Stab 2 Round 1 - VS Rika

      BRRRRRRRRRRR

The blaring horn of the ship woke Rylee from his slumber. However, he didn’t grumble and attempt to return to sleep like he normally would. Instead, he quickly jumped out of bed and got dressed, unable to contain his excitement. Today was different. Today, he would arrive at Holon, the location of his very first tournament.

He looked out of the porthole window in his room. There was a small speck of land in the distance, surrounded by the vast ocean and cloudless sky. The sight of the island filled Rylee with even more enthusiasm, and he raced to get all of his belongings together. There was still time before the ship would reach Holon, but he simply couldn’t wait any longer.

THUNK

Right as he was about to leave the room and head up to the deck, he heard a loud thumping noise coming from the window. Rylee turned around to see a Pelipper attempting to fly into the porthole, despite it being closed. At first, he just stared in confusion, but he soon realized that this was no ordinary Pelipper. It was a shiny Pelipper with a blue ribbon around its left wing. Without a doubt, this was his mother’s Pelipper.

THUNK

Another bang on the glass brought Rylee out of his thoughts. He ran back over to the window and opened it for the Pokémon, who managed to squeeze herself through the opening. She let out a squawk and opened her beak, where a letter was waiting inside. He hesitantly reached into the Pelipper’s maw to pull out the envelope. It was a little damp, but the contents of the letter were still legible.

“Dear Rylee,

You are SO grounded when you get home, young man! Do you realize how worried we were when we found out you were missing? We immediately knew where you were going, but your head start meant we couldn’t make it to Sunnyshore in time to stop you.

That’s why we’re writing this letter, in the hopes that you will get it and return back home. Of course, that’s just wishful thinking. There’s no way you’d come back until the tournament is over. We both know how stubborn you are. Still, you could at least reply to this letter with how you are doing. We’re still worried about you, son, and something to let us know you’re okay would be a huge relief.

Please reply as soon as you can, but don’t feel bad if you’re too busy to write at the moment. I’m sure Pelly would enjoy resting her wings. She’s not used to long distance flights, you know. Don’t do anything dangerous, but do your best in the tournament. We’re rooting for you!

Love, Mom & Dad

P.S.: Just another reminder that you’re still getting punished for this. We’re not running after you, but that doesn’t mean we condone this behavior!”

Rylee grinned to himself. Sure, his parents were upset, as to be expected, but they were at least supportive enough to cheer for him in the tournament. He was going to win, of course. There was no doubt in his mind about that, despite not knowing anything about the competitors. He was just that confident.

Noticing that the ship had arrived at Holon, Rylee put the letter in his bag and proceeded up to the deck, Pelly following behind him. He wasn’t quite sure what to do with the Pelipper, since he didn’t have her Poké Ball to put her in, or a letter for her to deliver. He wasn’t really eager to have her follow him either. Pelly wasn’t cute enough for his standards, and he didn’t want the Pelipper to ruin his image. It was a ridiculous reason, but he decided to leave her behind anyway.

“Hey Pelly, you wouldn’t mind waiting at the docks until I come back with a letter, right?”

“Per!” She squawked and nodded her head in agreement.

“Great. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a tournament to win.” Rylee smiled and made his way off of the recently docked boat.

The whole place was covered in colorful party decorations. It only got tackier as he walked into the city. There were more streamers per square inch than a party store, and so many balloons that he was surprised the island wasn’t floating.

The city was also filled with people selling ridiculous looking merchandise. Rylee, of course, was uninterested, so he barely paid attention to any of it. Really, the only table he noticed was the one handing out SmartDex phones. His parents didn’t think he was old enough to need a cell phone, so being able to get one, and a smart phone at that, made him feel just a bit more mature.

Flipping through the apps on his pink SmartDex, he quickly found the tournament roster. A brief scan of the entrants showed that most competitors were older than him. Instead of feeling intimidated, he felt proud. He was on the same playing field as adults. Plus, he could easily play the “little kid” card to his advantage. Tricking people into underestimating him was one of his favorite strategies.

His own opponent was Paprika Saizon, a pink-haired young adult who seemed pretty easy to deceive. Tricking her to go easy on him would be no problem. Rylee grinned. He could smell victory already. Of course, it might have just been the smell of the sugary treats being sold nearby, but victory is sweet, after all.

The only issue Rylee had was trying to find his opponent. The streets were crowded with people, both in the tournament or just there for the wedding itself. At first he tried to look for her by the color of her hair, but there were others there with the same candy-pink hair, a spectacled lady who looked as colorful as the party decorations and a ridiculously tall man who smelled like cake. Even so, he somehow managed to find her looking at one of the merchandise tables.

