---

Zaria blinked. Wait... We got a hit? And the Charmander isn't attacking! Instead, she heard the frustrated cry of the fire lizard and realized it was paralyzed into place. Wow! He's paralyzed! There was no other way to go about than keep going for attacks, Zaria thought. They had gotten a hit in, and now she was a little more confident that they'd be able to get in others. Hopefully Rorie wouldn't keep going for Smokescreen, but perhaps they could defeat their opponent before they used the move again.

"Another Thunder Shock!" Magnet let out a jagged lightning strike of bright yellow green electricity once more.

@vaguely

Mellona's carapace bore scratch marks, but Emmy clearly fared worse of the two from the successful Struggle Bug. Seeing the smirk wiped off of Nicholas' face, Antoinetta laughed, partly from relief. For all her fears, was this battle going in her and Mel's favour?

Not that she could relax just yet, as Nicholas' taunt reminded her. Something nobody had been able to beat before? Surely he was just talking tough...? Judging by his next command, he had to be. Netty chuckled again. "Nobody except us just now," she jeered. "Mel, again, Gust." Once more, Mellona whipped up a mini tornado.

Was Nicholas really that forgetful and overconfident, or was this Quick Attack part of a bigger plan? With a gut feeling that it was the latter, Netty watched the round unfold.

Troy

"No! Damn it, at this rate..." Bobby wracked his brain. Gulp just wasn't good with his Poison Gas. What other moves could they use? "Gulp, use Acid Armor!"

The Gulpin's form slowly melted into a puddle before reforming once more. His cells rearranged, he could now withstand stronger physical moves. "Gup!"

"We're powered up!" Bobby pumped his fist into the air. "Let's see what you can do, RIVAL!" How would Troy react?

So his strategy is to give up on evasion or defense and take the hit directly using acid armor as a crutch. It's one thing to know your limits and change your strategy accordingly. It's another entirely to give up on the desperation play and hope things will work out if you ignore it. There is no attack stronger than Rollout once it gets going. If nothing is done about it now, then no amount of acid armor will save Gulpin, and even if Gulpin manages to stop Shuckle later, the damage will have already been dealt, and the war of attrition will have been all but won before it even starts.

"Follow through!" Shuckle continues to speed up, flying at Gulpin with an increasingly magnificent plume of rocks and dust trailing behind.

The Yamper yelped as it got knocked back by Rocky’s tackle. Tim couldn’t help feeling bad for it. Hurting innocent Pokémon wasn’t something he liked doing. But the Yamper’s trainer was a jerk, and needed to be taught a lesson. He went in for the discharge.

Tim sighed. ”I feel bad for Pachi. He’s adorable, and a good boy. It’s just unfortunate he gets stuck with an awful trainer like you. Rocky, blind him with Sand-Attack!”

Rocky barked as he turned around, and kicked up sand in the Yamper’s face.

@Jujube
The Thundershock hit once more! The Charmander, already strained from his paralysis, couldn't take much more than a few attacks, especially Thundershocks from an electric type. With a groan, the fire lizard slumped over, his eyes positively dizzy looking. "Chaaar..." He let out a puff of smoke before falling down completely.

"Hey! Char!" Rorie returned him before he could hit the ground. "I can't believe we lost..."


She shook her head, looking just a little dejected. But then she snapped up and glared at Zaria. "It am down to luck and you won, good job." She extended her hand for a conceding handshake, her once harsh expression now softened. "I guess that forest fire story was true. Your Magnemite seemed to know their way around the stuff. Not bad."

The students were aflutter with whispers. "She won?"

"Not bad..."

"It was more luck than anything else though, wasn't it?"

Zaria would have time to respond if she wanted to, or Rorie would walk away.

---

@LuckyBlackCat
"Emmy! Defense Curl!" Nicholas shouted, his once arrogant eyes now furrowed with a little more uncertainty. As the Gust swooped the Sentret up once more, the pokemon rolled up protectively. "Seeeee!" The little rodent cried. When the gust slowed, the Sentret stood up, strained and tired looking.

Nicholas jabbed a finger towards Mell and Netty, snarling. "I've got you now! You've triggered our ultimate attack! Reversal! Emmy, use it!"

Emmy balled her tiny paws and glowed a fierce orange. A vortex of fighting type energy swirled around her before coalescing into a solid glow that then faded. Emmy shook her head drooped her ears as she let out a small, "sen..." Her strong tail gave out beneath her and she stumbled to the ground, too tired to go on, much to Nicholas' chagrin.

"Em- Emmy? No! We lost to a bug trainer?" He grabbed his face with his hands. "Arghh, no! You've got to be kidding me! And I trash talked the whole damn time! Damnit!"


He ran to his pokemon, hugging the little Sentret's soft, round body before returning the creature. "I'm sorry, okay? I was an ass. To tell you the truth I got made fun of a lot last year when I caught Emmy. Everyone said Sentret couldn't be strong, so I guess it kind of got to me. That's not an excuse. But anyways, you won." He would stick around to hear what Netty had to say before walking away.

The students talked more. "She's got style."

"I guess she is a coordinator... Huh."

"I really like her dress!"

---

@Ryik
Crash! Though the sharp defense boost softened the blow, the Shuckle's attack was powerful and painful. "Gup..." It said feebly before passing out heavily.

"Gulp!" Bobby returned the pokemon, looking at his pokeball. He laughed, trying but failing miserably to hide the stream of tears running down his face.


Bobby walked over to Troy. "I just... I really wanted to win I guess. But we were no match for you. I guess we're not main characters after all..." He covered his obvious sobs by shoving his face into the crook of his elbow, his other hand stuck out in wobbly gesture for a hand shake. "But I won't give up!" He wiped the ocean of tears away from his eyes. "We won't give up! Let's shake on it!"

