Ask to Join Pokemon Battle Royal- Isle Royale

[Captain Cardboard]

Discussion: https://pokecharms.com/threads/pokemon-battle-royale-discussion-sign-ups.21400/

@Ampharos' Dragon Blood @Mango137 @EeviumZ @Merciless Medic

The breeze from the front of the boat whipped through Robin's hair. In the distance, he could see it approaching. Isle Royale. It was about time. The boat ride had been a little over an hour long, but ever since he had left his Pokemon and his sword with Melody it seemed like it had dragged on for forever. The swordless swordsman ran a hand through his hair as he watched the island grow. He could see a small mountain, more like a large hill, peek up above the forests, and noted many cliffs around the island. There even appeared to be a few small houses, but none looked inhabited. Robin could see plains, and even a bit of a wasteland as well. What a strange island... but than again, it was a rather strange tournament. With a sigh, Robin looked back to the other competitors on the ferry. The boat had picked them all up back in Slateport, and there had been quite a few competitors indeed. About 100, if Robin estimated correctly. The competition was slated to last for a few days. Part of Robin was excited about this, but another part of him was already missing his Pokemon. This was probably going to be the longest he had gone without his Pokemon for a while now. He knew that Melody would definitely take care of them, but that still didn't make him miss them any less.

"Attention, all passengers. The current time is about 10:45 pm. We will be arriving at Isle Royale in around five minutes, placing us right on schedule. Please prepare to disembark, and good luck in the tournament." The Captain said over the intercom. With a sigh, Robin turned and headed back into the ferry.

A few moments later, the boat was docked and the passengers allowed to disembark. Waiting for them outside were ladies and gentlemen in suits, with smiles on their faces and ready to direct the competitors. Attached to the dock was a rather large and elegant looking building, surrounded by a large chain-link fence. The building looked like it was carved out of a white stone, maybe marble, and stood out very much from the surrounding forest. Near the elegant building was a smaller one, covered in antennas and satellite disk. That building was marked with a very clear, 'Authorized personnel only'. As the passengers began to disembark, they were guided by the smiling hosts and hostesses into the white marble building.

 

[Pollen-Puff]

Neo's boat had finally reached the port. The boy said good-bye to his Altaria, and they hugged. The bird was great with directions and flew back until it was out of sight, humming a song. Neo saw passengers leaving the ship and followed them, wondering if they were competing as well. They all seemed to be walking towards a building, and smiling adults guided them into a building. This is SO EXCITING! I hope my team is ok... I wonder what my Pokemon will be? The building was very fancy and he became a bit paranoid as he had a bad record with broken things. Suddenly, he tripped and was almost stepped on, but he stood up and laughed to himself.

 

[Merciless Medic]

A young scientist could be seen hugging herself in her dark trench coat as she sat on the benches hugging the edge of the starboard section of the boat. She was visibly upset. She felt so naked without her Pokemon. She just wished she could feel the familiar soft furs of her Alolan Raichu and hear her sweet little squeaking noises to help cheer her up. But she couldn't go into the island with her family. She had to do this alone. Something she was even more afraid of doing than she would ever admit. Looking around, it seemed some people adjusted well to the absence of their Pokemon. Others seemed slightly upset, but not as distraught as her. She could just see the teary eyed look of her birth Pokemon as they said their goodbyes before she left the dock on the boat. The determination that she would do well in the tournament without them sparkled in her Raichu's eyes, yet the sadness of her leaving was very apparent in the tears streaming down her beloved Pokemon's face. She knew it was only going to be a few days at the tournament, but the journey there already felt like weeks and months have gone by. Minutes felt like hours of just staring down at the floor of the ship and tracing the details in her trench coat as she waited to disembark.

Finally, after a couple more hours, and the she could hear the familiar sound of people getting ready to tie up the boat and have people disembark. Looking up at the slight little commotion stirring near the docking plank, she shivered as she sighed a bit. She brushed away some tears that threatened to surface with the back of her hand before regaining her courage and getting up. At least her family could watch her on live television, something she was excited for yet dreading at the same time. It's not like she didn't like that her family watched her, she just didn't want to disappoint them or make them think that she was letting her emotions get to her.

A bit more of these thoughts bugged her, distracting her from what she was actually doing and where she was going. She refrained from holding her arms as if she were cold now, but now her legs felt like lead and her arms heavy. Looking up, she could see the elegant looking building that the people in suits were ushering people to go into. The building was pretty, but for this young woman, the building seemed daunting to her as it loomed over her. She would have to go through this without her family by her side, as her family are the things that give her the strength and determination to move on. Of course, she'll just have to channel that energy from within her if she wanted to win. She knew one of her brothers will notice her emotional state just by reading her face, so she put on a stoic look and shook the sadness and doubt from her body before trudging onward. She was going to do this in her family's name, and for a bit of fun, but mostly for her family.

Although, as she was following the crowd over to the pretty building, she looked over to see a strange building that looked like it was used for telecommunications and broadcasting. It's probably the station where they air the events going on in the island. Although, that sign was begging her to cross it, but she didn't want to sully the name of her family by trespassing, so she decided against her curiosities and rebelliousness and head inside the building.

