THE POKENINJA, ADVENTURES OF THE MAELSTROM POKEMON
"Normal speech"
"Tailed Beast speech"
Pokémon attack names
'Inner thoughts'
"Translated Pokémon speech"
'Translated Pokémon thoughts'
[PokéDex Entry]
Chapter 33: Put up them Dukes
"So, is this where the Clubsplosion tournament is going to be held?" asked Ash as he looked ahead to see a large stadium and a long queue of Pokémon Trainers lined up at a registration table.
"That's right, and I can't wait to take part in it," someone replied, revealing to be Stephan was in the company of Ash and co, he wasn't the only one as Bianca was also with them since she's going to participate in the tournament.
To get a better understanding of things, it had been a couple of days since Ash's victory at the Mistralton gym. They ran into Stephan and later Bianca with the former telling them about the Wishing Bell festival where participants would have to compete in certain trials in order to earn the right to ring the bell at the top of Mistralton Tower which is said that anyone who rings the bell will have their wish come true.
Sure enough, they all took part and had fun but in the end; it was Stephan who won the festival to ring the bell. Oddly enough, the Litwick he was holding was a real one instead of a replica. That was when they learnt of the Clubplosion tournament and decided to partake in it as well.
As they approached the end of the queue, the group also saw someone familiar to all of them and Ash called out to them.
"Hey Trip, I didn't know you were taking part in the Clubsplosion too," said Ash.
The aforementioned person turned towards them with a look of indifference "Of course I am, wasn't expecting you to do so as well,"
"So, which Pokémon will you be entering with?" asked Bianca curiously.
"This one…," Trip brought out a PokéBall to call on a Pokémon for them to see. This Pokémon bears similar appearance to that of Gurdurr but has a more hulking physique and wields a pair of stone columns in both hands.
"Who's that Pokémon?" Ash took out his PokéDex to scan it.
[Conkledurr; the Muscular Pokémon and the evolved form of Gurdurr. Conkledurr uses concrete pillars like canes, tossing them with ease]
"Your Gurdurr must have evolved since the last time we saw it," said Cilan thoughtfully.
"Evolving your Pokémon is basic stuff," said Trip, looking pointedly at Ash which irritated him but a tap on his leg from one of Naruto's tails and Pikachu squeezing his shoulder calmed him.
"A bunch of trainers use fighting type Pokémon, so the Clubsplosion is famous for serious hand-to-hand combat," Stephan explained.
"So that means fighting type Pokémon are recommended to participate," said Ash, getting an idea of what the tournament is all about.
Trip quirked an eyebrow "You came here without knowing that? I'd expect no less from someone from the boonies,"
Naruto frowned at this "Need I remind you that you only won once and since then didn't get any more wins over that very person you claim is from the boonies,"
"Ouch, what a comeback," Iris commented.
"We'll see if I can't change that," Trip recalled Conkledurr into his PokéBall then returned to the line which had moved a bit.
"Speaking of which; what Pokémon will you be using for the Clubsplosion?" asked Stephan.
"Hmmm, let's see…," Ash hummed in thought.
"You better not be using Scraggy or I'm gonna whack you with my tails," said Naruto seriously.
Ash was confused by Naruto's interjection "Why not?"
Cilan was the one to explain "Think about it Ash, Scraggy is still young and isn't ready for something like this tournament which will obviously have strong and experienced fighting type Pokémon in it. Your choice might end up doing more harm than good,"
"How about Naruto since he can use his Combo Mode," Iris suggested.
Naruto shook his head in refusal "I'm gonna have to pass on this, I already took part in a gym battle. Why not let your older Pokémon participate?"
"But I have Mienfoo," Ash pointed out.
"True, but remember that Cilan mentioned about powerful Pokémon so you need match that power. No doubt that your old Pokémon are just raring to take part in a Pokémon battle again," Naruto explained.
"He's right, Ash. I'm sure they really miss battling with you," Even Pikachu was in agreement, recalling the looks of happiness when Ash used Buizel and the others in his previous Pokémon battles. No doubt they have already the others who are waiting with excitement to be called on.
