“Lilianna Vanderbelt checking in.” A perky blonde said, pulling her bag up on her shoulder with a smile to the person behind the counter. The hotel was a large 8 story building and it was no surprise it was reserved for all the trainers coming to participate in the event. Lilianna herself wasn’t the best trainer but she was getting better! That being said, since she wasn’t a well-known trainer she had to pay a pretty penny to get into the competition. But for her, it was something she wanted to do.

Upon arriving to her room she let out her six traveling pokemon from their balls. “Alright everyone stretch her legs…” Gastly gave her a funny look sticking his tongue out and floating to her, as if to remind her that he didn’t have legs. “Or floating mass of… stuff.” A laugh left her as she pushed Gastly away from her, just in time to dodge his sneaky licking attempt. Cubone seemed to be fascinated with the room, gently tapping things with his bone. Ponyta had already made herself comfortable on the second bed in the room with Squirtle who seemed to fall gracefully onto the bed and Jolteon seemed to be following Cubone around to insure he was not going to damage anything. She could always count on her Jolteon for acting like a parental figure when she wasn’t around.

As she went to the door to leave, she felt a tug on the jean pants. Green gaze turning downwards, she saw her dear Nidorina pulling on her pant leg, “Oh little girl.” She said with a smile across her full lips showing her straight white teeth. She scooped up the Nidorina into her arms with a practiced move as she nuzzled her face against her pokemon’s. “Alright, you can come too. Just don’t leave my side.” Her little Nidorina let out a little squeal of approval and she stepped outside shutting the door behind her.

The picnic was HUGE and the blonde couldn’t help but giggle with excitement as she took off running onto the festivities. Nidorina stuck close to her side keeping up with her fast trainer. “Ooooo!” Lily pulled herself to a stop in front of one of the tables filled with food. She picked up two plates and began to make one for herself and one for her Nidorina who was hugging her side closely. The blonde pulled a strap of her brown tank top back onto her shoulder before becoming shoulder to shoulder with a young man with messy black hair. “Can you hand me that scooper?” She said pointing towards the large serving spoon.

"Thanks again for the lift." Andreas spoke, looking out the back window of the pickup, he examined his Pokémon sitting in the back, conversing among themselves. He looked back, eyes locked onto the road ahead Andreas twiddled his thumbs unsure of what to say if anything. He turned to look at the driver, an old man with a frail build, despite his appearance he was obviously a strongman, probably a lot stronger than Andreas too he'd bet.

"It's no problem!" The old man chirped taking his eyes off the road, "I was going this way anyway and when I stopped, I knew you were alright." The man driving brought his attention back to the road, pursing his lips. He found it odd that the lad didn't seem to make much conversation. He'd shared few and far words in between the whole journey. "There's some great looking Pokémon you got there."

"Thanks." Andreas uttered again, he noticed the driver glancing at the pokéball in the boys bag. Poliwag... If only I thought you wouldn't try run off. He frowned but his trail of thought was interrupted by the driver once more.

"What's that Pokémon in the ball?" The old man asked, his gaze drifting between the bag and the road trying to spark some kind of conversation.

"It's a Poliwag, but it was abandoned by it's last owner and doesn't seem to trust anybody." The old man smiled as he'd finally gotten more than a couple of words out of him.

"You can call me AJ." Andreas looked at AJ for a moment, "I'm Andreas." He spoke through a thin smile as he looked out on his Pokémon once more.

"We're here!"

---

Andreas had grown hungry far before lunch time, so the all out picnic for competitors and spectators alike had been a sight for sore eyes and stomachs. The young trainer's plate was stacked with so much it looked fit to collapse, his eyes as big as his stomach as he made his way along the tables.

“Can you hand me that scooper?”

He looked at the girl he had come shoulder to shoulder with a blank expression, a plate of food stacked high in one hand, his other dangerously close to hers. Taking a step aside Andreas picked up the serving spoon, "Yeah, sure." He spoke and handed it out for her. "Here you are." He scooted around her other side and continued to look at the food, glancing momentarily back at the girl before adding to the plate.

Lily gave him a bright smile as passed her the scooper. “Thanks!” Her bright smile spread across her face beaming brightly as she took the scooper from him. “I love potato salad!” Lily’s voice was chipper and happy as she scooped some of the potato salad onto her plate before taking up another one. Her gaze moved to him before seeing his plate. Blue eyes expanding, she turned her stare to his face before giving him a small laugh and another bright smile. “You must be hungry. I hope you can handle that much food.”

