I sent Gyarados over to Professor Oak to relax for a few days, however for my next contest I decided to use Ponyta. His unique blue flames were bound to score huge points for the judges, so I trained against Gary after we'd hit the road again.
Officer Jenny had informed us that we weren't wanted to meddle in her policing affairs, so we'd left that resort far behind us. In some ways I was glad to go. Although some parts had been relaxing, others had been completely annoying. For example all the girls that Gary had always walked around with. Guess some people will never change. After all, this is Gary we're talking about.
Feeling confident in Ponyta's abilities, we continued on our way to my next contest, admiring the countryside views along the way as well as all the Pokémon. We even battled other trainers along the way, learning new tricks and testing the boundaries of our strength each time. It felt great to be out in the wild simply living and breathing the stuff that I loved. Which was Pokémon and battling.
One morning I was washing in a river, completely minding my own business when my aura alerted me to something approaching. Aurora, Vaporeon and Pidgeot sensed it too as they all lifted their heads and instantly I dashed out of the water and yanked the towel around me to cover myself up before turning to try and see exactly who or what was coming.
Aurora jumped out in front of me, narrowing her eyes slightly however when we located the aura that was getting closer, we both growled in unison. "Jett, you'd better stop right there or I swear I'm calling for Charizard and he will roast you into cinders then dance on the embers!" I yelled and the footfalls stopped in their place.
"I thought I'd find you around here. I want to challenge you to a battle." He announced, not coming closer. "Where are you?"
"Trust me, you do not want to see me right now. If you do then you're nothing but a pervert." I added under my breath as I hurriedly tried to look for somewhere to change in complete privacy however I couldn't find anything suitable.
Pidgeot nudged me gently then spread a large wing in front of me, making me sigh in relief and give her a grateful smile before I started to get dressed hurriedly, making sure there were no other preying eyes close by. The other girls kept watch until finally, I was presentable. "Okay, you can come out now." Jett slowly appeared, finding his way to the riverbank where he fixed his icy eyes on me.
"I challenge you." He repeated simply so I folded my arms and arched an eyebrow, pondering on whether or not I should accept his challenge. I still don't like him, however I knew his character well enough to know that if I refused, he'd call me a coward. Pursing my lips I glanced to the three girls who were with me and they all nodded their heads in agreement, eager for the battle so I turned to Jett.
"A full six on six battle. Might as well make this battle one to remember, you in?" He nodded his head so I clucked my tongue and led everyone back to the camp where Dragonair was practicing manipulating the elements, her eyes narrowed in concentration with her orbs all glowing, however when she saw me she instantly brightened and flew a circle around me, her long body coiling around me and I twirled with her, giggling softly as she nuzzled my face.
Upon sensing Jett, Charizard instantly snarled defensively, taking up a battle stance and slammed his tail into the ground, jolting Gary as he polished his Pokéballs. "Easy there buddy, we're going to have a battle. You up for a little butt kicking?" I questioned him as Ponyta calmly walked over to me and pressed his nose into my hands, accepting my gentle petting as Charizard glanced at Jett. I could see the anger and pride burning passionately in his eyes, seeing Jett as nothing more than a puny jackass, much like I did. Finally Charizard nodded his head so I turned around and faced everyone. "Okay then, return everybody! This will be interesting."
"You're going to battle him?" Gary started as he followed behind me over to the space beyond camp where I then stood to face Jett. "Rubes, you sure that's a good idea?"
"Sure I do. I'm gonna kick his butt and make him regret the day he called my Jigglypuff pathetic." I grumbled under my breath, cracking my knuckles as Gary took a deep breath then nodded his head, not bothering to try and argue with me as I wasn't going to change my mind. Gary stepped back and glanced down to Jett, narrowing his eyes as the two of us faced one another.
"Alright, this is a full battle. Six Pokémon each and when all the Pokémon of either team is unable to battle, the match will end. Any questions?" Gary questioned, glancing between us before nodding his head. "Okay then, call out your first Pokémon."
"This is going to be fun. Let's go Vaporeon, it's show time!" I called out, flinging out her Pokéball and she appeared with a bright call, swishing her tail around as she twisted mid-air then landed on the floor, focusing darkly on Jett who didn't even blink.
"Very well, so be it. Jolteon, battle on." Jett spoke smoothly, not even lifting his eyes to meet mine as his Jolteon appeared with a crackle of electricity dancing between the pine like needles of its fur. It barked at us, scraping a foot against the ground but I wasn't afraid. Vaporeon can take that pup no problem. "After you." Jett invited so I smirked.
