"Let me introduce the two players," the host announced, his voice echoing across the stadium.
"The players in this match are Gary Oak and Brendan. Brendan hails from Littleroot Town and is a native of the Hoenn Region. He is also this year's Rookie Trainer. It has not been an easy journey for him to reach the final tournament."
"And on the other side," the host continued, "we have Gary Oak from the distant Kanto Region. According to our records, Gary has already claimed victory in two different Pokémon League Conferences and is considered one of the strongest contenders for the Ever Grande Conference championship."
The crowd roared with excitement as the large screen behind the host displayed images of both trainers with their previous achievements listed underneath.
The referee then stepped forward. "Are you ready?" he asked both trainers.
"Yes," Gary replied confidently.
"No problem," Brendan responded with determination.
"Alright! Let's decide the battlefield for the first half," the referee said.
A large roulette wheel appeared on the main screen, spinning rapidly before slowing down and finally stopping at the symbol of a lush, green field.
"The venue for the first half will be the Grass Field!" the referee declared. "Trainers, prepare your Pokémon!"
The enormous battlefield split open from the center, revealing a verdant grassy terrain that rose into place. The blades of grass swayed under the gentle stadium breeze, setting the stage for an intense battle.
The referee raised his flag. "This will be a full-team battle! Trainers may switch Pokémon at will, and the round will continue until one trainer's three Pokémon are unable to battle. Once that happens, we will move into the halftime break."
"Release your Pokémon at the same time!" the referee commanded.
Brendan and Gary both reached for their Poké Balls.
"Mightyena, you take the lead!" Brendan called out.
"Breloom, you're up!" Gary ordered.
With a flash of light, the two Pokémon materialized onto the grassy field.
"Migh-tyena!" Mightyena growled deeply, baring its sharp fangs.
"Bre-looom!" Breloom let out a sharp cry, flexing its arms in preparation.
[LV44 Mightyena – Quasi-Elite]
[LV45 Breloom – Gym]
As Mightyena growled, its Intimidate ability kicked in, a wave of pressure rolling off its form and reducing Breloom's Attack stat by one stage.
Gary raised an eyebrow. "Mightyena, huh? Not a bad choice," he muttered. "Considering the Hoenn Region has Poochyena practically everywhere, it's a pretty common capture for new trainers."
However, Gary wasn't too worried. Mightyena's base stats were far from threatening to a seasoned trainer like him. Outside of its Intimidate ability, it didn't have many standout traits in high-level battles.
"The battle begins!" the referee announced, lowering both flags.
"Mach Punch!" Gary commanded immediately.
"Bre-looom!" Breloom darted forward with incredible speed, its right fist glowing before it slammed into Mightyena's chest.
Bang!
The force sent Mightyena skidding back several meters. Although the Fighting-type move was super-effective, Breloom's reduced Attack meant the damage wasn't devastating.
"Follow up with continuous Power-Up Punches!" Gary ordered.
"Breloom!" The mushroom Pokémon sprinted forward again.
"Fire Fang!" Brendan countered.
Mightyena's eyes gleamed as flames erupted along its fangs. "Migh-tyena!" it snarled, lunging forward with its mouth wide.
But instead of dodging, Breloom raised its left arm to block, allowing Mightyena to clamp down. Mightyena's fangs sank in, making Breloom wince in pain, but Gary's Pokémon didn't stop — with its free right arm, Breloom drove a Power-Up Punch straight into Mightyena's forehead.
Thud!
Mightyena didn't let go. If anything, the hit made it angrier. It shook its head violently, trying to tear at Breloom's arm.
Brendan grinned. "Now we've got you!"
But his excitement didn't last long. Suddenly, Mightyena's body stiffened.
"Dynamic Punch!" Gary called out.
"Breloom!" Breloom's right fist glowed a bright white before smashing directly into Mightyena's head.
Bang!!
"Yena!!" Mightyena yelped in pain, stumbling backward. The devastating hit left it confused, staggering from side to side.
Brendan's eyes widened. "No way… Spore ability? It triggered already?! That's just bad luck."
Gary wasted no time. "Power-Up Punch, finish it!"
Breloom charged, golden fighting energy surrounding its fists as it unleashed a flurry of punches. Each blow increased its Attack power further. Mightyena howled in pain with each strike until Breloom ended the combo with another bone-crushing Dynamic Punch.
WHAM!
Mightyena was launched into the air before crashing down onto the grass, eyes swirling.
"Mightyena is unable to battle! Breloom wins!" the referee declared.
The crowd erupted.
"What a combo! Breloom took down Mightyena without giving it a chance to recover," the commentator shouted. "Its Attack power is now at maximum — Brendan is in real trouble!"
"Man, Brendan just handed Gary the momentum," someone in the stands muttered. "Why didn't he switch Mightyena out?"
"Probably couldn't," another fan replied. "Status condition and all."
Brendan sighed, recalling his fallen Pokémon. "Mightyena, return. You did well." He then pulled out another Poké Ball. "Flygon, let's go!"
"Flaaai-gon!" The desert dragon emerged, wings buzzing as it floated above the field.
[LV48 Flygon – Elite Level]
Gary's eyes narrowed. "A Dragon-type, huh? You've been hiding that one."
Flygon hadn't appeared in any of Brendan's earlier matches. This was clearly one of his trump cards.
"Stealth Rock!" Brendan ordered immediately.
Flygon clapped its claws together, summoning jagged rocks that hovered high above the field before scattering invisibly, lying in wait to damage any Pokémon that entered the field.
"Stone Edge!" Gary countered instantly.
"Breloom!" Breloom stomped the ground, summoning sharp stone spikes that shot upward toward Flygon.
"Flaai!" Flygon quickly ascended, easily avoiding the attack.
Gary frowned. "Breloom, return." He knew dragging this fight out on the ground would be risky, especially against a flying dragon.