"Come on out, my friend!" Jethro called as he released Burner, the Fire-Type rising from its kneeling position.
Frita grinned, pausing to pull a guitar that had been slung across her back forward so she could hold it. It was shaped and painted like a black Charizard. "I'll trust you for this, Rupt!" She threw a completely ordinary Pokéball which erupted with light to reveal a sizeable Camerupt. Not abnormal, but certainly not puny by any means.
Frita's foot began to tap and within moments she was wailing out some serious riffs on her guitar. It was accompanied by singing that seemed to come from nowhere in particular until Jethro realized that Keith was sitting in the ref's "box" next to Frita's actual Pokédex and singing the words to the song she was playing.
"Oh boy," Jethro murmured, both to Keith and to the choice of a Camerupt. A Fire-and-Ground Type… never a good match against a Blaziken.
Frita grinned at him. "Challengers first," she yelled above the music.
Jethro shrugged. "Burner, Sky Uppercut!" he bellowed. Burner burst forward, charging the Camerupt and letting loose with a fierce blow to Camerupt's chin; a direct hit.
Frita never gave a single command, for the entire battle. The massive camel Pokémon shot up into the air from the force of the blow, shaking her head. She ended up facing the sky, her back to the ground. Without warning the twin volcanoes, pointed right at her opponent, erupted with vigor. They sprayed lava and pumice everywhere, a Lava Plume attack.
"Dodge it!" Jethro hollered, and Burner darted sideways, some of the feathers on its legs getting singed from the heat of the attack; nothing severe, but still fairly close.
Rupt pulled a roll the second that Frita hit a high note with her guitar. She slammed into the ground, launching a powerful Earthquake. The way Frita's Pokémon flowed from move to move reminded Jethro more of a Contest Battle and less of a Champion's Battle, but the result was startlingly efficient. Not a single movement was wasted in between the first and second attacks.
Burner leapt into the air, barely avoiding damage from the Earthquake. Jethro really hated Camerupts sometimes. "Burner, return!" he called out, and the Blaziken was recalled to its Ball.
Picking the Dusk Ball from his strap, he tossed it into the air. "Golurk! Come on out!" The large Ghost-and-Ground Type floated toward the battlefield, its propulsion letting it descend gently down to the arena. Its arms and legs came back into place, and it landed softly on the ground. "Use Earthquake!" Jethro called out. Golurk lifted one of its large legs and brought it down forcefully, rocking the entire battlefield just as Camerupt had.
The Pokémon was knocked back, snorting indignantly. She wasn't going to go down easy, but she was starting to snort more often, getting tired. She let out a bellow, charging straight at Golurk. Her breath came heavily out of her nose as she hefted her bulky body forward with serious power. When she was near enough, she let loose a mighty Flamethrower, continuing her charge without missing a beat.
"Phantom Force!" Jethro called out. Golurk's eyes glowed, and it disappeared in an instant, the Flamethrower missing it by a fraction. At the wail of Frita's guitar strings, Rupt came to a screeching halt. She plopped down, but only with her back legs so that she was sitting in a rather awkward position...and she just sat there and didn't move an inch.
Jethro looked around the battlefield. Golurk was quite… an interesting member of his arrangement. It was remarkably clever, and always calm… but even he sometimes had trouble predicting its attack strategy.
Golurk emerged from the shadow that Camerupt was casting on the ground, slamming into it with full force and latching onto its muzzle. It drew its other fist back, and it became shrouded by a dark aura.
"Shadow Punch away, Golurk!" Jethro called. The Pokemon's fist barreled forward, slamming into the Camerupt with full force, sending it to the ground. Rupt struggled to her feet, wobbling before falling completely on her side. She continued to flail, trying to right herself, but ultimately failing. Sweat had dampened her fur, and she let out a defeated snort, her strength finally running out. Her head hit the ground, staring ahead, past Jethro and blinking slowly as if to say: Ok, I'm done.
Dexter, recognizing the lost will to fight, marked the powerhouse as a K.O. and let Frita recall her.
