Battle Convention!

[indigo_league]

Early Saturday morning, the doors of one of the largest --if not the largest-- convention centres in Viridian City open to welcome everybody to this years Battle Convention.

Spread out across several floors, and the battling fields outside, the Battle Convention is the place to be for anyone with an interest in pokemon battling. Whether you are a hardcore battler trying to hone your craft even further, or a newcomer to the battling scene hoping to learn, the Battle Convention has things of interest to everybody. It's promising to be a busy event, with trainers attending from all over Johto and Kanto. Famous battlers and gym leaders alike can be spotted in the crowds, hosting workshops or even entering in the tournaments.





The Tournament Ground

Outside of the convention centre, stands have been erected around at least a dozen Pokemon battle fields. This is where the various Tournaments will be held. Throughout the weekend, three tournaments will be held here. There is the Otherworlder Battle Tournament, a separate tournament for native Elite Four Champions, and a third Li'l Champs tournament for trainers under the age of ten.

Viewing the various battles is absolutely free, and could be a good source of insight into battle strategies employed by some of the best battlers in the region. Or, if you are attending the Li'l Champs tournament -- a most adorable insight into the dedication and friendship between young children and their first Pokemon.

Due to the number of battles, at any given time, various battles will be ongoing. The Li'l Champs tournament will be held on Sunday, while both the Otherworlder battle tournament and the Elite Four Champions battle tournament will have most of their preliminary matches held on Saturday, with the finale few matches on Sunday.

So, if you are done shopping (or maybe just ran out of money) and there aren't any workshops catching your eye, why not come down to the Tournament Grounds and catch a few battles?

First Floor

The first floor of the Convention Centre has been reserved entirely for various workshops and battle demonstrations. In essence, whatever topic related to battling you might be interested in -- whether it is using certain moves or items, battle strategies, or even demonstrations on why you should be adding X type to your roster -- you'll probably find someone here willing to talk about it. Even breeders might find something of interest here, as there are a few people giving workshops on how to breed pokemon for battle-minded customers.

Schedules are available so you won't miss anything you are interested in. Some of these workshops might only be given once, while others are repeated a few times throughout the convention, so make sure to check your schedule!

And among the crowd giving demonstration and workshops, you might even find a few familiar faces -- yes, members of the Aurora League have also been given the chance to speak about any battle topics near to their heart. Why not check out what they have to say?

Second Floor

The second floor of the Convention Centre has been reserved for the important business of commerce. Have some money to burn? Want that sweet serotonin boost of buying a thing? Maybe you deserve a little treat after winning (or losing) your battle. If so, head on up here.

Spread across various rooms, the Battle Convention dealers have everything that could be of interest to a trainer. There is, frankly, far too much to list here individually, so please accept this rough list of what your characters can find here.

Held Items -- it is possible to buy held items here, however the vast majority of them are pretty rare, so sellers will only sell you one of each. Buying several different held items is fine, but you won't find anyone willing to sell you five Amulet coins. The only exception is for held items that also double as evolutionary items. Those can be freely bought in any quantity. TMs -- It is also possible (though might require some searching across various dealers) to buy any kind of single-use TM here. The same rules apply as with Held Items -- TMs that are currently available in stores can be bought at any quantity; TMs outside of that are limited to one per person. Eggs -- There is also a small group of professional breeders present where you can order eggs with egg moves. The eggs themselves will be delivered to you in the days after the tournament. There is no limit on the amount of egg moves you can request for your egg, but there is a hefty price tag involved! These are professional breeders, so expect a base price of 6000p per egg, with 1000p per requested egg move. Training Equipment -- it's also possible to buy all manner of training equipment for your pokemon. From weights to training bags to agility aids -- if you can think of something that could help you train your pokemon in a more efficient manner, you can find it here. And the bigger items can be delivered to where you are staying, so you won't have to carry around a giant Wailord Training Bag. Odds and Ends -- In addition to all this very focused battle stuff, you'll also be able to find general pokemon items, such a wide variety of Pokeballs, Evolutionary Items, Vitamins and Potions and such. All of these will be sold for the same price as in stores.

However in addition to all of these items, the Silph Co. Booth is drawing a lot of attention. There is an announcement that they will be unveiling something truly special on Sunday, so all of Saturday is awash in rumours and guesses. There is talk that whatever they will be unveiling will be one of the prices in the tournament, though who knows if that is true. When Sunday finally comes, there is a huge crowd around the booth, watching as Silph Co. unveils

EXP-Share, the newest held item to make your training a little easier.

