Blazing the Competition - Pokémon SI

Chapter 30 – Captain’s Challenge

We reached route 109, or what we people in Hoenn like to call it, the number one tourist hotspot in the entire region. At any point in time, you could find ongoing beach parties and family barbecues littering the vast stretches of beach inside the route. From our vantage point in the sky, I could also pinpoint the famed Seashore House where small daily tournaments were held for passing trainers. The rewards were not all that impressive; the winner got to pick out six soda cans of their preferred flavoring. It was all in good fun though trainers entered more for bragging rights than anything else.

‘It would be a nice way for my team to gain some extra experience. Since there aren’t any stakes, we could just focus on having a good time and experimenting with new moves.’

“We should totally enter!”

Victini was giddy by all the new sights as she could glimpse the world through my eyes with our shared mental link. Naturally as a fire type she also preferred the warmer climate. Going from Unova during winter times to the tropical paradise that is Hoenn was a big upgrade. As we were psychically conversing, I noticed she was mentally salivating at the ice cream stand next to the Seashore House.

‘Maybe if we have enough time. We still need to stock up on supplies and register for the Ever Grande conference.’

“Mmmm!”

Captain Drake’s sailing yacht eventually came into view; it was a massive ship completely capable of housing all his Pokémon manned by a small crew. We landed on deck without any issues, his crewmembers making space available for us to do so. I hopped off Flygon giving the good-natured dragon a quick hug as thanks for carrying me all the way over without complaint.

“You are the coolest dragon type I’ve ever met. Keep staying awesome, okay?”

“Goooooon!”

“You have a keen eye, being able to notice how special my Flygon is. This bodes well for your prospects as a trainer. Come follow me, we will talk further inside the ship’s stateroom.”

With that Drake recalled his two Pokémon and motioned me to follow him below deck. The crew didn’t question the reason why he invited a tween to come on board. Showing the trust that has been cultivated among his subordinates. Because I needed both hands to hold on while being carried by Flygon I squeezed my incubator inside my backpack. My trusty old backpack looked to be bursting from the seams with the egg inside it so I pulled the incubator out and started carrying the egg in my arms again.

I gingerly followed Captain Drake below deck. It was not everyday that I received praise from a Champion level trainer. We entered his office room in short order after which he closed the door behind us. I took a seat at his desk and observed the room. The walls were decorated with trophies and plaques showing off his successes as a trainer, but there were also some wall decorations that had little to do with Pokémon battling. Most notably one given to him by the Oceanic Museum for uncovering a sunken vessel filled with historically significant artifacts. Captain Drake took a seat opposite to mine ready to start our conversation.

“Alright then, start from the beginning.”

“Well uhmm Captain Drake sir. It all started when I came across a seemingly abandoned lighthouse during my stay in the Unova region.”

Couple of minutes later*

“So eventually Victini decided to stick with me. We really hit it off and eventually she decided to be part of my team. The region’s professor advised us to only reveal her existence to people we absolutely trust. We’ve had some fun times together journeying through that region, even though she had to hide herself whenever we were in a public setting.”

“Hmmm… I understand your situation now. There aren’t many trainers walking around with a Pokémon of legendary status. A rookie like yourself would be an easy target for the more nefarious members of our society. Still… I want to meet this Pokémon! Call her out and let me test the bond you two share.”

‘I figured as much… Are you ready to face his Salamence Tini?’

“Nooo! Please don’t send me out, I don't want to get eaten!”

“That is what I would like to say, but such a battle would most definitely attract attention. So, for now a meet and greet as you youngsters say will suffice.”

‘That seems reasonable enough right Tini?’

“…Okay”

I unclasped her poké ball and activated the release mechanism. The little rabbit Pokémon materializing on my lap right in front of Captain Drake.

“Hmm a bit small for a legendary Pokémon. I believe this one would do better in contests as opposed to heated battle. At least the little girls who watch those shows would get an adequate amount of entertainment out of her.”

“Vi Vi!” “I am not small! Everyone else is just big!”

“And capable of telepathic communication. Victini is of the psychic type, correct?”

“And fire.”

“Indeed, she does exhibit the typical outwards display of passion, archetypal of a fire type. Well then, my curiosity has been satisfied. I am expecting you to offer me a worthy challenge this year.”

“Wait?! You expect me to win in the upcoming Ever Grande conference with only six months to spare and subsequently beat your elite four? I don’t even have a full team yet.”

