I didn’t normally tend to use Leah in battles. It was mainly because she was just too strong and could injure weaker opponents, something it was very hard to judge without a number hovering above a Pokemon’s head like in the games. But against Flannery I was confident that she’d have Pokemon that were on Leah’s level.
My starter had done nicely against two and a bit of Flannery’s team, despite the Fire typing putting her on the back edge with some of the moves she would’ve otherwise used. One or two techniques we might have benefited from it had been obvious would be unusable against a Fire based team.
Now my next concern was if the difference in power between Flannery’s ace and the rest of my team was the same or better as it had been between my ace and hers. If it was then the lead I’d acquired could easily go back the other way in short order.
My Sylveon squared off against the Torkoal. This was going to be a tough battle. Kira didn’t really like battling, although he was decently strong. Pixilate, which it had taken a decent bit of experimentation to discover my evolved Pokemon had, might work against us here considering that Fairy type moves were weak to Fire.
I could feel the grin on my face right now and as I looked at her, Flannery returned the expression back at me.
The original reasons for us battling were completely forgotten right now. This was just two powerful trainers competing to see who was stronger. It was Pokemon battling in its purest form.
“Begin!” Moore called out again.
“Use Flamethrower!” Flannery called out.
“Dodge it and use Swift!” I ordered.
Swift was a homing move, it meant that Kira wouldn’t have to try particularly hard to aim the attack while dodging the very impressive Flamethrower from Flannery’s Pokemon.
Kira did as I ordered, but Shelly the Torkoal was definitely powerful and the flame was too quick for my Eeveelution to dodge the attack in its entirety.
Kira ran around, white fur singed by the attack, releasing a plethora of pink tinged stars which sailed around in the air. Several of them were caught up in the Flamethrower and burnt away but others came around without my Pokemon’s input and they pelted the Torkoal’s shell.
Shelly didn’t seem to acknowledge the attacks, only turning to keep her maw pointing in my Pokemon’s direction as Kira ran to the side.
“Don’t let it get behind you, use Flame Wheel!”
“Crap,” I cursed. The Torkoal, which had seemed fairly slow before jumped up for a moment before retracting all its exposed limbs and landing on her underside. Then fire began to emit from the openings on the Torkoal’s shell and it began to spin.
I got a brief flashback to Ash Ketchum’s Squirtle using Hydro Pump in the anime. Thankfully the Torkoal didn’t have quite enough power behind her attacks to take off, but when the Pokemon began to rapidly spin and chase after my suddenly panicking Pokemon I felt just as much panic as Kira did.
“Sylv!” my Sylveon shouted out in pain as the Flaming Torkoal caught up with him and sent him flying. My Pokemon landed back on his feet but that hit had done some decent damage.
He was still releasing Swift stars as he moved, something I had trained him to do almost constantly. But only a few of the attacks were getting past the Torkoal’s fire. If we kept up with this then we would lose the battle of attrition.
But I had a solution already in mind.
“Use Dig!” I called out before the fast Torkoal came back around and she still almost caught up with my Pokemon before Kira had managed to dig her way rapidly into the soft terrain of the arena.
Shelly bumped over the empty hole and came to a stop, withdrawing from her shell after sensing her quarry was no longer within reach.
“Koal?” She asked, looking towards her trainer.
“I thought you’d do that!” Flannery crowed. “Use Earthquake!”
“Shit, Kira come out of there!” I shouted.
I’d taken a stupid gamble in assuming the Torkoal didn’t know that attack and it was coming back to bite me.
The Torkoal stamped her foot and immediately the ground began to tremble again. Only this time it was even more powerful than the attack from the Camerupt.
It was a painful few moments and I could practically feel as Kira was dealt a powerful blow by the Torkoal. But my Pokemon wasn’t completely out of it. Shelly brought her foot up to slam it down again but my Sylveon burst out of the ground beneath her and the Torkoal’s eyes widened in surprise as she was knocked over.
My Pokemon landed on shaky feet looking much worse for wear. He was covered in dirt and grime and everywhere else showed the signs of injury.
“Kira are you okay?” I called out as he shook himself.
“Sylveon!” my Pokemon called out, nodding resolutely. He was determined to keep battling, but I knew despite the bravado that he wouldn’t manage much longer.
We couldn’t use Dig again, that much was for sure and the rest of Kira’s known moves wouldn’t be much help just now, but we did have one trick up our sleeves.
