Chapter 53: 209-212

Chapter 53: 209-212

The New Normal – 10-6 – Interlude – Drake

Drake fiddled with his phone for a while before he finally managed to dial up the Waterflower sisters' correct number.

He had no idea why all these newfangled phones were all determined to make their buttons even smaller than before. What was so wrong with bigger buttons? What was this obsession with making everything 'sleek' and 'minimalistic'?

He put aside his grumblings as he heard the call connect.

"Hello? Elite Drake? I think you forgot to switch to video mode." He heard one of the sister's voice come through the phone. Damn, how was he supposed to turn the damn thing on again?

"You need to press the button on the screen, sir." A surprising male voice suddenly interrupted his frustrated flailing – who was that? But whoever he was, at least he was right. Drake smiled as his camera finally worked and the image of the three Waterflower sisters that served as Gym Leader of Cerulean appeared on his screen. There was also a lone man standing in the corner, who looked to be some assistant of sort.

"Hah! Got the fu-damn thing to work." He had to remember to censor himself, "Greetings, Gym Leaders of Cerulean. I do apologize in advance if I do get your names mixed up."

"Uh...that's okay! We're used to it." The younger of the sisters said, "And...uh...we hope you aren't too mad about being paired up with us. We know we aren't very strong..."

Drake barked out a laugh, "HAH! That was the least of my worries. I already heard all about your efforts to improve yourself from John. And that's already enough for me. Don't go beating yourself up about your strength. You're still very young; you've got plenty of time to grow."

"I did say to not worry." The man said to the sisters, getting sheepish looks from them. "You have my thanks, Elite Drake, for your quick acceptance of them. The sisters have been tripping over themselves in worry that you'd be upset with them."

"Oh and I do apologize for not introducing myself earlier." The man fell into a formal bow, "My name is Petrel. I serve as the main administrator of the Cerulean Gym – and unofficial caretaker of the sisters."

"Hey! We can take care of ourselves!" The middle sister called out indignantly.

"...Please remind me who does the shopping again? Who buys your daily groceries? Who reminds you to clean up after yourselves?" Petrel said dryly, "Who helps you when–"

"OK OK WE GET IT!" The oldest of the sisters scrambled to cover Petrel's mouth, "PLEASE stop embarrassing us!!"

Drake shot them all an amused smile, "What a pleasant Gym environment you guys have. I'm almost jealous."

He shook his head, "Anyways, enough faffing about. It's time to focus on our preparation." At his words, the sisters all stopped their antics and turned to him with a determined look on their faces.

Good. He could work with this.

"Let's run through your team first." He said, "I'm also very familiar with the Water type, so I think I can give out a few pointers about how you could improve your team."

The sisters nodded and began their explanation. Their team consisted of a Golduck, Vaporeon, Dewgong, Starmie, Slowbro, and their Gyarados, which Drake had heard that they were still having problems controlling.

A plan immediately formed in his mind when he listened to their lineup of Pokémon.

"Right, I have a plan." He announced, "We're going to be the Water type duo."

"Duo?" The younger sister asked, "Do you mean that we both will be using Water types?"

"Exactly." Drake nodded, "We're going to be making full use of the Rain to powerup our Water type moves. Your Pokémon all have good supporting movesets that will prove useful in setting up the Rain and also providing support for my Pokémon. In the meanwhile, leave all the damage to me. With the Rain, my Pokémon will blast through all our opponents."

He paused, then remembered something important, "...That is, if you don't mind me taking the spotlight. I can try to work something else out if you want to challenge yourself."

"No, no, it's totally fine–" The oldest of the sisters tried to say, but she was interrupted by Petrel.

"But it would be appreciated if you could give them an opportunity to show off their strength as well." Petrel cut in, "I don't mean for you to adjust your plan to accommodate them, but please give the sisters a chance to be the one making the big attacks. It would help their reputation massively."

"...Petrel...you don't have to push for that..." The middle sister whined.

"I do apologize, Violet, but this is too good of an opportunity to pass up. It would not be received well should you rely purely on Drake's strength." Petrel insisted. Violet huffed, but ultimately acquiesced to his advice.

On Drake's part, he was surprised at Petrel's actions. Over his many years, he had met with many different people. Both good and bad. And he had initially marked Petrel as one of the shadier types that got away with their actions using their silver tongue. He had thought that Petrel was taking advantage of the sisters somehow.

But now, that thought had been completely reversed. The more he watched them interacting, the more he realized the parental role that Petrel had likely inadvertently taking up in the sisters' lives. How did this happen? How did a man like Petrel be swindled into caring?

