Megan's POV
The very next day, I was feeling excited for the upcoming battles as I sat alongside April and the rest of our group in the waiting area in anticipation. I took a brief look around the area and couldn't help but notice how there were only nine other coordinators present alongside our little group, which left a considerable amount of open space in the waiting area, compared to the previous two days.
A part of me was feeling mildly intimidated by the pressure that I was now feeling, as a result of just how far I'd currently made it in the Grand Festival. But at the same time, the very thing making me feel intimidated was also making me feel quite confident and proud. After all, it was a clear sign of just how close I was to my goal!
"I take it that you're looking forward to today's battles?" Amber asked me.
"You bet I am." I replied with a confident smirk.
"Well then, good thing we're on the same page, Sis." April said with a chuckle. "Because I certainly know that I am!"
"Just remember, everyone." Ashlyn then pointed out. "There will be two rounds today. Now that we've been whittled down to the top 16, we'll have enough time today to fit in the battles for the top 8, as well as for the top 16."
Amber and I both nodded, an appreciative look on our faces.
"Thanks for the reminder." I said.
"Much appreciated." Amber agreed.
"However," Ashlyn added, "We'll still have a break in between the two battle rounds today."
The others were just about to add their own responses when Sofia's voice came from the nearby screen.
"Salutations, everyone!" Sofia announced from on the screen, a giddy grin of excitement on her face. "Here's hoping that you're ready for a double dosage of awe-inspiring spectacle today! Because it's finally time to begin the first of two action-packed battle rounds for today! But first, let's all take a quick look at who's up against who!"
All eyes were on the screen as the match-ups for this round were revealed. It became abundantly clear that the order in which we battled would be hardly that different from the previous two battle rounds, with Ramsey once again being the opening act before the entirety of our little group followed one-by-one in the order we'd participated over the previous two days.
Nodding her head, April looked to the rest of us and declared, "Here's hoping that you're ready, everyone. Today's gonna be a big day."
We certainly had every reason to believe this to be the case. And the results of Ramsey's battle did nothing to discourage that line of thinking. After all, considering just how quickly his opponent's Pokemon were defeated by his Walrein and Arcanine, the rest of us didn't have long to wait before our own time finally came. Once Ramsey returned to the waiting area, Ashlyn was quick to get to her feet.
"Wish me luck, everyone." she said as she walked confidently over to the corridor that led out to the stage.
And once she was in the arena, standing confidently, opposite a pale-skinned girl with snowy white hair and electric blue eyes...
"On my left, we have Ashlyn!" Sofia announced. "And on my right, we have Ingrid! Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"
"Dragonair, Piloswine! Curtain!"
"Beartic, Hippowdon! Spotlight!"
Ashlyn nodded her head, clearly well aware of how her opponent's Pokemon were serious heavy hitters. But she was also clearly not gonna back down, so she chose to take the initiative by making her move first.
"Dragonair, use Aqua Tail on Hippowdon! Piloswine, keep Beartic distracted with Ice Fang mixed with Take Down!" Both of Ashlyn's Pokemon rushed at their assigned targets, with Dragonair lunging towards Hippowdon while readying her tail to slam down with Aqua Tail while Piloswine charged while having his body encased in the glowing golden aura of Take Down and his tusks encased with the blue aura of Ice Fang. But while Dragonair managed to successfully strike Hippowdon with Aqua Tail, the same would ultimately not be said for Piloswine.
"We can salvage this, Beartic! Block Piloswine with Brick Break!" Piloswine squealed with surprise and pain as he was soundly pounded in the face with Beartic's Brick Break with enough force to be sent skidding back to his starting point.
I winced at the sight of this. Considering how Piloswine was partly an Ice Pokemon, that Fighting attack had to have seriously hurt!
"So far, the score remains even." Sofia announced. "But this is still just the beginning! So keep your eyes peeled, everyone!"
"Beartic, hit Piloswine with Metal Claw! Roaring, Beartic lunged at Dragonair, claws already glowing as it brought its front paws into position for an X-shaped slash.
"Dragonair! Throw Beartic off its game with Twister!" Dragonair's orb on her neck glowed before she summoned a swirling cyclone of intensely strong winds that she sent flying at Beartic, who growled in surprise as it was caught and spun around in the Twister before getting blown right back to its starting position.
"Beat that!" Ashlyn yelled, briefly getting cocky.
"You asked for it! Hippowdon, use Hyper Voice!" Hippowdon roared, its red eyes blazing with rage as it opened its gaping jaws and unleashed a beam of blue noise waves straight at Dragonair.
"Dodge that, Dragonair!" Ashlyn shouted before looking to Piloswine. "Piloswine, teach Hippowdon some manners with Ice Beam!"
"Dodge it!"
But it was too late. Hippowdon roared in pain as the beam of icy energy from Piloswine's mouth struck it. And in a further stroke of luck on Ashlyn's part, Hippowdon became encased in ice.
"That should keep Hippowdon out of commission for a while. Alright, Dragonair. Ready a Hyper Beam!"
"Like I'm gonna let that happen!" Ingrid howled. "Beartic, stop that in its tracks with Blizzard!"
Dragonair and Piloswine were both engulfed in the Blizzard that Beartic launched from its mouth.
"Don't stop now, Beartic!" Ingrid yelled the instant that the Blizzard had finished. "Follow up with Icicle Crash!"
"Dodge that!" Ashlyn yelled. "And combine your dodge with Agility, Dragonair!"
Beartic took a deep breath and unleashed another gust of icy wind from its jaws, with small clumps of ice taking shape within the wind that soon expanded into icicles, which then came hurtling down towards not only Piloswine and Dragonair, but also the still-frozen Hippowdon. Fortunately, Dragonair and Piloswine were able to lunge aside in time to avoid getting hit by the Icicle Crash. And while Hippowdon was successfully released from its icy prison because of the Icicle Crash crashing down upon it with enough force to crack the ice prison, the fact that her own Pokemon had successfully dodged was enough to give Ashlyn hope.
"Three minutes left, everyone." Sofia stated. "If Ashlyn hopes to turn things around, she'd better get a move on!"
"We've still got time to salvage things. Dragonair, prepare a Hyper Beam!"
"Have you learned nothing from the last time that you tried that attack?" Ingrid asked. "Hippowdon, interrupt that with Mud Shot!"
"Piloswine, block that with Ice Beam!"
Both Pokemon unleashed their respective attacks, with the stream of mud and cluster of lightning-like blue beams of ice colliding together above the center of the stage, pushing against each other in a duel for dominance.
"Not bad." Ingrid admitted. "But you're only delaying the inevitable!"
"Not for much longer! Ready, Dragonair? Fire the Hyper Beam!" Dragonair fired off the massive beam of orange energy from her horn, which engulfed Beartic, who roared in pain.
