Chapter 36
The cheers, the applause, the screaming wouldn't stop as Matt and Blake remained in their boxes, staring at the end result of the battle. Ludicolo lay on the ground, remaining completely still while Gallade was down on one knee, struggling to stand on its own.
After a few more moments passed, Matt dashed out onto the field, finding his way through the heavily damaged field, eventually finding his way to Ludicolo. The teenager dropped to his knees beside his downed Pokemon, checking to see if it had been truly knocked out. He wasn't going to argue with the ref, but he wanted to see it for himself.
"Thank you Ludicolo. That was an amazing battle and you did your best." Matt said in a whisper to his Pokemon before taking its Poke-ball of its belt, lifting it up to return Ludicolo to safety. Lowering his head, Ludicolo's Poke-ball fell out of Matt's hands, dropping down onto the ground beside him. Then Matt dropped his fist down onto the ground angrily, tears beginning to run down his cheeks. "You guys were amazing out there, but in the end we still lost. Damn it!"
Noticing that someone was casting a shadow over him, Matt looked up to find Blake standing in front of him, with his hand outstretched toward him. Matt looked down for a moment before reaching up for Blake's hand, locking their hands together by the thumbs. Blake gave Matt a tug, bringing him up to his feet before pulling him close.
"That was definitely the best battle I've ever had." Blake whispered to Matt who miraculously heard what he said despite the volume of the audience. Blake then took his next arm and put around Matt's body to hit his back twice.
Matt did the same, and then they separated to dap their fists together which gained a huge cheer from the crowd. Exhuastion washed over both trainers which resulted in the two of them putting an arm around the others neck, using each other as support to remain standing. They were truly tired from the battle, mentally and somewhat physically. Their hearts still hadn't slowed down.
Even though Blake was the winner, both trainers rose their unused arm into the air, causing the crowd to chant the names of both trainers, thanking them for the amazing battle.
Up in one of the booths used solely by critics, one person in particular was pressing his face against the window. He had been trying to get a close to the battle as possible.
"Those two trainers, remember there names." The dark haired man said, getting odd looks from everyone in the silent room. "They will some of the future leaders in the Battle Circuit."
"Two teenagers?"
"Don't forget, I was barely nineteen when I became Champion. I wouldn't be surprised to see someone younger than me manage to become the Champ once I'm done."
In the stands, two trainers that were well acquainted with Blake were staring at their friend. They were quite happy for Blake's most recent victory in the IBF Tourney, but they were also envious of how much progress he had made since the Rookie Kings.
"Can you believe it? He might win the whole thing Mari." Robbie exclaimed.
"I know. Imagine if he did win. We'd have to work insanely hard to even think of getting a chance to battle him again." Mari agreed. "He really left us in the dust."
"We just became A-Class trainers while he's battling to become the first contender to the IBF Title. It's like we're worlds apart." Robbie said rather quietly. Neither of them would admit it, but they were jealous. They began to think that if they were the one to win the Rookie Kings, they might be the one standing at the threshold of the IBF throne instead of Blake.
"Amazing! That was amazing! Those two Rookies-hmm, I can't call them Rookies after a match like that! These two shooting stars came out with their engines going at full throttle from the beginning to give a match we'll never forget!" The announcer went on, his voice barely being heard over the applause.
Eventually Matt and Blake separated, leaving through the corridor that had entered the stadium with. But both trainers were rudely attacked by the paparazzi who wasted no time taking pictures of the boys before they were questioned by multiple news reporters who were hounding them with cameras.
"What do you want?" Blake asked with a glare as he tried to push his way through the crowd.
"Blake, Blake! How do you feel after winning what appeared to be your toughest match yet?" One voice called out over the others, everyone else quieting down for him to speak.
"I feel just fine and dandy." He replied in a deadpan, not even giving them a lip service to spice up the interview. But in truth, their was a lot Blake could say about the match, but the flashing red light on the cameras made him think otherwise.
"And how to do you feel know that your next opponent is another person that conquered a Regional Champion?" Someone else shouted.
"I'm still going to win. That's all there is to it."
Breaking free from the reporters, Blake began to sprint to escape the mob. As he rounded the corner, Blake bumped into a human wall with a grunt which sent him to the ground with a thud. Glaring up at the group, he found that each of them held a soda bottle filled with a dark liquid.
"Blake, so good to see you again." A voice called out as the wall separated, revealing a large man that was owner of Poke-Cola, one of the largest soda companies on the globe. "I need you to taste this and say these words to the cameras."
The wide man motioned to a Machoke that was holding a large white board with Blake's lines written in black magic marker. It read 'Wow, this tastes amazing. I've never tasted anything like it.'
"So go ahead and taste it." He said, motioning for Blake to take on of the bottles from any of the men.
Blake just shrugged before looking one of the bottles. What did he have to lose?
"Hah, cameras? How unexpected!" The larger man exclaimed, putting up a front when the media arrived.
