Ask to Join Pokemon World Tournament Junior Cup

[kyuukestu]

Esther

Friday, July 15 – Lacunosa Town, Unova Region​

The Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup was not to be confused with the Pokémon World Tournament Junior Division. The former was a locally held tournament that allowed any trainer passing through Lacunosa Town to participate, while the latter was a highly prestigious tournament that was among Unova’s most well-known.

Held in Driftveil city, the Pokémon World Tournament was a cross-regional competition frequented by Champions, Gym Leaders, and other up-and-coming trainers; its Junior Division was a rigge—uh, rigorously—yea, that was the word; a rigorously assessed and selected tournament of hot-shot cough Lab cough trainers, endorsed by Pokémon Professors (or other equivalent institutes) and equipped with all the perks that came with that association. Trainers like Austin.

Esther quietly seethed; her fingers slipped under her waist sash and brushed against two items with a smooth, glossy finish. The badges banished the bitter memory with the light of confidence. Although she’d left Kalos after only two out of three successful gym challenges, Esther took pride in her achievements; pride enough that she’d decided to try her hand at another type of main-stay event for trainers—a tournament. Tournaments were a staple of the trainer lifestyle, often dishing out prizes that could save a trainer weeks to months of hard work.

While the Junior Cup wasn’t among Unova’s best tournaments, it wasn’t that far off either. The Junior Cup had been an annual event for over a decade and according to her guidebook, dished out lucrative prizes.

First place would receive their pick from a pool of TRs along with a cash prize of $1000; furthermore, they’d receive an invaluable opportunity—a chance to battle against Unova’s Reigning Champion! While not as impressive as the first-place prize, second place would also receive a cash prize of $750, while third place would receive $500. It was a big fall-off from first place, but to the victor go the spoils!

Anyone who failed to place; well, they’d receive a champion-themed keychain as a participation award. Better than nothing...right?

Esther wasn’t planning to settle for a participation prize. Unova’s Ventress Conference had started shortly before her own journey, and she figured she had a good shot at the gold. After her journey through Kalos, finances were getting a bit...tight. Although she’d earned a tidy sum from her gym victories, she had paid for her defeat at the Shalour Gym, and, most concerning, her team had ballooned much faster than she was expecting; 6 hungry mouths weren’t cheap.

Without at least a podium finish, she’d need to go job hunting pretty soon...But enough of that! Just on the horizon, she could see the outline of Laconosa Town. The mostly sandy trail through the seaside route 13 was beginning to transition to packed earth, which meant...

Esther didn’t have to say a word, the pop-pop-pop of Pokéballs sounded, and her entire team took to the field. She grimaced slightly, anticipating the—squelch!—Aannd yep, now her hair was ruined.

For all her attempts to dissuade it, Nâva’s favorite place to perch was right atop her trainer’s head; and while this wasn’t much of an issue by itself, the Goomy’s gooey mucus always left Esther’s hair a sticky, icky messy! The Oblivian rolled her eyes as the rest of her Pokémon took their positions, L’ Basseau was quick to clamber onto her shoulder and Tarah claimed her throne in Esther’s arms. Esther wrinkled her nose. Their combined scent was sickly sweet, but it didn’t offend her senses as much as it used to.

As the three least mobile members of her team settled in, Esther took the chance to equip Kalos’ greatest innovation...clip-on roller-skates! She grinned as she tested the smoothness of the road...it was good! Esther turned to the remaining members of her team, all lined up and giving each other an eye of something fierce!

“Alright, I want a clean race, no moves & no sabotage, capisce?”

What had begun as a way to keep fit had blossomed into something more—a family tradition.

Esther took her place on the line after she received a chorus of assenting yips and growls and rattles.

“Ready...”

Esther bent her knees, tensing with every muscle fiber in her body, a coiled spring ready to launch.

“Set...”

Esther took off! As their trainer and the slowest of the bunch she naturally qualified for a cheeky head start. Childish delight filled her lungs, and a moment later, she shouted the final signal.

“GO!!!”

She never stood a chance.

------

The venue of the Junior Cup was the Lacunosa Stadium, and after signing up for the tournament—and unexpectedly being assigned the first seed—Esther found herself a seat inside the Stadium’s waiting room, assessing the disaster that was her hair. The race to the city had, expectedly only worsened her predicament, and had wind-dried Nâva’s slime, leaving her hair wish a messily, exaggerated ‘wind whisked’ look.

Fixing this would be a hell and a half...

@RenzFlintrock
@Hecotoro
@IDKWhatUserNameToDo
@Grand Master Koop
@sSoul

Spoiler: Notice

This tournament is a part of the larger Pokemon RP and the discussion thread can be found here: https://pokecharms.com/threads/pokemon-discussion-thread.28773/ (Ask to Join - Pokémon Discussion Thread)

For anyone interested in joining please apply there or PM me directly. This current tournament only has one character who can be swapped out, so if you'd like to join this tournament and only this tournament (as opposed to the whole RP) then feel free to apply as well.

The Tournament will be 2-on-2 battles (not double battles) with pokemon who would be the game equivalent to level 20-35ish. This means third-stage pokemon should be used minimally.

For any further details please PM me or ask in the Pokemon Discussion thread.

 

[Grand Master Koop]

July 15th, Lacunosa Town, Unova
Joyce Blake

"Here we are, Lacunosa Town." Outside Lacunosa stadium, a Salamance flew down to earth carrying it's 2 passengers. As soon as it landed, a young woman hopped off its back, a shiny new Z-Ring glowing on her left arm. "Thanks for the ride bro." She uttered towards the other person on the back of the Dragon Pokemon. Joyce Blake had taken a momentary pause from her Alola Island Trials to take place in the annual Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup over in the Unova region. "I should also thank you for letting me know something like this was taking place, this will be a nice break from all that island trialing I was doing." She spoke while stretching her arms over her head.

