Pokémon: The Return of Team Galactic (PG)- RPG Thread

[Morpher01]

Elliot/Jason Trey
Jubilife City
Current Team: Piplup
Badge Count: 0
Ribbon Count: 0


Several contestants had gone in the time that Elliot spent waiting. First was the romantic girl, who used a Misdreavus. Elliot found her appeal a bit cheap, using Mean Look to forcibly attract the audience's attention before showing off Misdreavus' Psywave. Despite this, as well as the girl's apparent nerves, the judges thought she did fairly well.

Following the appeal from the Misdreavus trainer came a girl who used a Pichu. Although clearly inexperienced, Pichu nonetheleless performed decently, making good use of its moves. Elliot noticed that the small Electric-type was capable of using Volt Tackle, but had not quite mastered the move yet. If he was to battle her, he would need to cut off her journey while Pichu's threat level was still lower than it could be.

The girl who was friends with the Ducklett trainer took some time to practice, rehearsing her appeal with a Duskull. She had not, however, proceeded onto the stage. Elliot raised an eyebrow as she took a seat, as if expecting her to speak to him.

Elliot greatly preferred that he go last. This way, he could accurately assess whether or not the other Coordinators would be any challenge. Thus far, only the girl with Pichu posed any sort of threat, and that was primarily because of her Pichu's type advantage over Elliot's Piplup. He had no idea what the Duskull girl was capable of, but judging by the amount of time she spent in her notebook, he imagined that she could be quite creative with her appeal, which would put his own appeal in jeopardy.

Elliot looked down at Piplup's Pokeball as he held it in his hand. The penguin would most likely not approve of Elliot's preferrance to wait. In addition to that, the Duskull-training girl seemed quite nervous, even with the encouragement of her Ducklett-training friend. Elliot grinned as he smelled an opportunity.

"Well," Elliot said to the Duskull girl, "which of us shall go next? Will it be I, or you?"

A sinister smirk crossed his face.

"Either way," he said, still smirking, "one of us has to put out quite a bit of effort in front of dozens--if not hundreds--of people. I may be judging a book by its cover, so to speak...but are you sure someone like you is adequately prepared for this sort of endeavor?"

This could have one of two effects. Either the girl would be suitably intimidated by the details Elliot provided, or her resolved would be strengthened. Either way, there was only one way to find out.

[Torpoleon]

Zach
Jubilife City, Sinnoh
Current Team: Piplup, Magby & Budew
Badges: 0/8

Caroline
Jubilife City, Sinnoh
Current Team: Chimchar & Misdreavus
Ribbons: 0/4
(So SoulMuse & Billy Mays have unfortunately had to quit. Now we have me, DOP, Purple, Morpher, Slipomatic, Krazy & Mon1010. That means we have 9 trainers and 6 Coordinators, so things are more even. By the way, don't forget about the Discussion Thread. Oh and I think our characters should start talking soon, so they can learn each other's names.)
Zach & Caroline watched an appeal from a girl with a Pichu. The Pichu seemed pretty talented and it even used the move Volt Tackle. Though the move hasn't been perfected, it's not like Zach or Caroline could have done better. Still, Caroline greatly enjoyed the appeal and could probably learn a thing or two from her.

After the appeal, Caroline said, "Man, I can't believe I peed myself. Should have just went to the bathroom first."

"Well," Zach replied. "At least no one seemed to notice. Even if they did, it's no big deal. Also, you changed, so it doesn't matter anymore."

"Yeah," Caroline nodded as she picked her head up from Zach's shoulders. "I just hope I made it past the appeal round."

Zach nodded and then got up. "Let's go and talk with the other contestants. How about the girl with the Pichu? You seemed to like her appeal."

Caroline nodded and they got up and went over to the girl. She wasn't with anyone, though Zach & Caroline figured she had someone rooting for her in the stands.

"Hi," Zach said as they reached the girl. "We saw your appeal and you did a great job."

"Yeah. By the way, my name is Caroline and this is my friend, Zach. You've probably seen my appeal. Nerves REALLY got to me. What is your name?" Caroline said as she asked the girl her name.

[Purplepassion]

Brielle Tenner
Jubilife City
Current Team: Duskull, Cottonee
Ribbons: ---

Liam Withers
Jubilife City
Current Team: Ducklett, Kricketot
Badges: ---

"I don't think I need to be reminded of that fact," said Brielle to Liam as her friend took a seat. She smiled a little, yet an observant one would be able to notice the slight trace of tension in her look.

"By the way," said Liam in a carefree way, "You look great in that outfit."

"Thank you," Brielle said plainly, knowing that Liam wasn't actually flirting with her. The current appeal on the screen had been just as showy as the Pichu girl's appeal, and seemed to leave just as much of an impression. She compared the appeal she had planned out in her notebook to the ones she had already seen, and felt that she'd have to make a few changes. Just to be safe, she thought to herself as she crossed out some points and added others.

It was a minute or two before Elliot spoke up and her eyes met with his. "Well, which of us shall go next? Will it be I, or you?" Again came that smirk he had shown against Liam. Brielle was silent, waiting for the boy with the multiple personalities to finish speaking. Liam raised an eyebrow at this, then looked back up to the screen, his foot tapping impatiently.

"Either way," Elliot said with that sinister grin, "one of us has to put out quite a bit of effort in front of dozens--if not hundreds--of people. I may be judging a book by its cover, so to speak...but are you sure someone like you is adequately prepared for this sort of endeavor?"

