Pokémon League Tournament (Before the Final Round)
Scene-Setting Music: "Android 17's Theme [Orchestral Arrangement]" (PokeMixr92)
"Well ladies and gentlemen, what can I tell you?" the announcer spoke. From her vantage point, a petite blonde and her Pidgeot swept throughout the arena, quivering in a fever pitch for the battle to come. "This tournament has been a roller coaster of twists, turns and thrills! Friends become rivals, rivals become partners...even partners becoming partners!" Doubtless anyone would forget how that Biker pecked her Rich Girl tag team partner on the lips, or how the latter had dipped her down for a proper kiss that nearly melted what remained of the ice field. "But like all good rides, we've reached the end of the line! By the end of this final match, we'll know who truly is the #1! Let's hear it, everyone!"
Her enthusiasm was infectious, a roar of excitement and anticipation tearing from the throat of every onlooker that an Exploud would have envied. Most trainers would not have been able to even hear themselves think from nervousness, let alone focus. But this trainer was not like most; rather than attempt to dispel the bout of nerves, the young man embraced it. It kept his wits sharp and him living in the moment, and he knew every bit of his skill and ability would be required in this next battle. A deep breath calmed him as he remembered one key fact. If he let up on the gas even slightly, tripped up for a second, then his rival would devour him for breakfast.
He found himself looking forward to it as he stepped out into the blinding lights, drinking in the screams. Another chapter to add in the long-running epic between them, one traveling across years and regions alike.
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The road of becoming a great Pokémon trainer is one that demands a burning spirit and unquenchable drive. Every expert trainer, Gym Leader and Elite—from the swaggering and boisterous Lt. Surge to the quiet and gentle Salon Maiden Anabel, fiery Flint to the ice-cold Prima—share these qualities in their own ways. As in any field, whether it involved Pokémon or was something more conventional, desire was the necessity that separates the lazy dreamer content to be “adequate” from the skilled expert who wants to be “the best (s)he can be”.
Along that road, it would be impossible to come across fellow trainers with their own dreams; in many cases, rivalries would blossom between them. Some were born out of friendship, two kindred spirits dueling out of respect and the desire to test each other’s devotion to their dream. Others blossomed out of bitter shame, the winner’s utter domination of the loser fueling the latter to improve and avenge the brutal loss. Only by returning the favor and tying the score, in the eyes of many young trainers, is honor regained (though whether it was truly lost is up for debate) and one’s reputation restored. Still more proved the old saying of familiarity breeding contempt, or at least annoyance. The trainers share a near identicality of training styles and philosophies on Pokémon save for one major difference; the conflict stems from the desire to prove whose view is right. Moreover, there are many rivalries born not from such high-minded values, but from intense mutual disdain. Using their Pokémon more as tools of war than sentient beings, both trainers hunger to prove their dominance, preferably in a totally decisive manner that leaves no doubt to them—and any witnesses to the battle—who is the butch and who is the bitch.
Whether it is a bond formed of friendship or bitterness, respect or hatred, rivalries can change a trainer’s life in ways never imagined. It can push one trainer to new levels of skill to keep pace with someone who always seems a step ahead, or force one to discard excuses and justifications in defeat. And sometimes, the very thing one despises in a rival can be reflected in the mirror, highlighting character traits for good or ill. Nevertheless, regardless, one thing is undeniably true.
It is in the choice of one’s rivals that a Trainer truly finds himself.