Though Drake managed to keep his amusement to himself, "Look at the man looking out for you. But I agree that it'll be good for you young lasses to show off your strength. Can't have people saying that this old man's doing all the work for you! HAH!"

"Thank you, Drake. We really appreciate it." The sisters all bowed slightly towards him, "...Though, now that we have you, do you have any tips for training our Gyarados? We've made some progress with training with it, but it still doesn't fully listen to our commands in battle. It's okay outside of battle, but it sometimes gets too consumed by the haze of battle and loses control."

Drake smirked, "Gyarados problems? Ah, not the first time I've heard of something like this." He chuckled, "Don't worry, I'll help you out. I know a trick or two."

"Really?! That'd be so cool!" The younger exclaimed excitedly, "We've had problems with Gyarados for soooo long."

"Not a problem for me. But I can't do anything over this dumb screen. I'll help you out in person." The sisters all nodded eagerly.

"Now, since we still have some time, why don't we both REALLY show off what our Pokémon can do." He grinned, "If you're going to show off your Pokémon in battle, you better believe I'm going to make sure that they're in shape."

Drake suddenly clapped his hands, startling the sisters, "SO, LET'S GET A MOVE ON! GO GO GO! TIME'S A WASTIN'!!" The girls scrambled out of the room, likely dashing for the training field. But they had left their phone behind.

With a resigned sigh, Petrel slowly picked up the phone and carried it with him to the training fields. Drake just let out another bark of laughter. These kids were hilarious!

The New Normal – 10-7 – Pre-Tournament

Time flew when you were having fun, and there were few things as fun and as exciting as preparing for a Tournament that would have the entire world watching and cheering. During that time, my sister finally deigned to visit home, where she spent the night regaling us of her time as a Gym Trainer of the Saffron Gym.

"It was strange working with Psychic types at first. They're really squishy, and most of them can't fight at all in close range. It was very different to what I was used to." She had told us that night, "But Sabrina did help out a lot, and now I'm trying to see what new Psychic moves and strategies that I can introduce to my own team!"

"Didn't you have a Girafarig?" I asked, hinting at its evolution, "I think out of all your Pokémon, it'd gain the most out of some good Psychic training."

"Yep! I mean, my Girafarig usually prefers to get up-close and bash its opponents, but I'm trying to teach it to also make use of Psychic moves so that it has some more ranged options as well." She said, "It took some time to persuade it, but I think Girafarig has the potential to become one of the stronger Pokémon on my team."

"That's great dear," My mom smiled at Whitney, "But don't overdo it with the training. Make sure you're still able to spend time with your friends. Have you spoken to Janine since you started working at Saffron?"

"Of course!" Whitney replied instantly, "I would never forget her just because we aren't working together! Sabrina and I always make sure to call her every night to update each other on our days. And once we get some free time we try our best to visit her in Fuchsia."

"How is she doing anyways?" I asked.

"Janine's happy, and she's doing well." Whitney said, "Apparently she had impressed her father with how much she had grown, and now he's starting to really train her so that she can eventually take over the Gym. It's not much different from what Samson and Katrina are doing with Sabrina either....though Sabrina seems to be better at learning than Janine. Don't tell her I said that though." She stuck out her tongue cutely.

It was a nice moment to catch-up. After dinner, she had shown me her Pokémon and how much they had grown. I was pleased with her progress, especially regarding her previously weaker Pokémon. Like she said, her Girafarig was really starting to grow into a powerful battler, and her Noctowl had finally found a niche as an agile supporting Pokémon that could shut down unaware opponents with her plethora of status moves.

There wasn't anything more I needed to say about her Wigglytuff, Exploud, or Miltank. She knew what she was doing.

That was why I didn't really offer Whitney any specific advice on how she should train up her Pokémon. Now was not the time to dictate to her what was best. She had already proven to me that she had discovered her own style of training, and she knew her team better than I did. She knew what she had to work on.

The one piece of advice that I DID give was that I reminded her to continue developing Girafarig's Psychic potential.

"You have the rare opportunity to be working as a Gym Trainer in an experienced Psychic Gym." I had told her, "You best make use of all they can teach you and apply it to your Pokémon."

"Don't worry bro, I'm already working with Sabrina on this." She grinned, "Just you wait! My Girafarig WILL surprise you."

Aside the highlight that was Whitney's visit, the other notable event of the week was that the Preliminary Rounds were about to finish. Karen had, unsurprisingly, cleared through this stage without much issue. She had matched up against a few powerful veteran Ace trainers that were much harder to defeat than your regular opponent, but her Pokémon had grown so much that she still won convincingly.

