Pokémon: Tournament of Riddles [IC]

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

"I'm not exactly sure what I did to inspire such confidence in that outcome. I could be knocked out by anyone. I'm not anything special," Damian could see where Reno was coming from. After all, assuming all 8 competitors were of equal strength (something that he personally doubted), then any one of them could be vulnerable to being defeated. Plus there was the fact that only four could move onto the next round. However...
 
"You shouldn't sell yourself so short," replied Damian, "A lack of confidence can be the opponent's greatest ally."
 
...
 
Then again, so could a boatload of ego, something that was imperative for Damian to keep in check. He always had a tendency to underestimate his opponents, at least at first. He was just thinking he should get some training in when all of a sudden.

"If you don't mind, Ms. Ventura, I'd like to accompany him, show him around, since he's not familiar with the area." Nemu informed Damian, pointing to a box that she had on her belt as she did so, "If you need me, there's a button in all the rooms that messages whoever's in charge of taking care of you guys. Or you can come along for the tour, if you'd like. Everyone's welcome, really."

 

"Hmm... actually, I might come with you two," Damian decided, looking over his shoulder, "Come along Show... Show Stopper? Where did you go?"

 

Sure enough, the Marionette Pokemon had been in Damian and Reno's room, trying to find things to play with. Thankfully, Show Stopper hadn't made the room into a complete mess in his attempt, the only thing shifted out of place being one of the pillows on Damian's bed.

 

"Oh, there you are," Damian said after a brief sigh of relief, "We need to get moving."

 

With that, he and Show Stopper left the room, as well as the main lobby area for that matter, and hurried up the stairs that would lead them outside. Hopefully they would meet Reno and Nemu as those two exited the elevator.

[Draconus297]

"Thank you, Ms. Jones, and I'll be sure to bring up anything out of order," Harrison continued, entering the room with Cassandra in tow. The muted, pleasurable aromas that October had prepared in the palatial bedroom tickled at Harrison's nose, and having grown up in the lap of luxury he could truly appreciate excellent potpourri.

 

However, the tall young man had other things on his mind- notably, finding the itinerary. If it was expected he'd be someplace, Harrison wanted to know where that place would be, and why he was expected there.

 

All the while, he idly scratched at his white-furred Pokémon's neck and vented his own discomfort- "Cassandra, this tournament is . . . unusual. I'm all for exclusivity, but honestly being this far from civilization makes me wonder how Mr. Noble intends to recoup the losses from spending this much time and effort on a tournament that no one will see besides its participants. You understand?"

 

Cassandra understandably gave no response that Harrison could understand, letting out a quiet trill.

[~Faytl~]

Harrisson, and any of the other competitors who looked for it, wouldn't have much trouble locating the itenerary. A small black tablet, nothing but a white screen holding the events listed out by day and a scoll bar, could be found on their bedside tables. They were equipped with a button that could turn them on or off, but otherwise seemed equipped only for the itenerary, which read as such:

 

[spoiler=Itenerary]

Monday, Day 1

 

10:30 AM- Arrival of participants

 

1 PM- Tournament commencement

Main Stadium

 

5 PM- Parade

Plaza

 

7PM- Participant dinner w/ Mr. Noble

Noble Enterprises Yacht, Dining Room

 

Tuesday, Day 2 (Round 1)

 

11 AM- First Match

Participants- TBD vs TBD

Main Stadium

 

1 PM- Second Match

Participants- TBD vs TBD

Main Stadium

 

 

Wednesday, Day 3 (Round 1 cont.)

 

11 AM- Third Match

Participants- TBD vs TBD

Main Stadium

 

1 PM- Fourth Match

Participants- TBD vs TBD

Main Stadium

 

7 PM- Participant dinner w/ Mr. Noble

Noble Enterprises Yacht, Dining Room

Note: Eliminated participants are always welcome

 

Thursday, Day 4

No events planned requiring the attendance of participants. Rest and relaxation advised.

 

Friday, Day 5 (Semifinal Round)

 

11 AM- First Match 

Participants- TBD vs TBD

Main Stadium

 

1 PM- Second Match

Participants- TBD vs TBD

Main Stadium

 

7 PM- Participant dinner w/ Mr. Noble
Noble Enterprises Yacht, Dining Room
Note: Eliminated participants are always welcome

 

Saturday, Day 6

No events planned requiring the attendance of participants. Rest and relaxation advised.

 

Sunday, Day 7 (Title match)

12PM- Title match

Main Stadium

 

3PM- Tournament final proceedings, Trophy ceremony

Plaza

 

8 PM- Participants depart

 

 

 

"Your opponents will be decided at the commencement, sir," Peter said, supplying Blake with another cup of tea. He had been a touch quiet ever since Blake's rather... odd choice of comment. "For the first round, at any rate."

 

"Yeah," Edwin agreed, plopping down on the couch across from Blake, arms spread across the length of it. "You won't know the details on the a-"

 

"Edwin!" With a gasp, October had rushed up behind the couch, clamping a hand over his mouth hurriedly. "You know we can't discuss that till after the commencement," she whispered, looking frantically around at the competitors. She spotted Iori as she did this, the man coming out of his room, clothes changed.

 

"Are you going out, Mr. Takeda?" she asked, turning around and bowing her head in a somewhat subservient manner. "I can accompany you to, to give you the tour, if you like." At Iori's grateful nod, she gave a hesitant smile, before going to Harrisson's door and knocking gently. 

 

"Mr. Taylor?" she asked quietly. "I'm accompanying Mr. Takeda on a tour of the premises... Would you like to be shown around as well?" A muffled reply came through the door, and October stepped back to allow Harrisson to exit.

 

"There's plenty of stuff out there," Edwin chipped in, a little meeker after he had been interrupted. "Mr. Noble spared no expense, as you can probably tell from the ritzy rooms. Even other sponsors don't get rooms this nice. They're on the next floor down, with us."

 

"Fine by you guys, I imagine," Peter joked, smiling kindly as he sat next to Blake. It was now that Abigail poked her head out, and Edwin excitedly catapulted out of his seat and into her room. Peter watched this with a flat expression, sighing. "Maybe I'm a lost cause, Mr. Thrush," he lamented, half-sarcastically, taking a drink of the cup of tea he had poured for himself. 

 

"The spa is pretty close by, Mr, Thrush. October could take you to it while she shows Mr. Takeda and Mr. Taylor around. Then I could stay here and... stay in attendance to Ms. Lang." He averted his eyes at these words, a facade of innocence upon his chubby face.

 

It was at this point that a loud yelp of surprise issued from Abigail's room. The two aides looked to the door in alarm in time to see Edwin's head pop out as it swung open, face red and embarassed. 

 

"I leapt right on a bloody Seismitoad!" he yelled in shock, pointing back to the smug-looking Seismitoad sitting on the bed he had unwittingly leapt onto.

- - - - - -

 

Five minutes later, the doors to the hotel opened, allowing October and her entourage to exit the building. Shelly was in October's arms as she walked down the thoroughfare, more confident now as she led the men through the area she was familiar with. 

 

"The spa is just two buildings down that way," she said, pointing towards it. "Mr. Noble made sure it was the height of luxury. I heard him telling Ms. Vaccaro he even had a whole team of masseuse flown in from Lumiose City."

 

What might attract the attention of the men she had with her more, though, were the battle areas that sat within a hundred feet of the door. Ten large patches of cleared earth, outlinned in white chalk, each holding a pair of trainers, their commands yelled out and jumbling together as their Pokemon struck back and forth.

 

"Carnivine, Bullet Seed!" "Dodge it, Raticate!" "Samurott, use Hydro Pump!" "Solrock, use Psywave!" "Counter it with Fire Spin, Torkoal!"

 

But the commands were quickly dwindling, Trainers and Pokemon alike leaving their spots in the battlegrounds to cluster around a group of three people that were stuck in the middle of them: Melody, Reno, and last of all Nemu, who was trying valiantly to try and extricate the group.

