Pokémon Trainer Hero
Chapter 51: The Sports Festival part. 22- Fire and Ice makes….Water?
The number 2 hero in Japan, Endeavor, looked down at the sight before himself, grumbling with anger and irritation. He hadn't forgotten being humiliated twice by the interdimensional interloper and his pocket-sized monsters. First being intimidated by someone so much smaller than him and with no powers, then completely immobilized by that giant walrus that froze him solid, and now this! A disgrace to everything in the Sports Festival?!
This….animal fight, holding more sway and attention than the actual battle of young heroes?! Especially since it should've been his son that took all that attention! Where are the minds of the people and other heroes going! BAH! Unless, shameful, dishonorable, all of it!
Since his time, the standard for heroes, public image, honor, and public entertainment has truly dropped! And he surely wouldn't be a part of it! It made his blood boil over until it manifested in his fire, causing nearby people to try and vere away from him! He grumbles and mumbles until his inner thoughts become his outer ones.
"I can't believe these people are getting excited for such a crude and blatantly disrespectful display of what the Sports Festival isn't supposed to be!", He growled through grit teeth. "Especially cheering for some outsider and a non-existent title for the Sports Festival failure. Tch! I can't believe this. How vile."
After his self rant, Endeavor noticed that everything had gone into a cold silence. He finally cleared the red from his eyes and saw that all eyes were on him. And not just from people nearby, but everyone in the stadium! He idly wondered why everyone was staring at him?
Then he noticed himself on the jumbo screen! How was he there?! Did what he muttered get broadcasted?! Who snuck up on him and…...who was recording him? Endeavor looked at the jumbo board to see what angle his secret recorder was standing and saw that they were right next to him. He looked to that side but said nothing there. Just some of the onlookers staring at him. What was going on?
However, his question was quickly answered by none other than the source of his friction, Gar.
Who, taking the mic, announced, "Latais! I told you not to creep up on people while invisible! It's not polite. And recording him without his knowledge, for shame!"
Endeavor swiveled his head from the side and before he realized it, the thing recording him began to appear. It was turning visible bit by bit until he saw the strangest creature he had seen. It was like evolution said 'fuck you' and a bird turned into a plane! It was red and white with large golden eyes and a smile that didn't have a single thought behind them, and even if it did, it didn't care.
Latais simply got uncomfortably close to Endeavors' face before blowing air in his eyes, making him flinch, and followed by flying around him playfully and aerodynamically! Twisting and turning her body like a flag in the wind while making a set of chirping noises! The Pokemon then took one more turn around Endeavor's large body before flying down towards Gar and flying around him in the same manner. However, she was rubbing and twisting her body around him like a cat, even with added purring noises. Gar just rolled his eyes and gave her no attention.
He looked up at the angry-looking hero and said to him over the mic, "Sorry about that Endeavor. Latais is still a child and doesn't understand things like personal space and privacy, and if she does, she certainly doesn't care. But still, it's my fault for letting my eyes off her, so I apologize for her recording your private thoughts without your knowledge.", Gar apologized with a bow, much to Endeavor's annoyance.
Sure, his thoughts weren't very….acceptable in this instance, but they were still his thoughts! Not only that, but the kid owned up to it and made an apology in front of this crowd! If Endeavor did not accept it here and now, he would still look like the one to blame! He grits his teeth at how crafty that kid was! Endeavor hid his fury as he stood atop the stairs with arms crossed. Luckily he didn't have to accept his apology as Gar quickly said the following right after.
"But still, it looks like we got ourselves a naysayer in the crowds, uh-oh!", Gar started with a sing-song tone in his throat.
Making some people laugh and many more to boo the hero like it was part of a circus act! This made Endeavors fire grow a little hotter at seeing the teen sways and weaves the people like a master puppeteer. But luckily he managed to keep his composure in front of the public eye, he wouldn't let his temper get the better of him in this instance.
"Though, why would the number two hero possibly have anything against this year's Sports Festival? After all, it looks like everyone, heroes and civilians alike is having a blast! Are you having fun people!?", Gar asked the crowd, as they replied with a booming roar of cheering, making Endeavor form a tack mark on his face.
"After all, I'm not gonna be here permanently. So why not spice things up, yeah? What is wrong with a little change in the present and drawn out formula now and again?", Gar asked him.
Change? Spice it up? Drawn out?! This kid sure has a lot of nerve! Trying to dismantle and make a mockery of everything this festival and heroes in general stand for! A mockery of everything he and all heroes before have known! And he wants to change it!? It might be entertaining now, but what about later? What will this look like in the eyes of the public, the government, and villains alike! Endeavor had to prove himself in the right no matter what, and Gar was about to help him with just that.
Gar clicked his tongue as he said over the speakers, "Still I can tell that this isn't your cup of Petilil tea, am I right? You don't wanna see strategic fighting between two people giving commands, you wanna see two people duking it out to the last man standing! Fine then, I'll give you exactly what you want."
Endeavor raised an eyebrow at this, listening intently to every word he spoke. He wasn't going to-was he?
"Endeavor! Number Two hero of Japan! I Garfield, hereby challenge you to a battle! Right here, right now!", Gar announced.
An excited, yet maniacal grin spread across the hero's face as he launched himself from his perch in the stadium and propelled himself with his fire, then aimed to land right onto the young man. Luckily Gar immediately noticed what he was trying to do and quickly grabbed Izuku while jumping far away! Even Latais made haste and vanished into thin air.
Endeavor landed in the spot where he was, releasing a plume of fire in a hero landing to stop his fall, then readied a fist to throw at him! But Gar was quick on the dot as he pulled out a Pokeball and out popped a Beartic who caught the fiery fist! Endeavor looked pissed yet confused by this and looked behind the bear as Gar shot his arms up in a cross formation.
