Chapter 74: Semi-Round (2)
~Third POV~
[Kanto Region, Indigo Plateau, Stadium – Audience Stand]
As the battle between Green and Azure intensified, from the audience stand, a group of 4 people observed the battles between them. These four are called the Elite Four, consisting of Lorelei, Bruno, Agatha, and Lance, the leader of the Elite Four.
From the Audience Stand hallways, Lance commented, seeing the battle between Dragons in a curious tone, "Oh? He seemed to have taught his Dragonite well. I wonder if he knows how to properly use one well."
Lorelei rolled her eyes as she said bluntly to Lance, fascinated by Dragons, "Sure… It's not like you like those types. Oh, wait…"
Lance simply shrugged his shoulders as Agatha said cheekily, curiously, "Now, now, children, I'm curious to see what he does next. No doubt that Dragonite will go down, I'm curious to know if he'll send his Gengar. It's rare to see a Shiny variant."
Lance simply shrugged his shoulders as he couldn't tell the difference. Loreli remained indifferent as she asked Bruno curiously, "Who do you like best, Bruno?"
Bruno, with his arms crossed, eyed the boy as he saw him command his Dragonite with gusto and spirit. He stated bluntly, "… the boy. You can just feel his love and trust in his Pokémon from his emotions."
Lance smugly grins, nodding his head, agreeing as Loreli frowned, stating, "Hmph! I believe the girl would win since she has that Pokedex to know its moves."
Agatha merely looked at the match, as did Bruno, leaving Lorelei to pout that no one was answering her. Lance, viewing Azure's eyes, smirked as he thought curiously, 'Those azure eyes… that can see through everything. Those eyes that can understand their Pokémon… could he be a child of Viridian Forest like me?'
For now, the Elite Four studied the Pokémon matches between the final four. Each of them proving to be a vital ally… or future enemy.
//////
[Kanto Region, Indigo Plateau – Stadium]
Meanwhile, the mirror match between the two Dragonites continued. Green yells, "Now! Thunder Wave!"
Seeing electricity built up, Azure commanded heatedly in the moment, "Use Thunder Wave too!"
*Zzzzz*
Both launched their respective Thunder Waves at each other, landing. Azure showed a concerned expression, but seeing Green's cheeky grin, a sudden chill ran down his spine as he thought confused, 'What the hell is she grinning for, her Pokémon is paralyzed too, so why is – '
But then he noticed the sparks on the Ditto Dragonite, shrugged off as Green yelled, "Now! Ice Punch!"
*SWOOOSH*
Azure's eyes widened in disbelief as the fake Dragon managed to deck his Dragonite down from the air and onto the ground. And due to its paralysis, Azure's Dragonite is restricted in movements, and couldn't afford to dodge because of the status effect, as it took the full brunt of Ice Punch to the head, dealing major damage.
*SMASH*
*THUD*
Azure's eyes widened in disbelief as Dragonite lay down on the ground defeated. The Referee announced, "Dragonite is unable to battle! Azure Sky, please send your next Pokémon!"
Azure returned Dragonite into its Poke Ball as he asked Green in a confused tone, "Say, Green, wouldn't mind explaining how your Pokémon was immune to being paralyzed? I thought it only had my Pokémon ability…"
Green chuckled as she stuck her tongue out as she explained confidently, "Tee-hee! I guess you didn't know that my Ditto has the Limber Ability. And who said that my Ditty could only use your Pokémon Ability when transformed?"
Disbelief flashed in his eyes hearing that as he thought, readying his next Poke Ball, 'Wait! Ditto's can do that?! I thought they only copied the traits of the Pokémon when it transforms. But can it also use its original ability while transformed?!'
Knowing this and facing off against a copy of his Dragonite, he calmed his breathing down as he clenched his next choice in a determined tone, "Okay… you got me there, Green. I blame myself for leading Dragonite into that. But I'm taking this round back. Arcanine, I choose you!"
*Pop*
Azure tossed the Poké Ball, and his loyal Fire-type Pokémon appeared, its fiery mane blazing. Its eyes narrowed, viewing the copy of Dragonite as the match continued where it had been left off.
Issuing the first command, Green called out, "Surf!"
