Hello, its Eevee again.  Chris's life is heating up as his first tournament draws near.  Enjoy.  I hope to get 3 out pretty soon.
As you probably noticed by this time, I don't use the conventional geography or pokedex readings.  I don't know enough to know all that, so I'm trying to keep things as close as I can figure out.  The geography should be about right, but things like Gym Leaders might be different.  Pokemon will definitely be the same though.
    -Eevee
 

Competition:
   I realized as I woke that we never found out about the tournament.  I also found that my Pokedex is equipped for taking notes.  Jenkins tells me just to use it for Pokemon matters, but it should save paper.
   We call Sarah for a conference back at Jenkins’ lab.  We sit around for a short time, having tea and Jenkins decides to describe it.
   "A friend of mine is coming down from Far Isle, Amik Tallis.  He's bringing down three of his best students with him. You see, he's a teacher in the ways on training pokemon.  A trainer's trainer so to speak.”
   He continues, “I figured we might as well have a tournament.  So, I have opened it to the Pokemon public in the area.  That basically means you two, Adam, a Lendal, and good ole Smith.  Which is fine.  I was looking to get it to eight even.  I'm thinking the prize will be something worthy of the contest.  A grass Pokemon, I truly haven't decided yet.  It would be a great chance for both of you to show off your skill and maybe do some trading.  However, it means you will need to get one more Pokemon within a week, Chris.  Either that or Sarah's mother will be competing."
   "Oh dear.  I don't think any of us want that." Sarah sighs, "she's a wonderful trainer and friend to Pokemon, but a terrible battler.  She just doesn't like to admit it."
   "Why do I need one more?" I ask.  Not being asked whether I wanted to compete bothered me, but spending time with Sarah was worth a few bumps in the road.
   "Standard procedure.  First to defeat 3 opposing Pokemon wins.  So you need three to be defeated.  Unless you think Slash and Stalwart can take on anything thrown at them."
   "Not quite that confident," I pause for effect "yet."
   Sarah grins "Just don't go Adam on us."
   Bob adds, "Yeah, last thing we need is another Adam running around."
   Jenkins looks thoughtful for a moment "I would suggest a plant pokemon next out of the options.  But if you can, get a water, fire, or lightning."
   "Alright, I can go on my own PokeSafari.  Of course, my prey is a little closer to home.  But, it still sounds good."
   We wished each other the best of luck and agreed to be back in a week.
   I spent the rest of the day training Slash and Stalwart to the degree I could.  Exercising them was all I could really think to do.  Maybe this Amik guy will have a better plan.

Capture:
   Two days out in the woods, I encountered a Bulbasaur.  I quickly gave a Pokedex scan of it.
   "Bulbasaur Grass/Poison  0.6m  6.5kg  Attacks: Vine whip, Razor Leaf, possibly Leech Seed  This specimen is small but still may possess enough energy to use Leech Seed.  The seed on Bulbasaur’s back is planted at birth and will bloom as it evolves." Pokedex reported.
   OK, grass and poison.  Sounds a lot like Slash's turf.  So I send Slash crawling into battle (Stalwart is residing in a Pokeball, he's just too big to ride on my shoulder).
   Bulbasaur starts sending a flurry or Razor leafs our way.  "Bulb -a!"
   "Slash, String Shot!" the new attack I learned from the Pokedex, String Shot manages to deflect a few leafs with sticky strands, but Slash is still hurt.
   The Bulbasaur then charges towards Slash  "Bulb a sauuuuuuur!".  Serious mistake.
   "Slash, roll away and Poison Sting!" Slash rolls just as Bulbasaur passes.  When Bulbasaur stops to unleash its next attack Slash stabs it in the side.   Bulbasaur’s green color fades.
   Two whip vines lash about increasingly weakly.  Slash easily dodges until the Bulbasaur slows down.
   I hurl a pokeball, striking it square on the head.  The Bulbasaur is converted to red energy and sucked into the pokeball.  My first actual capture, ever.  And a Bulbasaur.  The moment I'm finished with that shock, Slash starts to glow and change, turning into what Pokedex identifies as a Kakuna.  This means soon Slash will fulfill his destiny to become a Beedrill, which will be wonderful, but until then he is a lot less useful in battle.
   I give the Bulbasaur an antidote and she's good as new.  I think I'll call her "Blade."  She's got the razor leaf attack down.  And a personality to match.  She doesn't seem to dislike me, but she certainly has a volatile temper.

The Cave:
   Wandering further I find a small cave.  I call out Stalwart to scout the cave.  We sneak down, carefully, but the face of the cave wall still collapses under us.  At the bottom, we are in luck.  We found a severely injured Charmandar (a relative of the dreaded Charizard, but much smaller and without wings.  A little flame burns on its tail, lighting up the cave) and I carefully spritzed it with a potion.  I wonder where its pokemon trainer is.  It seems to be unconscious now, but we'll get it to the Poke center for treatment.  Then we can worry about the trainer.