"Uh, I'm pretty sure you only just finished your first one when I went to pick you up." Whispered a slightly perplexed Ken. "Well anyways, I hope you enjoy yourself, I might stick around to watch some of the matches but other than that I'll probably see you after the tournament is over." He said before waving his sister farewell and gliding off atop his Salamance.

While it was true that in the month that Joyce spent in Alola, she had only barely managed to get pass the first trial, but that was mostly due to her horrible sense of direction rather than a lack of skill. Returning her brother's wave, the young woman made her way into the stadium to sign up for the tournament.

After finishing the sign up process, Joyce found a seat in the stadium's waiting room. "Alright, now to wait for the actual tournament to start." She mumbled trying to make herself comfortable. While she waited, her sudden boredom caused her eyes to wander, landing on the scene of another young woman who appeared to be trying to fix her extremely wild hairstyle. "Whoa."

 

[Hecotoro]

July 15th - Lacunosa, Unova. Reina, current rank, ?????.

"Can you believe this Chente?" Reina spoke out loud while looking at the map in the Unova pocket size guide book. "Years of traveling and struggling on our own and suddenly my parents decide to gift me a trip to Unova."

The trainer and her Lombre walked down the streets of the famous Lucanosa Town. They had arrived a few hours earlier, but had used the extra time to try some local food and get a few warm up battles in before heading to the stadium. Reina was supposed to be in the middle of her trip in Johto, but after a devastating defeat at the hands of a famous dragon master, she and her Dragonair, Maya, had been struggling to get their spirits back up. Despite having a few badges under their belt, the power difference left the two proud girls shattered and were now on a quest to patch it back up. The best way to do so, was to test herself against others who were also looking to become great trainers and have a lot of room for improvement still.

"Maybe you can learn some dance moves here, there seems to be several street artist in the area." Reina gave her gloomy looking Lombre a smile, but Chente was one who rarely refused to express his emotions unless he heard good music that made him dance. "If not..." Reina continued after she noticed the lack of reply from her partner, "We can look for a nice little cafe or dance clubs later."

Soon the Metztlian trainer and her Lombre found themselves walking into the stadium. Reina, like always, was fascinated by the structures and amount of people in them. No matter how many gyms she had been to, contests or tournaments, it always felt like her first time. Once she got registered and got her seed, being number 5, she walked over to join a girl with terrible hair. Reina would normally be the one to jump into a conversation with a stranger, but she felt she was interrupting something and decided to focus on looking through her Pokemon and trying to decide who to bring into her first battle.

 

[kyuukestu]

Esther

Friday, July 15 – Lacunosa Town, Unova Region​

Two trainers arrived not long after she’d settled down; both girls, Esther noted. They both sat by themselves, making no effort to break the silence of the waiting room. Well, Esther didn’t mind that. The Oblivian rummaged through her bag and brought out a comb, a brush, a bottle of hair spray, and a hand-sized mirror.

“AHEM,” The sound was particularly loud in the quiet of the waiting room, more than enough to attract attention. Esther waived her hands towards her small collection of hair products, an inviting smile plastered to her lips. “I don’t suppose either of you wants to help a girl look presentable? I could use an extra pair of hands...or two.”

 

[IDKWhatUserNameToDo]

Kenzie Kirk - July 15th - Lacunosa town, Unova

Kenzie burst through the doors to the stadium's lobby with a granbull right behind her. She marched up to the counter, her nose high up in the air with the Fairy Dog Pokemon mimicking her mannerisms. This was going to be her first step proving herself worthy of going up against the big leagues. She was sure of it! She already had a couple of badges under her belt and a team of four pokemon and had worked hard to travel here to Unova. She was confident she would do well in this tournament.

Proclaiming her arrival and finishing up the signing process at the counter, Kenzie smiled widely. She was honestly so exited, "Alright! Let's do this!" She exclaimed and high-fived her dog-like pokemon, who seemed to be equally as ecstatic over this event, letting out a 'ruff!' and wagging his tail.

The fanfare quickly died down when the young trainer quickly realized that it would take some time still before the actual tournament would take place, "Oh.." and her shoulders slumped down, "Oh! But that gives us time to prepare and uh- like strategize!" and once again her spirits were rose up high.

 

[Hecotoro]

July 15th - Lacunosa, Unova. Reina, current rank, ?????.

Reina looked up from her tourist guide and set her eyes on the girl asking for help with her hair. "I can!" She wasn't to pass on the chance to make new friends.

Reina placed away her small book into one of her pockets and removed her backpack, leaving it on her seat. Lombre didn't seem too excited to get to know a stranger so he assigned himself the backpack's bodyguard, taking Reina's seat and leaning against the back while leaning his head down so the leaf on his head could cover his eyes. During that time Reina moved over to Esther, holding out her hand.

"I'm Reina, number five! So, if you don't mind me asking, what happened to your hair? I thought it was odd, but since this region is known for always being on the top of fashion, I thought, you knew something I didn't."

 

[kyuukestu]

Esther

Friday, July 15 – Lacunosa Town, Unova Region​

Esther snorted out laughter. She didn’t know if Unova was really, as Reina had put it, at the top of the fashion game; but if it was anything like her mess of a hairstyle... “Talk about a bold fashion statement.”

“I’m Esther, and this...” she gestured at her hair, “is what happens when my Goomy gets her way; she always leaves a sticky mess!”

Esther pointed to the hair spray, “This’ll loosen up the goo and thicken it...kinda like Jell-O”, then she pointed towards the comb and brush, “and once it’s thick enough, I can scrape out the excess.”

