Chapter 9
"This breeze feels amazing," Kade commented, feeling his hair blow with the wind.
"It feels great to be out of the woods," Zero huffed. Zorua jumped to and from his shoulders as Ralts hung on Kade's neck, giggling from the piggy back ride.
"I bet there are some different Pokemon in these parts," Kade thought aloud. He began to look around.
"I'm sure there are," Zero agreed.
"What is that?" Kade shrieked. Ralts jumped down to sense what it was. A chubby Pokemon stared them in the eyes and darted into the grass. The Pokemon was a grayish green color with a cream belly. Kade instantly chased after it.
"Not again," Zero grunted as he chased after his twin.
"Kade, slow down!" Zero screeched. Zorua and Ralts fought to keep up with the sprinting trainer.
"No! I'm not losing this one like I lost that Yanma!" Kade sped up as the chubby Pokémon began to get farther and farther away.
"Electrike, use Thunder Wave!" Kade yelled as he stopped in his tracks and launched his Poké Ball in the air. The ball opened in mid air, releasing Electrike. The Electric-type fired a blue electric blast, connecting with the Pokémon's back It rolled forward and grunted, exhausted by the short chase. Kade grinned and ran to his Electrike. Zero, Zorua, and Ralts caught up to him, and they eyed the groaning Pokémon.
"It is a Munchlax," Zero huffed. He was never the running type, but his twin constantly made him do it. Ralts cheered, and Zorua coed happily. The Munchlax got up and rubbed his back.
"What do we do now?" Kade quizzed. Zero hit him on the back of the head.
"You have to battle it! You're the one that chased after it!"
Munchlax turned around and glared at Electrike. The chubby Pokémon pulled a berry out a skin pocket and ate it. The berry sent shivers down his body, but he seemed to move better.
"That's kind of disgusting," Zero mumbled.
"I'm going to battle you, Munchlax," Kade ordered.
Munchlax put his hand to his chin and appeared to be thinking deeply. He twisted his head a couple of times, shook it, and darted off.
"NO!" Kade yelled. Electrike took off as Ralts sunk into his own shadow.
"Lax!" The Normal-type cried as he shot up in the air. Ralts did a superman pose as he lunged out from his shadow, smashing his body into the chubby Pokémon.
"That was a hard hit," Zero commented. Munchlax hit the ground, but quickly shot up. He charged Ralts and stuck his tongue out. In a sudden fury of confusion and surprise, Munchlax licked Ralts across the face. Ralts tried move after the Lick, but he was quickly frozen in place.
"Use your ability!" Ralts began to chime loudly and shot a yellow beam at the Normal Pokémon. Munchlax stopped in his tracks, his feet seemingly glued to the ground.
"Yeah!" Kade cheered. "Use Confusion!" Ralts, from his paralyzed state, began to glow purple. Munchlax was thrown forward, smashing his face into the hard ground.
"Yeah!" Kade cheered once more. He enlarged a Poké Ball and threw it at the wild Pokémon. The Poké Ball bounced off his chubby rolls, and he succumbed to it. The ball wiggled twice and then exploded open.
"Lax," the Norma- type grunted. He charged forward and smacked into Ralts, knocking him into the grass.
"Ralts, use Toxic!" Ralts stood up and paused. He took a deep breath and gulped loudly before spitting a purple, poisonous, liquid ooze from his mouth. The ooze smashed into Munchlax's face. He cringed in pain as the poison seeped into his skin.
"Poké Ball!" Kade shouted. Another Poké Ball bounced off Munchlax, but this time it sucked in the Pokémon, and he popped straight out.
Zero crossed his arms and smiled. "Just the type of battle that Kade needs, don't ya think, Zorua?" Zorua nodded and laughed.
"Munch munch!" Munchlax grunted. He struggled to stand, falling to one knee. Kade stared him down, and Munchlax glared back. Munchlax lifted his hands, pointing a finger from each hand into the air. A white glow emitted from his fingers, and he started to move them from side to side in rhythm.
