Secrets of the Night
DISCLAIMER: I Do NOT own Pokemon!
This is the awaited battle between Kiba and Neo. Prepare yourself for Mega-sized Suspense and thrill!
Special thanks to Dead Bones Sam for collaborating this battle with me!
Chapter 61: Scuffle of Legends, Part 8: Bonds Built by Trust
This was it.
After nearly two days and fourteen battles, it was now the final match, one that was inevitable to happen.
Both competitors took their positions at either side of the field as cheers and applause reverberated from the stands. Tension grew. The screen lit up and displayed various angles of the arena, a couple focused on the hardened faces of each trainer, their eyes focused on one another. Without a word of exchange, the floor soon opened up and revealed a rugged terrain with clusters of jagged rocks and boulders scattered around the border.
"So its finally our turn, aye Neo?" Kiba asked with a cocky smile on his face that infuriated Neo for no other reason than that it was from him. "Tell me, should I worry that you have as much control over my Drapion as I did, or that your kindness weakened him in exchange for control?"
"You should worry about yourself more," Neo answered back, his gaze unfaltering as he thought back on his friends and pokemon. "And kindness doesn't make them weak. It builds trust and that is what we're going to use to beat you… Right here. Right now."
"Then, lets cut the small talk, shall we?" Kiba suggested as his smile vanished, leaving a cool leveled stare at Neo. Making the first move Kiba tossed in his pokeball as Champ stood ready for battle already bouncing in anticipation.
Neo eyed Kiba's Hitmonchan observantly as he took out his first pokeball and sent his Dusknoir into battle. Novus pounded his fists together and let out a loud bellowing rumble. "Novus, let's show them what it means to have bonds and trust between trainer and pokemon."
And with their respective health gauges set to full and the referee's signal, the awaited rematch had begun.
"Bullet Punch!" Kiba ordered, insuring that he would get the first hit in. With a glowing red fist Champ chambered his fist before firing the attack at the surprised Dusknoir who was shoved back several inches as he barely blocked the attack in time minimizing the damage.
"Novus, turn up the heat with Fire Punch!"
As quick as the words left his trainer's mouth, Novus ignited his fists into sizzling crimson flames before he lunged at Kiba's Hitmonchan with blazing fury. The flurry of swings came in with intense force. Champ used his quick footwork to parry many of the blows but the cinders scraped him a few times while a single solid hit to his torso sent him skidding across the rocky terrain.
"Roll with it, Champ! Use Agility and gain the upper hand!"
At his master's command, Champ seemed to fade away from sight before Novus could land another hit. The bulky ghost-type's single eye tried to track the Hitmonchan the few times it made itself visible, but he couldn't lock on to the opponent. Then out of nowhere, Champ appeared in front of him and struck Novus with an electrically fused fist in his side. Again. And again.
Neo grit his teeth and cringed inwardly at every explosive impact of Thunder Punch. It reminded him too vividly of Scourge. And now, the image of his Drapion was replaced with the pokemon who cared for him since he was a child. But that bitter vision only fueled his resolve to beat Kiba. "Give them a taste of their own medicine, Novus! Thunder Punch!"
When another blow from Champ landed, Novus retaliated with a massive fist engulfed in yellow sparks of crackling electricity. Champ brought his arm up and blocked the first attack and then ducked to evade the second. A storm of punches came as Kiba's Hitmonchan was gradually backed up, until he had his back turned to a tall rock. With a final, full-force blow, Novus drove a straight as Champ crossed his arms and blocked the attack. The impact shattered the boulder and sent the Hitmonchan flying back but he landed on his feet before he hit the ground.
"That's what I want to see!" Kiba encouraged at his pokemon's fancy footwork. "Now give that Dusknoir a taste of your After Image trick! Bullet Punch!"
Champ disappeared again from the eyes of Neo and Novus for only a split second, but what they saw next made Neo's heart skip a beat in fear. Circling Novus seemed to be a dozen Hitmonchan, all moving in the same direction as if they were each their own physical being. Suddenly, a steel induced fist hit Novus from behind and then again in its chest near its mouth. The attacks were relentless and it was impossible for either Neo or his pokemon to tell where the next attack would come from.
