Pokea SF: Gio vs. Surge vs. Argenta vs. Navitas

[The Crash Man Ω]

SEMIFINALS

Giovanni vs. Surge vs. Argenta vs. Navitas

SUMO WRESTLING

[navitas]

Man, Navitas must be the luckiest freaking clown in the world. Not once, but twice he came out all right against the most fearsome opponents the Pokeathlon had to offer. It was quite the challenge indeed, especially since Navitas should have failed at everything he had taken part in, it’s just the way of the world. Ah, but the kind lords of luck have smiled upon him, and now he was in the semi-finals, on his way to beautiful lady glory. Ah, but he could not get over confident. Overconfidence leads to making a mistake, and making a mistake this late in the game could cost one their glory…and Navitas wouldn’t find that whimsical at all.

Thus, the stern competitor kept up a stiff upper lip and looked to the next event: Sumo Wrestling. The object was simple as always, throw one of your pokemon into the arena and have them use brute force to knock the opponents out. Navitas was actually looking forward to this one, since his burly dragons were often known for being…forceful. Plus it didn’t allow attacks besides pushing, meaning that more strategy must be implemented into the game, and Navitas just LOOOOVES strategery (That is too a word).

Navitas had exchanged his general suit for the suit for a more fitting outfit consisting of sweatpants, sweatshirt, tennis shoes, sunglasses, a fancy whistle, and a baseball hat. The twist? All of it is covered in rainbow feathers and fur, meaning Navitas indeed looks like a giant carebear with a doll head super glued on the body…and wearing a fury cap. His pokemon fit the theme in a more fitting way, wearing old fashion samurai wigs that looked quite silly on their oddly shaped dragon heads.

As he looked upon the three cheerful dragon pokemon while they fooled around in their designated pre-game locker room (why they had locker rooms for pokemon I’ll never know), Navitas couldn’t help but feel a great deal of pride. These three were his own personal underdog story. Bozo the Haxorus, Krusty the Garchomp, and Rocko the Dragonite: three simple dragon clowns who wore silly rainbow Afros, improvised a way to play soccer, and survived a full out brawl in harmful snow, just to make their master happy. They really were the best pals a thief could ask for, but they weren’t done yet. The game was about to start, and it was time for Navitas to give one of his famous inspirational speeches.

He blew on his furry whistle and the dragons settled down and looked to him. Navitas waved his hand so the three would huddle in and when they did, he began so speak in a strange raspy voice. “Alright you three knuckleheads this is it. We win this, and we at least get a shiny bronze medal to throw at people while we take their stuff. You’ve fought hard so far but we’ve only just made it into the woods. Now, these guys are gonna play rough. They wanna beat ya, heck they wanna bury ya, but you aren’t gonna let them kick you around right?” The three dragons nodded. “You’re gonna give it your all and fight back right!?” Once again the three nodded. “Then I want you to go out there, and I want ya to win it for the big man…and by that I mean me! Are you ready to kick some behind!?” The three roared with excitement and Navitas finished his speech with a high-pitched exclamation. “RELEASE THE CLOWNS!”

The three roared and bounced out of the locker room as a siren wailed. It was their cue to enter the arena, and Navitas’ cue to take his place in the trainer booth. He made his way to the booth, a structure built right under the spectator seats and eye level to the top of the arena. The arena itself was kept in the air by a large spinning propeller that was just high enough not to be a danger to falling pokemon. Under the arena was a large inflatable cushion to catch the pokemon that embarrassingly fall from the structure. When all the pokemon were in the arena, and all the trainers had taken their seats, an announcer would say, “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Olympic Pokeathlon Semifinals!” The crowd above the booth roared with glee as the announcer continued, “Today’s event is a twist on the traditional Ring Drop event. Instead of four, twelve pokemon shall enter the arena and the team with the most remaining on the arena wins the event. Are you ready?” The audience cheered and Navitas wondered why on earth they had to be ready for anything, they were just sitting on their behinds. The announcer then finished, “Well then LET’S GET READY TO SUMO!” A bell went off in the arena, cueing the start of the event. The three teammates looked at each other and quickly locked arms. Then, every slowly, they began to inch their way toward the center, looking out for any surprise pushes.

[surge]

there would be no entrance for the lieutenant. no, he had been waiting in the trainer’s booth as soon as the last event ended. his pokemon had been nestled in their pokeballs, resting and awaiting to be called upon for their service. they would need no prep talk, or any sort of sugar coated reinforcement. they were the best of the best, testing their skills and measuring the mettle behind their indomitable wills.

this wasn’t a game. it was a display of top tier athletes proving they had what it took to be called the best. this was the semi-finals, and winning it would secure a place in the final four. all they had to do was beat one more person after this in order to rank high enough for a medal. but, they wouldn’t take any old consolation prize. they were here for the gold.

the added twist didn’t come off as a surprise. this was the semi-finals, after all. they had been told that as the events progressed to expect the unexpected. for anyone to be astonished by the new revelation would only display their inadequacies. the only thing surge had to worry about was his rather frail team composition. his concern didn’t lay within electrive; he knew the pokemon would be able to handle itself. raichu and luxray on the other hand, weren’t as sturdy. their mobility would be their only strength, along with the static field that radiated off their bodies.

this time, the trainer wouldn’t have to give them any orders. it all bore down to common sense, doing everything in their power to withstand the onslaught of physical attacks. the bell only encouraged them to come alive, buzzing as electricity crackled off their bodies. static would be such a nasty ability in hand to hand combat. touch an electric pokemon too long and you’d find yourself paralyzed.

akin to the other participants, electrive began to start for the center. from such a position, being knocked off the arena would take a immense display of power and persistence. unfortunately, that’s where everyone else would be too. luxray and raichu would protectively flank their tank, covering more ground with their superior agility.

