Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon but I do own my OCs.
Saying the next few months were chaotic would have been a massive understatement. After graduation, Sadie gathered her things and shipped off to the Weather Institute with an employee by her side. The stress of moving across the region was further reduced when she was given the option to live in sponsored housing at a discounted rate compared to other places in or around Fortree City. Once the realization that Sadie was out in the world, my parents cried out of joy in their room with the door closed a few nights later. Their crying eventually rubbed off on me.
I never knew how she truly felt after the day Shawn slapped her across the face and how I was so close to beating him senseless. Nobody in the house heard if her classmates were giving her a hard time for it despite a few of them knowing about the incident. Her schoolwork or forecasts didn't seem to drop in quality. Her friend group dynamic hadn't changed either. Maybe it was better that we never spoke of it after the league agent came to the house to tell us he skipped town. As it stood, she didn't let that day get to her.
Lucas left for Petalburg City shortly after Sadie did to continue his training. Hoenn's professional and amateur teams were constantly working on their strength with Norman or Brawly. I gave him 5,000P the day he left without our parents noticing; the remaining 10,000 was sent in time and he stayed on the team. Another bittersweet blow for my parents came when I moved into a downtown apartment.
Various tournaments with different prize amounts were held at Lostelle's every week which allowed me to pad my bank account. The game corner also made the smart decision to give out cash to second and third place finishers to attract more participants. I didn't win every time, but I never finished worse than sixth overall. My worst performances came in double battles no matter what combination of Pokémon I used; there was just too much to focus on during the fight. No matter the tournament, someone from Pokémon Services always won.
To supplement my income, I also took shifts at the main building doing grunt work. Battling at the facility was another source of cash although I didn't go there frequently. My fellow battlers poked fun at me for living in the far southwest side of the city since it was just one step above where I used to live. When I asked where they lived, Mauville Hills was the answer. Paying thousands for rent and utilities didn't appeal to me, but I went along with their jokes. Like my previous jobs, none of my coworkers seemed like the type to socialize outside of work. I took full advantage of that fact.
Notes flooded my room from Pokémon 001 to 441, or Bulbasaur to Chatot, in the months since I moved out. Although I spent hours gathering data, I rarely used the encyclopedia at the gym. I still felt a mix of embarrassment and anger whenever I walked through the door. Wattson had put so much faith in me only for our relationship to crumble after one fight.
I would have to go back for the Dynamo Badge, but I wasn't ready to become an official trainer yet. My bank account was hovering around 125,000P, the earning potential I had was limitless, I was constantly challenged by strong opponents, I was a respected employee overall, I was learning more about the medical field with every shift, and I loved my job.
Battling in front of an arena full of screaming fans made for one heck of an adrenaline rush that was only rivaled by the stadiums in Ever Grande City. Flexibility to go to the game corner and earn money by gambling was also a huge plus; I only stuck to blackjack. If I had any work-related questions, I could call with my PokéNav instead of wasting my time walking to the building. Starting my journey would ultimately depend on when I didn't like my job anymore.
Linoone and Magneton still got their battling in despite being far weaker than any of the rental Pokémon. My first partner had Covet replace Fury Swipes and Slash replace Baby-Doll Eyes; Magneton's Flash Cannon replaced Mirror Shot and Magnet Bomb was forgotten for Tri Attack. Despite the new attacks, they would have trouble with anything past the first round of a tournament. I stuck with the rentals whenever I went to New Mauville since they could easily get me out of trouble.
The upcoming tournament was a worldwide one for elite trainers. At the booth to sign up, I was handed an invitation. Anybody with eight or more badges was allowed to enter online while anyone with less had to apply in person or receive a personal invite; I was chosen to participate because of my winning track record at Lostelle's despite having "five" badges. When I went to Pokémon Services to get my team earlier than normal, something in my head clicked.
"What three Pokémon will you be using today? I'm assuming Lairon is one because you've picked it every time?" the receptionist asked with a smile.
I had kept my promise to pick Lairon for every tournament even though I didn't use him all the time. When he did come out, he was happy to see me. The disgruntled attitude came back when he was supposed to evolve due to his Everstone; it didn't last long when I put a plate of food in front of him.