"Novus, don't give in! Use Shadow Punch!" Neo countered.
The Dusknoir groaned, his sole eye focused on the multiple doppelgangers as his fists suddenly became outlined in a gray aura. As the after-images of the Hitmonchan closed in, Novus let loose several Shadow Punches, all shot in various angles. But in a single moment, all spectral projectiles swerved and collided on a single target. Champ fell to one knee as the rest of the conjured doppelgangers faded into nothing while Novus was left panting after pulling through the onslaught.
"Come on Champ get back up! Bullet Punch!"
From his kneeling position he fired another punch that barely hit its mark as Novus was brought down to a similar position. Neo took a split-second glance at the screen and saw that the Novus' health bar was way less than half, almost on the verge of becoming red. Champ's bar was the same but he had more hit points left compared to Novus. Clenching his fist, he pushed himself not to give in to the gnawing dread of defeat.
"Novus! I know you can do this!" He called out to his pokemon. "Fight back with Fire Punch!"
Staggering to get off the ground, Novus glared at his opponent and once again lunged at him with fists burning crimson. Champ, although growing equally exhausted, side-stepped to the left and drove a solid Bullet Punch combo against the Dusknoir's midsection, eliciting a hoarse pained cry from the ghost-type.
Neo watched in fear as his Dusknoir swayed erratically, his form quivering as he forced himself to remain aloft. Could he continue? Should he continue? Neo unconsciously stepped forward just as Novus was about launch another attack, only to falter as he let out a final cry of rage before finally falling unconscious across the cold rugged field.
Silence permeated the field as the referee declared that Novus was unable to continue, giving the first round victory to Kiba. Neo was heartbroken at the loss. Novus, his father's pokemon and one of the strongest pokemon on his team had been defeated in the first round against Kiba.
Dread washed over him. He didn't know what to do as he stared at Novus' unmoving form as Champ had returned to Kiba where his trainer had put a proud hand on his shoulder. Was that an emotion he would have expected from Kiba? Pride? He was suddenly brought back to the reality of things as he saw Novus stirring on the ground. No longer in a daze, he rushed to the Dusknoir's side.
Kneeling down beside his pokemon, Neo laid a trembling hand on his Dusknoir. He couldn't find the courage to met his gaze, nor the words to express the wave of emotions that clenched his heart at that very moment.
It was Novus that made the first move. As soon as he got off the ground, the Dusknoir placed his massive hand on Neo's shoulder, drawing the young noble's gaze to him. Unspoken words were exchanged between the two of them. Neo let a weak smile laced his lips and he gave Novus a small nod before returning him to his pokeball.
As soon as he walked back to his respective spot, Neo's demeanor had changed, his posture stood tall and strong. A hardened gaze flooded with resolve turned to Kiba who returned the expression with his signature smirk. Neo then took out his second pokemon and sent him out into the battlefield.
With a ear-splitting screech, a crimson Drapion materialized in the midst of the arena, his sharp eyes fixated on the familiar boxing pokemon and the trainer that stood next to him. It was instantaneous; Scourge's eyes immediately narrowed at its former master as it roared in rage at his opponents. His three pincers were raised into the air threateningly as his anger seethed from his body like the poison dripping from its claws, leaving small corroded craters on the ground beneath it.
At first Neo thought that sending Scourge out may have been a mistake, an excuse for the crimson insectoid to go into a blood rage and kill both of them on the spot. However, much to his shock, Scourge turned back to look at Neo- his eyes returning to normal at the sight of its new trainer- as he nodded at Neo assuredly, as if to tell him 'don't worry, I've got this'. Neo responded with a relieved smile and a similiar nod as Scourge turned back to glare at Kiba and Champ, growling as they awaited for the referee to signal the start of the battle.
With the cue for the second round to begin, Neo immediately seized the initiative. "Scourge, use Hone Claws and follow up with Night Slash."
