Day 10

[from Pokémon xTreme (name subject to change)]

It was unusual to see a sell-out crowd at Indigo Stadium just for an exhibition match. But when the match was between John McBride, one of the legends of professional Pokémon battling, and Brandon Wells, one of the sport's most promising young talents, it was perhaps understandable that there would be a lot of interest. Indeed, the match was even being broadcast live throughout the Kanto region, albeit on pay-per-view. It wasn't quite important enough for a spot on cable.

John was the first to emerge onto the field. his four chosen Pokémon strapped to his belt. He was in his sixties now, and had been battling since before Pokémon turned professional. He held numerous records, and had more experience than almost anyone else on the circuit. But he was old. His tactics, though tried and tested, were antiquated. His brain was sharp, but perhaps not as sharp as it once had been, when he decimated any opponent that stood before him. The fact he was still able to compete at such a high level, however, was testament to his determination and skill. It was a running joke that Armageddon would come and John McBride would still be there, training his Pokémon, even as the sky fell down around him.

The crowd had to wait a few minutes before Brandon entered. The complete antithesis of the plain, understated John, Brandon was the consummate showman, almost to a fault. Simply walking into the stadium was too boring of an entrance for him, and so his entrance was heralded by a blast of fire rocketing down the tunnel, before he emerged riding on the back of his Charizard, soaring into the air and performing a perfect loop-the-loop before gliding to the ground in front of a rather unimpressed John, the crowd cheering all the while.

Brandon slid off Charizard's back, recalled it to its Ultra Ball, then made his way towards the centre of the field. "Sorry about the wait," he quipped.

"If you were trying to psych me out," replied John, his voice deep and gravelly, "you'll have to try harder than that."

Their per-match posturing was interrupted by the referee, as the three of them reached the centre of the field. "Shake hands, please," she prompted. The two competitors obliged, and the referee took a coin out of her pocket. "Make your calls."

"Heads," said John immediately. The referee flipped her coin. Heads. "John sends out first," she said. "Good luck to the both of you."

"May the best man win," said John. Brandon nodded in agreement, and the two men walked back again, taking up their positions opposite each other on the field.

As per the coin flip, John would be the first to send his Pokémon out, though both men would have to select their first Pokémon at the same time, so Brandon would not be able to react to his choice straight away. John picked his fairly quickly; Brandon took his time, trying to think about the possible Pokémon John might lead with, and eventually selected one. Now he'd taken it off his belt, he couldn't put it back until it was his turn. This was it. Time to battle.

"Go, Rhyperior!" shouted John, throwing his Poke Ball.

Called it, thought Brandon. "Go, Breloom!" he shouted, throwing a Premier Ball. And, since Breloom was faster, Brandon got to move first. "Use Seed Bomb!"

"Darn it," muttered John, as the volley of seeds brought Rhyperior to its knees. If not for its Focus Sash, it would be down in one hit, but with just 1 HP it was as good as dead anyway. Fortunately, John had just the thing to take care of Breloom. He recalled the stricken Rhyperior, then plucked another ball from his belt. "Go, Blaziken!"

"Shit," muttered Brandon, as the Blaze Pokémon emerged onto the field, "I was hoping he wouldn't pick that."

Turn 2. As Blaziken was faster, it went first, and it was only about to get worse. "Blaziken," said John, "transform into Mega Blaziken!" John touched the Key Stone on his Mega Bracelet, and a multicoloured ball of light engulfed Blaziken. It swirled around for a few seconds, then burst open to reveal the transformed Mega Blaziken, flames trailing from its wrists. There was no hope for Breloom now. "Blaziken," said John, "use Blaze Kick!"

Blaziken took a run-up, then swung a blazing roundhouse kick at Breloom. It connected, and the Mushroom Pokémon was felled instantly. Brandon, muttering angrily under his breath, pulled the fainted Pokémon back and thought for a moment. Magnezone won't stand up to it, Gengar won't stand up to it… I'll gonna have to fight Fire with Fire. Or Mega with Mega.

With a flourish, Brandon plucked Charizard's Ultra Ball from his belt once more. "Go, Charizard!" he cried, hurling it into the centre of the ring to triumphant roars from the crowd. "And…transform into Mega Charizard X!"

With a touch of Brandon's own Mega Bracelet, Charizard was engulfed in a ball of light just as Blaziken had been a few moments ago. When it disappeared, Charizard had turned jet black, with blue flames erupting from its mouth. Brandon had brought out his signature Pokémon, and if anything could give Mega Blaziken a run for its money, surely the mighty fire dragon could. However, first it would have to endure an attack; Mega Blaziken's Speed Boost meant it went first this turn.

"Alright then, Brandon," said John, intrigued. "Let's see what your Charizard's made of. Blaziken, use Sky Uppercut!"

