Number 2 of the double update!
~~**IX**~~
The Bloom is on Axew
Gwen would have been lying if she said she wasn't confused over why Iris wanted a battle with Cilan. They'd just taken lunch - Gwen actually sat on the ground with her Pokemon as they ate - and once everything was cleared away, Iris said that she and Cilan were going to have a battle. Now Gwen sat on the sidelines and looked from Iris and Axew to Cilan and Pansage.
"Okay, can somebody fill me in?" Gwen said, "I'm lost. Iris, if you want to battle, why didn't you just ask me?" On their travels, Iris never battled. A few times Gwen asked Cilan if they could battle, especially after Gwen caught Buneary in order to work out their battle style, as well as re-familiarizing herself with Pidove. Gwen needed the practice for her up and coming Gym Battle and Cilan was happy to oblige. Iris never offered.
"No way!" Iris called. "All you'd be doing is trying to win, of course!"
"And that's a problem, why?" Gwen retorted. Though trying to win wasn't the first thing Gwen thought of when she went into battle - though it was a close second - but giving it her absolute all. Aiming to win was a byproduct of giving it her all.
"Oh Gwen," Iris ground out, "you're such a little kid. I really don't want you to use Volt Tackle on Axew just to win!"
Gwen rolled her eyes. "Pikachu knows a lot more than just Volt Tackle, you know. Like Quick Attack, and Iron Tail, and Thunderbolt-"
"Will you just butt out!" Iris hollered. "I'm not battling you! End of discussion!" Gwen sighed and waved her hand at Iris, gesturing her to get on with the battle she and Cilan were getting at. Iris responded with a curt nod before turning back to Axew. "You're raring to go, aren't you, Axew?" she said.
"Ax!" the little Dragon-Type chirped.
Iris grinned. "Now let's get this show on the road!"
"As you wish," Cilan replied. "Pansage, let's serve up just what they asked for."
"Pan! Pansage!"
Asked for? Gwen thought, an eyebrow quirking. Pikachu let out a soft inquiry as well.
She was about to get her answer as Iris gave her first order to Axew. "Watch and learn!" Iris called. "Alright, Axew! Use Scractch!" Axew wrung out his claws and...waddled toward Pansage.
Any anticipation Gwen might have felt for this battle began leaking away at the sight of Axew's inexperience. It was then she realized that she'd never seen Axew actually battle before. She was somewhat reminded of her old Caterpie way back when and felt the urge to chuckle. It was kind of endearing.
Cilan announced his counter attack. "Now Pansage, Bullet Seed. Gently."
Gwen could only stare as Pansage shot a single seed at Axew that bounced off his head before shooting one more and than another. The last one knocked Axew to the ground with tears in his eyes. What...just...happened?
"Oh no! Axew!" Iris yelped, her voice going pretty high.
Gwen couldn't take it anymore, she fell back and bellowed laughter. Iris wanted a...a...Gwen could not call this a battle. This wasn't even a slap fight. This was like a four year old gripping their father's leg to keep him from walking. A waste of time, but pretty amusing.
"Stop your laughing, Gwendolyn Lucas!" Iris screeched.
When Gwen gained some control of her laughter, she sat up. "I can't help it," she said, shifting her glasses. "Can you blame me? That was pathetic."
"Gwen," Cilan called from the other side. "Please understand that Axew's in training. This is for Axew to get used to being in battle. Iris asked and I agreed to use only twenty percent power."
Gwen turned back to Iris. "How is Axew supposed to get used to battling when his opponent is using kid gloves?"
Iris glared. "It's fine," she snapped. "Getting used to battling a little at a time is a fine way to get started."
Gwen shook her head. "Battling isn't just more fun, but more worthwhile when you really hit it." Sometimes you had to run before you walk.
"This is why I didn't ask you," Iris snapped. "Cilan is considerate to what I ask for. He and Pansage are gentlemen. They don't mind adjusting their power for us."
Gwen made to reply but Cilan spoke first. "Gwen? I suggest we let Iris do things the way they want, alright?" Resisting the urge to retort, Gwen nodded.
With Gwen finally quiet, Iris turned her attention to Axew. "You think you can go on?" she said gently.
Axew shook his head, tears falling away. "Axew!"
Iris was renewed with vigor. "Axew, you're so strong!"
"Go get 'em, Axew!" Gwen called. While she didn't agree with this kind of battle, she would still support Axew in any way she could.
