This chapter may be a little long and tedious. To be honest I was struggling a lot to get the battle bits done as they can be quite boring and repetitive to write. Still, hope you guys enjoy some pretty cool fighting sequences.
As the large red doors into the first arena closed again Joe found himself standing at the end of the long dark corridor, the final piece of light disappearing as the doors clapped shut. He turned around, looking back into the much deeper darkness behind him. Then he took a step forwards. He strolled on into the darkness fearlessly. Ralph fluttered beside him, feeling a little exhausted already. This was amazing because he hadn't done any battling yet. A light flickered on in front of them. It was a simple and small but large radius yellow bulb which, when on, illuminated several feet of hallway. In this now illuminated if hallway a small bench could be seen against the left wall. It wasn't terribly long but long enough for a trainer and his pokémon to sit down on. On the opposite was a was a small table with a coffee machine and a small plate of multiple biscuits in packets and a sign above says 'Take One Only'. Upon further inspection it turns out that the coffee machine made more than coffee. It also makes tea, drinking chocolate, lattes, black coffee and a variety of other choices. Joe made himself a quick cup of tea, placing the small thermal cup into the machine and pulling it back out when it was done, took a packet of biscuits and sat down on the bench, sighing with relief and anticipation. Ralph squeezed up next to him, curling his wings around his body and flopping back against the painted wood back. They sat there for a few seconds, Joe sipping his drink now and then.
"I wonder how long they'll keep us here for." Joe mused aloud. Ralph shrugged in response. Joe flicked his head slightly. "It shouldn't be too long" He reasoned. "They'll probably just need to move the crowd into the next room and then they'll call us back in. Should take an hour if we're lucky." Ralph grunted in response. Joe turned to him. "Tell you what." He smiled. "We've done well to defeat one of the Elite Four already. We can take care of the rest. No Problem. He patted Ralph on the back who lurched forwards suddenly upon impact. He shifted in his seat. He wasn't finding it easy to rest on this kind of bench. Because he had tiny feet they kept falling through the holes. When he finally got his balance back he put a wing on Joe's shoulder, both in comfort and in balance. Joe chuckled slightly. Then he realised he'd forgotten something. "I'd better heal up the others, too." He realised, putting the half empty cup down on the floor and pulling out the four pokéballs of the four pokémon he had used. He reached deeper into his bag and grabbed a couple of hyper potions. He took one of the potions and carefully placed the nozzle into the small capsule. He pulled the trigger and the healing liquid squirted inside. He pulled the nozzle out again and did the same for the next one. Both Cinders and Carter had been restored to full health again. He looked at the other two pokéballs. Pippy and Pitt had both been knocked out in the last battle. A potion wouldn't be enough to get them able to fight again. He'd need to use revives for that. He only had a few of them, however and he wanted to save them for later, just in case it got really bad. There wasn't anything he could do for them. He'd just have to hope his four current pokémon would be strong enough to keep fighting till then. Ralph and Sirena on the other hand were fine. They hadn't done any battling yet and therefore didn't need any healing. Joe put the pokéballs back onto his belt and put the empty potions back in his back. He sat at the bench for a while longer, sipping his drink occasionally. He passed Ralph the biscuits after deciding he wasn't hungry and the large purple bat happily dug into them, and then proceeding to eat the rest on the plate. Joe had to pull him away before he ate them all.
An hour passed and still they sat in the hallway waiting. Then, finally, after what seemed like eons, the far end of the corridor lit up. Two large red doors at the end began to creak with hydraulics and a readying alarm sounded.
Joe sat up suddenly, having fallen asleep, shouting "Huh? What happened?" He looked over to the door. It began to swing open now and the crowd could be heard chattering on the other side. Quickly he got up, swiped away the crumbs that Ralph had left and walked forwards, into the light.
As Joe stepped through the light the second battle arena became visible to him. Shape-wise it was exactly the same as the previous one. The field was flat and simple like a normal battle pitch, except without the small pool of ice at the centre, the walls were tall and thick with a few dents in them and there was a tall glass dome above the arena, acting like a magnifying glass for the sunlight. The major difference was the colour of the arena. Instead of a cold ice blue the walls were deep brown and the floor was a slightly lighter coffee shade, light enough for the white outlines of the field to be seen. There were also a few boulders lying around the field but most of them were around the edges and they weren't terribly big. Joe stepped forwards. Suddenly the crowd stopped their chattering and began clapping again, welcoming him back onto the field. He resisted the urge to wave back. Ralph still seemed a little distracted by their presence. His ears rang with their claps. Together they slowly yet meaningfully walked towards their end of the pitch. The speakers ran with static for a second and then the announcer's voice returned to reality. His chirpy, upbeat and excited voice played around the dome like an explosion of happiness. His recognisable extreme pronunciation of the first letter in a sentence was recognisable all around, and the crowd feel silent instantly.
"Wwwwwwelcome back, Ladies and Gentlemen, to yet another battle against the Elite Four. If you remember well enough you will recall that our current challenger, the Ammmmmmazing and valiant trainer all the way from Pallet Town, Jjjjoseph D. A. Glllende, took on the first of the Elite Four, Lllorelei, not more than an hour ago and took a dramatic victory from her grasp, losing only two pokémon to her Ffffrreezing ice heart. Now he moves up and challenges the second member of the Kanto Elite Four." He paused for tension and maybe breath. The far doors opposite Joe began to swing open slowly, thick mist came out from inside. Instead of the icicle filled freezing mist that Lorelei had, this mist was almost completely black, like smoke. In the smoke the outline of a figure was slightly visible. It was clearly a man… a very muscular man. "Ladies and Gentlemen, please put your hands together for the strongest man in all of Kanto." The announcer continued. The smoke from the doorway faded away. "Give it up… For… Brrrrruno!" The crowd burst into applause. From the doorway a huge, muscular, towering man in only a pair of long, martial arts trousers and black wrist bands on each arm, jumped out, flying through the air with the form and grace of a jump kicking machamp and crashed heavily on both feet onto the opposite end of the field, where he then held his arms up, showing of his body. A long blue-black ponytail hell down his head and stopped at his neck, the rest of his hair was short and spiky. In the crowd several women fainted… so did several men. Bruno kissed one of his biceps and proceeded to wave up at the crowd. Several cries of affection went out. Bruno then clenched his arms in a position like the incredible hulk and roared.