 

"Make way, please! The tournament entrants will have plenty of time to socialize with you, they're bloody tired now! Please, get out of the way!"

 

"Please sign my Pokeball, Hikari-sama!" one fan was heard to call out, the crowd not moving apart at all. "Ms. Ventura! Would you battle with me, please? I'd be honored!" "So would I!" Similar shouts echoed out among the crowd, Nemu being continually drowned out. And then one of them saw the others.

 

"Oh no," October whispered with dread as the call of "Look! More of them!" sounded out. Almost instantly the gang were surrounded by a throng of fans. The crowd clustered around them, hollering excited greetings and encouragements to do well in the tournament. October hid behind Iori, looking terrified.

 

High up above, back in the penthouse, Peter walked by the huge window, looking out at the chaos below. "Wow..." he muttered, before calling out: "Hey everyone, look outside at THIS. I think the others are having an... interesting time."

[Super Chaos Sonic]

"Are you going out, Mr. Takeda? I can accompany you to, to give you the tour, if you like."

 

Iori paused in his stride, seeing October offer up to giving him the tour. He paused, looking at Kage for the moment. It would be better to take a look at the island and the facilities by touring it with someone who knew the layout. After all, he knew next to nothing of the island.

 

"Certainly, Ms. October. I wouldn't be opposed to you giving the tour." Iori smiled, nodding at the attendant, whilst scratching Kage's head.

 

However, he was now going to be joined by the other one whom October was charged with taking care of: Harrison Taylor. Without a further delay, the trio left the room and began their tour...

 

 

"The spa is just two buildings down that way. Mr. Noble made sure it was the height of luxury. I heard him telling Ms. Vaccaro he even had a whole team of masseuse flown in from Lumiose City."

 

As expected, the rich definitely knew how to treat their guests and Noble was no exception. "All the way from Lumiose City, I'm impressed." Iori spoke, chuckling some. "Then again, I didn't expect for Mr. Noble to flatter and spoil his guests in such a manner. The closest thing me and my team have ever come to such an interesting spa treatment was actually from Lavaridge Town in Hoenn."

 

Kage nodded and let out a quick, "Umbre!" in response, which only made Iori laugh.

 

"I know. I promised to take you all back when I could. I still intend to keep my promise, Kage." Iori smiled, before stopping dead in his tracks, seeing what was now before him....fans...and TONS of them. Well...this is a predicament... he thought, crossing his arms with a sigh, before finally noticing that October had hid behind him. Guess she's not too fond of crowds...

 

"It's Iori Takeda! He made it to the Top 8 of the Hoenn League!"

 

"Top 8? I heard he made it to the Top 4!"

 

Iori sighed with a smile, before looking at Kage, who almost nodded at him. He chuckled as he nodded slightly. "It was Top 4 actually." he smiled, as he scratched Kage's ears slightly. "If it wasn't for that one trainer with his Charizard and X Mega Stone, I think we might've been fine." Iori shook his head, before doing his best to navigate through the crowd. "Now, if you'll excuse us. Just wait until tomorrow...if your looking to see me battle. Tomorrow..." he said, looking over his shoulder, giving the crowd a thumbs up. "You'll see the White Haired Samurai of Ecruteak at work."

[King K. Azo]

"Please sign my Pokeball, Hikari-sama!" Someone called out, causing Reno to blink. Was he really that famous? There was no way. "Ms. Ventura! Would you battle with me, please? I'd be honored!" "So would I!" Similar shouts echoed out among the crowd, Nemu trying to say something, but was continually drowned out.

 

Reno looked around. There had to be a way out of this crowd... He could perhaps shove his way out... But then he would lose the others. Grabbing Nemu and Melody's hands also seemed like a recipe for trouble, so that was off the table. He opted to grab a pokeball, throwing it down and releasing Golurk Lagann, his giant Golurk.

 

The behemoth towered over the crowd, bending over and scooping up Reno, Melody, and Nemu into its massive hands. Reno crawled up to his pokemon's shoulder.

 

"Will you all please back up?" He called out. "I'm starving and need to eat! If you want something from me, it can wait until after I get some food in my stomach," He was sure this wasn't how a famous person was supposed to act, but he didn't know what else to do. Besides, it was still baffling him that he was apparently famous. When exactly did this happen?!

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

"Please sign my Pokeball, Hikari-sama!"
"Ms. Ventura! Would you battle with me, please? I'd be honored!"
"So would I!"

 

Damian could only roll his eyes as he and Reno were bombarded by requests from fans all around them. The purpose of an alias was so that one could blend in with a crowd, not stand out from one. It was hopeless. But alas, that was the main issue with being famous; being flocked by all sorts of people every time one would head out into the outside world. Still, although Damian usually didn't mind the spotlight, these constant requests were starting to get on his nerves.

"Make way, please! The tournament entrants will have plenty of time to socialize with you, they're bloody tired now! Please, get out of the way!" Nemu exclaimed, in an attempt to make her voice heard. But it hadn't reached far enough, and the few people that could've possibly heard Nemu's words had, evidently, completely ignored her. Next, Reno had sent out his Golurk and climbed on top of its shoulder, trying his luck at reaching the gathering crowd.

"Will you all please back up?" he called out, "I'm starving and need to eat! If you want something from me, it can wait until after I get some food in my stomach."

 

But that too had failed. It was clear that the crowd had expected something from either one of them, so Damian decided that he'd have to step up to the plate... if only because a distraction was in order. Damian had hoped he wouldn't have to do this. Not only did it mean revealing another Pokemon, but he'd also risk revealing that Pokemon's entire moveset for the other competitors to see. But there was nothing for it. The trio would be stuck forever if this wasn't done now...

 

"I also do Pokemon Contests!" Damian hollered over the crowd.

 

"Melody does Contests too?"

"Oh wow, she must be quite the multitasker."

"Are you kidding?! That's remarkable!"

 

Damian smirked as the crowd discussed their appraisals to each other; he loved the sound of results. While the fans were distracted, Damian offered to help Nemu up onto Reno's Golurk, hoping the trio to use the Automaton Pokemon to escape the crowd. But before he could clamber on himself...

 

"Er... excuse me, Ms. Ventura?" asked a stray fan, "What rank are you in? J-just out of curiosity."

 

'...sheet,' Damian thought; so much for a quicker-than-expected getaway, but he took out Atlas' Poke Ball from one side of his dress nonetheless, fully committed to his original plan, "Um, normally I participate in Hyper Rank Contests. But I did take on the Master Rank once(!)... and won!"

 

"Wait, did I hear that right?"

"The Master Rank?! And she won that?!"

"Arceus be damned, she's good!"

 

The crowd continued to rile themselves up with hype, at which point Show Stopper, who'd left to scout out an alternative exit strategy, returned to Damian's side, shaking his head to signify he was unsuccessful. He scratched his head at first when Damian gestured to follow the Golurk with his eyes, but then...

 

"SHOOOOW US!! SHOOOOW US!! SHOOOOW US!! SHOOOOW US!!" the crowd continued to chant for a performance from one of Damian's Pokemon. Now that he was clued in on Damian's plan, Show Stopper gleefully hovered over towards the Golurk, sitting on its head and making himself comfortable. Meanwhile, Damian seemed to be teasing the crowd by consistently tossing Atlas' Poke Ball in the air and catching it in one hand, actually waiting for everyone to be ready to leave in a moment's notice.

 

Once he could assure himself that everything was in place, he finally made his move.

 

"Alright guys, you asked for it," Damian threw the Poke Ball in the air one last time as he said this, this time with considerably more force, "Atlas! Come on out!"

 

The crowd roared in excitement as a beam of red light emitted from the Poke Ball, before forming into a Volcarona. This Pokemon waved at the crowd with her six fiery orange wings, eager to impress the fans that were anticipating its performance. Done with her greetings, Atlas flew over for instructions from her master.

