The Pokemon Masters League[What a Cheesy name]

[Qsrit]

Im so tired

im going to sleep

if one likes it i will lock it

i know i have spelling errors but ill edit it when i wake up

 

[spoiler=Chapter One

The Missing Link]

 

 

 

 

 

The sun cast a bright glow over the hills as a new day slowly began. It was the start of the summer…finally. In the city; the big, metropolitan city, businessmen and women alike sat in cars, sweltering in the heat of their small cars, stuck in heavy traffic during the rush hour. Housewives bode farewell to husbands for the day, standing in their disinfected confines for another stale day. Meanwhile, the children had finished school for the next couple of months. Now they were free from the shackles of education, the city was theirs. Ice cream parlors and burger bars were raking in excess cash and high profits.

 

The sky was a beautiful, pastel blue. Its vivid colors stretched across the sky as far as the eye could see. The sun sat behind a collection of fluffy white clouds which began to gently drift across the atmosphere.

 

Two people were wandering out of the city and up a dusty ridge towards a long, flat stone arena overlooking the beautiful city. One, a young man of 16 years, took a swig from a bottle of water and hiked farther and farther. His light brown hair was very dark in some places, and came down to the bridge of his nose. He had a well defined face. Carrying the gaze of his hazel eyes around, he saw his companion huffing and puffing as she walked slightly behind him.

 

Both were in light-coloured T-shirts, as it was a sweltering day, especially when one was this high up in the mountains. The male, who went by the name of Chris, wore a white t-shirt, which already showed sweaty patches underneath it. The girl, however, wore a light coloured yellow t-shirt. Both were in shorts.

 

“Can we have a break now?” the girl asked, tying her light brown hair in a ponytail. She took much precision in keeping two strands either side of her face. She dabbed on some more foundation with a brush, and pursed her lips. She fluttered her eyelashes and admired herself. She was of a similar age to her boyfriend, and had a very pretty face. This was Jenny. Jenny had often been told she had the face of a model. She would never disagree.

 

“Sure,” Chris replied glumly. The two then sat down on the large, flat rocks surrounding the area, sighing as the heat and humidity began to get to them. Grabbing four red and white balls on her belt, Jenny, with her eyelids half-shut in fatigue, dropped the balls to the floor and let the creatures within take form.

 

First was her fluffy yellow sheep, Mareep, nicknamed Bleats. It was adorable, and Jenny’s favorite Pokemon to show off. The little sheep seemed very flustered by the heat. Besides Bleats was Jenny’s next Pokemon, a Sunflora. She had a big, wide, plate-like face of enthusiasm, with bright leaves and a sturdy stem. It was nicknamed Flora. Flora absorbed the sunlight with gusto. Thirdly was Jenny’s Mudkip, nicknamed Skip. Skip was the only male in the group, and as he came out, he gave a happy little cry. Jenny chuckled. Finally, Jenny’s Meowth, Paris, emerged, looking elegant and refined. She was a lot like her trainer; often very hissy and quick to strike. Paris sat by her trainer and cleaned herself while Bleats, Flora and Skip ran around merrily.

 

“Skip, honey, can you use a water gun to cool us off?” Jenny asked, stroking Paris. Skip complied, firing a jet of water high into the air, letting it fall as droplets of rain over the group. Bleats instantly shouted cries of gratitude, while Flora dug her root-like feet into the ground and Paris just watched the group from Jenny’s arms.

 

“This hike is really exhausting,” Jenny said. “I hope it’s worth it!”

 

“Of course it’s worth it,” Chris replied, drinking his water. “The initiation test is the first step.”

 

“Naturally you’re going to do fine,” Jenny replied placidly, sipping her water elegantly. “I just hope I’m up to scratch…”

 

“As long as Paris doesn’t think she’s too good for fights,” Chris replied. Paris hissed loudly, slashing the air.

 

“Paris doesn’t think like that!” Jenny said defensively, stroking her cat to calm her down. “All my Pokemon enjoy battles.”

 

Jenny looked at her boyfriend.

 

“Why aren’t you releasing your Pokemon?” she asked. “They want to stretch their legs, I bet.”

 

“They’re fine,” Chris replied. “Honestly. They’ll just get distracted.”

 

A figure wandered towards them. He looked young. He had mousey brown hair in a mop-like shape over his eyes. His expression was one of utter emptiness.

 

“Are you ok?” Chris asked.

 

“Yea…” he muttered. “I just had my Initiation match.”

 

“Oh, how did it go?” Chris asked, suddenly excited and keen to hear this boy’s story.

 

“I didn’t get in,” he sighed. “I lost my match.”

 

“What Pokemon do you have?” Jenny inquired.

