As always please read and enjoy.~ Scriffignano
Chapter 37: Victories and Losses
Flames billowed around him as the building he stood in burned with unholy hellfire. His Pokémon laid unconscious at his feet, defeated by a great but sinister monster clad in black and red. behind it stood an even greater creature, but there was something off about it. This creature was in pain. Its howling cries echoed in Arc's mind begging for its release or demise. He was backed against a wall, the shadows of these creatures consuming the space around him. He was-
"One… Two… Three!"
Arc woke with a start as Lily along with Neeko and Earthshaker lifted the bed Arc was sleeping on, throwing him across the room and on the other bed. He looked around dazed and confused not fully comprehending what was happening. Lily then walked up to the other bed and threw his lab coat at him.
"Get up sleepy head. You're scheduled to be in the first match of today." She scowled. "Honestly did you forget that?"
Arc took his coat and went to go get ready. "No… I was just in the middle of a really odd dream."
"What was it about?" Lily raised an eyebrow. "You weren't dreaming about me again were you?"
Arc blushed for a second as he changed his shirt. "No… it was something sinister. I was in a burning building and all of my Pokémon were defeated by something. I don't know what it was, but it emanated a very dark vibe to it." He shuddered while putting his hair back in a short ponytail.
"Well… luckily it was only a dream. Now hurry up and finish getting ready before Thorn starts pounding on the door."
No sooner than she said that, there was a resounding thump coming from the door. "Hey! You two Luvdisc ready?! We need to get going!"
Arc sighed and finished getting ready. He then donned his lab coat and headed for the door, but as he opened it, he heard a solid thump followed by a string of grunts and whimpers. Closing the door he found Thorn laying on his back holding his forehead.
"That's what you get for looking through the keyhole." Arc put his hands in his pockets and strolled past him like nothing happened.
After getting himself back up, Thorn accompanied them down to the lobby for breakfast. It was quiet for the most part until Dino started messing with Neeko's bowl. Not taking kindly to Dino's childish behavior, Neeko stood and waved a fist at the dragon.
"Will you two knock it off!" Arc scolded them.
"So Arc… do you have a strategy for today? You have 3 matches and they are pretty close to each other." Thorn struck up conversation.
"Just survive and take one battle at a time." Arc sighed. "I can only guess what my opponents will be like, so planning is kind of pointless. I just have to stick to my wit." he wiped his mouth with a towel and stood up. "We better get going. I want to warm up before the match."
The three of them soon made their way to the arena so Arc could practice for a bit. He stayed outside of the arena where some other trainers were while Thorn and Lily went ahead and found some decent seats. they were near the same spot they had yesterday, but were chased out by some guy claiming that his family was sitting there despite there being no signs of anyone else coming. Lily huffed and gave the man a nasty glare before looking at the field.
"Well… the only thing standing between Arc and victory is three battles. Let's see how he does."
It was finally Arc's turn to face the mysterious lady trainer that seemed to drift around the event like a ghost. Outside of battling, not once has Arc seen her floating around the merchandise stands or even the waiting room where the trainers gather before the battles start. As Arc and the mystery girl took their place, the referee stood at the middle and waved his flags signaling that the battle was about to begin.
The young lady went first, calling forth her Xatu to the field. The Pokémon seemed to be staring straight into Arc's soul, discovering the secrets he wanted to hide. Arc shuddered slightly and sent his Swampert into the fray. Earthshaker bellowed loudly and slapped the rocky field in defiance.
Once the referee crossed his flags starting the match, Arc made the first move. "Use Ice Punch!"
"Dodge and use Psychic!"
Xatu was soon airborne dodging every attack that Arc's Swampert sent its way. Its eyes then glowed with a blue hue and picked up Earthshaker like he was no heavier than a feather. After that initial pickup, the battle became brutal as Arc's Swampert was tossed around that field like a rag doll. Hit after hit the Psychic type would pummel the water type, not even give Arc a chance to counter.
"Now use Future Sight!"
This was Arc's chance to strike. While the Xatu was preparing the attack, he knew Earthshaker could get one good hit in.
"Use Ice Punch once more!"
Earthshaker then chilled his fist and struck the totem like bird just as it fired a white orb of light straight into the air. The orb vanished and Xatu landed on the ground frozen in ice and unable to continue.
"Xatu is unable to battle! Swampert is the winner."
The crowd cheered and the trainer recalled her Xatu and sent her Floatzel in for the second round.
"Use Ice Beam!"
The Floatzel was obviously one of the trainer's stronger Pokémon because even Earthshaker had a hard time defending himself against that attack. Ice started building up on his forearms before the Floatzel stopped and followed up with Swift. Yellow stars formed around the weasel like Pokémon and started rapid firing towards Earthshaker only to explode on impact. buffeted to his limits by the stars, Earthshaker fell backwards unable to continue the battle.
Arc sighed and pulled back his Swampert and released his Rapidash, Mimzy. Compared to the Floatzel she was at a major disadvantage, but Arc hoped that her speed and agility would be able to match the water weasel's power inch for inch. She snorted and shook her head before pawing the ground in an attempt to intimidate her opponent, but it hardly noticed her and gave no reaction.
Once the referee started the second round, Arc called for a devastating Wild Charge attack which definitely received a reaction from the Floatzel. Sparks danced across Mimzy's mane as she charged across the field at the trainer's Floatzel.
"Dodge and use Aqua Jet!"
It was too late though, Arc's Rapidash was too close and she struck the Water type in its chest and sent it flying across the field. Mimzy felt the recoil of the attack, but it wasn't about to slow her down at all. Floatzel slowly rose to its feet, and countered with Aqua Jet for the second time, striking Mimzy broadside.
She shook off the attack rather easy for a Fire type and reared up, shattering a large rock in front of her with her front hooves. The trainer was astounded by how quickly the fire horse recovered and started to get rather uneasy.
