Interlude (8)

Interlude - Pokemon Coordinators: Furina vs. Dawn

With the end of the opening program, the Ranking Week for the Pokemon Coordinator course started.

Unlike Trainer battles which only require knocking out the opposing Pokemon, Pokemon Coordinator battles work in a point-based system. Three judges will watch each match, adding or deducting points from the participants depending on their performance.

There is a 10-minute timer for each match. During this period, the Coordinator can freely switch their on-field Pokemon. When the timer ends, the match is stopped and the winner will be decided based on who has more points. Of course, the battle can end earlier if one is able to knock down all of their opponent's Pokemon.

However, having all of one's Pokemon knocked out does not necessarily mean they would lose- points would just be deducted. If they have more points than their opponent by the end, they would still be the winner.

Dante and the others came to watch Furina and Dawn, the two having decided to square up for a friendly match. 

At this point, Furina still only has Horsea as her Pokemon, while Dawn has Piplup. Both girls and their Pokemon have no intention of evolving- which was the primary reason they became close friends in the first place.

"Dawn's really at a disadvantage here."

Dante looked around. The stadium was currently packed with students and Pokemon alike, the volume just a level below as when he fought Mualani for 1st place. And most of them were cheering for Furina. 

"Hmm, it doesn't look like it. She must have prepared for this outcome."

Shinobu said, gazing at the smiling face of their blue-haired friend in the arena. 

…

"If I defeat you, will they shut up?"

Dawn asked while smiling, the corner of her eyes twitching at the noise all around.

"Hahahaha! Jealousy makes for an unsightly sight, Dawn."

Furina, who had donned her public persona, haughtily laughed. The two exchanged a playful glare as the Rotom Referee raised its flag.

"Both Coordinators ready? Let the match…begin!"

"Piplup, let's show them what we got!"

"Please, Surintendante Chevalmarin!"

Piplup and Horsea appeared, both Pokemon having a confident expression.

On the side, the judges: Ms. Bella (School Nurse), Ms. Xylia (Beauty Professor), and Mr. Leslie (Battle Coordinator Professor) stared closely, their pens at the ready for the scoring.

"Ms. Xylia, Mr. Leslie, can you tell me about these two students of yours?"

Bella asked curiously. Her eyes were especially focused on Furina, the well-known diva in their school.

"Hahaha, I daresay the two of them are the most talented amongst the students I taught throughout the years! Furina, with her dazzling move combinations, and Dawn, with the creative use of her moves."

Leslie replied with a hint of pride as he twirled his mustache.

"I don't know as much about their style of battle as Professor Leslie. However, the two girls do take quite good care of their Pokemon."

Xylia's glasses gleamed as she calmly replied. Her eyes focused on the battlefield as the match began.

"Marin, Pouls d'aurore!" (Aurora Pulse)

Horsea spat out rainbow-colored rings. By combining Aurora Beam and Water Pulse, the Ice-type move gained a larger coverage while keeping its aesthetic appearance.

"Piplup, use Drill Peck and jump through the middle of the rings!"

Dawn quickly followed through. Based on her observation, the attack's energy was focused at the edge of the circle. Piplup should be able to disperse the move by hitting its weakest point.

"Piplup!"

Piplup yelled, her beak getting covered by a bright white light. Then, a wonderful scene was created. Piplup, spinning through the air, passed through the hoops of ice, shattering them and leaving a shower of rainbow glitter in her wake.

"Urk…"

Furina flinched. Without having to think much, she knew she lost a lot of points in that confrontation. She needs to take advantage when Piplup is still airborne to regain it back!

"Marin, Twister!"

Piplup was just about to reach Horsea, when a vicious tornado appeared in her path. She tried to disperse it with the remaining power of Drill Peck, but failed.

Watching Piplup fly through the air, Furina inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. Although not as elegant as desired, the move did its job well.

Next, the fight devolved into a constant back-and-forth between the two. 

Furina and Horsea used their dazzling move combination to amaze the crowd and the judges, while Dawn and Piplup did their best and countered their opponent's moves to showcase their own charm.

At last, just as the two Pokemon were panting from exhaustion, the timer ran out.

"And we've come to the Judging Phase! Both Coordinators, please stand in the middle of the arena. Judges, please give out your verdict."

The first to speak was Nurse Bella, who voted for Dawn based on the remaining energy and injuries sustained by each Pokemon.

