As soon as the students and guests had returned to the stands, the professor cleared his throat and spoke through the microphone.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it is now time for the quarterfinals," announced the professor.
"Our next match is Roy Hunter and Team Supernova versus Simon Varnett and his team," he revealed.
Roy's heart skipped a beat.
Suzuki spoke.
"Forget who your opponent is, just remember your training, and do your best."
Roy gulped but nodded in reply.
Simon was the first to reach the starting mark, accompanied by the sounds of booing by a brave onlooker.
"Who did that!?" Simon turned and eyed the crowd.
Louis turned his head to see who was jeering Simon.
It was from Miguel.
"Oh, Dad," he groaned, but grinned in secret.
Simon had been 'booed' before, but never by a grown adult. A confused stare slowly crossed his face.
Eventually, Roy arrived on his mark, keeping a close eye on Simon.
'I may not win, but I'm gonna go all out!' thought Roy.
Both trainers had their first Pokéballs in hand as the referee signalled for the match to start. Roy brought out Lycanroc while Simon called out Houndoom.
The first round of battles consisted of a number of back-and-forth bouts. Both creatures seemed to be an even match for one another.
Eventually, after some time, Lycanroc landed a critical hit on Houndoom. With that, Houndoom fell to the ground.
The first round was over. Lycanroc was victorious.
Simon smirked.
"Heh, not bad..." he said. "...but it still isn't good enough."
He held the next Pokéball ready.
"I went too easy on you...but that ends NOW!"
He launched the Pokéball high into the air and grinned menacingly at Roy. Roy, in response, pointed and simply issued one order.
"Attack as it deploys!"
Lycanroc didn't hesitate to sprint toward the spot where Simon's next Pokémon would land.
However, this would end up being a costly decision as the next Pokémon that Simon had brought out was Garchomp.
The Garchomp burst from its containment, a snarling mass of energy and danger, but it failed to notice the Lycanroc hastily zooming toward it
Using a carefully placed strike, Lycanroc attacked the opposing Garchomp.
Unfortunately, it barely had an effect on the dragon-type. This made Simon grin.
"Use Dragon Claw! Now!" he ordered.
The hand claws on Garchomp started glowing. It took a wild swing at Lycanroc, delivering a powerful hit on the Pokémon.
As a result of the previous battle and the current attack, Lycanroc fainted.
Roy muttered under his breath.
"Dang it."
"Roy, breathe and think!" Suzuki called.
Hearing those words of encouragement got Roy's heart pumping. As soon as he returned his fallen Pokémon, Roy released his Electabuzz from its capsule.
Simon decided to switch Pokémon, swapping Garchomp with Luxio.
Due to both Pokémon being electric-types, this resulted in an evenly matched back-and-forth battle. Numerous electrical blasts filled the arena, a bright, flashing energy exchange of atmosphere burning intensity.
The air smelled of burnt ozone.
After a long battle, both Pokémon exchanged powerful attacks with one another which ended in a big explosion. As the smoke cleared, both Pokémon were passed out on the ground.
This surprised the viewers and trainers, especially Simon.
"Uh...Electabuzz and Luxio are unable to battle, this round is a draw."
Suzuki, Louis and Violet squinted their eyes and could see that Roy's hair was standing up from all the static in the air.
Violet tried her best not to laugh.
Both of the competing trainers brought their fallen Pokémon back into their respective spheres. Then, they sent out their third and final Pokémon.
Simon released Garchomp, while Roy called out a Pokémon that not many people knew he had.
A Dragonite.
"He has a Dragonite?!" yelped Miguel.
"Yeah," answered Suzuki. "He doesn't usually use it for battles."
Both trainers went all out in order to win the match. It was attack after attack. The teachers, students and professors were on the edge of their seats during this finale.
"Dragonite, use Hyper Beam!" cheered Roy.
Dragonite's eyes slowly glowed white, as an orange ball of energy was created in front of the monster's mouth. Then, the ball turned into a powerful beam that went straight for Garchomp.
The opposing dragon used its hand claws as a shield, in an attempt to stop the blast. This resulted in an explosion of dust, concealing the view of Simon's Pokémon from Roy. Roy smiled, thinking that he and Dragonite managed to take Garchomp down. However, the clouds cleared up, and Garchomp was still standing, shocking Roy.
"What?!" he exclaimed.
Unbeknownst to Roy, Simon's usual grin grew wider than before.
"Finish this! Use Dragon Rush!"
With that command, Garchomp flew into the air.
The two appendages on its head began to glow light blue. Soon, its body was enveloped by the shining energy, where it then launched itself at the opposing Pokémon.
