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Pokemon Grand Tour Round 3 - James VS Cory

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James breathed in deeply as a pleasantly crisp breeze wafted over him. It had been quite a while since he had visited the region of Sinnoh, but he was happy to set foot in it again after so long. There were quite a few fond memories involving this region, not to mention that he had caught two of his team members the last time he came here.

He took a look around at the most recent stop in the tournament. The participants were staying at Hotel Grand Lake, a luxury resort that was located near the Valor Lakefront; the battle itself was going to take place in a couple days at the repurposed lake bed of the former Lake Valor. James was a bit saddened at the thought of the loss of one of Sinnoh's greatest natural landmarks, but he was glad that the region had eventually moved on from Team Galactic's brutal attack.

James' stomach let out a slight gurgling noise, reminding him of the reason why he had exited his room in the first place; it was lunch time and he hadn't eaten anything that morning due to getting up late. Taking a last look at the magnificent view of the nearby beach, James locked the door to his assigned bungalow and headed towards the center of the resort.

While he could have eaten at the famous Seven Stars Restaurant that was on the premises, one typically ran into frequent battles while eating there. Despite the food there apparently being some of the best in the entire region, James wasn't in the mood for fighting for his meal. He was satisfied with the small food court that the hotel also had, for those who were looking for a less eventful mealtime experience. Besides, he didn't want to reveal too much about his team to future opponents if he could help it.

Within very short order, James selected his meal and began to look for a free seat. It was quite crowded, especially due to all of the contestants staying at the resort in addition to the usual tourists that came to visit the region. As he was scanning the crowd though, something in particular caught his eye: a young man with brown and yellow hair was playing with his Arcanine, petting it affectionately and laughing as it leaned on him to lick his face.

Although other trainers had their pokemon out to enjoy mealtime as well, James could tell that this particular pair had a very deep bond from the way they interacted with each other. He stopped to think about this a bit. While it was true that he had originally signed up for this tournament for battling, he was still a Pokemon Researcher in-training. His whole focus was on the relationship between humans and pokemon, and how they positively benefit each other. Perhaps this would be a good opportunity for some observations? He hemmed and hawed a bit before approaching the young man.

"Hey, do you mind if I sit here?" asked James.

The young man raised an eyebrow in response, but shrugged and motioned to the empty seat next to him. As James sat down on the offered seat, the young man began to talk to him.

"You're in this tournament too right? I think I've seen you around before, you look familiar."

James nodded before extending a hand out. "Yeah. My name's James, James Sterling."

"I'm Cory, nice to meet you," said Cory as he shook the offered hand.
"So... was there any particular reason you wanted to sit here?"

James internally panicked slightly, realizing how odd his sudden request must have seemed out of the blue like that.

"Ah, um, sorry. It's just that I saw you and your Arcanine..."

"You mean Powell here? What about him?" asked Cory, gesturing to his companion, who was staring curiously at James.

Steadying himself, James collected his thoughts and began to explain.

"I'm studying to become a Pokemon Researcher, and I want to focus my research on the bonds between pokemon and people. Out of everyone here, I could tell that you two share some of the strongest bonds I've ever seen between trainer and pokemon. I was just curious, and I wanted to take a closer look, sorry." James glanced down somewhat sheepishly.

"A Pokemon Researcher huh?" said Cory, tilting his head slightly. "I knew a few of those back when I was an active part of the Ranger Union."

"You were a Ranger?" This was certainly an intriguing tidbit of info for James.

"I technically still am, I'm just not on active duty unless the Union calls me back into action." Cory ruffled his Arcanine's head playfully, causing him to bark happily as he leaned into his trainer's hand.

"Powell was my partner pokemon in the field, and it's thanks to him that I'm still a Ranger to this day. He really helped me out of a dark spot... and I'm forever grateful for what he did." Cory proceeded to hug his Arcanine, both enjoying the moment before Cory straightened up again.

"So you're looking into trainer-pokemon bonds right? That's a good topic to study as any I suppose. Trust me when I say that I definitely understand the importance of having a good bond with pokemon, the Capture Stylers that we Rangers use is based on that concept after all.