Brielle knew where the boy was going with this. The genre savvy person that she was, the girl realized that by saying that, Elliot had attempted to throw her off - and, she presumed, temporarily eliminate her from his competition. "I will be going next," confirmed Brielle to the other competitor, "and I am quite sure that I'm prepared for this." That should give him a straight answer, she thought, standing up as the person before her finished her appeal.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I must be going," she said, walking away and out onto the stage.

Liam watched all this with curious eyes, then looked at the younger kid. "Well, that was pretty interesting." He said to himself, and looked at the screen. "So, Brielle's next! I can't wait to see what she's gonna do."

Quickly changing topics, he grinned and looked at Elliot. "Oh, right, I forgot to tell you our names last time, didn't I?" He scratched the back of his head sheepishly before continuing. "I'm Liam, and that girl was Brielle." The aspiring Bird Keeper held out his other hand, attempting to shake hands with the professional kid.

---

Meanwhile, Brielle had stepped onstage, and looked out at the crowd before her. As much as she had said she was ready while talking to Elliot, she couldn't help but suddenly feel as if many things were at stake with this appeal. She then realized that it was probably worse at the Grand Festival, and thus she willed herself to take out the Pokeball from the pocket of her pea coat. The audience stared expectantly, and with as much force as she could muster, Brielle threw the Pokeball upwards.

The Pokeball opened, and Duskull came out in a shimmer of white light. The ghost floated down, and just as they had rehearsed, he performed an Astonish as he landed to really get the crowd's attention.

"Okay, you have them looking at you," confirmed Brielle. "Now, fly to the side, and use Night Shade!"

The ghost Pokemon complied, and his eyes began to glow a light shade of blue before a beam was shot out towards the ground. Quickly, it disappeared and reappeared on the other side of the stage and kept firing beam after beam; Brielle was satisfied to find that the appeal had created a brilliant light show. At this, the audience let out some "ooh"s and "aah"s. In the midst of the light show of dark beams, Duskull had disappeared; Brielle waited for a few moments as the light show began to wear off. "Astonish again! Land and end with a bow!"

Duskull reappeared, quickly floating down and in the front of the beams, using Astonish in the meanwhile and making himself stand out. The audience cheered, and he bowed politely before Brielle returned him to his Pokeball.

"Just as planned," whispered Brielle to the ball. "Great job." She then turned towards the judges, hoping that she had made some sort of impression.

Of course, Mr. Suziko had grinned. "Remarkable and eye-catching!" he said. Really, with him, Brielle noticed that the appeals were either judged as unremarkable, or, well, the other way around.

"The use of the Night Shade as a light show was a very uncommon tactic," Mr. Contesta noticed, on the other hand. "Interesting choice, seeing as it seems to be your first contest." That was two judgements of approval, Brielle counted, and she nodded at the two men before Nurse Joy began to speak.

"Your appeal seemed very concise," she said with a smile. "I hope to see what else you'll plan out in the future!"

Brielle bowed, thanking them politely as she quickly walked backstage once more, reclaiming her seat next to Liam.

[Morpher01]

Elliot/Jason Trey
Jubilife City
Current Team: Piplup
Badge Count: 0
Ribbon Count: 0

The Duskull girl looked over at Elliot and spoke.

"I will be going next," she said, "and I am quite sure that I'm prepared for this. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must be going."

She left, but the Ducklett trainer remained behind. Despite not being a Coordinator, he appeared to be there for the purpose of supporting his evident friend. The Ducklett boy began speaking again mere seconds after the Duskull girl had departed.

"Well, that was pretty interesting." he said to himself, looking over to a television screen where the stage was displayed. "So, Brielle's next! I can't wait to see what she's gonna do."

The boy grinned and looked over to Elliot, who raised a questioning eyebrow in response.

"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you our names last time, didn't I?" Ducklett's trainer said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "I'm Liam, and that girl was Brielle."

He held out his hand. Elliot looked down at his hand for a moment, smirking. Then Elliot's brown eye twitched, and an unpleasant sneer signaled the return of Jason.

"You really expect me to act like your buddy?" Jason snarled. "I've got better things to do than have tea parties with every trainer I meet!"

The blue eye twitched, and Elliot returned.

"Ah...my apologies," Elliot said. "Jason, however, does bring up a good point. To be perfectly honest, I am not here to make friends, nor am I here for silly titles like 'Top Coordinator' or 'Pokemon Master'."

He watched Brielle's appeal out of the corner of his eye, and smirked.

"Your friend...Brielle, was her name?" Elliot continued. "Perhaps she is prepared for the path she has chosen. She does seem to know what she is doing."

Brielle's appeal soon finished with a final Astonish, and as her Duskull was recalled into its Pokeball, the judges gave their thoughts.

"Well, is it that time already?" Elliot smirked. "Seems it's time for my own appeal."

He got out of his chair, preparing Piplup's Pokeball.

"And now that I have a good idea of what I'm up against," Elliot grinned, "this should be quite simple."

Brielle returned to the waiting room, and as she did so, Elliot departed. He was recieved warmly on stage, but he merely gave an arrogant wave of his hand.

"Now that I have your attention, let us begin," Elliot said.

Without another word, he released his Piplup from his Pokeball. The penguin stood proudly there, knowing exactly what to do. All it needed was for Elliot to give his orders.

"Piplup, begin with Bubblebeam," Elliot said.

To direct the attack, Elliot pointed in a rather shocking direction--the judges' podium. Nonetheless, Piplup fired its Bubblebeam, sending a line of bubbles straight towards the judges. The bubbles, however, bounced off of the side of the podium and headed towards the back wall. The bubbles then ricocheted off of the wall, barreling back down towards Piplup.

"Excellent," Elliot grinned darkly. "Now, use a repeated Peck."

