Chương 17: The Mask Unveiled.
Croconaw gathered elemental ice in his mouth before generously releasing the torrent into the air. However, he missed the first volley, causing the remains to splatter harmlessly into the reinforced glass barrier that protected the stands from stray attacks. The barrier's outer layer was made of a see-through, conductive material infused with electricity to resist elemental attacks. Keola had taught Jared that this was necessary because normal materials would quickly break down after a few elemental strikes. Only by negating elemental attacks with elemental energy could the barrier be effective and long-lasting. Of course it wasn't anything like an electric fence.
As Jared was lost in thought, the announcer's voice rang out, "Pidgeotto is really struggling to keep up with Croconaw's relentless ice beams! After clipping Pidgeotto's left wing, it might only be a matter of time before another!" The announcer's excitement was palpable.
"This can't go on," the masked teen muttered before shouting, "Halt! I call for a swap."
The crowd erupted in boos upon hearing this, but Hanani obliged and put a stop to Croconaw's attacks, at least for the moment.
The teen held up his pokeball, tapped it, aimed, and with a red flash of light, Pidgeotto was safely returned to its pokeball.
Meanwhile, Hanani was smirking. "Whatever you send out, it's going to end the same way," he taunted.
Scoffing, the teen sent out a new pokemon. Standing at about two feet tall, the creature's wings appeared small in proportion to its body, making it seem like it wouldn't be particularly adept at flying. However, what caught Jared's interest was the fact that the creature was holding something long and green, resembling a big leek. But unlike a normal leek, this one was sharpened and glowed green, clearly infused with some kind of energy.
Despite the significant difference in size between the two opponents, the small pokemon stubbornly held onto its sharpened leek and prepared for battle.
"Another flying type, huh? Is normal and flying all your talent amounts to? If you have nothing to resist Croconaw's Ice Beam, then nothing is going to change," Hanani taunted again.
"Mind your own business," the teen scolded in response.
"Okay, with the swap concluded, the battle will resume!" announced the referee.
With a thin smile, Hanani commanded, "Croconaw, Ice Beam!"
"Farfetch'd, Agility," the teen countered.
Croconaw snarled as he focused his eyes on Farfetch'd, unleashing a powerful Ice Beam. However, Farfetch'd was prepared for the attack. With a flap of its wings, the small duck-like Pokemon launched into action, his wings and feet glowing with a white sheen.
Moving with incredible speed and agility, Farfetch'd easily dodged and weaved around the incoming ice beams. His movements appeared almost like a dance, with his body and wings moving in perfect synchronicity to avoid the attacks. Despite staying on the ground, the pokemon seemed even more agile than a bird. Every time Croconaw attempted to predict his movements, the bird would flap his wings and redirect himself, making it impossible for Croconaw to land a hit.
Frustrated, Croconaw growled as his attacks missed their mark, unhappy that he had barely grazing a single feather on Farfetch'd's body. Croconaw then began to salivate, as he happily imagined his foe snapped in two by his jaws.
"Hanani gritted his teeth. He felt like he was being made a fool of. But he was somewhat taken aback by Farfetch'd's impressive display of agility. He had somewhat underestimated his opponent. 'but that changes now' he smirked.
Using his usual method for slippery foes, Hanani commanded! "Aqua jet into bite!" Hearing the new order Croconaw paused in his attacks, but only for a moment. With a violent glint in his eyes, the angry crock unleashed a powerful Aqua Jet that propelled him towards Farfetch'd with incredible speed. The force of the move caused a burst of water to explode around Croconaw, creating a small shockwave that rippled behind him.
But Farfetch'd seemed to have everything under control as he watched Croconaw charging towards him. Just as his opponent was about to strike, Farfetch'd deftly dodged, narrowly escaping Croconaw's sharp teeth by a hair, then with a powerful flap of his wings, Farfetch'd quickly launched a counterattack.
"Farfetch'd, use Leaf Blade!" shouted the masked teenager.
Jared noticed that the Farfetch'd appeared to be slyly grinning as if he had won a bet.