"Umm…Kade…he is using Metronome!" Zero warned. He quickly grabbed Zorua and covered him. Munchlax opened his mouth and starting sucking in solar energy.
"Double Team!" Kade yelled. He grabbed Electrike and dove for the ground, along with his twin. Ralts spread copies of himself around the field to confuse the poisoned and paralyzed Munchlax.
"LAX!" Munchlax shrieked as the Solarbeam blasted from his mouth. The solar attack destroyed dozens of copies, but Ralts snuck into his shadow to smash, once more, into the Normal-type. Munchlax fell to the ground, completely unconscious.
The twins stared off at him. Every single capture for them had been some new adventure. Drapion almost killed them, Electrike was attacked and needed to be save, Duskull and Leavanny were part of a PokéMob, and now Kade could capture a very inflexible Munchlax.
The two stood up and trudged over to Munchlax. Zero stayed behind by a few feet, not wanting to have to join the battle. Electrike pawed at the downed Munchlax.
"Now, go Poké Ball," Kade sighed. He threw his third Poké Ball and it succumbed Munchlax again. The Poké Ball wiggled back and forth and finally clicked.
"Yes!" Kade cheered. He picked up his newly caught Munchlax and kissed the Poké Ball.
"That was some catch," Zero chuckled. "Now how about we get off this trail?"
"I'm so tired of walking," Kade complained. His head fell below his shoulders. The setting sun forced his eyes to squint to block the bright rays.
"Well the sun is getting low, and we are nowhere close to civilization, so let's stop here for the night," Zero suggested, dropping his bag on the ground.
"Let's not waste the rest of the day though," Kade thought aloud, "let's have a battle!" Zero thought on the idea and eventually nodded.
"Two on two?" Zero asked, pulling out the Battle Box, the battlefield hologram, and threw it out in the open. The box scanned the area and flashed a bright yellow light that displayed a rectangle field complete with two trainers' boxes and a single circle in the middle.
"I still can't get over how cool that is," Kade awed. He walked into his trainers box as Zero rounded the field and stepped in as well. The box shot out a small antenna out of the top and it began to beep.
"Battle recording," the box beeped. "The battle may start now."
Kade held out his Poké Ball. "I haven't gotten a lot of opportunities to battle with this Pokémon, so this is a good chance to! Leavanny, let's go!" Leavanny burst from her Poké Ball and landed on the field. She crossed her arms and smiled at Zero.
Zero pulled his Poké Ball from one of the straps that hung from his belt. He grinned and without a word, tossed it into the air. Duskull appeared and danced around happily. He noticed that he was pitted against Leavanny, and he got serious.
"We'll start! Leavanny, use Razor Leaf!" Kade ordered.
Leavanny swung her arms forward, tossing leaves from them.
"Rapid fire Shadow Ball!"
Duskull flipped through the air, releasing many orbs from his body. The orbs smashed into the leaves, destroying them completely. A few orbs were let through, smashing into Leavanny and throwing her back a little.
"Keep them going!" Zero yelled, knowing that Leavanny did not stand a chance going against Duskull. Or so he thought.
"String Shot!" Kade commanded, a wide grin on his face.
Leavanny doubled over and looked at Duskull. A smooth, silky string blew from Leavanny's mouth. The string wrapped around a set of the Shadow Balls, and she began to spin.
"Now release!"
Leavanny bit down onto the string, letting it go. The Shadow Balls flew fast, colliding with Duskull and pushing him back.
"Duskull!" Zero screamed, watching his Pokémon waver around weakly.
Duskull shook his body and straightened out. He glared at Leavanny, ready to battle hard.
Zero grinned. The way that Duskull wanted to continue fighting inspired him. "Good! Let's use Shadow Sneak!"
Duskull fell to the ground, sinking into his shadow. His shadow darted frantically across the field before darting in front Leavanny. Duskull emerged from under Leavanny, throwing her into the air.
"Slash!" Kade ordered. Zero smiled.
Leavanny gained speed as she fell. She sliced one of her long claws at Duskull, but went right through, meeting with the ground.
