Bracken looked out for a moment at Knight, alone on the field with Jormund and Fracture. Evidently losing the battle, she frantically dug into her mind for some kind of plan – if Knight was to face these two powerful Pokémon alone he would need a good tactic. Despite the dire outlook, Bracken could now focus on one partner rather than struggling to keep track of what both were doing.

Double-battles had never been Bracken’s strong point.

Knight was still holding onto Jormund’s back, attacking with his blades whenever possible. Holding on without Queen’s help was difficult, so Knight stole several glances at Bracken in a plea for further instruction.

I know you’re struggling, Knight, just give me a minute to think...

‘Throw your bone at Gallade! Knock him off Jormund’s back, then we’ll have him!’

Fracture aimed his club carefully, not wanting to hit Jormund. The Bonemerang spun through the air wildly, curling around Jormund and clipping Knight on the shoulder. Hitting him whilst on a moving target was delicate work, but Chief couldn’t risk Jormund standing still and taking more damage. It was this situation that Bracken saw she could take advantage of.

She knew she had to act quickly as Knight dodged another Bonemerang – Jormund had bucked as Knight let go to dodge it, and now Knight had ended up on the ground in front of the Rampardos. The Pokémon glaring down at him, ready to attack, Bracken sprung into action and called her orders. It was now or never.

Knight responded instantly to the order, expertly kicking up onto his feet and dodging a Zen Headbutt. As he did so, Knight delivered light Thunder Waves to various parts of Jormund’s body – zapping his legs, shocking his tail – whilst Fracture stood with the club poised in his hands, unable to throw, for Knight was unreachable.

‘Hah! You can’t just shock Jormund and expect to bring him down!’

‘Now, Knight!’

On cue, Knight darted out from beneath Jormund’s legs and jumped up to head-height at his flank. His next Thunder Wave came fast and strong, right between the Rampardos’ eyes. Already confused from the attacks from below and Knight’s sudden reappearance, the shockwaves dazed him, causing Jormund to step from side to side shakily. Fracture acted exactly as Bracken had hoped – at Knight’s emergence, he took aim and launched his hardest Bonemerang. By the time it had reached Knight, he had already fallen back to the arena floor...

Crrrrack..!

Jormund swayed for a moment as the crowds shouted out in shock. Slowly, very slowly, he tipped and crashed to the ground, the bone club lying next to his large, now fractured, skull.

‘Chief’s Rampardos is unable to battle!’

Immediately after Jormund was returned, Bracken called her next order, not wanting to miss her chance to win the fight. ‘He’s on his own now! Attack him with everything you’ve got!’

‘Get your bone, Fracture! Then attack head-on with Bone Rush!’

Fracture darted forward and retrieved his bone, then held it to his side and charged towards Knight. Knight did the same, with bladed arms positioned ready for a Psycho Cut. As the Pokémon crossed ways, two thundering blows were delivered – the spectators leaned forwards in their seats in anticipation of the one left standing.

As the dust settled, the figures of both Pokémon were standing strong. They held their stances for a moment, facing away from each other, with Bracken and Chief looking on with held breath.

Thwack...clunk, clunk.

Fracture’s bone club clattered to the ground from the air, several feet away.

Breathless, and shaking from adrenaline, Bracken called out her final order. ‘Close Combat!’

*

‘Hey!’ Chief called, jogging up behind Bracken. ‘Wait up!’ He stopped for a moment to catch his breath, and then once again held out his huge hand to Bracken. ‘An amazing fight.’

The stadium reception area was nearly empty, as the day’s battles had drawn to a close. The last few trainers were having their Pokémon checked on with the nurses, others signing out to leave. Bracken had shouldered her pack and was walking out of the door with Moon. She turned to Chief, still smiling to herself about her victory, and gripped his hand.

‘It was.’

END