Episode 50: Moving up the ladder
"Aaand welcome to the second round of the Vertress Conference!" President Goodshow announced. "We are now down to 64 trainers, all of whom will now compete in two-on-two Pokémon battles to decide the final 32!"
Niko was in the main stadium this time. Coming off of a relatively easy win in the first round, he felt good about his chances in this second one. He looked across the field at his opponent—a tall, bespeckled young man named John. The referee explained the rules, as usual, and shortly after allowed the two trainers to begin.
"Crustle, I choose you!" John shouted, throwing out a pokéball onto the field. In its place appeared a massive crab-like Pokémon with a shell that resembled a cut-way block of sediment with multiple layers. The rest of its body was dark red.
"Lampent, you're up!" Niko called out. "Use will-o-wisp!"
"This shouldn't be too hard. Crustle, rock slide!" John commanded. However, he underestimated Lampent's speed. The fire type weaved through the rocks before conjuring and releasing small blue flames, effectively burning to Stone Home Pokémon. "Shell smash!"
Crustle, unexpectedly, picked up the stone on its back and threw it on the ground. John then commanded it to use smack down, to which Lampent repelled it with hex, as if she were battling Boldore. "Lampent, hex again!" Niko shouted, noticing the small burn mark on Crustle's right claw. The Lamp Pokémon conjured another purple and black ball, launching it down at her opponent, who managed to dodge in time before using a successful rock slide attack, bringing Lampent down to the ground.
"Lampent, we got this, alright?" Niko said as his Pokémon was removing herself from the pile of rocks she was under. "Use inferno!"
Lampent rose into the air and tilted her head towards Crustle before unleashing a powerful burst of blue fire at the Stone Home Pokémon, who attempted to dodge the move before getting hit. Niko then commanded she use hex once more. John called for Crustle to use rock slide to block it, but it was too late: the attack hit, and Crustle was thrown backwards through the air, unable to battle before it even landed on the ground.
"Crustle is unable to battle, Lampent is the winner! John will use his second Pokémon!" The referee declared.
"Umbreon, I choose you!" He shouted, summoning a familiar foxlike Pokémon to Niko. "Use shadow ball!"
"Block with hex!" Niko commanded. "And follow up with will-o-wisp!" He said. Lampent obliged, conjuring another shadowy sphere to counteract shadow ball. Just as she threw the will-o-wisp. Umbreon disappeared. "Watch out, Lampent! Umbreon is using faint attack!" Niko cautioned, being very familiar with the move.
"Now!" John commanded. Umbreon leapt out from above Lampent and leaned downwards, sending Lampent into the ground. "And shadow ball!"
"Inferno!" Niko shouted. Lampent tried to attack, but wasn't quick enough for the clearly faster Umbreon, whose shadow ball was enough to defeat the Lamp Pokémon.
"Lampent is unable to battle, Umbreon is the winner!" The judge declared. "Niko will use his second Pokémon!"
"Lampent, return." Niko said. "Druddigon, I choose you!" He shouted. The Cave Pokémon excitedly jumped out of the pokéball and landed on the dirt ground. "Use dragon claw!"
"Screech!" John commanded. The Moonlight Pokémon got low to the ground and emitted an ear-piercing scream at Druddigon, who tried to ignore the move and land his attack. However, he ultimately missed, as the loud sound had disrupted his balance, knocking him to the ground. "Now, faint attack!"
"Dragon tail!" Niko shouted. Druddigon got back up and waited for Umbreon, constantly looking in all of his potential blind spots before Umbreon struck him from the front. Quickly, Druddigon turned on his feet and slammed his purple tail into Umbreon, launching the Moonlight Pokémon through the air. "Dragon claw!"
Druddigon's wings opened up, and he lunged into the air after Umbreon, eventually slashing at it just as it hit the ground. Niko then commanded him to use dragon tail again, and Druddigon somersaulted forwards and slammed his tail into the ground. He missed.
"Umbreon, now!" John shouted, and Umbreon struck Druddigon from the top, landing on his hard head. The dark type yelped out in pain upon contact. "Huh?"
