HOME | DD

Description
“The second semifinal match is about to begin. Will the trainers please proceed to their respective sides and enter the arena when called,” said the voice from the loudspeaker. I stood up in the waiting area, ready to proceed as planned. It had been a long road to this point. Yet both my Pokémon and I persevered, and now we were one match away from facing my long-time rival in the finals.

However, there was one obstacle that stood in my way to that climactic battle. First, I had to defeat my own brother. Despite the fact that I had nearly six more years of experience on his, the young 13-year-old had managed to win his way to the semifinals of this yearly tournament. I grinned as I heard the announcer begin to pump up the crowd for this match. The brother versus brother story had been hyped up by the tourney sponsors when they realized David and I were related and it sounded like a pretty large crowd had turned out, although the semifinal of the state tournament is a pretty big attraction by itself. I know my parents would have trouble picking sides, but I could guarantee one thing; they were in for one heckuva battle.

“And now, the older brother of David, please welcome Daniel into the arena!” yelled the announcer and I stepped through the tunnel to the roaring applause of the crowd. The stadium was rocking and I acknowledged the crowd with a wave, then took my spot in the trainers box. I looked across the battleground to see my younger brother in position already. He shot me a cheeky grin and pointed. I followed his finger and saw where my parents and my little sister were sitting. Melissa was more into contests than battling, which is why she didn’t participate in this tournament, but then again, none of us saw my little brother making it this far either. Last year I had lost in the quarterfinals to my rival and he constantly reminded me about it throughout the weeks leading up to this tournament. It was good natured banter, but I used it as fuel for the fire when training and was confident that I could take Noah in a battle. First things first though…

“You wanna start with the Water types this time?” David called.

“Why not?” I replied, plucking a blue and brown Pokéball off my belt. I colored my Pokéballs out of boredom and because it was easier to identify which Pokéball was which. “Swampert, I choose you!”

“Blastoise, let’s do this!” On my side of the field, a huge cobalt blue-colored body with two orange gills protruding from round patches on its cheeks appeared. Swampert gave out a loud cry as it prepared for battle. On my brother’s side, a large, bipedal, blue tortoise-like Pokémon with a tough brown shell and two powerful water cannons jutting out of the top of the shell appeared. The giant video screen flashed, showing both David’s and my pictures and within the twelve bubbles total that were next to our photos Blastoise and Swampert appeared respectively.

“Let the six on six battle between David and Daniel of Indian Head begin!” said the ref and waved his flag.

“Blastoise, Rain Dance!” David commanded. The Shellfish Pokémon seemed to smile and fired two light blue orbs from its cannons into the sky. Shortly after that, black clouds covered the sky and rain began pouring down. The Alakazam in charge of protecting the crowd from any stray attacks began channeling their psychic energy into keeping the spectators dry, creating a psychic umbrella over the crowd, which left David, the ref, and myself the only ones getting soaked.

“You think his Hydro Pump needs a boost?” I asked grinning as water dripped off the brim of my hat.

“Every bit counts,” David shot back, “Blastoise, use Surf!” Blastoise roared and stomped the ground, which caused a giant wave to appear and begin bearing down on Swampert.

“Protect!” I called, not too concerned. A green force field appeared around Swampert as the wave crashed down around Swampert. Once the field drained a little, the Mud Fish Pokémon looked unharmed.

“Blastoise, use Hydro Pump!”

“Dodge, then use Mud Shot!” Swampert leaned to the side, allowing the intense jet of water to pass by and fired several brown shots of mud, which connected with the Shellfish Pokémon. Blastoise just wiped the mud away and glared at my Swampert. “Now Swampert, Hammer Arm!”

“Blastoise, use Earthquake!” Blastoise stomped the ground and the battlefield began to shake violently, stopping Swampert in his tracks. To my shock, Swampert began to sink into the ground, sinking nearly two-thirds of the way into the ground.

“Swam, Swampert Swam!” my Pokémon yelled in surprised, struggling to get free.

“Come on Daniel, don’t tell me you’ve forgotten your old Earth Science classes,” David said to me, “This is the result of liquefaction, how an earthquake messes up wet ground.”

“I know what it is!” I snapped, “Come on Swampert, you can get out of that mess!”

“Blastoise, Hydro Pump!” I swore quietly as the stream of water hit my Pokémon full in the face. “Don’t let up Blastoise, keep pouring it on!”

“Buy some time with Protect!” I yelled, grasping for an idea. Thankfully, Swampert put up the shield and I lamented my decision not to teach Swampert Dig.

