Will?

  Interesting.

  I can see what they mean. Katy and Dendra are the closest trainers in terms of strength and talent in the group stage. Two talented trainers, although inexperienced, with a strong core pokemon each, and two other pokemon who are on the cusp of becoming threats themselves. On the surface, they appear identical. Accordingly, the one who tries harder and goes further will probably win.

  I also noticed that those three started talking just as the two trainers left the room, and before they could hear what’s happening on the battlefield. Katy and Dendra didn’t listen to the quick tip they just gave.

  After some minutes, the two opponents reached their place, and my attention drifted as I watched the arbiter doing some last-minute checks on the battlefield.

  There’s little chance that they will release their starters in the beginning, which leaves Dendra with Hawlucha and Krokorok, and Katy with Ducklett and Wimpod.

  Instinctively, I would release Hawlucha to try to swipe both Ducklett and Wimpod. Knowing that, Katy would have to release Ducklett, make it a straight fight between flying types. But then maybe she would plan something to take Hawlucha out fast with her Ducklett. Maybe release Krokorok, adapt his ground weakness to water against Ducklett, and try to tire her up for Hawlucha. Possible, but unlikely. It’s really difficult to surpass type disadvantage so early in the journey.

  A headache was threatening to start, so I abandoned pre-battle thoughts and resigned myself to just enjoy the match. The analysis could come later.

  The two trainers finally raised their pokeballs in their respective spots outside the white lines of the battlefield. A gesture from the arbiter, and they released their pokemon.

  “A bold strategy by Trainer Dendra,” William commented.

  Akashi grunted.

  Dendra’s Krokorok leered at Katy’s Ducklett. Ress against Asha.

  The arbiter waved his arm and the match started.

  Asha opened her wings and took to the skies as Ress advanced to the center of the battlefield while keeping an eye on her. The flying pokemon circled the dark type until Katy finally gave a command.

  The Ducklett dived near the Krokorok and, with water energy condensed in her mouth, unleashed pulsing circles of water into the ground type. The Water Pulse was strong, but just as strong was the Sand Tomb twister that Ress created in front of it.

  The sand disrupted the pulse and seized the water. A simple application of ground energy later, and the Krokorok turned sand into soil, mixing it with water, creating a stockpile of mud around the dark-type for free.

  The Krokorok didn’t use it instantly as I thought he would. He swung his arms forward and launched two volleys of Swift. The normal type energy stars hunted the blue pokemon across the sky, the camera expertly swerving to one side and another as it followed the aerial pokemon, Most of the stars just ran out of energy, and the rest crashed into the ground when Asha dived again.

  Meanwhile, Ress was turning around as he followed the flying pokemon. His attentiveness payed off and he dodged to the ground as a pressurised Water Gun capable of cutting rocks sliced the ground behind him.

  I thought that he would use Dig, but instead he stood up and withstood a surprise Wing Attack with his arms crossed. The cameraman focused on the ground type, and he scowled before suddenly smirking.

  Since there was a struggle between the attack trying to force its way into the Krokorok’s body and his defense, it gave him time to use the mud around him. A Mud Shot flew from his tail, a never seen before tactic from Dendra, and hit the flying pokemon.

  Any other pokemon would have abandoned its attack and rolled with the strike, understanding that they would have to try again later. Asha didn’t.

  The pokemon took the hit with a small quack.

  Instead of flying away, she pushed even more energy into her wings, breaking through the guard and striking the desert pokemon on his chest. Asha landed behind him while Ress fell to the ground.

  The Krokorok quickly look back, and dodged a quick Water Gun aimed for his head. The move instead hit his left arm, damaging it but barely pushing him back. Ress stood up and, enraged like the dark type he is, pushed his legs and leaped towards the water type for a Bite. The duck hopped away from his dark energy infused jaw. Before she could flap its wings, however, Ress grasped the mud on the ground with his good arm and landed a Mud Shot on her back.