 

"You know what to do," Damian whispered into Atlas ear, before climbing up Reno's Golurk and positioning himself next to its master, "OK then, let's get going."

[👀 REP 👀]

Blackdragon Isle

---

 
Shaun sat back down on the bed as the Gallade and the Empoleon explored the room, picking up the tablet that had been laid down the table with the assortment of goods. It seemed to contain their schedule for the entire tournament, including who would be fighting who. Well, it will have them as soon as they decide the brackets. He reached into his belt and released an assortment of Pokeballs. The room was rather large and he felt that it wouldn't be fair to the others if only Poseidon and Gladius got to be outside. One by one the Pokemon emerged, each one reacting to their surroundings in their own unique way. Luckily, the room seemed roomy enough and none of Shaun's Pokemon were too large. "We're here, gang." He smiled at the group of Pokemon. "We have a commencement in two hours, so until then just relax..." He looked at the door; the source of what seemed to be a bit of a minor commotion. "I'll be right back - make yourselves at home."

 

"Hey everyone, look outside at THIS. I think the others are having an... interesting time." Shaun had seemingly left his room at a perfect time. He marched his way towards Peter and the window, and looked outside of it. His fellow contestants were out there - surrounded by a crowd of fans. He couldn't quite tell what was happening, but whatever it was, two of the contestants released their Pokemon - first a Golurk and then a Volcarona. Shaun let out a sigh, adjusting his gloves. "I can only wish them the best of luck..." He said this under his breath. He himself wasn't too fond of large crowds.

[Mr. Hyde]

 

Tabitha could be seen on her bed cuddling with her precious pokemon.  She yawned as she petted Charlotte and Gem.  As she got up from her bed, she saw a black tablet on the desk that was seemingly almost invisible to her beforehand.  Probably her attention was focused on those chocolates for the longest time.  She opened up the tablet to notice the itinerary for the day was already scheduled.  It had been a while since the contestants had all arrived, so it must've not been too long before the commencement ceremony was to be kicked off.  Tabitha could only jump for joy.  

 

"Yayyy!  Now everyone will get to see their next champion, and her beautiful and dazzling pokemon pals!"  She looked over to the now awake cats on her bed.  Even though she was praising them, they looked at her with a sort of death glare.  "What...did I interrupt your nap?  Whoopsies."  She stuck her tongue out as she headed out of her room for a moment.  She looked around, but sadly that creeper of an escort was still around.  She tried not to give him too much eye contact as she passed him and went to the window where everyone else was looking, even another contestant.  

 

The others outside were in some sort of spa, surrounded by a crowd of fans.  Tabitha's face grew bright red as she stomped her foot on the floor.  

 

"No fair!  No faiiiiiir," she thought in the back of her mind, "How come those losers get all the attention!  Why....Why....When commencement comes around, I'm gonna show the people who's really gonna win this thing!  They'll all want my autograph soon enough!"  Tabitha turned her head to the other contestant.  She was losing her cool...now was not a good time to give up the act.  "Er...I mean...I hope they make a lot of new friends down there!  Looks like a lot of people are rooting for them.  I'm kinda jealous.

[Durandamon]

"I leapt right on a bloody Seismitoad!" Edwin Lovejoy yelled in shock, pointing back to the smug-looking Seismitoad sitting on the bed he had unwittingly leapt onto.

 

Abigail scoldingly pulled Edwin by the ear, "Just why are you leaping onto the bed anyways, dummy?!" Giggling, the small trainer pulled her assistant's head back into the room, still holding his ear, then locked behind them.

 

"Well, thankfully all the other trainers left, so they still don't know a thing about our line-up, save for Dojiro here..." The young girl mumbled, dragging a chair towards where Edwin stood, probably perplexed, and motioned for him to sit before turning towards her Pokemon.

 

"Guys, this is Mr. Lovejoy. Can everybody say hello~?" After that, another array of cheerful Pokemon cries filled the room for a couple of seconds, before Abigail cleared her throat and continued, "We're gonna go over our strategy and he's gonna tell us what he thinks. There's only one chair, so is it okay if we share for a bit? I'm not heavy at all." After that, Abigail plopped on her assistant's lap innocently and started discussing with her Pokemon.

 

Despite looking like just a naive little girl, Abigail Summers had an instinct for Pokemon battles. She knew her team's nature exactly, and used that to get an edge in combat, "I always send Dojiro first. This lil duck here isn't afraid of anything, Mr. Lovejoy. He once Steel-Wing'd an Onix into rubble, for real!" The proud Pokemon puffed up his chest when complimented, "That Seismitoad you ran into before, Goliath, is the laziest Pokemon you'll ever find, I tell you. I almost got disqualified once because I couldn't get him to wake up! Still, whenever he's awake he'll wreck house, specially since he usually goes out last, making him fight against weakened Pokemon." Ms. Summers continued to explain her Pokemon's strategies for a good twenty minutes, before getting up and turning towards her assistant, 

 

"They all have their little quirks, you know? You gotta play in favour of their natures, not their typings or raw strength. That's the key to victory. So...what do you think?" Finished the young girl, looking coy after revealing her strategies and philosophy just like that to a man she just met a bit ago. Slightly blushing, it was an extremely cute sight.

[Draconus297]

Harrison nodded. "Of course, October. I enjoy knowing everything I can regarding a new grounds for a tournament. The schedule being undetermined is . . . irksome, but I suppose I can stomach a surprise."

 

The tall young man follows behind his shy guide, scratching at the scruff of Cassandra's neck all the while. He's not surprised that none of his personal fans are in attendance in the courtyard . . . few have noted the career of Harrison Taylor, and those that have generally don't fly out to remote islands just to watch the man battle.

 

Things are better when your wealth is immense and your fame is little.

[~Faytl~]

"Do you think that'll keep them distracted for long?" asked Nemu, watching Volcarona flying about. "I don't know if it... Wait, Golurk can fly, right? Get us out of here, Mr. Hikari, these people are crazy."

 

"Please, just... just let us through..." October was barely audible among the rabble, her Shelly being much louder as she waved her claws at the crush of people around them. 

 

"Please, Mr.Taylor, just a small battle!" "Hikari-sama, we're rooting for you!" "Where's Shaun Madison, is he here yet?" "Ms. Ventura, who do you think will be your toughest opponent?" "I want to see Tabitha Lang, and Abigail Summers!" "Yeah, Thrush!" "Ta-ke-da! Ta-ke-da!"

 

"DAMN," Nemu hissed, clambering up as far on Golurk as she could without crowding the other two. "Damn Mr. Noble, he's hyped you guys up too muchfor your own good. We'll never get anywhere like this, they're relentless!" 

 

- - - - - - - 

 

"I think they're stuck," Peter said suddenly, putting a hand to his mouth. "Oh, no... poor October, she's probably a nervous wreck down there."

 

Meanwhile, Edwin was trying absurdly hard to play it cool and failing miserably. "Well, uh, Ms. Summers," he said haltingly, with what was supposed to be a debonair smile. "I suppose your Pokemon here... Well, depends on who you battle, really." He took a deep breath, composing himself as he seriously considered it. "If Dojiro and Goliath here are your aces, you shouldn't have too much trouble against any particular type, as they don't share any weaknesses... Just watch out for surprise Grass and Electric-type attacks, but you know that by now, I'm sure."

 

He shrugged, running his eyes over her Pokemon. "All depends on the hand you're dealt with whichever aren-" He cut himself off, slapping a hand to his mouth. "Iiiii should not tell you that, have to save that for the commencement. Anyway, how's the room, to your satisfaction?" He was clearly trying to change the subject, looking anywhere but at Abigail herself, a difficult task given her location. "Aaaaanyway, we've been here twenty minutes, you seem like you have a good head on those shoulders about all this."

