Round Three
Ethan's eyes widened as his eyes fell on the Espeon Red sent out as his third Pokémon. Its sweet purr didn't distract Ethan one bit from the fact that he's fighting the strongest Pokémon Trainer he's ever faced.
"It's your turn," he murmured. "Let's go, Heracross!"
He threw his Poké Ball to the middle of the field where it opened with a loud 'PING', and from it out came the Single Horn Pokémon, buzzing around its young Trainer with spirit.
Alright, so far I've always made the first move, and Red's Pokémon always took the hit and struck back hard, Ethan thought. Maybe now I should let him attack first and then I can counterattack...
And with that plan, Ethan remained quiet, while Heracross stood on the field, poised and battle-ready as Espeon stretched its body in front of its motionless Trainer. Winds blew by and the morning sun slowly made its way up to the sky. Neither Trainer gave a command, and Heracross was getting visibly tense.
"Reflect," Red said after a while, and Espeon quickly set up a cube-shaped light barrier around itself with a shout. The light barrier shone and then it disappeared, making it seem like it did nothing, but everyone watching knew what Red just did.
"Shoot!" Ethan shouted. "Heracross, Aerial Ace now!"
Heracross quickly flew up in an arc and flips, and then it gained momentum as it headed back down, and then before it hit the ground it sped up, white light streaking around it before it disappeared from sight and struck Espeon from out of nowhere.
As Heracross landed its hit on Espeon, the cube of light shone and surrounded Espeon and a sound like a mirror being hit came from it. Ethan gritted his teeth.
"Espeon, Psychic," Red commanded and Espeon spun in the air as the gem on its head shone brightly. The air around it rippled with a faint purple color, and Heracross fell to the ground holding its head and screaming loud.
"Heracross!" Ethan shouted. A direct hit from a Psychic-type move like that was very bad news.
"Hold on, Heracross! Stay strong!"
Heracross kept screaming in pain as the Psychic attack chewed through its brain without letting up. Ethan's Pokémon covered its hands on top of its head in hopes of blocking the overwhelming telekinetic force.
Ethan clenched his fists, hoping the attack would stop soon. And to his pleasant surprise, it did. The air around Espeon's head went back to normal and Heracross quickly flew away.
The younger Trainer let out the breath he was silently holding. "Heracross," he called out, "are you okay?"
Dizzied, Heracross nodded a little and gave Ethan a thumb's up. It narrowed its eyes on its opponent, who didn't look hurt one bit, even though that Aerial Ace landed directly. Ethan inhaled.
That Reflect helped Espeon regain its balance quicker than expected, which means I can't get close to it or else it'll just quickly counter with Psychic, he said to himself. What should I do...?
"Psychic," Red commanded again, and Espeon launched another direct Psychic attack at Heracross.
"Heracross, dodge it!" Ethan shouted and Heracross flew away, the telekinetic force of the Psychic making a wave of purple ripples in the air below Heracross.
Red turned to the offensive. "Move and chase it down."
Suddenly, Espeon's eyes became focused and it moved towards Heracross, launching purple telekinetic energy blasts at its foe.
"Away, Heracross! Don't let that Psychic hit you!" Ethan commanded, and Heracross flew away from Espeon, who followed its Trainer's instruction to the letter and chased after Heracross.
Heracross flew higher and higher, trying to get away from Espeon's attacks. But then, the Sun Pokémon shouted and launched an even stronger Psychic attack and aimed it straight up. The powerful force flew fast, grazing Heracross who only managed to avoid it at the last second, only managing to disorient it a little.
"So we can't avoid it by height," Ethan whispered to himself. "Then let's use speed. Heracross, into the forest! Lose it in the middle of the trees!"
Heracross maneuvered in the air and turned its flight path towards the cluster of trees that surrounded the battlefield. It passed the tree stump that was the result of Snorlax's earlier Outrage attack and disappeared from sight.
However, Espeon wasn't about to let Heracross escape its onslaught of Psychic attacks, and ran off on Heracross's trail, launching its telekinetic energy blasts at the fleeing beetle.