 

[aurivee_]

(Three Hours Earlier)
Allie hugged her sister Talia, a sad smile on the teen's face. Talia hugged back, also looking somewhat sad.
"I really wish you could come too, Tal..." Allie stated.
Talia smiled sadly. "I know, Al... but I've got concerts and whatnot. I really would rather be with you... but business calls."
Allie nodded, understandingly. "Yeah, I get it. Will you visit with me when I get home though?"
A sly grin spread over Talia's face. "Maaayybe."
The sisters laughed, before hugging one more time.
"See ya, big sis. Take care of the Pokemon for me.." With these words, she glanced at her partner Pokemon, Eve.
"Ee-vee-vee..." Eve said sadly.
Allie returned the expression. "I know Eve, I wish you could come too. Feel free to mess with Talia as much as you'd like though."
Eve grinned evilly, staring up at Talia, who sweatdropped.
"Bye guys!" With that, Allie turned to leave, climbing the steps up to the ferry.

(Present Day)
After being directed into the building, Allie tucked her electric-blue hair behind her ears. She took a deep breath in.
Wherever she went, people always recognized her as "Starlight's little sister" or "part of Starlight's family". She knew it would probably be the same here, so she mentally prepared herself.

 

[Mango137]

Acacia sighed as he said goodbye to his Pokémon. His Dragonite had flown him to the edge of the island along with his sister Willow. “I’m gonna miss you guys, it won’t be the same battling without you.” He looked sadly at his formidable team of 6 that had brought him so far competitively, now all of his previous accomplishments meant nothing. “Take good care of them for me.” He slightly smiled as he handed over his pokeballs to his sister, but refusing to forfeit his key stone necklace. Acacia saw people being escorted into a large building that looked very fancy. He figured it was time to go join the other competitors. “Wish me luck.” He chimed, looking back over his shoulder while he ran towards the building, watching his sister take off on his Dragonite. I’ll need it he thought as he waited to be escorted to his station.

 

[Captain Cardboard]

Robin allowed himself to be ushered into the large marble building, and sure enough it looked just as elegant on the inside as it did on the outside. The doors opened to a large room, with a quite high ceiling. The floor was a polished and reflected stone, and windows and mirrors lined the walls, along with the occasional portrait or painting. At one end of the room was a stage with a large projector screen hanging above it, and chairs lined in rows sat facing the screen. At the side of the room were tables with food and drink displayed for the competitors to eat. On the stage was a young woman dressed in a similar fashion to the rest of the hosts and hostesses. Unlike the others, however, her suit was blue. She also had long, blonde hair and wore a hat. Seeing the competitors come in, she gave them all a large smile and a small salute.
"Come in, come in! Please, make yourself comfortable. Mr. Ranton will be out soon to greet you all, and the orientation film will be beginning soon after that! Until then, please feel free to mingle and relax!" The lady announced happily into a microphone.

Noticing the food, Robin decided to make his way over to the table. The mix of excitement for the tournament and anxiety for missing his Pokemon made him not feel very hungry, but if this tournament was to last as long as he thought it was going to then it would be important to fill his stomach while he still could. The blue-haired man took a plate and filled it with some fruit and a half sandwich, then took a moment to survey the crowd of competitors. Many seemed to be chatting and talking among each other, nervous and excited. Deciding talking would probably be a better way to pass the time than just sitting around and being antisocial, Robin decided to actually interact with people. The blue-haired swordsman found himself standing next to a teenager that stood a bit taller than him. Well, here was a good enough place to start anyway.
"Hey." Robin said to Acacia. "You feeling excited for the tournament?"

"Well, bully! They sure know how to design a waiting room, don't they?!" A very tall, rather muscular looking man exclaimed as he made his way through the crowd of competitors. This man was none other than Alexander J. Worthington the IV, archeologist and adventurer extraordinaire. He was dressed in khaki shorts and t-shirt, and intense leather hiking boots and a wide brimmed hat completed his look. With him was a lady with long, black hair. While she was shorter and skinnier than Alexander J. Worthington the IV, she was still quite tough looking. The lady, who's name was Bella Iranov, wore a black tank top and khaki pants. Unlike Alexander, she had a very buisnesslike and serious air about her. An air that seemed to crack a little bit when she noticed someone.
"Excuse me." Bella said to Allie. The dark-haired woman spoke in a thick eastern European accent. "This may sound odd... But are you a performer?"

 

[Mango137]

Acacia had just finished loading a plate up with some food, figuring it was probably his last chance to eat a good meal for awhile when a blue-haired man who looked a bit older than him approached him. "Yeah... I guess." Acacia chuckled a bit nervously. He still couldn't figure out what had possessed him to join this tournament in the first place. Sure he had become one of the most accomplished trainers of his generation, but that was with Pokemon he had grown and connected with over many years. Acacia wasn't sure how well he would stack up against the other competitors when they each were assigned a random Pokemon. Acacia snapped out of his thoughts to continue the conversation. "Anyways, what brings you here?"

 

[aurivee_]

Allie flinched, turning around.
Holy crap, did someone recognize me?!
She saw a woman with a European accent, holding a professional air about her. A bit nervous, she tucked her electric-blue hair behind her ears.
“Yeah. Uh. I’m not very well known though. You might be thinking of my sister. Silver Starlight, the singer and Pokémon performer?”
True to her speech, Allie was rather unknown in the performing community. She lived in the shadow of her sister, one of the most famous singers and performers there was. The only real spotlight she’d really ever had was performing alongside her sister. Not that she minded though.

