4:01 p.m. October 25th, Saturday, 106 PH (Post Hoopa Event). Day 138.
Events: Rhea and the girls are on a Badge Hunt, trying to get all the Kanto Encrusted Badges before time runs out! Our girl started her journey on the 9th of June, and the end of registration for the Winter Indigo Cup is December 5th (40 days away).
Roxie jumped out of her Poke Ball and darted to the right, the spotlights overhead making the field of pink flowers glow. Determination welled up within her chest; Gables and her were weak to this Gym, but that didn’t mean they were down and out.
She swiftly took account of the sparsely situated trees and rocks that she could hide behind throughout the vast zone. The flowers and grass could almost completely hide her if she lowered her tail. It was kind of hard to see all the way across the slightly uneven field.
Leaping onto the nearest boulder, she let loose a loud howl that cut through the chants from the humans and Pokemon dotting the stands. The power in her body spiked, and she tried to filter out the distractions.
“Hello, friend; let’s have a fierce battle! Friend?”
She blinked, glancing around the still field of flowers, looking for her opponent in the short interval that had passed since the start of the match. Above, Erika knelt on her comfortable-looking cushion, sipping her tiny cup with an amiable smile as the female announcer introduced them.
“The battle just started, and we’re already playing games, folks; Roxie the Rockruff versus…Sunla the Sunflora! Roxie gets a strong boost at the start, increasing her Attack one stage, but where is our elusive Sun Pokemon?! And I think we know what this shine is!”
Lori’s words pressed against her spirit. “She’s in the flowers, Roxie! Look for the yellow one, near the center of the stage… Muk.”
Roxie’s Keen Eyes immediately spotted the unique color from her high vantage point. Yet, at the same time, the singular yellow flower illuminated and created a bright yellow ball. The pretty flower lady’s solar sphere rocketed into the sky and exploded in a wave of heat that made Roxie’s fur bristle.
A weather battle, huh?
Sunla showed a bright smile while rising to her full height and waving at her. “Hello, beautiful; I hope we get a chance to fight a bit!”
“Sunny Day! Our little sunflower is bringing the heat, and our Rockruff—”
Power surged through Roxie’s body, a bright white aura launching her forward. Racing along the terrain, the blades of grass and flowers bowed or were blown out of the way on her rapid path to reach the Sunflora, only for a red beam to snatch her away at the last second.
Return games?! she groaned, feeling Lori’s strategy changing by the second; Roxie swiftly jumped back to their side of the field on her prompt. I just got here and now I need to swap?!
“Haha! I know, I know, Roxie, but you’ll be the star. I promise!”
Erika looked calm as a summer breeze as she minimized Sunla’s Poke Ball and placed it in her kimono sleeve. Pulling out another one that she’d placed at the start of their match. She expanded it and lightly tossed it onto the field, somehow showing superhuman strength by sending it sailing over halfway to Roxie’s position.
The world momentarily went black as her own red beam carried her away from the battle.
Setup strategies Muking suck!
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Zyra exited her Poke Ball in a swirl of hot wind, feeling the pressure welling up in her chest as she flew right for her target. A cute male Pokemon materialized below her, the yellow flower on top of his head glowing bright gold as he soaked in the sunlight and wiggled his ears to float into the air.
“I know, Roxie, but we gotta do some setup,” Lori called out. “Be fast!”
Wings brightening a light blue, she flapped harder, pulling in Lori’s given energy and maintaining her blitz. A sharp breeze cycled at her back, and she saw the same force gathering around their opponent, his ears lighting up the same color.
“Our two Pokemon for this match were revealed early! We’ve got Jippy the Skiploom, and Zyra the Covisquire! And what’s this? Dual Tailwind, folks; we’ve got ourselves some speedy Pokemon—and Zyra pulls a fast one!”
Spinning around the air-cartwheeling Cottonweed, Zyra smirked, twisted to a stop, and shook her tail feathers, directing a white pulse of agitating energy into the Pokemon.