“Break through that Protect with Skull Bash!” Blastoise began charging towards Swampert, its head glowing slightly.

‘I’ve got to get Swampert out, but how?’ I thought to myself, as Blastoise bounced off the Protect. After that hit, the force field faded and Swampert was exposed. ‘I got it!’ “Swampert, use Aqua Tail to get out of there!”

“Skull Bash again, before it can get out!” It was a race against time, as Swampert ignored the charging Shellfish Pokémon and squirmed in its confinement. I found myself holding my breath in anticipation. Then, in an explosion of water and dirt, Swampert burst out of the ground, its tail covered in the essence of the attack. However, Blastoise arrived at the same time and knocked my Swampert back, though Swampert remained on its feet.

“Mud Shot!” I yelled quickly and Blastoise was knocked back by the ferocity of the attack. “Now use Hammer Arm!” Swampert shot through the mud field that was the battlefield with surprising speed to one unfamiliar with the Mud Fish species and connected solidly with Blastoise’s gut. It was send skidding back in from of its trainer, who was smiling. I returned the smile, enjoying the adrenaline rush one gets from an exciting battle.

“Nice job Dan, using the mud on the field to help Swampert’s speed. I know how much it loves to play in the mud,” David said, “But I also know how much you prefer close combat to long range duels, which is how I’m going to win this battle. Blastoise, Hydro Pump!”

“Duck and use your own Hydro Pump!”

“Hit the deck Blastoise!” Both shots missed and gave the Alakazam protecting the spectators another problem to worry about.

“Circle Blastoise with Ice Beam!” I ordered. Swampert fired the light blue beam, not to hit Blastoise, but the ground to the front and side of the Shellfish Pokémon. It worked beautifully and Blastoise was now unable to maneuver quickly. “Now use Hammer Arm and Aqua Tail in your triple C!” Swampert charged forward, using the mud to gain momentum and hit the ice sliding, its glowing arm knocking Blastoise back off its feet. Swampert then spun, quickly moving into a barrage of Hammer Arms and Aqua Tails.

“Into your shell Blastoise!” David ordered quickly. Blastoise withdrew its limbs and bunkered down, literally. Swampert continued to pummel the shell, which I knew was getting to Blastoise in there, even if not as badly as it could have been.

“Alright Swampert, fling Blastoise into the air and finish it off with one last Hammer Arm!” I yelled, sensing victory was near. Swampert grabbed Blastoise’s shell and launched him into the air. It then prepared its attack, readying a glowing white arm.

“Big mistake big brother,” David called, “Blastoise, Hydro Pump!” The cannons on Blastoise’s back popped out of its shell and launched another powerful stream of water, catching Swampert off guard. The force from the cannons sent Blastoise even higher into the air. “Now use Skull Bash to finish this!” Blastoise finally came out of its shell and began to fall headfirst, its skull glowing white as well.

“Protect!” I called, amazed at the sudden turn of events. Swampert wiped the water off of its face and put up the green force field once again. It would be Blastoise’s offense versus Swampert’s defense and at the speed Blastoise was descending, I wasn’t sure who would win. Finally, Blastoise hit the shield and to my dismay, the sheer force of the Skull Bash combined with the extra high shattered the shield and struck Swampert head on. My Pokémon was thrown back and it collapsed, knocked out.

“Swampert is unable to battle, Blastoise wins!” The referee yelled, waving his flag. I was stunned. Then I pulled out Swampert’s Pokéball and recalled the unconscious Mud Fish Pokémon.
“You did your best, Swampert, I’m proud of you,” I said as I replaced the Pokéball in its usual spot.

“Blastoise, return, I’ll need you later,” I heard my brother say.

“Nice job,” I complimented him, “But don’t let it go to your head.”

“You’re on upset alert bro,” he replied, smiling, “and I’m the crowd favorite. Listen.”
Sure enough, the crowd was going nuts at David’s first round victory.

“Looks like David is off to a good start, claiming the first victory of the battle,” the announcer said into his microphone, “And judging from the intensity of this battle, we’re in for a great show!” That was the first time I actually made out what the announcer said. I was aware of him giving color commentary throughout the battle, but I didn’t spare him any attention and therefore didn’t know what he was saying throughout this round.

“That’s out of pity for being the little brother,” I shot back.

“Let’s see you say that after I beat you,” David countered, “Grass types?”