Piplup steadied itself, waiting for the bubbles to come. It then used its beak to fling each bubble above its head, allowing gravity to bring them back down as it was about to fling the last one. The penguin managed to perform this in such a way that there was now a tower of bubbles mounted on Piplup's beak.

"And now, the finale," Elliot said. "Use a spinning Peck!"

Piplup began to twirl rapidly, causing the bubbles to shatter into glittering droplets from the force of Piplup's improvised drilling attack. The penguin jumped up, quickly cut through the collapsing tower, and performed a frontward-flip to end its appeal. It posed once again, proudly folding its wings across its chest. Elliot confidently glanced over to the judges, awaiting their decision.

"That was remarkable!" Mr. Sukizo commented, although given his reputation, Elliot had fully expected him to say something along those lines.

"That was quite interesting," Contesta remarked. "You were clearly aiming to show off your Piplup's skill and power, and I believe you accomplished that greatly."

"Piplup is just so cute!" Nurse Joy smiled. "I hope to see it more in the future."

Elliot gave a short bow to the audience, Piplup following suit as it was recalled. The dark-haired boy then left the stage, returning to the waiting room. Rather than sit, however, he simply leaned on a wall and eyed the television screen, knowing that the scores would be up shortly.

[Double-oh-Platypus]

Taylor Lightwood
Jubilife City
Current Team: Treecko
Badge Count: N/A

Ellie Toews
Jubilife City
Current Team: Pichu
Badge Count: N/A
Ribbon Count: N/A

((I don't know who Ellie is supposed to be talking to? Unless it's just an NPC because Taylor's out in the stands and he's a guy so ... yeah. I don't know?))

Ellie came bouncing in off the stage, a smile finally gracing her features. She felt good about her performance and now she could just sit back and watch the others. On her way back to the backstage area, Ellie passed another girl on the way and tried to smile encouragingly; she wasn't sure if the girl had seen her, but it hardly seemed to matter. The other girl looked like she was focusing on her upcoming appeal too much.

Upon entering the backstage lounge, Ellie found herself watching the other appeals via video monitor. She was also able to catch a glimpse of her own appeal. Pichu's Volt Tackle was less than stellar, and it reminded Ellie that she needed to practice that move. In fact, maybe she could even convince Taylor to help her ...

"Hi! We saw your appeal and you did a great job."

Ellie turned her head slightly, checking to confirm that the voice was, indeed, speaking to her. She saw two kids, younger than her by quite a bit, who had wide, friendly faces. The boy - brown hair, brown eyes, Ellie noted - seemed to be a Piplup enthusiast and the girl (whom Ellie recognized from the appeal before her) was dressed to the nines in her contest appeal. Her similar features made Ellie wonder briefly if they were siblings, but the way that they conducted themselves around each other told her otherwise.

"Oh, hi, and thanks!" Ellie replied, smiling. She automatically reached for a piece of hair to twist around her finger but remembered that she had put it up for her appeal. Awkwardly, Ellie smoothed her hand over her hair, hoping that it didn't look too strange.

"Yeah. By the way, my name is Caroline and this is my friend, Zach. You've probably seen my appeal. Nerves REALLY got to me," the girl said.

"I'm Ellie," the basketball player replied, extending a hand. "And your appeal was pretty good. I mean, you looked nervous, but considering that, your appeal was still, well, appealing."

Smooth, Ellie, she thought, cringing a little at her choice of words. It made her wish that Taylor were here; for whatever reason he just seemed to be a lot better with people than she was, which was weird. Ellie was popular at school, so why was it so hard to make friends in the rest of Sinnoh?

As if sensing she had been thinking of him, Ellie's eyes were drawn to movement in the far side of the room. Taylor slipped through the door and Ellie waved him over.

"Great job," he said, bumping her hip with his and smiling. It seemed so genuine that Ellie was momentarily caught off guard. She and Taylor were hardly ever civil to each other.

"Uh, thanks," she said, returning the grin. "Uh, Taylor, this is Zach and Caroline. Guys, this is my ... friend, Taylor. We're traveling together." If Taylor noticed the awkward pause in Ellie's introduction, he didn't let on. Instead, he just smiled and offered a hand to Zach and Caroline.

"Pleasure," he said. "Your appeal was pretty good too, Caroline."

[Torpoleon]

Zach
Jubilife City, Sinnoh
Current Team: Piplup, Magby & Budew
Badges: 0/8

Caroline
Jubilife City, Sinnoh
Current Team: Chimchar & Misdreavus
Ribbons: 0/4
(So I think everyone has entered the contest and posted their appeals, so we can start the next round. Caroline wont be making it past the appeal round, but I assume everyone else will? If some people aren't, I'll change this post. After this contest, I was thinking our characters could eat somewhere and then go to sleep (or just go to sleep). Anything you guys want to get done after the contest?)
"Nice to meet you, Ellie." Caroline shook Ellie's hand. "Thanks. I just hope I and did enough to pass, you too."

Zach & Caroline watched as one of Ellie's friends came by and introduced himself as Taylor. Zach shook hands with him as Ellie introduced Zach & Caroline to him.

"Thanks, Taylor," Caroline said to Taylor when he complimented her appeal.

There wasn't much appeals left before Marian appeared on the TV monitor that they had backstage.

"There you have it folks, all the appeals are finished and our judges have decided on which 8 will make it to the next round. The next round is a battle round, now take a look and see which lucky 8 coordinators will move on to the next round!" Marian announced.

The TV screen changed to a blank screen, which started filling in with 8 faces. Caroline was hoping she would make it and squeezed Zach's hand hard. Many faces went by and Caroline didn't see her's appear. She wasn't paying attention for Ellie and when the 8th face was about to be revealed, Caroline was very anxious.

