Pokemon versus Final Fantasy X! Two combatants who fight not with their own power, but the power of the creatures that they summon, will face off today! Will the champion of Kanto walk home with a victory deserving of his title, or will the summoner of Spira break his legendary streak?
*~*~*~*~*~*
Boomstick: Wiz, let me ask you a question. What's an epic way to kick ass?
Wiz: Scientifically, there's quite a lot. Martial arts, devastating black magic, deadly weaponry...
Boomstick: But you know what's way cooler than all that? Not doing the fighting yourself, instead relying on summoned creatures to do the dirty work for you! Like Red, the Pokemon champion of Kanto...
Wiz: And Yuna, the summoner of Spira. Take note that for this match, we will not be using a composite Yuna, AKA a Yuna who wields Aeons and Dresspheres. We will be sticking solely to her FFX incarnation, where her abilities as a summoner were shown at their peak. We will also be excluding the summons Yojimbo and Magus Sisters, since they are too heavily reliant on luck.
Boomstick: He's Wiz and I'm Boomstick!
Wiz; And it's our job to analyze their weapons, armor and skills to find out who would win a Death Battle!
*~*~*~*~*~*
RED
Wiz: Imagine right now: your lifelong desire is to see every creature that has ever graced the planet before you pass on. That's why you take up a job that allows you to study those creatures.
Boomstick: Uuuuntil old age catches up to you before you can do it and you decide to dump all the responsibility on a hapless ten-year-old kid.
Wiz: So begins the story of Red, a child from Pallet Town. His mission: to best the Elite Four, become the Pokemon champion, and of course, capture all 151 Pokemon. To do this, he needed a partner, a friend...a Pokemon.
Boomstick: So when the time came for him to choose which animal he would drive to slavery, Red, like any sane man, chose the awesome fire dragon. We'll get to him in a bit.
Wiz: With his new Pokemon, Red soon journeyed across the land of Kanto, collecting a good number of Pokemon and working his way through the Pokemon League. Eventually, he would succeed in capturing all 151 Pokemon, but for this match, we'll only be covering his most iconic ones, as he can only carry six Pokemon at a time.
Boomstick: First one on the list is the electric mouse of destruction, Pikachu. Don't let its cute looks fool you...the same can be said for any Pikachu, really. Still, for one small mouse, it packs a hell of a big punch. It'll attack you from a distance with Thunderbolt, cave your skull in with Iron Tail, attack...quickly with Quick Attack, and even slam at you like a nuclear warhead with the Volt Tackle!
Wiz: Second is his Lapras, a Pokemon he most likely typically uses for water transportation. It can crush enemies underneath it with Body Slam, rain water on them with Brine, strike them with a telekinetic force in Psychic, and summon a devastating snowstorm with Blizzard.
Boomstick: The next one may appear a bit lazy, but it certainly packs a hell of a punch, considering how heavy it is! Snorlax can strike you with a ghostly ball called...Shadow Ball, crunch you with...Crunch, use its weight to its fullest advantage with Giga Impact, and sic a HUGE LASER at your face with Hyper Beam!
Wiz: His next Pokemon is the final evolution of the grass-type Kanto starter Pokemon, Venusaur. This Pokemon can assail the foe with debilitating status effects, either poisoning them with Sludge Bomb or putting them to sleep with Sleep Powder. It can also regain its health with Giga Drain, and slam a massive...tree...into them with Frenzy Plant.
Boomstick: He's also got the final form of the water-type Kanto starter, Blastoise. With the twin cannons in its shell, it can launch water up to 90,000 psi with Hydro Cannon, perfect if you wanna clean your patio...and most likely disintegrate your entire house with it.
Wiz: Blastoise can also blast enemies with a flash of light with Flash Cannon, unleash a blast of mental energy with Focus Blast, and like Lapras, unleash a Blizzard.
Boomstick: But Red's go-to, and best Pokemon, is his very first, Charizard! This five-foot-seven dragon of terror is easily Red's most iconic Pokemon, getting all the cool dragon stuff like fire breath, and flight!
Wiz: Charizard's trademark Flamethrower in itself is hot enough to melt boulders, but being a trained Pokemon, it likely has many other Fire moves at its disposal. Such as Fire Spin, a vortex of flames; Flare Blitz, a flaming tackle that causes recoil damage; Fire Fang, which is...exactly what it says on the tin; Fire Blast, a fire...blast..., and the most dangerous Fire-type move of them all, Blast Burn.
Boomstick: If it wants to fight you up close, it'll shred you with Dragon Claw, Slash, or Air Slash. It also has Swift, which consists of...stars...that never miss. It'll also slug you across the face with Mega Punch and slam you to the ground with Seismic Toss!
Wiz: On its own right, Charizard is a powerhouse, but it is just as flawed and susceptible to serious injury as any other Pokemon. That is why thanks to its bond with Red, it attained a new power, a new form: the power of Mega Evolution!
Boomstick: With its new form, Mega Charizard X gains a crazy boost in attack, defense, and special attack. It also gains access to the passive ability Tough Claws, letting it dole out way more damage with its physical strikes! How cool is that?!
Wiz: This form also changes Charizard's typing, turning it from a Fire/Flying type to a Fire/Dragon type, essentially eliminating its weakness to Water- and Electric-type moves. However, thanks to its new typing, Mega Charizard X gains a weakness to Ground-type moves.
Boomstick: Not like it matters anyway, considering the thing can FLY!! Mega Charizard X has done some pretty dope things. If it's gone up against Legendary Pokemon, this guy's gotta be one tough dragon.
Wiz: Charizard in both base and Mega forms is a powerhouse in itself, but when coupled with Red's strategic mind, it becomes a deadly force of nature to even stronger Pokemon or Pokemon who hold its weakness, as proven when it emerged victorious over Giovanni's Rhydon and Blue's Blastoise.
Boomstick: With his trusty team of Pokemon, Red has accomplished a crazy amount of feats. He was able to single-handedly take down the Pokemon universe's equivalent to the Mafia; beat all the Gym Leaders in his region; beat his own rival Blue multiple times; beat the Elite Four and became the champion of the Pokemon League in Kanto; and has gone up against the traveling Trainers from Johto, Unova, and Alola!
Wiz: And consider, those trainers have most likely defeated their respective Pokemon Leagues, and most likely have Legendary Pokemon on their teams!
Boomstick: And let's not forget his greatest achievement of all: he caught all 150 types of Pokemon! Well, of course, he caught one of each species, but the point's still there!
Wiz: However, Red, despite all of his skill in battle, has his flaws. For one, we've...never actually seen him win a one-on-one battle with a regular human. With his fists. This implies that, well, Red is far more reliant on his Pokemon in battle.
Boomstick: That's fair enough, considering that every single battle waged in this world is a Pokemon battle! That gives him pocket money! Even if he goes up against a Team Rocket boss! Yes, you heard me right: the boss of a criminal organization forks over a huge sum of money once you beat him in a pet fight!
Wiz: Back to the point. Red hasn't really shown any good combat feats on his own. Apart from that, his Pokemon are very reliant on his decisions and direction, and they'll be just as unfocused in the battlefield as a regular wild Pokemon should Red happen to be out of the picture.
Boomstick: And I guess y'all know this by now, but all of his Pokemon have a specific type weakness. But considering Red's battle smarts, that's more of a minor hindrance than a major problem...if he isn't fighting foes that are just as strategic as him!
Wiz: Still, despite their weaknesses, Red and his team of Pokemon have pulled through various tough challenges, even developing a genuine bond of friendship with them, his Charizard being his very best friend.
Boomstick: If you've got a team of monsters fighting for you and you meet this guy, you'd best stay the hell out of the way. He isn't one of the most badass Pokemon trainers for nothing.
Red: It wasn't really a tough decision. The thing is, my dad gave me the name Red, hoping that when I grew up, it would help me have the passion and energy of a red hot fire.
