Chapter 96: Korrina vs Marnie

Soon, it was time for the final battle of the first round. Korrina and Marnie stepped out of the entry tunnels, waving to the cheering crowds as they approached the battlefield.

"Woo! Go Marnie!"

"Kick her butt!"

"Show her how we do things in Spikemuth!"

Marnie just rolled her eyes, ignoring the chants of her "adoring" fans as she shook Korrina's hand.

"Good luck, Korrina. I hope to have a good battle."

"Thanks, Marnie! Best of luck to you as well."

"This will be a three-on-three battle with no time limit! Each trainer may switch their Pokemon as often as they wish, and the battle will continue until all Pokemon on either side are unable to battle! In addition, each trainer is allowed only one use of Mega Evolution, a Z-Move, or Dynamax per battle! Are both trainers ready?"

"Ready!"

"Ready."

"Then let the battle begin!"

Go, Croagunk!"

"Show them what you've got, Mienshao!"

"Croagunk, use Poison Jab!"

"Force Palm, Mienshao!"

Mienshao blocked Croagunk's jabs with his arms, the two trading blows for a solid five minutes before Croagunk managed to get a lucky jab into Mienshao's arm, poisoning his opponent.

"Mienshao!"

"Now use Close Combat!"

While Mienshao tried to recover, Croagunk began punching him harder and harder, nearly knocking Korrina's Pokemon out.

"Don't give up, Mienshao! Use Reversal!"

Mienshao growled, then forced Croagunk away with a hard slap.

"Now use Bounce!"

Mienshao leapt up into the air, avoiding a swipe from Croagunk before connecting his foot with the Poison type's face. But just before Korrina could call another attack, the poison finally took effect and Mienshao fell down, too exhausted to move.

"Mienshao is unable to battle! Croagunk wins!"

Korrina sighed, and returned her Pokemon to its Pokeball.

"Good job, Mienshao. Get some rest."

"Woo! Go, Marnie!"

"Put her in her place!"

Korrina scowled, but refused to let them get to her.

"Go, Hawlucha!"

Ash was surprised to see Korrina's next choice of Pokemon.

"I never knew she had her own Hawlucha!"

"She didn't, until recently," Gurkinn answered from beside him. "He's a new addition, but he's proven quite useful."

"Wow! I can't wait to see what other surprises she has."

"Croagunk, use Poison Sting!"

"Dodge and use Acrobatics!"

Hawlucha expertly ducked and weaved around the Poison Stings, before ramming into Croagunk at high speed, sending the blue frog skidding back.

"Venoshock!"

"Wing Attack!"

Croagunk roared, sending out a huge amount of poison from his body towards Hawlucha. Hawlucha braved through it, charging right through the toxic sludge before slicing Croagunk with his wing.

"Poison Jab, Croagunk!"

"Keep using Acrobatics!"

Croagunk groaned, and tried jabbing his arms into Hawlucha, but Hawlucha managed to avoid each and every one of them while striking at Croagunk with his own claws. Eventually, it became too much for Croagunk and he passed out.

"Croagunk is unable to battle! Hawlucha wins!"

"Boo, you stink!"

"How dare you do that to poor Marnie?"

"WILL YOU STOP THAT!"

This got the Team Yell grunts to shut up, allowing Marnie to return her Croagunk in peace.

"You did awesome, Croagunk. Get some rest. Go, Morpeko!"

"Morpeko!"

"We're not afraid! Hawlucha, use Roost!"

Hawlucha crossed his arms in front of him and glowed, replenishing his health while shedding his Flying type. This didn't deter Marnie, however.

"He may no longer be weak to Morpeko's electric attacks, but he isn't immune to them! Aura Wheel, Morpeko!"

"Acrobatics, Hawlucha!"

Hawlucha flew towards Morpeko at great speed, ready to strike. Morpeko, meanwhile, curled up into a ball and began spinning rapidly before launching himself at Hawlucha, knocking the dual type off course.

"Now use Thunder Fang!"

Morpeko sprinted towards Hawlucha and jumped onto him, biting down hard onto the luchador's wing and sending massive jolts of electricity through his body. And unfortunately for Hawlucha, he had just regained his Flying type, making the pain even worse.

"Use Flying Press!"

"Don't let go, Morpeko!"

Hawlucha fought through the pain and soared into the air, going so high he disappeared from view. But not for long, for the two of them soon came crashing down, hitting the ground hard. When the dust settled, both Pokemon were out cold.

"Both Pokemon are unable to battle! The round ends in a draw!"

"Incredible! In a shocking turn of events, Hawlucha and Morpeko have knocked each other out! Now each trainer is down to their last Pokemon, and both at full health! Who will come out on top?"

"Morpeko, return! You did great, get some rest."

"You were awesome, Hawlucha. Return!"

"Go, Grimmsnarl!"

"Lucario, I choose you!"

The two opponents eyed each other down, ready to fight to the finish.

Up in the stands, Ash whistled in awe as Marnie's Pokemon was revealed.

