Chapter 10: Bruisin' Da Bruiser
In Underworld City, Chaor rode on walking mechanical legs chasing a thin white lizard in blue armor flew on a jet pack. "Your resourcefulness won't help you in your own city, Chaor!" the lizard gritted. "Not even on your Viledriver!"
"Don't worry, Iflar!" grinned Chaor. "You won't know what hit you when it's all done!" As Chaor charged, Ash, Peyton, Tom, Sarah and the Pokémon watched the battle inside the PortCourt. On the table were two baskets of glazed buffalo wings with Ash's basket smaller than Peyton's and Frafdo Fries. The large wings were fried and slightly crunchy but inside had the juicy meat. As the two watched, stories started flying around.
"I offered Jaal, Kebna and Orb of Unda for his Illexia card, and he straight out denied it!" one young man groaned.
"Don't think you're the only one," another young man shared. "I offered Ulmquad, Raznus and Nunk'Worn for Illexia. I wasn't expecting him to say no to those cards."
"That's nothing!" spat the tanned man from a few days ago. "I wanted to give my entire deck for both Illexia and his Tangath Toborn, Overworld General!"
"You'd wanted to throw your whole deck to him?" a young woman asked.
"Yeah… there's always ScanQuests to regain cards."
"That's true. As if Lulu the Loser had passed, now we have Ash the Untradeable." One of the boys agreed to Ash's new title.
"Ash the Untradeable…" the first young man repeated. "I like it!" Back on the match, Iflar's jetpack was destroyed and Iflar hit the ground hard. His energy fell to 10. Iflar, in pain, tried to get up.
"I can't go like this!" he grunted. Chaor leaped down.
"I'll help out with Flame Orb!" he mocked as he threw a fireball, hitting Iflar and coding him. A little while later, Kaz entered and spotted Peyton and Ash still eating the glazed wings, Ash's mouth coated in dark red sauce while Peyton's mouth was a brownish color. Sarah sat down while petting Pikachu in her lap.
"Whoa, no way is that mild sauce," he joked. Tom shook his head as he watched the two eat.
"Ash has the Wild Hot Wamma Wings while Peyton's got the Sweet BBQ," he described.
"Yikes!" gawked Kaz. "I'm not gonna challenge him in that." Ash finished his bowl.
"12 Wamma Wings, I'll take that pass myself," Sarah gulped. "And don't get me started on Peyton's 30."
("That's stomachache city for me,") Pikachu squeaked. Ash now turned to Kaz.
"By the way, nice job in the Hotekk Drome," he pointed out.
"Hey, look who's talking?" countered Kaz. "You have five wins in the Imthor Drome!" Ash seemed rather dismissive of the information.
"You make it sound like a big deal. It's almost as bad as everyone wanting Tangath Toborn or Illexia."
"Trust me, Ash… It is a big deal." Sarah decided to help Kaz with the explanation.
"See, if a player wins seven times in a Drome aside from the Beta Drome," she started. "They'll be challenged by the designated Codemaster. Tom has faced and beaten two Codemasters: Crellan and Hotekk." Ash awed Tom's accomplishments.
"And if you beat a Codemaster," Tom added. "You get an ultra rare Location card from them." The information gave Ash new insight.
"Suddenly, I'm a little more excited about it," he admitted. "A new Location card... So, I need two more wins in his Drome before I battle Imthor…" Peyton gulped to the anticipation on Ash's face.
"Are you sure you should go after Imthor?" he questioned. "Codemaster Imthor is like virtually unbeatable! He's been challenged hundreds of times and only about five have come away on top!" Ash scoffed to Peyton's warning.
"It's like finishing these really hot Wamma Wings, and what Serena reminded me when I battled Viola: Never give up until you try." Sarah seemed to believe Ash had a feeling to Serena now that he brought her up. She even looked to the photo of Geosenge Town.
"Suddenly, I'm starting to see where you get your confidence from," she teased. Just then, a blond man in a brown jacket and greenish beanie cap approached the table.
"Hey!" he shouted. All turned to the young man, headphones around his neck. "I'm looking for someone, holding a Tangath Toborn, Overworld General that he uses." The group got a little defensive with the blond.
