Chapter 69: A Musical Battle! Perrine VS Gervasius!
Instead of heading to the Pokemon Center for lunch, the Ashers decided to take the kids out to a local food joint. It was still within walking distance, so the kids didn't need to worry about Perrine being late for her match. After having a good, filling meal, the merry group made their way back to the Pokemon Center. Ethan had been telling everyone a funny story about an unorthodox battle he saw.
"So, this trainer has two Ditto, right?" Ethan said. "And it's a double battle. We all see a Zapdos fly across the sky, and the girl gets the bright idea to have her two Ditto transform into Zapdos. Her opponent was so freaked out, he ran for the hills! And he didn't even send out his own Pokemon, so she won the battle by default!"
"So there wasn't actually a battle," Perrine retorted.
"Nope! It was kinda wild," Ethan went on. "And it was pretty clear the girl had zero battle experience, so I thought I'd help her out a bit."
Julia couldn't help but laugh at just how bizarre the story was. Just as everyone walked through the automatic doors leading into the Pokemon Center lobby, they were pulled out of their laughter by a sharp voice.
"Perrine, dear!"
"Huh?" Everyone stopped, wondering who was calling out to them. A woman draped in a thick, dark brown coat approached them with a smile on her wrinkled face, auburn hair tied into a tight bun. Deja vu set in. Had they met this woman before? Julia recognized her from somewhere. She searched her brain for any sign of having met her before...and struck gold. She did know this woman!
"Mom!" Perrine exclaimed, running over to hug her.
That confirmed it. Rocio, Perrine's mother, was here yet again! Julia remembered the time they spent in Goldenrod City, going to Perrine's house, learning she was rich, and how strained her relationship with her family was until they managed to reconcile. This time, instead of shying away from her like she did back then, Perrine was all too happy to see her.
"It's so good to see you, Perrine," Rocio stroked her daughter's back with one hand.
"When did you get here?" Perrine asked.
Rocio flashed a grin. "About an hour or so ago. I'm sorry I couldn't come earlier, sweetie," She answered. "I was only able to get this week off from work, no earlier. Your father couldn't take time off either, but he wants you to know he's been watching all of your matches on TV."
Perrine let go of her mother and smiled at the information. "Well, I have a match in a little bit. You're gonna watch, right?"
"I wouldn't miss it for the world."
Not long after, Yvette and Geoffrey approached her. "So you must be Perrine's mother. I'm Yvette Asher, Caiseal's mother, and this is my husband, Geoffrey," She extended her hand out.
Rocio took her hand without hesitation. "It's a pleasure to meet you both."
The adults took the time to get acquainted with one another, while the kids decided to break away from them for some time alone. But Perrine didn't go with them, preferring to stay with her mother for the time being. Julia, Caiseal, and Ethan could tell she missed her, so they decided to give them some alone time together. As Yvette and Geoffrey went to another part of the Pokemon Center, Perrine and Rocio sat down on some chairs to talk privately.
"Did you bring the Pokemon I had left at home?" Perrine asked.
To answer her question, Rocio pulled three PokeBalls out from an enamel purse she had with her. "I thought I'd bring them with me so you wouldn't have to use the machine to transfer them to our house."
"Cool! Thanks!" Perrine clasped her hands together before pulling out two PokeBalls of her own. "Would you mind keeping Baloo, Mushi, and Fuwari with you? My opponent uses poison types, and I'll need Fukuro, Nita, and Marius."
Without another word, the two girls swapped PokeBalls, with Rocio the ones she received inside her purse for safekeeping. Rocio flashed a small but proud smile in her daughter's direction. "You've grown a few more inches."
"Have I?"
Rocio nodded. "You used to only reach my forearm before. Now you're close to reaching my shoulders," She pointed out. The two of them walked over to a nearby window to check. Perrine's eyes widened a little as she stood beside her mother. She was very close to reaching her mother's shoulders. It was a little surreal to see.
"It seems like only yesterday you were just a baby," Rocio mused in a low whisper. Perrine could see a wistful look in her mother's eyes. "Now look at you, a strong, magnificent Pokemon trainer who never gave up on her dream. I must say," Rocio said, looking back down at her, smile beaming. "Words can't describe how proud I am of you."
Abashed, Perrine looked down at her shoes, averting her mother's gaze. "Come on. It's not that big a deal. Besides, for all I know, I might lose in my upcoming battle."
"Well, whether you win or not, you know I'll always be proud of you," Rocio reassured her.
It was here that Perrine remembered...she had run away from home, causing her parents a lot of worry. All she wanted was to become a trainer, but felt trapped by her father's former draconian rules and views on Pokemon training. She wanted to be one no matter what, not some porcelain doll who sat around playing piano, being dressed up for fancy parties, and being scolded for every little thing. But images came into her mind. Images of her mother and father frantically searching for her. Her mother crying and sobbing, afraid something bad had happened to her. Her father making calls to the police, informing them of her disappearance, looking just as frightened. More than that, her mother had defended her when her father tried to dissuade her from pursuing her dream again. A weight of guilt settled into her chest.
"I must have caused you so much pain when I ran away," Perrine whispered. She had already apologized for having done so before, but felt like a repeat was necessary. "I'm sorry."
There was a brief silence until Rocio spoke again. "I admit, I didn't have the best opinion of Pokemon trainers. My family raised me to believe that Pokemon trainers were beneath us. Little more than low class trash," She explained. "I didn't necessarily agree, but I didn't make any effort to refute or question my parents' claims, either. Not even as I got older."
Perrine's jaw fell ajar. Her mother thought trainers were low class? She had no idea. Rocio had never told her any of this.
"Eduardo's own views on Pokemon training at the time didn't exactly help either. But seeing you work so hard to become a trainer, even in spite of our opposition...made me do a lot of thinking," She took a moment to adjust the brooch on her coat. "I was able to watch some of your earlier matches on TV and my phone before coming here...and you looked...so radiant. So happy and confident. Happier than I had ever seen you before."
Perrine said nothing, but she could feel her eyes turning moist.
"I told you before that I didn't necessarily approve of your decision to become a trainer, even though I decided to let you continue your journey."
"I remember that," Perrine chimed in.
Rocio nodded before continuing. "Since then, I've come to realize that my parents' views on trainers were wrong. Seeing Eduardo change his outlook on them only gave me the incentive I needed to change mine as well," She turned to face Perrine, her wrinkles parting to make way for a proud smile. "Perrine. Don't ever stop chasing your dreams, and no matter what, I'll always support you in any endeavor you wish to pursue."
It was what she had always wanted to hear, but Perrine couldn't think of anything to say. Sure, her mother gave her approval the last time the two of them were together, but she could tell she really meant it this time. Like the previous approval was just platitudes. Perrine's throat started to close up, yet she wanted to completely explode from the joy bubbling up inside her. All she could do was throw her arms around her mother, holding her tight. Rocio simply rubbed Perrine's back a second time, giving her all the reassurance she needed.
"Thanks so much, Mom. I love you."
"I love you too, sweetie."
The PA system in the Pokemon Center gave a loud chime. "Will Perrine Innocenti please report to the stadium? I repeat, Perrine Innocenti, please report to the stadium."
Perrine let go, backing away from her mother, but flashed a confident smile in her direction. "My match is gonna start."
"I'll be cheering for you! Good luck out there!"
With a light heart, Perrine left the Pokemon Center, racing like a wild Ponyta, wild and free. Now that her mother was here, no longer the stiff, submissive woman she used to be, Perrine felt like she could do anything. She intended to win this match, and the Pokemon League, for sure!
Perrine's match against Gervasius arrived in no time. Julia, Caiseal, Violet, Ethan, and the parents sat in the spectator seats, watching in anticipation as both participants took their places on the battlefield. "Welcome back, everyone!" Mr. Goodshow greeted the spectators with his usual enthusiasm. Just like earlier, Gladys wasn't there with him this time. "I hope you're all ready for this next match, because I sure am!"
Perrine knew she was ready. She had to be, or she wouldn't be here right now. Still, she had to admit that Gervasius looked very out of place here. He wore a fancy black and white tuxedo, the kind that butlers usually wore, shiny leather shoes, and his violin case lay next to his feet. He looked more like he belonged in an orchestra than in the middle of a stadium. Even so, Perrine remembered that he was not to be underestimated. He didn't make it to the top four for nothing. Then again, neither did she.
"This is a six-on-six match between Perrine Innocenti and Gervasius Hughes!" Mr. Goodshow exclaimed.
The large screen overlooking the battlefield showed images of Perrine and Gervasius in between the colorful roulette wheel. The judge pointed to it with one flag and shouted, "Start the roulette!" Colors flashed across the wheel at a rapid pace before gradually slowing down. Unfortunately, the color green flashed solid, the same color as the background in Perrine's picture.
