After watching Cyril and Marlowe's battle, Isabelle Stevens made her way down to the beach in order to reflect. The subject of her reflections? The utter sense of hopelessness that had filled her since watching those two trainers do battle. The sun set beautifully over the water as Isabelle sat in the soft, white sand. Vibrant hues of orange and red streaked across the sky. Her blue sundress fluttered around her ankles. Despite the light hearted grace of her surroundings, Isabelle felt as though the weight of the world was bearing down on her.
She had expected Marlowe to be fierce, his appearance suggested as much. But even that Cyril guy, who Isabelle had thought was a bit more gentile, was an absolute monster! How could she hope to compete? What was she even doing in this tournament? Isabelle found her own string of depressing thoughts despairingly familiar and began to feel even worse. Why was she like this? Why couldn't she just be strong? Isabelle thought back to the battle once more. The sight of mega Tyranitar rampaging on the field had taken her breath away, and filled her with envy. She had known power like that before, on a few fleeting occasions. What happened to it? Isabelle absentmindedly thumbed the ring on her right hand. An oddly colored jewel was set in its center. She closed her eyes and listened to the sound the crashing waves. Where had her strength gone?
Meanwhile…
David was sitting on the balcony of his hotel room, almost unaware of the gorgeous sunset splayed out in front of him. David didn't care much for the put doors, but he enjoyed the background noise of the ocean while he worked. Sitting at a small table on the balcony David typed away on his laptop. He had just putting the finishing touches on his strategy for the next battle and was now working on a little side project of his. Using a small toolkit he always kept with him, David had dissected the small radio he had appropriated from the goon he caught trying to vandalize the stadium.
Bits and pieces of metal, screws, and circuits littered the white tabletop. The main section of the radio lay stripped of all its parts next to David's laptop. David had planned to use the radio outright in order to mess with the delinquent, but the radio required fingerprint scan in order to operate. David was surprised when he first discovered it. Pretty high tech for such a bumbling fool to have. It didn't make sense until David attended that meeting earlier today. It was there that he learned Team Aqua may be on the island. After that it all made sense, and David became obsessed with cracking the radio. He didn't have any fantasies about heroism or being a vigilante. He just liked the challenge of hacking the tech. After a few more keystrokes the laptop was ready. David pulled out a compatible cord and connected the radio to his laptop. This was it, time to hear what Team Aqua was chattering about.
Back on the beach…
After getting sick of sitting around and moping, Isabelle decided to take a walk. To her right massive hotels lined the beach. Countless people meandered about, enjoying the warm sunset. To her left was empty beach. In the distance she spotted a small lighthouse sitting on an outcrop of rocks. Isabelle began to head for it. The beach reminded her of her hometown, Dewford. She would often stroll the beach at home when she wanted to be alone. The soft sand under her feet, the sound of waves in her ears, and the slight taste of salt in the air all had a calming effect on her.
Before she knew it, Isabelle was standing at the base of the small lighthouse. It was a simple structure, solid white and with no extra furnishings. Obviously a modern lighthouse, it reminded Isabelle of the one in Slateport. There was a small metal door at the base of the lighthouse. Isabelle checked the handle. Locked. She sighed. Not feeling much better, Isabelle decided it was time to head back. Maybe the festival would cheer her up. As she turned to leave there was a strange clicking noise to her right. Amongst the rocks to side of the lighthouse was a small cave Isabelle hadn't noticed before. Without warning a massive Kingler skittered out of the entrance, it's claws raised. Spotting Isabelle, the giant crab Pokémon made a beeline for her. In a panic Isabelle fumbled in her pocket and randomly threw out a poke ball.
Ampharos materialized in front of Isabelle just in time. The Kingler's giant pincer snapped down on Ampharos's shoulder and he let out a cry of pain. Isabelle was too shocked to issue a command. Luckily, Ampharos reacted. Rearing back, Ampgaros coated his arm in electricity and delivered a vicious Thunderpuch to the Kingler's under side. The Kingler released it's grip and slid back.
"Monster…" Thought Isabelle. "That thing is massive!
The Kingler raised up on its legs and snapped its giant claws.
"…and scary."
As if responding to the noise being made by the first Kingler, a second, equally enormous, Kingler appeared from within the cave. Isabelle's stomach dropped. Ampharos took a stance and growled dangerously. The two Kinglers began to slowly approach. Isabelle shook herself. She was a trainer! Her Pokémon needed her! Monster or not, she had a responsibility to her friend. Isabelle took a deep breath and readied herself.
