Asher's Team:
Lago - Rhydon
Crust - Golem
Sebastian - Nidoking
Selena - Nidoqueen
Seraph - Clefable
Barret - Dugtrio
Sonic - Sandslash
Death - Marowak
Colossus - Steelix
Clair's Dragonite sneered at his opponent, openly showing distaste and made it clear that he was looking down on the seemingly weak Magcargo, but they still didn't choose to act without her orders.
"Close the distance with Extremespeed, then use Aqua Tail." Clair commanded her pokemon decisively. Trying to end the fight with a super effective attack.
The orange dragon snorted and started to flap their wings in a more skilled manner than in their previous match. This was due to Clair having her Charizard help her Dragonite for a few hours the previous day, he wasn't a master of flight by any means, but he was comfortable enough.
With a strong flap of his wings Dragonite burst forward with magnificent speed, closing the gap between him and the Magcargo in just a few moments, after that his tail faintly glowed blue as water started to gather around and he moved to swipe Magcargo in the back with his tail.
"Lava Plume!"
The Magcargo, much to it's credit, reacted very quickly to the command of their trainer and they suddenly burst with fire that spread outwards at a rapid pace and enveloped her Dragonite in a scorching hot blaze of fire.
Clair and her pokemon were undeterred though, they were dragons afterall, and what dragon would buckle in the face of adversity?
"Power through and smash right into it!" Clair ordered her pokemon to fight through the attack. She was well aware of the fact her pokemon must be hurting, but she also knew her pokemon better than anyone. They don't back down, they don't show weakness, and their pride is bigger than a Snorlax. A little blaze won't put them down.
In the face of an Inferno, her Dragonite dug his feet into the ground and pushed through the fire, his scales roasting and teeth gritted, but in the end he pushed through and roared as he continued with his attack." Draaaaago!"
His tail, coated in water, smashed right into Magcargo's stone shell with such force that an audible crack was heard and splinters were flying off the black shell. Magcargo screamed in pain as they were blown away by the assault and landed a dozen meters away from where it was before being struck.
"Magcargo!" Vance yelled with worry at the sight of his pokemon being sent flying like a ragdoll. He was obviously worried for his rock and fire-type, such a strike with a super effective move would usually render an average pokemon powerless and unconscious.
But, surprisingly for everyone, Magcargo managed to once again pick themselves up. They were battered and broken from the immensely powerful attack, but they were still able to battle.
Clair wasn't impressed, and neither was her Dragonite. She merely uttered out her next command in a cold and emotionless tone." Use Dragon Brea-"
Clair's voice was cut off when her pokemon immediately lit up in orange flames that coated his entire body. The suddenness of it seemed to catch even the Dragonite off-guard as he hopped around in pain and howled in agony.
It was burned! That Lava Plume left it's mark and inflicted a status condition on the orange dragon. Vance saw this and followed up on the convenient opening by uttering to his Magcargo." Use Inferno!"
Magcargo glared at the dragon-type who nearly defeated it in a single blow as they opened their mouth, a raging torrent of concentrated white flames just begging to be released formed, before a blaze so condensed that it almost looked like a beam was set loose, poised to roast her Dragonite alive.
Clair gritted her teeth, but made an order to her pokemon for a counter attack nonetheless. They weren't going to backdown, that isn't her way." Dragonite snap out of it and crush that thing with Hyper Beam!"
Her Dragonite responded with a roar of indignation and agreement at his trainers words. He's a dragon afterall, what did this puny, pathetic, weak little slug think it was doing?! Did it really think that it could hurt him?!
Pride and rage turned to power as the flames from the burn were shaken off, and a massive Hyper Beam quickly built up in Dragonite's mouth. Just as Dragonite was about to be hit by the fiery blaze, he released the black beam of dark energy from his maw and the attack before him was positively destroyed, much to his glee and satisfaction, before the attack continued onwards and struck the magma snail directly in the face, creating an audible boom that blew Magcargo away.
