An Aura Guardian Battle Royal! Part 2
The Gigantamax Urshifu, which filled the interior of Cameran Stadium let out a loud roar, in a means to intimidate the three smaller opponents at its feet: Ash's Incineroar, Alexa's Vigoroth and Blue's Poliwrath. All stood at the ready, gazing up into the glowing white eyes and maw of the Pokemon which now towered about 80 feet over them.
"Incineroar, use Flamethrower!" Ash exclaimed.
"Vigoroth, you use Flamethrower too!" Alexa called out.
"Poliwrath, use your Dynamic Punch!" Blue commanded.
The Pokemon owned by the Ketchum sibling's stood side by side with each other, as their chests swelled before firing an intense stream of fire from their mouths. Swinging its left hand forward, the G-Max Pokemon blocked the oncoming Flamethrowers with a single hand. Blue's Poliwrath, however, broke into a sprint, dashing across the field towards the gargantuan opponent. Pushing off the ground, the frog-like brawler sprang high into the air, delivering a Dynamic Punch to the knee which Urshifu balanced on. The Gigantamax Urshifu let out a loud cry, as it swung its enormous left claw downwards at Mach speed, pinning the Poliwrath to the ground. Wrapping its golden fingers around the Pokemon, it lifted it into the air so it may look the Tadpole Pokemon in the eye.
"Alright Urshifu!" Alex yelled, pumping his fist forwards. "Use your Max Knuckle!" Letting out another roar, the blue and white Gigantamax Pokemon spiked Blue's Poliwrath onto the ground. Poliwrath hit the ground, bouncing once, before coming to a stop by digging its white gloved hands into the battlefield to control itself. Looking up, it saw the giant opponent swinging its fist forwards, which caused an even larger fist with an orange glow to reign down from the sky.
"Poliwrath, use Protect!" Blue commanded.
"You help out too, Vigoroth!" Alexa shouted.
Her sloth-like Pokemon appeared at the side of the Water/Fighting type, sharing a nod with its ally. Together, they both raised their arms into the sky, creating a thick protective barrier around the two. The giant knuckle crashed down, cracking the protective barrier. Intensifying their focus, Vigoroth and Poliwrath from within the dual-Protect shield refused to let up, which proved to be successful as the Max Knuckle faded away.
"Ah man," The Galarian Professor said in a defeated tone. "I've never seen a double-Protect stop a move like that before." When the Professor looked back up to his Pokemon however, he was shocked to see Ash's black and red tiger Pokemon climbing up the back of Alex's Wushu Pokemon. "Hey! What d'you think you're doing up there!"
"You were so focused on the other two, Incineroar and I decided to launch our attack!" Ash called from the other end of the field. "Now let's do this Incineroar!"
Making its way up to the Pokemon's shoulder, Incineroar stood tall on two legs as it engulfed itself in flames and slammed its body into the side of the bear Pokemon's head with a Flare Blitz.
The giant Urishifu stumbled backwards due to the attack, causing Incineroar to fall off the Pokemon's shoulder towards the ground below. Before hitting the battlefield, however, Incineroar reached its arms out, grabbing onto one of the blue, swaying tassels which hung near the knee's of the Gigantamax Pokemon. Now having a hold of something to swing on, Incineroar slowed its momentum, landing on the ground safely on two feet.
"Now's your turn, Lex!" Ash said to his sister. "We'll get you up there!" Incineroar gave its ally a toothy grin and a thumbs up.
"Right!" Alexa said, giving her brother a nod. "Vigoroth, make a run towards Incineroar!" Her Vigoroth nodded, breaking into a dash on all fours.
"Now Incineroar! Use Darkest Lariat!" Ash yelled, with his voice in a growl.
At the base of the G-Max Pokemon, Incineroar spun with dark energy surrounding it. Alexa's Vigoroth charged onwards, leaping forwards at Ash's spinning Pokemon. With perfect timing, Inicneroar locked claws with its ally, taking into its Darkest Lariat. Before coming to a stop, Incineroar tilted upwards, allowing it to throw Vigoroth up into the sky, rocketing towards Urshifu's face.
"Use Return!" Alexa exclaimed.
