Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon and am in no way affiliated with Nintendo or Gamefreak, or other companies that write or produce pokemon. Now that that legal stuff is out of the way, on to the story!
Pokemon Legends: Kanto Saga
Chapter Thirty Seven
Part One
Kanto Elite Four
The next day, Ashley, her mother, Rolly, and Professor Oak all headed to Indigo Plateau for Ashley's battle against the Elite Four. Ashley then waited in the lobby for her match while everyone else headed into the stadium to wait in the audience seats. Ashley's mother had the camera again and an extra roll of film to get pictures of Ashley's matches.
"Whats taking her so long?" Ashley wondered, glancing up at a nearby clock. She had waited in the lobby for almost an hour after arriving. "She must have slept in or something." She thought. "Well, I can't wait any longer. I can just show her the pictures later to make up for it." Ashley stepped up to the front desk and rang the bell, getting the attention of the on-duty nurse.
"Ready to begin your match?" The nurse asked cheerfully.
Ashley nodded. "Ready as I'm going to be."
"Would you like me to check up on your pokemon before you start?" The nurse asked.
"No thanks, they should be well rested as it is." Ashley replied.
"Ok then, I'll let the Elite Four know you're ready. Please go on in." The nurse left, and Ashley headed past the desk to the arena entrance. She took a deep breath, then stepped outside.
The battlefield used by the Elite Four was much larger than any gym, easily at least as large as four gym battlefields. It was also split down the center, with the right side of the field being an open pool and the left being natural terrain. The roof above the field was opened, letting the sunlight down onto the field from the partly clouded skies.
"Well this is it." Ashley thought. She took a quick glanced toward the audience stands on the left side of the field. Almost all the seats were empty. Only a few Pallet Town residents had arrived to watch her alongside her mother and Professor Oak. "This is it?" Ashley thought. "I finally challenge the Elite Four, and there's only a small crowd here to watch? Lame!"
"Welcome to the Kanto Pokemon League!" Ashley looked across the field to see Lorelei emerging from a large entrance on the other side. "We have been waiting for you, Ashley. Ever since we battled together against Fire, I've been looking forward to this chance to face you. Ashley, are you ready?"
"You bet I am!" Ashley replied, smiling widely. "I've been looking forward to this too!"
"In that case, lets cut straight to the main event." Lorelei quickly drew a pokeball, gripping it tightly in her hand. "Your pokemon will be at my mercy once they have been frozen solid by my icy attacks!"
"Well I don't plan to let that happen!" Ashley replied, also grabbing a pokeball now. "Aerodactyl, you're up first! Lets go!" She called out, releasing Aerodactyl out onto the field. Aerodactyl screeched when he appeared, sending a chill down Professor Oak's spine.
"-Hmph. This must be that big battle they were talking about.-" Aerodactyl said to himself, then cast a glance over at the audience stands. "-Looks like it'd be slim pickings if I was going to go after one of them anyway.-"
"What has gotten into that girl?" Professor Oak wondered aloud. "She should know better than to try to use that pokemon!"
"Whats wrong with her pokemon?" Catherine asked him.
"Its a vicious ancient pokemon that tried to have me for dinner!" Oak replied. "I certainly hope she knows what she's doing."
"An interesting choice." Lorelei said to Ashley. "My turn now! Jynx!" Lorelei thrust her hand out as she pressed the button on her pokeball. The pokeball opened up and released a pokemon, which happened to resemble an opera singer, out onto the field. Jynx winked at Aerodactyl and blew him a kiss.
"-The heck is that supposed to mean?-" Aerodactyl wondered.
"Jynx, use Attract on Aerodactyl!" Jynx winked at Aerodactyl and blew him a kiss, just like she did when she first appeared. However, this time the kiss she blew at him took the form of a red heart. When the heart hit Aerodactyl he felt himself overcome by attraction toward Jynx.
"Thats going to cause trouble, but I can keep going for now." Ashley thought. "Aerodactyl, Ancientpower!" Aerodactyl closed his eyes and grimaced, trying to get past his infatuation and summon his inner strength. He succeeded, causing several rocks to break free from the ground beneath him. He flung the rocks across the gym, hitting Jynx and knocking her off her feet.
"-I don't know what you did to me but I won't sit here and take it!-" Aerodactyl yelled to Jynx.
"-Now, now, don't fight the love, babe!-" Jynx said as she sat up, shaking off the hit and then getting back on her feet.
"Now to send this prehistoric pokemon back to the ice age." Lorelei said with a smirk. "Jynx, attack with Ice Beam!"
