"Now we'll take a five-minute break so that I can heal my Pokémon! Once again, thank you for waiting!" Wild's voice boomed across the arena, echoing with energy as he waved to the crowd. The lights dimmed slightly, the stage falling into a lull between chaos and calm.
The three of us sat shoulder to shoulder, watching the crowd settle. Off to the side, the boy with the long black ponytail stood quietly, his eyes scanning the audience rather than the stage. He hadn't said a word the entire match.
"Why didn't he even help the Pikachu?" Khan asked, throwing his hands up in disbelief. "He just stood there and let it get beat up by Axew!"
"I think his hate towards Electric types runs deeper than I thought," I said, gazing up at the sky. The night had fully arrived, black and vast, speckled with stars like pinpricks in a velvet.
"Yeah… I guess it does," Khan muttered, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.
He gave a long deep sigh before looking ahead. "Well, I said I was gonna beat him bad. Now I atleast have a reason to do it." He stretched his fingers, then stood with a determined crack that came from his knuckles.
I looked at him, unsure. "Do you really think you can beat Rhydon?"
"Of course I can! Why are you talking like I already lost?" he asked, his voice a mix of confidence and wounded pride.
"No, I didn't mean it like that," I said quickly to clean to misunderstanding. "It's just… Electabuzz is weak against Rhydon. And from what I remember, Gligar doesn't learn a super effective move until… let's see, was it level forthys? Maybe fiftys?" I rested my chin in my hand, thinking aloud.
Khan sighed and turned to face me more directly. "Alex, there's only one thing I want to say. You've never seen me in a one-on-one battle. And ı can proudly say that I'm invincible in one-v-ones."
I caught his eyes in disbelief, then glanced toward the ponytailed boy. Our gazes met for a moment before he turned back to the stage.
I studied Khan for a second longer, then sighed. "If you say so."
Just next to us, Sammy sat inspecting the Thunder Badge he'd earned. He turned it over slowly in his hand, then squeezed it tightly before putting in his pocket. A familiar roar from the speakers pulled his attention back to the stage.
"Looks like it's starting again," he said.
"Sorry for the wait!" Wild shouted into the microphone, his voice loud and commanding. "We're picking up right where we left off!" He turned to look backstage, scanning the area as if searching for something. When his gaze landed on the boy with the black ponytail, leaning casually against the wall and watching the crowd, his smile returned. "You, number seven! Come here!"
The boy, glanced up at the sound of his number, his grip tightening around the Pokéball in his hand. After a brief hesitation, he stepped forward and made his way onto the stage. The crowd hushed as he approached, the tension thick in the air.
Wild raised the microphone to boy's mouth, his grin widening. "And your name is?"
Kael stood tall, his eyes steady. "It's Kael… Kael Yamizawa."
With that, the atmosphere shifted. The stage beneath their feet turned from white to a lush green as Grassy Terrain took over, releasing an earthy, calming scent that seemed to settle over the audience.
Wild clapped his hands together in delight. "Now we should put on a show, am I right?" he said, his voice brimming with excitement. He reached to his side and tossed a Pokéball into the air. A massive roar echoed through the arena as Rhydon materialized, its body strong and imposing, its feet thudding against the ground as it adjusted to the stage. With a powerful roar, the stage shifted once again, turning yellow as Electric Terrain crackled to life beneath Rhydon's feet, sending sparks into the air.
Kael hesitated for a moment, staring at the towering Rhydon, then reached for his own pocket. His hand tightened around another Pokéball before he hurled it into the air. A mischievousHaunter emerged, floating above the ground with a grin that sent a chill through the crowd.
"Haunter, use Hypnosis!" Kael shouted, his voice sharp and focused.
The Haunter's eyes glowed as it waved its hand in the air, sending a wave of pink, dreamlike energy toward Rhydon.
Wild, undeterred, slammed his feet into the stage, his voice roaring with authority. "Rhydon, use Rock Blast to block the waves and send those rocks at Haunter!"
Rhydon roared in response. It slammed its feet into the ground, summoning five jagged stones from the earth. With a grunt of exertion, Rhydon launched the stones forward, disrupting the Hypnosis wave and sending the rocks hurtling toward Haunter.
"Haunter, dodge them! Fly to the sky, just like Gyarados did!" Kael shouted, his voice filled with determination.
Haunter swerved to the side, narrowly avoiding the first stone. Then, with a flick of its ghostly tail, it shot upward into the air, leaving the rocks behind.
Wild's smile didn't falter. "Oh, no youdon't!" he calledout. "Rhydon, use RockPolish, and then make those rocks your stairs!"
With a thunderous roar, Rhydon shed unnecessary weight, its body glowing with energy as it used Rock Polish. The stage beneath it rumbled as it summoned more rocks into the air. This time, Rhydon didn't throw them. It jumped onto one of the rocks, then another, climbing higher and higher until it faced Haunter at eye level.
The crowd erupted, their cheers so loud that they seemed to shake the very stage. The Electric Terrain turned from yellow to a brilliant white, sparks crackling in every direction. The lights above flashed with thunder, collecting around Rhydon's hands as it prepared for the final strike.