"Quite the powerhouse, that one!" Jethro called. "I bet you're proud of it!"
Frita simply nodded in response, pausing in her guitar playing only momentarily to throw another completely plain Pokéball. Her fat and somewhat lazy Chandelure burst from it, entering the fray hitting hard by immediately firing several Shadow Balls in quick succession followed by a powerful Flamethrower.
Golurk barely managed to avoid the first few Shadow Balls, and the Flamethrower knocked it down to its knees, though its light still shone brightly inside. It stood up shakily, looking the Chandelure right in its yellow eyes. Chandelure shot straight at the other Pokémon, the bottom of its body pointed at its opponent while spinning rapidly. Golurk dodged, but Chandelure came to an abrupt halt, still spinning and released a powerful Flamethrower from every flame on its body, striking the powerful Pokémon in the back.
Golurk fell forward, unable to continue. Jethro returned it to its Dusk Ball and threw an Ultra Ball out, releasing the Protagoyle.
"Stone Edge!" Jethro bellowed. Protagoyle's eyes glowed blue, and sharp stones burst up from the ground, striking the Chandelure multiple times. The Pokémon was sent somersaulting backward, pausing next to Frita after bouncing off the ground right next to her. She glanced at it and it rushed forward again, not giving an inch.
Protagoyle furrowed its brow, determined. "Air Slash!" Jethro commanded. Protagoyle's wings began to glow, and with one flap, several sharp slices of glowing air rushed straight at the Chandelure. Frita's living lamp spun away in several directions to dodge most of the attack, and blocked one hit with a Shadow Ball. The resulting explosion did throw it back though.
Protagoyle took the opportunity to fly forward, grabbing Chandelure by the face and spinning it around, planting its feet and releasing it into another Stone Edge attack. The Pokémon let out the most Arceus-awful wail and floated slowly down to the battlefield as Protagoyle let it go. It proceeded to pass out the second it hit, its body making a glass clanking noise against the ground.
Frita recalled it when it was deemed K.O.d. She sent out another Pokémon, one that Jethro had never seen before...It was HUGE! It had flames running down its back and a giant silver plate with fangs over its face. Its long tail had steel plating set at intervals, and flames burst from them. It was like a Typhlosion had been mixed with a Steel Type.
Taking a moment, Jethro dug out his Pokédex.
#104 Diablaze
The Inferno Pokémon
Type: Fire/Steel
They live deep underground near lava pits and molten magma. They love the heat and their blazing appearance proves it. The patch on their chest is actually armor that melted during their evolution.
"Well this is an interesting matchup," he muttered, scrunching his brows together. He was seriously irritated at the fact that Golurk had already fainted by now.
Diablaze let out a ferocious roar ending the cry by rapidly charging up a Flash Cannon.
"Protagoyle! Brick Break!" Jethro called out. The Pokémon rushed forward, its fist glowing white as it advanced.
Diablaze launched the attack at the ground, throwing itself back and creating a large dust cloud. Its growling could be heard from somewhere inside.
"Use Air Slash to clear the dust away!" Jethro called. With wings glowing with energy, Protagoyle flapped hard, ascending partway into the air and ridding the area of the dust cloud.
Diablaze's vertical jumping power was a bit of a shock, as the Pokémon dove straight off the ground toward Protagoyle. Its teeth were glowing as it snapped at the stone dragon several times. Protagoyle rolled to one side in midair and swung down hard with another Brick Break as soon as Diablaze got close enough to it. The move was caught in Diablaze's strong jaws, being countered with the currently active Steel Fang attack it was trying to use. The result was a large explosion. Diablaze landed solidly, completely tanking the hit and growling lowly as Frita continued to play her guitar. Protagoyle barely managed to land on its feet, needing to flap its wings forcefully to keep from slamming too hard into the battlefield.
