Dad and I entered by the back door of our house and we were greeted by the wafting aroma of Mum's cooking. We were helping to feed the pokemons on our farm while Mum and Vance prepared breakfast. No matter what kind of delicacies I ate during my travels, nothing beats Mum's cooking. She's the best cook in the entire world.
"Oh, back already? Mum should be finishing with cooking the breakfast in about a minute or so."
Vance replied as he expertly set the table while balancing several plates on his hands and arms. Dad and I wisely took a few steps back. This is Vance we are talking about, the walking disaster of Petalburg. Vance scowled as he finished setting the table, clearly knowing the reason why we kept our distance from him.
"Hey, I know I'm a klutz, but do you guys have to make your distrust in me so obvious? I'm hurt."
"Well..." I drawled. "It's either your ego gets hurt or one of us gets hurt when something does happen. I think your ego can take a better beating than us, it's been hurt too many times already anyway, so it won't make much of a difference."
Two heads rubbed against my leg gently as they fought for my affection. I smiled as I patted both heads of the zweilous that Dad had decided to add to his team, even if he is no longer an active pokemon trainer.
We are all glad that Dad had finally decided to move on from the grief of losing most of his original team.
The zweilous, a deino back then, was found by Dad when he was doing business in Unova about three months ago. The deino was starving when Dad came across him by accident and Dad had to capture him in a pokeball so that he can transport him to the nearest pokemon center for treatment. The deino made a speedy recovery, but was unwilling to leave Dad's side when it was time for him to go back home. Dad was conflicted at first given his history with dragons and how it made him lose his team, but he could not bear to leave the deino alone when it looked at him with hopeful eyes. Fang and tropius had taken a liking to the little dragon during the short time they spend with him and encouraged Dad to bring deino back home.
That's how deino got included into our family.
Little deino was curious about everything although he was very timid initially, which is kind of weird given how infamous the temperament of their final form is. Deino was good for Dad and his presence rekindled a little of his passion in pokemon training. Mum absolutely adored deino too and often spoiled him with treats. It won't be good for deino to remain as a deino, however cute it is. Dragons need to grow properly by fighting and releasing their powers, and they cannot do so if they are being coddled. It's why they make such poor companion pokemons for an ordinary citizen but the perfect soldier for a trainer. Dragons that do not grow properly tend to become stress after a period of time and that outcome will not bode well for anyone. Dragons thrive in adversity, but such an environment cannot be found in our family's farm and Dad is too busy with work to train deino properly.
It was where I come in.
At that time I had just finished touring Pacifidlog and visiting some of the gym leaders in their various cities via flight through Snap or Toothless before returning home. Deino was scared of me at first, but little treats of food here and there soon opened him up to me. Dad told me of his concerns. I need to prepare for the upcoming conference anyway and training one more pokemon will not matter to me. He can be the perfect sparring partner for Fuzzy.
I had spent some time after my Sootopolis gym challenge to tour Pacifidlog and see if I can find the Sky Pillar. I had originally planned to stay in Pacifidlog for a week, but I had forgot to account for a factor.
I get seasick easily.
I should have remember the less than pleasant experience during my boat ride from Petalburg to Dewford and from there to Slateport but for some reason it slipped my mind. Pacifidlog is a town that is literally built on the sea itself. The very town floats on the ocean surface and stays in position by the heavy anchors the local populace used to make sure they don't drift elsewhere, it's the only town of its kind in the world. I got seasick within the first hour there and by the second hour, I decided that I had enough and quickly let Snap fly me to Slateport, the nearest city from Pacifidlog.
Too bad I cannot stay in Pacifidlog longer, they have a really nice view of Hoenn's ocean.
I spent some time flying around the various cities to visit some of the gym leaders for some battles and to get personal tips from them on how to handle and train pokemons of their type specialty. I had visited Winona and Flannery, whose tips were very helpful in regards to Toothless. I also visited Wattson, who was surprised at my ongoing attempt to make Fuzzy reach Elite level, but he stated that it is something worth striving for. He was helpful in explaining the mechanics of Magnet Rise to me and Fuzzy, and Fuzzy is now able to fly around effortlessly after months of training even if there is a limit to how long and how fast he can do it. He is nowhere as fast as Snap or Toothless in the air, but pachirisus aren't meant to fly in the first place.
Fuzzy is most probably the first pachirisu in existence to have flight capabilities. We totally deserve an award.
Still, Fuzzy's species is not known for being strong in combat and it showed during his training sessions with deino. Even if deino is inexperienced in combat he still hits a lot harder than Fuzzy does and is able to take a lot more punishment. Fuzzy is still able to defeat him, but after deino evolved, it gets exponentially harder for Fuzzy to beat zweilous in combat. Now, they are both about equal in strength, but it won't be long before zweilous will start to hit a growth spurt in power. Fuzzy won't be a challenge for him for much longer.
Now that zweilous had gained more power, Fang is able to help train and spar against him without any worry of accidentally killing him. Fang isn't exactly good at toning down the ferocity of his attacks and that is why Dad was against the idea of using Fang to help train zweilous when it was still a deino. The same goes for tropius. They may be very gentle usually but the same cannot be said the moment they entered combat. It will take a long time for zweilous to reach its final form. Another thing to note is that their species are also notorious for the amount of time needed for them to evolve into a hydreigon. In fact, their slow growth rate rivals that of the tyranitar species, and is why not many trainers are willing to invest the time needed to raise these creatures. To top it off, they are usually very vicious even to their trainers and had an even worse temper to anything else. There is a lot to be done for a trainer to gain its respect. The combination of dragon and dark typing do not make them the most sociable of pokemon. Zweilous here is an odd case, to be perfectly honest. His temperament is really mild, sometimes even milder than a poochyena and that is saying something. Dad had decided to name zweilous Chewy since he tends to tackle and bite at anything as a deino, a result of being blind at that stage of growth. It's how his species get a feel of their surroundings at that stage of their lives. It surprised everyone that Dad decided to give zweilous a nickname as we know he is the type of trainer who only gave his starter, Fang, a nickname. Dad offered tropius the choice of having a nickname as well on that day, but tropius had refused.
The name Chewy really reminded me of Chewbacca from Star Wars even if they are not even remotely alike.
And on the topic of the growth rate of the tyranitar and hydreigon species, I am pleased to announce that Kratos had finally reached the final stage of his evolution about a week ago. Kratos had grown really fast, which is the result for all the hard work he put in. For every 1% of effort my team puts into training, Kratos puts in 2%, and the results showed themselves when he finally evolved. Just in time for the upcoming conference too.
