Hey, everybody! Here's the new chapter! Hope you like it! Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.
Chapter 36: "Amaro Battle Tournament, Part 7: The Third Round Brawl!"
"Where is he?" May said anxiously as she frantically walked down a hallway in the Pokémon Center in search of her raven-haired boyfriend. It was time for dinner, and she couldn't find Ash anywhere.
She entered the lobby and immediately walked over to the front desk which was currently occupied by Nurse Joy.
"Oh, hello, May," The pink-haired nurse said to the bandana-wearing brunette with a smile. "Can I help you with anything?"
"Yes," May answered gratefully. "Have you seen Ash around anywhere?"
"Why, yes," Nurse Joy nodded. "I saw him heading towards the computer a little while ago."
"Thanks!" May said happily. She dashed off towards the room in question.
As she entered, May saw Ash sitting in front of a computer with his head lying on the keyboard, as he snored loudly. There was even a bit of drool on his lips. Pikachu and Meowth were also there, both asleep at Ash's feet. May smirked as she snuck up beside the sleeping trainer.
She leaned in towards his ear and whispered, "Wake up, sleepyhead."
Ash shifted slightly, turning his head away from her. May then heard him say, "But Mo-o-om, I don't wanna go to school today."
May chuckled silently. An idea then popped into her head.
"Hey, Ash, Dinner Time!" She yelled into his ear.
Ash immediately shot up, his legs sending Pikachu and Meowth flying into the air.
"What's going on?" He said a bit sleepily. Suddenly though, Pikachu and Meowth landed on the raven-haired trainer and looked up angrily at him.
"Uh, hehe, sorry, guys," Ash said sheepishly.
"Chuuuuuuu!" Pikachu yelled as he shocked Ash with a blast of yellow electricity.
"AHHHHHHH!" Ash and Meowth cried out in pain. May looked shocked as the two landed on the ground. She immediately got down her knees to see if they were alright.
"I'm so sorry! Are you alright?" May asked, worry now deep in her heart.
A dazed Ash looked up at her, smiled, and said, "With you, I'm always alright."
Despite them being a couple for about a month now, May still couldn't prevent a small pink tinge appearing on her face. It always a bit surprising about how much Ash actually knew about love, in spite of the fact that his attitude usually caused others to think that he knew nothing about that feeling.
May then smiled and said, "You're sweet. Now, would you mind telling me what you were doing before you fell asleep?"
Ash got up and sat back down at the computer, wiggled the mouse a bit, causing the screen to light up. May, who was now leaning up against Ash from behind, saw trainer data on the screen for those who still remained in the tournament.
"I was looking up data on the guy I'm facing tomorrow, Ryan," Ash said, answering her question. He then proceeded to pull up the mentioned trainer's bio, which contained a picture of the trainer, a bit of background information on him, and pictures of his team.
"Wow," May said as she read some of the information. "He sounds tough."
"Actually, I've been looking up data from the start on each trainer, and they all would have been tough to battle," Ash stated before focusing more on who was left with him in the Top Eight. "Anyways, after looking at his data, and I've got a pretty good idea on who he's going to use in the battle tomorrow."
"Really? So do you know who you're going to use?" May asked.
Ash nodded and then said, "It's not gonna be easy, but I think that both of us have a chance to win. I'll just have to find a way to beat him."
"Well, I'm rooting for you all of the way," May said, giving him a light peck on the cheek. "So what about the others' battles tomorrow? Did you find out information on them?"
"Yeah, and I can tell you now, they'll all be pretty good battles," Ash said as he pulled up info on the other six members of the Top Eight. "Gavin's facing Dark Williams, and from what I can tell from his bio, Dark's pretty strong.
"Walker's up against Jeff Carmine, the guy we saw that had the Articuno, and Walker's gonna have to be at his best to beat him."
"What about the guy that Leaf's facing, Orange?" May inquired.
"Another tough opponent with an unpredictable battle style," Ash answered. "But they're not the only ones that I'm worried about."
"What do you mean?" May asked.
"I mean that while there's a chance that I may have to face these guys, there's also a chance that I may have to face Gavin, Leaf, or Walker. Walker's Gavin rival, so he's obviously gonna be pretty a strong opponent for anyone. Leaf and I started out on our journeys from Pallet Town, so she's got just as much experience as I do, putting her up there with Gary on skills. However, Gavin's the one I'm most worried about."
"Why Gavin?" May said with a questioning look on her face.
"Because out of all of the trainers that I could face, he's the one that could be the toughest to beat," Ash told her. "I've battled him before, but never in a tournament like this. He'll give his all, and from watching him battle, his all is pretty powerful."
"Well, then," May said as she wrapped her arms around him reassuringly, "You'll just have to give your all as well."
Ash looked at her fondly and asked, "How did I ever manage to get someone as great as you as a girlfriend?"
May smiled, laid her head down on his shoulder, and answered, "Just by being the confident, kind, and sweet person you are."
The two then leaned in and kissed, once again reigniting the fiery passion of love. Meanwhile, Pikachu and Meowth gave each other a look that said, "How come he makes it look so easy?"
