Pokemon Odyssey 2: The Dark Tournament [Most Missed Aug/Sep '11]

Anna stopped and looked behind her when she thought she heard something. When she turned around she came face to face with another Buizel. This one wore a fedora and was a boy.

"Uh......h-hi?" Dylan spoke, not knowing what else to say, blushing a little. "Why did you stop walking-"

Anna had thought she had felt like she was being followed after leaving Yoru's house. But she had pushed it away, thinking it was just her nervous. Now she knew she had been being followed as Weavile used Shadow Punch on the unsuspecting Buizel. And Anna gasped when Hitmonlee and Cubone both stepped out of the shadows, towards the innocent Buizel. This confused her. Why would Strike send all three of them to spy on her? Any one of the three could have brought her back easily. Anna had never defeated any of them, no matter how hard she tried. But she couldn't let this Buizel fight them all by himself. This wasn't his fight. Anna watched as the three of them circled the Buizel. She started to run as fast as she could, using a Quick Attack to get there faster. Anna narrowed her eyes a little and aimed the attack. She hit her target, she ran into Cubone's back at full force. Anna had figured that since Cubone was about her size he would be the perfect one for her target. From the impact of the attack, Cubone stumbled forward a couple steps as if dancing drunkenly. Losing his footing, Cubone fell to the ground. But it wouldn't be long before the Cubone would get back up again.

Anna quickly turned her attention on the Weavile and was about to use a Sonicboom on it, but the Weavile used a Faint Attack on Anna first. It hit and Anna stumbled back a step or two and before she could do anything the Hitmonlee Low Kicked her into the tree, slaming her head against the tree's trunk. That's when everything started to get fuzzy, but Anna made herself raise to her feet. Even though she couldn't see straight. Anna had to try one more thing before she blacked out. She did Sonicboom and tried to make it reach all three enemies. It hit Cubone, who'd got back on his feet, though he stil looked a little dizzy. Anna fell to the ground, going limp.

Caitlyn waited in the long crowd that was entering the Spire. Soon, it was her turn to go in. The doors were guarded by Pokemon in darkly-coloured hoods. The one where she was was a Cranidos. The hooded Pokemon halted her, examining her over. Trying to clear the suspicion, Caitlyn declared, "I'm part of the emissaries from the Kingdom of Tollen. The invitation is with someone else in my group and I'm sure that they have already passed through so I'm not lying." The hooded Pokemon simply nodded, and for a moment, the Cinccino thought she saw a pair of glinting eyes from beneath the hood. Someone snickered far back in the line and Caitlyn heard a mutter. "Tollen's gonna lose with that loser chick in front." Her ears sharpened up and she turned around to face the direction of that voice. She glared at the Pokemon, whoever it was, and the noise suddenly dimmed down several notches.

"Duchess Caitlyn Charporé, please accept my humble apologies for being so rude. You may go ahead, oh and welcome to the Dark Tournament." For a moment, she hesitated and thought how did the Pokemon know her name and title. Was she that famous?? The Cranidos waved her on and she spun on her heels to walk into the Spire. Before doing so, the Cinccino flashed an annoyed look at the people behind her.

Inside the Spire, the layouts were arranged in a highly-organized architecture. The whole building was built in a spiraling fashion and each section was a circle. The chinchilla shuffled by and entered into the inner circle, which was packed with all the contestants of the tournament. There were warriors and fighters and combatants, all with their significant features and capabilities showing out through their weapons, armours, size and of course, muscles. One group of Pokemon caught her attention. They were dressed in materials that seemed to be like gold and decorated with golden insignias. The Duchess smirked after adding two and two together to conclude of the Gold Tribe. "I didn't know that they had a penchant for things like these. Oh well, better put up my guard." Caitlyn murmured to herself and went on her way. She made her way, jostling through the crowds. Using her two streams of fluff, she jostled and pushed people out of her way. All of a sudden, the chatting around the whole Spire died down as a looming shadow high above swooped down. It belonged to an Aerodactyl who came from somewhere high beyond the sky at the peak of the Spire. It settled down right where everyone could see him.

"Welcome, challengers and citizens of Argos....to the Dark Tournament." The crowd around the Spire yelled and cheered. The Cinccino was quick to shoot a fierce glare at the people hollring around her. The sudden absence of screams at her corner was inevitably noticed. A Croconow spewed forth a string of insults at the chinchilla and she looked behind and stared with contempt. Her eyes were like daggers that strike into the Croconaw and he knew better then to shut his mouth.

"I am Rector, the host of the Dark Tournament. I am in charge of all of the proceedings of the event, as well as in charge of security. The security for this tournament are the hooded Pokemon you see all around called the Keepers. You may speak with them later if you have any additional question about the tournament. I welcome all challengers from the distant lands to this grand event. For it is grand, an event that can shake the very foundations of life, or stabilize them completely." He paused for a moment, then continued.

"This year, there are exactly 510 fighters participating in the tournament. All competing, with their heart and souls to achieve the prize, the ultimate prize. The prize that all Pokemon want, but in the end, one, and only one can have: The Ultimate Power."

The whole building started to buzz with excitement and even the Duchess herself, felt the adrenaline coursing through her veins. This time, Caitlyn didn't bother to hush everyone around her up. Either she was too occupied to care or she rather soaked into the mood there and then.

"I realize there are a lot of you who aren't very sure what it is the Ultimate Power really is. I am not here to reveal what it is. I am only here to say that it will be worth the fight, worth the danger. After all, over the many, many years that the tournament has been going on, many have died. Died trying to win it all. This tournament, may claim your life, but if it's for the ultimate prize, isn't it worth the risk? Imagine your greatest hope, your greatest aspiration, and then imagine the Ultimate Power." And you forgot something, Mr Aerodactyl. Imagine controlling the whole world, that's the Ultimate Power. The fossil pterodactyl then rambled on about the rules, which happened to grasp Caitlyn's curiosity for they were unusual.

"They aren't very hard, but are subject to change as every round passes, as all of them are, in fact, different. However, you'll see once you get to them...that is...if you get to them. For now, these are the basic, underlying rules:
Rule 1: You lose when you are knocked out, killed, forfeit or unable to continue fighting, unless the round calls for something different.
Rule 2: If it is your turn to fight, and you do not make your appearance within a given amount of time, you are automatically disqualified from the tournament.
Rule 3: Any extra weapons or such must be examined by the Keepers before you are allow to use them in battles.
Rule 4: Do no attempt to cheat, especially with bribes, as you will not only be eliminated from the tournament, but harsher punishments may be implemented.
Rule 5: Do not cross the Keepers, or you shall receive a very dreadful death.
Rule 6: Follow the rules of each round. Breaking of rules will result in disqualification, and possibly worse."

The last two rules seemed very odd to her. Who are the Keepers? Anyways, it's not like she would be threatened by them. I'd like to see them try. She snorted and smoothed her scarf. Just when the Cinccino thought everything was done, the ancient winged Pokemon spoke for the final time.
"The Dark Tournament will begin in 2 days. At that time, I ask all fighters to make their way back here, where you will be taken to the arena. Until then." Rector bowed. "Sleep, eat, rest, enjoy yourselves. After that, The Dark Tournament commences."

