Plot-Scorbunny 4: Ruby vs. Geeta Part 2
Freddy and Elektross seemed to take an age before they eventually made their moves. Both Pokémon remained where they were as they sized each other up and awaited their trainer's commands. Eventually, Ruby and Geeta made the call.
"Use Boomburst!" Ruby ordered.
"Use Dragon Tail." Geeta commanded.
Elektross's tail rose up high and it swung straight towards Freddy, hoping to force him back into his Pokéball and bring out a Pokémon it would have an easier time defeating. Geeta knew that Toxtricity was a bad matchup for her Pokémon so he had to be removed from the field. But Elektross's Dragon Tail failed to hit as Freddy let out an explosive soundwave that blew the electric eel Pokémon backwards. Boomburst was a powerful move on its own but combined with Freddy's Punk Rock ability, it was even more powerful. It felt to Elektross as if an explosion had just occurred and thrown it backwards. Elektross crashed down onto the floor but didn't stay down for long. Ruby punched the air gleefully.
"Just what I hoped for!" she cried, "That Dragon Tail's not getting rid of you anytime soon, Freddy! You're here to stay and that's the end of it!"
"Then I guess I'm better off trying to make the best of a bad situation." Geeta purred, "That's fine with me. Nobody ever got anywhere by taking the easy way out all the time. Elektross, Ice Punch if you please."
Elektross clenched its fist and sailed through the air towards Freddy. The electric eel moved quickly, too quickly for Freddy to dodge as it then proceeded to punch him in the face with its ice covered fist. Freddy reeled to one side, both in pain and chilled from the blow. Freddy shook off the pain and retaliated with Sludge Bomb. He hit Elektross full on and blew it backwards with a hail of exploding dirt balls. Elektross was damaged by the blow but it didn't get poisoned at the same time. Freddy tried again with Sludge Bomb but Elektross instead used Dragon Tail to whip away the bombs. Its energy construct tail was long enough to swipe at all the Sludge Bombs and stop them from hitting it. Ruby watched in amazement. Geeta was sure one impressive trainer to have trainer her Pokémon to pull off feats like this! It was plain as plain can be why she was Paldea's Top Champion.
Once Elektross had finished dealing with Sludge Bomb, Geeta tried once again to get Elektross to use Dragon Tail to get Freddy off the field but Freddy once again stopped it by using Boomburst to blow it away. Elektross was thrown aside once more and as it hit the floor, it winced as the earlier burn inflicted by Vesuvius's Flame Body ability inflicted further damage. Geeta could see that Elektross wasn't going to last much longer but she sure wasn't going to let it go down without putting up more of a fight! Elektross got back up again and with one last determined glare, it decided to use Thunder against Freddy. Usually an attack like this wouldn't be very effective against Freddy, but Geeta wasn't counting on it being effective. Elektross fired a colossal jolt of electricity at Freddy but the Poison/Electric Pokémon took the blow as if it meant nothing to him. However, as Freddy was hit by Thunder, Elektross suddenly moved around the arena and closed in on him. After the attack had finished, Elektross was directly behind him with Dragon Tail poised and ready to strike!
"Freddy, look out behind you!" Ruby screeched.
Freddy turned around…just in time to get walloped in the face by Dragon Tail. At long last, Geeta had managed to force Freddy off the field and back into Ruby's Pokéball. In his place came out her last Pokémon that Geeta hadn't seen yet. Bugs the Cinderace looked around curiously, confused as to why he was suddenly here.
"N'yah…what's up doc?" he asked.
"Damn it! Just when I was hoping we finally stopped that bloody Dragon Tail strategy, Geeta pulls one over me again!" Ruby grumbled, "Still, that Elektross can't have much energy left so you'll be able to finish it off no problem Bugs. Take it down with Pyro Ball!"
Bugs kicked a football sized fireball directly at Elektross and scored a perfect hit. Elektross was hit full on by the Pyro Ball and knocked down onto its back. It lay sprawled on the floor, battered and beaten and with barely any strength left to carry on fighting. It tried to get up but its burn from earlier kicked in again and with one last cry of pain as its body was engulfed by fire, Elektross finally passed out. It had been a huge battle of attrition but at long last, Ruby had taken Elektross down and Geeta was now left with only half a team while the Galarian girl still had four Pokémon left. Yet despite having the advantage for now, Ruby didn't feel like she could relax just yet. Her entourage seemed to echo her thoughts.
"Why is it Ruby now has the lead, yet that doesn't make me feel any better?" Emerald asked anxiously.
"It took nearly all of Ruby's remaining team just to take that Elektross down." Sapphire observed, "Its Dragon Tail strategy forced her to use up some of her resource's earlier than she would've wanted and as a result, Spearhead took an early leave and all four of her remaining Pokémon have taken damage. It feels as if Geeta's still in control of this battle."
"Ya weren't kidding when ya said she was good." Ashley noticed, "I think even I would've been worried to be fighting her if this is how good she really is!"
"She's La Primera for a reason!" Nemona said with a wink, a smile of awe spread across her face, "No trainer is more awesome than her, both in and outside of Paldea!"
"No way, Ruby's still gonna win this!" Hop cried supportively, "Your Top Champion's good, but nobody can beat my girl!"
Everyone looked back to the battlefield to watch what would happen next. Geeta returned Elektross to its Pokéball and smiled softly at it.
"You played your part brilliantly as always. Well done mi amigo." the chairwoman said kindly, "And so I only have three Pokémon left, Champion. But mark my words, this half is all I'll need to defeat you." she declared, "I think it's time you saw a new side to my Palafin at last."
She threw her Pokéball and out came Palafin for the second time in the battle. As Geeta had hinted, Palafin no longer looked like how it did originally. It had undergone a "heroic transformation" as many would call it. Palafin stood up on its tail and sported a muscular superhero build complete with huge, bulky arms and a muscular chest. The heart shape on its chest was much bigger this time and now sported a shield shape and it had water surrounding its hands, shoulders and the back of its neck to form the shapes of gloves and a cape. It was mostly dark blue and white in colour. Sapphire stared at the Hero Form Palafin with awe. She would never forget the day she'd discovered this for the first time when evolving Dipper.