“Fine, but we use our Dragon types after this,” I answered, grabbing the green Pokéball off my belt. “Let’s go Sceptile!” A bipedal green lizard-like Pokémon with six yellow seeds on its back, two razor sharp leaves on each arm, and a palm tree branch like tail appeared, ready for battle. “Sceptile, we’re facing my brother, be careful, he’s a tricky one.” Sceptile nodded and faced David.

“Venusaur, let’s make it two in a row!” A large, quadruped blue dinosaur with large red flower with six expansive, white-spotted petals, supported on a brown trunk somewhat like that of a palm tree on its back materialized out of the Pokéball David threw.

“Saur!!” it cried, announcing its challenge to the arena. Sceptile just grunted and crouched, ready to move with lightning speed.

“First things first,” David said nonchalantly, “Venusaur, use Sunny Day!”

“Finally,” I said, “Now my clothes can start to dry out.” Venusaur created an orange ball of energy in its flower, then fired it up into the cloudy skies. After a few seconds, the clouds dissolved, the rain ceasing to fall, and the sunlight brightened considerably, creating a warm feeling on the battle field. The Alakazam dropped their psychic umbrella and went back to their posts, ready to stop any stray attack from hitting the crowd.

“Venusaur versus Sceptile, begin!” the ref shouted.

“Venusaur, Razor Leaf!” The Seed Pokémon launched several sharp leaves at high speed toward my Sceptile.

“Dodge it,” I commanded. Using the speed that blessed its species, Sceptile easily avoided the attack. “Now use your own Razor Leaf!” With a flick of its hand, Sceptile created several leaves of its own in its hand and with another flick flung them in a ninja-throwing-star like motion towards Venusaur. Venusaur simply took the attack head on, looking fine.

“I didn’t know Sceptile could learn Razor Leaf,” David said.

“They usually can’t,” I admitted, “But my Sceptile seems to be the exception. He’s known that attack since he was a Treecko. I’m not complaining, it’s a nifty long range move that’s caught many an opponent off guard.”

“Yeah, well you probably know that it won’t work well against a Grass and Poison type.”

“It’s my way of saying that I’m done warming up and it’s time to get serious. Sceptile, Dragon Claw!” Sceptile’s hands glowed red as it charged towards the Seed Pokémon.

“Venusaur, Solarbeam!” David commanded. Venusaur gathered solar energy quickly due to the bright sunlight and fired a powerful beam towards the Forest Pokémon charging towards it.

“Duck!” I yelled as Venusaur fired. Sceptile lost a few leaves off its tail from the close call, but other than that, he managed to avoid the Solarbeam. “Now strike!” Sceptile’s claws had never lost its red glow and it slashed Venusaur, making it flinch a little at the pain.

“Use Strength to knock it back!” Venusaur became surrounded in a faint white aura and charged towards Sceptile.

“Roll with the blow, then begin charging an Energy Ball!” I ordered. Sceptile complied and took minimal damage from the Strength attack, then created a green ball of pure energy in its hands. The seeds on Sceptile’s back began glowing and the Energy Ball increased to a size larger than a normal Energy Ball.

“What’s with the glow?” David asked.

“I’m taking advantage of the sunlight you so generously provided,” I replied. “Sceptile is part plant, so he can use photosynthesis to generate energy, albeit not as efficiently as a Venusaur or a Bellossom. Sceptile and I trained so that he can use the sunlight to make his Energy Ball attack more powerful, sort of like a Solarbeam, but not actually learning the attack.”

“Nice,” David said appreciatively, “I might try that sometime. First off, Venusaur, block that Energy Ball with a Solarbeam, then follow with Razor Leaf!” The Solarbeam and Energy Ball attacks collided, creating an explosion. Then several leaves came through and struck Sceptile, knocking it backwards a little.

“Alright, Sceptile, use Razor Leaf to get close, then unleash your Iron Blade Close Combat Combo!” I yelled. Sceptile began to advance, throwing several leaves at Venusaur, using them as more cover than damage. Using its impressive speed, Sceptile reached Venusaur and began to attack with combinations of Leaf Blade and Iron Tail. With a long green blade protruding from each arm and a silver tail, Sceptile was quite the fearsome sight. The attacks were swift and powerful. Years of training had gone to perfecting this combination, a variation of Close Combat that I was rather fond of. Five out of my six Pokémon had variations of a Close Combat, despite only one actually knowing the move. Memories of long summer days spent trying to achieve such combinations flashed through my mind, and I smiled, knowing that it was all leading up to the final battle with my rival.