   Stalwart is digging us a way out.  I call out Blade to help defend the passageways out of this cavern.  It seems that the cave we are in leads to a complex deeper inside the earth.  I feel compelled to look for the trainer deeper down.  I probably should, but I don't like the dark.

Deeper into the Caves:
   Leaving Stalwart and Slash to guard the Charmandar, Blade and I went deeper into the cavern.  We quickly found a young man half trapped under rubble, near an underground river.  An Oddish, a radish with legs and an attitude, was providing careful ministrations to him and holding off a Zubat.
   Pokedex offers its usual help "Zubat  Poison/Flying  0.8m  7.8kg  Attacks: Drain Life, Whirlwind.  Zubat is the smaller of the bat pokemon, but can be encountered in flocks in certain areas.  Zubat can see without eyes using a method known as echolocation."
   The Oddish was almost unconscious, so I ordered Blade into action.
   "Razor Leaf the Zubat!" I scream, my voice echoing in the caverns.  It wings out of the way, but that buys us some time.
   "Blade keep it up!  Use your Whip Vines to entangle its wings!"  Blade did, with some effort, bind its wings.  The Zubat struggled violently "ZU BAT!" it shrieked as Blade's energy creeps up the vines.
   "Blade, use Razor Leaf.  It's almost weak enough to get away."  The Zubat manages to flap its wings enough to create a wind sending the leaves back at us.  I dodge, but Blade is hit by a few.
   "Oddish, give us a hand!" I pleaded.
   "Odd ish... ODD!" It responded, covering the Zubat with some type of dust, then passed out.
 The Zubat's struggling slowly wanes, like the Doduo a few days ago.  After a time it falls to the ground, still entangled in Blade's vines.
   "Bulb ba?" Blade questions.
   "Oh dear, you're right!  I almost forgot in all the excitement."  I throw one of my shiny new pokeballs and strike the paralyzed Zubat, capturing it in a flash of red energy.
   Wow, I have really gotten used to this Pokemon thing.  And so quickly.  I never would have thought, just a few days ago.
   I carry Oddish, while Blade carefully balances Oddish's master on her back.  We meet up with Stalwart and Slash.  Wow.  Now I have four Pokemon and I just saved another trainer from a Zubat.  I wonder where he's from.  But he doesn't seem to have any other Pokemon attached to his belt.
   We managed to get up to the surface, near nightfall.
   We go to sleep for the night with Slash standing guard.  Everyone else is too tired to even try to guard the place.  But we have another new friend.

Decisions:
   We get the mysterious trainer and his Pokemon back to Nallim, dropping them off with Bob.  It seems that this pokemon training thing is almost as good a way to meet people as Pokemon.  Well, tournament in two days.  I hope I do alright.  But I have to choose which Pokemon to exclude.  I scoured Pokedex, but it hasn't made my decision much easier.  Blade and Slash are poor choices against fire.  Slash can't really move in his cocoon.  Cyclone, our new friend, is just what the doctor ordered for pokemon like the Machop Adam got so long ago.  And Stalwart will beat out anything but the strongest lightning, and he can burrow.
   Slash can stiffen and use poison powder, I think he'll be able to fight even without moving because most Pokemon will be stopped by his cocoon.  So Slash is number 1.  Besides, he deserves to be in tourney.
   The other choices are almost made for me.  Cyclone against fighting and Stalwart for lightning.  Need to have pokemon to chase enemies underground or in the air.  So that's it.  I'm training really hard, but I still don't think I'll beat out professional trainers.

Dinner:
   Bob decided to have the first matches today, then a big dinner for the participants.  I'm always one for free food.  There is no such thing as too much free steak.  Ever.
   Amik and his student make a grand entrance.  I flip out Pokedex at the first sight of them.  Amik is accompanied by a huge fiery dog called an Arcanine and a short woman to his left, by a rock ball with arms called Geodude.  Everyone gets to know one another over lunch.
   Amik is actually from New Cinnabar, an expert in all things fire, but way to reckless to be a gym leader.  I try not to sound stupid in front of the guests, but Pokedex doesn't seem to have an entry on Gym Leaders.  His students are Amber, Treffolis, and Nesrith.  Amber's from Far Isle.  Ground pokemon are her specialty.  Like Stalwart, I guess.  More powerful, though.  Not promising. Treffolis and Nesrith are cousins and both work heavily with fire and lightning Pokemon.  Treffolis can't stop talking about the Eevee line.  Both are tall guys in their early twenties with short brown hair, almost blond.