The sound of this, plus that of the emergence of the dust cloud that ensued from the impact, proved enough to cause Piloswine and Hippowdon to cancel their attacks and turn their heads in Beartic's direction. And when the Hyper Beam and the dust cloud had finally faded away, the mighty Ice Pokemon was revealed to have fainted.
"Beartic is unable to battle!" Sofia announced. "Talk about a turnaround, ladies and gentlemen!"
"Don't you dare write me off yet!" Ingrid yelled with a mildly annoyed look on her face as she returned her fainted Beartic.
"Hippowdon, show them what you've got with an Earthquake!"
"Cancel that out with your own Earthquake, Piloswine! Dragonair, jump in the air to dodge all of that!"
Hippowdon and Piloswine both reared up and slammed their front feet down in unison in time to both trigger their respective Earthquake attacks, with Dragonair hurriedly jumping into the air with a slam of her tail just in time to avoid getting hit by the full effect of either of the Earthquakes, which both collided together at the center point of the arena before cancelling each other out.
"You'll have to try harder than that!" Ashlyn yelled.
"So I will. Hippowdon, use Crunch on Dragonair!" Hippowdon lunged at Dragonair, jaws already opened to maximum width to chomp down on Dragonair's body.
"Deflect it with Aqua Tail!" Hippowdon bellowed in surprise and pain as it was knocked back, getting hit in the stomach by Dragonair's Aqua Tail.
"Piloswine, use Ice Beam! Now!"
"Defend with Mud Shot!"
Once again, Piloswine and Hippowdon unleashed their respective breath attacks in time to form a beam duel that pushed back and forth in a duel for dominance. But unlike the previous time, Piloswine's Ice Beam proved to be the superior attack as it swiftly pushed back against the Mud Shot enough to strike Hippowdon, who bellowed in pain.
"Now's your chance to finish this, Piloswine! Use Ice Fang combined with Take Down!"
"Defend with Hyper Voice!"
Hippowdon roared, sending its beam of blue noise waves rocketing from its mouth rocketing at Piloswine at the same time Piloswine went charging at Hippowdon while engaging in the combination of moves that Ashlyn had requested. And despite briefly faltering upon getting directly hit in the face by the Hyper Voice, Piloswine managed to power through before slamming into Hippowdon with enough force to cause a sizable dust cloud to form! And once the dust cloud faded away...
"Hippowdon is unable to battle! The winner is Ashlyn!"
Ingrid nodded stoically as the crowd started cheering for Ashlyn, sighing in defeat as she returned her Hippowdon, with Ashlyn returning both of her Pokemon at the same time.
"Good match." she stated.
"Right back at you." Ashlyn agreed.
... ...
"Best of luck, Megan." Ashlyn said as she and Ingrid returned to the waiting area.
"I'm sure I'll need it." I admitted as I got up from my seat.
And before long, I'd taken my position on the stage, with the purple-haired and golden-eyed boy I was set to go up against standing opposite me.
"On my left, we have Megan!" said Sofia. "And on my right, we have Hammond! Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"
"Beautifly, Altaria! Spotlight!"
"Dodrio, Liepard! Showtime!"
All four Pokemon were swiftly summoned from their Pokeballs. Hammond let an excited grin come onto his face as he realized the type advantage that his Dodrio would have against Beautifly.
"Here goes nothing, Dodrio! Drill Peck! Now!" Dodrio jumped into the air, all three of its heads rearing backwards in preparation for pecking.
"Dodge that, Beautifly! Then retaliate with Gust!" Beautifly just barely managed to dart out of the way to avoid getting hit when Dodrio came plummeting down, stabbing all three of its rapidly spinning beaks harmlessly through the now-empty air where she'd originally been positioned. Mere seconds later, Beautifly rapidly flapped her wings in time to blow Dodrio back to its starting position with Gust.
"Not bad. But it ain't over yet. Liepard, show Beautifly who's boss with Fury Swipes!" Snarling, Liepard lunged up at Beautifly, sharp claws at the ready.
"Altaria, stop that with Fury Attack!" Altaria began ramming into it from multiple directions at high speed with her Fury Attack.
When Liepard finally came skidding to a stop on the floor after the end of Altaria's merciless assault, Hammond shook his head with a disapproving glare on his face.
"Dirty trick. Time to get extra serious! Dodrio, use Swords Dance! Liepard, Hone Claws!" Dodrio squawked and caused a ring of golden energy swords to form around it as it began engaging in a frenetic dance to boost its attack power while Liepard yawned and engaged in a stretch while extending its claws and causing them and the rest of its body to become encased in an orange glow as a result of its own attack power and accuracy getting increased.
"Be ready for anything, girls." I said to my Pokemon. "Whatever is coming next is gonna seriously hurt!"
"You've got that right." Hammond growled. "Dodrio, use Acrobatics combined with Drill Peck on Beautifly! Liepard, use Sucker Punch combined with Fury Swipes on Altaria!" Hammond's Pokemon promptly went rushing off at high speed, becoming little more than blurs in the process. And while Liepard was at least slightly capable of being detected, due to seemingly taking a relatively single path, Dodrio was much harder to detect, darting off in multiple different directions.
"Just stay focused, girls." I said encouragingly. "And be ready to-"
But all of a sudden, Dodrio and Liepard both slammed into Beautifly and Altaria while unleashing the full force of their combined attacks.
"Ha!" Hammond shouted, a smug grin of glee on his face. "Good luck trying to beat me now!"
I'd lost a decent number of points by now. But I wasn't about to give up, especially not when I still had four minutes left to turn things around! My Pokemon, thankfully, appeared to have recovered from the devastating blows enough to continue fighting.
"Beautifly, blow Liepard away with Silver Wind! Altaria, hit Dodrio with Dragon Breath!" My Pokemon unleashed their respective moves as ordered, with Beautifly sending out shockwaves of silvery glistening wind from her wings and Altaria spewing out the energy beam from her open beak.
"Dodrio, Liepard!" Hammond yelled, clearly feeling more than a little cocky in the current circumstances. "Counter with-"
But Silver Wind and Dragon Breath both successfully struck, with Dodrio and Liepard crying out in pain as they were both sent flying by the impact. Hammond, to his credit, winced upon seeing this, clearly aware he'd messed up.
"Our chances at winning aren't completely destroyed yet! Liepard, use Thunder Wave to take Beautifly out of commission!" Liepard snarled, raising his tail skyward while causing it to become coated with blue electricity before then firing off yellow static shockwaves at Beautifly. She became coated in voltage, now paralyzed.
"Now's your chance, Dodrio! Finish her off with Drill Peck!"
"Altaria, defend Beautifly with Disarming Voice!"
"Hurry, Dodrio!" Hammond yelled. "Don't let Altaria stop you!"
