Alola, folks! We're back with another chapter of "The Challenge of a Lifetime"! With this, we're getting closer and closer to the Alola League's end, along with the end of this monstrous story! After getting through so many chapters, I'm so happy with how things have turned out.
And now, we're getting into the second semifinal match between Calvin and Trent! I'm sure a lot of you are excited to see where we go from here, so let's jump right into it! Enjoy!
POKÉMON SUN & MOON
THE CHALLENGE OF A LIFETIME
"Hey guys!" Erika called out, hurrying down the steps of the stands to meet up with her family.
"Erika!" her father exclaimed, while Mirajane and Leslie stood up.
"That was amazing back there, Eri!" Hau complimented with sparkles in his eyes, "I can't believe you pulled that win off!" he admitted aloud.
"It wazzz really something, zzt!" Rotom buzzed as it floated over. The younger Ketchum girl giggled.
"Thanks!" she responded gratefully.
"Jah, jah moh!" Jangmo-o chirped, hurrying over and leaping into his trainer's arms to her surprise, "Moh!" he squeaked out. Erika smiled.
"You're really happy for me too, huh?" she presumed. All of a sudden, she found herself getting caught in the embrace of both her mother and her older sister.
"Oh, we're so proud of you, Erika!" Mirajane exclaimed, holding her close.
"Yeah, you and your team were amazing!" Leslie agreed, tightening her warm hold. In between their bosoms, the trial-goer's face was bright red.
"Can't… breathe…!" she sputtered out. The others chuckled at the sight.
"Alright, everyone!" Jim's voice yelled into the microphone, causing them to perk up, "After that exciting semifinal battle with Erika emerging as the victor over Gladion, it's now time for the second battle!" he announced as those in the stands were murmuring with excitement and anticipation, "Making it all the way up to this point through some tough battles, including the last round, we have Calvin Ketchum!" he introduced as the boy himself made his way out of the tunnel onto the turf field. Breaking away from Mirajane and Leslie's hold on her, Erika hurried down to the front row of the stands.
"Calvin!" she called out, getting his attention, "Good luck!" she exclaimed, waving to him. He smiled, waving back.
"And his opponent is a trainer who's dominated through most of the battles he's participated in up to this point!" Jim continued as Trent was emerging from the other tunnel, "He's another trial-goer like Calvin, Trent Brady!" he introduced. The dark green-haired boy and his future opponent took their places on the field, grinning at each other. Dan stepped out into the middle of the field, clearing his throat with a cough.
"Trainers, congratulations on making it this far!" he complimented while back up in the stands, Erika returned to sit down next to Leslie, "This will be a six-on-six full battle with substitutions allowed!" he announced, "When all of one side's Pokémon are unable to continue, the battle will be decided!" he declared, "Now trainers, please select your Pokémon!" he advised, enticing both Calvin and Trent to pull out a spherical container respectively, enlarging them with a press of their buttons.
"Oh yeah, I just remembered…" Erika said, "Cal's not using Incineroar tonight…" she recalled.
"Wait, really?!" Hau exclaimed in surprise upon overhearing.
"She went through quite a tough bout yesterday…" Hala remembered, having witnessed the Heel Pokémon go toe-to-toe with Blaziken in her Mega Evolved form.
"It makes sense that Calvin would wanna save her for another time…" Lisanna noted.
"But is that gonna be the difference in this battle?" Sawyer wondered aloud. Both trainers on the field reared their arms back.
"Gumshoos, let's go!" Calvin called out.
"You're up, Skarmory!" Trent yelled. The two threw their respective Poké Balls out. They bounced off of each other, bursting open. Their lights shot down, forming upon the turf and dissipating to reveal the Stakeout Pokémon and the Armor Bird Pokémon respectively.
"Guh shoo!" the former exclaimed, taking a ready stance.
"Skaaaahhh!" the latter screeched. Up on the video boards, their images appeared in one of the Poké Ball spaces next to their respective trainers.
"With Skarmory and Gumshoos leading things off, we're about to get this second semifinal match underway!" Jim declared over the broadcast.
OPENING
Insert "Rise Above" by Rainych
Opens with the sun dawning over Mount Lanakila. In spite of its freezing air, Calvin and Erika stand firm alongside their full teams of Pokémon as the wind rushes by. Near the base of the mountain is the site of what will be Alola's first ever Pokémon League, where Kukui stands with an excited grin on his face.
A rainbow of flower petals washes over the logo as we cut to Calvin lamenting on the boardwalk of the Seafolk Village, sitting alone and wondering if he can really take on the rest of the island challenge. At the same time, Erika is lying on her bed upon her side, thinking about the exact same thing. They both clench their fists determinedly, ready to see things through.
We cut to Calvin flying aboard a Charizard, while Erika's aboard a Pelipper. They fly throughout each of Alola's islands, smiling all the while. They see Ilima, Lana, Kiawe, Mallow, Sophocles, Acerola, Mina, Hala, Olivia, Nanu, and Hapu along the way as they arrive at the Pokémon League.
There, they're greeted by their parents and their big sister, who encourage them as they enter through the doors into the stadium. Inside, they find Hau, Pyrrha, Paige, Trent, and Gladion there. Others like Ryuki, Plumeria, and even Guzma are present. The Ketchum twins both grin excitedly, prepared to engage in some amazing battles.
The scene changes to Calvin commanding his Toucannon to use Beak Blast to take down a Machoke, while Erika has her Lurantis use X-Scissor to down an opponent's Bisharp. Hau's Decidueye goes up against Gladion and Silvally. The Synthetic Pokémon evades his foe's arrow quills before landing a powerful Fire-type Multi-Attack. Decidueye endures it, while Hau prepares a green Z-Crystal with a symbol similar to his partner, cracking a smirk.
We cut to Paige revealing a Key Stone around her neck as she uses it to Mega Evolve her Blaziken, who speeds out to attack Pyrrha's Typhlosion with a Blaze Kick. He counters by using Flamethrower. In the meantime, Trent commands his Alolan Ninetales to use Blizzard on Ryuki's Turtonator. The Blast Turtle Pokémon endures the freezing winds, unleashing a Flamethrower that appears to engulf his foe.
Calvin and Erika are then facing off, with Incineroar and Primarina battling for them. The two collide via a Flare Blitz/Aqua Jet, resulting in a powerful blast. As it clears, we witness Lycanroc slamming his clenched paws against the ground for a Stone Edge aimed to take down Araquanid. However, the Water Bubble Pokémon blasts the incoming stone pillars apart with Liquidation. Oricorio in her Baile Style comes out to unleash the searing fireball of a Revelation Dance toward Toucannon, who endures the attack and retaliates with Hyper Voice.
As the dust settles, we see Lurantis enduring Trop Kicks from Tsareena, gathering sunlight to unleash a Solar Blade onto the Fruit Pokémon. Mimi comes out from the dust, unleashing Shadow Claws onto Starbright, who endures them. She then strikes back with a Meteor Mash, merely busting the costume of the Disguise Pokémon as she chases after her opponent. Finally, we have Marowak using Shadow Bone to bash the incoming icicles of Sandslash, who dives down at him with an Iron Head.
