Chapter 58:
The Grand Festival, Part III
Venesi City – Contest Hall
"And time's out!" Jillian stated. "The winner of the last quarterfinal match is Sayaka!"
Once Serena and Aisha finished their talk, the biker decided to watch the rest of the Grand Festival from the stands alongside the rest of the Dunsparce Gang, while Serena returned to the waiting area in order to watch the remaining matches, which were won by by Vitor, Leona and Sayaka.
"And thus, this will be the semifinal matches!" the hostess announced once again, and the screen changed to show the aforementioned two battles: Serena vs Vitor and Leona vs Sayaka.
Needless to say, as soon as the two matches were announced, the first pair of coordinators were immediately called into the stage.
"I'm glad that you beat Aisha, Serena. That way we can finally have our rematch!" Vitor excitedly claimed, as he walked alongside her. "You'll see how much I have improved since the last time we fought!"
"I'm sure your skills grew a lot, Vitor," Serena replied, before wagging a finger at him. "But don't think that I've been doing nothing all this time."
They didn't trade any more words as the two of them separated in order to take their respective places at both sides of the battlefield.
…
"There they are! It's about to begin!" Shauna beamed upon seeing Serena and Vitor walk onto the stage.
"And now, the first battle of the semifinals!" Jillian excitedly announced. "On one side, we have Serena, from Vaniville Town, Kalos!"
"Come on Serena! You're almost there!" Ash cheered upon seeing his girlfriend.
"You're doing so well, sweetie!" Grace joined Ash.
The public cheered, Ash, Clemont and Bonnie being the loudest. Pikachu and Dedenne cheered as well.
"And on the other side, from Moki Town, Vitor!" Jillian continued.
"Come on Vitor, kick her ass! Show her what you're made of!" Natalie shouted, pumping both fists in the air.
"Coordinators, present your Pokemon!" the hostess instructed.
"Coatlith, Sylveon, go!"
Serena tossed two pokeballs into the air, one releasing a storm of green leaves and red flower petals upon opening, which coalesced into the form of Coatlith, and torrent of pink hearts and golden stars shooting out from the other, revealing Sylveon upon disappearing.
"Syl!"
"Co, coat!"
"Electruxo, Astronite, come out and play!" Vitor said, also throwing two pokeballs forward.
The two pokeballs opened, Electruxo appearing from within a whirlpool of crystal blue water, while a second Pokemon that Ash had never seen before emerged from an explosion of rainbow light.
"Elec, trux!"
"Astrooo...!" the Pokemon said, his voice sounding like an otherworldly buzz.
Astronite was a humanoid-shaped Pokemon, a bit taller than Vitor, with a body made of black obsidian. Its face was completely featureless save for a pink, stylized rune shaped like an eye. It had two arms ending in three thick fingers, though its right arm was segmented into several floating rock shards. Its shins were completely covered in brown rock, and so was the back of its neck.
Ash pulled out his pokedex in order to scan this new Pokemon – and noticed that Serena did the same.
" Astronite, the Traveler Pokemon, Cometeor's evolution and Comite's final form. Rock/Psychic. Astronite can exist anywhere, even in the vacuum of space. They are said to roam across the universe, orbiting stars and colonizing asteroid fields." The Pokedex explained.
"Huh. So Vitor's Cometeor evolved," Ash noted.
"It evolved a long time ago," Natalie said. "Wow, it's really been a long time since the last time you saw him in a contest, isn't it?"
"I remember that Vitor's Cometeor was quite the formidable opponent back in the Bealbeach City contest. Now that it has evolved, it has to be even stronger," Clemont noted, as he pushed his glasses up.
"And that's not all. Look at Electruxo's right foreleg," Lilia pointed out, and Ash noticed the Hippocampus Pokemon was wearing a bracer on it with a blue and yellow marble-like gemstone. "It seems like Vitor is planning to use Mega Evolution on this match."
"Let him. Aisha used it too and Serena still won," Bonnie said.
"Yeah, but Vitor is so much better than that biker. Just wait and see!" Natalie said in a snappy way.
Fortunately, Jillian started the match before the argument could escalate any further.
"Five minutes on the clock! Begin!"
~Serena (Sylveon & Coatlith) VS Vitor (Electruxo & Astronite)~
"We'll be making the first move! Astronite, Extrasensory! Electruxo, combine it with Thunder!" Vitor commanded with a hand swipe.
"Astroooo...!" Astronite buzzed, its only eye glimmering with a white light, before firing a conical stream of rings of gold and rainbow light mixed together.
"Eleeeee-TRUX!" Eletruxo cried, its whole body bursting with electricity, as it released it in the form of a single, powerful lightning bolt which merged with the Extrasensory.
Such a combination attack had the potential to do devastating damage with very little chances of avoiding it. Unfortunately for Vitor, Serena had an easy way to stop said attack on its tracks.
"Sylveon, Protect! Coatlith, stay behind her!" the honey blonde ordered.
"Protect? Oh damn!" Vitor cursed.
"Syl-VE!" Sylveon cried as she erected a green energy barrier in front of her.
When the Electric and Psychic-type combination attack slammed into the defensive move, it produced a huge and loud explosion of gold and rainbow. Unfortunately, despite how visually impressive it looked, since the attack failed to do any damage, it was Vitor who lost points.