As quick as the shiny Drapion's pincers lit up with an empowering white light, dark energy radiated out and engulfed all three of Scourge's limbs. Then without missing a beat, he charged at Kiba's Hitmonchan.
"Agility, Champ! Hit it from behind with Sky Uppercut!"
As it had occured for the majority of the battle, Champ disappeared as he made to strike the unexpected Drapion from behind. However, much to everyone's surprise, the Hitmonchan got nowhere near its intended target.
Just as Kiba's Hitmonchan materialized behind Scourge, it was immediately swept off the ground and into the air by Scourge's tail where he turned its body to a complete 180- degree to stare threateningly into the eyes of its once punisher. With another swing of his tail, he caught Kiba's Hitmonchan between his pincers and pinned him to a boulder where Champ was then met with a cross bladed assault from Scourge's arms.
Champ brought his arms up to shield himself. But the sheer force of retribution came in full force and Kiba's Hitmonchan was sent harshly crashing through the thick rock and slamming against another cluster of boulders where he fell to the ground and succumbed to unconsciousness.
Kiba stared in shock at his downed Hitmonchan and then looked almost fearfully to Scourge who merely growled readily more than anxious to continue battling and to defeat his former trainer. He recalled his pokemon from the field and without hesitation threw out his second pokemon, a massive Fearow with the impressive wing span.
The two pokemon stared at one another with heated glares and, even though Scourge had nothing against Arrow personally, he wanted nothing more than to make quick work of the oversized Avian. Once the referee signaled for the match to continue, the fighting began.
"Drill Peck, Arrow!" Kiba instructed.
The Fearow was airborne with a single flap of its massive wings and was quickly closing in on Scourge as its beak was spinning at a deathly fast pace.
"Douse with Toxic!" Neo cried out.
Raising his tail, Scourge steeled his stance as the brown avian descended like a missile. As soon as the Fearow closed in, the crimson Drapion spewed a torrent of violet poison that completely drenched the bird pokemon. However the Fearow did not relent from its attack after being badly poisoned and landed its attack on the base of Scourge's body causing the massive pokemon to roar in pain before the Fearow ascended to a safe distance, the effects of Toxic evident in the purple static reverberating off of its body.
"Finish this quick, Arrow! Use Drill Run!" Kiba shouted.
Arrow closed his wings and seemingly plummeted towards the ground, however just before he could crash, he opened his wings and rotated his entire body at a high speed making it seem as if the avian itself was a massive drill as he went flying towards Scourge.
"Escape with Dig!"
With immediate compliance, Scourge tunneled through the hardened soil using his sharp pincers. Kiba's Fearow swooped in but was too late to land a hit before the Drapion's tail vanished into the darkness of the hole.
"Follow him, Arrow." Kiba roared. "Mirror Move!"
Spinning itself into another drill like maneuver, Arrow followed Scourge into the hole moving dirt just as easily as Scourge had moments before. While neither of the trainers could see what was happening below the ground they could both hear the surprised and pained shrieks of Scourge and the equally pained squawks from Arrow. After minutes of their health bars depleting from underground, Arrow emerged first from the ground followed quickly by Scourge who had just missed the pokemon's tail feathers with his sharp pincers.
"Press on, Scourge! Use Night Slash," Neo commanded.
As the Fearow escaped upwards, Scourge scaled one of the rocks and used the height to lung himself at the brown avian with a tail wrapped in tendrils of black aura. Surprised by the sudden flying Drapion, Arrow had no chance to dodge the attack as he was struck by the attack sending the long-beaked avian plummeting towards the ground. However, Kiba's Fearow opened its wings at the last minute and managed to glide over the ground, avoiding what would have been a painful crash. Still, that didn't elude him from the effects of Toxic that continued to eat away his hit points.
"Quick before it can get back to the ground! Drill Run!" Kiba roared.
Arrow repeated its spinning motion as it made a beeline towards the falling Drapion, almost ensuring that it wouldn't be able to avoid the direct attack.
