Slate stared at the letter, weighing his options. “I’m doing it,” he decided. “I’m battling Mayor Douglas today!”
“You can’t be serious?” April exclaimed. “It’s at seven o’clock. That’s four hours from now!”
“What’s the alternative? Rescheduling my match?” Slate replied. “What if I have to wait another month? What if that one gets canceled too? No way. I’m battling today!”
April raised her hand to her chin thoughtfully. “Well, you won’t have time to bond with your new Beakon. That pretty much rules out using it in the battle, which is a shame because a Flying-type might have been helpful. As for your other Pokémon…”
The girl had a point, annoying though it was. Meeting Beakon would have to wait, Crimsant was still playing up, and Larvoid hadn’t learned any new moves. “I know, but Eevee and Cryote are ready,” said Slate. “I was probably going to use them anyway.”
“Okay,” April conceded, “but we better go to the Gym now and secure your spot before someone else does.”
----------------------------------------
After a brisk walk to City Hall, Slate spoke to the Gym Receptionist and accepted the still-vacant opening in the mayor’s schedule. With his match confirmed for that evening, he released Eevee and Cryote, and they ran to the park for some last-minute training.
April, who was uninterested in running, eventually met up with the three of them at Slate’s usual training spot. There, he had the idea to use his Larvoid and her Larvibe to assist with their efforts. Among other things, he had his pale-red bug and April’s pale-yellow one use their String Shot in tandem like a jump rope, which Eevee and Cryote dived in and out of to improve their agility.
Rodenki joined in with this at first but soon grew tired and returned to April’s hood to snooze. April had released her Mossym too but returned it to its Silph Ball after she grew wary of fending off her green admirer with an errant branch.
“What’s the verdict?” asked April a couple of hours later as she fed seeds to her Zunshin.
“I think we’ve done all we can for now,” said Slate, his hands on his hips as he surveyed his panting partners with a satisfied smile. “What do you think, guys? Are we going to win?”
They barked loudly and happily in reply, which made Slate beam with pride.
“Well, there’s not long to go. You should let Eevee and Cryote rest up,” April cautioned.
Slate agreed, praised his Pokémon, and thanked the bugs for their assistance.
----------------------------------------
After giving his Pokémon a healing cycle back at the Center, Slate returned to his room. Unable to relax, he spent much of the remaining time before the match pacing around his room, considering battle strategy. He did this until April knocked at his door, and they set off together for City Hall once more.
Slate was excited for the match. He hadn’t technically won the Chemical Badge from Bella, so facing Mayor Douglas would be his first real foray into the Gym Challenge. He felt ready for it, though. He also felt it was time to move on from Pistachion City and get back to his journey.
Comfy though their living conditions were, he and April hadn’t progressed with their investigation since meeting with Looker. As far as they could tell, Team Shade wasn’t working out of Silph Co. HQ, and if what April had been reading in the newspapers was accurate, there were still missing people to be found, including Joseph Quinn.
There was a nagging concern in the back of Slate’s mind, though. As he and April entered City Hall, he couldn’t help wondering, what if he lost the battle with the mayor? Would that mean he wasn’t ready? What would it take before he was truly prepared for the challenges that lay ahead of him?
“Good evening,” said the Gym receptionist, a different face than they had seen earlier that day.
“Slate Davy, checking in for his seven o’clock Gym match,” April announced loftily with a thumb in her companion’s direction. “Is it okay if I spectate?”
After confirming Slate’s Trainer ID, the receptionist replied, “Are you a Gym challenger too?”
“No,” April answered.
“That should be okay, then. There’s a spectator’s bench on the battlefield.”
Slate looked around the grand building’s deserted lobby. “And where is that exactly?” he asked.
“It’s upstairs,” the young woman said with a smile, handing Slate a small black rectangle of plastic. “You’ll need this key card to reach it via the elevator. Good luck!”
Slate thanked the receptionist, and the pair made their way to the nearest elevator, where they called for one and stepped inside.
“Which floor? Does it say?” April asked, eyeing the elevator’s buttons as its doors closed.
Slate checked the card over. It was blank except for the Pokémon League Gym logo on one side. “No, but I guess it goes in here,” Slate said, inserting the card into a slot on the metal control panel. The card was swallowed, and the elevator lurched upward.
