Pokemon Journeys: Masters 8 Tournament

Chapter 37 - Clash of Dragons

Previously...

Iris (5): Haxorus (0), Garchomp (1), Naganadel (1), Lapras (2), Excadrill (0), Dragonite (1)

Cynthia (5): Garchomp (1), Kommo-o (0), Togekiss (1), Spiritomb (2), Glaceon (0), Roserade (1)

Both Iris and Cynthia only had one pokemon left. Haxorus and Garchomp would battle all the way to the end to determine who shall be the 3rd strongest pokemon trainer in the world.

It's time for the student Haxorus to show how much progress he had made in front of the female warrior teacher Garchomp, who once stood in front of him.

The judge waved his flag, "Then let the battle begin!"

Both pokemon did not move, yet Haxorus's body was slowly glowing purple. A form of draconic energy cloaked the axe-dragon, making him look more menacing and powerful.

Garchomp watched without moving. She had to stick to Cynthia's strategy and be the passive one: wait for Haxorus to make a mistake, and then strike. But from the looks of it, Iris's Haxorus looked a lot more difficult to handle than her previous Mega Garchomp.

Iris confidently announced, "Cynthia, we shall WIN this!"

Haxorus rushed to Garchomp at lightning speed when the word "win" was spoken. Being almost caught off guard, the land shark saw his body flicker, and subconsciously launched herself to the right. She narrowly dodged the charge-in attack, and was just a few inches away from getting hit.

After missing the first attack, Haxorus immediately turned and swung his head, throwing a crescent Psycho Cut energy blade at Garchomp. Since it was shot from behind Garchomp at point-blank range, the land shark did not realize it and got hit.

*BOOM*

Smoke appeared from the point of impact. Garchomp was sent out of the smoke and crashed into the wall violently. She knew she had made a mistake for not facing the enemy immediately after dodging; otherwise, that Psycho Cut was something she might be able to avoid. The attack was also weirdly powerful: strong enough to send her all the way from the center of the stadium to the wall that bounded the battle area.

But there was no time for Garchomp to adjust. A powerful blast of Dragon Pulse was shot through the smoke, heading to Garchomp. The land shark was partially trapped by the stadium wall, so flying out of danger was not an immediate option. She had to block the energy pulse with her Dragon Claws.

Cynthia pointed, "Get out of there, Garchomp. Use the air to your advantage: Haxorus can't fly."

It's easy to say the strategy out loud, but it's a lot harder to execute the said strategy. Still blocking the Dragon Pulse with her Dragon Claws, Garchomp struggled a lot before finally wriggling herself out of the wall. She jumped into the air and glided around, breaking free from the Dragon Pulse pressure.

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The audience cheered for Iris. Most would not have thought that the powerful and more popular Cynthia's Garchomp would be so pressured by an underdog that was Iris's Haxorus. It would be refreshing to see a rising talent kicking out a dominant player in the Pokemon World Coronation Series.

Dawn cheered for Iris as well, "Let's go, Iris! Show Cynthia what you've got!"

Clemont analyzed, "Haxorus broke the battle rhythm that Cynthia's Garchomp set up earlier. He used Outrage to power up and speed up himself, and then feinted an attack at Garchomp. Once Garchomp dodged, she would fall into Haxorus's trap, because the real attack was the Psycho Cut that followed. If he keeps it up, he could win this!"