“Step up and let's go!”
James had been training non-stop since he'd learned that he would face his father in the next round. His whole team would have to be in top form to even stand a chance against Matt's, and he'd kicked his training routine into overdrive as a result.
Typhlosion had powered up his Flamethrower, and James had been working with him on his Dig, reducing the time he spent underground. Elekid was putting extra effort into his Brick Break and ThunderPunch attacks, while also learning how to time Protect to provide the greatest possible attacking window. Golem, as usual, was focusing on defense, taking hit after hit from his teammates; if he could blunt Matt's Pokémon, he could keep James and his teammates in the fight. Pidgeot sped through the air, flying circles around her teammates; James planned to use her weight and speed to his advantage. As for Gengar, James had decided that Shadow Ball wasn't enough for the Shadow Pokémon's attacking repertoire, and was working on learning Focus Blast, a Fighting-type move that might help him against Tyranitar in particular.
Ursaring was the team member James was most focused on working with, since his power and endurance could be the key to staying in the battle for the long term. His Slash and Hammer Arm attacks were strong in themselves, and thanks to a new skill, Bulk Up, he could raise his attack power and defensive strength at the same time, giving him an edge. The only thing James had to worry about was the bear's temper, but he was confident he could keep Ursaring in check.
Jen watched the training session quietly, and observed her friend as he worked with the team into the late evening. James wouldn't say it out loud, but he was battling with a point to prove. Even after his defeats against Bugsy and Chuck, James hadn't trained like this, as if it were the final championship match in the history of ever. If he'd been drawn against any of the other fourteen trainers left in the tournament, he wouldn't have put this much effort in.
All in all, it took a strong reprimand from his mother to get James to finally call a halt and get some sleep. Excited though he might be, Andrea Enfield wasn't about to let her youngest son stay up all night, not even for a match against his father. James and Typhlosion reluctantly obeyed Andrea's order, and within minutes of reaching their dorm, both trainer and Pokémon were fast asleep.
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The next day was overcast and muggy, not exactly ideal conditions for a major battle. James, under his mother's watchful eye, took his time over his toast and orange juice in the canteen, doing what he could to contain himself. Andrea understood that James was a ball of nervous energy at the best of times, and she didn't intend for him to lose his cool before he even hit the battlefield. Typhlosion stayed close to his trainer's side, and Jen remained with him as well, doing her own best to keep him under control.
Soon enough, it was time to head to the stadium. John and Emma Richards walked alongside Jen, and the three Enfield brothers ranged ahead, watching the arches outside the stadium grow larger as they approached. Eventually, they reached the west gate, and the group separated. Andrea gave both Matt and James a hug, Darrell ruffled his little brother's hair, and Shane clapped James on the back. Matt watched as the group entered the stadium, then looked at his son.
“I suppose we'd better head inside. They'll be waiting for us.” James nodded, and his father patted his shoulder. “You'll do fine. Just stay focused on your strategy.” The pair walked through the trainers' entrance, and a yellow-shirted official met them inside.
“Ah, you're both here, excellent.” He checked his PokéGear. “Matt and...James, is it?” James nodded, and the official tapped the screen once. “All right then, we're just about set. Matt, if you could head up the stairwell to the right, there...” Matt gave his son one last reassuring smile, then walked away in the direction indicated. “Okay, James, you'll go to the left, here. Up the stairs, then through the tunnel. Once you guys get to your technical areas, we'll be ready to start.” James nodded silently, and headed up the steps towards the field, Typhlosion at his heels.
As he reached his technical area, James looked across the battlefield to where his father was standing. For some reason—maybe it was the venue, or the fact that it was the first time they'd battled, or heck, even the mustache—he seemed much taller, much more powerful than he did normally. It felt as if this moment had been coming ever since James left Violet City to traverse the Johto region. Of course, James knew that his father was a strong trainer, having watched him for so many years, but he felt like he was finally about to experience how strong he really was.
“Attention!” the battle referee called into his microphone. “Welcome to the last match of the Silver Conference Round of Sixteen! This Victory Tournament battle will now begin!. The battle will be contested by Matt and James Enfield, both from Violet City!”
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Matt Enfield
A: ★★★
D: ★★
S: ★★★
James Enfield
A: ★★★
D: ★
S: ★★
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Both father and son nodded, and the official continued. “This will be a full battle with six Pokémon on each side. No time limit will be imposed, and each trainer may make unrestricted Pokémon exchanges. The match will end when all six of one trainer's Pokémon are rendered unable to battle.”
“Understood.” Matt turned to face James. “Well, this is it, son. It's time to see how much you've grown since you left home.”
“I'll do my best!” James answered, but his stomach squirmed. Typhlosion growled quietly, and James put a hand on the Fire-type's head. The official motioned towards the scoreboard, and both looked back towards it.
“We will now select the battlefield, then determine first move.” An indicator with four quadrants, each representing a different field type, lit up and began to rotate. After a few moments, it settled on the image of a leaf and flashed. “The battle will be contested on a grass battlefield!” The battlefield sank and separated, while a grassy field rose to take its place. “And now, we will decide who will move first.” A red light next to each trainer's picture began flashing on and off, and eventually the light next to Matt's picture remained lit. “Matt Enfield will make the first move!” The official stepped into his box, waiting for the combatants to reveal their first Pokémon.