"Okay then, that concludes it. What shall I do now?" Caitlyn Charporé mumbled to herself and then she thought of her group. She wondered where they were, and the chinchilla set off to find her fellow emissaries as the crowds gradually moved off to settle down in Argos.

The journey was boring for Replicus. Staying confined to a ship was not among his favorite things. He kept looking for things that would entertain him, like his all time favorite, playing pranks. But, being on a ship limited his options.

He looked out towards the horizon. The journey was going to take a few more hours. He sighed, and then he the figure.

It was a huge Pokemon, far away. It was blue, and Replicus immediately identified it. "A Wailord.......Perfect." He thought.

He transformed into a Pidgeot, and flew towards the huge whale Pokemon. When he reached it, he carefully examined it, taking note of all points of interests.

He then carefully focused, and successfully transformed into the Wailord. He dropped into the sea with a huge splash, yelling happily, excited to finally have some excitement in the long journey.

The other Wailord looked at him, and said, "A Ditto, eh? Pretty rare among these parts."

Replicus grinned at him, and said, "Heh, I know." He Splashed, and let out a huge water spout, causing some Wingulls in the sky to get completely drenched, and fall into the water.

The Wingulls yelled at him, and cursed him, but Replicus and the Wailord simply swam forward.

"Hehe, nice one, Ditto." The Wailord chuckled.

"Please, call me by my title, Fallax." Replicus replied.

"Title? You're from the Gold Tribe?"

"Yeah, but I'm rather new." Replicus said.

"You must be going to attend the Dark Tournament. A word of advice, be careful. It can get messy out there."

The Wailord dived into the water, and swam back. Replicus wondered what he had meant by those words. He looked at the ship in the distance, and swam alongside it.

He could see a tall structure far away, and recognized it as the Spire, which had been described in the letter. He swam towards it, peacefully.

--------------------------------------

Soon, the ship docked. Replicus transformed back into his Shiny Ditto form, and regrouped with the others. The group walked through the streets, and towards the Spire. Many people looked at them curiously, but Replicus simply ignored them.

When they reached the Spire, Replicus saw lots of burly looking Warriors. He looked small in front of them, and so he transformed into a Blaziken, like Bellator.

A hooded figure walked up to Kaiser, and he started speaking with him. Replicus managed to pick up small portions of the conversation.

"We are the Keepers of the Dark Tournament. We sponsor and control the event." The Kabutops said.

"Ohhhhh, so he's a Keeper, huh? Better keep that in mind...." Replicus thought.

He took not of the Keepers mannerisms, and his figure. That would come in handy sometime.

Kaiser led the group through towards the Inner Circle. Eventually, an Aerodactyl came forward, and started speaking.

"Welcome, challengers and citizens of Argos....to the Dark Tournament."

"I am Rector, the host of the Dark Tournament. I am in charge of all of the proceedings of the event, as well as in charge of security. The security for this tournament are the hooded Pokemon you see all around called the Keepers. You may speak with them later if you have any additional question about the tournament. I welcome all challengers from the distant lands to this grand event. For it is grand, an event that can shake the very foundations of life, or stabilize them completely."

"This year, there are exactly 510 fighters participating in the tournament. All competing, with their heart and souls to achieve the prize, the ultimate prize. The prize that all Pokemon want, but in the end, one, and only one can have: The Ultimate Power."

"I realize there are a lot of you who aren't very sure what it is the Ultimate Power really is. I am not here to reveal what it is. I am only here to say that it will be worth the fight, worth the danger. After all, over the many, many years that the tournament has been going on, many have died. Died trying to win it all. This tournament, may claim your life, but if it's for the ultimate prize, isn't it worth the risk? Imagine your greatest hope, your greatest aspiration, and then imagine the Ultimate Power."

"Now then, on to the rules of the Tournament. They aren't very hard, but are subject to change as every round passes, as all of them are, in fact, different. However, you'll see once you get to them...that is...if you get to them. For now, these are the basic, underlying rules:

Rule 1: You lose when you are knocked out, killed, forfeit or unable to continue fighting, unless the round calls for something different.
Rule 2: If it is your turn to fight, and you do not make your appearance within a given amount of time, you are automatically disqualified from the tournament.
Rule 3: Any extra weapons or such must be examined by the Keepers before you are allow to use them in battles.
Rule 4: Do no attempt to cheat, especially with bribes, as you will not only be eliminated from the tournament, but harsher punishments may be implemented.
Rule 5: Do not cross the Keepers, or you shall receive a very dreadful death.
Rule 6: Follow the rules of each round. Breaking of rules will result in disqualification, and possibly worse.

"The Dark Tournament will begin in 2 days. At that time, I ask all fighters to make their way back here, where you will be taken to the arena. Until then." Rector bowed. "Sleep, eat, rest, enjoy yourselves. After that, The Dark Tournament commences."

The Aerodactyl flew up towards the sky, and Replicus had managed to memorize everything about him. He remembered everything about him, it would be easy to transform into him now. He started to recall the Rules, and then realized something.

"Wait, did he say, 'killed'? We can get killed here?" He asked Kaiser.

He had two days to get ready for the Tournament. More than enough. The most important thing for Fallax to get ready was to explore the city, and memorize a Pokemon from each type. He could then easily transform into it anytime, and that would make the Tournament a breeze. He didn't have any physical training to do, as such. He had to use his brains and strategies. He had to prove himself to the Gold Tribe.

No matter what.

Nova the Espeon
Kingdom of Tollen

From the front of the Spire, Nova found herself impatient to get inside. A huge crowd had gathered before some hooded pokemon, all accepting through with invitations. Nova secretly wondered how the, what appeared to be a Cranidos, would judge her as she did not have a real invitation. It was with the Skarmory from earlier, as she knew. Why didn't he wait? Approaching the hooded guard, the pokemon stopped Nova to examine her. She allowed the Cranidos to do so, even if she didn't like it. Her appearance was slowly catching the attention of others.

"Identify yourself," the guard commanded, the Espeon facing them with cold, black eyes They showed no emotion, which was only heard through her voice, "I've been sent here from the Kingdom of Tollen. One of my associates passed through here earlier with the invitation."

"Of course they did," a voice from behind replied before the guard could. Nova instantly flipped around, as the rude comment was loud and clear. The crowd's eyes pointed to a Mightyena, who's chuckling smile made the Espeon's eyes burn with anger. He was mocking her in front of everyone. She saw some of the more mature in the crowd shifting their heads in the opposite direction, while the rest had their eyes all on her. Her flicking tail and sharp eyes were softened as the guard spoke.

"I am sorry, Madam Nova. Please proceed to join your colleagues."

Turning her head back, a small smile pinched her face before she walked through the doorway. It was ripped off the moment her face was out of view from the pokemon behind her. "As if I would lie about an invitation. How horrible". Peering inside the Spire, the exquisite agriculture didn't fail to impress her, although the Espeon's attention laid on the crowd which had gathered. She couldn't find the Cinccino or Emolga, though she probably didn't need to. She was in, after doubting she'd ever get a chance to participate in anything remotely as dangerous as this.

