Track 44 - Stranded
Leinani couldn't eat the night before her battle with Charlotte. She wanted to stay up and study footage of her friend, but she felt guilty doing it. She knew how badly Charlotte didn't want to lose again. But, would it be fair to Charlotte for Leinani to go easy on her?
Enoka, who learned that he was going up against a boy named Gladion, gladly studied. He brought his computer into Leinani's room, and he showed her how to use the database. The two watched their upcoming opponents' battles. There was plenty to watch when it came to Charlotte, but Gladion was mostly a mystery.
He even used a Pokémon that the Pokédex couldn't identify. Leinani told Enoka that she had met Gladion before but failed to mention his suspicions about the Aether Foundation.
"Only three Pokémon," Enoka muttered. "This might be more stressful than before. If you chose the wrong single Pokémon, at least you had an excuse. But now, you have three! You have to think even more about what you'll use!"
"Who are you talking to?" Leinani asked.
"Who cares!"
Leinani didn't often see Enoka panic. He wasn't ever considered a book smart, and he only passed a few more tests than Leinani ever did. But he always remained coolheaded about it.
Leinani sighed. She couldn't let the pressure get to her.
"The following battle will be the first in the Top 16!" the referee announced.
"We've seen some intense battles to get here, folks! But now, the competition truly begins! The best sixteen trainers have made it this far! Everyone, give it up for the Top 16!"
Leinani walked out onto the field and to her trainer's box. She looked across the field, finding Charlotte with an intense stare on her face.
"This will be a single, three-on-three battle with no substitutions! When all of one side's Pokémon have been defeated, a winner will be declared!" the referee exclaimed. "Trainers, are you ready?"
Leinani and Charlotte nodded.
"Begin!"
Charlotte threw her Poké Ball into the air. "Amphinobi, let's go!"
Her starter Pokémon, the one that Leinani knew as Greninja, materialized on the battlefield and quickly got low.
"Starting off strong," Leinani muttered. "Boombox, you're up!"
Leinani's Vikavolt emerged in the air and sent out sparks from her body. Greninja was not intimidated.
However, Leinani was. She looked at Greninja and then Charlotte. Of the Pokémon that she knew that Charlotte had, Greninja was her strongest. If Charlotte was gonna battle with everything that she had, then Leinani had to as well.
"Water Shuriken!" Charlotte instructed.
"Dodge it!"
Greninja put his hands together and formed small projectile throwing stars out of water. He quickly threw them straight across the field, but Vikavolt was much too fast to be hit easily. She maneuvered through the air, avoiding all of the small projectiles.
"Our turn! Zap Cannon!" Leinani shouted.
Vikavolt created a ball of energy at the tip of her pincers.
"Smokescreen!"
Vikavolt then launched the attack, shooting off like a violent cannon. It was directed for the ground, but it unfortunately was met with a cloud of thick black smoke. It exploded against the field, but Greninja was nowhere to be found.
"Water Shuriken!"
Greninja suddenly appeared behind Vikavolt. He threw only three projectiles this time, hitting Vikavolt in the back. The Bug-type was stunned and stopped flapping her wings.
"Night Slash!" Charlotte shouted.
Greninja flipped and black energy surrounded his arm. He slashed downward, throwing Vikavolt into the field. Dust and dirt kicked up where Vikavolt violently landed, covering her momentarily. Greninja safely landed in front of her, but he kept a wary eye on the dust.
Leinani snapped her fingers. "Bug Buzz!"
The dust suddenly wafted away, and Vikavolt unleashed a loud buzzing from her wings. Greninja was blasted backward by dark green energy, letting out a horrible cry.
Charlotte's eyes widened and her jaw dropped, but she said nothing.
"Now Fly!" Leinani shouted.
Vikavolt fluttered her wings violently, sending herself into the air. She was engulfed in white energy, and when she had gained enough power, she turned around and started her rapid descent.
"Extrasensory!" Charlotte ordered.
Greninja held out his arms and focused his power. Suddenly, the area around Vikavolt warped, and the Bug-type's trajectory had been altered. She flew into the ground, and was stunned by the sudden change.
"Water Shuriken!" Charlotte shouted.
Greninja put his hands together and launched two star-shaped projectiles forward. They both collided with Vikavolt, making her screech. She landed on the ground once again, but this time, she didn't bother to get back up.
"Vikavold is unable to battle! The winner is Amphinobi!" the referee declared.