"C'mon, Kade! That is one of the more commonly known facts about Pokémon! Normal-types won't affect my Duskull!" Zero laughed.
"No, but it'll give me an opening!" Kade snapped. He had a smile on his face. "Razor Leaf!"
Leavanny whipped around, crossing her arms and swiping them towards Duskull. Leaves raced from her, pounding into Duskull and forcing him farther into the air.
Zero never knew that Kade could come up with a strategy like that. Kade was always the trainer that never thought anything through. Their journey had already started to change the way Kade was battling, or so Zero thought.
"Night Shade!" Zero ordered.
Two red, sporadic beams flew from Duskull's eyes. The beams connected with Leavanny, pushing her down. Leavanny raised her arms and cut through the beams, destroying them.
"Now, Bug Bite!"
Leavanny squatted before lunging forward. Her fangs started to glow white, expanding in size. She clamped them onto Duskull and started to toss Duskull around in her mouth. She threw Duskull at the ground, slamming him hard and making an explosion.
When the dust cleared from the air, Duskull was revealed to not be able to continue. Kade felt bad. He knew that Duskull was extremely weak from battling with Braiden.
Zero lifted his Poké Ball and returned Duskull. He turned to Zorua and nodded. "I'll be using Zorua. I would have usually used Drapion, but after her battle with Mamoswine, I don't think that's a good idea."
Zorua took his spot on the field. He pawed at the ground playfully, knowing this would not be an easy battle.
"Let's start this off with Aerial Ace!" Zero ordered.
Zorua flung his body forward, white streaks following him. He checked Leavanny a few feet back. Leavanny fell to one knee, not able to take the attack.
"Faint Attack!" Zero called.
"Defend using Slash!" Kade countered.
Zorua dashed around the field, seemingly making copies. He appeared behind Leavanny and prepared to attack. Leavanny turned around and swung her arm at Zorua. She knocked him away, but Zero was not done yet.
"Finish this with Aerial Ace!" Zero yelled.
Using the energy that Zorua had garnered with his last attack, he was able to dart quickly at Leavanny. He smashed into her, tossing her to the ground in a heap. The Bug-type's body stayed limp.
"I guess that's the end of the road for Leavanny," Kade said, gritting his teeth. He did not even get a real attack in on Zorua. Leavanny materialized back into her ball, disappearing from the world.
Kade drew out his next Poké Ball, grinning, because he had the perfect strategy to beat Zero. With a simple toss, Electrike formed onto the field, taking an immediate fighting pose.
"We'll start with Tackle!" Kade announced, pointing onto the field.
Electrike bounded across the field. Before Zorua could respond, Electrike smashed into him, checking him back to Zero. Zorua did a back flip and landed right in front of Zero.
"Rapid-fire Shadow Ball!"
"Respond with rapid-fire Electro Ball!"
Both Pokémon leapt into the air and started to spin forward, creating energy and in-turn, creating their attacks. They released many of the Electro and Shadow Balls, some colliding with each other, and others escaping and smashing into the Pokémon. They both fell to the ground, but neither looked worn out.
"Tackle!" Kade ordered.
Electrike started a run for Zorua, hoping to end it here. But Zero had the perfect response.
"Sucker Punch!" Zero commanded.
Zorua nodded and waited for Electrike to get closer. As soon as Electrike was within range, Zorua dashed forward, ducked and smashed his skull into Electrike's shoulder, throwing her into the air.
Zero smiled, his strategy working. "Now, Aerial Ace!"
Zorua took in energy and jolted forward. Zorua's body covered with white streaks, he smashed into Electrike, forcing her to the ground. Electrike skid against the ground hard, pulling up some dirt and grass. Her body quivering, Electrike pulled herself back up. She howled into the air, boosting her confidence and bringing up her attack power.
"I love it when you do that!" Kade called, also feeling the energy.
"Faint Attack!" Zero commanded, not letting Kade get the best of him.
Zorua flashed around the field, creating faded copies of himself. He appeared in front of Electrike and prepared to attack.
"Thunder Wave!"
Before Zorua could get any closer, blue sparks emitted from Electrike's coat. They entered Zorua's body, making him step back a few inches.
