Uploaded 06.10.17

Chapter 8 is here! Sorry for the long hiatus, I was re-visiting my notes and increasing my buffer zone. Enjoy!


Chapter 8: Day 49 - Rocks to Grind

Sandshrew paced back and forth in the throne room, turmoil tying knots in his stomach. Today was the day Aggron was arriving.

Three days earlier…

"Right, Sandshrew, y'know how I'm amazing at teaching you things?" asked his Monarch, a playful glint in her eye.

Sandshrew, slightly off-guard from the question, took a moment before responding.

"Well, you're better at reading the book than I am," he shrugged. Ribombee nodded in response.

"That's my point – I'm not, am I?"

"Don't say that! Well, you're, err…" Sandshrew tried to disagree but found he couldn't.

Ribombee chuckled.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not sad about it. In fact, it's given me an idea."

"Don't tell me you're going to teach me to read," said Sandshrew. Ribombee tilted her head.

"That can be plan B. Here's my plan. Being a Queen," she paused to pose eloquently, "I have connections. One of these is with a certain pokemon by the name of Aggron. He should be able to teach you a thing or two. He may be a bit… Enthusia –"

Sandshrew held his hand up to think.

" – Ribombee, I appreciate it but haven't we already established that I can't learn those strong moves?"

Ribombee's devious glint didn't dull for a second.

"I know, I know. But, that doesn't mean we can't teach you some other moves, now, does it?"

Sandshrew looked at Ribombee with a look of puzzlement. She elaborated:

"Rock-type moves. I think I read in that book that every ground-type has the ability to utilise Rock-type moves, although to a lesser extent. It would be useful to have more moves to use, don't you think?"

Sandshrew began to think about this. The thought of knowing some new moves was exhilarating and also exciting. Ribombee noticed the smile on Sandshrew's face.

"I'll send a letter his way."

Sandshrew was nervous. Over the previous few days, he had heard about this Aggron. Even so, nothing prepared him for the steel-type behemoth busting the doors open with a hearty laugh. Ribombee, who was a little more familiar with his ways, giggled at his hijinks.

"I heard there were a wee one needing ma help, M'lady!" He announced, his voice almost loud enough to shake the room.

"That'd be him," she replied, hitching a thumb in his direction.

He ambled forwards, heading for the mouse pokemon. He towered over Sandshrew.

"How are ye, lad?" He extended a gargantuan hand. Sandshrew gingerly shook it.

"I'm… fine, I think," he mumbled. Aggron burst into an uproarious laughter at the Sandshrew's response.

Sandshrew looked to Ribombee, who gave him a thumbs up.

"He can show you the way to the sparring room," she said to Aggron.

"A sparring room? Yer've upgraded since I was last here, M'lady!"

As they walked into the sparring room, the oaf behind the guard, Aggron marvelled at the size of the room.

"Right then, let's get right inter the nitty-gritty of it!"

Sandshrew turned to him.

"What do we do now?"

"We face each other and test our mettle, o' course!" He announced, "Standard sparring rules and, no hard feelings, right?"

Before Sandshrew could register what had been said, a plume of rocks erupted out from the ground around him, missing him by mere inches. Sandshrew reflexively retreated into his spherical shelter. He calmed his breathing as he rolled circles around the rock-type. Sandshrew could hear Aggron's deafening footsteps as the iron armour pokemon tried to keep the ball in his view. Under Sandshrew's command, the energies of the ground manifested in columns of sand that scratched and rubbed away at the sheen of Aggron's armour. In response, Aggron summoned a column of rock to elevate Sandshrew's ball, before dropping Sandshrew into a minefield of airborne rocks. They were pelted at Sandshrew's sandstone hide. Even from within his ball, Sandshrew could feel the sheer brute force of the rocks hitting him.

Changing his direction, the yellow ball summoned the energies to take form as hardened plates upon his hide. Rolling at top speed, he rammed into the Aggron. As expected, Aggron didn't falter or stumble, merely grabbing Sandshrew with steel-clad claws and throwing him on the ground. Sandshrew slowly unfurled himself, feeling pain sear through his back through the toughened plates.

