Disclaimer: I do not own any part of this story. All rights go to Nintendo for use of their characters, etc.
Chapter 7: A Clubsplosive Confrontation (Part 2)
"Oh man, this isn't looking good for Bianca," Ash commented glumly.
"Not at all," May agreed.
"Pika," Pikachu added, followed by a "mana" of agreement from Manaphy as both Pokémon expressed their disappointment with the impending outcome of the current battle.
Bianca and Trip had been battling it out now for almost 20 minutes, with both trainers putting up a fierce competition. Bianca's Emboar had started out strong, but soon became locked in a stalemate before Trip's Conkeldurr began making a swift comeback.
"Bianca doesn't stand a chance," Iris remarked pessimistically.
"Come on, guys. We should try to be a little more supportive than this," Cilan offered half-heartedly. But even he had to admit that Bianca was done; Trip was more or less toying with her at this point.
"Emboar, use Flamethrower!" Bianca ordered, desperate just to land a hit. Doing as he was told, Emboar released a scorching blast of fire at his Fighting-Type opponent.
"Block it, Conkeldurr!" Trip countered. Using the stone pillars he carried as a makeshift shield, Conkeldurr easily deflected the Fire-Type attack.
"Alright Conkeldurr, we've had our fun," Trip said, deliberately yawning in a bored fashion. "Let's wrap this up. Use Stone Edge."
"Dodge it, Emboar!" Bianca urged her Mega Fire Pig Pokémon as the hail of jagged rocks from the Stone Edge attack came flying towards him.
But it was over. Emboar was far too exhausted to continue. He made a half-hearted attempt to avoid Conkeldurr's Stone edge, before finally succumbing to the Rock-Type move.
"Emboar is unable to continue! Conkeldurr wins, so the winner is Trip!"
The crowd cheered as Trip returned his Conkeldurr. He shot a self-satisfied grin at Bianca, who promptly turned away and angrily stormed off.
"And that wraps up round one of the Clubsplosion!" announced Don George as Trip's picture was broadcast on the screen. "Round two will begin tomorrow, trainers. So make sure you're Pokémon are all rested up and ready to go!"
Meanwhile, a rather downcast Bianca rejoined the group, who tried to reassure her that she gave it her best shot. This was a little difficult, considering the fact that she was the only one of the group who didn't move on to the second round.
"Cheer up, Bianca. It's not the end of the world," Ash said. "Emboar performed really well, and it shows how well you've trained him. And you should be proud of yourself for that!"
"I know, it's just… why did I have to lose to him!?" Bianca roared. "His attitude pisses me off SO MUCH! He just never shuts up about how awesome he thinks he is, and-!"
"We know, we know," Ash said, trying to calm Bianca down. "Believe me, I think we all want to have a crack at him."
"No argument there," May agreed. "I barely said anything to the guy, and he immediately started belittling Manaphy and me."
"He does need a serious attitude adjustment," Iris said. "I just wonder who'll be the one to give it to him."
/-/-/
Rather than stay at the Pokémon Center that night, Ash sprung for a Pokémon-friendly hotel in downtown Ambiga Town. Seeing how nice the place was, May became a little alarmed.
"Ash, this place must cost a fortune!" she protested, especially seeing as how it was always free to stay in the Pokémon Center.
"It's actually not that bad," Ash replied. "I managed to get a discount. Besides, we're gonna be here for a little while until the tournament is over, so we may as well treat ourselves. Nothing's too good for you guys!" he finished, smiling at May and Manaphy.
"Ash, you know you don't have to do things like this to try and impress me," May sighed.
"Oh, come on!" Ash responded. "If a guy can't even treat his own girlfriend every once in a while, then what's the point?"
"Alright, alright," May conceded. "I just don't want to feel like you're wasting money on me."
"If it's spent on you, how could it be wasted?" Ash said, giving his irresistible winning grin.
"…You're a smooth talker, you know that?" May replied, moving forward as she and Ash locked lips.