 

[Captain Cardboard]

"The Ferry." Robin joked. The boy looked about as nervous as he did, so Robin felt the need to lighten the mood a little bit. This was a tournament, after all! Sure, it was for a lot of money. But Robin's main goal in these types of things was to have fun. So he figured that now was as good a time as any to start doing that. Taking a bite of fruit, Robin paused a moment before continuing.
"But really... Well, this seemed really interesting to me. I like camping and surviving in the wilderness. I like battling Pokemon. This looks like it's going to be a mix of the two." Robin sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I've competed in battling tournaments, but nothing like this. I have a feeling that this is going to be very interesting, to say the least."
Feeling that he explained his reasoning pretty well, he turned his attention back to Acacia. "So what about you? What brings you to the tournament?"

Upon hearing that this girl was the sister of Silver Starlight, the Silver Starlight, Bella's eyes widened. So that was why she looked so familiar! Bella had been thinking so, but wasn't so sure.
"That is.... that is incredible!" Bella said. "I saw one of your sister's shows, you were in it as well! You both were incredible! I loved your P-... I, eh..."
The lady suddenly cut herself off, becoming aware of how much she was gushing over this small child. Clearing her throat, Bella stood up straight once again. Her demenor once again became quite businesslike, and she looked down on Allie.
"You are a very skilled performer. I can commend that." The lady said in a serious tone.

 

[XanthousXatu]

Prologue, Five Hours Before:

"So... this island, what do you think it will be like?", Loki's father asked him. The boy processed that for a bit," A desert? I've been through the Ruins of Alph, so don't worry!" The father sighed, concerned over if his son should participate in such an event," Well, you did attempt to become champion of Johto, so I'll let you go on this one..." Loki smiled at his decision," Great! Make sure Permafrost (Alolan Sandslash) gets a quarter cup of his food, give Bubble (Mantine) a daily amount of Alolan Clauncher--" His father laughed at his son's remarks," Oh, Loki. You know that I know what your Pokemon need, now make sure to stay safe!" Loki gave an acknowledging nod, and trekked out of the house to the port near Ecruteak City to go to Slateport.

Nowadays:

Loki felt quite sad of his departure of Johto, and exited the ferry with dismay. He hoped he would get an identical Pokemon here, on this fair Isle. After all, his strategies only applied to Pokemon from Johto, including his new team. If he got a Unovan or Kalosian Pokemon, he would be doomed. In the sight of food, Loki grabbed a whole plate and ate it in a rather unusual short amount of time. He felt as if he would be outcasted from the rest, so decided to make social interactions. He couldn't decide, and went back to his dormant status. Though he wasn't talking, Loki picked up on numerous conversations, gathering intel of his competitors. "Hmph...", he said to himself, trying to form some sort of plan.

 

[aurivee_]

Shifting awkwardly on her feet, Allie laughed nervously. Now she wished that Eve was with her.
“...thank you!” she exclaimed, putting on a smile.
It made her genuinely happy that her sister had become so famous, but she did hate the publicity a bit. She wished that people would see her as Allie Silverstone and not Talia’s sister.
She’d become more comfortable with it lately, but she did feel a little awkward.
Regardless, she bounced back quickly. She seemed to relax, her smile becoming more natural.

 

[Mango137]

Acacia shrugged, “Honestly I’m not sure, I guess I just got a little board after the Indigo Conference.” Crap Acacia immediately regretted his words, hopefully this guy won’t recognize me, I want to become a target. His sister had warned him that if other trainers recognized him as the one who won the Indigo Conference they would target him as this would be their best chance to defeat him. Acacia tried to subtly tuck his keystone necklace into his shirt in order to avoid giving away any more hints and attempted to move the conversation along. “You’re right though, this’ll be a nice break from the usual.”

 

[Captain Cardboard]

Clearing her throat again, Bella glanced around at the other competitors.
"I, eh, don't suppose that I could, eh... Get an autograph from you?" Bella asked Allie, glancing away nervously. It seemed quite silly, at least to Bella, that a woman of her nature would be asking for autographs. And yet, she just couldn't help herself. So what if she liked watching people perform and sing with their Pokemon and was a big fan! She was allowed to do what she wanted to with her money.

Eating some more of his food, Robin nodded along with what Acacia was saying. But something that the kid was saying did catch his ear. Indigo Conference? Robin hadn't heard that tournament's name for a while. Than again, he hadn't been in Kanto for a while. Maybe he should go visit it after he traveled around Hoenn. That was Robin's plan for after the Battle Royale, after all.
"Well, it sounds like I'm not the only one that's a veteran when it comes to tournaments." Robin said to Acacia. "The Indigo Conference? That's a pretty good one. How'd you do in it?"

 

[aurivee_]

"Course you can!" She swung her backpack over to her front, digging into the smallest pocket until she found a pen. It had blue ink, with a few sparkles in it.
She clicked the top with her index finger, writing down her rather simple autograph. She wasn't great at writing autographs - but she'd try nonetheless.