"There you go! Now counter with Flame Charge!" Arc smiled, seeing that his so called absurd training was paying off.
Mimzy raced around the field at blazing speeds striking the Floatzel repeatedly until it fell to the floor unable to continue the battle. The crowds gasped as they beheld what was a strong Water type be defeated by a Fire type. Arc smiled and waited for the next round to begin.
"Mightyena, let's go!" She called forth her Dark type hound to the battle.
Arc waited for her to make the first move and she led off with Hidden Power. Green orbs orbited the Mightyena's body before being thrown at Mimzy.
"Use Horn Drill!" Arc shouted.
Mimzy stood her ground as her horn started to rotate rapidly, and with extreme dexterity she deflected the attack. As the particles struck her horn, they vaporized splashing outwards in a shower of sparks. Many of the spectators gasped at the spectacle seeing a usually offensive move used to defend from an oncoming attack.
"Use Bounce!"
Once the Hidden Power was eliminated, Mimzy sprang up into the air and sailed across the field as if she was flying and dropped her hooves on the back of the Dark type. Not willing to give up, The Mightyena retaliated with Crunch, its glowing fangs sank deep into Mimzy's back leg, making her squeal with rage.
"Follow up with Hyper Beam!"
"Kick it off and use Wild Charge!"
Mimzy managed to disengage herself from the Mightyena and started crackling with bolts of lightning consuming her form. Mightyena formed a bright orange orb in its mouth that unleashed a beam of torrential energy at Arc's Rapidash as she charged forward. The amount of energy in the collision of the attacks was explosive, but unfinished. Mimzy charged straight through the attack, cutting it with the tip of her horn and driving it straight into the open jaws of the Mightyena.
"Mightyena!"
The hound howled in pain and fell backwards before struggling to its feet again. As the smoke cleared, everyone expected to see Arc's Rapidash in a similar state especially after using Wild Charge several times, but she was standing tall and proud her hooves planted deep in the ground, discharging the electrical energy into the field and avoiding most of the recoil.
The trainer grit her teeth. "Crunch once more!"
"Counter with Horn Drill!"
Mightyena while not as fast as Mimzy, was definitely more agile and jumped on her back delivering bites all over her flanks and neck. She retaliated by throwing it off and swinging her head at it. Mightyena then bit down on her horn, causing sparks to erupt as the attacks clashed once more. Each Pokémon was unwilling to give up, driven by their trainer's calls, but it was soon to be over.
Feeling the damaging effects of the entire fight, both Pokémon disengaged from each other. Panting heavily, Mightyena and Mimzy fell to the floor at the same time, declaring the battle to be a draw, but the match still went to Arc.
Arc ran out on the field and cradled his exhausted Pokémon's head in his arms. She huffed and snorted, her eyes completely focused on Arc. He smiled and stroked her muzzle and hugged her.
"You did well girl…" He giggled. "Now do you see why I give you a bath? You were able to bounce back from that Aqua Jet attack."
Mimzy nickered and rolled her eyes at him before he returned her to her Pokeball. He then stood to see that the other trainer had already left the scene, not even bothering to say anything to Arc before vanishing once more. He sighed as well, and left the field to get his Pokémon healed. As he left the crowd broke out in a myriad of cheers, congratulating him on his victory.
After Arc had his Pokémon healed, he joined Thorn and Lily in the stands. Lily and Thorn were proud of him on his third victory, giving him pats on the back.
"You made that one look like a walk in the park." Thorn joked. "But wasn't that pretty arrogant using Mimzy against Floatzel. She could have wiped out."
"You act like he had a real choice in the matter. It was either her or Neeko." Lily came to his defense.
"Besides Thorn. I had to prove to myself and Mimzy that my water resistance training was paying off." He pointed out. "You saw how easily she bounced back from that Aqua Jet attack."
They both nodded and turned their attention to Kiba and Kaye who stood across from one another. The field was changed to a water field with several small platforms resting atop of the water's surface. Kiba's dislike for the field was obvious as he looked over to Kaye with his arrogant cocky grin.
"Ladies first," he insisted as he mocked bowed to his opponent.
Quirking an unimpressed brow, Kaye shook her head before sending out her first Pokémon. "Ignis, start this off!" The orange avian burst forth from its Pokeball and into the air, embers raining down from its beating wings.
Arc took a moment to identify the Pokémon with his Pokedex. "Talonflame, the Scorching Pokémon, and the final evolved form of Fletchling. Talonflame can swoop at incredible speeds when attacking. During intense battles, its wings give off showers of embers as it flies."
"Champ let's go!" Kiba said brashly. The Hitmonchan took its place on one of the platforms over the water and it was clear from there that balancing might be a problem for the boxing Pokémon. The two sides waited for the referee to announce the beginning of the battle where Kiba was quick to issue the first command.
"Bullet Punch!"
Taking a knee to keep its balance Champ launched a high speed strike that flew towards the hovering Talonflame.
Kaye reacted swiftly, snapping her fingers off to the left. "Ignis, dive to the side and counter with Flame Charge!"
Narrowly avoiding Champ's fist, Ignis swooped around in a loop before encasing himself in a flurry of cinders and flames, speeding towards Champ like an arrow.
"Quick, counter with Thunder Punch, Champ!" As the orange falcon Pokémon approached the stationary fighting type, Champ's fist began to hum with electrical power as it prepared to strike down the avian once it got within range.
Ignis stayed on a straight course for the Hitmonchan's torso, beak first. As they drew closer to each other, the Talonflame tilted slightly to the left, subtly changing direction, now fully intending to strike out swiftly with its strong wings.
The Hitmonchan swung at the Talonflame as it closed in only to miss at the last second as the Talonflame struck with Flame Charge hitting him swiftly in the chest before flying out of range again.