****
RED:
Age: 16
Height: 4'06''
Weight: 137lbs
Occupation(s): Champion of Kanto, Pokemon Trainer
POKEMON:
• Pikachu:
o Type: Electric
o Resists: Flying, Electric, Steel
o Weakness: Ground
o Moves:
Volt Tackle: Tackles the foe, while coated in an electric aura
Thunderbolt: Strikes with a bolt of lightning
Iron Tail: Attacks foes with a steel-hard tail
Quick Attack: Rushes at the opponent at FTE speeds
• Venusaur:
o Type: Grass/Poison
o Resists: Water, Fighting, Grass, Electric, Fairy
o Weaknesses: Psychic, Flying, Fire, Ice
o Moves:
Frenzy Plant: Assails target with enormous roots
Sludge Bomb: Belches a ball of venomous sludge
Sleep Powder: Releases spores that induce sleep
Giga Drain: Drains the opponent's life energy to heal self
• Blastoise:
o Type: Water
o Resists: Water, Fire, Steel, Ice
o Weaknesses: Electricity, Grass
o Moves:
Hydro Cannon: Launches a highly pressurized blast of water
Flash Cannon: Unleashes a blast of light
Focus Blast: Focuses its energy, and releases it as a blast
Blizzard: Summons a howling ice storm
• Lapras:
o Type: Water/Ice
o Resists: Water, Ice
o Weaknesses: Grass, Fighting, Rock, Electric
o Moves:
Blizzard: Summons a howling ice storm
Psychic: Attacks the opponent with a telekinetic force
Body Slam: Crushes the opponent with its full body weight
Brine: Rains water on the foe; damage is increased proportionate to the amount of health Lapras has lost
• Snorlax:
o Type: Normal
o Immune to: Ghost
o Resists: None
o Weakness: Fighting
o Moves:
Shadow Ball: Blasts foe with a ball of ghost energy
Hyper Beam: Unleashes a massive beam
Crunch: Crunches the foe with sharp fingers or jaws
Giga Impact: Strikes the foe with its full weight
• Charizard:
o Type: Fire/Flying
o Resistances: Fire, Fighting, Steel, Fairy, Bug
o Weaknesses: Water, Rock, Electric
o Moves:
Fire Fang: Crunches foes with a fiery bite
Flamethrower: Burns foes with a wave of flames
Fire Blast: Unleashes a large blast of fire
Fire Spin: Traps foes in a vortex of flams
Swift: Unleashes a barrage of star-shaped constructs that never miss
Air Slash: Slashes at the foe from the air with great force
Seismic Toss: Smashes the foe to the ground; damage is proportionate to the foe's weight
Mega Punch: Strikes at the foe with a charged fist
Slash: Rakes the foe with razor-sharp claws
Flare Blitz: Cloaks itself in flames and tackles the foe with great force, at the cost of recoil damage
Blast Burn: Strikes the target with a large explosion
• Mega Charizard X:
o Type: Fire/Dragon
o Resistances: Fire, Steel, Grass, Electric, Bug
o Weaknesses: Rock, Ground, Dragon
o New ability: Tough Claws - increases power of contact moves by 33%
o Evolves from Charizard through a Mega Charizardite X
FEATS:
• Single-handedly defeated Team Rocket
• Defeated the eight Gym Leaders of Kanto
• Became the Pokemon League Champion after overcoming the Elite Four and the current Champion, Blue
• Defeated his rival Blue multiple times
• Caught 150 types of Pokemon
• Has battled with and defeated some Legendary Pokemon
• Tangled with the Pokedex holders of Johto, Unova, and Alola, even participating in the Pokemon World Tournament and the Battle Tree
WEAKNESSES:
• Red himself isn't that great of a fighter
• Pokemon have weaknesses
• Pokemon are reliant on Red's guidance
• Can be led by emotions in rare cases
*~*~*~*~*~*
YUNA
Boomstick: Enter the peaceful land of Spira, a beautiful land with lush greenery, a great sport, wonderful attractions, and a giant whale who terrorizes the populace for shits and giggles. Yeah, Spira is a great hospitable world.
Wiz: This monster is known as Sin, a monster who wreaks havoc on Spira in a cyclic event. To put it to rest, the people assign a summoner to defeat Sin, but as per the cycle, Sin always returned, and thus, countless summoners have been sacrificed.
Boomstick: Buuut because our summoner's one of the main characters, it was only a matter of time before the cycle would be broken. Enter Yuna, probably the best known summoner in all of Final Fantasy!
Wiz: Yuna is a young woman in a long line of summoners, destined to put a stop to Sin - the only difference being that she would do so once and for all. With six of her friends alongside her, she vowed to travel the land to seek out Sin and to permanently end it.
Boomstick: And since this is a Final Fantasy game, you bet Yuna's gonna be well equipped for the job. Fortunately, she is! She's the team's healer, and a pretty kickass one at that.
Wiz: As a White Mage, Yuna possesses a wide variety of spells that heal or remove status ailments, such as Cure, Esuna, and the like. She can also increase her defenses with Protect and Shell, and protect against attacks of certain elements with Null spells.
Boomstick: But even though White Mages are generally seen as peaceful healers, Yuna's got access to one of the mightiest spells in the series: Holy, where she straight up nukes you with balls of holy energy!
Wiz: Yuna also wields a staff that she typically uses for spellcasting, though she isn't afraid to beat people over the head with it. And since she has low defense compared to her teammates, Yuna wears the Mythril Ring, an armor piece that boosts her defense, magic defense, and evasion.
Boomstick: Yeah, all of that is cool and all, but where this chick really shines is summoning monsters! Aeons, if you like.
Wiz: Aeons are the physical manifestations of fayths, AKA the summoners who battled Sin. Her go-to is Valefor, her very first Aeon which, while weak, is fast and dead-accurate. It has access to three special moves, two of which are Overdrives, which kinda work like Limit Breaks in the way that they are charged by receiving damage, taking it, or evading attacks.
Boomstick: Valefor's first special is Sonic Wings, which shoots sonic waves from its wings to slice up the opposition. Next, she's got Laser Ray and Laser Wave, which are...self explanatory, but still awesome!! Oh, by the way, Valefor's a she.
Wiz: Her next Aeon is the fiery demon known as Ifrit. It possesses immense physical strength, and the power over, well...fire. Its Meteor Strike attack smashes a superheated rock at the foe, and its Overdrive, Hellfire, traps foes in an all-consuming wave of hellfire.
Boomstick: Then there's Shiva, the ultra-hot ice chick! She's really agile in the battlefield, and her ice is nothing to scoff at. Her Heavenly Strike can slow an enemy down with ice, and her Diamond Dust traps the foe in a devastating snowstorm.
Wiz: She also wields Ixion, a unicorn with the power of electricity. It is a good tank, and can fire off disks of electric energy with Aerospark, as well as blast them with all-powerful electricity with the dreaded Thor's Hammer.
Boomstick: And what's a badass Final Fantasy summoner without the iconic badass dragon, Bahamut? Bahamut is easily Yuna's strongest canon Aeon, and its moves pack a helluva punch! Its Impulse fires off a devastating wave of energy, but who can forget its iconic move: the Mega Flare, where it STRAIGHT UP UNLEASHES A MIGHTY BALL OF DEATH AND DESTRUCTION!!!
Wiz: Bahamut is impressive, and is certainly Yuna's strongest in-canon summon, but there is one Aeon that trumps it in every category: the monstrous embodiment of pain, Anima. Its special attack, Pain, can deal instant death upon any foe who's not a boss, and even then, the move is guaranteed to deal massive damage.
Boomstick: And when Anima busts out its ultimate attack, Oblivion...God have mercy on your soul.
Wiz: Of course, Yuna has two special moves of her own that she can boast. The first is Grand Summoning, wherein she summons an Aeon with a fully-charged Overdrive, meaning said Aeon can unleash its strongest move the moment it is summoned.
Boomstick: And then there's her other special move, To the Farplane! With it, she'll transport you to an alternate dimension and have all her Aeons go H.A.M. on you!!
Wiz: With her abilities and Aeons, Yuna has accomplished some impressive feats. She traveled on a spiritual pilgrimage with six of her friends; defeated other Aeon users and had them join her; participated in the defeats of Seymour Guado and Sin; and soon became the High Summoner of the Eternal Calm.
Boomstick: Damn, that's a pretty nice track record! But with that said, Yuna has her weaknesses. For one, aside from being a summoner, she's a White Mage, meaning her defenses are pitiful compared to the other party members. She can also only summon one Aeon at a time, and her Overdrives take time to charge up!
Wiz: Last but not least is her MP supply. She is a White Mage, and many of her spells rely on MP to be cast. Thus, if she runs out, she's in for a bad time.
Boomstick: Still, despite all her weaknesses, Yuna still manages to be one of the coolest summoners to ever grace Final Fantasy. The second she busts out her Aeons, few can stand in her way.
Yuna: I live for the people of Spira, and would have gladly died for them, but no more! The Final Summoning is a false tradition that should be thrown away.
****
YUNA
Age: 17 (Final Fantasy X)
Height: 5'3''
Weight: 106lbs
Class: White Mage/Summoner
WEAPONS AND GEAR:
• Staff:
o Used for casting or summoning
o Can double as a bludgeon
• Mythril Ring:
o Provides a decent boost in defense and magic defense
WHITE MAGIC:
• Cure/Cura/Curaga: Healing spell
• NulBlaze: Nullifies one fire attack
• NulFrost: Nullifies one ice attack
• NulShock: Nullifies one electric attack
• NulTide: Nullifies one water attack
• Regen: Regenerates health over time
• Esuna: Removes all status ailments
• Dispel: Removes all buffs on enemy
• Life: Revivles allies
• Protect: Increases defense
• Shell: Increases magic defense
• Holy: Deals holy damage to foes
AEONS:
• Valefor:
o Yuna's first Aeon
o Moves:
Sonic Wings: Fires off a sonic wave from wings
Energy Ray: Fires off a laser beam
Energy Blast: Fires off an AoE laser beam
• Ifrit:
o Fire-type Aeon
o Moves:
Meteor Strike: Punches a slab of heated rock at foe
Hellfire: Engulfs foe in all-consuming fire
• Shiva:
o Ice-type Aeon
o Moves:
Heavenly Strike: Deals ice damage and delays enemy's turn
Diamond Dust: Attacks with an ice storm
• Ixion:
o Thunder-type Aeon
o Moves:
Aerospark: Fires off discs of lightning
Thor's Hammer: Attacks foe with a powerful lightning attack
• Bahamut:
o Yuna's most powerful canon Aeon
o Moves:
Impulse: Blasts foe with a blast of energy
Mega Flare: Unleashes a mighty beam of energy
• Anima:
o Yuna's ultimate Aeon
o Moves:
Pain: Inflicts instant death on any foes that are not bosses (in that case, deals massive damage)
Oblivion: Anima's ultimate attack; almost guaranteed to OHKO
OTHER MOVES:
• Grand Summoning: Summons an Aeon with a fully charged Overdrive
• To the Farplane: Yuna's EX Burst; drags foe to an alternate dimension where she assails the foe with all her Aeons
FEATS:
• Traveled on a spiritual pilgrimage with six companions
• Defeated various Aeons and had them join her cause
• Defeated Seymour Guado
• Assisted in the defeat of Sin
• Became the High Summoner of the Eternal Calm
WEAKNESSES:
• MP is finite
• When compared to other party members, attack and defense are rather poor
• Can only summon one Aeon at a time
• Overdrives require charge time
*~*~*~*~*~*
Wiz: Alright, the combatants are set. Let's end this debate once and for all!
