Pokémon Eclipse II - Light of Harmony

by moviemaster8510

Chapter 8 - Checkmate

Sam and his students stood with bated breath as Alice’s ball came open, their speculations of what the white energy spilling out of it would form into a complete mystery. It then turned large and serpentine, and as the light faded to reveal its red, shimmering body, the students cheered upon realizing that her Gyarados was up next.

Jordan stood still, ensuring that his strategy would not be betrayed by his body language. “So now you bring it out.”

“And unless your other two Pokémon can Mega Evolve,” Alice mentioned, “that’s one advantage I’ll always have over you!”

Jordan stayed silent, waiting for her to do the deed.

“And here it is!” Alice raised her left arm and placed her fingers on top of the Key Stone inside her Z-Ring, the rainbow-colored marble beginning to glow brightly. “Respond to my heart Key Stone! Beyond evolution! Mega Evolve!”

Spiral chains of DNA-shaped energy shot out of the Key Stone, enlarging as they snaked through the air on their way to the Gyaradosite in the broach on Alice’s Pokémon’s chest. Once the chains linked trainer and Pokémon together, Gyarados roared as it tremored, a light traveling over its body from the Mega Stone out until it was fully enveloped.

Gyarados’s chest swelled as two large fins unfolded from the sides of its back and the trident-like appendage on its forehead extended up. Finally, the light broke off of its body like glass to reveal its Mega Gyarados form, which cried out a deeper roar than before.

“Oh yeah!” Forest Flare cheered. “This Jordan’s toast now!”

“Heck yeah, he is!” Smolder pounded the kirin’s hoof with her fist.

Jordan widened his stance as he grabbed a Poké Ball from his clip. “That’s it…”

Alice strengthened her stance as she watched Jordan aim the Poké Ball at his Turtonator and returned it back in, wondering what strategy she would need to employ in the next few moments. After putting Turtonator’s ball back onto his clip, he took out another and tossed it out into the battle field.

“You’re on, Arctozolt!”

Alice gasped upon hearing the name. With the ball opening and shooting its energy onto the ground, the Pokémon Alice and Mega Gyarados saw indeed matched the name Jordan gave for it. The creature appeared to be back half of a large fish, it’s anal fins now serving as a pair of stubby legs. From the snow-covered top half of the body was a yellow head that appeared both reptilian and avian, it’s claws appearing out the front.

“What?” Ocellus gasped. “That Pokémon’s from the Galar region! Who is this guy?”

“All Yona knows is Alice in big trouble now!” she nervously stated.

Alice frowned, already starting to see the advantage she’d been given turning into something of a possible curse. “Either way, we have a couple turns to do something! Mega Gyarados! Attack with Dragon Rage!”

Reeling its head back, Mega Gyarados slung it back forward and hurled a comet of draconic aura at the Arctozolt’s body, hitting it dead center and causing it to fall on its bottom. Despite the rough hit, the Pokémon happily roared before sniffing in the massive rope of snot dangling from its snout and standing back up on its feet.

“So you Mega Evolve your Pokémon just to attack mine with Dragon Rage?” Jordan appeared bored and disappointed. “Are you really going to play that cautiously?”

“I’ve spent enough time in the Galar region to know Arctozolt’s abilities and its signature attack,” Alice spitefully explained, “I’m not going to walk into that one, even if I have to take it out with a thousand paper cuts! Now again, Mega Gyarados! Use Dragon Rage!”

Mega Gyarados fired another aura ball, hitting its same target. Arctozolt rolled back a ways before it swung itself back onto its feet, still strong and ready to make its long-awaited counter attack.

“I sure hope that was all worth it,” Jordan sighed. “Now, Arctozolt! Attack Mega Gyarados with Freeze-Dry!”

Alice winced, hoping for the best. As the ground beneath Arctozolt froze over, the creature let out a shriek sounded just as chilly. At that moment, the temperature around Alice seemed to plummet, the warmth seemingly being drawn out of her body as Mega Gyarados began to get covered in a thick layer of frost.

