El-Ahrairah 4.1
December 7th, 2022.
We arrived in Makiishi about a day ago, and had been mostly just lounging a bit as I researched the Gym. A rock-type Gym with their leader being Rachel Shale, a Rock Type Specialist who had a preference for certain rock doggos. She was an interesting Gym Leader, abrasive, antisocial and yet she had a fairly large crew of trainers and other employees willing to back her up.
The city itself was an industrial and fishery town with a population of two hundred thousand, so it wasn’t a small town by any means. The coast of the city was surrounded in vast walls of stone and cement and breakwaters, erected after the tidal wave that had killed over four thousand people about eleven years ago.
The scary part was knowing the cause was not natural apparently.
The port city was a deep sea fishing center, hunting skipper and tuna… or some minor domestic species that resembles them along with relatives of cloyster and seaweed are cultivated along the coast. They had recently gotten into brine mining, using teams of pokémon to carefully sift the water for minerals. Salt was an obvious one of course, and lots of it. They had figured out how to extract uranium, lithium, aluminum, molybdenum, nickel, vanadium and zinc using technology and pokémon moves.
Anyways we entered the city and were able to get a paired Gym Trial and Battle… turns out Rachel really likes double battles, so Akari and I will be partners for that day once our appointment is up. So that’ll be fun, if challenging since I haven’t done many double battles and I don’t think being assaulted by criminals counts.
I instead watched as Akari practiced her aura after mastering what her book called the shroud technique, the process of keeping our nodes open but having one’s aura flow through and around the body rather than away from it. It was the most basic of aura techniques, unnatural to humans but natural to any pokémon. It let her use her aura outside the bond shared between herself and her pokémon, which was a bit more metaphysical, not quite conforming to the four dimensions of the material world.
I had learned a lot about aura, there were at least four basic principles of aura manipulation at least in the Shirogane style. Shroud was already mentioned, and had a number of benefits, playing an instrumental role in determining the strength and smoothness of an aura adept’s flow. Most elite trainers develop that naturally as their bond grows, and Shroud maintains youthful vigor as their more efficient life energy flow allows their body to be stronger and more long lasting.
Which explains why some people here can live so long, I had met one old guy who was around at least one hundred years old, yet didn’t look a day over sixty. The next technique was Sheathe, which stops the flow of aura, halting the excess output by ‘closing’ one’s nodes, their chakra or whatever. It makes them harder to track and is used to conserve stamina and relieve fatigue, keeping their energy within their body. The third principle was Surge, focusing on outputting a larger amount of aura, projecting it outwards explosively to amplify one’s strength and durability and serving as a pool for the fourth principle known simply as Move. A move is a method of projecting aura to carry out a specific function… which is what every pokémon could do inherently.
Humans could manage it, but not with the same natural ease.
I was apparently naturally good at using Sheathe, keeping my aura within my body, keeping the flow inside rather than letting it spill out into the environment. It was actually quite useful for alleviating aches and injuries, I could circulate a greater amount of aura to problem areas and accelerate healing and recovery.
Surge was a more difficult principle as I didn’t have much aura to spare, though I could use the mysterious jewel to store a pretty sizable quantity of aura, and my reserve was growing steadily. Which was why I had to ask…
“Akari, what the hell are you doing?” I could see her aura flaring explosively, dancing with a range of colors representing the energies of her pokémon she breathed in and out, with a three count for her inhale before exhaling rapidly. Her aura shroud surged with every breath, and she began to twist it into a new shape outside her body, right over the palm of her hand.
To my surprise, a steady flame flashed into existence before stuttering back out of existence when Akari was startled by the attempt. Her lips were pulled into a sharp and smug grin. “First move has been a success!” I stared at the remains of the fire she had created from her aura.
“So humans can perform pokémon moves?” I was fascinated by the implications, I know the humanity of this world evolved from a now long-extinct species of mysterious hominid pokémon who had become purely material in a single evolutionary jump. In simple baby terms, pokémon are made up of a lot of magic with a little bit of matter while humans are made up of a lot of matter with a little bit of magic.