"Please be me, please be me, please be me!" She said in her mind as she kept on squeezing Zach's hand. Unfortunately, it ended up being someone else. Caroline was devastated and put her head down.

Zach let go from Caroline's grip and said to his new friends, "We'll be back in just a minute."

He moved her away from everyone else and said, "Please don't cry. It's only your first contest,. There will be so many more to enter and win. Don't let one loss get you down."

Caroline sighed and was about to protest before Zach hugged her. "Th-thank you, Zach! I needed that!" She hugged him back and gave him a little kiss on the cheek before heading back to Ellie & Taylor.

[Double-oh-Platypus]

Taylor Lightwood
Jubilife City
Current Team: Treecko
Badge Count: N/A

Ellie Toews
Jubilife City
Current Team: Pichu
Badge Count: N/A
Ribbon Count: N/A

"You made it," Taylor pointed out as the television clicked off and the picture disappeared to blackness.

"Thanks for the newsflash," Ellie shot back, but she couldn't help the smile from sneaking onto her face. She had passed the appeal round and was moving on to the battle round. Beside her, she could feel Taylor shifting from foot to foot, clearly pleased with her success.

Ellie watched in amusement as Zach and Caroline stepped away from her and Taylor. They were so young but they seemed very much infatuated with each other.

Or perhaps they're simply infatuated with the idea, Ellie mused. She watched as coordinators moved past her to take the stage, preparing themselves for the battle round.

"Sorry you didn't make it to the battle round," Ellie offered as Zach and Caroline rejoined her. "You'll get there next time."

Out of the corner of her eye, Ellie could see Taylor inching away, clearly deciding that he was going to head back to the stands for the battle round. After seeing Zach and Caroline, and even some of the other contestants, however, Ellie felt nervous. She grabbed at Taylor's wrist, halting his progress immediately. "Stay?" she whispered, daring a glance up into his eyes.

There was a slight pause before Taylor nodded, shrugging his broad shoulders. "Sure," he replied, sinking down onto one of the couches, his wrist slipping free from Ellie's grasp.

A few minutes later, Ellie's face appeared on the television screen next to a boy named Étienne Dupont. He was stunningly attractive in a way that took Ellie's breath away. She didn't even know that teenagers could look that good, for he couldn't have been much older than her at all.

"Knock him dead," Taylor called from the couch as Ellie made her way towards the stage. There was something in his voice that made Ellie turn at the last minute, but Taylor was conversing with someone who had sat down beside him. The tone had surprised her, but she couldn't quite place what it was, so instead, she sashayed out onto the stage.

The bright lights from the appeal round had been dimmed slightly. Across from her, Étienne glided out onto the stage. His brown hair curled messily across his head and even from a distance, Ellie could see how the lights reflected across green eyes. He flashed her a dazzling smile of perfect white teeth and cute dimples and Ellie could practically feel herself swooning.

Stop that, she scolded herself. You're stronger than that!

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, back the first round of the battles!" the MC called. "After that last thrilling battle, we now present to you these two beautiful coordinators, Eleanor Toews and Étienne Dupont!"

The crowd cheered and Ellie could hear many of the young ladies in the audience shouting their approval for Étienne.

"Last Pokemon standing or the Pokemon with the most remaining blue in its meter by the timer is the winner," the MC reminded. He gestured to the large video screen behind Ellie and Étienne to indicate the meters that showed how many points each coordinator would lose for taking a hit. His comment brought Ellie back to the stage and she set herself to focus. This was just another basketball game and this was just another tip-off.

"Coordinators, you may begin!"

"Alright, Pichu, come on out," Ellie said, tossing Pichu's Poke Ball high into the air. It exploded in a flash of light, revealing her tiny electric mouse to the audience.

"Pawniard, let's do this!" Étienne called. Ellie was surprised to hear the lilting accent fall from his lips. With a name like Étienne, she hadn't been expecting the tone that it carried.

"Pichu, start things off with Thundershock," Ellie ordered. Her Pichu paused where it stood, electricity flying from its cheek pouches before releasing a large blast of electric energy. Étienne's Pawniard dove out of the way, but not quite fast enough. A jolt of electricity coursed through its armoured body and Étienne's meter decreased slightly.

"Follow up with Volt Tackle," Ellie called.

"Counter with X-Scissor!" Étienne replied.

The two Pokemon raced towards each other, Pichu flickering with faint electric power while Pawniard's twin bladed arms pulsed with energy. At the last moment, Pawniard dove out of the way, slashing at Pichu's sides as he barreled past. The electric mouse let out a squeak of surprise and pain as he tumbled his way across the stage. Ellie gritted her teeth as her meter dropped a significant amount.

Judging from the little amount of interactions that Ellie had had with Étienne already, she could tell that he preferred sharp movements and speed as opposed to straight on attacks. If she was going to beat Étienne then she was going to need to play a smarter game than him.

"Pichu, try another Volt Tackle," Ellie said. She tried to add desperation to her voice, as if Étienne's attack had shaken her.

"Head Butt," Étienne replied.

For a second time, the two Pokemon raced toward each other. The crowd cheered and gasped and waited with baited breaths, and at the last moment both trainers ordered for their Pokemon to dodge.

"Now use Thundershock!" Ellie ordered.

Her Pichu, already brimming with electricity from preparing Volt Tackle, released a powerful blast of electricity, flooding the stage and making the lights flicker. There was nowhere for Étienne's Pawniard to run and the attack hit him head on. He dropped to a knee as Étienne's meter dropped significantly. This was Ellie's time.

"Tackle it," she called to Pichu.

