The referee watched as both trainers stepped back into their technical areas, then keyed his microphone.
“Alright, we're ready to start again. Trainers, please send out your next Pokémon!”
“Pinsir, to battle!” Matt's Pokéball opened to reveal a large creature with a brown carapace and grey pincers. Its thin arms ended in grey claws, and its wide legs gave it a firm base.
“Okay, Elekid, you're up again!” As Elekid emerged, James tried to smile. This time, he could use Electric-type attacks, and Elekid would be up for the fight. Matt looked on, then called to the Bug-type.
“Pinsir, use Swords Dance!” Pinsir began jumping from one foot to the other, building its attack power.
“Elekid, Thunderbolt!” Elekid began spinning his arms, and a beam of electricity shot from between its horns. Pinsir was struck by the electric blast, but kept up its dance. “Now Swift!” A stream of stars flew from Elekid's body at Pinsir, who leaped into the air.
“Begin our attack with X-Scissor!” A blue-white X formed between Pinsir's horns as it fell towards Elekid. Elekid tried to dive to one side, but Pinsir's attack caught him flush in the face.
“Get clear, Elekid! Use Thunder and run to the sideline!” Elekid fired another electric blast, but it passed between the bug's pincers.
“Alright, Pinsir, ViceGrip!” Pinsir lowered its head and snapped its pincers around Elekid. “Toss it in the air!” The bug swung its head up again, releasing Elekid in the process. “Now! Jump after it and use Superpower!”
“Elekid, try to recover and use Brick Break!” Elekid's forearm began sparking, but Pinsir had already leaped up and driven its body down, catching the Electric-type beneath its feet. “No, Elekid!” Pinsir's attack drove Elekid into the ground, kicking up a huge dust cloud. When the cloud dissipated, Elekid was on his feet, snarling incoherently. James recalled him quickly. “This isn't working. We need to put Pinsir down now.” He tossed out another Pokéball. “Ursaring, let's go!” The bear emerged from the ball and growled a challenge. Matt smiled.
“I've been looking forward to taking on your Usaring, James,” he said. “He's been quite impressive.” He turned to Pinsir. “Superpower!” Pinsir jumped high again and aimed for Ursaring's head.
“Hammer Arm!” The two Fighting-type moves collided, and Pinsir was tossed back. “Now, Bulk Up!” Ursaring flexed his arms, and his body glowed red for a moment. “Awesome. Now use Slash!”
“X-Scissor!” Ursaring's claws raked across Pinsir's body, while the bug slammed its glowing pincers into the bear. Ursaring snarled and, without waiting for orders, slammed a Hammer Arm attack down between Pinsir's eyes with his other arm.
“Ursaring, calm down! Wait for my signal!” Pinsir landed feet away, breathing hard. “Okay, now we're good. Faint Attack!”
“Revenge!” Pinsir's body glowed as Ursaring faked to one side, then punched his opponent in the back. Ursaring shuddered a little, but he looked okay. Pinsir, meanwhile, swayed on the spot, then fell forward, beaten down by the Hibernator Pokémon's attacks.
“Pinsir is unable to battle! Ursaring wins!”
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“There's the knockout he needed,” Darrell said with a grin. “Ursaring's powered up a little, so he should be able to stay in the fight.”
“Don't get too confident,” Shane murmured. “He's still got four Pokémon to take out, and we haven't even seen Tyranitar yet. This battle's far from over.”
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“Well done, Pinsir,” Matt said as he recalled the bug. “Rest up, you did well.” He turned back to the field. “Your Ursaring's got a lot of power, son. It takes a lot to stand up to Pinsir's attacks.” He smiled. “Let's go for another head-on fight, shall we? Sudowoodo, to battle!” A brown-bodied Pokémon that looked like a log emerged. Yellow spots ran down its body, and its two thin arms each ended in three green orbs. A strange forked crest sat atop its head. The creature stood stock-still, as if it were a statue. James took out his Pokédex and scanned the newcomer.
“Sudowoodo, the Imitation Pokémon,” the device recited. “This Pokémon stands along forest paths pretending to be trees. Their disguise fails when it begins to rain, because Sudowoodo, as a Rock-type, dislikes water.”
