"Trainers, release your Pokémon!"
Wilfred and I stared each other down. Something tells me that this will be an easy match. Both of us picked a pokeball and threw it, saying, "Ninjask, stand by for battle! / Mightyena, chew'em up!"
Hmm, Ninjask will have an easier time than I thought. I should be careful not to be overconfident though. Any trainer can have something special. I just have to trust in my Pokémon and command them well.
The referee went over the rules. "This battle will be a 2 on 2 battle with no substitutions. Make sure your attacks don't get out of control. And with that, let the battle begin!"
"Mightyena, use Roar!"
What!
Ninjask was dragged back into his pokeball and in his place was Torterra. Heh, it's actually quite hilarious. Wilfred made a mistake trying to avoid a type disadvantage. Torterra will make sure of that.
"Mr. Kemp, I'll have to prohibit the future use of roar, as it may cause another Pokémon to be released and the match is limited to 2."
"Alright, ref that's fine by me."
"You'll regret bringing Torterra out! Torterra, use Razor Leaf!" Torterra unleashed a torrent of green at Mightyena.
"Mightyena, dodge it!" Unfortunately for him, Torterra's Razor Leaf is very fast and has a wide radius. Mightyena was clipped in the 2 left side legs and in its middle area. Razor Leaf isn't usually a powerful attack, but any high-level Pokémon can even tackle a devastating attack. Mightyena looks very tired from that one attack.
Wilfred knew that this battle would be over for Mightyena. The look on his face says it all. He was going to try for one last ditch effort soon enough. "Mightyena, use Sucker Punch!"
Ah, he's utilizing Sucker Punch's first hit capabilities. Too bad it'll be in vain. "Torterra, wait for him to hit you. Then use giga drain!"
Mightyena appeared in front of Torterra and sort of headbutted Torterra. I guess Sucker Punch is a bit of an awkward move for Pokémon with no arms. Torterra barely felt that move before he wrapped his vines around Mightyena and absorbed the last of his energy. Not being able to take it, Mightyena fell to the ground, knocked out.
"Mightyena is unable to battle. Please call your next Pokémon out."
"Tsk, you did your best Mightyena. Return." Trading out his Mightyena's ball with another, he threw the pokeball. "Houndoom, chew'em up!" The demon dog gave a battle cry upon his appearance.
He thinks that the type advantage will help him, but little does he know I also hold the type advantage! Trying to keep our winning momentum, I commanded Torterra to battle. "Use Earthquake!" A crack in the ground, swallowed Houndoom completely, dealing special effective damage. Combined with Torterra's monstrous strength, Earthquake was all that was needed to knock Houndoom out. It seems that Wilfred was ignorant of Torterra's ground typing. A pity.
"Houndoom is unable to battle. The winner is Torterra and Paul! They will move on to the next round!"
Cheering was all I could hear after that. The townspeople appear to spectate the battles as do the trainers who are waiting for their turn.
Wilfred recalled the knocked out Houndoom. He seemed sad but understood that I was the stronger trainer. Recalling Torterra, I said, "You did a great job. Next time, I hope to give you a bigger challenge."
I exited the arena. The rest of the trainers seemed to be in awe of Torterra's power. A nearby official informed me that my next battle would happen in about an hour at arena B again. Fine by me. It leaves me time to rest a bit and observe my competition. My former opponent seemed like he wanted to talk to me. He walked up to me and said "Wow. Paul, right? I think I'd rather face your Ninjask than that Torterra. What do you feed the thing? It's so powerful!"
"I just train him up a lot. He's the one I started with on my journey. I'd be questioning my training skills if he wasn't at least to this level."
"Oh? How many regions have you traveled through?"
"Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn. And you?"
"This would be my first league. Wow. I feel better about myself facing an experienced trainer like you."
"Hmmph. Hope to see you get stronger in the future. Later." With those parting words, I went on to Arena A to scope out the competition. The crowd behind me suddenly exploded in excitement. Looking at the source of all the chaos, I knew there would be some challenge in my next few battles.
I might as well look at what's been going on at the other arena. I won't be facing the bulk of them, but it'll be interesting to see what the winners will have faced.
