Pre-chapter Conversation
"Well, it was hell, but I managed to fix all the chapters." I grunted, crossing my arms.
"So now any part of the story that could be considered being in chat format has been dealt with?" Izzy asked.
"Aside from some small parts that would be stupid to change, yeah." I grumbled, looking like I was about to blow my top.
"Oh great. Here it comes." Izzy rolled his eyes.
"Me ow." Sadie sighed. My faced turned dark red as I prepared to deliver a mighty scream. Before I could let my rage explode, I put on a calm expression.
"I just want to say for the record that I hate this site." I started icily. "The rules are strict to the point that it's almost impossible to express myself without breaking a rule. I hardly ever get reviews. In fact, the last three or so reviews I got for this fic (before it got deleted) were ridiculously short (not that I'm ungrateful, by the way). The site screws up half the time. Because of the Quick Edit feature, certain parts of a couple of my stories are messed up, and I'm not talking about the smilies."
"Then what are you talking about?" Izzy asked.
"When I used e-mail addresses in this fic and Dimension Hoppers 1." I replied. "And I guess that's about it. I hope whoever reported me is happy. I practically butchered this version of the fic in order to bring it up to code. I mean, the intro was supposed to be in chat format! It wasn't meant to have a whole lot of detail. It was meant to be a simple discussion between Izzy and I in which I tell what fandom I'm doing the fic for (although it obviously goes without saying, anyway), as well as what the fic's supposed to be about."
"And the pre and post chapter conversations were supposed to be little jokes, theories, and/or my thoughts on certain parts of the show." I continued. "Now that they're in dialog format, people have to read a whole lot before getting to the actual chapter and they have to stay longer after reading it." I sighed in frustration.
"I swear, if there was a fan fiction archive site that was as popular as this one, had less strict rules, less taxing punishments, and had the fandoms I read fics for, I would leave this sad excuse for a site and join that one in a heartbeat." I shook my head.
"Now that I'm done with my rant, I only have one simple question. Can I actually get through a week without getting blocked or is this going to be some kind of sick pattern? I'm tired of being able to post for a week, only to wind up getting a fic deleted, resulting in me being blocked from updating for a week, then being able to post again, only to be blocked not even six days after I'm unblocked!" I chuckled coldly.
"Seriously, I hope somebody can give me an answer to that one. Do you not know how horrible it is to get a fic you spent a good three or four months writing deleted? It's horrible! Your idea gets stomped on just because it happens to break a lousy rule (and a completely idiotic one at that). No one but yourself and the handful of people that visit your site can take a look at it. In case you don't know, this is ART! And last time I checked, Art shouldn't have to follow any rules. I've always believed that and will continue to."
"Man! Four paragraphs." Izzy whistled in amazement. "Good job."
"That better not have been sarcasm." I said bitterly. "Anyway, all that's going on in this chapter is that Sam is going through the second half of the Pacific League. Enjoy!"
-------------------------
Rocketmon Ch. 16: Final Rounds
"Welcome one and all to day six of the Pacific League!" The announcer yelled as the crowd screamed. "We have some high octane battles ready for you, so buckle your seat belts! It's gonna be a bumpy ride!" Again the crowd roared. Sam and Pikachu were in the locker room, getting ready for their next battle, which was the third one to be held that day.
'I wonder what he meant.' The blond thought, unaffected by the tremors the crowd above was causing. '"It takes great courage to fight your enemies, but even greater courage to stand up to your friends." What did he mean by all that?' He shook his head and looked at the floor.
'This dimension's version of my friends is possessed because of that guy's dumb mistake. I gotta help them! …But how? I guess I have to win the league. Maybe it won't be as hard as I thought.'
"We are now ready to begin the third battle for the southern division's sixth round." A voice said over the intercom. Sam got up.
'Gotta focus. I can do this!' He thought as he left the room with Pikachu. 'I hope.' He walked out to the field. He was on the left side.
"The red trainer is Sam Dullard from Ocean Shores." The announcer said. The crowd cheered. The doors on the other side opened and not one, but two people stepped through. Sam was somewhat surprised when the people revealed themselves.
"And the green trainer is Merv Stimpleton, also from Ocean Shores. He is accompanied by his wife and coach, Violet Stimpleton." Merv stepped onto his part of the field as Violet sat on a nearby bench and waved at Sam.
