Another day at the research center begins with a refreshing change brought by Mr. Mime.
Goh, Prof. Cerise, Chloe, and all of their Pokémon are brought together for a lesson on Tai Chi. The slow and focused movements, guided by Mr. Mime, are all mimicked by everyone except Yamper, who is running around without getting in anyone's way.
While they are exercising controlled movements, Michael and his Pokémon are in the kitchen. Michael finishes making two Pokémon bowls of curry, fresh with steam and with a soft hint of spice coming from the food.
Michael states with enthusiasm "Breakfast curry, ready for hungry Pokémon!" Riolu and Scorbunny run up to Michael's legs, hopping with excitement. Michael places the bowls on the floor, and the Pokémon start eating it up with enthusiasm.
The flavor of the curry just exploded in their mouths as the meat and spices mixed with the broth and rice. They start consuming the food with fervor as Michael watches with a smile on his face.
Michael says with a relieved tone "I'm glad, I only had a little practice with Mom."
"RI-riol!"
"Scor-scorbun!"
Riolu and Scorbunny note their enjoyment of the food with excitement in their tone.
As Michael was washing the pot, Ash rushes into the kitchen with the trio's backpacks and says with excitement "Michael, we're going to the Hoenn region!"
Michael asks with surprise "Why, Hoenn?"
Ash explains "For a Pokémon tournament!"
Michael replies with surprise "A tournament?!"
*Insert: Silly-go-round by FictionJunction YUUKA*
Hoenn Region - Flute Cup Arena
The group walks towards the entrance as the various Video screens explain the rules for the Flute Cup Tournament and try to hype up the event. Explaining that only 2 Pokémon are allowed and the prize is a set of colorful flutes.
Goh says in realization "I get it now." Goh then asks "Wait, Ash? Have you chosen your partners yet?"
Ash nods and says as he takes out a Pokéball and releases the occupant "Pikachu and…Mimey!" The two were surprised by Ash's choice, not knowing of the Pokémon's capabilities.
Goh wonders out loud "Can he even battle?" Michael crosses his arms and contemplates the question for himself.
Michael then concludes "Well, we never seen him battle, so he probably can." He and Goh then get freaked out when Mr. Mime shows a very intense intimidating face.
Goh translates Mr. Mime's hand gestures as "Let's deal with that later."
Goh replies with fear and surprise "No, let's deal with it now! I can't wait until later!"
Ash then asks Goh "So which two are you gonna use, huh?"
Goh answers "Huh? Well, I chose Scorbunny and Scyther." Goh explains the decision for his second Pokémon, initially going for Pinsir but instead picking Scyther after seeing their enthusiasm to join.
Ash then asks Michael "So which Pokémon are you joining the tournament with?"
Michael replies with a nervous look "Well, since this is my first tournament, I didn't know who to pick for my second partner. My first is always going to be Riolu." He then pets Riolu who was sitting on his left shoulder and puffs out his chest in pride. Michel then explains "So to figure out who to pick…"
*flashback*
Michael is in his room with his three Pokémon with Riolu sitting on the table and Scorbunny and Sandshrew sitting on the bottom bunk bed. Michael is having difficulty contemplating who to pick as his second partner for the tournaments as he starts to sweat with nervousness and strain.
Michael groans, falls to the ground on his back, and says with frustration "I don't know who to pick! You both could be really good choices!" Michael thinks hard about how to choose, almost drawing a blank when an idea pops into his head. He heads to the kitchen and grabs a couple of straws and a pair of scissors, cutting down the straws to different sizes. Heading back with the straws poking out of his hand with the bottoms hidden, he enters the room and declares "We'll solve this the old fashion way!"
The two Pokémon on the bed are confused until the boy holds out four straws with the bottom of the straws hidden by his hands and he explains "The one who picks the shortest straw, gets to be my second partner for the tournament!" The two Pokémon stare at the hand, then each other, and nod to each other in agreement with the rules.
Scorbunny and Sandshrew reach out and grab a straw each, pull it out of Michael's hand which reveals…
*flashback end*
Michael takes out a Pokéball and says while throwing the Pokéball up "And the winner was…!" The Pokéball opens up and releases Sandshrew who poses with his hands out in joy.
Ash says with excitement "Sandshrew! This'll be a lot of fun! I'm so fired up!" Ash's excitement is palpable as Ash struggles to contain it.
Goh asks Ash with a curious tone "So I guess you're really into Pokémon battles, huh?"
Ash answers joyfully "Yeah! It's hard to explain it, but it's kind of like with my Pokémon at my side, there's nothing I can't do!" Michael smiles as he looks towards his Pokémon who are practicing martial arts strikes with Riolu being somewhat refined while Sandshrew uses more clawing swipes. Michael feels the same when he and Riolu look each other in the eyes as if an endless road lies before them.