  Asha landed again with a quack, and the crocodile jumped on her again.

  Katy and Dendra, on the small screens to the side of the main one, both screamed something to their own pokemon, and a melee began. It started with the red and black pokemon using his one functional arm clad with Hone Claw to grab the smaller pokemon, but only managed to tear into her body.

  Asha, at the same time, struck back with a Wing Attack to his head. The Krokorok was stunned but still lunged forward. He was almost biting when Asha pushed him back with a powerful Gust.

  Ress jaw shut down as he was sent flying away from the Ducklett. Asha, grabbing the opportunity, flapped her wings to get away. But just grunted when a narrow pillar of mud—the smallest quantity Ress could control so far away from her—grabbed one of her legs and solidified, leaving her literally sitting duck in front of her opponent.

  Ress grinned like the predator he was and with a stomp of his leg sent energy to the ground. A rock wall rose from the ground in front of him and rapidly advanced at the trapped pokemon. The unbending wave was quickly covering the Ducklett in shadows, ready to win the battle.

  My eyes flicked to Katy’s camera and I saw dread. I could see it. The effective Rock Tomb would break Asha’s wings, maybe also her body, and possibly fainting her. I looked back to the battle, and got a chill when I recognized a gathering of flying energy turn into a familiar move.

  Aerial Ace is a move that propels its user so fast that they seemingly disappear. At a high mastery it can be extremely effective as a primary damage dealer move for flying pokemon, replacing the slower Wing Attack. Asha was not there yet. She didn’t have the stamina to use it many times, but she could use.

  Even if it broke her leg.

  The pokemon disappeared on the screen, but the sound equipment somehow captured a cry of pain and the sound of a bone snapping thought the sheer force generated by Aerial Ace. The rock wall crashed harmlessly through nothing into the ground, and the Krokorok’s enormous jaw hit the floor.

  Dendra screamed something, but the pokemon was too surprised—or astonished—and a Water Pulse struck him on his back from the wincing flying pokemon.

  The move violently vibrated his entire reptilian body with water and water energy. The impact and rebound, as well as the effective water energy and the previous damages, was too much for the recently evolved pokemon.

  Ress fell forward on the muddy ground, his body relaxing as he fainted.

  The two opposing trainers were shocked at the quick reversal. The announcer broke the shock by declaring Asha the victor of this battle. The flying water type landed with just one leg. She was panting with exhaustion from the Aerial Ace and wincing in pain from her broken leg. It didn't matter to her, she was the winner.

  I understood now. Those three weren’t talking about the trainers necessarily. Asha showed a desire for victory that not even her trainer had yet.

  Finally, Dendra recovered her fainted pokemon and released her second pokemon of the match. The Hawlucha appeared above the field and slowly floated down. Cross looked at the agonizing Asha and grunted as he quickly deduced that Ress had lost.

  The battle quickly started, and Asha once again took to the skies.

  Cross watched as she slowly rose in the air, her velocity sapped by the use of Aerial Ace. Then, his body erupted with flying type energy. He bend his legs and pushed, disappearing with a burst of flying energy.

  Having seen firsthand how effective Cape was with Aerial Ace in Azalea, he’d seemed to have developed his own Aerial Ace, and it was fair to say he made some personal adjustments. The Hawlucha reappeared, now with an agitated Ducklett in a grapple. Green wings flapped awkwardly and the two fighters were shooting towards the ground.

  A fighting type favorite, slamming his opponents on the ground.

  Katy screamed something, and the Ducklett used gust. Cross didn't let go, and the two flying pokemon began to spin in the air. Asha, with her good leg, began to stomp at the fighting type holding her. Cross trying to get a better position, crawled around her—weathering the stomps—and held her with a headlock, which seemed to be the plan.

  Katy’s pokemon eyes darted around, trying to find a way out. She didn't, and instead started to madly used Wing Attack on her own neck, hurting Hawlucha’s arm. But also hurting her head from the recoil.