It doesn't necessarily mean humans have less potential, this was entirely related to body make up, and varied depending on the species and their Type. But it did have some effect on… the structural differences between humans and pocket monsters in terms of what one could call the soul. Though this was purely a thing for mystics and legends, even their most advanced science was only scratching at the surface.
Akari snapped her fingers, and I tilted my head, she just smiled. “Of course, aura adepts can use moves, though it doesn't come naturally and we’re not throwing around any crazy high-level stuff any time soon or ever. First, we start by learning how to control the energies within ourselves, and later outside as well. We become closer to our pokémon, growing stronger through the bond we've had with each other for hundreds of thousands of years.”
“What kind of stuff can they do?” I asked carefully, as my mind went through many possible scenarios.
“It depends on the elemental energies they’ve learned to control,” she replied with a perky bounce. “Most people only tend to figure out one or a few, it's why Type Specialists are common, they learn one Type and attune themselves to that specific energy.”
“So it's not like something they're born with?”
“Not usually, unless they were exposed to those energies in the womb, such as psychics or certain spiritual channelers. Those who move aura, depending on the energies they have, have their own set of abilities. Those who are Dark can silence their minds, cloaking themselves from psychic influence, they’re tricky, mean, they can kind of pull on that.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Like seduction or messing with people’s heads?”
“Mhmm,” Akari nodded. “It’s a very unfair and tricky use of aura, and aura… what it can do depends on what element you’re using. Rock, well it can make you tough, strong or grant you incredible endurance, or grant you control over stone or other aspects.”
So attacking moves are way harder while utility ones and cantrips are far easier to master?
Akari’s eyes narrowed. “And you’re doing this so you don’t have to do your workout.”
I coughed, not meeting her eyes as we stood in the clearing in a small forest park in the city. “No idea what you’re talking about.”
She made a chopping motion with her hand. “No excuses, come back in four kilometers and then we’ll do a hundred push ups. If you’re not back in ten minutes or less, Kirby will be the one you’re lifting instead of me, and he’s gained some pounds recently.” I paled.
“Running!”
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December 14th, 2022.
We spent the next week training together, taking on trainers together in double battles to get the hang of it, as well as sparring with each other on a regular basis. There are a lot of trainers in Makiishi who were there to challenge the Gym, with anywhere between two and five badges. Some were challenging or were used to train up some of our weaker members.
We were also working on what kind of strategy Rachel might throw against us as a rock-type specialist, a sandstorm team was a good possibility which was a nightmare to fight against. It would chip away at our team, boost their defenses and activate various abilities depending on the pokémon, only Happy was immune to the field effect as a ground type, and Safety Goggles were expensive and hard to find at about twenty thousand pokédollars.
So we were on a time limit if we couldn’t find a way to deal with the sandstorm raging around her team. We had more than a week to develop a game plan both within the city and while traveling on 346.
Today was the day we’d see how we matched up against the Gym and the Leader that ruled it, and I was walking in step with Akari towards that battleground, the Gym looming in front of us.
“I’m both very excited and very nervous about this, I know it’s been weeks since I earned my third badge but… anxiety is a bitch.”
Akari laughed a bit. “It can be intimidating, I might look calm and collected but I’m nervous too.” I could hear it in her voice, a mix of excitement and stress, and she was fidgeting ever so slightly, her aura rolling over mine, seemingly reaching out for a hug. “But I know we can do this, your team and mine have been working their asses off.” That was their effort not mine, I’m just an overblown manager.
Jericho… he had been working himself into the ground, and I was keeping an eye on him, offering a talk that he didn’t take. Luckily Llayda could make him rest, since I didn’t want him to martyr himself.
The Gym itself was a massive double cylinder along with a second story with large windows, covered in stone and concrete like some modern medieval castle, and two statues of a Hisuian arcanine on either end, staring down at us with their dog god judgment.
“That’s… intimidating, I guess Rachel is a bit vain?”
Akari snorted. “No. That was put up by her Gym Trainers, she doesn’t care a lot about being big and flashy like this, she’s more an ‘action speaks for itself’ kind of Gym Leader.”
“Hmm.” We walked through the automatic glass doors and entered the building which was very rugged, with lots of stone and rock structures and a rather simple and plain design outside of that, though it was prettied up by regular geodes of amethyst and agate. The Gym also had a rock climbing area, and flat platforms of stone that rock types apparently enjoyed the feel of.
