Chapter 34
10/22/0046/Late Evening
Two Poke-balls met with an explosion of sparks in the silent stadium, grinding against each other for a few moments before they bounced back, releasing the Pokemon held in side.
Appearing on the left side of the field was four legged Pokemon with silver fur and an angular horn on its head. On the right side of the field was horse with a fiery mane that went back on its hind legs to kick its front legs in the air before stomping them down with a loud snort.
"And for today's opening match, we have Blake from the Johto Region versus Carter from Sinnoh!" The announcer shouted. Unlike most Battle Domes, the announcer box in this Battle Dome was much closer to the battle field, right beside it to be exact.
"This two on two match will now begin." The ref shouted, lowering his flags.
"Rapidash, let's start strong with Flare Blitz!" Carter shouted, pointing toward Blake's Absol who seemed to be distracted by the thousands of people that were staring at it intently.
"Absol, dodge it!" Blake said sharply to Absol, snapping the Disaster Pokemon out of its daze in time to avoid Rapidash's initial attack. Rapidash slammed its feet down to halt its advance and made a hard turn to pursue Absol who was surprisingly agile.
"Stay with it Rapidash!" Carter yelled to his Pokemon.
Absol continued to evade Rapidash's quick and powerful offensive, not even letting the Fire type so much as singe its silver fur.
'Alright, let's test out how strong its power is.' Blake said to himself as Absol took a large leap to its right, putting a good bit of distance between itself and Rapidash. "Absol, use Shadow Claw on the ground to bring up some of the field in front of you. Then use Agility!"
"Sol!" Absol said in a whisper, raising its front right paw which became enveloped in a dark purple aura which extended outward in three long claws. Dropping the Shadow Claw onto the ground in front of it, a large chunk of the field was pushed to stand up in front of Absol, blocking the Disaster Pokemon from view.
"Rapidash, bust right through that weak defense!" Carter called out, seeing that there was no way a piece of the battle field could hold back the kind of power his Rapidash possessed.
'Perfect.' Blake said, timing Rapidash's charge. "Jump Absol!"
As Absol finished heightening its speed with Agility, it leaped into the air. Just in time to avoid Rapidash who rocketed through the earth as if it weren't there, creating a large dust cloud.
"Now Absol, use Razor Wind!" Blake said, motioning to the cloud that Rapidash hadn't left yet.
"Ab-sol!" It hissed, raising its horn where it gained a whitish glow that man of the fans stared at it awe at the brightness. Absol then swung its horn downward, releasing multiple blades of wind that flew down into the cloud, easily blowing the away the cloud while crashing down onto Rapidash who had stopped because some of the dust had gotten into its eye.
"Rapidash, look out!" Carter hollered, but Rapidash failed to dodge the attack. The Fire Horse Pokemon was forced down to the ground with a hard thud, its back now covered in several bruises from the Razor Wind attack.
"Absol, follow up with Night Slash!" Blake commanded to his airborne Pokemon. Absol gave him a nod before beginning its decent, putting out both its front legs which became coated in a black veil of energy that were pointed at the end. Crashing down onto Rapidash, the Night Slash pierced deep into its torso which gained a pained yelp from the Fire Horse before Absol slammed its hind legs down on its head, using its as a spring board.
"Rapidash!" Carter yelled as Absol landed on the ground, glancing back at Rapidash who was obviously in a lot of pain. "Get up, please!"
"Could this be it!" The announcer shouted, but Rapidash forced itself up with grit teeth, wobbling on its legs.
Stomping its feet several times, Carter could tell Rapidash wanted to bet the last of its strength on one last attack.
'Flare Blitz is too risky.' Blake noted, crossing his arms in front his chest.
"Alright Rapidash, let's go with Flame Wheel!"
The Fire Horse went up on its hind legs once more, its body becoming engulfed in flames before it took off in a charge toward Absol.
