Aloha! Here's the new chapter to Road to be a Pokemon Master. Will this be another chapter of character build up? Or will the battle finally start?
16. Quick Attack and then more Quick Attack!
October 2nd, 2013
Time: 9:15 A.M
There was a general uproar in the Lily of the Valley stadium. Anticipation spread like plague among the audience who had gathered in the fifteen thousand capacity arena. The stadium was filled in five minutes after the gates were opened.
A helicopter hovered above the circular stadium, as the cameraman took the video footage of the field from above.
The field maintenance team was busy ramming the field flat, and was marking the borders properly. Back in the control room, the operators were checking if the battlefield changing system was working properly. The system in Lily of the Valley operated on a different mechanism than the Rose-Red stadium. Trainers enter the field through a moving platform from underground rather than walk out through a gate.
The commentator, Freddy O'Martian was drinking a glass of water, as he prepared himself for the next few hours of shouting. The VIP boxes were filled with the champions, the favorites, the Elite Four and a few important board members.
A normal Tier 7 battle wouldn't gather such attention. But the man battling today, Tobias completely changed the situation. He was a complete enigma, and his battle style was shrouded in a dark mystery. His Pokémon were all legendary, which was also the cause for a huge controversy in the PLA. Very few knew about the background check the Sinnoh Champion Cynthia had done, and so many believed Tobias was just a fraud trainer who bought his Pokémon for a good price.
But the Sinnoh elite four who faced him knew better than that. They faced his power first hand, and fell to the mercy of his mysterious sixth Pokémon.
"Good morning, my dear friends. It's time…" There was a dramatic pause. "For the Pokémon World Tournament. Rosenburg Cup, Tier 7, Group C1 match to begin!"
The crowd cheered in response. The whole stadium brimmed with excitement.
The sun was already blazing, the weather was perfectly clear for the upcoming showdown between Tobias and a trainer from Kanto who recently made some name.
"Now, we welcome the participants of the battle."
The ground below the lines that set boundaries for the trainer's box disappeared, as the whirring noise of the motor started. Soon, two figures appeared on either side of the field, thanks to the platforms that raised them onto ground level.
One was a greyish blue haired man, whose every action exhumed confidence and pride. The second was a high spirited young man, whose eyes carried a deep passion inside them. He was like a hungry Luxray that was ready to pounce on its prey.
"Tobias and Ash Ketchum!"
The crowd set an uproar one more time when our names were announced. But my ears ignored everything around me and my eyes were only one man, Tobias.
Tobias however had his eyes set on the crowd. He waved to the people who were cheering for the mysterious guy who could use legendary Pokémon. When he noticed my steady gaze, he dropped his hand and gave me a smile of acknowledgment.
"These are the two participants of the most watched opening match. The red side: Tobias, the mysterious legendary Pokémon trainer!"
At this Tobias, waved to the crowd one more time. Many people screamed the name 'Tobias' and a few 'Darkrai', but unless my ears weren't working properly, I even heard a 'Cheating Bastard' somewhere. Tobias on the other hand gave the same reaction to all cries, a smile.
"And on the green side: Ash Ketchum, of Pallet Town!"
At the announcement of my name, the crowd gave another buzz, albeit a smaller one. But of course there was something more.
"Ash, Ash do your best!" A female voice exclaimed. "Don't let that Tobias rest!"
I turned around to the source of the voice, a blunette in the frontlines. She was wearing a pink cheerleading uniform and accessories. Standing before her, was her Buneary who performed similar dance steps. But of course what surprised me more was the woman next to her.
*Dum* *Dum*
Iris drummed the two sticks in her hand against the cylindrical instrument that seems to have come straight from the Dragon Village. She colored her face with a yellow make up that reminds one of electricity.
So that was how she's going to cheer me, I smiled.
Sitting next to her was a redhead, who sat stiff as if she was glued to the chair. She may not announce it like Dawn or Iris, but I know Misty was there to support me. She's just too mad at me to admit it. When she realized I was smiling at her Misty's frown softened.
There was a gap left for three people after that, after which were Brock and Cilan who carried encouraging smiles.
"Ash!" A coarse voice yelled from some other direction. To my right, below the scoreboard were a group of four people who carried a large banner that read 'Go Win, Ash Ketchum!'. At first I thought it was some random fan, but then I realized that the four people holding the banner were my friends: Stephan, Ritchie, Cameron and Morrison.
Somewhere down, I saw Vincent, Harrison and Tyson who watched me with curiosity, and in the area behind Tobias, below the large monitor was Virgil and Bianca, who held each other as they waved to me.
Then there was Trip, taking a photograph of me as I looked into his camera. It seemed like he was waiting for me to turn in his direction.
There were more people I knew than I thought. I saw Palmer, Barry and a couple of other frontier brains from Sinnoh. Then I spotted the Kanto frontier brains including Brandon and Annabel…the latter for some reason sent me a flying kiss.