The aura radiated from the floor like a gravel pit of gravity, crushed into solid crystal by the strange mineral it was made of. The receptionist at front took our information, and warned us of the challenge.
She brushed back kinky hair with a slight downturn of her lips, twirling a purple dyed bang. “If you’ve read the Trial online… it doesn’t come close to how harsh it really is. It’s a gauntlet from start to finish, with the Gym Leader… with Rachel at the end waiting in top form. If you hesitate for more than a moment, you’re going to be crushed.”
To my astonishment I saw that the girl's aura radiated with Silence and Stone alike, almost shadowing her presence and adding to the intimidation factor.
I nodded silently, and brought out one pokémon to face this gauntlet at front and center. I chugged a bottle of water as Llayda materialized in a flash of energy and light, her tail lazily swaying back and forth.
“Maru Maru!” I rolled my eyes and took a second sip just in case, while Akari brought out Happy.
We walked over to the door, and opened it, welcomed with a sandy breeze, almost hot and strangely dense.
Then we stepped into the room, and I almost collapsed as it suddenly felt like Akari was sitting on my back and making me suffer.
Llayda blinked but adjusted quickly to the sudden increase in gravity, seemingly doubled just by walking into the room. Happy chuffed and snorted in discontent, and rolled his shoulders, joints popping and cracking with the cocky motion.
In front of us was a gauntlet, a miniature canyon along with cliff slides positively infested with geodudes and gravelers, rolling up and down the cliffs and steep hills of the carved landscape with glee, falling harder and faster under the clear effect of Gravity being created by a happy stonjourner, towering legs kicking freely.
I swallowed.
Oh.
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The only way I could describe the Gym Trial… it was pressure, the pressure of stone grinding down on our backs, a gravity crushing our bodies and our spirits. There was no need to beat up the rolling geodudes and gravelers, our mission was to get past them, to avoid being crushed under the weight of the gauntlet.
Llayda breathed heavily, bolstered by Aqua Ring, and generated cutting blasts of Scald that tore away at shells of rock and mineralized substances as dense as aluminum. Happy was like a mountain, wearing away at our obstacles with his own grind, with carefully directed Bulldozes, and brutal uses of Stomping Tantrum.
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I walked forward, and carefully circulated my aura, pushing it outward as far as I could, walking slowly while Akari marched onward, not as affected by Gravity with her own aura control.
A graveler blocked the way forward, and Llayda launched a second burst of Scald, tilted upwards to compensate for the doubling of gravity. The graveler let out a roar, and Llayda practically flash stepped into his space with Aqua Jet, and threw the graveler like a rock, knocking down several rolling geodudes and gravelers with a glint in her eyes.
I groaned under the weight, and knew I was going to be sore the next morning.
“We’re moving forward.” Akari then declared, squaring her shoulders and eyes narrowing to slits.
I straightened my posture and nodded. Yeah we shall.
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I rubbed my face, taking another long deep sip of water after that harrowing experience with the trial. We had been given thirty minutes to rest up from the ordeal of walking through a canyon of enhanced gravity filled with rock pokémon. No trainers, but they weren’t needed when a failure to get past those rolling guardians could easily trigger a pokémon battle.
We had entered a new room, a rocky field half the size of a football field, with walls of glass granting a view of the surrounding cityscape. On the home-side trainer box I could see Rachel waiting with a gruff face. She was about as tall as Akari but twice as robust, auburn hair cut short, and dark amber eyes staring us down, wearing a sleeveless black shirt under a leather jacket and worn cargo pants, boots leaving dents in the ground with every step.
I coughed, and she scowled but didn’t say a word about it before stopping at her end of the field.
“You’re the kids set up to challenge me today?” It felt rhetorical coming from her, the pressure she emitted passively was passive aggressive, almost probing, like a wary dog bristling and warning you with pulled back lips and pinned back ears.
“We are.” I kept my voice steady, vibrating slightly as my social anxiety activated like a shitty superpower. Rachel was imposing, but that meant I couldn’t, or at least shouldn’t be intimidated.
