Uploaded Nov. 27, 2012
And now Ron shall enter the arena!
Bane: Where the heck have you been? Did you die or something?
…F…I…N…A…L…S…
Bane: …I see… Anyways, here's an exciting battle chapter! …With more a bit later in. READ IT!
…finals…
Ron tossed his and released Lampent, while the other trainer released a Vannilish; a Unova-region pokemon. "Lampent, heat things up!" Ron opened.
Lampent shot a powerful, purple flame at Vanillish. "Vanilla, dodge!" the opposing trainer commanded. 'Vanilla' the Vanillish quickly avoided the flame. "Now, use icy wind!" Vanillish blew a cold wind at Lampent.
"Really?" Ron asked. He then shrugged. "Have it your way. Lampent, use heat wave. He's not worth the trouble." And with that, Lampent curled its body nearly into a ball and focused. Vanilla's attack hit, but it didn't look like Lampent even noticed. Finally, Lampent released heat wave, an attack that literally blasts a wave of heat at the opponent. Normally, it shoots in every direction in a radius around the pokemon, but Ron's Lampent focused it into one concentrated shot of heat, that instantly KO'd Vanilla, even scorching the ground around it.
"Vanilla!" the challenger shouted in a panic. He ran to check his pokemon.
"Vannilish is unable to battle," the referee declared. "Lampent is the winner. Josh, please select your next pokemon."
"So, Josh, huh?" I mumbled, just now hearing his name for the first time.
Bane nodded beside me. "Yeah, he's not very good, is he?"
I shrugged. "That was only the first battle. He's still got two poke- oh, you've gotta be kidding me." Josh had chosen an Amoongus. Let me restate that: he chose another pokemon that was weak to fire-types. "…Okay, so he's not very good. At least this match won't last too much longer," I said, stretching.
"Really?" Ron asked, mimicking mine and Bane's thoughts on his choice. Ron sighed. "My first match, too… Lampent, use psychic." Lampent's eyes glowed blue and Amoongus was picked up psychically and tossed to the other side of the arena. Amoongus slowly got back up. "Lampent, finish it," Ron ordered more firmly.
Lampent waved its arms like a conductor and Amoongus flew all around the arena, only touching the ground, at last, after two minutes of flinging. Everyone stared in shock as the referee declared Amoongus unable to battle. "…I knew he was good, but," Bane started. "I didn't know he fought like that."
"Yeah," I agreed. "I mean, it was one thing when he had Lampent use memento in that battle with the Jests, but that was just… cruel."
Ron had a look of boredom on his face as it looked like Josh was about to pass out. The young blonde took two, even, calming breaths and released his final pokemon; a Vullaby. "Vullaby, use brave bird!"
The audience gasped in shock as Vullaby flew up and shot toward Lampent. "Lampent, acid armor!" Ron retaliated quickly. Lampent shone with a silvery mist and took the attack well, considering all the clawing and scratching. "Now, close-range flamethrower!" Lampent shot a purple flame directly at Vullaby using its hat-like head. Vullaby was shaken, not stirred, but still ready to go.
"Man, he is merciless, isn't he?" Bane asked as we watched with rapt attention.
"Shh!" I whispered to him. "Tell me later." Yeah, I was really focused on the battle. Well, I felt kind of sorry for Josh; he had already lost two battles against the same pokemon, without even doing any damage!
"Vullaby, faint attack!" Vullaby waddled over to Lampent.
"Lampent! Stop it with shadow ball!" Ron countered.
Lampent shot a dark, mucky-and-misty orb at Vullaby. "Vullaby, use mirror move!" Suddenly, a similar orb appeared in front of Vullaby and shot off, meeting Lampent's and leaving a huge explosion in its wake.
"Lampent!" Ron shouted, searching for his pokemon in the smoke. "Get above it!" Lampent rose above the smoke, but Vullaby was holding on to its back! "Lampent, shake it off!"
Lampent thrashed about in the air, but the bird wouldn't let go. "Vullaby, use toxic!"
"Dang it!" Ron shouted as Lampent was poisoned by the toxic attack. "Lampent, use memento!" Lampent curled its arms behind it and grabbed Vullaby, then its eyes turned an eerie blue and it began falling to the stadium ground. Vullaby leaped off and started supporting itself with its wings, but Lampent was returned to its pokeball before it hit the ground, anyway.