A small pull to her pant leg grabbed her attention and she looked down at her Nidorina. “Oh alright, I’ll make you a plate too.” She said with a grin as she began to load up another plate. Her attention then moved back to the young man standing next to her. He was a bit taller than her and looked like someone who had been traveling longer than she has. “Are you excited for the tournament?” She asked as they moved down the line together, gathering up food for themselves and her for her pokemon who seemed rather tight to her side. “I’m super excited for it. There seems to be a lot of competitors here so it should be a good competition!”

There was nothing more exciting than being around a lot of people for Lily. She was a social person unlike some other trainers. But for some people, she was too social. The reason is simple, she didn’t like silence; it was uncomfortable for her. Her bright smile continued as she scooped and placed things on the plates for her and her Pokemon’s.

"I love potato salad!"

Andreas' gaze drifted between his plate, Lily and the potato salad. He squinted as he thought about it carefully for a moment before shaking his head, figuring he'd get through what he had piled up already at least. “You must be hungry. I hope you can handle that much food.” He'd caught her looking at his plate but his eyes slowly met with the ground between his feet as he was sure they'd made eye contact, if only briefly. At that moment, the trainer's stomach let off a loud growling noise, his sigh was followed by a quaint laugh, "Yeah, I suppose I was pretty hungry - huh?" Catching the Pokémon at Lily's side he brightened up, "Oh wow." He proclaimed in a semi-excited tone, "A Nidorina, I've never seen one outside the daycare before." Andreas paused and collected himself before asking Lily, "How long has it been with you?"

The trainer walked with his new acquaintance to where they could sit and eat. He'd unearthed that she too was a competitor in the tournament, he also couldn't help but notice her social side. Looking around, Andreas noticed there were a lot of trainers here, most if not all to compete he was sure of it. There were some strong Pokémon here too, some Andreas had never even heard of let alone seen in the flesh. The sight of all the incredible Pokémon brought him to the conclusion that it was time to feed his own, Andreas almost never ate without his Pokémon and vice versa. Placing his own plate of food down and releasing them one by one from there respective balls; Bulbasaur, Abra, Graveler, Poliwag, Pidgey and Sandslash all spoke for food. "You guys sure are hungry..." He mumbled as he rummaged through his rucksack, retrieving the separate packets of homemade Pokémon food - one of his uncle's specialties.

Andreas proceeded to give portions to each of his Pokémon, looking to Lily while she wasn't quite watching him. He took note of her appearance, she was pretty but he wouldn't let this get in the way of his chances at winning the tournament. "How do you see yourself ranking?" He asked, a thin smile as he continued arranging his Pokémon food.

Lily’s head tilted to one side as she watched him drop into a bat of silence. How cute, he was shy. A bright smile moved across her face as she saw him stare down at the floor. How adorable. Then his wording her Nidorina caught her attention and her gaze turned downward. A smile moved across her lips as she reached down and gave the little thing a pat on its head. “I found her when she was at her first stage and saved her from drowning. I thought she’d run off after that but she followed me for a few miles before I put down a pokeball. She walked over and put herself into it, and from then on she’s been on my team.”

A proud nod rose and fell her head as she shared her story and took both of her plates to follow him to a table. “However, it’s going to be problematic if she keeps considering herself a lap pokemon. A Nidoqueen thinking she’s a lap pokemon means I will not have a lap anymore.” A laugh left her as they continued on their small walk. The image of her struggling under a Nidoqueen was something she found funny, however it wasn’t far from a possibility that it could happen to her. Upon sitting at the table, her Nidorina climbed up next to her and placed her little paws gently on the table as if waiting for her food. Lily put the plate down in front of pokemon and just like her master; they both ate with a sort of elegance and unexpected grace.

As much as she tried to shake her upbringings in a proper and high social standing, the table manners was one of the few things she didn’t have an easy time getting rid of. Her eyes danced as he let out his pokemon. The Graveler was a naturally intimidating pokemon due to his large size but the little Pidgey hopping around was adorable. “Oh wow that’s a nice set you have!” She said excitedly as she took in all the pokemon he had let out. ‘Oh, I don’t know. I’m excited to battle more than I am to win. I like the idea of meeting other trainers and being social. Plus normally they have tips and information that I didn’t know.” She said with a nod.