"Now, use Tackle!"
With a quick jolt of his body, Electrike tackled into Zorua, tossing the now paralyzed Pokémon back a few feet.
"I don't think that Zorua is going to be able to go much longer," Kade stated.
Zero glanced over at Zorua, who shook weakly. "Can you keep going?" Zorua nodded weakly.
"We'll end this for you! Electrike, use Electro Ball!"
Electrike formed her attack at her mouth and released it towards Zorua. Zorua stood still, unable to move.
"Use Sucker Punch!" Zero ordered.
Before the Electro Ball could hit, Zorua moved around it. He dashed across the field and smashed his body into Electrike.
"Faint Attack!" Zero called, continuing what he had hoped to become a series of attacks.
The clones of Zorua appeared, and he darted around the field. He collided with Electrike, disappeared, then did it again. Electrike looked around frantically, trying to find the real Zorua.
"Finish this with Aerial Ace!" Zero commanded.
"Reverse it with Electro Ball!"
Zorua swept across the field, while Electrike charged her attack. Zorua clashed with Electrike's attack, and they were both thrown back. A small cloud of smoke covered the field. When it lifted, both Pokémon still stood. Both Pokémon breathed hard, the battle taking too much out of them.
"I think we should stop," both twins said. They looked at each other and glared.
"Zorua has had too much. And I don't want him to be hurt if we run into any wild Pokémon," Zero explained.
Kade nodded. "I don't think that Electrike could take another hit. I think it'd be wise to stop the battle while we're ahead."
The brothers agreed and retracted the Battle Box. After about an hour of sitting around and discussing their battle and different strategies, they decided that it was time to move on.
"So, I've been meaning to bring this up," Kade started. They had got back onto Route 3 and were now on their way to Kawthar City. The sun was beginning to set, and Pokémon were starting to find their nests.
"What is it?" Zero asked. His unemotional eyes looked interested for once.
"Those guys that we fought at Celebi's shrine," he took in a deep breath, "they said they'd return stronger the next time that we saw them. Do you think we'll run into them again?"
Zero shook his head. "It's not that I don't think that we won't run into them, it's that I hope we don't. I don't want us to be in any more danger as it is. Imagine if one of us were killed out there. I couldn't do this journey without you."
Kade smiled. "Thanks… Let's set up camp."
The two found flat ground with a few trees that could hide them from any predator Pokémon. Zero hung up his hammock in between two trees and started to cook them dinner. Zorua and Ralts stood by the pot, sniffing at the food, their bellies grumbling louder than Kade's. Electrike slept by a tree alongside Munchlax, who was warming up to the group pretty quickly. Leavanny and Duskull climbed into a tree and relaxed, speaking in their Pokémon language, probably going over their battle. Drapion stared out into the field, ignoring everyone. She seemed as though she was in deep thought. The group decided to let her think, not wanting to anger her.
After everyone ate, with the exception of Drapion—Zero just left out a bowl of food for her whenever she got hungry—they all settled down for their nights sleep. Zero cuddled up into his blanket, while Kade wrapped himself up in his sleeping bag.
"Hey, Zero," Kade whispered.
Zero moved his head, signaling that he was listening. Once he was comfortable, even speaking was too much work for him.
"I will protect you with my life."
JB/N Going to be honest, I hardly ever pull back from a Pokemon Battle and go, "whoa... I did awesome!" But I am very proud of the Kade vs. Zero segment. Out of all my stories' battles, I'd probably put that at number 3! Gotta love it!
Q1) If they would have kept going on, who do you think would have won, and why?
Q2) Give us a review on the whole story as of now! Out of ten stars how do characters, grammar (as of the latest chapters), and plot hold up?
PS/N- Sorry about last week, we kinda had some complications with things. So, A blizzard hit my town and I'm off for today. I'll be working a lot on this story and Drakes, so be on the lookout! Reviews are appreciated.
Q1: What do you think about Munchlax?
Q2: Have you ever played any Pokemon ROM hacks? They are the most fun thing alive.