With the basic introductions out of the way, small talk came easy. Cory told James about his and Powell's story, and how the Arcanine had helped him realize that his pokemon understood the risks they took whenever they went on a mission, and that both Rangers and their partners needed to always work together and support each other. After Cory's first partner pokemon had become seriously injured, Cory had withdrawn into himself, afraid to put any of his pokemon at such a risk again. Powell had drawn him out of that shell, his love and affection helping to put Cory's worries to rest.

It seemed that Powell was happy to share his affection with James as well, because soon after Cory finished his story, Powell jumped James, and began giving him affectionate licks, happy to meet a new "friend".

Cory sheepishly reigned his overgrown puppy in.

"Sorry about that, Powell tends to get excited whenever he meets someone friendly," Cory said, rubbing the back of his head with some embarassment.

"Powell, lay down and behave yourself!" Cory commanded sternly.

Powell obeyed happily, still wagging his fluffy tail with excitement, but holding it in for now.

James didn't mind though, he chuckled to himself a bit as he wiped the drool from his face and readjusted his glasses. He waved off Cory's apology, saying that it was no big deal. In all honesty, James was glad to see that Cory's pokemon was so happy with his trainer.

"It certainly sounds like you guys have been through a lot; I can understand why your bond is so close," said James.

He contemplated to himself for a second before reaching down to his belt and detaching a pokeball.

"Your bond really reminds me of the one I have with one of my pokemon. Revolver here has been by my side throughout my entire journey, and has been one of the best friends I've ever had. I'd like you to meet him."

James pressed the button on the ball, releasing his trusty Klinklang. Powell gazed curiously at the strange pokemon, but he behaved himself like Cory had ordered.

Revolver had since recovered from its last intense fight, and was ready to be back in action. James smiled fondly, remembering the intense polishing and buffing session he had given Revolver. It had gotten quite dinged and battered from the fight, and James had to work hard in order to get his Klinklang back to top shape. Sure, the machines in the Pokemon Center could heal physical wounds just fine, but nothing beat some hands-on love and care sometimes.

Cory looked at the Klinklang with some interest, although Revolver moved away from Cory, a bit uncomfortable with his gaze. Revolver always had a bit of a hard time trusting strangers, but James constantly pushed his pokemon to be a bit more social and exposing him to others, like he was doing now. Still James patted his pokemon comfortingly, being careful to not catch his hands in any of Revolver's gears.

"I haven't seen a Klinklang in person before, you hardly see them at all outside of Unova, and even then they are somewhat rare as trained pokemon," Cory commented.

"Yeah, that's true, you don't see too many Klinklang out there in the world, but I never go anywhere without my best friend here," said James proudly.

Cory took a bit of a closer look, inspecting Revolver carefully. Revolver floated towards James a bit further, while James gently talked to it to calm it down. After about a minute, Cory leaned back, nodding in approval.

"Your pokemon is in great health, I can tell that at a glance," said Cory.
"Steel types can only get that polished and shiny with a lot of attention and effort, and it's quite obvious he trusts you a lot. As a Ranger, it's good to see someone treat their pokemon so well."

James was happy to see that a Pokemon Ranger approved of his pokemon. As people who were dedicated to the wellbeing of pokemon, their opinion was quite important to a researcher-in-training like he was.

Lunch went by quickly; James and Cory eventually digressed into small talk but both had a great time overall. After lunch, the two shook hands and parted amicably, Cory wishing James luck with his research, while James wished Cory luck with the tournament. The two parted ways, unaware that fate would have them meeting again sooner than they would have thought.

-000-

The talk with Cory had been both enjoyable and informative. James could even say that they were well on their way to becoming good friends, and he was definitely happy to have gotten to know a fellow rival so well.

It was late afternoon now, and James was spending some time alone before heading indoors for the night, thinking over his conversation with Cory. It warmed his heart to see such a close friendship between a trainer and his pokemon, and it had been clear that both Cory and his Arcanine had benefitted from their long partnership. The Arcanine was well cared-for and in excellent health, while Cory had been spared depression and rekindled his drive to be a Pokemon Ranger. James thought that this was some definitive proof that humans and pokemon could both help each other achieve greater things than either could alone.