"Aerodactyl, take off and charge Jynx with Take down!" Ashley called out.
Aerodactyl gave a flap of its wings and took off across the field, flying toward Jynx at full speed. Jynx cupped her hands and fired a blue beam at Aerodactyl as he approached her. Aerodactyl turned to the side to evade the attack, but the tip of his right wing still got clipped by it and a thin sheet of ice covered part of the wing. Despite the ice covering its wing, Aerodactyl kept going and crashed into Jynx, knocking her to the ground while managing a safe landing for himself.
"Ok, now follow up with Bite!" Ashley called out to Aerodactyl. Aerodactyl opened its mouth to bite Jynx, but as he looked down at her he felt himself overcome by his infatuation. He couldn't bring himself to attack her again.
"Sorry, but you're just too close now!" Lorelei said. "Jynx, throw Aerodactyl back with Psychic!" While still lying on the ground, Jynx focused her psychic powers. A blue aura surrounded Aerodactyl as a telekinetic force weighed down on him briefly, causing him to grunt in pain, and then threw him back several feet. Jynx then quickly hopped back on her feet, as did Aerodactyl. It was a powerful blow, but Aerodactyl was still ready for more.
"Aerodactyl can attack from where he is then!" Ashley said to Lorelei. "Aerodactyl, Ancientpower!" Aerodactyl focused through the haze inflicted on it by Jynx's Attract, calling out his inner power again. The ground under him shock and cracked, loosing several rocks. The rocks shot toward Jynx, giving her little time to react before they pelted her and knocked her back. Jynx doubled over in pain, taking a moment to catch her breath. She was barely hanging on now.
"Jynx, fire back with Ice Beam!" Jynx quickly straightened out and cupped her hands together, striking back at Aerodactyl with an Ice Beam attack. The beam struck Aerodactyl head on this time, throwing the ancient pokemon back with ice forming on his chest. The ice on his body shattered as he hit the ground. Aerodactyl quickly shook off the hit and started to get back up.
"Aerodactyl, strike fast with Wing Attack and finish this!" Aerodactyl nodded and spread out his wings, preparing to attack Jynx. He hesitated, however. His infatuation had sprung up again, causing him to pause.
"Jynx, once more! Ice Beam!" Jynx cupped her hands together, preparing to launch one final attack.
"-Looks like this is it, lover boy!-" Jynx chuckled to herself. A blue sphere of energy formed in her hands and then fired out in a single blue beam.
"-I AM NOT YOUR LOVER BOY!-" Aerodactyl shouted in a rage, overcoming his infatuation and quickly ducking under the beam. He then quickly charged toward Jynx and slashed her with his right wing, knocking her down and out with one quick swipe.
"Not bad. Not bad at all." Lorelei complimented Ashley as she recalled Jynx. Lorelei returned Jynx's pokeball to her belt and took another one in her hand. "Lets see if you can keep this pace up, then! Piloswine!" Lorelei called out, releasing what looked like a mountain of fur with a pair of tusks and a piglike nose. The pokemon appeared in front of Aerodactyl and gave a snort.
"Ok, Aerodactyl, thats enough for now! Return!" Ashley held out Aerodactyl's pokeball and recalled him. "I'll try for one knock-out with each of my pokemon." Ashley thought as she placed Aerodactyl's pokeball back on her belt. "I have one Full Revive but plenty of Max Potion, so its more important that my pokemon don't get knocked out than it is for them to stay at full strength."
Ashley quickly grabbed another pokeball from her belt and sent out her next pokemon. "Moltres! Go!" She called out as she released the fire bird. Moltres called out as it appeared, earning a shocked gasp from everyone in the crowd except for Oak and Ashley's mother.
"Choosing to unveil your Moltres now, are you?" Lorelei said with a smirk. "Well, we both know how well Moltres worked out for Fire. Lets see if you can do better. Piloswine, attack Moltres with Rock Slide!"
"Moltres, trap Piloswine with Fire Spin!" Moltres flapped its wings, lifting off the ground while Piloswine reared back and slammed its front legs into the ground. A barrage of rocks were dislodged and sent rolling across the ground toward Moltres, but Moltres was safely out of reach. Moltres then struck back, spewing out flames that whipped themselves into a twister surrounding Piloswine and slowly burning it.
"-You will have to try better than that to hit me.-" Moltres said, though Piloswine couldn't hear it over the roar of the flames.
"Ok, lets step it up now! Heat Wave!" Ashley called out to Moltres. Moltres dropped back down to the ground to make it easier to use the technique, then began flapping its wings. A blast of hot air and flames erupted from Moltres and was sucked in by the Fire Spin surrounding Piloswine, further burning Piloswine and intensifying the heat of the flames surrounding it.