The dust clears again, revealing the Ketchum twins staring at each other confidently with their teams. They're prepared for whatever else is ahead for them as they stand outside the stadium as the sun sets…
END OPENING
A Riveting Rivalry!
"Skarmory, the Armor Bird Pokémon," Rotom began as it brought up Skarmory's image upon its screen, "His metal body is sturdy, but it does rust rather easily. So on rainy days, this Pokémon prefers to stay put in his nest. The wing feathers a Skarmory sheds can be processed and made into knives whose sharpness is recognized by the finest chefs," it explained thoroughly.
"Normal-types like Gumshoos aren't exactly the greatest match against a Steel-type…" Pyrrha pointed out.
"Is Cal gonna switch right away?" Hau wondered aloud.
"We'll see," Ash responded, having a confident grin upon his face. On the field, Dan raised his right arm.
"Let the battle… BEGIN!" he exclaimed, swinging his arm down.
"Skarmory, Spikes!" Trent immediately instructed.
"Skaahhh!" the Armor Bird Pokémon squawked, spreading his wings and flapping them to fly up into the air. He then spun his body rapidly, releasing several glowing, metallic red spikes. They sunk into the turf upon contact, while Gumshoos glared up at him.
"Skarmory starts things off by laying down Spikes, much like he did during the battle against Ryuki in the last round!" Jim pointed out over the loudspeakers.
"Setting up that kind of entry hazard early is gonna be critical for the rest of this battle," Tom mentioned.
"Spikes, huh?" Calvin said, grimacing a little, "Gumshoos, let's show 'em that we're not gonna let that stop us!" he insisted of his partner.
"Guhhh!" the Stakeout Pokémon responded, taking a step forward.
"Now Steel Wing!" Trent commanded. Skarmory made his wings glow a silvery-white, expanding as he dove down toward his opponent.
"Counter with Thunder Punch!" Calvin instructed, much to the shock of the dark green-haired boy. Closing his right hand into a fist, Gumshoos let an orb of yellow electricity crackle over it. He reared it back, punching at the Armor Bird Pokémon, who swung his left wing out. The two were at a deadlock for a moment before managing to push each other back.
"Well, what a surprise!" Jim exclaimed over the broadcast, "Between back during the third round up to now, Gumshoos learned how to use Thunder Punch, a super effective move against Skarmory!" he noted excitedly.
"Gumshoos, Super Fang!" the Ketchum boy ordered. The Stakeout Pokémon made his teeth glow bright gold as he lunged out at his airborne foe.
"Dodge and use Air Slash!" Trent called out. Skarmory flew above his incoming opponent before he could chomp on one of his talons. He then made his wings glow a bright blue, swinging them out to release a flurry of disc-shaped blades of air. Gumshoos had no time to evade them, getting bombarded as he got sent crashing down onto the turf in a flurry of dust.
"Gumshoos!" his trainer cried out.
"Skarmory evades a Super Fang and retaliates with Air Slash!" Jim pointed out through the loudspeakers. The dust settled, revealing the Stakeout Pokémon staggering to his feet, grimacing with pain.
"Now Steel Wing!" Trent commanded. Skarmory made his wings glow a bright silvery-white, having them expand as he dove toward his opponent below.
"Quick, dodge!" Calvin yelled to his partner. Unfortunately, Gumshoos was still flinching, ending up getting struck by his foe's left wing as he crashed onto the ground again.
"Guhhh…" he groaned, struggling to push himself up.
"Looks to me like that Air Slash made Gumshoos flinch before he could do anything," Tom mentioned into the microphone.
"Is he going to be able to keep going?!" Jim wondered loudly.
"Gumshoos, you alright?" Calvin called out in question.
"Shooo!" the Stakeout Pokémon responded, standing up firmly as he looked up at his gliding foe.
"Okay then…" Trent uttered with a smirk, "Air Slash!" he ordered, swinging his left arm out. Making his wings glow a bright blue, Skarmory flapped them mightily to release another flurry of shuriken-like energy discs.
"Dodge and use Iron Head!" Calvin instructed. Gumshoos hopped back to avoid the air discs as they collided with the ground, stirring up dust. He then enveloped himself in a whitish light, lunging up at his opponent.
"Counter with Brave Bird!" Trent yelled. The Armor Bird Pokémon's body burst into flames as he screeched, followed the fire turning into a light blue aura as he shot down at his incoming foe. The two of them collided in a fierce blast, blowing each other back.
"Come on, Gumshoos!" Hau cheered from the stands.
"Yeah, you got this!" Pyrrha yelled. Both Pokémon landed upon the ground, sliding to a stop.
"Thunder Punch!" Calvin commanded, closing his right hand into a fist and thrusting it forward. The Stakeout Pokémon readied his own extremity, engulfing it in an orb of yellow electricity that crackled. He rushed forward, roaring all the while.
"Air Slash!" Trent ordered. With his wings glowing a bright blue again, Skarmory swung them out to release another flurry of shuriken-like energy discs. Gumshoos charged through them though, leaping up and punching the Armor Bird Pokémon mightily upside the head with his right fist.
"Thunder Punch connects!" Jim exclaimed over the broadcast, "Gumshoos isn't out of this fight just yet, folks!" he pointed out.
"Now Super Fang!" Calvin yelled.
"Steel Wing!" Trent commanded. As the Stakeout Pokémon made his teeth glow a bright gold, Skarmory quickly swiped him away with his right wing as it glowed a silvery-white and expanded beforehand. He then made his left do the same, using it to smack his opponent down onto the ground.
"Ah!" the Ketchum boy gasped.
"Uh oh…" Erika uttered from the stands.
"Now finish it with Brave Bird!" the dark green-haired boy ordered. The Armor Bird Pokémon's body burst into flames, which turned into a light blue aura as he dove toward his foe below.
"Guh… shoo…" he groaned out as he pushed himself up, seeing his foe coming.
"Quick, use Bide!" his trainer instructed. A reddish aura appeared around the Stakeout Pokémon just before his foe collided with him in a fierce blast. He flew out from the smoke, wincing slightly from the blue sparks of electricity that crackled around him. The smoke below settled, revealing the aura building up around Gumshoos as he breathed heavily.
"Calvin decides to go for broke with Gumshoos' Bide, a move that can be really powerful if the user can withstand his foe's blows!" Jim noted through the loudspeakers. Trent grimaced a little.
'I know just how powerful that Bide can be…' he pointed out to himself, remembering when as a Yungoos, the opponent had defeated his Poochyena, 'In that case…' he started to decide.
"Skarmory, Spikes!" he instructed, much to the Ketchum boy's surprise.
"Skaahh!" the Armor Bird Pokémon squawked, spinning around and releasing more metallic red spikes from his body. They sunk into turf upon contact.