*Splash*
A huge wave of water was summoned with Ditto surfing on top, intending to crash into Arcanine. Azure simply smirked as he commanded, "Arcanine! Mimic Surf!"
*Splash*
Arcanine mimicking Ditto's copy of Surf, riding on top of the wave it summoned with a neutral expression. Both attacks simply canceled each other out, but in return allowed Arcanine to get closer to Ditto.
Azure gave his command in a swift tone, "Play Rough!"
Green, caught off guard, didn't know how to respond to the move Play Rough. But it had the intended effect of Arcanine glowing a pink hue as it jumped towards the Ditto and cloaked it with a thick, white smoke surrounded by stars. Arcanine then repeatedly hits Ditto with its fangs and claws.
*Shinng*
*CRUNCH*
*SMASH*
Both were colliding down as Green got concerned as she ordered, "The hell is that move? Ditty use Aqua Tail!"
*SPLASH*
Swiping its orange tail, Ditty unleashed an Aqua Tail as water coated its tail, smacking the Arcanine away. But what surprised Green the most after the smoke subsided was the claw, bruises, and teeth marks from Ditty's body recoiling in pain.
This baffled Green as she eyed the Arcanine brushing off the water from its fur in a confused tone, thought, 'The hell… that move shouldn't be that effective on Dragonite. Dragon-type Pokémon only have two weaknesses, and those are Ice and Dragon-type moves. And Dragonite has Ice, Rock, and Dragon-type weaknesses, and none of those were used against it…'
Baffled by the unforeseen damage, Azure grinned, knowing that not everyone knew the existence of Fairy-type moves as he thought, 'Heh. Sorry, Green, but despite your tricks, I won't lose to you! After the battles I've been through, I've learned what each has taught me that got me far... I won't let my Pokémon down against you!'
Green frowned, seeing Azure's renewed determination in his eyes. Her eyes narrowed as they continued issuing orders to their Pokémon.
/////
[Kanto Region, Indigo Plateau, Stadium – Audience Stand]
But for Red and Blue, seeing this from the sidelines were surprised. Blue muttered, seeing the battle ahead in a stunned tone, "So that's the power of Fairy moves. To be able to massively damage Dragon-type Pokémon… Hmm… how do I go about countering his team..."
His eyes narrowed as he checked his Belt, revealing one of them to be his own Dragonite. He frowned as he thought carefully, 'Taming the Dratini from the Celadon Game Corner was difficult, but my key in the hole against trainers. But if Azure had more Fairy-type moves, then I need to change my team…'
Blue checks his Pokedex, trying to see if he should change which team members to go against Azure. With Azure's tricks of multiple moves, he had to be very cautious if he were to battle against him.
Red, meanwhile, was stunned seeing the Fairy-type move as he thought critically, 'So that's a Fairy move, huh? But what moves are super effective against them? If I knew I could use a move to their weakness to defend myself....'
Red eyes narrowed as he crossed his arms, contemplating what moves or Pokémon Type would be even effective against this unknown type. He checked his Pokedex, checking his Pokémon moves, trying to determine which ones would be useful.
Prof. Oak, also seeing the pink hue, was surprised as well, making an eager grin as he thought happily, 'So that's the Fairy Type move that Azure mentioned. The most noticeable way to identify one is the aura color pink to tell… Amazing! And those wounds would only be shown if this were effective against a Dragon-type Pokémon! Such an amazing discovery!'
/////
[Kanto Region, Indigo Plateau – Stadium]
Returning her head into the fight, Green commanded, "Ditty quick and use Bubblebeam!"
*Pew*
Shooting out a stream of concentrated bubbles at Arcanine Azure, countered, "Wild Charge!"
*Zzzzz*
Green's eyes widened as she gritted her teeth, seeing another unknown move, 'Again! How many moves does he have!'
Arcanine pulls its legs up and charges at the Dragonite while shrouded in bright gold electricity with white static around it. Due to Arcanine's superior Speed Stat when compared to Dragonite's, it roared fiercely, slamming against it, piercing through the Bubblebeam, "Raooooowr!!!"
*BOOOOOM*
When Arcanine hits the Ditto, the electricity around it gathers where Arcanine collides with the opponent, morphing into a white orb of sparkling energy, which then explodes. Green's eyes widened seeing the damage done as she yelled, "Ditty! Are you okay?"