"She seems to know her stuff." Lorelei thought to herself. "Attempting to escape through the flames will be more painful for Piloswine than continuing to endure it, but over time the technique will likely inflict more damage overall. Piloswine's options are limited behind a wall of fire as well, looks like our best option is to escape."
"Piloswine, charge through the flames and attack with Blizzard!" Piloswine scuffed its foot across the ground and braced itself as it charged through the flames. The intense heat seared Piloswine's body as it charged through, but Piloswine endured and came out of the fire and launched a blast of ice and snow from its body. Moltres was unable to avoid the attack, taking a direct hit that nearly knocked the fire bird off its feet. Moltres was able to use its wings to stabilize itself, however, and remained standing.
"After all that, one Flamethrower should finish it." Ashley thought. "Moltres, finish it off now! Flamethrower!"
"Piloswine, Endure it!" Piloswine focused, bracing itself against Moltres' next attack. Moltres fired a blast of flames at Piloswine, engulfing it completely in fire. The attack was more than Piloswine would have been able to take, but Piloswine was still standing when the flames died down. The tower of flames behind Piloswine finally died down as well.
"This battle isn't over yet." Lorelei said to Ashley. "Piloswine, now! Attack Moltres with Rock Slide!" Piloswine slammed its front feet into the ground, dislodging several large rocks from the field and sending them rolling across the ground toward Moltres. Moltres flapped its wings, trying to fly up to avoid it, but was too slow this time. The barrage of rocks hit Moltres hard, knocking it to the ground. It took a moment for Moltres to shake off the hit and try to get up again, giving Piloswine time to attack again.
"Piloswine, once more! Rock Slide!"
"Moltres, quick! Endure it!"
Moltres braced itself as Piloswine slammed the ground, sending another barrage of rocks toward it. The rock slide attack bowled Moltres over, easily inflicting enough damage on it to knock it out. However, Moltres endured the attack and got back up as soon as it was over, barely remaining conscious.
"Ok! This time we'll finish it for sure! Fire Spin!" Ashley called out. Moltres breathed out a spiraling stream of flames toward Piloswine. The flames surrounded Piloswine, forming into a vertical twister and quickly rendering it unconscious. The flames died down shortly after.
"Unexpected. Of course, its only natural that the winged mirages would have some tricks up their sleeves." Lorelei said to Ashley as she recalled Piloswine. "It comes down to this, then. My final pokemon." Lorelei retrieved another pokeball from her belt and held it out toward the pool of water as she release her pokemon. "Lapras!" A red beam fired out from the pokeball, materializing into a blue, dinosaur-like pokemon with a spiked shell on its back.
"Ok, Moltres, thats enough for now! Return!" Ashley recalled Moltres and then switched its pokeball for another one from her belt. "Zapdos, this one's all your's! Go!" Zapdos emerged from its pokeball with a cry and ready for a fight.
"She's using another of her birds already?" Lorelei thought. "On the other hand, I suppose she didn't take another electric type with her since she has Zapdos."
"Zapdos, start off with Thunderbolt!"
"Lapras, block with Thunder!"
Zapdos charged electricity around its body, gathering it near the tip of its wings. A blast of electricity fired from each wing, combining into a single bolt that zipped across the field toward Lapras. Another bolt of lightning then shot out of the sky, precisely timed to meet up with Zapdos Thunderbolt. Lapras' Thunder attack struck the ground near the edge of the pool, combining with the Thunderbolt attack and dragging down as well to ground it out.
"It blocked the attack?!" Ashley said in disbelief.
"You will find my Lapras has quite the variety of techniques." Lorelei said to Ashley. "By using Thunder, Lapras can negate any electric attack. When the attack collides with Lapras' Thunder, the two bolts of electircity combine and the downward velocity of the Thunder attack causes it all to ground out."
"Looks like a Thunderbolt attack won't work on Lapras..." Ashley thought, then smirked to herself. "Fortunately, Zapdos has other options."
"Now, Lapras, put Zapdos out with Sing!" Lapras opened its mouth and began to sing a melodic lullaby, trying to put Zapdos to sleep.
"Zapdos, Detect!" Zapdos used Detect to receive a flash of insight into the Sing attack, shielding its mind from the sleep-inducing effects of Lapras' song.
"That might not work a second time, if Zapdos falls asleep, then Lapras will hit it hard with ice attacks." Ashley thought. "Zapdos, use Light Screen!" Zapdos focused and spread its wings out, forming a transparent green barrier around its body.
