Hello and welcome to Chapter 11 of Pokémon Journey: Sevii Islands! I'm sorry that I couldn't upload earlier in the day, but I've only just got back home after a long car journey across France.
Last chapter, Richard lost his gym battle against Sophia in Shellshore Town and has decided to return to Kin Island to train and focus on defeating Liz.
Upload Date: 27th March 2016
Chapter 11: Dreams Intact
Atla Town, Sevii Islands
10:41am, 14th July 2005
"It feels like such a long time since we arrived on Kin Island for the first time," said Richard as he, James and Livvi walked up the main path from the port to Atla Town.
James nodded. "I know what you mean," he said. "It's only really been about four days since we came here the first time, but it feels like a lot more time has passed."
"It's probably because so much has happened between then and now," Livvi sighed. "I mean, we saved Lostelle, Salea evolved into Blissey, I caught that hypno and gave him away…" She briefly lapsed into silence before continuing. "And, of course, you've had two gym battles in that time as well!"
"All that, huh?" Richard gazed over at the Atla gym thoughtfully.
"So what's the plan then?" James asked, snapping Richard back out of his thoughts.
"Huh?" Richard looked back at him. "Well, I was thinking of heading out to Bond Bridge and doing some training there."
"How long for?" Livvi asked.
Richard frowned.
"I don't really know," he replied. "I was thinking of just training for the rest of today and then challenging Liz to a rematch tomorrow."
"Are you sure that'll be long enough?" James cried, feigning concern.
"I wasn't that hopeless in the last battle!" Richard snapped.
"We need to think about why you lost the first battle," said Livvi. She screwed up her face in concentration. "What went wrong?"
"Hypnosis," James replied. "The moment his pokémon were hit by Hypnosis, he was completely at Liz and Noctowl's mercy."
"The question is how to overcome it," Richard sighed.
"Hey, guys!"
The three of them looked up to see Lostelle, the little girl they'd saved in Berry Forest, running towards them.
"Hey, Lostelle! How's it going?" James called out, smiling at her.
"It's been a while!" Livvi grinned at her.
"You guys are back in Atla Town?" Lostelle asked as she reached them.
"That's right." Richard nodded. "I lost my gym battle against Liz, so I went on to the next island. But now we're back so I can challenge her to a rematch."
"Are you going to challenge her right now?!" Lostelle cried in excitement. "Can I come and watch?"
"He's not going to challenge her straight away!" James laughed. "We need to do some training before he does."
"I'll challenge the gym tomorrow," Richard added. "You're more than welcome to come and watch though."
"Awesome! I'll definitely come and cheer you on!" Lostelle grinned. "So are you going to be training here in Atla Town?"
"I was thinking of heading out to Bond Bridge so we don't get in anyone's way," Richard replied.
"Oh." Lostelle looked disappointed. "I was wondering if you wanted to hang out with me, but my dad won't let me go out to Bond Bridge anymore."
It was hardly surprising. James, Richard and Livvi looked at each other.
"I don't mind hanging out with you, Lostelle," said Livvi, smiling at her. "Those two will be fine without me."
"You're abandoning us?!" James cried.
"I'll be here when you get back, so give me a shout before you challenge the gym," said Livvi, sighing at James. "Is that fine with you, Richard?"
"I guess so," Richard replied, scratching the back of his head. "James' team will probably be enough for training."
"It's settled then!" Livvi grinned. "I'll stay here with Lostelle, and you guys will come and get us tomorrow when you're heading to the gym for the rematch."
"Alright, see you tomorrow then!" Richard nodded.
"Enjoy yourself!" James added as he and Richard started walking away in the direction of Bond Bridge.
Bond Bridge, Sevii Islands
3:15pm, 14th July 2005
Richard and James had found a nice, open area of grass tucked alongside the large hill between Bond Bridge itself and Atla Town. It was enclosed to the north by a line of tall trees, while a cool breeze rolled in from the direction of Kinimo Island to the west. Normally, the breeze would have been a welcome relief from the summer sun, but the clear skies above the Sevii Islands had clouded over earlier in the day. The temperature had dropped, leaving James and Richard pulling on jumpers to stop themselves shivering.
"What do you want to do now?" James asked.
They'd already spent most of the morning and afternoon practising attacks and evasion tactics, using Spear to help Richard's other pokémon become more attuned to fighting an airborne opponent. The pokémon were all lying down nearby, taking a well-earned rest after all the training they'd been doing.
"I was thinking of having a three-on-three battle," Richard replied. "Just like the gym battle."
"I can't mimic Liz's fighting style though." James frowned. "I don't have any flying type pokémon.
"That's fine," Richard replied. "It'll still be good practice. Hopefully it'll help keep us warmed up as well!"
"Can't argue with that!" James laughed. He paused for a second to think. "It's a good thing that Livvi stayed behind in Atla Town after all – she'd have hated sitting out here in the cold!"
"I wonder why the cold bothers her so much," Richard said thoughtfully.
"Hmm."
The two of them lapsed into silence for a couple of seconds.
"Anyway, we should be thinking about battling, not why Livvi hates the cold!" James sprung back to action. "Let's go guys!" He jumped up and walked off to the far side of patch of grass. His pokémon quickly jumped up and followed him across.
"We need to get ready as well!" Richard grinned, standing up and recalling his pokémon to their poké balls.
"So three-on-three, right?" James called. He'd recalled his pokémon to their poké balls as well.
"That's right!" Richard grinned. "May the best trainer win!"
"I'll let you choose first!" James called.
"Both at the same time!" Richard countered.
"Deal!" James nodded.
They both pulled out their first poké balls.