"He's setting up more Spikes?" Erika noted aloud in surprise.
"Maybe that'zzz not the only reason…" Rotom chimed in.
"Yeah," Leslie agreed, "He's probably afraid of giving Gumshoos any more of an edge when it comes to Bide," she told the group, folding her arms over her chest.
"Guh… shoo…!" the Stakeout Pokémon below grunted out, struggling to contain the energy building within him.
'Guess we're gonna have to chance it!' his trainer inwardly concluded.
"Gumshoos, fire!" he yelled, sticking his right hand out. Opening his mouth as a white mass of light formed in front of it, the Stakeout Pokémon unleashed a powerful beam of light. It streaked out and struck Skarmory in a fierce blast, enveloping the area in smoke.
"Gumshoos unleashed Bide onto Skarmory a little earlier than I think he would've liked to!" Jim pointed out into the microphone.
"Trent made a really key decision to not attack after Skarmory landed that last Brave Bird," Tom mentioned, "We'll have to see if that paid off in the end," he said. As the smoke settled, it revealed that the Armor Bird Pokémon was still standing, spreading his wings.
"Skkaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!" he screeched out. Calvin grimaced.
'It wasn't enough!' he realized.
"Skarmory, Steel Wing!" Trent commanded. Flying up, the Armor Bird Pokémon had his wings glow a silvery-white and expand as he flipped around and glided toward his opponent.
"Quick, Thunder Punch!" Calvin ordered. Gumshoos mustered up the strength he had left to close his right hand into a fist, engulfing it in an orb of yellow electricity again as he reared it back. He and his foe lunged at each other, passing by as they both came to a stop. Sparks of electricity crackled around Skarmory's body as he winced. However, his foe toppled over onto his stomach in a pained groan.
Calvin let out another gasp, watching as Dan jogged over to assess the Stakeout Pokémon's condition. He was scraped and bruised, having swirls in his eyes. The referee went ahead and lifted his right arm up.
"Gumshoos is unable to battle!" he confirmed. The crowd broke out into cheers, while the Stakeout Pokémon's image on the big screen was greyed out.
"Gumshoos ends up being the first to fall!" Jim exclaimed into the microphone, "But not before managing to give Skarmory a tough time in their match!" he mentioned.
"Looks to me like Skarmory wound up getting paralyzed from that last Thunder Punch he took," Tom added as the Armor Pokémon winced from the sparks crackling around his body. Meanwhile, Calvin returned his fainted partner to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light.
"You did great out there, Gumshoos," he assured with a little smile, "Take a good rest," he insisted, putting the spherical container away as he shrunk it with a press of its button.
"Oh man…" Pyrrha uttered in shock from the stands.
"That was a good battle…" Bea commented, "Still, Calvin is at a huge disadvantage now…" she pointed out.
"Yeah…" Leslie agreed, "Between being down to five Pokémon and having those Spikes still in play, he's got quite the uphill climb to get started on…" she noted in remembrance.
"He'll be fine," Erika assured, getting her attention, "It's Calvin after all!" she affirmed confidently.
"Heh," her older sister chuckled out, "Yeah, you're right," she said. Back on the field, Trent also recalled his Skarmory back to his own Poké Ball.
"Trent decides not to take any chances with Skarmory after all the damage he received from Gumshoos," Jim noted over the broadcast, "Who'll he be sending out next?" he wondered as the dark green-haired boy readied a new spherical container in his right hand.
"Pangoro, go!" he called out, throwing it out onto the field. It popped open, with its light spilling onto the ground and shaping into form, dissipating to reveal the Daunting Pokémon.
"PAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" he roared out powerfully.
"So it's Pangoro next, huh?" Calvin noted aloud as the Daunting Pokémon's image appeared in one of the Poké Ball icons upon the video boards.
"Coming in now is Pangoro, who helped give Trent a decisive victory over Ryuki by defeating his Drampa in the quarterfinals!" Jim pointed out through the loudspeakers, "Who'll Calvin send in to respond?" he wondered aloud. The Ketchum boy pulled out another Poké Ball, enlarging it with a press of its button. He then reared his arm back.
"You're up, Tsareena!" he called out, throwing the spherical container forward. It burst open as its light shot onto the turf field, shaping into form before dissipating to reveal the Fruit Pokémon.
"Sah!" she huffed out. All of a sudden, she noticed the ground glowing at her tapered feet, exploding underneath her.
"Ooh, and Tsareena comes in to a rude awakening from those Spikes!" Jim yelled into the microphone, "That's already proving how critical Skarmory's entry hazard setup was!" he mentioned loudly. As the smoke settled, it revealed the Fruit Pokémon staggering a little before assuming a ready stance. She had an angered expression upon her face.
"Reee…" she growled toward her opponent, who huffed.
"This is Tsareena's first battle in the tournament, right?" Mirajane inquired of her husband, who nodded, "I'm worried about how she'll get to do…" she admitted in concern, while the Fruit Pokémon's image appeared upon the video boards.
"Peekah…" Pikachu uttered.
"Pangoro, Bullet Punch!" Trent commanded. The Daunting Pokémon closed his hands into fists and made them glow light blue, charging forward.
"Use Trop Kick to counter!" Calvin instructed, enticing Tsareena to dash forward as her legs shined a bright green. As quickly as her foe thrusted his fists out at her, she countered each and every punch with her tapered feet, not giving even an inch of an advantage.
"Wow!" Jim exclaimed over the broadcast, "It's a battle of punching and kicking as Tsareena's Trop Kick clashes with Pangoro's Bullet Punch!" he pointed out excitedly.
"Hammer Arm!" Trent ordered. Hearing his trainer, the Daunting Pokémon reared his right arm back, making it glow a bright white.
"Dodge and use High Jump Kick!" Calvin yelled. In the nick of time, Tsareena leapt back to evade her opponent's attempted strike as he instead hit the turf hard with his right fist. Once she landed down, she dashed forward, having her legs shine white. She lunged out, slamming her right one into his stomach like an arrow, sending him flying back.
"Pangoro!" the dark green-haired boy cried out, seeing his partner land hard upon the turf, pushing himself back up.
"Tsareena wastes no time in landing a super effective High Jump Kick, showing off those powerful legs!" Jim remarked through the loudspeakers.
"Heh!" Rumi laughed from the stands, "Now that's my kinda Pokémon!" she noted aloud.
"Mom, please…" Bea muttered with embarrassment.
"Now use Dazzling Gleam!" Calvin commanded, pumping his right fist forward. A rainbow-colored field of energy appeared around the Fruit Pokémon, expanding out toward her foe.
"Protect!" Trent instructed. Holding his hands out, Pangoro formed a light turquoise energy barrier in front of himself. It blocked off the incoming rainbow-colored luminosity, making it dissipate.
"Tsareena, High Jump Kick!" the Ketchum boy ordered.