Ethan left his spot and headed towards the edge of the forest, trying to get a glimpse of what was happening in there. He could see big branches falling off trees and leaves flying all over the place as Espeon's attacks hit everything in their path.
"Ugh, apparently Espeon's fast enough to keep up with Heracross," Ethan said. "And it's smaller and sleeker than Heracross, too."
"That's right, runt," Blue said from above a tree behind Ethan, surprising him. He had forgotten that Blue was sitting on a tree branch nearer to the battlefield. Ethan turned around.
"Look at that." He pointed at the ongoing mayhem in the middle of the forest as trees fell and echoes bounced off. Ethan turned again to see Espeon leaping from tree to tree in its effort on taking Heracross down. "If this keeps up, it's only a matter of time before Espeon lands a hit."
Ethan knew his senior was right. He could see his own Pokémon swiftly swerving in the air, above roots, below branches, circling trees, trying to shake off its foe to no success. Even though Espeon couldn't fly, it was managing very well by using the branches. Obviously it had been trained to climb and leap in rapid succession.
Heracross turned in a wide semi-circle around the forest with Espeon close on its proverbial tail, and soon they were out of Ethan's line of sight.
Espeon kept launching Psychic attacks at Heracross, who was doing all that it could to dodge. Up, down, right and left, Espeon just doggedly pursued it, fully intent on bringing Heracross down.
Heracross then turned sharply to its left and tried to exit the cluster of trees, when one of Espeon's attacks severed a branch above and in front of Heracross and the Bug-type Pokémon inadvertently crashed into it, messing its flight pattern and making it spin out of control.
Espeon made a big leap towards Heracross, who was stumbling in midair as it exited the forest above Red's head.
Red didn't look up. "Psychic." Espeon leapt one last time above Heracross and launched a full-power Psychic attack at Heracross.
But Ethan, back in his spot, wasn't about to let his Pokémon take that. "Use Aerial Ace to get away!"
Not knowing which way is up or down, Heracross sped up anyway and made a midair flip and zoomed away from Espeon's attack at the last second by using gravity's pull to help its escape.
"Phew. Nice job, Heracross," Ethan said to it as Heracross landed near its Trainer, panting heavily.
Espeon also landed in front of its Trainer, and the two battling Pokémon stared each other down. Espeon hadn't lost its breath, even though it had moved a lot more than Heracross did.
"His Espeon is so durable, and its stamina is unbelievable," Ethan said. "It's fast, it's accurate, and it's strong with special moves." He then looked at Heracross, tired after all that flying and dodging both trees and pursuer. "Only by using Aerial Ace can Heracross give Espeon the slip... Hey wait a sec. That gives me an idea!"
Espeon loosened up its body and stretched out its limbs, readying itself for another chase should Ethan tell Heracross to run away again. But to Espeon's surprise, Ethan gave a different order.
"Heracross, Focus Punch!"
Heracross closed its eyes and focused, raising its right arm which glowed with bright white light. Red was quick to use this opportunity.
"Psychic, now."
Espeon did as it was told and launched a Psychic attack at its immobile foe. But Ethan quickly made his move. "Dodge using Aerial Ace!"
Eyes closed, Heracross opened its wings in an instant and speedily flew up, avoiding the Psychic attack. Then it made another midair flip and picked up speed and disappeared from sight again, before suddenly launching itself at Espeon from its right side!
"And strike! Focus Punch!" Ethan shouted.
Heracross opened its eyes right as it threw its shining right arm at Espeon's face as well as ramming it with its body as the Aerial Ace attack.
However, the Reflect barrier from before appeared again around Espeon and protected it from the full blow, but Espeon was flung nonetheless, far towards the mountainous wall of rock, the same one where Gliscor was pinned to in the previous match.
"Follow it up with Megahorn!"
