With at least a few days before my challenge, I went to the Pokemon Center on the edge of the city to get my team checked out. I’d already tended to them with healing items after our battle with the poachers, but I figured it couldn’t hurt to have a professional check them over.
Oh, how mistaken I was, I thought as the Nurse Joy frowned at her scans, then at me, then back at the scans. “Is there a problem?” I asked, trying to conceal any nervousness in my voice with a bright smile.
“Your Zorua… how did you get her?” She asked, and my smile froze. Shit. If it was just an unusual variant she hadn’t seen before, I don’t think she’d be asking like this. Does she know? I had theorized that the Joy clan might have had something to do with the disappearance of Hisuian Zoruas, so it stood to reason that some of them might recognize mine.
“I came across her not far from the Tagwood Thicket. When I asked if she wanted to join me in my quest to become Champion, she jumped at the chance. She’s one of the newer members of my team,” I added, holding a hand out for her to return my Pokeballs.
The Nurse Joy didn’t seem happy about that, continuing to press. “Did you find any others like-”
“No,” I interjected. “Don’t think you’ll have to worry about any others like her from there either.” Ugh, this is annoying. I hope she gets the message that I didn’t make her that way (at least not directly or intentionally) and that she doesn’t need to worry about people going around torturing Zoruas. It’s difficult to get that across though while also sending the message that I know how they are made while also saying that I’m not going to spread that information around. Because if I told her outright without confirming she knows how- just frustrating.
After a moment, she passed the Pokeballs back to me. Either understanding what I was trying to get across or just not having a legal reason to detain me further. Hopefully this won’t be a problem later. The Joy clan hardly made up the majority of Nurse Joys in Paldea, but there were a few, and they were intrinsically tied to the Pokemon medical industry.
With my Pokemon back, I restocked my supplies before venturing out from the city, heading off across the plains. Gothitelles and Klefkis wandered about, amidst grazing Deerlings. Psychic and Fairy are weird Typings to place. What makes a location like this desirable for Pokemon like them? The more elemental or animalistic Typings are easier to understand by geographical features, but these can be more varied.
It took a good few hours to trek across the plains and up a few hills to make it to the monument I was heading towards. During that time, I messaged back the friend group chat, called my parents (and Leah), and booked a hotel room to stay in. Grand adventures and stories always miss these little things in favor of- “Whoa.”
That was all I could think to say as I rounded the corner and faced one of the Ten Sights of Paldea. Water fell down from atop the cliffs high above, pouring down past the tip of a watchtower. The ancient gray tower was leaning at an angle, sticking out of the pool of water flooding its base, giving the impression that water was falling out of its top.
Off to the side, away from the secluded sight, I saw the rest of Paldea spread out before me. The winding hills led to the largest desert in the land, and past that, the titanic frost covered peaks of Glasedo Mountain. Cutting off my view of the rest of the land was the Great Crater, the rocky barrier between it actually lower than the heights I stood on but concealed by clouds so I couldn’t peer in.
Ok, I can see why the tales skim over the boring stuff when you have sights like this to focus on. Releasing my full team, I gestured at the view with my arms and asked, “Anyone up for a picnic?”
***
After a nice relaxing picnic, we got back to work, spending the trip and most of our next few days training. There were plenty of Pokemon and a few Trainers to challenge around Alfornada, as well as hours upon hours of videos and forums to scroll through.
Unsurprisingly, a few days in, and I get a call from the Gym secretary. "Hello, Miss Glitterati, our part of the investigation is over for now.” The last part of that sentence was said in a low tone, like one would try to ward off evil. Perking back up, she finished, “So the Gym Leader is ready to face you in battle.”
“Perfect. I’ll be there in hmmm…” Looking out, I gauged how far away I was from the city, as well as time to heal up and go over plans one last time. “Half an hour? Yeah, half an hour. Should I go to the Gym Building-?”
She shook her head. “You can go straight to the arena - it’s the large circular building beside the Gym Building.” She hung up without any further clarification, but I could understand why. It was a massive structure, visible from pretty much anywhere in the city, with a large spiral staircase running around the side of it, leading up to a flat top, with odd spiral beams sticking up and out and up, meeting in the center well above the already towering building.
Is it even a building? The outside is heavily decorated, but I don’t see any entrances or windows for anything inside. While there would be some mechanical features just below the very top to maintain the battlefield, that still left plenty of space down beneath it.
Caught up in my thoughts, I barely noticed the martial artist beside Tulip as I approached the bottom of the stairs. “Dendra!” I cried out, running forward and tackling her in a hug. The brawny girl giggled, returning the hug.
“Up this way,” Tulip sniffed, pointing a hand up the stairs. Rather than immediately go up, I went over and gave her a hug too.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to leave you out. I’ve just been busy training. I really want to do well in this battle.” She didn’t acknowledge my apology verbally, but she did hug me back, which I counted as a win.
The Gym Trainer nodded. “That’s good; there are many people excited to see your battle.” At my confused head tilt, she added, “Word got around.”
Listening, I could indeed hear a vast crowd chatting above us. Damn, I know the arena is big, but there must be a hundred people up there, and I’m sure the officials are keeping enough room for us to fight there. Looking down, I saw even more people drifting towards the base. Can’t believe I missed all of them when I was walking here, guess I got a bit tunnel-visioned, whoops.
“Word about-?” Tulip shook her head before I could finish that sentence.
“Oberon just advertised that this would be an exciting match, not anything that would cause a panic.” I nodded, my lips pursed tight. Poachers are a serious problem; I can see why that might cause unrest. Especially since Raifort is still out there. A sketch artist had made a very good copy of the woman, thanks to Phantasm making an easy illusion to sketch, but Raifort’s own illusionist Pokemon made that a rather moot tool.
Reaching the top, I saw the crowds gathered there. They cheered louder at my arrival, though I noticed that most of them were cheering with renewed fervor for Oberon rather than myself. Still, I think I’m hearing a few people cheering for me, including a familiar voice? Not that familiar, can’t quite place it.
