"The second semifinal match is about to begin. Will the trainers please proceed to their respective sides and enter the arena when called," said the voice from the loudspeaker. I stood up in the waiting area, ready to proceed as planned. It had been a long road to this point. Yet both my Pokémon and I persevered, and now we were one match away from facing my long-time rival in the finals.
However, there was one obstacle that stood in my way to that climactic battle. First, I had to defeat my own brother. Despite the fact that I had nearly six more years of experience on his, the young 13-year-old had managed to win his way to the semifinals of this yearly tournament. I grinned as I heard the announcer begin to pump up the crowd for this match. The brother versus brother story had been hyped up by the tourney sponsors when they realized David and I were related and it sounded like a pretty large crowd had turned out, although the semifinal of the state tournament is a pretty big attraction by itself. I know my parents would have trouble picking sides, but I could guarantee one thing; they were in for one heckuva battle.
"And now, the older brother of David, please welcome Daniel into the arena!" yelled the announcer and I stepped through the tunnel to the roaring applause of the crowd. The stadium was rocking and I acknowledged the crowd with a wave, then took my spot in the trainers box. I looked across the battleground to see my younger brother in position already. He shot me a cheeky grin and pointed. I followed his finger and saw where my parents and my little sister were sitting. Melissa was more into contests than battling, which is why she didn't participate in this tournament, but then again, none of us saw my little brother making it this far either. Last year I had lost in the quarterfinals to my rival and he constantly reminded me about it throughout the weeks leading up to this tournament. It was good natured banter, but I used it as fuel for the fire when training and was confident that I could take Noah in a battle. First things first though…
"You wanna start with the Water types this time?" David called.
"Why not?" I replied, plucking a blue and brown Pokéball off my belt. I colored my Pokéballs out of boredom and because it was easier to identify which Pokéball was which. "Swampert, I choose you!"
"Blastoise, let's do this!" On my side of the field, a huge cobalt blue-colored body with two orange gills protruding from round patches on its cheeks appeared. Swampert gave out a loud cry as it prepared for battle. On my brother's side, a large, bipedal, blue tortoise-like Pokémon with a tough brown shell and two powerful water cannons jutting out of the top of the shell appeared. The giant video screen flashed, showing both David's and my pictures and within the twelve bubbles total that were next to our photos Blastoise and Swampert appeared respectively.
"Let the six on six battle between David and Daniel of Indian Head begin!" said the ref and waved his flag.
"Blastoise, Rain Dance!" David commanded. The Shellfish Pokémon seemed to smile and fired two light blue orbs from its cannons into the sky. Shortly after that, black clouds covered the sky and rain began pouring down. The Alakazam in charge of protecting the crowd from any stray attacks began channeling their psychic energy into keeping the spectators dry, creating a psychic umbrella over the crowd, which left David, the ref, and myself the only ones getting soaked.
"You think his Hydro Pump needs a boost?" I asked grinning as water dripped off the brim of my hat.
"Every bit counts," David shot back, "Blastoise, use Surf!" Blastoise roared and stomped the ground, which caused a giant wave to appear and begin bearing down on Swampert.
"Protect!" I called, not too concerned. A green force field appeared around Swampert as the wave crashed down around Swampert. Once the field drained a little, the Mud Fish Pokémon looked unharmed.
"Blastoise, use Hydro Pump!"
"Dodge, then use Mud Shot!" Swampert leaned to the side, allowing the intense jet of water to pass by and fired several brown shots of mud, which connected with the Shellfish Pokémon. Blastoise just wiped the mud away and glared at my Swampert. "Now Swampert, Hammer Arm!"
"Blastoise, use Earthquake!" Blastoise stomped the ground and the battlefield began to shake violently, stopping Swampert in his tracks. To my shock, Swampert began to sink into the ground, sinking nearly two-thirds of the way into the ground.
"Swam, Swampert Swam!" my Pokémon yelled in surprised, struggling to get free.
"Come on Daniel, don't tell me you've forgotten your old Earth Science classes," David said to me, "This is the result of liquefaction, how an earthquake messes up wet ground."
"I know what it is!" I snapped, "Come on Swampert, you can get out of that mess!"
"Blastoise, Hydro Pump!" I swore quietly as the stream of water hit my Pokémon full in the face. "Don't let up Blastoise, keep pouring it on!"
"Buy some time with Protect!" I yelled, grasping for an idea. Thankfully, Swampert put up the shield and I lamented my decision not to teach Swampert Dig.
"Break through that Protect with Skull Bash!" Blastoise began charging towards Swampert, its head glowing slightly.
'I've got to get Swampert out, but how?' I thought to myself, as Blastoise bounced off the Protect. After that hit, the force field faded and Swampert was exposed. 'I got it!' "Swampert, use Aqua Tail to get out of there!"
"Skull Bash again, before it can get out!" It was a race against time, as Swampert ignored the charging Shellfish Pokémon and squirmed in its confinement. I found myself holding my breath in anticipation. Then, in an explosion of water and dirt, Swampert burst out of the ground, its tail covered in the essence of the attack. However, Blastoise arrived at the same time and knocked my Swampert back, though Swampert remained on its feet.
"Mud Shot!" I yelled quickly and Blastoise was knocked back by the ferocity of the attack. "Now use Hammer Arm!" Swampert shot through the mud field that was the battlefield with surprising speed to one unfamiliar with the Mud Fish species and connected solidly with Blastoise's gut. It was send skidding back in from of its trainer, who was smiling. I returned the smile, enjoying the adrenaline rush one gets from an exciting battle.
"Nice job Dan, using the mud on the field to help Swampert's speed. I know how much it loves to play in the mud," David said, "But I also know how much you prefer close combat to long range duels, which is how I'm going to win this battle. Blastoise, Hydro Pump!"
"Duck and use your own Hydro Pump!"
"Hit the deck Blastoise!" Both shots missed and gave the Alakazam protecting the spectators another problem to worry about.
"Circle Blastoise with Ice Beam!" I ordered. Swampert fired the light blue beam, not to hit Blastoise, but the ground to the front and side of the Shellfish Pokémon. It worked beautifully and Blastoise was now unable to maneuver quickly. "Now use Hammer Arm and Aqua Tail in your triple C!" Swampert charged forward, using the mud to gain momentum and hit the ice sliding, its glowing arm knocking Blastoise back off its feet. Swampert then spun, quickly moving into a barrage of Hammer Arms and Aqua Tails.
"Into your shell Blastoise!" David ordered quickly. Blastoise withdrew its limbs and bunkered down, literally. Swampert continued to pummel the shell, which I knew was getting to Blastoise in there, even if not as badly as it could have been.
"Alright Swampert, fling Blastoise into the air and finish it off with one last Hammer Arm!" I yelled, sensing victory was near. Swampert grabbed Blastoise's shell and launched him into the air. It then prepared its attack, readying a glowing white arm.
"Big mistake big brother," David called, "Blastoise, Hydro Pump!" The cannons on Blastoise's back popped out of its shell and launched another powerful stream of water, catching Swampert off guard. The force from the cannons sent Blastoise even higher into the air. "Now use Skull Bash to finish this!" Blastoise finally came out of its shell and began to fall headfirst, its skull glowing white as well.
"Protect!" I called, amazed at the sudden turn of events. Swampert wiped the water off of its face and put up the green force field once again. It would be Blastoise's offense versus Swampert's defense and at the speed Blastoise was descending, I wasn't sure who would win. Finally, Blastoise hit the shield and to my dismay, the sheer force of the Skull Bash combined with the extra high shattered the shield and struck Swampert head on. My Pokémon was thrown back and it collapsed, knocked out.
