Chương 74: C074 - Jasmine vs Bugsy
"Semifinalist Jasmine certainly has her work cut out for her fighting two airborne bug pokemon with her ground pokemon lineup," Whitney said into her microphone when the introductions were over.
"Sure, but we've seen both her Excadrill and her Donphan use rock type moves to great effect this tournament. And, the heavy sandstorm they will likely use in the battle means her opponent Bugsy will have to be smart about finding the correct openings. After all, his pokemon are less tanky than Jasmine's," Clair countered with her opinion.
Pete stayed quiet at that because he was here more for colorful commentary than analysis. He had a critical eye for moves, so he could name them right when they are used, which a lot of commentators with lacking experience struggled with, and he knew a lot about pokemon abilities and typings.
"And the battle starts. Looks like Clair's insight was spot on, Donphan immediately used Sandstorm. Excadrill's Sand Rush and Sand Force abilities kicked in, and it immediately used the multi-attack Rock Blast in an attempt to catch Bugsy's pokemon off-guard," Pete said into his mic.
"Expecting such a move, Beedrill used Agility right off the bat and increased its speed enough to dodge. Scyther, however, seems to want to evasion tank the ranged attacks and used Double Team. We can see two after images in addition to the real pokemon. Bugsy is certainly a very promising trainer," Clair added.
"Oh, I hope Scyther can keep such a draining move up long enough for it to make a difference. Hopefully, they aren't on the backfoot for too long," Whitney said in worry.
"Oh? It looks like Beedrill has fallen back and uses Harden in rapid succession to bolster his defenses. Smart use of the battle start when Donphan and Excadrill aren't close yet," Pete described. "Oh? That gleam in its eyes looks like it used Laser Focus to increase the chances of a critical hit. Beedrills do have access to the ability Sniper for increased critical damage, so that move also made a lot of sense. Let's see why Jasmine's pokemon allowed Beedrill so much time for setup."
"'Seeing' is good. The Sandstorm increased in density and makes it very hard to see what Donphan and Excadrill are up to," Whitney complained.
"So they likely both used Sandstorm now," Clair added her opinion.
"Well, we're still seeing Rock Blasts coming out of the storm, but Scyther is doing an amazing job with the dodges. Not one hit yet."
"Is it smart to use the move while hidden in the sand? Scyther and Beedrill can pinpoint their location with that, defeating half the purpose of the storm," Whitney asked as she turned to Clair.
"Hmm, we've seen Jasmine's Excadrill use the dark move Fling with a jagged rock laying about in the arena earlier. It's reasonable to believe that it knows Hone Claws then and is currently setting up itself. With its secondary steel typing, it should have access to other setup moves like Iron Defense, too."
"And there it is, the first melee! Excadrill cut its setup short and used Dig to appear right below Scyther. With a big leap, it's aiming a Metal Claw aaaaaand misses!"
"The Rock Blasts have not stopped! It looks like Donphan is keeping the move together with Sandstorm, astonishing how well it uses rock type energy," Clair comments in admiration.
"Oooh, Scyther uses Air Slash, one of the few ranged attacks it probably knows to counter the exposed Excadrill in the air and lands the hit! It looks like it barely did any damage, though, because of the typing advantage. Excadrill lands and goes right back underground," Pete explained.
"After using Harden, Agility, and Laser Focus, it looks like Beedrill is out for some blood as well. It's rising high into the air above the Sandstorm and starts glowing a little," Whitney chimed in.
Seeing as she didn't seem to know what move the bug pokemon is about to unleash, Pete chimed in with, "Looks like this Beedrill knows Aerial Ace, certainly not a move any random Beedrill knows."
"Ah, while we were watching Beedrill's flight, Scyther was using Double Team with two afterimages and simultaneously used Laser Focus. Are they trying to use a pincer move on Donphan?"
"Nice bug pun, Clair," Whitney quipped with a giggle.
"And there they go! Beedrill dives down, and Scyther shoots forward!"
Most people in the audience held their breath, but just as Scyther reached the edge of the storm, Excadrill revealed itself from a hidden hole with a readied attack.
Pete was awed by Excadrill's wit and shouts, "Oooh, a boulder the size of Scyther itself shoots forward hidden from Beedrill's view! A point blank Rock Slide with no way to dodge! Excadrill follows up with a second Rock Slide on the flinched bug pokemon and Scyther faints!"