The next morning, the group was looking excited in their new personal section in the stands that they had been given, along with some of the others that had been invited by the other four members of the Top Eight.
As they had a good half an hour before the battles were to begin, they decided to talk with some of the others that were up here.
"Hey, guys!" Dark and Orange greeted. Jeff, who was sitting just two rows behind them, gave the group a wave. They were sitting next to a small group of the other competitors who had already been knocked out of the tournament.
Ash was about to go say hi when he suddenly heard a voice say, "So, you're Ash Ketchum?"
He turned around to see his upcoming opponent Ryan standing there, along with a small group of people. Suddenly, though, Dawn noticed the blue-haired girl standing next to the silver-haired trainer and her eyes widened. The same could be said for the others, as they all looked shocked at the sight of the two similar-looking girls.
However, after a few seconds of staring, everyone just dismissed it, and then Ash held his hand out to Ryan and said, "May the best man win."
"I intend to," Ryan said simply as he turned and sat down a few rows down. Ash and the others looked a little distraught, but soon enough, they could tell that today's battles were about to begin.
"Welcome all to the Round Three of the Kafue Town Battle Tournament!" Mr. Battrio said to the excited crowd.
"Today, we'll see the tournament's Top Eight face off against each other in four 1-on-1 battles! So, let's get things underway with a match between Ash and Ryan!"
A few minutes later, Ash and Ryan were staring each other down on the battlefield. Both trainers looked ready for a fight to the end.
"Alright, trainers! Once again, this is a 1-on-1 battle! Each trainer will use one and only one Pokémon until that Pokémon has been knocked out in battle! So, let the battle begin!" The referee yelled out to the two trainers.
"Hydreigon, now, come forth!" Ryan said as he threw a Pokéball into the air.
In a flash of light, the Brutal Dragon Pokémon appeared onto the field.
"Ready to devastate, my Master," It said in a deep and ominous voice.
A glint appeared in Ash's eye as he took a Pokéball from his belt. He then turned his cap around, as he did whenever things were intense.
"Charizard, I choose you!" Ash said as he threw the ball to the field.
It opened up and sent out a flash of blue light. As the light faded, the orange dragon appeared and released a stream of flame into the air. It then glared at Hydreigon and gave it a snarl.
"I'll allow you the first move, Ash," Ryan called out to the raven-haired trainer.
"Thanks. Charizard, use Flamethrower!" Ash commanded.
Charizard opened its mouth and released a stream of intense flame at its opponent.
"Deflect," Ryan instructed.
Hydreigon held out one of its heads and then struck Charizard's attack hard, easily knocking the flames to side and causing a huge explosion behind it. Hydreigon chuckled menacingly, causing Charizard to become both shocked and slightly unnerved.
"Up into the air!" Ryan told his Pokémon.
Hydreigon immediately took off from the ground, leaving a cloud of dust in its wake.
"Go after it!" Ash yelled.
Charizard nodded and then followed its dark opponent into the sky.
"Now, we'll show you a real attack," Ryan said with a smirk. "Use Blue Flare!"
"What?" Ash exclaimed, utterly shocked at Ryan's words.
Hydreigon opened its mouth and a light blue orb of fire formed in front of it. Then, Hydreigon lowered its head and fired a powerful stream of light blue-and-white flame with multiple light blue-and white-rings of fire around it from the orb.
"Dodge it!" Ash yelled as the intense blast of blue flame came close to his Pokémon.
"Pika!" The small, yellow Mouse Pokémon on the ground beside him echoed.
Charizard quickly shook its head out of the stupor that the sight of Hydreigon's attack and just barely dodged the powerful attack.
"What in the world?" May said in shock.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that Hydreigon isn't supposed to be able to use Blue Flare," Dawn stated with a gulp.
"Earlier, I would have said that you were right, but now I'm not so sure," Max said, tightly gripping his seat's armrests.
'How does it know that move? Only Reshiram is supposed to be able to learn that!' Ash thought in his disbelief. 'What else could this Pokémon be hiding?'
Ash shrugged it off and then yelled out, "Charizard, use Dragon Rage!"
Charizard's eyes glowed white and the flame on its tail grew to a huge size. It then formed a ball of fire in its mouth and released a fiery inferno at the opponent.
"Dodge it and use Dark Pulse!" Ryan ordered.
Hydreigon did a quick spin through the air, dodging the ball of fire with ease. Then, it held out one of its smaller heads and fired a barrage of shadowy purple circles at its opponent.
"Charizard, counter it with DragonBreath!" Ash directed.
Charizard opened its mouth and released a blue beam of air at Hydreigon's attack. The two beams collided, creating a huge explosion of black smoke.
"Now, Charizard, use Steel Wing!" Ash shouted.
Charizard spread its wings and they began to take on a metallic glow. Then, the orange dragon began flying fast towards its dark opponent.
"Hydreigon, block it with your Dragon Tail!" Ryan commanded.
Hydreigon's tail began to glow a light blue glow as Charizard came at it. Wing then struck tail, and sparks flew until a small explosion occurred. The explosion caused the two dragons to break apart and fly back until they were a few yards apart.
