AN:
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.
The two trainers threw their pokéballs.
"Let's go, Rhyperior!"
"Come out, Aurorus!"
In a flash of white light, Aurorus emerged onto the battlefield once more. No longer plagued by a Burn, she stretched the soreness out of her muscles.
Rhyperior emerged onto the battlefield. The second he touched down on the field, a slew of pointed stones appeared out of thin air and barraged him from all sides. However, it barely tickled his hide, due to him being a Ground-Rock pokémon.
He punched his fist into his other hand's palm, observing his opponent, a fellow Rock pokémon. He smiled. This would be certainly interesting.
"Rhyperior, use Stone Edge!" Leon ordered as he pointed.
Diantha swiped her hand to the side. "Reflect, Aurorus!"
Rhyperior faced his hands forward and shot a volley of pointed stones from the holes in his hand. Aurorus' fins glowed with psychic energy; she summoned an oval-shaped, rainbow barrier in front of her, with her Light Clay aiding in making it more lasting.
The stones passed through the barrier, losing some of their velocity before peppering Aurorus' hide. She cringed, but the damage was bearable; it was her turn to counterattack.
She cried out, conjuring a slew of boulders around her which she sent flying. Undaunted, Rhyperior charged straight ahead, his horn glowing white as it extended. He swung it at any incoming rocks, smashing them to bits while he continued his advance.
Once he reached Aurorus, he slammed his Megahorn into her chest. The Reflect parried the blow, but she went flying back nonetheless, clenching her teeth as if it helped boost her endurance.
"Keep going, Rhyperior!" Leon threw a jab at the air. "Fire Punch!"
"Blizzard!" Diantha ordered.
Rhyperior clenched his fist, and it exploded into flames. He rushed forward, each step he took resounding around the battlefield. Aurorus shot him a glare while frosty air curled around her body. Rearing her head back, she opened her maw, and the tendrils of cold air coalesced into a ball.
She snapped her head forward, unleashing a mighty cry as she fired a potent stream of sub-zero air at her opponent. It washed over Rhyperior, snuffing out his Fire Punch and stopping him in his tracks. He strained to withstand the powerful gust, but it ultimately proved fruitless; he was locked in place as ice started to coat his limbs.
Before he knew it, Rhyperior was encased in a block of ice.
Leon gritted his teeth while Diantha snapped her fingers. "Light Screen, let's go!"
Aurorus' fins glowed brightly; an octo-layered barrier appeared to aid her team's defences alongside the rainbow barrier.
"Return, Aurorus!" A red light swallowed her and beamed her back into her pokéball, which Diantha switched out for another one. She had just the pokémon in mind to deal with Rhyperior. "Go, Gourgeist!"
The Grass-Ghost pokémon touched down on the field and did a flourishing twirl.
"Seed Bomb!"
Sucking in a sharp breath, he fired a volley of glowing seeds at Rhyperior's frozen form. They exploded on contact, cloaking his target in a cloud of smoke.
Once the smoke settled, Rhyperior was still frozen, so Leon got to thinking. Rhyperior had used his arms to shield his face, so, taking that into account, one noteworthy possibility opened up to him. "Rhyperior, use Fire Punch!"
For a few moments, nothing happened, leaving Diantha and Gourgeist tense with anticipation. Suddenly, the ice around Rhyperior's top half cracked and gave way. With his arms now freed, Rhyperior punched his flaming fists into the rest of his body, thawing it out, completely.
He bellowed a cry to signify he was still in fighting form.
"Alright! Now use Stone Edge!"
Rhyperior slammed his hands into the ground, and blue spires of rock jutted out of the ground toward Gourgeist. However, he sunk into the shadows, meaning Rhyperior's attack hit nothing. The Rock-Ground pokémon's eyes briefly widened in surprise as he looked around him for any signs of his opponent.
Sneaking up on his blind side, Gourgeist emerged from a shadowy portal and lashed out. A sharp stab of pain flashed across Rhyperior's flank, who grunted in pain and swung his tail in retaliation. Gourgeist ducked under it, but Rhyperior used the momentum to aid him in turning around, and he swung a pair of flaming fists toward Gourgeist.
Gourgeist proved to be quite agile. He sidestepped Rhyperior's first two strikes: a jab and a hook. He wrapped his hands around his arm, and, in one swift motion, used Rhyperior's own momentum to throw him over. Rhyperior's back slammed into the ground, eliciting a pained grunt out of him.
Gourgeist capitalized on her Foul Play with a Seed Bomb volley, which peppered Rhyperior's side with a series of explosions. Rhyperior's body went numb with pain around the points of impact.
Gourgeist floated back a fair distance, while Rhyperior staggered back up inside the cloud of smoke Seed Bomb created. The Reflect barrier faded away just as the last bit of smoke did as well.
Leon punched the air. "Rhyperior, use Ice Beam!"
"Shadow Sneak!"
Rhyperior charged the attack in front of his maw. But before he could fire it, Gourgeist's shadow had already snaked across the ground and lashed out at his side. He shut one eye but didn't let the pain mess with his composure. Three beams of ice went sailing toward Gourgeist; they passed through the Light Screen, weakening its effect enough to enable Gourgeist to block the attack.
Special moves would do him no good, Rhyperior figured.
He slammed his fists together; two rings of pointed stones appeared around him. Throwing his arms forward, he launched the stones at Gourgeist, who countered with a volley of explosive seeds. The two attacks mostly cancelled each other out, but some stray projectiles hit each pokémon, making them flinch.
The two pokémon were panting by now, although Rhyperior's exhaustion was more noticeable.
Diantha lifted a pokéball. "Gourgeist, return!"
Leon hummed as Gourgeist disappeared into his pokéball. So much switching… It keeps the momentum in her favour, sure, but she'll end up spreading herself too thin at this rate!
Diantha selected her next pokéball. "Goodra, come on out!"
The slimy dragon touched and released a mighty cry. She observed her opponent, scrutinizing him. Rhyperior settled into a fighting stance, trying not to let his sore muscles affect his psyche.