"Go, Helix!"
"Go, Raenok!"
Helix and Raenok burst out of their poké balls and landed softly on the grass.
"Looks like I've got the advantage this time!" James grinned.
"We'll see about that!" Richard called back. "Helix, use Tickle!"
Helix charged towards Raenok.
"Dodge it and use Cross Chop!" James ordered.
Raenok nodded and jumped up into the air to avoid Helix's attack.
"Dodge it and use Spike Cannon!" Richard called as Raenok crossed his forearms.
Helix jumped back with surprising agility. As Raenok landed with a thud on the spot where he'd been standing a few moments before, he fired a volley of spikes from his shell at him. Raenok cried in pain as he was hit and thrown back by the volley.
"Are you alright, Raenok?" James called.
Raenok quickly jumped back up and nodded.
"Glad to hear it!" James grinned. "Use Brick Break!"
Raenok's right fist started glowing a dark red colour. He charged towards Helix.
"Dodge it!" Richard called.
Helix jumped to one side as Raenok made to throw a punch at him, narrowly avoiding being hit.
"This is the pokémon that's supposed to have died out because its shell was too heavy for it to hunt prey effectively, right?" James frowned.
"Catching prey and dodging an attacker are two completely different things!" Richard grinned. "Use Water Gun!"
Helix nodded and fired a blast of water at Raenok, who cried out as he was hit in the stomach and blasted back.
"Use Rock Slide!" James called as Helix lifted his attack.
Raenok stamped the ground, sending a cluster of boulders flying into the air. Leaping up, Raenok spun himself and extended his right leg to kick the boulders towards Helix.
"Use Ancient Power on the boulders!" Richard called.
Helix nodded. As the boulders approached him, they were suddenly surrounded by a regal blue aura and hurled back towards Raenok. He cried out as he was hit.
"You can use Ancient Power for that?!" James cried in surprise as Raenok pulled himself back to his feet. "That's amazing!"
"I figured that, since Helix normally pulls up boulders from the ground when he uses Ancient Power, he'd be able to do the same thing to boulders which were already above ground," Richard replied. "What do you think?"
"You could definitely catch an opponent off-guard with that kind of move!" James grinned.
"Glad to hear it!" Richard grinned. "Helix, use Spike Cannon!"
Helix nodded and fired another volley of spikes at Raenok.
Caught off-guard, Raenok was struck directly by four of the five spikes and sent flying back again.
"Are you alright Raenok?" James called.
Raenok leapt back to his feet, his eyes aflame with anger.
"Looks like you triggered Anger Point!" James laughed helplessly. "Unlucky Richard!"
"It isn't over yet!" Richard grinned.
"Well, you're right there," said James. "Raenok, finish up with Cross Chop!"
Raenok screamed angrily, throwing himself towards Helix with his forearms crossed and glowing dark red.
"Dodge it, Helix!" Richard called.
Helix made to jump to the right but was too slow this time. Raenok yelled as he wrenched his arms apart and smashed Helix with two simultaneous chops. Helix cried out in pain and fell back, collapsing to the ground.
"Helix, are you alright?" Richard called.
Helix responded weakly.
"Looks like Helix is down for the count!" James grinned. "You put up a good fight though, Richard!"
"Heh! I'm far from done!" Richard grinned back as he recalled Helix. He pulled out his next poké ball. "Go, Spear!"
Spear burst out of his poké ball and start soaring around above the battlefield.
"Are you using the same team that you used in your first battle against Liz?" James asked suddenly.
"I figured it would be best to focus on training them so that they're fully prepared for the rematch!" Richard called back.
"You're not thinking of switching team members?"
"I think the problem was Liz's tactics rather than my team choices! Besides, it'd be suicide to use Sting and Naro's weak to psychic type attacks so he'd be destroyed by Noctowl!"
James nodded.
"I guess that makes sense. Anyway, let's get back to the battle: Raenok, use Screech!"
Raenok let out an ear-splitting noise, causing Richard to clutch his ears. Spear squawked in pain.
"Now use Rock Slide!" James called.
Raenok nodded and stamped the ground to send a cluster of boulders flying into the air. With a powerful kick, he sent them flying towards Spear, who'd descended rapidly while he'd been using Screech.
"Dodge it with Agility and use Aerial Ace!" Richard called.
Spear vanished from sight. The boulders made a loud crash as they struck the ground.
"Watch out, Raenok!" James called.
Raenok nodded.
Spear suddenly reappeared behind him and struck him with an outstretched wing. He cried out triumphantly as he soared past and flew back in Richard's direction.
"Are you alright, Raenok?" James called to Raenok, who'd been thrown to the ground by the attack.
Raenok, his eyes still alight with anger, pulled himself back to his feet and nodded.
"Alright, use Rock Slide once more!" James ordered.
Raenok sent another Rock Slide flying towards Spear.
"Dodge it and use Aerial Ace again!" Richard called.
Spear nodded and quickly flew to the left, easily evading the boulders tumbling from above. His wings started glowing white and he flew at Raenok at full speed.
"Dodge it!" James called instinctively, even though he knew that Aerial Ace was a sure hit.
Raenok tried valiantly to jump clear, but Spear changed direction in a split second and smashed into his flank.
"Raenok!" James cried in alarm as he toppled to the ground.
He cried out weakly in response.
"Looks like Raenok's down for the count!" Richard called over. "I'd say that's my victory, wouldn't you?"
"Keep in mind that Raenok was tired out after battling Helix!" James called back as he recalled Raenok.
"Excuses, excuses!" Richard grinned.
"How'd you like this then?" James threw out his next poké ball.