"In that case, let's take them out with one strike Vaporeon, let's go! Shadow Ball!" Vaporeon instantly blasted a dark orb straight at Jolteon who stood her ground before Jett called for her to dodge in a calm voice. The Jolteon moved with incredible speed, dodging with a blur before barrelling straight for Vaporeon at top speed. Wow! "Look out Vaporeon, dodge it!"
"Thunderbolt." Jett instructed and his Jolteon instantly summoned all its energy then blasted at Vaporeon who bounced backwards, avoiding the attack then leaped to the left to dodge the second strike. When the third came, I quickly intervened.
"Use Ice Beam!" Vaporeon instantly blasted the ice directly at the Thunderbolt which caused a mass explosion between the two as her powerful attack blocked the other. "Now quick, use Shadow Ball rapid fire!" Vaporeon bounded forwards and dove straight into the thick smog, shooting off several Shadow Balls directly at Jolteon who was shaking herself off, slightly stunned by the blast but then yelped as she saw the attacks coming straight for her.
"Use Dig." Jett countered and Jolteon instantly dove into the ground, however one of the Shadow Balls caught her shoulder before she could disappear and she whimpered slightly before she disappeared. The smog cleared away and Vaporeon stood there proudly, scanning the ground as Jolteon continued to burrow underground.
"Stay calm Vaporeon, use your ears to listen and try to sense where Jolteon is with your paws." I told her and she gave me a nod before closing her eyes and tried to map out where Jolteon was. There was a pregnant pause where everyone watched in anticipation and I held my breath, glancing over to Jett to see him perfectly relaxed.
"Use Thunder." He suddenly said and I blinked before I felt the ground move underneath my feet. Jolteon leaped up with a sharp bark, electricity already crackling around its fur and Vaporeon's eyes widened as the attack blasted right towards her.
"Use Hydro Pump on the ground!" I shouted and she quickly obeyed, blasting the ground with her powerful water attack which instantly shot her up into the air with speed, dodging the attack easily and both Pokémon glared at one another from mid-air, growling under their breath. "Now Vaporeon, Ice Beam!"
"Pin Missile." Jett countered and Jolteon instantly curled up and sharp glowing needles shot straight for Vaporeon as she took in a deep breath then blasted them with the ice she created. "Now Jolteon, use Thunder." As both Pokémon began to descend towards the ground, it seemed to happen in slow motion. As Vaporeon protected herself against the Pin Missile, Jett's Jolteon curled up and bright golden bolts shot out from her straight at Vaporeon who took the full hit.
"Vaporeon!" I cried out, my heart jumping into my throat as Vaporeon trembled in the air, crying out in pain so I shook my head and my eyes locked onto her long tail. "Hit Jolteon away with your tail Vaporeon, now!" Despite the damage of the electric attack, Vaporeon managed to snap out of it enough to whip her tail around and smack Jolteon to the ground mere moments before she landed gracefully on her feet as well, however Jolteon had taken a lot of damage from the power that Vaporeon possessed in her tail.
Vaporeon stood over Jolteon proudly but then static crackled over her body, making her flinch and freeze up so I pulled out her Pokéball. "Vaporeon return. You did a great job but get some rest now." I told her gently before swapping her out for Aurora. "Let's go Aurora, use Quick Attack!"
"Dodge it." Jett called however Aurora was faster. She was a small blur as she streaked straight for Jolteon and slammed her shoulder against Jolteon who barked sharply as Aurora flung her back. "Use Bite." Jolteon then turned her head around before she could fly too far away from Aurora and clamped down on her arm, causing Aurora to yelp loudly before growling.
"You can do this Aurora, swing Jolteon around!" I directed and Aurora began to spin on the spot like she were dancing, lifting Jolteon off the ground before finally she was shaken loose and she skid on the ground. "Focus Blast!" However as the attack began to form, the sphere became a different colour. Instead of an intense white, it became a mesmerising blue that shimmered prettily. Wait a second…was that…Aura Sphere? Awesome! "Way to go Aurora, now that's an Aura Sphere. Alright, let 'em rip!" I cheered, punching the air before mirroring Aurora's movements as she began to create sphere after sphere and launched them forwards at Jolteon who took the hammering before moving her body to try and escape.
"Jolteon, use Dig, fast." Jett flung out a hand and Jolteon instantly obeyed, diving underground and tried to escape however I only laughed.
"Keep a track of Jolteon. When she comes back up, have an Aura Sphere ready." I directed and she instantly closed her eyes and touched a paw to the ground, sensing Jolteon's aura from underground and when she tried to leap up and take Aurora by surprise, Aurora instantly leaped back out of the way and with a final Aura Sphere punched straight into Jolteon's chest, she was flung back and slid across the ground, giving a little whimper before fainting.
