CHAPTER 237 - The Battle for the Skies
I smiled when Sunshine appeared onto the field. Even in a battle like this, he was still his usual self.
Sunshine immediately showed off by sending a Flamethrower high into the sky and bellowing out with a deafening roar to announce his presence. The air around him warped as it grew hotter and hotter, and the dragon set his sights on Volkner, who didn't seem impressed. The Gym Leader did take a bit longer to send out his Pokemon than I thought, though, which I wouldn't mind at all. After all, if he took the full thirty seconds, that was more time for us to heat up the field. Two minutes and a few seconds was all we needed to turn Volkner's Gym into molten rock.
Volkner's hands settled on a Pokeball at the end of his belt, and he released a brown, flat-looking Pokemon with two wide eyes. Stunfisk, I realized with a sharp breath. I hadn't studied him! How? I'd combed through every single video! Was he a new recruit? No… the only explanation for this was that Volkner had adapted the power of his Pokemon right away instead of starting off with a baseline because he knew Sunshine was more powerful than my current badge level.
"E.T. five," Volkner said.
My eyes narrowed as the ground around Stunfisk turned to dust and began to fly around the field like grains of sand. They filled up the arena as Sunshine continued to heat up, generating a Sunny Day without my order. The light would be masked by the Sandstorm, but it wasn't a powerful one. The grains were thin, and I could easily see the entire field. E.T. means Electric Terrain, but five? I had no context there, but it was easy to imagine what would come next.
"Flamethrower," I said. "Don't let them set up for free."
Another stream of flames burst from Sunshine's snout, aided by the sun and the rising temperature. The flames were a brilliant, singing blue at their edges and seemed to grow the longer Turtonator kept the attack going. The dust flying around the arena suddenly electrified as one, and Stunfisk beat his two appendages like wings, sending himself in the air. He glided away from the Flamethrower, although I heard him cry out from the move's sheer heat. Sunshine grunted from the electric charge. The rocks here were almost fully iron and conducted electric currents very well. The electricity jumped out at him and attacked like it had a mind of its own, but his scales protected him from the worst of it. Sweetheart would be immune, but the rest of my team? They would be screwed.
"Keep heating up," I said. "Flamethrower. The heat will hurt him."
"Trap him and Mud Shot," Volkner ordered.
"Iron Defense!"
The ground under Sunshine turned into superheated quicksand as he shimmered white, and Stunfisk spat out globs of mud from the sky. Sunshine tried to raise a foot to escape, but the hold the sand had on him was tight, and the mud crashed into his scales like bullets, denting some of his scales and his plastron. He retaliated with Flamethrower, but Stunfisk was charged chock full of electricity and could levitate away easily. The ground type's slick skin had darkened and burned away even without any contact.
One more minute, I thought. The sand beneath Sunshine was already glowing red.
"Sludge Bomb," Volkner said.
Stunfisk zipped through the electrified sandstorm as Sunshine tracked him down with Flamethrower. He singed one of his wings, burning and darkening it in an instant, and the electric type could barely handle being near Sunshine.
"Into your shell and Shell Trap!"
Unfortunately, Sunshine was still trapped, so he couldn't dodge the giant ball of poison that dropped onto him. We could do the next best thing, however. The fire type retracted into his shell as the sand under him turned to molten glass, and only his tail remained out of it. We'd trained the motion so many times that it was unnaturally quick. He slammed an Iron Tail onto his shell and caused a massive explosion that knocked Stunfisk away. The rock finally turned from red to molten. Smoldering, smoking lava clung to Sunshine's scales as he rose from his shell with a wicked grin, and it soon began to spread, slowly limping toward Volkner. Stunfisk tried to trap him again, but any Sand Tomb instantly turned to glass that crinkled under Sunshine's feet. The spires around Sunshine slowly sunk into the lava and added to the mass of molten rock.
"Keep at it, let's take it slow," I said before sending an arm forward with a wild grin. "Dragon Pulse!"
The attack snapped into place quicker now that Sunshine was reinvigorated by the heat, and neither Volkner nor Stunfisk had expected such a trick. The Dragon Pulse burned the air around it and Stunfisk cried out as the attack engulfed him.
I'd done the same thing against Denzel, but it would only work once against a seasoned Gym Leader.
"Mud Bomb," Volkner said, not losing his cool.
Stunfisk was ashen and black now, but he was still conscious and far from fainting. He spat out a few balls of mud that levitated in front of him and coalesced into a bigger sphere in seconds. I ordered another Dragon Pulse, but Stunfisk glided out of the way higher and higher into the sky until he was out of reach from the heat and the toxic smoke.
Having a higher vantage point meant that we had ample time to dodge any attacks. The Mud Bomb fell toward the ground, but Sunshine retracted into his shell, using Rapid Spin to get out of the way and sending multiple chunks of lava flying all around him. He was at the center of the arena now, and the lava had almost spread everywhere I'd wanted it to.
"Thunder," Volkner ordered.
I winced as the attack instantly appeared, beaming down from the sky and through the sandstorm, slamming into Sunshine. He roared in pain as the attack peeled off his scales. Stunfisk flew high in the sky, aided by his own Sandstorm and magnetism. If Sunshine and I had mastered flying through explosions, this wouldn't have been a problem, but alas, we'd have to deal our own way.
"Smokescreen," I said.
The dark smoke immediately billowed out of his snout right as Volkner ordered another Thunder. Sunshine was hit again and much of the smoke was cleared, but we could generate a Smokescreen faster than they could create Thunders. Sunshine was continuously using the move, so it didn't matter if Sandstorm blew it away. Stunfisk was good— better than Honey. His Thunders were faster, stronger and he could use them like there was no tomorrow, but he was no Amphy. He would still have to recharge between attacks. Lightning and heat emanated from the Smokescreen, but Sunshine was able to get lost in the darkness. All that could be seen was the lava that pooled and pooled away from the Smokescreen.
A few more Thunders struck the ground, but none of them hit their mark while Turtonator stayed hidden in the smoke. Sunshine retaliated with Dragon Pulses, Flamethrowers, and Fire Pillars. It was a battle of attrition, and we were slowly but surely winning. The sheer heat from Sunshine's attacks was enough to slowly whittle Stunfisk down. That didn't mean we were getting off scot-free either. The electrified Sandstorm was whittling Turtonator down, but just slower. I was perfectly content to—
"Rest and Sleep Talk," Volkner said.