Ash then asks Goh with curiosity "What about you?"
Goh thinks for a few seconds before answering "I don't know…I don't know a lot about battles."
Ash comments "There you go, saying all that stuff again. You're both here with me, right?"
Goh replies with a slight irritation and agitation "Only because you signed us all up without our permission! Anyways…" A Taillow flies by which causes Goh's Scorbunny to jump with excitement, grabbing Goh's attention.
Goh turns and says with excitement "Huh, a Pokémon?! Let's go!" The two run towards the Hoenn bird as Goh declares "Hoenn region Pokémon, here we come!"
Michael then comments "And they're off!"
Ash adds with a smiling defeated expression "Well, I guess that's Goh for ya." Ash then asks Michael "What are you gonna do before the tournament starts?"
"It's not lunch yet, so I'm just gonna walk around a bit until the tournament starts. I might meet some new Pokémon on the way." Michael explains, getting a nod from Ash.
"Awesome! See you in the competition!" Ash calls out, receiving a nod from Michael and his Pokémon before they pick a direction and start walking around the stadium. They walk around, seeing various visitors and trainers with their Pokémon, possible tournament participants. Some of the various Pokémon include Vaporeon, Drifloon, and Electrike, with various trainers trying to prepare, encourage, coach, or all three.
Michael wonders out loud "Everyone else looks like they have plenty of experience, will I even be able to survive the first round?" Riolu then softly punches Micheal's cheek and looks into his eyes with determination as Michael looks back in awe which changes to a warm smile. He then says to Riolu "You're right, I can't lose my confidence when I just started. Let's find a spot for us to gather and try to make a plan." Riolu nods in confirmation and they find a spot on the outer ring of the stadium with a bench.
Taking Sandshrew out, Michael then sits on the bench and thinks out loud "Okay, this is our first real tournament and we gotta make sure we don't lose right out of the gate. I think the best thing to do is to let the opponent attack first."
His Pokémon were confused by the statement until Michael explained "There are probably gonna be very strong Pokémon here so we can't muscle through the battles. I think our best strengths right now are your small size, Riolu's agility, and Sandshrew's defense right now." They finally understand as Sandshrew examines their brick-like hide while Riolu practices backflipping from the bench. Michael smiles as he takes his phone out to check the time and takes out a cylinder tin. He opens it and gives Sandshrew some Pokémon food for energy before the tournament starts and gives one to Riolu after he does another backflip.
A young female voice with an English accent says with an amused tone "My, what adorable Pokémon you got there." Michael and his Pokémon turn to see a preteen girl wearing an elegant blue sundress with purple highlights. She has her blonde hair in a high bun with a few bangs hanging foreword that is covered by her pink parasol. She wears white shoulder-length gloves which match her white heels. She lifts her parasol a little higher to reveal fierce blue eyes that stare intently at Michael and his Pokémon.
Michael asks back a little intimidated "Uh, I'm sorry. I'm not sure what you mean."
The girl replies confidently "You're Pokémon are so adorable to think they might have a chance in the tournament. If only they had a rule that tournaments should not be for petty novices. It would be pretty funny to see you struggle in the first round only to fail." Michael is appalled by the rude comments this random person is making, his Pokémon gives her glares from her mean jabs.
She then walks past Michael and declares "If we do meet each other in the tournament, I'll be sure to have my fun with you." Michael is stunned as her fierce eyes and confident voice have intimidated him out of his confidence. Riolu and Sandshrew try to help Michael relax, but the nervousness and fear start to swell from the pit of his stomach and a nervous sweat appears.
As Michael starts to shake, one of his Pokéballs opens up to reveal Scorbunny in a male red and white cheerleader outfit with red pom poms and starts doing a cheer in front of Michael. Scorbunny's dance starts to calm down Michael as he can feel Scorbunny's faith and joy wash away some of the fear inside him. Seeing the effectiveness of the cheer, Riolu and Sandshrew join in as they add their bouncy energy to the cheer dance.
As Michael starts to breathe more steadily and focus, he says with gratitude "Thanks guys, especially you Scorbunny." Michael kneels and takes Scorbunny's paws into his hands and continues "I'm happy to have friends that encourage me." Seeing Michael's smile makes Scorbunny smile a jump jovially as Riolu and Sandshrew smile at their friends.
Michael slaps his cheeks and declares "I can't give up before I even try! Let's give it our best guys!" His Pokémon cheers as they get psyched up for their first tournament, with Michael also trying to make a strategy for the first round.