"Can I talk to Mister V first?"
She dialed his extension to explain I was coming. "Just walk into his office." I did so and saw him calmly sitting at his desk looking at the door.
"What's up Ryan?" Him speaking so casually almost made me flinch.
"Do you have the contract I signed? I want to point something out."
"Of course." He took it out, grabbed a pen, and started scanning it. "What do you want to talk about?"
"The section where I can purchase a Pokémon from the company. I want to buy the Lairon I have been using for months." That felt disgusting to say; I had to convince myself it was a good thing.
I'm sure they could raise another one or I could catch one myself, but this Lairon really clicked with me. He acted like I had raised him from an Aron and he clearly wasn't happy about staying at Pokémon Services. No other rental Pokémon had gotten this close to me.
"Hmm… interesting. You're the second person to form a bond with one of our Pokémon. Here's what you need to know," my boss said while pulling out a file. All its information was laid out on a few pieces of paper.
"So… it's really 50,000P?" I asked hoping it was a joke.
"Correct," he coldly replied.
"Can I use that second favor to get a discount? The first one was letting me keep rental Pokémon up until closing."
He smiled. "You have a good memory. I am a man of my word, so I'll bring it down to 20,000. I think that's fair." I wished he would've offered it for free.
"That's fine with me. Let me get the money," I replied not wanting to risk him raising the price.
"Hold on a second," my boss said while making a call. "Jon, it's me. I need you to escort one of our employees to the bank and back. We're talking about 20,000 in cash."
His personal bodyguard came in the room. "Just to the bank and back?"
"An escort to the game corner as well now that I think about it," Mister V ordered.
"Yes sir. Let's go kid."
We turned a few heads as we went to the center of the city. It was weird enough that I was a 6'1", 190-pound man in a three-piece suit, but the bodyguard looked 6'3" and was at least 20 pounds heavier than me. The scary part was that extra 20 pounds looked like it was all muscle. Even the teller was focused on him until I walked up to the window.
"I'd like to withdraw 20,000P all at once, please." The teller walked away and came back with the manager without a word. "Here's my identification."
The manager looked it over. "You'll need to come in the back for me. Your friend needs to remain in the lobby."
"No problem," Jon said while going by the door. I was led to the vault containing potentially millions in cash.
"For convenience and safety, I'll give you a suitcase to carry it in along with one of our security guards to wherever you are going."
I sheepishly rubbed my head. "That's what my friend was going to do. The more the merrier I guess."
The three of us walked north to Pokémon Services drawing even more attention. A few whispers came from a crowd although nobody asked us anything. I had to give credit to people for not getting close enough to warrant a fight; my security team probably would probably ignore me if I told them to back off. Once we got back, I told the bank guard to wait at the door because I didn't want to keep the suitcase.
"Here's the money," I said after opening the suitcase in front of Jon and Mister V.
"Perfect! I'll call the front desk and tell them what's going on. Now get going because I don't want you to be late. The other six battlers have already checked in." I went to the lobby to hand the suitcase off to the bank guard. When he left, I went to the front desk again.
"Lairon will be a permanent member of my team if you know what I mean," I said with a soft smile.
"Oh! Well then, here's his ball. Congratulations!"
"I still need three Pokémon. How about Roserade, Starmie, and Dodrio?" I still lacked access to Pokémon with mega evolutions, but I was content with my options.
"All set. Good luck!" Jon and I ran over to Lostelle's to check in; he nearly ran people over in front of us so we wouldn't be late.
Despite it being 10:30 am, I was one of the last participants to check in. My competition was expected to be stiff and plentiful with 127 other participants signed up; seeding was irrelevant. To entice trainers from around the world to come, the top four trainers would receive a cash prize. First place was a whopping 500,000P, second place would take home 250,000P, third place was 100,000P and fourth through eighth went from 75,000-25,000P along with prepaid gaming cards for slot machines.
Another caveat was that the tournament was over two days instead of one. Day one would go from 128 trainers to 32 and then day two would have a winner. Rules were still what I was accustomed to like three against three or being allowed to change the team between battles. When I was handed the rules sheet, I sent Jon back. I found a corner away from the bustling crowd to call out my new Pokémon.