"Rough skin…Druddigon, dragon claw!" Niko shouted. A purple aura burst from Druddigon's claws as he slashed forward at Umbreon, knocking it to the ground. "Finish off with dragon tail!"
Druddigon spun around and slammed his tail into Umbreon, knocking the Moonlight Pokémon halfway across the field, landing just feet in front of John and unable to move any more.
"Umbreon is unable to battle, Druddigon is the winner! And the victory goes to Niko from Pallet Town!" The referee declared.
Niko saw Druddigon's face light up as he turned to him and glided over, tackling Niko to the ground and inadvertently cutting his trainer's arm with his wing. "You did great, buddy. I'm really proud of you!"
Joining his friends in the stands, Niko accepted congratulations from his mother, Warren and Sydney, and Charlotte, whom he sat next to as they watched the next battle. It was with a woman named Harmony against some trainer from Castelia City. The only thing Niko found notable about her was that she owned an Infernape, and it briefly reminded Niko of Lauren's Infernape.
"Alright then, folks!" Colton Goodshow said after the last battle of the day. "That concludes the first day of the Vertress Conference. We began with 128 trainers, and now we're down to 32! For the next match, which will be three-on-three battles tomorrow morning, these will be the match-ups."
On the monitor 32 profiles appeared. Niko scanned to find his, once more not recognizing the trainer. He noticed Charles was there, facing off against some random trainer. As were Hunter and Elliot. He felt a mixture of relief, lack of surprise, and slight worry at this. After this match, should Niko win it, the battles would get far more intense.
That evening, Niko learned from his mother that his Pokémon might be interested. She showed some of them the highlights of the battle in her own room out in a Vertress City hotel, and they were impressed. It made Niko feel better, but he was still unable to convince his Pokémon that he was worth battling with. That night, he ruminated further on this, ultimately deciding that it was best to keep going with his current Pokémon. The next day would not only feature the Top 32 matches, but also the Top 16, and so it was clear that Niko would be using some of his Pokémon twice that day.
"Welcome to the second day of the Vertress Conference! I'm your host, as always, Colton Goodshow! We have now determined the final 32 trainers competing in this year's league. By the end of today, we will have thinned it down to the final 8! In this first matchup of the morning, in the main stadium, we have Hunter from Castelia City versus Diane from Opelucid City!"
Niko and his friends and mother watched Hunter's battle against Diane. It was still remarkable how quickly his Haxorus defeated some of its opponents, such as Diane's Simipour, who had put up a good fight. After he quickly and decisively won, Niko and his group migrated over to a smaller stadium, where he would be competing in.
"How're you feeling, Niko?" Warren asked. "You've been doing good so far!"
"Yeah, not too bad actually." Niko replied with a smile. "But it's gonna get pretty tough today."
"True. Any progress on your reserves?"
"No. They don't seem up for it yet." Niko said in a melancholic tone.
"They will, honey." His mother added. "Like I told you, we have to give it some time."
"I know. I'm not too worried, just unhappy about it." Niko replied. This much was true—he did feel unhappy. Or, rather, empty. The Pokémon he had spent months, years with, didn't want to stand with him. He understood this, of course, but it didn't make things easier.
Niko approached the tunnel that led into the stadium, waving farewell to his friends before doing so. Third battle…we got this, he thought to himself. Within a minute, he was standing opposite his new opponent—a short, blue-haired boy in a schoolboy outfit and his hair combed to the side. His name was Dylan. The referee explained the rules, and the two were off.
"Reuniclus, I choose you!" Niko shouted.
"Pinsir, let's go!" Dylan said, sinking Niko's heart a little. I'm at an immediate disadvantage, he thought. But we can do this, right Reuniclus? He saw images swimming into his mind that suggested his Pokémon agreed with him.
