As fun as it was throwing in filler chapters to build up more background for characters, it's time to move on. Hopefully, future chapters should be at an even rate of battles and side background events. I actually have an outline of the whole story at this point, what'll be happening, how long it may take, and so on. But changes would still be viable if they can fit into my outline without changing too much.
Anyway, let's move on.
The following day…
The third round of the preliminaries continued on as usual since the week began. The battles were rough, the remaining combatants were tough, and eager fans of all ages cheered on their favorite Trainers and Pokémon to win. Many fans wondered how they, including the remaining Trainers, were so passionate over battling. For the most part, it was attributed to the rush of energy two Trainers gain in proving to be their best.
But then, there was the question of why these Trainers have been pushing themselves and their Pokémon to the limit to attain glory and recognition.
Well, some wanted the glory just because it's glory. Others truly enjoyed the fun and sport of Pokémon battling. And then there are those that have more personal reasons on wanting to become the best that ever was.
That sentiment remained in Anabel's mind as she and her Pokémon endured another training session. This session, however, was special, considering on whom she associated that sentiment with. This wasn't Greta she was training with, that much was certain. The Salon Maiden already trained with her friend this morning as a warm-up for the latter's battle. Greta made it through against another roaming Trainer with one exhausted Pokémon left. The battles were going to be tougher later on, which was why Anabel insisted to pushing herself as well.
It was almost late in the afternoon. The final evening battles were being prepared for. She glanced across the space of the large forest clearing. She was happy that he continued to allow her to train with him at least a couple times, if not once, per week. He's been opening up and looking like his former self, as far as she saw it.
Despite how worn out her Metagross was from the training and how the opponent Corphish was still zealous on continuing on regardless of showing the same external weariness, Anabel had to admit that this hard training was becoming fun for her. Her Pokémon also shared similar sentiments despite being pushed to the point of exhaustion. She then looked to the side where Alakazam and Starmie were both sitting on a fallen tree log, still trying to recover their stamina. It wasn't too surprising that their opponent was also Corphish from the beginning.
"Corphish is certainly more energetic than before in addition to being stronger," Anabel commented lightly. "I'm surprise it didn't evolve from all this training you've been doing the past year, Ash."
"… Mm," Ash merely shrugged while Corphish cheerfully responded to the compliment with raised pincers.
Anabel kept an amused smile to herself. While Ash didn't necessarily force some of his Pokémon to evolve, some of them simply chose to do so. It wasn't her business to know everything on how he trained his Pokémon, but it still interested her on how he went about the past year training to take down Team Rocket.
"I think I'm going to call it a day, but thank you for letting me train with you again," Anabel announced, recalling Metagross and her remaining Pokémon resting by the side back into their Poké Balls. "Would you mind walking with me back to the Pokémon Center? You should at least let Corphish have a checkup before you go back to training."
"… Sounds good to me," Ash concurred, recalling Corphish back as Pikachu took his place on his Trainer's shoulder.
*Rumble*
Anabel's ears perked up. She turned her head about to where that low noise came from, which happened to be in Ash's direction. The Pallet Town Trainer peculiarly looked to the side, forcing the edge of his cap over his eyes. The knowing look from Pikachu indicated something.
"Ash, is there something wrong?" Anabel asked.
Before he could say something, Pikachu answered in his stead in a rather cheeky mood. Anabel merely blinked a few times while Ash gave the Mouse Pokémon a brief glare before letting it go with a light sigh.
"… It's good that we're going back to the Pokémon Center," Ash spoke up. "… I really need a bite to eat."
"Then what are we waiting for? I'm pretty hungry myself," Anabel said readily.
"I guess there are some things that don't change after all," a new voice interrupted.
Both Anabel and Ash turned to where the newcomer was. They both recognized the deep and somewhat condescending voice and were mildly surprised that they would encounter him at this time of all places. The only thing was that they found that he wasn't alone. He and another stood out of the side of the field.
"Paul," Anabel stated.
"… And Sabrina…?" Ash continued off.
"It's been a while since we've seen either of you around, not counting battles," Sabrina greeted. "I hope you two have been well. It's also nice to see you two in such friendly terms."
"… What do you mean by that?" Ash asked.
*Whoosh*
Before the Pallet Town Trainer could receive his answer, a random cold breeze passed through him and Pikachu. It was a strange phenomenon, but the cold didn't really bother them. However, an immediate instinct told him to look to his left.
"HAWN-TAH!"
"… …!"
Ash stumbled back silently, but caught his footing before falling back. These recent surprises were really keeping him on the edge, but then again, he remembered this Pokémon well enough on how bizarre and logically defying its pranks and jokes were. This prank was rather tame as it only wore some weird scary white demon mask over its own face.
"Haw Haw Haw!"
"… Haunter, good to see you too," Ash said, bearing a small sincere smile.
The Gas Pokémon then discarded the mask and nuzzled its whole body against its old human friend and Pikachu, extremely happy to be with them again. Anabel smiled for them after recovering from Haunter's brief scare. Sabrina was pleased while Paul appeared indifferent, subtly hiding a warm curl of his lip to the side.
"Haunter really misses hanging with you and hopes to see you more outside of battling," Sabrina mentioned. "I think it's becoming bored with me now."
"Probably because you refuse to invite Haunter to your tea parties," Paul remarked offhandedly.
"You know, my psychic powers haven't been active for a while and are itching to do more to you than simply drop your pants down in public," Sabrina replied with a devilish glint in her eye. "It'll only take the right words to stimulate my powers into action. It's your choice, Paul."
Paul metaphorically felt a large drop of sweat slide down the back of his head as he continued to look at the Saffron City Gym Leader.
"I guess you're not above pranks as that Haunter of yours," Paul muttered dryly. "Remind me how I wound up with you 'helping' me to prepare against Brandon."
"Hey, even I enjoy a good joke now and again. As for the matter of Brandon, you know very well how I can see what you cannot see as of yet."
"Right…"
"Um, excuse us," Anabel intervened, waving a hand over to them. "Not to pry, but what are you guys up to?"
"Paul's actually getting ready for his match this evening," Sabrina answered. "If I'm not mistaken, it's against one of your colleagues, the calculating and logical Factory Head of Sinnoh, Thorton."
"That's right," Anabel mumbled in realization. "I thought the match already took place earlier."
"It didn't," Paul spoke up, briefly looking at Anabel before resting his gaze on Ash. "Sabrina, however, insisted I get something to eat before heading off to battle."
"Many great a Trainer have fallen to the weakness known as hunger," Sabrina stated sagaciously, clasping her hands in front of her solemnly while giving a tentative bow. "You've had all day to prepare. You should at least keep your energy levels high when they're really needed."
Anabel stifled a giggle while Paul rolled his eyes. However, the both of them and Sabrina gave their attention to Ash as he took a few steps forward with Haunter floating over the side opposite of where Pikachu was.
"… Let's go together," Ash suggested openly, much to the three's initial surprise.
"Yeah, we're all heading to the same direction, aren't we?" Anabel followed up with the intent of getting Ash to open up a bit more to others. "Let's get something to eat and then watch Paul's battle."
"Sounds like a wonderful idea," Sabrina concurred before facing Paul. "How do you feel about the extra company?"
"Whatever you want, it's not that big of a deal to me," Paul replied with a careless shrug, hands stuffed into his pockets. "But by the looks of things, it seems that you now have plenty to write about for that Trainer relationship dissertation of yours with those two finally giving you something to work with."
"'Dissertation'?" Anabel repeated, having been unable to catch the rest of what Paul said. "What are you two talking about?"
"Did I mention I'm taking classes in Pokémon psychology?" Sabrina suddenly shared.