“A Rock-type, huh? Well, Ursaring should have no trouble, then. Hammer Arm!” Ursaring rushed at Sudowoodo, his arm glowing.
“Use your own Hammer Arm!” Sudowoodo suddenly sprang to life, its own arm glowing brightly. The attacks met, and both Pokémon fell back. “Now, Double-Edge!”
“Faint Attack!” Ursaring didn't even bother to fake and move, instead slugging the oncoming Sudowoodo and taking the full hit. “That Double-Edge will hurt Sudowoodo too, so we're...”
“Hold on, not so fast,” Matt cut in, as Sudowoodo re-assumed his position. “You think I'd use a risky move like that without considering Sudowoodo's ability?”
“Ability?” James thought for a moment, then slapped his forehead. “Of course! It must have a way of avoiding recoil damage!” He looked towards Sudowoodo “Ursaring! Get after it with Hammer Arm! We've got to put it down fast!”
“Sudowoodo, Hammer Arm as well!” The attacks collided again, and Ursaring looked worse off.
“Faint Attack!” Ursaring's fake and punch didn't appear to hurt Sudowoodo all that much, but Ursaring was ready for another attack. “Okay, Hammer Arm!” Matt waited until the attack was about to connect, then jumped into action.
“Sucker Punch!” Sudowoodo snapped up and hit Ursaring with a swift uppercut, then took the super-effective move. Ursaring breathed hard as he turned back to face Sudowoodo. “Now, finish with Wood Hammer!” The orbs on Sudowoodo's arms glowed bright blue, and the attack's force lifted the Rock-type off its feet as it smashed the top of Ursaring's head. Ursaring's eyes were glazed over as the official checked his condition.
“Ursaring is unable to battle! Sudowoodo wins!”
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Andrea Enfield watched her husband and son intently as the latter recalled Ursaring.
“Matt's got the win in sight now,” she said, to no-one in particular. “James needed Ursaring to take down more than just Pinsir. Now that he's down to just Elekid and Typhlosion, he'll need a big momentum swing to even stand a chance.”
“I suppose that means we're going to see Tyranitar any minute?” John Richards asked. Andrea nodded.
“Matt's team have done their jobs. They countered James' team as well as could be expected.” She considered for a moment. “But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's see what they do next.”
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James, meanwhile, looked exhausted. Typhlosion nudged his arm, pointing to the battlefield, and he tried to smile.
“I know, buddy. We're not out until all six of you go down. Let's try to turn this around.” He looked up at the scoreboard. Only Elekid's and Typhlosion's pictures were clear on his side, while Magneton and Pinsir's were grayed out on his father's side; his other three team members' pictures were clear, and the sixth still bore a Pokéball symbol, even though James knew who Matt's sixth team member was. “We've got the moves, we just need to execute better. Elekid, go!” As Elekid hit the field, Matt raised a Pokéball and recalled Sudowoodo.
“Rest up, Sudowoodo. I may need you later.” He took out another ball. “For now, we're going for the win. Tyranitar!” He threw the ball, and James gulped. “To battle, my friend!” The green-skinned dinosaur creature emerged and slammed down to the ground, flattening the grass at its feet. Elekid spun his arms, and Tyranitar roared its answer. “All right, Tyranitar, begin with Scary Face!” Tyranitar's eyes glowed menacingly, and Elekid looked slowed. “Now, Bite attack!”
“Brick Break!” As Tyranitar bit down on Elekid's arm, the Electric Pokémon chopped down on his opponent's snout with the other. Tyranitar shied away from the attack. “Way to go! Now use ThunderPunch!” Elekid slugged Tyranitar with a yellow-glowing fist, and the Rock- and Dark-type staggered back.
“Get back after it! Stone Edge!” Tyranitar generated several pointed gray rocks, then fired them at Elekid. The Electric-type ducked and dodged, avoiding most of the stones, but took a hit from the last one. “Don't let up! Fire Fang!” This time, Tyranitar's mouth filled with flames as it took aim at Elekid.
“Thunderbolt!” The electric blast distracted Tyranitar enough to dissipate the Fire Fang. “Now, ThunderPunch!”