   The local favorite is Adam, of course.  I just want to beat him down.  Winning the other matches will just get me closer to him.  Amik and his droogs can do whatever they want, I just want to beat Adam again.  Beginners luck, whatever.   Slash was just better then that stupid bird.  And I'm a better trainer too.  He just likes the recognition Pokemon give him.  I just like Pokemon.  He's going down.  I swear.
   The other locals are the Lendals and Smith.  Smith got here too late for lunch, but the Lendals are strange.  Another pair, but as different as Treffolis and Nesrith are similar.  Aaron and Sandy Lendal.   Aaron is actually a guy.  That confuses me.  Names are so different out here, I should have expected it.  He loves the outdoors.  I'm thinking grass and poison, probably.  He has a big crab-thing with mushrooms growing on its back as his companion.  Called a Paras, I found out when it was polite to turn Pokedex back on.  He's decided not to fight in the tournament, because he won't compete against his sister. Sandy is a trainer of flying pokemon.  She keeps scoffing at everyone else, saying she'd never even both to own a flightless pokemon.  She's almost as bad as Adam.
   Bob explains.  One at a time.  First to defeat three wins.  No time limit, but no showboating.  And all fought on a nice dirt field outside.  Stalwart loves the field and Cyclone doesn't seem to dislike it. That's strange.  But no stranger then a rodent made out of bricks, I suppose.
   Nate always said, know your opposition better then they know themselves.  Good advice for Pokemon as well as for personal interaction.  Got to keep one step ahead.
   Well, first round, I was paired against Smith.  I wish he said his first name.  Its sort of irritating.
   "I am trainer Smith.  Proud owner of seven psychic pokemon." he introduces himself.  Maybe all those psychic pokemon made him forget his first name.
  "I am trainer Kris Arkos.  Friend of the forest's many pokemon." I reply.  Pretty slick, eh?  I'm proud of it.
   We have the first battle of the whole day, so I hope I don't screw up too badly.  At the last minute I noticed the trainer I rescued was in the stands.  He probably just got up and didn't want to interfere with last minute preparations.  The Oddish is trying to get a better view from on top of his head.
   "Alright!" Jenkins yells, "let the tournament begin!"
   "Fight!" Amik yells right after.  I wish trainers could talk at normal levels, I think my ears are going to start bleeding soon.
   "Alright," Smith cracks his knuckles, "Squirtle, I choose you!"
   A blue turtle with a mirror like shell materializes, stretching as if from a long sleep.
   "Squirtle  Water  0.5m  9kg  Attacks: Water Gun, Withdraw.  Squirtle can evolve into Wortotle and Blastoise.  Few pokemon are powerful enough to crack its shell."
   I was expecting a psychic type. Maybe he's just trying to confuse me.  Well, Cyclone can take care of him anyway.  No problem
   "Cyclone, Go!"  I'm starting to sound like them.  I should quiet down or I'll deafen myself.
   Cyclone appears in the air above me.  It shrieks a high, almost inaudible "Zuuuuuu!"
   "Squir  tle tle" the little turtle replies.
   "Squirtle, Water Gun!" Smith screams.  The squirtle spits a stream of water at Cyclone.
   "Cyclone, drop out of the way."  Cyclone folds its wings and drops a few feet, dodging the water.
   "If that's the best you've got, you have another thing coming." I taunt across the field.
   "Cyclone, Drain Life!" the Squirtle shimmers with red light and seems visibly weaker.
   "Keep it up Cyclone!"
   "Squirtle, withdraw!"   The squirtle draws up into its shell.
   "Cyclone, blast it with Whirlwind!" the column of roaring winds knocks the squirtle back out of the ring.  Turns out that means you win too.  I was just trying to get it out of the shell.
   "Squirtle, return!" Smith yells "Go Koffing!"  A lumpy purple ball leaking noxious vapors appears above him.  Why would you make friend with that thing?
   "Koffing   Poison   0.6m  1kg  Attacks: Smog, Smoke Screen.  Koffing are filled with toxic gasses, a constant risk of explosions." pokedex reports.  I think pokedex needs a name too, I should ask Bob for a suggestion.
   "Cyclone, maneuver closer."
   "Bad move, kid.  Koffing, Smog!"  Smith yells.
   "No, your bad move.  Cyclone, whirlwind!  Everything you've got."  The smog from Koffing’s attack obscures Smith's position at the end of the field.  I vaguely hear the crow cheer.  Sarah yells encouragement.
   "Cyclone, now!  Move in, Drain Life!"
   Koffing dodges the first swoop, but the red light begins leaking out of it.  And into Cyclone's mouth.  I hope it doesn't make him sick.
   The smog clears, but Smith realizes he's almost lost already.  "Koffing, Ram attack!"  Koffing speeds towards Cyclone.  Cyclone dodges, but gets clipped, sending him crashing down.  The Koffing comes down from above, threatening to crush Cyclone.
