The New Normal - 10-8 - Interlude - Live Reactions

The New Normal – 10-8 – Interlude – Live Reactions

[LIVE: OFFICIAL BROADCAST FOR THE TRI-REGIONAL TOURNAMENT!]

FutureAce : When are they all coming out? I feel like I’ve been staring at an empty arena for hours now.

FearTheRat : Relax, it’s only been 10 minutes since the event officially started. Of course there’s going to be waiting around. There are too many trainers gathered in one place for there not to be.

TangelaThoughts : At least whoever organised this seemed to have the foresight to provide plenty of facilities where you can buy snacks and refreshments, even if they are slightly overpriced. Not too bad, they aren’t ripping you off as badly as they could have been, but still quite pricey.

FutureAce : Wait, are you at the event in person?

TangelaThoughts : Yep, bought tickets as soon as they came out. Thought I wouldn’t want to miss this.

NotTooMuchWater : Same! And I nearly missed out on my opportunity too! I thought I would have some time since the event is in Hoenn, but WOW was it popular. Had I went to the bathroom or something, I probably wouldn’t have been able to get my spot!

FutureAce : Lucky…I heard that tickets were being resold at ludicrous prices. I took a look around, but they seem out of my price range :(

GodBidoof : Same, couldn’t get a ticket either…oh well, change of topic, who you guys most excited to see?!

ANormalFan : Of course I’m here for John! He’s got a good partner too!

SlugmaBalls : Really? A good partner? Roxanne isn’t really known for her strength though. In fact, I’m pretty sure she’s considered one of the weaker participants in this Tournament.

NotTooMuchWater : Eh, I heard she has good management skills and is a competent Gym Leader. Still, can’t disagree that she really isn’t the strongest candidate. But that’s probably why she got paired up with someone as strong as John.

TangelaThoughts : Yeah, I personally thought they did a really good job with the balancing of the teams. At first I was a bit disappointed that the teams weren’t random, but then I realized that having random teams would have led to creating really unbalanced teams.

TangelaThoughts : Just look at who the ‘stronger’ trainers got paired with. Drake with the Waterflower sisters, Lucian with Surge etc. Then you have all the ‘middling’ trainers paired together, like Giovanni with Norman. Good stuff!

GeneralistGeneral : Stares at the Agatha and Tate and Lisa pairing Are you sure about that?

SlugmaBalls : Eh, the Psychic twins are strong, but they’re really young and inexperienced. Likewise, isn’t Agatha like REALLY old now? She’s probably not as strong as she once was. And besides, it makes thematic sense to pair the oldest with the youngest.

FutureAce : Or maybe this was just a prank on Agatha.

FearTheRat : Nah, I don’t think the organisers, whoever they are (I think it’s Wallace?) would pull pranks like that. Gym Leaders and Elite Four are meant to be serious people. They’re not childish.

AreYouSlowBro : Wait, I thought Drake was older than Agatha?

LoveIsEterna : Eh, I’m pretty sure Agatha is the oldest. Then Drake. Then Bertha. (amongst the Elite Four)

PunchingBag : Bruno should have been in here! He DESERVES to be here! He’s stronger than all these weaklings.

FlyingHigh : I mean, you’re right. He IS probably stronger. But he’s also not a Gym Leader / Elite Four.

PunchingBag : Everyone knows that he deserves to be an Elite Four! The fact that he’s not shows that the League is purposefully suppressing the Fighting type BECAUSE THEY KNOW WE ARE TOO STRONG! LETS GO FIGHTING TYPES!

ANormalFan : Well maybe Bruno could be in the Elite Four if he challenged anyone other than John?

DragonPower : Ignoring the dumb fanatic, which Dragon trainer do you think is going to win enter the Top 3? HAHAHA WHO AM I KIDDING ALL OF THE DRAGON TRAINERS WILL MAKE IT INTO THE TOP 3 BECAUSE DRAGON TYPES ARE THE BEST!!! DRAGONS WOOOOOO!!

FlyingHigh : …The hypocrisy is stunning.

FearTheRat : Eh, he had a good point though. Who do you all think are the favourites to win the Tournament?

