Here's another chapter! This one's Cynthia vs. Reiner! Don't forget to review, guys! They come out faster the more reviews I get!
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 61
"So it's you and me in the final round, huh?" Cynthia said, grinning. "While it might not have been when I wanted, I'm glad I get to have a rematch with you, Reiner."
"You've been training hard, huh?" Reiner asked.
"Yup," Cynthia said, nodding, bending her arm over her chest as she stretched. "You really whooped us. But now, we're ready to take you on! I've got a few new tricks up my sleeve, so you better be prepared."
"If you say so," Reiner said, smirking. "Sorry to say, but I've got someone to fight."
"What a coincidence," Cynthia said, narrowing her eyes. "There's someone I have to fight, too. And that's why I can't let him leave me behind here!"
"A fascinating fact, these two faced each other in the preliminaries," Darla clarified for the audience.
"Oh, really?" Lila asked, surprised.
"Yup," Darla said, nodding. "It was an overwhelming 3-0 victory in Reiner's favor."
"Ooh, that's harsh," Lila said, frowning. "Do you think Cynthia has a chance, then?"
"…Definitely," Darla said, smiling. "Look at that smile. She's all hyped up."
"…Really?" Lila asked. "Maybe she's just being overconfident…"
Yeah, that's the one, Blake confirmed, nodding.
"I'll start things off," Reiner said. "Invictus, go."
Reiner threw a pokeball into the air, his Metang emerging.
His Metang… Cynthia narrowed her eyes.
"Ooh, that's a harsh one to start with," Julia said, frowning.
"Cynthia doesn't have a fire type, does she?" Kitty asked worriedly.
"No, she doesn't," Sango agreed. "She doesn't have any pokemon really that are a good matchup against that Metang."
"Seriously?" Kate asked, eyes wide. "Then what's she gonna do?"
"Well, knowing Cynthia, she's gonna just try to power threw it," Julia sighed.
"Which, of course, means…" Sango began.
"Okay, Tristan! Let's take it down!" Cynthia cheered, throwing her pokeball out, her Breloom emerging, raising his small claws.
"…Figures…" Sango sighed.
"But Breloom is a fight type!" Kate gasped. "Why would she use that against a psychic type?!"
Thought so. Cynthia doesn't have any good checks for Invictus. So she'll use Tristan, which has the highest attack, to try and force through him. Reiner thought. "That won't be enough, though. Invictus-"
"Tristan! Mach punch!" Cynthia ordered. Tristan lowered his head and charged forward, punching Invictus in the face, the steel pokemon reeling back.
"Ooh!" Lila gasped.
"Nice speed!" Darla commented.
"Okay, Tristan! Just like that! Don't give him any ground!" Cynthia cheered, Tristan unleashing a flurry of mach punches.
"That's all you get," Reiner said. "Invictus, use bullet punch!"
"Metang!" Invictus said, raising their claws, countering Tristan's punches with a barrage of their own.
"The two pokemon are exchanging a series of attacks so fast, not even we can see them!" Darla said.
"It's all a blur to me," Lila agreed.
"Whatever pokemon gets the edge in this priority battle will set the pace for the battle to come," Darla said, frowning.
"Invictus, use psychic! Then, follow it up with zen headbutt!" Reiner shouted.
"Metang!" Invictus said, their eyes glowing blue. Tristan's punches slowed down as a blue aura surged over his body, Tristan floating up into the air.
"Tristan!" Cynthia cried. Invictus swung their arm, flinging Tristan across the battlefield. Then, they coated their body with psychic energy and pressed their hands back behind their body, shooting across the battlefield toward the collapsed mushroom pokemon.
As Tristan rose to his feet, Invictus collided with him head-on, pushing Tristan backwards.
"Tristan, hit it with counter!" Cynthia shouted. Tristan lowered his claw and hit Metang from below with a powerful punch, turning the momentum from Invictus's zen headbutt into a propelling force that sent them flying through the air.
"Then, finish it with a sky uppercut!" Cynthia cheered, mimicking the move with a jumping punch into the air. Tristan ran forward and leapt into the air, delivering a powerful punch into Invictus's face, blasting him higher up with a massively damaging blow. Tristan landed on the ground, panting, as Invictus crashed down in front of him, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Invictus, are you okay?" Reiner asked.
"Metang…" Invictus said, floating up into the air, their body slightly dented but none the worse for wear.
"That was quite the exchange," Darla said, frowning, "but this battle's just getting started. It's anyone's game now."
"True, both of their pokemon seem to be worn out." Lila agreed. "Breloom's taken a lot of damage from those psychic attacks, and Metang isn't looking much better after that counter+sky uppercut combo."
