"These pidgeotto all know the moves Gust, quick attack, sand attack, whirlwind and fly. Use them to go catch a pokemon and return here in 2 days to take part in the tournament, there are 48 of you, so you will be starting in groups of three to round it down to 16... what are you waiting for go."
The second these words were said the crowd quickly dispersed In just about every direction, be it sporut tower, the various routes, the dark cave or in one case, the ruins of alph.
Four hours. I look at my watch, 12:00 on the dot. It took for hours to reach to ruins. Which makes sense as he had to pass though a bit of route 32, but I'm finally here. The start of my rise. I just need to get my starter, then win the tournament, hell not even win, I just need to get top 4 and I can get sponsored for my journey.
"Pidgeotto, quickly find me a way over" I shouted to the bird, flying dozens of metres in the air, he takes off around the edge of the giant river, the river I know I have to get over, what other reason is there to come to the ruins of alph, to catch a unown? Yeah right the only good pokemon are up in the surface ruins. So many good options, natu, its Psychic and flying typing would counter a ton of the surrounding pokemon which others in the tournament would have, wooper? Only weak to grass types with good defences? What's not to loves, geodude? Could easily crush any of the likely many bug, flying and poison types the others are to catch. But the real prize, what I've already decided to catch? Smeargle. A pokemon that despite being weak will likely dominate everyone else's starters with its wide move pool.
However... there is one problem, one ill fated blockage to this plan... the river that's currently mocking me, normally to reach the upper ruins of alph you can just go though the disclosed path, but last year one of the giant pillars collapsed and no ones allowed to move it as its a historical sight, so now the only way is if you have a big enough flying or water type to get you over the river, or to go though the union cave, something impossible with a pokemon like pidgeotto.
So my only option left? Simple, find a place of the ruins I can climb around to get past the blocked path, easy right. Nope, cause I look at my watch, 2:00, now 6 hours into the exam, I've yet to find a way, I starting to think I might need to just turn back and settle for a pokemon on route 32, there are some good options like maree-
*screeeech*
The ear piercing sound isthe herald of good news fortunately, as pidgeotto is now above me, prompting me to start running after it as it starts to fly west, up towards the rivers start and as I approach I see what he found. There it lies, a small crack between one of the hundreds of ancient buildings in alph and a giant stone structure, with light at the end.
This is my opportunity, I just need to go though here, get my starter and win the tournament.
So I start to squeeze though the gap, pidgeotto flying above it to meet me on the other end, I've reached the half way point looking into the... blue light in the tunnel?
"Twee" is the last thing I hear before falling into unconscious.
I wake up with a startle with a Start, a constant screaming down the tunnel from me, I glance at the watch I'm wearing... 5:00... in the morning... 21 hours since the exam started.
SHIT, I got hit by a natus hypnosis. Something I really should of considered before climbing In here, its to small for a geodude sure, but a natu, seriously. I start to crawl with speed though the crack, feeling the complete stiffness in my body from being In such a cramped space for so long, listening to the screeching of pideotto at the end of the tunnel, soon I come upon the exit... and see that the sun is just rising, a saving grace to this unfortunate situation. As smeargke go into hiding at night. I crouch down, feeling pidgeotto settle down on my shoulders, surprising light likely due to his small size compared to other pidgeotto.
As I search though the area, an area that is filled with overgrowth and tons of ruins in just about every direction, I see the native pokemon that are known the hang about here such as natu, and natu and natu and natu. No wooper because its no longer night, and for some reason no smeargle, but I also see other pokemon that I consider for a second, not native or only here due to recent conversation efforts, such as pidgey, spearow, murkrow who can be found just about anywhere, or the rarer species that I've seen a little of such as zigzagoon, whismer, bidoof and buizel. Sure, rather common pokemon in other regions, but only starting to appear in rather out of the way places in jhoto.
I glance at my watch, 9:00, 25 hours since the exam started. And as I look up I see it, a large mural painted on a tree of the sun setting, with mixs of blue, orange and red. A clear sign of a smeargle nearby. I quickly get pidgeotto, who by this point is hurting my back, to take of into the sky to try and find it while I look for tracks, which I quickly find, drips of blue paint leading of in one direction, still wet. I quickly signal pidgeotto to come back while I start to follow the tracks.
Soon, I come across it, the smeargle sitting there, working on a diffrent painting that looked almost like the river back on the other side, not quite done, he was surrounded with a multitude of berry's, be it oran, yache or Leppa. I quickly signal for pidgeotto. Pointing right at the smeargle, as I do I see my watch, 10:10, 21 hours, 50 minutes remaining.
Pidgeotto takes of at insane speed with a quick attack, the smeargle hearing the commotion starts to turn around only to get bashed in the side by a bird moving at extreme speeds, but quickly reacts while getting launched away and lands on their feet.
