Secrets of the Night
DISCLAIMER: I Do NOT own Pokemon!
Chapter 60: Scuffle of Legends, Part 7: Despite it All
Neo walked up to arena as his opponent did the same on the other side. As they approached their respective spots, he couldn't help but notice how edgy Ari was. He quickly understood it was because of her fear of ghost pokemon and felt kind of sorry for her. But since it was a worldwide tournament, he had to take things seriously. Still, that didn't mean he couldn't express a bit of courtesy.
"You alright?" Neo inquired.
Ariann gave him a small frown. "I'm fine." And then she shot him a glare. "Just don't think you have the upperhand because you have a ghost-type on your side."
Neo was slightly taken aback by the petite girl's hostility after his gesture of concern but remained composed. "I won't... Let's have a good battle."
The screen flashed with lightning and displayed their picture along with three vertically lined pokeballs. Then following that, the floor opened before them and revealed a rectangular pool with pristine blue waters and large colorful coral structures scattered all around. Water pokemon had the likely advantage but those who opted not to swim could very well stay dry on top of the corals.
As soon as the referee signaled the match to begin, Neo and Ariann sent out their first pokemon of choice.
"You're up, Scourge!" Neo called out his shiny Drapion who materialized in the arena, atop of a rough pink brain coral.
"Dread!" Ari called to her dragon-type pokemon, a Gabite, that decided to mimic Scourge's actions by stepping on the corals of the arena.
"Ladies first." Neo cast the girl a friendly smile with a slight gesture of hand, hoping to at least ease her discomfort of him.
Ariann smirked. "Well, thanks. Dread, use Dragon Rage! Careful of the water!"
The navy blue dragon raced towards her opponent, agilely and swiftly leaping across the corals, her body quickly lighting up with bluish dragon flames. Once she was near enough, she jumped high and brandished her razor sharp arsenals to slash at the shiny Drapion.
"Block and counter with Night Slash!"
Scourge stood his ground with pincers ready. As Ari's Gabite lunged towards him, he grabbed either of Dread's scythe-like arms and swung his long tail that was enveloped in pitch black energy. Dread unleashed Dragon Rage just as the shiny Drapion's tail made contact, swatting her away and sending her slamming against a rocky coral. Meanwhile, the stream of fury struck Scourge's head and front, nearly forcing him to the water but using his pincers he managed to latch his tail to a coral branch.
"Dread! You okay?" The blonde asked her pokemon, receiving a small roar in return as said pokemon stood up shakily, dusting itself off of little coral pieces. Ari smiled. "Okay, let's use Take Down! Try to push him into the water!"
Dread nodded and raced towards the shiny pokemon, paying a close eye to its pincers and tail in case it decided to counter. Instead of jumping like she had done on her previous assault, she decided to aim for a lower region of the Drapion's body: its legs. She rammed against Scourge's legs, pushing him a bit but not actually throwing him off the coral.
"If that's how they're going to be, then we'll play their game." Neo smiled. "Scourge, stand firm! Hold back your opponent and break Dread's footing with Dig!"
Neo's shiny Drapion let out a screech and charged at the Gabite, taking hold of Dread's arms once again before pummeling the table coral to pieces beneath her with Dig, all the while causing some of the chunks to fly off and graze the Gabite's rough skin. Gradually, the structure beneath her became fragile, threatening to give way at any moment and force the dragon into the water.
"Dread, Bite him! And don't let go!" Ari speedily commanded, knowing that if her pokemon got soaked then it was over. Immediately, Dread clamped her teeth on Scourge's arms, not minding that she was dangling from the Drapion's arm like a rabid Rattata. At that, Ariann smirked at Neo. "If we go down, we're taking someone with us."
The raven-haired noble blinked, slightly surprised how feisty and stubborn the girl was, given the last time he saw her, she was quivering like a leaf. Gathering his composure, he looked to his Drapion. "Scourge! Shake her off! Use Toxic!"
Gritting through the Gabite's death grip like bite, Scourge violently swung his arm but it only forced Dread to sink her chompers deeper, making it even more painful. With little choice, Scourge raised his tail and doused the navy blue dragon-type with bubbling purple liquid, some dripping into coral, corroding it and the others into the clear waters.
"Come on Dread, don't give up! Use Dragon Rage once again!" Ari said quickly, her Gabite in obvious pain from the poison coursing through her body.