"YYYYYEEEEEEEEAAAAAHHHH!" He yelled, ferociously. The cheering grew louder. He relaxed again and but his knuckles on his hips. "HOW'S EVERYONE DOING?!" He roared up at them. They roared back with multiple positive responses. He smiled and held out his palms. "Alright. Thank you, thank you." He faked a laughed. Slowly the cheering and clapping dropped to a stop. He gave a hearty laugh. "Really, it's so good to see so many of you here again to watch me and the fresh meat battle for a chance to take up the position of champion. I think I can recognise a few people in the audience who've been here before." He pointed up randomly at the audience. Several people burst out into squeaking cheers and claps as they were pointed to. "And as a token of respect for your loyal following I wish to present you with a spectacular battle which will stay with you for the rest of your puny lives!" The crowd burst into full on cheering again. Joe seemed a little stunned. It sounded like he'd insulted them but they didn't seem to care. They just loved the power of his voice. He turned to Joe suddenly. "You defeated Lorelei, then?" He asked, a smirking smile on his face. "Nice going." He then turned back to the crowd. "I also found out from an informant that this young man not only defeated Lorelei but also, merely a few days ago, stopped an attack the Team Rocket was making on Silph Co, risking his own life to do so." The crowd fell into stunned silence. Then they burst into appreciative cheering, whispering words like 'Is that true? Him? Wow?' and 'Guess he really is something special.' Joe blushed and covered his face with his hat. It was probably Winter who'd told them that. Maybe even Tom if he was done already.
"I-it was nothing." He whispered sheepishly. Bruno turned back around again, clapping slowly but not mockingly. He was genuinely quite amazed by what he had done.
"That takes some real courage to do, you know." He told him, his voice quieter so the audience couldn't hear him as well. This was his personal complement to him. "After doing something like that I expect to get a good challenge from you." Joe nodded, determinedly.
"Don't worry. You'll get it. He said. Bruno smiled. His voice returned to its usual boom now.
"You've beaten the first of the Elite Four, my sibling. But be warned. Most who challenge us don't get past me. I am the physical wall that holds the masses back in their droves. Only the truly skilled get further then me. My fighting pokémon and I have defeated many opponents in the past, no matter how skilled they were. So I suggest you make sure you're up for this. Be prepared to wipe the floor after we're done. There's going to be a lot of mess." Joe smiled to himself and reached for a pokéball.
"You… Are… On!" He said slowly, lifting the ball up in his hand and holding it out but not releasing it. Bruno smiled back.
"Good." He said, quieter. "That's what I like to see. Spirit!" He unclipped a pokéball from his belt and gripped it in his hand as well. There were several seconds of anticipating silence. The announcer returned again.
"Let the battle… Begin!" And battle began.
Both trainers released their pokéballs and two pokémon appeared on each side of the field. One was a long, stone, grumpy looking Onix; the other was a calm, aquatic, grey shelled marine mammal Lapras. Sirena pushed herself forwards with her fat flippers. Onix swung its tail around to defend and attack. Then the commands came.
"Onix, use Iron Tail!" Bruno called.
"Sirena, use Ice Beam." Joe called. Both pokémon made their attacks. Onix swung its now glistening silver tail out, aimed at Sirena's chest. She didn't have the speed or agility to dodge it so instead she let it some towards her, readying an ice beam. When it was about to hit she released, freezing the facing edge of Onix's tail and dulling its attack by quite a lot. Its tail struck her shell and knocked her aside with the force, but the ice on it stopped the steel power getting through. She skidded to a halt a few feet to the left and glared at the stone made snake which was staring back. Onix wordlessly brought its tail up into the air.
"Earthquake!" Bruno shouted. Onix brought its tail back down, slamming it on the solid plastic floor. The ground shook weakly. Small cracks appeared. In her corner Sirena was buffeted about by the ground under her. She was pushed up by the floor breaking open and large flat rocks bursting out of it. When the tremors finally stopped she was able to get her strength back, pushing herself of the now sinking again rock and acting like she was fine.
"Good." Joe encouraged. "Now get your own back with Surf!" Sirena smiled evilly. Underneath her water began to rise. A small pool of clear blue water was growing from under her belly, drawn out of the ground bellow her. Slowly she was rising up with it, forming an inescapable wall of water. It towered up and over the arena, causing everyone in the audience to gasp. Onix followed its path up above it.
"Quick, stop it." Bruno called. Onix threw a cluster of rocks at Sirena with its tail but the harmlessly bounced of her shell like they were simply dirt. Then the wave fell. It roared down as a wall and crashed over the battlefield, knocking Onix of its tail and even Bruno back a bit. When the water faded away Sirena slowly dropped back to her place on the field, watching smugly. Onix was unconscious. It didn't have the strength to withstand an attack like that. Bruno quietly withdrew it and the crowd cheered, though not as excitedly as they had before. Bruno put the pokéball back onto his belt and shrugged, harmlessly. "So you took out one of my pokémon. Big deal." He rolled his head. "Onix was just a set-up-er. Now I can use my real pokémon." He reached for a second pokéball and released it. On the field a battle-scarred, experienced, confident looking Hitmonchan appeared, throwing a few flashing punches at the air. Sirena rolled her eyes. It looked like a lot of Bruno's pokémon were going to be like that. Cocky and overconfident. She could take him on. She felt that she could.
"Well it looks like Bruno's usual tactic of using Onix to set up the battle has worked out for him." The announcer boomed suddenly. "Let's see how the rest goes now that he's onto his second pokémon, Hitmonchan." The crowd cheered wildly. Joe pumped a hand down.
"Sirena, use Psychic!" Sirena closed her eyes and concentrated her mind on the opponent. When she opened them again a large sphere of pink psychic energy sped out, engulfing the entire field. Hitmonchan was knocked back by the force, taking a solid amount of damage but seemingly withstanding it.
"Thunderpunch!" Bruno commanded. The words seemingly rang through Joe's mind. Anything that he knew was a strong threat to KOing one of his pokémon did that to him. It was the way his mind reacted to it. He reacted instantly.
