The Long Road to Victory

It had been a long road from Floraoma to Hearthrome. Blaze was exhausted from running so he was resting in his pokeball while Driffy hovered around the standing female's head. "Floooon." He called out to her, wanting her attention. Purple hues moved to look at the shiny Drifloon and she offered him a smile before looking back to the contest hall before her. This was going to be her third ribbon and no doubt the hardest one to get, especially if Fatima was participating. She was also the gym leader in this town so most came to the contest hall to look for her and challenge her to a battle. Today would probably be no different.

A breeze passed by and it tossed around the purple locks of hair that fell to just above her bum. Looking around, she noticed that the residence of Hearthrome were finally getting up to start their day. Suki had been up early with Ira, Driffy and Lass to see which one she would use in the contest. While most co-ordiantors stuck to one Pokemon, Suki used three. She would have used Luca and Blaze, but they liked to battle more than show off their pretty sides. Thinking of Luca with a bow on her ear doing a dance while showing off her Aura Sphere made her laugh out loud and Driffy gave her an odd look. She stuck her tongue out at the balloon Pokemon and headed for the Pokemon Center.

Upon entering the establishment, she heard a few whispers about Driffy. It was rare to see any type of shiny Pokemon, much less a shiny Drifloon. They only came out to play on Fridays at the Windworks and even long time visitors of the place had never seen a shiny Drifloon before. Suki only smiled to herself as she tugged on the blue heart that hung down from the balloon creature. He floated down closer to her and soon rested on her head, wrapping his two black tendrils around her neck so he looked like a hat of some sort. He could be so silly. The pair walked up to Nurse Joy and Suki handed the woman her Pokeballs. In a matter of minutes, her Pokemon were healed and ready to go whenever she needed them.

With Driffy secure on her head, the pair made their way out of the Pokemon Center and back towards the contest hall. The contest didn't start for another few hours, so she decided to let Lass out to do some training for it. The shy looking Froslass burst forth from her Pokeball without Suki even having to grab it. Sometimes she wondered about the ghost Pokemon. "Alright Lass. Let's practice a bit." She knew she was out in public, but they were off to the side enough to let people see the show without anyone getting caught in a Blizzard attack.

Lass danced around under a beautiful Ice Shard that seemed to hang in the air and glimmer just perfectly in the morning sunlight. The shards fell back to the ground and the graceful Pokemon used Blizzard, making snow fall all around her and Suki. It looked rather stunning and Suki knew she had made a good choice this time around. Yes, Ira could do the same, but Lass had more grace about her than Ira, who liked to clown around when on stage. Satisfied with her choice, Suki called Lass back to her Pokeball. The purple haired wonder just stood there now, staring down the contest hall once more. "Today will be the day that I win my third ribbon!" Suki said aloud, not caring who heard her.

“Growlithe, use Flamethrower on Scizor!” The elderly gentleman’s Pokemon barked in compliance and unleashed a powerful stream of fire aimed at the Bug and Steel type.

Eri smirked confidently, her jade green eyes narrowing in concentration. “Aqwer, shield Kotetsu with Protect!”

“Vaaaa!” The female Vaporeon leaped in front of Kotetsu in a defensive stance, a translucent green dome forming an impenetrable shield that easily deflected the fire attack from her teammate.

The gentleman’s wife and tag team partner quickly retaliated. “Flaaffy, use Thunderbolt on Vaporeon!”

“Kotetsu, counter with Night Slash!”

“Scizor!” Kotetsu replied curtly. He leaped up from behind Aqwer’s Protect and made a beeline for Flaaffy, shadowy energy swirling around his formidable pincer claws. The attack connected before Flaaffy could charge up her attack, and she fell to the ground with a defeated cry.

The gentleman grunted in frustration as he realized he was outnumbered now. “Growlithe, use Take Down!” Growlithe charged headlong towards Aqwer, growling under his breath.

“Aqwer, dodge it and finish this with Water Gun!” Eri commanded, making a downward slash with her hand for emphasis.

“Pooor!” Aqwer quickly darted out of the way and wheeled around on her back feet. She released a powerful stream of water from her mouth that struck Growlithe squarely in the side.

“Growww!” Growlithe whimpered in pain before he collapsed unconscious. Aqwer gave a delighted cry at her victory while Kotetsu simply nodded in satisfaction for a battle well fought.

