A Towering Presence
"The challenger may now choose his first Pokémon." A mechanical voice came on the loudspeaker in the great stadium.
A tall young man with brown, curly hair and a green vest overtop his brown clothes, pulled out a Pokéball and tapped the button on the middle of the device, enlarging it so that it may be ready to release the Pokémon inside. "Donphan, now!" A gray pachyderm sprung out of the ball ready for battle, its armour-like hide dotted with numerous scars and welts as its tusks glinted dangerously in the sunlight.
"A solid Pokémon, if I dare compliment my challenger." An imposing man with long, spiky hair stood on the other end of the battlefield imposingly, his bulging muscles evident underneath his shirt, but his face belied his true age as being close to fifty. "But brute force is not enough to win at the Battle Tower! Milotic, let's go!" A graceful serpentine Pokémon materialized with a flourish and a throw of its Pokéball.
"Donphan, rollout!" The ground-type resembled a tire as it spun towards the water-type, but it gracefully dodged with very little difficulty.
"Dragon Pulse, Milotic." A green shockwave blasted the rolling Pokémon off-course, causing a small explosion upon contact accompanied by a cry of pain, but it continued rolling regardless.
"Donphan, circle Milotic so it can't get a clear shot again!" The rolling Pokémon tilted slightly, allowing curvature in its path as it disoriented its opponent with unpredictable motion.
"Milotic, Hydro Pump." The supereffective attack missed Donphan as it continued rolling, picking up great speed as it went along its path, much to the younger trainer's delight.
"Turn on your tusk and hit it head-on!" The ground-type used its tusk as a pivot to launch its rapidly rotating body towards the serpent, who cried out as it was blasted backwards into a nearby wall before being harassed by successive hits of the attack.
"Alright, Milotic, time for a Hydro Pump!"
"Donphan, use Bulldoze!" Before Milotic could launch the attack, Donphan stomped on the ground, creating a shockwave that disrupted Milotic's movement. "Now, finish it off with Hyper Beam!" A powerful red beam fired from beneath Donphan's trunk, exploding on contact with the water-type.
"Excellent. Mirror Coat." As the smoke cleared, a rainbow-coloured light filled the arena, causing many "ooh"s and "ahh"s to come from the crowd as the multicoloured shockwave returned the damage caused by Hyper Beam. "Now, while it's recharging, Hydro Pump!"
The younger trainer could do nothing but watch as a powerful jet of water smashed his ground-type into the wall of the arena beside him, down for the count despite its apparent resilience. He recalled the fallen Armor Pokémon with one hand while arming his next Pokéball in the other.
"Shiftry, I need your strength!" A large white-haired Pokémon with brown, wooden limbs and leafy fans materialized, the dark-type's gleaming yellow eyes narrowing upon sighting Milotic. "Leaf Storm!"
A whirlwind of powerful leaves swept up the water-type, dealing super-effective damage as the serpentine Pokémon cried with pain. "Milotic, use their power on them with mirror coat!" The Pokémon began reflecting the special attack's damage with another rainbow-coloured burst that enveloped Shiftry. However, the light cleared to reveal Shiftry unharmed.
"A psychic-type move on a dark-type? I thought Palmer the Tower Tycoon would be able to remember the weakness web." The trainer taunted, his Shiftry laughing derisively at his injured opponent. "Finish with Faint Attack!" Shiftry disappeared in a black flash before kicking Milotic across the face with its solid foot, knocking Milotic motionless to the ground.
"Palmer's Milotic is unable to battle!" The crowd went wild after seeing the decisive knockout by the Wicked Pokémon. "The Tower Tycoon may now choose his next Pokémon!"
"Rhyperior, battle stance!" A gargantuan ground-type with three horns and red armored plating lumbered towards Shiftry with an almost predatory gleam in its eye.
"Shiftry, Leaf Storm!" Shiftry released a whirlwind of leaves at the Drill Pokémon, who made no move to dodge.
