Secrets of the Night
DISCLAIMER: I Do NOT own Pokemon!
Chapter 29: The Girl with the Blazing Spirit
Cinnabar Island, Kanto
The morning began as hot and dry, with the sun bearing down amidst the cloudless sky and the presence of the breeze has yet to answer anyone's prayers. In the far-off horizon, clouds piled up like cotton balls, giving a notion that chances of rain or a decent shade was not likely. The arid surface of Cinnabar proved no help in relieving the residents of the domain of the heat. Although, many of the locals seemed accustomed to it. They just went on with their daily lives without much notice of the rising temperatures.
Neo and Chase were heading up the volcano where the gym was located. They traveled along the winding route along the rugged base of the volcano. Walking amongst his trio of ghosts, Neo remained surrounded by an aura of cold air, making him immune to the actual temperature in the atmosphere. In addition, he had in his arms a Squirtle who was raised in a world of ice, giving another degree of coldness to the area around him.
Chase, however, had none of those. With both his pokemon reveling in the cool shelter of their pokeballs, Chase trudged behind his friend along the dry dirt path. His only relief was a fast melting Enigma berry slush that he bought before they left. By the time they were halfway, it was nearly becoming plain juice.
"How much further, Neo?" Chase groaned as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"We're almost there…" Neo replied, not giving much thought to looking back. His eyes were locked on to the man-made structure embedded on the base of the volcano, slowly coming into view.
Finally, they had arrived. Neo and company stood before the entrance with a large sign that read, Cinnabar Island Gym, written in gold and crimson lettering. Holding the sign up were black obsidian pillars with red accents. Each stood at either side of the archway, leading to a torch-lit path inside the volcano where a deep howling wind blew out to greet them.
A sudden tenseness descended unto the atmosphere, along with the faint scent of brimstone. Mustering his courage, Neo turned to face his team. The ghostly trio gazed at their trainer with eagerness and determination before giving their sign of approval. Genbu, in Neo's arms beamed with a thumbs-up, showing that he too was raring to go.
"You can do this, Neo! We're routing for you!" Chase encouraged as he pumped his fist and tapped the two pokeballs on his side.
Neo nodded and faced the entrance once again. "Alright, let's go."
The group made their way through the torch-lit narrow tunnel. Neo recalled his three pokemon to their pokeballs just to make more room, leaving only his Squirtle. It was only a short walk, but every moment, the temperature seemed to rise and the sound of rumbling echoed faintly through the rocky walls. When they reached the end, they found themselves in a middle of a coliseum. The bleachers were made of reddish earth and the arena was situated in a bubbling lake of lava. It appeared as a wide plateau surrounded by glowing orange water. The only way across as a land bridge that connected on each side. On each corner were large torches with blazing crimson flames. All four towered over the arena, pointing towards the mouth of the volcano where the blue sky and radiant sun looked down upon them.
"Neo! You made it!" A feisty female voice broke the overwhelming atmosphere with her cheerfulness.
"Naomi…" Neo turned towards the origin and saw the girl he met yesterday, along with her Infernape whom Neo remembered was named Natsu.
Chase shot a look at the swiftly approaching girl before elbowing his friend while smiling suggestively. "Hey, Neo… Why didn't you tell me you made a new friend? Heh. Not only are you rich, you're also a lady's man."
Neo took that more of a compliment rather than a joke meant to tease him. He lightly shrugged him off and turned to Naomi and Natsu. "Greetings, Naomi."
"Naomi… That's a pretty name," Chase complimented as he moved to the side, just close enough to Neo and Naomi. He grinned warmly at the girl and asked her, "Say Naomi, are you here to watch the gym battle? Neo's pretty strong."
"Actually, I'm not that experienced. I've never had a formal gym battle before," Neo corrected before Naomi could give an answer.
"No worries, Neo. I'll be sure to tone it down a notch." Naomi winked and skipped towards the direction of the arena. Her Infernape grinned with the same level of mischief as he bounded in pursuit of his trainer.
That was when Chase and Neo understood that Naomi was the gym leader. Chase gasped in disbelief, in contrast to his friend who didn't react that much. Neo was taken aback but it took him only a moment to regain his composure and battle mindset. Genbu tapped his arm, fully drawing the boy out his fading daze. Gripping his elbows and securing his Squirtle, Neo breathed and walked towards the arena to face Naomi. Chase followed behind and sat in the front bleachers as Neo went ahead.