“Alright then, let’s see how they like it! Use Copycat!”
My Sylveon bared his teeth and reared up on his hind legs. Then my Pokemon slammed them down to emulate the attack that had just been used against us.
Flannery had reeled back in shock at the surprise counter, but recovered quickly.
“Protect!” She shouted just in time and I cursed again as Kira’s feet came back down and a third Earthquake rocked the stadium.
“Toooor!” The Torkoal called out. A dome made of glowing hexagons formed around her, completely nullifying the super effective Ground type attack, what would have been the first super effective hit we’d landed this match.
I didn’t need to know what Flannery’s next order would be. Copycat was a tiring move to use, perhaps just as if not more than Protect and Kira was too worn down to do anything to stop the Flamethrower that came his way.
I was already activating the return feature on his Pokeball before the attack even landed. I wasn’t sure if I’d saved Kira from being knocked out, but he didn’t have to wait at all to be returned to the comfort of his Pokeball.
“Good work,” I said to the Pokeball before returning it to the confines of my jacket. The Torkoal was clearly strong, and durable. The Fire Spin attack made up a bit for the species’ lack of mobility but it was the Pokemon’s sheer power that had truly made the difference. Kira had still done a small chunk of damage to it but definitely less than I’d hoped for. Now it was just a matter of what Pokemon I should use next.
I warred with indecision for a few seconds, ignoring Moore’s commentary as the judge.
Reason said that Happy would be the right choice. A type advantage right now might just be enough to clinch it, but if Happy was too worn out by the Torkoal then I didn’t like our chances against Flannery’s remaining Pokemon. She’d have a Magcargo I was sure, which Happy would be able to beat fairly easily unless it had any special tricks. I wasn’t sure what the last Pokemon would be but it would be a Fire type, obviously. There weren’t many Fire types with a second typing that countered Water moves.
“Go Bud!” I called, finally summoning my Whimsicott.
Bud appeared on the arena and looked around excitedly. Spotting her opponent, she immediately pulled her eyelid down and made a funny face at her.
Shelly the Torkoal seemed a bit put out by whatever my Pokemon had said, but that was par for the course for my Whimsicott. She’d never taken something seriously in her entire life and wasn’t about to start now.
With Moore calling out for us to start again I decided to start things off safely.
“Use Fairy Wind and jump up!”
My Whimsicott immediately obeyed my instructions, buffeting herself up into the air on pink tinged wind, narrowly avoiding the Flamethrower from the Torkoal. Flannery pouted as my Whimsicott soared up high enough to avoid any chance of the Torkoal landing a hit.
“You’ll have to come down if you want to finish this anytime soon!” Flannery complained as Shelly bent her neck to look up at the Whimsicott who was making a slightly ruder gesture than she knew she was allowed to be.
Feeling slightly cheeky myself I shrugged silently. Flannery was about to say something else but I did agree with her.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“Hurricane Seed!”
“Whimsicoooooott!” My Whimsicott shouted, spreading her arms wide and summoning not a Hurricane, but a Fairy Wind from behind herself.
“Use Protect, Shelly!” Flannery called, having fallen for the trick entirely.
I smirked. I’d baited her into using the tiring Protect move once more while in reality I didn’t plan for Bud to land a direct hit at all right now.
Along with the Fairy Wind, from my Whimsicott’s puffy cotton mane came a plethora of small seeds too. Nothing breached the Protect itself, but that wasn’t a problem for the moment. The Fairy Wind died down, having done its job to disperse the real attack.
Flannery was shouting something about the Whimsicott not using a Hurricane attack like she’d thought, so she wasn’t paying attention to what was going on on the ground.
The multiple Leech Seeds dispersed by Bud’s Fairy Wind pierced the softened ground and after a few moments they sprouted all over the battle arena.
Yes! I pumped my fist as I watched the surprise on my opponent’s faces. The Protect had deactivated as soon as the Fairy Wind had ended. So it didn’t stop the Leech Seed tendrils from reaching out and beginning to wrap around the Torkoal’s limbs and neck.
“Hurricane!” I declared, and this time my Whimsicott obeyed the instruction and Flannery panicked.
“Use Protect!” She shouted and the Torkoal tried to use the move. But Protect wasn’t just tiring to use, it was also finicky. It left behind energy after dissipating that made it harder to use consecutive times.
“Use Fire Spin!” She shouted next in desperation as one of the strongest Flying type attacks was sent her Pokemon’s way.