"Dragonite, LOOK OUT!" yelled Roy.
The Dragonite tried to dodge, but the oncoming attack was too fast for it.
As a result, Dragonite was slammed into the ground by the opposition's attack.
Dragonite lay, near motionless, upon the arena floor.
"Dragonite is unable to battle. Garchomp wins!" announced the referee. "The winner of this match is Simon Varnett and his team."
Roy ran over to his fallen Pokémon.
"Hey, Dragonite! Are you alright?" he cried.
Dragonite groaned in pain.
While this was happening, Simon raised an arm into the air, proud of his victory.
However, this was met with complete silence from the crowd.
"Get lost, loser!" an attendee yelled.
Not long after, the sounds of boos and hisses began to crescendo.
"You stink!" another student exclaimed.
"We love Roy and his Pokémon! Not you!" yet another group yelled.
Simon simply scowled at the intense amount of negativity being directed at him. He returned his Garchomp into its capsule and walked out of the gym. Roy, in turn, brought Dragonite into its own Pokéball and went straight to the Pokémon Centre.
"Oh, jeez!" groaned Violet. "He was so close!"
"Simon is more powerful than last year," Suzuki muttered quietly.
Soon, the jeers died down as the professor prepared to announce the next match.
"Next up we have Suzuki Hamada and Team Comet facing off against Leo Wright and Team Delta."
Before Suzuki could take his place on the battlefield, Louis stood up and walked down the stands.
"Louis, where are you going?" asked Suzuki.
The boy spun back around to the veteran.
"I know it'd be cool to watch your match, but I might check up on Roy," he answered.
As the boy began exiting the premises, Janet stood up as well.
"You know what? ...so will I," she said.
While the boy was on his way to the Pokémon Centre, he overheard footsteps heading toward him. He turned his head to see his mother following him.
"Mom?" he said. "What are you doing?
"I'm coming with you," answered Janet. "I wanna check on that kid too."
Soon, they arrived at the Pokémon Centre and approached the room that Roy occupied. They heard a thumping sound coming from within the room. Janet opened the door to see the boy's Pokémon in bandages and Roy banging his head on the wall, lightly.
Janet stepped into the room first, then Roy noticed the pair entering, stopping himself from hurting himself more.
"What are you two doing here?" he questioned.
"We just wanted to see how you were doing," answered Louis.
Roy hesitated.
"I'm okay, I guess. My Pokémon will heal up. It's just...I got so close to removing Simon, and now my team is hurt."
Louis returned his focus to the boy's bandaged Pokémon. He gazed at them with compassion in his eyes.
"I'm sure they'll be fine," he offered.
"They put their hearts into taking on Simon and his team...that was a hell of a battle!"
"I know," replied Roy. "It's just...I really wanted Suzuki or you to not have to worry about him."
Janet placed a hand on Roy's shoulder.
"There's no need to be so hard on yourself," she reassured.
Roy sighed.
"...you're right."
They spoke a while, on the battle, and the future bouts, until a crackle over the school's PA system announced the next round.
"Our next battle is Tanya Carson and Team Diamond versus Louis Serrano and Team Venus."
Roy sighed and smiled.
"Well, good luck, man," he said.
Louis displayed a 'thumbs-up' and turned to leave the room, nodding at his mother on the way out. As he left, Janet spoke in her soft, caring way.
"You know...they say music is one of the best healers..." she said.
Janet smiled that warm, infectious smile, and Roy couldn't help but feel better.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"If you had a guitar here, I could show you something that might help."
Roy's face changed as he remembered.
"I have my Dad's guitar!" he exclaimed. "It's in my room!"
He was almost out the door when she smiled again.
Meanwhile, Louis sprinted back to the gym, pumping his legs with each ferocious step.
Louis pushed the doors to the gym open, panting as he entered.
"Ah, there he is," said Taki, relieved.
Louis had no time to select his Pokémon, so Miguel selected for him as he got into position.
"Here I thought you wouldn't make it," called Tanya.
"Wouldn't bet the farm on that," replied Louis.
Then, the referee stood up and raised his arms in the air to signal the start of the match.
"Ready? ...BEGIN!"
Tanya acted immediately, throwing her first Pokéball low to the ground.
The first Pokémon she called to the battle was a Cacnea.
With the disadvantage of not knowing which Pokémon his father picked, Louis called out his first Pokémon. The Pokémon in question turned out to be Braixen.
"Phew," the boy whispered aloud, unknowingly.
Before he could react, Tanya called the first attack.
"Cacnea, use Poison Sting!"
The small, cactus Pokémon fired a large number of purple dart shapes from the middle hole of its mouth at Braixen.