“Venusaur!” David called desperately, “Use Strength to knock Sceptile back!” Sceptile leapt, flipped in the air, and met Venusaur’s attack with an Iron Tail. The two Grass type Pokémon struggled for a bit, then Sceptile was thrown back due to Venusaur having the ground to brace against. “Now use Petal Seed!”

“Petal Seed?” I wondered aloud, “Sceptile, on your guard! They’re up to something.” I could see the petals forming inside Venusaur’s flower, but I couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. The Petal Dance fired, pink petals swirling about in an unpredictable pattern towards Sceptile. “Use Razor Leaf to cut through the petals!” But as many as Sceptile sliced apart with pinpoint accuracy, three more petals took its place. Soon Sceptile was blanketed by pink petals, which would have looked almost comical if it weren’t for the fact that vines were sprouting from the petals and wrapping Sceptile even more tightly. Sceptile let out a cry as the vines began to sap his energy and send it to Venusaur.

“Like my combo?” my little brother asked, smiling, “Venusaur put a Leech Seed on each of the petals and now Sceptile is helpless.”

“It isn’t over yet,” I shot back, my mind running faster than a Speed Form Deoxys. “Sceptile, use Leaf Blade to get out!” Sceptile’s form stopped struggling madly against the suffocating attacks, then two long, curved, green blades shot out and began to cut away the combination attack.

David gaped. “Nobody’s ever escaped it before.”

“First time for everything,” I said cheerfully as with a roar, Sceptile broke free completely from the vines and petals. “Now Sceptile, use Aerial Ace!” Sceptile charged towards Venusaur almost faster than the eye could follow, with white streaks of energy surrounding its body. The blow Sceptile struck was enough to knock the heavy Seed Pokemon onto its back, where it slowly rolled over back onto its legs in a daze. “Finish it with Iron Tail!” Sceptile leapt into the air, its tail turned silver, and began to descend, flipping into a final blow.

“Venusaur, Solarbeam!” David cried, trying to take back the initiative. Venusaur gathered the energy, but had lost track of Sceptile and was taken by surprise when the Iron Tail hit with a long ‘clang’. The Solarbeam fired harmlessly into the sky, accompanied by the sound of Venusaur collapsing to the ground in a heap. “No!”

“Nice job Sceptile!” I yelled in victory as the crowd went nuts.

“Venusaur is unable to battle, the victor is Sceptile!” The referee announced. I grinned at David, whose frustration at losing a battle he thought he had won was showing.
“Told you I was getting serious,” I said, pulling out Sceptile’s Pokéball and recalling the Forest Pokemon, which made his picture of the video screen fade to gray.
David recalled his fallen Venusaur and grabbed another Pokéball as Venusaur’s picture faded to black on the screen.
“Grr… I’ll show you who’s better. Charizard, let’s go!” A large, orange, dragon-like Pokémon with a flaming tail and powerful wings formed from the Pokéball and it roared a loud challenge when it saw me, sending a strong Flamethrower into the sky.

I rolled my eyes at his challenge. “I said we were using Dragon types, not Fire types.”

“I changed my mind.”

That got another rolling of the eyes from me as I grabbed a red and brown Pokéball from my belt. “You’re just doing that to annoy me.”

“And it’s working.”

“Sure. Come on out Blaziken, it’s time for battle!” Mostly red in coloration, with accentuations of beige, yellow, and gray, and long, beige-colored, hair like feathers extending behind its head, continuing downward to envelop some of its chest and abdomen, Blaziken, my first Pokémon, materialized from its colored Pokéball. I remembered receiving the Torchic egg when I was 10, remember when it first hatched. Years of tender care and training made Torchic (who when first hatched was no bigger than some of those non-Pokémon creatures, I think they’re called chicks, maybe baby chickens) into my strongest Pokémon, the Blaze Pokémon standing in front of me. Blaziken’s wrists flared into action when he saw the Charizard standing on the far side of the battlefield. Blaziken looked at me with questioning eyes as his and Charizard’s pictures appeared on the video screen.

“Blaze, Blaziken Blaze?” he asked. (Translation: Is that really your brother over there?)

“Yes, partner, it is. We have to beat him in order to battle Noah, and I know how much you want that rematch with his Infernape,” I answered.

“Blaziken Blaze,” Blaziken answered (You know me well), and turned back to face Charizard.

“Charizard versus Blaziken, ready, begin!” The ref yelled.

Part 2 coming soon...