I needed to keep my head in the game.
She chuffed. “Five stars, you’re four.” Was her blunt explanation, palming her pokéballs. “You. You’ll be the referee.” She pointed to a Gym Trainer with blonde hair, who walked over to the center edge of the field and lifted up his arms.
He spoke clearly. “This will be a four-on-four double battle. Each side will have three switches at their disposal. The battle ends when one side’s pokémon can no longer battle. Trainers… are you ready?”
Llayda was still out. “Are you sure? I know you ate a sitrus berry and oran berry to recover before the match but…” Which was allowed since the gauntlet was pretty harsh on the body.
“Maar!” She slapped her stomach with a shine in her eyes, and I offered her the same sentiment, patting her on the head.
Happy let out a grunt, slamming his fists together with his tail flaring into a swirling mass of lava.
“We’re ready.” Akari said with a fierce look, and Rachel nodded and tossed out two pokémon right as our own took their place on the field.
“Go, Lycanroc and Gigalith!”
A sandstorm began to manifest around us, unfolding into reality as the quadrupedal animated rock stomped the ground with a roar, and his partner in Lycanroc let out a joyful howl. The light brown rock wolf stuck out her tongue in a canine smile, and I flinched.
Gigalith had the ability Sand Stream, using geomancy to summon sandstorms with Sand Force drawing power from it, boosting rock, ground and steel type energies. Midday lycanroc had the ability Sand Rush, doubling their already great speed.
They both wordlessly set up strange fields, hexagons of gold from Lycanroc and wide sweeps of orange hexagons from Gigalith. Wide Guard and Quick Guard…
“Fuck.” So that meant that multi-target moves and priority moves would be blocked by the strange protective wards they had created.
Llayda understood the issue and accelerated under the force of Aqua Jet solely for the movement use, deflecting an Accelerock from Lycanroc which did no damage as a result, and then wordlessly conjured Aqua Ring to counter the chip damage from Sandstorm.
“Iron Head!” Rachel ordered and Llayda rolled her eyes, blocking the move with Protect, surrounding her like a body-tight field, followed by Work Up into Trailblaze.
She threw the dog away from her with a serene smile, paws clenched into trembling fists. Lycanroc released a pained howl, barely able to withstand the strength of Llayda even with an off-type move.
“Flame Charge into Stomping Tantrum, keep Gigalith busy!” Akari shouted, and I watched Gigalith compressing energy into his core, which shot forth as Flash Cannon.
Happy let out a Flamethrower from his throat, tripling the thickness and density of Flame Charge to pierce and melt through the steel energy. Flecks of high speed sand smashed against Llayda who flinched but kept her cool even as the sandstorm became thicker, and Lycanroc dove into the storm, blending into the sand.
“Bubble the air and Water Gun, muddy up the field.” I ordered, and beamed as Llayda did as asked, firing bubbles and then gripping onto them with hydrokinesis, then spat out more conjured water, covering the rocky dirt in H2O like a champ, throwing it all around, batting back the storm.
If only we had figured out Rain Dance in time, it was hard to figure out.
“Swords Dance into Thunder Fang!” Rachel barked, and Lycanroc leapt from the storm, moving with a frenetic war dance, and Llayda simply laughed loudly, cheery as ever to the point it unnerved the wolf.
She waved her tail, and the bubble field converged towards Lycanroc, suddenly forced into shapes like arrows. Her arm was surrounded with the hydrokinetic mass and pressure of Liquidation, the wolf skidding on the mud and unable to get her footing with the seeking missiles of Llayda’s bubbles, all thanks to working with Mirko.
Lycanroc’s howl was cut short as Llayda fell onto the poor canine, and was thrown across the field like a tossed salad, going limp upon impact with the ground. And then she opened her eyes one last time, letting out a final howl as she let off a Helping Hand.
Rachel returned her pokémon, whispering something soft and comforting to her pokémon, and I returned my attention to Akari’s side of the field.
Happy was grappling with the absurdly tough gigalith, defenses bolstered by the sandstorm and Iron Defense, and now generally empowered by Helping Hand.
“Mud Shot!” Happy roared as he stomped the increasingly muddy soil, a flick of his wrists launching a solid mud jet at hundreds of meters a second, resembling a water cutter more than a hose.