"Quick, Braixen! Dodge!" called Louis.
Braixen quickly dodged each of the oncoming attacks, spinning and twirling with each evasion.
"Good," the boy cheered, silently.
"Now use Flamethrower!" he commanded.
Braixen retrieved the twig stashed in its tail and created a red-orange flame at the tip.
Suddenly, both humans felt intense heat upon their faces as a large plume of overheated fire bellowed from Braixen's wand.
The supercharged flames hurtled straight for Cacnea.
"Cacnea! Watch out!" yelled Tanya.
The opposing Pokémon tried to avoid the attack, but the oncoming flames were too fast for it, and Cacnea was engulfed in the stream of fire.
When the flames disappeared, Cacnea was seen lying on the ground, knocked out.
"Cacnea is unable to battle. Braixen wins!" the referee notified.
Suzuki turned.
"That was a good pick, Miguel!"
The man grinned.
As Tanya brought Cacnea back into its Pokéball, Louis decided to switch out Braixen with another Pokémon.
"Come on back, Braixen," called Louis, as he brandished a Pokéball.
"You did great out here," he complimented.
Braixen was beamed back into the sphere as his opponent brought out a Piplup.
As he gripped onto another capsule, Louis spoke, silently;
"Please, let this be something good."
He threw the Pokéball...and out came Azul.
As it landed, Louis could sense that Azul was calm and collected.
"Good thing I chose it," said Miguel.
Believing that his opponent would make the first move, Louis seized the opportunity to strike first.
"Azul, use Quick Attack!" the boy ordered.
With dexterity, Azul bolted toward the opposing Piplup, his legs moving in rapid succession. As a result, Piplup couldn't move in time and was tackled by the rushing frog Pokémon.
With the bubble frog close enough to Piplup, Tanya saw an opening.
"Use Peck, Piplup!" she said.
At that moment, Piplup's beak started glowing white as it began to peck Azul multiple times.
"Ow, ow, ow!" winced Azul.
The members of the audience were now presented with a long battle between these two beasts. Neither of them were planning on quitting.
They appeared to be evenly matched.
"Whoa, look at them go," said Crocanaw.
Soon, both combatants appeared to be worn out. Then, as he inspected the surrounding battlefield, Louis thought of a good way to end this round.
"Azul, Smokescreen!" the boy called.
"You got it!" replied Azul.
Azul inhaled a large amount of air, then exhaled a thick cloud of black smoke, engulfing the surrounding battleground.
For Piplup, attacking its opponent with this large cloud surrounding them would be impossible.
"Quick, use Water Pulse!" cheered Louis.
In a matter of seconds, Azul fired a pulsing blast of water from his mouth. Just like the battle with Munchlax, Piplup could not see the oncoming attack and was hit directly.
Soon, the smokescreen disappeared, revealing the battle's outcome. Azul was still on his feet, while Piplup was lying on its back, unconscious.
"Piplup is unable to battle. Froakie wins!"
Azul wiped the sweat off of his head and grinned.
"What a battle," he muttered.
From the stands, Louis' family and friends watched on in awe.
"Whoa! Azul wasn't playing around," said Violet.
"Louis saw a good opportunity to use those moves," added Suzuki. "He must've remembered his qualifying battle."
As Tanya retrieved her fallen combatant and beamed it into the Pokéball, Louis had to make a difficult decision. In which to keep Azul out to battle, or switch it out with his third Pokémon. Almost immediately, the boy reached a verdict.
He retrieved Azul's Pokéball and pointed it at the blue frog.
"Good work, Azul," complimented Louis. "Come on back."
Azul was then returned into his capsule. Louis produced his third Pokéball, curious as to who would be his next combatant. He threw the sphere into the air and out popped...Staravia.
'...I didn't think Dad would pick her,' thought Louis.
The boy gazed at his opponent as she sent out her final Pokémon. Staravia would be going face to face with...a Grookey, ready for battle.
Louis had never seen that particular Pokémon before.
Staravia immediately got herself in the ready position.
"Let's rock," she said, silently.
The two trainers watched carefully at the action that was about to unfold.
"Grookey..." Tanya began. "...use Scratch!"
Grookey's barely visible claws turned white and extended a fraction. It leapt toward Staravia, raising its arm.
"Dodge it, Staravia!" commanded Louis.
With quick reflexes, Staravia had only just managed to dodge the oncoming attack, getting a small number of grazes on her wing.
"Dang it," muttered Staravia.
"You alright, Staravia?" inquired Louis.
"Yeah, I've just got a few small scratches."
The boy nodded, understanding the situation.
