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Creative Writing Contest: A Gym Leader Battle *Results*


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Before I announce the winners I just want to say that yet again I have been amazed by the amount of talent that we have in this community. I thoroughly enjoyed reading every entry, I have read through them all at least 3 times so that I judge every single one. Every story was amazing, however there were a few that staff considered to be stand out entries. 

 

1st Place: Gunthug

[spoiler]

“Josh used Surf!”

 

Water began to fill the small stadium, converging upon the cowering Nidoqueen. Her body suddenly began to glow red, glitching in and out of existence before being whisked back to her trainer. He was a tall, professional looking man in a suit.

 

“Josh is hurt by poison!”

 

The Squirtle named Josh stood  across the stadium, wavering from side to side. The poor creature struggled to keep its eyes open, and a foul purple smoke was emanating from his shell. Behind him stood his trainer, a spritely man by the name of CMJ.

 

Suddenly, a smirk etched itself onto the evil man’s face, completing his cliché super-villain look.

 

“Go, Nidoking!”

 

Out came a purple, armoured mountain of horns, towering over the small turtle.

 

Nidoking,” screamed Giovanni, “Use Earthquake!”

 

Helpless to defend himself against the oncoming onslaught, Josh retreated into his shell as the ground broke around him. It was no use, though.

 

"Squirtle has fainted. CMJ is out of useable Pokemon! CMJ whited out!”

 

*    *    * 

 

THUMP

 

Ray’s glass was knocked over, spilling all over the bar. He turned to face the culprit – a gloomy looking man who had just slammed some sort of device down on the bar in anger.

 

“Hey, c’mon man,” said Ray, examining his shirt and tie for any stains.

 

“Oh, sorry,” said the culprit. “Hey, Chuck!” he shouted.

 

“What now, Carter?” replied the bartender, not looking up from the glass he was polishing.

 

“Pint of Miller, please. Not for me - for my buddy, uhh…” Carter turned to Ray and raised his eyebrows.

 

“Ray,” said Ray. “Look, you really don’t have t-“

 

“And you know what Chuck,” Carter interjected wearily, “make it two. Roy doesn’t wanna drink alone, right Roy?”

 

Chuck rolled his eyes and turned to the tap, grabbing two glasses and filling them to the brim. When he was finished, he slid them both down across the empty bar.

 

Carter stabbed at the first glass to arrive, raising it quickly and taking a gulp. He let the taste linger for a moment, staring solemnly at a particularly uninteresting flyer for night jazz on the adjacent wall. Slowly, he looked down at the damage from his outburst earlier.

 

“Looks like the battery pack came off,” offered Ray. “Thanks for the beer, by the way.”

 

“Happens *hic* all the time,” said Carter, as he slid the plastic part back into place. He clicked a switch on the side of the device, and the screen came to life. The sound of digital music suddenly became audible, filling the small dive bar.

 

Ray’s eyes strained as he made the face that people make when they’re trying to remember. Suddenly, the light bulb went on.

 

“Hey, is that Pokemon? Wow, I used to play that when I was a kid. You know, my daughter used to…” Ray’s voice trailed off as he, too, stared solemnly at the night jazz poster.

 

“Isn’t this an odd place to be playing, though?” asked Ray.

 

Carter snapped his head to the left, glaring at Ray. “It’s not like I’m bothering anyone here”

 

They each turned in their barstools, surveying the contents of the cramped bar. In one corner, a ketchup bottle failed to make a sound. A pool table added to its impressive dust collection near the front window. Of all the successful, cutting edge, and most frequently visited bars in St. Louis, this was not one of them.

 

Turning back, Ray inched his barstool closer to Carter. “So, er, how far are you?”

 

“Giovanni.” Carter’s brow furrowed as soon as he uttered the name. He slammed his fists down on the bar again. “God, I hate that guy. I just…I can’t beat him.” 

 

Carter opened the save file which showed 7 badges but just 1 pokemon. He instantly confronted Giovanni, and the gym battle commenced. Shooting in from the left side of the screen was a level 39 Squirtle named Josh.

 

“Wait,” said Ray, confused. “Why haven’t you evolved that Squirtle?”

 

Carter’s fists clenched tighter around the device, his face reddening.

 

“Are you listening? You have to evolve Squirtle into Wartortle, and then Blastoise.”

 

Muttering unintelligibly under his breath, Carter turned his shoulder to Ray and continued battling, ignoring his advice. Ray shrugged and returned to his drink, his mind drifting momentarily to the prospect of late night jazz. However, his peaceful train of thought was again halted by a thump, this one even louder than the last.

 

Ray spun as Carter reached for the fallen gameboy, ready to send it flying across the empty bar towards one of the walls. Grasping for Carter’s throwing arm, Ray managed only to knock the device out of his hands.