But ultimately, Altaria proved quicker, getting into position before Dodrio could reach Beautifly, and she swiftly sent him flying back with a beam of pink noise waves from her beak that came with Disarming Voice.
"Good job, Altaria!" I yelled once Dodrio had come to a quite rough landing. "Now hurry up and take care of Liepard with Fury Attack!" Within seconds, the air was split with the sound of Liepard's pained and outraged snarling as he was bombarded from multiple directions by Altaria as she rammed into him repeatedly with her Fury Attack. And after ramming into him for the fifth and final time, Altaria flew back to her starting point in time for Liepard to land very shakily on his feet...before collapsing onto his side, completely out cold.
"Liepard is unable to battle! So far, Megan's chances of snatching away a victory are starting to look just the slightest bit higher!" Sofia declared.
"We'll see about that." Hammond growled, now looking visibly ticked off as he returned Liepard.
"Dodrio, that Altaria's really gotten on my last nerve! A good Tri Attack ought to teach her a lesson!" Dodrio had just finished getting back to his feet after his landing from getting hit by Disarming Voice. So with an angry warbling, Dodrio moved all three of his heads to form a triangle shape. Three orbs of energy formed in his open beaks as he started charging up the energy triangle that would come from using Tri Attack.
"Ready yourself, Altaria." I stated. "And be ready to deflect that with Dragon Breath!"
"Keep your eyes open, ladies and gents." said Sofia. "This could get intense!"
Altaria and Dodrio both fired off their respective energy blasts in time for them to collide together directly above the center of the stage before proceeding to push back and forth against each other in a duel for dominance, with both attacks proving evenly matched.
"Not bad." Hammond stated. "But sooner or later, either one of us will prove weaker or we'll both have to end this, lest the convergence point causes an explosion strong enough to cost us both valuable points."
"Too true." I stated, looking towards Beautifly, who was still floating about in the air, despite being paralyzed.
"Beautifly, give Altaria's Dragon Breath a nice boost with Air Cutter if you can!" Beautifly managed, with visible effort, to power through the paralysis and swing her wings sufficiently enough to send the requisite blades of wind flying at Dodrio's Tri Attack energy triangle. They began working in conjunction with Altaria's Dragon Breath to push the attack gradually back towards Dodrio.
"Keep your eyes open, everyone. This could be the end!" Sofia announced excitedly.
"Don't give up, Dodrio! You can do this! Just keep trying!"
But Dodrio stumbled and allowed his focus on maintaining his Tri Attack to wane just the slightest bit...which proved all that Altaria and Beautifly needed to finally allow their Dragon Breath and Air Cutter to push it right back at him with full force! Dodrio was completely engulfed in the resulting explosion of dust that ensued when the combined attack struck him. For what felt like an eternity, dead silence hung in the air as all eyes fixed their gazes upon the dust cloud. And when it finally faded away...
"Dodrio is unable to battle!" Sofia yelled triumphantly. "The winner is Megan!"
The crowd instantly went wild, cheering joyfully at my victory.
Hammond shook his head, a visible scowl on his face as he bitterly returned his Dodrio before pointing at me, almost accusingly.
"You got lucky this time." he growled. "But mark my words, I'll show you how a real winner does it if I fight you in a contest again."
I rolled my eyes in annoyance and disinterest before returning both of my Pokemon.
"Good job, girls." I said. "Take a nice long rest."
Hammond rolled his eyes, snorted irritably, then turned to storm off back to the waiting area while I turned to deliver a smile and curtsy for the audience, who began applauding even more in response. And with a good-natured giggle at this increased praise, I turned and gracefully made my way back to the waiting area myself.
April and the rest of our little group nodded in approval as I returned to the waiting area.
"Good job, Megan." said Amber. "I knew that you could do it."
"You certainly had us worried for a bit." said Skye. "But ultimately, you were able to turn things around."
I chuckled and replied, "Your faith in me is appreciated."
"Glad to hear that." said April as she then got up from her seat. "My turn now, everyone. Here goes nothing!"
... ...
Within the next two minutes, April was on the stage, standing opposite a blue-eyed blonde girl. As I watched, I had my hands clasped together tightly as I mentally hoped for the best for my big sister.
"On my left, we have April!" said Sofia. "And on my right, we have Chloe! Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"
"Masquerain, Linoone! All eyes on you!"
"Beedrill, Delcatty! Our adoring public awaits!"
As all four of the Pokemon materialized into view, I couldn't help but nod my head with an approving smile on my face at the sight of Linoone. I'd forgotten about April's Zigzagoon, which made me feel all the more excited to see that it had apparently evolved into Linoone at some point in the time since I'd last seen April use it.
"Masquerain, use Air Slash on Beedrill! Linoone, show Delcatty who's boss with Pin Missile!" April yelled.
"Dodge those!" Chloe yelled. "And counter with Pin Missile and Disarming Voice!"
Beedrill and Delcatty dodged as requested, then fired off their attacks.
"Dodge those!" April yelled. Thankfully, Masquerain and Linoone were able to dodge in time.
"Beedrill, put Masquerain in her place with Poison Jab!" Chloe yelled. Beedrill flew at Masquerain, its left needle already drawn back and glowing purple in preparation for Poison Jab.
"Block it with Air Slash!"
Chloe's eyes widened at the realization that she'd just sent Beedrill into a trap, and shouted, "Get back!"
Beedrill buzzed in pain as he was sent careening backwards by the impact of this second blade of wind that Masquerain had sent flying his way.
"Good job, Masquerain!" April yelled. "Now follow up with Stun Spore!"
"No you don't!" Chloe shouted. "Delcatty, interrupt that with Copycat!"
Delcatty arched its back while glowing with grey light before swinging its tail in Masquerain's direction fast enough to send an apparent blade of wind energy flying.
"Dodge that!" Masquerain darted aside just in time to avoid getting hit by her own copied move, which crashed harmlessly into one of the walls.
"Good work. Linoone, teach Delcatty some manners with Iron Tail!" In a flash, Linoone lunged at Delcatty, tail already glowing with a silvery light.
Chloe widened her eyes, clearly caught off-guard by Linoone's speed, and screamed, "Dodge!"
Too late.
"Ooh!" Sofia cried as Linoone's Iron Tail slammed down hard upon Delcatty's back. "That looks like it hurt!"
"And it's only gonna get worse for you from here!" April yelled confidently.
"Linoone, keep Beedrill occupied with Pin Missile! Masquerain, show Delcatty who's boss with Aqua Jet combined with Agility!" Her Pokemon were quick to obey, with Linoone sending a volley of glowing white pins flying at Beedrill with a swing of his tail, and Masquerain coated herself in both the energy for Agility and the water for Aqua Jet simultaneously, then went rocketing at Delcatty.