“You spray, I’ll scrape?”, she suggested and offered Reina the hair spray.

 

[Grand Master Koop]

July 15th, Lacunosa Town, Unova
Joyce Blake

Joyce was surprised when she heard the girl with the messy hair address her. "Who me?" She uttered, perplexed. Was she caught staring? Even if she was, it didn't look like the girl was angry or anything. Quite the opposite actually, with her inviting smile. Listening to her words, it appeared the girl was asking if the Joyce and the other girl in the room were willing to help her fix her hair. The young trainer took a moment to process the information.

She had never really been one to put on makeup, but what's the harm in trying? At the very least, she might learn something new. "Uh sure, I can help. But I'm not sure how much I can be of use." Joyce spoke before quickly getting up from her seat and moving closer to the other two girls.

Once she's squatting down near the others, the young woman's eyes focused on the bag of makeup. "So uh, what would you like me to do?" She asked. "Oh and you can call me Joyce." Hearing the others introduce themselves, Joyce thought it'd only be fair if she did as well.

 

[kyuukestu]

Esther

Friday, July 15 – Lacunosa Town, Unova Region​

The depths of Esther’s eyes sparkled with the glimmer of satisfaction; Joyce’s offer brought them to three pairs of hands, quite a crown for only one head of hair, but a welcomed crowd.

“Here,” Esther presented Joyce with the comb, “if you scrape then I can work out the kinks and tangles?”

They were ten, maybe twenty, minutes from the first match and every additional help would speed things along. Obviously, she wasn’t going to take to the fielding looking like a mess. The timely help had saved her from resorting to more drastic methods of cleaning up.

Esther turned to her saviors, a curious lilt in her voice. “Say, you two don’t look to be from Unova either; what’s your story?”

 

[Hecotoro]

July 15th - Lacunosa, Unova. Reina, current rank, ?????.

"Well I am pretty good at spraying." Reina replied with a smile and greeted Joyce with it at the same time. "I didn't know Goomy could be so messy..." She placed her palm in position to cover Esther's eyes from the hair spray as she began to spray the goo covered hair. "I'm from Metztli, a region far from here."

Reina gave her Lombre a quick look, he was still sitting against the bag with his leaf covering his eyes, probably napping. "Isn't Goomy a dragon Pokemon? We basically worship them back where I'm from, if you do not have a dragon, you might as well quit being a trainer."

 

[kyuukestu]

Esther

Friday, July 15 – Lacunosa Town, Unova Region​

“Metzily?” The word felt unfamiliar but as Reina got to work Esther hummed. Having someone work on her hair was always a pleasant sensation. “They usually aren’t, but my Nâva—that’s Goomy’s name—she’s special! Her ability is Gooey.” There was no small measure of pride in the Oblivian’s voice as she explained. “It’s a rare ability for Goomy, so it took me a while to find her; I was waist deep in swamp for nearly a week!” A shudder passed through her body; those were...filthy times but ultimately her efforts had paid off.

“So...that means you have a dragon?”

 

[Hecotoro]

July 15th - Lacunosa, Unova. Reina, current rank, ?????.

"Really? A swamp? Sounds fun." Reina stopped spraying, waiting for Joyce to do her part in the two woman job. "Yeah I have a dragon, her name is Maya, she is so wonderful. She's a Dragonair, really likes to battle. I would present her but, she's a little moody around strangers."

She removed her hand so Esther could see as she pointed at the Lombre sleeping against Reina's backpack. "That over there is Chente, he seems lazy and boring, but put some music on and he will dance like a professional."

 

[kyuukestu]

Esther

Friday, July 15 – Lacunosa Town, Unova Region​

Esther squeezed out a throaty snicker. “Moody and loves to battle? That sounds almost too familiar.” She turned to observe Reina’s other Pokémon, a Lombre. Although it was a somber-looking Pokémon, from experience, Esther knew they could be deceptively energetic, almost as much as their evolution, Ludicolo.

“I’d believe it; a group of Lombre and Ludicolo inhabit the river near my home, they can go crazy dancing in the rain. Oh! I come from the Oblivia islands, we don’t have a Pokémon league of our own or anything like that, so I’ve been traveling across the regions. This will be my first official tournament! How about you Joyce?”

 

[Grand Master Koop]

July 15th, Lacunosa Town, Unova
Joyce Blake

Joyce had been listening to the other two while she ran the comb through Esther's hair. Upon hearing her name being called, the young woman suddenly snapped back to reality. "Huh? Oh sorry, I was caught up listening to you two and combing that I forgot I was also part of this conversation." She let out a chuckled before scratching the back of her head.

"Anyways, my story probably isn't as interesting as you two. I was born in the Kanto region but my parents are actually from Sinnoh. I only recently started my pokemon Journey, well restarted would be the better word. I tried going on a journey before but I got lost the same day and had to run home." She let out an embarrassed chuckle. "This is my second try and I think I'm much more prepared now, I'm going through the Alola region's Island Trials and just recently got my first trial done! Then my brother told me about this tournament and I thought it'd be good to take a break from all the trialing with some good old battling!" She explained. "So I guess I'm the same as you, this will be my first time competing in a tournament."

 

[Hecotoro]

"I have never heard of Oblivia, but I've been to Kanto." Reina replied as she began to spray Esther's hair again. "I only got two badges there, Sabrina was so powerful, we didn't stand a chance."

Regarding her experience in tournaments, she hadn't been in anything official, as far as she knew. She usually participated in local events wherever she was visiting.

"I guess this would be my first official tournament, I never had to travel to another region to participate in one." She looked at Joyce. "So what's Alola like? I heard it's great for vacations."