Amidst the throng of people gathered around the edges of the arena, I saw someone familiar, though he didn’t sound it. Dressed in a pink t-shirt and shorts, I saw a tiny Ortega, cheering on his dad at the top of his lungs.
The man in question stood on the other side of the arena with his back turned to me. “So you’ve arrived, young challenger. But dare you take on the King of Fairies, Oberon?” He whirled around dramatically, flourishing his cape with an extra swish of a bejeweled cane. The top of his cane was capped with a Tera Orb, proving it was more than just a fashion choice.
“I dare indeed, O King, and at the end of the day, we’ll see who reigns supreme!” I can ham it up too, and I don’t even need a cape to look dramatic. Though that was because I was using my Aura to whip a small wind and make my jacket flutter in the breeze I created while standing still with my arms crossed.
My proclamation had whispers rippling throughout the crowd, people wondering at how I could stand up and be so bold. Really, people? I challenged him; of course I’m at least going to step up to the plate. Then again, I vaguely remember the rap kid that challenges Rhyme in the games before immediately giving up, so I guess some people can get cowed easily.
I was not one of them, stepping up to take my place (after passing my phone for Dendra to record the match). The referee took her place on the side and confirmed we were both ready. Locking my gaze onto his pink eyes, I saw confidence. Strength. But deeper than that, there is a need to prove that strength. He’s supposed to be the defender of this land, the lord looking after his people, and here comes an errant knight that does his job for him. When challenged to a duel, he’ll pick-
***
[“...And Oberon leads with Azumarill! Oh, this is gonna be a tough matchup for Blake. His ace, Baxcalibur, will have a rough time here…”
A foot tapping impatiently tore my attention away from the video playing on my phone, the commentators' words becoming white noise as I focused on my Pokemon. Riolu, for her part, seemed unimpressed with it, barking, “Iolu!”
“It’s not a waste of time. Studying the matches gives us insight into our foes, which helps us strategize for the battles to come.” Something that I imagine I’ll be sorely missing once I become a Champion. Then every challenger will be coming up to me with a team I know nothing about while they’ve intensely studied me. “Besides, what else are we going to be doing here?”
The hotel room we were staying in was quite nice, plush, and richly accommodated. However, it did not make for a good workout room. Not to say that she couldn’t go downstairs and do just that if she wanted, but I think we’re all tired from today’s practice.
“Riolu, luu.” She whined.
“I’d be happy to meditate with you; training our Auras is just as important as our bodies. But first, watch this video,” I said, rewinding it back a bit to just before she had interrupted. “What does it tell you about this match?”
She cocked her head to the side, staring at it intently before shaking her head, frustrated. It’s like she’s saying that this is just the same as all his other matches, wondering why I’m spending so much time on this.
“I know how invested you are in trying to make Aura Constructs. It’s a useful skill, and one that will serve you well when you evolve. Training Aura takes time though; it rarely comes from just beating your head against the wall. I’m not doing that either, by watching all these videos. Deeper analysis gives us greater answers, which we can use to predict their plans.”
Riolu’s defensive look was replaced by a more curious one, so I continued. “Oberon is leading with Azumarill here, which shows he’s nervous - usually, he leads with Klefki to disrupt his opponent. He wants to use the Huge Power Azumarill has to intimidate his opponents. That means that we should…”]
***
Two red flashes of light hit the field, coalescing in two diminutive bipedal forms. They both stood at about the same height, albeit with Riolu being far slimmer than his blue, long-eared Pokemon.
If the Gym Leader was surprised at me using a Fighting Type to lead against him, he didn’t show it, standing imperiously. The referee quieted down the crowd before counting us in. “The battle will begin in three, two, one… begin!”
“Belly Drum- wait, dodge!” Oberon tried to correct, but it was too late. The bunny-like Pokemon had begun beating his rotund belly with his paws and couldn’t avoid Riolu’s charge. She had surged forward that instant the referee’s countdown finished, not needing to wait for an order from me to enact the strategy we’d decided to start the battle with.
Grass sprouted beneath her feet as she ran forward, slamming into Azumarill, knocking the heavy Pokemon off his feet. Oberon proved his Pokemon was experienced, quickly recovering, enough that I didn’t feel comfortable trying to capitalize on the hit.
“Aqua Jet!” A good thing too, I thought as Azumarill angled himself towards Riolu, blasting water out from his feet and hands to propel himself forward.
“Quick Guard!” Riolu launched herself into the Move before I was finished speaking, which was a good thing as Azumaril rebounded off the brown-colored barrier that Riolu had conjured almost immediately after. I wasn’t sure if the Belly Drum had fully empowered our opponent, but the shockwave from the impact had me worried and everyone in the crowd gasping.
The field quickly flickered away, but it was enough to throw off Azumarill, leaving an opening with our foe so close by. “Metal Claw!” I shouted, punching my hand out. She mimicked me, her paw shooting forward and burying her paw into Azumaril’s body, causing the other Pokemon to recoil backward.
“Azu!” Oberon shouted, shocked at how much damage our ‘Metal Claw’ had done. Guess he didn’t catch the poison dripping off the end of her claws. Well, the angle was bad anyway for him to have seen the Poison Jab.
He recovered his composure quickly. “Finish this, Play Rough!” The blue Pokemon bounced back, throwing himself playfully at Riolu, but we still held the advantage.
“Dancing Sword!” My Fighting Type aligned her energies and motion with Azumarill’s. As the powerful Pokemon lumbered forward, she spun to the side, bopping the top of his head. He would lean over in a big sweep that looked almost like an attempt to scoop her in a hug but surely would have broken bones if it hit… only for Riolu to flip over the unbalanced Azumarill. So on it went for a few seconds, Riolu avoiding Azumarill’s attack in an equally playful manner.
The unusual Move caught Oberon flat-footed, the regal manner looking flabbergasted, and I knew it was time to finish this. “Trailblaze, once more!”