  She didn’t stop even as Katy was scrambling for her pokeball.

  The ground came closer.

  She used Wing Attack again on the same spot.

  They were going to crash.

  She used Wing Attack again.

  Katy recovered her with a shaking arm.

  Hawlucha was disoriented for a second at the lack of a body, but flapped his wings and landed without much problem, only to wince in pain.

  The crowd stared.

  “Yep,” Akashi whispered at his mic, “that arm’s broken.”

  Asha's exit was triumphant as the crowd went wild, the screen showed people jumping and howling curses and praises in support.

  I’d noticed that sometime during the battle I had leaned forward and laid back on the couch. I thought about that Ducklett. There’s pokemon that only fight to please its trainer. There’s pokemon who enjoy a well-fought battle. And there’s pokemon like Cape, who weren’t happy unless they’re winning.

  I made a note on my pad. Keep an eye on Asha.

  Katy then released her starter. Her Palpitoad, Tylla.

  The blue and amphibious pokemon bounced around for a moment before staring at his land-bound opponent. Her arrival wasn’t a surprise. Hawlucha could still use flying energy even with a broken wing, which would be effective against Blaine the Wimpod. It left Tylla as the only other option.

  Katy’s plan is to swiftly defeat the earthbound flying type, and then win against Chopper if possible. And if not, to tire Hariyama for her Wimpod to finish him.

  As of right now, Katy was winning the match.

  The arbiter began the battle, and the first to move was Cross, who sent a hail of Swift stars directly at Tylla to mask his advance.

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  The Palpitoad responded with an Echoed Voice more powerful than Valley’s, the channel of wind sliced apart the stars and rushed towards the Hawlucha, who dodged by flapping his single usable wing and jump towards the sky.

  Tylla looked up at the descending pokemon, and its mouth opened. The air barely trembled and the Supersonic passed through Cross, the pokemon looked bewildered as he started to fall.

  A Bubble Beam hit him on the side, and he fell towards the ground. He covered quickly and with a flap of his sole wing to his back he landed on his feet. Now closer to Tylla than before, he ran forward, wing glowing with flying type energy.

  She wasn’t intimidated, and used another Bubble Beam.

  Cross advanced to left, and the beam followed. Then he jumped over the beam to the right, and Tylla corrected her aim again. He threw himself to the ground and crawled under it, cutting close to the current of powerful bubbles, but never touched.

  The fighting type landed the Wing Attack as an uppercut on Tylla’s body. The Palpitoad’s body flew back, but at the last second, a long tongue curled itself into Hawlucha’s broken arm and pulled the screaming pokemon.

  Tylla landed on the ground and twisted her round body back, pulling back her tongue and hurling the Hawlucha through the air for a few seconds, before his body impacted the ground on Tylla's side of the field.

  I'm half certain that they had allowed Cross to get close to do that counter, as he was well known for not having strong ranged options. The Hawlucha rolled to the side as a tongue coated with normal type energy almost pounded his head. Another hail of Swift to distract the approaching Tylla and the pokemon tried one last thing, to use Aerial Ace with only one wing.

  That was impossible of course. The thing that made Aerial Ace so successful was the ability to make its user so fast that its strike was too fast for the human eye to follow. However, only one wing was enough to launch Cross like a cannon ball through the small distance separating the two enemy pokemon.

  The pokemon twisted and was able to land a Hone Claw across Tylla’s body, and the wincing water type jumped back and forward to use her whole body to Pound the flying pokemon hanging on the air.

  The strike connected and Cross rolled through the ground. The rest of the fight was just him running around while Tylla tried to hit his arm. In the end, Hawlucha was so almost collapsing in the ground when Dendra recovering him with her pokeball.

  It was a good performance, especially after the broken wing. He left Tylla with some damage and tired her a little. It might be the difference between winning against Chopper or having to use her last pokemon.

  “It was better than I expected from a broken winged flying type pokemon,” Akashi said with a raised eyebrow.

