Before long, it was time for Liam's championship Title Defense Match.
The arena at Mt. Silver was electric! the MC tapped the microphone a few times to get everyone's attention. "Good evening everyone! Welcome to this Championship match!" The MC bellowed. The crowd began to cheer wildly for a brief moment. When they died down, the MC continued. "My name is 'Mike' and I'll be your MC tonight. In the green corner is a young man who has traveled Johto and claimed eight badges. He is the only challenger to beat the Silver Leauge preliminaries this year unscathed. He also got to the top eight before losing even one Pokémon! In the green corner, please give a big welcome to our challenger, from Alamos Town in the Sinnoh Region, Riku!" The crowd cheered as a timid-looking boy with purple hair walked out. He nervously waved to the crowd as he took his position. When the cheers stopped, Mike continued. "And in the Red corner Johto's champion, Conquer of Kanto's Battle Frontier and a Duke of Kalos' Battle Chateau, give a warm welcome for Dragon Master, Liam Coleman!" The crowd cheered even louder at Liam's name as he walked out to the stage. He took his position in the red corner. When the cheered died down, the ref stepped out to the center stage and asked the trainers to approach. "This will be a full six-on-six battle with no time limit. after the first trainer loses three Pokémon, there will be a thirty-minute intermission. Now shake hands and return to your boxes." Liam shook Riku's hand. Riku still looked nervous. "Hey, don't worry. Just pretend like the crowd isn't there and give it your all." Liam said encouragingly to Riku. Riku thanked Liam as the trainers returned to their respective boxes the jumbotron turned on to show both Liam and Riku on a triangle of the color box they were in. Each triangle had six blank circles that would show the Pokémon they used.
Liam-vs-Riku --1-- --2-- --3-- --4-- --5-- --6--
"Begin!" The ref called. "Gyarados, go!" Riku called. "Mooney, It's time to shine!" Liam called as his shiny Midnight Form Lycanroc emerged. Many people in the audience oohed and ahhed the shiny as some scanned it with their Pokédexes.
"Gyarados, use Water Pulse!" Riku called. "Mooney, jump and use Thunder Fang!" Liam commanded. Gyarados launched a ball of water toward the rock wolf who leaped into the air to avoid it, doing an aerial flip and charged down onto Gyarados with an electrified bite that did considerable damage due to the double weakness. "A fangtastic move from one of Champion Coleman's Alola catches, but will Riku be to back from it?" Mike commentated. Gyarados got back up from the attack. "Now Gyarados, use Twister!" Riku called. Gyarados performed the requested attack and connected dealing some damage. "Mooney, use Crunch!" Liam ordered. Mooney gave the Gyarados a huge bite na dGyarados was not happy about it. "Now, while it is close, use Hyper Beam!" Riku called out. Gyarados prepped the powerful attack. Liam stood there watching carefully. At a precise moment, Liam called for Mooney to jump to the side, which made Gyarados blast itself with Hyper Beam by accident, resulting in a KO. The audience cheered at the victory. "Gyarados is unable to continue, Lycanrock wins!" The offical annouced to the crowd. "And Champion Coleman scores the first KO in this Championship Title!" Mike bellowed into the microphone. "But, who will Riku send out next?"
"Rotom, I choose you!" Riku called as the Electric Ghost emerged and was possessing a washing machine. Liam recalled Mooney, as it currently was not safe to keep him out. and replaced him with Nagenadel. More Pokédexes went off on this one, and most of them came up with an error for "no data". "And Champion Coleman brings out a Nagenadel. An 'Ultra Beast' that is said to have gone to Alola from another world, and it appears that Johto's Champion managed to catch this one. But what can this other worldly Pokémon do?" Mike commented. Liam-vs-Riku Lycanroc (midnight)-1-Gyarados Nagenadel-2-Rotom (wash) --3-- --4-- --5-- --6-- "Nagennadel vs Rotom, begin!" The offical called out. "Rotom, use Thunder Wave! Riku called. Rotom sent out a small jolt of electricity, paralyzing the Ultra Beast. "Nagenadel, use Dragon Pulse!" Liam called. Nagenadel managed to fire off the attack and scored a direct hit. "Rotom, use Charge Beam!" Riku ordered. the electric attack connected and Nagenadel took moderate damage. "Nagenadel, use Poison Jab!" Liam called, unfortunately, it was fully paralyzed and unable to move, which Mike commented on. "Rotom, use Hydro Pump!" Riku called. The water move hit Nagennadel. "Try Poison Jab again!" Liam called. This time the attack went off and poisoned the ghost. Riku called for Rotom to use Hex, which did extra damage due to Nagenadel being paralyzed. "Nagennadel, use Dragon Pulse!" The attack was fired off and made a direct hit. When the smoke cleared, the washing machine was in pieces and Rotom was nearby having abandoned the machine to evade a powerful hit.