TangelaThoughts : Surprisingly, my vote isn’t with the Elite Four pairings. I hesitate to call their partners a ‘handicap’, as that’s rude, but it will take some effort for them to work around their weaker partners. They’ll have to coordinate more with their partner, and they might not be very good at that.

FutureAce : Surely they could just fight 1v2?

GodBidoof : Fighting 1v2 isn’t as easy as you think, especially when your Pokémon are rather evenly matched. There’s suddenly a lot more your Pokémon has to consider, more attacks to avoid etc. It’s much harder than you think.

AlluteNinja : Might be biased, but my vote is on Koga and Maylene making their way into the Top 3. I feel like they have a lot of synergy together.

GroundedForLife : I’m voting for Giovanni and Norman, and not because I’m biased. They are both genuinely strong Gym Trainers, and I feel they have the right personality to work with each other. Two rather strong trainers are better than just one strong trainer.

GeneralistGeneral : Agreed, if not them then maybe a pair like Winona and Samson. Both are very capable and experienced trainers, so I think they have a chance to make it into the Top 3.

WiggleThatTuff: Wish we had a Fairy specialist somewhere! But I can’t believe the Champions promised to fight at the end! So exciting!!!

FearTheRat: Yeah, screw these earlier battles. I WANT TO SEE CHAMPIONS FIGHT!

SlugmaBalls: Man, the Champion battle is going to be a stomp I just know it. THREE Champions fighting all at once? Sheesh.

PianoLover: It won’t be that easy. Depending on who their opponents are, being in a 3v6 might make things really difficult for them.

But I know that Cynthia can surpass any odds!!

FlyingHigh: Just imagine the finalists contain 3 Elite Four members as well. That would be a crazy match.

FutureAce : IT’S FINALLY TIME!! THEY’RE ALL WALKING IN NOW!!

GodBidoof : Woah, they look cool walking in one giant group like that. That’s such a flex of the power of the League it’s insane.

FlyingHigh: Yeah…practically every powerful trainer is currently in that stadium right now. It’s really awe-inspiring and humbling if you think about it.

TangelaThoughts : Currently texting with one hand, but is it me or are the Gym Leaders / Elite Four seem to all be chatting really casually? Like they’re all friends? I thought they’d all be marching out in a single file for some reason.

LoveIsEterna : That’s a good thing. It’s much better if all of them could get along well.

GeneralistGeneral : Stares at Pryce Well…I’m sure most of them will get along well…but there’s bound to be a lot of drama behind the scenes.

FlyingHigh : Too true…but now’s not the time for doom and gloom. THE MATCHES JUST GOT POSTED!

NotTooMuchWater : So they’re randomised, cool! And just from a brief glance I can tell we have some interesting matches.

ANormalFan: LET’SS GOOOO JOHN AND ROXANNE!! YOU CAN BEAT WILL AND FLANNERY!! I KNOW YOU MUST HAVE BEATEN HIM BEFORE!

FearTheRat : Wouldn’t this be Will’s first battle on the main stage? Kinda weird when you think about it. Still super excited for it either way! I trust that he’ll show us something cool!

DragonPower : LETS GO CLAIR! YOU AND GARDENIA ARE GOING TO CRUSH WATTSON AND CHUCK! LETS GO DRAGONS!

IceColdSimp: LORELEI <3 You can do it! Phoebe and Erika have no chance against you and Wake!

IceColdSimp: And Pryce and Candace will FREEZE Roark and Juan in their tracks! ICE TYPES FOR THE WIN! WE’RE MAKING IT TO THE TOP 3 BABYYYYY!!!

GeneralistGeneral : Man I’m so hyped for this. Can’t wait to see Cynthia in action again.

GodBidoof: Is there anywhere I can bet money on who wins? Asking for a friend.

TangelaThoughts: IF you’re at the stadium in person I’ve seen a few places where you could. Otherwise, not sure.

FearTheRat: …Urgh, waiting another day for these battles really suck.

FutureAce : SAME! WHY COULDN’T THE BATTLES BEGIN IMMEDIATELY!? WHY DO WE HAVE TO WAIT ANOTHER DAY?! OR EVEN TWO FOR SOME BATTLES?!

A.N. I wanted to try something different for this Interlude, so I hoped you liked this new ‘live chat’ style. If people like this, then I might do more of these in the future! This chapter also reveals some of the other team pairings as well!