Letting her alien-like eyes study the gatherings of pokemon before her, Nova was easily able to identify a single group, all of which had golden pieces of either clothing or items on their bodies. If they were foreign, Nova probably didn't have an inch of knowledge about them. Instead, murmurs from the crowd around her gave her the information she needed. "The Golden Tribe. Strong, courageous…". If they were known by so many, they had to be the bravest of warriors. Facing them in battle would be interesting...more or less.

A sharp shriek from above shushed the crowd around her, a glint of light revealing an Aerodactyl. Extending its hard, long wings, it halted in front of the warriors with a perfect landing. "Welcome, challengers and citizens of Argos....to the Dark Tournament."

Cries and cheers instantly filled the air, piercing the Espeon's large ears. Her alien eyes stroke at each pokemon it laid upon, although Nova quickly gave up, allowing them to cheer as they liked. A slight motion of the prehistoric pokemon's wing silenced all as it continued to talk, "I am Rector, the host of the Dark Tournament. I am in charge of all of the proceedings of the event, as well as in charge of security. The security for this tournament are the hooded Pokemon you see all around called the Keepers. You may speak with them later if you have any additional question about the tournament. I welcome all challengers from the distant lands to this grand event. For it is grand, an event that can shake the very foundations of life, or stabilize them completely".

For a moment, the Aerodactyl paused, only to continue shortly afterwards, "This year, there are exactly 510 fighters participating in the tournament. All competing, with their heart and souls to achieve the prize, the ultimate prize. The prize that all Pokemon want, but in the end, one, and only one can have: The Ultimate Power".

An ultimate power which could save their King. If not, bring her sister back to life…

"I realize there are a lot of you who aren't very sure what it is the Ultimate Power really is. I am not here to reveal what it is. I am only here to say that it will be worth the fight, worth the danger. After all, over the many, many years that the tournament has been going on, many have died. Died trying to win it all. This tournament, may claim your life, but if it's for the ultimate prize, isn't it worth the risk? Imagine your greatest hope, your greatest aspiration, and then imagine the Ultimate Power."

Nova found the pokemon gazing with admiration and awe of the Prize. She herself felt overcome with curiosity and wonder, not in the least shaken up by the danger that could come to the Espeon. It would be worth it, saving someone's life. Although her own well-being was important, the Ultimate Power had to be put to use in the right way. She'd fight for it.

"Now then, on to the rules of the Tournament. They aren't very hard, but are subject to change as every round passes, as all of them are, in fact, different. However, you'll see once you get to them...that is...if you get to them. For now, these are the basic, underlying rules:

Rule 1: You lose when you are knocked out, killed, forfeit or unable to continue fighting, unless the round calls for something different.
Rule 2: If it is your turn to fight, and you do not make your appearance within a given amount of time, you are automatically disqualified from the tournament.
Rule 3: Any extra weapons or such must be examined by the Keepers before you are allow to use them in battles.
Rule 4: Do no attempt to cheat, especially with bribes, as you will not only be eliminated from the tournament, but harsher punishments may be implemented.

"Oh, darn," the Espeon chuckled to herself, quickly focusing back to hear the last few rules.

Rule 5: Do not cross the Keepers, or you shall receive a very dreadful death.
Rule 6: Follow the rules of each round. Breaking of rules will result in disqualification, and possibly worse…

"The Dark Tournament will begin in 2 days. At that time, I ask all fighters to make their way back here, where you will be taken to the arena. Until then," Rector bowed to the contenders, "Sleep, eat, rest, enjoy yourselves. After that, The Dark Tournament commences." With that, the Aerodactyl flapped it's enormous wings and took off back into the air, flying alongside the Spire, and flew until he was beyond the clouds.


It would be two days until the tournament officially began. What she would do until then, the Espeon didn't know. The crowd slowly broke up, Nova staying in place to look for one of her emissaries.

First post on Second page xD
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Alvah Cavan
Alvah made her way into the city not saying a word to anyone just taking in her surroundings. It was a good sized town with a big Spire in the middle, that Spire was where they where going. As they reached the Spire one of the first things she spotted where the golden insignias she had been told about as a child. The gold tribe she thought not paying attention to what Zion was saying to the Kabutops but heard him say "Gold Tribe. Best keep out of their way for now."

Alvah nodded quietly and stood with the rest of the order annoyed by the murmuring in the crowd but smiled evily as it stopped when the Aerodactyl appeared another ancient Pokemon. "Welcome, challengers and citizens of Argos....to the Dark Tournament." he spoke adressing everyone to which the crowd cheered. Alvah did nothing but clap a little bit.
"I am Rector, the host of the Dark Tournament. I am in charge of all of the proceedings of the event, as well as in charge of security. The security for this tournament are the hooded Pokemon you see all around called the Keepers. You may speak with them later if you have any additional question about the tournament. I welcome all challengers from the distant lands to this grand event. For it is grand, an event that can shake the very foundations of life, or stabilize them completely." he said then paused before continuing.
"This year, there are exactly 510 fighters participating in the tournament. All competing, with their heart and souls to achieve the prize, the ultimate prize. The prize that all Pokemon want, but in the end, one, and only one can have: The Ultimate Power.".
"I realize there are a lot of you who aren't very sure what it is the Ultimate Power really is. I am not here to reveal what it is. I am only here to say that it will be worth the fight, worth the danger. After all, over the many, many years that the tournament has been going on, many have died. Died trying to win it all. This tournament, may claim your life, but if it's for the ultimate prize, isn't it worth the risk? Imagine your greatest hope, your greatest aspiration, and then imagine the Ultimate Power."
"Now then, on to the rules of the Tournament. They aren't very hard, but are subject to change as every round passes, as all of them are, in fact, different. However, you'll see once you get to them...that is...if you get to them. For now, these are the basic, underlying rules:

Rule 1: You lose when you are knocked out, killed, forfeit or unable to continue fighting, unless the round calls for something different.
Rule 2: If it is your turn to fight, and you do not make your appearance within a given amount of time, you are automatically disqualified from the tournament.
Rule 3: Any extra weapons or such must be examined by the Keepers before you are allow to use them in battles.
Rule 4: Do no attempt to cheat, especially with bribes, as you will not only be eliminated from the tournament, but harsher punishments may be implemented.
Rule 5: Do not cross the Keepers, or you shall receive a very dreadful death.
Rule 6: Follow the rules of each round. Breaking of rules will result in disqualification, and possibly worse."

Dangit, that cuts out some of my ideasshe thought to herself arms crossed as she heard the no cheating or bribing rule.
"The Dark Tournament will begin in 2 days. At that time, I ask all fighters to make their way back here, where you will be taken to the arena. Until then." Rector bowed. "Sleep, eat, rest, enjoy yourselves. After that, The Dark Tournament commences." With that, the Aerodactyl flapped it's enormous wings and took off back into the air, flying alongside the Spire, and flew until he was beyond the clouds.

Alvah turned to the order and looked at Zion as others started to leave "What do we do now?" she asked wanting to know if there was anything the two leaders wanted them to do. If not she was going to go cause mischeif.

