"Heh. You've got guts, I'll give you that." Darren grinned at Ricky. "All right, bring out your last Pokémon. Let's see how long this one lasts."
Ricky glared at him and pulled out his final Poké Ball.
"Dracovish, you're up!"
A flash of light burst across the battlefield, revealing one of the strangest-looking Pokémon Aaron had ever seen. It had a massive blue head attached to an awkward green body, two powerful legs, and no arms whatsoever. The whole thing looked like several different creatures had been pieced together without much concern for whether the result made sense.
It was Dracovish, a rare Water/Dragon-type Pokémon.
Aaron immediately checked its information.
[Name: Dracovish]
[Gender: Female]
[Nature: Rash]
[Type: Water/Dragon]
[Ability: Strong Jaw — Increases the power of biting moves by 50%.]
[Base Stats Total: 505]
[Level: Elite (Mid Stage)]
[Potential: Class Champion]
[Known Moves: Crunch (Perfect), Bite (Perfect), Ice Fang (Master), Psychic Fangs (Master), Dragon Pulse (Master), Earthquake (Master), Dragon Breath (Master), Super Fang (Proficient), Ancient Power (Proficient), Protect (Proficient), Rock Tomb, Outrage, Hydro Pump, Iron Head...]
[Description: Dracovish, the Fossil Pokémon. It possesses tremendous physical strength and an exceptionally powerful bite. In ancient times, its jaws made it a fearsome predator that few ordinary Pokémon dared approach.]
"Draco!"
Dracovish let out an eager cry the moment it appeared.
Darren stared at it, then looked back at Ricky.
"Another Dragon-type? Seriously? Did you come here to battle or just show off your collection?"
Ricky scowled. "Worry about your own Pokémon. This is my last one, so come on!"
"Fine." Darren gestured casually. "You can have the first move."
Ricky did not hesitate.
"Dracovish, Rock Tomb!"
"Draco!"
Ground-type energy surged around Dracovish as chunks of stone tore free from the battlefield and rose into the air. A moment later, they shot toward Luxray like cannonballs.
"Luxray, dodge!"
"Lux!"
Luxray darted between the incoming rocks with feline agility, weaving around one after another. There were simply too many to avoid forever, however, and one eventually slammed into its side.
Luxray grunted and staggered, but the hit did not appear to do much damage.
That was not Ricky's real objective anyway.
Broken rocks now littered the battlefield, restricting Luxray's movement.
Ricky's expression brightened.
"There! Dracovish, Earthquake!"
"Draco!"
Dracovish stomped down hard.
The battlefield immediately began to shake as cracks raced across the ground and a violent Ground-type shockwave surged toward Luxray.
Darren saw the situation just as quickly.
"Protect!"
"Luxray!"
A transparent barrier snapped into place around Luxray.
Earthquake crashed into it.
"RUMBLE!"
The entire area shook violently, but the barrier held firm. By the time the tremors finally subsided, Luxray was completely unharmed.
Darren reacted immediately.
"Don't give it another chance! Quick Attack, then go straight into Wild Charge!"
"Lux!"
White light surrounded Luxray as it exploded forward.
Its speed rose sharply under Quick Attack, and before the acceleration had even faded, violent arcs of electricity erupted across its entire body.
"Crackle!"
In an instant, Luxray became a black-and-blue blur wrapped in lightning.
Ricky's eyes widened.
Darren had chained the two moves together.
Quick Attack gave Luxray the initial burst of acceleration, then Wild Charge turned that momentum into a devastating head-on assault.
"Dracovish, dodge!"
Too late.
Dracovish was not particularly fast to begin with, and Luxray had already crossed most of the battlefield before Ricky finished shouting.
"BOOM!"
Luxray slammed into Dracovish at full speed.
Electricity exploded across the point of impact.
"DRACO!"
Dracovish cried out as its massive body was launched backward. It flew across the battlefield and crashed heavily into the wall, smashing out a deep crater before dropping to the ground.
Its eyes were already spinning.
It did not get back up.
One hit.
That was all it had taken.
Darren's Luxray had defeated Ricky's final Pokémon almost instantly.
The difference between a mid-stage Elite Pokémon and an early-stage Gym Pokémon was simply too large, especially when the stronger Pokémon was being commanded by a Trainer who had already spent a full year studying and battling at Crown University.
"Dracovish!"
Ricky stared at his fallen Pokémon, but there was no response.
The referee immediately raised his flag.
"Dracovish is unable to battle! All three of Ricky's Pokémon have been defeated. The winner is Darren!"
Cheers and chatter broke out around the battlefield as the result was announced.
Ricky stood there in silence.
His glorious freshman debut had officially ended in defeat.
...