Pokémon : The Journey of Travis Tedford

Chapter 7: The Tournament Begins!

It took us two and a half days, but eventually, we arrived in Vermillion City the day before the festival. Despite traveling together, Efren and I spent a lot of time apart to train for the tournament. Neither of us wanted to give away what our Pokémon had learned in the time since we last battled in case we were to go up against each other again in the tournament. Even after we made it to Vermillion City, we decided to sleep in separate rooms and train on our own. When the following morning arrived, I woke up early and quickly went to sign up for the tournament. When I looked, I had seen that Efren was the first one to sign up. "Wow, he really wants that Oshawott," I thought to myself. I explored the town that was decorated with floats and posters of many different Unova region Pokémon. Not just that, but there also a lot of Unova Pokémon around that were caught by trainers who had traveled through the Unova region. The tournament was to begin soon, so I immediately went over to the battlefield. There were 15 other trainers apart from me standing there waiting. Not only was Efren among them, but also Anna. Anna noticed me instantly and ran up to me. "Travis! It's been a while! How have you been?" She asked with excitement in her eyes. I smiled back at her. "It's good to see you, Anna! I've been great! I already have two badges so far!" I said as I pulled out my badge case to show her. "That's great and all, but check this out!" She said as she revealed her badge case that showed she now had 3 badges. "I just defeated the Vermillion City Gym yesterday! It was the toughest battle I've had so far! I hope we get to battle in the tournament so I can show you how much stronger I am!" She said. "I knew you could become strong," I said encouragingly. Anna began to blush and walked up to me and hugged me. "I owe it all to you for believing in me," she said with tears in her eyes. I had never received a hug from a girl before, so it was a bit awkward to me, but since she was my dear friend, I hugged her back. "Oh? Who is this?" Asked Efren, who walked up to us. "Eff, this is my good friend Anna. We traveled around for a bit together, and now she's on a journey of her own to enter the Pokémon league," I said. "Nice to meet you, Anna! I'm Efren, I'm a childhood friend of Travis's," said Efren. "It's nice to meet you too! Any friend of Travis's is a friend of mine! I can't wait to get this tournament started! I'm going to win that Oshawott!" Said Anna, clenching her fists. Both Efren and I looked at Anna surprised. "Well, you'll have to beat me first if you want that Oshawott because that's the main reason I entered this tournament too! I'm going to do whatever it takes to win it!" Said Efren all fired up. "Then I guess that makes us rivals too. What about you, Travis? Are you after Oshawott as well?" Asked Anna. "No, I'm mainly here for the experience. I've been training a lot with my Pokémon lately, and it'd be great to see the results of their training. Plus, if I were to win, I'd probably choose Tepig or Snivy. Emboar looks so cool when it's fully evolved, and Serperior looks majestic!" I said. The horn went off a moment later, which signaled the start of the tournament. Each of us 16 trainers' faces appeared on the monitor and began to randomize until eventually, we were each matched up against a trainer. "First match is Travis versus Benjy! Both trainers, please stay on the field while the rest of you make your way to the stands," said the referee.