Knowing that there was no time to tunnel an escape, Neo changed tactics. "Scourge, Night Slash! Block first then attack."
When Kiba's Fearow closed in, all three limbs of the Drapion blazed with dark energy. With Scourge's sharpened senses helping him zero in on his target, he extended his arms and clamped his pincers around the rotating beak of the brown avian. The drilling motion and the dark-type energy reverberated in the air with harsh crackling noises. Scourge was doing his best to hold back the Fearow, partly succeeding but the two continued to plummet towards the earth. Pushing to accomplish Neo's last instruction, he maneuvered his tail and struck the midsection of the Fearow.
The two crashed landed onto the rocks, sending rumbles across the ground and dust into the air. Moments of heavy silence passed before the arena cleared up and the two pokemon were now visible. Scourge emerged from the smoke, roaring as it did and shocking the crowd that it had survived such a violent fall. Arrow however was on the ground unconscious, whether it was from the attacks or from the effects of Toxic however was unknown. Kiba returned his Fearow and looked to Neo with a look of loathing.
"You really know how to push a guy's buttons, Neo." He shook his head plainly as he fingered his final pokeball idly.
"You can't win. We won't let you," Neo declared as Scourge's fierce screech backed him up.
"That isn't up to you, Neo," Kiba said with a snarl. "Its up to Bane!"
From the pokeball, the shining form of Kiba's Scizor emerged from its pokeball as its red armor seemed to glisten in the lighting along with what could only be a mega stone harnessed to its chest like a plate mail. Bane glared icily as he stood tall and imposing on the battlefield, the surrounding atmosphere plummeting to fear and dread.
"I came prepared after seeing you fight with Scourge in the first match," Kiba said with a vindictive smile on his face. "You can preach all you want about how your bonds keep you strong but just wait until my bond beats your pokemon to death!"
At that last word, the atmosphere in the arena suddenly took a nose-dive as Neo looked on with growing fear. Then those fears came to fruit when Kiba's next few words roared through the arena.
"Bane, Mega Evolve!"
As Kiba spoke one of the dog tags around his neck started to glow, apparently having been his key stone. It shone in sync with the one around his Scizor's chest as it was overcome by a bright light, changing its physical features. Its wings increased in size as its pincers also morphed into the shape of giant pliers, while the rest of his body seemed to have become more heavily armored. Once the light dissipated, the Mega Scizor brandished his monstrous pincers and glared dead ahead at his opponent, and even Scourge could tell that the change was alarming.
"You can go first Neo," Kiba offered with a cruel smile. "And it'll be the last nice thing I do for you."
Neo clenched his teeth and balled his fists, his resolve barely keeping him on his feet in the face of such an adversary. Scourge screeched loudly and stomped his legs, drawing Neo's attention back into reality. He looked to the Drapion and saw just how determined he was to keep on going. Mentally scolding himself for feeling such fear in the midst of the battle while his pokemon was still standing, Neo looked ahead and continued the fight.
"Scourge, attack with Dig!"
And with that, the crimson Drapion penetrated the rocky layers of the arena and disappeared beneath it.
"Get in the air," Kiba said calmly.
The Mega-Scizor used his strong legs and shot like a rocket into the sky, using his wings to somehow keep him aloft and well out of reach of anywhere the Drapion would be able to strike upon exiting the ground. After only a few moments Scourge emerged from underground, shrieking in frustration at not having a target.
"Metal Claw," Kiba said with a continued calm in his voice that worried Neo.
Bane's wings opened as he threw himself towards Scourge. Before it had any time to evade, the Scizor's massive claws shined with the texture of metal as it made two fast and precise cuts on the Drapion's chest before flying out of range of a counter attack. Scourge stood there, shocked, for several seconds before falling to the ground having reached its limit from that single attack.
Fear and doubt began to gnaw at Neo as he stared at Scourge's unconscious form on the ground, the Mega Scizor looming over him. His instincts told him to rush to the Drapion's side but his feet were frozen in place. With only a reflex of a trainer, Neo called back Scourge into his pokeball without a word.