"Now, follow up with Solar Beam, Coatlith!" Serena ordered.
"Coa!" Coatlith cried in agreement, as the large red bud at the end of her tail bloomed into a flower, as it quickly began to gather solar energy, forming a golden energy orb with green edges.
"And Sylveon, toss a Moonblast at it!" She added.
Once she finished charging the attack, Coatlith fired the beam of solar power at Vitor's Pokemon, while Sylveon summoned an orb of swirly white and pink light, and launched it in the trajectory of the Solar Beam. The latter attack absorbed the former, gaining a pink hue on its edges.
"Electruxo, Astronite, dodge it, quickly!" Vitor ordered, sounding distressed.
His Pokemon were able to move out of the way, but unfortunately got caught by the ensuing explosion, something that cost Vitor even more points, dropping to just three quarters.
"The match has barely begun, and Serena is dominating it!" Jillian commented. "Vitor better do something to turn it around, or the difference in points will only get bigger!"
"Yes! Keep going Serena! You've pretty much won!" Bonnie cheered.
"Shut up! There's still plenty of battle left, it's too soon to declare a winner!" Natalie protested, before turning to the stage. "Come on Vitor! Get your head out of your butt already! Show her what you're capable of!"
Vitor took a deep breath in order to calm his nerves, and when he opened his eyes they were full of resolve. "Okay, you got a good start, but this is where we counterattack! Astronite, Gemstone Glimmer!"
"Gemstone what?" Miette asked.
Before anybody had any chance to explain, Astronite's obsidian body began to shimmer with an amethyst light so potent, Serena and her Pokemon had to shield their eyes. That proved to be a mistake, as several energy projectiles shaped like gemstones fired from the Pokemon's body, smashing into Coatlith and Sylveon.
"Yes! Now Electruxo, Blizzard!" Vitor followed, his voice growing more excited.
Electruxo took a deep breath and exhaled a powerful freezing wind with snow and ice chunks mixed in that washed over the still blinded Sylveon and Coatlith, the latter crying in pain given how vulnerable she was to Ice-type moves.
"And Vitor makes an effective counterattack, proving that he isn't going to let Serena win this so easily!" Jillian observed, as Serena's points dropped, even if they were still above Vitor's.
"What kind of attack did Astronite use?" Clemont asked. "I don't think I ever saw such an attack before..."
"Gemstone Glimmer. An attack exclusive to Astronite and its preevolutions," Natalie proudly explained. "Kinda like Power Gem, but it also has a blinding effect."
"I see. So not only does the blinding effect make it hard to avoid or counter, but it also makes it perfect to ensure the next attack can't be dodged either," Lilia observed.
"Exactly! My little bro is really good at finding rare or obscure moves and using them to their best!" Natalie continued, her eyes fixed on the battleground. "That's why he's going to win not just this match, but this whole competition too!"
"Good job guys! Time to press our advantage!" Vitor said with an arm swipe. "Electruxo, Aqua Jet on Sylveon!"
"El, ele!" Eletruxo cried as its body was covered in a cloak of water, before barreling towards the Eeveelution like a liquid missile.
"Sylveon, Shadow Ball!" Serena ordered.
"Now Astronite! Reflect!" Vitor ordered.
"Reflect?" Clemont asked. "But... Shadow Ball is a special move, and Reflect only protects from physical attacks... did Vitor call for the correct move?"
"Trust me, he did," Natalie said, her smirk telling everybody that she knew something everybody else ignored.
As Electruxo barreled towards Sylveon, the Fairy-type Pokemon formed an orb of darkness in front of her face and launched it at the incoming Water and Electric-type.
"Astrooo...!" Astronite buzzed, its runic eye glowing yellow as it wiggled the fingers of its detached hand.
A translucent square of red solid light appeared in front of Electruxo. However, rather than being placed perpendicular to the ground, it formed an angle of forty five degrees, almost looking like it was a ramp, something that was confirmed to be Vitor's intention when Electruxo used it to leap into the air above Serena's Pokemon, while the Shadow Ball passed below it.
Serena's points dropped again. They were still above Vitor's, but only by a bit.
"Let's keep going, Astronite!" Vitor said.
Because that wasn't the end of it. When it appeared that Electruxo was going to fly out of the stage, the first Reflect disappeared and another one appeared just in time to stop the Water and Electric-type Pokemon, who used it as a springboard to launch itself in another direction. Astronite continued to change the position of the Reflect, allowing Electruxo a seemingly endless supply of floating platforms that he used to leap circles around Serena's Pokemon, who were unable to keep track of it.
"ELE!"
And, taking advantage of their confusion, Electruxo slammed against Sylveon, before resuming his relentless leaping around them. Serena's points dropped, now finally below Vitor's.
"Sylveon quickly, stop it with Moonblast!" Serena ordered.
The Intertwining Pokemon summoned another orb of swirly white and pink light, but predictably it failed to reach its mark, costing Serena more points, and giving Electruxo another shot with Aqua Jet.
"Too fast. Coatlith, use Dragon Rage on Astronite! Electruxo won't be able to run circles around you without those improvised platforms!" Serena ordered.
"Don't let her, Electruxo!" Vitor quickly countered.