"Swampert is unable to battle, Blastoise wins!" The referee yelled, waving his flag. I was stunned. Then I pulled out Swampert's Pokéball and recalled the unconscious Mud Fish Pokémon.
"You did your best, Swampert, I'm proud of you," I said as I replaced the Pokéball in its usual spot.
"Blastoise, return, I'll need you later," I heard my brother say.
"Nice job," I complimented him, "But don't let it go to your head."
"You're on upset alert bro," he replied, smiling, "and I'm the crowd favorite. Listen."
Sure enough, the crowd was going nuts at David's first round victory.
"Looks like David is off to a good start, claiming the first victory of the battle," the announcer said into his microphone, "And judging from the intensity of this battle, we're in for a great show!" That was the first time I actually made out what the announcer said. I was aware of him giving color commentary throughout the battle, but I didn't spare him any attention and therefore didn't know what he was saying throughout this round.
"That's out of pity for being the little brother," I shot back.
"Let's see you say that after I beat you," David countered, "Grass types?"
"Fine, but we use our Dragon types after this," I answered, grabbing the green Pokéball off my belt. "Let's go Sceptile!" A bipedal green lizard-like Pokémon with six yellow seeds on its back, two razor sharp leaves on each arm, and a palm tree branch like tail appeared, ready for battle. "Sceptile, we're facing my brother, be careful, he's a tricky one." Sceptile nodded and faced David.
"Venusaur, let's make it two in a row!" A large, quadruped blue dinosaur with large red flower with six expansive, white-spotted petals, supported on a brown trunk somewhat like that of a palm tree on its back materialized out of the Pokéball David threw.
"Saur!" it cried, announcing its challenge to the arena. Sceptile just grunted and crouched, ready to move with lightning speed.
"First things first," David said nonchalantly, "Venusaur, use Sunny Day!"
"Finally," I said, "Now my clothes can start to dry out." Venusaur created an orange ball of energy in its flower, then fired it up into the cloudy skies. After a few seconds, the clouds dissolved, the rain ceasing to fall, and the sunlight brightened considerably, creating a warm feeling on the battle field. The Alakazam dropped their psychic umbrella and went back to their posts, ready to stop any stray attack from hitting the crowd.
"Venusaur versus Sceptile, begin!" the ref shouted.
"Venusaur, Razor Leaf!" The Seed Pokémon launched several sharp leaves at high speed toward my Sceptile.
"Dodge it," I commanded. Using the speed that blessed its species, Sceptile easily avoided the attack. "Now use your own Razor Leaf!" With a flick of its hand, Sceptile created several leaves of its own in its hand and with another flick flung them in a ninja-throwing-star like motion towards Venusaur. Venusaur simply took the attack head on, looking fine.
"I didn't know Sceptile could learn Razor Leaf," David said.
"They usually can't," I admitted, "But my Sceptile seems to be the exception. He's known that attack since he was a Treecko. I'm not complaining, it's a nifty long range move that's caught many an opponent off guard."
"Yeah, well you probably know that it won't work well against a Grass and Poison type."
"It's my way of saying that I'm done warming up and it's time to get serious. Sceptile, Dragon Claw!" Sceptile's hands glowed red as it charged towards the Seed Pokémon.
"Venusaur, Solarbeam!" David commanded. Venusaur gathered solar energy quickly due to the bright sunlight and fired a powerful beam towards the Forest Pokémon charging towards it.
"Duck!" I yelled as Venusaur fired. Sceptile lost a few leaves off its tail from the close call, but other than that, he managed to avoid the Solarbeam. "Now strike!" Sceptile's claws had never lost its red glow and it slashed Venusaur, making it flinch a little at the pain.
"Use Strength to knock it back!" Venusaur became surrounded in a faint white aura and charged towards Sceptile.
"Roll with the blow, then begin charging an Energy Ball!" I ordered. Sceptile complied and took minimal damage from the Strength attack, then created a green ball of pure energy in its hands. The seeds on Sceptile's back began glowing and the Energy Ball increased to a size larger than a normal Energy Ball.
"What's with the glow?" David asked.
"I'm taking advantage of the sunlight you so generously provided," I replied. "Sceptile is part plant, so he can use photosynthesis to generate energy, albeit not as efficiently as a Venusaur or a Bellossom. Sceptile and I trained so that he can use the sunlight to make his Energy Ball attack more powerful, sort of like a Solarbeam, but not actually learning the attack."
"Nice," David said appreciatively, "I might try that sometime. First off, Venusaur, block that Energy Ball with a Solarbeam, then follow with Razor Leaf!" The Solarbeam and Energy Ball attacks collided, creating an explosion. Then several leaves came through and struck Sceptile, knocking it backwards a little.
"Alright, Sceptile, use Razor Leaf to get close, then unleash your Iron Blade Close Combat Combo!" I yelled. Sceptile began to advance, throwing several leaves at Venusaur, using them as more cover than damage. Using its impressive speed, Sceptile reached Venusaur and began to attack with combinations of Leaf Blade and Iron Tail. With a long green blade protruding from each arm and a silver tail, Sceptile was quite the fearsome sight. The attacks were swift and powerful. Years of training had gone to perfecting this combination, a variation of Close Combat that I was rather fond of. Five out of my six Pokémon had variations of a Close Combat, despite only one actually knowing the move. Memories of long summer days spent trying to achieve such combinations flashed through my mind, and I smiled, knowing that it was all leading up to the final battle with my rival.
"Venusaur!" David called desperately, "Use Strength to knock Sceptile back!" Sceptile leapt, flipped in the air, and met Venusaur's attack with an Iron Tail. The two Grass type Pokémon struggled for a bit, then Sceptile was thrown back due to Venusaur having the ground to brace against. "Now use Petal Seed!"
"Petal Seed?" I wondered aloud, "Sceptile, on your guard! They're up to something." I could see the petals forming inside Venusaur's flower, but I couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. The Petal Dance fired, pink petals swirling about in an unpredictable pattern towards Sceptile. "Use Razor Leaf to cut through the petals!" But as many as Sceptile sliced apart with pinpoint accuracy, three more petals took its place. Soon Sceptile was blanketed by pink petals, which would have looked almost comical if it weren't for the fact that vines were sprouting from the petals and wrapping Sceptile even more tightly. Sceptile let out a cry as the vines began to sap his energy and send it to Venusaur.
"Like my combo?" my little brother asked, smiling, "Venusaur put a Leech Seed on each of the petals and now Sceptile is helpless."
"It isn't over yet," I shot back, my mind running faster than a Speed Form Deoxys. "Sceptile, use Leaf Blade to get out!" Sceptile's form stopped struggling madly against the suffocating attacks, then two long, curved, green blades shot out and began to cut away the combination attack.
David gaped. "Nobody's ever escaped it before."
"First time for everything," I said cheerfully as with a roar, Sceptile broke free completely from the vines and petals. "Now Sceptile, use Aerial Ace!" Sceptile charged towards Venusaur almost faster than the eye could follow, with white streaks of energy surrounding its body. The blow Sceptile struck was enough to knock the heavy Seed Pokemon onto its back, where it slowly rolled over back onto its legs in a daze. "Finish it with Iron Tail!" Sceptile leapt into the air, its tail turned silver, and began to descend, flipping into a final blow.
"Venusaur, Solarbeam!" David cried, trying to take back the initiative. Venusaur gathered the energy, but had lost track of Sceptile and was taken by surprise when the Iron Tail hit with a long 'clang'. The Solarbeam fired harmlessly into the sky, accompanied by the sound of Venusaur collapsing to the ground in a heap. "No!"