"Come out, Lairon." He looked eager to put in another hard day of work; I knelt next to him. "Today's going to be a little different. See these papers? It means you don't have to go back today!"
His head tilted in confusion before happily jumping in place. Papers meant nothing to him on the surface, but it was clear he knew I was his trainer now. The Everstone was carefully removed and he playfully tackled me.
"Oh man you're heavy," I wheezed while rubbing his side. Lairon might as well have been the happiest Pokémon in the world at that point. "Ready to go? You might evolve by the end of the day." He hopped off before I recalled him.
All participants gathered in a banquet room to receive a quick reminder of the rules. Out of the 128 trainers, roughly a dozen were dressed up although the badges gave away the company employees. One staff member wheeled in a projector and computer to show a live stream. There was a giant whiteboard to show the bracket. My match was the eighth one in which allowed me to scout the competition.
As expected, fully evolved Pokémon saw the field with a few making use of hold items. One combination that caught my eye was a Unova trainer's Conkeldurr holding a Choice Band. It was like watching a near murder every time it connected with a punch or swung its cinder blocks. Even Steven's Metagross or Drake's Salamence would have a tough time standing up after taking a hit. Seeing power like that was a sight to behold; I envied that trainer.
"Can we have our next two trainers by the door?" a stagehand called out. I dragged myself over while my opponent followed behind me. "Wait for my cue before you take the field."
It wasn't Jen, but she had a company badge. "Hi there. Name's Ryan." She gave me a look over then turned away without saying a word; what a bitch. We took our places in the trainer's box after I won the coin toss.
"Roserade, I choose you!" I confidently yelled over the roar of the crowd.
"Haven't seen one growing up in Johto, but it looks like a grass type. Sneasel, get out here!"
Our referee got set. "Roserade versus Sneasel. Go!"
I had the chance to strike first and I wasn't going to let it go to waste. "Grass Whistle!"
"Ice Shard!"
Sneasel was fast, but I was caught off-guard by how fast Ice Shard connected. Roserade took it like a champ then started to sing a soothing melody. My opponent's Pokémon swayed around until it fell asleep.
"Toxic Spikes! Hurry!" Purple spikes came from Roserade's arms and littered her side of the field.
"Dammit Sneasel! Wake up and use Slash!" The command didn't get through.
"Use Toxic Spikes again!" More came out and the stage was set.
She thought about recalling her Sneasel, but my opponent took a risk. "Slash!" Its eyes snapped open and it sprinted across the field to land a big hit.
"Leech Seed!"
"Do not let them get it off! Ice Shard!" The attack pelted my Pokémon and sent it to the ground in a heap. Roserade tried to stand, but stayed down.
"Roserade is unable to battle. Sneasel wins!" the referee declared.
Switching out could would have cause a chain reaction that wouldn't benefit me. With two layers of entry hazards, I was in control of the battle. She made a mistake by staying in and I was going to make her pay.
"Not bad. You better enjoy the lead now because you're not going to keep it. Lairon, come on out!" A scowl formed on my opponent's face. I had her right where I wanted her.
Barring some gimmicky move, Sneasel wasn't going to beat Lairon. The issue for her was which Pokémon she wanted to get poisoned. I was prepared if she had a steel or poison type to get around the poisonous spikes. However, a Pokémon with Rapid Spin or Defog would throw a huge wrench in my plan. I had a smile on my face when she opted not to substitute.
"Lairon versus Sneasel. Begin!"
"Iron Head!"
"Beat Up!" A dark aura covered Sneasel's claws as it took six distinct swipes at Lairon. It was a good attempt, but Lairon rushed ahead to deliver a heavy hit.
"Double-Edge!" I ordered for good measure. The frail ice and dark type stayed down.
A flag went up. "Sneasel is unable to battle. Lairon wins!"
Having the score even at 2-2 was misleading at the least. Unless she had a Pokémon with Rapid Spin or Defog, I could stall her out as poison whittled down her Pokémon. The problem for me was playing it safe versus trying to end the battle as quickly as possible. My team was fast enough to dodge hits but lacked the defense to take them.
