Chapter 11:
The second day of the quarter finals arrives and I make my way to the entrance hall as usual. The four remaining quarter finalists are waiting around. Rhianne is also there talking to Flourette. I walk over to join Robin and find Elin already there listening to Robin's mouth motor away. I am about to greet the two when I notice something odd. Thomas is also waiting amongst the group. He doesn't have a battle today. I would have assumed he'd be off drinking somewhere.
"He's not here by choice," Robin says as he catches on to what I'm looking at.
"Why's that?" I ask.
"Elderidge banned him from drinking after his little… performance yesterday," Robin explains, "He's a semi-finalist now. That makes him a global role model, can't have him being drunk like that again."
"I assume he's not taking it well," I say.
"He broke a vase, that's about it," Elin puts in.
"Hey, Robin, thanks for yesterday," I say.
"You feeling alright now?" he asks. I nod. "Good. Told you it helps."
"What happened?" Elin asks.
"Things," Robin says simply.
"Now I'm interested," Elin says with a smirk.
"No! Nothing like that," I say quickly. I imagine my face has turned bright red at this point. "He was just helping me with something personal. That's all."
We continue chatting as we wait for the bus. Everyone is here. We are just waiting on Raymond to take us to the bus when it arrives. I throw around possibilities in my head for where he could be. It seems unlikely that he would be late without good reason. He isn't the sort of man to disobey a schedule. A different thought then occurs to me and I look back to Robin who is laughing away at something I hadn't paid attention to.
"How are you so relaxed?" I ask.
"Huh?" he asks and looks at me like I'm crazy.
"He's always relaxed," Elin says.
"I mean, you're the substitute Gym Leader for Laverre City," I say, "That's a Fairy Gym and you saw the Ferrothorn Flourette has. Shouldn't you be worried?"
"I wouldn't be given the chance to run a Gym, especially at my age, if I didn't know how to deal with a simple Ferrothorn," Robin says, "That's the thing. Most people will only have one or two Pokémon to deal with Fairies. Once those are dealt with, the rest are easily overwhelmed. It's also great for this thing with the Battle Gears as I know what selection my opponent will make."
"Really?" I ask. I am actually quite amazed at how well thought out his use of just Fairy Pokémon is.
"Sure, if I were going to be battling you, I know you'd pick Crobat and Magcargo," he says, "With a bit of thought I'd then be able to figure out the third choice. Would also help if I knew the rest of your team."
"How would you deal with Crobat and Magcargo though?" I ask.
"That would be telling," he says with a wink.
Eventually, Raymond arrives and leads us out to the bus. At the stadium, I wish Robin luck and follow Elin to where we will be watching from. I am pleasantly surprised to discover we will be viewing the battles from a VIP area of the stand. It is a small area separated from the rest of the crowd on the upper terraces. There are just a few short rows of reasonably comfortable looking seats with a large throne-like chair in the middle. I am unsurprised to discover the throne is for Lancelot Elderidge.
Elin and I take our seats on the front row. We have the best seats in the stadium. The view over the battlefield is perfect and the big screen is directly opposite us. Rhianne sits next to us while Thomas reluctantly sits further along the row and puts his feet up.
"Good of you to join us, Miss Wexler," Lancelot says as he takes his seat, "I assume you're here to check out the competition in person. Mr Young has been doing just that and I believe it shall pay off."
As usual, he is wearing a pristine white suit and a cape. It is an odd thing to wear, but he pulls it off rather well. It seems to add to the appearance of superiority he's obviously going for. He isn't expecting a response so I don't give him one. He puts his hands together and eyes the battlefield intently, waiting for the first battle with the rest of us.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it is time for the third quarter final to begin," the announcer declares and draws everyone's attention, "Make some noise for Robin Harper and Flourette Lauxand!"
I want to jump up and cheer for Robin, but it doesn't seem to be the etiquette for the VIP area. Instead, I have to stand and applaud with Elin and Rhianne. We watch Robin and Flourette emerge from the tunnel together and take their places at either end of the battlefield. They activate their Battle Gears and begin to select their Pokémon. Both of them look confident.
"Begin!" the referee declares as both trainers grab a Poké Ball and hold it out at arm's length.
"Go, Ferrothorn," Flourette says. As expected, she has chosen Ferrothorn first with hopes of steamrolling through Robin's Fairies.
"Go, Togekiss," Robin says. It seems as though Robin is prepared for Flourette just as he had been telling me. As far as what I assume of Robin's team goes, Togekiss is a good choice for the situation.
"Let's start with Leech Seed," Flourette says.
"Counter with Air Slash," Robin calls.
One of Ferrothorn's spikes retracts into its body and seeds are launched from the resulting hole. Togekiss dives down and then quickly swoops back upwards. It flies high up out of range of Ferrothorn's attack and the resulting wind slices through the seeds. The severed seeds fall to the floor harmlessly.
"Togekiss, Flamethrower," Robin says confidently. Flourette looks worried but quickly steadies herself.
"Gyro Ball," she says quickly.
Ferrothorn begins to spin as Togekiss opens its mouth to attack. A stream of flames rains down on Ferrothorn. However, the spin seems to deflect the flames around it. Robin looks to his Battle Gear. Togekiss keeps up its attack. This makes me wonder whether or not it's still dealing damage.
"Aura Sphere," Robin shouts.
Togekiss quickly stops its attack and swoops upwards. It twirls in mid-air to face the ground. When it does, a glowing blue sphere is forming in its mouth. Ferrothorn is directly below Togekiss when the attack is launched. There is a loud crash and a burst of energy from the impact.