So now it was just a matter of time of waiting for the Preliminary Rounds to fully conclude, since there were still a few matches left. Once those were done though, then there would be a week's break before the Finals began.

Everyone knew that THIS was where the interesting fights took place. By now the Preliminary Rounds had weeded out all the weaker trainers, so those that remained were mostly the cream of the crop.

There would be no cruising through for Karen now. Fortunately, she didn't seem perturbed by the challenges ahead.

"John, I've fought harder opponents than this. Ace trainers they may be, but I've been training with the old hag for most of my life." She had told me, "And then there's all the training I did with you, then that battle against Sidney. I feel like I have the right to remain confident."

"Of course." I nodded, "Just don't get cocky."

"You don't have to remind me." She snorted, "I know full well how close I am to finally being able to achieve my goal – to finally being able to take the weight off of Agatha's shoulders and relieve her of her responsibilities. I know I have to win this, for her sake."

"...And besides, I'd also be happy if our relationship could be one of equals." She smiled, "I haven't forgotten all the help you've given me – and I want to be able to pay it all back and help you with your own goals. Agatha isn't the only person who I'd like to repay."

"You know that's not what I care about–"

"No, John. This is something I want to do." She patted me on the arm, "Anyways, enough with this sappy stuff. Didn't you say you were training your Tyrant up to be able to take on Lance's Emperor? Come, show me what you've done with him. I think I've come up with a better strategy to take him on."

...Needless to say, Tyrant won.

=========

?To no one's surprise, Cynthia had cleared through her Open Challenge and had finally and officially became the Champion of Sinnoh. There was this big ceremony in Sinnoh for her ascension and everything, and all of us sent our congratulations for her new position.

Ignoring all of the political consequences of that for the moment, this meant that the Tri-Regional Tournament was FINALLY here. And EVERYONE was heading to Hoenn in droves to see it. I only just now realized how beneficial this would be for their tourism.

And what was about to be even more beneficial was that Wallace had 'kindly' asked us to all participate in a photoshoot. All of us. Every Gym Leader, Elite Four, and even the Champions. The photos would all be for advertising purposes, and mainly to offset the costs for the Hoenn League for being the host of the Tournament.

But by my crude calculations I was willing to bet that the Hoenn League actually stood to gain more than they lost for setting up the event. Wallace's keen eye for business surprised me. It made me wonder if he had someone helping him.

However, as quite literally every important trainer was about to leave their region for a week to participate in the Tournament, that meant that there would be a temporary gap where Indigo and Sinnoh would be left slightly vulnerable.

That required Lance to place the Indigo Police and the rangers on higher alert. No temporary measures needed to be passed, but the Jennys were ordered to be more alert than usual when it came to what they considered to be 'suspicious' behaviour. Funds were further allocated to accommodate for any overtime hours, and Ace trainers would also be deployed to bolster the regions' security.

I had heard the same had been ordered in the other regions as well. Especially in Sinnoh, where Cynthia had ordered that those who had been knocked out of the Tournament to swiftly return as soon as possible.

Despite these measures, I was still a little worried that this would give Team Galactic an opportunity to advance their plans, but Giovanni had pointed out that this was also a trap for them.

"They don't know that they're being observed." Giovanni had told me, "They think that with all of the important trainers in Sinnoh heading to Hoenn, that there won't be as many prying eyes on them. But they're wrong."

"Archer and his team will keep careful watch on what they do. They'll be ordered only to observe, but we'll be able to turn this lack of perceived security against them." He explained, "Right now, our biggest difficulty for dealing with these terrorists is that they remain hidden. Whatever plans they use this opportunity to advance will be nullified if we are able to properly track them down. And once they slip up? Well then we know exactly when and where to strike, don't we?"

I had agreed with Giovanni's plan. The one-week period would serve as a trap for Team Galactic. We'll let them move around relatively freely, observing them as they moved around. Then, once we returned from the Tournament, we would pounce on them for the mistakes that they had made.

With a plan to handle Team Galactic sorted, I made my own way to Hoenn. Lance had forbid the Elite Four from ALL heading to Hoenn on the same transport in case something happened. So instead we all had to make our own separate ways there.

I decided to just keep it simple and fly over there on Port. His stamina was more than sufficient for such a flight. It also meant I could arrive slightly earlier so that I could get a quick training session in with Roxanne before the photoshoot and the Tournament.

There'd still be time after the photoshoot to train, but every moment counts.

