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Pokemon, Asylum of the Damned

Chapter LXV

Saga XIII- Master Battles Saga

Chapter VII- Round Six

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Tom had been a nervous wreck ever since Alex's announcement the day before. 
Porygon Two and the rest of Tom's Pokemon could not remember the last time 
they sat down and relaxed. Every day since that declaration, Tom had taken 
them all to the local Pokemon gym, and continued to defeat the gym leader 
over and over and over again, with each battle becoming more and more 
one-sided than the battle before. It became so repetitive and increasingly 
brutal that only a day before Tom's next match, the gym leader banned Tom 
completely from his gym. Looking up at Tom's face whenever he had the 
chance, Porygon Two could not remember the last time Tom had smiled either.

Only a few hours before Tom's next match, Tom walked into the Pokemon 
Center, dumped his Pokeballs onto the counter, much to the surprise of Joy 
behind it. Without even speaking a word, Tom bent down, and hoisted Porygon 
Two onto the counter with the Pokeballs, completely worn out and lethargic. 
"So... tired..." Porygon Two moaned.

Joy blinked in disbelief. "You really should take it easier on your 
Pokemon."

"I've got a five thousand dollar bounty on my head!" Tom blurted out.

Tom's outburst turned the heads of the few people in the center. Flushing a 
violent red, Tom looked down at the counter and murmured, "I'm sorry, I'm a 
little nervous, to say the least."

Joy rolled her eyes and sighed. "Don't feel too bad," she said, giving Tom's 
Pokeballs to her Chansey and lugging Porygon Two up in her arms, "Everyone 
else who's come in here has also been training hard."

Tom took a quick glance around the room, and saw that all of the trainers 
were still staring at him. "I know," Tom muttered, still looking at the eyes 
locked on him.

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"The following contest is for the best of five falls," The unseen announcer 
declared as Tom and Porygon Two made their way to Tom's trainer box. 
"Introducing first, from Yorin Town, earning a total of ten badges, Tom 
Simms!"

Tom was already in his trainer box before the announcer had finished. "And 
his opponent, from Mega City, earning a total of fifteen badges, Sam Aran!"

The tall blonde girl who approached the field looked like she was all 
business, and the glare she shot with her steely blue eyes made Tom go weak 
in the knees. As soon as Tom put on his headset, Sam was already in her 
trainer box. "Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way," said Sam 
with a growl as soon as she had her headset on. "Moltres or not, that five 
thousand is mine."

Tom pulled a Pokeball off of his belt. "You're going to have to beat it out 
of me," he replied grimly as Sam fished out a Pokeball from her pockets.

They both let their Pokemon loose on the field simultaneously, with Tom's 
Primeape facing towards Sam's Blaziken. And with hardly a second after, the 
referee took the field. "Trainers ready," he announced, "Pokemon ready, 
begin!"

"Primeape, Dynamic Punch!"

"Blaziken, Sky Uppercut!"

As Primeape wound his fist back, Blaziken shot forward like a rocket towards 
Primeape. Just as they were within inches of each other, Primeape and 
Blaziken let their fists fly. Primeape's knuckles flew wide past Blaziken's 
ear, while Blaziken landed his fist square on Primeape's nose. Primeape 
squealed as he was knocked backwards to the ground, rubbing his bloodied 
nose.

"Blaziken, Sky Uppercut again!" Sam ordered.

Just as Blaziken rushed in again, Tom yelled, "Primeape, Thrash!"

Blaziken's face was suddenly greeted by Primeape's foot, planting his heel 
dead between Blaziken's eyes. Blaziken was stopped in his tracks immediately 
as Primeape began to dance about in a fevered rage, swinging his fists and 
kicking his legs savagely, snorting and howling away.

Sam decided to try a different tactic. "Blaziken, Blaze Kick!"

Tom kept his mouth shut. He knew Primeape was now completely out of control.

Blaziken hopped backwards a few steps, wound back his leg, and charged at 
Primeape again. Just as he came within a sweeping distance, Blaziken shot 
his leg forward, his foot bursting alight with flames. The Blaze Kick 
smacked Primeape in his bloody nose again, spattering more blood all over 
his fur. "Quickly before he has a chance to recover," Sam ordered, "Double 
Kick!"

Blaziken immediately hopped on one leg and jabbed his foot into Primeape's 
nose like a spitting machine gun, pummeling the raging Primeape with his 
swift kicks. Primeape crossed his arms, letting Blaziken batter his elbows 
with his feet, still fuming and snarling. And with a feral roar, Primeape 
suddenly lunged forward and grabbed Blaziken by the ankle, thrust him into 
the air, and then flung him down onto the ground with a bone-shattering 
smash. Blaziken lay on the field on his back, moaning weakly in defeat.

"Hmph, lucky," Sam muttered, recalling her Blaziken as Primeape continued to 
rage away. Within seconds, she held another Pokeball, and let the Pokemon 
inside loose on the field. The Metagross that glared down at the raging 
Primeape was one of the most massive Pokemon that Tom had ever seen. Tom 
pulled out his Pokedex.

"Metagross, the Iron Leg Pokemon," said the Pokedex, "the evolved form of 
Bedlum and Metang. Like it's previous forms, Metagross has no blood- only a 
strong psychokinetic connection with its body. Metagross has a total of four 
brains, and together can outperform a supercomputer. Metagrosses have also 
been known to levitate by tucking in their four legs."

Tom stuffed his Pokedex back into his pocket. "Trainers ready," The referee 
declared, "Pokemon ready, begin!"

"Metagross, Psychic!"

Before Tom could issue a command, Metagross had already willed the fuming 
Primeape into the air, and then sent him crashing down into the ground. 
Battered, bloodied, and bruised, Primeape weezed a defeated sigh.

