Alola, everyone! We're about to reach the milestone of 30 chapters for this story! I never imagined actually getting this far, but I'm amazed at just how much effort I've put into these stories. Anyways, when we last left off, we had finally made our way to the Top 16 of the Aether Tournament, but with Pyrrha being eliminated thanks to Plumeria's Mareanie defeating her Misdreavus.
Now it's time for the eight battles of the Top 16 to begin!
POKÉMON SUN & MOON
THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME
Back in the room she and her friends were staying in, Pyrrha stared sadly at the Poké Ball holding her Misdreavus. Plumeria had completely overwhelmed her in the Battle Royal. She overwhelmed everyone thanks to her Mareanie.
"Those Team Skull guys tend to use Poison-types a lot, don't they?" Paige asked while lying down on her bed, dressed in just an orange tank top and black sweatpants.
"Yeah," Erika replied while sitting down on her bed, having undone her pigtails as her hair fell freely to the back of her neck, "In fact, they tend to use some pretty weak Pokémon…" she admitted after taking a moment to think.
"That soundzzz pretty harsh, Erika…" Rotom bluntly buzzed, causing her to wince.
"Well… it's true!" she pointed out in response, "It was hard for us to deal with those guys at first because we were still trainers that just started our journeys…" she recalled, thinking back to when she fought off the three Team Skull members in Verdant Cavern to get revenge for her brother, "But now that we're a lot stronger, they're really just small fry…" she noted, "Well… most of them anyway…" she corrected, worriedly glancing over at the despondent Pyrrha. She hadn't said much of anything since she and the girls returned to the room after the day of Battle Royal rounds had ended.
"I should've been able to win…" she whimpered out from her bed, tucking her legs in as she curled up into a ball and lowered her head. Overhearing her, Erika and Paige gave off worried glances to each other.
"Hey, you did your best out there…" the latter of the two assured, "That Plumeria chick's good, but she's not gonna beat Cal tomorrow," she confidently stated with a pump of her right fist. Pyrrha kept her head down.
"Mmm…" Erika hummed in concern, wondering what she could even say to try and lift her somber friend's spirit.
"Maybe I should just head back to Akala…" she suggested, causing the Ketchum girl to widen her eyes in surprise.
"What?!" she exclaimed, "But you'd miss all the other battles!" she pointed out emphatically.
"What's the point?!" Pyrrha questioned back in frustration, shocking her dark-haired friend as she blinked, "I'm not battling anymore… so I might as well just go back and try to continue my island challenge…" she whimpered out in explanation.
"Pyrrha…" Erika uttered. Paige and Rotom remained quiet, unsure of what they could say. It was obvious that the Eucliffe girl was pained by her loss today. In the meantime, Calvin was sitting upon his bed in the boys' room with his arms crossed over his chest as his eyes were closed in thought.
"Hmmm…" he hummed out.
"Cal, you've been like that for twenty minutes…" Hau noted worriedly, "Stressing over a battle isn't always for the best, you know…" he mentioned with a chuckle. His cousin opened his eyes and sighed.
"Sorry, cuz," he apologized, "It's just… I really want us to beat that Plumeria lady tomorrow," he told him.
"And that's going to be easier said than done," Trent chimed in, catching their attentions as they turned to see him lying on his bed with his arms folded behind his head, "Normally, fighting Poison-types would be best with Psychic or Ground-types," he pointed out, "Or countering them with something immune like a Steel-type," he mentioned in his explanation, "But obviously, you don't really have any of those," he noted to Calvin, who grimaced a little.
"Yeah…" he responded as he closed his right hand into a fist.
"But your Marowak's still got those Ground-type moves he had as a Cubone!" Hau exclaimed, causing him to perk up in surprise, "He'd be a perfect match for those Poison-types!" he noted excitedly.
"Yeah, that's a good point…" Trent said as he sat up, "But I doubt just having a type advantage will help much," he pointed out.
"You're right…" Calvin agreed, remembering how even as Pyrrha's Misdreavus was a Ghost-type, she was still bested by the Water/Poison-type that was Plumeria's Mareanie. He reached down to his bag and pulled out a Poké Ball, holding it firmly in his right hand.
'Even if it's not going to be easy tomorrow…' he began inwardly, 'I swear that we'll beat her…' he vowed through his thoughts, 'Just like how Erika beat those Team Skull guys for me…' he added to himself.
OPENING
Insert "Everlasting Shine" by TOMORROW X TOGETHER
The sun rises over the Alolan ocean as we see various Pokémon swimming about, all around Aether Paradise in the background.
We see Calvin standing over a cliff together with all of his current six Pokémon: Torracat, Gumshoos, Trumbeak, Araquanid, Marowak, and Steenee, all smiling at the rising sun.
Cut to a beach, where standing there is Erika, also having six of her Pokémon out.
She and her Pokémon: Brionne, Lycanroc, Oricorio, Fomantis, Drifblim, and Magby, are also smiling towards the rising sun.
Camera next cuts to a rocky shore, showing Hau, and he too is joined by his six Pokémon: Dartrix, Pikachu, Noibat, Tauros, Eevee and Crabrawler, as they enjoy the sunrise.
Finally, we cut to a side view of Akala Island, before the screen was divided three ways, each show close-ups of Hau, Calvin and Erika's determined faces, colored green, red and blue respectively. The story's logo appears.
Ash and Mirajane share a sweet kiss as they watch their youngest kids and nephew training together on the Melemele Beach, along with the Kanto Champion's Pikachu, Lycanroc and Erika's Sandygast. The Ground/Ghost type is nervously peeking from behind the adults' legs to see the fierce training session below.
Calvin and Erika share glances with each other, reflecting on how far they've both come since they started the Island Challenge. They smile at each other before being brought into a hug by Hau.
Meanwhile, Lillie is walking on a dirt road. In her arms is her duffel bag, with Nebby poking its head out from it. She gives it a soft smile before clutching the duffel bag strap tightly with worry in her eyes.
Unknown to her, she's being closely watched by Gladion, who is seated on the back of Null with his Golbat and Zorua also watching on.
The scene cuts to the Lusamine, joined by Wicke, Faba, Professor Burnet, and several Aether Foundation employees outside of the former's mansion on Aether Paradise. Lusamine looks at a framed picture in her office before she sees a blue light shine overhead. It turns out to be an Ultra Wormhole, which makes her grin ominously.
Cuts to Team Skull, with Plumeria standing in front of them alongside her Crobat, Mareanie, and Salandit, with the latter of the trio crawling onto her trainer's shoulder. They both smirk deviously, while a certain pair of figures loom in the background within the shadows.
The Ketchum twins and their cousin take ready stances, each with a Poké Ball in hand before they toss them towards the camera, opening to release bursts of light.
Paige issues a command to her Medicham, with the Fighting/Psychic type dashing forward, coating her fist in blue energy and cocking it back before trying to punch Calvin's Steenee, who parries the attack with a Double Slap.
Trent's Greninja forms a Water Shuriken in his hands, and flings it at Gladion's Null, who slices it in half with Crush Claw before retaliating with X-Scissor, which is blocked by Erika's Lycanroc as he retaliates with Counter.
