Chapter 9 pt1: Opening Ceremony
Just as the Opening Ceremony was about to start, the band began playing the Pokémon Theme. It may be predictable but it just wouldn’t feel right to have a tournament start without that anthem playing at the beginning.
“Good morning ladies and gentlemen!” a big fat balding guy with a mustache shouted into a microphone. “I would like to welcome all of you to the first ever White City Tournament!” The audience of spectators and contestants cheered in response. “We the White City Committee have searched the world gathering the strongest Trainers we could find so that they may compete against one another to see which of these 128 individuals is the strongest of all!” More cheering.
“By strongest he’s talking about us.” Axel said confidently.
“Most likely.” I agreed. “Though I hope that someone in this audience who’s fighting would be a challenge. It gets boring if you tear through the competition without even breaking a sweat.”
“Like Pidgeot versus Magikarp.” Axel compared getting a chuckle out of me.
“Due to the number of competitors, the first round will be split into a two-day period. The first 32 matches will be today after this introduction, and the last 32 will be held tomorrow at the same time.” the old guy continued. Sadly, I already knew I was scheduled as the third to last match tomorrow night. Before the opening ceremony, all the competitors were gathered together, given a schedule of all the matches, and had all the tournament rules explained.
The battles go as follows: First round is as the old man said. The second round held Thursday July 3rd, the day after tomorrow, will be 32 matches. Friday will be the 16 matches of round three, and the eight matches of round four. All of these battles will be 3-on-3 elimination. Then Saturday will be the final rounds. All of these will be 6-on-6 elimination matches. The champion will be crowned that night at the closing ceremony. In battle rules are pretty basic, no healing except by held item or recovery move like Recover, Synthesis, Leech Life, etc. Have the three Pokémon you will use selected before the battle to prevent cheating. You may change your team line up between matches if you have more than six Pokémon. Pretty much nothing I haven’t seen before.
Chapter 9 pt2: Science is Fun!
“Well Axel, what do we do now?” I inquired after the ceremony. We pretty much had a good 36 hours before my match began and I’d rather spend it doing something other than watch the competition. Strange considering most people would watch their opponents to get a feel for their strategies and how they work, but not me. With the switch Pokémon between matches rule, by the time I fight a person they could have changed their tactics to something I would have been unprepared for anyway. Plus, it would be kind of silly to memorize someone only to have them lose before I battle them.
“Why not visit that professor? Everyone said he was crazy.” suggested Axel.
“And I like meeting fellow crazy people.” I said getting out of my seat. “Science is fun!” The two of us marched out of the stadium in the center of the city to where the lab was. Soon we stood in front of the large building staring mindlessly at it. “Well you go first.” I said indifferently.
“What? Me go first! You’re the human!” Axel complained.
“But it was your idea.” I replied. Axel threw his fist out at me. I answered with my own and we began shaking them up and down. On the third shake I threw out my palm and Axel threw out two fingers.
“Ha! Scissors beat paper!” he cheered. I grumbled taking a step forward. “After you.” teased the Infernape politely, even bowing mockingly extending his arm to lead the way for me. I walked up the stair case to the double glass doors. Should I knock or just walk in? Ah what the hell. I opened the door and walked in.
The inside wasn’t as fancy as the outside was. The entrance hall was pretty plain, with a door to the right and a second door in the back behind a spiral staircase. The staircase led to a balcony overhead that looked to be the second floor, the only thing keeping people from jumping off that floor onto this one was a metal railing going across from the wall to the spiral staircase then serving as the staircase’s railing.
“Yo! Anyone home?” I called to the seemingly empty lab.
“Who’s down there?” came a female’s voice. That doesn’t sound like any Alfonse Heimrich to me. I looked up to see a young female scientist, probably in her early 20s, with dirty blond hair and round glasses, wearing a long white lab coat walked to the edge of the second floor balcony looking down at me.
“My name is Brian and this is Axel. We came for an educational visit.” I replied.
“I’ll be right down.” she called back before heading for the staircase. While we waited, Axel and I continued admiring the lab.
“This is a pretty remarkable lab.” I complemented when the scientist joined us.