As the jungle dragon built purple and blue flames inside her beak-like mouth, Electruxo slammed its water-coated body against her multiple times in a very short time, interrupting the attack, shaving even more points from Serena's score.
"Yes, keep going!" Vitor encouraged. "How do you like this combination, Serena? I call it the Water Pinball!"
"I admit it's pretty impressive," Serena said, as she watched how Electruxo continued to leap and bounce around her Pokemon. "But I have already found two weaknesses about it. First of all... Coatlith, now! Coil your body around Sylveon!"
"Co, coat!" the Forest Lady Pokemon cried in agreement.
Just as Electruxo was about to attack Sylveon again, Coatlith surrounded her partner with her serpentine body, tanking the attack. Thankfully, the double resistance to Water-type moves meant the damage she took was minimal.
"And with this, we'll stop Electruxo for good! Swift!" Serena said.
Sylveon waved her feelers, releasing a flurry of golden stars that homed onto Electruxo. The Tandorian starter took notice of the attack and tried to run from it, but it wasn't fast enough and was pelted by the Normal-type projectiles, which stopped its momentum.
"And Coatlith, Drill Peck!"
A spinning white aura formed around the jungle dragon's beak-like face as she slammed it against Electruxo, sending the Tandorian starter tumbling backwards.
Vitor's points dropped to fifty percent, though they were still a little above Serena's.
"Electruxo! Are you okay?" Vitor asked, a little worried.
However, much to his relief, Electruxo quickly jumped back to its feet, its eyes full of resolve.
"Once again, Vitor shows his incredible skill at coming up with complex and intelligent tactics," Jillian commented in her usual lively tone. "But Serena's just as good as quickly coming up with ways to counter them! There's a reason as to why the two of them are in the semifinals! And with only half the time remaining, any of them could take one of the two coveted spots in the finals!"
"And that finalist will be me!" Vitor claimed as he lifted his cravat, revealing a golden brooch underneath with a Keystone on it, which elicited a roar from the audience. "Alright, time to go all out! Electruxo, join forces with me, and together we will bring all your power to the surface! Mega Evolve!"
As Vitor touched the Keystone, both it and the Mega Stone that Electruxo wore on its front leg began to glow brightly. Tendrils of light shot from both stones, attaching to each other and merging together, linking trainer with Pokemon and triggering the transformation, which ended with the Mega Evolution helix flashing in front of Electruxo.
"And Vitor Mega Evolves his Electruxo!" Jillian excitedly observed. "While such action puts him closer to victory, we all should remember that the last opponent Serena faced also tried to use Mega Evolution against her, yet it wasn't enough to beat the Kalosian coordinator!"
Serena's points dropped a little again, now only at forty percent.
As soon as the transformation was complete, artificial clouds quickly formed around the battleground, and in no time a thin rain showered over the stage, soaking Pokemon and trainers alike.
"Haha, yes! With that rain, not only are Electruxo's attacks much stronger, but Coatlith won't be able to use Solar Beam!" Natalie cheered. "Vitor has already won!"
"You know, the last time Vitor was fighting Serena and you said that 'he has already won', he lost," Bonnie said as her lips curved into a cheeky grin. "So maybe you shouldn't jinx your brother like that."
Natalie merely glared at the lemon blonde.
Meanwhile, back at the stage, Vitor prepared to finish the match off with his newly Mega Evolved Pokemon.
"Time to go all out! Astronite, Gemstone Glimmer! And Electruxo, Aqua Jet on Sylveon!" Vitor ordered.
"Sylveon, Double Team, quickly!" Serena replied. "And Coatlith, close your eyes and Dragon Rage in your general direction! Make it as wide as possible!"
Once again, Astronite's obsidian-like body became crystal-like, producing a powerful burst of amethyst light as it sent a multitude of gem-shaped energy missiles of the same color towards Serena's Pokemon, while Electruxo cloaked itself in torrential water and barreled forward.
However, their impressive offensive would be met with an equally impressive defense, as both Sylveon and Coatlith closed their eyes while the former created an army of illusory copies across the battleground and the latter exhaled a torrent of blue and purple flames from her beak-like mouth. As a result, Coatlith destroyed half the projectiles fired by Astronite, the other half hitting the incorporeal decoys, while Electruxo's watery charge destroyed the other half.
Vitor's points dropped, getting close to those of Serena's.
"A daring attack from Vitor, but Serena was able to neutralize it perfectly!" Jillian commented.
"Time to counterattack! Coatlith, put them to sleep with Grass Whistle! And Sylveon, Shadow Ball on Astronite!" Serena ordered.
As Coatlith intoned a fast paced, rhythmic melody, ethereal green notes began to float around Vitor's Pokemon, which quickly began to fall asleep. Meanwhile, Sylveon began to form a sphere of ghostly energy in front of her face.
"You're trying to put my team to sleep with that lullaby again, aren't you?" Vitor asked, clearly remembering how Serena had turned around their battle at Bealbeach. "Well, let's see how you like a taste of your own medicine! Astronite, Psycho Shift!"
"Trooo...!" Astronite buzzed as it waved a hand, the eye on its face glowing pink.
An aura of the same color washed over it and its partner, and their drowsiness disappeared. The same aura appeared around Serena's Pokemon, and the two of them began to feel sleepy, with Sylveon's attack being canceled.
