Author's Note: I'm actually submitting some of these from school, this and the previous chapter included. Regardless, they've been finished since last night, so all I have to do is tweak and publish the chapter during my free period. So, here are the last two E4 battles for you guys! Enjoy!
The next room I entered reminded me of the Blackthorn City gym. Around the sturdy eggshell-colored floor tiles were two pits of lava near two large silos full of more lava. Even though there were two protective walls around the pathway, I was still wary about the lava in the room as I approached a muscular man with midnight blue hair in a spiky low ponytail wearing only white karate pants with a black belt tied around it.
"Hello," I greeted, approaching the man.
"Greetings, challenger!" he roared fiercely, standing up firmly. "I am Bruno, the warrior of the Elite Four! There was once a time where I trained alongside different companions, but they have sadly all retired three years in the past!"
"Why didn't you leave, then?"
"Because! If I were to step down now, then it would be dishonorable of me to call myself a true warrior! I still had lots of training to do, and there was no way I'd let that one child bring me down!"
"What 'one child'?"
"Umm, erm… it doesn't matter! Let us fight now, and we'll see who the victor is!" Bruno bellowed, tossing his first PokéBall. "Go, Hitmontop!"
"Rose, I choose you!" I called, summoning my Togetic from her PokéBall.
"Hitmontop, use Triple Kick!" Bruno commanded.
Hitmontop leaped onto his head, began spinning around and around until he propelled himself into the air and repeatedly kicked Rose with his legs and tail. Rose constantly cried out in pain with each kick until she focused and grabbed Hitmontop by the tail and socked him to the ground with her new Rock Smash attack. Before her opponent could even think of attacking again, Rose finished him off with Extrasensory.
"Return," Bruno commanded, recalling Hitmontop in a red light beam. "Hitmonchan, come out and fight!"
The moment Bruno's Hitmonchan had taken the lava-bordering stage, he immediately began throwing warm-up punches out in the air as if practicing them for when he battled shortly.
"Hitmonchan, use Ice Punch!" Bruno exclaimed.
"Rose, counter with Rock Smash!" I ordered.
Hitmonchan's fists froze up completely until they were covered entirely with ice, and he began throwing freezing punches at Rose. But, my Togetic was on her toes entirely, swiftly dodging each punch until she finally retaliated by slamming her powered fist into the icy fists.
"Augh…" Hitmonchan winced before attempting to strike again, only to miss entirely.
"Is that all you got, tough guy?" Rose taunted, "I could go like this all day!"
Unexpectedly, Hitmonchan's fists became enveloped in a protective, yet sharp steel coating and I was forced to watch Rose be suddenly struck down by several punches and crash to the ground wounded. Before Hitmonchan could use another Bullet Punch to finish off Rose, I quickly called her back to her PokéBall in desperation.
"Take a rest, Rose," I panted, relieved as I called out another Pokémon. "Louie, take over for her!"
Louie took form once he was out of his PokéBall in a flash, looking fierce as ever. I told him what had happened with Rose, and my Noctowl was positively furious.
"Hurt my lady, will you?" he exclaimed, "I'll teach you a lesson you shan't forget, sir!"
"Louie, use Fly!" I ordered.
"Hitmonchan, Thunder Punch!" Bruno shouted.
Hitmonchan didn't get the chance to successfully charge up his fists with electricity, as Louie had already flown high into the air and savagely picked up speed as he had flown downwards towards his opponent. With a harsh strike with his body and wings, Hitmonchan was defeated in a heartbeat.
"Great job out there, Hitmonchan!" Bruno encouraged, "Hitmonlee, you're up! Use Focus Energy and then Blaze Kick!"
Once released, Hitmonlee focused his thoughts carefully before igniting one of his legs, jumping up, and swinging it out at Louie, landing a successful and critical hit on him. As Louie fell to the ground, I immediately ran to treat him. I was about to have Louie drink a MooMoo Milk when I saw him cringe at the bright red burn across his feathers.
"Here, this will help," I said, spraying the wound with a Full Restore. The burn extinguished, but there was still a burn mark in Louie's feathers.
"Ah, thank you, Ritsu…" he breathed. "And don't worry about the burn; that shall no longer be a problem once I start… molting again," he added with slight disgust.
"Hitmonlee, use High Jump Kick!" Bruno shouted.
Hitmonlee leaped into the air. Once at a high enough distance from the ground, he raised his leg and began lowering it to properly deliver a critical kick to Louie. Unfortunately for him, Louie merely flew clear out of the way, causing Hitmonlee to become stuck in the hole he wound up kicking in the ground.
"Louie, finish him with Air Slash!" I commanded.
Louie proved to be too quick for Hitmonlee, who was still struggling to dislodge his leg from the hole in the ground. He was defeated by several light blue razors conjured by Louie flapping his once-glowing wings. I could tell Bruno was starting to get a bit nervous as Hitmonlee was called back to his PokéBall, but he kept his composure strong and steady.
