Chapter 14: Conclusions and Testing
Honey wasn't sure what to expect from Sapphire. Having seen her in battle during the Restricted Sparring trial and her battle against Klara, she knew that Sapphire was an unpredictable opponent. Even this battle with her now was showing that Sapphire could pull a surprise move out of nowhere and perform something unexpected.
And now, this next move of her's completely threw the Dojo Matron off and had her wondering for a minute what Sapphire's plan possibly was. For some reason, the Armour Warrior had brought out Dal the Magnezone again. Why was that? Surely Sapphire was smart enough to know that Volcarona had the clear advantage in this battle! Steel-types were weak to Fire-types and her Volcarona had been boosted by Quiver Dance to make her even stronger! It also didn't help that Dal was already weakened from her Darmanitan's Earthquake earlier so what was Sapphire thinking by bringing out a crippled Magnezone?
"I'll admit…I didn't think you'd bring him out again." Honey said sheepishly, "I'm curious as to what your strategy is with this in mind."
"It may seem bonkers to you for now, but trust me Honey, it'll all make sense in the end." Sapphire said confidently, "Use Light Screen!"
Dal raised his magnets and formed a protective square barrier around himself like he'd done before against Togekiss. Honey nodded. NOW she could see what Sapphire was planning. To mitigate the issues of dealing with a Quiver Dance boosted Volcarona, she was having Dal use Light Screen to halve the damage her Pokémon did with its Special Attacks and since her Volcarona only knew Special Attacks, Light Screen would halve the damage of all of them. But she had a way around that.
"Don't think Light Screen will help you much, dear." Honey purred, "My Volcarona can deal with that pesky problem. Use Quiver Dance again!"
Sapphire just smiled, which made Honey hesitate for a moment. That was NOT the reaction she'd been expecting from the teenager.
"I thought you'd do that." Sapphire sneered, "I set up Light Screen to weaken your moves so you use Quiver Dance to boost yourself up some more to make sure you still do damage. Now you've left Volcarona vulnerable to an attack. Dal, use Thunderbolt!"
"EX-TER-MIN-ATE!" Dal barked.
While Volcarona was starting up Quiver Dance, Dal pointed his magnets directly at the fiery moth Pokémon and blasted it with a sizzling surge of electricity. Volcarona was too late to try dodging the attack as it was about to use Quiver Dance so she was hit full on by the attack, screeching loudly in pain. Because it had been attacked before Quiver Dance could finish, Volcarona wouldn't get another stat boost. While Thunderbolt wouldn't do much due to Volcarona's high Special Defences that had already gotten a boost from earlier, Sapphire wasn't aiming to do damage specifically. Volcarona winced and shook herself to try and shake off the pain from Thunderbolt. But the pain didn't stop. Volcarona grimaced as electricity danced around her huge, fluffy body. Honey gasped. Now she could see what Sapphire had been planning. Her whole gambit had hinged on hopefully getting to paralyze her Pokémon! It was risky but it had paid off. Now Volcarona would be slowed down a little by paralysis and might even be unable to attack on occasion. Dal seemed very pleased that he'd scored the hit Sapphire was waiting for.
"SCANS-DE-TECT-PAR-AL-Y-SIS-HAS-BEEN-IN-FLICT-ED-ON-THE-OPP-O-NENT! VOL-CA-RO-NA'S-BATTLE-PRO-WESS-HAS-BEEN-WEAK-ENED! MAG-NE-ZONES-ARE-SU-PREME!" he gloated.
"And THAT was my strategy, Honey! Crippling your Volcarona with paralysis while also softening the blows from her attacks with Light Screen!" Sapphire announced, "I did say no Pokémon is invincible and that it's possible to win against them no matter what."
Honey applauded her student, her face showing only joy in seeing just how clever Sapphire had been in figuring out a way to weaken her Pokémon despite initially being with her back against the wall moments ago.
"You really are full of surprise, love!" she complimented, "I bet if you tried again for the title, you could easily become the next Champion of Galar!"
"Maybe, but I wouldn't want to do that to my sister." Sapphire admitted, "Ruby deserves that title more than me. I suppose I could always challenge another region if I want to…" she thought.
"Whatever you decide on." Honey said encouragingly, "Now then, my Volcarona may be hindered by paralysis a little, but I'm confident she can still win this match. Use Fiery Dance!" she commanded.
Volcarona started to twirl around again, her beautiful golden wings coating themselves with flames that grew and grew the more times she spun around. At the same time, Sapphire ordered Dal to use his Counter Shield move. Dal spun around with a barrier of electricity surrounding him to hold back any attacks Volcarona launched. The Fire/Bug Pokémon flapped her wings and sent the huge inferno of flames whooshing towards the Magnezone. The flames swept over Dal and even with his Counter Shield, it did little to protect him from the enormous power of Volcarona's Fiery Dance. Light Screen may have halved the damage, but it was still enough to take Dal down. If he hadn't been weakened by Darmanitan's Earthquake earlier, he might just have taken the hit and been able to carry on fighting. After the flames died down, Dal slowly drifted down to the floor and lay still. He looked like a miniature alien ship that had decided to land and explore the planet it was visiting. Sapphire returned him to his Pokéball, smiling softly at him.