When Team Plasma had first surfaced in his home region a few years back, James had begun developing doubts about the bond between humans and pokemon, what with Team Plasma pointing out many cases where pokemon potentially suffered due to human oppression. True, Team Plasma's message was eventually revealed to be a sham and an attempt to control the region, but the doubt had still lingered. Moments like this really reminded James about why he had wanted to become a Pokemon Researcher in the first place; he wanted to prove to both himself and the world that despite the hardships, humans and pokemon truly were dependant on each other and integral to each other's lives.

Smiling softly to himself, James decided to let out the pokemon he had been assigned this round. He was feeling quite warm and fuzzy on the inside at the moment, and he wanted to talk to them before the round started. Tossing four pokeballs into the air, each one burst open with a flash of light, which then reformed into familiar silhouettes.

Revolver was its usual silent self, but the way it clicked and whirred as it rotated told James that it was pleased to see him again so soon. It had taken years for James to be able to read the body language of a living pile of gears, but it had been well worth it to develop the bond they had today. He affectionately patted its central gear before turning to face his other pokemon.

Phantom the Sableye stretched as soon as he was released, and lounged on the grass with a claw on his cheek, curious about the reason why he was called out.
"Hey buddy, sorry, but you're gonna be battling again this round. Just wanted to let you know ahead of time okay?"

The Sableye grunted in understanding. True, he was a bit tired from battling constantly these past few weeks, but he would do anything for his trainer, like anyone on the team. James smiled gratefully at Phantom, glad that he was so understanding about the whole deal.

"Just hang on for a bit longer okay? I'll try to get you a well-deserved break soon."

Phantom gave James a thankful grin before James went on to talk to his other two team members.

James' third pokemon, a Ludicolo, glanced at his surroundings curiously before gasping in recognition. Indeed, Taco the Ludicolo originally had come from Sinnoh, joining James' team when it was but a mere Lotad. Immediately, he took out a small easel, brush set, paint, and other art supplies that he kept stored in his "hat".

Funny thing about Taco... despite Ludicolo being more well known for their dancing, Taco had developed an inexplicable love of painting. In fact, from what James understood from when his Meowstic had translated for him, it seemed like Taco had a dream about becoming a famous pokemon artist. Although initially rather surprised at his pokemon's dream, James had been extremely supportive, even going as far as buying the art supplies that the Ludicolo was currently using. Although James was happy that his pokemon was enjoying himself, he needed him to focus for this.

Reluctantly, he took away the easel and brush from his pokemon's hand, causing a cry of surprise and anger from Taco, whom tried to reclaim his art supplies. James kneeled down slightly so he could look Taco in the eye.

"Sorry buddy, but I'll need you to focus on the battle we'll be having; we can't have you distracted in the middle of a fight."

Taco once again attempted to grab is art supplies, clearly not paying attention to what James was saying.

With a firmer tone, James once again addressed his pokemon. "Taco, that's enough. I know you love to paint, and I know that once you get started, you hate to stop. However, you are going to be part of my primary offensive force and I can't afford to lose you from the fight just because you were too busy focusing on something else."

Taco slumped in disappointment and obvious irritation, relenting but clearly unhappy about the situation.

James leaned forward with a brief but strong hug, surprising the Ludicolo.
"I promise to let you paint to your heart's content once the battle is over. And besides, there's nothing quite like an intense fight to get your inspiration flowing right?"

The Ludicolo gave a small smile towards his trainer, and returned the hug gently. He still looked a bit disappointed, but he seemed to be in a much more understanding mood. James safely tucked the art supplies into his backpack, where they would remain safe for the time being.