 

[Mango137]

Uh oh, I’m in trouble now Acacia knew he was in a pickle now. He either lied and risked this potential ally resenting him for it or told the truth and risked being targeted. He opted to just say some of the truth. “Ummmm pretty well.” He muttered, though his face was now red and he was looking down at his feet, flustered.

 

[Captain Cardboard]

Taking the autograph, Bella looked away once again. The lady looked a little embarrassed, and cleared her throat again.
"Eh... Thank you. I wish you luck on the tournament." Bella said, before walking away from the performer. While on the outside she was stoic and calm, on the inside Bella was dying with happiness. She just got an autograph from one of her favorite performers! Well... The sibling and costar of her favorite performer. Close enough in Bella's book.

"Pretty well, huh?" Robin said. Fortunately, Robin wasn't looking at Acacia when he had said that. So he didn't notice Acacia's change of expression. "Well, pretty well is better than not well at all." Robin suddenly turned back to Acacia, looking the trainer up and down. He seemed to carry himself pretty well... Robin looked back over the crowd, thinking for a little bit. He didn't really like how some of the competitors were starting to clump up into groups and eye other competitors suspiciously. If people were forming alliances, that would not be good for any competitors that tried to lone wolf it.
"Hey, I don't suppose you'd be open to team up?" Robin asked Acacia quietly.

 

[Mango137]

"Sure!" Acacia agreed much more chipper, he was grateful his identity hadn't been revealed just yet. He then took a slightly more serious tone, "But what happens if we're the last two left?" Acacia only asked this as a courtesy, he was fairly certain he could beat most trainers in a 1v1 if he was given a decent Pokemon. As far as he was concerned there weren't any other big names in the tournament.

 

[LegacyBladeworks]

On the ride over to the Isle, Lev’s mind raced with many thoughts. This tournament could be a good chance for him to help get Zena into the spotlight. If he did well enough, then maybe more people would take notice of her. She’s always working hard, trying to become the best performer she can be on stage. If I win this...then maybe she can finally...Not wanting to be lost in thought too long, he had to be careful to keep a relatively low profile. In truth, he hadn’t gained his entry the way everyone else here had. However, he was more than capable of giving off a powerful presence, that helped him to blend in with the other accomplished trainers. There was an even mixture of feelings about the tournament. Some Trainers seemed intrigued at being partnered up with a random Pokemon. Others though were more visibly nervous being away from their usual team. While he did feel uncomfortable in a way not having Lycanroc to count on, Lev was used to most of the Pokemon he carried not belonging to him. He silently hoped the other competitors would have more trouble adjusting as the ship docked, and everyone was escorted into the waiting room.


As he waited for things to kick off, the young man had no problem with making sure to fill his stomach on the food that was provided. While the uneasy participants either failed to eat, or didn’t eat much, he wanted the energy it would provide. Not to mention he hadn’t eaten in quite some time, so there was no way he was about to turn down the free food. Towards the beginning of things, he remained to himself, just so he could get plenty to eat while also attempting to not appear as a glutton. As some time passed, a few people began to gather, and then gradually more and more. It looked like teams were being formed. Shit...Lev had thought things would be done in a way where everyone had to fend for themselves. If alliances were forming though, then he had to try making acquaintances with someone and fast. Abandoning his food, he scanned around the room for at least one person who was by themselves. Come on, come on, there’s gotta be someone…


Frantically, his eyes finally fell to a young girl with blue hair that looked around his sister’s age. Someone had just walked away from finishing a conversation with her, and not wanting to let the opportunity slip by him, he made his way over to where they stood. Not sure how strong she is, but if she’s a competitor here, then she’s gotta be good enough to work with. Mustering up a smile, he let his hand push back the hood of his coat so they could better see his face. “Hey, how’re you doing?” he asked Allison, his amber eyes becoming a little more distinctive with light on them. “Name’s Lev. How’re you feeling about the tournament so far?” Something about her seemed a little familiar now that he was getting a better look at the girl, but for the life of him he couldn’t remember how he knew of her.

 

[aurivee_]

Turning to see the trainer behind her, she gave a light smile. For once in her life, someone greeted her with a plain hello.
“Allie. And I’m feeling great. I don’t know anyone, but that’s OK. My sister was gonna compete but she was too busy.” A light sigh escaped the teen. “I do wish we could have brought at least one of our Pokemon though. I really miss my Eevee, Eve.”

 

[LegacyBladeworks]

“Nice to meet ya Allie. Yeah, I think a lot of people are probably wishing they had one of their Pokemon with them. It’s kinda weird rules, but they’re still rules I guess” As he extended out his left hand for a shake, Lev looked around at the room for a moment. No one seemed like they were coming this way, but before he continued talking to her more casually, the young man wanted to make sure he wasn’t left to fly solo. “Also looks like a lot of people are gonna be working together here” he said, while tilting his head in the direction of some people in the midst of forming alliances. “If you don’t have a partner yet, think we could team up? I’m not sure what our chances would be like on our own for this”

 

[Captain Cardboard]

"Well, what do you think is going to happen when we're the last two left?" Robin asked Acacia with a smile. "I'm sure not going to just roll over and let you win, if that's what you think. Yeah, we'll probably have to throw down then."
Finishing off his plate, Robin reached back and grabbed some more food. He wasn't really even that hungry, he just knew that he had to eat. Taking a bite from the fruit he got, Robin continued.
"Well, I suppose if we're teaming up, we should know each other's names. I'm Robin. Where are you from, kid?" Robin asked Acacia.