Meanwhile…..again…..
THUNK…THUNK…..THUNK….THUNK! David's laptop rattled on the table as David lifted his head and let his forehead drop on the tabletop. THUNK! The young boy let out a small groan. Listening to the conversation between Team Aqua grunts over the radio was maddening. David could practically feel his brain cells dying as his laptop continued to relay the radio's audio feedback. David had not expected the grunts to be sophisticated in any manner, but the amount of senseless drivel that had been assaulting his eardrums over the past half hour had made him physically ill. He wanted so desperately to grab a dictionary, reach through the receiver, and attempt to physically beat some proper English into their thick skulls.
To make matters worse, none of the grunts had revealed anything remotely useful to David. Everything that came through the receiver was witless observation, crude humor, and general nonsensical chatter. If David heard one more disgusting sexual analogy he was certain he would throw himself over the balcony just to end his suffering. The only thing that made David continue to subject himself to this torture was the small chance that one of the grunts might glean some information about their plans. Just twenty more minutes, if nothing came to light by then he would shut it down and try again later. David ran a hand over his face and as the radio chatter picked up again.
CHHH "Hey guys, huhuhu, just saw a fine looking beach babe down near the shore. Think I'll go over and show her my Steelix, huhuhu." CHHH
David screamed.
Obligatory transitional phrase….
Isabelle was beginning to seriously worry. Ampharos should have been able to handle the Klingler's without a second thought, but he had taken some major damage due to her own hesitation. The two Kinglers circled Ampharos, skittering from side to side with alarming speed. Ampharos hadn't managed to land a single hit on either of them while they pelted him with hard smacks from their claws. Isabelle wavered.
"Oh, um, look out! No, stop!" She called. Ampharos swung wildly with his Thunderpunch but hit nothing but air. He received two smacks in retaliation and fell to a knee. "Ampharos, uh Discharge!"
Ampharos growled and lowered his head, pulling his arms in close. The Kingler's tightened their circle on him, preparing to deal a finishing blow. With a roar Ampharos sprung up and threw out his arms. A wave of electricity shot out from his body in all directions. Isabelle felt her feet tingle in the sand. The wave sent the two water crabs flying backwards. They slammed into the entrance of their cave and collapsed in a heap. They were out cold. With a sigh of relief Isabelle thanked Ampharos, who was not in a good mood, and returned him to his Pokeball.
Turning to leave, Isabelle heard more scuttling behind her. Fearing the worst, she turned and reached for her Pokeball. What she saw surprised her. Three tiny Krabby has appeared from within the cave. Two of them somberly nudged the Kinglers with their claws while the third bravely faced Isabelle and held up its claws. Realization dawned upon Isabelle and she quickly left.
"Not monsters." She thought to herself as she made her way back down the beach. "Just creatures with a reason to fight."
The next day, at the arena….
"Welcome ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls to the second semifinal round of the Arch Town Pokémon Tournament!" The announcer held his usual position at the middle of the battlefield. The ever incandescent sun hung in the center of the sky, bathing the arena in heat. The crowd roared back at the announcer, eager to get started. "After yesterday's blistering battle between Cyril and Marlowe, Marlowe came out victorious. Whoever wins today's match will be facing the Hoenn hometown brute in the championship! So without further ado, let's get started." The announcer wiped his brow and threw out his hand.
"Directly to my left we have another Hoenn original, the beach beauty Isabelle!" The crowd cheered, there were several distinct whistles. "And to my right, the calculating schoolboy David!" The applause continued. "Contestants set, let's battle!" David and Isabelle moved in unison, tossing out their first Pokémon.
"Let's go, Cacturne!" Called Belle.
"You're first, Pachirisu!" Announced David.
From the red energy of their capsules the two Pokémon formed on opposite sides of the battlefield. Cacturne touched down in front of Belle and crossed his spiky arms. Pachirisu tapped to the ground in front of David and chittered excitedly. Belle breathed a sigh of relief. A small Pokémon, no type advantage, she could handle this. David took the first move.
"Super Fang, go!" He called. Pachirisu's front teeth began coated with a shining energy as he took off towards Cacturne. Normally, Belle would have called for her Pokémon to dodge, but she knew that wasn't Cacturne's preferred M.O. As Pachirisu closed the gap Cacturne raised one of his spiny arms in front of himself, as if baiting Pachirisu. Leaping into the air, Pachirisu clamped down onto Cacturne's arm. Cacturne winced, but held fast. Pachirisu wasn't able to fully close down on his bite, as he got a mouthful of needles, but he did not let go.