From the smokescreen, Ditty panted from the attack as Arcanine backed off, getting some distance. Green's eyes narrowed as she cautiously thought, 'The hell! First his beefy Dragon, then his stubborn hound! I need to take care of Arcanine soon!'
Regaining her composure, she countered, ordering, "Go! Fly Dragonite!"
*Fwp*
Ditty flew high into the air to avoid Arcanine's attacks from above. Azure, seeing this grin as he thought, 'So that's how she wants to play, huh? But still I have to be careful here.'
Azure commanded pursuing Ditty, "Arcanine! Mimic Fly!"
*Wooosh*
Veiled in Flying Type Aura, Arcanine flew up as it lunged into the air, heading straight in Ditty's direction. Green yelled loudly, "Now! HYPER BEAM!!!"
*PEW*
Once Arcanine was high enough, lunging straight forward, Ditty finished charging energy in its mouth. It unleashed a powerful Hyper Beam as it roared, "Droooo!!!"
The beam came charging in as it rushed towards Arcanine. Azure took a deep breath as he thought, 'No matter how hard the battle, you've always been there to go beyond, no matter the challenge. After losses, you've trained hard to always surpass your limits... You've got what it takes to win Arcanine!'
Azure opened his eyes as he then exhaled as he ordered, "Arcanine! Endure and counterattack with your own Hyper Beam!"
*BOOOM*
Arcanine bit its teeth as it charged straight into Ditty's Hyper Beam, engulfing it. But to Green's shock, her eyes widened as Arcanine powered through, 'What! It powered through tanking a hit from Hyper Beam!!'
By then, it was too late as Arcanine was now at point-blank range at Ditty in the air, expressing genuine shock. Arcanine opened its maw, unleashing its own Hyper Beam down at Ditty, "ROARRRR!!"
*PEW*
*BOOOOOM*
Arcanine's Hyper Beam was unleashed as it engulfed Ditty, slamming it down to the ground hard, causing a minor explosion. Arcanine gracefully landed, panting exhausted from the ordeal.
Green's eyes widened as she called out, "Ditty! Are you okay!!"
Her words died there, seeing the Dragonite revert into Ditto with Arcanine recoiling from the damage, roaring out loud, placing its pawn down on its fainted enemy, "Raooooowar!"
The Referee announced, asking Green in a neutral tone, "Ditto is unable to battle! Leaf Green, summon your last Pokémon!"
Green looked worried as she recalled her Ditto. Taking a deep breath, she prepared her final Pokémon in a determined tone, "Okay, Ditto, you did your best. Down to my last one, huh… Clefable, I need your help!"
*Pop*
Hurling her final Poke Ball for the round materialized the Fairy Pokémon Clefable. Clefable floated onto the battlefield, its innocent appearance masking its surprising power and strategic prowess.
Azure knew this was the final hurdle. Clefable was a master of defensive moves and could stall him out if he wasn't careful.
He needed to finish this quickly. Azure knew what he had to do. He recalled Arcanine, who had fought valiantly.
Gazing at his partner, he nodded as he said excitedly, "Alright, Pikachu, I choose you!"
Pikachu leaped onto the battlefield, its cheeks sparking with electricity, ready to fight, "Pi! Pikachu!"
With their Pokémon out, Azure commanded, going for a quick offensive strike, "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"
*Zzzz*
Pikachu unleashed a powerful bolt of electricity, aimed directly at Clefable. Green countered swiftly, "Clefable, use Protect!"
*Clang*
A shimmering green barrier enveloped Clefable, deflecting Pikachu's attack. Green added, "Now, Clefable, use Cosmic Power!"
*Shiii*
Clefable glowed with a celestial energy, raising its Defense and Special Defense. Azure shouted, hoping to break through Clefable's defenses, "Pikachu, use Iron Tail!"
Pikachu's tail hardened into steel as it charged towards Clefable, aiming for a direct hit. Green smirked as she commanded, "Clefable, use Minimize!"
In an instant, Clefable shrank in size, becoming incredibly difficult to hit. Pikachu's Iron Tail missed its mark.
*Klang*
Azure felt a surge of frustration from this battle. Clefable was making it difficult to land a hit.