"Neo," Kiba called out, drawing a surprised look from the young noble. "I'm going to give you this one chance... Give up now."
"What?" Neo asked in shock.
"Don't be a fool. You say you care about your pokemon but you know sending out your Wartortle will end poorly for it. And unlike Scourge, Bane has no problem getting his claws bloody, so I'll say it one last time. Give. Up."
Neo stood still, as if frozen in time. The roars of the crowd drowned away as his hand hovered above Genbu's pokeball. Visions of his first battle with Kiba made him recall how close he was in losing his precious pokemon. Although at that time, he persuaded Scourge, only because he saw the wavering bond between him and Kiba. But now, looking at Bane, Neo couldn't tell if there would be any stopping him from finishing Genbu, other than the rules of the tournament. However, knowing Kiba, he didn't care much for that. He was dead set on Genbu's blood.
His mind was made up. His hand went limp but suddenly a cold chill settled in the air around his hand. The pokeball snapped open and Genbu emerged from it, landing at the edge of the arena, his snowflake-printed back turned to Kiba and Bane while he faced Neo with an angered look.
"Warr!" Genbu growled in a scolding manner.
"Genbu…" Neo muttered absentmindedly. His Wartortle shook his head and turned around to walk further into the arena, much to his trainer's horror. "Genbu!"
The ice-born Wartortle glanced over his shoulder and met his trainer's wavering look with an expression of zero fear. It shocked Neo. He didn't want to endanger his pokemon. He didn't care about what other people would think so why wouldn't his pokemon just understand that?
"Warr!" Genbu cried out once again as if forcing his trainer to get up and face the enemy ahead.
Neo bit his lip and recalled Novus' gesture on his shoulder, Scourge's trusting gaze and now Genbu's relentless ways of being stubborn. He chuckled inwardly and raised his head to meet Genbu's grin with his usual warm smile. "Alright… You guys win."
As the referee confirmed Neo's choice to continue, he raised his hand and declared the final round of the 15th match to begin.
"Use Swords Dance," Kiba said in his terrifyingly calm tone. "Don't attack until it makes a move," he added.
Bane's pincers sharpened at the order as he clicked them readily together, as if taunting for the Wartortle to fight in close quarters.
"Genbu, stay where you are." Neo instructed as his Wartortle kept a calm disposition. "Attack with Water Pulse!"
Just as soon as the commands were issued, Genbu conjured whirling blue water spheres and hurled them at the Mega Scizor. Bane didn't even wait for an order from its trainer as the Water Pulses made their way towards him; he merely raised his pincers and batted the attacks away as if he was hitting a rubber ball, dissipating each attack before they could do any damage.
Neo and Genbu were both caught by surprise at the futility of their attacks but while Neo was growing fearful by the Mega Scizor's display of strength, Genbu refused to give up as he stubbornly stood his ground.
"Use X-Scissors," Kiba said plainly as his cruel smile refused to vanish from his face.
"Counter with Ice Beam Genbu!" Neo yelled out quickly. "Trap it before it can get close!"
Genbu immediately fired an Ice Beam at the mega evolved pokemon in hopes to trap the pokemon in a block of ice. Unfortunately, Bane was fast enough to avoid volley after volley of the attacks, leaving pillars of solid ice in the spots it had been standing seconds, doing little more than minimizing the amount of the battle field they could safely travel across.
Despite it all, it couldn't halt Bane's advance and soon Genbu found himself looking face to face with the Mega Scizor who was hovering right in front of him. An uncontrollable sense of dread flashed before the Wartortle's eyes as well as his trainer's when Bane crossed his long pincers in front, a blood red glow radiating out from them. Genbu had barely time to brace himself inside his shell as Bane's attack came, slamming him into a series of boulders that shattered on impact, the final one where he ultimately crashed against left a sizeable web-like crack.
Neo felt his heart clench and his breathing narrow as he looked to Genbu who wearily emerged from his shell and staggered back to his feet, wincing as he did. After a moment, his gaze shifted to Bane who was steadily walking towards the shaken up Wartortle.
