Pokemon Moonlight Silver (COMPLETE!!!)

[EmeraldSky]

@Scytherwolf; @Soups;

Episode 63: Two Hits and a Miss

"You did great on your second Lore Stage!" Ash raved as the group made their way down the road. It had been three days since Brock had performed for his orange Color Stripe, earning the respect of a friendly rival and inspiring his Zubat, Hitomi, to evolve.

"Well, that is a favorite for Halloween shows, and we were in an old castle, after all." Brock smiled as he admired the two stripes on his vest. "That, and I didn't want to frighten the kids in the audience too much..."

He was about to say more when the ground began to rumble. "Oh no, not again..." Ash recognized the rumbling as an approaching Tauros. "Flashbacks of the Pokemon Swap Meet coming on..."

Just as the group dove into a bush to avoid the angry Tauros, they heard a boy call "Gangway! Runaway Tauros, comin' through!"

Ash looked at his right hand, which had long since healed since his ill advised attempt at touching a Tauros horn. "Wonder what got that Tauros mad?"

"A red cape?" Misty grinned as she led the boy from the brush, where they could still see the Tauros and the boy tearing down the road.

She gasped as she spotted an older man in a majestic robe right in the Tauros' path. "The Tauros is gonna gore that guy! We have to warn him!"

As the group raced to warn the old man about the imminent danger behind him, they stopped in their tracks when they saw the man stop, and take out a Poke Ball. "Is he intending to battle that Tauros?" Brock was curious.

"I don't know, but I have to do something before he gets seriously hurt!" With that, Ash heaved a Poke Ball skyward. "Luce, I need your help!"

[You called?] the Flaaffy asked as it materialized on the road.

"See that Tauros headed this way?" Ash pointed out the Tauros heading for them, with its panicked master not far behind. "I want you to try and halt its progress before someone gets hurt!"

[Let's give him a real jewel of a headache!] Luce suggested before creating a topaz that cracked with thunderbolts. But she ended up making the Power Gem a bit too large, causing it to fall in the road with a crash, sending Thunderbolts into the sky.

Not what I was planning to have Luce do, but okay... Ash thought as the Tauros furiously tried to crush the Power Gem with its hooves and its horns, despite its trainer's desperate attempts to calm it. "All right, Luce, try to paralyze the Tauros!"

[One Thunder Wave, coming up!] Luce replied as she charged some shocking waves that wouldn't hurt the Tauros, but render it unable to move for a while.

About then, the boy caught up to his Tauros, which was lying on the ground, periodically mooing in discomfort from the small thunderbolts that criss-crossed his fur. "Toro? You okay, boy?"

"Ash had to do something so your Tauros wouldn't hurt anyone." Brock explained to the boy as he used a Paralyze Heal on the exhausted Tauros. "That was why he told his Flaaffy to create his Power Gem roadblock, and then immobilize Toro."

"I would never intentionally cause pain to any Pokemon, but we were all worried your Tauros would hurt someone." Ash agreed. "So no hard feelings, okay?"

"I see." the boy smiled as the Tauros shakily stood up, then trotted back to his side. "I will say that was a creative way to stop a rampaging Tauros..."

He turned to leave. "Thank you for corralling Toro for me--I don't know how I would live with myself if he hurt somebody."

"Anytime!" Ash replied as he waved goodbye.

The old man smiled. "Well done, Nincada, for saving me in my hour of need. You have obviously trained your Flaaffy well." he told Ash.

[Aw, it was nothin'!] Luce giggled.

The man went on "My name is Kenzo--I run the dojo not far from here. If any of you three are Pokethletes, I am hosting a competition today to test your stamina."

Misty proudly showed Kenzo her medal box. "I am a Pokethlete--where do I sign up?"

"If you follow the road until it passes by the hill, the dojo sits at the top." Kenzo explained. "Whether you compete on land, in water, or in the air, the competition is open to all."