"Pika pika!"
"Alright then," Iris called. "Scratch once more!" Axew's claws whitened and grew as he again waddled for Pansage.
"Pansage, block it," Cilan ordered simply. As Axew approached, Pansage grabbed the horn on his head, preventing Axew from coming close enough. Gwen fought a chuckle as Axew vainly swiped at Pansage, unable to push past Cilan's Pokemon.
Iris stomped her foot. "Come on, Cilan! Get serious!"
"I am serious," he told her with a slight grin. "It's used in Gym battles all the time. First, you stop your opponent's movement, and then attack from a distance. Pansage, Solarbeam!"
Pansage let go of Axew's horn and lept back a few paces, causing Axew to fall flat on his face. Pansage then gathered sunlight into the tuft on his head and just as Axew rose to his feet, Pansage released his attack.
Gwen felt her eyes widen as she head Cilan call for Solarbeam. That was a pretty damaging move. Wasn't Cilan supposed to be going easy on Axew? But the worried shock fell short as Pansage's Solarbeam was little more than a small ray of sunlight that poked at Axew, who fell back and screamed as if it was at full power.
Gwen face palmed. "I can't watch," she muttered.
Axew rolled backwards until Iris caught him. "Axew! Are you okay?"
"You know Iris," Gwen said without taking her hand from her eyes, "just because Cilan is using kid gloves, doesn't mean you have to."
"Oh, you think you know everything, Gwendolyn?" Iris shouted. Why she had to use Gwen's full name was beyond her. "We'll show you a real move!" Gwen moved her hand from her eyes, curious of what Iris was up to. "Axew, use Dragon Rage!" Iris called.
Dragon Rage. That was one of the most powerful Dragon-Type moves.
Axew threw back his head, a glowing blue light growing at his belly. As it gains in power, the glow moves to his mouth and he aims it toward Pansage. But instead of releasing it, Axew seemingly chokes on it and the energy explodes around him. The range is wide enough to hit Iris and Cilan and Pansage, as well as Gwen and Pikachu.
Gwen, who'd fallen back from her rock, lifted a finger. "Awesome," she muttered, looking through skewered glasses, "what a move!"
Iris nervously laughed. "Hehe. Oopsie! Messed it up!" Her head hung and her voice as well. "Messed it up again!"
The three soon settled on a thick tree root near their lunch spot that overlooked quite a bit of the surrounding forest.
"Draong Rage still isn't working right," Iris grumbled, palming her chin and leaning her elbow on her knee. "It's so frustrating!"
At her other side, Gwen grinned at Cilan, "There's a better name for Axew's Dragon Rage."
Cilan seemed to share similar thoughts. "And that name is Dragon Sneeze." Both of them sniggered. Even Pikachu laughed.
"It's not a sneeze, okay!" Iris snapped. "And in case you hadn't noticed, I'm very upset about this!"
Cilan gave her an apologetic smile. "My apologies, I was joking."
Gwen wasn't, but she was hardly going to admit it out loud. "Does Axew know any other moves?" she inquired instead.
Iris shook her head, looking down at Axew in her lap. "No. Only Scratch and Dragon Rage. That's it. Axew's...very young. While he's learned Dragon Rage, he simply can't get the hang of it. Hardly matters how many times he tries."
The trio watched as Axew hopped from Iris's lap and climbed onto another branch. He seemed to be going for the hanging apples, which he grabbed and stuck them to his tusks, leaving his hands free so he could climb back down. He returned to Iris's lap and hands her an apple.
"Those tusks sure come in handy," Cilan commented.
Iris nodded, rubbing Axew's head and taking a bite of the apple. "It's delicious. Thank you, Axew." Axew cooed happily, hopping off to probably find more.
"That kind of praise makes Axew happy," Cilan responded. "Now wonder he's off to get more fruit."
"Don't go too far!" Iris called gently.
"Go with him, Pikachu," Gwen told her Pokemon. Pikachu nodded and followed after Axew. "Well," she continued, turning back to Iris, "Axew has lots of hidden power, even if he is young. I know that, with enough practice and determination, Dragon Rage will turn out right."
Cilan nodded in agreement. "Just by the looks of that explosion, it's easy to see Axew's potential is huge."
"You think so?" Iris pondered. "Thanks guys."
"How about I help you out this time?" Gwen offered.
"It's worth a try," Cilan added. "Axew would surely be up to it, and a battle with Gwen will have the feel of the real thing."
