[Big Annoucement!]
[Hi, everyone!! months since I talked directly here xD, not really the best talker (maybe because I spend all day reading...) anyway! as how prices of everything is going up and everyday life is getting expensive I decided to reduce the price of my sub on P@tr30n.
I don't want to make my readers stop having a good time so this is the least I can do.
To coushion a little the lost of money I added a tier for people that want to support me and have access to the polls for new fanfics and incoming events. Just a 1 buck one xD.
The next event will be a poll to pick one of my fanfic to get 10 extra chapters!
Thanks for your support!]
Marshal said, "So it's a double-edged sword. I've never heard of that state before. Is it another power from ancient times?"
His remaining three Pokémon were all pure Fighting-types, and one of them was his ace. So the question was: how could he defeat this Riolu, whose punching power was absurdly high, whose speed was terrifying, and who could even read attacks, yet whose defenses were as fragile as paper?
The tactic failed, Marshal thought.
Originally, he had planned to send out Throh, rely on its high HP to tank the attack, and then use a Salac Berry to strike first with a desperate Reversal. But he hadn't expected it to get taken out instantly.
Two hits in a row, then another two. Four Vacuum Waves in the blink of an eye. Even a bulky Pokémon like Throh couldn't take that.
Rather, even if it had used Endure, it probably wouldn't have mattered.
Marshal suddenly said, "Throh may have lost, but it left behind its final song. The Black Belt around its waist is woven from sturdy vines. Tie it tight, and its power increases."
The moment he said that, Riolu looked down at its arm and realized that, at some point, a black belt had wrapped itself around it.
During the earlier shockwave, it had been "flung" over by the opponent.
Bind tightened.
It dealt damage to the target and inflicted the bound state. A bound Pokémon would remain trapped for four to five turns, continuously take damage, and be unable to switch out.
"That's right. You can't switch, and while you're bound, your mobility will be restricted too."
As the Poké Ball swapped in a flash, the red light of the fainted Throh disappeared, and in its place came the counterpart to Throh: Sawk.
Hikaru said, "Swift Vacuum Wave!"
Marshal answered, "Quick Guard!"
Unlike Throh, Sawk had higher Attack. Based on the blue oni and a karate master, it was faster as well, and it could also teach itself one of martial arts' most exquisite defensive skills: Quick Guard.
Protecting itself and its ally against the opponent's priority moves.
Sawk's hand chop cut through the air, releasing an invisible aura barrier in front of itself and blocking every Vacuum Wave. Then, with one quick step, it rushed straight in front of Riolu.
"Swagger!"
Sawk let out a roar, and Riolu's body stiffened at once as it fell into confusion.
Marshal said, "Confusion and binding together. While you're being controlled, you'll keep losing stamina, and you may even hit yourself. On top of that, I'll gladly give you the huge Attack boost. After all, if you hit yourself now, you'll take serious damage too, won't you?"
Hikaru gave a helpless smile. "By the way, shouldn't I use psychic power to remove the confusion?"
Then he shook his head. "It just feels a little inappropriate. This is a very formal challenge. I usually only use those abilities on people who don't fight fair."
Marshal burst out laughing. "Don't worry about it. Since you put it that way, then I won't hold back either. In that case, let me show you a little more."
"Sawk, use Bulk Up!"
Taking advantage of Riolu's confusion, Sawk immediately used Bulk Up to raise its Attack and Defense.
At the same time, Riolu took a deep breath. It did not lash out blindly. Though the world in front of its eyes had become disordered...
A confused Pokémon has a one-in-three chance of failing to use a move each time it tries, and instead deals itself a typeless physical hit with base 40 power.
Each time a confused Pokémon either successfully uses a move or hits itself, the remaining duration of confusion is reduced by one turn.
The damage it deals itself is also affected by stat changes.
As Riolu carefully tried to sense the world around it, Sawk completed two layers of Bulk Up. Then it launched its attack.
Marshal said, "Sawk lives in seclusion deep in the mountains in pursuit of the strongest karate chop, training day and night without rest. In the mountain where it trains, you can often hear the sound of enormous stones and giant trees colliding with its fists. A karate chop from a Sawk that has repeated that training endlessly is powerful enough to split the sea!"
