Episode 20
After yesterday's mistake of sleeping in, Matt made sure he was the first to get to the tournament today. Part of it was because he woke up early and couldn't fall back asleep, but he was in the stadium nonetheless. He figured a walk there would help clear his head before his battle today. He let Raina out of her Pokéball, and the two watched the sun rise over the top of the stadium.
"Just think, Raina," Matt said. "We're only two battles away from winning this tournament. You know, this may sound strange to bring up, but…remember the day I caught you? You didn't want me to, I remember that. But you know? I'm glad you decided to come with me. I mean, look at where we've gotten ourselves. And on this battlefield, too. I know we can win this today, Raina." Matt turned to her, and she looked him in the eye.
"Bui!" She said, nodding her head. Matt couldn't wait until his battle happened. But win or lose, he knew he and Raina were going to stay strong through it all.
"Welcome, one and all, to the semi-final round here at the Hearthome Tournament! I am your host, Roland Kingsley. Without further adieu, let's get started with today's two battles!" The crowd erupted, eager to watch. "Our first battle today is between Gold from Sootopolis City, and Gage from Blackthorn City, Two foreign battlers who have certainly made their mark in the Sinnoh region!"
The two trainers positioned their selves on each side of the battlefield. "Nice to meet you, Gage," Gold said.
"Let's just battle, shall we?" Gage said, his arms crossed.
To himself, Gold said, "Woah, tough guy here."
"Battlers, send out your Pokémon!" The ref shouted.
"Go, Marshtomp!" Gold said, his beloved Water-Type popping out.
"Sneasel, time to battle!" Gage yelled. Matt remembered seeing that Sneasel win before, it was really powerful. Gold was going to have a hard time, but after seeing what he did against the Cherrim, he didn't doubt him for a second.
"Battle begin!" The ref called.
"Sneasel, use Fury Swipes!" Gage said. The Ice-Types sharp claws slashed again and again at Marshtomp before jumping back.
"Water Gun!" Gold yelled. The stream of water slammed into the Sneasel, but it brushed it off.
"Quick Attack!" With great speed, the Sneasel slammed into Marshtomp, knocking him down.
"Get up, Marshtomp!" Its trainer yelled. Marshtomp got up quickly. "Great. Now use Mud Bomb!" The Water-Type flung a ball of mud at Sneasel, covering it in mud, lowering its accuracy.
"I saw what you did last round, lowering the Cherrim's accuracy. That won't work with us," Gage said.
"Hm?" Gold wondered.
"Sneasel, use Faint Attack!" The Dark-Type disappeared; appearing again seconds later right in front of Marshtomp in a shadow of energy, knocking him over.
"Faint Attack never misses," Matt said to Ricky, who was still there watching. "Gage knows what he's doing, that's for sure."
"Use Mud Bomb again, Marshtomp!" Gold yelled. Even if Sneasel's accuracy loss didn't affect it much, it was still his strongest move. The ball of mud collided with Sneasel yet again.
"You think the same strategy will work over and over again, huh? Hit him with Faint Attack again." The Sneasel knocked Marshtomp to the ground yet again. "It won't."
"Get up, Marshtomp!" Gold yelled. The Water-Type slowly got up, but it was weak. "Hurry, and use Mud Bomb!"
"Faint Attack," Gage said at the same time. The mud narrowly missed Sneasel as it disappeared into the shadows, knocking Marshtomp down for the last time.
"Marshtomp is unable to battle, Sneasel wins, meaning the victor is Gage from Blackthorn City!"
Gold stared at the battlefield, unable to believe it. "We…we lost…" He went over to help Marshtomp sit up, making sure he was ok. "Thanks buddy. We'll get him next time." He returned him, a bittersweet smile on his face.
"You've got a lot to learn," Gage said. "You've impressed me by getting this far. But you can't rely on the same strategy over and over." He extended his hand, helping Gold up. "Thanks for the battle, though."
The young trainer shook it with a nod. "You too, Gage." The two headed back for the bleachers. Matt and Rhonda were up next. Even though Gold lost, and Matt couldn't face him, he was still determined to win.
"Nice to see you again, Matt," Rhonda said. "I trust that Lunar's doing well?"
"He sure is. He's really got a knack for showing off."
Rhonda laughed. "That's him for you. But even if he is a show off, he's a protector of his friends." Matt thought about how Lunar protected him from the Zangoose, and couldn't think of anything truer. The two took their places and got positioned to battle.
"Raina, Let's Battle!" Matt called.
"Espeon, it's your turn!" Rhonda yelled. The orange Water-Type and the pink Psychic-Type faced each other, expecting a great battle ahead of them. "Don't disappoint me now."
"Battle begin!" The ref called.
"Aqua Jet!" Matt called. Raina's speed allowed her to collide with Espeon quickly, doing some early damage.
"Espeon, use Calm Mind," Rhonda said. Espeon closed her eyes, honing her mind and raising her Special Attack and Defense.
"Use Water Gun!" Matt called. Raina shot water at Espeon, but the damage done was much less than normal.
"Psybeam!" Rhonda called. Espeon shot a small beam of energy into Raina's chest, pushing her back a few feet.
"Keep your head in it, Raina, and use Aqua Jet again!" Matt knew special moves like Water Gun wouldn't hurt Espeon, but his Buizel's speed certainly would. The bullet of water collided with Espeon again, knocking her over.
"Hypnosis, Espeon!" Rhonda called. The red mark on Espeon's forehead began to glow, sending out a ring of light towards the Water-Type. When it got to Raina, she immediately fell asleep.
"Raina, wake up!" Matt called.