 

“I used my Raticate,” replied the boy. “But…well, the examiner is strong. She uses evolved forms. Good luck.”

 

And with that, the boy wandered off past them. Every Pokemon had their eyes on the defeated trainer as he made his way back the way Chris and Jenny had come. The two watched the boy go.

 

“Evolved forms?” Chris asked. “Uh-Oh.”

 

In truth, he had no evolved Pokemon whatsoever. It depended what evolved forms the examiner had. Tyranitar or Charizard would be tough, but an evolved form like Butterfree or Pidgeotto would probably pose little or no challenge.

 

For the next ten minutes, Jenny made sure her Pokemon were all psyched up for their initiation battle. While Paris did seem somewhat too good for fighting, Jenny assured herself she could count on the somewhat snobby Pokemon. When Chris was sick of sitting there in the heat, he asked Jenny to recall her Pokemon and keep going. She did so, and the two made their way further up the mountain trail towards the top.

 

They talked very little. In all honesty, Chris found a lot of frustration in his girlfriend. He did like her, and she was very beautiful, but she was clumsy and often very hotheaded. The hike up the mountains had already exhausted him of his tolerance.

 

A figure watched from the top of the mountains. It was evident she was a woman, but she was cloaked in black, so her looks were not distinguishable. She could see the two figures making their way up to the top of the mountain, and had already grown to dislike Jenny from her actions before. Plucking a Pokeball from her belt, she hurled it over the side of the mountain and ran back a few feet to avoid being seen.

 

As Chris and Jenny continued to walk, they stopped as a Pokemon ran from around the corner. It was an Absol – these dog, wolf-like creatures had an upturned scythe on the side of their head. Powerful, they often sought challenges from anyone invading their territory.

 

“Oh my god! An Absol!” Jenny remarked.

 

“It wants to fight,” Chris noticed. He drew a Pokeball. “I’ll do the honors.”

 

Clutching the cold, smooth ball, Chris maximized it and threw it forward, opening it up and releasing his chosen Pokemon in a flash of bright light. Smaller than Absol, a navy blue in colour, Sneasel emerged. With sharp claws and a piercing glare, this agile weasel was severely underestimated by many. It watched Absol.

 

“Get in there with the first move,” Chris ordered. “Quick attack!”

 

As Sneasel swept along the dirty ground, feet moving rapidly and claws stretched back, Sneasel prepared to make contact. With a quick slash, Sneasel turned and sped back to his trainer. Unlike Jenny, Chris did not name his Pokemon. Absol did not take much damage, but charged energy in her scythe. The scythe-like appendage glowed a feverish white.

 

“That’s a razor wind,” Chris noted. “Take it Sneasel!”

 

The slash of energy was hurled from Absol’s scythe, slamming right into Sneasel. Sneasel, arms crossed in defense, skidded back and managed to take minimal damage.

 

“Now, use an agility blizzard combo!” Chris shouted. Sneasel sped through the air – this time on all fours, before leaping up over Absol’s head and spreading his arms wide. A chilled beam of frosty winds swept towards the Pokemon and engulfed it, freezing it all over with icy paticles. Absol looked pretty tired, prompting Sneasel to soar down towards it and deliver a focus punch right in the face.

 

Absol fell backwards. Sneasel leapt back to his trainer. Absol slowly got up and ran around the corner. Giving chase, Chris and Jenny ran around the corner to see that, somehow, it had disappeared completely. Luckily, they did see a stone staircase leading to the very top of the mountain.

 

“We must be near,” Chris informed Jenny, who was curious as to where Absol went. The two went up the stairs together, Chris recalling Sneasel into his Pokeball, wondering what was up at the top.

 

The walk was not much farther. Chris did feel a painful throbbing in his calves; it was evident they were protesting the hike in the only way they knew. Jenny kept giving off dramatic sighs to herself as they walked, shooting glances at Chris.

 

Up the stone staircase they went. Each step sent a tiring ache up Chris’ leg. He sighed as the sun pulsated strongly; steadily drenching him with sweat, sweat that cascaded down his forehead. Jenny was fanning herself with a piece of paper, contemplating sending Skip out to cool them off. Chris did not like the idea.

 

“We need an element of surprise in this match,” Chris warned his girlfriend. “If we send our Pokemon out alongside us, well, the examiner could manipulate that into a strategy.”

 

Huffing to herself, Jenny plodded onwards, eventually getting her mobile phone out and ringing her friend Daphne. Blabbering about fashion, Jenny found the time simply flew by as she boasted about Paris and her other Pokemon. Chris sighed and saw the top of the mountain get closer and closer.

 

Eventually, after what seemed an age, they arrived up at the top. It was a long, barren wasteland up at the top. It was even hotter than usual with the cloudless sky wavering through their eyes. A figure stood on one end of an arena, the arena itself having been constructed by a twig running through the sand, probably. The woman was dressed in all black, covering her face save for her eyes. She looked very odd.