I cracked my neck. It would have been too easy, wouldn't it? Stunfisk closed his eyes and fell asleep. His burns healed, his skin regenerated and he was almost as good as new. Not only that, but he kept zooming around the sky like a bird even through his sleep, and a few more pellets of mud flew through the Smokescreen. The reason Stunfisk hadn't impressed me was because he wasn't a flashy fighter. From the little I'd seen so far, he was a battler that was meant to last long. Volkner had only been content to let the battle become one of attrition because Stunfisk was built for them. Meanwhile, Sunshine couldn't thrive against fast opponents, and neither could he take down Pokemon that kept that much of a distance quite yet. While the ground was a hellish environment of my creation with bubbling lava and toxic, poisonous fumes, the sky was free from these disadvantages.
He was playing to his strengths, and we were not. That was a mistake.
And yet, I smelled weakness. Stunfisk was asleep, and so the Sandstorm weakened. It didn't end. It simply abated because Stunfisk wasn't able to consciously keep it going. And as went the Sandstorm, the electricity would follow.
It would have been amazing if I had been able to have Sunshine have his first Gym Battle dominating some Pokemon weaker than we were, but life didn't always work out that way. I waited another thirty seconds for the electricity in the Sandstorm to die out, and I recalled Sunshine. The Smokescreen finally dissipated, the Sunny Day grew weaker and it would continue to do so until it disappeared, but the lava stayed. Menacing, scorching destruction that clung to the ground and would render it impossible to fight on.
And we'd run plenty of tests. It took hours to cool without water.
I sent out Princess next, who smiled with glee when she saw what awaited her. Weeks of training had led to this, and she had learned to love to play with lava. A bubble of psychic energy shimmered around her before turning invisible, and she lowered herself so close to the molten rock it was as if she was touching it. The red hue bounced off her fur and tinted every part of her.
Yet, her fur did not burn. Nor did she choke on the hot fumes. She was in her element.
"Burn him. He's stronger than you, so you can go a little ham," I smiled.
Volkner's hands froze in his pockets when he realized what I was doing. Princess' eyes shone, and a chunk of lava rose from the ground. A burst of air propelled her toward Stunfisk high into the sky with the molten rock, and a Thunderbolt slammed into her barrier. Another Sleep Talk. She grunted under the impact of the powerful attack, and some of her barrier collapsed. Her fur almost caught on fire before she fixed her shield, and she squealed for joy when she divided the lava and threw a sliver of it at Stunfisk.
The superheated speck of rock landed on the ground type and his entire body spontaneously combusted, burning him to a crisp. The sheer amount of pain caused Stunfisk to wake up and half-hazardly explode outward in a burst of electricity. The unfocused attack still strained Princess' barrier— proof that Stunfisk was beyond her level.
Stunfisk fell from the sky like a burning meteorite and toward the lava as the crowd gasped in fear, but Princess quickly grabbed him with a fast Psychic to save him from any accidents, not missing the opportunity to brutalize his mind with everything she had. Volkner quickly recalled him before he could get further in harm's way. The entire field wasn't covered, and Volkner's side was still rather clear, but a lack of luck had forced him to switch anyway because Stunfisk would have landed smack dab in the middle of the fiery rock. The lava gave a sinister red hue to the entire field, and I could barely see anything above it. I'd created hell. A lethal zone that made it impossible to send out anything but the strongest, toughest Pokemon if he ever wanted to cross it. All we lacked were the volcanoes. If we had them, we would have created a half-baked version of what Craig's Typhlosion had done against Jasmine.
And it was so fucking beautiful.
But we were nowhere near victory yet. I'd essentially created a situation where fighting on the ground was impossible, so I'd expected Lanturn to come out now that Sunshine was gone. Instead, Volkner released a huge bird only slightly smaller than Pauline's Braviary who screeched as she took to the skies, aided by the updraft from the hot air and her own wind. Kilowattrel was a Paldean Pokemon I'd never seen before studying Volkner. Paldeans tended to keep a tight leash on their wildlife like Alolans, so Paldean Pokemon outside of their region were rare.
And yet here we were. While I was master of the ground in this battle, Volkner was master of the skies.
"E.T. eleven," Volkner said.
The flying type's mere presence created a gust of wind so strong that it pushed Princess slightly back, and I knew for a fact that it would have been far worse without the barrier there. It built and built until Kilowattrel had created a mini electrified storm around her. Approaching her was a surefire way to lose.
And it was spreading. I knew that eventually the electric Hurricane would cover the entire field.
We had the tools to win, however. Princess did have a piece of smoldering lava at her side.
Hurricane to speed herself up and hit opponents, Wild Charge as the finishing blow, I internally whispered.
"Get low and get yourself some spears," I ordered. "Counter with Air Cutter."
"Hurricane," Volkner said.
The air sharpened and flew toward Kilowattrel at high speeds, but one beat of her humongous wings, and the Hurricane howled. The Air Cutter dissolved into thin air as Princess flew back, circling around the arena to grab some earth from the non-molten part of the field. It instantly formed into spears that she added to her arsenal, and she used the opportunity to replenish her lava as well.
The Hurricane was slow to start, but it soon reached its apex. Princess could barely keep to the air. The wind battered her from every direction, but her barrier thankfully held. Without it, the entire plan would fall into disarray.
"Wild Charge," Volkner added.
Kilowattrel was huge, but just like all of Volkner's Pokemon, she was also incredibly quick. The wind carried her, and she blurred toward Princess, who quickly chucked a few spears forward and split off a small chunk of lava, raising it in front of her for protection. The spears broke apart from the electricity and strong winds surrounding the flying type before they could reach their mark, snapping like branches under my feet. Kilowattrel opted to simply bear through the pain from the lava to ram into Togetic. The fairy type reflexively exploded with a Dazzling Gleam that further burned and dizzied Kilowattrel, but she was far too large to miss.
I heard a loud crack as the barrier shattered into a thousand pieces and Princess bore the full brunt of the Wild Charge. Kilowattrel's wings caught on fire from the lava, but she kept Princess in her beak and dragged her low so she could burn. They both turned into one fireball as the wind from Hurricane kept screaming and battering Togetic.
