Chapter 28 - Hitachi Buckwheat Noodles - Part 3
"This Round 2 battle in the B block is between Kawahara Yurie from Hoenn and Emma Minami from Alola!" the referee said while holding up his two flags.
Yurie looked down at Torchic. "It's been awhile, but you're up!"
"Torchic!" he replied happily before running out onto the field.
"And I'll think we'll go with Oddish!" Yurie added as she threw her Poké Ball into the air. Her Grass-type appeared next to Torchic, and she jumped up and down, excited for the battle. "After this battle, I have a big meal waiting for you, Oddish!"
"Odd? Oddish!" the Pokémon cried out happily.
Yurie's opponent looked to be a few years older. She had light skin, and her hair was dyed green and cut into a bobbed style. She wore a mauve t-shirt with a skull print design on the front, blue jeans, and black boots. She threw her two Poké Balls forward, and two much larger Pokémon appeared.
One was blue, and Yurie was vaguely familiar with it. It had two large shells on its forearms, which served as swords for its attacks. The other Pokémon was clearly a Ghost-type. It's head appeared to be some kind of possessed witch's hat with rags dangling off of it.
"Begin!"
"Let's start strong! Flamethrower and Acid!" Yurie ordered.
Torchic chirped happily before unleashing his attack onto the field. Oddish followed along, belching a disgusting pile of green goo from her mouth.
"Mismagius, use Protect!" Emma ordered.
Mismagius floated in front of her partner and then formed the blue wall of energy that the audience had become familiar with. While the combination of fire and poison was incredibly strong, the blue forcefield was unbreakable.
"Samurott, use Swords Dance!" Emma said. "And Mismagius, Lucky Chant!"
As Mismagius started to chant, sending her voice reverberating across the field, Samurott began to glow with a red aura.
"Oh no," Yurie muttered.
"Now Samurott, use Razor Shell!" Emma commanded.
"How about Razor Leaf!"
Samurott bounded forward, and Oddish jumped into the air. The Water-type pulled out one of the swords from her forearms and sliced through Oddish's attack before continuing on her path.
"Torchic!" Yurie's Pokémon chirped.
"Alright, if you think so! Torchic, use Aerial Ace!"
Torchic, although small, was much faster than Samurott had anticipated. He shot across the field, and Samurott swiped. The two clash, sharpened beak and seamitar. One of them had to give in though, and despite Torchic's power, he was knocked back.
Samurott's power is insane, and she has the type advantage over Torchic, Yurie thought. I'm going to have to really go outside of the box.
"Mismagius, use Will-O-Wisp!" Emma ordered.
"Defend Oddish!"
Torchic, although being knocked over previously, quickly shot up and then got in front of his comrade. He took the small wisp of flame that Mismagius had released. It didn't have a lasting effect on his body, but the sensation had bothered him slightly, sending chills throughout up and down his spine.
"Dragon Tail!"
Samurott roared as arcane fire overtook her tail. She leapt into the air and swung it around, creating a wave of energy.
"Flame Burst!" Yurie ordered.
"Torchic!" her Pokémon called. He found his footing and then sucked in air. Within a second, he unleashed a small spout of fire, which exploded, turning into a wave of flames. The two waves connected with each other, and then imploded.
"Razor Leaf! Aerial Ace!"
Leaves, sharp as razors, came barreling through the smoke, catching Samurott off guard. They pelted into her, making her fall backwards, and then Torchic followed, racing past Samurott and then connecting with Mismagius. The Ghost-type floated back a few feet, putting Torchic in between her and Samurott.
"You're in a dangerous position!" Emma said. "Razor Shell!"
"Oddish, use Dazzling Gleam!"
Samurott prepared to strike with her seamitar, but then Oddish howled, unleashing a bright pink light from her mouth.
"Double Team! Phantom Force!"
Before the attack could connect with either Samurott or Mismagius, they used their maneuvers. Samurott multiplied, and began to circle around the field while Mismagius disappeared into a portal that led to another dimension. Torchic ended up taking the attack, but after rolling backwards, he was okay.
Oddish panicked and then ran to the middle of the field to meet with her partner. She knelt down and then looked around, noticing that Samurott was circling the field.
"Don't worry!" Yurie said. "Torchic, use Rock Slide!"
"Samurott, one more Razor Shell!"
Torchic chirped as loudly as he could as he ripped stones from the field. They crashed down on a few of the Samurott clones, but none were the real one. Samurott then leapt from her hiding place, cutting a few of the stones in half before she continued downward at the two Pokémon.