"Perrine Innocenti, choose your first Pokemon!"
Perrine's brows furrowed in deep thought. She was glad she had the sense to swap some of her Pokemon last night. From watching the videos of his matches, she figured out that Gervasius' team mainly consisted of poison types. Lots of trainers preferred to specialize in using one type of Pokemon, but many of them still had a wide arsenal of moves to cover their weaknesses. She also took the time to figure out which sounds indicated which command for each Pokemon, or which combinations of sounds. She took a deep breath and exhaled, allowing her body to relax. Then, with a confident grin, she sent out her first Pokemon.
"Fukuro! Come on out!"
Out from the PokeBall came her Noctowl, who let out a trill as he flew onto the scene.
Gervasius sent out his Pokemon not long after, only he did it in silence. A large jellyfish Pokemon materialized onto the battlefield. It had a large, clear blue body adorned with two large red orbs on the sides of it, and one smaller one in the center of its forehead. Angry eyes looked up at Fukuro from its round, black body, and not even its long, blue nose could make it look less threatening than it did. Numerous gray tentacles held its weight.
"Tentacruuuuuel!" The jellyfish Pokemon growled, readying its tentacles.
Perrine raised an eyebrow. Tentacruel were water type Pokemon that primarily lived in the ocean, and this battlefield was dry land. How in the world would it be able to move around? Or did Gervasius train it so that it could move around on land? "I can't let my guard down," She reminded herself, watching Gervasius ready his violin.
"Are both challengers ready?" Without waiting for an answer, the judge raised both flags. "Battle begin!"
"Ladies first!" Perrine exclaimed. "Fukuro, use Confusion!"
Fukuro trilled as his eyes glowed in an eerie red light, sending out circular red energy rays in Tentacruel's direction.
Gervasius held the bow over his violin, sliding it across one of the strings, producing a rough, dark sound. Upon hearing it, Tentacruel used all of its tentacles to propel itself off the ground, evading the attack. Perrine paid close attention to the sound. 'That was a G string, and to Tentacruel, that means dodge,' She thought, committing the information to memory. But dodging could only make a battle go so far.
"Now use Air Slash!" Perrine commanded. Fukuro's wings glowed white as he flapped them once, generating sickle-shaped blasts of energy that flew towards the jellyfish Pokemon.
Once again, Gervasius pulled the bow across the violin, this time making the metallic, screech-like sound. Tentacruel lifted two of its largest tentacles, the tips glowing a harsh purple hue, and punched the air sickles out of existence.
'E string. Poison Jab,' Perrine thought. In that moment, she remembered Yue's battle with him, deciding on a different approach. "Don't give up, Fukuro! Fly around and fire Air Slash everywhere!"
The owl Pokemon nodded in acknowledgement and began soaring all across the battlefield. He flapped his wings vigorously, firing Air Slash in every direction as fast as he could. Tentacruel managed to destroy several air sickles with Poison Jab, but it wasn't fast enough to destroy all of them. Several managed to strike the jellyfish Pokemon on its head and on some of its other tentacles. At one point, one of them struck Tentacruel so hard, it was sent falling to the ground on its side. Perrine mentally rejoiced, finally succeeding in having Fukuro do some damage to it.
But the battle wasn't over. Not long after, Tentacruel stood back up, using its tentacles to support itself. Gervasius made another sound with his violin, much mellower than the metallic screech it made. The large red orbs on Tentacruel's head glowed brightly before the jellyfish Pokemon emitted a loud, piercing shriek that echoed all throughout the battlefield. Everyone covered their ears, even Perrine. Fukuro, having no hands, felt his eardrums throb from the aural assault. Just hearing it made a headache come on, and before long, Fukuro found himself landing back on the ground to shove the tips of his wings into his ears.
'D String. Screech,' Perrine committed the information to memory, even as the awful noise made her ears feel like metal was being scraped right next to them.
Gervasius made another sound on his violin, much mellower than the sound just before this. Seeing the opportunity, Tentacruel readied two of its tentacles. The screeching noise finally stopped, and a blue sphere of water materialized between its two tentacles. Perrine blanched. "Oh no! A string is Water Pulse! Fukuro, hurry and dodge it!" Perrine shouted as she made the connection.
Still reeling from the noise, Fukuro attempted to flap his wings, but he was fatigued from Tentacruel's screeching. Before long, Tentacruel sent a wave of water in Fukuro's direction, and the owl Pokemon couldn't ascend from the battlefield in time. Water surrounded the owl, overwhelming him and sending him in all different directions. Gradually, the water dissipated, and the owl Pokemon found himself back on the ground completely soaked.
"Tentacruel manages to strike a heavy blow against Noctowl!" Mr. Goodshow exclaimed.
Fukuro flapped his wings to dry them off, but the water weighed him down as he tried to fly. Bitter cold began to seep into his feathers, making the wetness feel like Beedrill stings.
"It's okay, Fukuro! You can do it!" Perrine encouraged.
Not willing to wait, Gervasius made two sounds back-to-back on his violin. Perrine recognized them immediately: A and G string. Bubbles formed around the tip of Tentacruel's nose, and the jellyfish Pokemon shot them right in Fukuro's direction. Perrine had to think of something. Fukuro was still soaked, and flying Pokemon didn't do well when wet.
Wait a minute...there was a way to stop them!
"Fukuro! Use Extrasensory on the bubbles!" Perrine shouted.
Figuring out what she wanted him to do, Fukuro's eyes glowed a harsh pink as it let out a loud trill. A pink aura surrounded the bubbles coming his way, stopping them in their tracks. Then, with a swing of his left wing, Fukuro fired them right back at Tentacruel. The jellyfish Pokemon attempted to dodge, but the attack was too fast for it to outrun. The psychic bubbles struck Tentacruel in every direction, the energy burning against its hide. Gervasius could only gasp in shock as he witnessed the tables be turned against his partner.
"And Noctowl turns Tentacruel's attack against it! What a turnaround!" Mr. Goodshow exclaimed.
Caiseal wasted no time shouting from the spectator seats. "Don't let up, Fukuro! Knock'em dead!"
Perrine's blue eyes glinted with determination. If they acted now, they could defeat Tentacruel. No more time to waste. "Use Extrasensory again! Full power!"
Fukuro let out another trill as the bubbles dissipated. Before Tentacruel could react, a rainbow colored beam of light shot out from Fukuro's eyes, striking the jellyfish Pokemon point blank. The beam sent Tentacruel rolling across the ground, only stopping just a few feet from Gervasius. When the light dissipated, Tentacruel pushed some of its tentacles into the ground in an attempt to hoist itself back up, gurgling as it did so. But it was overcome with fatigue, and with a groan, it collapsed, its long nose pointing upward.
"Tentacruel is unable to battle!" The judge pointed a green flag in Perrine's direction. "Noctowl is the winner!"
Tentacruel's image faded to black as Mr. Goodshow shouted, "And Tentacruel is out for the count! Noctowl wasted no time seizing victory!"
"Woohoo!" Perrine threw her arms into the air, with Fukuro flying around her with just as much enthusiasm.
Rocio clapped her hands while Caiseal and Ethan were shouting at the top of their lungs. "You go, girl! Woo!"
"Hey. It's only his first Pokemon," Julia reminded them. But in her heart, she was cheering just as loudly for her friend. Of course, this was only the beginning.
Gervasius slid his bow under his elbow to free one of his hands in order to pull out Tentacruel's PokeBall. After he recalled it, he flashed a tiny smile at the PokeBall. "You were great, my friend. Take a good rest," He whispered, exchanging the PokeBall for another.
Fukuro gently perched on Perrine's arm. "Hey Fukuro. Are you okay to keep going?" Perrine asked. "If you're tired, I can switch you out."
Fukuro shook his head and gave another trill, wanting to stay in the battle. Perrine knew she couldn't argue with him. Once he made a decision, he always wanted to see it through to the end. "Okay. But I know you tend to get cocky sometimes. Remember, there's no shame in losing or knowing when to bail."
Nodding in acknowledgement, Fukuro flew back onto the field.
Gervasius sent out his next Pokemon, a large pile of purple sludge with two eyes, a big mouth, and two grimy arms. "Muuuuk!"
"And Gervasius' next Pokemon is Muk!" Mr. Goodshow announced.
The referee gave the decree for the battle to begin. This time, Gervasius went first, positioning his violin like before, drawing the bow across the G string. Muk closed its mouth for a minute, but in that time, its body expanded just a little bit. Then Muk opened its mouth, shooting a pressurized stream of filthy orange fluid.