Hau's Eevee uses Swift, firing several stars at Pyrrha's Quilava, who responds by using Flame Wheel, with the fire acting as a shield to protect him from the energy stars.
Calvin, Erika, and Hau each perform a Z-Move with their respective starters, who are surrounded by glowing lights: Torracat's is red, Brionne is blue, and Dartrix is green. They unleash an Inferno Overdrive, a Hydro Vortex, and a Bloom Doom respectively.
The three starters charge at each other, their bodies leaving behind streaks of energy based on their colors, before they collide in the center of the battlefield.
Everyone covers their faces to block the smoke, before looking to see the center of the battlefield in shock. Standing amidst the smoke and fiery backdrop are three larger creatures. The others can't yet make out their features since they were silhouetted, but one looks like a muscular, bipedal tiger, one looks like a mermaid-like seal with long hair, and the third appears to be a hooded avian.
We cut to Calvin, Erika and Hau looking out onto the ocean horizon from Aether Paradise, each standing alongside their Pokémon as the song winds down.
END OPENING
A Poisonous Exchange
"You can check us out on the TV if you're up for watching any of the battles," Paige told Pyrrha the next morning as she, Erika and Rotom were about to leave the room, dressed for the day.
"…'Kay…" the Eucliffe girl despondently replied. The way her voice sounded so emotionless felt like a knife to Erika's heart as she winced. It was not only bizarre to see Pyrrha so somber, it was really worrying.
"We'll catch you later, P," Paige remarked in farewell before walking off. Erika gave her friend a soft smile, which she didn't return as she shut the door to the room.
"Pyrrha…" the pigtailed trial-goer uttered out, clutching the strap of her bag tightly.
"You okay, zzt?" Rotom asked in concern upon noticing.
"I just wish I was the one facing Plumeria today…" she admitted as a response.
"Don't worry!" the Pokédex exclaimed, making her perk up, "Calvin'zzz gonna beat her for zzzure!" he assured confidently. Hearing that made Erika crack a small smile.
"Yeah, he will," she affirmed, jogging off after Paige to head to the docks. A little while later, the two of them arrived at the locker room, heading inside to meet up with the boys.
"Sleep well, cuz?" Hau guessed as he held out his right fist to Erika, which she bumped with her own.
"For the most part, yeah…" she responded, thinking back to how Pyrrha was feeling earlier.
"So how's this round supposed to work?" Paige asked, changing the subject.
"The order of matchups is determined randomly," Trent responded while glancing over at a TV screen displaying the eight matchups of the day, "In fact, from here on out," he continued, "the matches are just randomly selected for each round," he told the group.
"So it's no longer in that round-robin format from the Battle Royals…" Calvin realized.
"Which means we can't really plan for who we'll face next if we advance," Paige concluded, putting her hands onto her hips.
"That's right, kiddies," a familiar voice chimed in, catching their attentions as they looked to see Plumeria approach with her arms folded underneath her chest, "So you'll just have to rely on your own strength and strategies…" she pointed out.
"You…" Erika growled, balling her hands into fists. The Team Skull admin chuckled at her angered attitude.
"I'd save that energy for who you're gonna fight today, Pigtails…" she advised with a smirk, "As for Cappy here…" she continued as she looked over at Calvin, who tensed up a little, "what happened yesterday was nothing compared to what my team'll do today…" she declared, walking by with a smug huff.
"Man, what a b-"
"Hey, you're my opponent, right?!" Hau suddenly exclaimed, interrupting Paige as she and the others looked to see him approaching a young woman with fair skin and brown hair, dressed in a black and orange jumpsuit. She seemed quite surprised by how cheery the ponytailed boy was. Both of his cousins let out nervous laughs.
"Always the optimist…" Trent muttered out with a sigh, while Paige let a chuckle escape her lips.
"Ahem," a familiar voice coughed over the loudspeaker, "If I could have your attention, please…" he insisted.
"That's Mister Faba's voice…" Erika remembered.
"Don't you mean, Aether Branch Chief Faba, zzt?" Rotom jokingly inquired, sharing a giggle with its user.
"We've determined randomly that the first matchup of the Top Sixteen shall be Trent versus one of esteemed employees of the Aether Foundation, Cecil!" the bearded man's voice declared as the TV screen displayed the faces of the two trainers upon cards separated by a black line with a 'VS' in between them to square away the point that they would be facing each other. The dark green-haired boy looked over at his opponent. He had medium-length black hair underneath his cap styled in a way that covered his right eye. A smug smirk was upon his face as he glanced over at his future foe, who narrowed his eyes.
"If he's an Aether Foundation employee that already got this far, he's bound to be tough…" Calvin pointed out.
"Be careful, Trent!" Hau advised as he pumped his fists excitedly.
"Heh," the dark green-haired boy chuckled, "I'll be fine," he assured, "Catch you guys in a minute," he remarked in farewell, giving his fellow trial-goers a wave before walking off down the long hallway towards the battlefield.
"Good luck!" Erika cried out. A few moments passed before Trent arrived at the dirt battlefield, taking his position in the right side box, while Cecil took the one on the left. A referee was at the sidelines, standing right at the line dividing the field.
"The first match of the Top Sixteen will now begin!" he announced, "You will each use one Pokémon!" he stated to the two trainers, "When one side's Pokémon is unable to battle, the match is over!" he exclaimed.
"Same as always, huh?" Trent inquired with a chuckle. However, his expression into one of surprise as he felt the ground rumble beneath his feet. The field was coming apart into two halves that pulled each other back, with a new stage rising up in its place. It was one filled with water along with eight round platforms scattered about it. "So the field changes..." the dark green-haired boy noted, narrowing his eyes a little.
"This is perfect!" Cecil exclaimed, catching his attention as he looked over to see his foe enlarging a Dive Ball in his right hand by pressing its center button, "A stage most fit for my queen to shine…" he remarked.
"Queen?" Trent repeated in confusion. The Aether Foundation employee reeled his arm back.
"Behold the magnificence of my Bruxish!" he echoed, tossing the Dive Ball elegantly into the air. It popped open, and the light that spilled out from it splashed onto the water. When it dissipated, it revealed a fish-like Pokémon covered in colorful scales and fins. The front of her body was light blue with large, dark purple lips and a mouth full of sharp teeth. The upper half of her body was mostly light purple, while the lower half was mostly yellow. The purple portion of her body was dotted with light blue spots. The yellow underside extended up around her eyes, which were light purple with light blue pupils. Her eyelids were dark purple with long, light blue eyelashes. Her fins were all dark purple, light blue, or a combination of the two colors: the pectoral fins were mostly dark purple with a short line blue line along the bottom, the dorsal fin was light blue, the ventral fin was dark purple, and the tail fin was dark purple with a light blue, heart-shaped marking in the middle. On top of her head was a protuberance with a dark purple bulb at the tip.
"Brrrr!" she chittered out as her gnashed teeth formed into a menacing smile.
"Eugh…" Erika uttered from the locker room with a shiver of surprise and disgust, "What Pokémon is that?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. On cue, Rotom pulled up an image of Bruxish upon its screen.