 

- - - - - - 

 

"Oh jeez," Blake muttered, trying to push towards the spa, repelled by the hands of all the fans. "I had a rough flight, guys, can't a guy relax a bit?" he asked, throwing his hands to the sky. The first few people closest to him did move back a bit, but the majority of the crowd didn't hear him and pressed forward to take their place. "I tried, I tried," he sighed. 

 

"I'm sorry, sirs," October whimpered. "I didn't think it was going to be this bad... Mr. Noble's got everyone excited for the tournament. He's good at that, I guess."

 

"No kidding!" Blake barked, a little frustrated. "I haven't moved ten feet since we got out of the hotel!"

 

"I think they may follow us if we fly away," Nemu said flatly as Volcarona started spouting fire in its display. It was distracting a lot of the fans below, but not enough that they could reliably extricate themselves. "This is nuts. What are we going to-" She suddenly jerked her head to the side, eyes widening as she caught view of something. "Atlas, watch out!" she yelled.

 

Two objects, small and glowing bright blue, went flying out of the crowd, straight for Atlas. The Volcarona was able to dodge the projectiles with Nemu's warning, and they harmlessly spun up into the sky, exploding into twin clouds of water that rained down upon the crowd below, shocking them as they looked around in panic for the source of the projectiles.

 

"Water Shuriken... It's THEM," Nemu hissed, reaching for her belt. "Come out, Mothim-"

 

She was cut off as another projectile suddenly smacked against her hand, throwing the Pokeball free as it exploded, showering Nemu with water. She gasped in pain, clutching her hand to her chest as she looked around frantically for her Pokeball in the crowd. As she did, the crowd started to disperse from around the three, runnign and yelling in panic and finally revealing the source of the attack: A figure in a long, hooded black robe, standing beside a crouched Greninja, both looking straight at the competitors. 

 

"Water Shuriken!" the figure yelled, voice muffled behind a cowl. The Greninja leapt into the air, twin shurikens spawning in its flippered hands and being thrown full-force, one curving through the sky towards Volcarona, the other straight towards Golurk and his load of passengers.

 

Nemu dived off Golurk, eyes seeking out her missing Pokeball. "October!" she yelled. "Help!"

 

"What?" October looked over the heads of the crowd surrounding them, eyes ballooning in their sockets. "No... Nemu!" She took a step forward, but a flash of light burst into being in front of her, and a massive, colossal Tangrowth was suddenly baring the way, tentacular arms stretched out to either side.

 

October shrieked, falling back as the crowd around them started running off. A voice sounded out, muffled but unmistakeably male, deep and jovial.

 

"I see the competitors have arrived in all their glory!" The owner of the voice jumped up from behind Tangrowth, landing atop his Pokemon and leering down at them from behind his similar black cloak. "Welcome to Blackdragon Isle, you guys... You won't be staying. Not if you know what's good for you." He pulled back an arm, two Pokeballs flying from his sleeves and popping open, a Rampardos and a Pidgeot joining the fray. "One on three sound fair to you guys? Or would you prefer to just turn around and leave this island now?" he asked, voice dropping threateningly.

 

"October?" asked Blake blankly. "Who the hell are these guys?" Blake's Ninjask flew forward, angrily buzzing as Blake threw out a hand, pointing at Tangrowth. "Aerial Ace, now!"

 

"Just leave the island and we won't have any trouble from here on!" This was the voice of the one commanding Greninja, and it was now clear the voice was female. 

 

- - - - - - -

 

"Looks like a battle got underway... I'm sure the crowd wouldn't have anything else," Peter said good-naturedly, taking a sip from hsi tea as he gave a nod of greeting to Tabitha. "You may get to see some of your opponent's strategy from up here, Ms. Lang, Mr. Madison, birds-eye view and..." he trailed off, frowning, then whitening as his eyes widened. "That's in the crowd, not the arenas..."

 

He turned towards Abigail's room. "EDWIN!" he yelled, running to the coffee table and setting down his tea, reaching for the Pokeballs at his belt. "They need us down there, NOW!"

 

"Aw, really? Why you gotta ruin my MOJO, Pete?" asked Edwin, sticking his head out of the door. "Can't we just..." He stopped, seeing the look on Peter's face. "What is it?"

 

"What do you THINK?" Peter asked, and Edwin was out the door like a shot, heading for the elevator at top speed with Peter, their faces set in grim expressions. Peter turned to Shaun and Tabitha, voice raised so Abigail would be certain to hear him as well.

 

"Stay here, you guys, okay? We'll get this under control."

 

"Yeah," Edwin called back, only a trace of his usual bravado in his voice. "No need to bother you guys with this; It's our job to take out the trash, after all." He hit the button for the elevator, and the doors pulled pen to accept them as they got ready to disembark.

[Super Chaos Sonic]

It seemed like the crowd just kept getting wilder and wilder by the second...however, it wasn't long before it started dying down...but not for the reasons one would think. Two projectiles came swooping down and exploding into clouds of water, which made the crowd disperse. Iori could see what they were originally...Water Shuriken. Which meant one thing...there was a Greninja nearby.

 

Before the samurai of Ecruteak could react, the Greninja made itself known and struck down the girl, Nemu, and things got even worse. Now there were two blacked robed individuals, one with the Greninja and another with a Tangrowth, only calling out a Rampardos and Pidgeot. Then the one cloaked figure spoke:

 

"Welcome to Blackdragon Isle, you guys... You won't be staying. Not if you know what's good for you. One on three sound fair to you guys? Or would you prefer to just turn around and leave this island now?"

 

Iori's fists clenched as he looked at Kage's whose eyes glared at the opposition with a growl. Around him, the young man Blake and his Ninjask already started his assault. This wasn't planned or anything...this seemed like...

 

A declaration of war... Iori thought, before exhaling. "Kage...stay back with Ms. October." he spoke, watching Kage back flip off his shoulder and standing in front of October and Shelly. Iori exhaled once more, closing his eyes before reaching towards one of his Pokéballs. A Greninja, Tangrowth, Pidgeot, and Rampardos. That's a pretty good coverage. he thought. We have a Flying, Grass, Rock, and then a Water/Dark type...but it seems the Greninja trainer isn't interested...and while we have Ninjask on Tangrowth...

 

-BGM-

 

Iori's eyes shot open as he grabbed the one Pokéball and tossed it in his hand. "SHOGUN! Come aid me!!" he shouted, as the Pokéball swiftly opened and out appeared a Bisharp in a traditional Japanese sitting position. Shogun's eyes shot open as well, before leaping into the air and getting himself in a fighting position. "Our focus is the Rampardos..." Iori said, tightening his gloves.

 

Bisharp! Shogun only nodded firmly, looking at the Rampardos.

 

"A word of warning to you as well..." Iori spoke, pointing at the two cloaked figures. "If you know about the competitors here...then you know for a fact, you messed with the wrong trainers!" He said, his left hand resting on his bokken's hilt. "Shogun! Get into the fray and use Metal Claw!!"

 

BISHARP!! Shogun rushed forward, his blade-esque hands now beginning to spawn out a glowing metal substance in the shape of claws. He reached towards the opposing Rampardos, swinging away and definitely knocking back the fossil Pokémon a ways away.

 

"I'll say this once..." Iori spoke sternly, watching Shogun jumping back to his side. "This will only get harder from here...so either surrender or face the consequences."

[Draconus297]

Harrison frowned upon realizing what Cassandra had been warning him about. There was definitely quite a bit of animosity here . . . precisely why it existed was a question for when the fighting died down. As it was . . . hm. A Pidgeot and a Greninja going directly unanswered was definitely not good.

 

Harrison's mind quickly whirled with activity- his best answer to both of them would be Marlboro, but her immobility would work against her . . . in a normal situation.