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"All ready!" Misty grinned as she emerged from an empty prayer room that had been converted into a dressing room in her jersey. "Spritz, Michelle, and Pearl will be my competitors this time." she explained as she took the Poke Balls containing the Seadra, the Golduck, and the Starmie, then hurried off to check in to the competition.

"Good luck, Misty!" Ash called after his companion as she disappeared into the crowds of Pokethletes mingling, signing in, or choosing their competitors.

"So land competitors wear green, water competitors wear blue, and air competitors wear lavender." Brock mused as a group of air Pokethletes made their way outside for their first event of the day.

Ash, meanwhile, spotted a pink haired girl in a green jersey with a flat-headed Pokemon with long legs doing some last minute training, and decided to read up on the odd Pokemon as it performed a long spin kick:

"Hitmontop, the handstand Pokemon. It fights while spinning like a top. The centrifugal force boosts its destructive power by ten."

"Wow..." Ash gasped, moments before he saw the girl confront Misty near the hall leading to where another event was taking place.

"Don't even bother entering, miss pretty face--for I, the great Chigusa, will be the one to win the Pokethlon!" the girl smirked.

"Now wait a minute!" Misty shot back. "The Pokethlon isn't all about strength, but also includes the very stat we are competing in--stamina! Furthermore, what makes you so confident you will win?"

Ash winced as Misty and Chigusa argued. "And I thought Gary was bad..."

"Chigusa is actually my granddaughter." Kenzo began as he joined the boys, slightly embarrassed about Chigusa's behavior. "I have told her many a time that pride goes before a fall, but she will not listen to me--and how will she be a good dojomistress if she is not humble?"

"So you held this Pokethlon in an attempt to humble her?" Brock guessed. Kenzo nodded. "She looks pretty confident with that Hitmontop..."

"She has known Maru since he was a little Tyrogue." Kenzo replied. "They have never been apart for long--but I have long wrestled with how to teach her that she is not the strongest, and that there will always be someone stronger than her."

"I don't know how, but I have a feeling--whether it's Misty or someone else--that someone's going to humble Chigusa." Ash replied.

Kanzo smiled. "I hope you are correct, Ash--and that she remembers the lesson, once humbled."

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"Our first event today is the Ring Drop--a sumo-like event between four competitors instead of two." one of the instructors announced as he made a grand gesture to a large ring-like zone with four corners, where Misty and Michelle, Chigusa and her Hitmontop Maru, and two other competitors were standing. "The object of the event is to knock opponents out of the ring while staying in the ring yourself. The last Pokemon standing at the end of 60 seconds, wins."

He looked out upon the ring. "Competitors! Are you ready?"

Cheers filled the air in reply. "Okay! Ready...Set..."

No sooner had the whistle blown to start the event, did Misty watch in horror as Maru spun-kicked Michelle, a Lucario, and a Braixen out of the ring in one shot! "Stop the clock! We have a winner!" the instructor announced.

"That was fast..." Ash noted as the crowd gasped in surprise--only two seconds had passed!

"Almost a little TOO fast..." Brock agreed as the three judges debated what to do about the unexpected three way tie.

After what felt like an eternity, the judges' decision came. "The remaining competitors will share second place, since they were knocked out at nearly the same time!"

Misty came storming back into the stands some moments later. "Why award me second place for an event I had no chance of finishing, much less winning?" she grumbled as Michelle and the other competitors were whisked away to an on site Pokemon Center. "It almost feels like a participation trophy! I'm not a kid anymore, so why should I be subjected to this 'everyone's a winner, have a prize' jazz? I know how to lose gracefully!"

She sighed. "If I want to win something, I'd like to win it in a fair competition, not because I just participated...part of me thinks this Chigusa girl is cheating..."

"Remember when Kamon accused Ash of cheating earlier?" Brock asked Misty. "I get that you're feeling angry, frustrated, and humiliated right now, but accusing someone with no evidence is a bad idea--maybe Chigusa and her Hitmontop are just that good."

