Chapter 71: Mr. O
~Third POV~
[Kanto Region, Indigo Plateau – Court Field No.18]
The roar of the crowd was a tangible force, a wave of sound that crashed against Azure Sky as he stood on the Court Field No.18. The air crackled with anticipation, thick with the scent of ozone from the recent battles.
He adjusted his worn cap, the brim shielding his eyes from the stadium lights, and focused on the figure across from him. Mr. O, as he was known to the public, stood with an easy grace that belied his age.
His white lab coat was impeccably clean, and his silver hair seemed to shimmer under the artificial sun of the arena, and a black mask covering Mr. O's face as he smirked. But Azure knew better.
He knew the legend that lurked beneath the surface, the history that whispered of Professor Oak, the celebrated Pokémon researcher and formidable trainer. This wasn't just another preliminary round; this was a test of everything he had learned, a trial by fire against one of the Kanto region's most respected figures.
Azure ran a hand over the Poké Balls clipped to his belt. Pikachu, his loyal partner, sat perched on his shoulder, its tail crackling with nervous energy.
Eevee, Gengar, Arcanine, Dragonite, and Scizor – his carefully chosen team, each a testament to the bonds he had forged on his journey. He had come so far, conquered so much. He wouldn't falter now.
The rules were simple, brutal in their simplicity. Two Pokémon per trainer, switchable only between those two.
First to have both Pokémon faint loses. It forced trainers to be strategic, to anticipate their opponent's moves, and to exploit every weakness. Azure had navigated the previous three rounds with a combination of brute force and cunning, carefully conserving his strength for this final hurdle.
Professor Oak said, his voice carrying clearly across the court in an impressed tone, "Well, Azure. You've certainly made quite the impression on the League. I'm eager to see what you've learned."
Azure met his gaze, a flicker of respect in his eyes. But keeping with appearances, he replied sheepishly to Mr. O, "Thank you. I've been looking forward to this battle."
The referee raised his hand. Then began to explain in a serious tone of what to expect, "Trainers, prepare for battle! This will be a two-on-two Pokémon battle. No substitutions are allowed during battle except between the chosen two Pokémon. Begin!"
Professor Oak smiled faintly. Reaching for his Poke Ball, he tossed it out as he yelled, "Let's start with a classic. Pidgeot, I choose you!"
*Pop*
With a powerful cry, a magnificent Pidgeot soared onto the battlefield. Pidgeot is an avian Pokémon with large wings, sharp talons, and a short, hooked beak. Its glossy plumage is mostly brown with cream-colored underparts and flight feathers. Its head has a decorated crest nearly as long as its body.
The center feathers of its crest are yellow, while the outer feathers are red. The fan-like feathers of its tail are red or brown. Its beak and legs are pink, with three forward-facing toes and one backward-facing toe on each foot. Behind each eye is an angular black marking.
Its plumage was pristine, its wingspan impressive, a testament to years of careful training. Azure knew the Pidgeot line well as he thought cautiously, 'Pidgeot the Bird Pokémon. They're known for their speed and aerial prowess, a top pick for trainers for a reason. They're capable of flying faster than the speed of sound… such a frightening opponent to face against, but…'
Azure gripped a Poké Ball tightly. Knowing his pick, he tossed his Poke Ball out, "Scizor, let's go!"
*Pop*
The red, mantis-like Pokémon materialized with a metallic clang, its sharp pincers gleaming in the light. Scizor's presence was imposing, a physical embodiment of power and precision.
He had chosen Scizor specifically for its type advantage against Flying-types, hoping to ground Pidgeot early. But not only that, but he also knew that Pidgeot, while fast, barely had any moves to truly damage his Scizor.
Professor Oak commented, his eyes twinkling as the match began, giving command, "A bold choice, Azure. But are you sure you have truly thought this through? Pidgeot, use Tailwind!"
*Wooosh*
Pidgeot unleashed a burst of wind, swirling around the battlefield. Azure gritted his teeth. Tailwind wouldn't damage Scizor, but it would drastically increase Pidgeot's speed, making it even harder to hit.
However, this granted him a chance to set up as he commanded, "Scizor, use Swords Dance!"
Scizor crossed its arms and span. In doing so, several blue swords glowing blue swords circle Scizor and cross together, and then Scizor glows red, raising its attack power. Azure commanded, "Scizor, Metal Claw!"