"Dragon Pulse, Goodra!"
"Stone Edge!"
Goodra opened her maw and fired a brimming pulse of indigo fire. Rhyperior slammed his fists into the ground, raising a semi-circle of stone spires to shield him. Goodra's Dragon Pulse blew apart his protection to shreds; the resulting smoke obscured Rhyperior from view.
As the Light Screen dissipated, Goodra kept her guard up for her opponent's next move. Would he wait for the smoke to dispel or launch an attack right then and there, she wondered.
A volley of sharp stones came flying out of the smoke. Too fast for her to dodge, Goodra shielded her face with her arms as the stones punctured her doughy flesh. It stung, but it was bearable.
She looked back up with a glare. Her antennae glowed green as they extended past their normal length. She swung her head around, sending her whips at Rhyperior. They bashed against him repeatedly, and he grunted in pain as he tried to block the hits. The repetitive super-effective attacks were starting to take a heavy toll on his stamina.
"Grab the whips, Rhyperior!"
Right, of course! Goodra's lengthened antennae came back in for another strike. This time, Rhyperior managed to grab each of them in his hands, making Goodra flummox. She began charging a hasty Dragon Pulse, but Rhyperior didn't give her the chance. He yanked her in, and she flew in his direction. Rhyperior cocked his fist back and slammed into her belly.
Goodra wheezed.
Rhyperior followed through with his punch, sending Goodra sliding across the ground on her back. Leon ordered him to use Ice Beam, so Rhyperior did exactly that. However, as he charged his attack, he felt more sluggish than usual, even when considering his exhaustion.
Nonetheless, he fired three beams of icy energy. They struck Goodra as she recovered, making her cry out in pain as the super-effective attack gradually froze her over.
Leon smirked. Looks like Lady Luck is smiling upon me, now. "Alright, Rhyperior! Let's try a Rock Wrecker!" He balled his hand into a fist as he gave the command.
Rhyperior brought his hands close. Small chunks of gray stone came out of the holes in his hands to form a larger, expanding rock, which glowed with a red aura. The exertion made him grit his teeth as a vein bulged on his forehead.
Once a huge, grey stone was between his hands, he chucked it. It slammed into Goodra's ice prison. The brutal impact shattered the ice completely, but Goodra kept the momentum and went flying even further back.
Rhyperior set his hands on the ground as a wave of exhaustion washed over him. He panted while he waited for it to pass. Unfortunately, Goodra staggered back up a bit too soon for his tastes. She tottered a bit before stabilizing; she was panting too but looked ready for more action.
"You've shown me your ultimate technique, so now, I'll show you mine!" Diantha snapped her fingers. "Goodra, use Draco Meteor!"
Goodra craned her neck skyward, gathering a ball of draconic energy above her. With a mighty roar, she fired it into the sky, where it detonated and came down as a shower of meteorites. Still recovering from using Rock Wrecker, Rhyperior could only tense in anticipation as meteors rained down upon him in spades, the seemingly endless detonations covering the entire field in smoke.
Leon shielded his face from the smoke. Once it settled, he set his gaze back on the battlefield with a tense expression on his face.
Rhyperior was lying face down on the ground. The referee confirmed his knockout. "Rhyperior is unable to battle!"
Leon recalled the fainted pokémon to his pokéball. "Thank you, friend." He switched pokéballs. Leon grabbed his next pokéball. "Come out, Rillaboom!"
The gorilla drummer touched down on the field once more and set up his drum kit. As soon as he did so, a barrage of pointed stones stabbed into him. He winced.
Having returned to her original position on the field, Goodra wiped her mouth with the back of her hand before she settled into a fighting stance, panting all the while.
"Rillaboom, use Drum Beating!"
"Counter with Fire Blast!"
Rillaboom bellowed before he beat his drums in a frantic beat. Four vines sprouted out of the ground, slithering toward Goodra. She sucked in a deep breath, gathering a ball of fire in front of her maw, and she fired a five-pronged blast of fire, which noticeably lacked vivacity and power.
It collided with the vines and detonated. Moments later, two vines surged out of the smoke and struck Goodra upward, giving her a thorough bashing and finishing the combo with a downward slam.
Goodra's entire body was numb with pain as she staggered back up. Moreover, her stance was slouched. She doubted she had the stamina to come out on top.
But that's when Diantha ordered her to use Rest. She couldn't have been happier to oblige.
Yawning, Goodra lay on her belly, curled up on herself, and let her heavy eyelids close. She started snoring. A green light covered her body; her wounds began to heal.
Leon motioned. "Acrobatics!"
"Sleep Talk!"
A white outline surrounded Rillaboom's body, and he dashed into action, leaving his drum kit behind. Goodra stood up, slouched and drooling. Her antennae glowed and lengthened; she lashed out with her Power Whip, but Rillaboom weaved around them and bridged the gap between them. He smacked Goodra with a series of bashes, his final hit knocking her back like a ragdoll.
Rillaboom backflipped a couple of times and somersaulted, landing behind his drum kit. Only then did the Acrobatics' glow fade from his body.
Suddenly, blue particles flowed down around him, and he felt more sluggish than he should be.
Leon realized something. Gooey. That must be Goodra's ability.
"Goodra, return!" In a flash of red light, Goodra disappeared into her pokéball. Diantha switched pokéballs. "Gardevoir, you're up!"
Diantha's ace appeared on the field again, stoically staring down Rillaboom. She seemed composed, with only a few traces of her skirmish with Dragapult remaining on her.
Diantha pointed. "Thunderbolt!"
"Charge in! High Horsepower!" Leon jabbed the air as he gave the command.
Sparks danced across Gardevoir's body with increasing intensity; she unleashed several bolts of lightning, all aimed at Rillaboom. He jumped from his drum kit, his body igniting with an orange aura. He charged straight through the lightning bolts, the Ground properties from his aura deflecting them.
Gardevoir's eyes went wide in surprise. She jumped just as Rillaboom was about to slam into her. As she landed, she shot a slew of multicoloured wisps at Rillaboom. He was turning around as they came in, and it was too late for him to dodge.