Then, the Beauty Professor Xylia voted for Furina due to the gorgeousness of her Pokemon's moves.

Finally, the remaining decision was left to the Battle Coordinator Professor, Mr. Leslie.

"Hmm, it was a close match. Ms. Furina, your moves were outstanding, and I daresay worthy even in Professional Coordinator battles!"

Professor Leslie praised, before his tone shifted into one of disapproval.

"However, blindly using moves just for the sake of being appealing is not the way to go. Take for example, Ms. Dawn. Although she used only simple moves, she fully showcased the beauty of her Pokemon. Thus, my vote goes to her."

"With a score of 2-1, the winner of this match is…Dawn!"

"Hehe, congratulations."

In the middle of the arena, Furina turned to her friend and congratulated. She had a smile on her face, with no sign of being disappointed at her defeat. 

"Thank you. It was a great game."

Dawn beamed and stepped forward to hug Furina. Seeing this scene, the crowd burst into applause.

Interlude - Evolution in PMD

"Boss! Boss! It's the Omnipotent Travelers! They did something again!"

"Slow down. They did something, what does it have to do with you?"

Gengar looked up from the letter he was writing, his face scrunched in displeasure. 

"But boss, you said to tell you all the news we heard about them…"

Ekans said aggrievedly. Then, his face shifted to its hurried appearance as he quickly told what he found out.

"And it does have something to do with me. You remember Ursaring, boss?"

"Yes, their new member. What about him?"

"Didn't we talk about how he evolved a while ago? The same thing happened again!"

"Oh? Which member is it this time?"

"It's Mawile, the newly joined guy!"

Gengar hopped down from the stone chair. He started walking back and forth, his hands steepled together as his face broke into a wide grin.

"Interesting. Very interesting…Ke. Kekeke. KEKEKEKEKE!!"

"...boss, you done with your sinister act yet?"

Gengar stopped. Looking at Ekans' eager expression, he clicked his tongue. If it weren't for their friendship, he really wanted to hit this snake's stupid face for interrupting him.

"What do you want?"

"Well~ Boss, there's another piece of info. They said their team can evolve because of the help of a powerful Legendary Pokemon- someone who could temporarily restore time to normal. And this Legendary can help others evolve for a price…"

Ekans trailed off as he stared at Gengar with hopeful eyes. When their team first heard about Teddiursa's evolution, he eagerly asked for news about it. But hearing the townspeople say that Teddiursa evolved only due to luck, he became dispirited.

You know, he had reached his racial limit for over a year now. Although he was much stronger than a normal Ekans due to his move mastery, compared to Gengar and Medicham, he was more of a drag to their team.

But if he can evolve, everything would change!

"You want us to pay that price?"

"Please, boss! Think about all the sacrifices I made for the team!"

"It's not about the price..."

Gengar grumbled. He really wanted to avoid being in close proximity to Omnipotent Travelers if he could help it.

Still, looking at the groveling Ekans, he sighed in resignation.

"Get up. You act like I'm some sort of black-hearted leader."

"Hehe, don't you like this atmosphere, boss?"

Gengar clicked his tongue. He sat back on his stone chair to finish the letter he was writing.

"Call Medicham and wait for me at the entrance. Kekeke, he should also be interested in this news."

"Aye aye, boss!"

Ekans cheered, and he quickly slithered to another room of their base, whistling merrily all the way.

"...seriously, Pokemon's are too gullible. They don't even bother to question such a dubious statement."

Gengar grumbled as he folded the letter he had finished writing and placed it inside his stomach. 

"Knowing a Legendary out of the blue that can help evolve others for a price? Heh. Is there even such a carefree and kind Legendary? Omnipotent Travelers should have found a specific method to evolve and want to milk other Pokemon of their money without risking their reputation..."

Gengar paused, remembering a specific record he read long ago.

"And even if there is a Legendary like that, it is impossible to ask others a price for their service, not to mention, what can a normal Pokemon even possess that will interest them?"

Shaking his head, Gengar decided to stop thinking about it. After tidying up, he slipped through the shadows and reached the entrance of their base. There, he found Ekans and Medicham already waiting for him.

"Boss! Is it true? Can we really evolve now?"

Medicham asked, his tone a mix of hope and disbelief.

"Kekeke. I'm not sure whether everything the Omnipotent Travelers said is the truth. However, helping others evolve should be real. After all, their reputation would suffer a massive blow if they failed to fulfill what they promised."