"Well now that we've gotten everything good and settled…" Marcus stood up, his gaze locking with Cynthia's. "Champion of Sinnoh, I challenge you to a battle." That declaration caused the eyes of everyone around to widen considerably. Cynthia, however, kept her usual composed expression.
"Hey no fair!" Ash was only surprised because Marcus probably beat him to it.
"Are you CRAZY?!" Elizabeth flailed about. "You can't just casually challenge the CHAMPION of the Sinnoh region! Do you know who she is!?" And her composure was lost once again.
"No no, it's quite alright. Not even a full hour in Kalos and I've already been challenged." Cynthia mused while standing up. "Very well, I will accept your challenge. I sense a fire within you anyway."
"He's just going to get slaughtered, isn't he…?" Rui questioned as everyone made their way outside.
"What's the big idea…" Kasumi crossed her arms, trying to rack her brain for an answer for Marcus's sudden challenge against Cynthia. "He's been acting strange lately…"
"Stranger than Grace?" Serena pointed that fact out so quickly Grace had no time to react.
Once Marcus and Cynthia arrived at the field outside, they took their respective sides. Sycamore did the honors, standing in the middle and raised his hand, acting as the referee for this impromptu battle. "This will be a one on one battle! The battle is over when one side's pokemon is unable to battle…without further ado…begin!"
"Gallade, let's go!" Marcus tossed a pokeball into the air, the capsule opened and the bright light crashing into the ground morphed into Gallade, who was ready to battle. There was a cape attached to Gallade with the broken Mega Stone hanging on the edge of the fabric.
"Hm…" Cynthia only had one go to in this situation. The Sinnoh champion tossed a pokeball in the air, calling forth her trusty pokemon, Garchomp. "Let us have a good battle, yes? I will let you have the first attack since you are the challenger."
"Is it just me…or is the atmosphere around here really tense…" Bonnie shifted around really uncomfortably. The battle hadn't even started yet!
"The tension shifted the second she stood on the field…" Kayla said while rubbing her arm sheepishly. The blonde wasn't quite sure how to feel…and she wasn't even in the battle. She couldn't imagine how Marcus was feeling at this moment.
"Wait…" Grace narrowed her eyes at Gallade's cape. "What's he doing…? Can he even use that? What's this idiot trying to prove!?"
"That Mega Stone…" Sycamore focused his gaze on it.
For some reason, the more Marcus looked at Cynthia; he heard an orchestrated piano playing in the back of his mind. For that same unknown reason, the longer it played the more he knew how this battle was going to go. Steeling his nerves, he issued the first command of the battle: "Gallade, Psycho Cut!" Gallade nodded and lifted a bladed arm up before swiftly chopping it down. This sent a vertical blade of kinetic energy rushing towards Garchomp.
"Block it." Cynthia simply commanded. Garchomp lifted one arm, allowing its fin to block the incoming Psycho Cut. A small explosion occurred but when it cleared Garchomp was relatively unfazed. "Flamethrower." Garchomp opened its mouth, releasing a powerful stream of flame directly for Gallade.
"Dodge and use Close Combat!" Gallade swiftly evaded to the side before rushing towards Garchomp with surprising speed.
"Oh, it's quick. Brick Break!" Cynthia commanded. Just as Gallade closed in with a series of fierce punches and kicks, Garchomp's fin shone brightly before bringing it down. The dragon type was just as, and even faster than Gallade on the draw! Gallade found itself defending against Garchomp's Brick Break by raising its arms over its head, the ground cratering underneath its legs. Garchomp then swung its leg and Gallade's gut to knock it away with ferocious might, causing the fighting type to tumble along the ground before coming to a halt.
"Tch…!" Marcus grunted as Gallade stood up to recover.
"Dragon Rush!" Cynthia was not letting up even for a second. With a mighty roar, Garchomp allowed a powerful aura to surround its body as it rushed forward. There was no time for Gallade to react and SLAM! The dragon type crashed into Gallade violently, sending it hurtling into the ground.
"Ohhh! Is it over…!?" Serena spoke as if she closed her eyes to avoid watching the sight, but watching a champion, especially Cynthia, battle was a sight she probably wouldn't see again!
"Gallade, are you okay?" Gallade groaned, clenching one eye shut before standing back up, battered and bruised by just two attacks. This battle was likely already decided before it began, yet trainer nor pokemon refused to give in.
"It can still fight? Now that's impressive in itself." Cynthia's words were nothing but genuine. "Stone Edge." Garchomp roared and punched the ground, azure stones erupting from the field in a straight line towards Gallade.
"…Now's our chance. Gallade, advance forward with Psycho Cut!" Both of Gallade's arms shone brightly before it dashed forward, slicing through the rising stones as though they were butter! Once nearing Gharchomp, Gallade's skull cloaked itself in psychic energy and it lunged forward for the dragon's abdomen.
"Garchomp, defend it!" Cynthia commanded. Garchomp crossed its arms once again as Gallade rammed its skull into its arms. Even Garchomp had to hold its ground slightly, but that wasn't even Marcus' true goal; he just wanted to get close!
"Ice Punch!" Gallade's fist wrapped itself in ice, and in the next instant, a fierce uppercut was aimed at Garchomp's gut! To everyone's surprise, even Cynthia's, it was a direct it! Garchomp let out a slight roar as it slid backwards. "Close Combat!"