Of course there was one guy who caught my attention the most. Standing by the food stall, a purple-haired teen watched me, as he lazily rested against the railings.
'Ash, get stronger.'
Three words. Three words that fueled me to do my best. Three words that haunted me in my dreams and put me awake at nights. Three words for which I have strived to live up to.
I am finally here, Paul. I am here to prove how strong I have gotten in this one year. And just as a tribute to you, I am going to start my battle with the first Pokémon I've used against you in our first battle, and the first Pokémon that defeated you in a proper match.
Of course I had no way to say all that, so I simply smirked at him. Paul remained as expressionless as ever, perhaps he wanted to do the talking after I am done with Tobias.
"Alright, folks! It's time we invite the good referee and start the battle!"
The VIP Box…
The VIP box was filled with around forty of the world's talented battlers namely, the Champions, the Elite Four and the favorites.
"I'm interested to see how damn good the rumors about this Tobias guy are," the orange-headed Marshal, the fighting type elite four of Unova spoke.
"The rumors say he's good," Flint muttered. "And I'll tell you, they are true. Especially, the sixth Pokémon."
"Whatever the sixth one is," Veteran Clarke, the second most favorite muttered. "We won't see it today. This rookie can't beat more than two or three Pokémon."
"I wonder about that," the blonde Jason Valentine remarked. "I heard Ash's beaten two of Tobias's Pokémon two years ago. He might actually win."
"No offense to the top rated favorite," Lucian sad adjusting his glasses, "But you're out of your mind, Jason."
"You know what," a loud voice silenced the chatter altogether. Alder, the champion of Unova looked annoyed. "You guys are all hyping Tobias up. It's getting annoying."
"That's because we don't have enough data on his sixth Pokémon," the red-haired champion of Kanto, Lance spoke. "Today," he smirked, "Let's hope it changes."
Meanwhile in the stands…
"Where's Gary?" Dawn asked, when she realized one of their group members was missing.
Iris rubbed the sweat off her face that came from excessive drumming. The battle hadn't even started and she was already exhausted. "He's gone to bring his grandpa."
"Oh," Misty looked to her left, "So that's what these empty seats are for."
There were indeed three empty seats between Misty and Cilan, the blunette noticed. If two of them were for Gary and Prof. Oak, then who was the extra seat for?
At that moment, a hand tapped on her back. Dawn turned around and faced a familiar sweet smile. "Hey Dawn," the auburn-haired woman greeted. "I hope the battle hasn't started already."
"Mrs. Ketchum," Dawn was excited to see her. The two of them exchanged a brief smile before either of them raised their hands and gave a high-five.
It happened when they were in Pallet. Dawn told how she and Ash usually gave high-fives to each other. Apparently, she liked the idea and told Dawn to do the same every time they met. So the extra seat was for Ash's mom, Dawn deduced. But wouldn't that leave his dad? Or did he stay back in Kanto?
"Ah, a cheerleader uniform!" Suddenly a man emerged from behind the woman. "Delia, are you going to wear one too?"
"Ow," the man screamed not a moment later. Dawn realized, she must have stomped his foot.
"Mr. Ketchum," Dawn greeted. "Nice to meet you again."
The man gave her a goofy grin, and then waved to the other two girls behind. "Looks like all of Ash's girls are lined up for the show. Oh, one's missing."
"Alex," another voice yelled from behind. "Can you put the chit-chat for later?"
It was Professor Oak. He must have been tired from the journey because he looked snappier than usual. "Aye, Aye old man," Mr. Ketchum said. Dawn moved aside, letting the three pass through.
"Where did Gary go?" Iris asked, as Professor Oak passed by her.
The old professor said, "Alex wasn't supposed to come today. He just popped in the last minute." He scratched his chin, "Gary will find a seat somewhere else."
The blunette couldn't help but feel bad for the brown-haired. She wondered how he was going to find a seat in a jam-packed stadium.
"Now before the referee comes, let's have a moment of the past. These two trainers in the field are not fighting each other for the first time. Take a look at the screen people."
The screen behind me and Tobias flashed with the visuals of the battle we had in the real Lily of the Valley.
"Two years ago Ash Ketchum faced Tobias in the Lily of the Valley Conference, 2011."
In the video, my Heracross was charging at Tobias's Darkrai. The Darkrai replied to it with Dark Void and put the bug Pokémon to sleep. I ordered Sleep Talk, which brought out Megahorn to my luck. But it only proved futile when Darkrai defeated Heracross with a single Dream Eater.
I clenched my fists at this. That battle was unfair. Darkrai was too strong for my Pokémon.
I continued to watch as Sceptile bravely slashed Darkrai with Leaf Blade and defeated it.
"Ash Ketchum was the only trainer in the entirety of Tobias's Sinnoh League challenge, right from the battle with the gym leaders till the final battle that brought him the cup, to have ever defeated Darkrai."
The scene then shifted to Tobias' Latios finishing Sceptile with a Giga Impact and Swellow with Luster Purge in just one hit again.