Later…
The final rounds for the day were taking place in all of the stadiums almost simultaneously. As populated as each specialized field stadium was even during the evening, the main regular battlefield was filled up the most with various spectators and Pokémon fans. The great fervor and enthusiasm, however, was shared practically equally among all five stadiums.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the center stadium as we hold today's final match-up!" the announcer exclaimed, inciting more spirit from the fans. "I've sat in and watched all the battles that have taken place here in this fine field. No tricks or special gimmicks here, just some good old-fashioned head-to-head battling, except for Pokémon that can fly or burrow underground. Let's hope this match can finish this day with a bang!"
"YEAH! WOO!" various audience members shouted.
"We have two Trainers known for their brilliance and cunning in battle, so this round should exceed all expectations," the announcer continued. "The center stadium is big enough to host even a concert, so we're in for quite a rumble as both these Trainers are said to hail all the way from the Sinnoh region." At that moment, the Trainer boxes opened up and the chosen combatants rose up on their platforms. "Please give a warm welcome to our first Trainer, Paul of Veilstone City, and his opponent, a major representative of the Sinnoh Battle Frontier, Factory Head Thorton!"
Animated cheering filled the center stadium again as both Trainers made their appearance and stared each other done. In contrast to the many fans surrounding them, their momentary staring contest was certainly anything but emotional. Calculating icy-blue eyes were locked against hardened black eyes in a battle of superiority.
"As the Factory Head of the Sinnoh Frontier, I've done enough research to know that you're quite the accomplished Pokémon Trainer," Thorton began, his tone monotonous and robotic. "It was an easy task for me to gather everything about you since you've originated in Sinnoh, from your accomplishments in various competitions and Conferences you were a part of to the Pokémon you currently have under your possession."
"Hmph, it's like I told this other Trainer," Paul countered, unaffected by the supposed advantage his opponent had. "Data's one thing, but overestimating your ability by basing it off of statistics only will backfire on you in the end."
"Really? Because with your current statistics as they are now, you wouldn't even last against someone like… should I say, Pyramid King Brandon? " Thorton taunted.
"…" Paul growled.
"Yes, with the Pokémon I have selected for this battle, I can measure up to his style in battle and take whatever you throw at me," Thorton declared.
Paul merely narrowed his glare and took out a Poké Ball. He'll find out for himself if this Frontier Brain would actually measure up to Brandon. It would be perfect to test his skills here if that was the case.
Seated around center row…
"I can tell that Thorton is as tough as he carries himself to be," Sabrina mused as the field referee began to announce the standard three-on-three battle rules. "It'll be difficult for even me to predict who'll be the victor this round."
"How does your future foresight work, Sabrina?" Anabel asked.
Having chosen to sit in the middle, the Salon Maiden unconsciously leaned back on her seat to allow Ash to observe and listen in. Pikachu and Haunter sprung out on either side of his shoulders, also curious on what was being talked about.
"It's like this: depending on a Trainer's will power and prowess in battle, if my own power exceeds theirs or is at least equal to theirs, then the vision of the outcome would be somewhat clear," Sabrina explained, briefly looking down to the battlefield. "However, power levels tend to fluctuate spontaneously to the point that I cannot keep track of what's going to happen next. It also would wind up as a burden to me as it would also hinder my own concentration in battle. That's how I would sometimes lose in Gym battles when a tide of reversal rises up for my opponent and I could no longer measure his or her abilities."
"I can see that happen," Anabel commented. "But since you mentioned from the beginning that you couldn't see who'll win, does that mean…?"
"Yes, both Paul and Thorton have exceeded my vision," Sabrina answered, turning to the Salon Maiden with a surreptitious smile. "For now… After all, they're not the only ones who can get stronger."
"Hawn-tah!" Haunter agreed wholeheartedly, giving a thumbs-up.
"Trainers, choose your first Pokémon!" the referee announced.
"Let's test you out," Thorton muttered, taking the first draw. "Ledian, to the field!"
"Hariyama, stand by for battle!"
Thorton's Ledian was the first to emerge and take form on the field. It hovered a few feet off the ground as it saw its opponent taking its large form. Ledian was not intimidated by the rough grunts and hand stances Hariyama took as it prepared for battle.
"And so the first round is Ledian versus Hariyama," the commentator for the match announced after taking his place high up. "It would seem that Thorton has the type advantage as Fighting-type moves are not very effective on Bug and Flying-types, but we'll see what Paul has up in his sleeves to handle this round."
"Let the battle begin!" the referee declared, raising a flag to his left. "Paul gets the first move!"
"You're going to need it if you want to compensate for your type disadvantage," Thorton added smugly. "It's time to see what you've got if you can somehow outwit my intelligence."
"You're going to eat those words," Paul promised darkly, thrusting an arm forward to issue the first command. "Hariyama, Arm Thrust! Let's go!"
With astonishing quickness, Hariyama dashed forward with large hands spread out, ready to swat its opponent out of the sky. Ledian simply hovered in place, cautiously observing the Arm Thrust Pokémon's every movement. Through the way it carried itself as it analyzed Hariyama, there was no doubt that it was one of Thorton's Pokémon.
"Ree!" Ledian buzzed, flying back as to avoid a direct hit on the first strike.
Hariyama was able to strike one of its legs on the first Arm Thrust, but continued its determined assault. It swatted various outer parts on Ledian's body, such as its legs and extra arms, but was unable to touch its torso. Despite the hits, Ledian gave no indication of pain.
"Hariyama starts off strong with a furious Arm Thrust, roughing up Ledian for a bit," the commentator narrated.
"Now use Force Palm!"
"It looks like this one needs a bit of debugging," Thorton remarked, smirking coolly. "Let's speed up the process a bit for better efficiency. Ledian, use Agility!"
Hariyama sent a Force Palm overhead, only for Ledian to evade at the last second. The Arm Thrust Pokémon struck the ground instead. Looking back up, it noticed Ledian flying about much faster than before, leaving behind brief, blurry afterimages as the Five Star Pokémon circled about the field. Ledian's body also momentarily flashed a blue light after completing a few full laps around Hariyama.
"Ledian will be harder to hit with that Agility raising up its speed," the commentator noted.
"This program is close to perfection," Thorton remarked, watching Hariyama simply stand in place as his Ledian continued picking up speed. "The opposition has come to a halt. Time to make sure things run smoothly from here on out. Ledian, keep on using Agility!"
"Ledian's just going to get faster," Anabel pointed out. "At this rate, it'll be almost impossible to land a hit."
"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Sabrina replied. "Everything has a limit, including how much of a speed raise Agility would give. Thorton's Ledian will peak at some point, and that's when Paul will strike."
"So he's just biding his time instead of going on the offense for a change?"
"Paul may be tough, but not reckless. He knows his Hariyama's limitations, so the both of them will wait until Ledian lets its guard down."
Ash silently observed Ledian's rate as a knowing look formed in his face. As Sabrina predicted, the Five Star Pokémon had reached its peak of speed. Of course, it became more obvious to the rest when Ledian stopped glowing from the stat raise.
"Let's return an attack in kind," Thorton announced. "Use Comet Punch!"
All four of Ledian's fists were ablaze in energy. It was the last image Hariyama saw of the menacing opponent before suddenly finding itself thrown off balance. Something struck it in the face. Eyes were barely open when Hariyama saw Ledian's personage for an instant before it seemingly disappeared again.
Hariyama's eyes bulged wide open upon being struck in the back. Before long, every side of the Arm Thrust Pokémon was relentlessly knocked about.
"And now Hariyama's reduced to being a punching bag for Ledian's fast-paced Comet Punch!" the commentator exclaimed. Various fans watched intently, wondering how Hariyama's Trainer was going to escape from this mess, if at all possible. "Folks, this has certainly topped the earlier Arm Thrust we saw."
