“Come on! I want to be her first!” Sam shouted.

Levy smacked the boy on the back of his head for the outrageous claim.

“Think before you speak, you idiot!” she screamed.

Levy and Sam had been fighting over who would get to battle Lilith first. Their competitive spirit was on display until Sam said something that could be taken the wrong way. Lilith frowned at the two bickering.

“How about we flip a Voltorb?” Lilith tried to placate the two.

She had been immersing herself into the culture around her. Many new idioms were similar to the ones she was used to. The voltorb flip for example, people would flip it like one would a coin toss. It was just one example of the little things Lilith noticed every new day.

“I want red!” Sam shouted out.

“I guess that means I have white.” Levy said.

Lilith tapped her Castor as the Voltorb spun around on screen. The Pokemon slowed and came to a stop on the red side, indicating Sam would be her first opponent of the day.

Darumaka faced off against Absol in their duel. Lilith didn’t really have a plan for the fight, Darumaka’s fighting style was incredibly direct. The only direction she gave her Partner was that 4 legs allowed her more mobility and she should try a hit and run approach. It was one of the battle styles they practiced against Zangoose.

Absol wasn’t very defensive. The only other way the two could think about fighting was a head-on approach. It was a little too brutish and simple for Lilith. Nuance and detail were what she prided herself on.

Absol started the battle by trying to run circles around Darumaka. She had no long-range attacks and Darumaka had proven to be a terrible shot. Multiple Embers flew towards her. Darumaka started the battle the same as last witnessed. Absol dodged the projectiles before stopping and glaring at her opponent. Leer took effect as Darumaka’s energy was disrupted.

It was just one of two moves that Absol had learned the night prior. The training had brought her move pool up to three. The training had been straightforward and Lilith was surprised how easily Absol had learned them by battling. The two had been fumbling around in the dark trying to figure out what the heck they were doing for so long.

“No!” Sam cried out.

He recognized the move and made his adjustments

“Move in close! We have to finish this fast!” he called out

Darumaka acted. Her small legs launched her round body right where Absol stood. She hadn’t gotten to the point where the move was able to be used while running. The momentary pause allowed a counter attack. Darumaka’s Tackle connected with her as Absol got knocked back. Their difference in power left her reeling.

Sam had said his Partner was close to becoming a 1 Star while Absol was in the early stages of the unstarred realm. Lilith winced as her partner took massive damage.

“Come on! You got this!” Lilith shouted encouragingly.

Absol got back up before her opponent could finish the battle. She was running on low but knew if multiple attacks landed in succession then the battle would be hers. She pushed through as her body accelerated. Quick Attack increased her movement, hurtling right into Darumaka. Her final move was revealed as Darumaka was sent flying.

Lilith calculated that one more good strike like that with Darumaka’s defenses dropped would signal their victory.

“One more time!” she shouted.

An unexpected attack surprised the two, Darumaka twisted her body in the air. She used the momentum from the last attack to increase their distance as an ember shot out from their opponent from the skys. The flames landed on Absol’s body, sending burns all over her back.

“Lilith, Sam, done!” Shirley called out

It was enough damage to finish the fight. Lilith rushed out to check on her Partner. The damage seemed superficial, but her energy reserves were all but spent. They had lost.

“You did so well, they caught us off guard, that’s all.” she said

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Lilith stroked Absol’s head which remained burn free. The two Partners sat off to the side. They would have to wait for her natural regeneration before she could battle again.

Shirley had come over to inspect Absol. She predicted that it would take about 10 minutes for her to be back in tip top shape. Their battles were competitive, but not overly aggressive. Their wounds were all superficial and not worth a trip to a PokeHealer. Audino was only for emergencies.

“Good battle! You almost had us! We wanted to save that air maneuver for Levy, but you forced us to reveal it.” Sam said

He simultaneously cheered and cried. Sam’s strategy had been worked on all week and was looking forward to putting it to the test. He had to admit, Absol was strong for her level.

“Better luck next time.” Levy said

She pat Lilith’s shoulder in sympathy. Lilith still couldn’t quite understand her reactions. Sometimes she was mean-spirited, while others were caring.

“I’ll beat him up for you.” Levy exclaimed.

“Ha! Bring it on!” Sam shouted back

Everyone waited while Audino went around healing everyone. It took no time at all before the next rounds were able to begin.

Darumaka stood against Axew as their rematch started. Lilith and Absol watched from the side, while she stroked her fur. Absol’s back had healed and was about half way towards being able to join the next fight.

“Start!” Shirley called the next round.

The match started out much slower. Sam had researched Assurance after having been defeated by it last week. Naturally he had a plan to counter the strategy for his next fight.

A black wave shot out from Darumaka that surrounded the small area around her. Taunt wouldn’t allow the use of Status moves for a short while. They couldn’t let Axew set up on them, despite Taunt having no effect on moves like Assurance. She shut down his Leer from play; any small edge could tip the scales of the battle like the previous one almost had.

“Nice and easy!” Levy called out her battle plan.

