Chapter 64 - Prep vs. Pure Talent! Yuichi vs. Luna!

"What have you done to prepare for Luna?" Logan asked as he entered Yuichi's room. Yuichi's Pokémon were all surrounding his computer, and they were looking at some data. Yurie was there too, and she was reading about some of the other competitors.

Yuichi laughed. "All that I can. Luna's Pokémon are all top level, so this will not be easy."

The writing was on the wall for both of them. Yuichi was a good battler, but they both knew what was coming. Yuichi turned and smiled. "You ready for Yuta?"

"About that… What do you know about him?" Logan asked.

Yuichi sighed and closed a window on the computer. "He's not going to be a pushover. So far, he's shuffled between about ten different Pokémon. They're all top level too. You saw his Metagross yesterday. You're going to want to use your best Pokémon."

Yurie looked at the different Pokémon on the screen. "It doesn't surprise me that Yuta has come this far in such a short amount of time. He was always so ahead of everyone else in our class. He was even scoring higher on tests than my older brother and his friends."

Logan took in a deep breath. "I don't want to have to use my strongest Pokémon this early in the tournament, but Yuta may be forcing my hand."

"Let's do our best today!" Yuichi exclaimed. "If we both manage to win, then it's me vs. you in the semi-finals."

"Our next Top 8 battle will be between Yuichi Denholm from Johto and Luna Devons from Unova! These two both competed together last year in Alola, but they now find themselves head to head in the Ever Grande Conference! Luna is no doubt the clear favorite to win the entire tournament, but can Yuichi pull off a surprise upset today? Don't look away!" the announcer's voice echoed throughout the stadium as Yuichi and Luna walked to their places.

"This is exciting," Yuichi said. "Didn't think it'd ever come to us, but I'm glad."

Luna remained silent.

"The following match will be a full six on six battle between Yuichi Denholm and Luna Devons. A winner will be determined when one side's Pokémon have all fainted. We will go into a short intermission when one side has lost three Pokémon. We will start on the water field!" the referee declared as she held up two flags. "Begin!"

"Haunter, go!" Yuichi called out while throwing his Poké Ball into the air. A purple Pokémon made of gas appeared above the field. He stuck his tongue out and laughed at Luna.

Luna glared at the Pokémon and then drew out her ball. "Dewott, you're on!" A blue mid-sized Pokémon materialized on the field. He reached to grab the two scalchops that were sheathed on his thighs.

Logan smiled. "So, that's how confident she is."

"What do you mean?" Yurie asked.

"Dewott is by no means a weak Pokémon, especially Luna's. But in terms of the Pokémon that she's raised, Dewott may be her weakest. She's taunting Yuichi."

"Haunter, use Shadow Punch!"

"Razor Shell, Dewott!"

Haunter's hand started to glow with a wispy purple energy, and he quickly flew forward across the field. Meanwhile, Dewott lifted his scalchops and surrounded them with aquatic energy. He patiently waited for his ghostly opponent, and when they were in range, they both swung. The two Pokémon blasted past one another, and they paused, waiting to see the results of their dual. Shock slowly came over Haunter as the pain from Dewott's attack set in.

"Give him another!" Luna commanded.

Dewott spun around and swung at Haunter.

"Sucker Punch!"

Haunter grinned and then shot backwards. He swiftly ducked under Dewott's strike and then uppercutted him, dark energy exploding from his hand. Dewott was knocked back only slightly.

"Use Water Pulse!"

Dewott nodded and then put his scalchops back in place before forming an orb of aquatic energy in between his two hands. He lifted the orb into the air, but Yuichi was ready.

"Hypnosis!"

Before Dewott could toss the ball towards the ground, Haunter darted forward. He placed his giant claw on top of Dewott's head and focused his energy. The two stared at one another before a glossy look came over Dewott's eyes. His head slumped, and he dropped the ball of water onto himself.

Yuichi laughed. "Nice!"

"What happened?" Yurie wondered.

"Haunter put Dewott to sleep. While Dewott still is technically in the battle, he'll remain unable to move for a little bit," Logan explained.

"Use Dream Eater!" Yuichi ordered.

Haunter released his grip of Dewott's head, and his eyes started to glow red. Dewott's body shook, and he slowly stumbled backwards. The Water-type collapsed to one knee and then gripped his head. Then, the glossy look in his eyes faded away, and he shot a glare at Haunter.

Luna grinned. "Very lucky. Razor Shell!"

Before Yuichi could make his call, Dewott span around. He pulled out his scalchops and filled them with energy before slicing low at Haunter. The Ghost-type fell from the air and slowly floated back to the ground.