"I know, I had the same reaction too." Salma put in, taking note of Sapphire's reaction, "Palafin are quite amazing Pokémon and unlike any the rest of the world has ever seen!"
"Too right." Sapphire concurred, "Now we'll have to see how Ruby does against Palafin in this form."
"No doubt Ruby will use Bugs's Libero ability to remove his Water-type weakness." Salma guessed.
"You know it!" Sapphire confirmed, "But I doubt that'll stop Geeta…"
Ruby seemed to share Sapphire's thoughts.
"At least Libero will make Palafin's job harder, but I'll see how we go from here." the silver-haired teen deduced, "I'll swap out if it gets too tricky. I'd rather Bugs still be available by the time her Kingambit comes out…"
She ordered Bugs to use Acrobatics just as Geeta called for Palafin to use Liquidation. The superhero dolphin Pokémon rushed towards Bugs with water surrounding itself, becoming an aquatic torpedo that was homing in on its target. Bugs somersaulted out of the way with Acrobatics but Palafin performed a U-turn and chased after him. Ruby watched in awe at how fast Palafin could move. Even on land it was no slowcoach! Bugs continued to somersault out of the way but Palafin kept up the pursuit. Eventually, Bugs cartwheeled over Palafin and dropkicked it in the back. Palafin was stunned for the moment, which allowed Bugs to roundhouse kick his opponent onto the floor. Despite the powerful blow, Palafin wasn't down yet. It picked itself up and brushed itself off as if the attack had only managed to dirty it and nothing more. Geeta took note of how Bugs's head was glowing a different colour now.
"Nemona warned me that your Cinderace had the Libero ability." she purred, "So it's going to be a Flying type now and thus no longer weak against Palafin's Liquidation. But it won't save you…use Ice Punch if you please." she commanded.
Ruby gasped in horror. Palafin could cover Flying-types! Bugs was still in for a super-effective hit despite the type-change! Palafin charged towards Bugs with its ice-covered fist. Amusingly, Ruby swore that she could hear the Palafin literally humming the Superman theme song as it hurtled towards Bugs. Palafin scored a direct hit and threw Bugs backwards with its powerful Ice Punch. Bugs hit the floor and grunted in pain. He shivered from the punch. This was an odd experience for him, feeling cold and actually being effected by the Ice Punch.
"Brrr…now I know how dose poor Flying-types feel when dey get hit by Ice moves." he muttered.
"At least we have two other types we can change into." Ruby noted, "Flying-type won't keep us safe so let's instead go for Fighting. Use High-Jump Kick!"
Bugs changed into a Fighting-type as he rushed towards Palafin and launched his High-Jump Kick. With his knee glowing red with fighting energy, he drove it straight up into the dolphin Pokémon's gut and knocked it backwards. Palafin coughed and spluttered from the blow but didn't seem too badly hurt by it. Palafin rubbed its stomach better and retaliated by using Zen Headbutt next. Ruby was astonished by this. Palafin could cover Fighting-types too! It almost felt as if Geeta had specifically taught her Palafin to be able to counter whatever type Bugs could turn into via Libero! Ruby dismissed the thought. No, of course she didn't! That was ludicrous! It was just an unlucky coincidence for her, that was all. She watched as Palafin head butt Bugs in the torso and knocked him backwards again. He crashed down onto his back and grunted heavily. He wasn't used to struggling this much against his opponents as he hadn't been up against an opponent too tough for him to beat in a while and he certainly wasn't used to an opponent that seemed to be able to counter him no matter what type he changed into. Ruby weighed up her options. The only type left Bugs could switch to was Steel type as a result of him knowing Iron Head. Palafin couldn't cover that as it had no super-effective moves against Steel-types. It knew Liquidation, Flip Turn, Ice Punch and Zen Headbutt so it wouldn't know anything else. But Ruby knew she couldn't just have Bugs use Iron Head over and over. With no super-effective moves to use, Palafin would be hard to take down while it had already landed two super-effective hits on Bugs. She needed to save him for later.
But before she switched him out, Ruby ordered Bugs to use Iron Head on Palafin. The fire rabbit lowered his head and charged towards Palafin. He slammed his iron-coated cranium directly into Palafin and knocked it down onto his back. Palafin recoiled for the moment, flinching as a result of Iron Head. Ruby smiled as she returned Bugs to his Pokéball. That was just what she'd been hoping for. Now Palafin couldn't move, she could send in her next Pokémon and get the next hit in! She sent Freddy back out to the field, knowing that his Overdrive was the best chance she had against her dolphin-like opponent. Freddy reappeared on the battlefield and grinned, thrilled to have the chance to get in on the action again. Geeta didn't show any signs of worry. Freddy may have a type-advantage, but she could exploit Freddy's Psychic-type weakness so Ruby wasn't out of the woods yet! She tried to command Palafin to use Zen Headbutt but Palafin was still immobilized by the earlier flinch from Iron Head so it couldn't move. Seizing her moment, Ruby ordered Freddy to use Overdrive. With a strum of his chest organs, Freddy sent an electrified soundwave sweeping over Palafin. The superhero dolphin winced in anguish as it was electrocuted by Freddy's powerful soundwave. Palafin collapsed onto its hands and tail, panting heavily from the attack. Geeta waited to see if Palafin could carry on fighting. Ruby swore that for a moment, she saw Geeta looking worried, as brief as it was. The watching teens held their breath. Surely Palafin was out of the match?
But to everyone's amazement…it wasn't! Palafin picked itself back up and flexed its muscles while smirking confidently as if to say "Nice try, but I ain't going down that easily!" The Paldean woman sighed with relief, glad to see Palafin was still in the game.
"Your resilience astounds even me, darling." she said brightly, "Now use Zen Headbutt if you please."