 

[Grand Master Koop]

July 15th, Lacunosa Town, Unova
Joyce Blake

Hearing Reina's question, Joyce took a moment to consider how to answer. "Well, it is a very tropical region. The weather was really sunny and very warm, at least it was like that during the time I was there." She began. "I understand why it would be a good vacation spot, especially for people who live in colder regions. The locals are really nice too, they really helped me out when I spent the first 2 days aimlessly wandering while looking for the island's Kahuna so I could start my trials." Joyce explained. "I hope that was good enough for an answer."

 

[kyuukestu]

Esther

Friday, July 15 – Lacunosa Town, Unova Region​

“So, I guess we’re all in the same boat. I only have two badges myself, though I earned them in Kalos,” Esther settled in as the second hair-rinse began. A bit of kindness and openness could go a long way toward building relationships. As Reina and Joyce traded question for answer, Esther picked up on something familiar and something unfamiliar. “Alola, hmm? Sounds a lot like Oblivia but...what are Island trials?"

 

[Grand Master Koop]

July 15th, Lacunosa Town, Unova
Joyce Blake

"Oh! I can answer that. They're like the gym challenges that you would typically go through in other regions but there is a key difference." Quickly putting down the comb before reaching for the sparkly piece of jewelry she wore on her left arm, Joyce scrambled to remove the white crystal that was placed in a compartment of the same shape, almost dropping it in the process. She held the gem up so that the other 2 girls could see it.

"This is called a Z-crystal, it's what completing the Island Trials gives you. I guess they can be compared to gym badges from other regions." The girl began, trying her best to explain it in a way that's not too confusing. She then held up her left arm, showing the bracelet she had on it. "You get this thing called a Z-Ring when you start the trials. When you have both together, you can pull of this thing called a Z-Move and it's really cool." She continued. "I think the best way to explain what a Z-move is would be to show it. If we have enough time left before the tournament starts, how about we go outside so I can show you what they look like? Trust me it's really cool looking."

 

[sSoul]

Wilford Pine
Wednesday, July 15th
Route 13, Unova

While he was en-route to Lacunosa Town, the Unovan had to remind himself why he was visiting his home region. For some bizarre reason, his father had decided to sponsor the local Junior Cup, likely due to the old man's obversion with battles. This compelled the owner of the Pine Mining Industry to contact his son with a request for his appearance as a competitor. Despite the lack of logic behind the old man's decision making, Wilford felt that the request was too simple to refuse. After all, he wasn't mandated to place well in the event, though that would come naturally. Additionally, the trip to the venue was convenient, as his presence on the Isle of Armor allowed a ship to take him to Undella Town, which possessed only one route separating the two towns. Once he arrived at the venue, Wilford was able to register for the tournament without difficulty, leaving him free to attend to his own devices. First, he assessed the competition that was present: there were three girls, one looking like she just got out of a cheap hair salon, one of them being an amateur hair stylist, and the third showing off a bracelet of some sorts to the other girls. It was at this moment where Wilford had to ask himself a crucial question.

Am I the only male registrant for this tournament?

 

[Hecotoro]

July 15th - Lacunosa, Unova. Reina, current rank, ?????.

"A Z-move?" Reina couldn't help but admire the bracelet, while trying to understand what it did exactly. "That sounds amazing, I would love to see it done!"

Reina's goal was still to get stronger. If these z-moves were as amazing as she thought they were, then she would need to get her hands on them. Alola was not in her current list of places to visit, but that would have to change if these moves proved to be as great as they sounded. Plus, the bracelet looked really neat, she could see it with different outfits.

 

[kyuukestu]

Esther

Friday, July 15 – Lacunosa Town, Unova Region​

Z-crystals and Z-moves? Those weren’t terms Esther had heard before. Her curiosity was stoked. The Oblivian was always eager to learn, doubly so after her trip through Kalos.

Esther leaped to her feet, wheeling to face Joyce with an untoward intensity as her thoughts wandered. Her expression eased quickly, relaxing to a benign smile. “Since you’ve so kindly offered, how could I say no?”

“I believe there’s a battlefield just outside the stadium. How about you show us there?”

 

[Grand Master Koop]

July 15th, Lacunosa Town, Unova
Joyce Blake

Joyce quickly slapped her Z-Crystal back into her Z-Ring. "Alright! I'm glad to hear you are interested in this. Trust me you won't be disappointed." The girl claimed before standing up and running out of the building.

Joyce waited for the others to follow her before beginning her setup. "So who should I choose for this demonstration? Hmm, it's been a while since I last let Wyrm out, maybe he'd appreciate the gesture." With her candidates decided, Joyce pulled out 2 Pokeballs. "Come on out Sapling and Wyrm!" She yelled while tossing them into the sky. With two flashes of light, a Turtwig and a Gyarados landed on the field. "Alright guys, we're going to show off how cool Z-Moves are. Wyrm you'll be the one to use the move and Sapling I'll entrust you to take the hit. You should use Withdraw to reduce the damage." Hearing their trainer's orders, Sapling nodded with a cheerful chirp while Wyrm stayed completely silent.

After the briefing, Joyce and her pokemon got into position. Wyrm stood on the same half of the field as his trainer while Sapling was stationed on the other half. "Ok guys, let's do this!" The young woman shouted.

Joyce first crossed her arms in the shape of an X, causing her ring to begin glowing. Streams of orange energy began emitting from the bracelet, connecting with Wyrm and causing the Gyarados to begin glowing the same light. Following this, Joyce performed a series of poses, causing the light to intensify. "Now! Breakneck Blitz!" Now surrounded by a orange aura, Wyrm would rush forward and slam into Sapling, at least that's what Joyce expected to happen. However, Wyrm instead began turning around. "Uh Wyrm? What are you-" Before she could finish, the Gyarados began charging at his trainer with a full speed-tackle.