"Hydreigon, let's take it down with a Fusion Bolt!" Ryan called out with a smirk.
"Yes, Master," Hydreigon said with a nod. Its body then began to give off blue electricity, and a blue sphere formed around its body. It soon proceeded to charge at Charizard.
"Charizard! Hurry and fly out of there!" Ash yelled.
Charizard gave a mighty flap with its powerful wings and flew up far into the sky. However, Hydreigon continued to follow it in its electrical sphere.
"Hydreigon is still following it!" Timothy Broome noted.
"How is Hydreigon even able to use that attack?" Afeleon thought out loud.
"Yeah, isn't that supposed to be Zekrom's signature move?" Karl Seeger asked.
"Yes, but for some reason, this Hydreigon is able to use the attacks of legendaries!" Kyle J Chang answered.
"What can Ash do?" Tommy inquired.
"Fight. Fight until the end," Vladimir said with a restless look on his face.
"And people say that my Heracross is weird! This guy's Hydreigon is nuts!" Josh Prigmore exclaimed.
"Charizard, you'll have to stop it with an Overheat!" Ash shouted.
Charizard nodded and then stopped in its tracks. It turned around just as its body began to turn red. It then released a white fire with a red-orange flame spiraling around it from its mouth. The attack hit Hydreigon and caused a huge explosion.
It looked like that had stopped it, but suddenly, Hydreigon came out of the smoke, still surrounded by the electrical sphere. Then, before Charizard could react, Hydreigon tackled it in the gut, sending Charizard flying backwards through the air.
"Now, hit it with a Blue Flare!" Ryan yelled.
"No, Charizard!" Ash called out.
"Pika!" Pikachu said in fear.
Hydreigon opened its mouth and fired a powerful stream of light blue-and-white flame with multiple light blue-and-white rings of fire around it at Charizard. The blast hit the orange dragon and sent it hurtling down towards the earth until it hit the ground with a mighty thud, covering the field in a thick cloud of dust.
"No way!" Maris O'Conner said in shock.
"I can't believe it," Trent said with a sorrowful look on his face.
"That had to have taken it out," Mario stated sadly.
"No Pokémon could have survived a hit like that," Zen commented.
"I so thought that Ash had a chance," Fermin said, looking down at the ground.
"Well, I guess Ryan's going to the semi-finals," Infierno said a few rows below the others.
"It's not like there was any doubt," Hikari smiled proudly.
"Still, you have to feel sort of sorry for that kid's Charizard," Crystal noted.
"Yeah, I don't think any Pokémon's ever put up that good of fight with Hydreigon before," Sierra added.
"Who says that the fight's over?" Kaze suddenly spoke, giving a slight surprise to the others. He didn't really talk too often. They all looked down at the field and their eyes widened in shock.
"What?" Ryan said in disbelief. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. "But that's not possible!"
Everybody, including Hydreigon, looked surprised as they saw the Fire-and-Flying type stand up from the hole it had created in the field. It roared at its opponent angrily, the flame on its tail larger than usual.
"Charizard, you got up!" Ash said happily.
"Pika-chu!" Pikachu cheered with a huge grin on his face.
Charizard nodded and then gave another mighty roar. Suddenly, the flame on its tail grew even larger and a fiery red aura began to emanate from the Flame Pokémon's body.
"Whoa…," Mike McHarrot said, awestruck.
"Th-that's…," Tara stuttered as she felt the power springing from Ash's Pokémon's body.
"Blaze," Joe finished, not looking up from his laptop.
"Charizard's ability," Yamagi added.
"Oh, how I'm glad that I didn't have to face that Pokémon," Sean said in relief.
"Same here," Kory nodded.
"Ditto," Webb Hahn agreed.
A distance away, even Jim Alraik and Alex Von Kizvard were frightened at the power of Ash's Charizard.
"Um, I probably shouldn't mess with his girl again," Jim said with a mighty gulp.
"You think?" Alex asked in a sarcastic tone.
"Alright, Charizard, let's get this show back on the road!" Ash said, full of enthusiasm. "Fly at it and grab it!"
Charizard roared and then took off in what seemed like a sonic boom towards Hydreigon.
"Hydreigon, stop it with DragonBreath!" Ryan shouted.
"Counter it with the same and keep going!" Ash instructed.
Both Pokémon fired beams of air at each other, creating a huge explosion of black smoke when the beams collided. However, Charizard soon flew through the smoke and continued at Hydreigon until it grabbed it from behind.
"You know what to do, Charizard! Seismic Toss!" Ash commanded.
Charizard, who was still holding Hydreigon, flew up higher with it and then began to spin around in a circle, an image of the globe behind it. Finally, it zoomed back down and threw its opponent hurtling towards the ground.
"Now, let's finish it off with Blast Burn!" Ash ordered.
Charizard's eyes glowed red and a red aura surrounded its body. Its flame grew to an enormous size, and it lifted its wings up and spread them out. It then opened its mouth and released an intense and powerful blast of exploding flame at Hydreigon. This time, however, instead of taking the form of cyclone, the blast took the shape of a gigantic Charizard made completely of fire. The fiery Charizard then chomped down onto its prey, creating a massive explosion that caused black smoke to cover the entire stadium.