Farfetch'd's leek began to glow a bright green as he charged up energy, and then the two clashed. With a swift motion, Farfetch'd swung his leek forward, like a legendary bamboo sword, and sliced through Croconaw!
As Croconaw's previous torrent soaked the sand, the water was mixed with its own blood, but during the process, Croconaw had somehow arched its neck, snapping onto Farfetch'd's wing, salvaging the one sided exchange into an advantageous one.
The crocodile Pokemon seemed to realize the injury he had sustained, but instead, the wound only seemed to fuel him! Instead of letting go, he clamped down harder on Farfetch'd's left wing, then began tossing the smaller Pokemon around like a ragdoll. Farfetch'd stubbornly held onto his sharpened leek, refusing to let go and staking his life in the hopes of releasing one more attack. However, he was helpless, like a toy in a dog's mouth.
Gritting his teeth, the masked teen finally relented, "I forfeit this round, Farfetch'd, come back!"
Hearing the concession, Hanani ordered Croconaw to release Farfetch'd.
Hanani flashed a victorious smile, while the masked teen clicked his tongue in annoyance, "Lucky amateur."
As soon as Croconaw let go, Farfetch'd stumbled backwards, clearly worse for wear. His feathers were ruffled and his body was bruised and battered, with the worst of it concentrated on his bloodied wing. Grabbing his precious leek, Farfetch'd limped towards his trainer with his head low, ashamed at his display. Although he had great confidence, it was all over in one move.
Recalling Croconaw back to his side, Hanani could see that his Pokémon was still visibly huffing and puffing. Despite Croconaw's determination to keep fighting, it was clear that he had sustained some serious injuries.
Hanani approached his wounded Croconaw to examine the extent of the damage, and what he saw made him shake his head. Despite Croconaw's water energy trying to heal the wound on his body, the dense grass energy from Farfetch'd's Leaf Blade attack was hindering the healing process, and the wound was worsening. Hanani realized he had underestimated his opponent; Farfetch'd not only dodged Croconaw's attacks but also inflicted a severe wound despite Croconaw's thick scales.
Realizing the severity of the situation, Hanani raised his hand and called for a substitution before the next round began.
Glaring now, the teen watched as Hanani threw his pokeball into the deep pond. To his surprise, a massive Gyarados emerged from the water with a fierce roar, its serpentine body shining in the stadium lights. The sight was truly awe-inspiring.
As Gyarados hovered above the water, its jaws opened wide to reveal rows of razor-sharp teeth that glinted menacingly in the stadium lights. Its scales were a deep, almost-black shade of blue, and its eyes blazed with an intense fire that seemed to burn with the fury of a thousand suns. The water around Gyarados churned and frothed as the Pokemon flexed its massive, lean muscles, sending waves surging forward. The teen couldn't help but feel a sense of trepidation at the sight of this formidable opponent.
The masked teen assessed the situation, as he muttered under his breath, "A Gyarados... to think I would see one here. No wonder he was so confident, but it's not elite level yet, so what do I care? In the future, I will become a member of the Elite Four. How can a young little Gyarados like this stand in my way?"
With a swift motion, the teen pulled out a pokeball from his belt and shouted, "You might have a trump card, but do you think I don't? Watch this!"
As soon as he threw the pokeball, a blinding light emerged from it, as a Scizor appeared before him. The metallic exoskeleton of the Scizor glinted, with its sharp claws clicking together with anticipation of future violence. The Scizor's sleek design and sharp angles gave it an almost regal appearance.
Eyeing his opponent in the water, Scizor clacked his claws which released a small thunderclap, slightly shocking the crowd. Then his wings buzzed with a low hum, as Scizor shifted his weight slightly, ready to pounce at a moment's notice.
The masked teen couldn't resist a smirk. "Scizor's going to enjoy this, most opponant's are finished after a few moves, but I hope your Gyarados is different" he said, raising his hand in a triumphant gesture. "Still confident?"
As if suddenly realizing something, Hanani's eyes widened in surprise. "Your pokemon energy... elite level... Wait... you're Botan! What are you doing here in Alola?" he shouted!