"A little challenge never hurt me," my opponent said while shrugging her shoulders. "Go Quagsire!"
I took satisfaction in seeing the poison take effect immediately. Unfortunately, she managed to gain the advantage back. I remembered that Lairon was a horrible matchup on offense and defense; I needed to switch. Her last Pokémon would need to have excellent type coverage to pull out a win.
"Lairon, get back! Go Starmie!"
Magneton was the worst choice considering the situation. Dodrio hit hard, but lacked the type coverage needed to deal with her mystery Pokémon. Starmie had excellent type coverage with Hydro Pump, Psychic, and Power Gem. Reflect Type was the last move to make it more versatile in rehabilitation battles.
"Starmie versus Quagsire. Begin!"
The ground typing worked to my advantage. "Starmie, Hydro Pump!"
Quagsire just stood there with an absent look on its face as the blast of water pushed it back. To my horror, the move had no effect; fucking Water Absorb ruined it. At least the poison started to go to work. My opponent stood there with her arms crossed.
"You're going to hate me for this. Quagsire, use Amnesia!" It tilted its head then a glow surrounded it; I was starting to see the writing on the wall.
"Psychic!" The Water Fish Pokémon didn't take too kindly being tossed around the field. Despite the onslaught, it took the attack nicely. Poison took a little more energy out of it than last time once Starmie stopped.
"Mud Shot!"
"Counter with Power Gem!" Blobs of mud collided with pointed rocks causing a small explosion in the middle of the field. I could hear a loud moan from Quagsire followed by a Muddy Water attack. "Hydro Pump to break that wave!"
Starmie did a great job getting the large wave down to one that would weakly wash up against a person's feet on the beach. Quagsire collapsed from the poison leaving my opponent down to her last Pokémon. I kept my emotions in check knowing someone higher up in the company could easily come back from a 2-1 deficit.
"Quagsire is unable to battle. Starmie wins!" our referee announced.
It didn't take her too long to choose the final Pokémon. "Tyranitar, here we go!"
"Oh shit. That's not a rental," I mumbled.
The large Pokémon roared to announce its presence and then did it again when it stepped on the toxic spikes. From what I remembered, it was a versatile Pokémon. A trainer could teach it special attacks to hit physical walls, moves like Thunder Wave and Stealth Rock to be annoying, or its standard physical attacks.
"You really had to make me use my strongest Pokémon, didn't you?" my opponent sighed.
"Water Absorb protected Quagsire from Hydro Pump, but nothing can protect Tyranitar from it."
She formed a big grin. "We'll see about that."
"Starmie versus Tyranitar. Battle!" the referee announced. Another roar summoned a sandstorm.
I slowly reached for its Poké Ball but opted to stay in. "Reflect Type!"
"Pursuit!" she yelled almost immediately after I ordered my attack.
Bright lights covered my Pokémon then slowly faded away. Tyranitar then charged through the sandstorm to deliver a punch. I didn't recall seeing a weak move like Pursuit when I researched it; sounded like a lot of trainers switched out when they saw it. Starmie was still in good condition after resetting itself.
"Hydro Pump!"
"Rock Slide to defend yourself!"
A wall of falling rocks diminished Hydro Pump's effectiveness although Tyranitar took a hit. Sand particles buffeting my Pokémon at the same time made it hard to keep up a powerful stream. Poison damage was starting to rack up too. I needed to buy some more time.
"Hydro Pump again!"
My opponent was getting a little nervous. "Earthquake!"
The burst of water didn't last long as soon as the ground started shaking after a single stomp. Shortly after, Starmie was swallowed by the field then shot back up like a ragdoll when Tyranitar stomped its foot again. Reflect Type made it dark and rock so the damage was more severe than usual. To add insult to injury, the sandstorm pelted my Pokémon despite its red gem flashing. The referee quickly called the round.
"Starmie is unable to battle. Tyranitar wins!"
I couldn't tell if its roar was one of victory or pain after it looked like poison took away more strength. As far as I could tell, it didn't look like it was visibly struggling. Part of that was the fact I hadn't got in a clean hit all battle. All I needed was one good hit with Lairon to end the battle.