"Absol, time it and then jump over Rapidash and finish it with Shadow Claw!" Blake shouted, focusing intently on how much distance Rapidash covered with each gallop as it neared Absol. "Jump!"
Absol remained silent, taking a small jump to get over Rapidash while its left paw became covered in a purple aura for Shadow Claw. Piercing through the flames with its Shadow Claw, Absol delivered on last blow to Rapidash's already bruised back as the finisher. Rapidash's knees buckled before it collapsed to the ground with a hard thud, its eyes replaced with the swirls.
"Rapidash is unable to battle. Match, continue!" The ref stated loudly, raising the blue flag for Blake. The stands were silent, many surprised with Blake's strength, but almost all of the critics were quickly raising the standards they originally had for Blake.
Staring at Absol, Blake noticed that the fur on its left leg had been blackened or burned off completely. It was proof that Carter's Rapidash wasn't to be taken lightly if its flames could still burn Absol through the Shadow Claw attack.
"Toxicroak, let's go!" Carter said, releasing his second choice for the battle. The dark skinned Pokemon with a sharp eyes glared at Absol who returned it without a second thought, the two of them becoming quick enemies.
"Absol, start with Shadow Claw on both your legs." Blake ordered. Allowing both its legs to take on the purple aura once again, Absol took off in a dash that tore up the field as it raced toward Toxicroak. Raising its right paw for the initial attack, Absol thrusted it forward toward Toxicroak, the purple aura doubling in size to insure the attack would hit with twice the force.
Moving on its toes alone, Toxicroak spun out of the Absol's attack path with little effort with a smirk. Spotting Toxicroak's smirk out of the corner of its eye, Absol grit its teeth as it landed on its front left paw before turning its entire body on that paw alone to strike again with its right. Once again, Toxicroak evaded the attack by spinning, not a scratch on it.
'Even though Absol was closer that time, Toxicroak uses that spin to direct any excess energy away from it to avoiding taking any damage.' Blake said to himself. His only option was hitting Toxicroak directly, and that appeared to be the greatest hurdle at the moment.
"Toxicroak, attack with Posion Jab!" Carter bellowed confidently. Toxicroak smirked at Absol again, the single claw on each of its hands taking on a purple aura which it proceeded to swipe at Absol with.
Side stepping Toxicroak's first attack, Absol lashed out with its right paw using Shadow Claw, but Toxicroak was quick enough to duck below the attack. Toxicroak then went for a low attack hit to Absol's torso, but the Disaster Pokemon dropped its horn down on to Toxicroak's arm to stop its attack. Absol glared up at its opponent who smirked at it once again which gained a snarl from it before noticing that Toxicroak poised its next hand to strike.
"Absol, Agility!" Blake shouted suddenly. As Toxicroak thrusted its claw into Absol's torso, Absol became a white blur which bounced away from the Posion/Fighting type. When Absol came to a stop, Blake could clearly see a small spot on its torso which had a dark bruise, a sign that they hadn't avoided the attack completely. "That was too close."
Absol's Shadow Claw dispersed as its knees buckled. Absol growled through grit teeth before straightening up, but it was obviously in pain.
'Posion!' Blake exclaimed, looking toward Carter and Toxicroak who both wore confident expressions.
'Good luck surviving the poison because we won't let you land another attack.' Carter said mentally.
"Croak…" Toxicroak said out loud to Absol which gained a second snarl from the Disaster Pokemon who was now giving it the dark glare it could. The Shadow Claw Absol had previously been using flared back to life, which it then smashed into the field to rip a piece of earth out and hurl it at Toxicroak.
Toxicroak easily avoided the frontal attack with a spin before spotting Absol was charging toward. Lunging at Toxicroak when it was close enough, Absol threw out both its forward legs to land a Shadow Claw, but Toxicroak simply took a small side step to avoid the attack.
"Use Brick Break!" Carter shouted as Absol passed by Toxicroak. Slamming its knee into Absol's torso as it passed by, Absol howled in pain as it was sent tumbling across the field, Blake watching this with a stoic face.