Paul observed neutrally as Hariyama continued enduring through the assault of the Five Star Pokémon. Ledian had already reached its maximum speed after a few uses of Agility. He knew full well of this strategy as he played it out at least a few times in the past with his Ninjask. Hariyama stopped stumbling from the Comet Punch hits and held its hands up to absorb the remaining blows while keeping its sight on the swift Ledian.
It was all going according to plan.
"I dare say that I feel amused by all this," Thorton said. "Even an emotion as small as this must be terminated before it takes the chance to cloud my judgment. Ledian, another round of Comet Punch!"
"I thought so," Paul muttered, forming a crooked smirk of his own. Ledian flew in a straightforward path. "Hariyama, Force Palm!"
Seeing what its Trainer saw, Hariyama allowed Ledian to fly in close with a pair of blazing fists wound back in preparation to strike. All at the same time, the Arm Thrust Pokémon charged up another Force Palm behind it. Ledian didn't see it until a shockwave of energy blasted it in the face as it had arrived with a new barrage of Comet Punches. In addition, the extra strength from Hariyama's large hand easily knocked the smaller Pokémon back.
Ledian quickly regained its balance in the air, only to cringe in pain as energy from the Force Palm immediately started to crackle around its entire body.
"What's this?" Thorton gaped. "A glitch in my program?!"
"Now Ledian's been knocked down a peg by that planned out Force Palm," the commentator announced. "In addition, it looks like it's been paralyzed after one hit. It's now fallen in Paul's favor this round."
"How could this have happened?" Thorton questioned in disbelief. "Ledian should've been fast enough to avoid any kind of attack you threw at it."
"I'm no stranger to that particular tactic you just pulled," Paul answered coolly. "Of course you would've gotten an upper hand with the initial speed boost, but Ledian was bound to plateau at some point. With the addition of your overconfidence in your data, that was when we decided to strike."
"I guess Paul did turn it around like you said, Sabrina," Anabel commented, impressed on how patient the Veilstone City Trainer was in waiting for the time to counterattack. "Ledian's paralyzed."
"… Too easy," Ash mused, eliciting a look from the Salon Maiden.
"Ash is right, something doesn't feel right," Sabrina added.
All three observed the field closely, even though there wasn't much of a change between the Pokémon since Hariyama landed the Force Palm paralysis on Ledian.
"Now use Smelling Salts!"
Hariyama stomped forward with a peculiarly glowing hand raised high. Ledian was still able to fly, but was unable to push itself to move into another direction. The paralysis seized control of its ability to move at the moment.
*Swat*
Ledian bounced along the ground, dragging its limbs in an effort to stop it from tumbling back further. The Five Star Pokémon was on its knees, feeling very sore all over as a result of being on the receiving end of a blunt Smelling Salts attack. Its body was numb, but in a different way than the manner that its previous paralysis had made it suffer.
Speaking of paralysis…
"You were hoping to knock out Ledian on one go with Smelling Salts," Thorton deduced, having seen a brief look of frustration on Paul's face before shrugging it off the second after. "With Ledian paralyzed from your previous attack, which doubled the offensive power Smelling Salts would have inflicted on my Pokémon. However, one hundred percent side effect for a Pokémon surviving through Smelling Salts would be being cured of its paralysis."
On that note, along with a smirk from the Sinnoh Factory Head, Ledian managed to climb back into the air despite how battered and worn out it looked. Many fans were astonished by the quick recovery after a strike like the one Hariyama had sent.
"It looks like Ledian managed to endure Hariyama's Smelling Salts, and on top of that, is now free of its paralysis," the commentator announced. "However, it also looks like Ledian is barely hanging on while Hariyama has enough endurance to outlast it. What will Thorton do?"
"You people talk too much," Paul remarked. "Hariyama, wrap this up with Heavy Slam!"
"Harie!" Hariyama grunted, slapping its hands on its legs and taking one huge stomp with each leg.
A bright yellow aura emanated all around Hariyama's body. Those that were nearby could feel the pressure exerting from the Arm Thrust Pokémon. Before long, Hariyama leapt several feet high in the air and positioned itself over the weakened Ledian. With its looming shadow casted over the Five Star Pokémon, Hariyama dove down at a rate faster than when it had jumped.
"No, you don't! Ledian, Baton Pass!"
The last thing anyone saw of Ledian was it conjuring up a red baton made of energy in one hand and pointing it right back at Thorton right as Hariyama landed right where the Five Star Pokémon was stationed.
The Heavy Slam impact caused a bit of tremoring throughout the whole center stadium. Everyone in their seats held on to the edges and to each other right as the tremor calmed down. Both Thorton and Paul had managed to establish firm footing as they managed to withstand the aftershock without falling over.
"And that's why that move is called 'Heavy Slam,' folks," the commentator joked. "But did Ledian survive the attack?"
"Of course it did," Thorton said simply, holding up a Poké Ball.
Every spectator seated around the stadium glanced down to where Hariyama was. Sure enough, there was no one else within the crater that the Arm Thrust Pokémon made upon impact. Paul was not pleased, yet at the same time, appeared interested.
"You had Baton Pass as a backup," Paul stated. "It allowed Ledian to make its escape back to you safe."
"That's one benefit of Baton Pass as you seem to be aware of," Thorton replied, pulling out another Poké Ball while putting away Ledian's. "But I'm not about to let all the hard work that my Ledian has complied go to waste. Magnezone, go!"
The Magnet Area Pokémon took its place on the field in front of Hariyama, by which the latter quickly retreated back to its side with one leap. All three of Magnezone's eyes appeared to be glaring at the opponent that nearly defeated its teammate.
"You've seen it here, folks, that Ledian managed to pull off a Baton Pass before being squashed by that Heavy Slam," the commentator reiterated as Ledian's picture on the main scoreboard slightly dimmed and the slot below it lit up with the image of Thorton's second Pokémon. "This means Thorton has substituted Ledian and revealed his second Pokémon to be Magnezone."
"Magnezone, what an interesting choice to send out," Sabrina observed.
"Magnezone is a combination of Electric and Steel, and because of that, it's weak against Fighting-types," Anabel continued. "Thorton must have something planned as usual if he's actually risking a type disadvantage."
"I'll start the compiling this time," Thorton announced. "Magnezone, use Lock-On!"
The red pupil of Magnezone's center eye lit up and released a ring of light that immediately attached itself in front of Hariyama's chest. It marked the Arm Thrust Pokémon as a red target.
"That's not going to stop us," Paul called out. "Hariyama, Force Palm!"
"Dodge it!"
Hariyama jumped high into the air to strike down Magnezone, only for the Magnet Area Pokémon to suddenly disappear into a blur. Hariyama's eyes widened and released its attack into the ground to prevent it from sliding forward from the misfire.
"But how?!"
"Do you see it yet? The success of my compilation?"
"What I saw was Magnezone getting out of the way with speed similar to… Ledian's! So it did work after all."
Paul scowled as he watched Thorton's Magnezone basically mock him as it floated about around Hariyama with astonishing speed. Most Magnezone that he encountered in the past were not usually this fast unless they used a move that boosted their speed stat. He now realized how this Magnezone received its increased speed.
"Folks, I've never seen such a speedy Magnezone before," the commentator remarked. "Could this be the aftereffect of Baton Pass?"
"You all catch on pretty quickly," Thorton noted, amused. "Not only did Baton Pass allow Ledian to be safely recalled, it also allows all stat changes it experienced during its time to be passed over to the next Pokémon chosen to take its place. Those stat changes basically included all of the speed raises from Agility. After all, normal substitutions would eliminate all stat changes, good or bad, so I calculated that the best way to get an advantage would be to have my other Pokémon inherit from the main parent that has the stats increase."