"Finish it with Water Pulse!"

Dewott reached out his hands, and as though they were magnetic, the water from before rose from the ground and became an orb once more. He lunged the orb at the ground, and it exploded into a wave. The wave washed over Haunter, and when the attack was finished, Haunter laid limp on the ground.

"Haunter is unable to battle! Dewott is the winner!" the referee announced.

Yuichi returned Haunter and grinned. "I thought that we had 'em. We'll just have to play smarter." He grabbed his next Poké Ball. "Voltorb, let's roll!" The ball Pokémon appeared on the field and rolled around playfully. He noticed Dewott and then rolled into a fighting position.

"You may have the type advantage, but a tiny Voltorb isn't going to do much against me," Luna said. "Ice Beam!"

"Thunderbolt!"

The two Pokémon unleashed their attacks onto the field, and the energy collided above the middle pool of water, causing an explosion.

"Headbutt!" Yuichi yelled.

"Razor Shell!"

The two Pokémon leapt into the explosion, but Dewott was tossed back quicker than expected. He fell onto the ground and held out his scalchops, but Voltorb was too fast. It emerged from the smoke and smashed its entire body into Dewott's midsection. Dewott keeled back but quickly recovered. His body shook as he stood back up.

"Aerial Ace!" Luna ordered.

Before Yuichi could make his next command, Dewott shot forward. He swiped his two scalchops at Voltorb, getting a direct hit.

"Now Water Pulse!"

In one quick motion, Dewott sheathed his scalchops and then formed a ball of aquatic energy in his hands. He released the ball of energy onto the field, engulfing Voltorb entirely. When the wave washed away, Voltorb weakly rolled around the field. Dewott placed his foot Voltorb's face, putting the Pokémon's movement to a stop.

"Finish this with Razor Shell."

Dewott lifted one his scalchops into the air, and he menacingly grinned at Voltorb.

"Mirror Coat!"

Before Dewott could strike, a purple veil of energy enveloped Voltorb's body. The energy blasted Dewott away, but the Water-type quickly recovered. He pulled his other scalchop from its sheath and then ran down the field.

"Voltorb, I'm sorry! Use Explosion!"

The entire crowd went silent as Voltorb started to glow white. He sucked energy into his body and then unleashed it all at once, creating a giant explosion onto the field. When the light from his attack faded away, both Pokémon were revealed to be unconscious.

"Dewott and Voltorb are both unable to battle!" the referee declared while holding up both of her flags.

"You were able to actually defeat Dewott. I'm surprised," Luna said. "But it came at the cost of two of your Pokémon." She pulled out her next Poké Ball. "Banette, go!" A ghostly Pokémon appeared on the field, and it waved around its wavy arms while its mouth, seemingly made of a zipper, chattered.

Yuichi smiled. "Cute! Weezing, let's go!" From Yuichi's Poké Ball a purple Pokémon with appeared. It floated above the stage, and with its multiple faces mangled together, it look continuously pained.

"Start with Thunderbolt!" Luna commanded.

Banette waved her arms in the air a bit before she discharged electric energy from her body. The sparks crackled against the field, tearing into the grass and electrifying the ponds. The attack collided with Weezing, making him cry out in pain, and Luna was quick to make her next call.

"Ice Wind!" she ordered.

"Fight back with Flamethrower!"

The two Pokémon unleashed their elemental attacks from their mouths. Fire and ice clashed in the middle of the field, causing an explosion of smoke and steam. Mist formed over the field, and the two Pokémon were soon hidden.

"Gyro Ball!" Yuichi called.

No one could see what was happening, but inside the smoke, a faint silhouette could be seen bouncing around. The sound of clanking metal reverberated throughout the stadium, and everyone stared wide eyed at the field, looking for any indication as to what was going on.

"Thunderbolt!" Luna yelled.

The clanging stopped as light pierced through the mist. With one sudden flash and explosion, the mist was stripped away, and both Pokémon remained floating in the air. Banette looked worn down while Weezing was laughing.

"C'mon, Weezing! Sludge Bomb!"

Weezing started to choke as he sucked in air. With one big heave, he hurled purple sludge out of his giant mouth into the air.

"Sucker Punch!"

Before Weezing could finish spewing his purple sludge, Banette slid across the field, easily avoiding all of the attack. She jabbed directly at Weezing, knocking him backwards.

"She's too quick," Yuichi muttered. "One more time. Sorry, Weezing! Explosion!"

Weezing began to laugh as his body started to glow white. He let out one more maniacal howl before time stopped, and his body exploded, sending a bright energy across the field. Both Pokémon were completely engulfed by the light, and everyone covered their eyes.