"You did brilliantly, mate." she complimented, "Your contribution won't be in vain, I promise you."
She put his ball away and drew out her fifth Pokéball.
"OK…both of us are down to two and I have two Pokémon that haven't battled yet while Honey has a paralyzed Volcarona and one Pokémon that hasn't battled yet." Sapphire analysed, talking to herself rather than to Honey, "On paper, I'd say my chances are pretty good right now but I can't get too cocky. Volcarona could still wipe out my last two Pokémon if I don't play my cards right. At least for this one, I have Volcarona's greatest weakness to exploit…"
She threw the ball and brought out Terri the Krookodile. The crocodilian Pokémon opened her jaws in a broad grin of anticipation. She was excited to get the chance to battle again and was feeling very confident about herself. Upon seeing who her opponent was, her small black eyes widened in amazement.
"Crikey! I ain't never seen a Volcarona like THAT before!" she exclaimed, "I didn't know they could come in gold and purple!"
"I doubt many trainers or Pokémon do." Sapphire agreed, "But be warned, it's pretty to look at but deadly in battle."
Terri nodded. She didn't need to be told this given she'd seen Volcarona in battle before. The species was native to the Isle of Armour much like her own and she'd often seen them fly by over the desert she once lived in and battle with other Pokémon for territory or food. She'd never battled one herself so this would be her chance to see what they were like in a fight.
"I suspected your Krookodile was next." Honey acknowledged, "Given she knows Stone Edge, she's the perfect Pokémon to face my Volcarona. The poor dear doesn't handle Rock attacks well…but that's if you can catch her first. Use Bug Buzz!" the brunette woman commanded.
Volcarona flapped her wings furiously and created a horrible, ear-splitting buzzing noise that echoed all around the Battle Court. Sapphire grabbed her ears and gritted her teeth in agony. To a human like her, the noise was absolute torture. It made her feel like her skeleton was being shaken from the inside and that her ears were about to explode! For Terri, it was even worse as it was a Bug-type attack and her species were weak to Bug-types. Her arms were too short for her to cover her ears, which added more to the pain. Terri grimaced in pain as the noise tore through her and her health was sapped away.
"Crikey! It's like being trapped with a hive of Combees!" she wailed.
Surprisingly, Honey didn't seem too bothered by the horrible noise. As she'd been battling plenty of times with Volcarona, she'd gotten used to Bug Buzz by now. The noise eventually stopped and the silence fell so suddenly that Sapphire worried for a moment she'd stopped breathing and exhaled a few times to reassure herself she was fine. She snapped her fingers to make sure she could still hear. She heard the sound just fine, which was relieving as it meant she hadn't gone deaf at least. Sapphire looked over to Terri, who was down on one knee and looking very weak. While Light Screen had weakened the blow, it had still been a powerful Bug Buzz thanks to Volcarona's earlier Quiver Dance boost. If Dal's Light Screen hadn't been up, Terri would've lost the battle in a single hit. The crocodile Pokémon panted, glad the noise was over.
"Are you OK, Terri?" Sapphire asked worriedly.
"Just about…Shelia…" Terri muttered, "I'll live."
"Not for much longer." Honey said, sounding a little sorry that she would have to make Terri suffer some more, "Use another Bug Buzz my darling!"
"Oh no you don't! Terri, use Stone Edge!" Sapphire commanded.
Volcarona was just starting to flap her wings and make a buzzing noise but Terri was able to conjure up a bunch of sharp rocks and launch them straight towards her opponent. Bug Buzz put up no resistance against the Stone Edge as Bug attacks weren't effective against Rock attacks. Honey knew that if the attack successfully hit, Volcarona would go down in a single blow. Rock attacks were Volcarona's biggest weakness and their Physical Defences weren't very strong so she would put up no resistance against it. She ordered Volcarona to dodge the attack, knowing it was pointless to keep up Bug Buzz and hope it knocked Terri out before Stone Edge hit. The moth Pokémon flew to one side, dodging the attack with little difficulty. Quiver Dance had boosted its Speed so Volcarona was still a very fast Pokémon to hit, even with paralysis in effect. Sapphire cursed under her breath, disappointed that she'd missed. There was still a chance she could win the battle so she wasn't too worried. Honey ordered Volcarona to try again with Bug Buzz but unfortunately for her, Dal's paralysis picked now to kick in. Volcarona cringed in pain and her body tensed up as the electricity danced over her body. For a moment, the Fire/Bug Pokémon couldn't move.