"Genbu! Get out of there!" Neo tried to warn his pokemon but he was too late.
"Metal Claw, Bane. It's time to finish this," Kiba commanded almost excitedly.
Bane's Claws glowed with a metallic sheen as he quickly reached out his claw and attacked Genbu yet again, forcing him to fly backwards and slam against another boulder before grabbing the turtle pokemon around his midsection, keeping Genbu pinned against the rugged rock with no obvious way to escape.
"So it seems we've returned to a familiar situation," Kiba taunted as Genbu struggled to get out of Bane's death grip. "My pokemon holds the life of yours in his pincer. Maybe if you ask Bane nicely he'll let your Wartortle go... Go on, ask him!" Kiba almost demanded.
Neo struggled to think straight, his gazing shifting back and forth from Genbu to Bane as coldness of despair began to take hold. "...I."
"Warr!" Genbu intervened with a hoarse growl.
Desperately, he struggled to break free and even fired a single Water Pulse move, striking the Mega Scizor on the head, but Bane barely flinched as the death grip only tightened. Without waiting for an order, Bane slammed Genbu into the boulder where he was pressed against, releasing a pain-filled gasp from the turtle pokemon as he weakly continued to try and escape from his opponent's grasp.
"I told you to ask Bane to be merciful," Kiba angrily demanded again, watching with amusement as Bane continued to crush Genbu effortlessly as his health bar continued to decrease on the screen. "Beg him to free your precious pokemon like you did with Scourge. Forge a 'bond'," he added with an almost beast like snarl.
Neo clenched his fists, defeat and despair slowly swallowing him from under his feet. Genbu's cries echoed in his ears, part laced with fear but it was still ringing with the message to fight on. Thoughts of his pokemon and the bond they forged over time wrapped around him with warmth. "As I said before… Our trust in each other will be the one to beat you." We will. No matter what. I believe in my pokemon. We can pull through.
Kiba scoffed. "Then your trust will lead your pokemon to his death." He cued his mega evolved pokemon. "Hyper Beam, Bane! Point blank!"
Gradually, Bane raised his free pincer and opened it. In it was an orange light sphere steadily beginning to build in power. Sensing the danger, Genbu continued to struggle against his restraint but his efforts were useless. Finally, as the attack had reached its maximum power, Bane put the tips of its pincer around Genbu's head. Just as the attack was about to be unleashed, Kiba couldn't help but smirk at Neo and make one final taunt.
"Times up."
At those words, a bright light engulfed the arena. Crowds and onlookers gasped, not knowing what had happened, but all fearing for the worst. Neo blinked away the blinding brilliance and looked ahead at the shroud of light. As the enormity of the event came crashing down, regret pierced through his body like ice cold daggers. Trembling, he looked down as his world began cave in around him. The light slowly faded away but even then, Neo refused to look up, wallowing in his repercussions of his mistake.
Suddenly the crowds erupted with various reactions. Loud gasps and soon a booming applause reverberated through the atmosphere. With wonder and slivers of hope rising, Neo looked up and fell speechless at the sight.
What stood before all of them was now a massive turtle with a broad head and an enormous shell with two cannons coming out on each side of the upper portion. When the white light cleared away, a greenish-blue glow, a remnant of Protect, had just faded after mere seconds being visible, revealing a signature white snowflake mark on the face of the brown shell.
Neo could barely believe what had occurred at that very moment. He eyed in disbelief Genbu's new form as a grin curved across the titan turtle's maw as he now held a buzzing red armored insect off the ground and in his massive clawed hand.
Kiba stared in shock at the enormous turtle pokemon standing in the arena, now holding his own pokemon in a similar grip that it had been held in seconds before. Unfortunately, Kiba had no time to give orders as one of Genbu's massive cannons took aim at the Mega Scizor and fired a powerful concentrated blast of water that sent Bane crashing through several boulders before finally he slammed to a stop into one of the ice pillars Genbu had made earlier. Kiba shook with fury while Neo watched in awe at Genbu's newly obtained strength.