"Lapras, Sing again. We'll get it this time for sure." At Lorelei's command, Lapras began to sing again, making another attempt to put Zapdos to sleep. Within seconds, Zapdos was beginning to feel drowsy.
"Zapdos, Charge! Gather as much electricity as you can before you fall asleep!" Ashley called out. Zapdos began charging storing electricity in its body, building up a charge to power up its next electric attack. Zapdos continued to do this until it finally collapsed, falling into a deep sleep.
"Now we will attack without restraint." Lorelei said. "Lapras, start with Ice Beam!" Lapras opened its mouth and fired a blue beam at the sleeping Zapdos. The beam only managed a light hit, striking the ground near Zapdos and landing a glancing blow as the ice formed from the strike expanded until it covered a small part of Zapdos' body. The barrier around it prevented too much ice from forming.
"Now, lift Zapdos into the air with Psychic." Lapras closed its mouth and concentrated, focusing a telekinetic power on Zapdos to lift it into the air, shattering the ice that formed on it in the process. Lapras crushed Zapdos with its Psychic attack and then hurled the sleeping pokemon straight up.
"Ice Beam again, hit it on the way down!" Lapras had already anticipated Lorelei's next orders. As Zapdos fell back toward the ground, Lapras fired an Ice Beam attack at it. Zapdos flipped over in the air as the beam struck it, ice forming around Zapdos' body from the impact. Zapdos then hit the ground hard, shattering the ice and snapping awake.
"-Damn it...that hurt...-" Zapdos muttered, slowly raising its head to glare at Lapras.
"Zapdos, Thunder!" Ashley called out once she noticed Zapdos was awake. Zapdos raised its head and let out a screech, calling down a bolt of lightning from the clear skies. Lapras cried out as the bolt struck it from above, the bolt sending a flash throughout the arena from the impact. While Lapras recoiled from the attack, Zapdos hopped up on its feet.
"Ok, thats a good start." Ashley thought, then glanced over toward the pool. "And I think I know a way to get around her Lapras' Thunder armor..." She looked back at Zapdos in time to see the barrier around it fade, meaning Zapdos would now be exposed to the full power of Lapras' next attack. "Better make this count..."
"Lapras, finish it now! Ice Beam!"
"Zapdos, move out over the water!"
Lapras fired another Ice Beam attack at Zapdos, but Zapdos was able to evade it by taking to the air. Following Ashley's instructions, Zapdos flew out over the end of the pool nearest to it.
"Now! Thunderbolt, full power!" Zapdos briefly gathered electricity around its body and then fired a large bolt of electricity at Lapras. Zapdos' hadn't used its stored electricity in the Thunder attack, and was now using that electricity to power up its Thunderbolt attack.
With the attack coming from over the water, Lapras was a sitting duck. Even if it used Thunder to try to block the attack, the electricity would end up dispersed through the water and still hit it as a result. Lapras cried out as the Thunderbolt attack struck it but was quickly silenced, its head dropping to the water as it fell unconscious.
"Congratulations, it seems you've beaten me." Lorelei said to Ashley, holding out Lapras' pokeball to recall it. "I knew you had the option to attack from over the water, but even so there was little I could do. Your Zapdos is one of the few electric pokemon that can pull off such a maneuver."
Ashley let out a relieved sigh. "Even with legendary pokemon, those were some close matches."
"I hope you're not ready to quit just yet. Afterall, you've just begun to experience the true ferocity of the Elite Four." With the match over, Lorelei turned and left the arena.
"I can certainly see why they're called 'elite'." Zapdos thought.
"Ok, thats it then. You can rest for now, Zapdos." Ashley said as she took Zapdos' pokeball in her hand and then recalled it.
"Bruno uses ground and fighting types. That means Ivysaur, Articuno, and Hypno are probably my best bets against him." Ashley thought while she placed Zapdos' pokeball back on her belt. "Works out fine for me at least, I won't have to use any of my potions just yet."
"Ashley seemed to be struggling a bit against Lorelei." Professor Oak commented thoughtfully. "If she hopes to even face Lance then she will have to step it up a notch."
"She's just off to a rocky start." Catherine said reassuringly while handing off a set of photos to Rolly. "She'll do better in her next match."
"I certainly hope so." The professor replied.
"-I've already watched the battle, so why do I look at the pictures?-" Rolly wondered aloud. He shrugged and set the pictures aside, adding to the pile sitting next to him.