 

“Challengers,” she said.

 

“Yea, we’re here for the initiation,” Chris informed the woman. “I’m Chris, this is Jenny.”

 

“Hi!” Jenny cried nervously. The woman grabbed her black garments and threw them off, revealing a powerful-looking pinstripe suit over a young woman’s body. A refreshing, mint-green shirt was under her suit, and she wore black trousers. Her shoes had small heels. The woman was, in actuality, young-looking. Chris was reminded of a lawyer. Her hair was a few shades of brown, and it just reached her shoulders. She wore a pair of classy shades, so Chris was unable to see her face. Chris put her at about 18, possibly 19 or even 20. She looked very mature.

 

“My name is Rebecca,” the woman stated. “Or Becca for short. I am your examiner for the TPML.”

 

She grabbed two Pokeballs.

 

“We will have a standard double battle, during which I will assess your performance and decide whether or not you are qualified enough to enter the league.”

 

Throwing the two Pokeballs forward, Becca released her Pokemon. One was a purple colour. It was like two star-shapes backed onto each other, with a chunky, red gem in the center. Starmie. Despite being a genderless Pokemon, there was a distinct gruffness in Starmie’s equally feminine cry that suggested it may be a male.

 

Materializing next to Starmie was a crimson Pokemon. It had a steel body and two pincers for hands. Wearing a rather serious look, the Scizor in question stood at about Becca’s height.

 

“Meet Chiron, the Starmie, and Orion, the Scizor,” Becca said proudly.

 

“Ok…no worries here, right?” Chris asked Jenny, although his voice did sound higher than usual.

 

“No worries,” Jenny smiled. “Go Bleats!”

 

Mareep emerged, bleating happily. Dancing around, Bleats did not realize how immature she looked in front of Orion and Chiron. Chris grabbed a ball from his belt and threw it forward, releasing his choice. The little Magby emerged, smiling and waggling his little tail. Despite being small, he was a powerful Pokemon. Magby flexed his arms, eyes wide in over joyous anticipation of the match ahead.

 

“So it is Orion and Chiron versus…Bleats and Magby,” Becca noted, trying not to laugh at Mareep’s nickname. “BEGIN!”

 

“Bleats, thunderbolt at Chiron!” Jenny cried.

 

“Flamethrower, Magby,” Chris added. “Aim for Orion’s torso.”

 

Bleats flashed yellow as her fur began to charge up. Static electricity bounced around and soon, the sheep’s wool was like candy floss. Releasing the discharge in a jagged bolt of electricity, Bleats cried out in succession as it soared through the air. As it approached, however, Chiron began to spin on one point. Faster and faster he got, and as the thunderbolt hit this radius of spinning energy, it was sent flying towards Magby at an angle. Magby leapt from the attack, rolling and spurting flames from his mouth. They scorched Orion lightly, who shielded himself with his claws.

 

“Chiron, use a bubblebeam,” Becca ordered. “Orion, use quick attack.”

 

As Orion sped through the air, crying his name in a deep, focused manner as he headed towards Bleats, Chiron simultaneously spewed a collection of large bubbles through the air. Glowing a feverish blue, they sped at Magby and peppered him severely. Magby was thrown back to Chris’ feet, but he still got back up.

 

“Quickly,” Chris cried. “Use a fire spin in front of Bleats.”

 

As Magby watched Orion speed towards his ally, he opened wide and fired a cone of fire. It smashed into the ground and twirled upwards into a demolishing spiral of heat. Orion sped right into it and gave a long roar of pain. Bleats smiled at Magby.

 

Becca smirked.

 

“Chiron, use sharpen followed by double edge, aim for Magby!” she ordered. “Orion, use a swords dance and then a slash at Bleats!”

 

“Bleats, thunderbolt!” Jenny ordered.

 

“Magby, use smokescreen!” Chris cried.

 

Orion began spinning at an incredible speed. Ghostly images of swords slowly surrounded him, creating a swirl of dust. Chiron flashed white as all of his points seemed to get sharper. As this happened, Magby blasted a cloud of smoke into the arena. It obscured everybody’s vision. The thunderbolt failed, missing both opponents, and even though Chiron sped through the air, he still missed both foes and jammed into the ground. Orion slashed a streak of energy, too, and it managed to smash into Magby.

 

“You do not have long left to make a good impression,” Becca reminded them. “The match cannot exceed five minutes…”

 

“Damn,” Chris muttered. “Magby, use double team!”

 

“Bleats, use a headbutt!” Jenny shouted. As Magby created several clones to increase his evasiveness, Bleats charged right through the smoke. Chiron, currently jammed into the earth, used a teleport to return back to his usual place.