"About time someone recognized me," Botan replied, removing his mask and hat. "I didn't think anyone in this little 'village' would, but maybe you are slightly smarter than the rest. But it's not just Botan anymore... shithead."
Jared mused over the words "Elite" and then asked himself, 'I wonder when will I reach the level where I can tell a Pokémon's general strength just by looking at them?'
Meanwhile the crowd booed at the teen's overwhelming arrogance, but the announcer's voice cut through the noise, trying to inform and appease the crowd, "Ladies and gentlemen, it seems the hidden identity of Hanani's opponent has finally been revealed today. To those that don't know, he is Botan of the Three Feathers, a rising star in Kanto. A titled trainer with all eight Kanto badges under his belt. He has made an appearance here in Alola, and he has brought his Scizor to battle against our own Hanani's Gyarados! Aren't you excited?!"
The crowd fell silent, their displeasure mixed with apprehension, as they listened to the announcer's words. But with a quick gesture from the announcer, the battle began!
Gyarados bellowed ferociously from his pond, while Scizor's wings hummed ominously, ready for action.
The two issued commands at the same moment!
"Thrash!"
"Fury cutter!"
The second after his trainers words were spoken, Scizor was already upon Gyarados, snipping away, leaving long bloody gashes despite the hardened scales.
Roaring with anger at being defiled by the much smaller bug, Gyarados arched himself, and with a mighty swing of his body, thrashed the metal insect, sending Scizor flying like a ping pong ball straight into the reinforced glass barrier!
But Botan had something to say about that and repeated his command as if the previous events had never occurred, "Fly straight back in and use Fury Cutter!"
Glaring at his foe, Scizor immediately kicked off from the glass, and in no more than a second, he was upon Gyarados, snipping away with another fury cutter. Each snip seemed to grow in strength, as the claws accumulated more elemental glow.
"Shit, push him off you with an Aqua tail!"
In response to his trainer's command, Gyarados twisted his serpentine body and swung his massive tail with incredible force, sending the pool below him hurtling forwards, but the pesky bug narrowly avoided the attack with a quick aerial dodge. Meanwhile, the water crashed into the glass barrier, causing it to shudder under the force. The crowd gasped as they watched the power of Gyarados' Aqua Tail in action, shocked speechless at the sheer force of the move.
Even Botan was a little impressed, as he commented, "Not bad, but even with that pool giving you a little advantage, it's nowhere near enough."
Hanani also acknowledged Gyarados' current state of pain and injury, but he refused to give up. In fact, he made the decision to reveal a move that he had been reserving for a crucial moment, 'Even if I can't beat him, I want to lose brilliantly, so it might as well be now!' he thought then shouted, "Gyarados twister!"
As Scizor relentlessly charged straight down towards Gyarados with greater power, Gyarados suddenly opened his jaws. The surrounding air was quickly engulfed in a cyclone of water, wind, and debris. Although Scizor reacted swiftly, buzzing away, it was too late, and he was swept up in the violent vortex, tossed and battered around like a ragdoll. His metallic exoskeleton was scraped and dented as he was hurled against the walls of the arena, and his wings were torn and tattered by the ferocious winds. But it was already decided, Gyarados lay on the ground, showing the audience that he had used all of his strength with that final attack.
However, the tenacious metal bug was still in decent shape. Eyeing his defeated foe, Scizor flew atop Gyarados head before raising his victorious metal claw into the air, while the crowd erupted in cheers, applauding the victor and somehow forgetting that they had been wishing for his defeat for most of the match.
Jared couldn't help but let out a sigh as he observed the scene before him. In this world, strength seemed to be highly valued above all else. If you were kind but weak, others would step on you, but if you were strong and arrogant, you would be revered. It was a harsh reality that he knew was not much different from Earth. History books were always written by the victor, and in this dangerous world where a single wild powerful Pokemon could easily bring disaster, it was no surprise that people would admire strength. After all, even though Botan was a foreigner, he was still part of the human race, and the stronger their trainers were, the safer the world was for everyone. Jared imagined that many would see this as a necessary evil, but Jared couldn't help but feel a sense of disgust.
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