The smaller pokemon growled through her poisoned state. Putting all her remaining strength into the attack, she ignited her body in dragon flames again, her long scythes swung furiously at the red Drapion as her maw filled up with raging orange energy. She managed to deal some damage before Scourge finally managed to pry her off his arm and hurl her into the water where she landed on shallow water, unconscious.
The first round went to Neo and Scourge, but left the shiny Drapion with a sizeable bite mark on his arm and several scorched slash markings. It didn't look like it would be permanent but at the moment, they added to the many marred marks of the giant scorpion.
Ariann withdrew her fallen Gabite, muttering words of encouragement and thanks before sending out her second pokemon, her Gallade. Like the previous pokemon, he also decided to stand atop one of the many corals on the arena.
"Okay Noble, let's show them." Ariann smiled at him lightly and the Gallade nodded back at her respectively.
"Yes, Mistress." Noble looked at Neo, nodding at him in acknowledgement.
Neo recognized the Gallade and nodded back curtly with a casual smile. He then looked to his Drapion and initiated the start of the second round. "Scourge, use Night Slash!"
With a piercing screech, the giant crimson scorpion crossed the various coral structures and closed in on the blade pokemon with a tail radiating with dark energy.
"Push him away with Psychic!" Ariann said, Noble nodding in agreement.
The Gallade let out a wave of blue energy aimed at the red Drapion but apparently Scourge wasn't affected by it at the very least as it continued to charge towards Noble. Both trainer and pokemon blinked. The attack came in but fortunately, the Gallade was able to leap away in time and land on a different coral.
"Mistress... This feels like deja vu..." The pokemon muttered mentally.
Ari couldn't help but agree with her pokemon. "Yeah...this sucks." She sighed, running a hand through her face in annoyance. "Okay, Noble, let's use Brick Break instead!"
The psychic and fighting-type pokemon nodded, jumping swiftly from coral to coral until he was near enough to launch his attack. His blade arms elongated and glowed white as he swung at the shiny pokemon.
Scourge was not fast enough to escape. With little options, he blocked the attack with his arm but he forgot the injury he sustained prior and the Gallade's attack struck the tender spot where the Gabite had bitten him. Scourge screeched in pain and recoiled, nearly slipping off the coral if it wasn't for his tail grabbing the nearest pink coral branch.
"Scourge!" Neo looked to his Drapion who staggered away from the edge and let out a hoarse huff. "Alright, let's make this count! Night Slash!"
Lunging back into the fight, Neo's shiny Drapion rapidly advance on the blade pokemon, swinging his long segmented tail wrapped in dark tendrils. Ari's Gallade once again leaped out of the way but his leg was caught by the tip of the giant scorpion's stinger, inflicting a shallow gash.
"Noble! Next time you have to dodge Teleport away!" Ariann gave him a light glare, but she was concerned for her pokemon's well being.
"Leaping away from danger looks more manly, Mistress," The Gallade replied, assessing the damage done to his leg by pressing it lightly against the surface of the coral he was stepping on. He winced a little, knowing that it will hinder his mobility greatly.
Ari groaned at his reply. "Look what 'manliness' brought to you..." Her pokemon shrugged, making her roll her brown eyes in exasperation. "Just...Teleport next time." She gave the field a quick look, before noticing the Drapion's weak grip on the corals. "Noble, break the corals near Scourge."
Noble complied, leaping at a nearby coral, which earned him a glare from his trainer, to get closer to Scourge. The Gallade began to launch Psychic attacks at the corals, smashing or weakening them. With little energy left and diminishing area to stand on, Scourge quickly became cornered until the whole coral structure gave way and sent him splashing into the water.
Neo quickly withdrew him, knowing there was no other way for him to come out of their safely. The round then ended in Ariann's favor. Letting out a relieved breath, Neo gazed down at Scourge's pokeball and commended him on a job well done. He tucked the pokeball away and drew out his second pokeball, containing his next pokemon.
Just as he was about to send out his pokemon, he threw a worried glance at the petite blonde girl and quietly muttered an apology. The capsule then opened up and a bulky gray ghost with a single blood red eye descended upon the arena and floated effortlessly over the sparkling blue water surface.
Upon seeing the pokemon Ariann froze, taking a trembling step back before her Gallade snapped her attention towards him.
"Mistress, you knew this would happen. Do not act this afraid," Her pokemon chastised, earning a glare from Ariann.
"I am not scared!" She snapped at him, angry and embarrassed that her pokemon had said that in front of all these people that were attending the tournament. The blade pokemon gave her a challenging look.
"Prove it."
"What are we? Five?" The small blonde girl growled, slowly relaxing and forgetting about the ghost as she argued with her pokemon.
