Alright, hello. This chapter has taken me quite some time to write, so I hope you enjoy all the different battles.
Friday came much faster than anyone could imagine, Misty had been training even more with Glaceon in the last few days. Not just her battling skills, but also her confidence levels and at last the day had come. The tournament was set so that there were multiple battles and the top 32 students of each year group would battle it out for first place. So the morning was full of the battles to determine this top 32 students. Standing nervously, Misty was being comforted by Glaceon and May. "I'm sure you'll get into the top 32, it can't be that hard!"
"B-but...there's 300 students in our year..." came the low confidence response as Misty gently petted the ice type's back. It was actually annoying Glaceon a bit with the lack of confidence that his 'trainer' was using, and he had to keep himself from using Ice Beam there and then. "...T-there's no way I can get through...to that stage. I-it's impossible..."
"So, you only have to do 2 tag-battles battles in the morning followed by 2 single battle and win every one to get in. Then you may have a chance to battle Ash, isn't that what you wanna do?" May responded, a little aggravated by her tangerine haired friend's lack of confidence.
Something lit up in Misty then, but she didn't want to inform May. Yes, she wanted to battle Ash and even if she knew she'd lose - she wanted to do it anyway. Suddenly a loud announcement was heard for students to head to the battles they had been assigned. Glancing down at the number she had been given: 31, and that meant she would be paired with 40 and was against number 12 and 60. Bidding goodbye and a quick good luck to May, she headed over to her assigned battle field. Truthfully, she was surprised the school could afford this much stuff. There had to be so many battles going off at the same time.
Then she remembered, since the morning was mostly tag battles - that meant she had to work with her partner. So, of course, it would be best to get to know his or her name in their first tag team. Since there were 300 students in their grade, which was middle school grade 2 (Or grade 8, I think. Little shaky on American standards). So that meant there would be 150 tag teams, so 75 battles going off at the same time in their year alone. Then only 75 teams could proceed onto the next round, which wasn't a elimination round anymore. Only 50 teams could make it through, so 25 teams would be removed based on their performance instead of their win/lose. Thus the last 50 would split up, leaving 100 students on their own. And they needed to make it down to 32 teams. So they'd first do a elimination round, leaving it down to 50 students. And the best 32 students could get in based on performance.
It sounded simple, but considering the tag teams battles would be near difficult. Finding her partner's number wasn't hard, it was a female with a Quilava at her side. Possible of Johto descent, she smiled at Misty and said. "I'm gonna assume you're my partner for the tags?" her voice was energetic and playful, almost as if she was 5 years younger than her actual age. "My name is Lyra Crystal, and I'm from Johto. Here's my partner, Cyndy the Quilava," her Pokemon growled a little, playfully prancing around. "Sorry about my Quilava's energy, she can't wait to get battling."
Surprised a little by the nicknaming, Misty manage to find her voice and whisper out. "...Um...I'm Misty Waterflower, from Cerulean city. T-this is my partner, Glaceon" she said, glancing down at the ice type at her feet. The two Pokemon seemed to hit it off, despite their contrasting personalities and types for that matter. In her mind, she made the quick decision to not mention that Glaceon wasn't even hers. It felt wrong, especially if they were supposed to be working together. That and May had said that for today, Glaceon belonged to her and nobody else.
As their opponents arrived, the battle started under the announcers rules. The announcer was a short girl with 2 flags in her hands, as she called out. "The battle ends when both Pokemon on the opposite team is knocked out. It's a simple 2 on 2 battle, so no other Pokemon are allowed to be used," once she received the nods from both sides, she made the call. "Alright, battle start!"
On the other side was a Leafeon and Riolu, quite an interesting combination. Making a quick call, Lyra charged forward with her Quilava imitating her actions. "Alright, Quilava. Flamethrower on the Riolu!" flames burst across the field, near hitting the Riolu as it dodged out of the way.
Following her team mate's quick lead, Misty deciding to give a smile and set the field up. "Glaceon, Ice Beam on the ground!" she said, confidence building in her as she forced no stutters. With a short growl of approval, Glaceon's ice breath burst across the field and froze every inch of the battle field to the audience's surprise.
"What could the Glaceon trainer be planning, folks?" the announcer called out, surprise evident in her voice. But then, when Glaceon's began to slide around the field as if he was a ice skater - it seemed like things were making sense. Riolu couldn't stand up, being a bipedal creature and Leafeon's feet kept getting stuck to the slippy ice. As for Quilava, it seemed like Lyra knew what she was doing as she had set up a strong Flame Wheel around her Pokemon so that it burnt away some of the ice that surrounded it.
"Glaceon, use Ice Beam on Leafeon at close range!" Misty called, as her Glaceon charged forward like a graceful ice skater. Smirking as he got close to the grass type, who was unable to move amongst all the ice. With one sharp breath later, ice flew out of his mouth and froze the grass type solid. That lucky freeze was enough for Quilava to come in and use her built up Flame Wheel to finish the poor grass type off. On the other side of the field, Riolu still couldn't find it's footing to it's trainers annoyance.
He yelled out loudly, trying to help Riolu stand. "Riolu use Blaze Kick on the ground!" Lunging up, somehow, the little Riolu's feet began to burn brighter and brighter until it was on fire. Landed down on the ground, a puff of smoke filled the field. Once it dispersed, Riolu was standing on the solid ground once more without the fear of ice. This brought a chuckle to it's owner's face. "Alright, Brick Break on Glaceon!"
"Quilava, Protect Glaceon!" Lyra responded, as her Pokemon nodded and charged in front of the surprised ice type. With a quick smirk, a large force field popped up around the pair of Pokemon. Brick Break was noted for being able to break for Reflect and Light Screen, but not being able to break through the Protect very easily. This gave Misty time to think.
Unable to use Dig due to the mountain of ice, she glanced her head at Lyra and earned a nod as she planned out her next move. As the Protect finally broke under the heavy fists of the fighting type, Glaceon leapt up off the floor and used the move that Misty had commanded him to. Shadow Ball burst from his mouth, only to broken into smaller balls of shadow by Iron Tail. Whilst lower in power, the move had more range and Riolu was unable to dodge without being hit. At least 2 little Shadow Balls smacked into it's baby form. Unable to stand, this gave Lyra the chance to call out. "Flamethrower!"
