Chapter 32: Be An Arrow
"I can't spot that contest stadium anywhere," Ash and Pikachu looked left and right.
"Where could it be?" May and Victini searched everywhere as they walked through the streets of Flocessy Town.
Cilan, Iris, and Axew were also anxious in their search; they were making no progress in locating the contest. The trouble they had spotting the contest stadium began to unease them, especially Ash, who was eager to see May make her big comeback. Minutes passed by as they desperately looked with no luck.
They all stopped and sighed, "What are we going to do now if we can't find the contest building," Iris said with a disappointed tone.
"This is starting to come out with very bland results," Cilan let out a deep breath of disappointment.
Ash, May, and the Pokémon also appeared very distressed, but Ash continued to look around with arms crossed. "May be we can ask someone where the contest is being held?" Ash suggested.
"We could try," May placed her finger on her chin and wondered if it'd work.
"I'll ask that guy," Ash spotted a teen around his age with red-orange hair.
The raven-haired teen rushed over to the person, "Wait up!" Iris yelled and the rest of the gang ran behind him. When Ash got closer to the stranger, he realized how oddly dressed he was and he even had a Pokéball necklace around his neck.
Ash tapped his shoulder so he'd turn around, "Umm excuse me. Do you know where the Flocessy Contest is being held at?"
The teenager turned around with a raised eyebrow, but Ash and the gang were even more shocked when they saw his face. This stranger bore an odd resemblance to Alder, from the Pokéball necklace right down to the hair. May, Iris, Cilan, and Ash all felt the urge to ask if there was any relation between Alder and him, but now wasn't the time for that.
"Contests…you've been misinformed friend, but no contests are held in this town," the wild-haired teen answered.
"What?!" the gang and the Pokémon shouted in surprise.
"Yeah, sorry to disappoint," the teen showed a sign of pity towards them.
May lowered her head and spoke with a saddened tone, "But Roxas told us there was a competition I could compete in here."
"Well there is a competition being held today at noon, I'm not sure if you guys would be interested though," the teenager informed them.
"What kind of competition?" Ash had a baffled expression and so did the others.
"Well, it's a very limited one because of how many competitors show up to participate. The competition is very strenuous with a very short break time, you're not allowed to switch Pokémon in your team once you register and 16 of the best battlers around tend to go against each other to win. The best way I can describe it is an all-out battle, no opportunity for healing your Pokémon, no lunch breaks, nothing, it's a test for battlers to put out all their skill at the maximum level. Not to mention that many people attend this competition yearly just to watch a good show," the teenager gave detail into the competition.
"But it still isn't a contest," May had a disappointed look when she responded.
"What's the prize anyway?" Iris questioned with interest.
"I was going to answer that right now, the reason why so many tough battlers compete is because of the competition's unique prize. You see, it struck a deal with the Pokémon League and Grand Festival officials that allowed them to give a badge or ribbon as prize to the winner. The badge and ribbon are valid for entry in any Pokémon League or Grand Festival around the world," the teen informed them.
"You're kidding!" Ash and May exclaimed because of the revelation.
"Nope, I'm entering the Tao Competition this year to win myself a badge. Although you should keep in mind, you can only choose between the Yin Badge and the Yang Ribbon," the boy told them.
"If this competition is as tough as you say it is and if the prize is a badge, then I'm entering," Ash made a fist and grinned confidently.
"So am I, I'm ready for some tough battling and I'm going to win myself a ribbon," May mimicked Ash and made a fist while smiling confidently, a bright fire heating up inside the two.
The teenager smirked, "Good, I'm looking forward to battling the two of you, both of you appear to be skilled trainers."
"You bet we are," Ash continued smiling confidently at his possible opponent.
"Where is this competition being held though?" Cilan inquired.
"I was heading there right now, if you want you can come with me," the boy told then, "By the way, my name is Benga," Benga finally introduced himself.
"My name is Ash and this is my pal Pikachu," Ash introduced himself and the mouse.
"Pika!" Pikachu greeted the boy.
"I'm May, nice to meet you," May saluted Benga.
"My name's Cilan," Cilan introduced himself to the teen.
"And I'm Iris and this is my friend Axew," Iris introduced herself and Axew.