They bombarded his chest, and a burning pain doused Rillaboom in flames, making him cry out. Gritting his teeth, he set his hands down in a classic gorilla pose and snorted. A white outline surrounded his body, and he lunged at Gardevoir.
His movements were sluggish, however, so it was child's play for Gardevoir to dodge around Rillaboom's attempted strikes. An opening presented itself to her when Rillaboom flinched, flames covering his body. She extended one arm toward his chest and propelled him backward with a blast of psychic power.
Rillaboom staggered back up. Blasted Will-O-Wisp. Oh well. If physical attacks didn't work…
Small balls of orange energy appeared in his hands. Rillaboom fired the mini-Focus Blast attacks at Gardevoir. Since he'd made them so small, he could fire more of them at a rapid pace, so he fired a relentless volley of orange projectiles toward her.
Initially, Gardevoir swatted them away with telekinesis, but as the onslaught grew denser, she racked up some stray hits, making her body sting wherever they hit. Ultimately, she had to shield herself behind a Protect barrier to weather the onslaught.
Once Rillaboom inevitably halted his attack due to his status condition, Gardevoir took notice of something behind her. She extended her hand behind her, grabbed it in a psychic grip, and hurled Rillaboom's drum kit at him. Baffled, his own instrument whacked him in the face, turning his vision into stars.
Smirking, Gardevoir prepared a Thunderbolt. Rillaboom recovered too late to be able to react; he received a hefty dose of electricity, eliciting a roared pain from him.
He slumped onto his back, his eyes replaced with swirls.
The referee confirmed the KO. "Rillaboom is unable to battle!"
Leon returned Rillaboom. "Thank you."
"Return, Gardevoir." Diantha gave her a word of thanks before stashing her pokéball. Back to Leon, she said, "Well, how's this performance been treating you? It seems I've caught in quite the bind. You only have one pokémon left; meanwhile, I've got five."
Leon only hummed in reply. Five pokémon to one, a tremendous disadvantage, yes. However, he couldn't help but chuckle.
"Oh? What's making you laugh, now?" Diantha asked.
"It's nothing, really. You claim the disadvantage is mine, when it's actually quite the opposite."
Diantha raised an eyebrow at that but said nothing.
Leon grabbed his last pokéball. "Yes, it's true, I only have one pokémon left. But I don't think I have to remind you of how tired your team is. Meanwhile…" He showed off Charizard's pokéball. "Mine is fully healed and raring to go!
"Come out, Charizard!"
The orange beast of a pseudo-dragon stomped onto the battlefield and filled the stadium with the echo of his mightiest roar. The crowd went wild with excitement.
There was one notable difference about Charizard: the Heavy-Duty Boots he sported. As such, the Stealth Rock left by Aurorus did not activate.
Charizard fanned his wings, swished his tail, and moved all his limbs to warm himself up. He shifted his neck from side to side, which produced some raw cracking noises.
He thumped his tail on the ground, cracked his knuckles, and smirked. Charizard was ready.
Diantha hid her scowl behind her poker face. By the looks of it, Leon had come prepared. Even still… Diantha grabbed a pokéball. "You've got a tough road ahead of you! Go, Gourgeist!"
In a flash of bright light, the Ghost-Grass pokémon emerged onto the field. He gulped as he saw his opponent was his biggest weakness incarnate. He slapped his cheeks. Now was not the time to get cold feet. Figuratively speaking.
Puffs of smoke billowed out of Charizard's nostrils. An easy prey like this would be a good warm-up fight.
The trainers gave their commands, and the fight began.
Opening his mouth, Gourgeist a volley of glowing, explosive seeds. Charizard snapped his jaws open and fired a pulse of indigo fire; it snaked across the air, snuffing out the seeds in its path before landing a clear hit on Gourgeist. As the detonation sent him rolling back, a few stray seeds peppered Charizard's scaly hide. The explosions stung but only left minor scrapes. He snorted, annoyed.
Leon punched the sky. "Now, Charizard! Fire Blast!"
"Phantom Force!"
Charizard crouched, unfurling his wings. With one mighty leap, he was up in the sky, gathering fire in his maw. He craned his neck down and fired a five-pronged blast of fire. It sailed straight toward Gourgeist; however, he dived into a shadowy portal, so Charizard's Fire Blast uselessly hit the ground.
A growl rumbled in Charizard's throat. He hated cheap tricks like that. Why couldn't his opponent fight him like a real 'mon? He shook his head. Complaining about it wouldn't help him right now.
He fueled his wings with energy, making them glow white. As he hovered in place, he turned his neck in every direction, looking for any traces of his opponent.
Suddenly, he caught something from the corner of his eye. With a swift flick of his wing, Charizard parried Gourgeist's blow as he emerged from a shadowy portal. Gourgeist looked surprised by his reaction time.
Without a moment to waste, Charizard whirled around and bashed him with his other wing, which sent him spinning through the air. He pursued him. With one forward twirl, he whacked Gourgeist with his tail, sending him crashing into the ground, a mound of dust rising to cover him from view.
Charizard descended from the sky and landed. He observed the cloud of dust which supposedly contained Gourgeist. This wasn't over already…right?
Suddenly, a single seed flew out of the smoke. It was small enough that Charizard didn't quite catch it until it hit his chest. Instantly, vines sprouted from it and wrapped around his torso, making Charizard's eyes widen as he recognized this move.
Not a moment too soon, he winced as a portion of his stamina left his body in the form of yellow balls of energy. They went flying into the dissipating smoke cloud, right into Gourgeist.
Charizard gnashed his teeth, growling. Blasted Leech Seed. He'd better hurry this match along before the toll became too much to bear.
Fire gathered in the back of his throat. Just as he prepared to launch a Fire Blast, Gourgeist's shadow struck him on his flank, shaking up his composure momentarily. However, he followed through with his attack.
A blazing blast of fire went sailing out of his maw. It struck Gourgeist, the fiery explosion drowning out his pained cries. Once it settled, Gourgeist was panting and sporting some new burns on his person.
