Chapter 2
Jaylon pushed through the crowd hastily. He had to see what was going on! He heard an old man yelling out at the crowd and made for the call. He was finally able to see an old guy with a full head of grey hair and in a strait jacket being hauled down to a van.
The brown haired boy watched as after him a Manetric in a muzzle was led out. Was this old guy an electric leader? Jaylon had known this old guy for his places on honor at the mayor's announcements and other city functions, but he had never seen Watson's Pokémon before.
Jaylon could only watch the coot being loaded into the van, along with his Manetric. The door slammed on them and the van began to rattle off the Sunny Beaches in Slateport City. The reporters began to talk quickly to their cameras, fervent on getting the report in first.
The boy observed the barbaric actions of publicizing this injustice. Watson had been hauled off and the reporters were cheering. They didn't understand that a trainer and gym leader was a protector of people and a mediator to Pokémon.
Suddenly, he jumped and shuddered at the same time. He just saw an old team-mate standing by, being interviewed by one of the barbarians! Vekra had shown her face again. Jaylon clenched his hands in rage. She had deserted them and had never said one kind word to him. After this crowd left, he'd challenge her to a battle! She deserved nothing better than to be taught a lesson!
Agent J watched the traitor talk about her knowledge of Watson and why he was slightly insane. She finished the interview with a serious glare. After the camera flicked off, Vekra asked the reporter a question. The female reporter shrugged her shoulders and said in her loud reporting voice, "Why do you care? It'll be knocked down eventually after all the power generators are taken out."
The blonde girl shrugged and turned to a tall lanky youth with a chunky Makuhita.
The crowd was thinning and Jaylon saw his chance. He strolled up, holding his anger the best he could. He neared her and placed his hand gruffly on her shoulder. He whispered in her ear, "It's about time I saw you again!" Agent J let every single ounce of hate heard in his statement.
Vekra whipped around quickly and angrily. She pulled out a Pokéball before she realized who was talking to her. She hid her anger in her face as well. "Oh, hi," She growled hostilely.
The gangly boy gaped in surprise. "Vekra, who's dis guy?" he was tall and very loud.
Jaylon glared at Vekra with hatred. "I can't pass up this opportunity; lets fight each other's Pokémon and see if following the right orders was the best idea!" he whipped out Oan's Pokéball, ready to call out his Gulpin.
Forte was utterly confused and looking between both of them to see if they could hint at what was going on.
Vekra laughed coldly. Jaylon swore he saw icicles hanging in her mouth from her icy soul. "You don't have a chance in high heaven of beating me with your pathetic Pokémon."
"Try me!" Agent J called out Oan. The green blob plopped on the Mauville cobbles and blinked its small eyes sleepily. Oan immediately felt his trainer's hate and thought to feel the same way toward any Pokémon that appeared.
Vekra pointed at the blob and laughed. "You call that a Pokémon? It's a living blob! You can't ever hope to amount to anything with that stupid Pokémon on your team!"
Oan puffed out indignantly.
Agent J didn't agree with her. "Oh yeah, call out a Pokémon and show me what it's got!"
"Why are we some violent all of the sudden?" Forte bellowed and held up his hands. His Makuhita thumped to the ground and watched the small Gulpin wait patiently.
"I've got to show up a snotty, naïve kid that calls himself an agent!" Vekra twirled her Pokéball in a show of dexterity.
"Just get the fight started already, or I might tell Oan here to spit some lovely sludge all over your trendy clothes!" Jaylon threatened. His rage for her was so complete that he didn't care about being seen as a trainer or care about Watson's fate. He wanted to smash her to the ground for all her snootiness.
"I'll send out a Pokémon who has a weakness to poison and still beat you!" She finally chose her Pokémon and it emerged out in the customary flash of red. This Pokémon looked slightly like Zuni the Treecko, but a bit older and with a long leaf on top of its head. The Pokédex beeped in his bag and read, "Grovyle…" the rest he didn't pay any attention to.
Zuni the Grovyle hadn't lost its quirkiness. He jumped up and down and tried to blow a tune of his leaf on his head. He only produced a spitting sound before he gave up and bowed happily.