Gold Tribe

Kent watched most of the crowd disperse. The Gold Tribe stayed around for a bit. Fallax asked a question now, something Kent was also thinking in his mind.

"Wait, did he say, 'killed'? We can get killed here?"

Kent looked at him. He sighed.

"It appears so, Fallax. But that's the risk that would come with being apart of the Gold Tribe. I understand if you would wish to decline from participating. I would understand if anyone would. But I need to stay. I fight for something more than myself. I fight for the Alpha Alliance."

Kent looked them over. He then smiled.

"We should go rest and eat. We have two days to prepare."

***********************************************

Kingdom of Tollen

Zachary looked through the dispersing crowd. He managed to find Nova and the Duchess. He walked towards them, shaking his head a bit. The rules of this tournament were far more different than he imagined. He knew that this competition was dangerous, in fact, it might claim his life.

"What do you think of the Tournament? Milady? Nova?" He looked at both of them, in wonder.

************************************************

Region of Argos

Derrick Onkai moved away from the Spire once the opening ceremony was over. He didn't bother to stay around pointlessly. He also didn't bother to go train. He knew he was most likely the best fighter there anyways. He made his way to his favorite bar, the "Happy-Go-Lucky". There rest of the day, he spent drinking his hearts content, and counting his money.

The only problem was the high amount of tourists. But Derrick will get over it, he wasn't that picky. Drinkers were all the same, no matter where they came from.

***************************************************

Order of Alcantus

Zion looked over the Gold Tribe the whole time during the opening ceremony. He only remotely payed attention to the Aerodactyl. He had neither spoke to anyone, or broke his eye contact at the Gold Tribe. When the opening ceremony was over, he finally broke his eye contact. He was silent for a while, thinking over the day's events. Suddenly, one of his subordinates, Alvah, asked a question.

"What do we do now?" She asked.

Zion looked at her through behind his hood.

"Lay low, don't do anything stupid before the Tournament starts that might get you in trouble. Train however much you want. I'll see you in two days."

He nodded to Azar, Alvah, and Hydra, and walked away.

The crowd inside The Spire broke apart. But the Gold Tribe stayed for a moment longer.

"Wait, did he say, 'killed'? We can get killed here?" Fallax brought our groups silence.

Kent looked at him. He sighed.

"It appears so, Fallax. But that's the risk that would come with being apart of the Gold Tribe. I understand if you would wish to decline from participating. I would understand if anyone would. But I need to stay. I fight for something more than myself. I fight for the Alpha Alliance."

Toro took what Kent said to heart. Toro too was also fighting for something worth dying for, something bigger than his own safety, his families honour. Toro wasn't about to let his families deaths end in vein. And he was determined to win this tournament for the Gold Tribe, for the Alpha Alliance and to avenge his parents.

"We should rest and eat. We have two days to prepare," Kent explained to us before everyone left The Spire.

Toro however, stayed behind for another moment as he watched a shady group of Pokemon leave The Spire, an Unknown, a Hydregion, a Roselia and a Gengar. He had a weird sense about them, a dark feeling that they were hiding something.

Toro decided to put his thoughts behind him for now. He followed his Tribe out of the Spire and back into the busy streets.

Shiro walked up to a hooded Cranidos who ordered Shiro to identify himself and asked for his invitation. Making sure his posture was perfect Shiro announced, "I am Shiro Jinkiro heir to the great House Jinkiro. Headmaster house of the Trollen royal guard, the King's…"

The hooded Cranidos rolled his eyes then interrupted Shiro by saying, "That's nice your fellow emissaries are inside, go on in."

Shiro seemed shocked that he was so rudely interrupted while announcing his identity. He glared at the Cranidos and started to speak again, "How dare you interup…"

"I said MOVE! I have a line of people behind you and I don't care who you are as long as your suppose to be here," said the Cranidos interrupting Shiro once again.

Shiro was furious at the disrespectful pokemon and stormed inside the building. Behind him he could hear laughter. Where they laughing at him? Did he somehow dishonor his name? His anger started to be replaced by worry as he wondered what he could have done that was so funny. Perhaps they were laughing at someone else. Yes that is it, they were laughing at someone else.
Once inside the massive room, master of ceremonies greeted the Pokemon and welcomed them to the tournament. One thing that caught Shiro's attention was the number of competitors which made Shiro start thinking, '510 so if half are defeated and taken out of the tournament per round that leaves… wait some of the numbers are odd which means byes! What a poor way to run a tournament! There is no honor in being able to skip a round. O well it's their tournament; Trollen could have hosted a better one that is for sure. Now if my calculations are right that is nine rounds… nine victories and I honor my house and prove myself a worthy heir.' Shiro half listened to the rules as he made his calculations. Hearing the bit about the weapons he took a mental note to arrive early to have his weapons checked.

The Aerodactyl then informed them they had two days before the tournament started and dismissed them. Shiro wasn't sure what to do so he stood there thinking for a little bit. He then spotted three of his fellow Trollen competitors. He decided he should be friendly since there were some nobles here. Walking up to the three he gave The Duchess and Zachary a respectful bow and said, "Duchess Charporte, Sir Orthanius, greetings." He then just looked at Nova and gave her a slight nod of his head before returning his attention back to the two nobles. The Espeon should be honored someone of his position he even acknowledged her presence.

Shiro had missed Zachary's question and didn't know he had interrupted a conversation had he known he would have been horrified at his rudeness.

Dylan's upbeat theme song:

The three bandits were still approaching him from all directions, forcing Dylan to hug the tree near him, literally. Just then the other Buizel charged towards the Cubone from behind, knocking him down with a strong ram with her body. Dancing around dizzily, the Cubone collapsed onto the ground, but Dylan and the Buizel girl both knew that he wasn't going to stay down for long. With the Cubone down for now, things were easier to handle, and Dylan lunged towards the Hitmonlee, raising his has when he was close, throwing a ball of hot water towards him, distracting his enemy for now. Then when Dylan saw his chance, he placed his hands together and pointed at the air, forming a large whirloool around the Hitmonlee, trapping him with a large, fast and vicious water vortex. Then when the Hitmonlee struggled to get out, Dylan pushed the whirlpool away with his palms, the whirlpool whizzing away together with the Hitmonlee inside it.


With the Hitmonlee sent away for now, there was one bandit left - the Weavile. Turning around, Dylan expected to see her facing him, ready for battle, but to his surprise, she was fighting the female Buizel, hitting the eleven year old with a faint attack, knocking her back. Just then the Hitmonlee returned and Low Kicked her into a tree, slamming her head against a tree trunk with a loud bang. Despite that, the Buizel struggled to get up, firing another Sonicboom before she blacked out, collapsing onto the floor, too weak to move. The Cubone was down once again, but now the two bandits were staring at Dylan, their eyes full of bloodlust.


Looking at the unconscious Buizel, Dylan walked towards her, standing next to her in battle pose, ready to defend her from any more damage. The Weavile smirked and disappeared into the air, readying another faint attack while the Hitmonlee charged a focus blast with his hands. Dylan's eyes narrowed as his right first glowed white, then when the Weavile appeared before him, Dylan punched her in the stomach, releasing orange, yellow, and pink meteor-shaped particles upon impact, the punch knocking her away for the duration. When the hitmonlee released his focus blast, Dylan charged forwards and slammed his glowing hand towards the ball of energy, using Meteor Mash to send the ball back towards the fighting Pokemon, exploding where it shouldn't - on the Hitmonlee's face.