Palafin obeyed instantly and hurled towards Freddy as if it really was Superman about to take down Lex Luthor's next scheme. Psychic energy covered its head. Freddy tried to use Overdrive at the same time but just as he began strumming, Palafin slammed into him, stopping the attack before it could build up power, causing it to break away harmlessly as a result. Freddy skidded backwards across the arena from the hit and he recoiled in fright. Now it was Ruby's turn to be helpless to fight back because her Pokémon had flinched. Seeing an opportunity, Geeta repeated her last command. Palafin rushed towards Freddy with another psychic powered head smash. Freddy was helpless to do anything as Palafin homed in on him again. He was hit by the Zen Headbutt and knocked down onto his back. He rolled onto his side and winced, trying to shake off the pain long enough to stand back up. While he was down for the moment, Ruby saw an opportunity to at least make a move. She ordered Freddy to use Noble Roar so he could weaken Palafin. Freddy roared as loudly as he could and the powerful sound caused Palafin's Attack and Special Attack to drop down. Geeta frowned, annoyed with herself for not expecting that. She ordered Palafin to use Zen Headbutt once again but as Palafin launched its next attack, Freddy used another Noble Roar to lower its attack even further. Palafin's attack still hit but thanks to two Noble Roars, it didn't hit him anywhere near as hard as before and as a result, Freddy was able to tank the super-effective blow and get back up again.
"Not so tough now, is it?" Ruby crowed, "Let's wrap it up with Overdrive!"
Freddy unleashed another powerful attack at Palafin. Overdrive exploded out from his body and swept over the cetacean Pokémon, electrocuting it a second time and causing it to cry out in pain. Geeta turned away as it was too bright to watch. The soundwave finished and Palafin was left collapsed on the floor, wiped out and unable to battle anymore. Everybody gasped in amazement. Geeta was down to two now while Ruby still had four remaining! Even Ruby was impressed at how well she was doing against the Pokémon League chairwoman, and Nemona and Salma had been spending so much time hyping her up to the max!
"This is amazing! Ruby's actually gonna beat her!" Salma exclaimed.
"She's doing better than either me or you when we fought her!" Nemona cried incredulously, "I can't believe my eyes!"
"You better believe it, mate!" Hop crowed, "That's our Ruby for you, always pulling off impressive wins!"
"Now we'll have to see if she can keep this up with Geeta's last two Pokémon." Tony observed, "Let's not forget both of them haven't seen use yet while Ruby's remaining team have all taken a hit so they're not exactly running at full strength now."
"Too right Tony, but my big sis won't let that stop her from winning!" Emerald insisted, "Go for it Ruby! You're almost there!"
Ruby nodded, thought she didn't feel too optimistic about the rest of the fight. As Tony had said, she had four Pokémon left that had all taken a beating. Geeta's last two were going in fresh so despite the advantage in numbers, Geeta had the advantage in strength. She had to wonder if this was how the Top Champion usually battled. Was this her go-to-strategy when fighting other trainers? Cause as much damage as possible and let her remaining Pokémon pick off the rest one at a time? She was yet to see Geeta's Kingambit in action too and that worried her even more. It was likely to be stronger than her's and would probably be able to finish off what the rest of the team had started. The silver-haired teen watched with baited breath as Geeta sent out her fifth Pokémon.
"I think it's time I brought this match to a close." the tall woman purred, "Baxcalibur, time for action."
Her next Pokémon materialized onto the field and made itself heard with a thunderous bellow that made everyone shudder in their shoes. Ruby remembered Baxcalibur well for Salma had one too. It was the Paldea region's resident pseudo-legendary Pokémon, a Dragon/Ice type that bore a striking resemblance to Godzilla. It was huge and sported a massive sword-shaped sail on its back, making it look as if it had a sword that someone could try to pull out of it. It had blue scales, red quills protruding over its claws, yellow eyes and a thick tail. Like most Dragon-types, Baxcalibur looked very strong and that it packed a lot of power. Ruby had fought plenty of pseudo-legendries before and even owned one herself in the form of Galvatron the Metagross, but Baxcalibur was new to her. She would soon see what kind of power it had.
"So it's Baxcalibur next." Ruby observed, "Paldea's resident pseudo-legendary…we'll have to be on top form if we're to win this one, Freddy."
"Quite so darling. This oversized lizard doesn't look like it'll be a walk in the park." Freddy agreed.
"No kidding!" Nemona shouted from the side-lines, "When I fought La Primera, her Baxcalibur about wrecked half my team single-handedly!"
"It fought my own Baxcalibur to a standstill!" Salma put in.
"Gee, thanks for that. That doesn't exactly inspire confidence in myself." Ruby said sarcastically, "Still, we've got that little weapon of ours that'll keep it from fighting at full strength…use Noble Roar!"
Freddy roared at Baxcalibur and lowered its attacking stats just as he'd done for his other opponents. Any other opponent might've expressed frustration at this and told Ruby to stop spamming the same attack over and over. But Geeta just took this in with a smile that suggested "How predictable…" and didn't let it bother her. Baxcalibur had the highest attack of all pseudo-legendary Pokémon out there so Noble Roar wouldn't weaken it that much. Indeed Baxcalibur barely seemed fazed by this use of Noble Roar, even smirking at Freddy as if to say "Is that all you got?"
"Give us an Icicle Crash, my dear." Geeta commanded.
Baxcalibur blew a breath of icy wind that swept through the air just above Freddy. Then the ice formed into a shower of sharp icicles that rained down on top of him. It was as if daggers were raining from the sky and ready to skewer him alive. Freddy swiped at the icicles, trying to break as many of them as he could with his fists but he couldn't stop them all. Some of the icicles hit him and scratched him badly. The electric salamander grimaced and fell down to one knee. The attack had been painful, but he wasn't down for the count. Freddy stood back up again and retaliated with Sludge Bomb. Ruby hoped that Freddy could poison Baxcalibur and whittle its health down some more. Freddy blasted Baxcalibur with the exploding dirt balls but while they bombarded his opponent and made it stagger backwards, they failed to poison Baxcalibur. Baxcalibur shook off the pain of Sludge Bomb, looking as if the attack had barely even slowed it down, and it retaliated by using Iron Head next. Baxcalibur lowered its head and stampeded towards Freddy like a runaway express train. As Baxcalibur approached, Freddy used Overdrive to try and stop it dead in its tracks. His powerful electric sound vibration punched into Baxcalibur but it barely slowed in its charge. It gritted its teeth and forced itself onwards despite the loud, painful noise trying to stop it. Baxcalibur eventually reached its target and slammed head first into Freddy. The attack winded him and left him lying down on his back, coughing and spluttering heavily. He was stunned by the move and thus was unable to recover and fight back. Satisfied, Geeta made her next move.
