A quick author's note before starting this chapter. The Elite Four are inspired by four very close friends of mine. They are not on this website, but I wish to acknowledge Mike, Josanna, Darren, and Sara. Aside from a few tweaks, the Elite Four members are almost mirror images of these four friends of mine. They are all very important in my life and it's only fair that they are given credit for these characters. I hope you enjoy the time I put into each one of them, as well as the battles that they participate in! Keep them reviews coming!
Ash and his friends all sat in their small room within the stadium. Silence flooded the space as their nerves were rattling like the tail of a rattlesnake. Chatter of fans could be heard outside, and the announcer was shouting into the speaker with excitement. Their silent trance was only broken when the door knocked and opened.
"Hello, everyone!" Professor Oak said as he walked into the room. No one responded to his energetic greeting. "I wanted to let you know that I'm rooting for each of you. And you have a lot more fans out there pulling for you too."
From behind Oak, a few more people walked in and surprised Ash. May, along with her younger brother Max, walked into the room. After them, Dawn walked in, and was closely followed by someone Ash hadn't seen since is first year of training, Richie.
"Guys!" Ash exclaimed as he jumped to his feet. "It's great to see all of you again! Max, looks like you're a trainer now. That's awesome! And Richie, what have you been up to?"
The group continued to talk for nearly ten minutes until an official called for Ash's team to come out. Everyone said their goodbyes and good-lucks, then left Ash and his team to proceed to the field.
"Here we go, guys," Ash said as they walked closer to the outside. "We'll be Pokemon Masters by the end of today."
Everyone nodded confidently. No one would admit it, but they were all relieved to hear Ash still carried his defiant confidence. It always transferred to them as a result.
Ash was the first to walk out of the tunnel and into the light of the field. Cheers and shouts erupted throughout the stadium as he and his group walked further onto the field. The Elite Four, along with Belle, all stood on the opposite end. They all stood tall and confident to the point of intimidation as they eyed the young trainers.
"Hello everyone, and thank you once again for showing up today!" Mr. Yuki called into his mic. "It is a great pleasure to be here to officiate today's battles. We have finally reached the main event, where Ash and his team of young but powerful trainers will attempt to defeat the Legacy League Elite Four and the Grand Champion. Should they succeed, they will replace the Elite Four and become the new Legacy League's Elite Four!"
Mr. Yuki paused to let the crowd clap and cheer. Ash looked into the stands, and could see some familiar faces. Two of which were Rick and Delia, who sat in the front row directly above his team's bench. He was also surprised to see Cilan and Bianca had traveled from the Unova Region to cheer him on. They both waved happily to him, and he smiled back.
"Without anymore delay, let's get these battles underway!" Mr. Yuki continued. "The rules for the battles are quite simple. They are six-on-six battles between two trainers, and there are no special rules to take into account. The only exception is that neither trainer is allowed to switch Pokemon by returning them to their pokeballs. Also, the member of the Elite Four will be the one to choose who his or her opponent will be. With that being said, our first Elite Four member will be Jordan!"
Jordan stepped forward and entered the trainer's box. He had a simple smile on his face as the crowd clapped and cheered for him. He was young, but he did a good job of keeping his ego in check even with his celebrity status.
"I knew who my opponent would be even before I got here today," Jordan spoke up. "Iris, please give me the pleasure of battling you today."
Jordan held his hand out as if wanting Iris to take it. Iris could feel herself blush a little as she started to walk toward her own trainer's box. She could hear each member of her team encourage her as she walked, but she was locked on Jordan's bright face.
"I hope you battle as beautifully as you look," Jordan said, still carrying a large smile.
"I don't know about beautiful," Iris said awkwardly, "but I do battle with power."
Mr. Yuki moved his mic to the side platform, then turned to face the field. "As I already stated, this is a six-on-six battle. You are not required to follow a specific order when choosing your Pokemon, but cannot switch Pokemon by returning your current Pokemon. That being said, send out your first Pokemon!"
Iris exhaled, then tossed her pokeball into the air. "Druddigon, I choose you!"
Jordan watched Iris' dragon Pokemon come onto the field, then tossed his own pokeball. "Politoed, take to the field!"
"A water type?" Misty said, surprised. "I thought Mary was the water user."
Jordan smiled confidently as his Politoed appeared on the field. Soon after, a cloud suddenly formed over the field and rain began to pour down. Iris looked up at the lone cloud, and quickly assumed it was Politoed's ability, drizzle.
"Now without further delay, let the battle begin!" Mr. Yuki announced.
"Alright Politoed, let's start with toxic," Jordan called.
"Dodge and use dragon tail," Iris ordered.