   "Whirlwind up!" I yell.  The lashing winds keep Koffing at bay for a moment.  Long enough for Cyclone to get airborne again.  Wobbly but airborne.
   Smith looks angry.  "Koffing, Sludge!" That wasn't in the Pokedex.  When I had everything covered.  Oh well.  The Koffing spits a glob of sludge, covering most of Cyclone's head.  But I know Cyclone doesn't need sight.
   "Cyclone!" I yell, seizing on an idea, "use whirlwind to hold him off until you can see again."  I wink at Bob and Sarah, hoping my plan won't backfire.
   Luckily Smith is angry enough that he commands Koffing to ram again.  I grin and lowering my voice, say "Cyclone, latch on and drain life.  Don't inhale any smoke, its bad for you."
   "What?!?!?" was all Smith had to say as Koffing came crashing down and Cyclone's wounds sealed up.
 Me 2 - Smith 0
   "Alright," Smith growls, "now for a real pokemon.  Koffing return.  Haunter, go!  Welcome to your worst nightmare."  A wispy black form emerges from the Pokeball.
   "Haunter  Psychic/Poison  0.9m  5.5kg  Attacks: Teleport, Transparency, Nightmare, Hypnosis, Dream Eater  Evolution of Ghastly, haunter feeds on bad dreams, often with disastrous results."
   “Oh, dear” is all I can say.
   "Haunter, Teleport behind it!" the Haunter reappears behind Cyclone.
   "Haunter, Nightmare!  Take no prisoners." Wispy tendrils leap from Haunter's form, wrapping around Cyclone before it can react.  Cyclone falls into a deep sleep.
   "Cyclone, wake up!" I cry.  "Haunter, Dream Eater!" Smith yells.  A surge of energy passes through Haunter's tendrils.  Cyclone drops to the ground, defeated.
 Now I'm the angry one.  Slash, a kakuna, or Stalwart, the sandshrew.  Haunter flies so it has advantage over both.  But I have an idea.  "Cyclone return!  Slash, Go!"
   Smith laughs as Slash takes shape.  A nervous titter passes through the crowd.
   "Slash, stiffen." I say, calming myself.
   "Ha ha, what are you going to do boy, bore Haunter to death?" Smith musters all his arrogance, "Haunter, Transparency."  Haunter disappears except for a shimmering outline.  "OK, kid, now you’re done for.  Haunter, Teleport in for the kill."
   "Slash, Poison Powder!"  The area around Slash is filled with a cloud of toxic yellow powder.  Haunter's outline is clearly visible.  It begins to sneeze and hack.
   "Haunter, go for the Hypnosis!" he yells.  The Haunter's eyes become spinning pinwheels of darkness, visible even though its body is only outlined by dust.
   "Slash, Poison Powder in the eyes!" I yell, crossing my fingers.  For safety I add "then close your eyes."
   The Haunter's spinning eyes are covered in yellow powder, and it blinks wildly.  "Haunt! Haunt." it mutters angered, then just pitifully.
   "Haunter, Teleport away!" Smith calls.  The dust covered Haunter reappears near its master, slowly weakening under the effects of the powder and still trying to get the powder out of its eyes.  Haunter glides back and forth listlessly, sinking slowly.
   "Haunter!" Smith yells "We do not loose!  Teleport and Nightmare!" the Haunter reappears near Slash tendrils reaching out.
   "Slash, use your powder to create a smoke screen.  Don't let it close."  the yellow flecks fill the air near Slash and Haunter refuses to get near it.
   "Haunter! Move in for the kill!" Haunter circles Slash, slowly descending, "I have antidotes, just do it!"  Haunter curls into a ball on the ground.  Amik and Jenkins consult.
   Jenkins stands up "Victory to the Kakuna and Kris Arkos."
   Slash's cocoon cracks open slowly and two razor sharp spines emerge from it.  Finally the new Slash crawls out, a wasp's body equipped with two powerful needles as forearms, but still has the splash of yellow across its back, cutting through the black stripes.  Still my good ole Slash.  Now he's just more powerful.
   Pokedex chirps "Beedrill  Bug/Poison  0.9m  10.5kg  Attacks: Poison Sting, Twin Needle  Final Evolution of Weedle and Kakuna  This specimen seems to have some traits of Psychic pokemon, take it to the nearest Pokemon research facility for examination."
   Smith blows his top and continues berating Haunter as we all leave the field.
   Well, me 3 Smith 1.  Sounds good to me.
   Now all the Pokemon are getting treated at the center and the pairs for second round are being decided.  Smith refuses to speak to me.  Figures, old people are always such sore losers.

Round 2 at Nallim:
   I took Slash to Jenkins to see what Pokedex's message meant.
   "Hmmmm... that is very strange.  I will have to consult the databases..." he mumbles "it would seem this specimen has gained certain unknown psychic abilities on account of its genetic code."