The EXP-Share, which will go on sale in the department stores after this weekend, is a new type of held item. Once given to a Pokemon, this Pokemon will receive EXP during battles, even while not battling itself. Have a Pokemon that is difficult to train like Magikarp? Did you just hatch a new Pokemon, but you are in an area where the wild Pokemon are too high in level for them to train against? Why not give them an EXP-Share and have them comfortably gain EXP without risking them in battle.

Battle Convention attendants can get an early start on buying an EXP-Share, though they are limited to one per customer. The price is 40,000p.

Third Floor

This is where you can go if you need a little break from all the hustle and bustle downstairs. Various food vendors and sit-down places have been set up here, allowing characters to grab a meal or something to drink, rest a little, or even go strategise for upcoming tournament battles.

As always with these type of events UBIRDS will be available to fly characters to Viridian City and back to where they were staying afterwards.

Comments

Marik Ishtar | OTA

[thetombkeeper]

First Floor -

[Marik spends a good amount of time attached to Kaiba's side, particularly when they're watching matches. The rest of the time he's walking around, checking out various workshops to better his understanding of battling and just watching the interactions between all the different people here.

Chenzira, his Yamask, is perched on his shoulder, Usi, his Haunter, floating close behind. Oba, his Goomy, is either on his other shoulder, on his head, or zipping around his trainer excitedly.

And maybe too excitedly at other trainers. Hello, new people!]


Second Floor -

[Thanks to his and Kaiba's Meowth, the Egyptian has managed to save up a very generous helping of money - and he plans on spending a lot. Gifts, treats, vitamins, and a couple of Everstones for his "babies."

He can be found crouching in front of Chen and Oba, gifting them with the Everstones, or "window shopping" at the various stands. Catch him at the right time and he might be willing to buy others something as well.

That EXP Share sure is tempting... If not just for the bragging rights.]


Third Floor -

[When not shopping his heart or watching the matches, the Egyptian can be found chilling at a table with his three aforementioned mains, chatting with them and having them try different foods.

No smoothie for you, Chen. At least not a full sized one. You don't need to get hiccups again.]


Wildcard -

[Want to meet him outside the tournament or something completely different? I'm down for anything!]

First Floor

[outofsynth]

[Min-Gi's been trying cram in as many workshops as he can. Apparently this kind of event is rare, and new as he is he has a lot to learn. It's between workshops he spots the familiar face. He hesitates at first, wondering if it's weird to just walk over to someone you you've only spoken to once, and not even in person.

He had seemed friendly, though, and Min is definitely in need of friends. He approaches, raising a friendly hand while the Plusle that had been up on his shoulder hops down to join the Goomy in zipping around.]

Hey! It was Marik, right?

[thetombkeeper]

[The Egyptian is easy to spot too. Always dressed in gold jewelry and biker clothes with pale blonde hair and a naturally tanned complexion. Not too many people look like that here.

Oba vibrates happily. New friend, new friend! Hopefully Plusle doesn't mind getting slime all over them. Marik looks over as Min walks towards him and offers a smile.]

Hey! Yeah! Nice to meet you in person, Min-Gi.

[He holds out a hand.]

How have things been for you?

[outofsynth]

You too!

[Min takes the hand in a firm shake, smiling]

Okay, I think. I managed to register at warps in a few more cities, so that should make moving about a lot easier. I'm hoping to get as many as I can done before the weather gets too bad. How about you?

[Ryan does not mind getting slime over him, though Min is trying to pretend not to notice or think about the slime that will inevitably end up on him later when the Plusle starts climbing him again.

The little Pokémon doesn't seems to remain oblivious to his trainer's discomfort, more than happy to squish his face against Oba's. If anything, he seems to like how gooey his new friend is.]

[thetombkeeper]

[He'll give him some tips on how to remove slime should he ask.

Oba is absolutely delighted that his new friend enjoys cuddles! Cuddles are the best! Everyone should have a Goomy to cuddle!

Marik snickers at the display. Watching his Goomy interact with other pokémon, particularly ones that don't mind getting a little messy, will never cease to amuse him.]

Those warp pads are super handy. I don't think I'll get to much of them before the season changes though since my friend and I are doing the gym challenge now. Him more than me but I've been sticking with him ever since he arrived. The farthest we've gotten was Goldenrod but we're going to head back to Violet so I can take on the gym.

[He tugs at the folded lapel on his leather jacket and frowns.]

... I still need to get a warmer coat. I'll probably do that once we UBIRD back to Goldenrod after this convention.