"Now, Dynamicpunch!" Belle yelled hastily. Swinging back his other arm, Cacturne lifted Pachirisu up. With the end of his thick, spiny arm glowing bright red and crackling with power, Cacturne swung at Pachirisu. The electric squirrel released just in time to avoid a direct blow. Pachirisu received a glancing shot to the body that sent him flying backwards. As he skidded to a halt Pachirisu coughed and spat needles while Cacturne stared him down. Isabelle grimaced, this was how Cacturne was. She knew for a fact that Pachirisu's attack had taken out a good portion of Cacturne's health, but he would never show it. Cacturne would maintain and indifferent, cold façade until he won or passed out. As much as Belle hated it, she had to admit that it was an intimidating style of fighting.
"Electro Ball, go!" Ordered David.
"Match it, Energy Ball!" Countered Belle.
Cacturne brought his hands together as a green prb on energy formed in between them. Pachirisu crouched to the ground as a similar yellow orb formed around the end of his tail. After a moment of charge, the two Pokémon sent the orbs hurtling towards one another. The orbs met at midfield and exploded with a resounding force. A large cloud of smoke and dust formed in between the combatants. Cacturne cast a backward glance at Belle and she pointed upward. Sometimes it was best to not let your opponent know what move was coming next. To this end Belle had trained her Pokémon to respond to a variety of hand movements, almost like their own sign language. This idea was developed while performing in contests as shouting commands would sometimes take away from the performance. Cacturne nodded and spread his arms. His whole body began to glow a soft yellow.
On the opposite side of the field David's entire view was blocked from midfield on. He couldn't see Belle or Cacturne. He wasn't worried, however. After all, Belle would have to give a command, and then he would react. He was almost certain he would have to switch Pachirisu in a moment if he wanted to take down Cacturne, but he wanted to scout Cacturne's move set a bit more before that. David was happy that Belle started with a new Pokémon, soon he would have four out of six of Belle's team mapped out and would decide on one of his many preplanned methods of attack. Everything was going according to pl-
From behind the smoke David heard a low, scratchy growl. A split second later an enormous beam of yellow energy tore through the smoke and enveloped Pachirisu. Both David and his Pokémon were caught completely by surprise. The beam of energy slammed Pachirisu against the force field surrounding the battlefield. He dropped to the ground, unconscious. David was stunned. The crowd exploded into cheer.
"Wow!" Exclaimed the announcer. "After a powerful first exchange Cacturne takes down Pachirisu with a surprise Solarbeam! Cacturne have vision naturally adapted to seeing during vicious sandstorms which must have allowed him to aim through the smoke!"
Snapping out of his shock, David withdrew Pachirisu as the last of the smoke cleared. Belle had surprised him. He hated being surprised. After running a few scenarios in his head David made the obvious choice for his next Pokémon and threw out a Pokeball. Vespiquen emerged, hovering over David's side of the field. The giant bug Pokemon adjusted her dark green sunglasses. Belle frowned. Vespiquen had a double type advantage over Cacturne. While she was trying to decide whether or not to pull Cacturne, her mind was made up for her. David went on the offensive.
"Attack Order, now!" He called. Vespiquen raised her arms as little, insect like orbs of energy began to swirl around her. Throwing her arms forward, Vespiquen sent the bug like pieces of energy flying towards Cacturne. Belle panicked.
"Dark Pulse!" She yelled. Cacturne brought his hands together as a mass of black energy formed. With a cry Cacturne shot out his hands, sending waves of concentrated dark energy headlong into the onslaught of Attack Order. For a moment, the blast held off the attack, Cacturne clearly had more power behind his attack. But after a second the mismatch in typing became evident, and the Dark Pulse was shattered. Attack Order broke through and pelted Cacturne mercilessly. When the dust cleared Cacturne was, somehow, still standing. Both Vespiquen and David recoiled at the fierce, defiant look in Cacturne's eyes. Both had been expecting that attack to finish Cacturne. How was he still standing? Suddenly Cacturne let out a low groan and his gaze fell. He dropped to a knee, then slumped to the ground. He was out of energy. The crowd cheered for more.