Druddigon quickly dodged the toxic, then ran toward Politoed. It spun and threw its tail toward Politoed, and knocked it to the ground with a harsh blow. Politoed rolled over, then bounced back to its feet.
"Perfect, now use ice beam," Jordan said with a smile.
Iris' eyes widened as Politoed used an ice beam attack at nearly point blank. Druddigon had no time to dodge, and took the full force of the attack. The ice beam pushed it back nearly ten feet before dying away.
"Now use scald," Jordan continued.
Politoed opened its mouth and shot a wave of steaming water at Druddigon. The water hit Druddigon, causing it to hop around in pain as the boiling hot water burned its skin. Iris watched her Pokemon as it struggled to regain focus on the battle, but it had no time before another ice beam hit it and knocked it back another ten feet. Druddigon dropped to the ground and didn't get back up.
"Druddigon is unable to battle," Mr. Yuki announced. "Please send out your next Pokemon."
Iris returned her Druddigon with a shaky hand. She knew it would be a hard battle, but her Druddigon was completely overwhelmed in every way. Jordan's Politoed seemed to have just the right abilities to gain an easy victory.
"I like you Iris, but I'm still a member of the Elite Four," Jordan called. "I can't show mercy just because I'm battling a beautiful lady."
"I wouldn't expect you to," Iris replied as she grabbed her next pokeball. "Dragonite, go!"
All five of Iris' remaining Pokemon had some kind of weakness to one of Politoed's attacks. Because of that, Iris could only try to use a Pokemon that would have an advantage of its own. She looked up as the rain continued to fall, then looked across to Jordan.
"Begin!" Mr. Yuki called.
"Politoed, let's use an ice beam," Jordan said.
"Dodge that!" Iris ordered.
Politoed fired another powerful ice beam directly toward Dragonite. Dragonite reacted immediately and used its superior speed to easily dodge the attack. It flapped its wings to push itself further into the sky until Politoed looked like a small toy.
"This rain is going to help me," Iris said. "Now Dragonite, use thunder!"
Dragonite let out a roar as electricity began to surge from it. The lightning suddenly shot down from the sky and completely covered Politoed. Iris knew that the rain would give thunder a near guaranteed connection with its target. Once the attack finally subsided, Politoed could barely stay on its feet.
"I didn't think it'd make it through that attack," Iris thought to herself.
"You're not just pretty, but smart too," Jordan said with a smile.
Iris nodded, then turned to Dragonite. "Use dragon claw now!"
Dragonite swooped out of the sky and dove straight for Politoed. Politoed readied itself to try and dodge, but it was still wobbly from the previous attack.
"Protect!" Jordan called.
Politoed held its hands out, and a barrier suddenly appeared in front of it just as Dragonite struck. Dragonite's sharp claws slashed across the barrier, but none of the attacks could get through to Politoed.
"Now use ice beam," Jordan continued.
Dragonite jumped back and started to fly away as Politoed fired its ice beam. The streak of ice hit the edge of Dragonite's left wing, freezing it almost completely. Dragonite dropped out of the air and landed on its feet with a loud crash, but seemed relatively unharmed.
"Can you fly?" Iris asked Dragonite. Dragonite looked back to its wing as it tried to flap, but it barely moved.
"Use toxic," Jordan ordered.
Dragonite barely hopped to the side to dodge the attack. Without its wings, it wasn't nearly as fast. Politoed was proving to be faster on foot by a large margin.
"Let's use another ice beam," Jordan called out.
"Use fire punch!" Iris shouted.
Dragonite's fist became covered in flames as it threw its fist toward the ice beam. Once it and the ice beam connected, a loud hissing sound echoed through the stadium, and the ice beam melted upon contact. Jordan watched with surprise, then smiled.
"I can't say I've ever seen that before," Jordan said. "Impressive! Politoed, use scald."
"Dragonite, your wing!" Iris called to her Pokemon.
Dragonite quickly realized what Iris meant, and turned around. Right as the boiling hot water made contact, Dragonite bent over and the water hit the block of ice that covered its wing. The ice completely melted within a couple seconds, and Dragonite instantly took off into the air.
"You're acting like a Pokemon Master," Jordan praised Iris. "I didn't even see that one coming."
"Well you should see this one," Iris responded. "Dragonite, use thunder!"
Dragonite used another thunder attack, just as powerful as the first. Almost the entire field was covered by electricity as everyone was temporarily blinded by the bright light. Only seconds later, the attack ended, and Politoed was out cold on the ground.
"Politoed is unable to battle," Mr. Yuki announced. "Please send out your next Pokemon."
Jordan returned his Politoed with a smile. "You sure took advantage of the rain my Politoed created. But I have a question for you. Do you think you can handle me doing the same? Heliolisk, you're up!"