"Fukuro! Dodge!" Perrine commanded.
The owl Pokemon flew upward...but not high enough. The water from Tentacruel's earlier attack still weighed it down, and some of the orange liquid struck it right on the face. It didn't burn or hurt, but it was just sticky and gooey. Fukuro shook his head to shake off the gunk.
'That was Acid Spray,' Perrine realized. Dread started to creep up her spine. An attack like Acid Spray made the affected Pokemon more vulnerable to special attacks, even ones that aren't completely effective against it. She needed to act fast.
"Fukuro, use Extrasensory again!"
Like before, a ray of light shot out from Fukuro's eyes, firing right towards the big pile of sludge. Gervasius conjured an A string noise. Muk's body glowed yellow for a brief moment, remaining so even as the ray of light struck it on its head.
"That was Acid Armor," Perrine realized. What Muk lacked in speed, it obviously made up for in defense. But defense could only go so far. "Fukuro, use Echoed Voice!"
Fukuro took a deep breath before squawking loudly. White rings materialized from his mouth as he flew all around Muk, firing them at a steady pace. Muk remained in position, taking the hits, but barely showing any reaction. Wave after wave of materialized noise bombarded the sludge pile, each hit stronger than the last.
"Don't let up! Keep going!" Perrine commanded.
Violet raised her eyebrows in confusion. "Why's she telling Fukuro to use that attack over and over?" She asked Julia.
"Echoed Voice gets stronger every time a Pokemon uses it," Julia explained. "The more it's used, the more damage it deals. But only if you use it all the time. It goes back to normal if a Pokemon uses a different attack."
Of course, Perrine knew using this attack alone wouldn't guarantee a win. But every ounce of damage would at least help. Gervasius slid his bow over an E string. Muk opened its big mouth and fired a barrage of poisonous spheres. Several of them struck Fukuro point blank. One ball of it obscured his eyes, blinding him. Another struck his left wing. The force of the hit sent Fukuro to the ground with a thud.
"Fukuro!" Perrine exclaimed.
"After taking so many hits, Muk manages to fight back!" Mr. Goodshow shouted.
Without another word, Gervasius conjured a D string. Muk held one of its fists high into the air. All of a sudden, electricity crackled all around it. Muk slid over to Fukuro and slammed its thunderous fist right on top of Fukuro, pressing the dirty owl Pokemon into the ground. Perrine recognized the attack right away: Thunderpunch. With Acid Spray still in effect, Fukuro was done for. Still reeling from the Sludge Bomb attack earlier, Fukuro could only let out a pained trill as it was pressed hard into the ground. Then, everything went black. Muk backed away, and Fukuro lay face down on the ground, its feathers dyed purple from the sludge.
"Fukuro the Noctowl is unable to battle!" The referee announced, pointing a red flag towards Gervasius. "The winner is Muk!"
Fukuro's image faded to black on the screen. "And Muk steals the win!"
"Oh no. Poor Fukuro," Caiseal mused. Perrine still had five Pokemon left, but he had to admit, Fukuro's knockout was rather harsh.
Perrine returned Fukuro to his PokeBall. "It's okay, boy. You did great. Now take a good rest."
She didn't need to put much thought into who she wanted to pick next. As far as she was concerned, she had the perfect Pokemon to use against Muk. Sure, she hadn't had the chance to use him in many battles, but if she played her cards right, they might be able to stand a chance against Muk.
"Marius, go!"
Out from the PokeBall came Marius, who gave a high pitched neigh like a horse as he stomped on the battlefield with his two front legs.
"Muk versus Girafarig! Begin!"
No time to waste. It was now or never. "Marius, start off with Guard Swap!"
Gervasius gave an audible gasp as his face blanched. Guard Swap? Marius's body glowed white, and a similarly colored line attached itself to Muk. The sludge Pokemon didn't feel any pain, but it was enveloped by a radiant aura. The two Pokemons' bodies continued to glow for a brief period of time, and the auras around them dissipated. Muk didn't feel as strong as it did before. On the other hand, Marius felt that his whole body had become stronger.
Perrine's mind was at work. Even with the defense buffs Muk applied, it didn't change the fact that it still sustained damage from Echoed Voice earlier. Now was the time to act. "Alright! Use Psychic! Full power!"
Marius let out a cry as a brilliant pulse of turquoise light burst from its two bulbous horns. Gervasius frantically slid his bow over the A string. Unlike before, this particular noise was rather shrill, not as subdued as it was before. Muk held both its arms in front of its face, but it had no chance to even conjure up its Acid Armor. The beam of light struck the sludge pile square in the face, enveloping it entirely. Muk gave a scream as a sharp, burning sensation surged throughout its liquefied body. The attack continued for several minutes before Marius willed the energy ray to dissipate. Muk had no energy to go on. The slime Pokemon simply fell to the ground, unable to move.
"Muk is unable to battle! The winner is Marius the Girafarig!"
"Now that's what I call a swift victory!" Mr. Goodshow announced as Muk's image faded to black.
Pandemonium broke out. Audience members broke into roaring cheers, even though the battle hadn't ended yet. Julia covered her ears as several people shouted words of praise all around her, Ethan and Caiseal included. But inside, she was proud of Perrine for having Marius knock out Muk so easily.
"Aww yeah!" Perrine balled a hand into a fist, the high from the victory rushing through her. "You really showed your stuff, Marius!"
The long neck Pokemon gave a cheerful whinny and stood on his hind legs, kicking his front ones outward in a show of joy.
Without another word, Gervasius returned Muk to his PokeBall, swapping it out for another one just as quickly. He used his free arm to throw it, and an Ariados popped out. As soon as it stood on the battlefield, the venomous spider straightened the horns on its rear, ready to fight. Perrine raised an eyebrow, as did everyone else.
"Okay, this is weird," Ethan said, crossing his arms. "Why is he sending a poison type out against a psychic type? He knows poison is weak against psychic, right?"
"Maybe he has some kind of plan," Julia replied. "I mean, bug types are strong against psychic types after all, even though Ariados does technically still have a type disadvantage."
"Let's see how this plays out," Rocio told them.
"Ariados versus Girafarig! Begin!" The referee raised both flags in the air.
"No time to waste!" Perrine made the first move again. "Marius, use Confusion!"
Marius' eyes glowed turquoise. At the same time, Gervasius made an A string noise with his violin. One of Ariados' claws glowed with an eerie black aura. Before Marius could unleash the attack, Ariados skittered across the battlefield at a frighteningly fast speed, landing a strong blow to the long neck Pokemon's head. The sheer strength of the blow was enough to knock Marius right off his feet, falling to the ground on his side. Everyone gasped.
"And Ariados gets a quick jump on Marius with a Sucker Punch!" Mr. Goodshow announced.
Perrine slapped her face with her palm. 'Ugh! Why do I keep forgetting Sucker Punch is a thing?' She wished she had thought of that sooner. Then again, in all the videos she watched of Gervasius' battles, Ariados rarely used Sucker Punch. Well, now that she knew, she could probably make use of this knowledge later. Marius got back on his feet and gave a reassuring whinny.
"Do you want to keep going? I can switch you out if you want," Perrine asked.
Marius shook his head, wanting to stay. As much as she wanted to switch him out, she respected her Pokemon's wishes. "Alright then! Nasty Plot!" She shouted.
As commanded, Marius stood in place, conjuring evil thoughts...though nothing it would actually act on. The long neck's body glowed an eerie black for a brief moment before dissipating just as quickly.
Gervasius slid his bow over a G string. In response, Ariados fired a whole spider web made from silk out from its fanged mouth. Marius attempted to run, avoiding most of the web, but a piece of it got caught on one of his back hooves. "Bite it off with your teeth!" Perrine called out. Marius bent down to use his teeth to remove the remaining web, even though the silken web tasted dusty on his tongue.
Before Perrine could call another attack, Gervasius made a D string noise. Ariados began running all around Marius in circles, conjuring copies of itself as it did so. Double Team. Marius looked all around, trying to figure out which one was the real one. But they all looked so alike, there wasn't anything that could differentiate them from the real one.
"Don't panic, Marius!" Perrine exclaimed. "Concentrate and find the real one!"
Marius gave a nod before closing his eyes. The horns on his head trembled, the powers within searching for the real Ariados. Within his mind's eye, the real Ariados came into view. His eyes slammed open.
"Use Psychic!"
Like before, Marius fired a ray of light from his horns. This time, the psychic blast managed to strike an Ariados off to the left side. The real one, as it turned out. The made Ariados rear back, and the spider Pokemon dredged its legs into the ground, preventing it from being thrown off. Even so, psychic energy burned throughout the spider's veins.