Boomstick: It's time for a SUMMONING BATTLE!!!
*~*~*~*~*~*
BATTLE
Random barren valley, similar to the one in Pokemon vs Digimon...
"Tidus? Wakka? Rikku? ...Anyone?"
A certain summoner, having set foot onto this foreign land, was hopelessly lost. She'd been separated from her companions a few days ago, and she had begun her fervent search for them ever since. However, as of right now, she wasn't having any luck in finding them, but even then, she stayed determined, knowing that her friends were out there, somewhere.
As it stood, however, she wasn't having any luck. All she was finding was wasteland, wasteland, and more wasteland.
Yuna let out a disappointed sigh. Oh well, guess this was how things were. She'd have to double her search if she wanted any luck in finding her companions.
With her trusty staff in hand, Yuna trudged forward, undeterred by the harsh wind blowing at her direction. The first thing she'd do was scout ahead for any signs of life in this wilderness. A sign of intelligent life, if she was lucky, so that she could at least ask where her friends were, or if they'd been seen somewhere. However, given that this barren valley had a vast assortment of cliffs and rock formations, she'd have to search high and low, and doubly so.
Reaching a dead end, Yuna stopped her trek short. She knew she wouldn't be able to scale this cliff with her strength alone, but she had to search every inch of this land.
With that established...
Yuna gently tapped the butt of her staff into the ground, and whispered, "Valefor..."
With that, a runic circle of sorts appeared before Yuna's feet. From it emerged missiles of light, which pierced the thick clouds above before promptly dispersing.
Just then, a figure descended from the heavens at supersonic speeds, flapping its wings and landing gracefully on the valley floor. Unfurling its wings, the figure revealed itself: a wyvernlike creature, with reptilian wings, a mane of red hair, and overall colored red, pink, and blue. This...was Yuna's primary Aeon, Valefor.
As though having been given a mental command, Valefor lowered itself, preparing itself to be mounted by its master. Yuna had brought out Valefor for the purpose of scaling this cliff and scouting at the valley from the air, hoping to have better chances to spot her friends. The summoner prepared to mount her Aeon...
"WHOA! Who's that Pokemon?!"
Yuna's eyes suddenly snapped wide open - and Valefor quickly straightened itself, facing the direction of the sudden voice.
Yuna turned, and saw the source of the voice: a boy, no taller than she was. He wore a red cap, a red-and-black shirt, and a pair of pants. He had brown eyes and hair, and bands were strapped on his wrists. And lastly, he had a belt strapped to his pants, one from where six peculiar red-and-white balls hung.
The boy stopped short of Yuna and Valefor, huffing as he did so. Even then, he found the energy to whip out a strange device of sorts, and hold it in front of Valefor.
"...hmm...this thing doesn't seem to be a Pokemon I see around these parts...no wonder why I can't scan it..."
The boy then looked up to Yuna. "Say, miss, you wouldn't happen to be this Pokemon's trainer, would you?" he inquired.
"Pokemon...?" asked Yuna, puzzled by the term that this boy had spouted out. "If you're referring to this, this is my trusty Aeon, Valefor."
"Aeon, huh?" asked the red-capped boy. "HEY! You know what? How's about we battle, miss? That thing looks and sounds interesting!"
Yuna's blue and green eyes widened at this, and she backed away, prompting Valefor to glower down upon the strange boy, as if to suggest that neither it nor its master had the time to entertain his request.
"B-Battle?!" gasped Yuna. "I'm sorry, but I don't want to fight."
"C'mon!!" pleaded the boy. "It'll be FUN! Besides, rules state that if trainers lock eyes, they must battle. Not giving you a choice!"
Yuna looked on the ground in defeat. Was she really going to fight this boy...? He didn't look particularly harmful, so fighting him was out of the picture. Then again, it wasn't like the boy was letting her have any other choice, was it?
Finally looking up, Yuna swallowed. Guess there was no harm entertaining this boy's request...
The summoner of Spira readied her staff. "Very well, then," she said. "If you insist."
"SUH-WEET!" cheered the boy, as he reached to one of the balls strapped to his belt and put it forth in a flashy manner. "The name's Red, by the way. Now let's make this fun!!"
With the last word, the boy known as Red tossed the ball forward, declaring, "Pikachu, I choose you!!!"
In a brilliant flash of light, a figure emerged from the ball, surrounded by a white light. As soon as the figure touched down on the ground, the light surrounding it dispersed, revealing a yellow mouse-like creature, with reddish stripes on its back, two round, red "cheeks", and a tail shaped like a lightning bolt.
This was the Electric Mouse Pokemon, Pikachu, who could be argued to be the very face of the Pokemon franchise itself.
Seeing this, Yuna responded, "Well, Red, my name is Yuna. It seems that you are a summoner yourself."
At this, Red scratched the back of his head and laughed sheepishly. "Weeelllll...if you can call it that," he said. "Anyways, this is gonna be fun! I won't hold back, so neither should you!"
Just then, a harsh wind blew at the direction of both commanders of creatures. At this, Valefor glowered down on Pikachu, as the latter crouched down on a battle stance, declaring, "Pikapika!"
Trainer and summoner have finally met. Who shall leave this battle with a victory under their belt?
FIGHT!
(cue Kanto Trainer Battle)
"Pikachu! Quick Attack!"
Red was the first one to issue a command to his summoned creature. Pikachu, nodding, immediately complied, dashing forward in a burst of speed that no mere human eye could register. Hell, even Yuna had failed to see it coming.
Pikachu had slammed into Valefor's chest full-force before it could act, forcing it to stagger back. In response to this, the Aeon lashed out, swinging its batlike wing at Pikachu. The mouse Pokemon leapt out of the way, seamlessly transitioning to yet another Quick Attack upon its master's command.
Not wanting any of this, Yuna mentally commanded Valefor to fly out of the way, Pikachu narrowly dashing past its tail. The wyvern retaliated with a swipe of its reptilian tail, but thanks to its small stature, Pikachu was able to evade, striking at Valefor with a point-blank Quick Attack to the gut.
Valefor actually staggered in midair, but in a display of agility betraying its size, the Aeon weaved with absolute grace, retaliating with a claw swipe that successfully hit Pikachu directly before the Pokemon could even so much as evade.
Valefor then initiated its combo, striking and clawing at Pikachu and juggling the mouse further into the air. The Mouse Pokemon squealed in pain as Valefor continued its vicious combo...
"Pikachu! Get off him quick, then use Iron Tail!!"
Upon the command of Red, Pikachu swiftly complied, its tail suddenly being coated in a sheet of steel. Spinning, Pikachu leapt above Valefor, yelling, "Piiiii...KA!!"
At this, Pikachu slammed its Iron Tail down upon Valefor's head, forcing the wyvern to shriek in pain as it was launched back into the ground. Before Pikachu could land after the Aeon...
"Pikachu! Don't let it get up! Thunderbolt, now!!"
Pikachu complied, its body suddenly surging with a well of electricity. The electricity increased in intensity as it built up within the Mouse Pokemon's body, and when it couldn't be contained any longer...
"Piiiiii...kaaaaaaaa....CHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!"
The electricity within Pikachu burst forth as a violent torrent of lightning, one which rocketed towards Valefor before the Aeon could act, and struck it full on, coating it in violent electricity and causing it to shriek once more in agony, its muscles convulsing.
Yuna gasped, seeing her Aeon at this state. Still, even as the Thunderbolt raged on, the summoner called out to the Aeon, determined to not let it fall here.
"Valefor! Now!"
Shrieking - this time, in determination - Valefor slowly stood up, defying the electric pain coursing through its body and instilling a moment of surprise in Red. By then, the Thunderbolt had ran its course, and Valefor was able to get back up to its own two feet, crossing its wings before itself.
Sonic Wings...
With a cry, Valefor pulled back those wings, coated in white energy, and flapped them at Pikachu's direction, a disc of white light bursting out of its wings and striking Pikachu dead-center, catching it in a small explosion and causing it to shriek "Pikaaaa!!!"
Pikachu slammed into the ground painfully, and was using all of its willpower in an attempt to stand. With heavy encouraging from Red, eventually, the Pokemon shakily got up to its feet, and resumed its battle stance, facing Valefor yet again.
"Now, Pikachu! Keep usin' Thunderbolt on him till it hits!"
"Pika!" replied Pikachu. At this, it arched its body and unleashed a spear of lightning, but this time, Yuna was ready. "Valefor, evade!"
The Aeon complied, gracefully weaving around the Thunderbolt. Pikachu let loose another one, and Valefor dodged. The process would repeat itself until Valefor was high up in the air, just out of reach of the Mouse Pokemon.