"Ax ew axew," Axew waved hello to Benga.
Victini was forced to stay quiet while sitting on May's shoulder, the Victory Pokémon knew Benga was still a stranger and they weren't sure if they could trust him yet. For now, the Fire-type just gazed at the trainer with interest.
"We'd be happy to go with you," Ash accepted Benga's invitation.
"Great, follow me," Benga led the way as they walked through the humble streets of Flocessy Town, realizing not too many people were around.
"This place is rather empty, isn't Cilan?" Iris commented.
"Everyone must be at the competition," Cilan replied.
Meanwhile, Ash and May had another thing on their mind. May couldn't help but ask Benga what was pondering in her mind and approached him, "Benga, if you don't mind me asking, are you related to Alder, the Champion?"
"Yeah, I was wondering the same too," Ash added his interest in the conversation. Cilan, Iris, Pikachu, Victini, and Axew also listened for Benga's answer; they had all been wondering the same as well.
"Yeah, Alder is my gramps, that makes me his grandkid," Benga chuckled, expecting the gang to ask him that eventually.
"We thought as much," Iris had her suspicion finally confirmed.
"The resemblance is almost identical," Cilan stated.
"By the way, your grandpa wanted to tell you that he says 'hi', we ran into him at Virbank City," Ash remembered the favor they accepted from Alder.
Benga smiled, "That's nice, I hardly ever hear from gramps and rarely see him. As the champ he's always busy with responsibilities, but whenever I do see him, he trains with me. One day I hope to be as strong as him."
"That's a great goal, you'd be carrying down a tradition if you become champion," May pointed out.
The boy nodded, "I hope so." His gaze then turned to Cilan and Iris, who walked on his left side, "You know, I was thinking, you two should enter in the competition as well. Cilan, I know you're a gym leader so that'd make it interesting and Iris, I've heard rumors that we once trained under Drayden."
Iris and Cilan raised their eyebrows, they wondered about it for a minute until Ash stepped in, "Yeah, both of you would definitely make great opponents! I'd love to see just how strong the two of you have really gotten throughout our journey."
"It'd be a nice change of pace if you guys join us in the battling too, I feel like Ash and I get a little bit too much of the action at times," May insisted further.
"Pikapikachu," Pikachu added.
Victini wanted to join in the encouragement, but with the circumstances, that didn't seem likely. "Axew ew ax," Axew told Iris with confidence.
Iris looked at Axew and then turned to Ash and May with a confident smile, "Alright, we'll enter; Axew and I will enjoy this one."
"Count me in as well, it's been some time since I've had a real battle," Cilan agreed to sign up as well.
"Great, now that makes five who'll compete, I can't wait to battle against all those strong trainers," Ash spoke with confidence.
"I know winning that ribbon won't be easy with you guys competing, but I'll go all-out like if it were a contest," May commented, eager for a victory.
"Here, we are," Benga stopped and they stood in front of a large building that looked like a gray-colored coliseum with some large banners with the Tao symbol on them.
"It's big," Ash pointed out, analyzing its size.
"It's probably at least ten times the size of a football field," Cilan said with amazement.
"Let's go sign up!" May became eager to compete when she saw how big the building rushed and ran inside after grabbing Ash by the hand and pulling him.
"Slow down May!" Ash yelled and felt himself being pulled energetically by his loveable girlfriend.
"Pika pika," Pikachu held onto Ash's shoulder so he wouldn't fall as they ran.
"Vi v," Victini did the same as Pikachu with May's shoulder as they ran ahead of the gang.
"Are they always like that?" Benga looked at Iris and Cilan with a raised eyebrow.
"Most of the time," Iris sighed and then the group laughed at the couple's antics.
"All set and ready," Benga turned away from the counter and looked at the gang.
"Good, so I assume we just wait now," Cilan responded.
The teens all nodded, but their attention was suddenly caught by a familiar voice, "Look who it is."
They all turned around and saw Hilbert, Hilda, Bianca, and Trip. "You guys are here too!" Ash screamed with excitement, the action resembling that of a five-year-old and prompted Iris to call him a kid. Even Pikachu sighed at his trainer's attitude, agreeing with Iris on this one.