And at last but certainly not least, James turned to face Grace the Togekiss, the other pokemon that he had obtained during his past venture in Sinnoh. She gave a happy coo as James stroked her head feathers and adjusted her goggles for her.
The poor thing had been left as a Togepi at the Solaceon City daycare by her previous trainer, who hadn't wanted her. She had been born with a defect in her eyes, rendering her nearly blind and thus fairly useless when it came to battling. James had taken pity on her and adopted her, working with her to become a vital member of his team and to heal her psychological scars. James had even gotten one of his fellow researchers-in-training to create those goggles she now wore, acting as makeshift prescription glasses to correct her poor vision. After making sure everything was in place, James addressed his team as a whole.

"Alrighty team, from the information I received earlier, we're going to be fighting in a triple battle."

James' team murmured to themselves a little; although they were familiar with the battle style, their trainer being from Unova and all, it wasn't one that they had participated in very often.

"I know you guys aren't used to Triple Battles, but I'm confident that you can do it. You'll just have to make sure you don't interfere with one another, and assist each other whenever you have the opportunity. I also may not be able to give commands to you all at the same time, so I'll trust you to make your own decisions as well."

James then stood up straight and confidently placed his hands at his waist.

"We can do this, team! We've been through many an adventure together, and we all pulled through any hardship we faced! Let's not let this small hurdle stop us now!"

His team cheered as they got up to practice battling at the same time with each other. They practiced for a few hours straight, but by the time they settled-in for the night, James was confident that his team was ready.

-000-

It finally was time to start yet another round of the Grand Tour tournament. A set of limousines drove up to the resort grounds, picking up the trainers for their battles. James personally thought it was a bit excessive, seeing how close Lake Valor was, but still, he had to admit that arriving in style was kind of fun. The limousines drove down a sloping ramp that started on the old lakebed's shore, before stopping at the series of arenas sitting at the bottom of the lake.

James stepped out of the limousine that he had been sharing with a few others, and headed towards the arena that he had been assigned. He was rather curious who his opponent this time around would be; certainly the last few fights had been quite an experience. If he could have battles as intense as those throughout the duration of the tournament, he would be happy.

As he stepped into the arena, he took a look across the field towards where his opponent would step in. Much to his surprise, Cory entered the arena, who much like him looked quite astonished that his opponent was the one that they had gotten to know the other day.
Cory seemed to recover the fastest, beginning to wear a confident grin, presumably to try intimidating James. James narrowed his eyes and focused, knowing that despite getting to know his opponent beforehand, he couldn't let his guard drop for a second.

-000-

Both James and Cory stared at each other intensely from across the arena, fingers hovering above their belts and awaiting the referee's call to begin the match. Finally, the highly anticipated signal was given, and both trainers threw out their 3 pokeballs.

With a burst of light, Revolver the Klinklang, Phantom the Sableye, and Grace the Togekiss materialized on his side of the arena. On the opposite, a Sawsbuck, the Arcanine he had seen the other day, and a Honchkrow appeared.

"Come on guys, Let's win this!" Shouted Cory to his team, getting them pumped up for the battle.
James made eye contact with his team instead, showing them that he trusted them to try their best. His pokemon nodded back, before returning their attention to their opponents.

There was a brief pause as both opponents sized up their competition... and then the action truly began.

"Revolver, Shift Gear, pronto!" yelled James, trying to get momentum straight from the beginning of the battle. The Klinklang began spinning faster and faster, rapidly charging up power.

"Ashley, use Sunny Day! Powell, barbecue that Klinklang!" commanded Cory, already combining his pokemon's tactics and pushing his type advantage. His Sawsbuck launched a fiery orb into the sky, dramatically increasing the amount of sunlight entering the arena, while his Arcanine gathered flames in his maw, gaining power from the intense heat.

"Get out of the way Revolver!"

Thanks to the increase in speed, the Klinklang managed to dodge most of the Flamethrower attack, but a few of its spikes still got scorched from the heat.

James was surprised that the big goofy pokemon from before could look so focused and intense now, but he pushed that thought aside as he began to strategize. He knew that he had to really push his offensive now, he couldn't just command each of his pokemon individually like this. He'd have to coordinate his entire team at once.
Even though he specialized in single battles, there wasn't anything saying that he couldn't pull off triples as well. Heck, triple battles originated from his home region, this was also a matter of national pride too!