"Prove it, Mistress," Noble repeated as Ariann glared at him, his stubbornness annoying her.
"Whatever, let's just finish this..." She focused once again on the other pokemon, gripping her hoodie's sleeves to keep her hands from trembling. "K-Keep your distance and use Psychic..."
Her pokemon just rolled its eyes, gaining a safe distance with a Teleport before attacking the dusknoir with a Psychic attack. A blue energy wave forced Novus back, nearly sending him slamming against a green coral.
"Shadow Fist, Novus!" Neo countered, shrugging off his earlier concern and sinking back into the feel of the battle at hand.
Rearing both his arms back, his Dusknoir punched the air and fired two gray energy projectiles in the shape of fists.
"Noble, try to counter them with Psycho Cut!" Ari said, knowing by watching that the move in action earlier in the tournament that it didn't fail.
The Gallade let his blade-like arms extend and sharpen, glowing with Psychic energy as he prepared to counter the two projectiles heading his way. He managed to counter one of them, cutting at it making it disperse in a ghostly smoke. The other one hit him before he was able to block it, making him stumble from his place atop the coral.
"Novus! Press on the attack," Neo instructed as his Dusknoir slowly closed in while firing more spectral fists from different angles.
Ariann gritted her teeth. "Noble, try to counter them!"
Ari's Gallade tried his best to keep up the pace of Novus' punches. Using a dazzling display of sword fighting, Noble cut through the onslaught of attacks but was not able to defend himself completely. Some still managed to get pass his guard. Ariann noticed this and decided to change tactics.
"Teleport and attack from behind!" She knew it was risky, but keeping this up would only exhaust her pokemon further.
Noble quickly complied, Teleporting to Novus' side in order to give him a nice Psycho Cut before the ghostly projectiles caught up to him. The Gallade swung his blade arms at the surprised ghost-type pokemon, getting a clean hit before the Shadow Fists neared him again. A few hit him before he teleported away from Novus, bracing himself for the rest of the ghostly assault.
"Novus." Neo exchanged looks with his Dusknoir before a small smile crept into his face. "Disappearing acts are also a ghost-type's specialty."
With those words, the huge bulky cyclops phased through the corals and vanished from sight. As Noble continued to try and outrun the flurry of Shadow Punches, slicing them apart whenever he can, he lost track of the ghost-type until it was too late.
Novus phased back into the open, appearing near the same spot he disappeared from but was unnoticed by Ari's Gallade. Without warning, Novus balled his fist and struck a Thunder Punch attack, disrupting Noble's concentration and leaving him vulnerable to the remaining Shadow Punches.
Ari's Gallade in the last second, gathered his remaining will and drove a swift Psycho Cut across the cyclop's belly before he finally lost consciousness on top of a round red coral, ending the round.
Ariann returned her pokemon to its pokeball, smiling as she praised his good job. She gave Neo a long stare, admitting that just like all the other trainers in this tournament, he was strong. She retrieved her last pokeball to let out her massive starter, her Gyarados. The huge serpent-like leviathan materialized in the arena, creating a huge wave in the blue waters as it let out a fierce roar.
"Quite the pokemon you have there," Neo commented, sizing up the fearsome-looking pokemon.
Ariann smiled proudly at the praise. "Thanks, but Epic doesn't like praises." The atrocious pokemon roared once again, agreeing with its trainer. "Let us show you what we're made of." She smirked. "Use Bite, Epic!"
The Gyarados easily swam over to the Dusknoir, carefully avoiding the corals on the waters in case he got injured by one. Once the ghost-type pokemon was within his attack range, he lunged out of the water, his big jaws clamping firmly against his opponent as the rest of his body coiled around a coral to keep a better grip in case the other pokemon decided to escape.
"Novus, break free with Thunder Punch!" Neo exclaimed quickly, anticipating the damage from the dark-type move.
The Dusknoir groaned in pain as he raised his arm, enveloping it with surging sparks of electricity before driving it down forcibly against the Gyarados. Epic immediately let go of the ghost-type pokemon, hissing and snarling in pain while backing up away from Novus and into the water again.
Ariann frowned. "Ah, certainly didn't expect that move..." She muttered. "Epic, gain some distance and attack with Ice Beam!"
The Gyarados snarled angrily at the Dusknoir, frost licking at his jaws as he prepared for the attack. He launched a beam of ice at his opponent, freezing the water and landscape that came close to its trajectory. Part of the attack hit the Dusknoir's arm, while the rest continued its trajectory, freezing some of the area outside of the battling arena.
