Grey's POV
After finishing my dinner, I was busy brainstorming about how to defeat Ryu tomorrow. I already had a few ideas in mind, and I had called out all my Pokémon to discuss things further with them because tomorrow, unlike until now, was going to be a really tough battle. Ryu had a Shelgon on his team which was quite strong, but he could easily have other powerful Pokémon as well, either Dragon-types or something similar. Since he was from the Blackthorn clan, I already had two examples in Lance and Clair to get an idea of the kind of Pokémon he might use.
There was a chance his second Pokémon tomorrow could be a Gyarados or a Kingdra, but if it was something entirely unknown, I still had options.
When I asked my Pokémon who wanted to start the match, all of them were okay with it, but the most enthusiastic one was Axew. I still had not used him in this tournament yet, saving him as a surprise, but that might go to waste tomorrow since Ryu already knew about him. I could still save Axew, but if I lost because I refused to use my starter, it would be disastrous. Plus, for some reason, I genuinely wanted to beat Ryu with Axew. Not only because somewhere in my mind I knew a dragon versus dragon fight was the kind of battle where both sides beat each other senseless due to both having type advantage, but also because I simply wanted to win with Axew for some reason.
So after thinking for a while, I decided to go with Axew as my first Pokémon tomorrow. Depending on his second Pokémon, whether it was another Dragon-type or a Water-type like Gyarados or Kingdra, I could then go with Persian since its Thunderbolts would hit both well, and it was agile enough to get out of trouble while constantly landing attacks or with shellder whose ice attacks can damage dragon types..
With that thought in mind, I went to sleep.
Third POV
At one corner of the ship, out on the open deck during the night, Lance was talking with a certain Ryu Blackthorn.
Lance asked, "What did you want to talk about that you arranged this meeting through the elders?"
Ryu looked at him and asked, "I wanted to ask you why you gave it to him."
Lance raised an eyebrow. "Gave what?"
"That Axew."
Lance's expression changed slightly, his voice slowly turning colder and more authoritative.
"Is this what all of this is about? Have the elders' propaganda gotten that deep into your head that you've decided to question my authority, boy?"
Ryu clenched his fists slightly before replying, "An ordinary trainer will never be able to bring out the best in a Pokémon that is the child of one of your main team members. You could have given out a Horsea or something if you wanted to, but why go to such lengths to give away that Pokémon? Another clan member could have appreciated it properly."
Lance sighed before answering.
"You're right on one thing. I could have simply caught a random Horsea and handed it out as a starter. But the other members were giving away starters with good potential, and I couldn't in good conscience sabotage a trainer's future starter just because of politics."
He continued calmly.
"As for why I didn't use my Kingdra to give out a Horsea, part of it was because I wanted to spite the clan a little. Judging from your reaction and the elders', I'd say that worked wonderfully."
Ryu's expression stiffened while Lance continued.
"But that wasn't the only reason. Tell me, how exactly is some random trainer supposed to get their hands on a Dragon Scale to evolve a Seadra into Kingdra? I couldn't hand out a Dratini because the clan elders would have started a riot over it, so I went with Axew instead thinking the clan would at least tolerate that choice."
Lance gave a dry laugh.
"Turns out those old fossils are never satisfied. After I bred that Axew using my Dragonite and a Haxorus from the Dragon Village in Unova, they wanted the Pokémon transferred directly to the clan until I put my foot down. So yes, that's my justification, kid."
Ryu immediately spoke up again.
"But that's—"
"Zip it," Lance interrupted sharply. "I'm not interested in hearing your whining anymore. You're a Blackthorn. If you're that scared of another kid having a Dragon-type, maybe you should stop being a trainer."
Ryu's eyes narrowed.
"I'm not scared of him. I already have a Shelgon, a Pokémon just as strong as the Dratini line of our clan, along with other powerful Pokémon. If anything, tomorrow I'm going to show you exactly how bad your decision was."
Lance looked at him for a few moments before replying.
"Even if you beat him tomorrow, I still won't think my decision was bad. I've seen his performance, and he's genuinely talented. And that's without the support of any clan or access to massive resources."
Then Lance's tone became sharper.
"That being said, I wouldn't be that cocky about tomorrow."
Ryu frowned. "My Pokémon are stronger than his. Besides, I've seen his matches. He's good, but not that good."
Lance shook his head slightly.