"You evolved your starter too? Oan can totally take on a Grovyle; all he has to do is poison him." Jaylon smirked. Even though the Grovyle was impressive, he knew that Oan could win.
"Ok, fight!" Vekra snapped and pointed towards the blob on the ground. "Zuni, use leaf-blade!"
Jaylon ordered Oan to spit up a sludge attack.
Zuni dashed forward with amazing speed. Within seconds of the ordered attack, he was slicing at Oan's blubbery skin with the leaves at his arms. The blows glanced off the slow Gulpin and didn't cause a whole lot of damage, but the constant jiggling of his skin stopped Oan from aiming his sludge right. A blob of purple goo flew over and began to dissolve a section of the street.
Zuni the Grovyle jumped back and grinned. Jaylon could tell that the Grovyle's trainer was rubbing off on him; he had a cold glitter in his eye. The green gecko Pokémon waited for the confused Gulpin to attack.
Oan blinked and tried to control its still jiggling blubber. It frowned and spat out a small blob of sludge. Zuni saw the attack and nimbly leapt out of the way. Zuni jumped on Oan's head and began to stomp right and left on the Pokémon's skull.
The small Gulpin whimpered in pain under the weight. It suddenly yawned; its huge mouth unhinging to reveal its full capacity. Zuni the Grovyle slid off and regarded the opponent Pokémon from the back. The yawn attack had missed.
Without orders, the lithe gecko Pokémon leapt in front of the open mouthed Gulpin and fired a 'bullet-seed' attack into the gaping maw. The stinging seeds began to fill up the maw.
Oan winced and closed his mouth and tried to digest the seeds. Maybe they would taste good…
"Oan, split them back out at the Grovyle! Cover them with sludge!" Jaylon cleverly called out to his Pokémon. Oan forgot about eating the seeds and opened his puckered mouth slightly. He forced out the seeds with a slight covering of poison.
Zuni had heard the rival command and had begun jumping about to dodge the projectiles. None of the poison seeds hit the quick gecko Pokémon. Zuni smiled and launched himself back in range. He sliced at the blubbery opponent again, with little luck on hurting him.
Oan was too slow to inflict any damage either.
Jaylon knew it was going to be a draw, so he dutifully called back Oan.
"What are you doing? Neither of them has fainted!" Vekra demanded. She was clearly used to an all-knockout type of battle.
"The fight will be a draw; I just want to spare Oan from the long fight that will end up pointless." Jaylon smiled haughtily. She didn't respect her Pokémon! He bet that if she had been a death's doorstep, being attacked by a Zangoose like he had, she wouldn't have a loyal Pokémon to defend her! "Return Zuni and we can continue this match for all of our Pokémon."
"You've got four Pokémon?" She narrowed her eyes. Zuni tilted his head, as if eager to meet new Pokémon to play with.
"Yep!" Jaylon declared and sent out his second Pokémon. He chose Dooma, his quiet Ninjask. "I bet you though I'd never do anything useful with a bug, but here it is. She's super-fast!" he bragged over Dooma. The black and golden bug waved its claws modestly.
The blonde girl smiled wickedly. "You still have that weak Pokémon that this stupid Raquaza gave us? I got rid of my Geodude once I got in this town!" She flung the second Pokéball in the air, this one a specialty design.
Vekra's second member on her team was a battle worn Trapinch. It was orange and had the biggest head possible for any Pokémon. It had stars for eyes and it had tiny little bug-looking feet to keep it up. The Pokédex beeped again, but Jaylon ignored it again. He didn't need facts to know how to beat this one; he could depend on his Pokémon for that.
Zuni danced around the Trapinch happily. "Gro!" it croaked.
Vekra hastily returned her dancing Pokémon.
Forte watched in amazement at his second witnessed battle, his first being Vekra's showdown with Watson. This new guy certainly didn't like Vekra and fought with a vengeance, but he knew when to give up for his Pokémon. Was there a right way to battle Pokémon, or were there many ways?
Agent J cheered on his insect Pokémon. "Go on now, Dooma. Show snobby Vekra what speed means!" it disturbed him that she had gotten rid of her Geodude. Had she released it back to the wild? But I thought we were supposed to raise the Pokémon we didn't like as well as the ones we did… clearly, she wasn't going to listen to this Raquaza person.