It would then descend, energy gathering around its mouth and ripe to be released. Red, having seen one too many Hyper Beams in his life, knew that this did not bode well.
"Pikachu! Use Volt Tackle before he gets the chance to fire!!"
Pikachu complied, and then took off to a running start, slowly picking up speed as a cone of electricity formed around it, all while the Pokemon was yelling,
"Piiiiikapikapikapikapikapikapikapikapikapikapikaaaa!!!"
Just then, Valefor, unable to contain the energy in its mouth anymore, finally unleashed it as a laser beam.
Energy Ray...
The beam struck Pikachu, digging a fault into the ground...and phased right through it, it seemed. Behind Pikachu, Red looked on in disbelief...before his determination kicked in yet again, prepared to command his Pokemon to pick up the pace-!
BOOOOM!!!
A line of explosions erupted from the fault that Valefor's Energy Ray had created. And Pikachu...unfortunately, it had been running along the fault as it continued its Volt Tackle.
As a result, Pikachu was blasted clean into the air with a cry of pain. Valefor wasted no time in flying after the mouse Pokemon, flipping in the air, and delivering a dropkick upon the hapless Pokemon, dragging it back into the ground and digging a crater.
Valefor kicked off of Pikachu, and then floated into the air, screeching in victory, before flying back to Yuna's side.
And Pikachu...well, it appeared that that last attack had put it out of commission, if the silly spirals in its eyes weren't a hint enough.
Gasping in worry and disbelief, Red whipped out a Poke Ball, and aimed it at Pikachu's direction. "Pikachu, you did well. Return!"
At this, Pikachu was promptly absorbed into the Poke Ball, where it would rest from its wounds.
Red, having witnessed the power of Yuna's summon firsthand, decided that it was the optimal time to change Pokemon. Swiftly whipping out another Poke Ball from his belt, Red hurled it into the air, declaring,
"Go, Venusaur!"
What emerged from the Poke Ball was...a tiny bit hideous. It was a green, reptilian monster with a large head, crawling on all fours. It was more massive than Pikachu, and its gaze was more eerie. What definitely stood out in its appearance was the massive flower that was on its back.
This was Venusaur, the final evolution of the Grass-type Kanto starter Pokemon.
Yuna, seeing this...thought it was only fair for her to switch Aeons as well. Silently thanking Valefor, the summoner dismissed the Aeon, and it promptly shrank back into a runic circle. Yuna then twirled her staff, a fiery aura surrounding the weapon, and called out,
"Ifrit!"
Another runic circle emerged from the ground beneath Yuna, then...
And suddenly, the earth trembled, prompting Venusaur to get into attack position, snarling as it did.
And out of the ground...a massive figure suddenly emerged, one that was taller and bulkier than Valefor. It sported menacing horns in its bearlike head, a fiery mane, and long, muscular arms that ended in a set of wicked claws. Yuna, who was sitting atop this new Aeon's shoulder, promptly leapt off and landed on the ground.
The Aeon Ifrit, eyeing Venusaur, reared its head and roared to the heavens, before crouching down on all fours, its teeth locked in a vicious snarl.
"A Fire-type?!" questioned Red. "Guess I'd better be careful, then..."
(cue Battle Theme - FFX OST)
Huffing flames, Ifrit took a mad dash at Venusaur, its claw prints leaving behind small embers as it did. With amazing agility for a beast of its stature, Venusaur leapt aside, and as a result, Ifrit's claws struck nothing but thin air.
"Venusaur! You can't risk yourself, so use Sleep Powder to put that thing out of commission!"
Crying out, Venusaur reared up, and released a mushroom cloud of...something from the flower on its back. The cloud of sleeping powder reached Ifrit...
...and served to do nothing at all, much to Red's dismay and disbelief.
"What? It's immune?!"
Exploiting this moment of surprise, Ifrit reared its head and unleashed a fireball from its mouth. While it didn't hit Venusaur directly, the explosion that had emerged from the fireball striking the ground had hit it in the face.
It's super effective!
Venusaur screeched in pain as it was hit with the force of the super-effective attack. Still, it was able to recover enough to heed Red's command and get the hell out of the way...but it wasn't entirely safe from Ifrit's claws, which had raked it in the face.
Venusaur once more screeched, teetering back and opening it up for a vicious onslaught of claw strikes courtesy of Ifrit. Concluding its combo, Ifrit pulled back a fist, and smashed it against the grass starter's nose, sending it flying and stopping short of its master, having fallen on its side.
Shifting its bulk to the side, Venusaur quickly righted itself, and faced Ifrit, who had lowered its horns and was prepared to gouge them onto the Pokemon. Not wanting any of that, Red commanded, "Venusaur, Sludge Bomb!"
The grass starter complied, the flower on its back opening up and belching out a blob of toxic sludge. Ifrit, so distracted by its own headlong sprint, failed to notice the attack coming...
PLOP!
HSSSSSSS
Ifrit roared in pain as the Sludge Bomb struck it right in the face and burnt right through its skin, causing the Aeon to stop in its tracks and clutch its face. Yuna saw all of this, and knew that this didn't bode well in the slightest.
She wasn't able to act, however, as Red commanded, "Now, Venusaur! Use Frenzy Plant before it recovers!!"
Venusaur complied, and with a grunt, it kicked up an immense tree. It then proceeded to slam into it, knocking the tree onto Ifrit. The ensuing impact kicked up an immense dust cloud, and forced another roar of pain from the fiery Aeon.
However, like a vigilant sentry, Red kept his eye on the dust cloud, for he had been in enough Pokemon battles to know that a giant dust cloud meant the fight wasn't quite over yet.
And sure enough, he was right: with a roar, Ifrit came barreling out of the dust cloud, its mighty claw reared. Of course, Red had seen it coming, but he wasn't quick enough to command Venusaur to get the hell out of the way. Thus, the grass starter was caught directly in a fiery claw swipe, the force blasting it backwards.
Not quite done yet, Ifrit slammed its mighty claw into the earth, and with a grunt, ripped out a smoldering hot rock from underneath the ground.
Meteor Strike...
And then, Ifrit, with a feral roar, slammed its fist into the rock, launching it towards Venusaur and striking it full in the face.
It's super effective!!
Venusaur screeched in pain as the Meteor Strike hit in full. The full force of the super-effective attack, as well as the weight of its previous injuries, had been too much for it to handle, and as a result, the grass starter collapsed on the ground, fainted.
Red clenched his teeth as he fished out a Poke Ball. "Alright, Venusaur, return!"
Without hesitation, the trainer whipped out another Poke Ball. So she's using a Fire-type, huh? Better counter it, then!
Tossing the ball in his hand forth, he called out, "Blastoise, you're up next!"
A figure emerged from the ball, then, obscured by a veil of white light. As it landed, the earth trembled, and soon afterward, the light cleared, revealing a tortoise-like monster with blue skin, standing on its hind legs, and sporting two gigantic fuck-me cannons on its shoulders.
Blastoise roared to the heavens as it faced Ifrit, the Aeon snarling in return. The fiery Aeon lowered its head, and like a mad bull, it ran forth, its very steps shaking the earth.
Red, seizing this opportunity, commanded, "Blastoise, Hydro Cann-"
Ifrit had struck Blastoise, too fast for the lumbering tortoise to even register. Before the Pokemon could even make the conscious effort of aiming its shoulder cannons at Ifrit, it was knocked clean into the air, and then got punched further upwards with a vicious uppercut. Not letting up, Ifrit crouched, and then sprang into the air after Blastoise, flames gathering around its arms.
Hellfire...
Swinging its arms forth, Ifrit let the flames loose as two gigantic fireballs that hit Blastoise directly and consume it in a large pillar of flames. Ifrit then spread out its arms and opened its mouth, a massive fireball taking shape and form in it. The Aeon then belched the fireball onto the pillar, trapping Blastoise in a sphere of flames that suspended it in midair.
Ifrit then landed on the ground, and dug its claws into the earth, roaring as it did so. And then, with an air of finality, the Aeon heaved, digging up a large patch of earth and hurling it at the burning sphere that had trapped Blastoise.
Blastoise's roar of pain was drowned out by the ensuing explosion, and it landed on the earth, burnt and charred, yet still kicking.
It's not very effective...
Red was thankful of his Pokemon's current typing; had it been any other, it would have been burnt to a crisp right there and then. Still, in Blastoise's part, getting burnt with the literal fires of hell still stung like mad.
Shakily, the Pokemon shifted back to its feet, eyeing Ifrit, whose jaws were locked in a snarl, and who was prepared to unleash its next move.
As Ifrit roared and prepared to charge, Red commanded, "Blastoise, quick, use Blizzard to set 'im up!"
Ifrit, continually barreling at Blastoise, failed to properly defend itself against the roaring snowstorm that Blastoise had just summoned. Ifrit roared in pain as the icy projectiles shredded its skin and rooted it to the spot.
"Perfect!" cheered Red. "Now use Hydro Cannon!"
Upon Red's command, twin blasts of water blasted out of Blastoise's shoulder cannons...and struck Ifrit right in the face, before Yuna could even command her Aeon to get the hell out.
Ifrit reared back, screeching in pain as the Hydro Cannon was actually sufficient enough to blast it back ten feet. The Aeon slid painfully at Yuna's feet, writhing in pain at getting struck by two super-effective attacks in rapid succession.