Given his state, the Dusknoir couldn't attack. Neo had to think of something. "Fire Punch, Novus! Melt the ice!"
With a reverberating hoarse groan, the Dusknoir lifted his frozen arm as a red glow began to radiate from it. The ice steadily melted and dripped into the pool but the frozen layer was too thick to melt away fast enough. It was then that Ariann followed up the attack.
"Epic, he can't attack with his fists encased in ice! Freeze them!" She decided to use Neo's earlier strategy against him.
The Gyarados complied wholeheartedly, following up Ice Beam after Ice Beam to overpower the ghost-type pokemon. The freezing bolt blanketed a good majority of the arena as it soon engulfed Neo's Dusknoir. Novus' couldn't escape and was frozen on the spot, his arm stopped releasing heat.
Neo released a breath, understanding that Novus couldn't continue. He nodded to the referee and sent out his third pokemon to break the ice. Genbu burst forth from the capsule and slid nimbly across the crystal-blue ice. His eyes caught the sight of Novus and was struck by deja vu, only their places were in reverse.
"Genbu, can you break the ice?" Neo asked as his Wartortle walked up to the huge block.
Genbu pounded the translucent walls with a fist as he estimated the density. "Warr…"
Neo thought for a second if Genbu were to use water-type attacks, it might make it worse. The waters that his Wartortle used were usually colder. It was not like he could ever learn Scald at his rate. Thinking of other alternatives, he glanced over at Ariann. "Pardon me, miss Roman… If I may ask for your assistance?"
Ariann blinked at Neo and at his frozen pokemon. She gave her Gyarados a glare. "Epic, you over did it." Her pokemon huffed to the side, ignoring her accusation. "Come on you over-grown fish, help them up." She ordered, making her pokemon growl lowly in annoyance.
Epic headed towards the frozen Dusknoir, giving Genbu a hiss to intimidate him. The indigo blue turtle stood his ground and humphed. When the Wartortle did not seemed fazed by this, he snarled.
"Epic, stop it! You're supposed to help!" The serpentine pokemon gave Genbu one last growl before focusing on the ice cube before him. Epic then proceeded to use his dragon flames to slowly melt the ice.
As the layer thinned out, cracks formed. The Gyarados stopped using the move and the Dusknoir broke free from the icy prison. Epic then promptly returned to his trainer while Neo recalled Novus who was swaying with exhaustion.
"You did good, Novus." He looked down at his ghost-type's pokeball and tucked it away.
"Good job, Epic. See? That wasn't that bad." Ariann told her pokemon, earning a growl from him.
"Thank you very much for your help, Miss Roman." Neo gave a curt bow in the blonde girl's direction.
"Call me Ari." She told him, annoyed at the honorific. "And you're welcome."
"I apologize, Ari. It is a habit of mine sometimes…" Neo smiled. "Shall we continue?"
Ariann smirked slightly in anticipation. "Yes we shall." She gave Epic a look, receiving a roar in agreement.
The referee then signaled the next round to commence. Neo took the next initiative. "Alright, Genbu! Show them a real ice attack. Ice Beam!"
With an eager grin, Neo's Wartortle slid through the ice and slush and delivered a volley of frost rays at the giant blue leviathan.
"Come on Epic, show them! Counter with Ice Beam!" Ariann told her pokemon, who wasted no time in doing as he was told.
The two pokemon engaged in an Ice Beam battle, attacking and countering until one of them got hit or tired out. The Gyarados was at a disadvantage at the moment, being a larger target than the other pokemon and having less mobility due to the now frozen waters. So it was only a matter of time before Genbu got a hit. Genbu's Ice Beam hit Epic's tail, freezing it to another block of ice. The Gyarados roared in pain, giving a tug to try to free his tail to no avail.
"How ironic... Don't worry Epic, use Dragon Rage to free yourself!" Ariann quickly told her pokemon, smiling slightly at the irony.
As Ari's Gyarados unleashed an orange stream from his massive jaws, Genbu came sliding by on a frozen coral. He locked eyes with the huge blue serpent before he smirked.
"Water Pulse, Genbu!" Neo cued.
And fast as the command was issued, the indigo blue turtle launched into the air and rained down a flurry of whirling blue spheres at the Gyarados' head. The projectiles exploded on impact and rained water all over the leviathan.
Ariann groaned. "Epic, throw a Twister at Genbu to distract him!" Epic roared angrily, launching random Ice Beams all over the place. Ariann face palmed. "Of course, you're confused. This is perfect." She said sarcastically as her pokemon continued to hurt itself in its confusion.
