Chapter one: The Invitation, The Journey Aboard The S.S Wailord, And My First Competitive Battle
I started off like most Trainers; Easily impressed, and hopelessly inexperienced. I had caught many powerful and unique Pokemon, yet I lacked the skills to make much use of them. I never won any major battles before in my life. But then came that invite...
I remember my excitement when I got the letter; It said in clear, legible writing:
To William McAdams,
You have been given the opportunity to compete against other Pokemon Trainers, and the chance to be crowned the "Supreme Pokemon Master". A boat is leaving from Snowpoint City tomorrow at 8:00 AM. Be there if you are interested in joining the tournament. The boat in question will transport you to a lush and tropical paradise; It is the location of the Master Tournament, to which you are being welcomed to. All you need to bring is your Pokemon and clothes, as well as this invite, for it is your ticket to the S.S Wailord, which is the most luxurious in it's class. Be aware that this tournament will not be easy: Only the best of the best have been chosen, and if you aren't ready for some serious competition, you'll easily be blown away by the intense abilities of the Pokemon Masters. If you think you have what it takes to be the very best, then welcome to the Master Tournament!
Sincerely,
Cynthia, Champion of Sinnoh
I could only imagine what amazing experiences lay waiting for me on that island; I couldn't even get any sleep, so excited was I! I told my Mother about the invite, and she gave me permission to leave for the tournament... but on the condition that she could come with me. It wasn't a problem, of course; To be honest, I wanted her with me. The more people who could cheer on my victories, the better!
And so we set out for Snowpoint City! The road was very long, and all we had was two bicycles; Indeed, our feet were tremendously sore when we arrived in the white, snowy land of Snowpoint City. Despite the fact that we were completely covered with fur coats, the chill of the icy wind was savagely freezing. My mother and I, shivering like the unseasoned travelers we were, made our way to the hotel, "The Snowy Inn". We walked in, and were greeted not only by the immense warmth of the open fire, but also by the merry laugh of the Hotel Manager. The man was at least 6 feet tall, and he towered above us. He was a very thick man, and his face was very red; A jolly old fellow, by the looks of it. On top of his gray head, he wore a very weathered hat. As his worn-out name tag implied, he was Mr. Dereby, the owner of the inn. He spoke with a deep, resonate voice.
"What can I do for ya good folks?", he politely inquired. My mother walked up to the man, and said,
"My son and I need to engage the services of your lovely inn; We need a room that can occupy two". The hotel manager walked toward a door, and he pulled out a key from his pocket. Having unlocked the door, he made his way into the room. A few seconds later, he reappeared with small and rusty key.
"Here's the key to your room. Have a nice stay, Ma'am". The Hotel Manager tipped his hat to my Mother, and we made our way to the room.
If the hotel lobby was pleasant, our hotel room was even more so. There were two beds, neatly made; We headed for those first. In front of us was a huge television. But we were too tired to care about what was being shown. Alas, for is it was time to rest.
The very next day, we awoke at 7:55 clock in the morning. Noting the time, we rushed from out of our beds quickly, and got dressed. The boat would leave any minute! We quickly opened the door of our hotel room, and we rushed down the hallway, and in turn the lobby. My Mother quickly placed the money on the table of the Hotel Manager's desk, and we ran from the hotel as fast as we could.
Outside, the day was surprisingly warm. We hardly noticed, though, as our eyes were searching for the dock... and there it was! A little shabby old dock. But hardly fitting of the massive and modern boat, the S.S Wailord. We made it just in time. As soon as we boarded the ship, it set sail for the mysterious island that payed host to the Master Tournament.
The letter did not lie; Indeed, the S.S Wailord was quite luxurious. The rooms that were given to us were quite exquisite. Not only did they provide rooms for us, they also provided free food and refreshments! I felt myself regretting the fact that I did not bring my swimming trunks. There was a large pool at the center of the massive ship. I decided to take a little stroll through the ship. I told my Mother before I left, and she stayed behind in the room.
I wandered the corridor that was adjacent to our room in search of the elevator that was supposed to take me to the upper levels of the boat. I found it eventually, and it opened the moment I approached it. I pushed the button that said "Upper Level", and the doors momentarily closed. While it took me upwards, I had my thoughts accompanied by a catchy tune generated by the speakers which had been installed into the elevator.
Finally, the doors of the elevator opened wide, and I entered the upper levels of the S.S Wailord. I was on board the deck of the ship, which was host to a very refreshing breeze, a breeze which is only felt when one travels the open sea. There were many different buildings on the deck of the ship, each with a neon sign proudly announcing what was kept in store in that building. There was a Game Room, a Dining Room, and a Lounge. But what caught my eye was not any of the former. Instead, my eyes were attracted to a sign which was more spectacular than the others. It was decorated with a massive Blastoise on the side of the sign. But what was most noteworthy about the sign, was that it said "The Training Arena".