Shelly was quick to follow her trainers order and she tried to withdraw back into her shell which would’ve probably helped defensively, but the Leech Seed that was wrapped around her limbs held her tight. Shelly struggled to break free but wasn’t fast enough and then the real Hurricane landed.
It was like a miniature tornado of wind and the Torkoal reared back in pain as the attack hit home. Bud adjusted her weight and started to float back down a bit, to avoid being blown away by her own attack. That was one weakness of the Whimsicott line. They could fly, but they were at the mercy of any wind around them and didn’t have the same kind of maneuverability as real Flying types.
As soon as she landed the Leech seed took effect, having started to drain the Torkoal’s energy and now it was feeding it to my Pokemon. It looked like Bud might actually win this for me.
Then Flannery, completely done with things, shouted a command to upend my hopes.
“Overheat!” She ordered. “Burn away all those vines and that Whimsicott!”
“Toooorkoooooooaaaaal!” Shelly rumbled out. She braced herself and started to glow with heat as her shell almost ignited.
It was nothing like the heat of the Flamethrowers and other attacks they had used before. I had to cover my face as my skin started to burn from the passively radiated energy.
This was Fire type power being used with no restraints.
“Get up and out of there Bud!” I shouted.
My Whimsicott obeyed, quickly pushing herself off the ground as the Leech Seeds ignited all over.
“Heat rises!” Flannery shouted. “You can do it, Shelly!”
It was then that the Torkoal actually released her attack.
It was less like a Flamethrower and more like a Hyper Beam that shot out of the Torkoal’s mouth and Bud wasn’t quick enough to evade it.
After several long seconds the attack died down. My Whimsicott fell to the floor, knocked out in just one hit.
“Harry’s Whimsicott is knocked out. Harry, prepare your next Pokemon!”
The Torkoal was breathing heavily now. I grimaced as I withdrew Bud but I felt she’d done enough.
“Let’s finish this, Happy!”
Happy was already raring to go as he appeared and Flannery grimaced upon seeing him.
“Brawly told us all about your Marill,” she admitted. “Guy wouldn’t stop talking.”
“I’m glad he left a good impression,” I said while the Marill in question cheered at hearing he’d impressed someone.
“Are you both ready to begin?” Moore asked, looking at my Marill with an odd expression. It was like he didn’t quite understand what he was looking at.
“Yes,” I said, followed shortly by Flannery.
Moore seemed to be ruling this battle fairly and he didn’t give the Torkoal any more of a chance to rest before starting things back off.
“Begin!”
“Use Aqua Tail!” I ordered immediately. The Torkoal was still steaming from the intense heat she’d just released and I could sense that another hit would end this.
“Just one more Flamethrower Shelly!” Flannery called out.
Shelly managed to produce a weak stream of flames, but she was too tired and unable to catch my fast moving Marill who closed the distance and struck down with a powerful Aqua Tail. Shelly was knocked out, leaving my Marill uninjured, only warmed up and ready for his next opponent.
Happy bounded back to our side of the arena and Leah, who had recovered a bit after her battle clapped for my Marill who responded brightly back before turning back and retaking his position.
We were now four for four and I was suddenly conscious of my breathing.
I was sweating too, mainly due to the heat, but also due to the exhaustion that was starting to run through me. I felt like I’d been running a marathon and Flannery likewise didn’t look much better. Battles took something out of trainers too and right now we were both feeling it.
“Let’s go Pony!” Flannery called out, revealing that she was continuing the fairly simple naming convention all her Pokemon had followed so far as her Rapidash took to the arena.
Obviously it’d been called Pony as a Ponyta. Not the most forward thinking name… but it was kind of cute.
The Rapidash wasn’t cute though. It was as large as any war horse, clearly built for power and speed and was far taller than my Marill. It was definitely the kind of horse you’d deck out in armour to charge an enemy army, if only that armour didn’t melt first.
But it wasn’t going to last against Happy, I thought confidently as I looked across at the other trainer. Flannery looked serious and ready for the next battle, but this was the first time I had had an actual type advantage.
It’s funny, Marill, the Pokemon were usually pretty weak. Happy was the only real exception to the rule I had ever encountered and I was certain that he had the hidden ability that in the games doubled his strength. The thought had come back to me now because I remember in the games that the special ability was actually enough to turn a Marill, whose Attack stat was normally quite pitiful, into something that was just barely short of a Rapidash’s Attack stat.