"Lampent is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Vullaby wins. Please choose your second pokemon."
Bane, Alysson and I had mixed feelings about this. "He just gave up!" I declared. "Just because he was poisoned?"
"He used that attack again?" Alysson asked angrily. "Does he have any idea how much that must hurt Lampent? He-"
"Oh, be quiet," Bane said, still watching the screen. "He wasn't giving up, he was trying to help Lampent." At Alysson's and my confused looks, he continued. "Toxic is the most damaging poison cause-effect move that there is. Lampent wouldn't have been able to do well poisoned; that's why he did that. It also gave him the bonus of weakening Vullaby." Bane paused for a moment. "But I stand by my reasoning."
This gave Alysson and me something to think about. At least until Ron threw out his next pokemon: a Beldum. The Beldum hovered and gave a mechanical cry as it prepared for battle. "Beldum, iron head!" Ron declared.
Bane sat up straight. "Beldum isn't supposed to know that move," he muttered to himself. Beldum nonetheless rammed into Vullaby with a silvery tackle.
Vullaby shook itself off and stood, ready for more. "Vullaby, use faint attack!" Josh shouted. It was clear that he was nervous.
As Vullaby hastily waddled nearer, Ron countered. "Beldum, take down!" Beldum slammed into Vullaby, leaving it twitching in the ground.
"Vullaby is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "The winner of this match is Ron, of Pasturida!" the crowd cheered as Ron returned Beldum and walked off. Josh hurriedly returned his Vullaby and ran to the nurse.
Soon after, Ron joined us downstairs. "Hey," he called when he entered. "So, how'd I do?"
We really didn't know what to say to that. Our views of Ron were changed that day, and there didn't seem like much he could do to change them back. "You're a good battler," Bane said finally. Ron nodded, slightly put off, and leaned back in his seat.
"The next match is Bane, of Solatropia Island, versus Butch, of the town of Icirrus, in the Unova region!" the announcer screamed over the intercom, gaining cheers from the audience.
Bane got up and stretched. "Well, wish me luck," he said, walking out. "Oh!" he exclaimed, turning around. "These are 3-on-3 matches, right?"
Alysson and I shared a look, then turned back to him. "Good luck," we each said sincerely.
He frowned at our comment and left. Ron, meanwhile, had gotten out a PokePad and was using the touchscreen for some purpose. "Wat'cha doin?" Alysson said after a moment.
He looked up and shrugged. "Making notes on the competitors," he replied, going back to his screen. "Some of these guys, unlike Josh, seem like tough competitors, so I need to know everything I can to keep one step ahead." He turned the screen over to show us a picture of Bane and Anorith, from when we battled the Jests. "Even him. For example, I have a strategy to beat Bane down-pat."
I raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because if there's one thing Bane's got, it's not predictability."
Ron nodded, returning his focus to his work. "True enough, but I doubt he's gotten any new pokemon in the last day or so, and I have a strategy ready for each one." He grinned to himself as he put his Pad away.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer boomed. "The third and final match for today is between Bane, a tropical resident of Kenewyore," Bane waved to the audience as they cheered. "And Butch, a rough rider from the foreign shores of Unova!" Butch flexed his muscles as the crowd cheered again.
"So, Ron," I said, eyes on the screen. "Care to make a prediction on this match?"
Alysson didn't know what we meant, having been on the field at the time, so she asked what I was talking about. "I bet that the guy up against you would lose," Ron explained. "Well, not really a bet, more like an… educated assumption. And, I'll say… Butch'll win this one." Alysson was shocked, but I just laughed. "And what's so funny?" Ron asked me.
I sighed from laughter. "Well, I've been with Bane for just over a week now and, how should I put this?" I jokingly thought for a moment. "He doesn't lose easily."
Ron shrugged. "Whatever," he commented lazily.
"Well, isn't he full of personality?" Alysson whispered to me. I tried to keep myself from laughing, and only did so barely. Meanwhile, Bane had released Anorith and Butch had chosen a Donphan; the battle had begun.