Pidgeotto quickly follows this up with a Gust, sending harsh winds towards smeargle, who promptly... disappears?
I wildly look around trying to spot him buy by the time I do its to late as he slams his tail into pidgeotto from above.
Teleport and Slam??!!
Pidgeotto responds well and catchs itself before landing on the floor, suspending with a sand attack right into its eyes.
They seperate, the series of high power moves obviously exhausting the smeargle while pidgeotto looks a little worse for wear from taking the powerful Slam attack.
Pidgeotto quickly flys higher in the air surrounding itself in flying energy while smeagle seems to use... splash? Before jumping high into the air after pidgeotto, tail also surrounded in flying energy.
As they both move towards each other, pidgeotto rapidly acererates to the side before ramming into smeargles side, hitting a devastating attack and knocking smeagle out of the air.
I quickly run below then and catch the deceptively heavy pokemon before promptly dropping it on the ground. I quickly root around in my pocket for the supplied pokeball from the gym and capture the smeargle.
I glance at my watch, 3:30, 16 hours 30 minutes until the tournament starts. I look back up while I re-enter the city quickly walking through the streets until I reach the closest pokecentre. I quickly fish around in my pocket until I find the token given to me that will allow for a 1-time free heal for my starter and guide pokemon and enter the line to reception.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Second in the line, I glance at my watch 4:00, 16 hours until the tournament, I quickly aproach the counter and with perfect precision place the token and both pokeballs on the counter and once they are taken take a seat and wait for them to get healed.
The nurse at the healing station, a blonde woman with green eyes who was rather short, shouts my name I glance at my watch, 5:30, 14 hours 30 minutes until the tournament, plenty of time.
I stand in the courtyard of the violet gym, the gym representative having been replaced with the gym leader, walker. An icon of the city, I feel my belt, one pokeball, having returned pidgeotto just 10 minutes prior, I glance at my watch, 7:50, 10 minutes until it starts. Then I glance at the bit of paper, the paper that holds the list of moves that smeagle knows. A list that far out classes every other pokemon here I bet. I glance to my side, where my smeargle stands, Steve I'd named him, after having him healed I'd talked to him and was able to get him to join me by promising to buy paint for him.
Then I look up and around me at the 5 or so others who have also came early. A boy with a ekans at his side. A girl who has a gastly. Another boy with a geodude. Another boy with a poliwag. And finally a girl with a mareep, I see more walking in as I'm thinking and glance at my list of Steves moves.
Teleport
Slam
Splash
Peck
Hidden power (rock or ground)
Leer
Harden
Stored power
Confuse Ray
Night Shade
Water gun
Mud shot
Haze or mist?
Yawn
Pound
I glance back uo to see 10 more people and quickly look at their pokemon.
Nidoran male. Zubat. Pidgey. Rattata. Bellsprout. Pidgey. Spearow. Ledyba. Hoothoot. Vulpix.
I glance back at my list and compare the 15 pokemon here. Definitive advantage against 8, possible advantage against 5 more. I quickly look up and see much more people, seeing lots of the same pokemon with a few exceptions such as nidoran female. Pineco. Meowth. Maril. Farfetched.
I quickly remember my countings and realise I have type advantage against possibly 16 of the 20 types of pokemon here.
It's then that walker on his podium watching us turns on the projector and reveals the group's. I see pictures come up with names below them and see that I'm going against Walter who has a pidgey and Anne who has a nidoran female in room 12. I quickly walk down the designated hallway to room 12 where there is already a referee waiting. Walter is already there and the ref points us out to stand on opposite sides of the field.
"This will be a 1v1 battle, the winner is whoever knocks out the oppenents pokemon first, standard rules apply."
He has both are pokemon get in the feild before raising his flag
"Pidgey vs Smeargle Begin"
The second his voice says this my opponent takes the initiative.
"Quick attack, quickly" the second the words leave his mouth his pidgey glows white before zooming towards Steve. A useful move.
"Quick, sketch it" when I say this, Steve quickly moves his tail in a specific pattern that's hard to follow before getting hit in the stomach by a quick attack.
"Now follow up with a Gust" He shouts, sounding like he has already won. But he's highly mistaken.
"Dodge with quick attack and follow up his hidden power" a calculated move on my part to find out whether hidden power is rock or ground type.
Pidgey backs up into the air a bit and rapidly flaps its wings sending a strong wind current towards Steve, who responds by surrounding himself in Normal energy and zooming towards the left, he follows this up by releasing 4 brownish orbs which gey sent flying towards pidgey, who dodges three of them by diving down but gets hit by one in the wing, to extreme effect as it sends pidgey careening towards the floor.
"Pidgey get back up in the air quickly" my opponent, Walter shouts desperation in his voice, pidgey trys but his wing has taken to much damage.