“Nicely done, both of you,” Eri complimented her Pokemon as she recalled them for a well-deserved rest. Eri politely shook hands with the couple and accepted the prize money they offered, which was quite considerable, before bidding them farewell. ‘Now to get to Hearthome City.’ She had passed the Trophy Gardens this morning, which meant the city was just a short distance north of here. She unclipped a Pokeball from her belt and released Arod. The formidable fire horse gave a spirited toss of his head, glad to be out of his Pokeball. His hyperactive tendencies had calmed considerably since evolving from a Ponyta, but he still often had extra energy to burn. Luckily, Eri was more than happy to oblige, often riding him over land instead of flying on Arashi. Placing her hands on his back for support, she easily vaulted into place and settled herself bareback behind his shoulders. Arod needed no saddle or bridle, so Eri simply held onto his neck and used leg pressure to maintain her balance. The flames making up his mane danced around and caressed her fingers, warming them without burning. It was a surreal feeling, knowing that Arod could burn her but chose not to out of affection and trust for his trainer. That kind of bond was something Eri did not think they would ever develop when she first caught him, but that was a whole other story. Tucking a few strands of straight, dark brown hair behind her ear, Eri said, “Let’s get going, Arod.” Arod whinnied happily and surged forward in a brisk canter.

The duo made good time and arrived in Hearthome City after about an hour. She recalled Arod at the entrance to the city and headed for the Pokemon Center first. She had gotten into quite a few battles with trainers near the Manor and knew her Pokemon could use a rest before taking on the Gym Leader. As she reclaimed her Pokeballs from Nurse Joy, she asked, “Is Fantina currently taking gym challenges?”

“I’m sorry, but I’m afraid you’ll have to wait before challenging her,” Nurse Joy apologized kindly. “The Hearthome Pokemon contest is starting soon, and I’ve heard she’ll be competing. I’m sure she’ll be happy to battle you afterwards, though.”

“I see. Thank you.” Eri hid her disappointment well. She had hoped to challenge the gym, win the badge, and leave the city as soon as possible. Hearthome City was just too big and noisy for her liking. ‘People. Always too many people…’ Even so, watching the contest would give her the chance to study Fantina’s Pokemon and battling style, which would give her a decided advantage when they battled. As she left the Pokemon Center, she pulled out a different, well-worn Pokeball with a scratch on top with an inaudible sigh of relief. If she were going to tackle the dense crowds near the contest hall, she would need some backup. “Come on out, Pyrix.”

The Pokeball opened at the command and released a shimmer of white light that coalesced into a beautiful female Ninetales. “Nine!” Pyrix chirped, wagging her tails happily as Eri knelt and cupped the Pokemon’s muzzle in her hands, stroking the soft fur with her thumbs and allowing a genuine smile to grace her lips. Pyrix was, without a doubt, her closest friend and the one she trusted the most. She had been in Eri’s family for three generations, having been raised by her great-grandfather, and was probably the reason Eri was even alive today.

After a few moments, Eri stood up and said, “Come on, let’s head to the contest hall.” Pyrix took up her usual place by Eri’s left side as they navigated the bustling city streets. Eri normally let Pyrix travel outside of her Pokeball but had had to recall her for some rest after a particularly taxing string of battles before reaching the Manor.

As they neared the contest hall, Eri noticed an increasing number of coordinators who were practicing appeals with their Pokemon. Pyrix watched in obvious interest as she walked, but Eri tried to appear impassive as she scanned the crowds. The only coordinator she was looking for was the Gym Leader.

“Nine!” Without warning, Pyrix darted off,, weaving through the onlookers heading toward the contest hall.

“Wha…? Pyrix, come back!” Eri shouted, taking off after her Pokemon with a flash of annoyance. Pyrix never disobeyed or ran off like that. Luckily, she caught up with her quickly and found her watching a Froslass dance underneath an Ice Shard before unleashing an artful Blizzard. Her trainer, a purple-haired girl who looked about Eri’s age, congratulated her partner before recalling her.

Eri observed impassively as the girl stared down the contest hall and confidently proclaimed, “Today will be the day that I win my third ribbon!”

‘Quite the energetic coordinator,’ Eri thought. Not wanting to disturb her, Eri spoke softly to her Pokemon, “Let’s get going, Pyrix.”

While Suki had been busy readying herself mentally for the contest, Driffy had spotted the Ninetails and her trainer. "Floon~" The sudden voice of her Drifloon caused the purple haired girl to turn and see the black haired female and her rather beautiful Ninetails. She gasped and ran over to the girl, kneeling to be at Pyrix's level.