"Sandstorm." Rhyperior's arm cannons unleashed a whirlwind of dust and sand, cutting off the incoming attack before damaging Shiftry as it expanded. "Now finish with Megahorn." Rhyperior brutally smashed Shiftry with the Bug-type move, knocking it out before it even hit the ground.
As Shiftry was recalled by the incredulous trainer, he gaped in awe. "How did a Rock-and-Ground type Pokémon take no damage from a grass-type move?"
"Simple. Leaf Storm weakens your Pokémon's special attack power if you use it too often. Sandstorms also have the side effect of raising a rock-type's resilience to special attacks, and Rhyperior's ability Solid Rock reduces damage taken from super-effective attacks. My Rhyperior took far more damage than it let on, though, it just didn't show any sign of weakness because it intended to intimidate your Shiftry." Palmer calmly explained. "Your Shiftry is very well-trained, as was your Donphan."
"Sceptile, you're up! Use Bullet Seed!" the Forest Pokémon came out of its ball as the sandstorm subsided, starting out strong with a super-effective attack.
"Rock Wrecker, Rhyperior!" Shards of rock and sand shot out of the holes in Rhyperior's palms, quickly collecting into a massive rock that glowed with energy.
"Detect!" The Sceptile deftly dodged the massive projectile that nearly crumpled the wall behind it with sheer strength. Rhyperior fell to its knees with exhaustion after the massive attack. "Now, charge Solarbeam!" The sunlight into the stadium began to absorb into the yellow seeds on Sceptile's back as they began to glow brighter. "Fire!" The white beam ripped through the battlefield with incredible power, engulfing the hapless rock-and-ground type as it slammed into the wall, its eyes replaced by swirls as it lay flat on its stomach unmoving.
"Palmer's Rhyperior is unable to battle!" The mechanical referee raised a green flag towards the trainer. "Sceptile is the victor!" The crowd cheered loudly for the trainer as his Sceptile smirked triumphantly. Palmer had only one Pokémon left and Sceptile had yet to take any damage.
"Dragonite, last chance!" A cream coloured dragon bellowed as he entered the field, the trainer's confidence replaced by worry as the Dragon Pokémon stomped mightily on the ground. "Outrage!"
"Sceptile, Detect!" Sceptile's eyes glowed as it swiftly dodged the attacks, but the pummeling was relentless as Outrage slowly outlasted the defensive move and landed brutal strikes on the grass-type. Sceptile fell to one knee as Dragonite became exhausted and confused after the attacks. Sceptile glowed green as Overgrow kicked in, energy streaming out from its leaves and its bulbs.
"Prepare a Solarbeam!" Sceptile's bulbs gathered energy as Dragonite attacked randomly, punching and charging the walls while Palmer called frantically for Dragonite to calm down. "Fire!" Sceptile unleashed a glowing beam even greater than the one sent at Rhyperior that blasted Dragonite with relentless solar energy. "Now finish with Dragon Claw!"
"Dragonite, Fire Punch!" The two attacks collided, causing a massive explosion of energy as fire and dragon powers collided with one final attack. The smoke cleared to reveal both Pokémon standing in a staredown.
"Dragonite, stand strong!" Dragonite grunted as it struggled to hold up its weight.
"Sceptile, come on!" Slowly, Sceptile fell to one knee, ragged breaths shuddering through its injured form. Dragonite grinned before its eyes rolled back in its head, falling onto its side with a final pained cry.
"Palmer's Dragonite is unable to battle! The victory goes to Tyson, of Mauville City!"
As Palmer walked over to Tyson and shook his hand, he said one thing: "So you're the boy who beat Ash Ketchum 4 years ago in the Ever Grande Conference?"
"Yes, sir, I did."
"Where's that Meowth, then?"
"Recovering from the tournament battles. He did his best."
"Indeed he did. That was one of the best battles I've had."
"Likewise."
The crowd cheered as Tyson left the stadium, waving and grinning all the while with his battered Sceptile shambling after him despite its injuries...