"Well then, try..." he paused. "Try using Wing Attack."
Staravia lifted her wings and flew toward Grookey. The left-wing started shining before the bird Pokémon swung it at the grass monkey.
With thanks to Coach's training, the attack was significantly more powerful than the last time it was used.
As a result, Grookey was knocked to the ground. It was down and out.
"Grookey is unable to battle. Staravia wins!" the referee shouted. "The winner of this battle is Louis Serrano and Team Venus!"
The group of family and friends cheered at Louis' victory, and the boy sighed in relief.
His muscles ached.
Today saw the most activity he'd experienced since his journey with Taki, and his legs began to remember the miles they crossed.
His memories were broken by the sound of a bell, as the professor switched on a microphone.
"Ok students, we're going to have a thirty-minute lunch break," he announced. "Afterwards, we will begin the semi-finals."
A large gathering of attendees began exiting the premises, like a horde of Pokémon heading into a cave.
Suzuki was the first of the group to stand up.
"You guys go on," he said. "I'll catch up to you."
The crowd dispersed in their own manner and back into their own collective groups, as Louis, Miguel, Taki, Crocanaw and Violet made their way to the field.
Miguel scratched his head.
"Now... where is my wife?"
"Over here," a voice called.
The man turned his head to see his wife approaching the group.
"How's Roy?" asked Violet.
"He seems to be doing fine," Janet began. "But, he's still a little upset about his previous battle."
"Oh..."
Then, out of nowhere, the sound of a stomach rumbling noise was heard. Immediately, Crocanaw turned to Taki.
"Was that you again?" she asked.
"No..." answered Taki.
Louis sheepishly raised an arm.
"...that was me," he squeaked.
The boy stood up. He then placed all six of his Pokéballs onto the ground.
"I'll be back, I'm just gonna get myself some food," he said.
Louis quickly sprinted to the cafeteria. As she watched, Taki started grinning.
"A thousand Pokébucks says he's getting curry," she joked.
"Two thousand says he'll get that and tea," replied Miguel.
Forgetting that his legs were aching again, Louis stumbled to a halt. He breathed heavily. Then, he spotted Raboot in the distance. Something had been boggling his mind ever since he first saw it when it was still a Scorbunny. Working up the strength, the boy jogged toward the rabbit Pokémon.
"Hey! Raboot!" he called.
Raboot's eyes shifted to the approaching boy.
"Oh, it's him," he muttered.
Soon, the boy was close enough to the Pokémon.
"If you're looking for a race, forget it," it said. "I don't have time for one."
The boy became surprised at Raboot's words.
"Uh...that's not why I came over," he revealed.
"Huh?" blurted Raboot, as it spun its head to Louis.
"Then, why'd you call me?" it asked.
"Because something has been on my mind for a while," answered Louis.
Raboot soon folded its arms, thinking the boy was gonna say something silly.
"Do you...have an owner?" asked Louis.
Meanwhile, back at the field, Taki had brought out Louis' Pokémon to join in the conversation between the group.
"Where's Louis?" asked Braixen.
"Oh, he's getting some lunch," answered Taki. "Miguel and I are taking bets on what he gets."
"See, Taki thinks he'll get only curry, while I think he'll get curry and tea," added Miguel.
"What do you guys think?"
"Neither," said Riolu.
Both humans raised an eyebrow.
"Neither?" said Miguel. "Why do you say that?"
"Well, Louis has mentioned something about...expecting the unexpected," explained Riolu.
Raboot's strides were tiny in comparison, yet still, he held equal pace, effortlessly, with the boy walking next to him. As Louis rounded a corner toward the field, the small Pokémon rubbed its nose.
"Are those your friends?"
"Most of them," the boy answered.
Sensing two separate aura, one that was familiar, but the other...not so much, Riolu spun around to see Louis and Raboot approaching.
"Ah, there he is," it said.
Taki and Miguel also saw that the boy hadn't brought over any lunch yet.
"Guess we were both wrong," joked Taki.
Both human and Pokémon sat down with the rest of the group. Moments passed in silence before Violet spoke.
"So...what's with the Raboot?" she asked.
"...it needs a trainer," the boy responded.
Taki shifted on the spot.
Before Louis could continue, a set of footsteps grew closer to the gang. The lunch party shifted their attention to the source. It was Roy, returning from the Pokémon Centre. After approaching the group, he sat down, smiling. The boy then noticed the Raboot next to Louis. Violet tapped him on the shoulder and whispered what was going on.
Louis cleared his throat.
"Anyway..." he began. "...I asked Raboot if it had a trainer and..."
"It doesn't?" inquired Roy.