 

“What the hell, man?!” exclaimed Ray. “Chill out – Like I said, you just gotta evolve your Squir-“

 

"SHUT UP!"

 

Tears were streaming down Carter’s face as he turned towards Ray, his eyes bloodshot and heavy with grief. Carter jerked his arm out of Ray’s grasp, stumbling back from the barstools.

 

“You don’t think I KNOW how to evolve a pokemon? You don’t think I WANT him to evolve? To grow up? To fulfill his potential?!”

 

“That’s what they’re supposed to do. They’re supposed to grow, and evolve. But no, that would be fair. Well guess what? Life isn’t fair!” Ray and the Bartender stared on in stunned silence as Carter continued his outburst.

 

“One day everything’s fine, and the next, you’re entire world falls apart. You blink your damned eyes, and it’s…it’s gone. He…“

 

Suddenly, Carter froze. Still panting, he wiped the tears from his face, stalked towards the door, and jerked it open. Rain poured out on the cobblestones, but Carter didn’t care – he strode solemnly into the downpour as the door eased shut behind him.

 

In his wake, a thick silence hung in the air. Slowly, Ray bent over and picked up the damaged Gameboy at his feet. A sole piece of tape adorned the bottom. It read “Josh’s Gameboy.” The pieces clicked in Ray’s mind. He ran to the exit, and out into the rain.

 

There, just a few paces away from the door, stood Carter. At first glance, he looked like a statute, back turned to Ray as the raindrops bounced off him defiantly.

 

“Josh…your son?” asked Ray.

 

“He was 12,” Carter whispered. “He was so excited when I bought him that Gameboy. Never got a chance to play it, though.” 

 

“Listen…” Ray started, but Carter whirled around angrily, interrupting him.

 

“Save it, man. What could you possibly know about m-“

 

“I lost my daughter, too.”

 

 Carter’s jaw dropped.

 

“Two years ago, but it still feels like yesterday. She was only 9, Carter. And I felt like I’d never get through it. I couldn’t do it alone. And by the looks of it, neither can you.”

 

Slowly, Ray approached Carter in the rain until they were standing face to face. Suddenly, Carter broke down, falling forwards into Ray’s chest. He sobbed several times, before Ray grasped him firmly and stood him back up.

 

“Let me give you my card.” Ray reached into his pocket for it, handing it over along with the Gameboy.

 

“What would Josh want, Carter? Would he want you drowning yourself here at the pub every night? Fighting a battle you know you’ll lose? You have to move forward, my friend.” Hands still shaking, Carter grasped the Gameboy and quickly stashed it in his pockets, away from the rain.

 

Turning in the drizzle, Ray made his way back to the pub. Carter watched him return and briefly considered following him, maybe grabbing one last drink. He took one step but stopped, looking down at Ray’s card one more time.

 

*        *        *

 

Ray Epstein

 

Carter turned the card over in his left hand a few times, leaning back in his black desk chair. He set the card down on his desk and picked up a ceramic mug, taking a cautious sip. His mind drifted for a moment, though it quickly snapped back to the task at hand. Right, he thought, let’s do this.

 

Reaching forward, Carter grabbed the backless red Gameboy, the digital music amplifying as it got closer to his ears.

 

“Go, Nidoking!”

 

“Josh used Hydro Pump! It’s super effective!”

 

“Nidoking Fainted! Giovanni has sent out Rhydon!”

 

A smile flickered onto Carter’s face as he orchestrated the battle. On one side sat Giovanni’s final pokemon. On the other sat Josh, now a level 55 Blastoise.

 

“Josh used Hydro Pump! His attack missed!”

 

“WHAT?!” exclaimed Carter, resisting the urge to send the Gameboy to its untimely death through the nearby open window in his office.

 

“Rhydon used Fissure! His attack missed!”

 

Sigh.

 

“Josh used Hydro Pump! It’s super effective!”

 

“Rhydon Fainted!”

 

Carter smiled, staring at the small screen for a long time. Then, he clicked the Gameboy off, opened the top right drawer of his desk, and stashed it inside. Picking up Ray’s card again, he dialed the number on the front.

 

 

“Hey Ray, it’s Carter. Wanna grab some lunch?”

[/spoiler]

The originality of this short story is what made it stand out from the rest, it was a great twist on the Gym Leader prompt that made it a lot more engaging to older audiences. One thing that stood out the most was the nod to the original Blue and Red console games that serves as a reminder from our own childhoods. These memories of playing the games helps the reader to get to know Josh and even though you don't meet him in the plot you still feel a connection to him like Carter and Ray.