"Dodge!" Chloe yelled. Sadly for her, Delcatty hadn't yet finished recovering from getting hit by Linoone's Iron Tail and Beedrill had only just recently finished fully regaining his energy from getting hit by Masquerain's Air Slash, and as a result, both of her Pokemon were successfully hit.
"Things are certainly looking good for April right now, everyone!" Sofia announced.
"Not for long!" Chloe hissed. "Beedrill, use Poison Jab on Masquerain while she's still in range!"
"Dodge that!" April yelled.
But it was too late, and Masquerain found herself jabbed right in the back with Beedrill's Poison Jab.
"Now use Venoshock, just in case you successfully got her poisoned!" Buzzing determinedly, Beedrill flew into position between Masquerain and the still-reeling Delcatty, pointed his needles at Masquerain, and fired a continuous volley of purple needle-like projectiles that exploded into a cloud of poisonous purple mist upon contact with Masquerain.
"Oh dear." Sofia stated. "This could be a close one, everyone!"
Considering that there appeared to be two minutes left, and with both April and Chloe seeming to be miraculously evenly matched in points, it appeared that this would be a very close match indeed. But April wasn't about to give up yet!
"Don't give up now!" she yelled. "Linoone, use Slash on Delcatty!" Linoone lunged at Delcatty, successfully striking it with his claws before Chloe had the chance to order a dodge or counter.
"You're lucky that I was already hoping for you to get your Linoone into close range, you big bully!" Chloe snarled.
"Hurry, Beedrill! Use Poison Jab now!" Buzzing determinedly, Beedrill flew at Linoone, left arm needle drawn back and glowing purple for another Poison Jab.
"Now, Masquerain! Use Air Slash!"
Chloe's eyes widened in horror at the revelation that she'd just sent Beedrill into a trap yet again!
"Get back, Bee-"
But it was too late, and Beedrill buzzed in pain as he was once again hit at full force by yet another Air Slash from Masquerain. And this time proved to be the final straw as he came to a landing at Chloe's feet, completely out cold.
"Beedrill is unable to battle!" Sofia announced. "And with a minute and a half left, April could pull off a victory here, everyone!"
"We'll see about that!" Chloe hissed hatefully while returning her Beedrill.
"Don't worry, Delcatty. We can still salvage this! A nice Disarming Voice ought to teach that mean old Masquerain a lesson!"
"Dodge that, Masquerain!" April yelled.
But ultimately, Masquerain had lost too much energy from the damage she'd already sustained, and she was hit by the beam of pink noise waves that Delcatty shot out from her jaws. This final blow ultimately proved enough to make Masquerain faint.
"Masquerain is unable to battle!" Sofia yelled. "This is definitely gonna be a close match!"
"It isn't over yet! Linoone, use Pin Missile! Now!" April cried.
"You're making this too easy." Chloe said with an arrogant grin on her face. "Delcatty, blast that Pin Missile out of the air with Disarming Voice!"
Delcatty purred confidently before unleashing another Disarming Voice in time to start blasting the Pin Missile out of the sky before it could reach her.
"Now use Take Down!"
"Delcatty, dodge tha-"
But it was too late once again, and Delcatty was sent bouncing across the floor after Linoone successfully rammed into her with Take Down. And when Delcatty finally came to a stop, one look at her face was all that needed to be seen.
"Delcatty is unable to battle!" Sofia yelled. "And with thirty seconds to spare, April is the winner!"
And just like that, the crowd went wild!
"No fair." Chloe grumbled bitterly as she returned her Delcatty.
"You fought well." April said, returning Linoone. "But I won fair and square. Plain and simple."
Chloe glared irritably at her, sticking her tongue out for good measure before turning around and storming out of the arena. April shook her head, but turned to face the cheering audience with a charming smile on her face as she bowed, which only increased the applause. And with a chuckle in response, April turned and headed back through the tunnel leading from the stage to the waiting area.
"That was certainly tough." April admitted as she returned to us.
"So I noticed." said Adrian.
"No kidding." I agreed.
"Well, on the bright side," Amber stated, "At least you won this round, April."
"No kidding." said Skye before she got up from her seat. "And on that note, I'd best be heading out. I'm up next, after all."
"Good luck." we all said as she made her way over to the exit.
... ...
Before long, Skye was standing confidently on the stage, opposite a pink-haired girl with green eyes.
"On my left, we have Skye!" Sofia announced. "And on my right, we have Pepper! Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"
"Corphish, Manectric! Charm up!" Skye yelled as she sent out her Pokemon.
"Tropius, Krookodile! Bring the noise!" Pepper yelled as she sent out her own Pokemon.
We were all well aware of how Skye and Pepper's Pokemon were both technically evenly matched. Corphish being a Water Pokemon would give it an advantage over a Ground Pokemon like Krookodile, and Manectric being an Electric Pokemon would give it an advantage against Flying Pokemon like Tropius.
However, Tropius was also partly a Grass Pokemon, which made Electric attacks less devastating against it. Not to mention that that granted it a natural advantage against Water Pokemon like Corphish. And even worse, Krookodile being a Ground Pokemon not only made it immune to Manectric's Electric attacks, but also allowed it to deal truly devastating damage against it.
"This looks like it could be a pretty tough match for Skye." said Christina.
"You're right. I'm uncertain if she can actually win this one." I agreed.
But for now, we'd have no choice but to watch and see how things unfolded. The battle was already starting.
"Here goes nothing, Manectric!" Skye yelled. "Use Quick Attack mixed with Thunder Fang on Tropius!"
"Krookodile," Pepper yelled, "Block that and retaliate with Foul Play!"
Krookodile darted into position between Manectric and Tropius, just in time for Manectric's electrified fangs to snap harmlessly upon its tail. Krookodile then drew back its left hand, now clenched into a fist encased with shadowy energy, and proceeded to send Manectric flying back with a powerful punch to his head! We all winced at the sight of this.
"I've heard about Foul Play. The strength of that attack is determined by the strength of the Pokemon getting hit. Moments in which the planned target is in the midst of trying to use a physical attack is an especially good time to use it, since that allows the Pokemon using Foul Play to first directly determine the target's strength level by blocking the attack before retaliating at the appropriate level of strength to match it." I explained.
But despite this visibly rough start, Skye wasn't about to give up yet!
"We can still salvage this!" she yelled, looking to Corphish. "Corphish, teach Krookodile some manners with Water Gun!" Corphish pointed his right claw at Krookodile and fired off a Water Gun.
"Dodge that with Dig!" Pepper yelled. Krookodile quickly dug under the floor, just in time to avoid getting hit by the stream of water that Corphish was spraying its way.
"Manectric, hit Tropius with Shock Wave while Krookodile's busy!"
"Dodge that, Tropius!"