"Bruxish, the Gnash Teeth Pokémon," it began, "She stuns her prey with psychokinesis and then grinds them to mush with her strong teeth. Even a Shellder's shell is no match for her. Her skin is thick enough to fend off a Mareanie's spikes. With her robust teeth, Bruxish crunches up the spikes and eats them," it explained thoroughly.
"Whoa, seriously?!" Paige exclaimed as she blinked rapidly.
"A Pokémon like that could've probably beaten Plumeria's Mareanie if they matched up…" Erika concluded after a moment.
"Yeah…" her brother agreed with a nod.
"My beloved Bruxish will dazzle you with her tremendous power!" Cecil boasted flamboyantly.
"Brrrr!" the Gnash Teeth Pokémon chittered loudly through her clenched teeth.
"Water and Psychic, huh?" Trent noted to himself, cracking a grin, "I know the perfect matchup for you!" he remarked, pulling out a Poké Ball and enlarging it with a press of its center button, "Let's go, Charjabug!" he called out, tossing the spherical container up into the air. It popped open, with its light spilling onto the nearest platform. It came into shape and dissipated to reveal the Battery Pokémon.
"Ja, jah!" he buzzed out.
"He's using Charjabug!" Erika exclaimed excitedly.
"Good choice," Paige commented, "Electric and Bug-type moves would do serious damage to a Bruxish," she pointed out while folding her arms over her chest. Back on the battlefield, the referee raised his right arm.
"And… begin!" he exclaimed, swinging his arm down.
"We'll win this battle fabulously!" Cecil proclaimed with an elegant spin, "Bruxish, Aqua Jet!" he commanded as he threw his right hand out.
"Brrrrr!" the Gnash Teeth Pokémon chittered, enveloping herself in a torrent of water before launching herself forward in an instant, heading towards Charjabug. However, Trent cracked a smirk.
"Dodge by using String Shot!" he instructed. The Battery Pokémon opened his mouth and fired off a sticky strand of thread that attached to one of the platforms of the field. He then pulled himself away, evading the incoming Bruxish as she widened her eyes in surprise.
"Whoa!" the announcer in the booth exclaimed upon seeing the dodge, "Charjabug swings himself away in just the nick of time!" he pointed out, "Talk about a brilliant play!" he mentioned excitedly.
"Now Charge!" Trent called out.
"Jah buh!" Charjabug responded, building up yellow electricity around his body. A reddish aura flowed up it seconds later.
"And Charjabug uses Charge to set up for what seems to be a powerful attack ahead!" the announcer noted.
"Nice!" Erika exclaimed as she pumped her fists while grinning. Calvin was very impressed by the strategy his rival was already displaying. He remembered the last time he fought the Battery Pokémon, he hadn't been able to dodge as well as he was now.
'So that's what Trent worked on to make up for it…' he realized, balling his fists.
"Hmph," Cecil scoffed, "Quite an interesting trick…" he admitted as he brushed a stray strand of his hair back. "But it won't help!" he yelled, "Bruxish, Aqua Tail!" he commanded.
"Brrr!" the Gnash Teeth Pokémon responded as she splashed back into the water, swimming speedily towards Charjabug as he had landed upon one of the platforms after swinging around to evade her. She leapt up as water started swirling around her tail fin, spinning around in an attempt to strike her target with it.
"Counter with X-Scissor!" Trent shouted. The Battery Pokémon made the yellow spikes at his face glow a bright yellowish-green, hopping up to intercept his foe's attack as they collided fiercely, blowing each other back. He safely landed on the platform again, while she splashed into the water.
"Bruhhh…" Bruxish growled angrily.
"I must say, you're becoming quite a problem…" Cecil admitted with an annoyed look on his face.
"That's just the way I battle," Trent remarked in response, "Charjabug, Charge!" he called out.
"Jah!" the Battery Pokémon chittered, enveloping himself in another round of yellow electricity that sparked about his body. What followed was a reddish aura flowing up his body again.
"And Charjabug uses Charge again, increasing the power of his potential Electric-type move while also raising his special defense!" the announcer explained excitedly.
"That'll prove to be your mistake…" the Aether Foundation employee noted with a wicked smirk, "Bruxish, Psywave!" he ordered. Grinning, the Gnash Teeth Pokémon had the bulb-like appendage atop her head open like a blooming flower, revealing a light blue orb in the center. She then fired a multicolored beam of light from it, striking Charjabug as he slid back along the surface of the platform.
"Bruxish now lands a powerful Psywave onto Charjabug!" the announcer exclaimed, "What will he do now?!" he wondered loudly.
"Charjabug, jump!" Trent instructed.
"Jah…!" the Battery Pokémon chittered, managing to hop upwards as the beam ceased, much to both Cecil and Bruxish's surprise.
"Now use String Shot!" the dark green-haired teen called out quickly. Opening his mouth again, Charjabug fired off a strand of sticky thread that managed to wrap around the Gnash Teeth Pokémon's body tightly.
"Ah!" the Aether Foundation employee gasped.
"WOW!" the announcer yelled through the microphone, "Charjabug's got a firm hold on Bruxish now!" he pointed out excitedly.
"Tch…!" Cecil scoffed in frustration, "Not for long!" he declared firmly, "Shake him off with Aqua Jet!" he yelled.
"Brrruuhhh!" the Gnash Teeth Pokémon chittered as she enveloped herself in another torrent of water before swimming speedily around the arena, while her foe hung on thanks to the sticky thread from his mouth.
"It's like Charjabug's water skiing!" Erika noted from the locker room.
"That's so cool!" Hau exclaimed as his eyes sparkled.
"Talk about a show to start things off…" Paige remarked with a chuckle.
"Yeah…" Calvin agreed, greatly impressed with how Trent and Charjabug were doing. Back on the battlefield, Cecil grimaced as he saw that Bruxish wasn't able to shake off her foe.
"In that case…" he began, pumping his right fist forward, "knock him off with Aqua Jet!" he called out. The Gnash Teeth Pokémon veered back around while still immersed in water, striking her foe head on as he flew upwards, still holding onto the sticky strand of thread from his mouth.
"You okay, Charjabug?!" Trent yelled in question to his partner out of worry.
"Jah!" the Battery Pokémon buzzed as a response, giving off a nod.
"I wouldn't celebrate just yet!" Cecil advised loudly, catching their attentions, "Now Aqua Tail!" he commanded. Water swirled around Bruxish's tail fin as she leapt and slammed it against Charjabug, sending him crashing down onto one of the platforms while also snapping off the sticky strand of thread.
"Charrrjjj…" he chittered as the dust settled, revealing a couple of bruises upon his form.
"Ergh…" Trent growled in frustration.
"Ha, ha!" the Aether Foundation employee laughed, "Now we'll end this just as barbarically as you would have!" he declared, "Psychic Fangs!" he ordered. Bruxish's sharp teeth started glowing a bright pink as she swam towards her opponent.
"Psychic Fangs?" Erika repeated in confusion from the locker room, arching an eyebrow.
"It'zzz a zzzignature move from Bruxish that only zzzhe can learn naturally!" Rotom told her, getting her attention, "When it hitzzz, it can even break through movezzz like Reflect or Light ZZZcreen!" it mentioned.