“Mega Gyarados!” Alice cried.

Her Pokémon let out a last bellow out to the ceiling as its body turned immobile and frozen, having now turned into a floating figuring held up by the magnet plates attached to its underside.

Jordan let out a harsh breath and smiled, the light of victory becoming clearer than it had ever been before that moment. “Well, that’s quite fortunate.”

“Mega Gyarados!” Alice begged. “You gotta’ attack! Use Brutal Swing, just do it!”

Alice’s Pokémon was petrified in place, unable to obey its trainer’s order. Alice let out a whimper, realizing that what she feared would now come to pass.

Jordan pointed out at Alice, getting her attention. “You’re going to lose this battle, Alice, and you have your Gyarados to thank for it!”

“Just shut up!” Alice shouted back.

“Yeah!” Smolder threw her fist up. “You tell him!”

“I still have three perfectly healthy Pokémon on me left, and two of yours are already a little worn.”

Jordan chuckled. “If you truly think that the Dragon Pulse on my Turtonator or the couple of Dragon Rages my Arctozolt took makes them ‘worn,’ then the other half of your team won’t stand a chance against the rest of mine. Now, finish this! Arctozolt, attack Mega Gyarados with Bolt Beak!”

Arctozolt lowered itself, preparing to lunge. With a scowl forming on its face, electricity sparkled off of its head before expanding and running around and down its body. With a roar, it charged at the frozen Mega Gyarados, even more electricity forming around the tip of its beak. With a herculean jump upwards, Arctozolt crashed into Mega Gyarados’s chest, breaking the ice covering it and blasting the electricity it built up onto it. Mega Gyarados roared in pain as it was flung up into the ceiling, colliding with the stony, jagged rocks and crystals above.

As shards and fragments of the ceiling began to rain down, Alice held her arms over her head to protect herself. “Mega Gyarados!”

Mega Gyaradose limply floated back to the floor as the bright aura that had transformed it covered its entire body. Halfway down, the light shattered once again, revealing its original Gyarados form.

Inside the Timburr Tavern, the eyes of the students glistened with worry to see such a strong Pokémon fall so hard so quickly.

The floor turned red even before Gyarados’s motionless body set itself down on it. “Gyarados is unable to battle. Alice Brier has… three Pokémon remaining.”

As the students whined and groaned, suddenly feeling the weight of Jordan’s haughty predictions, Alice furiously and purposefully returned her fainted Pokémon into its Poké Ball, removing her next one with her free hand.

“Oh?” Jordan’s eyebrows raised as his stance relaxed itself once more. “You really think you still have a shot. No use not trying now.”

Once the last of the red beam of Gyarados’s ball retracted into the center button, Alice flicked her wrist to send the next ball out. “Your turn, Lycanroc!”

The ball came open, the energy that spat out from it transforming into Alice’s brightly-orange wolf Pokémon, landing firmly, yet daintily on the floor.

“It’s okay, boy!” she thunderously encouraged. “He’s almost done! Now, finish him with Stone Edge!”

Lycanroc hopped up on its front paws before thrusting them back down onto the floor. With a muffled boom and a mild vibration underneath the feet of each trainer and Pokémon, a large spear of rock jutted up directly beneath Arctozolt, sending it flying and screeching in the air. Jordan winced, fully aware that this attack would be one that his Pokémon wouldn’t likely outlast. Arctozolt fell on its side hard, and Jordan kept his mouth shut, waiting until he was certain that it was truly defeated. Alice and Jordan stood and looked at Arctozolt, waiting to either hear the confirmation of its defeat or witness its stirring.

Sam and his students also leaned in closer, knowing that this attack could indeed be the decisive moment for the remainder of the battle.

Suddenly, Arctozolt slowly rolled itself up, Jordan’s smile turning wide as each hair on Alice’s head and body stood on end. Once it got up to its feet, Arctozolt let out a raspy, weakened roar; it was hurt, but it wasn’t out.