Belle quickly withdrew Cacturne and apologized for putting him at such a disadvantage. Surveying the situation Belle weighed her options, then made a decision. She threw out her next Pokeball. The battlefield shook as a massive Camperupt landed in front of Belle. Camperupt was a Hoenn favorite, and the crowd exploded into cheer. David grinned, five out of six. He almost had her entire team mapped, and what's more he had the perfect counter for Camperupt. He raised a Pokeball and withdrew Vespiquen.
"Vespiquen, return!" He called. As he threw out Vespiquen's replacement Belle gave an order.
"Camperupt, Eruption!" She yelled.
"Go Lapras!" Said David, missing Belle's order. Camperupt anchored himself to the ground at the twin humps on his back began to pop with heat and energy. No sooner had Lapras materialized in front of David, Camperupt exploded. Rivers of lava and stone poured out of the humps on his back, shooting into the air like a geyser of fire. For the second time, David was taken by surprise as a flood of lava and stone crashed down upon Lapras. Camperupt snorted as the dust cleared. The area around Lapras was pitch black with soot and the sea dinosaur coughed as she wriggled her way out of the debris. There was a perfect, Lapras shaped outline in the blackened stone as she moved away from the heated ground.
"What a blast!" Commented the announcer, egging on the already amped up crowd. "I cloud feel that heat from here!" David clenched his fist in anger.
"Lapras use Surf!" He yelled. Lapras swayed her head downward, then swung it upward, letting out a stirring cry. Water suddenly appeared all around her and formed into a massive wave. The wave cascaded towards Camperupt.
"Lava Plume, go!" This wasn't the first time Belle and Camperupt had face water before. Camperupt knelt down and aimed his humps at the center of the wave. After a second, they erupted in a fiery blast. It took half the time to unleash Lava Plume, but it wasn't nearly as powerful as Eruption. Lava met water at midfield and an explosion of steam ensued. Though Camperupt had managed to vaporize a good portion of the water, the rest of the wave crashed into him with a force. Belle gritted her teeth, she hated being at a type disadvantage. Thankfully Camperupt had the ability Solid Rock, which would take some of the edge off of Lapras' water attacks. As Camperupt gathered himself a thick blanket of steam enveloped the battlefield. Neither David nor Belle could see even their own Pokémon.
"Camperupt use Earthquake!"
"Surf, again!"
Without a visual, it was hard to tell what happened. The battlefield shook violently and there was the sound of stone cracking. The crest of a wave peeked over the steam, then descended back onto the field. After a moment, everything was still and the steam began to lift. Lapras was breathing heavily, but still conscious. She didn't appear to have much energy left. Camperupt was laying on his side, out cold. Large cracks in the ground ran out from him in all directions.
Belle withdrew Camperupt as the crowd cheered for more. She needed to have the type advantage on this next round. Luckily she had the perfect match. Belle had been hoping to save Ampharos for a little later, but it looked like she had no choice. She sent him out onto the field.
"You're up Ampharos!" The giant electric Pokémon touched down and got into a stance, ready for battle. Belle knew she could finish Lapras quickly and that was exactly what she intended to do. "Close the gap, Thunderpunch!" For his size, Ampharos moved with deceptive speed. In a second he was upon Lapras, his arm reared back and crackling with power.
"Avalanche!" Yelled David. Lapras reared her head back as a flurry of ice and snow appeared above her. Ampharos threw his punch and it connected solidly with Lapras' chest. Lapras cried out in pain as electricity ran through her, but she did not budge. No sooner had his punch landed, the pile of ice floating above Lapras came crashing down on Ampharos' head. When that happened, Lapras gave way and slid backward. Ampharos doubled over and covered his head to guard from the onslaught. Coming to a halt, Lapras let out one last long cry and collapsed. Ampharos dusted the ice off of his head and neck and returned to Belle's side of the field.
"Down goes the ferry Pokémon!" Observed the announcer. "Both trainers now have four Pokémon left!" David sniffed. He had not expected for this battle to be so close. He had underestimated Belle, he saw that now. Time for some tactical play.
"Let's go Aurorus!" David threw out his next ball and an ice dinosaur appeared on the battlefield. Aurorus was twice as tall as Ampharos. Granted, half of her height was her neck, but Aurorus still cut an intimidating figure. Ampharos readied himself.
"Set it up, use Ancient Power." David called. Aurorus stomped the ground as the colorful frill along her neck began to glow. Massive chunks of the battlefield ripped from the ground around Aurorus and began to circle her.