"Sammy! Hi!" She yelled with a huge grin. Sam sweatdropped and waved back.
"Nice to see you too, Mrs. Stimpleton."
"Enough! Let's get started already!" Merv yelled. The ref sweatdropped.
"Begin!" He yelled, holding up the flags.
"Go! Victreebel!" Sam tossed his poké ball in.
"Deal with this hooligan, Exploud!" Merv yelled as he tossed his poké ball in. Both pokémon appeared. Sam grimaced slightly at the sight of Merv's exploud. He pulled out the pokédex and pointed it at the pokémon.
"Exploud. This is the loudmouth of the pokémon world! Its scream can be heard for miles! Its scream can even drown out heavy metal music that's played at the highest volume!" The machine said.
"¬.¬ Makes sense. Those two go hand-in-hand." Sam muttered. "Victreebel! Razor Leaf!" The grass type got ready to fire its attack.
"Exploud! Screech!" Merv ordered.
Exploud opened its mouth and the loudest sound Sam has ever heard came out of it. It was worse than nails scratching on a blackboard. It was more horrible than a banshee's scream. It was pure torment. Sam and everyone else in the stadium, except for Mr. Stimpleton, covered their ears. When the attack ended, everyone found themselves a little closer to becoming deaf.
"®.® That was loud…" Sam said.
"®.® I can still hear?" The ref asked himself.
"®.® Why didn't Merv cover his ears?" Violet asked.
"What!?" Merv yelled. Everybody turned to him.
"I said, 'Why didn't you cover your ears?!'"
"What!? I can't hear you! I turned down my hearing aid!" Everybody fell over.
"¬.¬ I guess that explains that one." Sam said before shaking his head. "Victreebel! Sleep Powder!" While Merv was adjusting his hearing aid, Victreebel raised its leaf and blue powder came out of its mouth. Exploud inhaled the powder and yawned. It crashed to the ground and fell asleep.
"Exploud fell asleep! The victory goes to Victreebel, thank God!" The ref yelled. The crowd roared as Merv stopped playing with his hearing aid.
"Did I miss anything?" He asked Violet.
"Oh nothing… Except your pokémon lost." That set him off as he whipped his head towards the sleeping Exploud.
"EXPLOUD!!! RETURN!!!" He held up the poké ball, sending the pokémon back inside. Merv took out another one. "Go! Camerupt!" He tossed the ball and the camel appeared.
"Eruption!" Merv ordered. Long story short, Victreebel was fried.
"Victreebel is out of the match!" The ref yelled. Sam called back his grass type.
"Go! Starmie!" He tossed the next poké ball, releasing his starfish. "Hydro Pump!" Camerupt got drenched.
"Camerupt is out of the match!" The ref yelled. Merv was red. His blood boiled as he called back Camerupt.
"Go! Electrode!" He tossed his last poké ball and released the round electric type. "USE EXPLOSION!!!!"
"O.O;;;;;;; Are you sure that's a good idea?" Violet asked.
"Silence, woman! Do it, Electrode!" Merv roared. Electrode's body glowed brightly, causing Sam and the ref to dive for cover. Even though it didn't have a face, Starmie looked incredibly nervous.
::BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!::
When the smoke cleared, everybody gasped at the sight. Starmie was lying on the ground. Its jewel was blinking. Unfortunately for Merv, Electrode was also knocked out.
"Sam wins the match!" The ref yelled. The crowd roared as Merv stomped the ground. Sam blinked.
"Well that was easy." He said as he called back Starmie.
The next day…
"It's Sam VS. Trish!" The announcer yelled. Sam was in the same side of the field as yesterday. On the other end, Trish was standing. On a bench behind her sat Sherry.
"What's with everybody having coaches?" Sam asked himself.
"Get him, Trish!" Sherry yelled. Trish gave her a thumbs-up.
"Begin!" The ref yelled.
"Go! Primeape!" Trish yelled as she tossed her poké ball, releasing the gorilla. It appeared and in the background, a voice screamed, "AHHHHHHHHH!!!!! GIANT MONKEY!!!"
"Augh! Right in my ear too!" Another voice was heard.
"Will you two shut up!" A female voice screamed. Everybody on the field sweatdropped. Sam quickly got over it though as he grabbed his first poké ball.
"Go! Pidgeot!" He started the battle off by sending out his eagle.