Flute Cup Arena - Preliminary Rounds
The audience fills to the brim in the stadium as the energy feels like electricity in the air, the anticipation and excitement of the battles ready to take place is too much to bear. The announcer says with enthusiasm "Ladies and Gentlemen, it's time for another round of the preliminaries, please welcome Michael and Smith!"
Michael enters from the right entrance to the arena with Riolu on his shoulder while a trainer wearing a simple red shirt, brown shorts, white tennis shoes, and a backward red cap. The announcer says with growing excitement "Battle…Begin!"
The opponent throws a Pokéball and a Linoone emerges on the opponent's side of the arena, in which Michael calls out "Let's do this Riolu!" Riolu jumps from Michael's shoulder and lands on their side of the arena, ready for battle.
"Linoone, use Headbutt!" Linoone begins to charge forward, a cone of energy covering its head. Linoone builds up momentum as it prepares to impact Riolu with its head.
"Riolu, circle and counter with Vacuum Wave!" Riolu jumps to the side at nearly the last second and releases a burst of air towards Linoone who jumps away before the blast of pressure hits. Riolu unleashes multiple blasts to try and hit his opponent but turns into a game of cat and mouse.
Ash meanwhile is cheering "You can do it, Michael! Give it your all Riolu!" Pikachu and Mr. Mime are also cheering for Michael and his team as Michael's Scorbunny is doing his cheerleading dance. Ash cries out "I know you got this!"
Michael blushes with a smile as he feels a warmth in his chest from the encouragement, his eyes shine just a little brighter at this new feeling for him. He commands "Riolu, use Double Team, then use Vacuum Wave!" Riolu creates multiple after images and each one unleashes a burst of pressurized air with each punch an image makes.
Linoone starts to receive damage as it's being pelted by air blasts until Riolu stops using too much energy.
The trainer says in alarm "Linoone! Get back up and use Slash!" Linoone recovers and its claws glow with energy as they extend and charge towards Riolu.
"Riolu, use Metal Claw!" Riolu grows claws with a metallic sheen and charges towards Linoone. They both move closer as they put their energy into the attacks. They both cross each other with the sound of something being severed, the two opponents standing opposite of each other.
Anticipation hangs as the opponents wait for their partners to make a move, beads of sweat hanging on their foreheads.
Unfortunately, Riolu misses and stumbles with a hit on his side as Linoone turns and readies another attack. Michael gasps "Dodge Riolu! Move out of the way!"
Riolu jumps immediately as Linoone attempts another Slash and misses, Riolu moving behind Linoone and jumping back for distance. Riolu holds his side as that was what got hit, no scratches can be seen.
"Linoone, use Slash again!" Linoone's claws extended and glowed as it dashed towards Riolu. Riolu grits through the pain and takes a stance, ready for anything.
"Riolu, jump above Linoone and use Vacuum Wave!" Riolu bounces forward and over the charging Linoone, a sphere of pressurized air charging, and then released when above Linoone. The closer range of the attack does more damage with cracks appearing on the ground. Riolu lands on the ground and turns to get ready for any counterattacks, but relaxes when he sees Linoone unconscious.
"Linoone is unable to battle, Riolu is the winner!" Riolu jumps in the air for joy as Michael stares with his mouth agape. Surprise overwhelms him as the sudden rush of victory surges like electricity.
He is brought back to reality when Ash cheers "Keep it up, Michael! Don't slow down now!" Michael internally slaps himself as he remembers that he only won the first battle.
The trainer returns Linoone to its Pokéball and throws out another one, releasing a Pidgey as it chirps in excitement when it lands on the battlefield.
"Pidgey has entered the field, what will Michael follow that up with?!" The announcer says with enthusiasm.
"Riolu, let's switch!" Riolu returns to Michael's side as he calls out "Sandshrew, let's go!" Michael throws the Pokéball and Sandshrew strikes a pose as he readies his claws for battle.
"Riolu has been substituted with Sandshrew, now let the battle begin!"
"Pidgey, use gust!" Pidgey attacks with a burst of wind from its wings as it heads towards Sandshrew.
"Sandshrew, use sand attack to make a smokescreen!" Sandshrew scoops up some sand and tosses it into the air as a cloud that obscures Sandshrew. The gust attack hits the sand cloud, dispersing it, revealing Sandshrew missing as Pidgey looks around to find where the Mouse Pokémon is.
"Jump up and use Fury Swipe!" Michael's command reveals Sandshrew right under Pidgey as he jumps and swipes with his claws at Pidgey. Sandshrew kept swiping constantly until he dodged a counter-swipe from Pidgey. Sandshrew falls off balance and starts to freak out when he gets stuck on his back for a minute.