We are so going to wreck our competitors in the upcoming conference starting in about a month from now. The power spike he gained from his evolution is no joke. Kratos is even able to fight against Vance's salamence and hold his own for a long while, even if he lost in the end. I'm not going to use him until I see a worthy opponent for Kratos in the conference. He will be our team's ace in the hole. Kratos had gained quite an ego after evolving into a tyranitar and now only seek battles to those who can give him a challenging fight. I can't blame him for that, really. He is now the strongest member of my team and his control and mastery over rock type techniques surpass even those of Bigblue and Lily.
Kratos is an absolute menace to go against and I want to make that known to the entire region when he finally makes his appearance in the conference.
Our family sat down to eat our breakfast and some of our smaller pokemons that are able to fit in the house joined in as well. We made idle talks as we shared what had been going on in our lives recently. Vance is taking another short break from his ACE missions and he is sharing the funny things that he had experienced in there.
"-and Terror, the fucking idiot, had to go and blow up the entire-"
"Vance! Language! I taught you better than this, young man!" Mum scolded as she pointed her fork at him. "I understand if you swear in front of your friends during your missions but do not do it in the house, especially in front of your sister!"
I put on the best innocent look I am able to on my face to accentuate Mum's point. Vance sputtered but he pointed an accusing finger at me anyway.
"Mum! Vel swears even more than me sometimes!"
"That's obviously not true." I replied smoothly as I took a sip of coffee. "Macky can prove my case, isn't that right, Macky?"
Macky took a pause from eating his meal and gave an exaggerated nod. Vance had a look of horror at the act of betrayal of his starter and I tried my best not to laugh out loud. Dad wisely hid his face from view as he pretended to read the newspaper, but I can see the slight trembling of his shoulders as he repressed his desire to snicker.
Ignoring Vance's mortified face I continued to speak.
"I will be going out later today. I am meeting a friend over lunch but I will be back before dinner."
"I see, have fun then." Dad replied as he finally revealed his face from behind the newspaper, his face the very picture of serenity despite me knowing how he must be dying to laugh from our little act earlier.
"You have a social life?" Vance questioned as he helped himself to a huge serving of bread and bacon.
"Yes. Unlike you, I have a social life outside ACE missions and Flannery."
Vance sputtered even harder and this time, it got my parents' attention as his face turned redder than Flamel's flames.
"I'm full." I said as I got up from my seat and took my plate with me to the kitchen sink. Time to leave the living room which will soon turn into an interrogation chamber. I have no problems throwing Vance under the bus in this kind of scenarios. Besides, Vance and Flannery are so cute together. Dad and Mum will love her, especially Mum. I have no idea that my brother and Flannery are a thing until I accidentally caught Flannery making a private call during the stay of my visit with her. She had put the phone on speaker as her hands were full trying to help scrub her torkoal's shell clean. Imagine my surprise when I heard Vance's voice on the other end of the phone.
Perfect blackmail material.
Vance had called and pleaded me to help keep a secret from our parents for the time being as they only just got together. I had extorted many promises of benefits from him although I made no real moves to claim them. He should be glad that I kept their relationship a secret for as long as I did.
Ah well, let's leave my family alone for a little while. I foresee that they will be a little busy for the next hour or so trying to grill the details out of Vance. I felt my shadows moved and I discreetly passed a pecha berry from the kitchen's cupboard into Macky's waiting paws, a reward for him taking my side in the conversation earlier. Macky let out a giggle and disappeared with his treat. Rena sighed but didn't say anything. Kel just seemed unbothered while Fuzzy continued to munch on the remainder of his breakfast before giving a squeak when he is done.
Hmm... I have about two hours or so before I'm scheduled to meet him. Might as well get started on the newest novel I bought from the bookstore. Liza had stated that it was a good read. My pokemon seemed to feel a little lazy today as well if Fuzzy's drooping eyes are any indication. I think he had just entered the beginning stages of a food coma. They don't feel like they want to train today.
Reading it is then.
"Hey Vel! Guess what! I-"
Vance pushed opened the door to Velda's room unannounced but whatever he was saying was cut short as he saw the state of undress his sister was in. She is standing in front of the mirror near her wardrobe in only her panties as clothes were strewn about the bed behind her. She was obviously contemplating what to wear when she visits her friend later for lunch. Her sister had started to undergo puberty a few months back and her growth spurt is obvious, especially her chest, so suddenly seeing her naked is a little... weird. Vance suddenly realised that Velda is no longer the little girl that used to follow him around.
She is growing up.
"Uh... I will..." Vance slowly made a motion to leave her room and close the door behind him. Velda's glare looked like it can freeze the entire region and he really do not want to risk her wrath right now.
Too late.
A short burst of controlled psychic powers from Rena had Vance thrown out of Velda's room and the door slammed shut with force that seemed to shake the entire house. Macky's howling laughter can be heard even though he cannot be seen. Vance groaned as he get himself off the floor. Rena wasn't exactly very gentle with him.
"What did you do this time?"
Hanna questioned her son the moment he appeared back in the living room. Griff was typing something on his laptop and he also stopped to listen to what Vance is going to say.
"I may...uh..."
"He just entered my room without knocking. I was changing my clothes when he entered."
Vance jumped at Velda's words, who had somehow sneaked up to his back unaware. Velda looked cross as she folded her arms across her chest and glared at him. Vance took the chance to see what his sister had chosen to wear. Velda is wearing a one-piece sleeveless maroon dress that he was sure he bought for her about a year ago at Slateport. It is nothing formal, but not overly casual either. Velda loves wearing dresses whenever she's not out in the wilderness, but she rarely wore this out because she treasured it so much. Usually she only wore something like this if their family was visiting someone or if they know someone will be visiting their house for a formal visit.
"Didn't anyone teach you to knock before entering? Especially before entering a lady's room?"
Griff merely shake his head before returning to do whatever he was doing and Hanna pinched Vance's ear in a death grip as she dragged him away for another round of lecture, ignoring Vance's protest of pain.
"Bye Dad." Velda said as both father and daughter ignored Hanna scolding Vance in the background, who is cowering in fear at how his mother tear into him mercilessly with words. They had a brief hug before Rena strode back into the house with numerous pokeballs floating alongside her, which Velda received and put them somewhere accessible on her person.
"Have fun." Griff replied as he patted Velda on the head dotingly. "Do I have to be worried about boys anytime soon?" He teased.
