People and Pokemon gathered around the Route. Some people battled while others looked to be on a stroll through the wilderness. All were young Trainers, however. Lilith scrutinized everyone they came across. It was interesting to get a read on her competition even if they would never battle.
A small crowd of Trainers gathers around with their Pokemon and watched people battle. Most Pokemon were in the upper reaches of their first star, but not much of a threat for Absol. Her lack of evolution gave incredible resilience when faced against Pokemon who had yet to evolve.
A tingling went down her spine, she wanted to test her theory. What was a Journey without some Trainer battles? With the final battle done, people grouped together and set up camp. There had to have been hundreds of people on the route given how long the stretch of land was, but only about 10 were in her general vicinity. The collective stayed together and continued conducting battles.
‘Wonder if I can join.’ She thought
Lilith walked up to one of the open fields as a Herdier and Patrat fought. Their battle was a fierce one. There was no special arena, just the natural terrain as their battleground. As the tussle continued, more and more dirt was kicked around, disturbing the small area. It was good practice for wild battles. She watched them move about, trying to level their strength.
‘Based off both species and their relative strength, the Patrat doesn’t stand a chance…’ She thought
Reality proved differently, however.
“Yeah! Good job!” Her trainer cheered.
Patrat played into her natural speed and mobility. She ran circles around the larger dog, with none of his attacks nearing her small body. Even more snad was sprayed about at the sudden movements, blocking his visual senses.
Herdier closed his eyes and tried backing up to create more space. If he could stall long enough, then there might be a chance for a counter.
‘Hmm…’ She thought.
The fight gave her much to think about. She considered Patrat to be incredibly weak, but her grit, practice, and determination drove the small Pokemon forwards. They had obviously trained rather hard. The gap that they had overcome wasn’t a small one. Base stats were becoming hazy the more she explored different options.
‘Would a Purrloin have been an option?’ She thought before shaking her head.
Sableye served an entirely different role. He was a supporter of the group, rarely going into battle, where a Purrloin would have to use agility to attack. The roles were entirely different.
“Shake it off!” Her trainer shouted.
Patrat had gone too close. The dust settled and Herdier had finally landed his first attack despite being worn down. It was only a matter of time until her luck ran out. The battle was starting to become intriguing.
Patrat took the opportunity to unleash an attack of her own. The moves she could acquire were limited, but Bite was a mainstay of many lower level Pokemon. Both Pokemon were right on top of eachother, drawing the dog’s favor. The small meerkat Bit into his side from the previous opening. The attack closed, boosted by the damage her opponent had already taken.
“That was weird.” Lilith mumbled off to the side, noticing something strange.
Many others cheered as Patrat tore into Herdier. The moves were boosted by some unknown force, doing way more damage than it should have. She couldn’t identify the source, but it could have easily been a stat drop from before she arrived.
Patrat tried retreating after her counter attack. Range was her best friend but got too greedy from the previous extension. She was caught off guard as she dodged the close range attacks. The rosy red color that tinted her body became much more noticeable. Herdier lunged at his foe, but missed most of the attacks despite their close range.
“Now!” A shout resounded out above the cheers
Lilith watched as Patrat stopped trying to dodge. Instead, she leaned into the attack and took the full brunt of the damage head on. Her body turned crimson red once Tackle pushed her back. Despite the small distance, Patrat shot forwards. Bide took all the damage she had accrued and would be doubled before launching it back.
With overwhelming force, the dog-like Pokemon stopped in his tracks.
“Yes!” The Trainer cheered.
Patrat fell onto her but in exhaustion. Her opponent had a similar reaction, but was unable to continue battling. Her shields would recover with time, but she was done battling for the day. The underdog had won.
Both Trainers converged on the center once the battle was completed and shook hands. It was a custom encouraged by the League to foster friendship and decrease tensions. It was a skill to lose gracefully. By necessity, a Trainer fought, but only to better themselves.
“Hello, je suis Rene. I couldn’t help but notice you watch the fight just now.” Someone disturbed Lilith’s train of thought.
A young woman approached Lilith from the side. She had beautiful silky brown skin and one couldn’t help but look at her ponytail that held together her dark hair. No Pokemon stood beside her, making it a little odd. Almost every Trainer she had met thus far traveled with their compatriot.
‘Even Absol’s out…’ She almost forgot how unwelcoming people had been at first.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
The adults had much more knowledge than the kids around her and mitigated the friction with her peers. The idle thought was cast aside as she observed the speaker more thoroughly. Her Fashion style was like nothing she had ever seen before, wearing a soft blue blouse with a black neck tie. Her pants too were a little baggy.
“I’m Lilith.” She hadn’t been asked a question and responded with her name.
Rene didn’t seem to notice and smiled.
“I can feel your fighting spirit, we must battle. Yes?” She leaned in confidently towards her.
Lilith didn’t have to think for long, it was exactly what she was looking for.
“Sure, what are the rules?” She asked.
Battling in one way was a mistake. Their teachers had encouraged everyone to try out many different battle formats to increase their on the fly decision making capabilities. One on ones were good only for gym battles and formal challenges. double and triple battles emulator real life encounters much better.
“I jus caught my third Pokemon. Do you think we could try out a triple battle format? I want to increase our team bond!” She said excitedly.
“I only have two Pokemon…” Lilith responded.
