1x1 Pokétopia Tour (Tala x 122)

Leon was taken aback by Michelle's rash tone. "H-hey..."

Belle sighed. [Even Hao thinks she took a step too far. Maybe you should buy her flowers or something.]

"Nah, I don't think she's that type," Leon muttered.

So as it happened, Leon and Michelle finished below the time limit - by ten minutes, to be exact, with no penalties - which meant that they were awarded twenty points each toward the Special Tour.

Leon then made his way to join his fellow participants in the Tour. Maybe there was a chance to see Michelle again. As it happened, he was now permitted to use the rest of his Pokémon and decide who to use.

Pokétopia Tour Leaderboard

1. Michelle (18)
2. Symphony (14)
3. Leon (10)
4. Veronica (10)
5. Colin (6)
6. Aidan (2)
7. Rhianne (2)
8. Lucas (1)
9. Joshua (1)
...

Special Tour Leaderboard

1. Symphony (20)
1. Giselle (20)
2. Rhianne (17)
2. Celestia (17)
3. Stephen (15)
3. Aidan (15)
4. Mateo (13)
4. Penelope (13)
5. Michelle (10)
5. Leon (10)
...

 

(Because I don't have enough Pokémon for the OCs - this will be a singles session. Three Pokémon only)

Meanwhile, Leon was making arrangements of his own, picking out his Pokémon choices. He had Oku, Evergreen, and Glacia lined up which he hoped would be enough. Belle needed to rest, after all.

Soon enough, Leon and Michelle were waiting in the lobby with the other participants just like before. Outside, the broadcast was airing footage of the Waterfall Colosseum, taking in the area that surrounded the colosseum from the waterfall that flowed from the peak above to the colosseum below, or the ocean around it. The rules for this round were different from the first two rounds in that the Trainers had to use three Pokémon in singles battle format. Whoever won two of the best-of-three rounds would be declared the winner.

"Welcome to the Waterfall Colosseum, everyone!" Marina, the colosseum leader, said on the microphone. Cameras were on her and she was speaking directly to everyone around her and to the camera (least of all), dressed in her signature Kyogre-themed outfit. "I'm Marina, your host! Here, this colosseum is situated by a waterfall park. If you fancy a hike, you can do one just like our contestants did! Anyone who enjoys being outdoors has to come here, and if you want to have a barbecue while being surrounded by waterfall and sea, look no further!"

Leon smiled at Marina's enthusiasm but tried not to look at Michelle. It looked like Michelle was out for blood!

"Um... Leon, you okay?" Evergreen said.

"Y-yeah, I'm okay," Leon replied.

 

Evergreen made a face at Leon, curious as to what was happening. Then Evergreen walked over to Michelle. "Hi there," Evergreen said to Michelle. "Well, did you have fun?"

 

Evergreen fidgeted with her hands. "Well... Just checking in. Leon looked like he didn't have fun, so I was wondering if you had any thoughts. Say, aren't you tired from the hiking? If you're free, we could all go grab dinner! Or hit the spa."

Meanwhile, Leon chose his Octillery, Gardevoir, and Bellossom as his lineup.

 

Evergreen's face showed only confusion as Michelle walked away to join her friends. She waved nervously at Mizuki and then set about to rejoin Leon.

"Whelp, she's outside already. She declined my invitation to hang out at the spa," Evergreen said to him.

"Eh? But the event is starting soon," Leon replied. "She won't be long, I'm sure. You know, I wouldn't mind the spa either."

 

Soon enough, Evergreen went with Leon to prepare for the next round of the Pokétopia Tour. While she could use the healing machines to get herself ready, the same could not be said for Leon who was eating a pie to restore his strength. This next battle was promising to be an exciting one.

"You did get points in the championship, at least," Evergreen said.

"Yeah," Leon replied, as he watched the broadcast.

 

Because the Waterfall Colosseum was situated at the base of a small mountainous island with allegedly ancient waterfalls flowing all around it, and had the ocean as its surroundings, it was difficult to fit any sort of grandstands for the public to watch the battles. At most, people could gather at the edges of the colosseum, but that was all there was to space for visitors. If anything, it felt like a place for casual or private battles. But even then, the colosseum was attractive in its own right.

Marina went to explain the rules. "Okay, so here's how this will work. Each Trainer will prepare a lineup of three Pokémon only. They will battle in singles format in a best-of-three knockout session. If your Pokémon is knocked out, then that ends the battle and the next two Pokémon will be sent out. To win, a Trainer must win two of the three knockouts. Opponents will be based on position in the Special Tour, and of course, points earned in the outcome will also contribute to the Special Tour."

 

Maria was able to get a spot near the judges, where the staff were.

As for Leon, he couldn't help taking his eyes off Michelle the moment she stepped into the waiting room. Just her presence made him wonder what sort of state Michelle's mind was in.

Marina then announced, "Let's get this underway! Our first round shall feature Giselle and Michelle..."

At that, one of the staff motioned Michelle to follow her out to the colosseum.

 

(Sure. We can skip. What shall we skip to? Feel free to write the outcome as you wish for this one)

Giselle waved at Michelle. "You too!"

So the battle commenced.

 

From where Maria watched the battle, in the staff box, she was impressed by Michelle's efficiency. It would appear that Michelle was a serious contender for the title, although the same could be said for every other competitor. From her understanding of the structure, points would be awarded by overall placement in the competition rankings, all the way to the final. For any competitors who failed to advance from the same stage, the tiebreaker would be decided by their performance in their match - that is, by the number of Pokémon they were able to knock out.

Leon went to battle a girl nicknamed Celestia (although her legal name was Honey). With the battle commencing, it was Leon's Oku against Celesita's Galahad (who was a Gallade). The fighting was fierce, although Oku stayed mostly in one place shooting away while the Gallade was doing his best to evade the attacks.

In the end, Leon won on the second battle as well, with Evergreen taking the credit for the win.