“That’s what I love to see…” Jordan shook his fist. “Now attack Lycanroc with Hydro Pump!”

Arctozolt breathed in as it appeared that its throat began to swell with liquid. Alice and Lycanroc prepared their stances to ready themselves for the oncoming attack. Slowly throwing its head forward, Arctozolt blasted a massive stream of water from its mouth like a laser, the speed of which neither Alice nor her Pokémon were prepared for. All Lycanroc could think to do was to dig its claws in and hold on as the aqueous blast pummeled it on its front, spraying water everywhere around Alice, forcing her to cover her face and hold her own ground.

“Don’t give up!” Alice screamed. “Finish him off with Accelerock!”

Alice broke into a run to her left, keeping her eyes on her Pokémon as it seemingly vanished from sight, the only sign of its whereabouts being a large outward splash from the right of the water blast. With the attack unblocked, it continued unencumbered, grazing the back of Alice’s heel as she ran away from it.

The students in the restaurant gasped at Alice’s close call, only for their eyes to be quickly drawn to Jordan’s Arctozolt, which was swiftly slashed by Lycanroc as it suddenly reappeared beside it, ending its own attack. Once Arctozolt limply rolled to a stop along the floor, the lights of the floor turned red, signaling its defeat and granting permission of the students to cheer Alice’s official halfway point to victory.

“Arctozolt is unable to battle. Jordan Wylie has… three Pokémon remaining.”

Jordan nodded, taking the minor defeat in stride as he returned his fainted Pokémon into its ball. “Excellent work, Arctozolt. You may have just guaranteed our victory.” Looking back up at Alice and Lycanroc as they returned to their spots on the battle field, he put Arctozolt’s ball back onto his clip and took out another before sending it out. “He’s almost done! Finish him, Dracozolt!”

Alice and Lycanroc both gasped as the ball came open. The creature that formed on the ground before them had an upper half that was perfectly identical to that of Arctozolt’s, though its lower half was now the green-and-red legs and tail of some ill-fitting draconic creature, most of the tail’s interior visible around the torso’s scrawny physique.

“As you can see,” Jordan clarified, “you’re not the only one who’s spent some time in Galar.”

Alice seethed, the mystery surrounding this man becoming more infuriating by the minute. “You know what? I’m done with your games! Lycanroc! Ready to finish this quickly?”

Her wolf howled in response. Alice then held up her right arm with the face of her Z-Ring facing Jordan, revealing a Z-Crystal with two smaller gems conjoined at the top and bottom points, the center crystal showing an icon featuring a the left half of a Midday-form Lycanroc and the right half of a Midnight-form Lycanroc beside each other. Jordan raised his eyes and parted his lips, calmly feigning surprise.

“Is she…?” Forest Flare turned to Smolder.

“She’s gonna’ do it!” Smolder threw her fist up, knowing what was to come.

“Alright, boy! Let’s go!” Alice crossed her arms in front of her face, the Z-Ring and Z-Crystal inside of it igniting with a bright yellow energy.

As Alice threw her arms down to her side, Lycanroc stood on its hind legs and mimicked its trainer’s stance, following through with her as they both held their arms crossed over one another. After jumping into a crouch, Alice stood straight and flexed the muscles of her arms. Both she and Lycanroc hopped back into a rightward lunge before holding their arms up once more, their backs to Jordan and his Dracozolt.

Alice’s Z-Power then exploded off her back in several large streams that flew around her and out into Lycanroc, filling it with its energy. Lycanroc purred loudly as a golden fiery aura radiated off its fur, the force of which blew a whirlwind around the room that Jordan shut his eyes tight over, avoiding the small bits of rock and pebble pelting him in the face and arms.

“Don’t close your eyes just yet!” Alice said behind the safety of her forearm. “You’re definitely going to want to try and avoid this! Can’t say your Dracozolt will be so lucky! Now go, Lycanroc! Attack Dracozolt with Splintered Stormshards!”