"Use Hammer Arm!" Trent commanded. While the Fruit Pokémon had her legs glow a bright white as she charged in, the Daunting Pokémon made his arms do the same. The two lunged at each other, clashing yet again as they growled.
"Seems like it's still anyone's game, folks!" Jim remarked into the microphone.
"Come on, Tsareena!" Erika cheered from the stands. The Fruit Pokémon avoided getting struck by her foe's arms, but he wound up managing to block her kicks in the nick of time.
"Now Throat Chop!" Trent ordered. A purple light shrouded the right hand of Pangoro before he thrusted it out, striking Tsareena squarely in the stomach. Her eyes widened and shook as she struggled to endure the pain. However, she withstood it long enough to land an uppercut to her foe's chin with her left leg, causing him to stumble back. She landed on her feet, breathing somewhat heavily.
"You okay, Tsareena?!" her trainer called out in question.
"Reee nah!" she responded with a nod.
"Then use Power Whip!" the Ketchum boy commanded. Dashing forward again, the Fruit Pokémon made her hair-like leaves glow a bright green. She approached her foe, whipping them out at him.
"Protect!" Trent yelled. Pangoro held his left hand out, projecting a turquoise energy barrier to block off his opponent's attack.
"Now Trop Kick!" Calvin ordered. The second the barrier went down, Tsareena made her right leg shine a bright green before thrusting it out to strike the Daunting Pokémon's head squarely. He staggered back a few feet, falling onto his knees.
"Pangoro!" his trainer cried out.
"Finish him off with Dazzling Gleam!" the Ketchum boy commanded, thrusting his right fist forward. A rainbow-colored energy field expanded out from the Fruit Pokémon's body, striking her opponent in a blast of grey smoke. It subsided moments later, revealing Pangoro lying upon his stomach with swirls in his eyes.
"Pangoro is unable to battle!" Dan announced, raising his left arm. The crowd cheered as the Daunting Pokémon's image upon the video boards was greyed out.
"Alright!" Calvin exclaimed with a pump of his right fist, "Way to go, Tsareena!" he complimented.
"Sah ree," the Fruit Pokémon huffed, brushing her hair-like leaves back.
"Tsareena achieves Calvin's first victory in this battle, evening the score at one!" Jim pointed out through the loudspeakers, "Even so, I still think it's anyone's game…" he admitted.
"Nice going, Cal! You too, Tsareena!" Hau cried out from the stands. Watching from afar were Marnie and Piers, who appeared curious.
"That's the kid who beat Allister, right?" the latter inquired of his little sister, who nodded.
"His twin sister was the one who beat Gordie the other day," she mentioned.
"No kidding…?" the singer said in surprise, "Guess both of 'em would be quite the challenge when it comes to the gyms back home," he presumed. On the turf field, Trent returned his fainted partner to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light.
"You did your best out there," he affirmed, "Take a good rest," he advised with a smile, putting the spherical container away before readying another one, pressing its button to enlarge it, "Leavanny, go!" he yelled, tossing it out onto the field. It popped open, with its light forming upon the turf and dissipating to reveal the Nurturing Pokémon.
"Vah nee~!" she sang as she spun around. Her opponent blinked in surprise.
"Leavanny, huh?" Calvin uttered out, sweating a little.
X
"Switching things up, Trent decides to go for Leavanny as his third Pokémon in this battle!" Jim noted into the microphone as the Nurturing Pokémon's image appeared upon the big screens.
"Leavanny, the Nurturing Pokémon," Rotom began as it had brought up a picture of Leavanny on its own screen, "She keeps her eggs warm with heat from fermenting leaves. Leavanny also uses leaves to make warm wrappings for Sewaddle. Upon finding a small Pokémon, Leavanny weaves clothing for it from leaves by using the sticky silk secreted from her mouth," it explained thoroughly.
"I didn't know Trent had a Leavanny of all Pokémon…" Hau noted aloud in surprise.
"Me either…" Pyrrha chimed in.
"I wonder how tough she is compared to Dad's Leavanny…" Erika said.
"Mmm…" Leslie hummed out, narrowing her eyes curiously.
"Vahh nee~!" the Nurturing Pokémon sang as skipped about in an almost carefree manner. It was enough to vex Tsareena as she glared with irritation.
"Sahhh…" she growled out.
"Stay calm, Tsareena," her trainer advised.
'Knowing that Leavanny's a Bug-type, I should probably make a switch…' he noted to himself, 'but since I still don't know how to clear away the Spikes just yet, it'd be bad to just bring someone else in to take a rough hit…' he added inwardly, 'We gotta be careful,' he decided through his thoughts.
"Leavanny, start things off with Sunny Day!" Trent instructed.
"Lee vaaaaahhhh~!" the Nurturing Pokémon sang up into the night sky, which brightened suddenly as if there were actual sunlight.
"Sunny Day…?" Calvin uttered in confusion, wondering what his rival was planning, "Tsareena, Trop Kick!" he commanded. The Fruit Pokémon rushed forward, making her legs glow a bright green as she lunged out toward her foe, about to strike.
"Dodge!" Trent yelled. All of a sudden, Leavanny sped away in an instant, much to Tsareena's shock, as well as her trainer's.
"Whoa!" Jim yelped over the broadcast, "Leavanny suddenly zips away before Tsareena can strike!" he noted loudly.
"Now X-Scissor!" the dark green-haired boy ordered. The Nurturing Pokémon made her arms glow a yellowish-green as she crossed them over herself, dashing in from behind and swiping at her opponent in an x-shaped pattern.
"SAHHH…!" she gasped out.
"Tsareena, no!" Calvin screamed.
"Whoa, what's happening?!" Pyrrha inquired from the stands.
"It's her ability," Leslie answered, getting her attention.
"That'zzz right, zzt!" Rotom confirmed, "Leavanny's ability, Chlorophyll, increasezzz her speed when the sun'zzz out!" it explained.
"So that's what the Sunny Day was for…" Hau noted, "Man, Trent's got a ton of plans…" he added, sounding somewhat envious.
"Tsareena, you okay?!" Calvin cried out to the Fruit Pokémon, who pushed herself back up onto her feet.
"Sah ree!" she responded, determined to keep battling.
"Now Shadow Claw!" Trent commanded. Leavanny dashed in, having a shadowy aura outlined in purple shroud both of her arms.
"Counter with Power Whip!" Calvin instructed. With her hair-like leaves glowing a bright green, Tsareena swung them around to intercept her foe's arms. They blew each other back, sliding to a stop. "Now use Dazzling Gleam!" the Ketchum boy ordered. The Fruit Pokémon had a rainbow-colored energy field appear around her, expanding outward.
"Solar Beam!" Trent yelled, sticking his right hand out. Leavanny had several orbs of yellow energy appear around her arms, coming together to form a large orb of energy at their tips. She then fired off a powerful beam into the incoming energy field, resulting in an implosion of light.
"Solar Beam and Dazzling Gleam collide fiercely as neither side's willing to back down!" Jim exclaimed into the microphone. The light started to settle around the field.