But it was too late, and Tropius bellowed in surprise and pain as it was hit at full force by the vicious beam of electricity that Manectric shot at it.
"At least now, you won't have a perfect score!" Skye declared.
"If you can hear me down there, Krookodile...feel free to add in a nice Crunch for good measure!" Krookodile erupted out from directly underneath Manectric with its mighty jaws snapping mercilessly into place around Manectric's abdomen with Crunch.
"That's definitely gotta hurt!" Sofia cried.
Krookodile landed back on the arena floor and released the now very pained and battered-looking Manectric. Nevertheless, Skye shook her head to keep her mind clear. Now was not the time to wallow in defeat when she still had at least some chance at winning!
"Now, Corphish! Show Krookodile who's boss with Bubble Beam!"
"Get back, Krookodile!" Pepper yelled.
But unfortunately for her, Corphish had already sent the barrage of bubbles at Krookodile from his right claw, which crashed into Krookodile and sent it staggering with a surprised roar.
"Don't stop now, Corphish!" Skye yelled confidently. "Use Crab Hammer!" Corphish drew back his right claw, which was glowing with blue light while also becoming surrounded in water, before he lunged at Krookodile in time to slam his claw straight into Krookodile's stomach, sending it flying backwards before landing on its back, right near where Pepper was standing.
"Tropius, use Air Slash! Now!" Bellowing, Tropius swung one of its leafy wings with enough force to send the glowing blade of wind flying at Corphish, who was unable to dodge in time, getting sent flying by the impact.
"Don't let up now!" Pepper screamed. "Magical Leaf!"
"No!" Skye yelled.
But it was too late. Tropius flew into position directly above the still-flailing and helpless Corphish before snapping its leafy wings downward with enough force to send a volley of glowing leaves down at Corphish with enough force to send him rocketing to the floor and produce a cloud of dust upon landing!
"Hate to say this, everyone," Sofia announced, "But things really aren't looking good for Skye right now."
"Oh, they're only gonna get worse from here!" Pepper yelled. "Krookodile, use Earthquake! Now!"
"Dodge that!"
But unfortunately, Krookodile was slightly faster, managing to stomp its right foot down with enough force to trigger the Earthquake as Skye was halfway through her command for Manectric to dodge. So Manectric and Corphish were sent bouncing backwards across the floor by the Earthquake before skidding painfully to a halt, inches away from the stage's rear wall.
"I have a bad feeling that things aren't going to work out very well for Skye today." Amber said in a sad tone.
I sighed and nodded my head in agreement.
But Corphish and Manectric managed, with visible difficulty, to get back onto their feet, all while groaning in pain. Clearly, they had at least a tiny bit of fight left in them.
Pepper raised her eyebrow at this, seemingly mildly amused, and said, "Your Pokemon certainly don't give up easily, I'll admit to that. Well, I suppose we've got just enough time to allow them the honor of going down in a relative blaze of glory. Go ahead and have your Pokemon try to attack so that we can get this over with."
Skye gritted her teeth, seemingly uncertain about how best to respond. But then she sighed and shook her head. At this point, there was really no point in delaying the inevitable.
"Might as well go out with a bang, everyone. Corphish, use Crab Hammer on Krookodile. Manectric, go after Tropius with Quick Attack mixed with Thunder Fang."
"Tropius, Krookodile, counter with Body Slam and Foul Play."
And sure enough, just ten seconds later...
"Corphish and Manectric are unable to battle! The winner is Pepper!"
Nodding her head in defeat, Skye returned her Pokemon, saying, "Good job."
"Better luck next time." Pepper stated.
And with that, Skye turned to depart from the stage as Pepper turned to curtsy for the audience.
As Skye entered the waiting area with a glum look of acceptance on her face, the rest of us were already ready and waiting for her.
"Sorry that you didn't win." said April.
"I agree. It really sucks you lost." said Adrian.
"You certainly put in your best effort today, though." Christina pointed out. "You can be proud of that, at least."
Amber and I walked closer to her, concern still on our faces.
"You okay?" I asked Skye.
"We're here for you if you need comforting." Amber added.
Skye shook her head and directed a grateful smile towards Amber and I, saying, "Don't worry, I'm alright. Though your concern is appreciated. The fact that I lost today IS disappointing. But you know what? Sometimes you've just gotta take your losses in stride. I mean, my dad didn't become Top Coordinator on his first try. Or Hoenn's Regional Champion, for that matter. So I've still got plenty of time to become a Top Coordinator. I won't give up on my dream. I know that I'll be back in a Grand Festival next year, whether it's in Hoenn or another region."
"That's a nice way to spin it." Christina admitted.
"Agreed." I said. "I'm sure you'll do well in the next contest cycle, regardless of which region you're in."
"And hey, at the very least, you've successfully resolved your issues with your family and gotten direct confirmation from both of your parents about how much they truly love you. That's what matters most at this point, right?" Amber added.
"Thanks for the reminder." Skye said, chuckling. "And on that note, I'd best get changed back into my regular clothes and see if I can hurry up and find a seat in the audience in time to not miss the next battle."
"Here's hoping that you don't miss the good show that I hope to treat everyone to." Amber said.
"You and me both." Skye said, hurrying off to the changing rooms. "Best of luck out there!"
... ...
A few minutes later, Amber was standing on the stage, opposite a steely-grey-haired boy.
"On my left, we have Amber!" Sofia announced. "And on my right, we have Dustin! Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"
"Furret, Jumpluff! Spotlight!" Amber yelled as she tossed her Pokeballs.
"Mienshao, Bibarel! Showtime!" Dustin shouted as he tossed his Pokeballs.
"Mienshao, time to get the dead weight out of the way with Aura Sphere!" Mienshao drew its hands back while charging up the Aura Sphere.
"Oh you did NOT just call my Furret dead weight!" Amber yelled, clearly offended. "Jumpluff, teach him some manners with Fairy Wind!"
"Dodge that, Mien-"
But it was too late. Within seconds after leaping into position in front of Furret, Jumpluff rubbed all three of her dandelion tendrils together, causing pink sparkles to show on them, and snapped the tendrils back to their natural position to unleash an impressively strong burst of wind coated in flashes of sparkly pink light, which slammed into Mienshao and sent it flying back.
"An impressive start for Amber, everyone!" Sofia announced.
"Bibarel, knock Jumpluff away with Water Gun. It won't hurt it much, but it should at least get her out of the way long enough for you to give Furret a good beating with Superpower!" Dustin ordered. Bibarel opened its mighty jaws and sent a jet of water at Jumpluff.
"Defend with Bullet Seed!" Amber yelled. Jumpluff pointed her two side tendrils towards the incoming Water Gun and fired off a volley of seeds that collided with the Water Gun in a duel for dominance. For the next 30 seconds, both attacks appeared evenly matched.