"It's great to see all of you again, how you been?" May smiled with happiness when she saw the familiar faces.
"We've been great, it's so nice to see Ash and his friends again," Bianca clasped her hands with happiness, focusing her gaze on Ash and May, remembering the last time they met was under terrible circumstances.
"Last time, everyone had given you up for dead," Trip commented with his usual serious voice.
"Except for you Trip," Hilbert sneered at his gray-eyed friend, his comment surprising Ash and May, since they hadn't known that Trip was one of the few who didn't believe they died.
"So, what are guys doing here?" Iris inquired.
"Isn't it obvious?" Trip spoke with a stern tone.
Hilda sighed and spoke, "Lighten up Trip, we're all friends here." She turned to the teens and answered, "We're here to compete too."
"Yep, Professor Juniper informed the four of us about the competition here so she recommended we come compete. She even guaranteed that you guys would all be here too, plus, she gave Bianca the day off to compete with us too," Hilbert explained to the Ash's gang.
"And I can't to compete against all of you; it's been so long since I've battled!" Bianca spoke enthusiastically.
"We can't wait to compete against all of you; this is going to be fun!" Ash made a fist of enthusiasm.
"By the way, this is our friend Benga, you might know him as Alder's grandson," Iris introduced their new friend.
"Hey there," Benga waved coolly at them.
"No way, you're related to the champ!" Hilda shouted with astonish.
"It's nice to meet you, Benga," Bianca greeted the champion's grandkid.
"I look forward to competing against you Benga," Hilbert shook hands with the wild-haired teen.
"So do I," Benga smiled at Hilbert.
"As Alder's grandkid, there's no doubt in my mind that you must be a worthy opponent, I also look forward to battling you," Trip beamed at Benga.
"Likewise," Benga grinned at Trip with confidence.
Ash looked at the exchange between Trip and Benga and whispered to May, "Why doesn't Trip act like that whenever we prepare to battle?"
"Because he's a stuck-up jerk," May whispered back and giggled.
Ash chuckled at May's comment, but then spoke, "I hope I get to battle him though, I want to show Trip just how strong I've gotten."
"I'm sure you'll show Trip one way or another how strong you are Ash, trust me," May winked and squeezed his hand in affection.
Pikachu and Victini also showed support for the boy by patting his back for confidence. "Thanks guys," Ash grinned at them.
"There's no question that I'm taking the gold today," Hilbert spoke confidently and stared at the ceiling.
"Don't get ahead of yourself Hilbert, if anyone is getting that badge it's me," Trip sneered at his friend.
"Forget the badge, the ribbon is what I'm after," Hilda blocked Trip's view.
"I'm taking that ribbon with me today," May blocked Hilda's view, smiling confidently.
"If anyone is winning, that'll be me," Ash shushed them up with his cocky tone.
"Guess we're the only ones entering this for the fun of it huh?" Bianca commented as she stood with Iris, Cilan, and Benga, who all embarrassed to see the other five argue like children.
The group continued to babble until something struck Hilda's mind, 'Wait guys, stop, let's cool down, there's something Hilbert and I have to ask Ash and May," the Unova brunette stated.
"What?" the pair asked simultaneously, confusion on their faces.
"I just realized, I haven't seen Victini anywhere, is it still traveling with you guys?" Hilda questioned.
Ash, May, Iris, Pikachu and Cilan's hairs stood up. They wondered if Hilda was aware that there were tons of strangers walking past them and Benga, who probably had no clue about anything, was around.
"Hilda, we can't walk about that now," May tried to be discreet as she spoke through her grinded teeth, looking uneasily at Benga, who had his eyebrows raised.
Benga chuckled and answered, "So you're the two trainers with the Victory Pokémon, my gramps told me about you two and the escapade you had with it. I never expected that it was both of you."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ash raised an eyebrow, slightly annoyed by Benga's remark.
"Wait, how did you know about this?" Cilan inquired the red-haired boy.
"Being part of the champion's family has its pros when it comes to knowing what happens behind the scenes," his response causing everyone to look at him with raised eyebrows, realizing that the teen was a bit bigheaded. Benga then smiled though, "Don't worry, you can trust me though, I wouldn't harm any Pokémon."