Noticing what was happening, Sapling quickly began running towards the other Pokemon, but he wasn't going to be fast enough to catch up. Just as it appeared that Joyce was going to be hit, another flash appeared from the girl's waist. Popping out of it's pokeball on it's own, Thorn the Larvitar threw his entire body at the incoming Gyarados. The collision caused a loud boom to resound through the air, Thorn found himself being flung back. However, his effort weren't in vain as Wyrm was knocked off course, right towards Sapling. Whithout wasting a moment, Sapling launched a barrage of green energy seed at the large water flying type, knocking the opposing pokemon down.

As everything was happening, Joyce's mind didn't have the time to process everything as she stood there, stunned. When Thorn was sent flying right by her head, she was finally able to react. "Thorn!" She yelled out before dashing towards her pokemon and catching him before he hit the ground. "Are you alright? Oh no this is all my fault." She mumbled before glaring at her Gyarados. "Wyrm! Why did you do that?!" She yelled. In response to being yelled at, Wyrm's only reaction was a growl and a glare of his own. "Can you truly not behave?"

 

[Hecotoro]

July 15th - Lacunosa, Unova. Reina, current rank, ?????.

Reina's attention was 100% on the Gyarados, eager to see what it would do. Of course, she got a demonstration of its power, but that demonstration almost got Joyce killed. Reina gripped Maya's Safari Ball, ready to step in against the giant water snake, but she stopped once Joyce reacted and seemed to have received no harm.

"Do these moves confuse your Pokemon?" Reina spoke out, still ready to jump into comback, "Like Outrage?"

Despite Reina standing down, she could feel Maya wiggling furiously, eager to get a shot at the other blue dragon in the area. Reina however, kept the ball shut, not wanting to break out a fight right before the actual tournament.

 

[sSoul]

Wilford Pine
Wednesday, July 15th
Route 13, Unova

In spite of himself, Wilford had found himself watching the interactions between the trio of girls. Granted, alternative ways to spend time before the tournament began properly were few and far between. Checking his Pokémon would be a waste of time, he had already prepared them to be in fighting shape before he left. Making small talk wasn't the young man's forte, and his options were limited to the group of girls he was watching in the first place. Thus, Wilford was reduced to observing the conversation at a distance, though his eyes wandered to random spots in the venue, since nothing of note seemed to be occurring.

Fortunately for Wilford, that was about to change. The girl with the bracelet had decided to release two of her Pokémon: a Gyarados and a Turtwig. Reflexively, the young man began evaluating strategies to deal with these Pokémon. As he schemed, he noticed that the bracelet-bearing girl began to do something. By crossing her arms in the shape of an X, she was somehow able to summon energy, which only intensified due to her posing. Wilford's attention was already piqued, but the next part would be the most interesting. The female trainer had commanded her Gyarados to use "Breakneck Blitz"–whatever that was supposed to mean; though the command was successfully received, it seemed that the Gyarados was confused about its target. Instead of attacking the Turtwig, primed to take a hit, the Atrocious Pokémon ambushed its trainer, truly living up to its name. This turn of events amused Wilford to the point of audible, unrestrained laughter. Perhaps in a quieter moment, he'd cover his mouth, but the rich trainer thought it was best to shamelessly savor the comedic turn of events.

 

[kyuukestu]

Esther

Friday, July 15 – Lacunosa Town, Unova Region​

Esther followed along with a pep in her step and a lilt beneath her kilt. Joyce waited a moment, and Esther took the chance to bring out her entire team. If Z-moves were as amazing as Joyce said, they too should witness it.

Esther was taken back when Joyce release her Gyarados, Wyrm she’d called him; the atrocious Pokémon was notoriously...atrocious; exceedingly challenging to train, it was certainly not the kind of Pokémon she had expected to see at the Junior Cup. It seemed that Joyce was more dangerous than she looked!

When Joyce was ready, she struck a funny pose. Esther almost laughed, but there was nothing funny about the sudden glow that Joyce’s bracelet had emitted. Lively orange streaks connected Joyce and Wyrm, accumulating swiftly until the water-type held a fiery aura around it.

At Joyce’s command, the atrocious Pokémon truly blitzed—BOOM! Esther reeled.

What was that—a Sonic Boom!? No, of course not, it was just the crater created by Gyarados’ take-off—taking ‘tearing up the track’ to a whole never level of literal. Faster than Esther could track the sea-snake whirled around and attacked! The betrayal was swifter than Esther could react to, but Joyce’s third Pokémon intervened.

For a moment Esther stared, dumbfounded, at the confrontation between trainer and Pokémon; then a rattle of warning snapped her to clarity. Esther looked towards her team, where—predictably—Pyrrha, Halay, and Kasriel bristled aggressively.

The air was thick with tension and only the Gyarados’ apparently stillness prevented all hell from breaking loose.

“That sure was...something. Are you okay, Joyce?”

 

[IDKWhatUserNameToDo]

Kenzie Kirk - July 15th - Lacunosa town, Unova

Kenzie noticed the group of three girls go outside and curiosity got the better of her and she peered outside to see what they were going to do. Peering outside she saw one of the girls take out her pokemon. A Gyarados and a Turtwig. Obviously the Gyarados was the more imposing of the two pokemon, but that wasn't going to kill her spirits. It was good to know that there would be tough competition around. What fun would it be if you could just win by curb stomping every opponent? Aand then the water type pokemon turned on it's trainer just as it charged up with it's super powerful move. Well then.. Let's just hope that the other trainers here have their pokemon under better control.

Hopefully she'll get to fight a strong opponent. Oh yeah, she needed to try and think of what pokemon she should bring to the battle. They were only allowed to bring two, right?