Dust picked up from the impact, but nobody in the audience needed to be a genius to know how that exchange went. When the dust finally settled a crater was revealed with the unconscious form of Magcargo laying motionlessly within it.
"WHAT AN AMAZING SHOW OF POWER FROM CLAIR'S DRAGONITE! IN JUST TWO ATTACKS MAGCARGO WAS UTTERLY DESTROYED! HOW IS VANCE GOING TO MAKE A COMEBACK NOW THAT HE IS DOWN TO HIS FINAL POKEMON?!"
Vance sent an angry glare Clair's way, but that hardly lasted a second before he withdrew his Magcargo and picked a new pokeball from his belt.
Clair felt no sense of satisfaction though at the defeat of an unworthy opponent. The very fact she couldn't simply cast aside an annoyance like that Magcargo was a disgrace. Her Dragonite gained a burn from that Lava Plume as well, though that only seemed to annoy her dragon, it only served as a reminder of her own weakness as a trainer. That only made her pride swelter in an attempt to hide that weakness though. How dare he think he could even touch her?! He is nothing but a stepping stone on her path! That conniving little-
"You're going to win this for me, go Probopass!"
At that moment he released something that shocked the entire audience.
Clair was left baffled as her opponent released a mostly blue, and unknown, rock-like pokemon with small round eyes and a big red nose. It had three small objects sides and back that seemed to stick to it almost like a magnet. It hovered above the ground like a Magnemite, but had a massive bushy and black mustache that appeared to be made of black iron filings. It was simply staring blankly at her Dragonite, like a robot awaiting a command.
Clair felt herself grow slightly wary at the unknown sight in front of her. She wasn't sure what to make of this new opponent. They didn't look very strong, but they weren't exactly a puny bug either. It's definitely a rock-type, but Clair isn't sure that's it.
She could take solace in the fact she wasn't the the only one clueless in the crowd. The Announcer made a massive ruckus." WHAT IS THAT POKEMON?! IS ANYONE IN THE CROWD A PROFESSOR, JUST WHAT AM I LOOKING AT?!"
Clair took a moment to analyse her opponent. Whilst some people may think that she is a brute for her battling style, she scoffs at that, she's perfectly capable of thinking strategically in a battle. For example she noticed the fact that this 'Probopass' likely isn't a pure rock-type.
She could reason this because those strange objects that hovered around it's body were being held there by some invisible force, given the metallic appearance of the objects, she can reason that it must be magnetism. Plus it's body appears, at least at a glance, to be more composed of steel than any kind of roc-
Clair had her sudden realisation in that moment. Steel-type! This 'Probopass' is likely a rock and steel-type!
Her Dragonite winced slightly as the burn from before started to act up and she frowned as her pokemon did their best not to show pain that he was, very obviously, feeling as a result of the status condition.
She would need to fix that little annoyance before she could focus on this mysterious opponent. She's done holding her pride back.
It's time to show this insolent fool the wrath of a Blackthorn.
When Vance released his next pokemon I would have to lie if I said that I didn't feel some semblance of shock or surprise. Then again I never discounted the idea of what I was seeing as a possibility, I just didn't think that it was worth putting any time into. It might not have worked at all.
But, there was proof in front of me that it did work. Cross-gen evolutions were an accessible thing in this region.
I felt myself grinning with pleasure internal at just what this could mean for me in the future. Rhyperior, Gliscor, Mamoswine, Ursaluna. These are all pokemon that are on my list of potential team members. Each one of them is an absolute weapon in their own right that I wasn't even sure I'd be able to get, I was planning to attempt evolving their pre-evolutions in the future when I had time, this was just the confirmation I needed.
"How surprising." Sabrina commented from within the confines of my right arm, her expression hardly changed at all from it's usual stoicism and her voice no different from the blank flavour of monotony I'd long since grown used to.
