"Attention!! Attention!! To the participants who moved to Semifinals, the matchups are here. There will be a two-hour lunch break before we continue the last three matches," said an announcement.
I looked at the matchups,
Kaiser vs Duke
Rose vs Raven
'Hmm, It seems Gregory couldn't make it.'
I looked towards Krokorok who finally settled down, he just stopped eating and started taking a nap. The last thing he said was,
[Bro, wake me up when Semi-Finals start, although I won't be battling I have to warm up for the Finals.]
At least he has some responsibility I thought, or else I would have smacked him down. Fletchinder and Electrike are having their Lunch, they are the ones who will be battling next.
"Guys, I am gonna instruct you vocally for our next two games. If I use telepathy again, I might arouse some suspicion." I said after thinking it through.
They all nodded in agreement which was expected, I then started planning my next step. Should I use Fletchinder or Electrike? It's a 2 vs 2 but who should I start with?
This shitty Team Rocket did not even allow a midway switch, once a Pokemon is summoned it has to battle till it faints. I thought for a long while and then came to a decision.
.
.
.
.
Two hours later:
I glanced at my opponent, she is the first female trainer I will be battling since I started my journey. She has platinum hair with wisps of pink at the end, bob cut hairstyle gave her a unique charm. The only thing that was missing was 'an expression',
she stood there with a monotonous look which was a bit off-putting.
"Summon your pokemon, same rules but this will be 2 vs 2 and pokemon switching is not allowed." said the referee.
I released Fletchinder out while Rose released a Heracross. The moment our pokemon came out, Rose expression changed a bit. It was too small to notice it but that at least shows that this girl is not as cold as she seems.
I appraised Heracross that seemed to be at a huge disadvantage,
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Heracross(M)
Level: 28
Type: Bug/Fighting
Height: 4' 10"
Ability: Guts
Potential: Green(Mid Grade)
Moves: Harden, Aerial ace, Horn Attack, Counter, Endure, Flail.
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'Good pokemon and also has a great moveset.'
"Fletchinder use flame charge."
"Heracross wait for it to get close and then use Horn Attack." She said.
It's not ideal to use physical attacks for a flying type pokemon. Special attacks work better with flying types, both pokemon collided,
"Boom"
Fletchinder took off towards the sky while Heracross endured the attack, We used the same move again as Rose had no other choice. I could finish this faster but I want Fletchinder to double her speed before she takes on the next Pokemon.
Both collided again but the result was the same, Heracross looked worse when compared.
"Fletchinder finish this with Acrobatics," I said while Rose calmly instructed,
"Heracross wait for it and use counter."
'God!!!! I need special attacks for my Fletchinder or else I am doomed.'
There was nothing we could do as Fletchinder performed weird movements in the sky like a circus show and went straight for Heracross as Heracross braced himself to take the hit.
There was another collision but this time Heracross flew back with heavy impact, he somehow managed to use Counter for the damage done by the previous flame charge after which acrobatics hit him with a quadrupled damage.
"Heracross!!!! are you alright?" shouted Rose in panic. Sadly, she got no reply as Heracross was on the ground with rotating spirals on his eyes.
"Fletchinder wins, Participant Rose please summon your next pokemon. As for participant Raven, will you be continuing with Fletchinder?" asked Referee.
I simply gave a nod, I was actually thinking because Fletchinder took decent damage and I did not want to use Roost and fatigue her out for the last match.
Fletchinder can only use Roost twice a day with her capacity. I want her to save those two chances for the final.
Rose called her Heracross back and summoned a rare pokemon, which took me by surprise.
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Lunatone
Level: 30
Type: Rock/Psychic
Height: 3' 5"
Ability: Levitate
Potential: Green(Peak Grade)
Moves: Psyshock, Rock Slide, Rock Polish, Moonlight, Moonblast, Harden.
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'Damn!!! That's one powerful moveset right there.'
"Lunatone, Rock Polish and then Rock Slide," ordered Rose.
Ok, all attacks of Fletchinder barely do any damage. It's better to switch and use her for the next game but before she goes let's put a perfect set.
"Fletchinder, Tailwind and then use Protect to escape that Rockslide."
Fletchinder immediately flapped her wings as fast a possible to create a cyclic breeze that flows towards the opponent. It took her four seconds to complete the move.
Lunatone took three seconds to use Rock Polish and then summoned huge Rocks in the sky which fell over Fletchinder. Tailwind that just got unleashed and previously boosted agility helped fletchinder to use Protect faster than Lunatone.
"Lunatone, Psyshock that bird and then use harden," said Rose with a relaxed tone.
"Fletchinder use Fire Spin and trap Lunatone in it," I said expecting the ongoing tailwind to boost the rate at which the fire spin moves.
Tailwind is like a mini storm of breeze that flows towards the direction of the opponent which restricts speed to move forward while making it seem like the other party increased his/her speed. These winds stay for five to six minutes and disperse off after that.
Fletchinder immediately followed my orders trapping Lunatone inside the fire, although a bit slow, Lunatone's Psyshock hit Fletchinder making her take sufficient damage.
After that, without wasting any time I immediately recalled Fletchinder and summoned Electrike,
"Electrike use agility and then spam Snarl. Use Tailwind's help to dodge the attacks."
Referee and Rose immediately got startled as everything happened in the span of three seconds. Although it's not illegal to recall and order the summoned pokemon without warning, it's considered a pussy move in this world.
I don't care about that pride and dignity shit if it can give me benefits. Electrike followed my orders while Lunatone was still trapped in the Fire. Rose asked her pokemon to use Rockslide but Electrike swiftly dodged them with no issues.
Snarl spamming took twenty to thirty seconds and from there on everything went according to the plan...