"Okay Pidgey, use Peck!" Pidgey's beak glows as it charges towards Sandshrew who starts to freak out and run away. Michael is stunned a little by how Sandshrew is running around like a kid in a playpen while Pidgey tries to Peck him. The trainer is just as surprised as Sandshrew runs around in a circle in a panic.
"…Ah, Sandshrew! Use Defense Curl!" Sandshrew immediately curls up into a ball and a glow on his shell shines before Pidgey's peck makes contact.
Cr-Crack!*
Unfortunately, the hardness of the shell mixed with the Defense Curl causes an injury to its beak. Pidgey's cawing of pain alerts them as they look towards the fallen Pidgey. Michael and Sandshrew stare with a stunned stare as Pidgey holds its beak on the ground, screaming in pain. The audience looks on in a similar stunned state as silence overtakes the arena.
"…Pidgey just experienced Sandshrew's strong shell, will this be the end?!" The announcer tries to bring the energy back to the audience. It took a few seconds before the arena was filled with the loud cheers of the audience.
"I…I…I'M SO VERY SORRY!" Michael bows in apology as the trainer stands stunned by what just happened.
"Ah, Pidgey, get back up, hurry!"
"Sandshrew, finish this with Fury Swipe!" Sandshrew quickly runs up and starts scratching at Pidgey quickly with his claws. Eventually, the damage becomes too much, and Pidgey faints after one last swipe from Sandshrew's claws.
"Pidgey is unable to battle, the winner is Sandshrew and the victory goes to Michael!" Michael stares dumbfounded for a few seconds before he starts cheering in excitement. Sandshrew and Riolu join in the celebration, jumping for joy as the opponent trainer returns Pidgey to their Pokéball.
Ash says in excitement "Alright Michael, you won your first match!" Michael feels a sliver of pride that only goes away when his eyes meet the girl from earlier who is showing a confident smirk. Sandshrew taps on Michael's leg to get his attention.
Michael looks down to see a thumbs-up from Sandshrew which causes Michael to smile. In return, he gives a thumbs up back as they silently cheer for their victory.
Flute Cup Arena - Quarterfinals
The next set of rounds follow and Ash and Michael continue to rise until the quarterfinals, as Michael slowly becomes more confident with each victory. Eventually, Michael faces off against the dress-wearing girl in the arena. They stare at each other as the girl closes her parasol and readies a Pokéball.
The girl notes with confidence "I admit, you have a little skill, but a foolish amateur will always be an amateur." She closes her parasol, revealing a bang that's tied up by a red ribbon. She takes out a Pokéball and gets ready to throw when the referee calls.
"Then I'll just prove myself, nothing more." Michael gets ready, waiting for the referee to give the signal. Riolu stands by and gets hyped up by tending his body.
"Ladies and Gentlemen in our quarterfinals, on the blue side, we have the first time tournament participant, Michael! On the red side, our 3 time participant, Vivian! Will she finally compete in the finals and win the Flute Cup folks, or will the first timer pass her?" The announcer hyped up the audience as they cheer for the upcoming battle, mostly men as Vivian gives a cute wink at them.
"Beautifly, dazzle them!" The Pokéball opens and the yellow, blue, and red spotted wings of Beautifly flutter as it calls out with a gentle cry. It flutters around as it hyped itself up for the upcoming battle.
"Riolu, let's go!" Riolu jumps forward and roses out with energy as he takes a martial arts stance. Beautifly and Riolu glare at each other as they wait for the signal.
The referee declares "Let the battle…begin!"
"Beautifly, use Gust!" Beautifly flaps its wings with a strong push and a gust of wind flies towards Riolu. Riolu stands his ground, bracing his body for the attack that's about to hit. A strong breeze gets closer as Riolu feels it flow from the front of his body to the back like a strong breeze.
"Riolu, dodge and counter with Vacuum Wave!" Vivian calls out with anger. Riolu jumps up and swings his arms to build up a vacuum and then releases the vacuum towards Beautifly. Beautifly flutters around nervously as the attack approaches.
"Dodge, and let this novice feel your Poison Sting!" Beautifly flutters higher over the battlefield and the Vacuum Wave misses. Beautifly's proboscis glows purple as it flies quickly while Riolu is in the air and stings him with it's attack. The attack hits Riolu's right side and feels a sliver of poison enter his body. The poison flows inside like a numbing sensation slowly spreading from the entry point.
"Riolu! Counter with Metal Claw!" Riolu's aura flares as he gets angry that Michael is worried. Riolu's claws extend and glow with a metal sheen, and he starts to slash at Beautifly with all his might. Riolu's body glows blue which slows the poison slowly spreading through his body, his aura flaring.
