White ears perked up tall from the bright silhouette as its form took shape to the roaring crowds that packed the stadium, their revelries stoking this Pokemon's fiery hubris that burned behind his ruby-red eyes and coy smirk.
"There he is, folks!" the commentator cheered with excitement. "Champion Marcus' second Pokemon is none other than the ace-striker himself; Cinderace!"
Cinderace placed his right hand on his hip and closed his eyes and inhaled slowly through his nostrils as he allowed himself to take in all of his surroundings. The chill of the autumn air in his lungs, the feeling of coarse soil against the pads of his feet, the sight of Grimmsnarl to his right and Zamazenta and Aegislash in front of him, and most importantly to him, the sound of the audience's applause. He'd been waiting patiently all day for this moment, and now it had finally arrived. He opened his eyes and let his arm fall to his side before clenching his paws as tightly as he could and letting out a howl of excitement into the air, prompting an even more energized burst of applause from the audience. It was time for battle now, and with all the world as his witness, he was prepared to remind everyone - spectators and challengers alike - why he was the undisputed champion of Galar.
"Cinderace!" Marcus called forward. "Time to light them up and bring them down! What do you say, bud?"
Cinderace grinned back at Marcus with a thumbs up.
Marnie looked to Grimmsnarl. "You good to go another round, Grimmsnarl?"
Grimmsnarl looked back at his trainer with determined eyes and nodded.
Marnie smiled, even managing a small titter. "This battle's somethin' else already," she found herself saying aloud.
Marcus chuckled. "If you're having fun now, just wait; we're only getting started."
"Yeah, I know," Marnie agreed. "I just like a battle that keeps me on my toes from the start, ya know? It's like you said last match, it'll make the win that much more satisfyin'."
Marcus grinned. "Well let's get to it then, shall we?"
Hop placed his chin into the crux of his right index finger and thumb as he closed his eyes in thought. "Fire-type Cinderace could mean trouble for our two Steel-types right now," he contemplated before turning his head over his left shoulder to look at his brother. "What do we wanna do, Lee?"
Leon smiled, his eyes locked on Cinderace and Marcus. "Don't worry, Hop. They might have type advantage on their side, but we've still got plenty of tricks up our sleeves with them, right?" Leon kicked a small rock straight up from the ground and proceeded to lob it in the air a few times with the top of his foot before catching it out of the air with his right hand, extending it forward for his opponents to see. "Let's show them that we're not afraid!"
"Yeah, you're right!" Hop answered with a grin as he turned back towards the pitch. "Alright, mates! Do your worst!"
Marcus scratched the side of his head, perplexed by Leon's gesture. "What was that about?" he asked Marnie.
Marnie raised a brow. "I don't really…" Her eyes shot open slightly wider. "Hang on, I remember… Back at your party, he n' Hop were tryin' to figure out how Cinderace juggles rocks n' all, hopin' it'd help 'em understand his Pyro Ball." She turned to her partner with a smirk. "Judgin' by that display, I'd say he's tryin' to tell ya that he's gotcha all figured out."
Cinderace required no explanation on this matter; he remembered the events of that evening quite vividly and responded to the confidence of Leon's juggling routine by cocking his head to the side, extending his right arm forward, and gesturing towards himself with the inward bend of his fingers as he smirked, daring his opponents to make a move. Challenge accepted.
"Let's show them what we're made of, Zamazenta!" Hop shouted with gusto. "Use Close Combat!"
Zamazenta let out a low growl before vaulting forward towards Cinderace at full speed.
"Tackle it head-on with Flame Charge, Cinderace!" Marcus called out.
On this command, Cinderace changed his stance to that of someone preparing to start a footrace. He crouched down and placed both hands on the ground as if forming a bridge and brought both legs beneath him so that they were parallel to the ground. Both feet made contact with the ground by the toes, with one foot reaching back slightly further than the other. His scarlet eyes were focused on the earth beneath him as he prepared his forward lunge. With a calm breath, he counted down in his mind;
Three… Two… One…
Marcus had to shield his face as the explosive forward vault of Cinderace's Flame Charge kicked a wall of dirt backwards towards the young champion. He watched as his Striker Pokemon rocketed forward at literal blazing speed, leaving behind a trail of sparks and fire as he dashed onward wrapped in a swirling cloak of flame.
"It's a head-to-head showdown between Cinderace and Zamazenta, everyone! Who will emerge victorious!?"
Something's not right, Hop thought to himself. Marcus has to know that not even his Cinderace could stop Zamazenta mid-charge, even with Type-advantage on his side. His brow furrowed, making him appear for a moment as the spitting image of his older brother. "Zamazenta! They're up to something!" he warned. "Take the high ground with your first strike and pounce!"
"Now, Marcus?" Marnie asked, turning her head to her partner.
"No, not yet," he answered. "We've only got one shot to catch them by surprise with it, so it has to be guaranteed."
Marnie nodded in understanding, choosing to shift focus towards Leon's Aegislash. "Grimmsnarl, Bulk-Up again. Keep your eyes peeled, n' be ready to make a move on Aegislash."
Grimmsnarl nodded, flexing his arms and tensing the muscular hair that covered his body before rooting his posture lower to the ground in a combat-ready stance.
Meanwhile, Cinderace and Zamazenta continued to rush towards one another at a breakneck pace, and as the gap between them nearly closed, the Warrior Pokemon leapt into the air with the intent of leading the first Close Combat strike with the full weight of their body. With Cinderace going too fast to reverse before closing the distance between him and his assailant, and his Flame Charge carrying him forward too quickly to perform a left or right turn, Zamazenta's attack seemed all but inevitable.
And yet, Marcus smiled; he had just the opening he was hoping for. "Now, Cinderace! Slide down and vault back!"
Just as Zamazenta was about to land their pounce, Cinderace allowed his upper body to fall back as he allowed his momentum to continue carrying him forward feet-first, resulting in a fiery slide-tackle. Cinderace proceeded to slide with his right foot forward right beneath Zamazenta as they leapt forward overhead, completely missing their mark as they hit the ground behind the agile Striker Pokemon.
Hop's jaw seemed to nearly hit the ground. "Gah- hey! Zamazenta, behind you!"
By the time Zamazenta turned around towards their opponent, it was already too late; Cinderace dug his left heel into the dirt and used it to halt his forward motion, transferring all of his kinetic energy into his right heel before pushing off against the dirt. Still wrapped in a veil of fire, the Striker Pokemon rocketed up and backwards, slamming back-first with all of his might straight into Zamazenta's face.
Zamazenta made a noticeable wince as they recoiled backwards, sliding against the soil of the pitch with claws digging in deep as they tried to rebound from the force of the impact.
"Look at that! Thanks to some fancy footwork, Cinderace manages to land a super-effective Flame Charge on Zamazenta!"
"Ah- no!" Hop cried. "Zamazenta, quick, hit him back!"