Seizing her moment, Sapphire ordered Terri to use Stone Edge again. There was no way she could miss now Volcarona couldn't move! Terri conjured up more sharp rocks and she pointed ahead as if she was a conductor in a band dictating who was to play next. The rocks launched themselves towards Volcarona, their sharp edges aimed and ready to spear her. Honey ordered her Pokémon to dodge but Volcarona's reaction time was delayed by paralysis. She moved to one side but was only able to avoid a few rocks. At least a couple of them sliced past her and Volcarona was brought down onto her side in pain. Just a couple of rocks from Stone Edge was enough to bring her health down to critical. If it had been a direct hit, the battle would've been over. Volcarona grunted as she picked herself up and flapped her wings. She wasn't down yet and was determined to get one last hit in before the battle was over. Honey sighed with relief, glad to see it wasn't over yet. The matron was tempted to tell Volcarona to use Quiver Dance again to try and get her speed up some more to make it harder for Terri to hit her. But she decided against it. What if Volcarona used Quiver Dance and paralysis kicked in again? She'd be a sitting duck! It was best to call an attack and hope it works instead of using a status move and hope it works. She then smiled coolly as she gave her next command. Honey knew just the attack to call:
"Use Giga Drain!"
Sapphire gasped in horror. So Volcarona knew Giga Drain! It could steal some of Terri's health while replenishing its own to recover from the damage done by Stone Edge! This wasn't going to bode well for her! Terri wailed as she was surrounded by green energy and a beam of light leapt from her to Volcarona. She could feel herself getting weaker and weaker as Volcarona sapped away her energy. Sapphire couldn't let it end this way. If Terri went down now, this battle was over for her! Bloom wouldn't last five seconds against Volcarona given he was weak to both Grass and Fire attacks so Terri had to win it now! Desperate to turn the battle in her favour, Sapphire ordered Terri to try and use another Stone Edge before Volcarona could drain her dry. Terri grunted. She was feeling very weak from Giga Drain but she wasn't going to give up. Conjuring up what little strength she had left, she conjured up more rocks and aimed them at her opponent. Then she launched them. Volcarona couldn't dodge as she was still in the middle of her attack. The rocks bombarded Volcarona and brought her down onto her back, each blow feeling heavier and more painful than the last. Honey looked away as it was getting hard to watch her beloved Pokémon get pummelled like so. She turned back to the arena and saw that her mighty bug had been completely wiped out. Giga Drain hadn't done her a bit of good. Volcarona had still lost the battle. But it hadn't been a victory for Sapphire either.
Despite her best efforts, Terri hadn't been able to take the Giga Drain and was left too weak to stand. Just using Stone Edge had used up what was left of her energy, so it had been a double-knockout with neither Pokémon the winner in this match. Sapphire and Honey were astonished.
"Well…I guess that's that! It's a draw for Terri and Volcarona!" Sapphire cried.
"Quite…it's not often we get battles ending in a draw on the island." Honey murmured, "So we're both down to our last…and I think we both knew it was going to end this way."
"I planned it to end that way from the start." Sapphire confirmed as she returned Terri to her Pokéball, "I assume your last Pokémon is that Squirtle I didn't pick, right? Though obviously, it's going to be a Blastoise now."
"You're 100% correct, Sapph." Honey replied as she returned Volcarona to her Ultra Ball, "I've been training little Squirtle very hard in my downtime while you've been busy with the trials and preparing for Zeraora's arrival. He's now a mighty Blastoise and he's been itching for a battle with you. He says it's revenge for you not picking him but don't worry, he's only joking." she chuckled.
"Well at least he can see how far his mate's come since I picked him to join me on my second day here." Sapphire declared.
Both trainers whipped out their last Pokéballs. It was all down to this, their last Pokémon. The battle would be decided by the winner of this match. They threw their balls.
"Bloom, shining time!"
"Blastoise, it's show time!"
The two Pokémon made their entrance and stared each other down. Sapphire took a moment to take in the appearance of Blastoise as this was a rare occasion for a Galarian like herself to actually see one. Blastoise certainly didn't look as cute and cuddly as he did when he was a Squirtle, sporting a more robust build and a serious expression on his face. Blastoise were pure Water type Pokémon resembling giant tortoises that stood on two legs and carried a thick brown shell with a pair of cannons protruding from behind each of their shoulders. Their aim was said to be so good that they could hit empty cans from miles away. They were very popular choices for starter Pokémon in the Kanto region due to their solid defences and having a type-advantage over at least three of the Gyms in the Gym Circuit and packing a lot of power in their water attacks. Blastoise was also often depicted in various media as a rival to Charizard. Sapphire remembered watching one of Leon's battles in which his own Charizard had battled a Blastoise. It had been a close match but the Blastoise had managed to win, though the trainer didn't win against Leon as a whole as he still had some Pokémon left to beat the Blastoise. She didn't know what to expect with this one, especially since Honey had trained it. It was guaranteed to be a tough opponent.
"Wow, you look great!" Bloom complimented, "It must feel great being a Blastoise!"
"Same to you." boomed Blastoise, his voice so deep that Sapphire could feel it rumble through her body, "The Armour Warrior has raised you well to become a Venusaur so soon after she received you."
"It's been great being one of her Pokémon." Bloom said happily, "Now let us see who's the stronger Pokémon!"
"Don't expect me to go easy on you, old friend." Blastoise said with a daring smile.