"She's not waking up for a couple of turns, Matt," Rhonda said. "Use Psybeam again!" Another beam was shot at Raina, who was sleeping standing up. If Matt didn't do something soon, Raina would be defeated easily.
"Come on Raina, wake up! We're so close to the end! We can do this. Wake up and use Rain Dance." But she wouldn't wake up.
"Psybeam again!" This Psybeam knocked Raina over, leaving her on the ground.
Matt could help but bend down this time, staring into his Buizel's sleeping eyes until they woke up. "It's time to battle, Raina. Get up and let's finish this like I know we can!" Suddenly, the Water-Type started to stir. Her eyes popped open, looking into Matt's.
"Bui?" She said, starting to get up. Matt nodded. "Buizel Bui!" She said, louder this time, standing up quickly. She faced the Espeon, having taken a lot of damage, but not backing down yet.
"Use Rain Dance!" Matt called. Raina shouted into the sky, summoning the clouds that have gotten the two out of very tough situations this tournament. They were ready to win.
"Use Psybeam!"
"Dodge it!" The beam of energy narrowly missed Raina, as she darted to the side. "Great, now use Aqua Jet!" Matt shouted. Raina covered herself in water and quickly slammed into the Psychic-Type, knocking her over.
"Get up, Espeon!" Rhonda shouted. Espeon slowly got to her feet, facing Raina again. "Use Quick Attack!"
"Aqua Jet!" Both Pokémon charged at each other with tremendous speed, each of them with their last bit of strength. In the end, the one engulfed with water won over, knocking the Psychic-Type to the ground, ending the battle.
"Espeon is unable to battle, Raina the Buizel wins, meaning the victor is Matt from Oreburgh City!"
Matt and Raina both jumped into the air, excited that they had won. "We did it, girl!"
"Bui Bui!"
Rhonda came over to Matt to shake his hand. "Lunar's in good hands with a trainer like you. Thanks for the great battle." Matt returned the shake with a smile. He couldn't believe it, but he was a finalist now.
"Thank you to everyone who has competed in this tournament so far. It's been a phenomenal few days here with you all, and I can't thank you enough for coming out and supporting your fellow battlers in one of the greatest tournaments I've hosted in my career," Kingsley said on the speakers. "But alas, only two remain. Gage from Blackthorn City and Matt from Oreburgh will face off tomorrow in what is sure to be a wonderful battle!"
Matt and Gage's eyes locked in the bleachers. They've seen each other battle before; they both knew each other's strategies. And they both knew the winner of tomorrow's battle would be the one who could out smart their opponent the most. As the crowd's roar died down and the audience started to leave, Gage got up to leave with them. Matt stopped him.
"Gage, wait up!" He called.
"What do you need?" The trainer turned around.
"I heard what you said to Gold. And I've been thinking, you've been doing a lot of the same things throughout the tournament, too."
Gage sighed. "Have I been? Has every move I've used been the same throughout every battle?"
"Well, no, but-"
"Then what the hell are you doing saying that I'm doing it, too?"
"My point is that each Pokémon only knows a specific number of moves, and there's not much you can do to change strategies when you're limited like that. Gold had a strategy that worked for him, and part of him using that move was because it's his Marshtomp's most powerful."
"Hm. I suppose you're right there. But I rest by what I said. You can't rely on the same strategy to work every time. I'll see what you can do in tomorrow's battle, Matt. Until then, see you." And with that, Gage left, not giving Matt a chance to respond.
The young trainer returned to Tyler's house, exhausted. "That was an awesome battle, Matt!" Alex yelled, running up to his brother. "I can't believe you're about to win the whole tournament!"
"We still need to see about tomorrow, buddy," Matt told him. "Gage is a really strong trainer."
"Yeah, but you're better! You'll win for sure!"
Matt laughed. "Thanks, Alex."
"Well well well," Tyler said, entering the room. "Looks like we've got a champion in the making here. I have to say, you've been doing a fantastic job so far."
"I've still got one more obstacle to face."
"Either way, great job. Can I talk to you for a minute, Matt?" The sudden change in Tyler's mood caught Matt off guard.
"Uh, sure, what's up?"
"Follow me." Matt and Alex started to follow Tyler into his room. "Sorry, Alex, but I need to talk to Matt alone about this."
"Darn…ok Tyler." Tyler shut the door, turning to Matt.
"Last night, after you feel asleep, I rode my bike back to Mt. Coronet. There was something about that room that was bugging me, and I couldn't leave it alone."
"Did you get the chest open?" Matt asked, sitting down.
"I did. Well, I didn't personally, but I ran into an old friend."
"Lucario?"
"Good guess. Yeah, he was inside the mountain and I ran into him. I showed him the secret room and he was amazed by it. He was able to help me open the chest!"
"What was in there?" Matt was sitting on the edge of his seat now. Tyler took out a necklace from under his shirt, a small amulet on it. "That's it?"
"What do you mean, 'that's it'? Who knows what secrets this amulet could hold, what powers it could contain, what mysteries it could open! Matt, this amulet could possibly be what we need to stop Team Revenant."
"It could be?"
"Just give it a chance."
"Alright, I guess. Can I see it?" Matt asked. Tyler nodded, taking it off of his neck. Matt took it in his hand, as it started to glow pink. "What the hell?!"
"How did you get it to do that?!"
"I don't know!" It glowed an even brighter pink, as the light started to rise into the air, forming a small portal. Matt dropped the necklace, but it continued to glow. Through the portal came the head of Palkia.
"Help," it said, and the portal started to swirl, pulling on Matt and Tyler.
"What's going on?" Tyler shouted, unable to withstand the force. At the same time, Matt and Tyler were sucked into the portal, and everything turned white.