"Freeze its feet!" He cried. Sirena readied another ice beam and fired it, aiming at Hitmonchan's small legs. Hitmonchan was to fast however and dodged aside before the beam could hit it. And then it wasn't approaching anymore. It was there. A sparking boxing gloved fist lashed forwards and hit Sirena in the chest, causing her to flinch up with mild, split second paralysis. It then backed away and readied for its next attack.
"Good! Again!" Bruno bellowed. Hitmonchan pulled its fists back as they flickered with electricity. Then it attacked again.
"Strength!" Joe called. "Use Strength and knock it over!" As Hitmonchan got closer Sirena readied to attack. Then, when it was almost in front of her she suddenly rammed forwards, hitting it chest first and toppling it over as it swung its attack. Electric sparks scattered away as the attack faded and Hitmonchan's back struck the ground. "Now freeze it so it can't get back up." Joe continued. Sirena fired an ice beam, freezing the lower half of Hitmonchan's body solid as it was pushing itself back up. The punching pokémon looked in surprise at the ice mound covering its lower body. Then, with its one free hand, it began punching it away with weak but rapid punches. Quickly it was freeing itself again. Joe's eyes widened a little. He was losing the opportunity he had made, surprisingly fast. He knew it would break out eventually but he had hoped it wouldn't be this quick. "Quick, use psychic on it." He called. But by the time Sirena had made the attack it was already free again.
As she was about to release the attack Bruno called "Counter it!" Sirena released and the attack hit Hitmonchan square in the face. At the same time it swung out with a hand and struck Sirena under the shell. Both pokémon flinched from the attacks they had received. In unison they pushed back, getting away from one another so they couldn't be hurt any further. Sirena was panting heavily. It was clear she wouldn't be able to take much more of a beating. Hitmonchan however looked perfectly fine. It was currently limbering up in preparation to fight. Then Bruno made a final command. "Finish it with Thunderpunch!" Hitmonchan pulled a arm back. Sparks flew off from the large red glove. Then it rushed forwards, making fast time. Joe had to react instantly or else his pokémon would be defeated.
"Hold it back!" He called. Sirena panted and released a weak psychic. The attack hit but did not stop the oncoming fighting type. She tried again. Still Hitmonchan kept coming. She resorted to one last possibility. Taking a deep breath the fired a huge torrent of rapid water from her mouth and aimed it at Hitmonchan's chest. Finally this succeeded in doing the trick. Hitmonchan skidded to a jolting stop, pushing slowly against the heavy torrent. Sirena kept it up but only just. The more water she wasted the tougher it would be for her top keep the opponent back. As she kept firing it was becoming clear that her power was failing. Slowly Hitmonchan was pushing forwards, holding its fists up in front of it and deflecting the water of it. Sirena's eyes widened with fear and tiredness. How was it possible that it was still standing? It should have been knocked over ages ago. Slowly Hitmonchan trudged forwards against the current. Then, finally and disappointingly, Sirena's attack stopped. She had run out of strength to keep it up any longer. The water in her body had dried up. Her skin wrinkled slightly. She was completely exhausted. Hitmonchan's fist was still sparking. Its attack was still primed. Taking the open opportunity, it rushed forwards, arm pulled back. It didn't even give Sirena time to blink. In seconds it was in front of her and delivering the attack home. Sirena didn't stand a chance. Static bounced around her shell and body, absorbed from Hitmonchan's attack. She stood straight for a few seconds. Then she fell forwards, her head curling up on the floor and her body lying flat. Her eyes closed and she lay there, defeated and unconscious. Joe sighed and scratched his head. He expected Bruno to laugh at him. He seemed like that kind of person. But instead all he did was clap. He smiled kindly at Joe, taking him a little aback.
"Very good effort." He said honestly, clapping slowly. "Your pokémon put up a solid fight. You should be proud of it. It's just sad she wasn't strong enough to defeat Hitmonchan." Joe's expression was pleasantly surprised.
"Uh…" He stumbled. Then he decided it wasn't best for him to ask why he was being kind. He should just take the complement and leave t alone. "Thank you. Though to be honest she's still quite new to my team. She's done well so far for me and I felt she'd really shine here." Bruno nodded, confidently.
"Well she is. Just because she was defeated doesn't make her weak. Some trainers make that mistake, you know. They assume that because a pokémon lost to a strong trainer like me means they're bad. They're not. They're just not strong enough. It's good to see you know how to tell the difference." He then cracked his knuckles. "So out with your next pokémon then."
Joe gave a subconscious 'Hmm?' and then realised what he had said. "Oh, next pokémon, right." He withdrew Sirena from battle, thanked her and put the great ball back onto his belt. He then pulled out another pokéball and readied it in his hand. When he released it Carter appeared, stretching his legs and flexing casually. Bruno raised an eyebrow.
"Huh, a fighting type, too." He mused. "Hitmonlee, cousin to Hitmonchan. Interesting choice." He then rose out his arm and pointed at Carter. "Ice punch!" He called. Hitmonchan's prepped arm glistened with a sudden covering of thin ice. It ran forwards, its arm pulled back to attack.
"Carter, use double kick when it arrives." Joe instructed. Carter took up his stance. Hitmonchan continued its run. Then Carter lifted a leg and struck out. The kick hit Hitmonchan in the stomach, stopping it as it came in to attack and knocking it back. Carter pulled his leg back and lifter it higher in a second. The second kick hit Hitmonchan square in the flat jaw, knocking it back and over. It rolled onto its feet and set into a blocking stance, readied for whatever Carter's next attack was. "Mega Kick!" Joe called. Carter jumped and kicked out with a glowing white leg. The attack struck Hitmonchan's block and pushed it, sending it skidding on its heels back a few feet. Hitmonchan seemed to resist most of the damage, however. It unfurled its arms and readied them to attack again.
"Mega Punch!" Bruno called. Hitmonchan walloped Carter it the face, sending him skidding back across the field. When he came to a stop he rolled backwards, flipping over and landing back on his feet, seemingly unsaved. He readied into a kicking stance. Hitmonchan readied into a punching stance. It was like watching a martial arts movie.