"Marius comes back out on top with a powerful Psychic attack!" Mr. Goodshow announced.
"Go, Perrine! You can do it!" Julia shouted with both hands on her ears.
"We believe in you, sweetie!" Rocio followed suit, only her voice was still rather low.
Not long after, the energy blast dissipated, and Ariados had brown singe marks on its hide. But the spider Pokemon remained upright and could still move.
"Now, Agility!"
Marius's body glowed blue before he proceeded to sprint all around the battlefield at a much higher speed than he did before. His strong, sturdy legs carried him as he ran, successfully outrunning Ariados. Against her better judgment, Perrine thought she had this match in the bag. She couldn't help but smile as she saw yet another victory in her future.
Only for those thoughts to be cut off by three distinct violin noises. G, E, and D string all in a row. What? Three? Before she could process what was going on, Ariados was shooting spider webs all across the battlefield. As Marius was running too fast to stop where he was looking, he wound up stepping on one of them. The web clutched to his hooves, preventing further movement. Marius tried to yank his feet up and pull them out, but the sticky substance refused to budge.
"Oh no...what in the world?" Perrine found herself at an impasse. What was going on? What was Gervasius planning?
As she watched Marius struggle helplessly against the spider web, Gervasius made an A string noise. From afar, Ariados shot out a purple web instead of a white one. The purple thread dropped onto Marius like a blanket, and immediately, Marius felt fire throughout his body. The long neck Pokemon gave a pained whinny as he once again attempted to break free from his sticky prison. Nothing worked. Perrine could see her friend turning purple from the onset of poison.
"What is that attack?!" She cried in confusion, pulling out her PokeDex to check.
"Ariados, the Long Leg Pokemon. Special attack: Toxic Thread. It poisons the target and lowers their speed."
Poison and lowering speed? This wasn't good. At this point, Marius was a sitting Psyduck, completely helpless. No. She couldn't let him suffer like this. Enough was enough. Switching him out was the best option. "Ugh!" She yanked out Marius' PokeBall. "Marius, return!"
A red light shot out from the PokeBall, hitting Marius straight away...but it quickly faded soon after. "What?!" Perrine blanched. She tried it again. It didn't work. "Why isn't it working?!" Nothing made sense.
Except...the spider webs? Perrine pulled her PokeDex out again. Could those be what were keeping Marius from switching out?
"Ariados, the Long Leg Pokemon. Special attack: Spider Web. Spider Web ensnares the opponent in thin, gooey silk, preventing it from fleeing the battle."
Marius couldn't be switched out no matter what. Spider Web had him completely trapped. The G, E, and D string combo earlier probably meant for Ariados to spread Spider Web all over the place, knowing Agility would make Marius run so fast, he wouldn't be able to properly pay attention to his surroundings. Perrine mentally kicked herself for not having thought of this sooner. Now that he was caught in the webs, she couldn't switch him out. But now wasn't the time for regrets. Marius could still attack, even if he was doomed to lose the battle.
Gervasius then made two sounds with his violin, A and G string. Ariados's fangs glowed green as it skittered towards the now trapped long neck Pokemon. Marius wailed and thrashed around, but the webs refused to budge.
"Marius! Calm down and use Psychic on it!" Perrine cried. Thrashing about wasn't going to work. If Ariados was still going to attack, she might as well have Marius fight back as much as he could. "Full power!"
Once Marius got a grip on himself, he fired a multicolored ray of light in Ariados' direction. Even though it struck Ariados head on, the spider Pokemon continued to push through it. Ariados persevered and finally got close enough to Marius to dredge its fangs into his neck. It was then that Perrine realized what attack Ariados was using: Leech Life. Marius gave a pained cry as the life was sucked right out of him. He flailed his head left and right in a futile attempt to pry it off, but Ariados kept its legs wrapped around its prey, sucking the energy out from within the long neck. Eventually, Ariados let go, and Marius slumped to the ground, unmoving.
"Marius is unable to battle! Ariados is the winner!"
Mr. Goodshow said his usual comments about Ariados winning just as Marius' image faded to black. Perrine was quick to call him back to his PokeBall, flashing a sad smile in its direction. "You did great, Marius. Sorry for putting you through that."
Rocio fiddled with one of the buttons on her coat, her eyebrows knitted together in worry. "Oh dear. Perrine's lost two Pokemon now. Will she be okay?"
Sensing her anxiety, Julia put a gentle hand on her forearm. "She'll be fine. Perrine's a strong trainer. She won't let something like this get her down," She told her reassuringly.
Perrine scanned the battlefield. The spider webs were still up. The problem was that she needed to find some way to get rid of them. But how? She gave a light gasp as a light bulb flashed in her head, and wasted no time pulling out another PokeBall. 'I didn't want to use you so early, but you're my best bet for getting rid of the spider webs!' Perrine thought, having made her decision.
"Go, Kitsune!"
Kitsune sprung out from her PokeBall, arching her back as she gave a howl, her tails unfurling as she attained a battle stance. Mr. Goodshow commented on Kitsune's appearance, and the judge began the battle once more.
There was no time to waste. "Kit! Use Flamethrower on the entire battlefield!" She shouted.
A stream of fire exited from Kitsune's mouth, covering the entire battlefield in flames. The spider webs dissolved into nothing as soon as the flames made contact. They came so fast, Ariados wasn't able to avoid them in time. Heat and pain surged throughout Ariados' legs as some of the flames caught onto its stingers and rear end, and the spider Pokemon couldn't escape the inferno. Even Gervasius' jaw dropped at the sight.
"Good thinking, Perrine!" Julia exclaimed. "The thing about spider webs is that they're extremely flammable!"
"And just like that, Kitsune the Ninetales set all of Ariados' spider web traps ablaze!" Mr. Goodshow shouted.
Perrine knew she had to end this battle with Ariados fast. It helped that she could see Ariados stopping to catch its breath. Sweat and burn marks dotted its body, probably from both the heat and the Psychic attack Marius landed on it earlier. Ariados was getting tired, and it wasn't moving as fast as it was. Now was the best time to get this done and over with.
"Alright! Now, use Heat Wave! Give it all you've got!"
Remaining in position, Kitsune opened her mouth once again, this time unleashing a roaring orange hurricane that shot across the battlefield. Ariados was unable to dodge, as the blast of fire struck it head on, sending it flying into the wall just behind Gervasius.
"Ariados! No!" Gervasius swiveled around, crying out as he watched his partner get blasted against the wall. It didn't take long for the heat wave to die down, and Ariados fell off the wall, its spindly legs twitching as it fell unconscious.
"Ariados is unable to battle! Ninetales is the winner!"
"Wow! Ninetales didn't miss a beat, knocking out Ariados with just two attacks! That's no surprise, considering Ariados took a big hit from Marius' Psychic earlier!" Mr. Goodshow announced. Just like that, Ariados' image went black on the screen.
"Yeah! Go, Perrine!" Caiseal, Ethan, Violet, and Julia all jumped for joy, throwing their arms in the air. "Now he's down to just three Pokemon!" Julia exclaimed.
Perrine did the same, mostly for just how quickly Kitsune managed to knock out Ariados. The fox Pokemon walked over to her trainer and nuzzled against her bosom. Perrine stroke her friend's yellow fur gently. "You were awesome, girl. Do you mind if I save you for a little later, though?" Perrine told her. "I might need you later in the battle."
Kitsune nodded, trusting her trainer. Perrine put her back in her PokeBall, just as Gervasius did the same with Ariados.
Gervasius returned to his trainer box, flashing a smile in Perrine's direction. "You're a strong trainer, Perrine."
This was unexpected. Perrine couldn't prevent her jaw from dropping. This was the first time he actually spoke a full sentence at all, and to her, no less. He must really be serious if he was actually talking to her. Surreal as it was, Perrine smiled back. "Same to you! May the best trainer win!" She told him cheerfully.
Instead of responding outright, he simply sent out his next Pokemon: a Vileplume. Unlike Viole, who had many small white spots on his petals, Gervasius' Vileplume had large white spots instead. A female Vileplume. Perrine stopped to ruminate. As much as she wanted to use Kitsune, she didn't want to use her until later. Luminita wasn't an option, as she was a water type. That left Chirin and Florian. Considering Gervasius preferred using poison-type attacks, using Florian wouldn't be the best idea.
Decision made, she pulled out a PokeBall. "Let's do this, Chirin!"
Chirin stood on the battlefield, tapping his torso with one paw, as if daring Vileplume to go at him. The judge let the battle commence, and this time, Gervasius took the initiative by making a D string sound with his violin. On cue, Vileplume lowered her flower and began shooting purple spheres at Chirin's direction. Sludge Bomb.
