Asher's Team:

Lago - Rhydon
Crust - Golem
Sebastian - Nidoking
Selena - Nidoqueen
Seraph - Clefable
Barret - Dugtrio
Sonic - Sandslash
Death - Marowak
Colossus - Steelix

I stared down Barry and allowed the sounds of the audience to be drowned out until it felt like only me and him were in the arena.

He was undoubtedly going to pick his Charizard given that it is his strongest partner and I'm going to pick Sebastian, one of powerhouses. Nidoking are relatively common pokemon, given their evolution lines various available locations throughout Kanto and Johto. However, just because a pokemon is common does not mean that they are weak. Most of my pokemon are common, but the thing is, you don't need dozens of ultra rare and 'powerful' pokemon in order to be the best. Any pokemon can be a powerhouse if their trainer is willing to put in the effort and train them to the best of their ability.

Sebastian and Selena were the first pokemon that I captured after Lago, just a couple of small Nidoran who I found battered just outside of Viridian and decided to take it upon myself to train them into the powerhouses that they are today.

Sebastian however is definitely the more powerful of the two in terms of offense, and that's fine, Nidoking are more offensive and Nidoqueen are more defensive. Sebastian has trained to overpower opponents whilst Selena has trained to counter opponents. Some people seem to make the mistake of seeing the two pokemon as identical, however as a trainer who has trained both of them together I can tell you for a fact that they are definitely not. They possess the same moveset but their fighting styles couldn't be more different if you tried.

At any rate my skin was itching for a battle and I could tell that from inside his pokeball Sebastian was feeling the same.

I got into a position to throw the pokeball and Barry seemed to mirror my actions as our eyes locked. We might not like each other all that much, he might just be a complete stranger, he probably isn't my biggest fan if the way he was glaring at me was an indication. But still he understands me. The way that a trainer should think. It didn't matter if Sonic was still completely fresh, it didn't matter that he wasn't my last pokemon an it didn't matter that this wasn't even the quarter finals.

It was just me versus him. And that thought excited me.

The referee seemed to sense the tension which clouded the air and raised his arm in order to signal the start of the match.

A shallow gust of wind seemed to blow over the battlefield as Barry's eyes narrowed and pierced into my own golden ones. He had my respect. Even though the odds were stacked against him he was- at the very least- not going to go down without a fight. I'd need to work for this win.

That's good. This'll be fun.

Time seemed to still as the referee started to lower his arm. I could tell that this would be a good battle, that Barry was a worthy opponent.

"Battle begin!"

"Charizard Go!"

"Go Sebastian!"

We both threw our pokeballs and released our two powerhouses. The crowd was immediately silenced at the appearance of two apex predators.

Barry's Charizard was certainly in another league from his other pokemon, it stood proudly like a true dragon with it's tail flame glowing brightly with orange and white fire as it roared primally and opened it's turquoise blue eyes in order to glare at the opponent which stood before it with very clear intent to dominate the battlefield. I had no doubt that this was his starter and best friend.

However, Sebastian was in no way inferior to Barry's Charizard, his shiny purple scales glistened under the rays of sunlight that were shining down on him and his sharp horn pointed in his enemies direction as a showing of intimidation and he glared right back at his opponent as his long tail trailee behind him and left marks on the already ruined battlefield.

At a glance it was obvious that my Nidoking was a lot larger than the average of his species was meant to be, instead of the usual six feet or so in height he was over nine and his body was obviously more muscular than a normal Nidoking should be. He was an exceptional example of his species that was for sure.

However, Charizard didn't seem to like the fact a challenger was nearby and let out a roar in an attempt to assert his place as the dominant predator.

It wasn't very effective.

Sebastian audibly scoffed at the attempt at making him falter and instead of stooping to some low level of childish threatening he just settled for holding his ground and glaring defiantly back at his opponent.

'OH WHAT IS THIS LADIES AND GENTLEMEN?! BOTH ASHER AND BARRY HAVE SENT OUT THEIR NEXT POKEMON! WHILST BARRY HAS CHOSEN HIS CHARIZARD, ASHER HAS CHOSEN A NIDOKING! THIS WILL SURELY BE A CLASH OF THE AGES!"