Description
“The second semifinal match is about to begin. Will the trainers please proceed to their respective sides and enter the arena when called,” said the voice from the loudspeaker. I stood up in the waiting area, ready to proceed as planned. It had been a long road to this point. Yet both my Pokémon and I persevered, and now we were one match away from facing my long-time rival in the finals.

However, there was one obstacle that stood in my way to that climactic battle. First, I had to defeat my own brother. Despite the fact that I had nearly six more years of experience on his, the young 13-year-old had managed to win his way to the semifinals of this yearly tournament. I grinned as I heard the announcer begin to pump up the crowd for this match. The brother versus brother story had been hyped up by the tourney sponsors when they realized David and I were related and it sounded like a pretty large crowd had turned out, although the semifinal of the state tournament is a pretty big attraction by itself. I know my parents would have trouble picking sides, but I could guarantee one thing; they were in for one heckuva battle.

“And now, the older brother of David, please welcome Daniel into the arena!” yelled the announcer and I stepped through the tunnel to the roaring applause of the crowd. The stadium was rocking and I acknowledged the crowd with a wave, then took my spot in the trainers box. I looked across the battleground to see my younger brother in position already. He shot me a cheeky grin and pointed. I followed his finger and saw where my parents and my little sister were sitting. Melissa was more into contests than battling, which is why she didn’t participate in this tournament, but then again, none of us saw my little brother making it this far either. Last year I had lost in the quarterfinals to my rival and he constantly reminded me about it throughout the weeks leading up to this tournament. It was good natured banter, but I used it as fuel for the fire when training and was confident that I could take Noah in a battle. First things first though…

“You wanna start with the Water types this time?” David called.

“Why not?” I replied, plucking a blue and brown Pokéball off my belt. I colored my Pokéballs out of boredom and because it was easier to identify which Pokéball was which. “Swampert, I choose you!”

“Blastoise, let’s do this!” On my side of the field, a huge cobalt blue-colored body with two orange gills protruding from round patches on its cheeks appeared. Swampert gave out a loud cry as it prepared for battle. On my brother’s side, a large, bipedal, blue tortoise-like Pokémon with a tough brown shell and two powerful water cannons jutting out of the top of the shell appeared. The giant video screen flashed, showing both David’s and my pictures and within the twelve bubbles total that were next to our photos Blastoise and Swampert appeared respectively.

“Let the six on six battle between David and Daniel of Indian Head begin!” said the ref and waved his flag.

“Blastoise, Rain Dance!” David commanded. The Shellfish Pokémon seemed to smile and fired two light blue orbs from its cannons into the sky. Shortly after that, black clouds covered the sky and rain began pouring down. The Alakazam in charge of protecting the crowd from any stray attacks began channeling their psychic energy into keeping the spectators dry, creating a psychic umbrella over the crowd, which left David, the ref, and myself the only ones getting soaked.

“You think his Hydro Pump needs a boost?” I asked grinning as water dripped off the brim of my hat.

“Every bit counts,” David shot back, “Blastoise, use Surf!” Blastoise roared and stomped the ground, which caused a giant wave to appear and begin bearing down on Swampert.

“Protect!” I called, not too concerned. A green force field appeared around Swampert as the wave crashed down around Swampert. Once the field drained a little, the Mud Fish Pokémon looked unharmed.

“Blastoise, use Hydro Pump!”

“Dodge, then use Mud Shot!” Swampert leaned to the side, allowing the intense jet of water to pass by and fired several brown shots of mud, which connected with the Shellfish Pokémon. Blastoise just wiped the mud away and glared at my Swampert. “Now Swampert, Hammer Arm!”

“Blastoise, use Earthquake!” Blastoise stomped the ground and the battlefield began to shake violently, stopping Swampert in his tracks. To my shock, Swampert began to sink into the ground, sinking nearly two-thirds of the way into the ground.

“Swam, Swampert Swam!” my Pokémon yelled in surprised, struggling to get free.

“Come on Daniel, don’t tell me you’ve forgotten your old Earth Science classes,” David said to me, “This is the result of liquefaction, how an earthquake messes up wet ground.”

“I know what it is!” I snapped, “Come on Swampert, you can get out of that mess!”

“Blastoise, Hydro Pump!” I swore quietly as the stream of water hit my Pokémon full in the face. “Don’t let up Blastoise, keep pouring it on!”

“Buy some time with Protect!” I yelled, grasping for an idea. Thankfully, Swampert put up the shield and I lamented my decision not to teach Swampert Dig.