"Tobias revealed for the first time that he had more than just Darkrai. Latios, the eon Pokémon proved just as challenging to Ash as Darkrai."
Then it was Pikachu, who bravely fought till the end. He combined Volt Tackle and Iron Tail and used it to overpower Luster Purge.
"The battle between Pikachu and Latios ended up in a draw. Ash Ketchum lost. But he was proud to be the first trainer who ever took down two of Tobias's Pokémon."
"Pika," the rodent who stood beside me muttered something.
"I know Pikachu," I smiled. "I'm not just going to defeat one or two Pokémon. I'm going to defeat Tobias completely."
"Who the hell is the tournament organizer," Alex laughed. "He sure knows how to hype stuff."
Cilan was less than comfortable sitting beside Alexander Ketchum. He wasn't fond of his jokes that usually involved disrespecting women, and not to mention he had an intimidating figure that made laughing a Herculean task for the sommelier.
"Yeah," Cilan said nervously.
"And now, it seems the referee is ready!" A man wearing a yellow shirt and a green short took his position at the referee's platform. He held two flags in hand. The one facing Tobias was red, while the one towards Ash was green.
The crowd roared at this while Dawn and Iris began singing nonsensical rhymes to cheer Ash. Somewhere in the distance Cilan spotted Stephan, Cameron and a particularly loud mouthed stout guy shout Ash's name too.
The referee lifted both the flags, calming down the crowd at the same time.
"This battle between Tobias and Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town is about to begin," his voice was as clear as crystal. "The format of the battle will be selected first."
At this, the scoreboard screen to my right showed four different logos.
"To people who aren't acquainted with the rules. The battles in Tier7 will have three different formats. One, is a single six on six battle. The second is a doubles Six on Six battle. The third will be a mixed six on six battle."
The four different logos had singles battle on two logos, and mixed on one logo, doubles on the fourth logo. So there was two in a four chance that this battle will be a single battle.
A blue light stood on one of the four logos. Then it began moving from one logo to the other at an incredible speed.
"Which format will Tobias and Ash Ketchum battle in? Singles? Doubles or Mixed?"
The blue light finally stopped and rested on the logo that said single battles.
"It's decided! The battle will be a six on six, singles battle. Now it's time we hand over things to the referee again."
The referee took it as his cue. "This will be a singles, six on six battle. Each trainer will be using six Pokémon that can be substituted one for the other whenever the trainer wishes to. The battle will end when all six of one side is unable to battle. If either side loses six Pokémon simultaneously, the battle shall be declared a draw and points will be equally distributed." He raised the red flag, "The red side will get to choose their Pokémon first." He raised either flags and crossed them. "Now, trainers send your Pokémon!"
"It's started. Tobias will make the first call, my dear friends. What do you think will his choice of Pokémon be? Which legendary Pokémon is coming to feast our eyes?"
Tobias smirked at me as he enlarged the Pokémon in his hand. He simply tossed the Pokéball into the stadium wordlessly, as if to add to the dramatic-ness.
The ball exploded, and a familiar dark Pokémon materialized out of it. The Pokémon that had spooky blue eyes, Darkrai, let out a simple grunt as its battle cry as it hovered in the air, well above the ground.
"Tobias's choice of his Pokémon is as expected: Darkrai!"
The presence of the dark legendary didn't earn a cheer of applause. Instead the stadium went silent in fear from just looking at the eerie Pokémon. I, on the other hand am used to it.
"Alright," my heart started beating faster. I took a deep breath and exhaled to calm it down, an action that earned me a worried glance from Pikachu. I took the Pokéball in my belt and enlarged it.
"What will Ash Ketchum send against this legendary Pokémon?"
POV: Omnipresent (only for battles). Readers are required to adjust accordingly.
"I wonder what Ash is going to use," Dawn exclaimed, as she jumped.
Cilan had a good guess. "It must be his vintage partner, Pikachu," Cilan said. "He always likes to use Pikachu as his first in important battles, remember?"
"I agree," Iris said, drumming at the same time. "It's going to be Pikachu."
"Except," Brock smiled for some reason. "Pikachu isn't on Ash's team today."
"What?!" Many people exclaimed at the same time.
"Yes," Brock nodded. "Ash traded Pikachu to the ranch. It's under my ownership right now."
"Then in that case," Dawn said, "He's going to repeat his original choice and use Heracross."
"That could be possible," Brock nodded, scratching his chin. "But I personally think it will be Sceptile. He defeated Darkrai last time. Sending the Pokémon that defeated Darkrai once will be a boost to his morale."
"What do you think, honey?" Delia asked her husband, who simply smiled at all the speculations. She suspected he knew something the others don't.
"You must have a good idea," Misty said, expecting an answer.
"On the contrary," he gave the Ketchum trademark goofy smile. "I don't have a clue." His answer caused everyone else to sweat drop.