"Is Blake going to try your latest creation?" One of the reporters asked.
"He sure is, and I'm sure he's going to love it too." Everyone became silent when Blake performed a spit take.
"Ugh, what is this junk?" Blake asked, looking toward the company owner as he recapped the bottle. "This stuff tastes terrible."
The large company owner's jaw dropped as Blake returned to the bottle to him with a neutral expression.
"Make it better." Was all he said before leaving the group, the camera's chasing after him.
"Blake!" Grace yelled, barging into his room without any concern to if he was decently dressed or not. Luckily, Blake was only shirtless, preparing to take a shower since the remaining two matches of the day wouldn't be taking place for another hour.
"What?" He asked in return, continuing to search his room for a towel.
"Aren't you going to help Lana? She told me the passage to Spear Pillar has been sealed. You have to help her." Grace said.
"Does that mean you'd be willing to help her right now instead of preparing for you match tomorrow?" Blake asked, recalling the fact that he would be Grace's next opponent. Grace remained silent, unable to respond.
After beating Meegan J, Grace on top of the world, and she planned to continue her winning streak. But with Lana's sudden appearance, it looked as though there was something more important than the IBF Finals. As usual, Blake managed to corner her with ease.
"Would you be willing to do the same thing?" Grace asked in return, patting herself on the back in the hope that she had flipped the situation and put Blake in the spotlight.
"No." Blake said simply. Grace deadpanned as she stared at him.
"You're joking, right?" She asked.
"No." Grace had been traveling with Blake for quite some time now, and she was now starting to see that he was just as stubborn as he was when he was younger.
"Alright then Blake, you leave me no choice. Let's make a bet on our match tomorrow. If I win, you have to help Lana right after your match." Grace declared, pointing at him with a fierce expression.
"And if I win, you leave me alone until the Finals are over." Blake shot back, his eyes matching the intensity in Grace's.
10/23/0046/Night
Dining Room
A rather sleepy Blake entered the small room that had been designated for participants in the Finals that was similar to that of a five star restaurant. There were only four tables available, and three of them were currently in use.
Grace was at her own table, quietly sipping a glass of water as she studied to other two people in the room.
Griffen sat alone, his head resting in the palm as of his hand and he smiled at Grace who refused to return his smile. The other remaining competitor was Beck Langings, the Kanto Champ, and he was stuffing his face with the spread of food that had been laid out before. Both Griffen and Beck had conquered their opponents with ease, and while Blake could care less about Griffen's opponent, Roy had been knocked out of the running by Beck.
It didn't really bother him that Roy had been taken out, but since that guy had a Crest. Blake couldn't deny that there was a little voice in the back of his head that was bugging him about that. Observing his opponents, Blake could feel each of their aura's surrounding them.
Beck's aura was fierce, matching the presence of a wild Luxray that was ready to attack unless it was eating. He was famed for many one hit KO's through out his Battle Circuit career. This was credited to his training style where he took his Pokemon's strength and trained that to max while ignoring their weaknesses. He was an all or nothing risk taker that was willing to put everything on the line for the win.
Grace's aura was energetic and free spirited. She was known for battling with a great flexibility in tight situations, many of these resulting in her victories when everything looked as though the odds were against her. With her young age and successful Battle Circuit career, Grace had earned her title as the Little Princess of Johto by conquering many big name trainers with her unrestricted battling style, proving to everyone that age never matters when it comes to Pokemon battles.
Griffen's aura was like a puzzle to Blake, a ball of confusion. He was always smiling, but when he was battling Malichi Summers in the first round of the Finals, Blake could feel just how powerful Griffen truly was when he became serious. He had been toying with Malichi for the first part of the battle, but when Malichi almost pulled the rug from under him, Griffen became very serious, taking completely control of the battle. His name was known by many as the Eternal Genius of Hoenn, and with his victory over the Hoenn Champ, many began to believe that he would truly become a fearsome trainer as his career continued.
Blake took a seat at his table, one of the waiters approaching him to take his order. He had been hungry the entire afternoon while he was training, but being surrounded by each of these trainers, Blake's appetite was gone. He would still eat, but his excitement made it difficult for him to enjoy the meal fully. These next two days would hold some of his best battles yet, it didn't matter who his opponents were.
10/24/0046/Late Morning
"The Inter-regional Battle Federation would like the present the day three of the Finals, were a competition of more than forty thousand trainers has finally come down to the final four!"
The already packed stadium had been filled to the point where people were fighting over a spot to stand in the booths that were normally used for critics, but with the amount of revenue that was coming in, the sponsors of the Finals wanted to get out as many tickets as possible during the last two days. The attention given to the Finals was four times that of the previous years since a large number of strong trainers had appeared during this one. The Battle Circuit was quickly become the leading televised event in the world because of this year's IBF Tourney.
The stadium was practically shaking from the cheers as the announcer motioned for the crowd to show their approval for the next match.