"I am meeting a boy, but it is not anything you are insinuating." Velda replied absentmindedly as she moved towards the front door to put on her shoes. "He told me he will be passing by Petalburg and so we decided to meet up. He's been very helpful in giving me tips on how to train Rena's psychic powers." Velda stood up straight as she waved back at her family in farewell before releasing Flamel the moment she got out of the front door, totally oblivious at how Griff and Vance now stood in silent shock and frozen at where they are currently standing. Vel jumped onto Flamel's back in one swift motion and they watched her as she disappeared around the corner with her pokemons and out of sight.
"Hello? Earth to Griff and Vance?"
Hanna waved a hand in front of her husband's face while Macky took the chance to smack his trainer at the back of his head, eliciting a pained cry from him. It did broke them out of their stupor.
"Come to think of it, I had never seen Vel dressed up so nicely before." Vance muttered as he adopted a thinking pose and his eyes narrowed.
"Vel almost never dressed up for anything." Griff agreed with his son's opinion as Fang walked to his side, tongue rolling out of his mouth playfully. "She never fails to dress fashionably, but never will she take the extra time to dress up unless it's necessary. She's the most practical person in the entire house. Unless..."
"She said she was meeting a boy. Could it be..."
"Now look here. The both of you." Hanna said as she rolled up a newspaper and bonked both father and son on the head. "Velda can meet whoever she wants as long as they are her friend. I know both of you are protective of her especially when it comes to boys, but she's old enough to be making her own decisions. She's nearly thirteen!"
"But Mum." Vance said as the serious persona from his ACE identity started to surface. "Vel is meeting a boy. She dressed up to meet a boy."
"I didn't stop you from seeing Flannery either, didn't I? Speaking of her, when are you going to invite her over?"
"This bears investigation, dear." Griff said as he closed his laptop in a deceptively calm manner and took the hat from the clothestand nearby and wear it on top of his head. "This is our little baby girl that we are talking about. And if any boy dares to, Arceus forbid, hurt her..."
Vance's gallade appeared at the same moment with the pokeballs containing the rest of his team. Both Griff and Vance exchanged a look that seemed to convey thousands of words in a single glance as they both strode through the front door with purpose, gallade and Fang behind them as Macky's cackling trailed along. Hanna sighed and returned to sort through the list of goods the farm is scheduled to purchase for the next month. Holly floated beside her and placed a reassuring hand on her trainer's shoulder.
"I swear, sometimes it feels as if only the women of this house are the sane ones." Hanna muttered under her breath just enough for her companion to hear and she can feel her partner's amusement through the telepathic link they shared. "You will expect Griff to be the reasonable one here, but the moment Vel is involved, all form of common sense seemed to be eaten up by a horde of gyarados."
Chewy, who was resting by her feet, perked up at the mention of food as Hanna absentmindedly scratched the area between the neck and the back of their heads with one hand, making sure to give equal affection to both heads lest they get jealous with each other.
"Like father, like son."
'Mistress. They have been following us for a while now.'
'I know, just let them be. They are just being irrational. We will lose them soon enough.'
'If you say so.'
Fuzzy snickered from where he is perched on my shoulder and Kel rolled her eyes. Rena had gotten good enough with her psychic powers to maintain a two way link between me and several members of my team. She is still unable to extend her reach to encompass the entire team, but she will get there soon enough. I still cannot understand what the rest of my pokemons who are connected to me via the telepathic link is trying to tell me though, it comes out as a muddled heap of jumbled thoughts and words. I guessed that it may be due to how different humans and pokemons think, and that only psychics have a sophisticated enough mind to constantly switch between the thinkings of both humans and pokemons and are thus able to converse with us. I can sense the emotions of what my pokemons is feeling with the two way link if they are connected to me mentally via Rena, although it was disorienting at first feeling several emotions at once from different members of my team.
I signaled Flamel to stop when we reached our destination and I jumped down from his back. Flamel gestured for me to return him to his pokeball, he doesn't like the smell of this place. I run my hands along his neck fondly as a show of affection before I recalled him and entered the rustic cafe which I would be meeting my friend here. Kel and Rena followed after me and Fuzzy remained content in his position on my shoulder.
I spotted Tate the moment I walked into the cafe.
"Tate!"
I greeted enthusiastically and immediately plopped myself down on the seat opposite him. Tate returned a small smile at me.
"Hello, Vel. How have you been?"
"You know, the usual. Training and stuffs." I said as we both took a look at the menu to see what they have to offer. Kel and Rena made themselves comfortable on the floor beside me and Fuzzy jumped down onto the table top and chattered excitedly to Tate's chimecho who is floating beside him. "How about you and Liza?"
"You know, the usual. Training and stuffs." Tate imitated my earlier tone which earned him a roll of my eyes. "Liza wanted to come along but it's her turn to get stuck with gym leader's duties this month. She wasn't very happy about it."
"Tell me all about it. She was on the phone for two hours yesterday night just to complain about it." I replied as we wrote down our orders and handed it to a waiter nearby. "What are you doing here in Petalburg anyway, if you don't mind me asking? Or is it some super confidential league stuffs?"
"I'm afraid so." Tate admitted as the waiter returned with our drinks for both us and our pokemons. Fuzzy greedily drank the sweet berry juice, unlike Rena and Kel who took sips from their bowls with more grace. I saw a tendril of my shadow sneaking up out of Tate's sight to stealthily steal a biscuit when his attention was on me. Dolly have been around Macky for way too much. "I need to meet with Norman personally for some league related issues, that's all I'm able to tell you. Sorry about that."
"It's fine, I understand. My brother is in ACE and he goes off on these kind of missions all the time." I waved off Tate's concern. "I'm just glad you remembered to visit me when you dropped by Petalburg."
"Of course I will." Tate retorted before he lowered his voice into a whisper while pretending nothing is wrong. "By the way, do you know that there are two people following you? I sensed them tailing you ever since I picked up on your psychic signature. They are behind the building across the cafe over there, no doubt watching us."
Dad and Vance sure failed at being subtle, don't they?
"It's just my Dad and brother being overly paranoid about me meeting a guy my age, don't worry about it. They are not as subtle as they think they are. Rena sensed them even before we reached here. They can be very protective of me, which is sweet of them, but they need to realise that I am growing up."
"I can tell." Tate said in his usual dry voice when he turned sarcastic or if he went into 'I can tell, captain obvious' mode. "My parents are the same for Liza, but she scares off any boys that got too near to her simply by being her."
"Are you sure that you had no part in it?" I teased. I know how older brothers tend to think and act around their sisters, I have one after all.
A solid and resolute "No" was Tate's reply but his body language gave him away. I pretended not to see through his denial, it's more amusing that way as I watch him squirm uncomfortably under my questioning gaze.