 

[Mango137]

“Sounds good!” Acacia obliged, it wasn’t like he wanted the man to forfeit, he just wanted to have a clear conscience when they inevitably battled. “I’m Acacia Song from Slateport, you?” He instantly regretted his answer, why did I have to include my last name, now he’ll definitely know who I am.

 

[aurivee_]

Now she was sure that this guy didn't know who she was. Which made her quite happy.
"Sure! I'd like that!" she exclaimed, smiling.
Suddenly, her phone dinged. Pulling it out of her pocket, she saw a message alert.
She opened the contact reading "Talia", a smile gracing her face. The message read:
"good luck, lil sis. see u when you win."
She typed back a message quickly, reading "don't put all ur faith in me. my odds of winning are only 1%."
She then received another text. "haha, true. go gettem. ♥"
Smiling, she put her phone back in her pocket.

 

[LegacyBladeworks]

Breathing a heavy sigh of internal relief, Lev was glad he’d managed to get that business out of the way. Noticing the teen pull out a cell phone, and how she smiled, whoever had texted her must’ve been pretty important. Thinking back a moment ago about what she had said, he couldn’t help but smile a little.


“Was that your sister?”


From the way she had expressed her tone, it sounded like Allie was really close with her sister. Just like his relationship with Zena. The two of them had been through a lot, but always stuck together to make it through the rough times. Even though he felt relatability with his newfound partner for this tournament, when the time came they would eventually have to battle, Lev wasn’t going to pull any punches. He had too much riding on this opportunity to let it go down the drain.

 

[Captain Cardboard]

Acacia Song, huh? The name sounded familiar, but Robin couldn't place it. Robin thought for a moment, trying to remember. He was sure he hadn't met the kid before... but eh, whatever. It didn't really matter to him. Robin had been on the road recently, and hadn't had the chance to really catch up on the news that was up and coming with the world. With a shrug, Robin continued the conversation.
"Eh, I bounce around a lot. Don't really spend too long in one place. But I'm originally from Johto, Ecruteak City to be exact. I should probably go back and visit it soon, just to see how everyone is doing over there..." Robin said, then finishing his plate of food. "Yea, I've been to a lot of places. You like to travel?"

 

[aurivee_]

Allie nodded, with a smile. "Yeah, it was my sister Talia. She just texted me to wish me luck. I told her that mathematically, I only have a one percent chance of winning, so I don't have incredibly high hopes." She laughed slightly. "She really wanted to participate too, but she had to do business stuff instead."

 

[Merciless Medic]

Shade saw the food on the table, but felt too nauseous and upset to even want to look at the delectable items on the table. Although, she was hungry, and her stomach growled angrily at her. Sighing, she walked over and attempted to eat something. Cheese? No. Maybe some fruit? No... Bread? Yea, sure why not... Some salami? Yea, that sounds good.

She soon found herself with a plate full of assorted meats, crackers, and bread and was happily munching on them as she quieted her starving stomach. Looking around, she saw people were talking amicably with each other. Some of these people seemed familiar, while others were just average trainers, whose skills were not-so average and were more exceptional in the least. Her outlook on her situation now seemed to light up a little as she didn't think this was so suffocating and huge. Looking about, she decided to find a wall to lean against and just observe everyone around her, find those that would give her problems. Of course, she was told that she was going to be given a Pokemon to use out there. Her first obstacle would be trying to gain this Pokemon's trust while also trying to survive out there. Her first plan of attack would be to gain her Pokemon's trust first and avoid battles as much as humanly possible until she has achieved that trust.

She didn't realize how hard this was going to be.

 

[Mango137]

“A bit, though most of my time is spent in Driftveil City for work. I’ve passed through Johto a few times but always wished I had more time to spend there, maybe I’ll journey there after this.” Acacia drifted off in thought as he imagined a break from Pokémon world tournaments held in Driftveil and training with Alder before he snapped back into reality. “What about you?” He asked the man.

 

[LegacyBladeworks]

“Come on now, that’s no way to instill confidence in your partner” Lev jokingly replied, though in all seriousness, her comment did concern him a bit if Allie wasn’t as strong as he initially thought she was. Placing a hand gently on her shoulder, the young man gave her a smile that expressed confidence and strength.


“Maybe math says you only have a 1% chance, but you know what makes that percentage higher? Determination. You got invited, just like everyone else, right? Then that means as long as you believe in yourself, you’ve got just as much a chance as anyone else in this room”


Letting his hand finally rest again at his side, he hoped his little pep talk would give Allie a little confidence in her abilities. If not for her, it’ll at least help me sleep better at night…


“Plus you’ve got a partner, and if I have anything to say about it, the two of us are making it to the end of this competition” Lev added, for some extra reassurance. He then figured it’d be best to change gears and talk about something else.


“So your sister was too busy to make it huh? She must work a lot then. What does she do?”