Scizor shot forward, its pincers glowing with metallic energy. Pidgeot, empowered by Tailwind, danced effortlessly out of the way, mocking Scizor's clumsy advance. Mr. O countered, "Gust!"
*Wooosh*
A powerful gust of wind slammed into Scizor, pushing it back several meters. The force of the attack was considerable, and Azure could see Scizor struggling to maintain its footing as he countered, "Scizor, stand your ground! Use Swords Dance!"
Despite the disadvantage, Scizor obeyed, focusing its energy. A crimson aura enveloped its body as its attack power sharply increased as it crossed its arms and spun.
Azure knew he needed to capitalize on this boost quickly. Mr. O, realizing this, eyes narrowed, commanded, "Pidgeot, Quick Attack!"
*Zoooom*
Pidgeot became a blur, slamming into Scizor with immense speed. The force of the impact sent Scizor tumbling, the Swords Dance aura flickering weakly.
But it was the moment he was waiting for as Scizor used its pincers, clamping hard against Pidgeot's wing. A loud crunching sound could be heard as Pidgeot recoiled its cry in pain, "! Pidgeotttt!!!"
*CRUNCH*
Flailing to get some distance, Scizor remained firm, gripping onto the Bird Pokémon's wings tightly. Lifting one of its pincers glowed as Azure commanded, "Bullet Punch!"
*SMASH*
*SMASH*
*SMASH*
Relentlessly, Scizor forced the Bird Pokémon to the ground with one of its pincers, gripping tightly to its wing. And mercilessly beats Pidgeot's face using Bullet Punch with one claw as Mr. O yelled, "Quick! Use Wing Attack to pry yourself off Scizor's attack!"
Pidgeot recoiled but tried to pry off the Scizor using its other physical moves. Unfortunately, Scizor remained defiant and kept the bird down as Mr. O struggled to find a solution to his predicament.
Unfortunately for Pidgeot, Scizor had a higher Def. Stat of 100 when compared to its 80 base Attack stat. This was one fight it couldn't win physically against.
However, Azure remained calm as he saw Pidgeot as checkmate, as he mentally thought as the two battled it out, 'This is the end, Pidgeot. Your move line only has Tackle, Quick Attack, Brave Bird, and other moves won't help you here. The only moves are Normal, Bug, Flying, Dark, and Steel. Unfortunately for you, Dark and Steel are out of your reach against my Scizor. And with that…'
*SMASH*
Slamming a Bullet Punch on Pidgeot's face, planting it to the ground, forming a crater, Scizor dusted itself off as Azure muttered his final thoughts out loud confidently, "… checkmate."
Mr. O recalled his Pidgeot as he thanked his Pokémon kindly, he said calmly, "Thank you, friend, you've done well. You can leave this to him."
Mr. O sighed, a hint of disappointment in his eyes. But he turned his attention to Azure as he prepared his next Pokémon, "You have proven to be a worthy trainer, Azure. But this is far from over. Tauros, I choose you!"
*Pop*
A muscular Tauros stampeded onto the battlefield, its nostrils flaring, its eyes burning with rage. Azure blinked, seeing this as he thought calmly, 'Okay… didn't expect that one. I thought he only had Flying Types – ah, forget it. Life can send me a curveball, so who cares at this point? I just gotta keep on winning.'
Carefully examining Tauros' level as he narrowed his eyes. He saw that Tauros was Male, and Lv.60 when compared to his Scizor, who's Lv.56.
His eyes darted towards Scizor as their eyes met. As if understanding by their glance, Azure nodded as he said calmly, "I'm sticking with my Scizor. Ain't that right, buddy?"
Scizor grinned with eager eyes for battle as it cried out, "Sci! Scizor!"
Scizor clanged its arms, showing off its metallic body gleaming under the lights. Azure knew this would be a tough matchup.
Scizor's Steel typing would resist Tauros's Normal-type attacks, but Tauros was incredibly strong and could potentially overwhelm Scizor with sheer power. And under one taught and trained under Professor Oak wasn't something to scoff at.
Mr. O saw Azure's bond with his Pokémon with a knowing grin. He looked at their teamwork and grinned mentally as he thought, 'Heh. He's like Blue and Red. Calculative and emotional towards his Pokémon. It's like mixing the best parts of Red and Blue into a person. But…'
Azure commanded, hoping to maximize Scizor's attack power, "Scizor, use Swords Dance again!"