I had to see what that was all about. So I walked towards the massive building that was known as "The Training Arena", not exactly sure what I might find there. Upon entering, I saw many Pokemon Trainers engaged in battle. Many magnificent skirmishes has taken place, and I saw the techniques deployed by the Trainers. Can I attribute the eventual skill that I would find myself in the possession of to what I saw here? Not all of it. No, I would find my skill against a person who I would find myself to utterly loath, a person whom I could call my rival. It was the very fact that I loathed him that gave me strength and ability, which I would find myself using in the actual Master Tournament itself. His name was Richard Huntsworthy, and he was standing in a corner with a group of people who absolutely worshiped him; They were, indeed, his groupies. For reasons unknown to me, I felt myself compelled to approach him; Perhaps it was destiny that drew me to him? I came towards him, and whilst I did so, I came to notice what he looked like. He wore a tuxedo, and his very air seemed to signify his posh. He held us his head high, and bragged about his accomplishments to his little group. His hair was a bright orange. His face was clean, and not a single speck occupied itself on his face. He wore a necklace that was shaped in the form of a crown. The moment I saw him, I could tell he was an arrogant and selfish person. I drew closer, and he saw me. He scowled at me,
"What are you trying to do, sir? Are you spying on me, trying to find my weaknesses in order to learn how to defeat me?", at this point of his speech, he paused, and gave a chuckle.
"Well, I tell you good sir that Richard Huntsworthy have no weaknesses! I will sweep this competition, and when I am done all of you newbies will see how terrible you are at battling!". I was infuriated at his nerve. Alas, looking back perhaps I needn't have made this rivalry with him. But the cards were set; I was going to battle him.
"See here, Richard Huntsworthy: You think you're the best? Well you'll have to battle me first and prove it!", I barked at the boy. He lost his cool for a moment, but no longer than that. Then, he replied,
"So be it! I shall humiliate you in front of this huge crowd of Pokemon Trainers! But first, we have to go over the ground rules: It will be a one-on-one battle between both of our strongest Pokemon. First to fall loses! Are you ready for this?", and with that, he threw a Poke Ball into the air. It loosed a bolt of red energy, and a sleek, beautiful serpent came from the capturing device.
"Milotic and I will beat you!", shouted Richard. I contemplated my choice first, and after a moment, I chose my Pokemon. I sent out a Pokemon that I had caught at the beginning of my Pokemon journey: Charizard. It's form was that of a dragon, and it spewed flames with it's every breath. On the tip of it's tail, a small, yet extremely hot flame.
"We can do this, Charizard!", I shouted, although I can't say I quite believed myself. But what I felt didn't matter at this moment: The only thing of importance in that entire room was the battle between me and my to-be rival. All eyes were gazing upon this epic battle. The crowd was wild! It was a perfect battle: The shouts of both Trainers, the execution of the moves that which the Pokemon knew, the climatic battle cries of both Pokemon, engaged in an attempt to defeat one another. I was losing horribly, however. While I had barely scratched Milotic, my Charizard was beginning to give in to his own exhaustion. I myself was giving up, unable to consider my chances of victory, which in truth were quite ugly. But somehow, I held through. And my persistence payed off; I had found a way to win! Logic surged through my brain, and for the first time in my life, I actually felt like I knew what I was doing.
"Charizard, Fire Spin!", I commanded Charizard.
"Spin the flames around you!". Charizard did as I told it to, and the result was a wall of flame surrounding Milotic. Richard was going to try and end this now, but I was able to anticipate what he was going to do.
"Use Hydro Pump, Milotic!". Milotic let loose a stream of water, and it was aimed at Charizard. But Charizard was untouched by the torrent of aquatic matter. As I thought would happen, the stream collided with the wall of flame, in effect covering Charizard with a veil of smoke.
"Where's his Pokemon?", questioned Richard. Unfortunately, the answer to that question came with a heavy blow dealt against Milotic; Charizard had emerged from the smoke, and taking advantage of Milotic's confusion, Charizard began to deal many blows towards Milotic. In close combat, Milotic was out of it's element. It couldn't defend itself from such a close range, and it fell from the sheer strength of Charizard.
I had done it. I had won my first battle, with nothing but myself and my own Pokemon. Richard began to cry, and he and his group ran out of the room. A Trainer approached me, and asked,
"How did you do that? Richard Huntsworthy is the undefeated champion of the Hoehn region!". A huge following of Trainers came up to me, all asking me questions about battle strategies. In the moment, I was a hero. They all begged to know my secret, and of course, I told them far-fetched stories about how I scaled mountains simply to train my Pokemon, and the like. They all wanted to be like me. They looked up to me. How I won is a slight mystery to me. But one thing is for certain: I'll have even harder matches than this in the future. The honest truth, is that I haven't seen anything yet.