“That kind of talk is for quitters! When I was your age that would be the minimum one would expect of a prospective champion! Ah, forget it! I’ll have better luck relying on Joseph’s son or perhaps that effeminate youngster from Sootopolis.”

“Don’t compare me to a billionaire’s heir like Steven Stone or that part time lackadaisical battler Wallace! I am serious about battling and we’ll make it to the top even if it takes a while longer!”

“Ho Ho! Now you are showing me the fiery spirit I was hoping to see! Just keep your ambitions burning like that and you’ll reach the same stage as me!”

‘Wait a minute… Did that old man just trick me into taking over for him? I don’t want to be a Champion, that's too much pressure!’

“Well, that’ll be all. Make sure to become strong enough so you can openly display the bond you two share and be sure to offer a proper challenge to this old man so he can retire.”

That was it I could stand up now and just walk out onto the pier and enjoy the rest of my day, but something drove me to remain seated though. This was the champion and a dragon type specialist to boot. If anyone could help me out with Zinnia, it was this person.

“Captain Drake sir? Can I get some advice concerning wild dragon types?”

“Ask away, when it comes to dragon types there are only a few people in this world who know more than me.”

“Say for example if one were to enter Meteor Falls but wants to avoid confrontation with the dragon types living on the mountain. Is there some kind of method that would allow for safe passage?”

Drake’s expression turned serious for a moment.

“The first question that I’d want to ask that person before giving out such information is what business would necessitate venturing out to such a remote and dangerous place. The salamence living on that mountain show little mercy to trespassers.”

“My little sister, she was living with me and our grandparents when I set out on my journey. I couldn’t take her with me since she was still too young. Her father came back while I was gone and took her with him to the Draconid village. I want to bring her back home!”

Drake let out a long-exasperated sigh. Suddenly seeming like he aged decades.

“Kid, I won't tell you to stop trying to get your sister back. Arceus knows I have pulled off some foolhardy stunts of my own, when I was a young whippersnapper like yourself. I am guessing you are not a part of the tribe? And your sister told you of the hidden village’s location?”

“Yes, we have different fathers and no I figured that out by myself.”

“If you were a member of that tribe then this would have been much easier for you. The Draconid tribe doesn’t tolerate outsiders. Even I can only visit that village on appointment and never for longer than an hour at most.”

“But you are the champion surely…!”

Drake cut me off with a single hand gesture.

“Even though I am not part of the tribe they hold a certain amount of respect for me, which gives me some leeway. Initially I became champion just to stop the rampant poaching of eggs and hatchlings. Dragon types are powerful, especially those of the salamence line. Making them a worthy prize in the eyes of numerous no-good scums. Many a poacher still try their luck from time to time and get killed for their troubles. Heed my words, nothing in the Hoenn region is more dangerous than a nesting dragon type Pokémon. Those of the Draconid tribe get special privileges, their ancestors made a pact long ago that is still upheld. Dragon types live for a long time and their memories go deep.”

“So, I can’t?”

“Hmmm this is a conundrum. There’s only one solution to your problem.”

“What?”

“Become strong! Strengthen the bonds between you and your Pokémon. Dragons respect strength as does the Draconid tribe.”

Those words managed to trigger something primal within me. The same part of the brain that urges you to try stupidly dangerous stunts like running with a herd of tauros or deep diving into a school sharpedo, just to see if you could. Victini experienced something similar, tiny sparks blasted out of her ears she could barely contain her excitement and she was not the only one affected. The poké balls on my belt started wiggling my partners obviously listening in on our conversation also wanting to prove their strength. With my team as excited as this naturally there was only a singular response, I could give to our current reigning Champion.

“I’ll do it! Keep that throne over at Ever Grande city nice and warm for me, because soon I’ll be sitting on it!”

My counter reaction caused the poké balls on my belt to spin out of control; they all opened up my team materializing inside the room. Naturally this had consequences.

“What are you gu… Oof!”

“Num!”

“Pix Pix Pix!”

“Nitan!”

“Lit Lit!”

“This is a sight that truly warms an old man’s heart.”

There I was still sitting on that same chair but now crowded by my overeager Pokémon. I could handle most of them just fine when they get excited like this. However, Glove, the big monster that he is, was in the process of crushing my spine with a powerful gorilla sized hug. I would’ve probably broken a few ribs if the hug continued. Luckily that’s when it happened, while the group feelings were running high. The egg which I laid down on the table showed its first signs of life. A single twitch but that was all it took to get the team off of me and now surrounding the egg.