Seeing that even Pikachu was in agreement, Ash finally relented and began thinking of who to bring in. He knows that it has to be to be a fighting type and three besides Naruto, Scraggy and Mienfoo come to mind and he finalized on his choice with a finger snap.
"I know who to use, just need to call Professor Oak to send him to me!" said Ash excitedly.
"Who?" asked Iris curiously.
"That's a secret, just need to register first,"
The group had also run into familiar faces such as Georgia and Burgundy who are also participating in the tournament. Later on, Ash and the gang along with the trainers who registered for the tournament entered the stadium, passing through a corridor until arriving at the end where the battlefield was laid out before them and they could see many spectators cheering out loud for them.
"Hello Clubsplosion fans of all ages, I welcome you all to what should be expected as one of the most unforgettable events in the entire Unova region. I'd like to present Don George, the manager and host of the Clubsplosion!" the announcer declared.
Don George stepped forward with a wireless microphone in hand "Thank you, it's time for the Clubsplosion and our winner of this event gets to go home with a one-year supply of all six Pokémon vitamin drinks; HP Up, Calcium, Zinc, Carbo, Protein and Iron which are guaranteed to increase their potential and improve their qualities!"
"Whoa, are they like the feathers we won back at Nimbasa City?" asked Naruto.
"Sounds like it, let's win this one too!" said Ash confidently.
"With you all the way!" said Pikachu.
Don George continued "I wish the competitors good luck and proud to announce that the Clubsplosion tournament begins now!"
The crowd cheered loudly as fireworks exploded in the air above the stadium.
Then the announcer spoke up "Alright ladies and gentlemen pay attention to the big screen as we're about to reveal the club battle first round matchups!"
Everyone looked up to the giant TV above as it began to display the images of the trainers meant to battle each other and they were:
1st Match: Steffen vs. Edmund
2nd Match: Flora vs. Cilan
3rd Match: Angus vs. Ash
4th Match: Burgundy vs. Iris
5th Match: Betty vs. Getty
6th Match: Gail vs. Georgia
7th Match: Montgomery vs. Delbert
8th Match: Trip vs. Bianca
Many of the competitors nodded in affirmation while a few others weren't satisfied, Stephan complained that they got his name wrong, Iris found Burgundy's eccentricity to be a bit of a pain, Georgia complained about not facing Iris like always, Trip was underestimating Bianca which annoyed her.
"I'm Freddy De Scoop and I'll be calling the play-by-play action alongside my host Don George!" said the announcer eagerly with Don George sitting next to him at the commentator's booth.
"And we shall begin the first battle of the tournament which is between Steffen and Edmond," said Don George.
Right as the battle was about to begin, dark clouds suddenly loomed over the stadium and began to rain much to everyone's confusion. Apparently, Edmund had something to do with that since he bore the title 'The Rain Man' and he called upon his Seismitoad which is the evolved form of Palpitoad while Stephan went with Sawk which seemed to have caught Montgomery's attention when he was being nonchalant about the entire tournament. Things were difficult for Stephan at first when Seismitoad revealed its great speed despite its size before realizing that it was due to its ability Swift Swim which activates during a rainy weather, then he counters that ability by having Sawk use Low Sweep which reduces the target's speed. With this, the battle was his as he had Sawk use Bulk Up and finish off Seismitoad with Close Combat.
"Congrats Steffen, you did great!" said Ash, happy to see one of his friends win a battle.
Stephan dropped in depression "Why is everyone getting my name wrong?"
"I'm quite impressed with how in sync you are with Sawk, it's much improved compared to the last time we saw you battle," said Cilan which seemed to have cheered the guy up.
"Of course, Sawk and I have been training super hard since then. in the blazing heat, the freezing cold and even in the raging winds and heavy rain! It's no surprise that we've gotten stronger, I mean check out the muscles!" Sawk flexed said muscles for the others to see.
'Man, Bushy Brows and Bushier Brows-sensei would love these guys,' thought Naruto.
"I wouldn't recommend it, they might persuade him to put on that jumpsuit of theirs," Kurama interjected.
'Did you have to put that disturbing image into my head?'