[electric]

Giovanni watched his solid, beefy, and dim-witted Tyranitar, Nidoking, and Rhyperior march onto the platform like roosters. The end was near, and he could taste it like the filthy saltiness of money. His three Spartans, streaked with the scars of many years their missed attacks, would not fail him. They were painted with berry juice like war hounds, dark red and purple streaks under their eyes. Giovanni stood smugly in his best suit, the brim of his dark detective’s hat shading his face. Heat seemed to reflect off the all of Castelia’s glass and steel like a magnifying glass, and all the people here were but ants.

Giovanni’s hubris was as hard and set as a brick wall, despite the three other statues that were stationed about the ring. Fur and feathers were piled high to the left where a colorful man stood akimbo. He was surrounded by a garden of dragons, and the snake-like bright feathers and furs suited his taste in Pokemon. Like a soccer Mom, he huddled his team together. ”As if we are not at the Olympics but a children’s kickball game,” the Rocket scoffed to himself. ”So be it,” and then, his eyes shifted to Lt. Surge, and he smiled. Well, if it isn’t the electric specialist from Kanto. Giovanni kept a soft spot in his heart for the lieutenant the way we love an ‘easy’ button. “Rhyperior, keep the flank grounded. Take the center, and go easy on the Lady’s team,”

[/b] he ordered as trumpets hailed the rise of the elevator platform to the ring. As he saw the trio off, he flicked his gaze to Argenta. She was stationed across from him and he lifted his cap and winked, hoping she would notice. She was the kind of woman he might, one day, have to kill. Until then, it sometimes helped to trust others.

Above, lifted up high among the titanic sky-scrapers of Castelia, Giovanni’s Nidoking launched himself towards the center of the arena and left his two teammates behind. Clyde had a queen to impress, after all, and the masculine rage of a bull throbbed under his purple shell. He dashed like a squirrel to a tree, but it was inevitable. The Electrive and flanking Luxray and Raichu were so close to the center as well, and his testosterone made them seem like pins perfectly clustered together for the bowling ball of his horn.

The Rhyperior chased after the Nidoking, remembering Giovanni’s orders, his girth swinging and the weight of his steps causing the platform to slightly sway. He could hardly keep up, but he was on his way! Meanwhile, Tyranitar lumbered behind with Godzilla steps, uninterested. Below, Giovanni was a cheap fast food restaurant manager all because of his frown.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify][/size]

[argenta]

The pokeathalon was drawing to a climactic peak - half of the eager-faced contenders had already been sent home with battered pokemon and gloomy spirits: the rest, bright-eyed and even more determined to reach that beacon of victory at the end of the road. It was getting easier to forget the war now, dissolving the line separating lux and nox to form a real truce that reminisced the olden days. Still, these children may not have remembered those days, when the goals of victory were set upon proving strength and growth, not only to the watching world but also to oneself, and battling was not battling for just winning but rather, to make new friends and find those hidden, formidable foes. Rather the more primitive of motives reigned supreme - the enticing pulls of fame and glory overpowering those more morally correct. Argenta direct her gaze outwards, at those three faces on the opposite contending ends. Everybody desired victory for different reasons, and it was for those exact reasons that bound them together here, in this very place. And what do you desire? "Something to entertain myself with." She laughed, speaking out loud as the roaring crowd swallowed up her words in an instant.

She'd attended this little 'game' of theirs, one those neutral officials in this new and unfamiliar region that desired neither peace nor freedoms oversaw. Children after children had blocked her way, attracted to this portion of the Olympics as moths were to light but it was clear as she scoured the faces of these seasoned, able-bodied men that the time for play was finally drawing to a close. As her crimson-tinted gaze wandered from figure to figure one of them tilted his cap, closing one eye briefly in a gesture she was more than familiar with and Argenta chuckled in return, briefly raising one gloved hand in a light wave of greeting. Even though the prospect of the two of them battling it out at the end tugged fervently at her mind, it was nice to see a familiar face of a veteran like herself. She welcomed the challenge, all the while reminding herself that the other opponents weren't ones to be taken lightly this time around. Her team, clustered around her, buzzed with tension and anticipation as she turned to face them.

"Treat them as you would any other." She began, the little speech she added before every match oddly serious. "They think they're bigger, stronger and better than we are, but you all know better than that." Vileplume and Froslass adopted a determined look, briefly prompting a breeze to curl through the area in which they were all standing. Vaporeon uncurled from its position around Argenta's leg and slithered in front, staring up at her with puppy-dog eyes. "Got it?" She grinned, tone light and expression her usual parlor again. "Good!" The three warriors sprang up as the horn sounded to begin the match, following the formation of the other teams. Argenta paused for a moment, her heels clicking a bit uncertainly as she cautioned to leave the black-suited man's pokemon for last, only if necessary. It was for the best.

Froslass was the first to act this time, ice glittering elegantly around her as dozens of clones spanned out and joined the line, forming it into a barrier matching the diameter of the circular arena. The wind picked up from behind and, in seconds, became a chilling gust that thrust snow and ice crystals into the playing field, transforming half of it into a ice-skating rink, danger exuding from the slippery surface that made Argenta smile slightly, despite everything. Vaporeon eyed the surface, testing it with a paw or two before leaping up in a fluid motion and barreling down on its belly, launching forward with a mermaid's tail waving gracefully behind. Paws outstretched the serpent shot forward, its body glowing bright purple as the cannonball plowed towards the circle of dragons. Vileplume lingered behind, the bright red lights of mega drain shooting forward to create distracting bursts of crimson red.

On the sidelines, Argenta chuckled. It was good enough, at least for now.

[sunshineari]

VICTORS

gold: argenta.
silver: giovanni.
bronze: navitas.
well done to allof you!