Round Two
Red was utterly quiet as he let his second Pokémon out for battle. Accompanied by the usual 'PING' of a Poké Ball opening, a big blue Pokémon appeared on the field, roaring.
This time his opponent mimicked his silence. He controlled his breaths to focus his thoughts, and then he too let his Pokémon out: a Gliscor that flew around while screeching, like it's excited.
"Gliscor, stay sharp," Ethan said to it as Gliscor came near him. "We can't let our guards down in this battle, not even for a second."
He then thought of Ambipom and its bloody body, now resting inside its Poké Ball. Shaking his head to clear his mind, he turned to Gliscor.
"Ambipom's beaten, and it's badly hurt," he continued. "I wanna get it to a Pokémon Center as fast as I can, but I can't leave this place right now. The fastest way for us to leave and do that is to win a battle. One battle."
Seeing Gliscor tilt its head in confusion, Ethan crouched down and held Gliscor's shoulders. "That's right, just one battle. If you can win this, if you can take out that Blastoise, we'll be able to get Ambipom to a Pokémon Center. So I'm really counting on you to do your best."
Ethan smiled, and Gliscor returned it wholeheartedly. Then it put its right claw on its chest, as if reassuring Ethan that he didn't need to worry any longer. And with that, Ethan let go of Gliscor's shoulders and the Fang Scorp Pokémon flew off into the air.
"Let's get started," Ethan uttered. "Gliscor, use Sandstorm!"
Gliscor screeched again as it swooped low above the field, and as it flapped its wings, a huge cloud of sand appeared, even though the ground was covered with snow. Then Gliscor flew up while spinning its body and picking up speed, and the high-speed flying dispersed the sand and soon there was a huge cyclone of sand and stones around the battlefield.
"Not enough! Not big enough!" Ethan called out to Gliscor. "We gotta make sure this sandstorm last longer than usual so we'll have the advantage for the whole battle, so keep flying fast!"
Gliscor chirped a little to indicate that it got the command, and then it flew in circles high above the field in an even higher speed. The wind that it generated kicked up the sand and stones far and wide, and soon the whole mountaintop was covered in a raging sandstorm.
Ethan looked at Red, trying to see if the older Trainer was going to tell his Pokémon to make a move. To Ethan's surprise, he did. "Blastoise, a direct Hydro Cannon."
Blastoise growled as two water cannons jut out from the top sides of its shell. A few seconds later, two big orbs of water formed in its cannons, and then Blastoise fired them.
The powerful orbs of water flew straight at the flying Gliscor, and for a moment it looked like it was about to knock it down. But then, Gliscor disappeared from sight and the water orbs hit nothing but empty, sandy air.
"Ha!" Ethan yelled out to Red. "My Gliscor's Ability is Sand Veil. In case you didn't know, that means Gliscor can evade attacks with a higher efficiency under a sandstorm."
Red didn't say or do anything after Ethan stated this, but Ethan didn't care. Right now, all he wanted to do was to win as fast as he can so he could get to a Pokémon Center and let his Ambipom get the treatment it needed.
Now's my chance, he thought. A Pokémon that has just used Hydro Cannon won't be able to make a move for a while, which means... "Gliscor, Earthquake!" he commanded.
The flying Pokémon was nowhere to be seen amidst all the sand in the sky, but a few seconds after Ethan's command, there was a yell from somewhere in the middle of the field, followed by a resounding 'BOOM' that resulted in a small, localized earthquake.
Unlike Gliscor, Blastoise was easy to see since it was big and blue, and Ethan was pleased to see Red's Blastoise shook where it stood before falling on its right knee, brushing off the continuous stream of sand and stones that were raining down on it. "Yeah, fighting in a sandstorm should be pretty hard for a non-Ground-, Steel-, or Rock-type Pokémon," he mumbled.