So close, and already boosted from the first use of the Move, Azumarill had no chance of dodging the attack. Grass erupted from the ground as Riolu burst forward, driving her shoulder into Azumarill. Once more, the Water Type was knocked to the ground as my Pokemon ran past him, but this time, Oberon’s Pokemon didn’t get back up.
Everyone was silent for a moment before the referee shakily called out, “Az- Azumarill is unable to battle! Leader Oberon, send out your next Pokemon!” The crowd erupted into a mix of awed whispers and jubilant cheers for myself and Riolu.
“Wow!”
“I can’t believe it! Never seen anything like that in all my years…”
“Mommy, can I get a Rolu too?”
Riolu herself looked unflappable, standing coolly with her arms crossed, not even having looked back at her opponent. The Expert Belt around her waist flapping in the breeze... If I didn’t know her, I’d believe she was totally unconcerned with her image. But with the work we’ve done on Aura, I can literally feel how happy she is. That, and I had memories of her stubbornly focusing to stop her tail from wagging in joy whenever I praised her for mastering a difficult Move.
Oberon slowly lifted his Pokeball, recalling Azumaril. “I see you weren’t joking about your strength. But my Granbull leaves even the mightiest Pokemon trembling in fear!” He declared as he released his Pokemon.
The large, pink, bipedal pitbull-like Pokemon growled, the noise sending a shiver down my spine. Riolu herself, however, remained unmoved, only shifting her stance to face him.
“Granbull, show them your adorable strength!” Our foe scrambled across the field, a deceptively happy grin on his face as he neared Riolu and prepared to break her bones.
“Dancing Sword,” I called out, not missing the grin that slowly grew across Oberon’s face as Riolu followed my command. She gracefully slipped around Granbull’s attacks, empowering herself with her quick moves.
“Metal Claw,” I called out again, with the same jabbing motion to let her know to use Poison Jab instead. I think that trick might have run its course after this time, however. Poison Jab doesn’t have any hidden meaning or alternate plans when I called it out, so it shouldn’t confuse her.
That was something I had eventually realized when training my team. Even when preparing specifically for certain battles, getting too complicated would end up just backfiring as my Pokemon didn’t or only partially remembered the complex orders.
The Gym Leader understood the value of simple plans as well, countering by saying, “Keep on attacking! Don’t let up!”
Granbull rushed ahead, taking the Poison Jab to the gut, but he pushed through the pain. With a joyous swing of his head, he slammed hard into Riolu with one of his lower fangs. The Fairy Type attack sent her sprawling, and she tried to acrobatically catch herself, but Granbull continued his pursuit, like a dog with a bone.
As she flipped through the air again, I saw our opening, as Granbull tossed her just a bit too far. “Earthquake!” I shouted, and as she fell to the ground, she readied her foot, gathering up Ground Type energy in it. As she reached the ground, she drove her foot into the ground, sending a wave rippling out from the impact.
The Granbull busy pursuing Riolu couldn’t avoid the earth smashing into him in time, which gave Riolu a bit of breathing room. Not as much as I’d like though; even after two boosts, she’s not hitting as hard as Dun could. Of course, he’s been practicing Earthquake a ton recently, and she’s also faster than him regularly. With the boosts from Trailblaze now…
When our foe got back up, Riolu had already darted halfway across the arena and was pelting him with waves of force emanating out from her paws. The glowing blue shockwaves struck at Granbull, lancing into him from different angles with each step he took towards her. As much as he tried, he couldn’t close with Riolu, she kept on circling around him.
The distance between them as well as his Typing meant each shot did little damage, but that didn’t matter. “Keep at it!” I shouted, waiting for our moment…
***
[“Today, I want you to try fighting a Gothorita,” I said to Riolu, pointing at some of the black and white diminutive Psychic Types roaming the fields.
She nodded, turning to face her challenger before I clarified. “Wait, there’s more. You’ve already beaten tons of the Psychic and Fairy Types here. They’ve been a good opportunity for you to face off against those with a Type advantage against you and can hit extra hard when fighting you. You’ve also learned enough and know enough coverage Moves that you don’t need to simply spar one again.”
One of the even smaller Gothita’s wandering nearby turned to glance at us, fixing me with a strange stare, unnerving Riolu. My Pokemon even started growling at her before I waved Riolu down.
“It’s fine, don’t worry about what she’s feeling. Gothita aren’t as Psychically developed as their evolutions, so she’s probably just distracted by something else. Those Gothorita are going to be a bit tougher, however, which is why I want you to beat them, but only with Fighting Type Moves.”
Riolu blinked, her red eyes narrowing as she stared at me before the spark of my idea reached her, and she barked eagerly. She’s quick on the uptake when it comes to fighting, and after our talk last night, she’s gotten better at strategizing.
Idly, I tossed around a name idea in my head, liking it. But that’s for later; right now I’m waiting to see if she- yes! She already Paralyzed a Gothorita. Even an ineffective Move can be critical with the effects attached to it. Plus, she’s just so much more practiced with those Moves that she can use them quicker. This will work nicely.]
***
One of the Force Palms took Granbull in the knee, causing the bigger Pokemon to fall down. I also didn’t miss how the Pokemon tried to catch himself at the last second with his arms before his limbs spasmed out. He’s Paralyzed!
“Quick Attack into Poison Jab!” I crowed, and Riolu hurled herself forward, blurring into a quick kick that cracked into the side of Granbull’s head. Spinning artfully from the first attack, she jabbed down at him with a Poison coated claw.
Her opponent yowled in pain before biting down on instinct on Riolu’s wrist. The Dark Type attack did little damage, but it kept her in place, leaving Riolu unable to pry herself free from the powerful Pokemon.
“Detect!/Play Rough!”