"Woah Woah Woah! WOAH! I didn't say I'd fight you myself, I mean, come on! You'd curb stomp me! I know it, you know it, everyone here knows it!", Gar exclaimed, hiding behind the large creature digging its claws into his hand.
Endeavor raised his eyebrow and asked back annoyed, "Then what did you mean by your earlier challenge?"
Gar slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "I meant I'd fight you with my Pokemon!"
Seeing as he didn't find any immediate fighting, Endeavor loosened up his body's tension, which signaled Beartic to release his hand, sensing no current hostility. The Pokémon dropped to all fours and walked over to Gar's side as the Flame hero spoke.
Endeavor crossed his arms while puffing his chest, and looking down on Gar while stating firmly, "I won't participate in your mindless sport."
Gar rapidly shook his head while irritated shouting, "No no no! You won't fight with Pokemon. You'll be fighting against them."
"What?", Endeavor questions.
Gar slaps his face again and cries out, "UCK!", He then took a deep breath and explained to the hero in a calmer tone, "Let me make this simple. We will engage in a battle in which I will fight you with my Pokemon. If you are knocked out or yield, I win. But if all of my Pokemon are defeated, you win. And for the sake of fairness, I'll only use two pokémon. Any more and you'll 100% fail. Sounds good?", he asked while holding up two deactivated pokeballs, one of which was an Ultra ball, and the other a Dive ball.
Endeavor thought it over for a minute, then smiled as he said, "I accept your terms. So what do I get if I win?
Gar looked at him like he grew a second face, then laughed as he boasted, "Ha! You won't! But yeah, go ahead and ask for whatever."
Endeavor sneers at his boastful cockiness but decides to overlook it for now. He thinks for a brief moment before saying, "Well…..I can't ask you for money-"
Gar quickly cuts him off with a relieved gasp and says, "Oh thank Arceus! I don't have any! UA is providing me with literally everything."
Endeavor snorts at him, a sign to be silent as he closes his eyes and thinks. He opens his eyes and with a malicious grin says, "I got it."
He then beckons Gar to come close as he cups a hand around his mouth. Gar stands on his toes and leans an ear to his mouth. The crowd tried to listen through the mic, but Gar had pushed it away from himself and the only thing that came of being heard was the backlash from their breaths.
As Endeavor states his demands, Gar's eyes wide and he drawls out in surprise, "Oooooooooooh! That's quite a steep price you're asking for…..I like your style.", Endeavor also gives him a boastful smile with a determined expression on his face. Gar then follows up with his demands, saying, "And in the case of fairness, one humiliation to another, you will have to kiss a Pokemon of my choosing if I win!"
"What?", Endeavor asks him with a weird expression.
Gar rolls his eyes before explaining, "It's like kissing an animal of your world. I know that's a humiliation thing.", Endeavor made an expression of acknowledgment in his statement. "And besides I already have one figured out. And her name is...Garbodor.", Gar paused for dramatic tension, only to get silence from the crowd, an unamused expression from Endeavor.
The only person remotely shocked, or in this case, horrified, was Izuku, who shouted in a panic, "What!?", He then grabbed Gar's arm and looking up at him, begged, "Gar no! That's….that's too evil!"
However, Gar simply put his hand on the teen's face and gently pushed him away while saying sternly, "Hush Izuku, the adults are talking."
"That's it? That doesn't sound so bad.", Endeavor bragged back with a triumphant grin.
Gar grinned back maniacally and replied, "Oh, it's much worse than you think. Here, I call for her so you can see what your up against.", then cupping his mouth over the mic he called out, "Oh, Garbodor!"
After a few minutes of waiting, one of the jumbo boards' cameras followed something moving into the field through one of the large stadium openings. The thing was huge, and made loud sounds as it moved too! The crowds leaned forward in anticipation with bated breath, waiting for this Pokemon to arrive! Even the pro heroes were on the edge of their seats! Even Endeavor starts to look worried.
Then the Pokémon finally made its presence known and it was…...underwhelming. The Pokémon, Garbodor, was not what anyone was expecting. Sure, it wasn't particularly nice to look at, but just plainly…..plain. It resembles a dull, dark green garbage bag with a knot at the top that acts like ears. It has oval-shaped eyes and large triangular teeth that resemble broken glass. Its arms look like trash spilling out of small tears in the bag with pink and blue objects protruding out of them. Its feet are dark green and stubby. It even made small burps and hiccups as it waddled around aimlessly.
Without taking his eyes off the Pokémon, Endeavor asked Gar, "Is that-?"
Though Gar was quick to cut him off and explain, "Oh no-no-no. That's one of her six children. She's three times divorced and very lonely.", this just made Endeavor more confused. But before he could think about it longer, Gar suddenly shouted, "Oh! Here she comes in all her glory!"
Out from the stadium field opening archway came an enormous figure whose size could be easily determined by its smell! It was so bad that some people seated by the opening started to gag and move away from their seats from the stench alone! Even the sound from when it moved made it sound massive! Endeavor kept his eyes trained on the spot, and almost immediately fell over once he saw the Pokémon itself!
Garbodor is a Pokémon that has the appearance of a pile of trash spilling out of a large, torn garbage bag. It has a round, lumpy body that is mostly tan with blue and pink lumps. Its head has the appearance of the tied end of a garbage bag that has been ripped open and trails down like a cape. It has two appendages that look like clumps of garbage coming from its head. Its large, round eyes have small pupils, and its large, triangular teeth can be seen when it opens its mouth. Garbodor has two long arms made of garbage; one held together with piping, with fingers also made up of piping material, and the other held together with rebar. It has one finger on its left hand and three on the other. It also has flat, dumpy feet. It even had other miscellaneous things in its body mass; food boxes, cans, and other trash from the many food vendors outside! Even leaving a trail of trash as it walked. This thing was a literal walking trash pile!
"WHAT THE FUCK!", Endeavor screamed in shock and horror.
"Isn't she stunning!", Gar cooed with fascination.
