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

[cyan_maid]

What's a Lalafell?

[Jane doesn't know, how COULD she know]

[prayreturn]

Oh-- [ she forgets that not everybody has the same experience. ] They're Hyur-- human, but shorter. About half my size? With pointed ears.

One of my closest friends is one.

[cyan_maid]

- Ooooh! And there's many folks like them where you're from? Folks of that stature where I'm from aren't very common, but they do indeed exist...there's even such a gentleman in a television program that had begun airing some months before I, erm, left my world...though it wasn't in a genre I'm particularly fond of. But he's an incredible actor!

[Yes, Act 6 of Homestuck begins after Game of Thrones started airing, I checked.]

[prayreturn]

[ the struggle of rping from something set in an rl time--

Ah, television! Minfilia had learned of it here, thankfully. She nodded. ]

Yes, there's many - they're the primary people living in one of the city-state nations. My dear friend came from there - she wore as much pink as an Audino, as well - and helped wherever she could. Even if she was beginning to worry that her skills weren't enough...

[cyan_maid]

[Thankfully, Gamble of Divans is totally non-4th wall breaking and therefore definitely what Jane is thinking about.]

Oh, dear. Why wouldn't they be enough? I'm sure she was doing all she could, whatever it might've been.

[prayreturn]

Well... my organization was beginning to get a bit too much work for our funding.

[ There's a sudden little frown. ]

...I hope she'll be okay.

[cyan_maid]

Oh dear, I see...

[She frowns, too. That's a generalized way to put it, but that is still an issue Jane can understand.]

It...shouldn't be too bad, at least? Time stops at home while we're here, so it's not as if she's carrying on all by herself while you're here.

[prayreturn]

Well, I've learned that... well, I cannot go home. [ It's said quietly. ] Not to see her and my other allies, that is.

[cyan_maid]

...Oh...oh.

[A quiet pause. Jane's head lowers somewhat.]

Sadly, I...know that circumstance all too well.

[prayreturn]

[ Minfilia lowers her own head. And then offers her hand. ]

Are you...? [ In the same situation, she does not say. ] I'll not speak of it openly to others.

[cyan_maid]

[Jane pauses, unsure for a moment, but...she'll take the offered hand, squeeze Minfilia's softly.]

I am. Even with all the rules-bending and tomfoolery, there's...no way of changing this outcome, I'm afraid.

[You get clocked for a Just death, and you get your Just Desserts.]

...I just - I wish it...I wish I'd been able to have one more chance. I wasn't even properly myself at the time.

[prayreturn]

[ She tries to keep a smile. She truly does. But her eyes are so soft, and filled with sorrow and sadness. ]

Sometimes, the Spinners' threads are cruel. [ A beat. Oh, she doesn't know the Twelve, but-- ] I'm sorry, Jane. As for my own, it seems my... sacrifice is needed to save the world. Thus, mine cannot be changed, either. At least, that I am aware of...

[cyan_maid]

...I'm sorry to hear that.

[She doesn't know anything about Spinners, though the case could be made for certain spidery troll ladies and their penchant for webs being woven in the form of irons in the fire...but Jane can get the idea. It's not super important - what is, is that they're both two dead young women living in another world, with nothing waiting for them on the other side.]

I mean - don't misunderstand, I'm grateful to be here. Even before I knew, I...I was so, so happy to get to live somewhere remotely normal again. I didn't want to go back to all the craziness and foolish bungling, but...I guess even if I did leave, that's. Not much of a problem anymore?

[Jane's smile is a bit of a broken thing. She's trying to play it off, but she can't. And hey, unfortunately, she has no idea how absolutely off the walls an afterlife in the dream bubbles could end up being.]

[prayreturn]

[ Her head bowed. And then, she offered a hand to her cheek. ]

Sometimes, it's the craziness that we miss most. I... know your situation was likely nothing like mine. [ That's an understatement. ] Yet, if you ever need somebody to lean on... I know I haven't known you as long as some, but I've been told I'm a good listener.

[ And then, she perks up a little? ] Though I've also been told I tend to call people a little too much.

I hope I didn't read this wrong wkefjnakjdesnkzf

[cyan_maid]

[The touch is...

It's new.

It's soft, and warm. For some reason, Jane becomes acutely aware of Minfilia's touch, and she can't quite say why.]

...I...I would like that very much. And - don't worry about calling too much. I like to have a good chat, and...my house is full of a lot of Pokemon, I'm not alone, but...sometimes I am lonely, without any people about. A call now and again would be nice.

harold.;....

[prayreturn]

[ Minfilia, too, notices something... strange. Queer, even, she thinks.

But she cannot quite find the words for it. ]

I imagine my house will be the same, once I get one of my own. There's just so many, but-- it's much different talking to somebody who understands.

gay,

[cyan_maid]

It is. It...it helps.

[A long pause.]

If - if you wanted, if you didn't have someplace to go or obligations to others, you could always...stop by? Stay for a while? I've got the room.