"So Magnezone received Ledian's speed boosts through Baton Pass," Paul repeated to himself. "At least this Frontier Brain claims to know what he's actually doing. This battle just got interesting."
"Now Magnezone, Zap Cannon!"
"Force Palm!"
Hariyama dashed towards Magnezone once more with another Force Palm as it was charging up electricity for Zap Cannon. The crackling electrical orb formed in front of Magnezone's center eye right as Hariyama entered in attacking range.
Feeling confident, Hariyama attempted to take down the attack first and have it bounce back against its opponent with the added power of its Force Palm. However, it never expected Magnezone to simply duck below right as it threw its hand overhead. It took less than a second for Hariyama to register its second failed attack as it felt a Zap Cannon striking against its torso and sending it flying in the air.
"Conclude this run-through with Magnet Bomb!"
Magnezone's magnets sparked up. Light blue electricity flowed about, forming several small orbs at once. Without hesitation, the Magnet Area Pokémon unleashed the barrage of its orbs right into the airborne Hariyama.
The conglomeration that was Magnet Bomb resulted in a mighty explosion that essentially spelled out Hariyama's ultimate fate. The Arm Thrust Pokémon fell out of the hazy aftermath, with some smoke still dissipating off of its body, and landed on its back with a heavy thud. The look of its swirled eyes confirmed it all.
"Hariyama is unable to battle!" the referee declared, raising Thorton's flag. "Magnezone wins!"
"Paul is now down one Pokémon with Thorton taking the lead," the commentator narrated as Hariyama's image blackened. "Magnezone on its own appears to be a formidable threat, but with the gift of speed Ledian left behind, I can't help but wonder how Paul's going to turn this around."
"Hariyama, return," Paul muttered, recalling his fallen Fighting-type Pokémon. "Good work out there." He quickly put the initial loss behind him, deciding now that he knew enough on how to handle Magnezone. "Magmortar, stand by for battle!"
Paul's second Poké Ball released a Pokémon that didn't appear as large as the one before it. Its body traits, specifically its colors as well as the features from the top of its head and shoulders, could easily identify it as a Fire-type. However, what really defined it was the shifty grin its large pink lip seemed to produce.
"Paul's second Pokémon is Magmortar," the commentator pointed out with Magmortar's image lighting up underneath Hariyama. "This Fire-type Pokémon also has a type advantage over Magnezone, but will it be enough to compensate against Magnezone's speed?"
"I'll give you this, you sure know the basics of Pokémon types," Thorton quipped. "Magnezone, use Thunderbolt!"
"Magmortar, Flamethrower!"
The two powerful elemental streams collided at the center of the field, striving to push back the other. Magnezone furiously generated as much electricity as possible from its magnets while Magmortar kept its arm cannons aligned towards its single direction. The heated power struggle eventually ended with a loud explosion. The resulting smoke shrouded both sides from one another.
"Those powerful attacks have resulted with this thick haze," the commentator narrated. "Both Pokémon are hidden in sight. I wonder who's going to get the first jump on the other."
"Magnezone, use Magnet Bomb! It'll find Magmortar regardless of where it's hiding!"
"Magmortar, Rock Tomb!"
Magnezone flew out of the smoke and conjured up its Steel-type attack. It threw the orbs up into the air, by which they were pulled into a particular direction due to certain forces of magnetism on the field. The Magnet Bomb had just pinpointed Magmortar's location underneath the smoke.
Thorton smirked to himself. Even though the move itself won't cause much damage to Magmortar, at least the Magnet Bomb would flush it out of hiding. Magnezone's attack slipped through the smoke, seemingly found its target as a few minor explosions resulted from the confirmed collision. The shockwaves blew away the rest of the smoke from the battlefield.
"Illogical!" Thorton cried out, eyes widened from the revelation.
"Magmortar seems to be unscathed from Magnezone's attack," the commentator indicated as the Blast Pokémon was revealed to be in the same condition as before. "The Magnet Bomb got rid of the smoke, but it looks just about it."
"I knew you would use Magnet Bomb regardless if it was effective or not, just to find out where Magmortar was," Paul explained. "That's why I had Magmortar protect itself with Rock Tomb while underneath that smoke."
"And the Magnet Bomb simply destroyed the Rock Tomb," Thorton concluded in a mumble before resuming his calculating look. "Perhaps Magmortar wasn't hurt this time, but now it's wide open to attack. Magnezone, Lock-On!"
"Use Smog!"
Magmortar was quicker to react by releasing a thick gray smoke of filthy gases from its mouth, shrouding itself from the sight of the opposing side once more. Before losing complete visual contact, Magnezone was able to release a red ring that scanned the field before finding its target and marking Magmortar on its chest as was done with Hariyama previously. The Smog had covered a good portion of the battlefield, mostly on Paul's side.
"Paul has decided to bring back a new cover through the use of Smog," the commentator narrated. "But Smog itself would have no effect on Magnezone."
"… Interesting," Ash muttered.
"What was that?" Anabel asked, having heard the Pallet Town Trainer mumble something.
"He's just interested on the moves that Paul has planned out to take out that Magnezone," Sabrina surmised. "Paul's been learning more and more on how to improvise on moves he has, leading to sorts of unpredictable combinations. Frankly, he has you to thank for giving him direction, Ash."
"… He takes what he experiences and uses it for himself… …Sounds about right," Ash concluded.
Anabel merely smiled to herself, content that Ash was becoming more comfortable in the presence of others. It was evident that he tried to be humorous with his last statement.
"Smog is nothing more than a virus that's easily isolatable," Thorton waved off. "Magnezone, get in that Smog and use Zap Cannon! We're ending this now."
Magnezone did as commanded and swiftly dove into the thick, filthy smoke. The Poison-type attack had no effect on the Electric and Steel-type Pokémon. Paul hid a smirk behind. It fell for the trap.
"Now Magmortar, use Flamethrower!"
Out of the Smog leapt out Magmortar as it readily aimed its arm cannons downward and released a powerful barrage of flames. Thorton gasped, quickly catching on what was about to happen while mentally slapping himself hard on the forehead for allowing himself to basically walk into the trap with foolhardy arrogance.
The Smog immediately turned into a miniature inferno that ignited upon contact from the Flamethrower. Everything that the filthy smoke had covered instantly erupted into vicious flames. Magnezone was caught dead center of the trap, buzzing and sputtered from the heavy and super effective damage it was receiving.
"The tables have turned on Thorton and Magnezone as Magmortar had lured them in with a harmless Smog, only to turn it into a field of flames upon ignition!" the commentator exclaimed, accompanied with loud cheers over the excitement of the battle turning up. "Smog, being as combustible as it is, would prove to be a deadly fire trap, as you all can see from here, ladies and gents."
"I knew I couldn't hit Magnezone with the speed it gained from Ledian's Baton Pass, which was why I had to lure it in first to make it easier to hit," Paul admitted. "With Smog covering a good portion of area, all Magnezone had to do was go in deep enough so that it wouldn't be able to escape once I sprung the trap."
"Geez, and I thought I was a brilliant strategist," Thorton scoffed. "I'm not going to fall for these parlor tricks anymore."
Magnezone managed to float out of the fiery pit it was trapped in, black scorch marks besmirching its once lustrous steel covering. The burning damage was, however, too much to bear as it then collapsed on the ground just as the flames from Magmortar's attack died down. All three eyes expressed fatigue, their pupils basically swirling.
"And Magnezone is down!" the commentator exclaimed.
"Magnezone is unable to battle!" the referee declared. "Magmortar wins!"