Despite the height difference, Pichu managed to knock Pawniard onto his back. The two rolled on the stage, both meters and the timer running low. Ellie needed to finish this.

Clearly, Étienne was thinking the same thing. "Fury Swipes!" he called out as Ellie ordered for another Thundershock.

Pawniard didn't really stand a chance. At such a close range, Pichu's attack was just too much. It shocked the Sharp Blade Pokemon severely and Pichu was knocked away as it flailed about before fainting.

Just in time too.

A second later the buzzer sounded, signalling not only the end of the battle, but also that the timer had run out.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the round is Miss Eleanor Toews. She will be moving on to the next round. Let's hear it for our coordinators!"

The crowd cheered as Ellie and Étienne returned their Pokemon to their Poke Balls. They met at centre stage and Ellie extended her hand for her opponent to shake. She was surprised, however, when Étienne pulled her into a hug and kissed both her cheeks.

"Next time, love," he said with a smile that made Ellie's heart melt. She could hear the complains from girls in the audience but she simply nodded shyly, wishing that her hair was out of its bun so she could twist the strands. Étienne gave her hands one last squeeze before exiting the stage, leaving Ellie to bask in the spotlight for another moment before she too took her leave.

Backstage, Ellie was congratulated by several of her fellow coordinators, but she couldn't see Taylor anywhere.

"Do you know where my friend went?" Ellie asked one of the other coordinators.

"Oh, the tall guy with the freaky scar?" the boy replied. Ellie nodded curtly, feeling her blood boil at the crude description that he had given Taylor. "Oh, yeah. He left just after you won your battle. Not sure where he was off to though."

Ellie frowned. Maybe Taylor had to go to the washroom or was hungry or something. At any rate, she couldn't leave the backstage area. She had to prepare for the next round, mentally and physically. The battle against Étienne had exhausted her in a way that she wouldn't have associated with contests, but more than that, Étienne had exhausted her. He was so gorgeous that he left Ellie's heart beating wildly and her lips quirking into a smile.

[Purplepassion]

Brielle Tenner
Jubilife City
Current Team: Duskull, Cottonee
Ribbons: ---

Liam Withers
Jubilife City
Current Team: Ducklett, Kricketot
Badges: ---

Liam blinked, lowering his hand as Jason angrily rejected his handshake offer, Elliot then explaining why in a more polite manner. "Okay, okay, if you say so," said he, slightly creeped out. There was an awkward silence before Elliot spoke again.

"Your friend...Brielle, was her name?" he asked, glancing at Brielle's appeal on the screen. "Perhaps she is prepared for the path she has chosen. She does seem to know what she is doing."

"That's Brielle for you," the bird keeper said, his usual demeanor returning. "Calm and in charge." At that exact moment, the appeal ended, and as Brielle returned to the waiting room, Elliot stood up. The appeal round was almost over.

Liam grinned and gave Brielle a thumbs-up as she sat down. Used to silent gestures like this, Brielle merely nodded back, before looking towards the screen and watching Elliot's appeal. Finally, the boy with the Piplup went back inside and leaned on the wall. Marian appeared on the screen then, with a wide grin and a cheery voice, telling the audience that the results would be up soon. "Oh man, the moment of truth!" he whispered to his neighbor. The writer stayed silent as six of the faces appeared on screen. So far, none of them were Brielle herself. The seventh face was shown and Brielle's calm look faltered; she silently urged for fate to go her way and show herself as the eighth contestant.

The eighth contestant was none other than herself - her prayers had been answered. She breathed a sigh of relief, but felt a pang of guilt as she saw the contestant with a boyfriend sigh and dejectedly put her head down as said boyfriend moved her away from the others, presumably for some sort of pep talk. Liam elbowed her lightly, noticing the lovers as well, but he wasn't so rash as to point them out so loudly. Brielle wondered, if whenever someone was denied access to the next round, their hopes, dreams, or motivations were shattered in the process. Oh, but certainly hers wouldn't, she decided with resolution.

Once the battle between the Pichu girl and a boy with an interesting name was finished, the Pichu girl went back inside, smiling just a little - but neither of the neighbors noticed that little change. They were too busy looking up at the screen, where the next matchup was Brielle and Elliot.

Liam was excited for this battle, knowing it was Brielle's first official fight. "This is gonna be interesting," he said to the both of them, looking at them with bright eyes. "Good luck, you two."

Brielle simply nodded, stood up, and began to walk towards the stage. She knew what the boy with multiple personalities was like in battle, certainly. The only thing she was unsure of was of how she was going to utilize that knowledge correctly.

[Morpher01]

Elliot/Jason Trey
Jubilife Contest Hall
Current Team: Piplup
Badge Count: 0
Ribbon Count: 0


Following Elliot's finishing of his appeal, those who passed the appeal round were shown.

"Oh man, the moment of truth!" Liam whispered excitedly, although his friend Brielle remained silent.

Elliot looked to the screen and saw himself as one of the passing contestants. He silently smirked. Had their ever been any doubt? He barely even noticed most of the remaining seven contestants, considering them beneath him. The girl from the excessively-romantic couple was dejected at finding herself not among the passing candidates, but even though Elliot noticed, he still thought nothing of the other coordinators.

Until Brielle was revealed as the final contestant. On top of that, she was paired against Elliot in the battle rounds.

Well, what have we here? Elliot thought with a smirk. This should be most interesting.

The first match was between a girl with a Pichu and a rather uniquely-named boy with a Pawniard. Once the Pichu girl won, Brielle headed out to the stage. Elliot allowed her to go first, ignoring Liam's wishing of good luck to the both of them as the Piplup trainer also left the room.