When everyone could see once more, they all instantly turned their attention to the field. Only Weezing remained on the field, his body floating in one of the pools. Banette was nowhere to be found.

"What happened?" Yurie wondered.

Suddenly, a purple portal opened up in the middle of the field, and Banette emerged. She snickered as she looked at her downed opponent. Her trick worked.

"Used Phantom Force to get out of the way…" Yuichi muttered.

"I know how you battle, Yuichi. Your double explosion technique wasn't going to surprise me," Luna exclaimed. "You're going to have to try harder now."

"Weezing is unable to battle! Banette is the winner!" the referee declared. "Yuichi has lost three Pokémon, so we will now go into our fifteen minute break."

Yuichi raised his hand. "I have a request."

The referee appeared perplexed. "Wh-what?"

"Can we skip the intermission? I don't need it."

Luna nodded. "Me neither."

The referee looked up at Mr. Goodshow, who slowly gave him the thumbs up. The referee raised her flags. "We'll continue!"

"Well this is new! I guess you'll have to wait a little bit longer to go to the bathroom, folks!" the announcer screamed into his microphone. "Hold on tight because it's about to get even more intense!"

The crowd cheered as Luna returned Banette. She then tossed another Poké Ball into the air, and a medium sized Pokémon holding a bone with fire on both of its ends appeared.

"Good to see your Marowak in good health!" Yuichi said. "But he won't stand a chance against my OG Pokémon! Croconaw, let's go!"

"Use Bonemerang!" Luna ordered.

Marowak lifted his bone above his head and spun it around before heaving into the air directly towards Croconaw.

"Dragon Claw!"

Croconaw howled as his charged arcane energy into his claws. He leapt into the air as the bone came closer, and he grabbed onto it. With one swift motion, he lunged the bone into the ground, putting it to a stop.

"A Marowak without its weapon," Logan muttered. "Interesting."

"Now, Croconaw! Use Ice Fang!"

Croconaw tilted his head back and unhinged his maw. Crystals of ice formed over his teeth, and he started to run forward.

"Meet him halfway with Flare Blitz!" Luna commanded.

"Marowak!" her Pokémon cried out as he bounded towards the middle of the field. The two Pokémon clashed with one another, causing smoke to shoot into the air. Marowak blew past Croconaw and out of the smoke. He twisted his body and grabbed the bone from the ground, Croconaw following behind in his shadow. Marowak quickly turned and swung his club, but Croconaw caught it with his mouth, freezing over the area without fire. The two struggled for a bit and waited for their trainers' next orders.

"Brick Break!" Luna's voice called.

Marowak released his grip on his club and then swung his fist downwards, smashing it on the top of Croconaw's head. Croconaw stumbled back and howled in pain.

"Marowak, let's do this!"

Marowak nodded and then did a somersault to his side of the field. Luna raised her hand, unveiling a bracelet that she had attached to her wrist. The crystal in the middle began to glow, and Luna and her Pokémon started to strike synchronized poses. Marowak's body was filled with energy, and his eyes started to glow.

"Inferno Overdrive!"

Marowak span his bone in circles and started to create a massive ball of fire in front of him. He then lifted his club and swung it, hitting the ball and making it fly towards Croconaw.

"Hydro Pump!" Yuichi yelled.

"It won't be strong enough!" Logan exclaimed.

The fire overtook Croconaw's position, making a gigantic explosion of fire. When the flames faded away, all that remained was smoke, but Croconaw was nowhere to be found.

"Incinerated?" Himawari wondered.

Croconaw's voice howled from the sky, and everyone looked into the air. The chubby Water-type was falling down towards the earth with a big smile on his face.

"Hydro Pump! This time, make it hurt!" Yuichi ordered.

"Croco!" the Pokémon yelled out before unleashing a thick stream of water from his mouth. The water crashed into Marowak, sending the Fire-type reeling backwards. Marowak smacked hard against the wall and then slumped to the ground before Croconaw landed and then posed. The crowd cheered.

"Marowak is unable to battle! Croconaw wins!" the referee declared.

"What? What exactly happened? That Fire-type attack was too strong!" Himawari questioned. "What happened?!"

The crowd all looked at the screen as it showed replays of Inferno Overdrive. Seconds before it would have connected with Croconaw, he blasted water at the ground, which sent him soaring into the air.

"Insane…" Himawari muttered.

"Like I said before, Yuichi is by no means a bad trainer. He knows exactly what he's doing," Logan said.

Luna withdrew Marowak and then glared at Yuichi before a smile came across her face. She looked up at screen and observed that she still had four Pokémon remaining while Yuichi was only left with three. "You're not in a good position, Yuichi."