"Heh, I think they're just as keen as we are to get started!" Sapphire chuckled.
"Sometimes I wonder who enjoys the battles more, us trainers or the Pokémon." Honey concurred, "OK Blastoise, start off with Iron Defence!"
Blastoise obeyed. He tensed himself up and closed his eyes as a protective barrier formed around him for a minute. Iron Defence was a handy move that boosted a Pokémon's Physical Defence. Unfortunately for Honey, that wasn't going to work on Bloom.
"Sorry Honey, but Bloom only knows Special Attacks. Iron Defence won't do much to protect Blastoise." Sapphire informed, "Use Giga Drain!"
Bloom leaned forward so the giant flower on his back could aim towards Blastoise. Then his body glowed green and a beam of energy leapt from Blastoise to himself while the tortoise Pokémon glowed green too. Honey had gotten Volcarona to use it on Terri so let's see how she liked Bloom using it on her Blastoise! Blastoise grimaced as Bloom started to drain some of his health away. After Bloom was done, Blastoise was left panting for a moment as he tried to get over with what had just happened.
"Good work Bloom! Now use Energy Ball!" Sapphire cried.
Bloom opened his mouth and fired a green sphere of energy towards Blastoise. But before it could hit, Honey gave a command of her own.
"Retreat into your shell and spin around!" she ordered.
Blastoise retracted his limbs and head and spun around on the spot as Honey had ordered. The resulting spin caused Blastoise to deflect the Energy Ball and knock it away. It was the kind of result one would get if they threw a pebble at a spinning top. Sapphire wasn't surprised that Honey had taught her Blastoise a move like that as it was very common for Blastoise trainers to do that. Spinning around in their shells made it harder for their opponents to land a good attack on them and it kept them in the fight for longer as a result. Once Blastoise stopped spinning, his head and limbs came back out of his shell and he aimed with his cannons as Honey gave her next command.
"Just like we planned for, my lovely. Use Ice Beam!" she commanded.
Sapphire cursed herself mentally for not expecting that sooner. Of course Honey taught her Blastoise Ice Beam! It was just common sense to teach Water-type Pokémon moves like that to overcome their Grass-type weakness! Blastoise's twin-cannons locked onto their target and blasted a jet of icy cold energy straight towards Bloom. The Venusaur was trapped. He couldn't hope to dodge an attack like this as Venusaur weren't very agile Pokémon. But Sapphire knew that he didn't necessarily need to dodge to save himself from the attack. She ordered him to use his Counter Shield technique to try blocking the attack. Bloom opened his mouth and coughed out a Sludge Bomb attack but he shook his body from side-to-side to get the sludge dancing around his body. The Ice Beam hit and although it froze the Sludge Bombs, the Counter Shield did its work beautifully. Blastoise had failed to actually hit Bloom. The Venusaur was safe to continue battling for now. Satisfied with her strategy, Sapphire ordered Bloom to try again with Energy Ball. The Grass/Poison Pokémon launched another attack at Blastoise but just like before, the tortoise Pokémon retracted into his shell and spun around to deflect the attack. However, that was what Sapphire had wanted to happen. She had told Bloom to attack knowing that Blastoise would do that again. Now she knew that Blastoise was just going to do that every time she tried to hit him with Energy Ball, Sapphire knew the best way to defeat the powerful Pokémon was to use Giga Drain from now on.
Once Blastoise came back out of his shell, Bloom used Giga Drain on it again. At least Blastoise couldn't dodge that by going into his shell. But Bloom didn't get to drain much of Blastoise's energy this time. As soon as Giga Drain started to sap away some of Blastoise's energy, Honey told her Pokémon to use Ice Beam again. With Bloom in the middle of an energy draining attack, he couldn't stop and use his Counter Shield in time so the Water Pokémon was able to land a clean hit on him. The biting cold beams hit Bloom and he wailed in pain as he was chilled to the bone. He was left shivering furiously after the attack was over. Luckily he hadn't been frozen but Sapphire knew he could very well have ended up that way. Honey had picked up from when she'd had Terri attack Volcarona while it was using Giga Drain earlier and had pulled it off successfully. It seemed she was not the only trainer in this battle who was adaptable and quick on the uptake! Bloom shook off the chill from Ice Beam and Sapphire ordered him to use Sludge Bomb. She didn't want to risk Blastoise getting a clean hit with Ice Beam like that again and hopefully she could poison Blastoise and do some extra damage to bring him down. Bloom coughed up balls of explosive sludge towards his opponent but both he and Sapphire got a big surprise as Honey told Blastoise to use Surf. With a wave of his hands, Blastoise conjured up a giant wave of water that seemed to materialize from nowhere. Then he brought the wave down in front of himself. The huge wall of water formed a protective barrier that stopped the Sludge Bomb from getting anywhere near him. The sludge balls just hit the water and broke into pieces as they were pushed down. Honey smiled happily at the result.
"I thought it would be great to use Surf that way." she said with pleasure, "Klara's Counter Shield tactics made me wonder if it was possible to use Surf as a way to block attacks."