"Chirin, use Cotton Guard to soak up the sludge!" Perrine called out. Chirin let out a cry as the red gem on his head glowed. Balls of cotton materialized all around him, forming a protective barrier. The sludge bombs exploded on contact, but Chirin barely felt them, as the cotton barrier managed to absorb any damage he might have sustained.
"Thunderbolt!" Perrine shouted. Chirin's tail glowed, unleashing a flurry of yellow lightning bolts across the battlefield. They struck Vileplume head on, but oddly enough, she didn't dodge. Electric attacks weren't very effective on grass types. Perrine could only deduce that Gervasius didn't make Vileplume dodge, knowing she could handle a bit of electricity for precisely this reason.
Once the electricity faded, Gervasius made an A string sound. Vileplume let out a trill as she began running so fast, she generated copies of herself. Double Team, just like before. This time, Perrine wasn't going to be deterred, and neither was Chirin. "Use Discharge on every single one of them!"
Chirin curled inward at first before unleashing an explosion of lightning. Every single lightning bolt struck the battlefield, disintegrating every copy one by one, striking the original Vileplume. As soon as the attack hit, Vileplume fell on her rear.
Gervasius wasted no time making a G string sound. Encouraged by the noise, Vileplume got right back up, and a pink hued light began glowing at the base of her flower. Then, it sparkled just a bit before turning into a beam that fired straight at Chirin. Perrine recognized the attack right away: Moonblast.
"Hold it off with Power Gem!" Perrine exclaimed. Chirin's tail glowed white, generating several diamond-shaped rocks that charged right towards the beam. Unfortunately, the light ray penetrated through the rocks, striking Chirin head on. Chirin stood firm, even as heat surged through his body. As the beam of light dissipated, Chirin shook off whatever remnants got in his fur.
Gervasius conjured an E string sound. Vileplume lowered her flower once more, but this time, a blizzard of flower petals came spiraling out. Petal Blizzard. Perrine knew what to do. "Cotton Guard again!"
Like before, Chirin conjured a barrier of cotton balls that protected him from the floral onslaught. Once the attack dissipated, the cotton balls were just as quick to disappear.
"Now hit it with Dragon Pulse! Don't let up!"
The light Pokemon's mouth flew open, and a stream of green, blue, and purple energy shot right out, forming the head and mouth of a dragon as it charged towards Vileplume. The flower Pokemon tried to run away, but her stubby legs couldn't carry her fast enough, and the attack struck her on the back, sending her rolling across the battlefield. Not long after the shock wore off, Vileplume got right back on her feet. Gervasius conjured two songs with his violin, A and D string.
Vileplume began spinning around like a top, and a sparkling cloud of purple smoke came billowing out from her flower. Perrine blanched. It was Poison Powder! Maybe having Chirin battle Vileplume wasn't the best idea. She had to get him out of there before he could get poisoned.
"Chirin! Re-!" Perrine yanked Chirin's PokeBall from her pocket, but it was too late. Chirin tried to run, but the poisonous cloud covered the entire battlefield, and as hard as he tried to keep his mouth and nose covered, some of it got inside. It wasn't long before he felt a sharp burning sensation in his body. Chirin's breathing began to grow labored, and as the poisonous cloud dissipated, Perrine could see sweat trickling down his face.
"This isn't good," Perrine mentally kicked herself for not having thought of this sooner. Now that Chirin was poisoned, there was no point in switching him out. It'd only be delaying the inevitable. What could she do?
"Paaaa!" Chirin's trill pulled her from her thoughts. She looked up, seeing a determined look on her friend's face, as if telling her he wasn't going to give up without a fight. Perrine's doubts vanished. Of course. Sure, he was poisoned now, but that didn't mean he couldn't give it his all. It was now or never.
"Alright! Let's finish this! Use Thunder!"
The orb on Chirin's tail glowed a blinding yellow as Chirin let out a shrill battle cry. A bolt of lightning unlike any other shot out from the orb on his forehead, charging right towards Vileplume. The flower Pokemon attempted to run, but once again, her stubby legs couldn't carry her fast enough. The lightning bolt struck her head on, and she cried out in pain as electricity surged through her body. Everyone could only watch in awe as the battle played out before their eyes. Not long after, the electricity faded, and Vileplume slumped to the ground.
"Vileplume is unable to battle! Ampharos is the winner!"
With that, Vileplume's image on the screen faded to black as Mr. Goodshow commented on the victory in his usual manner. Just as Perrine was about to celebrate, she felt something heavy in her pocket. She pulled out the object in question, which was a yellow potion. An antidote! She could use this to heal Chirin's poison! She ran right up to Chirin, gesturing for him to open his mouth. He obeyed, and Chirin sprayed the medicine into his throat. The effects were immediate, and Chirin no longer felt like his blood was on fire.
"You okay now? Good job out there," Perrine stroke behind Chirin's left ear, and the light Pokemon gave a contented purr in response. "I can switch you out if you want. You took some serious hits."
Oddly enough, Chirin shook his head. As much as Perrine wanted to switch him out, Chirin seemed set on staying in the battle.
"Alright then. Get back out there, boy!" Perrine gave him another quick pet on the head before returning to her trainer box.
Instead of throwing his next PokeBall out, Gervasius simply held it in his hand. The PokeBall opened all by itself, and Perrine felt a shiver run down her spine as something crawled out from it. A black shadow come to life. The living shadow slithered out from the PokeBall, stopping just a few feet into the battlefield, forming the shape of a Gengar, complete with red eyes and an eerie, red mouth in the shape of a crescent. It wasn't long before the shadow materialized into an actual Gengar, who greeted its opponent by sticking its tongue out. Chirin wasn't fazed by the Gengar's vulgar gesture.
"Ready? Battle begin!"
Perrine went first this time. "Chirin, use Discharge!"
Like before, Chirin fired an explosion of lightning, the sparks dancing across the battlefield. Some of them struck Gengar, but not enough to cause significant damage. Gervasius made an A string sound. Gengar smirked, and its left fist glowed in an eerie black light. Once it was complete, Gengar flitted across the battlefield, its glowing fist striking Chirin in the abdomen, sending bursts of ghostly energy outward. Perrine recognized it as Shadow Punch. The blow was enough to send Chirin rolling across the battlefield. In that moment, Chirin's airway was cut off, and the light Pokemon found itself unable to breathe or move. Perrine recognized the attack as Shadow Punch.
"Chirin!" Perrine shouted. Chirin was done for. He had sustained significant injuries from his earlier battle with Vileplume.
Unfazed, Gervasius conjured an E string sound. Instead of making a fist, Gengar extended its hand open, and purple light gathered around it, sprouting three large, claw-like fingers. Shadow Claw. With a smug smile on its face, Gengar made a beeline for the fallen light Pokemon, slashing it with its ghostly claw, sending him flying in the air. Gengar then flew to catch up to it, landing another solid wallop, sending Chirin plummeting to the ground with a resounding crash that left a small crater in the battlefield. A smoke cloud billowed out from the force of the impact. Perrine held her arms in front of her face to protect herself from the debris, but she could tell there was no way Chirin could have withstood that. Once the dust cleared, the judge walked over to the crater, seeing a dirty, injured Chirin with his mouth open in a silent scream.
"Ampharos is unable to battle! The winner is Gengar!"
Pleased with its victory, Gengar gave a big belly laugh, sticking its tongue out as it did so. Perrine silently called her fallen friend back to his PokeBall after listening to Mr. Goodshow's usual comments. "You did great, buddy. Take a good rest."
Rocio clasped her hands together, wincing at the loss. "Goodness. That Gengar didn't even give Chirin a chance to fight back," Rocio commented.
"It's pretty obvious Gervasius trained them really well," Ethan reminded her. "I mean, he's using a violin to command them."
"Still, Perrine's made it this far, and she still has three Pokemon left," Julia told them.
Only three Pokemon left. Perrine knew Kitsune would be her best shot, as Florian barely knew any moves that could stand up to a ghost type, much less a poison type...save for one. She had Luminita as well, but this was a ground battlefield, and Luminita probably wouldn't be able to navigate it very well, being primarily a water type who had no legs and fins for arms. But she didn't want to entirely put them by the wayside, as she needed Kitsune to be in tip top shape for his last Pokemon...and she had a good idea what his final Pokemon was, since she had seen him use it in his battle against Yue. It was a gamble.
Still, some risks needed to be taken.
"Florian! I choose you!" Perrine sent her trusty Meganium out.
Everyone raised their eyebrows. "Why's she sending Florian out?" Violet asked. "Isn't he weak against poison types?"