"Nice job Sceptile!" I yelled in victory as the crowd went nuts.
"Venusaur is unable to battle, the victor is Sceptile!" The referee announced. I grinned at David, whose frustration at losing a battle he thought he had won was showing.
"Told you I was getting serious," I said, pulling out Sceptile's Pokéball and recalling the Forest Pokemon, which made his picture of the video screen fade to gray.
David recalled his fallen Venusaur and grabbed another Pokéball as Venusaur's picture faded to black on the screen.
"Grr… I'll show you who's better. Charizard, let's go!" A large, orange, dragon-like Pokémon with a flaming tail and powerful wings formed from the Pokéball and it roared a loud challenge when it saw me, sending a strong Flamethrower into the sky.
I rolled my eyes at his challenge. "I said we were using Dragon types, not Fire types."
"I changed my mind."
That got another rolling of the eyes from me as I grabbed a red and brown Pokéball from my belt. "You're just doing that to annoy me."
"And it's working."
"Sure. Come on out Blaziken, it's time for battle!" Mostly red in coloration, with accentuations of beige, yellow, and gray, and long, beige-colored, hair like feathers extending behind its head, continuing downward to envelop some of its chest and abdomen, Blaziken, my first Pokémon, materialized from its colored Pokéball. I remembered receiving the Torchic egg when I was 10, remember when it first hatched. Years of tender care and training made Torchic (who when first hatched was no bigger than some of those non-Pokémon creatures, I think they're called chicks, maybe baby chickens) into my strongest Pokémon, the Blaze Pokémon standing in front of me. Blaziken's wrists flared into action when he saw the Charizard standing on the far side of the battlefield. Blaziken looked at me with questioning eyes as his and Charizard's pictures appeared on the video screen.
"Blaze, Blaziken Blaze?" he asked. (Translation: Is that really your brother over there?)
"Yes, partner, it is. We have to beat him in order to battle Noah, and I know how much you want that rematch with his Infernape," I answered.
"Blaziken Blaze," Blaziken answered (You know me well), and turned back to face Charizard.
"Charizard versus Blaziken, ready, begin!" The ref yelled.
"Charizard, Flamethrower!" The Flame Pokémon opened its mouth and shot an intense stream of fire at Blaziken. I merely snapped my fingers as a command. Blaziken leaped up into the sky using its powerful legs and came down using Blaze Kick. The attack connected with the surprised Charizard, who seemed to expect me to yell my command. Blaziken backed off as Charizard shook its head to clear the cobwebs created by Blaziken's signature attack.
"Come on David, let's see how well you can test the bond between me and my first Pokémon," I challenged.
David snorted. "That was corny and you know it."
"Whatever entertains the masses. Fire," I said. Blaziken shot a Flamethrower at Charizard.
"Into the sky!" David yelled, and Charizard soared over Blaziken's second attack. "Now time for some Molten Rock!"
I chuckled. "I know that combo well; I helped you come up with it. Blaziken, use Flare Blitz to knock away the attack." Blaziken cloaked itself in bright orange flames and crouched, ready for Charizard's next move. He didn't have to wait for long.
"Just because you helped me perfect it doesn't mean you can stop it," David taunted. Charizard began with a Rock Slide, which summoned several boulders into the sky and they began falling towards the flame-covered Pokémon below. Charizard shot the boulders with a Flamethrower and the boulders melted. Now it was globs of lava hurtling towards Blaziken. Blaziken stood there calmly, waiting for my signal. When I snapped my fingers again, Blaziken launched himself towards the closest lava blob and sent it crashing into another blob. Blaziken landed and the Molten Rock attack landed all around Blaziken, but not on him.
"I just had to stop enough of it," I said simply, "Why waste energy stopping the entire attack when you can simply create a safe zone and avoid the rest of the attack?"
David growled. "Charizard, use Blast Burn!" Blaziken and I were in sync and as Charizard created a white hot ball of fire in its mouth, Blaziken crouched as I readied my fingers. When Charizard fired the fireball, which was almost too bright to look at, I snapped and Blaziken leaped again. Then with horror, I realized that Charizard hadn't fired at the ground, but at where Blaziken was leaping. Blaziken let out a cry of shock as he realized the same thing, but had no other time to do anything else before the attack hit him. The explosion was enormous, and then I saw Blaziken come flying out of the smoke cloud, landing with a solid thud in front of me. On the other side, I saw Charizard land, breathing heavily as the recoil from the attack required a quick rest from the Flame Pokémon. I saw David grinning.
"Come on partner, it's going to take more than one measly Blast Burn to take you out," I said encouragingly as Blaziken struggled to its feet. 'I think that direct hit might have taken more out of Blaziken than I'd like. He's definitely trained Charizard well,' I thought.
Blaziken stood up tall and glanced back at me. "Blaze, ken Blaziken, ziken ken." (You got that right. Let's do this!)
"That's the spirit," I replied, "Shadow Claw, let's go." Blaziken put his hands out to the sides as dark purple energy surrounded his hands, the energy manifesting itself into three long intimidating claws on each hand. With a roar, Blaziken charged Charizard, who was still breathing heavily.
"Come on Charizard, counter with Dragon Claw!" David ordered. Charizard brightened a little, then raised its hands, a green aura appearing around them. Charizard swung at Blaziken, who blocked one attack, struck with the other Shadow Claw, only to find that attack blocked by Charizard's other hand. The two Fire types struggled against each other, trying to break through the other's defenses.
"What an amazing battle!" I was aware of the announcer yelling, "This is a clash of the Fire titans!"
"Charizard, use Flamethrower!" David yelled.
"You too Blaziken!" I commanded. The two attacks, fired at such close range, created a small explosion that knocked both Pokémon back.
"Aerial Ace!" David yelled. Charizard came flying out of the smoke at high speed, white streaks of energy surrounding the Flame Pokémon.
"Flare Blitz!" I called. Blaziken cloaked itself in flame and flung itself at the oncoming Charizard. The two attacks met again and again, both Pokémon were flung back.
"Fly up Charizard, use Rock Slide!" I could see the Flame Pokémon soaring towards the sun, and then rocks came crashing down out of the glare of the sun. I grinned, then whistled three particular notes. Blaziken leaped and used the rocks as stepping stones to leap up towards Charizard. Blaziken's fists began to glow as it neared Charizard, who began to back away. It didn't back away quickly enough, as with one powerful leap, Blaziken delivered a nasty Sky Uppercut directly to Charizard's chin. Charizard's head snapped back, which opened another opportunity for Blaziken. Blaziken flipped in the air and brought a Blaze Kick down onto Charizard's poor head. The Fire/Flying type dropped like a rock while Blaziken used the momentum from the kick to propel himself higher into the sky.
"Come one Charizard, use Flamethrower!" David called. To my surprise, Charizard opened its maw and flames came spewing out. Blaziken, having no flight capabilities whatsoever, took a direct hit, which, while it did damage, slowed his descent to the point where Blaziken landed lightly, albeit breathing heavily. Charizard fared no better, and in fact seemed to be in worse shape.
"Nice work Blaziken," I said, "You'll be getting a little rest once we knock out Charizard."
"Blaze… iken… bla-bla ken," Blaziken replied (I just need to catch my breath).
"Once we beat Charizard you can catch your breath in your Pokéball."
"Blaziken, ken blaze blaze." (I think he's already beat. Look) Charizard had sank to all fours, its wings drooping in exhaustion as it fought to stay conscious.
"Get up Charizard, I know you're tougher than that!" David yelled, trying to galvanize the Flame Pokémon into action. Suddenly, the flame on Charizard's tail flared and grew much larger, until it looked like a large fireball was attached to Charizard's tail. A red aura surrounded Charizard's body and it slowly stood up, a dangerous gleam in its eye.