"Phantom, Will-O-Wisp! Grace, Thunder Wave that Arcanine, help Revolver out!: James commanded.

Cory had ordered his Honchkrow, Robbers, to attack Phantom, but thanks to James' quick orders and his Prankster ability, Phantom managed to burn the black bird before it could land a hit. As the Honchkrow staggered backwards from the pain of his burn, Ashley the Sawsbuck came to her crippled ally's aid, launching a Solarbeam. It hit Phantom right in the face, causing him to fall over.

Meanwhile, Grace threw a small bolt of electricity at Powell, who was still trying to hit Revolver. Distracted as he was, the Arcanine didn't notice the Thunder Wave until it had hit, paralyzing him and dramatically slowing him down.

Grimacing, Phantom got back up, using Recover to heal some of the damage he had taken from the intense beam of light. Cory, seeing that Phantom was obviously the least sturdy pokemon on James' team, decided to take advantage of it.

"Ashley, Robbers! Gang up on that Sableye! It can't take too many hits! Get rid of that thing as quickly as possible, and we'll be able wrap up this battle before you know it!"

James grit his teeth, realizing a losing situation when he saw one. Still, he could whittle down his opponents so that they would be easier to handle later on.

"Phantom, alternate Recover and Snarl, weaken your foes as much as you can! Grace, help out Phantom with Air Slash!"

James would almost definitely lose Phantom at this rate, Neither he nor Grace were offensively-strong pokemon. However, Snarl would greatly weaken that Sawsbuck's Solarbeam, and that Will-O-Wisp that Phantom had managed to land on the Honchkrow really crippled its physical power; and from what he could see, the Honchkrow was slowly getting weaker and weaker, the burn taking its toll.

James shifted his focus back on the dueling Arcanine and Klinklang, the two respective leaders of their teams facing off in an intense firefight. Revolver was continuously alternating between Shift Gear and Return on the Arcanine, employing the classic hit-and-run maneuver. It had done similarly in countless battles, and it didn't need James' commands to do so.
The Arcanine, despite being extremely slow now compared to the Klinklang rocketing across the field, was still a major threat. The Sunny Day greatly boosted its fiery attacks, meaning even a single direct hit could very well mean a knockout. So far, the Arcanine hadn't managed to do so, but the Klinklang was constantly being grazed by flames, even partially melting a couple parts of its body.

In addition, the Klinklang had a hard time landing a hit in the first place. Powell's Flamethrower attack had quite a long range, and Return required physical contact, so it was actually rather rare for the Return attack to land. It was a bit of a stalemate at the moment, with neither side gaining ground, despite both taking damage from numerous indirect hits.

James took a quick glance at Cory, seeing him focused almost entirely on his Arcanine at the moment, apparently trusting his other two pokemon to finish Phantom off. With a mischievous grin, James formulated a quick plan.

"Revolver, break off and use Wild Charge on that Honchkrow! Grace, Thunder Wave on the Sawsbuck!"

Cory's eyes widened in alarm, but it was too late. Revolver began buzzing with electrical energy, launching into the surprised Honckrow with a full-body tackle. It didn't knock out the Honchkrow, but it looked considerably worse for wear. The Sawsbuck was also hit by the Thunder Wave attack, effectively neutralizing its Chlorophyll ability that it had been taking advantage of in her fight against Phantom.

Cory looked quite livid at the moment, but seemed to clamp down on his irritation, instead turning it into motivation to not make the same mistake twice.

"Ashley, use your strongest Horn Leech attack on that Sableye! Finish it off! Powell, make sure that Klinklang can't pull off that stunt again, keep it cornered on your side of the field!"

The Arcanine loyally barked, roughly grabbing onto the Klinklang's spiked ring with a Crunch attack, and flung it back to where they were dueling earlier, resuming his Flamethrower assault.