   "Genetic who-what?" I drop any pretense of sounding intelligent.  Jenkins is perfectly aware I know nothing and wants to fill in the gaps (everything), so I should at least be honest with him.
   "It's heredity.  Like the color of your hair or breeding animals.  All those things are in the genetic code."
   "Oh, OK," I reply, sort of understanding, "is it the same reason it has that yellow splotch."
   "Maybe they’re related, but I don't know.  I think the abilities may have been awoken by its battle with the Haunter.  I would suggest having it battle other Psychic Pokemon to fully activate its abilities.  Maybe you should travel with Amik until you find a larger Pokecenter and ask more there.  We just don't have the resources for a thorough scan.  And it’s good to go see the world."
   "Well, I might go to a center alone.  That Amik guy gives me the creeps."
   "Yeah, he is sort of a loose cannon.  The League hates him."
   "Why? What League?"
   "The Pokemon League, of course.  Oh dear, I forgot to load those files into your Pokedex!" he ran out of the room for a moment and returned with a handful of tools and a computer chip.  After installing the chip into my Pokedex,.
He brushes off his hands and says "They hate him because he refused to accept a position as Gym Leader on three occasions.  They'll probably never understand how bad it would have been if he had accepted."
   Pokedex came to life and chirps "New Data allows answer for Old Inquiry.  Gym Masters," a picture of several decorative badges appears, "keepers of the Gym Badges, these individuals hold the keys to entering the Pokemon League.  One must have eight badges to compete in the annual competition atop Indigo Plateau.  The badges can only be won by battling the Gym Leaders and winning.  Gyms are located in most major cities and a few smaller ones.  See League Map for more information on the various locations."
   "Well, that answers that question" I nod.
   "Kris, you should get back to the field.  Its almost time for your next match."
   "Who am I going up against?"
   "The one and only Treffolis.  You'll probably get to see some of the things Sarah's baby Eevee can become.  Smith, Sandy Lendal, Nesrith, and Sarah were defeated last round.  Adam got Nesrith.  It was sloppy but Machoke managed to belt Ninetails out of the rink."
   Good, I think to myself, We've got some special surprises for Adam.
   Anyway, I run back to the rink and meet up with my Pokemon.  Slash has his wings dried off from the evolution and Cyclone is all healed up from the run in with Haunter.  But he's still shaken.  Can't use Blade because Treffolis likes fire, but I'll give Cyclone a rest after the tourney.
   We take our places at opposite ends of the field.  Nesrith is coaching him from the sidelines.
   Treffolis yells "Electrabuzz, GO!"  It has to be the funniest creature in existence.  Black and yellow stripes, sort of tubby, fur covered, a tail, and two little balls on stalks atop its head.  I don't know who decided what Pokemon look like, but she was out to lunch during the 'E' day.
   "Electrabuzz   Electric  0.8m  50kg  Attacks: Thundershock, Thunderpunch, Light Screen  Electrabuzz is one of the most powerful basic pokemon." Pokedex is so useful.  Darn, I forgot to ask Jenkins for a name for my Pokedex.  Oh well.
   "Stalwart, show him your stuff!" Stalwart materializes.
   "Electrabuzz, Light Screen!" motes of light surround Electrabuzz, confusing Stalwart.
   "Stalwart, go underground," he digs in.
   "Buzz, prepare for Thunderpunch."
   "Stalwart, right in front of him!" Stalwart emerges, "Sand attack!" Stalwart kicks up a huge cloud of sand, causing Electrabuzz to cover its face.
   "Stalwart, jump in, claw swipe its stomach!" two claws smash into the things stomach, knocking it backwards.
   "Buzz!  Thundershock!"  A bolt of lightning strikes Stalwart square in the chest.  He blinks a few times, but seems entirely unharmed.
   "Treffolis, you idiot!  You just earned this loss!" Amik yells from the stands.
   "Good job choosing our new friend" I pat Slash on the head.  "Stalwart, claw swipe then curl up!"
   "Buzz, Thunderpunch!"
   "Stalwart, roll away!"  Stalwart dodges the fist easily and ignores the lashing bolts of lightning.
   "Once more Stalwart, jump and claw swipe!"  Stalwart leaps into the air and lands two clean hits on Electrabuzz's face, knocking it out.
   Trefollis yells "Electrabuzz, return!  Go Flareon!"
   "Flareon  Fire  0.3m  6.5kg  Attacks: Flamethrower, Agility, Flare  One of three evolutions of Eevee, Flareon results from exposure to the Fire Stone."
   "Knew that was coming," I smirk.  But I have no idea what I'll do.
   "Flareon, Flamethrower!" it breathes a gout of fire.  Stalwart tries to dodge, but is still hit by some of it.
   "SHREW!" Stalwart screams and charges Flareon.