"What!?" Serena shouted, as her points dropped a little.
"What clever use of a little known move!" Jillian praised.
"Psycho Shift? What kind of move is that?" Grace asked.
"Basically, it transfers a status condition from one Pokemon to the enemy," Clemont summarized, as he fixed his eyes on the brown haired boy. "Vitor knows that Serena has two Pokemon that can induce sleep with their moves, so he probably had Astronite learn that move as a potential counter."
"Coatlith! Sylveon! Stay awake!" Serena encouraged her Pokemon, who did their best to resist the effects of the reflected Grass Whistle.
"One minute left!" Jillian reminded.
"Sylveon, use your feelers to slap yourself awake!" Serena commanded.
"Electruxo, Blizzard! Astronite, Gemstone Glimmer!" Vitor ordered.
Sylveon retained enough consciousness to hear Serena's command, and used her feelers to slap herself in the face several times until the drowsiness was completely removed. Meanwhile, Electruxo took a deep breath while Asstronite's body began to shimmer.
"Sylveon, get in front of Coatlith and use Protect!" Serena ordered.
The Mega Evolved started exhaling a powerful gust of frigid wind with ice chunks mixed in, while its partner fired a barrage of gemstone-shaped energy missiles that shone brightly with an amethyst light. However, Sylveon was fast enough to get between the attacks and her partner, and taking a battle stance, erected a green energy barrier that successfully blocked the attacks.
This cost Vitor several points, even if he was still above Serena.
"C-Co? Coat!" Coatlith cried, the loud noise of the attacks smashing against Sylveon's shield combined with the bright light of Gemstone Glimmer had snapped her awake.
"Yes! Well done guys!" Serena praised her Pokemon.
"Yes, that was a good move, but you can't rely on Protect for the next attack! Electruxo, Thunder on Sylveon! Astronite, Extrasensory on Coatlith!" Vitor commanded.
"Like you're the first opponent I faced who tried to use Thunder in conjunction with heavy rain!" Serena replied. "Sylveon, climb on top of Coatlith's head and block that Thunder with Moonblast, and Coatlith, stop that Extrasensory with Dragon Rage!"
"Eleeec-TRUX!" Electruxo cried, its yellow fin glowing a bright yellow before sending a powerful bolt of lightning into the clouds above.
"Syl, sylveon!" Sylveon cried as she leaped towards her much larger companion and dashed through the dragon's back towards her head, as she prepared an orb of white and pink swirly energy.
"Liiiith!" Coatlith cried, exhaling a torrent of purple and blue flames that clashes against the rainbow cone of psychic power launched by Astronite.
Yellow lights flashed across the dark clouds above, followed by a thunderclap, as the powerful Electric-type move rained upon Serena's Pokemon. Sylveon, however, was prepared, and fired her own attack in the opposite direction. The two moves met in the middle, resulting in an explosion of golden, pink and white sparkles of light that rained everywhere.
Vitor lost a good chunk of his own points, putting him at the same level as Serena, both of them having about twenty percent of their points.
"What!? No!" Vitor shouted, grabbing the sides of his head.
"And that's not all! Coatlith, launch Sylveon into the clouds!" Serena ordered.
Coatlith lowered her head before snapping it upwards, launching the much smaller Fairy-type into the sky towards the clouds.
"Fairy Wind!" Serena ordered.
"Syyyyyyl-VE!" Sylveon cried, spinning her body while mid air as she produced an explosion of pink sparkly wind, which quickly dispersed the clouds, allowing the light of the spotlights above them to bathe the stage once again.
"What an amazing maneuver! In one swift move, Serena has neutralized the clouds summoned by Electruxo!" Jillian praised.
"Electruxo, quickly, Thunder again on Sylveon while she's in the air! And Astronite, Gemstone-"
BZZZZZZZZZZ!
"And time's out!" Jillian said, putting an end to the battle. "And the winner and first finalist is...!"
Both Serena and Vitor quickly turned their heads towards the scoreboard. Serena still had twenty percent of her initial points. Vitor about fifteen percent, due Serena's last move making him lose some points at the last second.
"...Serena!" Jillian cried.
The scoreboard changed to show Serena's picture next to a smaller one of Sylveon and Coatlith's, with the word "WINNER!" written under it. The honey blonde took a second to process it, and let out a huge sigh of relief.
"We did it. We're in the finals!" Serena cheered. "Thank you, Sylveon, Coatlith! You were amazing out there!"
"Syl!"
"Coat!"
On the other side of the stage, Vitor merely lowered his head, and recalled his Pokemon.
"Come back, you two," he said, his voice quivering, as Electruxo and Astronite were absorbed back into the capture devices. "You did your best. Good job."
"What a bummer. Vitor lost," Natalie moaned, all her previous energy vanishing. "He was so close..."
"It didn't help that Vitor's ace in the hole was a Pokemon Serena was very familiar with, given that she has sparred against my own Electruxo many times," Clemont explained. "Had he used another Pokemon, maybe things would have been different..."
"There's no point in arguing over what could have been," Natalie gently rebuked. "Though, I'm hoping he doesn't take it too bad. Vitor can take defeat in stride, but losing a big competition like this one has to take a toll..."