"Primeape! Dynamicpunch!" Trish ordered. Monkey boy charged towards Pidgeot.
"Wing Attack!" Sam ordered. Pidgeot flew high into the air, avoiding Primeape's attack. It then dove down as its wings glowed brightly. Primeape got tackled and was knocked out.
"Pidgeot wins!" The ref yelled. Trish called back Twister's least favorite pokémon as said kid cheered.
"YEAH!!! GO SAM!!!"
"¬.¬;;; I so don't know you." Otto said, scooting away.
"¬.¬;;; Ditto." Reggie said, moving away as well.
Twister sulked as he cried animé tears.
Anyway… Trish grabbed her next poké ball.
"Go! Raichu!" She tossed it and Pikachu's evolved form appeared. Sam pouted.
"No fair! I want one!"
(Me: Deal with it, squirt.)
"Raichu! Thunder!" Trish ordered.
"Raaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiichuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!!!!!"
"Pika!" Pikachu complained. How dare Raichu try to take away its thunder, so to speak!? Raichu's cheeks sparked as it fired a lightning bolt at Pidgeot.
"Quick! Use Mirror Move!" Sam said. Pidgeot's body crackled as it too launched a lightning bolt. Both attacks collided. They went back and forth for about two minutes before Raichu's attack overtook Pidgeot's and struck the bird, frying it badly. It plummeted and landed with a dazed expression.
"Raichu wins!" The ref yelled. Sam called Pidgeot back and grabbed his next poké ball.
"Go! Graveler!" He tossed the ball and his rock type appeared.
"Raichu! Agility!" Trish commanded. Raichu got on all fours and zipped around the field, causing everybody to try to look for it.
"Graveler! Earthquake!" Sam ordered. Graveler jumped up and landed on the ground, causing it to shake. Parts of the field started to rise up. Raichu crashed into one of the raised pieces and was knocked unconscious.
"Raichu's out of the match!" The ref called. Trish called it back.
"Go! Jumpluff!" She tossed the poké ball containing her last pokémon, the cottony soft jumpluff. "Use Mega Drain!" Jumpluff charged forward. It would have attacked Graveler if a sudden gust hadn't blown.
"O.O;;;;;; JUMPLUFF!!!!" Trish shrieked as her chances of winning literally flew out of the stadium. She and Sherry ran out of the field. Sam, Pikachu, Graveler, and the ref sweatdropped and blinked.
"What just happened?" Sam asked as he took out the pokédex.
"Jumpluff. This pokémon, like its previous two forms, is incredibly light. All it takes is a gentle gust of wind to send this thing flying!"
"Well anyway, Jumpluff is out of bounds! The winner is Sam Dullard!" The ref yelled. The crowd gave a confused applause.
The next day…
"First up in round eight is Sam Dullard!" The announcer said. "Let's see who he'll face." The doors on the other end opened and out stepped a tall guy wearing sunglasses and a Hawaiian shirt. His hair was tied up in a pony tail. Sam put on a thinking look.
"I know I've seen that person before, but where?" He asked himself.
"I'm Lance, ski patrol for Mt. Baldy!" The guy yelled.
"Oh yeah!"
"Begin!" The ref yelled.
"Go! Pikachu!"
"Chu!" Pikachu squeaked as it ran into the field.
"Go! Delibird!" Lance yelled, tossing his first poké ball. In a flash, the Santa Clause look-alike appeared.
"Pikachu! Quick Attack!" Sam ordered. Pikachu dashed forward.
"Delibird! Present!" Lance said. Sam raised an eyebrow.
"'Present?'" Delibird reached into its bag and pulled out a glowing sphere. It tossed the ball at Pikachu. The mouse dodged it. The ball exploded as soon as it landed. Sam gasped as Delibird tossed more "presents." Pikachu dodged each one and crashed into the ice type, sending it backwards.
"Delibird! Blizzard!" Lance ordered. Delibird targeted Pikachu and opened up its bag of fun. Instantly, a hard gust blew out about twenty inches of snow that covered the field and Pikachu!
"Pikachu! Are you alright!?" Sam yelled. An area of the snow covered field rose up, revealing Pikachu. Its ears were covered in ice and it was shivering.
"Now to finish you off. Delibird! Present!" Delibird reached into its bag.