Despite the electricity flickering across her body, the Sawsbuck charged at Phantom and managed to pin him to the ground with her branches. The attack was a critical hit, causing the Sableye to go limp as he fainted with swirls in his eyes. Ashley on the other hand looked to be in fairly good condition, using the health she absorbed to rejuvenate her body.

The referee temporarily stopped the battle, allowing James to recall his fainted pokemon and send in a replacement. Cory was watching James carefully, awaiting his opponent's next pokemon.

"Go, Taco!" cried James as he released his Ludicolo. Taco glanced around the battlefield, taking-in the situation quickly. His eyes began to sparkle slightly, apparently feeling inspired by the intense battle scene that had just taken place. He reached up towards the brim of his hat-like lily-pad out of habit, but frowned in disappointment when he remembered that James had taken his painting supplies earlier.

The Ludicolo huffed with some irritation, but turned towards the opponent, ready to go. Seeing both sides now prepared, the referee started the match again.

"Taco, let's get rid of this sunlight! Use Rain Dance!" shouted James.

Gathering a ball of watery energy between his hands, the Ludicolo flung the orb into the sky where it began to quickly extinguish the previous Sunny Day. Dark clouds gathered around the arena, starting to block off the intense sunlight.

As the sunlight began to shrink down though, a chance beam of light swept over the battlefield, briefly catching Grace on the face, making her flinch slightly. However, the light also managed to hit her special goggles, causing them to briefly shine in the light.

Cory was ordering his Honchkrow, Robbers to take down Taco, but the shine from Grace's goggles immediately caught the Honchkrow's eye. True to his name, the giant bird simply was overcome by the urgent need to steal any shiny object he saw. With a greedy squawk, he proceeded to ignore Cory's orders and instead went for the Togekiss.

"Robbers! Get back here! You can't do that in the middle of a match!" yelled Cory, trying to get his wayward pokemon back under control.

Grace let out a surprised cry as the Honchkrow proceeded to claw at her face with his talons. There was a brief and confused scuffle as the two avians struggled against one another, but in the end, the Honchkrow was successful at wrenching the Togekiss' eyewear from her.

James, despite worrying about Grace, saw an opportunity now that one of his opponents was distracted.
"Quick, Taco, use Ice Beam on the Honchkrow, he's wide open!"
The Ludicolo complied, summoning arctic-cold energy in his mouth before firing it at the bird.

"Robbers, watch your left!" cried Cory as he tried to warn his pokemon about the imminent attack.

Unfortunately, Robbers was too busy admiring his newly acquired "shiny", to notice Cory's words, and was thus blindsided by the Ice Beam, causing him to plummet to the ground. As the dust cleared, it revealed that the Honchkrow had fallen unconscious, meaning that James had scored his first knockout of the match. Unfortunately though, the Honchkrow had let go of his treasure mid-fall, causing its lenses to become severely cracked when they hit the ground. Poor Grace would now have to continue battling nearly blind now.

James gritted his teeth. Grace was at a severe disadvantage... it would almost be like being down another pokemon. Still, he hoped for the best, and concentrated on the battle, where Cory now sent out an Aggron as his replacement.

"Alright Reynard, we can do this alright?" Cory said to his nervous-looking Aggron. "Get out there, and let's win this thing!"

Now with a bit more confidence, the Aggron stomped onto the battlefield, ready to fight.

As soon as the referee restarted the match again, the battle began anew.

"Ashley, use Sunny Day again, we have to stop this rain! Reynard, Iron Head the Togekiss, she should be an easy target!"

The Sawsbuck released a glowing ball of fiery energy into the sky, causing the rain clouds to dissipate and once again let through intense sunlight. Powell, who had previously been struggling slightly due to the rain weakening his fire moves, barked appreciatively at his teammate and once again pressed his advantage, keeping Revolver at bay.

"Grace, try to hit that Aggron with a Thunder Wave!" James shouted as he saw the Aggron charging at his helpless pokemon.

Grace tried her best, squinting her eyes intensely as she tried to make out her opponent from all of the hazy blobs of color that she saw, but it was no use, as the Aggron crashed into her with his horned head, knocking her out of the sky. She couldn't handle the super-effective move, fainting as soon as she hit the dirt.