“Vi Vi!” “The egg! It moved! That means it’ll hatch soon!”

Each member of my team aside from Orion had babysat the egg at some point. The egg showing activity now meant we’d soon have a little one to look after. Glove was the most excited of us all. The Blaze Pokémon’s temperature ran so high that I thought he was going to start a fire right here in captain Drake’s fancy office.

“Calm down Glove! We are all happy, no need to burn Captain Drake’s nice wooden flooring. The same goes for you Numsy!”

Normally I wouldn’t care to limit such showings of deep emotion, but I was pretty sure everything in this room was irreplaceable and I wasn’t looking forward to a life of indentured servitude to pay everything off. Fortunately, the man seemed to take their near burning of his belongings in good stride, not even taking the effort to give us a warning.

My reprimanding words did little to stifle the cheery atmosphere in the room. Although Glove was disciplined enough to ease up on his flames a little. With that I had one final request for Captain Drake.

“Sir, if it isn’t too much trouble the next time you visit that village could you pass along a message to my little sister or mother if you see them? I know now that going to the village like this will change nothing even if I did make it to the village safely, they’d just as likely turn me away.”

“Sure, kiddo but better to write it down. I am terrible at remembering minute details. Here let me get you some paper and a quill.”

‘A Quill? How old is this geezer?’

After mucking about in his drawers, the captain handed me some worn looking parchment and a quill pen adorned with a single silvery feather that seemed to sparkle even within this dim lighted room. I recognized the feather’s extraordinary origin but didn’t wish to make a big deal out of it.

“I got this beauty on Silver Rock Isle during my stint working as a swabby on a merchant ship. It took an entire month’s wages to buy but it’s still one of my best investments to this day. My old captain even pitched in a little extra since profits were high that season. Those were the days… We sold grapefruit in ports all over Hoenn for a decent markup. Do be careful with it, it's one of a kind.”

I accepted the quill and parchment and started writing down my personal message for Zinnia. Knowing that there was a good chance this letter would be read by non-affiliated parties I didn’t include everything that I wanted to say to her but in the end, I was reasonably satisfied with what I did manage to write up for her.

“So, my sister’s name is Zinnia. She is two years younger than me with black hair. If you can’t find her, the next best person to look for would be Willow, my mother. She is a bit ditzy at times, but she’ll make sure Zinnia receives my message.”

With that I left Drake’s office returning to the top deck to take in the beach front sight with my whole team behind me. Victini managed to get the message out about the Seashore House and now they all wanted to compete. Since the place was so close we declined the offer for a ride back to the city and opted to walk instead.

“You feel that guys? That’s the heat of the Hoenn sun, nice and toasty. Way better than Unova right?”

The senior members of my team who were already used to the tropical climate didn’t respond but Glove, Orin and Victini who started enjoying the warmth gave positive responses. Victini hovered around us, invisibly enjoying the beach with us. People from all over the world came to this spot so it wasn’t strange to see foreign Pokémon. My team hardly got any attention from other beachgoers. Still all pumped from earlier we resolved to get to the seashore house and see if we could still get a spot competing in their daily tournament.

20 minutes later*

Seashore House

May hot battles rage on hot sands! The place for hot Trainers!

The house’s sign was oddly fitting for me and my team. This place also doubled as a seaside restaurant. A place where people could cool off from the hot sun and watch trainers duke it out with each other. A brilliant market strategy with the trainers entering the tournament providing free entertainment for paying customers.

I tried talking to the first waitress who entered my field of view.

“Excuse me miss, is there still a spot open for today’s tournament? Oh, and could we get some menu cards? My team is starving.”

“For sure, and of course we still have spots left for today’s tournament. The tournament listings are only finalized in the last few minutes, so everyone gets to enjoy hot battles. We’ll bring you your write in ticket, just fill it in and post it on our wall. Your name will be called when it”

I went through their specials with glove, I still hadn’t rewarded him for learning confusion, so he got to pick what type of food we’d be enjoying at the restaurant. Eventually he decided to order us five bowls of congee with seaweed toppings. He couldn’t read the menu card himself, so it took some coordinating together with Victini to get him through all the dining options. We skipped ordering something to drink since fire types rarely needed to hydrate themselves preferring to instead acquire what little moisture they did need from their food. As a human I still needed to hydrate myself regularly, but I was counting on winning the tournament and getting myself that six-pack of soda cans. Just as we finished eating our meals the tournament began.