Red squinted his eyes. "Iron Defense," he said, and Blastoise grunted before retreating into its big shell. For a moment, the shell shined and then afterwards Blastoise's head, arms, legs and cannons all came out of it again.
Ethan frowned when he saw what Red commanded Blastoise to do. "He raised its Defense. Good move. But he can't attack Gliscor in this sandstorm, so I'll just wither it down." Then he turned his attention to the battlefield. "Gliscor, Earthquake again!"
Shortly after, there was another 'BOOM' and another earthquake followed. However, in the gap between Ethan's order and Gliscor carrying it out, Red instructed his Blastoise to use Iron Defense again, and so the Shellfish Pokémon was inside its shining shell when the earthquake struck.
"Darn it!" Ethan muttered as Blastoise popped out of its shell, looking tougher than before. It shook its body where it stood to keep the sand and stones away from its body. Then Ethan saw his Pokémon gliding nearby. "Gliscor, sweep Blastoise off its feet with Aqua Tail!"
Gliscor screeched a little as it disappeared again like a vampire in the night, only to come into view a few seconds later behind Blastoise. It then spun its tail like a rotor and suddenly there was a spiral of water surrounding it. Gliscor waved its watery tail and swung it down.
"Iron Defense, Blastoise," Red commanded right when Gliscor was preparing to use its Aqua Tail. Blastoise retreated to its big shell once more and Gliscor's tail failed to hit Blastoise's feet. Aqua Tail hit the shell instead and sent the Shellfish Pokémon spinning like a disc to the middle of the field.
The older Trainer wasted no time in giving his Pokémon another instruction. "Blastoise, use the momentum to start Rapid Spin."
Responsively, Blastoise - still inside its shell - began spinning faster and faster until it was lifted slightly into the air.
"Gliscor, chase after it and ground it with Aqua Tail!" Ethan shouted, and Gliscor went after the spinning Blastoise.
"Blastoise, repeated Hydro Cannon," Red said to it calmly, and much to Ethan's amazement Blastoise's two water cannons jut out again and then it started firing big orbs of water in all directions as it kept spinning.
When Gliscor came close to Blastoise, it got hit by the Hydro Cannon and then it was shot back. "Gliscor!" Ethan cried out as Gliscor hit the ground hard, but then the fact that Blastoise wasn't stopping took his attention.
"What the..." he murmured in astonishment as Blastoise started making a cyclone with its Rapid Spin attack, and it just kept on firing Hydro Cannons this way and that, and the result was nothing short of spectacular: in the midst of the sandstorm was a giant vortex of wind, from which powerful balls of water were being shot out!
The Hydro Cannon attacks were launched in all directions in the sky as Blastoise kept spinning, and when the water orbs blew up due to high air pressure, they merged with all the sand that was whipping around from Gliscor's Sandstorm attack.
Slowly, the dry, powdery sand that was covering the field turned wet and gooey. Due to the inclusion of water in the storm, it wasn't sandy anymore; it was muddy. Ethan's jaw dropped as he realized what Red had just done: he had stopped the sandstorm that hid Gliscor so well by making it wet without making it rain.
Now, due to Gliscor's original Sandstorm technique still in effect, mud was flying all over the place, and the sticky combination of sand and water covered Gliscor's wings so that it could no longer fly as fast or as high as it did earlier. Gliscor was trying to get up after being hit by the Hydro Cannon. Ethan knew full well that his Pokémon was weak to water.
"What the heck, Red? Why did you do that?" he called out to his foe as Blastoise finally stopped spinning and landed awkwardly on the ground. "You could've just used Rain Dance if you wanted to make it wet!"
As usual, Red's response was a no-response. As Blastoise was regaining its composure, Ethan focused back on Gliscor. "Gliscor, now's our chance. Use Earthquake!"
Gliscor complied and struck the ground with its two claws powerfully. However, nothing happened. "Ah, I forgot!" Ethan yelled in realization. "Gliscor doesn't have the physical strength to create earthquakes directly; it first needs to gain momentum from highflying!"