"Aww crap," I groaned, "What a time for Blaze to activate."
"This battle ain't over yet," David called with a smile, "Charizard, show him your true power with Flamethrower!" If I'd thought Charizard's Flamethrower's were powerful before, the Flamethrower that was speeding towards my Pokémon made the previous Flamethrowers look like an Ember attack. Both Blaziken and I had to move out of the way, and even the Alakazam protecting the spectators had a bit of trouble deflecting the Flamethrower away.
"That's some serious firepower," I commented, "Keep your composure Blaziken. Just because Charizard's attacks are stronger doesn't mean we can't beat it. Sky Uppercut, let's go!" Blaziken let out a battle cry and ran towards Charizard, fists glowing.
"Block with Dragon Claw again!" David ordered. White fists met green claws and sparks flew as once again, the two fire type Pokémon struggled to overpower the other.
"What unbelievable power!" I was aware of the announcer yelling.
"Charizard, use Blast Burn, full power!"
"Blaziken, let's try out our Solar Flare!"
"Solar Flare?" my little brother asked, looking perplexed, "You've been watching too much Dragonball Z bro." Charizard began gathering energy in its mouth and I knew without a doubt that if that attack hit Blaziken, Blaziken wouldn't stand a chance.
"I was inspired by the show, since it has its usefulness," I answered, trying to maintain an air of calm, which was tough since my Pokémon was staring at a growing fireball that would cause serious injury, "You'll see what it does." 'If it works,' I added mentally.
The hair-like feathers on Blaziken's head began to glow, collecting energy from the sun in preparation for the improvised attack. Blaziken formed a ball of energy in its mouth and fired, which created a bright flash, blinding anyone who was looking directly at it but doing no damage whatsoever. I had averted my eyes and so didn't suffer from the flash. Charizard on the other hand, had gotten the full blast of light and roared, unable to see. The Blast Burn that had been gathering in its mouth fired harmlessly into the sky and exploded with the force that could be compared to a nuclear bomb. The stadium shook from the force of the powered up attack and a wave of heat washed over the arena. The important part was the Blaziken hadn't been hit by the attack. Charizard staggered about, roaring and rubbing its eyes, trying to wipe the stars from its sight.
"What the-" I heard David say, and I chuckled, pleased that my attack had worked perfectly.
"Blaziken, Blaze Uppercut Close Combat Combo, NOW!" I yelled. With glowing fists and flaming feet, the Blaze Pokémon began to punch and kick Charizard quickly and repeatedly. Finally, Blaziken crouched, then sprang, using the full power of its legs to spring into one last Sky Uppercut, which sent Charizard flying backwards. Blaziken landed gracefully on my side of the field while Charizard crashed in a heap, the fire on its tail returning back to its normal size.
"Charizard is unable to battle, the winner is Blaziken!" The referee announced, lifting his flag.
"Nice job partner," I said as Blaziken approached me.
He gave me the Blaziken equivalent of a grin. "Blaziken blaze blaze." (We're the best team here)
"Yeah, but you need a rest too. As good as we are as a team, we still have limits." I took out Blaziken's Pokéball and pointed it at my first Pokémon. "I'll be needing you later, get a good rest." As I replaced his ball on my belt, I looked across at David, who was cradling Charizard's head. He then recalled the fallen Flame Pokémon and returned to the trainer box.
"Your first Pokémon beat my first Pokémon. Go figure," David said.
"I've got six years more experience as a trainer than you," I said. "It's almost to be expected, although you nearly pulled it off there. I'm impressed at Charizard's power."
"Thanks. But what was that Solar Flare attack? That came out of nowhere!"
I laughed. "It happened quite by accident. Blaziken and I were practicing his Solarbeam when the sun went behind the clouds. Rather than finish charging the attack, Blaziken tried firing using the little energy he had. The result was a lot of light, but very little damage done to the target. That gave me the idea to try and make the attack into a pseudo-smokescreen, but instead of smoke, we use light. I borrowed the name from Dragonball simply because it sounded cool. Hence, the Solar Flare attack brought to life." I heard a few chuckles from the crowd once I finished my explanation.
David laughed as well. "You do watch too much Dragonball Z."
"It's a great show. Better than many of the newer cartoons nowadays."
"I'll give you that," David said, "But when you start mimicking the attacks from the show, you have a problem."
"Oh shut up you knucklehead," I said, pulling a navy blue and sky blue striped Pokéball, another custom paint job. "Salamence, time for battle!" A blue quadruped dragon with red wings and a grey belly appeared with a roar.
David grabbed a Pokéball. "Fine, but remember, you asked for it. Dragonite, let's go!" A bulky orange bipedal dragon with green wings materialized. It let out a nonchalant grunt at Salamence, who answered with another roar.
"Dragonite versus Salamence, begin!" the referee yelled, waving his flag.
"Salamence, Flamethrower!" I ordered.
"You too Dragonite!" The fire attacks met at midfield and created a miniature firestorm before dying out quickly.
"Aerial Ace from above!"
"Dragonite, don't let it get above you! Use Aerial Ace as well" The two dragon types took off, surrounded by white streaks, each trying to get above the other. Finally, the two seemed to be specks in the sky. I saw the two specks collide, then begin to fall as one speck. As they descended, I began to make out the two dragons biting and clawing at each other, both using Dragon Claw. When they neared the ground they separated and returned to their respective trainers. I noticed Salamence's fangs were crackling with electricity.
"You used Thunder Fang up there, didn't you?" I asked Salamence accusingly. Salamence just grinned at me and growled. "Yeah, I get it, you're excited for battle, and while I appreciate your willingness to think on your wings, let's keep this battle from turning into a brawl." Salamence just chuffed and took off again, hovering a few feet above the ground.
"Dragonite, use Thunderbolt!" I heard David yell. From Dragonite's antennae came a powerful bolt of electricity. Salamence rolled and began to climb.
"Let's try to keep this aerial battle under a thousand feet," I called to David, who nodded in agreement. "Salamence, Dragon Breath!" Salamence reared its head back, inhaling deeply, then it released a stream of green fire towards Dragonite, who dodged it with an agility that was rather impressive, despite its bulk.
"Dragonite, use Outrage!" David called.
'Oh boy, he's pulling out all the stops in this one,' I thought, then began to order a counter attack. "Salamence, intercept with Aqua Tail."
Dragonite began to glow with a red aura, then it charged forward towards Salamence. Salamence's tail was covered with streams of water and Salamence twisted in the air, swinging its tail to knock Dragonite back. Much to my surprise, Dragonite grinned, then caught Salamence's tail. Salamence let out a yelp of surprise, then a roar of agony as Dragonite threw Salamence towards the ground. Still highlighted by a red aura, Dragonite flew down and began to attack Salamence viciously, punch, kicking, biting, anything to inflict damage. Salamence roared in pain at each attack.
"Salamence, use Dragon Claw to defend yourself!" I yelled. Salamence's claws glowed green, and when Dragonite paused, Salamence struck and knocked Dragonite back. Salamence was breathing wearily, wings drooping a little, and if Outrage continued, I didn't think Salamence would last. Then, a break came my way. The red aura around Dragonite faded and Dragonite began to stagger about.
"No, it's confused!" David cried.
"Best news I've heard this battle," I said, grinning, "Salamence, Dragon Claw again!" Salamence flared its wings, took flight again, and slashed Dragonite right upside its head.
"Dragonite, use Ice Beam!" Dragonite instead fired a Flamethrower into the sky. "Come on Dragonite!"