"I don't think Charjabug can take that well!" Hau pointed out with a nervous grimace. The Battery Pokémon was slow to recover as his foe approached.
"Charjabug, use String Shot around her mouth!" his trainer instructed.
"Jah!" he responded, spitting out another sticky strand of string that wrapped around the Gnash Teeth Pokémon's lips, shutting her mouth.
"Brrrr?!" she bubbled out in shock, blinking rapidly. Her trainer was just as surprised.
"Now let's finish this!" Trent declared, pumping his right fist forward, "Use Spark!" he commanded. Electricity crackled around Charjabug's body as his eyes lit up, locking onto his ensnared foe. He dashed forward, leaping off of the platform and slamming into her head first, zapping her fiercely.
"BBBBRRRRRRRRRRRRUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she screeched in agony before being enveloped in a burst of white smoke.
"Bruxish!" Cecil cried out in fright. Meanwhile, Charjabug landed safely on another platform. The smoke finally cleared to reveal the Gnash Teeth Pokémon lying on her right side in the water with swirls in her eyes.
"Bruxish is unable to battle! Charjabug wins!" the referee announced, raising his left arm up, "Therefore, the victor is Trent!" he exclaimed, gesturing towards the dark green-haired boy.
"Huh…" he exhaled with relief as the crowd cheered excitedly.
"And there you have it!" the announcer added loudly through the loudspeakers, "Trent is the first trainer to make it to the quarterfinals!" he pointed out excitedly.
"Hmmm…" Cecil moaned disappointedly as he returned Bruxish to the Dive Ball in a beam of red light. Trent did the same with Charjabug.
"Way to go, Trent!" Erika cheered as she pumped up her right fist.
"Heh," Paige chuckled, "You seem pretty excited for the guy, Erika…" she pointed out.
"Well, yeah!" the Ketchum girl replied while sheepishly rubbing the of her head, "I want all of us to advance after all!" she mentioned with a giggle.
"And we're gonna!" Hau assured confidently.
"Yeah…" Calvin agreed as he nodded. He glanced over to see Plumeria speaking with the Team Skull members who had advanced in the tournament. One way or another, he would do his best to defeat her…
X
The field was reset back to the standard flat dirt stage as Trent and Cecil had left. Up above in the pavilion, Lusamine looked on with a small grin.
"Poor Cecil…" Wicke remarked, catching her attention, "I know he was looking forward to getting that egg…" she pointed out.
"Well, only the worthiest trainer is deserving of it…" Faba chimed in as he shrugged, "That Trent boy may very well be that one…" he noted, crossing his arms over his chest.
"We shall see…" the Aether Foundation president responded, narrowing her eyes. Back in the locker room, Trent was met up with by his fellow trial-goers.
"Great battle, Trent!" Hau complimented.
"Yeah, you really pulled it off," Calvin mentioned.
"Thanks…" the dark green-haired boy responded with gratitude, "Still, that could've gone a lot better if Charjabug was a little faster…" he admitted.
"Oh, come on…" Paige chimed in, arching an eyebrow and grinning, "Way I saw it, your Charjabug was moving like none I've ever seen…" she pointed out.
"And it was awesome!" Erika exclaimed with sparkling eyes, much to his surprise as a blush started to form on his cheeks.
"Uh… th-thanks…" he stuttered as he nervously glanced off to the side.
"If I may have your attention please…" Faba's voice echoed over the loudspeaker, "the next matchup will be between Hau and Jane," he stated.
"Alright!" the ponytailed boy yelled excitedly as he hopped up, "I'm ready to go!" he exclaimed as he hurried off down the tunnel towards the field.
"Hey, Hau!" Calvin called out, but his cousin was already long gone, "Huh…" he sighed out with a grin, "That's just like him to rush into things…" he noted, putting his hands onto his hips.
"You know him, right?" a voice chimed in as a question, catching his attention as he turned to see that it originated from the young woman known as Jane, who was walking over.
"Uh, yeah," the capped boy replied with a nod, "He's my cousin," he told her.
"He's a pretty excitable guy," she pointed out with a chuckle, "Can't wait to see how he battles…" she remarked before walking off down the tunnel.
"I wonder what kind of Pokémon she uses…" Erika mumbled.
"Yeah, same…" Paige added with a curious nod. Out on the field, Jane finally arrived as her opponent was stretching his arms and legs in preparation. The stage opened up once again, delivering a new area for the two of them to battle upon. It was one of a rocky environment.
"You may both select your Pokémon!" the referee called out to them.
"Guess I'll go first!" Jane exclaimed, enlarging a Poké Ball that she tossed into her right hand, "Come out!" she beckoned, sticking it forward to have it open. Its light spilled out the ground, dissipating to reveal a Flareon.
"Flahh!" he exclaimed, letting a puff of fire escape his mouth.
"A Flareon, huh?" Erika noted from the locker room, curiously narrowing her eyes. In the meantime, Rotom pulled up an image of the Flame Pokémon.
"Flareon, the Flame Pokémon, and an evolved form of Eevee," it started to say, "His average body temperature is between thirteen-hundred and fifteen-hundred degrees Fahrenheit. In his internal flame sac, temperatures reach three thousand degrees. When he catches prey or finds berries, he breathes fire on them until they're well done, and then he gobbles them up," it explained thoroughly.
"A Fire-type like Flareon isn't gonna be easy for Hau to deal with if he doesn't have a plan…" Paige pointed out, having her arms crossed over her chest.
"I'm sure he'll be fine," Calvin affirmed, seeing his cousin ready a Poké Ball in his right hand on the TV screen.
"You're up, Ariel!" he cried out, tossing the spherical container up into the air. It popped open, with its light coming onto the ground and taking shape. However, Erika, Paige and Rotom were surprised to see that it didn't look like an Eevee… In fact, the light dissipated to reveal a Vaporeon!
"Reee!" she squeaked out.
"What?!" the Ketchum girl exclaimed in surprise.
"His Eevee evolved?!" the silver-haired girl shouted while blinking rapidly.
"Just last night," Trent commented, catching their attentions, "He had a feeling that things were gonna get rough if he didn't power her up," he told them, "so he gave his Eevee a Water Stone he had," he mentioned.
"So Ariel'zzz a Vaporeon now!" Rotom buzzed excitedly, pulling up an image of the Bubble Jet Pokémon upon its screen, "Vaporeon, the Bubble Jet Pokémon, and an evolved form of Eevee," it began to say, "Blending in with the water and erasing all signs of her presence, Vaporeon patiently waits for her prey, fish Pokémon. She can detect nearby moisture with her fin. When her fin begins trembling rapidly, that means rain will fall in a few hours," it explained thoroughly.
"You ready to do this all new and improved, Ariel?" Hau inquired to his teammate.
"Vay!" she responded with a nod.
"Let the second match… begin!" the referee exclaimed, swinging his left arm down.
"We'll get things started with a bang!" Jane declared, smacking her fists together, "Fire Spin!" she commanded.
"Flahhrrr!" Flareon yelled in response before unleashing a swirling breath of red-orange fire from his mouth.