Oberon and I gave our commands at the same time, and each of our Pokemon reacted instantly. Eyes glowing blue, Riolu flipped, twisted, and turned as much as she could to avoid Granbull’s onslaught. The big dog’s grip on her complicated things as he shook her around like a chew toy. Funny when dogs do that to actual toys, but it’s them acting on instinct of how they might kill prey.
Riolu wasn’t killed from the attack or even close to it, but she was looking a lot worse for wear after it ended. With dodging and even deflecting a few strikes with her own paws, she had avoided the worst of it, but she still seemed to be on her last legs. And Granbull still has a grip on her… Damn, I don’t see a way out of this.
“Switch!” I announced loudly, holding up Riolu’s Pokeball and hitting her with the red beam, pulling her free from Granbull’s grip.
“Challenger Nemona has used her first switch. Nemona, please choose your next Pokemon!” The referee called out. Since this battle is a six-on-six, we get three switches each, so I can afford to waste a few.
“Go, Notch!” I said, clicking the button to send Notch out onto the field, before immediately returning them. “Switch! Go, Riolu!” Once more, Riolu hit the field, giving a defiant Howl the moment she did so.
“What?” Oberon said, his voice echoed by the rest of the crowd. His jaw hanging wide open was probably also copied by them. Who would think to use two switches just to reposition, after all? Still, better make up for the lost boosts from before.
“I told her before this battle that I’d give her a good fight; so far you haven’t shown that, so she’s gotta keep on going.” I taunted in an oh-so-disappointed tone.
“WHAT!?” The suddenly enraged Gym Leader screeched, snapping his own cane in half. Damn, guess he's stronger than he looks.
Clicking my tongue, I shook my head. “Sorry, just not enough for my adorable little battle maniac.” She Howled again, and I said, “That’s right! Cry your defiance for the world to hear!”
Oberon gnashed his teeth together before his gaze flashed to the field, where he saw Riolu glowing slightly, the power-ups from Howl having left a visible mark. “No matter! We know how to beat her now. Granbull, charge in and latch on with a Bite!”
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
As Granbull started tearing up the field, I called out “Swords Dance!” We need more than speed here, we need power.
Part of me wanted to back off from this strategy and try something else, but a fleeting glance into Riolu’s large crimson eyes told me how much she would resent it if I did. And here I thought Notch could push things too far. Honestly, my whole team is full of battle crazed determinators. Still, I have faith she’ll handle this.
The Fighting Type finished her dance just as Granbull latched on. “Show her who’s the top dog in Alfornada, Play Rough!” Oberon called out, while I simply said:
“Tough it out.” That brought some scandalized gasps from the crowd, and I saw a few parents covering their kids eyes (not Ortega though; that kid looked on gleefully) as Granbull thrashed Riolu around violently, beating her with her paws and against the ground several times, leaving cracks in it.
Riolu hung limp in Granbull’s grip before his jaw loosened, and she began to slide down, her eyes closed. “Riolu is unable to-” Her eyes snapped open, blazing crimson.
“REVERSAL!” I shouted out, spreading my arms wide, as if opening a curtain to reveal a grand show. One arm shooting out to Granbull’s good leg, she pulled it up while driving her shoulder into his hip. Flipping him up in the air, she grabbed him as he was falling and forced him down even faster. Slamming him into the ground so hard he left a small crater in the arena, she followed up with a snap kick that sent him rolling over to Oberon’s edge of the arena.
“... Granbull is unable to battle, Leader Oberon, please send out your next Pokemon.” The crowd erupted in cheers and exclamations, many of them even chanting out my Pokemon’s name. Through it all though, one boy was booing at the top of his lungs, trying to be heard over the din.
“Boo! Booooooo! No way Father is going to lose to you! This is totally not fair!” He yelled, causing Oberon to chuckle.
“Don’t fret, my son, I’ll never lose. Certainly not while I have such an ardent supporter like you by my side!” His voice boomed over the arena, and I saw his composure return as he stared at me with steely pink eyes.
“Grimmsnarl, let’s get this match really started!” He called out, releasing the hair-covered goblin Pokemon out onto the field. His Pokemon’s mouth cracked open into a vicious, fang-filled smirk. Riolu stared up at foe, her legs tensed to pounce towards him.
***
[“Alright, that’s enough,” I said, bringing an end to Dun and Riolu’s sparring match. Riolu panted, giving us both a small nod before marching towards me and holding a hand out for a berry. With an apologetic smile, I shook my head.
“Sorry, but you’ve still got some more training to do.” She looked surprised before narrowing her eyes. “Well, both of you do, but Dun’s is about how fast he can fix himself up.”
To my starter, I said, “Practice Double Edge against that cliff, then Roost as fast as you can. Focus on getting your healing efficiency up as much as you can.”
“Dudun,” he nodded dutifully, throwing himself against the rocky cliff in spite of the cuts and bruises Riolu had left on him.
Riolu herself was looking worse off, her legs shaking and breathing heavy, if steady. “For you, the goal is a bit different. Your strongest Move is Reversal, and that Move relies on you being low on health. That leaves you especially vulnerable, so the goal of your training will be not getting hit.”
Pulling Phantasm’s ball from my belt, I released her. “Rua?” The spiteful fox asked sleepily.
“Illusion training time. Try and pressure Riolu here with illusory images of some of the different Fairy Types we’ve studied; don’t be afraid to go faster than you physically can.”
With that, I stepped back, taking note of every time she got ‘hit,’ which was frequently. To be fair, she’s fighting a foe moving at literally the speed of thought, but still. A single hit will take her out when she’s like that, but Endure + Reversal is one of her better combos, so she needs to learn how to fight like that.
“Try not to rush in,” I advised after I saw her get ‘tagged’ a few times. “When you’re in that situation, you need to float like a butterfly, then sting like a bee. In and out, fast and hard, don’t get caught up, no matter what.”
Riolu took a deep breath, centering herself before launching a quick Vacuum Wave out and darting around one, two, three strikes before darting in when Phantasm paused, thinking of the next attack. While the counterattack slipped through the illusion, I knew it’d be devastating against a real foe.
