Joe walked into the stadium lobby and saw Hiro. The kid gave Joe a forced smile. Joe felt compelled to encourage him. "You did good, kid. Keep working hard."
Hiro nodded and left the arena, not wanting to stick around. But give it an hour for the result to sink in and his fire would be reignited. He'd rush to battle other people and train. Trainers were hardy people. They always bounced back.
The receptionist drew Joe's attention. She wore a white nurse cap. Obviously she was here to look after everyone's Pokemon. Her Audino replenished Ralts' and Cyndaquil's energy. Joe thanked her. He went and sat beside Erika and Janine as they watched their competition. For Joe and Janine, this was important. They paid attention to what their upcoming opponents were capable of.
It wasn't long until Erika battled. She still had a couple of Pokemon that weren't as strong as they could be, so it wasn't a one-sided beat down. One had only evolved recently, and the other she had caught a few months ago but hadn't spent much time training it.
"And with Erika's spectacular victory, round one comes to a close!" The announcer, who was also the shrewd businessman, stated. "Round two will commence immediately, and then we'll have a little break. Please enjoy the stalls when the time comes."
"This guy is something else. I'm definitely getting money out of him." Janine spoke as she rose. She left for a waiting room. She would be the first battle of every round until she was knocked out or won. Considering Erika was in the tournament, Janine herself expected to lose. Understanding one's own capabilities was a good trait to have, even if it meant acknowledging a loss before it even happened. Janine is like a sprinter fresh out of school running against the world's best. They may enjoy the same sport, but they currently operate in completely different leagues.
Janine won her second match, and it wasn't long until Joe was up. He entered the dirt arena and faced his new opponent. A young adult. She let short blonde hair brush her shoulders. Despite matching Joe's age, the woman was fresh-faced and young.
Joe and his opponent, Kasey, threw Pokeballs at the same time and revealed their Pokemon to each other.
"Time to knock down a mountain, sweetie!" Kasey called to her Cubchoo, referring to how the announcer had introduced Joe.
Cubchoo was an adorable Ice-type that looked like a plush toy. What added to the image was that it came out sitting down. Its white body looked as soft as snow while its blue head looked like ice. A long trail of snot left Cubchoo's nose.
It was a good job Joe chose Ralts again. Both sides were neutral against each other. Kasey hadn't used a Cubchoo in round one so clearly she adapted, although Joe wondered what the point was. If Joe had sent out Cyndaquil then he would've had a big advantage due to type matchups. But if he'd used Fomantis, he would've been at a disadvantage. Maybe Kasey was betting on a situation like that.
Cubchoo stood up as Ralts put one foot behind the other and readied herself. Cubchoo acted first, its claws wrapped in ghostly purple energy. It had a strong leap, too. It covered the distance with a long jump and swung Shadow Claw down at Ralts.
Learning from their previous battle, Joe ordered Ralts to create a thicker shield from dirt. Ralts was going to do that without specifics, but it was good to know her Trainer had it in mind too. She raised a wall twice as thick. The claw attack dug into the shield but didn't make it through. Cubchoo jumped back as Kasey reassessed.
Ralts had paid attention to how the Ghost-type energy felt. She'd seen a move in New Bark called Shadow Sneak. That, paired with her desire to be outwardly strong like Joe and punch her problems, meant Ralts was in favour of a physical Ghost-type move.
Cubchoo came in with a fist encased in thick ice. Ralts parried it with Confusion wrapped around her one hand. With her other hand, she started messing around with another energy type. Cubchoo kept up the assault, jabbing with Ice Punch as Ralts swatted every strike away, struggling to keep up since she was using just one hand, but she managed. The excess cold caused shards of ice to appear on her body as she started to freeze.
Ralts' eyes flared as she used a massive amount of psychic force to push a fist away, causing Cubchoo to stumble and the shards growing on her body to blast away. This created an opening which Ralts used to back off. She cancelled Confusion. Her shadow stretched unnaturally to reach the ground under Cubchoo. Five shadowy arms grabbed Cubchoo and stopped it from moving. Ralts appeared to disintegrate, only to reappear a second later in front of her opponent. She burst out of a wispy purple fog, her right hand covered with a bright purple energy. Ralts' fist connected with the bear's snout and blasted it back.
Ralts floated elegantly until she stood on her feet and looked at Cubchoo as it got up. It glared at Ralts and appeared to have tears forming. Without taking an order from Kasey, Cubchoo ran at Ralts, its arms flailing and covered in rampant Normal-type energy. Kasey's Cubchoo didn't like being hurt and lashed out erratically sometimes.
Cubchoo took wild swings at Ralts as it cried out. Ralts performed a mix of evading, creating small walls to take hits, and parrying with Confusion as she backed away. Every time Ralts parried, Cubchoo got angrier and used more power, getting through Ralts' Confusion defence just a little.