His Ninjask faithfully began to dart around. Slow at first, but increasing speed little by little. Jaylon had learned that the longer Dooma fought, the faster she would get.
The small orange Pokémon blinked slowly at the flying Pokeomn. Vekra had chosen the wrong Pokémon for this match; it was ground-type, and had no effect on flying-type Pokémon.
Vekra was unabashed. She pointed to the battle field and dramatically called for the Trapinch to bite its opponent. The small Pokémon sat patiently, not once moving.
Jaylon didn't know what was going on. He instead ordered Dooma to aim a slash attack at it.
"Now, Trapinch!" Vekra yelled as the small black bug zipped in for a slash attack.
Quicker than he could track with his eyes, the big-headed Pokémon launched into action. The orange Trapinch burst forward and nearly swallowed Dooma with its huge jaws before she could dodge. Dooma's claws hung out of the huge orange jaws and Jaylon winced as he heard a crunch of broken exoskeleton.
"No! Dooma!" Jaylon ran to the Trapinch and tried to pry its maw open. The bug-like Pokémon refused to move. The golden claw sticking out of the jaws twitched. Enraged at the brutality, Jaylon screamed at Vekra, "What are you doing? Let me get her out of your Pokémon's mouth!"
The blonde girl sneered down at him. "Oops, it looks like Raquaza gave you a faulty Pokémon!"
Jaylon ground his teeth. Without a different choice, he pulled out his Pokéball and returned his Ninjask. Hopefully she would be ok in her Pokéball. After this, he would run to the Pokémon center for Dooma.
"Looks like I win this round. Do you want to send out your darling Combusken to beat up this one?" She laughed.
The Trapinch clacked its jaws, wondering where it opponent had gone.
"No way, I want a single one-on-one match. Return that beast!" Jaylon stepped back within the invisible line of skirmish. He glanced at his two remaining Pokémon. He could use his darling starter, or he could test of Rain in her first battle.
The blonde girl rolled her eyes and returned her mega-strong Pokémon. "You take all the fun out of battles. You should have seen me against Watson, we kicked serious butt!" She pointed at the gangly boy on the sidelines, "Forte saw the whole thing, didn't you?"
The tanned boy nodded, but held a sick expression on his face. Jaylon couldn't blame him. He didn't know that she had picked up a sidekick. Maybe when he won the next match, he could taunt her about it.
The brown haired boy called out his third Pokémon. "I choose you, Rain!"
Rain the Zangoose appeared in front of him. The white and red Pokémon casually looked around and observed the human girl standing with a Pokéball in her hand. "Goose Zan-Zangoose-goose, goose Zan, Zan [What is this crap? Is this a bloody battle?]"
"Yes, Rain, this is your first battle with me as your trainer!" Jaylon acted happy, even though rage was burning in his heart.
"Goose-goose-goose Zan [You smell of hate.]" the Zangoose observed.
"What is this, are you inferring that you can understand that Pokémon?" Vekra glared. She threw out her third choice, a cylindrical blue metal-looking Pokémon that had one red eye. "My Beldum can crush your new Zangoose!"
"Beldum, the Iron Ball Pokémon…" the Pokédex chirped.
The metal leg-looking Pokémon hovered in the air, patiently waiting for an attack.
"Ok Rain, you understand how a battle works? I tell you what move to use, and you obey, got it?" Jaylon smiled at his speaking Pokémon.
"Goose, goose Zan, Zan, Zan-an Gooooose[Since when did I agree to this?]" Rain spat back, her anger rising to match his own. Her white fur began to rise, making her look bigger than just four feet tall. She took several steps in a circle and ended facing her trainer instead of the intended opponent, Beldum.
"Why are you talking to your Pokémon? Order it to fight!" Vekra Ashcroft was growing impatient. "I want to show off my new Pokémon!"
"Fine, gosh…" Jaylon rolled his eyes at his former teammate. "Rain, kick that Beldum's butt… if it has a butt that is. I don't know; it just looks like a leg to me." Jaylon jumped in shock at the murderous look from the blonde girl. "Ah! Ok, use a 'quick-attack'!"