"Dazzling Gleam!" I yelled.
An explosion of light. Then another. And another. Kilowattrel's mouth was a smoking mess, but she only let go after the fifth Dazzling Gleam and flew away as she let out a pained caw. As soon as her barrier reformed, Togetic held out a hand and momentarily seized her with Psychic, but electricity buzzed all around her and somehow broke the hold she had on the flying type. She was slower now that a lot of her feathers had been burned, but it was only momentary. Kilowattrel just screamed, powering up the winds that carried her and she was suddenly just as speedy as she had been at the start of the battle.
"If she Roosts, you stab or burn her," I ordered. "Wish."
"Charge Beam," Volkner said.
Aided by the wind, Kilowattrel quickly turned her entire body and a ball of electricity formed in her beak before it shot out like a laser. Princess blocked the attack with lava that bubbled and burst at the impact, and she sent a ball of light up into the sky and through the ceiling. Now, they would rush in and hope to defeat us or Stockpile. Either they played the long game and let Princess regenerate to avoid Sunshine getting the Wish, or they would just opt to take her down now. A strategy quickly built itself in my mind for the two paths.
"Stockpile and Electro Ball," Volkner ordered.
Good.
"Lava drills!"
Who said we could only keep lava close to us? No one, and yet I'd acted like that was the case the entire time. The molten rock formed into glowing red spears and flew toward Kilowattrel, who was inhaling as much air into her gullet as she could. We didn't send too many. Only three. And the fact that they were drills was just to make them more aerodynamic. The Hurricane strengthened and electricity spread through the wind, but Princess' hold on the drills was too secure to be disturbed.
Kilowattrel's huge size came back to bite her as more of her feathers caught on fire. The lava dug into her skin and burned off her plumage, revealing her pink flesh. Of course, that burned too. Unfortunately, we hadn't gotten her wings. Destroying them would have guaranteed victory, and it was nothing Nurse Joy couldn't heal up. The electric type opened her beak again and shot out a ball of plasma toward Togetic. It was far too quick to redirect—
Princess tried to protect herself with her remaining lava again, but the plasma ball broke through that and her barrier, slamming into her burned chest. I clicked my tongue when I saw that Kilowattrel used Stockpile again, and then she swallowed the air, healing a few of her wounds.
We needed to go big for this.
"Get low," I said. I leaned against my knees and excitedly bit my tongue. When Princess was close enough, I uttered my next order. "Moonblast."
Princess' wings fluttered, her eyes shone, and a ball of light slowly appeared in front of her. Volkner ordered Kilowattrel to use another Electro Ball, but the Moonblast's gravity made it swerve out of the way. The ball of light picked up in size and lava started orbiting it like sets of rings around a planet. Kilowattrel tried another Electro Ball, an Air Slash and another Charge Beam, but the pull the Moonblast had was too powerful and the attacks kept moving around the planet before crashing into the ground.
I held my breath.
Volkner smirked.
"Uproar," he said.
The electric type opened her mouth as wide as she could and screeched. Electricity sparked around her beak and was carried by her voice. For a second, the Moonblast faltered, but Princess let out a fierce cry as she sent it forth. It picked up more and more lava. Dust and wind swirled around it, burning up as the Moonblast curved upward. Kilowattrel kept screaming until even people in the bleachers covered their ears, but I was too captivated by what was happening to care. Princess followed her Moonblast as best she could, hiding behind it to avoid any attacks. She was the only thing on this field not affected by its gravitational pull. The Uproar was still getting to her—
Thankfully, the Wish bore down through the ceiling and healed her, but she was still struggling. Not wanting to break her focus, I didn't order her to use another Wish quite yet.
"Keep your distance," Volkner continued.
Kilowattrel flapped her wings, but a sudden Extrasensory from Princess stopped her from moving until the Moonblast was close enough to start pulling her in. Princess had to drop her shield to focus on both Extrasensory and the Moonblast and she started to burn from her proximity to the lava. The constant Hurricane struck her from every direction. The electricity coating the air jumped at her fur.
Yet she held on. She believed.
Kilowattrel shrieked as she flapped her wings. Bursts of air shot out from under them as she tried to escape, each one stronger than the last.
The moon pulled her in.
The lava burned her to a crisp. I had to call out to Princess for her to stop before she got a Pokemon killed. The Moonblast disappeared into thin air, the molten rock dropped to the ground and Princess kept the unconscious flying type afloat. The crowd gasped again, but no Pokemon would die today. Volkner quickly recalled her to stop her suffering and wiped the groove between his lips and nose.
"You're quite a lethal fighter, aren't you?" He said. "I can see why Jasmine likes you."
"Sorry, I guess? I'm trying to hold back," I answered back with a slight hesitation. For a second, I almost thought he would stop the battle and say that lava wasn't allowed.
"Just an acknowledgment," he shrugged. "I've never seen Moonblast used that way. You've done a good job."
Thank you, Bella, I internally squealed. A Gym Leader had praised me!
And yet what felt like the climax of the fight was only the beginning. Volkner grabbed his next Pokeball and sent out Lanturn. The pond on Volkner's side of the field still remained (albeit much of it had evaporated), and the water slid out of it, crawling toward the electric type as he continuously spat out water from his mouth. After five seconds, he was levitating in the air in a bubble of water.
"Wish," I instantly said.
Princess was unfortunately barely able to keep fighting. That Moonblast had taken everything out of her, especially when she'd gotten hit so much. The best strategy here was to let her fall and deal as much damage as possible. The light was slower to go up in the sky now, but Volkner wasn't idle.
"Rain Dance, Aqua Ring and E.T. four," Volkner ordered.
Dark, storming clouds materialized above the arena and it began to pour. Hot steam rose up high into the sky and coated every inch of the arena as the lava slowly began to cool. Multiple blue rings shimmered and spun around Lanturn.
"Now Thunder."
"Bubble Bla—"
Too slow. Before the vapor next to Lanturn could compress and explode, a beam of electricity fell down from the clouds. The energy broke against Princess' shield for an instant before it shattered it completely, and it went through her and reached the lava down below, sending a few chunks of it flying. The attack was so bright I had to cover my eyes, but I quickly brought an arm forward and recalled Princess before she could fall further.