"Salamence, Dragon Breath, full power!" I ordered. Salamence roared, then shot a large green flame which sent Dragonite flying back to David. It was still for a moment.
"Dragonite is unable to battle," the ref began, but a sudden glow from Dragonite halted the rest of the statement.
"What the-" I said in surprise. It wasn't a bright glow like evolution, but Dragonite had a certain shine to it. It sat up, then stood up, then roared with a ferocity that would have sent shivers up the bravest person's spine. David began to laugh.
"I didn't think this would happen, but of course you would bring out the best in my Pokémon," he said.
"What in the world is going on?" I asked. Dragonite glared at me and I had to quash a small urge to run.
"Dragonite, Tri-Beam!" David yelled. Dragonite opened its mouth to reveal swirling energy inside, of which I couldn't entirely make out.
"Salamence, Dragon Breath, full power again!" I shouted. Salamence shot more green fire towards Dragonite. Then Dragonite fired. The beam of energy was nothing like I'd ever seen. I saw fire, electricity and ice all swirling in the beam, but it was surrounding a white beam of energy, sort of like Tri Attack, but surrounding a Hyper Beam. The Tri-Beam went straight through Salamence's Dragon Breath and hit my Pokémon with a large explosion. I already knew what I was going to see when the smoke cleared, though some part of me desperately wished otherwise. Sure enough, when a breeze carried away the smoke, there was my Salamence, crackling with electricity, one wing frozen, one wing burned, and eyes closed.
"Salamence is unable to battle, Dragonite wins!" the referee yelled after making sure my Salamence wasn't going to get up glowing too. There was a stunned silence from the crowd, then the cheering started. I recalled my fallen dragon type and walked over to one of the Alakazam.
"Get my Pokémon to the Center immediately, please," I asked, "Salamence took a pretty hard hit there, he needs help now." The Alakazam nodded and grasping the Pokéball, it teleported out of the arena. I walked back to the trainer's box and looked at David and his Dragonite, which was still glowing slightly. "What is going on with your Dragonite?"
"I never really understood how it works," David said sheepishly, "But whenever Dragonite's health gets really low, he gets really mad and can use his three elemental attacks at once. That beam was a Flamethrower, Thunderbolt, and Ice Beam all rolled into one and easily ten times as powerful as one of them alone."
"And you got on my case for using Dragonball names," I said accusingly, "Yet what was it I heard go yell? A move that Tien thought of? What was it again?" I knew perfectly well what the name was, I was merely feigning ignorance to get under my little brother's skin.
"Yeah, yeah, I called it the Tri-Beam," David admitted, "Could you think of another name for it."
"I could, but I don't feel like thinking up a name right now."
"Whatever. Let's see if you have a Pokémon that can equal my Dragonite's power right now."
"Challenge accepted," I said, reaching for a Pokemon who I knew had the best chance to overcome Dragonite right now.
"Lucario, time for battle!" I yelled. A bipedal jackal-like Pokémon with spikes on the back of its forepaws and mostly blue and black fur, plus a creamy colored fur on its torso, materialized out of the silver and brown Pokéball I had thrown. It growled when it sensed Dragonite and its immense power.
"I'm going to stick with Dragonite while it's powered up," David said.
"Fine by me," I said, "Lucario, Dark Pulse!" Lucario put both its forepaws together, dark energy forming in front of the paws.
"Dragonite, Flamethrower!"
"Dodge, then fire!" Lucario dove to the side, avoiding the flames and launching the dark ball of energy at the same time.
"Dragonite, knock it back with Dragon Claw!" Dragonite slashed at the Dark Pulse with green claws and instead of knocking it back, the Dragon Claw merely obliterated the Dark Pulse. Dark energy splashed off the aura Dragonite was projecting, the sheer power of its rage preventing any damage. "I told you big brother, my Dragonite is practically invincible right now."
"Everything has their limits," I shot back, "Metal Claw, go!" The spikes on the back of Lucario's paws glowed silver, then extended into three claws each, eerily reminiscent of the infamous X-Man, Wolverine. Lucario charged towards Dragonite, dragging the Metal Claw along the ground to build up ever more power.
"Aerial Ace!" Dragonite charged towards Lucario, surrounded by white streaks of energy and faster than even Lucario could move, the Aerial Ace struck, knocking Lucario back. "Now use Thunderbolt!"
"Guard with Bone Rush!" I called. Lucario put its paws together, then brought them out, creating a blue bone shaped staff of energy. Lucario then planted the "staff" into the ground and used it as a lightning rod to avoid any damage.
"Nice," David said, "Let's see you do that with Dragonite's Ice Beam!" Dragonite fired a jagged light blue beam of energy, larger than a normal Ice Beam.
"I have a counter for that too," I said, "Ice Punch!" Lucario's right forepaw glowed with the same icy color as the Ice Beam and Lucario punched the incoming attack. The energy from the Ice Beam concentrated itself into the Ice Punch, and the only negative effect was Lucario's arm was frozen, which was easily fixed by a simple blow to the ice. The ice shattered and Lucario was fine.
"I knew it wasn't going to be easy to beat you," David growled, "But this is getting ridiculous! Dragonite, Aerial Ace!" Dragonite flew towards Lucario, once again surrounded by white streaks of energy.
"Lucario, block with Thunder Punch!" Lucario's left paw began to crackle with electricity and this time, my Pokémon managed to connect with Dragonite's attack. The two Pokémon struggled for a bit, then Lucario was flung back. It landed on its feet, growling.
David chuckled. "It's time to end this. Dragonite, use Dragon Claw!"
"Lucario, Thunder and Ice Close Combat!" I yelled. Lucario's left and right fists began to crackle and glow respectively and Lucario began to trade blows with Dragonite at intense speeds. "Keep it up Lucario!"
"Tri-Beam, now!" David called. Dragonite blocked a blow from Lucario's Ice Punch, then grabbed Lucario by the throat. While Lucario struggled wildly, Dragonite opened its mouth, energy collecting within.
"Lucario, use Aura Sphere to escape!" I yelled. Lucario stopped struggling, then put its paws behind him, aura energy gathering between. As Lucario tried to attack, Dragonite used a Dragon Claw to knock Lucario's hands away, sending the Aura Sphere flying away and giving the Alakazam protecting the crowd something to worry about.
"Finish it!" David yelled triumphantly.
"No! Lucario!" I cried. Dragonite fired the powerful beam and I heard Lucario scream. There was an explosion. Then Lucario's smoking form was thrown in front of me. Lucario was in one piece, but his fur was singed and smoking. A silence had fallen over the arena. The Steel/Fighting type was not moving.
"Lucario is unable to battle," the referee began, "Dragon-"
"Wait," I interrupted, "Look." A glow had appeared around Lucario's body. The Aura Pokémon groaned, then began to slowly push himself up.
"Very well, continue," the referee said and lowered his flag. Lucario pushed himself upright, then with a loud yell, announced his presence. A blue aura similar to that of a Super Saiyan appeared and Lucario glowered at Dragonite with bright blue eyes.
"What is that?" David said, recoiling in surprise.
I recognized what was happening right away, but I hadn't counted on it. After all, it was only the third time this had happened. "Just like your Dragonite gains a power when his health gets really low, my Lucario gains power when his health is really low. I call it Hyper Mode, since the blue aura reminds me of Metroid Prime."
"So basically, your Lucario is just as powerful as my Dragonite?"
"Pretty much."
"Why do you always have to one-up me?" David asked.
"Because I'm older" I answered, "Shall we continue?"
"Dragonite, Flamethrower!" Intense flames shot towards Lucario.