Walking over to Arena A, a crowd was there in full spirits. They seemed super excited for the battle going on. Walking up to it, I was finally able to see what was going on.
It was a Machamp and a Hitmonchan locked in a fist fight. It didn't even seem like a Pokémon battle at this point, more like a boxing match. Each Pokémon wasn't letting up with the both of them giving their absolute best effort. It was truly a sight to see. The trainers undoubtedly trained both of them well. The Hitmonchan gave a final battle cry before firing off its last-ditch barrage of punches. A Hitmonchan specializes in delivering a line of solid hits such as this. It's a wonder how the Machamp is holding itself together although I suspect the additional arms are helping a lot. Machamp, although not knocked out yet, is having a lot of trouble attacking back while Hitmonchan delivers his barrage of punches. Having enough of the punches, Machamp yelled out his own battle cry and delivered a brilliant right hook across Hitmonchan's face. Both Pokémon stopped fighting from that moment on. They were both frozen, but the winner was obvious. When the Hitmonchan collapsed with a satisfied smile, the crowd couldn't help but burst out into a triumphant cheer.
Being satisfied with what I saw of the competition over at A, I made my way to the Pokémon Center to strategize and cool off from the previous match. "Hey! It's you!" Someone yelled. Turning to see the commotion, I find Isla pointing dramatically at me. She ran up to me pretty excited, unaware of the weird looks she was getting due to her loud exclamation. "Paul! It appears we've met again. How are you? Have you won your match? How challenging was it?"
"…I won my first match with some ease. I assume you've won your own?"
"Of course! Me and my Pokémon are giving this tournament our all," Isla gave a thumbs up while saying that. "Anyway, whatcha planning on doing before your next match?"
"I was going to strategize in the Pokémon center. And you?"
"Oh, haha, I didn't have any plans. Anyway, strategizing by yourself seems a bit lonely. How about we strategize together?"
"We barely know each other…"
She turned me around and started pushing me towards the Pokémon Center, saying, "Don't let those little details stop you. Let's go go strategize!"
What a pushy person I have been acquainted with.
(-)
The blondie with an attitude that makes it seem like nothing can make that frown go down sat in front of me, tasting the ice cream that she had purchased while on the way to the center. She seemed very pleased with herself, enjoying each scoop.
"I thought we were supposed to be strategizing, not eating ice cream."
"You should learn to take things not so seriously. Not everything needs to be done with such haste."
"I know how to not be serious. I just choose not to while in the middle of competing during a tournament."
"You're not competing right now, so come on, have some fun and relax."
"I relax by spending time with my Pokémon. The only reason I'm not doing that right now is because I'd rather not give anyone the chance to devise a strategy against my Pokémon. It'd be much more beneficial getting to know my competition and I think you'd have some info that could help. It seems that you're avoiding that though."
"Oh?" her happy-go-lucky smile shifted to a more teasing expression. "And why should I divulge my special and vital information for your benefit?"
"Because you offered."
"Did I though? I just thought I offered for us to strategize together?" She seemed as if she wanted me to do something to get her to talk. Sigh
"I'm leaving. This is a waste of time."
"Nooo! I'll tell you everything I knooow!" She flipped immediately from her smug façade.
"Oh? Then spill."
Deflating onto the table, Isla commented, "There are a few people that I thought would be challenging. There was a trainer with a Dragonite that wiped out both of his opponent's Pokémon, the Machamp trainer that I'm pretty sure you just say fight. Hmmm, I've heard B has a psychic trainer, but I've heard little about their Pokémon. What about you?"
"That psychic trainer is definitely one to look out for. I only saw him have an Alakazam, but I'd wager he has a more powerful psychic type, waiting to use. With the little time I've stayed at B, I've also heard rumors of a trainer from Unova. He's definitely someone that might have a secret powerhouse. Other than those trainers, this tournament will be a breeze."
"Hey, aren't you forgetting about a certain trainer who I'm sure will wipe the floor with you easily with one arm tied behind her back?"
"No, I don't think so." With that I checked my Pokedex and confirmed that I had to leave now if I were to make it to my next match. "I'll see you later. Don't lose."