"Quick Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" Pikachu shook off the snow and built up electricity.
::ZAAAAAAAAAAP!!!!!!!!::
Delibird was down for the count and crackling with electricity.
"Delibird is out of the match!" The ref yelled. The crowd roared as Lance called back his pokémon.
"Go! Piloswine!" Lance tossed his next poké ball, releasing the ice/ground type. "Powder Snow!" Piloswine took a deep breath and blew snow at Pikachu. The little electric type was frozen solid as it got blown out of the field. Pikachu crashed into the wall and its icy prison cracked. It sneezed as it shivered.
"Pikachu is out of the match!" The ref yelled. Sam ran over to Pikachu and picked it up.
"Are you alright?" He asked.
"P-P-P-Pika…" Pikachu felt cold to the touch. Sam took off his shirt and wrapped it around the poor mouse.
"Woah… I didn't know he cared about his pikachu so much." Reggie said as Sam walked back to his part of the field with the pokémon in his arms.
"Yeah. It kinda makes you feel bad about trying to steal it all the time." Twister said with regret.
"Oh give me a break! Don't tell me you two are getting soft!" Otto yelled at them. "We're Team Rocket! We'll get that pikachu no matter what!"
"Yeah…" Reggie said sadly.
"Whatever." Twister sighed. Sam reached into his pocket and took out his next poké ball.
"Go! Starmie!" He tossed it and the water type appeared.
"Blizzard!" Lance ordered. Piloswine got ready to attack.
"Starmie! Psychic!" Starmie's jewel glowed blue as it lifted Piloswine into the air. The ice type struggled to get out of its grip, but it was no use. The water type tossed it out of bounds.
"Piloswine is eliminated!" The ref yelled, holding up the green flag. Lance growled as he called back Piloswine.
"Go! Glalie!" He tossed the poké ball containing his last pokémon, releasing the scary-looking sphere of ice. "Hail attack!"
Glalie's eyes glowed blue as clouds gathered above the stadium. Instantly, hailstones of random sizes fell. Everybody in the stands ran inside to avoid the icy storm. Unfortunately, Sam, the ref, and Lance had to stay right where they were. Starmie was getting pelted with the ice.
"Starmie! Use Hydro Pump!" Sam yelled over the noise of the hail.
"Glalie! Ice Beam!" Lance yelled. Starmie fired its strongest attack as Glalie fired its beam of intense cold. Both attacks collided, but due to the storm, Glalie's Ice Beam overtook Starmie's Hydro Pump, freezing the torrent and its source. The star-sicle landed on the ground.
"Starmie is out of the match! OW!!!" The ref yelled as he got smacked with a hailstone the size of a golf ball. Sam called back Starmie and got out his last poké ball.
"Go! Arcanine!" He tossed it and his dog appeared.
"This'll be easy." Lance said to himself. "Glalie! Finish this with Blizzard!" Glalie reared back and fired a ton of snow at Arcanine.
"Arcanine! Fire Blast!" Sam ordered. Arcanine also reared back and fired its strongest attack. The attacks collided and the Fire Blast started melting the snow and hail from Glalie's attacks. With nothing to block the attack, Glalie got struck and was knocked to the wall. It was charred and had a dazed expression.
"Glalie is out of the match! The winner is Sam!" The ref yelled, leaving to get an ice pack. Lance called back Glalie and the hailstorm stopped, allowing the temperature to warm up again. The crowd came back out and cheered for Sam, who ran out to get Pikachu and his other pokémon healed.
The next day…
"For round nine, it's Sam VS. Sherry!" The announcer yelled. It was the same situation as in round seven, except Trish was sitting on a bench. Sherry looked confident as she took out her first poké ball.
"Go get 'im, girlfriend!" Trish cheered.
"You got it!" Sherry said.
"Begin!" The ref yelled.
"Go! Poliwrath!" Sherry tossed the poké ball and the fighting frog appeared.
"Go! Pidgeot!" Sam yelled, tossing his first poké ball. Pidgeot appeared shortly after.
"Bubblebeam!" Sherry ordered. Poliwrath targeted Pidgeot and fired its attack.
"Dodge and use Wing Attack!" Sam said. Pidgeot flew high into the air, avoiding the stream of bubbles. It then dove and struck Poliwrath with its wings. The fighting type was knocked back.