And with that burst of fiery air, the battle was sealed for the girls. "Riolu is unable to battle, Glaceon and Quilava are the winners," the announcer made the call, smiling at Lyra and Misty. "Good teamwork was on display from their trainers, with the use of Protect and the Ice Beam battle field."
"Yeah! We won!" came the loud excitable yell from Lyra as she ran over to Misty, Quilava charging with her. She hugged Misty tightly, before pulling away from the surprised girl and complimented her battling style with that giant smile that burst on her expression. "That...was...amazing! I never would have thought about using Ice Beam as a field move, blocking out our opponent's attacks."
"..T-to be honest," Misty responded, her voice lower than it had been during the battle. Her nervous nature back for revenge, well unable the next battle at the very least "...I hadn't even accounted for Quilava...I wasn't sure if she'd be able to stand after I made the call. S-so your choice to use Flame Wheel caught me off guard..."
The two just smiled at each, chuckling a little. Eventually Lyra said. "Well, we made it through the first round so lets heal up and get ready for the next one," and with that they headed off to the nearby Nurse Joy, asking for their Pokemon to be healed and then they waited for them to be returned. "I wonder what Pokemon we'll be up against next, do you think you'd be able to do the Ice Beam trick again?"
"...It depends,...if there's an ice type on the other side - then it's impossible...or if there's a Pokemon that's either a flying type or has the ability Levitate," explained the smaller girl, looking down at the ground for a moment. "...T-though I have a plan f-for flying types?"
"Freeze their wings?" came the unexpected reply, surprising Misty back into looking at Lyra's crystal blue eyes. Bouncing her brown hair, Lyra just chuckled. "I have a ice type of my own, a little Snorunt that can knock flying types out of their air. So I'm used to that plan. I didn't bring her in because she's a little too weak for battles and Quilava has always been my battler. Ya know, once I turn 16, I plan to head back to my home region to head around the region to collect gym badges and what not. What do you plan to do afterwards?"
"...I don't really know," whispered Misty as she received Glaceon's poke ball back from Nurse Joy and began to head towards the next battle field. "...To be honest, I had...always wished to go on...one when I was y-younger...with my Eevee, but..." she shuddered a little, surprising Lyra a little as she believed the Eevee that the young Cerulean girl mentioned was Glaceon.
"Why are you shuddering, isn't Eevee still here as Glaceon?" Lyra responded as they made it to the field, standing around waiting for the next battle to begin. She looked at Glaceon with curiosity, earning a look of confusion from said Pokemon.
"N-no...Glaceon, he isn't really mine. I-I'm borrowing him f-from my f-friend, since my only Pokemon is...t-too young to battle," a little tear escaped Misty's eyes as she shuddered once more, not wishing to mention what had happened to her Eevee. "Eevee...I can't say it, j-just...lets get through the next battle."
Not wanting to harm Misty's psyche, Lyra nodded as their opponents arrived with their Pokemon. This team, it was a Pidgeotto and Ivysaur. The announcer arrived on the field and made the call. "We have Pidgeotto and Ivysaur, two native Kanto Pokemon versus two Pokemon, Glaceon and Quilava, discovered by researchers from another region. Will our native region win or will the others win? Remember, this battle is all about the performance and not so much the winning. Show off your Pokemon's skills well and you'd be part of the top 50 teams. And with that, battle begin!"
Starting off strong and win, Misty yelled out. "Glaceon, Ice Beam!" nodding his head, Glaceon charged forward and breathed out his icy breath. The beam of ice charged for the Pidgeotto, barely missing it as it attempted to dodge. However, the closeness of the attack was still enough to numb the wing quite a bit. This left it wobbly and unable to fly straight, much to the owner's annoyance.
"Pidgeotto, use Steel Wing on Glaceon!" the owner responded, as his Pokemon's wings burst off into a silver glow as it charged towards Glaceon. All whilst this was happening, the two starters were battling it out with the clear advantage being on Quilava's side.
"Glaceon, deflect it with Iron Tail!" leaping up, Glaceon's metallic tail made contact with the wings and they clashed multiple times with the banging of steel. "Now, Ice Beam!" at the close range, there was no time for dodging as the ice smacked straight into Pidgeotto's form. The powerful attack left it unstable and open for the next move, which would certainly knock it out. "Use Iron Tail!"
"Glacey!" came the screech as he lunged into the air and smacked the flying type to the ground, it was enough to make it faint. Praising Glaceon for good work, Misty glanced at Quilava and was surprised to see she was poisoned with a Leech Seed surrounding her body. Whilst Lyra was gasping out, unable to make the move due to Ivysaur's close concentration. Anything could happen if she called out 'Flame Wheel' to burn the 'vines' off her Pokemon.
"Alright, Glaceon. Ice Beam!" charging forward, the icy attack smacked straight into the unsuspecting Ivysaur as it's focus had been purely on the fire starter that it was slowly sapping the energy form. This allowed Lyra chance to call for Flame Wheel, which burst the Leech Seed off the fire type's body before she charged towards the opponent with that blazing wheel of fire. That was enough, combined with the ice beam to finish the battle.
As noon came around, Lyra was still hanging around Misty as both of them had made it through to the next round. Even after they had separated, their respective performances had shocked the judges. In particular Misty's ice beam field and Lyra's surprising Wild Charge which she hadn't even showed off in the first two battles of the day. "We may end up battling later today," she commented, looking at the prepping board since it was supposed to show how the battles would be formatted for the top 32 in grade 8. "I kinda want to. Despite your shy nature, you may a complete one-eighty when your battling."
Eventually the score updated itself. Glancing up at it herself, Misty was surprised to find she was in block A and she then glanced at her opponent's name. Dawn?! She had to go against one of her friends so soon? But, she shook her head and decided not to think like that as she looked down at Glaceon. "D-do you think you can do it, boy? B-battling against Piplup?"
"Glaceon," the mild growl like his throat, as if insulted that Misty's confidence in him as dropping. But he did understand that her confidence showed out more during battles, so he didn't get too angry. Glancing at the scoreboard himself, he saw that his own trainer was in block B along along with Ash and Drew. The others on their side was Paul and a boy that Ash had mentioned called Gary.