Keeping with the momentum, Kaye snapped twice called out another order before Champ could regain his balance. "Acrobatics, now!"
The Talonflame responded quickly, breaking into complicated aerial maneuvers while closing in to attack.
"Bullet Punch into the water!" Kiba called out.
Without question the Hitmonchan aimed an attack below the flight path of the Talonflame where it fired a steel induced punch into the water creating a large explosion of water that caught Ignis before it could reach Champ.
"Now jump and attack with Thunder Punch!" Kiba added into the mix.
With a powerful leap, Champ jumped above the Talonflame before sending it to the water with an electrically fused punch.
Cawing in surprise, Ignis fell into the pool below, suffering from the super effective electric type move. Struggling to surface, the Talonflame pulled itself out of the water and onto one of the platforms. Drenched, the fire-bird shook the water out of its wings and was looking quite miserable.
Sighing, Kaye snapped once. "Use Flame Charge to dry your wings and get back into the air!" More than happy to comply, Ignis again coated his body in fire, waiting a moment before launching into the air and using the momentum to disperse the water. Not missing a beat, Kaye snapped twice. "Use Acrobatics to avoid his punches before sending him into the water with Steel Wing!"
Arc then took notice of Kaye's snaps. "I think she uses snapping to help communicate with her Pokémon... interesting."
Eyes gleaming, Ignis swooped and rolled in the air in intricate patterns meant to confuse. Staying on the alert for an opening, he kept his wings extended, ready to attack at the turn of a dime.
"Use Bullet Punch on the water again, then hit the waves with Thunder Punch!"
Creating another protective way in front of itself Champ hit the wave with its electrically fused fist creating a water-lightning wave combo that was flowing towards Ignis.
This time, Ignis was wise enough to stay high enough to avoid the crackling wave. Taking a chance, the orange avian glided over the wave, almost skimming the water, and struck out with a powerful Steel Wing, determined to knock over the Hitmonchan. However Kiba's Pokémon was ready for such a move and began firing volleys of Bullet Punch towards Ignis in hopes to knock it out of the sky before it struck.
Ignis didn't stop his charge and only took a final swoop close to the ground, aiming directly at Champ's legs. Champ tried to block the attack with another Thunder Punch but the volleys of Bullet Punches had thrown off his balance and made it difficult to stand let alone counter an attack. The Hitmonchan was hit in the legs and was sent flying head first into the water. Seconds later he floated back to the surface with a waterlogged expression, making it evident that it couldn't go on.
Returning his Hitmonchan to its Pokeball, Kiba made little more than a snarky comment as he tossed in his second Pokémon, the Fearow from before as it took to the sky and immediately made an impression as it spread its wings out as far as possible as it dwarfed the Talonflame in size as it hovered in front of it waiting for a signal from his trainer. With the referee's signal an intense aerial battle took place before the audience, a display that even the most skilled flying trainers would agree was hard to top.
Kaye started off the battle by instructing Ignis to use Flame Charge to gain speed and strike Kiba's Fearow. Kiba was quick to retaliate however as he had Arrow use Mirror Move to copy the Flame Charge attack and get a speed boost of its own while the two Pokémon collided with one another in a series of fiery explosions. It seemed the two avian were evenly matched until Kaye changed tactics and had Ignis use Steel Wing. It flew upwards towards the Fearow and was about to strike when Arrow merely dodged the attack, thanks to his increase at in speed, and sent the Talonflame into the water with a powerful slam from its wing.
After a few moments the Talonflame emerged from the water's surface but seemed incapable of flying out of the water. Having no other choice, Kaye returned her Pokémon and congratulated it on a job well done. Glaring at the Fearow objectively, Kaye considered her next choice before sending out her Flygon, Harena. The dragon insectoid released a high pitch screech as Arrow returned the screech with an agitated caw. The battle was signaled to begin soon after that.
The battle seemed to be one sided in Kaye's favor; her Flygon was easily larger than Arrow and had a more powerful array of attacks that kept the Fearow away and unable to do any damage. However, as Flygon launched volley after volley of Dragon breath, keeping Arrow away, Kaye realized that even though Arrow was being kept at bay her Pokémon wasn't landing any hits. Due to the number of Flame Charge's Arrow had mirrored in the last match the Fearow had more than enough speed accumulated to dodge each of her Pokémon's moves like they were nothing and only resulted in her own Pokémon getting exhausted. Finally, as the Flygon seemed to be exhausted from over exertion Kiba's Fearow used Mirror Move once again and released a Dragon breath of its own, landing a direct hit on the Flygon and sending it rocketing to the ground. Fortunately for Kaye, her Pokémon opened its wings at the last second and managed to pull itself up in time to avoid the water and land a direct hit on the Fearow with a Hyper Beam attack.
Arrow plummeted from the sky and landed in the water, much to the surprise of Kaye and Kiba. For a moment it seemed like Arrow wouldn't be getting out of the water and the referee was about to declare Flygon the winner- only for the Fearow to soar out of the water like a rocket, beak spinning, as it landed a direct hit on the Flygon's underbelly causing it to screech in pain before landing on one of the platforms. Kaye looked dumbfounded as she returned her Flygon, shocked the Kiba's Fearow had managed to take down two of her Pokémon in a row. Knowing that all of her hopes were now resting on Skadi Kaye sent out the Froslass as it moaned readily as she floated over one of the platforms.
The battle started at the referee's whistle and ended almost seconds later when Kiba's Fearow fell to the water trapped in a block of ice. Since he fell into the water after being hit by the Flygon's Hyper Beam he was still dripping wet as he closed in with a powerful Drill Run; unfortunately for him however Skadi released a powerful Blizzard attack that not only froze Arrow solid but also froze a majority of the battle field.
