Cashe swore under his breath as Hawlucha stuffed the berry in its mouth, the swell of energy that came with it deflecting Sneasel’s Ice Shard attack and limiting the damage done significantly. A fraction of a second later, a second surge of energy rose up within Hawlucha as Sneasel rapidly approached.

Sneasel cut the distance down to nothing with his Quick Attack, slashing his ice claws at Hawlucha, but the opposing pokemon moved. Hawlucha twisted away from the attack at the last possible moment, avoiding a devastating blow. Sneasel still connected, scraping his claws across the bird pokemon’s ribs and tearing out a fistful of feathers and three rows of flesh.

Hawlucha squawked in pain and leapt away, moving faster than any pokemon Cashe had ever battled against. Or with. Hawlucha was faster than Ivysaur under the bright sunlight, it was faster than Sneasel when he used his fastest attacks.

Sneasel didn’t give up, however, taking Cashe’s pre-battle instructions to heart, and following up on his glancing blow with another Ice Shard. He twisted in place as he followed through with his attack, releasing the jagged shard of ice from his hand as he spun. The attack was true and Hawlucha, fast as he was, had no time to respond. The dagger of ice flew across the distance between them and sunk into Hawlucha’s leg, sticking inside it.

Kiana grimaced from her spot across the stage at the unexpected attack, but responded without hesitation, “Hawlucha, in the air!”

Hawlucha catapulted himself into the sky with his uninjured leg and spread his arm wide. Its wings caught the air, and with a single press of his arms, darted away from Sneasel.

Cashe took the moment to organize his thoughts and attempt to formulate a response to the now fully empowered Hawlucha, but it was a mistake. Kiana let out a single sound, not even a word, just a small whistle, and Hawlucha turned on a dime in the air, beating his wings twice and moving as though he was shot from a cannon.

“Dodge with Quick Attack!” Cashe shouted in response.

Sneasel leapt to the side, glowing with white energy, but Hawlucha closed the distance faster than Cashe could believe. Hawlucha’s arm clipped Sneasel as it sped past, Hawlucha’s fist digging into Sneasel’s side, its talons leaving a trio of gouges in his fur.

Sneasel continued to evade with Quick Attack, hissing in pain as he dashed to the other side of the stage. He skidded to a halt, spinning in place to face Hawlucha, his hand on his injured side.

Kiana made another sound, and Hawlucha twisted in the air again, charging directly at Sneasel for a second time.

“Harry it with Ice Shard!” Cashe ordered. Sneasel tossed out a pair of Ice Shards, one after another. The first was on target, flying directly at Hawlucha’s head, the second off target slightly, trying to catch Hawlucha in its inevitable evasion.

With a single twist of his wings, Hawlucha darted to the side, barely dodging the first attack and evading the second by yards. The move took him off course, however, allowing Sneasel time to get off two more attacks.

The first missed, Hawlucha’s incredible speed letting it dodge without effort, but the second stuck, slicing along the edge of Hawlucha’s back and removing another handful of feathers from his body.

Neither shard stuck into Hawlucha, both flying past and shattering against the barriers of the battlefield. Kiana called for another attack and Hawlucha twisted again, this time rising into the air and dive bombing Sneasel.

“Sneasel, to me,” Cashe shouted. Sneasel dodged away, heading towards Cashe’s voice without taking his eyes off the attacking pokemon and tossing out another Ice Shard for good measure. His attack missed, but thankfully it was enough to prevent Hawlucha from following up with an attack of his own. Hawlucha slammed into the ground, dodging under Sneasel’s attack.

He rose to his feet, but the movement was slow, the reason was obvious. Hawlucha’s chest and right leg were no longer brilliant white, instead his plumage was dyed red with his own wounds, blood seeping from Sneasel’s attacks.

“Sneasel, he’s having trouble, Quick Attack and Ice Punch!” Cashe shouted.

Sneasel darted forward, but was also moving more slowly. His own injury was taking its toll and the extended use of Quick Attack was sapping the energy from Sneasel just as quickly as Hawlucha’s injuries were slowing it.

Kiana did not miss Hawlucha’s wounds however, and neither did she miss Sneasel’s delayed response. She glanced across the battlefield for the briefest of instances, meeting Cashe’s eye and shooting him a quick smirk.

“Hawlucha, Roost!” She shouted.

Hawlucha settled on the ground and began to glow before Sneasel could close the distance. Sneasel slammed into Hawlucha, his claws creating another deep gouge, this time in Hawlucha’s arm, but the wound barely had a chance to bleed before it was healed up by Hawlucha’s Roost.

Cashe snarled in frustration. It was the move that cost him his opportunity in the finals of the True Rookie Tournament, back to hurt his chances here. Mid-fight healing was bad enough, but losing flying type temporarily made Ice Punch much less effective. But he wouldn’t be much of a trainer if he didn’t have a plan for it now, or at least a way to take advantage of it.