"I have a feeling this last round is going to be over a lot faster than usual. Go Lairon!"
Snarling was the last thing I would expect from a Pokémon that was so focused in battle. He ended up yelling across the field as Tyranitar stood there with a confused look on its face. I thought Lairon was trying to assert his dominance, but he was genuinely upset.
"What's its problem?" my opponent asked.
"Beats me."
Our referee kept a stone face. "Okay then… Lairon versus Tyranitar. Go!"
"End it with Earthquake!"
I needed to take a huge risk. "Rush in with Iron Head! Be ready to jump!"
Lairon took four steps before the ground started to shake. He kept charging and then jumped the last ten feet or so to avoid the ground swallowing him.
"Use Crunch!"
For a Pokémon that lost a lot of stamina, it held Lairon in place. Caught in the air, Lairon flailed around until Tyranitar slammed it to the ground. My opponent was convinced that throwing my Pokémon did a decent amount of damage; I thought it was too weak to hold on. Heavy breathing followed as Lairon got up.
"Quick, use Iron Tail!" I screamed.
Lairon's glowing tail swung at Tyranitar's legs; it went down in a heap. As soon as the entire body hit the ground, it went unconscious. Never have I ever seen a Pokémon go from having that much adrenaline to fainting so quickly. Toxic Spikes were meant to cause her problems, but I didn't think they would be the sole reason I won a battle.
"Tyranitar is unable to battle. Lairon wins!" Those words felt so good to hear.
"Woo! Let's fucking go! Lairon… you good?"
He continued his victory roar until a bright light covered him. The small Pokémon slowly grew until it was taller than me; its body dramatically changed as well. An even louder roar echoed throughout the battle dome causing a few people to leave their seats once the glowing stopped. I had an Aggron now.
"Finally got the chance to evolve," I mumbled.
My opponent calmly left the field without saying a word or showing any sign of emotion. Aggron and I took a minute to bask in the glory of a hard-fought win before recalling him. After healing everyone up and seeing my next match time, I found a bench to sit on away from the crowd.
Sitting in front of a computer or encyclopedia taking all those notes came in handy. However, I was frustrated about my performance. There was no way I could've known that one of Johto's best Pokémon would've been on my opponent's team. Nothing on my team could battle it one on one and I was one misstep away from losing to Earthquake. If I didn't have Toxic Spikes up, I would've lost. Forgetting about Quagsire's Water Absorb was another reason to be upset.
I eventually started walking around the casino floor to kill time before my next battle. One crowded roulette table caught my eye as the board above the table flashed the recent winning number. After weaseling my way closer, I saw Sidney of the Elite Four in his trademark button down dress shirt and black vest among a crowd of well-dressed people. It took a lot for me not to freak out.
Wattson may have been my local idol, but Sidney was arguably my favorite trainer in Hoenn. His cocky attitude in battle was justified since he won over 90% of his battles. Fighting types still had trouble with his dark type Pokémon because most of them were faster and could dodge heavy hits. Despite his status among trainers, he was humble when it mattered the most. He would praise opponents even in the face of a win and the rare loss would be met with grace. Excuses never came out of his mouth no matter the outcome. I aspired to have his poise.
"Looks like I'm a roll. Put 2,000 on red," he happily exclaimed. The rest of the group placed their bets then waited for the ball to stop.
"Red 32," the dealer noted.
"Eight wins in a row! I like where this is going! Give me 1000 on black and 500 on the box that says 19 to 36," Sidney yelled. I wanted in immediately.
Seeing the options up close complicated my process. There was an overwhelming amount of options to choose from with odds depending on where a bet would be placed. I could bet on a single number with 35:1 odds and have a huge payout or I could play it safe and pick a color where my odds would be a measly 1:1. Other payouts were between those two extremes. The betting minimum was 100P while the maximum was 100,000; it was probably the most inclusive game at Lostelle's.
"Place your bets everyone."
Making a safe bet just before the spin to start would give me the rush of playing without worrying about losing. "Chips please. I'll put down 500 on black and 500 on red." I could feel the high rollers roll their eyes.