Elliot took the stage, Piplup's Pokeball in hand. Once Marian finished her announcements, he gave Brielle one of his sinister smirks.

"Well, shall we begin?" Elliot grinned. "Piplup, fight!"

Piplup appeared and tensed its body, both it and its trainer awaiting Brielle's Pokemon of choice...

[Purplepassion]

Brielle Tenner
Jubilife City
Current Team: Duskull, Cottonee
Ribbons: ---

Liam Withers
Jubilife City
Current Team: Ducklett, Kricketot
Badges: ---

Around the same time Brielle left for the stage, Elliot followed suit, appearing on the other side of the battlefield. Again came that unsettling smirk as he summoned his only Pokemon, Piplup. Brielle thought for a moment; Cottonee would've been the best choice if it actually knew any damaging moves. Leech Seed and Stun Spore, while useful, would only manage to get her so far. Besides, didn't the Piplup know Peck?

She reached for Duskull's Pokeball again, and wordlessly threw it onto the stage. Out floated Duskull, who awaited Brielle's command.

Liam watched this with a curious look on his face as the timer began to tick down. What could a Duskull do in the battle rounds, where not only strength but beauty was a must?

"Duskull, begin with Night Shade, and make it intricate," Brielle said calmly, and the ghost nodded. Quickly, his eyes glowed, and out came a dark-shaded energy beam. The shot had been specifially aimed so that it ricoched from the floor to the ceiling, before bouncing into the general direction of Elliot's Piplup. Brielle adjusted her trilby hat, wondering if Elliot was going to do anything at all about the dark beam headed right at his Pokemon.

[Morpher01]

Elliot/Jason Trey
Jubilife Contest Hall
Current Party: Piplup
Badge Count: 0
Ribbon Count: 0


Brielle's choice was the Duskull she had used earlier. The ghost Pokemon simply floated there, awaiting its trainer's first command.

"Duskull, begin with Night Shade, and make it intricate," Brielle said with a surprising calm in her voice.

Duskull obeyed by firing a beam of darkness from its eye, aiming it at the floor. Much like Piplup's Bubblebeam had during Elliot's appeal, the Night Shade ricocheted off the floor and then the ceiling, heading straight for Piplup.

"You want to make our match 'intricate', do you?" Elliot smirked. "I am only too happy to oblige. Piplup, spiral launch Bubblebeam!"

Recognizing the extra words added to Elliot's command, Piplup fired its Bubblebeam into the floor and used the subsequent recoil to launch itself into the air and out of the way of the Night Shade. Once in the air, Piplup began to release another Bubblebeam, but this time the penguin began to spin. The Bubblebeam took on a spiraling shape, resulting in a hurricane of bubbles that hurdled towards Brielle's Duskull...

[Purplepassion]

Brielle Tenner
Jubilife City
Current Team: Duskull, Cottonee
Ribbons: ---

Liam Withers
Jubilife City
Current Team: Ducklett, Kricketot
Badges: ---

The complex patterns on both sides of the competition caused the crowd to let off a couple of "ooh"s and "aahs". Both coordinators' meters lowered from their brilliant display of effects, and noticing this, Brielle bit her lip in irritation. Elliot's Piplup hurtled itself into the air, then sent a spiraling array of bubbles towards Duskull. The writer would have to think fast if she was going to get out of this.

"What is she doing?!" thought Liam in slight panic, his eyes widening as Brielle just stood there thinking in silence. Duskull was getting visibly worried now.

"Find an opening, go into the spiral, use Astonish, and send Piplup back to the ground with a Night Shade," Brielle said in a quickened pace, and Duskull nodded, speeding towards the downwards spiral of bubbles heading towards him. The ghost narrowed its eye as they came closer and closer, and then he was between all of the spinning bubbles, only coming in contact with a couple stray ones. Brielle noticed that each hit had lowered her meter a little; the boy with the multiple personalities was in the lead now.

In a matter of seconds Duskull was dangerously close to the falling penguin Pokemon, and he put on a startling face. "Yes, good!" urged Brielle as the penguin was shocked. "Now Night Shade, like I told you!"

With that, Duskull's eyes began to glow once more, and the energy beam returned, once again threatening to knock Elliot's Piplup back. Brielle was hoping it would actually hit this time.

[Morpher01]

Elliot/Jason Trey
Jubilife Contest Hall
Current Team: Piplup
Badge Count: 0
Ribbon Count: 0





"Find an opening, go into the spiral, use Astonish, and send Piplup back to the ground with a Night Shade," Brielle ordered.

Surprisingly, Duskull actually flew INTO the spiral, rather than away. At first, this unorthodox tactic appeared to work against it. Duskull was trapped in the center, occasionally struck by some stray bubbles. Brielle's meter fell slightly, causing a satisfied smirk to cross Elliot's face as he assumed the lead.

But then Duskull found Piplup, and made its skull-masked face even more frightening. Piplup squealed in shock, and Elliot could only grimace as his Pokemon lost its composure in a matter of seconds.

"Yes, good!" Brielle urged. "Now Night Shade, like I told you!"

Duskull once again fired its eye-beam, and this time the attack managed to find its mark. Piplup was knocked from the spiral of bubbles, which soon dissipated into nothing. The penguin fell to the ground, but was soon up again following a quick shake of its head.

Elliot bared his teeth as he watched his points fall, his technique having been turned against him. The tension of the situation had an impact on his mind...and his brown eye began to twitch.

"Grrr...I've had enough of this!" Jason bellowed as his persona took the stage. "Piplup, use Bubblebeam again, and keep doing it until you hit Duskull! I don't care how you do it, I just want that ghost destroyed, you hear me?!"