 

“Psychic to locate Bleats, then use psychic to slam it into the ground, Chiron,” Becca said. “Orion, use a skull bash on Magby.”

 

As Bleats charged, a psychic aura soon surrounded her. Feeling herself float up into the air, Bleats gave a cry as she was slammed into the ground mercilessly. Jenny was shocked that everything was so brutal.

 

“STOP!” she cried.

 

“Jenny, just –

 

Chris was interrupted by Becca, who reminded him he could not help his ally with strategies. Cursing, Chris simply tried to counter Orion.

 

“Fire Blast!”

 

As Orion sped forward, a huge cone of flames shrouded him completely. Giving a large cry, he flapped backwards and felt burns covering his body. Orion flapped his wings and sent a shivering silver wind speeding at both Magby and Bleats. Bleats gave a shrill scream as she was still mercilessly thrown into the ground. Magby took damage from the attack, too.

 

“Bleats, thunderbolt!” Jenny shouted. Unfortunately, this did not work. Chiron’s core glowed a feverish orange, and a hyper beam was sent speeding forward. It smashed into Bleats, ending the psychic connection and causing Bleats to suffer extreme damage. She fell down, and Jenny gave a shocked cry.

 

“Return!” she cried out. “You ruthless cow!”

 

“This is how Pokemon Battles work,” Becca stressed calmly. “Orion! Hyper beam. Chiron, bubblebeam.”

 

“Magby! Barrier!” Chris shouted. His clones were obliterated by the flurry of bubbles streaming through the air. Magby cried his name out and started wiping the air in front of him. This produced a pink barrier which absorbed the large hyper beam attack. However, following this, it shattered completely.

 

“Magby, good work,” Chris sighed. “Now use a flamethrower brick break combo!”

 

Magby sped through the air, spewing an onslaught of flames. Orion instinctively blocked them, crossing his arms, which allowed Magby to leap up, charge energy into his hands and release a series of chops at his foe. Orion took them, leading Magby to leap up and spew more flames at his foe.

 

“Great job,” Chris told his Pokemon.

 

“Orion, reversal,” Becca commanded. Chris sighed. Orion sent a glowing orb of energy rising above his head. The energy came from all parts of his body, and combined into a huge ball. He hurled it through the air, and Chiron then responded by firing a beam of chilled icy moisture at his foe. Magby watched as he was smashed into by the orb, feeling all the damage Orion took that match, and following that, was finished off by the ice beam, despite its weakness.

 

“Magby!” Chris gasped. “Nice try. Return.”

 

He shot the Pokeball beam forward and recalled his Pokemon.

 

“That’s all,” Becca announced. “I can tell a lot about both of you by the way you conducted that battle. Chris, I could see how you could often apply strategies to the situations that the battle put you into. You didn’t seem to fall under pressure, which worked in your favor. I am happy to say you are now accepted into the TPML.”

 

“Yes!” Chris cried out.

 

“However,” Becca said, turning to Jenny. “Jenny, you will not be joining Chris. I’m afraid your general performance was poor. You relied on basic attack strategies to get by, and it did not work. I noticed you rarely made use of Mareep’s more stable attacks. An iron tail could have severely weakened Chiron, and using Orion as a lightening rod would also be a plausible idea. However, your failure to implement a strategy means you are not accepted into the TPML.”

 

Jenny’s face dropped.

 

“You’re KIDDING?” she snapped.

 

“No, I am not,” Becca responded calmly, Starmie and Scizor by her side. “Now Chris, I’ll give you a lift.”

 

“Really? Cool!” Chris said happily.

 

“If you hang around central park tomorrow afternoon I’ll pick you up there,” Becca replied coolly.

 

“Hold on!” Jenny snapped. “Chris, you are NOT going!”

 

“What? But I passed!” cried Chris in defense.

 

“If I can’t go, then neither can you!” Jenny snapped. Her face was blotchy with anger, and she looked utterly frustrated at how things were turning out. “YOU’LL GET WITH ANOTHER GIRL!”

 

“Oh, not this again?” Chris muttered.

 

“YES, THIS AGAIN!” Jenny screamed. Becca intervened, plucking a Pokeball from her belt. Throwing it to the ground, a Kadabra emerged. It was about three and a half feet tall in height, with a fat tail but an otherwise thin body. It had a star on its forehead, and held a spoon in one hand.

 

“Nightshade, use teleport,” Becca muttered. With a loud cry, Nightshade waved his spoon, and within a few seconds, Jenny had teleported completely from view. She was gone. Chris’ eyes widened.

 

“Where did she go?” he asked.

 

“Outside the mall,” Becca replied coolly. “She’ll be fine.”

