Will Ayame be able to keep up her momentum and defeat Gerard's Diancie? Or will she be swept by the mythic pokemon? We'll have to find out!
KedharS: We'll have to find out. Mythical pokemon are pretty tough.
Aquahaze675: It's definitely not a situation Ayame should be taking lightly.
JoshGamerV: Well, she is a flutist, after all.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 522
Gerard was feeling a pressure burning inside of him that he just couldn't bear. Diana wasn't close to fainting. She had endured far more than this, she would be fine. But still, the thought that… the thought that she could lose… that HE could lose…
"That child is completely worthless. I don't expect anything from him."
Gerard clenched his fist. He could feel his nails biting into his palm. NO! He wasn't worthless! He was strong, the strongest! He couldn't lose, not to someone like Ayame Toujou, not to anyone! He had to win, no matter what!
"DIANA!" Gerard shouted. Diana turned back to look at him, wincing. His voice softened. "Diana… return for now."
Gerard raised the sparkling pink pokeball and recalled Diana, his arm dropping limply to his side.
"Gerard recalled his Diancie?!" Lila gasped in surprise. "She's his strongest pokemon, though!"
"But she isn't fighting well against that Golem," Akira admitted. "So it's not the worst decision to switch out a strong pokemon for a weaker one that has a better advantage."
"Says the guy whose battling style is to send out Satsuki and just have her tear her opponents apart with brute force," Dakota dryly commented. Akira shot her a look.
"I was a good trainer who was winning even when I wasn't using Satsuki, you know that," Akira scowled. Dakota rolled her eyes and smirked in response.
"Burei, go," Gerard said, sending out his Kabutops as his last pokemon.
"A Water type, huh?" Ayame smiled. "That won't be a problem at all!" She reached for the pokeball on her belt to recall Rhox and switch her out for Dana.
"Burei, use whirlpool," Gerard ordered. Burei raised his pincers and created a massive whirlpool that whipped up around Rhox, engulfing him in a torrent that prevented Ayame from recalling him, much to her frustration.
"Good move on Gerard's part," Akira said. "Kabutops are Rock/Water type, which means that they are four times weak to grass moves. If Ayame had switched out her Golem for her Eldegoss, then she would be able to take out that Kabutops without much difficulty. But with whirlpool-"
"She can't switch out her pokemon, we know, we're not idiots," Dakota said, rolling her eyes. "We saw Sylvia's match against Blake."
"Rhox! We can't switch out, so you're going to have to endure it!" Ayame shouted. "Use earthquake!"
"Golem!" Rhox withstood the torrent of water battering him, standing firm. He began stomping on the ground, using another earthquake that threw Burei off-balance, the slender pokemon nearly falling over from the force of the blow.
"Your Golem is quite something, withstanding water that well," Gerard noted with a bit of surprise. "But it won't be enough! Burei, use aqua jet!"
"Kabutops!" Burei nodded, raising his claws and covering his body with a veil of water. He shot forward across the shaking battlefield, preparing to strike the other rock pokemon.
"I train Rhox to withstand stuff like water," Ayame explained. "It seems you don't understand how strenuous a Pokeathlon can be! They even have swimming competitions, did you know?"
"There's NO WAY she taught that Golem how to use surf," Dakota said, shaking her head. "There's just no way."
Akira agreed, it wasn't possible. But at the same time, the water was probably a lot less effective due to the blazing sunlight overhead, reducing the effectiveness of the move.
"No, but surfing isn't the same as swimming," Ayame admitted. "Either way! Water won't be enough to take us down on its own! Rhox, use bulldoze!"
Rhox stomped on the ground and raised his arm, kicking across the dirt and releasing a shockwave across it that slammed into the Kabutops just as he collided with the round pokemon, both hitting the ground and groaning in pain.
The faster Kabutops was the first to rise, but he found his speed reduced by the ground attack, even as he raised his long, sickle-like claw to strike.
"Liquidation, Burei," Gerard ordered. "…No! Get back!"
Burei halted his strike and leapt backwards just as Rhox's fist was about to punch him in the stomach, instead sailing harmlessly through the air.
"Almost forgot about your brick break," Gerard said. "Burei, we're going to approach this carefully. We don't want to make any risky moves."
"Kabutops," Burei nodded, scraping his claws together in preparation.
"Start with rain dance," Gerard ordered.
"Kabutops!" Burei raised his claws, the blazing sun getting blocked by the massive clouds overcast, burgeoning with rain, which opened up and released their deluge onto the battlefield.