 

"Return, Cassandra," he called softly, returning his majestic Absol to her ball, "and let's go, Marlboro! I need you to use Ingrain, and then get a focus on that Pidgeot for Ancient Power!"

 

Marlboro's roots dug into the ground the moment she exited her ball, feeding her nutrients to keep her at the top of her game. The enigmatic Cradily slowly levitated a stone before it . . . and launched the stone just ahead of Pidgeot in its flight.

 

"If it's a challenge you want, it's a challenge you'll get," Harrison spoke up, the baritone of his voice offering it considerable authority. "However, once you're defeated, I think we are due some answers on your sudden assault."

[Durandamon]

(...) you seem like you have a good head on those shoulders about all this."

 

"Thanks a lot, Mr. Lovejoy! Oh, the room is also really nice!" Abigail jumped and hugged her assistant, before whispering in his ear so that her Pokemon didn't hear her, "Everybody seems so serious...I'm a nervous wreck right now. But these guys trust me. I won't snap as long as I have them with me." Taking a couple of steps away from Edwin, Abigail smiled, "So I'll just do my best! I hope you cheer on me. So, since I'm done with planning..."

 

"EDWIN! They need us down there, NOW!"

"Aw, really? Why you gotta ruin my MOJO, Pete? What is it?"

"What do you THINK?"

 

The sudden interruption that caused Edwin to bolt out of the room left Abigail extremely confused and curious, leaning out of the door to peek at the situation.

 

"Stay here, you guys, okay? We'll get this under control."

"No need to bother you guys with this; It's our job to take out the trash, after all."

 

So even Mr. Lovejoy could look cool and serious from time to time. It was kinda funny, but the young trainer felt it wasn't the time to laugh. Instead, Abigail stepped out of the room with a defiant look, making sure her Pokemon stayed back for this one except Kana and Long, who were still in their PokeBalls, and Misdreavus who held tight onto her trainer's leg, "Come on, we're your guests. The least we can do is help clean up!"

 

Abigail looked out of the same window as Peter before, measuring the distance to the floor and also realizing there was a fight going on, "So that's the problem, huh? We'll be going first then!" Holding Misdreavus near her chest, Abigail jumped out of the window, probably met by gasps of concern, but more importantly cries of terror from the ghost Pokemon she was holding, "Come on, hun, you know what to do right? Don't disappoint me now!" Visibly terrified as they were halfway down already, near where four trainers were battling, Misdreavus realized what her trainer wanted of her. Just meters from the ground, her eyes glew blue and a blue wireframe covered the entire surrounding area, slowing the fall down to a crawl as they elegantly reached the battle. After thanking the Pokemon, Abigail sent her back to her PokeBall, the Trick Room disappearing as well.

 

"Phew...Thought you guys could use a hand! Although I'm not sure what's going on here, at all...!" Picking up a second PokeBall from her belt and tossing it at the ground in front of her, Abigail released Long the Eelektross, who coiled up instantly like a snake about to attack just as the Cradily next to him used Ancient Power, "Back him up! Hidden Power!" Spheres of white light appeared around Long, forming a ring before shooting out, one after another, at the opposing Pidgeot, "That's an Ice Hidden Power...if both attacks hit, we're pretty much done here." Thought Abigail, with newfound energies.

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

Atlas had just begun to woo the crowd by dancing beautifully with a Quiver Dance and a Fiery Dance, but before it had the chance to follow that up with its usual Morning Sun, several shuriken-shaped projectiles of water soared in the air towards its direction.
 
"Atlas, watch out!" warning from Nemu heeded, Atlas had effortlessly evaded the projectiles, but then... "Water Shuriken... it's THEM!!"
 
Suddenly, the attacking Pokemon revealed itself to be a Greninja. Damian figured as such; there were only two Pokemon in the entire world that could use Water Shuriken in battle, and he sure as Yveltal's domain couldn't see an Accelgor. He did, however, see that a Tangrowth, a Pidgeot and a Rampardos had joined the Greninja's side in battle.
 
"Water Shuriken!" the Greninja's trainer commanded, the Ninja Pokemon not hesitating in its attack. This time, it sent the projectiles flying in different directions... mostly at Golurk and its passengers! Damian had to think fast.
 
"Tank as many of those Shurikens as you can, and then use Morning Sun to renew your strength," it might not have been ideal considering Atlas would be hit hard, but it was Damian's best option. With that, Atlas flew into the path of the majority of the water pellets, and had been struck by three that would've otherwise hit the Golurk. Bravely taking the attack in her stride, she mustered enough strength to fling embers into the sky and create an artificial sun with them.
 
"Consarn it!" the trainer cursed, turning to her Greninja, "Fine then, let's attack that Golurk directly. Night Slash!"

 
Suddenly, a dark energy had enveloped one of the Greninja's arm, and the Ninja Pokemon leapt right over Atlas as she was recuperating, only to charge straight for the Golurk. Damian smirked, intending to take advantage of its recklessness.
 
"Now Atlas, use Bug Buzz whilst its back is turned," he ordered.
 
Atlas turned to face the Greninja and buzzed loudly, striking the Ninja Pokemon just in time to prevent it from conducting any slashing motion and blowing it away from the Automaton Pokemon. She gazed at the stricken Greninja with pure venom, daring it to make a recovery attempt so she could finish it off once and for all. But although the Greninja was practically dealt with, there were still three other Pokemon that needed to be felled before the chaos could draw to a close.

 

"Your move, Show Stopper," Damian turned to his trusty Banette as he said this, before pointing in the direction of a battle between the Tangrowth and a Ninjask, "Start by getting behind that Tangrowth and using Toxic. If it tries to retaliate, Shadow Sneak."

[Mr. Hyde]

 

When Tabitha looked back to the scene, she was shocked but what she witnessed.  The large crowd seemed to scatter in fear, hoping to avoid something awful that was headed their way.  They were herded into all sorts of groups by what appeared to be other trainers.  A greninja, rampardos, and pidgeot had all gathered on the field.  They were all very intimidating pokemon indeed, and they seemed to be targeting the contestants and their pokemon.

 

"Hmph...serves them right for hogging all the attention."  Tabitha said, almost pouting.  

 

The guides seemed to be panicking at the same time, and were on their way down to ground level...perhaps to deal with the whole situation.

 

"Stay here, you guys, okay? We'll get this under control."

"No need to bother you guys with this; It's our job to take out the trash, after all."

"So that's the problem, huh? We'll be going first then!"

 

It was insane, but one of the other contestants had jumped out the window.  Tabitha's eyes stared as the girl slowly descended towards the ground.  

 

"Hmph...would've been one less thing I have to worry about."  As the guides made their way towards the elevator, Tabitha rolled her eyes.  She couldn't let her opponents save the day...that would mean she wouldn't get any publicity at all.  She stomped her foot on the ground and frazzled her hair.  She made her way towards the elevator and barged in.  She looked at the two who were already inside and puffed out her cheeks.  "I'm coming with you...what?  Can't have this place blowing up before I win this thing am I right?  And I'm sure these guys aren't gonna play fair."  She shrugged.  When the elevator doors closed, she remembered that two of her purring felines were left sleeping on her bed.  Of course they wouldn't hear all the commotion going on.  She would just have to make due with what she had.  

[👀 REP 👀]

Blackdragon Isle

---

 
"...I hope they make a lot of new friends down there!  Looks like a lot of people are rooting for them.  I'm kinda jealous." He turned to the girl that was next to her. "I'll never understand why some people want to be surrounded by people like that..." He turned his way towards the glass. However, before he could reply to the girls statement he noticed something was very off. The crowd of people below him were running in a panic. He clenched his fists, his eyes darting around to find the source of the commotion. Finally, his sights locked onto a tall slender figure in a cloak; the Greninja next to it firing off what looked to be Water Shuriken at the other competitors. There seemed to be others alongside the cloaked person causing havoc. He rushed into his room to gather up his things. He had to go help them - if not the competitor, then at least the people in the crowd. 
 