With a scowl Kiba returned Arrow and sent out his final Pokémon, his Scizor, Bane. The Scizor clicked its pincer's together rapidly and Kiba smiled cruelly as if he understood something that Kaye and Skadi couldn't. After waiting for the referee's signal Kiba made the first move, clearly wanting to end the battle quickly.
"Metal Claw!" he called out plainly. Bane's claws glowed with a metallic sheen as he launched himself towards Skadi, not affected by the icy terrain created by Skadi's Blizzard attack.
"Icy Wind!" Kaye ordered in turn, snapping her fingers slightly off to the right. Skadi obeyed quickly and floated gracefully off to the right, summoning a chilling gust of wind to try and knock Bane off-course at the same time. Unfortunately the Scizor seemed prepared for the icy attack and opened its wings as it rode the wind created by the attack as it avoided the bulk of the damage as it returned to the ground almost gracefully with a small thud.
"Hey, you can do better than that!" Kiba called out with a cruel smile. "Especially with your boyfriend watching right?" Skadi suddenly looked around worriedly as she was struck dead center by Bane's Metal Claw forcing her to the ground for only a moment before haggardly floating back up.
After being knocked to the ground, Skadi seemed unnaturally on edge. For an ice-type, she seemed to be steaming quite furiously. Kaye let out a forced laugh, already knowing what was swirling around in her partner's head. "Alright Skadi...let's use all that pent-up frustration and hit them with a Shadow Ball, hm?" Her trainer suggested, snapping four times in quick succession.
The Froslass was more than eager to comply. Conjuring a large shadowy orb between her arms, Skadi sent it hurtling straight at Bane. Once it had been released, she ducked to the side in preparation for a rapid-fire round of consecutive attacks.
However the Scizor didn't even flinch as the first Shadow Ball went flying towards him and, without awaiting an instruction, knocked the Shadow Ball attack back with a well-timed Metal Claw, adding some extra spin to the attack as it was sent flying back at the Froslass. Skadi managed to block the first attack with a second Shadow Ball creating a smoke screen between the two Pokémon. As Skadi looked around desperately to find the Scizor she released a squeal of pain as another Metal Claw connected with her arm.
"If I didn't know any better I'd say your Froslass was getting a crush on my Scizor, seeing as all her attacks seem to miss," Kiba taunted as his Scizor clicked his pincers tauntingly. "Why don't you give up now so I can focus on taking on your boyfriend- and don't worry! I'll make sure it hurts!"
There was a noticeable change to Kaye's expression as Kiba taunted them. Her usual calm demeanor was replaced by wavering eyes that skittishly jumped around the field. If anything, she was more worried about collateral damage than her own Pokémon at this point. Skadi herself was in a much fouler mood. Her icy glare doing nothing to hide her distaste and frustration.
Resigned to possibly ruining the arena further, Kaye snapped once, a resonating sound that drew the crowd's eyes to her. Her command was simple, but as sharp as the finest blade. "Blizzard."
This time there was no sign of restraint as Skadi called forth a snowstorm that raged around the whole arena, sparing no victims of its freezing cold. Kaye could only hope it did more damage to the opposing Scizor than the audience.
"Hyper Beam on the field, Bane!" Kiba instructed as the Blizzard quickly made its way towards them. Without hesitation Bane fired a blast of energy from his claws into the ice where the water beneath formed a massive wave upon being hit that took the full brunt of the attack immediately freezing into a massive water mountain piece that seemed to get a good reaction from the audience.
"Use the winds to cover yourself and use Shadow Ball!" Kaye instructed as she snapped thrice. Before the Blizzard completely died down, Skadi launched into action as she navigated easily through the cold gales and sent a volley of inky sphere's at her opponent.
Still needing time to recharge from the Hyper Beam Bane was struck by several volleys of the Shadow Balls as he fell to the ground momentarily before leaping back onto its feet where it immediately leapt at the Froslass with its metal glowing claws without awaiting an order from his trainer.
There was a distinct snap that cut the air. Skadi understood the brisk noise and met the Scizor with a stern look and almost mocking Draining Kiss as she dodged out of the way.
The fairy-typed attack did minimal damage but was enough to knock Bane off target as he missed the Froslass mid swing as he dived down after her, claws still shining. Not having the time to dodge the attack Skadi retaliated with a well-aimed Shadow Ball as she hovered over the ground, hitting the Scizor's attack and creating an explosion that hid the two Pokémon from their trainer's and the audience's view. After a few moments of waiting for the smoke to clear both trainers were surprised to see Skadi on the ground struggling to get back up while the Scizor stood in place seemingly unharmed. Kiba laughed as he ordered Bane to finish off Skadi but was shocked when his Pokémon didn't move.
"Bane?" Kiba called out unsurely. A few seconds passed before the referee approached the Pokémon noticing that the Scizor was unconscious while still standing up. The referee waited several moments to make sure Skadi could remain in the air before declaring her and Kaye the winners.
While Kaye was busy being shocked and apologizing profusely for the half-frozen state of the arena, Skadi seemed quite pleased with herself. Holding her head up high, the Froslass proudly sent Kiba a victorious cry that somehow translated to everyone as something along the lines of 'Now wallow in defeat and think about what you've done!'. It definitely cemented her stern motherly personality for everyone.
Kiba returned his Scizor with an angry glare as he gave the Froslass a cold chill as Kaye looked worriedly at the display.
Kiba and Kaye exchanged a bit of banter at each other before leaving the stadium letting the roar of the crowd settle to a dull murmur that echoed over the city. Arc took this time to go and prepare for his next match. He was about to face his toughest challenge yet that could ultimately ruin the competition for him if he were to lose.
"I'll be down by the field until my battle starts." He left without a backwards glance.
Snow Storm fluttered from Arc's shoulder and landed on Lily's lap. She knew that was to be an intense battle, and her personal feelings may get mixed into the matter causing her trainer to worry more about her than the battle.