“Well of course. The White City Pokémon Lab was built to be a state of the art research center on Pokémon physiology! It puts the likes of the Oak Research Lab to shame.” she boasted with a proud smirk. “*Squee* And speaking of physiology, this Infernape has gold fur! Must experiment!” she squeed with great enthusiasm.
“No! Experiment on him! Him! I’m just a freak on the outside! He’s the one that’s messed up in the head!” cried Axel pointing at me every time he said him.
“What do you plan on doing to Axel?” I asked anxiously.
“Nothing serious. I just want his measurements, a blood test, and to observe his biometrics.” explained the scientist.
“A blood test? Does that mean needles!?” Axel asked fearfully. He ran behind me putting his hands on my shoulders so he could hide while still talk to me. “Brian, I am sorry for anything I may have done to piss you off lately, that includes stealing your pancakes this morning and blaming Snorlax, just don’t let her stick me with a needle!” he pleaded. I should have known he was the one that stole my pancakes! I’ll apologize to Snorlax for scolding him later.
“Axel would rather you not experiment on him. He’s a wuss.” I said.
“So cruel…” whined the monkey.
“Damn!” said the scientist disappointedly. “Oh yeah, why did you come here anyway Trainer? You said your name was Brian right?” she inquired.
“Yes, I came to visit Prof. Heimrich.” I said.
“He actually goes by Prof. Himee.” she corrected.
“Himee?” I questioned.
“He said Heimrich sounds too much like the Heimlich Maneuver. He got tired of people asking him if he invented it.” she said flatly.
“That makes perfect sense. So is he around?” I asked.
“Prof. Himee is a very busy man. You can’t just walk in and say ‘Can I see him?’ and expect--” she was cut off buy a huge explosion blowing out a door on the second floor releasing a ton of black smoke. An old man covered from head to toe in black ash and soot walked out of the smoke coughing. His hair was messy sticking out in every direction. I wasn’t sure if that was the result of the explosion or if he was always like that.
“*cough* Note to self. Vhen dissecting Voltorb, don’t start in zhe middle.” he choked in a thick accent.
“Prof. Himee! Are you alright?” the female scientist asked urgently.
“Yes Asuna, I’m fine. But vhen dissecting a Voltorb, don’t start in zhe middle.” Himee repeated. I think I like this guy already. I’m not too sure about Axel though; his eye has been twitching ever since Himee mentioned dissecting a Voltorb. “Oh! Vhy didn’t you say ve had guests?” asked Prof. Himee noticing me and Axel.
“Well they just arrived. Brian said he wanted to meet you.” Asuna explained.
“Vonderful!” Himee cheered running down the spiral stairs. When on the first floor he walked over to Axel. “Brian vas it? I must say, you are a magnificent specimen. Never before have I seen gold fur on an Infernape.” he said examining Axel, including lifting his arm and looking around him.
“Get the hell off me you freak!” Axel yelled pulling away.
“You got it wrong. I’m Brian, this is Axel.” I clarified. The professor turned his head from Axel’s armpit to me.
“Vell of course you are. How silly it vould be if zhe Infernape was actually looking for me. Can I interest you in an experiment?” he inquired.
“As long as neither me nor Axel are your guinea pigs.” I said.
“Vell you two von’t be me subjects, but I may ask for your involvement. I vant to show you how Pokéballs vork!” Prof. Himee said. I looked at Axel who nodded in agreement.
“We’re in.” I said to the professor.
“Excellent! Follow me!” he said excitedly. “Oh, and Asuna, could you get me some blue Kool-Aide? It’s zhe best kind.”
“Yes sir…” Asuna said unhappily.
“One for me too! It really is the best kind.” I called down as I was already half way up the staircase. “Make that two, one for me and Axel.” I added.
“This isn’t a delivery service!” argued Asuna.
“Zhen I’ll have three!” Himee called. I love this guy. Asuna sighed and went to fulfill her assignment. Meanwhile the three of us went into the now doorless room that reeked of smoke and recently got a new paint job. Apparently singed black is in this year. On a lab table were various tools and bent deformed metal; half of it red, the other half white.