"Not bad, young warrior," he told me. "You've defeated my Hitmon Trio, but you still have yet to conquer this match! Onix, come out!"
At the sight of the titanic Onix standing before Louie and I, I felt a sting of sadness in my heart as recent memories of Caleb came flowing back into my mind. My lip quivered, but I remembered his dying words to me before I could start crying again.
"Louie, take a break," I told him. "Erin, it's your turn at last!"
With a toss of her PokéBall, Erin stood firmly on the battlefield. Onix wasn't very fast compared to Erin, so she was able to attack first with Giga Drain. The orbs of energy being sucked out of Onix made it critically weaker, but Bruno sprayed it with a Full Restore and reset the damage.
"Onix, attack with Sandstorm!" Bruno called out.
Onix started swirling its tail and magically conjured up a sudden sandstorm, making it not only hard for Erin and I to see, but bits of the lava were striking Erin occasionally. What we didn't expect next was for a sudden Dragon Breath to be fired towards Erin, which she dodged at the last minute.
"Erin, Acid!" I told her.
Erin concentrated for a couple of seconds before the flower atop her head fired a nasty purple gunk. I pleaded for a hit, and my wish came true when the sandstorm subsided and revealed Onix, hit in the eye by the poisonous fluid.
"Use Giga Drain again!" I commanded.
The energy orbs were once again forcefully ripped from Onix's stone body and into Erin. While my Gloom was growing healthier with each energy orb being taken from Onix, the Rock Snake Pokémon got weaker and weaker until it could no longer stand. It fell to the floor with a mighty crash, Bruno sending it back before it had the chance to hit the ground.
"I'm down to my last fighter," Bruno stated, reaching for the last PokéBall and summoning the creature from within. "Machamp, go!"
"Erin, do you want to switch out?" I asked, "I could send Louie back out-"
"No," Erin answered, "this is my fight. I'm going to win this round for everyone!"
"You're goin' down, little fungus!" Machamp taunted.
Upon hearing the word pass Machamp's lips, Erin's expression grew increasingly angrier. What surprised me wasn't the glare she gave Machamp, but the fact that her eyes were wide open and full of rage in that split second. Before I could give the command, Erin released a green soporific powder from her head-flower that could only be Sleep Powder, which caused Machamp to fall asleep the minute he inhaled even the slightest amount. Afterwards, Erin defeated him with a combination of Acid followed by a critical Giga Drain, all while Machamp had slept.
"...Wow," I breathed, utterly surprised.
"Never call me a fungus, you big fat jerk," Erin hissed as Machamp was called back.
"...I lost," Bruno uttered, disappointed. "I guess I still have much more to learn. Young warrior, give me your name!"
"I'm Ritsu, Mr. Bruno, sir," I answered.
"Very well then. I shall remember your name well, Ritsu. Once you defeat the woman in the next room, you will finally reach our Champion. Good luck."
The exit in the back that led out of Bruno's room suddenly opened. I thanked Bruno for a good fight and walked out after calling Erin back to her PokéBall until further notice.
I entered a room that I could only describe in one word: majestic. Everything was an elegant shade of dark violet, the floors quite literally sparkled and glimmered, and burgundy curtains unveiled to reveal my final opponent before Lance. She was a young woman with flowing periwinkle hair and beautiful eyes to match.
"Salutations," she greeted calmly, "I am your final challenger, Karen. Should you defeat me and my elite Dark-types, then you shall advance to battle Lance for his title. It's remarkable that you've made it this far."
"Thank you, ma'am," I responded. "So, you use Dark-types? You're the first one I've seen that uses them."
"Why, of course. My dumb big brother in the Sinnoh Elite Four prefers Psychic-types, but that only means he fails to see the beauty of the dark. Honestly, we may be twins, but Lucie can be a real stick-in-the-mud sometimes…"
Without another word, Karen called forth her first Pokémon in the form of Umbreon. I sent out the Pokémon who had yet to engage in the League fights: Lady. As she usually did when not in the water, Lady enveloped herself in a magical water bubble to allow herself to breathe.
"Lady, use Whirlpool!" I exclaimed.
Lady's horn started glowing and from it she summoned a torrent of swirling water that consumed Umbreon whole. Although surrounded by the damaging water tornado, Umbreon was still able to stand its ground and strike Lady accurately with Feint Attack.
"Umbreon, use Payback!" Karen ordered.
Umbreon harshly attacked Lady, causing her to sustain damage from inside of her water bubble. The bubble reformed when she finally pulled herself together, and Umbreon was still receiving damage from the Whirlpool.
"Lady, attack with Water Pulse!" I told her.
Once again did Lady's horn glow bright, this time summoning a large orb of accruing water. When the orb grew large enough, she fired it towards Umbreon, and it left critical damage on its body. From within the Whirlpool, Umbreon became dizzy and discombobulated, signifying that the Water Pulse had made it confused.
"Umbreon, focus!" Karen shouted, "Attack with Feint Attack again!"
