Thanks to all those following the story already!
Just a few things: chapter length will range from short to long, and I will try my best to update at least twice a week if not more.
Just as Glynda announced the start of the match, a holographic projection appeared on the large wall behind her. The health bars of both Jaune and Cardin's Pokemon popped up and filled to green in an instant. They wouldn't stay that way for long, however.
"Get 'em, Rhyhorn!" Cardin shouted, pointing at his target, "Use Megahorn!"
The ground shaking with every running step it took, Rhydon lowered its head so its nose horn could strike Dunsparce. Jaune knew such a powerful attack was a bit easier to dodge, and Dunsparce could take advantage of him missing.
"Use Dig, Dunsparce!" Arc ordered. Its tail beginning to spin, his small snake quickly burrowed backwards into the dirt floor as Rhydon swung its head right above it.
"Wait, Jaune-!" Pyrrha shouted upon realizing that it may not have been such a smart play after all, but stopped herself. She would have yelled for him to call Dunsparce back out of the ground, but helping another classmate was against the rules. She looked at Ren, who must have also figured out the same thing she just had.
"This won't end well," he said to her, sighing.
Not hearing Pyrrha's brief warning, Jaune couldn't help but feel a bit cocky for getting the brief upper hand. "Weren't expecting that, were you Cardin?" he smirked at his opponent.
Cardin grinned right back at him. He had the perfect counter to Arc's strategy. "Actually, I was. Use Earthquake!"
With a powerful stomp, Rhydon caused an enormous tremor in the ground, the force displacing the field into a jagged mess of earth and cement. It was a good thing that a force field separated the seats from the battle area, or else there would be dozens of students filing injury claims.
"Crap!" Jaune winced. A regular Earthquake attack would have done a huge chunk of damage to Dunsparce's health: taking one while under the ground had just done double that damage! He saw his Pokemon's HP meter had already reached the red, leaving his chances of winning this match slim to none.
From under the rubble, a weak Dunsparce shot up with what little strength it had to strike the horned Pokemon in the belly. Rhydon stumbled backward from the blow to its less armored area, but shook off the attack like nothing.
"Dunsparce!" Jaune called out, trying to think of his next move, "Use-
"Finish it, Rhydon!" Cardin interrupted, smashing his fists together, "Stone Edge!"
With one final stomp, Rhydon forced a cluster of pointed rocks to erupt from under Dunsparce. The strength of the impact sent the snake flying upwards, nearly hitting the ceiling before crashing to the ground just in front of Jaune's feet.
"And that is the match," Glynda stated, the holographic screen wiping away Dunsparce's empty HP meter. Jaune knelt down to check on his Pokemon, holding back from looking at his classmates whose judgmental eyes he knew were fixated on him. Goodwitch walked over to him, handing him a Max Revive. "I am afraid that you still have much to improve on, Mr. Arc. I will give you some credit for not backing down from the battle; however, I expect you to have much more to show for yourself next time."
"Yes, Miss Goodwitch," Arc said quietly. Across the field, both Cardin and Rhydon were laughing at him.
"Nice work, Jauney-boy!" Cardin said sarcastically, "You sure showed me your skill! Ha!"
"Enough Mr. Winchester!" Glynda scolded, "Return to your seats, both of you. Mr. Thrush, Miss Adel. You two are up next."
As the next match started, Jaune slumped back into his seat. Pyrrha gazed at the beaten boy from the corner of her eye, that sense of helplessness coming back again. "You did your best, Jaune," she said, offering all she could to him right now. Jaune didn't reply, sitting there silently with Dunsparce still in his lap. He hadn't even used the Max Revive yet, still clutching it tightly in his shaking hand.
"Order up!"
Just after class ended Jaune, Pyrrha and Ren had decided to visit a café just off of campus to help the former clear his head. Luckily, Cardin had decided that he had humiliated Arc enough today, and didn't wait to pick on him after class was dismissed. Still, the damage had been done.