"So you've managed to beat Lorelei." Bruno stepped through the arena entrance and onto the battlefield. "You've proven your strength to her, now show me what you and your pokemon are capable of!"
"Well, that IS what I'm here for." Ashley replied with a slight grin as she took a pokeball from her belt.
"Good answer." Bruno said with a smirk, also taking a pokeball from his belt. "STEELIX! You shall fight first!" Bruno called out loudly as he released his pokemon. A massive steel serpent appeared on the battlefield and gave a roar to announce its presence.
"Ivysaur, you can take this one on!" Ashley called out, releasing Ivysaur onto the field.
"-Elite Four! About time!-" Ivysaur said with a grin as he appeared on the field. He quickly spotted Steelix on the opposite side of the field. "-A giant snake, huh? Well I did just fine against an Onix when I was just a Bulbasaur, so I ain't backing down now!-"
"-You seem confident. Lets see what you can do then.-" Steelix bellowed.
"Steelix, begin with your strongest attack! EARTHQUAKE!" Steelix reared back then slammed its head into the ground. The arena shook from the impact and the ground began to crack and shake, leaving nowhere for Ivysaur to run to as he was tossed about by the movements. When the ground finally settled, Ivysaur was knocked onto his stomach. He quickly got back on his feet, looking little worse for wear after the attack.
"Ivysaur can take that easily enough." Ashley thought after seeing Ivysaur shrug off the hit. "Ivysaur, start powering up with Growth!" Ivysaur focused and forced his body to expand slightly, increasing his special attack power.
"If you are not going to fight back, then we will crush you with all our might!" Bruno said to Ashley. "Steelix, again! EARTHQUAKE!" Steelix reared its head back and slammed the ground again, creating an Earthquake that shook the arena. The rising and cracking of the ground jostled Ivysaur about, bouncing him against jagged rocks until the ground finally settled down again.
"Ok, thats about enough of that." Ashley thought, not wanting to risk Ivysaur having to endure a third Earthquake. "I'll have Ivysaur heal with Synthesis and then use Solar beam."
"Ivysaur, Synthesis!" Light began to gather around Ivysaur's flower as he drew it in, gathering as much of it as he could. The light then vanished and Ivysaur's body shimmered as he used the gathered sunlight to heal himself.
"That will be the last of that." Bruno said. "Steelix, create a Sandstorm!" Steelix gave a roar and twisted sections of its body around, sending a blast of sand swirling throughout the battlefield. The sandstorm grew quickly until it reached close to the edges of the field, surrounding Ivysaur and Steelix in the harsh blowing sand. Steelix, however, wasn't bothered in the least as the sand harmlessly bounded off its hard body.
"As I'm sure you're no doubt aware, any adverse weather will lessen your pokemon's ability to absorb light with Synthesis." Bruno said to Ashley.
"It'll weaken Ivysaur's Solarbeam too..." Ashley thought, gritting her teeth. "There goes that idea..."
"Now, Steelix, attack with Earthquake again!"
"Ivysaur, quick! Grab Steelix's head with Vine Whip!"
Steelix raised its head back and slammed the ground again while Ivysaur extended a pair of vines from the base of his flower and wrapped them around Steelix's head. Ivysaur jumped as the shockwave shot through the ground. At the same time he reeled himself in to pull him over it while Steelix raised his head up again. When the Earthquake was over, Ivysaur was still hanging from Steelix's jaw.
"Clever move." Bruno thought. "Steelix, grab it with CRUNCH!" Steelix gave a flick of his neck, tossing Ivysaur up in front of his face. Rather than trying to avoid it, however, Ivysaur twisted himself in the air. Steelix then lashed out and bit down hard on Ivysaur, grabbing him by the flower on Ivysaur's back. Ivysaur was left positioned in such a way that the tip was pointing into Steelix's mouth.
"Well, I did my part anyway..." Ivysaur thought, wincing in pain. "Lets hope she catches on then..."
"Ivysaur's in a bad position to attack from like that..." Ashley thought, not catching on initially. After a moment, though, the realization struck her. "Wait! All Ivysaur's status-inducing attacks are fired from his flower!"
"Ivysaur, attack with Sleep Powder!" Ashley called out, grinning to herself.
"-Whaddya know! Might be hope for her yet!-" Ivysaur said with a grin as he shot the green powder into Steelix's mouth. Steelix coughed and let go of Ivysaur. Ivysaur let go of Steelix and dropped to the ground, and Steelix soon followed suit as it landed on its side in a deep sleep.
"Seems she's managed to take advantage of the one hole in Steelix's armor." Bruno thought with a slight smirk. "There is little I can do now. It was a good move on the part of her and her pokemon."