"Okay, Invictus, let's stay back on this one," Reiner said. "Use double team."
"Metang!" Invictus created several copies of theirself, moving around to surround Tristan on all sides.
"Now, use psychic!" The multiple Invictus raised their claws, releasing a blast of psychic energy at Tristan, the Breloom letting out an anguished cry.
"Tristan!" Cynthia shouted. "Even if you don't know which one is real, you can still take 'em all out! Use stun spore!"
"Breloom!" Tristan nodded, raising his head. Golden pollen flooded out from his mushroom cap, floating across the battlefield. The waves of pollen swept over the copies of Invictus, the duplicates disappearing as the spores touched them, leaving only the original, paralyzed. Invictus fell to the ground, trembling from the shocks.
"Was that stun spore from Tristan?" Sango asked, surprised.
"I didn't know Cynthia even knew what status moves were," Julia commented.
"They're not moving!" Cynthia said. "Now's your chance, Tristan! Take that Metang out with a full-power sky uppercut!"
"Breloom!" Tristan shouted, running toward Invictus.
"Invictus, use psychic on it!" Reiner ordered, but Invictus remained still.
"Metang is paralyzed, it can't move!" Darla cried.
Tristan hit Invictus in the face, sending them flying with a powerful uppercut. Invictus fell to the ground in a crash, unconscious.
"Cynthia's Breloom managed to defeat Metang, but taking those psychic attacks seems to have drained a lot of his strength," Darla noted.
"That's her best battler, too," Lila said.
"Return, Invictus," Reiner said, returning his Metang to their pokeball. "Now… Scipio, go!"
Reiner threw out another pokeball, which his Armaldo emerged from, screeching.
"There it is, Reiner's strongest pokemon!" Darla said.
"This is what he used in their previous battle to sweep through Cynthia's team!" Lila added.
"So, it's you again, huh?" Cynthia asked, smiling. "Well, too bad for you, I'm ready this time. I came prepared, Armaldo! Tristan, use stun spore!"
"That again?" Reiner said, smirking. "Scipio! Use rock polish!"
"Ar!" Scipio growled, raising his claws, scraping quickly over his body.
"Oh, nice," Darla said. "Armaldo's rock polish is brushing the stun spore off of his body!"
"With that speed, there's no way Armaldo will get paralyzed," Lila said.
"If it's speed you want, we can handle it," Cynthia said. "Tristan! Mach punch!"
"Bre!" Tristan nodded, charging at Scipio, swinging his claw at the rock pokemon.
"Scipio! Crush claw!" Reiner shouted. Scipio raised his own claws, and the two pokemon exchanged blows. Scipio pierced Tristan in the chest as Tristan hit Scipio across the face, but ultimately it was Scipio whose blow had the greater force behind it, flinging Tristan across the battlefield. Tristan skidded across the rocky ground, shakily rising to his feet.
"Remember what happened in our last battle when you tried to rely on speed and power," Reiner asked, smiling. "It seems your strategy is the same as always."
"Don't be sure," Cynthia said, grinning. "Why don't you look at your Armaldo's chest?"
"Ar?" Scipio said, confused, glancing down. Wedged in its armor was a small seed, with plants growing out of it, slowly wrapping around Scipio's body.
"What?!" Reiner asked, surprised. The seed began glowing, energy from Scipio flowing into Tristan's body, the Breloom's wounds starting to heal as his energy began to return.
"That's Tristan's leech seed," Cynthia said, smiling. "I figure if that Armaldo is such a heavy hitter, I'll just have to wear it down slowly!"
"That's a pretty good strategy," Darla agreed.
"What do you mean?" Lila asked.
"Armaldo have good defenses, but I don't think their health is all that great," Darla explained. "So it should succumb to leech seed."
"Well, I must say, I didn't see that coming," Reiner said. "I was expecting you to power through this one again."
"What can I say, I like keeping you on your toes," Cynthia chuckled. "And that's just the first of my surprises!"
"Scipio! Use ancient power!" Reiner shouted. Scipio ran forward, his body glowing, and he lifted his claws into the air. Stones formed of energy materialized around him, and with a swipe of his claws, he sent the stones flying toward Tristan.
"Is that the best you've got?" Cynthia said, smiling. "Even tired out as he is, Tristan can still break a few rocks! Tristan, bullet seed!"
"Breloom!" Tristan opened his mouth, firing a barrage of glowing green seeds at the stones. The seeds shattered the boulders into small pebbles, creating a wall of glowing dust.