"Yeah. She's probably saving Kitsune for last, and it's likely she's having Florian go out to buy some time."
"Meganium versus Gengar! Begin!"
Perrine went first again. "Florian, use Sweet Scent!"
Florian shook the petals circling his neck, conjuring a sparkling pink cloud that billowed out across the battlefield. Gengar took one whiff of the alluring scent and its mind began to wander, its mouth broke into an enormous, goofy smile, and its body began to sway back and forth.
"Well, that's an interesting start to a battle!" Mr. Goodshow exclaimed. "Using Sweet Scent to throw Gengar off its game! That's quick thinking on Meganium and Perrine's part!"
With Gengar too occupied by the aroma to think, Perrine knew she had to act. "Use Bulldoze!"
Florian gave a cry as his body glowed in an orange aura. In one swift motion, the green sauropod jumped as high into the air as he could. Only about five feet, but he landed not seconds later, sending a rippling shock wave all across the battlefield. It was enough to not only blow away the pink cloud, but to make the entire battlefield rumble and shake, like an earthquake had hit. The shock wave snapped Gengar out of its delirium, and the ghost Pokemon tried to remain upright, but the rumbling ground beneath it made it unable to keep steady. At one point, the rippling shock waves struck it head on, and Gengar was sent rolling backwards. Gradually, the rumbling stopped, and Gengar reoriented itself enough to get back on its feet.
Gervasius conjured a G string sound. Gengar's mouth opened wide, and a sphere of black energy materialized inside it. Gengar pointed its index finger at Florian before shooting the sphere toward him.
"Light Screen!"
Florian's antennae glowed white, and a translucent wall of light shot up from the ground, holding off the Shadow Ball attack with gusto. Florian still felt the sparks graze his skin, but the glass wall he conjured up muffled the damage.
Not long after, Gervasius conjured a D string sound. Gengar's eyes glowed an eerie red, and Florian's entire body briefly had a red aura around it. Perrine shivered. That wasn't Mean Look, was it? To check, she pulled out Florian's PokeBall and tried to recall him. The red light struck Florian, but it dissipated shortly afterward. 'Crap! Gengar just had to use Mean Look! Calm down, Perrine. You can do this! As long as you make Florian deal some damage to Gengar, you still have a chance!' She reminded herself not to lose her cool. She paused to take a deep breath before exhaling it.
"Florian, use Safeguard!" Perrine cried. Florian closed his eyes, and before long, a sparkling blue aura emanated from his body for just a short moment. This way, should Gengar try to use any poison inducing movies like Sludge Bomb or Toxic-assuming it even knew those attacks-Florian wouldn't get poisoned.
Of course, Gervasius had a determined gleam in his eyes. Even from her side of the battlefield, Perrine could see it clear as day. He closed his eyes and made two sounds on his violin: A and E strings. Gengar's left hand glowed orange as the ghost Pokemon made a beeline towards Florian. With one swift motion, Gengar smashed the Light Screen barrier to smithereens. The shards faded into nothing shortly after, and before Florian could process what was going on, a mighty blow struck him on his neck, the impact sweeping Florian off his feet, sending him to the ground on his side. Perrine gasped, recognizing the attack: Brick Break. It was one of few attacks she knew of that could actually break through moves like Light Screen.
But Florian didn't give up. The green sauropod stood back up, even though his body throbbed from the pain of the hard blow. Gengar flew back to its side of the battlefield, flashing its smug, toothy grin like he had already won the battle. Perrine kept her eyes fixed on the ghost Pokemon. What was Gervasius planning?
Gervasius conjured another duo of sounds: D and G string. Gengar opened its mouth and began firing balls of sludge in Florian's direction. Sludge Bomb. "Dodge!" Perrine cried out. The sauropod ran to and fro, evading the barrage of sludge every which way. Unfortunately, some of them did strike Florian on his back, as Gengar floated in the air and rotated itself as soon as the sauropod moved away from it. One of them struck Florian square in the face, blinding him. The sauropod howled as a burning sensation seeped into his eyes, and the pain was enough to make him fall to his knees.
"Florian! No!" Perrine cried out. With Florian unable to see, he was a sitting Psyduck.
Unfazed by his opponent's vulnerable state, Gervasius slid his bow across the A and D strings. Gengar raised its right hand in the air, and in no time it all, flames burst forth. Perrine gasped. Fire Punch! Without mercy, Gengar lunged towards the fallen sauropod, striking him square in the face with a fiery fist that sent him soaring across the battlefield. So strong was the blow that Florian was sent plummeting into the wall, just a few feet from Perrine.
"Florian!" Perrine shouted in terror. The flames dissipated, and Florian fell to the ground, unable to move.
"Meganium is unable to battle! Gengar is the winner!"
Florian's image on the screen faded to black as Mr. Goodshow made his usual comments. First Chirin, and now Florian. Perrine recalled her fallen friend, surprised at just how strong Gengar was. Then again, few trainers could even hope to get past his first Pokemon, what with how he commands them. But the gears in her head turned. Now that she had a good idea of their modus operandi, she knew who she wanted to send out next.
"Nice job, Florian. Take a good rest," Perrine whispered gently, swapping the PokeBall out for another. "Luminita, you're up!"
A Lanturn appeared on the battlefield, giving a happy trill as she clapped her wings together like a Seel. Mr. Goodshow made his usual comments and the judge began the battle swiftly.
This time, Gervasius took the initiative, conjuring an A string sound. Like before, Gengar unleashed Shadow Punch, sending Luminita into the air with an intense uppercut. Luminita landed back on the ground, but she shook off the attack. Perrine crossed her arms.
There was a brief moment of silence between them. Murmurs began to ripple through the crowd. What was going on? Perplexed but undeterred, Gervasius slid his bow over the A and E strings. Gengar's hand glowed orange again as it lunged toward the fish Pokemon. Luminita remained where she was, and Perrine kept her eyes on Gengar.
'Just a little closer...closer...closer…' Perrine waited for a chance to strike.
Finally, Gengar got close enough. Now was the time to act! "Roll away, then use Thunder Wave!" Perrine shouted.
Luminita rolled to the side, just as Gengar was ready to strike. Because she moved so fast, Gengar wasn't able to stop itself from punching the ground, sending chunks of debris all over the immediate area. Once Luminita was upright, she fired a weak jolt of electricity in Gengar's direction. Once it struck, Gengar felt its muscles tense up. It tried to stand up, but every movement felt as though pins and needles were poking it from inside, like his whole body was ready to fall asleep.
Gervasius' jaw dropped.
"Yeah! Go Luminita!" Julia cheered, with Violet whooping right next to her. "That was a quick save!"
Perrine smirked. Her plan worked! Florian's Bulldoze lowered Gengar's speed, and with Luminita's Thunder Wave, the ghost Pokemon would be too paralyzed to move when it wanted to. Not a perfect setup, since Luminita was still held back by her inability to truly navigate a land-based battlefield, but she could make do.
"Now use Electro Ball!" Perrine shouted.
The orbs on Luminita's head glowed yellow, conjuring a single sphere of electricity that shot towards Gengar. The ghost Pokemon tried to float away, but its legs tensed right up, and the thunderous sphere struck it head-on. Gengar fell to the ground, but it did manage to get back up, shooting an intense glare at the fish Pokemon. Luminita didn't pay it any heed, smiling the whole time.
"Aqua Ring!"
Luminita's orbs glowed blue this time, and a ring of water circled around her for a moment before dissolving into her body.
Gervasius made an E string sound. Gengar let out a shrill cackle as both its hands generated shadowy claws, lunging towards Luminita with intent to slice her to pieces. Gengar managed to land one hit on her, then two, and a third time sent Luminita rolling across the battlefield. Thankfully, Luminita reoriented herself and stood back upright.
"Use Hydro Pump!" Perrine cried.
Not wanting to be outdone, Gervasius made three sounds with his violin. A, D, and E strings in a row. Gengar opened its mouth and fired a flurry of black energy rings towards Luminita. Dark Pulse. Luminita opened her mouth as well, shooting a highly pressurized jet of water in Gengar's direction. Instead of colliding, the two attacks missed each other completely, with the water blasting Gengar into the wall behind Gervasius, and the dark rings pelted Luminita until she was unable to keep steady, sending her rolling across the battlefield. Neither Pokemon moved so much as an inch after being struck by each other's attacks. Both Gengar and Luminita were out cold.
"Both Gengar and Lanturn are unable to battle!"
Gengar and Luminita's images both went black in unison. "It's a double knockout! And this is it, folks! The final match! Now both trainers are down to just one Pokemon! Who will come out on top?!" Mr. Goodshow proclaimed.