Kael's voice rang out again. "Haunter!" he shouted, urgency in his voice.
But Wild was quick to react. "Rhydon, use Thunder Punch!" he ordered, his voice filled with excitement.
Rhydon's fists crackled with electricity, its entire body glowing with the intensity of the Electric Terrain. The two Pokémon, suspended in the air face-to-face, locked eyes.
But just before the crash Kael and Haunter shared a twisted grin, their synchronization eerie. "Haunter, playtime is over Phantom Force!" Kael commanded, voice cutting through the rising cheers.
Just as Rhydon's crackling fist came down in a devastating Thunder Punch, Haunter dissolved into thin air, vanishing into the shadows like a wisp of smoke. Rhydon's punch struck only open air, and with a heavy roar of confusion, the beast plummeted. Gravity and its own mass pulled it earthward like a meteor.
Wild's jaw tightened as he bit down on his lower lip, eyes following Rhydon's fall.
A heartbeat later, Haunter reappeared high above, hands glowing with ghostly energy. It dropped like a hammer, shoving Rhydon's massive head downward with both hands and slamming it into the stage with earth-shaking force. The impact cracked the terrain, throwing up a dense cloud of dust.
The crowd exploded. The glowing white of the Electric Terrain instantly bled into deep green, the Grassy Terrain taking over again, pulsing with life and energy. Kael threw his arms wide and dipped his head low, basking in the roar of the crowd like it was thunder itself. His Haunter stood atop the crumpled form of Rhydon, flashing a wicked grin that mirrored its Trainer's own.
Wild, looking neither surprised nor pleased, returned his Rhydon without a word and tossed another Pokéball lazily into the air. A flash of light then silence. The Pokémon that emerged was… sleeping?
An Electivire stood in the middle of the battlefield, tall and hulking, with its arms hanging limp and its head bowed. It looked almost peaceful until Kael narrowed his eyes.
"Dream Eater, now! Finish it before it wakes up!" he ordered sharply.
Haunter shrieked, opening its mouth wide as pink, misty particles rose from Electivire's head and swirled into the ghost's gaping maw. The drain began until Electivire's eyes shot open.
The air changed instantly. The crowd fell into a silence. Electivire slowly raised its head, Red eyes glowing. It stood tall, arms like slabs of muscle veined with coursing electricity. Sparks danced between its twin black tails, arcing and snapping in the air.
It didn't look confused. It didn't roar. It didn't even blink. It watched.
First, it turned to Wild.
Wild simply raised a finger and pointed at the Haunter that had interrupted its sleep.
Electivire turned back to the ghost with the same slow, deliberate motion then began to walk. Lightning coiled tighter and tighter around its fists as it advanced, the temperature seeming to drop despite the raw electric power pulsing through the stage.
Kael flinched. So did Haunter.
"Once again Phantom Force—go!" Kael barked, snapping his hand forward.
Haunter began to phase, its form flickering and twisting into the ethereal figure but it wasn't fast enough.
With a snarl like static tearing through a speaker, Electivire appeared in front of it, as if it had simply ceased to exist in one spot and manifested in another. Its arm lashed out.
One strike
Two
Three
It grabbed Haunter mid-phase and slammed it into the ground. Then again. And again. The ghost's cries were lost beneath the sickening thuds of repeated impact. Haunter's body, incorporeal though it was, bent and cracked like something tangible beneath the monster's wrath.
Then silence.
Electivire stood still, breathing calmy, holding the limp form of Haunter in its hand like a lifeless rag. It dropped the ghost unceremoniously, letting it dissolve into red light as Kael returned it to its ball in silence.
For some time there were no cheers. No sound from the crowd.
Only the low, pulsing buzz of electricity still crackling from Electivire's fists.
Just for a second Kael's expression faltered. He said nothing, but his lips were pressed thin, his posture tense. Without wasting time, he reached for another Pokéball and something else. A flash of silver glinted in his hand, but I couldn't make out what it was.
Without hesitation,he tossed the Pokéball high into the air. It burst open with a red light,revealing a blue-scaled Nidorina, her red eyes gleaming under the arena lights. She let out a sharp cry, landing with practiced balance on the changing GrassyTerrain.
Wild sat down on the edge of the stage, elbows on his knees, doing nothing except watching.
But Electivire didn't pause. It began walking forward again, electricity coursing harmlessly through its veins, claws sparking at its sides like restrained thunder.
"Nidorina!! JUMP!" Kael shouted, voice cracking from adrenaline.
At the same time,he threw the stone into the air.
Nidorina leapt back just as Electivire's fist carved through the space where she had been, a brutal punch that could've cracked bone. But she wasn't there.
She was reaching for the Moon Stone.
The instant her paw touched it, the battlefield was swallowed by light. The Moon Stone ignited in her grasp, blinding and radiant, as Nidorina's body erupted in a cascade of rainbow energy. Her silhouette shifted and grew, her frame thickening with power, limbs becoming broader and more imposing. The light faded like moonlight behind clouds, revealing a fully evolved Nidoqueen, standing tall just as Electivire's punch met her palm.
She caught it's Thunder Punch with ease.