"Shadow Claw!" the dark green-haired boy commanded. With her right arm becoming enveloped in a shadowy aura with a purple outline, the Nurturing Pokémon dashed forward and swiped past her foe instantaneously.
"Sah…!" she gasped out, keeling over onto her right knee.
"Tsareena!" her trainer cried out.
"And Tsareena suddenly gets ambushed by Leavanny's Shadow Claw!" Jim noted over the broadcast, "Could this be it for her?" he wondered aloud. Grimacing, the Ketchum boy pulled out a Poké Ball.
"Tsareena, come back for now!" he insisted, returning the Fruit Pokémon to her Poké Ball in a beam of red light.
"Wait, he's switching?" Erika said in confusion.
"I guess he doesn't want Tsareena to go down early like Gumshoos did…" her older sister assumed, putting her left hand onto her chin.
"I'll bring you back later, I promise," Calvin assured to the Poké Ball containing Tsareena. He then put it away, readying another one. "You're up, Marowak!" he called out, throwing the spherical container forward. It burst open, and its light formed upon the ground, dissipating to reveal the Alolan Bone Keeper Pokémon.
"Mah wakk!" he exclaimed, quickly rubbing the ends of his bone against the marking of his head, igniting them both with pale green flames.
"Marowak makes his return after being the key piece to Calvin's victory over Paige yesterday!" Jim pointed out through the loudspeakers as from afar in the arena's standing area, the silvery-haired girl herself watched on with a smile. The Alolan Bone Keeper Pokémon's image appeared upon each of the big screens.
"Marowak, huh?" Trent noted, "Leavanny, stay ready!" he advised of the Nurturing Pokémon.
"Vah!" she responded with a nod, assuming a prepared stance.
"And Trent's not switching?" Hau inquired out of surprise.
"He probably doesn't feel like he needs to with Leavanny being so fast," Pyrrha noted, "And besides…" she continued. On the field below, the ground suddenly exploded at Marowak's feet, making him wince as the debris struck him as well.
"Marowak!" his trainer cried out.
"Whuh-oh!" Jim yelped into the microphone, "Those layers of Spikes still prove to be in play, dealing some significant damage to Marowak!" he told the crowd.
"Ergh…" Calvin growled in frustration.
'If we can't deal with those Spikes, then…' he started to infer, only to blink with realization, 'Yeah, let's try that!' he decided, letting off a grin. Trent was confused by his rival's expression.
"Marowak, Stomping Tantrum!" he commanded.
"Wakk!" the Alolan Bone Keeper Pokémon responded, becoming outlined in an orange light before stomping the ground repeatedly with his feet, making dust and dirt stir up.
"What are you up to…?" Trent wondered aloud, "Leavanny, Shadow Claw!" he ordered. The Nurturing Pokémon charged forward, cloaking her arms in a dark, shadowy aura with a purple outline. With one final stomp, Marowak made splinters of the ground shoot up and out at his incoming foe. Along with that, the metallic red spikes were coming out, bursting apart like bubbles.
"Yes!" Calvin exclaimed as he pumped his fist, while his rival widened his eyes.
"Wow!" Jim exclaimed over the broadcast, "Marowak's Stomping Tantrum is enough to get those Spikes up and out of the ground!" he noted excitedly, "Guess they're not gonna be a problem anymore, folks!" he affirmed aloud.
"Awesome!" Erika yelled from the stands.
"Just like how your Clefable did away with the Stealth Rock during our battle," Pyrrha pointed out, getting her attention.
"That'zzz right, zzt!" Rotom buzzed.
"Heh…" Trent chuckled, "Should've known you'd have something like that up your sleeve…" he muttered with a grin, "Don't stop, Leavanny!" he yelled.
"Vah!" the Nurturing Pokémon exclaimed, slashing past the splinters of ground as she closed in on her opponent.
"Shadow Bone!" Calvin ordered. Making the flames of his bone shine a bright purple, Marowak swung it out to counter his foe's attempted swipes. The two of them clashed, blowing each other back as they slid along the ground.
"Now X-Scissor!" Trent commanded. Leavanny had her arms glow yellowish-green as she crossed them in front of herself, rushing out again.
"Marowak, Flare Blitz!" Calvin shouted, enticing the Alolan Bone Keeper Pokémon to spin his bone around before engulfing his body in pale green flames. He shot forward in an instant, closing in and colliding with his foe. Before too long, he broke through her crossed arms, striking fiercely as she shrieked with agony.
"Leavanny, no!" her trainer screamed.
"Leavanny ends up on the wrong end of Marowak's Flare Blitz; a super effective blow!" Jim yelled over the broadcast. The flames subsided as the Alolan Bone Keeper Pokémon landed upon the turf, wincing a little as sparks crackled around him. His foe had burn marks all over her body before she fell backwards onto the ground, having swirls in her eyes.
"Leavanny is unable to battle!" Dan confirmed as he had run over to assess the Nurturing Pokémon's condition, raising his left arm. The crowd cheered as her image on the video boards was greyed out. Meanwhile, the sun-like light in the sky faded away.
"Alright!" Erika exclaimed, pumping her right fist up as she shot to her feet.
"Marowak comes in and not only does away with those layers of Spikes, but also secures a huge victory over Leavanny!" Jim noted through the loudspeakers, "That puts Calvin up two-to-one!" he mentioned.
"Nice job, Marowak!" the Ketchum boy called out to his partner.
"Mah roh," he huffed, spinning his bone around before taking a firm grasp upon it. In the meantime, Trent returned the fainted Leavanny to her Poké Ball in a beam of red light.
"You did good out there," he assured, shrinking the spherical container with a press of its button.
"Now down two Pokémon, how will Trent retaliate?" Jim questioned into the microphone. The dark green-haired boy readied a new Poké Ball, rearing his arm back.
"Go, Golem!" he called out, throwing the spherical container forward. As it opened, its light formed upon the ground, dissipating to reveal the Megaton Pokémon, though in a form much different compared to the one Calvin remembered. He had much shorter forearms with two claws. The feet had only two claws as well. His face attracted iron sand, creating the appearance of a mustache, eyebrows, and a large black beard. Jutting out of the top of his body were two large, black rocks with a smaller rock in-between, forming a shape of a cannon. On the inner edge of the larger rocks were three golden dots.
"Gollll!" he bellowed out.
"Mahroh…" Marowak uttered, gripping his bone tightly.
"So that's an Alolan Golem?" Calvin wondered aloud.
X
The crowd cheered at the sight of the Alolan Megaton Pokémon on the field, as its image appeared upon the video boards. He stomped his feet in a somewhat threatening manner, trying to intimidate his foe. Erika blinked in surprise.
"That's… an Alolan Golem?" she inquired aloud.