"Reuniclus, hidden power!" Niko shouted. Just as the Multiplying Pokémon conjured half of a dozen orange orbs, Pinsir charged forward, the pair of pincers on its head glowing bright white. Guillotine, he thought. "Dodge, and fire the hidden power!" He commanded, knowing that guillotine hardly ever landed. He was correct, and Reuniclus landed her attack successfully, hitting Pinsir in the back. "Now, future sight!"
"Pinsir, x-scissor!" Dylan commanded. Pinsir's pincers burst into a red and white glow before it charged again at Reuniclus, who barely managed to throw the psychic blasts into space before getting hit with the attack. "Retaliate with rollout!"
"X-scissor again!" Dylan shouted. Pinsir managed to land a second attack, knocking Reuniclus to the ground. She retaliated with hidden power, which distracted the Stagbeetle Pokémon long enough for her to get back into the air, ready to attack once again. "Swords dance!"
"Psyshock!" Niko called out. He knew it wouldn't have been nearly as effective as, say, hidden power. However, he didn't want to risk using rollout, and using the same move repeatedly was a cheap way to win…in most cases.
Reuniclus managed to use the attack, landing it successfully before looking back up at Niko and nodding. Niko realized the future sight was nearly ready to hit, and so he called for a hidden power. The Multiplying Pokémon obliged, summoning more orange orbs to throw at her opponent. All of them landed just as the future sight reappeared, pelting Pinsir with psychic blasts.
"Pinsir is unable to battle, Reuniclus is the winner! Dylan will now send out his second Pokémon!" The referee declared.
"Pinsir, return! Accelgor, I choose you!" He shouted, summoning an odd-looking bug type Pokémon. Accelgor had a large pink head that looked reminiscent of a helmet curled to the back. On the front of it sat a black star-like marking. Its eyes were hidden in a shadowed crevice in its head. The rest of its body was covered in a dull blue, cloth-like membrane.
"Accelgor, the Shell Out Pokémon. Bug type. When its body dries out, it weakens. So it wraps a membrane around itself for protection while it spits poison." Charlotte's pokédex read.
"Accelgor, use agility!" Dylan shouted.
"Reuniclus, future sight!" Niko called out, setting up for the battle as well. Before he realized it, though, Accelgor was rapidly moving towards Reuniclus. It leapt into the air with unusual speed and grabbed onto the Multiplying Pokémon before glowing a bright green color. "Giga drain…" Niko muttered. "Reuniclus, hidden power!"
Reuniclus obliged, summoning the orange orbs characteristic of hidden power, but wasn't able to land the attack, since Accelgor managed to drain whatever energy she had left. The Shell Out Pokémon leapt back onto the ground just as Reuniclus collapsed, unable to continue.
"Reuniclus is unable to battle, Accelgor is the winner! Niko will send out his second Pokémon!" The referee declared.
"Reuniclus, well done. I'm proud of you. Braviary, you're up!" Niko shouted, summoning the Valiant Pokémon for his Unova League debut. "Use hone claws!"
"Agility, Accelgor!" Dylan called out. Braviary eyed the Accelgor warily, understanding that he was in for a real matchup if he didn't attack soon.
"Aerial ace, now!" Niko commanded. Braviary nodded, diving down low to the ground. At the last minute, Accelgor leapt back into the air, but not before Braviary took a quick turn and, managed to maintain his speed, slammed hard into the Shell Out Pokémon, launching it through the air and onto the ground, near the wall in front of the stands. "Air cutter!"
Braviary moved back, his wingtips glowing as he shot out small light blue blades at his opponent, keeping it subdued. Niko continued to wait for the future sight, knowing fully well that it would happen even if Reuniclus was no longer in battle. He commanded Braviary to use another aerial ace and, just as he made contact with Accelgor, the future sight hit, launching psychic blasts into both Pokémon, knocking them to the ground in an explosion of psychic energy.
"Braviary!" Niko shouted. Quickly, the Valiant Pokémon rose back into the air, ready to continue fighting, which made Niko smile. "Alright, go in for one more attack, alright? Braviary, use crush claw!"
