Chapter 29 - Hitachi Buckwheat Noodles - Part 4
"This semi-final battle will be between Kawahara Yurie from Hoenn and Fujiwara Sora from Johto!" the referee announced.
Logan sat forward, looking closely as his two friends took their position on the field. He was rooting for Yurie to win, but he was beyond curious as to what kind of strategy Sora planned to implement.
"You've been winning battles in a dominant fashion," Yurie said. "You won your battle against Logan easily, and I was very surprised. But, you should know that I won't go down easy!"
Sora nodded and then smiled, his eyes remaining deadpan as usual. "Let's see the bonds that you share with your team."
"Eevee, go!" Yurie yelled while throwing her Poké Ball. Her playful Eevee materialized on the field and then was joined by Torchic. "Torchic has been my partner since day one, and I've raised Eevee from an egg! I'd say we have a pretty strong bond."
Sora closed his eyes and calmly took in a breath. "I can see that. Bayleef and Scyther, c'mon out!" Both of his Pokémon emerged. The crowd were familiar with his Bayleef, but his Scyther was new. It slashed wildly in an attempt to intimidate Eevee and Torchic; it didn't work.
"Begin!"
"Eevee, use Helping Hand!" Yurie ordered.
"Interesting," Sora thought out loud.
Eevee jumped to and fro while cheering loudly. A white aura formed around her before it launched over to Torchic. The Fire-type was fueled with energy and puffed out his chest.
"Now, Flame Burst!" Yurie yelled.
Eevee took in a breath before launching the small spout of fire. It was larger than usual, and the wave of flames that followed was much bigger than anyone could have anticipated. It raced straight for Sora's Pokémon, but they all remained calm.
"Defensive Ancient Power," he ordered.
Bayleef got in front of Scyther, and her eyes started to glow. Rocks built from blue energy formed around the both of them, creating a wall of stone. The flames connected directly with the stone, but since the Pokémon were encased in it, no one could see if they had any effect.
"Now attack."
The wall of stones shifted, and Bayleef, using her energy, tossed them forward.
"Fight back with Rock Slide!" Yurie ordered.
Torchic chirped loudly, and the floor below them started to shake. She ripped up stones from the ground and then tossed them into the air. The two different sets of rocks collided with one another, but somehow, Bayleef's was stronger, and some of them broke through.
"Detect!" Yurie yelled.
Eevee's eyes started to glow, and she began to weave through the field, easily avoiding every single one of the stones. When the attack stopped, all of the Pokémon paused and looked at one another. While there were many commands, none of the Pokémon had yet taken damage.
"Let's take a more direct approach," Sora said. "Bayleef, use Return. Scyther, follow her with Steel Wing."
"Sounds good to me!" Yurie called back. "Aerial Ace and Iron Tail! Go!"
The four Pokémon raced towards the middle of the field, their bodies fueled with energy. Eevee and Scyther clashed, Steel Wing meeting Iron Tail. And Torchic and Bayleef butted heads. They all held out, but none of them were willing to give an inch.
"Eevee, use Swift!"
Eevee's face was away from Scyther, and she shot her attack at the ground. The multitude of stars rocketed her into the air and away from the group.
"Scyther, follow her with Wing Attack!"
Scyther's wings changed, losing their metallic structure, and he followed Eevee into the air.
"Now, Flamethrower!"
Torchic grinned. Bayleef was at close-range, and there was nowhere for her to go. With one quick intake of breath, Torchic bellowed out a stream of flames from his beak. The flames engulfed Bayleef, giving Yurie a moment to focus on what was going on in the air.
"Detect!" she ordered.
Moments before Scyther could strike, Eevee's eyes lit up, and she quickly ducked under his wings. She then fell back to the ground safely before retreating back to Yurie's side along with Torchic. Scyther came back to the field to check on Bayleef. Although she was strong, the Fire-type attack had done a lot of damage.
Logan smiled and held his Charmander closer. "This is like a classic pro wrestling match. They're feeling each other out. They don't want to make any wrong moves, because once they do, it's all over for one side."
"Charmander?"
"Alright, we can win this!" Yurie said. "Hit them with Flame Burst!"
"Torchic!" the Pokémon called back. He jumped and unleashed his attack once more. The small spurt turned into a wave, but it wasn't as strong as it was when it was boosted by Eevee.
"Same tactic from before," Sora said calmly.
Bayleef started to charge her energy, and once again, a multitude of stones formed from blue energy and surrounded her and her partner, giving them a protective rocky cocoon. The flames washed over it, but before Sora could give a command, Eevee came barreling through.
"Iron Tail!" Yurie shouted.
