Frogadier suddenly disappeared into the leaves. Riolu stopped. He looked around carefully.
For a moment, nothing moved. Then Riolu's ears twitched.
He sensed something. He immediately jumped backward.
Frogadier came flying through the leaves from above him.
'Aerial Ace!'
Frogadier's body was surrounded by a sharp blue white glow as he descended.
Riolu raised both arms and crossed them in front of his face.
The attack struck.
The force sent Riolu crashing through a tree.
The tree shook violently as his body hit the trunk.
Frogadier landed on another branch and immediately prepared another attack.
But Riolu was already moving. He pushed himself away from the damaged tree and disappeared into the forest.
Frogadier narrowed his eyes.
Suddenly, several Riolus appeared between the trees.
Frogadier froze as he recognised the move as Double Team which was his own signature move.
Five copies surrounded him. Then ten.Then even more.
They moved between the branches, making it impossible to determine which one was real.
Frogadier looked from one copy to another.
[That is a clever response.] Hydros said. [Now Frogadier has to guess which Riolu is real.]
Lee's grin widened. [Excellent. Now someone should punch someone else.]
Collosus gave him a deep growl. Lee immediately lowered his fists.[Fine. I will wait.]
Frogadier suddenly jumped upward.
'Smokescreen'
A thick cloud of black smoke erupted from his body and spread across the trees.
The Double Team copies disappeared into the darkness. For several seconds, the forest became almost completely impossible to see through.
Gladion smiled slightly. "Now they are both fighting blind."
Inside the smoke, branches snapped.
Something moved. Then something else.
Neither Pokémon could see clearly, so both began relying on their hearing and instincts.
Riolu heard movement to his left.He swung his arm.
'Metal Claw!'
His claws became coated in metallic energy.
His attack sliced through the smoke.
Nothing.
Frogadier had already moved. A moment later, Riolu felt something behind him.
He turned.
Frogadier was already there.
'Night Slash'
Frogadier's arm glowed with dark energy as he swung.
Riolu ducked beneath the attack.
The darkened claw passed over his head.
Riolu immediately responded with a Force Palm. His glowing palm struck Frogadier directly in the stomach.
The Water type was thrown backward.
He crashed through two branches before landing on another tree.
[That was a clean hit.] Ultron said. [Riolu correctly predicted Frogadier's attack pattern and countered before he could retreat.]
Frogadier rubbed his stomach. Then he smiled.
Riolu smiled back.
Frogadier suddenly launched himself forward. Riolu did the same.
The two Pokémon met between the trees.
Claw struck palm.
Frogadier twisted around another Metal Claw and responded with a quick kick. Riolu blocked it.
Frogadier used the force of the block to spin around him and attacked again with Night Slash.
Riolu ducked. He answered with another Metal Claw.
Frogadier leaned backward so far that his body almost became parallel to the ground.
The attack passed inches above his face. He immediately kicked the tree beside him and launched himself backward.
Riolu followed. The two began jumping from tree to tree at incredible speed.
To the watching Pokémon, they almost looked like shadows moving through the forest.
[They are becoming faster.] Ultron said. [Both are adapting to each other's movements. My current calculations show that their chances of victory are approaching an even split.]
Gladion raised an eyebrow. "You are saying you cannot decide?"
Ultron remained completely serious. [Their current performance has made the outcome uncertain. I would need more data.]
Hydros laughed. [Even the genius Metagross cannot predict them anymore.]
[That statement is unnecessarily insulting.] Ultron replied.
The fight continued. Frogadier suddenly stopped on a branch. Riolu landed across from him.
For a moment, both stood still. Then Frogadier attacked.
'Aerial Ace'
He launched forward. Riolu's eyes narrowed.
"Swords Dance!"
A glowing energy surrounded Riolu as he rapidly strengthened himself. Frogadier reached him.
Riolu suddenly disappeared from his position using Feint.
He reappeared behind Frogadier. Frogadier's eyes widened. Riolu struck him with a powerful Force Palm.
Frogadier was thrown forward.
However, Frogadier twisted in midair and landed on a tree.
He immediately jumped again.
'Double Team'
Several copies appeared around Riolu.
Riolu turned left. Then right. Then behind him.
Every direction contained another Frogadier.
Frogadier attacked from above.
Riolu jumped as he used his aura sensing ability to find the real Frogadier.
The attack missed. Frogadier struck another tree instead, breaking a large portion of its trunk.
Riolu landed above him. "Vacuum Wave!"
A wave of compressed air blasted downward.
Frogadier crossed his arms. The attack pushed him into the damaged tree.
The trunk finally broke. Frogadier fell with it.
Riolu landed nearby. But Frogadier suddenly disappeared.
Riolu's ears moved but he was too late.
Frogadier emerged from behind him and used Night Slash.
Riolu blocked with both arms, but the force pushed him backward. Frogadier continued attacking.
One slash.
Two.
Three.
Riolu blocked each one. On the fourth attack, Riolu stepped inside Frogadier's range.
"Force Palm!"
The attack struck Frogadier's chest.
Frogadier flew backward.
But before he could land, he used Aerial Ace to change his direction.
He shot toward Riolu again. Riolu prepared another Metal Claw.
The two collided. The resulting impact shook the nearby trees. Both Pokémon were thrown in opposite directions.
They landed hard. For several seconds, neither moved.
Gladion's expression became serious.
"That was a much harder fight than I expected."
Guy raised all four arms excitedly. [This is the kind of battle that shows the true spirit of youth. They are exhausted, injured yet neither one is willing to stop!]
In the forest, Frogadier slowly pushed himself upright.
His breathing was heavy. There were scratches across his body, and one side of his face was covered in dirt.
Riolu also stood. His legs were shaking slightly. His arms were bruised, and several scratches covered his fur.
Around them, the forest had been transformed. Several trees had been broken completely.
Yet neither Pokémon looked defeated. Instead, they looked at each other.
Frogadier slowly raised his fists. Riolu lowered his stance. Then both smiled.
Ultron's eyes glowed as he examined them. [Their physical condition has deteriorated considerably. However, neither has lost the will to continue.]
Hydros smiled proudly. [That is Frogadier for you. He has always been stubborn.]
Gladion looked toward Riolu. "And that one is just as stubborn."
Frogadier took one step forward. Riolu did the same. They prepared to attack again.
Then something strange happened. A white light suddenly appeared around Frogadier.
At the exact same moment, Riolu was surrounded by the same brilliant glow.
Both Pokémon stopped.
Gladion's eyes widened. The other Pokémon immediately turned toward them.
The light grew brighter.
Frogadier's body began changing.
Riolu's body also began changing.
Their shapes started becoming larger as the energy of evolution surrounded them.
Guy raised all four arms in excitement. [They have reached the moment where their hard work is finally being rewarded! This is the power of youth revealing itself at the perfect moment!]
Gladion stared at the two glowing Pokémon.
A smile slowly appeared on his face.
"So you two decided to evolve at the same time."
The white light became brighter until it completely swallowed both Pokémon.
-----Author Notes------
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