“Good, let’s do it again.]
***
“Force Palm,” I said, and Riolu rushed to mid-range, readying her Aura to release a big burst at the Grimmsnarl. While I saw that, I also noticed the fibrous hair around Grimmsnarl’s further back arm tensing up.
Before Oberon even called out “Sucker Punch!” I was yelling at Riolu to abort. She dropped into a roll at my words, narrowly dodging Grimmsnarl’s fist, which soared over her head.
“Vacuum Wave, keep note of his range,” I called out, and Riolu did so, pelting the larger Pokemon with a quick flurry rippling through the air.
He has an answer. As good as Riolu is, she’ll get beaten if Oberon takes her seriously here. But if he’s more worried about me… I took careful note of the Gym Leader’s eyes shifting back and forth, the man thinking in a split second before calling out “Light Screen!”
Yes! The goblin Pokemon spread his arms out wide, crafting a transparent, slightly glowing screen around himself. It was fast, faster than even Notch could manage, but there was still an opening for us to exploit.
“Reversal! Grab him by the ears!” I shouted, and Riolu rocketed in, continuing her Vacuum Wave assault without missing a beat but instead firing the shots behind her to propel herself forward. Latching her hands onto his ears, she lifted her feet up, controlling her Aura carefully to keep a barrier between him and his hair, knowing how easily she could get caught up within the tangled mess.
Ignoring his howling pain, she pushed off with her Aura, a burst from her legs giving her the leverage to flip the Grimmsnarl around and smash him into the ground behind her.
“Give it up,” Oberon called out, and the pitiful creature on the ground, with eyes watering, seemed to be pleading with Riolu to stop the onslaught.
So we obliged. “Detect!” I shouted sharply, knowing what this False Surrender would look like. Eyes glowing blue, Riolu got a clear vision of what that future would look like and hopped backwards, putting several meters between them.
The Grimmsnarl blinked the crocodile tears out of his eyes, seeming perplexed at how that had failed before lifting himself back up. “What kind of twisted tale is this? You’re not supposed to be defiantly still standing,” Oberon groused. “Blast her away, Dazzling Gleam!”
“Dodge it! Jump high!” With powerful legs, she shot up in the air, well above the deadly, sparkly laser beam Grimmsnarl fired at her. He didn’t stop with one burst, however, redirecting it up to her in the air. “Quick Attack to avoid it!” I shouted, and she burst around in a few sharp bursts, evading the attack by a hair’s breadth.
“Reflect,” Oberon added, almost as an afterthought, his Pokemon quickly setting up another barrier. He’s trying to set up for the next Pokemon he’ll face, and he’s right to; Riolu can’t go on like this. She was fighting hard, but her body was shaking, despite her Auric control and focus.
“Get in close, finish this!” I shouted, chopping a hand down. She cried out, charging ahead one last time.
“I agree, it’s past the point that we ended this farce. Break her spirit!” Covered in glittering energy, Grimmsnarl shot forward, smashing into Riolu. The blow sent her slamming into the barrier beside me, where she hung in the air for a second before I recalled her.
At the same time, there was a shattering sound around Grimmsnarl, his barriers breaking as he clutched his side where Riolu’s Brick Break had cut in.
“Riolu is unable to battle, Challenger Nemona; send out your next Pokemon!” The referee announced. Placing my hand around Dun’s Pokeball, I spoke up before calling him out.
“You did well; I apologize for what I said before. That was a good fight.” Oberon smiled briefly before I continued, “That was a tough fight for my most recent catch.” A bit misleading as to her overall strength, admittedly, but only slightly. Only Phantasm regularly loses to Riolu, in spite of all her skill. Though that might change when she evolves. However, there’s one who will probably be a match even after that.
As his face grew pale, my grin grew wider. “Yup, I think you’ve earned the right to take on my starter.” Drawing forth Dun’s ball, I released him onto the field.
“That’s your starter? How… common,” he said with a sneer.
“I wouldn’t laugh at him if I were you - but don’t just take my word for it! Dun, show them what you’re made of, Hyper Drill!”
“Spirit Break!” Grimmsnarl met Dun’s charge with his own, but this time found himself reeling back as Dun tanked the blow and pushed the Fairy back with his drill. The hair around his body tried to react and tangle up Dun’s tail, but he simply spun the drill too fast, tearing off any strands that got close.
“I see you’re a strong one, but all mortals fall with time. Parting Shot!” Grimmsnarl turned himself into a bolt of Dark energy, striking at Dun and rebounding back to Oberon’s side, letting him switch out Pokemon. The man frowned upon seeing his attack have no effect, however. Dun rose up, roaring in defiance and revealing the Clear Amulet around his neck.
“Not many Trainers are as proficient in Battle Items as you are,” he muttered before shaking his head. “No matter, switch in, Klefki!” His keyring-shaped Pokemon burst onto the field with a jangling sound.
I’d seen plenty of these Pokemon out in the plains, and there was little to distinguish this one from them, save for a truly ancient-looking key that hung off its body, but I knew the Gym Leader’s would be much tougher. Doesn’t matter; the same principles will apply here.
***
[I wonder what the challenge would have been like if I’d had to take it. The Klefkis looked fairly peaceful, floating across the fields. The Pokemon outside Alfornada existed in a pretty stable environment, with the natural barriers keeping out other Pokemon that might disrupt the balance. Klefkis in particular had next to no natural predators here.
That being said, Pokemon were naturally competitive, and the Klefkis kept up with the others, fighting themselves and others to prove themselves. And sometimes, just to have fun. Watching one of them sneak up on a Bombirdier and jangle their keys violently beside the bird’s head, causing it to drop the berries it was carrying in its pouch.
The Bombirdier shrieked angrily and attempted to attack the Klefki, but the Steel Type disengaged. As the bird tried to pursue, the Klefki unleashed a quick, targeted burst of lightning, causing the bird’s wings to seize up and crash.
