Before Roy's match began, Louis took Staravia and Cubone to the academy's Pokémon Centre, with Violet and Suzuki following them.
The centre's leading staff member, Nurse Joy, assisted in the healing of the two creatures. She placed bandages around Staravia while adding some disinfectant to Cubone's arm before bandaging it.
"There you are. Your Pokémon are all patched up," said Nurse Joy. "They'll just need some rest before they can battle again."
"Great, thanks," replied Louis, gratefully.
The boy carried the two healing Pokémon in his arms and proceeded toward the exit.
"We hope to see you again," called Nurse Joy.
Louis froze.
"Uh...what did she say?" questioned Louis.
"Don't think about it too much," answered Violet.
With that, the trio trotted back to the Pokémon field, where Roy's battle was about to commence.
With the referee raising his arm, then lowering it down at a rapid speed, the next battle began.
Roy brought out his first Pokéball. He proceeded to spin around a number of times before throwing the capsule and releasing his Lycanroc.
Suzuki chortled.
Roy's opponent, Micheal, chucked out one of his devices and brought out a dark creature with red eyes and what seemed to be a mask hanging underneath it.
"Whoa! What the heck is that?" questioned Louis.
"That's a Yamask," answered Suzuki.
"A what?"
"A Yamask. It's a Ghost-type Pokémon from Unova."
"Unova? Why didn't my Mom tell me about this?"
The battle between Roy's Lycanroc and Micheal's Yamask went back and forth. Both trainers were near equal, but Roy was slightly quicker.
With a cunningly quick counter-attack, Lycanroc unleashed a powerful Rock Throw at the ghost Pokémon. The force from the strike knocked the Yamask on the ground, fainting as it landed.
"Yamask is unable to battle. Lycanroc wins!" the referee called.
"Yes! Go Roy!" cheered Louis, Suzuki and Roy.
After returning the Yamask to their Pokéball, Micheal brought out an Aipom to the field. Another back and forth battle commenced between the two Pokémon as the gang spectated.
"Roy's Lycanroc is really good," complimented Louis.
"Yeah," said Torracat. "And it's in Midday form."
The boy didn't understand what the fire-cat Pokémon was talking about, so he decided to ask him later.
Once again, Lycanroc struck the Aipom with immense force, causing it to collapse onto the ground.
"Aipom is unable to battle. Lycanroc wins!"
During the applause from the crowd, Micheal brought out his third and final Pokémon.
A Vaporeon.
"A water type?" said Violet. "Not good."
Roy commanded Lycanroc to attack, but the opposing Vaporeon managed to dodge and counter the strike with a powerful kick, knocking it back. Then, without warning, Vaporeon was commanded to use Water Pulse. The blast of water dealt enough damage to Lycanroc and ended with Roy's Pokémon fainting.
"Lycanroc is unable to battle. Vaporeon wins!"
Suzuki pinched the bridge of his nose.
"He should've switched Pokémon," he sighed.
Violet nodded.
"He'll learn this lesson and, hopefully, he won't repeat it."
Roy looked at his fallen Pokémon, shocked and embarrassed.
"I forgot," he whimpered. "Water-type Pokémon are more effective on Rock types."
Snapping out of his stupor, Roy returned Lycanroc to its Pokéball and brought his next monster.
An Electabuzz.
The yellow-furred, black striped Pokémon made a battle cry as it landed.
"Yes!" cheered Suzuki.
"Why didn't he use it before?" wondered Violet.
Almost immediately, Roy commanded his Electabuzz to unleash Thunderbolt at the opposing Vaporeon.
Soon, a large bolt of electricity careened toward the watery, four-legged creature.
It collided, and with a 'BOOM', smoke enveloped the area. By the time the clouds disappeared, Vaporeon was covered in ash, unconscious and twitching.
"Vaporeon is unable to battle. Electabuzz wins!" the referee announced. "The winner of this battle is Roy Hunter!"
The spectators cheered for Roy and his Pokémon. Then, a voice over the speakers began to speak.
"Attention trainers. The qualifiers will resume after lunch," it said.
The cafeteria filled again with hungry students, but this time a quieter air filled the space. The academy favourite was up next, and the anticipation began to build amidst the hungry crowd.
Louis prepared to shovel down a nice, hot plate of curry. But then, he stopped to look at his team of Pokémon. Although only three of them competed today, the boy was proud of each and every one of them.
So, he decided to do something...different.
"Hey guys," he called, drawing the Pokémon team's attention.
"You wanna try some of my curry?"
The six different creatures looked to one another before responding.
"Sure. Why not?" said Fennekin.
"I could use a bite," added Staravia.
The boy revealed six separate spoons for each member. He carefully scooped up six spoonfuls of curry for each member of his team.
"I must warn you," said Louis. "It might be a little spicy for some of you."
The six Pokémon gulped down their portions of food. They remained silent after eating the samples.