“Sneasel, back off and use Icy Wind!” Cashe ordered. Sneasel jumped back and the smirk on Kiana’s face disappeared. Surprise number two was a success. Cashe grinned.

Sneasel clapped his hands together and a stiff breeze kicked up on the battlefield. Tiny particles of ice rose from Sneasel’s body, carried by the breeze and drifted across the stage, settling on Hawlucha. Hawlucha shivered as it healed, little crystals of ice forming in his wings and clinging to his feathers, weighing him down and slowing his movements.

The damage the attack did was minimal, especially with Hawlucha in the middle of Roost, but it was just enough that coupled with the damage of Ice Punch, Hawlucha was almost as injured now as it was before it roosted.

“Hawlucha, Roost again. Sneasel will tire itself out before it beats you!” Cashe bit his lip. Hawlucha would heal up completely at this rate. Dragging out the battle benefited only the side that could recover accrued damage. It would be a risk but he would take it.

“Taunt!” Cashe shouted and the battle turned on its head.

Sneasel stepped forward, stretched out a single arm and smirked, beckoning Hawlucha with a single curved claw. The taunt hit, and Hawlucha spun in place, and instead of resting to recover health, charged Sneasel.

Just a few seconds ago, the Taunt would have sealed Sneasel’s fate. Hawlucha had too much of an advantage with its superior speed. After the slow from Icy Wind, the question was how much time did Cashe earn. It turned out, just enough.

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“Sneasel, Icy Wind!” Cashe shouted.

Hawlucha was still fast, faster than Sneasel for sure. It closed the distance, talon glowing with tan energy as it readied a fighting type move. A direct hit would be enough to take Sneasel out. But Sneasel had just enough time to get off another attack.

“Dodge, Hawlucha, shake off the taunt!” Kiana ordered, her voice filling with concern for the first time in the match, knowing that Hawlucha would not be fast enough to close the distance in time.

Hearing his trainer’s voice, Hawlucha paused, shivering in place as he shook off the Taunt. It was too late, however. Sneasel was already moving, hands slamming together and sending another wave of ice to cling to Hawlucha’s feathers.

“That does it, Sneasel, good job. Now get in there and Ice Punch.”

“In the air!” Kiana shouted.

Sneasel jumped forward, now visibly faster than Hawlucha, his claws darting out to attack Hawlucha’s head. Hawlucha jumped on its good leg, throwing it into the air again. Sneasel dug his claws into Hawlucha’s uninjured leg, knocking his jump off course and only succeeding in another glancing blow. It cut Hawlucha’s height considerably, and that wasn’t the only issue.

As Hawlucha spread its wings to catch the air beneath them, Cashe’s strategy was revealed. The ice, now caked to Hawlucha’s feathers, stopped the air from catching them properly. Hawlucha’s leap to safety turned into a crash as it cratered to the ground in front of Sneasel.

Sneasel didn’t need Cashe’s order to know what to do, attacking before Hawlucha had a chance to right itself. Before Sneasel could land a hit, however, Hawlucha disappeared with a flash of light. Sneasel buried his claws in the ground where Hawlucha had been only moments before.

“I’m switching Hawlucha out,” Kiana told the referee. The official nodded, signaling her to bring out her next pokemon.

A small cheer rose up from the crowd, the small portion of it that was paying attention to his match growing excited as Kiana was put on the back foot. Cashe wiped nervous sweat from his forehead, trying to tune them out and focus on the match.

Cashe bit his lip as Sneasel made his way back to the center of the stage, preparing for the next pokemon to come out. It was difficult to say whether switching Hawlucha out was a mistake or not. Hawlucha would have to return to the battle in a severely damaged state, but it would return to the battle. It would lose its boost from Unburden, but Hawlucha was fast enough without it. Maybe Kiana was banking on being able to get off a Roost before an attack landed.

The next pokemon would be Forretress, Oricorio, or Krokorok. Cashe had a hard time imagining Forretress coming out after Sneasel’s display of Taunt, but both Oricorio and Krokorok would likely be slower than Sneasel and take serious damage dealing with him.

Kiana selected a ball from her belt and threw it forward. To Cashe’s small surprise, the red light that came from it resolved into the shape of Forretress. The pokemon was huge. At least four feet tall and just as wide, Forretress looked like a clam encased in steel instead of a shell. Four spikes protruded from the shell of steel, cracking the plates apart ever so slightly, revealing a pair of large eyes peering out from behind the layer of protection.

The moment Forretress landed on the battlefield, Cashe acted, “Sneasel, Taunt!”

Unlike in the True Rookie Tournament, switches did not count as a pokemon being unable to battle, at least for the first two substitutions. Because of this, the battle did not pause to make sure the new pokemon was ready. While this meant that a pokemon could be replaced to give a trainer a tactical advantage, it also meant that the pokemon arriving in the battlefield would have to react immediately, or be an easy target for their opponent.