The overly enthusiastic commentator screamed out with an infectious tone, in response to that the crowd seemed to scream in excitement at seeing two powerful looking pokemon staring each other down with clear intent.

Soon they stared to chant." ASHER! SEBASTIAN! ASHER! SEBASTIAN! ASHER! SEBASTIAN!"

My lips tugged up at their words. This is what a guy like me really wants. Thousands of people in an absolutely packed stadium screaming my name at the top of their lungs like I'm the greatest guy in the world. It just does something for me.

A year ago my life ended and I was sent here. It was a relief in all honesty. I was a nobody before, kind of a loser even. But none of that mattered here.

I've never felt more alive.

My golden eyes snapped open and I addressed my pokemon with a commanding tone." Sebastian, it's time to win!"

He seemed to agree with me if the way he seemed to roar was any indication. Without even needing orders he began to rush down Charizard at a breakneck pace which actually made Barry show a hint of surprise.

"Soar Charizard!"

With a mighty leap the orange dragon immediately took to the air just before Sebastian converged on his location. In response to the dodge my Nidoking lifted his head up and glared at Charizard.

"What is Asher feeding his pokemon?! Should a Nidoking really be able to move like that?!" The announcer seemed baffled at the physical abilities my pokemon was displaying.

That guy just had to run his mouth didn't he? Are people gonna think I'm giving my pokemon steroids now or something?

Ah well since when have I cared about other peoples opinions? Besides if my pokemon are so strong that people think I'm enhancing them with something and not just training them then... I should take that as a compliment? Yeah lets go with that.

Barry barked out a command that cut me off from my inner musings." Alright Charizard use Fire Blast!"

Charizard roared in response and the flame on his tail seemed to burn brighter as his gaping maw was engulfed in burning hot white flames which he let loose.

The attack seemed to expand as it was let out and formed a cross which burned so hotly that I could feel it from here.

That's some serious firepower. But it's not like I can't counter it.

"Hyper Beam."

The moment those words were uttered an orb of dark energy appeared in front of Sebastian's mouth and it seemed to fluctuate and twitch as the scorching hot fire approached his location. However, just before the fiery cross hit him-

"Nido!"

With a mighty cry the orb was released and the powerful fire attack was instantly parted away as the flames went straight through the fire and cancelled the attack. But, Sebastian wasn't done. Once the attack had parted the Fire Blast it went over and beyond and hit Barry's Charizard head on.

The unexpected attack happened so fast that the Charizard was caught off guard and after it was hit the fire-type lost it's means to stay in the air and plummeted down until he hit the ground with a pained groan.

"Charizard!" Barry yelled with worry. However, his worry was unfounded since his pokemon almost immediately got on their feet again, they took a big hit and were a bit winded but... otherwise he was fine.

Sebastian also looked completely fine despite just firing off a Hyper Beam and he should be recharging his energy right about now. The explanation is that there are certain ways to use pokemon moves, unlike the games, and what Sebastian just did was fire off a Hyper Beam that was much weaker than a full power one. It's like a trade off, we lose power but we don't have to spend as much energy. This method also reduces the amount of time you'd need to fire off a Hyper Beam as another plus.

At any rate Sebastian managed to counter Charizard's massive attack with relative ease, that fact seemed to annoy Barry so instead of going to the sky once again-

"Charizard get in close and use Slash!"

Oh that was a bad move.

The faux-dragon's claws shined white with normal-type energy as he roared and leapt forward with a savage look on his face.

However, at the face of such a simple minded attack I remained unfazed and Sebastian braced himself.

"Grab him with Superpower"

At the mention of such a move Sebastian's eyes glowed orange as he roared and fighting-type energy seemed to surround him as he held his muscular arms up.

Barry immediately realized what we were up to but by then it was too late and Charizard brought his claws down in order to prove that he was-

He was cut off as his claws were both captured by the enemy with ease and instead of looking hurt by the sharp objects Sebastian was merely annoyed by them.

"Headbutt, then Seismic Toss."

Barry's eyes seemed to widen in panic as he did nothing but freeze up at the precarious situation his partner had found himself in.

Sebastian took his head and smashed it against the skull of his winged opponent which incited a pained cry as an audible crack which made all who heard it wince seemed to echo across the stadium.