I wasn't too thrilled to be the first one to battle, but a part of me was excited to show off to both Efren and Anna the results of my training. "Each trainer will use one Pokémon! Now begin!" called out the Ref. "Charmander, I choose you!" called out Benjy as his Charmander emerged from its thrown Pokéball. "Bagon, let's go!" I called out as I threw its Pokéball. Bagon emerged, confident and ready for battle. "Bagon?! Where did Travis manage to find such a rare Pokémon?!" asked a confused Anna. "He said it hatched from an egg he received back in Pewter City. Travis knows raising a Dragon-type Pokémon is challenging, but that's just the type of guy he is; he loves taking things head-on," said Efren. Anna noticed that Efren's eyes lit up a bit when he said that and she began to get a little suspicious. "Charmander, use Dragon Rage now!" called out Benjy. "Quick, Bagon, intercept with Dragon Breath!" I called out. Both Pokémon unleashed powerful Dragon-type moves that collided and canceled each other out. "Use Headbutt!" I called out. Bagon launched itself and Headbutted Charmander. "Counterattack with Flame Charge!" called out Benjy. Charmander shrouded itself in flames and tackled Bagon. Bagon picked itself up from the ground, ready to strike back. "Use Headbutt again!" I called out. Bagon launched itself at Charmander again, but Charmander managed to dodge it easily. "Whoa, what great speed," I said, surprised. "Flame Charge is a move that increases a Pokémon's speed each time it's used! Show them again, Charmander, with another Flame Charge!" shouted Benjy. Charmander shrouded itself with flames again and charged at Bagon again with even greater speed, landing its hit. "Bagon, use Dragon Breath until you hit it!" I called out. Bagon fired its attack, trying to hit Charmander, but it was too fast and managed to dodge. "Use Flame Charge again!" called out Benjy. Bagon was unable to dodge because at that point Charmander's speed was too great, and it was struck again. Bagon was on the verge of fainting; it had already taken too many back-to-back hits. "Alright, time to finish this, Charmander! Use Fire Fang!" called out Benjy. Charmander came quickly at Bagon with its fangs covered in flames and bit onto Bagon. That's when I smirked, catching Benjy off guard. "I was waiting for you to come in close like that. Bagon! Let's show him your newest attack! Hydro Pump now!" I called out. Bagon endured Charmander's attack and then fired a powerful Hydro Pump attack directly at Charmander's face, resulting in it fainting. "Charmander is unable to battle; Bagon is the winner!" called out the Ref. "You did it, Bagon! You won your very first victory!" I said as I ran onto the field and picked it up. Bagon was so happy that it had tears falling from its eyes. I walked over to where the others were. "You did really good out there. When did your Bagon learn Hydro Pump?" asked Efren. "Misty gave me the idea originally. She told me that Bagon was capable of learning a very powerful Water-type move, so after I learned what attack it was, I spent the last few days trying to teach it to him. To be honest, I got lucky that the attack worked because he didn't master it at all prior to today," I said. "What?! Talk about luck. You're gonna need luck if you think you can beat me," said Anna. Next up to battle was Efren, whose opponent was named Michelle. Michelle seemed more on the quiet side, so when Efren greeted her, she only nodded her head as a greeting. "Battle begin!" called the Ref. Efren grabbed his Pokéball and threw it out onto the field. "Let's go, Shinx!" he called out. Shinx emerged from its Pokéball. "Let's go, Gothita!" called out Michelle as it emerged from its Pokéball. "Alright, Shinx, use Spark!" called out Efren as Shinx charged at Gothita with electricity shrouding its body. "Use Reflect," said Michelle. Gothita's eyes began to glow, and then suddenly a mirror appeared in front of it, halving Shinx's attack. "Efren's in a bit of a tricky spot. All of Shinx's physical attacks' damage has been halved due to Gothita's Reflect attack," said Anna. "Don't underestimate Efren. He's strong; there's a reason why I haven't been able to beat him. When you think you have the upper hand on him, he always surprises you," I said with a confident smile. Anna observed the way I spoke about Efren, and she immediately began to feel a bit jealous. "Use Thundershock!" called out Efren as Shinx released a strong bolt of electricity toward Gothita. "Now, use Light Screen!" called out Michelle. Now not only Shinx's physical attacks but Special Attacks were also halved in power. "Now, Gothita, use Psybeam!" she said. Gothita fired its Psybeam and hit Shinx. "I have to admit your Gothita is pretty strong. But I think it's time to end this battle," said Efren. Michelle looked at Efren as if he was crazy. "Shinx, use Howl!" called out Efren. Shinx let out a very powerful Howl, which raised its attack. "It doesn't matter what you try; my Gothita's Reflect is still in effect!" said Michelle. "We'll see! Shinx, use Night Slash!" called out Efren. Shinx charged at Gothita and slashed it with a powerful dark slash attack. Gothita then fainted. "Gothita is unable to battle; Shinx wins! The victory goes to Efren!" called out the Ref. "You did it, Eff; I already knew you were gonna win," I said when he returned to the stands. "How did you know he was going to win?" asked Anna, a bit annoyed. "Because I just know by watching how his face looks when he's battling. One thing about Eff is whenever he's confident about something, he's always smiling, and despite everything Michelle's Gothita did, Eff's smile didn't drop once," I said. "Thanks, but you give me too much credit! I'm not that confident!" said Efren.

