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

[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...

[blue_ice]

...Like a little brother.

[ And suddenly he understands. He's had his own angst about Mokuba growing up, and...it does give you purpose, having little ones to look after. As long as they're happy. ]

I'm pretty sure I've seen it, and it's not too expensive. It would help keep them safe. I know how important that is.

[thetombkeeper]

[The blonde goes silent for a moment as he considers the comparison. That is how he's viewed the Yamask for quite some time now. He's more than a pet or a companion. He feels like... a real friend. His new family.

He looks down at Chen, a small smile spreading across his lips. The Yamask looks back, tilting his head.]

Yeah. Like... a little brother.

[Chenzira's face lights up at his trainer's words and takes a hold of his hand. Marik's own smile becomes a bit coy. He scoops Chen up and cradles him in one arm, then stands up and faces Kaiba.]

I'll grab it before we leave then. Is there anything else you've had your eye on?

[blue_ice]

[ Little brothers! King pops out next, and he reaches for Oba to plop him on top of his shell. It seems Marik needs a free hand for shopping. ]

Hm. Someone suggested I should focus on the held items, since they're harder to get than TMs. I'd like to buy at least one that can boost the power of certain move types...maybe Dragon. And I'm grabbing a Dragon Scale, I think Mizuchi's about ready to evolve.

Were you looking to evolve Usi?

[thetombkeeper]

[He does! How thoughtful of King. Oba squeals and vibrates on his shell perch. He got a present, big brother!]

I was looking at those too but wasn't really sure what to get. Is there anything else? I've already grabbed a bunch of health items, treats, and vitamins I can share with you.

[Oh. Right! He looks around and- there's Usi appearing behind him. Right on cue.]

I was, actually. Once Bahiti evolves into Persian, I can ride her instead so he'll be good to evolve. Is Mizuchi excited?

[blue_ice]

[ King chatters happily, waving his arms and rocking back and forth in the grown-up version of his little dance. Kaiba flips through his notebook one more time. ]

I'm looking for a Terrain Extender because my team's going to have a lot of terrain moves, but held items are rare. As for Mizuchi...

[ He reaches for her ball on his belt and rolls it in his hand. At least...he's fairly sure that's her ball. When they get to Azalea Town he'll see about special Poké Balls---in a fight it'd be useful for all his team's balls to be distinct. ]

She can't wait to see what she can really do when she becomes a dragon. But we'll need to trade them for a few moments to complete the evolution. So I'll need to make sure she's ready to trust you. I'm sure she does...but she's always been the least social.

[thetombkeeper]

[He has no idea what that actually is or looks like so, as usual, Marik just smiles and nods although his smile does widen when Kaiba talks about Mizuchi.]

I'm excited for her. It's been really neat seeing her grow as much as she has. The same goes for all of your team.

[He looks over his shoulder at Usi.]

You know Usi trusts you. ... Or at the very least likes you.

[The Haunter ruffles Marik's hair and laughs. Marik himself tries to keep his balance because that's a giant hand kind of shaking him.]

... I'll take that as a yes.

I'll look into getting Bahiti evolved as soon as we get back then. Probably better that I have Usi evolved for the gym challenge anyways, right?

[blue_ice]

I'm proud of them. They've really grown strong.

[ Kaiba smiles back at King, then Leizi....he'll head out to the pond to give Mizuchi swim time soon. ]

Right. Gengar has really solid potential with status effects, even more than Usi does now. You two are going to be fine. And I'm looking forward to it.

[thetombkeeper]

It's hard not to be and they aren't even my pokémon.

... I don't think I'll ever get over how quickly you adapted to battling.

[It's to be expected but still. Never did he think that Kaiba being the one person to arrive from his world would actually do him good.

Life is full of surprises.]

That's good to know. I was planning on switching things up with him when he faces Pidgeot rather then just focusing on offense. I figure that will be fun for him too.

[Oh yeah. Usi just gives a big toothy grin. He's so ready to be scary.]

[blue_ice]

It requires the same strategic mind as dueling, but my Blue Eyes didn't need to be fed or have their claws filed.

[ Seto's really glad they're a team. It's made his life here...not only easier, but nice. He smiles a little as he takes in the sight of Usi, eager to grow strong and spread his pranks to the world. ]

You'll do fine, Usi. Chen. All of you. We trained for this, remember?

[thetombkeeper]

[Marik doesn't have the heart to tell Kaiba most of his strategies were incredibly gimmicky and relied on a general powerhouse. Fighting only Atem through other people was not a good thing for his ego in the long run, whether he believes the loses were from his own actions or his Rare Hunters.]

I like that aspect better. Makes it feel more personal. Like I'm making an actual difference with my team.

[Usi, of course, swells up with pride and reaches over to ruffle Kaiba's hair this time. Chen tightens his grip on Marik's shoulder a bit and gives a determined nod. The blonde smiles sheepishly.]

... I can't thank you enough, Kaiba. I know I say that a lot but it's true. You've really helped me and my team grow and I'm... I'm forever grateful for it.