As Vigoroth flew up towards the Gigantamaxed foe, it stuck out its right claw which glowed white. When the much smaller opponent connected with Urshifu's jaw, a bright flash of white light was emitted, due to the strong bond shared between trainer and Pokemon. This attack sent the G-Max Urshifu falling backwards towards the stadium wall behind it. Performing several hand-springs however, Blue's Poliwrath made its way behind its opponent, firing off an Ice Beam from the center of the swirl on its body. Starting at its feet, forming a large icy base, Poliwrath worked its way up the body of its Gigantamax opponent, preventing it from toppling over, while also freezing it in place. As Vigoroth fell back down to the earth below, Blue commanded his Poliwrath to form a large bubble, which cushioned the sloth Pokemon's fall. Together, the three Raid battlers prepared themselves to attack once again.
'He's stuck in place! Let's get him!' Incineroar yelled, charging at the opponent once more.
'Right!' Poliwrath and Vigoroth said in unison, also making ground towards Alex's Pokemon.
The Galarian Professor, however, dug his heel into the ground, as blue aura radiated around his body. "Your right! Urshifu isn't going anywhere! Use G-Max Rapid Flow!"
The blue and white Gigantamax Pokemon let out a roar as it flexed its muscles, causing a torrent of water to swirl around its legs, shattering the ice which trapped it. Standing in place, the Gigantamax Urshifu stomped a single foot on the ground, sending a tidal wave of water towards its oncoming attackers. Incineroar froze in place, allowing its two partners to continue forwards without it.
Professor Alex Peters swelled his chest, raising his arms high into the air. His partner Urshifu followed suit, mimicking its trainer without directly looking at him. Together, the trainer and Pokemon swung their arms down in an 'X' motion, causing the wave to break apart, passing Vigoroth and Poliwrath on either side, before recombining and crashing into Ash's Incineroar who stood far behind the two. Caught in the tidal wave, Incineroar was carried back to Ash, washed up and heavily panting.
"Guess he has it out for you today, buddy," Ash said, crouching down in front of his Pokemon. "You wanna call it?"
'I just… need a breather…' Incineroar said between gasps of air. 'You two take him on for a bit, I'm gonna Rest.' Incineroar flopped onto its back, entering a deep slumber which began to restore its health.
Vigoroth and Poiwrath both shared a look with each other before turning back to the Urshifu, who was currently shrinking down in size. After three turns of being in its Gigantamax form, the Galarian Legendary returned to its normal grey and black appearance. Perching itself on one leg, it prepared itself to take on Poliwrath and Vigoroth in combat on a more even playing field.
"After you," Blue said, offering Alexa the lead.
"Vigoroth, use Return!"
"Poliwrath, use Close Combat!"
Vigoroth was the first to make way, running on its four legs. The Kanto frog Pokemon followed close behind with its two fists tightly clenched. Vigoroth lunged forwards with its claw glowing white, but made no contact due to Urshifu gracefully backflipping away. Landing on one leg, Urshifu met Blue's oncoming attack with ease. Poliwrath threw an onslaught of rapid punches, however none were able to meet their mark, as Urshifu swayed in a manner which allowed it to dodge all of the oncoming strikes.
"Use Surging Strikes!" The Galarian Professor commanded once more.
"Protect!" Blue called out to his Poliwrath, who crossed its arms forming a protective shield in front of it. Alex's Urshifu however, had a glint in its eye as it encased its left fist with water, delivering a punch which shattered through the protective barrier, striking the Poliwrath in the stomach. "What the-?!" The former Viridian City Gym Leader exclaimed at the sight of the technique.
"It's Urshifu's Ability: Unseen Fist. Your Protects won't do squat," The Professor retorted. "Now let's follow through!" Letting out a roar, the bear Pokemon connected with a second punch to Poliwrath's face. Dazed, the Water/Fighting type of the Kanto Region faltered backwards a few steps, before getting its legs swept out from under it by Alex's Urshifu. Delivering one final Surging Strike to its midsection in the brief moment it was in mid-air, Poliwrath was driven into the ground and taken out of the battle.
"Poliwrath is unable to battle!" Lance the referee announced atop his Dragonite. "Blue has been eliminated from this Battle Royale!"
Blue grinned, as he pulled out his Pokeball, returning the unconscious Tadpole Pokemon. "That was some great work out there, Poli. Now, let's leave the rest of it to the youngsters."