In other words: she was completely shell-shocked! Well, not really, but she isn't unaffected by the appearance of a brand new pokemon either. Just like the whole region probably is right now. The appearance of anything new in the pokemon community is a big breakthrough that could make a person famous, and get you a foot into the scientific community. He's definitely going to be approached by some important figures after this, maybe even get his name out there if he decides to take credit for the likely accidental evolution of his Nosepass.
Ah, I see his game here. He's decided to play this guy when the Conference was at it's peak; most of Kanto and Johto will be watching him. He's using this as an opportunity to advertise his pokemon to some big names.
"Looks like it could be an evolution of Nosepass." I commented offhanded; knowing full well that I was right.
In response to my comment Sabrina asked." A Nosepass? I've never heard of that pokemon before."
I was genuinely a little surprised by that." Really? That's surprising with how smart you are." Then again I guess even geniuses just don't know a few things, and with how terrible these peoples pokemon knowledge was in general, that's not too hard to believe.
Sabrina merely blinked a little at my words and then responded, completely serious." Even geniuses don't know everything. I am no different. Many people lack knowledge when it comes to other regions, they aren't very good at sharing cultures and information, so it's normal for some pokemon to simply not be heard of in this region." She seemingly went into further detail because of my lacking knowledge when it came to details of how this world's cultures interact with each other.
I mimicked my psychic friend's previous actions of surprise." Wait, seriously?" In response all I got was a mere nod.
Are people honestly that clueless when it came to other regions that even Sabrina, a girl who has an incredible memory and knowledge on pokemon, just doesn't know anything about a bunch of species in different regions? That's... very worrying to be honest. Then again, this world is still very new to the internet, oh sure it exists, but it's nowhere near the complex cybernet my old world could boast. They have a site where people can post videos, but that's a Hoenn thing and only Dexnav's can access it, and not much else to be honest. My information is lacking on what else they have on the internet, but I haven't heard of anything like Facebook or Snapchat, online forums might have started up, but then again I'm not really sure. This world is still lagging behind my old one, at least in some cases.
That gives me a huge edge above the curve then. With how little everyone else seems to know about pokemon just having what I know is a huge advantage. I just copied Dragon Ball's Gravity training and substituted a chamber for a Clefable that knows the move Gravity. From teaching my pokemon moves, to knowing my opponents moves like the back of my hand, to knowing where the pokemon I want are. All of this is just at my fingertips and mine to play with since I became a trainer, in short, I have a massive boost compared to a regular trainer.
That makes me feel special, but... disappointed. I've basically never lost a pokemon battle since I became a trainer and started out, I've constantly found myself on the offense, even my defensive battlers fight in a way that could be considered very offensive. But, that's... really not a very good thing now that I think about it. It's not as though I rely entirely on brute force, quite the contrary, but rather that I haven't ever faced someone that was significantly stronger than me. So, I have next to no experience when it comes to being the underdog. The only person who I really lose to is Sabrina, but those are still close matches either way, so she isn't really better than me.
What would happen when fighting dirty just isn't enough? I understand that you can't win them all, and that losing is a part of life, but the idea of losing is enough to make me itch. I understand that losing can be productive, but I don't like it. In this life I've gotten used to winning, that's a big problem that I need to curb.
But, I'm lucky that everybody has flaws in the way that they battle. For example, Clair's way of battling, and the way she raises her pokemon are definitely not very efficient in what they do. Her pokemon have a lot of raw power and tenacity, but is that sort of pride really a good idea?
Maybe for dragon-types, but not for ground-types. Ground-types, more than anything else, are adaptable. My team is comprised of many pokemon that aren't traditionally powerhouses, but they make up for that with how they use what power they do have and their versatility to gain the upper-hand in a battle. This is possible because they are willing to reign in their pride and do as I say. Clair's style of battling is simply not sustainable for a ground-type trainer because of how limiting it can be. I'll admit that pride can have it's upsides, such as the tenacity her team has shown throughout the battle, but it just isn't worth it in my eyes. If you put pride above efficiency then you're asking for defeat.