"Let's put all of this silly speculation to a rest," he said wrapping his hands around Delia. "And enjoy the battle."
"Here comes Ketchum's Pokémon!" Ash already had the enlarged Pokéball in his hand.
His eyes narrowed, as a frown developed on his face. He lifted his hand as if he was pitching a baseball and tossed the ball into the sky. "I choose you—"
He exclaimed, "Staraptor!"
The Pokéball exploded, and the hawk-like Pokémon materialized through it. As soon as it took shape, the Pokémon glared with its red intimidating eyes into the dark Pokémon's spooky blue eyes. It stretched its wings and let out a fierce battle cry that earned cheers from the crowd.
"What an unusual choice! Ash Ketchum's first choice is Staraptor! The Pokémon definitely shares its trainer's confidence friends, because both of them are burning with a hot fighting spirit! It's better if you buy the Rocket Soda's while you are it or else you will be thirsty throughout the match!"
"Worst advertisement ever," Iris sighed.
On the field, Staraptor hovered high in the sky, while continuing to give Darkrai a sharp glare. Darkrai on the other hand looked calm and maintained a steady glance.
The scoreboard in the center lit up. Both Tobias and Ash had six empty slots on each side. The board was then updated, suiting the choice of Pokémon each trainer made.
Scoreboard
(1-6)Ash Ketchum - Tobias (1-6)
Staraptor - Darkrai
(A/N: The numbers beside the trainer's name indicate, number of Pokémon revealed and number of Pokémon that are still able to battle, respectively. If a Pokémon is active on the field, its name will be bold. If it's still in the battle, but not active it will simply be italicized. If the name isn't italicized or bold, it's unable to battle.)
"Staraptor, huh," Alex eyed the bird with interest.
"Why not Sceptile?" Iris asked. "It's much faster isn't it?"
"Staraptor might be slower," Brock explained. "But Ash trained it to handle Pokémon that are much faster than itself. I bet he has a plan."
The referee raised both his flags at once. "Darkrai versus Staraptor, let the battle begin!"
"It's time friends, for this exciting match to begin! What will the first moves be?!"
"Staraptor," Ash was the first one to move. "Quick Attack!"
Staraptor followed its command and dove at the darkness Pokémon with a speed that would make a jet-plane go red in envy.
There was a smirk on Tobias's face. He had faced this situation more than once. His Darkrai dodged a Dragonite's Extremespeed the other day. A head on attack was always a foolish move to hit his Darkrai.
As if to agree with its trainer's views, Darkrai remained still and watched the Pokémon throw itself at the dark type.
As the bird Pokémon was about to tackle the legendary with the extremely fast move, Darkrai simply side-stepped, as if the speed Staraptor carried was just a joke.
Panic was seen in the eyes of everyone who supported Ash. It was a foolish move. Palmer's Dragonite faced similar fate and got hit by an Ice beam.
But for some reason, Ash Ketchum didn't look worried at all.
Staraptor rocketed at Darkrai, but the legendary Pokémon dodged it with ease, as if to say Staraptor's speed was only child's play to it. Normally, a Pokémon would be shocked when its fast move misses, but the Staraptor didn't. It simply flew past Darkrai and took off into the sky as if it didn't expect to hit Darkrai in the first place.
"What the!" Brock exclaimed, realizing what was happening.
Just as we thought! Darkrai simply side-stepped like it always did. If my predictions were correct, then the next move would be…
Tobias had a haughty smile on his lips, now that Staraptor's move had missed. "Darkrai," he commanded as Staraptor flew past it. "Ice Beam."
"Oh no!" Dawn cried. Staraptor was absolutely vulnerable as it was still in Ice Beam's range, and not to mention with its back to Darkrai.
The Darkness Pokémon created the icy energy between its hands, and prepared to shoot the beam at the vulnerable Staraptor. She expected the Ice Beam to hit the bird and do severe damage to the Pokémon but—
"Spin and dodge!"
As the Ice Beam went to maim the target, Staraptor tucked its wings and began spinning about itself, the motion caused the bird Pokémon to tilt from its original flight path. The Ice Beam simply went past Staraptor, without hitting the bird Pokémon.
"What the!" Tobias's face turned white in surprise.
The bird Pokémon immediately spread its wings and flew high into the air, away from any other move Darkrai could throw at it.
The crowd went wild at the stunt the bird pulled. "What an incredible way to dodge the attack! Ash Ketchum has once again showed his incredible talent."
"Amazing!" Dawn squealed. "I never thought he'd incorporate our spin tactic to bird Pokémon too!"
I know that was a moment of history for us, but we have no time to enjoy it. I have to en cash the surprise while I can.
"Staraptor," I snapped my fingers. "Use Quick Attack!"
Staraptor repeated the fast move again. It rocketed at the darkness Pokémon once more.
"Another head on attack? What is Ketchum planning?!"
"You may have dodged that one, but you won't this time." Tobias muttered under his breath, a smirk on his face. "Darkrai," he commanded. "Dark Pulse!"