Umbreon tried to concentrate and use the same attack as before, but it wound up tripping flat on its face badly and sustaining a large amount of damage. Just as Karen pulled out a Full Restore to use, the Whirlpool had injured Umbreon again, subsiding as the Moonlight Pokémon fainted.
"Return," Karen said. "Go, Houndoom! Use Dark Pulse!"
"Lady, counter with Water Pulse again!" I commanded my Seaking to do.
Houndoom and Lady charged up their own individual attacks in a synonymous manner; Lady's from her magic horn, and Houndoom's from its mouth. They both fired at the same time too; both Pulses bickering and quarreling each other for control. After a few seconds, the Dark Pulse overcame Lady's Water Pulse and the attack was sent back at her.
"Houndoom, use Crunch," Karen said.
"Lady, use Surf before Houndoom can get to you!" I cried.
When Houndoom charged at Lady, baring its fangs that glowed with a dark purple aura, it stopped dead in its tracks when Lady summoned forth a large tidal wave. In one crashing move, Houndoom had fainted from the critical hit of the Surf attack before Karen sent it back just like Umbreon.
"Alright, no more Miss Nice Girl," Karen declared, throwing her next Pokémon onto the field from its PokéBall. "Vileplume, stand by!"
"Blaze, take the stage," I said, calling forth my Typhlosion after returning Lady.
"Vileplume, use Petal Dance," Karen ordered.
Vileplume began spinning around and dancing in a certain rhythm, conjuring beautiful pink petals around it. Despite the beautiful sight, the petals of course proved quite deadly as they struck Blaze directly in her abdomen. Vileplume's attack wasn't critical nor was it effective, but Blaze was still having a rough time.
"Blaze, use Lava Plume!" I commanded.
Blaze managed to evade the final round of Vileplume's Petal Dance, which luckily left it extremely disoriented. She released a large blast of fire that soon exploded violently, KOing Vileplume in seconds once the smoke from the explosion cleared up.
"Not bad, Trainer," Karen stated, "but not good enough to defeat me just yet! It's your turn, Murkrow!"
"Blaze, take a break," I told her, recalling my starter Pokémon in favor of another teammate. "Merida, come out to battle!"
Once Merida was out and about, I told her to use Discharge on Murkrow, which cut off the poor thing before it had the chance to use any of its attacks. Due to Merida's strength and the type of move she had used, the defeat was quick as expected.
"Hmm, I'm down to my last Pokémon," Karen remarked. "I can definitely see someone like you being our next boss. But, let's see if that comes true once you meet my Gengar!"
As she had announced, Karen's final Pokémon was indeed her Gengar. I thought for a moment on whom I should send out next when I spawned an idea. I returned Merida to her PokéBall for a break, and before I sent out my next fighter, I sprayed her PokéBall with a Full Restore.
"Rose, I choose you!" I shouted, throwing her PokéBall to summon her.
When she took form, Rose looked healthier than she did when Hitmonchan had critically injured her previously. Thankfully, Full Restores were effective and useful, so I had nothing to worry about at the moment.
"Gengar, use Focus Blast!" Karen ordered.
Rose braced herself as Gengar released a powerful orb of orange energy from the palms of its hands, knocked backwards into the air as she made contact with it. Despite the attack, she wasn't even close to being critically injured again.
"Rose, Metronome!" I commanded.
Grinning, Rose waved her hands back and forth until they started glowing blue again. When she finished waving them, she summoned a random attack move. Rose began charging a new dark energy between her lips, and she released it as a generated Dark Pulse attack, leaving a critical hit on Gengar.
"Okay, finish with Shadow Ball!" I told her.
Without giving Gengar a chance to retaliate, Rose grew an orb of ghostly energy between her hands. When it grew to a size large enough, she tossed it straight at Gengar, the move strong enough to smash into the ground and dust to blow everywhere. The dust quickly cleared, and Karen and I stared at the unconscious Gengar, signifying Karen's ultimate defeat.
"Well, I'll be," Karen chuckled with a smile, calling Gengar back to its PokéBall, "you've defeated me. But answer me this, child. Have you chosen to label your Pokémon with petty characteristics such as 'weak' or 'strong'?"
"No, not really," I answered, "I love my team all the same! We've worked hard to get here, y'know!"
"Good, that's what I wanted to hear. You truly are fit to be Lance's successor. So without further ado, you may proceed. Defeat Lance, and you'll be Johto's youngest Champion to date."
Karen's very words struck excitement and hope in my heart as the large doors opened up in the back of her room. I returned my Pokémon as she returned hers, and I found myself walking slowly into the golden light of the next room. When I entered, the sight I had been dreaming of was at last a glorious reality.
Pokémon obtained: None.
Deaths: None.
Boxed/Unboxed: None.
Author's Note: Compared to the other two, Bruno and Karen put up more of a fight. Also, if you think a bit, you can most likely guess who Karen's referring to when she talks about her twin brother. Stay tuned for Chapter 37, because that's one of the ultimate battles in this story! See you then, everyone!