Chapter 46: The Semifinals – Battle Against Kuma
Chapter 46: The Semifinals – Battle Against Kuma
As expected, Ash lost to Tyson. However, he managed to force Tyson to reveal three of his Pokémon.
Ash's Charizard had indeed become stronger, but its stubbornness was still a major weakness.
At least, in this battle, Charizard's fighting spirit was fully ignited. It took down Ursaring and Honchkrow before finally collapsing against Ampharos.
"Charizard must be frustrated too," Ron thought to himself.
Still, once Ash completed the Orange Islands, he would finally be able to properly command Charizard.
By the time he reached the Silver Conference in Johto, Ash might even make it to the semifinals or the finals.
---
On the other side of the bracket, Kuma had also crushed his opponent.
That meant Ron's next match would be against Kuma.
Noticing Ron, Kuma grinned—a wide, enthusiastic smile.
It instantly reminded Ron of Naruto or Luffy.
---
A little later, Kuma actually approached Ron's spectator area.
"Yo!" Kuma greeted with a friendly wave. "I'm Kuma from Rustboro City. You must be Ron. Steven told me about you. Looks like we're facing off next. Hope you give it your all!"
Ron studied the energetic guy before shaking his hand.
"Ron from Pallet Town. Your next opponent. Let's have a great match."
Kuma gripped Ron's hand tightly, grinning.
"Of course! I'll be using my main team against you."
Then he added, "Oh, and thanks for discovering Fossil Valley! It took me forever to get permission from the League to enter, but I finally caught a really strong Pokémon there. It's my new ace!"
Ron smirked but said nothing.
A Fossil Pokémon, huh?
If Kuma really did capture one, then it was probably an Aerodactyl.
Ron made a mental note—he would counter it by bringing his own Aerodactyl and Mewtwo.
Now that they were in the semifinals, he couldn't afford to be careless.
As a tradeoff, Bellossom and Sylveon would sit this round out.
If he made it to the finals, he would reconsider.
---
The Next Day – The Semifinals Begin
With the crowd roaring, Ron and Kuma walked into the battlefield.
The two shook hands once more, showing mutual respect.
Then, they took their positions.
As the bell rang, both trainers sent out their first Pokémon—Nidoking vs. Nidoking.
The crowd exploded with excitement.
"Oh! Both trainers have chosen Nidoking as their first Pokémon! As many of you know, Nidoking battle fiercely for the affection of Nidoqueen in the wild! So today, we'll see which Nidoking is truly the strongest!"
The announcer hyped up the match, and the crowd loved it.
Even more pumped up were the two Nidoking themselves.
Ron's Nidoking had a personal stake in this match—he had promised Nidoqueen that he would win the championship before proposing to her.
This was his chance to prove his worth.
Ron smirked.
"Go ahead and show your strength, Nidoking! Ice Beam!"
"We won't lose! Nidoking, Rock Slide!" Kuma countered.
Ron's Nidoking unleashed an Ice Beam, while Kuma's Nidoking summoned a barrage of boulders.
The two attacks clashed mid-air, and the boulders shattered into ice fragments, crashing harmlessly to the ground.
A tie.
But Ron grinned—because this "tie" actually revealed something important.
Ice Beam was a special attack.
Rock Slide was a physical attack.
This meant that Kuma's Nidoking relied more on physical power—and Ron's Nidoking was stronger in that category.
Kuma seemed to realize it too, frowning.
"Nidoking, Mega Horn!"
"Show him the difference in power—use Mega Horn too!"
Both Nidoking charged at each other, their horns glowing.
With a sickening clash, their heads slammed together.
Ron's Nidoking only stumbled back a few steps.
Kuma's Nidoking was sent flying across the battlefield, crashing into the dirt.
It barely got up, wobbling—clearly at its limit.
Ron didn't hesitate.
"Finish it with Ice Beam."
Nidoking launched another Ice Beam.
Kuma tried to call for a dodge, but his Nidoking was too dazed to react.
The Ice Beam struck dead-on, freezing Nidoking solid.
"Nidoking is unable to battle!"
---
Kuma sighed and recalled Nidoking.
"You're seriously strong, Ron. Guess I better step up my game. Let's go, Empoleon!"
A massive emperor penguin materialized on the field.
Ron narrowed his eyes.
"So this is why he caught Aerodactyl—he built a full counter to my Nidoking."
Steel-type resists Poison.
Water-type beats Ground.
Basically, Empoleon was a direct counter.
Ron chuckled.
"Nice plan, but I was ready for this."
"Return, Nidoking. Go, Greninja!"
---
"Empoleon, Drill Peck!" Kuma ordered.
Empoleon spun rapidly and lunged at Greninja like a drill.
"Grass Knot."
Greninja slammed its hands on the ground, and vines shot up, tripping Empoleon.
The penguin crashed face-first into the dirt.
"Perfect. Now, Power-Up Punch!"
Greninja's fist glowed orange as it slammed Empoleon in the face.
Kuma panicked.
"Aqua Jet!"
Empoleon wrapped itself in water and tackled Greninja.
But thanks to Grass Knot, the damage was halved—it barely scratched Greninja.
Meanwhile, Power-Up Punch increased Greninja's attack power.
Ron smirked.
"Let's end this. Another Grass Knot!"
Vines trapped Empoleon again, slamming it into the ground.
"Power-Up Punch!"
With double the attack boost, Greninja's fist struck Empoleon's jaw, knocking it unconscious.
---
Kuma recalled Empoleon, shaking his head.
"I underestimated you."
Ron just smiled.
"One more to go."
Kuma took a deep breath.
"Alright. No more playing around. Let's go, Magnezone!"
Ron's eyes gleamed.