Moore signalled for us to begin for what I hoped would only be the second to last time and Flannery was the one to start us off by ordering her Rapidash to use Flame Charge.
“Use Bounce!” I ordered.
Happy obeyed the instruction and the Rapidash, for all that it was quick wasn’t fast enough to catch my water mouse. It still tried, leaping up with it’s pointed horn ready to strike Happy. But Happy was far too experienced against larger foes using the same tactics. He spun in the air, adjusting his momentum to avoid the hit entirely. It was still a good attempt on Pony’s part, but it had failed and in the process left Flannery’s Pokemon wide open.
“And then use Aqua Tail!” I ordered, just as the two Pokemon passed each other.
Happy’s vicious grin grew wider as he spun in midair. The Aqua Tail formed quickly as Happy’s tail came swinging around to hit the Rapidash.
The Fire Horse Pokemon, even though it should really have been classified as a unicorn, was completely unable to dodge and its eyes widened in surprise before it took the heavy blow. Pony the Rapidash was sent tumbling and it landed hard on the ground, unable to recover its balance.
Happy landed perfectly on his feet, ready to react in a split second to my next command.
Pony did try to get up, but the Rapidash stumbled as it did so, its hooves struggling to find purchase on the soft ground that had been loosened by the battle thus far.
I was looking forward to seeing what Flannery would try next. I’d not actually battled many horse type Pokemon before but I was feeling confident that whatever strategies she might try wouldn’t be effective against my Marill’s agile movements. Flannery would need to be able to catch him if she wanted to end this.
The Rapidash burst into red light as it was recalled, taking me entirely by surprise.
“I concede,” Flannery said.
I had to shake myself slightly, taken aback by the sudden end to the battle. Happy seemed a bit put out too, falling back onto his tail with a pout. He’d barely got to take part in the battle, which I knew would leave him pent up. Hopefully one of the team wouldn’t mind a practice battle with him later.
“Harry wins!” Moore declared, which meant it was officially over now, I’d won.
Moore approached me with a smile on his face and Happy came up to me too and jumped up into my arms. He wiggled around to face forwards as the Gym Leader came to a stop before me.
“That was very impressive,” Moore said. “I think I can say right now that Brawly is right, you have what it takes to be a Gym Leader.”
“Thank you,” I replied as Flannery joined us, having approached at a more sedate pace. Her expression was a bit glum and her shoulders were slumped.
“I really thought I had you there, but seeing that first hit from your Marill… I wasn’t going to be able to beat you with the Pokemon I had left.”
I shrugged. “You have a Magcargo right?”
She nodded and I nodded in understanding too. A dual vulnerability was killer to have on certain Pokemon. Magcargo being Rock/Fire wouldn’t stand a chance against a Water typed, peer level opponent, at least without some sort of significant advantage to level the playing field. If my Marill was going to be able to handle the Rapidash with minimal damage taken then it’d be foolish to continue the battle after that point.
“Even though you lost, you did great too, Flannery,” Moore said warmly. “That was definitely the showing I would expect of the future Lavaridge Gym Leader.”
That seemed to perk the young woman up a bit but she still sighed again.
“I’m sorry I butted in on your battle, Grandpa,” Flannery said. “I just got a bit over excited I guess.”
“Ha!” Moore replied, putting an arm around his granddaughter’s shoulders. “You should see what I was like back in the day...” He shook his head with a chuckle.
“A-and I’m sorry too, about what I said. I shouldn’t have let my feelings about Trainers Colliding affect me like that,” Flannery continued, speaking to me. “I really do wish you’d let Claudia live though…” She told me, pouting.
I shrugged weakly, not entirely sure how to reply. I really hoped this wasn’t going to become a thing with people who’d read my books.
“Don’t worry about it,” I managed to say. “I figure you’ll not be the only one that was ever disappointed in the way one of my books went.” I offered my hand to shake and Flannery accepted it.
Her hand was warm, hot really. I could feel a few small calluses as we shook that were doubtlessly born from hard work as a Fire type trainer. I hoped that we’d be able to be friends, despite the confrontational first meeting.
“Anyway, Harry Hemming,” the Gym Leader looked back at me. “Why don’t we all head over to the Pokemon Centre and get both of your Pokemon healed. We can talk more on the way.”
The elderly trainer led both myself and Flannery out of the Gym and back into Lavaridge town.
“So, about Trainers Colliding…” Flannery began and thus began a long conversation about the series I was writing.