They were all disrupted when someone called out to them "If you think that way, then you won't go as far as round two," they turned to see Montgomery who was looking at them with indifference while holding a PokéBall.
"Who are you to diss Sawk like that?!" Stephan demanded angrily.
Montgomery scoffed "Before you go thinking that Sawk's the best, you need to beat my Pokémon first…," he opened the PokéBall to reveal Pokémon who appears similar to Sawk but shorter with a hulking figure and red skin.
"Whoa, who's this?" Ash took out his PokéDex to scan the new Pokémon.
[Throh, the Judo Pokémon. When it encounters a foe bigger than itself, it wants to throw it. It changes belts as it gets stronger]
"As you heard, you don't want to ger thrown by Throh so you better watch your step," said Montgomery before walking away with Throh following him as he purposely bumped Sawk aside while walking past him, angering Sawk and he was about to retaliate when Stephan stopped him.
"Don't do it, Sawk. Save it for when we face each other on the battlefield," said Stephan sternly even though he was also angered.
Naruto watched the two leave with narrowed eyes "You better be careful when facing him, I suspect that he's not simply bragging cause what I'm sensing from his Throh means that he can back up his talk,"
"That gives us even more of a reason to fight him," said Stephan with Sawk clenching his fists in determination to prove his new rival wrong.
Afterwards, the second match commenced between Cilan and Floria. The battle was evened out between the two with Floria trying to gain the upper hand with her Gothorita but Cilan proved that there's a reason why he was a gym leader as well as a Pokémon connoisseur as he had Pansage regain the edge and defeat Gothorita with a powerful Solar Beam to advance to the second round of the Clubsplosion tournament.
"And now for the third match, Angus versus Ash!" said the announcer as the screen displayed the next matchup.
Ash stood alone at the battlefield, facing his opponent while Naruto and Pikachu had to remain behind with the others at the competitors stand.
"Did Ash tell you who he'll be using?" asked Iris.
Naruto shook his head in response "Nope, plus I told him not to since I want to see who he chose by himself,"
"I can't wait to see one of my friends again!" said Pikachu happily.
Back on the battlefield, Angus wore the clothes of a stereotypical greaser with a rather stylish pompadour which he used a steel comb to keep it brushed up "Alright kid, better give it your all in this battle,"
Ash smiled in response "I intend to do just that!"
"Alright then, Simisage! You're up!" Angus tossed a PokéBall to call on a Pokémon who appears to be the evolved form of Pansage.
Ash took out his own Pokéball "Come on out, buddy!"
It opened up to reveal a primate like Pokémon similar to Simisage except it's mostly reddish-brown with sections of white fur on his chest, head and lower legs. Several gold markings adorn his body; swirled circular ones on his knees and shoulders, flame-shaped ones on the back of his hands, and a stripe around his back that forms two swirls on his chest. On top of his head is a large flame which is never extinguished and brown tail is also present as it sways to and fro.
The Pokémon pounded his fists against his chest whilst releasing a battle cry, stunning the audience and everyone else.
"Oh my goodness, that's an Infernape!" said Cilan in shock and awe.
"Isn't that a Pokémon from the Sinnoh region?" asked Burgundy in confusion, wondering just how did Ash come into possession when she knows that he came from Kanto.
"Well, he used a Torterra against Clay. I'm starting to wonder if he has a dragon type too," said Iris thoughtfully.
Ash soon found himself being hugged by the joyful Infernape, showing just how much he missed him "Good to see you too, Infernape. How about we finish this battle first then we can catch up?"
"Right!" Infernape eagerly went back to the battlefield with a gleam in his eyes which unsettled both Angus and Simisage.
"Well, isn't this a treat for the eyes. Seeing a Pokémon from the Sinnoh region and having it battle here in the Clubsplosion," said the announcer.
Don George nodded in agreement "Not to mention that it's one of the three starters with its final evolution being both a Fire and Fighting type, can't wait to see what it can do,"
Music Start: Pokémon Black; Battle! Trainer
"Alright Simisage, use Shadow Claw!" Angus commanded, Simisage rushed towards Infernape with both hands enshrouded in dark energy shaped as claws.