Volkner's plan with Lanturn was obviously to flood the field and take back control of the ground. When the lava cooled completely, he'd be able to create an electrified sea that even Jellicent wouldn't be able to navigate, let alone Sunshine and Sweetheart. In effect, if he managed to flood the field, he'd completely screw me over.
But there was another reason I hadn't switched beyond Princess already being too tired for even Wish's abilities.
I needed to keep it for Buddy.
I grabbed Sunshine's Pokeball and threw him out in the middle of his already-cooling lava. His presence reinvigorated the heat, and the arena started to shine red once more. Rain pattered down on his scales, and it instantly turned into vapor. In effect, if he was there to sustain his pool of lava, the field would never be flooded. Lanturn scowled behind his bubble of water and frustration emanated out of his skin. Turtonator activated his Sunny Day again, and an eerie light rose as high as Lanturn. The clouds would help cover much of the light, but any extra help was welcome.
The ground was mine and the sky was Volkner's.
"Hydro Pump," Volkner said.
"Evaporate it."
Lanturn's water shook, rippling in every direction, and an enormous Hydro Pump barrelled toward Sunshine. It foamed at its edges and sounded like a waterfall. Sunshine flexed as flames and lava surrounded him, and the Hydro Pump lost almost all of its mass when it hit him in the chest. He snorted, immediately retaliating with a Dragon Pulse that Lanturn barely managed to dodge through hydrokinesis.
Having figured out that no water type moves would work, Volkner changed strategies. Another Thunder rocked the arena, slamming down right in Sunshine's face. Electrified water desperately gasped for life at the non-scorching corners of the arena, but other than that, this place was ours. I bit my lip when Lanturn began to speed up with Agility. He was now just as fast as Stunfisk had been, and he stayed high up in the sky, hitting us from far away. At the fourth Thunder, Princess' Wish entered Sunshine's body. The attacks were weak against him, but it was still Thunder.
In the time it had taken to strike Sunshine, my thoughts hadn't been idle. Ideas within ideas. Plans within plans. I licked my lips as they stretched into a grin. My little ray of Sunshine was far too much of a threat to approach. His mere presence could kill, and yet, I hadn't found a way to bring the fight to our opponents.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Not yet, anyway.
"Coat your shell in lava," I said.
Sunshine did not hesitate, even if he didn't understand quite yet. It was proof of how far we'd come together. Another Thunder tickled him, as he sloshed lava all over his shell. The molten rock clung to every ridge, every spike, every single inch.
"Shell Trap and Scale Shot."
Turtonator's face twisted into a grin that mirrored mine. He spun, his back facing Lanturn—
"Water Wall and Confusion," Volkner said.
More water. Lanturn's bubble grew twicefold before splitting off and forming into a wall in front of him. Turtonator slapped his glowing Shell with an Iron Tail and pieces of lava and scorching scales flew everywhere like bullets. The force of the explosion propelled them high enough. They flew right through the wall of water, only slowing slightly and Lanturn's face twisted when he realized Confusion wasn't enough to stop us either. Not only did his water bubble begin to evaporate, but the sharpened hot scales sliced at his skin. Blood seeped into Lanturn's water, but the Aqua Ring would heal him and the water would just be replaced if we didn't strike again.
"Again," I said.
"Supersonic."
Lanturn's light shone brighter than any of the ceiling lights, and he screamed. I winced at the high-pitched noise. Sunshine had it even worse. He could barely stand up straight, let alone spread molten rock on his shell.
"Charge and Thunder. You have time," Volkner said.
Electricity crackled around Lanturn, spinning and coiling around his body until his light shone again. More darkened clouds gathered above Sunshine, who was vigorously shaking his head. My ears were still ringing, so I was certain he sure as hell couldn't hear anything. Lanturn stayed utterly still with his eyes closed as he prepared his attack.
I couldn't let this happen. I had studied Lanturn enough to know that this would hurt, dragon or not. I crouched and motioned to Sunshine until he caught sight of me. He'd still been facing my side, and it didn't take long for him to notice I was gesturing.
Relax, I mouthed. You've got this.
He blinked at me and nodded.
Lanturn screamed, and the blue Thunder broke against his—
My ears popped. Another explosion. Light so bright I could see it through my eyelids. I shot up from my crouching position and blinked to chase away the afterimages from the light. Lanturn was burning. His water had evaporated so much that he was only covered by a thin layer of liquid. The Aqua Ring was weakened, and his wounds weren't healing right. Burns and deep gashes covered his skin and had pierced through his thick layer of fat.
The top of Turtonator's shell had split from the combined force of the explosion and the massive Thunder. I frowned as what had just happened clicked into place.
Sunshine had activated his Shell Trap right as the Thunder stuck, triggering another explosion that sent lava and scales flying everywhere. Since Lanturn was still during his Charged Thunder, he suffered a lot more than the first attack.
Arceus, Sunshine's aim was good.
"Dragon Pulse before he regenerates his water!" I screamed.
I had to repeat the order again so Sunshine could hear, and he spat out a Dragon Pulse that engulfed Lanturn's entire body. The flames and draconic energy drowned out the water type's screams, but another Supersonic from Volkner rang out before Lanturn could faint. He recalled the electric type before he fell into the lava and I sighed in relief.
Volkner couldn't flood the field any longer. My biggest losing condition was out of the window.
The Gym Leader sent out Stunfisk again. His proximity to the lava charred his sleek, already burned skin, but the ground type levitated in the air before too much damage could be dealt. Stunfisk was a staller. Low, but consistent damage, and he could heal as many times as he wanted. Unlike most healing moves, Rest didn't take any energy. That meant that our only opening was when he was asleep and couldn't use the move again.
That meant the first thing we had to do was get Stunfisk to use Rest again so he could fall asleep.
Sunshine turned toward me as Volkner called out for Electric Terrain, and I nodded. I would let him do whatever he wanted until he could actually hear again. We couldn't use Shell Trap too many times now that his shell had been split by Thunder, but it was the best way we had of hitting a flying Pokemon consistently.
Once the electrified Sandstorm had begun, Volkner sprung to action.
"Mud Bomb."
Stunfisk zipped through the arena until he was right above Sunshine, and he gathered mud in front of his mouth. The steaming ball of mud grew bigger and bigger until—
An explosion rang out, and lava and scales tore through the Mud Bomb. It exploded on Stunfisk's face, scorching him in combination with the molten rocks. Turtonator spun around right away, snarling as pain spread through his back, and a Flamethrower gathered in his mouth. Stunfisk abandoned dropping another Mud Bomb, flying back and pestering Sunshine with Mud Shots instead and he easily dodged the blue flames.