"What the actual fuck is that!", Endeavor reiterated.
"Your prize! Or well, you'll be her prize when I win.", Gar replied with a smile.
Which then started a chain reaction of disgusting sounds and gag reflexes all around the stadium. Especially Endeavor who promptly threw up in his mouth, only to force it down again. Izuku appears to be handling it better than the rest, but on closer inspection, one could see that Izuku was nearly pale with his soul exiting his body.
"Holy shit! Gar is pure evil!", Present Mic said over the speaker from within the broadcasting booth.
Eraser's head, despite his calm exterior, was horrified, to say the least! He even expanded on this as he said over the mic, "In my time as a hero I've seen many atrocious things, but this…..tops it all."
Meanwhile, within the office of Principal Nezu, he was watching the whole scene unfold in all its glory. The small creature was munching on cheese and giggling wildly as he watched the many reactions to Gar's ultimatum. "Hu Hu Hu! My Garfield, you seem to have a secret sadistic bone in your body. Perhaps I should compare notes with you sometime.", he said to himself while staring at the screen intently.
"Hey! Hey Garbodor! This guy is gonna be your prize when I win!", Gar called out to the pokemon!
Endeavor turned pale as he tried to use his gestures to diswad Gar's proclamation or Garbodor from thinking it was true, even his flames died down due to his emotional state. However, it didn't work as Garbodor looked in Endeavors direction and immediately started to act flustered and coy. She pulled a used tissue from her body mass and waved it in his direction with a flirty wink. Thus causing the man to go even paler and his flames to all but die out completely.
Endeavor had managed to work through the aftertaste of his upchuck and aftershock before exclaiming once more, "That's Garbodor!? It's hideous! And you expect me to kiss it!?"
"Yes.", Gar stated matter-of-factly, only for Endeavor to shiver like horsehide. Gar saw this reaction and decided to joule him as he asked, "Don't tell me that the number two hero is getting….cold feet?"
The pun and insult knocked Endeavor out of his disgusting stupor and reignited his previous anger towards him. His fire blazed as hot as it did before and the large man turned around with a menacing aura as he stated firmly, "Fine. Let's do this."
Gar clapped his hands and exclaimed excitedly, "Alright! Rotom set the stage!"
As they both took opposite ends of the field, Izuku was whisked off the field by robots with Brawleon in his arms. The robots took the pokemon and pokeballs for healing, before allowing Izuku to take his seat amongst his peers. While Gar returned both Latais and Beartic.
Once the two men were standing on opposite ends, Rotom's face appeared on the board with a different background screen. It was like the battle screen, but the one holding Endeavors pic didn't have any poke balls, just his face. Unlike Gar who had just two Pokéballs present.
Then the Pokemon made his starting announcement, "Buzzt. Previous Champion Garfield versus the Challenger, Flame Hero: Endeavor. The Battle will end if at any time Endeavor is knocked out or yields or if both Pokémon from Gar are defeated. Buzz. Ready? Begin!", he called out while starting the fight.
Gar activated the Ultra ball and threw it out while shouting, "Articuno, show me what you got!"
The ball popped open and immediately the whole field felt like winter had been released in one go! Ice and snow formed everywhere, with both men's breath able to be seen. A blizzard emerged from the ball in place of the normal blue light, and once it fell away, there in the air flew Articuno, majestic and strong! The bird screamed into the air, causing the snow to move around its body like individual ribbons!
Everyone was excited to see such an over-the-top display by such a weird-looking creature, all except for class 1-A who had prior experience with all three of the Legendary Birds. Needless to say, they were extremely shocked to see such a display of possibly unneeded power.
"Woah! Gar is starting strong! I mean, a Legendary right off the bat!", Uraraka stated with surprise as the crowds around them cheered wildly.
"Isn't that a bit much or overkill?", Iida added in, thinking Gar was going overboard.
Then it was time for Izuku to put in his two cents and ask intrigued, "Endeavor isn't the number Two Hero in Japan for nothing. Gar's right to use such a strong Pokemon, but why an Ice Type?"
Back on the field, Endeavor was completely unfazed by the large bird and its over-the-top introduction. Then simply raised an eyebrow in genuine confusion, asking, "The hell is that thing? And why is it so cold all of a sudden?"
Hearing this, Rotom did as he does best, and informed the hero's curiosity and the onlookers. "Articuno, the Freeze Pokemon, dex #144, and a Legendary Pokemon! Buzzt. Articuno is a legendary bird Pokémon that can control ice. The flapping of its ice wings chills the air. As a result, it is said that when this Pokémon flies, snow will fall.", Rotom informed them with a smile as Gar sweatdropped at Rotom's willingness to boastfully show off his intellect.
"Legendary, eh? You said they're like some kind of gods from your world, right? Pretty weak God if you managed to make it your slave.", Endeavor vexed the large creature, causing it to grow angry and scream a gust of icy wind directly at the hero.
"See now I'm gonna have to make you eat those words.", Gar sneered back with equal, yet controlled anger, before commanding, "Articuno hit him with an Ice Beam!"
Articuno flew back a bit while pulling my head back, then shot out a beam of concentration cold at the hero! Endeavor didn't even flinch as he smirked at the attack. He made a large fireball in his hand and threw it at the beam. Both attacks collided and surprisingly Ice Beam overpowered the fireball and continued its course towards Endeavor!
Shocked by this, the hero attempted to dodge but ended up getting hit in the back and legs! He was knocked down with an extremely frigid feeling that bit at his bones! When he tried to get up he noticed his legs had frozen to the ground! Luckily this wasn't a big problem as he quickly melted the ice holding him down. He got up and sneered at the bird, now knowing not to take this lightly!
He then switched tactics and sent a huge beam of fire at the bird, attempting to roast it mid-air! Luckily Gar had commanded the bird to move, and with graceful elegance, it continuously stayed out of reach of the great flames! Endeavor eventually got tired and had to rest before throwing out another strenuous attack, which Gar took advantage of.