"Ice Beam!" Poliwrath staggered to its feet and charged energy in its hands. It held them out towards Pidgeot and fired.
"Mirror Move!" Sam called. Pidgeot targeted Poliwrath and fired its own Ice Beam at the frog. Both attacks collided and the pokémon fought for dominance. A few seconds later, a huge explosion occurred, creating a white fog. When the fog dissipated, both pokémon were frozen solid!
"Both pokémon are eliminated!" The ref yelled holding up both flags. Sam and Sherry called back their poké-sicles.
"Go! Teddiursa!" Sherry yelled, tossing her poké ball.
"Go! Pikachu!" Sam said at the same time. Pikachu ran into the field as the poké ball opened, revealing the bear cub. Sam raised an eyebrow at the pokémon as it put a claw in its mouth.
"Isn't that kinda…cute for this situation?" He asked Sherry, who suddenly had hearts in her eyes.
"Ohhhhhh!!! Teddiursa is the cutest pokémon there ever lived!" She squealed, making Sam sweatdrop. "It's so cute and cuddly, like that cute little pikachu you got there! Oh, and you're cute too!" She winked. Sam's eyebrow really went up to that.
"o.O;;;; Uhhhh Sherry? I don't think you should've said that last part." Trish said. Sherry blushed.
"Oops! Well cutey, let's continue, shall we!?"
"O.O;;;;;; I take it she wasn't supposed to say that either?" Sam asked Trish, who merely nodded.
"Ahem! Can we continue this!?" The ref yelled. The three kids shook their heads and got back to the task at hand.
"Pikachu! Agility!" Sam ordered. Pikachu darted all over the field.
"Teddiursa! Slash!" Sherry ordered. Teddiursa ran up to Pikachu and tried to swipe at it, but Pikachu was too fast for it. It ran around Teddiursa so fast, it made it incredibly dizzy.
"®.® Teddi…" The pokémon groaned as it staggered around.
"Now use Thunderbolt!" Sam said. The cuddly normal type was charred and knocked out after Pikachu fried it.
"Do I really need to say it?" The ref asked as he held up the red flag. Sherry called Teddiursa back.
"Go! Crobat!" She tossed her last ball in and released the four winged bat. Sam sweatdropped.
"I thought you were into cute pokémon." He said to the girl, who shook her head.
"I'm also a Goth on weekends."
"But it's Wednesday."
"O.O;;;; It is?" She turned to Trish, who nodded. "-.-;;; Never mind! Crobat! Razor Wind!" Crobat flapped its wings, knocking Pikachu backwards with a blast of air.
"Pikachu! Another Thunderbolt!" Sam ordered. Pikachu got back up and fired its attack.
"Crobat! Dodge and use Wing Attack!" Crobat dodged the lightning and dove towards Pikachu. The mouse got knocked back another few feet. It started panting.
"This isn't looking good…" Sam muttered to himself. "Come back, Pikachu!" Pikachu ran back to Sam's side as he took a poké ball.
"Go! Starmie!" He sent out his starfish.
"Ha! I got this won! Crobat! Mega Drain!" Sherry issued the command. Crobat charged towards Starmie with its teeth bared. "Mega Drain's a grass type attack, so you're finished!"
"I think not!" Sam started. "Because Crobat's a poison type! Starmie! Psychic attack!" Starmie glowed blue and fired an energy ball of the same color at Crobat. The bat got hit and crashed. The crowd cheered as Sherry called back her pokémon in defeat.
"Sam has won the battle!" The announcer yelled. "He will now move on to round ten!" The crowd roared again.
The next day…
"Here we are, fans, at the last day of competition for both the southern and northern divisions." The announcer addressed the wild crowd. "The winners of today's matches will move on to the championship match. First up in the southern division is Sam Dullard." Sam stepped out onto the field and got ready to toss his first poké ball.
"And for his opponent…" The announcer continued as the doors opened. The person stepped through and Sam gasped at the sight of his true rival.
"Oliver Van Rossom, also from Ocean Shores, California. AGAIN!?!" The announcer yelled. "Man, that place must be pretty popular. Anyway, the winner of this match will battle the winner of the last northern division match for the championship." Sam waved at Oliver.
"Hey Oliver! Long time no see, huh?" He yelled. Oliver took off his glasses and cleaned them.
"Yes, yes. No need to shout like that. Now let's battle."