Ariann gritted her teeth, calling to her pokemon to snap it out of its confusion, but apparently it wasn't working. The atrocious pokemon was both confused and pissed. Genbu scrambled off as the Gyarados went on a rampage, flailing his frozen tail around like a mace and breaking the surrounding ice and coral structures.
"Genbu, get distance with Aqua Jet!" Neo exclaimed, watching the landscape rapidly fall apart at the giant serpent's sheer strength and size.
Neo's Wartortle quickly encased himself in a torrent of water and rocketed towards the opposite side of the arena. But before he reached his desired destination, a stray shot of Ice Beam struck him and halted the attack, sending him toppling in the middle of the arena. Shaken but conscious, Genbu staggered back to his feet and glared at the flailing giant.
"Come on Epic, snap out of it!" Ariann tried once again, watching the disaster her pokemon was creating on the field and the damage he was receiving himself.
The once beautiful under the sea setting was now icy ruins. The rampaging Gyarados launched a Twister not directed at anyone that managed to break some of the remaining ice sculptures.
"Do you want to lose against Ambition that badly?!" Ariann screamed as her last resort, halting the leviathan. She held her breath as her pokemon stilled, not knowing if she made the pokemon angrier or finally managed to snap it out of its confusion.
After a few seconds, the Gyarados shook its head, growling softly as it focused on the havoc around him. He looked around until his gaze landed on Genbu. He snarled viciously, but didn't move from his spot.
"Thank Arceus..." Ariann sighed in relief now that her pokemon was back to his normal snappy self. She frowned at the small cuts on his body and the damage done to his tail. "You okay?" Her pokemon roared, still eyeing Genbu. "Good. Let's get that piece of ice off your tail, Dragon Rage!"
Ari's pokemon started to unleash dragon flames once again, intending to melt the ice that was hindering him. Since the ice was already weak enough from him smashing it around, it melted quickly, leaving his bruised tail out of its ice prison.
"That was quite something," Neo spoke up, intrigued how Ari's words reached her berserked pokemon and calmed it down.
"Rivalry between male pokemon is strong, apparently," Ariann said, amused at her pokemon's antics. Epic huffed at her words, growling impatiently at her. The blonde rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay. Use Twister."
The Gyarados started to create a tornado coated with bluish dragon flames, proceeding to hurl it in Genbu's direction. The surrounding chunks of debris were quickly being swept into the air, adding to the power of the violent vortex.
"Genbu, slow it down with Ice Beam!" Neo quickly reacted.
His Wartortle was steadily being pulled into the twisted as he fired bolts of frost at the blue flamed twister. It didn't do much effect, other than making the debris heavier and bigger. Genbu soon found himself swept of his feet swallowed by the vortex.
"Protect, Genbu!" Neo yelled and a greenish blue glow emitted from the Wartortle as chunks of ice and corals collided against him in a chaotic mixer. The flying debris bounced off the indigo blue turtle but left him spinning further in.
"Epic, this is our chance! Freeze that Twister!" Ariann quickly seized the opportunity, making her Gyarados grunt in agreement as it prepared to freeze the tornado.
"Genbu! Aqua Jet now!
As the Wartortle's protective barrier dissipated, a case of flowing water enveloped him. The water spout spiraled around the twister, steadily gaining speed. Ari's Gyarados launched his freezing bolts, attempting to hit the Wartortle. Genbu maneuvered as best as he can, narrowly dodging the debris and the cold beams. Finally, he slid into the middle of the vortex and shot upwards from its center where it made a vertical descend towards the giant blue leviathan.
"Meet him with Dragon Rage!" Ariann commanded.
Epic let the flames unleash around his body as the Wartortle neared him. The Gyarados braced itself to meet the other water-type pokemon head on with an attack on his own. The two pokemon clashed against each other, flames versus water, in a battle of elements. Neither of them were backing down, not giving any ground to the other.
"Keep going, Genbu!" Neo cheered on.
"Come on Epic! You can do it!" Ariann cheered her own pokemon.
The Wartortle poured on the pressure but Ari's Gyarados was unrelenting. Finally, there was a breach in Epic's advance. Genbu seized the chance and shot through, slamming against the crest of the giant leviathan with explosive force. Because of Epic's sheer size, Genbu was not able to force him back as intended. Instead, he found himself flying back by the force but he was able to land in the water, softening his land. He emerged without a moment too soon, ready to continue.