Troy would have the chance to respond, otherwise Bobby would simply run away bawling.

"All that with just a Shuckle!"

"The Gulpin wasn't that strong though."

"That Rollout's strong no matter what though."

---

@Crimson Flame
Another Sand attack landed on the Yamper with little effort from Rocky, who landed the hit squarely. "Arf! Arf!" Pachi yelped, still seeing double clones of Rocky and now he had sand in his eyes! As the Discharge came crashing down on the field, he ran around, trying to see where Rocky was-- but his attack hit nothing and nobody! Frustrated, the Yamper howled before rolling around on his back in a ferocious tantrum.

"Pachi!" Gerard tapped his foot impatiently. "Up! Come now, we've got a battle to win!"

"Arr... Woof..." The Yamper snuffled the ground and hid his tail between his legs before rolling onto his back and exposing his soft tummy. "Arrrr?" It was clear he wanted belly rubs. Students began to snicker. Gerard was furious.

"Pachi, Damnit! Up! You've got a battle to win!" Gerard rushed to the field while Caprea, who had been judging the match, cleared her throat. "It's clear that he doesn't want to battle," she said with an amused smile. "And as the trainer, you've already interceded on the pokemon's behalf, so it's over." Before Gerard could protest, Caprea waved a green flag in Tim's direction. "We have a winner for this match! Tim Wolfe!"


"Noooo!" Gerard sank to his knees while Pachi, blissfully oblivious, rolled around with his tongue hanging out, mucking up his fur. "Ugh, Pachi, you're so spoiled..." Defeated, he knelt to give the puppy some affectionate pets. "Hmph, I suppose you won... But this doesn't mean we're friends. You're a breeder, don't you know that pedigree pokemon are the best?"

Tim would have a chance to respond before Gerard walked away. The students were in titters over Gerard's Yamper, although quite a few people did find his pokemon purely endearing anyways.

"So that transfer student won! I can't decide between Rockruff or Yamper! They're so cute!"

"His parents are pokemon doctors, right? I wonder if his Rockruff's specially bred..."

"No fair! Some people get everything handed to them."

---

As it came down to the final rounds, the class was quite shocked to see that none other than the transfers had made it into the semi-finals! There had been some impressive contenders in the second round, but now there was just Troy, Zaria, Netty, and Tim. "Well then! Let's randomize the matches... There we are! Tim and Zaria, along with Netty and Troy!" Caprea was all smiles and beaming as usual. "Yes, it's getting heated up now! I wonder how the top students will deal with each other?"

"Ha, well you know I'm rooting for the electric type pokemon, naturally." Tessa said, grinning as she adjusted her goggles and shrugged shamelessly.

"I want to say I don't have any favorites, but that's just because there are no grass or psychic types on the field," Caprea said with a chuckle. "So then... shall the matches get started?" With that, the transfers were now opposing each other on the field. Tim stood across Zaria while Netty stood across Troy. The entire class' eyes were glued on them, along with Tessa and Caprea. The two ladies grinned at each other before exclaiming:

"Begin!"

Netty stood speechless. She’d expected Nicholas to keep talking tough, so the sudden apology caught her by surprise, and resonated with her. So he did know what it was like to have people make fun of him and his Pokemon. She opened her mouth to reply, to say something similar… But no, she couldn’t. Not in front of all these people. She was the winner, she had to act like it.

“Well, does this prove a point about overlooked Pokemon?” she said instead, gesturing to the victorious Mellona, who squealed and twirled. Netty glanced at the crowd to drive the point home, briefly wondering if she came across as badly as Nicholas had.

It didn’t matter, she decided as she went to get Mellona healed. What mattered was the crowd might now think twice before underestimating someone.

That bout of confidence faded as Netty stepped up to face her next opponent, Troy. Hundreds of battles, if not thousands… His earlier words replayed through her head as she gripped the Pokeball containing Mellona. Assuming he actually had been telling the truth, she and Mel wouldn’t be in for an easy time.

“Let’s see if you’ve got what it takes to back up those claims of yours,” she said nonetheless, sending Mellona back into the fray.

Troy on the other hand, remains blissfully oblivious. Claims? Was she referring to the homeroom icebreaker? Could it really be that hard to believe he didn’t like talking about himself? What does that even mean, if she’s saying it here and now? Is she trying to provoke Troy or is she referring to something else? What is there to even prove in a matchup this lopsided? A Shuckle versus a Combee just feels downright unfair. Maybe things would be different if Shuckle was running a more defensive set, but considering the sheer unga bunga that Troy’s been making use of, Shuckle may as well be using one of the most aggressive strategies in the class, if only because he has the defense to get away with it.

Troy couldn’t help but to hate this. This battle, this feeling of arrogance, like his win was already assured. It was a sickening feeling of unavoidable complacency. He wasn’t sure why it felt so disgusting. Aiming to be the very best meant there should be countless easy battles along the way, so surely there’s more to it than just that. It wasn’t fear of failure; his only concern was the opportunities lost through it and that was solved in the previous matches. It wasn’t vicarious either, since Antoinetta had good matches earlier as well. She proclaims her goal is as a pokemon coordinator anyway, losing a battle shouldn’t even be an issue to her, so what exactly is the problem?

Maybe it’s the same feeling you get when you can’t help but think you know better than your parents.