As I arrived at Hoenn, I could see even from up high that it was packed to the brim with tourists. Ever Grande City was flooded with people – most of whom I assumed had come just to watch the Tournament. Even if they hadn't managed to book seats at the stadium, they would at least get to be closer to where all the VIPs were gathered.

I smiled; it always pleasing to see how much trust and faith the people had in their leaders. It was as it should be.

Ignoring the crowds, I left the skies of Ever Grande City and instead flew over to a place that I hadn't been in almost a year. The busy streets of Rustboro gleamed below me, filled to the brim with bustling tourists – though nowhere near as much as there were in Ever Grande City.

Even from up high, I could tell that the Gym's museum was a big reason for why the tourists chose to visit. As the region that was responsible for the revival of fossils, it was unsurprising that those interested or curious about these new Pokémon would flock to Hoenn to have a look and learn more about the history of these unusual and unique Pokémon.

And I was nearly certain that Roxanne would eventually have these exhibits filled with fossils in the future.

I landed just a short distance away from the Rustboro Gym as I quickly headed inside before the crowd could recognize me. I knew there must have been people on the lookout for my arrival, since the fact that the Elite Four would be departing from Indigo was a matter of public knowledge and everyone knew who my partner was. Fortunately, I managed to scramble inside before I got spotted.

I met Roxanne directly at her office. She turned to me with a polite smile as she saw me.

"You came here quickly – I wasn't expecting you for at least another few hours." She greeted me with a handshake, "I hope your journey here wasn't too uncomfortable. Judging by your windswept hair – I'm guessing you flew here?"

"Yes, my Mantine carried me over." I nodded, "It's strange that I've now arrived in Hoenn via my own personal Pokémon more than I've done by boat."

"At least there's no emergency for you to attend to this time; unless you count the photoshoot that Wallace has insisted on to be an 'emergency'." She muttered, "Though, now that I think about it, with that many 'unique' personalities crammed into one space together...it might become an emergency."

"Wait, are we seriously all going to be crammed into one studio?" I asked, baffled. "It's going to be 44 of us! And that's not including all the other staff."

"No idea, Wallace didn't explain it to us." She shrugged, "But he seems smart enough to not do that. Wallace isn't foolish enough to disregard the dangers of cramming every single important trainer into one room like that."

"Well we can worry about that later. We still have some time before that happens, right?" I asked, getting a nod from her. "In that case, we should get a quick spar done. I want my Pokémon to really understand just how powerful yours are – and vice versa. Unless you have students to teach?"

"Not today. I've taken some time off for this Tournament. Their parents were understanding." She stated, "Nevertheless, we shouldn't waste time. Let's do 2v2 battles, with the rest of our Pokémon spectating. Come, I'll bring you to the training field immediately."

I followed her to the Gym's training facilities, which was fortunately private and away from prying eyes. Having spectators would only serve as unnecessary distractions.

The facilities that we found ourselves in was surprisingly modern. For all that the Gym liked to promote the history and archaeology of Hoenn, their facilities looked state-of-the-art. That bode well for the Gym's success.

But that was enough idling about for me. As soon as we arrived, I resummoned my focus and sent out the team that I intended to be using. Euphie, Ornstein, Wraith, Pixel, Luna, Klee, Smough, and Vordt all came out.

"Phew. That's some team." Roxanne whistled, "It's very different seeing them up close. Your Pokémon seem to radiate with far more strength than when I observed them through a screen. Well then, here's mine!"

She released her team onto the field. It was a testament to Wraith's newfound discipline that he didn't snarl and charge at the sudden appearance of her team. He definitely would have done so before.

"Let's not wait any longer – we'll get straight into this." She declared, with me nodding in agreement.

I chose Pixel and Wraith to be her opponents this time, as they were the more unique Pokémon on my team. Roxanne might have seen them through a screen, but I wanted her to truly experience what it was like fighting with and against them just so she could get a handle of what it was like.

On the other hand, she chose her trusty duo of Golem and Steelix.

"You ready?" I asked, getting a nod from her. Then the fight began.

"SPLIT APART!" I shouted.

"Magnet Rise up, Steelix!" "Earthquake, Golem!"

Both Pixel and Steelix flew into the air; though Pixel did so with considerably more ease and speed compared to Steelix. Roxanne was hoping to use Steelix to check Pixel by putting pressure on it, separating Pixel from the fight.

At the same time, Wraith bounded forwards, rushing towards the Golem just as a powerful Earthquake shook the ground, knocking Wraith out of his charge and causing him to fall onto his knees.

"Stone Edge, Golem. Smash it!"