Zamazenta glowered at Cinderace, who took the time to wave up to the stands and revel in the crowd's praises for his admittedly astonishing maneuver. Seeing this both as a lowered guard and as a disrespect on the part of the opposing Striker Pokemon, the crimson Warrior Pokemon lunged forward at a second attempt at close combat while the enemy's back was turned.
"Stay sharp, Cinderace!" Marcus called out. "Flame Charge, back-to-back!"
Cinderace looked over his shoulder and grinned, waiting for Zamazenta to close the gap between the two of them, as if he was daring them to attack.
Zamazenta saw this challenging glance and used this frustration to only further fuel their charge forward. However, just as they were about to rush headfirst into the Champion's ace, he seemed to completely vanish, with the cloud of dust he'd kicked into the air serving as the only evidence that he'd ever been there at all.
"Wait, huh!?" Hop exclaimed. "B-but how!?"
Confused and astonished, Zamazenta stopped dead in their tracks and began looking frantically in every direction.
From their peripheral vision, they began noticing the swift motion of a bright orange blur. First to the far right, then nothing. From the far left this time, then nothing. Next, they heard the sound of a fast-moving body cutting through the air behind them. They turned to face it when suddenly they heard the noise again, this time from the direction they were just previously facing.
With the speed boost he'd obtained from his first successful Flame Charge, Cinderace had almost instantly managed to go from resting position to nearly the speed of sound, dashing and charging in circles around Zamazenta as the fire that enveloped him made him appear to everyone as a shooting star, streaking up and down the pitch.
"Blazing speed! Cinderace is moving around so fast that Zamazenta can't even get a lock on him!"
Zamazenta's anger was building as Cinderace rushed in and out of the legendary beast's proximity, the heat from his Flame Charge now gusting so close to the Warrior Pokemon that they could feel it. They were being toyed with, and they were beginning to lose their temper.
As Cinderace rushed past especially close to Zamazenta's right, they snapped. Zamazenta swatted to their right in frustration, missing their intended mark entirely.
Hop sensed his Pokemon's anger. "Calm down, Zamazenta, you've gotta stay focused!"
Before they could allow their trainer's words to settle in their mind, however, Zamazenta felt themselves being thrown to the right by the fiery momentum of Cinderace's Flame Charge slamming hard into their left flank. Zamazenta grunted, digging their razor-sharp claws into the ground to maintain their footing before shaking off their fluster and looking left for the source of the attack. At that moment, however, Cinderace slipped past their guard and struck once again, this time at Zamazenta's right flank. Growing more enraged by the second, Zamazenta lowered their stance and snarled fiercely, searching the void of the open pitch for his assailant.
"Wow, that's nuts," Marnie commented in her own unique presentation of awe. "I always knew Cinderace was built for speed, but I ain't ever seen him do anythin' like that before."
Marcus nodded with a smirk. "And it's not even that Flame Charge deals a lot of damage," he began. "But with every successful use, the user becomes even faster. With this barrage of attacks, Cinderace will be nearly untouchable with how fast he'll be able to move. Nothing will be able to outpace him."
"Oooohh," Marnie replied, as if having just had a realization. "So, you're not just looking at his maneuverability, you're also setting him up for-"
"Yup," Marcus interjected with a grin.
"Smart," Marnie complimented. "They'll never see it comin'."
Marcus nodded. "Flare in a flash, remember? That's Cinderace's MO, and he hasn't failed to deliver yet."
A flaming strike from the left and then another from the right had Zamazenta all but in a blind frenzy of fluster and frustration as he roared fiercely in anger. This galiant display of hostility was silenced abruptly, however, when Cinderace brought his barrage to a close with a swift, sudden, and blazing kick to Zamazenta's chest, one with enough momentum built up behind it to both knock the wind out of the legendary beast's lungs and send them sliding backwards on all four paws towards the south side of the pitch.
Cinderace stood in place after this strike with his leg extended forward in the air and a cocky grin on his face as he imagined how amazing the photos that the Rotom cameras were taking were going to look.
Zamazenta brought themself to a halt, their bravado now replaced with a wince from the pain and a panting from fatigue.
"Oooh, and a swift and critical hit from Cinderace to Zamazenta! It looks like they definitely felt that one, even through that massive plate of armor!"
"Zamazenta!" Hop cried out in concern.
Leon quickly sprang into action in hatching a plan. "Hop, quick! Have Zamazenta fall back towards Aegislash - we'll cover you guys!"
"R-right!" Hop nodded, putting full faith into his brother. "Zamazenta! Fall back towards Aegislash!"
Zamazenta gave a reluctant nod at Hop's words as they glared across the pitch at Cinderace; they loathed the idea of appearing submissive in battle, but opted to trust whatever strategy their trainer was concocting. With this, they made their first leap backwards towards Aegislash.
"Oh, no you don't," Marcus taunted. "Cinderace, don't let up; zero in with another Flame Charge barrage!".
Cinderace looked back at Marcus from over his shoulder and nodded before quickly breaking into a rapid fiery sprint towards the fleeing Zamazenta.
"Aegislash, cover Zamazenta!" Leon shouted. "Use Shadow Ball repeatedly!"
Aegislash wasted no time in beginning to generate an arsenal of Shadow Balls before loosing them towards Cinderace in rapid succession with the broad end of their blade.
As Cinderace was beginning to close in on Zamazenta, he found himself in the crosshairs of one of Aegislash's attacks and halted his forward movement with his heels before springing backwards to narrowly avoid the sphere of cold ghostly energy. His safety was short lived, however, as he immediately found himself in the path of yet another Shadow Ball - one of many aimed in his particular direction.
"Look sharp, bud!" Marcus called out. "Dodge them all and fall back!"
With the speed and maneuverability he had built up using Flame Charge over and over, Cinderace easily managed to avoid each and every Shadow Ball that Aegislash loosed in his direction. Contrarily, however, each Shadow Ball that missed its mark collided with the ground with a modest explosion, kicking up more loose soil into the air and creating a curtain of dust for Zamazenta to escape deeper into.
Marcus' brow tensed. "This again?" he whined softly.
"They're really plannin' on beatin' this strategy to death, ain't they?" Marnie asked with a groan.
Marcus hummed low to himself in thought. "We need to get a visual… Cinderace! Jump into the air and see if you can spot either of them over the dust cloud!"
Cinderace was reluctant to adhere to Marcus' call at first; the Striker Pokemon had the capacity to jump to heights that scared himself, although it didn't take much to trigger that phobia of his. Regardless, he let out a quick breath and sprang into the air, holding onto the hope that the debris floating above the pitch would conceal from the cameras how nervous he knew he must have looked as he did so.
Cinderace's new bird's eye view revealed nothing to him other than that the supposed curtain of dirt was more like a blanket, one that hovered over the entirety of the pitch and concealed everything below.
Leon smirked. "Nowhere to run now, Cinderace. Aegislash, quick! Circle around behind Cinderace and use Shadow Ball!"
The Royal Sword Pokemon's movements were swift as he passed through the cascading dust with his single violet eye focused on his airborne target. After quickly positioning himself behind Cinderace under the cover of the lingering debris, he began harnessing a massive collective of ghostly energy.