"So today we have two awesome matches coming your way. The first one is between the Powerhouse Champion of Kanto, Beck Langings, and the Eternal Genius of Hoenn, Griffen!" The announcer went on. "And then we have the Cannonball Prodigy, Blake! Vs the Little Princess of Johto, Grace!"
The fans went on for some time before they were silenced by the lights of the of the entire stadium shutting off before one single spotlight was turned on, aimed down at the announcer below.
"The trainers are ready now. So we'll get the first match underway!" The announcer shouted, pointing upward at the ceiling which was the cue for the multiple spotlights to turn on which converged onto the west entrance. "In the red box, presenting a young trainer from the Hoenn Region who has come all the way to the top of the IBF, the boy who beat the Regional Champion of Hoenn with one Pokemon only, the Eternal Genius of Hoenn, Griffen!"
The fans began to chant his name, the people who were true Griffen fans coming with homemade t-shirts, headbands and flags that they were waving proudly. The teenager came running out into the stadium, waving to the fans as the spotlights followed him to his box.
"And in the blue box. Presenting the Regional Champion of Kanto, the one hit wonder dude from Viridian City, the Powerhouse Champion of Kanto, Be~ck Langings!" The stadium erupted with cheers as the spotlights moved toward the east entrance where Beck came rushing out, his messy brown held up by a headband to prevent it from falling in front of his eyes. This was a sign that he truly acknowledged Griffen as an opponent who could defeat him in a direct battle.
"This is sure to be quite and interesting battle between these two trainers. Between Beck's Pokemon that have a huge emphasis on power to Griffen's unpredictable battling style and Pokemon, you never know who will drop first." Two critics were in the announcer's box, shooting the breeze as they waited for the battle to start.
"It's impossible to tell who's going to win." The other noted.
"So let's get this battle started!" The announcer said as he retreated the field, leaving the ref to raise his flags.
"This will be a two on two Pokemon battle! Trainers, Clash!"
'Those two trainers, Blake and Matt from yesterday had an amazing Clash. I have to do better than they did.' Griffen said to himself as he tightly gripped Magmortar's Poke-ball.
Beck gave Griffen a confident nod before the two of them gave their Poke-balls a hard throw onto the field, and after they met with a loud bang, a large white dome was created, kicking up a large dust cloud. Two Power Ball's had met, and this would always be the result.
The fans were quickly becoming absorbed in this battle as the smoke cleared, revealing to red Pokemon that were glaring at each other with their sharp eyes. On Griffen's end was his Magmortar while Beck was using his Scizor. It all appeared as though it was Griffen's favor.
"Battle begin!"
"Scizor, use Swords Dance!" Beck shouted, watching his favorite Pokemon boost its strongest stat even more. The crowd was quick to catch on to Beck's usual plan considering his situation.
"One, hit!" The chant was soft at first, but it quickly began to build up. Everyone loved seeing Beck's strategy work simply because it was a display of his and his Pokemon's destructive, unrivaled power. "One, hit! One, hit!"
The chant continued as Griffen smiled, accepting Beck's challenge. His fame would go through the roof if he could be Beck Langings in a power duel.
"Are ready Scizor?" Beck asked, receiving a nod from his Pokemon. He smiled before throwing his fist forward with a loud shout. "Alright then, then rush in using Agility and take it out with Rock Smash!"
"Get ready Magmortar." Griffen said, closing his eyes for a few moments, Magmortar doing the same.
Scizor took off like a speeding bullet, raising its right arm to land what should be its first and last hit on Magmortar. As Scizor closed in on Magmortar, the Blast Pokemon's eyes snapped open, revealing that they were now lime green, just like Griffen's.
'Fire Punch!' Griffen said mentally, his command reaching Magmortar almost instantly. Magmortar rose its right hand suddenly, wild red flames beginning to spiral around its fist and it threw it toward Scizor as the Pincer Pokemon thrusted its right hand toward Magmortar. A loud thud marked the moment in time when both attacks connected with the cheek of the other Pokemon, the two of them holding their ground for just a moment or two before Griffen roared in pain, clutching his left cheek.
The pain of Scizor's blow to Magmortar's jaw was being experienced by both Pokemon and trainer, and Griffen couldn't bite back the pain he was experiencing. Dropping down to his knees, Griffen refused to stop shouting in pain, but the crowd was unaware of the fact that he was actually screamining in pain.
Magmortar and Scizor who had been frozen finally fell backward, both of them collapsing from the first hits which ended the battle. The fans cheered loudly as the ref declared the two Pokemon unable to battle.
Griffen's screaming had come to an abrupt stop as he stared at his downed Magmortar. He had never seen his partner fall in defeat, and seeing that Beck was responsible for his made him angry. His pain subsided, and Griffen rose to his feet with an enraged expression on his face as thin line of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Up in the single booth that had been saved for the critics, the room was in an uproar with the sudden double knockout. Only one person out everyone present was calm, but he was smiling as they showed a replay of the two Pokemon landing the finishing blow on each other.