In the next round we'll see Clair, which one of our battle styles is superior. Until then, try not to lose.
"Probopass, start off with Power Gems!"
Hearing the words of her opponent Clair merely narrowed her eyes and ordered." Dragon Rush through it, Dragonite"
Her starter roared dominantly as they flew high into the air, dodging a few white lasers of rock-type energy in the process, before they dived down, dragon-type energy coating their scales as they dived down at impressive speeds and rammed right into the robotic pokemon.
Dragonite then took his hands and formed an orb shape with them where water-type energy began to form, and once an orb of aqua blue completely materialised between his hands he let it go and float into the air and above the battlefield where the orb fazed out and turned into rain clouds.
Clair did this to cancel out the burn on her pokemon, it was becoming a hinderance that needed to be removed.
But, the Probopass looked nearly entirely unfazed by their powerful dragon-type move. Their sturdy looking armour was hardly dented and they seemed to be floating just fine. This sight didn't deject Dragonite though, if anything it made them want to beat the insolent little pebble into the ground!
Clair decided to change tactics at this sight, it seems that her earlier suspicions about this pokemon being a steel-type were accurate. Only a steel-type could withstand a dragons assault that well.
"Brick Break, Dragonite. Crush that worthless piece of scrap!"
The prideful beast followed his master's orders and immediately flew at his opponent with his right arm upraised to attack.
"Thunder, destroy them!" Vance spoke.
Yellow sparks gathered around the blue rock-type, at an impressive speed, and just as Dragonite was about to deliver a super effective hit, a Thunder was dropped on his head.
Dragonite roared in pain as electricity ravaged his form, but his blue haired trainer merely called out." Finish the job Dragonite, don't let that puny pest stop you!"
The words of his trainer fuelled his pride and anger as the Thunder was shaken off by a violent turn and he continued to roar as he swung his arm powerfully and brought it down right on the Probopass's head in the form of an aggressive chop.
The robotic pokemon actually did respond to this attack by groaning in pain, a series of spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the area the dragon chopped as they were thrown back by the impact and landed on the ground behind them; clearly not expecting an attack that could actually make them feel pain.
"Push on the offense with Flamethrower, Dragonite!"
The Dragon, still feeling rage from the previous attack, pulled their head back as bright white flames built up in his mouth and he let them loose in a blaze that was hardly even hindered by the ongoing Rain Dance.
"Use Wide Guard, Probopass!"
The rock and steel-type reacted quickly and released the strange mini-noses on it's back and sides. They formed a triangle just in front of it, and a shield of yellow light was put up in the form of the shape which the noses has formed. A triangle.
The barrier didn't flinch in the face of the flames, a fact which annoyed her. Her Dragonite also didn't seem to enjoy the sight of it's attack failing, with the pokemon's irises going narrow with rage.
Clair decided to change tactics at that moment, seeing as trying to go through that wall was a waste of time." Cut it and switch to Dragon Dance, Dragonite!"
With a snarl the winged behemoth did as ordered and began to spin at a rapid pace as dragon-type energy enveloped him.
"Thunder again, Probopass!"
Sparks once again gathered around the Probopass, but Clair wasn't going to let her pokemon be caught off-guard once again.
"Use Dragon Pulse directly above you!"
Dragonite wrapped up his Dragon Dance and arced his head upwards. Dragonic energy gathered around his mouth at a rapid pace, before it was let loose in the form of a brilliant rainbow beam that radiated power.
A moment later a Thunder was dropped and the two attacks clashed for a moment, but exploded in the next, this action caused an explosion of sparks to rain down across the battlefield below.
Clair watched the Probopass carefully, and noticed the way it seemed tired. That was only logical, afterall this Probopass is a rock and steel-type. It can use electric-type attacks, but they won't be as powerful as they would be if they were an electric-type; they'll also expend more stamina and take longer to recharge. Without further training, it is impossible for a pokemon to use a move that isn't of it's type with the same level of proficiency as one that is.
So, in other words, she has an opening.