Iris watched in surprise as a Pokemon she had never seen appeared onto the field. Heliolisk was only a few feet tall, and resembled a small dinosaur in shape. It stood on two legs, and had two stumped arms. It also had neck frills that flared straight out.
"I can tell you've never met this Pokemon," Jordan said. "Heliolisk is an awesome Pokemon that carries both the electric and normal types. Even more, thanks to its ability, dry skin, it continually recovers energy as long as it stays in the rain."
Iris watched Heliolisk carefully as it hopped around the field. It seemed to be quite agile, and the rain was a cause for concern. Her Dragonite's thunder attack wouldn't have much affect on it since it was an electric type, but its own electric attacks could deal serious damage to Dragonite.
"Begin the battle," Mr. Yuki announced.
"Dragonite, use dragon dance!" Iris immediately ordered.
"Oh we can't have that," Jordan said. "Heliolisk, open with glare."
Heliolisk stared straight at Dragonite and widened its eyes. Only a second later, Dragonite suddenly stopped flying, then dropped straight to the ground. It crashed into the ground, shaking the entire field, and struggled to even get to its feet.
"Glare paralyzes the opponent, as I'm sure you already know," Jordan announced. "Now use dark pulse."
Heliolisk ran closer to Dragonite, the sent a wave of dark energy toward Dragonite. Dragonite was pushed back by the dark pulse, but it still couldn't move afterward. As it continued to try and move, Heliolisk rapidly ran around the field with incredible agility.
"Come on Dragonite," Iris called.
"Let's make quick work of this and use thunder," Jordan ordered.
Heliolisk stopped only a few feet away from Dragonite. Massive amounts of electricity began to surge from its body. Once it seemed to be at full power, all of the lightning shot toward Dragonite and covered its entire body. Dragonite let out a few shouts of pain, then jumped into the air as it regained control of its body. It quickly flew away from the attack and landed on the other side of the field.
"Dragonite, are you ok?" Iris asked her Pokemon. Dragonite was breathing heavily, but had a defiant look on its face like it was ready for more. "Alright, use fire punch."
"Use dark pulse," Jordan ordered.
Dragonite's flaming fist flew threw the air toward Heliolisk. Heliolisk responded by hopping to the side to dodge, then used dark pulse right in Dragonite's face. Dragonite fell back as it took the attack, and slammed its back into the ground.
"Now finish with focus blast," Jordan continued with a smile.
Heliolisk drew its fist in and stood still for a second as it charged up. Just as Dragonite managed to get back to its feet, Heliolisk suddenly threw its fist into the dragon's body. The blow seemed to cause severe damage as Dragonite let out a shout, then flew back a few feet. Jordan still had a smile on his face, but showed some surprise as Dragonite got back up.
"That's one persistent Dragonite," Jordan exclaimed. "But what will you do now?"
"Dragonite, use dragon claw," Iris ordered. She was quickly running out of new ideas. Dragonite's attacks were too slow to make good contact, but its only special attack wouldn't have much affect on Heliolisk.
Heliolisk easily dodged the dragon claw attack, then followed orders and used thunder. Dragonite had nowhere to run as the thunder attack made full contact. It only took a few more seconds before Dragonite finally gave in and passed out.
"Dragonite is unable to battle," Mr. Yuki announced. "Please send out your next Pokemon."
Jordan still carried his boyish smile as Iris returned her Dragonite. He couldn't help but think about how Iris was battling. It almost seemed like she was afraid to take a full offensive.
"What's your plan from here?" Jordan asked.
"He's probably got a strategy around this rain," Iris thought to herself as Jordan's question rang in her mind. "I need to throw him out of his comfort zone."
Iris grabbed her third pokeball, then looked across the field to Jordan. His eyes were fierce, yet kind. He had an unusual ability to maintain his easy-going boyish attitude while still battling at the highest level.
"Excadrill, go!" Iris called with a toss of her pokeball.
Excadrill emerged onto the field. It spun its drills in the air, ready for battle. Jordan didn't show any concern, but he was clearly examining his new opponent. His focus was only interrupted by Mr. Yuki's announcing the start of the battle.
"Heliolisk, let's open with focus blast," Jordan said.
"Excadrill, use these couple of seconds and use sandstorm!" Iris called to her Pokemon.
Jordan's eyed widened as he realized what Iris had planned. The second Excadrill whipped up a large sandstorm, the rain suddenly stopped completely. He closed his eyes and smiled for Iris' smart thinking. Afterward, Excadrill's increased speed due to the sandstorm allowed for it to easily dodge Heliolisk's focus blast attack.
"I'm supposed to be the Master here, but you've been battling really well," Jordan said to Iris. "My attraction for you only keeps rising."
