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“Round 4 is about to get HOT!

Because we’re in a volcano!

Ehhhh?

Ehhhhhhhhhhh???

Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh???”

This is so stupid, Charlie thought.

A light cough seemed to come from above, which got Sinnohmin’s attention. “Oh gosh! Silly me! I forgot to introduce your one and only VOLCANO GODESS!”

“Oh, do go on,” Vera remarked, sitting high atop her makeshift throne in a regal island queen costume.

“Today, you will fight for her honor! For her glory! Winners will get to bask in her glorious presence and weep! Losers will be sacrificed to Mount Holon—“

“Our lawyers would like you to know that losers will NOT be harmed, and definitely not sacrificed to a volcano,” Shaina quickly interjected.

Charlie sighed. He had thought the heat yesterday was bad, but here it was excruciating. He kept wiping sweat off his face, and was worried about how much smoke was appearing from the mountain proper.

“Let’s kick off round four with Rika and Charlie! You two are up first!”

“Wait, what?” Charlie was snapped back to reality with Mr. Sinnohmin’s pronouncement.

“Hey, cool! Guess only one of us is gonna have the good luck we hope for, huh?” Rika said, smiling and clearly enjoying the heat. She all but skipped in her black and pink boots over to her place on one side of the arena.

“Remember!” Steve yelled at her, clearly embarrassed in his hula girl costume. “Four Pokémon maximum!”

“I heard ya the first time!” she yelled back.

“Could I just have a few minutes?” Charlie asked. He made his way to a more secluded part of the mountain and called out all six of his Pokémon. “All right guys, we’re going to be fighting in a volcano. It’s really hot, and I can only use four of you. Duke, I’m sorry man, but I think you’ll have to sit this round out.” Duke seemed happy with that, nodding his head in appreciation. “Now, anyone want to sit out?”

Before Barra could do anything, Leonardo quickly raised his paw and let out a solid “Arc!” Everyone looked over at him in surprise. “Uhm, you sure Leonardo?”

Leondardo nodded. ”I refuse to fight in an area where I will have a clear advantage. I am much more used to fire and extreme heat, which are clearly abundant here. It wouldn’t be fair to the other combatant.”

Charlie frowned, but brought Leondardo and Duke back to their Pokéballs. “Congrats, you guys. You four better work hard. Oh, and Tyson?” The Scizor turned in looked at Charlie, waiting impatiently for the round to start with its arms crossed. “I know you’re gonna kick ass in particular, so go out there and do it. Understood?”

Tyson took that in, and gave a curt nod. Charlie called them all back to their Pokéballs, and headed over to the arena that hung over the lava.

“Took your time, didn’t ya?” Rika remarked.

“Just planning how to win,” Charlie replied.

Rika laughed at that. “You’ve got a nice attitude. Now try to back it up!” She sent out two Pokéballs, bringing out her first two Pokémon, a Scrafty and a Persian. “Let’s do this Mydian. Back her up, Luke!”

Charlie sent out his first two as well, Pallas and Trouble. “Alright you two! Pallas, handle the flyer! Trouble, you can take care of the Persian. And make sure neither of them get knocked outside of the ring!”

Trouble and Pallas were momentarily Intimidated by Luke, but nodded to show that they heard. Pallas quickly swooped into the Scrafty, launching a Wing Attack, only to be hit back with a solid Counter. The attack surprised her, but the Pidgeot quickly flew up high, staying close enough that Luke couldn’t ignore her, but not so far away that she could be hit.

Trouble and Mydian, however, were both engaged in a standstill. “Mydian! Use Double Team!” Rika shouted. Soon, copies of the Persian filled the arena. “Trouble, do the same!” Trouble smiled at that, causing the battlefield to become cluttered with copies.

”What’s the matter? Too scared to do something original, big boy?” the Persian asked, mewling softly in a taunting fashion.

”Nope, just distracting you.” Trouble had done Double Teams long enough to know how they worked, and it was easy figuring out where the real Mydian was. He snuck up behind her and pounced, landing squarely on her tail.

The cat shrieked and hissed loudly, surprised and angry at the sneak attack. ”YOU WILL DIE SLOWLY!” she yelled, leaping up and focusing on finding the real Absol. Trouble called off his Double Team, leaving himself all alone and performing a Taunt, sticking his tongue out at Mydian. She hissed again, and leaped towards him, ready to attack with a Power Gem, her jewel on her forehead shining brightly, but was shocked by a Sucker Punch hitting her right in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her and almost untying her scarf from the force. Absol hit the still stunned Persian with a Return and a Night Slash before she collapsed, completely knocked out.