"Now Articuno, use Water Pulse!", Gar shouted as the bird generated a ring of water around its beak.
The ring then flew off its face and swirled towards the man in individual pulsating rings. Even though he was temporarily spent from the last attack he still managed to shoot out a string fireball to evaporate it instantly. This caused a smokescreen which gave Gar time to ponder.
'So, he's finally taking this seriously? Guess I should've expected that from a pro hero. Nevertheless, let's kick things up a notch.', Gar thought to himself.
"Articuno, use Hurricane!", Gar commands as the bird stirs up a strong wind.
The wind quickly picks up speed until a whole damned hurricane is created and threatens to pick up and whisk the flame hero away. Luckily Endeavor managed to melt his hands and feet into the concrete field, anchoring him down! However, the winds were intense and sharp as Endeavor felt like his skin would peel right off! But he held strong until he thought up something to stop this!
He knew from prior knowledge that hurricanes are just hot and cold air chasing one another around. Adding his fire to the hurricane would imbalance and dissipate. So without missing a step he started to exert as much heat as possible! However, he soon realized the hurricane was only getting stronger and stronger with his heat added in!
'Damit! I'm already at my highest temperature and yet this storm is even more intense!? Don't tell me….this storm isn't made of colliding air partials, but just straight air being formed into the storm!', Endeavor thought to himself while forcing one eye open and looking at Articuno. 'How freaking strong is this thing?'
Endeavor knew his only way out was to push out even more heat and once the storm fell on itself, counter attack! So he did just that, letting out a war cry and engulfing his flames around him while they turned blue! With one last push, the storm fell in on itself and disappeared! From there he freed his hands and threw a fireball that curved around before flying towards the shocked Pokemon! But just when it was about to hit, it exploded several feet away from it, leaving the Pokémon unscathed.
Endeavor just shook his head and decided to harp on it after, right now he had to change tactics. The long-range wasn't working, so short-range it is. He set his fist on fire, blast off with fire emitting from his feet, and rocketed off towards the bird. However, once he was within a few feet of the creature, some kind of force immediately caused him to halt and then spin out of control before crashing into the field of broken concrete! As Endeavor rose he thought back to his previous attack and tried to bring up a connection between this one.
Then a thought crossed his mind and he raised one hand that blew out a steady stream of fire. The fire hit the invisible force and steam erupted from it. He stopped the stream and concluded his theory.
"Airborne ice shards. Small enough to not be noticed and numerous enough to be used for defense, but also cut with a reflective surface to appear invisible.", He said aloud to himself. "But how?"
"How you may ask?", Gar returned his question. "Quite simple really. Articuno doesn't just control ice like any ordinary run-of-the-mill Ice type. It is Ice itself. It's the personification of Ice! Henceforth it can control ice in all its forms."
Endeavor had never heard of such a degree of both control or power in his life! Sure had had to be one of the most talented elemental heroes around, with refined control that was second to none, but this was crazy! If it could freeze water vapor, make it floated, invisible, and use it as a shield then what else could it do!? He decided now wasn't the time to be stressing such things, now was the time to figure out how to break such a defense. There had to be a way to make the creature use all the frozen vapor in one go, but how!
But he didn't get a chance to think on it for long as Gar took his hesitation and called out, "Trap him with Ice Beam!"
Articuno shot its attack not at Endeavor, bit around him. Quickly encasing him in a huge cage of icicles! Endeavor quickly rose from the ground and saw he could get out so long as he launched himself over. He was about to do just that when Gar quickly followed up with another command.
"Now Water Pulse!", Articuno once again shot the pulsating rings of water at the man, drenching him, extinguishing his flames, and making him stay in the same spot.
When the water pressure stopped Endeavor quickly realized what was happening and knew he needed to escape! He dried off his feet and began to launch himself with his fire propulsion from his cage, but that's what Gar wanted.
"Follow up with another Ice Beam!", He exclaimed as the bird shot the beam from the ground up, with aid from the water, hitting the hero's head on!
When the beam dissipated their stood Endeavor, or rather their floated Endeavor, suspended in the air on a pillar of I've he was encased in up to his neck. The man's teeth were chattering and his flames were completely out! He was helpless, something Gar took full use of.
"Grab Endeavor and fly high!", Gar commands.
Articuno flies over to the trapped man as he attempts to thaw his way out, only for the bird to make it there quickly and wrap its ribbon tail around his body. With a quick yank and a hard flap of its wings, Endeavor was pulled free but still encased! Within seconds the man felt the harsh sting of the winds backlashing his face! The wind stopped and Endeavor saw himself at the top of the stadium…... needless to say, no matter what he did…..this would hurt.
He heard Gar shout something but couldn't make it out. Though he got that question answered as Articuno took a sharp nosedive with the hero trailing behind! Endeavor felt the wind rush past his face and knew he had to at least attempt something before the thump! He only had seconds to spare but he managed to quickly heat his body and started to thaw out. However, it was far too late as Articuno quickly twirls in the air and throws the trapped hero down into the open field with a large explosion!
Once the dust settled there was Endeavor; far from unscathed but still very conscious. He was lying amongst the broken concrete and ice, breathing heavily with a very obvious shiver. Even though his fiery suit had come back he still felt the sheet cold biting deep into his bones! It was like the very essence of the cold was etched into his body no matter the heat he emitted.
Articuno flew aloft in the air while looking down at the grounded hero like a benevolent God, making Endeavor near angrily at it. This is when Gar's voice booms over the speakers, calling out Endeavor.
"Give up yet, Endeavor? There's no shame in admitting defeat.", Gar offered him with a seemingly nice tone, but Endeavor knew he was berating him.
Endeavor managed to bring his head up and hiss out, "Screw. You."