Alexa stood with wide eyes and a shocked expression as her partner in fighting the dreaded Urshifu had been knocked out unconscious. 'Oh man! Blue's out?!' The teen thought to herself. Formerly known as 'The Mask,' the All-Stars challenger who went toe to toe with her brother, had been eliminated. 'Incineroar's snoozing, and I don't have anyone to take on that Kung-Fu Master with!' She looked back onto the field, locking eyes with her Pokemon, who was awaiting its next command. 'Come on Alexa, get a hold of yourself! No one's coming to rescue you now! It's time you stand up and fight!' The teenager thought to herself, finding her confidence once more. "We can take him Vigoroth! Use Metal Claw!"
'With pleasure!' Her Pokemon growled, striking its now metallic claws together, before sprinting across the field on two legs.
"Get ready Urshifu! Use Close Combat!" The older Aura Guardian yelled. The bear Pokemon nodded, raising itself up on one leg, waiting for Vigoroth's arrival.
As Vigoroth sped across the field, Alexa eyed her opponent waiting for the perfect moment to strike. As if time had slowed down, she could see the look in Urshifu's eyes change moments before throwing its first punch.
"NOW!" The teen exclaimed.
Urshifu threw its punch forwards, but Vigoroth quickly dropped to its knees, sliding underneath the fist. Swinging its left Metal Claw outwards, Vigoroth slashed the leg which Urshifu balanced on. After coming out the other side, Vigoroth charged up a Return, striking Urshifu in the back. With a damaged leg, gravity did the work as the Wushu Pokemon fell forwards onto the ground.
Vigoroth looked on at its grounded opponent, but glanced up as a black and red tornado made its way across the field. Incineroar had woken up from its Rest, and was back with a vengeance. Expecting the Heel Pokemon to target the grounded Legendary, Vigoroth was surprised to find that it was the target of Incineroar's Darkest Lariat. Vigoroth was knocked backwards by the attack, but quickly sprang back up to its feet.
"Ash, I thought we had a truce!" Alexa yelled to her brother.
"That was for while he was Dynamaxed. I think it's much more even now!" Ash responded with a smirk.
'I'm feelin' rested and ready to tear y'all to pieces!' The feline Pokemon growled. 'Cuz I'm the Champ!' Incineroar however, felt a tug on its tail, which prompted it to stop its trash talking. Glancing over its shoulder, it saw that Urshifu had gotten up, and gotten a grip on the Pokemon's tail.
Soon after getting yanked backwards by the tail, Incineroar was met with a Close Combat to its back by the Rapid-Strike Style Urshifu. With its chest now wide open, Vigoroth saw the opportunity to chop its opponent in the torso with a Brick Break, seeing that their alliance had now been dissolved. Incineroar dropped down to its knees, crossing its arms over its now injured chest. With Incineroar on the ground, Urshifu was now open.
"Use Flamethrower, Vigoroth!" Alexa commanded. Her sloth Pokemon obeyed, swelling up its chest before blowing an intense Flamethrower from its mouth. The stream of fire flew over the grounded Incineroar, hitting Urshifu in the chest.
"Incineroar, use Acrobatics!" Ash called out to his Alolan starter. Performing a kip-up, Incineroar was upright once more, before jetting forwards, performing a shoulder tackle onto the smaller opponent. Vigoroth, who wouldn't be taken so easily, formed a Metal Claw and began jabbing Incineroar in the neck as it was sent backwards. Incineroar dropped the sloth Pokemon, and rubbed the back of its neck with a large clawed hand.
"Incineroar, let's use Rest again!" Ash called out.
"Not so fast!" Alex responded. "Urshifu, do the thing!"
Making its way across the field in a blur, Urshifu appeared next to Ash's Incineroar, and delivered a palm strike to the Pokemon's chest. Next, Urshifu stuck out two of its claws on a single hand, and jabbed the Alolan starter in various body parts. Starting with a jab to the center of its chest, Urshifu followed through with a two-clawed jab to the forehead, followed by jabs to its two arms and two legs. Incineroar's body soon became numb, as it crumpled to the ground.