Naomi skipped along the narrow land bridge and made her way to the opposite side of the arena. Natsu tagged along beside her and pulled a lever, accessing a cylindrical pedestal that rose from the floor. On top of it were four pokeballs, half-embedded on the stone pedestal.
"Since you have four pokemon, I'll use the same. It'll be a single's battle. The trainer with the last pokemon standing wins," Naomi explained the rules as she pulled out the first pokeball.
Neo nodded and set his Squirtle on the sidelines. With a gentle pat, he reassured his newest member. "Genbu, I'll let the others go first. Just be patient, you're my trump card, after all."
Naomi saw the sweet scene from across the arena. She grinned at Neo's act and took a deep breath to sync her mind into battle. She pulled her arm back to send out her first pokemon, but before she could move another inch, Natsu called out to her and stared accusingly. Naomi blinked and suddenly remembered that they needed a referee for an official gym battle. She groaned at herself as Nastu bounded off to find the gym's resident referee.
After a few minutes, Natsu returned with the gym's official referee as well as some trainers and local residents to bear witness to a gym battle. Naomi thanked her Infernape and once again poised herself to face her opponent.
"Cinnabar Island's Gym Leader, Naomi Shika, the girl with the blazing spirit versus, Neo Takamoto from Lavender Town," the referee announced and the growing crowd roared and applauded with the majority cheering for Naomi. With a wave of his hand, the referee declared, "Let the battle begin!"
"Mini Gara, you're up first!" Naomi tossed a pokeball upwards and sent out her first pokemon, a small yellow camel with sleepy look and a green-tipped volcano-like hump.
Upon inquiry with his pokedex, Neo learned it was a Numel, a dual-type with properties of both fire and ground types. Analyzing his choices, he reached for his own pokeball and sent out his pokemon. A crimson energy burst forth from the capsule and formed into a floating bulky shadow with arms, legs, spikes, crimson eyes and a mischievous grin. "Nero, let's give it our all. Start off with Shadow Ball!"
Facing fiercely at her opponent, the Gengar's eyes glowed blue as he conjured up an ominous purple sphere with surging black sparking energy wrapped around it. Then without delay, Nero hurled it across the battlefield and struck the Numel, pushing it back a short distance. In addition to the damage, the opponent's Special Defense lowered, but was reverted back by the Maranga berry that the Numel held.
"Okay, it's our turn! Mini Gara, use Sunny Day!" Naomi ordered.
Becoming outlined in yellow, Naomi's Numel raised its head and summoned bright sunbeams that rained down unto the arena from the mouth of the volcano. The temperature rose dramatically, affecting everyone present. Even Naomi's Infernape who was watching at the sidelines, felt the rise of the fire power as its flaming mane grew.
Neo knew the effects of Sunny Day. Both sides were at neutral territory with no weakness or advantage, but with that move, fire attacks are about to become very damaging. He had to hurry. "Nero, use Dark Pulse!"
On cue, Neo's Gengar fired a black sinister beam of rings, outlined in deep purple. The attack hit dead-on. Naomi's Numel was struck once again with a damaging blow, this time, Mini Gara cringed in pain, allowing another opportunity for Nero to land another Dark Pulse, under his trainer's instructions.
Naomi gasped inwardly at the state of her Numel. It was heart-breaking. She didn't like seeing her pokemon hurt badly, but this was a gym battle and circumstances like these were inevitable. Summoning her burning resolve, she called out to her pokemon. "Mini Gara, now, use Solar Beam!"
With the intense sunlight bearing down unto the arena, Mini Gara wasted no time in summoning the needed energy for the attack. The Numel raised its hump forward wherein the energy accumulated fired out into a massive yellow beam, knocking the shadow pokemon out of the air and forcing it to skid across the arena, almost nearing the edge.
"Nero!" Neo called to his pokemon in fear. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain on his chest. Heart thumping, he clenched his chest with his hand and breathed in sharply. His pokemon was fighting and that means he should do the same. Neo was not willing to give in, even to his condition. As his Gengar got up and levitated off the ground once again, Neo shouted his command, "Nero, use Hypnosis and follow up with Dream Eater!"
Mustering its strength, Gengar flew closer to the Numel and started waving its arms in a hypnotic manner. Naomi's Numel gazed unwaveringly at the arm gestures, unable to look away or shake off the growing need to close its eyes. Naomi tried to call for Mini Gara but she couldn't get through her pokemon. The Numel's vision grew dark until only blackness remained and the memory of two glowing blue eyes.