Charlotte took in a deep breath and then stuck her arms out. "Fantastic! Now's the time!"
"Huh?" Leinani wondered while retrieving her Pokémon.
Energy surrounded Amphinobi while he copied the pose that Charlotte did. They moved in unison, not unlike when someone uses a Z-Move. However, something was different. Suddenly, black and red energy surrounded both of them and then imploded. Amphinobi had taken a new form.
Not much was new, but he now stood up straight, and a red stripe ran up the middle of his head, and yellow stripes, very similar in color to Charlotte's blonde hair, took over the side fins on his face.
Charlotte smiled and stretched her arms above her head. "We finally did it! This is called Battle Bond! Amphinobi and I have become so close, so now he takes on a new form after defeating our opponent's Pokémon! This is our first time doing it successfully. Thanks, Leinani!"
"You're welcome," Leinani groaned. "Battle Bond? Is this something that only Greninja can do? Or could I do it with DJ?"
"Amphinobi becomes stronger with his Battle Bond! Can Leinani make a comeback?"
Leinani looked at Rowlet and then nodded. She wanted to save DJ for later, but she felt like she had no choice. If Charlotte was going to use her strongest Pokémon, then Leinani would be forced to as well. Rowlet flew out onto the field and trilled angrily.
"DJ, use Leaf Blade!"
"Smokescreen!"
Rowlet's wings started to glow green, and they almost doubled in size. She raced down the field, but before she could use her long reach, Greninja threw a black ball at the ground, creating thick smoke.
"Don't lose sight of him! Shadow Claw!" Leinani instructed.
Rowlet stuck out her talons and ripped through the black smoke. Greninja had not gotten very far, only moving to the left of the smokescreen. Rowlet then gave chase, her ghostly talons sticking out dangerously.
"Night Slash!"
Greninja whipped his body around and gathered black energy. He slashed, connecting with Rowlet's talons. The two held out momentarily before Rowlet had to eventually give in. The Grass-type was knocked back, but she managed to stay in the air.
"Water Shuriken!"
Greninja put his hands together and formed only one projectile. This one was almost the same size as his body, one hundred times bigger than any other that he had made before. He threw it straight forward, and it connected with Rowlet without any struggle. The Flying-type crashed into the ground, and Leinani felt her heart sink into her chest.
"DJ, you okay?" she asked.
Rowlet began to stir, and she slowly stood back up. She waddled to and fro before turning her head and glaring at Greninja.
Leinani sighed and then closed her eyes. "Stop scaring me."
"Night Slash!"
"DJ, watch out!"
Greninja darted down the field and tried to slash from the side, but Rowlet was still fast. She flew into the air, only a few feet, narrowly avoiding the attack.
"Steel Wing! Go!" Leinani yelled.
Rowlet started her violent spin while her wings became metallic. She came down on top of Greninja's head, forcing him into the ground. She then retreated as soon as Greninja started to move.
"Water Shuriken!" Charlotte yelled.
"Keep up our speed and dodge!" Leinani instructed.
Greninja was slightly slower than before. He created the same giant projectile, took aim, and then threw it into the air. Rowlet, descending, gained speed too quickly. She ducked under the projectile and then continued downward.
"Leaf Blade! Finish it!" Leinani shouted.
Rowlet's wings extended and started to glow green. She met no resistance from Greninja. With one swift strike, she violently batted Greninja. The Water-type flew through the air and crashed down hard in front of Charlotte. His limbs and tongue were all limp, a sight that Charlotte wasn't prepared for.
"Amphinobi is unable to battle! DJ is the winner!" the referee exclaimed.
"Even with an incredible transformation, it looks like Charlotte's Amphinobi couldn't take on two Pokémon with type advantages!" the announcer said.
Charlotte quietly withdrew Greninja and then held her Poké Ball to her chest. "Don't worry. We will win."
"I know two more of her Pokémon. I'm not sure how DJ would fare against either one of them. But, we have to make our comeback now," Leinani thought.
"My next Pokémon is one that I caught in Galar, but I still like to use its Kalosian name! Salarsen, go!" Charlotte said while throwing a Poké Ball to the field.
A purple Pokémon with yellow markings and electricity coming off of its head, forming what looked like a mohawk, materialized on the field. He strummed his chest, causing a terrible noise to reverberate through the air.
"Charlotte's next Pokémon is Toxtricity!" the announcer said. "Will the small Rowlet be able to overcome the odds?"