. . .
 
When he marched into his room, he was greeted with the sight of all of his Pokemon, whom immediately turned to Shaun. The first thing Shaun did was reach for his bag to grab the Pokeballs. "We have a situation - be prepared to fight" He stated as he threw a plethora of balls into the air, returning all of the Pokemon to their capsule except for the Braviary. "Lets go, Justice." He said, signalling the large eagle to follow him. The Braviary nodded and followed closely. 
 
. . .
 
When he came back outside he had noticed that the room was a lot emptier than he remembered. "They must of gone ahead...Well, can't keep them waiting!" He thought to himself, a small smirk appearing on his lips. "Justice, that way!" He said, jumping onto the birds back and pointing towards the window. Not missing any beats, the bird seemingly thrusted forward, the tailwind of his mighty wings knocking over some items on the table and a chair. As soon as the bird left the building, it spread its wings as open as it could, surveying the area from above. "Land me next to the other competitors!" Shaun commanded, pointing to where the others were. Nodding, the bird seemingly dive towards the area where Shaun had pointed before slowing down its descent. He landed behind a silver hair fellow whom seemed to be in a battle with one of the terrorists. He reached into his bag and pulled out one of his Pokeballs. "Go, Tux!" With the flick of a wrist the ball went flying, releasing the small flower warrior. It gracefully landed next to the Bisharp. Shaun walked up to the silver haired contestant. "Yo" He really wasn't much for words.

[King K. Azo]

Reno wasn't too sure what was going on. First, he was going to give Golurk Lagann the command to fly off, but before he could, a Water Shuriken had flew at Atlas the Volcanona. The pokemon was able to dodge, but now, a Water Shuriken flew at the giant robot. Nemu had dived off and Melody had her Pokemon block several of the Water Shurikens. That was enough inaction.

 

"Alright, Toka, Ippo, you're up!" Reno threw two pokeballs into the air, the small spheres opening and releasing a Machamp and a Hitmonchan respectively. "Toka! Get that Greninja with a Shuckle Dynamic Punch! Ippo, give the Tangrowth the ol' one two!" As he gave the order, he unstrapped the Shuckle resting on his head and threw it at his Machamp.

 

Toka in turn caught the Shuckle and spun in place, building momentum before throwing it at the Greninja like a cannonball. After throwing it, the four armed pokemon leapt into the air, gathering energy into all four of its fists and diving at the Greninja. "His No Guard should make it so that Greninja isn't throwing any more Water Shurikens any time soon," Reno reasoned.

 

Meanwhile, Ippo ran at Tangrowth at a quick speed, one fist igniting with fire and the other sparkling with ice. When it managed to get near the tangle of vines, it threw the flaming fist with a punch so quick it was nearly impossible to see, before following up with an equally fast freezing punch. Reno only hoped this combination of attacks actually worked.

[~Faytl~]

The giant figure chuckled at Iori's boast, as Blake's Ninjask just bounced off Tangrowth, the Pokemon barely grunting at the strike as Ninjask spun away, disoriented. "You think you're the only ones here at this level? We'd be delusional to fight you here if we weren't positive we would win! Rampardos, Protect!"

 

Rampardos crossed its arms, a green barrier popping up before it. Shogun's claws clashed against it, the barrier briefly sparking but having no effect on the Pokemon behind it. Shogun jumped clear, landing in a battle stance, crouched and ready.

 

"I see the rest of the crew is starting to arrive," the man commented with a hearty laugh, as Abigail quite literally landed among the trainers. "I like this gal's spirit! Bring it on, girlie, I'll take on four! Though it looks like it may be five..." he said, trailing off as he spotted Shawn's Braviary starting its descent.

 

His head tuned to follow the attacks aimed at Pidgeot, appraising the two attacks. "I see, ganging up, eh? I'll put a stop to that. Tangrowth, block it! Power Whip!"

 

Like a flash, Tangrowth's vine arm came out of nowhere, blasting up high into the air at a ridiculous speed, intercepting the Ancientpower attack. The stone rebounded, smacking into and scattering the Hidden Power attack, the orbs flying every which way. One orb slammed into the back of the recovering Ninjask, the Pokemon vanishing in a cloud of ice-white smoke before being thrown bodily out of it from the force of the attack, smacking into the hotel wall.

 

"Pupil!" Blake yelled, running to his Pokemon. "How," he asked, picking up his Pokemon, who was looking a bit battered. "How did Pupil's speed not beat that thing?"

 

"You can thank this girlie for dropping in!" the hooded figure proclaimed, pointing up in the air. "Her entrance into this battle brought unexpected consequence." As he spoke, the very faint outline of a box shimmered in the air around them. Blake's eyes widened.

 

"Trick Room..." he muttered. 

 

"Trick Room doesn't go away just cause Misdreavus did," the hooded figure went on, sounding very condescending, as if he were speaking to children. "Its effects descended on the battlefield with your ally, and now it's cost you. My Tangrowth is a master of defense, and almost never moves from its spot in battle! A paragon of steadfast power! And now you've cracked the lock on its speed with this Trick Room! Go, Tangrowth! Focus Blast!" 

 

Tangrowth's vines spun, an orb of blue light forming before it was smacked forward like a bullet, spiraling erratically towards the Eelektross and Cradily. The hooded man now turned his attention back to Rampardos as Shawn and his Roserade joined the fray.

 

"I see you've joined us at last, Mr. Madison," he catcalled. "All that's left is... Ah, Ms. Lang. And her two little assistants!"

 

Peter and Edwin were rushing out the front door, Tabitha visible behind them. "You're not getting away this time, you bastard!" yelled Edwin.

 

"Pidgeot, Hurricane!" the man proclaimed. The Pidgeot, unmolested up in the air, beat its wings, blasting a huge wave of wind down at Peter and Edwin. The two boys were caught up in the gust, thrown back amid the tasteful bushes that ringed the hotel. Tabitha, not quite out the door yet, was safe from the blast.

 

"The gang's all here! Rampardos, Flamethrower!" Rampardos leveled its head at Roserade and Bisharp, opening its maw to release a tide of fire, the flames rushing through the air towards the Grass and Steel Pokemon.

 

"Watch out, Mr. Takeda!" yeleld October, who was still on the ground behind Kage, only now shocked out of her fear by the wall of flames.

 

"We're not out of this yet!" the man turned to see Edwin extricating himself from a particularly thorny rosebush, tossing a Pokeball. "Go, Hotshot!"

 

Peter was close behind, throwing another one. "Lakewing, intercept Flamethrower with Bubblebeam!" A Swanna flew from the ball, releasing a stream of bubbles that flew towards the fire... before veering off in the complete wrong direction and striking the ground around Cradily, the Pokemon glowing with a blue light.

 

"What?!" Peter asked in shock. The hooded figure chuckled.

 

"Storm Drain, eh? Too bad for them. Flamethrower continues!"

 

"Hotshot! Attack Pidgeot, Fire Blast!" Edwin was distracted from Peter's plight, as his towering hulk of a Magmortar raised its cannon arm towards the sky, a huge corona of fire building up within. Edwin gave a vicious smile of triumph. "Try dodging this while you're in Trick Room, you-" 

 

Whatever he was going to say was cut off by the loud BOOM of Magmortar releasing its attack, a five-pointed star that flew straight for Pidgeot.

 

- - - - - - -

 

Greninja toppled to the ground, turning its fall into a somersault, landing some twenty feet away, looking back over its shoulder at Volcarona with narrowed eyes. 

 

"Grab Shuckle, then use Water Shuriken!" the girl called. Greninja, seeing the incoming Shuckle, reached out as it began to turn, spinning as it caught the Shuckle and almost immediately threw it again, slinging around to toss it right back in Machamp's face. It then leapt nimbly into the air, tossing another couple of Water Shurkien through the air at the Volcarona. 