“Magneton, to battle!” The Pokémon that appeared was made up of three silver spheres, each with a pair of magnets and a screw protruding from its top. More screws were attached closer to its centre, and each sphere had a small black dot inside a larger white circle. James took a deep breath, then threw out his first Pokéball.
“Elekid, let's go!” The yellow Electric-type landed and began spinning his arms, already building up a charge. The official took one last look, then raised his arms.
“Let the match begin!”
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“Magneton, use Supersonic!” Magneton began generating sound waves from its body, attempting to confuse Elekid.
“Elekid, get after it and use Brick Break!” Elekid's arm sparked, and James grinned, remembering his match with Jasmine. Since Magneton was a Steel-type, he could do some serious damage if Elekid could close the gap. The Fighting-type move hit the mark, and Magneton floated away to recover.
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“Metal Sound!” Even more piercing sound waves emanated from Magneton, and Elekid shied back. “Now, Sonic Boom!” A blue-white shock wave formed around Magneton and surged toward Elekid.
“Brick Break again!” Elekid tried to land another strike, but Magneton's attack send it hurtling to the ground. “Keep it up, Elekid! Try it again!” Elekid ran at Magneton again, and Matt sprang into action.
“Open fire, Magneton! Flash Cannon!” Magneton formed a silvery beam of light and aimed it right at Elekid, sending him flying through the air.
“Elekid, hang in there!” Elekid landed and snarled angrily, and James knew he couldn't keep this up. “Okay, return!” Elekid was returned to his Pokéball, and James looked down at Typhlosion. “We've got to improve this start. You ready to go, buddy?” Typhlosion grinned, and James pointed to the field. “Go ahead out there, then. You're up.” Typhlosion dashed out and intensified the fire on his back, and Matt smiled.
“Typhlosion next? He certainly looks confident, so I expect nothing less than your best. Thunder!” Magneton surrounded its body with a yellow aura, then shot a beam of electricity at Typhlosion.
“Duck, Typhlosion!” Typhlosion flattened himself to the ground, and the electric blast sailed over his body. “Now, Flamethrower!” Typhlosion launched a stream of fire at Magneton, which remained still.
“Light Screen!” The magnets on Magneton's body glowed yellow, and the glow expanded around it. Typhlosion's Flamethrower slammed into the barrier, its effect cut.
“That's going to blunt our attacks. Gotta try something else. Typhlosion, use Dig!” The Fire-type burrowed under the grass quickly, and Magneton aimed its magnets down.
“Get ready, Magneton! Fire Thunder when it emerges!” Magneton began building up another electric blast, but Typhlosion jumped up from behind it and slammed it down hard. “Magneton! Use Discharge while it's in range!”
“No way! Typhlosion, one more Flamethrower!” Typhlosion blasted the fallen Magneton, and though Light Screen worked again, Magneton didn't get back up from the hit.
“Magneton is unable to battle! Typhlosion is the winner!”
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“Way to go, Typhlosion!” Magneton had drawn out two of James' Pokémon, but the early takedown was just what he needed to calm himself down. Matt smiled from across the field.
“Impressive, son. Your Typhlosion is much stronger than I thought, since he took out Magneton with Light Screen still up. But we're not through yet.” He took out another Pokéball. “Golduck, to battle!” This time, a blue, bipedal creature emerged from the ball. Its red eyes sat just above its pale beak, and a red gem adorned its forehead.
“Water-type,” James muttered. He motioned to Typhlosion to come back. “We've got a disadvantage, buddy. You'll be up again soon, don't worry.” He took out his next Pokéball and tossed it out. “Gengar, let's go!” The purple Ghost-type yawned as he floated above the ground, then grinned broadly at Golduck.
“An interesting choice. Golduck, use Amnesia!” Golduck closed its eyes, and its body briefly glowed turquoise.
“Gengar, hit it with Shadow Ball!” Gengar generated a black ball of energy and pushed it towards Golduck.
“Out of the way!” Golduck jumped up, and the Shadow Ball blasted a divot in the grass.
“No way...Gengar, Focus Blast!” The ghost formed a blue-white sphere in its hands and prepared to throw it.
“Aqua Jet!” Golduck's body became surrounded by water, and it slammed into Gengar, dissipating the Focus Blast. “Now, Zen Headbutt!” The gem on Golduck's forehead glowed, and it leaped headfirst at Gengar.
“Gengar, Shadow Ball again!” The resulting energy blast knocked Golduck away as the Light Screen glowed and faded, and Gengar grinned in triumph. “Don't celebrate yet! Focus Blast!” Gengar fired another blue-white sphere down at Golduck.
“Take the hit!” Golduck braced itself, and the Focus Blast hit its mark. “Now Psychic!” Golduck's head gem glowed again, and Gengar was surrounded by a blue light.
“Gengar!” Gengar tried to move, but soon found himself plummeting to the ground. The impact was just enough to put it out.
“Gengar is unable to battle! Golduck wins!”