Well, as Troy has told his class, he didn’t like talking about himself. Troy puts it out of his mind and tosses out Shuckle’s pokeball. Shuckle springs forth, chipper as ever, nonchalantly smiling in an infectious way that instantly put him at the focal point of Troy’s attention. It was always easy to forget all else and focus when Shuckle was involved.

”What say you we make this interesting?”

At the sight of Troy's Pokemon, Netty's facade of composure faltered. A Shuckle. An irresistibly cute one, yes, but of all the Pokemon to face, it just had to be a Rock type. Netty could practically feel all eyes on what was likely the worst match-up in the tournament.

Mellona, however, seemed up to the challenge, squeaking a cheery greeting as she took her place. Overcoming type disadvantages, Netty reminded herself, was an important part of Pokemon training.

"I see you really do appreciate the Bug type," she replied, trying to sound unfazed, even though the way Troy said 'interesting' put her on edge. "Hmm, interesting in what way? I guarantee Mel's battle style is gonna be show-stopping as it is, but let's hear."

”I was just thinking this battle might be better training for you if we treated it as a contest showdown.” Troy’s knowledge of contests is limited, but conducting the battle this way seemed like it might be somewhat less depressing for both parties. If fighting Antoinetta wasn’t going to feel good, he may as well help her train instead, right?

A contest battle. The suggestion should have made Netty feel better. She and Mel might just have the upper hand now, right? But if he was simply letting them look good, would it mean anything? Shouldn't they shine by their own merit?

"Sounds good!" Netty replied nonetheless. "For us, anyway. You may end up regretting it." For all the tough talk, her voice still shook. Ugh, she had to get a grip. This uncertainty wouldn't inspire Mellona at all. "Ok Mel, show off your dance moves with Gust!"

Mellona twirled in elaborate loops, round and round, her buzzing reaching a crescendo as she sent a mini tornado spiralling towards the Shuckle.

It only now dawns on Troy how unprepared he is for a contest showdown. His moveset and win conditions weren’t exactly flashy, at least compared to his father’s rental pokemon. It may be an unfair comparison, but it nonetheless serves as his standard of normalcy. Regardless, it’s important to be able to improvise. ”You’re no stranger to a little spinning, right Shuckle? Get ready with Defense Curl, then use the tornado to jump-start Rollout.”

Shuckle does as Troy instructs, curling up into its shell and spinning with the same rotation as the tornado once it hits.

---

@LuckyBlackCat,@Ryik

Zaria's triumphant grin stiffened as she heard the words of her peers echo around her, but she tried not to miss a beat. "That's fine, luck is a part of a lot of battles," she said shrugging and trying to feign an air of nonchalance. Marching up to Rorie, she shook her opponent's hand. "Well, uhm...I'm still in training. We've still got a long way to go. But thanks, your Charmander was pretty tough."

After their pokemon were healed, Zaria found herself standing in the semi-finals facing off against Tim. It felt unreal. Troy and Netty were here too and Zaria briefly wondered who she'd face off against next—but she was getting ahead of herself. Need to focus on what's happening now, she told herself. If she didn't, the round would be lost, if it already wasn't.

"Magnet! Thunder Wave!" The battle against Tim could be tricky; Zaria wasn't sure what moves Rockruff learned, as the battles from earlier had taken up her attention completely. Still, it seemed like a status ailment was a safe bet in most situations. "We're going for paralysis!"

---

Tim blinked in disbelief. Did he really just win that battle? Carpea made it official. “I-I-I actually won?” Tim quietly muttered. He couldn’t believe this was actually happening. Tim completely ignored Gerard’s words. There was clearly nothing he could say at this point. Instead, he went to the battlefield, and rubbed Pachi’s belly. “You’re a good boy! Yes you are!”

Rocky barked, slightly jealous that his trainer was giving another dog Pokémon attention.

Tim got up, picked up his own Pokémon. “You did a good job Rocky.” He patted his own dog on the head, as we walked away from the battlefield.

After Rocky was healed, Tim found out that he and the other transfer students made it to the semifinals. He was facing off against Zaria and her Magnemite. At which point, Tim lost all hope he could actually win this. Not that he had much of that to start with. How was he supposed to defeat a Magnemite? It was a Steel type. Not much could hurt it.

Still, Rocky was enthusiastic. He barked and wagged his tail.

Zaria went in for the Thunder Wave. If this connected, Rocky would be paralyzed, and that would hinder him greatly. “Um... uh... use Double Team!” That worked out well the last time.

---

@Crimson Flame @Jujube

Zaria swallowed and stared ahead, her brows furrowed and her teeth clenched. This was exactly like the Charmander battle had been, and she'd barely scraped by that one on luck alone, she was sure. But Rocky had thankfully been paralyzed, so the only thing do now was keep attacking and hoping for hits. She scanned the field, trying to discern one doppelganger from the next, then took a deep breath and crossed her fingers. Damnit!

"Alright! I can't tell one from the other but we're gonna go for it anyways 'cause I believe in you! Use Thundershock, Magnet!" Magnet charged up a yellow green wave of electricity towards the target he hoped was the real one.


”Hang in there Rocky! Tim exclaimed once Rocky got hit by the paralyzing waves. He bit his bottom lip nervously. Rocky still got the Double Team off in time, but he had been paralyzed. Now he would be slowed down, and sometimes be unable to move. He also didn’t think Paralysis was going to be pleasant for the Rockruff. Even so, the rock dog still seemed chipper.

Zaria went in for the Thundershock, and Tim wrung his hands truing to come up with a solution. It might miss, and hit one of the duplicates, but it also might not. He could try a sand attack but, he knew sooner or later he’d have to go in for a hit... Rocky’s only move that could inflict damage was Tackle. That wouldn’t do much to a Steel type... There was one idea, but he wasn’t sure it would work...”Ok... uh use Leer to lower it’s defenses, then go in for the Tackle!” He covered his eyes with his hands. ”I can’t look.” This could end badly.