“Is that a Pokéball?” I inquired.
“No. Zhat is zhe remains of a Voltorb I vas dissecting. Vhen dissecting Voltorb, don’t start in zhe middle.” he said again. He either wants to make sure we know, or he’s a bit senile and doesn’t realize this is the third time he said it. “Now could I borrow vone of your Pokéballs?”
“Sure. Hang on a sec.” I said pulling my green backpack from my back. I started rummaging through it until I came across the red and white sphere. “Here we are.” I said handing it to him. He must need it for a demonstration. Himee inspected the orb, then threw it at my head.
“Ow! What the hell’s the matter with you?” I asked angrily rubbing my forehead which now had a nice bruised bump on it.
“You vere not sucked in. Vhy?” Prof. Himee questioned.
“Because I’m human! Pokéballs only work on Pokémon.” I pointed out in annoyance. He’s a scientist, he should know this stuff. Ow my head hurts.
“Zhat is correct. But do you know vhy Pokéballs only affect Pokémon?” Hm. He’s got me there. I never really gave that a thought before. “Return Axel to his Pokéball for a moment. I vant you to pay close attention vhen you do.”
“Axel’s Pokéball is actually broken, so let me try with a different Pokémon.” I offered. Heh. Broken was an understatement. Completely destroyed is more like it. I pulled a ball from my waist and sent out Riolu who was in battle position with his arms out ready to attack. “Relax Rio. There isn’t a fight. Prof. Himee just wants to show us something.” The Emanation Pokémon lowered his arms and took a more relaxed stance.
“A Riolu! Quite a rare breed indeed. Could I maybe…”
“No you may not experiment on him.” I denied firmly. Himee looked away in disappointment.
“Anyvay, did you notice anyzhing vhen you sent Riolu out?” the professor asked.
“Was I supposed to?” I questioned.
“Zhat vas zhe whole point of zhe procedure! Return Riolu, and zhis time watch very carefully.” instructed Prof. Himee. I apologized to Riolu as I held out his Pokéball to recall him. A red beam of light shot from the button on the sphere at the small Pokémon enveloping him in that same red light before condensing him and pulling him back into his capsule.
“Zhere! Tell me you saw it zhis time!” said Prof. Himee passionately.
“Yeah, but what was that?” I asked unsure of what I just saw. Sure I’d seen it daily for years, but I never paid much attention to it. Now I want to know.
“An excellent question. Zhere are five Kingdoms of Eukaryotes in zhe vorld. Animals like fish, insects, and us humans; Plants like zhe trees in forests, and grass in fields; Fungus like mushrooms and zhat stuff between my toes; Protista which are all but microscopic; and finally zhe Pokémon vhich are zhe most unique of all. Zhe only kingdom zhat can spontaneously metamorphoses, fight using numerous abilities, and, depending on zhe species, have traits of zhe first three kingdoms. Pokéballs are specifically designed to zhe cellular structure of Pokémon and zhe energy zhey produce. Zhat is vhy you veren’t sucked in zhe Pokéball, zhat is vhy trees are not sucked in vhen you miss.” he explained.
“Amazing Prof. Himee!” I said in astonishment.
“Show more enthusiasm.” Himee scolded.
“Enthusiasm?” I repeated.
“No no no. En-THU-siasm!” the professor repeated moving his arms in a circle around his head.
“Amazing Prof. Himee!” I repeated enthusiastically.
“Now you’re just faking it.” the old man said glumly. Well I tried, even though I have no idea what I did wrong.
“Here are your drinks.” Asuna said walking in the room with a tray carrying three glasses of blue Kool-Aide. She set the tray on the edge of the table where there wasn’t as much stuff. Prof. Himee looked at the tray in confusion.
“Vhy did you bring three?” he asked.
“For your guests.” she emphasized exasperatedly. Yup, he’s senile.
“Oh right. Thank you Asuna. You may go back to vork now.” Asuna gave a sarcastic smile and left the room. “Cheers men!” Himee said lifting up a glass. Axel and I lifted our own to his. What we were toasting to, I had no idea, but this guy was fun. I could learn a lot from him.