Iris kept her mind on the battle, though Jordan's subtle comments about her did sink in over time. The was just happy that she felt like she wasn't blushing anymore.
"Excadrill, use agility," Iris called. Excadrill immediately complied, and used its ability to increase its already impressive speed. "Now use brick break."
Excadrill darted across the field toward Heliolisk. Heliolisk was still struggling to adjust to the limited vision created by the sandstorm, and didn't even see Excadrill coming. Before it knew what was happening, Excadrill was slamming its massive claws into its side. Heliolisk flew back and bounced a few times on the ground before coming to a stop. It slowly got back to its feet, but as soon as it was standing, Excadrill was in its face again, delivering a second brick break. The two super effective attacks was all it took for Heliolisk to completely run out of energy and pass out in front of Jordan's trainer box.
"Heliolisk is unable to battle," Mr. Yuki declared. "Please send out your next Pokemon."
Iris smiled and pumped her fist with excitement. Her confidence was gradually increasing as she began to realize she had a real shot at taking control of the battle. With the rain out of the picture, Jordan would be forced to completely change his strategy, which would work in her favor over time.
"Keep it up Iris!" Ash shouted to his friend with excitement.
"She's battling better than I've ever seen," Misty exclaimed. "She's coming up with counters every time Jordan does something new."
"She's a smart trainer," Gary agreed. "It looked like Jordan's strategy was going to be centered around that rain, so now he doesn't have the upper hand."
Jordan returned his Heliolisk and nodded. Iris couldn't help but notice that he hadn't even so much as released one bead of sweat throughout their already drawn out battle. He even occasionally pulled out a small comb to fix any hair that fell out of place. Everything about him made Iris forget she was battling a member of the Legacy League Elite Four.
"You know Iris," Jordan spoke up. "As we battle each other, I learn more and more about you as a person, not just a Pokemon trainer. Your in-your-face battle style shows that you are a woman of independence. You know who you are, and nothing can change that. Even your Pokemon personify who you are. That Dragonite of yours had so much fire in its eyes, and your own eyes, as beautifully enchanting as they are, were just as fierce. Now you use an Excadrill that displays speeds unheard of for such a Pokemon. That is a reflection of your quick problem-solving abilities, giving you a wonderful combination of both physical beauty and equally attractive intelligence. I can't wait to see what else you have planned!"
Iris began to feel herself blush yet again, even more than before. Jordan's seemingly unmatchable charisma and wit was almost overbearing to her. He didn't seem to worry about what she may be thinking, either. If he thought it, he said it.
"Let me show you my next Pokemon," Jordan said boldly. "Rotom, dance!"
A Rotom appeared on the field, and Iris' first thought was to find out what form it had. Once it was fully manifested on the field, it looked identical to the one Samuel had used in his battle against Rick. It was the wash form, making it an electric and water type.
"Excadrill, be careful," Iris called. Excadrill nodded confidently in response to its trainer's warning.
"Begin!" Mr. Yuki called out.
Excadrill immediately began to move around, staying in the thickest parts of the sandstorm that brewed. Rotom followed its movements, but didn't move around too much itself. It seemed to be waiting for just the right moment to attack, and Jordan was in full synch with the strategy.
"Excadrill, use earthquake," Iris ordered.
Excadrill proceeded to dig its drills into the ground, and began to spin them rapidly. The ground began to shake violently, and rocks began to break up and fly around. Rotom finally jumped into motion as it dodged the flying rocks, but wasn't able to dodge all of them as it got hit from behind by a large stone. It was pushed forward and stopped only a few feet away from Excadrill.
"Use will-o-wisp," Jordan called.
Rotom stood still and a flash of fire shot in every direction from its body. Excadrill tried to jump away, but was struck by the attack and received a harsh burn as a result. The burns seemed to continue to harm Excadrill slowly, but the Pokemon stood its ground and prepared for its next attack.
"Alright Excadrill, use brick break," Iris ordered. She began to feel nervous as the burn on Excadrill seemed to be growing.
"Let's dodge that one," Jordan called to Rotom.
Rotom hopped around, dodging each strike as Excadrill threw them. Excadrill seemed to be slowing down as the burns from the will-o-wisp continued to effect it. After a few more swings, Excadrill stopped attacking to try and catch its breath.
"Now use hydro pump," Jordan continued, his voice as calm as ever.
Rotom moved a little bit closer to Excadrill before sending out a huge blast of water. The hydro pump made full contact with the exhausted Excadrill, and persisted for a much longer time than Iris thought possible. Excadrill flew back and slammed into the ground, and after trying for a few seconds to get back up, fell to the ground and passed out.
"Excadrill is unable to battle," Mr. Yuki called. "Please send out your next Pokemon."