"Moh?" her Jangmo-o uttered with a tilt of his head. Meanwhile, Rotom brought up an image of the Alolan Megaton Pokémon upon its screen,
"Golem, the Megaton Pokémon and the final evolved form of Geodude, Alolan Form," it began, "He shoots large rocks that are charged with electricity. Tremendous electric shocks are flung out across the whole area of impact. Because Golem can't fire boulders at a rapid pace, he's been known to seize nearby Geodude and fire them from his back," it explained thoroughly.
"Sounds powerful," Leslie noted.
"Weird, too…" Erika added, "So… he's a Rock-and-Electric-type type now?" she presumed.
"Correct, zzt!" her Pokédex buzzed out.
"Gohlllemmm…" Golem's voice echoed. Marowak tensed up slightly before turning to his trainer, wondering what he was thinking.
"If that's how it is, we'll take you on!" he declared, clenching his fists, "Marowak, Shadow Bone!" he commanded. Rubbing the ends of his bone up against the marking at his head, the Alolan Bone Keeper Pokémon had them ignite with purple flames, charging forward and spinning his weapon around.
"Golem, Heavy Slam!" Trent ordered. A silver aura erupted around the Alolan Megaton Pokémon's body as he charged forward, lunging out at his incoming opponent. The two of them collided, though Marowak found himself immediately blown back.
"Marowak!" his trainer exclaimed. Luckily, the Alolan Bone Keeper Pokémon was able to bring himself to a stop, using his bone to slow himself down.
"Marowak takes a heavy blow from Golem's Heavy Slam to kick things off!" Jim noted over the broadcast, "Is he going to meet his match?!" he wondered loudly.
"Golem, use Rock Blast!" Trent commanded. Electricity crackled between the black rocks on the Alolan Megaton Pokémon's back as he aimed it forward, with the boulder between glowing a bright orange before turning a silvery-white. He then launched several silver rocks out at his foe.
"Stomping Tantrum!" Calvin called out. With his body being outlined by an orange light, Marowak started rapidly stomping against the ground, followed by stamping it hard enough to release splinters of earth. They countered the incoming rocks in bursts of dust, veiling the area between him and Golem.
"We're not letting you off that easy…" Trent remarked, "Steamroller!" he ordered, thrusting his left fist out.
"Gohllll…!" the Alolan Megaton Pokémon echoed, engulfing his body in yellowish-green aura before tucking his legs and arms in, rolling forward.
"Dodge!" Calvin yelled. As his foe came through the dust cloud, Marowak leapt aside to evade him. "Now use Brick Break!" his trainer commanded. The Alolan Bone Keeper Pokémon had his right arm glow a bright white as he turned and ran toward his foe, tossing his bone into his left hand.
"Rock Blast!" Trent ordered. Coming to a stop, Golem turned and aimed his back at Marowak, firing off more silvery rocks his way. He managed to bash aside the first few, but wound up subsequently struck by the others, getting sent tumbling back.
"Marowak, no!" Calvin cried out.
"Marowak winds up taking a bit of a tumble as a super effective Rock Blast bombards him!" Jim exclaimed through the loudspeakers. The Alolan Bone Keeper Pokémon pushed himself back onto his feet, glaring at his opponent.
"Now Giga Impact!" Trent commanded, closing his left hand into a tight fist. A purple aura with yellow streaks of light shrouded Golem as he shot out at his opponent.
'Why's he going for a move that won't be effective at all?' Calvin wondered inwardly.
"Marowak, use Shadow Bone!" he ordered. Rubbing the ends of his bone to make them ignite with purple flames, the Alolan Bone Keeper Pokémon lunged forward. He collided with his foe, desperately trying to push him back. Unfortunately, the Alolan Megaton Pokémon broke through his defenses, knocking him down onto the ground in a burst of dirt and dust.
Everyone watched on in awe as the cloud had yet to settle. Once it did, it revealed Golem stepping back, allowing for Dan to run over and assess Marowak's condition. He was lying upon his stomach, having swirls in his eyes.
"Marowak is unable to battle!" the referee confirmed, raising his right arm. The crowd cheered, while the Alolan Bone Keeper Pokémon's image upon the big screen was greyed out.
"Marowak falls in the end as Golem triumphs!" Jim pointed out into the microphone, "Now the score between both trainers is evened again!" he mentioned.
"No way…" Hau uttered in disbelief, watching as his cousin returned his fainted partner to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light.
"How did that Giga Impact even hit…?" Pyrrha wondered aloud.
"It probably hazzz to do with Golem'zzz ability, zzt," Rotom responded, getting their attentions.
"Thanks for all your hard work, Marowak," the Ketchum boy said in gratitude to the Poké Ball in his hand, "Take a good long rest," he advised, putting the spherical container away.
"You're wondering how Golem's Giga Impact worked back there, right?" Trent inferred, getting his rival's attention, "It's his ability, Galvanize," he pointed out.
"Galvanize?" Calvin repeated.
"Basically, it turns any Normal-type moves into Electric-type and makes them even stronger," the dark green-haired boy replied, taking out his Poké Ball and returning the Alolan Megaton Pokémon to it in a beam of red light.
"Oh, it looks like Trent's going to be saving Golem for later," Jim noted over the broadcast, "Who'll he be calling upon next, much like Calvin?" he wondered aloud. Both trainers readied new spherical containers in their hands, with the Ketchum boy having a Net Ball, while his rival had a regular Poké Ball.
"Araquanid, let's go!" he called out, tossing it forward.
"You're up, Arcanine!" Trent yelled as he threw his spherical container. Both of them burst open, with their lights shooting onto the ground, shaping into form. They dissipated to reveal the Water Bubble Pokémon and the Legendary Pokémon respectively.
"Kwahh!" the former exclaimed, readying his front legs.
"Arrrrrooooo!" the latter howled out.
"Now we've got ourselves a battle between Araquanid and Arcanine, folks!" Jim pointed out through the loudspeakers, "Which one'll come out on top?!" he inquired emphatically. Up in the stands, Rotom brought the Legendary Pokémon's image upon its screen.
"Arcanine, the Legendary Pokémon, and the evolved form of Growlithe," it began, "The fire burning inside his body serves as the energy to fuel him as he runs great distances. Arcanine appears in many legends. There are so many old tales about them that Arcanine are called legendary Pokémon, but there are way more of them around than you'd expect," it explained thoroughly.
"A Water-type like Araquanid's perfect to deal with Arcanine," Erika affirmed, recalling when she had battled Lana's Water Bubble Pokémon during Mina's trial, "Even though he's part-Bug-type, his ability's the best match for this battle," she pointed out.
"We'll see," her older sister chimed in, getting her attention, "I don't think Trent would just bring him out to only end up losing," she pointed out.
"Araquanid, set up with Aqua Ring!" Calvin advised.
"Kwah!" the Water Bubble Pokémon squeaked, having rings of water appear around his body momentarily.
"Calvin has Araquanid take precautionary measures, setting up with Aqua Ring before things get going!" Jim noted into the microphone.
"Arcanine, Wild Charge!" Trent commanded. Yellow electricity surrounded the Legendary Pokémon as he charged forward, ready to tackle his foe.