"Didn't see this coming did, you?" Amber asked.
"No, but that doesn't mean that it's something that I can't work around. Mienshao, hit Furret with Drain Punch!" he shouted. Furret let out an agonized squeal of pain and was sent flying back as Mienshao's fist struck and became encased in a swirling orb of green light. That light then spread across Mienshao's entire body, healing it.
I could see Amber wincing, well aware of how she'd managed to completely forget about Mienshao while focused on the duel between Jumpluff and Bibarel. But it wasn't long before she gritted her teeth and let a determined glare come onto her face. Like everyone else, she wasn't going to give up!
"Not bad." she admitted. "But this battle isn't over yet!"
As if to prove her point, a sudden cry from Bibarel split the air, causing everyone to look in his direction to see that Jumpluff's Bullet Seed had finally overpowered Bibarel's Water Gun and crashed into it, damaging it and causing it to stagger back.
"Mienshao, show Jumpluff who's boss with High Jump Kick!" In a flash, Jumpluff yelped in pain as she was hit in the face by Mienshao's foot.
"Ha!" Dustin yelled with an arrogant grin on his face. "Take that!"
"Furret, use Hyper Voice!" Amber yelled. Mienshao was sent rocketing back through the air by the beam of blue noise waves that burst from Furret's mouth. Mienshao crashed to the floor directly behind Dustin with enough force to kick up a small cloud of dust.
"Not bad for a Normal Pokemon on the losing end against a Pokemon of Mienshao's type." Dustin admitted.
He then looked at Bibarel, who had just gotten back on its feet, and cried, "Now's your chance Bibarel! Hit Furret where it hurts with Superpower!"
"Dodge that!"
Furret just barely managed to jump upwards in time for Bibarel's tail to harmlessly swing through the area underneath him, where he'd previously been standing. And while he was still airborne...
"Now's your chance, Furret! Use Fury Swipes!" Amber cried. Thankfully, Furret's claws hit their mark.
"Don't just sit there and take that, Bibarel! Bite his tail with Crunch!" In a flash, Bibarel's mighty jaws snapped down upon Furret's tail.
Amber grumbled, but then turned to Jumpluff, who had now recovered from getting hit by Mienshao's High Jump Kick.
"Jumpluff, use Bullet Seed on Bibarel! And hurry! Furret needs help!" Amber shouted. Bibarel was forced to let go of Furret's tail, and was sent staggering back by the Bullet Seed that Jumpluff sent flying at it.
"Mienshao, use Aura Sphere on Jumpluff! Then use another Drain Punch on Furret!"
"Counter with Fairy Wind!"
Jumpluff did as ordered, miraculously managing to use her Fairy Wind in time to blow the Aura Sphere away from her so that it harmlessly crashed into one of the walls. But at the same time that Amber and Jumpluff were focused on all of that...
"Bibarel, use Take Down!" Bibarel slammed into Jumpluff and sent her bouncing away.
"Furret, use Hyper Voice!"
"Water Gun!"
For what felt like an eternity, this insane back and forth continued between Amber, Dustin, and their respective Pokemon. And while Dustin consistently put in a strong effort at getting Mienshao and Bibarel to whittle Amber's points down in his favor, Amber had Furret and Jumpluff working equally hard at making sure that her lead remained. And eventually, at long last...
"Time's up!"
Eyes widening, Amber, Dustin, and their Pokemon looked to the scoreboard to see the results.
"Amber wins!"
The crowd went wild with applause, hearing Sofia's declaration.
Sighing, Dustin returned his exhausted Mienshao and Bibarel and bowed in respect.
Amber nodded her head in return, returning her exhausted but proud-looking Furret and Jumpluff.
Dustin turned to depart, with Amber pausing long enough to curtsy for the audience before she turned to depart from the stage as well.
... ...
Five minutes later, Christina was in position, standing opposite a boy with bright chartreuse-green hair and yellow eyes.
"On my left, we have Christina!" Sofia announced. "And on my right, we have Jude! Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"
"Shuppet, Seviper! Curtain!"
"Cofagrigus, Zangoose! Spotlight!"
We caught sight of Seviper and Zangoose almost instantaneously narrowing their eyes and growling antagonistically at each other.
I shuddered. With the natural enmity between Zangoose and Seviper, plus the fact that Shuppet and Cofagrigus would have a natural weakness against each other with both of them being Ghost Pokemon, this battle could easily go either way.
"Zangoose, use Swords Dance! Cofagrigus, use Mean Look!" Zangoose began engaging in the dance that would boost its attack power and Cofagrigus glared intently at Seviper and Shuppet while its eyes glowed with an ominous purple light.
Jude hadn't even had any of his Pokemon actually attack yet, and it already seemed that he meant business! But Christina wasn't intimidated, her eyes already narrowed in determination.
"Shuppet, use Shadow Ball on Cofagrigus! Seviper, use Poison Tail on Zangoose!" Seviper lunged at Zangoose, his tail already glowing with purple light. Shuppet, meanwhile, began charging up a Shadow Ball.
"Zangoose, block it with Metal Claw! Cofagrigus, defend with Shadow Ball!" Snarling, Zangoose caused its claws to glow with silver light and positioned them just in time for Seviper's Poison Tail to slam harmlessly against them. Zangoose then slashed with enough force to send Seviper flying back to his starting position. Cofagrigus, meanwhile, managed to finish charging its Shadow Ball in time for it and Shuppet to fire their respective Shadow Balls at each other in time for the two attacks to harmlessly collide above the center of the arena floor, resulting in a shadowy firework-style explosion.
"Not bad." Christina admitted. "But I can do better! Seviper, strike at Cofagrigus with Poison Jab!"
"Dodge that!" Jude yelled.
But Cofagrigus was a naturally slow Pokemon and was unable to dodge in time before Seviper swiftly slithered over and struck it with Poison Jab.
"Now it's your turn, Shuppet! Use Hex!" Shuppet fired off his Hex at Cofagrigus, who moaned in pain as bursts of purple and blue arcane energy struck it.
"And just like that, Christina is back in the lead!" Sofia announced.
"Zangoose, use Power Trip on Shuppet! Then strike Seviper with X-Scissor!" Zangoose bowed its head and raised its shoulders with an ominous red and purple mist forming around its upper body before it then zoomed forward past Seviper and banged its chest into Shuppet with enough force to send him flying backward with a surprised shriek.
"Shuppet!" Christina yelled, visibly surprised.
But Zangoose wasn't done. It immediately turned around to face Seviper and sliced at him with X-Scissor while directing an almost contemptuous smirk at its instinctive rival. And Jude wasn't about to let his newly-gained momentum end there, either.
"And to really spice things up, why don't you cast a nice little Curse on Shuppet, Cofagrigus?"
Christina raised her eyebrow in brief confusion, asking, "Say what now?"
