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Pokemon, Asylum of the Damned

Chapter LXVII

Saga XIII- Master Battles Saga

Chaptter IX- Round Eight

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It did not matter how much Tom begged and pleaded, Moltres would not go 
inside one of Tom's empty Pokeballs, even when Tom pointed out that they 
would both be flocked by a mass of onlookers and Pokemon fans alike if he 
took him to the Pokemon Center out in the open from inside the empty halls 
of the stadium. Tom tried his best to convince Moltres that he needed to 
train and become stronger, but Moltres would have already disappeared back 
into the sky had it not been for Tom's offer.

"If you train with my Pokemon," said Tom, now acting out of pure 
desperation, "I'll do my best to tell the whole world to not try and capture 
you."

Moltress paused, and then grumbled. "He doesn't see how you could tell the 
world by yourself," said Porygon Two.

"I'm famous, remember?" Tom said. "As soon as I'm done with the League, 
there's going to be at least ten worldwide interviews with me- even more if 
I win."

Moltres muttered some more. "He says it's not good enough for him," said 
Porygon Two.

Tom was getting desperate. "Okay! I won't call you again until the finals!"

Moltres' attention was immediately snagged. "Tom," Porygon Two asked, "are 
you sure that's a good id-"

"Well? What do you say, Moltres?"

Moltres sighed, and then nodded. "He likes the idea," said Porygon Two, a 
little depressed.

"Good," said Tom, "Now let's get your wing fixed."

********

As soon as Tom, Porygon Two, and Moltres had dashed inside the Pokemon 
Center, Joy quickly shut the doors behind them, sealing out the mob of 
news-hungry reporters. Tom breathed a heave sigh of relief, wiping the sweat 
from his forehead. "Thanks, Joy," he said, handing his Pokeballs to the 
Chansey nurse.

"It's just another day," she replied, still managing to hold the throng of 
news-hunters at bay.

As Porygon Two and Moltres followed the Chansey to the back rooms, Tom 
plopped himself down on the lounge's couch as Joy bolted the doors shut. 
Just as Tom closed his eyes and began to relax, a voice next to him said, 
"There you are!"

Tom jolted awake again, also startling the woman beside him. "Jen!"

"I thought I'd find you if I hung around here long enough," she said. "So 
that was your surprise, huh?" Jen asked, looking behind the counter where 
Moltres had gone.

"Yeah, that's him," said Tom. "I bet you weren't expecting someone like 
him."

"Where on Earth did you find him?"

Tom sighed heavily to himself. "It's a long story."

"I'm a good listener," said Jen quickly.

Tom took a deep breath. "Well, it started after I quit the last Pokemon 
League..."

********

"The following contest is for one fall, in a sudden death match," the voice 
of the announcer blared over the stadium. "Introducing first, from Yorin 
Town, earning a total of ten badges, Tom Simms!"

As soon as Tom was in his trainer box, his tall, thin opponent entered the 
arena. "And from Lylat City, earning a total of nine badges, Mac Foxcloud!"

It was only when Mac had climbed the ladder to his trainer box that Tom 
caught a good glimpse at his opponent. Short, thin, with wild brown hair, 
and he wore the cunning grin of a fox. "So, you're the guy that's got five 
thousand on him, huh?" Mac asked as soon as he had his headset on.

Tom rolled his eyes. "Less talk, more fight," he said, detaching a Pokeball 
from his belt, "Go, Kangaskhan!"

As soon as Kangaskhan materialized on the field, Mac took a Pokeball of his 
own and unleashed the Pokemon inside. "Go, Aipom!"

Within seconds, Kangaskhan found himself in a staring contest with a Pokemon 
almost seven times smaller than he. Tom thought Mac had lost his mind. "What 
are you doing?" Tom asked.

"Collecting my bounty," Mac replied.

The referee took the field. "Trainers ready, Pokemon ready, begin!"