With an exaggerated angry expression, Isla yelled, "I'll be sure not to lose so I can make you regret not acknowledging my awesomeness!" I only waved her off at that comment. She seems like the type to be surprisingly competitive. I'm sure she'll make it to the final 4 somehow.
Now I have to make sure I make it to the final 4.
Approaching arena B, I made sure to inform the referee who was waiting for my registration. My match will be beginning shortly. It seems these set match times don't allow for a lot of downtime as everything needs to be kept at a quick pace. This is a 2-day tournament after all.
It seems that there are less people watching than last time. I suspect that they're either healing their Pokémon or looking around at the historical ruins depicting the Mythical Pokémon Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie. The lake guardians are important parts of Sinnoh's history and culture so any traveler, whether they are native to Sinnoh or not, wouldn't pass up the chance to go explore while in Celestic Town.
The ref called for my participation. "For the 2nd round, Will Paul Shinji and Ollie Robinson please come to the field."
Stepping into one side of the field, I end up taking a good look at my opponent. It was a man in a white gi. He seemed sufficiently strong for a traveling trainer, but he is definitely in a weird outfit to be in for a while. I suspect he's in it just for the tournament.
"Trainers, release your Pokémon."
We both threw our balls saying, "Ninjask, stand by for battle! / Crush'em Rhyperior!"
This might be a problem…
"The 2nd round battles will be a 3 on 3 battle with no substitutions. Make sure your attacks don't get too crazy. And with that, let the battle begin!"
"Ninjask, use Agility!" I want to make sure that Ninjask doesn't get hit because with how strong Rhyperior's usually are, it could lead to a one-hit knockout.
"Rhyperior, blast that insect out of the sky with Rock Blast!"
"Ninjask, dodge them all, then use Leech Life!" With Ninjask's incredible speed, the Rock Blast was too slow to hit him. Ninjask almost seemed like he was teleporting with how fast he's moving. With each rock that is shot, Ninjask moves in closer and closer. Ninjask moved in until he was behind Rhyperior's head. Ninjask sunk his head into Rhyperior's neck and leeched off of it. Rhyperior managed to throw Ninjask off of him, but Ninjask achieved what he came to do.
Now despite having just been attacked, Rhyperior looked unaffected by it. In fact, Rhyperior was smirking as was his trainer. They must have something planned.
"Rhyperior, use Thunderbolt!" Tsk. Nothing I can really do about other than order Ninjask to dodge.
"Dodge it with another Agility!" The Thunderbolt flickered from Rhyperior and then suddenly, it blasted at Ninjask fast. Ninjask flew away with Agility, but Thunderbolt proved too easy of a move for Rhyperior to guide right onto Ninjask.
Ninjask took some serious damage from that. Being a part flying type Pokémon, he was severely exhausted from that attack, but Ninjask flew around and kept going, even in his damaged form. He can't take much more though. Ninjask is just not built to sustain all that much damage.
"Finish it off with Stone Edge!"
Tsk, being damaged like it is, Ninjask can't take advantage of his flight to fly out of the stone edge's range. Well, if Ninjask is going to go out, he's not going to go out without a fight!
"Ninjask, be quick and hit Rhyperior with Giga Drain!" With that last command of mine. Ninjask flew in towards Rhyperior and circled him. Green aura emanated from Ninjask and then it descended onto Rhyperior. It seems that Ninjask wasn't flying fast enough though because a pillar of rock burst through the floor and hit Ninjask in its ascent. Ninjask had made his mark in the end. Rhyperior was visibly hurt.
"Ninjask is unable to battle. Please call your next Pokémon out," the ref announced.
"Return, Ninjask. You did amazing for your first battle," I whispered out. He really did with this awful matchup. I could even the playing field by bringing out Torterra, but that'd mean that Torterra would be battling the rest of his Pokémon. I have full confidence in Torterra, so I'd wager he'd just wipe out the other Pokémon without giving the others a chance. No, I'll be saving him for now. It'll be a gamble, but I'm using him.
"Lairon, stand by for battle!" Lairon materialized to give a loud battle cry.
"Rhyperior, use Hammer Arm!" Although It may be a super effective attack, it's not going to work because Lairon has developed the perfect defense.