Lycanroc let out a howl whose noise filled the entire room, instantly stopping the whirlwind. As Jordan opened his eyes, he let out a worried sigh as the stones that blustered about a moment prior were now floating in the air by themselves. Soon, all the pieces of rock and the floor left from the battle, large and small, began to rise up at once to join the pebbles.

With a rumbling of the ground, an even larger spike of stone rose out from the floor beneath Lycanroc, and it stood firmly on top of it as it continued to rise. Once it stopped, the tip aimed right on Dracozolt, the other stones tilted and spun until their points were also locked onto Jordan’s Pokémon as well.

With another roar, the stones launched themselves at Dracozolt, each one striking it like various sizes of bullets. Finally, as the last of them made their way down, Lycanroc’s spike rocketed down at Dracozolt, which Lycanroc propelled even further down by hopping off of it and pushing it with its back legs. The stone struck just underneath Dracozolt, the explosion of rock throwing both it and Jordan backward. Jordan fell onto a knee and slid to a stop as his Pokémon, laying on its side, came to its own stop just inches from him.

The Equestrian students began to cheer loudly over the strong and spectacular attack. Sam joined them in applause, but his face remained dour, the light of the floors not changing.

As Jordan stood up, his Dracozolt slowly got up itself, weakly wagging the dust and small bits of rocks clinging to it. “That’s it. Even you won’t let a single Z-Move finish you off.”

Lycanroc huffed nervously, Alice unable to hide her disappointment. “That’s okay, Lycanroc. As far as I see it, we only have one and a half to go.”

“One and a half, you say?” Jordan shouted out. “My Kartana’s still perfectly healthy, and you just used your one and only Z-Move, while I still have mine intact…”

Alice bit the inside of her lip as Jordan raised his left arm to reveal his own Z-Ring, struggling to withhold any fearful expressions that she may have betrayed.

“I certainly won’t need one now to finish off your dog,” he finished. “Dracozolt! Attack Lycanroc with Breaking Swipe!”

Dracozolt broke into a run, each step it took shaking the ground. As it got closer to the demoralized Lycanroc, it wound its left arm back, a bright bolt-shaped blade protruding out of it. Once it was near enough, it swung its arm and the blade across Lycanroc’s face, throwing its head down to the ground. Alice yelped fearfully as her Pokémon limply crumpled and lay still.

In the Timburr Tavern, the crowd went silent. Smolder had her hands over her mouth as her eyes began to well with tears. Mikael and Grayson stood, mouths agape over the needlessly cruel and vicious way the Dracozolt chose to finish its opponent off.

With the floor of the arena turning red, the computerized voice broke the silence. “Lycanroc is unable to battle. Alice Brier has… two Pokémon remaining.”

Alice stood with her face hung low and her balled up fists trembling; Jordan and his Dracozolt relished the sight.

Finally, Alice yanked Lycanroc’s Poké Ball off her belt and brought it back inside. “Like I said, boy… one and a half down.”

As she put her ball back, she took out her penultimate choice out, jerking her head up to give Jordan and his Pokémon a fierce, icy glare that didn’t seem to faze either of them at all.

Alice sent her next Poké Ball flying. “He’s almost done! Let’s finish this, Raichu!”

Alice’s Alolan Raichu flew out from the balls energy and swirled to a stop on its spot on the battlefield, its cute, chubby physique a sheer contrast to the malformed Pokémon that it faced.

“You got the speed, buddy,” Alice encouraged, “so it shouldn’t take much more! Hit him with Psychic!”

Raichu concentrated hard as its body went aglow with magenta.

“Don’t let this rat be the one to take you out!” Jordan ordered. “Hit it with High Horsepower!”

With a shriek, Dracozolt ran forward, the rumbling of the ground beneath its feet unsteadying everyone except for Raichu, who continued to balance perfectly on it’s tail-board. Halfway into its advance, a magenta glow covered Dracozolt and forcefully slowed it down. Dracozolt screamed as it struggled to push through Raichu’s attack, though it continued to advance inch by inch.