Slate watched the small LED panel that displayed the floor numbers grow ever higher. April asked him, “Nervous?”
“No,” he answered a little too quickly. “Okay, maybe a little.”
“Don’t be,” April said assertively. “You’ve trained hard. Win or lose, just try to enjoy the battle.”
April was right. Slate had grown up admiring the sport for its strategic focus and the bonds shared between Trainers and their Pokémon. With everything that had happened since moving to Nutera, his reasons for becoming a Trainer had gotten lost along the way, perhaps understandably so. Training had become a means to an end for him, but there was more to it. A lot more.
As the numbers on the display ticked over into the twenties, a warm smile spread across Slate’s face and the butterflies in his stomach all but disappeared. This match may be a test for him and his Pokémon, but it wasn’t one they would fail, nor one they could fail. It was a chance to show how hard they had worked and how far they had come. Even if they lost, they would give the mayor a battle to remember.
With a soft *ding*, the elevator came to a halt, and its doors slid open. Instantly, a blast of cold air filled the small space.
“No way,” said Slate, taking in the surprising sight before him.
“The Gym is on the roof!” April exclaimed, rolling the sleeves of her jacket down as the night air atop one of the city’s highest buildings assaulted them.
“This is so cool!” marveled Slate. The huge battlefield was bare except for two benches on either side of it and floodlights at either end. A short fence surrounded the edges of the rooftop. “Looks like we beat the mayor here.”
“I hope he doesn’t take too long. It’s pretty chilly up here,” said April, shivering dramatically as they walked toward the fence and took in the view of Pistachion City. The sun was setting, but there was still enough light for them to make out their immediate surroundings and distant Nuteran landmarks beyond.
To the north was the imposing Mt. Legume, which disappeared into the clouds above. Slate spotted a series of white posts trailing up its slope from the city.
“That’s the cable car,” April explained, seeing where he was looking. It runs between Pistachion and Walno Town.
“There’s a town on the mountain?”
“Two actually! Walno Town was established as a base for mining operations but has expanded since then. Hickoree Peak is right near the top of Mt. Legume. It’s small and can only be reached on foot, but it’s home to Nutera Observatory.”
“Wow,” Slate said simply, imagining what the view of the stars must look like beyond the clouds.
Slate felt his Rotom Phone vibrate on his chest. He unclipped it and read a text message from Professor Larch. “Your mom, wishing me luck,” he explained. “And…”
“What?”
“She thinks the Pokémon I saw may be a new species!”
“Really?” said April dubiously. “That gray blur you showed me?”
“Yes!” said Slate defiantly. “She says its coloring and my description of it don’t match anything in her records.”
“Maybe you just described it badly?” April suggested. “I’m sure she’ll have an answer once the internet is back up.”
Slate frowned but refused to let the girl ruin his happy moment. He may have discovered a new Pokémon; not just a Nuteran one he wasn’t familiar with but a brand-new species, and on the very day that he set out on his journey! It was an encouraging thought.
Just then, a soft *ding* sounded from the elevator. The doors parted to reveal the portly figure of Mayor Douglas. He was well-dressed as always and walked toward them with his brass-topped cane in hand, and a male and female referee in tow. “Good evening,” he said brusquely. “I know we’re supposed to have a match, but would you mind terribly if we rescheduled? I’m rather busy this evening.”
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Slate was taken aback. He was finally here, with the mayor, and raring to go. “I… I really would like to have our match, Mr. Mayor,” he said politely.
“Oh, very well, very well,” the man responded, and he walked to the far end of the field, shaking his head, while the referees in black and white checkered tops and hats stood on either side of its center.
Slate gave April a quizzical look as he stowed his Rotom Phone in his pocket and passed her his bag to look after. She shrugged, wished him luck, and made for the nearest bench, while he stepped inside the painted line of the vacant challenger's box.
“This is an official Nuteran Pokémon League Gym match between Mayor Douglas, Pistachion City Gym Leader, and challenger Slate Davy of Almony Island,” the male referee announced.
It was a little odd hearing this for the first time. It was true, of course, but Slate still thought of himself as a Pewter City boy at heart.