Eevee twisted her body and slammed her tail into the pile of rocks, breaking a massive hole in the front which revealed both of Sora's Pokémon.
"Straight forward Flamethrower!"
Torchic focused before blasting the smooth set of flames from his beak.
"Dodge."
Using her vines, Bayleef was able to boost herself out of the pile of rocks, and Scyther was nimble enough to dodge quickly. The flames entered into the cocoon, making it explode from the heat, but Sora's Pokémon were safe.
"Razor Leaf," Sora called.
"Use Flamethrower to block it!"
Both of the Pokémon unleashed their attacks, and they clashed in the middle of the field. It was no surprise that the fire attack was stronger, and all of the leaves were burned to a crisp. The flames continued forward and grazed Bayleef, knocking her to the side.
"Yes!" Yurie cheered.
"Steel Wing," Sora said calmly.
Yurie was too distracted to see Scyther slowly closing in on Eevee. His wings started to glow with the silvery tint, and he had a sinister look in his eyes.
"Eevee, use Helping Hand!" Yurie yelled at the last second.
Before Scyther could connect, Eevee once more focused her energy. As she was smashed with the ironhard wings, her energy exploded off of her and raced for Torchic. It gave the Fire-type fuel, and he grinned as he felt it course through his body. But that energy came at a price.
"Eevee is unable to battle!" the referee declared.
We're down to one vs. two, but at the very least, we have the type advantage, Yurie thought. We can't let Eevee's last move go to waste either.
Torchic fell back to his side of the field, now breathing heavily from all of the attacks that he did. He watched as Yurie withdrew Eevee and then looked back towards his opponents.
"Even with a type advantage, you're nearing the end," Sora said, keeping his eyes closed. "Don't worry; we'll finish this quickly. Bayleef, use Vine Whip!"
"Torchic, dodge it!"
Bayleef released the two massive vines from her neck, and they raced across the field. Torchic tried to outmaneuver them, but it was useless. Within moments, Bayleef wrapped the vines around Torchic and then held him in the air.
"Torchic!" Yurie yelled.
"Scyther, use Wing Attack!"
"Scyther!" the Pokémon called. He jumped into the air, and his wings were covered in a white energy. He shot across the field, ready to deal the final blow.
Yurie smiled. "Flame Burst!"
When Scyther was within a few feet of Torchic, the Fire-type released the small spout of flame one last time. It exploded, and with Bayleef nowhere near to protect Scyther, the Bug-type was engulfed in flames. The fire had caught Bayleef's vines in its blast, forcing her to retract them and drop Torchic to the ground.
"Scyther is unable to battle!" the referee declared as the flames dissipated, revealing Scyther's unconscious body.
Sora nodded as he lifted his Poké Ball and returned his Pokémon. "I'm sorry I fell for such a dastardly trick, Scyther. I'll do better from now on." He opened his eyes and looked towards the field. "Yurie, your heart is one with Torchic's. It's no wonder you were able to get this far despite the type disadvantages in previous battles. The connection with your Pokémon is something I've rarely seen."
"Thank you?" Yurie wondered, realizing that they were still in the middle of a battle.
Sora closed his eyes. "Bayleef is badly burned, but she's willing to fight for me. Like you and Torchic, my heart is one with Bayleef's."
"I guess it's a test of willpower!" Yurie declared. "Torchic, use Aerial Ace!"
"Bayleef, Return!"
The two Pokémon charged down the field as fast as their tired bodies would carry them. They leapt into the air, crashing their heads into one another. When they both hit the ground, they held out momentarily, but Bayleef couldn't muster up enough strength to hold on. Her body was flung backwards, and she landed in front of Sora's feet.
"Yes!" Yurie exclaimed happily, but her smile quickly faded as Bayleef stood back up, her legs wobbling intensely.
"I told you that Bayleef will fight for me. She trusts in me," Sora said. He opened his eyes and then smiled. Then, he raised his hand.
The crowd went silent, waiting for Sora to give some sort of relentless command.
"Bayleef is in no condition to continue. We forfeit this match," Sora announced.
The referee looked at Sora before gazing over to Kasumi, making sure that it was okay. He raised his flag. "Sora has forfeited the match. Yurie is the victor!"
Bayleef finally collapsed before Sora walked onto the field and knelt down, taking her head in his arms. Yurie picked up Torchic, who was also on his last legs, and she ran across the field to meet with Sora.
"Forfeit?" she wondered. "I thought you had me beat."
Sora shook his head. "With one more attack to either side, it would have been over. But even if I would have hit you, Bayleef would have succumbed to the burn. I'd rather forfeit and let her rest."
Yurie smiled. "You're a good trainer, Sora."