"Infernape, intercept with Mach Punch!" Ash called out, Infernape's hands glowed with white aura then he leaned forward before suddenly reappearing before Simisage and punching him right in the face before the grass type could even react and was sent flying back "Now use Flamethrower!" he followed up by breathing a stream of red flames towards his opponent.
Angus panicked a bit "Quick, get out of the way!" Simisage barely recovered in time to leap into the air to evade the flames "Great, fight back by using Seed Bomb!" the grass type concentrated before launching a barrage of hard-shell seeds towards Infernape.
"Dodge it by using Dig!" Ash commanded, Infernape wasted no time and immediately burrowed underground, completely avoiding the attack.
"Rats, he could come out from anywhere," Angus and Simisage looked around for their opponent. However, Infernape burst out from the ground and sent Simisage flying with an uppercut "Grr, need to slow him down. Simisage, use Low Sweep!"
Recalling Stephan's Sawk using that move and its effect, Ash called out to Infernape "Dodge it, he intends to slow you down!" Infernape's eyes narrowed in focus as Simisage rushed at him and aimed a kick at his legs then darted backwards to avoid.
"Keep using Low Sweep, don't let him get away!" Angus commanded, Simisage complied and continued to launch one kick after another while trying to land a hit with Infernape proving to be quite skill in evasion.
"Those two are wasting both time and energy in trying to get a hit on Infernape," said Naruto.
"What do you mean by that?" asked Bianca confusedly.
"Seeing Infernape use Mach Punch tells me that he excels in terms of speed and is much faster than Simisage," Naruto explained.
Burgundy scoffed "You're just being biased because he's a Pokémon belonging to your trainer,"
Naruto glared at her "I call it how I see it; no bias is involved. Keep watching and you'll see what I mean,"
Ash remained silent, watching Infernape continue to evade Simisage's consecutive Low Sweep attacks and could tell that both it and Angus were becoming frustrated, that's when he made his move "Surprise me, Infernape!"
Hearing Ash's words and realizing what he meant, Infernape smiled widely as he rapidly went on the offensive with his fists covered in flames then he proceeded to pummel Simisage intensely with fiery punches at bulletlike speeds.
"Whoa, look at the speed of those Fire Punches! Ash's Infernape is making Simisage into his personal speedbag!" the announcer exclaimed in surprise.
Don George narrowed his eyes at the spectacle "Such speed and power could only be the result of intense training, the other trainers better watch themselves should they face him," the fact that he's warning the other competitors when this is just the second match is enough to surprise everyone.
Naruto turned towards Burgundy with a smug look "Still think I was being biased?"
"…hmph," she turned away with a huff, not having anything to say.
"…," Trip on the other hand watch with intensity, this trainer who was supposed to be from the boonies actually had powerful Pokémon and yet he hardly used them? Were all those previous battles just mere trifles to him?
Angus gritted his teeth, seeing his Pokémon being beaten "Simisage, use Giga Impact and turn this all around!" Simisage complied, jumping backwards then charged forward while releasing purple and yellow energy from its body.
"Time for an old move, Flare Blitz!" Ash commanded, Infernape smirked in nostalgia as he cloaked his entire body in flames so intense that they turned blue instead of the usual red.
Both sides clashed in the middle and struggled for dominance only for a moment but Simisage was overwhelmed by Infernape and collapsed to the ground with swirls in its eyes.
"No, Simisage!" Angus cried out in shock at what just happened.
"Simisage is unable to battle, Infernape wins. Therefore, the victor of the match is Ash!" the referee declared, this led to the spectators cheering loudly for Ash and Infernape.
Music End
Ash ran out to Infernape "Way to go, Infernape! You've definitely gotten a lot stronger!"
Infernape turned and grinned at Ash "Of course, expect no less from me!" they exchanged a high five before returning to the others.
"Man, you never told me that you had such a strong Pokémon like him. I'd better watch out for you out there," said Stephan, Sawk looked at Infernape and could sense the power emanating from him which made him want to cross fists with him besides Throh.
"I got Infernape during my Sinnoh journey, we've always had each other's backs since then," Ash explained.