Vivian yells with alarm "Beautifly, get him off of you!" Beautifly uses its entire body to push Riolu off, flying closer to Vivian. Yet Riolu's aura starts to flare a bit more erratically as his eyes shrunk and expanded from focused to erratic in seconds. Michael starts to worry as he feels Riolu's aura from where he is, worried about his best friend and wondering what he should do. Taking a deep breath to calm down, Michael tries to call out to Riolu with his worry for him.
"R…Riolu! Snap out of it! Focus!" Michael's words and emotions reached out to Riolu which causedcaused him to stun in place. A gap in his memory cause him to be lost as if his train of thought was intrupted. Shaking his head, Riolu looks around in confusion as he feels like he was in a daze for a few seconds. Looking around, he tries to regain his senses as he remembers that he currently fighting in a tournament.
Taking advantage, Vivian commands "Beautifly, attack now with Gust!" Beautifly flaps its wings quickly to build up a gust of wind and launches it towards Riolu. Riolu is a little lost as he forgot what he was doing earlier and is distracted.
"Riolu, dodge and counter with Vacuum Wave!" Riolu faces the Gust in surprise in which he jumps away from the attack and builds up a vacuum by swinging his arms. Releasing Vacuum Wave towards Beautifly, it is surprised somewhat at how fast Riolu recovered. The attack lands, although, the attack didn't do too much damage, only slight scuffs on it's wings and body.
"Let's up the pressure, Double Team and surround Beautifly!" Riolu nods as he runs towards Beautifly as he moves at fast speeds to create afterimages. The many Riolu's run around Beautifly in something resembling a circle to confuse it. Beautifly turns to each Riolu to figure out which is real, but can't seem to figure it out.
Michael says with a nervous sweat "Riolu, use Metal Claw to breach Beautifly's defense!" The Riolu behind Beautifly immediately draws out his claws and strike at Beautifly's back reapeatedly. Riolu focus on quick movements to get as many attacks in as possible, even if the attack power is weaken by it. Sweat starts to flow down Riolu's forehead as he jumps away and uses his afterimages to get to a safe distance towards Michael.
They both start to show exhaustion as both Riolu and Beautifly are sweating and taking deep gasps of breath from exhaustion and their wounds. Vivian and Michael notice that they can't keep going after one attack, needing to chose their next move carefully. They both stare at each other with glares as they try to figure out how to take down their opponents. The announcer declares "It looks like both Pokémon are on the ropes, lets see what their trainers will decide to be their next move for this potential final clash!"
Vivian takes advantage of the opening by commanding "Beautifly, use Air Cutter!" Beautifly flutters its wings to generate razor sharp wind that is heading for Riolu fast. Riolu finally notices as he can see the distortion the wing is causing in the air.
"Riolu, counter with Vacuum Wave!" Riolu spins his arms and launches the vacuum to disrupt the wind which splits the move through the middle and disperses the wind. Riolu starts to run forward as he decides to close the distance in order to better control the battle.
"Beautifly, use Gust and keep Riolu away!" Vivian seems nervous as she notices Beautifly appearing weak and tired as its fluttering is slower. Beautifly almost falls to the ground in exhaustion but gathers up its energy to flutter its wings and send a strong gust of wind at Riolu.
"Use Double Team and get in closer, Riolu!" Riolu makes a group of after images and starts to move around in random directions towards Beautifly. It loses track of Riolu as he keeps on switching places in a random pattern, keeping Beautifly distracted.
"Use Gust to get rid of those clones!" Beautifly unleashed a quick gust of wind towards the group of Riolus. They stop in surprise and are blown away as one by one they fade leaving no Riolus on the battlefield. Vivian asks in surprise "What, where did it go?!"
"Riolu! Use Metal Claw!" Michael calls out to Riolu who is in the air behind Beautifly as he moves closer to it for the attack. Riolu's claws extend and turn metal as he starts to slash at Beautifly with heavy effort. Diagonal, horizontal, and vertical slashes in a row with five slashes. With all his effort, Riolu unleashes a double clawed attack in an X movement as his final attack before he falls to the ground.
Riolu lands on the ground with sweat drenching his face as if he dipped his head in water, gasping for breath as Beautifly stands still. The audience watches in anticipation, Ash holding his breath with Scorbunny shaking in worry. Vivian looks towards Beautifly as she wonders if there's a chance for a counterattack, yet her expression changes to shock.
Beautifly falls down as it faints on the ground, as Riolu stumbles forward from his injuries. Beautifly eyes appear as swirls as it lies unconscious on the ground, groaning in pain as the crowd erupts in applause. The referee calls out "Beautifly is unable to battle, Riolu wins!"