Iris's face soured a bit before she turned her nose up. "No way, I don't want to lose."
Gwen quirked a brow. "Come on, Iris. You can't think of having those battles with Cilan all the time. No offense," she added quickly to Cilan. He didn't seem to take any. "I've had a more intense battle training my Caterpie and don't even ask me how many times we lost. I stopped counting after number eight. But we kept going, pushing through the good and the bad until he finally evolved into a Metapod, and soon after, a beautiful, strong, and resilient Butterfree. If you keep up that attitude, you're not going to allow Axew to grow the way he needs to."
"Maybe..." Iris muttered noncommittally.
That seemed to be as much as Gwen was going to get, so she changed direction. "So, where did you get Axew?" she asked. "Did you first get him as an Egg?" Gwen had had two baby Pokemon that she'd first carried as Eggs.
Iris paused before answering. "It was a gift. From the Elder of my village."
"An Elder?"
Iris nodded. "Right, from my hometown. See, back where I'm from, it's a quiet little village where they specialize in raising Dragon-Type Pokemon." She continued in telling the two of how the Elder had given her a newly hatched Axew to train into a Haxorous before beginning her journey, saying that Axew's growth would assist in her own. "That's the story. It's been a while since we began our journey, and I'm starting to realize I have to do something and fast. You see, Cilan, that's why I asked you to help me out by having a battle in the first place."
He nodded. "Makes sense."
Their conversation is interrupted by a large explosion...that sounded quite familiar. "Was that Axew's Dragon Sneeze?" Gwen wondered, forgetting that Iris didn't like it being called that.
And she noticed. "Funny!" she snapped, hopping down from the tree root. "I'm going!" Gwen and Cilan follow her.
It wasn't long before they caught up to someone, though it wasn't Axew. "Pika pi!" Pikachu lept into Gwen's arms, half hysterical.
"Pikachu, what's wrong?" Gwen asked, trying to get her Pokemon to calm down. "Where's Axew?"
"You two were supposed to together!" Iris accused. Gwen shot her a glare before turning back to her buddy. If Pikachu was this freaked out about something, he couldn't hold all the blame.
Pikachu jumped to the ground and began explaining the situation, albeit very quickly. "Pika! Pikachu! Pika! Pika pika pika! Pika pika! Pika pika!"
Gwen held up her hands. "Slow down, I can't understand you!"
"Ax!"
"Axew!" Iris cried.
"Axew! Axew!"
Suddenly, a large magenta-colored Pokemon emerges into their path. It's shook its head back and forth continuously, making the trio gaze up to see Axew hanging between its antennae.
"What's that!" Cilan gasped.
"Axew, what are you doing up there?" Iris called.
"Who's that Pokemon?" Gwen wondered, shifting her glasses and taking out her PokeDex. Scolipede, the Megapede Pokemon. Scolipede catches its opponents with great speed and attacks using horns on its head. Scolipede is highly agressive and will not give up until victorious.
"Here it comes!" Cilan called, tearing Gwen's attention from her PokeDex.
"Pika!"
And indeed the Scolipede reared its head and shot a poisonous spittle toward us that hits a nearby rock. "It used Toxic!" Cilan cried.
"Axew!" Iris cried for her Pokemon and was nearly struck by Scolipede's toxic.
"Iris, stay back!" Gwen called. "Cilan and I can handle this!" Gwen took out her Pokeball. "Buneary, I choose you!" Cilan followed her head and called out Pansage.
"Use Bulletseed!" Cilan called.
"Buneary, Ice Beam!" Gwen added. "Stop Scolipede!"
Pansage struck first, causing Scolipede to halt in its tracks while Buneary's Ice Beam made a halting wall in front of Scolipede. But the wild Pokemon doesn't remain overly hindered the the ice, pushing its weight against the wall until it shattered.
"The difference in power is simply too great!" Cilan cried. "None of our Pokemon can match it!"
Suddenly, Iris lept in front of the two. "Axew, I'll save you! Don't worry!" A Pokeball is in her hand. She seems to hesitate as she stares t the Pokeball, biting her lip. But her resolve shows as she tosses it. "Excadrill, let's go!" From her Pokeball comes a brownish-grey oval-shape with what looked like steel claws. It dropped motionless to the ground.