"Sleep Powder!"
It was now Oddish's turn. She jumped on Torchic's head before taking off into the air while releasing the blue powder from her body. Samurott, falling from the sky, was completely unable to defend herself from the powder. Her body loosened as she fell into a deep sleep. When she hit the ground, she was no longer able to take orders.
"Finish with Razor Leaf!"
Oddish twirled around and unleashed her attack once more. They ripped into Samurott before flinging her body clear across the field. She landed hard, her body now completely limp, and the referee made her call.
"Samurott is unable to battle!"
"Yes!" Yurie cheered, but then she saw a cloud of energy form above her Pokémon. Mismagius emerged with ghostly energy following behind her. Torchic was too distracted to see it, but Oddish was currently hyper aware. She jumped out and tackled Torchic out the way before taking the full force of the attack. When the ghostly cloud dissipated, Oddish was left alone on the ground.
"Oddish is unable to battle!"
Now down to one Pokémon each, the two trainers returned their unconscious teammates and then focused on the field.
"You're Pokémon are cute but powerful," Emma said. "I'm surprised."
"Your Samurott was a fierce warrior. One of a kind, honestly," Yurie replied. "Let's put it all we got into this next attack!"
"Phantom Force!" Emma commanded before Yurie could make her order.
Once again, Mismagius disappeared into a portal, leaving Torchic all alone on the field. The Fire-type looked around, but Mismagius was nowhere to be found.
"Don't let your guard down!" Yurie said.
The crowd waited with bated breath for something to happen, and then, above the field, directly in the middle, the ghostly energy appeared once more. Mismagius roared as she came back through the portal, bringing with her a blue cloud of horror.
"Flame Burst!" Yurie commanded at the top of her lungs.
Torchic chirped and then took in a deep breath. He unleashed his flames upwards, and although it was only a small spout, it exploded into the wave of fire again. The ghoulish cloud and wave of flames mixed together above the field before exploding, sending smoke all over the stadium. The crowd gasped as they waited for some kind of answer to what happened, but the smoke cleared out slowly.
Only one Pokémon remained standing, and that was Torchic, who chirped as he looked at the fainted Mismagius.
"Mismagius is unable to battle! Yurie is the victor!"
The crowd went crazy as Emma returned her Pokémon and Torchic ran back to Yurie, jumping into her arms. The two trainers met at the hallway before starting their slow return back to the locker room.
"You're really strong!" Yurie said.
Emma smiled. Although she had a dark fashion sense, her smile was still welcoming. "I've traveled all over the world and have experienced a lot. But trainers like you never fail to amaze me. I hope you're able to win this whole thing!"
"Thanks!"
Seshiru exited from the locker room to go to the field for her battle. "Logan's battle is about to begin in the A block. I won't be mad if you run over to go watch."
"You sure?"
"Go for it!"
"This Round 2 battle in the A block is between Logan Stephenson from Unova and Fujiwara Sora from Johto!" the referee announced.
"You ready, Sora?" Logan asked.
Sora simply nodded before closing his eyes and then slowly lifting his two Poké Balls into the air. "Feraligatr and Espeon, c'mon out." Both of his Pokémon emerged. Feraligatr howled at the thought of another battle, and his Espeon was calm, but the look in her eyes spelled danger for Logan.
"I'm glad you went with Feraligatr," Logan said before throwing his Poké Balls onto the field. Both Electabuzz and Grotle emerged. They stretched and let out battle cries before Electabuzz noticed the crowd.
"Begin!"
"Grotle, use Razor Leaf! Electabuzz, follow with Electro Ball!"
Before Grotle could start her attack, Electabuzz lunged, knocking her over. He then leapt into the air before forming the electric ball at the tip of his tail and launching it. When he landed back on the ground, he flexed his muscles, hoping to get a reaction from the crowd.
"Electabuzz, what was that for?"
"Shadow Ball."
Espeon stayed put, but she shifted her head while forming a ball of ghostly energy at the jewel on her forehead. She launched it into the air, and the two balls of energy clashed, exploding on contact.
"Now, Trick Room," Sora said calmly.
"Trick what?"
Espeon focused, and her feet started to glow. The entire field began to illuminate from her energy until it turned into a weird, purple aura.
"What just happened?"
"Feraligatr, use Dragon Tail."
"Razor Leaf and Electro Ball!" Logan ordered again.