 

“Well…thanks, I guess,” Chris replied.

 

“You’d better head off home,” Becca warned him. “Say your goodbyes make last-minute preparations, that sort of thing. You’ll be gone a while.”

 

“Right,” the boy replied. “Well, nice meeting you.”

 

“Sure,” she replied firmly, watching Chris walk down the mountain path, Nightshade by her side. “Oh, and Chris?”

 

He turned to face her from a few steps down the mountain.

 

“Yea?”

 

“That Absol was mine - that is Lyra.” Becca added. Chris looked up at her.

 

“Yea, I thought so.”

 

And, more casually than when on the way up, Chris hitched his backpack up his shoulders, turned his music on and popped his earpieces in. Without a care in the world, he strolled down the mountain in the scorching heat, now with one less thing to worry about.

 

Becca watched him, sweeping her shades off to reveal beautiful eyes, mixed with shades of grey and blue. She scanned the area, recalling Nightshade, and sighed to herself. Turning her heel, she wandered across the top of the mountain, lost in thought.

 

[spoiler=Chapter two

Girafarig pt 1 ]

Life’s a funny little thing. If you look out your window at the bustling world taking place before you, you start to think. Everybody lives a completely different life – some live them slowly, while some live in the fast lane. Others are very reclusive, and some are more up-front and loud. Then there’s me. Chris. How do I live my life? I don’t think. I’ll see a hot dog vendor, buy a hot dog, and then remind myself I’m not hungry. I’ll pick up a brochure on a charity I don’t support. And, likewise, I’ll get myself signed up for some crazy Pokemon League without even thinking about the consequences.

 

Following my initiation, in which I was accepted and my girlfriend, Jenny, was declined, I awaited my ride to the TPML Village. But I never really explained to you what it was all about. The TPML is the shorthand for The Pokemon Masters League. Basically, you can register for this league, and simply train up against other foes. Whether it be in the TPML Community, in the large city devoted to TPML, or around the world. All over the planet there are various TPML spots, where you log in to alert people where you are. Say, for example, you went traveling to Tokyo. You would find a TPML log-in there, so everyone could see where you were. It’s pretty cool.

 

As for me, I wanted to simply get the basics first. Unlike my girlfriend, whose Sunflora is an evolved Pokemon; all my troops are in their basic stages. I have Sneasel, Elekid, Magby and Poliwag, all of which are male. They’re all pretty strong, but small. I’ve had battles at school and with my friends, but this is much more serious than them.

 

I began with Poliwag. He was my first Pokemon, and one I really cherished above all. I never gave him much independence; like a mother to her first born child, I was always worried and apprehensive for my little tadpole. Poliwag knew that and seemed to respect me for it. He never voiced any concern.

 

Elekid and Magby are both pretty fun-loving Pokemon. Magby is younger than Elekid, in fact the youngest of the four, and while Elekid is still in his smaller stage, I can tell he is getting more mature. I caught Elekid during a power cut – funny story really. I found him sparking up in the streets, and that’s how I managed to see him. He looked pretty hurt, and I wasn’t sure if he had been attacked or abandoned, maybe even both, but I took him under my wing. We’ve been through a lot, but he finally opened up and is now a new Pokemon. Of course, for a while, he played that clichéd ‘I’m a tough guy and I’ll hurt you’ thing.

 

Magby, meanwhile, is easily distracted and very easily excited. He is high on life and happiness, and I managed to catch this little blighter when I went on a school field trip to a dormant volcano down south. He kept trying to snatch my lunch…and so I sorted him out big style!

 

Then there was Sneasel. Very much the ‘lone warrior’ of the group, Sneasel had a lot of pride and was damned if he was going to lose it. He was probably a good contender for strongest on the team – his combo attacks were phenomenal, mixing his speed with his strength. Sneasel had a wide move pool and was probably the oldest in the group. He didn’t evolve, so he was naturally strong. I found him in the alleyways of the big city, and he fought bravely to try and avoid capture. Nevertheless, I persevered, and had this ice Pokemon on my side.

 

So, thinking all about TPML, and how long I’d be away for, I decided I’d better get home as quick as I could. Time to confront the parents…another thing I hadn’t considered…

 

*

 

Mum was, as we knew her, the drill sergeant of the household, and she knew it too. She was all about academic education, and often I found myself at the brunt of her excessive revision programs. Dad was much more lenient, although his ridiculous graveyard shifts at work seemed to keep him far away from us all. My older brother, David, was at University…it was that detail that made Mum cherish him above her own limbs. As for me, well, I wasn’t even old enough to go to University. Mum still criticized me for it.

 

Anyway….I broke the news, and…

 

“YOU WHAT?” came the deafening roar.

