Chapter 43- Semifinal 1

Arnold, you fuckin asshole!

I was half-minded about disregarding the Pokemon and walking straight to him to punch the smugness out of his face.

“Surprise,” he said with even more smugness than before if that was possible.

The grass type seemed to preen under the stares of both the spectators and me. He took his time to parade himself, making a turn on itself, clearly wanting everyone present to see him from all angles.

Once he was done, his eyes settled on Skoll, with my fighting type not backing down. From what I knew about Serperior, they were fast- faster than you would expect from a Pokemon with no legs. What’s more, they were also good defensively, although that also meant that their attack was lower. But lower didn’t mean weak, far from it. And the simple fact that it was fully evolved already put me at a disadvantage. That did mean it would win, however. And the first step was to seize the initiative.

“Rush it. Quick Attack.”

Skoll blurred forward and left a white trail behind him as he closed the distance between him and the grass type. I was expecting Arnold to react but he simply stood still without giving any command. When the barrier of Protect came up without any sign I was surprised. When a whip lashed out without any other command, however, I was sure that he had somewhat planned for this interaction. But even still, I had no option but to try and force my way through.

Skoll took minimal damage from his exchange with Tauros, but he had already used quite a bit of energy for the Work Up. On top of that, switching him out meant that these would go to waste. If there was a clear benefit to keep him in order to counter one of his Pokemon I would have recalled him, but as things stood, it was actually quite beneficial to keep him in.

After Skoll recoiled from the Vine Whip, Arnold finally decided to give out a command.

“Set up the field.” He spoke calmly. It seemed that he recovered from the rampage of his Pokemon.

I didn’t need to question what he meant by setting up the field since the effect was visible to all. The previously barren field started to sprout sparse grass, with the epicenter being the position of the grass type. I hadn’t expected Grassy Terrain but it was honestly beneficial for us as well. Sure it will boost grass type attacks, but it will also refresh Skoll’s energy. That also worked for Serperior, but judging by the speed of spreading…

He is less used to it than Nike… a new addition then?

Regardless, I would let him set up for now.

“Bullet Punch.”

“Block it with Leaf Blade.”

The two attacks met and Skoll struggled but he wasn’t pushed away. The fist and the tail clashed lifting a small cloud of dust on impact and they stood at a standstill. Both of them tried to force their advance but neither made much headway. The only difference was that while Serperior only had one tail, Skoll had two fists.

“Use Ice Punch,” I told him.

“Protect and Vine Whip. Grab his wrist!” Arnold shouted.

Unfortunately, Skoll was too close and the Protect barely formed that the fist cover in Ice and Ice Type Energy slammed into the side of the grass type. That unfortunately also meant that the vine that grew from the characteristic collar of the Pokemon quickly reached the wrist of Skoll before wrapping around it.

“Now Mega Drain.” Arnold sighed.

With Skoll firmly in his grasp, there was now he would be able to escape it. At least not directly.

“Freeze it and Retreat.”

“Don’t let him go! Vine Whip again.”

Skoll's energy had barely begun to be absorbed when his fist which was previously coated in metal was now encased into ice and placed on top of the vine restricting him. Grass type let out an unpleasant hiss and the vine it grew froze over, and with a forceful flex, it broke freeing Skoll. I had no doubt that it dealt some damage but it was not really a part of his body so that will be minimal.

As if to prove that point, the vine elongated from its base, chasing after Skoll but the fighting type was too fast for that.

“Magical Leaf.”

Leaves surrounded by an almost psychic aura shot at high speed toward Skoll. He at first tried to outrun it but they were homing on him. On top, of that, Skoll was more fond of Detect than Protect meaning that he wouldn’t be able to snap one without stopping first. I was basically put on the backfoot ever since that Serperior appeared on the field. What’s more, Even though Skoll kept Quick Attack running, he would soon tire out and Serperior was also free to attack.

Which it obviously did but not as I would expect. The previous fight taught me that Arnold was a calculating guy and by far, the best play for this scenario was to have Serperior cut his retreat path with a physical move. That would leave him with a choice of getting hit by at least one of the attacks or ideally both.

But he didn’t and instead ordered for Bullet Seed, which while in theory would work, Quick Attack ensured that Skoll was always a bit ahead. It took a few seconds but I finally noticed something, even if it was too late. Skoll was hit by the Magical leaf and cuts now marred his fur. But at the same time, I figured something out. Now I only had to draw out Magical Leaf once more.

It took a couple of tries, mainly involving advancing and retreating for Arnold to command the move once more.

“Now! Use Quick Attack again!” I shouted.

I could see the confusion in Arnold since the move could only be outrun for a time. And Skoll was also a lot more tired than before, meaning it would last even less now. But that was only the first part of the command.

“Run around the field.”

I shouted and while Skoll was confused, he knew better than to question things with sharp leaves after him. Unfortunately, it wasn’t possible to make the move using the attacker by hiding behind them, but that wasn’t my aim. Plus with Serperior’s slender body, there wasn’t much area to hide behind. But had never been my plan.