Iris returned her Pokemon, and began to think carefully on her next choice. If the current trend continued, she would run out of Pokemon while Jordan would still have one unused Pokemon. She needed to find some way to catch up and take the lead. From her point of view, there was only one way to do that.
"I know that look," Jordan said, interrupting Iris' train of thought. "You plan to use one of your most powerful Pokemon next in an attempt to throw me off and take the lead. Apparently I used to carry a similar look when I was a beginner trainer."
"Yeah, but I'm no beginner," Iris countered with a smile. "Haxorus, I choose you!"
Iris most powerful dragon Pokemon emerged from its pokeball and onto the field. It roared loudly, sending echoes throughout the stadium. Jordan didn't show any concern, however, as he continued to carry his carefree look.
"Begin!" Mr. Yuki called to the trainers.
"Haxorus, use dragon dance!" Iris called immediately.
"Let's open with a hydro pump," Jordan told his own Pokemon.
Rotom blasted another massive hydro pump directly toward Haxorus. Haxorus watched it, and quickly spun around to dodge the attack completely, to Jordan's surprise. Immediately after, it proceeded to use its dragon dance to increase its speed and attack.
"Now use dragon claw," Iris ordered.
Haxorus ran toward Rotom at a much quicker speed than anticipated. Haxorus also seemed to be able to navigate through the sandstorm better than Rotom could. Within seconds, Haxorus was in Rotom's face and slashing across the Pokemon's body with its large claws. Rotom clearly took heavy damage from the attack as it fled to the other side of the field.
"We'll need to do something about this sand," Jordan said. Iris eyed him curiously after he made the statement. "Rotom, use rain dance."
Iris flinched with surprise as Rotom spun around a few times, then a cloud suddenly formed above the field. Rain began to pour, completely stopping the sandstorm from continuing to brew. Iris began to worry all over again as Jordan's rain strategy began yet again, and she no longer had a way to stop it.
"I hope you didn't think my Politoed was the only way to get some rain," Jordan said with a smile. "That would be poor planning if that were the case!"
Iris glanced over to Jordan's Rotom. It was bound to have some kind of electric attack, but Haxorus still had its speed on its side. She would have to exploit that as much as possible.
"Rotom, let's use hydro pump," Jordan called.
"Dodge and use dragon dance," Iris ordered, hoping to boost her Haxorus even more.
Haxorus did a similar maneuver from before and spun around the hydro pump attack. Right after, it used dragon dance successfully. Jordan was seen shake his head slightly, but his expression was still calm.
"Haxorus, use dragon claw," Iris called.
"I guess it's time," Jordan declared. "Use thunder!"
Haxorus darted toward Rotom and held its sharp claws out. At the same time, Rotom charged its thunder attack up. Almost simultaneously, the two attacks hit their targets. Haxorus slashed across Rotom's body, and the electricity flowed straight from Rotom and through Haxorus' body. Both Pokemon seemed to take heavy damage, but Haxorus stayed on its feet while Rotom dropped to the ground. Everyone paused for a few seconds, then realized Rotom wasn't getting back up.
"Rotom is unable to battle," Mr. Yuki finally declared. "Please send out your next Pokemon."
"I was looking forward to battling your Haxorus," Jordan said. "You definitely did not disappoint me with that power. And to withstand a close-quarter thunder attack like that is simply amazing!"
"Does he have to praise her every time they're in-between battles?" Mary complained grumpily from the Elite Four's bench.
"That's Jordan," Sunshine responded happily. "He's a persistent young man."
Jordan looked at his remaining three pokeballs. It only took him a few seconds to decide which one to use next. As he lifted the pokeball, he used his left hand, revealing a mega bracelet on his wrist. Iris immediately noticed it, and almost knew what was coming next.
"I am truly sorry, Iris," Jordan began. "As much as I adore you, I can't let my team down. I'm not one to make bold predictions, but it is very possible that you will not defeat anymore of my Pokemon. Gengar, take to the field!"
Jordan's pokeball opened, and the Gengar emerged onto the field. It was clearly larger than most Gengar, making its already intimidating looks even worse. Without wasting any time, Jordan proceeded to activate the mega stone. Gengar shone brightly for a few seconds as it took to its mega form, which made it even larger than it already was. Iris watched, almost in a mini panic over her new opponent. A dark haze surrounded Gengar close to the ground, which Iris assumed was poison that was emanating from its body.
"Begin the battle!" Mr. Yuki called out.
"Open with sludge bomb!" Jordan ordered his Pokemon.
Gengar quickly leaned forward, and a massive wave of sludge flew across the field toward Haxorus. Haxorus had nowhere to run as the attack collided with it. The dark sludge covered Haxorus from head to toe, and the Pokemon had to shake significantly to get the poison off of its body. With no warning, Gengar suddenly stopped only a few feet away from the dragon and used a focus blast that connected with its torso. Haxorus fell back and slammed into the ground, completely dazed from the two attacks.