“Wait for it, Tyranitar!” Tyranitar took the charged punch, then its eyes glinted. “Bite!” Tyranitar bit down on Elekid's arm again, and this time, Elekid couldn't get into position for a countering hit. “Toss it down!” The force of Elekid's body striking the ground made a slight dent in the battlefield grass. “And now, finish it off! Hyper Beam!” A glowing orb formed in Tyranitar's mouth, then a yellow-orange beam of energy shot straight at the prone Elekid. James' next command caught in his throat as he watched helplessly, about to see his fifth team member taken out. What came next, however, surprised everyone.
Elekid's body was surrounded by a shimmering blue-green force field, blocking the incoming Hyper Beam. Matt looked stunned, and James' heart leapt. He hadn't even thought of using Protect, and now, since Elekid had thought of it for him, he had a route back into the match. As the Hyper Beam dissipated and Protect dropped, Elekid pushed himself to his feet, grinning and spinning his arms.
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“Tyranitar's stuck in place for a bit! Let's do some damage, Elekid! Brick Break!” Elekid ran around behind Tyranitar, then jumped up and chopped the back of the Armour Pokémon's head. Tyranitar winced in pain, but couldn't move. “Great! Now use ThunderPunch!” Elekid delivered another blow, this time to Tyranitar's shoulder. “Keep it up!” Matt watched Tyranitar carefully as Elekid's attacks continued.
“Tyranitar, stand firm!” Tyranitar took one more Brick Break, then turned its head a fraction towards his trainer. Matt smiled. “Excellent! Concentrate Sandstorm on yourself!” A whirlwind of sand and grit kicked up around Tyranitar's body, buffeting Elekid and knocking him off. “Well done! Turn and use Fire Fang!” Tyranitar caught Elekid's body in its jaws this time, and the flames burst around the Electric-type. Elekid landed as the fire surrounded him, then stood up, spinning his arms and putting the flames out. He glared at Tyranitar for a moment, readying a response...then fell forward, exhausted and beaten.
“Elekid is unable to battle! Tyranitar is the winner!”
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“That didn't work, did it?” Jen asked as Elekid collapsed. “Those attacks must have caused a lot of damage, but Tyranitar doesn't look tired at all.”
“Dad raised Tyranitar to take a lot of hits,” Shane explained. “Even against a type of attack that it has a double weakness to, Tyranitar will keep going for a while. Elekid didn't really stand a chance.”
“It's just Typhlosion left now,” Andrea said with a worried look. “It's do or die for James now.”
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James' body shook as he recalled Elekid. The few moments after deflecting Tyranitar's Hyper Beam had been hopeful, maybe his best chance of getting back into the match, but that flicker of hope had faded as quickly as it had come. Only his best buddy remained standing now. Typhlosion, his first Pokémon, his steadiest companion not named Jennifer Richards. Typhlosion, who had taken on the Triassic Admin's Kabutops, put away Bugsy's Scyther during their rematch, and whose perseverence had finally won the Storm Badge against Chuck's Poliwrath. Sensing his trainer's discomfort, Typhlosion tugged on James' shorts to get his attention, and grinned when James looked down at him. Through all their travels and battles, Typhlosion had proven that he wasn't afraid of any opponent thrown his way, and he wasn't going to back down from a fight, not even against one of the strongest Pokémon species on the planet. James smiled back and nodded.
“You got it, buddy. Get out there and let's show Dad what we can do.” Typhlosion ran out onto the field, his fiery ruff bursting into life, and roared his defiance at Tyranitar. Matt nodded in approval as Tyranitar snarled back.
“You're not giving in without a fight, that's for sure. Let's see how you do. Tyranitar, Stone Edge!” The pointed grey rocks sped towards Typhlosion in a menacing volley.
“Use Dig!” Typhlosion dove down and burrowed underground, and the stones flew harmlessly away. After a moment, he jumped out and tackled Tyranitar from behind. The Armour Pokémon roared its anger to the sky and turned to face his opponent.
“Bite attack!”
“Flame Wheel!” Tyranitar's jaws opened, but Typhlosion surrounded himself with flames and jumped straight up, catching Tyranitar just below the shoulder. Tyranitar backed off and snarled.
“Steady, Tyranitar! Dark Pulse!” A distorted beam of black energy tinged with violet shot from Tyranitar's chest, slamming into Typhlosion and knocking him back. “Excellent! Now use Stone Edge again!”
