Cheren sat motionless as the Helper came out onto the field. He had been waiting patiently for her rematch, unsure if she had what it took. He wasn’t really surprised that she lost the first battle, but that was to be expected considering her carry count. Going up against two Pokemon back to back that were about equal strength was incredibly hard.
Bianca sat to his right.
She had been nagging her ever since she had found that Lilith was coming back to Aspertia. It was one of Bianca’s weirdest traits, always knowing what was going on, despite her foolish act. She always seemed to pop up when something important was about to happen. He never looked into it much, leaving her secrets in the dark.
The Pokemon Trainers stood across from each other as they got ready for their showdown.
“What do you think is gonna happen?!” Bianca asked excitedly.
She bounced up and down in her chair, clinging to Cheren’s arm incessantly. He had tried many times before to peel her off, but found the entire ordeal fruitless. Her iron grip couldn’t be pried off.
“Let’s watch and find out…” Cheren mumbled.
He fixed the glasses on his nose in anticipation, leaning forward slightly. A flash of light engulfed them and they tapped their Pokeballs respectively. The monsters inside were unleashed as one of the spectators was met with surprise.
“Ohh! Look, it's a Sableye!” Bianca practically screamed, jumping up and down.
Cheren watched the small Pokemon with interest. It wasn’t native to the Unova region, so he had little expectations for the small Pokemon. He hadn’t heard anything one way or the other of its prowess, flying under his radar. He was told of strong Pokemon that could migrate to Unova to watch out for, but they were all extremely strong. If he took that into consideration, then it must be on the weaker side.
The one across from him was much more familiar, behind the staple when it came to normal types. Lillipup looked ready to go.
“Yes, let's watch the battle and not suffocate me please!” Cheren begged.
The judge had started the match, and they were off to the races. Lillipup and his trainer had no prior knowledge of their opponent, so they started out slow. He jumped up and down, getting ready for a Work-Up. It was a great starting move, increasing both his attack and defense by one stage.
Cheren paid particular attention to her demeanor, sitting back and watching with interest. He knew the Pokemon before him was not even a one star yet, so his expectations were low.
‘How will she handle this battle?’ He wondered.
Sableye jumped into action quite literally. He did a somersault through the air and landed on Lillipup feet first. The Darkness Pokemon showed off his acrobatic ability, using the small pup as a springboard. Fake-Out connected, stopping the Work up from finishing. Without the stat boost, he took much more damage than he originally intended.
“Beye, beye, beye.”
A wicked laugh echoed through the arena as Sableye vaulted off his foe. The damage was intense, forcing him to try Work Up once more. The gap in strength had to be filled with his strongest status moves or they would be finished.
“Not bad.” Cheren commented.
His creativity in the direction of his surprise attacks was well honed. Even Bianca was impressed with his movement.
‘But how does he go from here?’ He thought.
Sableye was stronger , but the gap wasn’t as considerable as it seemed. Lillipup set up his status with the large window of time that was given to him. Sableye in turn, sat still. He appeared to be doing nothing, giving his opponents a strange confidence when in fact they should have been worried.
“Attack!” The helper called out, looking to press the advantage..
Lillipup wouldn’t back down even if his opponent was just too strong. He ran forward on all fours, his energy pumping. Tackle coated his body as he attempted to ram his opponent.
“That’s what you get for ignorance.” Cheren shook his head, disappointed in his Helper.
The puppy Pokemon phased right through Sableye, leaving him completely untouched. The situation finally dawned upon the Helper.
“He’s a ghost!” He half screamed.
Ghost type Pokemon were notorious for not listening to their Trainers. People who didn’t specialize in them directly usually left them off their team considering they were just too unpredictable. What bothered him however, was the immunity his opponent obtained from their type matchup.
A slight smile formed on Lilith’s lips. The spectators didn’t miss the small change in facial expression, even with the scarf covering most of her jaw.
“Hahahaha!” Bianca laughed.
The giddy woman let go of her friend to stand up and let out a full bellied laugh. The situation was just too funny, Cheren obviously in the dark.
With the jig up, Sableye disappeared from view. No one, not even his Trainer could see him any longer. The only way to locate him would be through the increased ghostly aura he now emitted as a consequence.
He lacked the strength to clash head on, playing to his own strengths to better himself.
“There!” the Helper yelled.
Lillipup was all over it, already in motion before the call. All normal types went over ways to counter Ghosts considering the obvious weakness. The only upside to the situation was that their opponents' attacks would also be ineffective against them. Two glowing orbs moved around cautiously, unable to hold his invisible state for long. The signature move for countering ghosts was deployed once he had been spotted.
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Bite expanded in the dog's mouth as he attempted once more to damage his foe. His fangs closed, looking for their target. Despite the effort, his teeth smashed together, meeting nothing but air, his momentum driving him forward. The energy inside his body twitched slightly, damaging his insides and causing him to trip.
“Wonderful.” Cherren glowed.
Everything he saw was well executed and the most basic of strategies for ghosts. After Normal, it was his most well known Pokemon type to battle against. Sableye had pulled it off without even breaking a sweat.
“What?” The Helper wondered aloud.
He could not understand what was going on, having missed something crucial. It wasn’t every day that a trick was pulled off right before a seasoned Trainer’s eyes.
‘Confusion? But when?’ He wondered, catching on.
The Helper thought back to all the opportinities that could have been taken advantage of.
“Right before the first charge when we didn’t know his type.” coming to the correct conclusion.
