The boys are on their way to Nacrene City when Ash decides that they need to stop by Luxuria Town and train a bit more. Danny, reluctant as ever, agrees, knowing he needs to train up his Pokemon and hating himself for considering it.
They walk into the building, chatting about what kind of opponents they'd face.
"Meet you back here at 2?" Danny asks.
"I'll try if I'm not in the middle of a battle when the clock chimes," Ash says.
Danny laughs, then waves, "See you, Ash."
Ash beams at him, and they both part to their own computers, ready to find and choose a challenger. Danny notices that Cilan and Iris are noticeably missing.
"You guys run too fast," a red-faced Iris runs in.
Danny blushed, not realizing he and Ash had even been running.
I suppose I'm more fit than I thought, Danny thought to himself, if Sam was here, she'd pass out from shock.
"Dee," Grant chirps his goodbye.
Danny pats his head fondly, "Before I even consider an opponent, I have to ask you something Grant."
The Deerling cocks his head in confusion.
"Are you alright with me being your trainer?"
"Deer?! Ling Deerling?" No translation for the shock on Grant's face needed.
"Yeah, I'm serious."
Grant nodded. "Deer!" He headbutted Danny, and like a dog wanting love put his head under his hand.
Danny bent down and hugged the pink deer, "Alright, just wanted to make sure. That dream of yours the other day…"
Grant let out a strange laugh, "Deerling deer! Dee ling deerling!"
Scarlet chose this moment to pop out of her Pokeball, Grant says not to be so silly master. He'd have never stayed in that Pokeball when we first battled him. He'd have knocked himself out cold to prevent that.
Danny moved his hands behind Grant's ears, "I… well, you both know I'm not exactly used to this kind of thing."
"Not used to what sort of thing?" a familiar voice said.
Danny looked up.
Swoobat, the Courting Pokémon and the evolved form of Woobat. Swoobat can fire a variety of sound waves from the holes of their noses, some powerful enough to break rocks.
That smirk she wore flared up something inside him. She was exactly as they last met, except by her side a strange, bat-like puffball creation hovered by her side.
"Do you mean battling?" her voice asked.
"Swoobat Swoo!"
So that's what its name was. A Swoobat.
"I, uh-"
Sabrina laughed, "nice to see you again too. I'm sure you're here for a battle too?"
Danny stood up, face set ablaze, "Yeah, I'm training for the Nacrene City Gym Badge."
Sabrina grinned at him. "Lucky you, I need an opponent too. How about we go for a second round, last man standing style?"
Danny grinned, "Sure."
Scarlet gave Danny a strange look and said, ooooohhhhhh!
"Oh shush you," Danny told her.
They found themselves in a large room. On the ground was a rectangle, split in the middle by a Pokeball. Both parties walked to opposite sides of the room.
Sabrina put a hand on her hip, taking a Pokeball from her belt. She began casually tossing it in the air, looking at Danny, flashing him with a toothy smile.
Grant was to Danny's left, while Scarlet stood to his right, both determined. Danny tried looking tough, but on the inside, he was frightened at what was about to happen.
The referee looked at them both. "Alright, are both challenger's ready?"
Sabrina glanced at the referee before turning her eyes to Danny, "Ready."
"Ready," Danny said.
The referee made a chopping motion with his hand, "Let the battle begin!"
"Swoobat, I choose you!" Scarlet tossed up her Pokeball dramatically. The Courting Pokemon popped out with a high-pitched squeal.
"Go get 'em, Grant!"
Grant hopped onto the field and reared up on his hind legs.
"Swoobat, use Fly!"
Swoobat flew up, near the top to the building's roof before plummeting to the ground below.
"Dodge it Grant and use Double Kick."
Grant hopped out of the way, almost causing the Swoobat to crash into the ground, but the bat pulled up at the last second. Grant quickly jumped high enough and delivered two blows onto the bats.
It's not very effective…
"Assurance!" Sabrina called.
A purple hand appeared in front of the Swoobat.
What the hell… Danny thought to himself as it slapped Grant across the face.
A critical hit!
"Camouflage Grant!"