"Charge in with Brick Break once more and put them in their place, Dragonite!"
Her Dragonite saw the weakness of it's opponent as well, and in response they rushed forward with their arms both upraised to force their unworthy opponent to the ground! Where they rightfully belong!
Vance saw this and frowned." Stop them with Stone Edge!"
Clair heard this, and surprisingly smirked before uttering." Outrage."
Dragonite heard this and called off their previous attack in favour of their new one. Their muscles tightened and as they roared with primal anger that seemed to resonate throughout the entire stadium, an aura of violent red shrouding their body as they resumed forward to destroy their opponent, an expression of absolute unbridled fury on their face.
The essence of Outrage is the brief maximisation of a pokemon's physical abilities. They become stronger, faster, and more durable as they lose control of their emotions. But, this move isn't without cost, a pokemon will become confused once the move is finished; and even during the attack itself the user has no will as they turn into a rampaging beast. They run wild, purely on instincts.
Rocks appeared in Dragonite's way, poised to maim and injure it, but the he just didn't care. Any spikes that tried to pierce his skin were shattered on impact as he smashed through the rocks and appeared in front the Probopass within an instant.
"DRAAAAAA!" Dragonite roared as he went wild, constantly slashing and punching the solid stone pokemon in front of him, and they wouldn't stop screaming in rage the entire time as bloodlust consumed them.
Probopass couldn't defend against the relentless and unending assault, punch after puch, slash after slash, even being a steel-type wasn't enough to save it from the power of Outrage.
With a particularly powerful strike Dragonite pushed every last bit of power they could into a single blow, and when it struck his fist caved itself into the armour of his opponent, and the impact alone was enough to blow them back as the red aura around the dragon finally faded.
"Probopass!" Vance shouted with worry as his partner smashed into the ground and groaned in pain, them being badly beaten from the pummelling they just received. Vance gritted his teeth and glared at Clair as his pokemon pitifully tried to pick themselves up.
But, Clair paid little attention to the human trying to make her disappear with a glare. Instead she focused on her partner as the blowback of Outrage took effect. Dragonite threw his head back and screamed in resistance for a few seconds as they clutched their head, but when those few seconds were up his arms went limp at his sides and he stared blankly forward. Her Dragonite had been confused.
But, Clair still wasn't all that worried. That Probopass had been on the receiving end of Outrage after a Dragon Dance, they'd been utterly beaten down. She'd genuinely be impressed if they-
"Pro- probo."
Clair felt her eyes widen as the broken and battered form of Probopass began to pick itself up, rain dripping into it's cracks, as the rock and steel-type once again became ready to battle.
Clair couldn't stop herself from feeling shocked at the defensive capabilities of her opponent. They managed to withstand some of her strongest pokemon's best attacks. Dragon Rush, Brick Break, and Outrage. She had to admit, at least internally, that her opponent was good at soaking up attacks at the very least.
But, she was in quite the precarious situation. Her Dragonite is in no place to defend himself in his current state, confusion breaks upon being struck, and the offensive capabilities shown by her opponent haven't been very impressive, but her gut instincts are telling her that something is wrong.
And if there's one thing that she listens to above her pride, it's her instincts as a trainer.
"Zap Cannon, Probopass!"
Clair froze up upon hearing that. She knows that won't be enough to defeat her Dragonite, but that move will always, without fail, inflict paralysis on whoever it hits. And, Dragonite isn't in a position to avoid such an attack!
"Dragonite snap out of it!" She yelled out as panic leaked into her voice; something which her opponent seemed to bask in, much to her indignation.
Her calls went unanswered though. Her Dragonite as her once prideful and disciplined starter was reduced to a fumbling fool that didn't make so much as a single move to counter the Probopass, meanwhile the rock-like pokemon was humming as a raging orb of pure electricity built up right in front of them. It was about to strike and her partner was in no position to avoid!