Kacha cried out as he burst from the ball and landed softly on the ground.
"Start out with Thunderbolt!" James called, not wanting to waste time.
Kacha nodded and fired a blast of electricity at Spear.
"Dodge it with Agility and use Drill Peck!" Richard called.
Spear nodded. He vanished a split second later, easily dodging the Thunderbolt.
"Use Agility to dodge!" James called to Kacha as Spear reappeared behind him and started diving in to use Drill Peck.
Kacha nodded. He leapt up above Spear so fast that the movement blurred together.
"Now use Slam!" James ordered as the pikachu started descending.
Kacha swung his tail and slammed it into Spear's back. The fearow cried out in pain. He lost height and crashed into the ground.
"Are you alright, Spear?" Richard called.
Spear quickly pulled himself up and took off again as Kacha attempted to hit him with another Thunderbolt.
"Good! Use Aerial Ace!" Richard shouted.
Spear swung round and dove towards Kacha as he landed on the ground.
"Try dodging it with Agility!" James called.
Kacha nodded. He leapt up above Spear in the blink of an eye. Spear immediately did a U-turn in the air and torpedoed himself back towards Kacha, striking him before he had a chance to try again.
"Looks like Aerial Ace is always a sure-hit!" James sighed as Kacha toppled back to the ground. "Are you okay, Kacha?"
Kacha pulled himself back to his feet and nodded.
"Alright then, use Thunderbolt!" James ordered.
Kacha fired another Thunderbolt towards Spear.
"Dodge it with Agility!" Richard called to Spear. "Then use Drill Peck!"
Spear flew past Kacha at high speed before turning and preparing to use Drill Peck.
"Use Thunder Wave!" James ordered as Spear began his dive.
Kacha fired a weak electrical pulse at Spear, who didn't have enough time to dodge. He cried out in alarm as the electrical pulse caused his wings to seize up. Kacha ran back to get clear as the fearow crashed to the ground.
"Finish him off with Thunderbolt!" James called.
Kacha fired a blast of electricity at Spear, hitting him directly. Spear cried out in pain before collapsing.
"You only won that because of the type advantage!" Richard called as he withdrew Spear.
"How hypocritical!" James exclaimed. "You only beat Raenok because of the type advantage!"
"That was different!" Richard called back as he pulled out his last poké ball. "Go, Flare!"
Flare called as he materialised and landed with a thud on the ground.
"No type advantage this time!" James grinned.
"I'll show you that I don't need the type advantage to beat you!" Richard grinned back. "Flare, use Take Down!"
Flare nodded and started charging forwards.
"Dodge it with Agility!" James called to Kacha.
The pikachu nodded and shot out of the way. He suddenly appeared behind Flare.
"Now use Thunderbolt!" James ordered.
Kacha fired a blast of electricity at Flare.
"Counter it with Ember!" Richard shouted.
Flare nodded and fired a burst of embers back towards Kacha.
The two attacks collided, causing an explosion.
"Now use Agility and Stomp!" Richard yelled as the smoke cleared.
Flare vanished in the blink of an eye as Kacha landed back on the ground.
"Watch out, Kacha!" James shouted. "Behind you!"
Kacha cried out in pain as Flare slammed his hooves down onto him.
"Great work, Flare!" Richard called as Kacha was thrown back towards James.
Flare grinned back.
"Are you alright, Kacha?" James asked.
Kacha pulled himself back to his feet.
"Glad to hear it!" James grinned. "Use Slam!"
Kacha started charging towards Flare.
"Dodge it!" Richard called.
Flare nodded and leapt to one side as Kacha approached.
"Great work! Now use Ember!" Richard ordered.
Flare fired another burst of fiery embers towards Kacha, who cried in pain as he was hit.
"Use Thunderbolt!" James shouted as Kacha dropped back to the ground.
Kacha gave himself a shake to get the remaining embers off of him before firing another blast of electricity.
"Dodge it with Agility!" Richard called.
Flare nodded and vanished briefly from sight.
"Now use Take Down!" Richard yelled.
Flare slammed into Kacha from behind, sending flying forwards.
"Are you okay, Kacha?" James called as the pikachu landed in a heap.
Kacha pulled himself unsteadily back to his feet. He gave James a reassuring nod.
"Alright then, use Slam!" James ordered.
Kacha charged towards Flare again. He cried out in pain as Kacha slammed his tail into him, knocking him back.
"Are you alright, Flare?" Richard called.
Flare pulled himself up again and nodded.
"Okay then, use Ember!"
"Dodge it with Agility!" James ordered as Flare fired a burst of embers towards Kacha.
Kacha vanished from sight and reappeared on Flare's right.
"Now use Slam!" James yelled.
Kacha leapt into the air, preparing to bring his tail down to slam into Flare.
"Intercept it with Take Down!" Richard shouted.
Reacting quickly, Flare pivoted on his front right leg to bring himself round to face Kacha. Just as the pikachu started descending towards him, he fired himself recklessly towards him. Kacha cried out in pain as Flare struck him and sent him flying back.
"Kacha, are you alright?" James called out as Kacha landed with a crash.
Kacha responded weakly.
"Looks like I can win without the type advantage after all!" Richard grinned.
"Don't get too cocky!" James called back as he withdrew Kacha. "I've still got one pokémon on full strength, whereas Flare is tired from fighting Kacha and injured from using Take Down!"
"We'll see!" Richard called back. "I believe in Flare!"
"And I believe in Saeloc!" James called, throwing out his last poké ball.
Saeloc called out as she burst out of her poké ball and landed softly on the ground.
"Start off with Bite!" James ordered, not wasting any time.