The female referee took over at this point. “The match will use Single Battle format. Each Trainer may use up to two Pokémon. Only the challenger may switch Pokémon. Let the battle begin!”
BATTLE: Slate VS Mayor Douglas
“Go, Despupa!” said Mayor Douglas, opening a Silph Ball without throwing it.
“I choose you, Cryote!” said Slate. It occurred to him the mayor might be trying to create some distance between the battlers, so he threw his ball all the way to the center of the field. If he wasn’t mistaken, the mayor seemed impressed by his action.
Cryote emerged in the middle of the field, while its foe took form near its master. Despupa, the Pokémon Slate had known to expect, stood low to the ground on six pointed green legs, and a pair of yellow compound eyes peered out from a hardy-looking midnight blue carapace. Nothing of the Bug-type’s previous sac-like larval form was evident.
*Ping*.
SPECIES
#036 Despupa
DERIVATION
Desperate + Despicable + Pupa
CATEGORY
Pupa
COLORING
Dark Blue
Chartreuse
Yellow
TYPE
Bug
Dark
ABILITIES
Swarm
Insatiable
Overcoat
DETAILS
The evolved form of Larvice. It drains blood or life energy from its prey. To satisfy its hunger, it will attempt to feed on any Pokémon regardless of size or strength.
“Dark-type,” Slate muttered, reminding himself that Cryote’s Psychic-type Bellow would be useless against this foe.
Slate found Despupa’s Pokédex entry odd—and unsettling—because it sounded as if it would be a close-range fighter. That didn’t correlate with the mayor’s attempt to distance it from Cryote, if that was indeed what he was doing. “Cryote, Headbutt,” he ordered, testing a hypothesis.
Cryote barked affirmatively and crossed into the opponent’s side of the battlefield at a run.
However, the mayor quickly countered. “Despupa, String Shot,” he called, and the blue bug began spewing spiraling ropes of sticky fluid.
It was as Slate had guessed. The mayor had created the distance between the two Pokémon for a strategic reason; so Despupa could pull off an advantageous status move. It was obviously a well-practiced tactic for the mayor. The artful way the bug sprayed its Speed-lowering String Shot proved that.
However, Slate and Cryote had been practicing too, at dodging String Shot no less. So, the boy wasn’t surprised when his partner deftly dodged the incoming twists of silk. It was forced to cancel its advance, though.
“How agile,” the mayor remarked. “But can it keep that up, I wonder? Despupa switch to pattern B!”
The Bug-type spewed silk once more. This time, however, the String Shot zigged and zagged across the field.
“Cryote, it’s important not to get hit with that stuff. If you can’t dodge, defend with Echoed Voice,” Slate advised.
Cryote did just that. It ducked, dived, and dodged most of the incoming threads, and repelled the strands it couldn’t with its blasts of sound.
“Pattern C,” the mayor commanded, and Despupa’s String Shot began to fire in high-speed wads.
Slate gritted his teeth. The mayor seemed determined to inhibit Cryote’s speed, and that was keeping him on the defense. Meanwhile, Depsupa hadn’t even moved from its original spot.
Against the rapid-fire assault, the pup was having to rely on its air-rippling barks for protection, but their consecutive use caused Cryote’s voice to crack. Its next Echoed Voice attempt failed, and two clumps of String Shot hit its forelegs.
“No,” Slate muttered.
“Excellent!” praised the mayor, “Now, get in close.”
All of a sudden, Depsupa began skittering across the field, and with surprising speed. Flummoxed, Slate ordered Cryote to keep it away with Echoed Voice, but the pup’s barks missed their target.
“Strength Sap!” Mayor Douglas ordered.
Slate was alarmed. The mayor had successfully lowered Cryote’s Speed. That had only been the first step in a larger strategy, though. If Strength Sap landed, it would lower Cryote’s Attack as well as recover energy for Despupa. It was defeat by degrees. So, this was a Gym Leader?
“Cryote, switch to Bite!”
The white pup lunged for the advancing foe, but its movement was encumbered, and its teeth didn’t make contact. Instead, Despupa attached itself to its hindquarters and began to glow an eerie green.
“Shake it off!” Slate ordered.
Cryote bucked like a Ponyta at a rodeo. It launched Depsupa upward but not soon enough. Its power had surely been stunted.