Laying upwards towards the sky, Incineroar clenched its teeth as it attempted to put itself to sleep, but was unable to. Incineroar rolled over, propping itself up on one knee. 'Hey Ash! We gotta problem!'
"Oh man! Incineroar!" Ash exclaimed, turning over to the Professor. "What did you do!"
"It's an Aura Block technique that my Urshifu has developed," The Galarian Professor responded. "It's only temporary, but if your Aura is blocked, you can't undergo self-healing!"
"Use Return!" Without warning, the bipedal sloth Pokemon clocked Urshifu in the jaw with a powerful strike, knocking it down to the ground. "Yes! That was great Vigoroth!"
'We're doing great, kid!' The sloth Pokemon exclaimed to its trainer.
Urshifu rose off the ground once more, rubbing its chin where Vigoroth had made contact. 'That was quite the blow,' The Bear Pokemon said. 'Impressive.'
Appearing behind Urshifu was Incineroar, with a Throat Chop at the ready. Sensing its presence, however, Urshifu side stepped avoiding the attack. Grabbing Incineroar's wrist as it passed by, Urshifu spun in a way that mimicked Incineroar's Darkest Lariat, taking the fire starter for a ride. Releasing Ash's Pokemon, Incineroar flew through the air and crashed into Vigoroth.
Incineroar found itself angered at the bear Pokemon, furiously pounding the ground with its hands. 'That does it! I'm giving it all in this last attack!'
"Let's bring on the pain, Incineroar!" Ash commanded, locking eyes with Alex.
"Let's take him out, Urshifu," The Galarian Professor said. "Dish out each hit stronger than the last!"
Together, the battlers gave out their commands simultaneously:
"Flare Blitz!"
"Return!"
"Surging Strikes!"
Incineroar cloaked its body in a large orb of fire, rocketing forwards at Urshifu. The bear Pokemon cloaked its limbs in water, as it rocketed forwards, delivering a single strike to Incineroar mid-attack. As Urshifu made contact, Incineroar's Flare Blitz moved off of its own body and onto the Legendary bear. Remaining separate from the two battlers, and avoiding all damage from the two attacks was Vigoroth. Seeing its opening, Vigoroth, leaped over the two Pokemon, sporting a menacing face as it did, and drove its claws directly into the heads of its two opponents. In a large flash of white light, the two other battlers were caught in a large explosion and disappeared from the audience for a brief moment.
Passed out in the center of the field were Urshifu and Incineroar, with swirls in their eyes. The only battler remaining was the wiley Vigoroth, still standing on two feet. "Incineroar and Urshifu are unable to battle!" Lance announced. "That means your victors of the Aura Guardian Battle Royale are… Alexa and Vigoroth!"
'I won?' The Sloth Pokemon said surprised, glancing back and forth at the two opponents which lay unconscious on the ground. Slowly turning around in a circle, it gazed at the audience, who made no noise, sitting in stunned silence. Raising its two clawed hands high into the air, the audience erupted into a roar of applause.
"We did it Vigoroth!" Alexa cheered, running onto the battlefield, embracing her Sloth Pokemon in a hug. Together, the teen and her Normal type Pokemon spun around, celebrating in their victory.
"Well how about that…" Ash said to himself, returning his Incineroar.
"We let our guard down for one moment and she found her opening…" Alex said, returning his own Pokemon. Taking his bun out, he allowed his black hair to fall back down to its normal, medium length.
"You two were so focused on each other, you underestimated the kid," Blue said, making his way between the two Guardians. "Now let's offer her our Congratulations."
"Right." Ash and Alex said with a nod. Together, they joined Blue as they made their way out to the middle of the field, where Alexa joyously celebrated with her Pokemon.
"That battle was so much fun you guys!" The teen said, spinning excitedly towards her companions. "Vigoroth and I really made quite the team out there, didn't we?"
"You sure did," Responded the girl's brother, giving her a smile.
"Even with a G-max Urshifu in the mix you still came out on top," The Champion of Galar said, rubbing the back of his head.
"But now there's something even more important that we have to consider," Blue said, catching the attention of the other Aura Guardians. "Alex's theory about the Tree was right. And that means that Giovanni will probably be bringing Dynamax Pokemon of his own to our battle. Just like we thought." The three other trainers nodded their heads, as the picture of their Final Battle became even clearer in their minds.