 

The hooded girl then took a look towards the Banette and Hitmonchan that were scuttling to assault her partner while his back was turned. "No!" she declared, reaching for her sleeve. "I won't let you!"

 

As the Hitmonchan and Banette closed in on the border Trick Room formed, Hitmonchan suddenly came to a halt, purple sparks playing over him as he stiffly turned back to face the battle he were fleeing from, face bent in struggle. If Damien and Reno looked at the trainer, they would see her crouched behind a Pokemon that pulsed with a light the same color as the sparks that played over their Pokemon now: Wobbuffet.

 

"Shadow Tag will keep your Pokemon here!" she declared, pointing at the two. "You are MY opponents, and I'll defend my partner until that's changed!"

 

"Aaah, thank you, little one," the big man said in thanks, briefly glancing over his shoulder. "I could have taken them by myself, but yes; These ones are all yours." He gestured with a hand, and a vine lashed out at Banette in an attempt to smack it back towards Damien, Trick Room accelerating the lash to insane speed. "Get back there, you're her prey... for now," he warned. 

 

The girl didn't respond. She only stood silent as Greninja finished launching its attack, landing back on the ground and bounding away from Machamp to crouch protectively in front of the girl and Wobbuffet, eyes appraising the two trainers that stared it down, waiting for them to make a move. The only action it took was tossing another Water Shuriken, clipping the Pokeball that Nemu was reaching for a second time. With a howl of frustration, she booked it after the Pokeball once more. 

 

"I'll only say once more: Leave Blackdragon Isle! Otherwise this battle ends with your defeat!"

 

- - - - - - - 

 

"The competitors are finally here. Now, remember, we shouldn't accost them just yet. That's what they-"

 

The man stopped, halting in his tracks as he surveyed the interior of the small stone hut he and his colleagues had been using as a hideout. It was empty of people, only the sparse belongings the group had scattered across the floor and lone table. 

 

He stepped outside, looking around and experimentally calling out with the cry of a Staravia. One of the others was never able to get the call right, but it was worth a shot.

 

Nothing.

 

He stepepd back into the hut, taking a deep breath as he double-checked to make sure that yes, there really was no sign of his allies there. 

 

"The IDIOTS," he sighed, drawing up his cloak, hood over his face as he darted off into the forest, the peak of the competitor's hotel poking out above the trees for his gaze to hone in on.

[Super Chaos Sonic]

"You think you're the only ones here at this level? We'd be delusional to fight you here if we weren't positive we would win! Rampardos, Protect!"

 

Iori cursed under his breath, seeing how Rampardos used protect like this. However, he was a little relieved to see assistance in the form of Shaun and his Roserade. He began to think about what to do next, but things went from bad to worse. Someone in the group used Trick Room and it ended up helping the hooded figure's Tangrowth more than they thought it would.

 

This is bad...very bad... Iori thought, until he heard the words from the hooded figure giving Rampardos a new command.

 

"The gang's all here! Rampardos, Flamethrower!"

 

The modern aged samurai's eyes widened as he heard this command. It was one he didn't take into consideration. How could he forget so easily that Rampardos could know this move? Then he was struck by inspiration!

 

Ren! A quick Water Pulse might wo- Iori began to think, until seeing that Bubblebeam being drawn to a Cradily. Damn...Storm Drain. So offensive water moves are ineffective...

 

"Watch out, Mr. Takeda!"

 

"No worries...just keep back, Ms. October." Iori only spoke, giving her a thumbs up. But in all actuality, would he be able to stop this wall of flames? His Floatzel, Ren, was obviously out of the running now. Shogun remained still, making sure to keep the Roserade from taking the blunt of the Flamethrower. At this Iori, exhaled, closing his eyes yet again.

 

Unforeseen circumstances. Rampardos' Flamethrower...Cradily's Storm Drain... he thought, his one hand slowly running across the Pokéballs across his waist. However...Storm Drain only works on offensive water type moves... Iori's hand finally stopped at one Pokéball, as his eyes shot open. "Heh, looks like your up!"

 

Iori grabbed the Pokéball and held it in front of him. "Sanda! You're on! Help us out with Rain Dance!" he shouted, as the Pokéball opened to reveal his new Pokémon: Sanda the Heliolisk.

 

Sanda landed behind Shogun and the Roserade, before beginning to do a bit of a dance. As she danced, the skies above began to grow a bit darker. It wasn't long before rain began to descend upon the area. With the rain from Sanda, it began to slowly decrease the power of the Flamethrower.

 

"Heh, great job Sanda." Iori smiled, before looking at the hooded man. "Didn't expect the Rampardos to know Flamethrower...call out a Rock type to purposely think I had the upper hand...an interesting strategy." he said, his eyes narrowing. "However...it won't help. Shogun!"

 

Shogun ended up getting hit by the weakened Flamethrower, before lowering his arms and glaring at the Rampardos. Bi...SHARP!!! he shouted.

 

"Shogun, rage on....hit him with another Metal Claw! And if that doesn't work...Brick Break him!!" Iori gave his commands, as he watch Shogun rushing towards Rampardos again, his metallic claws returning again to strike at the fossil Pokémon.

[👀 REP 👀]

Blackdragon Isle

---

 
"I see you've joined us at last, Mr. Madison." The cloaked man spoke in a deep, menacing voice. Shaun grit his teeth at the mention of his last name. "Tux, prepare yourself!" He commanded to the small flower warrior as the barrier started to fade from the prehistoric beast. "The gang's all here! Rampardos, Flamethrower!" The Rampardos seemed to move at incredible speeds - speeds that were unheard of for its species - before letting out a relentless stream of fire. "Hidden Power!" He simply shouted, thinking quickly about the situation. It would seem that the others had a similar idea - however, the Swana's Bubblebeam that was meant to weaken the attack ended up getting absorbed by the Cradily, which was preoccupied with its own problems. Storm Drain, huh? He thought to himself, as the Bisharp positioned itself in a way as to take the blunt of the hit while the Roserade fired off a barrage of brown orbs in the direction of the fire. This, alongside the rain summoned by the Heliolisk weaked the attack significantly; only a bit of the now weakened fire grazed the sides of the Roserade. Shaun took a look the battle arena and noticed a very familiar grid-like pattern on the floor. Someone must of used Trick Room... This, however, gave Shaun an idea. Reaching into his backpack, he threw out a Pokeball. "Go, Poseidon! Tux, use Magical Leaf and support the Bisharp!" As he released the ball into the air, revealing the metalic penguin, the Roserade nodded before throwing out a group leaves varying in color like throwing knives. The sharp leaves seemed to home in onto the Rampardos, magically dancing around the Bisharp to reach their intended target. Meanwhile, the Empoleon landed boldly next to the Heliolisk, before looking up at where the Rampardos was. "Empoool!" It shouted at the heavens. Despite being a Water-type, it had a fiery look in its eyes.

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

So the Greninja had effortlessly recovered, not wanting to stay down after all. It was fine by Damian; Atlas would still be able to still kill it off regardless. Reno had also sent a Machamp into the fray, and had an interesting way of having it launch a Shuckle at the Greninja. Unfortunately, as he and Damian would soon find out, the attack was about to fail.

"Grab Shuckle, then use Water Shuriken!" sure enough, the Greninja faltered Reno's alternate, before launching even more shuriken-shaped water pellets at Atlas... who dodged the attack effortlessly once again. It did nothing else from there, and was evidently waiting for something to attack it so it could counter. Damian was quick to notice what it was up to.

"Two can play at that game," he smirked as he said this, "Atlas, hold off from any further attacks for now."