"We'll stop there, lad. I might o' gotten a bit too rough with ye, sorry. It's just been a long time since I've fought wit' someone, is all!" He said in his booming voice.

Sandshrew rubbed his back, nervously laughing.

"Right then, I've seen yer technique. It's got potential but it'll take a bit o' work. Are ye ready?"

Before Sandshrew could reply, Aggron had summoned a myriad of floating rocks.

"This here is the Stealth Rock technique. I used it against ye, though ye might not o' noticed it," he said, nudging Sandshrew. The royal guard looked at each of the rocks. Each one perfectly formed, as if taken straight from a mountain and sharpened to a point. They each slowly bobbed up and down, as though floating on the waves of an invisible sea.

"Now, ye try it!"

Sandshrew closed his eyes and focused. He had learnt to hear the earth beneath him even amongst the cacophony of everyday life, no longer confined to his ball to hear such sounds.

"Rock-types are different ter ground-types. With ground-types, ye negotiate with the earth, use her strength ter aid yer own attacks. Rocks are more stubborn. You don't negotiate. You command 'em. Use strong motions ter order them around."

Sandshrew heeded this advice. He could hear the earth's energies, but he searched for something else. This wasn't sand, which was flexible and easily used, this wasn't the earth, which everywhere and held a presence that could only be persuaded. He was looking for something in between. Stubborn, but still under his command. Searching for the right noise, he found it. Without a second thought, he grabbed for the noise with his hands and swiftly threw them into the air.

"Yer doin' it, lad!"

Opening his eyes, he could see the rocks moving with his will. With broad gestures, he made them all stand to attention and stay in one place. Releasing them, they stayed there, like they were awaiting further instructions. Sandshrew smiled at this. He was no longer restricted to using sand and himself as methods of defending the Monarch.

"Now that yer've learnt one o' the basics, I think ye ready for something more difficult."

Aggron grunted with effort as he hauled some more rocks out of the ground. They shot out from beneath, leaving no hole behind, as they reached the roof. After that, Aggron flung his arms down as they all plummeted back down to the ground and back to the depths from which they came.

"I think they call this one Rock Slide. Try it," he said as he stood back.

Sandshrew, now acquainted with the feeling, was able to quickly find and reach for the rock he needed. Soon, they were hovering metres above the open space in front of them. In the span of only a few seconds, the rocks had come crashing to the ground before returning to the earth from whence they came.

"Yer a natural, lad!" he patted Sandshrew on the back. Sandshrew, through the calloused plates, could still feel the force behind it. At this rate, being unable to use powerful ground-type attacks wouldn't be a problem. Sandshrew's focus snapped back to reality as he heard a voice from the door.

"Not bad, Sandshrew," said Flareon, a judgmental look upon her face as she watched from the doorway.

"Eevee! Is that you? Yer've grown inter quite the pokemon!"

Flareon walked through the door and looked to see who had called her by a name she hadn't heard in years.

"Aggron! It's good to see you after so long!"

Sandshrew was taken aback by the cheerful sound of Flareon. The fire-type, that had always been so guarded, had quickly melted her cold persona to greet Aggron. Looking to the side, he spoke to Sandshrew:

"I taught 'er when she was a wee tyke! Yer've wanted ter be a Flareon longer than I could remember. How's it treating ye?"

Flareon embraced him.

"It's great, Aggron."

He patted her on the back.

"How about ye show me what yer've learnt? Oh! Better yet, how about ye both show me what yer'ver got? A sparring match – How's that sound?"

Flareon's eyes regained their glint of superiority to them.

"Okay. Runt? Are you ready? Maybe Aggron taught you something useful."

After walking to the edges of the room, the two got ready. This was more than a sparring match. This was a chance to settle a score and prove that Sandshrew was worthy. However, Sandshrew had to prove his skills to someone else. Himself. Maybe, just maybe, he could prove that he could get by without the help of his own type. On that thought, he recalled something he had said so long ago. I'm a ground-type that can't control the ground. What kind of royal guard does that make me?