The move connected, wiping out a good half of Mega Charizard's health. But it wasn't enough to knock it out; Mega Charizard stood tall. Brandon broke out into a devilish grin. "Oh, big mistake," he said. "Two words for you, John: Earth. Quake!"

"I knew I shoulda used Protect." lamented John.

Mega Charizard stomped hard, and the entire arena began to tremble, the ground cracking beneath the fighters' feet. Mega Blaziken staggered and stumbled, and looked as though it might just weather the storm, but as the tremors started to subside it fell forwards and collapsed to the floor, fainted.

"Shit," muttered John, as he recalled his fainted Pokémon. I hope those two realize they have mics on, thought the referee, scowling.

John thought for a moment, then decided he only really had one option. "Go, Porygon-Z!" he barked, throwing another Poké Ball. Porygon-Z was slower, so it seemed it would have to weather an attack first…or perhaps not.

"Mega Charizard, use Roost!" called Brandon. Charizard landed on the cracked floor of the arena, its health restored, thought not quite to full. But while Mega Charizard had its tricks, so did Porygon-Z.

"Porygon-Z," said John, "use Tri Attack!" Tri Attack may not have been super-effective, but with STAB, Porygon-Z's Adaptability, and its held Normal Gem, it didn't need to be. The powerful tri-coloured beam hit Mega Charizard with more than enough force to knock it out, succeeding where Mega Blaziken had failed. The HP restoration had been a waste. Brandon's fans were in shock.

Brandon recalled his fallen favourite, then picked up another Ultra Ball. "Go, Magnezone!" he called. Surely the Magnet Area Pokémon would be able to weather Porygon-Z's attacks, especially since its Normal Gem was now used up. Sure enough, though Porygon-Z was again faster, this time its Tri Attack only drained a third of Magnezone's health. Now it was Brandon's turn. "Magnezone," he called, "use Thunderbolt!"

The bright bolt of electricity was not enough to knock out Porygon-Z, but it was close. One turn later, Magnezone had been reduced to a third of its HP, but the Virtual Pokémon had fallen. Now John only had one hope left. "Go, Metagross!" he called, throwing the last of his four Poke Balls. In recent years, Metagross had become one of John's signature Pokémon. It could be just what he needed to save him, and conveniently, it was just faster than Magnezone.

"Hey, Brandon!" John called out. "I got two words for you: Earth. Quake!"

Metagross stomped its foot and the already fractured arena floor ruptured even more as it shook heavily for a second time. What remained of Magnezone's health evaporated, and it fell to the floor with a clunk. "You bastard," said Brandon, though he smirked as he said it. I should've seen that coming.

Brandon was down to his last Pokémon now. He recalled the fallen Magnezone, and threw his last Ultra Ball. "Go, Gengar!" This was the final showdown; whoever was left standing at the end of this would win. Brandon had the advantage: Gengar was faster.

"Gengar," he shouted, "use Shadow Ball!"

The shadowy orb struck Metagross full-on, sending it staggering backwards despite its massive weight. It tried to hold on, to keep fighting, and John watched anxiously as the health meter on the display crept ever downwards…

Zero. The hit was simply too much for Metagross, which crumpled to the floor with a loud thud. The fans in the stadium cheered Brandon's name. The match was as good as over. Reluctantly, John pulled the fainted Pokémon back and brought out the crippled Rhyperior, ready to be put out of its misery.

"Use Shadow Ball again, Gengar!" said Brandon. Gengar obliged, and as Rhyperior fell over backwards, the match came to a close. John had fought well, but it hadn't been enough. As the two competitors recalled their last Pokémon, the referee stepped forward, raising an arm.

"And the winner is…Brandon Wells!" she declared, the stadium erupting with cheers once more. With the match over, Brandon and John made their way through the cracked terrain towards each other.

"Nice job," said John. "Thought I had you for a moment there."

"So did I," said Brandon. "Good thing I picked Gengar over Gigalith or I woulda been toast."

"You brought Gigalith?" repeated John, amused. "The hell for?"

"Stealth Rock," said Brandon. "Never leave home without it."

"Get a Tyranitar or something." Stopping opposite one another, the two shook hands once more. "Good battle," said John. "Hope to see you in Castelia next month."

"I hope you bring better Pokémon," quipped Brandon.

"Oh, I got something special lined up for Unova," said John, as they started to leave the stadium to thunderous applause. "Just you wait."

"We'll see," said Brandon. "Hey, you wanna go grab a beer?"

"Sure," said John. "You buying?"

"Hell no," said Brandon. "I won; you're buying."

John shrugged. "Well, it's not like I can't afford it. Alright, let's get outta here, then."

"Right behind ya," said Brandon. The two left the stadium together, and one by one the fans in the stands began to filter out until it was empty once more.