A loud announcement ran over their ears, calling for everyone to head to their battle fields. Smiling down at Glaceon, Misty said good luck to Lyra and headed off to the location. Already waiting there was Dawn with Piplup by her side, before turning and smiling at Misty. "To be honest, I was surprised to find out that we were battling so early and especially after all these practice battles we did," this earned a nod of agreement from Misty, who blushed a little. She truthfully hadn't wished to battle any of her friends until much later.
"Alright, girls," the announcer said, smiling at the two of them. "It's time to start," the girls made it to their locations on the battle field. "Alright, Piplup versus Glaceon. Two Sinnoh Pokemon, who will win? No other Pokemon are allowed to be used, but with that said - battle begin!"
"Piplup, Whirlpool! Trap him!" yelled Dawn, as her little penguin ran forward with his wings flapping. Summoning a large whirlpool above him, he threw it towards Glaceon and trapped him within the swirling water attack.
"Ah, Glaceon!" gasped Misty, but she tried to figure out how to escape. Eventually a plan came to her, and she was quite to execute it. "Use Iron Tail!" it seemed quite quickly that Glaceon knew what to do. Sticking his metallic tail out, the swirling of the Whirlpool came to a stop and the move disperse. Thus Glaceon fell to the ground, landing gracefully with a nice saying of his name. "Now, Dig!"
Charging underground, Glaceon stayed below the surface as Piplup looked around frantically. Gasping, Dawn didn't know what to do as she couldn't of how she was going to escape this. Especially after the Dig/Shadow Ball plan that caught her off guard during their training, she'd need a different method if she wanted to win this battle. Eventually her eyes widened and she yelled out. "Drill Peck!"
"Pip-lup-lup!" came the scream as Piplup used his beak to drill into the ground, until it came across Glaceon. He had been waiting patiently underground and, like his 'trainer', was very surprised by the Drill Peck that had discovered him. As if reacting quickly and knowing what Misty wanted without her saying it, he shot a Shadow Ball at Piplup's oncoming face. Due to the closeness and the progressing attack, he was caught of guard and was sent flying.
"Piplup!" gasped Dawn, having not expecting to surprising attack due to the lack of call. But then she remembered that Misty didn't always make her call, it was clear that she was very able to battle with Glaceon and not always have to call. "Alright then. Piplup, use Hydro Pump!" breathing in and collecting the water within him, Piplup was quick to sent the water flying.
"Glaceon, deflect it with Ice Beam!" the icy attack paused the Hydro Pump and the stalemate began. "More power!" Misty yelled, earning a streak of more ice into the attack and due to the fact Glaceon was an evolved Pokemon - it was enough to break through the Hydro Pump and land squarely on Piplup. But due to type disadvantage, it wasn't enough to knock him out just yet.
"Piplup, Drill Peck!" despite the move being flying, Piplup nodded his head and went charging towards Glaceon. Smirking a little, Misty made the call and yelled for Glaceon to dodge followed by Ice Beam. Surprised by the attack, Piplup's beak was sealed shot. This prevented to use of Piplup's moves, with the exception of Whirlpool as every other move required his mouth - including his unused Ice Beam. "Ahh, Piplup," his trainer gasped, looking at Misty. The tangerine haired girl was smiling gracefully. "Alright then, Piplup. Use Hydro Pump!"
It would take a while for the water to melt the ice built up on Piplup's beak, which gave Misty enough time to make her move and yell out to Glaceon. "Use Shadow Ball!" the move was sent spirally towards the penguin Pokemon, who couldn't dodge in time due to trying to thaw out his beak. His eyes widened just as the attack hit him and caused him to fall over, unconscious and making Misty to clear winner of the battle.
"Piplup is unable to battle, Glaceon is the winner!" the obvious announcement came as Glaceon ran back to his 'trainer', with a graceful smile on his face that matched the one on Misty's face. Gently, she petted the Pokemon as the announcer continued. "Thus, Misty will be going onto round 2 to battle her next opponent in the tournament."
Sighing, Dawn recalled Piplup to his poke ball and walked to Misty. "That was a great battle, she surprised me with your plan for beating Piplup's whirlpool by stopping the spinning with Iron Tail. I would have never thought about that and then preventing my moves with Ice Beam, that...was admitting quite annoying. Especially since it had already been proven that I couldn't use Whirlpool against Glaceon."
"Glacey," came the confidence call, as Glaceon nuzzled against Misty's leg. It was clear that he was quite proud of himself for winning and was still amazed by Misty's battle strategies. If...he didn't already love May and the plans for Pokemon contests, he might have asked to be traded to Misty. But he knew that both his own trainer and the Cerulean girl would wish for him to remain with the brown haired beauty, and he wanted to stay with her himself.
After getting through the second round, which was quite easy as the opponent had a Tropius. Since the Pokemon had a heavy weakness to ice attacks, it went down with only a few Ice Beams after she shut down the Pokemon's attempts to use Leech Seed. But, as she glanced at the board, she was mildly afraid of his next opponent. It was the boy that Ash talked about, Gary Oak. He was a son of the region's professor and was using a Umbreon, a Pokemon capable of the powerful move 'Psychic'. As she was well aware that levitation could be a problem, so she knew that she'd need to prevent Umbreon from moving as soon as possible.
As she slowly walked to the field, she came face to face with a mahogany haired boy with an Umbreon at his side. He looked incredible confidence, if cocky, and ready for anything. "So your Ashy boy's new sister," he commented upon noticing her, that cocky grin evident on his face. But he moved over to her and said. "I've heard that you've been proving quite capable in battle, so I hope for a good one."
And it wasn't long before the battle was on, the two Eeveelutions stood opposite one another. The announcer looked between the two trainers and their Pokemon, before making the call. "Two evolutions of Eevee, this is quite a regular battle due to the many evolutions of the Pokemon. I wonder which will win as there is no type advantages. Good luck to both competitors and thus battle begin!"
"Um, alright," whispered Misty, trying to get her composure together. But it wasn't long before she made the quick call of. "Ice beam on the floor!" it had been a while since she used this method, but she knew that she needed to prevent Umbreon from moving. As the field turned to ice, she tried to give a confident smile. "Alright, now use Iron Tail!"
