"Wow, it's so beautiful!" Dawn said as I stood with Ponyta, gently stroking its velvety nose with one hand as Dawn darted around with sparkling eyes, admiring Ponyta from every angle. "Why is its flames blue? What moves does it know? Are you going to enter it into a contest one day?" She rattled off question after questioned and I soothed Ponyta gently as he became a little unnerved by Dawn's fluttering.
"Sure, I will do one day, but for now I think you'd better settled down before Ponyta decides to try out a Double Kick attack." I warned with a chuckle and Dawn blushed before settling down, standing in one spot.
"Sorry, I just can't believe how lucky you are!"
"It's strange, you remember Noctowl and how he had different colourings?" Brock questioned and I nodded my head. "It seems super rare for a Pokémon to be differently coloured from its species, I guess that just makes the Pokémon all the more valuable to collectors. I'd be careful if I were you Ruby, especially with that Hunter J around." I clenched my jaw and nodded my head, getting angry at the mere thought of that vile woman. Stupid Pokémon hunters.
So after Ponyta had been introduced, Dawn tried some more training with Buizel, only it still wasn't going too well. She battled against Ash and Turtwig, however when Turtwig took a Sonic Boom attack from close range, he took serious damage and we took him to the nearest Pokémon Centre for healing.
Turtwig was fine in no time, but Buizel on the other hand…he still wouldn't do a single thing Dawn asked of him. He was as stubborn as a Tauros.
As Ash and Brock watched the TV, I sat with Leafeon at my side, gently grooming him to get some dirt off his coat whilst Dawn paced in front of me. "I just don't know what to do. Buizel still won't listen to me and Turtwig almost got seriously hurt because of it. Ruby, are you sure I'm doing this right? I'm not missing something am I?" She questioned for the hundredth time as I continued to groom Leafeon.
"You're doing fine Dawn. Maybe what Buizel needs is to be taught a lesson. He's been training for so long on his own and is used to following his own orders, that he's now got a proud streak from where he always used to win his battles. Maybe if he lost one, he'd get off his high Ponyta." I reasoned simply and Dawn sighed.
"I don't know. Maybe Buizel just isn't cut out for contests. He seems so much more confident in just plain battling, I don't even know where to begin making his moves look pretty and appealing." She worried, twiddling her thumbs as she looked over at Buizel who was going through his paces, punching at thin air as we sat in the garden of the Pokémon Centre.
"When it comes to Pokémon and contests, it's not the Pokémon you need to adapt, it's you Dawn." She blinked at me in surprise. "The Pokémon you catch all have their own particular styles and personalities, so you have to work on bringing that out to show everyone else. Buizel is tough and quite cool, so you need to show off his strength, not how pretty his attacks can look."
"But…how do I do that?"
"It'll come in time, I'm pretty sure you'll be able to figure it out after you get to know Buizel a little more." I said as I put my brush away and tickled Leafeon under the chin, making him smile and jump up onto the bench, rubbing his head into mine.
"Leafeon Leaf…" He murmured affectionately and I smiled as he licked my cheek. Dawn sighed as she watched us.
"You're so lucky Ruby. You've got so many different Pokémon from different places. I hope I can catch some one day."
"Sure you will. All you have to do is travel. I've been to so many places and seen so many amazing Pokémon it's almost unreal. However all the Pokémon I have, I have because I earned their trust and they chose to be my partners, which makes us really close." I nodded my head towards Buizel. "Buizel chose to be your Pokémon, so give him a little credit and go on a little faith. You two will be just fine with some work." I told her but just then, a tall and extremely thin man walked up to us, his shoulder length hair a light purple colour with tinted glasses to match.
"I absolutely agree." He said, giving us a warm smile. "I apologise, but I couldn't help but overhear your little dilemma. I understand that you are having trouble controlling your Buizel?" He questioned and Dawn nodded her head.
"Yeah, I just caught him." Dawn answered, standing up. "Don't I know you from somewhere? You look familiar…" In answer he only chuckled, but when Ash and Brock stepped outside, they both choked on their breath and stared, open mouthed and in shock as Ash tried to stammer.
"You're…you're…you're…" So I got up and whacked him on the back of his head.
"Spit it out genius!" I ordered and Ash instantly jumped.
"You're Lucian from the Elite Four!" That made me stop. So this guy was actually one of the best trainers in all of Sinnoh? That's amazing. "We just saw you on TV, battling with your Girafarig!" Specialises in psychic type Pokémon. Awesome!
"That's right, it's very nice to meet you all." He said to us, giving a polite little bow as we all grouped together.