Axew still had multiple attacks he could use despite the Taunt. His front claws grew out as Scratch activated. He jumped towards his opponent while Embers streaked towards him. One connected before he could close the distance. He powered through the fire as only a minimal amount actually damaged him.

Darumaka didn’t have enough time to activate a different move as Axew clawed multiple times at his opponent.

“Levy Sam done!” Shirley ended the battle before it even started.

“What was that?!” Sam shouted out in surprise.

Levy smirked at the teenager's antics.

“Axew has officially become a 1 Star Pokemon!” she said

The smugness on her face couldn’t be hidden no matter how hard she tried. Axew’s energy had increased dramatically since last time they met. The increase in his level allowed him to steamroll his Rival. They couldn't help but celebrate their crushing victory.

“What?! When?” Sam cried.

“Monday after class” she smiled

Sam pouted by himself as Audino made her rounds. The pink Pokemon even gave him a pat to console him while healing Darumaka. It didn’t help that Levy had seen, and then had an excuse to make fun of him. The two started to bicker as Sam’s spirits were lifted.

Audino had then looked over Absol and deemed her battle ready. Lilith had found it amazing how fast Pokemon could heal on their own. Soon enough, Levy and Axew stood up against them. Lilith wanted the practice of going up against an especially difficult opponent.

“Start!” Shirley shouted

One quick team meeting and the battle began.

The same general principle was enacted, but they would have to be much more careful. Absol stayed further back as Axew began his charge. She stayed out of range and used his lack of mobility against him. His legs were short and stumpy, so he couldn’t take large steps. Instead he had to propel himself forward in large leaps, which allowed Absol to keep her distance. Once Axews trajectory was read, she could easily dodge.

“Ahh let's set up, this is taking too long!” Levy called out

‘Yes!’ Lilith let out a silent cheer.

Absol took the same opportunity as both Pokemon used Leer. Lilith didn’t like the plan, but the only way to put massive damage onto the much stronger Axew was to allow him to also use Leer. The time before had just been stalling and waiting for their opponents to become impatient.

Axew, being the much more experienced Pokemon, had another move ready much faster than Absol. He charged up and used Scratch on his opponent. His other Dark type moves would be less effective, so he only had one move left to use. Lilith thought she could telegraph their opponents' attack by narrowing down his options.

“Stay strong!” Lilith called out.

Absol’s fangs had clamped around his leg as the attack went off. They had traded blows, but Axew came out the victor. His damage was minimal while Absol looked like she could barely stand.

“Away!” Lilith called out.

Absol became a blur as Quick Attack took effect. Instead of attacking Axew, she dashed away. Lilith had taken inspiration from her time with Pansage. Moves could be used for more than just attacking. His Vine Whip was used for mobility, and Absol could do something similar with Quick Attack.

The distance between the two widened greatly. The Quick Attack maneuverability had been her trump card. It was the move they had stayed up all night drilling and perfecting.

Lilith analyzed Absol’s options. She might have enough time for one more Leer if Absol could create even more distance. If not, she could be caught between moves and finished off. She had hoped the hit and run strategy would be enough to finish off her opponent, but it seemed it wouldn't be enough.

Absol dashed in and out trying to find any openings Axew left in his defenses, but none presented itself. Their battle became long and drawn out as Axew was too slow to deliver the finishing blow.

All other battles had ended and the class hung around to watch the battle. Everyone cheered as Axew would try and land the final blow but was met with Absol’s dust. The chase had taken its toll however. Absol only had a set number of Quick Attacks she could use before running out of energy, and her Power Points were diwndling.

“Come on…” She mumbled while watching the fight.

Lilith considered forfeiting, but would be against the spirit of learning. A defeat here didn’t mean nearly as much as a defeat in the wild. They could use the experience.

“Finish it.” She called out.

Lilith had decided that drawing out the fight would have done nothing but waste time. If a similar situation happened in the wild, then that Pokemon would just run away. One final clash where their lives weren't at stake was good learning material.

Absol turned to Axew and got ready for her final charge. He launched forwards as the unexpected happened. Absol’s demeanor changed as something clicked into place. The increasingly stressful battle had helped to awaken one of her Egg moves. Sandy was right, all moves came in the heat of battle.

Absol’s red and white fur gave off a distinctly pink color as the move took effect. The new type of energy moved around her body sluggishly, but enough to launch one final attack. Both Axew and Levy staggered in horror as they clashed at the exact same time. His claws met with Absol’s head, activating Scratch and Play-Rough respectively.

The Fairy type energy left Axew helpless. The moment of surprise was enough for Absol to unleash her attack. His tiny body was left crippeled as the Fairy type energy knocked him unconscious. The defensive drop from Leer and the decisive Play Rough bottomed out his energy as the victor was decided.

Lilith stood by in shock as Levy rushed to her Partner’s side. Absol had put everything into the attack and was left lying on the ground dead tired, but definitely pleased with the outcome. Audino was not far behind as she helped to purge the bane of all dragons from his system.

Lilith had won her first Pokemon battle.