“Quick, boy, Bite it before it lands!”
Cryote growled and leaped into the air. Its jaws closed hard around the falling Despupa’s carapace, and it flung the bug away.
“String Shot!” ordered the mayor. However, to his dismay, Despupa landed on its back, unable to right itself.
“Go for it, boy! Headbutt!” The move flipped the Bug-type like a pancake, but not before the mayor had ordered, “Switch to Defense Curl!”
Slate’s right eyebrow had raised as the helpless, struggling insect’s legs folded inward. A third status move? That was a risky choice. It only left Despupa with one unrevealed move. Presumably, that one would be able to inflict damage. Probably a lot if the mayor was willing to count on it for offense.
“A good effort, son,” said the mayor as Depupa recovered, “but I’m afraid it’s time for my counterattack. I’ve lowered your creature’s Speed and Attack and raised mine’s Defense, rendering your physical attacks ineffective. Now I’ll simply replenish Despupa’s HP while lowering Cryote’s. Despupa, use Devour!”
“Devour?” Slate repeated as the foe began skittering across the field again, unfamiliar with the move. “Cryote, use Headbutt!”
The pup bounded toward its foe and lowered its head as it pounced. However, at the last second, Despupa rolled to the side and crawled into Cryote’s blind spot. From there, it jumped and affixed itself to the top of the pup’s head.
Cryote bucked again but Depsupa wouldn’t relinquish its grip. Then, a crackling maroon aura enveloped both Pokémon, and Cryote howled in pain as its energy was siphoned off.
“This is where Despupa’s Ability comes into play,” the mayor elucidated. “Insatiable increases the effectiveness of Draining Moves, which includes Devour and Strength Sap. Therefore, I’m afraid—”
Slate ignored the mayor, consumed with a crazy idea, and commanded enthusiastically, “Cryote, use Headbutt on the floor at full power!”
“I…beg your pardon?” Mayor Douglas exclaimed.
Without hesitation, Cryote did a little backflip and thrust its neck back, slamming its head into the concrete rooftop. It was the attached Despupa that took the impact, though, not just to its hard carapace but to its soft underbelly, which was caught between the floor and Cryote’s skull. This caused its draining attack to cease abruptly.
Mayor Douglas looked astonished. “De-Despupa… Use Strength Sap?” he said as If it were a question, unsure of how to respond to Slate’s bold maneuver.
“Cryote Bite!” said Slate with a satisfied grin, and once again, the pup clamped onto the bug, then tossed it into the air.
“Err, String Shot?” said the mayor uncertainly.
“Echoed Voice!” said Slate.
The sound wave blast hit Despupa in mid-air, launching it higher and further into the mayor’s side of the battlefield, where it landed with a loud thud.
Cryote panted hard as it studied its foe for signs of movement. When there were none, the referees announced in unison, “Despupa is unable to battle,” and each held an arm out in Slate’s direction.
“Good job, boy!” praised Slate.
From the sidelines, April cheered, “Woo! Go, Cryote,” prompting the pup to wag its tail fervently.
“I must say,” said the mayor clearing his throat and straightening his tie after returning Despupa to its Silph Ball, “that was a surprise. The fact that your Cryote even followed such an order... Well, it says a lot about your bond. Still, this match is far from over. Go, Powsom!”
The mayor released his second Pokémon. When it finished materializing, Slate frowned in confusion. A bipedal creature adopted a stance reminiscent of a martial artist. It was covered in gray fur apart from the white of its long-whiskered face and the black around its ears. Its pink worm-like tail coiled down the length of its right leg.
*Ping*.
SPECIES
#013 Powsom
DERIVATION
*Pow* + Possum
CATEGORY
Sneaky
COLORING
Dark Gray
White
Black
TYPE
Dark
Fighting
ABILITIES
Pickpocket
Insomnia
Defiant
DETAILS
The evolved form of Mardupe. During battle, it targets its foe’s weak spots. While it hones its fighting skills regularly, it may resort to underhanded tactics to ensure victory.
The boy’s jaw dropped as he consulted his Pokédex. He had made a mistake. A stupid mistake. The Pistachion City Gym Leader didn’t use Bug-types. Mayor Douglas was a Dark-type specialist!
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