With his number now pinned to his back, Eloy found himself standing with his hand resting reassuringly on Maestro's head. Around him with Lauren, Layla and Gwen along with their chosen partners for the first round. Echo and Layla's Jolteon had taken to alternating between intense stares and playful jostling while Gwen's Lucario stared off into the room. Eloy couldn't help but wonder what the solemn Pokemon was thinking.
The four of them chatted amongst themselves to varying degrees. Layla was by far the most talkative and animated of the bunch while Lauren and Eloy were happy to wait for their turns to contribute to any discussion. Gwen, true to form, spoke rarely and when she did it was usually only in response to something someone else said.
Eventually though, a new and loud voice echoed throughout the room, amplified by a megaphone set low.
"Okay, listen up please! Those of you in the green group, I need you to assemble here by the door. If the rest of you could make room for them to pass, that would be excellent."
"I guess we're up first then." Eloy looked to Gwen. She made an attempt at smiling back at him, but looked altogether quite uncomfortable with the idea of being in the tournament. Not for the first time, Eloy found himself wondering about her capabilities. She clearly knew a lot about Pokemon and Layla had spoken very highly of her ability, yet everything about the way she carried herself and her tendency to avoid battles contradicted Layla's assurances. A fact that in and of itself was contradicted by the confident Lucario walking alongside her.
"Tuuuune!" Maestro called, realising a moment too late that the other three had started moving and hurrying to catch up to them.
Eloy grinned at the Bug type, resettling his hand on his head as they came to a halt in front of the usher with the megaphone hanging at their side.
"Okay, we're going to head over to the waiting point now," he said loudly, thankfully abandoning the megaphone now that the group were all close together. "We'll get there as the opening remarks are starting. Once the speakers have finished, then I'll send you guys all out and you'll position yourselves around the edges of the battlefield. From there on, listen to the instructions of the chief referee. Alright? Let's go!"
Without waiting for a reply, the spritely man turn and walked out the door leaving the assembled trainers to cram through it after him and follow him down the dingy grey corridor towards the entrance to the battlefield.
Eloy, careful to keep his contact with Maestro, took the chance to survey the group. Including himself and Gwen, who was number seventy-nine, there were twenty-one of them present. It didn't matter overly much at that point, but that told Eloy that there was likely around eighty or so competitors if all the fields were of a similar size. More pressing, everyone in their field had a Pokemon at their side. That meant that there wasn't going to be anything gigantic in the battle. He wondered if that meant there was going to be a decent number of unevolved mon or if it just meant the whole field had chosen smaller fully-evolved Pokemon like Maestro.
As they walked, a few of the trainers struck up conversation with each other. Eloy took that to mean it was fine for him to talk to Gwen who was keeping pace next to him.
"You know, I wasn't expecting you to be competing. You never showed that much interest in battling and you mentioned a while back that your goal was to be a breeder."
"I wasn't really planning on entering," Gwen answered, "I joined at the last opportunity, hence the high number."
"Why the sudden motivation?" Eloy asked, Gwen's expression finally shifting into a more genuine smile in response.
"Do you really have to ask?"
"Layla?" Eloy offered, without a doubt in his mind that he was about to have that suspicion confirmed.
"Naturally," Gwen giggled, "Apparently I'm wasting my talent if I don't take part in something like this every now and then. She was quite insistent. Not that this is much of a surprise. It's hard to say no to Layla once her heart is set on something. She's very determined."
"Yeah, I figured as much," Eloy said. "I'm not sure if determined is the word I'd use though as much as stubborn."
"That's because you don't know her like I do."
Before the conversation had a chance to go any further, Eloy found himself stopping suddenly, feeling Maestro bump into the edge of his leg. The chatter of the assembled trainers also dwindled down and eventually stopped. They were now gathered before an open archway, beyond it an expanse of green grass that gave way to a pair of compacted dirt battlefields. Further past those, a small stage was set up below a vast screen. On the stage stood a small group of people, their visages projected on the screen behind them at several times life size.
A tall woman in a purple pantsuit with sharp cheekbones, penetrating eyes and an immaculate red pixie cut was standing at the forefront of the group holding a microphone. Eloy recognised her instantly. That was Daphne, the busiest gym leader in the world and CEO of the technology company that co-sponsored the event.