"Such a beautiful Ninetails! Her coat is just as shiny as can be!" It wasn't until Driffy tapped her on the cheek with one of his blue hearts that she realized she was making a fool of herself. Looking up at Eri, she blushed heavily and backed away, standing back up to her full height of five feet, four inches. "Are you participating in the contest?" Suki knew she might have some trouble if this girl was participating. Her Ninetails was beautiful as could be. She swallowed hard as she waited on the girl's answer. Looking down at her feet, she heard a loud annoucment come from the contest hall.

"We will be beginning in two minutes! All participants must be ready!"

"Crap! Sorry about rushing off! I have to go!" Suki waved by to Eri and Pyrix before running into the contest hall with Driffy barely hanging on. The two rushed inside and she registered Lass as her participating Pokemon. With that done, she called Driffy back to his pokeball and let Lass out. Suki changed into a beautiful dress that was made just for this contest. It had the same colours that Lass had. The two were ready for this and nothing was going to stop them from winning.

"Now on stage is Suki and Lass! This is the appeals round!"

Lass walked out with Suki and both looked ready as ever. "Alright Lass. Use Blizzard!" The area grew cold and soon a strong, but beautiful blizzard blew through the place. The way the snow fell around Lass was perfect. Once that attack was over, Suki ordered Lass to use Ice Shard followed by a dazzling Confuse Ray. Once her appeals were over, it was time for the battles.

"Its Jane and Luxio versus Suki and Lass! Let's begin!"

Luxio started out using Shock Wave. Suki ordered Lass to dodge and use Confuse Ray. The attack hit dead on and Luxio stumbled about confused. "Use Ice Shard!" The icy attack hit home, knocking more points off of Jane's score. Luxio managed to use Spark and it hit Lass dead on, but she was far from out. "Lass, use Blizzard followed by Ice Shard!" Luxio wouldn't be able to see in the blizzard but Lass could. Both attacks did major damage and Suki came out the winner of the battle. She was moving on to the semi finals.

The two left the stage and went to rest before their next battle. They watched Fatina, the gym leader, go through her appeals and then her own battle. She was nervous about possibly facing the French woman, but she was as ready as she'd ever be. Suki just closed her eyes and tried to relax. The next round was going to be the hardest.

Before Eri could slip away from the Froslass’ trainer unnoticed, the girl’s shiny Drifloon made a noise that got her attention. Without warning, the girl gasped and ran over, kneeling in front of Pyrix with a look of obvious adoration on her face.

“Such a beautiful Ninetales! Her coat is just as shiny as can be!” she gushed.

“Nine nine!” Pyrix replied in delight, clearly flattered by the compliment. Eri could only stand there dumbfounded, unsure of how to respond. Already the situation was far more awkward than she had anticipated.

The purple-haired girl finally seemed to realize the awkwardness of the moment too, as she quickly got up and backed away. Now that they were standing close to each other, Eri could see that, at five feet ten inches, she towered over the other girl. “Are you participating in the contest?” The situation was almost comical. This girl actually thought Eri was a coordinator, probably because she kept Pyrix’s coat as well groomed as a contest Pokemon. In all honesty, Eri had absolutely no knack for making attacks look beautiful or dazzling. All she knew was how to use attacks strategically to win battles, and to her, that was all that really mattered. Before she could reassure the girl that nothing could be further from the truth, the announcement over the loudspeaker summoned all the coordinators to the contest hall. “Crap! Sorry about rushing off! I have to go!” The girl waved good-bye and dashed off, her shiny Drifloon hanging onto her head for dear life.

Once the girl was gone, Eri quirked an eyebrow and remarked to Pyrix, “Well…that was certainly…interesting.”

“Ni-nine ninetales,” Pyrix replied.

“Of course you liked her. You like anyone who gives you a compliment,” Eri said, laughing indulgently. Pyrix was much more intelligent than people seemed to think, especially given her age and experience. She knew she was a beautiful Pokemon and got a great deal of self-satisfaction when other people acknowledged what she considered to be common knowledge.

“Nine nine?”

“Yes, something tells me we’ll run into her again,” Eri said somewhat reluctantly. ‘Or she’ll run into us.’ In fact, the odds were quite high, considering they were heading to the contest hall. Since she hadn’t found Fantina, Eri figured she was already in the contest hall. “Come on, let’s find some seats before the contest starts.”