@LuckyBlackCat @Crimson Flame @Jujube

The two pokemon clashed. Rocky's eyes shot a piercing glare right through the Magnemite's soul it seemed, and a blue glow washed over the mechanical creature as their defense fell. With Magnet temporarily distracted by the debuff, Rocky was able to successfully nail a solid Tackle onto the pokemon. However, Magnet countered with a Thundershock, and a large bolt of green and yellow electric energy swathed the Rockruff directly. Neither paralysis nor evasion had won the upper hand this time, it seemed. The battle went on.

"Aw, Magnet! You alright?" Zaria exclaimed as the floating ball of steel took a hit. He was able to shake it off somewhat, but his defenses had been lowered for the rest of the battle too, so those Tackles would do even more damage.

Magnet let out a metallic cry and unleashed a Thundershock which somehow connected, which Zaria thanked her lucky stars for. Although who knew if it would hit again? She considered using a Supersonic attack, but the move had pretty shaky accuracy to begin with, and Rocky's evasion was already up.

She let out a short breath. There really wasn't anything to do except attack and hope for hits. "You're doing great! Just keeping going for Thundershock!" Zaria encouraged, trying to look effortless and relaxed. Magnet charged up an attack once more.



Even though Tim said he didn’t want to look, he still peeked through his fingers. Rocky landed a Tackle on Magnet, but he also got hit with a thundershock. Rocky yelped in pain. “Rocky, are you ok?”

The Rockruff barked. Even though he was still paralyzed, and had just been hit with electricity, he still acted chipper.

Tim breathed a sigh of relief. Rocky seemed to be fine for now. That relief did not last long. Zaria went in for another thundershock, which meant he still had to be on the offensive. ”Ok... um... use Sand Attack, and try another Tackle.”


@Crimson Flame@Jujube

Rocky ran forwards to kick up sand and land another Tackle onto the Magnemite. But just as he did so, the rock puppy began to slow and seize; the visible yellow current of paralysis sparked around his body. Since the real Rocky had just telegraphed his attack and then stopped quite abruptly, it made it just a teeny bit easier to tell him from the various clones still on the battlefield. Magnet was able to land another successful Thundershock. As of now, the current states of the pokemon on the playing field were different; Rocky was looking winded and damaged, while Magnet had sustained a few scratches. Yet the battle wasn't over just yet. Would there be any changes in strategy?

@LuckyBlackCat

Antoinetta's facade may have cracked earlier, but it now broke completely as Troy's Shuckle put the plan into action. Stomach plummeting, she stared, watching Shuckle use Mellona's Gust against her - and miss. She breathed a sigh of relief. If that Defense Curl and Gust-bolstered Rollout had hit, the battle would have been over in one turn.

She pulled herself together right away. The crowd must have seen that mini freak-out, but she faced Troy with her usual prideful smirk as if it had never happened. "Did you really think that was going to work?" she taunted, while making a mental note to call a move that wouldn't give Shuckle so much leverage. "Mel, prepare yourself with Struggle Bug!"

A sparking, shimmering red aura built up around Mellona, just as it had in the previous battle. Holding her ground and keeping a safe distance, the Combee unleashed the energy in a firework-like burst.

Shimmering red sparks flew out of Mellona before transitioning to green missiles and curving towards Shuckle. Troy was impressed. Although it probably came down to training with Combee, everything she did was pretty flashy. Shuckle can use struggle bug as well, so it was easy to see how the Combee's struggle bug was more brightly colored and bombastic than usual. Frankly, Troy was out of his depth. It was hard to even think of ways to make Shuckle's current moveset be more flashy. Just using Rollout over and over again wouldn't really be in the spirit of a contest, he would think, since they usually have a short timer. That being said, going for a knockout with rollout is probably the best option in a contest as well...

In any case, he doesn't need to give the most impressive performance, he just needs to be more impressive than his opponent. "Return fire with Infestation."

Shuckle begins to generate tiny black particles around Mellona, swirling into Mellona from all around her like a vortex. The particles move in currents, giving the appearance of flower petals curling inward or eldritch tentacles reaching for Mellona, depending on your point of view. They'll cling to Mellona on contact, producing an unpleasant stinging sensation continuously. Ideally, her performance will suffer under duress, though residual damage doesn’t hurt either. Shuckle is likely too weak to beat Mellona in the first hit of Rollout anyway, even with the extreme type advantage. Some Infestation damage might remedy that.

More or less at the same time, the red sparks of Struggle Bug begin to crash against Shuckle. They converge onto Shuckle, forcing him into his shell and battering it in small bursts of light.

Mellona's graceful flight patterns gave way to frantic squirming as she tried to flap away the black specks. It was no use. The particle cloud kept converging in, threatening to overwhelm her. Netty's ribs clenched. From what she knew of this particular Bug move, it restricted opponents' movement - not good for a dance based contest battler.


There was only one possible counter. "Another Gust!" Netty called. "Blow them away!" Mellona, her twirling much more urgent and rather less agile, whipped up another whirlwind, aiming it at Shuckle while trying to dislodge as many particles as she could in the process.

As the insectoid dust ‘clears’, Troy presses the attack. ”Now, rollout through anything in your way.”