   "Careful Stalwart!" I try to slow it, to no avail.
   "Flareon, Flare!" the Flareon's energies flow over it, building up.
   "Now, Stalwart, underground!" as the energies explode Stalwart decides to listen to me and go under.  The area around Flareon is reduced to bubbling glass.  A moment later Stalwart comes up from beneath, shattering the glass, and begins clawing Flareon's vulnerable stomach with blow after blow.
   Pokedex chirps "New attack demonstrated, Fury Swipes" as the Flareon falls over onto its side.
   "Flare... Flare e.... on" it gasps as it falls over.
   Without wasting time Trefollis calls "Flareon return!  Go Kingler!"  An enormous and rather ill tempered crab appears on the ground.  It clacks its crushing claws threateningly.
   Pokedex offers "Kingler  Water   0.9m  50kg  Attacks: Iron Grip, Crab Hammer, Water Jet, Bubbles, Arctic Attack  Evolved form of Krabby.  Kingler’s powerful claws are more then a match for most pokemon."
   "Kingler!  Crab Hammer!"
   "Stalwart, go..." Kingler’s first blow lands with a crack and Stalwart is knocked back several feet.
   "Stalwart, counter.  Roll under him and Fury Swipe!"  might as well use his anger to my advantage.
   Kingler barely misses with another Hammer as Stalwart rolls under.  In the moment it takes for Kingler to turn around, Stalwart has landed three hard blows on its shell.
   "Kingler, Iron Grip!"  Kingler clamps a claw around Stalwart, slowly crushing him.
   "Stalwart, you still have your legs free, use the Sand Attack!"  Stalwart kicks up a cloud of sand, scratching Kingler's shell and distracting it for a moment.
   "Stalwart, Claws!  Now!"  He brings a fist down on Kingler's head, knocking it out cold.  He rolls free and jumps up for me to give him a hug.
   Nesrith yells "How did you get my Kingler!?!?!"
   Trefollis, clutches his fists and screams "My other pokemon was Raichu, I needed a water type!"
   "That doesn't justify stealing a Pokemon from your own kin and letting your inept training almost get it killed!"
   Amik stands up "Trefollis, get out.  Now."
   "But master, I needed..."
   Amik cuts him off "No!  There is no excuse for stealing pokemon.  You are no longer a student of mine.  Give back the Kingler, turn in your badges and I won't report you to the authorities."
   Nesrith, back to normal volume, hesitatingly butts in "Isn't that a little harsh?"
   "No," Amik mutters calmly, "if I had run of things, I'd kill pokemon thieves on sight."
   Shaking, Trefollis tosses the pokeball with Kingler back to Nesrith and three of the Gym Badges I saw on the Pokedex to Amik, then runs out of the stadium.
   And I thought Smith was a poor loser.  Man on man.  I'm telling ya, old people.
   Unfortunately, Adam just lost to Amber, Amik's prize student.  So I don't get to thrash him and have to face her.  At least I have two flying Pokemon against her ground types.  That should give me some edge.  She totally gave Adam a run for his money, though.  I'm not sure I can handle her.  But second isn't bad for my first tournament.  And I did just beat a professional.

Respite at Nallim:
   But first, dinner.  Everyone from the tournament was there except for Trefollis, obviously.  Amik and Jenkins talked of old times and Amber seemed to spend the whole meal sizing me up.  I was a little to busy dining on steaks to notice in return.  But watching the other rounds and consulting my Pokedex often, I figured out what Pokemon she had.
  Geodude was always with her but the Pokemon she had used to fight were Dugtrio, three moles that can dig deep enough to cause earth quakes; a Pontya, a flaming horse to match the flaming lizard and the flaming dog; Golem, a huge pokemon evolved from geodude that seems to be a ball of stone with a lizard growing out of it; and a Fearow, a deadly bird of prey to take out other flyers.
   Sandy Lendal took out two of her pokemon in the first round, Golem and Pontya.  The Fearow finally put her down.  Without a problem.   Adam took out Dugtrio (lucky shot) but never made it past Golem.  Shaping up to be a hard match.
   She knows what to expect, but I might switch Blade and Stalwart.  I hear Golem is vulnerable to Grass.  So, I might just switch.
   Sarah is lovely as ever, and being a very gracious looser.  Trefollis took her out in round one.  The Flareon took out Bulby and her Magikarp really easily, and the Electrabuzz finished off the baby Eevee.  Poor thing.
   Stalwart is being treated for the injures he suffered (Kingler’s crushing and some scorch marks from the lightning).  I can't believe he stole his cousin's pokemon to try and beat me.  Then nearly got it killed.  Well, that's a mistake I won't repeat.