Gar sighed with fake disappointment and said to him, "Very well….Knock out it is then!", He turned to his Pokemon and told it, "Articuno, expand the ice particles!"
Articuno raised its head while hovering in the air and let out a loud cry, immediately causing the ice particles to condense within one another and grow to massive sizes! Large as a bowling ball bag with protruding blunt spikes on all sides. Since whatever magic was keeping them in the air grew weaker the heavier they got, thus causing a rainfall of deadly objects to start falling all over!
Although one would be frightened by this, Endeavor wasn't. He saw this as his only opportunity and took it! Collecting all his willpower, going Plus Ultra, he immediately launched from his shot from the fire on his feet! He reached back and blasted himself up straight from the fiery hand! From there he took a runner's stance and launched himself off all four of his limbs, using the momentum to dodge all the falling projectiles!
Once he was in a safe space, free from the falling death storm, he created a spear made from fire and threw it at Articuno! The spear had no hinders and landed on its mark, more specifically its wing. Articuno screamed in pain as it fell to the ground with the fire spear starting to dissipate. With one won't be out of commission the bird was unable to fly and grounded! Endeavor celebrates his short victory in stride, only to watch this injury cause more frustration in Articuno rather than fear.
The bird dead stares down Endeavor and screams angrily before charging him down by foot! Beak forward and talons at the ready with one wing flowing behind! Every step it took caused ice to spread across the field! Though this is exactly what Endeavor wanted. He rocketed himself at the bird and crashed into its face with a fiery punch. From there he grabbed its body and held tight as the creature tried to shake and peck him off.
"Hell Fire, Purgatory!", The hero yells as both he and Articuno are consumed in a huge column of fire!
Articuno cries out in pain and attempts to knock off Endeavor or escape the column of fire, only to realize the flames follow wherever Endeavor goes! Gar tries to call out another command to Articuno, to use Roost, only for it to fail as the fire rages on and Articuno continues to scream! Eventually, the HP bar on the battle board drops to zero and beeps signaling Articuno's defeat. However, Endeavor doesn't stop and keeps the fire going: whether he didn't know or didn't care was anyone's guess. But seeing as he wouldn't stop, Gar quickly recalled Articuno and breathed a sigh of relief upon its successful return. Leaving Endeavor a bit freaked out by his opponent's sudden disappearance.
"Buzzt. Articuno is unable to battle, this fight goes to The Flame Hero: Endeavor!", Rotom announced, causing a roar of excited cheering.
Endeavor, now realizing what had happened, stood up with chest forward with pride as he smiled with an unsettling victorious grin. Gar only narrows his eyes and snorts hot air in his direction. All while the 1-A bleachers were abuzz with conversation.
"Holy cow! Did you guys see that!?", Kaminari exclaimed.
"That was awesome!", Sero shouted with excitement.
"That was intense!", Mina sighed while fanning her sweaty face.
"Articuno was so manly!", Kirishima clenched his fist with a manly tear running down his face.
"I can't believe Endeavor won against a Legendary.", Jiro stated neutrally.
"Neither can I.'', Todoroki smeared in agreement.
"He didn't.", Izuku suddenly blurted out.
This caused an instant wave of silence from the class as they all stared at the green-haired boy with a mix of confusion and surprise.
"Sorry Deku-kun, but what?", Uraraka asked him.
"That's because he didn't win.", Izuku reiterated his previous statement.
This time it was Kirishima's turn to question him, with a bit of worry, as he stated, "Midoryia, bro, we all saw Endeavor roast Articuno like a Christmas turkey. Of course, he won."
"As a casualty.", Izuku added in immediately after without taking his eyes off the field.
"What?", was the consensus of everyone listening.
Then Izuku went on a short raid about his theory. "Articuno only lost because it got grounded by Endeavor's flame spear. Articuno had every opportunity to block, reflect, or dodge the attack but didn't.", He told the class, earning shocked looks from everyone.
"Are you saying that Gar threw that fight on purpose?", Tsuyu asked bluntly.
"That is exactly what I'm saying. The only question is why?", Izuku asked no one while rubbing his chin in thought.
"Well if Gar purposely threw this fight then that means he has some kind of plan up his sleeve. And since he only has one Pokemon left I can only assume it's that.", Momo added her thought to the theory, getting a round of agreeing on head nods.
The thought was sound in theory and not something Gar was above doing, especially from Izuku's experience, but the only two questions remaining were why and what Pokemon would be a part of the plan? While back on the field, Gar was calling out Endeavor on his little display of nearly melting Articuno.
"Don't you think that was a bit overkill?", He asked the hero over the speaker with a slightly condescending tone.
Endeavor growled at him as he spat back, "Says the one who dropped me from several dozen feet in the air and then tried to bury me under boulder-sized ice rocks."
Gar just kindly shrugged while looking away and replied nonchalantly, "I would've stopped when you K. , and I even gave you the chance to surrender. But still, your right on that.", He then quickly changed his tone as he smugly asked, "So, still got some fight in you? Or are you ready to quit? Cause it looks like Articuno left you ragged despite your victory."
Endeavor had seen a better day, especially now. Despite his fire still going strong, he shivered like a dog in the snow, covered in cuts, bruises, and many other injuries, and looking near ready to fall over from obvious fatigue. But that didn't deter him from staying in.
He snorted black smoke from his nose and shouted, "As if I'm gonna give up now!"
"So be it.", Gar replied shortly while shrugging. He then pulled up the mic and whispered something to the new Pokéball in hand. "Show no mercy.", He whispered to the device before throwing it out and shouting, "Cramorant, show me what you got!"
The ball flew through the air, popped open, and out of a new and much smaller bird Pokemon. It is a blue avian Pokémon resembling a cormorant. It has bright green, large, circular eyes with small pupils and a large, thin yellow beak. It has a ruff of light gray feathers that goes around its torso and sticks out at the back, making them resemble a bib. Its tail feathers have a small dot-shaped marking of this same shade of gray. It has a ruff of feathers on its head, with the largest clump pointing backward and being surrounded by small singular feathers. Its feet are black, webbed, and have three toes. Its wings seem to be perpetually extended. All this coupled with the expression it held on its face made it look completely ridiculous and dumb-looking!