"That's not all I'm smooth at," Ash replied, winking suggestively as they separated.
"Ash! Not in front of the kids!" May protested, though she couldn't help but smile and start to blush a little at Ash's innuendo.
"Alright, alright, fine!" Ash laughed. "We'll keep things clean, alright?"
"Good," May replied, though she felt her heartbeat quicken at the thought of… well… what it was that Ash had been hinting at.
After dinner, the couple and their Pokémon companions headed down to the hotel's indoor heated pool for a much-needed break after the day's action. Conveniently, they had the place to themselves, a fact which they took full advantage of. Everyone had fun, especially Manaphy, who was in his element. It felt good for the little Water-Type to be back in the water after having spent so much time out of it.
"Mana! Happy!" the Seafaring Pokémon cheered as he raced up and down the length of the pool, daring May and Ash to catch him. Even Pikachu got in on the act, jumping onto Manaphy's back and riding him around the pool.
May and Ash happily obliged their Pokémon child, playfully chasing Manaphy as he splashed and jumped around in the water. Finally, with perfect timing, Ash snagged Pikachu from Manaphy's back as the Water-Type leapt from the water and landed in May's arms, smiling broadly.
"Happy, happy!" he exclaimed, affectionately cuddling up to his mother.
"Manaphy, you are just too cute!" May laughed as Ash and Pikachu came over. "You just love to have fun, don't you?"
"Fun!" Manaphy squealed, nodding his head. "Happy fun!"
Manaphy then turned and reached for Ash, who swam over and took the little Pokémon into his arms.
"Papa! Happy! Love you!" Manaphy said sweetly, enjoying being in his father's arms as well. Ash and May both felt their hearts melt as they exchanged glances, seeing their son so happy and content to just be spending time as a family.
Any other time, Ash would have been training. He never passed up an opportunity to train, and he had wanted to train Scraggy in the use of his new move to be ready for the second round the next day. But at that moment, the thought didn't even cross his mind. Looking down at the small Pokémon that considered him its father, and staring into the eyes of the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen, Ash truly felt complete. He felt that no loss or defeat, no matter how monumental, would ever matter to him so long as May, Manaphy, and Pikachu were by his side through all of it.
Ash had always been, first and foremost, a trainer. A competitor. An aspiring Pokémon Master. But now, he knew he was something more. For the first time, his obsession with training and battling was checked.
This must be what it feels like to be a father, he mused to himself, the thought making him smile even wider. And someday, maybe I'll even know what it's like to be a husband.
The group dried off and returned to their room a few minutes later, eager to get some rest before another big day of battling tomorrow. The luxurious mattress felt heavenly to trainer and Pokémon alike as they fell asleep, with Pikachu curled up by Ash's feet and Manaphy squeezed snugly in between his parents.
/-/-/
"Welcome to day two of the Clubsplosion tournament, hosted by Don George of the Ambiga Town Battle Club!" announced the co-host as the second day of the tournament was about to get underway.
"Thank you," Don George replied. "Welcome to the second round of the Clubsplosion. If you would, please turn your attention to the main screen to see today's matchups."
All the competitors turned to intently watch the screen, anxious to see who would be facing whom.
"Alright Scraggy, be prepared to face anything," Ash said to his Dark/Fighting-Type Pokémon.
"Scrag," Scraggy replied with a determined expression.
"You too, Manaphy. Do your best, just like always," May said to her own Pokémon.
"Mana," Manaphy replied, nodding resolutely.
Finally, the trainer cards on the screen stopped shuffling as the matchups were revealed; May vs. Cilan, Ash vs. Betty, Georgia vs. Trip, and Iris vs. Montgomery.
"Looks like we're up first, May," Cilan said.
"Yeah, I guess we are," May replied nervously. Such a glaring Type disadvantage was definitely not in her favor. Nevertheless, she was going to give it her all.
"Good luck, both of you," Ash said, giving May a quick wink letting her know he was on her side.