"My name's Dawn, and this is Ruby and her Leafeon." Dawn introduced us and I returned the polite bow as Leafeon sat down and bowed his head also.
"It's very nice to meet you sir." I said.
"I'm Ash from Pallet Town, and I'm entered in the Sinnoh League!" Ash declared and Lucian gave a light chuckle and smile.
"Well then, I shall certainly be looking out for you, young man. I expect you'll do very well." Lucian said politely as Brock waved a hand.
"Hi, I'm Brock. I'm aspiring to be a Pokémon breeder."
"And he's already very good." I put in with a smile. "He found the best way to keep my Leafeon looking so groomed and his greenery looking so healthy. Right little buddy?" I turned down to Leafeon who nodded his head.
"Leafeon." He agreed and Lucian crouched down to inspect him closely, so Leafeon sat there patiently.
"You have raised this young one well. It looks very strong indeed." He complimented and I glowed warmly. "I too have an Eevee evolution. Being a psychic specialist, I have an Espeon." Lucian informed, giving me a final smile before turning to Buizel who had suddenly leaped forwards and was speaking in a demanding manner.
"Huh? Buizel! Calm down already." Dawn scolded, trying to hold him back whilst giving Lucian an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, I just caught this Buizel, and he hasn't yet learned to mind his manners." She tried to give Buizel a pointed look but Buizel continued to demand at Lucian, beckoning him towards him.
"Oh that's quite alright. I think Buizel wants to battle me." Lucian informed and everyone was taken aback in surprise at Buizel's spunk. "And I accept Buizel's challenge."
"Huh?" Dawn blinked, slightly bemused and stunned by Lucian's decision as Ash stepped forwards.
"Do you think you could battle with me and Pikachu first?!" He asked excitedly, anticipation swelling up inside him and I gripped Ash's jacket to tug him back to my side before he could make an idiot of himself and trip over his own feet in his haste or something.
"I promise that I shall battle you Ash, once you've attained your goal of conquering the Sinnoh League, however Buizel asked, and I'm honouring that request." Lucian informed then stood up from the bench he had occupied and walked a little way off then stopped, turning to face forwards and waited for Dawn to take his place opposite him.
"I don't know if I can do this." Dawn trembled slightly so I gripped her hand for reassurance.
"Its okay, this battle is for Buizel's sake, not yours, so it doesn't matter if you win or lose." I told her simply. "Just focus on the battle and you'll do fine, try and connect with Buizel out there, fall in sync." Stepping back I stood between Ash and Brock as we stood to observe.
"Would you mind telling us what Pokémon you're going to use?" Ash asked and Lucian gave a little smile.
"I'll show you. This Pokémon should be a fitting match. Alright, go Bronzong!" A huge bell like Pokémon appeared, floating in the air before Lucian with big red eyes and interesting patterns on its metal surface.
"Cool, a Bronzong!" Ash said before looking up the information in the Pokédex. Dawn kicked off the battle, pointing ahead of her and tried to get Buizel to use Aqua Jet, however he leaped up into the air and used Water Gun instead, completely ignoring her orders.
"Bronzong, Iron Defence." Lucian countered and the water attack was repelled almost too easily. I heard Dawn growl in irritation but she quickly brought herself back together again.
"Now, this time I want you to use Aqua Jet!" She called to Buizel but he turned in the air and struck it with his twin tails, sending a strong pulse down at Bronzong who deflected it again without even blinking. Now that's strong.
"Alright Bronzong, let's wrap this up. Use Gyro Ball!" Bronzong began to create two spheres of bright white and then spun around quickly, gaining speed until it shot towards Buizel who lowered his head, preparing to take the attack head on.
"Quick Buizel, dodge it!" Dawn cried out but Buizel now used his Aqua Jet and charged straight at Bronzong, not backing down however the more powerful Pokémon knocked him flying backwards, making Buizel strike the ground twice before he shook out his head then got to his feet once more.
"Amazing, Buizel took Bronzong's Gyro Ball and still got right back up." Lucian mused, impressed with Buizel's strength before he sighed softly and lowered his head slightly. "Alright Bronzong, finish with Flash Cannon."
"Flash Cannon?!" Dawn yelped. "Quick Buizel, dodge it!" But Buizel wouldn't dodge. He tried to deflect the attack with his own Water Gun, but he was just simply not strong enough to repel the attack of the Elite Four Pokémon. He was thrown back into a tree and from there, he didn't get back up. "Buizel! Buizel are you okay?" Dawn worried, hovering a little unsure over Buizel as we all rushed over.
"I'm terribly sorry. I guess I got carried away by Buizel's fighting spirit." Lucian said as he walked on over. "Please, let Nurse Joy see to Buizel right away."