Though, this was not the time for contemplation. He glared deep into the eyes of Flareon. At the signal given by Aggron, Sandshrew immediately jetted forward before transforming into a ball and letting loose a barrage of sand which encircled the flame pokemon, smothering her attempt at a Flame Burst. Startled by this turn of events, she couldn't react in time and avoid the yellow ball that hurtled towards her, barreling the flame pokemon against the cold stone wall.

Flareon immediately got to her feet and unleashed a flurry of Flame Bursts in his direction. Sandshrew peeled back away from Flareon as he unfurled and prepared himself. Within seconds, he had managed to hurl a selection of rocks in the direction of Flareon. Dodging and weaving through the small boulders, Flareon managed to avoid most of the rocks, although one had hit her square in the chest. The force of it toppled her to the ground. Sandshrew was a lot stronger than she remembered but that was to be expected of someone that had been taught by Aggron. She was not expecting these new attacks. Regardless, she was not going to lose to Sandshrew. Pain ebbed through her as she got to her feet.

Darting forward, she engulfed herself in flames that licked at the ground as she charged towards the mouse. With a leap, she had pinned Sandshrew to the ground. Sandshrew tried to wiggle his way out or curl into a ball. Flareon increased her temperature as embers began to flare from her tail as she stared into Sandshrew's eyes with a look of (literal) fiery determination. As a final effort, Sandshrew commanded the earth to manifest Stealth Rocks around them. At a moment's notice, they could all come crashing into Flareon. But they didn't.

"Alright, we'll leave it there, shall we?" called out the voice of the jubilant Steel-type. Flareon extinguished herself with a quick shake and Sandshrew dispersed the rocks that sunk back underground.

"Let's say we call it a draw, okay?"

Neither pokemon were very happy about that conclusion, both thinking they had that situation under control. Aggron noticed this tension and diffused it:

"Look, yer both stronger than either o' ye know. Sandshrew, I think it's say to say we made an improvement, eh?" he chuckled as he lightly jabbed the mouse on the shoulder. He got down on one knee and spoke to Flareon.

"It's great ter see ye again, Eevee. I'm glad that yer as sharp as ever."

With that, the two of them embraced once more.

"Goodbye, Aggron," said Flareon, with as warmth in her voice. Clearly, Aggron was important to her. Sandshrew watched the two as the iron armour pokemon got to his feet and began to leave.

As Aggron disappeared from view after exiting the room, Flareon turned to Sandshrew.

"I can see you smirk, runt," she said sharply, dispelling the welcoming atmosphere of the room.

Sandshrew didn't respond. Flareon sighed.

"Well, you are definitely getting stronger, I can give you that."

The yellow mouse's head whipped around to look at her. Was this the same Flareon? Had she just… complimented him?

"But don't get conceited. All it took was a strong pokemon, several weeks and none of your moves," she continued. That was the Flareon that Sandshrew knew. And with that, she, too, left.

"How'd it go?" asked the bee as she whizzed into the sparring hall.

"Pretty well. I can do a couple of rock-type moves, now."

"I heard Aggron had a lot of fun with you," she continued. She attempted to mimic his accent:

"'That Sandshrew lad has a lot o' potential, M'lady. He even went toe-to-toe with wee Eevee and held his ground – pun intended'," she coughed after hearing how bad her impression was, "By the way, is that true? You managed to draw against Flareon? You're rising up in the ranks, guard."


Sandshrew learns new moves and may be on the same level as Flareon now.

This chapter was fun! This, along with the snow day chapter, was my favourite chapter to write. My notes for Aggron were as follows: 'Aggron = Scottish Reinhardt'. Definitely one of my favourite characters, along with Chikorita and Flareon. Sandshrew is now a bit more capable in combat, which is good.

Thanks again to my beta-reading friend! Your comments were useful and humorous.

The next chapter will be up kind of soon. You're going to want to read it...