"Bulldoze," Volkner continued.
I frowned. Why now and not before? Stunfisk floated back toward Volkner and flew toward the floor as fast as he could. My eye twitched when I caught on to his speed. It hadn't been easy to spot, but the closer he was to the ground—
I nearly gasped in disbelief. He was so fast that the air around him was warping, just like Cecilia's Talonflame. Not quite the speed of sound quite yet, but he was getting there. He slammed into the non-molten part of the ground and the entire arena shook with such violence the attack looked more like an Earthquake than a Bulldoze. The ground under Sunshine's feet split open, forming a hole that sunk him and the lava. The arena was changing. It wasn't a crater. More like a dent that had appeared in the middle of the arena and where the lava slowly pooled.
Turtonator wasn't idle, however. A Flash Cannon instantly flew out of his snout and cut across Stunfisk. Even that attack was hot enough to burn him. The dragon might have been in a hole, but he was still in his element. Yet it was easy to see why Volkner had done this now.
"Mud Shot," the Gym Leader ordered.
"If you can hear me, Rapid Spin toward Stunfisk!" I yelled.
They were sure that Sunshine had no mobility now, and they could keep him trapped in the dent as long as they wanted. The fire type retreated into his shell and spun onto the lava, but the hole was too steep to climb out of. A giant ball of mud flew into the pit and exploded against Sunshine's scales. Then another. And another. The dragon roared in frustration. There was no good angle to retaliate. Stunfisk braved the heat and sat flat on the ground lobbing his Mud Bombs into the hole.
I clenched a fist and sighed. Even though his shell was split and we hadn't succeeded before… we had to try.
"Propel yourself," I ordered.
Turtonator instantly reacted, retracting into his shell and turning himself upside down. Another Mud Bomb blew up against his plastron, but that was fine.
Sunshine began to spin, his shell glowing bright red.
I braced myself, and every muscle in my body tensed.
The ground shook from his own Bulldoze, and his shell burst open in a brilliant explosion. I held my breath, and he flew.
Not very high. It wasn't graceful, nor fast, but he flew out of the hole, landing up the ridge Stunfisk had formed. Turtonator stumbled out of his shell, and his eyes locked with the ground type. He was angry at the humiliation he'd been subject to. He glowered, ignoring the electricity from the Sandstorm that jumped at him for the thousandth time, and the ground under his feet started to turn molten.
Yet he did not let anger or pride get the best of him.
"Flash Cannon!" I yelled.
Speed was the name of the game. The blinding light cut across the field and hit Stunfisk before he could fly off. The electric type's skin was quite literally cooking from being this near to Sunshine and our attacks.
"Flail," Volkner ordered.
I flinched at the sudden burst of speed. I had thought they would be retreating and using Rest—
Stunfisk slammed into Sunshine's chest at full speed with electricity coursing through his body. He'd been so low to the ground that it had practically been instant, and the attack actually sent Sunshine back a few feet. The fire type shook off the pain, clumsily grabbed onto Stunfisk, and burned.
The ground type screamed, but he kept Flailing in Sunshine's hand. Every time he did, the dragon would get knocked back longer and longer distances. Combined with powerful Discharges and the Sandstorm, we were reaching our limit. Flames combusted around Turtonator as he let loose a Flamethrower, and the final Flail sent the dragon flying until he lay knocked out on his back. Stunfisk was a burned husk that looked barely alive.
Volkner didn't even look worried. In fact, he looked like he was having fun.
A draw was… not ideal. I hoped to keep Sunshine going for Volkner's last Pokemon, but I had never expected Stunfisk to actually be that threatening. I knew that he was a higher badge level, but Volkner had acted like he'd been a staller in the first part of the fight. He wasn't the kind of trainer to use mind games like I did, so the only explanation I had was that he'd thrown caution out the window and made a sacrifice play to take Sunshine out of the fight because he knew Stunfisk would be the only one able to do so.
Rest to stall, Flail to destroy any opponent when he was done with them, I thought. What a fun strategy!
In all my gushing over tactics, I'd missed the fast that Sunshine had technically fainted first, and the referee reminded me to send out a Pokemon first. I apologized and released Sweetheart onto the field. Her cocoon was fresh from a new molt and glimmered. She was over six feet tall now and an inch taller than Denzel, even.
Her cocoon would protect her from the heat so long as she didn't actually plunge into the lava lake. We'd done a lot of limit testing with this over the last few weeks, so we knew how far we could go. She roared within her shell, announcing herself to the world just like Sunshine had.
Volkner sent out his last Pokemon. A relatively small spider that Sweetheart could easily crush with her weight if she rammed into her just once. The Galvantula screeched as electricity surged through her thick fur and powerful legs. Sweetheart responded with a half-baked screech, mockingly imitating the electric type.
"Fly and ram into her! Earthbreaker!" I yelled.
I heard a hiss and a pop as Pupitar expunged air from all of her vents. With a burst of speed, she flew forward with an Iron Head already prepared. Galvantula didn't look alarmed. When Sweetheart crossed the lava-filled hole, she scuttled away at incredible speeds. Sweetheart made a sharp turn to the right to follow her. Galvantula was fast, but Pupitar was faster.
"Let's use our new strategy," Volkner spoke up.
The electric type reached the corner of the arena and climbed up on it. Kadabra and the referee's eyes bulged out of their sockets as Galvantula's spiked feet shone neon green and she ran up the side of the barrier. Sweetheart rammed into it at full force, and the entire facade nearly collapsed from the sheer force and the shock wave. They must have had a weaker Kadabra set up for this battle. An Earthbreaker broke apart the entire area and fissures appeared in the ground, but Galvantula was unharmed.
"E.T. Fifteen," he added.
Since this was a new strategy, I had no idea what to expect. I ordered Sweetheart to fly up and follow Galvantula, and a horde of rocks from Rock Slide followed in her wake.
A burst of electricity. Then, Galvantula jumped across the side of the arena, leaving behind thin strands of electrified web. Sweetheart broke through some of them, but that wasn't a problem for Galvantula. An Electro Ball shot out from under her, giving her enough momentum to reach the other side of the barrier. The two sides were linked together with Electroweb now, and they weren't done.