Gracefully, Glaceon skidded across the floor. However, his eyes widened upon seeing Umbreon's eyes glowing. Backing away fast, he was shocked to see Umbreon using Psychic to levitate himself off the floor. Whilst being shocked, Misty knew she could use this to her advantage. Since Umbreon's move had to be draining his energy, that meant there would be less chance of Glaceon being hit with Psychic. Locking her eyes onto her ice type, she nodded in command for Iron Tail to still happen.
Leaping off the ground with the speed similar to a Pikachu, due to his ability on ice terrain such as the one that he had created mere minutes prior. One swipe of the Iron Tail slammed into Umbreon's back and sent it hurdling back into the ice field, Psychic no longer in use. Frowning, Gary looked at his Pokemon and made the quick decision to use. "Dark Pulse!" the dark type attack was sent from Umbreon's mouth before it hit the ground, spiralling towards Glaceon and catching him as he landed on the ground.
Feeling the brunt of the attack, Glaceon was sent back and began to growl a little in pain and frustration - mainly at himself for letting the move harm him as he hit the ground. "Are you alright, Glaceon?" Misty gasped, earning a sharp nod from her Pokemon as he glared at Umbreon. Despite the other Pokemon looking rather weak from the use of Psychic and being hit by Iron Tail, he knew that his own body wasn't going to be able to take another one of those Dark Pulses easily. Gasping, Misty cried out. "Use Ice Beam!"
"Dark Pulse!" the confident response from Gary came through. The two attacks collided and fought for power, both refusing to give up. However, it turned out that Umbreon's Dark Pulse was more powerful as it ripped through the Ice Beam and hit Glaceon's body mere seconds later. However, the Ice Beam didn't fade away and was hit his body as well. Both Pokemon stood on the icy field, both looking weak and growling out in pain. For a little while, it seemed like neither Pokemon would collapsed as the audience watched intently.
But the pain was too much and Glaceon fell to the ground first, unconscious for the first time that day. Crying out her Pokemon's name, Misty ran forward and picked up the unconscious ice type in a frantic panic. "Glaceon..." she whispered, holding the Pokemon close as a faint tear emerged in her eye. If only she thought about Umbreon using Psychic on himself, maybe she would have used that first Ice Beam to actually attack as opposed to setting up the field. Recalling the ice type to his ball, she stood up and didn't let Gary see the faint tears in her eyes.
"Glaceon is unable to battle, Umbreon is the winner! Thus Gary Oak will be going to the semi finals, to battle against Paul Shinji!" the call came, but Misty didn't even hear it in her distress. She could almost hear May's impressed comment in her head 'that it was good she made it as far as she did', but she didn't listen to it as she just walked off the field without a word. A little frown was on her face, until she heard a voice calling her name that caused her to jerk her head up and look at May with teary eyes.
Amongst exactly like how her thoughts at told her, May gave a little smile and said. "Don't worry too much, Misty. At the end of the day, Gary is quite a strong opponent and it's understandable as to why you lost to him. Don't worry though, Paul will knock him down next round. I know that Ash made it through to the semis, beating me at that," she sighed at that, but there was a chuckle there as well. "Truthfully, I didn't expect to get as far as I did. Ash is battling Drew in the next round, so how about we go and watch our boyfriends battle."
"B-but..." Misty blushed, trying to deny the boyfriend comment. Whilst she had admitted she loved someone in the sleepover a few days ago, she never said who it was. Despite that, she knew that May must have known - her reactions and the fact that the only other men she knew were already taken. It was quite obvious when she thought about it. "...H-he's not my...b-boyfriend..." after a few more seconds, she added a little more when she saw May's expecting face glancing back at her. "...yet..."
Laughing, May said as she sat down at the stands of the battle field that Ash was going to battle at. "That sounds better, I'm sure that once you're out of foster care then you'll be confessing your love to him. I'll even help you script out the best confession ever," she said, as she called out her Skitty. The little Pokemon curled up on her lap, allowing her trainer to pet her gently. "Mine and Ash's battle was interesting," she commented, before explaining what she meant. "He used a tactic I would never have seen him use prior."
"Battle start!" the announcer called as she looked between the opposing Pokemon and their trainers. Beautifly gracefully called out a few squeaks as Pikachu cried out his name, completely ready to battle. May smiled, reaching up to get Beautifly a little pet as she thought about how she could slow Ash's Pikachu down in the first moment. Little did she know was Ash was thinking about what she could do. "Um...battle start?" the announcer said again, noticing neither said was starting the battle.
"Beautifly, use Psychic!" May yelled out, as her Pokemon cried out loud. Her eyes glowed a bright blue as she levitated Pikachu up off the ground, much to the little mouse Pokemon's surprise as he yelled out his name multiple times as he tried to escape the 'prison'. Smirking a little at the sight, May bounced up as she called out her very next move. "Now, use Silver Wind whilst keeping Pikachu in mid air!" the white light attack spun around and around until it came much closer to Pikachu, who gasped out in a mixture of fear and worry.
"Pikachu!" Ash yelled, mere moments before the Silver Wind hit. Deciding his plan, within only those few seconds that he had to come up with an escape and a protection plan. He only had a few mere seconds to execute it as he yelled out "USE IRON TAIL!" Reacting momentarily, Pikachu's lightning tail glowed silver and was forced up by brunt strength against Beautifly's Psychic. Just in time, it blocked the Silver Wind and surprised both May and Beautifly. This surprise caused the Psychic to stop being used. "Now, Volt Tackle!"
Electricity burst around Pikachu's body, as he yelled out. "Pika!" before charging forward, those sparks sparkled all around. Lunging apart, Pikachu hit Beautifly's frail body within minutes of the attack being called. As he bounced back, he finished his cry. "Chu~!" the attack then exploded, Pikachu came out of it nearly unscathed due to his Lightning Rod ability. However, Beautifly wasn't as lucky as she was sent flying back with a cry of pain. As Pikachu landed on the floor, he glanced skywards and saw the bug/flying type barely able to move. But then he flinched, as the pain of recoil built in his body - with the start being his tail, which became burnt from the overpowering electricity. His Lightning Rod wasn't enough to stop this.
"Pikachu, you think you'll be alright?" Ash asked, looking at his Pokemon's burnt tail. It was then that he realised that Iron Tail would be near impossible to preform without being extremely painful. Once he got a 'Pika' for 'yes', he nodded his head and called out. "Quick Attack!" smirking, Pikachu's body glowed white as he charged forward with near blinding speed.