“Geez, really?” Rika asked, calling Mydian back into her Pokéball. “Alright then, hotshot, let’s see how you like playing fast. Go Echo!” She threw out her third Pokéball, sending out a Pikachu with a Magnet pierced onto its tail and a headband tied around one ear. “Echo, Luke! Switch targets!”

Uh oh. “Both of you be careful! Trouble, Double Team! Pallas, use Gust! Stay at a distance!” Trouble and Pallas proceeded to do just that, with the Absol making multiple copies of himself and Pallas focusing on the Pikachu, blowing hard Gusts at her to try and knock her back.

”Come on, come on,” Trouble whispered to himself, giving a few Taunts to drive a reaction out of the Scrafty. ”YO UGLY!” he shouted from several directions. ”You know how ridiculous you look with that belt on! I suggest you try loosening it up a bit, that way you’ll only look…well, still stupid, but only less so! Let me show you!” Trouble sent over a quick Night Slash that did cause the Scrafty to step back, but it remained level-headed and unmoving, still trying to track Trouble amongst its copies.

“Come on, Luke, watch it!" Rika said. "You can handle it, just keep a solid eye on it! Let’s go Echo! Dodge that wind and hit her with a Thunderbolt!”

Trouble decided to try again, this time with a solid Return, but Luke Detected the move and grabbed the Absol in midair by the horn. ”LET GO! LEGGOLEGGOLEGGOLEGGOLEGGO GET OFF MY HORN!” Trouble cried out, completely helpless for the Counter and then the Brick Break that hit him hard. Luke dropped Trouble to the ground, where the Absol remained, knocked out.

Charlie called Trouble back to his Pokéball. Alright, Tyson. Hope this can make up for the last round. He sent Tyson’s Pokéball flying out, and the Scizor landing in the arena, a bit taken back that he was actually going to be involved this time. “Tyson! Handle the Scrafty then try to assist Pallas! Swords Dance and Metal Claw!”

Tyson nodded and proceeded to begin his Swords Dance, ready to launch an attack on Luke, who patiently waited for Tyson to finish. When Tyson launched at Luke, the Scrafty was about to land a counter when Charlie yelled out. “Tyson! Agility and go for the Pikachu!” The Scizor switched gears, speeding up from its Agility and hitting the small yellow rodent with its Iron Claw. The force of the attack sent Echo flying, almost in danger of hitting one of the rock posts holding up the ring. But instead, it flew past it, landing only a few steps in front of Rika.

“And that’s a ring out! Echo has been eliminated! Rika, you have one Pokémon left to call out!” Steve said.

“Well, aren’t you just clever today, Charlie?” Rika said.

“Fool us once, shame on you. Fool us twice, shame on us,” Charlie replied.

“You’ve been battling for a long time, haven’t you?”

“Only recently. When this tournament started, to be honest.”

“Well then, Chuck. Time to show you you still got a lot to learn. Go Pepper!” Rika let loose her final Pokéball, unleashing a Charizard that announced its arrival with a Flamethrower that Tyson and Pallas just barely avoided. “Pepper, handle the bird!” The Charizard roared in approval and leaped into the air, giving chase to Pallas.

“Just keep dodging for now, Pallas!” Charlie shouted. “Tyson, keep focusing on the Scrafty!”

”You seem pretty calm about all this,” Tyson told Luke mockingly.

”And you seem rather angry about all this,” Luke replied in a non-caring manner. He held his hand forward and waved Tyson over. ”Come on. Show me what you’re made of when you fight someone your own size.”

Tyson simply smiled at this and launched himself forward, preparing to fight the Scrafty down in one-on-one combat, just the way he liked it. The two were remarkably even matched, neither able to land a blow on the other.

Pepper and Pallas, meanwhile, were having a much more one-sided affair. The Charizard was keeping up rather well with the Pidgeot, letting loose a Flamethrower that singed her feathers. “Double Team her, Pepper!” Rika yelled up at the sky, more focused on that fight than the Luke and Tyson one on the arena floor. Pepper roared in acknowledgement and let loose a Double Team, followed quickly by a Smokescreen that left Pallas disorientated. Two Thunderpunches later and Pallas was dropping down head first and knocked out. She was caught by Steve’s Aerodactyl, which carried her softly down next to Charlie, who rushed over to her to make sure she was alright.