"Well, if that's the case, I guess we can answer what Hilda asked," May assumed.
"Do you still have him with you?" Bianca inquired.
"Yep, Victini, why don't you show them without having to reveal yourself," Ash turned to the Victory Pokémon who sat on May's shoulder.
Ash and May could feel that Victini was looking at the two of them with a feeling of uncertainty. "Don't be shy," May spoke to it sweetly.
"They're friends too," Ash encouraged Victini to approach their other friends. Victini turned to "mama and papa's" other friends, remembering Hilbert, Hilda, but unfamiliar with Bianca or Trip.
"Pikachu pikakachu," Pikachu placed his hand on Victini's shoulder and nodded at the Fire-type.
"Ti," Victini bobbed its head and flew to the others. Victini began to playfully tap Hilda, Hilbert, Trip and Bianca's shoulders, and then it started to lift Hilda's hair, "Tini victini," the Pokémon said with a friendly tone.
"Victini's not as shy as I remember, you've been training him so he'd open up to others," Hilbert commented.
"That's right," May and Ash answered simultaneously, smiling, proud of their little one.
From a distance, a figure in a brown cloak watched at the gang with interest. Suddenly, the announcer spoke, "Attention, contestants must appear the lounge in fifteen minutes in order to be informed of the match-up results, thank you." The figure and the gang then began to make their way to the lounge.
"Welcome, fellow competitors, I'm excited to be here with you today and serve as host for this year's Tao Competition," a Don George revealed himself to the competitors.
"Guess this Don George must be related to the one from Luxuria Town too," May said.
"I bet, I wonder how many other families have identical relatives," Ash wondered and then thought about a family of many Ash, the image making him chuckle.
Don George continued to speak, "The match ups are in, and before you are the results!" the moustache man pointed the screen behind him.
There was a beeping sound and suddenly, the black screen revealed a chart with the match ups. Hilbert, Hilda, and Bianca's eyes widened when they saw the screen. From left to right, the order of the matches was shown. The first match would be between Trip and Benga, and the two trainers smirked at each other when they noticed the result. Following them was Hilda and Hilbert, who couldn't believe they were set to battle against each other in the first round. Then would come Bianca's battle against Cilan, while Bianca seemed a bit nervous, Cilan merely smiled at her. After them was Iris going up against a guy named Jimmy Ray, and then Ash versus a man named Natural, but his profile picture was merely him with a brown hood on. Next was May versus a guy by the name of Dino. The other matches were a bunch of strangers who they weren't familiar with.
"The first competitors must present themselves in a few minutes, that will be it for now," Don George stated and then left.
Once he left, the gang eyed their opponents; May looked at her opponent and got annoyed when she saw the man winking at her. The brunette quickly turned her back against him and walked away with a "Humph, men."
Iris didn't care much for her opponent and just prepared herself with Axew, "We're going to win it, aren't we Axew?"
"Ew ew ax," Axew nodded.
Ash decided to approach his opponent, who leaned against the wall in the corner of the room. The raven-haired teen ignored the fact that he wore a cloak and greeted him, "Looks like we're going to be battling against each other. Let's make it a good one," Ash smiled at him.
Natural took a good look at Ash and walked away, leaving Ash without a response. Ash appeared confused and mumbled, "What's his problem?"
"Pika…" Pikachu felt he's seen the man somewhere before.
"I'm not very fond of my competitor either, one glance and he was already hitting on me," May approached Ash and Pikachu with the invisible Victini.
"My opponent wouldn't even talk to me," Ash said slightly annoyed.
"Looks like we'll have to teach them a lesson in the first round," May giggled.
"I'm right with you, there's no way we intend to lose," Ash spoke confidently.
"That's right," May replied with the same tone.
"We should be heading to our seats now, the first match is starting," Ash suggested.
"Let's go then," May grabbed Ash's hand, but unlike last time, she didn't pull him and they walked away happily and eagerly.
"Chandelure, time for battle!" Trip called out his Pokémon.
"Chand," the Ghost-type Pokémon presented itself.
"Looks like Trip's Lampent evolved, I wonder how strong it's gotten," Ash watched in the front row seat with the rest of his friends.