"Beautifly, dodge and use Morning Sun!" came the response as May pulled herself together, as Beautifly just managed to dodge in time - though her wing was caught in the crossfire. She yelled out as the sun brightened, light emerged around her. Becoming brighter and brighter as her health was recovered. As a relieved smile burst onto May's face, she yelled out with a confident voice "Now, use Energy Ball!"
A bright green ball was summoned in front of the bug type, before being sent spirally towards Pikachu. However, Ash's smile never left his face as he called out. "Pikachu, dodge with Quick Attack!" just as the Energy Ball was about to hit, Pikachu yelled out as he charged out of the way. Hitting the ground, the grass type attack exploded and gently burnt Pikachu's tail. "I know this is going to hurt, but this is our finale attack. VOLT TACKLE!"
"PIKACHU~!" The loud scream left the electric mouse's mouth as he charged forward, the electricity building and trying to explode before it was time. As he slammed into Beautifly, the same explosion occurred as before. However he winced at the recoil damage, this time burning his four paws and the tips of his ears. Both Pokemon looked at each other, as their trainers waited with both of them hoping. Eventually Beautifly fainted in mid air and fell to the ground, much to May's horror and clear surprise.
"Beautifly is unable to continue, Pikachu is the winner. The one progressing to the semi-finals is Ash Ketchum!" the announcer said, before he then looked at May's stiff and near teary form. "Don't feel so bad, Miss Maple. You put up an amazing fight."
Nodding, May recalled Beautifly to her poke ball. Looking at Ash, she saw him gently checking over Pikachu's injures. "Is Pikachu going to be alright, that recoil damage seemed to have hurt?" she whispered, nervously at the Pokemon. Truthfully, she was shocked that Ash would risk everything using Volt Tackle like he did. However, it did allow him to win so she couldn't complain.
"Yes, I think he'll be," Ash responded, gently petting the Pokemon before turning to him. "Would you go into your poke ball, so I can get Nurse Joy to heal you before the next battle?" once he saw the disappointed look on the Pokemon's face, he sighed and went to bribery. He needed Pikachu to be healed, or they'd be at a huge disadvantage for the next round. "I'll make you some ketchup on spaghetti later on?" that did the trick as Pikachu returned himself to the red and white poke ball - which had a lightning bolt attached to the front. Looking up at May, he grinned. "That was a good battle, thanks."
"...Y-you too," came the response, though it was more nervous then she was used to. Truthfully, she had wished to be able to battle Drew at least once. But, of course, the only way she would have managed that would have been to get into the semis. That, clearly, didn't happen.
"So...he used Volt Tackle...despite knowing the recoil?..." whispered Misty, as she spotted Ash, with Pikachu on his shoulder, with Togepi sat on her lap - the little Pokemon was a little annoyed about spending the whole day in her ball. It took all her willpower to not wave to him, but she didn't wish to embarrass herself...or distract Ash from the battle. However, the boy noticed her and waved up anyway. That was embarrassing enough as everyone else looked at her, surprised by the two teenagers' short interaction. Luckily, Drew appeared shortly after and caught the attention of his fan girls. The announcer stepped forward, looking between the two competitors - both were very confident.
"Good luck, Ash," Drew said, with Roselia standing in front of him. He looked very confident amongst his green hair, earning a gasp of awesome from all his fan girls that stood on the front row. Whilst May would have joined in, but she instead rolled her eyes at the multiple girls. Whilst her friends knew about her and Drew's relationship, not everyone did and certainly non of the fan girls. She didn't want to get on the bad side of any of them, however she had decided that win or lose - she would kiss him at the end of the battle.
"You too," Ash responded in kind, Pikachu leapt from his shoulder and stood prepared. The two stared at each other, confidence reigning over the field. To everyone in the audience, it was evident that Drew had the type advantage with his grass/poison type. However, many of them also knew that Pikachu had beaten many Pokemon in prior battles despite having type disadvantages - even against ground types, something he shouldn't be able to beat easily. "So, Drew. You think you can beat me?" this earned a confident nod from the green haired boy.
Smiling at the two boys, the announcer decided to talk. "Alright, so here we have. Pikachu, a huge threat from earlier battles using the Volt Tackle technique, and Roselia, the poison queen. Which will win, how about we find out. So battle begin!" she yelled out, starting to battle right away. Backing away, she wanted for the first call to be made by the two trainers.
"Pikachu, Quick Attack!" Ash called instantly, as his electric type charged forward in blinding light. However, Drew wasn't discourage and made no true call. Instead he just made indications to his Pokemon, who caught Pikachu with her Vine Whip. Suddenly she grinned and spat out a ball of poison. "Toxic," gasped Ash, realising instantly that his Pokemon had became badly poisoned. It was a move that would slowly sap at his energy. Bubbles of poison popped above the head as a faint blush blurred on his yellow features. "Do you think you'll be alright?"
"P-pikachu!" the response came shortly after, stuttering but confident. Pikachu would do anything, even going through the heavy poison. They had only a few minutes before he'd would faint from the poisonous attack. Knowing what to do, Ash yelled out his move. Which Pikachu soon executed, heading underground with the move Dig. Drew looked around frantically, as he had no moves that could prevent the Dig.
"Pikachu, Iron Tail!" Ash yelled, as Pikachu lunged out of the ground below Roselia. First the dirt attacked the grass/poison type, clearly damaging her before the metallic tail slapped multiple times into her. This slowly drained at the Pokemon's energy, making her as weak as Pikachu at the present moment. The audience watched curious of what Ash planned to do next, whilst Misty silently prayed that Ash would win. She nearly didn't want to look in case Pikachu fainted from the poison.
"Roselia, use Giga Drain!" Drew cried out in frustration after Iron Tail hit for the 3rd time, as Roselia attached her vines to the Pikachu's body and began to drain energy from his body to recover her own. Suddenly Pikachu's tail glowed silver again, ripping through the vines under Ash's wishes. Lunging back, he got to a comfortable distance away from grass type he was fighting against.