"Focus Energy!"
"Close Combat!"
At +2 Attack and with a critical hit, this Close Combat, against a Riolu in a keyed-up state that made it take 1.5 times more damage, would knock it out the moment it took even one punch.
"I know your Riolu is extraordinary. It has the same kind of ability as Lucario. By capturing aura, it can see opponents whose movements should have been impossible to track. But in confusion, aura becomes inaccurate too!"
Boom!
Sawk smashed the Fighting arena platform apart with one punch, but Riolu was nowhere to be seen.
"Sawk!" Sawk snapped its head around, then saw Riolu floating in the air with Magnet Rise.
It flew... Marshal's heart jolted. He had completely forgotten that there were already rumors saying this Riolu could "fly."
Magnet Rise... maybe my Lucario could learn from Hikaru too. That would definitely be a huge advantage in a Fighting tournament... but right now, this is bad.
Hikaru said, "Prankster lets it use status moves first!"
Floating in the air, Riolu was still confused, but suddenly it slammed a fist straight into its own face.
Marshal said, "It hit itself. Just like you said, that keyed-up state doubles the damage it takes. It really is a double-edged sword. With Riolu's stamina, it should be done for by now, right?"
"If it hits itself three times, the confusion will wear off. But I can just keep using Swagger, and since Close Combat didn't land, I won't lose any Defense either."
"So then, one more time!"
Under Marshal's command, Sawk prepared to use Swagger again.
But at that moment, Riolu received Hikaru's order.
At a speed the naked eye couldn't follow, it unleashed four Vacuum Waves in rapid succession.
"It's useless. Use Quick Guard!"
Sawk raised its aura barrier again, and the Vacuum Waves were completely canceled out by the clash of fighting energy. Marshal then said seriously, "Priority moves are useless against Sawk. Whether it's Quick Attack, Prankster, Vacuum Wave, Bullet Punch, or even Extreme Speed!"
"I know your Riolu can use Extreme Speed. It's an absolutely special powerhouse. It learned a move after evolution before it even evolved!"
Hikaru said, "No, not necessarily. Are priority moves really impossible to break through?"
While confusion and caution both flashed across Sawk and Marshal's faces, Riolu's speed suddenly shot up. With one punch, it shattered the aura barrier.
Extreme Speed?
No. That wasn't it.
Marshal stared in shock, unable to believe what he'd just seen. "That was Extreme Speed? No... it didn't seem like it, but how was it so fast?!"
"I knew your Riolu could use Extreme Speed, so I was prepared for it. But why didn't Quick Guard work?"
"It was Feint." Hikaru looked at the stunned Marshal and smiled. "If you rely too much on martial techniques, it's easy to overlook a fake-out movement. Quick Guard can block most priority moves, but Feint is the one exception."
"And once Feint lands, Quick Guard is canceled too."
Sawk looked on in horror as the blue-furred little dog had already burst right into its chest range. Then Riolu, the Tera jewel gleaming above its head, threw out its strongest strike yet.
"So Fighting doesn't resist Normal after all. Which means..."
Marshal shouted, "Sawk, use Brick Break!"
Hikaru answered, "That's the move you chose yourself."
"Riolu, use Return!"
The blue Sawk took a critical hit squarely to the body.
Return had 102 base power. In that keyed-up state, it became 153. With a critical hit, that was effectively 306. And because of Swagger earlier, its physical Attack had risen by two stages.
Sawk's eyes rolled back, and with a bang, it dropped cleanly to the ground.
Riolu, meanwhile, was still losing HP from the binding on its arm. Combined with the recoil from the keyed-up state and confusion damage, even a Riolu close to level 70 was starting to run out of steam.
That keyed-up state really was incredibly strong, but its backlash was terrifying too. Especially once confusion entered the picture. Hitting itself meant it also took amplified damage from both the keyed-up status and its boosted Attack.
Then the smoke ahead stirred. Riolu narrowed its eyes and sensed a large presence through its aura.