"He's immobilized. Now's the time to show off your signature move darling." she said smoothly, "Use Glaive Rush if you please."
"Hoo boy, this'll hurt BIG time!" Salma exclaimed.
Ruby didn't doubt the purple-haired teen for a second. If it was Baxcalibur's signature move, it was no doubt going to be a powerful attack! The dinosaur like Pokémon flipped itself upside down so now it was standing on its hands and head and it catapulted itself towards Freddy with the blade on its back pointing forwards. Ruby desperately called for Freddy to get out of its way but the Toxtricity still couldn't move after the earlier Iron Head attack. All he could do was watch helplessly as the Spinosaurus Pokémon hurled towards him like a bladed missile. Baxcalibur slammed straight into Freddy with enough forced to shatter concrete. The Poison/Electric Pokémon cried out as he was hit by the blow. Ruby grimaced, feeling her Pokémon's pain. Freddy crashed down onto his back and passed out in an instant. Baxcalibur stood where it was, panting slightly but very much triumphant. The crowd watched, breathless with awe.
"So that's Glaive Rush." Sapphire murmured, "That's quite a move!"
"I bet Ruby wishes she had a Fairy-type on her right now." Emerald murmured, "That would stop Glaive Rush from doing anything."
"It is a powerful move, yes, but it does have a nasty side-effect." Salma informed, "When Ruby's Pokémon make their next move, their attacks can't miss and they do DOUBLE damage to Baxcalibur. It's what makes Glaive Rush such a risky move to use and hence why Geeta will more often than not save it for a guaranteed knock out such as this one."
"So maybe that'll give Ruby the chance to make a comeback." Hop thought, "Unless the Top Champion has some way around this drawback…"
Nemona and Salma just gave knowing smiles to each other. Ruby returned Freddy to his Pokéball and smiled affectionately at it.
"Thanks for all your hard work Freddy. It won't go to waste, I promise." she swore, "So that's Baxcalibur. It really is powerful! But I'm sure Vesuvius can handle it no problem!"
She brought her powerful Coalossal back to the field. Vesuvius stood before Baxcalibur and clenched her stony fists with anticipation. She was looking forward to taking on a powerful opponent like this one.
"Alright Vesuvius, use Rock Slide!" Ruby ordered.
That was a good call. Baxcalibur was weak to Rock attacks and thanks to Glaive Rush's side-effect, Rock Slide couldn't miss and would do double damage when it hit! Vesuvius conjured up fired a bunch of rocks from the coal pile on top of her head and they came hurling down directly towards Baxcalibur. The stony missiles homed in on their target, ready to slice into it and deal massive damage. But then…
"Protect yourself my dear." Geeta commanded.
Baxcalibur held up its hands and summoned a force field from nowhere that formed around itself and protected it completely from the attack. Ruby watched, gobsmacked that her attack hadn't worked. Who'd have guessed Baxcalibur knew Protect?! Hop watched, hardly even surprised that Geeta did indeed have a backup plan.
"I knew it! I knew she had some kind of strategy to work around Glaive Rush's side-effect!" he exclaimed, "By using Protect, nobody can exploit that side-effect and thus it can carry on fighting as normal!"
"Got it one, amigo!" Nemona confirmed, "La Primera is not only strong, she's smart too!"
"No kidding, ladies." Tony agreed, "It's how she's been keeping up with Ruby throughout much of this fight."
After the last rock hit Baxcalibur's force field, it disappeared and the Ice/Dragon Pokémon roared loudly. With Glaive Rush's side-effect gone, it was in no danger of taking double damage anymore. Geeta ordered her Pokémon to use Iron Head as it was the best move to use against Vesuvius for now until she was weakened enough for Glaive Rush to finish off. Baxcalibur rushed towards Vesuvius and crashed head first into her. Vesuvius winced but surprisingly held her ground. She didn't even stumble backwards, but Baxcalibur was able to push her back a little. Now Baxcalibur was up close and personal to her, Vesuvius used another Rock Slide. At this range, she couldn't possibly miss. Baxcalibur cried out as the rocks fell down on top of it and bombarded it. After that, Vesuvius proceeded to punch Baxcalibur in the face to make it back off. While she was pleased with what was happening, Ruby noticed that Baxcalibur didn't get burned by Vesuvius's Flame Body. She'd been hoping for that but no luck. She'd just have to settle on doing more damage instead.
"Go for a Heavy Slam!" Ruby cried.
Vesuvius threw herself into the air. Her body became outlined with a silver sheen and she came hurling down towards Baxcalibur. Baxcalibur had a weakness to Steel types as well as Rock types so this was another super-effective blow. But unfortunately for Ruby, it never landed for Geeta simply commanded Baxcalibur to protect itself again. Baxcalibur conjured up another barrier and Vesuvius slammed against it, doing no damage whatsoever to her opponent. She landed back on the floor and braced herself as Baxcalibur retaliated. The dinosaur-like Pokémon used Iron Head once more and slammed straight into Vesuvius. The Fire/Rock Pokémon held her ground once more but Iron Head was clearly doing some damage to her. Ruby doubted she'd be able to take any more hits like this, even if Vesuvius was good at taking a beating. She also noticed that yet again, Baxcalibur wasn't getting burned by Vesuvius's Flame Body ability.
"Baxcalibur keeps landing hits without getting burned by Vesuvius's Flame Body. What's all that about?" Ruby asked.
"Oh that's Baxcalibur's special ability, Champion." Geeta explained, "Thermal Exchange it's called. Baxcalibur is incapable of being burnt as a result of this ability. Your Flame Body ability won't work I'm afraid."
"I thought there was a catch to this." Ruby murmured, "I'll just win without it as I usually do. Use Rock Slide again Vesuvius!"
Vesuvius obeyed and brought another hail of rocks crashing down on top of Baxcalibur. The rocks came down heavily and Baxcalibur grunted heavily from every blow it received. Geeta could see that Baxcalibur was starting to get a little fatigued by this battle. She would have to make a move and end this fight now before Vesuvius could exploit its weaknesses again.
"Here's hoping this'll wrap up the battle for us. Glaive Rush now!" she yelled.