Yuichi laughed. "Nah, but I'll work with what I've got."

Luna looked up into the stands. She locked eyes with Logan. "When I came to Hoenn, Professor Birch asked if I'd help with some of his research, and I agreed. We're studying mega evolution, and I've gotta say, the results are amazing." She pulled her next Poké Ball from her belt. "You like to learn new things, Yuichi, so how about it? Let me show you the power of mega evolution!" With that, she threw her next Poké Ball into the air, and a tall Pokémon with long red legs, fire exploding from its wrists, and long beige hair-like feathers hanging from the back of its head appeared. It struck a fighting pose when it saw Croconaw.

Yuichi laughed nervously. "So, that's a Blaziken? Never seen one in real life before."

Luna lifted her other wrist, revealing one more bracelet. She pushed the stone that was in the middle, and it began to glow. Energy surged throughout the area, making the wind stop blowing. As the stone's glow got brighter, Blaziken's energy surged more and more. Soon, he was absorbed by an orb of multi-colored energy, and once it exploded, a new form was born. This form had patches of black feathers, and the fire on his wrist now took the shape of ribbons.

"Mega Blaziken…" Logan muttered.

"We'll hit them with strongest move we can!" Yuichi declared. He raised his wrist, revealing his blue Z-crystal. It shined brightly as Yuichi and Croconaw started to pose in synchronization. "Hydro Vortex!"

"Croconaw!" the Pokémon cried out as his body was covered in aquatic energy. He started to spin in the air, creating a giant whirlpool with his body. The whirlpool quick moved towards Blaziken, ready to absorb the Fire-type.

"Sky Uppercut!"

Blaziken nodded and then took a step backwards. He let the whirlpool suck him in, and he quickly disappeared. The crowd focused as the whirlpool in front of them wavered and then became more intense. It suddenly stood still, and both of the Pokémon emerged. Blaziken firmly had his fist pressed against Croconaw's lower jaw, and the two flew into the air. Croconaw crashed down onto the ground, and his body slid weakly against the field.

The referee looked closely at Croconaw before raising her flag. "Croconaw is unable to battle! Blaziken wins!"

Yuichi returned his Pokémon and then sighed. "So, that's the kind of power that mega evolution contains. I guess I'm not too surprised after Yuta's battle." He pulled out his next Poké Ball. "I'll have to fight with all that I can! Torkoal, let's do it!"

His Pokémon materialized on the field and span around. He blew smoke onto the ground in an effort to intimidate Blaziken.

"Start with Sky Uppercut!"

"Iron Defense!"

Blaziken darted across the field as Torkoal withdrew into his shell. The Fighting-type knelt down and then shot upwards, punching the bottom of Torkoal's shell and sending him rolling backwards.

"Now, Blaze Kick!" Luna instructed.

Using his forward motion from before, Blaziken span his body around, and with one swift movement, he kicked Torkoal. Yuichi's Pokémon finally came from his shell as he flew into the air.

"Sky Uppercut!"

"Smokescreen!"

As Blaziken leapt into the air, Torkoal unleashed smoke from his mouth onto the field. Blaziken was blinded by the smoke and fell back to the ground. He tried to wave the smoke away, and meanwhile, Yuichi took his chance.

"Earthquake!"

Torkoal withdrew in his shell and then plummeted back to the stage. He crashed into the middle, causing the entire area to shake. Blaziken stumbled a bit, but was able to maintain his footing.

"Now, Inferno!" Yuichi ordered.

Torkoal span his body around and got back to a standing position. He released one small burst of flames from his mouth. The flames surrounded Blaziken completely, engulfing his body.

"Use your own Earthquake!"

Blaziken lifted one of his legs and then smashed it into the ground, extinguishing the flames completely. The rumbling continued to shake the field, sending Torkoal into the air. He then crashed down hard onto his back, unable to get back up.

"Torkoal is unable to battle! Blaziken wins!" the referee declared.

Yuichi returned Torkoal and then looked up at the screen. He only had one Pokémon left to Luna's four. With a sigh, he drew out his last Poké Ball and tossed it onto the field. His Dusknoir emerged and prepared to fight.

"Fighting-type moves won't work on your Dusknoir, so I'll have to resort to my other tactics," Luna said. "But I'm by no means worried. Blaziken can outspeed anything and then keep the attacks coming."

Yuichi laughed. "I noticed that. Every time Blaziken attacks, he seems to get faster. I guess that'd be his ability in his mega form?"

Luna nodded.

"This is exciting! Dusknoir, start with Future Sight!"

Dusknoir charged some energy, and sent a purple haze into the air.