But at that moment, Cofagrigus started chuckling unnervingly with an almost maniacal-looking grin on his face as he brought his four shadowy hands together and caused an orb of red and black energy to form. He then snapped his hands back to their original position and caused the energy orb to dissipate into mist, just in time for a bolt of shadowy lightning to strike down on Shuppet from the sky. Shuppet shrieked in surprise as it was briefly encased in what appeared to be black and red voltage, but strangely didn't seem to be visibly harmed.
"Okay?" Christina stated, still slightly confused. "Not sure what that was all about."
I shuddered, and looked at Amber, who was also clearly unnerved.
Jude chuckled and said, "Oh, just you wait. In the meantime...Zangoose, put on another Swords Dance for the audience!"
Christina narrowed her eyes, now visibly annoyed.
"Time to remind this clown to take things seriously! A nice Bite on Zangoose and Shadow Ball against Cofagrigus should do the trick!" Seviper lunged at Zangoose, his jaws open and fangs ready while Shuppet began charging up another Shadow Ball.
But Zangoose had already finished Swords Dance at this point, and so...
"Hurry, Zangoose! Counter with Power Trip!" With a triumphant snarl from Zangoose, Seviper was sent rocketing into the wall behind Christina from the Power Trip. This time, the Power Trip seemed to cause even more damage against Seviper than when it had previously been used against Shuppet!
"Cofagrigus, defend yourself with Shadow Claw!" By sheer luck, Cofagrigus managed to use Shadow Claw just in time to harmlessly burst Shuppet's Shadow Ball into shadowy mist before it could strike him.
Gritting her teeth, Christina turned her head to look at Seviper, who had managed to avoid getting instantly knocked out by Power Trip, and was starting to slowly get back up. She then looked back at Jude with a confused and wary look on her face.
"That Power Trip did more damage against Seviper than it did against Shuppet. And Seviper's not even weak to Dark attacks! So how...?" Christina wondered aloud.
"That's the beauty of Power Trip." Jude stated. "Each time the user increases a stat, Power Trip grows stronger, too. And by the way, your Shuppet should be feeling a little something unexpected right about...now."
A sudden pained moan from Shuppet caused Christina to direct a wide-eyed look towards him to see him coated in red and black voltage once again. But this time, he actually felt pain from it.
"Yep, there we go." said Jude. "This is what happens when a Ghost Pokemon casts Curse. It sacrifices about half of its energy, but ensures that the target will take damage, as long as it doesn't knock out the caster first."
Hearing this, Amber and I nodded while our eyes remained focused on the screen.
Christina looked more than a little concerned as she finally realized just how much of a pickle she was in. But she soon gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. She was certainly not about to give up, and it would always be better to go down fighting!
"Well, if that's how it's gonna be. Shuppet, use Will-O-Wisp on Cofagrigus! Seviper, use Poison Jab on Zangoose!"
"Dodge that, Cofagrigus!" Jude yelled. "Zangoose, defend yourself with Metal Claw!"
Cofagrigus obediently leaned back to avoid getting hit by Shuppet's Will-O-Wisp while Zangoose snarled and positioned her silvery glowing claws in time to block Seviper's Poison Jab.
"Now's your chance, Seviper! Use Wrap!"
"Zangoose, get back!"
But it was too late. Seviper proceeded to coil his long body tightly around Zangoose.
"Ha!" Christina yelled. "I had a feeling that you'd have Zangoose defend against Poison Jab with Metal Claw again. So I planned accordingly."
"Clever." Jude grumbled. "But don't forget..."
Shuppet moaned as he was encased in the red and black voltage of Curse again. Christina winced at the reminder of how limited her time was, in more ways than one.
"Cofagrigus, help free Zangoose with Shadow Claw."
"Dodge that, Seviper!"
But unfortunately, Seviper was unable to get himself unwrapped in time and he hissed in pain as he was struck by Cofagrigus's Shadow Claw. And as Zangoose managed to be freed as a result of Seviper's grip loosening from the pain of the Shadow Claw...
"Now, Zangoose! Finish Seviper off with X-Scissor!" Seviper was sent sliding to Christina's feet by the X-Scissor, now unconscious.
"Oh dear." Sofia announced. "Things are not looking good for Christina right now!"
"Well, I suppose I've been letting this drag out longer than it really needed to. So I'll go ahead and at least be kind enough to end this now. Cofagrigus, put Shuppet out of his misery with Shadow Ball. It should be a lot less painful than being taken out by Curse."
"You win." Christina grumbled.
Cofagrigus sent his last Shadow Ball flying at Shuppet, successfully striking him and knocking him out in an explosion of shadowy mist.
"Shuppet and Seviper are both unable to battle!" Sofia announced. And with thirty seconds left to spare, plus a clear lead in points...Jude wins!"
And with a nod of his head, Jude returned Cofagrigus and Zangoose.
"You fought bravely. And unless you wish to risk becoming a pathetic disgrace like your father, I highly recommend that you at least take comfort in that aspect of today's battle, instead of being a sore loser like he was." Jude commented.
Christina gritted her teeth, but ultimately stayed silent and settled for just shaking her head in disapproving fashion before returning Seviper and Shuppet and heading off towards the corridor leading back to the waiting area.
Amber and I shook our heads with clear sympathy for Christina. April, Ashlyn, and Adrian looked more than a little miffed as they directed glares towards Jude as he bowed to the audience.
"Well, that parting statement that he made to Christina certainly wasn't called for." April grumbled.
"No kidding." Adrian agreed.
"I'll say! Who does he think he is, lumping her in with her father like that?!" Ashlyn exclaimed.
Naturally, when Christina entered the waiting room after her defeat, we were all ready to greet her and give our condolences.
"Sorry that you lost." I stated.
"Yeah. Not to mention for that jerk bringing up your father like that." April added.
Christina sighed and nodded her head, saying, "I'll admit, dealing with people judging me because of my father is probably something I'd best expect to become routine, over the next couple of years or so. Especially after losing in a contest. And I won't be surprised if he tries to use my loss today as ammunition against me to rub the 'foolishness' of me siding against him after the truth of his scheme about your mom came out."
Amber started looking noticeably more concerned than before and asked, "Are you sure that you'll be okay?"
"My losing today certainly stings." Christina admitted. "And the possibility of my dad getting up to some sort of petty mean-spiritedness against me over this loss is not one that I'm looking forward to."
But she then looked at us with a warm smile of appreciation on her face, saying, "For what it's worth, it really is great to have you guys in my corner, even after I admitted my true reasons about becoming your friend. And I can certainly appreciate making it all the way to this round, not to mention how much of a fight I was able to put up before Jude beat me."
"Well, that's certainly a relief to hear." said Adrian.
"No kidding." April agreed.