As the smoke cleared, everyone could see Hydreigon lying on the ground with swirls in its eyes.
"Hydreigon is unable to battle! Charizard is the winner! The victory goes to Ash Ketchum!" The referee called out.
The crowd broke out into a frenzy of cheers that overtook the entire stadium. Ryan walked over to Hydreigon and helped it up.
"I'm sorry, Master," The dark dragon said with regret. "I failed."
"It's alright," Ryan said with a half-smile on his face. "It's only one loss."
He then recalled the Pokémon back into its ball, turned around, and walked away until he heard a voice behind him call out, "Hey, Ryan!"
Ryan turned around and saw Ash standing there with Pikachu on his shoulder and Charizard by his side. Ash had a huge grin on his face.
"That was an awesome battle! We should battle again someday!" The raven-haired boy said, his voice full of excitement.
The silver-haired trainer pondered it for a moment, and then amazingly smiled.
"Yes," He said, a bit of happiness in his voice. "We will have to battle again…someday."
He then walked off and entered the tunnel that would lead him out of the stadium. Ash could see that Ryan's friends had also disappeared. Ash continued to smile, returned Charizard to its ball, and then walked back to his seat.
"Dude, that was awesome!" Lune said, completely psyched.
"A really awesome battle!" Mike Carson commented.
"I can't wait to see the other battles!" Blake added.
"He did it!" May said happily, tears of joy in her eyes.
"It was a tough battle, but Ash pulled through," Brock said, proud of his friend.
"Yeah, and now, we get to see Gavin lose!" Walker said with a grin until a mighty SMACK met the back of his head, sending him to the floor, head first.
The others' eyes were wide and full of shock as the saw Dawn standing over him, enraged at her boyfriend's obnoxious rival.
"Wow, and I thought Misty was violent," Gary whispered to Tracey, who snickered.
Within a few seconds, both of them were face-down on the floor with Misty looming menacingly over them.
"Is this how it always is?" Cilan asked May, Brock, and Max.
"Pretty much," Brock answered nonchalantly.
"Man, I actually feel sorry for the little kid," Iris said with a surprised look on her face.
Meanwhile, as Ash walked through the tunnel off of the field, he passed his cousin, who had Pichu on his shoulder. They both gave each other a nod, and their partners did the same. They then proceeded off to their intended destinations.
Gavin walked out of the tunnel and made his way over to the battlefield, where Dark was waiting for him.
As soon as both trainers were ready, the referee yelled out, "Let the battle begin!"
"Umbreon, on deck!" Dark said as he threw a Pokéball into the air.
In a flash of light, the Moonlight Pokémon appeared. It squatted down into a pouncing position, ready to battle fiercely.
Gavin smiled, pulled out a Pokéball, and threw it towards the field, shouting, "Leafeon, come on out!"
Instantly, as the flash of blue light faded, the Verdant Pokémon appeared. The Grass-type stretched flexibly, causing the Dark-type to stand back up and become intrigued.
"Umbreon, start off with Quick Attack!" Dark commanded.
Umbreon began to run at its opponent at a fast-speed, its body followed by a trail of white light.
"Dodge it, Leafeon," Gavin said calmly.
Umbreon came at it, running as quick as ever, but suddenly, Leafeon disappeared, causing Umbreon to skid to stop. It looked around, wondering where its opponent went.
"But how…," Dark began before Gavin got his attention.
"My Leafeon has a very high speed compared to some of the other evolutions of Eevee," Gavin explained. "Use Leaf Blade!"
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Leafeon appeared, its leaf now glowing a light green as it slashed at Umbreon. Umbreon was sent flying backwards until it landed on its feet and stopped in front of Dark.
"Alright, then. If speed won't work, let's try Faint Attack!" Dark ordered.
Umbreon began running at its opponent until it disappeared.
"Leafeon, use Dig!" Gavin instructed.
Leafeon quickly dug into the ground, eventually out of sight just as Umbreon reappeared next to the hole.
"Where'd it go?" Dark muttered.
"Leafeon, hit it with an X-Scissor!" Gavin yelled.
Abruptly, Leafeon burst out of the ground under Umbreon, a glowing blue "X"-like energy out in front of it. Umbreon was launched into the air, doing several flips until it landed gracefully back in front of Dark.
'How does it keep landing so easily?' Gavin thought.
"Umbreon, use Shadow Ball!" Dark shouted.
Umbreon opened its mouth and launched a shadowy orb at its opponent.
"Use Energy Ball!" Gavin commanded.
The leaf on Leafeon's head glowed white as a green ball of energy formed in front of its mouth. Then, it fired the ball at Umbreon's attack, causing both to create an explosion when they collided.
"Now, Leafeon, use Aerial Ace!" Gavin ordered.
Leafeon began charging at Umbreon, its body surrounded by white streaks as it came closer to its target.
"Stop it with Screech!" Dark instructed.