Blastoise, on the other hand, had relaxed itself, almost as if to show that that Hydro Cannon had exhausted its energy and demanded it to cool down. Seeing this, Yuna silently thanked her injured Aeon, and with a wave of her staff, dismissed it. She then raised her staff into the air once more, prepared to summon her next creature...
"Ixion!"
Just then, electricity burst out of Yuna's body, before exploding into a storm of three pillars of lightning that circled the summoner. The electricity then gathered into the head of Yuna's staff as she raised the weapon into the air, and Yuna swung her staff, discharging the electricity into the air.
Out of the sphere suddenly emerged Yuna's new Aeon: a graceful-looking unicorn, its mane white as the driven snow. As its vicious horn crackled with electricity, the Aeon neighed, rearing up on its hind legs as it did so.
Returning to its all-fours stance, Ixion stared down at Blastoise, white steam huffing out of its mouth. The water starter, the pain of the earlier Hellfire having begun to fade at last, put one foot behind and stood its ground, aiming its shoulder cannons at the new horse-like Aeon.
"An Electric-type, huh?" inquired Red. "Guess you really do know your stuff, lady!"
"Thanks," replied Yuna. "But are you ready for it?"
At this, Ixion reared up on its hind legs and immediately galloped towards Blastoise, lightning coating its horn. Blastoise shrieked in surprise and electric pain as it, on reflex, barely caught the Aeon's horn, but was knocked back as a result, and was stung with electricity.
"Blastoise, Flash Cannon! Quick!"
Blastoise complied, unleashing a flash of light at Ixion...which was smart enough to rear back and actually catch the projectile with its horn. With all of its might, Ixion misdirected the blast, batting it back at Blastoise and striking the Pokemon full in the chest with the shockwave.
It's not very effective...
Blastoise teetered back, its teeth clenched in pain. Still, it found enough strength to act accordingly when Red called out,
"Set him up with Focus Blast, then hit him with Blizzard!!"
Heeding its master's command, Blastoise fired a blast of pure energy at Ixion's face, causing the Aeon to stagger back, whinnying in pain.
Narrowing its eyes in blind fury, Ixion ran headlong into Blastoise, its horn coated in lightning. Blastoise, still righting itself after its last move...was unable to act accordingly as Ixion charged into it.
Blastoise screeched in pain as Ixion's mighty horn gouged into its shoulder, rendering the Pokemon's arm numb and useless. Still, in protest, Blastoise thrashed about, determined to get this pony off of it...
With a neigh, Ixion swung its head sharply upwards, with sufficient strength to actually launch the tortoise into the air.
Aerospark...
While Blastoise was still in midair, Ixion swung its horn, and a series of discs emerged from it, all spiraling towards the water Pokemon. Blastoise, unable to act in time, could only watch as the discs of lightning struck it full-on.
It's super effective!
Blastoise fell back to the ground with a screech of pain...only to be met with a pair of hooves that struck it right in the face.
KRACK!
As Ixion kicked it in the face, Blastoise was blasted back towards Red, noiselessly. The spirals in its eyes suggested that the combined might of the previous Hellfire, its shoulder impalement, the discs of Aerospark, and Ixion's kick had proven too much for Blastoise, and had put it out of commission.
Red clenched his teeth as he fished out a Poke Ball and dismissed Blastoise. She's taken down three of my Pokemon already. What makes her so strong?
With that in mind, the trainer of Kanto decided that he'd have to bring out something more powerful. It was a Pokemon that he'd woken up with a flute, and it was a powerhouse.
"Go, Snorlax!!"
(cue Kanto Gym Leader Battle Remix)
What emerged from Red's Poke Ball was massive-and that description was one of generosity. An absolutely obese cat-like creature had taken the stage...and boy did it look sleepy.
Facing Ixion, Snorlax...yawned, and then scratched its ear. Yuna, behind her Aeon...looked genuinely puzzled. What was this thing, and why would Red send out something like this?!
Her answer would come-as the full body weight of the immense Pokemon, manifested as a Giga Impact, slammed into Ixion's face with deceptive swiftness betraying its size, and sent the Aeon flying. At Yuna.
Her senses screaming maximum danger, Yuna ran the hell out of the way as fast as possible...but was a tad bit too late. While Ixion hadn't slammed into her, the ensuing shockwave was successful in doing so, knocking her off her feet and slamming her face-first into a cliff face.
Yuna shuffled back to her feet, as did Ixion...and saw that Snorlax had opened its maw, a sphere of bright red energy having taken form in it. And as soon as Ixion lowered its head and prepared to plunge into Snorlax's face with its horn...
...the Pokemon released the energy, as the dreaded Hyper Beam.
Ixion, unable to move away in time...could only watch as the beam of destruction barreled at its face.
BOOOOOM!!!
Ixion's whinny of pain was obscured by the titanic explosion brought about by Snorlax's Hyper Beam, and its entire form was soon obscured by a gigantic wall of smoke and dust.
However...despite all of its pain, Ixion now had just acquired the damage it needed to perform its ultimate attack.
Thor's Hammer...
From out of the dust cloud, a massive beam of lightning suddenly emerged, connecting with Snorlax and trapping it in a sphere of electricity. As the bolt connecting the sphere and Ixion's horn shrank and shrank, a new sphere began to take form in the Aeon's horn, until, with a neigh, Ixion released the charged up sphere, consuming Snorlax and the sphere trapping it in an all-consuming storm of electricity.
Snorlax hit the ground hard. It hadn't fainted yet, but it had taken quite a lot of damage, and its whitish skin was charred in places, sparks still running down its limbs. Even so, the sleepy Pokemon found the strength to stand on its two feet, its limbs shaky.
Yuna, slightly surprised at this creature's resilience, prepared to order Ixion to attack...
...but as soon as Ixion stepped forth and prepared to charge, it suddenly stumbled forwards, the pain of the previous direct Hyper Beam blast finally taking its toll on it. Seizing this chance, Red immediately commanded, "Snorlax, Shadow Ball!"
Fighting off the electric pain that coursed through its body, Snorlax opened its maw, ghostly energy gathering within it. By the time Ixion had recovered and set to charge...it was treated with a Shadow Ball smacking it right in the face.
Ixion whinnied in shock and pain as the ghostly energy blew up in its face, leaving behind a wide opening that Red wasn't going to let slip from his fingers. "Now, Snorlax, Crunch!!"
Grunting in defiance of the pain in its system, Snorlax dashed forth with agility betraying its bulk, and immediately lunged for Ixion's neck, its jaws wide open. The Aeon, unable to act accordingly, was struck directly with Snorlax's Crunch, the sleepy Pokemon's jaws crunching down on its neck.
Ixion cried out in pain, and immediately began to buck and thrash, in all attempts to get its foe off of its neck. Snorlax latched on, clamping its jaws down even harder and tightening the Aeon's windpipe, shortening it of breath and weakening its thrashing by a small margin.
Snorlax tightened and tightened its bite...until Ixion, all out of breath (well, at least for a while), at long last stopped resisting. With a defeated neigh, the Aeon collapsed on its side, knocked fully unconscious.
Yuna stood in shock, but still found the conscious effort to wave her staff and dismiss Ixion. With a wave of her staff, she made to summon a new Aeon, one that'd give her foe utter chills...
"Shiva!"
Yuna raised her staff, and at the same moment, icicles fell out of the sky and behind her back. Just then, a figure, seemingly made out of liquid water, descended from the heavens, and phased into the icicles that had embedded themselves into the ground. Slowly, the figure's head took on a solid shape and form, before unveiling itself: the face of an elegant, blue-skinned woman. The woman opened her eyes...
...and the ice was promptly shattered, revealing her true form. This was a rather elegant woman, her nigh-bare blue skin shown for all the world to see. Her blue hair was tied up in several gold ribbons, rings hanging from her locks.
"Whoa! That's a pretty nice-looking Pokemon!" complimented Red, as he sized up the new Aeon that had been summoned. "I never knew there were Pokemon who looked like actual people!"
Shiva casually sauntered in front of Yuna, an icy mist coming off of her as she eyed Snorlax. The sleepy Pokemon stood its ground, shuffling to its feet, as Shiva raised her arms, icy mist forming upon the heavens.
Heavenly Strike...
Just then, a massive block of ice formed out of the mist and thundered down on Snorlax, crashing into it with its full weight. Snorlax teetered back, but was able to stand its ground, soon getting up to its feet.
"Snorlax, quick! Use Shadow Ball!" commanded Red.
Snorlax complied, and opened its mouth...only to find that it couldn't do so.
"What?" questioned Red. "Keep trying, Snorlax!"
The sleepy Pokemon tried to open its mouth with all of its strength, and was utterly failing. This opened it up for Shiva's next attack - one that was guaranteed to be cold enough to freeze over Hell itself.
Diamond Dust...
Whirling with the grace of a ballet dancer, Shiva pointed forwards, a mass of ice crystals forming beneath Snorlax's feet as she did so. The Aeon then raised her arms, a sphere of light forming in one of her hands. Then, in a graceful fashion, Shiva thrust that palm in Snorlax's direction, a blast of howling, icy wind bursting out of the sphere of light. As this happened, the crystals beneath Snorlax grew thicker, before they surrounded the Pokemon in a cage of ice.
"Snorlax, no!" cried Red. "Quick, use Giga Impact to break out of there before-"
Shiva snapped her fingers.
And then...
The icy cage exploded outwards, taking its prisoner with it. The attack had been too much for Snorlax, having been damaged by the earlier Thor's Hammer and Heavenly Strike, and thus, with spirals in its eyes, the sleepy Pokemon slumped forwards, fainted.