Baxcalibur stood on its hands and head again and rushed towards Vesuvius again with its back sail pointed forwards. Ruby was sure that that Glaive Rush would definitely have the power to finish Vesuvius off if it landed. Luckily, she had a way to stop it this time…
"Shake it about with Earthquake!" the Galarian girl cried.
Vesuvius jumped up and crashed back down on the floor. A tremendous tremor erupted all around her, making the Pokémon League building shudder violently as if about to fall down and everyone watching had to hold onto each other to stay standing. The Earthquake did its job and Baxcalibur was tripped up by it. Standing on its hands and head like so meant it didn't have much balance and so it couldn't keep up its charge. Geeta gasped, showing genuine shock for the first time in the match. Baxcalibur fell over and crashed down onto its stomach. Glaive Rush wouldn't be doing any damage now. Now it was down, Ruby ordered Vesuvius to finish it off with Heavy Slam. The mighty Colossal catapulted itself up into the air and hurled back down towards Baxcalibur. Geeta ordered her Pokémon to use Protect again but Baxcalibur was still reeling from Earthquake. It was too slow to respond and as a result, Vesuvius successfully landed her attack. She crashed down heavily on top of Baxcalibur and wiped out the reminder of its health. It had been a tough battle but Vesuvius was the one still standing while Baxcalibur was down and out. Ruby's group all cheered with joy.
"Wahoo! She did it! She beat that Baxcalibur!" Emerald squealed.
"What a win that was!" Ashley cried, "Fancy using Earthquake to trip it up like so to stop its Glaive Rush!"
"You go girl!" Hop cheered, "Just one more Pokémon left and you've won this!"
"She won't win this one amigo." Nemona insisted, "Not when La Primera's last Pokémon is her ace Kingambit. You thought Ruby's was strong? You ain't seen strong until you've seen this Kingambit!"
"You've been hyping it up a lot so I sure hope it delivers on that or I will be disappointed." Sapphire joked.
"Ruby still has three Pokémon left so hopefully the advantage in numbers will help out…" Tony said cryptically.
All eyes were on La Primera as Baxcalibur was returned to its Pokéball. Geeta smiled affectionately at the Pokéball and thanked her Ice/Dragon Pokémon for a well fought battle. She drew out her last Pokéball. Geeta held it out as if she wanted Ruby to admire the ball for a minute.
"Marvellous work there Champion of Galar, absolutely marvellous." the chairwoman complimented, "This is the toughest battle I've had in a while, I must admit. Not even Nemona or Salma had me backed into a corner like this. Galar must be so proud to have such a strong Champion holding the crown."
"Oh they're proud of me for more reasons than just being the Champion." Ruby said modestly, "It's because I use my status as Champion to keep the region safe from harm and even contribute to noble causes such as restoring Spikemuth town to its former glory. I am quite charitable after all."
"A strong AND kind Champion I see. You are more admirable the more I get to know of you." Geeta said kindly, "I believe that strength and kindness go hand-in-hand in making a true Champion, hence why I don't just use my skills to win battles. I use them to benefit the region and enrich the lives of trainers and Pokémon everywhere."
Ruby took this in with great interest. It would seem Geeta really was all that she seemed and nothing like Chairman Rose after all. She felt guilty for ever judging her and made a mental note to apologize to her when the fight was over.
"As is, we've reached the end you and I and it's time I unleashed my final gambit. My "King's gambit" so to speak." she declared, smirking as if amused by her own pun, "Kingambit, time for action."
She threw her last Pokéball and brought out her final Pokémon. As everybody knew, it was a Kingambit…but not any regular Kingambit. It appeared on the field in a flash of sparkles and it sat on its huge head of hair, eyeing up its opponent with interest. Unlike regular Kingambit, this one was dark blue instead of red. Its colours everywhere else remained the same. Ruby thought it suited Geeta for the blue on Kingambit matched the dark blue areas on her suit and gloves. Ruby's group took it in with admiration.
"Oooh, it looks cool in blue!" Emerald cooed.
"So Geeta got the shiny variation of Kingambit." Sapphire observed, "I have to say, it does go well with her."
"She's always telling people how lucky she was to find it in that colour." Salma added, "She says she was training one day and found a horde of Pawniard. One of them just happened to be dark blue instead of red and she caught it as a result. She raised it all the way into a Kingambit and as you can see, it's her ace-in-the-hole and a large part of the reason she's our Top Champion."
"Do many trainers lose to it?" Ashley asked.
"Like you wouldn't believe! Me and Salli are among the very few who have EVER beaten it!" Nemona crowed, "You'll see why when the fight gets going…"
Ruby heard Nemona's boasts and narrowed her eyes grimly. She was about to see for herself just how strong this Kingambit was. But she wasn't too worried. Vesuvius had two attacks that could exploit two of Kingambit's weaknesses so she was in a good spot. But then she noticed Kingambit seemed to be in a meditative state and its body was glowing red. Was it powering up in some way? That made Ruby feel nervous. What was she about to get into?
"I'm almost hesitant to make a move, but we've got to make one eventually." Ruby said grimly, "Let's see what this Kingambit can do. Vesuvius, use Heat Crash!"
Vesuvius jumped up high and came plummeting down towards Kingambit with flames surrounding her body. Kingambit remained sitting where it was as if there was no danger approaching. Then suddenly…
"Sucker Punch if you please." Geeta purred.
Kingambit's eyes snapped open and it suddenly leapt into the air towards Vesuvius. It punched her directly in the gut, disrupting her Heat Crash and bringing her crashing down onto her back. Vesuvius came down so heavily that Ruby fell over onto her bottom! Kingambit landed back on its feet and sat down on its hair chair again. Vesuvius lay on her back, knocked out instantly by the move. Ruby stared in horror at her unconscious Pokémon. She knew Kingambit were strong but not THAT strong! Vesuvius shouldn't have gone down that easily, especially to a non-super-effective move!
"No way! That totally wiped her out! I know Vesuvius has been battling for a while but still, how did your Kingambit beat her so quickly?!" Ruby exclaimed.
"It's part of my literal king's gambit, my dear." Geeta crowed, "Did you notice the way he glowed before the battle began? That's because of its Supreme Overlord ability. I'd have assumed you'd know what it was since you have your own Kingambit."