"Jolteon is unable to battle. The round goes to Aurora and Ruby." Gary announced with a little smirk as Jett returned Jolteon without even saying a word. I started to see great similarities between him and how Paul used to be. Shaking my head slightly with a sigh I then turned to Aurora.
"Great battle, I'm proud of you." I told her warmly and she beamed before allowing herself to be returned into the Pokéball. I looked up and locked eyes with Jett, who wore no expression whatsoever. It was a little unnerving but I kept my face placid as well before indicating my head. "Okay Dragonair, you're up!" I called, deciding to take a fresh plate. Aurora and Vaporeon needed rest, and I could sense Dragonair was itching to get out and battle.
Dragonair battled against Jett's Pupitar and defeated it with an Aqua Tail after a few minutes of blow exchanging and then she eventually defeated Jett's Gabite, who had an impressive Draco Meteor that knocked Dragonair down to her last scrap of strength. She had been panting for breath and struggling to remain afloat when her body had started to glow red. I knew it wasn't evolution, however when her eyes turned the same frightening colour, I had stared in awe as she had sprung up into the air then powered down against Gabite, knocking it to the ground then used her tail and agile body to hit repeatedly until finally, it passed out.
The glow then disappeared and Dragonair wavered on the spot as Gary called Gabite unable to battle. "Dragonair…was that…Outrage?" I questioned but she didn't answer, whimpering slightly in confusion so I returned her to rest. "You were amazing Dragonair, thanks for being so tough." I murmured to her before we moved on. Next up was Jett's Scizor who I pitched against my Pidgeot at first, however when I realised that we weren't getting anywhere against that metal hard shell of his, I knew I had to change my tactics, but before I could do anything, Pidgeot was taken out with a powerful Metal Claw attack and I had to return her. After that I selected my Ponyta and the two had a close battle before knocking one another out, despite Ponyta having the advantage.
It was getting intense. Most of my Pokémon were either knocked out or exhausted, whereas Jett still had two left with full tanks, though I'd been saving my best weapon for last, as I knew I would need him against Jett's Venusaur. Sure enough that was exactly the next Pokémon that Jett chose and I knew that it would be one of his strongest. The Venusaur was female, however it was very powerful and seemed confident in its strength, much like her trainer. Well, time to turn up the heat. "Let's do this Charizard, it's time for the final stretch!" I called out as I let him out of his Pokéball.
He appeared with a powerful roar which echoed across the mountains as he stretched out his magnificent wings and sent an overwhelming gust straight at Jett and Venusaur before landing heavily on the ground with a growl. I took a deep, slow breath to relax, keeping myself focused on the battle as Jett's eyes wandered over my impressive Charizard before nodding his head slightly as if in approval. "Begin!" Gary called so I jumped in with the first move.
"Let's go Charizard, fly up and use Fire Blast!" I called, punching the air in front of me and Charizard instantly rose up into the sky, flapping his wings to gain a height advantage.
"Use Frenzy Plant." Jett countered easily and Venusaur bellowed outward before stomping the ground with an eerie green glow around her outline, giant roots shooting out from the ground and they shot into the air, making Charizard quickly look down and he dodged backwards, growling as the roots came after him however as he tried to weave in and out of the roots, they climbed higher and higher to then wrap around his ankle and bring him crashing back to the ground.
"Charizard!" I yelled as he slammed into the ground, creating a huge crater however Charizard swiftly shook himself off and stood up again, glaring hotly over at Venusaur and I saw the flames on his tail burn more intensely as he stood there. "Great job Charizard, it'll take more than that to take you down. Use Flamethrower with everything you've got." I directed and Charizard instantly blasted Venusaur with the intense flames.
The large vegetation Pokémon groaned at the effective move, pressing its eyes shut but Jett didn't so much as blink in concern. "Use Solar Beam." The leaves on Venusaur's back began to glow bright white with a greenish tinge before the energy gathered blasted out in a thick beam straight for Charizard.
"Dodge it!" Charizard pulled his shoulder back to avoid the attack, letting it fly past his shoulder before he flew up into the air. "Awesome, now use Dragon Tail!"
"Power Whip." Jett countered and Venusaur instantly began to hammer at Charizard with the powerful vines that struck out like whip lashes, causing Charizard some damage as he tried to find an opening to land his attack on the Venusaur. Keeping calm I watched the whips for a moment before smirking.
"Grab a hold of those vines Charizard, quick!" Instantly Charizard arched around and grabbed both whips in his strong claws, disrupting the attack and the two began to then struggle against one another, both trying to overpower the other. "Now fly in circles as fast as you can, don't let go of those vines!" I called and Charizard immediately obeyed, flying in a tight circle around Venusaur whilst gripping onto the vines and they began to wrap around her legs. "Pull!" Charizard then used his powerful wings to pull himself back and Venusaur was toppled onto her side, flinching in pain as I smirked to myself. "Alright Charizard, use Fire Blast!"