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Instead, my gaze focused on Serperior. Ever since he appeared on the field, apart from its little show in the beginning, it didn’t move. Like, at all. That was suspicious given that they were known to be extremely mobile, and Arnold Snivy had also been stupidly fast. But now? It was still, only looking at Skoll and using long-distance moves. I didn’t notice earlier because its appearance still rattled me, but even the Leaf Blade was slower than you would expect.

And the reason was so simple that it made me almost laugh. It was confirmed when I saw the grass type struggle to keep Skoll in his sight. The movements were stiff and many times I caught the tail getting in the way of its aim, leaving Skoll to only focus on the leaves chasing him. As I said, the reason was simple.

It was basically Occam's razor. The simplest reason was often the correct one: he wasn’t used to his body.

He evolved relatively recently, not enough for him to adapt to his body. That was why he didn’t move and also why he focused so much on special attacks and only went for physical ones when Skoll got close.

“I’m switching,” I said to the referee as I recalled Skoll to his capsule.

The leaves that now lost their target simply fluttered to the ground while I sent my starter onto the field. Arnold’s Serperior refreshed the Grassy Terrain under the command of his trainer. Looking at him, some patches of scales were frozen over by the Ice Punch that Skoll managed to land, but he also regenerated thanks to the terrain. That was the first order of business.

Nike appeared on the field and I could literally feel the excitement radiating off of her as soon as she laid eyes on Serperior. I had no doubt she also waited for that rematch and now that it was here she was impatient. That excitement was cut short when rock shrapnels flew out of seemingly nowhere and stabbed into her. While it did hurt her, it wasn’t substantial and I was quick to bring her up to date.

‘Nike, he can’t move for now. Keep your distance.’

I told her quickly, but was not the order I gave. “Misty Terrain,” I spoke.

“Fight it! Grassy Terrain!’ Arnold shouted.

The first clash of the battle ended up being one for control of the field. All around Nike the blades of grass that previously sprouted turned into green particles that lifted and disappeared into thin air. Beneath it, a thick, pink smoke emanated from the ground and spread until it covered our half of the field.

Right when it reached the middle of the field, the grass remaining on the other half started to grow and try to push back. Both Pokemon solely focused on expanding their area of effect as their influence spread. Just as I had theorized, Nike quickly began to overwhelm Serperior. Slowly at first but with increasing speed, the fairy lace mist encroached on the grass until it covered it completely. And the grass type seemingly used a lot of energy to try and fight us since it started to pant for a while.

“Calm Mind!”

“Don’t let her use Magical Leaf again!”

Once more, leaves were wrapped into psychic-like powers and shot at great speed. There were a lot less than previously and they were noticeably faster, but that didn’t matter since I didn’t plan to have Nike avoid them. Instead, she focused on clearing her mind despite the impact that tried to break her focus.

“Keep going! Use Bullet Seed and Magical Leaves!” He shouted once more. It seemed he really didn’t want us to set up the Calm Mind.

The only issue was that he wouldn’t be able to break Nike’s focus so easily. With how much we trained her psychic powers, stretching and testing her limits, he would need a lot more than that. And echoing my thoughts, Nike told me she was done.

This time I let the smile reach my lips. “Burn them.”

A purple flash flew through the arena and consumed the moves that were flying toward her, before continuing for Serperior.

“Protect!”

The shield formed just in time for the fire to wash over it. But it wasn’t harmless. They were still flames and they caused the temperature to rise substantially. It was far from the level of a Flamethrower, but it was still very hot. That residual heat made sure it was felt when the Protect was dropped. Once more, Serperior let out a hiss and stared at Nike.

“Use Leech Seed,” Arnold called out.

“Grab them. Confusion !”

Serperior opened his mouth and spat out seeds that headed straight for Nike. Not even halfway through they were grabbed in a psychic hold and quickly withered away. The move was meant to sap the strength of the Pokemon they landed on, and wouldn’t last long without that.

“Mystical Fire!”

Gouts of purple fire once more flew through the field and crashed onto a Protect. By now Arnold was getting visibly frustrated. All the attacks he had at long range were of the grass type, and I already showed that Nike could burn those, even if it was thanks to the Calm Mind, and he could even get close. No matter what he did, he couldn’t-

“Scale Shot.” He sighed.

Why did he sigh? Before that answer could appear, scales detached themselves from the snake Pokemon and were and blue flames licked their edges as they were sent forward.

Dragon TE.

That certainly made things more interesting, but things didn't change much.

“Protect.”

The barrage of scales crashed onto the Protect like rain upon glass, but to my surprise, they kept going until the Protect shattered. Nike thankfully managed to dodge even without my input, but it had taken me by surprise. Either way, it was time to bring it down as fast as we could. I felt a bit bad for Arnold but I also knew he would like for me to hold back on him.

“Nike! Use Mystical Fire! Keep it going!.”

With almost savage glee, the orb of purple flame appeared between the tiny arms of my Pokemon and she sent it toward the Opposing side. Arnold ordered a Protect, but ultimately the move couldn’t be sustained indefinitely. The end of the fight had been anti-climactic. It was the second time it happened, even if for different reasons. A fight we were looking forward to ended up in a lacking manner.