"Bruiser?" noted Tom. Ash wondered about the new young man.
"Long time, no see, Tom!" the blond sneered. "I heard you got a pair of Maxxor cards to replace the one I got from you." Tom growled to the reminder. "But I'm after a much bigger creature… and someone has it around here." Ash felt ratted out.
"Looks like someone's in need of an update," Peyton said. "Ash, don't go after him!" Bruiser's eyes aimed at Ash.
"So, he's the one with the Overworld General, huh?" he sneered. Ash stood and faced Bruiser.
"Perhaps you didn't get the memo," he warned. "I don't do trades."
"Oh, I'm not here to trade… I came to retrieve it." Ash's new friends and Pikachu stood against Bruiser.
"Why don't you pick on someone who's a coward like you are," Tom growled.
"This isn't even your fight! Besides, I'd rather have a Tangath Toborn battle to see who's the real king!" Kaz came to Ash with advice.
"Bruiser's one of those players who will gamble with other players' cards," he informed. "But he's a pro at his game, highly skilled." This made Ash stand up and face Bruiser.
"Reminds me of the time I tried to convince Shingo to battle me and away from his computer," he recalled. "He's the same way, so I don't think he'll stop bothering me until I put Tangath on the line."
"But this is your Tangath!" warned Sarah. "You lose to Bruiser, you lose your strongest card."
"Either way, I don't have a choice." Stepping past everyone, Ash accepted the battle. "Fine then…" Bruiser sneered to Ash's acceptance.
"Good," he said. "Saves me time and effort for you to accept. Let's go to the Crellan Drome." The two departed from the PortCourt to a Drome with what looked like a blue bubble. "A solid three-on-three match should suffice. By the way, I've noticed that your popularity with the ladies is recognized." Ash had a nervous laugh come out while having a sweat drop come out of his head.
"Believe me, it's not something I asked for."
"No one said you had to be every woman's heartthrob. I'm just saying verbatim." Ash blinked to the word.
"Ver- What?"
"Don't worry about the word. Let's get going." Ash and Bruiser began working on their decks when Ash found the Decomposition Mugic.
'Should I? Takinon's battling…' Looking over his Mugic, he decided on something else. 'The important thing is that if he wants Tangath, I'll show him Tangath.' Both finished their lineup when the computer voice came over.
"PLAYERS, LOCK YOUR DECKS," it spoke. Both hit the red buttons. Ash had Takinom, Lanker and Tangath Toborn, Overworld General. Bruiser had a Tangath Toborn, as well as a white eagle in green and Maxxor.
"Hold on, you have a Tangath Toborn!" pointed out Ash.
"Yes, but it's a common Tangath Toborn, unlike your Ultra Rare Tangath Toborn, Overworld General," Bruiser clarified. Ash knew he'd be in for a big fight.
"BRUISER33, SINCE YOUR RECORD IS GREATER THAN POKEOTIC'S, YOU'LL INITIATE THE FIRST ATTACK," the drome spoke.
"At least it's a better reason than the whole 'Nice Bod' bit," Ash groaned.
"SELECT USING THE LOCATION RANDOMIZER!" Bruiser spun to where the location card stood. "THE LOCATION: THE RIVERLANDS." Bruiser seemed ready.
"Let's see who can fly… and swim," he hinted. "Frafdo attacks Takinom!" Both touched their cards with Bruiser turning into the eagle and Ash becoming Takinom. As the now named Frafdo, Bruiser cawed.
"Let's get Chaotic!" both shouted. The scene changed to the Riverlands where the two creatures stood on opposite sides. As Takinom, Ash studied the landscape once more.
'I should know what to do now,' he plotted. 'Last time, I was Tangath… but now I have wings and a Mugic I can use. Let's see whose wings get clipped.' Takinom and Frafdo began to take flight which both sized each other. Finally, Takinom attacked first. "Power Pulse!" Takinom unleashed a flurry of green fists. Frafdo cleared each with precision of where the fists would fly. The churning river below seemed ready to take one of the two down as Frafdo shot arrows with a bow.
"I think you'll get the point in this!" The flaming arrows flew true to Takinom but instead of piercing her, she caught each one.
