Chapter 50: The Battle Ends, and the Finals Begin
"An Aerodactyl?" Ryan watched the ancient pterosaur soar through the sky. He recalled his Charizard and sent out his own Aerodactyl.
The two Aerodactyl were one large and one small. The large one was Ryan's, the smaller one was Assunta's. Ryan smiled faintly and said, "They're both Aerodactyl, so let's see which one is stronger!"
"Incredible! Two ancient masters of the sky will face off in this arena. Let's also point out that the fossil Pokémon in Rock Tunnel were also discovered by trainer Ryan. The Pokémon League has designated Rock Tunnel as a Fossil Pokémon Preserve. Ordinary trainers are not allowed to capture Pokémon there; only those who apply to the League can enter and capture Pokémon. Okay, enough talk, let's watch the battle!" the announcer said.
"Aerodactyl, Body Slam!" Assunta called.
"Aerodactyl, Ice Fang!" Ryan commanded.
The two pterosaurs collided violently. Ryan's Aerodactyl took the brunt of the impact, then unleashed an Ice Fang, biting fiercely into Assunta's Aerodactyl—a super effective hit that dealt massive damage.
"Darn it! Roar!" Assunta cried.
A mighty roar forced Ryan's Aerodactyl back into its Poké Ball. Then, a flash of light appeared on the field. It was Beedrill.
This wasn't looking good. Ryan had no choice but to press forward. "Focus Energy, then Twin Needle!"
"Don't give it a chance! Aerial Ace!" Assunta shouted.
Aerodactyl's immense speed was simply too much for Beedrill to keep up with. Mega Evolution could help, but there was no need to force it. Bug-type Pokémon had their own strategies. Ryan knew Beedrill was no match for Aerodactyl. Even with Mega Evolution, it could only barely hold its own. So, there was no need to reveal his trump card; save it for the next match.
"Beedrill, go for it!" Ryan shouted.
Beedrill stared at the charging Aerodactyl and pushed forward with all his might. His reckless attack successfully landed on Aerodactyl, instantly reducing its health by over half, bringing it down to the same level as Beedrill.
Then, Aerodactyl's Aerial Ace landed on Beedrill, sending it flying and crashing in front of Ryan, unable to continue battling.
Ryan silently retrieved Beedrill into its Poké Ball. Looking at the Poké Ball, he said, "Thank you for your understanding. Don't worry, I'll make you stronger. This defeat isn't a big deal. We just need to win next time."
"Go, Mewtwo!" Ryan watched Beedrill's sacrifice, feeling a pang of heartache for some reason. Looking back at the stands, the audience's reaction to Beedrill's performance was mixed, but the general sentiment was that, while a Shiny Pokémon, Beedrill was just a support Pokémon in Ryan's team.
Beedrill was his first Pokémon to catch, and his first championship-level Pokémon. While he knew he hadn't made the wrong decision, rationally analyzing the situation and making the right decision were fundamental to any trainer.
But he's human, too, with feelings. He wasn't strong enough. Forcing Beedrill to endure this—everyone probably now sees Beedrill as just a filler Pokémon.
Ryan couldn't stand this feeling. He wanted to finish the match as quickly as possible. Then, in the evening's final, he decided to let Beedrill take center stage, facing his opponent's strongest Pokémon to prove it was Ryan's ace! It was as good as any Pokémon in Ryan's team!
Mewtwo sensed Ryan's mood, a fierce look in its eyes. A powerful pressure swept across the arena, causing even the Aerodactyl in the sky to shudder.
In the games, the Pressure ability wasn't particularly powerful, merely doubling the opponent's PP consumption. But in reality, the pressure was truly evident, forcing the opponent to hesitate, creating a brief gap in the flow of their moves. Such gaps could sometimes be fatal!
"Don't be afraid, Aerodactyl! Use Body Slam!" Assunta shouted, dispelling her Aerodactyl's fear.
With a roar, Aerodactyl bolstered itself, then charged at Mewtwo with overwhelming force. Mewtwo simply extended its right hand and grabbed firmly, halting the Aerodactyl's charge mid-air.
"What! Impossible!" Assunta exclaimed.
"This is astonishing! The power of Ryan's ace Pokémon, Mewtwo, is simply incredible! How powerful must it be to render its opponent completely unable to attack!" The announcer, also shocked, shouted loudly.
"Finish it," Ryan said calmly.
Mewtwo nodded, waved its hand downward, and Aerodactyl crashed to the ground, losing its ability to battle.
"Incredible! Incredible! Ryan's Mewtwo is simply too powerful! Assunta's Aerodactyl is no match! Assunta only has one Pokémon left! What kind of trump card will she use?!" the announcer exclaimed.
"Come back, Aerodactyl," said Assunta. "It's a Psychic-type, perfect for countering you! Go, Tyranitar!"
"Naive! You underestimate Mewtwo! Do you think a Dark-type can counter Mewtwo?" Ryan said. "Mewtwo, Aura Sphere!"
Mewtwo put its hands together and stretched them forward, forming a powerful ball of energy between them. With incredible speed, the energy sphere struck Tyranitar, who was completely unable to react. Rock and Dark-types combined made Tyranitar quadruple weak to Fighting-type moves. With a single shot, Tyranitar was sent flying, left with only a sliver of health.
"Tyranitar! Darn! What kind of Pokémon is this! How can it be so strong!" Assunta was helpless. It was completely on a different level.
Ryan covered his mouth and nose to block the sandstorm whipped up by Tyranitar's Sand Stream ability. He muttered, "Mewtwo, finish it."
Mewtwo nodded, and a bullet-sized Aura Sphere struck Tyranitar in the blink of an eye. Tyranitar instantly lost its ability to fight and collapsed to the ground.
"Tyranitar is unable to battle, so the winner is Ryan from Pallet Town!" the referee announced.
"Here we go! The first finalist has arrived! Let's give Ryan a huge round of applause! Congratulations on securing his spot in the finals!" the announcer declared.
Assunta recalled Tyranitar and walked over, saying to Ryan, "What a powerful Pokémon. I accept defeat wholeheartedly. Keep up the good work in the finals. I'll be cheering you on—make sure you win the championship!"
She then extended her hand. Ryan shook it and said, "Sorry, I'm feeling a bit down right now, so..."
"Don't worry about it." Assunta patted Ryan on the shoulder and said, "I'd be upset if you didn't fight with everything you had. Even if I lose, I want to accept defeat wholeheartedly, right? So don't be so hard on yourself—take my hopes with you and bring that championship trophy home."
"I definitely will!" Ryan said seriously.
(End of Chapter)
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