"All of you have failed to understand the significance of that." The dark haired critic pointed out, silencing the room which put everyone attention on him. "Beck's approach for his usual one hit KO style was perfect. A large attack boost followed by a speed boost to add momentum damage with a fast and powerful Pokemon equals enough destructive force to knock out a Pokemon in one hit, but Griffen countered that perfectly. If it weren't for the boost from Agility, Scizor would've been the only one to take damage, and Magmortar would be the victor."
"So basically that teenager is more skilled than a Regional Champion?" One of them exclaimed.
"It would seem so."
'This guy, he's the first person to ever counter my one-hit strategy, and make it a draw.' Beck said to himself, his jaw tightening. Everything was riding on his next Pokemon. It was all…or nothing.
The two trainers returned their Pokemon to their Poke-balls before selecting their next Pokemon.
"Trainers, Clash!"
"Raah!" Griffen roared as he chucked his Poke-ball onto the field using the strongest Power Ball he could muster. Beck did the same, but the result was strange. Beck's Poke-ball was sent flying backward when they met, crashing into the stadium wall behind Beck whose eyes became wide. That had never happened before. Every critic who had seen that was astonished. A Power Ball that overpowered another Power Ball was unheard of.
The Pokemon were released onto the field, Beck's heavily damaged Rampardos taking shape in field while Griffen's Cacturne appeared with lime green eyes.
"Match continue!" The ref declared.
"Rampardos, let's finish this now with Head Smash!" Beck shouted. There was no way a Cacturne could take a direct hit from Rampardos, so Beck decided that he would finish this now.
'Dodge using Faint Attack.' Griffen said to Cacturne who simply waited for Rampardos to close in on it before it phased out of existence. Rampardos came to a skidding halt, searching the field for Cacturne who had disappeared from its line of sight a split second before it landed its attack. 'Now use Needle Arm!'
Cacturne appeared in the air to Rampardos' left, landing a swift kick to its face which forced the Rock type Pokemon to stumble to its right a bit before Cacturne dove at its stomach, drilling its glowing right arm into Rampardos which sent it reeling with a screech of pain.
'Don't stop, finish it!' Griffen commanded, watching as his Cacturne raced after Rampardos, landing a long string of attacks onto the Headbutt Pokemon, viciously beating it into the ground.
"Hey, that's enough!" The ref snapped at Cacturne, causing it to stop. Rampardos' struggle had stopped a few moments before, but Cacturne had continued to attack regardless so the ref was forced to put the match to an end himself. "Rampardos is unable to battle, Cacturne is the winner and the match goes to Griffen."
The crowd was in awe. They had just begun to cheer and Griffen ended the match in an instant. Even his match against Malichi Summers wasn't this quick. It was obvious now that his previous wins weren't just a lucky break. Griffen was clearly ready to become a World Class trainer.
"And the Eternal Genius of Hoenn has taken over Kanto as well. This is a major upset. Not only has Griffen knocked out of the Hoenn Champ, but now he's taken down the Kanto Champ as well." The announcer exclaimed. "This is truly one of the strangest IBF Finals I've ever seen. All four Regional Champions have been knocked out of the running without getting to battle each other! We have a group of Champion Killers this year!"
And it was true, this year the IBF Tourney was just full of miracle working underdogs that were doing a fine job of keeping the fans on their toes.
Blake was in awe as he stared at Griffen who was exiting the stadium with his head held high for his victory over another Regional Champion. He was shaking in his sneakers, and he couldn't deny it. He had never seen such a style executed so perfectly, and he wanted to battle against it himself.
There was no way he was going to let Grace even have a chance of beating him.
Turning on his heels, Blake made his way back into the corridors of the stadium since his match against Grace was only a few minutes a way. He was going to win at all costs.
Moving through the corridors, Blake eventually found himself face to face with the victor of the last match who had just escaped the media. The two of them walked straight past each other without a word.
"I hope you win Blake." Griffen called out, causing Blake to halt.
"Why me?" He asked, glancing over his shoulder at Griffen who had turned around to face him.
"Because Grace has already brought out all the potential she has. She's definitely a World Class trainer, but she's not strong enough to beat me." Griffen said with a smile before pointing at Blake. "But you, you're not even close to using everything you have. You have a ton of untapped potential. Enough to battle me in a world were Pokemon battles go above and beyond what a normal trainer may expierence."
Blake gave him an odd glance.
"Sadly, as you are right now, you'd be no match for me. I hope that while you're battling Grace you'll start to tap into all that potential you have." Griffen continued. "It'd be a damn shame if you were knocked out without showing everyone what your made of."
Griffen gave him a wave before turning away, continuing down the hallway, leaving Blake to absorb that he had said.
Untapped potential? How would Griffen know if he has untapped potential?
Blake could tell from Griffen's last match against Beck, he would certainly be no match for Griffen if he were to battle him now. But if he did have some kind of extra potential, how would he use it?