@LuckyBlackCat @Ryik

Zaria remained nervous and jumpy. She'd seen enough tv matches to know that getting a few hits in didn't mean winning a match. But if Magnet could keep this up, then... Images of the class applauding her and the shiny TM prize in her hands floated into her head. How exciting would that be? And that would surely prove her father wrong for doubting her. I could be a legend if I win this! Maybe then she would become as popular as the students they'd seen earlier. People would be begging her to battle them!

"You and Rocky are pretty tough, Tim, but we can't back down! Keep it up Magnet, and Thundershock again!" Perhaps she sounded like a broken record, but Magnet only had a few moves he knew so far, and they were lucky they had a single move that could actually damage a Rock type.

"Maaag." He charged up again once more, swiveling his single eye around a few times before settling on the target and letting loose a wave of electricity

Tim slapped his face with his hand. Of course the paralysis would come back to bite him. Essentially, giving Magnet a free hit. For a moment, Tim actually had hope that he could actually win this battle. That hope went out the window with that last attack. At this point, there really that many options left. “Oh.. um.. thanks... Tim mumbled while shuffling his feet. Not really knowing what else to say. Rocky only had one move that could deal damage. “Rocky go in for another Tackle!”

Rocky barked, and then charged ahead.

---

Magnet let out a metallic screech as he felt Rocky slam into his side. "You're almost there, keep going!" Zaria urged. Magnet charged up the Thundershock and shot it off towards Rocky. The attack just barely missed. Zaria stamped her foot.
"C'mon, come on! We've got to win, remember? He's right there, go for another Thundershock!" Zaria jabbed a finger towards Rocky.
Magnet blinked and his single eye furrowed for a moment. There was a slight sheen of moisture on his silvery steel carapace, as if he were sweating. Was Zaria mad at him? Was he doing a terrible job? He tried to let off another Thundershock but strangely, his electricity wouldn't generate. Magnet's nerves multiplied.
"What's wrong? Use Thundershock now!" Zaria demanded, but Magnet only looked at her with his single eye. Why isn't he using it?! Why isn't he listening?
As the battle went on, Magnet kept suffering more and more hits for his misses, his tough carapace becoming considerably scuffed. He had gone from shiny and confident to hurt and bruised. Zaria didn't understand it but she finally conceded it was time to change strategies. "Fine! Don't use Thundershock, use Tackle!"
At this point, both Rockey and Magnet were looking worse for wear. As the pokemon crashed into each other headfirst, they both staggered back and then sank to the ground. Zaria blinked. "Wait a second..." Her heart sank as Caprea announced a tie, and there was a dull, polite applause from the rest of the class in the bleachers. Just like that it was over.
Magnet's form was engulfed in a wash of red as Zaria returned him to his capsule. I don't get it... But I know I probably messed up somehow. "Sorry, we'll talk after you're patched up." She whispered into the ball before heading over to Tim.
She held out a hand, a sheepish smile on her face."What a crazy battle, huh? You and Rocky were great. I'm gonna go to the healing machine and watch the rest of the battles. You can come with if you want!" So she did just that, taking some time to self reflect and analyze what had happened as she healed Magnemite up and took her seat on the bleachers.



@Crimson Flame@wisteria

Antoinetta and Troy

Rollout. Of course. Recalling Troy's earlier plan, Netty mentally cursed herself for not thinking. "Quick, brace yourself! Struggle Bug!" she called.

Thankfully, Mellona didn't need much range of movement for the red aura, or the sparkling energy swirls that followed, to look impressive. It dawned on Netty, however, that Gust and Struggle Bug were Mel's only viable moves for this battle. Bug Bite wouldn't get past Shuckle's tough shell, and Sweet Scent worked better against faster, more evasive opponents.

Netty's already considerable unease grew. Using the same moves over and over again, no matter how spectacular, wasn't the best way to keep an audience's interest.

Troy was in a similar boat. Defense Curl and Infestation are one-and-done moves, and his only other option was ineffective on Combee. Although two misses in a row was not a good sign, the only thing he could do was continue to- “Rollout. Keep going!” Troy couldn’t help but raise his voice a bit. How could he resist when rooting for Shuckle?

Although thrown off a bit by gust, Shuckle was still spinning as he hit the ground, swerving back around toward Combee. He tries to weave around some of the missiles produced by Struggle Bug, but inevitably has to crash through some of them on his way to Combee. Well, this is what Troy meant when he said ‘anything in your way’.

As he nears Mellona, he does as before and pops up off of the ground, leaping at her like he’s grown a pair of wings.

Troy returned Shuckle to his pokeball. A battle like this was not one he could be proud of, much less a contest he could be proud of. Miss after miss, and outdone as a performer in most if not all aspects. He felt like he owed Antoinetta an apology for his earlier suggestion. Of course, battling was an important aspect of contests, but it still felt like a one-sided stipulation he imposed on her.

Netty kept her composure before the cheering crowd - outwardly, anyway. The result was far from a surprise, but the applause towards Troy sounded like mockery towards her. It hadn't been Mel's fault, or her own, just a bad match-up. The problem was, the crowd surely wouldn't see it that way. The crowd would see someone beating them at their own game.

Stepping forward and crouching, she broke her uncharacteristic silence as she returned the fainted Combee. "You did great, Mel, that was quite a show." She kept her eyes on the Pokeball clenched in her trembling hand as she stood. She couldn't look at the audience, or at her victorious opponent.

Troy walks up to Antoinetta and silently offers her a handshake. Bringing herself to meet his gaze, Antoinetta wore her grin like a mask. "Oh, you haven't seen anything yet." She put on that self-assured tone as she shook his hand. "Not bad for a non-coordinator, but next time there's a test like this, I'll be the one who's centre stage."