Forretress, the hulking wall of steel, was many things, but a quick reactor, it was not. Sneasel cried out in the pokemon version of mocking laughter as Forretress emerged, taking full advantage of its vulnerable state. Sneasel’s Taunt hit Forretress before it could do anything, ensnaring it with the dark energy of the attack. Forretress rolled forward in response, releasing a warbling cry of anger. It was painfully slow, tumbling across the battlefield in an attempt to attack Sneasel.

“Forretress, just use Gyroball!” Kiana called out, “Ignore the Sneasel, listen to me!”

“Sneasel, come back,” Cashe said, holding up his pokeball and returning Sneasel to his ball as Forretress attempted to shake off Taunt.

Cashe wanted no time, grabbing a pokeball and tossing it out into the field as soon as Sneasel was back in the ball. Despite his urgency, Forretress was able to shake off the effects of Taunt before Cashe could get his next pokemon on the field. The crowd cheered, more and more people taking note of the battle as the action intensified.

Kiana frowned as the small shape of Hatenna took form from the glowing light of the pokeball. She looked confused by the choice, as if she did not expect the pokemon to make an appearance at all. But she smirked as she saw the tiny pokemon look around in confusion, giving Cashe and Hatenna no quarter, “Forretress, get up Stealth Rocks, now!”

“Hatenna!” Cashe warned.

“Hat!”

Hatenna hopped forwards as Forretress formed a series of spiked rocks in front of his shell and tossed them into the battlefield. As soon as one row finished forming, it shimmered, almost disappearing from sight as it flew across the stage and onto Cashe’s side.

Except they didn’t. Long hours training Hatenna paid off in spades, and she let out a series of cries as each group of rocks approached her.

“Hat!”

Rocks bounced back at Forretress as she activated her Magic Bounce ability.

“Hat!”

Another group.

“Hat!”

Another.

The rocks’ near invisibility helped disguise what was happening, leading Kiana to take almost three full seconds before she realized why Hatenna was not attacking and instead standing in the middle of the battlefield shouting her name. By the time she did, it was too late, dozens of stones were scattered across her side of the battlefield, on the ground and floating in the air, making movement in it and entry to it nearly impossible without crashing into the stones.

“Forretress, stop, now!” Kian shouted, “Use Rapid Spin, clear away the rocks!”

“Not so fast,” Cashe grinned, “Hatenna Thunder Wave.”

“Hat!”

Hatenna hopped in place, shouting in joy as she took the opportunity to use her new move. Lightning cracked around her tiny body, lashing out across the stage and into Forretress.

Forretress, slow and lumbering, tried to dodge out of the way while using Rapid Spin, twisting his body and gaining momentum as he moved to the side. Another pokemon might have been successful, but Forretress was covered in steel plating. The electricity arced through the air, following Forretress as he moved and sinking into the pokemon’s body, attracted like a magnet. Forretress seized up, freezing in place as the attack hit.

Cashe was smiling now, schadenfreude making its presence known. “Hatenna, come back! Excellent work.”

“Hat!” Hatenna cheered as she returned to her pokeball

Kiana snarled in frustration as she had to wait for Cashe to select his next pokemon, but again he hurried, tossing out Ivysaur’s pokeball. He arrived on the stage with a roar - or the frog monster equivalent of one, at least - releasing a menacing croak as he arrived.

“Rapid Spin!” Kiana ordered.

“Ivysaur, Sunny Day,” Cashe said.

Forretress began to move again, but his spin was halted by a convulsion passing through him, the effects of Hatenna’s Thunder Wave proving difficult to shake off.

Ivysaur croaked in affirmation and the already bright sun that poured into the stadium redoubled in strength, an orb of burning light taking shape a few hundred feet above the stage. Immediately, Cashe was hit with a wave of sweltering heat and Ivysaur shuddered as the extra energy filled him.

Across the arena, Kiana swore out loud, recognizing that a bad situation was only getting worse. She had noticed surprise number three was hanging around Ivysaur’s neck.

After the True Rookie Tournament, Cashe was unsure of what battle items would be available for him to choose as part of his prize. He was sure some would be exclusive to the games, seemingly impossible to use in real life. How would something like Weakness Policy work? A piece of paper couldn’t double a pokemon’s attack. Could a strip of cloth really stop a pokemon from fainting like what happened with Focus Sash or Focus Band? Cashe doubted it, and was unsurprised to see the items absent from those available for him to select. However, one he was hoping to see was very much available: Heat Rock.

He chose it as he had plans to catch a Torkoal, but the rugged piece of stone and crystal now sat in a pouch around Ivysaur’s neck. It glowed with bright light as Ivysaur used Sunny Day, both extending the duration of the move as well as enhancing its power.

Cashe continued to smile. The momentum of the battle was now well and truly in his favor.

*****