"Dodge it with Quick Attack!" Hau instructed immediately. His Vaporeon outlined herself in a white light, dashing forward in an instant. She evaded the incoming flames and rammed into her foe head on, causing him to slide back a few yards.
"A direct hit with a Quick Attack gives Hau's Vaporeon an early advantage!" the announcer's voice exclaimed through the loudspeakers as Flareon shook his head to regain himself.
"Now Water Pulse!" the ponytailed boy commanded, pumping his right fist forward. Ariel created a blue sphere of energy in front of her mouth, firing it out at her opponent.
"Dodge and use Smog!" Jane cried out. Flareon quickly jumped back as the energy sphere struck the ground in a huge splash of water. What followed was the Flame Pokémon spewing out a thick cloud of grey smoke from his mouth, enveloping her foe.
"Reee…" Ariel growled, looking around to try and find a sign of her foe.
"Fire Spin again!" Jane ordered. All of a sudden, the Vaporeon noticed a faint light emitting from the smoke. It turned out to be the spiraling red-orange flames spewed from her opponent's mouth, striking her fiercely.
"Vaayyy!" she cried out as she tumbled back, while the smoke started clearing.
"You okay, Ariel?!" Hau immediately asked in concern.
"Oh, it looks like things aren't going to be that easy for Vaporeon from here on out…" the announcer noted, "Whatever will Hau have her try next?" he wondered aloud as the smoke finally cleared, revealing the Bubble Jet Pokémon getting onto her feet.
"Even with a type advantage, Hau and Ariel are having trouble…" Calvin noted worriedly.
"She did just evolve…" Trent pointed out, glancing over at him, "It takes a Pokémon time to get used to changes they undergo," he mentioned.
"And that Jane lady's really got some experience from what it looks like…" Paige added.
"Yeah…" Erika agreed with a nod. Back on the battlefield, Hau hummed in thought.
"Well, let's do what we do best!" he exclaimed, "Use Aurora Beam!" he commanded, pumping his left fist forward. With a glint of determination in her eyes, Ariel had a glowing green-and-black orb of energy form in front of her mouth, followed by unleashing a beam of that same light towards Flareon.
"An Ice-type move?" the brunette-haired girl inquired, letting off a chuckle, "You're underestimating us, kid!" she pointed out, "Dodge it!" she called out. The Flame Pokémon easily leapt over the beam as it struck the ground in a burst of smoke. "Now use Fire Fang!" she ordered. Flames billowed in Flareon's mouth as he made his teeth glow a bright red while diving towards his target. However, Hau cracked a smirk.
"Use Water Pulse on his mouth!" he instructed quickly, pointing towards the Flame Pokémon.
"Huh?" Jane uttered in surprise. Ariel formed another bright blue energy sphere as she arched her head up and fired it towards the incoming Flareon. It struck him directly in the face, splashing water all over him as his flames went out.
"Flahhh…" he squeaked out.
"Flareon!" his trainer exclaimed in shock, blinking rapidly.
"Now Swift!" Hau commanded, pumping his right fist out. The Bubble Jet Pokémon had her tail fin shine in a bright gold luminosity before swinging it out to unleash a flurry of energy stars that all struck Flareon in a fierce explosion of smoke. He fell out from the cloud, landing upon the ground on his feet as he let off a wince of pain.
"Vaporeon lands a powerful Swift to knock Flareon back!" the announcer exclaimed through the loudspeakers, "Looks like this battle's about to reach its end!" he pointed out excitedly.
"Quick Attack!" Hau ordered, swinging his right arm out. Encasing herself in a glowing white outline once again, Ariel dashed forward towards her opponent.
"Use Smog!" Jane commanded quickly. Flareon spewed out a thick cloud of white smoke from his mouth. However, the Vaporeon sped through and tackled him hard, making him tumble back along the ground.
"Flayyrrr…" he groaned in pain, clenching his teeth together as he struggled to push himself back up.
"Let's wrap this up with Water Pulse!" Hau instructed, pumping his left fist forward. Ariel formed another blue energy sphere in front of her mouth, launching it at her opponent. It struck in a splash of water along with a burst of white smoke.
"A DIRECT HIT!" the announcer screamed with excitement, "Did that clinch it?!" he wondered aloud. When the smoke cleared, it revealed that the Flame Pokémon was lying upon the ground with his eyes in swirls.
"Flareon is unable to battle! Vaporeon wins!" the referee declared upon assessing the result, "Therefore, the winner of the second match is Hau!" he exclaimed, gesturing towards the ponytailed boy.
"Woo!" he cried out happily as he jumped up with joy in his eyes.
"Vayy!" Ariel squeaked in delight, leaping into her trainer's arms as he laughed with her.
"Way to go, Hau!" Erika complimented from back in the locker room.
"He really went all out for that one…" Paige mentioned as she folded her arms behind her head.
"And with that, we're a quarter of the way through the Top Sixteen matches!" the announcer shouted through his microphone, "But don't you worry!" he assured to the crowd, "There's gonna be plenty more where that came from!" he promised. The spectators cheered, excited for what was to come. In the meantime, Hau and Ariel made their way back to the locker room.
"Nice going, cuz!" Calvin complimented, exchanging a fist bump with his ponytailed relative.
"Thanks!" he responded in gratitude, "Ariel really showed her stuff out there, didn't she?" he inquired, arching an eyebrow.
"Reee!" the Bubble Jet Pokémon exclaimed, smiling all the while.
"She got used to her evolved form pretty quick…" Trent pointed out.
"Yeah," Hau agreed as he nodded, "And with that, it's off to the quarterfinals!" he added in exclamation, pumping his right fist.
"Heh," Calvin laughed, glad to see the enthusiasm on his cousin's face.
"Hello everyone!" Wicke's voice greeted over the loudspeaker, catching his and the attentions of the others, "The third matchup of the Top Sixteen will be Calvin against Plumeria!" she pointed out as the TV screen displayed the cards of the two trainers with a 'VS' sign in between them, "Please report to the field when you're ready!" she insisted warmly.
"I'm already up next…" the Ketchum boy noted, glancing over to see the confident smirk on Plumeria's face. He balled his hands into fists, vowing inwardly to defeat her…
X
"Pikachu, Iron Tail! Lucario, Force Palm!" Ash yelled in the front yard of his family's vacation home.
"Chuuu… pee kah!" the Mouse Pokémon exclaimed as he lunged forward with his tail glowing a bright silvery white. It collided with the palm of an Aura Pokémon, was blasted him back in an instant as he slid back along the grass.
"Huh…" Ash exhaled, "Boy, it's gonna be a while before we get you up to Lucarus' level, Lucario…" he pointed out in admittance to the Aura Pokémon.
"Rrrr…" he growled in frustration. Meanwhile, his trainer glanced up at the sky in thought.
'I wonder how Leslie's doing on her mission…' he said to himself. Just then, the side door to the porch opened.
"Ash, come inside!" Mirajane cried out, catching her husband's attention along with those of his Pokémon.