"What's that Pokemon?" Gwen wondered, taking out PokeDex again. Excadrill, the Subterrene Pokemon, and the evolved form of Drilbur. Excadrill can dig maze-like underground tunnels for over one hundred meters and is powerful enough to cut through thick iron plates using its steel claws. "It doesn't look like the image here," she commented, looking to Iris's Pokemon and the image on the 'Dex.
"That's because Excadrill assumes that form when it's digging its way underground," Cilan explained. "But why is it that way now when it's above ground?"
Iris knelt down to her Pokemon, placing a hand on it. "Please, Excadrill. You've got to help me out," she pleaded. Excadrill didn't move, or even make a motion that it heard her. Iris glared at it. "Forget it! I'll go it myself! Okay Cilan, you make sure Scolipede doesn't go anywhere, and I'll make my move!"
"Are you sure?" he asked.
Iris closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh, resigning herself. "I don't have any choice. You see, this is part of my trial the Elder told me about. It's my duty!"
Cilan nodded. "Of course." He turned to his Pokemon. "Pansage, use Solarbeam!" Pansage complied, gathering sunlight to the tuft on his head and harnessing the energy to shoot at Scolipede.
Gwen joined the effort. "Buneary, use Swift! And Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Both her Pokemon's attacks join Cilan's and shoot right at Scolipede, making it halt under the barrage of attacks.
With Scolipede immobile, Iris swings down from the tree she quickly climed and vaulted for Axew, curling her arm around him and swinging them both to safety. She landed just behind Scolipede, and Gwen let out a relieved breath to see both her and Axew alright.
Scolipede seemed to take notice of her though, as it turned toward her, stamping the ground and preparing to charge. In the process, it kicked the motionless Excadrill back like a soccer ball. Gwen and Cilan had to rush away as the Pokemon flew right for them. Suddenly, Excadrill began moving...burying itself within the ground, though it still retained its shape. But it appeared a second later from under Scolipede, executing a Dig attack. Excadrill unravels itself after the attack, giving it the full look of the PokeDex image.
Iris stared blankly at her Pokemon, an almost dumbfounded look on her face. "Excadrill..."
"Iris, stop goofing and give Excadrill a command!" Gwen snapped.
She sighed. "Why? Excadrill never listens to me?"
Gwen gaped. Well, that explained why she never used her Pokemon before. A powerhouse like Excadrill, who flipped up the big Scolipede, could have come in handy during a couple spots.
The battle continues without Iris, with Scolipede shooting another bat of Toxic at Excadrill, who swiped it away with ease. "Excadrill deflected Toxic?" Gwen exclaimed.
"Excadrill is a Steel-Type," Cilan explained. "Poison-Type moves won't have any effect."
Excadrill moved in on Scolipede, landing strike after strike with incredible speed and power. When it seems near the endgame, Excadrill grabs onto Scolipede's tail and tosses it back into the forest. Feeling the defeat, Scolipede retreats further into the trees. Iris called out to Scolipede. "I'm so sorry! We didn't mean to startle you!"
"Excadrill sure seems to be satisfied," Cilan said. Indeed it did, with its chin held high and the slightest smile on its mouth and eyes.
Iris turned to Excadrill. "Thank you so much for helping like that, Excadrill!"
The satisfaction Excadrill felt quickly turned to ice as it glared at Iris before curling back into its original stance. Iris visibly shrunk.
"Back to that, huh?" Cilan murmured.
Iris sighed, returning Excadrill to its Pokeball. "Nothing ever changes," she moaned. "But I know one thing: someday, when the time is right, we're gonna battle together." She knelt down to Axew's level. "Are you alright?" He nodded. "I'm so sorry it turned out to be a scary day for you."
Cilan spoke up. "You know, battling is an art form, and it takes time to perfect, like the art of cooking. Just relax and train Axew at your own pace. Of course, the same thing goes for Excadrill as well, naturally."
Iris nodded, a smile growing on her lips. "I will." She turned back to Axew. "Won't we?"
"Then how about you and I have a battle?" Gwen offered, hopeful.
Iris shook her head. "No. One thousand times, no, I'm not battling you."
Gwen tsked her tongue. "But I need to prepare myself for the Narcene Gym! I need all the practice I can get!"
Cilan placed a hand on her shoulder. "There should be a Battle Club in the next town," he told her. "Just wait and you can get in some training there."
Gwen sighed. "How long before we get there?" If Iris wasn't going to battle her, then she needed to get experience somewhere. She couldn't battle Cilan all the time. So, their next destination was the Pokemon Battle Club!