[He'll definitely want a different coat once he sees what the Pharaoh's wearing...]

Hn. Have you tried your hand at battling yet?

[outofsynth]

[Min is... just going to keep on pretending. Denial is great right up until it becomes a problem. At least they're having fun. He has to admit it's pretty cute.]

At least it should be quicker to get back to Violet, right? I heard Goldenrod was a tough gym, did your friend beat it yet?

[He has no plans to go back to Goldenrod any time soon anyway, but oof... even if he were stronger, he thinks he'd be worried. He's heard stories about that Miltank.]

You'll probably be all right with that for a bit longer, but if you're going back to Goldenrod after this anyway that's probably the best place to find one.

I've battled a bit casually, but I'm still sticking to newer trainers. I'm nowhere near gym level yet.

[thetombkeeper]

[Marik takes pride in how adorable his unevolved pokémon are. Chenzira and Oba are his babies.]

Yeah. We ended up skipping Azalea to get to Goldenrod for convenience sake.

[Speaking of pride, despite the fact that it wasn't his victory, the blonde swells up with pride as he speaks of Kaiba.]

He did! It was one of the best battles I've gotten the pleasure to watch in person. He's a genius when it comes to strategy. Managed to absolutely demolish Whitney's Milktank. Even made her cry!

[That's not a good thing, Marik.]

Yeah, I only really started doing serious battles the past month so I completely understand. Outside of that, have you been adjusting alright?

second floor

[blue_ice]

[ Kaiba's been shopping alongside Marik. He's seated outside one of the shopping areas, flipping through his notebook with tournament observations and advice from other trainers as he makes decisions. He looks up from his research to see Marik return with Chen and Oba, gifting them small stones. ]

Looks like they're excited. What did they get?

[thetombkeeper]

[Chen looks both excited and at ease while holding his stone, currently inspecting it's shine. It's so pretty! Oba's just his usual vibrating self.

Still crouched down, Marik looks over at Kaiba.]

I bought them Everstones. Makes it so they don't need to worry about evolving.

[blue_ice]

[ Kaiba moves to sit next to them, with Selene popping out of her ball to get a better look. The Eevee wags her tail curiously. ]

Do they not want to evolve?

[ He's curious, and just a little baffled. He's all about raising his team to be big and strong. ]

[thetombkeeper]

Yeah.

[Which he thinks nothing of.]

I had talked about it with him a couple weeks after I got here. He seemed like he wasn't interested in evolving. I just got this... vibe from him. Now he's been fighting against it since we started training. I should have gotten this for him ages ago but I needed to save up...

[As fitting as a sarcophagus pokémon would be for him, he doesn't want Chen to change in personality. He pets the Yamask on his head.]

Oba... I get the distinct feeling he's happy as is.

[Yeah. Happy, excited baby. If he gets bigger, he can't ride on Marik anymore!]

I've never had a pokémon just so... happy with life, you know?

[blue_ice]

Hm. I never considered that. I've always pushed mine to get bigger and stronger.

[ Selene rushes back to jump in Kaiba's lap, and he strokes her head. ]

I've seen your evolutions. You can't get too big.

[ Then back to Marik. ]

Have you tried looking for an Eviolite? If either of them are going to battle, an unevolved Pokémon holding one has stronger defenses. You could switch the items during battle, and back when they're done.

[thetombkeeper]

I wouldn't expect you to do anything less.

[Said fondly, of course. Even if the two hadn't really interacted prior, it didn't take a genius to pick up on the kind of person Kaiba was.]

Coming in and not knowing anyone, being by myself... Having someone to take care of for... the first time in my life. Battling wasn't a priority to me. I just wanted to experience the world for what it was.

[Marik looks between Chenzira and Kaiba when he mentions the item.]

Eviolite? Huh... I'll have to look into grabbing that next then. Chen could use that for the gym challenge...

Second Floor

[crystalmaster]

[Radley sees Marik eyeing the new Silph Co. product, as everyone has been.]

That is some steep price tag.

[thetombkeeper]

Yeah. It is.

[If he hadn't of spent money on anything else, he could have gotten it but it would have eaten all of his savings. Sigh.]

I hope they're able to mass produce them soon so they go down in price...

[Marik turns to face Radley and smiles.]

It's good to see you again. How have you been?

[crystalmaster]

No kidding. I wonder who they were expecting could purchase it.

[He smiles too.]

It's good to see you too. Things have been alright. Very busy. I suddenly have a very large kitty family, one of whom is having a hard time controlling her powers. I also have more Eevees and a diva Alolan Vulpix.