After the steel attack, the two bandits recovered quickly, but their expressions were different. Instead of anger, there's fear in their eyes. Dylan understood it well. He's a Buizel, and Buizel couldn't use steel moves. But he could, as he has 50% Empoleon blood inside him. The bandits were startled, and they ceased to attack. Turning around, Dylan knelt before the Buizel, shaking her gently, trying to make her relax by releasing some cool water pulses from his hands to give her more comfort, then before the bandits could attack once again, Dylan scooped her up and carried her into another alley before placing her down.


"Wake up" Dylan spoke, the Buizel still limp unconscious in his arms as he sat on the ground, legs crossed. Placing her onto his lap, Dylan continued to wait for her to wake up...

-Dylan Demetrius

-Anna's mind-

Anna crept into black nothingness and she felt weightless, like she was floating on thin air. She stared into the black as her subconsious mind grabbed a hold of her. Anna remembered the bandits and her getting knocked out. But there was one more thing, something or someone that was out of her gasp. Like a something that was burnt, just blackness no hints of what it once was. Anna quickly looked around, trying to find the bandits but everything was black. There was nothing there, this puzzled and confused her. Where was she? What was this pit of darkness that surrounded her? Anna suddenly felt cold and she dropped, like the invisible balloon under her had suddenly popped. Instead of the never ending falling sensation, she met the hard ground a minute later. But oddly enough she was unharmed. Once again she looked around, trying to find anything that was nothingness.

Then she seen something. Something orange. Anna squinted trying to get a better view, but that only made the orange fuzzier. She stood to her feet and tried to pick her feet up, to walk, but they felt like cement bricks. Anna heard a giggle, which froze her in place. She'd heard the giggle before, but where?

Then the voice came. "Oh, Bellie, Bellie. Look what you've gotten yourself into now."

Anna gasped at the words, there was only one who called her that. But it couldn't be, could it? Anna turned around, to where the voice was coming from and there stood a Buizel, smiling at Anna. "Ryce? I-Is it really you?" Her voice came out in little squeaks. Anna didn't care, here was her sister. Oh, she couldn't begin to describe how much she wanted to hug her. And scream and yell at her. She left Anna when she was little, and Anna had to suffer because of it. Anna realized that even though she loved Ryce, she was angry at her. Anna wanted to yell, scream, punch, kick. Anything to make Ryce, the real Ryce, understand that her leaving killed her.

"Wake up." Ryce said, making Anna look at her. As Anna looked, Ryce's appearance and voice became distorted.

"No! Don't leave me again!" Anna cried reaching her hand out, trying to touch her. But Ryce shimmered and then disappeared leaving Anna alone again. She felt like screaming, but she'd lost her voice. Anna's eyes opened and she blinked a couple times.

-Back to reality-

Anna realized that a familiar face was staring down at her. She couldn't remember who it was, so she looked at it. It definitely was a Buizel, but it was a guy Buizel. She could tell by his facial features.

It slowly came back to her, this Buizel had saved her. He'd fought off Lee (*shot*), Kara & Yula. And all without knowing who she was. Gee, does this guy have 'Be someone's Prince Charming' on his to do list? Anna thought.

Anna looked up at him and then around. When she realized she was in his arms, she quickly sat up as she beat down a blush. When Anna thought she could look at him, she did and he was still looking at her. "Why?" She asked confused. Confused on why he'd save her. She was nothing more then a poor little Buizel that got mixed up in the wrong crowd. And this crowd was mean, vicious and used her as a punching bag. "You don't even know me. Why would you risk your neck for me? Why?" As Anna said the last two sentences she was pounding her hands on his chest, not hard eough to hurt him. "Why?" Anna asked putting her head on his chest as tears rolled down her cheeks.

(sorry for shorter post)

At last she was regaining consciousness. It took her like fifteen minutes to do so, but it was better than not waking up at all. Looking at her from above, he could look at her clearly now. Her eyes were indeed grey, unlike ordinary Buizel, but other than that, she looked pretty fine. Dylan wondered if her eyes were born that way, or were they damaged earlier. Before she regained consciousness, she had been murmuring in her coma-like state, but the words were so unclear, Dylan couldn't possibly understand what she had been trying to say. When she found herself in his arms, she shot up with a blush, causing Dylan to blush as well. Well, why did he do that? Actually, he had no answer. It was all instincts...or was it?


"You don't even know me. Why would you risk your neck for me? Why?" She asked softly, confusion in her voice as she pounded his chest gently with her hand, demanding for an answer, "Why?" She asked again, putting her head onto Dylan's chest, leaning onto him as tears rolled down her cheeks. She was crying, and Dylan could see that she was awfully troubled. Finding a suitable answer, Dylan spoke.


"You're a Buizel, and I'm a Buizel," Dylan started, trying to say it in a soothing tone, wrapping his arms around her by following his inner instincts, something he had never felt or did before. It was like his brain, or his heart, was telling him to do it, "When I was surrounded by the bandits, you helped me fight them off. Why shouldn't I help you back...?"


She was trembling at little as she leaned onto Dylan, and Dylan wanted to panic. He didn't really know what to do, he didn't know how to comfort a girl. Hugging her tighter was the only thing he could do. The girl Buizel seemed to have a complicated and sad history, and judging to her reactions, it was probably driving her crazy. Looking at her with his large expressive eyes, he continued to give her warmth by wrapping his arms around her.


"W-we can be friends. There's nothing wrong with helping..." Dylan pointed out, trying his best not to blush, "I-I'm Dylan."

-Dylan Demetrius

As she felt his arms go around her she wiggled a little, her head on his chest still. She bit her lip hard to keep from saying or doing anything to make him question her. But that didn't help the fact that she was scared to death that this Buizel would smack her or kick her. Something. It was what she was use to. It didn't matter what Anna did. Nor how good or bad it was. Nothing was enough for Strike. And most often then not he lived up to his name. Somethimes he'd act nice and then out of the blue, smack her across the face (It was no wonder he'd never cut her with his sharp claws). Or he'd just immediately smack her. Anna shook a little just thinking about it, but it didn't matter if she stopped the shaking, she was still trembling. What's wrong with me?! Anna asked herself. I should be able to stop myself from trembling. I've done it countless times. Anna was more warm with Dylan's arms around her.

"That still doesn't explain why you'd be stupid enough to take on 3 Pokemon." Anna replied. She hadn't intended on it sounding cold or anything, but it did a little. "But, it's not like I'm not grateful. I truly am. I just want to know what kind of crazy Pokemon saved me." Anna continued, hoping that saying she was 'truly sorry', which she was, would make up for the cold temperment in her earlier words. Though, they were after me. If you weren't there and willing to defend me I'd be dealing with Strike right now. Anna thought and her arm began to hurt from the last time Strike 'disciplined' her. She just wanted to leave, to get away from all of this. To live a happy life like the families and single Pokemon she sees have. Was that too much to ask? To not have to worry about doing the wrong thing and getting brutally beaten because of it? Anna didn't think it was, but again, who was she to choice what was fair? She wasn't sure if fairness even existed.