Just as the Opening Ceremony was about to start, the band began playing the Pokémon Theme. It may be predictable but it just wouldn’t feel right to have a tournament start without that anthem playing at the beginning.
“Good morning ladies and gentlemen!” a big fat balding guy with a mustache shouted into a microphone. “I would like to welcome all of you to the first ever White City Tournament!” The audience of spectators and contestants cheered in response. “We the White City Committee have searched the world gathering the strongest Trainers we could find so that they may compete against one another to see which of these 128 individuals is the strongest of all!” More cheering.
“By strongest he’s talking about us.” Axel said confidently.
“Most likely.” I agreed. “Though I hope that someone in this audience who’s fighting would be a challenge. It gets boring if you tear through the competition without even breaking a sweat.”
“Like Pidgeot versus Magikarp.” Axel compared getting a chuckle out of me.
“Due to the number of competitors, the first round will be split into a two-day period. The first 32 matches will be today after this introduction, and the last 32 will be held tomorrow at the same time.” the old guy continued. Sadly, I already knew I was scheduled as the third to last match tomorrow night. Before the opening ceremony, all the competitors were gathered together, given a schedule of all the matches, and had all the tournament rules explained.
The battles go as follows: First round is as the old man said. The second round held Thursday July 3rd, the day after tomorrow, will be 32 matches. Friday will be the 16 matches of round three, and the eight matches of round four. All of these battles will be 3-on-3 elimination. Then Saturday will be the final rounds. All of these will be 6-on-6 elimination matches. The champion will be crowned that night at the closing ceremony. In battle rules are pretty basic, no healing except by held item or recovery move like Recover, Synthesis, Leech Life, etc. Have the three Pokémon you will use selected before the battle to prevent cheating. You may change your team line up between matches if you have more than six Pokémon. Pretty much nothing I haven’t seen before.
Chapter 9 pt2: Science is Fun!
“Well Axel, what do we do now?” I inquired after the ceremony. We pretty much had a good 36 hours before my match began and I’d rather spend it doing something other than watch the competition. Strange considering most people would watch their opponents to get a feel for their strategies and how they work, but not me. With the switch Pokémon between matches rule, by the time I fight a person they could have changed their tactics to something I would have been unprepared for anyway. Plus, it would be kind of silly to memorize someone only to have them lose before I battle them.
“Why not visit that professor? Everyone said he was crazy.” suggested Axel.
“And I like meeting fellow crazy people.” I said getting out of my seat. “Science is fun!” The two of us marched out of the stadium in the center of the city to where the lab was. Soon we stood in front of the large building staring mindlessly at it. “Well you go first.” I said indifferently.
“What? Me go first! You’re the human!” Axel complained.
“But it was your idea.” I replied. Axel threw his fist out at me. I answered with my own and we began shaking them up and down. On the third shake I threw out my palm and Axel threw out two fingers.
“Ha! Scissors beat paper!” he cheered. I grumbled taking a step forward. “After you.” teased the Infernape politely, even bowing mockingly extending his arm to lead the way for me. I walked up the stair case to the double glass doors. Should I knock or just walk in? Ah what the hell. I opened the door and walked in.
The inside wasn’t as fancy as the outside was. The entrance hall was pretty plain, with a door to the right and a second door in the back behind a spiral staircase. The staircase led to a balcony overhead that looked to be the second floor, the only thing keeping people from jumping off that floor onto this one was a metal railing going across from the wall to the spiral staircase then serving as the staircase’s railing.
“Yo! Anyone home?” I called to the seemingly empty lab.
“Who’s down there?” came a female’s voice. That doesn’t sound like any Alfonse Heimrich to me. I looked up to see a young female scientist, probably in her early 20s, with dirty blond hair and round glasses, wearing a long white lab coat walked to the edge of the second floor balcony looking down at me.
“My name is Brian and this is Axel. We came for an educational visit.” I replied.
“I’ll be right down.” she called back before heading for the staircase. While we waited, Axel and I continued admiring the lab.
“This is a pretty remarkable lab.” I complemented when the scientist joined us.