This is going to be such a fun afternoon.
"Can you get a visual?"
"Negative, Dad. My vision of the target is being blocked by Vel's body and that window is the only window that I can use to spy on them. How about you?"
"Negative as well, my vantage point is too unsuitable for further observation. Any closer and my position will be exposed. We have no choice but to wait."
Vance lowered his binoculars as the distance between Vance's eyebrows narrowed slightly. He ran through the possible options in his mind that could possibly help them find out the identity of the mystery guy that his little baby sister is meeting. This adversity is good. He chose a spot where he can easily observe anything outside while making it hard for anyone else to observe him simply by having Velda sit opposite him, effectively preventing anyone else from getting a good view of him. There is only one window that is suited for them to observe Velda and their target from afar. The only other possible way was to walk in through the doors of the cafe but Velda would not be pleased if she found out that they had been tailing her. She was already furious at him for walking into her room while she was changing. If she found out about him and Dad tailing her, she would undoubtedly sic a very gleeful Kratos on him in addition to bribing Macky with pecha berries to make his life miserable for an entire week. The traitorous ghost had never been on his side if Velda is involved.
Both Vance and Griff put on some simple disguise as they walked through town while tailing after Velda, their ACE training kicking in full gear as they used whatever knowledge they learnt from their time there to help in their endeavour to protect the youngest of their family from the shadows. It's frustrating, that no matter how they tried, they can't seem to get a clue on who this mystery person is. What kind of guy is Velda interested in anyway? Just who managed to catch her attention? Is that guy a sporty type? Or a bookish type? Maybe someone who had bested Vel in a pokemon battle?
Vance's earphones sounded with his Dad's voice again as they communicated through phone call in real time, leaving their call open without ending it so that it works like a handheld walkie talkie.
"Heads up, the target is making a move to leave together with Vel. I will circle around to the back door just in case, you watch the front."
"Roger that."
Vance looked through his binoculars once more and continue in his attempts at spying. He still cannot get a good enough visual. A chimecho just happen to levitate and position himself in such a way that it blocked his view of the guy's face and Vel is beside him, blocking his view of the guy's body. All he can tell is that the mystery guy is only slightly taller than Velda by about a head.
The both of them turned and disappeared out of sight as they walked further into the cafe.
"Dad, they are leaving by the back door."
"Roger. I'm in position. The target cannot hide himself this time. My vantage point is perfect from here."
Both father and son waited in the hot and cruel sun for another fifteen minutes before they realised that something is wrong.
"Dad? You see them?"
"They haven't exit the building yet. Maybe they went to visit the restroom?"
"It's been fifteen minutes. Requesting permission to switch to infiltration tactics."
There was a short pause on the other end of the line.
"Permission granted. Be careful not to get spotted."
Using the years of experience he had under his belt and squeezing every drop of knowledge about infiltration tactics Vance strolled into the cafe and looked every part of another customer. He politely waved off the approaching waiter and his eyes quickly scanned the small cafe for any signs of Velda and her 'friend'.
There were none.
He quickly walked towards the back of the cafe where he had saw them disappeared to and checked the restroom along the way. It is a simple cubicle shared by both genders and only one person can be in it at any one time. It is empty.
Shit, the both of them had given them the slip somehow.
Vance hurriedly exit through the back door and talked to Griff.
"Vel and the target disappeared! They had given us the slip somehow. I suspect a possible usage of teleport."
Vance heard his Dad swore under his breath. It is obvious that they had committed an amateur mistake. They are experienced ACE operatives who are fully trained and one of the top fighters of their generation! How did they not take into account the possibility of teleportation?!
Vance saw his father walking up to him with a concerned expression.
"Call Vel to ask her where she is." Griff spoke in a commanding tone that brook no argument. "She may be mad at us later, but better safe than sorry."
Vance was conflicted for a split second, but ultimately decided that he rather sacrifice himself for the greater good if it meant that his little sister is safe.
The call was soon picked up after a few seconds, but the person at the other end of the line is someone which they will never expect.
"Hello?"
"Mum?!"
"Yes, it's me." The voice of Hanna spoke over the phone. "Vel just returned home about fifteen minutes ago and is now helping me outside in the farm under the hot sun while I'm stuck at home helping your Dad sort through the paperwork. Tell him that if he does not get back here in a minute he will be sleeping on the couch for the entire month. And you, young man, will have something very fun to do as well."
With the reflexes that only a highly experienced ACE operative can manage, Vance ended the call while simultaneously calling out his gallade and mentally commanded him to take him and his Dad back home straightaway via teleportation. They appeared in a pop in their living room just as Velda entered through the back door, carrying a crate of pokemon eggs and raising a questioning eyebrow at them. She is still wearing the same maroon dress she wore out earlier.
"Where have you guys been to? Do you know how hard it is for Mum to do all these alone?"
"Uh... Well... You see, there was... um..."
"Fang had gotten wind that there might be a problematic arbok lurking in the area." Griff said smoothly to cut Vance off and preventing him from exposing what they had been really doing. "You know how they love to steal and eat pokemon eggs. So we need to hunt it down, find its nest, chase it out, stuffs like that. You know it." Griff said while gesturing with his arms. "Gave us the slip though."
"An arbok."
"Yes, an arbok." Griff nodded his head in confirmation and subtly elbowed Vance to get him to play along.
"In Hoenn."
"Must have swam its way here somehow." Vance shrugged as he tried his best to act all nonchalant about it.
"Disregarding the impossibility of that given how far Hoenn and Kanto are geographically apart from each other, somehow an ex-ACE operative, together with the current second-in-command of an ACE company, is unable to catch it." Velda continued as she put the crate down, pointing to each of them in turn while she listed off the flaws in their explanation.
"We suspect it may have a companion that knows Teleport. It just disappeared into thin air. We almost had it too."
"Both of you have dark types. And nothing gets away from Fang's nose."
Fang gave a bark of agreement from beside his trainer.
"Must be a very talented psychic companion." Griff said as he removed his hat and placed it on the clothestand. "Might explain how the arbok got here in the first place."
"When did you reach home?" Vance said as he tried to divert Velda's attention away. Velda gave them a look of disbelief for the explanation they gave, but didn't press on as she handed the crate of pokemon eggs over to Vance.
"About 15 minutes ago. My friend teleported me back home and dropped me at the front door since it's too hot to be walking around in this weather. He's sweet like that." Velda said as she passed by them to help Hanna, who had walked into the living room carrying a huge stack of papers with Holly.
"Oh, who is he?" Vance asked and he can see his dad's ear perking up subtly to gain any insight on the mystery person their little baby girl was meeting.