Her Pokemon must be so strong. I've got only two left, Red thought to himself, as he recalled Snorlax back to its Poke Ball with distress. Better not bring out my big guns yet. Who knows what she has in store...
With that in mind...
Red swiftly fished out a Poke Ball, one that was given to him as a gift as he scaled the Silph Tower in an attempt to stop Team Rocket. He called out the name of the Pokemon within...
"Lapras, I choose you!"
What emerged out of the Poke Ball was a sea creature of sorts - a transport animal, to be more specific. It had a bony shell, and its skin was bluish, with a pale underside.
Lapras, the famed Transport Pokemon, had entered the scene.
Shiva sauntered towards the new Pokemon, prepared to squish it underneath with another Heavenly Strike. Red, not wanting any of that, immediately barked, "Lapras! Hit 'im with a Psychic!"
Lapras nodded in response, then shut its eyes, as soon as Shiva raised a hand to perform the Heavenly Strike...
...and then the Aeon suddenly reeled back in pain, as a sudden something seared her mind. Lapras had struck her with a Psychic attack before she could make a move.
In retaliation, Shiva put a hand forth, and at that same instant, three spikes of ice materialized behind her. With a snap of her fingers, Shiva fired them at Lapras; however, the Pokemon stood its ground, redirecting its Psychic to obliterate the Blizzaga chunks.
The chunks exploded and peppered Lapras, but the Pokemon remained firm, not even showing the slightest hint of pain as this happened.
It's not very effective...
"Okay, Lapras, here's your chance!" called Red. "Use Brine!!"
Lapras raised its head to the heavens, opening its mouth and releasing a rain of steaming water into the air. Shiva, of course, made to avoid it...but was a second too late.
Shiva reeled back, hissing in pain as she was peppered with the water drops that struck her with intense force. Still, the Aeon found the strength to flick her finger and blast Lapras with a chunk of ice, striking the transport Pokemon right in the face. Not letting up, Shiva followed up with
Heavenly Strike...
Striking Lapras from above with a chunk of ice and rendering it immobile yet again. Clenching his teeth, Red implored his Pokemon to attempt to set itself free...
...only for it to be struck in the face with a chunk of ice that cracked against its skull and caused it to teeter back.
Of course, this had caused Lapras to recover, and immediately heed its master's command to unleash a howling Blizzard, one that was set to shred its foe to tiny pieces. The icestorm was so intense, that Yuna herself crossed her arms to shield her face from the ice shards that flew about.
Soon enough, the blizzard cleared...
...and revealed that Shiva was alive and well, despite the intensity of the Blizzard. In fact, it appeared as if the storm had rejuvenated the Aeon rather than bring it harm.
The attack didn't affect the opposing Shiva!
"What?" questioned a baffled Red. "She absorbed it?!"
"Were you really thinking straight when you attacked an ice wielder with her own ammo?" questioned Yuna. At this, Red mentally cursed himself. How the hell had he been so impulsive?!
No matter. With Blizzard out of the picture, he'd have to improvise if he wanted to take down this ice chick...
Not that Yuna'd give him a chance, though. With a mental command, she ordered Shiva to strike, and the Aeon complied, rushing at Lapras and promptly bitch-slapping it onto a stone pillar back-first, causing it to yelp in pain. Swiftly, Shiva spun once more, that familiar icy aura coating her.
Diamond Dust...
Even with its typing, the ice attack had been too much for Lapras. Crying out in pain as the icy cage encasing it shattered, the transport Pokemon slumped forward, spirals in its eyes to signify that it had fainted.
In dismay, Red recalled Lapras. This woman's Pokemon were this strong?!
"Well, looks like I've only got one trick left..." the trainer whispered to himself, as he whipped out one final Poke Ball - one which contained his first Pokemon, his most trusted partner and friend.
With that, Red tossed the Poke Ball forth and declared, "We can do this, buddy. Go, Charizard!!"
What emerged from the Poke Ball, this time, was a dragon, only a bit taller than Red and Yuna themselves. It had orange skin, with a light yellow underbelly, and bluish, leathery wings. What struck Yuna as a bit odd was that the new Pokemon's tail was on fire.
Red's trusty companion, Charizard, raised its head and roared to the heavens, before baring its fangs and growling at Shiva.
"We can't let 'em get the first move!" declared Red. "Charizard, use Slash, quick!"
Charizard nodded in confirmation, and dashed forward, its claws outstretched and ready to shred Shiva like wet paper. Obviously not wanting any of that, Yuna commanded her Aeon to get the hell out of the way and counter with Blizzaga...
...which was only shredded to pieces when Red, quick-thinking, ordered his Pokemon to misdirect its Slash and aim it at the chunk instead, preventing it from being frozen. However, this had left the Pokemon wide open for attack. Shiva raised her arm...
Heavenly Strike...
...except that Red was actually quick enough on his toes to command Charizard to dodge, the draconic Pokemon making a spectacular flip and stylishly avoiding the chunk of ice falling on its head.
"Quick!" commanded Red. "Use Fire Fang before they get the chance to strike again!"
Charizard swiftly complied, flying into the air and dashing at Shiva, its jaws coated in flame. The flame Pokemon was, this time, too swift for Shiva to dodge, and as a result, the Aeon was blasted clean into the air by the force of two fiery jaws clamping down on her.
It's super effective!
"Alright, Charizard! Mega Punch, then follow up with Flamethrower!"
With a growl, Charizard pulled back a glowing fist and threw it right at Shiva's face, blasting the Aeon back into the ground with enough force to create a sizeable crater and a shockwave that nearly knocked Yuna off her feet.
The Aeon wouldn't even be given a chance to recover as a wave of flames consumed it entirely, flooding from the mouth of Charizard.
It's super effective!
Of course, getting struck with two super-effective moves in a row proved a little too much for poor Shiva, and overwhelmed with burning pain, the Aeon collapsed face-first on the valley floor.
Yuna clenched her teeth as she dismissed Shiva with a wave of her staff, silently thanking her. She looked up at Red and Charizard, and realized that with so few options left, it was time to bring out the big guns...
"Bahamut!"
(cue Summoned Beast Battle - Dissidia 012 OST)
What emerged from Yuna's runic circle to the sky was a dragon - a majestic one, with bright-colored wings, metallic skin, and a discus-like apparatus on its back. The mighty dragon reared its head, its sinewy tail whipping around in the air, and then dove back to the ground, a runic circle appearing in the sky. The dragon flew through that circle and back to the ground like a meteor, before righting itself and crashing to the ground on its feet with enough force to make even Yuna stumble.
Glowering at Charizard, Bahamut reared its mighty head and roared to the heavens, its very voice making the earth tremble. Hell, both creature-tamers had to cover their ears to prevent their eardrums from splitting.
Red gulped. He could tell, from the might seemingly emanating from the dragon and the hardened look of determination on Yuna, that the summoner was done playing around.
With that established...
"Charizard! Fire Blast!!"
Charizard streaked to the heavens, flames gathering around its mouth as Bahamut followed after it, its leap cracking the earth underneath it. Quickly, the flame Pokemon unleashed the fire in its mouth as a blast of flames that seemingly resembled...a Japanese alphabetical character?
The mighty Fire Blast struck the advancing Bahamut right in the face...but all it served to do to the draconic Aeon was make it flinch, and even then, it only did so slightly.
Bahamut retaliated with a swipe of its clawed hand, nailing Charizard across the chest and blasting it back. The Pokemon was able to spread its wings and recover in midair, narrowly avoiding another claw swipe from Bahamut and retaliating with a Mega Punch...which did little to faze the dragon.
Roaring out, Bahamut swiftly flew forwards and landed a vicious claw on Charizard's underside, launching the flame Pokemon into the air with a grunt of pain. Bahamut zoomed after and above it, a mach cone forming over its head, and it spread its wings, energy flowing around them.
Impulse...
With a roar, Bahamut unleashed the energy as four violent spheres of purple light, each of them striking Charizard with great force and forcing a roar of pain from the dragon, shrouding it in a cloud of smoke.
However, with a determined roar, Charizard charged through the pillar, its entire body coated in flames as it rushed headlong towards Bahamut. The Aeon actually grunted in pain as it was struck in the chest with Charizard's Flare Blitz, but the attack wasn't enough to impede Bahamut from striking Charizard with its thick tail in retaliation.
The tail whip struck with sufficient force to launch Charizard back to the ground, its impact creating a crater and nearly sweeping Red off his feet. Squinting to keep himself from being blinded by the dust, Red called out to his Pokemon, "Get up, Charizard!!"
The Pokemon tried to stand, but ultimately failed, as its muscles were flaring with pain. Seeing this chance, Yuna commanded Bahamut to land upon the ground and unleash its ultimate attack.
Mega Flare...
In compliance, Bahamut sprang into the air and landed back on the ground on all fours, and opened its maw, the apparatus on its back spinning like a discus and gathering light as it did.
When the energy could at last no longer be contained within anymore, Bahamut unleashed it as a massive beam of pure destruction at Charizard, the wave colliding with the flame Pokemon, blasting it towards a cliff wall, and consuming it in a plume of mystical flames. When it was done, Bahamut roared in victory, then stood back up on its hind legs.
"NO!" cried Red, in great distress over his friend. He could sense that his buddy was still alive, yet barely so: the sheer power of the Mega Flare had left it on its last legs.