"Good morning to you all and welcome to the Techniti Cup Tournament," she spoke in a sharp, strong and confident voice. "Today, eighty-two competitors will battle it out for your entertainment and for the chance to prove themselves to the battling world at large. We have four impressive battle-royale rounds to start the event off. Following that, the final two of each will participate in the main tourney. In addition to the three thousand Poke grand prize, the victor of that tournament will have the honour of earning an exhibition battle with our very own Nora West, former headmaster of the Nora West Academy here in Techniti City and current member of the Elite Four. Now, to open the event, I will turn you over to the very same. Welcome, Nora!"
As Daphne stepped back, another familiar face stepped forward and took the microphone. Nora was a total contrast to Daphne, dressed casually in a similar outfit to before with her curly hair held in place by a pink bandanna. Her expression was warm and motherly, something Eloy was beginning to assume was just the default for the woman.
"I'm sure everyone is raring to go, so I'll keep this nice and short! This isn't just a spectacle, this is a moment for a group of very talented young trainers to shine and stand with confidence on the national stage. This tournament has, in the past, given rise to famed professional battlers, Gym Leaders and even our current champion made their television debut here. Today we aren't just entertaining you, we are showcasing the future. Now it's the futures turn, I think I've said more than enough."
As Nora stepped back from the edge of the stage, the image on the screen shifted to focus on the other side of the archway Eloy was standing on. He could see the usher and the first group of competitors. Then, suddenly they were moving, surging forward as the usher gave the signal.
Eloy found himself separated from Gwen as they both instinctively moved in different directions around the edge of the nearest battlefield. Instead, he ended up standing between a girl with a Vibrava and a boy with an Aron. Neither were great matchups for Maestro, who was looking about the field nervously. Eloy had a hunch though, that they would attack straight not sidewards.
"I hope you're ready Maestro, it's about to start."
"Tuuune!" Maestro reply, his musical voice a mixture of determination and foreboding.
Even as that exchange passed, an announcer went over the rules. Then, a referee blew their whistle as two more started shouting to start the battle. Then, all hell broke loose.
In an instant, the tense peace between combatants was broken as instructions were yelled from all directions and Pokemon began surging onto the field.
"Darner, Dragon Breath!" Eloy heard the girl to his right instruct, her Vibrava diving into the fray. Sure enough, as predicted, both of the nearest trainers went forwards instead of turning their attention towards him. That was an opportunity.
"Maestro, Sing!" Eloy called and finally, Maestro lurched into action. Instead of diving head-first into the fray, Maestro hung back. He slid his blades across each other like and instrument and began humming his song, the beautiful lullaby cutting through the harsher chorus of the battle, each note reverberating with power.
Around Maestro, the Vibrava dropped from the sky and lay prone on the ground. The Aron staggered forward and slumped into the dirt. Across from them, a Sawk and a Simisage swayed in place before dropping to the ground.
"Oh come on!" Eloy heard the Aron's trainer growl at his left as the Vibrava girl just groaned on his other side. He didn't have any time to even consider saying anything to the pair of them though, a Tailow suddenly dive bombed the group, making a B-line for Maestro.
"On top and use Slash!" Eloy yelled as the Tailow swooped in. With clumsy wings, Maestro just barely got high enough to slice down against the Flying-types back. It crashed into the dirt between the group of sleeping Pokemon.
Unfortunately, it was at that moment that a lot of other nearby trainers were noticing the easy targets. Suddenly, almost in unison, several orders were given. A torrent of fire, a crackling electrical blast and a chilling Ice Beam struck out towards the group. There was no where to run.
"Bide!" Eloy called in desperation. Maestro dropped the short way back to the ground and braces himself behind his blades as the attacks closed in, with eyes bulging with terror at what he was about to endure. The next second, there was a near-deafening boom as the attacks all struck the same general area, exploding against each other and their victims and blasting a cloud of dirt into the air.
Eloy winced, calling after Maestro but not hearing a response. He squinted against the dirt in his eyes and strained his ears, but could neither see nor hear any sign of his Kricketune. He was quickly starting to dread that the rash Bide he had called might have caused him to be an early knockout.