The two went back to the locker room where they were showing replays of the semi-final battles. After a cool video package, Sora and Seshiru were guided out of the room, leaving Yurie and Maleah alone. They had five minutes for rest and to get their strategies in order.
"Yurie, can we talk?" Maleah asked.
Yurie appeared confused. She wasn't sure why Maleah would ask this. Afterall, the only two people left in the room were them, and people usually only ask this question if they have bad news. "Yeah. What's up?"
"Look, this is gonna be awkward to bring up, but I figured I should."
"Uh huh?"
"I'm going to go all out today in our battle. I'm going to hit you with everything that I can."
Yurie smiled. "Of course! Let's battle with our hearts! I battle to win!"
Maleah nodded. "That's exactly why I'm battling. To be honest with you, I have a crush on someone that you're close with. I think that if I battle hard and win, he'll see my potential and it'll impress him."
"Someone I'm close with?" Yurie asked. She thought about all of the boys that she and Maleah shared a potential friendship with. "Yuta? Sora? Omori? I don't know him that well, actually."
Maleah shook her head.
Yurie's eyes widened. "Logan."
"Finally! After a full day of competing, we are now in the final round!" Kasumi announced. "We've had quite the tournament so far with people from all around the world competing for the title of King of Kanto! However, as it turns out, we're going to be crowning a queen! That's right, our two finalists are strong female trainers who battled their hardest to get this far! Kawahara Yurie, the contest all-star going up against Maleah Kalani, one of Alola's elite!"
The crowd cheered as both Yurie and Maleah made their way to the field. When they found their positions in the trainers box, the referee held up his flags. "The final battle will now commence! This battle will be between Kawahara Yurie from Hoenn and Maleah Kalani from Alola!"
The crowd went wild with cheers.
Yurie looked down at the two Poké Balls that she held in her hand. Although she wanted to go with Torchic, the last two battles had injured him too much. Instead, she went with her second and third best options. "Go, Minun and Oddish!"
The two Pokémon emerged, having been rejuvenated by long rests.
Maleah smiled before holding her two Poké Balls up. "I'm sorry, Yurie, but I'm not holding back! Decidueye and Sirfetch'd, c'mon out!"
Two larger Pokémon appeared on Maleah's side of the field. They were both bird Pokémon, but had different demeanors. One had a cool look in its eyes and was covered with a green cloak, while the other was smaller but held a long sword made of what looked like a green onion in his wing.
Logan sat forward. He was now joined by Seshiru and Sora. "I know Decidueye, but I'm gonna guess that the other Pokémon is from Galar." He held out his Pokédex and tried to get a read on the Pokémon.
"Sirfetch'd, the Wild Duck Pokémon. After deflecting attacks with its hard leaf shield, it strikes back with its sharp leek stalk. The leek stalk is both weapon and food."
Seshiru smiled. "Kind of looks like a Pokémon from Kanto."
"Maleah has yet to use either of these Pokémon in today's battles. They're as fresh as it gets. Yurie's Pokémon are going to be a little bit more tired," Sora said. He held up his camera. "It'll make for a fascinating story."
I can't lose. If this is a fight for Logan, then I have to go out. We've been at a disadvantage before. This is nothing new for my team. I won't lose. I can't lose, Yurie thought.
"Begin!"
"Minun, use Electro Ball!" Yurie ordered.
Minun ran forward alone. She leapt into the air while charging up electricity at the tip of her tail. It condensed into a ball before she flipped, throwing it forward.
"Sirfetch'd, knock it away with Leaf Blade!" Maleah ordered.
Sirfetch'd jumped in the way of his team. His large onion sword began to glow with a green light, and he slashed, slicing the ball in half.
"Try this one, then!" Yurie yelled. "Razor Leaf!"
While waving the leaves on her head around, Oddish jumped forward. She unleashed a mass of energy from her body, which took the shape of a dozen or so leaves.
"Your turn, Decidueye. Air Slash!"
Decidueye flew forward, his wings taking on a bright glow. He flapped once, unleashing a stream of energy from his body. The energy connected with the bunch of leaves, breaking their formation and causing them to fall.
"And now Steel Wing!" Maleah commanded.
I can't lose! Yurie thought. "Minun, use Double Team; take Oddish with you!"
Minun reached out and grabbed a hold of Oddish by one of her leaves. Then, the two zipped around the field, creating a multitude of clones. Decidueye stopped his attack and floated in the middle of the field, trying to figure out which ones were real.
"Sleep Powder!" Yurie ordered, trying to repeat her strategy from earlier.
Minun threw Oddish forward in a planned sequence of attack. Oddish took joy in tossed and began to laugh as she shook her head. A blue powder came off of her, targeting Decidueye.
