Chapter 8: The Vines That Bind
It had been 2 weeks since Darius and Alex had challenged Robert and won, and the list of people that sought them out for battle in the small town continued to grow. Alex decided to stay in town to field all the challenges that came to him, while Darius decided to move on in his journey, hoping to get to Mt. Corundum before sunset hit again. Darius' shaggy brown hair was matted from dirt and grime accumulated from the battles with wilds and trainers on the routes and in the small villages he passed through. His Gligar had learned Faint Attack and his Elekid had learned Shock Wave due to this training, and he never lost a battle in the whole time. His calf muscles screamed for a rest as he climbed up the steep hills leading up to the mountain in the distance, but he trekked on regardless.
The end makes the means worthwhile if my efforts pay off.
As he approached an especially steep cliff, he noticed a burly man with mountain-climbing gear and unkempt blonde facial hair curling 30-pound weights alongside his Machop. His Nidorino began barking at Darius as he drew closer, prompting the mountain of a man to let loose a hearty chuckle as he walked over to the young Trainer.
"Hello, young man, what brings you out to these dangerous terrains? You look like you've been out here a while. Where did you come from?"
Darius wordlessly pulled out his Gym Badge, causing the man's eyes to glint with excitement.
"Oh ho, you finally broke little Bobby's winning streak? I guess that it technically proves that you're a cut above the rookies around here, but how do you feel about proving it to me?" The man's hearty laugh showed no malice but his condescending smirk egged Darius on.
"Best of 3, then." Darius coolly stated, betraying little of the excitement growing inside him.
"Your call, boy. Nidorino, yerr up!" The man grinned as his Nidorino ran in front of him in a battle-ready stance. "Bit scarier than the Nidoran around here, eh?"
"Gligar, come on out!" Darius' Gligar swooped through the air, catching a passing breeze before landing in a statuesque pose on the ground.
Play here: Anime version of Johto Wild Pokémon Battle
"Gligar? That's a rare find. Too bad its poison doesn't work against Nidorino." The man's grin faded as he plotted his first attack. "How about Focus Energy, Nidorino!"
Nidorino began to glow as it focussed its power, increasing its chance of scoring a critical hit. Gligar remained motionless and calm as it awaited orders. "Now, Double Kick!"
"Gligar, Harden!" Gligar easily deflected the first kick, only for the second kick to strike it hard and send it flying back.
"How do ya like the critical hits?" The man continued to laugh, but Darius knew better than to fall for his taunts. For Darius, the battle was won in his mind first, so to lose control there would be as good as a forfeit.
"Gligar, Harden again."
"Nidorino, how about Peck?" Nidorino charged forward violently with its horn ready to stab Gligar, but the attack seemed to do no damage upon contact.
"Faint Attack." Gligar suddenly uppercutted Nidorino in the jaw without warning before launching itself up and brutally striking downwards. The attack caused Gligar to get poisoned, however, as it inadvertently hit one of Nidorino's barbs. "Loop around and execute a Quick Attack before it can regain its footing." Gligar did as commanded, swooping in such a way that it hit Nidorino's underbelly, sending it flying into a rock. The trainer withdrew his Nidorino, despite it not being fainted.
"I concede defeat for that first round; I've seen what your Gligar is capable of. You raised it well. I suspect Machop wants some exercise, too." His Machop sauntered over after watching Nidorino fall, his normal bravado replaced by a determined expression as it got into a fighting stance.
Play: Johto Trainer Battle theme from anime
"Good job, Gligar, here's a Pecha berry. Elekid, you're up." Gligar was returned to the Pokéball upon finishing the berry, while Elekid and Machop stared each other down. "Start off with a Quick Attack, you have Machop beat in speed." Elekid became a yellow blur as it slammed into Machop, but Machop stood firm and pushed back, minimizing the damage with its strong leg muscles.
"Low Sweep!" The hiker barked at Machop.
"Block it with Low Kick!" The two Pokémon tried to trip the other with powerful sweeping kicks, but Machop's kick brought Elekid to one knee, vulnerable as it lost its footing.
"Finish this fight with a Karate Chop!" Machop brought its hand up for the finishing blow when it suddenly winced and froze. Electricity crackled along its torso and arm as it fell to its knees groaning.
Darius quietly smiled to himself. Static. Quite the useful ability, it seems.
"Shock Wave, Elekid, your chance is now." Elekid whirled its arms, generating energy for the attack that danced between its horns, before letting loose a fast-moving homing bolt of lightning that engulfed Machop with electrical power. Machop screamed in agony as the attack struck, searing it, before slowly rising to its feet, skin blackened by electrocution. The cry chilled Darius to the bone but he continued as the Machop got up to fight with its eyes glowing.
"Your Elekid's ability may be a bit of a hindrance now that you know my Machop has the Guts ability." The hiker grinned evilly as he lorded his advantage over the shaken trainer. "Revenge."
Machop's body began to glow with the power of pure rage as the power from Guts and the unique nature of its attack multiplied its power exponentially, slugging Elekid with a punch that resounded with the sound of cracked ribs as Elekid immediately passed out from the pain, the force of the punch slamming it into the ground it stood on, blood tricking out of its mouth. Machop fell to its knees from pain as the hiker returned it to its Pokéball.
"So, my boy, ready to see my strongest Pokémon?" The hiker laughed maniacally as his fingers worried the blue Pokéball with red stripes that Darius immediately recognized as a Great Ball. Due to their greatly inflated price compared to regular Pokéballs, they were generally reserved for tougher captures or rare Pokémon and you need 2 gym badges to buy them in most stores.