"Guess she proved to be more inspirational than we thought." Sapphire chuckled, "It's a clever way to use Surf, I'll agree!"
"And I'm glad I got to see it pay off here." Honey said brightly, "Now, it seems our Pokémon won't settle this as they are now…"
Sapphire nodded. She could tell what Honey was thinking and she held out her Pokéball ready before the Dojo Matron had even stated what she was about to suggest.
"Oh yes, I couldn't agree more." Sapphire declared, "It's time we showed off our Pokémon's Gigantamax forms! I've been very eager to see what Gigantamax Venusaur and Blastoise look like so let's go!"
"My pleasure entirely." Honey concurred.
The two trainers held out their Pokéballs and returned Bloom and Blastoise to them. Their Dynamax bands activated and both Sapphire and Honey found themselves experiencing the always incredible sensation that was Dynamaxing. Sapphire always wondered how she'd done this plenty of times by now and still felt a surge of excitement whenever it happened. It just seemed to be one of those things that never got boring no matter how many times you did it. She ended up getting the surprise of her life as she watched Honey Dynamax her Blastoise. The Ultra Ball she housed him in grew in size but the kindly woman didn't even seem to be straining from the weight. If anything, it didn't seem to weigh anything in her hands despite the increased size. Then, while still holding it in one hand, she took aim with the ball…and proceeded to catapult it straight into the air single-handedly with no strain or effort whatsoever! Sapphire was so gobsmacked at the surprising strength Honey displayed that she nearly dropped her own Dynamaxed Pokéball. First this woman turned out to be an amazing trainer, now she turns out to be surprisingly strong! Punting that Dynamaxed Ultra Ball into the air like a baseball was some of the most impressive strength she'd ever seen from anyone, man or woman! Sapphire snapped out of her gaze and threw her own Dynamaxed Pokéball to finish Dynamaxing Bloom.
The Grass/Poison type Pokémon and the Water-type Pokémon both emerged from their Pokéball, now giant-sized and with some changes to their appearances. Bloom sported a much larger flower on his back that had bloomed to the point it nearly covered him entirely. It looked as if he had a giant pink shell on his back, only it was made of petals. Some of the green leaves on his back had grown too, just visible from under the giant pink petals they grew under.
Blastoise on the other hand looked to be a completely different beast altogether. Not only did he look like a much larger version of himself, but his shell had grown in size and now sported an entire artillery of cannons with smaller ones circling around the base and much larger cannons protruding from giant hexagonal holes that protruded from the centre of the shell. In its Gigantamax form, Blastoise quite simply looked like a living arsenal with the potential to lay waste to cities with so many cannons to shoot with. Both Pokémon stared at themselves in wonder.
"Holy galoshes, I'm huge! And my flower's so big now!" Bloom boomed, startled a little at how deep his voice suddenly sounded.
"Imagine the firepower I must have with this kind of shell!" Blastoise exclaimed as he looked over his shoulder and shifted his body to get a feel of the cannons he now had.
Sapphire stared at the two Gigantamax Pokémon with awe. She'd seen Charizard's Gigantamax form multiple times from watching Leon's battles and now she was bearing witness to the Gigantamax forms of Kanto's other two starter Pokémon. Imagine owning all three and getting to use their Gigantamax forms one-by-one in a battle!
"Blimey…would you look at them!" Sapphire gasped.
"Quite a sight, aren't they, love?" Honey said with a sweet smile, "Believe me, I was as surprised as you are when I discovered what their Gigantamax forms look like. We all thought Charizard looked intimidating but these two? They could give Gigantamax Charizard a run for its money!"
"Don't let Leon hear you say that." Sapphire teased, "Does Bloom get a G-Max Move in this form?"
"He sure does." Honey informed helpfully, "All his Grass attacks will become G-Max Vine Lash while for me, Blastoise gets G-Max Cannonade for all his Water attacks."
"Thank you." Sapphire said graciously, "Let's see this move of yours Bloom. Use G-Max Vine Lash!" she ordered.
Bloom obeyed. He grew giant vines from under his flower petals and raised them up high, taking aim at Blastoise. He looked as if he was using Vine Whip, a common move that most Grass-type Pokémon could learn. This was a much stronger version of the move that also had an additional effect. If Bloom hit, his attack would do extra damage every so often to further weaken his opponent. But as he brought the vines swinging down towards Blastoise, Honey blocked the move by ordering the Gigantamaxed Pokémon to use Max Guard. Due to knowing Iron Defence in his base form, Blastoise was able to use Max Guard in his Gigantamaxed Form. The tortoise Pokémon held up his hands and magically conjured up a barrier that surrounded him from any and all attacks. Bloom's giant whips slammed down heavily on the barrier, making a loud cracking sound that echoed all around the court. Blastoise felt the impact of the blow but was otherwise unhurt. Max Guard had done its job and now it was his turn to attack back. Honey thrust her hand out as she gave her next command.
"It's our turn now! Use Max Hailstorm!" she screeched.