"Meanwhile, Beedrill lands a Poison Jab on Donphan together with the Aerial Ace move! It looks like the ground pokemon used a last second Defense Curl to avoid a critical strike to its face! The Sandstorm lessens and grants us visibility, but Beedrill already took plenty of damage, it looks like," Clair commented.
"And it won't let up on the curled up Donphan delivering what looks like the bug move Fell Stinger with its sting on the abdomen and the move Poison Sting with both arms," Pete added.
Whitney looked to him in contemplation as Beedrill flew back up to avoid a few Rock Blasts coming from Excadrill, "How do you know it was Poison Sting and not another Poison Jab, Pete? It looked the same to me."
"Poison Jab is more forceful, more physical. It's much faster in execution, and Poison Sting actually drips poison energy as it happens. The sting is more deliberate, as if calculating where best to poison the opponent."
Clair looked at Pete with an appreciative nod, and Whitney just smiled. She knew the difference but couldn't have put it as eloquently as Pete. But as the color commentator, she was doing rather well to have Pete explain the more technical aspect.
Clair lifted a brow at the happenings on the battlefield, "Oh? It looks like Donphan is angry at getting peppered with so many attacks and started Rollout! It's slowly picking up more speed as the Sandstorm, too, picks up speed again, concealing the movements of Donphan. Are Excadrill and Donphan planning to ground Beedrill to land the Rollout?"
Beedrill flew away from the Sandstorm and kept a decent distance from the ground to avoid the powerful moves of the two opponents. Things were looking dire for the bug pokemon, but it didn't admit defeat just yet.
All of a sudden, though, the ground shifted and formed a ramp pointing at Beedrill's location. It was a testament to the typing energy training the pokemon do on Pete's farm on a daily basis. Before Beedrill could react, Donphan shot out of the Sandstorm. It hit the ramp, and, like a car sized bullet, hit the bug pokemon flying in the air.
Both pokemon crashed on the ground as Donphan stopped the Rollout and looked to Beedrill, who was trying to beat its wings but failed with a pained screech.
Whitney, who should have been impartial, was over the moon for her friend's success and shouted into the microphone, "What a crazy combination! It looks like Beedrill's wings are no longer able to support flight! Bugsy forfeits, and the match is over! Jasmine Feelgood advances to the finals with a crazy doubles attack I have never seen before!"
As cheers rang through the stands and the two trainers balled their pokemon, a team of construction workers entered the battlefield to get rid of all the damage and sand this battle brought to it. It would take a while, so both trainers were invited to the commentators stand for an interview after the two took care of their pokemon with the help of a Nurse Joy who was attending.
Before Pete could congratulate his girlfriend on her victory, Bugsy shot forward with shining eyes and greeted the assistant professor on the stands, "Ah! Professor Lang! I wanted to speak with you for such a long time! I read your papers on the Yanma evolution and your 'move compendium'! I discovered the bug move Fury Cutter, which seems to be a signature move of my Scyther, and I was wondering if you could help me publish the discovery!? I would love it if we could share it with the world through TMs!"
"Hey, not a professor yet! Tell me about the move," Pete answered with a good natured chuckle.
All three women looked at the enthusiastic young man in wonder. He had just lost quite hard and was out of the tournament, but it didn't look like he minded much. The complete opposite was the case as it increasingly looked like Bugsy attended the tournament just to have a chance to meet with Pete.
The two completely forgot the interview and instead talked about bug pokemon and bug moves for three minutes before Clair coughed in her hand, "And congratulations to Jasmine for advancing into the finals."
The crowd laughed and cheered as Bugsy stiffened completely and turned to the giant screen that showed him talking to Pete like an excited kid. He forgot about the microphones and cameras and showed his nerdy side, which he usually hid.
Pete didn't mind, though, and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about them. Your knowledge on bug pokemon is worlds ahead of most. I'm sure if you keep it up, it isn't impossible for there to be a Professor Bug Bugsy in the future," Pete whispered while covering the mic and giving him a wink.
Chương 75: C075 - The end of the tournament
"And Fraxure is unable to continue! The match turns into a two versus one as Hydreigon is forced to duke it out alone!" Whitney shouted after seeing Iris' dragon pokemon going down.