"Dodge." I said simply. With speed that would have rivaled even a Speed Form Deoxys, Lucario seemed to disappear and reappear a few yards to the side. "Bone Rush." The glowing staff grew in Lucario's fist again and the Aura Pokémon charged.
"Dragonite, use Dragon Claw!" The two attacks met, green claw versus blue staff, sparks flying for a moment, then Lucario spun, using Dragonite's force against him and struck with the bone. Dragonite roared and flew up.
"Dragonite, Aerial Ace!"
"Lucario, block with Metal Claw!" The two attacks collided, then Lucario again spun and used its boosted speed to land another attack.
"Dragon Claw!"
"Thunder and Ice Close Combat!" In a repeat of the earlier action, both Lucario and Dragonite were fighting at high speeds, but this time, Lucario had the upper hand. Dragonite was making sure he blocked the Ice Punch, but Lucario made sure that the Thunder Punch didn't miss much. With a roar, Dragonite finally broke away from the combat.
"Dragonite, fly up and use Tri-Beam, maximum power!" David yelled.
"Lucario, Aura Blast!" I commanded. Dragonite soared over everyone's heads and began charging his attack. Lucario began charging his attack, a glowing blue ball of aura energy growing within the Aura Pokémon's hands.
"Caaaaaarrrrr, iiiiiiiiiiiiii!" Lucario cried, "Arrrrrrrrrr, iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" (Translated: Kaaaaaaaa, meeeeeee, haaaaaaaa, meeeeeeeeeee)
"Dragonite, FIRE!" David yelled. With a earth-rattling roar, Dragonite launched the beam of energy towards my Pokémon.
"Lucario!" I shouted.
"Oooooooooooooooooo!" Lucario cried and fired an immense beam of aura energy up to meet the incoming Tri-Beam. (Translation: Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!)
The two attacks met in midair and the Aura Pokémon and Dragon Pokémon began a power struggle to try and overcome the others attack.
"You can do it Dragonite, give it all you got!" David yelled
"Hang in there Lucario, I know you can beat him!" I added encouragingly. The amount of energy from both Pokémon was enormous! The ground beneath my feet was shaking. Chunks from the ground were torn up and consumed as the two Pokémon fought. I shielded my face with my arms from the flying debris. There was a loud explosion and a ton of smoke. Once I heard no more rocks falling, I lowered my arms and peered through the smoke. I heard a thud that sounded like a body hitting the ground. There was a sudden breeze and I saw a Pidgeot blowing away the smoke with a mild Gust attack. The Pidgeot turned and flew back to the referee, who recalled the Bird Pokémon. To my surprise, both Lucario and Dragonite lay on the field unconscious. Then again, I shouldn't have been too surprised, given the amount of energy the two Pokémon had been putting out. The field was a wreck, alternating between gaping holes in the terrain and rubble strewn about anywhere.
"Both Dragonite and Lucario are unable to battle," the referee began, then paused, looking at the fallen Pokémon expectantly, wondering if they were going to get up. After a brief moment, he continued, "The result is a draw! We will take a brief 10 minute intermission to fix the battlefield, then the battle will resume. Trainers, please return to the waiting rooms and we will call for you when ready."
Normally I would have advocated for continuing the battle, since the terrain is a factor that any trainer has to prepare for, but I was willing to make an exception for this time, since the display of power from both my Pokémon and my brother's Pokémon was almost impossible to believe had I not seen it in front of my very eyes. I recalled my Lucario back into his silver and brown ball and began to walk back to the entrance. Already, I could see the grounds crew and their Pokémon getting to work on the battlefield. I went over the score so far. I had three Pokémon left, one at full health. My brother also had three Pokémon left but he had two at full health. By that count, he was winning. However, I hadn't come this far to lose and while both Sceptile and Blaziken had been weakened by their previous battles, I was certain that their determination would make up for that. I knew my little brother had at least one of his two Ice types with him, which gave me a slight type advantage there, but in a Pokémon battle as intense as this one, one slip-up could turn the tide of the battle. I sat down on the bench inside the waiting room, where a TV over in the corner replayed highlights of our battle so far, spending a lot of time on the most recent round between Lucario and Dragonite. I buried my head in my hands as I contemplated my next strategies. I figured I would lead with my healthy Pokémon, giving Sceptile and Blaziken as much time to rest as possible, but David could be unpredictable at times and may lead with another Pokémon and-
The door to the waiting room opened and my best friend, Caitlynn, walked in. She was a slender young woman with a Plusle and Minun on her shoulders, both partially covered by her brown hair.
"Hey there Daniel, you're doing a great job out there," she said when I looked up.
"Even though my little brother is fighting me tooth and nail," I said. Her Plusle and Minun jumped down from her shoulders as Caitlynn sat down next to me and they hopped into my own lap.
"Yes, but he's learned from the best."
"I only trained him for the first year. The rest he's done on his own."
"You're effectively his master. You can take him on. Besides, Noah's waiting for you in the final. You can't let your little brother fight your battle for you."
"You don't think I know that?" I snapped at her, my nerves already frayed. "I've had to put up with weeks of teasing from him because I lost to him last year. I've got to win, if only to restore my Pokémon's confidence in me…"
Caitlynn looked at me quizzically. "Do you really think your Pokémon have lost their confidence in you?"
"It was a horrible loss to him; I made some stupid mistakes simply because it was our first time fighting at such high stakes," I answered. "I know we've trained for this, but if my own brother is giving me fits, then how am I going to defeat Noah, who would've probably mopped the floor with David by now like he did with that other Trainer in the semis."
"Daniel, if your Pokémon had really lost faith in you after one lousy defeat, then there's no way you would have made it this far," Caitlynn said soothingly.
"It was a weaker field of Trainers this year."
Caitlynn made a noise of frustration. "Plusle, Minun, give this idiot a Thunder Wave to shock some sense into him." I couldn't fling the two little electric types out of my lap quickly enough and had to pick myself up off the floor from my legs giving out thanks to the electricity.
"What was that for?!"
"Because you're being stupid. If your Pokémon had given up on you, then they wouldn't listen to your commands. How else would Lucario have gone up against that insanely powerful Dragonite if he didn't trust you completely?"
"He's proud and powerful," I answered, grinning despite myself.
Caitlynn stood up and put her hands on her hips. "And he trusts you. Come on Dan! Any other Pokémon would have been scared stiff. Your Lucario was calm, cool, and collected because he knew you would lead him like the great Trainer you are!"
"I can think of several Pokémon that naturally challenge opponents stronger than themselves, especially a certain bird you caught."
"So what if my Swellow likes battling strong opponents? That's not my point!" Caitlynn said, her voice rising in volume. "You're one of the greatest Trainers that I know. Nobody else our age but Noah has even beaten you, and you've beaten him as many times as he's beaten you."
"Bah, there's always someone better."
"I don't count the Elite Four or the Champion. Besides, anyone else better than you have either years more experience or they train every single day. You do a lot of training, but you're not like those maniacs who compete in the Poke-Olympics who devote their entire lives to training. Daniel, you're a great Trainer, don't let anyone tell you otherwise." Caitlynn looked straight into my eyes, getting a little close. "I don't know why one loss has gotten you doubting yourself, but if you keep this attitude up, then Noah's already won. He teased you to get this doubt started and if you doubt yourself, then you're screwed." She leaned forward gave me a kiss on the cheek. "At least David will try in the finals." She motioned to her Pokémon and turned to walk out the door. Plusle and Minun gave me a look, then followed their Trainer to the door leading back to the stands.
"Caitlynn," I said quickly before she could shut the door.
