Part 3: Double Axew Action
"Welcome to the Dragon Master Tournament in the Village of Dragons," Drayden said. "This will be a one-on-one single elimination battle with the winner receiving the prestigious Legend Badge. Good luck to ALL of you."
"And with that welcome," Freddy O'Martin said. "We can now begin the tournament with our first randomly selected battle."
The video screen shows all sixteen competitors and their match-ups. It then zooms in Iris and Erina.
"Yes, folks, it appears as if our first battle is between Hometown Hero Iris and the Nimbasa Newcomer Erina. What are your thoughts on this, Drayden?"
"Iris is from the village so she has a clear advantage in familiarity with dragons."
"Okay, Axew, use DRAGON RAGE…..Call a move!"
"…..Um…I can't – the only move it knows is Scratch."
As Erina hesitates, Axew's Dragon Rage makes a direct hit, knocking Erina out of the competition.
"Wow! This is EMBARASSING!" Freddie said.
"Were you an expert when you started out?" Drayden asked pointedly.
"Well…um…point taken. Now it's time for our second battle…"
"…And Focus Blast is a direct hit," Freddie said. "Knocking Deino out of the competition! Aaron and his Gabite are moving onto the next round! Bringing us to our competitors: The Pride of Pallet Town, Ash versus Aspiring Dragon Master Emmy! Who do you favor in this match-up?"
"Druddigon has both size and power on its side, but you cannot discount the determination of a small pokemon like Gible – especially against a larger opponent like Druddigon."
"Ready," Emmy asked.
"You bet."
"Just don't expect me to go easy on you because of your Gible's size."
"I wouldn't have it any other way! Gible use ROCK SMASH!"
"Take it Druddigon!"
"It's not doing any damage!"
"Now use PAYBACK!"
"And Payback hits hard," Freddy said dramatically.
"As it should – the move does double the damage taken," Drayden added.
"GIBLE," Ash shouted as his sole dragon type slammed into the arena wall.
It fell to the ground, but quickly recovered, much to Ash's relief: "Awesome, let's keep this up!"
"Don't let it," Emmy called. "Druddigon, use ROCK SLIDE!"
Druddigon lifts its hands in the air and several boulders fall from the sky trapping Gible…but then a bright light appeared in the rocks and the rubble was sent flying in all directions.
"Cool, Gible is evolving!"
Aaron, on the other hand, didn't look as thrilled.
"Yes, ladies and gentlemen," Freddie said. "It appears as if Ash's Gible has just evolved-"
"Into Gabite," Drayden continued.
He scans the newly evolved pokemon with his dex and smiled to himself.
"Okay, Gabite, show 'em what you can do with DRACO METEOR!"
"…And Druddigon is crushed by a cascade of falling meteors! What do you think of Ash's stunning come-from-behind victory?"
"It's impressive. Draco Meteor is not an easy move to teach – even veteran trainers have trouble teaching it to their pokemon."
"No," Ash said. "No trouble at all…Right, Gabite?"
"Gah…bite," it said knocking him to the ground with a friendly hug.
"…And that concludes our first round," Drayden intoned from the center of the field. "We will continue with our second round after a brief recess."
"Your Gible may have evolved," Aaron said retrieving his Gabite from Nurse Joy. "But I'm still winning this contest!"
Ash fumes for a moment before being comforted by his friends.
"You can't let him get him get to you," Iris said.
"She's right," Cilan added. "Getting worked up like that isn't healthy."
"However, your Gabite IS," Nurse Joy said as her Haxorus offered him a tray with his pokeball on it.