In spite of how he felt, Troy kept to his typical frowning poker face, cold and impersonal. To make mention of his earlier proposition would, at least in Troy’s mind, be an insult to Antoinetta, as if to say that she wasn’t cut out to be a contest performer who can handle a battle and a performance without the compromise of either. Although he certainly tried, he couldn't think of anything worth saying. Without waiting for a reply, or saying anything herself, Antoinetta hurried to the healing machine. No way would she hang around and listen to what the audience had to say about their handshake. Cheeks burning, she stared at her feet as she waited for the healing process to finish, trying not to think of the inevitable judgements from everyone. The other students, Tessa, Caprea.

As soon as the telltale beep sounded, she took back the Pokeball. "I'm sorry, Mel," she whispered. She couldn't let herself and her Pokemon down like that again.

Troy took a deep breath, a mental reset, before following suit.

---

Caprea clapped her hands. "Well, wasn't that exciting!" And just as she did, the school bell rang. Classes were officially over for the day.

"That was fun, thanks for letting me referee," Tessa smiled and waved to the rest of the students. "I saw a lot of passion out there, and those semi-finals were wild. Let me know about any other class tournaments you decide to have! I don't get to watch matches enough."

"I suppose you're always busy being in them instead," Caprea commented.

"That, or I'm fixing up the battle sims. The students have been seriously wearing them down! But nevermind that, I'm impressed with what I saw today. You've got quite a few gifted pupils. I can't wait to battle some of you, if you make it by the gym." Tessa grinned. Despite the dark circles around her eyes, her smile was wide and her tone upbeat. "The closer the match, the more thrilling it is, that's what I say."

"I feel the opposite," Caprea laughed. "I'd honestly be hesitant to face some of you. Close matches give me anxiety! Speaking of, since our semi-finals ended with one victor, we won't be having a finals round. Therefore our winner today is Troy Caecilius." There was a round of enthusiastic applause from the class as Caprea handed Troy a slim, matte white box. Troy would also hear the ding of his pokedex as money was transferred to him.


"Everyone, we have a lot we can learn from Troy. Shuckle are a slower species compared to most pokemon, and not many trainers carry them. But it's important to use pokemon you believe in, not just ones that you think are popular or strong." Some students nodded, others rolled their eyes. "Ah... Some of you don't believe me. Well, I hope you at least try to consider what I'm saying."

"Hey, it's what gym leaders do," Tessa chimed in. "We just pick our favorite type and try to win even when the typing odds are stacked against us. You can't be a gym leader without appreciation for your pokemon. You have to accept the strengths and the weaknesses. The two go hand in hand." But by and large, kids were kids, and while some listened, others would still have to find their own path and meaning in pokemon training.

"Well said, Tess. Now, I realize the school day is over and you would all like to take your leave. Please heal your pokemon on the way out! I'll see you all on Monday!" In one swift movement, Caprea slung her pristine white labcoat onto her shoulder while somehow managing to throw a pokeball into the air. As Nanabo the Tropius materialized, she jumped on smoothly and ascended above them. "Have a great weekend, students!"

"I didn't expect her to show off so much! Well, see you all around. I look forward to the challenges you all may bring me," Tessa offered a short wave and left.

The students were grabbing their bags and things. At 4:00 PM most wanted to go back to their dorms but some hung around... Some students approached Troy and Netty. Given that their class introductions had been received well, and their amateur contest battle had definitely inspired some of the class, it was no wonder that they had garnered some admirers.

"How long have you had your Shuckle?"
"I loved the way your Combee danced!"

Tim and Zaria weren't far behind in terms of popularity though, with them having made it to the semi-finals of the class. In any case, word would be spreading around the school about the transfer students and how they had dominated the majority of the class in battle... But that was for later. What would they do now? It was a good time to head to one of the campus cafes for dinner, but there were shared kitchens in the dorms to cook as well. Either way, whether they decided to go together or alone, they would eventually return to their dorms... On their way, some may have found items dropped by students or thrown away.


Eventually, the transfers would find that they all had their rooms in the same hallway. Maybe even some would be roommates?

Quite large, spacious, and not to mention fancy, the dorms boasted an interesting layout. The rooms had a common area with some furnishings provided by the school. When they entered, students would see the kitchen area on the right hand side, complete with a fridge, stove, and electric burners It even had enough space for a four person table.

It opened up nicely into the living area, which had plenty of modern furnishings and surfaces; there was ample place to sit, place a laptop, or have several textbooks open. On the far end of the room opposite the entryway, there was a bay window, and a door that led to a balcony, since sophomores were located on the first floor. (Rooms on the first floor had patios.) There was also a small staircase a few feet in front of the kitchen area, leading to a built in loft with even more space. Another sofa, and coffee table had been provided. Finally, the bedrooms themselves were located on opposite ends of the common area. Well, that was if a student had a roommate, which they could have opted or not opted for. Rooms that were single were set up similarly, except there was just a single bedroom instead of two. There were three bedroom suites as well.

All in all, they were pretty inviting. There was a gift basket with info pamphlets and items as well...


In any case, there was plenty to do. How did the transfers go about it?

Rocky slammed headfirst into Magnet’s side. That seemed to damage him, so much so that he seemed to be glitching out. This resulted in Magnet and Rocky slamming into each other, and both of them getting knocked out, and Caprea announced a tie. Tim immediately ran over to his now unconscious Pokémon. It hurt him to see his Pokémon in such a state, but it also felt good to actually make it this far. He patted Rocky’s head, then recalled him back into the ball. “Good boy, you did good.”

In response to Zaria, Tim nodded. “Thanks. Um... you did good too. I... had no hope of winning that battle. I’m glad I even made it this far.” Tim then went with her to get Rocky healed, and watch the rest of the battles. And marvel at how much better everyone else was.