However, Sebastian wasn't done. Not giving Charizard any time to recover he grabbed the dragon by the tail and jumped high into the air. Once he was about a few dozen feet in the air he started to rotate and build up momentum whilst Charizard flailed helplessly as dread seemed to leak into his face.

Soon that momentum was all let loose and Charizard was released from the Nidoking's grip only to be sent crashing into the ground at such high speeds that a crater was formed.

"DID YOU SEE THAT LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, BARRY'S CHARIZARD WAS THROWN AROUND LIKE A CHEAP TOY! IS THIS THE END FOR BARRY!"

If Barry was trying to hide his panic then he was doing a terrible job at hiding it as he yelled in concern." Charizard!"

Sebastian landed in front of me and I could tell that he was also disappointed by the battle we were having. It might sound all high and mighty but I really wanted to have a good fight with my Nidoking but they haven't even landed a hit on us. Is the gap between us and them just that wide that they can't even put up a good fight against us?

However, much to my surprise, Charizard almost seemed to hear my thoughts as he burst out of the ground with a loud roar almost to say that he wasn't down yet. But he looked worst for ware, he had bruises and scuffles all over his body and, though he tried to hide it, I could tell that he was feeling the tole from our attacks. We could finish him soon enough.

Barry grit his teeth when he saw the relaxed look on my face as well as that of Sebastian's, it's like we weren't even taking them seriously. Maybe he really is weak.

"Char."

Barry hears the cry of his injured friend and looks up to see the determined turquoise eye of his partner. They've done so much more than just train together, all of his best memories are with Charizard, he's Barry's best friend. And he's counting on Barry to make the right call.

He needs to help his pokemon win this. But to do that-

"Charizard, use Belly Drum!"

I raised an eyebrow at the risky move but didn't judge too much. They're losing pretty badly and if they can't turn this around then they're done. A move like Belly Drum was ideal for their situation.

But I wasn't just gonna stand idly by as they empower themselves.

"Rain Dance."

Sebastian nodded at my order and held his hands together which glowed an azure blue as a ball of water formed. He then let it go and it floated upwards so that it was on top of the battlefield.

Seeing this Barry gritted his teeth as rain began to downpour on both him and me with our pokemon getting wet in the process. Well Sebastian was wet but steam was leaking off Charizard's body as he beated his chest in order to finish powering up.

With Rain Dance around fire-type moves would be hindered but that wasn't the only reason I set up the rain. But I'll only be able to surprise him once.

But then again it might not be needed. After that Belly Drum Charizard started to pant as exhaustion set in from the downsides of such a suicidal move and I have no doubt that the weather wasn't exactly favouring his condition either.

Charizard panted as he stumbled around and the flame on his tail shrinked ever so slightly. That instantly made my anxiety shoot up. If a Charizard's tail flame goes out then it dies, usually this isn't a problem because their tail flame burns at such a high temperature that water and rain just don't really do much, but if their stamina is low enough then... well it's game over.

However despite the poor state his pokemon was in Barry actuallu found the strength to smile. Wait what is he-

Suddenly Charizard's eye slits like the dragon he is and his tail flame is once again ignited in the form of white hot flames. Oh is this-

"CHARRR!" The orange lizard roared mightily as fire seemed to lick his skin and suddenly he seemed to get a massive boost in power. The flames he was giving off created large amounts of steam and the area became covered in a thin mist because of it. It was like this really was an anime and this guy just went supersayan.

Blaze. It's the only explanation. I remember it very clearly because Ash's Infernape had an overpowered version of that ability and beat the shit out of Paul using it. Maybe his Charizard has something similiar to that.

Either way it was pretty bad for me.

Suddenly Barry didn't look so doom and gloom anymore as he screamed dramatically." Use FLAMETHROWER!"

Geez loud much.

The flames around Charizards body seemed to gather on his maw and an ultra hot stream of pure white flames were let loose and headed straight for Sebastian with the intention of dealing big damage.

"Block it with Stone Edge!"

With a lift of his arms the ground was morphed and a wall of stone spikes was put between Sebastian and the flames in order to by a little ti-

The stone seemed to glow white and melt for a second and just a moment later the Flamethrower broke through the wall of rock and hit Sebastian head on.