"Counter with Liquidation!" Calvin instructed. Lifting his front legs up, Araquanid had water swirl around them, thrusting them onto his incoming opponent in a burst of steam. Both of them slid back out from it, coming to a stop.
"Dragon Pulse!" Trent ordered. Opening his mouth, Arcanine released a multicolored mass of light in the shape of a dragon's head. It streaked out and struck his opponent in a powerful blast, blowing him back. However, the rings of water reappeared around his body, causing a greenish, healing aura to flow up his form.
"Even taking a powerful Dragon Pulse, Araquanid manages to stay up thanks to his Aqua Ring!" Jim pointed out over the broadcast.
"Araquanid, use Lunge!" Calvin commanded. A yellowish-green light outlined the Water Bubble Pokémon as he leapt up, coming down toward his foe.
"Fire Fang!" Trent ordered loudly. Arcanine's teeth glowed a bright red as he had flames billow within his mouth. As Araquanid crashed down onto him, he chomped onto his underside, resulting in a fiery explosion that engulfed them both.
"Whoa…" Hau uttered from the stands.
"They seem evenly matched…" Lisanna noted aloud.
"Yeah…" Sawyer concurred with a nod. As the smoke on the field settled, it revealed both Pokémon glaring at each other and growling.
"Araquanid, Liquidation!" Calvin ordered, closing his right hand into a fist. The Water Bubble Pokémon skittered forward as he headed toward his opponent again.
"Dodge with Extreme Speed!" Trent instructed, swinging his left arm out. A green aura surrounded Arcanine's body as he sped away instantaneously, much to the shock of his foe as he came to a screeching halt. He then found himself ambushed from his right by the Legendary Pokémon, who dashed away again.
"Uh oh…!" Calvin gasped out with a grimace.
"Arcanine's Extreme Speed proves to be quite fast as Araquanid can't even see where he's coming from!" Jim noted through the loudspeakers. The Legendary Pokémon charged in again and tackled his foe from behind, making him lurch forward.
"Ergh…" the Ketchum boy growled in frustration. The rings of water reappeared around the Water Bubble Pokémon, providing him some relief.
"Now Dragon Pulse!" Trent ordered. Bringing himself to a stop, Arcanine released another mass of multicolored light in the shape of a dragon's head from his mouth, about to engulf his opponent.
"Use Lunge to dodge it!" Calvin yelled quickly. A yellowish-green light outlined Araquanid again as he leapt over the incoming ray, finding himself high up in the air. It was at that moment his trainer blinked in realization, grinning a little. "Now Icy Wind on the field!" he instructed, much to the dark green-haired boy's surprise.
"Ahhh…" the Water Bubble Pokémon inhaled, "KWAAAAAAHHHH!" he bellowed, expelling a chilling wind with blue sparkles onto the turf below, causing frost to form along it. The wind also washed over Arcanine, who winced from how cold it was.
"Calvin decides to go for an Icy Wind strategy, much like his sister did earlier!" Jim yelled into the microphone, "What amazing ingenuity!" he exclaimed on.
"Arcanine, you okay?" Trent asked of the Legendary Pokémon, who shook his head.
"Arrooo!" he barked in response.
"Then use Wild Charge!" his trainer commanded. Arcanine engulfed himself in yellow electricity as he ran forward, charging toward his opponent, who had just landed on the ground.
"Araquanid, Liquidation!" Calvin ordered. Raising his front legs as water swirled out from the bubbles upon them, the Water Bubble Pokémon thrusted them out, striking his target fiercely.
"AAAAARRRRRRRRRRRR!" he whined with pain from the blow. However, he steeled himself and charged on through his opponent, ending up past him.
"K-Kwaaaahhhh…" he groaned out, staggering a little.
"Araquanid!" his trainer cried out. Arcanine let off a smirk, but then winced before toppling over onto his stomach. Dan immediately ran over to assess his condition.
"Arcanine is unable to battle," he confirmed, raising his left arm. The crowd cheered wildly, while the Legendary Pokémon's image greyed out on the video boards.
"Arcanine falls, but not before managing to deal some serious damage to Araquanid in the process!" Jim pointed out over the broadcast, "With this victory though, Trent is now down to Skarmory, Golem, and whatever his last Pokémon may be!" he mentioned. On the field, the dark green-haired teen let out a sigh before returning his fainted partner to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light.
"Thanks for your hard work," he said in gratitude, putting the spherical container away.
"Way to go, Calvin!" Erika cheered from the stands.
"He'zzz got quite the advantage going into the second half, zzt!" Rotom mentioned as it floated over.
"We'll see if that lasts," Leslie chimed in, getting their attentions, "I get the feeling that the momentum's about to shift in Trent's favor…" she admitted, narrowing her eyes.
X
"Ahh… kwahhh…" Araquanid groaned as he staggered back over to his trainer, who petted his bubbled head gently.
"You did great out there, bud," he assured, taking out the Net Ball and aiming it at the Water Bubble Pokémon, "Go ahead and take a break for now," he insisted, retuning him to it in a beam of red light, "Huh…" he exhaled, taking on a serious expression as he looked toward his rival, who stared back at him.
"As we continue with this brief intermission, it seems Calvin will be starting the second half with another of his remaining four Pokémon," Jim pointed out.
"Don't forget, he still has two more that have yet to be revealed," Tom added.
"Will we see one of them to start the second half?" the play-by-play commentator wondered aloud. Taking a deep breath and sighing, Trent looked up toward the night sky. Back in Kalos, he was raised with the sentiment of being strong to prove something to those who looked down on trainers. He remembered admiring those who competed in various tournaments around the world, watching their matches to try and understand their processes when it came to having teams.
Yet there was something that always alluded him throughout the island challenge. It never occurred to him the kinds of bonds he would share with his Pokémon. And those bonds weren't considered all that much by his standards. He didn't think they mattered, especially as when did acknowledge them, he was finding himself losing sight of what he was after.
He looked towards the stands, spotting Erika sitting amongst her family with Jangmo-o in her lap. It was obvious she was rooting for her twin brother. Why wouldn't she? But even so, Trent admired her so much. It was thanks to her that he stopped being so set in his ways, especially when it came to the incident at Aether Paradise.
"Trainers, the second half of this battle is about to begin!" Dan announced, getting the attentions of the two competitors, "Please select your Pokémon!" he advised.
'Erika…' Trent uttered inwardly, readying a Poké Ball in his right as he enlarged it with a press of its button, 'I'm sorry… but I'm winning this!' he declared through his thoughts, 'It's the only way I can have the chance to thank you for being the one who saved me!' he affirmed to himself, rearing his arm back.
"Greninja, you're up!" he called out, throwing the spherical container forward. It burst open, with a figure emerging from its light, being none other than the Ninja Pokémon.
"Jah!" he croaked, taking a ready stance. His image appeared upon the big screens as the last one of his trainer's team of six. He glanced over, narrowing his eyes onto the current score.