"Absol, can you keep going?" Blake called out to his Pokemon who was already trying to get back on its feet and continue the battle.
"Sol." It replied, becoming steady on its feet after shaking off the pain from the Brick Break attack.
"Now do that same attack again, but put Agility into the mix." Blake ordered. Absol gave him a nod before using Shadow Claw once more to uproot another piece of the field and chuck it at Toxicroak.
"Toxicroak, stay focused." Carter said, feeling as though Absol was going to do something that would cause a major upset to the momentum he and Toxicroak had been gaining.
Dodging the rock again, Toxicroak found Absol charging at it once again, but it had already closed in on it with its right front leg extended for an attack. Toxicroak took a step in toward Absol, ducking below its right leg to go in for an attack.
This time it was Absol's turn to smirk since it expected Toxicroak to move in for an attack. Using its left leg which it had tucked in against its torso, Absol extended the Shadow Claw downward, grinding it into the field before it threw it upward at the approaching Toxicroak. Toxicroak was bombarded by chunks of the field which stopped its attack on Absol before it felt a sharp pain run across its torso in three separate lines. Absol landed its Shadow Claw attack with one leg, before using its next to give Toxicroak a hard hit to its torso which sent it sliding across the field on its back.
"Now Absol, end this with Razor Wind!" Blake shouted. Absol's horn became a bright white again, but its knees buckled again during the charging process, which prevented its from firing its attack.
'Yes, the poison came back just in time.' Carter said with a sigh of relief as Toxicroak slowly rose to its feet, glaring at Absol. "Toxicroak, finish it with Brick Break!"
"Croak…" It said, smirking as it began to walk toward Absol who was struggling just to move now, biting back its pain just to glare at Toxicroak.
"Damn, that poison has finally put Absol in a corner." Blake said out loud before a small smile formed on his face. "But when you back a Pokemon into a corner, that's when it's most dangerous."
"It looks like that poison has finally gotten the better of Absol. This could be it." The announcer said as Toxicroak neared Absol.
Absol growled at Toxicroak who was now standing in front of it with a raised arm, prepared to drop its forearm down onto Absol's head to finish off the Disaster Pokemon.
Everything happened to quick for the crowd to understand. Toxicroak dropped its arm downward for the attack, and Absol suddenly lunged at it with, putting out its glowing horn. Blake was sure he heard a slicing sound, and then Toxicroak fell to the ground, black swirls replacing its eyes.
"To…Toxicroak is unable to battle. Absol is the winner so the match goes to Blake!" The ref declared, just as surprised as the crowd since Toxicroak was the one to fall.
"What a turn of events, Absol somehow landed the finishing blow even though it appeared as though Toxicroak was sure to win." The announcer exclaimed as the stadium burst into cheers at that echoed with in the dome that was located in a cave. "We're looking at a slow motion replay right now."
"Heh, Absol deflected Toxicroak's arm with its horn before landing the kill blow to its chest." A dark haired man said out loud, getting man odd looks from the critics seated with him in the booth that had a good view of the battle field.
"Here comes the replay on the big screen for you all you fans." The announcer said, motioning to the large screen mounted on a wall about the east stands. Just as the dark haired male has claimed, Absol had parried away Toxicroak's arm before jumping at it's to land the finishing Razor Wind.
"You're eyes haven't gotten rusty at all." One of the critics commented, receiving a nod and a smile from the man.
"Of course not. These eyes are what got me all the way to top. I wouldn't be World Champion without them." The dark haired man replied, scratching the bridge of his nose with a grin.
"What an amazing battle that was folks, and the damage done to the field is a testament to that." The announcer said, taking note of the multiple locations Absol had torn apart when attack.
Down on the battle field, Blake had approached Absol who was waiting for him on the field with a serious expression. Kneeling down in front of it, Blake placed his hand above its forehead which he flicked with both his index and middle finger which gained a low growl from Absol who glared at him.