"Alright, Genbu! Ice Beam!"
As his feet planted firmly on solid ice and coral, the Wartortle unleashed a powerful icy bolt from its maw, directly at the Gyarados.
"Epic, counter it with your own!"
The Gyarados tiredly complied, meeting Genbu's Ice Beam with his own. The ice bolts collided violently, stray shots freezing areas they came in contact to. It was another deadlock between the two water-types but because of Epic's prior injuries and Genbu's affinity to ice, it didn't take long before the Wartortle's attack dominated the other, negating it before striking the Gyarados on the crest of his head. Epic let out a fearsome roar and then his head fell to the icy waters, concluding the round once and for all.
The referee raised a flag over to Neo, declaring him the victor of the round. The audience applauded as Neo walked out of his spot and circled around the arena in order to personally shake hands with his opponent.
"That was an impressive battle." He smiled casually and extended a hand towards the blonde girl.
Ariann finished returning her Pokemon, giving Neo a small smile. "It was." But she didn't return the gesture. "I apologize for-for the way I acted when we met..." She muttered with a light blush. "And-And I'm happy that I got to battle a trainer like you."
Neo's smile lit up even more. "It's alright, Ari," he replied, making sure to use her name. "It was a pleasure to battle against you as well. Hopefully, we can meet again. And perhaps, you would find ghost pokemon less terrifying."
Ariann shivered. "I doubt that..." She muttered with a depressed aura.
"No rush..." Neo placed a hand on her head. "I don't mind. And I want to thank you again on behalf of Novus."
Ariann froze under his touch, shutting her eyes tightly as a tremor of fear racked her body. She took a shaky step away from him, taking deep breaths to calm herself.
Neo had a the sudden urge to jerk his hand away at the mistake but tried to alleviate it instead by lightly patting her before he actually drew his hand back. "I apologize if that scared you. I know a few younger girls and they liked to be patted like that. They were like little sisters to me."
The blonde female shook her head. "I-I just...I just don't like..men..." She managed to stammer between breaths. She took another step back.
"I see…" Neo stepped back and bowed deeply. "I apologize for being insensitive."
Ari shook her head once again. "It's not your fault, you didn't know. And I don't like people knowing my weaknesses, so be happy that you get to know the least obvious one." She huffed to the side, trying to act nonchalant by putting a brave front.
Neo stood up straight with a relieved smile. "I feel honored then."
With that, the two bid their final goodbyes and walked off stage, Neo leaving with Genbu trailing behind while Ariann headed in another direction.
During the intermission period, Neo went to heal his pokemon, returning his Wartortle to his pokeball before placing them in the machine to restore their health. Afterwards, he secured his pokeballs back unto his belt and paused to soak in the moment of peace. Absentmindedly, he brushed his hand over them and sighed quietly, recalling the battle he had earlier.
The match with Ari was a great refresher. Seeing such a young and small girl stand up to her fears, two in fact; men and ghost pokemon, made him mentally scold himself. Unlike him, she had incredible spirit and fierceness. All that in such a small package. It was quite a sight.
Neo then thought back on the rest of his opponents; Kaye and Arc. They never let the obstacles in front of them stop them from pursuing their goals. So far the two had won every one of their battles, minus his and Kaye's that ended in a draw. Nonetheless, hers and Arc's match would decide the winner of it all.
And speaking of their match, it was about to begin.
Walking back to the stands, Neo could already feel the excitement in the air as the crowds cheered and roared for the two trainers who were just making their way to their respective spots at either side of the arena. He barely took a few steps up the stairway of the stands when the screen flashed to life, displaying both Kaye and Arc's pictures with three pokeballs underneath. The hype in the air was palpable.
Finding himself walking down, eyes drawn to the arena, Neo stood at the foot of the stands and watched the awaited battle unfold before him with a tinge of contracted excitement.
The arena opened up to reveal a damp green marshland with long slender reeds and shallow bodies of water. Arc first sent out his Rapidash, Mimzy while Kaye chose her Talonflame, Ignis. Two fire-types right off the bat. It was going to be one blazing start, that was for sure, especially with the fiery looks of determination that burned in both Arc and Kaye's eyes.
As soon as the signal to start had been given, both pokemon launched into a Flame Charge attack, one soaring over the arena like a fireball while the other rushed across the field, burning away the long green blades on contact. Then they charged in at each other at the center field, Ignis swooping down while Mimzy brandished her single horn. Their crackling cloaks of flames collided, scattering embers and smoldering chunks in their air.