“You wish you could fly like me!”
“What?! That’s rude!” he huffed, his smile fading as Jippy’s next boost failed just before activating. “You locked me out of my Status Moves.”
“Good luck against the puppy!”
Jippy’s cheeks puffed up before firing a spray of power-infused seeds at her shaking backside, only to phase through the red beam that connected to her. They’d been practicing their swap plays, and they had a lot of combinations under their belt now.
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Roxie grinned as her paws touched grass again, the sunlight and hot wind pressing against her fur. The competing gales created small cyclones around the field, whipping up flowers and grass as she dashed right. Bullet Seeds peppered the ground, ripped up dirt, and was getting close to hitting her heels. Jippy was momentarily disoriented by the swap but still faster than her.
Lori kept her updated on their strategy and her opponent’s possible moves, leaving her to decide how to react in most cases. “No doubt, he’s got Chlorophyll; it’s a speed battle, baby girl! He’s still more than double your Speed, despite our Tailwind. Haha! Pulling out that trick already, huh? Nice one, Roxie!”
Flipping side to side, her wide pink eyes tracked the trajectory of the Bullet Seeds, and she sucked in Lori’s provided Fortitude. Speed was nothing she wasn’t used to with Alice, and the super-bun was a Muk of a lot more aggressive.
Jippy’s frame illuminated a light blue, launching forward in a zig-zag motion that left after-images as she closed in at an unbelievable speed…to phase right through Roxie’s hazed body. Dozens upon dozens of copies of her spread out throughout the field. Jippy spun in a circle, generating a focused pink wind that swept in an arc, attempting to destroy her Double Team.
Roxie snickered as she created more and more clones, Tailwind increasing the speed at which she gathered Lori’s energy. Despite Jippy’s higher speed, she couldn’t keep up with the hundreds of Rockruff that soon filled the stadium; she was buying time, and this wasn’t actually that draining of a Move. Plus, she’d developed this particular combo with Nova when her idol had mentioned doing it in a possible Double Contest match.
The Skiploom spun in a circle, high in the air but the whirlwinds of their dual Tailwind was making it hard to maneuver, even with his rapidly fluttering ears. Jippy scanned the stage, filled with her running every which way, and suddenly, Roxie stopped.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
The crowd hushed before jumping to their feet in a roar as she activated her ‘useless’ Move—at least, according to the Silver-tier forums. Her dozens of clones twinkled, and a single golden coin materialized between her teeth, tossing it into the air, it was copied by every one of her doubles.
Time seemed to slow in Roxie’s eyes as she watched it flip up and came back toward her. Jumping into the air, she smacked it with her tail, sending it flying into the sky. Hundreds of small coins were thrown upward, shimmering off the glowing solar orb overhead, and then the coins expanded to fill the stadium sky below the shimmering globe.
Jippy looked up in utter bewilderment and fright as the sound of clinking coins split the air, and hundreds of thousands of glittering pieces of gold showered the grassy field, casting a new glow and veiling them in raining glitter.
“Arceus!” the announcer choked in awe. “Happy Hour, folks! Are we on the Casino floor right now? Multiple Double Teams and Happy Hour bring a hurricane of coins raining onto the stadium—I can’t see a thing. Where is Roxie? Is Jippy cut off from Sunny Day by this curtain of gold?!”
Jippy turned left and right, squinting through the glitter, bewildered, just as Roxie had planned. A pink glow encircled him, attempting to use Fairy Wind to carry him above the shower; he wouldn’t make it, though.
Able to see past her own illusionary Move, darkness coated her paw. Shadows enveloped her, and Roxie appeared above the overwhelmed Pokemon, seeing his slight panic. Her blow connected; this was the fruit of her training with all her senior Pokemon teammates.
“Tag!”