"If you've watched his matches and still think that, then your head is too high in the clouds to see clearly. He hasn't shown even half his skills yet, and tomorrow he'll be coming at you seriously."
Lance then turned around and started walking away.
"A piece of advice from a Champion and a fellow Blackthorn. You lack something to truly have the temperament I had when I was your age, and unless you figure that out soon, that head of yours floating in the air is going to come crashing down."
Ryu stayed silent for a second before asking,
"And what is that something?"
Without even turning back, Lance replied,
"Figure it out yourself."
————————————————————————————————————————————
The next day arrived with a bright and peaceful morning. The skies were mostly clear with only a few clouds drifting lazily above the ocean. Sunlight reflected across the calm sea around the S.S. Anne, making the water almost sparkle like glass. A cool breeze moved through the ship carrying the salty smell of the ocean with it, while Wingull occasionally flew past the deck searching for food near the waters. Far away, a few Mantine could even be seen gliding above the sea surface before diving back down.
Unlike the earlier days of the tournament, the atmosphere on the ship today felt heavier. Trainers walked around with serious expressions while groups of eliminated participants discussed the upcoming battles excitedly. After all, today was the Top 8. These were now considered the strongest trainers in the tournament for their age bracket, and whoever advanced further would be one step closer to winning the prized Pokémon.
Grey had already eaten his breakfast. Like usual, he kept it simple with bread, butter, and jam before heading back to his room. He took a bath, changed his clothes, and mentally prepared himself for the battle ahead.
According to the schedule, all the Top 8 matches would happen today. The semi-finals would take place tomorrow, followed later by the finals after a small break.
More importantly, his match against Ryu was the very first battle of the day.
Soon, his watch vibrated with a notification informing him that his match would begin in thirty minutes in Arena 3.
Grey immediately stood up.
There was no way he was risking being late for something like this. Losing because of timing or some stupid technicality would irritate him forever. He would rather arrive early and wait there quietly.
Grey soon reached Arena 3 where one of the guards guided him towards the tunnel from which he would enter the battlefield. He quietly sat down in the waiting area near the entrance path.
Meanwhile, the arena itself had become much more crowded compared to the previous rounds. Many trainers who had already lost earlier in the tournament had still come to watch the Top 8 battles. While the Top 16 had decent attention, the quarterfinals were on an entirely different level. These matches would indirectly decide who could possibly win the tournament and claim one of the prize Pokémon.
Ash and his friends were also seated in the stands watching carefully. More specifically, Brock had insisted Ash study both trainers properly since either of them could become Ash's opponent later if he advanced.
Surprisingly, Ash had agreed.
Ever since he started analyzing opponents before battles, he had begun making fewer careless mistakes and winning more consistently.
Elsewhere in the stands, Red and Blue were also watching the arena with interest.
Blue already considered Grey another rival worth paying attention to. As for Red, he simply wanted strong battles, and from what he had seen so far, both trainers entering this arena could potentially give him one.
Still, Grey interested him more.
The way Grey battled felt different from most trainers.
Eventually, after the crowd settled down and the referee checked the time, he finally called both participants into the arena.
"Both trainers, please enter the battlefield!"
From the left side entered Grey Mallory of Celadon City.
From the right side entered Ryu Blackthorn of Blackthorn City.
The moment both trainers stepped onto the battlefield, the atmosphere changed instantly. Neither looked away from the other.
The referee quickly explained the rules.
"This will be a two versus two battle with no substitutions allowed! The battle ends when both Pokémon on one side are unable to continue!"
He then raised his flags.
"Release your Pokémon on my count!"
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One!"
"Release!"
Ryu released his signature Shellgon.
Grey released his starter, Axew.
The moment both dragon types appeared on the battlefield, the entire crowd went silent for a moment.
This was the first match in the tournament where two dragons faced each other directly.
Inside the VIP room, the Champions watched with clear interest.
Lance observed both dragons carefully before speaking.
"In terms of experience, both Pokémon seem fairly similar. Honestly, Axew might even have a slight edge there. However, Shellgon has already evolved once, so physically it should be much tougher for the tusked dragon to handle."
He continued while looking at Axew closely.
"That being said, Grey has raised that Pokémon very well. I can tell it is already close to evolving within a few weeks or months. It is unfortunate the Axew line takes longer to evolve compared to the Bagon line, otherwise this could have been a perfectly equal matchup. Still, evolution is not everything. Hopefully this becomes a good battle."