Munching delicately on her food, she watched him divvy out the food to his pokemon. “Do you… make your own food?” Her voice was filled with astonishment and bewilderment as she grinned at him doing his work. “That’s amazing! What’s in it?!”

“However, it’s going to be problematic if she keeps considering herself a lap Pokémon. A Nidoqueen thinking she’s a lap Pokémon means I will not have a lap anymore.”

Hm? Andreas nodded as he took note of Lily following him towards a table. The laugh that followed broke the line between his lips, bringing a smile that he was sure she hadn't seen. Cute. He watched curiously as the Nidorina, so gentle in doing so ate its food, almost as graceful as its trainer he thought. Bringing his gaze from Lily and her Pokémon back to sorting out food for his own friends.

“Oh wow that’s a nice set you have!” It was the excitement to her tone that caught Andreas' attention more than the words themselves. He eyed Lily blankly for a moment, almost as if what had been said hadn't fully registered. Another thin smile broke out and Andreas began to pack the food back into his rucksack,

"Oh, thanks." He uttered, audible although barely. "Yeah, I see your point." Andreas paused, running his finger along a grain in the wood of the tabletop, "I think I want to win though." He spoke openly, his eyes once more meeting Lily before he took another once over of the other trainers and their Pokémon. Lily's statement brought confidence to Andreas in his Poké friends and it was nice that he seemed to be getting along so well with someone he'd only just met... At least, in his eyes. There were a lot of trainers who'd come to compete in the open tournament and the more attention Andreas paid to them, the more he began to doubt himself and that brimming confidence which had been boiled up now began to simmer and subside. Many of the people competing here seemed more seasoned than him and were probably at the limit of badges for the tournament, three, he was sure of it.

"No." Andreas stated, a laugh followed. "No, I wish. My uncle runs a Poké daycare and is really into Pokémon nutrition. He spends a lot of his time gathering and mixing ingredients before putting them into the food." Andreas picked up one of the nuggets which looked like oversized, dry, biscuit like dog food. The Pidgey he had taken it from looked up, chirped in approval and went back to pecking at the food. The trainer examined the round, solid piece of biscuit and passed it to Lily to do the same. He took another, followed by the same approving chirping of the Pidgey and popped it into his mouth, chewed and swallowed in an instant. "It's not bad actually." Andreas wasn't sure what was wrong with him but - this had been the most talking he'd done in a while, his mouth was getting tired.

Underneath the table he slipped his badge case out from his pocket and opened it slowly, not wanting Lily to see him checking. Andreas only had one badge so far, and he'd sure as hell worked hard for it. He sighed, putting the case away again, this time into his backpack which he closed tight. Andreas brought his gaze up one more time, he smiled as he said, "I haven't a clue what's in it though." Scratching the back of his head.

His laugh was nice and his smile was amazing. Poor Lily found herself momentarily silenced by it as she watched him smile and laugh. It was nice to see him happy, something in her gut told her that he wasn’t always happy and laughing while she… well she is always happy and laughing… always.

The information about his uncle made her smile. It sounded like his uncle was very talented and if this kid could hold his own as a trainer it must run in the family. She delicately cut into the piece of ham she had and placed into her mouth. Upon finishing the piece she placed down her silverware and took the piece from him. Examining it closely she was about to say something before she watched him pop it into his mouth. Green eyes expanding in surprise as he did it so causally so she decided to give it a try as well; breaking a piece of the biscuit off she gave the larger chunk to her Nidorina before placing the other small piece into her mouth.

Eyes expanding again she looked back at him. “Whoa, that is surprisingly good.” She said with a nod before she looked down at her Nidorina who finally ate her piece and gave a small squeal of surprise and enjoyment as she munched away on the piece before returning to her plate. “So,” She began, in an attempt to keep it from getting silenced. “How do you think you’ll fair?”

Andreas watched with a jeering look as she contemplated whether or not to eat the biscuit. "I'll let him know you liked it." He teased before bringing his attention back around to his food, chowing down. Andreas didn't mind silence, in fact he enjoyed it more than a lot of things but even he would admit there was something awkward about this one. So when she spoke he felt a rush of relief.