"You've never battled a Pokemon like my Gengar," Jordan said. "Gengar is the embodiment of a ghost. It's sneaky, tricky, and downright scary."
Iris couldn't say anything back. She couldn't even deny that she was frightened over Gengar's power. Before she couldn't even give Haxorus a new command, Gengar suddenly moved in again and used a shadow ball attack that knocked Haxorus back nearly five feet. Gengar was moving at speeds that made it seem like it was vanishing, then reappearing in a different location.
"Haxorus, use outrage!" Iris called desperately. She thought her only chance would be for Haxorus to go into a full rage with its attacks.
Haxorus pumped itself up and ran toward Gengar. Gengar's seemingly diabolical smile remained on its face as Haxorus moved closer for its attack. Just as Haxorus began to slash at Gengar, the ghost suddenly fazed out and became transparent. Haxorus' claw swiped straight through it, then Gengar became solid again to use a focus blast. The blow contacted with Haxorus' torso, and was all it took to finish the dragon Pokemon for good. Haxorus let out one last weak roar before falling over and passing out.
"Haxorus is unable to battle," Mr. Yuki announced. "Please send out your next Pokemon."
Iris looked across the field to Jordan. His face was still just as bright as ever, but had a new look of intensity. Upon sending his Gengar onto the field, he seemed to drop his playful mentality and become all business.
"Ok, I need to calm down," Iris thought to herself after she noticed that she was breathing heavily. For the first time in the battle, it was painfully clear that she was battling one of the best. "His Gengar isn't invincible. It's a ghost Pokemon, so I need to use a strategy that can counter that."
Iris continued to think about a possible strategy until she suddenly froze. Her eyes widened as if something had surprised her. Jordan watched curiously as she lifted one of her two remaining pokeballs, then turned to face the field.
"Hydreigon, I choose you!" Iris shouted while tossing her pokeball.
Her Hydreigon flew out of the pokeball and began to fly around the field. Jordan watched it for a few seconds, then brought his attention back to Iris. She had a renewed look of confidence on her face.
"I hope you have something special planned," Jordan said. "Because your Pokemon being a dark type will not be enough."
"Begin!" Mr. Yuki called out.
"Hydreigon, hold your ground!" Iris called to her Pokemon.
Jordan eyed Iris curiously. "So you want me to make the first move, huh? Not a problem. Gengar, use sludge bomb!"
Gengar faced Hydreigon and launched a massive wave of sludge toward it. Hydreigon shot higher into the sky with a single flap of its wings, and stopped a few inches above the sludge. Afterward, it reduced its altitude to only a few feet above the ground. Gengar was already moving in closer for its next attack.
"Now use focus blast," Jordan ordered.
Gengar moved closer to Hydreigon until it was only inches away. Iris waited until the last possible second before shouting to her Pokemon.
"Use thief!" Iris shouted loudly.
Jordan flinched in surprise from hearing Iris' order. Hydreigon took the focus blast attack, but at the same time, it grabbed Gengar's mega stone with one of its claws and ripped it away from the ghost. Hydreigon flew back and slammed into the ground and lost its grip on the mega stone. The mega stone bounced on the ground a few time, then fell over the side of the field and dropped to the ground below. Everyone brought their attention to Gengar as it suddenly reverted back to its original form, no longer able to keep its mega form without the stone.
"I thought thief would come in handy someday," Iris explained with a smile. "After we learned about the mega stones, I started planning for a situation just like this."
Jordan's eyes were still as wide as ever as he stood speechless. He had never imagined such a strategy to ever be used. It was both devious and genius at the same time.
"That was actually very intuitive," Belle said from the bench. "In all my years, I don't think I have ever seen thief used for that purpose."
"I'm curious to see what our benign friend does from here," Reynard said with a smile.
"Hydreigon, use dark pulse," Iris ordered.
Hydreigon flew closer to Gengar and sent a wave of dark circles toward the ghost Pokemon. Gengar failed to dodge in time as it took the super effective attack. It was still ready for more, but was clearly caught off-guard after losing its mega form.
"Regardless of how this battle turns out," Jordan called. "I'm glad to have battled such a worthy opponent! Gengar, use thunder!"
Iris had temporarily forgotten about the rain that was still falling until Jordan ordered the thunder attack. Hydreigon flew through the air, but quickly landed to create a ground to reduce the amount of damage it would take from the massive electric attack. The dragon still took extensive damage, however, and was clearly exhausted by the end of it.
"Use another dark pulse," Iris called to Hydreigon.