'Alright, we need to do something to change the outcome.' Joe thought to himself. 'Both pokémon are fighting types so they won't have any moves that can defeat the other. So it's going to be a battle of bruit force and endurance.' He rubbed a finger against his chin. 'So what can I…' He stopped, realising something. He stood straight again. "Carter, use Hi Jump Kick. Make it lower its defence." Carter looked back and nodded. He knelt down and pushed, shooting himself into the air. He floated near the top of the dome for a few seconds then came speeding back down, one leg primed to strike. The heel struck Hitmonchan's raised arms and was blocked but the force was enough to stumble it and push it back slightly. "Now, sweep out its feet!" Joe called. Carter dropped to the ground, spun, and a few seconds later Hitmonchan fell forwards onto its face. Carter had kicked its legs out from under it, causing it to fall forwards. In a second he was back up onto his elastic feet, bringing one sharply down towards Hitmonchan's head. A second before it struck Hitmonchan rolled aside, causing Carter to kick the ground and really hurt his foot. He exclaimed in surprise and hopped back, holding his ankle with both hands. Hitmonchan took the advantage. With perfect precision it readied a fist, rolled onto its legs and struck Carter in the knee joint of his other leg. Carter buckled backwards, still holding his hurt leg, and struck the ground with a heavy thud. His eyes rolled for a few seconds. Then Hitmonchan was sitting on top of him. A punch came flying and hit him straight in the face. Carter recoiled. Another punch came. And another. And another. Soon the punches were coming so fast they were almost invisible, little more than a blur of red as Hitmonchan threw them like bullets from a minigun. Joe stood in worried amazement. This was turning into a fight that would be lucky to have one pokémon come back out conscious.
"Keep it pinned!" Bruno demanded.
"Kick it off!" Joe called. Carter was trying his best but he wasn't able to budge the quick striking fighter pokémon sitting on him. It was sitting on his lower body so there was no chance of him kicking it off. But perhaps he could… As Hitmonchan's next punches came flying it Carter slid his hands free, raised them and caught the gloves in his palms. Hitmonchan pushed against him, a low, angry growl escaping from its mouth. Carter tried to push him back with his much smaller but fingered hands. That was where Hitmonchan was unlucky. It didn't have fingers so it couldn't grab. And for a fighting type sometimes it was necessary to grab the opponent rather then punch or kick them. With a power fuelled grunt Carter pushed out, causing Hitmonchan to flail backwards but remain seated. That was all he needed to do with his hands. Now it was his legs time to shine. With unsurprising speed Carter's legs shut up and, like the elastic they were made of, bent backwards and wrapped around Hitmonchan's shoulders, grabbing it around the arms. Then he pulled his legs down, released and then there was no Hitmonchan. The punching pokémon was sent sailing up into the air like a bronzed projectile. It sped up and up and nearly touched the glass. Then it came sailing back down. Carter got up and followed its trajectory keenly, picking the right moment.
"What is he doing?" Bruno wondered aloud. Joe did not respond. He was too amazed by what he was seeing. Hitmonchan was starting to soar back down now. It had managed to shift itself into a fighting stance in mid air and was falling fist first back down towards Carter.
"Carter move out the way!" Joe called, worried that his pokémon would be hurt. But Carter didn't move. He stood there like a towering stone giant reanimated into fighting again. His eyes never left Hitmonchan. He was picking his right time to strike. Hitmonchan was only a few metres away now. It was so close. Its fist was glowing white with the power of a Mega Punch. Still Carter did not move. 5 metres. 4 Metres. 3. 2. Suddenly Carter's leg began to glow. His right foot was radiating bright red and small flames were becoming visible. Joe gasped in silent surprise. Even the audience seemed amazed at what they were seeing. Was it possible for a pure fighting type to learn a move like blaze kick? Sure enough what Carter was charging was the well sought after fire type fighting move, Blaze Kick. 1. Hitmonchan was about to hit. Its hand was glowing so bright it was like a fog light. Then, finally, Carter made a move. He spun around and swung his flame engulfed leg up as he turned back around, leaving behind it an arc of fire. The foot stretched, reached up, flew to the right… and hit. Hitmonchan, on its flight back down to earth and with its fist inches away from Carter's face, was struck in the side of the head by a flame engulfed heel. The image was frozen in time for several seconds. Everyone gasped and held their breath. Bruno's eyes were completely snapped open in true amazement. The two pokémon stayed in their impact position for several seconds. Then finally time came back. Hitmonchan shot to the right, flying across the field and smacking with full force into the far wall. When it fell back out it landed in a kneeling position, its head drooped onto its lap and its arms hanging at its side. The wall it had hit now had a Hitmonchan shaped hole in it, not too deep but clearly visible. Small cracks ran out from it and bits of stone dust fell away onto the limp body of the now defeated Hitmonchan. There was complete, pure, unadulterated silence. Even the sound of the fans and the heating system fell quiet for the scene to take effect in everyone's minds. The world stayed still for almost a minute. Then it was spoiled by the announcer's voice.
"Ladies and Gentlemen… I… I'm speechless. What we have just witnessed… is probably… one of the most… outstanding comebacks I have ever witnessed in all my years of commentating." He paused for breath. The audience did not clap just yet. They stayed quiet, still completely stunned by the true power they had witnessed. "I… have no words to describe it. All I know is that… Hitmonchan… IS DEFEATED!" The crowd suddenly burst into applause. They screamed their approval and slapped their palms so hard together that the guards were becoming concerned that some of them had begun self harming themselves. "That's two of Bruno's pokémon already defeated. Only three more to go before he's out. However our challenger also has only three pokémon so who will snatch the victory is anyone's guess right now. Let the battle begin again!" Then he disappeared again. Applause echoed around the arena like a thunder-strike. Bruno looked from the unconscious Hitmonchan, to Carter, then back to Joe. A small cheeky smile grew on his face.
"Wow!" He exclaimed, dramatically. "I… guess I underestimated the power your pokémon had." He withdrew Hitmonchan, putting its pokéball back with the others on his belt. The hole it had left in the wall stayed however. "I think it might take a while for the cleaners to get that dent out." He joked. Joe laughed quietly, covering his mouth so the audience couldn't see it. Though at the back of his mind he couldn't help but feel a little concerned for Hitmonchan's health. The last time Carter had used a move that powerful he had killed the recipient. Fortunately it looked like Hitmonchan was still breathing. Bruno pulled out a third pokémon from his belt and gripped it in his hand. "Now I think it's time to introduce my third pokémon." He called and threw the ball out onto the field. The figure that emerged was like looking in a mirror. Carter narrowed his eyebrows. Bruno's Hitmonlee glared back, stretching its legs in anticipation. The only thing that made it look any different to Carter was a long, thick scar running across its right eye and down the side of its head. Apart from that it was exactly the same, both in look and body and age. The two pokémon glowered at one another, seizing each other up and searching for possible weak points. Then Bruno made the first move. "Brick Break." Hitmonlee rushed forwards and threw a leg up into the air.