Anna made herself stop thinking about that as she looked up at him again. She gasped softly, in surprise to find him looking down at her still. Anna could tell he was looking at her eyes and questioning them. Nobody had grey eyes, those that did were thought as science experiments gone wrong. She had never met another with oddly colored eyes. Anna didn't want to have to explain it again, although she always said that its a birth defect. Which everyone believed, but that didn't make them not want to stay away. As Dylan hugged her tighter she couldn't stop the cry of pain that came with it.

She tried to ignore the pain that ached into the tissues of her arms. "Friends eh? We just meet, but sure we can be friends. Hi Dylan. I'm Annabell, but call me Anna." Anna said introducing herself. Nobody called her Annabell, not that she could remember anyways. If someone had when she was little she didn't remember it.

As soon as the crowd dispersed off, Caitlyn spotted an oddly-coloured Espeon standing a distance away from her and gazing with a searching look. The Cinccino smiled with fashionable delight before striding her way towards the Psychic Eeveelution. Just as she paused by Nova's side, a Skarmory found them and walked up to them. He shook his metal head before speaking. "What do you think of the Tournament? Milady? Nova?" He looked at both of them, in wonder.

"Hmm, well I would say personally, that I think it would be a little turbulent but nevertheless I'll compromise on it being an ever-changing breeze. Don't you think so?" The Duchess wandered her fingers around her scarf and neck as she said thoughtfully. Her eyes then followed up a gaze to where the Aerodactyl was last seen. "I hope I'm not the only one sensing that something's amiss here. And mind me, for lack of a better term, this place seems to be purely ancient." The chinchilla heavily expressed the final word with an indirect comment shot at those guards or Keepers or whatever they were titled which she could not be bothered and that Rector person.

Just then, a Dewott clad in armour that emblazoned the grand emblems of the Kingdom of Tollen stepped right up to the trio. He curtly bowed and muttered, "Duchess Charporé, Sir Orthanius, greetings." Caitlyn smiled faintly, nodding her head slightly in approval. She saw the Dewott acknowledging the presence of the Sun Pokemon, who had yet to say anything. To be quite honest, the Cinccino felt that Nova was quite at all...there. Or maybe it was just the nobility atmosphere that shrouded the Pokemon in a sense of unwanted and unnoticed. Anyhow, the Duchess shrugged it off and waited as the other emissaries slowly made their way to the gathering. Hold on, should we be putting up too much profile? She honestly thought it was best to lie low and be safe. The Spire had already started to pluck at her nerves and the Cinccino could feel something wary going on.

The girl Buizel - Anna didn't struggle when she was in Dylan's arms, so he didn't let go of her. "That still doesn't explain why you'd be stupid enough to take on 3 Pokemon." Anna replied and Dylan winced a little at her reply, but she continued before he could say anything, ""But, it's not like I'm not grateful. I truly am. I just want to know what kind of crazy Pokemon saved me."


When Anna tilted her head upwards, she gasped a little as she saw him looking at her from above. Dylan seemed to understand what she was thinking, and looked at his silver fins on his wrists. Dylan was often teased and bullied because of his silver fins, so Anna was probably facing the same problem. People couldn't stand grey eyes, so they didn't want her, and discriminated her. Dylan didn't mind her eyes, partly because she looked beautiful even with the eye defect (which he didn't know about), and partly because he was also abnormal. His fins were freaking Silver instead of Blue, and they could look really weird in some peoples' eyes. I know how you feel Dylan thought, and he didn't want to pry.


"Friends eh? We just meet, but sure we can be friends. Hi Dylan. I'm Annabell, but call me Anna." Anna said, still in Dylan's arms. When listening to her voice, Dylan noticed that she was actually trying to hide the pain, probably caused in previous fights and battles, as he could her her whimper from time to time. She was still hurt, and Dylan didn't bring any healing potions with him today. There weren't any pharmacies nearby either. If he needed to get some medicine, he had to go home.


"I have some medicine back home, you can treat your wounds there if you like," Dylan spoke, stopped for a while, then continued, "It's not too far away, and we have everything from herbs to painkillers. You can even come and have a little snack before leaving. I AM getting a little lonely nowadays...there aren't many Buizels around my place, and less Buizels about my age. Nobody to play with..." the Buizel boy sighed, showing Anna the silver fin on his right wrist, his left arm still around her, "They think I'm strange. A freak. They don't really play with me."


Looking at Anna in the eyes once again, Dylan knew she could understand how he felt, as she had a similar problem. Maybe she had other problems, but prying wasn't going to do any good in this situation. She seemed rather down and troubled, and inviting her to his home was the only thing he could do to cheer her up, "Come on." Without waiting for a proper reply, Dylan stood up, careful not to hurt her as he did, standing next to her, still looking at the Buizel, then looked forward, bobbing his head slightly forward as a gesture to 'go ahead'. When she didn't seem to understand, Dylan reached for her hand and pulled her gently, attempting to bring her with him. She gasped a little, but she followed, not saying a word.


But after a few steps of slow walking, Anna fell onto the ground with a slight whimper, and Dylan's eyes widened, helping her up again. She wasn't ready to walk yet, and Dylan blushed as he thought of the only solution - Dylan took a deep breath and scooped her up, carrying her in his arms once again as he ran to his house as quick as his little Buizel feet could carry him, dodging some low tree branches and jumping over some mud pits, nearly slipping in some of them. Despite that, Dylan carried Anna as tight as he could, as she was hurt, and another fall could hurt her even more. Once in a while, Dylan looked down, into her eyes once again, to check if she was alright, and sometimes he would blush as he did so. He had never been so close to a girl before, but his instincts were telling him to do so. A voice. Somebody, or something, influencing him. Looking into the sky, he shook his head. No matter what this power was, it was strong, and thank god it wasn't bad. Until now, helping her seemed to be a good thing.


After a while of running, his little house came to view, and Dylan rushed into the house, glancing around to see if his mother was there. Hearing the commotion, Oceania came out of the kitchen, and tilted her head when she saw her son carrying a Buizel girl in his arms, "Dylan?"


"She's hurt, do you think you can heal her?" Dylan spoke, not realizing a little smirk on her face. Shaking her head, smiling, Oceania nodded and Dylan placed her on the sofa as his mother went for some medicine. Dylan didn't know what his mother was thinking about, and he found that smirk rather annoying...and embarrassing, despite not knowing what it meant. Was he doing something he shouldn't? After a while, Oceania approached the two Buizels with some medicine and herbs, then treated her wounds ever so carefully. After treating the wound, Oceania smirked once again and left the room, giving them some free time.


"So...what do you do?" Dylan asked, looking at Anna again, blushing once more.

********************************************************

Pokemon Heaven

"What do you mean, he's my half-brother?" An Empoleon asked, looking at the Pokemon world from above, standing on millions and millions of clouds, "The Buizel? Are you serious?" The Empoelon's trident-horn glowing brightly, he turned and looked at a Snorlax, which smiled back warmly as if he wasn't surprised.