The Deerling looked at Danny like he was crazy. But Grant closed his eyes and became transparent.
Grant transformed into the ground type!
"Now use Sand Attack!"
The Deerling tossed dirt towards the flying Swoobat. It hit it square in the face.
...but it doesn't seem to affect it.
Sabrina cringed, "Seriously Danny?"
Master, Ground-Type moves won't affect Flying Types!
"Oh, crap…" Danny mumbled.
She shook her head, "Fly again Swoobat!"
It took off into the air.
"You know what?" Danny took out the Deerling's Pokeball, "Grant, come back!"
It disappeared into the mist as Danny cried, "Go, Scarlet!"
Finally.
Scarlet shuffled over onto the field, her blue flame flickering to life. The Swoobat knocked her onto her back.
She jumped back up, flame growing bigger, her one green eye glowing brilliantly green, Ready to die?
"A Ghost/Fire type?" Sabrina asked. "She's pretty."
Scarlet blushed. Ah, aren't you sweet? SWEET ENOUGH TO EAT THAT IS!
"Astonish Scarlet!"
"Fly again!"
The red face appeared, distorting the world around Scarlet. She screeched and ran into the Swoobat, causing it to flinch.
It's super effective!
"Try that again Swoobat!"
"Ditto to you Scarlet!"
Again, just as the Swoobat was about to take off Scarlet rammed herself into the Courting Pokemon, knocking it to the ground. She stood on its chest.
Sweet dreams, Scarlet whispered to it as the Swoobat lost consciousness. She hopped off as the referee declared Scarlet winner of round one.
Sabrina recalled the fallen Pokemon, "You did good my friend." She gave Danny an evil grin, tossing up the Pokeball, "Avenge him Dewott!"
Clutching its shells in its hands, the Dewott appeared.
Bring it seaweed!
"Dewott!"
Danny gritted his teeth, wondering if he should switch out to Grant.
As if hearing him, Scarlet turned, Let me at least try master!
Danny put a hand on his face, looking at his Litwick through his fingers, "Only for you Scarlet."
"Use Surf Dewott!"
"Try blinding it with Smog!"
The Dewott placed its Scalchops on its thighs, raising its small hands into the air. As Scarlet threw out a mystical fog, a wave appeared. The wave grew, and the Dewott rode on its surface, hands still raised. The Dewott threw down its hands, and with it came the wave, crashing down into Scarlet. The wave continued onto Danny. Unprepared, he was submerged in the water for a second. But in that second he panicked and inhaled a lungful of water.
It ended as quickly as it came, and Danny landed into a coughing/sneezing fit.
Sabrina patiently waited for Danny to stop coughing. "You alright?" She asked.
"Yeah," Danny gasped, "I wasn't prepared for that."
"Ah, but that Litwick of yours is still up. I thought she'd faint."
I'm tougher than you think! Scarlet called out weakly.
"Ready?" she asked again, noticing that Danny was still trying to get his breathing back to normal.
"Yeah," he gasped, "Smog again Scarlet!"
"Razor Shell Dewott!"
The Dewott was surrounded by the Smog. It picked up it Scalchops and charged at Scarlet. His shells came down, making an X across Scarlet's body.
Scarlet stared into the Dewott's eyes for a moment, the closed them. Her body fell backward.
"Scarlet is unable to battle! The Dewott wins round two!"
Danny didn't have the breath to spare a cry. Instead, he recalled her into his Pokeball. He grabbed Grant's ball, clicked the button and tossed it into the air. Not pausing a beat, he cried, "Double Kick!"
The Deerling charged from the red mist and straight into the Dewott, landing in his blows. The Dewott deflected them, blown back.
"Razor Shell again!"
"Sand Attack!"
The Dewott charged full speed, and Grant kicked up dirt into its eyes, blinding it. The Dewott yelled and tripped. It dropped its Scalchops and rubbed its eyes.
"Tackle!"
"Dewott, pick up your shells and use Razor Shell!"
The Dewott frantically dropped to the floor and tried grabbing its Scalchops, but Grant rammed himself into him, knocking him down.