  “I think that it's great that we have such promising teams and trainers. But now it’s time to see a starter's battle,” William said, clapping his hands. “What an exciting match!”

  The crowd was quieter than it had been with Asha—now already knowing that this was expected in this match—, but cheered the battle and the unbroken spirit of another flying pokemon.

  The applause died down as the loud sound of something heavy dropping into the ground echoed around the stadium. Chopper, Dendra's last hope, arrived on the battlefield.

  There was a inherent rivalry in a starter versus starter battle. Not always the starter was the strongest or the most experienced today, but at one point—when humans struggled to feed even three pokemon—it was. And there isn't any region more traditional than Indigo. it was a rivalry that everyone always loved to see. The Hariyama stared at the Palpitoad, more specifically at the three gashes that cut her torso.

  Dendra said something to him, and he gave a firm nod back to her.

  The main battle of the match started with Tylla’s Bubble Beam racing across the battlefield towards Chopper’s belly.

  He didn’t try to dodge, as he wasn’t nearly as nimble as Cross, and used Force Palm to defend against it. His enormous hand flared up with fighting type energy and smacked down the torrent of bubbles. The fighting type held, using it as a shield against the water attack until it ended.

  The new camera angle showed Dendra saying something and pointing at the Palpitoad on the background. The Hariyama nodded and advanced towards the blue pokemon. Tylla used Bubble Beam again, and once more Chopper defended with Force Palm.

  They were less than six foot apart when Tylla screeched at Chopper. Chopper at the same time let out his Whirlwind. The gust of air dissipated the Screech coming for him and pushed back the Palpitoad.

  Katy said something, and her Palpitoad, while glaring at the approaching giant, bounced twice against the ground and then bounced forward. The pokemon sped across the air and slammed at the crossed arms of the Hariyama. The fighting type was lightly pushed back as Tylla bounced from his guard to land in front of him.

  A bold move.

  Chopper looked down, leaned back and swung forward to slap down at the smaller pokemon with a right hand glowing with Force Palm. A blast erupted and the ground noticeably quaked, but the water type had already bounced to the side and then around the larger pokemon.

  Unfortunately for Dendra and Chopper, turning movement was a Hariyama’s weakness, especially a rookie who couldn’t counter that weakness with high-level moves. Chopper slowly turned towards his enemy, giving her enough time to hit him with a Bubble Beam, which slowed him even more.

  Tylla continue to bounce here and there, hitting her opponent with Bubble Beam when she thought it was safe. The water move hit hard but Chopper was still a hard pokemon to hurt. After a few minutes and eight Bubble Beam later, the Palpitoad began to pant from her moves and from bouncing around. She became careless enough to give Chopper an opening.

  Tylla was about to hop away again when Chopper finished his turn faster than she could get away. He kicked the ground, soil turned into sand that rushed and engulfed the water type’s feet, stopping her bouncing.

  The Hariyama caught Tylla’s eyes, and on his left hand was a ball of mud the size of his own hand.

  He threw it like a pitcher, and Tylla gave out a squeak before using a hasty and weak Bubble Beam to divert the—to her—giant ball of mud. She still got clipped on the shoulder and tumbled to the ground.

  Chopper moved faster, steps wider than I'd ever seen, ready to finish this fight.

  Tylla hastily bounced from where she laid.

  Dendra shouted something and Hariyama jumped forward and brought his arm back, ready to flatten Tylla against the ground. Katy shouted something and it made Dendra’s eyes widen.

  Tylla, seeing the six foot tall pokemon almost on her, jumped in place once and then got as close to the ground as she could with the entirety of her elastic body before bouncing towards the Hariyama like a cannon ball, feet first, while encased in ground type energy.

  Not that clean yet, but it was Bulldoze. Normally, it was used on the ground but like Earthquake it also could also be used directly at an enemy, just like this.