“Alright, we’re going to practice against them,” I told Dun, pointing out the Prankster. “Oberon has one on his top team, and his Grimmsnarl has the same ability. Their status Moves are going to go fast, so be ready for it and use a counter.”
Dun furrowed his eyes, using a quick Hyper Voice to get the Fairy’s attention. Chiming angrily, the Klefki floated over, gathering up electricity. As they floated down, Dun slammed his body into the ground, making an Earthquake to strike up at the wild Pokemon. He also took the electricity with ease, the attack not affecting him.
“Wha- oh, that’s brilliant!” I exclaimed as the Klefki took a hard hit and began flying away. “You used the Ground Type energies of the Move to neutralize the Electric attack! We’ll have to work on this, the timing will have to be perfect to use consistently, but that could work quite well.”]
***
“Thunder-”
“Earthquake!”
“-Wave,” Oberon finished, and while Klefki acted fast, it wasn’t enough to zap Dun, or avoid the pillars of earth that rose up and slammed into the keyring Pokemon, knocking it around.
The Gym Leader made a ‘tch’ sound before calling out, “Magnet Rise, don’t let him hit you with that again!”
“Glare,” I called out, almost lackadaisically. Seeing the Klefki freeze a little from Dun’s hate-filled stare brought a small smile from me. Usually Pokemon throwing out Thunder Waves are Electric Types, so we can’t Paralyze them in turn, so that’s nice. Still, better keep up the pressure.
“Foul Play,” Oberon ordered (with an aborted motion to sweep with his staff before remembering he broke it). The Klefki dove in close, baiting an Earthquake, and as Dun raised his body to slam the ground, slapped my Pokemon across the head with their keys.
“Ignore it, use Flamethrower!” Taking a deep breath, my starter unleashed a gout of flame across the battlefield, scorching Klefki before they retreated.
“Gah! No fair, no fair!” Oberon whined before regaining a hold of himself and acting like the Gym Leader (and adult) he was supposed to be. “Magic Room and Switch!” Klefki followed his command, instantly setting up a distorted field around the arena, far faster than Notch could make Trick Room. Though this one only negates the effects of my items. Must mean he’s looking for ways to debilitate Dun.
It was a decent strategy, and part of why I’d chosen to give Dun the Clear Amulet in the first place; he simply had trouble boosting his offenses up as fast as some of my other Pokemon could. The flip side to that is…
Oberon threw Grimmsnarl back onto the field, just before I tossed my Tera Orb above Dun’s head. “Illuminate the path to our glory, Terastalize!” My chant (and the subsequent burst of crystals) drew shocked and awed gasps from the crowd.
Without wasting a second, I shouted, “Giga Impact!” The second he broke free of the crystals, Dun stormed forth, a green blur ripping ahead. …That Dun is strong enough to take you out without buffing.
“S-Sucker Punch!” Grimmsnarl followed the desperate command with the same fearful look in his eyes as his trainer. Lashing out, he got a good punch in on Dun’s side before my Pokemon plowed into him and pushed both of them to the back of the arena. The barrier rattled out from the impact as Grimmsnarl slammed into it, eliciting a few worried exclamations from the crowd nearby before they saw that it held.
Oberon’s Pokemon however, did not, falling unconscious from the powerful attack. Dun’s head rested atop his body for a moment where they fell; my starter was too tired for the moment to even lift himself up and let his head flop to the ground when Oberon recalled his Pokemon.
The Gym Leader was clearly stressed out, tossing out his next Pokemon quickly, seeking to make use of Dun’s temporary exhaustion. “Hatterene, Play Rough!” He shouted, his voice a little hoarse as the pink curvy Pokemon materialized right beside Dun.
Not wasting a second, she started wailing on him with her clawed dangle hanging off of her hat-hair. It beat into him, cutting a few lines across his scales as he slowly regained strength. Fearing a counter, Oberon switched tactics. “Psychic!”
Telekinetically picked up and hurled across the arena, Dun struggled until I called out-
***
[“Ok, you see that Medicham standing there?”
Dun nodded his head.
“I need you to let him kick you around for a while and, uh, survive.”
My starter gave me a baleful stare before sighing and slithering up to the wild Pokemon, slapping the Medicham with his tail.
Predictably, after getting over his shock, the Fighting Type kicked Dun across the field. But even as he tumbled across the ground, I saw my Pokemon perform the familiar flapping motion of his wings, as if trying to land, and already the bruise was narrowing in size.
There we go. Dun has such a strong recovery Move, combined with his natural durability, that if he can manage to use it in any situation, he’ll be near invincible.]
***
“-Roost!” He settled down mid-air, letting himself be bashed against the arena walls. Despite the force Hatterene was hitting him with, we watched as his wounds started closing up faster than she could make them.
With one final, enraged screech, she let go of her hold on him, chucking Dun over to my side of the arena. He winced slightly as he shook himself off, the Magic Room effect flashing as it faded away. Darn, that last hit hurt his defenses before the Clear Amulet was back online. Whatever, we can still win this.
“Hmm, this is kinda boring; you can just take a nap for this part, Dun.” With an exaggerated Yawn, Dun appeared to follow my orders, pretending to sleep. In reality, he was directing the Invisible Yawn towards Haterene, something we had discovered helped improve the Moves’ accuracy while retaining its hidden nature. I’m 99% certain that she doesn’t have her Hidden Ability, so if they take the bait, we’ve got this in the bag.
“You’ve done well, kid, but dismissing us is a grave mistake. Calm Mind,” the Gym Leader barked out, and Haterene nodded, closing her eyes as she focused, meditating. She grew more and more relaxed... until her head started nodding and light snores could be heard from the Fairy Type.
“Hex!” I shouted with glee, and Dun’s eyes snapped open, Ghostly energy surrounding him before it converged on our foe.