"Alright folks, the time as come for the last match of the semi-finals of the IBF Tourney. This battle has the hopes to two young trainers riding on it, and it's sure to be an exciting match!" The announcer began, gaining the full attention of the entire crowd. "Let's do this! Presenting our final match of the day, in the blue box, we have the young girl who pulled off an overwhelming victory on the Johto Champion, the girl who has dethroned the Queen and taken her spot as the Johto Representative, the newly crowned Queen of Johto, Grace!"
The crowd roared for their favorite young female trainer who came out into the stadium waving at the crowd energetically, thanking them for their support.
"And in the red box, we have a rising star from Johto as well, the victor of a match that has one of the highest ratings received in the entire Battle Circuit, the Uncrowned Prince of Johto, Blake!" The announcer and crowd now looked toward Blake's entrance where he came out with a casual walk to his box, focused solely on his match.
'There's something different about him.' Grace said to herself, studying Blake who was definitely giving off a more striking presence than he normally does.
Blake face remained neutral as he stared at Grace. He would have to push his brain to the max in order to unlock whatever it was Griffen was talking about, and Grace would be the perfect opponent to do that.
"This will be a two on two Pokemon battle. Trainers, Clash!" The ref shouted. Both trainers selected their Pokemon and gave the Poke-ball a hard toss onto the field. Both Poke-balls flew on a direct path for the other with a fast spin.
It appeared as though both of them were going to use the Spin Counter, but Grace's Poke-ball swerved out of the course at the last moment before crashing into Blake's from the side. The two Poke-balls grinded against each other for a few moments before bouncing backward in an even clash. Two dual type Pokemon appeared on the field, a Lucario for Grace while Poliwrath was on Blake's end.
"Battle begin!"
"Lucario, use Aura Sphere!"
"Poliwrath, counter with Water Pulse!"
Both Pokemon fired their attacks in an instant, starting off the battle with a rather large explosion of black smoke.
"Poliwrath, let's make this quick, get it with Dynamic Punch!"
"Lucario, go with Force Palm!" Lucario was quick to charge into the smoke, planning to use it as cover to attack Poliwrath, but the Water type Pokemon had the same idea as its opponent. The two of them met in the center of the smoky field, their hands colliding with a loud thud that released a large shockwave that blew away the smoke.
Blake remained unfazed as his hair was blown around wildly while Grace put on arm in front of her eyes as the smoke blew past her.
"Poliwrath, keep going!" Blake called out to his Pokemon, receiving a nod from the Water type before it rose its next arm, poising its glowing fist for a powerful hit. Throwing the punch, Poliwrath remained calm when Lucario quickly directed the punch away from its head by slapping Poliwrath's wrist, but Poliwrath saw this as a opening. Pushing forward with its next hand, Poliwrath forced Lucario backward.
Pursuing Lucario, Poliwrath began to throw out several fast jabs at Lucario who managed to evade the jabs with some expert dodging. The two Pokemon planted their feet and began to throw quick punches and arm thrusts at each other, neither of them managing to hit their mark.
"Lucario, mix in a few Blaze Kicks!" Grace shouted.
"Poliwrath, those won't hurt you so don't back down!" Blake called out.
And with those two commands, the close range battle escalated as blasts of fire were sent launched at Poliwrath who powered through the flames with ease while continuing its attack on Lucario.
'Lucario is faster than Poliwrath in terms of actual speed, but with the footwork I taught Poliwrath its keeping up with Lucario so I have to break this stalemate.' Blake said to himself, analyzing Lucario's movements. It's style was almost flawless, but after picking it apart, Blake could see that Lucario moved in one single pattern that would've been much easier to see if it were for the high speed it could maintain. "Poliwrath, the next time Lucario jumps at you, go for its legs!"
Hearing Blake's orders, Poliwrath took a moment to look around for the Aura Pokemon before it appeared in front of it, prepared to land a swift blow to Poliwrath's body. Dropping to the ground in a crouch, Poliwrath barely escaped the Force Palm before it extended its arm outward, sweeping Lucario off its feet. With the Aura Pokemon resting on its side, Poliwrath took this opportunity to strike from above.
Throwing a Dynamic Punch aimed for Lucario's head, Poliwrath was a bit surprised when Lucario managed to move its head over in time to avoid the attack, resulting Poliwrath's hand breaking into the field. Lucario quickly used this opportunity to escape, barrel rolling away from Poliwrath before jumping to its feet.
"Poliwrath, use Hydro Pump on the field to soften it, then break free." Blake said quickly.
"Lucario, take them down with Extreme Speed!" Grace shouted, seeing this valuable time to attack.
Poliwrath had managed to loosen up the field, but before it could break free to even think about dodging Lucario, it met with the left knee of the Aura Pokemon which sent it stumbling backward. With the drastic increase in speed, Lucario took full control of the battle, attacking on all sides as a dark blur while Poliwrath failed to keep up with its truly superior speed.