Alder nodded in agreement. Being familiar with the Axew line due to his friendship with Drayden, he was very interested to see how this Kanto kid had raised the Unovan dragon.
Back on the battlefield, Ryu immediately made the first move.
"Shellgon, Flamethrower!"
"Axew, dodge and use Dragon Rage in bursts!"
Shellgon unleashed a stream of flames from its mouth, but Axew quickly dodged to the right before rapidly firing multiple bursts of Dragon Rage towards the armored dragon.
"Protect!"
A green barrier instantly appeared around Shellgon and blocked the attacks completely.
But the moment the barrier disappeared, Axew was already right in front of it.
"Dual Chop!"
Axew slammed both glowing arms directly into Shellgon's face, sending the dragon skidding backward slightly.
However, Ryu did not let the momentum stop there.
"Dragon Claw!"
Shellgon immediately lunged forward, its claw glowing with draconic energy.
Axew raised both arms with Dual Chop to block, but this time Shellgon's evolved strength showed clearly. The Dragon Claw overpowered Axew's guard and threw the smaller dragon backward.
Luckily, Axew quickly regained its footing.
Ryu smirked.
"This is the difference between an outsider and a Blackthorn clan member raising a dragon type. Your Pokémon is getting overwhelmed through sheer power. Had your Axew evolved, maybe it could have fought Shellgon somewhat, but its potential is wasted on you. Give up now and maybe you can stop this embarrassment."
At that moment, Grey finally understood why Ryu had been acting so hostile towards him all this time.
This was not simply arrogance.
There was clearly some issue within the Blackthorn Clan regarding him receiving that Axew from Lance.
Suddenly, Axew fired a Dragon Rage directly towards Ryu himself.
Ryu barely dodged in time.
"You cannot even control your dragon?!"
Grey calmly replied, "I was actually about to tell it to do that anyway to stop your yapping. Me and my starter are in enough sync that it understood what I wanted without me saying it."
The referee immediately warned Grey not to repeat something like that again, and Grey simply nodded.
Truthfully, he understood Axew's feelings perfectly. The dragon simply did not like hearing its trainer being insulted repeatedly.
Grey then looked directly at Ryu.
"To be frank, you might genuinely be better than me at raising dragons with your clan backing you and all."
Ryu looked slightly surprised hearing that.
But Grey continued.
"However, thinking that just because you evolved your dragon faster means you automatically win is a bit delusional. A researcher I met once told me rushing things leads to disaster, and honestly I can kinda see that now. Maybe you did raise your dragon better than me, but I'm still winning here."
"Shut it! Shellgon, Flamethrower!"
The bulky dragon released another massive stream of flames.
"Axew, use Night Slash, Dragon Dance, and spin!"
The moment Grey gave the order, Axew began spinning rapidly while using Dragon Dance and Night Slash together, turning itself almost into a spinning blade.
The spinning motion disrupted much of the Flamethrower and reduced the damage significantly. Axew still got injured from the attack, but not nearly as badly as expected since dragon types naturally resisted fire attacks.
Had it been a dragon move instead, Grey never would have risked this.
This was a special move Grey and Axew had developed together after realizing Axew could not properly perform Counter Shield techniques due to lacking a fluid ranged move.
Dragon Rage simply did not work well enough for that purpose.
So instead, they improvised this strange Dragon Dance spinning technique.
Axew's speed and attack both increased while also reducing some of the incoming damage.
Ryu looked visibly annoyed by the weird move.
"Dragon Claw!"
Shellgon charged again.
"Dodge!"
But Axew did not move at all.
Grey was about to tell his partner that now was not the time to act stubborn, but he stopped after seeing Axew's serious expression.
"…Block it with Dual Chop!"
Axew met the incoming Dragon Claw directly.
At first it looked like Shellgon would overpower it again.
Then suddenly, green draconic energy extended from Axew's arms.
Its Dual Chop transformed.
Dragon Claw.
The newly formed claws clashed directly against Shellgon's attack and repelled it completely.
Both dragons skidded backward.
The crowd went silent.
Grey's eyes widened.
Axew had learned Dragon Claw mid battle.
Ryu looked equally shocked.
Meanwhile, both dragons simply stared at one another.
Several things happened in that moment.
Grey realized Axew had learned Dragon Claw.