Michael stares in shock as he lets the words sink in as a smile grows on his face, he yells "Yeah, go Riolu! Just one more…huh?" His smile fell as he saw Riolu gasping for breath, a purple shade between his eyes. Michael, feeling a nervous sweat down his back, calls out in worry "Riolu, return!" Riolu walks back towards Michael slowly and in a stumble.
"Grrr, Beautifly, return!" Vivian puts Beautifly back in its Pokéball and says "You may think you've won, but I'm no longer going to go easy on you rookie! Come on out!" She threw out another Pokéball and out came a small white body with a green, bowl-cut like hair, head. Ralts calls out with a wave of psychic energy as it readies for Vivian's command.
"Rest up Riolu, Let's go Sandshrew!" Michael tosses the Pokéball forward and it opens, releasing Sanshrew who jumps in joy as he poses with his claws out. Getting a glance of Ralts, he feels a strange and unsettling aura, as if just staring at Ralts is giving him a pit in his stomach. The feeling only increases when Ralts gives Sandshrew a maniacal smile which causes him to sweat nervously.
The referee declares "Let the battle…begin!"
"Sandshrew, use Sand Attack!" Sandshrew swipes up sand and dust from the battlefield and throws it towards Ralts. Ralts covers its eyes as it tries to sense Sandshrew only to be surprised when he appears closer and readies his claws. Michael then declares "Keep the pressure going with Fury Swipe!"
Sandshrew slashes at Ralts who tries to keep its guard and is only pushed back by the final swipe. Vivian grinds her teeth and says with anger "Ralts, show him your power with Psychic!" Ralts glows with ethereal psychic energy as its eyes glow blue and aims its will towards Sandshrew as he's surrounded by a pink aura. Immediately, Sandshrew is floating and is being smashed all over the battlefield, hitting the ground as if tied up by a whip.
Michael, almost tongue tied, screams out in panic "Sandshrew, Defense Curl!" A dust cloud erupts as Ralts finishes its Psychic, waiting in anticipation, wondering of the fate of its opponent. Michael feels a cold sweat down his back as he worries about the condition of Sandshrew. Riolu is still gasping for breath, trying to keep the poison under control.
Michael has difficulty keeping his breath as the dust slowly settles, feeling an almost oppressive weight in his chest. Vivian almost appears ready to break her parasol in half by holding it with two hands as she continues to grind her teeth. The dust finally dies down, and Michael exhales as he sees Sandshrew curled up, and is able to take another breath when he sees the shine of Defense Curl.
Sandshrew uncurls and one of his eyes is closed as his body is littered with scratches and wounds from being thrashed around. Sandshrew is breathing deeply as he uses what strength he has to keep standing and ready to fight. Vivian growls as she says in anger "I will show you your place, Ralts, give him a taste of Psybeam!"
Ralts unleashes a beam of pink psychic energy that heads towards Sandshrew if Michael didn't tell him to dodge in time. Sandshrew runs away and around the beam heading for him as he tries to find an opening to attack back. Moving left and right to try and keep the beam as far from him as possible, running on all fours. Michael observes with a nervous sweat as he tries to figure out a counterattack, with not much to work with. Going with a gut instinct, Michael calls out "Sandshrew, disrupts Ralts' concentration with Sand Attack!"
Sandshrew runs closer to Ralts as the Psybeam is getting closer and claws a handful of sand in his claws. Throwing the sand as a dust cloud in front of Ralts, keeping the Psybeam up keeps it from covering its eyes, causing the dust to hit. The Psybeam stops as Ralts tries to get the dust out of its eyes which gives Sandshrew a moment to breathe. Sandshrew tries to gather up any strength as he takes deep breaths to recharge some strength.
With desperation at the edge of his voice, Michael calls out "Quick, use Fury Swipe!" Sandshrew, shocked by Michael's call, grows his claws as they glow and begins to swipe at Ralts who gets pelted by attacks. Vivian gains a twitch in her left eye, her anger evident in her face, her mind clinking with ideas on a counter attack. Then a smirk lines her face as she finds a moment when Sandshrew misses a Fury Swipe from a stumble.
"Ralts, give it your all with Psychic!" With a burst of Psychic energy, Ralts uses its psychic powers to control Sandshrew and lifts him up in the air almost to the ceiling.
Michael, worried for Sandshrew screams "No! Defense-!" Before he could even finish the command, Ralts slams Sandshrew to the ground with the force of increased gravity. The dust cloud erupts and is blown away quickly, showing an unconscious Sandshrew on the ground with cracks under him. Michael's face is in shock as he looks at his unconscious friend, wondering how he lost.