'Poliwrath won't be able to take on an assault like that much longer.' Blake noted to himself, watching his Pokemon receiving a constant beating from the fast moving Lucario. It was then Blake made eye contact with Grace, catching the smirk on her face. She was confident that she was going to win. "Poliwrath, start hitting the field with Ice Punch!"
The now bruised and beaten Poliwrath began to hit the field repeatedly with its icy blue fists, creating an expanding sheet of ice. As Lucario sped in for the finisher, Poliwrath landed on powerful blow onto the ice, causing it to spring up from the ground in several spots to which blocked off the Aura Pokemon's attack.
"Lucario, break through that ice with Aura Sphere!" Grace called out.
As Lucario leaped backward the shields of ice, it clapped its hands together before separating them to reveal a glowing blue orb which it then proceeded to fire at Poliwrath's defenses.
While the powerful sphere of energy cracked the ice, it was deflected up into the air, but that wasn't the end of Lucario's attack. Blake's eyes widened as Lucario appeared in the air with the Aura Sphere it had just used, grabbing the ball before beginning its decent toward Poliwrath. The ice defense wouldn't block out and aerial attack, and Lucario's increasing speed meant they only had a little bit of time.
'No! I refuse to lose!' Blake said to himself, his vision becoming blurry as he stared at the field, the sound of every heart beat becoming very loud in his ears. Everything slowed down for Blake as a huge wave of pain washed over his head like a really bad headache. Gritting his teeth, Blake held his head with one hand, trying to maintain his balance as he stared at the field.
He could see everything now. All of it was in black and white, and as plain as day. He could see core of the Aura Sphere Lucario was holding as it slowly fell toward Poliwrath. All of the mental notes he had taken on Poliwrath and Lucario appeared beside the respective Pokemon.
Up in the critic box, a certain dark haired male dropped the small drink he had been sipping in awe as he saw Blake's presence explode out in all directions, beginning to dance like fire.
'This boy…he may just be the person to succeed me as the next World Champion.'
Down on the field, Blake was trying to understand what exactly was going on with this sudden headache as well as the why everything had started to move slowly.
'Is this…the world Griffen was talking about?' Blake asked himself before snapping out of his thoughts. This was no time to get unfocused.
Looking at Poliwarth now, Blake could see there was little time to even try making a move to counter the Aura Sphere.
"Dynamic Punch on the ice, then roll!" Blake called out.
Poliwrath heard his command and got to work. The order was unexpected since Poliwrath had thought that there was now way out, but it Blake was giving it and order, there must've been a possibility.
Poliwrath pummeled the ice with one blow, creating an escape path for itself before it dove forward in a quick roll. Blake watched the scene unfold. Poliwrath's path opened just in time for it to escape with the roll, leaving Lucario to crash into spot Poliwrath had previously been in.
"Now attack!" As Poliwrath returned to its feet, facing Lucario's direction, it made one large leap toward Lucario where it landed a hard haymaker to the Aura Pokemon's jaw which sent it straight into the wall of ice beside it. "Finish it with Hydro Pump!"
"Poli!" Poliwrath unleashed a huge torrent of water from the center of the swirl on its body. Lucario didn't even see the attack coming as it was still in pain from the Dynamic Punch. The blast of water smashed the Aura Pokemon into the ice once again, but the power behind it forced the Pokemon to break through the ice
"Lucario!" Grace screamed when as her partner was sent flying across the field, straight into the stadium wall. Poliwrath didn't let up for a let while to make sure the job was done, and when it did end its Hydro Pump attack, Lucario dropped down to the field with a thud.
"Lucario is unable to battle!" The ref declared, after a quick inspection. "Match continue!"
"Argh, you're going to pay for that one Blake." Grace said to herself as she withdrew her Lucario before selecting her next Pokemon. 'It's all or nothing!'
"Electivire!" The large Electric type Pokemon roared as it appeared on the field.
'I had a feeling it would be Electivire.' Blake said to himself. But surprisingly, he wasn't nervous about being at a disadvantage against Grace's Electivire.
"Electivire, use a large scale Thunder Bolt!" Grace began as he partner roared again before firing over a dozen different bolts of electricity toward Poliwrath.
Blake stared at the approaching attack, taking note of the path each bolt followed, trying to find a spot that Poliwrath could move through to evade the attack, but unfortunately the attack had no openings.
"Poliwrath, use Hydro Pump on the field to get yourself in the air!" Blake said quickly. Poliwrath grunted before pointing itself down at the field, firing another blast of water that pushed it up into the air, escaping the Thunder Bolt attack. "Now use Water Pulse!"
Once it cleared the range of the Thunder Bolt, Poliwrath fired a condensed ball of water toward Electivire from the air above with a shout of its name, planning to take the first hit of the battle.
"Electivire, send it right back with Thunder Wave!" Grace ordered, planning to use the electrical advantage she had over water type moves.
It was at this moment Blake realized the one flaw that came the information overload he was having. Even if he could think faster, his orders couldn't reach Poliwrath fast enough verbally. As he tried to call out the order to dodge the electrically enhanced Water Pulse attack, Poliwrath was hit.