A fact that was glorious pointed out by The Flame Hero. "BWAH HA HA HA HAHA! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?! HA HA HA! IT LOOKS-IT LOOKS SO STUPID!", He laughed hysterically as the rest of the stadium joined in his vexing laughter towards the seemingly stupid Pokemon, much to Gar's chagrin.
Yet again the ever omnipresent visage of Rotom was above them, listening to their conversation, and doing his best to show off at his best. He pulled away from the battle board and pulled up Dex mode while reading the Pokémon's recorded info aloud.
"Cramorant the Gulp Pokemon, Dex# 845, a Flying and Water-type. This hungry Pokémon swallows Arrokuda whole. Occasionally, it makes a mistake and tries to swallow a Pokémon other than its preferred prey. It's so strong that it can knock out some opponents in a single hit, but it also may forget what it's battling midnight. Buzzt."
Gar sighed aloud at yet another of Rotom's boisterous, standoffishness, and narcissism. At least no one would ask him later. He decided to ignore it, again and promoted a question to Endeavor.
"Are you going to fight or forfeit and continue laughing?", He asked with a snide and snarky tone.
This made the hero cease his laughter and take back his more serious tone as he replied, "If you expect me to fight that thing, then I guess I've already won."
Gar snorted back proudly and stated, "That's what you think. With that in mind, I'll go first. Cramorant, use Surf!"
The dumb-looking bird opened its wide beak and let out short a croon. Not even a second later and a huge wave, far larger than any other before, sprouted up behind the bird! And instead of getting sucked into its massive attack, it easily maneuvers within it like swimming in a calm lake. Zipping back and forth in a serpentine motion despite the drastic pull of the water.
The endeavor was clearly floored by the sudden appearance and sheer enormity of the attack, and even though he couldn't do something, even he knew he wouldn't get out of this and stood there as the wave tattered over and ready to spill! Which it did, one minute he was there and the next he was not! The water splashed all over the field and the hero was nowhere to be seen, the whole area was like a large pool with no clear view of the bottom.
Once the magic water vanished Endeavor was seen lying face first in the ground. Gar half expected the man to be out cold, but one sputtering cough later and a roll to his side, that thought was quickly snuffed out.
The hero got onto his knees and began to cough a few times before his lungs cleared up. His flames had been extinguished but they quickly came back once he got to his feet. After shaking whatever water clung to him despite the heat, he looked over the field to find his friend only to see it simply standing there with a fish wriggling in its beak. The endeavor was confused by this at first but brushed it off as he readied for an attack!
He lit his fist on fire and launched himself at the creature. The bird barely reacted as It took a full brunt of the punch to the face! But on closer inspection, it only caused its head to crane back before launching towards and shooting the fish from its beak! The endeavor was so shocked by the suddenness of it that it too hit him dead center! Endeavor reeled back in pain after being hit in the face with a fish traveling at Mach three! After he pulled his hand away he noticed that he smelled like fish, he tasted shame in his mouth and a very obvious red mark across his left eye! Endeavor glared at the Pokémon who only looked at…..nothing in particular with its nonintelligent gaze. Was he seriously being beaten by this brainless bird? No way! He was gonna take this thing down even easier than the other one!
Only to find the opposite when Gar called out, "Now use Aerial Ace!"
Despite its useless-looking wings, Cramorant managed to flap them hard enough to lift its body off the ground. Endeavor smirked at this, seeing as he could easily dodge and then counter! Only for the bird to put on a huge burst of speed and rapidly strike Endeavor from all sides! The Flame Hero was nearly brought to his knees but stood tall and firm as he gasped from the multiple attacks! He glared and growled at the bird who was back in its original spot with the same mindless expression as before.
Endeavor nearly got surprised again as Gar quickly shouted, "Now Scald!"
The bird shot a stream of water from its mouth and Endeavor shot a stream of fire in response! The attacks collided and canceled each other out, but a bit managed to splash on Endeavor's shoulder causing him to cry out in pain and grab his body! He gently pulled the hand away and noticed that not only was the clothing covering that part gone, but he had a very raw-looking burn.
'So that's why it's called Scald. It's water with such an intense temperature that it causes burns. Have to be careful of that.', he said to himself.
"Surf!", Gar quickly cried out as another huge wave was created and Cramorant just swam peacefully in it.
This time Endeavor didn't stand idly by and let it flatten him again. He gained all his muster and shot a stream of blue fire and yay cut straight through the attack and allowed him to get by unharmed! Though he still got splashed by the water falling around him. Once again Cormorant appeared with its head back and a fish flopping in its mouth. Endeavor quickly pieces together that it would gain that fish only after the specific move, and having it in his mouth prevents it from using other moves and moving quickly.
There he decided to use ranged attacks so he could more easily avoid the fish since it only shot it out after taking a hit. So he created a spear once more and heated his feet to the point he was able to meet the ground and gain a good foothold. From there he ran off to the side and once he saw the Pokémon's side-eye he threw the spear at its body! The spear landed head-on, piercing both its wing and body, but the Pokémon didn't even react! It only leaned in the direction of the spears inertia force was going. It didn't even scream after getting pierced, just sat there.
However, things changed when its body tattered back onto both feet and launched its head towards Endeavor, sending the fish flying! Seeing the creatures suddenly head jerk in his exact location almost made him flinch! But he held strong and used his footing to stop and book it in the opposite direction! Unfortunately, he didn't realize that Cramorant also put a twist on its attack as Endeavor did.