Golem roared and a large circle of rocks exploded out of the ground from where Wraith had fallen. The rocks ripped into his body as he let out a pained howl and collapsed weakly to the ground. Unconscious.

...Of course, that was when the REAL Wraith came bursting out of nowhere, his eyes gleaming with malice as he got the drop on a surprised Golem. Golem's raised its arms instinctively to shield itself, but a sharp Low Kick from Wraith sent Golem stumbling to the ground.

Seeing its ally in trouble, Steelix turned around and unleashed a powerful Dragon Pulse that threatened to blast Wraith into the ground. However, Pixel came flying in front of it and intercepted the Dragon Pulse with its body – after already having used Conversion to turn itself into a Fairy type.

With Steelix not able to interfere, Wraith was free to continue his beatdown on the vulnerable Golem, savaging it with a brutal combo of Brick Breaks and Shadow Claws. Every time Golem tried to fight back with a Thunder Punch or Fire Punch, Wraith would interrupt its attempts with a nasty Sucker Punch to the gut, not letting up on the pressure.

Most other Pokémon would have been knocked out by now. But Golem's impressive defenses were not for nothing, and it managed to withstand the onslaught of attacks from Wraith without being too injured.

"Gyro Ball, Golem! Fling it away!"

When everyone was appropriately 'touched up', we finally started taking some photos. Indigo was up first, so we started off with the photos of all the Gym Leaders together, and then all of the Elite Four. Then we took a picture of all of us together, including Lance.

It was framed so that the Gym Leaders were all standing around in the middle, while the Elite Four and Champion were standing on elevated positions behind them. We all looked properly serious and formal.

Then it came for the other regions' photos and the individual photos. Since most of that time was spent waiting around for my turn, I took the time to speak to Samson.

"How's Whitney doing at the Gym?" I asked him as we idled about near the corner. In the distance, I idly saw Will chatting with one of the photographers about something, probably about his own shot.

"I can say she's very happy here. And even speaking as a Gym Leader, I'm very satisfied with her performance as a Gym Trainer so far." He replied with a smile, "She hasn't fallen into the trap of being too tunnel-visioned about winning her fight. She understands that her job is to test and get a measure of her opponent."

"She's actually more empathetic than my daughter, and she's a psychic!" He smiled, "My Head Gym Trainer told me that she'd be good at comforting trainers in the future. Even though I knew that her time with the Gym is limited, I would be happy to keep her on if she was willing. I could see her making Head Gym Trainer with a few years if she kept to it."

"I'm glad to hear it." I nodded, "She had nothing but praise when she was talking about it too."

"I'm jealous that Koga's getting her next." He laughed, "She'll be a very handy addition to his Gym."

"I will make sure that she is treated well." Koga said as he suddenly appeared in front of us, "But I am glad that she has maintained her friendship with Janine. I was concerned as a father for a moment that my daughter would be left alone, but I see I worried for nothing." We all nodded at that.

"Speaking of which, how do you think you all will fare in this Tournament?" I switched topics, "Do you think you'll work well with your partners?"

"I have spoken with Maylene. She is enthusiastic, if inexperienced." Koga said, "But she has a determined and hard-working mindset. So while she may be comparatively weaker than her peers right now, I am confident she will be a formidable trainer in time."

"Winona and I have no issues working with each other." Samson added, "We've both been at this for a while, so we can work together professionally. What about you, John? Getting along with Roxanne?"

"Sure, she's a quick study and easy to work with." I replied, "We plan on winning the whole thing."

Samson chuckled, "Who doesn't?"

Unfortunately the conversation was cut short as it became their turn for photos. When all our individual photos were done, they shuffled everyone around again so that they could try out different combinations.

We had photos of all the Elite Four together from all the regions. And Flint, not liking how serious everyone was, decided to pull off a goofy face and pull at Lucian's cheek just as the photo was taken. His silliness was contagious, and everyone joined in on the goofiness – making silly faces and generally just faffing about.

There were too many silly shots to describe, like with Volkner and Flint swapping outfits for one shot. From Indigo's end, Will ended up wearing Lance's cape for one shot, while Lance tried on Will's mask. Then we ended up piling everything onto Will for one shot, so that he was wearing Lance's cape, my cardigan (which clashed horribly with his usual outfit), his own mask, Lorelei's high heels, and was holding onto Agatha's cane. It was a fun mess.

Then there was the one shot where Agatha outright tripped me with her cane just as the shot was taken. I hoped that shot wouldn't be used.

Despite our silliness, I thought that the pictures all came out really well. Many of us agreed that the silly photos were more personable than the serious ones. As Flint said, it humanised us to the general public, and it was sometimes better than to just have stoic and serious photos of us. The photographers agreed, and we ended up keeping those photos.