“Dig!” The stones raced toward Typhlosion again, and the Fire-type dove underground just like before.
“Be ready, Tyranitar. Prepare Ice Punch!” Tyranitar closed its eyes, and one of its fists glowed bright blue. As Typhlosion emerged and jumped towards his opponent, Tyranitar spun to face him and slugged him in the belly, sending him crashing to the ground.
“Typhlosion, no!” James watched the Volcano Pokémon struggle to his feet, growling quietly. As both trainers and Tyranitar watched, his ruff of flames burned even more intensely, and his eyes took on a dark orange glow. “That's Blaze!” He looked at Typhlosion, who was grinning broadly. “We'd better stick to Fire-type moves now, buddy! Use Flamethrower!” Typhlosion shot a concentrated stream of fire at Tyranitar, who took the hit calmly. “Of course, they won't do as much against a Rock-type, but who cares? Flamethrower again!”
“Stone Edge!” The pointed stones flew haphazardly around Typhlosion, burying themselves in the ground or splintering upon hitting the fire. “Now Dark Pulse!” The distorted beam of energy hit the ground in front of Typhlosion, breaking his concentration and stopping the Flamethrower.
“Get after it, Flame Wheel!” The flames around Typhlosion's neck grew to cover his whole body, and he charged Tyranitar with a roar. Matt smiled as the attack came closer.
“Take the hit!” Typhlosion slammed straight into Tyranitar's blue underbelly, and the Rock-type was pushed back a little. “And now, Payback!” A violet glow surrounded Tyranitar, then the light burst out, sending Typhlosion flying. He skidded along the battlefield surface until he reached the centre circle, and struggled to stand up. For the briefest moment, James thought he was going to keep fighting, but then Typhlosion's legs shook, and he fell to the floor, his fiery ruff guttering out at last. The official checked on him for a moment, then raised his flag.
“Typhlosion is unable to battle! Tyranitar wins! The battle goes to Matt Enfield of Violet City, who now moves on to the quarterfinals of the Victory Tournament!”
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James stared at the ground, his vision blurring from sudden tears. He'd lost battles before, but never like this. His father had outclassed him, been ready for every strategy he'd tried, and completely dominated from start to finish. The worst, though, was thinking about how disappointed his father must be in how easy the match had been. He could have put up a much better fight than this, and now Matt would think he wasn't as good as he'd thought.
Suddenly, he remembered that Typhlosion was still down in the middle of the battlefield, and he rushed to the Fire-type's side. Typhlosion raised his head a little, and James cradled him in his arms.
“I'm sorry, buddy,” he said, the tears flowing now. “I wasn't good enough. I let you get beaten again.” Typhlosion growled a weak protest, and James shook his head. “No, you gave everything you had. I...” A shadow fell over them, and James looked up into Matt Enfield's face.
“Typhlosion fought valiantly. I've rarely seen a Pokémon put up such a fight for his trainer before.” Matt bent down and rubbed Typhlosion's head, then looked at James. “You alright, son?” James shut his eyes, quickly dried his face, and turned away.
“No. I let you down. I was completely overmatched from the start, and I let you down. I...” James took a shuddering breath, then continued. “I wanted you to see how strong we were, and it wasn't enough.” Matt gave his son a confused look.
“Let me down? James, I've never been more proud of you in my life.” James looked up, and saw a smile cross his father's face. “You gave your absolute best out there, and you refused to give in, right to the end. That's all I can ask for. I don't care if you win without losing a team member, or if you lose without taking down a single opponent. All I hope for is that you give absolutely everything on the battlefield, no matter the odds. There's no shame in defeat if you know you've given it your best shot.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely. You've shown me more today than any trainer has before.” Matt helped his son up from the ground, then held out a hand. “Just remember this, son. Win, lose, or draw, always shake your opponent's hand.” James grinned, then grasped Matt's hand just before his father pulled him into a hug. Typhlosion ran over to James, and he put an arm around the Volcano Pokémon's neck.
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The Enfield and Richards families met at one of the side gates as the stadium emptied. Matt accepted a kiss from his wife as congratulations, and Darrell, Shane and Jen gave James and Typhlosion their commiserations. John and Emma Richards complimented father and son on their quality performance.