"Trainers begin!" The ref yelled.
"Go! Graveler!" Sam yelled tossing the first ball in. The rock type appeared.
"Come out, Steelix!" Oliver said, tossing his poké ball. Sam's eyes widened as the huge metal snake appeared.
"Someone's been eating their vegetables." He shook his head and concentrated on the battle.
"Steelix! Iron Tail!" Oliver ordered. Steelix brought back its tail. It then made to whip Graveler as its tail glowed brightly.
"Graveler! Rollout!" Sam ordered. Graveler rolled forward, avoiding Steelix's attack, which made a nice hole in the field. The rock type rolled a little further, then jumped. It bashed into the steel type's face. Graveler bounced off and landed on the ground with a thud. Steelix was unaffected by the attack.
"Use Iron Tail one more time!" Oliver said. Steelix's tail glowed brightly as it went to attack Graveler. The rock type rolled away from the attack. It successfully dodged for a few minutes before it got hit. Graveler slid to the other end of the field, just barely missing going out of bounds. It staggered to its feet.
"Graveler! Earthquake!" Graveler jumped forward, causing a major tremor that made Steelix flinch and get damaged severely. "Now use Magnitude!" Graveler jumped again, sending shock waves along the arena. Steelix couldn't take anymore as it fainted.
"Steelix is out of the match!" The ref yelled, holding up the red flag. Oliver called back Steelix and grabbed another poké ball.
"Go! Aggron!" He tossed it and the massive steel type appeared. "Hyper Beam!"
"Oh damn…" Sam gulped. Aggron charged energy and fired a beam of intense energy at Graveler, tossing it out of the field and creating a lovely indent in the wall. The rock type slumped over.
"Graveler is out of the match!" The ref yelled, holding up the green flag.
"I can see that!" Sam complained as he called it back. He took out the next poké ball. "Go! Marshstomp!" His evolved starter appeared after he tossed the ball.
"Use Earthquake while it's recovering!" He ordered. Marshstomp ran forward, jumped, and crashed into the ground with its tail. The resulting quake damaged Aggron badly due to its weakness, but not bad enough to knock it out.
"Aggron! Another Hyper Beam!" Oliver commanded. Aggron charged energy again.
"Quick! Use Protect!" Sam told his pokémon. Marshstomp roared and stars circled in front of it. Aggron fired its beam. The energy flowed towards the water type. The stars glowed brightly, creating an energy shield that effectively blocked the beam. The steel type was panting after its failed attack.
"Marshstomp! One more Earthquake attack!" Sam yelled. Marshstomp jumped and again whipped the ground with its tail. Aggron didn't get through that attack as it succumbed to its damage.
"Aggron is out of the match!" The ref yelled. Oliver growled as he called back his pokémon.
"Go! Metagross!" He tossed his final poké ball in, releasing the weirdest-looking pokémon you've ever seen! Sam shuddered at the sight.
"What in the world is that monstrosity!?" He pulled out the pokédex.
"Metagross. This is without a doubt, the ugliest pokémon to ever walk the earth! It's so scary, icky, evil, and just down right ugly!!! …Did I mention it's ugly?" The machine said. "In case you're interested, it's a steel/psychic type."
"Marshstomp! Let's finish this fast! Earth—"
"Metagross! Meteor Mash!" Oliver interrupted. Metagross' eyes glowed blue as it charged forward like a crab. It raised one of its claws and crashed it into Marshstomp, tossing it out of bounds. Sam called it back.
"What a match, ladies and gentlemen! Marshstomp has just been knocked out and Sam only has one more pokémon to go!" The announcer yelled. Sam grabbed his last poké ball.
"Go! Arcanine!" He tossed it and his ever faithful pooch appeared.
"Metagross! Shadow Ball!" Oliver ordered. A ball of dark energy formed in front of Metagross. It fired the ball at Arcanine.
"Arcanine! Dodge and use Flamethrower!" Sam yelled. Arcanine jumped over Metagross' attack and fired at it.
"Use Confusion!" Oliver said. Metagross' eyes glowed blue again. Arcanine's attack reached it, but was pushed against an invisible wall. The attack was then directed towards the fire type.
"Agility!" Sam ordered. Arcanine jumped to dodge its own attack before bolting around the field.
"Use Shadow Ball!" Metagross charged energy and fired at Arcanine, who stopped running.