"I know it's your first battle in a Battle Dome, but you never want to get angry during a battle. Taking that first Brick Break was completely unnecessary and many of your attacks were reckless and dangerous." Blake said sternly before placing his hand on its head, ruffling its fur on top its head. "But all around, you did a bang up job."
Absol gave him an odd look.
"It means you did a nice job." Blake said before rising to his feet when he noticed Carter approaching him.
"Even though I lost, that's gotta be the most amazing battle I've had in my entire career." He said, putting out his hand for Blake to shake it, which he did.
"It was a great battle. Thanks." Blake said, giving Carter a nod.
"I'm sure you can win the whole thing if you're that good. Good luck." Carter said, giving Blake a wave as he began to head off toward the exit of the stadium.
"Come on Absol, let's get you healed up." Blake said, motioning for Absol to follow him toward the exit of the stadium as well, the fans cheering for the to of them as they left.
"You're Absol should be completely fine by tonight." Nurse Joy said to Blake, getting a nod and thanks from the boy who quickly checked the time on his Pokedex as he left Nurse Joy's desk.
"Alright, Matt's match doesn't start for another twenty minutes. Maybe I'll catch him before he leaves his room." Blake said quietly, setting a fast walking pace for himself in hope that he would be able to talk to Matt before his match against Karson Moe started.
After they left the Meteor Falls Battle Dome, Blake and Matt hadn't spoken to each to much. On the account that they planned to meet each other on the battle field in the IBF Finals, but Blake was beginning to worry about his rival since Matt rarely spoke during the entire month of training they had in the Sinnoh. He could tell Matt was freaking out about his match against a Regional Champ, but at the same time Blake's curiosity was also peaked.
He had never seen Matt battle anyone seriously before. Matt always seemed to be goofing around during battles, although that seemed to be apart of his style, but if anyone could make Matt serious, it had to be Karson Moe.
Arriving at the door to Matt's room, Blake knocked twice before entering the room to find that all the lights were off.
"Hmm, maybe left already." Blake said, flipping on the switch to light up the room. Blake then spotted in a large lump hidden under the covers of the single bed in the room. 'He must be really nervous…'
Approaching the bed, Blake saw a small amount of movement coming from the lump.
"Matt, are you sure you're okay?" Blake asked, standing over the lump. "There's no need to be nervous. You should just go out there and battle like you normally do."
Blake waited for a response which he never received.
"Matt?" Blake repeated, poking the lump which got a disgruntled snore in return. Grabbing the covers, Blake tore them off of the bed to find Matt sound asleep on the bed, already dressed and ready for the battle. "Matt!"
The sleeping teen jumped up from his bed, looking at Blake through his one open eye while scratching the back of his head.
"Wha?" He said, looking around a bit before rubbing his eyes to clear up his vision.
"Your match starts in ten minutes." Blake said almost casually. Matt sat in silence for a moment, allowing this information to settle in.
"Ten minutes!" He screamed, falling off his bed before with a hard thud that shook the floor before he scrambled to his feet. Matt made a dash for the door, jumping into his sneakers before opening the door to leave.
"How'd you do Blake since I missed your match?" Matt asked, stopping at the door.
"I won." Was all Blake said.
"Alright then, I'll keep the ball rolling with a win, and then tomorrow we'll finally have a match against each other." Matt declared, bumping Blake's chest with his fist before heading toward the door at a jogging pace. "I'll see you on the battle field Blake!"
Watching Matt leave the room, Blake then took a quick glance around the room before noticing a yellow belt on the dresser that had six Poke-balls strapped to it.
'Did he, leave without his Pokemon?' Blake asked himself, a bit shocked that Matt somehow managed to leave without the one thing that was absolutely necessary to have a battle. "Damn."
Stadium
"And now for today's second match, we have Matt of the Hoenn Region facing off against the Sinnoh Champion of the Battle Circuit, Karson Moe!" The announcer said, the volume of the fans going up another level at the announcement of a Regional Champion. Karson Moe waved to the fans with a smile, completely oblivious to the intense stare he was receiving from Matt who stood in the red box.