Still in flight, Heracross aimed its horn – which was glowing white now – right at Espeon and smashed it directly with no letup. Espeon shrieked in pain as the attack hit its mark, leaving another huge hole beside the one Red's Blastoise had made along with a cloud of dust.
When the hit landed the cube barrier of light shone again and Ethan knew that, if it weren't for that Reflect, Espeon might have fainted already.
"Heracross, back away now!"
Heracross jumped back to put some distance between it and its foe in case of another Psychic attack.
"Hyper Beam, straight to your front," Red said, and to Ethan's unpleasant surprise a very bright, very long and very big red-and-white ray of light shot out from the dust cloud and hit Heracross at its chest, exploding with impact and pushing it back towards the other side of the field.
"Heracross!" Ethan called out to his Pokémon as it hit a tree and fell to the ground for the second time. "Get up, now! We have to strike back now!"
The Single Horn Pokémon immediately stood up, shaken but undefeated. Ethan exhaled.
"Megahorn again!"
Heracross chirped loudly as it ducked and flew straight at Espeon again, its horn glowing once more. Espeon was still dazed.
"Espeon, dodge!" Red growled, but Espeon was unable to move as it was still recharging its energy. Ethan's eyes widened at the prospect of victory as Heracross picked up speed and...
...missed Espeon altogether!
"What?" Ethan yelled, grabbing the backwards hat on his head out of frustration as Heracross misaimed its attack and hit the rocky wall instead, squeaking in pain. "Heracross, you're too close to Espeon! Fly away!"
"Psychic!"
The air rippled faintly purple as Espeon's gem glowed, but the attack missed because Heracross managed to punch the wall at the last second. The backwards force pushed it back and then it hovered away.
"Morning Sun," Red ordered immediately. Ethan howled, "NO!"
Espeon shouted as its whole body was covered in a bright light. Its wounds seemed to be closing up.
But Ethan wasn't going to stand idly by. "Aerial Ace, let's go!"
Heracross maneuvered in the air and rammed Espeon again right as it was healing. The Reflect barrier shone once more as it suppressed the damage Espeon took.
"That's five hits suppressed," Ethan said. "Reflect should wear off now."
The Sun Pokémon landed acrobatically on the ground and stared at the airborne Single Horn Pokémon. Ethan noticed its breathing was slightly off. So it's not back to its full health, eh? Good...
Apparently Red took note of this too, because he then ordered the last thing Ethan wanted to hear: "Reflect."
With a shout, a new barrier of light shone around Espeon before disappearing. Heracross made a growling noise as its opponent was once more protected from physical moves, which was all it had. Ethan took a deep breath.
"Alright then. Time to kick it up a notch," Ethan muttered, before turning his attention towards his Pokémon. "Heracross. Toxic."
Heracross took a deep breath, and then spat out a stream of thick purple liquid at Espeon.
"Dodge it," Red said, and Espeon moved away.
"Climb, Heracross! Spray Toxic all over the field if you have to!"
Heracross did what it was told and flew up and kept spraying Toxic all over the place. Espeon moved fast – almost as fast as before – all around the battlefield to avoid the poisonous liquid, but it finally slipped on the snowy ground and Heracross wasted no time to spray Toxic on it.
Espeon shrieked loudly again as it glowed bright purple, the powerful poison permeating its skin, seeping through its body. It was badly poisoned.
Then, for no apparent reason, Heracross glowed purple as well! It didn't shout like Espeon did, but it was definitely poisoned too.
"I knew it. Synchronize took effect," Ethan said with a smirk. He seemed almost satisfied with the fact that his Pokémon had gotten poisoned.
Suddenly a crimson aura surrounded Heracross, and its eyes glowed red. Heracross let out a sharp howl and Espeon shuddered.
"Alright, Heracross! Aerial Ace!" Ethan commanded, and Heracross flew so fast it vanished in the middle of the air! The next second, Espeon was struck back and it yelled in pain. Then Heracross came to view again, already behind Espeon.
Even though the hit was suppressed by Reflect, Espeon still seemed to be hurt quite a lot. Red realized Heracross's dramatic increase in power.