"Now, slash!" Reiner shouted. Scipio broke through the dust cloud, much to Tristan and Cynthia's shock, raising his claw. He brought it down on Tristan's shoulder in a powerful slash, drawing a long cut down the grass pokemon's front.
"Bre!" Tristan cried, falling to his knees, trembling, before collapsing to the ground.
"Whoa, Armaldo used the ancientpower as a smokescreen and then attacked with a strong slash!" Darla said, surprised.
"That was some impressive speed," Lila agreed. "Even with the energy he recovered from leech seed, Breloom still wasn't able to endure the hit."
"You did your best, Tristan," Cynthia said, returning her Breloom to his pokeball. "But this battle's just getting started! If it's a match of speed you want, we've got the best 'mon for the job! Come on out, Elise!"
Cynthia threw out another pokeball, which her Tailow emerged from. Elise spread open her wings, the red cloth wrapped around her neck shining in the setting sun.
"A Tailow?" Darla asked, surprised. "Is… is she for real? She's using Tailow against an Armaldo?"
"I agree," Lila said, frowning. "This doesn't exactly seem like the best move, right?"
"That's what you think," Cynthia said, shaking her finger to the contrary, "but you forget! Armaldo are part bug type! And flying pokemon are good against bugs!"
"…Yeah, but…" Reiner spoke up, Cynthia turning to look at him.
"…They're also part rock, you know."
"…I knew that!" Cynthia said, her face flushing in embarrassment. "It's all part of my strategy!"
"Tail?" Elise said, looking back at her.
"You sure you don't want to take that one back?" Reiner said, frowning.
"No! Like I told you! It's strategy!" Cynthia shouted. "Elise! Use agility!"
"Tailow!" Elise said, flapping her wings and taking to the sky, her speed increasing.
"If you say so," Reiner said. "Scipio! Since you'll have trouble getting in close, use ancientpower!"
"Dodge it, Elise!" Cynthia ordered. "Then, quick attack!" Elise skillfully avoided all the rocks, flying toward Scipio at top speed.
"A direct attack, huh?" Reiner scoffed. "Scipio, crush claw."
"Armaldo!" Scipio growled, raising his claw. With a swipe of the claw, he hit Elise head-on, smacking the bird pokemon down into the ground.
"Like I said," Reiner sighed.
"Well, it looks like Tailow is unable to battle," Darla said.
"…Does it?" Cynthia asked, her shocked expression falling away to reveal a wicked smile. "Why not take a closer look?"
"Huh?" Darla said, confused.
"Hey, she's right!" Lila gasped. Elise had risen to her feet, shaking, the wrap around her neck glowing, crumbling away into sparkles of light.
"How? There's no way your Tailow could have endured a direct crush claw from Scipio!" Reiner exclaimed.
"Not usually, no," Cynthia smirked. "Like I said. Strategy."
"That scarf…" Darla said, her eyes widening in realization. "It must be…"
"Scarf?" Lila asked, confused.
"It's probably… a focus sash."
"Huh?" Lila asked, confused. "What's a focus sash?"
"It's a special item for pokemon," Darla explained. "When equipped, the pokemon can survive an attack, just once, that would otherwise knock them unconscious. But it only works if the pokemon is at full health."
"Is… is that legal?" Lila asked.
"Yes, the tournament rules state that pokemon are able to use held items," Darla said. "The only thing is, focus sashes are really pricy."
"Pricy? Ha!" Cynthia laughed. "If it means winning against someone who beat me, then I'll pay any price! That's just how petty I am!"
As Cynthia laughed maniacally, Reiner was less than amused.
"So, you survived one blow. Don't think you'll make it through another. Scipio! Crush claw again!"
"Arm!" Scipio nodded, raising his claw and slashing at Elise, who flapped her wings, dodging out of the way.
"You must not have been listening," Cynthia said, smiling. "It's over. Elise! Endeavor!"
"Tailow!" Elise chirped, her body covered in a shining light.
"What?" Reiner gasped, shocked. "What is this?" Elise released the light from her body in a compressed blast that struck Scipio directly, the rock pokemon crying out in pain.
"No way…" Darla said, shocked.
"What? What does endeavor do, Darla?" Lila asked, confused.
"It's a powerful move… but it's risky, so most trainers don't use it. Using their internalized power from the wounds they've sustained, a pokemon reduces their opponent's health to become equal to theirs." Darla explained. "But because Tailow survived a near-fatal hit using the focus sash, it only has a tiny sliver of HP left."
"No way… so that means…" Lila gasped, turning back to the battlefield.
"Yes," Darla said, nodding. "Quite a fearsome strategy."
"Scipio!" Reiner shouted as the rock pokemon struggled to return to his feet.