 

[Grand Master Koop]

July 15th, Lacunosa Town, Unova
Joyce Blake

Feeling the gaze that were directed at him, Wyrm's eyes locked on to the pokemon who were growling at him. The water flying type straightened his large body, ready to lunge at his aggressors. However, the dragon was suddenly hit by a red beam, returning him back to his pokeball. "That's enough Wyrm, you've caused enough trouble for one day." Exclaimed an exasperated Joyce.

After taking a moment to compose herself, Joyce turned to all the onlookers that have gathered to witness her stunt. "Oh man, I really made myself look like a idiot just now." She mumbled.

The young woman first turned to Reina, intent of clearing any confusion her failed demonstration might have caused. "No it's nothing like that. It's just, Wyrm and I have a very rocky relationship. I didn't catch him on the best terms and it's clear he still hasn't forgiven me for it." She explained. Joyce then turned to Esther. " Yeah I'm fine thanks to Thorn here for saving me. Sorry I couldn't properly show you how a Z-Move is supposed to look." She let out a sigh. At that moment, Sapling had made his way back to his trainer. Joyce set Thorn down next to the Turtwig. "I'm glad I still have these little guys with me, I honestly think I'd be long gone if they weren't here to help me out."

Seeing their trainer looking rather down, the Larvitar and Turtwig each puffed out their chests and let out confident chips and growls, giving an air that seems to be telling Joyce that she can always count on them. Seeing this display, Joyce let out a giggle. "Thanks guys, you really do know how to cheer me up."

 

[kyuukestu]

Esther

Friday, July 15 – Lacunosa Town, Unova Region​

Esther frowned. That Gyarados was a problem; the malice it held towards Joyce ensured it was a ticking time bomb, one that could explode again and again. The consequences had been avoided this time but...

“Hey, maybe you should—” The Stadium’s speakers crackled to life, broadcasting a loud call for participants to take the field.

“Seed 1, Esther Sophys, and Seed 8, Scott Chitape; please make your way to battlefield 1!”

“Seed 1, Esther Sophys, and Seed 8, Scott Chitape...”

“Seed 4, Claire de Lune, and Seed 5 Reina Cortez; please make your way to battlefield 2!”

Seed 4, Claire de Lune, and Seed 5 Reina Cortez...”

“Seed 2, Joyce Blake and Seed 7 Kenzie Kirk; please make your way to battlefield 3!”

“Seed 2, Joyce Blake and Seed 7 Kenzie Kirk...”

“Seed 3 Eleonor Twdyr and Seed 6 Wilford Pine; please make your way to battlefield 4!”

“Seed 3 Eleonor Twdyr and Seed 6 Wilford Pine...”

The messages restarted.

Esther returned her Pokémon and turned to her new friends, “That’s us, I’ll see you two on the field!” She moved to give Reina and then Joyce firm hugs, lingering on Joyce for several moments. “Hey, I’ve had some problems with my own Pokémon too and I was able to get some help from various people along my journey; I don’t know if it’ll help you, but after this, I’ll share what I can.”

With that, Esther waved a temporary goodbye and returned to the Lacunosa Stadium. Just through the lounge where they’d waited earlier was a corridor that led to the battlefields proper. Signs along the walls directed Esther towards battlefield 1, where she noted she was the first to arrive.

She stepped onto the battlefield to the cheer of the crowd, suddenly nervous and very conscious of the audience. She gave a shy wave as she took up her position.

Deep breaths helped her stay calm; she at least had a few moments to compose herself before her opponent arrived. Esther plucked Kasriel’s Pokéball from her waist, expanded it to its full size, and then patiently waited.

@Hecotoro @Grand Master Koop @RenzFlintrock @sSoul @IDKWhatUserNameToDo

 

[Hecotoro]

July 15th - Lacunosa, Unova. Reina, current rank, ?????.

Reina stopped to listen to the announcements and to her surprise, her opponent had a very similar name. She wasn't one to forget someone who gave her a great battle and it seemed she was heading directly towards a great battle again. She returned the hug from Esther, a bit surprised she was called a friend, a good surprise. She was a bit worried about Joyce, but there wasn't much she could do at the moment.

"See you all after the match!" Reina called out as she waved and started walking back inside the stadium.

Finding the battlefield wasn't hard find. Reina made her way towards the arena, mumbling as she thought of which two Pokemon she would choose. Should she go all out so early in the tournament? She knew her opponent was strong and if she has been getting better, just like Reina, not going all out would put her at a disadvantage, but that would also mean she would go into the next two rounds with her best having to be benched. The decisions were difficult. She was started to be tormented by thinking of strategy, until Chente snapped it out of her, tugging on her shirt and sharing a smile with her.

"Sorry, you're right." Reina stopped before entering the battlefield, returning Chente to his Pokeball. "Can't let my nerves keep getting the best of me."

Upon entering the field, she noticed she was the first one to arrive, which was perfect. She wanted to make sure her opponent was who she thought it was, so she stood by entrance, waiting for her opponent to arrive. She felt curious eyes from the crowd on her, probably waiting for your opponent wasn't something normal, but Reina didn't mind.

 

[kyuukestu]

Claire

July 15 – Lacunosa Stadium, Lacunosa Town, Unova​

Battlefield 2, Lacunose Stadium, inside the eponymous town, in northern Unova.

Claire had traveled a long way to attend this tournament, her eyes set on the ultimate prize, a battle against Champion Iris; one that was sure to hone her skills and elevate them to a brand-new level. However, when the match call had been made, Claire had been surprised to note her opponent was one Reina Cortez.

Claire never forgot a defeat, less so one that was so recent.

