36.
FACING THE FINAL FOUR
Luna, Reo and I return to the Briteland City Pokémon Center. I can't stop myself from grinning like a madman the whole time, the elation of having won all eight Gym Badges refusing to leave me. Every so often I open up my jacket and glance at my collection, and this only makes me grin even more.
After healing my Pokémon, we step outside into the warm afternoon air. I pause for a moment and then turn to Luna.
"So…" I begin. "I guess we'll be parting ways now, huh? I'm off to the Pokémon League, and you need to stay here and beat Elliot so you can come and challenge me when I become the Champion."
Luna giggles. "You're right. Of course, if I do that, you might have the shortest Championship reign in history once I beat you!" I punch her playfully in the arm and we both laugh.
"Thanks for being here for me, Luna," I tell her gratefully. "It's been great battling alongside you and having your support."
"We're friends, Luke," Luna says. "That's what friends do."
"Yeah, I guess," I mumble, just managing to stop myself from breaking into a frown. I had hoped by now we could be a little more than just 'friends'.
"I suppose you'd better get going," Luna reminds me. "You wouldn't want to keep your Championship dream waiting, would you?" She smiles at me and stretches out her arms, and I smile back and move across to hug her.
"Good luck with everything," I tell her quietly before releasing her.
"You too," she says, equally quietly. She offers me a short wave before returning into the Pokémon Center. I watch her until the glass doors slide shut, then sigh and turn away. I reach to my belt and unclip a Poké Ball, which I drop down onto the ground.
"Star!" my bird Pokémon cries as she is released from her confinement.
"OK, Staraptor, are you ready to Fly us to our final challenge?" I ask her.
"Star, Star!" Staraptor confirms, beating her wings enthusiastically. I smile at her and retrieve Reo's Poké Ball, ready to recall him for our flight.
"You should take this chance to rest up, Reo," I say to him. "No doubt I'll be relying on you a lot once we get to the Pokémon League."
Reo nods. "All right. But make sure you let me out as soon as we land, OK?" I give a nod of confirmation and call my partner back to his rarely-used Poké Ball. Once he is safely attached onto my belt, I cross over to Staraptor, who kneels down slightly to allow me to climb onto her back.
"All right, Staraptor, we Fly south. To the Pokémon League!"
"Staaaaar!" My bird Pokémon spreads her large wings wide and launches herself up into the sky, and once again I experience the rush of adrenaline that this sensation provides. The sky is cloudless today, and I watch below me as Briteland City slowly gets smaller and smaller and we begin our flight over the water: the sea that separates the northern and southern halves of my home region of Silvari.
Thinking about it as my home makes me think of my true home: the peaceful little Tranila Town. I think about mom, my friends and all the people I left behind when I began this unplanned journey across the region. All the things I've seen and done… Well, I think to myself with a grin, I'll certainly have a story or two to share when I finally make it back home.
Staraptor continues to glide smoothly through the air for another half hour or so, seeming to enjoy the flight as much as me. I scan the surface of the water below, and look to the horizon, waiting for the iconic tower structure of the Pokémon League building to come into view.
Finally a dark shape appears on the horizon, and I point towards it. "That's our destination, Staraptor."
"Star," Staraptor confirms, lowering her flight slightly and heading towards the object. I keep my eyes fixed on it as we continue to fly lower and straight towards the small island and the large structure that waits upon it. It is the centre point of the region, and now, it is the final stop on my journey to greatness.
Staraptor ruffles up her wings once more and lands smoothly on the sandy stone of the island. I dismount, thank her and call her back to her Poké Ball before releasing Reo once more. Once he is free, he stretches widely as though he has just woken up from a relaxing nap.
"So, this is the Pokémon League, right?" he muses, surveying the tall building. "Did you say that you came here once before by mistake?"
"Yeah," I confirm, "when we were trying to get to Erique Island. I think we were on the other side then, though - I can't see an entrance around here."
"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Reo asks cheerily, and begins to lead the way around the base of the structure. I follow him, a smile spreading across my face. I can tell that Reo is just as excited about this whole business as I am. If a Trainer beats the Elite Four and becomes the Champion, their name and their Pokémon's names are recorded for all time in the Hall of Fame. I feel a shiver of excitement as I imagine mine and Reo's names up there on that illustrious list alongside all the incredible Champions of the past.
Finally we emerge around the base of the building and arrive on the front side. It looks almost exactly as I remember it: the small Pokémon Center building off to the side, and the main entrance to the base of the tower, guarded by the two big men in dark suits and glasses. For the moment I walk past them, feeling their gazes follow me behind their black glasses, and enter the Pokémon Center.