Sometimes writers struggle to write short stories because of the difficulty to explore a plot line fully with a small word limit. However, Gunthug has done a superb job at presenting a short story that feels "complete" and is perfectly paced. Clearly Gunthug has a talent for creative writing, it really shines in this piece of writing with the amount of realistic detail and hidden meanings. The Squirtle in the story represents Carter's son and Giovanni embodies the grief he feels over his death. At the beginning Josh is still in it's first form and is repeatedly beaten by Giovanni, symbolising Carter's difficulty overcoming his son's death. It was sentimentally fitting that in the resolution of the story the Squirtle evolves into Blastoise as Carter comes to terms with the events and defeating Giovanni acts as a metaphor for overcoming the emotions he felt. Overall this is a really touching and well put together piece of writing and I really enjoyed how different it was to other entries. Well done Gunthug, enjoy your prize!

 

Second Place: Korlila

[spoiler]

I stared at my trainer in distaste as she spoke to the leader of this establishment. According to Cursle, as we called him, it was the seventh such challenge and we already knew it was a rather foolish endeavour. This was not our first attempt against the ice trainer and I saw no reason to be optimistic. What did our trainer hope to achieve by limiting herself to only the grass type? We were not meant for the cold and yet we were compelled to fight in it.

 

When I'd first been given to her I had charitably thought it might have been some misguided attempt to be kind, for in some respects it was nice to be surrounded by a team of a common type. That idea had been harshly shattered when she bestowed the name Pawn upon me. All her Pokémon were named after pieces on a chess board and that could only be how our trainer saw us, as pieces in her twisted game. This specialised team was just a challenge for her, one she handled ruthlessly.

 

The match was beginning, our team waited behind our trainer, to watch. I held in a snarl even as Queen was chosen to fight first. Queen was an arrogant Roserade who seemed to love her place on the team and never faltered. Inwardly I hoped she'd fail for once, as the enemy's Snover started up some vicious hail.

 

But it was not to be. Queen was a creature of perfection and she smoothly sent heaps of toxic sludge at the Snover, hardly grimacing as it managed to launch some quick shards of ice at her before it quickly fainted under the assault. The violent hail didn't bother her much either as she swiftly retreated before the Gym leader sent out her second Pokémon. It was an almost ideal beginning to the match, aggravating though Queen was.

 

It was the next Pokémon that had managed to obliterate us previously, the eerie Froslass. White, the poorly named Abomasnow (in my opinion) was sent out next for he alone among us had some resistance to the cold and was therefore deemed capable enough to endure the Froslass' brutal attacks. Even from far away, I could feel the chill cold and the great power as they both used the constant Hail to control great blizzards and launch them at each other, the snowfall was growing intense and making it difficult to see the fight properly though I already knew what the results would be. The Froslass would survive of course, it was stronger and faster.

 

Still there was something impressive about how each of them survived two turns of vicious blizzards before Froslass deftly finished with a frightfully powerful shadow ball, now slightly winded. My trainer, she seemed far too relaxed as she sent out Rook. Rook was a fairly solemn Wormadam, a grass type, naturally, as well as bug, far from a good type match-up against Froslass but then there was no better alternatives.

 

It was cruel to send Rook out now, when he hadn't a hope of damaging the Froslass, but my trainer was both devious and ruthless. Her order of 'Protect' hardly surprised me and Rook readily complied. It was a command he received probably more than any other for my trainer seemed to absolutely love stalling. I myself had been taught dig largely for that reason. Predictably, Froslass was unleashing another furious blizzard directly at Rook but his perfect shield protected him from any damage.

 

"Protect." I couldn't help but tense as I heard the command being repeated. It was more likely to fail this time and yet she continued with this strategy.

 

I breathed a sigh of relief as Rook emerged from the blizzard unscathed. A glance at my trainer showed she also seemed fairly satisfied but then she turned away from the fight. I couldn't resist an angry growl as my trainer walked over to Queen and fed her some potion to return her to full health even as Rook waited on the icy field for a command that wasn't coming. My trainer ignored my anger as she ignored Rook's plight and Froslass grinned, unleashing one final blizzard, immediately knocking her out.

 

King Cursle was then sent out, we called him as such because as a Grotle he'd had a tendency to use Curse to sweep through tough battles. It seemed foolish to have him here in the ice gym when he possessed such a severe weakness to ice but then at least Knight, a Tropius, wasn't here as well. And as Froslass launched a shadow ball at him, it seemed to be an okay choice, for apparently it had exhausted all of it's ice power.

 

King retaliated with an earthquake and the infuriating Leader decided to use a potion on the Froslass while King continued with his quaking. Sadly, King lacked a great special defence and the next shadow ball was enough to defeat him too, now half the team was defeated and it wasn't finished. I didn't know why we even tried, for this fight seemed a lost cause.

 

Then I was commanded to fight. I was uncertain I could even survive a single shadow ball for though, I had no particular weakness to it, I had a very poor special defence, unlike Queen's whose was very high. Why wasn't she being used instead? But I could not refuse my trainer and summoned up the power my species was named after. I ran towards the ghost, keeping my eyes on it, for it was likely to hide itself among the snow if I were to lose sight for even a second. I alone among my team was faster than the ghost and sent a flurry of large razor sharp leaves at it even as it formed another shadow ball.