 

“I’m going to a Pokemon League! ‘TPML – A new economic standard in –

 

“I’ll give you economic standards!” Mum cried, grabbing a frying pan and hurling it towards me. Ducking, I got back up and tried reassuring her.

 

“I’m sixteen!” came my desperate cry. “I can make my own decisions!”

 

“You’re still a child by law!” Mum retaliated. Man, the ‘law card’ again. “Wait until you are older!”

 

“YOU ALWAYS SAY THAT!” I screamed. “When I was 13, it was ‘wait until you’re 14!’. When I was 14, ‘wait until you’re 15!’ When I was 16….you get the point! And NOW, now I’m legally allowed to smoke (and have sex!), you still deem me immature and unable to cope in the outside world!”

 

Mum looked at me. Tears filled up in her eyes.

 

“FINE!” She snapped suddenly. “Just go! See if I care!”

 

“Mum…”

 

“No, no, you’re right! You’re a big boy now…and I’m just a silly woman who doesn’t love her son!”

 

“Come on, Mum…” I muttered.

 

“Just promise me something,” she replied, calming down somewhat. Opening her arms, she beckoned me for a hug. I walked into her arms and she squeezed me tightly.

 

“Yea?”

 

“You’ll go to University after you finish the league,” she replied.

 

“Erm…well, Mum it doesn’t really work like –”

 

I stopped. Sighing inside, I considered what I was saying. Mothers were so strongly affected by the words their children spoke. Often you could control how your mother felt simply by saying words she would long to hear. She was, after all, looking out for me…

 

“Of course I will,” I replied happily, hugging her back. As she beamed at me, I could tell I had made her day.

 

Following Mum and I’s sudden understanding, she packed my bag for me upstairs, flinging some t-shirts and jeans into my bag. I was only taking a few t-shirts; there must be a dry cleaner there. I took a spare pair of trainers, and also a beanie hat. Gotta look good!

 

Mum also handed me some brochures and leaflets on University. Naturally I wasn’t going to read them, but as I took them, I gave Mum a convincing look that made her heart soar even higher. It felt weird, but I think my leaving had prompted this sudden bond between us.

 

“Goodbye,” I said emptily, hugging Mum a final time. Unfortunately, Dad was working late…or early…I forget, but either way, it resulted in him not being able to even hear about my leaving. Mum and I finally parted ways after being interlocked in a gigantic hug. I wandered off into the streets of the big city, waving goodbye as I went. I promised to ring Mum as I traveled.

 

*

 

I finally made it to Central Park. The huge spread of grass was a great place. Some people had Pokemon battles here (I saw a particularly engaging match between a Golduck and Grovyle. I wondered if those two trainers had been approved into TPML). Others tanned themselves, played Frisbee, swam in the lake or else just had picnics on the sweeping lawns hidden by the lush canopy of trees. I busied myself with an ice cream, enjoying it thoroughly. Mmm…raspberry syrup…

 

I saw Becca standing by what looked to be a pretty flash car. She waved stiffly, shades on her face again. I started to wonder if she was blind. I ran over happily, holding my ice cream cone high like an Olympic torch.

 

“Hey!” I said happily. My mood was somewhat different without Jenny. I felt so obliged to be sensible around her…and now she wasn’t with me, I wasn’t scared of feeling excited about what was to come.

 

“Hop in,” Becca replied, today wearing…pretty much the same as yesterday, albeit a canary yellow t-shirt replaced her mint coloured one. Today, I was wearing a pretty cool, dusty brown jacket over a deep green t-shirt. Shnazzy. I wore some dark jeans too, and some cool trainers. I had to look good, didn’t I?

 

As I got into the car, I buckled myself in, all the while keeping the cone firmly in-between my legs. You know, on a nice, warm day, the nice cold ice cream felt good on my…whoa, wait! Wait! PG! PG!

 

As I grabbed the cone, the worst thing happened. I sneezed, sending my ice cream flying across onto Becca’s pretty dashboard. The lady’s face was frozen with contorting fury as she tried to hide how this was making her feel.

 

“Sorry!” I cried happily.

 

“Let’s just go,” Becca sighed, slamming her foot down and screaming out of the city. And off we went.

 

The journey began!

 

*

 

Becca refused to listen to my “Ultimate Car Tape” for the journey. I insisted she heard it, and she threw it out of the window. Her car had a soft-top, so while she enjoyed a brisk breeze sweeping through her hair, I just got flies in my face. Eurgh. The Journey to TPML Village was about two hours long. And we had NO toilet stops.

 

“Ok, we’re here,” Becca said happily, leaping out of the car and locking it. We were in a very regal looking car park, and as I approached the space, I had seen “The Missing Link” on the space. Weird.

 

“What’s that on the car space?” I asked.