May and Cilan nodded in response, before wishing each other luck and heading over to the battlefield.
"Please welcome our first two competitors!" Don George began as May and Cilan entered the field. "On the right, we have Striaton Gym Leader and Pokémon Connoisseur extraordinaire, Cilan!"
Cilan and Pansage stepped onto the field, bowing to the crowd as May was introduced.
"And on the left, we have the ambitious Pokémon Coordinator, whose title of 'Princess of Hoenn' is already well-known, give it up for May!"
May also stepped onto the field with Manaphy hanging from her shoulder as they both smiled and waved to the cheering crowd.
"Now trainers, begin!" shouted the ref.
"Pansage, use Bullet Seed!" Cilan ordered, eager to get the first hit in.
"Dodge it, Manaphy, and use Water Pulse!" May countered.
Manaphy successfully avoided the hail of green seeds coming towards him, before firing a ball of water at Pansage.
"Dodge and use Dig!" Cilan commanded.
Before the ball of water had a chance to reach him, Pansage swiftly burrowed beneath the ground and headed straight for Manaphy.
"Careful, Manaphy!" May warned her Seafaring Pokémon. "Watch for when Pansage surfaces, then be ready to dodge."
For a few tense seconds, Manaphy's eyes scanned his immediate vicinity. Finally, the Water-Type Pokémon was tipped off to Pansage's location as a small mound of dirt began to rise right in front of him.
"Now, Manaphy! Dodge and use Ice Beam!" May said quickly.
Reacting in a split second, Manaphy jumped away from the dirt mound just as Pansage emerged from the ground. He then proceeded to fire his Ice Beam attack, landing a direct hit on Pansage before the Grass-Type could even regain his footing.
Despite the super-effective damage inflicted on his Pokémon by Ice Beam, Cilan remained calm as he hurriedly called out his next move.
"Pansage, use Vine Whip!"
Thin green vines suddenly emerged from the palms of Pansage's hands. The Grass Monkey Pokémon firmly gripped the vines as he charged towards his Water-Type opponent, wildly swinging the vines.
"Manaphy, dodge it!" May quickly ordered.
Manaphy tried to jump away, only to have one of Pansage's vines wrap around him, bringing the small Water-Type crashing to the ground.
"Manaphy! Are you okay? Can you keep going?" May asked, a concerned look on her face.
"Ma… na. Phi!" Manaphy responded positively as he got to his feet, still energetic despite taking some damage.
May breathed a sigh of relief as she made her next move.
"Manaphy, use Water Pulse and guide it with Psychic."
Complying, Manaphy formed a pulsating orb of water and launched it at Pansage.
"Dodge it!" Cilan barked.
Pansage quickly sidestepped the incoming ball of water. However, guided by Manaphy's Psychic, the Water Pulse immediately changed direction and headed towards Pansage. Although Pansage tried in vain to avoid it, the ball of water soon connected. Although it did not do much damage to its Grass-Type target, the Water-Type move did leave Pansage confused.
"Pansage, snap out of it and use Bite!" Cilan commanded.
Pansage leapt at Manaphy, but due to his confusion, ended up going way off-target and slamming into the ground face-first.
Not wasting a second, May was already issuing her next order.
"Manaphy, finish this up with Scald!"
The Seafaring Pokémon instantly obeyed, spraying a jet of boiling water at his Grass-Type opponent. The attack landed a direct hit, bringing Pansage crumpling to the ground.
"Pansage is unable to continue! The winner is May!"
"Great work, Manaphy!" May said to her Pokémon child, who cheerfully jumped back onto her shoulder.
"You did great, Pansage. You've earned a nice long rest," Cilan said, returning Pansage to his Pokéball. He then went over to congratulate May.
"Great battle, May!" he said, holding out his hand and smiling. "You and Manaphy make a great team. The way Manaphy combines the flavors of two different moves like that always makes for a victorious taste."
"Thanks, Cilan!" May replied as she shook his hand, returning his smile. "You and Pansage did great, too. You really inspired him to keep going right to the end."