Galvantula built and built until the entire sky was covered in at least ten layers of her electrified webs. All of our attempts to stop her were futile. Rock Slides didn't go high enough. Smack Downs were too imprecise. Breaking through her web with Iron Head would just have her replace it in seconds and would just waste Sweetheart's air.
I swallowed and felt a shiver of excitement run up my spine. The sky was theirs.
We needed to contest it somehow.
"Now Bug Buzz."
Galvantula screamed.
Every strand of her hair stood on end as she screeched as loud as she could. A green hue traveled down onto the floor as fast as the speed of sound and Sweetheart rattled in her shell from the sound. It wasn't debilitatingly loud, but unlike moves like Screech or Uproar, the bug type energy infused in the attack did the heavy lifting here.
We couldn't stand back and watch this happen, or she would just lose without doing anything. Buddy would struggle against an opponent like this, and I still needed to find an opening to get him in the battle to cool the lava lake and flood the field.
"You've got to get up there," I said. "Fly into her web!"
Sweetheart was a ground type. It fell onto us to be aggressive and chase, and onto Galvantula to run. We needed to weaken her.
Pupitar shivered in her shell, and then flew up into Galvantula's web. She snapped the first layer, broke through the next five and emerged above the entire structure. Galvantula stopped her Bug Buzz and spat out a stream of poison at Sweetheart. The toxic liquid ate into her shell and dug deep. Sweetheart opened her mouth, and a rock shot out of her body so quickly that a small shock wave shook Galvantula's web. The electric type screeched in agony as the rock impacted her abdomen and tore through more of her web.
"Sandstorm!" I continued.
She hovered in the sky, her body utterly still, and she started to eject masses of sand out of her vents. Galvantula scuttled forward and jumped at Pupitar before the wind could grow too strong.
"Giga Drain," Volkner ordered.
There it is!
"Dragon Pulse!"
Turquoise energy concentrated in front of Sweetheart's mouth. She screamed out the attack, pushing Galvantula back onto her web and through it. The bug type desperately grabbed onto a strand and swung before she could reach the ground, landing on the side of the arena—
"Smack Down!" I barked.
Another rock shot out of Sweetie's mouth, but I internally swore when Galvantula dodged most of the attack. Only a few shards of rocks hit her, and that wasn't much. The electric type somehow sped up as she clung to the bottom of her web and rebuilt it as fast as destroying part of it had been.
"String Shot. Find an opening for Giga Drain."
Thick strands of string flew out of Galvantula's mouth. She continuously moved as she did so, avoiding any further attacks. A Dragon Pulse missed by a mile, and a Smack Down did so by a sliver. Sweetheart flew away in an attempt to dodge. Her larger size made her more bulky and gave her a bigger supply of gas, but she was far easier to hit with Galvantula's Compound Eyes.
Dragon Pulse kept us in the game for a while, but Galvantula could sling out string like no tomorrow and Pupitar would eventually have to catch her breath. The rock type stopped her attack and allowed the strings to wrap around her and plug her vents.
What had happened against Zachary's Vespiquen was happening again. I inhaled sharply as the jet sputtered and then died. The ground type fell toward Galvantula's web. The electric type blurred as she traveled to the bottom layer of her web, grabbing strands of electrified string along the way. She jumped, and for a second I thought she would join Sweetheart on the ground, but that made no sense! The lava—
Galvantula met Pupitar mid-air and wrapped her into her web before they could fall too far. Her fur began to smoke from the sheer heat, but her web was stronger. They'd found a way to reinforce it with electricity over the years of experience Galvantula had. She dragged Sweetheart back up into her web, somehow lifting her heavy frame. She made sure to be above her and away from her mouth to avoid any potential attacks. The strings began to grow neon green and I immediately recognized Giga Drain.
I recalled Sweetheart before more damage could be done and wiped the sweat off my brow. My chest rose with deep breaths as I released Buddy onto the field. Jellicent instead of Tangrowth here had been a three-pronged strategy.
The plan had been to weaken whoever Volkner's last Pokemon was for Sweetheart to be able to finish them off, but I also had to use him to cool the molten rock before the fight between Honey and Electivire started. Not only that, but Angel would be completely out of his element even if I discounted the lava burning his vines if he got too close. This was an air war, and unlike Sunshine, he had no good way to strike enemies far above him other than the slow-to-charge Solar Beam.
"Regenerate through any damage, shield yourself in any way you've got and cool the lava," I whispered to the small piece of Buddy that clung to the barrier next to me. I made sure to pull the microphone down with my hand so Volkner couldn't hear our strategy.
Although he didn't seem concerned at all.
"Thunderbolt," he said.
Electricity hummed, and Galvantula shot out a beam of electricity at Jellicent far too quick to dodge even with Water Sport. The ghost type's watery skin bubbled and smoked from the attack, but he didn't let that stop him from summoning his usual two Night Shades.
"Good thinking," I muttered. "Distract. Add Mist to the mix and hide. It worked fine with Sunshine's Smokescreen earlier."
Buddy spat out a long stream of cold mist while the two shades flew at Galvantula. She hurled a spear-like Thunderbolt at the closest one, but she screeched in annoyance when it didn't explode from the attack. Clouds appeared above the lava and rain poured onto it in enormous quantities. The first shade got caught in the electrified web and Galvantula zapped him until he blew up and destroyed much of the structure. The second kept its distance and hurled an Acid toward the web. The electric coating wasn't enough to keep it from dissolving this time.
Volkner ordered an Electro Ball, and the second shade also blew up some of the web. At this point, it was impossible to see anything in the arena. The mist combined with the water vapor had masked the entire area below Galvantula's web.
"Where are you?" I whispered under my breath.
The water type's fragment answered right above the lava, and that he was currently soaking it with Hydro Pump and Brine.
"Add some Night Shades. Keep harassing or they'll get ideas," I quietly said.
The nightmarish, agonized screams of suffering shades filled my ears and swelled until everyone in the stands got uncomfortable. The misshapen ghosts flew into Galvantula's web, exploding over and over while the electric type continuously rebuilt it.
"They aren't striking back," I said. "Planning something?"