…
Thankfully, unlike Aisha, Vitor didn't run away to hide his tears, as he simply slowly walked back to the waiting area.
"Vitor!" Serena said, quickly catching up to him.
"Huh?" the boy asked, turning around. "Oh. Hey. Congratulations for your victory. You put up quite the amazing battle."
"Thank you. You also fought wonderfully. You should feel proud of your skills and your Pokemon," Serena told him.
"My Pokemon did great, yes. As for me... I'm not so sure," Vitor said, averting her gaze.
There was a moment of silence as they reached the waiting area, before Serena placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Vitor, I know how you must feel right now. And I know that all the comforting words in the world won't make you feel any better, at least not immediately," Serena began. "I want you to know that feeling sad or even disappointed after something like this is completely natural. But don't let that feeling make you make rash judgements about yourself. The pain will pass. And then you'll look back and see how far you managed to come."
Vitor failed to suppress a sniff, and wiped a tear forming in his eye.
"Very few people managed to make it so far on their first big competition. That speaks volumes of your level of skill and dedication," she added.
"I... thanks. No, I don't feel good now, but... well, you have more experience than I do on these things, so I'll have to believe you," the boy replied. "Good luck on your final match. I hope you win."
"Thank you," Serena replied, slowly removing her hand from Vitor's shoulder, and watched the boy leave the room. Having said everything she wanted, she let her rival leave. She knew better than anybody that he wanted to be alone for the time being.
"Hey Serena, great match out there!" Leona said, suddenly appearing next to her.
"Huh? Oh, right, thanks!" Serena replied. "Sorry, you kinda startled me a little."
"I see. Well, you and Vitor were having a moment, so I felt it would be rude to interrupt like that," Leona quickly explained. "Anyway, my match with the ninja girl is about to begin. Be sure to watch me wipe the floor with her a second time! And then, we will meet in the finals, like on the cruise!"
Sayaka glared in Leona's direction upon hearing the Alolan's boast. It looked like she was about to get in Leona's face and yell at her for acting as if Leona had already won, but she didn't say anything, and reigning her temper in, she simply walked towards the stage.
"I will. Good luck out there!" Serena said.
"Thanks!"
…
Back at the stage, Leona and Sayaka were already on their positions at each side of the battlefield, the spotlights shining upon them.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the second semifinal match is about to begin! On my left, from Heahea City in Alola, Leona!" Jillian said, waving a hand at the Alolan trainer, before motioning to her opponent. "On my right, from Tsukinami Village, Sayaka!"
The public roared in enthusiasm for the upcoming fight, but neither girl seemed to pay them much attention, as they were intensely staring at each other.
"Ready to lose again, ninja girl?" Leona taunted.
"Only a fool thinks that the past determines the future. Your overconfidence will be your downfall," Sayaka fired back.
"Coordinators, present your Pokemon!" Jillian instructed.
"Rise and shine, Decidueye and Vaporeon!" Leona said, tossing two pokeballs forward.
The capture devices opened, one releasing a tornado of emerald leaves, the second generating a torrent of crystal blue water, the latter producing the familiar Water-type Eeveelution, while from the formed emerged a Pokemon Ash had never seen before: a tall, owl with large, brown wings and a green cowl covering its head.
"What Pokemon is that...?" Lilia asked, taking a look at Decidueye.
"I remember that Leona had another owl Pokemon, Dartrix. Perhaps an evolution?" Clemont replied.
"Evolution or not, it's super cute!" Bonnie gushed.
"Let's check it out," Ash said, pulling his Pokedex out and scanning the unknown Pokemon.
" Decidueye, the Arrow Quill Pokemon, Dartrix's evolution, and Rowlet's final form. Grass/Ghost. As if wielding a bow, it launches the arrow quills hidden among the feathers of its wings. Decidueye's shots never miss." The Pokedex explained.
"Well, that description made it look pretty badass," Miette observed.
"Leona already used that Pokemon to defeat Sayaka in the past. And now that it's evolved, it must be even stronger," Clemont stated.
Upon seeing Leona's choice, Sayaka merely smirked, and produced two pokeball from within the folds of her kimono before throwing them into the air.
"Mismagius, Krilvolver, heed my call!"
The pokeball opened, one releasing a tornado of gray mist, the other a torrent of red flames, and from them emerged Mismagius and Krilvolver, respectively.
Ash couldn't help but frown a little, as he remembered how Krilvolver was one of the two Pokemon Sayaka had used to defeat Serena the last time they clashed.
"Five minutes on the clock! Begin!" Jillian announced.
~Leona (Decidueye & Vaporeon) VS Sayaka (Krilvolver & Mismagius)~
"We'll be taking the first move! Vaporeon, Bubble Beam!" Leona ordered.
"Vaaaa!" Vaporeon cried before opening its mouth and firing a barrage of blue bubbles.
"A weak move. Mismagius, destroy those bubbles with Magical Leaf!" Sayaka replied.
"Mis, misma!" Mismagius wailed as it spun its body around, summoning several glowing green leaves around it before launching them towards the coming Water-type attack, popping all the bubbles.
Leona lost a bit of her points.
"Now Decidueye! Leaf Blade!" Leona shouted.
Sayaka realized too late that Vaporeon's initial attack was just a distraction to cover Decidueye getting close to her Pokemon.