Diablaze rushed forward, which wasn't exactly super fast, but it was enough. When it was within range, it let loose a series of Mach Punches. Protagoyle couldn't avoid them all, and ended up flying back, fainting just underneath Jethro. He returned it to its Ultra Ball, taking the top Ball off his strap and tossing it. Burner returned to the battlefield, slightly less winded than before.
"Sky Uppercut!" Jethro bellowed, and Burner bolted forward, its fist glowing a light blue as it ran up and delivered a fierce blow to the Diablaze's jaw. The big Pokémon tried to block the blow, but while it had a lot of Power and Defense, its Speed was fairly poor. It took the hit head on, stumbling back a bit and growling. It launched a Flamethrower and charged back forward again.
Burner leaped up, the Flamethrower passing beneath it, and it came back down with a Thunder Punch, striking the Diablaze on the head. The metal plate on Diablaze's head was the perfect conductor for electricity, and it stumbled backward, dazed. Burner took the opportunity to unleash a Flamethrower in its face at point blank. In its daze, the Pokemon could hardly react quickly, but it did unintentionally block the blast by lowering its head in confusion. The metal plate caused the flames to shoot out to the sides of its face, doing little more than heating up the plate and pushing it back a bit with the force.
Burner stepped back and retaliated with a small flurry of Thunder Punches to its head again. Diablaze fell to its knees and its fire began to dim. It was completely exhausted, but there was nothing that Frita could do, as she was not allowed to substitute Pokemon during the battle. Diablaze, however, were known for being incredibly stubborn as a whole, and this one was no different. It continued to struggle, flaring its flame and glaring at Burner with one of the most intense looks that the two had ever seen. A low growl rumbled in its throat that turned to a roar as it hauled its heavy body back to its feet.
Its response was another Sky Uppercut to the chest and jaw, one that sent Diablaze straight into the air. The Pokemon landed with a heavy thud, accompanied by a loud grunt as the air rushed from its lungs. It just layed there, motionless for several minutes, before it managed to breathe again. It was obvious that continuing was no longer an option.
Jethro let out a breath he didn't know he was holding as Burner stepped back, panting lightly. "Good job, Burner!" the Wandering Hero called, and his first partner gave him a thumbs-up over its shoulder.
Frita called out another Pokemon, one more to add to the list of ones Jethro had never seen. It was large and black, with four clawed feet. He couldn't see a tail, but that didn't mean that it didn't have one. There was a steaming hole in the middle of the Pokemon's back, surrounded by a large gold lip, and its large head reminded him of most dragon Pokemon.
Jethro raised a finger slowly, his brow creased as he pointed at the newcomer. "What…is that?" he called out, not bothering going for his Pokedex this time.
"#135 Scaldron
The Superheated Pokemon
Type: Fire/Water
It's body temperature is over 6000 degrees F. They are sometimes seen collecting items and throwing them into the hole in their backs. Scientists are unsure why they do this."
Frita recited its Pokedex entry for him, word for word like a dex would, apparently from memory. Fire Pokemon seemed to be her specialty, but this one had a bit of a twist with its dual Typing.
"Fire and Water, huh?' Jethro muttered, covering his mouth in thought. "This'll be interesting… Still up for it, Burner?" he shouted. The Fire-and-Fighting-Type took a stance, its wrists blazing fiercely. "Alright then. Thunder Punch!" Burner's claws dug into the ground as it launched forward with great power and speed, electricity crackling around its fist as it hurled forward.
Scaldron launched a steaming Scald attack, missing its target. No surprise there, Burner was too fast for it. However, as Burner got closer, Scaldron's stance began to change. Before it could land a hit, Scaldron had flipped completely over, dousing it in scalding hot water and trapping it inside the metal dome of its body.
Jethro merely stood still, blinking in surprise at the unique form of combat the Pokemon had taken. "Alright, well," he muttered, nodding to one side and lazily tossing his hand up. "That's… new…" There was a dull, metal thud as Burner tried to use another Thunder Punch from inside, the electricity surging throughout the Scaldron's body. Jethro's eyes went wide as he noticed something. Its legs twitched and stiffened, and it ceased moving.