Marnie noticed the silhouette of the blade poltergeist as it hovered through the dust in front of her and Marcus. "Hey," she started, garnering Marcus' immediate attention. "I think I saw somethin' movin' around out-"
As she spoke, however, a layer of the dust cloud that hovered over the pitch suddenly plumed upward, tailing shortly behind the dense-looking Shadow Ball that pierced through the veil and rocketed through the air towards Cinderace.
"It worked!" Hop cried in excitement. "It's just like you said, bro; he's got nowhere to run up there!"
"And he's got no rocks in the air to use to try and Pyro Ball himself out of this," Leon added. "We've got him this time!"
Marnie felt her shoulders tense as she watched in suspense. "Marcus-!"
Marcus sprang forward slightly, alert and fully invested in the moment at hand. "Shadow Ball on your six, bud!" the young champion called upward. "Send it back at them!"
Cinderace gave a quick glance over his left shoulder and caught a glimpse of the ghostly orb sailing upwards towards him. Without a moment's hesitation, he quickly threw his arms backwards and propelled himself upside down. Now facing the Shadow Ball as it approached, he brought his right foot forward as he continued to roll in midair, allowing the momentum of this motion to drive his foot straight into the oncoming attack with a stylish instep kick, sending it right back to its sender.
"Ah- what the-!?" Hop gasped in disbelief.
Leon grit his teeth, his eyes fixed to the battle. "Aegislash, quick, get out of there!"
"Grimmsnarl, keep your eyes peeled for Aegislash and get ready to move," Marnie called forward, her eyes rapidly darting back and forth for signs of movement.
Suddenly, both the Spikemuth Gym Leader and her Pokemon spotted the round silhouette of Aegislash's shield quickly maneuvering away from the incoming Shadow Ball just before it made its violent landfall on the pitch with a thunderous explosion.
Grimmsnarl took inspiration from Cinderace, leaning forward and placing his fists to the ground as he mirrored the Striker Pokemon's starting pose from before. In this pose, he prepared to thrust himself forward as his eyes followed the shadow through the debris.
Aegislash emerged from the curtain of dust as it slowly subsided to the earth, their momentum propelling them swiftly as they hovered backwards to the right side of the field.
"Now, Grimmsnarl!" Marnie shouted as she extended an index finger outward towards the Royal Sword Pokemon. "Use Darkest Lariat!"
On his trainer's mark, Grimmsnarl pushed off of his back leg and shifted all of his weight into his arms before thrusting them both downward, launching himself into a full dash straight towards Aegislash. With his bulky arms extended, he began spinning counterclockwise, building speed in his circular motion as he rapidly closed the distance between him and the ghostly bladed Pokemon.
Such speed for a Grimmsnarl, Leon noted to himself as he observed the scene unfolding. "Aegislash, quick! Defend from Grimmsnarl's attack using King's Shield!"
Aegislash quickly took note of Grimmsnarl's approach from their left and threw their shield in front of them, fastening themself behind the safety of the great metal barrier just in time for it to intercept his attack.
King's Shield absorbed the shock of Darkest Lariat and sent the force of the impact right back to Grimmsnarl, who was left physically stunned as he staggered backwards.
Hop was quick to seek to take advantage of this opening. "Now's our chance for a counterattack!" He called forward eagerly. "Zamazenta, charge through Aegislash with Giga Impact!"
Between the cover of Aegislash's body and his own stunned state, Grimmsnarl was unable to foresee the gargantuan assault of Zamazenta's Giga Impact as they charged straight through the Royal Sword Pokemon - taking full advantage of his immunity to Normal-type attacks - and into Grimmsnarl.
Grimmsnarl let out a guttural grunt as Zamazenta slammed into him with the force of a semi truck, their armored body cloaked in a spiraling veil of surging kinetic energy so intense that it was visible to the human eye.
Marcus and Marnie let out a unison gasp as they watched in shock and suspense as the tide of the battle seemed to shift suddenly and unexpectedly back into the favor of their opponents.
"Grimmsnarl, ya gotta hold out!" Marnie cried desperately. "Dig in n' bring that dog to a standstill!"
Miraculously, Grimmsnarl retained enough of his composure even as he endured Zamazenta's assault to hear his trainer's call. With what strength he had left to muster, he grabbed tight hold of the shielded crest on the legendary warrior's chest before bringing both of his legs behind the rest of his body and slamming his heels into the dirt, pushing back against Giga Impact with all of his might with hopes of bringing the crimson beast to a standstill as he had earlier. This time, however, Grimmsnarl struggled to resist; after halting a full-powered Behemoth Bash and the beating he'd sustained from Close Combat, the Bulk-Up Pokemon appeared to be running on fumes, and it was anyone's guess how much longer he'd be able to last in this showdown.
"Incredible coordination on the part of the Brothers Dauntless, once again showcasing their quick and adaptable synchronicity! Can Grimmsnarl hold out against yet another legendary attack!?"
"Grimmsnarl's runnin' out o' steam," Marnie observed towards Marcus, her fists clenched as she began to fear the worst for her Pokemon. "He's givin' it all he's got, but he can't hold out much longer…"
Marcus gave a tense expression as he looked from Marnie to back towards the pitch. "Cinderace, Grimmsnarl needs backup! Use Pyro Ball on Zamazenta!"
Cinderace locked eyes on the struggle between Grimmsnarl and Zamazenta and immediately came to an understanding of the gravity of the situation. With a swift flicking of his heel, he lobbed a pebble from the ground into the air and began juggling it back and forth between his feet, a burning flame slowly beginning to build around it. Cinderace knew that Grimmsnarl's continued participation in the tournament depended on this next move, and he had no intention on failing.
"Don't let him make that move, Aegislash!" Leon shouted. "Charge in towards Cinderace with Sacred Sword!"
With a haunting metallic scrape, Aegislash unsheathed himself from behind the safety of his shield and assumed Blade Forme before charging in by the tip of his sword to put a stop to Cinderace's attack.
"Get out of the way, bud!" Marcus called forth.
Even as he focused on juggling Pyro and building its power, Cinderace caught the onset of Aegislash's attack. He gave the ball one final lob high into the air and managed to easily avoid Sacred Sword by somersaulting beneath Aegislash as he sailed by with a sharp whistling sound, his blade slicing through the air before being buried into the soil all the way to the hilt.
"Don't let that Pyro Ball fall to the ground," Marcus followed up urgently. "Keep that flame going and get ready to fire it at Zamazenta!"
"Stop him, Aegislash!" Leon shouted. "Follow through with Sacred Sword and don't let up!"
Cinderace managed to roll from his somersault back up to his feet in time to hack the Pyro Ball back into the air with his foot. Meanwhile, Aegislash unearthed his blade from the ground and returned to an airborne hover before swiping himself horizontally through the air with his blade extended towards the Striker Pokemon.
"Cinderace, duck and dodge!" Marcus commanded.