Charizard felt more of his stamina being seeped away; he cringed in response. The recovery for Gourgeist was only slight, however. He still looked banged up.
Good. He was doing more damage than Gourgeist could heal. Charizard spread his wings wide and roared, conjuring a slew of glowing rocks around him. He readied himself to throw them, but some odd movements from Gourgeist made him pause and instead frown in confusion. Gourgeist's body was sporadically twitching, and his pumpkin head was glowing brighter and brighter.
His frown turned into a glare. Yeah, no. Charizard wanted no business with that.
He sent his rocks flying at Gourgeist. They struck him, each hit ringing a cracking sound as he got sent flying further back.
When Gourgeist eventually stopped sliding, he did not get back up.
The referee came over to inspect him. He raised his arm in the air. "Gourgeist is unable to battle!"
Charizard's posture relaxed, and he smirked. One down, and it didn't even take too much of his stamina. Hopefully, he could this stellar performance going despite the Leech Seed.
Out of the blue, a sickening feeling stabbed him in the gut, interrupting his musings.
Charizard dropped to one knee. An icy chill spread through him, making him shiver uncontrollably. Despite his inner fire, he felt cold. So cold, nauseous, and light-headed, in fact, that he thought he might have fainted right then and there.
Fortunately, the feeling eventually subsided, but a pounding in his head and a ringing in his ears persisted.
Leon scowled as Charizard picked himself up, wobbling momentarily. Setting up both Leech Seed and Curse… Was this her plan all along? "Charizard, think you can keep up?"
Charizard tensed and bellowed a resounding, defiant roar, although it petered into a half-roar. He panted. If he was being honest, his muscles still felt a bit like a putty.
Diantha recalled Gourgeist into his pokéball. "You were excellent." She switched pokéballs. "Go, Tyrantrum!"
The Rock-Dragon pokémon emerged in a flash of bright light and bellowed a half-roar. He began panting afterward. While he was no longer poisoned—thank Gardevoir's Heal Bell for that—it didn't change the fact he was pretty much tapped out from his previous battles.
Upon noticing the Leech Seed vines around Charizard's torso, he hummed. That could certainly help him.
Charizard saw how he was staring at the vines around his chest. Snorting, he shifted his stance in a futile attempt to mask it from his view.
"Charizard, use Dragon Pulse!" Leon punched the air as he gave the command.
Diantha twirled once and pointed. "You too, Tyrantrum! Dragon Pulse!"
The two pokémon fired their pulses of indigo fire, which collided with each other, locked in a stalemate. However, Charizard's attack, being noticeably more powerful, pushed back against Tyrantrum's own attack; he couldn't do much to retaliate.
Until Leech Seed delivered some of Charizard's stamina to him, that was.
With an ounce of his strength returned, Tyrantrum pushed back against Charizard's attack; the two attacks cancelled each other out.
Charizard beat his wings to dispel the resulting smoke explosion, grimacing. If he didn't finish this battle fast…
Tyrantrum roared, conjuring two rings of stone around him. Charizard immediately took to the skies as a series of sharp stones passed below him. Tyrantrum adjusted his aim and fired a second series of rocky projectiles.
Tch. Charizard began spinning, an orange aura lighting up his body. The more he spun, the more he sped up, and he felt an increase of strength in his muscles as well.
With his Dragon Dance completed, he easily swerved out of the way of Tyrantrum's projectiles. Once the onslaught ended, he immediately dived down, his tail glowing white and hardening to steel. Charizard aimed a swipe at Tyrantrum's flank, and it connected, knocking him prone as well as eliciting a pained cry from him.
Charizard recovered from the pushback and landed, sliding on the ground a few feet back. He winced as some of his stamina left him and went into Tyrantrum.
Still, they had an opening. "Charizard! Roost!"
Charizard closed his eyes and released a deep, rumbling sigh as he let himself relax. A green light surrounded his body, healing his wounds and recovering his stamina substantially.
Once the light subsided, he opened his eyes and roared, re-energized for another bout of battling.
On the contrary, Tyrantrum picked himself up, wobbling. Even with the healing from Leech Seed, he wasn't confident he could last that much longer.
"Ancient Power!"
"Stone Edge!"
Charizard bellowed and splayed his wings, conjuring rocks with a purple glow. He sent them out toward Tyrantrum, who slammed his foot on the ground, raising a half-ring of blue rock spires to protect himself. The Ancient Power rocks harmlessly struck the barrier.
Tyrantrum received a bit of healing from Leech Seed. The resulting invigoration prompted him to charge straight through his own barrier with Head Smash, his body veiled in a whitish-blue aura.
Countless chunks of debris rocketed toward Charizard as Tyrantrum practically exploded from behind the rock spires. Charizard spat a Dragon Pulse, destroying the projectiles before striking Tyrantrum. A detonation created a cloud of smoke.
Tyrantrum emerged from it, his assault undeterred by Charizard's attack. The Fire-Flying pokémon's eyes widened. Tyrantrum was coming in too quickly for him to dodge. He could only brace himself for impact.
Charizard shielded himself with wings before Tyrantrum slammed into him. Pain exploded all over his body as the quad-effective move connected with him, sending him flying back. He tumbled across the ground, grunting in pain as his back slid across it.
"Charizard!" Leon cried out in worry.
Staggering, Charizard picked himself up. A few new bruises had found their home on his body. He rolled his shoulder and settled into a fighting stance, shooting Tyrantrum a defiant glare. Tyrantrum glared back, although Charizard could tell it was a bluff, with how Tyrantrum's stance was uneven and how his breathing was laboured.
Even after Leech Seed sapped some of his stamina again, Charizard was confident all they needed was one or two good hits.
Tyrantrum roared and conjured two rings of rock around him. He fired them, and Charizard countered with a five-pronged blast of fire, which ate up most of the rocks, with the detonation reflecting the rest.
Taking flight low to the ground, Charizard zipped right through the smoke, his tail lighting up white.