Most of the trainers who participated in this tournament are amateurs. Youngsters eager to prove their wingull was a top percentage wingull. The seagull Pokémon being the most popular family pet in Slateport City. Naturally you could find them all over this beach along with krabby and the odd wailmer who sometimes strand themselves on these shores.

Most of the Pokémon being entered in this tournament weren’t even caught Pokémon. The children not being old enough to get a trainer’s license, but still managing to form bonds of friendship with the wild Pokémon in the area. Since the beach was so close to their homes, they could come out to play with them every day.

“This reminds me of how you and I first met Numsy. Just goofing around until we set out on our own journey. Let’s give these kids a good show.”

“Num num!”

Normally these battles would not be all that interesting except for the fact that most of these beach goers brought water types with them. These matches would be a perfect introduction to the world of Pokémon battling for Orin. I planned on having him battle the first few rounds. That meant I needed to go through all our possible battle strategies with him. Surprisingly the little Litwick knew a good amount of useful battling moves. His most powerful one being hex.

“Orin, you see that girl with the shellder?”

“Lit lit!”

“She is a ringer, which means we’ll most likely be facing her in the later stages of the tournament.”

“Lit?”

“Her Shellder is obviously well trained. It used rock blast to defeat its first opponent. Shellder don’t normally learn rock type moves until after they evolve which means the girl must have trained very hard with her Pokémon to win this tournament. She’ll be our real competition.”

My name was called, and I made my way to the battlefield. Sand arenas were easy and cheap to maintain, especially so on a beach like this. The restaurant staff only had to paint the outline of the battlefield each day with dye that dissolved in water and the tide would handle the rest of the cleanup.

“Tommy versus Egon, Trainers please call out your Pokémon.”

“Let’s go Orin!”

“Go Krabby!”

Our competitor put down the krabby he was holding in his hands. Probably a stray he picked up on the beach. The crustacean was menacingly pinching its claws at the sight of my little candle Pokémon.

“Let the match begin!”

“Smog!”

“Bubble!”

Orin started dispersing exhaust gasses spreading them over the battlefield. The gas was heavy enough that it didn’t immediately dissipate in the wind. Meanwhile at the same time the boy’s krabby harmlessly produced a stream of bubbles, clearly the attack wasn’t even powerful enough to hit the other end of the battlefield where my Litwick was standing.

Smog was an interesting attack; the discharge was weak and often not powerful enough to poison targets who knew not to inhale the gas. Clearly this krabby was not such an opponent. The crab pokemon was already being weakened by the gas’ poisonous nature.

“Krabby go vicegrip!”

“Orin, wait until after Krabby closes in and go for a hex!”

Krabby charged at us sideways rearing its right claw to get a hold of Orin and just like instructed my candle Pokémon held still until after Krabby got a hold of him. Krabby clamped down but noticed my ghost type phasing through its claws like nothing even happened. Both the trainer and his Pokémon looked stumped, obviously not knowing what was going on. Orin took advantage of this opportunity to punish their mistake. Dark flames surrounded Krabby targeting the toxins inside his body to deal exponentially more damage. The little crab Pokémon not being able to tough out the blow fainted directly afterwards.

“And the winners are Egon and his Litwick!”

“Krabby! Are you alright?”

The boy raced towards his downed Krabby, obviously distraught by the outcome of their battle together.

“Hold on. Use these.”

I held out an antidote and potion spray for the boy to use.

“Your Krabby has been poisoned by my Pokémon’s smog attack. This antidote will dissipate the poison running through his body. When that’s done you help him recover his stamina with this potion. Do you know how to use these?”

“Of course! Just pull off the cap, right?”

The boy went to work trying to screw open the antidote bottle. Not knowing how to work around the child safety lock. He looked so lame that I decided to impart some of my wisdom to him.

“No, like this.”

I held onto his hands and showed him the proper way to disengage the safety lock.

“Now what you want to do is see to it that Krabby here imbibes the contents of this bottle. For some Pokémon that becomes impossible, once they’ve fainted, so in case you need it the pokémart also sells a topical antidote.”