"Well, yes but mine has the Defiant ability, not Supreme Overlord, remember?" Ruby noted, "Though now you mention it, I think Sapphire's guidebook on Paldea might've mentioned it somewhere…"
She snapped her fingers in realization.
"Ah yes! I remember now! Doesn't it boost your Pokémon's attack power depending on how many Pokémon in your party have fainted?" she asked.
"Got it perfectly, Ruby." Geeta confirmed, "This is why I am such a tough challenge for my opponents: every Pokémon they defeat only makes me stronger. I ALWAYS save Kingambit for last so I can abuse its effect to its full potential. I always feel sorry for my other Pokémon that they have to go down so Kingambit can get stronger so I like to make sure I don't always have to rely on it if I can help it. But still, every Pokémon you defeated was only benefitting MY situation overall Ruby. Now Kingambit's at full power and will be much too strong for you to defeat."
"Oh we'll see about that La Primera!" Ruby scoffed, returning Vesuvius to her Pokéball, "I'll beat it, you see if I don't!"
She sent out her next Pokémon. Soundwave had been chosen to come back into the battle for this round. Ruby hoped that Soundwave would be able to soften Kingambit up enough so she could finish it off with Bugs. She considered her options for the moment. If she tried to attack now, Kingambit would just use Sucker Punch and likely knock him out in a single hit. Soundwave hadn't taken as much damage as Vesuvius, but Noivern didn't have as strong defences as Colossal did so Ruby had to prioritize doing as much damage while avoiding getting hit in the process. But how to do so? Would it even be possible?
"Hopefully Soundwave's speed will give him the edge he needs. And if he keeps his distance up in the air like so, Kingambit probably won't reach him with Sucker Punch. I doubt it'll be able to jump very high so it's possible…" Ruby murmured to herself.
She commanded Soundwave to fly as high as he possibly could and then use Heat Wave. Soundwave flapped his large wings and flew straight upwards. Geeta ordered Kingambit to use Sucker Punch in response to this. Kingambit clenched his fist and jumped up after Soundwave. But as Ruby suspected, he couldn't jump high enough to land a hit. As Soundwave was too far away, Kingambit only slowed to a stop while failing to land a single blow on him. As he started to come back down, Soundwave flapped his wings and sent waves of superheated air sweeping over Kingambit. The Noivern landed a successful hit and Kingambit was sent crashing back down onto the roof of the Pokémon League. It was a super-effective hit but Kingambit was far from down. Ruby's group cheered excitedly. If Soundwave stayed up in the sky, Kingambit would never be able to reach him with Sucker Punch! But Geeta had other plans.
"Nice try Ruby, but you should remember from your own Kingambit that you can't dodge him forever." she crowed, "Use Kowtow Cleave my fabulous knight of the realm." she commanded.
Ruby cursed in annoyance for not expecting this. Of course Geeta's Kingambit would know that too! Kingambit threw himself down onto his hands and knees and sent a blade of dark energy whooshing towards Soundwave. It was useless to try and dodge it for the attack never missed so Ruby instead tried to counter it. She ordered Soundwave to blast it with Dragon Pulse. Soundwave opened his jaws and blasted at the oncoming energy wave. He successfully countered the hit but Kingambit didn't stop there. He began to use Kowtow Cleave again. And again. And again. Soundwave was forced to fly around the arena while doing his best to counter each and every Kowtow Cleave that tried to hit him. After a minute of this repeated cycle, Ruby decided to try something else. This was getting her nowhere and fast! She ordered Soundwave to use Air Slash just as Kingambit was about to use Kowtow Cleave again. Soundwave swiped the air with his wings and a blade of wind energy swept down towards the samurai-like Pokémon. Kingambit used Kowtow Cleave and as a result, it was too slow to try dodging the Air Slash. He was hit by it and he ended up flinching so now he couldn't move. Soundwave countered the next Kowtow Cleave with another Dragon Pulse and now Kingambit couldn't move, he used Heat Wave once again. He hit Kingambit with fiery waves of air and once more, Kingambit was left crying out in pain as he was boiled alive by the attack. Despite her usual calm and collector demeanour, Geeta was starting to look worried. It seemed her king's gambit wasn't going to pay off in the end! Even Nemona was incredulous. Kingambit was Geeta's best Pokémon and yet Soundwave was making him look as effective as a Pawniard!
Ruby grinned with delight. It looked as if her strategy was paying off big time. Kingambit was as good as defeated! She ordered Soundwave to use another Heat Wave. Soundwave did so but at the same time, Geeta ordered Kingambit to use Kowtow Cleave. Kingambit launched his attack and the blade of energy cut straight through Heat Wave, carrying its way up towards Soundwave. Soundwave was still flapping his wings and causing Heat Wave to happen so he was in no position to dodge. He at least tried to do so but the Kowtow Cleave hit him in the wing and thus he found himself falling helplessly back down to the roof, flapping his one good wing so he could try and slow his fall. His injured wing had been numbed by the hit. He couldn't even feel it as he tried to move it. He was able to land safely back on the floor but that did him no good. As soon as he landed, Kingambit used Kowtow Cleave again. He threw himself down onto his hands and knees and stabbed Soundwave with the blade on his helmet. Scoring a direct hit at last allowed Kingambit to bring the battle to a swift end. Soundwave collapsed onto his back and passed out, a low growl of despair escaping his lips.
"Kingambit superior…Soundwave…inferior…" he muttered.
"That was so unlucky for Soundwave." Tony said sadly, "If Kingambit didn't hit his wing like that, it would've been his match, no doubt it."
"You're right on that, sweetie." Emerald agreed, putting a hand to Tony's chest as she hugged him, "Soundwave had the right idea, fighting up high so Kingambit couldn't Sucker Punch him and it nearly worked!"
"Those two Heat Waves should've weakened it enough for Bugs to finish it off." Ashley observed, "But if Ruby tries ta attack, Kingambit will just Sucker Punch him and given the damage he already took from Palafin earlier, I doubt he'll have the endurance to handle a hit from a super-powered Kingambit. Sorry ta sound like a Negative Nancy, but I think Ruby's lost this one."
"Well Ruby's been backed into a corner before love, so we shouldn't lose hope yet." Sapphire said, putting an arm around her girlfriend, "At the very least, Bugs has that High Jump Kick and Kingambit had a double weakness to Fighting so if Ruby can land that hit, that'll give her the win."