"Here's hoping that your mother agrees." Amber stated.
"And the rest of us will still put on a good show for you and her if you stick around to continue watching." I said.
"I'll certainly be holding you to that." she said, then walked past us to head to the changing rooms.
... ...
Adrian was in position, opposite a brown-eyed and reddish-orange-haired girl, with both combatants looking very determined indeed. Quite noticeably, as a result of the Pokemon that both combatants were going to be using, the arena's pool had been uncovered.
"Your girlfriend may have defeated my friend Chloe earlier." Adrian's opponent yelled. "But believe me, I'm not gonna let you defeat me without a fight!"
"On my left, we have Adrian!" Sofia announced. "And on my right, we have Sabrina! Five minutes on the clock...and begin!"
"Swampert, Sharpedo! Showtime!" Adrian yelled.
"Octillery, Kingler! Charm up!" Sabrina shouted.
"This ought to be an interesting battle, being in water." said Amber.
"Agreed." I said.
"Go, Adrian!" April yelled. "I know that you can do this!"
"Octillery, hit Swampert with Bubble Beam!" Octillery leaned its head towards Swampert and spat out the rapid-fire bubbles.
"Dodge that, Swampert!" Adrian yelled. "Sharpedo, use Crunch on Octillery!" Swampert dove under the water in time to avoid getting hit by the Bubble Beam. Sharpedo darted through the water with his jaws ready to snap.
"Kingler, knock Sharpedo away with Crab Hammer!" Sharpedo was sent flying back to his starting position, getting slammed right in the jaw by Kingler's Crab Hammer attack, landing in the water with a loud splash.
"Gotcha!" Sabrina chuckled.
"You got lucky that time." Adrian grumbled.
"Octillery, hit Sharpedo while it's down with Octazooka!" Octillery took a deep breath, then spat out a massive ball of water from its mouth that went flying towards Sharpedo.
"Swampert, strike that Octazooka with Ice Beam!" Swampert spat out a burst of icy blue energy at the incoming Octazooka in time to freeze it into a giant ball of ice, which began falling down towards the water.
"Now, Sharpedo! Strike that frozen Octazooka back at Kingler with Liquidation!" With a flip while having a blade of water extended from his face, Sharpedo smacked the frozen Octazooka back at Kingler, with the massive ball of ice successfully slamming into it.
"Well played." Sabrina stated, a look of respect on her face.
"Kingler, a nice Scald ought to teach Sharpedo some manners!" Kingler opened its mouth and spewed out a stream of boiling hot water at Sharpedo, who was struck in the face.
"Dirty move. Swampert, teach Kingler some humility with Mud Shot!" In a flash, Kingler was forced to end its Scald with a surprised groan as it got splattered right in the face by a massive ball of mud that Swampert spat from his mouth.
"This battle's certainly proving amusing." Ashlyn admitted.
"You can say that again." I agreed. "It certainly helps that none of the Pokemon seem to have any moves that can automatically cause serious damage to each other, so it's easier to imagine this battle as being entirely in good fun."
"You thought that me using Scald was a dirty move?" Sabrina asked. "Well, now that you've chosen to be petty with that Mud Shot, get a load of this! Octillery, use Bullet Seed on Swampert!"
Adrian's eyes widened in surprise, clearly caught off-guard.
But it was too late, and Swampert was mercilessly bombarded by the volley of rapid-fire seeds that Octillery spat out at him.
"Considering Swampert being both a Water and Ground type, he'll really need to be careful in dealing with that Octillery." Ashlyn stated nervously.
Fortunately, Adrian was quick to realize how seriously he now needed to take the battle.
"Okay," he muttered, "No more messing around."
"Kingler, use Swords Dance to get your fighting spirit back to full strength!"
"Sharpedo, use Blizzard on Octillery!"
In a flash, Octillery found itself engulfed in the gigantic burst of icy wind that Sharpedo spewed from his mouth.
"Kingler, show Sharpedo some manners with Razor Shell!" Kingler lunged at Sharpedo with both of its claws encased in glowing blades of blue light that it was readying to slice with.
"Swampert, defend Sharpedo with Ice Beam!" Kingler was blasted back, away from Sharpedo with Ice Beam.
"Octillery, get some sweet payback on Swampert with Bubble Beam!" Swampert was hit in the face with Octillery's Bubble Beam.
"Sharpedo, use Slash!" At lightning speed, Sharpedo darted at Octillery and slashed his dorsal fin against it.
"Octillery, use Octazooka!" Sharpedo howled in pain as he got sent flying back from Octazooka.
"Don't let the momentum stop now, Octillery! Use Bullet Seed on Swampert!"
"Counter with Hydro Pump!"
The Hydro Pump and Bullet Seed were both fired together, and the two moves started pushing against each other in a duel for dominance.
"Not bad." Sabrina admitted. "But unless your Swampert proves particularly strong right now, it shouldn't be long before Bullet Seed inevitably overwhelms that Hydro Pump!"
"Then it's a good thing that this was primarily a distraction." Adrian replied with a cheeky smirk.
"Now, Sharpedo! Use Crunch!" Octillery proved unable to halt its Bullet Seed in time to avoid getting chomped upon from underneath.
"Not bad for a guy who got seemingly caught flatfooted by your Octillery knowing Bullet Seed, huh?" Adrian stated.
"Enjoy this while you can, pretty boy." Sabrina growled irritably. "This isn't over yet!"
For the next few minutes that remained, Adrian and Sabrina continued to furiously call out commands for their Pokemon, who worked to obey to the best of their abilities. But eventually...
"Time's up!"
Eyes widening, Adrian, Sabrina, and their Pokemon all looked to the scoreboard.
"This winner is Adrian!"
Sabrina slumped over in disappointment, muttering, "Darn."
... ...
"Congrats on making it to the quarterfinals with me, Adrian. Not to mention with the rest of us who won this round." April said after Adrian had returned to the waiting area.
"Glad to have made it this far." Ashlyn agreed.
"I still wish that Skye and Christina could have made it with us." Amber stated in disappointment.
"Well, at least they'll hopefully stay in the audience with Adam and Jason to watch us in the quarterfinals once the incoming break is over." I stated.
"If they do, then we'd better make sure that we all blow their socks off." April stated confidently.
"Alright, everyone." Sofia announced. "At this time, we'll be taking an hour's break. But first, let's show you what to expect for the quarterfinals when we resume today's battles!"
We all looked to the screen, eyes wide with anticipation as the match-ups were revealed.
Ashlyn would battle Ramsey, I would battle April, Amber would battle the girl who defeated Skye, and Adrian would battle the boy who defeated Christina.
Author's Note: Skye and Christina have been eliminated. Only three of Megan's friends remain in the tournament, along with herself and her sister.
The quarterfinals will take place in the next chapter of Pokemon NG!