After the initial launch, the fish made a wide turn until it was now traveling in an arc and headed straight towards Endeavor, who took the full brunt of the fish to the back of the head! Endeavor tumbled to the ground and rubbed the back of his head while spitting out dirt chunks! Gar is this chance to help his Pokemon recuperate.
"Alright Cramorant, use Roost.", He called out as the Pokémon flapped its wings as old feathers shed while his body gleamed.
Within moments the Pokémon injuries were nearly gone and its HP was restored to half! It had full control over its once injured wing and used it effectively in its next attack!
"Aerial Ace!", Gar commands as Cramorant suddenly disappears.
The endeavor was seeing red! Not from anger, but from the injury to his skull! The endeavor was a tough man, but even he knew he couldn't take another attack like that, or he'd be down! He tried to get up to face his opponent but saw nothing, which was bad. He hears Gar shout something and frantically look around only to find his enemy, but see only the empty field. Not good!
Before he realized it something hit him from…..everywhere and he is nearly knocked to his back! Though he manages to plant his feet and stay standing despite the lightning-fast onslaught! During which his head is knocked up and he catches a glimpse of the brainless looking bird, staring at him with no expression or intent, simply just the cold blank gaze of its eyes. Then the hero hears Gar say something that almost throws him into a panic!
"Scald!", Gar yells and Cramorant spits boiling water above the hero!
Even though Endeavor easily evaporates the water like last time, he has gravity working against him, and what remains of the water rains down on him and is made stranger from Endeavor's flames! The hero cries out in pain as the scalding hot water burns through his clothing, douses parts of his fire, and causes burning blisters! Even now the hero has no time to rest as Gar shouts out another command!
"Surf!", and Cramorant, who was still above him, summoned another great wave.
This time Endeavor has little time to react or plan! But he still pulled through and managed to think on his feet, literally. He blasted his fire off his shoes once again and rocketed upward, chasing the ever-growing wave that climbed up at the same speed! Eventually, they both were at the precipice, but the wave was still up higher than him!
Though did this stop him? No. Once again he turned his fire blue and extinguished the tip of the wave that threatened to swallow him up! And lucky for him it succeeded, leaving the hero with the trouble of being swallowed whole by water. When he finally landed he was all out of breath from pushing himself so hard and so fast! He's fought great villains in his time, but this bird was something else! It wasn't just unpredictable but also unmanageable, it was like a force of nature! He swallowed hard and looked behind him to see the Pokémon with that same fish in its mouth, and the same thoughtless expression on his face.
The endeavor was furious and so wanted to kick that bird out of the stadium! But he stopped himself before he could even take a step forward. He knew if he did that then he would get pummeled in the face by that fish, and no matter where he ran or what he did, that thing would hit its mark!
It was like the world's ultimate sniper, but without a gun. He had to be smart about this. If he got hit just one more time, especially in the head, he'd be down and out! He was already seeing red, and not from his anger!
He knew that thing is now slower and can't use most of its attack with the fish. To do any of that, any kind of attack needed to make contact so it could spit it up. So instead of kinetic energy, he'd use potential energy. A simple flame attack, roasting it alive, should do the trick! With that, he put his plan into action.
Drawing all his power into his dominant hand he pulled his arm back, thrust it forward, and shouted as he released a huge Flamethrower type attack right at the bird!
"Hell Fire, Stream!", He yelled while releasing all the pressure from his hand.
Endeavor smiled as he saw the Pokémon get consumed and disappear within the flame.
He looked over at Gar, expecting to see a defeated look cast on his face or even one of displaced shock! Instead, he only saw his gaze down with a toothless smile, one that made a cold chill run down his back! Then something launched out from the flames at top speed! He didn't have time to fully react or realize what had been shot at him until it was already halfway to him!
The flaming object was none other than the fish within the bird's beak, being launched even faster than before, spinning like a football while on fire! Endeavor saw everything move in slow motion, unable to move his body within this time frame. The only normal moving thing was the fish which continued along its intended path. Endeavor's brain buzzed with thoughts just before impact, most of which was: How did this happen? How could he lose? Why didn't his plan work? Why him?
The fish made high-velocity contact with the man's face, causing a sharp snapping noise to be heard! The hero's face was whipped to the side and smashed on the initial impact, and his body was thrown back alongside it. His fire stream stopped and once the fish bounced off of him from the velocity, the giant hero fell to the earth like a stack of bricks.
Everything was silent after that. No one dared say a word as they waited for a verdict, but even the verdict givers were waiting for something, but nothing happened. After a painfully long ten seconds, Rotom made his announcement as Endeavor lay in the dirt.
"Flame Hero: Endeavor has been knocked out. Buzz. This means the winner of this battle goes to the Former Champion: Garfield!"
The crowd erupted with zealous cheers of excitement and congratulations! All while Gar bit out a smile, trying not to let the sting of 'Former Champion' ruin his image. After a few waves to the crowd, he returned Cramorant and whispered a quick thank you to the Pokémon. After that, he moved towards the unconscious form of the number two hero.
Even newly K. he was still as tough as he looked and began to stir awake with a grown. Gar breathed out an impressed but exasperated breath at the man's tenacity and inner fire. Within this time, Recovery Girl and her Pokemon team had set onto the field and we're skirting around the man, healing him to near perfect health in mere moments. The large man finally fluttered his eyes open and looked around in a daze moaning while holding his head. He tried to sit up fast, even despite Recovery Girl's warning, and moaned out in pain again before speaking.
"What the hell happened?", The Flame hero asked with a groggy tone.
"You nearly had your face caved in by a bird with less than five brain cells, launching a fish into your skull at mach three.", Recovery Girl sarcastically explained.
Endeavor initially stared at her with a confused expression before giving a sharp tone to her, asking, "In Japanese?"
"You lost.", She said simply.
Endeavor felt like he had just been hit by another flying fish as the words slowly sank into his head. He repeated the words with great difficulty as he choked on them like a bitter broth. "I-I….I lost.", He finally squeaked out with a defeated tone and expression.