Even for a trainer who saw no practical use in making attacks into dazzling appeals, Eri had to admit that the first round was interesting to watch. She was pleasantly surprised to see that the purple-haired girl, apparently named Suki, from earlier seemed to have quite a bit of skill. She and her Froslass, aptly named Lass, put on a good show, at least as far as she could tell given her lack of knowledge of contests, and easily advanced to the next round. The contest battles, on the other hand, were completely unlike anything Eri had done. To her it made no sense to try and battle while making one’s Pokemon look good. She battled to win and get stronger with her Pokemon, not to look flashy. Still, Suki and Lass pulled off a win and moved on to the next round.

However, Eri pushed all other distractions out of her mind when Fantina took the stage. The only reason she was here was to observe Fantina’s Pokemon and learn about her battling style in preparation for her gym match. Not surprisingly, she advanced through the appeals and her contest battle with flying colors. She and her ghost Pokemon made an amazing team on the contest stage, and Eri didn’t doubt that they were equally formidable on the battlefield.

“Make sure you watch carefully, Pyrix. What we learn here will give us an advantage when we face her,” Eri stated.

“Nine,” Pyrix replied in an equally serious tone. Her face was a mask of concentration as she watched from her sitting position in the aisle next to Eri's chair. Satisfied, Eri rested a hand on her Pokemon’s neck and absentmindedly ran her fingers through the soft fur as she waited for the next round of battles to start.

Two battles later and it was Suki and Fatina in the finals. There was no way that Suki was going to lose to the older woman. The battle began and Fatina took an early lead. Of course, it didn't take long for Lass to bring down the Drifblim that Fatina had been using. It seemed like the battle had taken hours, but Suki had managed to win by the skin of her teeth. The two shook hands and the younger girl recalled Lass to her pokeball. She was given a ribbon and of course, she let out a loud "whoop!" in response.

The contest hall was empty now. Suki was standing outside admiring her ribbon. People congratulated her and she thanked them kindly. Fatina had headed back to her gym after a quick visit to the pokemon center. Driffy was back on Suki's head as they began to walk around town. She wondered where the girl with the Ninetails had gone. That pokemon had been absolutely gorgeous and she would love to see it again. Those two had seemed like trainers. Maybe they were at the gym?

"Should we go check it out Driffy?"

"Floooon~!"

"Alrighty then!" With their minds made up, Suki and Driffy began to head towards the gym to try to spot Eri and Pyrix again. Not only that, Fatina let other trainers watch the battles she had at times. After this lose at the contest, she was sure to let others in to see her pokemon's true power. Hopefully she wouldn't mind Suki coming to watch.

Eri’s interest in the contest grew exponentially as she watched Suki and Fantina duke it out in the finals. She was rather surprised when the violet-haired young trainer and her Froslass pulled off the win. ‘Perhaps I underestimated her…’ Fantina was well known as both a skilled coordinator and respected Gym Leader, so Suki winning the contest certainly vouched for her skills. Still, Eri got the information she wanted on Fantina’s battle strategies, and she mulled over that knowledge in silence as she and Pyrix made their way to the Hearthome Gym.

Not surprisingly, Fantina was already there, having just gotten her Pokemon back from the Pokemon Center. Despite having just come from a grueling contest, she accepted Eri’s challenge readily, as if eager to redeem herself in the eyes of her fans. As Eri and Pyrix took their place on one end of the battlefield, they were not expecting the scores of spectators sitting in the stands, eagerly awaiting the start of the battle. “What the…?”

“I hope you do not object to having a captivated audience,” Fantina said in her thick French accent, her hand gracefully sweeping towards the excited onlookers. “It would be a shame to deny them to chance to witness what is sure to be a splendid battle of grace and elegance!”

Eri sighed. Fantina was ever the performer, even in gym battles. She allowed a confident smirk to dominate her face as she replied, “I don’t know much about making battles elegant, but it doesn’t matter to me how many people you invite. I plan to win no matter what.”

“Splendid! Confident challengers always make for exciting battles!” Fantina exclaimed with a flourish. “Now then, let’s begin! This shall be a three-on-three match!” She pulled out her first Pokeball and flung it artfully skyward. “Gengar, dazzle us!” The ghost Pokemon appeared from his confines and hovered above the battlefield menacingly.

