Episode 40: A regal entrance!
"Welcome to the second round of the Annual Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup!" Freddy O'Martian announced through the microphone. "We are now down to eight contestants. In our first match—Hunter from Castelia City versus Carmen from Lentimas Town!"
Hunter and Carmen both appeared on the battlefield just as the referee began explaining the rules of the match. As soon as he finished, both trainers summoned their Pokémon.
"Bisharp, let's go." Hunter said plainly while Carmen summoned a Ninetales. Hunter's Pokémon was one that Niko didn't immediately recognize. It was a bipedal, humanoid Pokémon with a round, red and black head akin to a war helmet that was topped with a golden, double-head axe blade. Its face was primarily yellow with a black outline. Its red shoulders project slight over its arms and have a thin yellow line where they meet its black torso. It has white, metallic hands that resemble gloves, with retractable blade attached. Encircling its torso are two blades, which create the impression of a ribcage. Its thighs were red and become progressively thinner as they connect to the knee. Lastly, both of its feet were metallic and split down the middle, resembling cloven hooves.
"Bisharp, the Sword Blade Pokémon. Dark and steel type. This pitiless Pokémon commands a group of Pawniard to hound prey into immobility. It then moves in to finish the prey off." Niko's pokédex said.
"Bisharp, use night slash." Hunter said calmly. Bisharp then charged forward with incredible speed, slashing at Ninetales before it could respond with a flamethrower that Carmen commanded. Ninetales fell to the ground from the force of the attack, wincing a little. "Now, faint attack!"
Bisharp then attacked Ninetales mercilessly, slashing and crashing into it. Ninetales managed to land a flame charge, but it collided with Bisharp's faint attack, quickly falling to the ground in defeat.
"Ninetales is unable to battle, Bisharp is the winner! The victory goes to Hunter from Castelia City!" The referee declared.
"Niko…" Warren said.
"I know. I know." Niko replied before his friend could finish. "He's tough, I get it."
Niko then got up—he was next. If he won this match, he would go up against Hunter. He knew exactly what he was getting himself into. He walked onto the field to meet his opponent—a young blonde woman with a plaid shirt and jeans on. She looked tough, like she went to the gym quite often and partook in martial arts. As it turned, out, she did: her Pokémon was a short, red-skinned Pokémon in a martial arts outfit. It was called Throh.
"Throh, the Judo Pokémon. Fighting type. When it encounters a foe bigger than itself, it wants to throw it. It changes belts as it gets stronger."
"Fine, then. Braviary, I choose you!" Niko shouted, summoning his Valiant Pokémon. This shouldn't be too difficult. He thought to himself. "Use aerial ace!"
"Bulk up!" Throh's trainer—named Addison—shouted. Throh then ripped through his clothes, beefing up more while Braviary dove down towards it. "Now, use circle throw!"
Braviary struck first, hitting Throh just as the Judo Pokémon grabbed Braviary's neck and thrust him behind it, slamming the Valiant Pokémon into the ground. Braviary immediately got back onto his talons, staring down Throh for a moment before taking flight just as the Judo Pokémon tried to attack with another circle throw.
"Use air cutter!" Niko shouted. Braviary backed away, tucked his wings in, and then opened them up again, unleashing small, light blue blades of air at Throh, who winced from each hit.
"Throh, use bulk up!" Addison commanded just as Braviary dove down for a second aerial ace. This time Braviary landed on the ground, this time on his talons, just as Throh collapsed onto the ground face-first.
"Throh is unable to battle, Braviary is the winner! And the victory goes to Niko from Pallet Town!" The referee declared.
That's it—I'm up against Hunter now, Niko thought to himself. Taking a deep breath, he thanked Braviary and returned him to his pokéball before returning to the stands to watch Elliot and Charles' match. In this match, Elliot used his Mienfoo, and Charles used a Pokémon called Carracosta, which Charlotte identified as the evolution of Tirtouga, a Pokémon Niko had previously fought.
Mienfoo, for all of its strength, didn't hold up as well against the Carracosta, even though it had the advantage. The match was longer than any of them thought it would be, eventually going to Mienfoo, who defeated the Prototurtle Pokémon with a drain punch.
"And now, we have our next match—Warren from Castelia City versus Nathan from Virbank City!" Freddy O'Martian announced. Niko and Charlotte—who was starting to feel a little better—both cheered as Warren took the stage, sending out his Poliwhirl this time to face Nathan's Gligar.