"Larvesta, let's play!" Benga threw his Pokéball.
"Laaaar," the Bug-type appeared.
"Who's that Pokémon?" May questioned and took out her Pokédex.
"Larvesta, the Torch Pokémon. A Larvesta shoots fire from its five horns to repel its enemies. They live at the base of volcanoes," the Pokédex informed.
"You're already at a disadvantage," Trip smirked.
"That's what you think," Benga smirked back, "Larvesta, Flame Wheel!"
"Chandelure, stand your ground," Trip remained calm.
"Why'd Benga decide to use a Fire-type move on a Fire Pokémon if it'll have no effect?" Iris questioned.
Cilan crossed his arms and spoke, "The attack is too useless against Chandelure, especially if its ability is Flash Fire. Benga might have something else in store."
Larvesta curled up and charged into a flaming wheel towards Chandelure while Trip did nothing. "Jump!" Benga commanded and the Flame Wheel shot upward at Chandelure. "Now, Acrobatics!" Benga ordered.
"What?" Trip gasped at his mistake.
"Looks like you were right Cilan," Hilda commented.
"Smart move by Benga," Hilbert smiled in admiration.
"Chandelure, dodge!" Trip shouted, but it was too late. Larvesta canceled out its Flame Wheel and charged full speed at Chandelure, landing a heavy hit on the Ghost-type. Larvesta then bashed against Chandelure multiple times with phenomenal pace, leaving behind two afterimages as it bashed against Chandelure with unbelievable force.
"You got too cocky in your ability, that's going to cost you the match," Benga chuckled.
Trip chuckled and spoke, "I'd expect nothing more from the champion's grandson. I can tell you've trained hard with him, but I have my own abilities as well. Chandelure, use Minimize!"
"Chan," Chandelure saw another strike from Larvesta coming at him, but suddenly, the Ghost-type shrunk and Larvesta missed his tiny target. Larvesta's lost control of its trajectory and crashed into the ground, squealing with pain.
"Shadow Ball!" Trip extended his arm forward. Chandelure then launched Shadow Ball and blasted it at a still down Larvesta, causing an explosion and even more dust rising up.
Benga gritted his teeth while the caster spoke, "Folks, we've seen very tactical moves from these two trainers and I must admit I'm impressed."
"Wow, that was some comeback," Bianca mentioned.
"Larvesta, reel in Chandelure with String Shot!" Benga commanded.
"Laaaar!" Larvesta obeyed and shot out the web, grabbing hold of Chandelure from its bottom part.
"Chandelure, stop that little bug with a Shadow Ball!" Trip yelled.
"Lure!" Chandelure released a powerful Shadow Ball.
"Larvesta, when Shadow Ball gets close enough, pull yourself up with the String Shot and use Wild Charge!" Benga instructed.
Larvesta revealed itself among the dust and launched itself towards Chandelure, releasing the String Shot. It aimed towards Shadow Ball and its body became enveloped in electricity.
"Veeesta!" Larvesta bashed against the Shadow Ball head on.
Trip smirked at the impact, believing his attack successfully stopped his opponent. All of a sudden though, he saw Larvesta shoot out from the midair dust cloud and still charging, "Impossible!" Trip gasped.
"Go!" Benga yelled and Larvesta bashed at Chandelure full force, sending it crashing to the ground with sparks coursing its body.
"Chand…lure," the Pokémon lied on the ground with swirl eyes.
Larvesta dropped to the ground with satisfaction, having triumphed against a considerably powerful and skillful opponent. "Chandelure is unable to battle, Larvesta is the winner!" Don George announced.
"There's our first winner of the match everyone, no surprise, that is the champ's grandkid, please applaud for Benga!" the caster declared.
"Chandelure, return!" Trip recalled his Pokémon.
"Larvesta, come back, you did terrific," Benga returned his Pokémon.
Benga looked at Trip and spoke sternly, "You let overconfidence defeat you Trip, but showed a lot of ability and power during our battle. I hope we battle again soon and you're even stronger."
Trip chuckled and responded, "I enjoyed this battle and it's showed me how much I still have to train. Next time I will win though," the gray-eyed teen smiled and walked away.