  Chopper, hanging in the air, frowned. He tried to hasten his Force Palm, but the self-projectile was already too close. Ground energy briefly struggled against a hastily gathered and structured fighting energy before overwhelming it. The force and energy poured into the arm of the unprepared giant. And it clearly broke the forearm of his right arm.

  Still, his other arm jumped out and grabbed the small body through his grunt of pain. He landed in a surprisingly graceful roll, still with the blue pokemon on his hand.

  The Hariyama, with a furious expression on his face, raised his left arm high and smashed Tylla into the battlefield’s ground. It was the end of it.

  Or at least, it was supposed to be the end. But Tylla glowed, and the giant hand began to shake. For a second, the thought of evolution crossed my mind, but the glow wasn’t bright or clear enough. Chopper surprisingly winced in pain once again and let go, the camera focused on his open left hand which had new bruises.

  His mistake was not finishing or getting away from Tylla.

  The Palpitoad was suddenly standing up and raining slow and undisciplined punches at the Hariyama legs and belly. She would’ve quickly been repelled and subdued by Chopper’s martial arts training and physical prowess, but the punches weren’t just stronger than normal. They were pushing the giant back and leaving purple bruises upon his massive body.

  Tylla heaved and winced at every movement of her body, every wind up for a punch and every stretch of her muscles, but she didn’t stop even as the light surrounding her faded and dwindled.

  That was a move rarely seen in beginner tournaments, Flail. A move that used the damage a pokemon acquired during a battle to spark a last flame of normal type energy that acted very much like adrenaline would on a human, just better in every way possible. And agonizing to use according to the pokemon who used it.

  Chopper got over his surprise. He lowered his center of gravity and firmed his legs. I didn’t know if he recognized that move, but he understood that it was a last ditch effort that was quickly burning out. He protected with his arm for a bit and then went with a kick that flung the now barely glowing pokemon away from him.

  Tylla was barely conscious as she flew across the air.

  Katy retrieve her before she could land. She already had her pokeball on hand since the moment that Tylla begun her onslaught.

  There’s a lesson here; finish your opponent quickly and without mercy so they can’t use tauroshit like that. Cape would’ve approved. I smiled, picturing my Heracross giving a thumbs up.

  My smiled died when Katy released her last pokemon. Katy’s Spheal took the field, her fourth pokemon.

  I wasn’t the only one who was surprised. Everyone was staring as the cute little Spheal named Nico rolled to one side and another while giving out happy squeals, even Chopper’s eyes were wide.

  “What the hell!?” The trainer who would be fighting Yael asked. “Why’d she use that pokemon?”

  “Its even an ice type, which is weak to fighting type moves.” My next opponent responded.

  I nodded. It would’ve made sense to choose Wimpod to easily finish the fight. But maybe she didn’t want to finish it easily.

  My eyes glided over to another screen, the one with the tournament bracket. If Katy wins here—and unless this trainer was really hiding something really special—she’ll fight against Yael in the next round, where Spheal, with his ice type, could be a key piece. And actually, the next line up could very well be the same as this one.

  I see.

  She might be trying to evolve Spheal. A very popular strategy in beginner's matches. Putting a pokemon in high stakes situations to try to evolve them at the last minute.

  “Well, well.” Akashi said as he leaned his head on his hand. "What a gamble, am I right?"

  “A daring move to be sure.” Camille nodded.

  William just gave a happy hum, as if he’d seen a delightful meal being put in front of him.

  At last, the last battle of the match started, and it started with a Water Gun from Nico.

  The lower force of the move compared to the focused laser that was Tylla’s Water Gun made Chopper advance through it while shielding himself with his giant hand. No move necessary.

  As he approached, the smaller pokemon… rolled away using a great Rollout.

  It was expected of course, most Spheal only learn five or six moves before evolving. It makes sense they would’ve mastered it already. But it's not like Chopper can’t touch him.

  The Hariyama took a full minute and, while being pestered by weak Water Guns, grabbed from the ground a small pool worth of mud on his ‘good’ hand and threw it high in the air above the small water pokemon.