"Yes and no," answered Louis.
"You see, it technically has one, but the trainer is constantly running around the school saying that he's late."
It didn't take long for Violet and Roy to figure out who its trainer was.
"Oh...that guy," said Roy.
The group's gaze panned to the rabbit-like Pokémon.
"Ra-boot?"
"Raboot said, 'Why are you staring?'"
"Does it...have any preferences?" questioned Janet.
"Just a trainer that doesn't completely forget about it," answered Louis.
For some time, the rest of the group pondered if they would be best for Raboot.
"I'll do it," Taki spoke.
All eyes turned to the girl.
"You will?" blurted Janet.
"Yeah," replied Taki. "Honestly, it kinda feels like how I met Crocanaw for the first time."
Louis grinned.
"I had a good feeling you'd want to do it," he said.
Roy interrupted.
"Not that I mind, but isn't it technically school property?"
Before anyone could answer, Louis' stomach growled again.
"Uh, excuse me," he said.
In the blink of an eye, Louis dashed to the cafeteria and returned to the group with a plate of curry and some tea in a cup.
"Ha! Told ya!" cheered Miguel.
Just then, Suzuki jogged toward the circle of family and friends, with urgent news.
"Hey, Louis?" called Suzuki.
Each of the spectators spun around to see the spiky-haired boy heading towards them.
"Did you get to have a look at the tournament table just now?" he asked.
"No, why?" replied Louis.
Then, the boy felt a sense of dread flow through him.
"Oh jeez, don't tell me I'm facing off against Simon," he grumbled.
"Actually, you're incredibly lucky," answered Suzuki, reassuringly.
"He's got a bye," he explained while looking at the other members of the group.
"A bye?" Violet spoke.
"Oh man, you are so lucky," added Roy.
"Uh...what does that mean?" questioned Louis.
"It means you don't have to battle anyone at this stage," explained Suzuki. "You're automatically in the finals."
The boy's eyes widened in shock.
"...you're kidding," he squeaked.
The veteran shook his head. Then, Suzuki spotted Raboot next to the boy from Johto.
"Hey, isn't that the same Raboot you raced a few weeks ago?" he said.
"Yep," answered Louis.
"The thing is...its current 'trainer' is that professor that is constantly late and...he seems to have completely forgotten that he owns Raboot...so..."
"It wants a different trainer?"
"Yeah, pretty much. Taki offered to take care of it, but uh..."
"Isn't it technically school property?" Roy finished.
Suzuki rubbed the back of his head.
"Not really," he said. "But, unless the current trainer is willing to trade or give away a Pokémon, you can't really take a Pokémon from them."
Taki nodded.
Then, something popped up in the girl's mind.
"Oh, Louis," she said, leaning over to the boy's ear.
"You still have that pendant Chief Tanaka gave you, right?" she whispered.
An imaginary exclamation point appeared above the boy's head.
"I completely forgot I had that," he replied.
"Any idea what you're gonna do with it?"
"No, I don't."
Suddenly, the sound of the academy bell rang across the campus.
"Attention students, the semi-finals for the Academy Tournament will commence in ten minutes."
At a rapid pace, Louis consumed his lunch and stood up.
Taki turned her attention to Raboot.
"Care to lead me to your...'trainer'?" she said.
As Taki and Crocanaw followed Raboot, Louis turned to his Pokémon.
"You guys ready?" he inquired.
"You bet we are," answered Torracat.
The stands were full of excitement. Some members of the audience brought snacks from lunch to consume, numerous bags rustled, as popcorn, chocolate and cookie wrappers opened in preparation.
For added anticipation, an extra set of lights were switched on and directed onto the arena.
"It is now time for the semi-finals!" the professor announced.
"You've all done extremely well to get here, and your teachers and I wish each of you the best of luck."
He drew the audience's attention to the big screen, displaying the current tournament standings.
"As you can see, Louis Serrano is automatically in the finals," he began.
"But our next match to decide who he will be facing off against is Suzuki Hamada and Team Comet versus Simon Varnett and his team of Pokémon."
Suzuki cleaned the grime off of his glasses with his shirt and fixed his hair, clearly nervous that this may be his last match.
"Come on, man," encouraged Louis. "You got this."
Suzuki nodded.
He stood up and made his way onto the battlefield.
His heart raced. Multiple thoughts crossed his mind. The increasing feeling of nervousness began overwhelming him as many spectators began chanting his name.
'They're all counting on me,' he thought. 'I can't let them down.'
And there, stood dead-centre of the arena, was Simon.
As the audience chanted Suzuki's name, Simon scanned the crowd with something close to contempt.
