Chapter 43: Clash of the Ages
Author's Note: Hey, everyone! It's... uh... it's been a while, huh? I'm gonna be honest with you guys, while I have had a lot of things prepared for this story ahead of time, I kinda just lost interest. I was also incredibly busy with college, so I didn't really have a lot of time to write in the first place. I'm really sorry, but I also can't really promise regular updates since I'm still going through my current school year. That being said, I'll be updating this story, but you'll still see a sizeable gap in between chapters. Really sorry about that, but I'm just finding it difficult to dedicate as much time to this story as I used to.
That being said, I never really stopped planning for this story. One of the reasons why this chapter took so long aside from what I've already stated is the fact that I had to rewrite it like... three times. I wasn't really happy with how it came out so I just kept rewriting it. That's why this chapter is kinda short lol. If you wanna know how long ago I had this planned out, the other character here, Kaine, is based on Kiryu Coco. If you know who she is, then I initially included her here to sort of commemorate her graduation since it was announced around the same time I started work on this chapter. Yeah, it took that long.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoy!
Shoto and Kaine stood at opposite ends, with Charizard and Dragonite staring each other down. They carefully watched each other, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Both trainers had warned their respective Pokemon about their opponent, so they knew better than to take this battle on carelessly.
Amane Kaine wasn't a foe to be taken lightly. Even those in UA knew about Kiryu, the Gangster Hero. Shoto knew that even if he and Charizard tried to escape, Kaine wouldn't let them go so easily. He was put in a tough position, but it wasn't hopeless.
It wasn't as if Kaine completely overwhelmed him in strength. Despite her reputation, most of the UA students could likely match her. Given enough time, Shoto and Charizard could very likely take out her Dragonite. The problem was that they didn't have the luxury of time, but that wasn't they didn't have to take them out. All they needed to do was find an opening to take out their targets. It wouldn't be easy, but it was possible.
After a few more moments of silence, Kaine decided to finally go on the offensive. "Dragon Claw." She commanded. With a burst of speed, Dragonite dashed forward with blue claws, but Charizard was ready. Shoto jumped out of the way and allowed Charizard to fly up, avoiding Dragonite's attack and releasing a powerful Flamethrower right on the Dragon Pokemon.
"Not bad!" Kaine exclaimed as she clapped her hands. "You've got a fast Charizard!"
Shoto didn't respond. Instead, he and Charizard continued their attack. "Use Mega Punch!" The Flame Pokemon flew down and tried to strike with the powerful attack, but Dragonite stepped to the side and avoided the attack before quickly countering with a Dragon Claw that pushed Charizard back.
"Charizard!" Shoto ran up to the slightly shaken Charizard as he recovered. "Are you okay?" The trainer asked. The Pokemon nodded as he roared, indicating that he was still ready to go. While Charizard was initially more careful because of his trainer's warnings, now he knew he really had to be on his toes. This Dragonite was fast and powerful. More so than they had expected. They had to be extra careful here.
Likewise, Dragonite and Kaine were approaching this battle with a lot of caution. While they had not seen Shoto's Charizard in action before, they saw what his Ninetales could do back in the Sports Festival. If that was anything to go by, then Shoto was a trainer they could not afford to underestimate.
"Okay, go!" Kaine stretched out her arm, and Dragonite charged at Charizard. The Flame Pokemon flew into the sky to avoid the attack, but Dragonite quickly followed suit. The two chased each other through the air for a few moments before Charizard quickly turned around and used a Flamethrower as Shoto had instructed.
Dragonite was hit with the flames, but he remained in the air and struck back with a powerful Dragon Claw, causing Charizard to crash into a building. "No! Charizard!" Shoto ran up to the building that Charizard had crashed into, but the Pokemon seemed fine. The attack did a number on him, but he was still able to fly. "Okay, we gotta be smart about this." The trainer shouted. Charizard nodded in response before flying off to fight once again.
"Back for more, huh?" Kaine laughed and stomped her foot. "Alright, let's show 'em what we can do, Dragonite! Dragon Claw!"
Dragonite roared and flew towards Charizard with bright blue claws, but Charizard countered it with a Mega Punch, causing the two to clash. The Fire-type was fast though and quickly followed it up with a Flamethrower, catching Dragonite off-guard. "Now's our chance! Seismic Toss!"
Before Dragonite or Kaine could react, Charizard grabbed onto the Dragon and began diving straight into the ground. Kaine took a step back. "Dragon Claw!" Dragonite tried to attack, but it couldn't do anything before crashing.
As the smoke cleared, Charizard had his claw over Dragonite's head, pinning him to the ground. "We win," Shoto said. He pulled out a ball to tag Dragonite with, but he was caught off-guard when Kaine yelled. "Not yet, little Endeavor! Try this! Outrage!"
Suddenly, Dragonite began flailing violently, throwing Charizard off and allowing the Dragon to escape into the air. Charizard quickly protected the targets on his body, but Dragonite didn't seem to be targeting them. Instead, he crashed into Charizard, picking him up and dragging him across the buildings.
"Damn… they're stronger than I thought," Shoto said to himself as Dragonite threw Charizard into the ground. "Use Flamethrower!" The trainer shouted. Charizard looked up and got ready to shoot his fire, but Dragonite was too quick. He quickly crashed into Charizard with a Dragon Claw, sending the Fire-type flying across the road. "Get him off you, Charizard!"
Charizard quickly slammed his tail into Dragonite, giving him an opening to get away. "Now, Air Slash!" The Flame Pokemon's wings began glowing with white light before he flapped them, creating blades of wind that struck Dragonite.