"Wow, Trip lost," May said in disbelief, not expecting Benga to defeat one of Ash's toughest rivals.
"Like Benga said, if Trip hadn't been so cocky, he most likely would've won" Cilan placed his fist under his chin.
"May be it'll teach him a lesson for being so harsh towards Ash," Iris smiled, happy over the result.
"Trip shouldn't have been so arrogant, from the start he thought he had things under control, he had forgotten who he was battling against," Hilbert sighed in disappointment.
"That's Trip though, our cocky friend as usual," Hilda seemed a bit bummed over the result.
Bianca smiled and spoke, "In Trip's next battle, he'll do better, I'm sure of it."
"Trip, where are you going to go now?" Ash had been waiting with Pikachu in the lounge for Trip.
"That's no concern of yours," Trip responded as he walked past him to the exit.
"I was really looking forward to battle against you," Ash commented.
"I'd prefer Benga as my opponent any day instead of someone from the boonies. Now if you'll excuse me, I have training and battles to win," Trip said as he exited the room.
Ash frowned and spoke, "That guy get's on my nerves at times."
"Pikapi chu," Pikachu told Ash to drop it.
The auburn-eyed teen smiled and nodded, "You're right pal. I shouldn't let it get to my head. My battle with Trip will come soon and there's no doubt I'll win," he said confidently.
"Hilda, are you sure you don't want to forfeit? My Zebstrika is stronger than it looks," Hilbert gave her a sly smile.
"No way Hilbert, remember who won last time," Hilda taunted to him while standing behind her Jellicent.
"That will change," Hilbert smirked, just because I like you doesn't mean I'll let you beat me.
I won't let my feelings get between me and victory Hilbert, I just won't. "Jellicent, use Water Pulse!"
"Zebstrika, counter it with Thunderbolt!" Hilbert extended his arm forward.
"Zeeeeeb!" Zebstrika cried out and released the powerful lightning bolt.
"Jellicent, harden Water Pulse with Icy Wind," Hilda smirked.
"Jeeell," Jellicent blew out a powerful cold wind that froze Water Pulse, creating a large moving ice ball.
The Thunderbolt came into contact with the ice ball, but it had no effect and combination attack hit Zebstrika head on. "Striiiii," Zebstrika cried out in pain as it flew backwards.
"Zebstrika!" Hilbert shouted and gritted his teeth.
"Folks what we just saw was combination attack overpowering Thunderbolt. At first I thought Hilbert had hit the nail, but looks like Hilda is in control now," the caster informed.
"That was an amazing strategy, I would've never expected that," May had her eyes wide while Victini stared at her. He understood that Hilda was her rival, so May did have a reason to be surprised at the strategy.
"Me neither, Hilda is really on her game," Ash commented.
"By turning Water Pulse into an ice ball and the ice serving as armor, a special attack like Thunderbolt would certainly be helpless against that type of defensive maneuver," Benga stated while everyone including Cilan nodded in agreement.
Zebstrika was back on its feet and ready to battle, "Zebstrika, we can still win, use Agility fast!" Hilbert commanded.
"Freeze the field," Hilda smirked.
"Jellicent," the Pokémon obeyed and call up a powerful Blizzard. The Blizzard began to freeze the battlefield in an attempt to stop Zebstrika's movement.
"This isn't good for Hilbert, Zebstrika is going to lose balance," Iris said with nervousness.
"May be not…" Bianca pointed out something odd.
As slippery as ice was, Zebstrika continued to run without losing balance once; it still had control over itself. "No way, how are you doing that?" Hilda's eyes widened.
Hilbert chuckled and spoke, "I've trained Zebstrika to run on slippery grounds, and honestly it's a very predictable tactic when it comes to stopping speedy Pokémon. Now Zebstrika, Wild Spark!"
"Wild Spark?" the gang and Hilda said at the same time. The audience became confused as to what Hilbert met, but they were just about to find out.
"I've learned a bit from your combination attacks and came up with my own, it's a mix of Spark and Wild Charge. Wild Spark should do the damage of a combined Wild Charge and Spark once it hits Jellicent. "Zeeebstriiiiikaaaa!" the zebra-like Pokémon cried out and had blue and yellow electricity coursing through it.