He looked at his Pokémon, who was trying to get rid of the mud on its webbed wings. "The fact that its wings are covered in mud probably has something to do with it as well..." Ethan thought aloud when Blastoise growled and shook its head, no longer dizzy.
Red quickly issued another order. "Rapid Spin." With that, Blastoise went inside its shell once more and started spinning while hovering, this time laterally, and headed straight for Gliscor.
Ethan blinked. "Fly away, Gliscor! Fly away!" Gliscor tried its hardest to fly, but Ethan knew that, due to the shape of its wings, Gliscor needed to glide on an air current first before it could fly, and the mudstorm – still flying around because it was originally a Sandstorm – was sticking on it and weighing it down.
Not again. Not again. The younger Trained shuddered as he recalled how Snorlax had charged towards his Ambipom before unleashing Outrage. He tried not to think about it and concentrated on the battle on hand. "X-Scissor, now!"
Gliscor immediately crossed its claws in front of its chest and then a light blue light glowed from them, in the form of an X. With a loud yell, Gliscor swiped the air in an X-formation, and the energy was fired.
The X-shaped energy hit Blastoise but was promptly deflected due to its Rapid Spin. Gliscor could do nothing as a mere second later the bigger Pokémon crashed into it, knocking it all the way to a far rocky wall.
Without missing a beat, Blastoise stopped spinning and came out of its shell and proceeded to pin Gliscor to the wall with both of its arms as it stood firm. Ethan couldn't believe this was happening again. "No! Gliscor, free yourself! Close range X-Scissor!"
This time, Red wasn't staying silent. "Skull Bash."
Gliscor's claws glowed blue again and then it swiped in an X-shape on Blastoise's face at point blank. However, Blastoise didn't seem to be affected, and for its part it pulled its head back, readying itself for a counterattack.
"X-Scissor again!" Ethan cried out. Gliscor slashed at Blastoise's face again, this time with more power, but still no effect. Blastoise was beginning to emit a silvery glow from its body.
"X-Scissor! X-Scissor! X-Scissor! X-Scissor" Ethan shouted in panic, telling Gliscor to keep attacking Blastoise as fierce as it could. Gliscor did exactly that and kept slashing and swiping at Blastoise's face with its two claws in an X-shape. Blastoise's face was hit hard and it was forced to face right and left and right and left with every X-Scissor Gliscor landed, but it didn't stop preparing itself and soon enough, the silver glow went to its head.
Red's look was of total indifference as he uttered, "Now."
"GLISCOR, AQUA TAIL ON BLASTOISE'S HEAD!"
On Red's call, Blastoise brought its head down straight towards Gliscor, utterly smashing the smaller Pokémon with it. However, a second before the blow connected, Gliscor managed to bring its tail up, once more covered in spiraling water, and whipped it vertically down on Blastoise's own head. Ethan hoped that would soften the impact from Blastoise's Skull Bash.
The two attacks clashed, but needless to say Skull Bash overpowered Aqua Tail and Gliscor was hit in the head with devastating force, creating a large hole in the rocky wall behind it. Blastoise let go of Gliscor and stepped back, holding the sides of its bloody face.
Fortunately for Ethan, there was a breeze precisely at that moment and Gliscor was able to ride on it and glided away, safe from the clutches of the Shellfish Pokémon. Gliscor then controlled its movements and flew higher. Ethan choked as he noticed its neck was slightly crooked.
Not content with his foe's Pokémon still being able to move, Red wasted no time in giving Blastoise another command. "Hydro Cannon."
Blastoise slapped its cheeks to help it focus, and then aimed its water cannons up into the air, directly at Gliscor. Ethan's eyes widened.
"Gliscor, cut it off with X-Scissor!"
Gliscor turned and launched an X-shaped light blue energy at Blastoise before it could launch a Hydro Cannon attack. The attack was a direct hit and Blastoise was pushed back, its own attack cancelled.