Cinderace didn't even turn to look at the oncoming attack, not daring to remove fixation from the airborne Pyro Ball as he focused on trying to maintain its power and find an opening to unleash it. Rather, he didn't need to turn to look at the oncoming attack; thanks to his trainer, he knew the attack was coming, and rather than diverting his visual focus towards it, he instead chose to rely on his hearing. As a result of Aegislash's last attempted strike, Cinderace was now aware of the sound the Royal Sword Pokemon's blade made as it cut through the air, and the moment he heard that metallic whistling noise from behind him, he threw himself downward into a low squat position with his ears folded back behind his head. Aegislash's attack seemed to just narrowly miss, but thanks to all the speed Cinderace had accumulated due to the previous barrage of Flame Charges he'd inflicted, this maneuver was actually performed with significant ease.
Aegislash didn't relent, however, and quickly circled back around with another horizontal slice aimed at Cinderace's legs. With his eyes still trained to the Pyro Ball as it reached the apex of its arch, Cinderace once again heard the onset of Aegislash's attack, this time forcing all of his weight into his feet and springing forward and upward into the air above the sword swipe at the last possible moment. As he front-flipped through the air, he extended one of his legs upward and outward, managing to lob the Pyro Ball back into the air with the pad of his foot before landing back on the ground, where he kept himself on guard for Aegislash's next swing.
This sequence repeated several times, with Aegislash attempting to attack Cinderace with a series of alternating horizontal, vertical, and diagonal Sacred Sword strikes, only for the Striker Pokemon to dodge each and every one of them, all while remaining focused on keeping Pyro Ball airborne and aflame.
"Ngh! Cinderace is just too fast!" Hop groaned as he watched. "Aegislash can't get a hit on him!"
"Aegislash doesn't need to get a hit on him," Leon clarified calmly with a grin. "That's not what this Sacred Sword barrage is intended for."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Hop looked at his brother quizzically.
"Pyro Ball is a pretty interesting attack," Leon began. "It combines superb style and flare with swift and effective stopping power. One well-placed Pyro Ball would be enough to stop even Zamazenta in full-sprint dead in their tracks. It looks good and it hits hard… But it has one fatal shortcoming."
"Shortcoming?" Hop asked.
"See, Pyro Ball takes time to set up," Leon explained. "Cinderace juggling it in the air with his feet isn't just for show; he does that to turn the rock's potential energy into both kinetic and thermal energy. The longer he hacks it like that, the more powerful the Pyro Ball becomes. However, the moment it strikes the ground or a target, all of that energy disperses at once-"
"Meaning if we can cause him to break focus from juggling the ball long enough to drop it, Pyro Ball will fail!" Hop concluded.
"You nailed it!" Leon affirmed with a nod.
"That's awfully smart of you, bro. I wish I'd thought of that myself," Hop commented with a scratch of his head before glancing out towards Marcus. "Of course, knowing my best mate, I'm sure he knows all about that flaw…"
"Right again, Hop," Leon answered. "He most certainly does. I'm sure part of the reason he worked on increasing Cinderace's speed was so he could avoid attacks more easily for just such an occassion."
His eyes returned to the ongoing skirmish as Cinderace continued to bob and weave himself up, under, and around all of Aegislash's attacks, continuing to juggle the ball through the air with his feet all the while.
"The way he dodges every attack so easily while keeping Pyro Ball airborne is pretty impressive," Hop remarked. "And if what you say is true, about it getting stronger every time he kicks it into the air, then we've got a lot to be concerned about…"
"Maybe not as much as you'd think," Leon insisted to the confusion of his brother. "We've given Cinderace a lot to have to micromanage all at once. Maintaining Pyro Ball while avoiding Aegislash's barrage is an impressive feat in itself, but he's searching for a clear shot at Zamazenta on top of all of that. All of these factors at once coupled with the stress it's putting him under lowers his accuracy. He knows he needs to hurry and take his shot before Grimmsnarl succumbs to Zamazenta's Giga Impact. At the same time, though, he also knows that he needs to place his shot very carefully, otherwise the attack could miss, or worse, accidentally hit Grimmsnarl."
Cinderace landed on the ground on his feet from a backflip he'd done to both dodge an attempted Sacred Sword slice from Aegislash and lob the ball back into the air with the pad of his foot. Now, he found himself with a split-second opening to glance over towards Zamazenta, then upwards at the Pyro Ball as it began its downward arc. This could be my chance, the Striker Pokemon thought to himself as he began trying to program his limbs for an envisioned attack maneuver. All of these thoughts and plans were slain as quickly as they'd come, however, as the subtle sound of steel slicing through air coming from behind him alerted him to duck forward at the waistline just in time to avoid another of Aegislash's horizontal slice. After which, he barely had enough time to hack the ball back into the air with the inside of his foot before the Royal Sword came at him with a spinning diagonal attack. I should've taken that shot, Cinderace thought to himself with a scowl as he somersaulted forward to avoid the attack; he was caught in a seemingly endless loop, and he was loathing it.
"Whoa…" Hop exhaled in awe as he watched. "Cinderace can't take the shot, he's practically stuck just dodging right now." He turned to his brother with a grin. "You weren't kidding yesterday when you told me you'd figured out how to beat Pyro Ball, Lee. The only other person I've seen analyze an opponent's attack patterns to that extent is probably Marcus himself!"
Leon smirked. "We've got him and Cinderace caught in a loop right now," he said as he brought his focus back to the pitch. "Now, if we can just hold out long enough for Zamazenta to carry through their attack…"
Grimmsnarl let out a strained roar as he continued to struggle in vain in his effort to halt Zamazenta's Giga Impact, his feet grinding hard against the coarse soil while the overwhelming mass of the Warrior Pokemon's attack pushed him further and further backwards.
"C'mon, Grimmsnarl, don't give in!" Marnie pleaded. "Footwork! Push back more with your legs!"
Grimmsnarl gave everything he had into focusing his remaining strength into planting his feet against the ground, but the barely noticeable tension he was able to add to his legs wasn't nearly enough to combat the sheer force of Zamazenta's Giga Impact. To any regular spectator, the sight would have looked like the beginning of the end for the Bulk-Up Pokemon.
To Marnie, however, it was enough to sow the seeds of a potentially game-changing strategy.
"Footwork…" she repeated to herself with a whisper. Then she broke into a smirk with an audible smacking of her hand against her forehead. "Duh, Marnie!" She cupped her hands around her mouth and called forward. "Grimmsnarl! Use Bulk-Up, but focus all o' the tension into your legs!"
Marnie's call broke across the chaos on the field through to Grimmsnarl; despite an ever-growing exhaustion, he had heard his trainer's command loud and clear, and committed himself to following through. Pushing back against Zamazenta's Giga Impact with as much force as his arms could muster, the Bulk-Up Pokemon simultaneously focused increased muscle tension into the dense black follicles of hair surrounding his legs. Almost immediately, there was a noticeably greater level of resistance from Grimmsnarl, his heels beginning to dig into the soil as he pushed back with all of his might. Whatever the extent the battle had worn Grimmsnarl down, he was refusing to show it, and nobody was any the wiser.