"Now the score has been evened out with both Thorton and Paul down to two Pokémon each," the commentator announced. "Now who will Thorton send out next to battle against Paul's Magmortar?"
"Magnezone, return," Thorton said, recalling his defeated Pokémon into its Poké Ball while pulling out the decided Pokémon. "Top-notch work as always, Magnezone. Now back online, Ledian!"
Ledian emerged out of the bright light of the Poké Ball, appearing ready to battle again. However, the moment it had descended into fighting position on the field, the Five Star Pokémon was breathing rather heavily.
"And Ledian returns to the field," the commentator declared as Ledian's image on the Trainer scoreboard was relit. "Ledian appears to still be carrying over leftover damage from its last battle against Hariyama. But this time, it's at a major type disadvantage against Magmortar."
"Just what do you plan to do now?" Paul demanded. "I know all of Ledian's moves, as well as how close to its limit is. It won't get far from my attacks."
"Are you sure you know all of Ledian's attacks?" Thorton retorted, causing Paul to realize something. Seeing the brief look of surprise on the Veilstone City Trainer's face, Thorton decided to humor him more. "I still have one more move to test out on you and initialize my way to victory."
"Then try it!"
"Now Ledian, start with Agility! Keep on using it while keeping an eye out for oncoming attacks!"
"Knock it out of the sky with Rock Tomb!"
In spite of low stamina, Ledian was able to pick back its lost speed from the mid-match substitution. At the meantime, Magmortar was launching out orbs into the air that formed into large boulders grouped into small clusters with the intent of trapping Ledian. With its former fast speed returned, Ledian was able to evade several attempts of Rock Tomb.
"This match is becoming decisive for Ledian," the commentator indicated. "How much longer can it hold out against the Rock Tomb barrage?"
"Ree…!" Ledian grunted, cringing in pain and coming to a halt in midair.
Thorton saw how close to the limit Ledian was pushing itself. This momentary setback had just left it wide open for the final set of Rock Tomb that Magmortar had just fired.
"Time to move onto the next set of tactics," Thorton mused. "Ledian, Silver Wind!"
Ledian became alert upon hearing the command. It took its stance against the falling boulders before unleashing a strong narrow gust of glittering wind from the heavy beating of its wings. The Silver Wind was able to burst through the Rock Tomb, but was not powerful enough to destroy the attack.
The Five Star Pokémon moved itself a few spaces, positioning itself right exactly underneath the wider opening it made from the incoming Rock Tomb. The boulders passed on by as Ledian slipped through the enlarged eye of the attack.
"What?!" Paul grunted, baffled on how Ledian survived Magmortar's attack.
"Quick, Ledian! Use Silver Wind again!"
Ledian released another Silver Wind gust, this time aiming and striking Magmortar in the dead center. The Blast Pokémon barely budged from the impact, standing firm while taking on the ongoing Bug-type attack.
"Flamethrower!"
"Dodge it!"
Magmortar rose up one arm cannon and unleashed a concentrated stream of flames that easily broke Silver Wind apart. The moment, however, was slow enough for Ledian to make an escape with its great speed before the flames reached it.
As Ledian reached a safe distance away from Magmortar's range, its body briefly illuminated red. The glow appeared similar to when it had been using Agility to raise its speed stat. Thorton gave a peculiar expression upon seeing this.
"The probability was low, but it finally happened," Thorton concluded.
"He waited for Silver Wind's secondary effect," Paul deduced. "Is he seriously going to rely on stats and probability for the whole battle? How predictable."
"Ladies and gents, you're witnessing here Silver Wind's seldom seen second effect," the commentator explained. "At random moments after using Silver Wind, the user gains a major stats boost in all categories, from physical attack and defense to special attack and defense. And if I'm not also mistaken, speed also receives a leveling boost. Thorton sure knows how to bring out a Pokémon's inner power, but that comes as the responsibility of being a Factory Head for the Battle Frontier."
"Like Noland, I let challengers choose which Pokémon of mine to battle with," Thorton continued proudly. "That, of course, puts me on my toes. I must be ready to seek any solution as quickly as I can in order to properly test Trainers challenging the Battle Frontier. Now then, shall we resume the program?"
"Don't let Ledian get away!" Paul commanded. "Smog!"
"You have no chance. Baton Pass!"
During the exposition of Silver Wind, Magmortar had stealthily gotten closer to where Ledian was while the audience members were preoccupied by Silver Wind's effects to the point that they started discussing it with one another. The Blast Pokémon leapt high and took a deep breath. Ledian conjured up another red energy baton and gave it a showy twirl.
As Magmortar spewed out its Smog, Ledian began converting into red energy, signifying its retreat into its Poké Ball. The Smog had already enveloped the space it was in. Paul observed intently that Ledian gave a quick cough right as its whole body changed into energy. Violet sparks crackled about before Ledian's form sought its way back to the Sinnoh Factory Head.
That did the trick, Paul thought with a flat smirk.
Thorton held up two Poké Balls. One was where Ledian's form retreated into. The other Poké Ball received Ledian's boosted power from Agility and Silver Wind. Thorton gave a quick, thankful nod to Ledian's Poké Ball before putting it away and prepared his third Pokémon.
"You're all I've got now. Go, Houndoom!"
Taking over for Ledian was a Pokémon most notably dark and feral. Its black fur, sharp pointed horns, overall wicked skeletal motif, and infamous eerie howls had created the rumors of this Pokémon being a personification of death itself. As such, it gave off a bone-chilling howl upon making its appearance on the field. The audience members sitting at the front were both amazed and frightened. Paul and Magmortar stood firm and undaunted.
"And Thorton's final Pokémon is Houndoom," the commentator announced. "This matchup of a Fire-type against another Fire-type should be interesting."
"Once Houndoom is done for, your Ledian is in no shape to continue battling," Paul pointed out. "As useful as it was in the beginning in having Ledian boost its stats just so it can pass them over to its teammates using Baton Pass, you rendered it unable to properly defend itself in a one-on-one battle. Your belief in statistics and probability alone will be your downfall."
"You shouldn't make such assumptions, especially since the battle is barely passing the halfway point," Thorton countered. "Besides, it's as the layman would say: 'If it isn't broken, don't fix it.' Anyway, I still have two Pokémon and you still have two Pokémon. If there's anything for you to focus on now, do it with my Houndoom. Just a friendly warning since the odds are still on my favor: I highly do not recommend using Fire attacks on Houndoom, if you catch my drift."
"I wasn't really planning on it anyway," Paul stated bluntly.
"Let the battle continue!" the referee declared.
"Let's speed this process with a bit of extra heat. Houndoom, use Sunny Day!"
Houndoom conjured a bright fiery sphere in its muzzle before releasing it high into the evening sky. It wasn't quite dark yet, but the Sunny Day essentially created a makeshift sun high above the stadium that shone as bright as the afternoon phase. Even the radiating heat could be felt as the effects of Sunny Day took place.
"So much for getting ready to finish for the day and head off to bed," the commentator jested. "Houndoom has opened up with Sunny Day, which is known to boost the power of Fire-type attacks."
"He's certainly not hiding his intention of goading me into using Fire attacks," Paul remarked, looking at the brightened sky. "It's not going to matter to me either way. Magmortar, Rock Tomb!"
"Dodge and use Dark Pulse!"
Using Ledian's passed-on speed and the fact that it was fresh for battling, Houndoom easily maneuvered through Magmortar's Rock Tomb barrage by leaping over each passing boulder. The Dark Pokémon was undeterred as it also gained a height advantage after climbing over the Rock Tomb.