“Excuse me, are you Miss Saizon?” Rylee asked, putting on his polite façade.

“Hmm?” She turned around to face him. “Oh, yes I am! You must be Rylee, right?”

“Yes, ma’am, I’m battling you this round.” He smiled sweetly.

“Ma’am?” She looked surprised. “No, please, call me Rika.”

“Okay, Rika. Where should we have the battle?”

“Oh, anywhere is fine with me!”

“Umm, how about over there?” He pointed to the grassy area nearby.

“Sure, that sounds great.” Rika smiled and they began to head over. As they were walking, she initiated more conversation. “So, what brings you to this tournament? You seem pretty young."

“Well, this tournament was open to anyone, so I thought I’d come and try it out. I know I‘m only eleven, and I’m not as strong as everyone else, but I just want to have a fun time with my Pokémon.” Rylee said innocently. Of course, on the inside he was smirking. Rika was like putty in his hands.

“Oh, don’t worry. I’m sure you’re plenty strong! I’m here to relax and have a good time, too.” They stopped walking as they reached the grass. “Alrighty then, the battle options are singles or rotation.”

“Can we have a rotation battle? I’ve never tried it before, but it sounds like fun!” This was a lie. Rylee had participated in plenty of rotational battles. It was his father’s favorite style, after all.

“Sounds like a plan. You know the rules, right?”

After a brief (and unnecessary) explanation of the style, the two got into position and sent out their Pokémon. Rika chose her Scrafty, Haunter, and Pikachu, with Luke, the Scrafty, taking the front position. Rylee grinned at her choices. He could definitely handle this bunch. Scrafty seemed to toughest out of the trio, so which meant he was the one to eliminate first.

“Okay, I’ll choose you three!” He sent out Litwick, Swablu, and Roselia to counter Rika’s team. Litwick was in the front position, looking nervous.

“Well, it looks like we have another battle about to begin!”

“Y34H, TH3 P1NK G1RL 4ND TH3 P1PSQU34K.”

A strange pair of metallic voices came from nearby. Rylee turned to see a small group of Magnemites behind him. They were each holding a different piece of equipment, except for the one who looked like he belonged in a junkyard, who had a coffee mug. He was admittedly confused by the fact they could talk, and apparently consume beverages, but he decided to ignore them. He didn’t need to be distracted by whatever comments they made.

“Alright, you can go first, Rika.”

“Uh, sure, if you want.” She cleared her throat. “Luke, use Dark Pulse!”

“Scra.” The Scrafty brought its hands together to form a dark ball of energy. As soon as he fired it, Rylee yelled a command.

“Rotate right!”

“Wiiick!” Litwick quickly ran over to where Roselia was standing, while Swablu swooped in to take her place, getting hit by the Dark Pulse instead.

“What a well-timed rotation! This battle is starting off strong.”

“3H, 1’V3 S33N B3TT3R.”

“Now use Sing!”

“Swaaaa~” The Swablu happily began to serenade the Scrafty to sleep.

“What? No, don’t fall asleep! Wake up, Luke!” Rika shouted at him. Unfortunately for her, he didn’t seem to respond to her calls. Rylee giggled. Things were off to a great start.

“Okay Swablu, use Fly.”

“Swablu!” She obediently responded by flying up high and swooping down to attack the Scrafty. However, right as she hit him, he opened his eyes and grabbed her wings, using to momentum of the attack to throw her into the trunk of a nearby tree.

“Wow! Talk about an exciting Counter!”

“TH4T SCR4FTY W4S PR0B4BLY JUST PR3T3ND1NG T0 B3 4SL33P, TH0S3 TR1CKY B4ST4-“

“Hey! Not in front of the kid!”

“Wow, great job, Luke!” Rika cheered. Scrafty nodded in reply, but cringed from pain. The Swablu’s attack had still hurt him quite a bit. “You look like you need a break. Rotate left!” The injured Pokémon moved to the right, while the Haunter took his place in front.

“Swablu! Are you alright?” Rylee went over to her in concern. The bird was lying on the ground, knocked out from the impact with the tree. He frowned. The Scrafty was a bigger threat than he first imagined. “At least you got some good damage on him.” He sent the bird back into her Poké Ball. “Litwick, take her place.”

“L-litwick.” She timidly returned to her original position in front, now facing the grinning Haunter.