Meanwhile, Marcus felt his brow tense as his impatience towards Aegislash's stalling reached a breaking point. "Time for a different approach," he thought aloud to himself. "Cinderace! Kick the ball as high into the air as you can!"
Following the landing of a side flip to avoid yet another of Aegislash's strikes, Cinderace brought his right leg backwards before quickly and heavily loosing it forward on the descending Pyro Ball, firing it with the inside of his foot like a cannonball straight into the air. High above the pitch it soared, sailing through the air with a burning white glow that shone like a star in the center of a bright and lively nebula.
This move seemed to leave Cinderace open for an attack, and Leon was quick to notice. "Now, Aegislash! Strike him now!"
Aegislash took note of this opening as well and hurled himself forward with the tip of his blade extended outward towards Cinderace.
Marcus seemed to pay this little mind, however; his focus was locked dead onto the Pyro Ball in the air. "Get up there after it, Cinderace! Full speed!"
Cinderace knew the plan right down to the letter before Marcus even said the word, and quickly propped his back leg back down on the ground behind with his toes forward and his heels off of the ground. Just as Aegislash's stab looked as if it might make contact, Cinderace launched himself off from his back foot, propelling himself forward and away from the Royal Sword at such blinding speed that he appeared as nothing but a blur to Aegislash as he stabbed himself into the dirt, once again having completely missed his mark.
"Gah-! What speed!" Leon praised, his mouth agape in surprise.
The red blur of Cinderace's rapidly moving silhouette began circling the pitch faster than any eyes could keep track of, allowing the centrifugal force of his body's inertia to increase his speed until the only visible indicator of his presence was the spiraling cloud of dust which his movements kicked into the air.
"Unbelievable! Cinderace is running circles around the competition… Literally! He's moving so fast that not even our Rotom cameras can keep up!"
"Now, Cinderace!" Marcus cried urgently as he watched the burning white Pyro Ball hang at the apex of its upward arc before beginning its descent. "Run along and climb the walls, then jump for it!"
Between the speed boosts from Flame Charge and the momentum he'd built running circles around the stadium, Cinderace was able to transition his circular motion from the soil and ground to the concrete walls of the arena with ease. There, he broke into a full Sprint with his arms extended behind his torso, his feet moving so swiftly against the surface of the wall that the friction between it and the pads of his feet ignited a swirling path of sparks behind him.
Aegislash darted his single violet eye back and forth, round and round, trying to get a singular lock on Cinderace as he moved, but to no avail. In fact, the very attempt to do so was so dizzying that it was almost nauseating for him.
"Aegislash can't get a lock on him like this," Leon observed with a furrowed brow.
"How could anyone!?" Hop shouted over the turbulence Cinderace's movements around the pitch were creating. "He's gotta be moving at the speed of sound or something with how fast he's going!"
After scaling the wall about to where the concrete meets the audience seating, Cinderace brought himself to a sudden and brief halt. He hung there with both feet against the surface as he redirected all of his momentum from the open air in front of him towards the wall itself. Then, just as suddenly as he had stopped himself, he quickly bent at the knees as if to crouch before pushing hard against the concrete with his feet and launching himself forward into the air, leaving behind a trail of fiery discharge as he sailed like a rocket in the void of space.
Spectators along the stadium-side seats instinctively held their arms over their faces to shield themselves from Cinderace's explosive leap, despite the fact that the shining blue light of the energy barrier between the pitch and the audience immediately materialized to intercept the blast completely.
Leon's eyes widened as he realized the situation; Zamazenta was now directly in Cinderace's line of fire. "Aegislash!" he urgently. "Fall back in front of Zamazenta and use King's Shield!"
Back on the ground, Grimmsnarl continued his resistance against Zamazenta's Giga Impact. The deadlock between the two Pokemon was as intense as one could be, with both sides refusing to back down - Zamazenta, refusing to have their strength outdone by Grimmsnarl again, and Grimmsnarl refusing to submit to any opponent under any circumstance.
Marnie's shoulders tensed as the stalemate dragged on. As ceaselessly as Grimmsnarl's brute strength continued to impress her, time was of the essence; the fact of the matter is that this battle of attrition was either Pokemon's game, and she also didn't want Grimmsnarl to be anywhere close to Zamazenta when Cinderace's Pyro Ball descended. She had to think fast. "Lead with a knee, Grimmsnarl!" she finally shouted forward. "Use Play Rough!"
Grimmsnarl hardly gave himself the time to process Marnie's command before proceeding to act upon it. Desperate to break away from Zamazenta's assault, he lifted his left leg off the ground and bent his knee forward. The sudden shift in Grimmsnarl's support meant that his resistance against Zamazenta's forward momentum was cut in half, allowing the shielded Warrior Pokemon to lurch suddenly forward. This ended up working in Grimmsnarl's favor, however, as his rising knee collided with Zamazenta's lower jaw, the force of which caused them to wince as the power of Giga Impact completely dissipated. Grimmsnarl took this opening as an opportunity to throw in a parting shot, slamming his elbow right between Zamazenta's eyes before bounding away, causing them to stagger backwards from the pain of the impact and allowing Grimmsnarl to quick step safely away from their adversary.
"Wha- what the, h-" Hop stammered in utter bewilderment. "How is Grimmsnarl able to keep doing that!?"
"Grimmsnarl breaks away from his brutal stalemate with Zamazenta after some quick thinking from Marnie and some flawless execution!" the commentator cheered excitedly.
"Yes!" Marnie exclaimed with a pumping of her fist before glancing over to Marcus. "Greenlight, Marcus, Grimmsnarl's clear!"
Marcus nodded, his eyes locked towards the sky as he cupped his mouth with his hands. "Now, Cinderace!" he bellowed, "do it now!"
Cinderace continued to shoot towards the airborne Pyro Ball, whose massive fiery heat glowed white as the large fluorescent lights that illuminated the stadium. Upon it at last, the Striker Pokemon arrived, and with perfect timing and precision, he let the burning sphere loose towards Zamazenta with an aggressive instep kick. Pyro Ball descended towards the Warrior Pokemon, who stood both staggered from Grimmsnarl's previous attack and exhausted from using so much energy in their Giga Impact.
"Zamazenta!" Hop cried.
"Aegislash-" Leon clasped his hands together tight, praying that the Royal Sword Pokemon would make it in time to defend his comrade.
Pyro Ball collided hard and fast with something, that much went without question. Everything was moving so quickly, though, it was difficult to determine what had transpired beyond that, and the enormous explosive inferno that was born from this thunderous impact was so tremendous that it engulfed about half of the pitch, concealing the final results of this attack.
Marcus raised an arm over his face to shield himself from the heat of the resulting shockwave, the rush of hot air throwing itself against his cape as it clung to his shoulders.
"What an impact!" The commentator cheered over the roaring crowd, who shouted with glee in awe of the display of Cinderace's power and of Team Punkblade's expert coordination. "The might of the champion's Cinderace is on full display before our eyes, everyone!"