THWACK! Charizard used it to bash Tyrantrum across the face. He staggered backward, dazed. Charizard pursued chaining bash after bash of his Iron Tail, finishing his combo with an upwards strike.
Tyrantrum fell on his back, giving Charizard the perfect opening. Indigo fire built up in his throat, and he soared into the sky before spitting a brimming pulse of indigo flames downward, with the tip shaped like a dragon's head. It came down and bit down on Tyrantrum, exploding on contact.
Sure enough, once the smoke dissipated, Tyrantrum was knocked out cold, with swirls for eyes.
The referee came over to inspect it and raised his arm in the air. "Tyrantrum is unable to battle!"
Charizard landed, observing his handiwork with a satisfied smirk. Two down. Three to go. So far so good.
But then, a horrible, sinking feeling coursed through him, as if an invisible spear had stabbed into his gut. Charizard gasped for air, his heart hammering in his chest. His muscles tensed unnaturally, his surroundings blurred, and white noise assaulted his ears. He panicked, not comprehending what was happening.
After what felt like an eternity, he finally came to. And Charizard felt terribly weakened; it was as if his defences had become as brittle as sticks.
Diantha returned her fainted pokémon. "Your performance was stellar. Rest, now." Looking at Charizard's panting form, she smiled. She just had to keep pushing; eventually, her team would wear him down.
She selected her next pokéball. "Go, Goodra!"
Goodra emerged from her pokéball, still curled up and asleep, a snot bubble coming out of her nostril and fluctuating its size following her breathing.
Charizard hummed as he scrutinized her. Just a dragon. He could deal with this. He shifted into a fighting stance. Especially since she was asleep.
He roared, conjuring glowing stones around him. He threw them, expecting them to hit his inert opponent. However, she stood up, slumped, and her antennae lengthened and glowed green. She lashed out, striking down his projectiles with relative ease.
Ah. Sleep Talk. In hindsight, Charizard should have expected it.
He didn't have time for further pondering; the whips were now coming for him. Charizard feared what damage an attack could do in his weakened state, so he hastily escaped skyward. Goodra's whips pursued him, but he deflected them with swift bashes of his wings when they got too close.
He was locked in this precarious dance for a while until he found himself an opening and grabbed onto Goodra's whips. He grinned wickedly as a plan formed in his mind.
Using Dragon Dance, he spun as he flew higher into the sky, gaining a boost in speed and power all the while. Goodra's vines twisted together and carried her along for the ride.
Eventually, Charizard deemed he'd gained enough height. He folded his wings and entered a free fall, gradually picking up more speed as the ground rapidly approached.
With less than a metre to spare, Charizard swerved upwards and let go of Goodra's antennae. She crashed into the middle of the stage, making a mound of dust rise into the air.
Charizard landed in his original position on the battlefield. As per usual, some of his stamina was siphoned away into Goodra, earning a wince from him. He idly panted as took stock of his stamina. He was mostly fine. As long as he didn't get hit.
The parting smoke revealed a snoring Goodra, lying on her back. She sported some new bruises. After receiving an order from her trainer, she stood up and craned her neck skyward, beginning to charge a ball of draconic energy.
Charizard's eyes widened in alarm. Draco Meteor was the last thing he wanted to get hit by. He crouched, leaned forward, and zipped into motion. He left a rush of dust in his wake as he flew low to the ground, his wings taking on a white sheen.
WHAM! One of his wings slammed into Goodra's neck, sending her flying. This time, she audibly cried out in pain as she sailed through the air; presumably, that last attack had woken her up.
However, much to Charizard's horror, he'd been too slow. Goodra's ball soared higher into the sky before it burst, turning into a veritable shower of meteorites.
Charizard gritted his teeth. It was do or die, now.
He shot a challenging roar skyward before flying straight into the meteor shower. Charizard used all his tools at his disposal to decimate the incoming meteors, whether it was through blasting them down with a Dragon Pulse or Fire Blast or smashing them into rubble with Iron Tail or Wing Attack.
Things went swimmingly at first, but Charizard's frenzy could only be so fruitful. One meteor, invisible to his sight because it was coming from his blind side, slammed into his back. He couldn't even gasp in surprise; the numbing pain had paralyzed him, and this slip-up caused a few more meteors to slam into him.
It was some of the worst pain Charizard had ever felt.
It was as if a multitude of trucks had slammed into him. He momentarily lost focus of all his senses as he plummeted from the sky, hitting the ground with a heavy thud.
Too numb with pain, he couldn't even croak out a single cry. His mind started to drift away into unconsciousness…
.
.
.
Sitting up from his bed, Charmeleon looked at his hands and bandaged arms, scowling. He still couldn't believe it. He had lost Kabu's centiskorch, some overgrown centipede! How was this possible‽ If it had been against a Water pokémon, he would've understood, but against a Fire pokémon? He clenched his fists. That was utterly ridiculous!
The door to the Pokémon Centre's room opened. It was his trainer.
"Hey. How are you holding up, partner?" he asked, smiling.
Charmeleon snorted and turned away, crossing his arms. This was the third time he came in here. He'd already tried talking to him yesterday and the day before that; why couldn't he just let him sulk in peace?
"I see…"
Leon sat down in a chair beside his bed. Charmeleon didn't bother looking at him. Their battle with Kabu had ended in a loss. But it was just one overgrown centipede; how hard could it have been to defeat? Apparently, Charmeleon had gotten too full of himself and had tried to do things his way.
He suppressed a growl. So what if he ignored his trainer's commands? It shouldn't have been that hard to defeat an overgrown centipede; he had to have been cheating, somehow!
… He sighed. Ever since he had evolved, Charmeleon had felt invincible. He was so much stronger than when he was a charmander! He didn't need anyone ordering him around to win a battle!
He clutched the bed's sheets, gritting his teeth. Every other battle he'd had after evolving, he'd won them. So why did he lose now? It made no sense!
"Do you know why I chose you as my starter, Charmeleon?"
Charmeleon blinked. He turned to give his trainer a confused scowl. Well, that question came out of nowhere.