“Whuh-? Wake up! This is no time to be falling asleep!” Oberon exclaimed, to no avail, his Pokemon caught in a deep slumber. She thrashed about as the Hex hit, but even that couldn’t wake her up, just causing her to act like she was caught in a nightmare.
“Ancient Power,” I tried, hoping for Dun to get the omni-boost from that. The rocks conjured up from the ground pelted her hard, but unfortunately didn’t trigger any amazing surges from him. The boost would be nice, but I can’t risk fishing for it with the Special Defense drop she got, not even with his Serene Grace. Better to just win the fight.
While he launched his attack, Dun had also been moving closer to land more physical attacks on her. And we know just the perfect one. “Poison Jab!” Lashing out with his tail, he sank a deep blow through her voluminous hair, and from the way she shivered in her sleep, I was pretty sure she had been Poisoned too.
Not that it matters; we’re finishing this here. “Hyper Drill!”
“Healing Wish!” Oberon fervently cried, and while I would have thought she’d been too deeply asleep to hear it, her eyes snapped open at the last second as Dun’s drilltail spun towards her. There was a quick flash of light on Klefki’s Pokeball on Oberon’s belt, just before the Hatterene fainted.
The referee once again announced the switch, with the crowd sounding as shocked as ever at how this was playing out. You’d think they’d get used to it by this point. Oberon had the usually boisterous man glancing down, thumbing his unused Pokeball before snatching up Klefki’s and sending them out once more. Wanting to make as good a use of his ace as he can, I get that.
Neither of us thought that Klefki would take out Dun, but he was determined to make it as annoying for me as possible, with his newly refreshed Pokemon instantly setting up a barrier around itself.
Light Screen or Reflect? Don’t know; he’ll set up the other one in a moment anyway. “Earthquake!” I called out, and Dun shook the arena once more. This time Klefki was ready for it, floating up fast, but they still got clipped by the attack before they hovered out of range, a dozen meters above the ground.
“Steel Beam!” I blinked in surprise as Oberon switched to such an offensive strategy. The Klefki unleashed a powerful gray colored beam that slammed into Dun, hitting hard and breaking a few scales.
“Flamethrower,” I commanded, hoping to take advantage of the depletion that the Klefki would suffer from using such an attack.
“Light Screen,” was Oberon’s counter, the keyring Pokemon quickly raising the other barrier in front of themselves to blunt the super-effective attack.
With a heavy voice, Oberon called out once more, “Steel Beam!” So that’s your game plan.
“Barrel Roll!” Dun had experience using that maneuver to avoid powerful attacks from Steel Types and once again managed to roll out of the way, dodging the beam. Depleted of minerals, Klefki sank to the ground, defeated.
Oberon just shook his head, almost disbelieving at how far I had come. I knew not to get cocky, however. As much as the odds are in my favor here, I’ve seen Oberon come back from worse. That’s because his last Pokemon is…
“Go, Kingambit,” he said softly, tossing the Ultra Ball up to release the powerful Pokemon over the field. She landed on her tail with a heavy ‘clang’ before waving her gold-plated horn and crying out her name. That was taken up by the crowd, chanting the same.
“Kingambit! Kingambit! Kingambit!”
“Earthquake!” My high-pitched voice rang out, and Dun shook the arena once more. Though the shifting ground hit hard into the Steel Type and she lost her footing, she scrambled forward, head lowered. That motion aimed her main blade right at Dun, and there was no way for him to dodge the blow, cutting a nasty gash in his side.
Kowtow Cleave, we can’t dodge it easily, and based on the damage that was dealt, we won’t out heal her like we did before. “Debilitate set.” Dun followed the order, puffing himself up and sighing a few clouds that drifted towards the Kingambit. The enemy slashed through the air with her side blades, Dark energy lashing out from them to disperse the cloud before turning her face away from Dun’s Glare.
Well, if she’s going to turn away, that’ll give us time to regroup. “Flamethrower, fighting retreat.” Flapping his wings to propel him backwards, Dun slithered away while releasing a stream of white hot flames at the Kingambit.
“Protect,” Oberon called out, his Kingambit conjuring a barrier that shielded herself from the fire and any other attack we could throw at her for a moment. In that time, Oberon pulled the Tera Orb off the top of the half of his cane he was holding onto. “Let your kingly might shine across the world, Terastalize!”
Throwing it over her, the crystal covered the Kingambit before bursting apart to reveal her sparkling new form, a pair of pink butterfly wings above her head as a Tera ‘hat.’ She spread her arms out and roared, a pink mist surrounding the field as she did so.
“Drop the debilitation; just go for damage, Hyper Voice!” None of those tricks will work while Misty Terrain is up. Dun screeched, and Kingambit shook her head, the sound waves hitting her hard.
“That’s a nice defensive Tera Type you got there, but it exposes her to the Moves she resisted before,” I taunted. Oberon removed his own hands from his ears to fire back.
“It’s hardly just defensive! Shine resplendently, Dazzling Gleam!” Catching the sun’s rays on her golden blade, she reflected a bright pink beam at Dun, eliciting a hiss of pain. I wasn’t surprised by the Fairy Type Move she was throwing out - Oberon was famous for having taught his ace Moves they couldn’t normally learn. Though I’ve never seen a video or reference of her using them when not Terastalized, so there might be a trick to it. Of course, he might also just save them for when those Moves would be at their strongest.
Even then, usually such a Move would be fairly weak, coming for the physically oriented Kingambit, but there was a surging strength emanating off of Oberon’s Pokemon. It boosted all of his offense to a level of power beyond his natural might. Supreme Overlord, which is why Oberon always saves his ace for last.
Looking at my starter, I saw him wheezing, hurt. Scales were torn up, overlapping with blisters from the beams he’d been hit with, and he still had that nasty gash on his side. My first instinct was to recall him; no one would blame me. He’d done a lot and had been through so much. No one but Dun, that is. Because despite all of that, I can see that he thinks he can win… and I do too. I believe in him.