Ryu was shocked that Axew learned such a move during battle itself.
Most importantly, both dragons suddenly gained respect for each other.
Axew respected Shellgon because it was an evolved dragon and an extremely strong opponent.
Shellgon had initially viewed Axew as a weaker dragon, but after seeing it endure and learn Dragon Claw during battle itself, that view disappeared completely.
Now there was only respect.
But despite that respect, both dragons wanted to defeat the other even more.
This was how honorable dragons fought.
Battle crazed creatures that earned mutual respect only through combat.
Ryu was about to order Dragon Breath when Shellgon suddenly yelled toward him.
At the same time, Grey was about to tell Axew to take advantage of the distraction, but Axew simply shook its head.
Both dragons were trying to communicate something.
Ryu looked confused before slowly understanding Shellgon's request. The armored dragon pointed toward Axew while making a slashing motion with its arm.
"You want to fight at close range?"
Shellgon nodded aggressively.
Ryu immediately understood the situation.
With Dragon Breath, Shellgon could continue fighting at range and probably gain an advantage because the Axew line naturally excelled more in close combat.
Strategically, maintaining distance was smarter.
The elders would absolutely tell him not to entertain something so foolish.
A dragon's job was to obey its trainer.
That was what he had always been taught.
But when he looked into Shellgon's eyes, something changed inside him.
If he denied this request now, he felt he would lose his starter's respect forever.
Slowly, Ryu nodded.
He looked toward Grey.
"Grey. My starter wants this fight to become a close range battle. No tricks. No long range attacks. He wants this to become a slugfest like dragons do. Are you okay with that?"
Grey looked toward Axew.
The small dragon immediately nodded.
Grey sighed before replying, "Fine."
The very next second both dragons exploded toward each other.
Neither even waited for trainer commands anymore. Their close combat training was polished enough that they instinctively knew which moves to use.
Both Pokémon only used Dragon Claw.
Dragon Claw collided against Dragon Claw repeatedly across the battlefield.
Sometimes Shellgon landed the heavier hit.
Sometimes Axew retaliated with twice the force.
Shellgon fought aggressively knowing its evolved body could endure more punishment.
Axew focused more on dodging and precision, understanding it could not afford to take too many direct super effective hits.
For the first time in a very long while, Ryu felt genuine joy watching a battle.
This was how dragons were supposed to fight.
He glanced toward Grey and, for the first time, felt a small amount of respect toward the trainer.
Up until now, very few Pokémon had pushed Shellgon this hard.
Yet Axew, despite being smaller and unevolved, was matching it blow for blow.
On the other side, Grey felt pride watching Axew rapidly improve its Dragon Claw usage during battle itself.
He had genuinely believed Axew had reached a temporary limit without evolving.
How wrong he had been.
Cerise had been right.
Sometimes Pokémon learned best only after experiencing moves directly in combat.
Eventually both dragons looked exhausted and bruised.
Still, neither backed away.
Then both charged one final time.
Shellgon increased its speed despite its heavy armored body and lunged forward with Dragon Claw.
At the very last second, Axew tilted slightly to the right.
The attack barely grazed one of its tusks.
Then Axew struck back with both Dragon Claws directly into Shellgon's armor, sending the dragon flying backward across the battlefield.
Shellgon slowly stood back up with difficulty and looked toward Axew.
Both dragons stared at one another silently.
Then Shellgon fainted.
For a moment the entire arena became silent.
Then Axew roared victoriously.
And for the first time since becoming a trainer, Grey completely lost control of his emotions too.
"YES!"
On the other side, Ryu quietly recalled Shellgon and looked upward toward the roof.
He should have felt devastated.
Ashamed.
Humiliated that he had lost to a commoner.
Yet strangely, after losing a match for the first time in his life, all he felt was relief and peace.
He looked back toward Grey, who had calmed down slightly.
"I take back what I said. You are a great trainer. That being said…"
Ryu grabbed another Poké Ball.
"I do not intend to lose this match."
And then he released his next Pokémon.
Which was a...
Author's Note: My biggest chapter yet , still I removed a lot from my draft meaning it could have been bigger, that said hoped u enjoyed it I wanted to maybe show Ryu's transformation a bit better but it is what it is , also incase anyone hasnt realised it was short as both pokemon used super effective moves against each other . Also is the spaces between lines working better now ?