“Break through that Protect with Skull Bash!” Blastoise began charging towards Swampert, its head glowing slightly.

‘I’ve got to get Swampert out, but how?’ I thought to myself, as Blastoise bounced off the Protect. After that hit, the force field faded and Swampert was exposed. ‘I got it!’ “Swampert, use Aqua Tail to get out of there!”

“Skull Bash again, before it can get out!” It was a race against time, as Swampert ignored the charging Shellfish Pokémon and squirmed in its confinement. I found myself holding my breath in anticipation. Then, in an explosion of water and dirt, Swampert burst out of the ground, its tail covered in the essence of the attack. However, Blastoise arrived at the same time and knocked my Swampert back, though Swampert remained on its feet.

“Mud Shot!” I yelled quickly and Blastoise was knocked back by the ferocity of the attack. “Now use Hammer Arm!” Swampert shot through the mud field that was the battlefield with surprising speed to one unfamiliar with the Mud Fish species and connected solidly with Blastoise’s gut. It was send skidding back in from of its trainer, who was smiling. I returned the smile, enjoying the adrenaline rush one gets from an exciting battle.

“Nice job Dan, using the mud on the field to help Swampert’s speed. I know how much it loves to play in the mud,” David said, “But I also know how much you prefer close combat to long range duels, which is how I’m going to win this battle. Blastoise, Hydro Pump!”

“Duck and use your own Hydro Pump!”

“Hit the deck Blastoise!” Both shots missed and gave the Alakazam protecting the spectators another problem to worry about.

“Circle Blastoise with Ice Beam!” I ordered. Swampert fired the light blue beam, not to hit Blastoise, but the ground to the front and side of the Shellfish Pokémon. It worked beautifully and Blastoise was now unable to maneuver quickly. “Now use Hammer Arm and Aqua Tail in your triple C!” Swampert charged forward, using the mud to gain momentum and hit the ice sliding, its glowing arm knocking Blastoise back off its feet. Swampert then spun, quickly moving into a barrage of Hammer Arms and Aqua Tails.

“Into your shell Blastoise!” David ordered quickly. Blastoise withdrew its limbs and bunkered down, literally. Swampert continued to pummel the shell, which I knew was getting to Blastoise in there, even if not as badly as it could have been.

“Alright Swampert, fling Blastoise into the air and finish it off with one last Hammer Arm!” I yelled, sensing victory was near. Swampert grabbed Blastoise’s shell and launched him into the air. It then prepared its attack, readying a glowing white arm.

“Big mistake big brother,” David called, “Blastoise, Hydro Pump!” The cannons on Blastoise’s back popped out of its shell and launched another powerful stream of water, catching Swampert off guard. The force from the cannons sent Blastoise even higher into the air. “Now use Skull Bash to finish this!” Blastoise finally came out of its shell and began to fall headfirst, its skull glowing white as well.

“Protect!” I called, amazed at the sudden turn of events. Swampert wiped the water off of its face and put up the green force field once again. It would be Blastoise’s offense versus Swampert’s defense and at the speed Blastoise was descending, I wasn’t sure who would win. Finally, Blastoise hit the shield and to my dismay, the sheer force of the Skull Bash combined with the extra high shattered the shield and struck Swampert head on. My Pokémon was thrown back and it collapsed, knocked out.

“Swampert is unable to battle, Blastoise wins!” The referee yelled, waving his flag. I was stunned. Then I pulled out Swampert’s Pokéball and recalled the unconscious Mud Fish Pokémon.
“You did your best, Swampert, I’m proud of you,” I said as I replaced the Pokéball in its usual spot.

“Blastoise, return, I’ll need you later,” I heard my brother say.

“Nice job,” I complimented him, “But don’t let it go to your head.”

“You’re on upset alert bro,” he replied, smiling, “and I’m the crowd favorite. Listen.”
Sure enough, the crowd was going nuts at David’s first round victory.

“Looks like David is off to a good start, claiming the first victory of the battle,” the announcer said into his microphone, “And judging from the intensity of this battle, we’re in for a great show!” That was the first time I actually made out what the announcer said. I was aware of him giving color commentary throughout the battle, but I didn’t spare him any attention and therefore didn’t know what he was saying throughout this round.

“That’s out of pity for being the little brother,” I shot back.

“Let’s see you say that after I beat you,” David countered, “Grass types?”