Sapphire wasn't surprised that was coming. It was Blastoise's most effective move to use against Bloom so of course she was going to use it! Blastoise took aim with his many cannons and each one shot a chunk of icy hail into the sky as if he was trying to shoot down an enemy air force flying overhead. The hail then sprinkled down towards Bloom, each chunk of ice crashing down on top of him and making him cry out in pain. The worst part was that after Max Hailstorm was used, it created the hail weather condition that would continue to sprinkle down every so often to do additional damage to Bloom. Things could turn sour for Bloom very quickly if Sapphire didn't do something and fast. Bloom winced as the additional damage from hail was inflicted. Sapphire took a moment to think on what to do. She could try a G-Max Vine Lash again but Honey would just tell Blastoise to use Max Guard to block it again. But maybe there was a way past it? After all, Abigail and Klara had found ways to work around when she'd had James use Max Guard when she'd battled them. If they could get past such a tactic, so could she!
Sapphire ordered Bloom to use G-Max Vine Lash again and just as predicted, Honey ordered Blastoise to use Max Guard to block the attack. However, instead of continuing the attack, Sapphire immediately told Bloom to stop and switch attacks. Instead of G-Max Vine Lash, he used Max Quake. Bloom raised his front legs and stomped down on the ground, creating a huge fissure that punched up towards Blastoise. It felt as if the very earth had come alive and was trying to attack him now. Blastoise was unhurt thanks to Max Guard but the constant shaking beneath his feet from Max Quake was making it hard for him to concentrate. The barrier was noticeably starting to falter as a result. Sapphire could see it fading in-and-out as Blastoise tried to keep it up. After Max Quake had finished, Bloom's body flashed orange briefly as the side-effect of his attack kicked in. Max Quake could boost a Pokémon's Special Defence every so often, which would help in keeping Bloom in the battle if he could take Blastoise's hits more easily. Sapphire then ordered Bloom to use G-Max Vine Lash again. This time, he was able to land a successful hit. Bloom brought the giant vines smashing down onto Blastoise now his Max Guard was gone and could no longer protect him. The vines felt as if he was being battered by a pair of sledgehammers. Blastoise even worried his shell might not be strong enough to take the blows. So now both Blastoise and Bloom had received damage and would take additional damage from each other's moves with Bloom getting hurt by the hail and Blastoise getting hurt from the side-effect of G-Max Vine Lash. Both Pokémon winced now as these additional effects did the damage.
Sapphire and Honey could feel the tension in the air. Beads of sweat formed on their foreheads and their hearts began to pound. It was looking like anyone's match at the moment. Whoever won this battle would be determined by the next move their Pokémon made.
"I can't remember when's the last time I've felt this much excitement having a battle." Honey murmured, a broad smile across her pretty face, "I must thank you for giving me such a fun and intense battle, Sapphire!"
"You're welcome Honey!" Sapphire said appreciatively, "And if it means anything to you, I think this has been one of my best battles I've ever had, so I thank you for that."
"I'm glad I could give you a battle that grand." Honey said kindly, "But sadly, it has to end. A pity as it's been so fun, but oh well. Use G-Max Cannonade!" she ordered.
Sapphire was puzzled by the choice of attack. Surely Honey knew full well that G-Max Cannonade wouldn't do much? Water attacks weren't effective against Grass-types! But then she realized. G-Max Cannonade had the same side-effect as G-Max Vine Lash. Honey was aiming to double the additional damage to Bloom by having the after effects of both Max Hailstorm and G-Max Cannonade wearing him down before she eventually came in for the kill. It was a smart move to make as Bloom got a Special Defence boost earlier so to make the damage count, Honey had to inflict more additional damage to really wear Bloom down. Blastoise aimed his many cannons at Bloom and blasted him repeatedly with water. Bloom wasn't hurt much but the real damage came in later as the after effects happened. Both the falling hail and the after effect of G-Max Cannonade kicked in and sapped away more of his health. Sapphire had to end the battle now before Bloom got too worn down to fight on any longer!
The Armour Warrior decided to try another stat boost to give Bloom more of an edge. She ordered him to use Max Ooze. The poison-type Max Move was able to boost a Pokémon's Special Attack every so often so if Bloom was able to do that, he'd be able to land a more powerful hit on Blastoise to try and finish the fight before things could turn in his opponent's favour. The Gigantamaxed Venusaur tensed himself up and spread out his flower petals as he created a huge puddle of toxic slime that oozed its way towards Blastoise. The ooze hit and did damage to Blastoise while also giving Bloom the Special Attack boost that Sapphire had hoped for. The next attack he landed would be much more powerful than before. Both Bloom and Blastoise winced as the additional damages kicked in again. Both of them were down to low health. This next attack would decide the battle for them.
"Use G-Max Vine Lash one more time!" Sapphire commanded.
"Use Max Hailstorm to finish this battle!" Honey ordered.