"Alright, Pikachu. Quick Attack!" whilst this tactic had failed before, it was too late now to go anything else really as Pikachu had been wobbling for the last minute or so from the poison he was inflicted with. With a cry of his name, Pikachu scampered forward with blazing speed until he slammed into Roselia's frail body. Apparently this was enough to send her flying into the nearby wall. Collapsing to the ground, it was soon revealed that she had fallen unconscious. Whilst Pikachu was in no state to battle after the attack, he was still conscious and thus the default winner of the battle.
"Roselia is unable to battle, Pikachu is the winner. Thus Ash Ketchum is progressing to the finals, look forward to this folks. I have just recieved information from the other battle field that his opponent will be Paul Shinji and his Electabuzz," the announcer said, smiling as Pikachu finally collapsed to the ground with a thumbs up. Both him and his trainer were excited, they had been preparing to beat Paul for the last few days. Ash picked up his electric type's near unconscious body. Recalling him to his poke ball, he whispered to him 'good work' before looking at an approaching Drew.
"That was an amazing battle, I thought for sure that I'd win after I used Toxic on your Pokemon. I never expected you to be able to make it through that and still come out on top. I'm sure you'll be Paul in the finals, you have to be to be honest," he laughed, giving Ash's a thumbs up. "Good luck out there, champ," just after he said this, he felt something hug him from behind. He didn't even need to look to know who was there. "Yes, May?"
"You were amazing, Drew!" she yelled, before reaching up and kissing him square on the lips. "That's your prize for getting this far," she whispered, near seductively as many of Drew's fan girls raged in frustration. Even if she had just made like 30 enemies, she really couldn't care. Smiling, she turned to Ash and said. "Good work as well, I was quite amazed that Pikachu was able to hold out as long as he did. Misty was worried sick about him, whilst to be honest: I didn't really mind which of you won."
"Misty was worried sick?" he whispered with mild confusion - though there was almost happiness mixed in -, before turning to the girl sitting in the stands with a gentle smile, full of relief on her face. Smiling, he waved up to her. This earned him a bright blush, as well as a nervous wave back. "How's Misty be doing in the battles, I assume that she didn't make it into the semi finals?"
"No, she lost at the third round like me. Losing to Gary of all people, though she didn't tell me how she lost. Actually, she hadn't even handed me Glaceon back yet," she commented before shaking her head and adding in a kind voice. "Oh well, he is hers for the day so I don't really mind," smiling at her boyfriend and childhood friend. "I'll be watching the battle, so good luck to you."
Ash thanked her and stood at the other side of the field, waiting for Paul to arrive. During his wait, he sent Pikachu to Nurse Joy for a quick healing and it wasn't long before the electric rodent was back out of his poke ball - admitting annoyed at being forced into said ball - and just standing waiting. Eventually the purple haired boy turned up, unsurprising with Dawn by his side. Said girl quickly kissed him before running to join May, Drew and Misty up in the stands with a quick. "Good luck to both of you!"
The announcer returned, looking between the two confident trainers - neither saying a word to one another. "As I hope both of our contestants know, the finals is a 3-v-3 battle as opposed to the 1-v-1 that we have been hosting all day. I hope both of our trainers brought their three Pokemon?" this earned a look from both trainers, Paul holding his three balls in his hand whilst Ash looked down at Pikachu with 2 little balls in his pocket.
"...Three Pokemon?" whispered Misty, having not heard of this prior. Her voice was filled with worry as she looked at the two trainers. "...B-but I thought Ash only had 2 Pokemon...?...B-being his Charizard and Pikachu?..."
"That's exactly right," Drew responded to the shy girl, looking down at the battlefield with intent filled eyes. Truly, he was curious about how the battle between Ash and Paul would turn out. Both of them were incredible powerful trainers, so the battle could go in either's favour. "But I let him borrow my Absol, as we both kinda figured out that he would be the one to end up in the finals. It's up to him now as to how he uses her."
Back on the field, the announcer smiled and instantly said. "Will both trainers please release their first Pokemon?" With a faint smirk, Paul sent out his Aggron out of its poke ball. With a smile, Ash released Drew's Absol. Whilst the dark type was a little surprised to see Ash, she nodded her head and recalled how Drew had trained her to understand the black haired boy's battle plans. Ash recalled Absol's move set: Flamethrower, Flash, Dark Pulse and Sunny Day. He knew what he would do to set up.
"Alright, as you know this is a 3-on-3. No substitutions are allowed by either trainer, however the moves Baton Pass and other such moves that force a switch are allowed," smiling, looking back and forth at the two confident trainers. The announcer made the starting call, loud and clear to the entire crowd - audience and the trainers. "And with that said, battle begin! Good luck to you both."
"Absol!" Ash yelled in an instant after the 'battle begin' was said, earning a quick grunt from the feminine dark type. Needing to get this up instant, he yelled out without thinking. "Use Sunny Day!" he was well-aware of Aggron using Roar and needed to preform this face, waiting as Absol roared out loud to summon a bright and near blinding sun. It would power up his fire type moves and not only that, his Charizard's ability was Solar Power which meant his moves would be more powerful under this weather.
"Roar, Aggron!" came the instant command, harsh and unfriendly. Nodding its head, Aggron gave a loud roar. This effectively terrified Absol and sent her running back into her poke ball in a bright red light. It was anyone's guess as to whether the poke ball in Ash's pocket or whether Pikachu would be force out next, and too everyone's shock - including Ash's.
"Gaorrrrrrr!" a loud roar filled the room as Charizard burst out of his poke ball with a blazing red flame, landing on the ground with a fierce thud. Showing no fear in front of the Pokemon with a potential heavily effective move, due to Aggron's steel and rock dual typing. Whilst, at first, shocked, Ash just laughed and patted Charizard's neck. Whilst normally the fire/flying type would send Flamethrower into his trainer's head - this time, he didn't as there was more important things to accomplish under the heavy sun.
Feeling his power increasing from his ability, he glowed a fiery red that blazed amongst his orange skin and made him look like a living fire. "Charizard, use Flamethrower!" The fire move's power was already increased from the sun, combining that with the heavy power boost from Solar Power was enough to create a very powerful breath of fire that was sent hurdling towards Aggron. Due to the Pokemon's steel/rock typing, the move was neutral. However, that didn't stop it from denting a huge chunk of Aggron's health.