The next battle came and gone and the moment that Arc had both waited for and yet dreaded was finally upon him. While it wasn't his final match in the tournament, it was the biggest one standing between him and victory. His heart clenched in his chest knowing that even though he hasn't done the best in this competition, Kiba was still a formidable opponent with very aggressive tactics. It was going to take all of his resolve to claim victory.
He stared into his eyes from across the field, contemplating how he was going to handle a foe like him. He knew what Pokémon he used and his hit and run tactics were troublesome to say the least. After a few more moments, Arc resolved his worries and took a bolder stance.
"I've been waiting for this moment Kiba…" Arc growled.
"The feeling's mutual Sparky," Kiba retorted with a cocky grin as he tossed a Pokeball in his hand absently. "I saw your battle with Neo there- the fact that a Charizard had to Mega Evolve to beat a Squirtle is pretty pathetic." he added with a bemused sneer.
"Wow… just goes to show how much you have been paying attention. Neo has a Wartortle first off, and secondly that was the first time I have had the chance to battle with Neeko in over a month." Arc tossed his own Pokeball in hand.
"Recovering from those scars huh?" Kiba asked knowingly. "I can understand that, when I first caught Scourge half my party was incapacitated and the other two were killed. Hard to get anything done when your parties severely poisoned."
Arc's eyes flashed with anger. "Wait… You're telling me that you were Scourge's previous trainer?" He managed to say through his gritting teeth.
"Yeah, and he was the worst investment of time and effort I've ever put into a Pokémon," Kiba said with a snarl. "I lost two good Pokémon to that thing and it couldn't even follow simple commands- if your pal isn't careful, I wouldn't be surprised if it turns on him after a while."
"You… have a very vivid imagination. If you think that Drapion or for that matter any Pokémon would turn on its trainer just because they aren't beating it into submission then you have another thing coming." Arc smiled smugly.
"You ever catch a fully evolved Pokémon before?" Kiba asked scrutinizing.
"Yes…I have a Salamence that I caught in the mountains due east from here."
"And tell me, how high was it in its pack's hierarchy? Or was it alone when you caught it?"
"He was terrorizing some old codger's home when I captured him. And I did it when Neeko was only a Charmeleon and he and my Butterfree were my only Pokémon."
"I'm crying over here," Kiba mocked. "So let's assume that your Salamence was alone then for most of its life after evolving. It was already accustomed to doing what he wanted when he wanted. That Drapion of mine? He was the king of the rock, the head honcho- he literally bested dozens of smaller Drapion when I first caught a look at him in Sinnoh. He was an Alpha, and an Alpha doesn't like to be told what to do by anyone. So I did the only thing I could after catching him- I taught him who the new alpha was the hard way."
"My Dino was a king… hell, his sire was a blasted Gyarados! It took me weeks for him to finally listen to anything I said." Arc smoldered. "I was burnt, tossed, and bitten, but now he would do anything for me, despite his little antics."
"Enough of this crap!" Kiba said gripping the Pokeball in his hand tightly. "Are we going to keep talking about your emotionally unstable Salamence or are we going to battle?"
A spark jumped between Arc's hair prongs and he held up his Pokeball. "For once I agree, enough of this idle banter. Mimzy! Front and center!" He tossed his Pokeball releasing the fiery horse.
"Arrow go!" Kiba called out as the massive Fearow from the first match spread its wings with a caw.
Mimzy answered the bird's challenge with a fierce bray and she reared up on her hind quarters, front legs whipping around wildly. Once settled back on all fours, she pawed the ground angrily, creating a deep rut in the grassy field. With the field set and both combatants ready, the referee waved his two flags, signaling the match's beginning.
"Get in the air Arrow," Kiba called out. At the order the massive Fearow flapped its wings and, with a single motion was quickly sent flying high into the sky over the field.
"So he's trying to keep his distance… fine. Let him have his way. Mimzy, use Flame Charge!" Arc snapped his fingers.
Stomping her hooves furiously, The fiery horse shrouded herself in dust before taking off as a fire bolt racing around the arena, gaining speed with every stride.
"Drill Run Arrow, Stop it in its tracks!"
The Fearow seemed to plummet to the ground before suddenly rotating its body at surprising speeds kicking up bits of the ground beneath it as the earth drill attack collided with the speeding Rapidash head on. As Mimzy faltered in its stride the Fearow was back in the air with a single powerful flap continuing to stay out of Mimzy's range.
"Mimzy, Flame Charge once more!"
Just as before, Mimzy took off as a speeding fire bolt, racing around the edge of the arena picking up speed. As she ran, the grass beneath her began to smolder from the heat of the fire."
"Mirror Move!" Kiba ordered.
Suddenly the Fearow was engulfed in a cloak of fire as it did a quick lap around the field before it dropped to the ground flying towards Mimzy.
"Now Drill Run!" Kiba called out again.
"Not this time Kiba! Mimzy, do a sliding stop!"
As the Fearow once again plummeted to the ground rotating at high speeds for the second time it made a beeline for Mimzy, only to miss its target when Mimzy dropped her back legs into sitting and came to a sliding stop.
"Now Wild Charge!"
Thunder crackled in her mane as she charged forward again and became a lightning bolt racing towards the massive Fearow at a blistering pace. With her enhanced speed from Flame Charge, she managed to strike Arrow broad side, knocking him clear across the field. Arrow squawked out in pain from the impact as it was sent flying, only to spread open its wings seconds before hitting the ground as it went back into the sky.
"Stay in there Arrow! Close range Furry Attack!"
Also running on a speed boost from its mirrored flame charge the massive Fearow looped around and made its way towards Mimzy. Still recovering from the Wild Charge's recoil she was unable to get out of the way in time before being hit by an array of strikes from its beak and talons.
"Now close range Drill Run!" he added.