"Hooo!" the archer owl hooted as it dashed forward, raising one wing which started to glow a vibrant green, delivering a powerful slash at Mismagius.
"An excellent opening from Leona!" Jillian said, as Sayaka's score dropped below her opponent's. "And with Decidueye so close to Mismagius, Krilvolver won't be able to protect its teammate without risk of hitting it!"
"That's why I have this move! Krilvolver, Lock-On on Decidueye!" Sayaka ordered.
"Kriii..." Krilvolver chirped as it aimed its organic gun at the Arrow Quill Pokemon, a red crosshair appearing on its chest.
"Decidueye, fall back! Vaporeon, get ready!" Leona warned her Pokemon.
The Alolan starter quickly disengaged Mismagius and hopped back to its side of the battleground while the Eeveelution took a step forward, ready to attack.
"Krilvolver, fry that bird with Flame Burst!" Sayaka commanded, throwing a hand forward for added emphasis.
"Vol!" Krilvolver chirped, as it aimed its gun at Decidueye and fired a salvo of orange fireballs at it.
The crosshair on Decidueye's back started to glow, acting as a homing beacon for the fireballs, which flew towards it as if they had life of its own.
"Vaporeon, neutralize that attack with Bubble Beam!" Leona ordered.
"Don't let it, Mismagius! Astonish on Vaporeon!" Sayaka ordered.
Mismagius pretty much vanished before reappearing next to Vaporeon, shooting the Eeveelution such a terrifying glare the Water-type was badly startled, unable to attack, and thus allowing the Flame Burst to hit Decidueye.
"Hoooo...!" the owl cried as the super effective move covered it on fire.
"Decidueye, hold on!" Leona shouted, as her score dropped again, being below Sayaka's at three fourths of its total.
"I remember that Leona made a good use of Astonish during their battle at the cruise," Ash recalled. "Wonder if Sayaka decided to use that very same move as a form of payback."
"Maybe. Then again, Astonish can be a very effective move if you time it right, so maybe her reasons are more pragmatic than emotional," Clemont reasoned, as he adjusted his glasses.
"Keep the pressure on! Mismagius, Magical Fire! Krilvolver, Scald!" Sayaka ordered.
"Maaaaaaag...!" Mismagius cried, as it formed a circle of flames in front of it before launching a stream of fire through it, generating a row of concentrical fire rings.
"Volver!" Krilvolver chirped as it fired a torrent of boiling water from its arm cannon.
"Vaporeon, Double Team!" Leona ordered.
In an instant, an army of Vaporeon littered the battlefield, a couple of them disappearing instantly as they took the attack coming from Sayaka's Pokemon, costing the ninja a few points.
"Now Decidueye, Spirit Shackle!" Leona ordered.
It seemed that Ash and his friends weren't the only ones who had never heard of such a move, if the face Sayaka made upon hearing the name of the move was any indication.
"Hoooo!" Decidueye hooted as it took into the air, and used one of its wings as a makeshift bow in order to pelt the opposing Pokemon with arrow quills.
Even if she didn't know what that attack did, Sayaka wasn't going to just wait to find out. "Dodge it, quickly!"
Arrow-shaped feathers rained upon Mismagius and Krilvolver, both Pokemon moving from one side to another in order to avoid being hit, though Mismagius had much easier time than Krilvolver, given the former's ability to glide and the latter's difficulty to move on dry land. However both Pokemon were able to avoid the arrows.
"Well done! Now time to counterattack! Krilvolver, Lock-On on Decidueye! Mismagius, Magical Leaf on Vaporeon!" Sayaka ordered.
While Mismagius prepared to attack, Krilvolver stood in place, its body rigid like a statue bar the occasional shaking.
"K-Kril...!" Krilvolver wheezed.
"Mag?" Mismagius looked at its partner in confusion, taken aback by its sudden paralysis.
"Krilvolver! What's going on!?" Sayaka asked.
"My thoughts exactly. The attack did fail, so how is Krilvolver acting as if something hit it?" Shauna asked.
"Hmmm..." Ash murmured as he typed on his Pokedex. "Ah, I see. It seems like Spirit Shackle doesn't work by hitting the target, but the target's shadow, which not only harms it but pins it on the spot."
"An attack that works by targeting the shadows... now that's quite the exotic move," Lilia commented.
"Vaporeon, Bubble Beam on Krilvolver! Decidueye, Leaf Blade on Mismagius!" Leona ordered. "Hit them hard!"
Decidueye spread its wings, which began to glow bright green, and glided towards Mismagius, who despite the confusion of Krilvolver's sudden paralysis, didn't forget to launch the Magical Leaf at Vaporeon. However, Decidueye got in the way, and using its empowered wings swatted the leaves away, before delivering a pair of powerful swipes at the Ghost-type Pokemon.
"Vapoooo-RE!" Vaporeon cried as it exhaled a stream of bubbles at the immobilized Krilvolver, who had no choice but to take the attack in full.
Sayaka's points dropped even further, now barely above the halfway point, while Leona's stayed at three quarters.
"Mismagius, Krilvolver! Are you okay?" Sayaka asked. Mismagius shook its head in order to shake off the dizziness of the attack, while Krilvolver seemed to be able to move again now that the Bubble Beam had removed the arrow that was pinning its shadow. "Alright, she got lucky with the fact that I didn't know what that attack did, but she won't catch us off guard again."
