#005 - The Lightweight Semifinals
(Pokémon and related elements ™, ©1995-99 Creatures/GAME FREAK/Nintendo.)
Storyline, art by Robert H. Magnusson

Club Thunder was packed that fine Saturday afternoon, as fans from all over Pokémon City as well as other neighboring areas had come to watch the start of the Pro-Am Fighting Championship. Marrilyn, Epona, and Keri sat at a table, waiting for the fun to start...

"Well, here we are - the lightweight championships! Do you think Chue will win?"

Keri continued to watch the area where the fighters were registering, ready for the excitement. "Frankly, I'm surprised he made it past the quarterfinals..."

Marrilyn just smiled. "Well, Keri, if nothing else, Chue is certainly DETERMINED!"

In the Registration area, Chue was busy signing up on his electronic palette for verification, while another fighter was busy signing his with his mind. Neither heard the conversation next door...

"Hey! Who are YOU?"

A Persian in black attempted to hand Ray his registration palette. "I've got a champion for today's competition..."

"Sir, your fighter's papers may be in order... but there is NO WAY... THAT can be a lightweight!" Ray motioned toward the stranger's fighter, a large, powerful looking, angular pink and blue figure, which answered in a staticky voice.

"Huh?" The stranger just stared. " - I,I mean, of COURSCH he's a lightweight!"

"I'm sorry, sir, but the lightweight rules CLEARLY prohibit anyone over 50 pounds."

"Here, schee for yourschelf..."

"Huh?!" The fighter had stepped onto the scales, which were registering "Zero pounds, zero ounces." And no wonder - his feet were suspended in midair a few inches above the scale's base. "Well..."

"Scho we're IN?"

"Um... let me consult the rules on THAT one, wait here..."

Meanwhile, Chue and his prospective opponent, a Psyduck, were growing impatient to get started. "Okay, WHAT the HECK is the holdup?!"

"I dunno, but I have a VERY bad feeling..."

This time they heard Ray return and address the stranger. "Uh, sorry, sir, but HOVERING is clearly cheating. You'll have to come back on Friday."

"Friday?" The fighter repeated this in his unintelligible static.

"Yes, the HEAVYWEIGHT competition. I can only wish you good luck..."

As the stranger began to walk away, he turned to his fighter. "Okay, Gon, don't go anywhere; I've got a CALL to make."

At the boss's office, the phone rang. Without putting down the Pokéball sliding puzzle he was working on, he answered and listened to the situation. "No, Percy, I DON'T want to wait until FRIDAY. We'll just have to CRASH the PARTY."

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! Sorry about the DELAY, folks, but now comes the SEMIFINALS and the FINALS of our first tournament at Club Thunder, at our LIGHTWEIGHT division." Ray announced to the excited crowd as Jiggs, his Jigglypuff DJ, put on appropriate music for the rising anticipation. "Our first contestants tonight..."

"In this corner, last year's champion in this class, CHUE RATON, the toughest young PIKACHU of all our city, an unparalleled force of JUSTICE..."

"And in THIS corner, CYRUS McDUCK, our city's top PSYDUCK warrior, hoping to give his opponent a major HEADACHE in this round, although he's the UNDERDUCK here..."

After Ray had finished his introductions and explaining the rules to both fighters, Jiggs came to the arena floor with a sign announcing Round 1. She held it up, inflating herself to hover a few inches off the ground, as the bell sounded...

Chue was first with his attack, a lightning-quick punch which stopped an inch from Cyrus's beak, blocked by his mental field. Suddenly, he felt his body going stiff as Cyrus focused all his psychic energy at him, levitating him several feet into the air, then releasing him to fall with a painful WHAM! The impact released Chue's electric energy, which struck Cyrus, stunning him for just enough time for Chue to get up and -

Before either could do anything more, the club began to shake with a loud, low rumble. "Hey, wha-wha's going ON...?!" Chue's question was answered by a large CRASH, followed by thick clouds of dust and debris. Once the dust cleared, Percy, in his Team Rocket uniform, and his fighter stood just inside a gaping hole where a wall of Club Thunder used to be. Chue and Cyrus stood, startled and shaken by this turn of events...

"Okay, I TRIED to do this within the rulesch, but now, CLUB THUNDER IS OURS !!"