The three of us all gave it our all in our upcoming battles until eventually we ended up in the top 4. When the ref called for the four of us to stand on the field and watch on the monitor as we waited to see who we'd be up against, we were shocked to see the results. I was to go first against a trainer named Jay, while the second battle was going to be between Efren and Anna.

"If you manage to win, then you may be able to get that rematch with me you've been wanting," said Efren. "No, if I win, you'll be able to go up against me and see how strong I've become!" said Anna. I laughed and nodded at both of them. "I'll do my best to win, and it'll be fun to battle against either of you!" I said. They both agreed and left the field while only Jay and I remained.

"Let's make this a fun match. My name's Jay! I've been on my journey for a couple of weeks now, and I already have three gym badges," said Jay as he held out his hand. "I'm Travis! I've also been on my journey for only a couple of weeks now. Unfortunately, I only have two badges, but as soon as the festival is over, I'm going to train hard to get my 3rd gym badge," I said as I shook his hand. "Think of this match as a warm-up match for your gym battle. Don't underestimate me though," said Jay. I nodded, and we both went to the opposite sides of the battlefield. The ref then signaled for the match to begin.

"Here's my number one partner, Squirtle! I choose you!" called out Jay as Squirtle emerged from its Pokeball. "Here's mine! Pikachu, go!" I called out as Pikachu emerged from its Pokeball. "Pikachu, use Shock Wave!" I called out. Pikachu launched a strong electric attack towards Squirtle. "Get into your shell and block it with Rapid Spin!" called out Jay. Squirtle did as Jay instructed it to do, and it managed to block the Shock Wave. "Wow, that's a strong defense," I said, impressed. "You ain't seen nothing yet. Squirtle, use Water Gun!" called out Jay. Squirtle shot a powerful blast of water from its shell and hit Pikachu. "Now, use Rapid Spin! Back to back!" called out Jay. Squirtle came at Pikachu like a pinball, moving from one side of the field to the other. Pikachu was able to dodge most of its attacks until it tired out and got hit from behind. "I didn't realize Squirtle could move so fast. Let's show him our speed with Quick Attack!" I called out. Pikachu charged at Squirtle and tackled it. Squirtle was knocked backward on its shell, and it struggled to get back on its feet. "Squirtle, no!" yelled Jay. I knew now was my chance to strike. "Use Brick Break now!" I called out. Pikachu charged at Squirtle ready to attack, but then Jay suddenly started smiling. "You fell for our trap! Now, Squirtle, use Water Pledge!" called out Jay. Squirtle spun around and then landed on its feet, unleashing a powerful water attack that sprayed from the ground and struck Pikachu. It was a critical hit, and it nearly knocked out Pikachu, but Pikachu held in there. Since the battle had started, Squirtle had landed multiple hits on Pikachu. I knew in order to defeat it, I'd have to bust out the new combination attack we had been practicing. I was hoping to use it against Efren in the tournament, but drastic times called for drastic measures.

"Squirtle, let's finish this with Rapid Spin!" called out Jay. Squirtle once again began pinballing across the field. "I refuse to be the first one to lose at this tournament!" I shouted. Both Efren and Anna could feel my determination, and they were staring at me with amazement. "Pikachu, it's time for our combination Attack! Brick Break with an Electro ball!" I called out. Pikachu's tail began to glow and form an Electro Ball. When Squirtle came charging towards it, Pikachu swung its tail and struck Squirtle's hard shell. When Squirtle emerged from its shell, it was defeated. The ref announced me as the first finalist, and the crowd cheered, amazed at my combination attack. "Great job, Pikachu! You pulled it off really well!" I said. "Travis, you were amazing in that battle! You had me thinking you were going to lose at first," said Anna. "Yeah, well, I almost did, but then I suddenly had this surge of determination to face one of you two in the finale, and that was enough to help me win," I said. Anna looked over at Efren. "Well, let the best trainer win," said Efren. He and Anna went to the opposite ends of the battlefield and threw out their Pokémon. Efren chose his Meowth, while Anna chose Jigglypuff.