Her silver hair glistened in the sunlight as she marched from the lounge directly to the battlefield. Her steps were firm and purposeful, a liveliness about them that reflected the growing excitement in her breast.

She might’ve seen the tournament as little more than an opportunity to hone her skills, but now it was personal. A Pokéball at her waist vibrated, urging her to lead with the fighting waiting within.

“Easy now Chysa,” Claire brushed past her partner’s Pokéball, feeling it still but growing hot to the touch. Chysa was eager. In spite of that, Claire settled on another Pokéball, one containing another long-time partner, Rosephase.

She looked across the battlefield to find her opponent still waiting within the corridor. Claire cocked an eyebrow and leaned into an impatient stance and idly tossed her chosen Pokéball into the air. Her stare conveyed a wordless message. The battle awaited.

 

[Hecotoro]

July 15th - Lacunosa, Unova. Reina, current rank, ?????.

Reina finally noticed her opponent already on the other side of the field, thanks to some of the people in the audience. She turned around and saw the familiar face, which brought a smile to her face. She waved at Claire, as if she was meeting a friend she hadn't seen in a while.

"Hi! I'm glad we get to battle again!" She called out before placing her hand over the Park Ball around her waist. "Okay Viri, let's show them the fruit of our training, Viridis I choose you!"

The green Pokeball flew threw the air and opened midway way, allowing the Pokemon inside to emerge on the field. The Scyther landed, shaking herself awake before looking around. Big mistake. She began to feel nervous, feeling the eyes of the crowd on her, holding up her scythes to hide her face from the public. She tucked in her wings and ducked, like if trying to make herself invisible.

Reina let out a nervous laugh. "Sorry, she isn't a big fan of big crowds."

 

[kyuukestu]

Claire

July 15 – Lacunosa Stadium, Lacunosa Town, Unova​

A Scyther? Reina’s lead was an interesting one, but nothing Claire couldn’t handle.

“Are you sure you didn’t follow me here...not that I’d turn down such a good rival!” A playful smirk crossed Claire’s lip as she threw her Pokéball. ”Rosephase, to the skies!”

Rosephase, the Gliscor, took to the field and used her scorpion tail to launch herself into the air. The Fang Scorpion Pokémon circled the battlefield, awaiting her trainer’s order.

For her part, Claire furrowed as the Scyther cowered. That wasn't a good sign. “Are you sure about this?”

 

[IDKWhatUserNameToDo]

Kenzie Kirk - July 15th - Lacunosa town, Unova

A wide grin appeared on Kenzie's face as the announcements for the start of the tournament finally started. Her Granbull gave a little bark, seemingly just as exited over the upcoming battle and pumped his paw in the air.

"Alright Granbull, time to get into your ball. I'll probably save you for a later battle, but we'll see," Kenzie explained to her pokemon and took out a pokeball. The granbull gave a nod and in a flash of red light, the fairy dog pokemon returned to his pokeball. She wanted to save her ace for a real good battle somewhere later in the brackets. Now to just figure out which pokemon she'll open the battle with from the rest of her team.

Luckily, it didn't take long for Kenzie to find her battle field and she made her way out. With the cheer of the crowd around her, she felt absolutely pumped. Skipping and doing a little turn to look at the public behind her, Kenzie couldn't help but smile widely. Now to just wait for her opponent, who's name she already forgot. Oh well, she'll probably have a chance or two to hear it again.

 

[Hecotoro]

July 15th - Lacunosa, Unova. Reina, current rank, ?????.

Reina nodded firmly. "Don't worry, we found a way around this." She pointed at the Gliscor circling the sky. "Look Viri! That's your opponent, now, Focus Energy!"

The Scyther shyly looked at the Pokemon above her and as she concentrated on the opponent, her stance slowly began to change. In her eyes, the crowd around them had disappeared, it was just her, Reina and the Gliscor. She took a more battle ready stance, her eyes following the movement of Rosephase while her body gained a slight glow.

"Let's go! Air Slash!"

Viridis let out a cry, like if warning the Gliscor, before swinging her two scythes, each one unleashing an Air Slash trying to predict where the Gliscor would be moving to and try to land a hit.

 

[kyuukestu]

Claire

July 15 – Lacunosa Stadium, Lacunosa Town, Unova​

Claire nodded. If her opponent was fine with it, then so was she. Scyther honed in on Gliscor with focus energy and then a fusillade of Air Slashes. Claire narrowed her eyes and ordered briskly, “Screech then Acrobatics!”

Without expounding, Rosephase knew what her trainer intended. A piercing screech cut through the ear, an attempt to disrupt Scyther’s focus while also dropping its defense and then barreling into acrobatic, deft movements that allowed it to weave through the air. Despite its acrobatics, Rosephase couldn’t avoid all the air slashes and by a stroke of misfortune, the first air slash to land also procced its secondary effect as Gliscor flinched.

 

[sSoul]

Once he had his fun with the bracelet girl's mishap, Wilford composed himself and analyzed his roster. His strongest Pokémon was his Monferno, and his Thwackey wasn't too far behind. Though his Sandile and Magnemite were reliable, he had no way of knowing what he'd be up against, considering that his opponent was nowhere to be seen. His Togepi had niche uses, but he was hesitant to use it due it it's fragility. The same could be said for Panpour, though its main issue was it's forced choice between the weak, reliable water gun or the strong, unreliable hydro pump. Thusly, his team for his first match would consist of Monferno and Thwackey.