And with a roar, she gathered power in her arm and landed a right hook across Electivire's jaw that sent the hulking beast stumbling back several steps.
The crowd erupted. The Grassy Terrain surged greener and brighter with the excitement, vines and petals scattering across the arena floor.
But Electivire didn't fall yet.
Its eyes narrowed. No expression, no grunt of pain. It rotated its neck slowly until the crack of his backbone echoed through the stadium. And then Electivire moved.
Kael's confidence returned with fire. "Nidoqueen, hit it again! Superpower!"
Nidoqueen charged, eyes alight with adrenaline. Her arms glowed with that same blue energy as before, her speed surprising for her size. She threw herself forward into a brutal slam but this time, Electivire was ready.
The second she raised her fist, Electivire sidestepped. Just one fluid motion. Its arm flickered blue from the move IcePunch and it slammed a freezing knuckle straight into Nidoqueen's exposed ribs.
She staggered sideways, frost blooming along her scales.
Kael's eyes widened. "Poison Jab! Now!"
Nidoqueen recovered and lunged, her claws glowing purple with toxic poison. She struck once,twice scraping against Electivire's hide, but the giant barely flinched. Poison trickled along its fur, but it simply stood there, breathing steady. Still watching.
Then, Electivire raised its hand again this time with both fists glowing blue.
Brick Break
With a roar of movement, Electivire drove both arms down in a devastating arc, crashing against Nidoqueen's shoulders with the force of an avalanche. The ground cracked beneath her feet, and she dropped to one knee.
Kael was shaking now. "Earth Power! Nidoqueen, please!"
Nidoqueen snarled and slammed her fists into the ground. A surge of energy burst from the terrain in jagged, earthen spikes but Electivire leapt over them in a single, massive bound, landing behind her with a shuddering boom
Kael didn't have time to react.
Electivire's hand lit blue once more.
One final Ice Punch caught Nidoqueen square in the back, frost exploding on impact. She fell forward, crashing into the stage with a heavy thud
Silence.
Then the crowd exploded—not for Kael, not for Nidoqueen, but for the monster that stood over her fallen body, its fists crackling with aftershock and breath steady as ever.
Kael slowly lowered his hand, staring at his fainted partner, lips slightly parted in disbelief.
Wild finally stood, brushing dust off his pants as he approached center stage.
He didn't say a word.
After some seconds Kael finally snapped out of his daze he returnedNidoqueen to her Pokéball. Without a word, he turned and started walking toward the backstage, shoulders hunched, each step dragging slightly more than the last.
Wild, still standing on the stage, returned his Electivire back into its Pokéball. Then, from the inside pocket of his jeans, he pulled out a small object. A gold and shaped like a jagged bolt of lightning. The Thunder Badge.
"Hey, kid!" Wild called out.
Kael paused and looked back just in time to catch the badge Wild tossed toward him. He stared at it in his hand, stunned. The metal gleamed under the lights, warm from Wild's hand.
"…But I didn't win," Kael said, his voice low, uncertain about whether he should take it or not.
Wild shrugged and gave him a crooked smile. "I don't care. I just want you to have it."
Before Kael could say anything else, Wild spun around and pointed to someone else in the backstage. "Number three! You're next! So get ready!" His finger landed on Khan.
"Now we'll take a one-minute break before the next battle begins!" he added, raising his voice to the crowd, who erupted in cheers as he jogged toward the backstage, probably to heal his Rhydon one more time.
Kael stood there for a second, eyes scanning the crowd like he was searching for someone. Then, he gave a slight nod and made his way down toward the seating area.
"Evolving your Nidorina mid-battle was smart. Good job," I said, raising a hand for a high five as he passed by.
Kael didn't say a word. He walked right past me, not even glancing in my direction.
"…Edgy," Khan muttered, folding his arms as I turned toward him with a smile.
"So, do you have a plan?" I asked, stretching and lacing my hands behind my head.
Khan flashed his usual confident grin. "I'm gonna turn this fight into a two-on-one. Let's see how Wild handles that!"
A minute later, Wild returned to the stage, and before he could even call out, Khan was already climbing up onto it.
"Well, that's fine too," Wild said, adjusting the mic with a grin. "Now—are you ready, boy? What's your name?"
Khan took the microphone straight from Wild and raised it like a trophy, his smile stretching ear to ear.
"My name is Khan Valoris!" he shouted. "Did everybody hear that?!"
The crowd roared back, chanting his name with a rising wave of energy.
Wild let out a laugh. "That's the first time that's happened. Alright, Khan—are you ready?"
Without waiting for a reply, he threw Rhydon's Pokéball into the air. The massive armored beast landed with a thunderous crash, looking worn but still standing. It pounded one fist into the ground, glaring at the arena like it was already tired of being summoned.
Khan pulled out both of his Pokéballs, then stopped for a second before throwing one of the pokeballs high in the air.
The Gligar emerged, wings fluttering as it took to the air with a shrill screech. The pink, bat-like scorpion hovered above the battlefield, its eyes locked onto Rhydon with a mischievous glint and tongue sticking out like it was already mocking its opponent.