Umbreon opened its mouth and let out an earsplitting screech at Leafeon, causing the latter to stop in its tracks.
"Now, Umbreon, use Pursuit!" Dark yelled.
Umbreon ran at Leafeon, its body cloaked in dark energy. It then tackled Leafeon and sent the Verdant Pokémon flying. Leafeon landed on the ground in front of Gavin.
"Leafeon!" Gavin said, crouching down to get a good look at it. "Are you okay?"
Leafeon looked at him and nodded. It then stood back up and glared at the Moonlight Pokémon.
"Awesome!" Gavin said as he stood back up. "Use Sunny Day!"
Leafeon opened its mouth and launched a yellow orb of light up into the sky. Suddenly, the sun became much brighter, causing Dark to have to squint and Gavin to put on his shades.
"Now, use Synthesis to gain back some energy!" Gavin said enthusiastically.
Leafeon looked up at the sunlight and began to relax as the energy bathed on its entire body, causing its body to glow white and sparkle.
"Hurry, Umbreon!" Dark said, a bit nervous about what would happen if Leafeon got its full strength back. "Shadow Ball-barrage!"
Umbreon opened its mouth and began to shoot multiple Shadow Balls in a rapid-fire blast at the Grass-type. Just as the orbs of shadow came closer, the sparkling of Leafeon's body ceased.
"Great! Now, use Solarbeam!" Gavin directed.
Leafeon opened its mouth and fired an enormous yellow blast of light at Umbreon. As the blast came closer to the Dark-type, all of the Shadow Balls that it had launched fizzled out, until the blast hit its target.
Umbreon was shot backwards until it just barely landed on all fours in front of his trainer. It breathed heavily after battling so hard.
"We've gotta finish this quick!" Dark thought. "Use Last Resort!"
"Leafeon, the same!" Gavin yelled.
The two ran at each other, both of their bodies surrounded by a bright white glow. As soon as the two collided, a huge explosion erupted in the middle of the battlefield. Both of them flew back, landing in front of each of their respectable trainers. They each struggled to stand up after such an intense battle.
Then, Umbreon unexpectedly winced and fell to the ground. Everyone could see that the Moonlight Pokémon had swirls in its eyes.
"Umbreon is unable to battle! Leafeon is the winner! The victory goes to Gavin!"
The crowd cheered after witnessing such an interesting and exciting battle. Gavin and Dark each returned their Pokémon to their Pokéballs, gave each other a nod, and then walked off of the field.
As Gavin got back to the section that the others were sitting in, he noticed his rival was face-down on the floor between two of the rows, along with Gary and Tracey.
"Uh…," He said hesitantly, "What happened here?"
"Your girlfriend…," Gavin heard Walker's voice say in a muffled tone, "…and Misty did this."
"Well, you'd better get up," Gavin said, attempting to pull Walker up, "You're up next."
With help from the others, the three trainers were pulled off of the floor, and Walker started off towards the battlefield. Gavin then proceeded to sit down in between Ash and Dawn.
"Did he really deserve that?" Gavin asked.
"Do you want to find out?" Dawn huffed, as she was still annoyed with Walker.
"Uh, no thanks," Gavin replied, quickly turning to watch his rival's battle.
"Let the battle begin!" The referee yelled.
"Articuno, show yourself!" Jeff said as he threw a Pokéball into the air.
In a flash of light, the legendary bird of Ice appeared, landing onto the field gracefully, causing the crowd to once again become awestricken at the sight of it.
Walker thought a moment before a wide grin appeared on his face. He took a Pokéball from one of his pockets and then threw it towards the field.
"Let's do this, Watt!" Walker shouted as the ball opened up, releasing a burst of blue light that formed the shape of his Pokémon.
As the light faded, everyone saw an Electivire standing on the field. Strangely though, this Electivire had more of an Electabuzz-like stripe pattern on its body. Watt grinned at Articuno in a sort of creepy way, such as all Electivire do.
"Articuno, let's begin with an Ice Beam!" Jeff commanded.
Articuno took off into the air and flew towards its opponent. A light blue ball formed in front of its beak, and then, beams of the same color were released from the ball at Watt.
"Watt, stop it with Electro Ball!" Walker instructed.
Watt held its two tails close together above its head, and a yellow orb of electricity formed in between them. Then, Watt pulled the ball and the two tails back before abruptly bringing them forward, launching its attack towards Articuno's like a catapult. The two attacks collided and then exploded in a display much like fireworks.
"Now, Watt, use Swift!" Walker ordered.
Watt opened its mouth and then fired a barrage of small yellow stars at the airborne Freeze Pokémon.
"Knock it away with Steel Wing!" Jeff directed.
One of Articuno's wings took on a metallic glow as it swung it at Watt's attack, knocking the stars towards the ground and creating a small cloud of dust on the field.
"Articuno, freeze it solid with Blizzard!" Jeff shouted.
Articuno began to flap its wings rapidly as a strong blizzard came out of them. The icy storm began to move quickly through the air at the Thunderbolt Pokémon.
"Hurry, Watt! Use Light Screen!" Walker yelled.