"I've had it with that overgrown Spearow! Use Flame Charge" Arc pointed at Kiba's Fearow.
Mimzy stomped her feet repeatedly before charging forward at the massive bird in a raging inferno.
"Go up and dive with Drill Run!" Kiba shouted out.
Mimzy kept on charging at the bird as it started its spinning dive. The two Pokémon collided their attacks once more but, unfortunately for Mimzy, thanks to Kiba's Fearow's attack angle it was able to deal significant damage without catching the brunt of her attack. She flew back several yards. landing on her back and unable to right herself.
"Come on Mimzy… Get up!" Arc pleaded.
"Now Arrow! Finish it off with Drill Run, don't let it get back up!"
With Mimzy unable to get up in time to avoid the attack Kiba's Fearow hit her in the side closer to her back end as she was sent flying and skidding atop of the ground leaving scorch marks where she had landed. As it seemed like the Rapidash wasn't going to get back up Arrow landed right beside it and started pecking at it almost hungrily even after the referee had called the match.
Arc fumed with rage as he watched the Fearow peck at her. "Mimzy return." Arc pulled her back before the Fearow had a chance to do any more harm to her. "What the hell was that? You were just going to allow him to do that to my Rapidash?" He glowered at his opponent.
"He's fine," Kiba retorted with a smile as the Fearow glided back to its trainer where it was rewarded with some preening from Kiba. "He's trained to make sure his opponent doesn't get back up; your lucky he knows this is a restrained tournament. Otherwise your little Ponyta would be full of holes."
"You sniveling bastard! Earthshaker stand by for battle!" Arc threw his second Pokeball releasing the large mudfish.
The Swampert bellowed loudly causing the glass in the upper floors of the arena to vibrate violently. He then narrowed his focus on the bird, ready for whatever was ahead of him. Kiba whispered something to the massive Avian before the referee called the match, Arc couldn't hear what he had said but the Fearow clearly understood the message as he took place in the middle of the field.
"First move is yours Sparky," Kiba taunted with a smile as Arrow already took off into the sky.
"With pleasure. Earthshaker, use Earthquake and follow up with Whirlpool!" Arc pointed at the field instead of his opponent.
Arc's Swampert punched the ground causing an expanding ripple effect that overturned the grassy field into a giant mess of dirt and grass. Following in suit, He threw a massive vortex of water onto the field creating a swampy mess of dirt water and plant life that destroyed the once pristine field.
"Now go after that bird! Use Ice Punch!"
Swampert chilled his fists and started leaping into the air, mere inches from hitting the bird with his icy attack.
"Dodge and drill Arrow! Teach them a lesson!" As Earthshaker had leapt into the air towards Arrow the Fearow agile flew beneath his bulky form and used Drill Peck into its stomach before flying above the now cringing Swampert and sending it into the muck with a quick flap of its massive wings.
"Did you really think you could take Arrow out from the sky?" Kiba asked incredulously. "You never leap at a flying type, you immediately give it an advantage!"
"And all you do is stay far away. Quite frankly I think you're scared of my Swampert." He taunted, his Swampert making a mocking hand motion. "Use Ice Punch once more!"
Swampert chilled his hands once more and prepared for whatever Kiba and the Fearow had up their sleeves.
"Arrow, do a few loops would you?" Kiba asked in a mocking tone.
The Fearow once again ascended high into the sky and, much to Arc's shock and anger, started flying agilely in the sky as if it was putting on a show for the audience- completely ignoring him and Earthshaker.
"Wow… so your bird does tricks? Impressive. You going to teach it to sing next?"
"He already knows the first verse of 'Bye Bye Birdy,'" Kiba added sarcastically as Arc growled angrily. "It must be hard having a Pokémon so useless when it comes to battling flying types," Kiba taunted. "Arrow doesn't even have to fight- you'll just wear yourself out."
"Here's the thing… your Fearow is too close to the ground." Arc smiled as he watched the Pokémon get lower to the ground with each loop. "Use Ice Pledge!"
"Interrupt with Mirror Move!"
Earthshaker slapped the ground creating erupting spouts of water that rushed forward, threatening to knock Arrow out of the sky. However, before the geysers could connect several more water spouts came from the field and collided with Earthshaker's attack, swallowing the field in splashing water and reducing visibility for both parties.
"Drill Peck!" Kiba shouted over the sounds of crashing water.
The group looked around for the Flying types attack to come from above only for it to fly low to the ground and through the weaker spouts of water as it made its way towards Earthshaker with boosted speeds.
"Checkmate! Finish him!"
Just before the Fearow's attack could collide, Earthshaker jumped up from the muck and socked him with a freezing right hook in the face, sending the bird flying back. It was hard to tell the outcome of the attack due to the colliding water spouts but once they died down it wasn't hard to miss the frozen avian floating atop of the ponds field. Without saying a word Kiba returned his Fearow and put its ball on his belt as he called upon his second Pokémon.
"Bane Go!"
From the ball a shiny red insectoid appeared on the field with wicked looking claws and armor that gleamed beneath an armored chest piece that held a colored jewel that was unmistakably a mega stone.
"Well… There he is." Arc eyed up the insectoid. "Let's skip the formalities this time Kiba."
As soon as the referee called the match, Arc had his Swampert spring into action. "Use Whirlpool!"
"Dodge and use Metal Claw!" Kiba ordered. As Earthshaker summoned and launched its attack Kiba's Scizor was able to easily avoid it as it closed in on him with frightening speed.
The whirlpool struck the ground behind Bane, erupting outwards in a gentle rain. Seeing the imminent attack closing in, Earthshaker attempted to defend himself by crossing his arms over his head and bracing his feet into the thick slurry of mud and plant life. The attack struck Arc's Swampert, pushing him back several feet and causing vicious wounds on his forearms.
"Finish it off- close range Hyper Beam!"