  The slab of mud as giant as the pokemon who threw it, instead of falling straight at Nico, separated in a shower of Mud Shot that rained at the terrified pokemon. A fine, albeit slow and weak, adaptation of a move by Chopper.

  Nico rolled as far away from Chopper as he could and settled down with Defense Curl. Chopper made the smart decision of even making the Mud Shot closer to him fall faster, so he could advance as the Mud Shot fell. Nico was hit by a couple of shots but got out fine.

  Katy shouted something as the rain ended that made Hariyama stop his advance and take a defensive position. The Spheal then rolled away from the encirclement and dashed towards Chopper side of the field.

  And a enraged Hariyama followed him.

  Katy bluffed? Or did she?

  “That why a pokemon should never hesitate unless their trainer says otherwise.”

  “Stop giving stupid advise, Akashi.”

  “What my colleague means by “stupid advice”,” William interjected with a cough, “is that there’s a good number of situations in which a pokemon may need to act independently from the orders of the trainer. Sadly, this was not that situation.”

  “Will, you always make Camille sound much more eloquent than she actually is.”

  As the commentators bickered, the Hariyama ran after the smaller pokemon across the battlefield. The Spheal was fast, not as fast as Wimpod, but he didn’t need to be to get away from Chopper.

  Dendra commanded, and a Whirlwind began to take form on Chopper’s left hand. Katy responded, and Nico expertly accelerated his roll, rolling away from Chopper’s range.

  Dendra had a defeated look as she stared at the battlefield.

  Katy was staring at the chase.

  The game of cat and mouse continued. The Hariyama tried to do something to hit the Spheal, and the Spheal rolled away from the Hariyama while throwing Water Gun now and then.

  The battle continued but Chopper was growing tired, his shoulders heaving up and down as he took visibly massive breaths. His massive body was an asset in a short and direct fight, but a liability in a drawn out combat. Katy knew that.

  The lack of a functional arm also meant that he had to make a hard turn right when Spheal went there, which he mostly did.

  Dendra said something, but Chopper ignored her if her expression was anything to go by.

  Chopper wasn't fully committing. He probably knew that there must be a reason Katy choose Spheal, seeing as her Wimpod would be doing the same thing, only better. It wasn’t just for a last-minute training session that Nico was selected.

  Chopper was the smarter of the duo.

  However, that brought a choice for Dendra and Chopper; defeat by exhaustion or by this secretive move. Dendra seemed to mule over that question, and after another minute of her clunky pokemon being forced into tight turns and losing even more breath, she raised a hand and surrendered.

  Chopper sat down on the floor with a wince and was about to be returned to his pokeball, but then the Spheal squealed in pure joy at his victory.

  And then he began to glow.

  “Oh, shiny.” Akashi grinned down at the light, his colleagues leaning forward to watch.

  Everyone was looking, the crowd, the arbiters, Katy and Dendra, Chopper.

  There was something incredibly captivating about evolutions. Something about unlocking the next step of a pokemon’s journey that had universal appeal. A physical representation of the effort that was put on their training and on their fights. It was also an element that always kept beginner tournament like these fresh and interesting.

  Spheal glowed brightly like the sun, difficult to look at. The camera tried its best to zoom in on the transformation, but apart from a noticeable gain in mass, there wasn’t much that could be seen.

  The light died down, and a Spheal was there no more. His round body and short legs had elongated. The blue on his body lighter. Whiskers had grown on his face. Nico was now a Sealeo.

  The crowd clapped at the now embarrassed Nico. Chopper gave him a bittersweet smile before being turned into red light and returned to his pokeball by Dendra.

  My eyes searched for Yael, only to see him relaxed on his seat. The dragon trainer from Hoenn had one easy win in the quarters, but the semis wouldn’t be so easy if Katy had anything to say about it.

  The smile on his face let me known that he was looking forward to it.

  A dragon type trainer through and through.