Cubchoo seemed to realise it was getting nowhere because it managed to weave Ice Punch into its flurry of attacks. A stronger move required stronger psychic power to repel. Ralts hadn't seen it coming, so she got hit in the side and fell to the ground.
Cubchoo tried to keep up the Flail assault, but while on the ground, Ralts used Shadow Sneak. She wrapped ghostly hands around one of Cubchoo's arms which caused it to spin with the momentum. Ralts dissipated into a puff of purple smoke and appeared floating by Cubchoo's head. She lashed out with a left this time, smashing Cubchoo into the ground with enough force that it cracked the arena. Cubchoo bounced back into the air. Ralts spun and her feet glowed purple. Although because they were hidden by what looked like baggy clothing, it was more like an edge of her white dress was using the move. Ralts drop kicked Cubchoo in the torso and pushed it into the ground with immense force for such a small body.
Despite being heavily injured, Cubchoo managed to open its mouth and aimed at Ralts' face from its position beneath her. A thick beam of water came out fast. A move called Brine. It sent Ralts flying.
Both sides, now separated by at least ten feet, tried to stand. They both got close. Ralts was just coming out of a crouch when her legs gave and she collapsed onto her side. Cubchoo was pushing against the ground with its paws. Seeing Ralts go down, it wanted to gloat and claim victory, but it didn't have the strength to rise. Cubchoo collapsed onto its belly. A double knockout from one final attack that Cubchoo was able to unleash.
Joe was extremely happy with Ralts. She'd pulled through again, taking a foe out. And she'd learned a new move. He returned her and praised her. "You're a little ass kicker, huh? You can rest now." Ralts could sense her Trainer was genuinely proud of her so she went to sleep happy with herself.
The next Pokemon Joe used was easy to decide. Kasey had a Silicobra, which was effective against Cyndaquil. Joe hadn't used Fomantis yet. He opted for the Grass-type. Kasey's third known Pokemon was an Aipom, which would mean another neutral fight. Either option was beneficial for Fomantis.
Both Trainers sent their Pokemon out. Sure enough, Aipom came out. A purple monkey with a long tail that acted like a third hand. Aipom was approaching being three times bigger than Fomantis, which might not be good for Joe's Grass-type.
Aipom was also incredibly agile. It hopped around like it weighed nothing and was always situationally aware of where its tail was. Since it primarily attacked with its tail, Aipom knew how to move around it like an expert gymnast.
Kasey grinned. "I knew you had something else." It was a good job she didn't use Silicobra or she absolutely would've lost.
Aipom's tail hand turned into a fist and shone a brilliant purple as it used Poison Jab. Kasey was all about punching. Aipom hopped around the arena erratically to avoid Bullet Seed. When it was close enough, Aipom ducked its head and aimed the tail fist straight at Fomantis like a Skorupi jabbing with its tail.
Fomantis used Slash to swipe the incoming fist into the ground. She hopped onto the tail and jumped. Just touching the poisoned tail briefly with her feet hurt her, but she powered through and slashed at Aipom's face with her leaf arms, one after the other. The first swipe hit the side of Aipom's face, the other just barely scrapped the ear as Aipom twisted away.
While Fomantis was still in the air, Aipom's tail swung around and took a flat palm martial arts form as brown energy spawned. It was using Brick Break. Fomantis would've used Slash to defend. Crossed swords were a good defence. But she couldn't turn well so she got hit in the body and went flying, skidding along dirt.
Fomantis got up just in time to meet Iron Tail with Slash. Aipom's tail was enforced with so much energy it had the weight and texture of actual metal. Fomantis extended Slash as best she could and raised her swords above her head to take the tail that descended into her. Her tiny legs bent from the force. She listened to Joe's orders. Visualised what he wanted. It was a tough ask. She didn't know if she could do it. But if she was going to break out of her rut, she needed to take a step forward herself.
Fomantis spun her arms to the side, taking Aipom's tail with them. With the pressure no longer coming down on her, Fomantis lunged forward while scrapping Slash along Iron Tail. She swiped at Aipom's inner leg when she was within range. Bent the monkey's knee. She hopped onto the knee and dragged Slash up Aipom's body and across its face.
Maybe Fomantis should believe in herself a bit more, because she pulled off Joe's orders perfectly. But now she was in the air again and open to an attack. But none came. Aipom created distance instead, allowing Fomantis to land and prepare to attack or defend.
Aipom used Swift, swishing its tail and unleashing gold stars in three round bursts for a total of nine. Fomantis fired Bullet Seed and the two moves clashing caused an explosion.
Both sides had the same idea to be aggressive. Fomantis and Aipom jumped into the smoke with the intention of attacking their foe that they assumed would be on the other side. Aipom burst through the smoke with Iron Tail swinging down at the ground. The monkey hit nothing as the Pokemon hadn't met in the smoke.