"Yes you did.", Came a familiar and condescending tone. Endeavor looked up at the voice with irritation and saw the smugly smiling face of Gar as he said vexingly, "Welcome back to the land of the living, Endeavor-san.", Endeavor sneered and grew hot from anger at the casual and purposefully rude use of the suffix. "You lost, so you know what that means!", Gar sing-sang to him with a devilish look.
Endeavor calmed himself down and knew he'd have to bite the bullet this time. There was no way around it. With a final sigh, he replied with defeated closed eyes, "Yes….I know."
"Well it's nice to know you're a man of your word! Ready for your kiss?", Gar asked once more, just to rub it in further.
Endeavor briefly thought about his kiss and nearly vomited in his mouth at the thought. After swallowing and shivering at the thought, he replied while standing up, "Let's just get this over with."
Gar smiled as he unneeded cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Oh Garbodor!"
Within minutes Garbodor was back on the field with her kids in the toe and sloshing her way to the center, looking even more putrid than before! Pieces of a broken comb were placed on her face like acrylic eyelashes, two rotten jalapenos made full red lips, and she was powdering her face with a dust bunny.
"Oh, would you look at that Endeavor! She prettied herself up just for you!", Gar cooed at the sight, even if he was somewhat revolted.
Endeavor forced down his stomach again and he forced himself to squeak out with a shiver, "How…. lovely."
Even normal Garbodor we're smaller than Endeavor, this one had accumulated so much trash during the festival that now she was a whole three inches taller than him! And she looked static about what was to come. Endeavor hesitated…..for a long long time. He just stood there and stared into the beady eyes of the living trash heap in front of him.
Eventually, Gar got impatient and coaxed him along, firmly saying, "Well don't keep her waiting any longer. Pucker up."
"Just a quick peck?", Endeavor asked, pleading while trying to hide the pain on his face.
"Yes yes, just a quick peck. Nothing more.", Gar confirmed, making the hero calm down a bit. Allowing him to pucker his lips and prepare to peck and leave, until Gar said one last thing. "Unless she decides otherwise."
Before he could even ask what that meant, Garbodor had grabbed Endeavor around his neck with her rebar arm and pulled him into a long kiss on her rotten veggie lips! A round of disgusted ewe's, giggling, dry heaving, and other grossed-out sound made their way around the stadium! Even Gar turned away from the sight without being too obvious.
Endeavor's eye watered and bile began to collect up his throat! His body was so shocked and overwhelmed by the smell and tastes that his body wouldn't allow him to move, so he stood there at Garbodor's mercy. Which, lucky for him, only lasted about ten seconds. Once free he instantly pulled away with a scream before falling to his hands and knees while promptly vomiting the context of his stomach! Leading to another round of grossed-out sound and a good chunk of laughter, even Gar giggled at this.
After he finished emptying his stomach, Endeavor got to his feet, wiped his mouth, and with whatever pride and dignity he had left, casually walked off the field and out of the stadium with a deep feeling of shame. Once he was gone All Might descend from….somewhere with his power, and not vexing laughter, booming on the way down. Once there he flexed a pose and made his announcement over the speakers.
"WELL, THAT WAS CERTAINLY SOMETHING! THIS YEAR SPORTS FESTIVAL HAS BEEN SOMETHING ELSE! I DON'T THINK ILL EVER SEE ONE LIKE THIS IN MY LIFETIME AGAIN! FOR THOSE OF YOU IN THE STANDS OR WATCHING AT HOME, FROM THE STAFF OF UA, WE ALL THANK YOU FOR JOINING US HERE TODAY ON THIS MOMENTOUS OCCASION! WE HOPE YOU HAD AS MUCH FUN VIEWING THIS YEAR'S STUDENTS AND ALL THE TWISTS AND TURNS THAT CAME WITH IT! AND WE ALL HOPE TO SEE YOU AGAIN NEXT YEAR! PLUS-!", but before the hero could finish his sentence, great darkness suddenly and quickly fell over the whole stadium.
All Might look at Gar and ask him, "GARFIELD MY BOY, DIDN'T YOU CHANGE THE WEATHER BEFORE? WHY IS IT SO DARK?"
Gar shrugged and replied, feeling somewhat accused, "I did! And besides I-."
Gar suddenly stopped himself short as he looked up to see what was causing the overcast, only to see something strange.
All stadium goers looked up as well or at the jumbo board that moved its cameras skyward. Darkening the sky were a dozen blimps congesting the airway.
Gar, who hasn't taken his eyes off the skies, asked All Might, "Um, All Might. I wasn't aware the school was having a blimp air show after the festival."
"THAT'S BECAUSE WE WEREN'T.", He answered back while staring at the sky.
"Then who's-?", Gar began to ask until one of the bigger blimps turned to the side.
It revealed a large, uppercase, red, English letter. One that Gar recognized immediately and went completely cold and unresponsive at the sight. All Might noticed the young man's unresponsiveness and pale face, then tried to bring him back.
"YOUNG GARFIELD? YOUNG GARFIELD! PLEASE SAY SOMETHING!", All Might began to shake him slightly.
"I know it.", Gar suddenly came back while speaking cryptically.
A slight chill ran up the hero's spine as he attempted to ask, "W-WHAT WAS THAT-?"
Gar gulps dryly as he stammered out, getting whiter with each word, "T-That symbol. I-I've seen it before. B-But i-it can't be! I-It just can't be! It's impossible!"
All Might look up at the balloons before looking back at Gar and asking again, hoping to get an answer, "YOU... KNOW WHO THAT IS?"
"Yes….and they shouldn't be here.", Gar stated cryptically while tightening his fists.
Then a set of speakers blared to life on the main blimp, and once the after noise dies down some, a voice called out with a start of something strange and threatening.
"Prepare for trouble."
The the Sports Festival Arc is coming to a close very soon. Enjoy till then.