"They may be, and they may not--but there's still two more events to go." Misty admitted, now noticeably calmer. "A lot can change, so I just have to keep trying!"

---------

"Our next event is the Relay Run!" a second instructor announced as Misty, Chigusa, and two other competitors took their places on a track.

"You doing okay?" Misty asked as Michelle arrived. "That Hitmontop got you pretty hard..."

[I remember bracing myself to intercept the spin kick, and the next thing I know, I'm flying against the wall.] Michelle replied as she allowed Misty to climb aboard. [But I got checked out by Nurse Joy, so I should be fine.]

"Okay--you can run well both on land and in water." Misty smiled. "Let's give that Hitmontop what for!"

"Pokethletes ready?" the instructor called. "On your mark, get set..."

No sooner had the starting gun gone off, were the Golduck and the other competitors left behind in a cloud of dust! [Oh goodness...not even a Jolteon can keep up with Chigusa's Hitmontop!] Michelle noticed as she composed herself from her coughing fit. One of their other competition was a Jolteon, and even he was coughing up dust from the Hitmontop's rocket-like start.

"Chigusa was the one that set the record of twenty laps in two minutes, and a Pokethlete has yet to break it." the Jolteon's trainer explained as she wiped her Jolteon's watery eyes, watching the Hitmontop speed around the track all the while.

"Oh my..." was all Misty could say when she saw she had placed fourth in the competition a few moments later. I hope someone can best Chigusa, and teach her a little humility....

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"Our final event today is the Block Smash!" a third instructor announced, to the roar of the crowd. "In this event four Pokéthletes, one from each team, attempt to break a stack of ten cement blocks. The Pokémon must demonstrate its might by breaking through them as quickly as possible. Whoever can break the most in 60 seconds, or manages to break them all in that time frame, wins."

"Spritz, your turn!" Misty called, summoning the Seadra before a stack of blocks. "Use your strongest Water Gun to break as many of these as you can when the whistle blows, okay?"

[Got it!] Spriitz replied.

"Ready? Set?" the instructor called before blowing the whistle, making the exhibition room rumble as Spritz, the Hitmontop, the Tauros from earlier, and a Mienshao raced to break the bricks.

"Come on, Misty!" Ash cheered. "You can do it!" Brock whistled in agreement as he watched Spritz break five out of the ten bricks with the most powerful Water Gun she could muster.

But even the boys were surprised when they found that Chigusa's Hitmontop Maru had only broken six bricks! "I can't believe it..." Brock gasped as the Tauros from before easily charged through the bricks, breaking nine and starting to crack the tenth as time expired. "Someone bested Miss Hotshot!"

"Not just that, but our friend from before narrowly edged Chigusa for the win!" Ash was equally shocked when he saw the final standings--the boy from before had narrowly edged Chigusa by two points to clinch the overall win. Misty, meanwhile, was in a narrow fourth place, thanks to her consolation medal in the first event. "I hope Misty's not too mad about losing..."

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"Even though I didn't get a medal this time, I'm still happy for that boy and his come from behind win." Misty smiled as the group departed the dojo that evening. "From what I heard, Chigusa admitted he was stronger, and promised Kenzo she would be a bit nicer to people."

"You mean, you're not angry for not winning this Pokethlon? Is that why you wanted to skip the medal ceremony?" Ash wondered.

"No--I did all I could on land--if I had actually been in water for this competition, I would have stood a chance." Misty replied. "Remember that as exciting as it is to win, competing in anything is not about winning or losing, it's about the enjoyment of the experience--and I certainly had fun, even though I came up short this time. I only skipped the ceremony because it was getting late, and I wanted to find a place to camp before it got dark."

"That's fair." Ash replied as the group arrived in a clearing nearby the dojo on the hill. "Just remember to train harder for next time!"

"Oh I will!" Misty giggled. "Any braggart Pokethletes are gonna have to watch out, 'cause the Tsunami is coming!"

Even Brock couldn't resist laughing at Misty's show of confidence as the sun sank below the trees...

To Be Continued...