"Aggron, Rock Slide!" Paul calmly said in a low voice, paying no attention to the obvious power boosts that Charizard was getting as he order his Pokemon. Rocks began to fall from the sky under Aggron's command. The purple haired boy just watched emotionless, fully expecting the effective move to knock the fire starter out of the sky and out of power.
"Dodge it!" Ash yelled, Charizard flying about to dodge each rock as it crashed into the ground below. As the last rock hurdled towards the firey dragon-looking Pokemon. "Charizard, grab it!" with his fierce claws, Charizard grabbed hold of the rock and cracked it into pieces. It was a powerful display of brunt force, leading to the audience gasping in awe of the fire/flying type. "Now, use Flamethrower again!"
Bursting open his mouth, the fire burnt and spread until it slammed into Aggron - the Pokemon having not expected any of what Charizard had just did. That was enough to faint the Pokemon, due to the damage dealt earlier in the battle. Finding her voice, the announcer made the call. "Aggron is unable to battle, Charizard is the winner. Would Paul please send out his next Pokemon?"
"Good work, buddy!" Ash complimented, patting his fire type's neck. "Dad's training on you is paying off, lets continue. Shall we?" looking up, he knew that the sun wouldn't last much longer so he'd have to think about his next plan. What would Paul send out to counter Charizard, Electrabuzz - likely not as he was likely waiting for Pikachu to come out - or his Gastrodon, that Ash had seen in training. Eventually Paul threw his next poke ball down, revealing the water/ground type that Ash had been expecting. Sure, he had the type disadvantage. But water moves were weakened in heavy sun, and he had a trump card up his sleeve.
"Gastrodon, use Muddy Water!" the water that Gastrodon breathed out was all tainted in mud, it was quite horrible to look at. It smashed into Charizard's body, hurting him a little. However, he was left mostly unscathed as he roared out in fake pain to keep Gastrodon from knowing he wasn't hurt. Closing her eyes, Misty hoped that when she opened them that everything would be alright. That Ash would win. Chancing a look, she saw the fire/flying type standing firm without any pain. Then she remembered the sunlight that was still beaming on the field.
"Charizard!" came the yell from the fire type's trainer, preparing the audience for the next move. Everyone was on their edge of their seats, waiting for Ash's call to be heard. "SOLAR BEAM!" he yelled. Charizard opened his mouth, energy building from the sun and forcing the attack to charge within rapid speed and was sent hurdling towards the unsuspecting water/ground type. Truly, to have a move that was effective to move water and ground types was quite amazing. However, that wasn't the result of Red's training on Charizard. Ash had taught Charizard Solar Beam himself.
And really, with the attack as powerful as Solar Beam, it wasn't likely that Gastrodon would remain standing and it was too slow to dodge. However, it was still standing and there was an object near him. A broken sash. Ash growled a little as he recognised the item, a Focus Sash. An item that allowed the user to survive what would normally knock them out. Paul smirked, seeing that he had caught Ash off-guard and made the call. "Use Water Pulse!" the ball of blue energy burst across the field, just as the sun died down. Due to the lack of the sun, Charizard couldn't stay up under the force of the water type move. Falling to the ground, he made a grunt of annoyance before fainting.
Looking at the unconscious Pokemon, the announcer made the call "Charizard is unable to battle, Gastrodon is the winner. Would Ash send out his next Pokemon please?" and that left the audience anticipation who would come out next: Absol or Pikachu. Everyone thought that it wouldn't likely be the electric rodent that was sat patiently at Ash's side.
"Good work, Charizard. Return," Ash said, returning the lizard Pokemon to his ball and throwing another one onto the field. As it burst open, Absol was revealed to be the next up on the field with no worry of being sent back to her ball. A gleaming object swung around her neck, as Ash smiled confidently. "Hey, Paul. Do you think you're the only one with a surprise up their sleeve?" he yelled, earning a look of mild confusion from his rival. Grinning, he looked at Absol and made the call. "Use Dark Pulse!"
Since Gastrodon was so weak, it stood no chance and fainted to the ground. But he had served its role in Paul's eyes, as he recalled it. "Gastrodon is unable to battle, Absol is the winner. Would Paul show us his last Pokemon?" the announcer called, as Paul sent out his final and last Pokemon: his Electrabuzz. The electric type stood firm on the field, as confident as his trainer.
"Alright, Absol. You ready?" Ash asked, looking at the Electrabuzz. Earning a confident growl from Drew's Pokemon, he grinned and gently pulled out a little ball from around his neck. From his position watching, Drew chuckled and waited for Ash's actions. "Absol, MEGA EVOLVE!" he yelled, as the light energy from his key stone and the mega stone around Absol's neck merged - sending all its energy towards Absol. Bright majestic wings popped from the Pokemon's back as she roared out loudly and gracefully. "Use Flamethrower!" Ash yelled, quick after the mega evolution occurred.
Flames burst from Absol's mouth, powered by her new form. It hit Electrabuzz, who just took the attack and then smirked. With the close range, Paul knew what to do. "Predictable as always, Ash," he commented, before yelling. "Electrabuzz, use Brick Break!" charging forward, his arm glowing brightly with the energy, Electrabuzz slammed his fist into Absol's angelic wings. Despite being mega evolved, her defences weren't the greatest and it sent her spirally backwards under the brunt force of the super effective move. However, despite the bruise that had formed, she held firm and wanted for the next command.
"Use Dark Pulse!" Ash yelled, noting the damage done and hoping to finish the battle without bringing Pikachu in - though he could almost picture the look of annoyance he would receive if he didn't use the electric type.
"Brick Break again!"
The two attacks collided, leaving little room for things to do. However, the brunt strength of Electrabuzz's arm broke through the Dark Pulse and he ran over to Absol, striking her with the exact same brunt energy. That, combined with the prior damage, was enough to cause her to collapsed. One short glow later and she returned back to her regular form. Ash sighed, he had hoped that Absol would have lasted a little longer. But she had gotten some damage onto Electrabuzz, that must have meant things had to be easier. After all, from what he could remember: Electrabuzz's only non-electric moves were Protect and Brick Break. "Return, Absol." he called, smiling.