Before either of Logan's Pokémon could start their attack, Feraligatr dashed over to their side of the field in an instant. He turned his massive body around, swinging his tail that was engulfed with an arcane fire. The fire swept over both of Logan's Pokémon, knocking them back.
"He's too fast," Logan muttered. "Grotle, use Mega Drain!"
"Ele!" his other Pokémon shouted while sticking out his arm, making Grotle hesitate. Electabuzz then ran forward while waving his arms above his head. His movements were much slower than usual though.
Sora smiled. "Psychic."
Espeon's eyes started to glow, and Electabuzz was suddenly stopped. He tried to wave his arms around, but no matter how much effort he put into it, he was bound by the psychic ability.
"Hydro Pump."
Feraligatr, only a few feet away from Electabuzz, started to laugh. He sucked in before blasting the strong spout of water from his mouth. It collided with Electabuzz and sent him backwards, his body dragging against the purple battlefield. When the attack stopped, Electabuzz was unconscious.
"Electabuzz is unable to battle!"
"So fast," Logan muttered while he withdrew Electabuzz. "How is he so fast?"
"I thought you were some kind of expert in battling, Logan," Sora said. He opened his eyes, maintaining his cold stare. "Trick Room plays tricks on the battle. Fast Pokémon are slowed down, and slow Pokémon are sped up. Feraligatr, who usually moves around in a sluggish manner, is boosted beyond measure."
Logan grinned. "Which means that Grotle should be lightning fast! Grotle, use Razor Leaf!"
With Electabuzz not there to stop her, Grotle roared while releasing the mass of leaves from her back. They raced down the field and sliced into Feraligatr, forcing him back a few inches.
"And now hit 'em with Superpower!" Logan yelled. "Don't hold back!"
"Grotle!" she responded. Her body became enveloped in a red aura, and she bounded forward, shaking the field with every leap. She collided directly into Feraligatr's midsection, but the Water-type held out strong.
"Ice Punch," Sora ordered while closing his eyes once more.
Feraligatr, while maintaining his position, lifted his arm as it crystallized with ice and hammered it down on Grotle. The Grass-type winced from the pain, and she backed away a few feet. One of the bushes on her back had been completely frozen over, and she waddled awkwardly.
Sora opened his eyes, now filled with intensity. "Finish this with Last Resort!"
Espeon finally took a battle position, and her body started to glow with a golden aura. She was completely enveloped in the energy, and then she bounded forward. With Grotle having nowhere to go, the two Pokémon tackled into each other, and Grotle was thrown all the way across the field. When she landed on the ground in front of Logan, the field then returned back to normal.
"Grotle is unable to battle! Sora is the victor!" the referee announced.
"Unbelievable," Logan said as he stared in horror at Grotle. He returned her to his ball, and then walked towards the hallway where he could meet with Sora.
"Thanks for the battle. I hope we get to do it again in the Indigo League," Sora said calmly.
Logan looked at him cautiously. "I've never met someone who battles so intensely but is so cool about it. I have a long way to go."
Sora smiled. "Right now, you and your Pokémon's hearts aren't one, so it's gonna be a long journey for you. But, I think you'll all become a fantastic team when it's all said and done."
Logan and Sora walked back to the locker room together where Maleah and Yurie were waiting for them. Although Logan had lost, he still enjoyed watching some of the replays of his match. The results of Seshiru's match also came up, revealing that she won handily. The remaining trainers, Yurie, Seshiru, Sora, and Maleah, were all asked to stay in A block's locker room, while everyone else was guided out. They would be given a fifteen minute break while the judges decided on the next round.
"So, it's us four," Seshiru said with a smile. "Very interesting. Looking like a seventy-five percent chance that it'll be the Queen of Kanto."
"I just won't lose in that case," Sora said as he looked at the television screen.
Maleah yawned and then put her hands behind her head. "There's only one person from Kanto left. It looks like the other trainers weren't as cut out for it."
Yurie laughed before Seshiru could reply. "It's just a name. Let's not get into the minute details."
"Final four," a voice called as someone entered the locker room. It was Kasumi, the previous gym leader for Cerulean City. Seshiru had hoped that she'd recognize her, but they hadn't had the chance to talk yet. "We've made the bracket for the last two rounds. Here."
She held up a piece of paper with their faces on it.
Seshiru grinned. "Guess that's me vs. you, Maleah."
"And I get to battle Sora!" Yurie exclaimed. "Let's all do our best!"
"We will now begin the semi-final round! This battle will be between Egawa Seshiru from Fuchsia City and Maleah Kalani from Alola!" the referee announced.