However, Blastoise wasn't knocked down. It quickly regained its balance, and motioned to Red that it was ready to make another move. Red nodded a little. "Aim your cannons at the ground and use Hydro Cannon."
Blastoise complied, and unexpectedly it somersaulted where it stood and pulled back its head, arms and legs. Then with a roar, it fired off two big water orbs from its cannons that propelled it high into the air, heading straight towards Gliscor.
"Gliscor, watch out!" Ethan called out, but Gliscor was too hurt to look back and so the flying Blastoise struck Gliscor from below before rising even higher into the mud-filled sky.
Ethan looked with fear. "Gliscor!"
Gliscor was so close to fainting, it was doing all that it could just to stay conscious. Blastoise stopped shooting high and now it was above Gliscor. Their eyes met and Gliscor hissed.
It was inevitable that Red would give out the order when he did. Ethan somehow knew the older Trainer was going to say it. But that didn't make it any better when he did command Blastoise to prepare another Skull Bash.
"Gliscor, no! Glide away! Glide away!"
But Gliscor was immobilized; after the last hit from Blastoise, Gliscor was just too exhausted to move anywhere. Blastoise pointed its head down as it prepared for gravity to pull it back down.
"Come on Gliscor, don't give up! You've gotta glide away!"
Blastoise was once again bathed in an unbelievable silver glow.
"Please Gliscor, you have to get away! Get away!"
The Shellfish Pokémon pulled back its head.
"Noooooooooooo! Gliscor!"
Red grabbed his cap. "Now, Blastoise."
And with that, Blastoise's head once again glowed silver and it launched itself headfirst towards Gliscor, ready to ram it down onto solid ground.
"X-SCISSOR!" Ethan screamed in a last desperate attempt, and Gliscor mustered all its remaining strength into forming another light blue X-shaped energy in its claws that it swiped at point blank on the plummeting Blastoise's head.
However, Blastoise simply muscled its way through the attack and the Skull Bash landed right on Gliscor's stomach and it shouted in extreme pain. Once more, Ethan could only watch in terror as the two Pokémon headed down to earth at breakneck speed, before finally colliding with the ground with a deafening 'BOOM', kicking up dirt and snow and mud everywhere.
"GLISCOOOOOOOOOOOR!"
Ethan ran to the middle of the field, where he saw that his Gliscor's arms were crossed across its chest and, more heart-wrenchingly, broken. Gliscor did all that it could to block Skull Bash and as a result its arms took the brunt of a force that was simply too much. Ethan fell to his knees and held his unconscious Gliscor's arms – bent in very peculiar angles - in his hands.
And its arms weren't the only things broken: Ethan saw his Pokémon's head was dented where the first Skull Bash landed. He put his hand on its head and felt, to his absolute horror, broken bones. "Gliscor..." Ethan muttered, before he embraced the pulverized Fang Scorp Pokémon and wept in a massive newly-formed hole on the ground.
All of a sudden, Blastoise – holding its own injured head but still standing strong – neared the two of them, and it bent down and aimed its water cannons at Gliscor. Through watery eyes, Ethan looked at Red, who had his right hand outstretched to the battlefield, hands splayed open, as if he's about to give the word to Blastoise, ready to finish off his foe.
I see. "I lost," Ethan declared, and Red pulled back his arm. The younger Trainer then put his ear on Gliscor's head and tried to pick up a sound, any sound, it could possibly make. Much to his satisfaction, he heard Gliscor's weak breathing, and so he returned it to its Poké Ball. Rest well, Gliscor. And I'm sorry.
Red put his hand in his pocket and took out his own Poké Ball and returned the Shellfish Pokémon into it.
As if to finalize the whole thing, Blue's familiar voice rang out from somewhere. "Two minutes and thirteen seconds." And with that, the mudstorm stopped and round two ended.