Sableye had surprised even Lilith in his ability to manipulate Confuse Ray in their training, wielding it to a masterful degree. He could will the small orb to disappear like all ghost types could do with their bodies, adding another layer to his trickery. It was a wonder to watch, and anyone who didn’t know what to expect was easily caught off guard. It was almost impossible to defend against an invisible attack that one didn’t expect.
Bianca leaned forward and mumbled something incoherent. Cheren eyed her unnatural behavior, but cared more about Sableye’s next move. Now that he had shown his hand, the Helper would be more on guard.
Gray mist formed around Lillipup as Disable clung to his body, unable to stop the advance. Despite not getting the attack off, it would now be impossible to use Bite for the foreseeable future.
“Yes!” Bianca stood up and shouted once more.
Unable to contain herself, she jumped up and down, loving the display of control shown in the battle thus far. It was far from perfect, but the matchup was just too favorable for the small ghost. Every step was executed like it was planned beforehand from a veteran. He had taken no damage thus far and already had a status effect along with massive damage to his foe. Even his only way to counter attack had been cut off.
Lillipup the fish in a metaphorical barrel.
The only problem he faced now was putting damage onto his foe. Fake out could only be used at the beginning of the battle, and with his only other attacking move, Shadow Sneak, being a ghost type, he had only one way of dishing out damage.
“Setup!” The Helper shouted, starting to feel the pressure mount.
He had been outclassed at every turn much to his dismay. There was only one chance to turn the battle around and he had to take it. Lillipup tried using Work-Up to increase the damage output to be enough to damage Sableye once Bite was able to be used again. It was his only attack that could touch a ghost, in fact, most Pokemon only had normal attacks early in their journey.
“Pup!”
Lillipup called out in anguish. The small Pokemon continued to take damage in his confusion. The amount was slowly starting to build, threatening to knock him out.
“Hmm fast or slow…” He wondered which style Lilith would take.
Sableye had fun with Lillipup, his movements looking less threatening by the second.
The new feeling he gave off was one of enjoyment. He didn’t have the demeanor of a battler, only a small child shaking around his favorite rattle. With nothing else to do, he launched Ray after Ray onto his target, keeping the Confusion holding for when it inevitably faded.
Sableye stalled his way to victory, only getting hit by Bite once before Disabling it for a second time. He was all healthy and ready for the next opponent. The Helper recalled his Pokemon who was unable to battle any more, a scowl on his face. Gym rules forbade him from switching out. If the battle were at a higher level, then the option would be there, but the League wanted to have a gradual increase in strength. A careful balance had to be held to nurture Pokemon and their Trainers to the fullest.
Herdier appeared in his allies' place, signaling for the battle to continue.
“Lets see you do it again…” Lilith mumbled under her breath.
With normal attacks immune, she wouldn’t fall prey to the same strategy as last time. Retaliate did no damage, even if he got the bonus damage from his fellow team member falling previously. The only option he had was some setup or quick damage. His body glowed red as he got himself pumped up, getting in a Work-Up. Sableye in turn took the chance to lay an orb of Confusion onto his target before backing up.
“I’d like to use my switch!” Lilith called out.
Cheren gave a nod, happy with the prudent decision.
‘There was some Fake-Out pressure, but instead she looked to help the next Pokemon. Maybe not the best decision, but at least she’s conscious of her other battlers…’ Cheren continued his analysis.
Each gym battle had a set number of switches a Challenger could do, depending on the level of battle. The higher she went, more switches for both sides would be available. With it being only the first, only one switch was available.
What Cheren didn’t know was that Lilith kept her promise. She didn’t need him as an all out attacker, and there was no way he could defeat Herdier. The only chance he would have, was to chain an incredibly long and drawn out Confusion stall, but it would be risky and unsportsmanlike. The challenges were to help grow the strength of a Trainer, not teach them how to cheat their way to victory. The strategy had a time and place, but it wasn’t the right time.
“Hold!” The referee called out as Absol took to the field. Their battle restarted immediately once she appeared.
Lilith would have liked an additional status condition onto the opponent, but Confusion would have to do. Absol finally got her chance at revenge even if it was less than fair. Last time, the Herdier had a large difference in power level, this time the playing field was different. She was the one in control.
Looking at the space, she started out easily, setting down a Leer onto Herdier. With one Work Up already set, his defenses returned to normal, with only the attack boost remaining as he decided to take the advantage. His body glowed as each powerful step sent him forward. He was on a collision course for Absol, except Confusion had already started to throw his aim wide.
“Snap out of it!” The Helper shouted.
He had finally realized what was going on. Confusion was set just like last time, invisible and deadly. His Pokemon tried responding to the command but struggled to snap out of it. His attack stopped short, sliding on the ground, simultaneously damaging himself and leaving his body vulnerable.
Absol played into her natural speed and took the opportunity. She was already close enough, so her jaw lowered and her natural fangs glowed as they were enhanced by her energy. She was feeling competitive, but decided to not aim for anything vital. She chomped down onto the dog’s side, weakening up his barrier thoroughly. One more good attack and he would be done.
‘Hmm She’s come a long way.’ Cheren commented, pleasantly surprised.
Herdier snapped out of the Confusion and charged up his attack once more. Retaliate only got a boost for fallen comrades immediately after their fall, but its base attack was still solid. He rammed into Absol who was trying to dodge, sending her flying. The power wasn’t threatening enough, but her Bite had to be canceled, unable to reach her foe. Instead she transitioned into a Quick Attack, using the move as a pivot to ram Herdier in a blur before he could recover his footing.
One swift motion targeted the back leg, trying to charge up one last Tackle, struggling for victory. The attack landed but it wasn’t nearly enough, still leaving Absol healthy. She took the chance to land one final Bite, ending Herider’s Health.