Batting him toward the edge of the stadium, the shimmering field of coins dissipated into a single pile of false coins that would soon disappear. Jippy winced, his light body making it easy to slam him against the stadium barrier, further breaking his concentration and making him flinch as he was once again sent tumbling over the flowers—on their side of the field—no escape.
A brown aura split off from her frame, creating a large stone in the air; doing a side twist, she punted it with her back foot at the Pokemon just as the sun faded overhead. A blue shell enclosed the Skiploom, shattering the stone into shrapnel that peppered the earth around him.
“Sucker Punch against the barrier, followed by a vicious Rock Throw that Jippy prevents with Protect! It’s generally not a good sign to be the first one to use a defensive Move, people! Taunt should be running its course soon. Our salt-and-pepper Rockruff is going in for the finish!”
Quick Attack launched her forward midair to once again touch grass, and it took on a brown hue as Rockify activated, infusing the Normal Energy with the earthy attribute. A blue shell once again surrounded Jippy, and Roxie slammed against it. All momentum instantly negated, she winced as it held—unlucky.
Meanwhile, Jippy breathed in deeply—Taunt had dissipated. Lori warned that he was about to do his planned combo—Jippy was ever-so-slightly faster than her, even with maxed Speed EVs, IVs, and Tailwind at her back.
Claws unsheathing, they extended in long, rocky talons as he sent a lung’s worth of powder into her face; she held her breath, but it would sink into her body shortly. Lashing out with the Rock-infused attack, she felt his Defense lower just before ripping through much of his matrix and throwing him across the stadium—he still hung on by a thread.
Cursing her luck, Roxie threw caution away; the wind at her back dissipated. A burst of speed instantly pushed her toward the Skiploom, but she’d thrown him too far away to reach him in time. Jippy was close enough to be recalled, yet out of the corner of her eye, she saw Erika merely snacking on a few pieces of cheese and crackers while observing them.
Running through the powder storm in the dispersing gale, she saw her vision going blurry, and strength was leaving her body. Rockify didn’t activate this time; it didn’t need to. She just had to land her blow.
Muk! Sorry, Lori… I was so close…
“Roxie, not so far…”
She pushed with everything she had and connected, shattering Jippy’s matrix, but not before another burst of wind spun around the field. Vision going black, she tumbled across the field, body going numb. She’d won…but she’d lost.
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Lori sighed, gut twisting as she tried to recall Roxie, only for the beam to fizzle out just before touching her spunky girl. Jippy lay motionless several meters away with a gentle cyclone circling the Cottonweed Pokemon. The announcer showed far more grace all of a sudden.
“Ahem. Jippy is unable to battle, and Roxie is out cold—Sunla returns to the field.”
Erika smoothly placed the Skiploom’s Poke Ball in her sleeve as the Rockruff continued to slumber, drooling a little in the angles the cameras caught. Lori kept hoping and nudging the puppy’s spirit with the rest of their Pokemon. Yet, despite their efforts, she didn’t wake.
Expanding her Poke Ball, Erika elegantly tossed it into the field, her gentle voice like a cool brook on a hot summer day as the Sunflower Pokemon reignited the sun in the sky.
“It is often believed that Sleep Powder is a dream-inducing Move only when breathed. In reality, inhaling the powder and accepting one’s fate is the swiftest way to counteract its effects.” Erika’s smiling green eyes showed a hidden vicious gleam. “The worst thing to do is take a concentrated dose when in close range to allow its full effects to seep into your Pokemon’s nerve system, guaranteeing its full effect.”
Muk. We need to learn from that! Sorry, Roxie…
She watched helplessly, horror rising in her chest and lips dropping open in horror as a deep green aura spread out from the Sunflora’s roots, sinking into the soil. A light-green ring pulsed out of her roots, a sense of serenity passing over the super-heated field as twinkling green stars illuminated the grass and trees.
“You have to be kidding me,” Lori mumbled in disbelief, the crowd’s excitement growing as they finally understood the game Erika was playing. “This is Silver-7?”