Play here: Pokémon Anime Sound Collection- Team Aqua/Magma Battle
"Winner takes all? I'll bring my starter out, then." Darius called out his Snivy to battle, but as the grass snake stood calmly awaiting its opponent, Darius began to sweat with nervousness. This Trainer's calibre was much greater than what Robert demonstrated, and he definitely wasn't holding back in the last fight. His Elekid wouldn't be able to battle for a few days, and that was after battling the weakest Pokémon in the Hiker's party...
"Here we go, Sky-Eater!" The hiker yelled with almost childlike glee as the Great Ball opened, the Pokémon coming out exploded out of the ball with a mighty roar as it materialized. It dwarfed the Hiker by many times as it uncoiled with a deep growl, each segment on its brown, rocky body as big as Darius' Snivy. The gargantuan Onix certainly lived up to the Hiker's nickname for it, and it stared Darius directly in the eyes as it swayed back and forth, awaiting the start of the battle.
"Snivy, Vine Whip!" the green vines snaked out, lashing wildly at the beast, who simply roared in response. Despite its quadruple weakness, it stood form against the attack, blocking with its tail to guard. "Keep on going!" The vines continued to barely hurt the snake.
"Onix, use bind." The rock snake suddenly whipped its tail around the grass snake, squeezing it as it screamed, giving every bit of its gargantuan power while keeping out of reach of the flailing vines. "Now, Rock Tomb!" The rocks around Onix grew, squeezing Snivy further as it struggled for air. Snivy's vines grew limp as it hissed weakly, glaring at its rock-type tormentor.
"Snivy, Leech Seed." A seed shot at Onix's head, latching onto one of the rocks near the base of its skull. Vines sprouted out, restricting the writhing rock serpent as it began to glow green. Snivy's struggling grew stronger again as it was regaining health faster than Onix could damage it. Its vines lashed at its chest, causing the beast to roar as its vitality began to drain from it. Onix finally released its grip as Snivy tackled it. However, the tackle did nothing to the ground-type as it moved its midsection out of the way of the attack, before a mighty swing from its tail knocked the hapless starter to the ground, leaving a dust cloud where it landed. "Leaf Tornado!"
A gust of wind ripped through the dust cloud, causing the swirling leaves to scratch Onix as black oil began to ooze from the lacerations, the beast screeching in protest.
"Slam, Onix." A rocky tail swooped down at the grass snake with incredible force, bearing the brunt of the opponent's weight. Snivy's dodge was too slow as it was knocked into a tree, dazed, before two more tail strikes lay the smackdown on the smaller Pokémon. Snivy lay on its stomach groaning with its eyes half-open, struggling to hold consciousness
"Snivy!" Darius called out to the battered starter.
"You can forfeit at any time!" The hiker called out with a fierce devilish grin.
"Snivy, get up!" Snivy lifted its head wincing with pain at its Trainer's call, struggling with its leafy arms as it attempted to lift its own weight.
"You had your chance. Finish it with Slam, Onix." The rock snake raised its long tail for one final downward strike, putting in all its weight to make sure the stubborn grass-type would finally be put in its place. The ground shook as it jumped up into the air, using the force of gravity to exponentially increase the damage of the attack. Snivy exploded with a green aura as impact became imminent, suddenly causing the larger Pokémon to be launched back into the air.
Overgrow... Snivy's truly reached its limit... Vine Whip barely repelled Onix's attack... One more hit and it's down for sure...
"Snivy, Vine Whip!" Snivy's vines lashed Onix with the sounds of rocks cracking as the lashes broke the rock-type's stone hide. A torrent of leaves followed soon after, the gust of wind increasing the damage.
"Repel it with a Dragonbreath, and then finish with a Rock Tomb attack." A green flame burst out of the rock snake's gaping maw as it let loose an air-shaking roar while rocks rose around Snivy to restrict its movement once more. The rocks completely enveloped the Snivy, the green aura around it weakening as it disappeared from sight.
"S...Snivy..." Darius muttered, his head down, when he noticed a bright blue light burst from the rocks. A green blur burst out of the rocks, jumping straight onto Onix's head as the pair became enveloped in a green aura, green tendrils extending from its head that snaked around Onix's body, the aura turning red as Onix screeched in pain. The tendrils dissipated as the green Pokémon returned to battle stance in front of its trainer, much bigger than before with its leaves on its tail fanning out further.
The hiker's face blanched as the newly evolved Servine cracked its vines in the air like whips, snarling at the Onix that grunted before it.
Play: Pokémon Anime Sound Collection- Who is Stronger? Epic Battle!"A real battle, then! Onix, en garde!" Onix reared back and roared mightily despite its injuries, Servine's injuries still prominent on its body as well as green fiery aura enveloped it.
"Why not a Leaf Tornado?" A gust of wind whipped up as the leaves from surrounding trees joined the attack.
"Dragonbreath, full power!" The green gust blew with full force, matching evenly with the wind as the resultant gust blew sand around the battleground, obscuring both trainers' vision.
The dust cleared a staredown between Onix and Servine, neither able to attack anymore but rather reliant on their willpower to stand as their muscles and bones screamed with pain against them. Onix suddenly became enveloped in green energy as the seed on its body glowed, stealing the last of its energy as its head crashed to the ground before the grass-type.
"We... won..." Darius cried tears of joy and pride as he hugged his Servine after the battle, still amazed that he won his toughest battle yet.
The hiker helped the teary-eyed Darius to his feet as the younger trainer recalled his starter, congratulating him on a job well done as they surveyed the extensive damage caused by the Onix's rampage...
