7/5/20

1:42 pm

Grassland Stadium

It's been a few hours since round one of the qualifiers, so let me break it down.

Phoenix is doing pretty well; she's in 8th place currently, holding on from an Alakazam named Malum from taking her spot. That move she learned in the first round? That was actually a Dark-Type move called Beat Up—which is ironic, because every time she used that, her opponents somehow made the Houndour beat herself up. I told her not to use it like a crutch, but I'm not sure she's been listening as of late.

Meanwhile, Cord and I have been going strong, defeating every opponent we faced quickly with the exception of me barely winning in the third round, because of a type disadvantage. I didn't even know that was possible. Since we're the top two Pokémon in the qualifier, we're supposed to face each other for the finals, as long as Cord wins his...

Oh crap, he just won by slamming his opponent to the floor, fainting her.

I should probably get back by now, but I should quickly mention I'm not doing well with Reversal so far. I've only used it three times, and each time almost cost me the game.

The Raichu sighed while the cheering crowd echoed the stadium. "They don't have to cheer that loudly... There's enough room to cheer for everyone." He floated off the stage to notice me running in front of him.

"Cord, that was awesome! I can't wait for our—."

I stopped talking when he floated around me, without any expression. "I'll see you when we have to fight, 'kay?" My mouth wanted to open right there, but it just stayed shut. Phoenix joined me watching Cord close his eyes before Teleporting somewhere in the stadium.

"What's up with him?" She asked while looking around. "This is the third match in a row Cord suddenly teleports away."

"He's probably getting ready for the match we have against each other," I reminded the Houndour. "I don't mind, I just hope he'll be ready to bring it his all." My body sat down against the metal wall as Castform started floating to the middle of the ring.

"Everyone!" He announced. "The rounds are almost over! Coming up in five minutes, we have the match against brothers, Manny the Pikachu versus Cord the Raichu! Don't miss it; this will decide who gets that all-important Top 4 seed."

I already could see 'Nix walking next to me while closing her eyes, trying to avoid contact with some Pokémon in the area. "I know Harmony once told me that you and Cord were brothers, but I didn't figure out why, though..."

"Well, it's a bit complicated," I responded while looking at random Pokémon cleaning up the dust and dirt from the ground. "but basically Cord and I have the same DNA when we're Pokémon. Hence that we're twins, and why I mentioned it in our forms. Perfect backstory."

Phoenix gave a quick stare at me before sighing. "You just mentioned that last part for the heck of it, didn't you?"

"...Yeah."

We ended up talking for a few minutes, trying to catch each other up in our human lives. With summer around, 'Nix had the ultimate boredom, despite living in one of the most famous cities in the world. Maybe it was because of a gas exposure that somehow lasted for a few months, but I don't know the true cause.

I could hear footsteps approaching us before looking at who was right next to me. It was the Alakazam I earlier mentioned. "What do you want?"

"You're Phoenix's friend, right?"

...I admit, I was about to say that we were related, but since that would lead to confusion, I shut my mouth about that. "Yes," I lied while nodding, "I am. Why do you ask?" Looking up at the size of him slightly scared me, but I tried my best to keep it cool.

Malum was levitating in the air while inspecting me, for some reason. I hope it was because of my current sore condition. "I was going to ask about why you talk to her about all that advice you give her. Are you her coach or something?"

I looked up at the Alakazam before giving a stern look. "If you want me to spill anything about her, you got the wrong Pokémon." My arms for some reason crossed before walking towards the stadium, hearing the crowd cheer as I went up the steps.

Cord quickly teleported in front of me, making me jump back with a slight scream. "Ahh...! Damn it Cord, stop doing that for once." The Raichu's eyes started closing with a chuckle coming out of his mouth. That same chuckle became a laugh loud enough for even Castform to hear it. "What's so funny?"

"I told myself a few hours ago that if we were facing each other, I was going for all the chips..." He looked up at the sky before cracking his neck.

"All the chips?" I said confused while realizing the match was about to start.

The Castform shouted loud enough for the entire stadium to be heard. "It's time for our Main Final! Let's count it down."