I idly wondered how well they'd sell.

It took some more time to finish off with all the photos that needed taken, and it was almost evening before we were finally done with everything. Unfortunately, we still had to sit through the speeches and opening ceremony for the Tournament, which was also where our first round of opponents would be decided.

The crowd exploded with an approving roar as we all made our way into the stage. We weren't in any kind of order, since all of us refused to line up again, so we just walked in as one massive group. I felt it was better this way – it felt more natural for us to do so.

"I wonder who the news is going to focus on." Will whispered to me as we walked.

"Don't do anything stupid and they won't focus on you." Lorelei muttered back.

"But what if I want them to take photos of me? I even wore my best costume!" He joked.

"It looks the same as your other costumes, Will. I don't think anyone but you would be able to notice." She fired back.

"I just hope the Champions don't prattle on for too long." Agatha grumbled, "All this standing around is really killing me. Standing around for our photos to be taken was bad enough. Do these organisers have no respect for the elderly?"

"I'm doing just fine though." Drake cut in, "So maybe it's just you."

Agatha scowled.

"That being said, at least we're going to get to the fun part after this." I spoke up, not wanting Agatha to start bickering again, "I look forward to seeing some of you in the Top 3."

"You're on kid." Drake grinned, "We'll be fighting the Champions with you."

As if on cue, the applause finally died down and the Champions stepped up onto the stage, ready to give their speech.

Wallace went first, "WELCOME EVERYONE! It is with great pleasure that I am able to announce the beginning of the Tri-Regional Tournament! Thank you all so much for coming to Hoenn on such short notice! We are very grateful for your support for this surprising event!"

"As you can see behind me, EVERY single Gym Leader, Elite Four, and even us Champions will be participating in the Tournament. So please, give a loud cheer for your favourite trainers!"

The crowd shouted out a cacophony of different names. With how chaotic their shouts were, it was impossible to tell who they were shouting in support for. As I looked around, I saw that there were many in the audience waving banners with their favourite trainer's name on it, loudly cheering their support for their favourites.

"No surprise that the Hoenn trainers are more popular here." I muttered casually.

"I can see your name being waved around quite a bit, so you have nothing to worry about." Will said to me, gesturing to a big banner that had a drawing of me and Roxanne on it. That was a nice gesture.

"...Wait a fucking moment, is that Steven Stone?" Drake suddenly whispered out loud, and my head snapped to where he was looking at. Sure enough, there he was, sitting in the VIP booth. But he wasn't alone.

"...Is that Bruno sitting next to him?" Lorelei asked, "What is he doing there? Were they friends? Does anyone know?"

"I did not." I shook my head, "I'm just as surprised as you are."

What was Bruno doing hanging around Steven? I thought he'd be up in a mountain somewhere training as he usually did. I squinted to get a better look, and I could barely see the two of them talking casually with each other – but I couldn't be certain how much of that was a genuinely friendly interaction; though the two of them didn't look uncomfortable around each other.

That was...unique. But I could look into that later. Besides, a friendship between those two wouldn't be a bad thing at all.

Ignoring our whisperings, Wallace continued, "But enough babbling from me, this is the time that all of you, and the many trainers behind me, have been waiting for! We will finally be announcing the first round of battles! These battles have been arranged through a random draw done by our staff, and I can assure you that they were done without bias or prejudice."

"NOW! LET US SEE THE BATTLES!" He declared with his arms spread wide, and the large projectors facing the audience flashed to life, revealing who would be battling whom.

My eyes ran down the list until I saw myself and Roxanne.

An eager smile split my face as I saw who we drew up against; we would be facing off against Will and Flannery. Inwardly, I admitted that it was a good matchup for us; I didn't peg them to be one of the stronger pairs.

Will was strong, undoubtedly. But I also knew that it took some time to warm up to him. So while I wasn't doubting Flannery's abilities, I was confident that their teamwork wasn't quite there yet. At least, not to the level that Roxanne and I accomplished. And, to put it bluntly, Flannery was as inexperienced as Roxanne was.

"May the best pair win." Will walked up with a hand extended, obviously having seen the pairings too. There was little else for us to say to each other.

"Indeed. I look forward to our battle." I replied, smiling. We exchanged a look of mutual respect.

As Will walked away, I glanced around until I spotted Roxanne. But she was busy talking with Flannery, who was gesturing wildly towards her. They seemed like old friends, so I left them to it.