"Evade!" Joe called. Carter jumped back, narrowly avoiding the plummeting heel coming towards him. He landed simply and readied into a fighting stance.
"Hi Jump Kick!" Joe commanded. Carter sprang forwards, leg aimed out to hit Hitmonlee in the face.
"Foresight!" Bruno instructed. Hitmonlee focused on Carter's movement, its eyes narrowing like arrow points. Carter's leg was inches from its face. Then Hitmonlee fell backwards, narrowly dodging being hit. Its body flexed back, using its arms to keep it propped. Carter sailed just above, looking very surprised. "Now, strike it!" Hitmonlee spun around to face the ground, using its arms to move and swinging one leg sharp and up. The ball of the foot hit Carter in the side and knocked him away. Carter fell a few feet away, landing painfully and rolling over and over. When he finally stopped he pushed himself back up and ran in to attack again, this time readying a simple kick. Bruno's Hitmonlee also rushed forwards, swinging a leg up. Both kicks collided and blocked the other, leaving the two fighting pokémon stuck, trying to overpower the other. Finally Carter managed to push Hitmonlee's leg aside only for it to wrap around his like string. The two pokémon were now wrapped up together like a parcel, unable to separate from each other. Bruno and Joe seemed actually surprised by this turnout.
"How on earth have they managed that?" Joe muttered, confused. Ralph shrugged in response, looking just as baffled as Joe. Bruno punched his knuckles together.
"Come on! Get yourself out of that knot and take it out already!" He yelled. Hitmonlee grabbed its leg and tugged. The knot stayed strong. Carter also tried to pull himself free but to no success. The two hitmonlee stared at each other. Then Bruno's Hitmonlee struck Carter's leg, causing it to flinch and limp. Suddenly Carter fell back, free from the knot, and stumbled a few steps. Hitmonlee flexed its now free leg again, happily, and then looked back up at Carter. Without a second thought it rushed forwards, jumped and kicked Carter six times in the face with both legs before landing again. Carter rolled back out of range and recovered just in time to see Hitmonlee charging again, this time with a glowing white foot primed back and swinging around. He ducked just in time for the attack to pass over his head, hitting where his head would have been.
"Blaze Kick!" Joe called. Carter swung his foot forwards and struck Hitmonlee in the stomach with an ablaze leg in the stomach. He stumbled back, slightly winded but regaining focus quickly. Then small burn marks began to appear on its body. It scratched, irritably, trying to sooth the pains but to no avail. Bruno didn't seem annoyed by this. In fact he seemed quite relieved. He clenched a fist.
"Façade!" He called. Hitmonlee stopped focusing on its burns and ran in to attack again, this time ready to use its entire body as the weapon. Carter raised his arms up to block the attack, assuming that it wouldn't do too much damage. When he was flung backwards by the pure force of Hitmonlee's body he realised that he'd been wrong. He pushed himself back up only to be struck in the side of the head by a balled heel. He rolled aside and ducked under another kick, bringing a weak upper punch in on Hitmonlee's chin. Both fighting pokémon rumbled at the centre of the arena. Carter was getting tired but Hitmonlee's burns were also causing it some problems. And then the final blow came in. Hitmonlee ran back in to use another façade when Carter jumped over head and brought down a sailing kick. But Hitmonlee had been prepared for this. It brought a hand up and grabbed his leg as he came down, blocking his attack and throwing him of balance. He pulled Carter to the ground and swung him around by the feet, creating a deadly spinning circle of brown. Carter's eyes spun with dizziness. Then finally he was released, sent flying across the arena and rolling head over long elastic heels till finally he collapsed onto his back. Unable to stand but just barely conscious he stayed lying, looking up at the glass roof. A face much like his own came into view upside down. A foot much like his own soon followed. It raised dramatically into the air like the swing of an axe, sailed down, aimed in between his eyes and 'CRUNCH!' The kick hit Carter in the centre of the head, knocking him out instantly. Hitmonlee stepped back and folded its arms, scratching at its burned skin now and then. The crowd cheered wildly. Joe sighed annoyed and withdrew Carter from the field. He thanked him for his attempt and put the pokéball back with his other pokémon.
"Just the two pokémon left now." Joe muttered to himself. He reached for the next pokéball. He gripped it between his fingers, heroically. "I can still do this." He told himself, encouragingly. And he threw the pokéball. Cinders exploded out from it, bellowing fire and creating a heavy gust of wind from his wings. His head raised and smoke escaped from his nostrils. He was ready to fight again. Hitmonlee stayed arms crossed, completely un-intimidated.
"Was wondering if you'd have a starter pokémon on your team." Bruno said. "Charizard is a good choice. A solid pokémon. This should be an interesting battle." He tapped his knuckles again. Then he raised an arm up like the foundations of a tower. "Hitmonlee, Mega Kick!" He commanded. Hitmonlee rushed in to attack.
"Cinders, Fly!" Joe called. Cinders took off into the air, avoiding the incoming swing of Hitmonlee's foot. Its attacks seemed weaker then they had been. Its burns were clearly distracting it. It seemed to be struggling to keep going. One good hit may be enough to take it out. Cinders looped around in the air and sped back round to attack, diving in a cloak of fire towards the fighting pokémon opposing. His struck it with full force, toppling it over as the edge of his wing sliced across its chest. Hitmonlee hit the ground with a thud, sliding slightly back but managing to get back up again. It was holding its ribs now and Weezing weakly. It wasn't likely to withstand another attack. "Flamethrower!" Joe called. "Cinders flew back around and stopping in mid air before the fighter. Inhaling a lungful of air, he breathed out, releasing a hot plume of bright orange flame. It lapped around the field and charred Hitmonlee, engulfing it completely in the blaze. When the fire died away it was still standing. Its eyes stared off into space. Cinders flew closer. Small clouds of smoke billowed out of his nostrils. Very carefully he blew slightly on its face. Hitmonlee, creaked, rocked and fell backwards like a light fragile cardboard statue. When it hit the ground it shattered, lying unconscious and sprawled out where it hit. The crowd cheered again. Two defeats and down to two pokémon each. This was anyone's game now.