Blake raced down the staircase to the lowest part of the stands with Matt's belt in hand. He wasn't able to catch up to Matt in the corridors, so he had to rush up to the seating area to closer to Matt.
"Hey Matt!" He shouted, leaning over the railing to get the boy's attention. Matt looked back Blake who held the belt up, shouting that Matt would need this.
Matt only grinned at him at him before raising his right arm where a wrist band was located on his wrist with two Pokemon's hanging on it.
'Only two Pokemon…' Blake said to himself. 'Matt must be plotting if he's that confident that he'll only need those two Pokemon.
"Trainers, this will be a two on two match. Are you ready?" The ref shouted, raising his two flags to silence the crowd.
"This is sure to be an exciting match. Let's see how the hotshot cannonball trainer from Hoenn fairs again Trickster Champion of Sinnoh." The announcer continued as Matt and Karson gave the ref a nod.
"Alright then, trainers. Clash!" The ref shouted.
'Time to show everyone what I'm made of.' Matt said to himself with a smile as he selected his first Poke-ball.
Karson and Matt gave each other a nod of acknowledgement before hurling the Poke-balls they had selected onto the field. Matt released his Poke-ball mid swing which sent in flying out in a horizontal arc toward the middle of the battle field, but it possessed a rapid spin. He combined the Hook with a Spin Counter, just like Karson.
The two Poke-balls met, pressing against each other while spinning which sent sparks flying in every direction before the opposing spins caused the two Poke-balls to bounce away from the other to release the Pokemon inside.
"It's been a long time since we got to battle together Shedinja." Matt said to the Shed Pokemon who he had just released onto the field. On Karson's side of the field was a large, white, fur covered Pokemon with green hands and feet that somewhat resembled a snow covered tree.
Placing his thumb against his chin, Karson cursed mentally seeing that Shedinja would be a major problem with its special ability.
"Yes, we already have the upper hand. That Abomasnow shouldn't know any moves that could hurt Shedinja." Matt said with a sigh of relief. Using Shedinja was huge risk for Matt because if he couldn't win the Clash, or even break even, Shedinja would've been knocked out from the Clash.
Blake raised his eyebrows as Matt's first choice. A Shedinja was the last Pokemon he was expecting Matt to use, but then Blake noticed that all of the slots on Matt's belt were filled.
'He must've called in these two Pokemon to use specifically for the Finals.' Blake said, curious as to what Matt had planned for this battle.
"Shedinja, let's start of with Bug Buzz!" Matt shouted, watching Shedinja rise higher above the field before firing a yellow sound wave toward Abomasnow.
"Abomasnow, dodge it!" Karson said calmly, watching his Pokemon quickly run to its left to escape the super effective attack. "Now use Ice Beam!"
"Aboma-snow!" It roared, thrusting its hands forward to firing a cyan colored beam of light toward Shedinja who remained completely still. Disappearing inside the light produced by the attack when it came into contact with Shedinja, the Bug/Ghost type remained unaffected by the attack before Abomasnow ended the attack. When the light of Ice Beam vanished, everyone could see that Shedinja completely find, taking no damage from the attack.
"Abomasnow, attack with Sheer Cold!" Karson shouted, deciding that he'd have to use a one hit KO move in order to knock out Shedinja. Abomasnow opened its mouth to unleash a powerful gust of icy wind that froze the moisture in the air as it traveled toward Shedinja, the air blasting out in all directions as it hit Shedinja. Unseen by everyone on Karson's side of the stadium, a protective ball of white energy had appeared around Sheninja, blocking out the attack.
After a few moments, Abomasnow ended the Sheer Cold, finding that Shedinja was unharmed by this attack as well. The Ice/Grass type Pokemon growled, becoming frustrated with the face that its offense could cause any damage to Shedinja.