'Simon's been more dangerous in this tournament. I have to stop him before things get wild.'
The boy with spiky-hair took his position.
"So...ready to finish this?" called Simon.
Without any hesitation, Suzuki nodded.
Simon bounced on the spot.
'He's too eager...' thought Suzuki. '...He's planning something.'
The referee stepped forward and raised his arms. The anticipation and energy in the arena was through the roof.
"BEGIN!"
Before Suzuki could react, Simon began his throw.
"Garchomp, go!" he exclaimed.
The capsule popped open and Garchomp appeared from the flash of light.
Suzuki took a deep breath and called out his first combatant.
"Blastoise, I choose you!" he cheered.
Now it was Blastoise's turn to appear from the bright light.
As this was going on, Taki and Crocanaw joined the gang in the stands, with Raboot sitting beside them.
"Come on, Suzuki," muttered Roy.
"Take that boy down a peg," grumbled Violet.
The near-complete silence was almost unbearable. But then, both combatants made their first attack.
"Garchomp, use Slash!" ordered Simon.
Simon's beast charged at the opposing Pokémon as its claws began to power up.
"Blastoise, Protect!" yelled Suzuki.
Blastoise retracted itself into the hard shell as Garchomp began pounding on the hard surface.
'It's ruthless,' thought Louis.
"Now use Rapid Spin!"
The shell began to rapidly spin. Garchomp backed away from the shell. It then launched itself at Garchomp and struck it in the chest. Blastoise landed on its feet as it emerged from its protective shell. The battle between Blastoise and Garchomp was very engaging to watch. Suzuki's heart pumped with each attack, while Simon's adrenaline kicked in. This ensued for quite some time. Both combatants seemed to be evenly matched.
After Blastoise had just hit Garchomp with Hydro Pump, Suzuki could see the exhaustion in his combatant's eyes.
"Come on, Blastoise," he said to himself. "You can do this."
Then, Suzuki caught a glimpse of Simon's sinister smile.
"What's he up to?" the boy thought.
"Dragon Claw, Garchomp!" commanded Simon.
Garchomp's hand claws began glowing. It proceeded to sprint toward the water-type Pokémon.
"Blastoise! Watch out!" yelled Suzuki.
Blastoise attempted to dodge the attack. Unfortunately, it wasn't fast enough as Garchomp delivered the powerful attack, knocking it to the ground. Blastoise tried to get up again, but...it couldn't.
"Blastoise is unable to battle. Garchomp wins!"
"...no..." muttered Suzuki.
Simon mentally cheered, proud of taking down the first of his opponent's combatants.
"There goes his strongest Pokémon," said Roy.
"He's still got a chance," added Violet. "Don't lose hope."
After bringing Blastoise back into its Pokéball, Suzuki brought his Fletchinder out to battle next. It was then that Simon decided to switch out Garchomp with his Houndoom.
"Fire versus Fire," joked Miguel. "Whose flames are hotter?"
Louis and his mother rolled their eyes and chuckled.
Both trainers commanded their first attacks. The battle between the two Pokémon was ferocious, with the heat from each use of fire reaching the stands, making a few audience members sweat. Suzuki paid close attention to Simon's actions, trying to find an opportunity for Fletchinder to take down Houndoom.
"Bite it, Houndoom!" yelled Simon.
Almost immediately, Houndoom ran up toward Fletchinder, baring its fangs.
"Dodge it!" called Suzuki.
With speed and dexterity, Fletchinder was able to leap into the air before Houndoom could pounce on it.
Then, Suzuki found the perfect moment to strike.
"Gotcha," he whispered.
"Now use Aerial Ace!" the boy commanded.
Fletchinder flapped its wings and dived toward the unprotected Houndoom. All the other attendees could only see a blur heading straight for the four-legged creature. Then, Fletchinder collided with Houndoom, creating a small crater on the ground. After an intense scuffle of tooth and claw between the two Pokémon, Houndoom was down for the count.
Suzuki wiped the sweat off of his forehead.
"Yes," muttered Roy.
"He's got this," said Violet.
Simon mentally cursed as he returned Houndoom to its capsule. Suzuki, in turn, switched his Fletchinder with Jigglypuff, while his opponent sent out Luxio.
"Suzuki better be careful here," worried Louis.
The next round of the battle commenced.
"Luxio, use Tackle!" ordered Simon.
With its eyes set on the opposing Jigglypuff, Luxio bolted toward the pink Pokémon.
"Use Copycat!" yelped Suzuki, quickly.
"Copycat?" said Louis, confused.
Jigglypuff closed its eyes and took in a deep breath, recalling the move that is currently being used by Luxio.