"If you two have so much free time on your hands." Hanna stormed over to dump a stack of papers into her husband's arms and Vance quickly scurried away with the crate of pokemon eggs towards the hatchery to escape the impending wrath of the matriarch of the house. "Then surely you can help with this."
Griff made the correct choice when he walked towards the dining table to put down the stack of papers and started to go through them under his wife's scrutinising gaze. As a result, both he and Vance missed how Velda and Hanna exchanged knowing smirks and high-fived each other behind their backs.
Griff grumbled in the safe confines of his mind. Now he won't be able to sleep peacefully for the next few days. Just who had been seeing his little baby girl?
22
Knock Knock
"Enter."
Wallace pushed open the door to the office of the current Hoenn president, Lucas Foster, and saw the middle-aged man who is also one of the most influential figures in Hoenn going through a file. President Foster looked up, and with a warm smile that would have deceived many others that don't know him well, gestured for Wallace to take a seat.
Wallace had never liked this man. While the things he did so far had ensured Hoenn's continued prosperity, some of the methods he employed were questionable at best. There is a clear distinction in the division of powers between the Pokemon League Champion and the President of the Hoenn region. Wallace is mainly in charge of the military might of Hoenn and most pokemon-related issues, the government that President Lucas is in charge of takes care of the rest. The only grey area is the issue of security and defense, since both governing bodies have their own responsibilities that contributed to this matter and matters of securities cannot be decided by only one of the aforementioned governing body without the other. Other than that, they cannot meddle with the governing body that they are respectively in charge of unless it is with very good reasons. Wallace can only advise President Lucas on certain issues and the same applies to the President. There are affairs other than security that requires both the government and the league to work hand-in-hand, but behind the scenes how the affairs are being handled is usually a mess.
Wallace have no idea what the topic of discussion is today, but he can already foresee a headache brewing.
"President Lucas."
"Wallace. How's your day?"
"I am fine." Wallace responded politely. "However, I must ask you to get to the crux of the discussion today. I'm afraid we are both busy people."
"Ah, the woes of being a leader." President Lucas chuckled before handing over a file to Wallace. Wallace skimmed through the information on the file and he can feel the annoyance he felt towards the President rising.
Rapidly.
"If I may ask, what is the meaning of this?"
"Why, I thought this would be obvious? It is a list of promising trainers that we have picked out. All of them are participants in the upcoming conference and unemployed by the league yet."
"You know full well that this is not within your jurisdiction. Only the LSDF answers to you due to the nature of their work, and even then any major changes or any interference by the government have to be first vetted by me. The Rangers and ACE are under the league, not the government. You have no right to-" Wallace threw down the file onto the President's table with a loud bang. "-recruit these so called 'potential recruits'. That's my job, not yours."
President Lucas looked totally unbothered as he merely picked up the opened file again and turned it in Wallace's direction.
"Under these troubled times, I'm afraid there will be times like these where our authorities have to intersect with each other. I gave you full reign during the Magma and Aqua crisis, no? We need to have more trust in each other, Wallace. While you are right in saying that I have no right in searching for trainers who had shown potential and recruit them into the league's forces, in the end, what I am doing makes your job easier and Hoenn safer in the long run. You cannot deny that. The public's faith in us is already on the rocks due to the invasion on Lilycove. We need to restore their faith in us. The invasion had shown us that we are lacking in talented trainers in our forces given how thinly stretched our forces are when we are rooting them out, the first step will be to bolster our military strength. For that, we need more talent. We need your cooperation, Wallace."
"Such honeyed words." Wallace said in sarcasm. "Are you sure you have nothing to benefit from it?"
"Well, I do want to continue serving Hoenn the best I can. I can't do that if I am kicked out of office, can I?"
At least he is being brutally honest this time, Wallace will give him that. What the President is playing at is probably to appease the public's outrage that stemmed from the invasion on Lilycove, and him making an obvious show in implementing new policies to show the public that the government is taking steps to ensure the citizens' protection is one way to do it. The list of trainers the President had showed Wallace are promising talents. Among them, there is even one that will very likely be able to follow in his and Steven's footsteps if she ever gets the motivation to strive to be the best. That trainer's name is on the top of that list, and is what made Wallace so furious since he knew her personally. Hoenn is in her debt, and yet this cunning man is trying to get his dirty paws on her. Wallace knew of her dream and he respect her wishes. Whatever endgame the President is playing at, it cannot be good for her.
The President merely tap his finger on the name at the top of the list, which is also circled in red ink with the particulars of that trainer printed on the file.
Velda Vera.
"I heard you know this trainer personally. In fact, her brother is your direct subordinate. Tell me more about her."
"She is from the Vera family." Wallace hissed. "Don't play with fire, you will only get yourself burnt."
President Lucas waved Wallace's warning off.
"Their family have dwindled to only four people. Yes, they are an ancient and noble family since the founding of our region. Yes, they have some political weight as well even if they are not actively involved in politics. Yes, I know that they have been playing a vital role in our military strength and that angering them is not the wisest decision at first glance. But as I have said, they are a family with only four people left. If the worse comes to worst, we can always forcefully suppress them politically and they cannot do anything. There's nothing to be afraid of."
"You-!"
"Look at her achievements." President Lucas continued without paying any attention to Wallace as he went read the file. "She had beaten every single gym challenge on her first try and won six out of her eight gym leader battles, one of which is against Tate and Liza, who had used two members from their main team. The only reason why she lost the other two gym leader battles is because Winona and Juan battled her in a capacity near their full strength. She was first noticed by Roxanne by her outstanding performance and was exempted from the trainer's school. She even caught Norman's eye and he himself trained her personally for approximately eight months. She's not even thirteen yet, younger than when Steven first made his debut. She have personal ties to every single gym leader in Hoenn. Which other trainer her age can boast about that? She's a talent, a shining star." President Lucas looked back up at Wallace.
"Hoenn needs her. We need someone from the next generation who is capable of protecting our land and thwarting criminal organisations, someone who can inspire future generations. Even at her young age, she had already contributed so much to Hoenn considering what she did to bring down the Magmas and the Aquas."
Wallace stood up and slammed his palms on the table as he leaned forward to face the President, who remained unfazed and met Wallace's narrowed eyes.
"How." Wallace gritted out. "Did you know about that. Only a select few from the league who I trust knows about what she did, I did not tell anyone from the government."
"I have my ways, Wallace. As President, I need to know what will possibly threaten my motherland. It's not nice to keep something so important from me, you know? We need to learn how to work with each other."