 

[aurivee_]

A faint smile appeared on the girl's face. "Yeah. You're right."
She nodded. "She's a music artist. Pretty well known too. Got caught up in the business part of it and couldn't postpone it. Would have been great too, she's a really strong trainer. She's won multiple Leagues." She was trying not to be too specific, still hoping that Lev would not recognize her.
"I kinda get some of my skills from her - but don't get me wrong, I've got some skill too - all the Kalos gym badges and four from Sinnoh don't come from dumb luck." This was the truth, as she indeed had obtained all the gym badges she'd mentioned.

 

[XanthousXatu]

Loki overheard a girl in the crowd talking about someone winning leagues. He sighed at the thought. He's participated in the Silver Conference once or twice and has taken on the champion three times... Those all went horribly. When he faced the Elite Four, Loki had no problem defeating them due to their flawed types and strategies. Though Ethan was a different story. He had a wide variety of Pokemon, though his Pikachu was easy as hell to destroy( I'm not comparing, though contrasting, it was easy). He flunked it a second time, and decided to venture onto other ways of Johto Domination. As he remembered in the Silver Conference, his Sudowoodo carried the team due to his increased defense and wide variety of moves. His Sandslash, which recently evolved, was far too bashful due to it's form change, and didn't obey a command of his. What could've he of done better the second time? Well, what he did do was try again immediately due to his challenging side of his personality, though failed again as his commands required too much power for his Pokemon to attack. For example, his Misdreavus was simply too weak to carry out five Dark Pulse in a row, and fainted due to nausea. That battle made him think he was a danger to his Pokemon, making him only bring his Sandslash to the grand Sinnoh Region. He's been to Hoenn,though only a single time, which was right now. When Kalos had introduced the Fairy Type, which was too much for Loki's monkey brain. He preferred Dragons to be unstoppable monsters he had to defeat and capture, not peasants that could be annihilated by a Flabebe. He wouldn't go to Alola due to the hot weather, just like Hoenn, but came back to Johto to attempt the Champion for the third time. Oh boy... The Elite Four were always easy, but this time a new Champion reigned supreme. He tried to defeat him in a battle of the ages, though the new Champion held onto his title, dropping the significance of the battle by a lot. Oh man, he had a lot of stories... It made him feel old, even though he was one of the youngest in this competition.

Loki finally mustered the ability to get up, and remembered that people were teaming up like Mareep in a herd. Obviously, that was a terrible strategy, though it wouldn't hurt to make some cordial relations. He walked up to the person who mentioned winning in a team (Eve). Loki didn't know anyone from pop culture, neither did he care. "I... am looking for someone to team up with, even though you're paired up with that guy, I just want to be in a team... I fear I'll lose and will be simply dirt on a road (thats slang now)", he admitted, though slowly talked to both of them during the conversation. (I literally think there is nothing wrong with this interaction, that's how socially awkward I am)

 

[LegacyBladeworks]

“A music artist eh?...” At that, he finally felt something click. It hadn’t registered at first, because he was normally too busy to pay attention to current music and pop culture. However, he had remembered seeing his sister point out certain music artists she had on her radar. Wait, she’s…


Lev couldn’t believe the odds. He had partnered up with and been talking this whole time to the younger sister of Silver Starlight. She’s the performer my sis can’t stop talking about...But wait a minute...Even though he was still a bit dumbfounded by the revelation, the young man was trying to figure out why Allie was participating in the tournament. With that kind of reputation, it doesn’t make sense for her to be here for the grand prize. So what gives?


As he contemplated these thoughts, the two of them were joined by another competitor, asking if they could work together too. Dispelling the numerous questions he had for the moment, Lev turned towards the stranger.


“There’s still lots of other people who haven’t partnered up and could probably use the help. I won’t really complain about some extra help, but are you sure you wanna team up with people that’re already a pair?”


More than anything, this was an attempt to reason with the guy that teams of two might not hurt, but larger numbers in pairs might not be a good idea. Teaming up with just Allie would work to his advantage, but he wasn’t sure what would happen with another person added to the mix. Turning to his teammate, he knew it wasn’t just his decision involved in this, and he didn’t want to mess up his partnership before the tournament even began.


“What do you wanna do Allie?”

 

[aurivee_]

A smile graced the girl’s face. She could tell that she’d said too much.. but at least she hadn’t elicited any fan-boying, thank Arceus.
“It’s fine by me... that’s one less competitor that we have to worry about, right? Then again... your opinion matters too. What do you think?”
Unlike many, she really couldn’t care less about prizes or fame or whatnot. She was focused on having fun and gaining experience. Therefore, she wasn’t taking this as seriously as some competitors - she did want to win, but she also didn’t want to feel overly pressured.

 

[LegacyBladeworks]

Having the question sent back to him, she did have a point that it couldn’t hurt to have one less competitor to worry about immediately. They’d have to concern themselves with them later, but it’d at least help to potentially clear out some of the stronger fighters early on.


“It doesn’t really matter to me, so long as we all agree not to face each other until the end of the tournament. We take out the rest of the competition first, then we can duke it out”


The only thing he wanted to make sure of was that he managed to make it through this. He had a lot riding on winning this. Too much for him to be able to lose by being careless. I’ll have to be extra careful with another person around now. While he replied, Lev could feel something slip from one of his inner coat pockets, making a soft sound as it hit the floor. Looking down, the young man quickly picked up an old tattered photo that had somehow gotten loose. Stuffing it back in his coat, he did his best to make it look like the photo was just a normal item to him, rather than something incredibly important.