Rain gave a wicked grin and held up her long, black claws. "Zangoose Zan [Of course I will…]" She rose to her back two legs: a sign of aggression.
"Rain, you do know that you attack the Beldum, right?" Jaylon stepped back and held up his hands.
The white and red Pokémon smiled, showing its pointed teeth. She hissed and launched herself with amazing speed at him. Jaylon yelled as his own Pokémon attacked him. He didn't cower for long; he fought back like he did in the Pokémon Center in Fallabor. He grabbed the red arms of the Zangoose on top of him and made sure that she wouldn't rip into his flesh.
Vekra glowered. "Not only does he send out a disobedient Pokémon, he fights it himself. Beldum, I think we are being insulted. Use 'take-down' on the both of them."
The Beldum dully obeyed. It hovered with its magnetism and sent itself speeding at the white Pokémon and human underneath. It knew that the move 'take-down' was a move that caused recoil. It didn't like it, but that was frankly the only move in its arsenal.
The metal leg Pokémon collided with the human and Pokémon, sending both sprawling. The Beldum flinched as it was hurt as well from the blow.
Jaylon rolled on the cobble-ground, and then came to a stop. Ouch, did she just hit me with a Pokémon attack? He really hated Vekra! The brown haired boy looked up and saw Rain. She was standing on her back two legs and raising her claws high in the air. But this time, she was hissing obscene curses at the Beldum. The boy smiled to himself. Maybe this Zangoose wasn't completely un-trainable!
Rain hissed once more and ran at the blue metal thing with a powerful attack. She slashed her long claws at the Beldum's side, using a high powered 'slash' attack.
The blow did little to the metal Pokémon, not even a scratch was made!
Rain jumped back and began to cradle her smarting claws. Had she swiped any harder on that Pokémon, and her claws would have been shattered on impact. It had much too hard a covering to puncture.
Vekra laughed at the cat-ferret's pain. "Your Pokémon is hardly trained at all!" She addressed the trainer, "And what's more, it can't even put a dent in Beldum's armor! Maybe you should forfeit this one, just like last time."
Jaylon stood to his feet and dusted himself off. "What do you think Rain?" he ground his teeth in frustration.
The female Zangoose hissed some nasty curse words and she yowled out a blood-lusting cry. In other words, she was far from over! Rain attacked once more, but instead of swiping at the Beldum's armor, she aimed at the only weak spot it could have, the eye!
The metal Pokémon saw the evil intent and hovered higher in the sky to avoid becoming blind. It might have been a metal and machine-looking Pokémon, but it had feelings too! It didn't want to get its eyes gouged, so it hovered in fear.
"Get down there and give it a 'take-down', Beldum! Come on, I didn't get you just for you to hover like a balloon!" Vekra ordered.
Beldum looked down at the Zangoose below it. It heard her say, Come on, your trainer says! If you get within inches of me, you will lose your one eye! Beldum didn't listen to Vekra, it stayed up in the sky, happy to still see.
Jaylon saw the dilemma and smiled. This round he would win! "Forfeit your Pokémon, Vekra. Your Pokémon doesn't want to be blinded by Rain."
"What do you mean? I'm not giving up! Beldum, get the Zangoose!" she shouted.
Forte glanced at his Makuhita. The little chubby Pokémon looked back quizzically. "Do ya think this is what Pokémon battles are all about; maiming the other? Maybe it's a good thing we only do contests." The gangly teen watched the stalemate in horror. "I'd hate to fight I thing that threatened to take out my eyes."
The Beldum finally gave in to its trainer's demands. It hastily modified its magnetism to let it fall to the ground instead of repelling against it. The Beldum let itself fall claws first. As a second precaution, it closed its lone eye as if the black, wimpy skin would be good enough protection from a Zangoose's claw.
Beldum plummeted to the ground, missing the Zangoose due to its eye being closed. Rain hissed triumphantly and raised her claws for the maiming blow.
The metal Pokémon opened its eye to see what had happened, then it froze, eye wide open in fear. It couldn't move and it watched as the black claw engulfed its vision.
Vekra gasped as she finally saw what the Zangoose was planning, but it was too late for her to do anything. No, her custom ordered rare Pokémon couldn't be wounded like this!
In a blink of an eye, a miraculous thing happened.