"Iron Defense." A wave of steel energy covered Lairon's body as he took Rhyperior's attack head on. Rhyperior pushed Lairon back, but very little damage could be seen done to Lairon. Meanwhile with the use of Hammer Arm, Rhyperior could be seen to be visibly tired from this match. He shouldn't worry though, Lairon will be putting him out of his misery.
"Lairon charge him with Iron Head!" Lairon with a burst of unexpected speed from a Pokémon that large, rushed Rhyperior and headbutted him directly in the stomach.
"Don't let him get away. Grab him." Despite being pushed back from the super-effective attack, Rhyperior managed to grab a hold of Lairon, keeping him in place. "Use Earthquake." This is an attack I can't allow to go through.
"Stop him with Metal Sound!"
Before Rhyperior could begin the attack, the most horrible sound of scarping metal could be heard. Everyone was holding their ears to avoid the sound and Rhyperior was no different. Rhyperior stopped his attack and his hold of Lairon and this was our time to strike.
"Finish him with Iron Tail!" Giving a twirl with a pep in his step. Lairon twisted and braced himself as the steel energy of iron tail was coated around his tail as Rhyperior was bashed and hit off his feet into the ground. Rhyperior attempted to get up from the blow, but his eyes wavered between exhaustion and determination with determination giving it up. Rhyperior had been defeated.
"Rhyperior is unable to battle. Trainer, call out your next Pokémon." Ollie recalled the Rhyperior and traded that pokeball for another.
Throwing the other ball, Ollie said, "Burn'em, Magcargo!" the lava creature materialized with a sluggish appearance. Now, I'm not going to underestimate the Pokémon because it is a typing that could prove difficult for Lairon to face, but Magcargo never struck me as the most… battle-ready creature. Hmm, I won't let that deter me.
"Lairon, use Earthquake!" I'd rather not get in close, but I might have to if I want to hit it.
"Magcargo, use Protect!" a shield projected itself around Magcargo as the assault of Earthquake came into conflict with it.
I have to take this chance! "Lairon get in and smack it with Iron Tail!" Lairon ran in while Magcargo was coming out of the protect and slammed his tail against Magcargo, throwing Magcargo into the air from the impact.
Magcargo doesn't seem like it can take hits like Rhyperior can, but that pesky fire will definitely prove to be a nuisance. The burden to finish the battle seems to be on us. Lairon and I'll make sure of it then!
"Lairon, use Water Pulse!" Using the only water move Lairon is able to do, a wave of water pulsed it's way to Magcargo.
"Dodge it."
"What!" Just like my opponent ordered, Magcargo was able to completely avoid the water pulse.
"I should thank you. Magcargo would've never been able to dodge a water pulse unless you've hit him first. Magcargo's weak armor ability trades speed for defense anytime he's hit from a physical attack. Now that'll be your undoing! Magcargo, use Flamethrower!"
"Lairon, jump through it."
Now it was his turn to say "What!"
The flamethrower covered a wide range of the field. So, if Lairon were to get in close, it's inevitable that he would get hit. Lairon jumped through to the other side of the flamethrower and ran in close. He was hurt, but Lairon is a fighter that can push on.
"Use Water Pulse!" At this range he can't dodge.
"Counter with Lava Plume!" Going under the Water Pulse, the field was flooded with scarlet fire that burned everything. It wasn't lava but it was close. Lairon was incredibly hurt from that attack, but Magcargo didn't come out of it unscathed. Magcargo had taken that water pulse head on which resulted in knocking it out.
"Magcargo is unable to battle. Trainer, please call out your next Pokémon."
Ollie recalled Magcargo and held a pokeball in front of him. With a sigh, he threw it and yelled, "Beat'em Dunsparce!" The normal type land-snake Pokémon appeared before me.
I looked over at the struggling Lairon of mine. He was hurt severely but wanted to continue the match. I knew it was only a matter of time before he succumbed to burn. Before the ref could signal us to keep going, I called out, "Wait!"
Staring into Lairon's tired eyes, he understood my intentions. "Return, Lairon." The exhausted form of Lairon disappeared into the pokeball. "You always give it your all Lairon. You should be proud of yourself." Taking out another pokeball, I knew he could finish this battle with style.
Throwing the ball, I called out, "Croagunk, Stand by for battle!"