James let out a low whistle, impressed despite the loss of his pokemon. If that Aggron could take out Grace in just one hit, it must be tremendously powerful. He'd have to keep an eye on it. But first, he had to shift the battle momentum to his side, he was down one pokemon compared to his opponent, and he desperately needed any advantage he could get.

"Taco, I'll leave the Sawsbuck to you! Keep her occupied and keep using Rain Dance whenever she tries Sunny Day!"

Nodding his head in understanding, Taco unleashed another Rain Dance, once again causing the battlefield to turn dark and rainy.

"Ashley, use-"
Cory never got to finish that command, as Taco blitzed the startled Sawsbuck, launching an Ice Beam at near point blank. The Ludicolo's Swift Swim ability granted him incredible speed in the rain, almost skating across the battlefield as he moved. Instinctively, the Sawsbuck reared backwards and unleashed a Jump Kick, knocking the Ludicolo away while he was unleashing the attack. She still got the brunt of the Ice Beam, but she managed to hurt Taco considerably as well.
Getting back up with a fire in his eyes, Taco began attacking her ferociously, barely giving her any breathing room.

What proceeded afterward was a weird sort of "weather war", where the battlefield conditions swung wildly between scorching hot and extremely damp. Taco skated rapidly around Ashley, sending Ice Beams at her from all directions, only stopping to shoot up another Rain Dance when needed. Ashley, lunged out with Horn Leeches or Jump Kicks whenever she got the opportunity, but it was clear that she was tiring rapidly.

The intermittent Rain Dances really helped out Revolver, as he was having a much easier time getting in attacking range. While in the sunlight, Powell's Flamethrowers were far-reaching and powerful, in the rain, they were less than half of their length and much weaker. Near simultaneously, Taco landed a final Ice Beam on Ashley, while Revolver crashed into Powell at full force with Return. Both pokemon went down, leaving battered, but standing pokemon on James' side.

Cory's Aggron suddenly realized that he was all alone on Cory's side of the field, his pupils shrinking as he began to hyperventilate. Cory, knowing what was coming, braced himself as his Aggron unleashed an Earthquake attack in his panic.

Weakened as it was, Revolver simply couldn't take the super-effective hit, and collapsed with a clatter of metal, falling to the ground as it lost all of its power. Taco had fallen over, but still managed to get up, although he was looking considerably roughed-up at this point.

It was a 1-on-1 duel at this point, both opponents down to their last pokemon. James' Ludicolo was in worse shape than Cory's Aggron, but James held both the type advantage and the field advantage with Rain Dance finally going uninterrupted. James would have to play it smart to pull a victory out of this, Taco didn't look like he could take more than a couple hits.

"Use your agility to your advantage Taco! Keep your distance and use Surf!"

Raising both arms, Taco summoned a huge wave of water, the constant downpour from Rain Dance simply adding to its mass and creating a towering wall that dwarfed the Aggron in stature. The Ludicolo stood atop the wave, glaring down at the clearly intimidated Aggron.

"Reynard, listen to me. The fight isn't over, and we haven't lost yet either. Keep calm, and follow my lead okay?" Cory was calmly encouraging his anxious Aggron, getting him back under control. The Aggron nodded back quickly, still looking nervous but no longer having a full-blown panic attack.

"Now Reynard, use Iron Tail on that Surf! Break up that wave with your attack!"

Reynard complied, charging his tail with bright Steel-type energy before swinging it horizontally across the approaching Surf attack. The sheer force of the Iron Tail managed to cut through the water, causing it to lose a lot of momentum and begin collapsing in on itself. Windmilling his arms, Taco struggled to keep his balance on top of the water, but began to fall back down to earth.

"Double-Edge! Hit that Ludicolo while he can't dodge your attack!" yelled Cory.

His body glowing with white light, the Aggron charged forward to intercept the falling Ludicolo.

"Ice Beam the ground Taco!" Hearing his trainer's command, the Ludicolo hastily spat out an Ice Beam. The damp ground quickly froze over, spreading over a large area.