Karson looked twice as angry as Abomasnow. Their entire offense had been shut down by Shedinja's Wonder Guard, and Karson was sure the rest of Abomasnow's attacks couldn't break through the Wonder Guard either.
"This kid is pretty smart, although it was pretty risky. I'll give him props for guts and for beating Abomasnow, but I'll finish him off with my next Pokemon." Karson said to himself with tight fists.
Abomasnow was his leading Pokemon when it came to controlling a battle and then landing the finishing blow, but before Karson could even begin to plan what he was going to do with it; Matt pushed them into a corner with no way out.
"Abomasnow is unable to battle, Shedinja is the winner!" The ref declared at Shedinja finished using a series of Bug Buzz attacks to knockout Abomasnow who was forced to accept defeat when none of its attacks could damage the Shed Pokemon.
"Alright kid, I'll admit that your smart and you've got guts, but I'm going to crush you with everything I've got now!" Karson proclaimed after returning Abomasnow to its Poke-ball before taking an Ultra Ball off of his belt. "Kabutops!"
"Kabu-tops!" It shouted with its deep voice, swing its scythe like arms a bit to stretch before looking toward Shedinja.
"Match continue!" The ref shouted.
"Kabutops, let's make this quick. Use Ancient Power!" Karson shouted, watching his Pokemon stomp its feet twice which caused several parts of the field to rise into the air by an invisible force which then threw the rocks at Shedinja.
"Shedinja, use U-turn!" Matt shouted, unable to stop the smile from growing on his face. Watching his partner become a dark yellow ball of light which dove down in the approaching horde of stones. Weaving through the mass of rocks, Shedinja charged straight into Kabutops to land its attack before became a flash of red light that was withdrawn into the Poke-ball which Matt was hold out.
Many of the critics raised their eyebrows at this tactic. Substituting Pokemon mid battle in the Battle Dome was illegal unless it was caused by a move that forced a Pokemon to return, and U-turn was one of those exceptions.
"Substitution accepted." The ref said, raising the red flag. "Match continue!"
"Gengar, let's go!" Matt shouted, releasing his second Pokemon.
"Gen-gar." The Ghost Pokemon cackled as it stared at its opponent with a grin.
"It doesn't matter what Pokemon you bring out, we'll crush all of them! Kabutops, take it down with Night Slash!"
Kabotops roared, raising its arms into the air where both them gained a black aura before it began to race toward Gengar who was practically inviting Kabutops to attack.
"Gengar, counter with Shadow Sneak and then use Dark Pulse!" Matt commanded. Gengar's grin widened as it sunk down into the ground, becoming a dark shadow that had no body to cast it. The shadow traveled across the field toward Kabutops who had come to a stop, searching for Gengar.
Joining together with Kabutops' shadow, Gengar rose up from the ground, charging up at Dark Pulse with both its hands which it fired at Kabutops from behind.
"Kabutops, look out!" Karson shouted, trying to get his Pokemon's attention, but before Kabutops could even turn around, it was hit on the back by the Dark Pulse which sent it stumbling forward.
"Take your distance Gengar!" Matt yelled as Kabutops turned around swiftly, searching for Gengar again. Spotting the Ghost Pokemon, Kabutops took off in another charge toward Gengar, swinging its arms wildly. Gengar only snickered as Kabutops swung at it, easily avoiding the attacks until Kabutops caught a piece of its arm with the Night Slash.
The pain was enough for Gengar to realize Kabutops could touch it, and with an attack that could do massive damage no less. The grin on Gengar's face dropped as it floated away from Kabutops.
"Good, you're finally serious." Matt noted as Gengar landed in front of him. Tilting its head to the side, Matt heard a pop which was supposed to be Gengar's way of cracking its neck even though it didn't have one. "Ready? Attack with Shadow Sneak again!"