Raichu grunted as it too struggled to hold Dracozolt back. After several seconds of effort, Raichu slouched and relinquished its force, allowing Dracozolt to push through and charge at Alice’s Pokémon. With a hop and twist to the right, Dracozolt crashed its left side into Raichu, sending it flying toward the wall behind Alice.

“Raichu!” Alice spun around and watched as her Pokémon flipped helplessly away from her. “Don’t give up! One more Psychic, now!”

At the completion of another loop, Raichu held its arms out at Dracozolt, covering both Pokémon in Psychic energy. As Dracozolt was flung forward toward Raichu, Alice’s Pokémon regained balance and swiveled itself to a stop. With Dracozolt still in its grasp, Raichu spun around, letting Dracozolt revolve around it before Raichu threw it back to the field. It landed hard in the center and limply rolled to a stop before settling down, it’s body motionless.

Jordan already pulled his Poké Ball off his clip before the floor of the battlefield glowed red.

“Dracozolt is unable to battle. Jordan Wylie has… two Pokémon remaining.”

The students continued cheering as Jordan removed Dracozolt’s body from the field with its ball.

“I think Alice has a shot!” Silverstream squealed.

“I think so too,” Gallus commented, “but still, he hasn’t sent out his Kartana or used a Z-Move yet.”

“Big deal!” Sandbar replied. “And Alice still has her Dragapult! She’ll be just fine!”

“I sure hope so…” Ocellus broke the tension with a nursing of her soda.

Jordan put Dracozolt’s ball back onto his clip and removed another, looking purposefully at it. “Okay, time to finish her off. Go, Turtonator!”

Jordan threw his ball out, which opened up and streamed its energy down to the floor. Raichu growled at Turtonator upon the completion of its formation, and it responded back with a bellowing roar.

“It’s okay, Raichu.” Alice’s voice calmed her Pokémon down. “Noivern already did a number on it.”

“It was a single Dragon Pulse,” Jordan snapped back. “And after the High Horsepower your Raichu took just now, you shouldn’t hope for it to defeat mine.”

Alice smirked, a reaction that seemed to mildly surprise Jordan. “Then I guess I have no choice then, do I?”

“What?”

Raichu, hit Turtonator with Thunderbolt!”

Sam uncrossed his arms and leaned forward, hoping Alice’s strategy would work the way they’d both hope it would.

The edge of Raichu’s tail-board raced with currents of electricity, the energy feeding up through its tail as its body glowed and its cheeks began to charge with sparks. With a shout and a thrusting of its arms, Raichu shot a large bolt of lightning into Turtonator’s chest, which spread over its body as it cried out in pain.

“Come on…” Jacqui whispered. “Come on…”

Once Raichu could no longer sustain its assault, it relaxed itself and scooted back, unsure how Turtonator would retaliate if at all. Sparks still jumped off its body as the Pokémon struggled to pick its head up. Upon managing to do so, its teeth were locked in a toothy grimace as the electricity continued to bounce all about it.

Sam clapped his hands and pumped them into fists. “Yes! Got ‘em!”

“You mean…” Silverstream excitedly wondered.

“Alice paralyze him!” Yona shouted.

The students began to cheer once again; Alice’s victory was assured now. Mikael stood silent, watching the screen intently to see how the rest of the battle would play out. Grayson took notice of this.

“You know,” he jeered, “for a non-pony, you have a pretty long face right now.”

“Jordan still has his Kartana,” he simply answered, “and he still has his Z-Move available to him. If Alice wants to beat him, she’ll need every ounce of luck she has available to her now.”

Grayson became silent himself, finding logic in Mikael’s objective observations.

“There shouldn’t be much left!” Jordan shouted at his Turtonator. “Finish it with Heavy Slam!”