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"Congratulations to all the participants and next will be the most-awaited last match of the day. All the losing participants can take a seat and watch it with everyone. It will begin in an hour so get ready," said the same mechanical announcement.
I looked at the matchup of my final opponent, it was in big bold words...
RAVEN vs KAISER (3 vs 3)
I half expected the result as Carr already warned me about a potential opponent. Although I did not know who he was, I knew that he will make it into the finals. I am hyped for this game because I never had a strong opponent. Duke can be considered good but he is more of a mind gamed pussy who gangs up, if he came for an official head to head game then I am confident in kicking his ass.
I looked at Krokorok who was stretching his body in anticipation.
"Hey Krok, you will be going first. I want to make use of your Moxie so you better give your 100%."
He immediately lifted his hand and placed it on his chest and said with arrogance,
[Why fear when Krokorok is here.]
I directly ignored his cheezy line while planning for my next moves.
I know that it's always better to use your ace pokemon at the end but this counter tactic might work if Krokorok manages to take two pokemon down. I also don't have any info on how strong our opponent is so it's reasonable to go with raw power.
.
.
.
.
An hour later:
I gave off a heavy breath as I stepped into the Arena. I could see that a lot of people are watching this match, the crowd significantly increased when compared with my previous round. Most of them looked like additional Captains and Agents of Team Rocket.
I averted my gaze back and shifted the focus towards the silhouette who just walked out. He had a fit build and serious face, his eyes were sharp like knives as he too glanced towards me.
I know for a fact that he can't see shit as I have my hood and mask on, but his gaze gives me a bad vibe, just like Duke. Are they related or something?
Kaiser had short, spiked azure hair, he looked taller than me by an inch or two. Although he has a sharp gaze, he looks like he can't hurt a soul because of his sunny soft face. My psychic sense says otherwise, they are giving me a signal that this guy is bad news.
"Both of you summon your first pokemon, this will be a 3 vs 3 and no switches are allowed," said the Referee shortly.
We both summoned our pokemon at the same time,
My Krokorok who was four feet tall which is way past his lineage height made his presence known with a loud cry,
"Kroookkorokkk."
What stood in front of him was a dark blue, bipedal pokemon that resembled a poison dart frog. It has yellow eyes, which are surrounded by black markings. There are orange, expandable pouches on its cheeks, and its teeth looked wide and flat.
Croagunk who was three feet tall that was already way past his normal height looked oblivious to Krokorok's cry. He was underwhelming to say the less but there is no way I would underestimate him.
Before I became a psychic, If anyone asked me about which pokemon I am most intimidated towards then my answer would be Toxicroak hundred out of hundred times. Toxicroaks are worse than dragons, they kill for fun and play with their prey like psychopaths.
There is a saying in this world that goes 'If you can train a Toxicroak then you can tame any dragon out there.'
This is not a joke as I have read many articles regarding this pokemon's cruelty which is exactly why I won't underestimate its pre-evolved form. Although I am completely fine now because Toxicroaks are four times weak towards psychics. Even then you might not succeed as sucker punch is one of their signature moves.
I quickly appraised the Croagunk,
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Croagunk
Level: 33
Type: Poison/Fighting
Height: 3' 2"
Ability: Dry Skin
Potential: Blue(Low Grade)
Moves: Poison Jab, Sucker Punch, Revenge, Astonish, Rain Dance, Swagger, Venoshock, Protect.
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'Holy Shit!!!'
Don't tell me we both put our Ace pokemon out, did he think the same way as I did? Croagunk's Dry Skin ability works perfectly with Rain Dance. That Revenge attack will be deadly as I am sure Krokorok will hit first most of the time.
I have an upper hand against the poison typing but he too has upper hand with his fighting type.
"Start the match," said the Referee while giving us the signal.
Kaiser and I looked straight at each other while waiting to see who gives the command first. There was absolute silence around, Krokorok who is usually laid back at the start of a match promptly said,
[Bro, I feel it. This guy is no joke, although this frog looks shorter and dumb, he gives me bad vibes.]
[It's good that you understand so be vigilant.] I said.
More than twenty seconds passed in silence and we both thought it was enough. With no warning, we issued the order at the same instance,
"Use Sandstorm" "Use Rain Dance"
'Damn!!!!!!! This guy thinks exactly as I do.' I thought.
Both pokemon tried to use their respective moves but failed miserably. It's no surprise because both attacks got nullified, in the games the slowest pokemon triggers the weather but in the real-world mastery of the move matters.
If both pokemon are equally proficient then the attack gets nullified, so we issued an order again,
"Swagger" " Swagger"
'Oh my fucking God, what are the chances.'
I could see Kaiser's lips curling into a smile.
Although he couldn't see my expression, I too smirked. This feeling was the same as the day I advanced my psychic powers in rage, I could feel my adrenaline pumping and I am getting goosebumps.
Both pokemon unleashed Swagger and they both got confused, their whole body started glowing in a transparent white light indicating an attack increase. When I was thinking of countering the situation, I heard a sudden voice.....
"Hahahaha.....Huhahahaha, That good for nothing Duke was not lying when he said this match is gonna be tough. It's fine, this makes it more fun isn't it? Crushing a high-quality opponent pumps my blood to the fullest. Exactly the feeling I like, entertain me more..." said Kaiser with his right hand covering half his face.
This guy is cut out from the same cloth as Duke for sure. But unlike Duke, this guy seems more intense. Everything we did till now was the same, even the thought process. It feels like two sides of the same coin, we are the same yet opposite.
----------x Chapter End x-----------
Note: Again, it's Nothing important, just donate the power stones you have. Those are my motivation to come up with a unique plot.