contest entry for Slushy526

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Jake pawed at the ground, bushy tail swaying as it glittered unnaturally under the weak sun's rays. It was a chilly winter morning, and Jake's class was summoned to go outside. He was in his battle training class right now, and now his teacher — a Bisharp by the name of Mr. Keegan — was assigning students to their opponents.

The shiny Flareon anticipated for his name to be called. At last, the Fire-type had his wish granted.

"Jake will be with... Houston."

"Ye-es!" Jake exclaimed, causing the Roselia and Vaporeon he was standing in between to jerk away from him in surprise. The shiny Pokémon's goldenrod pelt shone under the sunlight as he performed a little dance. "I got my na-ame called! I got my na-ame called! I got my —"

"Ahem!" Mr. Keegan coughed sharply. Jake froze and looked over at the Steel/Dark-type. His tail was wagging in wild excitement.

"Yes, sir?" Jake spoke in a chipper tone.

Mr. Keegan grunted and put the hand holding his clipboard down. His eyes never left the shiny Flareon. The Bisharp then faced the rest of the class and announced, "Now that that's over with, I'd like for you to all pair up. You will watch others battle while you wait. I don't want to see any cheating! Am I understood?"

"Yes, sir," everyone chorused, some more enthusiastic than others.

Mr. Keegan then looked back to Jake. "Since Mister Jake here is so hyper and ready to battle, he and his partner can go first."

"Yes!" Jake cheered, skipping once on his paws. He then looked over to see his battle opponent — Houston — approaching both him and the teacher. The Electabuzz's body was sparking with small bits of electricity.

"Houston, you will go against Mister Happy over here," Mr. Keegan said stiffly. He motioned with an armed hand over to Jake.

Houston faced Jake, then smirked and nodded. "Alright, sir," he said while popping his knuckles and rolling his neck. "Good luck then, Jake."

"And to you too, Houston," the Flareon responded, eyes glimmering with the excitement of an upcoming battle.

Houston seemed a bit taken aback by Jake's hyper and friendly attitude, but he nonetheless smiled determinedly.

Mr. Keegan led them both to the traditional battlefield at the center of the courtyard. It was drawn with chalk and coated in dust. Houston stood on one end, while Jake stood on the other.

"Now," their teacher spoke, setting down his clipboard and raising both hands, "I want a clean battle, boys. No drawing blood — you should know that."

As the Bisharp went over the rules, Jake tuned him out. The shiny Flareon got into a battle-ready position and snorted a huff of smoke. He was ready for this.

"Ready?" Mr. Keegan announced. Everyone leaned in, excited to watch, as the Bisharp swiped his arms down and shouted, "Begin!"

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Word count: 481