 

[XanthousXatu]

Loki was delighted he could be on par with the rest, and not have to be a scavenger. Though it was morally against everything he stood for, he decided that he would love to be on a team. Is that what made his downfall in events like the Silver Confrence? He liked the sound of it 'Silver Conference'. And now that he was using a completely random Pokemon, he could learn about them from the other two trainers. He felt an overjoyed sense of compassion that he was going to win this. Loki considered himself an average trainer, usually with no sense of domination whatsover. Maybe a new chapter in his life? He didn't want to be dramatic, but yes.

 

[Merciless Medic]

It was certain at this point that Shade had to do something besides stand there like a weirdo and spy on everyone. Yea, she didn't really trust anyone to begin with, but she had a feeling she wouldn't get far if she didn't attempt to be friendly to people. There were three people in a small group. One very young kid seemed to be wanting to join a familiar girl with blue hair and another young man. There was a pair of young men, one who she remembered as the winner of some conference that her brother would not shut up about for weeks and another man who was unknown to her. If anything, it was best to go alone at this point, but she needed to have some friends in this. She knew she was going to let her dark mind slip and crush alliances just as quick as she'd make them, and she will become as ruthless as the Dark-Types she trained. Just as long as they didn't cross her or make her get super paranoid where she will start taking actions or making plans against them, then they should be good.

At this point though, she thought about going to the three kids. One of them had dropped something as she walked closer. It seemed like a scrap of paper and she couldn't see whether it was paper or if it was something sentimental or important. Although, looking at the kid, who did not seem to be old enough to even be here, struck her as odd and she felt like this kid was rubbing her the wrong way. Knowing that this was going to be an issue if she tried to join them, she decided to go with the other two people.

Walking over to the winner and the stranger, she waved to them and tried to join them.

"Hi, I'm Shade. I'm assuming you two are competitors for this and are possibly working together. I think it would be best for me to go about this with some people instead of trying to lone wolf it. Looking around, there are quite a few people who would like to see blood by ganging up on people, and I don't want to be a victim of that. So, I would be joining forces with you as added protection. Of course, if we do manage to get to the end... Well... I won't go easy on you two. Of course, only if you let me join. If you don't, then no biggie. I'd probably be trying to separate these groups anyway and I don't want you two to get mixed up into that."

Why she decided to say her game plan, she had no idea. But at least it was only two people she thought she could trust for some reason and she had a sneaking suspicion that they wouldn't say 'no'. Of course, knowing that she wasn't exactly that popular to begin with unless someone was really into science papers, they probably wouldn't know who she was. She did appear in a couple of contest performances, but she looked drastically different in them. She also appeared in some tournaments around the world, but she had no idea who or what watched her from home or from the stands. She didn't get too far, but she was well known for making quite the scene with scary Pokemon and bringing out the absolute brutality of her Pokemon, especially ones out of her Dark- and Ghost-Types. She was more well known for that and for helping some of the top-notch regional Professors with their research.

 

[LegacyBladeworks]

“Anyway…” Attempting to break the silence, Lev motioned towards the newcomer. Him and Allie had already talked a little bit, but they didn’t know the new kid’s name yet. Guess if we’re all gonna work together, better know his name too.


“What’s your name bud? And what made you decide to join the tournament?”


Glancing back towards Allie, he still couldn’t believe his luck. It was usually pretty horrible, but this opportunity could possibly make up for most of his unlucky streaks. Maybe if I get close enough to her, then things’ll start to turn around. Her comments as well about having gym badges helped alleviate his concerns earlier. She was stronger than she gave herself credit for, much to his relief.


“What about you too Allie? If you’ve got 4 badges from a region already, why join this? Most people I’d think would wanna keep going with their league challenge”

 

[Captain Cardboard]

"Yeah, I've bounced around a lot. Let's see... Johto, Kanto, Sinnoh, Hoenn, Unova, Alola... I've been to all those places at least once, and definitely plan on visiting them again. But really, I spend most of my time in the back country, taking the long way and hiking from region to region. It's tough, but I really enjoy it. You get to see a lot of thing that other people don't. I'm really hoping that I might see a Legendary Pokemon one day, but I doubt that's going to happen." Robin said.

Noticing the approach of a purple-haired woman in a black shirt, Robin returned her wave and listened as she explained herself quite matter-of-factly. Robin glanced at Acacia before simply shrugging.
"Yeah, sounds good to me!" Robin said, cracking a grin. "It's nice to meet you, Shade. I'm Robin. Are we going to make a team name?"

 

[Mango137]

“Ummm alright, nice to meet you, I’m Acacia.” He extended a hand to the girl who looked a bit older than him. Her frankness threw him off a bit, but he figured he could relatively trust her since she just put everything out on the table like that. Still, there was something about her that put him a little bit on edge. He would remain on his guard around her.