"Mana-mana-phi!" Manaphy agreed, cutely extending one of his own flipper-like arms towards Cilan, who gently shook it with a smile.
"Thank you, thank you both," the Connoisseur replied as they both headed back to where Iris was waiting. Ash was already on the move, heading towards the battlefield for his match as he and his opponent, Betty, were being introduced. He passed May on the way, who gave him a reassuring wink and a smile, which he returned with a grin and a determined nod of his head.
Once Ash had taken his place on the battlefield, he looked his opponent's Pokémon over. It bore some resemblance to the Simisage he had faced in round one, but was blue in color and had long hair which hung down around its face. He took out his Pokédex and aimed it at the unfamiliar Pokémon.
*Simipour, the Geyser Pokémon and the evolved form of Panpour. Simipour can demolish a concrete wall with the pressurized water it shoots from its tail.*
"Whoa…" Ash muttered to himself, impressed by the Water-Type's power.
"Trainers, begin!" shouted the ref.
"This'll be over before it begins," Betty said with a smirk on her face. "Panpour, use Aqua Tail!"
"Block it with Hi Jump Kick!" Ash countered. Scraggy met the stream of water in midair with his attack as neither Pokémon was backing down. Seeing that they were evenly matched, both Pokémon broke off their attacks and awaited new orders.
"This might not be as easy as I thought," Betty commented, before issuing her next order.
"Panpour, use Brick Break!"
Panpour began sprinting straight towards Scraggy, but Ash was quick enough to counter it.
"Scraggy, block it!" he commanded.
Scraggy quickly yanked the loose skin around his legs up past his neck and held it firmly in place. This shielded Scraggy from damage as Panpour's fist slammed into the Shedding Pokémon's chest. Ash was quick to follow it up as he gave his next command.
"Counterattack with Focus Blast!"
Scraggy proceeded to form a blue ball of energy between his hands before throwing it at Simipour. Unfortunately, the ball merely zigzagged through the air for a moment before falling to the ground and fizzling out pathetically.
OK, in retrospect, I probably should've spent at least a little time training last night, Ash thought, looking embarrassed.
"That was almost painful to watch," Betty taunted. "Let's just get this over with before he embarrasses himself again. Use Acrobatics!"
Simipour executed the Flying-Type attack, dealing significant damage to Scraggy as he was knocked off his feet.
"Uh-oh. This isn't looking too good," Iris remarked.
"It's not over yet. Ash will make a comeback, he always does," May replied assuredly, earning nods of agreement from both Pikachu and Manaphy.
Back on the field, Ash was urging his Dark/Fighting-Type Pokémon to continue.
"C'mon Scraggy, we need to get back in this thing! Use Leer!"
At his trainer's command, Scraggy glared threateningly at Simipour, causing the Geyser Pokémon to recoil in fear as its Defense was lowered.
"Come on, show some backbone!" Betty said, reprimanding Simipour. "Use Brick Break!"
"Use Headbutt!" Ash countered.
Both Pokémon rushed at each other, using their respective moves. Being evenly matched, the two found themselves locked in a stalemate as neither was backing down.
"Come on, Scraggy, you can do it!" Ash said, cheering his Pokémon on.
Hearing Ash's words of encouragement, Scraggy put every last bit of strength he had into the Headbutt attack. Finally, he managed to overpower Simipour, sending the Water-Type flying back.
"Quick, use Hi Jump Kick!" Ash ordered, pressing his advantage.
Leaping into the air, Scraggy extended his foot and came crashing down on his opponent, kicking up a cloud of dust. When the dust settled, Simipour was lying on its back, clearly knocked out.
"Simipour is unable to continue! The winner is Ash!"
"We did it, Scraggy!" Ash cheered.
"Scrag-scra-ggy!" Scraggy happily agreed while Ash's advancement to the semi-finals was announced.
Ash returned Scraggy to his Pokéball before heading back to rejoin his friends in the stands.