“Now, use Confuse Ray!” Orbs of light fired from Litwick’s flame, aimed at the Haunter.
“Marleau, use Confuse Ray, too!”

The Haunter also shot out orbs of light, which ended up colliding with the ones sent by Litwick, creating a huge flash of light. Both trainers closed their eyes to protect themselves from the bright flash, and once they opened their eyes once more, both of the ghosts were dazed and confused.

“Looks like double confusion, folks! Who will snap out of it first?”

“1T B3TT3R B3 S00N. 1 D0N’T W4NT T0 FL04T H3R3 4LL D4Y.”

“Come on, Litwick! Snap out of it and use Will-O-Wisp!” Rylee’s shouting managed to bring Litwick out of her daze. The flame on her head increased in size and spat out purple flames at Haunter. The burning managed to snap him out of his confused state, as well.

“Marleau! Quick, use Poison Jab!”

“Haunt!” The Haunter sent his fist flying towards Litwick, but his burns caused him to weaken, and his punch wasn’t as strong as it normally was. The Litwick was upset about being hit, but didn’t take a lot of damage.

“That’s not good.” Rika became concerned. “Rotate left again.” This time, Echo the Pikachu was in the front spot, and she looked raring to go. “Use Toxic!”

“Pika!” Echo hissed at Litwick and spat out a poisonous spray from her mouth.

“Rotate now!” Rylee shouted. The Litwick eagerly fled the oncoming attack, while Roselia danced his way to the front, easily absorbing the Toxic. “Give her a taste of her own medicine, Roselia. Toxic!”

“Roselia~” He danced around, firing out a poisonous spray of his own from his roses, landing directly on the Pikachu’s face. Echo was pissed.

“Echo, Charm him!” The Pikachu’s demeanor immediately changed from intimidating to adorable, staring at Roselia with big, teary eyes. Rylee wasn’t fazed by the obviously fake expression, but Roselia was smitten. Still, this move worked to his advantage.

“Oh, so you like this Pikachu, eh? Well go ahead and use Attract on her!”

“Ro~” He eagerly started putting on his own charm. He elegantly pranced towards the Pikachu, and offered a rose to her, which released a pheromone, causing Echo to become instantly infatuated. Rika frowned. She hadn’t expected that to happen.

“Time to get more aggressive,” Rika said to herself. “Rotate back to Luke, and use Dark Pulse!”

The Scrafty quickly took Echo’s place in front, and blasted the Roselia with a ball of dark aura.

“Come on, Roselia! He’s still weakened from Swablu. A good Venoshock should do him in!”

Roselia shook off the attack, and shot greed liquid from his roses at the Scrafty. The strong acid covered Luke, and the pain caused him to faint. After returning to his Poké Ball, Marleau moved up to the front again.

“Alright Marleau, Curse that Roselia!”

The Haunter used his hand to pull out a part of his body and threw it at Roselia, who began to suffer great pain.

“Endure it, Roselia, and use Hidden Power!”

Roselia cringed with pain, but still managed to form a beam of ice between his roses to fire at the Haunter. After that attack, Marleau was clearly on his last legs and could faint at any moment.

“Hurry and use Destiny Bond!”

Marleau’s eyes began to glow, possessing Roselia, whose eyes began to glow as well. Immediately afterwards, the Haunter succumbed to his wounds and fainted. Roselia, being affected by Destiny Bond, also fainted. Now the only Pokémon left were Litwick and Echo. Echo was even angrier than before, after being made a fool of, and Litwick was even more nervous now that her team mates were gone.

“Thunderbolt!”

“Hex!”

Both trainers called their attacks at the same time. The Pikachu was faster and Thunderbolt hit first, but Litwick managed to hold on and use Hex on Echo. Her glowing eyes caused the Pikachu great pain, especially since she was badly poisoned already. It was too much for her to handle, and she collapsed, leaving an injured and shaking Litwick as the victor.

“Ha ha ha! Yes! I did it! I won!” Rylee jumped up and down with excitement, cheering the whole way. Rika got mad at first, but quickly calmed down. Sure, it wasn’t fun losing to a kid less than half her age, but she came to Holon to relax and have a good time.

“Good job, Rylee. You deserve that win. You’re much stronger than you look. I wish I was as strong as you were when I was a little girl."

“Thanks, lady!” He grinned. “But I’m not a little girl. I’m a boy.”

“… What?”

“See ya!” He ran off back into the crowded city, giggling the whole way.

Rika just stood there in confusion, processing what had just happened.

“What a weird kid.”