After getting into range and position, Houndoom immediately released a beam of violet-black rings that struck the Blast Pokémon squarely in the face. The attack was particularly powerful as a result of the additional boosts from Ledian's Silver Wind, as everyone had been well aware of by now. Magmortar stumbled back a few steps, holding its arms up and covering its face.
"Magmortar's scared?!"
"That Dark Pulse caused Magmortar to flinch and cease its Rock Tomb," the commentator narrated. "It seems Magmortar has been pushed into a corner."
"I should have some amusement now and then," Thorton mused offhandedly. "Houndoom, use Flamethrower!"
While still in the air, Houndoom unleashed a burst of flames from its mouth. Magmortar recovered from its momentary cringing, only to receive a Flamethrower in the face as a follow-up from the previous Dark Pulse. The Blast Pokémon, however, did not seem bothered by the flames.
"Now Houndoom continues its assault with Flamethrower, which appears to not be very effective on Magmortar," the commentator pointed out.
"I know from researching your past battles that your Magmortar has the Ability called Flame Body, where Pokémon receive the burn condition after using a physical attack on Magmortar," Thorton announced. "It's too bad it doesn't have Flash Fire."
"Hmph, you asked for this," Paul warned. "Magmortar, Flamethrower!"
"Houndoom, get back, and then charge in!"
The Dark Pokémon leapt back to its side for an additional running start towards Magmortar. Its opponent, at the meantime, decided to repay back in kind from the previous Flamethrower it endured by releasing a huge stream of fire by using both arm cannons. As expected, Houndoom dove into the flames while a red-orange aura emanated from its body.
"And now we're seeing Houndoom's Flash Fire take into effect!" the commentator exclaimed as many spectators were wondering why Paul deliberately chose a rather reckless gambit. "The power of its Fire-type moves is to increase as a result. Plus, the additional effect of Sunny Day makes all Fire-type moves even more powerful. This is turning into quite a heated match, pun definitely intended!"
"I can't think what Paul's up to aside from luring Thorton in again," Anabel confessed. "Houndoom is able to attack with Fire-type attacks, but Magmortar can't do the same because of Flash Fire."
"It's almost like the time you rushed in on Paul's Electivire with Pikachu's Volt Tackle in your last match with him, isn't it, Ash?" Sabrina pointed out.
"… Mm," Ash nodded, giving a knowing look back at Sabrina.
"I really think a lot of you has rubbed off on him now."
"We'll show you the true power of a Flamethrower," Thorton proclaimed. "Houndoom, once you reach Magmortar, give it a Flamethrower close range!"
Houndoom continued to dash forward through Magmortar's Flamethrower, absorbing the power of the flames. It could sense Magmortar was close by, as well as the radius of the stream becoming narrower and hotter. It then leapt out of the flames to launch its surprise attack, only to discover a couple of boulders in place of where Magmortar was supposed to be.
"Heru…?" Houndoom barked in confusion before realization came in the form of a large shadow cast upon its body.
"Wait, how did I miss this?!" Thorton demanded.
"Now Magmortar, Smog!"
Thorton and Houndoom just realized that the Blast Pokémon was high up in the air due to the additional height boost from the Rock Tomb boulders it created. As Magmortar descended back to the ground, it breathed out a thick Smog in which Houndoom had no chance of escaping as a result of being caught off guard.
Houndoom wailed from exposure as violet sparks discharged from its body and an equally venomous violet blush permeated on top of its muzzle.
"No, what are the chances of instant poisoning from one Smog attack?" Thorton muttered. "And how did I let myself get lured in again?"
"Return!"
Thorton was caught off guard again, seeing Paul pull out a Poké Ball to recall Magmortar. Houndoom scurried back to his side during the substitution, appearing rather frail as a result of the poison.
"It looks like Paul has decided on switching things up," the commentator announced with Magmortar's image on the scoreboard dulling slightly. "I wonder what more tricks he has left aside from poisoning Thorton's Houndoom."
"Great diversion out there," Paul commented to the Poké Ball before putting it away in exchange for a new one. "Now Gastrodon, stand by for battle!"
The final Pokémon of the Veilstone City Trainer was an East Sea Gastrodon, most notably with the coloration of green and blue. It gave its soft, long neck a stretch after taking its appearance into the field.
"Paul's third Pokémon is Gastrodon," the commentator declared, Gastrodon's image lighting up underneath Magmortar's. "It appears that the odds have fallen into Paul's favor now as Gastrodon has a great type advantage over Houndoom."
"This doesn't surprise me at all," Thorton remarked dully. "You know, Sunny Day is still in effect for a while longer. Water attacks will be weakened."
"That's still not going to stop me," Paul called out. "Gastrodon, use Water Pulse!"
"Counter with Flamethrower!"
Gastrodon conjured and tossed the water orb by direction of its head. Houndoom attacked the Water Pulse head on with Flamethrower. The power collision between the two attacks appeared to be even as the Water Pulse came apart and evaporated while the Flamethrower died down from the resulting splashes. Houndoom was forced to stop as a result of the poison sapping its stamina.
"Gastrodon, Muddy Water!"
The Sea Slug Pokémon created a few streams of dark brown water from underneath its body. The streams swirled and whipped about circularly around Gastrodon's body.
"Let's make a more efficient tactic. Houndoom, use Solar Beam!"
"What?!"
At that moment, all the solar energy Houndoom needed for its attack was instantly present garnered into its opened mouth. Virtually less than a second later, the Dark Pokémon unleashed the devastating Grass-type attack towards its opponent. Quick to react, Gastrodon took the initiative and caused its wild whirlpool of Muddy Water to turn into a large wave to elevate its body.
The Solar Beam easily pierced through the wall of Muddy Water, disrupting the flow and causing Gastrodon to fall back to the ground. Gastrodon had avoided a direct hit, but the aftershocks from the Solar Beam did manage to rough it up a bit.
"Now that was one instant Solar Beam!" the commentator exclaimed. "It was a narrow escape for Gastrodon, but because of Sunny Day, the charge time for Solar Beam was greatly reduced."
"No doubt he'll be very wary now that I revealed Solar Beam," Thorton mused to himself. "Switching to the case of physical confrontation: Houndoom, get in close and use Dark Pulse!"
"Muddy Water again, Gastrodon!"
Gastrodon observed its opponent approaching forward fast. The Muddy Water puddle was just bubbling below its body. The Sea Slug Pokémon had an idea of which tactic its Trainer wanted to do next. Gastrodon narrowed its eyes in determination. It has been a while since it used the attack in that manner. Thorton has certainly proved to be more than a worthy opponent for its Trainer.
Houndoom was in close range now.
"Heru…!" Houndoom growled as it leapt up, about to release the Dark Pulse at any moment.
"Gahs-stroh!" Gastrodon bellowed, extending its head high up and rotating it.
The Muddy Water stored beneath its body immediately rose out of the ground. A few streams connected into a ring around the elevated level of Gastrodon's head before more Muddy Water streams emerged from that ring. There were three Muddy Water rings that grew in size the farther they were from the ground.
"What natural phenomena is this?!" Thorton demanded. "Another glitch in the system?!"
Houndoom wound up caught in one of the outer rings, squealing as it was swept aside and prevented from getting close to attack Gastrodon.
"Oh, my! What a unique display of Muddy Water!" the commentator agreed in incredulity. "It certainly shielded Gastrodon from Houndoom's oncoming attack! It didn't even allow Houndoom to attack at all!"
"Why do I have the feeling I've seen this move before?" Anabel questioned allowed.
"Paul had Gastrodon use Muddy Water in this manner in your last battle with him, didn't he, Ash?" Sabrina pointed out, to which Ash nodded in confirmation. "You were the one who came up with this technique first, isn't that right?"