It then opened its eyes and bolted at it with the same amount of speed and power. This led to both combatants clashing with one another, creating a shoving match.
"Whoa! Look at them go!" blurted Janet.
"I didn't know Jigglypuff could do that," said Violet.
After both combatants separated, a series of attacks rocked the arena. The tension was running high between the two trainers, while the suspense and anticipation of the battle had almost reached its peak.
"Come on, Jigglypuff. Come on, Jigglypuff!" some audience members cheered.
Suzuki then called for Jigglypuff to use Gyro Ball. Two light-blue orbs formed in the Pokémon's hands, while similarly coloured sparkles surrounded its body. It proceeded to spin at a rapid pace and hurtled straight for Luxio.
Simon then yelled for Luxio to quickly dodge the attack. It leapt up into the air as it got close enough.
Simon, once again, grinned sinisterly.
"Use Discharge!" commanded Simon.
A large amount of static electricity built up around Luxio's body. It then let out a roar and fired large bolts of electricity at the opposition. Many of the bolts went straight for Jigglypuff, but one of them seemed to be hurtling towards Suzuki. Unfortunately, Jigglypuff was struck by the majority of bolts while Suzuki had barely managed to duck out of the way, making parts of his hair stand up on end.
"He did it again!" growled Suzuki.
Immediately after, Suzuki spotted Jigglypuff lying on the ground, unconscious.
"Oh no, he's only got one Pokémon left," said Louis. "I don't wanna face off against Simon."
Simon decided on keeping Luxio on the battlefield as Suzuki brought Jigglypuff back into its spherical device and let Fletchinder out once more. A mixture of anger and desperation began to build up in Suzuki. There was no way he was going to lose like this.
Consecutive attacks rang out through the Pokémon gym. Suzuki was giving his all, not holding anything back now. As Simon's Luxio was about to use Discharge again. Suzuki realised that it would be left open for an attack and wasted no time in seizing the opportunity.
"Quick! Use Aerial Ace!" yelled Suzuki.
As Luxio sent out the bolts of electricity at Fletchinder, the Pokémon in question flapped its wings with such power, that it had managed to dodge every single amount of electrical discharge that was launched at it. Fletchinder, in turn, collided with Luxio sending it backwards and onto its back. Luxio tried to stand but...it couldn't.
"No!" growled Simon.
"Yes!" muttered Suzuki.
Each member of the audience was on the edge of their seats, with the excitement of the battle's near completion at an all-time high. Some attendees couldn't even stand still. With that, Simon switched out his fallen Luxio with Garchomp. Each trainer displayed a burning aura, filled with determination and confidence, auras that wouldn't go unnoticed by Riolu.
"I really hope that guy beats Simon," Crocanaw spoke.
"Not a fan of him?" asked Raboot.
"...no!" replied Crocanaw, gritting her teeth.
The final round of this battle brought out the best in the two Pokémon. With Garchomp's incredible use of power and Fletchinder's speed and agility. After some time, both Pokémon appeared to be on their last legs. Suzuki and Simon were ready to end this once and for all.
"Use Dragon Claw!" yelled Simon.
"Steel Wing, Fletchinder!" called Suzuki.
Both Pokémon readied their attacks and charged toward one another. Garchomp swung its hand claw while Fletchinder hurled its wing. Both attacks collided with one another and created a massive explosion of dust and dirt, impairing the audience from the end result.
"Did he do it? Did he do it?!" exclaimed Louis.
The doors and windows had to be opened up to get a good view of the battlefield. As soon as the arena settled, the onlookers could now see that Fletchinder...was still standing, while Garchomp...was also still standing.
"What?!" blurted Violet.
But then, Roy caught something happening on the battlefield.
"Hey! Look!" he pointed.
The group looked toward Simon's Pokémon and could see that it was struggling to stand. Eventually, Garchomp fell onto its knees.
"No..." muttered Simon.
Finally, Garchomp fell forward, onto the ground.
"NO!" Simon growled.
The battle...was over.
"Garchomp is unable to battle. Fletchinder wins!" announced the referee. "The winner of this battle is Suzuki Hamada and Team Comet!"
The only noise that could be heard was the sound of the wind blowing from outside.
"No way..." whispered Louis.
"He did it!" he said, louder.
"HE WON!" the boy cheered!
The stadium erupted, a cacophony of cheering and clapping.
To say that Suzuki was exhausted would be an understatement. He walked over to Fletchinder, who was just as tired.
"Good job, Fletchinder," Suzuki complimented. "Good job."
Suddenly, the boy with spiky-hair could overhear the sound of growling and yelling.