"All we can do now is just watch and hope for the best, mates." Hop murmured, "You can do this Ruby, I know you can!"
Ruby smiled at Hop's encouraging words. She was doubtful that she could beat Kingambit, but she wasn't going to disappoint her friends, family and boyfriend by quitting now. If she was to lose now, she was going out in a blaze of glory! Ruby returned Soundwave to his Pokéball and thanked him for a fantastic effort. She drew out her last Pokéball.
"As usual, it's all down to you Bugs. The odds are stacked against us, but I'm sure we can turn this match around." Ruby said, trying to encourage herself more than anything that it wasn't over, "Bugs, you're up for the finish!"
Her starter Pokémon made his grand return to the field and he stood before Kingambit, his feet apart and his body bent down in a battle-ready stance. Kingambit sat on his hair chair again, waiting and preparing to strike. It felt strange for Bugs to be up against a Kingambit for it would almost feel like he was fighting against his own friend Lancelot. But the blue colouring at least allowed him to disassociate the two. He awaited Ruby's command. But for the moment, Ruby didn't give any commands. What was the point if Geeta could just counter any move she made with Sucker Punch? She instead stayed her hand and waited for Geeta to attack. If Geeta went first all the time, she couldn't use Sucker Punch for it only worked if the opponent was preparing to attack. A minute passed before the Paldean woman decided to break the stalemate.
"I can see your plot from a mile away, young lady." she acknowledged, "But we'll never get anywhere if nobody's going to attack so even if I can't use Sucker Punch, I'll just finish this fight in another way. Use Kowtow Cleave if you please."
Kingambit obeyed his trainer. Satisfied that Geeta had been forced to take the bait, Ruby ordered Bugs to use High Jump Kick. His ability turned him into a Fighting-type and Bugs jumped straight towards Kingambit. The Dark/Steel-type lunged forward with its head blade but Bugs blocked it with his knee. As he was using a Fighting move, it effortlessly cancelled out Kowtow Cleave's power and Bugs was able to continue his attack. He drove his knee straight up into Kingambit's stomach and knocked his feet. The attack had done massive damage to the samurai-like Pokémon as a result of Kingambit having a double Fighting weakness and indeed, Ruby could see that Kingambit was looking as if he was struggling to get back up again. Despite the damage, it looked as if Kingambit was able to get back up again. It pulled itself back up onto his feet and brushed itself off. Ruby felt tense. So even a double Fighting weakness wasn't going to take it down that easily. What was worse is that Kingambit was able to cover Fighting types as Geeta demonstrated with her next command…
"Muchos gracias for switching him to a Fighting-type, Ruby." she said smoothly, "Now your Cinderace is in for a super-effective hit from Kingambit's Zen Headbutt attack."
Kingambit's head covered itself with psychic energy and he jumped up from his hair chair. He sprinted towards Bugs, aiming to crash headfirst into him and knock him out with a single hit. Luckily for Ruby, Bugs was much faster than Kingambit was so he was effortlessly able to dodge by using Acrobatics to somersault out of the way. He now switched to a Flying type so Zen Headbutt wouldn't be super-effective anymore. Kingambit chased after him, trying to land his attack but Bugs was too quick for him. His acrobatic feats made him completely untouchable for the time being. Ruby ordered Bugs to use High Jump Kick next, only to realize at the last second that wasn't a good idea for now Kingambit was able to use Sucker Punch! Geeta gave the command and Bugs was slugged in the stomach by Kingambit's powerful punch. Luckily he'd changed into a Fighting-type because he was going to use High Jump Kick so Sucker Punch didn't hit him as hard as it should've done. Kingambit's Supreme Overlord ability still gave him enough power to hit him hard regardless if it was a type that Bugs could now resist so Bugs was still brought down onto his back and grimacing in pain from the hit. Bugs jumped back to his feet and rubbed his stomach better. He braced himself to attack again but he and Ruby soon saw that Geeta had other ideas.
"This fight can only be decided in one way…" she declared, "With a Terastilized finale."
She reached into her pocket and drew out her very own Tera Orb. Ruby had been told beforehand that Geeta could Terastilize her Pokémon so she'd been waiting to see when she would use it. Salma had once again kindly lent her's to Ruby so she could do the same. Ruby drew it out now.
"Seems like it." Ruby agreed, "Our Tera Types should settle this contest."
Ruby and Geeta held out their Tera Orbs and called for their Pokémon to Terastilize. The Tera Orbs filled themselves up with energy, trains of stars suddenly feeding into the spherical devices as they activated their power. Then the two Champions threw the orbs. Their orbs hit Bugs and Kingambit respectively and formed a crystalline coating around them that increased their defences and also amplified the powers of their attacks that matched their Tera Types. In Kingambit's case, he was now a pure Dark-type with the Steel-typing completely gone so he only had a single Fighting weakness and Bugs wouldn't be able to exploit his weakness to fire anymore. Bugs's Libero ability would no longer work either so Bugs would remain a pure Fire-type. Bugs and Kingambit's crystal armour glinted brightly and they glowed red and black respectively as energy radiated all around them. This was it for the two: a terastilized finale to determine the outcome of the battle. It would all end in one final move for both sides.
"Hoo, hoo, this is it everybody! The final showdown!" squealed Nemona, "Man I'm so excited I feel like I'm about to burst!"
"It'll all be down to this one last attack I bet!" Emerald cried, "Go for it Bugs!"
Bugs and Kingambit braced themselves, ready to strike as soon as they were given the command.
"I've enjoyed the battle, Champion of Galar." Geeta declared as her hair began to blow wildly in the wind that had kicked up suddenly from the terastilized Pokémon, "You've been a fine opponent. But we've reached the end now, you and I. It'll all end with this one last move!"
"I couldn't agree more Geeta!" Ruby concurred, "And we're gonna win it! Let's GOOOOOOOOOOO!" she screeched.