The rest of the battles would take place on one field, so the audience was packed in. Logan now sat with the crowd. After some rest, Charmander was healthy enough to watch with him. The Fire-type sat on his lap, and with no crowd focusing on him, he seemed relaxed enough to enjoy the show.
"Let's go, Kingler and Floatzel!" Seshiru yelled as she threw her Poké Balls into the air. Both of her Pokémon emerged and struck fighting poses. Seshiru looked up at Kasumi, who smiled back at her. "I'm winning this not only for Kanto, but for you."
Maleah grinned. "When they write about me in the history books, I hope that they include our battle today, Seshiru. Vikavolt and Toxapex, show them what we're made of!"
The Pokémon from Maleah's previous battle appeared next to one that Seshiru had never seen before. It appeared to be a dozen dark pink legs that formed a shell. The two front legs lifted into the air, revealing a small Pokémon on the inside with eyes of yellow.
"Toxapex?" Logan wondered. "Doesn't look like the Toxapex that I'm familiar with."
"Begin!"
"All out assault!" Seshiru said. "Aqua Tail and Crabhammer, go!"
Both of Floatzel's tails became engulfed in an aquatic energy while Kingler's pinsir started to glow a bright white. The two raced down the field next to each other, prepared to strike.
"Thunderbolt!" Maleah ordered.
Vikavolt responded by shooting sparks from his body. The sparks went for the middle of Seshiru's Pokémon, but they were fast enough to dodge by dividing their attack pattern. Floatzel followed by jumping into the air and swinging her tails at Vikavolt, knocking him down, and Kingler continued on her path towards Toxapex.
"Baneful Bunker!"
Toxapex's two front legs clamped down quickly before Kingler swung her pinsir. She connected directly, but it seemingly did nothing. When she pulled her pinsir away, spikes from Toxapex's shell came with it. Kingler winced, and a purple aura came over her body, indicating poison.
"What?" Seshiru gasped. "No!"
"Poison Jab!" Maleah yelled.
Toxapex raised one of her legs and then snapped forward. She jabbed Kingler directly in the face, sending her swirling backwards.
"Retreat and regroup!" Seshiru ordered.
Her Pokémon both jumped back to their side of the field. One of Kingler's legs gave out, and she dropped from the poison, but after some assistance from Floatzel, she was able to stand again.
"We'll just have to be faster," Seshiru said. "Rain Dance!"
Floatzel waved her arms around in the air while forming a ball of misty energy. She flung the ball into the air, and it exploded, forming the artificial clouds that then filled the field with rain.
Maleah smiled as some of the thunder lit up the field. "This is getting interesting."
"Floatzel, use Ice Fang!"
"Vikavolt, respond with Crunch!"
The two Pokémon dashed towards one another. Vikavolt was naturally fast, but in the rain, Floatzel's speed became almost unmatched. The two collided, and then their attacks started to form. The dark jaws clamped down onto the Floatzel before she responded by biting into Vikavolt. Ice crystallized from her maw and started to freeze over Vikavolt's right side.
"And now Guillotine!" Seshiru yelled.
This was Kingler's chance. Both of her pinsirs started to glow, and she dashed across the field as quickly as she could. Before Maleah could respond, she reached out and clamped down on Toxapex. Everyone waited with bated breath to see the result of the attack, knowing full well what it could do.
But then, Toxapex started to laugh.
"No way," Seshiru muttered.
Kingler buckled once more, and she fell to the ground. She started to breathe heavily from the poison coursing through her body.
"One more Poison Jab!"
Toxapex continued to laugh, and she looked down at Kingler, her yellow eyes piercing straight through Kingler's soul. With one quick motion, she launched forward and jabbed into Kingler once again, sending her to Seshiru's side of the field.
The referee raised the wet flag. "Kingler is unable to battle!"
Logan sat back in his seat. "I'm guessing that means that Toxapex is at a higher level of experience than Kingler. Maleah must have trained with it a lot."
Seshiru grimaced before returning Kingler and then looking at Floatzel. "Okay Floatzel, break out of there with Aqua Tail!"
"Float!" the Pokémon cried out. She flipped forward and smashed her tail into the top of Vikavolt's body, sending him down to the ground.
"Recover and use Thunderbolt!"
The clouds rumbled with thunder before Vikavolt unleashed his attack across the field. But Floatzel and Seshiru were quick.
"Dodge and use Ice Fang one more time!"