"… Counter Shield," Ash answered, looking back at the Muddy Water Counter Shield defense Gastrodon had implemented.
Haunter appeared out of Ash's side to flash a peace sign, concurring with his statement.
"You told me something about Counter Shield a while ago, but I didn't know you came up with it," Anabel said. "Ash, would you mind teaching me Counter Shield? I think it's really impressive and looks gorgeous too."
"… Hmm…"
"As creative as that use of Muddy Water was, I'm afraid I'm going to have to debug and take it apart," Thorton stated. "Now Houndoom, Solar Beam!"
"Gastrodon, do it!" Paul commanded.
Gastrodon thrusted its head forward, directing the Muddy Water Counter Shield into a huge stream to wipe out Houndoom. The Dark Pokémon immediately fired the Solar Beam, easily splitting apart the dirty brown water into two halves. With the Muddy Water gone, Houndoom attempted to seek out Gastrodon as it had somehow disappeared from its side of the battlefield.
"Houndoom, above you!" Thorton warned.
"Gastrodon, Body Slam! Let's go!"
Houndoom was prepared to escape. However, Gastrodon was already nearing its landing point and had timed Houndoom's evasion attempts as planned. The Sea Slug Pokémon had already widened its lower body with Houndoom still caught within the casted large shadow.
The Dark Pokémon made a dive for the outside of Gastrodon's shadow. It felt the draining sensation of the poison once more coursing through its body, but it managed to push through the pain. It slid on its stomach until something large and wet slammed hard on its behind half. Houndoom attempted to claw and pull its way out with its front legs, but Gastrodon instantaneously receded its body right on top of it. There was no escape.
"Gastrodon has gotten Houndoom trapped underneath its body," the commentator narrated. "It doesn't look like Houndoom will be able to get out of there any time soon. Is this the end for Houndoom?"
"Well, this maneuver's been fixed since there's no way Houndoom will escape," Paul muttered, thinking back to the last time he attempted this next tactic. He then pointed up into the air. "Gastrodon, fire a Water Pulse straight up as high as you can!"
Anabel noticed Ash's eyes reacting to Paul's command.
Gastrodon conjured a sizeable Water Pulse over its head and threw it as far up as it could. The watery sphere flew up as high as the height of the stadium before it descended back down.
"This looks like a very risky move that Paul has gone with by firing up that Water Pulse straight up," the commentator noted. "With the building fall and the forces of gravity into play, I can imagine the end result of that Water Pulse being rather explosive."
What an interesting way to use Water Pulse in combination with that ongoing Body Slam, Thorton thought, observing the Water Pulse building up in power and speed as it continued its fall. He's planning to have Gastrodon pull out at the very last second in order to finish off Houndoom with that destructive Water attack. I've researched these all-out, almost suicidal stratagems before. The probability of it is very slim and the timing is very critical. Of course, I'm not going to stand idly by. One Solar Beam should do the trick.
Thorton was about to look back down and issue a command, but not before he noticed a rough smile from his opponent. Something was not right the moment he looked into the sky to see the Water Pulse closing in. The air around him felt rather chilled. The Sinnoh Factory Head gaped.
"Have you noticed it now?" Paul inquired.
"No! My Sunny Day already?!"
"Folks, do you feel the cool coming back? It appears the Sunny Day has ended, meaning the intense heat and brightness of what was the 'sun' has now passed over," the commentator announced. "I'd take it as a sign that this battle's about to conclude fairly soon."
"There's no time for a Solar Beam at this rate, not even for sending up another Sunny Day," Thorton muttered apprehensively. "This next pseudo code is going to be messy as I won't even have time to write this out completely. Houndoom, quick! Use Flamethrower on the ground!"
Managing to lift its upper body as high as it could while trapped underneath Gastrodon, Houndoom immediately went to work setting the ground around them ablaze. It sprayed into a small arc to create the flames as close to Gastrodon as possible. Gastrodon strived to pin down Houndoom completely in order to smother out the flames, but the Dark Pokémon was strong enough to shrug off its attempts and continue growing the flames that had already started to dance around them.
"Now Houndoom is trying to consume both itself and Gastrodon in flames," the commentator pointed out.
"With Houndoom and its heightened special attack passed on from Ledian, along with the Fire-type power increase because of Magmortar, the flames will actually cause a good amount of damage for Gastrodon before the Water Pulse hits," Sabrina explained. "Had Sunny Day been still in effect, Gastrodon wouldn't stay on top for this long."
"But if that were the case, wouldn't Houndoom use Solar Beam instead for its quick escape?" Anabel suggested.
"Yes, either way would've served his needs, but with Sunny Day gone, he has to make do with the resources he has now."
"I guess that makes sense."
Ash looked on curiously.
"Gastrodon, stay on it!" Paul called out. "Use Ice Beam to put out those flames!"
The Water Pulse was dangerously close now. It was a matter of seconds on when it will hit the ground, more specifically where Gastrodon and Houndoom were at. Gastrodon was certainly feeling the heat from the flames, but had managed an Ice Beam or two to squander Houndoom's handy work. However, Houndoom was finding itself being able to push more of its body up and hopefully out from underneath the Sea Slug Pokémon.
"A little more, Houndoom!" Thorton yelled. "Get out at the earliest convenience!"
It was now or never.
The poison struck again, causing Houndoom to lose balance and allowing Gastrodon regain some control on top of it. Gastrodon continued to shift its weight to counter Houndoom's previous efforts at escape.
Houndoom, at the meantime, continued to spray more Flamethowers, this time aiming right underneath itself, and thereby underneath Gastrodon. The Sea Slug Pokémon was feeling faint from the high temperatures as a result of exposure to all of those flames despite putting out some of them. Pushing further into its willpower, Gastrodon used Ice Beam to counter the new flames Houndoom had created.
The struggle was a stalemate as Gastrodon put out flames while Houndoom created new ones. They became focused on outdoing the other by seeing who could put out the flames or who could maintain the flames long enough for Houndoom to escape.
This heated distraction became their undoing.
"Gastrodon, get out now!"
"Houndoom, initiate escape!"
The Sea Slug Pokémon had somehow forgotten about the Water Pulse, having been weakened by Houndoom's side flames as well as placing a mixed priority on battling the flames instead of keeping an eye out for its powered-up Water Pulse. It had barely jumped off of Houndoom right as it saw the grand Water Pulse about to make contact with the ground.
*BOOM*
A massive explosion of water erupted on impact, covering up a good quarter of the battlefield. The water had doused the flames. However, those field fields were not the only things that the aftermath of the Water Pulse had put out. The referee had confirmed his final judgment after seeing the current states of the Pokémon lying on the field.
Their flaccid body postures and eyes were self-explanatory.
"Both Houndoom and Gastrodon are unable to battle!" the referee ruled out, holding both flags in the air. "This round is a draw!"
The audience cheered loudly. They couldn't hold back the excitement they harbored as a result of witnessing the various tense moments of this last battle. Both Paul and Thorton seemed to exhale a big sigh that was almost reminiscent of relief.
"With both Gastrodon and Houndoom down, both Trainers are now down to one Pokémon," the commentator announced as both aforementioned Pokémon's images on the scoreboard blacked out. "We've now reached the final round."
"Okay Gastrodon, return," Paul said, recalling the limp East Sea Slug Pokémon. "Thank you. Great battle."
"Houndoom, return," Thorton called, retrieving his defeated Pokémon back into its Poké Ball. "Excellent effort out there." Putting away its Poké Ball and taking out the one of his remaining Pokémon, the Factory Head turned to face Paul, who had also pulled out the Poké Ball of his last Pokémon from his pocket. "As much as it irks me to say this, you've manage to surpass my expectations and overcome previous statistics. But I'm afraid that this Ledian is all I need to ensure my probability of victory, regardless of you knowing all of its moves."