 

[Captain Cardboard]

“Now that’s three! Let’s do it!” Robin said, grinning excitedly and making a fist.
The sound of someone tapping a microphone filled the hall, and Robin looked back to see finely dressed older man with a silver beard on the front stage.
“Eh, ehem! Your attention, please!” The old man said. He paused as the room began to quiet and smiled at competitors. “It is my honor and pleasure to welcome you all to my lovely island. I am Mr. Felix Ranton. Now, I’m sure that you’re all ready and raring to go, so I’m not going to stand here and make you listen to me. We’ve prepared a small film that will explain the rules and aspects of the tournament far better than I ever could.”
Mr. Ranton tapped the ground with his cane, and shades slowly came down over the windows. The lights in the room were turned down, and a projector from the ceiling activated. It shone down, displaying on the screen on the stage. On the screen, it slowly faded in to water quickly flowing. The camera panned up to reveal the island as catchy, lightbeat pop music began to play. One corny transition later, the camera was now pointing at a dark haired young girl in a red beret, standing on a grassy plain with the ocean in the background.


“Hello Competitors, and welcome to Isle Royale!” The girl said cheerfully, flashing a pair of peace signs. “My name’s Kami, and I’m here to help you all get started in this Battle Royale! Isle Royale can be a pretty tough place, but Mr. Ranton has worked hard to fix that. One of the first things you might notice when you get onto the island is the Pokemon, or that is, the lack of any. We’ve been working them hard to move them off the island and find them new homes, just for this tournament! And this goes to the first rule. The only Pokemon you can use for this tournament is the Pokemon that we supply you! Speaking of supplies…”
The girl walked over, revealing a table with a large multitude of backpacks of various colors. Attached to each backpack strap by a long cord was what looked like a custom PokeGear.
“To get ready to start the tournament, you will be called one by one out of the main hall and issued some gear. This is your official Royale Bag! Inside, you’ll have all the gear you’ll need to survive on the island!” Opening the bag, Kami began to reveal a multitude of items. Some food, an emergency blanket, a small first-aid kit, 4 Hyper Potions, and 3 revives.


“But more important than that, is your custom Royale Gear!” Kami showed the camera the PokeGear attached to the backpack. “This is probably one of your most important pieces of gear for this tournament, as when you activate it, it shows you your starting position.”
Activating the PokeGear, the screen lit up and showed a map of the island. On the map currently, were a yellow dot and a blue dot.
“The yellow dot is your current location, while the blue dot is your starting position. When you reach it, you will see a pole that looks like this!” The camera panned over to reveal an orange and white painted pole that came up to about chest height. “When you see your starting pole, to signal that you are ready scan your Royale Gear.”
The girl scanned her Royale Gear in the starting pole’s opening, and the Gear chimed cheerfully.
“It is important that you scan your Gear before 1 o’clock, which is when the competition officially begins! If you haven’t, you’ll be officially ejected from the tournament! The Escape Rope technology in your Gear will activate, and you’ll be sent back to the entrance hall! Now, once you’ve scanned your Royale Gear and the tournament has begun, then…” The starting pole let out a loud, “Ka-Chunk!”, and a Pokeball fell into the opening on the pole. Kami picked up the Pokeball and smiled at the camera. “You get your Pokemon!”


Showing the camera her Royale Gear once again, Robin noticed that the screen on the Gear had changed. It still showed a map of the island, but now there were many other points of various colors dotting the map.
“You’ll also notice that many more dots have appeared on your map! The red dots are the general location of your opponents.” Kami pointed to a red dot close to her location on the map, and the camera panned over to a man wearing a Royale Bag standing on a hill. He waved to the camera before it panned back to Kami.

“And these Green Dots, well, they show you the general location of what we call ‘PokeStops!’. They’re caches we’ve hidden across the island, filled with food, gear, and battle items to help you win the tournament. The better the loot at a PokeStop, the harder it is to find. And just like at your starting position, all you have to do is scan your Royale Gear on the PokeStop and it will open for you!” Kami explained cheerfully. “That’s about it for the gear! There’s just one last, important detail we have to tell you. Each Royale Gear has Escape Rope technology embedded in it. If you ever feel like the tournament is getting to tough for you, simply activate it and you’ll teleported back to the Grand Hall! The Escape Rope function can also be activated remotely, which is what we’ll use to remove you from the battlefield if your Pokemon faint. It will also be used to remove your from the tournament if you’re found breaking the rules. Speaking of the rules, here are the rest of them!”

“No physically attacking another competitor! No attempting to leave the island while you’re in the tournament! No stealing another trainer’s Pokemon! Oh! I almost forgot!" The girl giggled lightly, slapping her forehead. "There's a small exception to that rule. If you manage to beat another trainer in battle, you are allowed to take one of your opponent's Pokemon! After all, they won't be needing it. And most importantly, if you do find a camera, you are not allowed to destroy it! That’s it, really! So go out there, have fun, battle hard, and remember to smile for the cameras! You’re going to be on TV!” Kami gave the camera a big smile, pointing to it with finger guns, before waving goodbye as the camera slowly zoomed out and up.


And with that, the film was over. Robin blinked as the lights were turned back on and the windows were opened once again.
“Now then, let’s get right into it!” Mr. Ranton said with a smile. “You may retrieve your gear and enter the island once your name is called. Good luck, competitors!”
Mr. Ranton walked off the stage, and one by one trainer’s names began to be called. So it begins… Robin turned to Acacia and Shade.
“Well, good luck!” Robin said to his new teammates. "Hopefully we're able to meet up somewhere."