With its teeth still bared, Turtonator attempted to take a step forward, but had to lift its entire right side just to swing its leg out to move. Alice smirked, knowing Jordan’s turn was wasted.

“Exactly what I needed right about now,” Alice sighed. “Target practice. Raichu! Hit Turtonator with Psychic!”

Raichu’s tailboard glowed a bright magenta before it rode it in a tight swinging turn, slinging a bow of similar energy at Turtonator. It struck Jordan’s Pokémon in the stomach, sending it sliding back to its trainer. Jordan seethed as Turtonator stumbeled and barely caught itself with its claw.

“Okay,” Jordan grunted, “we’ll trying something else. Attack it with Dragon Pulse!”

As the inside of Turtonator’s snout filled with blue, Alice took notice. “Get ready, Raichu!”

With a yap, Raichu signaled its readiness. With a shout, Turtonator fired off its bright, energetic round. It came at Raichu slow and easy to read, and with an upward spring, Raichu let the attack safely pass over it, making Jordan grunt with rage.

“Excellent, Raichu!” Alice cried. “One more Psychic should do it!”

Quickly dipping down and swinging up, another bow of psychic energy slashed its way toward the exhausted Turtonator, who closed its eyes and just awaited the inevitable. The attack hit the Pokémon across the chest once again, toppling it over onto its side where it lay still.

The cheers in the Timburr Tavern turned deafening, Sam and his students unable to hear the next announcement as the floor turned red. “Turtonator is unable to battle. Jordan Wylie has… one Pokémon remaining.”

Jordan held out Turtonator’s Poké Ball as the red beam brought it back inside. After placing it back on his belt, he took out his final Poké Ball and hung it by his side.

“And now you’re down to your last,” Alice taunted. “And I don’t care that it’s an Ultra Beast. Both of my last Pokémon are faster than it, and they’ll take it down before it has a chance to know what hit it!”

Jordan coarsely chuckled. “Your Pokémon’s speed does not matter. Their defense does not matter. The… friendships that you, your brother, and all those other people share with those damn Equestrians… do not matter.”

The restaurant’s patrons, having quieted down, began to murmur with each other, unsure what would cause him to speak so harshly about their world.

“All that matters, and all that ever will matter, is pure, raw power!” Jordan slapped the side of his Poké Ball against his chest. “They think they can infect my world with their ideals of harmony and peace. HA! And to think you managed to become the champion believing in such stupid things!”

“What is he saying?” a unicorn mare whined.

“She’s not going to let him get away with saying that!” Ocellus shouted. “Is he?”

Alice frowned, staying firm. “Those Equestrians, along with my brother and I, saved the world believing those ‘stupid’ things. And now, I’ll stay champion believing those things! Now go ahead and send your Kartana out, Jordan! We’re not afraid!”

Smolder’s unconfident frown morphed into a humbled smile. Hearing the strength in her idol’s voice, pounded her chest with the side of her fist, her faith restored.

Jordan shook his head and lobbed his ball forward, allowing his Kartana to emerge from the ball ominously unceremoniously. “Fine. Kartana, finish Raichu off with X-Scissor.”

Alice felt a chill on her back as Kartana seemingly vanished in a flash. “Raichu! Thunderbolt!”

Raichu’s bodied teamed with electricity, Kartana appearing behind it with its bladed arms already crossed in to strike. As Kartana quickly approached, Raichy spun around with its arms out, flinging its charge at Kartana just as it swung its arms out. Both Pokémons’ attacks sent their opponent’s flying back, though Kartana quickly recovered, going upright to watch as Raichu struck the ground and rolled to a stop, its tail clattering about behind it.

Though expected, Alice still couldn’t help but wince upon seeing the floor turn red for her second-to-final defeat. “Raichu is unable to battle. Alice Brier has… one Pokémon remaining.”

Alice looked back at Kartana, whose bodied became awash in a sinister reddish-orange aura that made its flex its chest out, the power coursing through it giving it new life. It then quickly glided back to Jordan, surveying the Pokémon it just defeated as Alice returned it back inside its ball.