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In the stands, James and Jen's families were watching the proceedings intently.
“Gengar was overwhelmed by that Psychic,” Darrell said to no-one in particular. “Its Poison subtype was its downfall. I'm a little surprised James didn't think of that when he put Gengar out there.”
“There's no way he knew Golduck could use those kinds of Psychic moves,” Jen argued. “I didn't even know that.”
“Dad's really going for it today.” Shane added. “James may have taken out Magneton, but he's gonna have his hands full with the rest of his team.”
“James will have to recover quickly,” remarked Jen's father. “His confidence is probably a little shaken after that.”
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“Gengar, return!” James put the ghost's Pokéball away, then reached for another. “We'll attack from the air this time! Pidgeot, go!” The Bird Pokémon's plumage flowed as she was summoned, and she glared at her opponent. “Start off with Quick Attack!” Pidgeot's body was followed by a white glow as she raced toward Golduck.
“Golduck, counter with Aqua Jet!” Golduck surrounded itself with water again and met Pidgeot's attack in midair. A loud crash signaled the collision.
“Wing Attack!” Pidgeot slapped at Golduck with her wing, striking twice. “Now Gust!”
“Ice Beam!” Golduck shot the bird with a jagged blue beam, sending her crashing to the ground. “Alright, Water Pulse!” The duck formed a shimmering blue orb and smashed it onto Pidgeot's back.
“Get up, Pidgeot!” Pidgeot trilled weakly as she managed to get airborne again. “Are you okay?” She trilled again, more confidently this time, and James smiled. “Okay, then, Aerial Ace!” Pidgeot's body became surrounded by white streaks as she charged in anew.
“Zen Headbutt!” Golduck's head gem glowed once more, and it met Pidgeot's attack again, generating a cloud of smoke. The cloud cleared away to show Pidgeot lying dazed on the ground.
“Pidgeot is unable to battle! Golduck wins!”
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“No, Pidgeot!” Now that Pidgeot and Gengar were down, James' aerial assault was over. He recalled Pidgeot and looked down at his shoes. Typhlosion growled at him, and he tried to smile. “It's okay, buddy. We're still in this.” He looked across to see his father recalling Golduck.
“Golduck, take a break.” Matt looked at his son. “Your Pokémon are battling hard. They've obviously been trained well.”
“Thanks, Dad,” James said, a little quieter than he wanted. “We worked really hard to get here.”
“Well, keep it up. Hard work is the key to improvement.” He took out his next Pokéball. “Granbull, to battle!” A large, purplish dog-like Pokémon landed and looked intimidatingly at James.
“Alright, it's strong, but we can handle it. Golem, let's go!” The rock-turtle looked calmly at his opponent, and Granbull snarled a challenge. “Defense Curl, then Rollout!” Golem rolled up into a ball and sped at Granbull.
“Headbutt!” Granbull met the Rollout with a smash from its forehead, and stepped back, massaging the impact spot. “Get close and use Ice Fang!”
“Golem, Stone Edge!” As Granbull's protruding fangs glowed blue, Golem fired several sharp stones at it. The stones crashed into Granbull and stopped its attack. “Great job, Golem! Now, use Double-Edge!” The Rock-type's body glowed yellow as he launched his attack. The strike hit the mark, and Granbull struggled from the impact.
“Granbull, Ice Fang once more!” The bulldog's fangs glowed blue again, and this time it bit down on Golem's arm. Golem shied away from the super-effective attack.
“Stay strong!” James thought for a moment, then looked at Golem. “Use Stealth Rock!” Golem's body glowed, and he generated several sharp gray rocks that stood upright on the battlefield. “That'll help later on...Golem, Magnitude!” Golem jumped up, and the impact from his landing sent shockwaves through the ground. Granbull shuddered as it took the attack.
“Granbull! Fight through it and use Brick Break!” Granbull dashed over to Golem and slammed an extended forearm onto the Megaton Pokémon's head. A few moments later, the tired-looking Granbull stepped back, and Golem's eyes glazed over.
“Golem is unable to battle! Granbull is the winner!” The referee looked at the scoreboard, then raised both arms. “Attention! James Enfield has now been reduced to three Pokémon! As per the Victory Tournament rules, we will now take a short timeout to allow both trainers to regroup!” As the referee finished, James recalled his Golem, then closed his eyes tightly. He was being outgunned and outclassed, and worst of all, this display was surely disappointing his father. After all his training, everything he and his team had learned, this was all he had to show for it? Typhlosion growled encouragement, and James relaxed, but only a little.
“Thanks, buddy. We can't let the battle pass us by. We can still get back into this.”
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“He's really tense now.” Shane looked down at his brother with concern. “Dad's putting him through the grinder.”
“Do you think he can turn it around, Shane?” Jen asked. Shane shrugged, but his eyes looked doubtful.
“I don't know, Jen. His best hope is to get a quick knockout in the next battle. That'll do a lot for his confidence.”
“Your father won't let that happen easily, though, Shane.” his mother told him. “If there's one thing he's good at, it's finishing what he starts. He's already halfway to the victory, and I don't think he's going to let this one slip.” Just then, the group heard a tone, and they turned to watch the second half of the battle.