"Rainy days won't get us down, either," Ayame smirked. "Rhox! It may be a Water type, but he's part rock, too! But first, use rock polish to raise your speed!"
"Golem," Rhox nodded, scraping away some of the rocky crust on his hide, the rain helping him smooth it over to improve his aerodynamics. "Golem!"
"Thanks for the rain, it's helping us get back up to speed!" Ayame smiled. "And since that's a rock type, that means you can keep using earthquake just as you have been!"
"Golem!" Rhox growled, sending another shockwave that slammed into Burei, the ancient pokemon letting out a wail of pain as he nearly pitched over.
"Not even Gerard's water pokemon is standing a chance!" Lila cheered. "You just can't beat the power of earthquake!"
"Not enough," Gerard growled. "You think you're fast? Burei, show her real speed! Use aqua jet!"
Burei covered himself in a veil of water and shot forward, leaping up over the shockwaves and over Rhox's head, swinging his claw down. He hit Rhox in the back, the Golem crying out in pain and stumbling over.
"No matter how much training you undergo, you can't overcome a natural weakness that a pokemon has," Akira said, shaking his head. "Rhox might be able to withstand it, but his health is still weakening against the force of the moves."
Dakota rolled her eyes. "We get it, you're trying to become the Water Type member of the Eight Leaders, you don't need to keep showing off."
Akira scowled at her.
"Now, Burei, use brine," Gerard ordered.
"Kabutops!" Burei leapt back and raised his claws, the water gathering up in the air around him. He released it in a powerful blast at Rhox, the large pokemon rolling to the side just in time to avoid the attack.
"Rock blast!" Ayame ordered. As Rhox rolled out of the way of the water blast he rolled to his feet and raised his hand, firing several massive chunks of rock at Burei. The first two hit him in the face and stomach, respectively, before the Kabutops could properly fight back. But after that, his sharp blades sliced through the next stones, and he charged forward, coating his claws with water.
"Another brine," Gerard ordered, making sure Burei kept his distance. While Burei's special attack was nothing compared to his physical attack, a Golem's special defense was just as bad, and this way Burei c could stay out of the pokemon's range, giving him a better shot at defeating the physical attacker. The only problem was the earthquakes.
Burei doesn't have much left in him. If he can take out the Golem, then that's the end of Ayame's biggest threat against me. Gerard called out to Burei, "Burei! Forget the earthquakes and the brine attacks, use your liquidation!"
"Charging right in, huh?" Ayame smirked. "You really are impatient, huh? Rhox! Use earthquake!"
The ground began to shake even harder, but Burei wasn't discouraged. To Ayame's surprise, he continued to push through the shaking, even as it dealt massive damage to his defenses, and he slammed into Rhox, hitting him with his claws with the force of a tsunami, knocking the massive pokemon over.
"We won't go down to something like this," Gerard snarled.
"GOLEM!" Rhox roared in pain, rolling backwards from the force of the blow. By the time he stopped rolling and had enough strength to stand back up, Burei had lost consciousness from the force of the blows.
"Go….lem…" Rhox panted, nearly falling over himself. He had managed to win, but he wasn't in very good shape.
"Whoa, no way!" Lila cheered. "Now Aya's defeated two of Gerard's pokemon without losing any herself! That's amazing, way to go, Aya!"
Blake cheered her on, but a part of him was starting to worry. He was worried, because Gerard didn't look worried. He was down to his last pokemon, but he was still calm, even though Ayame had three left.
Ayame was concerned as well. While the announcers were cheering her on, and so were the audience, they weren't the ones on the ground. Ayame could tell the condition of her pokemon. She had "three pokemon left" but that wasn't the full truth of the situation. The truth was, beating that Kabutops had taken everything her Golem had. Due to his training, Rhox had serious reserves of Stamina and Power. But those reserves weren't limitless. He was tough, and he put on a tough front even now, but he couldn't hide himself from her eyes. She would have switched him out a while ago if the whirlpool wasn't still keeping him trapped. He didn't have the strength to put up nearly the same level of fight against Gerard's Diancie when he sent her back out.
"Burei, return. You've accomplished your task admirably," Gerard said, recalling his Kabutops. "Now, Diana, it's time to finish what you started."
He sent Diana back out.
"With both his other pokemon defeated, Gerard is staking his victory on his Diancie! The mythical pokemon is tough, but is she tough enough to overcome Ayame's whole party?" Lila asked. "We'll have to see!"