"You call it luck, I call it skill," Leona replied. "Sorry ninja girl, but this is as far as you go. No matter how hard you try, you won't get past me and my Pokemon!"
"Now that's an interesting theory I'd love to debunk," Sayaka replied, keeping her cool in the face of the Alolan's taunts. "Krilolver, Lock-On on Vaporeon!"
"Kriii...!" Kriolver chirped, as the Sharpshooter Pokemon aimed its arm gun at the Eeveelution.
"Oh no, I won't let you do that again! Quickly Vaporeon, Double Team before it marks you!" Leona ordered.
Once again, a multitude of Vaporeon littered the battlefield, confusing Krilvolver who was unable to mark the real one.
"You won't catch me again with such a basic trick. Mismagius, Magical Leaf!" Sayaka ordered.
"Mismaaa...!" Mismagius once again began to spin in place, as glowing green leaves appeared around it, before launching them forwards.
The leaves quickly homed onto the real Vaporeon, destroying all the fakes in their way.
"Decidueye, intercept that attack with Shadow Claw!" Leona ordered.
"Hoo, hoo!" Decidueye hooted as it put itself in front of Vaporeon and delivered several kicks, the talons at the end of its feet glowing with a ghostly purple aura, and slashing the leaves to bits.
Sayaka's points dropped to just forty percent of her total, not just for failing the attack, but for using the same move twice in a row. Not that she seemed to mind.
"Now Krilvolver, Flame Burst!" Sayaka ordered.
"Kril, kriii!" Krilvolver chirped, as it wasted no time and shot multiple fireballs from its arm cannon at Decidueye.
The fireballs smashed against Decidueye, setting it on fire and knocking it backwards against Vaporeon, the two Pokemon collapsing together.
"While it cost her some points, Sayaka masterfully baited Leona into leaving her Decidueye vulnerable for a super effective move from Krilvolver!" Jillian made note of the ninja's tactic as Leona's points dropped to half her total. "Leona is still in the lead, but will she be able to keep said lead in the face of Sayaka's relentless assault?"
"You can bet I will! Now, let's make sure to cool your jets a little! Vaporeon, Rain Dance!" Leona ordered.
"Vapo, vaporeon!" Vaporeon cried, as it threw its head backwards, its body glowing with a cool blue aura.
Artificial clouds quickly formed above the battlefield followed by a gentle rain, soaking the Pokemon on both sides.
"Let's see if your fire attacks work so well now!" Leona taunted. "Vaporeon, Bubble Beam on Krilvolver! Decidueye, Spirit Shackle on Mismagius!"
"Vapoo!" Vaporeon cried before releasing a stream of bubbles from its mouth, in bigger numbers and larger in size thanks to the rain.
"Hoooo!" Decidueye hooted as it quickly fired a salvo of ghostly arrows at Mismagius.
"Krilvolver, counter that move with Octazooka! And Mismagius, intercept the arrows with Mystical Fire!"
"Vol, kri!" Krilvolver chirped as it aimed its gun at Vaporeon, forming a massive orb of water at the end of its barrel, before firing it at the incoming bubbles, both attacks clashing in the middle, producing a huge watery explosion.
"Magi, magius!" Mismagius once again launched a stream of flames surrounded by rings of fire towards the coming arrows. Despite being weaker than the previous time Mismagius used that attack, it still carried enough power to burn the arrows off.
Her offensive nullified, Leona's points dropped to forty percent, equating her score with Sayaka's.
"You seem to forget that Krilvolver is part Water-type and knows Water-type moves that can benefit from the rain," Sayaka said, smirking and placing a single hand on her hip. "Is that all you have?"
"Not even close! Alright Decidueye, Hurricane! Blow them away!" Leona ordered.
"Hoo, hoo!" Decidueye hooted as it took off into the air and began flapping its wings, quickly creating a powerful tornado with the help of the tempestuous weather.
"Ohhhh, look at that! Leona is going to use the Hurricane in the rain trick!" Bonnie pointed out.
"Sayaka had used that very same tactic against both Leona and Serena," Clemont reminded the others, as his lips curved into an amused smile. "It looks like Sayaka isn't the only one borrowing tactics and moves from other people."
Ash didn't say anything. He was hoping that this combo would bring Leona closer to victory, but the fact that Sayaka's body language hadn't changed... the ninja wasn't worried about that.
"That's the best you can do? Use the same combo I used against you in the past?" Sayaka asked in a mocking manner. "Krilvolver, Sunny Day!"
"Kriiii!" Krilvolver chirped loudly as it aimed its arm cannon upwards, its body glowing with a gentle golden light.
The artificial clouds dispelled almost as quickly as they first formed, stopping the rain, and an artificial sun stood in their place, bathing the battleground in intense light and raising the temperature.
"Hooo, hoo?" Decidueye hooted in confusion, as the nascent Hurricane began to slow down and dispel as well now that it had the weather working against it rather than with it.
Despite the setback, Leona didn't lose her cool. "Vaporeon, Rain dance again, quickly!"
"Don't let it! Mismagius, Astonish!" Sayaka countered.