Fomantis had cancelled her attack, laid low in the smoke and watched Aipom pass by. When she heard the ground be struck, she jumped and burst out of the quickly fading smoke. Fomantis had the high ground now. She swung one arm, parrying Brick Break as Aipom fought back. She spun and, with a leaf arm using Slash, she dragged her energy blade down her foe's body.
Fomantis landed and hopped back just in case, only to watch Aipom fall onto its back. She'd won.
The crowd cheered. Fomantis looked around at the various faces. She waddled over to her Trainer, who knelt and rubbed her head as the announcer shouted about Joe winning.
"Congratulations, buddy."
At least when it came to battle, Fomantis having a Trainer was a benefit. She hadn't expected to be able to pull of some of those moves, but she had an instinctive feeling to listen to a Trainer, so she obeyed. She still felt a little down though. Her rut wasn't just combat related. The victory and praise hadn't bolstered her self-image much. She felt it was more Joe's win, not hers. He was the brains of the operation.
In the lobby, Joe met Kasey. She eyed him up and down as they got their Pokemon tended to. "You're tough. Good job, I guess." She begrudgingly accepted her opponent.
"And you. Fomantis is still fresh on the team but I'm proud of her. She's tougher than she looks." Joe said, thinking about how cute the little Grass-type was.
"You beat me with a new Pokemon? Damn, maybe I've been slacking."
Joe felt like that was a good attitude to have. Instead of blaming others, blame oneself. Don't wish it was easier, wish you were better. "I have to ask, why did you use Cubchoo when you knew I had Cyndaquil?"
Kasey grinned. "Beginners are predictable. Despite the Absol, you're a new Trainer, right? You people always use the same lead."
"Huh…" Joe made a noise and looked up, thinking about it. That was good to know.
"I was confident Cubchoo could handle Ralts even though Aipom has Poison Jab." Kasey said, referring to Poison-type being effective against Fairy-type. "Since only fighting is good against normal, I figured Aipom was better against whatever your other Pokemon was."
Right, Kasey had mentioned in the middle of the battle that she had a feeling Joe had another Pokemon. Knowing his opponent put such serious thought into tactics made Joe realise the number of variables he had to consider. Sometimes he'd have to gamble. Kasey bet on Joe not having a Fighting-type, and she won that bet.
Once they wrapped up getting their Pokemon treated, Joe spoke. "Good luck in your future endeavours."
"Formal is boring." Kasey put a fist out. "Next time we meet, I'm winning."
Joe grinned. Bumped his fist into hers. "I'll hold you to that."
Joe went back to his seat, but it wasn't long until Erika had won the final battle of round two, causing everyone to flood out on a break. Janine left Joe and Erika alone for a moment, so it was just the two of them walking the stalls. Joe was pretty sure some pop-up shops had switched from merchandise to food. He grabbed a snack and ate with Erika as they walked.
They arrived at a stall selling accessories in the shape of Pokemon features. Buneary ears on a headband, shakers that looked like a Sudowoodo's hands, yellow pompoms from an Oricorio.
Joe felt the pompoms were especially fitting as cheerleaders used them to, surprise, cheer for people in sport. Pokemon battling was a sport. But he was interested in the bunny ears. He grabbed a pair, looked them over, and grinned. A shiver ran down Absol's back as Joe turned to her. He placed the bunny ears onto Absol's head.
Absol started growling as Joe and Erika put a hand to their chins and looked her over.
"It doesn't work, does it?" Joe asked.
"No, the ears clash with the horn. It's one or the other." Erika replied seriously.
Absol's temper boiled over and she knocked the Buneary ears off her head with a claw. Joe leaned down to pick them up, and Absol used this opportunity to jab at her Trainer a few times. She wanted to get the point across that he could be annoying. He didn't care though. He just laughed it off, as per usual.
Joe dusted the ears off and put them into his bag. Who knew, maybe a future girlfriend would wear them. They walked to another stall. Saw the town's speciality, gemstones. Joe bought one for Erika. A sparkling emerald in the center of a red bow. He pictured it fitting nicely on Erika's hairband.
"As thanks for letting me stay at your cabin."
Erika accepted and looked it over. "Thank you. It's quite pretty, isn't it?"
Before Erika could come up with a cheeky comment about how she's not that easy, they heard a loud laugh. They looked to see Janine watching, a hand in front of her mouth. Having made herself known, she switched to a playful chuckle. Slid in close and nudged Joe repeatedly with an elbow.
"So you're a lady killer, mister."
Joe smiled and shrugged. "I just appreciate a beautiful woman when I see one."