"What's up, Mira?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Calvin's about to have a battle!" she pointed out in response, causing him to blink in surprise. Moments later, he and his Pokémon were back inside the house, sitting on the couch to watch what was on the television. His son was walking out onto an arena with a determined look in his eyes.
"What is this?" Ash asked, blinking rapidly in confusion.
"The Aether Tournament!" his wife replied as she ventured over with a tray of drinks, a bowl of popcorn, and two bowls of Pokémon food, "They just got through the preliminary rounds of Battle Royals, so now they've moved on to the Top Sixteen matches," she told him.
"And Calvin and Erika are in it?" he guessed, receiving a nod in reply from Mirajane.
"Hau is, too!" she mentioned, "He just won his match to move on," she pointed out.
"Oh, that's great!" Ash exclaimed, "And who's Calvin up against?" he wondered curiously. However, he didn't need his wife to answer as he blinked in surprise to see Plumeria come upon the screen, walking towards her box on the field. "A Team Skull member?" he said with surprise.
"Apparently, there were quite a few of them in the preliminaries…" Mirajane noted, causing him to look over at her in surprise, "Most of them already got eliminated…" she recalled, "but that one right there actually ended up beating Pyrrha from what I heard…" she told him.
"Seriously?" he uttered in shock, "Man…" he exhaled, "Guess it's not going to be easy for Calvin…" he realized, "But I'm sure he'll pull through," he stated confidently. Back on the battlefield itself, the capped boy took his place in the box on the right side of the reset field, while his opponent on the one at the left. They stared each other down as a new stage was being brought up, with the standard dirt one opening up for it to go into place. It was revealed to be a grassy field.
"You may both select your Pokémon!" the referee called out to the two trainers. Calvin quickly enlarged a Poké Ball in his hand by pressing its center button.
"Let's go, Marowak!" he yelled, throwing it forward. It popped open, with its light spilling onto the grass and taking shape. When it dissipated, it revealed the Alolan Bone Keeper Pokémon.
"Mah woah!" he exclaimed, spinning his bone around before holding it firmly in his right hand.
"He's going for Marowak just like he said," Trent noted from the locker room, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Why Marowak though?" Erika inquired as she blinked.
"Probably because he hazzz Ground-type movezzz," Rotom buzzed to answer her question.
"And Marowak's tough!" Hau pointed out excitedly, "I'm sure Cal's got this in the bag!" he confidently exclaimed.
"Don't get cocky, kids…" a voice insisted, catching their attentions as they looked over to see two Team Skull members there. One was a woman with long blue hair, while the other was a gruff, well-built man.
"Your big sis isn't gonna win if that's what you're gonna say…" Erika muttered out in response, narrowing her eyes.
"Oh yeah?" the gruff man said, putting his hands onto his hips, "If you ask me, that kid's gonna be in a world of trouble…" he remarked.
"You don't think Big Sis uses just Poison-types, do you?" the blue-haired woman inquired to the group, causing them to all blink in surprise. Back on the battlefield, Plumeria enlarged an Ultra Ball by pressing its center button.
"Go," she said simply, tossing it forward. Upon popping open, the Ultra Ball unleashed a streak of blue-and-white light that took shape in midair, much to Calvin's surprise. When it dissipated, it revealed a Crobat.
"Crohhh…" he growled out, glaring down at his foe.
"A Crobat?!" Calvin exclaimed in surprise.
"Uh oh…" Trent uttered with a grimace of realization. Meanwhile, Rotom pulled up an image of the Bat Pokémon upon its screen.
"Crobat, the Bat Pokémon," it began, "Silent and swift in his four-winged flight, Crobat bites down on his prey before they realize what's happening. In a heartbeat, he drains their blood. If he can't drink any blood for even a short while, he becomes weak and unable to fly," it explained thoroughly.
"A Poison-and-Flying-type…" Paige noted, clenching her teeth, "That means Ground-type moves won't work…" she pointed out.
"That's not good for Cal…" Hau added grimly.
"Heh," Plumeria chuckled, putting her right hand onto her hip, "I figured after yesterday someone would've caught onto my Poison-type team," she pointed out with a smirk, "so I planned for anyone who'd try to come up with a strategy against that," she told him, "Crobat's obviously one of those plans," she noted, glancing back at her Bat Pokémon.
"Croh!" he exclaimed.
"Ergh…" Calvin growled in frustration. But then he smacked his cheeks with his hands, regaining his composure.
'Calm down!' he pleaded to himself, taking a deep breath, 'Even if she's using Crobat, we can still win in a battle of strengths,' he noted inwardly, 'That's what Marowak's best at…' he assured through his thoughts.
"Wakk!" the Alolan Bone Keeper Pokémon exclaimed, shooting his trainer a thumbs up.
"Now let the battle… begin!" the referee exclaimed, swinging his left arm down.
"Marowak, Flame Wheel!" Calvin commanded, pumping his right fist forward. The Alolan Bone Keeper Pokémon spun his bone around, rubbing against the marking upon his head to enflame both ends in green fire. That same fire spewed out, swirling about him in a wheel of flame. He lunged upwards towards Crobat.
"Dodge it!" Plumeria yelled. The Bat Pokémon speedily evaded his enflamed foe, flying about the grassy field. "Now Cross Poison!" his trainer commanded. His wings shined in a bright purple light as he zipped towards Marowak, who landed down as his fire dissipated around him. He turned around too late as he ended up struck as his opponent slashed at him in an x-shaped formation with his wings.
"Mah roh…!" he exclaimed as he crashed against the grassy ground. He sat up with a grunt.
"Tch," Plumeria scoffed, looking somewhat annoyed, "Air Cutter!" she ordered. Crobat's wings started glowing a bright blue. He flapped them mightily to unleash a flurry of x-shaped blades of air towards her foe.
"Knock them away with Bone Club!" Calvin instructed quickly. Taking a hold of his bone with both hands, Marowak smacked away most of the air blades flying his way. A few managed to nick him, causing him to wince a little.
"Already, this battle's off to a hot start!" the announcer exclaimed, "Marowak's doing all he can to withstand Crobat's barrage!" he pointed out excitedly.
"Come on, Cal…" Hau pleaded from the locker room as he tightly clenched his trembling fists.
"Croh…" the Bat Pokémon growled as his assault of air blades ceased for a moment.
"In that case…" Plumeria began to say, "use Bite!" she commanded. Crobat made his teeth glow a bright white as he dove down at the seemingly tired Marowak.
"Dodge and use Headbutt!" Calvin called out quickly. Perking up, the Alolan Bone Keeper Pokémon somersaulted forward to avoid being bitten, followed by standing up and pivoting around into a lunging stance. Just as Crobat veered around to make a second attempt to chomp at him, Marowak jumped out and slammed head on into his face, causing him to fall and tumble back along the ground.
"Whoa, what a hit!" the announcer screamed. The Bat Pokémon was slow to push himself up.
"Come on, use Cross Poison!" Plumeria insisted. However, she blinked in surprise to see that her teammate was still wincing in pain. Calvin cracked a grin.
"Looks like your partner's flinching," he pointed out, "Well, we'll take advantage of that!" he declared firmly, "Use Flame Wheel!" he commanded.