"Defensive Steel Wing!"
Keeping the same energy that he had built up from before, Decidueye raised his wings and began to spin around, creating a steel-like shield for himself. The powder was easily wafted away, disappearing once it hit the ground.
Oddish was now alone on the field, and Maleah grinned, seeing her chance. "Throat Chop!"
Sirfetch'd bounded forward and stuck out his sword. As soon as Oddish landed back on the ground, Sirfetch'd jabbed, hitting her directly below the mouth.
"And now Air Slash!"
It was Decidueye's turn. He took into the air, creating the same energy from before. Then, he blasted it downwards at the staggered Grass-type.
"Take the hit, Minun!" Yurie ordered.
Minun stopped moving around the field in dizzying motions and then got directly in front of the blast of air. It crashed down onto the two Pokémon, covering them in smoke momentarily.
"I told you that we're not losing!" Maleah called. "Meteor Assault and Steel Wing! Go!"
Yurie stared helplessly as both of Maleah's Pokémon charged towards the cloud of smoke. Decidueye dove from the air while Sirfetch'd was ready to lance from the ground.
"Thunder!" Yurie yelled desperately. I can't lose!
Minun could hear Yurie's call, and moments before either of Maleah's Pokémon could strike, she unleashed a huge surge of electricity from her body. It zapped both of Maleah's Pokémon, putting their assaults to a stop.
"Yes!" Yurie yelled while snapping her fingers. "Now follow through with Razor Leaf!"
Oddish jumped on Minun's head before heading into the air. She flipped while releasing her attack once more. The leaves shredded into both of Maleah's Pokémon, knocking them backwards and forcing them to regroup.
Yurie smiled. "It's time to try our new combination attack!"
"Oddish!"
"Minun!"
"Thunder and Razor Leaf! Give them Thunder Cutter!" Yurie yelled.
Both of Yurie's Pokémon took in deep breaths. Oddish was first. She twisted her body before releasing more leaves from the top of her head. They formed a V-shape and blasted forward. Minun didn't take long to follow with her attack, electrifying the leaves, and giving them more energy. A streak of lightning followed the attack, giving it an arrow-like appearance.
"Sirfetch'd!" Maleah yelled.
Sirfetch'd ran as quickly as he could while sticking out his long sword. He jabbed, hitting the tip of the arrow. It wasn't enough to stop the attack though, and he was soon sliced into and electrified. He cried out, taking the entirety of the attack. And then, he collapsed.
"Sirfetch'd is unable to battle!" the referee declared.
"Her Pokémon battle without fear," Seshiru said.
Logan nodded. "It's part of Maleah's Alola warrior spirit. They fight for each other, even if it means taking strong hits like that."
"Yurie, I've come this far, and I refuse to lose," Maleah said as she withdrew Sirfetch'd. "I only use this kind of move when I'm in a tough spot, so consider this a compliment." She raised her arm, and the black band around her wrist started to glow with a green energy.
"A Z-move?" Yurie wondered.
Maleah closed her eyes and struck her first pose. An aura of ghostly energy began to build at her arms before slowly taking over the entirety of her body. She hit her second pose, and then Decidueye flew into the air while screeching. With her third pose, the aura turned into a violent flare of energy.
"Sinister Arrow Raid!" she yelled out.
The aura exploded off of her body and then attached to Decidueye, filling him with a ghostly power. Around his body formed a multitude of arrows built from the energy. He then looked down at Minun and Oddish, who looked at each other in horror. The lights flickered as Decidueye dove down towards the field, and before Yurie could say anything, Maleah's Pokémon unleashed his attack. The multitude of arrows connected with the field, blocking Minun or Oddish from running away, and then, they exploded into a purple smoke.
Everyone sat in silence as they waited for the smoke to clear, and when it finally did, both of Yurie's Pokémon were revealed to be unconscious.
"Both Minun and Oddish are unable to battle! Maleah is the victor!"
"And with an amazing final attack, Maleah Kalani seals her victory against Yurie, becoming the King-er-Queen of Kanto!" Kasumi announced into the microphone. She walked onto the field to meet with the two trainers. In her arms, she held a small golden trophy. "I bestow upon you this! Please hold it with pride!"
Maleah took the trophy. At the tip of it was a Poké Ball with a crooked crown on the top. She held it into the air as everyone took pictures.
"Maleah Kalani, the Queen of Kanto!" Kasumi declared one more time.
Once the entire audience cleared out, the participants were allowed to mingle with one another. The event organizers provided them with dinner, but since some contestants, including Omori, disappeared early, there was extra food. Not that it was a problem with Yurie and her endless stomach around.