"Damn." Bruno muttered as he withdrew Hitmonlee from the battlefield. Joe's charizard was very strong to be able to take out his pokémon in one go. But he felt his next pokémon could take him out. "Still, two more left to go." He announced. Neither he nor Joe was in much of a mood to monologue. Joe was already exhausted and Bruno wasn't really into it all together. He proffered to shout sentences not whisper paragraphs. Fortunately the announcer was doing that for them.
"Down to two pokémon each now, folks." His voice rumbled over the arena dome and ricocheted down to the audience's ears. "Both combatants still have a chance of winning. But who will last long enough to take the prize? Let's find out!" Bruno reached for his forth pokéball.
"You haven't seen the full use of my power yet. The last three were just a warm-up." Bruno announced. Then he threw the pokéball. It sailed through the air, popped open and, out onto the field, a large, rocky snake creature appeared, swishing its tail. Joe raised a confused eyebrow.
"Hold on." He said, clearly befuddled. "I thought I knocked out your Onix. Why is it back in the battle?" To his surprise Bruno gave a hearty chuckle.
"Aha, I see where you've gone wrong." He laughed. "This isn't the same Onix. I have two. The first was just the one I use to set up. This Onix is my powerhouse. I call him Onix2" Joe and Ralph looked at each other.
"Why do you have two onixes? They're rock types, not fighting types." He told him. Bruno gave him an unworried expression.
"So? They learn fighting type moves. They have power. They can do damage. Why can't I have them? Because they're not fighting types? If that annoys you why didn't you point it out to Lorelei? Her Slowbro's not an Ice type. Why didn't you pick up on that?" Joe shrunk back, a little embarrassed.
"To be honest I never noticed." He admitted. Bruno rolled his shoulders.
"Still, never mind. On with the battle." He announced. He threw a hand. "Onix, Double Edge!" He roared. Onix2 sped forwards, ripping up the ground under it, its long stone horn pointed accurately. Cinders took into the air again, hovering low above the ground.
"Steel Claw it when it comes in!" Joe called. Cinders primed a glistening claw, preparing to slice it down Onix2's side. When Cinders perceived it to be before it, however, Onix2 was already steaming by, knocking Cinders back with the full power of its body force. Cinders spun a full burning circle in the air before landing painfully on his stomach. Onix2 meanwhile was still steaming ahead like a rampant train made of boulder segments. It reached the wall and turned a half circle, narrowly scrapping the stone with its hard body and heading back to attack, speeding up till it was reaching unrecognisable speeds. Cinders pushed himself back onto his fat legs and turned to see the charging Onix2 coming back. "Cinders, move! Fly!" Joe instructed, desperately.
"Get it before it can do so!" Bruno countered. "Speed up!" Onix2 gained speed. The ground behind it sparked now, the friction of its rock shell on the plastic floor not only creating a small trail or dents but also starting a few random fires. The arena was beginning to look like a warzone. Cinders was the fighter jet. Onix2 was the trench digger and anti aircraft gun. Cinders didn't take off into the air. He glared at the oncoming Onix2 as it sped up and readied to hit it again. His wings spread out like aeroplane wings. Light glistened from behind them and through the skin flap. Onix2 was right in front of him now. Then he gave a powerful flap, made a 'Thwump!' sound as the wings gust mad struck the ground, and Cinders was no longer there. He took off into the sky, avoiding Onix2's attack, leaving it to steam- train into the opposite wall. The ground shook as its head buried into the stone. The crowd in that area of the stand screamed and jumped out of their seats. Small pieces of rock dust and stone dropped onto Onix2's back it pushed itself back out of the wall, leaving a large, Onix shaped hole stuck deep inside it. The wall looked like it was ready to collapse at any minute, yet throughout the rest of the battle it stayed standing. Apparently an hour later or so it finally fell down but by then everyone had gone for lunch or moved on to the next battle. Onix2 glared at Cinders at the other side of the field.
"Very good, Cinders!" Joe complemented as the fire dragon swirled around in the air, leaving a plume of thin smoke behind him. He landed again on his side of the field and roared, protectively. Bruno growled.
"Alright, no more messing around! Onix!" He roared fiercely. "Dragonbreath!" Onix slid forwards, still moving quick but not terribly quickly, small purple flames lapping from its slit stone mouth and its horn lowered in a charge. Cinders readied his claws.
"Steel Claw!" Joe called. Cinders charged forwards, one claw pulled back and glistening silver. He reached the large stone snake and slashed his silvery claw across its body. The attack did some powerful damage to its body. At the same time Onix2 released its attack, hitting Cinders in the side with severe burning purple flames. Cinders slid aside after three seconds, no longer able to keep his attack or stand against the flame. As he moved Onix2 swung its tail around, knocking out Cinders feet from under him.
"Sandstorm!" Bruno called. Onix roared and released a cloud of dust into the air which became whipped up and expanded as the particles caught in a random gust of wind. Stone particles began falling all around them, moving like small flying razors and acting like sandpaper upon the skins of the pokémon. Cinders was buffeted by the sudden sandstorm as he tried to get back to his feet. It rocked him slightly and did a little damage but he got back up and stayed standing.
"Dragon Rage it!" Joe instructed. Cinders rushed forward and breathed a quick blast of purple and yellow fire on the opponent's side. Onix2 hardly seemed to notice, however. It whipped its tail up and brought Cinders with it, catching him between the legs and throwing him up into the air. He sailed upwards roaring like banshee and billowing flame and smoke in a futile attempt to slow down. His wings folded up behind him, useless. He flew up and above the sandstorm and then fell back down, desperately trying to flap. Onix kept its eyes following him all the way.
"Now, Rock throw!" Bruno called. Onix2 grabbed one of the arena rocks lying around and pulled it out of the ground. Joe clenched his hands together.