[The five Eevees he's brought all warble. Cosmo the Ralts shyly hugs Radley's leg.]

How are you and Mr. Kaiba?

[thetombkeeper]

Capitalism at its finest.

[Said with a chuckle.]

I would not be surprised if some of the long lasting otherworlders could.

[His smile widens as he looks to all the Eevees and the Ralts.]

Heheh. Sounds like you've got quite the handful. I've managed to get Badru decently leveled by now. I'm hoping he evolves soon along with Kaiba's.

[Chen slowly makes his way down from Marik's shoulder to say hello to the Eevees and Cosmo. Oba zips around the group.]

We're both doing pretty well. He just defeated Whitney before we got here! I'm going to be taking on Falkner once the convention is over. I think I've finally gotten a decent grasp on how battling works.

[crystalmaster]

Most likely. But they wouldn't even need it as much.

[Radley smiles too.]

That's great! Good luck with the battle.

[The Eevees all happily greet! Cosmo shyly waves.]

[thetombkeeper]

Yeah, you're probably right.

[The hot air balloon that is his ego puffs up, much like his chest.]

Thanks! I'm nervous and excited about it.

[He's got strange standards. Dueling with Egyptian Gods in a championship is nothing to him but challenging a gym is a bit nerve-wracking.

Chenzira holds out a hand to Cosmo, imitating what Marik does when meeting new people. Except with far less confidence.]

Oh! How's the wild Eevee taking to the family?

Third Floor

[shiningkindness]

[ Taking a rest from all the excitement, Fluttershy had headed up the third floor to get some food for her and her Pokemon. Balancing a tray of food, Fluttershy scans the area for a place to sit with Allegra, her Audino, and Archie, her Raboot, trailing close behind her and carrying some food of their own. ]

[thetombkeeper]

[Thankfully for Fluttershy, Marik catches a glimpse of her as she's walking by and he waves a hand to get her attention.

Usi joins in the waving as she's one of the few people he recognizes from previous encounters back when he was still a Gastly. Kaiba doesn't count as he's a travel partner. (Rude.) Chen watches the two before offering a little wave himself.]

Hey, Fluttershy!

[The blonde gets up from his spot at his current table and walks over to her.]

Need help carrying anything?

[shiningkindness]

[ Fortunately Fluttershy is looking in their direction when they wave, and though she can't help hesitating just the slightest bit at the sight of Usi - who looks much different from the last time she'd seen him, so she doesn't entirely recognize him - she still smiles and meets Marik halfway with her Pokemon. ]

Hi, Marik. [ While she isn't surprised to see him, since this seems to be a big event that everyone could attend, it was nice seeing a familiar face in the crowd. ]

A-Actually, if you wouldn't mind grabbing these bottles? [ There were a couple of bottles of water on the tray she was carrying, and while it didn't make the tray too heavy necessarily, she is a bit worried about the bottles falling over if she accidentally runs into someone. ]

[thetombkeeper]

[Given he went from a ball of smoke to a giant ghost almost the size of Marik, it's understandable. Usi is intimidating even when he doesn't mean to be.

The blonde gets up and heads over to Fluttershy, grabbing said bottles so she's able to better balance the tray. He would have just grabbed the entire thing but that seems like it could be taken as rude? He's not entirely sure. Best to play it safe though.

Once she's settled at the table, he sets the bottles down to the side of her tray, then moves to return to his previous seat.]

How are you enjoying the convention so far?

[shiningkindness]

[ Honestly, Fluttershy just hadn't wanted him to carry everything, even though he had offered. Besides, once he took the bottles the tray was much lighter.

Taking a seat at the table, she thanks him and opens a bottle each for her Pokemon, before opening the remaining bottle herself. ]

I've actually been having a lot of fun! Even though it's pretty crowded, that's to be expected since this whole thing seems pretty big. And it's been pretty exciting watching the tournament.

How about you?

[thetombkeeper]

I'm glad to hear it.

[Chen pops up from his spot next to Marik, shyly peeping over the edge of the table at Fluttershy. Marik ruffles his head crest.]

I've been having a lot of fun too. I've only gone to something like this before once and it was just for a card game. This feels... way bigger though.

[Maybe it's because he's experiencing it from an audience's perspective rather than actually participating. Or the fact that he's not trying to sabotage the event.]

I've spent way more than I probably should have but I'm pretty happy with everything I managed to find. Figured it would be better to splurge now while everything's available, you know?

Speaking of... Is there anything in particular you'd like?