“Oh my, then double battle?” Rene offered.
“Sure.” She spoke a little too loud.
“Hey guys, another battle is about to start!” One of the kids nearby shouted.
Everyone scurried over as Patrat and her Trainer made way for the new battlers. Many others stood to the side, ready to watch the showdown. It was a little disconcerting having so many spectators around. She had only ever been in such atmospheres once.
The Battleground at school was where she had gotten the most practice with moves. She took the energy to heart, hoping to have similar results. Lilith jumped in head first. Her Pokemon had never really fought together, but it would be good practice for the future. It was one more thing for her to add to the ever growing to-do list.
There was no judge, so both sent their Pokemon out beforehand.
“We're doing a double battle! Sableye, I want you to support from the side as Absol will be our damage dealer. You will open a chance for Absol to lower one of their stats while flinching the other. Then you try and get some Confusions out, or if an opportunity arrives, finish them off with a Shadow Sneak.”
She threw together some moves they could try. Anything Sableye could do to fit in disruption would be key, along with Absol to dish out the damage.
The general plan was set, with recon being the next goal. Her opponent's Pokemon weren’t what she was expecting. The initial impression of the girl was correct, she wasn't from Unova. Lombre and Psyduck huddled together and talked about what they would do in their own information.
“I’m Ready!” Lilith shouted out.
With b sides ready, everyone took to the field. Despite the distance, a Shellder stood by her opponent's side. It was her third Pokemon, leading her to believe she specialized in water types. Three was more than enough for confirmation.
“On three?” Rene asked.
“Sure. 1, 2, 3!” Lilith answered as she started the match.
Both Lombre and Sableye jumped straight into the battle. Each had a similar idea, each launching a Fake Out of their own. Sableye threw caution to the wind knowing that the move couldn’t touch him. The small ghost proved to be a touch faster. Sableye immunized the attack heading towards Absol, using his body as a shield. The distance had been closed. The move struck home, knocking Lombre backwards. Both sides had Pokemon that were in the upper one star, incredibly close to their promotion, while Psyduck was obviously the newest member of Rene’s team. That left her a lower priority. Divide and conquer was their best strategy.
Absol Set a Leer onto Lombre as his ability to heal through Mega Drain might be a problem if they couldn’t finish him off quickly. Lilith had learned how strong a strategy it could be through Wendell’s Roselia. She silently thanked the young boy as they gained the upper hand.
Psyduck sent out Pulses of Water towards Absol, catching her at a vulnerable time. Double battles were much different than the game. Order rarely mattered in fights, leaning more towards teamwork and movement.
The difference in strength helped to mitigate the damage Absol received. If it had been a regular one on one, she would be able to corner the duck Pokemon right then and there. Instead, she backed off and let Sableye step forwards. He pulled his arm back before launching his arm forward, sending the connected Confuse Ray onto its target
Lombre turned back towards Absol, none the wiser of his sudden shift in status. It appeared they too were targeting down the strongest for elimination.
“They’re going for the same strategy!” Lilith called out.
She ran the cenario through her head, deciding to give up the information verbally. Once they got stronger, she could give commands through their Pokeball connection. At the moment, all she could experience were their feelings. Due to their lack of skill, now the enemy knew their game plan and vice versa.
It was a good strategy overall, leaving Sableye more room to sow discord. It played more towards their strengths while a Psyduck wasn’t known for its supportive features. Absol Lunged towards Lombre, hoping to move him out of the equation faster. Her attack struck true, being just a tad faster than her opponent. The resulting attack broke most of his shields but didn’t stop his assault. The Jolly Pokemon formed Bubbles around his mouth and pushed.
With the exchange done, the winner of the short clash became evident. Despite his offensive pressure Lombre’s species wasn’t known for their defense, and with a drop, it became even more evident. The damage between the two couldn’t even compare.
Rene’s team didn’t disappoint. Their recovery was fast, evidence of her skill as a Trainer. Psyduck targeted Absol down once more, hoping to make use of her singular focus. Her naturally high special attack was doing wonders for them, similar Bubbles as before staggered her concentration.
Sableye tried jumping in to assist, but wasn’t fast enough, Giga Drain connecting right after. Absol appeared to be on her last leg, with Confuse Ray finally landing onto Psyduck.
Absol had learned her lesson and retreated. Neither looked to give up the advantage, targeting her down relentlessly. Detect blocked their incoming attacks which gave her space to work with. Sableye took the opportunity from the lack of focus, allowing a Shadow Sneak onto Lombre. The resulting attack weakened The hat-wearing Pokemon further.
With both jets of water negated, Absol finally had the perfect chance to finish off one Lombre. A flaw became evident the more they battled. Despite the opening more, all other attacks had been ranged. Both focused on her and didn’t let up one bit. They staggered their attacks, evidence of practice.
Absol never had the chance to get close until Sableye opened up the perfect opportunity. Her body blurred. Quick Attack found its ultimate target, destroying the last of his health. He had been a tough opponent. Being double downed on had been tough, especially when Confusion was never triggered.
With one opponent down, everyone turned towards the final Pokemon. Only one got an attack to the face, as Psyduck took the opportunity to send one last blow onto Absol. The teamwork had been astounding, wearing her down so thoughrilly in the short amount of time they had faced off.
Absol was unable to react, falling to the simple attack. It was now a 1v1.