Clair felt frustration, anger,- and fear for the safety of her pokemon- but none of that was able to snap her Dragonite out of his confusion, or prevented Probopass from finally unleashing the devastating electric-type attack that was poised to strike her pokemon's lights out.
"Dragonite move!" She raised her voice and urged her partner to move; letting a rare instance of fear and panic shine through her façade of stoicism in the process.
The orb of pure raging electricity moved at a rapid pace and smashed into Dragonite head-on! The confusion was broken in the process, but her Dragonite roared in pain as a result of the attack. Sparks furiously flew off her pokemon for a few seconds as his scales were scorched from the surge of power which flowed through him in that moment.
At the sight of her starter having to endure such an attack, Clair felt something in her chest drop and her breath became short for a moment. But the assault did die down eventually, and when it did her Dragonite seemed to be stuck in place for a moment... before dropping to their knees and shivering with discomfort as stray crackles of electricity bounced off his skin. Paralysis.
Clair gritted her teeth and tried to stop her eyes from watering at the state of her partner. She couldn't cry, not where they could see her. She'd never live it down.
Dragonite stubbornly gritted his teeth as the effects of Zap Cannon began to take hold and he, much like his trainer, also gritted his teeth and tried force himself up, but the paralysis was powerful, and he was once again forced to kneel. His pride was most likely taking a hit at that moment.
Her opponent, however, wasn't going to let up." End it, use Flash Cannon."
Hearing his words both Clair and her Dragonite flared up with pride. How dare they think that they would be defeated by a weakling like them! Who do they think they are?! Do they not comprehend the greatness which stands in front of them?!
Clair felt her patience hit it's limit as she shouted with rage in her voice." STAND UP DRAGONITE AND CRUSH THAT WORM!"
The blue haired girl wasn't even aware she was screaming in that moment, her blood was running hot, and her sense of humility was lost when they dared reduce her partner to such a manner! Who did they even think they were?!
Dragonite shared his trainer's thoughts and his pride empowered him as he pushed through his paralysis and slowly rose to his-
A beam of shining steel-type energy suddenly slammed dead-centre into the dragon-type, with Dragonite having to grit his teeth and give everything that he had just to stay on his feet.
Vance grinned at the scene in front of him, encouraging his partner whilst taunting his enemy." Show them your power Probopass! That dragon is a fucking weakling!"
The world seemed to drown out around Clair when she heard those words, her Dragonite merely grew enraged, but for the blue haired girl it was much different. Her entire life she's never even been a proper member of her own family. Simply because she was her mother's daughter, she was seen as lesser because of her blood. She hated that, she hated the fact her clan had ostracised her for so long, and she hated being called a weakling!
And, in the response to an insult like that there was only one suitable response in her mind.
Anger.
"RIP THEM APART WITH HYPER BEAM!"
The venom in her voice wasn't lost on her opponent. He visibly flinched, taken aback by the aggressive tone she used, and even his robotic pokemon faltered for a split second.
That split second was all it took.
Dragonite roared as his paralysis went haywire, trying to tie him down, and inky-dark energy began to swirl in his maw as he prepared to attack. He seemed to ignore the fact he was being constantly assaulted with Flash Cannon as his irises rolled back into his head and his rage seemed to mix with his trainers.
"DRAAAAAA!"
He roared in rage and let loose an absolutely gigantic Hyper Beam, it swallowed the weaklings Flash Cannon whole and erupted with such power that when it hit the Probopass they were positively swallowed by the attack as it continued and slammed right against the protective barrier that they had in place to protect viewers in matches. It was pure destruction, if only for a few seconds.
Dust picked up from the attack, and Dragonite's mouth was still left open with smoke being emitted from his mouth as his eyes rolled back into his head. After a moment, a crackle of electricity from paralysis surged on his skin that caused him to fall backwards and unconscious. He was done.
But, when the dust settle, the charred and utterly defeated form of Probopass was revealed. Embedded into the protective barrier.
They were both knocked out.
"...erm, the winner is Clair Blackthorn."
Huh, even the announcer was blown back by that.
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