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

The large horn rang once again, making Cord float straight at me quicker than all the other times we spared. I quickly had to jump in the air to form an Iron Tail, which contacted my friend's Thunder Punch. He leaned in with a smirk to tell me what he meant.

"If you don't defend yourself properly, I will kill you."

He pulled back before laughing again. Something had to be wrong with him, I thought to myself with a shudder. My eyes closed to test Power Gauging...

To suddenly open it when I saw his eyes on fire.

"W-Wha..." I blinked a few times to see Cord charging towards me, his electric pouches sparking loudly. "Damn!" My body quickly rolled away to dodge his Thunderbolt, as it sparked loudly in contact with the floor.

I slowly got up, groaning added, before taking a few deep breaths. "Cord, why do you always find a way to get infected?" It was rhetorical, but the Raichu actually growled, waiting for me to make my move. A yellow sphere formed on my left paw before starting to charge at him on two feet. When I jumped to thrust the Electro Ball on him, he used one of his paws to deflect the attack, while the other one was used to pin me down on the floor.

"Manny, let's just get in the nitty gritty." He leaned in again to whisper in my ear. "I'm just waiting for you to use Leavo Turbo... So what if it's a promise, you've broken them before." My eyes widened to stare at the Raichu's now blackened eyes. He was eavesdropping me throughout this entire day?! That doesn't make any sense; he's literally been sitting on the exact spot for a few hours before now...

"Cord, I don't want to break promises..." My paws tried to push him away, with no success. "Because I've been breaking my promises to my family, and I don't want to do it again." I didn't notice my right paw starting to glow red. "I made a damn oath to myself. I'm not gonna break it now, or ever!"

The paw that was glowing red suddenly bursted on the scene, punching the Alolan Raichu into the air. As he fell down, I inspected the slight red in my paws before chuckling. "That was a proper Reversal." Obviously it was weaker since I haven't taken that much damage yet, but it's nice to know that I can only use it when I get angry...

"Lucky hit..." Cord mumbled towards me while wiping off any dust I created towards him. His eyes suddenly started glowing before a purple coat of energy surrounded me, making me float in the air. When I was high enough, he slammed me towards the ground, setting a mini hole in the ground.

"Reversal still wouldn't do enough," I mumbled while getting up again. "Gotta be quick." My feet finally decided to run on the balls of my toes, going about 25% faster than normal. Obviously, I was considering Cord to dodge this at the last second, only to realize he took the tackle head on. Was he making an illusion that we were even against one another? He's doing a very crappy job doing that, especially since the Raichu sent me flying again with Thunder Punch.

I shook off some of the dust before realizing air was breathing from behind. Whoever is controlling Cord finally learned that he had Teleport.

Punches started flying once again, and I was sent flying towards a different direction with each punch. Honestly, I thought they wouldn't stop until I was close to death, but all my thoughts would be stopped when I crashed on the floor, creating a pile of clay on my back while skidding along the surface. It was only a few more feet skidding, and I would've been considered out. "I shouldn't jinx myself right now..." I got myself up before my paw started glowing red again. "Come and get me, Cord."

The Raichu grinned before jumping on his tail and floating quickly towards me. We almost met each other's punches in the middle, if it wasn't for me rolling under his moving tail and using Reversal on his back.

He was sent flying, obviously. I didn't know that he was actually crossing the line until cheering started to erupt from the crowds. The Castform quickly cleared my confusion as he floated towards me. "Manny the Pikachu! Congrats on clinching the second of the four top seeds in this tournament. How do you feel?"

...Huh? I looked at Cord groaning while closing my eyes for a split second. Whatever shadow that possessed Cord was long gone now. I guess that was better than I thought it was. My eyes opened to whisper in the Castform's ear. "Can I talk with you for a moment?"

He tilted his head confused, before obliging and pulling my body aside. "Something wrong?"

I nodded before crossing my arms. "I don't want to be considered the winner here..."

"I'm sorry, did you actually say that?" The tournament guide floated a few feet back before looking at me stunned. "Being part of the top four seed is a high honor. Why wouldn't you want that?"