Wilford himself was steeled in resolve, simply looking to perform and return to his training. His arm had gotten somewhat tired from carrying his briefcase of Pokémon, but he was able to comfort himself with the knowledge that he'd be able to put it down momentarily. The rich young man silently recognized that he might appear overdressed for the occasion, but given that his suit was his normal attire, all it did was provide him some momentary humor while he took his place in the battlefield. The cheers Wilford was greeted with was a surprise, though its possible that some were aware of his father's business and thusly affiliated himself with the old man. Through smiles and waves, the trainer realized that these cheers would likely be the last cheers for him.

Ah well, its nice to be rooted for, even if for a short period of time. Plus, being booed isn't the worst thing in the world.

 

[RenzFlintrock]

July 15th - Lacunosa, Unova. Scott Chitape, current rank: ????

Scott sighed, leaning against the wall of the hallway leading up to the battlefield. He heard the roar of the crowd swell, and guessed that his opponent had just stepped onto the field. He knew he needed to get out there soon, but... not yet. After the last time he entered a tournament, he felt far less confident stepping out into the sight of so many people to battle. The last time... he didn't want to think about. But his team was stronger this time. He might not win, but he could at least prove he could make it farther. The small hand that came to rest on his knee brought his attention to the confident, grinning face of his partner Zuko looking up into his own. The Monferno raised the free fist in a sign of enthusiasm, and Scott couldn't have stopped the smile slipping onto his face if he'd wanted to. Seeing his partner so confident and excited warmed his heart.

The two exchanged a fist bump and a smile, and Scott pulled out the slightly dulled Pokeball that was linked with his partner. A short beam of red light recalled the Monferno, and the trainer turned to face the light at the end of the hall. He strode forward, steeling himself and trying to get into the battling mindset. He still had his nerves, but he knew that his team had been training hard. Just so long as he didn't do a poor job in directing them, he was sure they'd all do their best to ensure victory.

The roar of the crowd swelled again as he made his appearance on the pitch. He glanced up at gave a brief wave and smile to the spectators above. It likely wouldn't do any harm, and could possibly increase people's hopes for his victory. Not that their hopes were really what he needed, but it couldn't hurt to have people on his side. He took his place at his end of the battlefield, and spotted a girl at the other end 'Esther was what the announcer said, right?', a Pokeball in one hand. He gave her a brief salute, and called out, "I look forward to our battle! Ready to begin when you are!" and at the same time reached down to pluck up Alfred's Pokeball and give it a light toss before catching it again, ready to toss him out onto the field as soon as they were ready to start the match.

 

[kyuukestu]

Esther

Friday, July 15 – Lacunosa Town, Unova Region​

Esther hopped in place, shaking the nervous remnant from her body. The routine was something she’d adopted after she had watched Galar’s Champion Leon in battle. It was unexpectedly helpful; the added movement took off the jittery edge and transformed it into giddy excitement.

In a fit of fervor, she pulled the scrunchie from her hair; her entire persona igniting, reflected by her fiery locks. Fingers tightened around her Pokéball, and as her opponent politely gave his cue, so did she, “Rap & Rock & Roll, Kasriel!”

In a flash of light, Kasriel the Galarian Zigzagoon took to the field. The tiny raccoon Pokémon was always an eager scrapper, imbued with boundless energy it looked right, then left, up and down, searching for its opponent.

 

[Hecotoro]

July 15th - Lacunosa, Unova. Reina, current rank, ?????.

"Let's keep the pressure on, Double Team!"

Viridis gritted her teeth as the Screech impacted her, but the sound of Reina's voice came after, allowing her to follow up on the instructions. Viri multiplied twice, now four of them on the battlefield. Then, they started running in circles, around the Gliscor, sending out a cry every now and then from different angles.

"Follow up with Quick Attack!"

The Scyther then began shooting towards the Gliscor, one after another. As soon as one landed, the other one was already in the air going for the flying Pokemon while they kept moving in circles around the target.

 

[RenzFlintrock]

July 15th - Lacunosa, Unova. Scott Chitape, current rank: ????

As his opponent sent out her first Pokemon, Scott grinned and lobbed his own Pokeball onto the field. "Alfred, let's get into gear. It's time to battle!" With a flare of blue light, a humanoid Pokemon with primarily white and pink coloration hit the field; the padded fingers of one of his hands waved through the air as its other was raised towards its eye, as if it were peering through a telescope. Upon seeing the Zigzagoon across from it on the field, Alfred turned back towards Scott and waved frantically. "Mime, mime!"

"Alright, Alfred, keep 'em from getting too close. Set up a Barrier!"

At Scott's command, the mime shifted from a pirate crewmate's stance into a more composed and elegant pose, one arm out as if holding a tray or a draped towel. His other hand raised in a 'stop' gesture, giving a mildly reproving glare to the opposing Tiny Raccoon pokemon. A rectangular patch of air in front of the mime gained a slight shimmer, which quickly faded from view again. Sitting assuredly behind the barrier, Alfred raised a hand to his face and acted as if he were twirling a moustache, and nodded approvingly.

From behind the mime, Scott raised his Pokedex and aimed its camera towards his opponent's Pokemon. It didn't look like the Zigzagoon he was familiar with, and he didn't know if it was simply a different pattern or a subspecies from another region. After a few seconds of buffering, the screen of his Pokedex displayed a picture of the Pokemon in front of him.

"Zigzagoon - Galarian Forme. The Tiny Raccoon Pokemon. Its restlessness has it constantly running around. If it sees another Pokémon, it will purposely run into them in order to start a fight."

Next to the name, its typing was displayed: a Dark and Normal type. That wasn't great for Alfred. The mime, despite his fairy typing, didn't have access to any moves of that type. His opponent didn't know that, though, so perhaps she'd be afraid to risk the super-effective hits and switch out. If he could make her waste her switch, he'd be in quite an advantageous position, but he couldn't count on that outcome. His strategy would all have to depend on his opponent's next move.