Watt put its hands out in front of its body and a yellow glass-like box appeared around it. The blizzard pounded against the cube, but to no avail as Watt still stood standing.
"Now, Watt, let's hit it with your Giga Impact!" Walker commanded.
Watt slammed its fists together in front of it and a purple orb with orange-yellow streaks spiraling around it appeared around its body. It then began rocketing up into the air towards the Ice/Flying-type.
"Show it your power with a Sheer Cold!" Jeff ordered.
Articuno's body became outlined in a light blue aura. It pulled its head back, opened its beak, and a spinning orb of bright blue energy formed in front of it. It then fired a powerful light blue beam of energy with light blue snowflake-shaped sparkles from the orb at Watt.
Watt had a surprised look on its face as the beam froze it inside its own Giga Impact attack. The chunk of ice that was now Watt fell to the ground, landing onto the field with a thud.
"How did that happen?" Misty asked.
"The combined power of Giga Impact and Light Screen must have protected Electivire from the one-hit KO effect that Sheer Cold usually has," Tracey decided.
"However, that didn't stop the intense cold from freezing it completely," Gary added.
"Walker's gonna have to think fast to get out of this," Iris commented. The others nodded in agreement.
"Brrr! I can feel the cold all of the way up here!" Meowth said, mock shivering.
'I've gotta figure out a way to break Watt out of that ice, but how?' Walker's thoughts raced as Articuno loomed over his frozen Pokémon.
"Now, let's finish it off with Sky Attack!" Jeff directed.
Articuno's body became surrounded by a clear white aura as it flew up into the air and then began to swoop down towards the frozen Electivire.
'What do I do? What do I do?' Walker thought frantically as Articuno came closer and closer to Watt. Suddenly, Walker's face brightened as an idea popped into his head.
"Watt, charge up your electricity, quick!" Walker instructed.
Watt's whole body began to sparkle with yellow electricity beneath the thick layer of ice encasing it.
"Now! Give it a Thunder! Full blast!" Walker yelled.
The block of ice took on a large yellow glow until it burst apart in an explosion of yellow electricity. The blast continued further from Watt's body, hitting Articuno and causing it a lot of pain.
As the electricity faded, Articuno breathed heavily, as did Watt from using so much power in one attack.
"Watt, time to end this! Use Fire Punch!" Walker shouted.
"Articuno, use Aerial Ace!" Jeff called out to his Pokémon.
Articuno began flying rapidly at its foe, its body surrounded by white streaks of light. At the same time, Watt's fists became cloaked in a red-orange flame as it jumped into air towards the legendary bird of Ice. It aimed a fist and then punched hard.
Sparks flew as the two collided, pushing up against each other as fist met beak. Eventually, an explosion occurred, and the two flew backwards to the ground, both hitting it hard.
Seconds later, both Pokémon struggled to stand back up and continue fighting. Their bodies were covered in bruises. Suddenly though, Articuno flinched and fell to the ground. The mighty Ice/Flying-type now lay on the ground, knocked out cold.
"Articuno is unable to battle! Electivire is the winner! The victory goes to Walker!"
As the crowd cheered, Walker thanked Electivire for a job well done and then returned it back into its ball. Suddenly though, he noticed Jeff who was recalling Articuno, causing the legendary bird to disappear in a flash of red light.
Walker walked over to him and held out his hand as he said, "That was an awesome battle. One doesn't get the chance to battle a legendary every day. I actually thought that I was going to lose when you froze Watt solid. Nice job."
"Thanks, the same to you," Jeff said, now shaking the younger trainer's hand. "That's the first time that Articuno's lost a battle to anyone. We'll have to have a rematch one day."
Walker nodded and the two went their separate ways back to the stands. As Walker entered the tunnel, he noticed Leaf pass by, looking prepared for her third round battle. He gave her a wave and then continued on back to the stands.
Leaf stood ready on the field with a single Pokéball sitting in her hand. Across the field from her was her opponent, Orange, who had his shiny Gengar beside him. One could tell that this was shaping out to be a good battle.
"Let the battle begin!" The referee called out.
"Alright, Gengar, you ready?" Orange asked the Ghost-type floating next to him.
"Gen-gen-gar," The Shadow Pokémon nodded with a wide grin on its face. It then floated over onto the field in front of Orange, looking ready to fight.
Leaf then looked at the Pokéball in her hand, a look of determination appearing on her face. Then, she threw the Pokéball into the air as she yelled, "It's time to shine, Magneton!"
In a flash of light, a creature made up of three small, metallic spheres that were linked together appeared floating slightly above the ground at eye-level. Each sphere had a single big eye, a horseshoe magnet on their left and right sides, and three Phillips head screws (one on the top of their heads and two on the bottom).
"Gengar, let's kick things off with Shadow Ball!" Orange ordered.
Gengar held out its hands and a shadowy orb formed in between them. Then, with a sinister grin on its face, it threw the ball at Magneton. The orb moved through the air surprisingly fast as it came closer and closer to the Magnet Pokémon.
"Stop it with SonicBoom!" Leaf instructed.