As it turned out Troy had won. He used a Shuckle. Tim’s thought was why he never took his Pokémon out until now... Shuckle was cute, there was nothing to be ashamed of. Either way, the school day was done, and now they had a lot of free time now. Tim had enough socializing for one day, so he made his way back to his room. Along the way he found a feather. It just fell from the sky into his hands. He recognized it as a Genus Feather. An item that boosts a Pokémon ability to use Special Attacks. Rocky didn’t know any Special Attacks, so he would save this for later... Tim arrived at his dorm, and it was huge! Much bigger than he was expecting. It had its own kitchen with a fully stocked fridge, and they even left some complimentary Potions.

The first thing he did was let Rocky out of his Pokeball. The rock dog was fully healed, and as energetic as if the previous battle hadn’t happened. Next, he took out some pots and started to prepare dinner for himself and Rocky. Soon the room was filled with the scent of delicious food cooking on the stove.

While pots were bubbling on the stove, Tim was playing with Rocky. Since no one was around, and Tim was feeling a lot better than earlier, he broke out into song. Every so often jumping around and tickling his Pokémon with the feather he had found earlier.

♫ Life is just like a bright sunny day
Your cares fade away
And your heart is young

With a smile and a song
All the world seems to waken anew
Rejoicing with you
As the song is sung

There's no use in grumbling
When raindrops come tumbling
Remember, you're the one
Who can fill the world with sunshine

When you smile and you sing
Everything is in tune and it's spring
And life flows along
With a smile and a song ♫

Meanwhile, Rocky barked and danced around happily.

Troy
As the champion of the class tournament, Troy was accosted by a few other students as class ended. It was a bit annoying, being bombarded with random questions, so he chose the one that seemed easiest to answer.

"How long have you had your Shuckle?"

"Not long. He’s still rather young, but he has the potential to go far." Troy's face softened from his typical frown to a wistful smile. "I was honestly kind of worried people wouldn't be interested in training with him. Shuckles tend to have a reputation of being passive and weak. I thought that, if I could show off his potential, he'd have no problem finding partners to train with. For that matter, let me know if any of you want to do some training with Shuckle and me after school." That being said, it would have to wait. Though it weighed heavily on his mind, it technically isn't his first priority. "Unfortunately, I have to take care of something, so I won't be able to train with any of you today. See you guys around." Troy raises his hand briefly as a short wave goodbye while he turns around and leaves, his poker face returning automatically.

As he walked out of the battle facility, he found himself in the sprawling pathways of the PMA campus. He recalled passing by some gardens conveniently located on the edge of campus, where the woods would creep in against the campus' manicured lawns. They seemed to host a variety of wild pokemon within and around. He figured he should pay it a visit, if only to pass the time. It would be a high order to find a worthy companion outside of his father's ranch, but it couldn't hurt to more closely observe the quality of the nearby pokemon if nothing else. His first priority, after all, would be to round out his team a bit to prevent being caught unprepared, and given his standards, starting the hunt early would be ideal. The worst case scenario would be having to commission another breeding project like he did with Shuckle. He wouldn't be opposed to waiting through the process normally, but today's tournament rewards suggests he should aim to be as strong as he can at all times, a dilemma diametrically opposed to his perfectionism. Perhaps he should even catch some temporary pokemon...

Troy stops by the Student Union to pick up a few extra pokeballs before heading towards the gardens.
@wisteria

---

Zaria clapped, perhaps less enthusiastically than others, when the matches ended. So Netty and Troy had won the matches, huh? I didn't even get to show off how good I am! She glanced at the pokeball and slumped. What went wrong? The morning assembly, and my class intro too, damnit... But her stomach growled and snapped her out of her negative thoughts. Magnet would probably appreciate a meal too. Hmm, yeah, food sounded good, and that was enough for her. So she packed up her things, and headed to the cafes, releasing Magnet so he could enjoy the walk with her. His dinner was taken care of, with the rangers having sent her a little battery pack that Magnet happily drained the electricity out of. "I'm kinda glad you don't really need food," she giggled.

And it was a good thing too. The cafes turned out to be a little expensive for her. Ugh, didn't they pay tuition here enough already? Zaria grumbled. Her scholarship was just not enough, and she'd need to take on a part-time job or something. She couldn't ask her parents for help... Worry nagged at her but she tried to brush it off. Hadn't there been some school provided stuff in the fridge? Yes, that was the answer. Switching gears, she headed for the dorms.

As they got to the suite style room, Magnet floated off to explore the abode while Zaria slung her backpack off at the door and threw off her shoes. She wasn't thinking about a roommate or anything of the sort. As far as she was concerned, there was some stress that needed to be cured! "Food time!" There were some ingredients and pre-prepared meals that had been given by the school. It was time to dig in. Maybe she'd make a giant cake too! Yes, cake would be good to have for the first week, which was bound to be stressful since today had been the worst first day of school ever.

Half an hour later the kitchen was kind of a mess and she had eaten nearly a quarter of the food in the fridge. And she was blissfully oblivious of the fact that she had a roommate.


@LuckyBlackCat

---

As Troy ventured towards the gardens, he would see a plethora of Pokemon playing and feeding about. He saw some more common Pokemon like Wurmple or Caterpie, Rattata and Sentret. But he also would notice a very distressed looking trainer cradling their Pokemon in a patch of grass. The trainer also saw Troy venturing deeper into the gardens and scrambled up hurriedly, returning his Pokemon before booking it over to Troy.