Saeloc nodded and charged towards Flare.
"Counter it with Take Down!" Richard shouted.
Flare nodded and fired himself towards Saeloc.
The two of them collided with a loud thud and were both sent flying back, crying out in pain.
"Use Screech!" James called to Saeloc.
Recovering from the last attack, Saeloc let out an ear-splitting screech. Flare grimaced as the sound wave hit him.
"I'll never get used to that sound!" Richard cried.
"Now use Slash!" James ordered.
Saeloc nodded and charged forwards again.
"Dodge it and use Stomp!" Richard yelled.
Recovering quickly once Saeloc stopped screeching, Flare jumped to the left to avoid Saeloc's attack. He followed up by charging into her flank and slamming his hooves down. Saeloc cried out in pain, attempting to disengage from him.
"Are you alright, Saeloc?" James called as she pulled back.
Saeloc nodded. She looked shaken from the suddenness of the counter attack, but otherwise didn't seem to be too injured.
"Good! Use Icy Wind!" James called.
Saeloc fired a blast of frigid air and ice crystals towards Flare.
"Why are you doing that?" Richard asked as the Icy Wind struck Flare, doing very little damage. "Icy Wind doesn't have much effect at all against fire types."
"You're assuming that I'm going for damage!" James grinned.
"Ah!" Richard suddenly realised. "You wanted to reduce my speed! Of course!"
"Exactly!" James nodded. "Using Icy Wind purely to slow an opponent who resists ice types means that they'll mistake it for me being desperate or lacking knowledge of type matchups."
"Which means they'll underestimate you!" Richard finished. "And you don't need to worry about being flattened since Saeloc isn't weak to fire types."
"Exactly!" James grinned.
"Not that I'll underestimate you though!" Richard called. "Flare, use Ember!"
Flare fired a burst of embers towards Saeloc.
"Dodge it and use Slash!" James ordered.
Saeloc nodded and leapt agilely to the right. As she landed, she bounded towards Flare.
"Dodge it and use Ember again!" Richard called.
Flare started dodging, but Saeloc was too fast for him. "Taaaaaa!" He let out a cry of pain as she slashed his flank.
"Are you alright, Flare?" Richard called as Saeloc withdrew, wary of any counter attacks.
Flare was still on his feet, though he was starting to look a little unsteady.
Not good, Richard thought. At this rate, we'll end up in a battle of attrition that we can't win. We need to maximise the damage we do with each hit. As he was quickly running through his options, an idea came to him.
"Flare, use Stomp!" he called. "But jump as high into the air as you can beforehand!"
Flare nodded and started his jump.
"What are they up to?" James wondered aloud.
Flare reached the top of his jump and started descending back towards Saeloc.
Saeloc cried out in pain as she was hit sent flying back.
"Saeloc, are you okay?" James cried, suddenly realising that Flare had in fact done a lot more damage than he'd expected.
Saeloc pulled herself uneasily back to her feet. She kept flinching whenever she moved the muscles on her right flank, which had been the point of impact during the last attack.
"Use Bite!" James called. "Give it all you've got!"
Saeloc gave him a determined nod and charged towards Flare.
"Intercept it with Ember!" Richard called.
Flare fired a burst of embers towards Saeloc, scoring a direct hit. Saeloc cried out in pain, falling back.
"Alright, I give!" James called over to Richard. "It doesn't look like Saeloc can go on for much longer anyway."
"We actually won, Flare!" Richard grinned. "Great work!"
"What was with that Stomp?" James asked as he pulled out a super potion to use on Saeloc.
"I was just trying to think of a way to make Flare's Stomp more powerful," Richard replied, "I thought if he had more height, then gravity would make the attack naturally stronger."
"I think I've heard of a move similar to that," said James, putting the super potion away and patting Saeloc on the head. "I think it was called 'Bounce'."
"Bounce?"
"It's a flying-type move where the user jumps high into the air and then slams down on their opponent from above," James replied. "Given that impressive Stomp that Flare pulled off, we could probably try teaching him how to use Bounce."
"Hopefully that'll give us some more manoeuvrability against Liz!" Richard grinned. "Let's try it!"
Atla Town, Sevii Islands
11:37am, 15th July 2005
The dull grey clouds which had blanketed the skies the previous day were still there as James and Richard walked back into Atla Town. Both were relieved that it wasn't raining.
"Do you want to go straight to the gym?" James asked. "Or are you coming with me to grab Livvi?"
"I'll go with you," Richard replied. "No point in getting started before everyone's there."
"Let's get going then!" James grinned.
The two of them continued walking until they arrived at Lostelle's house. Their knock on the door was quickly answered.
"You're back!" Livvi cried as she opened the door. "Are you about to go and challenge the gym?"
"That's right." Richard nodded. "We figured we'd come and pick you up first though!"
"I was worried you'd go without me!" Livvi grinned. She looked back over her shoulder. "Lostelle! Do you want to come and watch Richard's gym battle with us?"
There was a series of loud thumps, presumably as Lostelle came thundering down the stairs.
"Are we going now?" she cried.
"That's right." Richard nodded.
"I'll be there in just a second!" she cried before running off to find her shoes.
"How's the last day been for you, Livvi?" James asked as Livvi sat down on the floor to pull her trainers on.
"Pretty fun," Livvi replied. "Lostelle was showing me all the best shops here in Atla Town."
"Find anything interesting?" Richard asked.
"The bakery here is pretty amazing," Livvi replied. She paused for a second. "I stopped by the pokémon centre earlier this morning to check in with Celio and Bill as well."
"Anything?" James asked.
Livvi shook her head.
