Chapter 64: Ready, Set, Goh!
A few minutes later, Goh and Klara stepped into the arena, ready for their battle. Mustard stepped up to act as the referee.
"Remember, this will be a 2-on-2 battle with no restrictions on time or switching out. Are both trainers ready?"
"Ready!"
"I was born ready!"
"Then let the battle begin!"
"Go, Whirlipede!"
"Scyther, I choose you!"
Whirlipede, use Poison Sting!"
"Use Swords Dance, Scyther!"
Scyther crossed his arms, summoning an array of spiritual swords to both boost his power and protect himself from the jabs of poison.
"Rollout, Whirlipede!"
The Bug type curled up into a ball and began rolling towards Scyther, ready to crush him.
"Block it with Furry Cutter, Scyther!"
Scyther held out his arms, grabbing the Bug type mid-roll and bringing him to a stop.
"Now throw him into the air and use Air Slash!"
Scyther chucked Whirlipede back to Klara's side of the field, but not before using its wings to create razor sharp gusts of wind to strike him as he fell. When the dust settled, it was all over for Whirlipede.
"Whirlipede is unable to battle! Scyther wins!"
"Yes, way to go, Scyther!"
"Scy, Scyther!"
Klara sighed, and returned her Pokemon back to its Pokeball.
"Good job, Whirlipede. Get some rest. Go, Slowking!"
Goh looked towards Scyther, cautious.
"Scyther, do you want to stay in?"
"Scy!"
"Alright, then! I'm counting on you!"
"Scyther!"
"Scyther, use Fury Cutter!"
"Acid, Slowking!"
Scyther powered through the acidic gunk and began slicing at Slowking with his blade arms, cutting the dual type but only dealing minor damage.
"Keep at it, Scyther!"
"Slowking, use Confusion!"
Scyther kept swinging his arms at Slowking, who growled in frustration. Sweeping his arms around, he sent a wave of Psychic energy at Scyther, causing the bug type mild discomfort, but not enough to make him stop.
"Keep at it, Scyther!"
"Power Gym, Slowking!"
Slowking unleashed a bunch of stones from the jewel on his crown, knocking Scyther back a good bit.
"Scyther, use X-Scissor!"
"Power Gem, once more!"
Scyther ran across the battlefield, making an X with his arms before slashing them apart right across Slowking's chest, dealing a lot of damage. Unfortunately, this left him wide open to another Power Gym, this time having been fully charged and hitting him point blank. After a moment, Scyther fell over unconscious.
"Scyther is unable to battle! Slowking wins!"
"Yes! Way to go, Slowking!"
"Slowking."
Goh sighed sadly, and returned Scyther to his Pokeball.
"Great job, Scyther. Get some rest. Go, Cinderace!"
Goh's ace Pokemon emerged from his Pokeball, determined to win. Klara, not wanting to take any chances, quickly returned Slowking to his Pokeball.
"Alright, you asked for it! Go, Dynamax!"
Goh, not wanting to be outdone, quickly returned Cinderace to his own Pokeball, allowing the dynamax energy to flow into his borrowed band as the Pokeball grew to a gigantic size before chucking it, revealing Cinderace's new Gigantamax form.
"Go for Max Quake, Cinderace!"
"Max Ooze, Slowbro!"
Cinderace jumped, narrowly avoiding the geyser of poison before slamming his feet back down onto the ground, the shockwaves from the impact disrupting the ground beneath his opponent, making it grunt in pain.
"Max Mindstorm, Slowking!"
"Max Knuckle, Cinderace!"
Cinderace kicked the air, sending out a fist made out of psychic energy, which flew towards Slowking with tremendous speed. Meanwhile, Slowking launched waves of psychic energy, which warped around the fist and hit CInderace while his attack landed on Slowking, making them both cringe in pain.
"Alright Cinderace, go for G-Max Fireball!"
"Max Ooze, Slowking!"
Cinderace leapt into the air, launching the fireball he had been using as his perch at Slowking with tremendous speed. Slowking launched a burst of poison right at Cinderace. The two attacks hit their targets, but when the dust settled Slowking fell over defeated, while Cinderace returned to normal, tired but triumphant.
"Slowking is unable to battle! Cinderace is the winner, meaning the battle goes to Goh!"
"Alright, way to go Cinderace!"
"Cinderace!"
Klara sighed sadly, but returned her Slowking to his Pokeball with a smile.
"You did a great job, Slowking. Get some rest."
Afterwards, she walked over to Goh and shook his hand.
"That was a great battle, Goh! But don't think I'll lose next time."
"I'll take you on anytime!"
With that, Klara ran off for more training. Goh walked over to Mustard, slipping off his Dynamax Band before handing it out to Mustard.
"Thanks for letting me use it, but this belongs to you."
Mustard chuckled, and shook his head.
"After that amazing display? You can keep it."
"Really?"
"Yup! But on to more important matters."
He motioned for Ash to step forward, which he did.
"You each have 30 minutes to prepare for the final match. Make sure you're ready, for by the end of the day one of you will walk away with the secret armor. I wish you both the best of luck."
Ash and Goh nodded, bowing to each other before going their separate ways. As the rest of the group dispersed, Chloe and Lillie began discussing the coming match.
"Who do you think's going to win?"
"Ash, definitely. No offense to Goh, but Ash has been at this for years!"
"No way! Ash might be strong, but Goh is creative!"
"Want to put a wager on it? Say, 300 Pokedollars?"
Chloe smirked, and shook Lillie's hand.
"It's a bet!"
In one locker room, Ash was getting Lucario prepped and ready.
"It's going to be a tough fight, and your first one as a Lucario. You sure you're up for it?"
"Lucario!"
Ash smiled, and gently ruffled the fur on the fighting type's head, making Lucario smile.
"That's the spirit! Now come on, it's time to go!"
With that, the three of them raced out towards the battlefield, Pikachu managing to get an early lead, followed by Ash with Lucario bringing up the rear.
In the other one, Goh was getting nervous.
"I know we've been practicing, and we've definitely improving. But can we beat Ash? He's super strong, and I've only been a trainer for a few months. I don't know if…"
But Cinderace wasn't about to let his trainer doubt himself, and gave him a big hug. Smiling, Goh rubbed Cinderace's head gently.
"Thanks, buddy. Now come on, let's go!"
"Cinderace!"