"Anorith, use cross poison!" Bane opened the match. Anorith scuttled toward Donphan.
"Donphan!" Butch shouted. "Roll-out!" He pronounced it like two words, but Donphan still used a basic rollout attack, rolling into a ball and rushing at Anorith.
"Anorith, dig!" Bane countered. Anorith dug underground and avoided Donphan's attack. Donphan, however, had rolled right over Anorith's hole and, as though it were a truck running over a pothole, turned and fell on its side.
"Donphan!" Butch cried. "Use fire fang once that bug comes up!" Donphan waited, but Anorith did something Anorith does best: surprise everyone.
"Hey!" someone in the audience yelled. Anorith was in their lap, eating their popcorn. "Rith-rith," Anorith thanked the stranger. The man picked up Anorith and tossed him back onto the field. Bane stared for a moment, then looked over to the official.
The man in black-and-white stripes simply shrugged, so they moved on. "Anorith, bug bite!" Bane commanded. Anorith leaped at Donphan and bit its trunk.
"Donphan, defense curl!" Butch countered. Donphan rolled up into a ball, but Anorith didn't stop. He gnawed at Donphan like it was the popcorn he hadn't gotten. "Grr, try using rollout!"
Donphan immediately rolled forward, leaving Anorith twitching on the ground. Bane returned Anorith as the referee announced him unable to battle and asked Bane to choose his next pokemon. "Yeah, yeah, hold your Ponytas!" Bane shouted back. "Kick some butt, baby!" Bane said, releasing his Elekid.
"Bree-bree-bree!" Bane Jr. buzzed, sparks going between each horn.
Butch laughed uproariously as Bane and Elekid gave him identical glares. "That puny thing?" he mocked. "Not only is it puny, it's an electric-type!" He continued to laugh.
"…Kick his butt, Bane Jr." Bane told him seriously. Bane Jr. roared and rushed Donphan.
After a bit more laughing, Butch made a move. "Okay, Donphan, just use rollout." Donphan rolled into a ball and rolled out.
"Low kick, Bane Jr!" Bane shouted. Bane Jr. skid under Donphan and tripped the massive wheel, causing the elephant-pokemon to fly into the opposite wall. I believe Butch's mouth was hung open about half-a-foot.
Meanwhile, Ron was adjusting his notes madly and Alysson had just brought back some snacks. "What'd I miss?" she asked.
I took my bag of chips and ate a couple. "Oh, Bane Jr. knocked out Donphan," I said.
"How?" Alysson asked, eating some of her mashed potatoes.
"…Where in all of Kenewyore did you find a stand that sells mashed potatoes?" I asked, munching on some chips.
Alysson shrugged. "KFC – Kenewyore Fried Chicken," she answered.
I sighed and ate my chips as Butch returned his Donphan, clearly angered by being beaten by a baby pokemon. "I'll show you, ya' half-pint!" Butch shouted, releasing a Carracosta. "Carracosta, use iron defense!" Carracosta attained a silvery-metallic coating, which quickly faded, its effect now set.
"Bane Jr., use thundershock!" Bane countered. Bane Jr. let loose a bolt of electricity, but the attack didn't do as much damage as it should have. "Hey, what gives?" Bane shouts, Bane Jr. mimicking him.
Butch gives another booming laugh. "Super effective moves do squat to Carracosta! Hahahahahahahaa!" Butch taunts.
"Is that even possible?" Alysson asks.
I nod. "Yeah, I think that's what its ability does, or something," I replied. Sure, my dad's a pokemon researcher, but almost no one knows much about extinct pokemon.
"Solid rock," Ron added in. "One of my pokemon has the same ability."
"Which one?" I asked, curious to get a read on this guy.
"Not telling," he replied, going back to his studies.
It turned back to the screen and the battle further unfolded. "Bane Jr., dodge!" Bane shouted as Carracosta used rollout. Bane Jr. barely avoided the rolling shell. "Try low kick!" Bane Jr. waited until Carracosta got close, but Butch intervened.
"Carracosta, brine!" Butch shouted. Carracosta unrolled before Bane Jr. and shot a blast of briny water from its mouth. The Elekid was hit hard and knocked over to Bane.