And so the final commands were given. Geeta called for Kingambit to use Kowtow Cleave and Ruby called for Bugs to use Pyro Ball. Kingambit's crystallized body radiated with dark energy as he put every ounce of power he had into his next attack. He threw himself down onto his hands and knees and launched forwards with the blade on his head. At the same time, Bugs kicked a giant fireball directly towards his opponent, his body flashing with red energy as if he was going up in flames himself. The fireball slammed into Kingambit, blazing him alive and eating up the remainder of his health, but Kingambit's charge continued onwards anyway and eventually, he hit home. His blade skewered Bugs's crystalline armour and a huge explosion of energy erupted between them both. Bugs and Kingambit were thrown backwards and clouds of smoke blanketed the arena. Ruby and Geeta shielded their eyes from the smoke cloud. The entire roof of the Pokémon League was covered completely in dust and smoke. Nobody could see anything for the moment. A whole five minutes passed before eventually, the smoke cleared and everybody could see again. Emerald and Sapphire held tight to Tony and Ashley respectively as they awaited the outcome. Salma and Nemona clutched one another's hands. Hop balled his fist and gritted his teeth anxiously. Ruby and Geeta looked to the field…and gasped.
Lying on their backs, completely passed out from the battle were BOTH Bugs and Kingambit! Their Tera forms had disappeared and they were back to normal again. Everybody waited for a moment to see if anything else was about to happen. But nothing else did. Bugs and Kingambit didn't move. This lead to the only result there could be…
"So…it would seem we've come to a draw." Geeta acknowledged, "A most surprising outcome if I say so myself."
"Gosh, I haven't had anyone fight me to a draw since my Champion battle against Emerald!" Ruby gasped in shock, "Holy galoshes, that was unexpected! We both won in the end!"
"¡No puedo creer esto! ¡Esto es absolutamente increíble!*" Nemona babbled in Paldean, "That's NEVER happened before in the history of Paldea! La Primera was fought to a draw?! Somebody tell me I'm seeing things!"
"I could tell you that Nemi, but that'd be lying." Salma teased, "I'm struggling to process this too. Just…wow! I was sure one of them was going to win!"
"But in the end, they both did!" Emerald said happily, "Yay to both Ruby and Geeta for an awesome battle and an amazing finish!"
"Well said Em. Bravo to both of them!" Sapphire applauded.
Ruby and Geeta returned their signature Pokémon.
"Don't feel too bad Bugs. I'm glad we finished it this way. Well done for an epic finish." Ruby said kindly.
"You were simply magnificent as always my shining knight of the realm. Rest well Kingambit." Geeta said softly.
The two Champions put their Pokéballs away and turned to face each other. Geeta smiled down at Ruby with her hands behind her back and her back completely straight. It was as if she felt the need to look formal no matter what she was doing.
"So…this is a first for me Ruby. I've never had a tie before." Geeta acknowledged, "If anything, it proves that as Champions, we're equals."
"I'm convinced that it was luck I was able to finish on a draw." Ruby said modestly, "You DEFINITELY would've won otherwise!"
"Regardless, I'm glad I could've had this exhibition match with you Ruby. Seeing you in action was quite exhilarating." the chairwoman said with pleasure.
"And you're every bit the Top Champion you are!" the Galarian teen praised, "Nemona was right to hype you up like so!"
The two Champions shook hands together as thanks for the amazing battle.
"And I also must apologize for my behaviour earlier." Ruby put in, "It was wrong of me to judge you so quickly just because of your position. You're certainly no Chairman Rose and I'm sorry for how I treated you. It was very wrong of me and I had no right to do that."
Geeta just shook her head as if the whole thing hadn't needed bringing up again anyway and that there was no need to apologize.
"I know too well how easy it can be to judge others based on their career choices." she said understandingly, "You're not the first to assume I'm…untrustworthy given my position as chairwoman of the Pokémon League. Anyone in a large position of power such as myself can be subjected to such scrutiny. I at least understand that your discomfort came from a bad experience and you didn't mean to cause offence so you don't need to be sorry. Our battle more than made up for your bad manners anyway." she added cheekily.
"Heh, I guess it did." Ruby chuckled, "Thanks for everything Geeta. It's been a pleasure battling you and also getting to know a chairperson whose NOT corrupt and is actually really nice for a change."
"Glad I could be that example for you." Geeta said cheerfully.
Ruby turned to her group as they came over to hug and congratulate her for a well fought battle. Salma and Nemona congratulated Geeta. Now the battle was over, Ruby and the others would be given their holiday that Geeta had promised them in return for accepting the battle. A sunny vacation in Paldea would be the perfect way for Ruby and her Pokémon to relax and wind down after such a heart-pounding match! Ruby looked to Geeta one last time and beamed. It was nice to have met a strong Champion who was truly as nice as she seemed. Paldea was truly lucky to have a woman like her running the Pokémon League…
La Primera put up a prime performance and despite Ruby's best efforts, she was only able to bring it to a draw in the end. It was a well fought battle for both sides but overall, they were both winners! And she also acknowledges Geeta isn't a bad egg too, that's a happy bonus. ^^ Next time, we take a break from battles as the next Plot Scorbunny will focus on a simple day in the lives of the Silverlock sisters. ^^
Trivia: Geeta using a Baxcalibur here is down to me feeling that as a Champion of a region, it feels like she should use a Baxcalibur. Pseudo Legendries are a common choice of Pokemon amongst Champions after all. I know Hassel of the Elite Four has one as his ace but it still feels like Geeta should use one too.
Also originally Freddy was going to beat Elektross and then lose to Palafin and Soundwave would've lost to Baxcalibur so Ruby would only have Vesvuius and Bugs left by the time Geeta's ace came in but I decided to change it so Ruby had half a team left so Geeta could show off Kingambit's power some more.
And yes, I know, Geeta doesn't have a shiny Kingambit. I gave her one anyway because it looks awesome and the dark blue matches the blue on her suit so why not? XD I also wanted it to stand out more from Lancelot so making it shiny was the way to go.
I was obviously going to make Ruby win this fight but due to how circumstances played out in the battle, it felt like there was no way Ruby could realistically beat Geeta so in the end, it had to end in a draw because no way was I going to have her lose to Geeta, even if it's an improved version of the character. The only Champion I'm ever going to let Ruby lose to will be Cynthia, nobody else. Speaking of, expect a Plot-Scorbunny of that in the future. ;)
*Translation: I cannot believe this! This is absolutely amazing!"