"Mah roh!" the Alolan Bone Keeper Pokémon exclaimed, igniting both ends of his bone with green flames yet again before enveloped his entire body in them as he rolled forward. Crobat looked up too late as he ended up struck in a fierce explosion, followed by him flying out from the resulting smoke.
"Crohhh…" he groaned out, shaking his head while flapping his wings to remain airborne.
"Hmph," Plumeria scoffed, crossing her arms.
"Mah whak!" Marowak shouted as he landed down safely.
"You're pushing your luck, Cappy," the Team Skull admin remarked to Calvin, getting his attention, "Same way your sister did back on Akala," she mentioned with a smirk.
"So what?" the Ketchum boy questioned in response, "As far as I'm concerned, we're battling to prove ourselves in this tournament," he declared, "and stand up for our friends!" he added loudly.
"Friends, huh?" Plumeria repeated, "Like that Pyrrha squirt from yesterday?" she guessed, putting her hands onto her hips, "Face it, she just couldn't handle me because I'm too strong…" she noted with a shake of her head.
"…Yeah," Calvin responded after a moment, "You are strong," he pointed out, balling his hands into fists, "That's why we're going to beat you… and win this tournament!" he declared firmly. Watching the battle from the TV in the girls' room was Pyrrha, whose eyes shook with amazement. The Ketchum boy wasn't just standing up to the Team Skull admin for her. He was standing up for himself.
"Heh," Plumeria chuckled, "Weren't you the same kid who went home crying after my numbskull brothers and sisters beat you?" she inquired, arching an eyebrow. Calvin tensed up for a second.
"I was," he admitted in response, "And that's exactly why I'm here to prove myself against you!" he stated.
"Mah!" Marowak exclaimed, spinning his enflamed bone around before gripping it tightly again.
"Tch," the Team Skull admin scoffed, "Guess you really are stubborn…" she realized as she rubbed the back of her head with her left hand, "Cross Poison!" she commanded.
"Croh!" Crobat exclaimed as he dashed forward, making his wings glow a bright purple.
"Counter with Headbutt!" Calvin called out. Marowak ran out and jumped, having his head strike against his foe's wings as they attempted to strike him. What followed was the Bat Pokémon attempting to slash at his opponent, who intercepted each blow with his cranium.
"Why's she having Crobat use Cross Poison?" Paige wondered from back in the locker room.
"Yeah, it's not very effective against a Ghost-type…" Trent pointed out in agreement, putting his hand onto his chin.
"What do you think, Eri?" Hau inquired to his female cousin, who hummed curiously as she watched the match unfold.
'So far her Crobat's used Cross Poison, Air Cutter, and Bite…' she listed off inwardly in remembrance, 'But why hasn't she used her fourth move yet?' she wondered, right before blinking upon realizing something, 'Don't tell me…!' she began through her thoughts as she started to grimace.
"Crobat, Cross Poison!" Plumeria ordered fiercely, pumping her right fist forward.
"Crohhh… BAAAHHH!" the Bat Pokémon screeched as he slashed past Marowak with his glowing wings, causing him to slide back.
"Mah… rohh…" he groaned out, clutching his stomach.
"You okay, Marowak?!" his trainer questioned in concern.
"Wak!" the Alolan Bone Keeper Pokémon assured as a response, giving him a thumbs up… before a purple glow shined upon his body with sparks and bubbles emitting from it.
"Ah!" Calvin gasped.
"Uh oh!" the announcer yelped in surprise over the loudspeakers as the crowd murmured, "It looks like that Cross Poison managed to deal some poison as well to Marowak!" he pointed out, "Things aren't looking good for him!" he mentioned loudly.
"Wahhh…" the Alolan Bone Keeper Pokémon groaned again.
"'Bout time…" Plumeria grumbled, "Venoshock!" she commanded.
"Venoshock?!" Calvin repeated in surprise. Puffing out his cheeks, Crobat fired off a spray of poisonous purple liquid from his mouth, striking Marowak in a purple cloud of smoke.
"WAAAAHHHKKK!" he screamed in pain as he flew out from the cloud, landing on the ground hard.
"Marowak, no!" his trainer cried out.
"And Crobat lands a heavy blow with that Venoshock, which is even more powerful since Marowak's poisoned!" the announcer noted loudly, "Looks to me like Plumeria might take this match in the end!" he added.
"I knew it!" Erika exclaimed with clenched fists, catching the attentions of those around her, "Both her Salandit and Mareanie had similar strategies in their battles," she recalled, "They'd poison their opponents and then attack with Venoshock," she noted.
"And Marowak's another victim of it…" Trent realized, grimacing.
"Come on, Cal…!" Hau pleaded as he trembled a little, while Paige looked on worriedly.
"Mah… roh…" the Alolan Bone Keeper Pokémon grunted out as he managed to get onto his feet. A purple glow shined over his body once again as sparks and bubbles emitted from it.
"Heh," Plumeria chuckled, "Still hanging in there, huh?" she noted with a smirk, "Well, not for long…" she remarked, "Use Bite!" she commanded, sticking her left hand out. Crobat made his teeth glow a bright white as he dove down towards Marowak again.
"Use Flame Wheel to counter and then Headbutt!" Calvin quickly instructed. The Alolan Bone Keeper Pokémon adhered to the order by running forward, igniting both ends of his bone again before engulfing himself in a wheel of green fire. He and his foe collided in a fierce explosion, blowing each other back. He then leapt up to try and slam his head against his foe's face, but was suddenly overcome with pain as the purple glow returned again, with the sparks and bubbles appearing as well. The Team Skull admin noticed as she cracked another smirk.
"Venoshock!" she ordered. Crobat puffed out his cheeks and unleashed another stream of poisonous purple liquid from his mouth, striking Marowak as he fell onto the grassy ground hard.
"Marowak!" Calvin cried out.
"Rohhh…" the Alolan Bone Keeper Pokémon groaned as he struggled to push himself back up.
"I'd give in, Cappy," Plumeria advised, "At this rate, you're just stalling out until your buddy drops from the poison," she pointed out.
"Ergh…" the Ketchum boy growled in frustration. Marowak was going to lose if he didn't think of something.
"Calvin…" his father uttered from back in the family vacation home.
'What would Dad do to overcome this?' his son wondered, balling his trembling hands into fists. He looked out at the Alolan Bone Keeper Pokémon, who managed to get onto his feet as he breathed heavily. In spite of the great pain he was in, he still wanted to keep fighting. 'That's right,' his trainer realized, taking a deep breath and exhaling, 'We overcome this by fighting together as a team!' he declared inwardly.
"Time to wrap this up," Plumeria decided, "Air Cutter!" she commanded. Crobat made his wings glow a bright blue again, flapping them mightily to unleash several x-shaped blades of air towards his foe.
"We're not done yet!" Calvin stated firmly, "Use Bone Club!" he called out. Steeling himself, Marowak ran forward, smacking away the incoming blades of air. All of a sudden, the ends of his bone erupted with purple flames.
"MAH RROHHHHHH!" he exclaimed, spinning it around ferociously to break apart the rest of the air blades that came his way. Both Plumeria and Calvin were left astonished.