"Congrats!" Logan exclaimed upon finding Maleah and Yurie.
Maleah winked and then held up the trophy once more. "I'm a king!"
"I was very impressed," Logan said. He looked at Yurie. "You too, Yurie. You did great! I was hoping that we'd end up in the finals against each other though."
Yurie quietly nodded.
"Logan," a girl's voice said.
The boy turned around and looked up. Behind the group was the girl that Yurie had battled with in the quarter-final round, Emma Minami.
"Oh, hello," Logan said.
"I just wanted to say that I was glad to see so much representation for Unova in today's tournament. Also, I know your aunt Juniper, so I figured I'd say hi. Make sure you call her sometimes."
"Oh, okay," Logan responded. He was unsure of how to interact with the girl. She was so dark and gothic in appearance, but her smile was gentle and her words were nice. "Thank you."
Emma smiled and put her hand on Logan's shoulder. "I hope we battle each other in the Indigo Conference. I've heard stories about you from my friends back in Alola. Promise me you'll do your best this year."
Logan sighed and then rubbed the back of his head, making his hat move up and down. "I'm not good at keeping promises, but I definitely intend to give it one hundred and ten percent!"
The group sat down at the tables provided by the staff, and they ate their dinner together, sharing stories of their adventures. It was rare to have so many trainers of different cultures and with so many different goals all in one place. There were trainers taking on the gyms, contests, and the Battle Frontier. Some were battling to one day become champion while others simply enjoyed traveling.
"Well, it was great to meet everyone," Sora said once they had wrapped up eating. "But, I think it's time that I'm off for my next gym badge. It's clear that we have some training to do."
"You're too hard on yourself," Yurie exclaimed happily. "I'm glad you're not doing contests though. You'd be great at it."
"Sora, I look forward to seeing you again someday," Logan said. "I'll make sure that I work with my Pokémon, and by the next time we meet, we'll be able to beat you."
"I'll be going too," Maleah said. "This was fun and all, but it kind of got me sidetracked. I'm behind schedule with my badges."
Logan reached out, and the two shook hands. "Next time we're in a tournament, I'm hoping that we finally get a chance to battle!"
Maleah smiled and blushed. "Me too."
Yurie looked down at her feet and glared, trying not to let her emotions show. Seshiru noticed. She wrapped her arm around her friend and grinned.
"We're all kind of rivals now in one way or another, eh?" Seshiru said.
Yurie nodded slowly. "I guess so."
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
So, Maleah wins! I tried to write a sort of "sandwich" romantic arc. At the beginning of the tournament, it was Logan vs. Omori, and at the end of the tournament, it was Yurie vs. Maleah. Our two main characters also have different views on their battles though!
I haven't decided on what I want to do with the next Battle Frontier battle. It's the Battle Factory (Noland) which means a certain Legendary Pokémon will be showing up. Would ya'll be more interested in Seshiru using a certain Legendary Pokémon herself (if you read the spin-off story, then you know what I'm talking about), or would it be more interesting for her to use a non-Legendary Pokémon?
REVIEWS:
pokemonking0924 - "It was nice to see Emma again and she put up a great fight against Yurie, but it was Yurie's quick thinking that won that battle. Logan could have done better against Sora if it wasn't for Electabuzz being a showoff for the crowd and getting in Grotle's way, I guess we know what Electabuzz's issue is now. I also liked the use of Trick room. That battle between Seshiru and Maleah was epic and could have gone either way but, all those poison type moves cauing the status affliction is what shifted the battle in Maleah's favor. Also I like her shiny Toxapex." - I really enjoyed writing for Sora's battles overall, and I'm glad you enjoyed Maleah vs. Seshiru.
SudiptoDam19 - "I loved the battles in this chapter. What a great battle from Sora, he just demolished Logan. At this rate, I will be rooting for Sora to become the King Of Kanto. Keep up" - I was also rooting for Sora, even though I knew who was going to win from the beginning.
wisdom-jewel - "I am impressed that Yurie beat Emma since the latter would have more battle experience compared to the former. That and Emma having two final stages of Pokemon. To my knowable, Oddish doesn't have a lot of battle experience either though it can be explained that they trained off-screen. And Yurie had lady luck smiling on her would have helped. I wonder if Logan and Emma meet up. I would have loved them to battle each other in this competition but maybe next time around." - Part of the issue with writing in OC's from readers, is that I can't do them all the justice that I want to. I tried to justify Yurie vs. Emma by having Oddish be relatively weak defensively. I did intend for Emma to meet Logan so she could thank him for what he did in Alola though. And, she'll be making one more appearance.