A young green male dragon broke from his group to approach Sam, who looked down to him expectingly. “Mr. Brier, what was that, with the Kartana? Why was it glowing like that?”

Sam looked back up, the camera angle chosen on screen showing a close-up of Jordan’s ace Pokémon. “If I remember what Sun taught me about these guys, those Ultra Beasts have an ability that boosts their stats whenever it defeats a Pokémon. I can’t imagine that Jordan planned or expected for his Turtonator to fall to Alice’s Raichu, but…” Sam gulped, suddenly feeling queasy. “Excuse me.”

Sam swung around the exit to the room, leaving the dragon confused and no less worried than he was when he approached him. As he slowly returned to his group of friends, they looked up as Alice drew her final Poké Ball and threw it forward.

“Let’s end this,” she cried, “Dragapult!”

Alice’s jet-headed dragon soared out from the energy from its ball, settling into its spot with a tight swirl around.

“Yeah,” Alice recounted, “my Pokémon might not have that ‘raw power’ that your Kartana does, but as long as I can beat it to the punch, I’ll win this! Dragapult, attack!”

Dragapult shot out at Kartana, who went still as it put its arms in, ready to retaliate.

Jordan smirked. “Kartana, attack with Sacred Sword!”

Sam was about to step outside, but found himself unable to leave. Looking back to where his students were congregated, he spun around and ran back in. He came in just as Kartana’s arms, now a bright, regal blue, swung at Dragapult, who vanished before its arms could connect. Alice froze, stunned by the blatant misplay. Kartana’s body language didn’t seem to suggest the slightest bit of confusion of its foe’s whereabouts, instead floating to the center of the battlefield to await Dragapult’s return.

“Alright then…” Jordan pressed his left thumb into the base of his right thumb, a series of cracks erupting from his right wrist before doing the same to the left. “Let’s welcome him back, shall we?”

Jordan crossed his arms in front of his face, his Z-Ring and the Steelium Z inside the face going alight. As Jordan put his arms by his side, his Kartana, now compelled by the Z-Ring’s light, did the same. After both crossing their arms out, Jordan punched his fists together as Kartana banged the ends of its arms, a flash of sparks erupting from the contact. Finally, both Jordan and Kartana punched their arms forward, allowing Jordan’s Z-Power to shoot out from him and merge into his Pokémon.

Alice breathed in through her teeth; there was no longer any time to lose. “Dragapult, Phantom Force, now!”

Dragapult immediately shot out from a spectral portal that appeared in front of Kartana, a dark shadow energy formed around its head as it crashed into Kartana. Alice felt her stance get weak upon seeing that Kartana did not budge an inch from the attack; both of its arms were crossed as their intersecting points pushed against Dragapult’s snout.

The chatter in the Timburr Tavern immediately turned sour and worrisome. Sam let out a shaky breath as Jordan’s Pokémon easily held back Alice’s; hope gushed from him.

“And would you look at that,” Jordan said. “You act like strength isn’t the most important thing, and yet, it managed stopped a fully-grown Dragapult’s Phantom Force like it was nothing!”

Alice visibly bit her lip, struggling to keep her tears from appearing. “My Pokémon are still strong, but I know that’s not the only thing that matters! I know their faith in me will–”

“Kartana! Corkscrew Crash!”

Kartana flicked its arms up, throwing Dragapult’s head back and exposing its chest to it. Jordan’s Pokémon then dove at Dragapult and began to spin rapidly. Upon making contact with its chest, Kartana was now a shimmering tornado with its tip drilling into Dragapult’s body. Dragapult roared as it was thrown and pushed back to the wall, Kartana refusing to let up.

Alice looked back as her Pokémon was pressed and ran into, its resilient cries of pain growing weaker with each breath. Alice could no longer hold them back; with a clenching of her eyes, two streams of tears ran down her face. Jordan smiled joyfully as he could see Dragapult slowly failing to hold on, and he was even happier to see his opponent cry, even with her back to him.