Julia held onto Rocio's hand with one of her own. If Perrine defeated Gervasius' next Pokemon, she could advance to the finals. But if she didn't, she'd be out of the League. Caiseal and Ethan exchanged worried but firm looks.
Both trainers called their fallen Pokemon back. No turning back now. Perrine wasted no time sending Kitsune out, as did Gervasius with Venomoth. Kitsune stood on all fours with graceful poise, her nine tails spread outward, defying gravity. Venomoth simply fluttered its purple wings, watching its opponent with its large eyes.
"Venomoth versus Ninetales! Begin!" The judge exclaimed.
Perrine wasted no time going first. "Kitsune! Use Flamethrower on yourself!"
Kitsune spewed a stream of fire into the air, closing her eyes as she let it rain down on her fur. The flames dissolved into her body, causing an orange aura to appear around her.
"Hm? Why is she having Kitsune use Flamethrower on itself?" Rocio asked.
Julia took the chance to explain. "Kitsune's ability is Flash Fire, which makes it so that her fire attacks get stronger if she's hit with one. Perrine figured she could have Kitsune use fire attacks on herself to make them even stronger than they already are," She finished off with a wink. "It's actually her signature strategy."
Rocio could only stare back in silence as she let the information sink in. Her daughter had always been serious about Pokemon and battling, even as a little girl. Rocio often saw her drawing up potential teams or reading books about battle strategies. Now she was actually putting them into practice. Seeing her in battle now spoke volumes about how far she had come.
Gervasius slid his bow over two strings, A and E. Venomoth flew into the air and flapped its wings rapidly, conjuring a sparkling cloud of purple smoke. Perrine recognized the move as Poison Powder. Thankfully, she knew a way to get around that.
"Safeguard!"
Kitsune closed her eyes, and a blue aura emanated from her body. The purple plume billowed all around her, and even though she inhaled some of it, she didn't feel any sharp or burning pain. Safeguard had taken effect. For now, she was immune to status effects.
This time, Gervasius conjured two more violin sounds: E and D strings. Venomoth's eyes glowed purple, and the moth Pokemon shot a similarly colored beam of light that barreled towards Kitsune.
"Kit, use Flamethrower to hold it off!"
Instead of using it on herself, Kitsune spat out another stream of fire, holding off the Psychic attack with gusto. Since she was powered up by Flash Fire, Kitsune's flames managed to push through the ray of light, hitting Venomoth square in the face. The moth almost fell to the ground, but reoriented itself enough to flap its wings once and ascend back into the sky.
"Now, Extrasensory!"
The fox Pokemon's eyes glew gold as rays of light shot out from them. Gervasius made a G string noise, then A string soon after. Venomoth flew downward to dodge the attack before making a beeline towards Kitsune. Both Perrine and Kitsune could see Venomoth's fangs glow purple. Poison Fang.
"Fire Flamethrower again!" Perrine cried out hastily. Kitsune wasted no time firing flames in the moth's face, sending it rolling across the battlefield, saving herself from getting bitten. The flames soon dissipated, and Venomoth shook off the pain before flying upward once more. But Perrine could see the damage it was taking was beginning to take its toll. Subtle beads of sweat trickled down its thorax, and its wings donned brown singe marks.
"Venomoth and I won't lose," Gervasius suddenly said, his voice firm with determination. Venomoth gave a nod and trilled a little bit.
Perrine smirked and balled her fists. "Same here! Give us the best you've got!"
In response, Gervasius slid his bow over the G and D strings. Venomoth began flapping its wings at a rapid pace, generating a sparkling gust of silver wind. Kitsune stood her ground, enduring the attack with ease. Since Silver Wind was a bug type move, Perrine wasn't worried about it doing much damage to her. The gears in her head were turning once more. Obviously, Venomoth was at a severe type disadvantage against Kitsune, but since it was an airborne Pokemon, Venomoth could easily dodge attacks when needed. Keeping it in one location would be crucial in winning this fight. She remembered Yue's battle against Gervasius and how Venomoth used its flight to its advantage against Corsola, a land based Pokemon.
Come to think of it...there was one move she could probably use.
"Perrine! Kitsune! You can do it!" Julia shouted.
"Don't give up, girls!" Caiseal followed suit.
As did Ethan shortly after. "You got this! You're so close!"
Gervasius slid his bow across the E and D strings again. Venomoth, ready to end this battle, fired yet another Psychic attack towards Kitsune.
"Roll to the side, and use Fire Spin!" Perrine cried out.
Kitsune rolled to her left, evading the ray of light, then proceeded to spit out a raging cyclone of fire. Venomoth attempted to fly away, but the fiery twister soon caught up with it, trapping it in its blaze. Heat overwhelmed the moth Pokemon every direction, and it was unable to free itself from the flaming tornado. Gervasius blanched as his Pokemon was enveloped by fire.
"Now's our chance! It's now or never!" Perrine intended to win, and win with everything she had. "Kit! Use Extrasensory on the tornado!"
The fox Pokemon stood on her hind legs, tails spreading outward, glowing in a golden light, as did her eyes. A similarly colored aura appeared around the tornado, manipulating it so that both ends of the tornado linked together, forming a blazing circle on the ground. Everyone in the audience marveled at the scene playing out before their eyes. Venomoth helplessly flapped its wings in a futile attempt to break free, to no avail. Gervasius didn't even have it in him to keep his violin in position.
"Awww yeah!" Ethan threw his fists outward. "Perrine's gonna win for sure!"
Not long after, the flaming tornado dissipated, and out came a completely singed Venomoth. The moth Pokemon continued to flap its wings, remaining airborne, but Perrine could see that its eyes were dazed, and its body was swaying from side to side rather slowly. At this point, it wouldn't be able to take any more hits. Just one more, and she had this battle in the palm of her hands.
"Venomoth! No!" Gervasius cried out.
"Alright, Kit! Finish it with Heat Wave!"
With a great battle cry, Kitsune opened her mouth, and an orange wave of searing hot wind spilled forth. Venomoth was too dazed from the hits it took to dodge the incoming blaze. It took no time at all for the moth Pokemon to be hit with a blast of heat that sent it spiraling towards the wall, just like how Gengar was earlier. Not long after, the entire stadium fell silent. Kitsune's attack dissipated, and everyone waited in anticipation if Venomoth somehow managed to endure that attack. Yet...against all the odds, Venomoth floated out from the wall. The moth Pokemon simply refused to admit defeat!
"Would you look at that!" Mr. Goodshow exclaimed, eyes wide from the sight of the charred moth fluttering aimlessly toward the battlefield. "Venomoth is still going, even after taking all those hits!"
But Gervasius didn't relax. Even he could see that Venomoth was too weak to continue. What point was there in forcing it to battle? All he could do was flash a sad smile in his friend's direction. Venomoth's wings finally gave out. The bug Pokemon floated to the ground, its eyes closing from the weight of the exhaustion holding it down. The judge walked over to Venomoth to get a closer look. Venomoth didn't budge. Everyone in the audience broke into smiles. The match had been decided.
"Venomoth is unable to battle!" He pointed a green flag in Perrine's direction. "The winner is Ninetales, and with this, the victory goes to Perrine Innocenti!"
Pandemonium broke out. Cheers and applause rang throughout the entire stadium. Perrine found herself speechless. Had she really won? Venomoth's image on the screen went black. All of the squares under Gervasius' pictures were completely blank. Was this real? She felt something soft paw at her hand. Kitsune looked up at her with a beaming, proud smile. It finally sunk in. She defeated Gervasius, supposedly one of the strongest trainers in the League so far!
"Kit! We won! We really won!" Perrine threw her arms around her furry friend, nuzzling her face into her fur. Kitsune gave a victorious warble, using her paw to rub her trainer's back. The two of them jumped up and down, rejoicing in their victory.
"And with that, Gervasius Hughes has been defeated! Which means Perrine will move on to the finals! Now this is a match that'll go down in history for more reasons than one!" Mr. Goodshow proclaimed, even though this was only a semifinal match.
With a sad smile on his face, Gervasius walked over to his fallen comrade and stroked its head. Venomoth stood back upright, its eyes furrowed in frustration. Gervasius could see clear as day that Venomoth felt horrible about having lost.
"Well done," That was all he whispered. Just like that, Venomoth's eyes closed, looking brighter than before.
"Gervasius?" Perrine and Kitsune walked over to the duo. "Sorry if we went a little overboard there."
Gervasius shook his head.
"That was a great battle. I had a lot of fun," Perrine told him with a smile.