Janine's teasing grin turned to Erika, who was unaffected. When Janine was finally satisfied poking them, they walked around some more stalls. Joe pointed out the potted plants with a logo of Erika. As it turned out, that wasn't a simple brand deal. It was Erika's company. She owned a florist business, with Erika engaging with and examining as much as she could because she simply loved flowers. Gym Leaders had a lot of freedom with their immense income so they often chased hobbies. Said hobbies usually turned into businesses due to their passion and popularity.
Walking the other row of stalls revealed a slightly surprising selection of items. The venue owner must just have Gym Leader merchandise on standby because Joe spotted plush toys of other people he vaguely recognised. A red headed woman with glasses and a smart suit. Lorelei, one of Kanto's current Elites. A bulky wrestler wearing a blue and white mask. Crasher Wake from up in Sinnoh. And then one he knew well. Jasmine in her long blue dress.
Joe approached the unvisited Jasmine section. Grinned when he saw a t-shirt. There was art printed on the black shirt. Jasmine took up the left corner, pointing forward. Her Ace Dodrio was charging forward, taking up most of the image. Joe bought it. Figured he'd make a nuisance of himself and send a picture of it later. Maybe sneak Absol into the image to give Jasmine a shock. And besides, he owed her a big thanks. All the information she'd bombarded Joe with over the past couple of years was coming in handy.
"You mentioned knowing her. Are you a fan?" Erika questioned, seeing the smile on Joe's face.
"She's a friend." Joe held the shirt up to really bask in his plan. "I think I have the perfect way to annoy her with this."
Erika had an epiphany. Joe's nature of being a nuisance to those around him in his quest to be funny. His size making him appear scary despite his heart of gold. She raised a hand, semi pointing at him.
"Ah, you're the idiot that fought a Hunter even though you have no Pokemon." A direct quote from Jasmine a few months back, when Joe really didn't have any Pokemon.
Jasmine and Erika had met a few times over the years, and Erika had attempted to help her fellow Gym Leader come out of her shell. Jasmine spoke briefly of a friend she made a while ago. Erika hadn't connected the dots because the shiny Absol was a big detail. Erika assumed Jasmine's friend was someone else. But now Joe made more sense. Erika understood why she felt fine around him and even invited him to her cabin. He didn't look like a ruffian.
"Idiot?" Joe questioned with a raised eyebrow as Janine laughed. He thought back to a year ago when Jasmine acted as a peacekeeper and came to rescue him. "But yeah, I guess I did do something like that."
"What? Oh, this story is going to be good." Janine's eyes sparkled.
"Yeah, some guy took a Pokemon so I chased him down. Jasmine came in to help." That was an understatement. The actual event was, as Janine suspected, far more dramatic and intense.
Joe recalled what a Hunter was to remind himself that some criminals acted individually. They weren't all gangs like Rocket Syndicate. If Contractors like Joe were the good guys, then Hunters were the bad guys. They took any jobs they were given. At the very least, Contractors were pragmatic. They couldn't spend their money while they were in prison, and they didn't want to watch over their shoulder as they laid low in another country for their entire life. So they stuck to the rules. But Hunters were typically people that were already criminals and so naturally didn't follow the law.
When Joe didn't elaborate, Janine sulked. "Aw, come on, man. There's definitely more to it than that! I want details!"
A pleasant ding rang through the area. It came from a speaker on a pole near the arena. The tournament was about to restart. Joe's early life heroics were stories for another time.
Janine was, of course, the first battle in round three. She lost. A fair result considering she had just one Badge. The further a knockout tournament went on, the stronger the opponent. When Janine took a seat next to Erika, she speculated her opponent had six or seven Badges. Her opponent, who she labelled Gloomy, used four different Pokemon in the tournament so far, and they were all final evolutions. Janine believed the man she lost to would make it to the finals but then lose to Erika.
Joe was up next. He entered the arena and eyed his opponent. The guy looked after his hair. It was perfectly slicked back and glossy, with a twirl untouched and dropping down to his forehead on purpose. Joe believed these people were called greasers because of their love for working on vehicles. Hands covered in grease or oil.
"Yo, bro. I'm 'bout to teach you what it's like to lose." Rydell said as he threw a Pokeball.
Talk about a stereotype. Joe half expected the guy to whip out a comb and start cleaning up his already immaculate hair.
Because of this thought, Joe was lagging behind. Rydell's Pokemon came out before Joe had even decided what ball to grab from his holster. A bright orange biped wore a playfully nasty grin as it put its palms together and let electricity zap between them. A Pawmot. Part Fighting-type. Joe felt like it was fitting, as Rydell's leather jacket and general demeanour matched what Joe thought a delinquent would look like.
With Rotom highlighting that Pawmot was a final evolution, so it was naturally powerful, Joe considered what few options he had. Looked down at Absol. "How about it? Want to fight?"
Absol looked up at Joe briefly then looked forward to her potential opponent. Sized Pawmot up. Nodded and stood without looking at her Trainer. Walked into the arena. Pawmot looked tough, so this was a good chance for some action.