"Playing it safe I see," the dealer noted. "No more bets! Here we go!" The ball dropped smoothly then took an awkward bounce across the wheel into its resting spot. "Green double zero."
"Oh no fucking way," I mumbled. "What a load of shit." Everyone at the table let out a collective sigh because nobody bet on 00.
Sidney perked up first. "Looks like the streak is over. Time to start a new one! I'll put 500 on a corner with 28, 29, 31, and 32."
"You can bet on four numbers at once?" I asked without thinking. I felt embarrassed when everyone at the table looked at me.
Sidney shrugged his shoulders. "Well yeah. You can bet on corners, streets, lines, rows, columns, top line, the list goes on." I gave him a blank look. "I take it you don't play a lot."
"Bingo."
"As long as you don't go overboard, you'll have a good time. You should see me at a craps table."
I wasn't feeling confident after losing 1,000P in a single roll so I decided to sit the next round out. The felt table was littered with chips in places I didn't even know were legal. One person blew through 5,000P by betting seven different ways. Black 31 came up and Sidney was back to being a winner. After watching a few more rounds, I jumped back in before he called for no more bets.
"Excuse me, dealer? Could you put 500 on the top line for me? I can't reach."
He gave me a confused look before shrugging his shoulders. Everyone else either had their head tilted or a weird look on their face. My chips were spread around 00, 0, 1, 2, and 3.
"Ball's going in!" The ball took a less violent bounce into a groove. "Looks like we have black 2." I was handed 3,500P worth of chips.
"Kid, cash those out right here. Follow me," Sidney said while signaling his group to stay behind. I did as he asked. We wandered through the floor until we reached a bar area. "What do you want to drink? I'll buy you a round."
Alcohol was something that drank sparingly. I would have a few beers at my janitorial job if someone else brought a case in to celebrate a special day. Drinking at home wasn't really my thing although my parents weren't against it. Their tastes were limited while I would drink almost anything. Free alcohol was the best kind of alcohol.
Nothing on the menu piqued my interest so I defaulted to something I tried at a retirement party. "Any kind of vodka with Nanab berry juice on the rocks."
"Sweet tooth, huh? I'm more of a beer drinker." He took a few sips before putting the glass down. "I can't believe you even had the guts to make that top line bet. It's usually a sucker bet because of where the numbers are on the wheel. Winning that bet is worth at least a free drink."
"Am I still a sucker even though I won?" Sidney took a big swing then slammed his glass down.
"Ha! Oh boy… I like you, kid. You've got guts and humor." He held a Poké Ball in front of his face. "Absol has Super Luck for its ability, but I guess abilities aren't limited to just Pokémon."
I took a bigger sip of my drink. "Having luck for battles is more important, but I'm happy if I can have it on the gaming floor too."
"You'll have your shot at the Pokémon League eventually."
"There's a battle tournament going on in the battle dome right now where first place is 500,000P. I just won my first battle."
He shook his head while smiling. "That's nuts. You want another drink to take the edge off?"
"Pass. I still have a long day ahead of me."
Sidney finished his beer. "Gutsy, a good sense of humor, smart, and a good battler. What a guy! It's like looking in a mirror. I might swing by for the next round."
"Do whatever you want. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get going. I don't want to be late for my next battle." I went to leave until he grabbed my arm.
"Kid, listen to me. Enjoy yourself… please. Some of my worst battles were because I wasn't having fun on the field. When you and your Pokémon are having fun, battling becomes so much easier." We shook hands before I went back to the banquet room.
The field of trainers had whittled down during my time on the gaming floor. Round one was finishing up with a sweep by a Gyarados. It had some help as a Ninjask used Baton Pass to transfer a little extra speed and attack; Cecil would've loved it if he saw it. My opponent for the second round was a young teenager from Sinnoh who was taking the gym challenge in Hoenn. We took the field for the coin toss.
He won and opted to go first for out battle which I found odd. The people who would intentionally go first were usually the ones who were setting up hazards, getting a hit in with U-Turn or Volt Switch, or were confident in their abilities to win off the bat.