Gervasius nodded in agreement, as did Venomoth. He stood up and held his hand out. "Good luck," He whispered. Perrine took his hand without hesitation, giving it a firm shake.
With this, Perrine was one step away from finally fulfilling her dream. But she knew this wasn't the end just yet. Not even close.
After a few short minutes, Perrine and Kitsune left the stadium and made their way through the hall, just outside the entrance. She stretched her back and arms outward to get the kinks out of her system. "Whew! I think I might need a nap after this. But before that, I need to take everyone to the Pokemon Center so they can get treatment," Perrine said. Kitsune simply sat down and began licking one of her front paws.
"Perrine!" Julia's voice pulled Perrine out from her reverie. Rocio, Julia, Caiseal, Violet, and Ethan all ran up to her, with smiles as bright as sunshine. "You were amazing out there! I was on the edge of my seat the whole time!" Julia exclaimed, shaking her fists up and down from the lingering excitement.
"Indeed you were, sweetie!" Rocio cajoled. "I'm so proud of you!"
Warmth lurched in Perrine's chest. "Thanks guys. I never would have made it this far without you."
Caiseal crossed his arms. "You know we have to battle after this, right?" He reminded her. "Our match is going to be the one that decides it all."
He had a valid point. The warmth in her chest turned heavy. She was going to have to battle one of her dearest friends. If he won, she wouldn't be able to win the League and become Champion, and vice versa. As much as she wanted to win, she didn't want it to involve stepping all over Caiseal's dream as well, since he was here for the same reason. Caiseal worked just as hard as she did, maybe even more so. Sure, winning isn't everything, and they both understood that competitions always involved winning and losing in some capacity. She just hoped there wouldn't be any bad blood between them after the final match.
"Man, I still can't believe you got your butt handed to you!" A familiar loud voice pulled everyone out of their conversation. They turned around, seeing all members of the Dark Nightwingz gathered about a few feet away. Aldric was shouting at the top of his lungs like usual.
"Simmer down, dude," Benoit put a firm hand on Aldric's shoulder. "He still made it to the top four, and that's still a huge accomplishment."
"Indeed," Enzo leaned over to Gervasius to meet him at eye level. "You were wonderful out there, Gervais. You should be proud."
Gervasius' cheeks flamed red, as he found himself abashed by their exaltations.
"Hey, guys!" Julia ran over to them without a second thought, as did Perrine and Caiseal. Ethan and Rocio could only exchange perplexed looks.
"Oh! It's you kids!" Aldric immediately put on a smile, putting aside his earlier frustration. "We saw the whole battle, and I gotta say, it was wild!"
"We're sorry you lost," Caiseal told him. "You battled hard out there."
Gervasius simply flashed a small grin and waved a dismissive hand, as if saying not to worry too much about it.
There was one thing on Julia's mind. She held a finger to her chin and asked, "So what are you guys gonna do now? Are you gonna head back on the road after this?"
The guys raised eyebrows. "Uhh...no. I take it you don't know," Enzo replied. "When a trainer wins a League and becomes a Champion, they're not the only ones that receive awards and recognition. The trainers that make the top four all receive medals."
"Oh!" All the kids yelped in unison as the realization dawned on them. That meant that even though Ethan and Gervasius lost, they would still be acknowledged in some way. Julia exhaled a big sigh of relief. So if either Caiseal or Perrine won their battle, whoever lost would still receive an award of some sort. Of course, it wouldn't be as satisfying as being the Champion, and Julia wasn't so naive as to not know that there are people out there who would get angry just at getting second place. Still, she knew Perrine and Caiseal weren't like that.
"Anyway, we're gonna go grab some grub," Benoit said. "We'll be watching your match tomorrow! See ya!"
The Dark Nightwingz waved goodbye to the kids before going off on their merry way for the time being. The kids waved right back, though Ethan and Rocio still eyed them with confusion. "Are you...acquainted with them in some way?" Rocio asked.
"Yeah. We've run into them a couple times before," Julia explained. "Don't worry, they're nice people." She wondered if maybe Rocio thought they were creepy or dangerous because of their choice of clothing. She hoped Rocio didn't think so, though considering she never met them before now, it wouldn't be much of a surprise if she did.
"I see. It's starting to get late. We might want to get some shut eye before the big match tomorrow," Ethan said. "You can't battle if you don't catch some Z's, now can you?"
Everyone broke into giggling. He was right about that.
But as much as they appreciated Ethan's attempt to lighten the mood, Perrine and Caiseal locked eyes with one another. At this point, they didn't need to talk in order to understand just how important this situation was now. They traveled together and went through so much, and the culmination of their journeys would arise in this final battle. They knew they'd have to face each other eventually. Fate wouldn't allow otherwise.
Tomorrow, their friendship would be put to the ultimate test.
A/N: Alright! One more battle left for the League just before the Elite Four! Welp, at the rate I'm going, it looks like I might not be able to finish the Johto arc by the end of the year. But that's okay! I'm still committed to seeing it through, along with the sequels I have planned! Though I am off work on Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Maybe I can use those days to maybe work on the next chapter. But battle scenes have always been my biggest weakness, especially big ones. Look how long it took me just to get this one chapter done, which consists of nothing but battles! Don't be afraid to tell me the ones I wrote suck or go on for too long or aren't action-y enough. If you enjoy them, that's okay too.
I also unfortunately found out one of my favorite Pokemon fan fic writers has decided to discontinue their story. Man, I really love his work, but he explained why he made the decision he did, and as bummed as I am about it, it's understandable, and I have no right to tell him how to live his life. I wish him luck in his future endeavors. On the other hand, this only gives me more incentive to keep going and truly be committed to my fic, as I have so many plans for it that I really want to write out. Anyway, have a good day! For those who celebrate it, happy upcoming Thanksgiving!
Julia's Party:
Hikaru (Shiny Pikachu, Female, Jolly Nature)
Ability: Static
Attacks: Thunderbolt, Disarming Voice, Quick Attack, Volt Tackle
Papillon (Butterfree, Female, Calm Nature)
Ability: Compound Eyes
Attacks: Confusion, Bug Buzz, Air Slash, Quiver Dance
Neji (Furret, Male, Bashful Nature)
Ability: Keen Eye
Attacks: Dig, Hyper Voice, Sucker Punch, and Quick Attack
Karin (Smoochum, Female, Impish Nature)
Ability: Forewarn
Attacks: Pound, Confusion, Powder Snow, and Sweet Kiss
Lavinia (Scyther, Female, Rash Nature)
Ability: Steadfast
Attacks: Quick Attack, Fury Cutter, Wing Attack, and Agility
Ladybug (Ledian, Female, Timid Nature)
Ability: Early Bird
Attacks: Bug Buzz, Swift, Drain Punch, and Reflect
Perrine's Party:
Kitsune (Ninetales, Female, Quiet Nature)
Ability: Flash Fire
Attacks: Heat Wave, Extrasensory, Confuse Ray, and Faint Attack
Florian (Meganium, Male, Gentle Nature)
Ability: Overgrow
Attacks: Petal Blizzard, Bulldoze, Body Slam, and Grassy Terrain
Luminita (Lanturn, Female, Naive Nature)
Ability: Water Absorb
Attacks: Electro Ball, Discharge, Scald, and Aqua Ring
Fukuro (Noctowl, Male, Sassy Nature)
Ability: Tinted Lens
Attacks: Extrasensory, Hypnosis, Air Slash, and Moonblast
Marius (Girafarig, Male, Mild Nature)
Ability: Sap Sipper
Attacks: Stomp, Psychic, Crunch, and Nasty Plot
Chirin (Ampharos, Male, Adamant Nature)
Ability: Static
Attacks: Discharge, Cotton Guard, Power Gem, Signal Beam
Caiseal's Party:
Mallow (Marowak, Male, Lax Nature)
Ability: Lightning Rod
Attacks: Bonemerang, Earthquake, Headbutt, and Rock Smash
Apollo (Typhlosion, Male, Bold Nature)
Ability: Blaze
Attacks: Flamethrower, Eruption, Rollout, and Smokescreen
Ravenclaw (Murkrow, Female, Hardy Nature)
Ability: Super Luck
Attacks: Wing Attack, Steel Wing, Dark Pulse, and Foul Play
Heracles (Heracross, Male, Relaxed Nature)
Ability: Moxie
Attacks: Brick Break, Megahorn, Aerial Ace, and Endure
Flippy (Quagsire, Female, Jolly Nature)
Ability: Damp
Attacks: Water Pulse, Mud Bomb, Ice Beam, and Slam
Electra (Elekid, Female, Naughty Nature)
Ability: Static
Attacks: Thundershock, Low Kick, Quick Attack, and Leer