"Man, that Grimmsnarl looks strong! I wonder what the Pokedex has to say about it…"

"Grimmsnarl, the Bulk Up Pokemon. A Dark and Fairy Type. Grimmsnarl's hairs move like muscle fibers. When spread out, they can move on their own to tangle up opponents."

"Part fairy type? Man, talk about a bad matchup. Korrina's Lucario is at a big disadvantage!"

"I wouldn't count him out yet, Goh," Lillie interjected. "Remember, Lucario is also part Steel type, which is super effective against Fairy types. And Korrina can still Mega Evolve."

"Yeah, but Marnie will probably Dynamax her Pokemon," Chloe added.

"Ah yeah, this will be awesome!" Ash cheered.

"Pika Pika!"

Suddenly, Ash's Lucario emerged from his Pokeball, having sensed his hero's presence.

"Hey, buddy! You want to cheer on Korrina too?"

"Cario!"

"Alright, then let's make sure to be really loud!"

"Lucario!"

"Alright Lucario, no messing around!"

"Cario!"

"Mega Evolution!"

In a brilliant flash of light, Lucario was now in his Mega Evolved form, ready to finish the battle. Grimmsnarl stumbled back, shocked by the transformation, but quickly recovered.

"Start off with Bullet Punch!"

"Play Rough, Grimmsnarl!"

Grimmsnarl shot his hair out like tentacles, trying to ensnare Lucario. Lucario was determined not to give up, however, and smacked away each one with his fists before he reached Grimmsnarl, assaulting him with a flurry of punches. Grimmsnarl could only raise his fists to defend himself.

"Spirit Break!"

Grimmsnarl gathered energy in his hand before thrusting it into Lucario's stomach, blasting him across the field. Luckily, Lucario was quick to recover.

"Don't give up, Lucario! Aura Sphere!"

"Dazzling Gleam!"

Grimmsnarl roared, blinding Lucario with a brilliant flash of light. Lucario was not deterred by this, and fired off a quick Aura Sphere that knocked his opponent back.

"Now use Metal Claw!"

"Throat Chop, Grimmsnarl"

Lucario pounced again, pushing through a powerful swipe from Grimmsnarl to start slashing at him with his shiny coated claws.

"Spirit Breaker!"

"Steel Beam!"

This time, the two fired off their energy attacks right into each other at point blank range, sending the two of them flying apart. Once the dust settled, the two Pokemon were left barely standing and struggling to catch their breath.

"Lucario, use-"

But Lucario slumped to the ground, far too tired to continue. Korrina could only stare in shock as her ace reverted back to his normal state.

"Lucario is unable to battle! Grimmsnarl is the winner, which means the battle goes to Marnie of Spikemuth!"

Marnie breathed a sigh of relief, and patted her exhausted Grimmsnarl on the back.

"Thank you, Grimmsnarl. Get some rest."

"Snarl."

Korrina said nothing, she just silently returned her Lucario to his Pokeball and left the arena.

Korrina walked down the chilly streets of Circhester back to her hotel. She knew she should have shook Marnie's hand, but at the moment she just couldn't.

"Hey, Kalos freak! Bet you regret facing Marnie now, huh?"

Just then, two grunts from Team Yell emerged from the alley, Nickit and Zigzagoon at their feet.

"I bet you thought she'd be an easy win, being a dark type user against a fighting type user, huh? Well, you thought wrong!"

"Huh? But I never-"

"Oh, so now you're calling us liars, are you?"

"Put your Pokemon where your mouth is!"

"You two, leave her alone!"

Just then, Ash, Lillie, Chloe, Goh, and Marnie came running up, the two grunts cowering in fear when Marnie's sharp glare fell upon them.

"But Marnie, we were-"

"I don't care! You can't go around picking on people just because I beat them. Or do you want Piers to teach you ANOTHER lesson?"

This got the two's attention, and they scurried away.

"Are you alright, Korrina?"

"Yeah, thanks."

Marnie just sighed.

"They never learn."

She then offered her hand to Korrina. After a moment, Korrina accepted the handshake.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of. You really had me on edge the entire match. Had the battle gone on any longer, I'd have been forced to Gigantamax my Grimmsnarl."

"Woah, your Grimmsnarl can Gigantamax?"

Marnie chuckled, and nodded.

"Yes, but I don't like to use it very often. Spikemuth is the only gym in the Galar region that isn't built on a Power Spot, having been built before they were implemented. It being the first gym in the region is the only reason why it hasn't been replaced, but trainers from there are often looked down on for that reason. As such, I vowed to beat Leon and become the Monarch without it, to show the world how strong we really are! So far I haven't had to."

"And I almost made you break it? Wow."

"Indeed. I'll accept a rematch from you at any time."

"Wow, that must mean you're really strong! I hope I get to battle you."

Just then, Ash and Marnie's Rotomphones pinged, indicating the brackets for the second round were up. And lo and behold, they were scheduled to face each other in the first match.

"Talk about perfect timing, huh?"

"I look forward to our match, Ash. But don't expect me to go easy on you."

Ash chuckled, and accepted Marnie's handshake.

"I wouldn't have it any other way!"