"I see," he mumbled, right as the two battling Pokémon glowed purple and they both jerked and took poison damage. "Espeon, into the forest."
"Oh no, you don't! You can't escape Aerial Ace!" Ethan shouted. "Heracross, wear Espeon down. Repeated Aerial Ace!"
The Single Horn Pokémon nodded and launched multiple Aerial Ace attacks, with Espeon trying to dodge it as it ran into the trees. This time it was Heracross doing the chasing, while the Sun Pokémon ran away.
Heracross's attacks landed, one after another, with each hit being followed-up by poison damage. After a couple of hits, it became clear that Espeon was taking much more damage than Heracross was. Ethan paid close attention to how many hits Heracross has landed, and after the fifth hit Ethan smirked.
"Reflect's off! Finish it off quick with Megahorn!"
Heracross aimed its big horn at Espeon and flew straight at its nimble tree-leaping opponent. Espeon was losing its breath as it landed on a branch.
"Dodge and use Morning Sun," Red commanded, turning his attention to the forest hiding the battling Pokémon. Espeon proceeded to hop off the branch it was on, and Heracross came flying close to it. But to Heracross's surprise, Espeon suddenly grabbed the branch with its tail, faking its own fall and letting Heracross crash-land headfirst on the ground, while Espeon climbed back up again and healed itself.
"Oh crap, no!" Ethan yelled when he saw what happened. Espeon regained its strength, but then the bad poison damaged it and it quickly became tired again.
The Toxic is doing its job. If I can't make it faint directly, I'll just have to stall until it faints on its own, or until the three-minute mark, Ethan thought. Better make sure Heracross stays at a safe distance then...
"Heracross, out here on the field!" Ethan ordered. "Get away from Espeon now!"
"Espeon, follow it."
Heracross opened its wings and zoomed out of the trees, and Espeon bounded off towards Red. The two Pokémon was on the battlefield again. For a moment, Ethan felt triumphant when he laid eyes on Red's worn down Pokémon, but then he took a look at his own Pokémon and instantly dropped a sweat of fear.
Heracross's body was battered, and it was struggling just to breathe at a normal pace as the poison was taking its toll. In the heat of Heracross's high-speed Aerial Aces, Ethan forgot the fact that he allowed his own Pokémon to get poisoned, and it was clear that Heracross could take little more. It doesn't help that ramming yourself against a psychic barrier of light over and over again physically tired you out, too.
All of a sudden, Heracross dropped to its knees. "Heracross!" Ethan shouted, and Heracross chirped a little. It stood back up, letting its Trainer know it was ready for another attack, but Ethan was hesitant. In any other Pokémon battle, Heracross would've been deemed unable to battle by whoever was judging the match, but there were no judges this time, so it was all up to Ethan to make the call.
I can't stall this battle. If I do, Heracross would collapse before Espeon does, Ethan said to himself. Espeon still has a little fight in it, while Heracross is already on its last legs. It won't last much longer.
He then looked at the Sun Pokémon, trying to control its own breaths, careful not to shake its poison-riddled body. There's only one chance here, and that's for me to hit fast and hit hard...
But Red had already finished calculating his next move. "Reflect."
NO! If Espeon sets up another Reflect now, Heracross wouldn't be able to cause any meaningful damage and it would most certainly faint first. I need to attack while Heracross can still move.
"Heracross, Aerial Ace now!"
Still covered in the red aura after its power-up, the Single Horn Pokémon zoomed up, flipped, and zoomed down, vanishing from sight for a second accompanied by white streaks as it cleaved through the air, and then reappeared right in front of Espeon's face!
"Hyper Beam!"
"WHAT?"
The Psychic-type Pokémon stopped what it was doing and immediately fired off an impressively large beam of red-and-white light energy from the gem on its forehead point blank at the speeding Heracross, exploding in its face and sending it all the way back to the edge of the mountaintop.
Heracross screamed in pain all the way, until it finally blacked out.