"Signal Beam!" Yelled Belled. She hoped to disrupt the attack with a quick shot. Ampharos leaned his head forward. A red and green beam of energy burst out of the orb on his head. It struck Aurorus square in the chest. She barely flinched. Aurorus roared as she sent the boulders hurtling towards Ampharos. They crashed with a force all around Ampharos. He managed to dodge a direct hit, but caught a couple glancing blows.
"Discharge!" Ordered Belle. Signal beam did nothing, she needed more power.
"Physic." Said David. Ampharos curled his arms to his chest and lowered his head. His body began to crackle with electricity. Aurorus' eyes began to glow a vibrant purple but nothing happened to Ampharos. For a moment Belle felt relieved, it looked like Ampharos would get the Discharge off. Then the boulders surrounding Ampharos floated off the ground. Belle was too shocked and failed to react in time. All at once the boulders slammed into Ampharos and he became encased in a cocoon of rock. David grinned. Belle screamed.
"Ampharos!" She cried. The crowd went silent. There was suddenly a sharp stillness in the air. She had failed. That was more than just a knockout move. David had intended to harm Belle's Pokémon. Belle felt tears well up in her eyes. She wrung her hands and her finger scraped against her rung. Looking down Belle caught a glint of light off the multicolored jewel set in the ring. Suddenly something snapped inside Belle. A wave of anger rushed over her. David had tried to hurt her Pokémon. She would not stand for that. The ring on Belle's hand began to glow.
The cocoon of rocks around Ampharos began to glow and shake. David frowned. The mound of rock began to rumble. And several large cracks ripped through the boulders. There was a high pitched whine and suddenly the mound of rocks exploded. A blinding light erupted from within. Chunks of debris flew everywhere, charged with electricity. At the center of the explosion stood Ampharos or, to be more accurate, Mega Ampharos. The crowd burst into an uproar. Charged with energy, Mega Ampharos let out a cry as he threw his arms outward. The Discharge he had been previously charging flew outwards in a massive wave. Aurous stumbled backwards as the electricity washed over her. David grimaced, he hadn't known Isabelle's Ampharos could mega evolve. Isabelle wiped her eyes and gritted her teeth.
"Use Thunder on yourself!" She yelled. This was another old contest tactic. It made for a flashy performance and when Ampharos was mega evolved her had the strength to turn it into a powerful move combo. David was completely baffled and had no idea how to react. A massive lightning bolt erupted from Mega Ampharos and shot upward. A split second later it came crashing back down on top of the electric Pokémon. Mega Ampharos cried out as his body took on an electric aura. His eyes glowed pure white with power. He took off towards Aurorus. Startled, David spat out a command.
"R-rock Smash!" Aurorus lifted up her huge front leg as Mega Ampharos closed the gap. He dodged as Aurorus slammed it down, cracking the battlefield. Reaching up, Mega Ampharos wrapped his arms around the base of Aurorus' neck. The ice dinosaur went rigid with electricity. Widening his stance, Mega Ampharos turned and rolled his shoulder forward. Aurorus roared as she was suplexed over Mega Ampharos' shoulder. The enormous Pokémon seemed to fall in slow motion as she was flipped. The battlefield shook when Aurorus hit the ground. She didn't get back up.
Mega Ampharos, his chest heaving, fell to a knee as his electric aura faded. His body shone brilliantly as he reverted to his normal form and collapsed alongside Aurorus.
"What an exchange!" Yelled the announcer. "Ampharos uses all of his energy to topple the mighty Aurorus! Such strength! Such willpower! Both trainers now have three Pokémon left!"
Belle immediately withdrew Ampharos, a fierce look in her eye. David hesitated a moment before pulling Aurorus off the field. Belle snagged her next Pokeball and held it ready. David took a deep breath and drew out his next ball as well. The two trainers cast out their Pokémon simultaneously.
"Let's go Breloom!" Yelled Belle.
"Uh, you're turn, Florges." Stuttered David.
Belle's feisty Breloom tapped down lightly in front of her and threw several wicked fast punches. David's Florges floated down gracefully. A sparkling sapphire necklace was hung around the Pokémon's neck and a dainty pair of white gloves adorned her hands. David sighed a breath of relief and calmed himself a bit. He had the type advantage. His relief quickly faded, however, as he locked gazes with Belle and saw the murderous look in her eyes.