"We'll have to be careful," Luna said. "Use Blaze Kick!"

"Blaziken!" the Pokémon roared out as he leapt into the sky. He did a front flip, and his right leg became engulfed in flames.

"Shadow Ball!" Yuichi ordered.

Dusknoir formed a ball of shadowy energy in his palms and then released it forward, but Blaziken was too strong. He kicked straight through the ball and then landed directly on Dusknoir's stomach. Dusknoir fell back a little bit, but he was still ready to fight.

"Ice Beam!"

Dusknoir opened the stomach on his mouth and then released a beam of ice onto the field. The beam connected with Blaziken, seemingly only annoying him.

"Use Earthquake!" Luna barked.

Blaziken nodded and then tried to move, but he couldn't. He looked down, noticing that his feet were frozen to the ground. He took the next move upon himself, setting his legs on fire and instantly melting the ice, but what he didn't notice was the purple cloud forming above him. Pink and purple lightning then struck down, electrifying Blaziken with psychic energy.

"Charge Beam!" Yuichi ordered.

Dusknoir waved around his arms, creating electricity throughout his fingers. He pointed at Blaziken, sending the electrical waves outwards. The beam connected directly, forcing Blaziken down to one knee.

"Another Shadow Ball!"

"Get out of the way, and use Blaze Kick!"

Blaziken jumped, avoiding the ball of shadowy energy, and then he twisted his body. With one movement, he kicked outwards, sending fire soaring at Dusknoir. The attack collided directly, making Dusknoir float backwards.

"Let's try Future Sight again!" Yuichi yelled.

"I don't think so! Finish this with Brave Bird!"

As Dusknoir started to charge his energy, Blaziken bounded forward. His body became covered in blue flames, and he crashed into the Ghost-type, causing smoke to blow into the air. When the smoke faded away, both Pokémon collapsed to the ground.

The referee raised her flags. "Both Blaziken and Dusknoir are unable to battle! All of Yuichi's Pokémon have fainted while Luna still has three remaining, which means that the victory goes to Luna!"

The crowd cheered as the two trainers returned their Pokémon. Yuichi looked up and waved at the audience, sucking in every last second that he could. When it was their time, the two walked to the back, and Logan ran down to the locker room as fast as he could in his boot.

"Too bad you won't get your rematch," Logan said while patting Yuichi on the back. "I was really rooting for you."

"I had her on the ropes!" Yuichi exclaimed before the two burst out laughing.

"You need to take this more seriously," Luna snapped.

The two boys looked at each other, not knowing who she was talking to.

"Both of you. Yuichi, you let your Pokémon down, and Logan, if you don't try harder, you're not even going to make it past Yuta," Luna said. She looked up at the board. The winner between Yuta and Logan would be moving on to face her in the semi-finals. "And if you can't even make it that far, then going off on your own only proves that you're weak."

Logan made a fist. "I am taking this seriously. Every battle that I'm in, I give 100%. You'll see."

"Logan," a voice called from behind. The group turned to find Yuta in his green collared shirt buttoned up all the way to the top. "It's time for our battle."

Logan smiled. "I'm ready!"

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Thanks for reading! Next battle is Logan vs. Yuta, which is a battle I've been waiting to write for almost a year now. It'll be another two parter. Overall, the reception to how I've written the league has been largely positive, so I'm happy. There have been a couple of things brought up that I should address though.

Why hasn't Logan used a Z-move until now? - When Logan came to Hoenn, he left everything behind. He didn't even bring Poke Balls. He had no intention of training, and I don't imagine that there'd be any way for Juniper to send him his Z-ring while he was constantly moving around. Also, as far as I've written, Logan only has the specialized crystals for Lycanroc, Incineroar, and one more. He couldn't use them with his Hoenn team anyways.

Will Logan have Manectric Mega Evolve? - I only want to answer this question in advance, because I don't want to disappoint anyone. But no. He won't. Logan hasn't actively searched for Mega Stones like Yuta has. And I want to keep Mega Evolution special. I was considering originally having Logan Mega Evolve Manectric before Swampert, but I ultimately decided that he has a better bond with Swampert. If anyone ever Mega Evolves a Manectric, it would probably be Himawari in the distant future.

There are too many characters with names that start with 'Y' - Yeah, I'm sorry. This wasn't on purpose. I named Yuta after one of my best friends in Japan. Yurie is my favorite female Japanese name, so that's why that's Yurie's name. I decided to go with two 'Yu' names with Yui and Yuriko because they're family. And my best friend, who I'm basing Yuichi off of, requested that that be his name. I realized this 'Yu' issue in Chapter 20, but it was too late to change any of the names.