Tom grimaced as he recalled Primeape. "Like I said," said Sam coldly, "That 
bounty is mine."

"This fight isn't over yet," said Tom, looking down at Porygon Two. Porygon 
Two gave a simple nod, and rolled onto the field.

"Pokemon ready, trainers ready, begin!"

"Porygon, Psychic!"

"Metagross, Take Down!"

Lunging itself forward, Porygon Two shot a beam of psychic energy forward, 
smashing into Metagross' nose. The Metagross only stumbled backwards, and 
then shot off from the ground with his thick legs, bashing his hard head 
into Porygon Two's beak. Porygon Two was sent tumbling head over heels from 
the brutal attack, finally coming to a stop upside down. "Ow," Porygon Two 
whined.

Tom muttered under his breath nervously as Porygon Two weakly dragged itself 
back to Tom's side of the field. "Give up while you still have the chance," 
said Sam, "Or I'll brutalize your next Pokemon as well."

With a subtle smirk on his lip, Tom plucked a Pokeball from his belt. Within 
moments, Tom's Typhlosion took the field.

"Trainers ready, Pokemon ready, begin!"

Just as Sam had done to Tom, Tom immediately barked out, "Typhlosion, Fire 
Blast!"

Typhlosion had blasted out a massive burst of flames from his mouth before 
Sam could say anything, scorching her Metagross in a heartbeat. Metagross 
slumped to the ground, moaning as his charred metal skin began to smoke.

Tom grinned, snickering into his headset. "How's that for brutalization?" 
Tom jeered.

Sam muttered under her breath, taking out another Pokeball after zapping 
Metagross back. Hastily opening it up, Sam's Pokeball unleashed a Skarmory 
onto the field, letting the metal bird gracefully land on the ground.

"A Skarmory?" Tom asked aloud, "What are you doing?"

"Winning that bounty," Sam growled as the referee restarted the match, 
"Skarmory, Whirlwind!"

"Typhlosion, Fire Blast!"

As Typhlosion sucked in another deep breath, Sam's Skarmory wound back her 
wings, blasting Typhlosion with a mighty gale. The blast was so fierce that 
it sent Typlosion flying backwards, up at Tom's trainer box. Typhlosion 
smashed into the support stand, causing the platform to lurch downward. Tom 
quickly grabbed the rails, saving himself from a fall off of the plateau. 
The Whirlwind began to die down, but not before it whisked a Pokeball off of 
Tom's belt, blowing it onto the field. The ball sprung open, and within 
seconds, Tom's own Skarmory took the field.

Just as Tom went to recall Skarmory, Sam suddenly cut in. "What are you 
doing?" She asked testily.

"Recalling my Skarmory," said Tom.

"You can't recall him," said Sam, "He's already on the field in the middle 
of this battle." Tom could hear Sam begin to smirk cruelly at him, "you know 
the rules."

Regaining his footing on the titled platform, Tom muttered bitterly under 
his breath as he zapped Typhlosion back into his Pokeball. "Now, how about 
you give up and just let me take that bounty?"

"Just shut up and fight already," Tom snarled. "Skarmory, Drill Peck!"

"Skarmory," Sam ordered her own Pokemon, "Steel Wing!"

Without a split second of delay, the two Skarmories lunged at each other. 
They both collided with each other a heartbeat later, smashing their beaks 
and wings into each other with an ear-shattering sceech that sounded like 
nails running down a chalkboard. Tom covered his ears while Sam simply 
gritted her teeth and put up as best she could with the irritating noise. 
When it had finally stopped, the two Skarmories paused to nurse their 
wounds. Sam's Skarmory rubbed a long gash in her armor with her beak, while 
Tom's Skarmory's eye began to puff over and close shut. Tom grimaced, 
knowing that Sam knew that neither of their Pokemon could last for long. 
Deciding to take a risk, Tom ordered, "Skarmory, Sky Attack!"

"Skarmory," Sam commanded, "Razor Wind!"

Tom's Skarmory suddenly shot into the sky, while Sam's Skarmory beat her 
wings again, creating another Whirlwind on the field. Now as high up in the 
sky as he could stand, Tom's Skarmory suddenly took a hairpin turn in the 
air, sending himself speeding like a javelin to the ground again. Sam's 
Skarmory suddenly kicked a bit of debris from the field into her spinning 
air vortex, whipping the bits around fast enough to lacerate anything to 
shreds. And as Tom's Skarmory plummeted towards the ground with his fierce 
nosedive, Sam's Skarmory flew above the mouth of the Razor Wind, daring 
Tom's Skarmory to attack.

Within the blink of an eye, the two Skarmories collided again, and vortex 
suddenly exploded in a hail of scraps and debris. Tom sheilded himself with 
his arms as Sam did the same. After the winds died away, Tom winced as he 
looked at his left arm, cut up and dribbling out thin streams of blood here 
and there. Sam rubbed her own, wiping a wide shade of red over her arm. When 
all eyes were once again on the field, one Skarmory was standing, hunched 
over and weezing heavily, and another lay motionless on the ground.

Tom and Sam glared at each other. And then, almost simultaneously, they both 
called, "Skarmory, return!"

The Skarmory left standing weakly took to the air, and once hovering gently 
in the air, the Skarmory weezed once before turning and gliding to Tom.

The crowd cheered wildly as Sam hung her head in defeat. "And the winner of 
this match by three falls, Tom Simms!"

As Tom zapped his Skarmory back into his Pokeball, Tom noticed Sam recall 
her own Skarmory, still too disgraced to look up. "Hey Sam, that was a nice 
battle," Tom said into his headset. And when Tom spotted Sam's headset 
already strewn on the platform as she decended her ladder to the ground, Tom 
sighed with a sudden dread. "I guess there's five thousand reasons why she's 
upset..."

-End

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