I caught myself at that thought. Since when did I become a battle maniac who wanted every victory to come with an edge of margin? Maybe Nike and Skoll started to rub off on me.

In the end, Overgrow didn’t even get the time to activate when Serperior fell unconscious. While I was busy mopping about how I built up this battle in my head only to be let up at the last moment, Nike had seemingly no such care. The amount of joy coming through our link was no less than if she had fought to the brink of unconsciousness.

‘Why sad?’ she asked me, not even reigning and joy.

‘I don’t know… it just felt easier than it should have.’ I said, but she seemed to disagree.

‘Eye for an Eye.’ She stated resolutely.

I was a bit taken aback by how much joy she felt, but then I remembered all the self-esteem issues she had after they beat us and how complete that defeat had been. However, there was another reason that I knew all too well.

‘Fairies.’ I sent with a mental eye roll that sent her into a giggling fit. ‘Now focus your next opponent is coming.’

While Nike wasn’t a fairy type, she had unmistakable fairy-like quirks that showed from time to time. Opal told me that would happen all the way when she left her egg in my care, but it seemed that the more time passed the more pronounced it became.

Tauros appeared on the field to shake me out of my thoughts. He still had the scarf wrapped around his tail as he glared at Nike. For her part, she simply gave a small wave.

“Tauros use Aqua Jet!” Arnold opened the ball

Like previously, the bull rushed forward and water followed him. As much as I wanted Nike to redirect it with Confusion, it just wasn’t strong enough yet. Instead, I opted for her to dodge and retaliate.

“Dodge and Disarming Voice!”

The bull rushed toward her and she filled her lungs fairy TE primed and ready. Just before impact, she jumped to the side to let him pass her by… or at least she tried since one of the tails slammed into her. That caused her to let out a cry that resounded through the arena and unfortunately for Tauros was packed with Fairy energy. It wasn’t as potent as it would have been but it was better than nothing.

“Hold him! Confusion then Psybeam!”

Before Tauros could react, Nike had him into a psychic hold and lifted him off the ground. That also left him in the perfect position for the Psybeam to hit dead center.

“Push it off with Aqua Jet!”

The water type grunted in pain but was soon covered by water that pushed relentlessly against Nike’s control. Eventually, it would manage to break free of it.

“Teleport away,” I said and Nike put some distance between her and the opponent.

Still, he didn’t look in good shape. It was time to finish it.

“Keep your distance and charge Psybeam,” I shouted.

‘But first use one last Calm Mind.’ I added.

Arnold tried to stop Nike from charging her Psybeam by having Tauro constantly charge with Aqua Jet, but he couldn’t dream of catching up to instant displacement. Of course, it also Tired Nike but she just needed to buy time. Once she was done with Calm Mind, she Teleported as far away as possible from the fighting type and started to charge the attack. I was worried about Protect but given that he hadn't used it with anyone other than Serperior, chances were that he didn’t teach it to his other Pokemon.

“Tauros, she at the end of the rope! Dodge, use Aqua Jet if you have to.”

I almost smile at that. It was true that Nike was tired, but she had plenty left in the tank. At least enough for a few more minutes.

Once she was done, she shot her Psybeam, and it was by far the most powerful yet. A small cloud of dust was lifted behind her for Arceus’s sake. Tauros Tried to outrun the move and even used Aqua Jet in small bursts, but unfortunately for him, just because the multicolored beam was fast didn’t mean that Nike had no control over it. It was lacking compared to what was possible, but it was enough to make follow.

In the end, it caught up with the fighting type and created an explosion that sent him crashing to the ground. He tried to stand back up but ultimately fell unconscious.

“Tauros is unable to battle! The victory for the semifinal goes to Nexon!” the referee declared and I let out a sigh that I didn’t know I was holding.

Nike walked back to me on her braids- a testament to how tired she was- and I lifted her to my chest.

“Thank you, baby girl, you were perfect. Now rest and tonight we’ll celebrate.

She let out a happy giggle and nuzzled against my chest before I returned her. Meanwhile, Arnold returned his down Pokemon after retrieving the scarf that was wrapped around its tail. We both made our way toward the center where he handed me the scarf and shook my hand.

“I guess you finally caught up huh,” he smirked.

“I would say I am even ahead given that this was a three-on-three,” I said and I punched him playfully.

“Yeah, right dream on! I just lacked training. But we can talk about that later. For now congratulations and good luck for the final.”

“Thanks and good luck for your match, too,” I said

The organizer of the tournament apparently really wanted the final to be held the same day. So much so that they apparently bought the best potion and nurses to make sure that the Pokemon would be in top condition for another battle immediately after. They would of course be given enough time to rest, but that just goes to show how seriously they took things.

Regardless, of that I also headed for the Pokemon Center to get my team the rest they deserve. I thankfully would have plenty of time to catch Sera’s match. I was rooting for her because she would need it against Roy.

And so, under the applause and cheer from the crowd, we both disappeared from the field.