Knowing he needed to see what changes Genbu had gone through, Neo quickly pulled out his pokedex while Bane was still recovering from the attack.
Blastoise
The Shellfish Pokemon
The evolved form of Wartortle. Blastoise's strength lies in its power, rather than its speed. Its shell is like armor and attacks from the hydro cannons on its back are virtually unstoppable.
Neo continued past as he looked at the list of moves Genbu knew and was shocked to see that all of his attacks, discounting Protect, had been upgraded. Unfortunately, he didn't much time to gander at his pokemon's newfound power as he heard Kiba growl from the other side of the arena.
"Your Wartortle may have evolved but that doesn't change anything!" Kiba roared angrily. "Bane, Metal Claw!"
The Mega Scizor shook off any weariness and ice debris he had obtained from Genbu's attack as he launched himself at the Blastoise with his deadly metallic claws. Genbu, though, didn't look the least bit scared as he snorted and awaited Neo's signal.
Now with his determination and confidence now brimming, Neo initiated a full counter-attack. "Hydro Pump!"
Genbu let out a rumbling cry as he lowered his cannons , aiming both directly at the advancing target, and unleashing surging torrents of water that shattered rocks and ice pillars before colliding with the Mega Scizor with explosive force. Halting, Bane dug his feet into the ground and brought his glowing pincers forward to counter the unrelenting onslaught. But despite that, he was still being forcibly pushed back.
"What are you doing?!" Kiba asked angrily. "Get out of the water spout and hit him already!"
Bane ducked low beneath the Hydro Pump's torrents and flew around the streams before closing in on Genbu, where he then landed two strikes with his claws on the front of Genbu's shell. Neo's Blastoise recoiled slightly before ending the Hydro Pump and swinging one of its massive arms towards Bane to force the Mega pokemon to back off.
As the Mega Scizor flew out of range from Genbu's fist, Neo pressed on the attack. "Follow up with Blizzard!"
Genbu pointed his cannons upward and let loose a powerful snowstorm into the arena, blanketing the rocky terrain with a pure layer of white slush. Above the arena, Bane desperately tried to glide through the icy gale but with every stroke of his wings, frost and snow rapidly built up around his wings and body, impairing his flight until he came crashing down from the air and into the domain of snow and ice.
"Damn it, Bane!" Kiba responded angrily. "Get up now! Full power Hyper Beam! Take. Him. DOWN!"
Brushing off the the white slush, Bane stood back up and raised both of its pincers, readying a dual-Hyper Beam in a way firing them at Genbu in a way that would be difficult for the now bulkier pokemon to avoid.
"Give us your best shot!" Neo yelled back as Genbu followed up with a booming growl. "Genbu, use Protect and follow up with another Hydro Pump."
Planting both his bulky legs on the snow-covered ground, the Blastoise braced himself, a vivid bluish-green glow radiating out and outlining his massive form. Bane fired both pincers simultaneously and two powerful orange beams plowed through the field, melting away ice and disintegrating rocks. When the attack collided with its target, an explosive burst of light occurred, forcing chunks of the arena to fly into the air.
The audience gasped as the display of sheer power. One by one, the debris fell back into place and the haze cleared away, revealing that Genbu was still standing in place, heavily scathed yet conscious, and a deep depression had formed in front of him. The health gauge had only a sliver of red left, proof of Genbu's unrelenting willpower.
Then before anyone could react, Genbu glowed with a blazing blue aura, signifying Torrent ability's activation. With the water-type empowerment and pre-aimed cannons, he fired another surging stream of Hydro Pump straight at Bane who was still recovering from using the energy-consuming move. The massive spouts of water rushed through the field as remnants of the cold air rapidly solidifying them into ice missiles. Bane didn't have the energy to dodge as the large iced projectiles crashed dead on, exploding on contact before raining down in the form of ice crystals.
After a tense pause, the haze of frost dissipated, revealing Kiba's Scizor laying flat across the snow, unconscious as he reverted back to his prior form. And with that, the crowds erupted into lively cheers and roars and the referee declared the match to be over with Neo emerging as the victor.