As the rocket called Staraptor charged at Darkrai, the extremely powerful wave of darkness was shot at the bird. The attack and the bird approached each other at a speed that could easily be called suicide for the bird Pokémon.
"Bad Taste!" Cilan exclaimed. If the Dark Pulse were to hit at that speed, Staraptor would be a goner. But—
"Aerial Ace!" Ash commanded as the bird continued the seemingly suicidal move.
What happened next was something that knocked the breaths out of everyone. As Staraptor approached the Dark Pulse at an incredible pace, it disappeared all of a sudden, causing the attack to move though thin air.
Staraptor appeared right above the Dark Pulse. Darkrai realizing the target has moved, shifted the pulse of attack without stopping it in the process. But the bird disappeared again, and then appeared below the attack. The darkness Pokémon shifted its aim again, but Staraptor switched to the top once more.
Before the legendary could even understand what was happening, Staraptor struck the Pokémon on its face with the combined power of Quick Attack and Aerial Ace. The impact threw away the Pokémon to a great distance; it lost the focus it needed to perform the attack.
"Don't flinch," Tobias snarled. Staraptor was now on the ground, an easy target for him. "Dark Pulse!"
"I won't let you!" Ash exclaimed, "Quick Attack!"
As Darkrai collected the dark energy between its hands, Staraptor shot at the darkness Pokémon again, and struck it straight on the chest, knocking the Pokémon to a great distance again. The attack it had prepared had dissolved into thin air.
"One more time," Ash exclaimed as he had the advantage. "Quick Attack!"
The Darkness Pokémon was still reeling from the previous attack when a third Quick Attack came at it in quick succession. But—
"You won't this time," Tobias looked pissed. "Darkrai, grab hold of it."
As the bird rocketed for the third time, the darkness Pokémon used its two dark hands to catch the Pokémon's wings. The momentum pushed Darkrai back, but it successfully stopped the attack.
"Got you," Tobias smirked.
"Ah! Staraptor has been caught my friends! Ash is neck deep in trouble."
The bird tried wriggling its wings out of the Darkrai's grip, but the Pokémon's hold remained firm. Staraptor's fate seemed to have been sealed.
"Actually," the trainer smirked however, "I was counting on you to do that."
Tobias's face turned colors again.
Ash clenched his fists and yelled, "Close Combat!"
Before the legendary trainer even had a chance to react, the bird Pokémon curled its talons and smacked Darkrai hard on the torso that caused it to release the grip on one hand. Using its now free left wing, Staraptor smacked Darkrai on its chest, causing it to release the hold completely. Staraptor then pummeled Darkrai with either of its wings simultaneously, causing the Pokémon to flinch back in pain. Darkrai jumped back, in order to get away from Staraptor's smacks.
"Don't let it go!" Ash yelled.
As Darkrai jumped back, Staraptor landed on the ground and propelled itself at Darkrai and then it lifted its left leg to perform one last kick on Darkrai's face, which sent the Pokémon crashing back onto the walls behind.
"What a barrage of moves! Tobias and Darkrai have been completely caught up in Ketchum's pace!"
"This…" Alex's hands trembled in excitement. "This is damn freaking awesome!"
As Darkrai struggled to get up on its feet, Staraptor took into the air. Once it was at a safe distance, it looked into the sky, stretched its wings and gave a proud battle cry.
"He's on a roll today!" Iris said, drumming with excitement. "I love you, Staraptor!"
"That's an incredible offensive momentum," Brock said, turning to Alex. "It seems you have developed the head on attacking Ash likes into one-sided offense."
"Trust me," Alex said, folding his arms. "I didn't do much. But still," Alex's attention shifted to Darkrai. The Pokémon was back up. It glared at the bird Pokémon that had pummeled the legendary into oblivion. "That Darkrai is in a whole different league." Standing up after a super-effective Close Combat was no easy feat after all.
"It's a legendary Pokémon," Professor Oak muttered. "Ordinary Pokémon need a lot of tactics to win against it."
"No wonder Tobias doesn't command much," Misty said, agreeing with the Professor's views.
The VIP Chambers…
"That Staraptor scares me more," the bug trainer Aaron said, watching the bird Pokémon in interest.
"Is this the same trainer who lost three Pokémon to Darkrai pretty easily?" Lucian was admittedly, a bit surprised. "He's come a long way, if I might dare say."
"That's because Ash has the spirit to win," Flint smiled at the boy, who indeed looked like an embodiment of fighting spirit. "The will to win can take a person far."
"Ashton is good," Alder chuckled. "It's time you people realize Tobias is nothing but hype."
"Not so fast," Jason frowned. "The battle's just begun, Alder."
"A combo of Quick Attack, Aerial Ace and Close Combat. Ash has used his Pokémon's amazing maneuverability to his advantage. Now what will this trainer do next? Which move will it be?"