"Great battle, Ash!" Cilan said.
"Yeah, but you were cutting it a little close, don't you think?" May asked with a small laugh as she gave Ash a quick peck on the cheek.
"Hey, I gotta keep things interesting!" Ash replied, grinning roguishly. "At least this means we've both made it to the semi-finals."
"I just hope we don't end up facing each other," May responded.
"Now that would be something to see," Trip chimed in unwelcomely as he passed the group, heading down to the field for his match against Georgia. "Watching each of you trying to out-loser the other would be pretty hilarious."
May whipped around angrily and was ready to give Trip an earful, but Ash put his hand on her shoulder and shook his head, giving her the 'he's not worth it' look.
May sighed, but backed down. She knew that Ash was right, that this wasn't the right time. After Trip had been defeated, then they would both give him one hell of a telling off.
Unfortunately, it would have to wait. Just a few minutes later, Trip returned with a triumphant smile on his face after having easily defeated Georgia's Bisharp.
"Too easy!" Trip loudly boasted. "Facing a Fighting-Type with a Steel-Type? She should've seen this coming."
"Smug bastard," Iris mumbled under her breath as she prepared for her upcoming match against Mongomery.
"What was that?" Trip asked, glaring at Iris.
"Oh, nothing," she responded. "Just commenting on how hopelessly in-love you are with yourself. It's actually kinda sad."
Trip was about to retort but, seeing as how Iris was already moving towards the field and out of earshot, kept quiet as he turned and walked past the group.
"Alright Excadrill, use Drill Run!" Iris yelled as the match began.
Excadrill obediently folded into his drill form and shot through the air, heading straight for Throh.
"Stop him with Circle Throw," Montgomery coolly ordered.
Throh easily caught the Subterrene Pokémon and threw it backwards over his head, sending Excadrill crashing to the ground.
How did he do that!? Iris wondered.
"That's one powerful Fighting-Type," May commented.
"I know," Ash agreed. "It looked like Throh didn't even break a sweat!"
"Ax-ax-ew," Axew agreed.
"Mana-mana," Manaphy also agreed.
Back on the field, Excadrill was struggling to recover as he got to his feet.
"Alright, we're gonna try this again," Iris began. "Use Dig!"
Excadrill quickly tunneled underground and headed towards Throh.
"Use Superpower," Montgomery countered.
Suddenly bulking up significantly, the Judo Pokémon slammed its fists into the ground. The resulting seismic shock wave violently uprooted the soil, tossing Excadrill right out of his tunnel and onto the surface.
"Oh no," Iris moaned. This Pokémon was unbelievably powerful!
"Seismic Toss. Finish it," Montgomery ordered Throh, seemingly bored.
Throh executed the move and, just like that, the match was over.
"Excadrill is unable to continue! The winner is Montgomery!"
As the crowd cheered and applauded, Iris was left staring agape at the show of power Throh had put on. She hadn't landed a single hit, and Throh didn't look like it was exerting itself at all!
"Arceus help whichever one of us has to face him tomorrow," Ash said.
"Pi-ka-pi," Pikachu added.
"I'll say!" Iris agreed as she rejoined the group. "I didn't get a single hit in!"
"Either way, you still put up a good fight," May replied. "All of us did. For that, I think we've earned a rest. We're going to need it for tomorrow."
As the group turned and began to depart from the stadium, May grabbed Ash's arm and pulled him close as she whispered into his ear.
"And you and I," she whispered seductively, "have earned a little… alone time… later on, after the kids are asleep."
Ash grinned widely upon hearing this. Judging by the tone of May's voice, he could take a pretty good guess as to what she had in mind.
Gah. So many battles, so few synonyms for 'command'.
As always, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please leave plenty of comments and reviews. Please, don't be afraid to give me your honest feedback. If you loved it or hated it, if it made your day or completely ruined your week, please tell me! Constructive criticism is a writer's most valuable tool.
Until next time my friends, au revoir! :)