"So...how is it?" questioned Louis.
"It's..." Fennekin paused.
"...Amazing!" cheered all the Pokémon.
Suzuki watched on, smiling over the bond between the Pokémon and Louis. He sat in silence, focusing on his inner-self.
'Gotta focus, Suzuki,' he thought.
'The qualifiers are a big deal for every kind of trainer, especially for beginners.'
The bell to signal the end of lunch rang, interrupting Suzuki's train of thought. The students returned to the Pokémon field, ready for the next battles. Suzuki walked onto the field, prepared to start. His opponent, a beginner named Zack Sanders, entered the fray soon after.
The young trainer was excited to battle one of the top students at the academy, while Suzuki was confident, but a little wary. He drew his attention to the large crowd. Many of them were silently rooting for the favourite, while others were more vocal.
The pressure was setting in for the boy as the referee raised his arms.
"BEGIN!"
With careful consideration, Suzuki drew out his first Pokéball, ready for battle.
"Go, Jigglypuff!" he called.
The capsule opened, and there was a bright glare as Jigglypuff appeared.
Zack brought out his first Pokémon, a Scraggy, and prepared for the first attack.
"Jigglypuff, use Double Slap!" commanded Suzuki.
Jigglypuff trotted toward the opposing Pokémon.
"Scraggy, quick!" called Zack. "Get out of the way before it gets the chance to strike."
The Scraggy prepared to dodge. However, it ended up tripping on a rock in the ground, causing the Pokémon to fall over.
Unfortunately, Suzuki's Jigglypuff was already close enough to land the attacks. A series of rapid blows reigned down on the fallen Pokémon.
"Jigglypuff, stop!" called Suzuki.
Immediately after the request, Jigglypuff ceased the attack upon the Scraggy.
"Hey Zack," said Suzuki. "Try an attack this time."
The young trainer nodded while sweating nervously.
The two Pokémon reset positions.
Meanwhile, in the stands, a small grin spread across Ms Flora's face.
"Ok Scraggy," cheered Zack. "Use Crunch!"
At that moment, the Scraggy ran toward Suzuki's Jigglypuff. It opened its mouth wide, before clamping down on Jigglypuff's body.
"Jiggly!" it yelped.
However, this attack annoyed Jigglypuff more than hurt it.
"Jigglypuff," Suzuki spoke. "Shake it off, then use Body Slam!"
The boy's Pokémon knocked the Scraggy off its body and leapt up into the air.
"Scraggy, look out!" yelled Zack.
Unfortunately, the Scraggy didn't get up in time and Jigglypuff landed on top of it with immense force. This impact was enough for the Scraggy to lose consciousness.
"...whoops," muttered Suzuki.
"Scraggy is unable to battle," the referee announced. "Jigglypuff wins!"
The crowd cheered.
Zack returned the Scraggy to its Pokéball. The boy became very sad at losing this part of the battle. Suzuki noticed this.
"Hey Zack," he called while returning Jigglypuff to its red and white device.
"Do you have any rock types?" continued Suzuki. "If you do, bring it out."
Almost immediately, Suzuki brought out his second Pokémon.
A Fletchinder.
Thankfully, for Zach, he did have a Rock-type Pokémon on his team.
He threw out his second Pokéball and a Rampardos emerged.
Zack was fully prepared this time.
"Rampardos, use Ancient Power!" he commanded.
The Rampardos' body began glowing white and created a see-through afterimage of itself. The afterimage of the Rampardos began to quickly spin, creating a silver ball of energy. From the stands, Louis became amazed by the awesome power displayed before him.
"That...looks like a lot of energy," he said.
Zack's Pokémon launched the silver ball at Suzuki's Fletchinder.
Before the Fletchinder could react, the ball of energy collided with its body, causing a massive explosion. As the dust settled, the Rampardos was still standing, while Suzuki's Fletchinder was down and out. Suzuki was amazed at how this young trainer could have such a powerful Pokémon.
"Ok, I...wasn't expecting that," he said.
Then, the referee spoke.
"Fletchinder is unable to battle. Rampardos wins!"
The area was silent for a moment. But then, the crowd grew in applause at the display of action.
"That was awesome, Zack!" congratulated the veteran trainer. "Well done."
Zack smiled, proudly.
After returning his fallen Pokémon, Suzuki pulled out a third Pokéball from his pocket. He threw it up into the air and a Wartortle popped out from the device. The Pokémon prepared for the next lot of exchanges.
"Rampardos, use Zen Headbutt!" ordered Zack.
Channelling its willpower to its head, the Rampardos charged toward the recently released water Pokémon.
"Wartortle, dodge!" called Suzuki.
Using its shell, the Wartortle rolled out of range for Rampardos' attack.
"Now, use Hydro Pump!" commanded Suzuki.
The Wartortle built up the attack, then launched a large amount of water from its mouth, colliding with the Rampardos with tremendous force.