"Not yet," she replied. "But they said that they're getting closer and they've managed to really narrow down the possible places it could be."
"I hope it doesn't turn out to be somewhere outside of the Sevii Islands," Richard groaned.
"I'm sure that won't happen," Livvi replied. "All of the possible locations are spread around the islands, but none outside of them."
"Does this also exclude the bottom of the sea?" James asked. "Because I think we'd struggle to retrieve it if it were there."
"Retrieve what?" Lostelle asked as she bounced back into the hall.
"Oh, nothing!" Livvi replied quickly. "Are you ready to go?"
"Yep!" Lostelle replied enthusiastically.
"Let's go then!" Richard grinned.
12:01pm, 15th July 2005
"This is an official Sevii League gym battle between the Atla Town gym leader, Liz, and the challenger, Richard Winter from Pewter City!" the referee announced.
Richard was once again stood in the challenger's corner in Liz's impressive, dome-shaped gym arena. The effects of the glass roof were somewhat spoiled by the dark grey clouds in the sky – a far cry from the beautiful blue sky which had overseen their previous battle.
"This battle will use a three-on-three single format and the match will be over when all three of one side's pokémon are unable to battle!" the referee continued.
Dressed in her usual long-sleeved brown top and black cycling shorts, Liz was stood across the arena from him. She wore a confident smile on her face and her bright eyes betrayed some of her excitement for the battle.
"In addition, only the challenger will be allowed to substitute pokémon!"
Both Richard and Liz reached for their first poké balls.
"Begin!" the referee shouted.
"Go, Noctowl!" Liz called.
Noctowl burst out of her poké ball and started circling in the air above Liz.
"Go, Spear!" Richard called.
Spear materialised and also started circling overhead.
"Use Confusion!" Liz gave her first order.
Noctowl followed it immediately. Her eyes glowed blue and Spear was grabbed out of the air before being thrown to the ground.
Spear cried in pain as he landed with a crash.
"Are you okay, Spear?" Richard called.
Spear pulled himself back up and nodded.
"Alright, use Drill Peck!" Richard shouted.
Spear took off and fired himself at Noctowl.
"Dodge it and use Hypnosis!" Liz called.
Noctowl waited until Spear came close, and then flew upwards. As Spear changed direction to fly up, Noctowl fired a hypnotic ray from her eyes towards him.
"Dodge with Agility!" Richard yelled.
Spear vanished from sight at the last minute.
"Now use Aerial Ace!" Richard shouted as Spear reappeared above Noctowl.
Spear dove down and struck his opponent with his outstretched wing. Noctowl cried in pain as she started toppling down. She quickly recovered and flew back up.
"Use Peck!" Liz called.
Noctowl fired herself at Spear and started pecking viciously at him.
"Pull back, Spear! Get some distance between you!" Richard ordered.
Spear disengaged and pulled back.
"Now use Confusion!" Liz ordered.
Noctowl's eyes started glowing blue again. Spear was grabbed out of the air and thrown back towards the arena floor.
"Spear!" Richard yelled as the fearow crashed to the ground.
Spear called back uncomfortably. He pulled himself unsteadily back up again.
"Use Agility and then Drill Peck!" Richard called.
Spear flew back up towards Noctowl with a burst of speed, rotating his body like a drill as he did. Noctowl cried in pain as he hammered into her.
"Are you alright, Noctowl?" Liz called anxiously
Noctowl recovered herself before she hit the ground and soared back up.
"Okay, try using Hypnosis again!" Liz yelled.
Noctowl fired another hypnotic ray towards Spear, only for him to dodge it with Agility again.
"And now use Aerial Ace!" Richard shouted as Spear reappeared behind Noctowl.
Spear smashed his right wing into Noctowl, sending her flying back. She dropped a short distance before recovering herself.
"Use Confusion!" Liz called.
Noctowl's eyes glowed blue. Spear was suddenly jerked downwards. He hit the ground with a crash.
"Are you alright, Spear?" Richard called.
Spear pulled himself unsteadily up and nodded.
"Alright, but I think it's best if you took a break!" Richard pulled out his poké ball. "Spear, return!"
Spear gave him a slightly disappointed but understanding nod as he was hit by the recall beam.
"Switching out was a good call," said James, sat in the stands next to Livvi.
"Why is that? I thought Spear could keep going!" Lostelle piped up from Livvi's other side.
"Spear's the only one of Richard's pokémon who can fight an aerial battle," Livvi explained. "Now that he's weakened Noctowl, it makes sense that he'd pull Spear back so he can fight Liz's other flying types."
"I see!" Lostelle nodded eagerly. "So Richard doesn't want his pokémon to get too tired?"
"That's pretty much it." James nodded. He paused for a second. "I think I can guess which pokémon he's going to send out next."
"Go, Helix!" Richard yelled, throwing out the omastar's poké ball.
Helix cried as he burst out of the ball and landed with a thud.
"Yeah, I thought so," said James.
"Noctowl, use Confusion!" Liz shouted.
Noctowl's eyes immediately started glowing blue. Helix was lifted into the air and thrown back.
"Are you okay, Helix?" Richard called.
Helix pulled himself back up and nodded.
"Alright, use Spike Cannon!" Richard ordered.
Helix fired a volley of spikes towards Noctowl, scoring three hits and sending her crashing to the ground.
"Use Hypnosis!" Liz shouted.
Noctowl fired a hypnotic ray at Helix, scoring a direct hit.
"Oh no!" Livvi cried as Helix closed his eyes and fell asleep.
"It's not over yet!" James grinned.
"Now use Dream Eater!" Liz called.
