Two Pokeballs skidded across the ground and two creatures emerged, bathed in sparkling light. The crowd's enthusiasm reached a fever pitch, then a ripple of murmurs scattered about.
Tristan could hear the TV commentary for some reason. It was distracting, but he didn't say anything. It could come in handy later. The commentator gave a brief introduction. "Well Al, it looks like the first matchup of this battle will pit Tristan's Absol against Ezra's Sceptile, and the crowd does not seem too keen on seeing a Pokemon known as the Disaster Pokemon, Doom Bringer, and a myriad of other… affectionate monikers, shall we say, up against a crowd favorite. Playing the villain role doesn't seem like a great way to win over the fans in your first battle, eh?"
The analyst chimed in. "Maybe not, Bob, but Pokemon is Pokemon. Each trainer and their Pokemon will do whatever it takes within the rules to come out on top. If the fight is fair, who cares what Pokemon gets used?"
"Maybe so," Bob said with a dismissive shrug. "Each trainer will now have thirty seconds to give their Pokemon initial instruction."
"Ezra's entire lineup is impressive, but this is an aggressive start, with Sceptile picking up a KO in all eighteen of his matches last season. It finished the year with an impressive record of twenty-two wins and only seven losses. Ezra's obviously looking for a fast lead, Bob."
"No pun intended, of course." the commentator said with a chuckle, impressed with himself. "Speaking of fast, how sizable is the difference in speed here?"
"Well, Bob, we've never seen Tristan's Absol before, so I can't say for sure," answered the analyst. "But Sceptiles as a species are typically faster, and Ezra's Sceptile is as fast as they come. I'd guess it's significant."
Tristan patted Absol's head. "Detect, Quick Attack, Megahorn. Save your last technique for later," he said in a shaky, stuttering voice. Absol nodded. "This thing is fast and likes to get in close, but it has lower stamina. Parry its blows and tire it out a bit, then go for the knockout once it presents an opening." It nodded once more and made it onto the field with five seconds to spare.
The horn sounded and Ezra's Sceptile wasted no time. It darted forward and swung down at Absol's head with a Leaf Blade, which Absol parried with a defensive Megahorn. The initial clash made a crisp cracking sound, which drew oohs and aahs from the crowd. When neither Pokemon gained an advantage, the bind was broken, with Sceptile using its tail to break away.
Keeping the pressure turned up, Sceptile regrouped and circled Absol at an astonishing pace. Left, right, front, left again, until it got the positioning it was looking for. It got in Absol's blind spot and leapt from behind with a Dragon Claw. With inches to spare, Absol used Detect and evaded the danger.
"Well Al, this sure has been a dazzling start to the match, wouldn't you say?"
"It sure has, Bob. I've got to say, Sceptile has always been fast, but its attacks look stronger than last season. He and Ezra must have put in a ton of work these last few months. That Absol has done well to avoid taking a hit thus far, and it better keep it up if it wants to stay in this fight."
Al wasn't wrong. Tristan wanted to give encouragement to Absol and give her further instruction, but he couldn't afford to distract her. Sceptile was relentless in its onslaught of attacks, and the slightest hesitation on Absol's part could spell the beginning of the end. All Tristan could do was watch and trust that she'd be fine.
Ezra, on the other hand, was shouting passionately at his Pokemon. "You've got this, Sceptile! Keep the pressure up!" The Pokemon mirrored the enthusiasm of its trainer as it happily obeyed, slashing away with its arm blades without a second thought. One of the Leaf Blades broke Absol's guard, forcing her to use Quick Attack as an evasive maneuver.
"What an escape!"
"It really was impressive, Bob. The creativity to use an attack like that as defense is unique, especially for this not being a Premier League match. This Pokemon is well trained and has held up well, but as we just saw, it's only a matter of time before Sceptile breaks through."