Marshal drew a deep breath, focused himself, and let out a sharp roar.
His final ace, Conkeldurr, with the Sheer Force Ability, was naturally holding one item: a Life Orb.
"Focus Punch!"
A same-type move with 150 power. Its focus phase had +5 priority, while the punch itself had -3 priority. Many people thought Focus Punch meant gathering energy on the first turn and striking on the second, but that wasn't actually how it worked. It was two actions in a single turn.
It was just that the punch's low priority made it easy to interrupt. But if the opponent couldn't move, or switched out at just the wrong time, it could truly become a one-punch knockout.
Riolu abruptly raised its arm. The black belt was still wrapped around it, and an enormous punching gale came straight at its face.
Fighting energy erupted. With a base power of 150, boosted by STAB, Sheer Force, and the Life Orb, the move's effective power climbed to... 380!
The Tera effect exploded apart.
"It looks like that keyed-up state wore off... but it's too late now," Marshal said, looking at the blue little dog that had been blasted away and fainted. He nodded with heartfelt respect. "What an incredible Riolu. This is the first time I've ever seen a Riolu that could use aura before evolving."
"It originally had plenty more moves it could've used. But stamina is a huge problem. As a baby Pokémon, its endurance is still lacking."
He exhaled. "That's the second one down. So now I only have two Pokémon left, but the winner is still uncertain!"
Conkeldurr, nicknamed the construction worker, was a famous Trick Room attacker. Whether it used Sheer Force or Guts, its raw power could rise to ridiculous levels.
Its only real weakness was that its Special Defense wasn't that high.
Just as Marshal was saying that, the Poké Ball in Hikaru's hand shook.
Blazing sunlight suddenly flooded the tower.
Like a six-winged seraph, Volcarona descended with strange lenses over its eyes, beating its wings like a deity out of an ancient mural.
Marshal said, "The same Pokémon as Master Alder's... Right, your Larvesta evolved? And the weather changed. This Volcarona's Ability feels a little off too!"
Hikaru said, "Not only did it evolve, but..."
"In sunlight, use Tail Glow!"
[Volcarona's Special Attack rose drastically!]
Then:
"Overheat!"
One of Fire-type's most devastating moves. Normally, using it would sharply lower its Special Attack, but now... that hardly mattered.
Incredible fire and light erupted from Volcarona's body and swallowed the entire battlefield. Sweat appeared on Conkeldurr's forehead as it swung its concrete pillars, trying to fend off the attack.
It wasn't as if it had never battled that old man's Volcarona before. But while Alder's Volcarona was strong, it had never felt as oppressive as this one.
What is going on? Conkeldurr could feel it clearly. In terms of growth, this one shouldn't be at that level. This Volcarona was bigger, yes, but it should have only evolved recently.
So what was that move? And what kind of weather was this?
That flame--
The overwhelmingly powerful Overheat directly engulfed Conkeldurr. Its Special Defense was on the weaker side, and it didn't resist Fire. After taking a single Overheat, smoke and flames rose from all over its body, and white steam billowed from its concrete pillars. Then, under Marshal's shrinking pupils, it crashed to the ground.
"Conkeldurr?!"
That meant only one Pokémon remained.
Marshal looked silently at the Poké Ball in his hand.
Inside the last ball was the Breloom that had been withdrawn at the very start.
"But that doesn't mean I've already lost... Volcarona, bear witness!"
As Marshal looked at Hikaru's Volcarona, it was as though he were seeing Alder's. And because of that, his fighting spirit did not diminish in the slightest. If anything, at this final moment, it surged even higher.
"This is my last Pokémon! Let's pour everything we have into the end. Don't let your guard down!"
"Breloom, Mach Punch!"
Breloom burst forward at astonishing speed, charging right at a Fire-type Pokémon.
Naturally, close-range combat was risky, so...
The moment Volcarona beat its wings and prepared to unleash flames, Marshal issued the key command.
"Double Team!"
In an instant, Breloom dodged Volcarona's Flamethrower.
"Now! Focus!"