And thus...Red had no other option to bring it out. One last card to play, to turn the tables...
"It's not over yet, buddy," he whispered as he fished out a stone of sorts and held it close to his heart. "I believe in you. Let's finish this...together!"
(cue Trainer Red Battle Theme)
At the last word, a pillar of pure energy erupted from the rubble that Charizard was buried in, and an all-encompassing flash of light ensued, temporarily blinding Yuna and her Aeon. The summoner brought her hands before her, in a futile attempt to block out the light.
The light cleared sooner than she had anticipated, however...but one glimpse at the new creature before her and Yuna knew that things were far from over.
Charizard was alive and well...but it had changed, transformed entirely. What was once orange skin was now a dark shade of blue, and so were its wings, and the flame in its tail. Its horns were noticeably sharper, and its wings now had jagged edges. And the same flame that burned within its tail was now burning in its mouth.
Charizard had entered a new state of being and power - Mega Evolution.
Facing Bahamut, Mega Charizard X let out a roar that shook the heavens. Grinning like a child receiving his best Christmas gift, Red called out, "Alright, Mega Charizard! Dragon Claw!"
Charizard complied, its claws instantly coated in a draconic aura. Bahamut, not wanting any of that, immediately reared up and spread its wings, energy flowing into them.
Impulse...
Bahamut once more unleashed four orbs of draconic energy, but Charizard, its claws crackling with energy, made little effort in weaving around them, and eventually reached Bahamut, immediately clawing and slashing away at the dragon with its charged claws. Bahamut actually grunted in pain as Charizard continued its vicious assault, weaving circles around the Aeon and slashing with reckless abandon.
Bahamut was able to bat Charizard away with a swipe of its thick tail, and immediately followed after the dragon, its claws reared to gouge into the Pokemon. Red immediately commanded his Pokemon to get the hell out of the way, and it complied, the claws of Bahamut narrowly missing its head.
"Use Swift!!"
At this, Charizard faced the advancing Bahamut and spread its wings, unleashing star-shaped projectiles from them. Yuna, not wanting to know what those things would do, immediately commanded Bahamut to dodge. The dragon complied, spreading its wings and flying to the side to avoid the Swift...
...but as soon as the stars reached Bahamut's back, they turned. One-hundred and eighty degrees. And they all streaked towards Bahamut, flying at it like heatseeking missiles.
Bahamut flew upwards, in an attempt to lose the stars, but everywhere it flew, the stars followed, and soon, they would slowly catch up to the draconic Aeon. Bahamut, now desperate, zoomed back and forth in the sky, but still the stars followed.
Eventually, the Aeon could lose the Swift no longer, and as a result, it was peppered with explosions of energy that forced it to stop in the air. Bahamut, not allowing itself to be taken down by such a cheap move, prepared to find Charizard and attack...
SLISH!
The Aeon screeched in pain as it was raked across the chest with a claw attack, courtesy of Mega Charizard X. The Air Slash was actually also powerful enough to split the cloud above Bahamut in half, and send the dragon flying back.
His excitement rising, Red commanded, "Perfect! Now, use Fire Blast, then follow up with Seismic Toss!"
Bahamut, still reeling in pain from that surprise attack, wasn't able to defend itself as it was struck right in the face with a blue flaming Japanese alphabetical character. The dragon reeled back, roaring in pain...
...and thus couldn't defend itself as Charizard gripped it by the neck and, with all its strength, heaved the mighty dragon into the air and began flying in a vertical circle. Despite Bahamut's mass, Charizard steadily picked up speed, and eventually, it could only be seen as a blur.
A good five seconds later, Charizard stopped its attack, and immediately flew down towards the earth, smashing Bahamut into it head-first and kicking up a dust cloud. Not wanting his best friend to get hit by the inevitable counterattack, Red immediately ordered, "Charizard, get out of there!!"
And that Charizard did. It immediately flew out of the dust cloud, flying high above the sky and staring the fallen Bahamut like a vigilant sentry, waiting for the dragon to make a move.
And move Bahamut did. It had sustained enough damage for it to unleash its ultimate move once more.
Mega Flare...
Getting up to its four feet, Bahamut charged energy in its mouth once more, the apparatus on its back whirling and clearing away the dust with its light. Red, knowing that this did not bode well in the slightest, quickly called out, "Charizard! Hold it back with your toughest Flamethrower yet!!"
As Bahamut let its mighty Mega Flare loose, Charizard spewed the most intense Flamethrower it could muster, a wave of bright blue flames pouring out of the Mega Pokemon's mouth. As soon as the two opposing attacks collided at the midpoint, a bright explosion ensued, its roar and shine encompassing and engulfing the entire valley and its blast wave knocking Red and Yuna off their feet.
Soon, Mega Charizard X and Bahamut were locked in a classic anime beam struggle (if one of them could even properly be called a beam), their waves threatening to overpower the other. Bahamut and Charizard pushed on, further intensifying their waves, the clash continuing for an agonizing ten seconds...
...until one wave began to flicker and die.
Bahamut's Mega Flare began to slowly, but surely, overpower Charizard's Flamethrower. Red watched, in horror, as the Mega Flare inched ever closer to Charizard, overpowering its flickering Flamethrower.
Not wanting his Pokemon to get hit by this, Red immediately ordered Charizard to get the hell out of the way...and it succeeded, the Mega Flare narrowly brushing at its feet and obliterating the stone pillar behind Red. The blast wave knocked the trainer off his feet, and threw Charizard forth like a ragdoll, though it wasn't struck directly with the impact.
Still, Charizard found its balance in midair, and as soon as he recovered, Red saw that putting that much power behind that one beam was enough to exhaust Bahamut and prompt it to cool down.
Seeing this as a perfect opening, Red immediately declared, "Alright, hit 'im with Dragon Claw again!"
Mega Charizard X immediately rushed at Bahamut, its claws coated in dragon energy, and began hacking and slashing away at the Aeon, forcing a roar of pain from the dragon's throat.
"Now, finish with Flare Blitz!"
Flipping to evade a wild claw swipe from Bahamut, Charizard quickly coated itself in blue flames, and with a roar, charged forth at Bahamut...
BOOOOOM!!!
The result? When Charizard struck, there ensued a massive explosion of bright blue, upturning the earth and causing Bahamut to roar in pain, the intense flames of Flare Blitz searing its entire system and kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
At last, the pain of the explosion and the flames was too much for Bahamut to bear, and the Aeon slumped forward, vanishing into a runic circle to signify that it was out for the count.
Red whooped in victory, having overcome the strongest creature that girl had brought to the table. It was a hard-fought battle, but thanks to his and his Pokemon's strength, he had emerged the victor...
.
.
.
.
.
.
BLAM!
Red himself was suddenly blasted clean into the air, knocked off his feet by a small explosion - a small, holy one. The Pokemon trainer grunted painfully as he crashed back into the ground, and when he shuffled back to his feet...he was promptly met with a staff striking him in the face.
Red was launched backwards, skidding against the floor with a pained grunt. Shuffling back to his feet, the Pokemon Trainer rolled aside to evade an overhead staff swing - courtesy of Yuna herself.
Red, very baffled by this, demanded, "Hey, what are you doing? WE'RE not supposed to fight!!"
This demand had reached the ears of Charizard, who swiftly flew back to the ground and towards its master, slashing at Yuna herself with its claws and knocking the summoner back a few feet.
"Charizard, no!" demanded Red. "Don't!"
With a growl, the flame Pokemon defied its master one more time, blasting Yuna with, well...a Fire Blast. The summoner had put up a Shell in time to cushion the attack, but she still felt its heat to the very core, and she was blasted back yet again.
Only to a demand of, "What are you doing, Charizard?! Stop!" did Mega Charizard decide to stop and fly back to its master's side, but it still looked at the summoner it had just attacked with fury. How dare she attack its best friend?!
Yuna shuffled back to her feet as she grunted in pain, the scratch marks from Charizard's claws bleeding slightly and her muscles stinging like hell from that Fire Blast. It was then that she realized that the time for holding back was long past. If she wanted to get out of this alive, she had to bring it out.
Grand Summoning...
"Anima!"
(cue Decisive Battle - FFX OST)
Much to Red's surprise, the sky suddenly darkened, a reddish portal of sorts opening up in the sky. From that portal, a long chain descended, the hook in its end digging into the earth and continuing its descent before stopping abruptly. The chain then began to retract, as if it had retrieved something from beneath the earth and was pulling it out.
The first things that emerged from the ground were more chains, ones that appeared as if they had something bound.
And then there emerged the one that was being bound...and it was, in every sense of the word, hideous.
It was a creature that appeared human in frame, yet inhuman everywhere else. It bore skin that was scaly, a mask that was reptilian, and the creature itself appeared to be encased in a pair of hideous jaws.
Eyeing Charizard and Red, Anima let out an inhuman roar, one which genuinely scared both Pokemon and trainer.
However, Red wasn't going to let this one get the drop on him. "Charizard! Take 'im out, QUICK!"
Coating itself in blue flames once more, Mega Charizard X rushed headlong at Anima, in an attempt to blow it away with Flare Blitz. The dragon struck...
BOOM!!!
And...much to Red's genuine surprise, Anima wasn't fazed. At all. In fact, it looked as if it was more pissed off than hurt.
Pain...