"EXCITED ABOUT THE BATTLES AHEAD?!" Wallace hyped up, getting a loud cheer from the crowd, "Well am I glad to hear that! The first battles will take place early tomorrow, as indicated by the time slots shown on the board, so make sure you don't miss out the match that you want to watch!"

Oops. I had overlooked that. I turned to the board again and saw that our match was in the afternoon, the last fight before lunch. That was good; it gave Roxanne and I more time to train. I was going to grill her on everything that Flannery could do and refresh my memory about Will.

We were going into this battle as prepared as possible. I was not losing at the first hurdle.

The New Normal – 10-8 – Interlude – Live Reactions

[LIVE: OFFICIAL BROADCAST FOR THE TRI-REGIONAL TOURNAMENT!]

FutureAce : When are they all coming out? I feel like I've been staring at an empty arena for hours now.

FearTheRat : Relax, it's only been 10 minutes since the event officially started. Of course there's going to be waiting around. There are too many trainers gathered in one place for there not to be.

TangelaThoughts : At least whoever organised this seemed to have the foresight to provide plenty of facilities where you can buy snacks and refreshments, even if they are slightly overpriced. Not too bad, they aren't ripping you off as badly as they could have been, but still quite pricey.

FutureAce : Wait, are you at the event in person?

TangelaThoughts : Yep, bought tickets as soon as they came out. Thought I wouldn't want to miss this.

NotTooMuchWater : Same! And I nearly missed out on my opportunity too! I thought I would have some time since the event is in Hoenn, but WOW was it popular. Had I went to the bathroom or something, I probably wouldn't have been able to get my spot!

FutureAce : Lucky...I heard that tickets were being resold at ludicrous prices. I took a look around, but they seem out of my price range

GodBidoof : Same, couldn't get a ticket either...oh well, change of topic, who're you guys most excited to see?!

ANormalFan : Of course I'm here for John! He's got a good partner too!

SlugmaBalls : Really? A good partner? No insult meant, but Roxanne is pretty junior in her role as Gym Leader, and she hasn't had any notable feats since then. In fact, I'm pretty sure she's considered one of the weaker participants in this Tournament.

NotTooMuchWater : Eh, I heard she has good management skills and is a competent Gym Leader. Still, can't disagree that she really isn't the strongest candidate. But that's probably why she got paired up with someone as strong as John.

TangelaThoughts : Yeah, I don't doubt there must have been some calculations done about who would be pairing together. At first I was disappointed that the teams weren't completely randomised, but then I realized that having random teams would have led to creating really unbalanced teams. Just imagine a team with Drake and John together.

TangelaThoughts: I'm sure the event organisers (probably Wallace) tried to balance the teams to the best of his ability. After all, it makes the Tournament all the more interesting that way.

FlyingHigh: There's no denying that the teams do imply who amongst the Gym Leaders are considered 'strong', who are considered 'average' in strength, and who are considered 'less strong'.

FlyingHigh: I think the most notable examples of this are Drake being paired with the Waterflower sisters, with Drake being known as one of the stronger Elite Four members. Or Giovanni being paired with Norman, who are both experienced Gym Leaders and trainers.

FlyingHigh: I don't think that's a bad thing, though. If anything, it just gives everyone a fair chance of fighting their way to the Top 3.

GeneralistGeneral : *Stares at the Agatha and Tate and Lisa pairing* Are you sure about the teams being balanced?

SlugmaBalls : Eh, I'm not one of those people that look down on the twins because they're young – I know how strong and talented they are. But I also can't deny their inexperience. Likewise, isn't Agatha like REALLY old now? She's probably not as strong as she once was. And besides, it makes thematic sense to pair the oldest with the youngest.

FutureAce : Or maybe this was just a prank on Agatha.

FearTheRat : Nah, I don't think the organisers, whoever they are (I think it's Wallace?) would pull pranks like that. Gym Leaders and Elite Four are meant to be serious people. They're not childish.

AreYouSlowBro : Wait, I thought Drake was older than Agatha?

LoveIsEterna : Eh, I'm pretty sure Agatha is the oldest. Then Drake. Then Bertha. (amongst the Elite Four)

PunchingBag : Bruno should have been in here! He DESERVES to be here! He's stronger than all these weaklings.

FlyingHigh : I mean, you're right. He IS probably stronger. But he's also not a Gym Leader / Elite Four.

PunchingBag : Everyone knows that he deserves to be an Elite Four! The fact that he's not shows that the League is purposefully suppressing the Fighting type BECAUSE THEY KNOW WE ARE TOO STRONG! LETS GO FIGHTING TYPES!

ANormalFan : Well maybe Bruno could be in the Elite Four if he challenged anyone other than John?