"Sandshrew is unable to battle, Ralts is the winner!" The referee announces as Vivian chuckles to herself behind her left hand as her arms are crossed. Ralts shakes the remaining sand off as its evil smirk returns, partially scratched up.
Michael is stunned as he stares at the unconscious Sandshrew before he slaps his cheeks and takes out his Pokéball and puts Sandshrew inside. Michael says with a compassionate tone "You did good Sandshrew, rest well." He looks to Riolu, who is still breathing deeply to resist the poison and says "We need to give it our all, right Riolu?" Riolu nods as he walks up and gets ready to battle, despite the poison running through his body.
"Michael has brought out Riolu, now let the battle….." The anticipation between the two battlers and their Pokémon is tense as they wait for the referee to give the go signal. "…..begin!"
"Riolu, use Double Team!" Riolu immediately runs forward and creates afterimages to distract Ralts as they run around in random directions. Riolu switch between different after images to keep Ralts from figuring out where he is.
Vivian gives an unamused expression as she calls out "Ralts, get rid of those clones with Psybeam." Ralts releases a beam of energy that hits the clones that makes them disappear one by one.
Michael calls out as the last after images were shot down "Riolu, use Vacuum Wave!" Riolu runs past Ralts from behind as he builds up a vacuum with his arms and releases towards Ralts. Ralts get hit by the vacuum as it falls to the ground, the Psybeam disappears upon impact. Michael calls out with nervous desperation "Now, Metal Claw!" Riolu's claws grow and he starts slashing with what strength he has left.
Riolu feels the poison spread throughout his body, his strength leaving him with each slash. Yet everything in his body is calling out to keep going and finish this, for Michael and Sandshrew. With the fourth strike, he gets ready for the final strike and pull back to keep his distance and ready to defend.
…Yet Riolu missed the final strike, stumbling from a moment of weakness.
Vivian smiles widely and calls out "Ralts, end this rookie with Psychic!" Ralts unleashes a burst of psychic energy as it grabs Riolu, lifts him up and slam him across the battlefield. Before Michael could even say anything, Riolu gets launched to the wall behind Michael, the sudden draft and the shock of where Riolu got sent caused his knees to lose strength.
"Riolu is unable to battle, Ralts is the winner! Which mean Vivian won the battle!" Michael turns to see Riolu poisoned and unconscious on the ground, tears threaten to leak out of his eyes. Vivian gives a condescending laugh as she holds her hand close to her mouth in an arrogant position. Ash looks with concern as Michael's face shows confusion and fear over what happened.
"Riolu!" Michael stands and runs to Riolu as he holds him in his arms and asks in desperation "Riolu, speak to me! Are you okay?" Riolu was able to groan as a sign that he's still holding on, Michael was worried about the poison in Riolu's body. Michael stands up and runs out of the arena and heads towards the nearest Pokémon Center.
Vivian and Ralts hold themselves with a confident air as Ash stares at the exit Michael left with a concerned gaze as he looks to Scorbunny who is worried. Ash says "Go on, we'll catch up when the tournament is over." Scorbunny turns to see the confident smile Ash holds and nods as he jumps with his pom poms and jumps up the stairs and towards the exit of the stadium.
Pokémon Center
Later in the day, as the finals of the flute cup are underway, Michael is sitting at a couch at the wall of the Pokémon Center, waiting on any results. He doesn't pay attention as Ash is battling with Mr. Mime against a guy with an auburn pompadour with his Hariyama. Michael's mind is rushing around with questions as he reflects on the last battle and compares it to the battles in the tournament before that.
'Where did I go wrong? Was it because I didn't deal with Riolu's poison? Did I make a wrong move somewhere? Sandshrew did well so far against Ralts…until…!' Michael remembers when Sandshrew looked exhausted from being thrown around with Psychic, even after using Defense Curl at the end.
'Sandshrew was exhausted from Psychic, but he seemed to be ready to continue. Yet I kept telling him to attack and dodge relentlessly…!' Michael's thoughts turn to when Sandshrew missed the last attack from the Fury Swipe. 'Was it because…I was pushing them too hard?'
Michael then thought back to when he had Riolu try and keep attacking Ralts as pressure. 'I told Riolu to keep attacking…and he was also fighting off Beautifly's poison…it was my fault.' Michael puts his hands to his face in shame as he realizes his mistake.
"I pushed them too hard. I should've given them a moment to breathe." Michael's shame blocked out all his other senses, he didn't even hear the cheers of the crowd. Michael's body begins to squirm as his mind attacks him with every mistake he made during the battle.