"No! No no NOO!" yelled Simon.
The boy with red-hair scrunched up his hair, tugged at it and then threw his vest onto the ground.
"The one time I can take Suzuki out before the finals, AND I LOSE!" he bellowed as he began kicking the dirt.
"STUPID! STUPID!"
Roy leaned over to Louis' ear.
"Talk about a sore loser," he whispered.
Simon continued to growl and scream at his loss. During his temper tantrum, Simon stared at his fallen Garchomp, who was struggling to get back up. Then, at a moment of impulse, Simon swung his leg at Garchomp and kicked it.
"USELESS!" he screamed.
A collective number of gasps rang out through the arena. Suzuki, Louis, Taki and the other members of the group watched on in shock. They could not believe what they had just seen.
Simon caught wind of the attendees gazing at his actions.
"OH, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU ALL STARING AT?!"
"He...he just struck a Pokémon," muttered Janet.
"Oh, he is so gonna get it, now!" growled Miguel.
At that moment, Louis began to feel something that he hadn't felt since his adventure in Johto. It was as if an imaginary, dormant volcano full of uncontrollable, blood-boiling rage had suddenly erupted. One thing moved in the stillness of the awe. Louis was now running, at full pace onto the battlefield, directly at Simon.
"L-LOUIS!" yelled Roy.
"Not again!" exclaimed Violet, as she and Roy tried following suit.
The boy from Johto was too furious to notice that his Pokéballs had fallen out of his pocket. This caused all six of his Pokémon to be brought out. Immediately, they caught sight of Louis heading toward Simon.
"What's he doing?" questioned Staravia.
Riolu began to sense the boy's aura. He could feel that Louis' aura had been engulfed in fire.
"Oh no..." Riolu squeaked.
"How dare you..." growled Louis, as he clenched a fist.
Suzuki caught sight of Louis heading straight for Simon.
"Louis...don't..." he whispered, too exhausted to move.
Then, Simon spotted the approaching boy, noticing the fury displayed on his face.
"HOW DARE YOU!" Louis roared.
As soon as he was in range, Louis raised his clenched fist at Simon, unleashing all of the pent up fury into his attack. The boy took a swing at Simon and...
*PUNCH*
Louis struck Simon with the power of an Ursaring. It appeared that he may have knocked a tooth out in the process. Simon was sent down to the ground, gripping the side of his face.
"Ow! What the hell?!" the jerk growled.
Before Louis could land another blow, Roy and Violet grabbed the boy by the arms, with Suzuki lifting him off his feet as well.
"Are you insane?!" exclaimed Violet. "What are you doing?!"
"That punk deserved every bit of that!" growled Louis. "You call yourself a Pokémon Trainer, you heartless JERK?!"
As Louis was being hauled away by his friends, Simon got up off the ground.
"You made a BIG mistake, pal," he growled, ready to pounce.
However, something gripped onto Simon's shoulder. The boy turned his head to see Coach and the professor giving him a stern look.
"No," said Coach. "YOU made a big mistake."
"Me?!" exclaimed Simon. "He punched me!"
"We know that and we'll deal with it later," replied the professor. "But what you just did is absolutely unacceptable."
Coach pointed at the boy's Garchomp, who was now looking at the boy, angrily.
"You just kicked your Pokémon!" said Coach, gritting his teeth.
"It was an accident!" replied Simon.
"That's a lie and you know it!" yelled Louis.
"Easy..." restrained Suzuki.
"I don't care if it was an accident or not!" exclaimed Coach. "You of all people should know that a trainer striking a Pokémon is strictly forbidden!"
The professor gestured for Coach to step aside and let him handle the situation from here.
"Simon, I've been willing to give you multiple second chances on your behaviour, but you've pushed my buttons too many times," he began.
"Strike a Pokémon in front of everyone and that's it. No more."
"Yeah? Well, what are you gonna do about it?!" Simon talked back.
A collective number of gasps filled the arena. Suzuki then shook his head, annoyed by Simon's arrogance.
"What am I gonna do about it?" he began. "Ok. I'll tell you."
The professor cleared his throat before speaking again.
"Simon Varnett...you will not be going to your graduation," he commenced. "All of your previous wins in this tournament will be revoked and...you will have to surrender each of your Pokémon to this academy."
Simon looked on, in shock and anger.
"And you want to know why?" prodded the professor.
...
"...because you're expelled!"
...excuse me. *exits room* YYYYYYEEEEEEEEESSSSSSS! *re-enters room* Hehe. Sorry about that. This is probably the biggest chapter I have written so far. Can't wait for the finals of the tournament.
Anyway, thanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)
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Thanks again. See you next time