Noctowl swooped in close to use Dream Eater.
For a couple of seconds, nothing happened. Then Noctowl looked over her shoulder and gave Liz a confused look.
"Huh? What's going on?" Liz cried. Then she noticed that, though his eyes were still closed, Helix was chewing on something.
A chesto berry!
"Use Ancient Power!" Richard called with a grin.
Helix's eyes burst open as a cluster of boulders was lifted into the air by a regal blue aura. Noctowl cried in panic as the rocks crashed down around her.
There was silence as the rocks finished falling. Noctowl toppled out of the far end of the pile and collapsed on the ground.
"Noctowl is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Omastar is the winner!"
"Great work, Helix!" Richard grinned.
Helix grinned back.
"Huh? What happened?" Lostelle asked, a confused look on her face. "I thought Helix had been put to sleep."
"Richard had him hold a chesto berry before the battle," James explained. "If a sleeping pokémon eats a chesto berry, then it'll immediately wake them up."
"How does a sleeping pokémon eat something if they're asleep though?" Lostelle asked.
"Technically they eat it when they start feeling drowsy," James replied. "In Helix's case, Richard also had him pretend to be asleep briefly so that he could catch Liz and Noctowl off guard."
"Oh! I see!" Lostelle nodded happily.
"It's good that he got Noctowl out of the way," said Livvi. "She was always going to be his toughest opponent."
"We don't know what Liz's third pokémon is though," James reminded her.
"Good point." Livvi looked back down at the arena.
"Go, Murkrow!" Liz called, throwing out her next poké ball.
Murkrow cried as she burst out of her poké ball.
"Use Taunt!" Liz called immediately.
Murkrow called out to Helix provocatively. Helix cried out angrily in reply.
"Now use Nightshade!" Liz ordered.
Murkrow fired a sinister black beam towards Helix.
Helix cried in pain as he was hit and thrown back. He landed with a thud, but quickly pulled himself back up again.
"Use Water Gun!" Richard called.
Helix fired a blast of water at Murkrow, who nimbly dodged it before diving in to use Aerial Ace. Murkrow cried out as she slammed into him.
"Use Ancient Power!" Richard called as Murkrow started retreating, having done little damage.
Helix fired a cluster of boulders after her.
"Dodge it and use Feint Attack!" Liz yelled.
Murkrow grinned. She wheeled around and dove low to avoid the Ancient Power. Then she fired herself at Helix, only to change the direction of her attack at the last moment and strike Helix's exposed side.
"Now use Nightshade!" Liz called.
Murkrow nodded and fired a black beam at Helix, scoring another direct hit.
"Are you alright, Helix?" Richard called.
Helix grimaced as he pulled himself up again.
"Okay, use Spike Cannon!" Richard ordered.
Helix fired a volley of spikes at Murkrow.
"Dodge it and use Night Shade!"
Murkrow nodded and nimbly evaded the flying spikes before firing another black beam at Helix, scoring another direct hit. Helix cried in pain. He collapsed to the ground with a thud.
"Omastar is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "The winner is Murkrow!"
"Great work, Murkrow!" Liz grinned.
"No way!" Livvi cried. "I thought Richard would have it easy once he defeated Noctowl!"
"Richard had some trouble with Murkrow before," James replied, frowning. "We just forgot it because of how overpowering Noctowl was."
"It'll be okay! Richard still has two pokémon left!" Lostelle grinned.
"Yeah!" Livvi nodded. "It isn't over yet!"
"Go, Spear!" Richard called.
Spear cried enthusiastically as he emerged into the arena for the second time.
"Start off with Drill Peck!" Richard ordered.
Spear nodded and fired himself towards Murkrow.
"Dodge it and use Aerial Ace!" Liz called.
Murkrow flew to the left before spinning round as Spear sailed past her. Spear cried in pain as his opponent slammed into him from behind.
"Use Aerial Ace as well!" Richard called.
Spear nodded. He swooped round and struck Murkrow with his wing.
"Are you alright, Murkrow?" Liz called as Murkrow toppled back towards the ground.
Murkrow recovered herself and gained height again.
"Okay, use Feint Attack!" Liz ordered.
Murkrow weaved her way through the air, making moves in different directions to confuse Spear. He cried out in pain as the attack struck him and sent him flying back.
"Stay strong, Spear!" Richard yelled.
Spear regained control of himself and started flying back towards Murkrow.
"Use Drill Peck!" Richard shouted.
"Dodge it and use Feint Attack again!" Liz called.
Murkrow nimbly avoided Spear's attack again and darted back towards him.
"Dodge it with Agility!" Richard yelled urgently.
Spear vanished a split second before Murkrow could hit him.
"Now use Drill Peck!"
Spear reappeared above Murkrow and dove down towards her.
However, in a split second, Murkrow too vanished from sight, before slamming into Spear from the side.
"Keep it together, Spear!" Richard called urgently as Spear lost height. "Use Drill Peck again!"
Spear regained his composure and spun around. With a sudden burst of speed that stunned his opponent, he fired himself back up. Murkrow cried in pain as her opponent slammed his beak into her. The force of the impact sent her flying briefly up, before she started to topple down towards the ground. There was a thud as she landed.
"Murkrow!" Liz shouted, a sudden desperation in her voice.
Murkrow pulled herself painfully up and took off again.
"Are you alright, Murkrow?" Liz called.
Murkrow gave her a nod. Though Spear's Drill Peck had had a heavy impact, it had also been the first hit Murkrow had sustained in the battle so far. Though the injury meant that her flying was a little wonky, she was still far from beaten.
"Use Feint Attack!" Liz ordered.