Hilda felt her victory slipped away and ordered one last move as comeback, "Jellicent, stop Zebstrika with Hydro Pump!"
"Jelliiiiiii!" Jellicent unleashed the powerful thick pressurized water attack at Zebstrika.
"Swerve it!" Hilbert commanded. Zebstrika used the ice to its advantage and slid away from harm's way, "Now, full power!" the Unova brunette male instructed.
Zebstrika cried out a neigh and hit Jellicent with all its power. The impact caused a deadly explosion between Jellicent and Zebstrika, with Jellicent flying out of the cloud of smoke and crashing against the wall. "Cent…" the Water-type moaned in an attempt to get up as blue and yellow sparks enveloped it, but the jellyfish-like Pokémon couldn't go any further and dropped.
"Jellicent is no longer able to battle, our winner is Zebstrika!" Don George proclaimed.
"Yet another strategic battle, recovering with great power, Hilbert and Zebstrika used the power of Wild Spark to win the match, extraordinary!" the caster spoke with an excited tone.
"Jellicent, you did great, now get some rest," Hilda returned her Water-type.
"Zebstrika, good job, now relax," Hilbert recalled his Pokémon, who let out a neigh as a victory cheer right before the red beam struck him.
Hilda appeared disappointed over her loss, but Hilbert walked over to her and lifted her head his hand, "You did great Hilda," the boy spoke with a soft tone.
The brunette blushed because of his touch and smiled, "Thanks Hilbert, you've gotten a lot stronger, you earned that victory."
"I couldn't have gotten stronger without your encouragement," Hilbert smiled and the two hugged, getting cheers from the audience.
"Aren't they cute?" Iris clasped her hands and her eyes glistened.
"They should definitely become a couple," May smiled as she admired the sweet exchange between the two friends.
"A very sweet ending for this match," Cilan grinned.
"Was anyone else impressed by the Wild Spark combination, that move was really something else. I can already tell Hilbert's gotten a lot stronger since our last battle!" Ash commented excitedly, fascinated by his rival's increased skill. In response to Ash's comment though, his friends and May cringed with Cilan and Iris falling back.
Benga and Bianca chuckled while May sighed, hanging her head low, "Some things will never change."
"Pika pikachu chu," Pikachu face palmed himself, as usual, everyone except his trainer seemed to be interested in love and all its wonders.
"Was it something I said?" Ash looked in confusion, wondering why they all seemed so down. He looked down at Victini, who seemed as confused as him,
"Victini tini," the Pokémon wondered, but the little one got excused since it was too young to understand that stuff.
"Emboar, use Scald!" Bianca commanded.
"Dwebble, use Protect!" Cilan instructed.
"Boooaaar!" Emboar unleashed the boiling hot water, but Dwebble's barrier protected it from the powerful move.
"Cilan and Bianca are doing really well huh?" May watched with interest.
"Of course, Cilan is a gym leader so he's got a lot skill and Bianca has years of experience as well," Iris stated.
"I wonder who'll win, it's been over ten minutes and none of them is still giving in," Ash said.
"If you ask me, Bianca is slowly getting the upper hand, Dwebble is completely tired out," Benga stated.
"But shouldn't Emboar get tired as well?" Hilda inquired.
"Emboar is also tiring out, but look at the odds, Bianca has raised that Emboar really well. It's strong, fast, and has incredible stamina, Cilan won't be able to keep up eventually," Hilbert pointed out.
"Dwebble, use Shell Smash and then follow it up with Rock Slide!" Cilan pointed at Emboar.
"Dwebble dweb," Dwebble jumped out of its shell and became enveloped in white energy. All of a sudden, red cracks appeared on its body and the white energy burst into cracked pieces of a shell while Dwebble's body began glow hot red.
"Dweeebblllleee!" the Rock-type cried out and unleashed a shower of rocks from above Emboar with the white energy shells charging at the rock slide and enveloping the showering rock barrage,
Bianca smiled and spoke, "That's a clever move Cilan, but not enough to stop Emboar. Emboar, let's use Superpower!"
"Eeeemmm!" the fire pig nodded and flexed its muscles as much as he could until he became enveloped in a light blue aura. "Boar!" the Pokémon shot up and took the Rock Slide head on, each rock cracking on contact while Emboar suffered no damage.