"We will, don't worry." Dawn said then scooped Buizel up into her arms, holding him with concern. "No need to worry Buizel, we'll get you fixed up in no time." She promised. I watched as the others ran inside to find Nurse Joy, but I stood behind with Leafeon and Lucian.
"I see you're very in touch with how a Pokémon feels Ruby." Lucian said then frowned slightly. "It is Ruby, isn't it?"
"That's right." I nodded my head as I answered. "It's just, I'm worried about Buizel and Dawn. He's just not cut out for contests. He likes to be tough and focused only on defeating his opponent, not showing off to a crowd." With a sigh I looked down at Leafeon who gave me an understanding look then rubbed his head against my leg, trying to comfort me.
"Dawn will find Buizel's rhythm, then the two will be perfectly in sync and everything will be alright." Lucian informed me. "You're a good friend to her, I can see she respects your judgements and relies on your wisdom very much. I can tell that one day you too will be a great Pokémon master." I blushed slightly.
"That was my dream once, but I prefer helping Pokémon and their trainers more than anything. Sure I enjoy battling and the contests were fun, but travelling and seeing new Pokémon, getting to know them and really learning how to understand them is what I love most. It's always an adventure that way." I shrugged, kneeling down and rubbed Leafeon's head before picking him up into my arms. "I'd better go see what's going on. Thank you for helping Buizel and Dawn." I said, giving Lucian a little bow which he returned.
"I hope that one day you and I will battle. I am interested to see how one so connected with their Pokémon acts in battle." He said and I gave him a competitive smirk.
"One day I'll defeat the Sinnoh League, then you'll find out." I informed him before turning and walking inside. Buizel was okay, just a little worn out and after a rest, he'd woken up good as new. Well…almost.
Despite Dawn's obvious joy to see him alright, Buizel slipped off the bed and walked over to the corner of the room to simply stand there with a bowed head and disheartened expression. "Hey guys, what's up with Buizel?" I asked as I walked into the room where everyone stood and looked on at poor Buizel.
"I think losing was a big shock after all." Dawn said quietly and I blinked before turning my head back to observe Buizel.
"I think so." Brock agreed.
"Remember way back at the river? Buizel was unbeatable." Ash said and I sighed softly, reaching out to rest a hand on Dawn's shoulder as she hugged her waist.
"We're a long way from the river now. Out here it's a bigger world with loads more Pokémon tougher and stronger than Buizel's used to. Just like that Bronzong." I told everyone quietly as Pikachu jumped down from Ash's shoulder and tried to cheer up Buizel, however he received no response at all. "Come on. How about we all head outside? Some fresh air might cheer Buizel up a little." I suggested and Dawn perked up a bit.
"You think so? Okay, then let's go!" We all head back out into the garden and Ash instantly tried to lift things up into a happier tone.
"Yeah! There's nothing like the great outdoors to lift your spirits. Hey Buizel, I heard there was a gigantic river around here, so why don't we all go swimming?" Ash suggested but still Buizel continued to hang his head and refused to answer anyone. "Man…I was sure that would fire him up."
"Hey everyone!" Lucian's voice called out and we all turned to see him walking towards us. "I thought I'd find you all out here."
"Hi Lucian." Ash greeted cheerfully but Dawn turned to her Buizel.
"Look there. Buizel just hasn't been the same since losing our battle." She explained as Lucian blinked then looked around to see Buizel looking downcast and completely changed from the cocky Pokémon he'd seen before.
"Then it's time. A very important time too." Lucian said to us all. "Buizel is standing at a crossroads and needs to make a choice. The choice of what to do with defeat. He can continue to love battling like before, or not." Suddenly a metal cage appeared around Buizel, trapping him inside and instantly Buizel jerked in shock, calling out in surprise as Dawn yelped.
"No!"
"Now what's going on?!" Lucian demanded to know as Buizel was lifted away.
"Listen, is that one of the elite four I hear?" Jessie's voice questioned as we spun around to see the Team Rocket balloon floating before us, prepped and ready to go with Buizel trapped in the cage ball underneath.
"You're listening to the elite three, is that clear?!" James called down to us before Jessie popped her head out of the side of the basket by a window of some sort, smirking down at us with glee.
"On the wind!"
"Past the stars!"
"In your ear!" James and Meowth appeared also, looking from their own windows which opened up from the basket before they all disappeared then rose up together.
"Bringing chaos at a break neck pace."
"Dashing hope, putting fear in its place." I have to admit, this new motto is actually a little more creative than the last one. Quite catchy.