"Seed Bomb!" Called Belle. Breloom spun quickly and launched a volley of green shells at Florges from the end of her tail. David knew Florges was too slow to dodge them.
"Calm Mind!" Ordered David. Florges closed her eyes and began to glow a soft pink. The green shells slammed into the flower Pokémon mercilessly, but Florges maintained her focus.
"Again!" Yelled Belle.
"Psychic!" Countered David. Breloom repeated her spin as a second wave of shells hurtled towards Florges. No sooner had she finished her spin, Breloom was encased in a purple aura. She began to writhe in pain. Florges was staggered backward as Breloom's Seed Bomb slammed into her a second time, but the aura around Breloom did not fade. Florges lifted her arm and brought it back down in one swift motion. Moving in unison, Breloom was lifted several feet off the battlefield and came crashing back down violently. Releasing the aura, Florges wavered but did not fall. Breloom did not get up.
"Breloom is down after a single powerful Psychic attack!" Observed the announcer. Belle withdrew Breloom and apologized to her Pokémon. This was it, her final two Pokemon. She would not lose to such a callous trainer. From her pocket Belle pulled out two small earplugs and stuck them in her ears. The world went silent. Clenching her fist, she quickly threw out her next ball.
"Let's do this, go Exploud!" A full grown Exploud materialized I front of Belle and stomped the ground. He leaned forward and roared. The sound was loud enough to pass through the protective barrier around the battlefield and make David's ring. He, along with the announcer and half the crowd, covered their ears and grimaced. Little did he know, Exploud was just warming up. The announcer had called matches for Pokémon like Exploud before and quickly pulled out his own set of earplugs. As Exploud ended his introduction, David dropped his hands.
"Finish this flower Exploud, Hyper Voice!" Called Belle. She could barely hear her own voice. The entire stadium had been silenced by Exploud's first roar. There was a long, low, whooshing noise as Exploud sucked in a huge breath. Just as David was about to call for a counter move, Exploud opened his mouth and the world exploded. David dropped to his knees and clasped his ears as waves of sound rolled out from Exploud's gaping mouth. The sound waves were so powerful they were visible to the naked eye. Florges was caught dead center in the path of the wave and managed to stay upright for about two seconds before she collapsed, out cold.
Seeing his opponent fall, Exploud cut off his Hyper Voice and stomped the ground triumphantly. The announcer spoke into his mike, but neither David nor Belle could hear him. Belle's ears were still plugged and David's ears were burning like fire. After a few seconds David managed to get to his feet and pull Florges off the battlefield. Now would be a great time to send out Froslass, but David always saved her for last. Before he tossed out his next Pokémon, David reached into his pockets and yanked out a couple wads of lint. He stuffed the lint in either ear. Kind of gross, but effective, the lint blocked out most sound.
"You're up Vespiquen." David's Vespiquen buzzed out onto the field. Her dark green sunglasses glinted in the sunlight. Belle did not hesitate.
"Hyper Voice!"
"Attack Order!" Yelled David. Exploud sucked in another breath as Vespiquen summoned her mob of energy bees. The two Pokémon launched their attacks simultaneously. Exploud's Hyper Voice ripped along the battlefield as Vespiquen's Attack Order arced overhead. Exploud was built to keep up his bellow for an extremely long time, but not while he was being attacked. As the waves of enveloped Vespiquen, the bees of energy slammed into Exploud from above. Both Pokémon recoiled sharply.
"Again!" Demanded Belle.
Again!" Echoed David. It was a battle of stamina. Exploud and Vespiquen launched another set of attacks at each other with the same result. Both Pokémon were now breathing heavily.
"Good job Exploud, now use Rest!" Called Belle.
"Attack Or- wait, what?" Stuttered David. He had been expecting Belle to keep coming full force. He knew Vespiquen would have outlasted Exploud and apparently, so did Belle. Exploud promptly sat back on his haunches, closed his eyes, and began to snore like a freight train. The noise was loud, but not damaging. David reasoned that now Vespiquen was left unchecked, she could easily finish of Exploud before he woke up. He finished his earlier order.
"Attack Order, keep it up!" He called. Belle grinned.