"Who is to say you won't use these information to further your own agenda." Wallace said as a look of anger was worn on his usually serene face. "And how much do you know?"
"I know enough." The President replied as he leaned back and poured a cup of tea for the both of them and handed Wallace a cup. Wallace ignored it. The President took his own cup and he sipped contently on the hot beverage. "Don't worry, even I did not manage to find out where you hid the orbs away and I want no part in that particular matter either. It's not my area of expertise, I am not a trainer. I know when to back off."
"You better do."
"Back on the matter regarding Velda Vera-"
"Don't." Wallace said as he stood straight up. "Even think about it."
"-I was thinking of releasing the news of her contributions to the public. It will help quell the public's anger quite a bit, don't you think?"
"Are you even listening to what you are saying?! You will be painting a huge target on her back! The Magmas and Aquas remnants will go after her like carvanhas to their prey! Velda is just a child. A child who is ridden with sickness since birth and her only dream is to travel the world! You want to make her the next Steven Stone, but there's no point in forcing someone who has no desire to serve in such positions!"
"But that is such a waste of talent, is it not? Sure, I know she has always been sickly, but there are many ways she can help contribute to our region regardless. She is just too valuable. Such a talent only comes once in every few generations. We are blessed that we have you and Steven, and now she comes along. A Generalist. You know better than me how rare a talented Generalist is. She is someone who might grow to be as powerful as Cynthia of Sinnoh. With the three of you, Hoenn will be the top region in the world."
"Just what exactly are you planning?"
"Only for the best of our homeland. That's all I want."
Wallace clenched his fists as he restrained himself from punching the man this very instant. Wallace knows President Lucas is loyal to Hoenn, loyal to a fault even, but his convoluted ways in protecting Hoenn and how he justified his actions can be sickening.
"The revelation of Velda's contributions will help quell the public's dissatisfaction at the government and the league. She will be your new poster girl, the future of Hoenn, a possible candidate for the next Champion in line after Steven. You want to paint a target on Velda's back so she will have no choice but to join the league forces for her own safety. You get publicity while also appeasing the public and you get a talented trainer into our ranks at the same time. What a nice setup, but that's not the full picture you are painting, am I right?"
"Well, that's what you say, not me. When you put it this way, it does make me look like a scheming man."
"I will not allow it."
"Then give me a better idea to calm the masses. Or apprehend Courtney and Shelly who is still out there on the loose doing who knows what. Give me something that can help me to do my job easier. From what we know, Tabitha and Shelly are now the most dangerous criminals out there in our lands after we apprehended Maxie and Archie and we still cannot find hide nor hair about where they are and what they are planning. Their ideologies are dangerous. For all we know, they might be planning to sabotage the upcoming conference, which happens to be the biggest one we are holding in recent years. If the Magma or Aqua remnants do something similar to Lilycove just one more time, the entire region will revolt. There will be mass panic and there will be chaos and that's the last thing we need right now. We need to do something to restore the public's confidence in us. Having many talented trainers joining our ranks can do that among many other things that I have planned out to salvage the situation. Having Velda Vera joining us is just another huge bonus."
"We will find the remnants, that is the league's job in the first place. But leave the trainers out of this. If they want to join, they will join willingly on their own accord."
"What do you think I am? A ruthless dictator? Of course they will have the free will to choose and decide whether they want to join the league's ranks. I have full confidence that most of them, if not all of them, will join our ranks. With a little persuading, of course. Can't leave out the mandatory recruitment talk, can we?"
Wallace turned around to leave the room. There is no point in continuing this conversation anymore.
"Wallace." Wallace stopped and turned back a little to face the President, who is now resting his chin on the back of his hands with the table as support.
"Whatever is discussed today in this room, stays in this room. Velda will join the league forces. If you are not doing it, I am, one way or another. She is too valuable an asset to be left alone wandering around or wasting her time running a pokemon breeding farm no matter how important that farm is to us. Don't use her sickness as an excuse, we can always make exceptions or special arrangements for her to deal with her condition. Regardless of what you think, I am not a heartless monster. We are the leaders that lead other leaders, Wallace. The fate and safety of Hoenn lies upon our shoulders. Every single decision we made, every single policy we authorised is done with the knowledge that it is the best we can do right now to guarantee Hoenn's continued survival. Peace have been maintained across the world via the PWL for centuries, but we both know how fragile that peace truly is behind the beautiful facade. We need to prepare for every single possibility, including a possibility of war against the other regions no matter how unlikely it seems now. We know that much the moment we took on the mantle of the Champion and President." President Lucas gave a sigh before continuing. "Sometimes, individual sacrifices have to be made for the greater good. We both know this. You did good in choosing Steven as your successor, but I don't think he realised what it really means to be a Champion yet. He's still too naive. I have faith he will grow up and fill the shoes you leave behind when you resign from your position in a few years time, but we also need to plan for the future after Steven. It's best to start now. You have Steven to take over you, but what about me?" President Lucas ran his hand across his face tiredly, a look of fatigue washing across his face. "I still haven't find a successor who I can entrust Hoenn to. Until I do so, I need to be in this position so that at least I can continue to protect Hoenn the only way I know how. Trust me, if I can find someone who can do a better job than me, I will resign from my position in a heartbeat. Sadly, none of my trusted subordinates are people who are suited for the job of President, even you agree with me on this. I know we don't always get along with each other, but at least trust me when I say that I truly love Hoenn. I want to do my best to ensure that Hoenn will continue to enjoy peace and stability for at least a few more centuries. Right now, our military might is at an all time low and the best we can do is to compensate quantity for quality. At least we now know that we are heading in the right direction since none of your ACE operatives perished on their missions to exterminate the Magmas and Aquas, so that is a consolation for us. Roxanne's efforts in her pokemon schools project will help tremendously in improving the quality of our trainers, but the downside is that we will not see results immediately. It will take at least another decade for it to bear any fruit. Our region now only has two Pokemon Masters, you and Drake. Steven might become one, but we won't know for sure yet. Between you and Drake, you are at your prime while Drake is old. You will be the only Pokemon Master left in Hoenn if anything untoward happens to him. Can you see my concerns now?"
"I will find another way."
"Three months." President Lucas relented. "If you can do something tangible to alleviate my concerns regarding the issues we discussed today, I will keep my hands to where they should belong. I don't particularly enjoy doing this either, it's not a nice feeling playing the role of the villain but something needs to be done. Remember, tangible results, Wallace. I don't want empty promises or half-cooked plans that might or might not work. If you cannot solve the problems that is currently plaguing Hoenn, I will step in. That's all I want to say today. I know that you love Hoenn as much as I do and you have always taken your job very seriously despite the disagreements we have. Please understand where I am coming from. The peace that Hoenn is experiencing now is too fragile with the way the public currently is and how the Magma and Aqua remnants are still around and biding their time. I have no doubt you will do your best, but even the league that you are a part of have their own limitations. If you ever need my help within these three months, or even in the future, my doors will always be open to you as long as I am here."