All three of Magneton's magnets glowed white, and then it spun around, sending a white shockwave at Gengar's attack. The SonicBoom cut the Shadow Ball in half, causing it to explode in the middle of the field.
"Alright, Magneton!" Leaf cheered. "Now, use Zap Cannon!"
Magneton held its magnets together, and a yellow orb of electricity with a red center appeared in between them. It then fired it at Gengar amidst a burst of multiple sparks of electricity that emanated from the ball.
"Gengar, dodge it!" Orange directed.
Surprisingly swift for a Ghost-type, Gengar fiendishly flew out of the way of Magneton's attack at the last second, causing the electrical orb to miss and eventually explode when it hit the wall behind Orange.
"Gengar, let's try Brick Break!" Orange told his Pokémon.
Gengar nodded and then flew at Magneton, one of its arms glowing white as it loomed closer.
"Magneton, use Gyro Ball!" Leaf called out.
Magneton's body began to spin around rapidly and a glowing light blue ring appeared around it as it began to hit a high speed. It then moved through the air towards Gengar just as the Shadow Pokémon raised its arms up to strike. Due to its spinning, Gengar's attack was blocked just enough to only cause minimal damage, as opposed to the super-effective hit it could have had.
Both Pokémon were eventually knocked back after a few seconds. The two glared daggers at each other as they floated in their places in front of their trainers.
"Magneton, use Spark!" Leaf commanded.
Magneton's body became surrounded by sparkling blue electricity as it began rocketing towards Gengar.
"Stop it in its tracks with Shadow Punch!" Orange ordered.
Gengar raised one of its arms up into the air. Purple sparks then began to travel up its arm and soon appear around its fist. It then punched straight forward and sent a black fist with purple static electricity around it at Magneton. The fist struck Magneton so hard that it was knocked back several feet, stopping right in front of Leaf. It looked slightly weary from the damage that Gengar dealt it.
"Gengar, use Hypnosis!" Orange yelled with a smirk on his face.
Gengar chuckled as its eyes began to glow red. It then held out its hands and sent a wave of black circles at the Electric/Steel-type, who instantly fell asleep.
"Now, use Dark Pulse!" Orange shouted.
Gengar held out its hands and fired a barrage of shadowy circles at Magneton, knocking it back slightly as it dozed.
"Magneton!" Leaf said, cringing as her Pokémon took the hit.
"Follow it up with Thunder!" Orange yelled.
Gengar's body released a powerful blast of yellow electricity that sent Magneton flying back further than the last attack.
"Magneton, wake up!" Leaf cried out, looking distressed as her Pokémon was struck by the attack.
Magneton's body now had a few slight scuff marks from Gengar's attacks, but it continued to slumber, feeling nothing while it was in dreamland.
"Alright, Gengar! Let's finish it off with Dream Eater!" Orange said with a confident grin on his face.
A shadow-like version of the Ghost/Poison-type was released from Gengar's body and sent directly at the snoozing Magneton. The shadow went through it and Magneton stiffened as a great deal of its energy was sucked up. It then fell to the ground, hitting it with a thud.
"No! It can't be!" Dawn said in shock.
"I can't believe that Leaf…lost," Ash sadly commented.
"Well, I guess the battle's over," Max said, looking down at the floor along with the rest of the group, all of them with saddened expressions on their faces.
"No, it isn't…," They all suddenly heard Gary say. They looked over at him and saw a grin on his face.
"This battle is far from over," He continued, brimming with confidence. "Leaf's just getting started!"
As soon as Gary finished saying this, Magneton amazingly floated back up into the air, looking perfectly fine despite the damage it had received from Gengar. It glared intensely at its ghostly opponent, ironically frightening the ghost.
"How?" Orange muttered. He suddenly heard a laugh coming from across the field. Looking to the side, he saw Leaf with a determined smile on her face.
"It's Sturdy, Magneton's ability," Leaf explained. "It makes it so that you can't take it down with one hit. Now, let's really get this battle rolling! Magneton, use Mirror Shot!"
Magneton's eyes glowed white, and it then fired three green beams from its pupils that merged together in the middle to create a single larger green beam that it released at Gengar.
"Dodge it!" Orange instructed.
Gengar attempted to dodge the Steel-type attack, but the beam caught it in the side as it was moving out of the way, knocking it backwards a few feet.
"Gengar, fight back with Night Shade!" Orange commanded.
"Magneton, use Discharge!" Leaf ordered.
Gengar fired a black beam outlined in a dark crimson aura out of its eyes at its metallic opponent. Meanwhile, Magneton released several light blue beams of electricity from its body at Gengar's attack. The two attacks collided mid-field, creating a small explosion of black smoke.
"Gengar, use Sludge Bomb!" Orange yelled.
"Magneton, respond with Magnet Bomb!" Leaf shouted.
Gengar opened its mouth and fired a purple blast of sludge from it while Magneton fired a silvery, magnetic orb at it. A huge explosion erupted when the two "bombs" hit each other, covering the field in a fog of black smoke.
'Good. Now, Gengar can strike from the shadows and she can't do anything about it,' Orange thought happily.