"Now's our chance! Do it!" Shoto shouted. Charizard nodded and pulled out a ball, hitting it with his tail and sending it right onto one of Dragonite's targets. "Shit! Dragonite, we gotta move!" Kaine shouted. The Dragon nodded and flew back, but Charizard flew right at him and struck with a Mega Punch, causing Dragonite to crash into the ground.
"One more time, Charizard!" The Fire Pokemon roared and got ready to use Mega Punch once again, but as he charged right for the ground, Dragonite dodged to the side and avoided the attack. It then quickly flew into the air, right behind Charizard, leaving him wide open and his targets exposed… but despite that, Dragonite didn't go for the targets.
"Dragon Claw!" Dragonite threw the attack right at Charizard, dealing a good amount of damage before it flew up into the air. "Now, go for a Dragon Pulse!" Dragonite then shot out a blast of Dragon Energy into Charizard before flying back in front of its trainer.
But why didn't they go for the target? That was the way to win. It didn't make sense to just pile up the damage when Charizard was in the prime position to get tagged. "Why didn't you take my targets?" Shoto asked as Charizard stood back up.
Kaine looked at him and smiled. "Where's the fun in that? I ain't here just to tag people and dip. I want a good fight." She crossed her arms and stomped her foot. "I got this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fight some UA kids! I ain't passin' that up for some stupid license!"
Of course, Shoto knew the provisional license wasn't' "stupid." It was an incredibly important document to have. It would basically allow you to do Hero work without needing a real license. That would be a huge opportunity that any Hero student would die for… so why?
"There ain't any honor in winnin' like that!" Kaine shouted as she placed her hands on her hips. "I wanna be a Hero, don't get me wrong. But Pokemon battles are what I love doin' most. If I get the chance to fight one of the strongest trainers of our generation, then I'd be willin' to pass up the license."
Now, she sounded much calmer. Shoto could tell she was speaking from the heart. Still, they didn't have time for this. They either needed to get out or tag her. They couldn't be wasting time like this… but something felt… off.
Shoto looked up at Charizard and he was… smiling? He looked right at Dragonite and got ready to fight again. That look in the Pokemon's eyes… he knew that look. Charizard was having… fun? The boy couldn't help but remember his fight with Izuku back at the Sports Festival. Since then, Shoto had gotten much closer with all his Pokemon.
"Looks like 64 people have passed!" Mera shouted through the speakers. Shoto looked up and let out a sigh. "I guess we can stay for a little longer." How out of character. At least, that's how he thought of it. Still, seeing how much fun Charizard was having was enough to let him let them stay for just a little while longer.
Shoto took a fighting stance and looked at Charizard right in the eyes. "Alright, let's do this!" He tucked the balls back into his pocket and the Flame Pokemon let out a loud roar. "If we… no. When we win, I'm tagging you, got that?" He said sternly.
Kaine smiled and laughed. "Now that's what I'm talkin' about! Let's rock and roll!" Dragonite roared and rushed towards Charizard with a Dragon Claw. Fortunately, Charizard acted fast and parried it with his own Mega Punch, pushing the Dragon Pokemon back, causing the two to begin a chase in the sky.
The Pokemon were moving faster than before, clashing attacks as the two tried their best to land a hit. Shoto knew he needed to end this battle fast if he wanted to pass, so he decided now was his chance.
Shoto clenched his fist and raised it to the sky. "Let's give this attack everything we got!" Charizard's flame began growing bigger and bigger as they prepared for their next strike.
The girl snapped her fingers and pointed forward. "Let's hit 'em with all our power, Dragonite!" She said. Suddenly, Dragon energy began spiraling around Dragonite as he prepared his final attack.
"Flare Blitz!"
"Dragon Rush!"
Both Pokemon covered themselves in their energy and rushed forward. The two shouted as loud as they could before crashing into each other, causing a huge gust of wind to nearly knock the two trainers off of their feet.
As the smoke cleared, one victor was seen. Charizard placed his foot over Dragonite's head as the Dragon Pokemon, now weakened, fruitlessly tried to get back up. Shoto smiled and nodded, but surprisingly, Kaine smiled back and crossed her arms. "Not bad, Todoroki." She said.
After helping Dragonite back up, they were astounded to find that Charizard wasn't too tired yet. It had used only a portion of its energy in the fight since he knew he and Shoto still had to fight more afterward if they wanted to fight. This just went to show the power gap between Shoto and another incredibly strong Pokemon of their generation.
"Well, a deal's a deal," Kaine said as she and Dragonite spread out their arms. "You can take us out."
Charizard and Shoto looked at each other and let out a sigh. They didn't really have much of a choice, did they? "Sorry it has to be like this, but we have to pass." He said. Kaine laughed and shook her head. "Hey, no hard feelings." She said, dropping her tough-girl accent. "I can't fault you for following through with a deal."
Suddenly, a ball came flying at them that Charizard managed to push away with a Flamethrower. From the top of one of the buildings, they saw another participant, a boy covered in a white bodysuit along with his Linoone.
"They're over here! Get them!" Suddenly, about seven or so more participants jumped down from the buildings atop their Pokemon and surrounded the two.
Shoto looked at Kaine and nodded. "Looks like we're gonna have to fight." He said sternly. Charizard stepped forward and let out a growl. Kaine laughed and pat Dragonite on the back, pushing him forward. "Looks like we're both passin', huh?" She then stretched her arms and let out a sigh. "Sorry to put you through more work again, Dragonite."
The two Pokemon roared loudly before their trainers reached out their arms.
"Charizard, Flamethrower!"
"Dragonite, hit 'em with a Dragon Claw!"