Wallace opened the door to walk through it, but stopped briefly to reply without turning back.
"I will take your words into consideration, but I will protect Hoenn my way."
"Three months, Wallace."
The door slammed shut.
"-the Ghost Mistress-"
"Did she really-"
"-I heard she won all five-"
"-only with one pokemon? That one?"
I continued walking through the building while trying my best not to give a shit-eating grin. Fuzzy have no such considerations as he snickered mischievously from where he is on my shoulder. Dolly simply gave a ghostly giggle to unnerve everyone around us as she allowed me to carry her around in my arms like a doll. Everyone around us gave us a wide berth as we strolled through. Dolly is enjoying this and so am I.
The 528th Ever Grande Conference that I had been eagerly waiting for had finally started. This conference is one of the largest to be ever hosted in recent years, with the total number of participants tallying up to approximately 400 trainers this year. Many trainers from the other regions (except for Orre who is still uncharted territory and no one else knows what is exactly going on in there) had entered as well, and these foreign trainers are usually Elite trainers who had come here to challenge and experience the Hoenn gym circuit. From what I see, the league are pulling out all the stops to make this conference a successful one to erase any bad memories regarding the invasion on Lilycove that happened about six months ago.
Yeah, I don't want to dwell on that either.
The Ever Grande Conference, like its name suggested, is being held in Ever Grande City. The city is both beautiful and majestic and my fighting spirit has been roused just by being in the city at this time of the year. There are many merchandises being sold by businesses who wants to use this annual opportunity to make a killing. The amount of tourists the Ever Grande Conference attracts to Hoenn and to Ever Grande City each year is staggering, and that is not taking into the account the amount of viewers who will be watching the matches from their TVs.
Given the huge number of trainers that had applied to take part in this year's conference, the League Competition Committee, a committee from the PWL whose sole purpose is to monitor the annual regional leagues from their member regions and ensure that no foul play is involved for the entire duration, had put in place the preliminaries to eliminate the weaker participants so that the stronger ones can progress. The entire conference will take too long to complete otherwise. The preliminaries is more or less like a lottery system where every trainer is randomly being pitted against another trainer. The committee tries to make it as fair as possible in the number of preliminary matches each trainer have to go through, but there will be trainers who will have to go through an extra round or two given that the total number of trainers who needs to take part in the preliminaries is an odd number. I cannot remember the exact number since I never cared about it. I crushed any opposition with Dolly by my side.
Elite trainers, no matter which region they hailed from, are exempted from the preliminaries and are automatically given a spot in the top 256. It will not be fair to the first timers if the Elite trainers participated in the preliminaries as well even though there will always be a few talented ones like Steven Stone or my brother among them every year who managed to reach at least top 8 on their first try. The remaining pool of trainers who are competing for their first time will fight it out in the preliminaries until all the top 256 positions are filled. I have to go through five rounds of preliminary matches myself.
I won it all with Dolly alone and we did it effortlessly. I'm proud of her.
The number of pokemons, the type specialty that you are versed in, and the species of pokemons that each trainer used is a closely guarded secret in the competition. No items are allowed in the battles either. Every single match is recorded and can be viewed on the league's official webpage after the matches of the day are over. The profile of each trainer for this conference is updated after every match to show the pokemons that each trainer had used for each battle. For me, since I had only used Dolly for my matches, my profile will only show a banette as the pokemon I have on hand if anyone searched for it. The rest of my team are unknown as far as my competitors are concerned. The lesser members of your team you show early on in the conference, the more surprises you have in the later stages since no one will know what to expect.
To save time, the preliminary matches only allowed each trainer to use one pokemon. It's kind of scary that the one pokemon you chose to battle with will decide whether you stay or leave the conference. I had thought long and hard about who to use before my first preliminary match. It would not be wise to use your strongest member right off the bat since your future competitors will devise counters to it. It would not do good to use a pokemon with combat powers that are too weak either, even if they are good at setting up the stage for future matches that allow the use of more than one pokemon. The preliminaries are single battles with only one pokemon each for both opposing trainers in battle. Using a pokemon with strong combat prowess is a must.
I decided to use Dolly.
Dolly is by far the most adaptable and versatile member of the team with the wide range of moves in her arsenal. She's not the strongest if we are talking about raw combat prowess, but she is strong enough to give most people a very hard time. Many trainers have no counters or experience in dealing with ghosts due to how rare they are among the training community and the stigma about ghosts is still very prevalent among the populace. Even then, the most popular ghosts among trainers in Hoenn are sableyes or dusclops. If trainers managed to get their hands on a reaper cloth, then you might face the rare dusknoir. Hardly anyone will want to train a shuppet into a banette as they are not known for being good in combat. They don't have sableye's proficiency in recovery moves and they do not possess the defense that the dusclops line boast. Banettes are known for having slightly better offensive capabilities among the three, but it is often overshadowed by other species of pokemons.
In short, none of my opponents so far knew how to deal with Dolly.
Another reason for me using Dolly is that in the event that we met a formidable foe during the preliminaries that we are unable to bring down, we can always fall back on Destiny Bond as a last resort. A draw in the preliminaries, or in any matches throughout the entire duration of a conference for the matter, is rare, but it had happened before. In the case of preliminary matches, a draw will simply cause the two participants in question to be reshuffled and arranged to face off another competitor. It will not have any effect on my standing besides a temporary stagnation and an extra round of battle.
No one had managed to push me and Dolly to that extent yet. In fact, they are so laughably weak that I felt bored. How did these people earn their eight badges?!
I know I sound arrogant but this is truly how I feel right now. If this is the standard of the Ever Grande Conference, then it will really feel as if that I have wasted both my time and those of my team in training for it. At this rate I don't think I will even need to send out Kratos, he had been looking forward to face a challenging foe too.
Alright, bad thoughts. Bad, bad thoughts. Snap out of this, Velda Vera. It will not do good for you to be underestimating anyone. It is only the preliminaries, the real show is at the back.