“Fine, but we use our Dragon types after this,” I answered, grabbing the green Pokéball off my belt. “Let’s go Sceptile!” A bipedal green lizard-like Pokémon with six yellow seeds on its back, two razor sharp leaves on each arm, and a palm tree branch like tail appeared, ready for battle. “Sceptile, we’re facing my brother, be careful, he’s a tricky one.” Sceptile nodded and faced David.

“Venusaur, let’s make it two in a row!” A large, quadruped blue dinosaur with large red flower with six expansive, white-spotted petals, supported on a brown trunk somewhat like that of a palm tree on its back materialized out of the Pokéball David threw.

“Saur!!” it cried, announcing its challenge to the arena. Sceptile just grunted and crouched, ready to move with lightning speed.

“First things first,” David said nonchalantly, “Venusaur, use Sunny Day!”

“Finally,” I said, “Now my clothes can start to dry out.” Venusaur created an orange ball of energy in its flower, then fired it up into the cloudy skies. After a few seconds, the clouds dissolved, the rain ceasing to fall, and the sunlight brightened considerably, creating a warm feeling on the battle field. The Alakazam dropped their psychic umbrella and went back to their posts, ready to stop any stray attack from hitting the crowd.

“Venusaur versus Sceptile, begin!” the ref shouted.

“Venusaur, Razor Leaf!” The Seed Pokémon launched several sharp leaves at high speed toward my Sceptile.

“Dodge it,” I commanded. Using the speed that blessed its species, Sceptile easily avoided the attack. “Now use your own Razor Leaf!” With a flick of its hand, Sceptile created several leaves of its own in its hand and with another flick flung them in a ninja-throwing-star like motion towards Venusaur. Venusaur simply took the attack head on, looking fine.

“I didn’t know Sceptile could learn Razor Leaf,” David said.

“They usually can’t,” I admitted, “But my Sceptile seems to be the exception. He’s known that attack since he was a Treecko. I’m not complaining, it’s a nifty long range move that’s caught many an opponent off guard.”

“Yeah, well you probably know that it won’t work well against a Grass and Poison type.”

“It’s my way of saying that I’m done warming up and it’s time to get serious. Sceptile, Dragon Claw!” Sceptile’s hands glowed red as it charged towards the Seed Pokémon.

“Venusaur, Solarbeam!” David commanded. Venusaur gathered solar energy quickly due to the bright sunlight and fired a powerful beam towards the Forest Pokémon charging towards it.

“Duck!” I yelled as Venusaur fired. Sceptile lost a few leaves off its tail from the close call, but other than that, he managed to avoid the Solarbeam. “Now strike!” Sceptile’s claws had never lost its red glow and it slashed Venusaur, making it flinch a little at the pain.

“Use Strength to knock it back!” Venusaur became surrounded in a faint white aura and charged towards Sceptile.

“Roll with the blow, then begin charging an Energy Ball!” I ordered. Sceptile complied and took minimal damage from the Strength attack, then created a green ball of pure energy in its hands. The seeds on Sceptile’s back began glowing and the Energy Ball increased to a size larger than a normal Energy Ball.

“What’s with the glow?” David asked.

“I’m taking advantage of the sunlight you so generously provided,” I replied. “Sceptile is part plant, so he can use photosynthesis to generate energy, albeit not as efficiently as a Venusaur or a Bellossom. Sceptile and I trained so that he can use the sunlight to make his Energy Ball attack more powerful, sort of like a Solarbeam, but not actually learning the attack.”

“Nice,” David said appreciatively, “I might try that sometime. First off, Venusaur, block that Energy Ball with a Solarbeam, then follow with Razor Leaf!” The Solarbeam and Energy Ball attacks collided, creating an explosion. Then several leaves came through and struck Sceptile, knocking it backwards a little.

“Alright, Sceptile, use Razor Leaf to get close, then unleash your Iron Blade Close Combat Combo!” I yelled. Sceptile began to advance, throwing several leaves at Venusaur, using them as more cover than damage. Using its impressive speed, Sceptile reached Venusaur and began to attack with combinations of Leaf Blade and Iron Tail. With a long green blade protruding from each arm and a silver tail, Sceptile was quite the fearsome sight. The attacks were swift and powerful. Years of training had gone to perfecting this combination, a variation of Close Combat that I was rather fond of. Five out of my six Pokémon had variations of a Close Combat, despite only one actually knowing the move. Memories of long summer days spent trying to achieve such combinations flashed through my mind, and I smiled, knowing that it was all leading up to the final battle with my rival.