Vaporeon threw its head back as its body shimmered with an azure light, ready to change the weather again. However, before it could do anything, Mismagius appeared in front of it, piercing the Eeveelution with an eerie and intense glare.
"P-poreoooon...!" Vaporeon whined as it shrunk down in fright.
"And Sayaka continues to dominate the battle!" Jillian said, as Leona's points dropped to just thirty percent. "She has finally wrestled the lead from Leona's hands, and with the sunny weather empowering her Fire-type attacks, Leona might have trouble taking said lead back."
"Less trouble than you think!" Leona said, holding her right arm next to her face in order to show her Z-Ring. "We're going to end this, right here and right now! Decidueye, get ready!"
"Hoo!" the owl hooted in agreement.
The public roared in anticipation, for they knew what the Alolan was about to do, and they knew it was going to be simply spectacular.
"There it is! The Z-move!" Bonnie said, excitedly bouncing on her seat. "That mean girl has already lost!"
Leona made a series of arm poses which her Pokemon mimicked, as a dark purple aura surrounded her. Said aura flowed into the Arrow Quill Pokemon through a stream of light of the same color, charging it with power as it flew into the air.
"Sinister Arrow Raid!"
The airborne Decidueye spread its wings, summoning a massive number of ghostly arrows in a fan formation. The hooded owl then dived towards Sayaka's Pokemon, the arrows flying alongside it.
"Mismagius, grab Krilvolver and use Phantom Force!" Sayaka ordered.
"Magi!"
Mismagius quickly appeared behind Krilvolver and grabbed its partner as they sunk into a circular, dark purple portal that had appeared below them.
"H-Hoo?!" Decidueye hooted in shock, eyes wide open as its targets disappeared before its very sight. With not enough time to break or maneuver, the owl and the ghostly arrows slammed uselessly (and painfully) against the ground, drawing a loud, collective gasp from the public.
Leona's points dropped all the way down to ten percent.
"W-What!?" Leona stammered, just as confused as her Pokemon was a moment ago. "How did...?"
Vaporeon quickly rushed to help its teammate just as Mismagius and Krilvolver reappeared in the middle of the battleground, standing behind Decidueye and Vaporeon.
"You defeated me the first time because I had no idea what those Z-moves were. But after doing some research... well, let's say that avoiding them it's not that difficult if you think about it tactically," Sayaka explained with a condescending chuckle. "Plus, if that Kalosian peasant was able to negate them, of course I could do it. And my way was less convoluted and more elegant. Anyway, I think this has lasted long enough. Mismagius, Mystical Fire! Krilvolver, Flame Burst!"
Mismagius launched a stream of flames surrounded by rings of fire while Krilvolver shot a salvo of fireballs from its arm cannon. The two attacks clashed against Decidueye and Vaporeon at once, combining into a tornado of flames that engulfed Leona's Pokemon inside a fiery inferno.
"Decidueye! Vaporeon!" the Alolan cried, as she hoped that her Pokemon would be able to resist that.
Not that it was going to make a difference.
BZZZZZZZZZZ!
"Leona's points have dropped to zero!" Jillian announced right after the buzzer rang. "That means that the winner and second finalist is Sayaka!"
The screen on the stage changed to Sayaka's portrait next to the portraits of her two Pokemon with the word "WINNER" written in bold, capital letters.
"N-No..." Leona whispered as she fell to her knees.
"Know your place, Alolan scum," Sayaka hissed, scowling at her defeated rival, before recalling her Pokemon. "Great job, you two. We're close to our goal. Only one more battle left, and that Ribbon Cup will be ours."
"There will be a reprieve of forty five minutes before the final match begins, so take it as a chance to go to the bathroom, buy some snacks, or just stretch your legs!" Jillian explained. "However, be sure to come back in time, because this final match is one you don't want to miss for anything in the world!"
So that's it. Serena would face Sayaka, the one rival she had never been able to beat on her own for the final match of the Grand Festival. Even if Ash had faith in his girlfriend, he wasn't naïve enough not to realize that this would be the most challenging trial Serena would have to endure since her match against Aria in the Master Class Showcase.
Said challenge turned out to be too much for the honey blonde. Would this time be different?
Author's Note: Another chapter, another round down, this time with double the fun! Well, it definitely wasn't fun for Vitor and especially Leona, who were knocked out of the competition.
I really like writing Vitor, given that his niche of "comes up with weird tactics using obscure moves" was rather fun to do. But alas, even if his trick with Psycho Shift and his use of Gemstone Glimmer were clever, it wasn't enough to beat somebody as good as thinking on her feet as Serena is.
As for the second battle, I think it was even more obvious that Sayaka was going to win. I've been building up her rivalry with Serena for pretty much the beginning of the story, but Serena recently beat Leona in her last regular contest, so there was no point in having them fight again(by contrast, Vitor and Aisha had been long enough without fighting Serena that they could have improved to the point of beating her). And yeah, if Serena could find a way around Z-moves, so could Sayaka. Especially since Z-moves can be dodged.
Thanks a lot for Fox McCloude for reviewing the previous chapter.
Next time, the finals of the Grand Festival! Will Serena defeat Sayaka and win the competition, or will this be just another notch in Sayakas' victory tally? In the meantime, don't forget to leave a review with your thoughts!