As Earthshaker' arms were knocked out of the way from his previous attack Bane opened one of his pincers right in front of the Swampert's chest as a powerful, concentrated blast of energy swallowed the mud fish Pokémon whole before sending it flying across the field.
"Earthshaker?" Arc called out, but his Pokémon was unresponsive. "Return buddy, you put up a great fight." he then pulled Earthshaker out of the field.
"Two down Sparky, and thanks to your little water show your Charizard isn't going to have such a great time."
"Neeko will be just fine." He whistled and Neeko jumped out on the field, creating a huge splash of mud. "He's been trained to handle a field like this."
Neeko roared loudly and flushed his wings outward to make himself look bigger. Electricity crackled on his fists as he clenched them shut.
"Then this, should be fun," Kiba responded with a smile. As soon as the referee signaled the start of the match Kiba made sure that his Scizor had the first attack.
"Bane use Swords Dance, don't mess around with this one!"
The Scizor's pincers sharpened suddenly as it spun rapidly in a circle before brandishing its claws, clearly as a taunt for the Charizard to come at him.
"Neeko, up in the air!" Arc smiled as his Charizard quickly gained altitude. "Use Fire Blast!"
Fire poured from Neeko's mouth before firing a massive flaming five pointed symbol straight at Kiba's Scizor. The scorching flames causing small amounts of steam to permeate the field.
"Use Hyper Beam in an arching motion to cut the flames!" Kiba instructed quickly.
As the golden energy erupted from Bane's claw the Scizor arched the attack upwards where it cut the attack in half, causing the two severed fire attacks to miss him completely while brushing Neeko with the attack.
"Don't let that slow you down! Use Flamethrower!"
More flames overflowed from Neeko's mouth as he unleashed a massive torrent of fire straight at Kiba's Scizor. The flames danced in the reflection of Bane's steel body as they got closer and closer.
"Swords Dance Bane! Full speed!"
Just as the flames brushed against Bane's armor the Scizor rotated its body at high speed as the majority of the attack was redirected around his body due to the high speed he was spinning. The Scizor continued to spin as Neeko continued to release the torrents of fire from his mouth as both sides seemed unrelenting. Finally, after several moments both Pokémon stopped their attacks- Neeko was panting from the exertion of maintaining the fire while Bane seemed to steam from the contact with the fire.
"Use Dragon Rage!"
Neeko roared loudly as an orange orb with flames orbiting it danced in mouth. The ball of energy increased in size before he hurled it straight at the armor cladded Bug type.
"Knock it back with Metal Claw!" Kiba ordered.
With the added strength from the constant use of Swords Dance Bane managed to backhand the oncoming Dragon Rage and hit it back towards its user.
"Fuel the attack with Hyper Beam!" Kiba added.
Using Hyper Beam on the redirected Dragon Rage the attack's power and speed were increased as the combination attack went hurdling towards Neeko.
"Roll back Neeko and dive!"
The dragon like Pokémon folded his wings in and was sent into a dizzying dive, narrowly missing the oncoming power attack. He spiraled closer and closer to the ground before snapping open his wings mere feet from the soggy ground.
"Use Fire Blast!" Arc shouted, a fiendish smile tore at his face.
Neeko flew as close as possible and fired the blazing attack directly in front of Bane. The five pointed symbol from hell engulfed Kiba's Pokémon, practically roasting it in its own armored shell before the attack exploded outwards in a smoky blanket.
As the smoke vanished, Scizor stood still in the middle of the field, caked with mud all over his body. At first it seemed as if the Scizor would still be able to battle as he had not fallen over from the attack. However upon closer examination from the referee it was declared that Bane would be unable to battle and was quickly returned to his Pokeball without saying a word. With a final toss Kiba released hit Hitmonchan, who looked at the Charizard angrily and sneered at the sight of it.
"Here we are…. The final showdown." Arc sneered at him.
"Let's get this over with," Kiba said plainly, his cocky smile replaced with a sneer. "Agility now! Afterimage trick!"
The Hitmonchan disappeared due to its increase in speed, but unlike attacking immediately like he had against the girl with the Mightyena it reappeared before seemingly disappearing again, but only to get caught in the thick mud created by Earthshaker earlier canceling out whatever trick it had tried to utilize..
"Aww… It seems your little vanishing act was stopped cold." Arc jested at him.
"Bullet Punch!" Kiba shouted ignoring Arc's jibe.
Champ regained its footing in the swampy field as it sent a high speed punch at Neeko hitting it right in the face, surprising the Charizard as it was knocked back. He laid sprawled out in the mud, the grime coating his wings as he sat up and growled lowly.
"Use Thunder Punch!"
"You can't lose in a boxing match Champ! Thunder Punch!"
As the two Pokémon approached each other it would have seemed that Neeko had the advantage being at least a foot taller than Kiba's Hitmonchan. However even being slowed by the swampy terrain Champ still had the advantage in close range combat as he either blocked or dodged Neeko's attacks and retaliated with several high speed Thunder Punches into the Charizard's chest. As Champ managed to leap out of Neeko's reach the Charizard seemed to pant as static from the attack clung to his body.
Arc was in a bind. He had to act fast if he was to turn this battle around. Looking down, he peered at the Key Stone in his bracer and smiled. "Champ may be better in close range combat, but how will he handle raw fire power?" Arc tapped the stone in his bracer. "Bond our hearts together! Mega Evolve!"
Neeko then underwent the mysterious transformation and took on his more menacing appearance along with the new raw power he hand under his control. The sun became noticeably harsher, cooking the swampy landscape.
"Now Neeko, use Flamethrower!"
With the sun's rays help along with his new power, Neeko's Flamethrower was even stronger than before, creating a rut in the ground as it approached Kiba's Hitmonchan.
"Agility Champ go!" Kiba ordered.