Cinderace landed next to Grimmsnarl, his back turned to the aftermath of his attack with a prideful smirk on his face as he felt the widespread admiration of his display.
"I can't believe how good Cinderace's aim is," Marnie marveled in awe as she watched the explosion like a firework show. "To think, he could make a shot like that while everythin' was movin' so fast… how's that e'en possible!?"
"Do you want an honest answer?" Marcus began. "Because it involves a lot of understanding of the manipulation of centrifugal momentum, the laws of thermodynamics, the ability to gauge an object's downward speed at terminal velocity-"
"English please, ya dork," Marnie interjected.
Marcus chuckled. "Champ's tips, number 1; study physics, it'll make you a better Pokemon trainer." His eyes remained locked on the inferno, watching it as its fires slowly began to dissipate. "I just hope it was enough to do the job here…"
The flames of this skirmish dwindled away. The back half of the pitch was now clearly visible, and the resulting sight left everyone astonished.
Marcus smirked. Shoot, so close…
These two just ain't lettin' up, Marnie thought behind clenched teeth. What're they up to now?
Aegislash hovered before the back half of the pitch in Shield Forme, his arms crossed behind his back in a pose emblematic of the staunch defense he had just played. While the metal of the shield did seem noticeably weathered from the impact of Cinderace's Pyro Ball, Aegislash himself seemed physically unphased from the attack, although he did now seem noticeably on edge from the display of force alone.
As for Zamazenta…
"Aegislash intercepted the attack just on time!" The commentator cheers. "An indomitable King's Shield is mounted to defend The Brothers Dauntless from an especially daunting Pyro Ball, turning what most certainly should have been a game-ending attack into a mere firework spectacle! But now, where in the world is Zamazenta!? Amid the fire and confusion, the legendary Warrior Pokemon seems to have completely disappeared!"
Leon could feel a drip of sweat slide down his right temple as he let out a slow sigh. "That was too close," he finally stated. "If Aegislash was even a millisecond slower in reacting, that would've been it for both of them…" He smirked, his blood boiling with excitement.
Hop saw the look in his brother's eye and smiled in agreement. "These two are no joke," he replied. "When you're talking with them, you'd never guess that you were talking with two of the best trainers in the world unless you knew better, and even then, you'd be forgiven for forgetting that with just how modest they are." He furrowed his brow and slammed his left fist into his right hand with a determined grin. "We can't afford to forget that about them anymore, bro! It's time we finished this!"
Leon nodded. "Strike swift and true, Hop!"
Meanwhile, across the pitch, Marnie pondered the sight before her. "Managin' to block that Pyro Ball is one thing, I guess," she began, "but how does an entire Zamazenta just up n' disappear like this!?"
Marcus thought on it for but a moment before noticing something on the opposing side of the pitch. Though the loose soil of the pitch had seen its fair share of disruption from the turbulent battle at hand, the young champion thought he noticed disturbances in its consistency that he could have sworn weren't present before Pyro Ball made impact. It was only a hunch, but something about it felt fishy, and it was a feeling he couldn't shake.
"Cinderace," he finally called forward, his voice immediately garnering the Striker Pokemon's attention. "Can you feel any strange vibrations coming from the ground?"
Cinderace closed his eyes and concentrated on the sensation of touch at his feet. He felt the coarseness of the dirt, the rigidness of the small rocks that lay within the soil. And then came a faint trembling; barely noticeable, but growing by the second, as if whatever was causing it was heading in his direction. Cinderace's eyes opened as he nodded in affirmation to his trainer.
Marnie's eyes widened as she realized what this meant "That cheeky… he taught Zamazenta Dig, did he?"
Marcus let out a puff of air. "So that's how it is… okay, then." He took in a breath and let it out slowly. "Marn, get Grimmsnarl ready for 'Immediate Results'… it's time."
Marnie smirked. "Time for that one, huh?"
The two of them hadn't practiced any team maneuvers like this one before the tournament, and of all the ones they'd managed to think up before a match and pull off on the fly, this was definitely one she was wishing they'd had time to work on. In her head, this was either going to succeed with astonishing style, or fail abysmally, and there was no in-between. Nevertheless, she knew they were running out of options.
"You got it," she affirmed. "Grimmsnarl, put your all into this next attack!" She called forward. "Use Hammer Arm on Aegislash!"
Grimmsnarl nodded before letting out a ferocious roar and lunging forward; whatever energy the Bulk-Up Pokemon had left after his deadlocks with Zamazenta was all getting used for this attack.
"Wait, hold on, did she say Hammer Arm!?" Hop exclaimed. "That attack doesn't have any effect on a ghost-type like Aegislash, what's she thinking!?"
Leon sensed an obvious plot of subterfuge in this play; Marnie was too smart to make such a careless call without a greater reason behind it. What he didn't know was what that reason could be. All the same, he was hoping he could end this round of combat before he could find out. "Aegislash, move in!" He shouted. "Use Sacred Sword on Grimmsnarl!"
Aegislash quickly unsheathed himself from behind the safety of his shield, his blade igniting to life with a great white glow as he sailed forward through the air towards Grimmsnarl.
"Cinderace," Marcus called, "start prepping another Pyro Ball!"
Cinderace was remarkably modest with the preparation of this next Pyro Ball, opting merely to focus on increasing the fiery potential of the attack as he lobbed it over and over into the air with his feet rather than making a flashy spectacle of it. He knew the demands for this next maneuver - they would require intense focus and perfect precision, even he couldn't bring himself to run the risk of slipping into a margin for error by getting caught up trying to show off.
As he volleyed the ball into the air and a flame began to envelope it, the tremors at his feet continued to grow.
All the while, Grimmsnarl and Aegislash continued their forward pursuit of one another; Aegislash slicing through the air with his radiant blade, and Grimmsnarl rushing in with the intent of crushing his target with one shot - despite him knowing that Hammer Arm would have no effect on Aegislash, Grimmsnarl had absolute faith in his trainer's plan.
Marcus studied the pitch carefully and with intensity; the timing for this maneuver had to be flawless if they were to pull it off. "Alright, Cinderace, strike it up and forward and aim towards Grimmsnarl," he called.
Cinderace lobbed the blazing Pyro Ball up into the air one final time before winding his leg back as it began to fall back down. Loosing his leg forward, he struck the ball with all his might with the inside of his foot, sending it rocketing forward like a shooting star straight towards Grimmsnarl.
Marnie nodded nervously, feeling her shoulders tense up again; her turn now. "Now, Grimmsnarl, jump forward and wind it back!"
Grimmsnarl immediately pressed hard against the ground with both legs, taking to the air as he clasped both of his hands together and wound them back over his head.
Leon clenched his jaw; something about this formation seemed too odd to him. He couldn't make sense of it, but he knew that his opponents had to have a plan behind it. "Aegislash, fall back!" He called out.
Meanwhile, the tremors from the ground near Cinderace's feet grew so violent that the pebbles in the dirt began to shake.
