From: Jon Ference <jonf911@aol.comSPAMu2> Subject: [PW!][LEAGUE] Ice to meet you Too! Date: Wednesday, December 15, 1999 3:56 AM Jon stood talking with Damian as Sarah Jane ran off. He pulled out his Pokedex. "Trainer Jon. Round 2 Battle, Ice field." Jon looked at his watch and swore. He needed to get to the ice field… but was he going to make the match in time if he went to a PokeCenter? Probably not. He'd face disqualification if he didn't make it in time, and the PokeCenters were crowded, and he had enough Pokemon anyway. Jon waved to Damian and departed for the Ice Field, frantically looking at Pokeballs on the way. "Jolteon's out. Dragonite's out. Ninetales is out. I have Bulbasaur, Onix, Vulpix, Alakazam… plenty." Jon entered the trainer's entrance just in time. He wouldn't have made it to the PokeCenter at all. Jon ran right onto the field, and the trainer's box rose. He looked at the other trainer, a medium-height brown haired teen with a Clefairy at his side. The announcer suddenly started his job as fresh referees emerged from the grandstand. "AND WELLLLLLLLLCOME to the ICE FIELD! We have a STUNNING match lined up for you today! Cinnabar's own JON on GREEN, coming off a win, versus the pride of Pallet, DAN, on RED, IN A SECOND ROUND MATCH! Trainers, READY! Officials, READY! Let's get it ON!" The audience turned its attention to the announcer's booth, where the announcer was literally bouncing off the walls. Jon remained focused and looked down at the Ice Field. Dan was the first to throw a Pokeball. "GO! VENUSAUR!" Jon looked at his Pokeballs also, and countered with number 5. He leaned back and whipped it as far as possible out onto the ice, revealing his sole strong psi, Alakazam. "WOW! A STRONG final EVOLUTION BATTLE! This will be INTERESTING!" Jon wanted the edge. "Alakazam, psychic!" Dan's Venusaur was ready to pound Alakazam out with grass moves. "RAZOR LEAF!" The trainers watched as a strong glow of psychic energy emerged from Alakazam and landed on Venusaur, rocking it violently. The well-trained Venusaur launched its leaves, hurting Alakazam a good deal. "Er… Venusaur, SOLAR BEAM!" Jon knew the charging would take some time, which he decided he could use to his own advantage. As the green behemoth charged up, Jon ordered a Psybeam, which Alakazam immediately delivered. The strong psychic onslaught proved too much for the Venusaur. Dan knew when his Venusaur couldn't take anymore. He made no move to further attack, and waited for the referee to drop the red flag. "WOW!!!!!!!! VENUSAUR is OUT!" Jon smiled, as Dan threw out Pokeball number two. "Go! DEWGONG!" Dan had a lot of confidence in his Dewgong. Jon, having previously battled one, knew Alakazam was also in trouble because of Dewgong's ice attacks. He recalled Alakazam. The referee dropped a green flag this time. "JON HAS RECALLED ALAKAZAM! WHAT WILL HE CHOOSE?!" Jon looked at his Pokeballs in a frenzy. Dewgong=Ice. Fire melts ice. "GO! VULPIX!" Jon yelled as he sent out his young fox Pokemon. It was Dan's turn to smile. Jon had made a mistake. "Dewgong, surf now!" Jon facefaulted. He had been so dumb as to forget Dewgong's other type in his rush. His low level Vulpix couldn't take that. "Vulpix… errm, agility!" The Pokemon didn't know the attack its trainer was ordering, so it attempted to run away from the attack. The young fire Pokemon ended up slipping on the ice. Jon couldn't stand to see it take a surf. "Vulpix, return!" he yelled, catching the Pokemon in time. Jon released it again on the trainer's box and let it stand next to him. "WHAT A MOVE! Jon, in CONTROL of the MATCH, has RECALLED TWO POKEMON! One more and he's out! WHAT IS THIS TALENTED YOUNG TRAINER DOING TODAY?" Jon gritted his teeth, as Dan smiled. He had to take out one last Pokemon for a victory. Jon, without hesitation, grabbed another Pokeball. "BULBASAUR! You're my only hope!" Dan laughed, knowing the match was as good as over. Jon just decided to fight his best. "Bulbasaur, do it! Solarbeam attack!" Dan also knew his types well. "Dewgong, aurora beam!" Both trainers stood and waited as their respective Pokemon charged attacks. The winner would probably knock out the other Pokemon, and the audience as well as the trainers waited with baited breath. Jon's Bulbasaur launched its beam a millisecond before Dewgong. As it glowed from the sun's energy, however, it became white and began to grow bigger. The Solarbeam stalled halfway, and Dewgong's aurora beam smashed harmlessly into the glowing Pokemon. As it finished glowing, everyone realized something. It wasn't just charging, it was evolving! Instead of an Ivysaur appearing to finish the attack, however, a larger Pokemon appeared-a Venusaur! "WHOA! LADIES AND GENTS! This is RARE! Jon's Bulbasaur, in charging an ATTACK, has EVOLVED TWICE in one SITTING! This match just got interesting!" The grass Pokemon finished its attack, hitting the sealion hard. The powerful grass attack hit the Dewgong's water's weakness, fainting it. The referee dropped another red flag. "THIS IS GETTING CLOSE! 1 Pokemon left for each trainer! What will Dan choose?" Dan looked hard at the Venusaur and his Pokeballs. His decision was made in an instant. Dan picked up the fairy Pokemon next to him and threw it onto the ice. It skidded a bit, then stopped. "Clefairy! CleFAIRY!" it said in a happy voice. Jon smiled. After all that, he was going to pull it out. "Venusaur! Use your vine whip!" "Clefairy! Mega Punch!" Jon laughed and waited for the attack, and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he expected the Clefairy to be fainted and himself the victor. What Jon saw was very different: Venusaur lying on its side, scratching its stomach. The Clefairy didn't even come close, it simply waited as the Venusaur scratched an itch. Dan began to laugh; Jon began to yell another attack. Venusaur didn't move an inch. The referee looked at the Pokemon and dropped a green flag. "Venusaur is choosing to not obey orders. The match goes to the Red trainer!" "WHAT A FINISH, FOLKS! Venusaur is NOT OBEYING its TRAINER! DAN WINS! DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA DAN WINS!" Jon knelt on the trainer's box. How could this happen?! He swore and recalled his Venusaur, as the tears began to flow from his eyes. Jon couldn't lose. He was supposed to win! And after all this time training… he wasn't going to do well in the League? Jon recalled Vulpix and ran from the arena. *** Jon ran right to the outskirts of the League Village, near a pond. He slowed down as he neared the waters edge. After a minute, Jon looked down at his Pokeballs, examining his conscience. Maybe he ought to let them all go and give up being a trainer. Maybe his methods weren't right. He laid back and looked at the afternoon sky, seriously considering releasing all of his Pokemon. Suddenly, the necklace around Jon's neck began to glow. He looked at it in amazement. "Jon. Don't." "Huh..?" "Don't let them all go, Jon." "Who are you? WHERE ARE YOU?" Jon posed, looking around. "I'm an old friend. Lapras." Tears again flooded Jon's eyes. "Hi, Lapras." "Hello. You've come a long way, young trainer. The reason you lost your battle was that you weren't prepared. Preparation and skill both will win battles." Jon looked at the ground. "I know. I know I should… but…" "Venusaur will obey you in time. You still have a chance in these league games. It's possible you will make it to the finals still. Go to the PokeCenter now… and remember I'm here watching you." Jon wiped away his tears. "Thank you." He stood up and ran towards the nearest Center. -A joint postski Jon Dan