Gigalith let out a sound like a crumbling boulder, and tensed his limbs, stone skin cracking as he used all his muscle power, and sent forth a wave of Stone Edge, launched by his strength.
“Bubble Beam.” I swept my arm, and Llayda surged forward into Aqua Jet, up into the air and over the sandstorm and spat out a barrage of high speed bubbles, which burst against Stone Edge, cracking and breaking the sharp stones through abrasion and explosive force. “Work Up.”
“Heat Rise!” Akari went next, and I held my breath as superheated air lifted Happy into the sky like a hot air balloon, directing himself through brief bursts of flame.
I glanced at Gigalith, and noticed a herb hanging off his head. Rachel smirked.
Oh fuck.
“Solar Beam!” The herb exploded into energy, like the sun was being devoured and burned within the crystal heart of Gigalith, and in a blink, Happy was in front of a surprised Llayda, opened his mouth and—
Everything became fire.
It was a potent beam struggle, the stellar spear of Solar Beam threatening to overwhelm Happy’s Flamethrower, the horrifically powerful move tearing apart the air, the sandstorm spinning around the disruption in reality.
“Llayda… bring Gigalith down!” I shouted, suddenly feeling energized, my heart pumping and my brain racing.
Gigalith let out a surprised drone as Llayda appeared to his left, Aqua Jet sparkling out of existence when it met the barrier of Quick Guard, and her tail burst with a twisting torrent of Aqua Tail and her fist with the vortex of Liquidation.
Liquidation tore out entire chunks of stone, and shattered his red chest spike, and then he slammed his head forward into an Iron Head that Llayda met head on with Aqua Tail, which ended in an elemental explosion that threw them in opposite directions.
Llayda rolled through the air, and twisted into a rough three point landing, using the mud to slow her impact with a splash of mud and wet dirt. Her Aqua Ring was renewed with a second breath, injuries knitting themselves back together moment by moment.
Gigalith stood in a crater, I held my breath as he took a single plodding step as heavy as stone… and dropped like a rock, collapsing under the strain of two super-effective moves.
Rachel recalled her pokémon. “I’m not done, not nearly.” She squared her shoulders with a nasty fierce look. “Go, Arcanine and Graveler.” Wait what?
The arcanine and graveler that appeared on the field weren’t the expected ones, but I knew that from my research and knew we were in for a hard battle.
A Hisuian arcanine stood in front of us, with a dark mane and huge tufts of fur and a tail like fluffy pumice, eyes as black as obsidian focused and sharp. A creature of majesty, glory and Fire and Stone. An Alolan graveler was her companion, covered in black and yellow magnetic stones, with a unibrow sparking with waves of electricity.
There was an overwhelming killing intent radiating from Arcanine, aura surging with that power, and I felt my muscles slack. Intimidate?
Graveler immediately began to float with the use of Magnet Rise, electromagnetic levitation guarding him from ground moves.
Akari ordered a Stomping Tantrum against Arcanine, and Llayda launched a widespread and wild Bubble Beam to distract the two pokémon. Her tail swayed back and forth with a subtle Tail Whip, normal energy reaching out to drop their defense.
Rachel’s expression shifted. “Arcanine, Head Smash!”
I could barely see it coming, Arcanine blurring like a bullet, attacking Llayda in a blink of an eye, the reckless full-power headbutt empowered by the energies of stone sent shockwaves through Llayda and the field with the sheer force.
Llayda was out cold, and with a sigh I returned her, and chose quickly though not before reassuring her that she had done her best.
I sent Mirko onto the field, who was swiftly buffeted by the lingering sandstorm.
“Lend a helping hand, buff and sweep the field with Swift.” Rachel scoffed and I hid my cheeky grin behind my hand.
Mirko clapped, giving new power to Happy who vanished into a Flame Charge and used Heat Rise to soar like a bird and force Graveler onto the ground. Work Up did its job, flaring twice over, and Arcanine struck like a bullet once more.
And missed as Mirko danced out of the way, turning on a dime, hips swaying almost sensually as she brushed against the rock type before darting away, as her Cute Charm caught Graveler in her spell right after throwing off Happy, the fire pig grimacing.