Braviary's talons glow bright blue as he descended towards Accelgor. Crashing once more, he slashed his feet at the Shell Out Pokémon before somersaulting backwards and, unexpectedly, burst into a blue, full-body aura that engulfed both of them upon contact.
"Brave bird…" Niko said, recognizing the attack. "Well done, Braviary!" He shouted just as Accelgor dropped forward to the ground in defeat.
"Accelgor is unable to battle, Braviary is the winner! Dylan will now send out his final Pokémon!" The referee declared.
"Durant, I choose you!" Dylan said, looking more frustrated now. The Pokémon he summoned was a massive, ant-like Pokémon with a metal body and glowing red eyes.
"Durant, the Iron Ant Pokémon. Bug and steel type. Individual each play different roles in driving Heatmor, their natural predator, away from their colony." Charlotte's pokédex read.
"Braviary, we can keep going, right?" Niko asked. Braviary nodded before using hone claws. He knew, just like Niko, that this particular matchup wouldn't be as easy. "Right. Aerial ace!"
"Iron defense, Durant!" Dylan commanded. The Iron Ant Pokémon crouched low to the ground, presumably into a defensive position, while Braviary slammed down into it. Its body was hard enough that Braviary crumbled to the side from hitting it too hard. "Now, iron head!"
Durant's head burst into a light gray aura before it scuttled across the field and hit Braviary, who responded with crush claw. The attack hardly seemed to do much, though, and the Valiant Pokémon realized it wasn't getting anywhere here.
"Braviary, use brave bird!" Niko shouted. His Pokémon rose back into the air before a blue aura erupted around him, and he dove down towards Durant at an unusually fast pace.
"Iron head!" Dylan shouted. The two Pokémon collided, sending both of them backwards. Braviary was thrown onto the ground, rolling a few times before coming to a stop past the midpoint of the field, while Durant seemed to feel nothing. Niko leaned forward to see if Braviary could keep going, and saw no movement.
"Braviary is unable to battle, Durant is the winner!" The referee declared. "Niko will use his final Pokémon!"
"Braviary, return." Niko said, exchanging pokéballs. He knew exactly who he wanted to send out this time. "Lampent, I choose you!"
"Durant, iron defense!" Dylan shouted immediately, likely realizing the threat that Lampent posed to his Pokémon. "And use metal sound!"
"Lampent, ignore it if you can, and use will-o-wisp!" Niko shouted. The Lamp Pokémon obliged, focusing solely on Durant despite the awful sound emitting from it. She conjured a series of blue fireballs and launched them at her opponent, who attempted to dodge them but couldn't. "Now, use inferno!" Niko shouted.
Lampent tilted her head towards Durant and conjured a massive jet of blue fire that she launched at the Iron Ant Pokémon, who predictably tried to dodge but once more couldn't. Niko could hear screeching sounds coming from the Durant, who clearly wasn't able to handle the fire attack as it engulfed it.
"Durant is unable to battle!" The referee concluded upon noticing a burnt Durant lying motionless. "Lampent is the winner! And the victory goes to Niko from Pallet Town!"
Niko held out his arms as Lampent turned and rushed towards him, also with open arms. "That's two for two today, buddy. You've gotten us to the Top 16!" He said. "I'm very proud of you."
Lampent couldn't stop smiling.
Niko and his friends watched the rest of the matches in the main stadium. They caught the tail-end of Elliot's battle against a trainer from Mistralton City, and noticed Charles had lost in this round when the final 16 trainers were revealed at the end of the third round. And so, it was now down to Niko, Hunter, and Elliot.
"What a day so far!" Colton Goodshow announced. "Well folks, we've got plenty more action coming up! All battles from here on out will be full, six-on-six battles between our final 16 trainers!" He said. "They will begin in three hours. And now, without further ado, here are the match-ups!"
Niko watched anxiously as the sixteen profiles flipped around and randomly shifted across the monitor, arranging themselves in eight new pairs before flipping back again. Niko's heart dropped, and each of this friends turned to him while he stared at the screen.
He was, once again, facing Hunter.
The first thing he did was turn to his mother. "Can I have your hotel key?"