"Uh, Frita?" he shouted, grabbing the railing and hopping over it, landing on the battlefield and rolling a few times. "I think it's Paralyzed!"
For the first and last time in the entire battle, Frita fully stopped playing her guitar. She jumped, casually, over the barrier and onto the arena as Jethro had done seconds earlier. He was trying, with no success, to lift her Scaldron up off the battlefield. She strolled calmly over to him, shoving him aside. "Hold on."
She bent down, grabbing the Scaldron by the tail, (which it did in fact have) and hefting it upward. She let go of the ring shaped appendage once the Pokemon had flipped far enough that its own weight would tip it the rest of the way upright.
Burner lay on the battlefield, soaked and steaming. It had apparently fainted after the last attack, and Jethro merely shrugged as he returned it, smirking. "I'm not even the slightest bit mad," he admitted. "That was both amusing and impressive right there. Well done." He turned around and looked up at the platform, putting his hands on his hips and taking a deep breath. "Please tell me there are stairs on the back of these things," he said.
"Nope." Frita walked just as nonchalantly back across the battlefield before pausing and assuming a crouching stance. She jumped, rather impressively, up high enough and far enough to grab one of the railings. Using the rest of her momentum, she threw herself over it and back into the trainer box. "I've seen you, you can find a way back up there somehow." She called over her shoulder as she picked her guitar back up.
Her Scaldron lugged its way across the battlefield and back onto her side, its body already filling back up with water.
His eyebrows leveled out across his face. (-_-) "Showoff," he muttered under his breath. He tossed an Ultra Ball into the air, and Metagross stood before him. Catching the Ball on his way up, Jethro climbed on top of it and knelt down. "Mind if I catch a lift?" he asked, and Metagross levitated up, allowing Jethro to step off back into his own Trainer's box. He turned around and patted Metagross on the head. "Thanks," he said, grinning. "Use Earthquake."
Metagross's body stopped glowing, and it dropped like a stone in water to the battlefield, shaking it violently.
Scaldron bounced around the battlefield like a rubber ball, being thrown from one side to the other. It flailed for a minute, righting itself, before flooding the field with Surf. The red eyes of Metagross began to glow brightly, and the Surf halted in its tracks. It turned the attack around and sent it arching into the air.
Scaldron fired a Scald attack out of its back, creating a jet of water that split the massive wave in two. It swirled around the Pokemon's feet as it fired a Flamethrower at the tank. The silver-and-gold Pokemon levitated inches from the ground and floated to the side, avoiding the Flamethrower and making its way to its opponent. It swerved right, then left over the attack, and then spun rapidly, slamming into the Scaldron forcefully.
The Pokemon made one last ditch effort before its strength gave out, launching a furious Overheat as Metagross slammed into it full force. The attack caught two of Metagross's legs, one much less severe than the other but enough to do quite a bit of damage.
Frita withdrew her Scaldron as it landed with a loud clang on her side of the field after bouncing off the hydraulics holding her Trainer's box. She released a Pokemon, who she affectionately referred to as Wildfire. A Typhlosion, and a scruffy one at that. He shot into action immediately, running on all fours straight at Metagross.
The four-legged tank anchored itself to the ground and unleashed a Psychic attack, tearing up the battlefield in front of it and throwing chunks of it straight up.
Wildfire vaulted over the jagged ground like it was nothing. Frita knew her Pokémon's strengths and weaknesses and had prepared him well. He bounced from piece to piece like a gymnast, closing the gap between the two of them in little time at all.
"This is why she's Grand Champion," Jethro said, smiling. "Close the gaps!" he called. Metagross dipped its head a little, and the chunks of earth converged, two massive walls of ground and rocks slamming together.
Wildfire sped up in response to what Jethro assumed was Frita's change in tempo with her guitar playing. It was impressive, giving orders through sound equipment instead of trying to yell them over the din of battle. The Typhlosion melted his way through any barriers he couldn't jump or climb over. His eyes held a certain look, as if to say "Here I come."