"It's because of what I saw in your eyes: a relentless spirit, a pokémon who could persevere through the toughest hardships! I'm confident that your tailflame that burns so brightly is just as bright as your undying determination!"
Charmeleon pouted. How corny. Was his trainer just trying to butter him up?
Leon chuckled. "Hey, I'm serious! Your flame burns bright. But a fire only burns if has three things: heat, fuel, and oxygen. Being a Fire pokémon, you already have the heat, and your passion for victory is what fuels it. I want to be a trainer you can rely on—your oxygen—so that your flames can continue burning bright. Will you let me do that?" he asked, extending his hand toward him.
Charmeleon considered his trainer's outstretched hand. At first, he wanted to scoff at the idea. But the more he thought about it, he could start to see some truth in his words, regrettably. Besides, if it helped get revenge on that stupid centiskorch…
Tentatively, he grabbed Leon's hand, nodding. It couldn't hurt to give it a try.
Leon grinned. "Great! We'll win next time, for sure, partner!"
.
.
.
"…izard! …stand up!"
.
.
"…battle isn't over yet!
.
"…can do it, or else you wouldn't be my partner!"
Charizard's eyes shot open. His tailflame exploded and flourished until it was three times its original size and white as snow, a colour reserved for the hottest flames. His internal heat rose to such high temperatures it burned off the Leech Seed vines around his torso.
He stood up and released the most pumped-up roar he could muster. It reverberated throughout the stadium. Then, he settled into a fighting stance.
"Alright!" Leon cheered. "I knew you could do it, partner!" He punched the sky. "Give them your champion Fire Blast!"
Charizard leapt into the sky. The air rippled from the sheer heat of the fire he gathered in his maw. He shot a star-shaped blast of fire, and it was massive. Goodra just stood there like a deer in the headlights, transfixed by the display of sheer power.
"Goodra, snap out of it! Dragon Pulse!" Diantha hastily commanded.
That snapped Goodra out of her funk. She sucked in a sharp breath and blasted a pulse of indigo fire. However, from the blowback of using Draco Meteor previously, her attack majorly lacked in power; it hit Charizard's attack but did little to stop it.
A massive explosion of flames engulfed Goodra. The heat washed over the entire field, and stray flames flew every which way, prompting the barrier protecting the spectators to appear.
Once everything settled, Goodra, heavily charred, was down and out for the count. The referee confirmed her KO by declaring, "Goodra is unable to battle!"
Charizard landed and roared along, fueling the energy of the crowd's cheers. He'd never felt better. He could keep battling for weeks!
Just like last time, A sickening feeling crept up his spine. His muscles cramped up, his heart rate accelerated, and his ears went deaf with buzzing.
No. Charizard channelled all his determination and sheer will into one resounding roar. Flames covered him. This curse had to be somewhere within him, and he would burn it down!
It took a few seconds, but he inevitably felt something alleviate his soul. Sighing, he dispelled the flames around his body.
Diantha recoiled in shock. "What‽ Did you actually manage to rid yourself of Gourgeist's Curse‽"
Leon chuckled. "I'd advise you not to underestimate the bond between Charizard and me."
Diantha gulped. With Charizard's second wind, her chances at victory were becoming slimmer and slimmer. She'd already recalled Goodra back to her pokéball, so she picked up another one. It was time to set the stage for the grand finale. "Aurorus, you're up!"
The Rock-Ice pokémon emerged onto the field. She grimaced at the sheer heat Charizard was exuberating. Even still, she was ready to support her team in any capacity.
"Let's go, Charizard! Fire Blast!"
"Light Screen!"
Charizard craned his neck back as flames billowed out of his maw. Snapping his head back, he fired a massive blast of fire, which was shaped like a star. Aurorus' eyes widened. Fins glowing with psychic power, she hastily summoned an octo-layered barrier to reduce the attack's intensity. The Fire Blast passed through the Light Screen, and while it reduced the attack's power, it was still large enough to completely engulf Aurorus in flames.
How ironic that she escaped the flames only to be brought back into them.
Burns covered her once the fire died out. And she was tottering.
Leon threw a punch. "Move in! Iron Tail!"
"Reflect!"
Charizard took flight and rushed forward. His tail lit up with white light and hardened to steel. As he closed in, Aurorus summoned a shimmering, rainbow barrier.
Charizard swung his tail in an arc, striking Aurorus on the side of her neck. The Reflect reduced the strength of the impact, but with Charizard's enhanced strength and her quad weakness to Steel, it proved useless.
Aurorus staggered backward and toppled onto her side, knocked out.
The referee raised his arm in the air. "Aurorus is unable to battle!"
Charizard jumped back to his original position. He unleashed a triumphant roar, his tailflame flaring even higher momentarily.
"Return, Aurorus." A red light engulfed her and carried her into her pokéball.
One pokémon left. Just like that, Charizard had turned it around and made this match as close as ever.
Well, only one thing left to do… Diantha grabbed her final pokéball. "I'm counting on you, Gardevoir!"
Diantha's ace appeared on the field in a bright flash of light, bearing a few minor scratches and bruises.
"Let's make this performance unforgettable!" Diantha grabbed her Key Stone pendant. It exploded with light, golden tendrils extending from it. Gardevoir's mega-stone reacted, flourishing with a similarly intense light as it produced tendrils of its own.
As the two tendrils connected, Diantha proclaimed, "Gardevoir, mega-evolve!"
Gardevoir cried out, and rainbow light covered her form. She underwent several physical changes before the light subsided, revealing Mega Gardevoir.
Leon smirked, then lifted Charizard's pokéball. "Well, Charizard? You heard them. Let's give them a performance they won't soon forget!"
Charizard roared in approval before a red light sucked him back into his pokéball. Leon twisted his wrist, revealing his Dynamax band. It sparked to life, and the pokéball expanded to several times its original size.
Leon grabbed it with two hands as he chucked it forward. "Gigantamax!"
