Dismissive and rude as always, Jack took his time greeting Indy back, though the crowd certainly didn't notice. Despite his nerves, Indigo's ire began to replace his anxiousness. Jack was so smug, what was his problem? [color=8882be][i]Maybe it's not his problem...[/i][/color] Indigo wondered. He was trying to give Jack the benefit of the doubt. After all, growing up with so much fame couldn't have been easy, and he was younger than Indy. As Jack turned to ask him if he was ready, another voice rang out instead.

[color=1a7b30]"No, sir, the real question is if you are ready. Indy has been training quite a bit, I'll have you know. Don't expect this to be a one-off, here."[/color] Then a whisper from Margo. [color=007236]"I believe in you, ok?"[/color]

[color=8882be][i]She's really rooting for me,[/i][/color] he thought, surprised, and also somewhat embarrassed. But mostly feeling supported. He gave her a cheeky smirk and flashed a thumbs up. [color=8882be][i]Guess it's time. Dan, wish you were here. Margo, glad you are.[/i][/color]

"Begin!" A nurse from the pokemon center started.

"Show the world how magnificent you are, Skiploom!"

[color=8882be]"Kovi, you're up! Just like we talked about!"[i] What's that pokemon? I'll look it up in my pokedex later.[/i][/color] The battle started with an exchanging of Sleep Powders. Indigo gritted his teeth. It was as if Jack had [i]known[/i] or something. However, while Kovi tossed out the glittering, sky blue powder by the wingful in uneven streams, Skiploom's attack had a much more controlled appearance. In fact, the pokemon whirled the yellow flower on its head like a propeller, releasing an elegant looking swirl.

[color=8882be][i]Just like the Kricketune in the forest, and the Tail Whip from the Tepig... That move is super pretty.[/i][/color] Pretty? What was he thinking? He was in the middle of a battle! But the appearance of the simple attack was elegant and made it look like so much more.

"Just what you would expect from Jack, a number one coordinator!" Said someone in the crowd.


Meanwhile...
A tall figure in the crowd looked at the battle with interest. He happened to be standing next to Margo. [color=92278f][i] She was the one who was talking to Indigo...[/i] He thought. Well, at least Jack and Jill were present. He needed to find out more information about the whole situation, anyway. Was this the rival Jack had been talking about? "Excuse me, miss?"[/color] The taller, young man shot a friendly smile at Margo. [color=92278f]"Do you know who's battling right now? The young man with the Vivillion, I mean."[/color]


As Skiploom had fallen asleep with a successful Sleep Powder, the crowd was going wild while Indigo whittled the pokemon down. Jack's face remained flat, but Indigo could have sworn he was looking displeased.

"Skiploom, return. Brionne!" And out popped that stupid, clown-looking seal pokemon that had clobbered Hawka during the first match. Except it had [i]evolved.[/i] Indigo looked up at Kovi, who still looked determined.

[color=8882be]"Kovi, you good?"[/color] He shouted, and when Kovi affirmed with a sharp nod, Indigo continued, [color=8882be]"Send it to sleep!"[/color] Again, the flock of people screamed with excitement. The underdog was doing it, really doing it! [color=8882be][i] Are they seriously cheering for me? They were making fun of me like ten minutes ago! Tough crowd I guess. Kind of nice being cheered for though.[/i][/color] Brionne was looking seriously weakened. [color=8882be][i]One more hit...[/i][/color] But Jack withdrew his pokemon, looking more gleeful and than displeased. 

"Go! Mothim!" And a butterfly similar to the Vivillion emerged. He was a spectacular sight, with deep plum and vivid orange coloring. 

Was it his imagination or was the pokemon [i]glaring at him?[/i] Why was it looking at him so intensely? The two flying and bug types attacked each other with ferocity. Mothim unleashed a hidden power, a move where his body glowed a brilliant but soft white, before emitting spheres of bright white light. The attack went from a full burst to softening into a blanket of smaller, twinkling globes that showered the the entire field and the crowd. It was like the stars themselves had decided to grace their battlefield. [color=8882be][i]That's so gorgeous... What pokemon is that? How are his pokemon making his attacks look like this?[/i][/color]

The crowd was entranced. [color=8882be][i]Gotta get them back on my side...[/i][/color] Indigo was thinking quite like a coordinator, even if he was too stupid to realize it. [color=8882be][i] I dunno if this is gonna work but here we go.[/i] "Kovi, fly around! Go right into the little pieces of Hidden Power!"[/color] Kovi obliged, and soon, his whole body looked like it was covered in diamond dust. [color=8882be][i] Holy moly, that worked? It doesn't look half bad![/i][/color] Jack was irate.

How had this scrub, this scrub who hadn't even known who he was, gotten better in a matter of a few days? Not only was he putting up a fight, but he was using his own attacks against him? "So you've been practicing your coordinating skills too," Jack said with gritted teeth. 