"So... How do you think you'll fair?" The trainer recognized from Lily's tone that she was as glad as him for conversation. He was quiet for a minute, it was a hard question. On the way here he had been so sure, seeing everyone and the other Pokémon here now he was still worried about winning. He wasn't sure what it was but there was definitely something in him that wanted to win. Ever since having stumbled upon his ambitions it was like a fire had come to life from embers in his gut. He knew it was all or nothing and that time had come to rise to the challenge.

"It's hard to say..." He began, in between food. "I'd like to win." He muttered, stating the obvious. Andreas slowed down and gave himself a moment to chew and swallow, "You?" He asked, expecting a similar answer, he hadn't been able to pick up on her reasons for joining the tournament whether for fun or otherwise.

Did she ask too hard of a question? Did she bother him? Was she bothering him?! Poor, overly stressed Lily found herself holding her breath as she waited for his response. Was she really bothering him? Talking too much? Asking too many questions? Being too pushy when she just practically followed him to the table?? Her inner monologue caused her to go through a panic as she waited for his response and his words couldn’t come soon enough.

When he finally answered she was able to breathe once again and finished her plate. It seemed like her Nidorina could sense her tension and moved herself upon her trainer’s lap, trying to tell her it was okay. A small smile moved across Lily’s full lips as she gently patted the Pokémon on its head. His response was simple which was a bit surprising. Then he turned the question to her. Her gaze turned down, looking at the Pokémon in her lap. “The money from third, second or first place would be nice but I can survive without it.” She said with a nod as she stroked the Nidorina’s head.

Her gaze moved back up to the young man across from her. “I have spent most of my time focusing on strengthening my Pokémon so I only have two badges right now but I’ve made some very necessary travel in order to grow some Pokémon. So I think I stand a good chance at this tournament, I brought a great team with me. But I’m looking forward to the gyms and battling more than anything else. I may be an innocent looking blonde but I’m much more of a fighter than people give me credit for.” A small pause left her before she felt her face turn red with embarrassment. “I’m sorry probably sound like I’m bragging but I’m not trying to. I apologize.”

"And the winner is... Graveler!"

The announcement meant Andreas had one his match and was into the quarter finals. He'd been so caught up in the moment he hadn't heard what had happened with Lily. The tournament had been tough so far, if it wasn't for Graveler that battle could have been a very different story but now Andreas was determined. Each victory up until this point only pushing him further and building confidence. Still, there was no hiding from the fact that the semi-final was going to be no pushover event, from what he could tell he was in one of the stronger groups over all from the beginning of the group stages. The same went for Lily.

He scanned his surroundings and soon spotted her, not too far away. He waved and paced his way over to her. "Hey!" His voice heightened, the excitement was getting to him, "Did you win?" He asked.

Lily was in the stands cheering for Andreas in hopes that he would win the match. He worked well with his pokemon and that much was obvious. “Hurrah!” She shouted with the rest of the crowd as they all sprang from their seats and cheered with joy as Andreas was announced victorious. The tournament was intense and drawing a lot of attention despite how young/inexperienced a lot of the trainers were. When the crowd died down, the blonde pushed her way through the people to find her ‘friend’.

“Hi!” She said excitedly as she arrived to him, “Yes I won, I’m in the semifinals too just like you! Congratulations!” She jumped at him without thinking and gave him a tight hug. The hug was tight but quick as she let him go and grinned brightly at him. “I got to catch the end of your match. Your Graveler listened to you well and you trusted its instincts too! That makes a great team I’m impressed.” She said with a nod before gesturing towards the ranking board. “I’m fighting to see if I make it into the finals. Do you want to come watch?”

"That's great!" Andreas exclaimed, a faint burst of excitement voiced, a thin grin crossing his face. He was still feeling the rush of having won, there was something about competition that drove Andreas, unlocked something deep in his soul it was a passion. Probably a lot of what drove him to better himself as a trainer and strive for the dream of becoming a gym leader. Defeating the Elite Four was still a long way off but his performance so far in the tournament was beginning to outweigh his nerves that had been with him since he left his uncle's daycare.