Though somewhat unnerved by its trainer's tirade, Piplup nonetheless fired off another Bubblebeam, this one curving through the air to barrel down on Duskull. And then it fired another stream of bubbles, then another, and yet another. Eventually, the air was filled with mobile rows of bubbles, each one set on taking back the points Brielle's Duskull had removed from Piplup's score...

[Purplepassion]

Brielle Tenner
Jubilife City
Current Team: Duskull, Cottonee
Ribbons: ---

Liam Withers
Jubilife City
Current Team: Ducklett, Kricketot
Badges: ---

The plan had worked perfectly. Duskull did exactly what Brielle wanted him to do, and as a result, Elliot's points were now lower than hers. She smiled as she took the lead once more, but as quickly as it came, it faded when Elliot's brown eye began twitching. That, she presumed, was not a good sign, as when his eye stopped twitching, it seemed that Elliot wasn't there anymore; the angrier persona took his place. What was his name again? Brielle wondered, trying to remember what she had heard in Liam's conversation. Oh, right. Jason.

"Grrr...I've had enough of this!" said enraged child exclaimed, a wild look in his eyes. "Piplup, use Bubblebeam again, and keep doing it until you hit Duskull! I don't care how you do it, I just want that ghost destroyed, you hear me?!"

"You're being quite reckless," Brielle observed quietly. Upon that command, Piplup began to fire off its Bubblebeam attack once more. The girl was confused at first, as hadn't he already tried that? Her calm demeanor faltered as Piplup fired more and more rows of bubbles until almost an entire barrier of them flew towards Duskull at an alarming rate.

"Oh no," Liam whispered, seeing this all unfold on the screen as it was happening.

Brielle's eyes narrowed as she tried to calculate her next move. "Try to fly up," she urged the ghost, "and hurry." Duskull, to her frustration, had become paralyzed with fear at the oncoming, seemingly unavoidable flurry. By the time he had processed what she was trying to get him to do, the bubbles struck him repeatedly. The ghost gave a cry of pain as each bubble slammed against his body.

"No!" exclaimed Brielle, taking a slight step forward with a look of fear on her face. The barrage stopped in a matter of seconds, but as it was, Duskull was unconscious. Brielle had lost the round, but she was more afraid of her Pokemon's possible fate to be that bitter about the loss just yet.

"And it looks like the winner, and the contestant moving onto the next round, is Elliot Trey, ladies and gentlemen!" exclaimed the ever-cheery announcer. "Let's give a round of applause for our coordinators!"

Brielle returned Duskull to the Pokeball, having recovered from the slight break in her personality. She looked up at Elliot - no, she corrected herself, that's Jason - and gave a slight, awkward thumbs-up of congratulations before leaving the stage and leaving her opponent to bask in the spotlight.

"Whoa," Liam exclaimed as Brielle returned backstage. "Are you alright?" He'd seen the end, naturally, and assumed that his neighbor would at least be somewhat worried about her current situation.

She simply nodded, before she spoke again. "Liam, please watch over my stuff. I intend to watch the rest anyway, but I need to visit the Pokemon Center first." Liam grinned at this, assuring her that she shouldn't have to worry. He took her bag, and with that, Brielle was off to the Pokemon Center as Liam returned to watching the contest.

[Morpher01]

Elliot/Jason Trey
Jubilife Contest Hall
Current Team: Piplup
Badge Count: 0
Ribbon Count: 0


Piplup's bubble storm bore down on Brielle's Duskull. Fear took over the Ghost-type's mind, but its trainer tried once more for victory.

"Try to fly up," she urged the ghost, "and hurry."

Duskull, however, was too petrified of Piplup's bubble assault to comply with the order. As a result, the bubbles battered Duskull's body, each one causing a cry of pain.

"No!" Brielle cried in horror. Jason, however, grinned darkly.

In a matter of seconds, the bubble storm ended, leaving Duskull fallen on the floor. With the Ghost-type unconscious thanks to Piplup's merciless assault, the result of the battle as a whole was clear.

"And it looks like the winner, and the contestant moving onto the next round, is Elliot Trey, ladies and gentlemen!" exclaimed the announcer, maintaining an extremely cheerful demeanor despite Jason's brutality. "Let's give a round of applause for our coordinators!"

Brielle recalled her Duskull and gave Jason a quick, awkward thumbs-up before leaving.

"Yeah, that's right," Jason smirked. "You're just the first! After I win this Contest, I'll--!"

His blue eye twitched, however, and the Elliot persona returned. With the dominant personality in place, Elliot silently left the stage and found himself back in the waiting room.

One battle to go, he thought, leaning on a wall. Seems it's only a matter a time before we become the victor. Oh, and Jason?

What?! the other personality snapped.

Try not to reveal our plans to the world, Elliot advised. We want Father's fate to be a surprise, do we not?

Jason only grumbled unintelligibly in response. Elliot ignored it, however, and awaited his final opponent.

[Double-oh-Platypus]

Taylor Lightwood
Jubilife City
Current Team: Treecko
Badge Count: N/A

Ellie Toews
Jubilife City
Current Team: Pichu
Badge Count: N/A
Ribbon Count: N/A

Ellie watched the second semi-final battle with fierce concentration. One of those coordinators was going to face her for the ribbon and the more she knew about their skills ahead of time, the better off she would do in the battle.

But don't forget, she reminded herself, they know about you too.

The boy, Elliot Trey, ended up winning the round and both he and the girl came trudging off stage. The battlefield was quickly swept and cleared of any debris and the MC stepped back up to his mic, the buzzing of the crowd hushing instantly.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said, his voice reverberating around the room. "Welcome to the final round of the Jubilife City Contest. Can we please welcome to the stage Eleanor Toews and Elliot Trey, winners of our two semi-final rounds!"