“Thunder Wave.” Rachel commanded and Mirko smirked, not even flinching as she grounded the paralyzing move with her Limber body, and began using Swift.
Golden stars burst to life from her energy… and began to change color, from gold to scarlet and immediately took off at straight angles, sweeping the field like angry missiles.
I had been working on type-changing moves for some time now, and this fighting-type Swift was the proof of concept, solid projections of combat energy, of what one could call manifested fighting spirit. Neither pokémon could dodge, Graveler letting out a pained and anguished screams, hearts practically in his eye as he tried to woo Mirko under the effect of Cute Charm.
They struck like shurikens, spinning disks of energy controlled by Mirko, who was letting out an odd cackling-like sound as she picked up a surprised Happy and launched him towards the infatuated Graveler.
“Graveler, release.” Her pokémon froze, and to my horror, an Explosion rocked the entire field, the damage absorbers flexing and containing the massively intense detonation.
It took half a minute for the field to clear after Rachel returned Graveler, and I was relieved to see that Mirko had nullified the damage with Protect, though Happy wasn’t doing as well… having barely been able to hang on somehow.
Akari answered with a grim face. “He used his fire manipulation to deflect some of the blast but… I’m not sure he has any more to give.”
Happy had seen better days, his entire body was smoking and trembling, covered in bruises and lacerations and other miscellaneous explosion injuries. I couldn’t see Arcanine, only a disturbed patch of dirt where she had once been standing.
“End it.” Rachel seemed so certain, and Arcanine exploded out of the ground from Mirko’s left and I shouted at her to dodge as her Dig transitioned into Head Smash.
“Happy!” Akari shouted something I could barely hear, my ears still ringing after the explosion, and Happy stepped up, using Flame Charge to move faster, the ground sparking where he tread and then— the world became light.
To my aura reading, it was the energy of the sun melding ever deeper with the energies of the deep earth, his body expanding to contain his growing power, and giving him the energy to step in front of Mirko, lengthy robust arms reaching out to catch the devastating Head Smash.
Happy emerged from the dust cloud as a glorious emboar, black fur sparking with waving stripes of magma circuitry, with a beard of lively magma and fierce sharp brows of stone, like the face of an oni, standing equal to Arcanine in height. His arms trembled, blunt claws having held back the attack but at a cost of taking the hit. He stumbled, let out a defiant grunt and fell.
Rachel simply ignored it with a snort. “Head Smash, full power.” The sandstorm was finally beginning to die, as the devastating onslaught of attacks had begun to wear down its power.
Mirko let out a raging scream, Quick Attack letting her instantly accelerate to a more optimal position.
“Foresight, aim carefully.” Mirko understood perfectly, eyes flashing red with the useful move, enhancing her vision and perception. Arcanine let out a burst of flames on top of Head Smash, and Mirko simply rolled with the punches, using the extended range of Cut to make the sacred fire dog flinch, and sending a straight kick that became a devastating Jump Kick to the jaw.
Arcanine was forced back onto her forelimbs, the momentum of Mirko’s kick was unstoppable even for the powerful canine. She fell backwards, leaving a deep indent where her body fell. The pressure she placed on my shoulders vanished as she was knocked out cold, and I almost collapsed in relief.
Leaning against Akari kept me from making a complete fool of myself. Rachel took her arcanine off the field, staring at us with a contemplative look. I hadn’t noticed when Happy had been brought off the field and continued leaning against Akari as we met Rachel halfway on her battleground.
“Not bad. Most of my challengers are idiots, you’re better than most.” It almost sounded like that hurt for her to say. Not sure I believe that either. “Here’s the Stonepack Badge, shows you beat me. Now get out.” She scowled. “Please, my trainers will take care of the money and the TM.”
I blinked. “Okay.” Akari gently began to guide me out, thankfully to another exit other than the gravity death trap.
“Brandy?”
“Are you also thinking about the trainers Lillian wanted us to meet so I’d have more friends to make up for the whole Pokémon Pinchers thing?”
Akari stared. “I was going to ask what you wanted to eat after we take our pokémon to the Center.”
“Oh.”