"Good one, Ivysaur! Now put a Leech Seed in there!" Ashley called out next. Ivysaur stood back while facing Steelix and stood on his front legs to angle the shot. He then fired a seed from his flower, hitting Steelix in the side of the head. The seed sprouted vines and latched on, managing to dig past Steelix's steel armor and start draining its health.
"Now get back and start charging for a Solarbeam attack!" Ivysaur nodded and backed away further from Steelix while the Sandstorm slowly died down around them, giving Ivysaur full access to the sun's rays again. Ivysaur began gathering light through his flower while Steelix continued to sleep. All the while, the seed attached to Steelix continued to drain its health and replenish Ivysaur's strength.
Steelix slowly began to open its eyes, snapping out of the haze from being put to sleep. By then, however, Ivysaur had finished charging for his attack. Ivysaur angled his flower toward Steelix and let loose with a radiant white beam of energy. Steelix roared in pain as the beam lanced over the top of its body, striking it near the head and again near the tip of its tail before finally dissipating. Steelix nearly dropped again after that, Ivysaur's attack took a heavy toll on the steel snake's body.
"Steelix, you must make your last stand now and give it all you've got!" Bruno called out. "IRON TAIL!" Steelix roared and flipped its body around, bringing its tail forward and striking Ivysaur like a baseball bat. Ivysaur was sent spiralling through the air and hit the ground hard near Ashley.
"Ivysaur, get back in there and hit it hard with a Razor Leaf!" Ashley commanded Ivysaur.
"-Damn it...I take back what I said...-" Ivysaur growled, slowly standing up and shaking off the hit. Ivysaur hopped forward and launched several sharp leaves across the battlefield. Steelix was too large and slow to avoid the attack, in spite of the distance. The leaves slashed across his armored hide, causing the steel snake to bellow in pain and then collapse. Between Ivysaur's Razor Leaf and Leech Seed, the last of its strength had been drained.
"For an Ivysaur, your pokemon is quite strong." Bruno said to Ashley. Bruno held up Steelix's pokeball and recalled it.
"Ivysaur is plenty strong, he's just stubborn about evolving." Ashley replied.
"-Tch, I evolved into an Ivysaur, what more do you want?-" Ivysaur growled.
Bruno nodded in understanding as he took another pokeball from his belt. "HITMONCHAN!" Bruno held out the pokeball he grabbed, releasing Hitmonchan out onto the field. Hitmonchan took a few punches at the air when he appeared and then slid into a boxing stance.
"Ok, Ivysaur, thats enough for now!" Ashley held out Ivysaur's pokeball and recalled him, then placed the pokeball back on her belt and took another one in her hand. "Articuno! Your turn now! Go!" The pokeball opened up as Ashley held it out, firing a red beam that materialized into Articuno.
"Articuno? You will find that one will give you little advantage over Hitmonchan." Bruno said to Ashley. He clenched a fist with one hand and pointed toward Articuno with the other. "HITMONCHAN! Show them the power of your Rock Slide!"
Hitmonchan slammed his fists together with a grin on his face, then punched the ground with both hands. The ground cracked into several large boulders from Hitmonchan's punches and the boulders were sent rolling across the field toward Articuno.
"Articuno, Ice Beam! Aim for the rocks!" Articuno opened its mouth and fired a blue beam at the incoming boulders. The beam struck the first boulder and then spread out to the rest, coating them all in a sheet of ice. The ice quickly shattered but the boulders had lost their momentum and skidded to a halt, coming several feet short of Articuno.
"Now, take aim with Mind Reader!" Ashley called out next. Articuno closed its eyes and focused on Hitmonchan, predicting his movements to ensure the next attack would hit.
"She is planning something." Bruno thought. "We will wait out her next move then so Hitmonchan can prepare himself for it."
"Now lets finish this in one go! Sheer Cold!"
"Hitmonchan! DETECT!"
Articuno began flapping its wings, sending a cold chill throughout the arena. Hitmonchan watched intently, feeling the cold starting to set around him. In a flash of movement, Hitmonchan jumped back as a block of ice suddenly formed where he had been standing. The block of ice then fell over and shattered.
"He dodged it!" Ashley exclaimed in dismay.
"You will not defeat an Elite Four's pokemon so easily." Bruno said to Ashley.
"Guess I should have expected something like that..." Ashley thought. "Ok then. Articuno, take to the air! Straight up and keep going!" Articuno started flapping its wings, slowly lifting off the ground.