"I can just taste the delicious harmony between the two of you, it's quite similar to the bond between you and Pikachu!" Cilan exclaimed.
"Hmph, says you," Burgundy grumbled.
Infernape was a bit weirded out by Cilan's behavior and turned to Pikachu "I guess he's as odd as Brock when he goes gaga for pretty girls?"
Pikachu nodded "In his own way, yeah,"
Naruto spoke up "It's nice to meet you, the name's Naruto but my species name is Tokala,"
"I've heard about you from Floatzel and the others, you've been helping Ash out and even convinced him to bring us in for battles,"
"No problem, just needed to bring his attention to certain things like these. How about a spar later on after this?"
Infernape nodded eagerly "Looking forward to that, I can tell you're pretty strong if Professor Oak willingly created a slot for you,"
"Sure thing,"
The next battle was underway between Burgundy who chose her starter Pokémon Dewott and Iris going with her Excadrill.
Burgundy began the battle by having Dewott use Ice Beam which Excadrill defended with his claws but then he wasn't prepared when Dewott attacked with Water Pulse that landed a super effective hit on him. Burgundy tried to follow up with a Razor Shell but Iris had Excadrill defend himself with Focus Blast then used Drill Run. Dewott tried to defend with its dual scalchops but was pushed back and disarmed of them. Not wanting to waste such an opportunity, Iris eagerly commanded for Excadrill to attack with Metal Claw but the odd thing was that Burgundy wasn't calling for a counter and rather let Dewott take the hits. The reason was soon revealed when she commanded Dewott to use Revenge which damaged Excadrill greatly, Dewott tried to finish things with Razor Shell but Excadrill deflected the attack with Drill Run. Not wanting to lose, Burgundy called for an Ice Beam and Iris went for Focus Blast with the latter managing to overwhelm the former then damaging Dewott. Iris had Excadrill attack with Dig then finish with Drill Run, earning the victory and moving on to the next round.
Don George stepped onto the battlefield to make an announcement "And with this, we have four competitors advance to the next round. We'll resume the second half of the first round matches in the afternoon. Until then, make your way to the Pokémon Center to rest your Pokémon and have lunch, you've all earned it!"
With that said, the group made their way to the Pokémon Center and had their lunch. Infernape remained out of his PokéBall to eat with them and found Cilan's cooking to be just as good as Brock's which was rather surprising but no unwelcome. During the time, he was chatting with Naruto and Pikachu with the two telling him about Scraggy and Mienfoo being fighting types like him which caught his interest and wanting to meet them.
"So Ash, how did you get Infernape?" asked Bianca curiously.
"Well, Infernape used to belong to another trainer when he was a Chimchar but he wasn't treated all that well and was even released because he didn't meet his expectations," Ash explained.
Cilan frowned "Just from hearing this, I can tell a great sense of disharmony between them,"
"That's saying something, Cilan. I didn't hesitate to take him into my team and since then Infernape has been helping me win major battles including the Gym Battles. We eventually faced his previous trainer in the league battles and we defeated him, it was a great moment for Infernape and I," Ash smiled at Infernape who smiled back at him.
"Hmph, I bet that guy's regretted ever releasing Infernape. It just shows that he didn't realize what he could become," said Iris.
While they were talking, Trip was passing by with a tray of food in his hands. Ash took notice and called out to him "Hey Trip, are you almost done eating? Are you preparing to battle Bianca?"
"Instead of being concern about me, why don't you be concerned about yourself?" Trip retorted, glaring at him and Infernape who quirked an eyebrow at his attitude before walking away.
"What's with him?" asked Infernape.
"Let's just say he thinks he knows everything and keeps calling Ash a trainer from the boonies," Pikachu explained.
"In other words, a total jerk,"
"Hit the nail on the head for that one," said Naruto.
Ash called out to them "Okay guys, time for a post lunch spar plus I want to introduce Infernape to some new friends,"
Afterwards, Ash went out to the battlefield at the back of the Pokémon Center with Naruto, Pikachu and Infernape. He called on Mienfoo and Scraggy to meet Infernape.