There was very little documented about Sylveon except for the abilities Pete had 'suggested' it has, which were so far proven by no one. This battle would likely be used as proof for his hypothesis that the ability 'Pixilate' exists. Even if some would simply attribute this one-shot to a critical strike.
The hidden ability 'Pixilate' of Sylveon boosted the power of normal moves and changed their typing energy to fairy. In broad terms, Pete had described the ability as a way for Sylveon to make normal type moves 'STAB fairy moves'.
When he had written his papers, Pete was just glad the concept of S.T.A.B. or 'same-type attack bonus' was already a thing in this world. Having to prove the existence of STAB in a world with no system or game interface would be a tough nut to crack.
For example; how could you prove that a Zorua's Bite did more damage than an Eevee's? Just because they are roughly the same build and weight... there was nothing to outright measure the damage. And it still wouldn't prove anything if that Eevee was simply more or less powerful.
This battle would also be something Iris' pokemon would take a long while to get over. Iris was already fuming from the side as Sylveon had used the dark move Fake Tears to lower Fraxure's special defense before Mawile made it lose its footing for a short moment that Sylveon used to take it out in one move.
And that was the normal type move Swift. It took Pete's commentary to point out, and some more knowledgeable people in the crowd looked unconvinced, but the 'stars' Sylveon shot clearly had pink edges and dealt way more damage than they should. Which was why this match would likely serve as proof of the existence of Pixilate as well as its effects.
"Let's hope for your sake no Sylveon learns Hyper Beam any time soon," Clair whispered in a clearly annoyed manner to Pete while covering her microphone.
Pete wanted to retort, 'he didn't create Sylveon and gave it that ability. How was it his fault?', but he thought better of it. The dragon gym leader was likely just annoyed that her 'unstoppable typing advantage' was being threatened.
"Looks like Mawile knows dark moves, too, as it uses Taunt in combination with what looks to be Stockpile! It's looking to tank Hydreigon's next attack while Sylveon prepares to take out the giant dragon pokemon," Pete analyzed to get back on track with commentary.
Whitney spoke up as well, "Sylveon used Fake Tears once more, but it looks like Hydreigon is utterly unimpressed and focuses on Mawile!"
"It misses the move Dragon Rush, but it looks like Hydreigon already anticipated that as all three maws open up wide and it tries to use Dragon Pulse from close range! Mawile breaks off the Stockpile and uses Protect to shield from the three pulses, but Hydreigon anticipated that! Immediately after the Protect shield pops, it's readying another attack! All three maws light up in different energies. It's using Tri Attack!"
"If Hydreigon used Nasty Plot before, this Tri Attack is looking to deal some very real damage to Mawile," Clair added with an excited grin. Hydreigon was truly doing dragon pokemon proud.
There was no immunity to dragon moves for fairy pokemon in this world, so it showed that Mawile was a little inexperienced with battles now that it used Protect to defend against a dragon move with Stockpile already up. But even with Tri Attack not being normal type but Ice, Electric and Fire all combined, it wouldn't do much damage to a tanky Mawile. Unless, of course, it gets burned and loses some of its attack power.
Luckily for Mawile, that didn't happen. It couldn't have happened if either of the two fairy pokemon had used Misty Terrain, but 'Pete's signature fairy move' wasn't a move a lot of pokemon knew. The TM of it was exceedingly rare because despite Pete being popular, fairy pokemon were still rare and rarely used by trainers.
Despite his papers, fairy pokemon, if caught, were still mostly used as companions for their agreeable and cheerful nature after all.
Sylveon had used the opportunity of Hydreigon using two moves in quick succession to land a few more stars from the move Swift with changed fairy typing.
Hydreigon quickly dodged the attacks, but Swift never misses. After the stars passed their target, like boomerangs, they came back and hit Hydreigon regardless of the miss.
Recognising Sylveon as the bigger problem, the dragon pokemon snapped out of Mawile's taunt and quickly beat its wings to close the distance between it and Sylveon.
"While moving over in a quick aerial maneuver, Hydreigon shoots off another Tri Attack at Sylveon, but it protects itself with Light Screen! Sylveon runs away using Agility to get some distance between them as it strafes in the direction of Mawile. Mawile's maw begins to glow with steel typing energy, and it manages to land a hit on Hydreigon after its Roar did nothing to Mawile. Going by the damage the steel type bite dealt, it was likely the retaliation move Metal Burst!"