Murkrow fired herself towards Spear. Just as she was about to reach him, she suddenly changed direction and struck him from below.
"Now use Taunt!" Liz shouted as Spear attempted to recover.
Murkrow let out a provocative cry.
"Spear, use Drill Peck," Richard sighed.
Spear charged angrily at Murkrow, rotating himself like a drill as he did.
"Dodge it!" Liz yelled.
Murkrow attempted to dodge, but her earlier injury prevented her from moving fast enough. Spear slammed into her and sent her flying back.
"Use Feint Attack!" Liz shouted as Murkrow recovered herself.
She grimaced and nodded. She flew back towards Spear and launched a surprise attack by darting round behind him. Spear cried out in pain.
"One last attack, Spear!" Richard called. "Use Aerial Ace!"
"Use Aerial Ace as well!" Liz shouted.
Both Spear and Murkrow fired themselves towards each other and slammed their wings into each other. As they sailed on past each other, both of them lost height and crashed to the ground.
"Murkrow, are you alright?" Liz cried.
"Spear, hang in there!" Richard yelled.
Both pokémon gave weak responses and refused to move.
"Both Murkrow and Fearow are unable to battle!" the referee announced. "This round is a draw!"
"You put up a great fight, Spear! I'm proud of you!" Richard smiled as he recalled Spear.
"Looks like we're down to the last pokémon on either side," said James excitedly.
"It's become really tense!" Livvi added.
"You can do it, Richard!" Lostelle cried.
"Go, Flare!" Richard yelled, throwing out his last poké ball.
Flare cried out as he burst out of the poké ball and landed with a thud on the ground.
"I choose you, Pidgeotto!" Liz called, throwing out her last poké ball.
A pidgeotto materialised and started flying around the arena.
"So her last pokémon is a pidgeotto?" James frowned. "I was expecting something a little more impressive."
"It'll probably be really powerful if Liz has saved it for last," Livvi sighed.
"Use Sand Attack!" Liz ordered.
Pidgeotto kicked up a cloud of sand and fanned it in Flare's direction with her wings.
"Dodge it with Agility!" Richard ordered.
Flare vanished from sight and reappeared on Pidgeotto's right.
"Now use Take Down!" Richard shouted.
Flare charged towards Pidgeotto, who promptly flew out of the way.
"Use Wing Attack!" Liz called.
Pidgeotto nodded and dove back towards Flare, striking him with her left wing.
Flare cried in pain as he was knocked to the side. He quickly pulled himself back up though.
"Now use Feather Dance!" Liz ordered.
Pidgeotto fired a cloud of fluffy white feathers towards Flare.
"Intercept it with Ember!" Richard called.
Flare nodded and fired a stream of embers towards the cloud of feathers. They instantly caught alight and dropped to the ground in a smouldering mass.
"That was a good call." James gave a satisfied nod.
"Why is that?" Lostelle asked.
"Feather Dance sharply reduces the power of a pokémon's physical attacks," James replied. "It'd be disastrous for Flare since his most powerful attacks are physical."
"Use Agility!" Richard called.
Flare rushed towards Pidgeotto at a blinding speed.
"Now use Take Down!" Richard ordered.
Flare launched himself at his opponent.
"Dodge it with Agility!" Liz yelled.
Pidgeotto nodded. She vanished from sight as Flare was about to hit her and reappeared behind him.
"Now use Wing Attack!" Liz ordered.
Pidgeotto slammed into Flare from behind, causing him to topple over.
"Use Ember!" Richard ordered.
Flare picked himself up and quickly fired a blast of embers at Pidgeotto, scoring a direct hit. Pidgeotto cried out in pain.
"Now use Take Down!" Richard yelled.
Flare charged straight towards Pidgeotto as she struggled to regain her composure after the previous attack.
"Use Feather Dance!" Liz shouted.
Pidgeotto nodded and fired another cloud of feathers towards Flare, who promptly dodged it with Agility and slammed into Pidgeotto's side.
"Are you alright, Pidgeotto?" Liz called anxiously.
Pidgeotto pulled herself up and nodded.
"Okay, use Take Down!" Liz shouted.
Pidgeotto nodded and started charging towards Flare.
"Take Down?!" James cried. "Can Pidgeotto learn Take Down?"
Livvi shook her head.
"It can't. I think it's using a move called 'Mirror Move'."
"What does Mirror Move do?" Lostelle asked.
"It copies the last attack that the opponent used and lets the user use it as well," Livvi replied.
"So that means that Agility was copied too, right?" said James. "It only used it just after Flare had used it."
"That's right." Livvi nodded.
"Dodge it with Bounce!" Richard yelled.
"Bounce?!" Livvi cried. "Can Flare use that?"
"We taught him how to," James replied with a proud grin.
Flare leapt high into the air just as Pidgeotto was about to hit him.
"Dodge the landing!" Liz shouted.
Pidgeotto started taking evasive manoeuvres, but Flare simply adjusted the direction of his descent to match it. He slammed into her from above with his hooves, sending her crashing to the ground with a mighty crash.
"Pidgeotto!" Liz cried in alarm.
Pidgeotto responded weakly.
"Pidgeotto is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Ponyta is the winner! All three of the gym leader's pokémon are unable to battle so the match goes to the challenger, Richard Winter from Pewter City!"
"We did it, Flare!" Richard yelled, running over to hug Flare.
Flare grinned back excitedly.
"Great work, Richard!" James shouted from the stands. "That Bounce was perfect!"
"Thanks!" Richard grinned back.
"You put up a good fight, Pidgeotto." Liz smiled as she recalled her. She walked over to Richard. "You've really improved since last time. Great work."