 

“My user name,” Becca explained. “You see, in TPML, everybody has an alternate name they use for battles and stuff. Mine is TML – The Missing Link. Everyone calls me that.”

 

“Ok,” I replied. “What’s my name?”

 

Becc- I mean, TML produced a folded-up form from her breast-pocket. She unfolded it, got out a rubber stamp (from where? I have no clue, either) and stamped it six times. She then handed it to me.

 

“Go to the Team Approval Tower and hand this in,” she explained. “And choose a User Name there.”

 

“Where are you going?” I asked.

 

“I have work to do,” TML replied calmly. “You can find me in the Rules Tower.”

 

And she walked off. Granted, TML did not slump her posture as she headed off to a large, multistory tower in the distance. In fact, one would not normally think she resented where she was going. I could somehow tell, however, that she was not as pleased about her position as she may once have been.

 

“Oh-Ok, thanks for everything!” I cried.

 

“Thank you for spilling ice-cream in my car,” she replied sarcastically, not bothering to look at me. Maybe she was too busy to look at me. Yea. That was it.

 

I wandered from the car park, finding myself in a beautifully lush garden. It was nothing like Central Park – this was smaller, more enclosed and much less liberal. Large, bell-shaped flowers of many hues sat in large clumps of soil, set delicately into the soil. Large, weeping willow trees overshadowed benches in the shade. The asphalt path to walk on was durable and easy to work with. This was, apparently, the Battle Park, said the sign I walked past. A popular place for people to hold matches as it was not a bias arena, I thought to myself.

 

As I went, I saw a battle already taking place. An oriental looking boy was commanding a Charizard, and his foe, looking nervous, was battling with a Golbat.

 

“Harker, wing attack!” cried the opposition, who had a light welsh accent. He looked to be in his twenties. The blue and purple vampire bat swept through the air as Charizard released a humongous stream of flames in retaliation. Harker flapped backwards, grunting and coughing up smoke and ash.

 

“Iron tail!” replied the Charizard trainer. Charizard flapped upwards, swinging its tail up and over its head. It smashed into Harker and threw it down into the ground.

 

I kept walking, wandering through the park. Two pretty girls were comparing their new Eevee evolutions. One had an Espeon, and the other an Umbreon. I wandered onwards, passing through the park altogether and arriving in the main village.

 

My first impression was how wide and spacious the main part of the village was. Shops were everywhere, as were benches, water fountains, flower boxes and otherwise hotdog stands. There was a burger bar, many souvenir shops and a shop for Pokemon accessories to name but a few. It was crowded, but not bustling. On the contrary, the place seemed to contain an orderly, yet oddly tense atmosphere.

 

Perhaps the most intriguing part of the main square were the many big, black towers stretching high into the air. Circular, there were quite a few. One of which was, I soon realized, the tower TML began to make her way to. I wandered up to one, in order to investigate it further. It read “ATTACK LIST BETA,” on a scrolling sign. I had no idea what that meant. Another was “REFEREE TOWER.”

 

I found the Approval Tower. I wandered inside, striving to hike up another set of deep black steps. Once I felt I was near the top…I met a queue. And let me tell you, I was queuing there for a considerable amount of time. I wished there was some way to pass the time – the black interior was lifeless and formal. After a while, when I was really losing my tether, the person in front of me was finished with their approval and went through a door behind the desk.

 

A neon sign saying “NEXT” flashed. I wandered forward, expecting to see a saggy old woman…but instead I was confronted by a Pokemon. An Alakazam, to be precise. It had a trilby hat on and looked very important.

 

“Kazam!” he cried.

 

“Erm…yes, *ahem* I-I’m here for my –

 

“KAZAM! Alakazam!” Alakazam cried.

 

“Eep!” I murmured. “I…I have this stamped piece of paper from T-TML…”

 

Suddenly the paper glowed a vivid blue, and Alakazam levitated it from my grip, across the desk and into his claw-like hand. He slotted it into a computer and pressed a few buttons. A whirring, clicking noise could be heard. Something seemed to be loading.

 

“Kazam, Alakazam,” the Alakazam said casually to another PSI Pokemon typing into a database behind him. “Alakazam!”

 

The other Alakazam chortled. “Kazam, Kazam!”

 

The one serving me then eyed me. He gave me an impatient look as the whirring and clicking continued. Something was getting printed off. Slowly.

 

“Oh, what’s this?” I inquired, as a slip of paper was pulled from the printer’s mouth and handed to me.

 

“KAZAM!”

 

“Right,” I replied, looking at the sheet. “Ooook…User Name Request Form.”

 

“I think I’ll stick with Chris,” I said proudly. A fat little machine in the corner flashed red and gave an incorrect noise.