Hydreigon took advantage of how close the two Pokemon were to each other and used as much energy as possible to send a much larger attack toward Gengar. Gengar tried to phase out to avoid the attack, but the dark type attack still made contact and dealt heavy damage. Gengar fell back, and before it could get back up, Hydreigon followed its next order and used a flamethrower attack that finished the ghost off for good.
"Gengar is unable to battle," Mr. Yuki declared. "Please send out your next Pokemon."
Jordan smiled brightly as he returned his Gengar. "Iris, I must say something. The more we battle, the more I feel like I am falling in love with you. I have longed for a lady who I find unmatched in beauty, and can challenge me. I know we have only just recently met, but love is the only word that seems to fit the description of how I feel about you."
Iris couldn't do anything but smile awkwardly. She didn't deny that she liked Jordan as well, but it was strange to her that he was so forward about it in the middle of their intense battle. She only wanted to focus on the battle at the moment.
"But to digress, I choose to send Ferrothorn to the field!" Jordan exclaimed after he realized Iris wasn't going to say anything back.
Iris watched the Ferrothorn appear on the field with a confused look. Jordan knew that her Hydreigon knew flamethrower, which would be devastating on the grass and steel type Pokemon. Even more, Ferrothorn wasn't known to be much of an offensive Pokemon.
"I can tell you're confused," Jordan said through a chuckle. "You will see the method to my madness soon enough."
"Begin!" Mr. Yuki announced.
"Hydreigon, use flamethrower," Iris immediately ordered.
Hydreigon opened its mouth, and a large stream of fire shot toward Ferrothorn. Ferrothorn, who was hovering a few feet above the ground, suddenly dropped to the ground. The flames shot only a few inches over its head, but never made contact.
"Excellent," Jordan praised. "Use thunder wave!"
Ferrothorn returned to its hovering position. To everyone's surprise, the thunder wave shot out of its body and spread out in every direction. It was impossible for Hydreigon to dodge the move, and was paralyzed upon contact. It dropped out of the sky and landed on the ground not far from Ferrothorn.
"Now use gyro ball," Jordan ordered.
Ferrothorn moved in even closer to the paralyzed dragon. A silver orb appeared in front of it, then shot into Hydreigon's side. The blow was intense, and sent Hydreigon flying nearly ten feet. Once Hydreigon hit the ground, it slid a few more feet until it stopped right at the edge of the field.
"Come on Hydreigon!" Iris called. "You gotta move!"
Hydreigon continued to struggle to move as Ferrothorn started to move closer to it. Only seconds later, Ferrothorn used one of its vine-like limbs to slap Hydreigon, shoving it over the side of the field. Hydreigon suddenly regained control of its wings, but it was too late. Its feet touched the ground outside the ring just as it started to flap its wings.
"Ring out!" Mr. Yuki declared. "Hydreigon can no longer battle. Please send out your next Pokemon."
Iris felt the frustration boil up inside. If not for the ring out, she was confident her Hydreigon could have still won the battle. It was painfully clear that was Jordan's plan from the start, and was confirmed with the smile that he had on his face.
"One Pokemon left," Jordan said. "Can you pull off the miracle?"
Iris held onto her final pokeball. Inside of it was her Emolga. Emolga was probably her weakest Pokemon in terms of power, but was fast. If she wanted to win, she would have to come up with something that would exploit that.
"Emolga, it's up to you!" Iris called as she tossed the pokeball.
All of Iris' friends sat at the edge of their seats. Ash had to let Misty know that she was squeezing his hand way too tight. On the other end of the bench, Victoria would slap Gary's arm every time she jumped with surprise from something.
"This battle has been some of the most fun I've ever had," Jordan said energetically. "But all good things must come to an end eventually."
"Begin!" Mr. Yuki nearly shouted. He was beginning to lose his ability to contain his own excitement over the battle.
"Emolga, use air slash!" Iris called.
Jordan didn't say anything to Ferrothorn. He smiled as Emolga flew closer and closer to Ferrothorn. Right as Emolga began its attack, Jordan finally jumped into action.
"Explosion!" Jordan shouted to his Pokemon.
Iris' heart dropped upon hearing Jordan's command. Emolga was only inches away from Ferrothorn as the Pokemon began to glow brightly. Emolga stopped in midair and quickly flapped its wings to go upward. The explosion blasted in every direction with an intense flash, and Emolga disappeared inside of it within seconds.
"Emolga!" Iris shouted desperately.
The large explosion gradually subsided, and Emolga was spotted on the ground about twenty feet away from it. It was covered in scratches and bruises, but was still moving. It was shaking its head to knock itself out of the daze the explosion had created.
"Well that's not what I had planned," Jordan said as he returned his Ferrothorn. "Your Emolga wasn't supposed to avoid the blunt of the blast. Looks like this battle isn't quite over after all."