"This one ought to be easy," Tom thought to himself. "Kangaskhan, Body 
Slam!"

"Aipom, Mega Punch!"

Kangaskhan flung himself forward, just about to crush Aipom underneath his 
body when Aipom wound his arm back and threw a fierce punch with his tiny 
fist into Kangaskhan's gut. Kangaskhan froze, weezed, and then sunk to his 
knees, gasping for air as he cradled his stomach.

Tom's jaw dropped as Kangaskhan struggled to get back up on his feet. "You'd 
better get ready to be beaten, Tom," said Mac. "Aipom, Dynamicpunch!"

Just as Aipom wound back his arm to throw another punch, Tom ordered, 
"Kangaskhan, Dizzy Punch!"

Aipom threw his fist forward as Kangaskhan threw his. Aipom's punch flew 
past Kangaskhan's sudden weave to the left, leaving Kangaskhan's fist to 
smash into Aipom's cheek. Aipom was sent flying backwards by Kangaskhan's 
vicious punch, sending him rolling all the way back to Mac's end of the 
field. "Quickly before he can recover," Tom ordered, "Hyper Beam!"

Before Aipom could stagger back to his feet, Kangaskhan lurched his head 
forward and shot a massive blast of energy from him mouth. The Hyper Beam 
smashed into Aipom's chest, drilling him backwards into the stand of Mac's 
trainer box, sending it lurching forward. Mac quickly grabbed the railing, 
narrowly avoiding being thrown from the platform as Kangaskhan continued to 
pummel Aipom into the stand with his Hyper Beam.

Suddenly, the Hyper Beam faded, and Kangaskhan hunched over, weezing 
heavily. Tom eyed Aipom, watching for any movement out of the Pokemon as 
Kangaskhan struggled to catch his breath again. When Aipom pried himself out 
of the hole he made in the trainer box stand, Tom's jaw dropped. "No way," 
Tom murmured, stunned that the little Aipom could stiil be conscious after 
Kangaskhan's attack.

"Yes way, Tom," Mac snickered loudly, "Aipom, Mega Punch!"

Just as Kangaskhan could feel his lungs fill again, Aipom had already dashed 
towards him, lining up a punch with Kangaskhan's nose. Aipom threw his fist 
straight into Kangaskhan's face, and to Tom's surprise, Kangaskhan was 
knocked onto his side from the vicious punch. "Aipom," Mac barked before 
Kangaskhan could struggle back to his feet, "Dynamicpunch!"

"Kangaskhan, Counter!"

Kangaskhan suddenly held his breath, and let Aipom throw another punch at 
his forehead. The Dynamicpunch let out a brilliant flash of energy as it hit 
Kangaskhan, almost bowling the giant Pokemon onto his back. And just as 
Aipom regained his balace, Kangaskhan sprung to his feet and threw a vicious 
punch into Aipom's stomach. Aipom was knocked backwards into the air, 
landing awkwardly with a thud on the field.

"Quickly Kangaskhan," Tom ordered, "Body Slam!"

Before Aipom could struggle back to his feet, Kangaskhan had already thrown 
his body upon him, crushing Aipom flat on the field. Kangaskhan bounced off 
of Aipom's body, rolling back onto his feet as Aipom pulled himself back up. 
"Kangaskhan, Body Slam again!"

Kangaskhan flung himself at Aipom again, only seconds after Aipom struggled 
back to his feet. Aipom planted the hand on his tail into the ground as he 
vaulted himself up into the air, letting Kangaskhan crash into the ground 
below. "Aipom," Mac ordered, "Double-Edge!"

Before Kangaskhan could even move, Aipom had landed on top, smashing both of 
his arms into Kangaskhan's back. Kangaskhan yelped in pain as he felt his 
backbone crack, spitting up a thin stream of blood. Kangaskhan moaned as he 
rolled over onto his stomach, with Aipom weakly staggering away, distancing 
himself from Kangaskhan again. "Aipom, Double-Edge again!"