"I needed to get… warmed up for this." As the two had their aerial assaults, Tom, his friends and the Pokémon watched on, hoping Ash would pull one out. The crowd began to chant for Bruiser.
"Bru-sier!" they cheered repeatedly. "Bru-sier!"
"One dip into the river and Takinom's washed up," Tom warned.
"True, but Ash still has his Tangath and Lanker on hand," Sarah eased. "And Ash equipped her with Aquashield. He must have guessed that he'd be battling in the Riverlands at some point. It's in his deck." Takinom summoned a shield that looked to be made of water. One flaming arrow hit the shield, causing steam to billow.
"Time for a little cloud cover," she sneered. The steam cloud billowed and Takinom took residence inside. Frafdo swooped in… and out the other side of the cloud.
"What?" he gulped. Suddenly, a red heptagon flew from Takinom's card to the circle.
"Canon of Casualty!" Hearing the call, Frafdo raced away but a huge stream caught him and shot him into the river. After some swimming, Frafdo emerged as Takinom let a slash out, lifting and damaging the eagle.
"AH!" he cawed. He flapped his wings some more before Takinom prepared another strike.
"Viperlash!" Her launching of snakes caught Frafdo and bit into his leg. With one pull, he flew into Takinom with her head down. "Now, my version of a Headbutt!" She flung herself into Frafdo, the spikes on her head digging into him and causing code to splash out. The women in the PortCourt cheered to Takinom's, or Ash's win. She pumped both fists before reverting to Ash. Bruiser staggered before acknowledging that round.
"So, you're no slouch when it comes to strategy," he praised. "You must have planned out how to use the Riverlands to your credit."
"I prefer a little outside strategy when I battle," Ash admitted.
"Outside, as in outside-the-box?" All Ash did was snicker.
"SOMETIMES, A COMMON-LAW STRATEGY CAN FALL TO A DECEPTIVE PLOY," the drome advised. "POKÉOTIC, IT IS YOUR ATTACK." Ash spun the wheel, the spinning soon stopping at the next place. "THE LOCATION: EVERRAIN." Ash nodded to knowing the attack.
"Lanker attacks Maxxor!" he declared. Tom gawked to the card and name.
"He's attacking my former Maxxor!?" he gawked as Ash and Bruiser transformed.
"Dude, you challenged Bruiser and ended up losing!" reminded Peyton. "Besides, you've got a stronger Maxxor now." The battle shifted to Everrain as Lanker scoped the forest. He sped through to see if Maxxor had appeared. He wore the Gauntlets of Might. Maxxor found Lanker and decided to attack.
"There you are!" he alerted. Lanker turned to Maxxor. "Rock Wave!" Maxxor punched the ground, sending shock-waves at Lanker who jumped into a tree.
"Let's see how you like getting up close!" he growled. Maxxor brought out a whip and flung it at Lanker who swatted it away. Resetting, Maxxor spun away but Lanker punched water as Maxxor breathed fire. "Ember Swarm!" The attack scorched his opponent. Lanker stumbled from the burn to where Kaz saw the Energy slightly dip.
"Wait, he should be damaged more!" he pointed out.
"I think Ash soaked himself on purpose to minimize the damage from Maxxor's attack!" believed Sarah. "Ash has utilized environmental awareness over and over, and yet none of Ash's opponents have been able to figure it out." Lanker faced Maxxor again.
"Suddenly, I can feel Tom in your creature," he sensed. "No wonder why he warned me when you came by." Maxxor believed him.
"Then you know the strength within this creature," he sneered. That's when he used the whip but Lanker bobbed away from the crack before another heptagon found a Mugic on Ash's side.
"Song of Embernova!" A blast of fire launched Maxxor to a tree where he staggered.
"Can't believe this is your strength, Lanker… and I believed I was the strong one." With a deep breath, two of Maxxor's three blue heptagons vanished where his energy refilled. "There we go!" Lanker rushed in and began attacking up close before turning to the branches. Maxxor leaped above him. "I've read that strategy last week!"