"Triton's been hiding." General Manchu, the old General of the Gold Tribe answered shortly, then turned and patted another Empoleon standing next to him. That Empoleon looked older, but his trident-horn was just as long. Looking at a younger Empoleon which looked like his son, the older one sighed.


"I didn't tell you, son, because I didn't want you to be mad at me. Your half-brother too." Triton spoke, remorse in his eyes.


Looking at Dylan from above, Neptune frowned, "So what do you want me to do, dad?"


"Give him advice, Neptune 'Tidechanger' Demetrius. Be his voice. Being his half-brother, means he can sense you easily. I know you've been giving him some subconscious advice. See how brave he is. And he's carrying a girl! That must be you." Triton chuckled, "When he activates the Neptunian Trident, you'll be able to fully communicate with him. But until now, be his guardian."


Looking at Triton, Neptune smiled a little, his trident-horn shimmering under the bright sunlight behind him, "Yes, father." looking down, he shook his head, "Dylan Demetrius has much to learn."

-Neptune, Dylan Demetrius

(Misfit love. <3 Haha. Yay, Neptune's back...well in spirit..)

Anna looked away after a minute or so of their eyes being locked, a light blush on her face. She didn't look people in the face for long. Once people see the grey they stop talking and walk away. She had learnt that from experience. Anna didn't understand why. Was she not a Buizel? A fellow Pokemon? She couldn't change what her parents did to her, but she had dealt with it. Why couldn't they? At first Anna had ran crying from the room because of others whispering loud enough for her to hear them talk about he eyes. For years she hated looking at her reflection, all she seen was a grey-eyed freak. Anna understood now that she can't change it and albeit weird, her eyes were a part of her.

Anna's eyes widened at his words and she looked up at him again. She couldn't let him get involved. Well, he was already involved, but Anna didn't want to put him and his family in danger. And that's what it would be if Dylan brought her to his house. "Oh no. Please don't go into too much trouble for me. I'm sure I'm fine, just need some rest. Really, I'm fine." Anna said trying to sound convincing and keep from wincing. It was hard, but she was able to do it. Anna looked at his face, it didn't look like he was going to back down. So Anna decided to go along with him, why waste breath when you're going to lose? Anna looked at him, he was lonely as well? Why would nobody want to play with him? Sure, he's crazy at times, but I'm sure he'd be fun to play with. Anna thought and then looked at the wrist he showen her. Silver? Anna thought picking a hand up, ignoring the pain. She touched the tip of his fin. Why is it Silver? Anna thought. Mostly he's seen my eyes. I guess I'll have to tell him, if he asks...

As Dylan started to stand, Anna stood up, so she wouldn't get pushed off his lap when he stood up. Anna fought the urge to cry in pain, her legs hurt still but she thought she could walk. She gasped softly when Dylan grabbed her hand, she hadn't expected him to take her hand. Anna noticed that Dylan had slowed down his stride so she could keep up with him. But she didn't want that, but she couldn't run on hurt legs. A couple minutes later Anna felt her knees buckle and Dylan came running over. Even after her protests, Dylan picked her up. How she disliked being carried, it reminded her of being a child and it wasn't a good feeling. But no matter what he wouldn't put her down.

Once inside, Anna looked up at the lady Dylan was talking to. Is this his mom? Anna thought looking up at her. She didn't care for her smirk. What did she think? What did she think I'm doing? Were some questions that were zipping through her head. Anna stayed quiet as she did the treatment. But she winced a lot and bit her lip so she wouldn't scream. Some of the cuts/bruises were a year old maybe two years old.

"Huh?" Anna asked looking up at him after his mom left. "Is that your mom? She's pretty."

When Oceania treated Anna's wounds, Anna didn't scream at all. Well, she was wincing and biting her lip all the time, but that was it. She's pretty strong, able to hold in the pain, Dylan thought as he watched. Some of her wounds were pretty new, but some were old scars. Dylan wondered a lot of things. What was causing all these bruises and scratches? What, or who, was responsible for her injuries? Surely a Pokemon should be treated better. Was she tortured? Maybe, but by who? Her parents? Her siblings, if she had any? Her friends? Lots of questions whizzed in his mind, causing him to frown. Maybe her history was complicated, and her life was rather pitiful. Or maybe she got into trouble, and she couldn't get out of it again. Maybe she needed some help...? Looking at her eyes again, Dylan was in deep thought. What happened to her eyes? An accident? Or a sign of being tortured and bullied? Glancing from top to bottom, Anna didn't look bad at all, and her grey-ish eyes weren't much of a problem. Did people really go for looks instead of personality? Not saying that Dylan knew much about the Buizel, but until now, judging by her actions and words, she didn't seem to be a bad Pokemon. At all.


He was still thinking when her voice interrupted his trail of thoughts. "Huh?" Anna asked looking up at him after his mom left. "Is that your mom? She's pretty." Watching as Oceania walked into the kitchen once again, Dylan looked back at her, sitting next to her on the sofa, "Yeah, she is. Pretty? I'm not really sure if she is, but I guess so." Dylan chuckled, shrugging as he sat next to his new friend, "Well I guess she IS a little pretty. But well, she still has a young heart and a young spirit. She acts like a child sometimes, and I have no idea if it's a good thing or not..." Dylan continued to ramble about his mother for half a minute before stopping. But when he was rambling, he didn't look away from her, and he was looking at her all that time. She was different, however. When their eyes were locked for a while, she would look away as if she was hiding or something. Hiding something, or that she was shy. But after all that introducing and carrying, she didn't seem to be a shy person.


It had been a while since Dylan had company. First of all, their house was rather far away from the others, and there weren't many kids in the neighborhood. To make it worse, he has oddly colored fins, chasing away the small amount of kids that were originally interested in playing. He tried hiding them, but it was hard doing so in games and stuff. Life wasn't really too good for Dylan. His father, Triton, had died for a few years, and Dylan had been missing him really bad ever since. He was the reason why he had these unusual fins, but Dylan knew that it wasn't his fault, and he couldn't, and wouldn't blame him for the matter. Dylan's life was rather boring and depressing. Nobody to play with, and nothing to do all day. Moping around wasn't really an option after moping for years. So he started training, with a new dream. Life was slightly better, but still, he needed a friend. Finally, he's got one - Anna. Despite living a bad life, Dylan had a feeling that Anna's was much worse.


Dylan blushed when they looked at each other, and he couldn't help it. He didn't even know why. He blushes when they exchange glances, and that's making him even more embarrassed. She was cute when she blushed though. Shaking his head and pushing that embarrassing thought away for the duration, Dylan asked. "So...tell me more about yourself...?" Dylan questioned, their bodies close to each other.

-Dylan Demetrius

Kingdom of Tollen

The Duchess spoke about the Tournament within their little circle.

"Hmm, well I would say personally, that I think it would be a little turbulent but nevertheless I'll compromise on it being an ever-changing breeze. Don't you think so?"

Zachary shrugged, scratching his beak upon his wing.

"In honesty, I don't know what to expect. From what it seemed, the invitations were sent to the best of every country, every nation. We can expect every other person out there to be just as strong as us."

The Duchess spoke once more.