"Absol is unable to battle, Electrabuzz is the winner. Folks, we are done to our last Pokemon. Which will win, Paul's Electrabuzz which has already sustained damage or Ash's Pikachu which hasn't even fought yet in this battle?" came the question from the announcer, only bringing the tension higher for the anticipating audience or for the near panicked Misty. She was so worried about who would win, Pikachu or Electrabuzz.
"Alright. Pikachu, you ready?" Ash asked, looking down at his partner with a grin. This earned a confident 'Pika' as the Pokemon charged onto the battlefield. With a quick command, Ash yelled out. "Alright then. Pikachu, use Dig!" digging under ground was easy for the electric mouse, as he didn't expect to be pulled from under the ground easily.
"Brick Break!" calm and collective was Paul's voice as his Electrabuzz hit the ground was his fist, ripping it apart and sending Pikachu spirally into the air. It hurt as the little Pokemon cried out his name, but he soon recovered as Ash called out the next move. With a blazing Quick Attack, he slammed into Electrabuzz and sending the Pokemon flying back.
"Now Iron Tail!" even if electric type resisted steel moves, Ash didn't really mind as he knew Electrabuzz had been dealt damage already. However, this turned out to be the wrong choice as the direct contact activated Electrabuzz's static. Paralysis shook alright Pikachu's form, slowing his movements and limiting his actions. It was a worry to Ash, but he shook his head and made another quick call. "Quick Attack, counter the paralysis!"
"Brick Break," Paul commanded, trying to catch Pikachu in the act. However the move didn't make contact as Pikachu dived out of the way in time, still wrapped in white energy before smacking into Electrabuzz once more.
"Keep it up!" Ash yelled, indicating for more Quick Attacks. As he knew that Dig would be too slow and that Paul could use Brick Break again, so he needed to keep on the single move that counter his paralysis status. Constantly charging around, Pikachu dodged many of the Brick Breaks that Paul ordered for and just keep attacking and attacking. Eventually the brunt force of all the attacks was too much, causing Electrabuzz to collapsed to the ground and was evidently unconscious. It took a few minutes before Ash registered that he and Pikachu had won. "WE WON!" he yelled.
"Electrabuzz is unable to battle, Pikachu is the winner. Thus Ash is the winner of this year's battle tournament," the announcer said, though she knew all of this was more than obvious. Up on the stands, Misty put a hand on her chest as she tried to slow her heart rate. It had been pounding ever since static had been activated and she had been quite worried for Ash's chances of success. She finally let herself relaxed, earning a giggle from the two girls around her as both of them had seen how worked up she had gotten.
"Pika-pikachu!" the squeal of the electric type came as he jumped into Ash's arms, nuzzling against his cheeks and making little 'chaas' of enjoyment. Both trainer and Pokemon were happy to have won, that much was obvious to everyone in the nearby area.
Despite sighing, Paul walked over and looked at Ash. "I congratulate you on your win, Ash. You deserve it, and to be honest: when I called you predictable, I truly hadn't been expecting Absol's mega evolution so that caught me a little off-guard."
"Paul!" came the squeal from behind them and he turned to see Dawn running up to him, landing her lips against his. Ash laughed at this, which did make whatever focused part of Paul's mind decide to kill her later. But for now, he decided to simply enjoy the kiss. Eventually Dawn pulled back and said. "That was an amazing battle, both of you. I so wasn't expecting the mega evolution or the Focus Sash!"
The rest of the group were quick to join them, Misty headed nervously over to Ash - he just smiled at her gently blushing face. "...Um A-ash...that was quite...nerve wrecking," she admitted, blushing nervously. He just chuckled, as she continued to stand there nervously. "...B-but good j-job on your win, Miss Delia...will be impressed. I...just know it..."
"Thanks, Mist. I'm glad that you were watching me," he smiled, as he handed Absol's poke ball as well as the key stone back to Drew. Turning back to her, he gave a smile that said 'good job' as well. "Also, I should be congratulating you. I heard from May that you made it to the third round, which is pretty amazing. Don't worry about losing to Gary, he is pretty strong. Though a complete douche bag. So don't be faze too much."
Nodding, Misty was about to hand Glaceon's poke ball back to May when she shook her head. With a smile, May elaborated on why she didn't agree. "Keep him for the night. My treat for getting through, plus you two need to celebrate. Getting to the third round is quite an thing to celebrate amongst so many students, the second grade has it the hardest due to the amount of trainers. Ya know, I heard that the grade nine students didn't even have as many students, so they just had a 128-student tournament since a lot of students didn't bring Pokemon despite the fact they should have."
Misty decided to head home on her own, wanting to talk to Togepi and Glaceon. "...You know, today was pretty amazing," she whispered, earning a nod from Glaceon and a smile from her winged baby. Smiling down at Glaceon, she continue. "I wouldn't have gotten as far as I did without you, so thanks for that..." her voice grew more confident whilst she was on her own.
"Glacey," came the shake of the head, surprising Misty a little. Whilst it was somewhat weird to be able to understand a Pokemon that wasn't hers, over the last few days she had gained that search of ability. "Glaceon, gla eon. Ceon," the Pokemon explained.
"...You think I would have gotten that far with any Pokemon?" she asked, quite shocked by Glaceon's judgement. This earned her a nod from the ice type, but she brought a smile onto her face. "Thanks...though, I don't really know. Usually ice types aren't my forte, ya know. Water is...so I was...quite surprised with how today...worked."
"Toge-ticku!" suddenly her little Pokemon pipped in, which earned her a little pet. However this wasn't why Togepi made a little cry. "Togepi, togeticku!" she screamed, alerting her mommy of something. Looking to where her baby was pointing with worry, her breathe hitched in realisation. Around the corner, stepping from the shadows was a obvious figure. "Toge TOGE!"
"...B-but...how?" she whimpered, trying to back away from her father. "...Your supposed...to..." she wasn't able to finish that sentence as he harshly grabbed her wrist, the one that had her scars on. Due to the fact one of the cuts had never truly healed due to lack of actual care, it was ripped open from the harsh pull. Energy drained out of her with the blood, fear and panic only rising. Then, everything went black with the only thing she felt was a bang on the back of her head followed by the cries of her Pokemon.
Alright dark ending to a really long chapter, but I hope you enjoyed. This took a while writing, I'm not even joking. And its my longest chapter to date...by quite a mile in fact.