Both Pokémon launched their attacks. Bloom whipped Blastoise with his giant vines and Blastoise brought down another hailstorm that cut into Bloom with every stone of hail that crashed down on him. Both Pokémon wailed as they were bombarded by their attacks. It felt as if they were trying their hardest to make their final blow hurt more than the other, desperate to make this attack their winning one. Eventually, both Pokémon were reduced to normal as the Dynamax energy in them dissipated. Their Gigantamax forms were gone and they were back to their normal size and appearance once more. Bloom and Blastoise both panted, the fatigue of their fight finally weighing down on them. Sapphire and Honey clenched their fists tightly, the tension rising as they waited to see who would fall first. Eventually…it happened. One Pokémon's legs buckled and their huge body collapsed down heavily onto the arena floor. One Pokémon remained standing, but barely. The other Pokémon didn't get up again. It was all over at last with the clear winner standing before them in the centre of the arena.
"Oh my gosh…did…did I just win?!" Sapphire exclaimed, putting her hands over her mouth in astonishment.
Honey blinked as if to reassure herself she wasn't seeing things. It was no illusion. Blastoise was down and Bloom was still standing. Sapphire was the winner, there was no mistake to be made.
"Well blow me down…congratulations Sapphire! You won!" Honey complimented, applauding her student with joy, "You really are our star student!"
"Wow…that was quite a battle with you, Honey, but I managed to come out on top! Hooray! I did it!" Sapphire cheered excitedly.
She ran over to Bloom and practically threw herself on top of him. She hugged him tightly with Bloom smiling in appreciation.
"You did great out there, Bloom! Well done!" Sapphire cried happily.
"Well I had a great trainer to raise me well." Bloom said graciously, "Thanks very much."
Honey returned Blastoise to his Ultra Ball and put it away. She approached Sapphire, her face full of delight for the Armour Warrior.
"I really can't commend you enough, dear. That was an amazing performance of strength, skill and strategy you gave me today." she complimented, "You've proven you're more than ready to take on Zeraora. With your skills, I'd say he really is in for the fight of his life."
Sapphire's smile disappeared as she was suddenly reminded that there was still that battle left to come. Zeraora was still out there and he was still going to come and try to kill Mustard despite Klara's intervention. She'd been enjoying herself so much in the battle with Honey that just mentioning Zeraora's name was a grim reminder that they weren't going to stay fun for long. She got back up and returned Bloom to his Pokéball so he could rest.
"Yes…that." Sapphire said grimly, "I really hope that we are able to beat him when he gets here. I mean with the three of us together, we're sure to win…but we could still die too."
Honey nodded sympathetically, understanding Sapphire's worry. She pulled the worried teen into a comforting hug to ease her nerves.
"I'm as scared for his return as you are, darling." she said softly, "But the way I see it, if we do die fighting Zeraora, at least we'll die saving everyone else from his wrath. I only hope that like you suggested earlier, we might be able to appeal to his better nature and convince him to stand down. As you said, he doesn't kill everyone he faces so there's a chance we can reason with him."
"It'll be the ideal solution." Sapphire agreed, "But if it fails, then we'll stop him no matter what. I wonder if Hyde's got the Prison Ball finished yet." she added thoughtfully.
Surprisingly enough, the very person Sapphire had mentioned was now running out of the Master Dojo towards her and Honey! Mustard was following him, the elderly Pokémon trainer looking happier than he had done since before the news of Zeraora's return. Hyde's face was flushed with excitement, the first time he'd shown a genuine emotion since Sapphire had met him. Curiously enough, he seemed to have a Pokémon of his own floating beside him. It was a strange looking Pokémon too, resembling some kind of robotic duck with a pink and teal body. It had triangle shaped feet, two eyes and a pointed tail. This Pokémon was called Porygon and it was famous for being one of the few species of Pokémon that was artificially created much like Mewtwo. It had first been created on Cinnabar Island in the Kanto region and was able to travel through cyberspace.
"Mum! Sapphire! I've done it! The Prison Ball's finished!" Hyde said excitedly, "Look!"
He held out the Prison Ball for Sapphire and Honey to look at. The ball looked like an ordinary Pokéball with some noticeable differences. It was completely grey all over and had small steel bars that extended from the top half of the ball and slotted into holes on the bottom half. It was a locking mechanism to keep the ball shut once it closed. Only by pressing the button in the centre of the ball could it ever open again.
"Oh you clever boy!" Honey said gleefully, "You've got it finished at last! Looks like Klara bought us all the time we needed. So this is the Pokéball that'll seal Zeraora away forever!"
"I can see why you call it the Prison Ball." Sapphire observed "It's like you stuck a jail cell door on a Pokéball! Do you know if it works?"
"Not yet." Hyde said bluntly, "I wanted mum to watch as well so I came out here. Now here's the moment of truth. We'll see if my hard work pays off…"
He turned to the Porygon beside him and beckoned it to come forward. The man-made Pokémon floated in front of him and waited for Hyde to throw the ball.
"Forgive me for interrupting, but where did you get that Porygon?" Sapphire asked curiously.