   I finally got to meet the trainer I rescued.  His name is Kale and he comes from this Nallim.  Nice guy, really loves his pokemon.  He got Oddish from Jenkins and went into that cave to capture Charmander, who had fallen in.  Then an errant blow from Charmander crashed the roof and drew the Zubat.  He actually didn't capture the Charmander, but it was seriously hurt in the cave in and he’s captured it now.
   As dinner broke up, Amik congratulated me on my victory and apologized for his ex-student.  He offered to train me when I got a little more experience and a pokemon for payment (that's how you pay for his services, give him a neat pokemon).  Maybe, but not for now, he still creeps me out.
   Then I went to sleep and now I'm awake (Imagine that).  So I'm switching Stalwart to Blade.  He's still sleeping anyway.  So, I'm going up against Amber.  And maybe I'll challenge Adam just before I leave.

Journal 18 - Final Round at Nallim -
   I step up to my box at the end of the field, really nervous.  But Kale and Sarah and Jenkins were all rooting for me.  I decide to start out with Cyclone, because it will have the advantage over anything except Fearow.  And I need Slash to be my secret backup.  Maybe those psychic powers will come through.
   "Cyclone, go!"
   "Fearow, go!"  I knew right then that it was going to be a long day.
   "Fearow  flying  0.65m  35kg  larger than most of its kind, this Fearow is highly experienced  Attacks: Drill Peck, Agility, Mirror Move, Whirlwind." the pokedex chirped, not appreciating my dilemma.
   "Cyclone, Whirlwind" figured I might try to knock it out of the sky.
   "Fearow, Agility attack" it's form seemed to blur as it blinked from location to location.  It manages to totally dodge the whirlwind.
   "Cyclone, whirlwind the ground!" I yell.  Cyclone raises up an immense dust cloud, obscuring the field.  But, it doesn't notice Fearow behind it.
   "Fearow, Drill Peck!"
   "Cyclone, behind you!"
   Cyclone was struck square in the back and fell without a fight.
   "Cyclone, return.  Lets go Blade!"  A Rattata materializes.  An arm’s length of rat.  I am so terribly confused.  "Rattata  Normal  0.3m  3.5kg  Attacks: Bite, Burrow.  The rat pokemon, generally not considered a threat against most pokemon, as it is generally peaceful."
   "All right, I'm dead" I say, resigned.
   "Fearow, Drill Peck the rat too!"
   "Uh, Rattata, Burrow!"  the rattata burrows into the ground, but Fearow's Peck still damages its right rear leg pretty badly.
   The Fearow starts to pull its beak out of the ground.
   "Rattata, bite its wing, while it’s on the ground!"  Rattata leaps out of the hole and clamps on to the thing's right wing.  "That's it, don't let go!"
   "Fearow, you will not be defeated by a rat.  Get it off using whirlwind."  As the Fearow's wings swung faster and faster, Rattata flew off.
   "Now Fearow, direct the Whirlwind at the rat!" Rattata flew all over the field in the winds, but was not knocked out.
   "Alright Fearow, Drill Peck!"  Rattata collapses as another friend falls to the Fearow's beak.
   "Rattata return!" I throw the Pokeball with Rattata to Jenkins in the stands "Lets hope this one works.  Go Slash!"  Thankfully, Slash appeared as expected, ready for battle.
   "Fearow!  Whirlwind!"  Slash was pushed back, but still held his own against the winds.
   "Slash!  Twin Needle!" Slash breaks out of the Whirlwind and swoops at Fearow, still low to the ground since the fight with Rattata.
   "Fearow, Agility!" the Fearow started blinking around again in a blur.  Slash's first few strikes with his ultra-sharp forelimbs find no purchase, but the fifth attempt plunges into Fearow's chest.
   "Slash, you've got him!  Poison Sting!"  Slash sends his stinger into Fearow several times.  The Fearow begins to turn green.
   "Fearow, Mirror Move, NOW!" Amber screams.  The Fearow's beak takes on a strange aspect and it pecks Slash twice before he can break away.  Slash doesn't look ill, but backs off.
   "All right Fearow, now Drill Beak."  Fearow begins hurtling towards Slash.
   "Drillill" Slash snickers as his stinger fires out and strikes the Fearow in the wing.  Blue energies crackle over the Fearow and it falls to the ground.
   Pokedex comes to life "New Attack Used: Unknown Type: Psychic/Poison"
   Amik stands up and says "What was that, son?"
   "A very special Beedrill," I respond.
   Amik shrugs and says "Fearow is unable to battle, recall it."
   Amber growls under her breath and screams "Fearow, return.  Golem, Go!"
   Amik shakes his head on the sidelines and mutters something, but Amber ignores him.
   The creature materializes.  It's almost three and a half meters tall, far larger than Slash.  But if I've learned anything, it’s that size doesn't matter.
   "Slash, Twin Needle!" the two spines dig deep into Golem's crust.
   She cracks her knuckles "Golem, tackle attack."