“It’s ok, Pallas. You’ll get some nice rest.” He brought her back to her Pokéball and reached for his last Pokémon. That Charizard’s going to be tough to handle. I just hope Barra can figure out some way to handle him. “GO BARRA!” he yelled, throwing out her Pokéball.

”Wait, WHAT?!” Scizor exclaimed, shocked so much that he almost let a Brick Break hit him right in the chest. Charlie had to be kidding, that Vibrava was almost useless! Even Barra seemed shocked that she was included. “Barra, help Tyson out! Use DragonBreath! Just be careful of the Charizard!”

Barra let out a stammering “Vi…vibra,” and went over to help Tyson. She let loose a single DragonBreath that hit the Scrafty for a small amount of damage, but Tyson spoke up angrily.

”What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he yelled at her, still trying his best to land a solid hit.

”Ch-Charlie said I should help and—“

”Well, I’ve got this on my own! Now beat it, pipsqueak!”

”But Tyson—“

”Not now!”

”Tyson!”

”NOT NOW!”

“TYSON! LOOK OUT!” Charlie yelled. The Scizor looked up, seeing the Charizard barrel down at him from up above, only to bank at just the right height to land a solid Thunder Punch. Paralyzed from the attack, Tyson was helpless to stop Luke from landing a Brick Break that sent Tyson towards the edge.

”TYSON!” Barra yelled in horror. For a second, she paused in fear. But just as quickly, she made up her mind. She was going to save him. She was going to walk the walk after talking the talk, and show that she did care about Tyson as a friend. A strange feeling came over her, a feeling of power that helped bolster this newfound confidence as she rushed over to Tyson as he fell over the edge. She leaped out….

…and grabbed him as he fell, with her newly evolved Flygon wings keeping her afloat.

Charlie could hardly believe it. “Barra! You did it! You evolved! YOU EVOLVED! YOU GO, GIRL! WOO! YEAH!” He celebrated, jumping up and down and cheering as though the match had already been won, caring more about Barra’s development than the fight.

The only two more stunned than Charlie were Tyson and Barra herself. Tyson could hardly believe his eyes. ”Barra…you…you saved me,” he weakly uttered, tired and nearly knocked out from the blows. ”Thanks…I guess.”

Barra carried Tyson over to Charlie, who instructed her to remain flying. He brought Tyson back to his Pokéball, hoping to give him a nice, long rest. “Alright, Barra. Let’s show them what you can do, alright? Can you do that for me?” Barra nodded. “Ok then, go after the Charizard then! I believe in you, girl!”

Barra flew up high in the air, where Pepper waited for her, about to throw a ThunderPunch. Barra, unprepared for the attack, tried to dodge it, but when the attack connected, it fizzled out like it was nothing. Pepper tried to make up for the useless attack with a desperate Flamethrower, but that barely did anything to the newly evolved Flygon.

”I guess, maybe I’m not so weak,” Barra said, almost to herself. She let loose a DragonBreath that left Pepper helpless and paralyzed, than knocked him hard towards the arena with a mighty Dragon Tail that sent him flying fast towards the structure that was held together with weakly held together dried lava.

”Well, nuts,” Luke said, as he watched Pepper fall towards him. Pepper’s impact caused the arena to break into pieces, with Luke barely being saved by Judge Benny’s Dragonair, while Rika called back her Charizard that was safely lying among the floating rubble.

“Both of Rika’s Pokémon have been knocked out of the arena proper! Charlie is the winner, and will move on to the finals!” Steve proclaimed officially.

“ALRIGHT BARRA!” Charlie shouted. Barra landed next to Charlie and received a big hug from him. “You’re awesome, you know that? You are!”

“Hey, not bad, Charlie.” Rika had made her way over to Charlie’s side of the arena, and held out her hand for Charlie to shake. “Your Vibrava…sorry, Flygon did a lot of good out there.”

Charlie shook Rika’s hand. “Hey, your Pokémon were great as well. You’re a really good trainer.”

“Oh, you flatterer. Hey, you better win the final round! I don’t want to lose to a loser! Catch ya later!” Rika quickly skipped on over to Matthew, who was waiting by the side with a depressed look on his face. Before he could say anything, Rika leaped up and gave him a bear hug. “Come here, you. We need to talk.” She let him away from everyone else, with a look of positive determination on her face.

Well, she looks like she’ll be busy. He summoned Barra back to her ball and took a deep breath to try and relax himself.

Only one more round to go.