"Finish it with slam" Steve quickly follows my command rushing towards pidgey spinning and slamming his tail into its side, knocking it out.
I look up at my opponent, knowing that this was the only result, as we both return to out seats on the bleachers, where Anne Is already seated while a change comes to heal up out pokemon, she focuses on pidgey who quickly gets back up while Anne and Walter get up for their fight, John gets healed about halfway though, its obvious that Walter is going to win as Anne's nidoran cant reach it while it flys, and while they fight I have Steve sketch some moves they use, specifically Gust and poison Sting while I Add the moves he has learned to the list.
It's not long until there battle ends and I quickly win the bracket, not even needing to try against them from how bad they are, complete failures, didn't even get any good attacks because she just spammed poison Sting like a loser.
I quickly leave after having steve healed and return to the courtyard, I look around to see who else has made it and see quite a few people, notably the girl with the mareep. the girl with the gastly. A boy with a vulpix. A boy with a nidoran male and a girl with a pineco. Quickly turn back to the big screen to see that most are now finishing up their matches.
I look upon the new bracket of the 16 who have passed, specifically at my next oppenent, Nathan, the boy with the vulpix, one of two people in the way of my destiny, I note that we are going to be the third fight and go and take my seat on the bleachers in the main battle field of the gym. I have Steve out sitting next to me, watching the first match, pineco vs bellsprout. I have him gain two new moves wrap and protect, both very useful moves that will be practised later. The one flaw of the move sketch, sure he can use the move, but he needs practise with it. Such as quick attack, definitely good for high speeds in one direction at the moment, but he had trouble turning in when he used it earlier.
After that is the second fight, one I have him pay much more attention to, Zubat vs Ekans, where he is able to pick up some very useful moves in astonish and Glare, moves that are going to help me in my match against Nathan, who seems to be sizing me up.
Then it's are turn, I focus on him now, his vulpix following along his side. I know that I can likely get some good status moves in this fight due to the nature of vulpix and get ready, ignoring that ref already knowing the rules. The second that the match begins, a quick series of moves is called out within second of each other
"Confuse ray"
"Disable"
"Sketch"
"Spite"
"That to"
By the end, Steve probally can't use sketch again this match, but he's gained disable and spite.
"Ember" Nathan shouted, looking smug, brown hair going over his eyes while his vulpix inhales before releasing a torrent of sparks towards Steve.
"Protect, then disable it" I quickly shout. And moment before the sparks hit Steve, a barrier appears before him, before it quickly drops after the sparks end before vulpix glows a grey and looks perturbed. Nathan, looking annoyed calls for likely his only remaining attacking move.
"Quick attack" with it his vulpix glows white before rushing towards Steve, somehow being the first of the two to take a step this match.
"Hidden power" I quickly counter with, knowing that he likely didn't expect it due to the surprise on his face before 4 brown orbs Slam into his vulpix who was running right towards Steve.
"Vulpix is unable to battle, the winner is John Smith" the ref announced, looking bored already.
I quickly return Steve before giving his pokeball to the gyms chansey who was at the side, knowing Steve would have to recover, while not taking any attacks, he used alot of moves, not to mention he got hit with a spite.
By the time he is fully healed the first battle of the second round was already nearing its end, a geodude vs a spearow, the geodude was winning with rock throw.
By the time I have realesed Steve, the geodude has won and it was time for my second battle, against the girl with a mareep, Olivia, a battle I have no doubt ill win from how nervous she looks. As the ref starts his rant and both our pokemon position themselves, I smirk at her hoping to make her more nervous, I think it works.
The battle starts and I let her have the initiative.
"Th- Thunder shock!" She shouts, sounding pathetic while she does it.
"Protect into sketch" I announce, knowing that the move will be invaluable in the finals against the farfetched who is obviously going to win. Olivia seems to not know what to do and just let's Steve do his thing before stammering out a move.
"Agility!" The shout reachs something inside of me, a passion, a need. A set up move is exactly what I need, Harden barely counts and with stored power and agility? I would be unstoppable, so I call my first mistake.
"Sketch it, we need it" something I still regret.
"Huh, ok uh Thunder wave and cotton Spore I guess" Olivia said, the most calm I'd seen her, like she knew she was gonna win, which with the way that her mareep suddenly sped to towards Steve before hitting him with a thunder wave and multiple cotton spores was likely justified. And quickly followed up with.
"Electro ball" a move that with the static energy in her mareeps coat and the agility boost, took out Steve in a single attack. I stood stock still until the referee said the words I dreaded.
"Smeargleis unable to battle, Olivia Dunes is the Victor" I snap my head to the other side of the field at this statement and look at her face, with her short blonde hair, blue eyes, and small nose and decide, that no matter how long it took, I would get revenge for the destruction of my dream.