 

My leaves struck true but the ghost still did not faint. I anticipated the coming shadow ball and yet it was still too fast for me to do more than tense as it approached me. Pain, burning hot pain erupted in my mind as it seemed to dig into my very soul just to inflict more damage on me. I was dully aware of myself being thrown back and landing roughly on frozen ground. I trembled, wishing for my mind to go blank as it had practically taken me out, I didn't want to continue. It hurt.

 

But the pain wasn't ending and I could feel the sharp hail digging into me, increasing my suffering. Distantly I realised my trainer was yelling at me to use another razor leaf and I struggled to my feet and began running without seeing. My foggy vision somehow spotted the Froslass also looking tired and I bared my teeth for all the good it would do. With no thought to tactics I unleashed another barrage of leaves with the last of my strengths, grimly aware that I was about to faint.

 

Yet the Froslass was too exhausted to properly dodge and with a vicious satisfaction I watched it collapse, finally defeated, by my hand. Immediately my trainer was pulling me back and allowing Queen to enter the arena. For once I didn't even care, I needed to rest. I even hoped Queen might win, if only so we didn't have to repeat this fight.

 

Ironically, the Leader's last Pokémon was the same species as White, another Abomasnow. I watched Queen poison it effortlessly with her toxic spores. I almost grinned when she was actually taken out by a blizzard in a single shot. Then Bishop, a Tangrowth, was fighting and landed an Ancient Power on it before fainting to a blizzard too. It was then it dawned on me that I was the only Pokémon left on our team who could still technically battle and the Abomasnow was far from finished.

 

I couldn't quite begrudge my trainer for sending me out, aware that the hail was about to finish me off even if the poisoned Abomasnow didn't. At least I wasn't the Pawn being sacrificed for once. It was my job to survive this time. My trainer showed off good tactics as she immediately commanded to dig under the ground, hidden away from both the Abomasnow and the hail. I was quick and lost no time in burrowing to safety even if I couldn't remain underground forever.

 

Truthfully I was proud of the skill I'd developed under my trainer, and I occasionally dreamed of distinguishing myself as more than a Pawn. I hadn't chosen to be a trainer Pokemon and I hadn't chosen to become a Leafeon but at times I couldn't despise my fate. I sensed the Abomasnow above me and attacked it from below. Weakened from Queen's poison as it was, it fainted.

 

 

 

Somehow we'd emerged victorious.

[/spoiler]

 

This was another original entry, staff loved how the story is told from the Pokemon's perspective. It also has some dark undertones to it that made it a really interesting read, the fact that the trainer's Pokemon are all named after chess pieces. It makes you question how humane Pokemon duelling actually is, usually we think of Pokemon as loving friends and partners but here the Pokemon detest their trainer. 

The fact that Pawn was not revealed to be a Leafeon until the end was a really great way of keeping the reader's interest throughout the story. For me not knowing what Pokemon Pawn was made him feel a lot more human to me and I felt a lot more empathetic towards him.

Korlila did a great job of starting at a really fast pace and managing to keep it up until the end, it makes the writing a lot more realistic and helps to put the reader in the midst of the action. Overall staff were very impressed with Korlila's take on a Gym Leader battle - well done!

 

 

Honourable Mentions:

Rigamorty

This was an entry that we could tell had a lot of thought and effort put into it - you could tell that Rigamorty based the protagonist off of himself (due to the typing theme) and this really made the thoughts and actions of the trainer come across realistically. It was a really enjoyable read and we look forward to any future writing entries from Riga. 

 

SirVector

One thing we loved about this entry was how much of a challenge that SirVector gave himself. Making a single battle come alive on paper is difficult enough but SirVector provided the reader with a double battle and it definitely paid off. 

 

YagamiNoir

As the previous Writing Contest winner Yagami definitely did not disappoint this time either. Staff were impressed with the amount of detail and how well the story flowed, the battle really came alive in our imaginations when reading it. 

 

Once again congratulations to Gunthug and Korlila! All other entries can be found in the event thread.

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:D wow, was not expecting this, I totally thought I went too far off prompt. But damn that 2nd place entry was fantastic, I think I must have missed it before the thread got closed. Thanks judges, and keep the writing competitions coming - I think the turnout for this one proved their popularity

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I have mixed feelings. on one hand Gunthug's an okay guy and i GUESS his entry was good.

 

On the other hand he is known to be really awful at trading and I fear he may single-handedly ruin the value of my hat.

 

[spoiler]Just kidding, great entries from both winners, well-deserved placings. Also I appreciate the honorable mention.[/spoiler]

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