As the dust thinned, Eloy could see a faint source of light. Maestro was still on his feet, already radiating with the immense energy he had just absorbed with his Bide. The Vibrava, Aron and Simisear were all laying fainted around him. The Sawk and Tailow however, had mysteriously vanished. That didn't matter at that moment, he had to focus on retaliation.
"Maestro, blast that Tepig, that's where the fire came from!"
Struggling to contain the insane amount of attack energy he was holding within himself, Maestro frantically scanned the battlefield for the offending Fire type, getting progressively more agitated as he held the attack longer and longer. It was with great relief to he and Eloy both that he finally managed to locate the Tepig. It was locked in battle with an Aipom and a Clefairy.
"Tune?!"
"If you get all three all the better, but focus on getting rid of problem Pokemon like Fire types!" Eloy instructed.
"Tuuuuuune!" Maestro didn't wait another second, no longer able to contain the power he was holding. He unleashed the Bide, digging his blades into the ground to keep himself from being blown back by the force of his own attack. An immense, pure white blast shot across the battlefield, ripping a shallow canyon into the ground below it.
The Tepig and its two opponents turned to see the incoming attack, wide eyed at the monstrous blast. The Aipom dove off the side, it's natural agility a huge boon in the chaos of the battle royale. The Tepig and the Clefairy weren't as lucky. Both were engulfed in double the power of the three colliding attacks from before. As the dazzling glow of the attack subsided, it revealed both lying still on the ground, immediately knocked out by the force of the blow.
Eloy's gaze returned to his own Pokemon. Maestro was flagging already, worn down from holding so much energy right after taking three powerful attacks head on. It wouldn't pay for the Kricketune to take many more hits if Eloy planned on making it to the next round.
He swept the battlefield in search of his next target, his eyes eventually finding Gwen, her own gaze focused intently ahead of her. He followed her line of sight, then he froze, his jaw dropped open.
Gwen's Lucario was standing in the middle of four enemies. A Fraxure, a Hitmontop and the Aipom and Sawk he had seen earlier. The Fighting type's eyes were shut tightly, the protrusions on the side of its head jutting out horizontally and a fierce, but joyous, snarl on his face. One after another, the four other Pokemon attacked. Gwen's Lucario dodged them all.
"Of course," Eloy said to himself, suddenly realising the genius of Gwen's Pokemon choice. "Aura. He can sense exactly where every single Pokemon on this battlefield is and knows what they're doing. Incredible."
"You should focus on your own Pokemon, pal!" Someone off to the otherside shouted, Eloy instinctually recognising the taunt was directed at him.
His head shot around just in time to see the glowing wing of the Tailow from before slamming into Maestro's back and sending him tumbling through the dirt. The bird wasn't done though, it was coming back in for a second round.
"Growl and then Struggle Bug!" Eloy called.
A pulse of sound emanated from Maestro, carrying with a strange sensation. It washed over the Tailow, and the Flying type visibly weakened, faltering slightly on its path. A moment later, a pillar of glowing red exploded up around Maestro and rushed outwards.
The Tailow slammed into a wall of red light, it's attack ceasing in that instant. The Tailow wasn't knocked out the sky by the disadvantageous attack, but its momentum was completely nullified. There was no need to follow up though, the Tailow was a sitting duck in that moment as it was blindsided by the sparking, yellow-white glow of a Charge Beam and jettisoned from the battlefield.
Eloy looked back at the trainer who had called out to him before, the boy now wearing a shocked and dismayed expression. Unable to help himself, Eloy called out to his former adversary.
"Maybe you should have spent a little more time looking at everyone else's Pokemon!" He didn't hear the grumbled response, turning his attention back to the battlefield just in time to catch the outcome of Gwen's impressive clash.
The Aipom leapt for her Lucario, swinging the glowing fist at the end of its tail for the back of his head. The Lucario whirled round, pivoting around the attack to catch the tail between his hands. Keep up the pivoting momentum, he swung the Aipom like a flail, striking the incoming Fraxure with it.
"Anubis, Psychic!" Gwen instructed, the command faint in Eloy's ears over the sounds of battle.