The Center is completely empty save for the nurse at the counter, who looks up and smiles at me as I walk over to her.
"Good afternoon! Welcome to our Pokémon Center!" she greets me. "It's not often we get visitors out here. Are you here to challenge the Pokémon League?"
"That's right," I confirm. "Can you just rest my Pokémon up for me one last time? I want to make sure we're completely ready for this test."
The nurse smiles and nods. "Of course. Pass me your Poké Balls and I'll just pop them on the machine here. It'll perk them up and have them ready to battle in no time." I hand over my five filled Poké Balls and the nurse puts them on the machine behind her and presses a button. The balls glow brightly and a cheerful, musical chime sounds. Once the balls have finished glowing, the nurse removes them from the machine and hands them back to me.
"Good luck in your League challenge," she says to me with a polite curtsey. "I'm not allowed to give you any hints, but I've got my fingers crossed for you!" I thank her and head out of the somewhat lonely Pokémon Center and back into the sunshine. This time, I make my way over to the two men in dark glasses that guard the building's entrance.
"Hi," I say with some trepidation. "My name's Luke Norton. I'm here to challenge the Pokémon League."
"How many Badges have you collected?" the man on the left asks in a gruff voice.
"Eight," I respond, opening my jacket to prove it. The tall man bends down and surveys them closely, before finally straightening up.
"Those all seem to be in order." He indicates the entrance next to him. "Go inside and follow the corridor. You will receive a short video presentation prior to your challenge. Once you enter the halls of the Elite Four, you may not leave again until your challenge ends in either victory or defeat. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"Then enter, challenger, and on behalf of the Pokémon League, I wish you all the best in your matches." I give a silent nod of thanks and enter the building, Reo following close behind me. Inside the building the air is fairly chilly, and the corridor is quite dark. I follow it around a corner and into a small room where there is a single chair opposite a wall-mounted TV screen. A set of elevator doors are located in the wall under the screen, the emblem of the Pokémon League painted across them.
I take a seat in the chair, feeling goose bumps of excitement and trepidation spring up across my arms. Reo remains standing to my left, and I look up at the TV screen. After a few moments it finally switches on, and I behold a woman's face. She has long, dark blue hair with a few streaks of grey running through it, and her face is somewhat aged and lined. From what I can see she wears a standard Pokémon League uniform in its pink colour.
"Welcome to the Pokémon League, challenger," she says. Her voice is friendly despite carrying a hint of age, and it seems somewhat familiar. "My name is Norah. I'm the President of the Pokémon League Council."
"Oh yeah, I remember you," I say, suddenly recalling where I recognise her from. "You were at the Briteland City Leader Tournament. You were the one who officially named Elliot the new Gym Leader."
"That's right," Norah confirms with a smile. "Were you at the tournament, too?"
"I was a participant in it," I say with a smile. "My name's Luke, from Tranila Town. I got knocked out in the semi-final."
Realisation dawns on Norah's face, and she smiles. "Ah yes, I remember you now," she says. "You must be the first one to defeat the new Gym Leader then, am I right?"
"That's right," I confirm, and Reo nods along at my side. "That's what's brought me here to challenge the Elite Four now."
"Very well," Norah says. "Before I let you through to challenge the Elite Four, I shall explain the rules of the Pokémon League to you. Please listen closely.
"Battles against the Elite Four and Pokémon League Champion are similar to the battles you will have had with the Gym Leaders of Silvari during your journey," Norah explains. "However, there are some differences. For a start, battles are now contested over five one-on-one rounds instead of three, although there is still to be no switching during rounds. You must use a different Pokémon in each round, and the first Trainer to win three rounds wins the battle."
"Got it," I confirm with a nod. "Anything else?"
"You may challenge the Elite Four in any order you like," Norah continues. "Inside the elevator in front of you you will see five buttons. The four outer buttons will each take you to the floor of a different Elite Four member. There are clues on each button to help you prepare for the type of Pokémon that Elite Four member uses. If you manage to defeat all four members of the Elite Four, you will be able to use the rainbow button in the centre, which will take you to the top floor of this building, where the Champion awaits your challenge.
"Now, listen carefully, because this is the tricky part. Once you have entered the Pokémon League, you may not leave again until your challenge is over. The same is true of the individual Elite Four rooms - you must remain in them until your battle ends. While your Pokémon's health will be restored between battles, you must challenge the Elite Four consecutively, so your stamina will be severely tested. The final rule is this: you get one chance and one chance alone to defeat the Elite Four. If you lose, you may not challenge them again for one year."
"You mean I don't get a rematch if I lose to even just one of them?" I repeat, feeling a touch uneasy at this news.