[color=8882be]"What? What's that supposed to mean? I don't know about all that coordinating jazz, just having fun. Kovi, open your wings for a Sleep Powder, but spin!"[/color] Indigo called out. Kovi obliged, flaring his wings and letting out the blue Sleep Powder while spinning around. Not only did the Mothim fall asleep, but Kovi looked absolutely enchanting, especially with natural way his scales glittered. [color=8882be][i]That spin trick isn't that hard. Huh.[/i][/color] 

The throng of people cheered.
"I saw this kid when he last battled Jack! He's gotten way better!"
"No way!"
"I loved that! That Sleep Powder and those Vivillion wings!"
"He's not even a coordinator and he thought of that?"


With a few more hits, the Mothim went down, and Indigo tried to shake off the feeling that he had done something wrong. Something about that Mothim... But it was here that the battle began to take a turn. Kovi had been weakened, having to fight three pokemon, and Jack brought out the Skiploom once more. This time, the Sleep Powder hit. Here was where Indigo made a slew of bad decisions. It was hard to say what would have won him the battle, but as he tried switching out his pokemon just as Jack had to defeat the Skiploom, they all succumbed to the Sleep Powder.

[color=8882be][i]Oh no...[/i][/color]

As Brionne came out, she was weak, but she wasn't asleep. Indigo's pokemon were swept unmercilessly with some gigantic Bubble attack. Perhaps, maybe if he had ordered different attacks in a certain order to defeat the Brionne, he might have stood a chance. As it was though, he hadn't thought ahead like Jack had. In the blink of an eye, he had lost. 

He tried hard not to sink to his knees, though they felt as supportive as noodles. He flashed Margo a brief, weak smile and told himself to keep it together. Here it came, the jeers from the crowd...

"That was such a close battle!"
"Jack's actually got someone who's coming up on his tail!"
"His Vivillion was so pretty!"
"That Torchic and Buneary were so cute!"

To Indigo's surprise, the crowd seemed to be cheering for him, or at least, still pleased with his efforts. His pokemon looked around in awe, and Jack looked around with astonishment. He should have been getting the attention! He had won! But there was a certain charm that some underdog named Indigo had. For one, he was just a normal trainer challenging a celebrity, add a little gossip and exaggeration and...

"He said he didn't have any coordinating experience!"
"That's pretty impressive!"
"Jack's still my fave!"
"I'm going to be watching out for this other kid!"

Indigo-- and Jack and Jill, for that matter-- were absolutely flabbergasted. Their stupor was cut short, however, by a trainer pushing his way through. Indigo widened his eyes. Just when he thought the day couldn't get any worse--

[color=92278f]"Stop right there! FINALLY found you guys!"[/color] The trainer seemed to half bark, half-laugh. [color=92278f]"Oh, not a bad job Indigo. Gimme a sec-"[/color]

"Run!" Jill squealed. She and Jack began to make a get away but the crowd was too thick.

[color=92278f]"Oh no you don't. Cut them off, Dao!"[/color] From the characteristic sound of a pokeball opening, a large Dragonite coalesced into the air and grabbed Jack and Jill by the necks of their clothes. The two kids squirmed. Indigo had never been more confused in his life.

[color=8882be][i]"Morado?"[/i][/color] He sputtered. 

[color=92278f]"And the rest of you, show's over!"[/color] Morado shouted over the chatter. [color=92278f]"Mori, little brother. Just Mori. Hey! What did I tell you all? These kids parents don't want them getting swarmed over all the time! Scram before I get Dao to kick all your asses!"[/color] The crowd dispersed in a hurry, after that. Soon it was just the few of them.

"Mori, you're embarrassing," Jill whined. Jack said nothing, only glowered.

[color=92278f]"Can it, kiddos. You want me to tell your mom and pop about this?"[/color] The children shook their heads furiously. [color=92278f]"Didn't think so. Look, I'm the only one out of all those applicants that your parents approved to let me babysit you. If I leave, you're gonna be hard pressed for your parents to find someone else,"[/color] Mori said, lifting a brow. [color=92278f]"And then no pokemon journey for you until you're 16. So just behave."[/color]

[color=8882be]"Mori, what the hell are you doing here?"[/color] Indigo finally burst out.

[color=92278f]"Eh, just hanging around. Met your friend over here-"[/color] Mori jabbed a thumb towards Margo. [color=92278f]"Her parents are breeders! Go figure. I told her we're just in the pokemon health industry."[/color] Morado Rose laughed, a husky and jovial sound. [color=92278f]"Anyway, I just finished my sophmore year and I got this internship to do some pokemon breeding. Anyways, I'm babysitting the Septoh champions kids--"[/color]

[color=8882be][i]"What?"[/i][/color] Indigo nearly shouted. The Septoh Champions kids? That was who he had been up against? This day just seemed to be getting more and more confusing. And weird. Especially since he didn't know why his brother was acting so cheerful and happy when he had always been such a [i]jerk.[/i] [i][color=8882be]I can't believe him...[/color][/i]

But Morado seemed more focused on Margo. [color=92278f]"Hey, I'm sorry, I had to interrupt our conversation. I really liked those sketches you showed me. And for what it's worth, I think you'd make an amazing breeder. But hey, if you don't want to, that's cool too. Tell you what, let's battle some time? You seem like swell trainer, Margo."[/color]