My head tilted down before sighing. "I-I can't explain it, 'cause it wouldn't make any sense to you. But I know that match wasn't him." My head turned back to the Raichu, as one of his eyes started opening. "And I also know that he's better than me. Just trust me on it."

"Manny..." The Castform lowered his body to sigh. "You know I can't do that. My boss doesn't allow me to change the results when it happens..."

My fist clenched while moving towards the Alolan Raichu. "Well, at least find it in your heart to change it... I don't care if you do it or not."

I grabbed the Raichu's tail before going towards Abby.

***

1:56 pm

Grassland Stadium

"Wait, you weren't eavesdropping me?"

"Of course not!" Cord glanced at me when he finally woke up. "You can ask Phoenix after her match, I was completely focused on all the matches." He glanced at the Houndour, who was currently waving at us excitingly. He waved slightly before looking back at me. "Honestly, I would never interrupt you two's conversations. I'm not letting that ship burn and sink."

Before Abby asked what ship he was talking about, I covered her muzzle before chuckling. "God, you sound like a pervert." I could tell no one was paying attention since all of them were focusing on Phoenix approaching the stadium.

"I'm not a pervert." He retorted while looking back at the stadium. Malum could be seen floating towards the opposite side of the field, while Castform went towards the middle to middle of the field, apparently about to announce something.

"I just informed these last two competitors for this final match, so let me explain it to you all." He moved towards the Alakazam first. "Malum the Alakazam started this tournament with two loses in a row, one of them against Cord. After alternating win and lose two more times, Malum has won three in a row, making his final record 5 wins, and 4 loses."

Castform moved towards the opposite side of the field, pointing towards 'Nix with some delight. "Phoenix the Houndour... She won the very first match of this qualifiers, then almost hit rock bottom. Four straight losses, three of those four qualifying already for our main tournament. But she came back!" The yell he made almost startled Phoenix next to her. "Four straight wins! With the last win, it made her tie Malum for the eighth and final spot in this tournament!"

"Wait a second," I suddenly realized before turning into the Glaceon. "I thought 'Nix was having the sole possession of eighth!"

"What do you mean?" Abby asked while turning her head. "Malum with his last win made the tie happen. You were paying attention to it, right?"

"Pft..." I looked around to see Cord suddenly interested in the conversation. "No... I didn't bother looking at when Cord went against him."

"Were you too focused on Ab—?"

"No I was not!" I quickly retorted while crossing my arms. "I was helping Phoenix figure out what Beat Up was." A soft growl came out of me for some reason when Castform went back to his booth.

I could hear Phoenix mumble something about focusing while the Alakazam went to preparation work. He quickly started meditating while floating, trying to grab the amount of energy in his system. Castform already started counting down.

"Three!"

"Two!"

But something weird happened. My eyes suddenly turned blue, while sparks started flying everywhere in my body. Time felt like it was slowing down, making the motions of everyone so... easy to predict. I looked around before slowly getting off my chair. "Turbo Boost..." I mumbled while looking around the stands. No Bisharp, no one suspicious, nothing. Nobody worth looking at in the stands...

I haven't analyzed Malum yet, though.

My body leaned down before noticing something in his eyes... Maybe it was the sunlight going into him? No, the sun is facing behind him. Dust, anything that can block his vision? No... I can't see anything like that from here.

It was at that moment when the Alakazam's eyes suddenly became flames.

I jumped in fright, my Turbo Boost ability fading as the crowd came back into my ears.

"One!"

Cord and Abby finally got their reactions on time, widening their eyes while I landed on the seat to them. The Raichu was about to ask why I suddenly came from the air, but was too stunned to say anything.

The horn came out while Phoenix tilted her head. "Huh? What's..." She glanced at the three of us before looking back at the Alakazam. "Is this some type of powerup or something?"

Malum only stood there, staring at 'Nix with some sly smirk. "Sorry, Houndour." He stared at her before giving a deep sigh. "But if anyone's going to be in the tournament, it's going to be me."

*Game File Saved*