Mienfoo put her hands together and bowed in greeting "Hello senior, it is an honor to meet your acquaintance,"
"Uh, you don't need to do that," said Infernape awkwardly, he felt something hitting his leg and looked down to see Scraggy attacking with Headbutt much to his confusion "Can I ask why he's attacking me?"
Naruto sighed in response "It's a habit of his to use Headbutt on anyone he meets, been doing so since the day he hatched and even got him in trouble which we had to bail him out of. Scraggy, cut that out!"
"But I wanna fight him, he looks strong!" Scraggy protested.
"Infernape is too strong for you to fight right now, not to mention that he's here to spar with Mienfoo and I while you watch and learn. Got it?"
"…fine," Scraggy turned away with a huff.
"Alright then, Mienfoo will be the first to spar with Infernape and I'll be the last,"
Ash nodded in affirmation "Gotcha, I'll be using Mienfoo to battle while you battle us,"
"Very well," Mienfoo took a ready stance while Infernape was waiting to begin the spar.
The battle went on between Infernape and Mienfoo with Ash commanding the latter while Naruto, Pikachu and Scraggy watched them fight. Naruto could clearly see that Infernape has adopted traits from Ash about using his moves in ways unexpected which kept Mienfoo on edge and having difficulty to predict his next move. The spar went on for a bit longer until Ash decided to bring it to an end.
"Alright guys, that's enough," Ash called out to them.
"Thank you for the spar, senior. I have learnt a lot from you," said Mienfoo in respect.
"Come on now, you don't need to act that way towards me or the others. We're all in the same team," said Infernape, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"You're deserving of respect, hence why I'm giving it to you,"
Naruto spoke "By the way, I've noticed something up with Infernape. It's like any of his attacks which involves punches seem to be stronger than his other attacks,"
"Really? Let me use the PokéDex to see what you mean," Ash used his PokéDex to scan Infernape and was surprised upon what he found "Whoa, it turns out that Infernape has a Hidden Ability besides Blaze called Iron Fist which powers up punching moves,"
Infernape looked down at his hands "That explains why it felt like my fists dealt more damage than my other moves. Might also be why I learnt Mach Punch when I evolved into Monferno and Fire Punch later on,"
"Then how about battling me next? It might help you discover more about yourself," Naruto suggested "And this time, it will be Ash and Infernape while I act solo,"
Ash nodded in affirmation "Okay then, ready when you are!"
Naruto grinned as he transformed into his Combo Mode which surprised Infernape to see him change into a simian-like Pokémon to face him "I'm always ready, here I come!"
Recovering from his shock, Infernape stared at Naruto and couldn't help but grin as he felt a sense of kinship in terms of their shared competitive spirit. They dashed to clash in the middle and began engaging each other intensely in battle. It went on for a while until they were disrupted when Cilan along with Iris, Stephan and Bianca showed up.
"Man, you guys have been having quite the workout, too bad I missed it," Stephan commented.
"Wait, it's almost time for the tournament to resume?" asked Ash.
"Yeah, that's why we came to get you," said Iris.
"We need to make our way back to the stadium now if we don't want to be late," Cilan pointed out.
"Alright then, let's go," Ash returned his Pokémon except Naruto, Pikachu and Infernape as they joined up with the others and headed back to the stadium. Unbeknownst to them that someone had been watching them spar.
Soon enough the Clubsplosion tournament resumed with the fifth match being Betty using her Simipour and Getty using his Simisear. The battle was intense between the siblings but in the end, Betty emerged as the winner and moving on to the second.
Next match was between Gail with her Druddigon and Georgia who chose her Bisharp. Georgia displayed great skills and showed everyone exactly why she calls herself the Dragon Buster as she defeated Gail's Druddigon with a combination of Metal Sound and Iron Head, and she waste anytime to flaunt her victory at Iris who found it rather childish to do so and no one can fault her for that view.