"Uh, sure?" She replied. "Go for it." She reached into her bag and threw Niko the key, and he immediately dashed out of the stadium.
He kept running with stopping, out of the stadium and into Vertress City proper, before turning a corner and arriving at the hotel his mother was staying at. In a final mad dash, he charged towards her room, frantically opened the door, and grabbed the bag of pokéballs sitting on the extra bed in her room before locking the door and leaving the hotel.
Niko found an open field nearby, and threw out all of the pokéballs from the bag, instantly summoning each of his Pokémon, some of whom looked like they had just woken up from a nap.
"…hi guys…" He said, panting heavily. "Good news—my Pokémon and I made it to the Top 16." He noticed his reserves nodding, seeming impressed. "But our next opponent is Hunter." Then, their faces darkened a little. "Look, I know some of you don't want to battle with me, and I get that. But if you want to kick Hunter's ass, now's the time." He sent out his team of Pokémon from Unova.
"Everyone, meet…well, the other everyone. This is my Unova team of Pokémon: Serperior, Braviary—who is very exhausted right now, Reuniclus, Boldore, Lampent, and Druddigon. I have an Eelektross as well, and he's a kick-ass Pokémon too. Guys, these are my reserves." He then got in the middle of the two groups to address them jointly. "We're…up against Hunter now." He noticed Serperior scowl. "I'm asking if anyone wants to join me in this fight. It's in a couple of hours, so I don't have too much time, but if none of you," he looked to the reserves, "want to battle, I'll go with my Unova team. Braviary, you'd switch with Eelektross."
He then noticed Serperior slither forward. This wasn't surprising in the least, since she wanted to defeat his Haxorus, should he use it. Noticing no one else from his Unova team, he turned to his reserves.
They were silent for a moment before Numel and Staraptor shuffled forward. Then Feraligatr, which greatly pleased Niko. Finally, and expectedly, Rampardos and Prinplup—who have a personal vendetta against Hunter, also stepped forward. It then became obvious that his reserves were waiting on Rampardos and Prinplup in particular, and he saw Venusaur nudge the Penguin Pokémon forward a little.
"Alright, we've got our team then. Now, I have a strategy in mind. It might work, and it's going to require a lot from each of you…"
"Where's Niko?" Warren said, looking at a wristwatch he recently bought in Vertress City. "He's going to be late!"
"No, he's not. Look." His mother said, pointing towards the entrance to the lobby. There, they noticed Niko jogging towards them. All of them immediately got out of their chairs to see him. "Is everything alright?"
"Now it is." Niko said, hugging his mother.
"That's good…but why did you need my hotel key?" She asked as Niko returned it.
"I needed to talk to some old friends of mine." Suddenly, he noticed a look of satisfaction on Warren's and Charlotte's faces.
"Well, good!" Warren exclaimed. "Because you're almost up!"
"Oh, dear." Niko said, rushing towards the stadium. He then felt something grab his wrist. Stopping, he turned to see Charlotte there. She let go, and stared at Niko for a moment. "What's up, Charlotte?"
Before saying anything, she rushed in to hug him. Confused, he returned the hug. It felt warm.
"You're going to win." She muttered. "I know it."
Niko smiled before letting go. "Thanks, Charlotte."
He turned once more towards the tunnel, walking this time, his head held high. Unlike at Lily of the Valley, he was ready this time.
"And now we've got our second match of the fourth round! On one end is Niko from Pallet Town. On the other—Hunter from Castelia City!"
Niko stared down his opponent. The same man who has insulted his friends, hurt his Pokémon, and contributed to creating a sense of personal failure in Niko's mind. Niko could only imagine what was going through Hunter's head in that moment. Maybe he didn't want to know.
The referee explained the rules this time, which were different from other six-on-six battles. Here, there was no break in the middle when one trainer lost three Pokémon. Substituting was allowed, which pleased Niko. He'd need it.
"Mandibuzz, I choose you!" Hunter shouted.
"Staraptor, let's go!" Niko called out. The battle had begun.