"Luxray, I choose you!" my opponent yelled once the referee gave the signal to start.
An intimidating Pokémon stood at attention waiting for a command. From what I remembered while doing research on it, Luxray was a plain electric type. Its versatility as a mixed attacker caused some problems in the Sinnoh League dating back to the first year they started keeping data. I figured the best option would be to play the type game a little bit differently.
"Roserade, you're up!"
His facial expression went from calm to disgusted. My best guess was that he wanted me to send out a ground type to deal with it. Luxray's pupils went from normal to razor thin causing Roserade to back up a step while trembling. Intimidate was probably its ability because there are scarier looking Pokémon that are common in Hoenn like Mightyena. Heck, even a Masquerain is scarier.
"Roserade versus Luxray. Battle!"
Not only did I have the initial type advantage, I had my ideal lead Pokémon. "Toxic Spikes!"
"Not so fast! Roar!"
Poisonous spikes were scattered about before Luxray started to inhale. Once the roaring started, Roserade sprinted to my side and tried to hide behind me. Luxray continued and Roserade hit the closest ball to it before tapping the center of its own ball. The rash decision resulted in Aggron being sent out instead.
"Well, it's not the worst thing that could've happened," I mumbled to myself.
My opponent was one step above upset. "Dammit! I thought it would go back before a layer was set."
Our referee threw the flags up. "Aggron versus Luxray. Go!"
"Thunderbolt!"
"Don't let it have a clean shot! Use Rock Slide!"
Aggron stomped the ground once to send a flurry of smaller rocks into the air then did it again for ammunition. He started throwing rocks the size of my head at Luxray hoping for a hit. Unfortunately, the electric type was fast enough to weave its way out of immediate trouble. It couldn't get a strong Thunderbolt off, but it still caused some damage.
"Keep throwing those rocks!" I ordered hoping one would hit.
"Work your way for a good angle and fire another Thunderbolt! Use Crunch if the rocks get too close!"
Meticulous battling turned into gym class dodgeball as rock after rock was chucked across the field. Luxray moved horizontally to keep its vertical distance the same. A step back would result in a longer distance for Thunderbolt to travel while a step closer would mean less reaction time to dodge the rocks. After one rock clipped Luxray's leg, it started to move in a different direction.
"Double-Edge!" I ordered after seeing Luxray moving slower than normal. Aggron ran ahead as fast as he could.
"Zap it with Thunderbolt!"
A stream of electricity connected with Aggron while he charged. It didn't seem to stop my Pokémon and he ended up throwing his full weight into the attack. Luxray took a direct hit and was launched back; its head hit the ground first with a loud thud.
"Luxray is unable to battle. Aggron wins!"
I would've preferred that Roserade stay in as long as possible, but it was hard to argue about the result. My opponent was visibly frustrated about losing Luxray plus his next Pokémon could be poisoned. The crowd was getting in on the action by chanting Aggron's name. Our referee motioned for the battle to continue.
"Drapion, get out here!"
A large, purple scorpion Pokémon materialized with a grin. It took one look at the ground before rolling around in the poisonous spikes like they weren't threatening. My eyes went wide when the spikes were absorbed into its body; my work from earlier was gone in seconds. I was also concerned about what my opponent had up his sleeve; I had a major type advantage.
"Aggron versus Drapion. Begin!"
I needed to put him on the defense. "Iron Tail!"
"Crunch!" Surprisingly, Aggron's tail didn't break its teeth even though they were enhanced. "Release and use Fire Fang!" The close-range attack was unavoidable as it bit Aggron's arm.
"Slam it to the ground!" His arm flailed but Drapion didn't let go. "Pin it on the ground then use Iron Head!"
"Let go now then use Brick Break! Aim for the stomach" I knew he wasn't dumb enough to send it out without a move to deal heavy damage.
The release came well before Aggron had a chance to bring it to the ground. A claw turned bright before the attack found its mark. It was effective in damage and temporarily knocking the wind out of my Pokémon. Aggron didn't appreciate the attack and retreated near some rocks to start throwing. There was no going back after he started running around the field while throwing them like a snowball fight. He landed a shot to the midsection after he got close enough.
"Iron Tail!"