“HEY!” He shouted. He was a tiny boy with a bowl cut of dark blue hair and large, round glasses set on his round face. “Y-you don’t want to go into the gardens at this time! It’s not safe!” The trainer yelled. “There’s this Pokemon…!” He stopped as he caught up to Troy, huffing and puffing. “That Pokemon is too strong. I’ve seen it go around and any wilds that try to pick a fight with it end up fainted… Not to mention trainers too.” He wiped the sweat off his forehead and took a moment to catch his breath. “I had some Sweet Honey from Sinnoh. You know what that is, right? It’s a special honey that attracts pokemon. I was trying to catch a Heracross… I heard they come here.” The trainer clutched his poke ball and look down, his voice low. “I didn’t mean to pick a fight with it, but it came up to me for a challenge! It even stole the rest of my honey and berries from me! Ugh… It was too much. They took out my Swirlix, Swirlie.” He groaned and shook his head. “And I didn’t have my pokedex on me, so I don’t know what it is… if I could have identified it maybe Swirlie wouldn’t have gotten hurt. I wish I had a potion on me right now...” He took his glasses off and cleaned them thoroughly, and when he put them back on he looked at Troy and blinked as if he were seeing him clearly for the first time.

“Say wait a second… White hair, super tall, grumpy face… Are you one of the new transfer students? Troy, right? I think I saw you at the assembly this morning… And my friend Bobby’s in your homeroom. He texted me about how he lost against you… Then he told me about how you won. He’s kind of obsessed if you ask me, really. But hmm, hmm! This is interesting...” Gone was the despairing look on his face, replaced by a more thoughtful expression. An idea seemed to be dawning in the trainer’s shiny coconut head. “Maybe you’re strong enough to take it on! Then I could get the rest of my items back! But I don’t know… That Pokemon has the ultimate terrain advantage. By that I mean it hides in the trees and strikes from the branches. And even when it’s down on the ground, it’s nearly impossible to hit.” He sighed and shook his head. "Nevermind... You may not be interested. I probably shouldn't have approached you."

Well, things were taking a pretty interesting turn. How would Troy respond?

---

@Ryik

Troy

Say wait a second… White hair, super tall, grumpy face… Are you one of the new transfer students? Troy, right?

...Grumpy face?

It even stole the rest of my honey and berries from me! Ugh… It was too much. I wish I had a potion on me right now...
Nevermind... You may not be interested. I probably shouldn't have approached you

"I was just about to take a look at the local wildlife actually. From your description, it sounds like it's worth seeing. Oh, and-" Troy reaches into his bag and pulls out some berry juice. "Here. It's berry juice. It's as good as any potion." Troy never considered himself the generous type, but it only felt like a fair transaction when he was handed a lead on a silver platter. Although it may not be a pokemon Troy was interested in, or one up to his standards, it seems like it would at least be of temporary use.

Troy heads off, deeper into the gardens, coming to stop in front of a canopy of trees casting the pathways in a cool shade. It was suspiciously absent of wild pokemon lingering about, which the rest of the garden seemed to have plenty of. He opens his bag to retrieve more berry juice and a pokeball, and begins covering the pokeball in some of the berry juice until it simply looks like a blue ball that smells of oran berries. He waits a bit for it to dry and returns the rest of the berry juice to his bag before wandering under the trees while conspicuously playing with the pokeball, tossing it up and catching it over and over. Given the apparent absence of wild pokemon, he'd assume this to be the right place.

@wisteria

Asa was rudely awoken by the sound of slinging around pots and pans in the kitchen, some way too cheery singing, and the occasional yapping of something else. He briefly wondered whether he was in hell or not. No, it was after the first day of school, sophomore year. Though he'd skipped and had been shut up in his room since he just hadn't felt like going. And who cared about the first day really? All they did was go over the syllabus and have class battles. Pass. Good thing Mom had bought his excuse and written him a doctor's note.

He'd spent the day napping, studying some, surfing the net, and let Happiny out. The pokemon was very insistent on getting cuddles, which he couldn't bring himself to do and instead maintained an icy cold polite distance from the little one. This pokemon would be working with him in his career in medicine, and it was best that they were trained strictly to respond to emergencies and other necessary things.

Besides, he was much too dedicated to become a doctor to play around. And it isn't like he could bond with his pokemon anyways. It would just make him a hypocrite, wouldn't it? Someone who experiments on pokemon cannot love them, after all. Even if Happiny would never be the subject of an experiment, he did it to others... He is a hypocrite. That was why it was best to keep distance.

Luckily, Happiny seemed plenty satisfied with the toys and snacks Asa had packed. After a few hours, the baby tuckered out and had a long nap herself... Which was now being disturbed by whoever had come in and decided to start making noise. Happiny stirred and whimpered.

Asa felt himself getting more and more irate. Quite frankly, the singing and clamoring all sounded like a hideous orchestra and was pounding into a headache for him. Asa groaned and groggily threw the covers off. He shuffled out of the bed into his slippers, looking very much like a zombie. He found a mask to put on his face, as who knew how many germs the intruder had? Ugh... What the hell? Who was inside his suite? He has a single, right? Well, wait, he'd let Mom fill out some of his application... She had insisted. His eyes widened and then one of them twitched. Don't tell me...

He stepped out of his room and stares blankly at the boy in his kitchen who was cooking and singing like a cartoon character on TV. This couldn't be happening. He shuffles up so quietly that the boy probably didn't hear him until he croaked, "Who the hell are you? What are you doing? You're making so much noise..."

Happiny had followed him out too. She made little "pipipipi!" sounds and jumped up and down, pretending to be mad but she was just excited to see some new faces.


@Crimson Flame