“Well of course. The White City Pokémon Lab was built to be a state of the art research center on Pokémon physiology! It puts the likes of the Oak Research Lab to shame.” she boasted with a proud smirk. “*Squee* And speaking of physiology, this Infernape has gold fur! Must experiment!” she squeed with great enthusiasm.
“No! Experiment on him! Him! I’m just a freak on the outside! He’s the one that’s messed up in the head!” cried Axel pointing at me every time he said him.
“What do you plan on doing to Axel?” I asked anxiously.
“Nothing serious. I just want his measurements, a blood test, and to observe his biometrics.” explained the scientist.
“A blood test? Does that mean needles!?” Axel asked fearfully. He ran behind me putting his hands on my shoulders so he could hide while still talk to me. “Brian, I am sorry for anything I may have done to piss you off lately, that includes stealing your pancakes this morning and blaming Snorlax, just don’t let her stick me with a needle!” he pleaded. I should have known he was the one that stole my pancakes! I’ll apologize to Snorlax for scolding him later.
“Axel would rather you not experiment on him. He’s a wuss.” I said.
“So cruel…” whined the monkey.
“Damn!” said the scientist disappointedly. “Oh yeah, why did you come here anyway Trainer? You said your name was Brian right?” she inquired.
“Yes, I came to visit Prof. Heimrich.” I said.
“He actually goes by Prof. Himee.” she corrected.
“Himee?” I questioned.
“He said Heimrich sounds too much like the Heimlich Maneuver. He got tired of people asking him if he invented it.” she said flatly.
“That makes perfect sense. So is he around?” I asked.
“Prof. Himee is a very busy man. You can’t just walk in and say ‘Can I see him?’ and expect--” she was cut off buy a huge explosion blowing out a door on the second floor releasing a ton of black smoke. An old man covered from head to toe in black ash and soot walked out of the smoke coughing. His hair was messy sticking out in every direction. I wasn’t sure if that was the result of the explosion or if he was always like that.
“*cough* Note to self. Vhen dissecting Voltorb, don’t start in zhe middle.” he choked in a thick accent.
“Prof. Himee! Are you alright?” the female scientist asked urgently.
“Yes Asuna, I’m fine. But vhen dissecting a Voltorb, don’t start in zhe middle.” Himee repeated. I think I like this guy already. I’m not too sure about Axel though; his eye has been twitching ever since Himee mentioned dissecting a Voltorb. “Oh! Vhy didn’t you say ve had guests?” asked Prof. Himee noticing me and Axel.
“Well they just arrived. Brian said he wanted to meet you.” Asuna explained.
“Vonderful!” Himee cheered running down the spiral stairs. When on the first floor he walked over to Axel. “Brian vas it? I must say, you are a magnificent specimen. Never before have I seen gold fur on an Infernape.” he said examining Axel, including lifting his arm and looking around him.
“Get the hell off me you freak!” Axel yelled pulling away.
“You got it wrong. I’m Brian, this is Axel.” I clarified. The professor turned his head from Axel’s armpit to me.
“Vell of course you are. How silly it vould be if zhe Infernape was actually looking for me. Can I interest you in an experiment?” he inquired.
“As long as neither me nor Axel are your guinea pigs.” I said.
“Vell you two von’t be me subjects, but I may ask for your involvement. I vant to show you how Pokéballs vork!” Prof. Himee said. I looked at Axel who nodded in agreement.
“We’re in.” I said to the professor.
“Excellent! Follow me!” he said excitedly. “Oh, and Asuna, could you get me some blue Kool-Aide? It’s zhe best kind.”
“Yes sir…” Asuna said unhappily.
“One for me too! It really is the best kind.” I called down as I was already half way up the staircase. “Make that two, one for me and Axel.” I added.
“This isn’t a delivery service!” argued Asuna.
“Zhen I’ll have three!” Himee called. I love this guy. Asuna sighed and went to fulfill her assignment. Meanwhile the three of us went into the now doorless room that reeked of smoke and recently got a new paint job. Apparently singed black is in this year. On a lab table were various tools and bent deformed metal; half of it red, the other half white.