As Charizard burst out of his pokéball, the skies overhead darkened to a red-purple hue. He underwent a series of growth spurts; his form only stabilized once he was a massive behemoth of a pokémon. With Blaze in effect, the key difference in Gigantamax Charizard's features was his flames: They were gleaming and white-hot.
He bellowed a roar, a deafening, booming roar which shook the entire stadium.
Steadfast, Gardevoir stood firm against him.
"Gardevoir, Thunderbolt!"
"Max Airstream!"
Gardevoir's body sparked with electricity, and she let loose a series of lightning bolts. The bolts zigzagged through the air toward Charizard, who sucked in a hefty amount of air, the power of a veritable cyclone churning within his lungs. He blew it outward in the form of a hurricane, which dispelled Gardevoir's lightning bolts and washed over her. Her Light Screen helped her withstand it, but the hurricane still heavily buffeted her, giving her some injuries.
Orange particles flowed upward around Charizard; he felt an increase in speed.
Leon shoved his arm forward. "G-Max Wildfire!"
Charizard roared and spat out a spew of white flames. They coalesced into the form of a phoenix and soared through the air. Reaching Gardevoir's position, it flew around her in circles, wrapping her in a tornado of flames.
Gardevoir cried out in pain as fire assaulted her from every possible angle. Even with the added protection from Light Screen, the pain was immense. All her nerves screamed at her to get out of there, although there wasn't an escape route in sight.
Which meant she had to create her own.
Focusing despite the pain, she pooled her psychic power, and her eyes glowed purple. She grabbed the phoenix in a telekinetic grip; a psychic outline surrounded it. With the bird under her control, she directed it away from her and back toward Charizard.
His eyes widened. Turning his own attack against him? Was that even legal?
"Charizard, Max Airstream!"
Right. He inhaled and blew out a cyclone of wind into the flaming, white phoenix. The gust slammed into it, and its form started to disperse.
Gardevoir gritted her teeth. If she let this opportunity slip by her, it could cost her this match; she could not let that happen. After all, she carried all the hopes and dreams of her team and trainer!
Gardevoir yelled, focusing all her ESP. The phoenix's form stabilized and started absorbing the wind from Charizard's Max Airstream, making it grow larger and more imposing.
Diantha shoved her arm forward. "Do it, Gardevoir!"
Gardevoir brought her hands back and shoved them forward. The phoenix broke through Charizard's Max Airstream, slamming into his chest. He staggered backward, each massive step he took sending quakes across the ground.
Soon after, Charizard shrunk down to his base form, the sky returning to normal.
The two champions' aces were panting due to the damage they had accumulated. Moreover, Charizard felt his Blaze starting to wear off. He figured he only had one, maybe two more super-charged Fire moves before he was back to base power; it would be best if he safeguarded them for a critical moment.
"Gardevoir, Thunderbolt!" Diantha ordered.
Leon swiped his hand to the side. "Dodge it! Use Iron Tail!"
Gardevoir sparked with electricity, and she unleashed a bright bolt of lightning. It zigzagged toward Charizard, who unfurled his wings and leapt into the sky, Gardevoir's attack passing through where he was moments ago. He flew back down toward her, his tail glowing white and hardening to steel. He brought it down upon her, but she summoned a green barrier to block his swipe.
Charizard bounced back and smacked his hands and wings on the ground as touched down, conjuring a slew of glowing rocks. He sent them rocketing toward Gardevoir, but she nimbly weaved between the rocks as she closed the gap between them. All the while, she built up lightning for a devastating Thunderbolt.
As he saw this, Charizard's maw lit up with indigo fire. The two pokémon released their attacks at close range, Dragon Pulse meeting Thunderbolt.
An explosion mixing sparks and flames rang out.
Charizard and Gardevoir flew out of the smoke away from each other, both sporting new injuries on themselves from the explosion. The former's recovery was faster: He spun in mid-air, and his feet slid on the ground briefly as he landed. He immediately shot forward, wings glowing white.
Gardevoir flipped in mid-air and skidded on the ground, recovering just in time to see Charizard rapidly closing in. Too rapidly, even.
His wing slammed into her stomach, and she wheezed. Even with Reflect, the pain left her stomach numb. Charizard carried her into the sky and flung her. He then passed through her repeatedly and from multiple angles, bashing her with his wings. Wave after wave of pain coursed through her body.
She couldn't let him keep this up.
Gardevoir flipped upright and shoved her hands toward Charizard right as he came in for another strike. Her eyes glowed with psychic energy, and so did Charizard's body; he jerked to a halt, eyes wide in surprise. Then, she propelled him down, sending him crashing into the ground. Charizard grunted as his back met the ground, sending a fresh wave of pain through it.
Remaining afloat in the sky, Gardevoir prepared another Thunderbolt. She made sure Charizard was still pinned to the ground by her psychic power, leaving him with no chance to dodge. She unleashed numerous bolts of lighting, all aimed at him.
Teeth gritted, Charizard pushed his muscles to his limit, trying his hardest to break Gardevoir's psychic grip. Damn it! What was even the point of enhancing his physical capabilities if one little Psychic could completely lock him up? With his remaining pool of stamina, he didn't feel too confident about taking on a Thunderbolt.
"Charizard, use Roost!"
Ah, of course! Sighing, Charizard let his body relax. As he did so, he felt his affinity to his Flying typing dissipating and warmth enveloping his body. He felt some of his wounds heal as well as some stamina being returned to him.
As the lightning bolts collided with him, a pained roar escaped his maw, but the damage was manageable. He started panting harshly after she cut off her attack. As long as she did not do that again, that was.
The Light Screen barrier dissipated.
"Why don't we finish it already?" Diantha raised her arms in the air. "Gardevoir, use Moonblast!"
Gardevoir mimicked the gesture, and a pink ball of energy began forming above her. With Charizard still psychically strapped to the ground, she could focus on making the attack as big as she could, fueling it with energy until it was twice as big as her. Only then did she throw it down.
With such a massive attack coming down at him, Charizard could have been left in awe or paralyzed by fear, even.