"Cinders look out!" He called. But Cinders was unable to move. The pressure of the air plus the damage we was taking from the storm was stopping his ability to fly and see. He billowed a full circle of fire in an attempt to clear his line of sight. It worked a little. When he looked out through the small hole of glass he had made he saw a huge boulder flying straight towards him. He had barely any time to react. The boulder smashed through the thin glass and hit him square in the chest. Cinders plummeted back down, the boulder sitting on his stomach and weighing him to the ground. He tried to burn it and claw it away with steel claw but it wouldn't even scratch. There was a few seconds of plummeting followed by a painful crashing sound as the charizard finally hit. He lay crushed underneath the boulders weight but miraculously somehow still conscious. He growled painfully and tried to push the large rock of his body. Then Onix2 came into view again. Small purple flames were escaping from its glowing mouth. Its rock eyebrows were narrowed down to evil triangles. Its tail tip was raised in the air like a rattlesnake.
"Finish it!" Bruno instructed. Onix slid closer and pulled back its head, readying to breathe dragon-like fire onto its opponent and defeat it. Cinders glared at the creature, annoyed. His lungs expanded as he breathed in. A small whiff of smoke flew out from his nostrils. Onix opened its mouth and was about to make its attack when something caught at the back of its throat. As its mouth opened Cinders exhaled, firing a small flame into the large rock snake's mouth and sending it down its neck, burning it inside. Onix2's eyes widened in surprise and alarm. It could feel its stomach expanding and contracting like a bellows. Its skin turned pail (If that was possible for a creature made of rock.) and it began to choke, as if it had swallowed something incredibly spicy. It rolled around, trying to extinguish the flame inside it. Now was Cinders chance. He put all his strength into moving the boulder, pushing against it with his hands and head so that he could be free again. Onix had its back to him now, smashing its head into the ground and trying to cure its pain. Finally, with one final shove Cinders was free. The boulder rolled slowly of his stomach and down the top of his flattened tail, rolling to the side and hitting the ground by him. He was free again. Weakly he pushed himself back up to his feet. He could feel his strength hanging on by a thread and his wings folded limply behind him. He wasn't going to be flying any time soon. He stumbled forwards, faintly, slowly getting closer and closer to the distracted Onix2. He snuck up behind it, breathed in a held his attack. Finally Onix2 turned back around again, only to see the charizard it had been about to defeat standing behind it still conscious and holding its breath and small flames escaping from its nose. Its expression turned to sad realisation. If it could speak t would have said something like 'Oh dear'. Cinders exhaled and a fiery star flew from his mouth, striking Onix2 in the chest and knocking it backwards. The huge stone snake skidded back and fell limp, its body falling over its tail and hitting the ground, looking up at the sky. The crowd cheered in surprise. They had all been convinced that Onix would take out Cinders but now it seems that he was just strong enough to fight back. Now Bruno only had the one pokémon left. Bruno let out a stress filled guttural growl and withdrew Onix2 from the battlefield. Cinders roared proudly, and then fell onto his knees and fell forwards, just holding himself up with his small arms. He began to breathe heavily, hit legs no longer able to take his weight and all his strength gone from him. Smoke drifted from the side of his mouth and through his nostrils, his eyes staring off into the ground, looking at nothing. He wasn't likely to be able to do anything to Bruno's last pokémon.
"Cinders stay strong. You can still do some damage. Can you stand?" Joe asked. Cinders shook his head, exhaustedly. Joe cursed under his breath. "Well if you can still hold it back with flamethrower you could at least do some damage. If you focus on that you can still win. Cinders nodded, felling a little more determined. He began pushing himself back up, managing to get onto one leg.
Suddenly the words "Low Kick!" echoed around the arena. A solid grey muscular leg struck Cinders leg and swept it out from under him. He hit the ground painfully and looked up. Standing above him was a tall, grey skinned, extremely muscular, four armed, frilled, beak mouthed Machamp, its top two arms punching together and showing of. It glared down at him, his lower arms now flexing in preparation to fight. "Throw it!" Bruno called. Before Cinders could do anything to protect himself he was grabbed by the tail by two of Machamp's arms and flung high into the air. The sandstorm had passed now but small specks of rock dust still floated about. Cinders spun around din the air, hardly even trying to save himself now. He was just too tired. His wings weren't going to open again anytime soon. He plummeted helplessly towards the ground, where Machamp was waiting for him. It pulled back a fist which glowed brown. Cinders came down and… Machamp's attack flew forwards, hitting him in the chest and sending him flying across the field. He struck the ground and lay there like a ragdoll. This time, however, he did not get back up. Joe sighed sadly and withdrew Cinders from the field. He glared at Bruno through squinted eyes. Bruno and Machamp were happily flexing their arms and showing off to the crowd who were cheering again.
"Down to one pokémon each, folks. This is still anyone's game. Can our challenger's final pokémon ever hope to take out Bruno's Machamp? The pokémon who's defeated a hundred foes single handed? Let's find out!" The announcer interrupted and the disappeared again. Joe clenched his hands. He wasn't going to lose just like that. He wasn't going to give up. He still had Ralph.
"Alright, Ralph, look like y…" But Ralph was already taking up position on the battle field. He stopped a few metres away from Joe and floated there. He swung up one wing and placed it across his face, trying to show off his power. Machamp turned and glared at him. Then it gave a hearty laugh and punched its fists together. Clearly it wasn't threatened by him at all.
"Cross chop!" Bruno commanded. Machamp rushed forwards.
"Steel wing!" Joe instructed. Ralph shot off into the air.
Both pokémon came in to attack. Machamp brought its sharp palms down in as X shape to hit Ralph but miss, finding that the large purple bat had dodge out of the way, flying around it. A steel coated wing stuck out and hit Machamp in the thigh, making it wince and grab out. Ralph flew off again, turning to see Machamp roaring at it, shaking its fists.
"Fly!" Joe called. Ralph shot high into the sky and flew back down, aimed for Machamp's chest.
"Rock Slide!" Bruno called. Machamp grabbed several boulders in all four of his hands and began throwing them up into the air, shattering them as he did so and leaving them to rain down around the field. Ralph saw them coming and tried to dodge, rolling to the right and slowing down so that they didn't hit him. One small rock successfully hit him in the wing. Suddenly he was falling, plummeting like a stone. His wings folded back and he gained speed. If he hit the ground he'd almost certainly be knocked out.