With a powerful fire attack straight at the defenceless Venusaur, I was sure we had won however Jett remained as cool as a cucumber. What does it take to rattle this guy's boots? "Frenzy Plant, shield yourself." He directed and instantly the thick roots burst from the ground and formed a thick shield around Venusaur which deflected most of the flames from her body, however the roots caught alight and they snapped back into the ground still burning.
"Use Fire Blast again Charizard, whilst Venusaur is immobile!" I ordered and Charizard blasted the air again and the fire symbol shot straight at Venusaur with intense power, burning brightly before wrapping around Venusaur like a cocoon. The golden flames flared up brightly, surrounding Venusaur completely before extinguishing themselves, however the attack had left the grass and poison type Pokémon with a bad burn that sapped up more of her energy. "Great hit Charizard, you've dealt a lot of damage."
"Shake out of it, you can do this." Jett encouraged gently and I couldn't help but smile a little at his gentle voice, motivating his Venusaur to stand up a little taller and deal with the burn. "Use Sludge Bomb, and don't let that Charizard escape you." He ordered and Venusaur began to shoot purple blobs from her mouth straight at Charizard who began to weave out of the way, dodging and spinning to avoid contact however when the rapid fire began to increase, he used his wings to swat the attacks away from him.
"Use Flamethrower to burn out that sludge!" I countered and Charizard blasted at them as fast as they appeared, the collisions causing several explosions as the two exchanged blows until finally the two stopped, panting for breath with their bodies gleaming in swear. We had to wrap this up fast, otherwise Charizard was going to run out of energy and he would not be happy with me if we lost to an opponent we had the advantage over.
"Now my friend, use Power Whip." Jett inclined his head and Venusaur instantly focused in on Charizard who snarled, snout curling ferociously as the vines suddenly shot towards him.
"Fly up Charizard, fast!" He leaped off the ground with a thunderclap of his large wings, avoiding the attack as it struck the ground instead where he had been standing only a split second beforehand. Charizard swooped through the sky, a fire of fierce determination burning in his eyes as he soared higher and higher. "Okay Charizard, it's time to finish this so let's use Dragon Rage!" A red glow burned in his eyes as Charizard roared, however as the flames began to dance around his body and he dove down into a steep descent, a strange purple energy gathered before him, streaked with gold and the flames that danced from his body. Either I'm seeing things or Charizard has just…learned a new move. Giga Impact! That's so cool!
Charizard pelted for Venusaur at full speed, the Dragon Rage combining with the Giga Impact to create a swirling mass of purple, gold and flames until Charizard was nothing but an impressive blur. In a matter of moments he had slammed into Venusaur with the full power of the combined moves which sent out a force of air and rush of dust from the impact of the attack that almost flung me backwards.
I stood with my breath held in my throat, lowering my arms from my face to watch as the dust settled until I could see a flickering tail flame and the silhouette of my Charizard until finally, everything was clear to see. Charizard stood over Venusaur with pride, holding his head high and a small rippling growl rumbling in his chest as Venusaur lay completely knocked out on the ground, unable to get back up.
"Venusaur is unable to battle. Charizard wins!" Gary ruled and I exhaled with relief before beaming from ear to ear as Charizard flew over to me then lowered his head down to me as I flung my arms around him with a laugh, hugging him close before kissing his face.
"I knew you could do it." I told him simply and he snorted in agreement before his shoulder slumped and he fell to one knee, groaning slightly so I lifted his Pokéball. "Get some rest, you've earned it." I told him gently, rubbing his snout as I returned him to the Pokéball. "Thank you for your hard work buddy, I owe you one."
Lifting my head I met Jett's eye. He studied me for a moment before a slight smile came to his face, serene and simple as he nodded his head in a minute motion which I returned, sensing a degree of respect forming between us. "Last Pokémon Jett, I hope you can make it a good last battle because otherwise Ruby will wipe the floor with you." Gary taunted slightly but Jett didn't retaliate.
"I'm sure I can prove my worth." He answered before he pulled out his last Pokéball. I drew out my own Pokéball, Vaporeon's, and together, we sent them out together with a flash of light. I watched curiously to see what Pokémon would appear before us, however when the shape started to form and the aura became tangible, my blood froze in my body and every muscle tensed as fear pounded through my mind.
A sharp gasp escaped me as I swallowed back the scream, staring at the Pokémon in front of me which wore a nasty smirk that looked more like a snarl as its crimson slit eyes looked directly at me. Vaporeon started and looked back at me with concern, sensing the overwhelming fear I felt as I stared wide eyed at the Pokémon in front of me.
A Zoroark.