Tristan wiped the sweat pooling on his brow. Though things were too close for comfort, he didn't see things the way Al did. It wasn't too noticeable, but he noticed the slightest difference in Sceptile's breathing. It was growing labored, and its movements had slowed ever so slightly. "Absol, get ready to counter."
His words weren't loud, but Absol got the message. As Sceptile came over the top for another strike at the head, she loaded her legs, met the blow with another defensive Megahorn, and sprung into the air, sending Sceptile airborne. Staying on the offensive, she charged forward and sent the still airborne Sceptile throttling out of bounds with a critical Quick Attack.
The boisterous crowd grew anxious. The tide of the battle had turned.
Attacking an out of bounds opponent from an in bounds position was legal for a non-flying Pokemon as long as the attack landed before being ruled out of bounds. Recognizing this, as Sceptile rushed to get back in bounds, Absol jumped and clipped its hip with a Quick Attack. The hit was clean and effective, knocking it off course, but also sending her out of bounds.
"Frenzy Plant!" A massive wave of vines and roots sprung from the ground and barreled toward Absol.
Tristan protested. "That Sceptile wasn't in bounds yet!"
The referee waved it off. "It's a clean attack." It wasn't. Sceptile had clearly started the attack before establishing a legal position, but Tristan couldn't get worked up by a little home cooking.
"Come on, Absol!" He looked on, wrought with worry, as Absol leaped here, ducked there, and struggled to get back in bounds. With one final bound, she returned to the field of play and launched another Quick Attack into the chest of a recovering Sceptile. "There you go!" he shouted, bursting with pride.
The arena was deflated, Tristan felt more and more that he belonged, and Ezra found himself in an unfamiliar position—back on his heels. He was beginning to see what Tristan had picked up a minute before—Sceptile's fatigue setting in. "Sceptile, you've got to finish this fast!"
Digging deep to summon all the grit it could muster, Ezra's Sceptile rose and gave a defiant roar. It charged forward once more, claws green and glowing.
This was the moment. "Finishing position, Absol!" She used Quick Attack once more to get behind her opponent, preparing to get the knockout via Megahorn.
Right before Absol activated her technique, Ezra gave a desperate command. "Hyper Beam!" A bright, golden sphere of energy formed at Sceptile's mouth and blasted forward in a wide, devastating beam that scorched the grass below. A wave of thick steam radiated from the blast and hid the battlefield from view.
Absol had played right into their hands. "With such close proximity and its forward momentum, that Absol will take a direct hit," the analyst said. "This could be the end."
Tristan gritted his teeth. When the dust settled, the referee stepped forward to make his call. "Sceptile is unable to battle. Absol wins."
The crowd gasped in surprise. Ezra's jaw was agape, his face covered in bewilderment. Absol stood triumphantly over her incapacitated foe. Bob and Al were beside themselves in the booth. "What just happened?" Bob asked.
"Let's check the thermals." The three-sixty monitor in the center of the arena gave an instant replay in thermal vision. Even though she took some damage to her back right foot, just before Absol got caught in the Hyper Beam, she used Detect to evade a majority of the damage. She then made a direct strike to the recharging Sceptile's head with a Megahorn, knocking it out and sending it to the ground.
"In a startling sequence of events, the newcomer, Tristan Slater, and his Absol, notch the first win."
"Buckle up ladies and gentlemen, this battle might not be over as quickly as first believed."
Tristan's eyes widened. They'd done it! He'd done something right! He hadn't screwed it up! He looked at Absol, who looked back with a somber expression. 'That's right,' he thought. 'We still have a long way to go, don't we?' Absol was his rock, his ace in the hole. She'd passed the first test, but she, along with the rest of Tristan's Pokemon, had five more challenges ahead—each just as formidable as Sceptile, each presenting their own problems. This was the defending champion, after all.
Tristan looked across at his opponent, whos eyes exuded a vengeful fury, ready to strike back. Hard. Ezra recalled his Sceptile and drew his next Pokeball. The second bout was moments away. Something told Tristan things were about to get nasty. Would he be up to the challenge?