“Venusaur!” David called desperately, “Use Strength to knock Sceptile back!” Sceptile leapt, flipped in the air, and met Venusaur’s attack with an Iron Tail. The two Grass type Pokémon struggled for a bit, then Sceptile was thrown back due to Venusaur having the ground to brace against. “Now use Petal Seed!”

“Petal Seed?” I wondered aloud, “Sceptile, on your guard! They’re up to something.” I could see the petals forming inside Venusaur’s flower, but I couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. The Petal Dance fired, pink petals swirling about in an unpredictable pattern towards Sceptile. “Use Razor Leaf to cut through the petals!” But as many as Sceptile sliced apart with pinpoint accuracy, three more petals took its place. Soon Sceptile was blanketed by pink petals, which would have looked almost comical if it weren’t for the fact that vines were sprouting from the petals and wrapping Sceptile even more tightly. Sceptile let out a cry as the vines began to sap his energy and send it to Venusaur.

“Like my combo?” my little brother asked, smiling, “Venusaur put a Leech Seed on each of the petals and now Sceptile is helpless.”

“It isn’t over yet,” I shot back, my mind running faster than a Speed Form Deoxys. “Sceptile, use Leaf Blade to get out!” Sceptile’s form stopped struggling madly against the suffocating attacks, then two long, curved, green blades shot out and began to cut away the combination attack.

David gaped. “Nobody’s ever escaped it before.”

“First time for everything,” I said cheerfully as with a roar, Sceptile broke free completely from the vines and petals. “Now Sceptile, use Aerial Ace!” Sceptile charged towards Venusaur almost faster than the eye could follow, with white streaks of energy surrounding its body. The blow Sceptile struck was enough to knock the heavy Seed Pokemon onto its back, where it slowly rolled over back onto its legs in a daze. “Finish it with Iron Tail!” Sceptile leapt into the air, its tail turned silver, and began to descend, flipping into a final blow.

“Venusaur, Solarbeam!” David cried, trying to take back the initiative. Venusaur gathered the energy, but had lost track of Sceptile and was taken by surprise when the Iron Tail hit with a long ‘clang’. The Solarbeam fired harmlessly into the sky, accompanied by the sound of Venusaur collapsing to the ground in a heap. “No!”

“Nice job Sceptile!” I yelled in victory as the crowd went nuts.

“Venusaur is unable to battle, the victor is Sceptile!” The referee announced. I grinned at David, whose frustration at losing a battle he thought he had won was showing.
“Told you I was getting serious,” I said, pulling out Sceptile’s Pokéball and recalling the Forest Pokemon, which made his picture of the video screen fade to gray.
David recalled his fallen Venusaur and grabbed another Pokéball as Venusaur’s picture faded to black on the screen.
“Grr… I’ll show you who’s better. Charizard, let’s go!” A large, orange, dragon-like Pokémon with a flaming tail and powerful wings formed from the Pokéball and it roared a loud challenge when it saw me, sending a strong Flamethrower into the sky.

I rolled my eyes at his challenge. “I said we were using Dragon types, not Fire types.”

“I changed my mind.”

That got another rolling of the eyes from me as I grabbed a red and brown Pokéball from my belt. “You’re just doing that to annoy me.”

“And it’s working.”

“Sure. Come on out Blaziken, it’s time for battle!” Mostly red in coloration, with accentuations of beige, yellow, and gray, and long, beige-colored, hair like feathers extending behind its head, continuing downward to envelop some of its chest and abdomen, Blaziken, my first Pokémon, materialized from its colored Pokéball. I remembered receiving the Torchic egg when I was 10, remember when it first hatched. Years of tender care and training made Torchic (who when first hatched was no bigger than some of those non-Pokémon creatures, I think they’re called chicks, maybe baby chickens) into my strongest Pokémon, the Blaze Pokémon standing in front of me. Blaziken’s wrists flared into action when he saw the Charizard standing on the far side of the battlefield. Blaziken looked at me with questioning eyes as his and Charizard’s pictures appeared on the video screen.

“Blaze, Blaziken Blaze?” he asked. (Translation: Is that really your brother over there?)

“Yes, partner, it is. We have to beat him in order to battle Noah, and I know how much you want that rematch with his Infernape,” I answered.

“Blaziken Blaze,” Blaziken answered (You know me well), and turned back to face Charizard.

“Charizard versus Blaziken, ready, begin!” The ref yelled.

Part 2 coming soon...