Instead, he was feeling excited.
His tail crackled intensely, having only lost a portion of its vigour throughout his fight with her. He still had more to give, which meant it was time to give her a taste of all his determination!
Charizard roared, his entire body igniting with flames. He broke the psychic grip and stood up, ready to face Gardevoir's Moonblast head-on.
"I feel you, partner. Let's show them why we're worthy of our title of undefeated!" Leon pointed upward. "Fire Blast!"
Charizard opened his maw. Everything he had to give, he gathered in a ball of fire whose size continued to increase. His undying determination, his conviction to strive for victory, his hatred for loss… He used all of it to fuel his attack.
He spat a blast fire, shaped like a star, which, while it matched Gardevoir's attack in radius, was slightly smaller. Still, the two titanic attacks clashed against each other, seemingly at a stalemate.
A stalemate which Charizard, shifting his stance, prepared to put an end to.
Wings glowing white, he soared into the sky, spinning like a corkscrew with the aid of Dragon Dance. He slammed into his attack and combined with it, creating a flaming, corkscrew arrow. He pierced right through Gardevoir's Moonblast, and then through Gardevoir herself, who had her eyes wide in disbelief at her attack being overpowered.
Charizard halted his spin, dispelling his flaming cloak. Everything behind him exploded in a shower of glitter and smoke, heavy gusts of wind lashing out every which way.
Once it settled, silence overtook the battlefield.
Charizard glided back down and only turned around after he had landed.
The referee was already inspecting Gardevoir, but the outcome was already obvious.
"Gardevoir is unable to battle! As such, the winner is Leon!"
The crowd went wild, cheering and whistling.
"Return, Gardevoir," Diantha said, her gaze downcast. A red beam sucked her back into her domain.
Leon walked over to Charizard. "Great job, Charizard."
His partner turned around and replied with a bellow. Only then did he realize his exhaustion. His body started aching all over, earning a wince from him alongside a tired groan.
But, chuckling, Leon petted him, so that alleviated the pain. His tail wagged happily at the sign of affection.
Diantha walked over to them. "You really are as strong as they say." She extended her hand. "This performance is one that I will never forget."
Leon shook it, nodding. "As will I. Thank you for this unforgettable experience. Isn't that right, Charizard?"
He flexed his arms and spat a stream of fire in the air. It was his way of agreeing and saying thanks.
The crowd erupted into cheers, chanting Leon's name.
Leon and Diantha shared a chuckle before making their way out of the battlefield.
Leon had a single thought as he walked through the corridor. It's your turn, now, rookie. Show me what you got.
AN:
So yeah, this was basically The Charizard Show. Don't you worry, though; against Ash, he'll be taking a bit of a backseat, so the rest of Leon's team will get their chance to shine.
Why did I convolute this battle to be a reverse 5-0 sweep, you may ask? This battle was mostly experimental, what with me breaking the 4-Move rule. And while the anime's execution of the sweep was absolute garbage, I did find the concept interesting enough to warrant me giving it a try.
Also, I've decided to return to the 4-Move rule for the next battles. It's easier to keep track of and keeps things more grounded in terms of strategy.
If you're confused, I reworked Curse so it can have multiple effects (although when it activates, only one of these happen at a time, chosen at random). On top of taking HP from the target, it can reduce two of its stats (chosen at random) by two stages, inflict a random status condition, or disable a random move. I also changed it so it activated upon KO-ing a pokémon, mostly because of how busted it would be otherwise (but I also didn't want to deal with both Leech Seed and Curse activating every 2-3 paragraphs. That would have been tedious :P).
By the way, while writing this chapter, I realized that Gardevoir can't actually learn Power Gem. Soooo…oops. That's been retconned, now.
As always, if you have anything to say, you can leave a review. If you enjoyed what you read, you can leave a favourite or a follow. And if you have nothing to say, let me just thank you for reading my story; it means a lot.
Next month will not have a chapter because my finals are coming up. The next chapter will come out in mid-late June.
That's all I have to say for now. See ya!
Leon's team:
Dragapult (M)
Ability: Cursed Body
- Thunder Wave
- Dragon Darts
- Scald
- Shadow Ball
- Hex
- Quick Attack
Seismitoad (F)
Item: Damp Rock
Ability: Swift Swim
- Rain Dance
- Poison Jab
- Drain Punch
- Liquidation
- Ice Punch
- Water Pulse
Mr. Rime (F)
Ability: Screen Cleaner
- Psychic Terrain
- Psychic
- Expanding Force
- Freeze-Dry
- Toxic
Rillaboom (M)
Ability: Overgrow
- Brick Break
- Focus Blast
- Acrobatics
- Drum Beating
- High Horsepower
Rhyperior (M)
Ability: Solid Rock
- Ice Beam
- Rock Wrecker
- Megahorn
- Stone Edge
- Fire Punch
Charizard (M)
Item: Heavy-Duty Boots
Ability: Blaze
- Dragon Dance
- Roost
- Wing Attack
- Dragon Pulse
- Iron Tail
- Ancient Power
- Fire Blast
Diantha's team:
Hawlucha (M)
Ability: Limber
- Hone Claws
- Acrobatics
- Thunder Punch
- Drain Punch
- Throat Chop
Tyrantrum (M)
Ability: Rock Head
- Iron Defense
- Head Smash
- Dragon Pulse
- Earthquake
- Stone Edge
Aurorus (F)
Item: Light Clay
Ability: Refrigerate
- Stealth Rock
- Blizzard
- Rock Slide
- Light Screen
- Reflect
Gourgeist-Super (M)
Ability: Insomnia
- Leech Seed
- Phantom Force
- Shadow Sneak
- Seed Bomb
- Foul Play
- Curse
Goodra (F)
Ability: Sap Sipper
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Fire Blast
- Draco Meteor
- Power Whip
- Dragon Pulse
Gardevoir (F)
Ability: Synchronize (Pixilate once mega-evolved)
- Heal Bell
- Will-O-Wisp
- Protect
- Moonblast
- Thunderbolt
- Psychic