"I made it myself." Hyde answered, "It was child's play, really. It was so easy to build that I'd have considered the work a waste of time if Porygon wasn't so great at keeping my computer free of viruses and spam. It helps when you have a Pokémon that can travel through cyberspace. I hope it doesn't mind being the test subject too much…"
He waited a moment before he drew his arm back and threw the Prison Ball at Porygon. The ball opened up and Porygon was brought inside it in a flash. The ball closed and the locking mechanism activated, the small bars shooting down into the holes on the bottom half and twisting with a click to signify they had locked shut. The ball fell to the floor and stayed still without even shaking. Sapphire and the dojo family waited for about ten minutes for something to happen. Nothing did. Porygon didn't come out of the Pokéball despite Hyde telling it that it could come out now. Hyde then picked the ball up and pressed the centre button to unlock it. The moment it unlocked, Porygon emerged from out of the Prison Ball and rematerialized into view. It looked relieved to be back out again. Honey put her hands to her mouth in astonishment while Mustard clapped his son on the back with pleasure.
"We-hell my boy! It works! Your Prison Ball project is a great success!" he cried jovially, "Well done, Hyde! This'll be perfect for sealing Zeraora away for good!"
"I'm honestly surprised it worked the first time." Hyde admitted, "At least now I know that my hard work will save you all from that monster's wrath."
He handed the Prison Ball over to Sapphire.
"It's yours for now." the boy genius declared, "Once Zeraora is down, you know what to do."
"Of course." Sapphire acknowledged, "I'll make sure this doesn't get destroyed before we can use it."
She put the Prison Ball away in her jacket pocket.
"How's Klara doing?" Sapphire asked.
"She's too weak to walk for now, but she's recovering nicely." Mustard answered, "Once she's able to stand again, we'll get her and Hyde into a Flying Taxi so they can be evacuated along with the others. I'll breathe much easier knowing my boy is far away from Zeraora and out of his sights."
Upon hearing this, Hyde looked dismayed. He didn't look as if he wanted to go without his parents. He clutched Mustard tightly.
"Don't do that dad! I don't want to leave you both behind!" he said, sounding on the verge of tears.
Sapphire watched this with sympathy. No child ever wanted to be separated from their parents, no matter the situation. She could see now that underneath Hyde's stoic demeanour, he really did care for Mustard and Honey and loved them very much. Honey joined in the hug, patting Hyde on the back.
"Oh darling, I'm afraid you must go." Honey insisted, "We can't let you be a possible target for Zeraora. I won't let that thing kill you, I swear to Arceus!"
"But…what if he kills you both? What if I never see you again?" Hyde whimpered, unable to contain his emotions anymore.
Mustard and Honey gave Hyde a moment to let it all out as he cried into them. Sapphire respectfully stayed back, knowing that it wasn't right to get involved in delicate family matters like this.
"We will survive, my boy." Mustard insisted, "With us and Sapphire working together and your Prison Ball, we won't die at Zeraora's paws. Please don't worry about us, son. You will come back to us when it's all over."
Hyde dried his eyes and gave his parents one last hug.
"I h-hope so." he stammered, "G-good luck mum and d-dad."
He turned to Sapphire.
"And y-you too, Sapphire." he added, "Promise me y-you'll h-help mum and dad d-defeat Zeraora, OK?"
"I promise." Sapphire swore, "I'll help your parents defeat him and you'll come home to them again, safe and sound with no threat of Zeraora to worry about again."
Hyde smiled appreciatively. Although he wasn't the most affectionate boy ever, he couldn't resist hugging Sapphire in gratitude. Sapphire hugged him back. Now that was done, Mustard gestured for everyone to come back into the dojo.
"Sapphire and Honey, you should get your Pokémon rested up for the battle with Zeraora." he insisted, "In the meantime, you can tell me all about how your battle went. I'd love to hear about it! And also, we still have the Max Honey so we can whip up some Max Soup for Iron Fist to gain his Gigantamax form. We'll wait for Emolga to tell us that Zeraora's on his way again before we get set up. Then we'll finally bring him down…"
Everyone went back inside to let Sapphire and Honey's Pokémon rest up from their battle. While they were currently awaiting for Zeraora's arrival, the very Pokémon they were preparing for was currently resting on an island somewhere off the coast of the Isle of Armour. He'd found a berry tree and had scoffed down a bunch of Pecha Berries to cure Klara's poison. The effect had taken a while but he was now feeling completely refreshed and free of poison. He stared ahead at the island, knowing that this time, there was nothing to slow him down or stop him. Mustard was his and he was going to be begging for forgiveness by the time he was done with him!
The battle is over with Sapphire as the very lucky winner! It's easy to see why Honey is Mustard's wife with how strong she is. ;) And good news for everyone, the Prison Ball is finished and it works! But will they be able to use it on Zeraora? There's nothing else to delay him now. He's going to show up and finish what he started. It's all up to Sapphire, Mustard and Honey to stop him and save the island from his wrath. Tune in next time as this story reaches its critical climax in "The Battle of the Isle of Armour"...
Trivia: Hyde having a Porygon isn't random. It's a feature in the game where he created a Porygon himself and he gives it to the player. Naturally, it made the perfect Guinea pig for Hyde's Prison Ball test in this chapter.