"Shift Gear!" Charlotte ordered.
Toxtricity roared and electricity sparked around his body. He stretched out his arms and legs in what appeared to be him warming up to fight.
"Let's chance it. Leaf Blade!" Leinani yelled.
Rowlet chirped and then dashed down the field. Her wings extended and became engulfed in green energy.
"Sludge Bomb!"
Toxtricity rubbed his chest and then took in a deep breath. He then heaved, unleashing a ball of disgusting goop from his mouth. The ball exploded and started to rain sludge down onto the field. Rowlet stopped her attack and focused on moving through the rain. She retreated, barely managing to escape the attack.
"Whatever that first attack was, it made this thing fast," Leinani thought.
"Shift Gear!"
"Not again! Brave Bird!" Leinani instructed.
Rowlet was surrounded by white energy. She rocketed forward with careless abandon.
But then, Charlotte smiled. Toxtricity was yet to start his attack, and he shared the same devious grin.
"Boomburst!" she suddenly said.
Toxtricity scratched the scars on his chest, unleashing a terrible sound into the air. The soundwaves blasted into Rowlet, stopping her attack. She covered her ears, and then slowly floated to the ground.
"Sludge Bomb!"
Toxtricity howled and then blasted another ball of goop from his mouth.
"Steel Wing! Defend yourself!" Leinani shouted.
Using her ability, Rowlet extended her wings. She generated the metallic coating around her wings and then put them over her head, defending herself from the poisonous hellfire.
"Now, use that energy and strike!" Leinani ordered.
Rowlet put her wings to her side and then continued forward. She took off from the ground and in no time, crashed her wing into Toxtricity's stomach. The Poison-type lurched as he was knocked backward, but he managed to keep his balance.
"Overdrive!" Charlotte shouted.
Toxtricity strummed his chest with both of his arms, releasing soundwaves and electricity from his body. Rowlet was overwhelmed and pushed backward. She was tossed to the other side of the field, landing hard on the ground.
The referee took a moment before they made their call, as Rowlet had a tendency to come back from defeat. "DJ is unable to battle! Salarsen is the winner!"
"After Salarsen set up, it was gonna be hard for DJ to make her comeback! Leinani is down to one Pokémon! Can she do this?" the announcer shouted into his microphone.
Leinani ran onto the field, picked up DJ, and held her in her arms. She walked back to her trainer's box and placed Rowlet next to her backpack.
"One Pokémon left?" Charlotte asked.
Leinani nodded. "Yeah. Rexillius, let's go!"
Tyrantrum materialized on the field and roared, shaking all of the light fixtures in the stadium. The crowd went silent as the massive Pokémon made his appearance.
"I figured as much," Charlotte murmured.
"Stone Edge!" Leinani ordered.
Tyrantrum looked at Toxtricity and then huffed. He stomped on the ground, releasing five pillars of stone. The pillars then launched into the air, shooting directly for the other side of the field. Toxtricity had no easy way of blocking it. The most he could do was run. But the pillars were fast and piled onto Toxtricity, leaving an explosion of dust covering Charlotte's half of the field.
"Boomburst!" Charlotte ordered, not wanting to wait for the dust to fade.
Toxtricity unleashed the soundwave from before, blasting the dust away. It collided with Tyrantrum, but the ancient Pokémon took it without flinching.
The two Pokémon eyed one another, both nostalgic for their journeys together. Now, they were on other sides of the field, which, in a way, made things more fun.
"Rex, let's win! Dragon Claw!"
"Overdrive!"
Tyrantrum roared, and his small claws enlarged with the power of arcane energy. He took giant steps forward, shaking the battlefield. When he was close, Toxtricity unleashed his attack created by sound and electricity. Tyrantrum was suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"Sludge Bomb!"
"Stone Edge!"
Toxtricity gulped and launched the ball of poison forward. But Tyrantrum was no longer stunned. He stomped, creating one pillar of stone in front of him. The pillar took the entirety of the poisonous attack.
Then, Tyrantrum roared. The four remaining pillars uprooted and then rocketed down the remainder of the field. One by one, they battered Toxtricity's body, sending him into the wall behind Charlotte. He slowly slid down the wall, and he didn't bother to get back up.
"Salarsen is unable to battle! Rexillius is the winner!" the referee shouted, doing her best to remember all of the names.
"We took Boomburst and Overdrive, but other than that, Rex looks healthy. Maybe we can still win this. We'll see what kind of battle she wants to have," Leinani thought.