Norah nods in confirmation. "Those are the rules of the Pokémon League. Only the best Trainers can go on to become Champion, and this is how we find out who is the best of the best. So, now that you know the rules, let me ask you one final question. Are you ready to make your challenge?"
I look up at Reo, and he down at me. "We've come all this way," he reminds me. "There's no turning back now."
I nod in agreement and turn back to the screen to face Norah again. "We're ready," I tell her, my voice determined.
"Then enter, challenger, and on behalf of the Pokémon League I wish you all the best in your matches." The screen goes blank, and a moment later there is a ping and the elevator doors slide open. I stand up from my seat and cross over to them, climbing into the elevator, with Reo following behind. The doors slide shut behind us. As Reo said: there's no turning back now.
I survey the left-side panel of the elevator next to the doors and locate the buttons Norah was talking about. There are five of them arranged in a square similar to the arrangement of the number five on a standard die. The top-left button is white and has a six-pointed star similar to an asterisk on it. The top-right is green with a spider silhouette. The bottom-left is sky blue with a black snowflake design, and the bottom-right is black with a white crescent moon design. In the centre of these four buttons is the rainbow button that leads to the Champion's room, which is currently dimmed to show that it is unavailable for selection.
"Not really much in the way of clues, are they?" I say to Reo. "I guess these pictures must have something to do with the types the Elite Four use, like Norah said, but I'm not sure what some of them are. They all look pretty similar to me, except for the glaringly obvious rainbow one."
"Well, do you have a particular preference as to which type you battle first?" Reo asks.
"Not really," I answer. "I guess I might as well just go for them in order, starting with…you." I press the white button in the top-left corner and it lights up brightly. The elevator shudders into life and begins to ascend, transporting me to my first challenge. I feel the butterflies in my stomach as the elevator seems to take an inordinate time to reach its destination. Finally it comes to a halt, and with another ping the doors slide open.
I look at my surroundings. I seem to be in a fairly standard battlefield that looks almost like a school gymnasium, with its high-set windows and well-buffed wooden floor, upon which the battlefield markings are drawn. Standing in the centre of the battlefield is a woman with long, dark blue hair dressed in a pink Pokémon League uniform, and she turns to survey me as I enter the room.
"Oh, hello there!" Norah greets me pleasantly. "I wasn't expecting to see you so soon."
"Hang on a minute, you're one of the Elite Four?" I say, confused. "I thought you were the President of the Pokémon League Council?"
"I am," Norah confirms. "But I'm also a member of the Silvari Elite Four. My specialism is in the Normal-type. I see you've decided to make me the first hurdle of your Pokémon League challenge, hm?"
"More by luck than judgment," I mumble. "I kinda just picked the button I was least sure about."
"Well, nevertheless, you've arrived now, you can't turn back until our battle is finished," Norah reminds me. "So come on. Let's kick off your Pokémon League challenge!" She skips daintily backwards into her combatant's rectangle and I move forward into my own.
"So, which Pokémon will you use first, Luke?" Norah asks me. I consider for a few moments. There's only one type that's good against Normal Pokémon, and I want to get my League challenge off to a good start.
I turn to my partner. "Reo, will you get things rolling for us?"
"Certainly, Luke, if that is your wish." Reo steps around in front of me, prepared to face his first opponent.
"How interesting…" Norah muses. "I shall lead with Audino!" She reaches to her waist, selects a Poké Ball and tosses it down to the ground. It opens and unleashes a pink and cream coloured Pokémon with big blue eyes and large ears. It stands a few inches shorter than Reo, and my immediate thought is that it looks a bit like an oversized teddy bear.
"OK, Reo, kick things off with a Force Palm!" I instruct. Reo dashes forward and brings his right palm forward to strike Audino squarely in the chest. Audino lets out a squeak of pain, and seems somewhat rattled by the move, as though it has been paralyzed by the impact.
Norah has noticed this, too. "Audino, use Refresh to get rid of that paralysis!" Audino raises its arms and a sparkle appears in the air around it, and some of its strength seems to return. "Well done! Now hit it with your DoubleSlap attack!"
Audino starts to attack Reo, slapping him back and forth with its hands, and Reo covers his face with his arms. "Reo, use Force Palm again to get it off you!" I call. Reo stretches out his paw again and drives it into Audino, knocking it back a few paces. "Now finish it with Metal Claw!" This time, Reo rakes his left paw across Audino's skull, and it is sent to the ground. It appears it has been defeated.
"Wow, was that it?" I say in some surprise. "That didn't put up nearly as much of a fight as I was expecting."
"Man, that felt good," Reo says with some relish. "I feel like I've grown about ten feet taller from that fight!"