With the cheering and claps resonating in the background, Neo let out a breath that came out white in the lingering coldness. He stared ahead, slowly giving the feat of the accomplishment time to sink in. But when it did, he made his way to the arena, his shoes crunching in the snow with every step.
Genbu turned around to meet him with a wide grin that was almost said, 'And you thought I'd lose.'
Neo chuckled lightly in admitting his doubts before placing a hand on Genbu and extending his deepest gratitude. "Thank you… Genbu."
His Blastoise gave a nod of acknowledgement but then his expression shifted to mild surprise. Neo met his gaze with equal shock before his vision swayed. He barely noticed that his body was wobbling and his prior adrenaline had begun to wither away. As he stumbled in the snow, Genbu reached out, barely making it in time to grab his arm and pull him back. Taking a grip on his consciousness, Neo did his best to remain standing but soon found himself swept off his feet as Genbu scooped him up and placed him on his shoulder, making his broad head the ideal place to lean on.
The gesture was calming to the young noble especially when Genbu lightly held his leg in order to make sure he wouldn't fall. Smiling warmly, Neo leaned his body against Genbu, his one arm on top of the giant turtle's head while his other laid limply on his lap. Contented, he chuckled to himself. "Like I said, you'll be the one carrying me sooner or later."
Genbu let out an amused snort as another grin etched his maw. With his trainer settled securely, he turned around to leave. Then he was abruptly called back by a furious-sounding individual. He frowned and a rumbling growl escaped his maw as he turned to face the arrogant trainer.
Neo, sitting up slightly, looked down on Kiba from his height. "...What?"
"I won't accept this!" Kiba protested with a snarl and a balled up fist. "Your over-sized Squirtle isn't even mega evolved! How could he have beaten Bane?! It's not freaking possible!"
They stared at each other for a tense moment before Neo spoke.
"You lack something when you mega evolved your Scizor," he replied calmly, earning an incredulous glare from Kiba. "Mega Evolution is something that is forged through bonds. And those bonds are founded by trust between trainer and pokemon. Without a true bond, you can't draw the full potential of Mega Evolution."
"How would you know?!" Kiba shouted furiously. "You've never Mega evolved your pokemon before."
"I had a good teacher and friends who proved to me that he was right," Neo answered, recalling Gremio's teachings and the battles he faced with Arc and Blaze. With those words, tapped his Blastoise, signalling him to leave. Genbu complied, ignoring the fuming trainer behind them.
"This isn't over, you hear me?! THIS ISN'T OVER!"
Neo and Genbu continued to make their way from the arena where they were greeted by Chase and the rest of the pokemon. Neo's silver-haired friend shot him a thumbs up while the others bounced, or in Arana's case spun around, with delighted cheers. Carefully, Genbu set Neo on the ground. As soon as the raven-haired noble touched the floor, he staggered but was steadied by Chase.
"You did it." His friend told him.
Neo's head was down but his contented smile was visible. He gave a nod and extended his arm towards Chase as if seeking further support. Chuckling lightly, his friend willingly obliged and slid his own arm around Neo just as his full weight suddenly fell against him. Chase was caught off guard but he managed to remain on his feet as he held on to his friend.
Shaking him slightly, he attempted to get a response. "Hey Neo... Neo? NEO!"
End of Chapter 61
Whoa! EPIC much, right?
I was totally at the edge of my seat as I was writing this with Dead Bones Sam.
I can almost hear intense anime bg music playing.
Thanks so much DBS! As well as for the rest of my collab writers!
I'm sorry for my screwy timezone. (I live 12 hours in the future)
And as usual, at the most intense moments, Neo breaks down.
Good luck dealing with that Chase. :P
For the next chapter, it'll be a very close collab with Arc/Scriff.
Different perspectives will be featured so if you want to know the full events, check both. ;)
Around 5-7 Chapters are already written.
A few surprises on the way. ;)
Read and Review~!
Please and Thank you!