As far as I know, there's only one move I would start with. "Staraptor," I commanded. "Quick Attack!"
Staraptor dove at Darkrai for the umpteenth time. His moves seemed to have gotten sharper as his morale was up right now.
Tobias looked unhappy. Not because he was humiliated in the opening gambit, but because I was insulting him by using the same move again. If he were to fall for it one more time, his pride would be deeply wounded.
"Get closer and use Ice beam," was Tobias's reply to my move.
Darkrai used its ability to levitate and dashed towards Staraptor.
So that was Tobias's strategy. He knows letting Staraptor closer was a danger to him. Darkrai was more vulnerable in close combats than in long range fights. That's precisely why I've decided to use Staraptor over Sceptile, because Staraptor knows Close Combat.
"Staraptor," I responded to Tobias's move. "Combine Quick Attack with Aerial Ace and dodge!"
Darkrai was now in midair. It shot the ice beam at the flying Pokémon. But the bird dodged it with ease by flying out of the way. Darkrai didn't need its trainer's command to do what's next. It prepared another Ice Beam and attempted to hit Staraptor, but the bird dodged, albeit with slight difficulty.
Darkrai was fast, and the way it kept shifting its position made it extremely difficult for Staraptor to dodge the ice type move. But I believe in my Staraptor. He's good at what he does.
All I need to was to shift my attention to Darkrai and wait for a moment to attack.
Ash's focus shifted to Darkrai completely, Misty realized as she observed his gaze.
"An incredible display of speed. Staraptor is playing around Darkrai's Ice Beam."
Staraptor on the other hand was twisting and spinning its way past Ice beams that kept coming one after the other to freeze the Pokémon to death.
"What's he doing?" Dawn who observed the same asked.
"Observing," Alex muttered. The girls looked at Ash's father inquisitively. "Staraptor can't dodge the Ice Beam forever. So Ash's waiting for a moment to attack Darkrai first."
"Even if it's a legendary," Professor Oak analyzed. "It can't use Ice Beam persistently."
The pursuer always slacks first before the prey. It's a general principle. The prey has its life at stake and so will be extra vigilant. So, the attacker will be the one to relax first. Darkrai was pursuing Staraptor with Ice Beam while the bird was hanging onto dear life. So it's obvious that Darkrai would the first one to make a mistake.
The slip up did happen, pretty soon. As Staraptor ducked underneath an Ice Beam and prepared to dodge another of the ice beam, Darkrai's attack stopped momentarily, out of fatigue.
"Now!" Ash yelled.
The bird which has been using a single Aerial Ace to collect its momentum slowly used the chance to release all of it. It performed the last part of Aerial Ace, 'fly through the hoop and hit the target' after having spent a lot of time doing the first step while dodging Ice Beam.
Before the Darkrai could prepare another Ice Beam, the bird hit Darkrai square on the chest, pushing the Pokémon to the ground.
"Follow it up with Close Combat!"
Staraptor dove for the falling legendary and attempted to kick Darkrai. But the legendary Pokémon used its left hand to block the kick and pushed itself to the ground, out of Staraptor's reach. The Darkrai then prevented itself from a crash by landing on its dark legs.
Seeing the chance he got, Ash ordered the final move in his arsenal, "Brave Bird!"
Staraptor tucked its wings and lunged at Darkrai but—
"Darkrai," Tobias commanded. "Dark Void, now."
Realizing the danger he was in, Ash yelled. "Spin away!"
The Darkness Pokémon created a sphere of darkness at the attacking Staraptor that was yet to collect enough momentum for Brave Bird. The bird instead spun about itself and propelled itself away from the dark sphere.
Dodging the sphere, Staraptor swooped down to the ground thanks to the momentum the aborted Brave Bird gave it. "Quick Attack!" Ash yelled.
Spreading its wings, the bird Pokémon which was now close to the ground took the straight path towards Darkrai and shot for it. The scene seemed like a repeat of what happened before but—
"I knew you'll do that," Tobias grumbled. "Darkrai, Jump!"
"Dammit!" For the first time in the battle, Ash was genuinely surprised by the move.
That was the first mistake I made in the battle.
I expected Staraptor dash for Darkrai and hit the Pokémon successfully like it had done till now. But Tobias was smart enough to avoid that situation again.
The jump resulted in a confused Staraptor which was now below, closer to the ground, while Darkrai was above it, leaving the bird vulnerable to any of Darkrai's attacks.
Tobias who was till now deeply frustrated with the way the battle was going on, didn't waste the chance at all.
The crowd went silent as they saw what was about to happen. For the first time in the battle, Darkrai had advantage over the opponent in the battle.
"He should have known better than to use the same trick again and again," Alex muttered bitterly when he saw the scene.
"Darkrai," Tobias's smirk widened with happiness. "Let's finish this annoying battle once and for all, Dark Void!"
"Staraptor is in a tight spot, is this it for Ketchum's Staraptor?!"
The legendary Pokémon lifted its hands, shaping the dark sphere as it did so.