He ran at Metagross head on, jumping just before he would have slammed into its face. He spun as he soared over Metagross's back, rubbing the thick fur on his shoulders together and creating a massive explosion. The force of the blast created a large dust cloud, which Wildfire burst from, somersaulting high into the air from the force.
He landed on all four feet on Frita's side of the field with a snort.
Jethro blinked. "How is it I forgot they could do that?" he muttered under his breath. The dust settled, and Metagross lay splayed out on the ground, fainted. He nodded and took the Ultra Ball from his strap, returning the Pokémon. "You did good, big guy," he said, tapping the Ball to his chest over his heart. "Real good." He put the Ball back on the strap and took off another Dusk Ball.
"Alright, Hitotagon," he said, touching the Ball to his forehead. "Let's do this together." He launched the Ball, releasing the Dragon/Ghost-Type.
Hitotagon landed on all fours, its gaze averting directly to Frita. "Hello again, Grand Champion," it said, nodding up to her before facing the Typhlosion.
Frita tipped her head to it, not pausing for even a second. Wildfire let out a powerful Flamethrower, his flames bursting from his neck and radiating heat.
Hitotagon reeled its head back and unleashed it own Flamethrower, following up with a Shadow Ball.
The flames collided and cancelled each other out, leaving Wildfire with minimal time to duck away from the Shadow Ball, which flew over his head and arched up into the air before exploding.
He launched a Swift attack, sending a barrage of glowing yellow stars at his opponent.
Hitotagon unleashed Dragon Pulse, the attack swatting the stars out of the air. It then pounced forward, claws outstretched as it slammed into the Typhlosion.
Wildfire kicked out with his strong back legs, hitting the other Pokémon in the stomach. It didn't seem to be enough to dislodge his attacker though, so he continued with several rapid kicks like a Delcatty with a yarn ball.
Hitotagon quickly let go and spun around, lashing out with its tail to smack Wildfire away. It let loose another Dragon Pulse as the Pokémon was knocked away, its wings unfurling slightly as it lifted off the ground.
The Typhlosion shook his head, blinking from the hit. He launched another Flamethrower at the now airborne Dragon and Ghost Type.
Hitotagon flapped hard, the searing flames shooting just underneath it as it dove forward and down, launching another Shadow Ball at its target.
Wildfire dove straight at the oncoming Pokemon, spinning in midair with his back arched to avoid the oncoming hit. His eyes gleamed with the ferocity of a wild Pokémon for a few seconds, betraying his nickname. He launched a point blank Flamethrower as he and Hitotagon came almost face to face.
The Dragon-Type reeled back from the attack, its eyes shut as it lashed out with a fierce and swift Iron Tail, smacking Wildfire in the face. It landed roughly and coughed, its face charred and singed.
Wildfire landed heavily on his feet, sliding across the battlefield a bit. He rubbed his face, clearly not happy about a second strike to his head. His small eyes narrowed as he tried to judge what the spirit dragon might do next.
Hitotagon tilted his head back and forth, trying to use its ears to determine where its opponent was.
"You trust me, right?" Jethro called. Hitotagon turned its head to the side and nodded slowly. "Alright…" he analyzed the field and squinted. "Phase into the ground and resurface twenty yards ahead!" The Pokémon sank into the ground and disappeared.
Wildfire tensed as Jethro called his commands. He was no idiot, it was obvious an attack was coming and he had no intention of tanking the hit like before.
"Now!" Jethro called after about a minute. Hitotagon leapt from the ground and stretched its claws out, readying a Dragon Pulse.
Wildfire's eyes held a sharpness to them only seen in the most vicious of creatures as he himself readied a powerful Flamethrower.
The attacks launched simultaneously and at very close range, colliding with enough force to create a large explosion. Both Pokémon were unavoidably caught in the blast as smoke and dust covered the battlefield.
When it cleared it was obvious that both of them had fainted at seemingly the same time. Dexter declared a double K.O. and both Trainers were down to their last Pokémon.