"Deflect it with Flamethrower!"
Arcanine fired its attack at the dark ball. Both attacks collided, but the Shadow Ball was being pushed back. Metagross tried to hang on for as long as possible, but it was no use. Its own attack was pushed back, creating a double whammy weakness wise. It got hit with both Arcanine's fire attack and its own dark type attack. It's a miracle it was still standing!
"End this with Metal Claw!" Oliver yelled. Metagross charged forward as its front claws glowed.
"Fire Blast!" Sam cried. Arcanine reared back and fired. Both the attack and Metagross collided, causing an explosion. When the smoke cleared away, Metagross was lying with a dazed expression.
"Metagross is out of the match! The victory goes to Sam Dullard!" The ref yelled. The crowd cheered.
"He's done it, ladies and gentlemen! Sam Dullard has won round ten! He will now advance to the championship battle to face the winner of this afternoon's northern division match!" The announcer yelled. Both trainers called back their pokémon and walked up to each other.
"Great match, Oliver." Sam said, extending his hand to his rival. Oliver took it and shook firmly.
"Yes. It was a truly fantastic match. I wish you good luck in the final match."
"That's real sportsmanship right there, ladies and germs. Despite the fact he lost, Oliver Van Rossom is still willing to remain friends." The announcer said. The crowd applauded the two.
Later…
"Here we are at round ten of the northern division." The announcer said. It was sunset as Sam sat down at his seat in the stands. Pikachu sat on his right shoulder. "The red trainer is Lars Rodriguez from Ocean Shores, California, which, as I've just noticed, is where most of the participants of this year's tournament are from." Lars stood confidently at his end of the field.
'All I gotta do is win this and then beat Squid. That trophy is mine.' He thought.
"And the green trainer is…" The doors opposite Lars opened. The trainer walked through, accompanied by one of his pokémon.
"YOU!" Lars yelled as the other trainer made himself known.
"It's him!" Sam said with surprise.
"Pika!" Pikachu added with a gasp.
"Izzy from Goldenrod City, Johto!" The announcer finished.
"You're that kid from the gym!" Lars yelled. Izzy chuckled.
"Yes. I told you we would be seeing each other again." Lars grinned.
"Heh, heh, heh. Now we'll see if you can back up all your big talk."
"Hmph. I'm outta your league." Izzy said, crossing his arms. Lars sneered.
"I'll bet."
"Oh it's true. In fact, I'll only need one of my pokémon to defeat you." The brunet in the blue hat responded. The brunet in the grey hat growled at him.
"Alright then! If I beat your one pokémon, you have to give up. Got it?" Izzy smirked at his opponent's challenge.
'What a fool.' He thought. "Very well. If my pokémon loses, I'll quit."
"Trainers begin!" The ref yelled.
"Go! Grovyle!" Lars yelled, tossing his first poké ball. The evolved grass starter appeared. Izzy smirked again.
'This'll be too easy.' He thought. "Go, Sadie. Show this kid a real pokémon's power."
"Meow." Sadie said with a nod as she walked into the field.
'What is he thinking?' Sam thought as Sadie went into a fighting position.
"And the battle starts off with Meowth VS. Grovyle." The announcer said. "Grovyle seems to have the advantage. Will Meowth cower in fear or will it somehow gain a victory?"
"That's the pokémon that's supposed to beat me? Pahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!" Lars laughed. "This match'll be over in nothing flat!"
"If you feel that confident, then attack." The caped boy said.
"Grovyle! False Swipe!" Lars ordered. Grovyle charged towards Sadie.
"Sadie, Mimic." Izzy said. Grovyle took a shot at Sadie. The meowth jumped and dodged the attack. She then extended her claws and slashed Grovyle. The grass type moaned in pain as it backed away. Lars was astonished, but quickly recovered.
"Use Leaf Blade!" He ordered. Grovyle produced a leaf that was shaped like a sword and ran towards Sadie.
"Pay Day." Izzy calmly ordered. Sadie dodged Grovyle's attack and spun in the air, producing many coins that struck Grovyle. The grass type fell after the attack.
"Grovyle is out of the match!" The ref yelled. Lars' mouth was agape as he called back his pokémon.
"Lucky shot! Let's see you deal with this next one!" He yelled as he grabbed another poké ball. "Go! Blastoise!" He tossed it and his giant turtle appeared.