How many times have I stood in this position? Gerard mused, thinking fondly back to the days before all this, back when he fought in tournaments with Diana at his side. So many times she had been his trump card, the anchor that held his team together and kept him from losing against foes of unbelievable strength.
And now, once again, he had lost his other pokemon and was relying on her power.
"Diana!" Gerard called. "End this!"
"Rhox, protect!" Ayame shouted as Diana prepared another moonblast, the attack striking Rhox and bouncing off the rain-pelted force field surrounding the injured rock pokemon. But Ayame could tell it was just a stopgap. She couldn't keep the protect up forever.
Rhox doesn't have the strength to keep fighting. If I drop the field to use earthquake, I'll do some damage, but it won't be enough, Ayame understood. "Rhox! Forward!"
Rhox lumbered over the torn up battlefield as the barrier around him withstood the diamonds that Diana pelted it with. His speed was higher now, and he was advancing on the slower pokemon faster than she could move back.
Ayame narrowed her eyes. She could see Rhox's strength flagging, the protect was about to wear off, and then he would be done.
"Now!" Ayame shouted.
"Golem!" Rhox roared, and leapt from the ground, the barrier around him disappearing as he was barraged with fairy energy.
"Heavy slam!" Blake cheered, even though he knew that meant Ayame's Golem was about to faint.
Diana knocked out Rhox with a powerful moonblast, but that didn't stop the pokemon's unconscious body from colliding with her, slamming her into the ground.
"DIANCIE!" Diana cried in pain, the force of the heavy slam causing a sizable chunk of her health to disappear, in spite of her high defenses.
"Diana!" Gerard shouted, his eyes widening in worry.
"Golem is unable to battle!" Lila judged. "He used the last of his strength to make a powerful attack against that Diancie!"
"Return, Rhox. That was amazing," Ayame smiled, recalling her unconscious Golem. Without the pokemon's massive frame to weigh her down, the injured Diana floated up into the air once again, panting.
"Diana, are you okay?" Gerard asked.
"Dia…" Diana winced, looking back at him and giving him a sweet smile. Gerard sighed in relief, and then his expression hardened again.
"Good. Because this battle isn't over yet. You still need to keep fighting."
"Diancie…" Diana nodded sadly and turned back to the battlefield, her body beginning to glow pink.
"Dana! Rhox did a lot of work in wearing down that Diancie's defenses, let's see if you can go the rest of the way!" Ayame said, sending out her Eldegoss once again.
"But Eldegoss already lost against Diancie, isn't she wasting her time?" Dakota asked.
"Just like how Gerard's Kabutops softened up her Golem so that Diancie could finish him off, she might be counting on her Golem having done the same to his Diancie," Akira explained. He wasn't sure if that would WORK, but it was something. "Plus, now that she's not under the effects of taunt any longer, she can use status moves."
"For starters, let's get rid of this dreary rain!" Ayame decided. "Dana, sunny day!"
"Eldegoss!" Dana nodded. She sent a ray of light into the darkened sky, and in seconds bright sunlight pierced through the layers of clouds, the battlefield illuminated in the warm glow of the sun. Dana herself was reinvigorated in spite of her previous wounds, feeling the warmth of the sun touching her body.
"You think the sun is going to be enough to save you?" Gerard snorted. "Diana, use moonblast!"
"Diancie!" Diana nodded, raising her hands and firing a blast of fairy energy at Dana.
"Dana, dodge it and use synthesis!" Ayame ordered. Dana dodged to the side and began to glow green, restoring her health with energy absorbed from the sun.
"Eldegoss!" Dana, a significant chunk of her health restored, prepared to attack with a powerful solarbeam, firing the compressed beam of light at Diana.
"You already tried that, remember?" Gerard laughed. "Diana, use light screen!"
"Diancie!" Diana raised her hands and created a thick barrier of crystal that sparkled in the sunlight. The solarbeam hit, scattering in countless directions from the attack, but the beam not strong enough to break through it.
"Oh no!" Lila cried. "Even with all the damage that Diancie has taken, Dana still isn't strong enough to break through her light screen!"
"It's okay, Dana!" Ayame said, shaking her head. "Don't worry! We expected this! And now that we can use moves other than attacks, we can get started really dealing our damage! Use growth!"
"El!" Dana nodded, her body starting to glow green.