The piece of his body metaphorically shrugged and said I was better at figuring these things out than he was. A half-baked Thunderbolt struck inside of the mist at that moment, but I knew that couldn't be it. Where was Discharge? Rising Voltage? Infestation?
"How's the lava?"
Almost finished.
"Good. I'm going to have you go in and destroy as much of the web as possible with Water Spout as soon as you're done—"
I frowned.
My throat tightened when I noticed that Galvantula was no longer anywhere on her web.
"She's coming for you—"
A loud, pained scream reverberated through the arena and a burst of electricity kicked much of the mist away. Galvantula had jumped onto Buddy's head and was electrocuting him— I squinted and noticed the little things that crawled inside his head. Infestation. Somewhat like Vespiquen's grubs, but less orderly. Her claws shone green with Giga Drain, and she started to suck his energy.
I ground my teeth as Volkner's strategy revealed itself. They'd waited for the lava to cool to strike so they wouldn't have to risk burning.
"Water Spout!"
Jellicent's head compressed and then exploded outward. The pressure was so strong that Galvantula was thrown off his head and started to bleed. Pale, yellow fluid that acted as her blood. Buddy's eyes dimmed as the Infestation dug deep inside of him and ate through any Recover he tried to use. He spat out a Hydro Pump in frustration, but it wasn't even close to Galvantula.
"Rising Voltage," Volkner said.
The ground cracked, and electricity broke through the fissures and converged toward Buddy.
"Focus," I muttered, placing my hand on the barrier. "I'm right here, baby. Listen to my voice. You're on a timer. Stay high up to avoid the Rising Voltage, right below the Electroweb."
My voice was enough to calm him down. Buddy wasn't used to not being able to regenerate. It was like fighting with his arms behind his back. The water type followed my order, and Galvantula followed by climbing onto the wall again.
"Bomb her."
Shades shrieked, and they exploded with ghostly energy as they rammed into the spider. The key was not to let her regenerate through Giga Drain. A Thunderbolt struck Buddy as she climbed back onto the Electroweb. Now that we'd given up the ground, both it and the sky were Volkner's.
We needed to wrestle back control of one element.
"Keep your distance. Blow up the web," I whispered.
Another Water Spout, and the web collapsed from its center and toward the edges. Galvantula screeched in annoyance and jumped back onto the wall when she tried to rebuild it again, but we struck her with Hydro Pump.
"Thunderbolt," Volkner ordered.
Yep. It was only a matter of time until Buddy fell. The electric attacks were too quick, and Recover wasn't working due to Infestation. I supposed they'd wanted to rebuild the web before Sweetheart came back onto the field.
Thankfully, we hadn't let her.
The fourth Thunderbolt finished Buddy off, and he fell toward the electrified floor. I recalled him and quietly thanked the water type for his help. Without him, Honey would have been screwed. I would have either had to let Lanturn cool the lava or come up with an entirely new strategy for the entire battle.
I released Sweetheart back onto the field, her vents now cleared from any string. The red tint of Volkner's arena had been replaced by the blackened rocks of cooled lava and the ankle-deep puddle of water that covered the entire field from the condensed vapor and Buddy's water type attacks. Perfect. The Rising Voltage ended now that I had a ground type out and it was just a waste of energy. No more webs, no more Rising Voltage. We had equalized the playing field. I took a deep breath and swept my arm.
If we let them build their Electroweb again, it was over.
"Fly to her and Crunch. You latch onto her and never let go," I said.
A risk? Yes.
But it was necessary.
Pupitar exclaimed as she propelled herself into the sky.
"Wait for an angle and String Shot," Volkner countered. "Otherwise, Acid."
A ground type would lock them out of most of their moves, I repeated in my head. With a juvenile roar, Pupitar turned left to avoid the glob of noxious poison and her mouth grew dark. Galvantula shot strings in her mouth in an attempt to stop her from using Crunch, but a quick Dragon Pulse cleared it away.
She decided to run.
No time to weave her web this time. She ran along the wall and started to emit a Bug Buzz. Sweetie winced, but she sped up as much as she could and raked against the psychic barrier. The wisps of dark energy nearly caused that part of it to collapse, but Kadabra strained to keep it going. Pin Missiles flew out of Galvantula's back, but they only grazed the rock type.
Galvantula was tiring now. Why else was she incapable of rebuilding her web when she'd been able to at the start of the fight? Sweetheart's mouth opened wide and she Crunched the bug type's leg until a snap reverberated through the arena.
"Giga Drain! Acid! Bug Buzz!" Volkner yelled with a grin.
"Earthbreaker! Drag her down!" I squealed in glee.
Sweetheart angled herself down and pushed as her entire body shone green due to Giga Drain. Acid tore through her shell, webs wrapped around her, and an incessant buzzing filled her earholes.
Both Pokemon crashed into the ground and a wave of dust and rocks flew through the arena. I licked my lips and everything went quiet.
The dust settled.
Galvantula's body was battered and broken. She was upside down with her legs folded onto themselves, and yellow blood seeped all over the dried lava.
Sweetheart was well enough to crawl and even celebrate with a roar. I pumped a fist and jumped.
Fuck yes.
"Good job, Sweetheart," I exhaled. "You were amazing."
Arceus, I was tired. I blinked to chase away the exhaustion and I recalled Sweetheart after a few seconds. The crowd cheered, but it was only the first part of the battle.
"Congratulations, Challenger," Volkner said. "But as you know, there is a second part of your trial. My Electivire will engage your Electabuzz in a mock battle. Your goal is to hit us four times with any attack within a time limit of ten minutes, and even electric type moves will count. We will not use any electricity, but Electivire can strike back however he wishes so long as he is using non-electric type moves."
Volkner recalled his Galvantula and sent out his Electivire without a second thought, and excited murmurs ran through the spectators. I took a deep breath and they sank into the background as Electivire waved to his 'admirers' with a wide grin and bowed multiple times.
"Focus," Volkner said. "They'll use the water to strike you."
Electivire shrugged with a motor-like laugh, and I bit the inside of my lip. It was an obvious strategy, but I'd hoped they wouldn't have figured it out and thought that me flooding the field had been a random occurrence through cooling the lava. I released Honey onto the field, and his arms whirred in anticipation. Electricity hummed, traveled up and down his body and he flashed his teeth at Electivire, who chuckled at him.