"Thanks, Liz," Richard replied.
"Here." Liz handed him a shiny white badge in the shape of a bird's foot. "In recognition of your victory, I present you with the Talon Badge. Now you're halfway to being able to compete in the Sevii League!"
"Thanks, Liz." Richard thanked her again as he took the badge.
12:24pm, 15th July 2005
"So you lost against Sophia as well, huh?" Liz frowned and screwed up her face in concentration. "She's a tough one."
"Tell me about it," Richard sighed.
He and Liz were sat in the lobby of the Atla gym, waiting for James, Livvi and Lostelle to return.
"Your biggest problem is the icy arena floor," said Liz. "That restricts your mobility and heightens hers."
"I know," Richard replied. "I need to find the opportunity to practice fighting in icy conditions."
"There's a cave on Floe Island called Icefall Cave," Liz explained. "You could try training there if you need more preparation."
"I'll keep it in mind," said Richard.
"What are you guys talking about?"
James, Livvi and Lostelle arrived in the lobby.
"What to do next," Richard replied.
"So what is the plan?" James asked.
"Liz was telling me about a place on Floe Island called Icefall Cave, where I could practice fighting on icy surfaces," said Richard. "I also want to catch another pokémon to help in the rematch."
"Another new team member? How exciting!" James grinned. "What do you have in mind?"
"I was thinking of going back and exploring Berry Forest again to see what I can find," Richard replied. "Want to come with me?"
"Sure, I'm in!" James grinned. "How about you, Livvi?"
"I think I'll pass," Livvi replied. "I'll hang around here with Lostelle until you get back."
"That's fine," said Richard. "We'll stop by and grab you when we're going to head back to Floe Island."
"Got it." Livvi nodded. She turned to Liz. "By the way, how's Hypno doing?"
"He arrived alright with the psychic-type trainer I was talking about," Liz replied. "He seems to be doing okay. He's adapted quickly to his new training regime."
"That's good," Livvi replied. "Anyway, we should get going now."
"Sure, see you around some time!" Liz grinned.
"We'll see you later then, Livvi!" James called as he and Richard walked towards the door.
"Yeah, see you!" Livvi called after them.
See? I kept my promise, ZyroGaming69! It was nice knowing that I'm wanted… that this chapter is wanted, though! :)
Anyway, I'm really tired at the moment! I checked through the chapter for mistakes just before uploading it, but I might have missed some. Let me know if you find anything.
Until next time!
Team Listings:
James' Team:
Active:
Charka (Charmeleon): male, naïve, often scatters things, likes sweet food, fire type, Blaze ability, known moves are Fire Spin, Smokescreen, Flamethrower and Metal Claw.
Kacha (Pikachu): male, modest, sturdy body, likes dry food, electric type, Static ability, known moves are Thunderbolt, Agility, Slam and Thunder Wave.
Raenok (Mankey): male, impish, loves to eat, likes sour food, fighting type, Anger Point ability, known moves are Rock Slide, Screech, Cross Chop and Brick Break.
Ayra (Paras): male, lax, loves to relax, likes sour food, bug-grass type, Dry Skin ability, known moves are Aerial Ace, Leech Life, Giga Drain and Spore.
Saeloc (Persian): female, rash, likes to thrash about, likes dry food, normal type, Technician ability, known moves are Slash, Screech, Bite and Icy Wind.
Leytor (Seel): male, careful, good perseverance, likes bitter food, water type, Thick Fat ability, known moves are Water Pulse, Take Down, Safeguard and Ice Beam.
In Pallet Town:
Cuba (Cubone): male, serious, quick to flee, eats anything, ground type, Rock Head ability, known moves are Bone Club, Double-Edge, Bonemerang and Bone Rush.
Livvi's Team:
Active:
Barru (Bulbasaur): male, timid, highly persistent, likes sweet food, grass-poison type, Overgrow ability, known moves are Tackle, Razor Leaf, Solar Beam (not mastered) and Leech Seed.
Dorru (Nidoran): female, quiet, mischievous, likes dry food, poison type, Rivalry ability, known moves are Fury Swipes, Double Kick, Poison Sting and Crunch.
Cylune (Venomoth): male, modest, proud of its power, likes dry food, poison-bug type, Shield Dust ability, known moves are Stun Spore, Psychic, Poison Powder and Silver Wind.
Evoro (Eevee): male, jolly, alert to sounds, likes sweet food, normal type, Adaptability ability, known moves are Bite, Double Team, Take Down and Quick Attack.
Salea (Blissey): female, gentle, somewhat vain, likes bitter food, normal type, Natural Cure ability, known moves are Softboiled, Refresh, Double Slap and Egg Bomb.
Richard's Team:
Active:
Naro (Nidoking): male, mild, sturdy body, likes dry food, poison-ground type, Poison Point ability, known moves are Horn Attack, Megahorn, Poison Sting and Double Kick.
Sting (Beedrill): male, hardy, often dozes off, eats anything, bug-poison type, Swarm ability, known moves are Focus Energy, Poison Sting, Twineedle and String Shot.
Spear (Fearow): male, mild, likes to thrash about, likes dry food, normal-flying type, Keen Eye ability, known moves are Drill Peck, Double Team, Aerial Ace and Agility.
Helix (Omastar): male, naïve, somewhat stubborn, likes sweet food, rock-water type, Shell Armour ability, known moves are Spike Cannon, Water Gun, Ancient Power and Tickle.
Flare (Ponyta): male, rash, likes to thrash about, likes dry food, fire type, Flash Fire ability, known moves are Take Down, Agility, Bounce and Ember.