“The crowd was buzzing about you two,” John said with a smile. “They loved the family angle, and they were quite complimentary about James in particular.”
“It was a fine spectacle,” Emma agreed. “Both of you should be quite proud of yourselves.” She turned to her daughter. “Jennifer, I'm afraid your father and I need to be getting home.” Jen's eyes widened.
“What? Why?”
“Well, you and James are both out, and your father has work to do.” Jen looked panicked.
“You mean I have to go home too?”
“I didn't say that.” Emma turned to Matt. “I know you've got a match to plan for, but if Jennifer would like to stay for...”
“Of course,” Matt said instantly. “We'll look after her, and then take her home once we're done here.” Emma nodded, and turned back to Jen.
“Behave yourself, now. Give us a call when you're headed home.” Jen hugged both her parents, and watched as John and Emma walked towards the exit to the complex.
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As afternoon turned into evening, James, Jen and Typhlosion took a walk around one of the battle facilities. It was close to a wood, so they occasionally saw wild Pokémon running around, either heading for their homes or waking up to hunt or exercise. Jen turned to James as she watched a small cauldron of Golbat take flight.
“Hey, James?”
“Yeah?” James had been watching the Golbat himself, and stopped short in front of Typhlosion. The Fire-type ran into the back of his legs, and nearly knocked his trainer over. “Whoops! Sorry, buddy. I forgot to warn you.” Typhlosion rubbed his nose and grumbled, and James refocused on Jen. “So what's up?”
“Well, we've finished traveling through Johto. Do you...or we, if that's the case...have a next move?” James thought for a moment.
“I guess there's always Kanto, to the east. Hunter might travel there too, since he's originally from Fuchsia City.” The pair had said their goodbyes to Hunter after James' defeat. Hunter still seemed uneasy about returning to his hometown, but James hadn't asked why. “The Indigo Conference is supposed to be really tough, too. Might be just the challenge we need.”
“I guess. I just don't want this to be...it, you know? We're only twelve, we've got a lot of traveling and training that we can still accomplish.”
“I wouldn't mind a break before then, though. We've traveled nonstop since we first left home, so we still have time to figure things out.”
The two youngsters continued to walk along the edge of the building, Typhlosion at their heels. As they passed a clump of bushes, Jen noticed something moving at the edge. She ducked away from James and Typhlosion and went to investigate.
A tiny, dark-furred creature with a large red feather on one ear lay in the grass, stirring feebly. Yellow markings sat on its chest and between its eyes, and its paws ended in long, curved, bladed claws. Jen recognized it as a Sneasel, just like Pryce had used. The Sneasel gave a plaintive cry as it saw her, and Jen knelt down next to it.
"Hey, little fella. What happened to you?" As she moved to brush a hand over its forehead, James turned around.
"What's that you've…Jen, get away from there!" James darted over and practically dragged her away from the creature.
"Hey! What are you doing? Can't you see the poor thing's in trouble?"
"Poor thing? Jen, don't you remember what the Pokédex told us in Mahogany Town? Sneasel are really nasty to people they come across." Jen looked scandalized.
"How can you call it nasty? It can't be more than a baby. It probably wandered away from its home and needs to be brought back." Jen looked at the clump of bushes, and noticed a small opening. "Here, I'll bring it over…"
"Jen, this is a bad idea." James watched Jen pick up the Sneasel, who buried its head in her shoulder.
"See? It's just scared, that's all."
"Seriously, you need to put it down and get out of here. If any more show up…" Jen put the baby Sneasel in front of the bushes, where it darted inside.
"There. That should…" Jen stopped as a larger Sneasel emerged from where the baby had just run in. Instead of indicating gratitude, the Sneasel unsheathed a claw as it glared at her. Jen began backing away. "Hey, calm down. Your baby's safe, I was just trying to…"
Everything after that happened at once. The Sneasel lunged at Jen, who screamed. James pushed Jen away as the creature took a swipe at her, and felt something like two hot knives run down his left cheek. Jen screamed even more as he fell to the ground, and he felt a sudden blast of heat to his left. James briefly raised his head, seeing a dark shape dive back into the bushes, and a small flicker of flame…then his head dropped, and his world went black.