"Kabutops, tear up the field with Ancient Power!" Karson shouted, remaining calm. Kabutops stomped the field twice, tearing up the field around it to halt Gengar's advance as a shadow on the field. Gengar stopped for a few moments, searching for a opening it could move through without taking on a physical form again. Finding none, Gengar rose up from the ground, only to see Kabutops lunge at it with raised arms that were ready to finish Gengar.
"Gengar!" The Ghost Pokemon howled as Kabutops cut its body in three separate parts using Night Slash. Even though Gengar's body quickly combined back into its one original body, the pain of the super effective attack had nearly knocked it out.
"Gengar, move back and use Dark Pulse!" Matt shouted.
Gengar moved back about three steps, charging up a Dark Pulse which it fired at Kabutops, but the Shellfish Pokemon was quick to counter. Cutting the Dark Pulse in two using Night Slash, Matt could tell Kabutops would dive in for the finishing hit now.
"Quick Gengar, use Destiny Bond!" Matt hollered, seeing that it was time to end the battle. As Kabutops jumped at Gengar, a bright light appeared underneath both Pokemon which faded away just as quick as it appeared.
"Kabutops!" Karson shouted after hearing Matt's command, but Kabutops wasn't able to stop itself in time, landing another Night Slash on Gengar.
Gengar didn't howl or scream this time; it just dropped to the ground, its eyes replaced with black swirls. But before the ref could declare that Gengar was unable to battle, two purple swirls were fired from the Gengar's eyes to Kabutops.
"Look out Kabutops!" Karson shouted, watching Kabutops try to lean out of the path of the Destiny Bond, but the attack followed Kabutops, hitting the Rock/Water type Pokemon on the head which sent it to the ground with a thud.
The ref ran onto the field, checking both Pokemon.
"Both Gengar and Kabutops are unable to battle. The match goes to Matt who has one Pokemon remaining!" The ref proclaimed, the crowd taking its time to let this information sink it. Karson Moe had been beaten.
The stadium practically exploded with a chant of Matt's name as the boy ran onto the field to check his Gengar. Most of Karson Moe's fans refused to cheer for him, but they couldn't deny that Matt had taken every precaution to maintain control of the battle.
"His strategy was excellent, risky, but excellent!" The dark haired man exclaimed, clapping for Matt enough though he was sure Matt couldn't hear him.
In the stands, Blake was speechless. He was ready to declare that Matt lost since Kabutops was about to knock out Gengar and then Shedinja would've been easy picking. But for Matt to have Destiny Bond ready was clever.
"That was a good battle, wasn't it?" Griffen asked, getting Blake's attention. Receiving a glare from Blake, Griffen only grinned at the boy. "Your friend is pretty smart. I'd pay closer attention to him if I were you."
"Don't you have a battle you should be getting ready for?" Blake asked pensively.
"I do. I'm not worried." Griffen responded nonchalantly.
"But it's against a Regional Champ."
"I know. It shouldn't be a problem. After all, the only people I have to watch out for are you and Grace…and now your friend Matt too." Griffen said, slapping Blake's shoulder which gained a glare from the boy. "I can't wait to see which of the three of you is the strongest."
"What a freak." Blake muttered as Griffen walked away, leaving Blake to look out at the battle field where Matt was waving to Karson Moe who had just finished talking to him.
"What a turn of even folks, one of the favorites to win, Karson Moe, has just been knocked out of the running by the rookie from Hoenn!" The announcer shouted.
Standing at one of the exits of the stadium, Karson Moe stared at Matt with a look of discontent. The battle could've gone either way. Karson Moe could've selected a Pokemon that could beat Shedinja and then defeat Gengar, but because Shedinja took the first win, the match was a guaranteed win for Matt. Karson couldn't deny that Matt was a very clever trainer to come up with such a strategy that could allow him to beat a Regional Champ like that.
'There's no doubt about it. That boy is sure to become something great in the future.' Karson noted with a smile before retreating into the darkness of the corridors.