"Sleep Talk!" She yelled. Through his makeshift ear plugs, David barely heard the order. Exploud, his eyes still firmly shut, got to his feet and took off towards Vespiquen. Vespiquen had been taking her time with her attack and had only formed a few energy bees. In a second Exploud was upon her, his gaping mouth open wide, tainted with a black energy. Exploud leapt, snapped his jaws around Vespiquen's midriff and brought her crashing to the ground with him. It was a brutal Crunch attack. When the dust cleared Exploud was laying on his back, still snoring loudly. Vespiquen was lying next to him, unconscious.
Once again the announcer threw up his hand and made some observations, but the words were lost on Belle and David. David solemnly pulled Vespiquen off the field. He had been outsmarted. That angered him. David silently threw out his ace, Froslass. The small ice ghost floated down onto the field without a sound. Her small blue hat resting daintily upon her head. She was a stark contrast to Exploud who was still filling the stadium with his snores.
"Freeze him Froslass, Ice Breath!"
"Sleep Talk!"
Exploud hopped to his feet again and sucked in a breath. Still fast asleep, he unleashed another deafening roar. The waves of sound had an impact on everyone in the stadium, except Froslass. The vicious sound waves rolled harmlessly over her as she floated over to Exploud. Pushing out her hands Froslass unleashed a torrent of ice and wind directly into Exploud's face. His roar immediately caught in his throat as the ice washed over him. Stumbling backwards, Exploud blinked a few times and opened his eyes. He was wide awake now.
"Exploud, use Crunch!" Called Belle.
"Attract." Ordered David.
Exploud lunged at Froslass, his mouth gaping. Not budging an inch, Froslass winked and waved her arm. A pink ball of energy in the form of a heart floated into Exploud's face and he stopped in his tracks. Pacified, Exploud lowered his guard, his eyes were glowing a soft pink. David didn't even need to give the order. Froslass floated over to Exploud and placed a hand on his cheek. Exploud sighed. Froslass giggled as she reared her other arm back. Her hand became coated in an icy powder. In one swift motion Froslass sunk her fist into Exploud's gut. Exploud let out a surprised, oomph, the fell to his knees. Froslass frowned and raised her arm again. This time she brought her Ice Punch down atop Exploud's head. The ice built up around her fist shattered and Exploud slumped to the ground, out cold. Belle and David removed heir earplugs, the crowd cheered for more, and the announcer's voice rang through the stadium.
"Down goes Exploud and just like that folks, both trainers are left with just one Pokémon! This next match will determine the winner!"
Belle withdrew Exploud and thanked him for his hard work. This was it, last chance. Belle took a deep breath and threw out her own ace.
"I choose you, Pelliper!" Belle's Pelliper wheeled into the air in front of her. Flapping his sizeable wings Pelliper hovered and waited for an order. Froslass floated back in front of David and waited as well. David knew that he had no shot of landing Attract on Belle's Pelliper, he was too evasive. No, this was going to be a shootout. Belle kicked off the final volley.
"Pelliper, use Scald!" She yelled.
"Frost Breath, go!" Called David. Pelliper reared back and shot a stream of steaming water at Froslass. Throwing out her hand, Froslass returned fire with a pulse of icy wind. The two streams met at centerfield and exploded into a dense cloud of steam. The cloud enveloped the entire field, but the trainers could still see their Pokémon. Both trainers repeated their orders.
"Scald!"
"Frost Breath!"
The two streams met again at centerfield and the cloud of steam thickened. Now both trainers could just see outlines of their Pokémon. David grinned, Froslass was now in her element. Belle had played right into their hands. Froslass knew what to do, melting into the cloud of steam, Froslass disappeared. Now it was only a matter of time.
"Pelliper, get above the steam!" Ordered Belle. David raised his eyebrows. Pelliper broke through the top layer of the steam and hovered in place. "Now, use Hurricane!"
Flapping his wings, Pelliper kicked up a massive torrent of air. The steam began to swirl and turn in a massive tornado of scalding hot water and air. As the vortex began to pick up speed, David desperately searched for Froslass. As the Hurricane went round and round David caught a glimpse of Froslass' shadow here and there. It was clear she was not in control of her flight. Pelliper continued to stir the scalding air mercilessly as Froslass was whipped around the battlefield.
"Froslass!" Cried David. No sooner had the words left his lips, Froslass was flung from the vortex of air and slammed into the ground. She skidded to a halt in front of David. The Hurricane quickly dissipated and Pelliper wheeled down to his side of the field. Froslass did not stir as her blue hat dropped from the sky and landed in the center of the battlefield. Isabelle Stevens had won her semi-final match.