"Brick Break!" Just as Gallade rushed forward, Garchomp sought to counter it. Though unlike before, it wasn't just a one sided clash! With Gallade's speed, it was capable of fending off Garchomp, even if it wasn't able to land any more direct hits thus far.
"Whoa, when did Gallade get so fast?!" Ash questioned.
"Ah…I see!" Clemont snapped his fingers. "Dragon Rush comes with a secondary effect. Sometimes it can cause the opponent to flinch…and Gallade's ability, Steadfast, allows it to move faster after being hit with such an effect!"
"Did he plan that…?" Elizabeth mumbled. "There's no way…"
"Keep attacking!" Shifting attacks mid strike, Gallade aimed a bladed arm at Garchomp's side; however the dragon time just managed to counter by bringing its fin up to defend. These same motions continued for only a few seconds before the two entered a brief, but fierce deadlock.
The two leapt away from each other and Cynthia continued the offensive momentum she still had. "Flamethrower!" Once again, Garchomp unleashed a massive funnel of flame aimed directly for Gallade.
"Slash through it! Use Psycho Cut!" As the flames neared, Gallade raised both arms above its head. The rainbow hue intensified and for a brief moment, it looked like Gallade's arms turned into a gigantic shining blade. That alone was enough for everyone to stand up from their seats in amazement. Gallade brought its sword down, slicing clean through the flamethrower while a gigantic crescent cut through the earth while travelling towards Garchomp.
"Evade, and use Dragon Rush!" Despite the powerful attack, Garchomp was still fleet footed. The dragon deftly leaps to the side, allowing the attack to soar past it and slice the stone wall behind it clean in half. The same aura from before wrapped around its body and it charged Gallade headfirst, slamming into it to knock it backwards. Just like before, Gallade tumbled before coming to a stop, now resting on its hands and knees.
Even so…Gallade wanted to keep fighting. "That's it! Then we'll just push it even further!" Drawing forth the shattered keystone on his bracelet, Marcus actually attempted for it to work…and it just might have with the shining light around it and Gallade's…but then!
"That's enough." Sycamore called the battle off. "Marvelous show on the both of you!" The professor then approached Marcus. "Very impressive on your part. I can see that you were about to Mega Evolve, but judging by the condition of your stones…I advise against it. The energy would leak out and the results wouldn't be good for anyone here."
"Ah…" Marcus nodded slowly while returning Gallade. He was going to have to have Nurse Joy treat it later.
"That was a good fight. You have a lot of potential within you." Cynthia responded coolly while returning Garchomp. "It was a nice little workout for us as well, thank you." Walking across the field, she extended her hand to Marcus in a friendly manner, to which the two shared a firm handshake. Cynthia then gave Garchop a Sitrus Berry, which recovered all the damage Gallade dealt to it. Not that it really needed it anyway, but she wanted her partner to be healthy.
"That….was….so….COOL!" Elizabeth's eyes had sparkles in them. Watching Cynthia battle was just…a dream come true! At this point she didn't even care that her composure was all but lost, she could've died happily at any moment.
"I wonder if this is the real Elizabeth…" Kasumi questioned while gesturing at the excited blue hair lady. "And if her cool personality is a bit of an act…" Well, before that conversation could go any further, an explosion occurred somewhere in town and caught everyone's attention. "Huh?!"
"What was that?!" Lore looked around frantically.
"It came from the town…" Lovrina said while staring at the smoke cloud coming from behind the center. "That doesn't look good."
"Come on!" Ash shouted while bolting inside the center to see the rest of the town. Everyone followed and just before they could exit, they were met with Chiper Peon's storming the Center's interior. "Ah!?"
"Oh…" Lovrina swallowed the lump in her throat awkwardly.
"Hands up!" A Chiper Peon shouted before calling out his Houndoom, which snarled at all the bystanders. "We're only here for one thing. Just surrender peacefully and we won't bring any harm to you."
"That's right!" Another Peon said while calling forth his Tauros, which angrily stared at the people around.
"Everyone, go on ahead! I'll take care of this! Braxien, let's go!" Serena called forth Braxien to stand up against Chiper.
Rui stood next to Serena with a firm nod. "Plusle! We'll help out too!" From Rui's pokeball, Plusle came forth.
"Right! We'll leave it to you!" Elizabeth nodded before the others made their way out of the Pokémon Center.
The moment they all made their way out, Cynthia started going on ahead. "I'm going to find the one in charge of this little coup. Perhaps then that will stop them. It would be a great help if you all subdued those going around causing trouble."
"You got it!" Clemont nodded. "Bonnie, stay close to me."
"Okay…!" Bonnie nodded. In the midst of the slight excitement and panic, Squishy poked its head out from Bonnie's bag before stealthily hopping away. Nobody noticed it either.
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Snattle paraded through the streets with his Chiper Peons keeping all the bystanders at bay. The man waltzed around as if he owned the place, grinning widely as he already made plans on how to rule Kalos once he was self-appointed governor. "Yes yes…I think this place will make a wonderful start for my campaign. Shadow Pokémon Central? Hm…no, that may be too much…Perhaps I should ask the locals what they believe will suit best…"
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Next Time: Hit The Dance Floor!