He needed to change his tactics. Azure commanded, opting for a wide-range attack, "Pikachu, use Swift!"
*Shiii*
Pikachu jumps into the air and swishes its tail, releasing multiple yellow stars with golden sparkles around them at the opponent. They began to track down the small Clefable as she yelled, "Now! Gravity!"
*THUD*
A sudden purple force pressured the arena as Pikachu and Azure felt the shift change in gravity around them. Not only them Green remained unaffected as the stars that were trailing Clefable fell deep into the ground, stopping the attack in its tracks.
Green smirked seeing Pikachu greatest advantage other than its offensive stats was speed being crippled under the pressure of Gravity as she thought, 'Perfect! With Pikachu's greatest strength, its speed locked down, this will be a cinch to take it down. It may be his powerful ace, but also a glass cannon because of its lack of defense. Stats.'
Having the chance to fight back, with Pikachu seemingly looking to struggle under the weight, Green issued her command, "Now, Clefable! We have our chance to use Psychic to toss that mouse!"
*Shiii*
Clefable unleashed a powerful psychic energy heading towards Pikachu. Azure countered, "Protect!"
*Clang*
Activating Protect to shield itself from Psychic, emboldened Green as she ordered, "They're on the defensive! Copycat Swift!"
After Pikachu has used a move, Clefable becomes surrounded by a waving aura of light. It then recalls how the opponent used the move, one of its eyes twinkles, and it uses the same move the opponent just used.
*Shiii*
Tossing out multiple stars, Clefable used Swift. The color of the aura depends on which type of move Clefable is copying to be white.
All the stars were lined evenly with each other as Azure grinned, giving his command, "Now! Thunder!"
*Rmbl*
Dark clouds gathered overhead, and a powerful bolt of lightning struck the battlefield, as Green was baffled as she thought, 'Thunder? That move has a low accuracy, why would – huh!!!'
It was when she finally noticed, as her expression paled. The bolt of lightning began to zig-zag around where the stars of Swift were generated, each generating an explosion from the power within the stars.
*BOOOOM*
Green covered her eyes as she was forced to shield them. Peeking out, her thoughts were concerned as she thought, 'The field!! It is destroyed!! He used those Stars produced by Swift as lightning rods, attracting the thunderbolt from Thunder! This sudden attack will disrupt Clefable's gravity concentration –'
*Shiii*
The effects of Gravity disappeared once Clefable was caught, surprised, and unable to concentrate using its move. The battlefield broke as rubble was sent flying, and Azure said calmly, "No matter who the opponent is, no matter how much of a disadvantage you have, you win no matter what! That's what being the strongest trainer is! Let's end this, Pikachu, in style! Strong Style! Volt Tackle!!"
*Zoooom*
Flying across the rubble, Green eyes Pikachu as it zoomed past the debris from its Thunder. It jumped around as a streak of lightning unleashing a burst of electricity as Green cried out, "No, Clefable!!! Quick use Protect!!"
*SMASH*
Clefable tried to see what happened, but it was too late. Pikachu was already on top of it and landed a critical hit, slamming Clefable into the ground with a golden aura strike, meaning a critical hit that ignores stat buffs.
Clefable lay fainted on the spot as the dust settled, and both Pikachu and Clefable were lying on the ground as the Fairy Pokémon fainted and Pikachu remained standing. The referee announced, "Clefable is unable to battle! This match winner is Azure Sky!"
Azure and Leaf Green stared at each other in disbelief. The crowd erupted in cheers. Azure couldn't believe it. He had made it to the finals!
Azure was excited as he hugged his Pikachu. He said excitedly, "We did it, Pikachu! We moved on to the next stage! The Finals!"
Pikachu nuzzled happily against his face cheerfully agreeing, "Pi! Pika!"
He looked across the battlefield at Leaf Green, who gave him a small smile as she said, "Good luck, Azure… Give it your all."
Azure replied, his voice filled with determination, "I will…"
He recalled Pikachu, thanking it for its valiant effort. He knew the final battle would be the toughest challenge yet.
But he was ready. He had his team, his skills, and his unwavering determination. He would face the final battle with courage, knowing that he had already come so far.
/////
A/N: 100 PS to get an extra chapter.