"Blastoise! Hydro Pump!" He ordered. Blastoise targeted Sadie with its cannons and fired two streams of water at her.
"Mimic." Izzy ordered. Sadie opened her mouth and fired a torrent of water at Blastoise. Both attacks collided, sending a mini rainstorm into the air, getting everyone wet.
"Refreshing." The caped trainer said as he drained water out of his hat. Lars growled.
"Skull Bash!" Blastoise lowered its head and charged towards Sadie.
"Dodge and use Thunderbolt." Sadie ran out of the way as her charm crackled with electricity. Blastoise crashed into where the meowth was standing, creating a hole. Sadie then blasted the water type with her stored up lightning, ending the battle for the turtle.
"Blastoise is out of the match!" The ref yelled, holding up the green flag. Lars looked dumbstruck as he called his turtle back.
'I can't believe this. Both my pokémon who evolved during the first few rounds lost against that little furball?' He thought. 'This is impossible! I'm the best trainer in Ocean Shores! I won't lose to this caped twerp!' He grabbed his last poké ball. 'It's a good thing I used my moon stone when I did.'
"Go! Nidoqueen!" Lars yelled as he tossed the ball, releasing the blue poison type.
'This is perfect.' Izzy thought. 'I've made this tough for Sam by only using Sadie. He has no idea what he'll face at tomorrow's match. I just gotta beat this amateur.' He gave Lars an amused look. 'Go ahead and use it, Lars. You know you want to.'
"Stop looking at me like that!" Lars roared. "Nidoqueen! Hyper Beam!"
"Lars, you idiot." Sam said, slapping his head. "Even I know what's gonna happen now."
"Pika chu." Pikachu nodded in agreement.
'Bingo.' Izzy thought as Nidoqueen charged energy into her horn. "Sadie, dodge and end this with Mimic."
"Meowth." Sadie nodded as she turned to Nidoqueen, who just fired her beam. The normal type jumped high into the air, causing the attack to miss her completely. She then targeted Nidoqueen and charged energy into her mouth. Sadie blasted the poison type out of the field with her own Hyper Beam.
"Nidoqueen is out of the match! The winner is Izzy!" The ref yelled, holding up the green flag. The crowd roared as Lars, staring wide-eyed at Izzy, kneeled down.
'I…I lost…' He thought as he hung his head low.
"What an upset, ladies and gentlemen!" The announcer yelled. "Lars Rodriguez, who was expected to go all the way, lost against the trainer from Johto! Izzy will now face Sam Dullard at tomorrow afternoon's championship match."
"Like I said, too easy." Izzy said with a chuckle as Sadie ran up and jumped into his arms. She purred as he petted her. "I'm proud of ya, Sadie."
"Meowth." She said with a grin. Izzy faced Sam's general area in the stands.
'Tomorrow, both of your final tests will begin.' He thought before walking out of the field.
The next morning…
The sun rose, illuminating the once dark stadium. Sam was seen standing in the middle of the field with Pikachu by his side.
"This is it." He said to Pikachu. "In a few hours, we'll battle against Izzy. If I win, I can go home to my own dimension."
"Pika…" Pikachu said sadly. Sam looked at it oddly. Pikachu quickly put on a grin and gave him a peace sign. "Pika!"
"It's too bad he only used that meowth of his though. I hope he won't be too hard to beat. He made Lars look like a chump." Sam shrugged. "Then again, Lars was never a hard opponent to beat anyway. I'm surprised he even made it as far as he did." He gave a small yawn.
"Come on. Let's go back to the hotel." He turned around and started walking.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Three voices laughed. Sam stopped in his tracks.
"Took them long enough to attack." He said as he turned and looked up at the meowth balloon.
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Post-chapter Conversation
"I just noticed. You have a pretty nasty habit of making me beat the characters of a series." Izzy said.
"How so?" I asked.
"You made me beat Ash at the end of our first fic." My partner started. "You made me beat Otto in that race in our last adventure. Now, you had me beat the great Lars. There's more, but I need to get ready for the battle." I turned to the camera.
"Anyway, how will Team Rocket battle our hero? Will Sam make it out of there with all of his pokémon? Tune in on Monday!" I glared at the camera. "And let's see if I can actually post the last three chapters without any mishaps!"