"Here you go, Jaune," Velvet Scarlatina smiled, the barista's Lopunny bringing over a tray of drinks to him, "One lavender tea, one vanilla iced coffee and a glass of water."
"Thanks, Velvet," Jaune said, putting a few coins in the money-tight student's tip jar before returning to his friends at their table. He noticed Dunsparce had dozed off in his seat, and he gently placed the snake on the ground. "Poor guy is still exhausted…"
"Don't let it keep you down, Jaune," Pyrrha consoled, sipping from her straw, "We all lose a battle every once and a while. The best way to move forward is to keep training."
"I know, I know," Jaune replied, exasperated, "If it was anyone other than Cardin, I might have had a chance. Dunsparce doesn't really match up well against a Rhydon, and he knew it. Man, if only I had a Blastoise I could send that jerkoff packing..."
"But you don't," Ren followed, always the realist, "Which means you have to work even harder with Dunsparce to gain that victory."
"Couldn't you lend me Serperior for just a day Ren? I know she still acts stuck up with you sometimes, but maybe curb-stomping a total d-bag will change her attitude?"
Ren sighed, peering over across the room where his grass serpent was coiled in a ball, absorbing the sun's rays through a glass roof. It opened one red eye to look at its trainer before dozing off again. "I doubt that very much."
"Guess you're right…" Jaune trailed off, watching cars pass by on the street outside the café. People and their Pokemon, coming and going, hopping from region to region… and here he was, stuck and struggling to even pass the grade. "…You guys don't think I-
"No, Jaune," Pyrrha stopped him before he could go any further. She had heard this conversation before. "You belong here just like the rest of us. Not everyone's journey is the same. Overcoming one that is more difficult just makes achieving your dream even more satisfying." Subconsciously, Pyrrha had let her hand slide softly over his on the table. Jaune hadn't noticed, only feeling the whoosh of air as she quickly retracted it with a hint of blush in her cheeks.
"What'll be really satisfying is seeing Cardin's face when I finally show him up."
"You're letting him win, Jaune," Ren chimed in, "He wants to get under your skin. I'm not saying you defeating him is a bad thing, but try not to get obsessed with it."
"I can't do much else with him constantly screwing with me, Ren! I gotta make him see that messing with me was a bad idea."
Pyrrha played with her straw to cover her anxiety; she didn't like seeing a Jaune craving for revenge. It was far from the part of him she admired most. "How about we take a walk after this, Jaune? A stroll through the Johto Garden, maybe?"
"That doesn't sound half bad, actually," Jaune said, "I haven't gone there to feed the Goldeen in a while, anyways. Dunsparce enjoys it too. It'll help take our mind off things."
With their plan for the afternoon finalized, Ren's phone began to buzz. He pulled it out of his pocket to read the message. He stood up, taking his drink and slinging his knapsack over his shoulder. "Time for me to head on out, it seems."
"Nora?" Jaune asked, to which Ren nodded.
"She just got out of class. Don't let her know we came here without her. I still have her on that caffeine ban."
"I swear, you two are more like father and daughter than a couple sometimes."
"I think it's just sweet," Pyrrha smiled, "You two enjoy yourselves."
"Same to you guys," Ren waved, returning Serperior to her Pokeball before walking out the door. Sighing to himself, Jaune picked Dunsparce up under his arm. The snake was heavy for his size, but he was used to the weight after carrying the lazy pudge for years.
"After you," Jaune said, gesturing for Pyrrha to go first. She giggled at him as she pushed her chair in.
"Someone is feeling like a gentleman today."
"That, and I don't remember how to get to the garden from here," he answered sheepishly.
"It seems I need to teach you about directions in addition to our usual battling lessons," Pyrrha said as they walked out the door, Velvet calling out to them to stop back soon. They took a right down the block and continued to talk, unaware of the small black bird eyeing them from atop a parked car. A large semi-truck halted in front of it at a stop light, interrupting its view of the two students. By the time it drove away, the Dark-type Pokemon was gone, as if it had never been there at all.