Dawn was particularly disappointed. Ash was having the control over the battle till now. His Pokémon kept dominating the entire time. But one mistake, one mistake changed everything. Tobias's Darkrai was extremely strong, and if it were to put Staraptor to sleep. The battle would end in one shot, and everything that Ash had struggled till now will be put to naught.
"As if," Ash gritted his teeth.
It was then the blunette noticed the spark in Ash's eyes. The spark Ash always carried when he was in a tight spot.
"Staraptor," the trainer yelled at the top of his lungs. "Use Close Combat—"
Dawn realized what Ash was going to do,
"—On the ground!"
The hawk which was still frozen in surprise snapped at the trainer's command. It faced the ground spread its wings and pummeled the soft ground as hard as it could.
Darkrai's hand moved down, and the sphere was released from its hold.
Three punches on the ground, Staraptor was pushed a bit away, and then it kicked the ground one last time with right leg, this time pushing it a few more inches away.
The Dark Void passed past the bird, barely failing to touch it. As the bird kicked itself into the air, it saw the Dark Void land where it once was.
"WOW!"
The congregation of humans who have come to watch the hawk roared in response when Staraptor pulled the stunt.
Staraptor watched the look of surprise in Darkrai's and it's trainer's eyes. A smile of victory was seen on the Pokémon's beak.
"STARAPTOR!" The Pokémon let out a jubilant cry to match with the crowd.
"Awesome job, buddy!" His trainer exclaimed. "Now's your chance," he clenched his fists and pumped them in the air. "Brave Bird!"
The bird didn't needed a second word. As the legendary Pokémon watched Staraptor helplessly, the hawk tucked its wings and lunged at Darkrai. Soon the Predator Pokémon was engulfed in fire, which changed into a blue blitzing aura as it spread its wings.
The bird that looked like an incarnation of phoenix at that moment, struck Darkrai with its strongest move. The resulting collision created an explosion that engulfed either Pokémon.
Staraptor emerged out of the dust caused by the explosion. A blue spark convulsed though its body, indicating the recoil from the Brave Bird. The bird Pokémon turned towards the ground and watched the dust clear.
Meanwhile on the stands, almost everyone who watched the scene were on their feet.
"That's my son," Alex clutched onto Cilan as tears rolled down on his face. Delia patted her husband.
"I must admit," Professor Oak looked proud. "I never thought he was this good."
A festive atmosphere filled the stadium at that moment. The crowd went wild when they saw Darkrai on the ground as the dust cleared off.
"What an incredible turn of events do we have here. This is definitely a wonderful moment in the PWT, Rosenburg. I am glad to say that this is just the first match of the tourna—"
The commentator's words were stopped. The stadium that was buzzing with excitement turned silent all of a sudden.
Tobias was the only one who carried a smile at that moment. "Did you forget how difficult it is to defeat my Darkrai," the man smirked. "Ash Ketchum."
I knew it.
I knew Darkrai was far from unable to battle. That's why the referee didn't react yet.
The darkness Pokémon which most people assumed to be unconscious was back in its standing position, albeit less composed than it was at the start of the battle.
Of course. The last time we battled, Darkrai took a guts boosted Megahorn from my Heracross. Even Sceptile defeated Darkrai only because he got a critical hit on the second leaf blade. That along with the damage from Gible's Rock Smash was the reason why we managed to defeat it last time.
This battle's far from over.
"We're still going to win, Tobias," I said, giving him my best glares. As if to agree with me, Staraptor gave out a sharp cry.
Tobias closed his eyes, a satisfactory smile on his face. "I should've known you'd turn out into an excellent trainer in two years. Your progress is remarkable." He looked at me and said, "It's time I take this battle seriously."
"I'm ready to take whatever you throw," I said, clenching my fists.
So, what was he going to do? Darkrai has revealed three of its moves, and the fourth was obviously Dream Eater. So, what exactly would Tobias's next move be?
My question was answered when Tobias took out his Pokéball.
"What's he planning?" I asked, no one in general.
"Pika," Pikachu muttered, clueless.
Tobias aimed his Pokéball at Darkrai. "Return, Darkrai."
A red light came out of the ball and sucked the Pokémon inside, much to my surprise.
"He's substituting?" I was honestly caught off guard by that move.
"How incredible! Tobias has switched out Darkrai. Friends, this is the time I've ever seen Tobias switch out a Pokémon. Ash Ketchum deserves praise for that!"
The people on the stands were as surprised as Ash. "I can't believe he switched out," Brock frowned. "I thought he was someone who took pride in his Pokémon and bulldoze through teams blindly."
"It means Tobias understands the gravity of the situation," Alex said, rubbing his chin.
"If the battle had continued," Dawn said, "Staraptor would have won, right?"
"Yes," Alex nodded. "Tobias knows better than that, I guess."
Phew.