Marshal took a deep breath, and Breloom, with its amazing jumping power and nimble footwork, broke through the wall of fire in a single bound.
"Breloom can throw punches too quickly for the naked eye to follow and knock out its foes. When it punches, its short, flexible arms suddenly stretch out, showing technique that would put a boxer to shame!"
"So all it needs is a single instant to strike!"
"Spore!"
In the end, Marshal still used that move. Even if the opponent knew it was coming, it would be nearly impossible to stop.
The spores would drift through the entire battlefield. Even humans could be put to sleep by them.
So all it had to do was wait a little.
Breloom showed a confident smile, but in the next instant, the puzzled sound from Volcarona made it hesitate.
No sleep?!
Hikaru pointed at the strange lenses on Volcarona's head. "Protective Goggles. They may not look like human goggles, but they work the same way. A Pokémon holding this item is immune to damage from sandstorm and hail, and also immune to powder moves and spore-based effects!"
"An item?!" Marshal was stunned yet again. Another completely unexpected development.
And now, immediately--
Breloom hurriedly pulled back.
Without Spore, there was only one move left. It instantly looked back at its Trainer.
Marshal said, "This is the end. I'll pour all my strength into this final blow!"
"In Double Team, its evasiveness is increased. Stone Edge!"
Hikaru said, "Odor Sleuth!"
The moment that move appeared, even Marshal himself couldn't help going speechless again.
Volcarona knew Odor Sleuth too?!
That really was something Master Alder had never shown!
Tail Glow still had one stage remaining. In harsh sunlight, Fire-type moves had their power multiplied by 1.5!
Light flashed in Volcarona's eyes, and rays spread across the battlefield like a net, locking onto Breloom's true body.
It caused the target to become identified. Once identified, boosts to that target's evasiveness no longer worked.
"One more Tail Glow!"
"Burning Jealousy? No-- Big letters of fire... no, use Flamethrower's superior form: Fire Blast!"
Volcarona unleashed Fire Blast!
At +4 Special Attack, with a base power of 110, and boosted by both sunlight and STAB, its effective power rose to 247. Its damage output surged to a monstrous degree.
Within that overwhelming blaze, Breloom was unsurprisingly crushed, just like every time it had faced a Volcarona.
It had lost to Alder's Volcarona before, and now against another Volcarona...
Breloom stared at the strange goggles on Volcarona's head and, in its dying state, muttered weakly:
Every time... it's always just a little short... Even a Rindo Berry... would've been useless...
Wrapped in flames from head to toe, the fainted Breloom pitched forward and hit the ground with a thud.
Marshal looked at his completely defeated Pokémon. The breath he had been holding in his chest finally eased out.
"There is no such thing as the strongest Pokémon or the perfect combination. That's why an unbroken winning streak is so difficult. No one can guarantee victory, but the determination to grow stronger, and the act of never stopping that growth, are themselves great powers."
"Well done, shopkeeper. Since neither the Tower of Darkness nor the Tower of Waters requires you to challenge me again, you can now head to where Master is."
"Thank you very much." Hikaru cupped his fists to Marshal in a martial artist's gesture of farewell.
But Marshal stopped him again and first took out a green scroll.
"This... this is what we agreed on earlier. The Scroll of Two Strikes - Dragon Scroll. The martial art recorded here can weaken the opponent Pokémon's energy while also dealing heavy damage."
"No need to thank me. Actually... I have a favor to ask." Marshal hesitated slightly, but in the end, he still said it.
"After the challenge is over, could you teach Magnet Rise to my Lucario?"
Hikaru immediately gave him a knowing look.
"Of course. Actually, there are quite a few Pokémon that can learn to 'fly' by learning Magnet Rise. For example, Excadrill and Kingambit can do it too."
Marshal's expression turned a little strange.
"I see. I'll let Grimsley and Clay know."
At this rate, the Unova League might as well be renamed the Flying League.
Even Excadrill can fly now. What a world this has become.
Hikaru just spread his hands.
As for why so many Pokémon could fly... well, that was a question for Gen VII's move tutor mechanics.
That was definitely not his problem.