Caught off guard by both the suddenness of the hug, Lily gripping him tight. "I’m fighting to see if I make it into the finals"

"Yes." He answered, before she could finish her sentence, noticing himself he felt a sudden wave of embarrassment, he laughed it off, one hand gripping the back of his head. "I'll follow you up, I just gotta'-" Andreas had been needing to use the bathroom since he started his last battle. On his way to the toilet he was grinning at his own embarrassment, it subsided as he made his way back to the viewing platform, catching Lily's attention with a whistle he waved down at her and wished her good luck from the stands. Andreas wanted her to win, but was wondering what it would be like if they ended up in the finals. He definitely didn't want to lose to her but at the same time didn't want to have to beat her either. A frown dominated his face as he let off a heavy sigh, the announcer brought him back to attention as the match was about to begin. He gripped the rails, wondering what pokémon she would choose first.

“And another intense hydro-pump attack from Alexis’ Tentacool! This time Lily’s Gastly didn’t have any luck dodging the attack.” The announcer’s voice rang over the speaker system as the two trainers went head to head with their final Pokémon, Lily’s Gastly versus her opponent’s Tentacool. Gastly was her last Pokémon of the three she had chosen to bring into this battle and she was practically hanging over the edge of her high-rise platform as she watched her Gastly struggle on the ground.

“Gastly!” She called out ready to jump over the railing to go out and comfort her hurt friend. This was bad, bad because the Tentacool was not letting up on its attack as he continued to hit the fallen ghost Pokémon with hydro-pump.

Soon the water stopped and the Tentacool backed off, his face looking rather smug and proud that the ghost Pokémon laid there on the ground motionless. “The referee has begun the count down. The match is over in three… two… wait, wait what’s this?!”

On the field the ghost Pokémon began to glow. Lily’s eyes expanding as she fumbled to find her book in her back pocket of her blue jeans. Grabbing it she flipped to a tabbed page and began to read. “Gastly’s second stage is known as ‘Haunter’. Haunter is a dangerous Pokémon. If one beckons you while floating in darkness, you must never approach it. This Pokémon will try to lick you with its tongue and steal your life away.” Her gaze turned up as she watched her Gastly float off the ground and change into a ball of light.

“This is a first in a long time folks! An evaluation on field is completely legal in tournaments. This is certainly a change in events!” The announcer seemed as excited as the crowd who began to roar at the sight of the new Pokémon.

“Haunter!” Lily called out, getting the Pokémon’s attention. He seemed far happier to see her as he began to float his way towards her with open hands just like when he was a Gastly. “No no buddy, we gotta finish this first.” She said to him pointing towards the shivering Tentacool. “Haunter use Night Shade!”

“Hhhhaaaunnnntttttt!” The ghost Pokémon called out holding his hands out in front of him. The entire field was covered with a black fog. The figures of the two Pokémon were barely visible through the blackness. At first the Tentacool looked calm but then he began to panic going back and forth on the field, the onlookers only able to make out the panicking silhouette. The ghost Pokémon hovered right behind him the entire time. When the darkness settled, the Tentacool quacked in his spot and Haunter reached down behind him, touching the Tentacool’s head gently with a bright smile across his purple face.

“TENT!” The Tentacool screamed out in terror before fainting on the ground and the count began, Haunter looking down confused at his opponent.

BUZZ The alarm went off and the announcement came over the speaker system, “And the winner is Lily and her Gas… I mean Haunter!”

“Hurrah!” The blonde yelled as she jumped into the air in excitement. When the platform finally lowered she dashed out onto the field and hugged her Haunter only to have him lick her on the side of the face causing all of her long hair to stand upright from her head. Her entire body shivered from the feeling and shook slightly. “Ugggghhhh… You know better…” He lightly scolded the Haunter who just tilted his head in response. “Fine, I’ll let you off the hook this once. Good job buddy.” She said with a grin as she returned the happy Pokémon to his ball before he decided to try to lick her again.

Before she straightened her hair she shook hands with her opponent and they posed for a picture together as they do at the end of every battle. Lovely hairstyle but hey… it was fun.

Soon she was at the traveling Pokecenter that was healing the Pokémon involved in the tournament. She placed her three she had used on the dock and watched them disappear into the healing machine. Finally she had a moment to sit down on a nearby branch and drink a bottle of water as she forced her hair back down. You’d think she just touched a light socket. Silly ghost Pokémon.