"Oh! That's how they can do it!" Dakota cheered. "By using growth, Eldegoss can raise her special attack and attacking stats, helping her break through that Diancie's shield!"
"And that's not all," Akira smiled, shaking his head. "With the sunlight as bright as it is, the effects of growth are even higher. So Eldegoss's attacking stats will be raised by two stages instead of just one stage."
"Whoa, seriously?" Dakota asked, surprised. "I didn't know that!"
"Thatta girl, Dana!" Ayame cheered. "Just keep storing up power! If he's gonna hide behind that shield, then we'll just bust it right down!"
"We aren't hiding," Gerard glared at her. "You aren't the only building up strength, you know. Diana, go!"
"Diancie!" Diana raised her arms, and created a storm of diamonds shining with light in a cloud around her. With a swing of her hands the sparkling stones swept across the battlefield towards Dana, threatening to pierce her.
"We already tried this, remember?" Ayame asked. "Dana! Leaf storm!"
Her strength boosted by her growth, Dana unleashed a massive storm of razor-sharp leaves that began to whirl towards the approaching storm of diamonds, ready to slice through them.
"Yes!" Lila cheered. "They were equal before, but with the huge boost to Dana's special attacking strength, even the powerful Diancie won't be able to withstand it!"
Gerard smirked.
"Mystical fire!" He ordered.
"What the hell?!" Ayame exclaimed, not expecting that.
As the leaves struck the diamonds, they ignited in glittering pink flames, the leaves burning apart immediately as the fire attack tore through them, spinning towards an equally stunned Dana, who didn't have time to react.
"DANA!" Ayame shouted as the flames engulfed her.
"ELDEGOSS!" Dana wailed, thrashing around as she burned from the flames, her cotton ball lighting up like a wick. She fell out of the sky, struggling in pain as Diana advanced, preparing to burn the pokemon even more.
"Oh no!" Lila gasped. "That Diancie had fire moves?!"
"Excellent little trump card I prepared!" Gerard laughed. "Now, Diana! Finish her with fire once more!"
"Diancie!" Diana nodded, more pink flames floating up around her. She fired them at Dana, preparing to burn the pokemon.
"Dana! Cotton guard!" Ayame shouted. Charred pollen shot out from Dana's head, moving in a massive shield in front the grass type. As the pollen lit up, it gave Dana a chance to catch her breath and reposition. With her burns, both she and her trainer knew that she didn't have long in this battle, and she had to do something to take Diana down before she went.
"Eldegoss?" Dana glanced back at Ayame, who nodded her head. Ayame had an idea of what Dana was thinking. They weren't speaking with their minds or anything like that, Ayame didn't possess harmonia. But what she did have was years of training of her pokemon, teaching them how to work together as a team to overcome any obstacles in their way. Dana was ready to be a team player, and make a sacrifice in order to succeed.
Dana leapt through the barrier of cotton and into the flames, which began to burn her. As she came out the other side, she opened her mouth, and fired a spray of seeds that hit Diana, much to her surprise.
"Diancie?" Diana looked down as the seeds buried into her body sprouted out, the plants coiling around her and beginning to drain her of her strength.
"Elde… goss…" Dana panted, smiling victoriously.
"Leech seed, huh? A cute trick," Gerard scowled. "But that won't be enough! Diana, finish her!"
"Diancie!" Diana sent more mystical flames at Dana, preparing to burn her away, but Ayame wasn't about to let that happen.
"Dana! Use poisonpowder!" Ayame ordered. As the flames hit Dana, she fired a cloud of purple spores out of her cotton, Diana stumbling back coughing as the poison seeped into her. Dana fell out of the air unconscious as Diana gagged.
"Eldegoss is unable to battle," Lila announced. "She managed to deal some injuries, but Diancie is the winner! Now, Ayame Toujou and Gerard Alkwest both only have one pokemon remaining!"
"Return," Ayame said, calling back her injured Eldegoss. She took a deep, calming breath, and glanced up at the stands, towards where her friends had been sitting the day before. She hoped they were still there, that Blake was there, and that she was looking at him. But it was too far away to see. Then, she turned her head again and looked towards the Empress's box, knowing that Olivia was watching her as well. She smiled, and thought of the two most important people here, watching her, and turned back to the battlefield to send out her last pokemon.
Ayame started out ahead, but Gerard has managed to close the gap, and now she only has one pokemon left! Will it be enough for her to win? Diana has taken out two of her pokemon now, can she take out all three? The end of the battle is next chapter!