Getting sucked into the orb of water, Poliwrath gave a deep yell of pain as it was brutally zapped by the Thunder Wave before it was fired toward the ground.
"Poliwrath!" Blake hollered at his Pokemon, but it was useless now. The condition it was in right now severely reduced how well Blake could utilize its strengths with his current mindset.
"Finish it with Thunder Bolt!" Grace declared, pointing at Poliwrath who was resting on its stomach, groaning to itself as it tried to overcome the paralysis it was suffering from.
"Elect-ivire!" The Electric type Pokemon roared, releasing all its charged energy as one collective vertical bolt that traveled across the field toward Poliwrath. It was far more powerful than any electrical attack Blake had seen with how it tore up the field with ease as it continued on its course toward its target.
'Good job Poliwrath, take a good rest.' Blake said to himself as Poliwrath disappeared inside the blast of electricity.
"Poliwrath is unable to battle, Match continue!" The ref declared, motioning for Blake to bring out his next Pokemon.
'The smart choice would be to pick Tyranitar, and guarantee my win, but I want to stay in this world a little longer.' Blake said, realizing just how much he was enjoying how cool this battle had gotten. "Ryuu, let's go!"
The large Dragon Pokemon roared as appeared on the field, eyeing its opponent with a dark glare, swinging its tail back and forth.
"Beware Electivire, Blake's Salamence is really strong!" Grace warned her partner who gave her a nod. "Good, then use Focus Blast!"
As Electivire fired the glowing sphere at Salamence, Blake began to observe for any weak points. He would need a piercing attack break right through core, but that wasn't an option when using Salamence.
"Use Dragon Pulse!"
Salamence fired a dark purple orb from its mouth that matched the Focus Blast in size and strength. The two orbs crashed together with a loud explosion that was twice the size of the one caused by Lucario and Poliwrath. Proof of the strength these two Pokemon possessed.
"Electivire, use Focus Blast again! But put all the power you've got into it!" Grace commanded.
"Ryuu, use Dragon Pulse again, but put a horizontal spin on it!" Blake ordered.
Both Pokemon followed the order from their respective trainer, but the results were surprising. With the spin on the Dragon Pulse, the Dragon type attack spun around the Focus Blast, drawing out a portion of its energy before continuing on its path toward Electivire.
"Ryuu, continue with Flame Thrower!" Blake said, seeing that the approaching Focus Blast would still hit its mark. Unleashing the flames from its mouth, Salamence halted the Focus Blast's advance toward it before sending it back toward Electivire who had failed to realize that Salamence's Dragon Pulse had gotten past the Focus Blast.
Taking the Dragon Pulse straight to its stomach, Electivire was sent tumbling backward before hit by its redirected Focus Blast which exploded on contact, sending it sliding backward on its side out of the smoke. The now bruise covered Electivire groaned in pain before it was engulfed in the Flame Thrower attack, its body only appearing as a dark silhouette in the flames. Grace stomped her foot angrily when she heard Electivire's pained shouts.
"Electivire, use Thunder Bolt and blow off those flames!" Grace roared. There was no way she was going to lose.
There was deep roar before the flames parted, revealing Electivire who was surrounding in a electrical halo that was protecting it from the flames.
"We're going to win this match!" Grace declared. "Electivire, charge yourself up with Thunder Bolt!"
"Electivire!" It shouted before the halo around it tripled in size.
'Electivire's special ability is Motor Drive. She's trying to boost its stats to make up for all the damage its taken.' Blake noted Electivire ended its Thunder Bolt attack, wearing a wide smirk as electricity crackled around its body.
"Alright Electivire, take down Salamence with Ice Punch!" Grace commanded proudly, believing that now that odds had tipped in her favor now.
Blake's eyes widen when Electivire began to move. In his slow perspective, Electivire was moving at a normal speed which was probably incredibly fast by normal standards.
"Ryuu, use Flame Thrower on the field!" Salamence opened up its maw, releasing a high quantity of flames that flowed out onto the field like a river of fire. Electivire disappeared from Blake's vision, getting a soft gasp from the male trainer before Salamence roared from a gruesome hit to its body that sent it sliding across the field. 'Damn.'
Electivire was even faster than he thought. Even this new world Blake had entered was probably the limits of the human realm pushed to the max, but a Pokemon could surpass the limits of a human quite often.
Salamence snarled at Electivire, its torso possessing one large spot that had been covered in a thick sheet of ice. A hit like that probably took out a large portion of Salamence's health, and another hit like that would probably be the end of the battle.
"Electivire, use Ice Punch once more!" Grace shouted with a smile, seeing that this truly would be the end of the battle.
"Ryuu, protect yourself with your wings, then use your body to prevent Electivire from getting away!" Blake yelled.
Electivire burst forward again, charging in a straight path toward Salamence who quickly moved one of its large wings into Electivire's path to block it, but Electivire made a sharp turn, disappearing from Blake's vision again.