"Trent decides to bring in Greninja to start off this second half, being the last of his six Pokémon in this semifinal battle!" Jim noted through the loudspeakers, "So who'll Calvin turn to?" he wondered aloud. The Ketchum readied his own Poké Ball, rearing his arm back.
"Let's go, Tsareena!" he yelled, throwing the spherical container out onto the field. As it burst open, its light formed upon the ground, dissipating to reveal the Fruit Pokémon.
"Sah…" she huffed, brushing her hair-like leaves back.
"And Tsareena returns!" Jim exclaimed into the microphone, "After taking a victory over Pangoro earlier and being returned against Leavanny, Tsareena comes in to kick off this second half, and with a type advantage to boot!" he pointed out excitedly.
"Type advantages aren't everything, though…" Tom chimed in.
"Greninja, stay on guard," Trent advised of his partner.
"Greh nin," he replied with a nod.
"Let's keep the momentum going in our favor, Tsareena!" Calvin called out, "Use Power Whip!" he commanded. With her hair-like leaves glowing a bright green, the Fruit Pokémon charged forward, skipping ahead.
"Counter with Night Slash!" Trent yelled. Greninja brought his webbed hands together, forming a purple blade of light in them that he spun around before taking a firm grip on. He swung it out to clash against his foe's hair-like leaves, making sparks fly between them.
"Already, this matchup starts with a flurry as both Tsareena and Greninja don't let up on each other!" Jim bellowed over the broadcast.
"Now use Acrobatics!" the dark green-haired boy ordered. A sky blue light shrouded the Ninja Pokémon as he zipped by the hair-like leaves of his foe, followed by landing a few punches and kicks to knock her down.
"Tsareena!" her trainer cried out.
"Sah… ree…" she groaned, bringing herself up onto her feet.
"Greninja, Night Slash!" Trent commanded. The Ninja Pokémon drew forth a pair of purple, needle-like energy blades in his webbed hands, dashing toward his opponent with them.
"Tsareena, use Dazzling Gleam!" Calvin ordered, enticing the Fruit Pokémon to make a rainbow-colored energy field appear around her, expanding outward.
"Water Shuriken!" the dark green-haired boy yelled quickly. Throwing his energy blades aside, Greninja smacked the markings at his legs, drawing forth a pair of watery throwing stars. He pushed them together into one large shuriken, flinging it out. It struck the energy field, causing a burst of white smoke to engulf the field.
"Greninja's doing everything he can to not end up on the receiving end of any super effective hit from Tsareena!" Jim noted through the loudspeakers. Inside the smoke, the Fruit Pokémon looked around in search of her opponent, wondering where he would be coming from.
"Shadow Sneak!" Trent ordered. Sneaking through the smoke was a dark shadow with red eyes. It zipped past Tsareena, who blinked in surprise before seeing it rise up in the shape of the Ninja Pokémon. The shadow swiped at her multiple times, causing her to falter.
"Stay strong, Tsareena!" Calvin cried out, "Use Power Whip!" he commanded. Perking up, the Fruit Pokémon made her hair-like leaves shine a bright green before she swung them around, striking the shadow and making it dissipate. At that same moment, the smoke was blown away from the force of her attack. She didn't realize that Greninja was charging in behind her.
"Night Slash with Acrobatics!" Trent instructed of him.
"Jah!" he responded, cloaking himself in a sky blue light before drawing forth a purple-glowing, needle-shaped energy blade in his right hand again. Tsareena whipped around to see him coming.
"Trop Kick!" her trainer ordered. With her tapered legs shining a bright green, the Fruit Pokémon swung her right one out to counteract her foe's blade. What followed was Greninja leaping around, clashing his blade against her legs. It was only until he leapt off of her head that he caught her off balance, managing to dash by and slash at her. A moment of silence passed before Tsareena let out a pained groan, toppling over onto her side. Dan ran over to assess her condition, seeing the swirls in her eyes.
"Tsareena is unable to battle!" he confirmed, raising his right arm. The Fruit Pokémon's image upon the video boards was greyed out. The crowd cheered.
"Amazing!" Jim exclaimed into the microphone, "Even at a severe type disadvantage, Greninja still manages to take down Tsareena without too much of a problem!" he pointed out excitedly.
"Oh man…" Erika uttered from the stands worriedly.
"Jahh…" Jangmo-o chirped out.
"Tsareena, return," Calvin said, recalling the Fruit Pokémon to her Poké Ball in a beam of red light, "Thanks for your hard work out there," he noted gratefully, "We'll handle the rest from here," he promised, putting the spherical container away. He looked out to see Trent return Greninja as well, seemingly deciding to save him for another battle.
'So his last three are Skarmory, Golem, and Greninja…' the Ketchum boy listed off inwardly, clenching his fists tightly, 'We're gonna do what we can!' he declared through his thoughts. He was determined to win and get to that final round. After all, not doing that would be disrespectful to his twin sister.
ENDING
Insert "Who Are You?" by PELICAN FANCLUB
Opens at Aether Paradise as Lillie is with her bedridden mother, sleeping by her side. In her dreams, she's imagining becoming a Pokémon Trainer herself, journeying through regions with her Pokémon by her side. She starts running along the pathway, excitedly smiling all the while.
Throughout her journey in her dream, she comes across many great things. She encounters amazing Pokémon, strong trainers to battle, and memorable sights. Her Pokémon of choice is a Clefairy which she happily lifts in her hands.
All of a sudden, the area around them darkens as a shadow looms over them. Lillie looks up in horror to see a giant version of Lusamine engulfed by Nihilego overhead. She cowers in fright momentarily, but then notices a bright light shining up above.
It turns out to be Solgaleo, who comes down with Calvin and Erika aboard. They both offer their hands to Lillie, who happily accepts them as she climbs onto the Sunne Pokémon. They hurry off, avoiding the giant rocks Lusamine chucks their way. One is about to strike, but it's destroyed as Gladion appears aboard Silvally, slashing it apart.
Together, they lunge up to attack the Aether Foundation president, engulfing her in a shining, golden light. Lillie opens her eyes, lifting her head. She finds her mother awake in bed, giving her a weak, yet thankful smile.
Lillie smiles back, gripping her hand tightly. As Wicke wanders in to check on them, they turn on the TV as the Alola League is starting. Lillie giggles at the sight of the Ketchum twins in battle once again, happy that they're seeing their dreams through…
END ENDING
And that ends another awesome Alola League chapter! By the time this chapter's been drafted, I'm only about a couple weeks away from getting Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, so I'm very excited to be having these chapters done. That said, it'll be a few weeks before we continue this battle, so here's a summary to tide you over until then!
SUMMARY
Down to his last three Pokémon in the semifinal match against Trent, Calvin goes all-out with the team he has to stand against his rival with. Can they achieve victory and give him the chance to go to the finals to face Erika?!
END SUMMARY
See you all later guys! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!