"You talk a lot and boast about your intelligence, but out of the many Trainers I know, you've certainly earned your merits one way," Paul replied. "But now that I've gotten a good measure of the strength of Frontier Brains outside of Brandon, I know how much more my Pokémon and I need to train." He wound his arm back to toss the Poké Ball. "Magmortar, stand by for battle!"
"Ledian, back online!"
Both Pokémon made their reappearance to the field, appearing very exhausted from all of their accumulated battle damage. Ledian was still able to keep itself in the air despite its heavy panting. The same could almost be said about Magmortar as it slouched forward rather slightly. It was apparent that Houndoom managed to wear out more of its endurance than what was originally considered, even with somewhat ineffective Fire-type attacks.
"And now we're back down to Magmortar versus Ledian," the commentator announced. "How is this going to end?"
"Alright, Ledian, this has worked before, so start off once more with Agility!" Thorton commanded.
"Ree-dee…!" Ledian buzzed, picking back up the speed it had passed over to its teammates twice now. "Ree-ree-AAH!"
"What just happened?!"
Ledian was suddenly bound in place as venomous purple sparks discharged about its body. The Agility process was forced into a sudden termination. Thorton recognized those symptoms almost immediately and frowned at his opponents.
"Oh, my! It looks like Ledian has somehow been poisoned!" the commentator exclaimed. "I have a good deduction on how this went about."
"As do I," Thorton continued with an accusing look, playing back the events of Ledian's more previous moments in battle in his mind. "That last Smog Magmortar snuck in before Ledian finished the Baton Pass was somehow able to poison it. You knew about this all along, didn't you."
"You've been focusing on data on past performances, I focus on the present," Paul answered. "You may excel in researching your opponents' strengths and weaknesses ahead of time, but your attempt at application on things that are no longer presently relevant here only backfired on you in the end. You may be worthy of the title of Factory Head, but you're no Brandon."
"And now the truth's been revealed as Paul's Magmortar had managed to poison Ledian with its Smog attack just before it was fully substituted by Baton Pass," the commentator repeated. "We've now reached the climax of this battle, as it seems."
"Ledian, I know you can still keep going!" Thorton called out.
The Five Star Pokémon struggled with the poison as it continued trying to concentrate on raising its speed again. It was clear that it was now bordering at its limit.
"Magmortar, end this with Thunderbolt!"
Magmortar revealed its hidden trick by generating electrical sparks around its body while taking aim with its arm cannons. The voltage currents were channeled into the openings, becoming a burst of electricity that immediately thundered out and sought for its target.
Ledian stood no chance as the Thunderbolt struck and the last bits of endurance were brutally fried away. Thorton looked on in shock with these circumstances still not adding up correctly in his head.
"And Ledian is down!" the commentator exclaimed.
"Ledian is unable to battle!" the referee declared, raising the appropriate flag. "Magmortar wins and the victory of this match goes to Paul of Veilstone City!"
"And this exciting match wraps up the final battles hosted for today in center stadium!" the commentator concluded, accompanied with the ending cheers of various spectators. "Paul has won this round and is moving on to the fourth round. As far as I have heard from the other field stadiums, it sounds like we've got a great collection of powerful Trainers moving up the tournament ladder. Make sure to check the current brackets to see who will be facing who for tomorrow in order to get a good seat before the match. Have a good evening, everyone, and I'll catch you all later tomorrow morning!"
"Thank you, Ledian," Thorton whispered, kneeling beside his weakened Five Star Pokémon as he recalled it back into its Poké Ball. "You carried out your assignments as best as you could."
For a moment, Thorton thought that his head would explode by all the irrationality going on, but strangely enough, he wasn't too upset about the loss. He knew he would throw some form of a temper tantrum as a result of all his bottled-up emotions due to his robotic personality. The Sinnoh Factory Head entertained the thought for the moment before he sensed the victor of the match and his Magmortar approach him.
"Well, it was a great battle," Paul commented casually. "I enjoyed it, to be frank."
"Thanks, the same for me, though I would never have expected the Smog to poison Ledian as quickly as it did right as it returned to me," Thorton replied, standing back up. "Anyway, had this been back at my Battle Factory, you would've earned the Gold Factory Print. Nonetheless, I've learned a lot from this battle and how much I shouldn't keep such a closed mind."
"Yeah, me too. I was once like that."
"Really?"
"It was until someone showed me the right direction to go, to always expect the unexpected," Paul explained, glancing up at a certain location in the middle row seats.
Thorton followed his gaze and found who he was looking at.
"You really believe he can make it far here in the Champions League?" Thorton asked.
"The most surprises I ever faced during battle were those against him," Paul stated.
"Hmm, considering that he did conquer the Kanto Battle Frontier, that was a given," Thorton mused before holding out a hand to the Veilstone City Trainer. "I don't usually believe in luck, just nearly impossible probability taking place at the last second, but I wish you some success for the day you do face Brandon the Pyramid King."
"Thanks, you too," Paul replied, accepting the handshake before taking out Magmortar's Poké Ball. "Great work, Magmortar."
With that said, the Blast Pokémon returned into its Poké Ball with an air of contentment. Paul then turned to the referee and gave a quick polite bow before walking out of the stadium his way, hands in pockets and all.
"I still can't believe Thorton lost," Anabel passed as an afterthought. "He usually plans ahead and is able to carry out his plans for a win."
"He probably could have come up with something if Ledian hadn't been poisoned," Sabrina suggested, standing out of her seat. "He was great, but Paul became better. I'm going to head in for the night and take care of some things." The Saffron City Gym Leader looked to the side for a moment. But first I better 'remind' Paul about not mentioning anything about my dissertation to the 'test subjects.'
"Okay, good night," Anabel said as she and Haunter took their leave. She then turned to where Ash was standing and smiled. "We've got some tough competition coming our way. I'm ready to continue our training tomorrow if you still want me around."
"… That's fine," Ash replied.
"Something tells me, though, that if Paul does overcome Brandon, he'll be coming after you next," Anabel shared. "I'm guessing it's due to the fact that you've beaten Brandon and believes that once he does so, he'll be on even grounding with you."
"… We're all learning and getting stronger one way or another… I look forward to that rematch too."
"Well, I'll see you tomorrow then, Ash. Have a good night!"
"… You too, Anabel."
In the Pokémon Center main lobby…
"Serves that know-it-all right!" Greta exclaimed, having paused on the monitor Thorton's Ledian collapsing on the ground.
"Excuse us, miss, but can we watch the news now?" a random bystander asked, accompanied with nods from several other people seated around him.
"Just wait one more second, okay? I got to see this replay again."
"Ugh…"
My year-old poll on my page has now come to a close. I've actually already decided on who Ash's third Pokémon would be before the poll was even created, but like I mentioned x chapters ago, I just wanted to see what you guys were thinking about. But just to keep the fun up, you'll have to randomly predict the top four from the poll that will appear later in the story. I was going to take top five, but there were two Pokémon tied for fifth… If you want to see the results, they're open now that the poll is closed.
First place went to Lucario (no surprise there).
Second place went to Gardevoir (somewhat surprised, but not surprising enough).
Third place went to Absol (interesting choice; I'm guessing it had something to do with the fact that these three can Mega Evolve… What are you trying to tell me anyway?).
And fourth place went to Porygon-Z (the poll's wildcard).
That's all my major announcements I have so far. Now I'm going to be gone for a while as summer term final exams are looming close. This chapter took over two weeks' worth of spare time to write. Glad that's over, but I'll be gladder once finals are over…
Well, it's time to measure up my writing skills. Please review!
L-ater!