To make sure I don't give out too much information about myself and my team, I only let Fuzzy and Dolly out when I walked around in public. I don't want anyone to know who I might use against them in the conference. No one took Fuzzy seriously, his species are known for being good companion pokemon but never had anyone used them for battles on this level. He will just be brushed off as an afterthought. Everyone who deemed me as a threat will know about Dolly so letting her out to have some fun in seeing the new sights of Ever Grande will not put us in any disadvantage for our future matches. So officially, even if my profile for this conference only shows that I have a banette on hand, everyone who keeps an eye out for me will know that I have a banette and a pachirisu. However, like I said, no one will take Fuzzy seriously. They will think I'm mad if I sent him out for battle in the conference.
Just wait until Fuzzy beats their team into the ground and zap them silly. They will be the ones raving mad by then.
The most hilarious and unexpected thing is this: Dolly is too good at what she does. Due to how effortlessly Dolly had teared our opposition apart without a single scratch on her, many people had assumed that I am a Ghost Specialist given how well-trained Dolly is. To them, this is not a good sign due to how feared Ghost Specialists are among the training community if you ever faced them in battle. From what I gathered from the rumour mill, some of them had even compared me to Phoebe of the Elite Four and even Agatha from Kanto. Like, come on, I am nowhere even close to being a Ghost Specialist! Agatha will probably be pissed if she ever heard how these people compared me to her.
I don't think I can blame them though. The only pokemon I have ever been shown to use is Dolly and it does make sense to take an educated guess at the specialty of the trainers you might face by looking at the type of pokemons they are known to use. Generalists like me are rare especially at the higher levels of pokemon battles. These people have obviously ignored Fuzzy's presence and thought that he is just another companion pokemon. There are some trainers who kept pokemons on their team simply for companionship and not use them for battle, it is not that rare.
The kicker? Someone had started to dub me the 'Ghost Mistress' by my third preliminary match and somehow this moniker had spread around to the participants like wildfire. I don't know whether to cry or laugh when I first heard about it. My team simply burst out laughing, or their equivalent of laughter when I told them about it in private.
In the end, I decided to simply play along with the assumptions since it will be advantageous to us later on. My future opponents will be preparing to face a Ghost Specialist when I am in fact, a Generalist. I purposely let Dolly be visibly near me whenever I showed myself in public and it helped us in moving around unhindered as everyone simply gave us a wide berth wherever we go. Like Dolly, I will use trickery and deceit to win us this conference and bring us as far as we can possibly go. If they want to assume I am a Ghost Specialist simply by basing their judgement on Dolly alone, then it will be their downfall, not mine.
Dolly treats this issue as the largest prank she will be doing in her life and is doing her very best to solidify the assumption that I am a Ghost Specialist.
Rena and Kel are not very happy with the fact that now they are unable to walk around with me in public like they are used to, but they understand the advantages of secrecy at this stage of the conference if we want to win. I still let them out in the dorm that we are provided with so that they can cuddle and sleep with me at night, so it's fine for them. For the rest of my team, I let them out in the training field when it is my allotted time slot to use it for training purposes.
Every participant in the conference is being housed in their own individual dorm rooms in small villages for the entire duration of the conference. It won't be smart to house a few trainers in a single room given that many trainers have the habit of sleeping with their pokemons, and pokemons who are trained to be strong enough to take part in the conference are often very protective of their trainers. Housing a few trainers in a single room, even if it is only two, is just asking for accidents to happen. Pokemons will not care if they killed someone else as long as to them, they have protected their team and trainer from harm. In addition, it will be hard for trainers to plan their strategies for the conference privately in their dorm if there is another competing participant rooming with them.
The secrecy aspect of the conference also means that trainers are often not willing to publicly showcase their team members more than necessary so that they can have the element of surprise for their future matches. However, training needs to be done and there are only so many training fields available. The committee had allocated specific timeslots for every single participant to a specific training field for our own private use and these training fields are located in a building that is specially built for this purpose. Each training field is just a big room where your pokemons can wreck havoc to your heart's content without fear of the building collapsing or someone else spying on you. The only thing we need to ensure is that we clear up our own messes and restore it into its original state for the next user. If a participant is being eliminated from the conference after losing in battle, his right to use the training field will automatically be revoked so that trainers who really need it can use it. Spying on a competing participant while they are conducting training for their team is also heavily frowned upon and anyone caught doing that will be expelled and heavily punished. Even if someone tried that on me, they will not succeed. I have Rena whose powers have precognitive abilities. I have Dolly who have the ability to sense out negative emotions. I have Bigblue who has a built-in radar on his head. I have Snap who can sense the most minute of vibrations on the ground and can tell who is around us simply by standing on it. Clearing up the training field and restoring it to its original state after use is not a big problem either. I have Bigblue, Lily, Snap, and Kratos and each of them have the ability to restore the training field in an instant.
In fact, the four of them even went the extra mile to beautify it. The ground of the training field is just a mixture of dirt and gravel and my allocated training field is located on the ground level. The room is constructed by simply placing four sturdy walls and a ceiling in a rectangular fashion. The ground of the training field always felt smoother after my pokemons restored it with their powers. There are times where it is actually smooth enough to reflect light as if the ground has been waxed. Rena even told me that there is an ongoing competition between the four of them to see who is the best in beautifying the training ground after use. As of now, Snap is in the lead.
Thanks to Dolly, we are now qualified to be ranked in the top 256 after the end of the preliminaries. The matches from the top 256 to the top 32 are known as the qualifying rounds and it will be a series of double battles. The matches from the top 16 and beyond will be full battles with a maximum of six pokemons on each side in a one-on-one standard style. My aim for this conference is to be ranked in at least the top 4 just like Vance did. The aim I set is hard to achieve as it means that we will have to fight all the way up to be the top 1% of the participating trainers for this conference. My team had trained hard for this, aiming for this much should be possible. The upcoming battles will get exponentially harder but we are a team that had experienced combat against the members of a gym leader's main team and survived. We can afford to aim high.
The first battle of the qualifying rounds for us will start tomorrow. Sending out Dolly is a given, but I still have no idea who to send out as the second member. My next opponent will no doubt be prepared for Dolly just as I am now prepared against him. I will have to play by ear when the time comes. The more bloodthirsty members of my team is getting a little impatient to do battle. Kratos is willing to wait for a little longer as he wants to, in his own words which were translated for me by Rena, 'wait for a worthy opponent to face the King of the Mountain', and hence he did not kick up much fuss about not being able to be sent out to battle anytime soon. Snap is a little disgruntled, but he let out his excess energy by making full use of the time we have in the training field. Toothless, however, is especially eager to do battle and never failed to remind me whenever I release him out of his pokeball by poking me gently with his claws.
Considerations about our secrecy tactics aside, I wonder if sending them out during the qualifying rounds will be overkill?