The next match was between Montgomery and Delbert which Ash and the others have been looking forward to, wanting to see what makes the former so confident in himself. Delbert began the battle by having his Mienshao use Pound but Throh casually evaded the flurry of attacks, not let a single one hit him. Delbert took a more offensive approach by commanding Mienshao to use Hi Jump Kick but Throh was commanded to use Superpower to intercept and actually toss Mienshao into the air much to everyone's shock before following up with a deadly Seismic Toss. Without a care, Montgomery had Throh use Circle Throw to fling Mienshao out of the ring and into a wall where it fell unconscious.
Both the competitors and the audience were shocked upon witnessing how one-sided the match was. Mienfoo who had been watching alongside Naruto, Infernape and the others was disturbed to witness the evolved form of her species being beaten so badly like that.
"My goodness, such brutality…," Mienfoo was stunned and a bit fearful.
"He's scary," Scraggy was also intimidated.
"That Seismic Toss reminds of Charizard but his was more deadly than this one," Pikachu commented.
"His battle style centers around grapples and using sheer power, he seems to wait for his opponents to make the first move then react to them," said Naruto, having been focusing on the battle to learn more of Montgomery and his Throh.
"Guess we need to watch out for grapples," said Ash, Infernape nodded in agreement for this style of battling is new to him and needs to be cautious.
Stephan started to smile "Watching that guy battle…makes me want to battle him even more and prove who's the best," Sawk tightened his belt, feeling the same way.
The final match of the First Round is between Trip with his Conkledurr and Bianca with her Emboar. Things went downhill fast for Bianca as Trip countered her every move, wearing her Emboar down before having Conkledurr trap him with Rock Tomb and prepared to finish him off with Stone Edge. However, Bianca's passionate cries to Emboar emboldened the Fire/Fighting type Pokémon to actually catch the sharp rocks from the attack which shocked everyone. Emboar wasn't done yet as he used Fling to throw the rocks right back at Conkledurr, Trip tried to regain his momentum but Bianca had caught on and commanded Emboar to steal Conkledurr's concrete pillars then throw them back at it by using Fling which he did and defeated Conkledurr which earned her the victory.
Don George stood in the battlefield once more with a microphone in hand "And with that, we now have our eight competitors moving on to the second round with four matches to be expected. We will announce the matchups tomorrow until then, take a nice long rest!"
The crowd cheered loudly in response as they wish to see more exciting matches tomorrow like the ones they saw today.
"Alrighty then, let's head back to get some food and see how training to prepare for the match tomorrow," said Ash with gusto.
Naruto grinned "Sounds like a plan, let's do it!" even Pikachu and Scraggy were just as eager.
"I shall assist in any way I can, no doubt we will encounter that trainer and his Throh. I would be more at ease if we're properly prepared," said Mienfoo.
Infernape nodded in agreement "That Throh kinda gives me the same vibe as Paul's Electivire and that makes battling him all the more intense for me,"
"You guys are already planning to train? Can't you slow down for a bit?" Iris complained.
"They're not wrong though, I wanna make sure that Sawk and I are ready to face him!" said Stephan, Sawk nodded with a serious look in his eyes.
Cilan approved of this "Steffen is right, it never hurts to be ready,"
Stephan became depressed "Why can't my friends get my name right?"
This is Hussbek online with the latest chapter; after winning the Jet badge and changing Skyla's mindset about how gym battles are to be done. Ash and co ran into Stephan who told them about the Clubsplosion tournament and they didn't hesitate to sign up especially since they were also going to contend with both friends and rivals, even new ones of the latter. Ash was initially going to choose either Scraggy or Mienfoo but Naruto changed his mind and he called one of his older Pokémon from Professor Oak being his Infernape who showed his vast improvements in his first match.
With the First Round matches done, eight trainers including Ash and his friends have advanced to the Second Round while being aware of certain trainers and their Pokémon that are stronger than initially thought. Naruto has also taken to training with Infernape, Mienfoo and Scraggy as a way to prepare them for future battles.
As you can see, I chose Infernape to participate in the Clubsplosion tournament which means there's definitely going to be a lot of changes in this like certain things won't exactly go by canon. The next chapter will be the second half of the tournament before moving on to the next episode involving Tepig's past and also Naruto accessing a new mode (Been a while since the last one). Be sure to read and review like always.
This is Hussbek from Ghana.
Signing out and staying alive.