Pokemon Shine Diamond

[EmeraldSky]

@Scytherwolf; @Soups;


Episode 51b: Cross the Battle Line! (part 2)


Kiiroha noticed a smile forming on her master's face as Dawn summoned Satomi. [Do my eyes deceive me? Is that a smile I see on my master's face?]

"That is a smile, Kiiroha." Maylene replied. "For a coordinator, Dawn is giving quite the heroic effort."

On the Pearl side of the arena, Dawn called "Satomi, use Confusion!"

[Oh my!] Kiiroha gasped as Satomi circled around Kuto and started firing blasts of blue light in a circle. [That could very well have been a Contest appeal!]

Maylene seemed unfazed as the blue lights battered Kuto. "You know as well as I do that Kuto can take more than that." She let that hang as Kuto attempted Drain Punch again.

Satomi blocked the glowing red fist with a green psychic aura, then sang Leishu shun ji, lei si...

"Disarming Voice!" Ash gasped as a burst of pinkish sound waves overwhelmed Kuto.

Maylene applauded Dawn's victory. "Well! That was quite a show! I believe you could make it to the Grand Festival one day."

"Thanks." Dawn replied as she hugged Satomi.

"Let's see how you do against my superstar!" Maylene turned business-like again. "Kiiroha, your turn!"

"Kiiroha seems to mirror Maylene's state of mind." Brock noticed as the Lucario confidently ran into the Diamond side of the arena. "The more confident she gets, the braver the Pokemon get."

"Isn't that how it should be?" Ash asked as he watched Satomi analyze the Lucario before her. "Human and Pokemon so in tune with each other, they work as one?"

In the arena, Kiiroha made a T with her paws. "Time out--Diamond." the referee called as Kiiroha strolled back to Maylene's side for a moment.

[What tactics do you suggest?] Kiiroha asked.

"Don't let Dawn's unusual tactics confuse you." Maylene cautioned. "Stay focused, and remember what you learned as a Riolu."

[Right!] Kiiroha replied as her time out expired.

Leishu shun ji, lei si... Satomi sang again.

She gasped as Kiiroha found a bone and whacked away the blasts of sound. [Oh no...]

Dawn braced herself as Kiiroha heaved Satomi against the Pearl safety barrier. I'm sorry, Dawn...I did not see that attack coming.

"You did your best, and that's all that matters." Dawn replied as she recalled her fainted Ralts.

Brock watched as Kiiroha braced herself in response to Dawn summoning Kori. "I will admit, Kiiroha knows how to put on a show herself!"

"She may do well in one of those martial arts stage shows, or a TV drama." Ash agreed as he watched Kiiroha roll away from Kori's Bubblebeam and counter with an Aura Sphere.

"That had to hurt..." Reggie noted as the glowing blue sphere sent Kori flying.

"Don't count Dawn out yet." Brock smiled as Kori braced herself, then fired a whirling tornado of water in an attempt to trap Kiiroha.

"I see what Dawn is doing, here." Ash mused as he watched Kiiroha use Metal Claw to break the Whirlpool. "She's using her Contest skills to make up for a poor type matchup."

"You may be right..." Reggie agreed. "Whatever she's doing, it's awakening Maylene's battle spirit. He let that hand as Kori fired another Bubblebeam, only for Kiiroha to shove her backwards with a hard push.

"Come on, Kori!" Dawn called to her helpless Piplup. "You can do it!"

Ash smiled as Kori broke free from the paralysis. "Wow! Maylene and Kiiroha are both energized."

"I'll say..." Brock agreed as he watched Kiiroha fire another Aura Sphere. Kori countered with Peck, sending Kiiroha flying towards the Diamond safety barrier. Kiiroha growled as she tried Aura Sphere again, only for Kori to block it with a Bubblebeam, creating a smoke screen.

"Did she do it?" Ash asked as he waited for the smoke to clear.

"If Dawn did beat Kiiroha with a Piplup, I would be impressed." Reggie replied. "Not too many people can say they've beaten a fully evolved Pokemon with a starter Pokemon."

"Also remember that Dawn would still have Maylene's Machoke Tana to face." Brock reminded the group. "Kori may not be able to hold up against another beatdown."

When the smoke lifted some moments later, Ash's heart sank as he saw Kori swirly eyed on the field. "Game Set! This match goes to Diamond." the referee announced.

---------

"How'd I do, everyone?" Dawn asked later that day. She seemed in unusually good spirits despite losing some hours before.

"I'd say that while you didn't win in the arena, you did complete your goal of inspiring Maylene." Ash replied.

"Yeah...she's been talking non-stop about how your tactics inspired her." Reggie agreed.

"Two out of three is still nothing to sneeze at for your first battle." Brock added. "So you're a winner in our hearts for inspiring Maylene again."

"Thanks, guys..." Dawn smiled. "But I'm still gonna stick to contests." she added as Maylene arrived.

"Dawn...let me say thank you for reminding me why I battle." Maylene smiled. "In the end, winning or losing doesn't matter. What counts is the bond you share with your team. I was so hung up on wins and losses, I forgot about the bonding and support part of battling."

"So you'll battle me now?" Ash asked.

Maylene nodded. "We meet in the Gym bright and early tomorrow morning!"

"Although...what were some of those moves Maylene's team used?" Dawn asked. "How appealing are they?"

Ash found his Pokedex, and used the move search to bring up a list of the moves Dawn had seen. "First was Drain Punch...it is a Beautiful move. While not appealing on its own, if the person before you uses something appealing, it will also be that appealing."

"That's neat!" Dawn smiled.

"You know Aura Sphere already...it too is a Beautiful move." Ash went on. "Use it if you go first in a round for best results."

"Point noted if I get a Riolu or Lucario." Dawn smiled.

"Metal Claw is a very appealing Cool move." Ash went on. "Bone Rush is a very appealing Tough move...Force Palm is also a very appealing Cool move..."

To Be Continued...