On shaky legs, Ellie made her way out onto the stage. The lights were blinding and for a moment she could only just make out the shape of Elliot somewhere on the other side.

"Remember, the coordinator with the highest amount of points when the buzzer goes is the champion! Naturally, with that in mind, your objective is to knock out your opponents Pokemon. Let the battle begin!"

"Alright, Pichu," Ellie murmured, enlarging her only Poke Ball and glancing at it wistfully. "Let's show 'em what we've got!" She tossed the ball high into the air and watched it explode in a shower of silvery light. Pichu appeared on the stage, recharged and rejuvenated from his battle with Étienne's Pawniard. Sparks flew from his cheeks and he squeaked and growled, eager for the battle to begin.

[Morpher01]

Elliot/Jason Trey
Jubilife Contest Hall
Current Team: Piplup
Badge Count: 0
Ribbon Count: 0

"Ladies and gentlemen," the MC declared. "Welcome to the final round of the Jubilife City Contest. Can we please welcome to the stage Eleanor Toews and Elliot Trey, winners of our two semi-final rounds!"

Elliot smirked as he went on stage, followed by another girl. The boy with multiple personalities barely paid her any mind, considering her just another easily-overcome obstacle on his path.

"Remember, the coordinator with the highest amount of points when the buzzer goes is the champion!" the MC continued, Elliot rolling his eyes at being told what he already knew. "Naturally, with that in mind, your objective is to knock out your opponents Pokemon. Let the battle begin!"

"Alright, Pichu," Eleanor murmured. "Let's show 'em what we've got!"

Elliot's eyes widened as a small electric mouse appeared on the field. He grimaced as he wordlessly sent out Piplup. Even the normally-arrogant penguin had some concerns about dealing with an opponent that sparked electricity from its face.

"It seems we'll need to take a more careful approach," Elliot frowned. "Piplup, begin with Bubblebeam!"

Piplup's first attack was a standard Bubblebeam, fired directly at Eleanor's Pichu. The attack was not entirely meant to damage the mouse, but instead to gague how well-trained the Pichu was. It was, as they say, "testing the waters".

Now all he needed was for his plans to not backfire on him.

[Double-oh-Platypus]

Taylor Lightwood
Jubilife City
Current Team: Treecko
Badge Count: N/A

Ellie Toews
Jubilife City
Current Team: Pichu
Badge Count: N/A
Ribbon Count: N/A

Elliot released his Piplup and wasted absolutely no time launching into an attack. "Piplup, begin with Bubblebeam!" he ordered.

The attack smacked into Pichu before Ellie had time to react but luckily her Pokemon was smart enough to roll out of the attack on his own. "Pichu," she called, "use Thundershock!"

Her Pokemon growled and squeezed its eyes shut, sparks flying from his cheeks. With a small cry, he released the pent up electricity, letting it fly across the stage in small bolts towards their opponent.

Ellie knew she had the advantage. Electricity always had the advantage over water. If she could avoid any hard hits and keep wearing down Elliot's Piplup with electric based attacks, she might just win the battle. The thought was comforting to Ellie and she glanced briefly out into the crowd. The lights prevented her from seeing anyone, but she smiled anyway, hoping Taylor knew she was smiling at him.

[Morpher01]

Elliot/Jason Trey
Jubilife Contest Hall
Current Team: Piplup
Badge Count: 0
Ribbon Count: 0

The first Bubblebeam struck Pichu dead-on, but the mouse managed to roll out of the attack and lessen the recoil. Elliot grimaced. This was going to be even more difficult than he thought.

"Pichu, use Thundershock!" Eleanor cried.

Pichu released several small bolts towards Piplup, clearly attempting to take advantage of its type advantage. But as Elliot saw this, he smirked. An idea was coming into play. All he had to do was set the right bait...

"Piplup, block every bolt with a Bubblebeam!" Elliot yelled.

Piplup complied, and each Bubblebeam that Piplup fired was destroyed by a bolt from Pichu's Thundershock. The bolt, however, was also destroyed by the collision, resulting in a small explosion of water and lightning for each deflected bolt.

"Now, attack with Peck!" Elliot cried.

With the bolts gone, Piplup was free to charge forth with its beak ready. It seemed like a suicide strike, but Piplup knew better than to question Elliot, particularly with Jason looming in the wings. But even with his Pokemon rushing forward blindly, Elliot smirked. All he needed was for Pichu to launch a physical attack, and Eleanor would fall right into his trap...

[Double-oh-Platypus]

Taylor Lightwood
Jubilife City
Current Team: Treecko
Badge Count: N/A

Ellie Toews
Jubilife City
Current Team: Pichu
Badge Count: N/A
Ribbon Count: N/A

Despite having the type advantage, Ellie soon discovered that Elliot was a lot smarter than she had originally smart. And a lot smarter than she was.

His Piplup blocked every single bolt of electricity that Pichu sent flying at it, deflecting them all with bubbles from a second Bubblebeam attack. The result was a beautiful display of water that shimmered with electricity as it fell to the stage. The audience cheered and whistled, and Ellie knew that none of it was for her. Elliot was clearly stealing the show.

No, the basketball player thought to herself, frowning slightly as Elliot called out his next attack. This is my show. I've come too far to lose now.

As Piplup charged towards Pichu, aiming for a Peck attack, Ellie decided to counter with her own physical attack. "Pichu, counter with Volt Tackle," she ordered. Even if Pichu sustained damage from Piplup's attack, she would hopefully be able to gain enough ground with the type-advantage. She had no idea what Elliot was planning and she needed to set up a strategy quickly.