"That's because you gave me a new one… with Lucky Shot!" With a jump, Lanker scored one to the ribs of Maxxor who flew through branches and smacked them hard. Lanker followed and reached a higher branch himself before leaping down. "Mirthquake!" With a punch, Maxxor and a pile of broken wood fell from the quaking. Hitting bottom, code flew out. The girls celebrated, knowing Ash had an advantage to Bruiser.
"Poké-otic!" the girls repeated chanted. "Poké-otic!"
"Ash has yet to lose a creature!" cheered Kaz. "One more and that's game, set and match!"
"Yeah, I'm still surprised Ash managed to take out Maxxor so efficiently," Tom gulped. "Now, the real test begins." Looking at the board, Peyton gulped.
"This is one huge exam Ash'll be taking," he muttered. "Takinom is only at 10 Energy, Lanker at 20. If Bruiser's Tangath gets past both… Ash's Tangath's unarmed." Tom, Kaz, Sarah and the Pokémon gawked and turned to Peyton.
"Wait, Ash didn't arm his Tangath?" repeated Sarah.
"But why would he do something like that?" asked Kaz. In the Drome, Ash knew it wasn't going to be easy.
"I'll admit, you've got some clever moves," Bruiser complimented. "All to preserve your unarmed Tangath. It feels bad that you're practically giving it to me."
"Don't be so sure," Ash warned. "Sometimes, the real weapon isn't the Battlegear." Bruiser glared as the drome became active.
"PERHAPS, BUT YOU CAN STILL EQUIP YOUR BATTLEGEAR AND STILL NOT USE IT," the drome clarafied. "RIGHT NOW, BRUISER33, IT IS YOUR ATTACK." Bruiser spun the wheel before the new location was named. "THE LOCATION: LAKE KEN-I-PO." Brusier seemed ready to declare his move.
"Tangath Toborn attacks Lanker!" he called. Cards touched, the sides transformed. At a lakeside, Lanker pursued around trees to find Tangath. He headed for the tower.
"I'll probably get a better view from above," he planned. Before he could advance…
"Emberwhip!" roared Tangath. A whip rung around Lanker's neck. The burning sensation on the neck had him turn to see the opponent. "Now, the bruising starts." Lanker leaped into the air.
"Here's a Primal Smash to give you!" Striking the ground produced shock-waves that struck Tangath and released the whip's hold. Tangath held his ground before he attacked.
"Ash Torrent!" Tangath unleashed a wave of charred remains that smashed Lanker to the air before hitting a tree. Lanker was too stunned to move, and Tangath sliced the code out. In the drome, Tangath roared before reverting to Bruiser. Ash shook his head, gathering his senses.
"Now what?" he taunted. "You can send your Tangath to me or I can come to him. It's your choice." Ash observed the board, citing a heptagon on Bruiser's Tangath. Without a second thought, he spun the wheel. A location popped up.
"THE LOCATION: MIPEDIM OASIS," the drome computed.
"Takinom attacks Tangath Toborn!" declared Ash. The scene shifted to Takinom skipping from branch to branch in the Oasis. She landed before Tangath pounced out of nowhere. His Sword of Khy'at in hand, he slashed but missed Takinom.
"A little slow, Tangath?" she teased. "Flash Kick!" She swung her leg and hit Tangath before he recovered. He slashed but Takinom ducked and countered with a scratch to the arm.
"Inferno Gust!" he shouted. Takinom braced as a flaming blast of wind blew her away to above the trees. This bought Tangath time to use his heptagon. "Now, Song of Resurgence! Heal the wounds inflicted on me!" A musical sequence soon produced a ray that rejuvenated Tangath's Energy. Takinom raced in with a fireball in each hand. "Lucky Shot!" Takinom turned around to see the sword before being slashed, code spraying out. Ash struggled for a few seconds as Tangath had one more roar as he reverted back to Bruiser.
"Now, we're even," he sneered. In the PortCourt, a stunned silence struck the crowd.
"Is this it for the Pokéotic spotless record?" one girl asked.
"He's gotta win!" another girl pleaded. All watched as Pikachu grew weary about the battle. Bruiser seemed ready to take the card that Ash had valued.