Kangaskhan weakly staggered back to his feet as Aipom rushed in on him. As 
soon as Aipom was within a second of smashing himself into Kangaskhan's 
ribs, Tom ordered, "Kangaskhan, Mega Punch!"

Kangaskhan suddenly whipped his torso around, thowing a wild punch into 
Aipom's gut. Aipom gapsed and weezed, dropping to his knees as he winced 
with agony. "Now quickly Kangaskhan," Tom barked out, "Hyper Beam!"

Kangaskhan quickly bent his head down to Aipom's level, opened his massive 
jaws, and let out another gigantic blast of energy. The Hyper Beam smashed 
into Aipom's chest again, this time sending him into the stand of Tom's 
trainer box. Tom graped the railing of his trainer box to keep the lunging 
platform from throwing him off as it quickly pitched downward. The Hyper 
Beam stopped suddenly, and Kangaskhan collapsed to his knees, coughing and 
sputtering, spitting more blood onto the field. Aipom weezed weakly as he 
coughed up a thin dribble of blood down his own chin, struggling to pull 
himself out of the stand.

"He's still standing?" Tom gasped, almost popping a vein in surprise.

Mac was stunned as well. "I never dreamed either of them could be so 
powerful," he murmured under his breath.

Aipom dropped to his knee, feeling a streak of blood run down his forehead 
from a narrow gash on his brow. Kangaskhan continued to hack and weeze, 
feeling like he would soon hack up his stomach before the blood in his 
throat stopped leaking out of his mouth. "Aipom, before he can recover," Mac 
ordered, "Mega Punch!"

Aipom staggered forward, his blurry vison beginning to cross, rushing in on 
Kangaskhan with his fist wound back. As soon as Kangaskhan finally 
controlled his coughing, Kangaskhan's left eye was met with Aipom's 
knuckles. Kangaskhan was driven to one knee from the Mega Punch, feeling his 
eye beginning to swell and puff closed. The strike cut a wide gash running 
across his forehead, painting half of Kangaskhan's face a shade of solid 
red. Roaring with agony, Kangaskhan returned with a Mega Punch of his own, 
flattening Aipom with one punch to the face. Kangaskhan felt a sudden 
wetness between his fingers, realizing that Aipom was now bleeding as badly 
as he. Now acting without their trainer's commands, Kangaskhan and Aipom 
threw Mega Punch after Mega Punch at each other, with each blow becoming 
faster, harder, and much more brutally bloody with each punch. And after 
Aipom threw Kangaskhan a Mega Punch uppercut the the jaw, Kangaskhan reeled 
backwards, roared, and then threw a Mega Punch uppercut of his own, 
launching Aipom into the air.

"Aipom, come down with a Mega Punch!" Mac ordered.

"Kangaskhan, Counter!"

As Aipom steadily fell back towards the ground with a wound back fist, 
Kangaskhan suddenly reached upward, grabbed the edge of Tom's trainer box, 
and with a heavy grunt, Kangaskhan vaulted himself up onto the platform, 
sprung off of the edge, leaping straight upwards at Aipom. Aipom suddenly 
realized Kangaskhan's tactic, and struggled with futility to change his 
course as Kangaskhan shot his hand out, grasping Aipom with one of his 
massive hands, and them plummeting back down to the ground. And with one 
feral roar, Kangaskhan wound back Aipom in his hand, and just as 
Kangaskhan's feet touched the ground, he smashed his arm into the field, 
driving Aipom into the ground. The crater that Kangaskhan had created in the 
field was twice the size of Aipom's body, and Aipom was left twitching 
inside.

"And the winner of this match," The referee declared, "Tom Simms!"

Tom sighed tiredly to himself as Kangaskhan rubbed the blood off of his 
face, wondering how much longer he could last with five thousand dollars 
above his head...

-End

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