Cinderace quickly turned back to Marcus and nodded; Zamazenta was close.
Marcus exhaled from his nostrils slowly, an unflinching gaze fixated on the scene before him. Everything seemed to be falling into place so far. Now, it was time to make it happen. "Bicycle maneuver, Cinderace!"
Cinderace snapped back forward and threw himself several feet into the air, rotating clockwise in an aerial barrel roll until he was upside down.
About only a second after the Striker Pokemon had leapt into the air, the ground gave way violently below him as Zamazenta broke upward from beneath the soil with both fangs and claws bared. And despite having missed out on the intended element of surprise, the Warrior Pokemon was intent on carrying this attack out to its completion as they continued to lunge upward in pursuit of their target.
Not yet, Marcus thought to himself as he watched intently. Milliseconds seemed to unfold like entire moments before the young champion, who continued to watch everything before him intently. Nothing seemed to move even an inch without him taking note of it, his eyes rapidly darting back and forth behind his tinted glasses as he scrutinized every changing detail of this climactic clash.
Marnie held her breath as she watched anxiously. With Pyro Ball now only mere feet away from striking Grimmsnarl and Zamazenta about to claim victory over Cinderace, it was now or never.
A few more inches, Marcus internalized, watching as Pyro Ball made its rapid approach towards an airborne Grimmsnarl, watching as Aegislash began to abandon his attack and move backwards and away from Grimmsnarl, watching the difference in height between Cinderace and Zamazenta, watching the downward trajectory of Grimmsnarl's fists as his arms began to fall from over his head - if any one of these variables was off, the maneuver could fail.
Then suddenly, the scene fell into place for the young champion. "Now, Cinderace!" He shouted. "Ally Switch!"
Cinderace heard Marcus' command loud and clear; it was time to make it all happen. With one final taunting smirk to Zamazenta from above, he placed the tips of two of his fingers against his forehead and proceeded to empty his mind. Now concentrating deeply, he closed his eyes and filled the void of his mind with the thought of Grimmsnarl.
The briefest of thoughts of his comrade was all the Striker Pokemon needed, and the job was done. With that, he proceeded to open his eyes just in time to intercept his own Pyro Ball, striking it fast and true from upside down in the air straight into Aegislash's crossguard as the Royal Sword Pokemon attempted to flee. Pyro Ball exploded on contact, setting Aegislash ablaze as it sent him flying far backwards across the pitch to the feet of his astonished trainer.
Meanwhile, Zamazenta could only manage a look of shock and confusion before his upward strike was met by the heavy downward blow of Grimmsnarl's Hammer Arm. Led by the downward force of gravity and further empowered by the series of Bulk Ups he'd performed earlier in the match, Grimmsnarl managed a crushing blow upon Zamazenta's head, the force of which brought the Warrior Pokemon face first into the dirt.
Both Cinderace and Grimmsnarl made safe landfall at roughly the same time, both of their opponents now motionless before them as the Rotom referees descended to make their call.
"B-but-" Hop could only stammer, completely flabbergasted by what he'd just witnessed. "But how-!? Zamazenta!"
To Leon, however, despite sharing in Hop's shock, what had transpired just now was perfectly clear. "Huh... Ally Switch," he pondered aloud. "And here I thought I had you figured out, Cinderace..."
"Zamazenta and Aegislash are both unable to battle!"
The verdict brought the stadium into a boisterous uproar the likes of which hadn't been heard all day.
"What an unbelievable ending to such a heart-stopping showdown!" The commentator cheered. "An Ally Switch changeup completely throws the Brothers Dauntless for a loop as Team Punkblade scores an amazing double-knockout with a brilliant plan and some phenomenal execution! Never in my entire career have I seen two trainers and their Pokemon battle together with as flawless of synergy as we've all just witnessed here!"
"Yooo!" Marcus hollered in an excited hoopla. "That was insane!"
"That actually worked…" Marnie stood in a state of momentary disbelief before allowing the excitement of her own realization to settle in. "...Holy smokes, Marcus, that actually worked!"
The young champion pumped the air with a closed fist, now completely reveling in the hype of what he, Marnie, and their Pokemon had all just accomplished together. "Cinderace, Grimmsnarl, that was amazing! You guys were flawless!"
Cinderace took this moment of reprieve to walk over to Grimmsnarl, who was now seated on the ground and panting heavily from the brutality of his skirmishes with Zamazenta throughout the round. The Bulk-Up Pokemon looked up towards the Striker Pokemon, who grinned as he extended his balled fist forward. Grimmsnarl nodded in return before bumping his knuckles against Cinderace's. The two had just accomplished a legendary feat, and their respect and acknowledgement towards one another had increased exponentially as a result.
A look of astonishment was quickly replaced by a beaming smile of awe across Marnie's face as the realization finished settling. "Yes!"
She quickly turned to Marcus and threw her hand up in the air, inviting him for a high-five. Marcus was quick to accept as they continued to celebrate the success of their maneuver.
"Immediate Results was a show-stopper!" Marnie exclaimed. "In more ways than one, yeah!?"
"Right!?" Marcus answered back with excitement. "It looked even cooler in real life than it did in my head!"
"Totally wicked!" She reaffirmed before quickly dialing back her bravado. "Let's not rely on it too much, though, it actually kinda made me nervous."
Marcus chuckled in agreement. "Yeah, not planning on it. The stress of trying to keep track of everything for that set-up alone was kind of exhausting."
Marnie smiled at him warmly before suddenly turning her head away as she felt a faint warmness grow in her cheeks.
Marcus raised a brow. "What's up?"
The young gym leader was thinking back to passing glances she'd taken at her partner during the set-up for their last attack; there was something admittedly attractive to her about seeing Marcus that intensely focused and that deep in thought. "It's nothin'," she replied. "Just… 'yer a handsome thinker, that's all."
The young champion grinned uncontrollably as he instinctively placed his right hand over the right half of his face to try and conceal his own fluster. All the while, he couldn't keep from tittering helplessly. "What's with you?"
"What?" She giggled back. "Zero to fifty or somethin', right?"
Marcus could only smile as he attempted to dial himself back from his own fluster and excitement. The energy of the battle, the chemistry between him and Marnie as it all took place, it all felt so organic to him. And judging by the smile Marnie seemed to share with him, he was able to conclude that she felt the same. This was exactly where they'd wanted to be all day. Now, they had arrived, and were riding the wave of that thrill; nothing could bring them down.
A chill wind breathed gently across the stadium as a light snow began to fall. Team Punkblade were definitely grateful for the warmth of their sleeves gracing their arms.
Hop smiled at the crimson Pokeball in his hand, having just returned Zamazenta. "Great battle, Zamazenta," he spoke softly. "Thanks for everything." He turned to his left to face his brother, who'd just finished returning Aegislash into his Ultra Ball.