The boy swiftly brought the antidote bottle to Krabby’s mouth, pouring the contents inside. Krabby’s slight discolored exoskeleton quickly regained its original color. Anticipating the boy’s inability to use the potion spray I also advised him how to properly use the medicinal spray.

“For the potion you need to twist the nozzle.”

“I knew that!”

After Tommy applied the potion Krabby woke up his claws scissoring in frustration of the loss. The kid was also disappointed that they got knocked out in the first round like that.

“You want me to share some trainer’s secrets? I have been in your position once too, you know. Having to hide my starter Pokémon from my grandparents because they wouldn’t allow me to keep him.”

“Really?!”

“Yep, we got it sorted out eventually though. The local gym was kind enough to take him in until I earned my trainer’s license. Since Slateport doesn’t have a gym, I’d recommend looking around for an aquarium to take care of him until you two can start your own journey. Now do you still have time? We can talk about how to improve your battle strategy.”

Tommy was a decent kid, a bit naïve though. I had to explain to him why normal type moves like vicegrip don’t work on ghost type Pokémon. He didn’t even know what Orin’s typing was. He just assumed only a singular fire typing; the kid never having seen Pokémon from Unova compete in the tournament. The tournament continued in a similar way Orin beat three more trainers after that with similar issues. Our second opponent was a kid with a wingull convinced that his Pokémon was the strongest one living on the beach and our third opponent was a girl with a skitty. The kitten Pokémon made decent use of attract and sing but hadn’t learned any moves yet to deal with ghost type Pokémon, making the battle completely one-sided. As I predicted, the ones entering the finals were me and the shellder girl. She was a tad older than most trainers entering the tournament so it was possible that she was on her journey like me. We were both called up to enter the battlefield at the same time. Passing her I decided to give her my well wishes.

“Good luck and may the best competitor win.”

“Like totes you too.”

‘A valley girl accent?’

“In the right corner we have Egon from Lavaridge town and on the left coming all the way from the Kanto region we have his opponent Violet from Cerulean City.”

“Let the match begin!”

“Go Shelly!”

“Let’s wow ‘em Numsy!”

Both of us released our Pokémon at the same time.

As this was the last round the referee started acting a bit more formal. Probably seeing us as two serious trainers. Her mollusk Pokémon up against my little camel. Numsy was all fired up, emitting a plume of smoke out of his hump.

“Lava Plume!”

“Protect!”

Numsy doused the area where Shellder was standing in hot scarlet flames. The shell Pokémon, being the pre-evolved form of a part ice type, wouldn't withstand fire type attacks as well as some of the other water types more commonly found on this beach, but it didn’t matter. Before we could get our hit in, the bivalve Pokémon clamped up and surrounded itself with a crystalline green energy and was completely protected from Numsy’s move.

‘Shellder are not known for their ability to dodge it will stay put and keep going on the defensive if we let it.’

Now the normal thing to do here would be to let Numsy release a yawn attack, but I didn’t want to win that way and Numsy wouldn’t either. We needed to overcome challenges in order to grow and this would be our first one after coming back to Hoenn.

“Num num!”

“Really you mastered it?”

“Num!”

“Tini showed you huh? Fine, let's do it! Use flame charge!”

“Let’s like totally douse those flames, use water gun!”

Numsy not being able to stop mid charge weathered the cold-water jet stream coming his way. Whether it was because it was sunny out or because Numsy was already coated in flames, but he didn’t falter this time. His fire burned hot enough to properly execute the move. With considerable force Numsy bashed heads with Shellder flinging the little mollusk Pokémon to the edge of the battlefield. Shellder was resilient though, what the shelled Pokémon didn’t have in weight it more than made up for with its defense. Numsy wasn’t looking too fine either, the water type attack scoring a direct hit taking a toll on him.

“Whirlpool!”

“Firespin!”

Both of our Pokémon sent whirling cones of their respective elements racing towards the other. The moves clashed against each other, Shellder’s whirlpool winning out against our fire spin. What was left of the whirlpool crashed into Numsy, further lowering his core temperature.

“Num…”

“It’s okay Numsy, let’s go in for one final blow!”

“Nuuuum!!”

Suddenly Numsy started glowing brightly, the light overwhelming the crowd of spectators. His form changed drastically from that of a barely over two feet tall little camel to one that dwarfed me in size. Another hump formed on his back, his back growing two rocky volcanoes. The amount of heat Numsy started putting out left the sand he was standing on completely glassed.

“Numsy…?”

“Cameeeruupt!”