This in turn would allow him to pour more concentration on Show Stopper, as he and Reno's Hitmonchan were gunning for the Tangrowth on the other side. But the female trainer was quick to see that, and released a Wobbuffet to try and stop them. It seemed as thought as she'd forgotten that Ghost-type were immune to the Shadow Tag ability... although Show Stopper did stop to laugh at the Hitmonchan's contorted face as it tried to break through. Thankfully, the sound of an incoming Power Whip enabled the Banette to remember its previous orders, so it dove straight into the extending shadow of the attacking Tangrowth's arm, only to pop back up and stick its tongue out, pulling the bottom eyelid of one eye to add to the cheekiness.

"I'll only say once more: leave Blackdragon Isle! Otherwise this battle ends in your defeat!"

"Defeat? Us? In your dreams, perhaps!" Damian goaded, before turning serious, "Y'know, the both of you have a ridiculous amount of ego about you for a couple of relative unknowns. You were competent enough to keep us occupied for the moment; I'll give you that. But it's clear that your bark is worse than your bite, and the only thing you achieved thus far was wasting our time."

That said, the contestants now had a fifth Pokemon to deal with between them. And talking a big game wasn't gonna get rid of that fifth Pokemon any faster; certainly not with the tenacity that the trainers had been providing. Thankfully, Wobbuffet were predictable Pokemon, and that was a trait that their shallow movepools didn't help. Damian had a plan.

"Alright, change of plan Show Stopper. Your new target is that Wobbuffet. Toxic, then try to Shadow Sneak before it can Encore."

From his previous experience combatting Wobbuffet, Damian had this all figured out. Mirror Coat didn't work against physical attacks. Ghost-types were immune to Counter. Encore could be worked around with a slow move and then a priority move afterward. He even theorized that Destiny Bond could be countered by residual damage; such as that from Toxic which Show Stopper had access to and was already using on the Wobbuffet. But as corrosive bile was being flung at the Patient Pokemon, Damian figured that he'd better have a backup plan; in the unlikely event that all these theoretics were to fall through in practice, or in the case Show Stopper missed the execution. Perhaps the Golurk could be of use against Wobbuffet's Counter. After all, that too was a Ghost-type Pokemon that primarily relied on physical attacks. But first, Damian wanted to find a way off the Automaton Pokemon, and came up with a solution.

"Warchief, let's go!" Damian threw out a second Poke Ball as he said this. This one had revealed another fossil Pokemon, and one that was much more intimidating than that stupid-looking Rampardos. The Tyrantrum let out a mighty roar, letting its presence be known. However, putting on a show of fear wasn't why Warchief was sent out.

"I need you to lurch forward please," with that said and done, Damian hopped onto the Despot Pokemon's sturdy head, and then climbed gracefully down his arched backed until he hit solid ground. After that, it was time to put the Tyrantrum to good use.

"Now position yourself in between Nemu and that Greninja, and tank any attacks coming the former's way until further notice," Damian instructed Warchief, before turning towards Nemu and Reno, "Do either of you have a Pokemon that has Sunny Day or Drought? If so, now would be the time to send it out; these Water Shurikens are starting to get annoying..."

[Mr. Hyde]

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In contrast with the scene that was taking place outside, the wait in the elevator was starting to tick Tabitha off to no end.  She tapped her foot impatiently while it descended, and didn't even bother to look at the others behind her.  

 

"I should've just jumped out of the dang window..." she muttered under her breath.  Finally, when a ding was heard, they were all eager to jump out of the elevator and into the fray.  The scene was a madhouse.  Everybody and their mother's pokemon were all out in a hodgepodge of a battle...if you could call it that.  

 

"All that's left is... Ah, Ms. Lang. And her two little assistants!"  The man with the three pokemon on his side boasted.  Tabitha recoiled a bit.  This dude was creepy.  

 

"Well...can't disappoint my fans now can I?" She said, flicking her blonde locks behind her shoulder.  

 

"The gang's all here! Rampardos, Flamethrower!"  The man's rampardos let out a booming stream of fire.  That caught Tabitha off guard.  Peter tried to negate the attack with his Swanna's bubblebeam, but it was intercepted by their fellow combatants Cradily's ability: Storm Drain.  Tabitha grit her teeth.  

 

"What idiot sends out a pokemon that's bad for both sides?"  She thought in her head.  That meant her own water moves would prove to be useless.  But with a Tangrowth in their way, she wasn't all too concerned.  And then, seemingly from nowhere, it started to rain.  Tabitha placed her cat hood over her head.  Luckily for them, the flamethrower seemed to be weakened.  Tabitha grasped for two pokeballs of her own and tossed them into the air.  

 

"Come on out, Ray!  You too, Kingpin!"  Two flashes of light revealed and Ampharos, who bobbed side to side with a grin, and a Nidoking, who roared.  "Ray, use Thunderbolt on that flamethrower!  Kingpin, use Earth Power on that big headed dino!"  Static surrounded Tabitha's ampharos, as it unleashed a giant stream of electricity at the flamethrower, him still grinning the whole time.  Meanwhile, Nidoking jumped into the air, and smashed landed back onto the ground with a massive pulse.  The pulse traveled until it was right beneath the opposing Rampardos, where it would surely explode soon.  "This should be cake."  Tabitha smiled.

[King K. Azo]

Reno watched as Susanoo was thrown back at Toka, causing the massive Machamp to crash into the ground. His temper was rising as Ippo was unable to attack the Tangrowth, instead forced to stay in this battle. 

"Okay, new plan!" Reno snapped, causing his pokemon to look over at him with concern. "Ippo, Toka, give the Greninja some colliding fists with Drain Punch and Bullet Punch! Lagann, Curse the Wobuffet! I got the trainer!" The Pokemon all simultaneously facepalmed before following their orders, knowing their trainer was about to do something very stupid. The Hitmonchan and Machamp charged at the Greninja, both of their fists glowing. Machamp suddenly vanished, dashing through the Greninja and reappearing behind it. It then swiftly turned, rearing back a fist.

Hitmonchan dashed until it was in front of the Greninja, dodging any counterattacks the best it could before it threw a punch. The Machamp responded by throwing a punch as well, the two unleashing a flurry of punches on the Greninja. Golurk on the other hand, stood still as it looked at the Wobuffet, eyes glowing eerily, cursing the Pokemon to take damage.
 
"Do either of you have a Pokemon that has Sunny Day or Drought? If so, now would be the time to send it out; these Water Shurikens are starting to get annoying..." Melody asked Reno and Nemu.
 

"No, but I have something better...," Reno stated before he began to run at the hooded girl like an idiot, dodging and weaving between Pokemon attacks. With a growl, he leapt into the air, intent to bring down an axekick on top of her skull. "This battle is about to end with my foot up your ass!!" He roared as he brought it down. 

Shuckle watched the display of stupidity and shook his head. Their master would never change...

[Draconus297]

"If they're going to play dirty, I can play dirty," Harrison grinned, pulling out a second Pokéball. "Belltower, intercept that Flamethrower!"

 

The Bronzong was called quite suddenly in front of its quite calm Trainer, its Steel-Type body not the obvious choice to use to stop fire . . . until it did just that.

 

"Heatproof," Harrison laughed softly. "And in this Trick Room, the only thing faster than you is lovely Marlboro. As such . . . time for a Gyro Ball."

 

With that command, Belltower took off like a rocket, spinning at speeds that would impress saw blades as the immensely heavy Steel/Psychic Pokémon flew in the direction of the Rampardos.

 

"Speaking of which . . . Marlboro, duck!" Harrison smirked, not a hair on his head out of place as he practically danced through the chaos to avoid being hit by stray moves.

 

The Cradily dipped low to the ground beneath Tangrowth's high-flying high-speed assault . . . and, as practiced with this particular maneuver, sprayed the powerful Grass-Type with a mist of toxic poison.

 

"Here's a tip- don't try to mess with tournament professionals," Harrison said darkly, his baritone voice full of disdain. "Just explain yourselves, and maybe we can avoid your Pokémon getting seriously hurt."