"Hitmonchan, do not let it escape so easily!" Bruno called out. "SKY UPPERCUT!" Hitmonchan charged across the gym toward Articuno as the ice bird began to fly up. Hitmonchan jumped straight up toward Articuno as he drew near, coming up from underneath it and delivering a quick uppercut attack. Hitmonchan's fist connected with the underside of Articuno's body, knocking Articuno back and sending it plummeting toward the ground.
Articuno recovered from the blow while still falling and turned over in the air to move into a dive position. Articuno pulled up before hitting the ground, skimming over Hitmonchan's head as he came down from his attack. Articuno then angled straight up, quickly gaining altitude from its initial momentum before having to flap its wings to keep going.
"Articuno's attacks will be less effective and easier to dodge from up there." Bruno thought, completely unfazed by being unable to attack now. "It will have to come down soon enough, and then we will attack."
"Ok! Now dive and use Blizzard!" Ashley called out to Articuno. Articuno twisted in the air to pull a vertical u-turn and barreled straight down toward Hitmonchan. As Articuno plummeted toward Hitmonchan, it opened its mouth and breathed out, releasing a blast of ice and snow. However, as Articuno was falling faster than its own attack, Articuno flew through it instead.
"That attack will have little effect on Hitmonchan, it will be too scattered." Bruno thought, watching curiously. "What is she hoping to accomplish? All she's done is injure her own pokemon."
"Now stop and use Ice Beam!" Articuno threw out its wings, coming to an abrupt stop above Hitmonchan. Articuno winced as its own Blizzard passed over it again, but quickly shook it off and fired an Ice Beam down at Hitmonchan. The weakened Blizzard attack struck Hitmonchan first. Hitmonchan shielded himself with one gloves fist but still felt a slight chill as the ice and snow pelted his body.
Articuno's Ice Beam struck Hitmonchan next, with hardly a second between the two attacks. Though the Blizzard attack had little effect on Hitmonchan, as Bruno expected, immediately following it with Ice Beam caused a sheet off ice to form over Hitmonchan's body, instantly freezing the pokemon in place.
"What? How?!" Bruno shouted in disbelief.
"Simple, I had Articuno use Blizzard beforehand to keep the air nice and cool. Combined with the ice already formed on Hitmonchan, the Ice Beam was able to build up quickly enough to freeze it in place." Ashley explained to Bruno.
"I...see..." Bruno uttered, still in disbelief that his pokemon had been disabled so easily.
"Now, lets finish the job, Articuno!" Ashley said to her pokemon. "Its not dodging this time, so use Sheer Cold!"
"A clever tactic indeed..." Articuno thought. Articuno flapped its wings and breathed out, sending a strong chill through the air. More ice began to form around Hitmonchan until it was encased in a large, solid block of it. The block of ice then cracked in two and released Hitmonchan. Upon being released, Hitmonchan collapsed to the ground in a heap.
"Seems the Winged Mirage of ice is not to be underestimated." Bruno said quietly, recalling his Hitmonchan and pausing for a moment in quiet contemplation. "I was barely able to land a hit on that one. Perhaps, after this, I should consider training more with my pokemon..."
"You have done well thus far, Ashley." Bruno said as he drew one last pokeball. "So let us see how you stand against the might of my Machamp." Bruno held out the pokeball in his hand and released his final pokemon. A gray-skinned, muscular, humanoid pokemon with four arms appeared on the field. The pokemon was kneeling with all four hands on the ground when it appeared, then slowly stood up.
"Machamp, huh?" Ashley said to herself. "Ok, Articuno, thats enough for now! Return!" Ashley held out Articuno's pokeball and recalled it, then placed the pokeball back on her belt and took another in her hand. "Hypno, this one is all your's! Go!" She then called out, releasing Hypno out onto the field. When he appeared, Hypno quickly looked around and gulped nervously.
"-She really is making me fight the elite trainers!-" Hypno said in a shaky, dismayed voice.
"Geez. What a wimp." Machamp thought, snorting.
"Machamp, no holding back! EARTHQUAKE!" Machamp nodded and struck the ground with all four arms, sending a shockwave throughout the arena. The ground began to crack and shake, knocking Hypno off his feet and jostling him around. Eventually the quake stopped, leaving Hypno lying on his back. Hypno quickly sat up and looked at Machamp with a shocked expression.
"-Damn! That guy's packing a lot of power in those muscles!-"
"Our turn now! Hypno, use Hypnosis!" Ashley called out. Hypno hesitated briefly but, remembering Machamp's power, quickly followed through. He began waving his pendulum around, using it as a focus to send hypnotic waves at Machamp. Machamp felt his eyes soon grow heavy and he fell forward, collapsing into a deep sleep.