Erika’s soft chuckles reverberated through the stadium as she lifted her small cup to her nose, closed her eyes, and breathed in the aroma. Her poisonous eyes opened, a slight smirk on her painted ruby lips.
“It takes some time to set up and is easily prevented… Flowers can be very pretty, Lori…and very deadly. You must understand, in beauty, there is poison.” Gulps could be heard throughout the stadium, and her low voice lightened with a giggle. “Not that I’m using poison…this time, at least. Janine already covered that base.”
Fear now strangling Lori’s chest, her fingers pressed against the console as the announcer chuckled from her floating platform, leering down at the stadium like an evil villainess.
“Roxie slumbers just out of reach from safety while the roots close in to strangle her. Wrapped in the warm embrace of a Sunny Day, the grasslands sing with the rich energy of Grassy Terrain, and the flower spreads her legs, soaking in nutrients for her Growth… The winds of fortune at her back, photosynthesis brings life…and if one is not careful, it can also bring death.”
Staring at her little puppy, lying defenseless, unable to so much as activate her Protect, Lori had to make a decision. Staring into Erika’s thoughtful gaze, waiting to see her decision, an ominous chill swept through the stadium as Sunla’s petals grew brighter.
Memories of all her time with Roxie, training and honing their bond with Dawn returned in that short interval. Her battle against Misty gripped her soul, along with the trauma that it had caused Miky. This was different, though. She didn’t underestimate Erika.
Amira’s words throughout their journey resurfaced in the deceptively peaceful hush that overtook the stadium. Gym Battles were meant to simulate real combat…and Roxie’s life was in danger from this kind of attack. However, in a real combat situation, she didn’t have the option of surrendering…she had to trust in her Pokemon.
Firming her resolve, she sent her Fortitude to Roxie, trusting her girl would hear her heart and wake up. Trusting her to rise to the challenge Erika was placing on them.
The Gym Leader’s soft voice was gentle, yet colder than a Blizzard as she maintained eye contact with her across the stadium. “Solar Beam.”
Protect!
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Ears jolting upright, Roxie’s eyes flashed open. Hearing the firm voice of her Trainer in her soul, a blue shell flowed around her. Vision blurry, she stumbled upright, only to see a colossal wall of golden light larger than a human car.
Lori?
“Roxie!”
In utter shock, she watched the honeycomb light surrounding her crack, piercing light shining through, and it shattered. The last thing she remembered was searing heat, and her matrix broke.
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Smashing her fist against the console, she cursed as the giant beam carved down the field, ripping up dirt, vaporizing rock, and rising straight over her in an upward arc; the platform barrier activated, protecting her from the blast. If this had been a real battle, if Roxie was all she had left, they both would be dead.
The light faded, leaving a smoking line, and Roxie was near her side of the field, lying motionless on the laser’s path. Erika’s calm, collected gaze made her want to shout at the woman. She’d wanted to see if she’d forfeit, as Rhea had done in a previous battle, and if she had, she was sure she would have given her a failing grade—that was way too real, though! But…that was Encrusted Matches.
“Roxie is unable to battle. Her secondary energy matrix is almost depleted, as well. Sunla is the winner. Prepare your next Pokemon, Challenger Lori. The plants cry for nutrients. Hehehe.”
Lori really was starting to not like this brown-haired young commentator lady; she was probably new—maybe. Recalling Roxie, she didn’t even try to whisper good job to her little puppy before shoving her Poke Ball to be taken to the In-Gym Center; her victory over that life-threatening situation would be filled with as many sweets and food as the pup wanted when this was done.
“Kub! Kub!”
Zyra… Let’s kick her petals off! We’re not going to let that slide.
Her Pokemon roared for vengeance as Terri jumped up and down, fuming at the audacity they had of hurting her big sis. Across the field, Erika remained a picture of serenity, daring them to lose their cool and make another mistake. These Gym Battles were getting more real, but that was because they were getting close to entering Gold-tier…the tier drafted for war.