Whitney looked to Pete with an exasperated expression as she couldn't believe all the 'obscure moves' the assistant professor knew and said into the mic, "And Sylveon looks like it wants to end the battle with the same move it continued to use the entire match! More Swift stars are reaching the Hydreigon, who is once more forced into a brawl with the tanky Mawile."
Clair continued from that before the fight ends and she only said two sentences, "Hydreigon is on the backfoot again, getting a Fire Fang blocked by Mawile's Protect and a follow up Fire Spin blocked by a well timed Light Screen from Sylveon. Sylveon looks to be using Helping Hand as Mawile retaliates with a super effective Ice Fang!"
Whitney commented, "Hydreigon is taking attack after attack, but it's not going down. Iris looks very aggrieved right now. If only her Fraxure had lasted a little longer!"
"Oooh, that's Dazzling Gleam! Sylveon takes out Hydreigon with yet another doubly super effective fairy move that squarely hits it center mass! The accumulated damage was too much, and Hydreigon goes down! Valerie advances to the finals where she meets Jasmine, the ground pokemon specialist," Clair concluded the end of the match as the referee declared Hydreigon unable to continue battle.
Whitney announced a one hour break where Valerie's pokemon would be given time to rest as the two trainers moved to the stand for the after-match interview.
Iris behaved very much like a spoiled brat and a sore loser when talking to Clair. But when she talked to Whitney, she behaved much better, and when she talked to Pete, she would only pout and not answer. He later learned she was also mad at him for his 'discovery of so many fairy pokemon and moves'.
Valerie, on the other hand, was very pleasant and enthusiastic. She politely thanked Pete for giving fairy pokemon a chance during the interview, which deepened both Clair and Iris' frown, but she revealed a different side of her when the interview was over.
"I'd like to visit your farm for a more in-depth talk, Professor Lang," Valerie ordered more than she asked.
Pete was a little surprised at the change in tone, so he simply asked, "Uh sure, but what for?"
"My Spritzee. You have written about an evolution for it called Aromatisse. But it wasn't proven yet, and I want my Spritzee to be the first documented evolution. You are the only one I would trust to help it with her evolution... and the only one I know who could even help..."
Pete furrowed his brows for a short while before shaking his head. There were wild Aromatisse, and clearly, they weren't Spritzee before that found a satchel filled with perfume before. So he wrote about how it likely needed an overdose of floral scents... or any pleasant scents. He could probably whip something like that up on his farm and give it a few tries.
"I mean, yeah. Spritzees are simply too elusive, too rare. Don't have any on my farm yet. But we actually do have confirmed evolutions already out of Kalos. It's just that the video doesn't prove much. Professor Sycamore filmed three Spritzee evolve in a flower field by chance. And one Nurse Joy came back home to an evolved Aromatisse once and didn't know what happened," Pete mused.
Valerie gave Pete a brilliant smile and simply stayed quiet with folded hands until the interview was over. Whitney watched it all with narrowed eyes and a mischievous smile. Clair inwardly groaned at all the attention Pete was getting, she still had something to talk about with him after the tournament...
One hour after the last match ended, the final match was announced. Valerie, who had by this time joined her pokemon together with Pete, who fed both a Leppa Berry from his farm, walked away with a carefree smile.
When both trainers walked on the pitch and the referee asked if both trainers were ready, Valerie raised a hand and calmly said, "I surrender."
The stadium burst out into murmurs and hushed discussions. Nobody could truly fault the fairy pokemon trainer with the typing disadvantage. Some argued that Valerie's pokemon were simply too exhausted after taking on that monster of a Hydreigon, while others cited that Jasmine simply had the odds stacked in her favor.
Steel was super effective versus Sylveon, ground super effective versus Mawile, and Jasmine's pokemon had demonstrated nothing but monstrous coordination and power throughout the whole tournament. The young ground pokemon trainer once more cemented that she was one of the most promising upcoming trainers of the region.
Most people in the audience were simply disappointed that they wouldn't be able to see another high-quality battle, and only Iris was truly mad, muttering 'coward' and 'stupid fairy' under her breath the whole time as she watched Jasmine getting handed a medal for first prize.
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