DragonPower : Ignoring the dumb fanatic, which Dragon trainer do you think is going to win enter the Top 3? Bet you all that Clair and Drake will be in the Top 3!

FlyingHigh : ...The hypocrisy is stunning.

FearTheRat : Eh, he brings up a good point though. Who do you all think are the favourites to win the Tournament?

TangelaThoughts : Surprisingly, my vote isn't with the Elite Four pairings. I actually think that those with a partner more at their level of strength would have an easier time, because all of these battles are 2v2. Coordination with your partner is essential, and a disparity in strength might make things difficult.

FutureAce : Surely they could just fight 1v2 if they're strong enough?

GodBidoof : Fighting 1v2 isn't as easy as you think, especially when your Pokémon are rather evenly matched. There's suddenly a lot more your Pokémon has to consider, more attacks to avoid etc. It's much harder than you think, even if you hold the strength advantage.

AlluteNinja : Might be biased, but my vote is on Koga and Maylene making their way into the Top 3. I feel like they have a lot of synergy together.

GroundedForLife : I'm voting for Giovanni and Norman, and not because I'm biased. They are both genuinely strong Gym Leaders, and I feel they have the right personality to work with each other. Two rather strong trainers are better than just one strong trainer who may get dragged down by a weaker partner.

GeneralistGeneral : Agreed, if not them then maybe a pair like Winona and Samson. Both are very capable and experienced trainers, so I think they have a chance to make it into the Top 3.

WiggleThatTuff: Wish we had a Fairy specialist somewhere! But I can't believe the Champions promised to fight at the end! So exciting!!!

FearTheRat: Yeah, screw these earlier battles. I WANT TO SEE CHAMPIONS FIGHT!

SlugmaBalls: Man, the Champion battle is going to be a stomp I just know it. THREE Champions fighting all at once? Sheesh.

PianoLover: It won't be that easy. Depending on who their opponents are, being in a 3v6 might make things really difficult for them. But I know that Cynthia can surpass any odds!!

FlyingHigh: Just imagine the finalists contain 3 Elite Four members as well. That would be a crazy match.

FutureAce : IT'S FINALLY TIME!! THEY'RE ALL WALKING IN NOW!!

GodBidoof : Woah, they look cool walking in one giant group like that. That's such a flex of the power of the League it's insane.

FlyingHigh: Yeah...practically every powerful trainer is currently in that stadium right now. It's really awe-inspiring and humbling if you think about it.

TangelaThoughts : Is it me or are the Gym Leaders / Elite Four seem to all be chatting really casually? Like they're all friends? I thought they'd all be marching out in a single file for some reason.

LoveIsEterna : That's a good thing. It's much better if all of them could get along well.

GeneralistGeneral : *Stares at Pryce* Well...I'm sure most of them will get along well...but there's bound to be a lot of drama behind the scenes.

FlyingHigh : Too true...but now's not the time for doom and gloom. THE MATCHES JUST GOT POSTED!

NotTooMuchWater : So they're randomised, cool! And just from a brief glance I can tell we have some interesting matches. We have an exciting few days ahead of us!

ANormalFan: LET'SS GOOOO JOHN AND ROXANNE!! YOU CAN BEAT WILL AND FLANNERY!! I KNOW YOU MUST HAVE BEATEN HIM BEFORE!

FearTheRat : Wouldn't this be Will's first battle on the main stage? Kinda weird when you think about it. Still super excited for it either way! I trust that he'll show us something cool!

DragonPower : LETS GO CLAIR! YOU AND GARDENIA ARE GOING TO CRUSH WATTSON AND CHUCK! LETS GO DRAGONS!

IceColdSimp: LORELEI <3 You can do it! Phoebe and Erika have no chance against you and Wake!

IceColdSimp: And Pryce and Candace will FREEZE Roark and Juan in their tracks! ICE TYPES FOR THE WIN! WE'RE MAKING IT TO THE TOP 3 BABYYYYY!!!

GeneralistGeneral : Man I'm so hyped for this. Can't wait to see Cynthia in action again.

GodBidoof: Is there anywhere I can bet money on who wins? Asking for a friend.

TangelaThoughts: IF you're at the stadium in person I've seen a few places where you could. Otherwise, not sure.

FearTheRat: ...Urgh, waiting another day for these battles really suck.

FutureAce : SAME! WHY COULDN'T THE BATTLES BEGIN IMMEDIATELY!? WHY DO WE HAVE TO WAIT ANOTHER DAY?! OR EVEN TWO FOR SOME BATTLES?!