The attack caught us both off guard and Sebastian cried out in pain as the hot flames washed over him and he raised his arms to defend himself.

This time it was my turn to panic a little. That was some real power. To just melt through a Stone Edge like that was... awesome.

I grinned even as a mixture of sweat and rain leaked down my face. These guys are good.

"Sebastian! It's time to end this!"

He agreed with me and raises his arms and started to rush down the enemy with his arms raised to attack.

Barry frowned at that. Just one more attack would be enough to put Charizard down. No matter how strong he looks he's on his last legs so he has to do something.

"Charizard use Dragon Rush!"

Charizard leapt into the air and dragonic energy began to surround him as he rushed towards Sebastian at high speeds. With the Belly Drum boost from earlier that might just-

"Dig!"

The Nidoking reacted fast and started to dig a hole into the ground which he entered in order to avoid being hit. Charizard impacted the ground and caused it to shatter like glass. Still though the underground enemy remained unaffected.

Barry was racking his brain on what to do. He honestly doubted that Dragon Rush on its own would be enough to put Sebastian down, even with the Belly Drum boost, he needed more fire power. He only had one option.

"Charizard if he comes out then take him out with Flare Blitz!"

I was again caught off guard by the suicidal idea, he might want to beat me but I still have another pokemon even if he did manage to beat Sebastian. What is he thinking?

Still though the loyal dragon nodded as he stared at the hole intently as the rain continued to drench the battlefield.

The entire stadium was silent and the only thing that could be heard was the sound of raindrops hitting the ground. It was a heated moment. You could hear a pin drop. This next move would decide who wins this matchup.

I had nothing against this guy. He's clearly crafty since he used Blaze and Belly Drum like that in a clever way to damage me at last. But respect won't stop me from beating his ass. I didn't come all the way here to lose.

Sebastian finally jumped out of the hole and straight away dived up at Charizard with his arms outstretched to strike down his opponent.

I opened my eyes in fake worry and yelled." Sebastian! What are you doing?!" I did my best to fool Barry with my acting skills but on the inside I was smirking deviously.

Seeing an opening Barry yelled with desperation." DO IT NOW!"

Blue flames ignited over the Charizard's entire body as he roared and dived down with both speed and power. Seeing this made Barry smile. Charizard would win, it didn't matter how much stamina Sebastian had left, with both Blaze and Belly Drum he doubted that the Champion's ace could take a hit like that.

It was over. He'd wo-

As soon as Charizard made contact with Sebastian's body it... disappeared.

Both Charizard and Barry's eyes hardly had time to widen as a Nidoking- the real one- leaped out of the hole which was made with dig with his right fist glowing orange as a sign that he was using Mega Punch.

"NIDOKINGGG!" He screamed as he thrust his fist forward and landed a solid blow on Charizard's stomach.

Time seemed to slow down for Barry. They'd been tricked. It was a Substitute. Sebastian had hidden inside the hole and sent a fake out to bait them in so that he could finish them off. And he's went for it like a sucker.

"CHARIZARD!" He yelled with worry and concern as his friend was sent reeling back from that attack yet he still tried to rebalance himself in the air with immense difficulty.

Barry felt some small comfort at that. He wasn't out yet. That attack wasn't enough to finish him off plus Flare Blitz didn't land so he didn't receive any recoil.

There's still a cha-

"THUNDER!"

Sparks suddenly danced off the Nidoking's purple scales and with a mighty roar a massive lightning bolt appeared above Charizard and after a moment of the rain clouds crackling a large strike of lightning was dropped on Barry's trusty partner.

I personally felt a huge sense of relief as that Charizard finally dropped unconscious to the ground. That was a risky move, I'm honestly surprised that Rain Dance held out as long as it did. I set that move up in advance just in case that dragon managed to hang on and keep going. My hunch was right, he was too strong.

The entire stadium openly gaped at what just happened and Barry dropped to his knees just like his partner, in the misery and bitter taste of defeat.

"Erm... the winner is Asher Blight." The announcer said using the first sentence all night that wasn't a scream.

Nobody cheered me on.

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