"Rotom, use Omnius Wind!" Riku called. "Venom Drench!" Liam called. Both attacks hit and resulted in a double knockout. The crowd began to cheer as the official called out: "Neither Pokémon is able to continue, this is a draw."
"Unbelievable! The Champion's Nagenadel and the challenger's Rotom have knocked one another out! Who will we see fight next?"
The trainers sent out their Pokémon in unison. "Go Leafa!" Riku called as a Leafeon "Mooney! It's time to shine Liam-vs-Riku Lycanroc (midnight)-1-Gyarados Nagenadel-2-Rotom --3-Leafon --4-- --5-- --6--
"Mooney, Use Howl!" Liam called. "Leefa, use Grasswhistle!" Riku called. Mooney buffed its attack power just on time to fall asleep. "Mooney, wake up and use Crush Claw!" Liam called. Mooney was unable to wake up and was KO'd by a use of Razor Leaf.
"Sylveon, It's time to shine!" Liam called sending out the Fairy Eeveelution. Liam-vs-Riku Lycanroc (midnight)-1-Gyarados Nagenadel-2-Rotom Sylveon-3-Leafon --4-- --5-- --6--
"Sylveon, use Shadow Ball!" Liam called. The ghost move hit the Grass-Type, who countered with Magical Leaf. Both moves hit. "Leafa, use Swords Dance!" Riku called. "Sylveon, use Calm Mind!" Liam said. Both Pokémon pulled off their buff and became tougher. "Now Sylveon use Moonblast!" Liam called. "Leafa, Leaf Blade!" Riku commanded. Leefa sliced the Moonblast in half in a move that would look at home in a contest. "Use Dazzling Gleam!" Liam called. "Leefa, use Magical Leaf!" Riku said. Both attacks hit and both seemed to be knocked out. Sylveon managed to stand back up, being named the winner. Since Riku had now lost three Pokémon, an intermission was called. Liam recalled Sylveon and left the stadium floor to go to the back room.
After the intermission, Liam returned to the red box and Riku returned to the green box. The crowd was cheering as the filled into their seats. "And Welcome back from the intermission folks, I hope you took this time to get some refreshments and are ready to get going with the second half of this tournament," Mike called out. Riku and Liam both held a ball in their hand, ready to send out their next Pokémon. "Itsuki! Go!" Riku said calling out an Espeon. "Jiriya! It's time to shine!" Liam called tossing out a Luxury Ball as his Protean Greninja emerged.
"Greninja vs Espeon, begin!" The ref called. "Jiriya, Night Slash!" Liam called. Jiriya's complexion became darker as it changed to the Dark-type and proceeded to slash with a purple sword-like beam and made a direct hit on the Espeon. "Signal Beam!" Riku ordered. The attack made a direct hit and Confused Jiriya. "Jiriya, return," Liam said recalling the Greninja. "Sylveon, It's time to shine!" Liam said sending Sylveon back out.
"Sylveon, use Shadow Ball!" Liam called. Sylveon fired off the Ghost-type attack. "Quick Attack!" Riku called. Itsuki used Quick Attack to avoid the Super Effective Attack and continued to make a hit on Sylveon. Due to it's earlier fighting, Sylveon was worse for wear. "Shadow Ball!" Liam called, hoping to take Espeon down. "Psychic!" Riku called. Both attacks went off and Sylveon fell, though Itsuki the Espeon wasn't in the best of condition. "Sylveon is unable to continue, Espeon wins!" The ref called. The audience cheered at the great battle. Liam sent Jiriya the Greninja back out.
"Jiriya, Night Slash!" Liam called. "Signal Beam!" Riku ordered. The attacks hit the intended targets. Espeon fell.