"Finish with Flamethrower," Robin calls out before anyone can even take in what has happened.
Flourette has no chance to respond. Ferrothorn is consumed by fire from above. Robin is constantly checking his Battle Gear. He snaps his fingers and Togekiss ceases its attack. The flames die down to reveal Ferrothorn lying limp and covered in scorch marks in a small crater. The referee declares Ferrothorn unable to battle. I had thought Ferrothorn would be the biggest threat to Robin and he has defeated it without taking damage. That said, I know little else about Flourette's team apart from a Salamence which I highly doubt will make an appearance.
"Go, Electivire," Flourette says, sending out her second Pokémon.
I am interested to see how Robin acts as the advantage somehow now seems even more in Flourette's favour with Electivire out. I expect him to switch, but he doesn't appear to even consider it.
"Air Slash," Robin calls out.
"Wild Charge," Flourette counters.
Sparks crackle around Electivire and it begins to rush forward. Togekiss swoops down and up again just before it would collide with Electivire. Electivire panics and stumbles before being struck by a powerful cutting wind. The sparks fizzle out and Electivire trips over.
"Aura Sphere," Robin says. He is confident and assured in what he is doing. He almost makes it look straightforward against one of the tournament favourites.
"Thunderbolt," Flourette cries out.
Togekiss twirls in the sky again and attacks, once again hoping to strike a vulnerable opponent from above. Electivire, however, responds to Flourette's call. Electricity surges from Electivire's body and shoots into the sky. It collides with the Aura Sphere halfway between the two Pokémon. The electricity rips through Togekiss' Aura Sphere, destroying it, and continues on up. Togekiss is caught unexpectedly and endures an electrocution.
"Air Slash," Robin calls out as Togekiss begins to fall.
I see what he's planning. He wants to turn Togekiss' downward momentum into an attack. Even if the attack doesn't hit Electivire, it'll protect Togekiss from the damage of hitting the ground. Everyone watches with bated breath, but Togekiss continues to brace itself for the impact. It can't stop the fall.
"Ice Punch," Flourette says.
Electivire twists its body and reaches out. Its fist glows a light blue as it rises into the air. Electivire's punch connects with Togekiss before the Fairy hits the ground. Togekiss is knocked off course and driven into the ground, skidding across the battlefield. Togekiss lies motionless on the floor for a moment before we realise it is over.
"Go, Azumarill," Robin says as he sends out his next Pokémon. This sends a wave of confused murmurs around the stadium.
"Why would he pick Azumarill against Electivire?" Elin asks me.
"He wouldn't bring three things with a disadvantage to Electivire, so he must be planning something," I say, "My bet is that because Electivire's already taken some damage, he's planning to finish it in one hit."
"Bulldoze!" Robin shouts.
"Called it," I say.
Azumarill runs forward. Suddenly, it jumps and dives into the ground. With incredible speed, Azumarill rips through the battlefield, driving debris at Electivire. Electivire is too taken by surprise to react and Azumarill slams into it with force that throws Electivire to lie at Flourette's feet. I await the referee's declaration of defeat, but it doesn't come. Slowly, Electivire picks itself up and rests on one knee.
"Aqua Jet," Robin says. This has to finish it.
"Wild Charge," Flourette says and moves to the side just in case.
Azumarill charges at Electivire again. This time, covered in a veil of water. Electivire stays where it is. It is too weak to move from its spot, but becomes surrounded in sparks. It braces for impact.
The two Pokémon collide and Azumarill's momentum carries them on further. Electricity surges through the water and shocks Azumarill. The two come to a stop and collapse on top of each other, neither able to move. The referee declares it a tie with both Pokémon unable to continue. Robin and Flourette are both down to their last Pokémon.
"Go, Mawile!"
"Go, Charizard!"
"This does not look good," Elin says.
"Surely he saw this coming?" I ask.
"Fire Blast," Flourette calls, hoping to end it quickly.
"Sucker Punch," Robin responds.
Mawile moves towards Charizard with unnatural speed and jumps up, swinging its large jaw around to strike Charizard before it can attack. Charizard is thrown off. Charizard's attack is launched by accident and spirals off into the sky.
Both trainers have a look of determination I don't think I've seen before. It feels like they are emitting an aura of strength. I then realise that the do appear to be giving off some kind of aura. Robin, Flourette and their Pokémon are all shrouded in a faint light. More people start catching on to what is happening.
"What the Hell?" Thomas asks. He lowers his feet and leans forward to get a proper look. It's the most he's paid attention so far.
The four of us in the VIP area get up and stand at the barrier, trying to confirm what we all appear to be seeing while Lancelot remains in his seat, watching intently.
Suddenly, Mawile and Charizard are consumed by explosions of light. The light then fades to reveal the two Pokémon have changed. Charizard's wings have almost doubled in size and it has grown small wings on its wrists. Mawile, meanwhile, has grown a second jaw which like the first looks even more monstrous than before.
"Is that…" Elin trails off.
"I think it is," I say.
Lancelot Elderidge speaks up to say and confirm what we are all thinking.
"Mega Evolution."
AN: Hehe, I appear to have guilt tripped a couple of people into reviewing, sorry about that. Now I'm going to be even more evil, intentionally this time, and tell you that the next chapter will be posted after a longer interval than normal because I'm going away for the weekend to pursue my own dream of becoming a Pokémon World Champion at the UK National Championships. So, I won't have much chance to write over the weekend. So, until whenever the next one is, enjoy this one and the "cliffhanger" I'm leaving you with.