"Audino has that effect on Pokémon," Norah says, calling her Pokémon back. "She gives a lot of experience when she is defeated. I like to ease challengers gently into their League battle with me. The real fight begins right now!" Reo crosses back over to me as Norah throws down her second Poké Ball, with a cry of "Go, Linoone!"
The ball opens and unveils a long, thin Pokémon that looks a little like a weasel. It is light brown in colour and has darker brown stripes across its body, including one over its back and head in the shape of an arrow pointing forward.
I ponder to myself for a moment. Since I have nothing that's really good or bad against Normal Pokémon, I decide to be a little daring. I select a Poké ball at random and throw it down in front of Linoone. It opens and my grey, Psychic-type Pokémon is unveiled. "Gardevoir!" she cries majestically.
"OK, Gardevoir, use your Energy Ball attack!" I instruct, and Gardevoir begins to gather her energy.
"Linoone, Sand-Attack!" Norah cries. Linoone dashes forward at a blinding pace, screeching to a halt and turning on its tail in front of Gardevoir. It kicks a lump of sand into my Pokémon's face, and Gardevoir is caught by surprise, and fires her Energy Ball in completely the wrong direction, missing Linoone totally. "Well done! Now get your strength up with a Belly Drum!" Norah encourages.
Linoone rolls over onto its back and starts tickling itself on the tummy, as if daring Gardevoir to attack it. "Come on, Gardevoir, don't let it taunt you like that!" I say to my Pokémon. "Use your Psychic attack!"
Gardevoir concentrates hard and manages to lift Linoone up into the air with its attack, but she still seems to be feeling the effects of the Sand-Attack, and a moment later she loses focus and drops her opponent down again, reaching round to brush the sand out of her eyes. "No, Gardevoir, you can't let up!" I say worriedly.
"All right, Linoone, now's our chance!" Norah cries. "Headbutt attack, and give it all you've got!" Linoone once again charges at Gardevoir, this time crashing into it at colossal speed. Gardevoir gives a mournful cry of pain and topples to the ground, Linoone landing on top of her. Linoone jumps backward and surveys its opponent in a satisfied way, as Gardevoir does not get up from the attack.
I retrieve her Poké Ball and hold it up. "You tried hard, Gardevoir. Return for now."
"Linoone's Belly Drum raises its attack stat to the maximum level," Reo tells me as I recall Gardevoir. "That, coupled with Gardevoir's low defense stat, made that Headbutt attack nothing short of devastating."
"Most Normal moves are physical, right?" I ask, and Reo nods to confirm this. "In that case, I should pick a Pokémon with good defences for the next round."
"So, we're down to a normal Gym Battle situation now," Norah tells me, having recalled her Linoone. "We each need two more rounds to win. It's your turn to pick first, Luke."
I unclip a Poké Ball from my belt and toss it to the ground. "Come on out, Azumarill!" I call as the ball opens and my blue aqua rabbit is released. Norah takes a moment to observe her opponent before choosing her own Poké Ball and throwing it down.
"Go, Delcatty!" she cries. The ball opens and I behold her cat-like Pokémon with its purple mane, ears and tail. I remember this one from watching Luna's battle with Lox back in the Team SPF hideout in Silverton…though something tells me Norah may just have a bit more skill and intelligence than Lox.
"The first move is yours, Delcatty!" Norah calls. "Use your Fake Out!" Delcatty struts up to Azumarill, who watches it carefully, wondering what to expect. Delcatty disarmingly turns its back on Azumarill, before swiftly and painfully whipping my Pokémon across the face with its tail. Azumarill lets out a cry of pain, clearly caught off guard by the attack. "Beautiful move!" Norah cries excitedly. "Now show it your Faint Attack!"
"Azumarill, block it with Defense Curl!" I call as Delcatty jumps around to prepare its attack. Azumarill quickly curls up into a ball as Delcatty unleashes a shadowy duplicate of itself, which charges straight through my Pokémon, but causes little damage due to its defensive stance. "Good, now Rollout!" I encourage. Azumarill begins to roll, barrelling right over Delcatty and whirling around for another run.
"Dodge it, Delcatty!" Norah calls, but too late, for Delcatty has already been hit by the second attack. This time, though, it quickly picks itself up and watches carefully as Azumarill comes around for a third attack, and deftly jumps out of the way to avoid the impact.