"Bane Jr!" Bane shouted, checking out his pokemon. "You okay?" Bane Jr. struggled to get up. "Bane Jr., just stop," Bane told it. "It's over. Porygon can-" But he stopped as Bane Jr. leaped away and back into battle. "Bane Jr!" Bane shouted. "Get back here, now!"
The Elekid gave Bane a raspberry as Alysson and I watched from the waiting room. I looked at Alysson and said, "You know, they really are very similar."
"Oh, I quite agree," she answered, and we went back to watching the battle.
Bane Jr. was having difficulty dodging Carracosta's rollouts. "Bane Jr., stop!" Bane shouted angrily. "Just stop! You're gonna get hurt!"
Butch laughed. "Carracosta, use ancientpower!" he shouted. Bane's eyes widened. He grabbed Bane Jr.'s pokeball and tried returning Bane Jr., but Carracosta stepped in his way.
"Move, ya' overgrown sushi!" Bane shouted, trying to get a clear line of fire.
Carracosta groaned as parts of the rocky ground turned blue. "Carrrrrrrrr…" Several stones heaved themselves from the ground as Carracosta's eyes turned blue. "Costaaaa!" The rocks flung themselves at Bane Jr., but the little guy's got a lot of fighting spirit.
He jumped around the first few, then a couple hit him, knocking him over. "I said, move!" Bane shouted, trying to return his pokemon. Carracosta growled and shot a stone at Bane! Bane barely avoided the flying rock. "Hey, control your pokemon!" Bane shouted to Butch.
Butch merely continued that booming, obnoxious laugh that made even Alysson and I hate the guy. Bane was about to go onto the field, but suddenly, before Carracosta stood Bane Jr. "BREEEE!" the lightning pokemon shouted, electricity sparking furiously from its horns.
Carracosta roared at Bane Jr., but Bane Jr. replied by roaring back, as its body started to glow white! The audience gasped as Bane Jr.'s white form grew and expanded, creating an entirely new shape; Elekid evolved into Electabuzz! "BRRRRRR!" The newly evolved Bane Jr. roared, making Carracosta look like he'd pee himself.
"Bane Jr," Bane breathed in shock. He then gave an enormous smirk. "Fry that turtle!"
"Carracosta, stop it!" Butch shouted in a panic. "Use protect!" Carracosta put up a shield of green, but Electabuzz raised his fist and smashed the barrier with brick break! "Gahh!" Butch shouted, afraid.
"Give him your best shot, Bane Junior!" Bane Junior gathered electricity in his fist and shot an electro ball at Carracosta, shooting the prehistoric turtle back to the Mesozoic era!
Butch growled as he returned Carracosta and Bane Junior walked over to Bane. "I'm not done yet!" he shouted, pulling out his last pokemon. "Magnezone here'll-"
"You are quite done!" came a shout from the sidelines. The referee had raised Bane's flag. "Entrant Bane is the winner of this match! Butch is disqualified for breaking rule 3-A: No pokemon may attack any trainers, even their own."
Butch sputtered as Bane and Bane Junior cheered. "Heck yeah!" Bane shouted. "We won!"
"Brr-brrzz, Bree brr!" Bane Junior mimicked, now just a foot-or-so shorter than Bane.
"Well, that was an eventful day, huh folks?" the announcer said over the intercom. "Now, let's let our contestants get a good rest because tomorrow, you'll see even more hopefuls vie for the prize of championship! Have a good evening, everyone!" And the stands started to empty.
"Well, that was something," I commented as Alysson and I got up. "Two disqualifications and a complete devastation."
"Not bad for the first day, huh?" Alysson asks me.
"You guys just wait," Ron says, packing up his PokePad. "Next round, I'm really gonna show you my stuff."
I chuckled. "Uh-huh," I said, walking out, followed by Alysson. "Well, we'll see ya' then." And with that, Bane, Alysson and I headed for the pokemon center to get some sleep.
Bane: My Bane Jr. evolved into Electabuzz! WHOO-HOO!
…
Bane: …Seriously, dude, is it that bad?
…No. I actually haven't had finals yet; but I've been studying like crazy.
Bane: Like right now as you're writing your story?
…Shut it! Thank you people! Review, please!