"I knew these two were good," Leon began, "but I don't think anything could have prepared us for that just now!" He smiled wide with excitement; this was exactly the kind of competition and strength he sought to inspire from Galar's trainers with the Star Tournament, and it was evident that the results had succeeded, even surpassed, his expectations. "What a maneuver… What an execution! These two almost can't even be rivaled!" He clenched his free hand tightly as he continued, facing the pitch ahead with a look of fiery determination. "That'll just make overcoming them all the more satisfying!"
As the Battle Prince spoke, Hop found himself distracted by the frosty precipitation that fell from the sky, which he observed carefully with the palm of his hand opened upward.
Leon placed Aegislash's Ultra Ball into his coat pocket before pulling forth a crimson Pokeball. "If Cinderace is gonna be their answer for us tonight, Hop," Leon began with a grin, "then I think it's high time we introduce them to my secret weapon."
"Lee, wait," Hop interjected, his eyes still concentrated on the falling snow.
"Huh?" Leon's body froze in place, his head cocking to the side towards his brother with a look of confusion. "What's up?"
Hop's stare grew more intent and intense as the cogs in his mind continued to turn, formulating his own plan. "I think I… no, no, I do…" He looked over to Leon. "Don't bring him out yet, bro. I've got an idea on how to set the stage for our win."
Leon was perplexed, not used to seeing such a keen level of focus from his usually hyperactive and eccentric younger brother. "You sure, Hop?"
Hop nodded confidently. "I'm positive, Lee," he replied with a smirk. "Trust me, and you'll see; we're about to rival the unrivaled!"
The former champion couldn't help but smile at Hop. After everything he'd seen his younger brother endure throughout the course of the past year - the feelings of doubt and self-deprecation - to now witness him boasting the unapologetic confidence to challenge one of Galar's greatest tag teams was a prideful moment for the elder sibling. Hop had made leaps and bounds since the beginning of his journey, becoming both a phenomenal trainer and a brilliant mind; if this was a plan that Hop thought was good enough to challenge the likes of Marcus and Marnie, then Leon had no doubt in his mind that the results would be legendary.
"Alright, Hop," Leon agreed, placing the Pokeball back into his pocket. "Give me the details."
Hop nodded as he began to explain. "Well, first things first, we're gonna need fire. Like, a lot of it…"
"Folks, as hard as it is to believe, this miraculous conclusion we just witnessed was only the end of the first round for this final battle! And if that's what the beginning of this legendary clash looks like, there's no telling the levels of excitement we're set to experience going forward! My own heart is racing just thinking about it!"
"He brings up a good point," he finally said, responding to the commentator's narration. "Round one might be in the books, but I've gotta feeling we're still a long ways out from victory."
"No kiddin'," Marnie agreed as she gestured with her eyes towards the opposing side of the pitch.
There, Leon and Hop could be spotted conversing with one another with grins on their faces - no doubt, plotting for the upcoming battle to come.
"Those don't look like the faces o' two people lookin' to throw in the towel," Marnie added.
"Good," Marcus replied with a smirk. "Because I'm having way too much fun for this to be over too soon."
Marnie smiled as she nodded in agreement. "Me too… these two are toughies, for sure, but it definitely makes for a satisfyin' match!"
"-And then we can make our move," Hop concluded.
Leon looked at his brother in awe and amazement. "You… you really thought of all that just now!? Hop, that's brilliant!" He exclaimed. "That's the kind of plan I'd expect to hear from Marcus, and it came from my own brother! I'm so proud!"
Hop recoiled some in a modest fluster. "I-I mean... C-c'mon, bro. Marcus is an actual genius, and I mean, I think this plan is cool and all, but it's not that-"
"No, really!" Leon insisted. "Hop, you're an actual genius! And honestly, if we pull this off, I'll have to talk with Sonia about getting you your white coat ASAP, because that's the kind of strategy only a seasoned Pokemon professor could think up!"
Hop threw his hand behind his head and chuckled bashfully, feeling a wave of red heat fill his face from all of his brother's praises; Leon has been his idol his entire life, after all, so to hear these words from him meant everything to him. "I mean, at the very least, it oughta make Raihan super jealous…"
"No kidding," Leon agreed as he drew another Ultra Ball from his coat pocket. "I'm ready when you are, bro! Lead the way!"
Hop quickly collected his bearings and nodded back at Leon, grabbing his next Pokeball from his pocket. "You've got it, Lee! Let's do this!"
"There on the move," Marnie noted aloud, her body falling back into a battle-ready posture. "Whatever they've come up with, they seem pretty hyped up about it o'er there."
"Let's stay sharp," Marcus replied, folding his arms over his chest as he stared intently ahead with a grin. "Knowing these two, they've probably come up with something insane to try and compete with our Immediate Results maneuver."
Marnie raised a quick brow as she glanced at her partner. "Ya really think they could've come up with somethin' like that that fast?"
"Don't underestimate them," Marcus reminded her. "Those two are a lot smarter than they usually let on."
"Right, sorry," Marnie replied as she turned back towards centerfield with a smirk. "Last thing we want after all our hard work here is to let ourselves get cocky so they can make us passengers on our own hype train, yeah?"
Marcus chuckled. "I couldn't have said it better myself."
With their respective Pokeballs in hand, the Brothers Dauntless wound back before pitching them forward, nearly mirroring one another as they did so. As the metallic spheres sailed towards centerfield and broke open with their respective flashes of light, the world's anticipation for the continuing seemed to audibly skyrocket as the volume of the stadium's audience swelled like a wave in an ocean. This battle was just getting started, and the energy of this high-octane display showed no signs of letting up any time soon.
AN: Immediate Results! An ironic of a title for a work of mine if ever there was one, considering how notoriously long it takes for me to put out seemingly anything nowadays. The title takes its roots from the instrumental progressive rock song of the same name by Arch Echo, which I listened to on repeat while finishing the writing of this chapter. The relentless intricacies of the instrumentation mirrored everything that seemed to be happening in this chapter. On the battlefield - the high-octane, unyielding, and superhuman displays of combat - and in Marcus' head - the organizing of a chaotic multi-faceted scene into one bigger picture as he strategized and coordinated for the execution of their round-winning maneuver (and maybe even a few maneuvers to come).
Marcus is the champion of Galar, and Cinderace is his ace Pokemon, his partner from the day the two set out on their journey to take on the Gym Challenge. Yet despite having been writing for this series for going on two years now, I've yet to write anything displaying their combined wit and strength in a battle. Dedicating this chapter to accomplish that was kind of important to me; I've always tried to abide firmly to the rule "show, don't tell," so I hope this read does a decent job at demonstrating why these two are recognized as Galar's undisputed champions (at least within the confines of this universe).
I'm working with a number of ideas for the battle to come in the next chapter. As of now, however, I don't actually have anything written for it. While there currently is no timeframe for writing or publishing for chapter 15, I wager it won't take too horribly long. Pokemon Journeys' Masters 8 tournament has me pretty hype right now, and it's been inspiring me to regularly return to these works. Just, you know... don't expect immediate results... :)
As always, thank you all so much for your continued support and motivation. If you're new to my works and you like what you've read, give this story a favorite and follow me for more content. And until next time, stay safe, and be well!
-Avery