"Ralph look out!" Joe called. "Fly up!" Ralphs eyes flicked open again to see the ground ahead of him. With hardly any movement in between Ralph's wings were suddenly open again and he shot up, narrowly avoiding hitting ground and flying just above it, gliding at mach speed like a guided missile. His wings spread into an X shape and his eyes narrowed to angry slits. Machamp barely had time to reach. By the time it had raised an arm in defence Ralph had already struck, hitting it square in the chest and knocking it over. Machamp hit the floor, feeling dazed and surprised as Ralph kept flying, reaching the end of the arena and now making a full turn back to the battle.
"Get back up!" Bruno roared, furiously. "Take it out!" The fight was beginning to get more heated then a sauna. Machamp swept itself back onto its feet and readied four punches. Ralph was flying back in.
"Poison Fang!" Joe called. Ralph's fangs began glowing purple. He sped forwards, aiming for Machamp's shoulder which was the most likely easiest place for him to land the attack. He reached the opponent and Machamp swung its attacks. All four fists struck out glowing brown and all four fists missed. Ralph spun a complete circle around Machamp as he came in, dodging every attack the fighting pokémon could make. Machamp swung out a foot and Ralph managed to avoid it, shooting into the air. He dropped back down, scrapping his sharp fangs across Machamp's right shoulder. It flinched and reached back; soothing the wound he had left. Ralph sped off again, narrowly avoiding another cross chop. He turned and readied to fly back in. "Now use Fly again! Finish it off!" Joe called. Even though Machamp didn't look anywhere near ready to be taken down Joe felt that Ralph's attack would be strong enough to do so. Courageously Ralph flew back in for the kill, wings out and thin and eyes narrowed.
"DynamicPunch!" Bruno yelled. Machamp pulled back a glowing fist and aimed. Ralph was flying in a straight line. It picked its chance and threw the punch. The solid grey fist struck Ralph in the side, knocking his attack off and hitting him out of the air. He hit the ground with a light thud and lay there for a second. Joe winced. Ralph struggled back to the air when a large grey foot stood on his wing. He yelled in pain. Joe reached out a hand in fear.
"Ralph!" He yelled. Machamp was standing over the pinned crobat, glaring at him menacingly. The bite would he had left in its shoulders was going purple and small bubbles were floating out of it. It raised two arms, readying to cross chop him. The attack would likely knock him out. Joe knew he had to do something. He had to get Ralph back into the air. Then he thought up something. "Ralph!" He called. Ralph looked back at him. Machamp's cross chop readied to come down. "Screech!" Joe called. Ralph smiled evilly. He turned back. Machamp swung down its arms. They sailed through the air like a knife through warm butter. Ralph let out an ear piercing screech. It echoed around the entire arena, deafening everyone in the audience and even the people in the arena. Bruno covered his ears in pain. Machamp stopped its attack, desperately trying to clog up its ears and get the sound out of its head. As it did so it stumbled back, removing its foot from Ralph's wing. Now he was free again. Taking advantage Ralph pushed himself back up onto his wings, leapt across the floor and bit down on Machamp's ankle. The fighting pokémon yelled in pain and flicked its foot, Kicking Ralph up. That was the worst thing it could have done. As Ralph sailed up he opened his wings and sped off, taking back to the air with full grace and speed. He did a short loop-the-loop in the air above and then came crying down, the air around him roaring more fiercely then any animal or pokémon could ever hope to. Machamp threw another set of rocks but this time Ralph evaded each and every one of them. He came soaring in, aiming to strike Machamp's chest.
"Look out!" Bruno called. Too late. Machamp could only watch in horror as Ralph sped forward like an arrow head, wings out in an X shape. They were glowing purple now. Somehow he'd focused all his poison power into his wings. The crowd held their breath. Machamp raised its arms around it to protect itself. Then Ralph hit. His full body struck into Machamp's chest and the two pokémon sailed back. Machamp hit the ground with a painful thud, purple energy resonating from the area Ralph's wings had struck. Ralph however was still flying. He made a full turn, flew upside down and returned to Joe's side of the field, slowing down to a stop, turning the right way round and floating slowly above the ground in front of his trainer. Machamp did not get back up.
There was intense silence from the crowd. Then…
"Ladies and Gentlemen… Bruno… has been… Defeated!" The crowd burst into mad cheers. Everyone applauded as the challenger… Joe… stood proudly beside his pokémon. They seemed to be clapping for Ralph as well. Not only did he look cool but he also was cool. They had never seen such an amazing performance from such a rare and not terribly outstanding pokémon. The chant of 'Ralph! Ralph! Ralph!' rang around the arena. Ralph blushed slightly, hiding his face from the audience. Joe smiled at him and patted his head proudly. Bruno seemed deflated. He withdrew Machamp and punched the floor in fury.
"How did you do that?" He demanded, pointing at Ralph. "How is he that strong?" Joe shrugged.
"He just is. I travel with him and train with him. He's just that powerful and he always has been." He explained. "It's not something that can really be explained." Bruno breathed out, seemingly calming down a little.
"Well you defeated me. Well done. You even did it quicker than the last guy did. He still one but he took his time doing so. Your pokémon just flattened me and rolled me aside." Joe raised an eyebrow.
'So Tom got this far.' He thought. 'I wander how far he did get. Is it possible he even defeated all the elite four and that somehow I didn't know? I would have thought someone would have told me if he did.' He looked back at Bruno. "Thanks." He said simply. Bruno gestured an honest hand.
"Now the challenger can move on and take on the third of the Elite Four. He's already half way through the challenge. Can he keep it up and reach number four? Let's see." The announcer boomed. "But first we need another hour to set up the next arena. In the meantime our challenger can get some rest and you can all be entertained by a miraculous display of martial arts. See you in an hour's time." Then the speakers switched off. The crowd's cheers took up the major sound now. They kept applauding till they could applaud no more. On the other side of the arena a large red door was opening up. Bruno gestured to it.
"That's for you." He said simply, a cheeky smile growing on his face. "Now go take out the rest of my family." He laughed. Joe smiled and nodded. He walked over to the large red doors, Ralph following beside him. The crowd's cheers followed after him. He turned back to see Bruno and a strange fighting pokémon with a pointed head fighting… or at least showing of their fighting skills. The pokémon was spinning on its spiked head. Joe turned back around and walked in through the doorway, into another dark long hall. The doors shut behind him. Two members of the Elite Four down, two more to go.
Only two left