***
[“Thanks for the match, Arven,” I said, tossing him a few healing potions. The two of us stood on the beach, on the battlefield outside my house. A cool breeze washed over us, just as the waves did a few dozen meters away, carrying a sharp, slightly salty smell. Ahh, what a perfect day this is.
The young boy groaned, accepting them with lethargic arms. Geez, you’d think that with how he was acting, he’d been the one battling, not his Pokemon. Then again, I did have him join me for half of my warmup before this, so that might be it.
He quickly sprayed them over his Mabosstiff, healing the Dark Type up. “I’m glad we can spend time together before you go on your journey, but does it have to be like this?” His starter barked out an agreement, cowering before Notch, who eyed the dog blankly.
“I mean, it helps keep my Pokemon in shape, so I’d have to be doing this anyway, so yeah. Besides, we still play tons of games and stuff too outside of this! And think how much it’s helped improve your bond with Miraidon,” I pointed out.
That brought a reluctant smile to the boy's face. “Yeah, Miraidon is pretty cool. Riding around on them is fun, and I can get to your house in only a few minutes!” He cheered before pouting again. “But why do you have to beat them up so much?”
As he said that, he released Miraidon from their Pokeball, the Legendary Paradox Pokemon unconscious from our fight prior. He started applying Potions and Revives to them to help heal them up.
“Hey, they give out as good as they get,” I countered, applying my own medicines to Dun. “You’ve gotten a lot better at commanding Miraidon in battle, and they can still beat almost anyone on my team solo. And even Dun can’t win against them and then against Mabostiff in a row. They’re quite the special Pokemon.” You have no idea how much so; I’m not sure even Professor Turo really gets just how strong Miraidon is.
“Ok, but if they’re so special, how come we still can’t beat Dun?” Arven frowned adorably, and I just laughed, a big grin on my face.
“Well sure, they’re special, but Dun? He’s one of a kind. The strongest Dudunsparce in the world.” And one day, the strongest Pokemon, period.]
***
“Finish this off; cut a path to victory, Kowtow Cleave!” Oberon announced, waving his arms about dramatically.
“We’re not falling here, Hyper Block!” Dun turned his tail to his foe, spinning his drill rapidly and raising it up to block the Kingambit’s enormous blade. Sparks flew as they clashed, but despite her overwhelming might, Dun held off against our powerful foe. As he resisted, he also screeched, utilizing his three-segment body to twist around and blast Kingambit with the piercing wail he let loose.
“Keep at it!” Oberon commanded, and Kingambit tried again and again to break through, but each time, Dun resisted. Each time though, the blades got a bit closer, and as she started to swing in her side blades, I knew Dun would end up cut down if things continued.
“Ascend!” Was my counter, and Dun lifted himself up, flapping furiously to start climbing through the air. It was a slow process given his bulk, and he had to twist carefully to avoid her blades, but eventually she made it above the Kingambit. “Finish her, starfall!”
“Protect!” That’s a smart play if I had to resort to Giga Impact to win here. However, we didn’t. Dun was at his limit and instead plunged down, propelled by a star-shaped energy, bouncing off the forcefield Kingambit had made.
It might not be able to break Protect, but Last Resort doesn’t tire Dun out either. “Hyper Drill, break through!” Drilling through the remaining fragments of her defense, Dun pierced into Kingambit, her tough exterior making a horrible screeching sound as Dun grinded through.
But it wasn’t quite enough to defeat her; the barriers Klefki had made before falling flashed as they gave out, having reduced the impact of our attack. Our opponent grasped my starter, tossing him up and cutting down with her heavy blade. The blow cut down hard onto Dun, sending him reeling against the ground. With a cry, he fell… but managed to hold on, just barely.
Raising his head, Dun glared at Kingambit and Oberon, unwilling to go down. The show of defiance surprised them, but I knew that wouldn’t hold for long. “Show them… show them who the strongest Dudunsparce in the world is! Giga Impact!”
With a quick shimmy backward, Dun then shot forward, the green glow surrounding him so bright no one could make him out as more than an indistinct silhouette. He hit Kingambit point blank, the force lifting her up and carrying her off her tail and into the barrier - before even that broke and she was pushed past the arena limits.
Thankfully, she fell short of the edge of the wide tower we were battling on. The barrier had taken the worst of the blow, and no one was hurt by the widespread attack, but there was still a shocked silence until: “Kingambit has fallen unconscious, Challenger Nemona is the winner,” the referee said in a softer than usual voice.
That caused an uproar of cheering from the crowd, clapping and shouting while I rushed over to Dun. Hugging him and spraying my starter with as many Potions as I could, my starter basked in the adulation of the people. “You did great, Dun.”
He gave a weak yet proud warble, bunting his head into me. Gazing across the field, I saw Oberon looking somewhat shell-shocked, like he couldn’t believe what just happened. The little Ortega was crying loudly in a richly dressed woman’s arms (likely his mother), one of only two discordant sounds amidst the enthusiasm.
What- something’s wrong. It was hard to tell what exactly, but I couldn’t shake that feeling. I was sure I heard a snickering sound, familiar, and the scraping of claws on tiles. An old, musty smell? Looking around, I couldn’t see anything amiss, just Oberon walking over and recalling his Kingambit, clipping her Pokeball back on his belt with the other four Pokeballs. Wait.
Running across the battlefield, Oberon gave me a wan smile before puffing himself back up, trying to get in character. “Well, aren’t you an eager one? I suppose it makes sense for the victorious knight to want-”
“Where’s Klefki’s Pokeball?” I suddenly demanded, not seeing it anywhere on him. Did he hide it? Conceal it away for whatever reason? I can’t think of why, but it’s better than…
At my abrupt words, he looked down confused. “It’s right there on- what?” Most of the crowd was still cheering, not having noticed what was going on. But one person hitched their breath. Whirling around, I turned to face them. Despite the quality of the illusion making it so I couldn’t see the Trainer (and the Pokemon creating it) standing there, I knew who it was.
“Raifort.”