The pressure from the blast knocked Rampardos back a few feet. Although the attack was very effective, the Rampardos was still standing. Neither Zack nor Rampardos were ready to give up at this stage. The young trainer dug his heels into the ground, prepared to command the next attack.
"Ok Rampardos..." he began. "...use Headbutt!"
'Again?' thought Suzuki.
Once again, the Rampardos bolted toward Suzuki's Wartortle.
"Wartortle, use Rapid Spin," said the veteran trainer.
The Wartortle retracted its head, arms and legs into its shell and spun around like a disc. It leapt into the air on a direct course with Rampardos' attack.
As both attacks collided, a 'KONK' sound emitted from the clash. Both Pokémon were back in position after each other's attack. Both Rampardos and Wartortle remained standing. But then, Zack's Pokémon collapsed under its own weight and fainted.
"Rampardos is unable to battle. Wartortle wins!"
The crowd erupted.
"Yeah! Go Suzuki!" cheered Roy.
During the rounds of applause, Suzuki decided to swap out his Wartortle with Jigglypuff, bringing out to battle once again.
It was then that Zack, after bringing back his fallen monster, brought out his third and final Pokémon.
A Steelix.
"Wha-..." choked Louis. "That kid has a Steelix?!"
Suzuki looked at the young trainer, surprised.
"I didn't expect you to have a Steelix, dude," he said.
"Heh, always expect the unexpected," replied Zack.
Louis was taken aback by the kid's statement.
"That just like my Mom taught me," he muttered.
Suzuki, while still surprised, returned his focus to the battle. He bit down on his lower lip, contemplating his next move.
"Ok...uh..." he stammered. "Jigglypuff, use Body Slam."
Nervous and unsure, Jigglypuff jumped up, trying to aim for a good spot to attack.
It then hurtled toward an open area of Steelix and collided with the body. Unfortunately, it only did a small amount of damage.
"Steelix, use Iron Tail," commanded Zack.
With its tail now glowing, the beast spun around and swung its tail at the still airborne Pokémon. It struck with a powerful blow, sending Jigglypuff hurtling to the earth below. Roy and Violet, along with Louis and his Pokémon, winced at the impact of the blow.
"Ooh. That's gotta hurt," groaned Azul.
Unsurprisingly, that blow had knocked Jigglypuff out cold.
"Jigglypuff is unable to battle. Steelix wins!"
The crowd, whipped into a fever at the excitement, cheered again.
"Zack might actually win this," said Louis.
Violet shifted on her seat, still focused in the battle.
"No, Suzuki's just being good old Suzuki. I've never seen him lose a battle."
Louis' eyes widened slightly.
'So, he cares more about helping others than he does about winning…' he thought.
"That's really cool of him," whispered Louis, unheard.
Now, Suzuki brought his Wartortle back into action while returning Jigglypuff.
"Alright, it's all or nothing," muttered Suzuki.
Both trainers faced each other, determined to win. Zack's confidence grew considerably during this battle.
"Wartortle, use Water Pulse!" cheered Suzuki.
Wartortle sent a pulsing blast of water toward the large Pokémon.
It struck the steel body and caused an impressive amount of damage.
However, it wasn't backing down, and neither was its trainer.
"Steelix, use Iron Tail again!" commanded Zack.
The steel-type's tail began glowing again as it spun around and swung its tail.
"Quick, Wartortle! Dodge!" yelled Suzuki.
With enough time to spare, Wartortle rolled out of the way. However, the tail had just grazed its arm, leaving a few scratches.
"Alright..." said Suzuki. "Wartortle, finish this off with Hydro Pump!"
With that command, Wartortle built up everything it had to use this attack. It then launched the powerful jet of gushing water at the opposing Steelix. The force was so powerful and perfectly aimed that the Steelix fell down to the ground, fainting.
"Steelix is unable to battle. Wartortle wins!" the referee yelled.
"The winner of this battle is Suzuki Hamada!"
The entire field roared in applause, cheering at the conclusion of the battle.
Suzuki knelt down to Wartortle and rubbed its head.
"Nice job, Wartortle," he complimented.
Then, Wartortle's entire body began to glow brightly. It began to morph in shape and size. The spectators watched on in surprise and excitement.
"What's happening?" asked Louis.
"I think it's evolving!" yelped Violet.
The glow eventually disappeared to reveal a different Pokémon where Wartortle once stood.
"Blas-toise!" it roared.
"Whoa!" shrieked Suzuki.
Members of the audience began cheering again. Both Suzuki and Blastoise exchange brofists with one another. The veteran trainer looked at Zack, who was smiling at the end result. They approached each other and shook hands.
"Great job out there," said Suzuki.
"Thanks, man," replied Zack. "That was a good battle. It's just a shame I won't be in the tournament."
"Hey, don't worry."
The veteran smiled.
"You are going to win this thing one day."
Great job, Suzuki and Roy. Well earned victories for you both.
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