I let out a deep sigh. The mental tension from continuously being on my toes was really getting to my brain. Sweat collected all over my body, even though the sun wasn't particularly hot. I decided to take the two seconds of break for putting my mind to a rest.
"This battle's really stressing," I muttered to Pikachu, who nodded in acknowledgment.
So far we did excellent. I have studied Darkrai's battle style and decided Staraptor was my best suit. It worked, and Staraptor dominated throughout the match. But whatever Tobias sends next, I don't have a clue as for how I should deal with it. I hope it isn't a Groudon like in my dreams.
"Tobias is sending out his next Pokémon."
The commentator's words brought my eyes back to the battle. The grey-haired man who resembled his icon Pokémon Darkrai extracted another Pokéball.
"So what is it next?" I muttered under my breath. Latios? Or some other new Pokémon?
Tobias was once again in his confident mode. "What you're about to see is a Pokémon I haven't used against you yet."
Great. So what's it going to be? Please don't be Groudon!
He clenched the Pokéball and smirked. "Humph," he grunted as he tossed the ball high into the air.
The flash of light struck out of the ball and materialized a lump of a figure on the ground. The flashy lump slowly transformed into a four-legged creature, with claws that looked longer than my fingers. The head was the last to materialize. Not only did it have two vicious projections that seemed to be its fangs, it had a huge cape that flowed over its head.
The flash disappeared and the Pokémon that shaped out of it let out a beastly roar that stopped my heart for a second. The Pokémon's roar was enough to send back even the brave Staraptor scurrying in fear.
The Pokémon's powerful body cackled with static electricity that ran all over its body. The Pokémon first glared at me and Pikachu with red eyes that had a sharp glint of ferociousness in them. When it finally took a notice of Staraptor, it gave the Pokémon a glare and let out a small growl.
The Pokémon was Raikou, the legendary beast of Thunder. Its body was completely yellow with black stripes that resembled electric sparks as if to signify its electric type. It had a grey crest on its forehead, its claws were sharp enough to dig into the ground with ease.
"Okay," I muttered under my breath. "T-That's bad."
"I'm speechless! Tobias's second Pokémon is Raikou!"
Scoreboard
(1-6)Ash Ketchum - Tobias (2-6)
Staraptor - Darkrai
xxxxxxxxx- Raikou
"Seriously?" Misty blinked. "A Raikou?!"
"Oh my god," Dawn looked at the ferocious beast, wide-eyed. "I don't know if any of my Pokémon could be brave enough to fight that."
"Agreed," Cilan nodded. "That Pokémon is sending me a shiver even from this distance. I don't know how Ash is even standing there."
"Where's my camera when I need it," Delia was rummaging through her purse. "I'm missing a beautiful shot." Alex couldn't help but chuckle at that.
"Raikou huh," Professor Oak muttered as he looked at the sky rather than the Pokémon. "If my data is correct, we're about to—"
A power rumble caught everyone's attention. The sky which was perfectly clear till then suddenly turned dark as black clouds emerged out of nowhere.
"Thunder clouds!" Delia exclaimed as she took a picture of the sky. She finally found her camera. "They're so rare in Kanto."
"They're Raikou's?" Brock asked. Why would the sky suddenly be filled with thunderclouds otherwise.
"I guess," even Alex looked a bit spooked. "I don't know how my little boy is going to deal with this beast."
Have you ever stared at something with mouth so wide open that flies could go through? Well right now that's how I am staring at the wonder in front of me.
Raikou's beastly presence invited the thunderclouds in an otherwise perfect atmosphere. The thunderclouds, much like Raikou were filled with electricity that constantly created a rumbling noise. "What a monster," I muttered.
"Pika!" Even Pikachu was slightly terrified by Raikou.
Rrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwr!
Raikou let out another powerful roar that was intended to intimidate everyone around it. At the same time, the clouds rumbled and a lightning struck at the ground from the sky.
"Star!" Staraptor screamed as the thunder almost maimed the bird. The Pokémon was brave, but a lightning was something even the bravest birds were terrified of.
Just by standing there, Raikou had effectively put my Staraptor in danger.
Yeah, if this isn't a strong opponent, I am not sure what else would be. Somehow that fact pushed away the fear inside my heart.
"Alright," I smiled in excitement. "We're going to battle that super strong Raikou." My heart was trembling with exhilaration. "We're going to win, no matter what!"
The first round of the battle between Ash and Tobias ended up in a tactical victory for Ash. But things turn more dangerous when Tobias sends his next Pokémon, Raikou. How will Ash battle Raikou? Will he be able to defeat it? Or will Raikou end up sweeping through half of Ash's team.
Next Chapter: Electrifying Raikou!
Scoreboard at end of chapter—
Scoreboard
(1-6)Ash Ketchum - Tobias (2-6)
Staraptor - Darkrai
xxxxxxxxx- Raikou
Ash: Pokemon revealed: 1, Pokemon left to battle: 6
Tobias: Pokemon revealed: 2. Pokemon left to battle: 6