Iris let out a heavy sigh of relief as Emolga got back into the air. It glided across the field and landed in front of Iris' trainer's box. It looked back at Iris and they locked eyes. It was clearly damaged from the explosion, but Iris could tell it was still ready for more.
"So we're both down to our last Pokemon," Jordan said. "Kabutops, let's finish this!"
Iris was surprised when she heard Jordan call out Kabutops. To her knowledge, it was an extinct Pokemon. Sure enough, though, a Kabutops appeared on the field from the pokeball.
"I know what you're thinking," Jordan chuckled. "I was one of the lucky few who participated in a program that recovered fossilized Pokemon. I had found a Kabuto fossil when I was a child, and so I gained a new friend thanks to that experiment."
"That's amazing!" Iris exclaimed. She began to wonder if other trainers had done the same with other extinct Pokemon, but her thoughts were interrupted by Mr. Yuki.
"Let the final battle begin!" Mr. Yuki shouted.
"Kabutops, use rapid spin," Jordan ordered.
Kabutops bent over to form a type of ball and spun across the field at an incredible speed. Within seconds, it was on the other side of the field and slamming into Emolga. Emolga fell back a few feet, then took to the air to avoid a second blow.
"Kabutops possesses a unique ability known as swift swim," Jordan explained with a smile. "As long as it's in the rain, its speed is doubled."
"Good to know," Iris replied with a smile of her own. "Emolga, use tailwind!"
Emolga flapped its small wings a few times, and the wind suddenly began to whip around in all directions. The rain followed the odd wind patterns as well, but Jordan's main concern was the ability's effect on his Pokemon. Tailwind basically made Kabutops the slower Pokemon no matter how much its speed increased.
"Use stone edge," Jordan called to his Pokemon.
Kabutops ran toward Emolga, and lifted two large rocks with its two scythe-like claws. The strange winds created by the tailwind suddenly slowed it down, and Emolga easily dodged the attack and flew around to Kabutops' behind.
"Your rain strategy is a tough one to stop," Iris called to Jordan with a smile. "But unfortunately, it's going to be your undoing. Emolga, use thunder!"
Jordan's calm demeanor changed to complete shock. He watched, but couldn't do anything as a massive lightning strike shot across the field toward his Kabutops. The rainfall almost guaranteed the thunder would hit its target. As the seconds passed, Kabutops tried to avoid the attack, but ultimately received the blast at full power. The entire stadium lit up as the lightning shot around the field. The cackling was loud enough to force a lot of people to cover their ears, but no one wanted to look away. After nearly ten seconds of lightning strikes, the attack finally subsided. Once the field was visible again, Emolga was standing on the ground only a few feet away from an unconscious Kabutops.
"And Kabutops is unable to battle!" Mr. Yuki shouted into his mic. "With that, Iris is the victor of our first battle! Her team will move on to the second battle against the Legacy League Elite Four after a thirty minute intermission! What an amazing battle!"
Iris stood frozen in place, still trying to process her victory. The stadium was erupting with cheers and claps, with most people on their feet for Iris. She only started moving when Jordan stepped out of his box and walked around to her.
"You are something else," Jordan said with a chuckle. "I have nothing but respect for the way you battled today. It takes a special kind of trainer to continually find answers to my battle styles."
"Thank you," Iris responded with a smile. "But none of it was easy. I don't even know where some of those ideas I had came from, to be honest."
"A true Pokemon Master doesn't always have everything preplanned. Part of being a Master is responding to new challenges and facing them head-on. But now that our battle is over, I have to ask you a question."
Iris hesitated at first. "Go ahead."
Jordan lifted his right hand and revealed a rose. "I absolutely must take you on a date. Would you please accompany me tomorrow evening to dinner and a walk?"
Iris could feel herself blushing once again. She remained silent for what seemed like forever until she finally looked down at the rose that Jordan was offering. She slowly rose her hand and took the rose, then she smiled and nodded. Jordan's face seemed to light up brighter than the sun, then he bowed and retreated back to his own side of the stadium. Iris took a few more seconds to ensure she was no longer blushing, then joined her excited friends.
"That was awesome!" Ash practically shouted in Iris' face. "You battled better than I've ever seen!"
"Thanks," Iris responded. "I was so nervous though! He was so strong!"
"And apparently handsome," Misty said with a smile.
Iris glanced down at the rose that she was still holding. She suddenly began to blush again, then she retreated to the bench and sat down. She stared at the ground shyly, but couldn't keep herself from smiling a little bit. Everyone else laughed, then joined her on the bench and started to talk about the battle.
"One down and three to go before I get to battle Belle," Ash said. "We can do this!"