'I got careless, I got overconfident. She was right, I'm an inexperienced trainer. I should've just been a spectator. I'm no good. I'm no good. I'M NO G-…' Michael suddenly receives a kick to the head from a white and red foot paw as he falls off his seat. He turns to find his Scorbunny standing next to him with a concerned expression.
Michael asks "Scorbunny?" Scorbunny starts to yell at him with his calls, tears of worry evident in his eyes. Michael feels the worry from Scorbunny as he can guess what he's trying to tell him. He needs to stop thinking like that as he doesn't like to see his friend in despair.
Michael says apologetically "Scorbunny…sorry, I probably only got lucky to reach the quarterfinals. Vivian was right…I'm a total novice. I pushed Riolu and Sandshrew too far, and they lost because of me." Michael bows his head to Scorbunny as he finishes "Please forgive me."
Scorbunny stares at Michael for a few seconds until he suddenly kicks Michael again with a frustrated face. Michael lays on his back in shock as Scorbunny gets on his chest and squeezes Michael's cheeks with his paws. Scorbunny scolds Michael for his apology and that he shouldn't say things like that, even if Michael doesn't fully understand.
Michael asks in confusion "Do you think I should…keep battling?" Scorbunny gives a call of agreement with a smile as Michael sits up and is left thinking for a few seconds until he says "Let's wait for the others to get better and ask them if they want to keep battling." Scorbunny jumps in agreement as they sit on the bench together, Michael finally looking at one of the TV monitors.
"Ash won the Flute Cup? He must be a really good trainer…could I get that good myself?" Michael thinks of the possibilities of battling trainers as a woman with pink hair wearing a nurse garment along with a round pink pokemon with an egg in it's pouch.
The women, Nurse Joy, says with a gentle voice "You're Pokémon have made an excellent recovery, they were really excited to leave." Michael thanks Nurse Joy and Chansey for healing his Pokémon and they move to a corner table as Michael is sitting on the booth with a thinking expression.
Michael says with an apologetic tone "I messed up, and I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you like that." All of Michael's Pokémon are concerned until Michael asks "Although…do you guys…want to keep battling…with me?" Michael closes his eyes and slowly faces his Pokémon to see their answer.
Michael is amazed to see determination evident in all of their expressions, Riolu at the front giving a fist pump and holding his paw out for a fist bump. Michael is moved as he holds back his tears and gives a fist bump back to Riolu as he has a small smile.
"Hey Michael! Guys!" Michael turns to see Ash and Goh and their Pokémon walk up to them with big smiles as he stands up and faces them. Mr. Mime is holding the trophy and flute prizes in his hands.
"Ash, congrats on winning the Flute Cup, I had a feeling you were gonna win." The Scorbunny brother walk up and give each other high fives as Riolu and Sandshrew approach Mr. Mime and Pikachu to look at the trophy and flutes.
Ash replies while rubbing the top of his nose with his index finger "Thanks, had to improvise a bit but we were able to beat Hariyama and Mightyena. Sorry about your loss, I was also hoping to battle you in the finals, there's always next time, right?"
Michael scratches the back of his head with his left hand and replies unsuringly "Maybe, I guess I just don't have the experience you have. I don't know if I can get to your level."
Ash shakes his head dismissively and says with assurance "Of course you can, anyone can. I have fought many battles to get where I am today, and I believe anyone can get where I am if they give it their all! And I know you and Goh can be just as good as me!"
Michael says in awe, with Goh looking almost amazed, as he replies "Thanks Ash, I think…I wanna keep going…I want to prove Vivian wrong! Could you…help me get better?"
Ash says with an excited smile "Yeah!"
Goh gets between them and says "Battling is a lot of fun, so let's give it all that we got, OK?" They all nod as they begin to leave the Pokémon Center and head to the nearest airport back to the research center.
Goh then says "While you and Ash were going through the tournament, I fought myself some Wurmples."
Michael then asks "Are you hoping that they evolve into both Silcoon and Cascoon?" Michael nods as he explains at how excited to see the dual evolution line Wurmple has. They all get lost in conversation as they walk down the road in the sunset, a long day ending with a brighter outlook.
Michael gets curious as to how much he'll improve as a Pokémon trainer and if he'll be a good battler as time goes on. He looks to his Pokémon, takes a deep breath and reminds himself 'I'm not sure what's gonna happen next. But I know that as long as they are next to me, I believe I'm gonna be okay.'
A battle of wills.
Exploring all that the world has to offer.
Competition, breeding new rivals and friendships.
Strength that is born from the body and soul.
Another door opens to those who wish to enter.
The journey continues.