Before that stam...incident happened," He held back as he as he thought Lana wouldn't really want to recall those events considering they belonged to her family. "I actually met with Evan a bit earlier. He had a Water Stone with him that wasn't from the lab, but from a 'friend.' He seemed to want to get rid of it, but when I offered to take it off his hands, he refused."

All of Henry's Pokemon, except Paradox, looked at Henry in annoyance. It was just a stupid rock. There was no way this could be more important than any of that other stuff that was going on. Henry wasn't too happy with this. "I have a feeling that these gifts of a Water Stone, Skarmory, and Zubat were all from the same person. A puppet master you could say. It was a fear I ignored a while back, but it's not too out there that this puppet master is trying to turn Evan into a power hungry trainer. I'm not even sure Evan himself realizes it yet. I still don't know why though."

Henry silenced himself for a moment looking around to make sure no one of the few he mentioned earlier were listening. "I'm only telling you this because I don't know what will happen. I once beat a power-hungry trainer once back in Orre and that arrogance nearly killed Rosie...it also destroyed the trainer inside me. Since you beat Evan in a battle this big, these 'friends' of his might use that to their advantage. It's probably best to avoid Evan at all costs at this point. Some of your friends might overreact to these things...and probably make it worse than it already is." Henry then moved closer to Danielle to make sure Lana couldn't hear. "We are on damn thin ice here. If you want to save that boy, you better pick who to trust carefully. These are smart and very dangerous people we're talking about, not some silly bug catchers."

Henry then stepped back noticing the Rotom flying around Henry's head. "Oh, I guess you two never really met Techie. He's a bit of a troublemaker I found yesterday. He's actually helped me look up a few things lately for strategies on the internet." And other things I shouldn't mention.

[Jory]

{Announcers' Booth- Marco & Brand}

"Well ladies and gents, even after such an exciting bout we still have a few left in this round! Would Ryan Johnson and Raiza Marson please report to the battlefield and take their starting positions?" Marco said excitedly, nearly toppling Brand over in an attempt to be the only one with access to the mic.

((Tacos, gotta get yer butts to the field!))

{Raiza}

The teen entered the Arena and stood in her place, waiting for Ryan to arrive so they could start their battle.

[Aurorix]

{Jacob vs. Slade- Aftermath, then Danielle, Henry and Lana}

"You too Jacob." Slade said to Jacob before leaving the field. He then headed off to the pokemon center to heal his wounded pokemon. He entered after Henry had finished explaining so he heard nothing of it or if Danielle/Lana were to comment as well. He didn't even notice them, he was too focused on getting his pokemon healed. As he waited he thought to himself about the field trip to the mountains. Mainly the talk he had with the quote on quote "Team Rocket". He remembered them saying he was looking for power and a way to not have people suffer like he did. Maybe there was truth in what they were saying, and he just said no because he didn't want to admit it to himself. Was he just a immature kid who ran away from home in search of power. As he thought about it he mumbled to himself in a rather soft voice, "What if I did join them when I was there?"

[Felicity]

James

"Well, you're more mature than most of the trainers in your year, ya nerd" Phoebe commented, somewhat impressed. Most trainers started this with eyes sparkling with ambition, entranced by the idea of having this all powerful squad of minions at their disposal. It's why the Dragon trip was needed to limit how many dangerous pokemon were running around.

Mareek

"Whatever the reason, you still didn't keep a control on your Scyther. Independence in pokemon is one thing but in the end they're yours to control. What do you think they were trying to tell us during that Boulder hills trip?" Alvin called out, irritated at this boy. "One day letting your pokemon act on their own will hurt those around you!"

((Yes, I'm completely meta-gaming here with the Nemo/Java thing but... Co-Host))

Lana group

Lana chose to not comment on Henrys advice. Lana didn't know how to feel about the whole situation with Evan, she'd rather avoid it completely. So she took up the chance to greet Henrys new friend. "Hello Techi, I'm Lana. Nice to meet you!" Lana went to try and... pet the Rotom? until she realised she did not know how to interact with it at all. After a momentary hesitation she withdrew her arm she had extended the moment beforehand.