"A rose by any other name's just as sweet."
"When everything's worse, our work is complete." They continued before striking individual poses.
"Jessie."
"James."
"Meowth, now that's a name!"
"Putting the do-gooders in their place.
"Team Rocket." James said before they all chorused together. "In your face!"
"You're just a bunch of sad losers, who won't ever admit defeat!" I yelled up at them. "Give Buizel back right now!"
"Not a chance!" James retorted and I growled darkly, clenching my fists at my side. Those idiots will never learn. They just keep on coming back, no matter how many times we blast them away. You know one day, maybe we should just lock them up. Maybe then we could get some peace and quiet.
"Normally I would be quite upset with people like you." Lucian began but then his hard expression softened as he looked up at Buizel. "But I'm not." Buizel was hammering away at the bars of his cage, looking strong and defiant just like before.
"I'll save you Buizel!"
"Me too!" Ash and Dawn both yelled but Lucian gave an easy smile.
"Now hold on. You see, this maybe just the chance that Buizel's been waiting for." He said but Dawn didn't seem to understand until we all looked back up at Buizel, who was stomping his feet and looking perfectly enraged at being trapped. "Buizel's anger at being caged has completely erased the sadness of losing our battle."
Buizel was now hammering away at the bars with Sonic Boom, trying to break through however he didn't seem to be having much success, the bars holding firm and his tiredness seemed to come over him, leaving his escape attempt to fall down the drain. "Don't give up Buizel, you can do it!" Dawn yelled up to him. "Keep going!"
Suddenly Buizel seemed to be filled with new energy at Dawn's encouragement and his tail began to glow brightly as amplified power attacks hammered away at the bars, causing them to crack and crumble until finally, the cage shattered and Buizel dropped back safely to the ground. "Alright! Buizel you did it!" Dawn cheered, glad to have her Pokémon back safe and sound.
"Did what?! Mortgaged our future?" Jessie practically shrieked as Team Rocket returned, the balloon landing softly on the ground so that they could all jump out. "Looks like we're back to Plan A. Dustox go!"
"You too Carnivine!" James echoed but his Carnivine instantly anchored itself around James, making him yell and kick about. Buizel spun around, ready to battle as he focused in on his two opponents.
"Alright! You ready to go Buizel?" Dawn questioned but then Lucian lifted a hand.
"Hold on Dawn, not so fast. I'd like the honour." He said then stepped forwards to stand behind Buizel. Jessie and James sent out their Pokémon with their own attacks and Buizel stood there, ready to battle but Dawn yelped fearfully.
"Look out Buizel, dodge it!" She called out but Lucian reassured her gently.
"There's really no need for that at all." He informed before giving a slight smirk. "Buizel! Water Gun, let's go." He ordered and Buizel instantly slammed a strong water attack at both advancing Pokémon, knocking them both backwards and making everyone around me gasp in shock.
"Buizel did just what Lucian said!" Ash stared in awe as Jessie and James called their next attacks as their Pokémon recovered from the initial hit but Buizel dodged by jumping up easily, smirking confidently and his tail twitched. Of course! I know exactly what move is coming next.
"Alright Buizel, now use Sonic Boom!" Buizel knocked out Carnivine with the next hit and finally took out Dustox after going for an Aqua Jet which Lucian called for. I could see what he was doing. He was letting Buizel use his own battle style and falling in sync with him so that they worked together. Awesome!
"Dawn, see how this works?" Lucian questioned and she blinked up at him. "Buizel has his own unique style, his own battle rhythm. A trainer's task is to discover that unique style and help their Pokémon develop it." He informed her and Dawn looked to Buizel.
"I think I'm really starting to get this." She said as Buizel took in deep breaths, still focussing on his two opponents.
"Now Buizel, use Water Gun!" Buizel hammered Team Rocket with his water attack and they shot off into the air as their balloon exploded from the powerful jet spray, blasting them off into the air and I chuckled, tilting my hat with a smirk.
"Got to love their idiocy." I said then walked over to Buizel and Dawn as she complimented him on his awesome battling.
"I think Buizel's going to be just fine." I told her with a smile as Buizel looked up at me, giving me a confident expression. "After all, a battling spirit is what makes up most of Buizel and it's pretty hard to put out for long. How about we kick back and relax by heading over to the river for some fun?" I suggested and Buizel instantly began to agree.
"Bui-Bui, Bui, Bui-Bui Bui!" Lucian chuckled and spoke a few more words of advice to Dawn before we all said farewell, parting as friends with a promise to one day meet each other again on a battlefield. I couldn't' wait for that day. Who knows? Maybe it'll come sooner than I think.