Given the Talonflame's aerial advantage, Ignis was able to bank to one side, evading the Rapidash's horn before soaring back into the air and following up with a skillful and elegant display of Acrobatics. After a few loops, Kaye's Talonflame then dived down rapidly, talons outstretched and armed. Arc's Rapidash attempted to dodge but failed, receiving the blow on her flank and sending her slamming against a mangrove.
Now, it was Arc's turn to attack. From fighting fire with fire to bringing to the battle to the air. Mimzy used Bounce and launched into air herself using her strong hind legs. Kaye's Talonflame couldn't evade in time and was sent hurtling into the shallows. After a moment, Ignis emerged, shaken and covered in grime but otherwise, conscious. Because of his state, Kaye instructed Ignis to use Roost and regain some lost health. The Talonflame did so, enveloping himself in a healing light as Arc wasted no time in pressing on the offense.
Surging with crackling sparks of electricity, Mimzy used Wild Charge. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. As soon as her electrically charged hooves touched the shallow waters, the whole arena erupted in a storm of sparks and volts, shocking not only the Rapidash but also the Talonflame. Luckily for the orange avian, his current spot was not as susceptible to electricity, given it had more mud and soil. And because of that, Ignis was able to complete Roost and heal himself moderately.
Kaye had the upper hand. With a snap and another Flame Charge, her Talonflame circled around in the air before coating himself in a veil of sizzling crimson flames and diving down at the Rapidash who faced the impending fire bolt head on with Flame Charge as well. Unfortunately for Arc, Mimzy had used up most of her strength and was not able to hold back the orange flaming avian, resulting in their lost in the first round.
For the next match-up, Arc sent out Earthshaker, his Swampert to up against Kaye's Talonflame. With a deep bellowing roar, the giant blue mudfish pokemon doused the entire scorched marshland with a Whirlpool attack, extinguishing lingering embers, causing a fog to rise and providing the perfect environment for the Swampert. Then Earthshaker launched another watery vortex from the misty shroud, catching the Talonflame by surprise but only managing to grazed him.
With a double snap from Kaye, Ignis zoomed over the arena with Steel Wing, slicing the air and clearing away the fog. And as soon as Earthshaker's form became visble, Kaye's Talonflame swooped down for the assault. However, before it could connect, Arc's Swampert swung his massive fist coated in ice crystals. The Ice Punch struck the amber bird squarely on its chest, sending Ignis hurtling towards his trainer, fortunately, missing her. But, her Talonflame had reached the end of his limits and Kaye withdrew him, giving the round to Arc.
For the next battle, Kaye chose her Froslass, Skadi who floated into the battlefield with elegance. It was unusual for the brunette to send her main pokemon out in the middle of the battle, but she didn't have much of a choice, given her Flygon was weak to ice attacks, and Arc's Swampert had his original move, Ice Pledge.
As soon as the round went underway, Kaye snapped her fingers and immediately her Froslass used her strongest attack, Blizzard. The whirling gales of ice crystals overwhelmed Arc's Swampert, eventually encasing the giant mudfish in ice. Arc urged his pokemon to break free but was not able to, giving Kaye and Skadi the opportunity to press on their attack.
Conjuring a Shadow Ball, Kaye's Froslass split the void orb into three and hurled it at the teetering block of ice. She continued to do so, showering the frozen pokemon in an onslaught of Shadow Balls. Silence followed. Finally the frosty haze cleared and the block of ice was unexpectedly still intact, littered with cracks and fissures created by the impact of the black and violet projectiles.
It was Arc's chance. With the icy prison weakened, Earthshaker was able to break free and launched into their counterattack; their signature move, Ice Pledge. Spires of water surged towards Kaye's Froslass as Arc's Swampert weaved around his attack and struck the pillars, gradually turning them into ice as the pillars met and encircled the white ghost-type.
However, that didn't stop their opponents. Snapping twice, Kaye gave her commands and Skadi broke the nearest ice columns with Shadow Ball and gracefully drifted away from the remaining ones before she was entrapped. Then as she caught the surprised Swampert with her sights, Skadi attacked with Icy Wind. Gritting at the failed result of their attack, Arc gave his command and Earthshaker countered with Whirlpool.
There was a loud snap that cut the air. Skadi unleashed another Blizzard attack before she braced herself and took the damage from Whirlpool. Earthshaker, on the hand, braced himself similarly but the biting cold overwhelmed him and he fell unconscious across the winter shrouded marshes.
With that, Arc was left with his last remaining pokemon. Whistling for him, Neeko promptly descended into the battlefield and the match quickly began.