"Poliwhirl, use hypnosis!" Warren commanded. The Tadpole Pokémon nodded, forcing the black and white swirl on his stomach to swirl around, hypnotizing Gligar into falling asleep, right in the middle of its swords dance. "Now, water gun!"
Poliwhirl shot out a powerful jet of water from his stomach, hitting the sleeping Gligar on the ground, pushing it across the battlefield. Poliwhirl then, on Warren's command, dashed forward to use doubleslap on Gligar quickly, inadvertently waking it up. Gligar then rose to Poliwhirl's height and tackled it to the ground with a slash attack, causing the Tadpole Pokémon to wince briefly.
"Poliwhirl!" Warren shouted. "Use water gun!" The Tadpole Pokémon got back to his feet and used a close-range water attack on Gligar, knocking the Flyscorpion Pokémon backwards. Poliwhirl repeated this again, and then followed up with a hypnosis on Warren's command, putting Gligar to sleep. "Now, finish it off with doubleslap!" He said, thrusting a fist forward, just like Poliwhirl did when he charged at the sleeping Gligar and slapped it silly, defeating it in the process.
"Gligar is unable to battle, Poliwhirl is the winner! And the victory goes to Warren from Castelia City!" The referee declared.
Warren high-fived his Poliwhirl before returning him to his pokéball and returning to the stands, where Niko and Charlotte greeted him cheerfully.
"And that's it, folks! We have our final four now!" Freddy O'Martian announced. "Starting off tomorrow's match will be—Hunter from Castelia City and Niko from Pallet Town! Then, we have Elliot from Viridian City and Warren from Castelia City! Tomorrow, one of these four men will be declared the victor in the Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup, and have the opportunity to battle former Unova League Champion Alder!"
That evening, Niko sat in their rental room in the Pokémon Center. Warren and Charlotte were there as well. Charlotte was reading her book, presumably more about Lacunosa Town's legends. Warren was watching Leavanny practice her sewing. And Niko sat there with his full team of Pokémon.
"Well, tomorrow we're fighting Hunter. I don't know if anyone of you have met him, save for Servine, but he's the toughest trainer I've ever faced. As you know, it's a one-on-one battle. So…does anyone feel like going up against him?"
Servine was the first to step forward, almost immediately after Niko asked the question, which both surprised and impressed him.
"Alright then. Servine, I choose you." Niko said with a smirk. His other Pokémon all turned to Servine, who as still locking eyes with her trainer, a fire burning in her red eyes.
"Welcome, one and all, to the second day of the Annual Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup! I'm your host, Freddy O'Martian, here with former Unova League Champion Alder! Today, we will crown the winner of the tournament, as well as give them the opportunity to have a one-on-one battle with Alder!
"In our first battle, we have Hunter from Castelia City versus Niko from Pallet Town! Trainers, get ready!" He announced.
Hunter and Niko faced one another, each of them silent. It was the first time they had faced in over half a year, since Niko had a practice battle against him in the Fight Area. I know I'm going to lose here, but we're going to give it our best, Niko thought to himself. He took a deep breath, and pulled out Servine's pokéball just as the referee allowed them to begin.
"Servine, I choose you!"
"Haxorus, I choose you." Hunter said, summoning the Axe Jaw Pokémon that pummeled Servine in their last encounter. "Ah, that Pokémon again. I see." He said quietly.
Upon seeing Haxorus, Servine immediately felt energy flowing through her—angry energy. So as soon as Niko commanded her to use leaf blade, she was already off towards her opponent. She leapt through the air, aiming to build up her momentum just like she did against Drayden's Pokémon. Unfortunately for her, Hunter's Haxorus anticipated this and, as soon as Servine lunged towards it, grabbed the Grass Snake's tail and slammed her into the ground with all of the momentum she had gained.
Niko could hear Servine's cry among the loud noise accompanying her crash into the battlefield. He then saw a flood of memories rush into his mind's eye—all of the times Hunter's Pokémon verbally or physically assaulted his friends or Pokémon; all of it was coming back to him. He felt the anger, the rage once more.
"Servine! Get back up and use leaf tornado!" Niko commanded. Just as Haxorus brought down its claw into the ground, Servine flipped backwards and used leaf tornado mid-somersault, hitting Haxorus directly in the face before landing back on her feet. Niko noticed Hunter frown briefly in response to this. "Leaf blade!" He shouted.
Servine leapt forward and slashed at Haxorus, once more hitting the Axe Jaw Pokémon, and successfully landing before Haxorus could use another move. She then turned to Niko and nodded.