Suddenly, with a forceful wipe with her forearm, she put on a furious façade. “This isn’t over! Dragapult, attack with U-Turn!”

With a last adrenaline-fueled roar, Dragapult pushed Kartana off its chest and threw it back, forcefully ending its attack. With its feet pushed agains the wall, it launched itself forward, the tip of its snout held as still and straight as it could. Jordan simply watched his Kartana as it floated upward and tilted its bottom half up, it’s flat body riding just over the contours of the dragon’s head, followed by the rest of its body as it failed to make any contact.

At that moment, Alice feel to her knees.

Smolder stood petrified as her empty plate slipped from her claws, causing it to shatter into dozens of pieces. Smolder’s friends, along with Sam and the rest of his students, didn’t seem to acknowledge the sharp breaking noises; they were in too much shock to care.

As the draft from Dragapult’s failed attack blew Kartana about, Jordan leaned back and howled at the ceiling. “This is it, Kartana. Finish it off with Smart Strike!”

Instantly upon regaining its balance, Kartana vanished. Dragapult swung around and looked back to where its target originally was, but the moment it realized it was no longer there, it felt a very sharp, very hard point pierce onto the top of its head. Dragapult’s eyes went wide before rolling back as Kartana dove straight down onto its foe, the tips of its arms prodded and pushing it downward. Dragapult hit the floor with a terrifying explosion of rock and dust that completely shrouded it and Kartana. The cloud suddenly began to blow out from the center, Kartana spinning its body to fan the dust away to unveil both itself and the motionless Dragapult lying motionlessly in its own crater.

Alice screamed as she ran to her Dragapult, the floor beneath her turning red. “Dragapult is unable to battle. Alice Brier has no Pokémon remaining. The champion of the Alola region is… Jordan Wylie.”

Whether it was the sad reality setting in or their bitter acceptance of it, Sam’s students began to moan and shuffle around, unsure what to do or what to say. Many of them forlornly began to leave, disappointed by the night they felt they ultimately wasted. Only a handful said farewell to Sam, who could only stare at the screen slackjawed as he watched Alice cry over the body of her defeated Pokémon.

Alice did not acknowledge Jordan as he walked past her on his way to the throne, and he and Kartana extended the same courtesy. Without as much as appreciating the seat he won, he swung back and sat himself down, his Kartana standing on the right arm. With a hard sniffle, Alice returned her Dragapult into its ball before sprinting down the steps to the teleportation pad from which Jordan emerged, bawling loud the entire way.

As Alice left the frame on the screen, the image faded to black. The show, and Alice’s reign as Champion, came to its end.

With most of the students having left, the mess on the floors, the broken plate included, looked as depressing as the air in the room felt.

Grayson blew a sigh as he began to leave. “See ya’, Mikael. It was nice knowing ya’.”

Mikael gave him a half-hearted wave as the griffon left. Following shortly after him was Forest Flare, who Smolder gave a goodbye wave to her as she approached Sam. Seeing her there, Sam knelt down to be eye level with her.

Smolder did her best to look away and keep her wet eyes hidden, but she was certain that Sam could see them, making her let them all out. “I’m sorry for breaking the plate, Mr. Brier.”

Sam put his arms out to her as she rushed into them, clutching his back as she wailed into his bosom. Sam cradled the back of her head and her back just beneath her wings, letting out a couple of muffled cries himself. Soon, Mikael, Jacqui, Divvy, and the rest of Smolder’s friends congregated around her and their teacher. As much as they needed each other in this moment, the rest of the night and the near-future ahead, would not feel any less dark any time soon.

Comments

[Spellflame]

... he believes the opposite of cosy glow
She believes it is power
He believes it hinders power

[MLPFanForever]

Oh boy... What's gonna happen now?

[Kauetheadventurer246]

This is only the beginning of this nightmare… And it is only gonna get worse.