"Magneton, use Gyro Ball!" He suddenly heard Leaf's voice call out from behind the fog of smoke.
"Aw, come on!" Orange said with an annoyed tone as Magneton began to spin rapidly. The Magnet Pokémon's spinning was so fast that it created a wind that blew away the smoke, instantly revealing the Shadow Pokémon's location.
"Alright, Gengar, it's time to end this," Orange said with a look of intensity in his eyes. "Use Shadow Claw!"
Gengar's hand became surrounded a dark purple aura that took the shape of a claw. It then began flying speedily towards its metal foe.
"Magneton, use Wild Charge!" Leaf called out.
Magneton began a charge at Gengar, its body now surrounded by yellow electricity, making it look gold and white. The two crashed into each other and sparks flew as each struggled to hold their ground against the other.
Finally, the two blew apart and flew backwards towards their trainers. The two Pokémon managed to skid to a stop in front of them, and both breathed heavily as they struggled to stay conscious.
Suddenly, though, Gengar winced and then fell to the ground. Everyone could see that it had swirls in its eyes.
"Gengar is unable to battle! Magneton is the winner! The victory goes to Leaf!"
The crowd cheered manically after such an amazing battle. Meanwhile, Leaf was happily cheering herself with her Magneton.
"Great job, Magneton!" Leaf said, beaming at her Pokémon.
Magneton buzzed happily, but it then unexpectedly fell to the ground. Apparently, it had fainted from exhaustion.
Leaf sighed as she recalled her unconscious Pokémon, saying, "Why don't you just take a good rest?"
Then, she noticed Orange walk up to her, having already recalled his fallen Gengar.
"Thanks for the awesome battle," He said with a grin. "I had a lot of fun."
"Me, too," Leaf replied with a smile. The two began to shake hands when they soon heard Mr. Battrio begin to speak over the intercom.
"What a great day of battles!" Mr. Battrio exclaimed with enthusiasm. "Am I right?"
The crowd cheered loudly in agreement. They soon stopped as they waited to hear about the semi-finals.
"Well, another round has come and gone," Mr. Battrio continued, "And now, we move on to the semi-finals with our four semi-finalists!"
The screen behind him lit up with pictures of Ash, Gavin, Walker, and Leaf. The crowd applauded even louder than before.
"Now, the rest of the tournament will be held in full, six-on-six battles as our semi-finalists battle for first-place! I hope you all will join me in tomorrow's battle between our first two semi-finalists, Ash and Gavin!"
Ash and Gavin's pictures grew larger and filled up the screen causing the crowd to cheer even more.
Meanwhile, as the group saw the screen, they all uneasily turned to look at the two cousins, who were already staring intently at each other.
"Well, Gavin, it's you and me tomorrow," Ash said with a grin. "Let's battle our hardest."
"You can count on it, coz," Gavin replied, confidently smiling in return.
"Pika!" Pikachu said, staring at its pre-evolution.
"Pi!" Pichu nodded, returning the eye contact with its slightly larger evolution.
Passion burned in all four of their eyes, making them feel like the only ones there were them and their opponents. It almost looked like they were on fire.
"Whoa, they're burnin' up!" Meowth said, slightly nervous as he watched the four, feeling the tenseness between them.
We've finally come to the semi-finals of the Kafue Town Battle Tournament. And first, it's a battle between the two equally-matched cousins. Who will win this heated match-up? Stay tuned in to find out!
Next Chapter: Chapter 37: "Amaro Battle Tournament, Part 8: The Clash of the Cousins!"- Ash and Gavin face off in a full six-on-six battle in the first battle of the semi-finals! But who will win and move on to the final round? To be continued…
What awesome battles! I wonder who'll win the next battle? Ash or Gavin? We'll have to wait and see! Hope you guys liked the chapter! Read and Review!
I sincerely apologize to A.M.P.1008, raichukiller, darkmachines, and The Shiny Gengar for your losses. You don't know how much I hate making you all lose, and the same goes for all of the people who submitted OCs. I wish you could all win, but unfortunately, only one can win. You four also get a chance to be in the sequel, and I thank you, along with the rest of the people that submitted the OCs for the tournament for letting me use your OCs. You all are awesome and I thank you!
I want to also thank all of my readers for my 403 reviews, my 102 favs, my 60 story alerts, AND my 47,569 hits! When I first started this story, I never thought that it would be this popular, and if it was to be, I didn't think that the popularity would sprout this fast! I just want to say thank you to all of you!
One more thing, I'm back in school now, so I might be still slow at getting these chapters up. However, once this tournament's over, the chapters will go back to normal length, so I'll be able to update more often!
There is another aspect to that...I have been thinking about being lenient and allowing anonymous reviews again. HOWEVER, that means that there is to absolutely NO review wars or anything like what happened last time! Plus, I want only credible reviews! And by credible, I mean reviews that either offer congrats, healthy criticism, ideas that I can actually use, or all of the above. I will delete any anonymous reviews that I do not deem credible! However, I'm not allowing anonymous reviews yet...I want to see what you all think first before I do it.
Also, who should Ash and Gavin use in their battle next chapter? Ideas, please!