The bulky and heavy Aggron couldn't stop in time, ending up tripping on the slick ice, and canceling his attack in the process. He still ended up colliding with Taco, but it was a much less painful impact than a full-body charge. Taco ended up clinging to his opponent's massive backside as the two continued to spin out of control.

"Giga Drain him while you are in contact!" cried James. Taco opened his mouth, drawing motes of green energy from the Aggron, while it squirmed with pain.

"Roll over and use Earthquake Reynard, get him off your back!"

Taco hastily let go of the Aggron, getting out of the way as the Aggron fell down with his full weight, shattering the ground beneath him. Although he stumbled, Taco managed to avoid most of the quake. Both opponents stood up and faced one another, taking a brief moment to catch their breath before beginning their battle anew.

-000-

It was the climax of the battle, and both James and Cory were giving it their all. Their two pokemon traded powerful blows, each doing their earnest to make their trainers proud. The nimble Ludicolo controlled the battlefield, using his water-based abilities to his fullest. His constant use of Surf almost made the arena look like a stormy ocean.

And if the arena was an ocean, Reynard the Aggron was a stubborn cliff upon which the waves crashed against. Reynard was standing up admirably, despite trembling with both exhaustion and fear. Cory had to constantly shout encouragements to keep him standing, but he was trying his absolute best.

"He can't take much more, get in close for one more Giga Drain!" Taco rushed forward , his mouth open and glowing green.

"Double Edge, strike him head-on with all your power!" Reynard's body glowed once more with a white light before sprinting with all of the speed his bulky body could muster.

The two collided with a colossal explosion, green and white energy flashing and clashing against one another. The immediate area suddenly became devoid of moisture as the warring bursts of energy violently pushed it all away from the area. The repelled water created a thick mist which obscured the two combatants from view. Both Cory and James cautiously peered at the cloud of mist, trying to see which pokemon was left standing.

-000-

The rain petered-out as the battle ended. The mist and spray gradually settled to the ground, and the sun began shining once again... revealing an utterly exhausted Taco standing over the fallen Reynard. James ran out across the field and gave his Ludicolo a big damp hug, celebrating their victory. Cory looked upset at their loss, but put on a gentle face for his Aggron, patting his head and congratulating him for a battle well-fought. He returned his pokemon before walking across the arena where James was congratulating his.

Cory held out his hand. "That was quite the battle. You certainly trained your pokemon well."
It was plain to see that Cory was rather bitter about his loss, but he maintained a professional tone as befitting a Ranger.

James didn't want any hard feelings to linger between them. He decided to speak up when he took the offered hand.

"Hey, you did an extremely good job with your team as well. I saw how hard your pokemon worked to please you, and I could tell they really looked up to you a whole lot. They must love you very much for them to fight as hard as they did today. Also, give my praises to that Aggron of yours when you get the chance, he fought and took hits like a champ."

Cory was a bit surprised to hear that last bit, but broke into a small grin. "Thanks, I'll make sure to tell him so."

"I hope that one day we'll get to battle again. I had a lot of fun!" said James with a bright smile.

Cory's grin became a full-blown smile as well. "You can definitely count on it. I'll train hard to make sure I can beat you next time!"

The two ended their handshake and began parting ways, heading for the exits. With another intense battle under his belt, James once again felt very satisfied with himself. He certainly didn't regret joining this tournament; every single fight he had was just as fun as the last.
Not to mention, he felt like he had made a lifelong friend with everything he and Cory had gone through, and he hoped that Cory felt the same way. James looked forward to the day that their paths would cross again.
For :iconpkmn-grandtour:

This was quite an endeavor to finish, but I made it. It's probably one of the longest things I ever wrote too. I tried to include more dialogue and characterization this time around; I'm not quite satisfied with the dialogue, but I think it was definitely a step in the right direction for me. It may be a bit rough, but I'm proud of everything I wrote for this.

Cory Knight belongs to :iconkeilythefox:
James Sterling belongs to me.
© 2015 - 2024 Cyberfire22
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