"Sally," Volkner said, lazily waving an arm.
The referee who had looked like she'd been on the verge of passing out multiple times during the battle cleared her throat and counted down.
Ten minutes.
Four hits.
Honey exploded forward with a brilliant surge of electricity, and Electivire squared himself as his tails lashed out against the ground. Honey put one hand forward and a Thunderbolt shot out of his palm, traveling in the water in an instant. Electivire's eyes shone, and he Teleported to the opposite side of the arena in two jumps.
Run through the Teleports, then get his barrier, I thought.
"Pick up some stones, Hon," I said.
A tiny Discharge surged out of his skin and destroyed chunks of the old lava we'd used. Electricity linked the stones together as they spun around Honey in harmony. With a flick of his finger, five of the stones shot out, going so quickly they were a blur. Electivire slammed a glowing arm against the ground and raised the earth in front of him in a thin wall.
That was new.
The stones impacted the wall and created large indentations, but they didn't break through. Honey blurred forward with acceleration worthy of a true speedster, and within four seconds, he'd punched the wall and destroyed it to smithereens, adding the chunks to his collection. Electivire was already gone, having hastily erected a barrier just in case we struck with a Discharge.
"Get a big one," I said. "Keep it in reserve."
Electabuzz grunted, grabbing a boulder as large as his entire torso with a flick of his finger. Another Thunderbolt shot out toward Electivire just to keep him on his toes, and the electric type blocked it with a screen. The water made the electricity travel so quickly that Teleporting was almost impossible when we were too close. Electivire was no psychic. There were limits to his abilities.
"Swift."
Electivire grinned as the stars materialized around Honey and flew toward him. Now he would create a barrier. I contained a smile when Electivire raised his arms—
"Thunder!"
Electric energy pulsed, and Honey grunted as he charged his power. He let loose the massive ray of electricity, and it easily outran the slow Swift. Electivire couldn't Teleport. We were too close. The electricity traveled through the water in an instant and hit Electivire's barrier. His amateur shield strained against the Thunder, but the Swift?
Well, the Swift was the straw that broke the Camerupt's back. The stars sliced through the barrier and hit Electivire in the shoulder. Had he put down the barrier to Teleport, the Thunder would have gotten him instead.
Buddy's water was saving our asses. Without it, Electivire would have just been able to run out of the way.
One hit.
"Hit 'em with the rocks and get close," I said.
A few shards of rock slung forth, but Electivire sidestepped them without too much trouble. That was just a distraction, however. The massive boulder flew forward, and Electabuzz followed closely behind it.
For a while Electivire Teleported away as much he could, running out the clock. This time, he was taking us seriously. No more did he stick close to tap Honey on the shoulder or even deign to attack to lower the risk of getting hit. Honey tried to catch him off-guard with the same Swift and Thunder trick, but he was wise to it now. He always kept far enough away to give himself time to Teleport. Four mind-numbing minutes of this game of tag passed by until Electivire was finally beginning to tire. Six since the start of the battle.
"Now! Cross Chop!" I yelled.
Electabuzz's arms shone white as he slashed down his boulder into a hundred pieces. With one smooth motion, he levitated them in front of him and swarmed Electivire, who was forced to stop and create another barrier. Honey did not stop, however. He blinked with Radiant Leap and was in front of his senior in an instant. I yelled out for a Screech, and an agonizing sound rang out Honey's mouth. His fist sparkled, and he punched through the barrier—
Electivire's face was twisted in pain, but weaved out of the way, grabbing Honey's arm. Even Thundershock and Discharge would be too slow. He was going to throw him away.
"Static Shield!" I snapped.
Electricity came alive within Electabuzz.
And a small spark singed Electivire's fur.
Electivire didn't waste a second, throwing Honey as far as he could. The electric type slammed against the barrier and coughed, holding his ribs while he quickly shot back up to his feet.
Two hits.
But we'd revealed all of our cards. Railgun's improvements, Static Shield, our Swift-Thunder one-two punch. Screech. It was all out there.
Another two minutes. Another dance. Thunderbolts, Thunders, Discharges, Swifts, Screeches. Electivire kept his distance, jumping instead of running to keep up with Honey's speed. He'd moved from barriers and now was shielding himself with whatever the hell that Earth Wall move was, and even through Honey kept breaking them apart, he was too fast. I'd thought Radiant Leap would be enough to outrun him, and it was.
But not when he could jump so high and so far—
I gasped. Audibly. Volkner must have caught on, because he told Electivire to focus again and not to let his mind wander. I bit my lip and a strategy clicked into place.
The referee gestured. One minute left.
"Thunder," I said.
Honey rolled his shoulders. He was tired, but he would push through. My baby would push through. Electivire raised that same wall of earth around ten feet away from him. It held the Thunder for two seconds before breaking apart. Two seconds was enough for him to jump out of the way—
"Radiant Leap! Jump at him!"
Honey's eye twitched, but he trusted me.
Electivire could jump, but redirecting himself when he wasn't using any electric type attacks? Impossible. His momentum had made him blur, but Honey was faster. He pushed his leg down, his leg bulged and he strained to jump as high as he could.
For a moment, he looked like lightning.
Electivire's grin widened as light consumed his fists. He was going to Hammer Arm us out of the air—
"Scree—"
Honey was already on it.
I covered my ears, and thunder and sound combined into a cacophony of noise. Electivire ground his teeth and his ears began to bleed. Honey used the opening to punch him in the gut with a half-formed Fire Punch, but Electivire's fist was still coming. Honey cried out as the electric type slammed his Hammer Arm into his back. I heard bones break— his spine—
Fucking CONCENTRATE!
"Discharge!"
If he could focus on my voice—
A brilliant explosion consumed them as Honey crashed to the floor and Electivire gracefully landed, his fur sizzling. My head turned toward the referee, who stared at her watch.
"Thirteen seconds left. Grace Pastel wins," she said.
Four hits.
Cheers filled my ears. So, so loud.
I barely managed to recall Honey before I laid my back on my podium and sighed in relief. He wouldn't be able to move until he stayed in a Center for a week, at the very least. The bright ceiling lights nearly blinded me and forced me to close my eyes. I could barely breathe. I could barely do anything.
And yet, relief overwhelmed me.
"Good," I mustered. "Good… whew."
I had fucking won.