"I already lost to Scipio in a fair fight," Cynthia smirked. "So I ain't fighting this one fair! Elise! Finish him off with a quick attack!"
"Wow, Cynthia used her brain," Julia said. "I'm actually surprised."
"If she can think up crazy stuff like this, why can't she do any of her homework on her own?" Sango sighed.
"Tailow!" Elise chirped, lowering her head and shooting straight toward Scipio.
"Scipio! Crush claw!" Reiner shouted. Scipio raised his claw and swung it at Elise, hitting her head-on. The resulting collision of claw on scalp damaged both pokemon, who let out cries of pain as they stumbled backwards, the attacks wearing down the last of their health, the two pokemon losing consciousness.
"Both pokemon took each other out in a double knockout," Darla ruled. "That means both trainers have only four pokemon left to use!"
"That one was for Tristan," Cynthia said, returning Elise to her pokeball.
Reiner glared at her, his frustration obvious.
"Aw, what's the matter, Reiner?" Cynthia teased. "You upset? 'Cause I managed to take down your prized, super-strong rock pokemon with a Tailow? You fell for it hook, line, and sinker! You thought you tricked me into wearing out Tristan… but I tricked you right back, and took out your Armaldo!"
"She's right," Julia agreed. "Scipio is Reiner's best pokemon. Losing him this early is sure to be a real blow to his battling power."
"…I'll admit, I didn't see that little trick coming," Reiner sighed, returning his unconscious Armaldo. "But I won't just keep dancing in your hands. I wonder if you have anything planned to handle this?"
Reiner held up a pokeball and threw it into the air. The ball opened up and a large pokemon landed on the ground, shaking the stadium. The pokemon was bulky and stood on four legs, with rough, yellow skin covered in dark grey armor. Its face was a large, broad, armored plate, almost like a shield, and it glared at Cynthia from behind it.
"Tank, I'll be relying on your defensive power to stabilize here," Reiner said.
"Bastiodon," the Bastiodon, Tank, rumbled, nodding his head.
"What's that?!" Cynthia gasped. "I've never seen it before!"
"That's a Bastiodon," Darla answered. "It's a fossil pokemon, like Armaldo."
"That isn't one of Reiner's pokemon," Kitty said, confused.
"So that's his mysterious 'sixth pokemon' then," Julia said, frowning.
"Gerard," Alcea said, frowning, glancing over at Gerard, who had a relaxed, smug look on his face. "That's your Bastiodon, isn't it?"
"And if it is?" Gerard asked. "There's nothing wrong with me loaning out a pokemon to one of my clubmates, is there? How is that any different from what Callie did?"
"It's way different!" Callie huffed, standing up and glaring at him. "I only loaned Nick Rio and Champie! They're strong, yeah, but it's not like they're super high-leveled! It's totally not the same as giving someone a super-powerful battler!"
"Whatever you might say, Tank is still being used," Gerard said. "Besides, if that girl can't defeat a pokemon like that, she shouldn't be going any farther, anyway."
Well, this is a surprise, Cythia thought, frowning. I wasn't expecting a pokemon like that. That Bastiodon looks like his defenses are super high. Tristan coulda smashed through 'em, but he's down for the count…
"I gotta say, Reiner, you really thought this one through," Cynthia sighed, shrugging. "I guess you tricked me, after all. So that was your plan, right? Sending out Invictus to goad me into using Tristan, and then once he was down, you send this guy out to hold the line."
"…It's your own fault," Reiner said. "Your pokemon don't have very good coverage. They're strong pokemon, sure, but their movepools are limited. You don't have the right pokemon to handle multiple steel types. You need fire pokemon."
"Pass!" Cynthia said, pulling down her eyelid and sticking her tongue out. "I'll win with the pokemon I want to!"
"Or you'll lose with them," Reiner said.
"Well, we'll see," Cynthia grinned. "I've still got four pokemon left, after all! Chris, go!" Cynthia sent out her Spheal, the round pokemon clapping excitedly.
"Well, that's probably the best move she could have done," Darla agreed. "Bastiodon might have high defenses and good resistance being a steel type, but Spheal's water moves will probably be the best to use against it because it's still a rock."
"Oh, so this match isn't over just yet!" Lila smiled.
"Alright, Reiner! We're both down two pokemon, and they're some of our best! Now, the real match can begin!" Cynthia cheered. "I won't let things go how you want. Because there's someone I have to beat, and I'm not gonna let him down!"
So, will Cynthia manage to defeat Reiner? Or will Reiner recover from the loss of Scipio, and take down her remaining pokemon with this Bastiodon? Let's find out next chapter! Review!