“Is that a Pokéball?” I inquired.
“No. Zhat is zhe remains of a Voltorb I vas dissecting. Vhen dissecting Voltorb, don’t start in zhe middle.” he said again. He either wants to make sure we know, or he’s a bit senile and doesn’t realize this is the third time he said it. “Now could I borrow vone of your Pokéballs?”
“Sure. Hang on a sec.” I said pulling my green backpack from my back. I started rummaging through it until I came across the red and white sphere. “Here we are.” I said handing it to him. He must need it for a demonstration. Himee inspected the orb, then threw it at my head.
“Ow! What the hell’s the matter with you?” I asked angrily rubbing my forehead which now had a nice bruised bump on it.
“You vere not sucked in. Vhy?” Prof. Himee questioned.
“Because I’m human! Pokéballs only work on Pokémon.” I pointed out in annoyance. He’s a scientist, he should know this stuff. Ow my head hurts.
“Zhat is correct. But do you know vhy Pokéballs only affect Pokémon?” Hm. He’s got me there. I never really gave that a thought before. “Return Axel to his Pokéball for a moment. I vant you to pay close attention vhen you do.”
“Axel’s Pokéball is actually broken, so let me try with a different Pokémon.” I offered. Heh. Broken was an understatement. Completely destroyed is more like it. I pulled a ball from my waist and sent out Riolu who was in battle position with his arms out ready to attack. “Relax Rio. There isn’t a fight. Prof. Himee just wants to show us something.” The Emanation Pokémon lowered his arms and took a more relaxed stance.
“A Riolu! Quite a rare breed indeed. Could I maybe…”
“No you may not experiment on him.” I denied firmly. Himee looked away in disappointment.
“Anyvay, did you notice anyzhing vhen you sent Riolu out?” the professor asked.
“Was I supposed to?” I questioned.
“Zhat vas zhe whole point of zhe procedure! Return Riolu, and zhis time watch very carefully.” instructed Prof. Himee. I apologized to Riolu as I held out his Pokéball to recall him. A red beam of light shot from the button on the sphere at the small Pokémon enveloping him in that same red light before condensing him and pulling him back into his capsule.
“Zhere! Tell me you saw it zhis time!” said Prof. Himee passionately.
“Yeah, but what was that?” I asked unsure of what I just saw. Sure I’d seen it daily for years, but I never paid much attention to it. Now I want to know.
“An excellent question. Zhere are five Kingdoms of Eukaryotes in zhe vorld. Animals like fish, insects, and us humans; Plants like zhe trees in forests, and grass in fields; Fungus like mushrooms and zhat stuff between my toes; Protista which are all but microscopic; and finally zhe Pokémon vhich are zhe most unique of all. Zhe only kingdom zhat can spontaneously metamorphoses, fight using numerous abilities, and, depending on zhe species, have traits of zhe first three kingdoms. Pokéballs are specifically designed to zhe cellular structure of Pokémon and zhe energy zhey produce. Zhat is vhy you veren’t sucked in zhe Pokéball, zhat is vhy trees are not sucked in vhen you miss.” he explained.
“Amazing Prof. Himee!” I said in astonishment.
“Show more enthusiasm.” Himee scolded.
“Enthusiasm?” I repeated.
“No no no. En-THU-siasm!” the professor repeated moving his arms in a circle around his head.
“Amazing Prof. Himee!” I repeated enthusiastically.
“Now you’re just faking it.” the old man said glumly. Well I tried, even though I have no idea what I did wrong.
“Here are your drinks.” Asuna said walking in the room with a tray carrying three glasses of blue Kool-Aide. She set the tray on the edge of the table where there wasn’t as much stuff. Prof. Himee looked at the tray in confusion.
“Vhy did you bring three?” he asked.
“For your guests.” she emphasized exasperatedly. Yup, he’s senile.
“Oh right. Thank you Asuna. You may go back to vork now.” Asuna gave a sarcastic smile and left the room. “Cheers men!” Himee said lifting up a glass. Axel and I lifted our own to his. What we were toasting to, I had no idea, but this guy was fun. I could learn a lot from him.