Floatzel jumped out of the way from electricity, narrowly avoiding it. She then lunged forward and bit into Vikavolt once again. Vikavolt responded by letting loose electricity, but Floatzel's resolve was strong. She howled and allowed the ice to crystallize over Vikavolt's body, and soon, the Bug-type fell to the ground with a loud crash.
"Vikavolt is unable to battle!"
Floatzel huffed and puffed as she watched her downed opponent be returned with the red light.
"Floatzel, watch out!" Seshiru yelled.
Suddenly, a beam of ice connected with Floatzel in the chest. She rolled backwards to try to recover and then looked up. Toxapex was chortling from her sneak attack, and Maleah stood behind her with a smile.
"We won't lose!" Seshiru yelled
"I guess that's gonna complicate things," Maleah responded.
"Earthquake!"
"Baneful Bunker!"
Floatzel howled, and using what energy she had left, she smashed her legs into the ground, shaking the entirety of the field. It was no problem for Toxapex though. She simply put her two front legs down, taking a defensive position. When Floatzel stopped shaking the field, she fell to one knee and breathed heavily while Toxapex showed her yellow eyes once more.
"Poison Jab!"
Toxapex moved across the wet field with no issue. She jumped into the air and swung her two front limbs out, jabbing Floatzel directly in the face. Floatzel fell onto her back and twitched, but ultimately, the crowd knew it was over.
"Floatzel is unable to battle! Moving onto the final round is Maleah Kalani from Alola!"
The crowd were mostly silent with the announcement of the results, but they ultimately clapped to remain respectful to Maleah. The last participant from Kanto was eliminated, and everyone could feel the disappointment.
"Your style is ruthless," Seshiru said. "I'm sad I lost, but at least I lost to you."
Maleah smiled. "Since I saw you battle in Saffron, I was super stoked to challenge you myself. I say we make it a best two out of three! Let's go again sometime!"
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Thanks to wisdom-jewel for Emma Minami! For those of you who may have forgotten (because I have a lot of characters) Emma was one of the people who helped fight against Necrozma in "Awakening Alola".
So, the last trainer from Kanto was eliminated from the King of Kanto Tournament! Next up is Yurie vs. Sora, which will determine the finals. Who do you think will win that battle? And who do you think will be taking home the trophy when it's all over with?
And this is my last last reminder to vote on the poll that's on my profile. I'll be taking down the poll in the next few days. I can kind of see which story is being voted for, so I've started to write it, but things can change in the next few days!
REVIEWS:
The Imprisoned of Hell - "Excellent chapter as always. I especially enjoyed Maleah and Yurie's battles. Also good job with Sophia. Although I did have her come from Unova and not Galar. But if you wanted change that then that's fine. Keep up the good work." - I fixed that and many other issues that were in the last chapter!
pokemonking0924 - "Maleah surprised me with her winning move, taking down both one of her own Pokémon and both of her opponents. She feels bad about that but I wonder what winning means to her to lead her to make a move like that. Grant turned out great and displayed some good move but was completely overpowered by Sora. Hope to see Grant again in the future at some point during your series." - Maleah is in the finals, and we'll kind of get into why she battles like that. As for Grant, I can't guarantee anything, but who knows?!
CrescentApple - "Sora has me really interested in his character even more now. I pegged him as a struggling trainer, not... this ... can he read the aura in other creatures? I'm thrown off how he battled just closing his eyes. I WAS PHENOMINCALLY impressed with Yurie. Down to her last Pokémon and she still pulled a nice win. She is so much stronger nd skilled since her first year. I was a bit surprised Logan and Malaeh didn't say as much. I guess I was expecting a bit of a longer interaction from friends who haven't seen each other in a bit of time. But I also like hownits a bit quick and keeps the story moving. They meet, exchange pleasantries, and focus on the plot again. I'm mixed. Roy Cook, haha, didn't expect him. That was cool." - I added in more of an interaction between Logan and Maleah. Also, I won't reveal Sora's reasoning for closing his eyes until the very end of KiiK. He's probably my favorite character I've thought of. That said, I REALLY want to spoil his secret. Haha
pokestets23 - "Fantastic battles. I am loving the mixture of regional Pokémon you are showing!" The mixture is mostly because of the OC's I got, but they've helped to keep the battles fresh.
wisdom-jewel - "Maybe somebody from Alola is the reference. I really can't wait for the next chapter. I want to know how they battle. I doubt Yurie and Logan would face each other, it would be fun to read if it happens." - Maleah shares a last name with Lilo. I'd want to have Logan and Yurie battle seriously one day. Not sure in what context.