Charlotte sighed as she held her next Poké Ball. "Okay. Moshpit, c'mon out!"
As Leinani had predicted, her former Pokémon materialized on the field. Turtonator glared at her and huffed, blasting flames from his snout.
"And we're gonna get quite the interesting battle, folks!" the announcer exclaimed. "It's a battle between dragons! Who knew that Top 16 battles could get this dramatic!"
Leinani rolled her eyes. The announcer didn't understand the genuine drama of the moment. He was only attempting to make something up.
"I was kind of nervous that it'd end up being this," Leinani said while looking at her former Pokémon.
Charlotte nodded. "I prepared for this outcome. Flash Cannon!"
"Fight back with Dragon Claw!"
Turtonator unleashed a blast of metallic energy from his snout. The blast rocketed down the field, ripping up the ground below. Rex roared and extended his claws once again. He swiped at the blast, but his attack did nothing. Instead, he was shot backward, finally forced over.
"Uh oh."
"Dragon Pulse!"
"Block with Stone Edge!" Leinani instructed.
Turtonator stopped his metallic blast and took in a deep breath. He formed a ball of arcane energy at the tip of his snout and then launched it at the ground. Upon impact, it turned into a wave of arcane flames.
Tyrantrum could not stand up in time. Instead, he smashed his tail into the ground. The pillars of stone came up sideways, but it was perfect, as they created a strong barrier for Tyrantrum. The arcane flames washed over the barrier, but they essentially did nothing.
"And now, Head Smash!" Leinani shouted.
Tyrantrum burst through the stone pillars, and his massive orange head started to shine. His momentum carried him down the field, and he crashed into Turtonator, almost knocking the Pokémon off balance.
"Keep it up, Rex!" Leinani yelled. "Dragon Claw!"
"Shell Trap!"
Tyrantrum reeled his body back and then swung his arm downward, but Turtonator was much too fast. He spun around, leaving Tyrantrum with only one target, Turtonator's dangerous shell. Upon impact, the spikes on Turtonator's shell imploded, and Tyrantrum was forced backward.
"Overheat!"
Turtonator turned around once again and blasted a powerful and hot wind from his snout. The wind eventually transformed into a blaze, pushing Tyrantrum back even further.
"You won't win!" Charlotte yelled, her first contribution to the smack talk during any of the battles. Up until this point, she had been laser focused on giving commands. "Flash Cannon!"
"Use Fire Fang!"
Turtonator unleashed the metallic blast once again. This time, it was considerably weaker. Tyrantrum responded by showing off his massive maw. Flames exploded from his mouth, and he devoured the metallic blast.
"That is insane! I've never seen a Pokémon essentially eat a Flash Cannon!" the announcer excitedly yelled.
'Dragon Claw! Let's go!"
"Don't give in, Moshpit! One more Dragon Pulse!"
The two Pokémon collided, and there was an explosion of arcane fire. Black smoke filled the arena, and the Aether Foundation's air condition system had to work quickly to remove it. When the smoke cleared, each Pokémon stood on the opposite side of their own respective fields.
Rexillius looked out at Charlotte. He remembered the fun that they had in Kalos and Galar. He was thankful for her training. He was heartbroken that he had to be the one to finish the battle and eliminate her from the tournament.
Moshpit weakly gazed at Leinani. He wasn't with her for very long, and he wondered, had he given her a chance, would things be different? He closed his eyes and slowly fell to the ground.
"Mosh is unable to battle! Rexillius is the winner! Leinani is the victor!" the referee announced.
Charlotte closed her eyes. She wanted to collapse. She wanted to cry. She wanted to win. She could barely find the energy to lift her Poké Ball and withdraw Mosh, but she did. She turned around to walk back to the locker room, but she felt someone tug on her arm. When she looked back, she found Leinani, who was doing her best to put on a warm smile.
"You okay?" Leinani asked.
Charlotte finally let herself cry. Leinani, who was smaller but much stronger, pulled her in for a hug, and the crowd cheered.
"I'm sorry," Leinani said.
"It's-it's not-not y-your fault," Charlotte responded. "We all-all want to w-win."
"You're amazing, Charlotte. I gave you my all today."
"Then y-you better w-win the whole th-thing!"
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
So, Charlotte loses, and Leinani advances to the Top 8! Next chapter, I'm going to write Enoka vs. Gladion! I'm not quite sure how that one is going to pan out, but we'll see.