“Right, I’ve got just the counter. Go, Kotetsu!” Eri released her Scizor, who made several slashing motions with his claws – a challenge to his opponent – before silently sinking into a battle crouch. The audience cheered upon seeing the two Pokemon square off against each other.

The referee called for the battle to begin, and Eri took the first move, as was customary for the challenger. “Kotetsu, use Iron Head!”

“Scizor!” Kotetsu lowered his head and charged straight for Gengar, his body taking on a silver sheen.

“Too slow! Gengar, dodge it and use Confuse Ray!” Fantina countered. Gengar easily floated above Kotetsu’s initial strike, and his eyes glowed red as he prepared to launch his own attack.

“Tch…Kotetsu, close your eyes and retreat!” Eri ordered. Kotetsu obeyed, trusting his trainer to be his eyes so he could avoid the insidious Confuse Ray.

“Hmm…very clever, my dear,” Fantina complimented, “but this is far from over. Use Focus Blast!”

“Gengaaar!” Hovering above Kotetsu, Gengar released a powerful ball of fighting-type energy from his mouth that would inflict massive damage if it connected.

“Dodge it!” Eri called. Kotetsu leaped into the air just before the Focus Blast struck him, but the shock waves from the explosion still threw him off balance. Seeing an advantage, Fantina called for Gengar to continue his barrage. “Build up speed and dodge them with Agility!”

“Zor!” Suddenly Kotetsu seemingly vanished into thin air, only to reappear several meters away from his initial position and safely out of range of the first blast. Over and over Gengar fired off Focus Blasts, but Kotetsu dashed in a crimson blur around the battlefield, appearing and reappearing in random locations and even banking off the walls at times. Eri knew that Focus Blast was a powerful attack, but it was difficult to aim properly. And with Kotetsu’s speed amped up like this, there was no way Gengar could connect with one.

Sensing Gengar’s frustration, Fantina decided to switch tactics. “Amaze them with your Shadow Ball, Gengar!”

“Gen!” Gengar released a ball of purple, shadowy energy that was much easier to aim and came dangerously close to hitting Kotetsu, even with his increased speed.

“Let’s finish this, Kotetsu. Night Slash!” Eri commanded.

“Scizor!” Kotetsu paused long enough for dark energy to swirl around his formidable front claws, turning them from crimson to jet-black. He dodged the first Shadow Ball by leaping up and at an angle toward the wall. He then used the momentum to propel himself forward towards the Gengar hovering high above the battlefield. Sensing his adversary drawing near, Gengar released a second Shadow Ball. “Zor!” The dark energy surrounding Kotetsu’s left claw allowed him to slice cleanly through the Shadow Ball without slowing him. He lashed out with his other claw. “Scizooor!!!”

“Gaaaar!” Gengar cried out as Kotetsu’s Night Slash flung him down to crash into the battlefield. When the dust cleared, Gengar lay on his back unconscious.

“Gengar is unable to battle! Scizor is the winner!” the referee announced.

“Nice one, Kotetsu!” Eri praised her Pokemon.

“Zor! Scizor!” Kotetsu replied as he sliced the air with his claws in victory.

Fantina recalled her defeated Pokemon. “Not a bad start, Eri, but you’ll find this one to be much more challenging. Drifblim, take the stage!”

True to Fantina’s word, Drifblim was a daunting opponent. She opened with an Ominous Wind, which didn’t do much damage to Kotetsu but instead worked almost like a smokescreen, making it difficult for him to track the balloon Pokemon. Not only that, he was already pretty worn out from his high-speed battle against Gengar. Before he could react, Drifblim followed up with a Fly attack that knocked him out.

“Scizor is unable to battle! The second round goes to Fantina!” The audience erupted into applause. Clearly Fantina was the hometown favorite.

“Simply splendid, Drifblim! Well done!” Fantina crowed in delight.

“Bliiiim…” Drifblim responded.

“Tch…return, Kotetsu.” Eri recalled her defeated Pokemon. “Take a good rest. You earned it.” She unclipped her second Pokeball. “Let’s go, Volt!”

The white light from her Pokeball coalesced into a formidable male Manectric, his mane gleaming and crackling with static electricity. “Manectriiic!” he snarled at his opponent as he sank into a battle crouch. Eri smirked confidently. It had taken a while for Volt to warm up to her after trading for him, especially since he was a loner by nature, but he was fiercely competitive when it came to battling. Beside Eri, Pyrix sat calmly, surveying the battlefield and waiting should Eri need her assistance. The two combatants squared off for the next round to begin…