Scizor once again focused its energy, unleashing a crimson aura of power. This time, the boost was even more significant, as Scizor had already used Swords Dance twice before having max attack power.
Professor Oak commanded, "Tauros, take him down with Raging Bull!"
*RMBL*
Tauros thundered towards Scizor, its horns lowered, ready to deliver a devastating blow as it tackled like a raging bull. Azure called out, hoping to disrupt Tauros Raging Bull, "Scizor! Mimic's Tauros Raging Bull!"
Scizor's eyes narrowed and followed Tauros' movements, shocked, and rushed perfectly against the Bull Pokémon. This move shocked Mr. O to be shocked as the two clashed heads, confronting each other head-on.
*BOOOM*
The resulting clash caused a small shockwave that forced the two to stop. But Azure didn't allow Tauros to escape as he said, "Now! Use X-Scissor!"
Mr. O frowned, not recognizing that move as Scizor's claws glowed light green. It then slashes at the opponent with its claws in an 'X' formation, leaving behind a trail of light green energy from each of its claws.
*Swooosh*
Scizor lunged forward, its pincers glowing with a bright green energy. It slashed at Tauros with incredible speed and precision, landing a critical hit showing a golden glow.
*SHINNG*
Tauros roared in pain but refused to fall. It charged forward again, determined to finish the battle.
Mr. O commanded calmly, "Tauros, use Earthquake!"
*RMBL*
The ground beneath Scizor trembled violently as Tauros unleashed Earthquake stomping the ground. Scizor struggled to maintain its balance, but the force of the attack was too much. It was thrown into the air, crashing back down onto the ground.
*THUD*
Azure gritted his teeth, seeing his Pokémon getting back up. Something that Mr. O didn't give Azure the chance to afford as he commanded, "Tauros, let's wrap it up with Giga Impact!"
*Swooosh*
Tauros charged with all its might, ready to land the final blow. However, Azure commanded as Scizor gets up, "Use Agility!"
*Swooosh*
Evading the Giga Impact at the last second, Scizor kicked itself up, narrowly avoiding the Giga Impact from Tauros. The Tauros panted and had to recharge after using Giga Impact, which Azure took to his advantage as he yelled, "Scizor! Use Roost!"
Scizor's body starts to glow brightly, allowing it to regain some of its health. Mr. O narrowed his eyes, seeing that Scizor was returning to its top form as he commanded, "Tauros use Endeavor!"
*Swooosh*
*SMASH*
Taurous uses all its strength and pushes the Scizor backwards while cutting its health to its own as Azure said, "Now! Strong Style! Close Combat!"
Mr. O's eyes widened in alarm as he yelled, "No! Use – "
*SMASH*
*BASH*
*BAM*
Scizor's body becomes surrounded by a golden aura, and it repeatedly punches the Tarous at a fast speed. Not only was it super effective, as the Tauros was too close to Scizor, as it unleashed a Strong Style Close Combat, increasing its 100 attack power to 120.
*THUD*
Mr. O's Tauros finally fainted as it fell, as the referee announced, "Tauros is unable to battle! The winner is Azure Sky of Viridian City!"
Azure grinned as he pumped a fist towards his Scizor after narrowly winning its match, "Alright, Scizor! You showed that Wild Bull, who's the top bug!"
Scizor grinned, fist bumping Azure's fist with its claw happily agreeing, "Sci. Scizor!"
The crowd fell silent for a moment, then erupted into applause. Azure had fought valiantly, pushing Professor Oak to his limit till he finally won.
Professor Oak looked stunned before slyly smiling, seeing Azure won against his Pokémon as he thought proudly, 'I see age is coming up to me and my Pokémon. But his bond with his Pokémon is truly something else. To be able to believe and love one's Pokémon would always lead to one becoming the best trainer. To think he was just a random kid asking for help on how to capture a Pokémon.'
Mr. O could only sigh, seeing that his original goal to teach Green a lesson for stealing had failed, as he didn't make it past the top 8 finalists. However, he chuckled, saying, "Haha! If that's the case, then I'll just meet her while visiting my Grandson, Blue! Or better yet, be a commentator for this year's Pokémon League Tournament!"
As Mr. O prepares his own goal, Azure clenched his fist with a determined grin and thought happily, 'Finally… we're making it to the big leagues now. Just 3 more battles to go and then I'll be aiming for the top…'