"I'm proud of you, Servine. Always have been." Niko said. He then watched Servine take a nasty hit from dragon tail and forced her into the ground once more. Now, she had difficulty getting back up. "Don't give in, buddy. You've never done that. NEVER!" Niko called out. He suddenly felt like he had tunnel vision, just like when Hunter nearly killed his Rampardos in their last official battle together. This time, though, it wasn't filled with a morbid feeling. It was something different.
Then, amidst the rubble caused by Haxorus' multiple attacks, Servine began to glow a bright white color. And, out of the rubble came an incredibly long, serpentine-like Pokémon. Like Snivy and Servine before her, this new Pokémon was primarily pale green. Her face and throat were white, while her back was dark green. Curled, mint-colored patterns extend into the white portion of her face, and she had narrow red eyes like her predecessors. In her lower jaw were two, visible fangs when her mouth opened. There were two pointed yellow extensions on the back of her head. Coiled, dark green extensions spread out from the sides of her lower neck, forming a curving pattern lower down the body. Just below her neck were two small leaf-like protrusions coming from either side.
"Serperior, the Regal Pokémon. Grass type. It only gives its all against strong opponents who are not fazed by the glare from Serperior's noble eyes." Charlotte's pokédex read.
"My god…" Warren said. "That's the same little Snivy that started this whole journey…" He continued, amazed at how larger the Serperior was, at least compared to Snivy or even Servine.
"Wow…" Niko said, also staring at his Pokémon. Serperior then turned to look at Niko and smirk her usual smirk. Niko's face hardened, though—they definitely had a shot at winning now. "Serperior, use—?" He then watched as Serperior coiled up briefly, watching her skin glow faintly. "Err…use leaf blade!"
Serperior then leapt into action, uncurling herself and, with her tail glowing, managed to swipe at Haxorus, albeit missing wildly. It was clear to Niko—and everyone else—that she was not yet used to her new body. Hunter and Haxorus, seeing an opportunity, then struck Serperior with a dragon claw, knocking Serperior to the ground.
"Leaf tornado!" Niko called out, hoping to maintain his distance. This hardly seemed to matter, since Haxorus then used dragon pulse, hitting Serperior and knocking her to the ground, unable to move.
"Serperior is unable to battle, Haxorus is the winner! The victory goes to Hunter from Castelia City!"
"Figures." Hunter said, promptly returning Haxorus. He gave Niko a quick glance before leaving the battlefield.
Meanwhile, Niko walked up to Serperior and kneeled down. "We'll see Hunter at the Unova League and, if we battle him, I will absolutely use you in it. But we have a lot of work to do."
Serperior, exhausted, nodded and then passed out, which prompted Niko to return her to her pokéball. He then went into the stands—Warren's match against Elliot was next.
"And for our next semifinal matchup, we have Elliot from Viridian City versus Warren from Castelia City!" Freddy O'Martian announced.
The referee then proceeded to explain the rules and, soon enough, Warren and Elliot were both sending out their Pokémon—Warren sent out Pidove, and Elliot sent out a Pokémon called Emboar.
"Emboar, the Mega Fire Pig Pokémon. Fire and fighting type. A flaring beard of fire is proof that it is fired up. It is adept at using many different moves."
"Emboar, use heat crash!" Elliot commanded.
"Pidove, dodge and use air cutter!" Warren called out. The Fire Pig charged at its far smaller opponent while its body was covered in flames. Fortunately, Pidove managed to dodge the move and unleash light blue blades at Emboar. "Now, quick attack!"
"Flamethrower!" Elliot shouted. Emboar turned to Pidove and belted out a jet of fire from its mouth, quickly engulfing Pidove as he crashed into the Fire Pig Pokémon. "Heat crash!" Moments later, Emboar followed up with a full-body tackle, surrounding Pidove in flames once more. The Tiny Pigeon Pokémon collapsed onto the ground, quickly defeated.
"Pidove is unable to battle, Emboar is the winner! And the victory goes to Elliot from Viridian City!" The referee declared.
"Wow! And what a quick match!" Freddy O'Martian announced. "Well folks, we have our final two contestants now! Hunter and Elliot!"
Warren returned to the stands, head in his hands. "Why was I such a dunce there!? I could have used Poliwhirl instead!"
"Warren…" Niko said, planting his hand on his friend's shoulder. "I've fought Elliot several times. If I'm being honest, it would have been difficult for you to win that one. Very difficult."
"I know, but still…that was too quick of a match." He said, frowning. He then let out a heavy sigh. "I can do better than that. So can Pidove."