Both the Fraxure and the Aipom were engulfed in an outline of glowing blue. Then, with a wave of power that Eloy himself could feel from across the staging ground, both Pokemon were rocketed past a set of trainers, skimming across the grass between battlefields.
The Sawk rushed in next, ducking low and lashing out with its leg to deliver a Low Sweep. The attack never even came close to hitting. In a movement so fast that it was almost as though Anubis had teleported, the Lucario was past the reach of the Sawk's leg and delivering a sharp kick of its own to the Sawk's head.
As Eloy's mind raced, quickly coming to the conclusion he had just witnessed Extreme Speed, Gwen gave her follow-up command. Eloy missed the actual words, but it was clear what she'd said. A blue light surrounded the Sawk and a split-second later it was ejected from the battle. Anubis, eyes still firmly closed, then turned in Maestro's direction.
Eloy felt his heart jump into his throat. From afar, he was able to admire the power of Gwen's Pokemon and had quickly come to the realisation that her meek demeanour belied a terrifyingly skilled opponent. He had no desire to go toe to toe with her while Maestro was already barely hanging in there.
Anubis started forward towards Maestro and in that moment, Eloy could swear he saw an expression that was more apologetic than anything on Gwen's face. Even as he saw the look she gave him though, the ground suddenly exploded upwards in a cloud of shrapnel and his vision was partially obscured.
A Krokorok had clearly been using Dig, leaping forth from the ground with a spin and slamming its tail into Maestro. Maestro staggered backwards, reeling from the sneak attack. The onslaught continued though.
"Bite!" Eloy heard from somewhere on the opposite side of the battlefield.
The Krokorok shot forward with surprising speed and clamped its jaws down over Maestro's side.
"Tuuuuuuune!" Maestro cried out in an agonised lament. The attack wasn't that effective against a Bug like Maestro, but he'd already taken a lot of damage. Maestro wiggled and struggled against the attack but was unable to break free.
"Fine, if you want to stay so close, so be it. Fury Cutter!"
A crimson light extended over Maestro's blades. In quick succession, he rained several blows down upon the Krokorok. The Ground and Dark type staggered back, vulnerable to power of the sequentially strengthening strikes.
"Oh, now you want to run away?" Eloy taunted, "Nope! Struggle Bug!"
The column of red light shot up around Maestro and then expanded outwards in a rush. As though hit by a train, the Krokorok was smashed backwards by the force of the Bug attack and skipped along the dirt like a pebble on a lake. It came to a rest by Anubis'feet, but it wasn't getting up to face down the Lucario, it had fainted the moment the Struggle Bug had made contact.
The fainted Pokemon was quickly removed from between Maestro and Anubis, no longer an obstacle between them. The Lucario was looking at Maestro as the Kricketune swayed in place, standing casually with his eyes now open. Eloy steeled himself for what was to come.
Then, he realised that the Lucario had opened his eyes and no attack was incoming. A whistle blew a moment later a horn sounded over the stadium PA system as Eloy looked about the battlefield, gradually coming to the realisation that Maestro and Gwen's Lucario were the only two Pokemon left and that the only other trainer standing at the now severely disfigured battlefield was Gwen. They were the last two and would be moving on to the tourney rounds.
Without another moment of thought, Eloy rushed Maestro, wrapping his arms around the exhausted insect.
"Nicely done! I told them you'd surprise them!" Eloy beamed.
"Tuuuune" Maestro replied weakly in a lilting, singsong voice.
"Congratulations," an equally soft voice said from behind Eloy as he freed Maestro from his embrace. Gwen was standing there, her calm and confident Lucario by her side with a slight, but smug, smirk on his face. The Fighting type gave a nod of acknowledgement to Maestro, who was too tired to offer much of a response.
"Congratulations to you two as well!" Eloy exclaimed. "Moreso to you two, if I'm going to be honest. You're terrifying," he admitted.
"Thank you… I think." Gwen replied meekly, scratching nervously at her arm and staring fixedly at the ground.
"That's high praise," Eloy grinned as the voice of the announcer reached his ears.
"The winners of the first battle royale qualifier, and your first entrants into the tourney rounds, are Eloy Chance and Guinevere Wayne!"
Team Eloy