"Espeon is unable to continue, Greninja wins!" The ref called. The audience cheered and both trainers grabbed the ball that held their next Pokémon when five smoke bombs dropped into the stadium filling the battlefield with smoke. The television feed was cut off and went to static.
When the battle started, and Shiranui was watching the battle Slushie smiled and pointed to Liam on the screen. "Sand-Sandshrew!" He cried with joy.
There was a pair of cackles echoing through the smoke. One was clearly masculine and the other feminine.
"Prepare for trouble," the female said. "and make it double." the male replied. "Here's our mission, so you better listen," Both said in unison. "To infect the world with devastation," "To blight all the people in the Johto Nation," "To denounce the goodness of truth and love," "To extend our wrath to the stars above," "The stunning beauty, Cassidy!" "And the Unmoveable wall, Butch!" "We're Team Rocket, circling the globe all day and night," "Surender now, or you will certainly lose this fight." "Shuck-Shuckle" A Shuckle at the duo's feet added in.
Liam sighed. Can't I have one Championship battle without a pair of Rocket bozos interfering? Go away now." Liam warned. The pair of Rockets laughed. "Oh please, You've already used all but one of your Pokémon. It's not like you stand a ghost-type of a chance against us," "Did you idiots look at the scoreboard?" Riku called out indicating that both trainers still had two Pokémon left that hadn't been on the field yet and that Liam still had his Greninja on top of that.
"Besides, if you are members of Team Rocket, should Jessie, James, Billie, Kidd, or heck I don't know Team Rocket's boss have told you to leave me alone?" Liam added.
Butch and Cassidy just cackled at the comment. "Oh, please there is no way you could have defeated the boss, and besides we are so much stronger than Jessie and James that it is like comparing a Weedle and a Tyranitar."
Butch and Cassidy both tossed out an Ultra Ball. A Hydragion and a Haxorus emerged.
"Even if you have more Pokémon left than we thought, you have already used your Fairy," this comment was aimed at Liam.
Both Liam and Riku tossed the ball they had in their hand out. Sending out Goodra and Garchomp respectively.
"Garchomp, Dragon claw on Hydragion!" Riku called. "Goodra, Dragon Pulse on Haxorus!" Liam called. The attacks were fired off and hit the Rockets' dragons. "Draco Meteor!" Butch and Cassidy called in unison. The double super-powerful dragon attack rained on the Psudeo-legendary duo of the champion and his challenger, taking a huge amount of damage as a result.
"OK, I've had enough of this," Liam said as he activated his Z-Power Ring. "Goodra, use your full power! Fill you breath with Draconic Spirit! Let it build up and cumulate in a mighty burst! Use Devastating Drake!" "Garchomp, use Dragon Rage!" Riku ordered. The Dragon Rage hit Haxorus, making it stumble backward and bump into Hydragion as it gets blasted by the Z move. From there they get pushed back into Butch and Cassidy, who are sent blasting off. Once the Rockets were dealt with, An official came by and healed Garchomp and Goodra so that the effects of the Rockets' intrusion was minimized. Once everyone was ready, and the TV signal was restored the battle could resume.
"Goodra, Dragon Pulse!" Liam called. "Garchomp, use Dragon Claw!" Riku replied. The attacks went off with Garchomp slicing the Dragon Pulse. Garchomp wasn't able to make it to Goodra. "Sandstorm!" Riku called. "Dragon Pulse!" Liam called. Garchomp whipped up the Sand Storm, which allowed him to evade the Dragon Pulse, thanks to Sand Veil. (Sandstorm 1) "Alright, Time to show what we learned in Alola buddy," Liam said while activating his Z-Ring. "The power of Poni Canyon, coming directly to you, take the full brunt of our Draconic Power! Use Devastating Drake!" Goodra fired off the Dragon Z move using Draco Meteor as its source. The attack launched through the sandstorm and made a direct hit, dealing significant damage. "Use Dragon Rush!" Riku called. Garchomp made a critical hit on Goodra, activating Gooey and lowering its speed. (sandstorm 2) "Garchomp, Draco Meteor!" Riky ordered. "Goodra, use Dragon Pulse!" Liam called. As the meteors fell, Goodra fired off the attack, resulting in both attacks hitting. (sandstorm 3) Goodra was really feeling the effects of the Sandstorm and was starting to look worse for wear than Garchomp was. "Dragon Pulse!" Liam ordered. "Dig!" Riku replied. Garchomp jumped underground to avoid the attack. (Sandstorm 4) "Dragon Pulse down the hole!" Liam called, but Garchomp survived. Garchomp leapt out of the ground and made a direct hit, activating Gooey again. (Sandstorm 5) Goodra was almost KO'd. One final hit would mean the end for him. "Dragon Pulse!" Liam called. Goodra fired off the attack,
"Garchomp is unable to battle, Goodra wins!" The ref called. As the crowd cheered, Goodra weakly waved to the crowd before falling over from exhaustion KO'd.