"I hope I'm not the only one sensing that something's amiss here. And mind me, for lack of a better term, this place seems to be purely ancient."

Zachary nodded.

"I was thinking a similar thought. If I were to wager, I'd say this Tournament has been going on for a long, long time. But...just how long exactly?" While Zachary and Duchess thought this over, Shiro walked up to them and bowed.

"Duchess Charporte, Sir Orthanius, greetings."

The Skarmory bowed in a similar fashion, showing the noble the respect that was given.

"Hello, Sir Jinkiro. We were just discussing the oddities of the Tournament...'staff'. These 'Keepers' are quite unusual, would you say?"

Zachary examined all of them. He noticed a slightly edged expression on Caitlyn's face. The area was probably making her uneasy. It certainly was making Zachary uneasy.

"Let's depart this area. We have had a long journey here. Let's relax a bit in town. I'm sure we can find something to do there, eat, perhaps rest."

With that, Zachary made his way to the now busy streets of the town. There were a lot of people from the Tournament walking around there. Many were in groups at around the same number as theirs. They also were new to this place, and were eager to examine the merchandise. Zachary browsed through a street shop, quite interested in the local wares available there. Some of the items he had never seen before. The Region of Argos, to him, seemed like a very interesting place.

Suddenly, his browsing was interrupted, as a Primeape was thrown out of a bar next door, onto the street, his face badly bruised and bleeding. Zachary flew over to see if he could help the Pokemon. He knelt next to him.

"Are you all right, friend?" He asked the Pokemon, who could only groan and grunt in response. A Lucario came out of the bar next, with a nasty scar across his discolored eye, and a necklace made of bones. Zachary approached in front of the Primeape, and faced towards the Lucario.

"Did you do this to this Pokemon?" Zachary asked, angrily.

The Lucario looked over the Skarmory and snorted a response.

"Stay out of the way, foreigner, if you know what's good for you."

*****************************************

Region of Argos

The bar was now filled with the foreign competitors. Derrick didn't mind at first, until some of them began getting out of hand, particularly one Primeape who had a few rounds to drink. He began approaching random people in the bar and asking stupid question, getting into other's business.

It wasn't a pretty sight. Next, the Primeape approached Derrick. He spoke to him.

"Hey, you! You're from around here, right? Show me around town! I want a tour!"

Derrick put down his drink, and sighed. He got up and walked over casually towards the Primeape. His next move was so fast, the Primeape never got a chance to defend against it. It was a set of Close Combats, straight to the face. The Primeape screamed as the fists hit him. The final punch sent him flying out of the bar, and right into the predicament they were now in.

Derrick faced the Skarmory now in his way, trying to get him to leave, but he wouldn't budge. Derrick looked him in the eye. He could see the fierceness of a warrior in his eyes.

Suddenly, Derrick shrugged, and walked on. A few of the Primape's friends came and took him to the Pokemon Center.

Derrick smiled as he walked off, and thought to himself.

Maybe there ARE some tough fighters in this Tournament...

Toro walked into a near by bar. It seemed there was a fight here already. But Toro just forgot about it and sat down alone.

"What'll it be son?" the Xatu bar tender asked.

"A pint of the best brew you got," Toro responded.

The bar tender turned around and filled a huge mug with what looked like a fine brew of beer.

"Thanks," Toro softly said to him.

Toro tried to walk away but the bar tender spoke to him.

"You her for the tournament son?" he asked.

"I am," Toro told him with his back facing him.

"You must be mighty brave to enter this tournament. It's got some of the toughest fighters in the world entering," he explained to Toro.

Toro turned around and sat down in a bar stool facing the bar tender.

"I'm aware of the Pokemon in this tournament. I've seen some shady Pokemon and I've made notes on who to look out for," Toro took a sip of his drink.

"What do you want the prize," he asked referring to The Ultimate Power.

"I'm going to use it to protect the Alpha Alliance. As you probably already knew, I'm from the Gold Tribe," Toro replied to the bar tender as he continued to knock back his drink.

The bar went quiet. The words Gold Tribe must have been known. The crowd of Pokemon within the bar was now around Toro.

"Gold Tribe eh, c'mon I'll take you on," a Machamp said.

"No, I'll take him," a Scizor butted in.

"I'm the candidate to take out a Gold Tribe member," a Sandslash intervened.

Why did I have to say Gold Tribe? Toro thought.

"Why don't you wait for the tournament to start?" Toro suggested to all of them.

"That's two days away!" said a Luxray.

"C'mon bird boy. Are you scared? Or is it he's a weakling" the Machamp taunted him.

Toro had heard enough. Being called weak was something that broke Toro's calm.

"He's just a big chick…" the Machamp started before Toro interrupted him with a Dynamic Punch to the face.

The huge Pokemon toppled over and went through a table. He was out cooled.

"That was the toughest guy in the bar," a Pokemon whispered.

"Yeah… was," another Pokemon whispered.

"Does anyone else think I'm weak now?" Toro questioned the group of Pokemon.

Toro polished of his drink and walked out of the bar.

"Mommy, I don't want to get dressed," the Machamp said while he was disoriented.

Anna moved her legs, so they hung over the couch, the tip of one foot touched the ground. As he sat down Anna looked back at him and blushed. He was awfully close when he didn't need to be. There was 5 or 6 more inches behind him. Anna made herself focus on his words nd she giggled. She gasped, eyes wide. Did I? Yes, I giggled. I did. Anna thought surprised. I haven't in such a long time. Anna was taken back by the giggle, she didn't remember the last time she giggled or laughed or chuckle or anything of the sort. But she knew it had to have been before the bandits. How she hated them. But I'm a coward, I won't stand up for myself. Not to them, not to anything. Anna thought sadly. This isn't fair. Why I have to find a great friend like Dylan when my life is so messed? Anna asked in frustration. She just wanted to run away from all the bad and kep the good. "Come on now. I think you're a little biast." Anna said playfully picking on him. She thought about what he said next before continuing. "Child at heart? I think you're right. Like so many things, it can be a curse or a blessing. Maybe a little bit of both. But, its better to be a child at heart then never being a child again. That's not right, just because you grow up doesn't mean you need to stop being a kid completely. Just not at inappropriate moments." Anna looked around the room. Everything looked perfectly dusted and everything was in its place. It seems like Dlyan's mom would notice if something was moved, even if it was moved only by an inch.

Ann looked back at Dylan and blushed, realizing that he was still looking at her. This made her blush more. Why? Why does he keep staring at me? And why does he have to do it like that? Anna thought, looking back at him. She couldn't say she didn't lie it. She did. Its the longest anyone had ever payied attention to her, without her getting hit. She couldn't describe what she was feeling, it was strange and new to her. Anna quickly looked away and stared at the floor.

She bit her lip hard when he asked to know more about her. I should have known this would come. I-I can't tell him everything. He'd kick me out and never speak to me. Anna thought, a little frightened. "T-Theres not much to tell. I came here a couple months ago, I had been traveling with a couple that I had met in Ruzol. And I decided to follow them here." Anna explained, still not looking at him. She couldn't look at him, not as she half lied to him. I have no other choice. Anna told herself.