 

“Already - taken,” it said in a mechanical noise.

 

“Ok…Chris The Dude!” I said happily. There was another ‘incorrect’ noise from the machine.

 

“That – name – sounds – too – crap,” it responded.

 

“Hey!” I said, blushing. “Fine…go for…erm…Brit Chris!”

 

I was British, after all. Gotta love your heritage! The machine gave off a noise like a microwave.

 

“Your – name – has – been – successfully – registered – on – TPML’s – main – server,” it told me. “You may now proceed to the door at the back of the room.”

 

“Thanks,” I replied. Alakazam handed me something. It was something to clip to the side of my belt. It was like a little computer, able to fit into my palm. I also got handed a brochure reading “Welcome to TPML.”

 

Intrigued, I wandered through the door Alakazam indicated. In truth, it was just a staircase down to the entrance, but it was less cluttered thanks to the lack of a long queue. I read the brochure, which explained this small computer was called a VS Seeker. It basically recorded any trainers I met or battled and allowed me to sent email-like messages to them to arrange matches. It clipped on the side of my belt, and was pretty handy.

 

And with that, as I was now approved for TPML, I made my way out of the Approval Tower towards my first battle.

 

*

 

Of course, while I was at first incredibly motivated to find myself a battle, it was actually hard finding people who wanted to fight me. I saw those two eeveelution girls before, asking if either wanted to try their luck, and in actuality was quite glad when they declined. I doubt I could beat Espeon or Umbreon – those Pokemon would have had a very strong bond with their trainers if they were in those forms anyway.

 

Perhaps I could catch a new Pokemon, as making an addition to my team to mark my arrival in TPML. It would certainly be a novel idea. I didn’t exactly know where to find any, though. What were the odds of finding wild Pokemon in the village?

 

I went into a small cafe on the edge of the village to collect my thoughts. The title on the glass walls said “Latte Days”. Nice. Ordering a coffee, I felt rather mature as I sipped it by a nice quiet seat at the window. Watching the world bustle past was a really interesting way to whittle away the time. I saw many people and Pokemon as I sat, and even some friendly faces appeared in the café along the way, smiling and acknowledging me in some shape or form. I even saw the welsh bloke who owned that Golbat from before. He ordered a drink (I couldn’t hear which one, and wasn’t too bothered anyway) and eyed me mysteriously. He sat down with his back away from me.

 

Then, I had a pretty clever idea. I had just emerged from the Approval Tower, correct? I had been so psyched when I left it; I knew the perfect way to find a new opponent. If I was psyched when I left the tower, then…

 

“This is great!” a boy cried, about 14 years of age. He ran out from the approval tower, clipping his VS Seeker to his trousers. As he did so, I leapt out from the bushes and grabbed him from behind.

 

“I CHALLENGE YOU!” I roared.

 

“Argh! Help me!” the boy cried, grabbing a Pokeball from his belt. “ONIX GO!”

 

I leapt back as his Pokeball released a large, rocky snake from its confinements. The Pokemon was huge. I’d never seen it before in real life, but it was petrifying. It reared its head and gave a long roar.

 

“Oh, so you want a battle?” I asked, getting out my VS Seeker and scanning it on the boy.

 

Girafarig – Beginner Trainer.

Specializes in rock and ground Pokemon. Really likes Girafarig. A lot.

 

“Ok Girafarig,” I said cockily. “I’m Brit Chris! And I’m going to challenge you to a Pokemon battle!”

 

“Ok then!” Girafarig replied. He had a hat on which resembled a Girafarig head. His T-shirt was plain white with a picture of the giraffe Pokemon on the front. He wore baggy cargo pants and chunky trainers. “Can I choose the arena?”

 

“Yea, ok,” I replied.

 

“The Crush Quarry,” Girafarig replied. “It’s just out of the village. Lots of rocks lying around…perfect for Pokemon battles.”

 

“Fine!” I said confidently. Wait, how did he know about arenas already? “Let’s go!”

 

As I wandered after this spunky opponent, I sighed in understanding. Yes. I do rush into things. Sometimes, I manage to keep things stable and everything works out. Like before – I did leap into this strange new environment, but I’m hopefully going to settle in. Likewise, I met someone, assaulted them…and now I have landed myself in my first ‘friendly’ TPML match against this guy. Little did I realize, jumping into things wasn’t always wise.

 

[terriq]

gd job

change name is cheesy

[Guest Ixigo]

This is actually quite good. Your descriptions are avid, if rather repetitive at times, but the strongest part is the way you flow the story, naturally and with perfect balance while avoiding cliche pitfalls - well, except the title. Keep this up, along with the solid grammar and spelling - there are a few flaws here and there, but nothing major - and you'll do great. Good job.

[terriq]

gd job on pt 2