"Wh-What was that…?!" Erika stuttered in question, just as shocked as many others were from the locker room.
"Analyzing… Analyzing…" Rotom repeated as a loading wheel was upon its screen, "That was Shadow Bone!" it exclaimed after finishing its analysis.
"Shadow Bone?" Paige repeated in confusion.
"It'zzz a Ghost-type move that only Alolan Marowak can learn, zzt!" Rotom buzzed in response.
"Talk about a surprising twist!" the announcer exclaimed, "Marowak pulls off a Shadow Bone to save himself from that Air Cutter barrage!" he noted excitedly.
"Shadow Bone…" Calvin repeated, pulling off a wide smile, "You learned a new move, Marowak!" he exclaimed.
"MAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" the Alolan Bone Keeper Pokémon shouted towards the sky, holding his bone up over his head with both hands.
"Tch…" Plumeria scoffed again, growing irritated, "That's not gonna help you at this point…" she pointed out, "Use Bite!" she commanded quickly. Crobat made his teeth glow a bright white as he dove down at his foe again.
"Marowak, Shadow Bone!" Calvin ordered, pumping his right fist forward. Adhering to the order, the Alolan Bone Keeper Pokémon lunged out and slammed one end of his enflamed bone into the face of his opponent, sending him careening back in midair. As he managed to regain his balance, a bluish aura flowed down his body.
"WOW!" the announcer yelled excitedly, "Marowak lands a huge blow with that Shadow Bone, even lowering Crobat's defense!" he mentioned, "Things are starting turn around in this match!" he pointed out, sounding all the happier.
"Grrr…" Plumeria growled in frustration, seeing the Alolan Bone Keeper Pokémon keel over onto his right knee as his body glowed a bright purple again with bubbles and sparks emitting from it, "You're not winning this, Cappy!" she yelled, "Crobat, Cross Poison!" she commanded fiercely.
"Crohh!" the Bat Pokémon responded, making his wings shine a bright purple once more before zooming towards his foe.
"Shadow Bone, one more time!" Calvin called out. Despite the pain he was still in, Marowak stood back up, making purple flames appear upon the ends of his bone as he jumped out towards Crobat. He collided his weapon with the crossed wings of the Bat Pokémon, letting sparks fly between them as they clenched their teeth tightly.
Both of them hoped to break through. But only one did. The bone of Marowak managed to strike first as Crobat was sent crashing onto the ground in a flurry of dust. Plumeria widened her eyes.
"NO WAY!" an entire section of the crowd featuring Team Skull members exclaimed in shock. When the dust settled, it revealed Crobat lying upon the ground with swirls in his eyes.
"Crohhh…" he groaned out.
"Crobat is unable to battle! Marowak wins!" the announcer declared after assessing the result, raising his left arm up, "Therefore, the winner of the third match is Calvin!" he exclaimed, gesturing towards the Ketchum boy. He blinked in surprise before letting off a laugh.
"ALRIGHT!" he yelled excitedly. The crowd cheered.
"INCREDIBLE!" the announcer cried out through the microphone, "Calvin and Marowak pull off an impressive victory in their route to the quarterfinals!" he added.
"Woohoo!" Erika cheered from the locker room, happy for her brother as a big smile was across her face.
"Way to go, Cal!" Hau complimented with a chuckle. Trent and Paige both just grinned. Back on the field, the Alolan Bone Keeper Pokémon fell onto his rear end as he breathed heavily in exhaustion.
"You okay, Marowak?" his trainer inquired as he jogged over to check on his teammate.
"Mah…" he responded with a simple thumbs up, causing the capped boy to chuckle.
"Huh…" Plumeria sighed in frustration, returning her defeated Crobat to his Ultra Ball in a beam of red light, "Phooey…" she muttered out, putting the container away after shrinking it. She turned around and started to walk away.
"Hey, Plumeria!" Calvin suddenly called out, catching her attention as she stopped to glance back at him for a moment, "Thanks for a great battle!" he yelled in gratitude, surprising her as she blinked in confusion. However, she didn't respond to his remark as she walked off. After returning Marowak to his Poké Ball, the Ketchum boy started to walk towards the tunnel as well.
"Way to go, Calvin!" a familiar voice called out to him, catching his attention as he looked towards the stands and smiled to see Pyrrha there, waving to him excitedly. He was glad that he avenged her defeat and brought her spirits back up. And hopefully, he'd make it further in the tournament…
X
"Huh…" Plumeria exhaled, leaning up against the wall in the long hallway outside of the locker room. Something about that battle was getting to her. It wasn't like when she fought Erika. Calvin had stayed determined and didn't have Marowak attack so recklessly like the pigtailed girl did with her Brionne back on Akala.
'Remember, if you don't give it your all, you're never gonna be a Gym Leader like my dad!' a female voice in her thoughts echoed.
"Humph," she scoffed, "Why the hell am I thinking about that now…?" she wondered aloud.
"I must say, that was somewhat disappointing…" a familiar voice chimed in, catching her attention as she turned and lightly gasped to see Lusamine trot over.
"Madam Prez…" she uttered out. The Aether Foundation president narrowed her eyes disdainfully.
"I believe you owe me a talk…" she noted.
ENDING
Insert "Blowing" by NiL
Opens with a messy-haired Erika rising up groggily from her bed. She lets out a long, deep yawn and rubs her eyes before getting up. After heading over to the bathroom, she looks in the mirror to see her unkempt appearance. While once she wouldn't care about such things, this new look suddenly horrifies her. She quickly grabs a hairbrush and starts getting her hair straightened out.
Brionne wanders into the bathroom to see her trainer struggling to undo the locks in her hair, lowering her head in defeat. The Pop Star Pokémon calls over her teammates, catching Erika's attention as she glances back to see her Pokémon wander in curiously. She smiles softly at them as they offer their help to her.
We cut to Brionne using her colorful water balloons to wet her trainer's hair, followed by Fomantis carefully cutting away any misaligned locks. As the hair is cut, Sandygast below to collect the pieces in order to prevent there from being a mess. After that, Lycanroc helps comb Erika's hair as it flows down, followed by Drifblim using Gust with the help of Magby's heat to dry her hair.
As all this happens, Erika reflects on her journey, remembering her change from a stubborn and whiny girl into an admirable island challenger. She looks back in the mirror and smiles, quickly tying her hair up into a pair of braided pigtails. She puts on her hat and grabs her bag, smiling as she's excited to start the day, with her team following her out of the room.
A while passes before she meets up with her twin brother and their rivals. Pyrrha smiles upon seeing Erika, while Trent blushes a little and looks away cutely. Erika cracks a toothy grin, wondering where the day will take her and her many friends…
The song ends with the six trial-goers venturing off into the distance…
END ENDING
And that concludes the second part of the tournament arc! Hope you guys are getting hyped for the rest of the holiday season, even if the year's been… pretty rough. We'll power through it together though! Just like the good old days!
In the meantime, here's a summary for the upcoming chapter!
SUMMARY
The Top 16 matches continue with Erika and Paige battling their opponents in route to the quarterfinals! And by the time the Top 8 are decided, there are some surprising matchups! Who's facing who?!
END SUMMARY