Thanks to Neeko's Drought ability hardening the ground Champ was able to keep its footing as it ran avoiding the attack seconds before it hit.
"Thunder Punch! Don't let it see you!"
It was almost as bad as when the Hitmonchan had fought the Mightyena; but unlike the last battle the Hitmonchan didn't wait for its opponent to attack instead hitting Neeko in random spots unseen to the naked eye.
Arc then pointed at the ground and smiled. "Use Fire Blast on the field! Rapid fire attacks!"
Gritting through the pain of Champ's Thunder Punch attacks, He let loose Fire Blast in every direction, cooking the battlefield even more. Slowly but surely, the plants on the field started to be set ablaze and the field itself around Neeko began to melt creating an intense heat barrier around him.
"Keep away and use Bullet Punch!" Kiba shouted.
Champ appeared a fair distance away from Neeko's protective barrier and fired from safely several high speed attacks towards the Mega-Charizard. Before Neeko could even move, the attacks struck him in several spots, knocking him back a few steps.
"We need to finish this Neeko! Dragon Rage!"
Another orange ball of Dragon type energy formed in Neeko's mouth, the flaming rings orbiting the attack. He threw his head back before firing it straight at Champ, intending to finish this here and now.
"Knock it away with Sky Uppercut!" Kiba ordered.
Champ hit the Dragon Rage from below and sent it flying into the air above them as the two Pokémon stared tiredly at one another waiting for the other to make a mistake.
"It seems we are at our final stand." He smiled. "Next move will probably decide the match."
"Then quit talking," Kiba snapped. "Use Thunder Punch again Champ, finish him!"
"Neeko, Use Thunder Punch as well! End this now!"
Neeko and Champ charged at each other with deadly ferocity, each bent on taking the other out of this match as soon as possible. As soon as they were in range, both Neeko and Champ took their swing at each other, almost seemingly passing each other and landing on opposite sides of the field. Silence permeated as the crowd waited to see who would come out of this fight victorious. Would it be Kiba and his Hitmonchan, or Arc and his Charizard?
A few more seconds passed before Neeko cringed and took a knee to ease the pain. Hitmonchan smiled before his eyes widened and he fell to the floor unconscious and unable to continue. The crowd cheered as the referee waved his flag at Arc declaring him the victor of the match. Both trainers were shocked at the outcome as the crowd continued to cheer excitedly from the intense match. Kiba returned his Hitmonchan before looking towards Arc who was now standing next to his exhausted Charizard praising him for a job well done. Neeko then flashed a bright white as he changed back from his mega evolved form. Neeko's expression changed though as Arc noticed Kiba walking towards the two of them, an emotionless look on his face. Once he arrived beside them in the center of the field he silently stared at the two before holding his hand out with a signature cocky smile.
"Not bad Sparky," he said sounding impressed.
"Not so bad yourself." Arc was waiting for some snarky comeback as he held out a hand.
"Though I've got to admit, Mega-Evolving kind of tipped the scales there," Kiba said eyeing Neeko with what Arc thought looked like respect. "Put me at a disadvantage if anything else."
"In all fairness, I did come here to win. No compromises." Arc was still a bit wary of Kiba's intentions.
"Fair enough," Kiba said as he tossed one of his Pokeballs into the air before catching it. "Unfortunately I couldn't Mega Evolve Bane, my damned key stone broke and the replacement won't be in until later."
"Well lucky me." Arc smiled. and helped Neeko to his feet. "I better go get Neeko taken care of. See you at the ceremonies." Arc waved him off and left for the stands with his exhausted Pokémon.
Arc left the stadium and fell to his knees in the hall. He sighed deeply and wiped the sweat that drenched his forehead. "That… was rough." He looked at Neeko who was laying on his back panting. "You did well buddy."
Neeko gave him a toothy grin and a claw up to show his gratitude for Arc's praise. He then forced himself to his feet and with Arc's help, they made their way to the healers to get him along with Mimzy and Earthshaker freshened up for the next battle.
"I hope Kaye and Skadi likes their battles spicy and with a lot of heat." He giggled.
One more battle before the end of the tournament! Who will win the Scuffle of Legends?
This project is brought to you by Scriffignano, Airenee, Ramaxy18-chan, DeadBonesSam, and WrittenWhim.
***As always, Please read and REVIEW. Any feedback is very helpful, appreciated, and valuable.
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Arc
(Neeko) Charizard: Flamethrower, Fire Blast, Dragon Rage, Thunder Punch
(Snow Storm) Butterfree: Psybeam, Bug Buzz, Sleep Powder, Double Team
(Dino) Salamence: Flamethrower, Hydro Pump, Dragon Dance, Dragon Claw
(Mimzy) Rapidash: Bounce, Flame Charge, Agility, Horn Drill
(Earthshaker) Swampert: Whirlpool, Ice Punch, Earthquake, Water Pledge
(Amarga) Amaura: Powdered Snow, Charge Beam, Ancient Power, Flash Cannon
Lily
(Kappa) Totodile: Aqua Tail, Water Gun, Superpower, Bite
(Smoke) Quilava: Flame Wheel, Swift, Rollout, Eruption
(Iceberg) Dewgong: Icy Wind, Headbutt, Brine, Swagger
(Waru) Krookodile: Crunch, Stone Edge, Dig, Dragon Claw
(Dusky) Mightyena: Dark Pulse, Crunch, Shadow Ball, Howl
(Stratus) Altaria: Cotton Guard, Ice Beam, Aerial Ace, Dragon Pulse
Thorn
(Sparky) Pikachu: Thunderbolt, Electroball
(Roxanne) Ninetales: Flamethrower, Energy Ball
(Savage)Rhydon: Power-up Punch, Horn Drill, Surf, Take Down
(Sammy) Quagsire: Haze, Icy Wind
(Foreshadow) Absol: Stone Edge
(King) Tyrunt: none know