"That's incredible!" Ash gasped when he saw Emboar take on a powered up Rock Slide.
"Emboar isn't even recoiling a bit from that attack," May's eyes widened.
"It's over," Benga commented.
"I've tried everything, there's no use, even with Shell Smash," Cilan mumbled and gritted his teeth.
Once Emboar had completely wiped out Rock Slide, Bianca made her final command, "End this with Scald!"
"Dwebble, Protect!" Cilan ordered.
Dwebble remained in disbelief after seeing what happened and prepared to use Protect. The green barrier began to protect it, but a second later it completely faded.
"What's wrong, why did the barrier cancel?" Iris sweated from the intensity.
"Dwebble has no energy for Protect, it has no way of protecting itself," Hilbert stated as he waited for the final outcome.
"Emboooaaar!" the pig cried out and released the stream of boiling water. The attack hit Dwebble with all its might and sent the Bug-type flying.
Emboar dropped from mid air and huffed out smoke from its nostrils. "Dwebble!" Cilan cried out. Dwebble flew in the air and then dropped on the ground like a stone.
"Dwebble is unable to battle, the victory goes to Emboar!" Don George shouted.
"Unbelievable, I have to be honest everyone, this has to be the greatest tournament the Tao Competition has held yet. We've seen astounding trainers up until now and what we saw was a highly powerful Rock Slide get easily demolished by Emboar's formidable Superpower. What a show!" the caster stated.
"Dwebble you did perfect, rest now," Cilan smiled at his Pokéball and put it away.
"Thanks Emboar, you were great," Bianca returned her Pokémon.
"Bianca, thank you for a spicy and delicious fight, I haven't had a battle so exhilarating in a while," Cilan complimented his opponent.
"You really gave me a fight Cilan, thanks for battling me," Bianca smiled at him.
Scolipede walked around aimlessly with heart-shaped eyes while Emolga hovered above it laughing. "Scolipede, snap out of it and show them we're no joke, use Poison Sting!" Iris's opponent, Emmanuel commanded.
"Sco," Scolipede ignored Emmanuel and continued to walk around aimlessly.
"Let's end this Emolga, use Aerial Ace!" Iris pointed at Scolipede.
"Emo!" Emolga stopped its laughing and braced itself.
"Scolipede, Poison Sting!" Emmanuel ordered, but nothing happened.
"Eeeeeemooooo!" Emolga charged at its greatest speed and bashed against Scolipede, sending it crashing against the ground unconscious.
"Guess that's that," Iris said while Emolga got on her shoulder and winked at the audience.
"That trainer didn't even have a chance," Ash said, amazed by Iris's swift victory.
"To begin with Emolga is much faster than Scolipede, so it had the advantage in that," Cilan stated.
"Then with that Attract, it was all over," Benga added.
"A couple of Aerial Aces and Scolipede struck out of the park," Hilda finished the statement.
"Iris's Emolga is really tough, it's the first time I see it battle like this," May watched with Victini on her lap.
"Axew axew!" Axew cheered for her trainer's victory.
"Guess I am up next," Ash stood up and prepared to battle his mysterious opponent.
As usual remember to REVIEW, PM, or WHATEVER, FEEDBACK IS ALWAYS WELCOMED lol. Anyways, you can obviously tell I drew inspiration from the Club Battle arc in the Best Wishes series. I hope you enjoyed this first chapter, keep in mind I'm making the battles not worth describing very brief and not waste time. Believe it or not, this was going to be a monstrous chapter, it was going to be the longest one yet, but I thought it was better if I just split them into four parts so it's easier to get around. There's one thing all of you are going to enjoy reading from this useless bold paragraph. Beginning with tomorrow, I'm going to upload a chapter early in the morning between 10 and 11 am (Eastern Time) until Thursday. And now here's the bad news, I'm traveling for a month or so because of vacation and I don't know if I'll be able to work on this story, if I can I will, but this daily upload schedule is my parting gift to you until I return. I hope the next chapters won't disappoint you and once again I hope you enjoyed this chapter. So TOMORROW, make sure to get on and check out the next chapter, till next time!