My best friend paused. "What Daniel? You'll need to return to the field soon, make it quick, because I don't want to miss the rest of the battle trying to get back to my seat."
"Thanks." I said simply.
"What are best friends for?" she answered, "If they can't give you that kick in the butt to get moving."
"Exactly. I'll see you after I win this."
"Take your time, it's a great battle." With those parting words, the door clicked shut and I was alone again. Not long after that, I was called back out to the field. The grounds crew had done a fantastic job at restoring the field and I saw David entering the battleground at the same time.
"I hope you're ready, cause I'm not letting up!" David yelled.
"David," I said once the roar of the crowd had quieted enough, "You've got a lot to learn. It's going to take more than a few tricks to beat the one who helped you begin your journey. Call your next Pokémon, let's get this over with."
"Fine, Weavile, I'm counting on you!" A weasel-like Pokémon whose appearance also looks like that of a bluish-black bipedal feline, clad in a bright red crown, and collar, plus three claws on each paw appeared, ready for action.
I grabbed the pink and brown Pokéball off my belt and threw it. "Gallade, time for battle!" A thin Pokémon with a white lower half and green upper half, plus arm blades that could be extended to twice their normal length formed. It moved with grace and precision as it bowed to David before taking up a combat stance.
"Thank you for your patience," the referee said, "Now let the six on six battle between David and Daniel recommence. Gallade versus Weavile, begin!"
"Weavile, Ice Punch!" The claws of Weavile began glowing an icy blue and Weavile charged forward with a speed that rivaled my Sceptile.
"Gallade, Stone Edge Shield!" I ordered. Gallade put its arms up in a defensive position and sharp-edged stones began swirling around Gallade as fast as Weavile was moving. Weavile tried to strike, but was flung back by a barrage of stone.
"Weavile, try and find an opening. Use all your speed to get around Gallade!" David called. Weavile let out a cry and began to dart around Gallade, trying to find an opening.
"Alright, Gallade, strike now!" I commanded. The stone shield suddenly shot outward, catching a certain Ice type off guard. "Now, Close Combat Combo!" Gallade's arm blades extended and began glowing green as he charged with a Leaf Blade attack. After he struck the Sharp Claw Pokémon, the blades began glowing dark as Gallade used Night Slash as well. Gallade began to switch between the two attacks at random as he slashed Weavile repeatedly.
"Weavile, use Revenge!" David yelled. Weavile sprang back from the blows, its body glowing red, then Weavile charged and knocked my Gallade off its feet. "You know that Revenge-"
"Has twice the power when the user has just been hit, I know," I said, cutting him off, "I helped you teach Weavile that move, remember?"
"Just refreshing your memory. Now Weavile, use Dark Ball!"
"Get ready to knock whatever it is away with Psycho Cut," I said. Weavile was creating a purple and black ball that reminded me of a Shadow Ball, but this attack seemed darker than the normal Shadow Ball, if that even makes sense. Meanwhile, Gallade crouched in a defensive position, arm blades glowing pink in preparation. "What is that?"
"Attack!" David shouted and Weavile shot not one, but several of the Dark Balls at Gallade. Gallade spun, striking and dodging at the same time. Much to my surprise, the Dark Ball Gallade swung at overpowered the Psycho Cut and burst over Gallade with a minor explosion. More of the attacks began to knock Gallade back until Gallade finally hit the ground and let the remaining attacks soar harmlessly overheard.
"Was that another one of your cute little combinations?" I asked David as Gallade climbed back to his feet, breathing heavily.
David nodded. "It isn't cute, but it is simple. Weavile simply fuses a Dark Pulse and a Shadow Ball together, perfect for taking out Psychic types like Gallade."
"Well, your first mistake was not finishing off Gallade when you had the chance," I said, "because I'm finishing this. Gallade, Stone Edge!" More sharp edged stones began to fly around Gallade, the Gallade let out a battle yell and sent the rocks flying towards Weavile.
"Weavile, dodge it!" David yelled.
"Intercept Weavile, then use Close Combat!" I shouted. Gallade caught up to Weavile as it rolled to the side, the Stone Edge missing.
"Weavile, use Ice Punch!" David cried. Weavile tried to hit Gallade, but Gallade merely jumped over the attack, landed behind Weavile, and began a barrage of punches and kicks that to the naked eye seemed like a blur. Finally, Weavile was knocked back to David's feet. Gallade landed gracefully, still in his combat pose. Weavile struggled to its feet and staggered towards Gallade, growling.
"That's it Weavile, use Ice Punch again!" David said, grinning. Gallade studied his opponent for a moment, then bowed, turned, and began walking back to my side of the battlefield. Weavile continued to stagger after him for a moment, then the Sharp Claw Pokémon fell to the ground unconscious.
"Weavile is unable to battle, Gallade is the winner!" The referee announced. I turned and saw Caitlynn sitting right above the entrance I had walked through and I saw she was smiling. Her Plusle and Minun were cheering, creating little pom-poms out of sparks. They weren't the only ones celebrating. The crowd was letting me know that they were enjoying a great battle as well. I turned back to see that David had recalled Weavile and had already taken out another Pokéball.
"Nice," he conceded, "Let's see how you fare against my Luxray!" He threw the Pokéball and out came a blue lion-like Pokémon with a large black mane. The Gleam Eyes Pokémon growled as sparks began to crackle around its paws.
I grinned as I looked at the scoreboard, which had Gallade's picture colored and my other two remaining Pokémon, Blaziken and Sceptile were colored in gray. On David's part of the scoreboard, only Luxray was colored and Blastoise was highlighted in gray. The other dots around our pictures were completely black, indicating those Pokémon had been KO'd. "I think I'll manage. Let's keep it going Gallade!"
"Gallade versus Luxray, begin!" The referee said.
"Luxray, Thunderbolt!" Luxray growled, then launched a powerful bolt of lightning at Gallade.
"Spin, then use Psychic to redirect it!" I ordered. Gallade leaped into the air, eyes glowing blue. The blue light also appeared around the lightning bolt and it began to curve back towards Luxray.
"Dodge, then use Secret Power!" Luxray leaped to the side, then began to charge towards Gallade, surrounded by a white aura. Gallade was still descending and looked to me for orders. I froze for a second, as my memories flashed in my mind's eye.
"Infernape, use Dig!"
"Jump Blaziken!" The Blaze Pokémon leaped up over the Flame Pokémon's underground attack, flying sky high. The quarterfinal match had been going badly, as I was down five Pokémon while Noah had only lost two. I was confident we could pull it off though, since my first Pokémon was by far the strongest of my group.
My rival and friend, Noah, grinned at me. "I have you right where I want you. Infernape, Thunder Punch, then Close Combat!"
"Blaziken, Blaze Kick!" I said, worried. However, Infernape merely leaned to the side and hit Blaziken, paralyzing it at the same time. Then Infernape began to attack Blaziken over and over, until Blaziken was flung back and he landed at my feet, unconscious.
"Blaziken is unable to battle, Infernape wins and the match goes to Noah!" The referee announced, waving his flag. The crowd went nuts and I sank to my knees. I had made so many rookie mistakes, now I wasn't going to hear the end of this for a while. How could I have let my Pokémon down so badly? How could I-
Gallade's warning cry snapped me out of the reverie. What was in the past should stay in the past. I needed to focus on the present and worry about the future later. Caitlynn was right. I needed to stay positive and trust in my Pokémon. "Gallade, Psycho Cut!" Gallade nodded and, with glowing pink arm blades, twisted and struck at the Gleam Eyes Pokémon charging towards him. The two attacks collided with a sudden display of sparks, then the two Pokémon separated and put a few yards between them.