   Golem retracts its head and limbs, then rolls down the field.  Slash is smashed into the ground three times before he manages to detach himself.
   "Slash, stay above it and use your Poison Stinger!" It plunges the stinger into its outer shell, dodging repeated attacks.  But eventually, the golem manages to grab him.
   "Slash, sting its hand!" Golem begins closing his fist, but Slash maneuvers to place his stinger into the middle of the golem's palm.  Golem's hand goes limp and Slash drops out.
   "Twin Needle its back!" Slash swings around to come at the things back.
   "Golem, roll!" the Golem retracts its limbs again and manages to avoid Slash's needles
   But, it can't run away forever and Slash manages to dig his needles into its carapace.  This time it is too slow to react and Slash strikes a barrage of blows all over the things carapace and head.  After standing for a time, the Golem simply falls over, its eyes glazed over.
   "That Beedrill is toast," Amber snarls, "Golem return!  Ponyta go!"
   At least it's on the ground.
   "Slash, swoop with Posion Stinger."  He drops from the sky, his stinger leading the way.
   "Ponyta, Fire tail!" The Ponyta lashes its tail of flames and smashes Slash out of the sky.
   "Bee... bee drill..." he moans as he tries to lift off.
   "Smash Kick while he's down!" Amber yells exuberant.
   The Ponyta's hoof comes down hard on Slash and he falls unconscious.  I rush out and grab him, joining Jenkins and Sarah at the edge of the field.  The Ponyta neighs triumphantly and Amber walks over to speak to us.
   "You and that Beedrill there certainly put up a fight.  Best battle I've had in months.  Thank you." she says solemnly.
   "You're welcome.  Your pokemon were trained well too."
   We decide to go out to lunch to celebrate.  I love how these people think.
 Just Amik, Nesrith, Amber, Jenkins, Sarah and myself.  We went to a local restaurant "Oodles of Noodles," as I recall, and gorged ourselves.  Then we all set about to learning the mystery of Rattata.
   We went back to my room at the center and found Stalwart calmly sleeping with a scrap of black cloth under his paw.
   "Hey wait," Nesrith says, "That's part of Trefollis's coat."
   Amik just sighs and shakes his head.
   Amber snatches a pokeball from her belt and says, "Lets go Poke-thief hunting, shall we?"
   Stalwart wakes up and offers his input "Shrew shrew sand shrew sand."  As he sits up, a Pokeball drops from a pocket on the underside of the cloth.  I click it open and Blade materializes.
   "Yeah!  At least you're still here!" I hug Blade.
   Amber smiles grimly and says "Well, he's not a thief, but he did try to rig the battle."
   "But he gave me a Rattata."
   She sniffs, "Yes, a great find."
   "Hey, Rattata makes five.  Don't be too hard on him."
   "Her," Jenkins says, "Its a her."
   "Oh, really?  Ok, her."
   Amik nods "Well, we have to do something."
   "Let’s report him for stealing Kingler," I suggest.
   "Let’s hunt him down and confiscate his Pokemon," Amber suggests.
   "I think Kris's idea is more in keeping with the spirit of the competition." Amik nods
   "Blast," Amber sighs, "maybe next time."
   "Maybe next time," Amik agrees.
   "Maybe its all for the best," I say, "you would have won anyway."
   “Thank you,” Amber nods, “I only wish I could have won it without that traitor interfering.”
   “Don’t worry, Amber,” I say, “that Fearow would have taken out Blade too.  Good fight though.  I'm looking forward to a rematch.  But not until I capture some more pokemon.”

A moments rest -
    We all stopped to catch our breath, with Amik expressing great confusion at Slash's new powers.  I couldn't understand their gibberish anyway, so I introduced myself to Rattata at length.  Nice little pokemon, but I'm not sure how useful she'll be in battle.  Well, the Pokedex says she can evolve into a more powerful pokemon named Raticate, so maybe we'll just have to hold out for that.
    "Oh, I almost forgot!" Jenkins smacks his forehead, getting even my attention.  "I almost forgot!"
    "What?" I blink a few times and manage to look clueless again.  Oh well.
    "Amber," he turns to face her, "for winning the tournament, even under these conditions, I present you with Victrebell!"  He hands a pokeball to Amber, seeming somehow relieved to get it off his hands.
    "Thank you, Professor," she replies, then turns around and releases her newest pokemon.
    "VIC TREE! VIC TREE!" it screams with a voice like broken glass.  Now I understand why Jenkins looked releived.
    "Victrebell.  grass/poison  1.9 m  15 kg  Attacks: swallow, poison powder, sleep powder  Victrebell is the final evolution of bellsprout and weepinbell  This pokemon is especially dangerous to bug type pokemon."  Pokedex offered.
    Amber grinned broadly, "Thank you professor."  Either she likes that awful thing, or she's faking really well.