"More status techniques!" Bruno thought, gritting his teeth. "If only I had taught Machamp the Sleep Talk technique, this would be to his advantage!"
"Ok, first up, use Poison Gas!" Ashley ordered Hypno. Bruno relaxed a bit and even smirked to himself as Ashley called out the attack. Hypno stood up and stretched out his snout, spewing a purple cloud of gas toward Machamp. Machamp breathed in the gas while he slept, becoming poisoned in the process.
"On the other hand, this we can most certainly take advantage of." Bruno thought, folding his arms over his chest. "Perhaps she doesn't realize Machamp's special ability, which grants him increased attack power when inflicted with status such as poison."
"Good! Now, Dream Eater!" Hypno opened his mouth and drew out Machamp's dreams, gathering them in the form of a purple ball of energy. Hypno then chomped down on the energy ball, swallowing it whole and gaining back some energy in the process. After this, Machamp quickly awoke, shaking his head and casting a glare toward Hypno for eating his dream.
"Machamp, show them your true potential now! Attack with EARTHQUAKE!" Bruno called out, clenching his fists. Machamp slammed the ground with all four of his hands, sending a massive shockwave throughout the gym. The increased power of the attack was immediately apparent as the ground's movements became more violent and lasted longer. When the attack finally ended, Hypno was laid out on the ground, badly beaten and bruised.
"Whoa! Where did it get all that power from?!" Ashley cried out in disbelief.
"Machamp's special ability, guts." Bruno explained to her. "When Machamp becomes inflicted with any sort of status effect, such as poison, his attack power is increased dramatically. Through his raw determination, Machamp has become far more powerful."
"Thats no good, but I've already weakened it at any rate." Ashley thought, then looked toward Hypno. The psychic pokemon was just starting to get back up from the attack. "Hypno, fire back with Psychic, now!"
"-Not even...a moment of peace..." Hypno said weakly. Hypno held out his pendulum toward Machamp, using the pendulum as a focus to concentrate his telekinetic powers on the fighting pokemon. Machamp growled in pain as Hypno's psychic powers crushed it from all directions. Hypno then ended the attack by slamming Machamp into the ground.
"Look like thats it then." Ashley said with a slight smirk as Machamp remained flat out on the ground. However, to her dismay, the fighting pokemon slowly picked himself up. "What?! You've gotta be kidding me!"
"Seems not." Bruno said to Ashley. "Machamp, once more! Earthquake!" Machamp stood up and raised its arms back, preparing to attack. Before he could follow through, he suddenly collapsed again. Though he was able to endure Hypno's Psychic attack, the poison remained and finished him off.
"Hmm...perhaps not..." Bruno said quietly, taking Machamp's pokeball in hand and recalling him. Bruno then looked to Ashley with a stern expression. "Having lost, I have no right to say anything. This match goes to you, Ashley." Bruno then turned around and exited the arena.
Ashley let out a relieved sigh and slumped over slightly. "Two down, two to go..." She muttered quietly to herself. "I think I need to tend to my pokemon before the next match though." Ashley straightened out and held out Hypno's pokeball.
"Thats it, Hypno. You can rest now." Ashley said as she recalled her pokemon. She then turned around and went back into the lobby to tend to her pokemon with the items she had on her.
"Well she certainly put on a better showing that time around." Professor Oak said thoughtfully. "Hmm...perhaps she might get through this afterall. I believe the next match will be the decisive one."
"What makes you say that?" Catherine asked as she handed off another set of photos to Rolly.
"The next battle will pit her against Agatha." Professor Oak explained. "Ashley has few pokemon that will be at the advantage against her ghost and poison pokemon. I wonder, how will she do without a distinct type advantage?"
Author's Notes: Whaddya know, I got this done relatively early for a change. "relatively early" meaning I'm not staying up an extra hour or two to work on it. Anyway...
As you might have noticed, I used some round two pokemon here. I wanted to add a bit more variety, though honestly I regret not having Lorelei use Cloyster now. Didn't really occur to me at the time, but oh well. Also, I almost typed "Mamoswine" instead of "Piloswine" almost everytime. I've got 4th gen on the brain...
Didn't use a dividing line until the very end there this time. Probably because there wasn't anyone to switch perspectives with. Where is she anyway? Hmm...
Slipped in a little joke from the anime there in the Zapdos and Lapras match. Also, try not to think too hard on the imagery from one of the matches. Its for the best.