"Charizard vs Charizard, begin!" The ref called. "Amazing, now we have both trainers using Charizard! But, Which Charizard will out do the other, and if Riku come out on top, will his Charizard manage to finish off the Champion's Greninja as well?" Mike commented.
"Flamethrower!" Riku and Liam called in unison. The fire attacks met in the middle of the stadium and were equal in power.
"Amazing, both Charizards are equal in the power of their flamethrowers," Mike commented. "Iron Tail!" Riku called. "Flamethrower!" Liam called. Riku's Charizard took the fire move and smacked Smaug with the Steel-type move on the head. "You've done well Riku, but it's time for me to step it up," Liam said. "Now, Smaug Mega Evolve!" Liam activated his Mega Ring and made Smaug become Mega Charizard Y, and causing the sun's rays to intense. "Now, Blast Burn!" Liam called. "Thunder Punch!" Riku called. Smaug fired off the powerful fire move and made a direct hit. The move's power was softened due to it being not very effective. Riku's Charizard slammed an electrified fist into Smaug. (Sun 1) Smaug had to recharge, allowing Riku to use Thunder Punch again. Smaug was hurting from this. (sun 2) "Fire Blast!" Liam called. The attack hit and scored a critical hit. "One last Thunder Punch!" Riku called. Riku's Charizard scored a critical hit. (Sun 3) "Focus Blast!" Liam called. The attack hit and activated Blaze. "Thunder Punch!" Riku called. This move put Smaug down to where Blaze would activate if he still had it. "It looks like the next hit may settle this battle," Mike commented. (Sun 4) "Fire Blast!" they both called together. The attacks launched off and exploded. When the dust cleared, Smaug had reverted to normal and both Charizards were unconscious. "Neither Charizard is able to battle, this is a draw. Because the Champion still has his Greninja, he retains his championship title!"The ref called. The crowd cheered wildly as the trainers recalled their Charizards. Liam stepped forward and shook Riku's hand. "That was a great match Riku, you came close to winning," Riku stood there stunned for a moment before replying "Thanks," and shaking Riku's hand as the fireworks went off. Liam and Riku walked backstage to heal up their Pokémon. While back there, a man in a suit approached them. "Ah, that was a great match boys," He said. He then asked to talk to Liam, who agreed to follow him, after having said good-bye to Riku. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Rose, and I am the chairman of the Galar Leauge. A powerful Champion like you would make an excellent competitor for Galar's undefeated champion as an exhibition match to kick off our next season. Are you interested?" Rose asked. "Liam agreed and Rose said he would set up the travel arrangements, including for Liam to bring some friends along with him.
When the smoke cleared and Team Rocket was revealed, Chuck got up to go help deal with them, but by the time he got close enough, they were already taken care of. Chuck got to the stage to congratulate his friend on his victory, only to find Chairman Rose talking to him. When the mention of Galar came up, Chuck spoke up. "Wait, did you say the Galar Region?" he asked.
"That's right young man," Rose said. "I'm the chairman of the Galar Leauge. I fell that Champion Coleman here would give an interesting exhibition match to our undefeated champion, Leon."
"Tru North?" Rose said thinking. "Tru North..." He rubbed his chin as if he was trying to remember. "The name does faintly sound familiar. But I cannot really remember anything. I am sorry." He sounded very sincere about it, so Liam did not believe Rose was being dishonest.
Sherlock began to focus his Psychic Powers and teleported himself and the two trainers to where they would meet their friends. Liam thanked Sherlock and he teleported back to Oak's Lab to rest. Liam reentered the Pokémon Center to have his on hand Pokémon Heal before he began the final training for the tournament.