"Brick Break!" He added a little more power behind Iron Tail because Brick Break didn't stop the attack. Drapion still took the brunt of the attack and slid across the field. "Again!"
"Iron Head!"
Aggron waited until Drapion took a few steps forward to start running. Instead of taking a defensive approach, the hybrid poison and dark type raised its arm looking for a knockout blow; poor decision. My Pokémon lowered its head for the area where Drapion's body connected to its neck. The hit was a near knockout, but Aggron kept driving forward until he rammed the nearly unconscious Pokémon into the wall.
"Drapion is unable to battle. Aggron wins!"
The crowd was split into three distinct groups after Aggron walked away. Cheers and boos were coming from all over the arena while some people left their seats. Despite my battle style of using the surrounding area to my advantage, I didn't order a complete beatdown; Zigzagoon never did that unless I ordered for that maneuver. My other concern was how brutal it was to look at and listen to. I suddenly realized that maybe I should limit wall slamming to self-defense only instead of a finishing technique. The one saving grace was that Aggron immediately let up.
"I know I can't recover from this deficit, so the least I can do is teach your Pokémon some manners. One traumatizing experience, coming up. Mismagius, go!"
What came out was a Pokémon that would probably be better suited for a witch's assistant than a trainer. Ghost type? Check. Mischievous laugh? Check. Part of the body shaped like a pointy hat? Big check. I didn't remember what moves were popular aside from Shadow Ball which was a problem. Keeping Aggron in was ideal since he was on a roll.
"Aggron versus Mismagius. Begin!"
"Perish Song!"
Whatever it sang, the pitch made us cringe. Aggron covered his head then let his arms dangle as if it was pointless to resist the sound. He stood still facing the ghost type long after the song ended.
"Hey! You good?" That snapped him out of his trance. "Use Rock Slide!"
"Protect!"
Blue lights formed around Mismagius and it was eventually encased in a ball. Aggron stomped on the ground again to send chunks flying at it; they bounced off harmlessly. Some notes echoed throughout the field after the onslaught was over.
"Iron Head!"
"Protect yourself again!" The barrier took more time to form but still prevented any damage. "Shadow Ball! Quickly!" An easy hit was followed by another delayed echo; Aggron's time was running out.
"Enough bullshitting around! Aggron, Iron Tail!"
"You never learn, do you? Protect!"
His strategy failed as the barrier never formed. Iron Tail scored a direct blow and sent the ghost type skidding across the ground. It tried to float again only to fall. The song started to play again but immediately stopped as the referee raised the flag. My opponent willingly accepted his defeat.
"Mismagius is unable to battle. Aggron wins! This match is over!" I immediately recalled Aggron then went to midfield for a handshake.
"Good battling. Sorry about the second round. I don't know why Aggron was over the top."
He squeezed my hand and leaned closer to me. "You're a terrible trainer. You know that? I literally told you I was going to traumatize your Pokémon and you kept it in. You control your Pokémon, not the other way around. Put your damn pride aside next time," he whispered.
I returned the favor. "I'm a terrible trainer? What moron uses Parish Song with only one Pokémon left in the first place? So what if it was 'supposed to teach Aggron a lesson' or whatever you said."
He glared at me. "How in the world did you get in this tournament? I pity your Pokémon for having a trainer who can't get them out of obvious danger. Consider yourself lucky that Perish Song didn't work as intended."
I didn't want to entertain him anymore. "Whatever helps you sleep at night." We left with no further incident.
Matches from the rest of the day finished up and the bracket for day two was posted. Four other employees remained which was a little nerve wracking to see; the pressure to win felt greater than at the start. I shuddered at the thought of nobody in the company taking home any cash.
My next opponent was the trainer who was called "Seven" because he never gave the staff his real name. It hit me that he was the winner of Mister V's tournament the night I went to the facility after losing my job. Seven had already won the 250,000P tournament on opening weekend. Rentals weren't his style and his Pokémon back at the facility were top tier. With day one of the tournament over, the battle dome's field would be fixed for tomorrow.
I had time to think of a plan to take him down.
Have a good day and I will see you next chapter :)
-W4f