Anima reared its head, sinister energy beginning to gather in its eyes. As Anima shot its head forward, the energy in its eyes was instantly focused on Charizard, engulfing the dragon Pokemon in a blast that cast it in great pain.
Charizard roared in pain as it was struck full-on by, well...Pain, but through sheer force of will, the Pokemon stood its ground, remaining afloat despite all odds.
"Charizard, keep hitting him with Fire Blast!" commanded Red. "And aim above his head!"
With a fierce growl, Charizard complied, unleashing Japanese alphabetical character after Japanese alphabetical character of blue flames upon Anima's head. The dark Aeon, however, stood its ground, appearing unfazed at all by the continuous Fire Blasts. Charizard, with a frustrated growl, prepared to unleash another Fire Blast...
...but Anima had beaten it to the draw.
Pain...
Charizard roared out in pain as Anima released its sinister energy yet again, striking it in full and causing its entire body to flare in agony. It was a miracle that Charizard was even able to flap its wings and remain afloat. Anima swiftly reared its head once more, the same energy charging in its eyes...
"Charizard, quick!" Red shouted, determined to not get his friend hit by that blast again. "Dragon Claw!!"
Charizard rushed in once more and struck Anima...a millisecond before the Aeon could unleash its dreaded Pain. Anima didn't stagger from the blows, but the force behind them was enough to prevent it from making another move.
With a wicked uppercut, Charizard concluded its Dragon Claw combo, and upon Red's command, flew above Anima's head.
"That's it, Charizard!" whooped Red. "Set 'im up with Fire Spin!"
Charizard quickly opened its mouth and spewed a small ball of flames before Anima, and as it hit the ground...it erupted into a massive vortex of blue flames. For the first time, Anima could actually feel the heat of Charizard's flames, though it didn't let it bother it.
"Perfect!" said Red. "Now! BLAST BURN!!!"
In compliance, Mega Charizard X returned to the ground and slammed its fist onto it, a vicious wave of flames erupting from beneath the earth and consuming Anima - and Yuna - in a blast of pure, utter fiery destruction, causing the Aeon to screech in agony.
Yuna cried out in pain as she was consumed within the Blast Burn, even as she cast Shell to minimize the damage as much as she possibly could. However, while it wasn't enough to defend against the full brunt of the attack, it was enough to keep her alive, at least.
As he saw the explosion unfold before his eyes, Red cheered-though not at the destruction, but at his hard-earned victory. "WOO-HOO!" he whooped. "YES, we did-"
BOOM!
Red's victory cheer was cut short when he heard the agonized cry of Charizard, struck in full with yet another Pain. Anima, meanwhile, had sustained enough damage to perform its ultimate attack...
Oblivion...
A pool of darkness appeared beneath Charizard and consumed it entirely, drowning out the Pokemon's roars of protest. Beneath the ground, Charizard only saw an eerie creature - the sinister lower half of Anima itself, with a visage more inhuman than its other half.
And when the beast roared, pulling its arms forth and snapping the chains binding it...the flame Pokemon could only look in fear, as Anima's lower half pulled back its glowing fists and, well...proceeded to JoJo the shit out of Charizard, pummeling the dragon with a storm of punches that each struck with the force of a Holy Hand Grenade. Charizard roared in pain as Anima's bottom half continued its onslaught, before it finally terminated its combo by spreading its arms...
...and just then, a bright Technicolor explosion engulfed Charizard, silencing its roars of agony.
When perspective shifted back into the human world...it revealed that Charizard had survived the attack, but just very, very barely. It was in a pitiful state, to say the least: its skin was charred, its bones were broken, and blood was leaking out of its mouth.
Upon seeing his friend in such a state, Red hurriedly ran towards it. "Charizard, no!" he yelled, in distress. "Are you okay, buddy? Please get up!"
And finally...it was then that Yuna decided that it was time to end this once and for all.
"Forgive me for this..." she solemnly whispered as she eyed Red and his injured friend.
As a Pain attack launched both Red and Charizard into the air, Yuna declared, "I will end the spiral of conflict!"
To the Farplane!
Red, Charizard, and Yuna were then transported into a strange plane...and then the summoner of Spira unleashed her full power.
With a wave of her staff, Yuna called forth Valefor once again, which unleashed a beam of energy upon Charizard and Red. Despite its injuries, the Pokemon was able to get in the way of the beam, preventing it from reaching its master. However, Yuna wasn't quite done yet.
"Sins of times eternal..."
As Yuna danced gracefully atop a water spout and continually summoned her trusty Aeons, Charizard, despite its injured state, held the line, even as Yuna's Aeons were striking it with all they had.
Finally, unable to bear to see his trusty partner in such pain anymore, Red, with tears in his eyes, fished out a Poke Ball and recalled it before it could truly die. However, this necessitated that he was going to be the one on the receiving end of the full wrath of Yuna's attack.
"Ch-Charizard..." croaked Red, as Yuna's Aeons continued assailing him. "Everyone...I...I'm sorry..."
With that, Red decided to shut his eyes, in acceptance of his fate, as a blast of energy courtesy of Bahamut consumed him in full. Perhaps this was where everything would end, after all...
With a final wave of her staff and a final apologetic look, Yuna whispered, "...I will cast them away."
And just like that, Red, the champion of Kanto, the legendary Pokemon trainer...was gone, his soul sent to the Farplane and his body scattering in an explosion of pyreflies.
(stop music)
The pocket dimension faded away...
...and revealed that absolutely nothing was left of Red. No Poke Balls, no hat, nothing. Yuna, seeing that no trace of her former foe had remained, gasped in horror at what she had done. She'd sent his soul to the Farplane, sure...but what the hell had she done? This boy...he only wanted a duel, one between their trusty companions - and it ended with a life passing from this world.
Tears streaking down her face, Yuna silently wept for the fate of her foe, and prayed that he'd find peace and happiness in the Farplane. It was the only thing she could do to earn even a tiny bit of closure.
She then silently left the valley, in sadness and shame at what she had done, to find her friends and tell them the story.
KO!
*~*~*~*~*~*
Boomstick: Red? Red?! REEEEEED?!?!?
Wiz: Red vs Yuna is a much closer battle than anyone could anticipate, but at the same time, Yuna's victory was pretty straightforward.
Boomstick: ...at least he's living happily ever after in the afterlife, right...?
Wiz: Judging by what Yuna just did, then yes. Yes, he is.
Boomstick: That's...a bit comforting. But REEEEEED!!!
Wiz: From the start, Yuna's Aeons held a significant power advantage over Red's Pokemon, but Red, being the crafty trainer that he was, could form clever and sometimes unorthodox strategies and keep himself in the game as long as he did.
Boomstick: And Red's no slouch in fighting foes who're way out of his league, considering he's tangled with some of the world's best Trainers, and even Legendary Pokemon!
Wiz: And Red also possessed the experience advantage. While Yuna only held her Aeons for quite a short time, Red has done much more, traveling through different regions and honing his skills. Even if we take Yuna's adventures from Final Fantasy X-2, Red's still done significantly more than her.
Boomstick: But that's where all of Red's advantages come to a stop. Like we said before, his strategic mindset could only take him so far, considering he's never faced anyone quite like Yuna before! In terms of appearance and style, that is.
Wiz: Red's Pokedex and knowledge of type advantages and disadvantages are often the reason he pulls ahead in his battles, but that advantage goes away when you realize that Yuna's Aeons aren't quite the same as any Pokemon. They are unable to be scanned by the Pokedex, so Red can't really make calls on their weaknesses.
Boomstick: And while neither of them can assist their spirit animals in battle, Yuna, by comparison, can actually fight on her own. I mean, she's got a staff and a holy spell, for God's sakes!
Wiz: Not to mention, Yuna's Aeons are largely immune to status effects, so any Pokemon move that may deal negative status ailments fall flat.
Boomstick: Like we said before, Yuna's Aeons were just that much more powerful than Red's Pokemon. They've gone up against powerhouses like Seymour, Penance, and the like, and are capable of dealing damage to them and outright killing them! That kinda puts the Aeons at a higher hierarchy of power over Red's Pokemon.
Wiz: Last but not least, when Yuna brought out her two powerhouses, Bahamut and Anima, the fight was hers. Mega Charizard X was a significant power boost sure, but Bahamut is more than powerful enough to keep up, and Anima...do we really need to explain it?
Boomstick: It's got moves that can insta-kill you when given the chance. GG Charizard.
Wiz: Red was a powerful and versatile combatant, but in the end, he just couldn't compete with Yuna's superior summons and power.
Boomstick: Looks like Red just...damn it, I haven't got a pun for this one...I mean, it's pretty sad when you look at it...
Wiz: Understandable. The winner is Yuna.
Winner: YUNA
+ Aeons possessed a distinct power advantage over Pokemon
+ Can actually fight
+ Can heal herself if given the chance
+ Anima is just that much more powerful than Mega Charizard X
- Less experienced
- Less strategic
Loser: RED
+ More experienced
+ More strategic
+ Is pretty much used to fighting foes stronger than him
- Pokemon were outclassed by Aeons
- Anima outstrips Mega Charizard X by miles
- More incapable of fighting
- Couldn't scan for the weaknesses of the Aeons
*~*~*~*~*~*
NEXT TIME ON DEATH BATTLE:
Brace yourselves! It's the long-awaited duel of two of the Internet's angriest critics...
THE NOSTALGIA CRITIC vs. THE ANGRY VIDEO GAME NERD!