"Luxray, Iron Tail!" David ordered. Luxray's tail turned silver, the four pointed star on the end looking especially lethal. Luxray charged and jumped, spinning in the air to add extra force to the blow.
"Use Psychic to dodge!" I commanded. Gallade's eye began glowing blue again, then Gallade's body went flying into the air. "Now use Night Slash!" However, instead of Gallade's arm blades turning black, electrical energy began to spark across Gallade's frame. The Psychic lifting Gallade also faltered and the Blade Pokémon fell to earth. "How is it paralyzed?"
"Secret Power has an extra effect that varies with the terrain," David said.
"So in this instance, Secret Power paralyzed Gallade. Great," I groaned sarcastically, "Just what I needed."
"That's my line! Luxray, Thunderbolt!" As Gallade was still paralyzed, he could do nothing to dodge the lightning bolt that came his way. He took the attack silently though, bearing through the pain. After the attack, despite the electricity sparking across his frame, Gallade rose and regained his combat stance.
"Hang in there Gallade, use Close Combat!" Gallade ran towards Luxray and began a series of blows similar to what befell Weavile not too long before. As Gallade poised to deliver the final blow, the electricity returned and Gallade flinched, paralyzed again. "No!"
"Yes!" David said triumphantly, "Luxray, Thunder Crunch!" I saw Luxray's fangs glowing with dark energy as it bit down on Gallade's arm, which made Gallade grunt in pain. Then the Thunder part of the Thunder Crunch began, as I noted that Luxray used Discharge while still using Crunch. Gallade slumped momentarily from the pain, then stood up and began trying to pry Luxray's fangs off.
"Gallade, use Psycho Cut to knock Luxray off!" I ordered, trying to salvage at least a draw from this round, since I knew Gallade wouldn't last much longer.
"Luxray, finish with Hyper Beam!" Luxray released Gallade's arm as Gallade slashed at it with his other arm. The Psycho Cut missed and bit into the ground as Luxray began gathering energy in its mouth. Gallade put up its arm blades instinctively, trying desperately to block with a Psycho Cut as Luxray fired the orange beam of energy at point blank range. It looked for a second that Gallade might get through the attack, but then Luxray roared and increased the intensity of its attack somehow. Gallade was sent flying back and landed heavily. I sighed as I saw Gallade's unconscious form.
"Gallade is unable to battle, Luxray wins!" the referee said, waving his flag.
I recalled Gallade back to his Pokéball. "You did a great job. Leave the rest to Blaziken and Sceptile."
"Two Pokémon left," David noted with excitement.
"I know," I answered simply. I grabbed the brown and red Pokéball off my belt and kissed it for good luck. "I won't even need Sceptile. Come on out, partner, time for battle!" The Blaze Pokémon appeared in the flash of white light and let out a battle cry, wrists flaring and body ready to move.
"Let's keep it going Luxray!" David said and Luxray roared a challenge, claw sparking with electricity.
"Luxray versus Blaziken," the ref said, "Begin!"
"Flamethrower," I ordered.
"Thunderbolt!" The two attacks collided in midair, then the flames began to push the electricity back. Luxray let out a cry of surprise, then abandoned the attack to dodge the Flamethrower. The Flamethrower impacted against the ground and created a wall of smoke.
"Flame Uppercut Close Combat!" I commanded and snapped my finger at the same time. Luxray peered through the smoke, using its X-ray vision to see clearly. It let out a cry of surprise when it couldn't see Blaziken. A loud battle cry startled Luxray in time for it to look up and catch Blaziken's Blaze Kick right in the face. Blaziken continued the barrage of Sky Uppercuts and Blaze Kicks, then with one more battle yell, performed a roundhouse Blaze Kick to knock Luxray skidding back. It dug in its claws to regain traction and it let out a cry. Suddenly, flames engulfed the Gleam Eyes Pokémon, who roared in agony.
"It's burned!" David said in surprise.
"Finish with Flamethrower," I ordered. The stream of fire caught Luxray off guard and finally, the electric type fainted.
"Luxray is unable to battle, Blaziken wins!" the referee announced.
"You're finally getting serious, aren't you?" David asked.
"Shut up and bring out Blastoise. I want to finish this quickly," I said.
David recoiled from the intense tone in my voice. "Sheesh, someone's grumpy. Blastoise, I choose you!" The Shell Fish Pokémon materialized in front of David and let out a cry as it surveyed the battlefield.
"I got the wake-up call during the impromptu halftime. Blaziken, let's finish this quickly." Blaziken nodded and took up a combat stance.
"Blaziken versus Blastoise, begin!" the referee said.
"Blaziken, Sky Uppercut," I ordered. Blaziken charged i, closing the distance quickly.
"Blastoise, Hydro Pump! Don't let Blaziken get close!" David cried.
"Bob and weave," I said simply. Blaziken began to do just that, dodging the various streams of water flying towards it and steadily moving closer to Blastoise.
"Use Surf!" David yelled as Blaziken got within a few yards. I snapped my fingers as Blastoise stomped its foot, creating a giant wave that Blaziken barely leaped over.
"Blaze Kick," I ordered and Blaziken landed a devastating flaming kick to Blastoise's back, knocking it forward. "Sky Uppercut." As Blastoise climbed back to its feet, Blaziken leaped in front of the Shell Fish Pokémon and knocked Blastoise back off its feet again with his fist connecting to Blastoise's jaw.
"Blastoise, use Earthquake!" David shouted. I snapped my fingers again and Blaziken again leaped up into the sky, avoiding the shock wave Blastoise created by pounding its fists.
"Solarbeam," I called while Blaziken was still in the air. I could see Blaziken's "hair" turning white as he gathered energy. When he landed, his "hair" was painful to look at, it was so bright. "Fire." The powerful beam of energy shot out of Blaziken's beak towards Blastoise.
"Hydro Pump, max power!" David yelled. The jets of water combined together and met the Solarbeam attack head-on and thus began one last beam struggle. "Keep it up Blastoise! We can wear him down!"
"Give it your ALL!" I shouted and with a loud cry, Blaziken dug deep and added another surge of energy that caused the Solarbeam to cut through the Hydro Pump and hit Blastoise, creating another explosion that sent dust everywhere. The crowd grew silent as they waited for the dust to clear. There was an audible thud which sent up several gasps and as the dust cleared, I could see Blaziken standing triumphantly over Blastoise's fallen body.
"Blastoise is unable to battle, Blaziken wins, and the match goes to Daniel!" the referee yelled, which sent the crowd into a tizzy. I smiled as Blaziken returned to my side and we waved to the crowd. I caught Caitlynn's eye and she beamed at me. I looked over at my brother, who was cradling Blastoise's head. He had a quiet talk with his Pokémon before recalling it to its Pokéball. He walked over to me, that cheeky smile of his plastered on his face.
"Great job Dan," he said, "I'll be cheering for you in the finals."
"You did one hell of a job getting here to begin with," I replied, "You should be proud." And with that, we embraced for a brief moment before we were swept off the battlefield by the paparazzi, who seemed desperate to find out if I was going to tease David about this victory. Now that I had beaten David, it was time for me to face my rival, my toughest opponent yet. It was going to be a long battle, I knew that, but I was grateful that David had given me such a challenge, because now I knew I was ready, ready for anything Noah could throw at me. We had a day to prepare for the battle, which meant that in reality I had the morning to get ready for the battle, because the rest of the day was going to be spent with the media and attending the celebration party afterwards, made mandatory for both the finalists by some damn bureaucrat. The only consolation I salvaged was that Noah had to go through the same thing. Despite these annoyances, I couldn't keep from smiling as I endured the pressing questions. I had won.