The Dewott scrambled back up and made a break for its shells.
"Stop him with a Tackle!"
Grant charged, but the Dewott grabbed his shells and blocked his blows.
The Pokemon stared at each other, breathing hard.
And without warning, the Dewott collapsed.
"Huh?" Sabrina said. "Dewott, get up!"
"Don't let that happen, Grant! Tackle it!"
The Dewott struggled, but Grant head-butted him back into the ground. And he stayed down.
"Dewott is unable to battle! Round 3 goes to Danny!"
Sabrina smiled at him as her Dewott turned into red mist. "Well, you've gotten tougher." She took out another Pokeball. Danny noticed a lightning bolt sticker on it.
Uh oh.
Sabrina's smile got unnaturally big, "Yeah, you know who it is." she tossed the Pokeball into the air, saying, "Jolteon, mind finishing this off for me?"
The Jolteon appeared, its black eyes cold. It bared its fangs and barked.
"Let's mix it up! Thunder Fang!"
It opened its mouth, electricity coursing through its teeth as if to scare Grant. Closing its mouth, the Jolteon charged.
"Dodge it Grant and use Double Kick!"
Grant tried to get out of the way, but the Jolteon took it down as if he were a lion after his lunch, biting into Grant's neck. Grant screamed as he was electrocuted.
The Jolteon jumped off.
"Again Jolteon!"
Grant shakily got to his feet when the Jolteon knocked him down again. Again he opened his mouth wide, sparks of power emitting from his mouth as Jolteon's teeth sank into Grant's neck.
Danny prayed that Grant would faint, but that stubborn Deerling tried getting up again.
"Sand Attack!" Danny called out desperately.
The Deerling kicked out dirt, but the Jolteon jumped to the side.
"Call it down Jolteon! Use Thunder!"
Its whole body encased itself in yellow, and the electricity flew into the air. The room darkened, and down it came, that wicked thunderbolt.
The room brightened up again. Grant did not attempt to get up again.
Danny tried hiding his tears, not because he lost, but because his friends were hurt. He recalled Grant and tried to smile.
"Great battle," he said, "What's the damage?"
Sabrina smiled at him. She dropped to her knees, taking off her backpack. She dug through it for a moment, the pulled out a CD. She tossed it to him. Danny caught it, then inspected it.
TM29 was written on the cover. It was a purple disk, though Danny didn't know what that meant.
"Swoobat knows this, though my poor friend never got a chance to use it," Sabrina said, "I don't plan on using it again. You might find it useful."
"Uh, thanks," Danny said.
Sabrina walked towards him and held out a hand. Danny shook it and her Jolteon barked.
"See you around Danny," Sabrina said, "Come on my friend, let's go out to the spa to celebrate!"
"Jolt!" it followed her out the door.
"How were your battles?" Danny asked Ash when they met up later.
"I lost to another trainer named Trip," he groaned, but then suddenly perked up, "But I'm going to beat him one day! What about you?"
Danny's hand flew to his belt. He sighed, "I lost pretty bad too. But my Pokemon fought hard."
They began heading towards the door.
"We going to the Pokemon Center? My friends don't feel so well after that battle."
Ash's hand lifted to his shoulder. He pets Pikachu, who was asleep on his shoulder, "Yeah, Pikachu and the rest don't seem that well either. Maybe we'll grab some lunch there too."
And so our heroes walk on. Though defeated, they can't help but feel satisfied. What's in store ne-
"What is up with you narrating like that?"
Danny, I tell it as it is. Quit being a smarty-pants and let me finish my monologue!
"Fine."
As I was saying, our heroes-
"Why do you call us 'heroes?'"
GAH DANNY STOP I'M ONLY TRYING TO DO MY JOB.
See you next time!
HOMEWORK SUCKS!
That's what I do first before posting chapters, sorry about the lateness.
ANNOUNCEMENT!
Get yourselves ready for Ominous October! For the next month, I've decided to move up te creepier episodes of Unova just for Halloween! Excited? I know I am! Prepare yourselves to be spooked!
Leave a review, as always :3 See you next week!