'Crap!' Blake exclaimed before he thanked Pokemon anatomy for protecting Salamence. Even though Electivire attacked from its side, Salamence had two wings, and it managed to place its second wing in the way just in time to block Electivire.
Salamence growled at Electivire before slipping its tail around the ankle of the large Electric type Pokemon, pulling its feet from beneath it which left Electivire to land on its side.
"Nice Ryuu, now end this with Dragon Pulse!" Blake shouted, seeing that Electivire was wide open and unable to get away.
"Electivire, protect yourself with Thunder Bolt!"
Despite Electivire managing to unleashing a wicked blast of electricity onto Salamence, but with the Dragon Pokemon being part Dragon in terms of type, Salamence preserved through the electrical current and opened its mouth, firing another purple orb at Electivire from close range.
The Dragon Pulse exploded when it hit Electivire, enveloping both Pokemon in thick black smoke that prevented the audience and the participating trainers from seeing the outcome.
Waiting for the cloud to disperse, the ref made his way onto the field where he found Salamence standing next to Electivire who lay on its back, its eyes replaced with swirls.
"Electivire is unable to battle! The winner is Salamence and the match goes to Blake!"
The moment the ref declared that Electivire was unable to battle, the crowd roared, making it impossible for anyone to hear when Blake was the winner.
'I won…' Was all Blake said to himself before the pain from the headache had been experiencing earlier returned but was a lot worse. The sudden wave of pain made Blake notice just how fast his heart had been beating during the battle, but as it slowed down and Blake's nerves began to cool off, Blake's mind returned to its normal state.
Joining his Salamence on the field, Blake thanked the fearsome Pokemon all its effort during the battle.
"And what a surprising turn out! After finally beating Meegan J to claim her spot as the Queen of Johto, Grace has been beaten by another trainer from Johto who has now become the Crowned Prince of the Johto Region!"
"Blake! Blake! Blake! Blake!" The crowd chanted in name, watching as he approached Grace to thank for the amazing battle.
"Excellent Blake. You're exactly what I was looking for." Griffen said to himself with a wide smile. "You'll be the perfect test to see how I'll do against the Golden Flash."
As Blake and Grace went their separate ways to leave the stadium, Blake could only conclude one thing as he thought back to what he experience during the battle. Was that the world Griffen, and maybe even other World Class trainers battled in?
10/25/0046/Midnight
Spear Pillar
"Perfect, its time to open the portal!" Sander shouted, perched on top the head of the ruler of the Reverse World. Giving one loud laugh, the older gentleman looked around the two large Pokemon beside the one he was standing on. "It's just as it says on Mt Tsugi. "Time, Space and the Reverse will come together, and bring down the Original One!"
The three Legendary Pokemon gave off their distinctive roars that shook the mountain before waiting for Sander's command.
"At last, the time for the Storm to begin has arrived!" Sander declared, noticing a small wave ripple in the air that opened up just enough for him to see a space scenery. "Dialga, use Roar of Time! Palkia, use Special Rend! Aim for the break in the time-space continuum!"
Unleashing their two signature attacks, Giratina roared violently when the attacks met, beginning to move toward the point where the attacks met.
"Heel Giratina!" Sander snapped at the Legendary Pokemon, opening his Crest to level two which gave him control over his respective Legendary partner, forcefully stopping it from advancing any further.
The ripple in space opened further as the two attacks from Dialga and Palkia clashed for a several minutes before the attacks were canceled out by one deep roar that caused Sander's smile to widen.
A Centaur Pokemon peered out of the hole in space, spotting the three Legendary Pokemon that were waiting outside of the portal.
"Arceus! Come to me!" Sander shouted, summoning the Red Chains that he had created a few days before. The glowing red chains appeared around Sander, circling around him as Arceus began to move out of the portal, obviously enraged that someone had disturbed its slumber.
Chapter 36. Things are starting to heat up as Blake advances the last match of the IBF Finals, but with the appearance of a few Legendary Pokemon in Spear Pillar, something is sure to take place with Sinnoh Commissioner beginning to take action like the other Commissioners. The Storm approaches...
I was pretty proud of these two battles, although neither of them met up with my standard like Blake vs Matt, but now I have an example to beat, so I'll try to make my matches just as and if not better than that match.
As for Blake's battle against Grace, he basically unlocked all his potential which allowed him to see the battles in slow motion and analyze the situation to come up with a tactic. Sadly, while Blake is thinking at an extremely fast pace, getting orders out of his mouth won't come out as fast so basically even if Blake can come up with a counter measure, there's no guarentee that Blake's orders will reach his Pokemon in time. But I'm sure you guys will figure out the solution on how Blake can utilize all of his battle potential ( hint : there's an example in Griffen's match ) ;)
Anyway, thanks for all the reviews guys, much appreciated! Keep it up and I'll do my best to keep the quality of this fic as high as possible!
R & R