"Don't let up, Azumarill! Use your Surf attack!" I instruct. Azumarill snaps out of his ball shape, lands on his feet, and starts to concentrate hard. Suddenly a great wave of water crashes down from seemingly out of the ceiling, sweeping through both Delcatty and Azumarill, and also knocking me and Reo back off our feet. By the time we get back up, the water level has begun to drop, and I look on as Azumarill stands proudly over the body of its defeated opponent. Delcatty lies on its side, breathing heavily, exhausted and clearly out of the battle.
Norah holds its Poké Ball up. "Bad luck, Delcatty. Come and get some rest." She recalls her Pokémon and I do the same with Azumarill, smiling to myself in a satisfied way. I'm two-one up now. I have two chances to win the battle in the next two rounds.
"So, it looks like the odds are against me, doesn't it?" Norah says thoughtfully. "I'm going to have to pull out all the stops if I'm going to end your League challenge here!" She chooses another Poké Ball and throws it down onto the still damp floor. "Go, Lopunny!"
The ball opens to reveal Norah's fourth round Pokémon. It is a tall, bipedal rabbit with brown fur and exceedingly long ears that go down almost to its knees, getting wider as they do so. It exudes an aura of beauty, which I have a feeling is something Norah will try and exploit if I give her the chance.
"Boy or girl?" I ask Reo in an undertone.
"Oh, she's definitely a girl," Reo responds, unable to stop himself from breaking into a slight smile.
"In that case, there's only once choice then." I unclip my Poké Ball and throw it down, with a cry of "Go for it, Staraptor!" My bird Pokémon is unleashed and lands on the damp wooden floor, surveying her opponent with what looks like some distaste.
"Lopunny, start things off with a Dizzy Punch," Norah instructs. Lopunny bounds across to Staraptor, rubbing her hands together. She draws one back, but instead of striking with this, she whips her right ear around to smack Staraptor across the head, and my Pokémon is caught by surprise. Norah laughs from across the field. "Nice one, Lopunny!"
"Don't let it distract you, Staraptor," I encourage. "Show it how strong your Aerial Ace attack is." Staraptor takes off, before diving down at Lopunny, crashing into her at great speed and taking Lopunny off her feet momentarily, though she quickly springs back up, ready for more.
"Lopunny, Jump Kick!" Norah calls, and her Lopunny makes a flying leap into the sky.
"Use your Double Team to make it miss and crash, Staraptor!" I instruct. Staraptor focuses her energy, and even though it doesn't look to me as though she is moving much, the illusory copies still appear in the air around her. Lopunny comes down towards them with its attack, but it only makes contact with an illusion, and collides with the ground, causing severe damage to itself.
"We can still win this, Lopunny," Norah encourages her Pokémon. "Use your Bounce attack - it can't hit you then." Lopunny gets unsteadily to its feet and springs up into the air once more, seeming to hover for a moment in the air next to the room's ceiling.
"Staraptor, your Fly attack is better than that Lopunny's Bounce! Give it your best shot!" Staraptor spreads her large wings wide and takes off as Lopunny comes soaring down to make its Bounce attack. The two Pokémon pass one another in midair and Lopunny lands, springing backwards to prepare another strike.
But Staraptor doesn't give her a chance. No sooner has she reached the ceiling of the room than she dives down straight at Lopunny, colliding with her opponent with a loud thud. Both Pokémon are sent skidding backwards, Staraptor pinning Lopunny to the floor all the way, and when they finally come to a halt Staraptor hops off her opponent and stands proudly and victoriously over Lopunny's defeated body.
"Yes! We did it! That's the third round we needed!" I cry, jumping and punching the air. "That was awesome, Staraptor. You've earned yourself a rest." I unclip her Poké Ball and call her back, before reattaching her to my belt and turning my attention to Norah, who has just recalled her own final Pokémon.
"So," she says, her voice impressed. "It seems you do have what it takes to defeat the Elite Four. I'm most impressed with your talents, Luke."
"Thanks, Norah," I say humbly.
Norah holds out her hands. "Pass me your Poké Balls, and I will make sure that your Pokémon are healed before your next battle."
I unclip my five Poké Balls from my belt and hand them to her. "You'd better go too, Reo," I say to my partner. "I might need you in our next battle, and you'll need to be fully prepared." Reo nods and follows Norah as she heads across the room and through a door into a side chamber, which presumably contains a healing machine similar to the one at the Pokémon Center outside.
A minute or so later they are back. Reo crosses over to my side once more and Norah, smiling, hands my Poké Balls back to me.
"Now," she tells me. "You still have three members of the Elite Four left to defeat before you can face the Champion. Head back into the elevator and choose your next opponent. Good luck."
I give her a nod of thanks and turn and head across the room, Reo following close behind me. The elevator doors slide open for me automatically as I draw near them, and once I am inside they close once more.
One member of the Elite Four down, only three to go…