After the battle ends, Booth's team walks off the court to get their pokemon healed. Reed's team goes first as they have a battle coming up soon.
"That was a great battle." Reed starts to say. "I can tell you guys worked hard. I hope we can have a battle another time."
"Thanks. You guys had me on my toes the entire match, but I had a blast." Booth says.
"Yeah, it was a good match." Damon states. "I know you guys will do great in the finals, we'll be cheering for you."
"Thanks. Well, I wouldn't feel too bad. Your team did great too. You guys deserve your prize." Another trainer says. When Booth makes a confused look, the trainer continues. "I mean both semifinalists get the third place prize."
"Woah, is that how it works?" Booth asks.
"Yeah, the tournament doesn't have an extra match for third place. The semifinalists just share the spot."
"I'm glad the tiered trainer discounts are still on the table." Booth says with a laugh.
The teams talk for a while longer, until Reed's team finishes healing their pokemon. Each of the teams say goodbye, while Reed's team walks back to the stands.
Booth lets out a deep breath. He changes the topic back to the recent battle, "That was tough. Part of me just wants to take a nap right now."
Ben joins in, "I know it. The battle was really stressful. The two on two was exciting, but it took a lot out of me. I'll be happy to just sit in the stands today and watch the finals."
"At the very least, watching the finals should help to relax. I'll go ahead and get some drinks first." Damon offers.
"Cool, thanks Damon." Ben replies.
---
Booth takes a seat at the stands and looks around. The finals are about to start. With just a few more minutes, the two teams get ready, and people in the audience settle down in their seats. Booth has high expectations for the match. He watches Reed's team, eager to see the battle begin.
'Reed's team is looking pretty confident.'
Reed and his team are on their side of the court, talking in a relaxed manner. The large crowd doesn't even seem to faze them. It's not until the battle judge comes down and checks with the teams, do they finally start getting serious.
After confirming the players are all here and ready to go, the battle judge returns to the side. Finally, everything is ready for the match.
The two team leaders give a thumbs up and the battle begins.
Booth watches the battle intently from his seat. Reed's team pulls an early lead when they take out the other teams first pokemon. The Poliwhirl from Reed's team catches the opponent's Ferroseed with a Mud Shot and decreases its mobility greatly. Reed's Sneasel speeds in from the side and finishes the Ferroseed with a Triple Axel.
The opponents switch to slower pace in the second half of the match. They manage to trade their third pokemon for the Poliwhirl. The Oricorio on Reed's team comes in next and helps Reed knock out the opponent's last pokemon. The judge calls the end of the battle as the last pokemon faints. The match is called with Reed's team as the winner.
From beginning to end, it was an enjoyable battle. Booth thinks about Reed's fight and makes his own analysis.
Reed's fights are often overbearing and intense, but he doesn't just mindlessly call out attacks. Reed's battlestyle is very adaptable, which makes each of his interactions seem so unique and different.
"That was great." Ben suddenly says.
"Yeah, I've watched a couple Tier 1 competitions before, but this competition's battles have been exciting all the way to the end." Damon says, in between mouthfuls of popcorn.
Around their group, people start leaving towards the exits.
"Hmm, it seems some people are getting up to leave." Booth comments.
With no more official battles left, the competition is over. Booth thought that the competition would at least give the prizes out on the field, but that doesn't seem to be the case.
"Most trainers typically pick up their prizes at the Tiered Trainer Center. The competition here is pretty much over. There might be some extra matches for fun, if you're interested." Damon replies.
"No, I think I'm good on battles today. What about the prizes, how many credits do you think we made?" Booth asks curiously.
"I'd say we'll get a bit over a thousand credits each. The battles on the final day make significantly more money for trainers."
"Sounds good." Booth responds.
---
The next day, Booth goes with Ben to the Tiered Trainer Center to pick up their prizes. Over the period of just a day, the amount of people in the lobby has returned to normal from the previous competition crowd.
Booth looks around and quickly finds where the prizes are being given out. There's a desk in the main lobby with a sign plainly saying 'competition prizes'. At the desk there is an employee handing out envelopes to trainers. The envelopes are all addressed to different trainers and contain each participant's prizes.
Booth and Ben get in line, and wait for their turn.
"Can I get your name?" The employee at the desk asks.
"Booth Balboa."
The employee takes a closer look at Booth and Ben and realizes something, "Ah, you guys were in the semifinals. Congratulations."
Booth and Ben respond politely, "Thank you."
The employee gives a smile and points his finger to Booth's name on a sheet.
"Just sign here and I'll get your prize."
Booth signs his name on the sheet and returns it to the employee. The employee finds Booth's name on an envelope and hands it to Booth. While Ben is going through the same process, Booth eagerly checks out his prize.
Booth opens the envelope and peeks at the contents. Inside is a check for the credits, and two special cards. Booth pulls out the cards and admires them both.
The first one is a green access card for the premium training rooms. The training room card has information along the bottom specifying which locations it can be used and how long it could be used for.
The second card is the Tiered Trainer discount card. This card is blue and gold and has a glossy surface that makes the card shine. Booth looks over the card and is surprised at what he sees.
"A 20 percent discount! Hey Ben, look at the cards." Booth exclaims.
Ben receives his envelope and opens it up immediately to look at his card. He enjoys the blue and gold card's design before looking it over in detail.
"And that's not all. It says it's good for an entire year." Ben says triumphantly. "Sweet! I'm going to go check out what discounts we can get. Do you want to come too Booth?" Ben says.
"Sure, let's go."
Ben leads Booth to a tiered trainer store nearby. Booth checks out the items, while Ben finds out what their cards works for.
At the front shelves Booth sees quite a few guide books that are written by people he can only guess are prominent trainers. Booth takes a quick look at the books before moving on to the next section.
Towards the right wall there are many different kinds of trainer gear and clothing. Booth isn't very interested in these items, and he quickly moves towards the items in the back.
Behind several glass cases are a line of many different Integrators. Above each device are descriptions explaining the devices' unique features. Booth admires the devices and takes note of the differences.
Ben finds Booth in the back after checking the discount card with an employee.
"He says it's good for all tiered trainer gear." Ben states joyfully.
"Great! What are you thinking of getting?" Booth asks.
"Same as you it seems, an advanced Integrator." Ben replies.
"I guess I find them interesting, but I'm still not clear on what an advanced Integrator does?"
As always, Ben is happy to explain. "Ah, it improves your mental ability. Advanced Integrators give you a better connection to your pokemon's senses." Ben pauses for a second and adds, "It's said people with better integrators are able react faster on average. As well as have an easier time controlling their pokemon."
Booth stops to think about the device. 'The increase in mental ability seems a little vague. Fortunately, having an easier time controlling your pokemon is easy to understand. Even a minor increase in compatibility could provide major benefits. Not to mention the ease of control gives you more time to focus on other areas of battle.'
Booth looks and Integrators more in depth until finds one that he likes. The problem is the price. Even with the discount it still cost around 1800 credits. Booth made about 1200 credits from the competition, but he is still 600 credits short.
Ben knows Booth's problem right away and makes him an offer. "Hey Booth, if you're interested I know a quick way to make some credits. It can be a little dangerous, but I think we have enough experience to handle it."
"Tell me about it." Booth asks curiously.
Ben smiles slightly, "We'll be hunting a pokemon chieftain."