The first day of the Finals continued with an odd feeling at the huge upset. A Regional Champ being knocked out of the tournament by a trainer no one had been paying attention to had caused a huge uproar across the Sinnoh Region. No one was expecting this, but that only fueled the remaining three Champions to do their absolute best since the other trainers could not be taken lightly now.
Aside form Matt's battle, the remaining predictions went according to what had been said by many critics. Meegan J easily won her match, advancing the Top 8 along with Grace. The two females were now set to battle each other on the next day of the tournament. Roy had claimed victory over his opponent with quite a bit of trouble, but he advanced to the next stage where he would be battling Beck Langings.
During the last match of the first day, there was a second upset that many critics were arguing about.
"And the match between Malichi Summers, the Hoenn Champion and Griffen from the Hoenn Region is over!" The announcer shouted. "And what an amazingly fast battle it was!"
Many of the fans in the crowd could agree, all of them feeling sorry for Malichi who was down on his hands and knees, trying to comprehend what had just happened. Griffen had completely annihilated him in under five minutes.
"Good job Magmortar, return." Griffen said, returning his partner to its Poke-ball with a yawn. "I hope tomorrow's match is better than this one."
Turning on his heels, Griffen looked up at the crowd that was screaming his name. He gave them a wave as he made his way toward the exit of the stadium, a wide grin on his face.
10/22/0046/Night
"I'm telling you guys, all of Sinnoh is in a buzz about these two guys." A critic exclaimed. "The two teenagers that beat the Champions of Hoenn and Sinnoh."
A group three critics had been called down by the media to discuss the highlights of the first day of the Finals. But all of the talk was about Matt and Griffen, two trainers that had done something that was completely unexpected in the IBF Tourney.
"I'm not surprised, no expected Karson Moe to be beaten by anyone but a Regional Champ. Watching some teenage walk up and one-sidedly beat the man would leave anyone speechless."
"I can't wait to see Matt versus Blake tomorrow. That's probably going to be the best match of the day."
"I'm sure it will."
"Don't forget about Meegan J versus Grace. The two of them are battling to decide who will represent Johto, so I'm sure that one will be something to watch to."
"I know that match will receive a lot of attention, but right now all of Sinnoh wants to see just how strong Matt truly is, so he'll be getting a lot of attention from now on."
"I for one am curious about his strength too. In that battle against Karson, we didn't see much skill, we saw a strategy that would allow him to win. That means he acknowledged Karson as the stronger of the two of them, and battled in a way to win over a stronger opponent."
"The way he used Destiny Bond at the end was smart, and I've never seen anyone use a Shedinja before. I'm telling you, this kid is someone to watch out for from here on out. I don't know if he can win the entire tournament, but I'm sure he can beat just about an trainer here if he can take down a Regional Champ."
"I can't wait to see more of this kid tomorrow."
Mt Corenet
A short brunette quietly sat on the shoulder of her Blastoise as they walked through the dark cave on an incline. Lana was very nervous. Her Crest had lit up as she neared the top of Mt Corenet where Spear Pillar was located, which quickly told her what ever it was Professor Cedar had picked up on involved the Crests.
"Why'd you stop Blastoise?" Lana asked when her partner came to a stop, refusing to go any further.
"Blast." It rumbled, pointing toward the a light at the top of the incline.
"Is something up there?" She asked herself, jumping off of her Blastoise to continue on her own to feet. Reaching the top of the incline, Lana could a wall of light blocking their path. "What's this?"
Approaching the wall, Lana placed her hand on to examine it, but her hand was blown away by an unseen force which caused the girl to stumble back a bit.
"What is this?" Lana asked herself before noticing what was engraved on the wall of the light. A pentagon made up of five separate triangles. The King's Crest.
Chapter 34. We have the first day of the IBF Finals coming to a close with Matt pulling off a great victory over the Sinnoh Champion Karson Moe. Now he and Blake can have their long awaited match against each other, and what better stage then the IBF Finals where the whole world can watch them. But somethings brewing in Mt Corenent as Lana begins to investigate what's going on at Spear Pillar.
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