"This is it!" he sneered. "I beat you and your Overworld General, and you'll have to live with the lost for the rest of your career." He spun the wheel as Ash closed his eyes, hand near the card.
"THE LOCATION: KIRU CITY," it registered.
"For the victory: Tangath Toborn attacks Tangath Toborn, Overworld General!" Both transformed and wound up in Kiru City where the two walked up and met in the battlefield. The crowd watched in stunned disbelief.
"Two Tangaths?" one young man gasped.
"Which is our beloved's?" a girl asked. Pikachu nodded to what he's seeing.
"You feel confident about this?" asked Sarah.
("I know what Ash is doing,") Pikachu replied. The two Tangaths stared each other down.
"Seeing you unarmed, I'm guessing you no longer need it," Bruiser's Tangath taunted. Ash's Tangath didn't budge. Bruiser's unleashed his sword and charged at Ash's. Bruiser's swung… but Ash's sidestepped. Bruiser's stumbled as the Overworld General reset himself. Bruiser's tried again… and again… but Ash's weaved around each swing until he scored a counterattack, an uppercut to the chops. Bruiser's staggered.
"You're blind," Ash's Tangath scolded. "All you're focused on is the card. You don't know what power lies within it." Ash's Tangath approached Bruiser's with a scowl. Bruiser's slashed at Ash again but no contact. Instead, Ash's savagely punched Bruiser's like a speed bag. After a minute, Ash's stopped while Bruiser's was on his knee. "The real weapon is the body, not the sword of Khy'at or the Pyroblaster. One must know the extent if they're going to strive in the many battles ahead of them." Bruiser's looked up as snakes bit into him. The snakes came from Ash's Viperlash before he pulled them back. With one overhand swing, a cascade of code emerged. All watched the screen from the PortCourt as Bruiser staggered and Ash's Tangath looked at him as he reverted to Ash for the last time.
"THE WINNER… POKÉOTIC." Tom and his friends cheered as Sarah hugged Pikachu. Hawlucha, Froakie and Fletchinder cheered on as well.
"One more win and he's got a date with Imthor!" cheered Peyton. Bruiser got up and now both faced each other. They stared each other down with stern glares. A minute later, both began to laugh. Those in the PortCourt sighed in relief as the two shook hands.
"That was a great match, Pokéotic!" smiled Bruiser.
"Likewise," Ash returned. "You're pretty tough."
"Listen… You deserve Maxxor than I do. I'll give you this card for-"
"No, it's yours." Bruiser seemed perplexed by the denial. "When I want, I'll get my own Maxxor. I don't need someone's to have." Bruiser giggled to the idea.
"You're a good kid. Alright, let's head back to the PortCourt."
"Sure thing, Bruiser."
"Call me Rick." As the two headed back to the PortCourt, in Perim, the figure that stole Sonic Charges stood by a lake covered in ice. The red troll-like creature planted and armed the Charges around the lake before stepping away. A few seconds when a chorus of explosions rattled the land, breaking ice as the creature looked up. He saw the creature that appeared in Najarin's Song of Futuresight.
"Lord Aa'une," he welcomed. Aa'une let out a shout from the lake.
"My freedom!" he yelled. "I can now conquer Perim!" The troll-like creature knelt to Aa'une.
"Lord Aa'une, your loyal servant is here for your needs!" Aa'une looked down to find the creature as alien-like creatures emerged from hiding.
"Phelphor, I knew you'd be the one to free me from my prison. For this, I will give you a reward… an eternal reward." Phelphor gawked to Aa'une's offer.
"But- But, Lord Aa'une!"
"You've helped me with what I need… and you'll no longer be of use… to anyone." That's when he fired a massive laser that nailed Phelphor as he screamed. "My powers have yet to return… but they're growing at this moment. Maxxor, Chaor… prepare for the new M'arillian Invasion!" More of the alien-like creatures came to Aa'une as he raised his arms, signaling his return. What crisis is Perim in store for?
TO BE CONTINUED…
(I want to give my condolences to the families of the Thousand Oaks shooting that happened. It's another case of a senseless shooting that shouldn't have occurred. Also, I'll be stepping aside to attend the funeral of my grandmother who passed away this week.)