"I know you can. But you placed in the Top 4! That's pretty impressive in its own right!" Niko said.
They then turned their attention to the final match. Hunter and Elliot both stood opposite one another. Niko personally wanted Elliot to win. He was a better trainer and, from Niko's perspective, a far better person. He deserved to win, in any event. For the final time, the referee explained the rules of the match and, within moments, both finalists sent out their Pokémon of choice.
"Toxicroak!"
"Scizor!"
"I choose you!" They said simultaneously, summoning two Pokémon very familiar to Niko. Two Pokémon that he could never seem to defeat.
"Use cross chop!" Hunter said. Elliot countered with iron head from Scizor, and both Pokémon collided instantly. Upon impact a wave of energy burst from them, ripping the field to shreds. The sheer power of the two—years of constant training with their respective trainers—was a sight to behold.
The two continued to exchanged moves, back and forth. It was obvious that Toxicroak was the one with the disadvantage, type-wise, since none of its poison moves were affecting Scizor. However, Scizor had difficulty landing moves on the incredibly agile Toxicroak. Therefore, in all they were evenly matched.
"You've fought these two before?" Charlotte asked in wonderment.
"And lost to both of them, yes. In fact, I think I've only seen Scizor lose twice. Once as a scyther to my friend Fay. But I've never managed to defeat it. It's certainly his ace Pokémon, though." Niko said. It was then that he also noticed something on Elliot's wrist. It was a small crystal, and it seemed to be glowing faintly. He didn't seem to recognize it, though.
The two continued to exchange blows, however, and neither seemed exhausted in the least. By now, the referee was putting a timer on the match—if neither Pokémon won decisively in the next few minutes, then each trainer would need to use a different Pokémon to break the tie.
"Toxicroak, sucker punch!" Hunter commanded. Toxicroak quickly shifted across the floor of the battlefield, dodging an iron head from Scizor and stabbing the Pincer Pokémon in the side, causing it to crumble to the ground. This was the opening he needed. "Now, cross chop!"
"Scizor, defend with x-scissor!" Elliot shouted quickly. However, it was too late—Toxicroak was slamming its claws down on Scizor, unfolding the "x" it made with its arms and slashing at its opponent with a strength Niko had rarely seen before. Toxicroak then jumped off of Scizor and landed a few yards away, staring down its opponent and waiting for further movement. There was none.
"Scizor is unable to battle, Toxicroak is the winner! And the victory goes to Hunter from Castelia City!" The referee declared. Both Elliot and Hunter returned their Pokémon, but only Hunter remained on the field. Moments later, Alder appeared down on the battlefield, and received a round of applause from the audience, and particularly Niko and his friends, as he did so. Alder then introduced himself to Hunter, who at least responded cordially.
"So, Hunter, do you accept my challenge for a battle?" He asked.
"No. No I do not." Hunter said before walking off, leaving the audience—and Alder—in silence.
Alder blinked a few times before turning to the crowd. "Well then, I suppose that concludes the Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup! If anyone would like to chat, I'll be around here and in the lobby, along with my good friend Freddy O'Martian! Thank you to all of the participants and those who watched and cheered on the trainers and their Pokémon. Have a wonderful rest of your day!" He then cut the microphone, and a hoard of people walked down the stands to the battlefield to meet with the champion.
Niko, Warren, and Charlotte didn't join in the crowd, since it would take too long to finally get to talk with the former champion. But Niko briefly locked eyes with Alder, who nodded and flashed a smile. Niko returned the nod, and walked out of the stands and into the lobby. There, he caught sight of Elliot, who had just finished talking with someone else.
"Congrats, Elliot." Niko said.
"Oh, hey Niko. Thanks. Do you know what's up with that Hunter guy? Seems kind of rude to me."
"Yeah, that's how he always is." Niko said, shaking his head. "Anyways, I hope to see you at the Unova League this year. You're Scizor has gotten much better."
"Thanks, I appreciate that. He has for sure. And I hope to see you there as well. If we get another chance to battle, you can bet it'll be a good one."
"Just like last time." Niko said, holding his hand out. Elliot shook it, and the two parted ways, just after Elliot said farewell to Warren and Charlotte.
Niko smiled. He felt a little lighter, despite his battle with Hunter. His Pokémon was stronger, and more determined than ever to get stronger still. He had a more friendly rivalry with Elliot. And he was well on his way to getting his final Unova League gym badge in Humilau City. Things were looking up for Niko yet again.