Arc's Charizard immediately used Fire Blast, scorching the reeds of marshlands to char as it rapidly advance on Kaye's Froslass. Skadi drifted quickly and gracefully to the left , feeling the emanating heat as the five-point attack raged past her as the arena was quickly set ablaze. It was a dangerous situation for an ice-type.
With a single snap, Kaye's Froslass conjured a Shadow Ball, a single one that zoomed straight towards the Arc's Charizard and two more thereafter. Neeko defended himself with his scarred wings before countering with a powerful Flamethrower attack. Skadi maneuvered through the scorching onslaught like a dangerous dance.
Kaye bit her lip, seeing her pokemon barely faring in the intense heat. Quickly, she snapped her fingers and issued a Blizzard attack to counteract the flames. The Froslass managed to blanket her half of the arena in snow and draw the searing heat away but it drained a majority of her remaining strength, nearly making her fall to the snow covered floor. Once Neeko followed up with Dragon Rage, the match was done, ending in Arc's favor.
Now, only one pokemon remained on each side. It was the final round.
Kaye sent out her Flygon, Harena who then summoned a raging Sandstorm, blanketing the snowed and scorched marshes with desert sand, as well as impairing the vision of her opponent.
Arc, knowing that the match was nearly over and victory was nearly in either his or Kaye's grasp, triggered his trump card to tip the scales to his favor. Neeko mega evolved and immediately sunlight beamed down, seeping through the buffeting gales of sand. With that, Arc's Mega Charizard Y unleashed a devastating Fire Blast.
With a snap, Kaye countered the attack with Earth Power, keeping the fires at bay before completely redirecting it out of range. The ground beneath Neeko rumbled but he quickly escaped into the air, evading the attack and then following up with a spiraling Flamethrower. But it was all in Kaye's plan to get the Mega Charizard Y into the air.
With her signature cue, Harena, her Flygon furiously fluttered his wings, whipping up a massive brown cloud of sand to act as a shield and then fired a surging Dragonbreath that knocked Neeko out of the air and straight into the midst of the still raging Sandstorm. Unwilling to admit defeat, Arc's Mega Charizard Y utilized Dragon Rage to dissipate the Sandstorm before following it up with Thunder Punch, forcing it into the direction of Kaye's Flygon.
Somewhat exhausted from the earlier move, Harena barely avoided the brunt of the attack that grazed her right wing as she maneuvered through the air. Kaye snapped her fingers near her waistline and her Flygon instantly flew backwards and unleashed Hyper Beam, ready to angle her attack when necessary. Neeko countered with a Flamethrower. The two devastating torrents clashed in the center of the arena in a furious and glorious display of power.
It was a test of stamina and sheer willpower as each side dared not give in to the other. With the Mega Charizard's strengthened fire power and the Flygon's intense force, it was an equal match; a total standoff. But in the end, Neeko overwhelmed the Flygon's Hyper Beam as Harena's powered gradually drained away. The blazing Flamethrower struck the green insectoid dragon squarely on her chest and knocked her several feet away.
With the surge of the battle still coursing through his veins, Neeko charged in to finish the battle but was stopped by Arc who noticed Harena's state. Kaye, looking over her Flygon, understood as well that she couldn't continue. Yesterday, Harena caught a cold and now she received a bad hit on her right wing. Kaye didn't hesitate and pulled her out, much to her stubborn pokemon's protest but eventual concede.
And that marked the end of the match. The audience immediately launched into a stream of applause and cheers. Neo smiled at the two and clapped happily for them. With that victory, Arc marked his place as the group's champion. But that didn't mean the group's battles had ended. There was one final battle of the day.
Neo took a deep breath to calm himself as the cold realization of the long awaited confrontation neared. Focusing his thoughts on his previous opponents' battles, their willpower, burning spirit and especially their bonds with their pokemon, Neo steeled himself for his battle.
"It's finally time."
End of Chapter 60
The long awaited battle is next~! Woot!
This chapter really inspired Neo. (Thanks Arc, Ari, Kaye)
Will he overcome all the doubt and win?
Review and you'll see.
The chapter has already been written almost 2 weeks ago.
It's just sitting there. lol. Waiting. xD
After the Scuffle of Legends, I have prepared even more surprising twists and suspense.
The turning point in Semira is near. Mwhahaha~!
Read and Review!
Thanks again my loyal reviewers, readers and most especially my collab partners.
P.S Scriff and I have started a community and a forum for pokemon stories with OCs.