Seeing the small yellow camel slump unto the arena surface, Nero seized the opportunity and projected a shadow-like version of himself to absorb the energy from the slumbering pokemon. The Numel cringed in pain as its energy plummeted. Naomi couldn't take it and motioned the round to end.
"Round one goes to our challenger from Lavender Town!" The referee announced, leading to an uproar of cheers, gasps and applauses.
"Way to go, Neo!" Chase yelled as Neo turned around to wave at him. Suddenly, Chase felt something off. He grew worried for his friend, but he had no right to interfere especially because this was on official gym battle. He could only hope that Neo doesn't push himself too much.
With his Gengar showing promising signs to face the second opponent, Neo breathed for a moment. Worried, Genbu handed him a bottle that he pulled out of his trainer's bag. Neo smiled at his Squirtle and thanked him before gulping down a satisfactory amount of the special medicine.
Naomi recalled her Numel and glanced once again at the opposing side. She saw Neo drinking from a bottle, guessing that the heat was wearing him down. Grinning, she straightened herself up and gazed at the intense sunlight that was still bearing down upon them. The effects of Sunny Day were fading, but it was still enough for another round. "Things are just heating up!"
Neo turned towards Naomi and saw her picking out a second pokemon. It appeared like the second round was about to commence. Neo called to his Gengar to ask if Nero was sure if he still wanted to keep on going. Nero snickered and shot a thumbs-up at his trainer, implying a solid yes.
"Round two, begin!"
Naomi sent out her second pokemon into the battlefield. It was a brownish orange canine with a black stripes, a furry tail and an equally furry tuff on its head and chest. On its head was a coral-like crown called King's Rock. Naomi smiled determinedly and stretched an arm out forward. "Let's do this Growlie! Use Flare Blitz!"
Harnessing the power from the radiant sunbeams, Naomi's Growlithe charged towards the enemy is a dense coat of blazing flames. With a huge leap, Growlie slammed itself against the Gengar and engulfed the area with fire. Nero desperately zoomed out of the sea of flames, his arms, legs and body heavily singed. Groaning in pain, it was evident that the Gengar was burned. Naomi's Growlithe also suffered a bit of damage due to the intense attack.
"Nero!" Neo called for his Gengar, readying himself for an option to switch him out. But much to his surprise, Nero grinned at him, implying that he was willing to fight through the end. Trusting his pokemon's decision, he yelled out his command, "Nero, use Dark Pulse!"
Firing another black and purple beam of energy, Nero struck the Growlithe back and the canine whimpered in pain before finding the will to once again stand up and continue the battle. Naomi's burning resolve didn't subside, her deep scarlet eyes still flared with the rush of the battle. "Growlie, finish him off with Crunch!"
With fangs glowing white, Naomi's Growlithe dashed across the arena and sunk its powerful jaws unto the Gengar's arm. Nero groaned in agony and frantically swung the canine-like pokemon off before plummeting to the ground, unable to get up. Neo rushed to his pokemon as the second round quickly ended in favor of Naomi. The onlookers cheered loudly as Chase continued to route for his friend, along with his two psychic-types who were now sitting on either side of him.
Neo could hear Chase's voice in the midst of the pro-Naomi crowd, he smiled and placed a hand unto his Gengar. "You did great Nero. Let's leave the rest to the others."
The Gengar nodded in disappointment of himself, but another warm pat and gentle smile from his trainer quickly brought up his downed spirit. Nero was sent back to his pokeball, and Neo reached for another capsule, only to be interrupted by Genbu who pulled at his pants and pleaded to participate in the fight.
Neo went through his strategies again and shook his head at the Squirtle. "Wait a little longer, Genbu." The Squirtle huffed in annoyance and trotted back to his spot on the sidelines. Grinning at his newest member's reaction, Neo turned towards the battle arena and summoned his second pokemon, a Lampent who spun around and expanded her ghostly blue flame. Neo exchanged looks with his pokemon and waited for the signal. "Arana, let's do this for Nero."
"Begin round three!"
"Growlie, hit the enemy with another Crunch!" Naomi ordered, grinning as she saw Neo sending out another ghost-type. On cue, her Growlithe sprinted forward, fangs bared and engulfed in a brilliant white light. Leaping into the air, Growlie had once again planted its fangs unto the opponent, forcing out a wail of pain.
"Arana, quickly use Toxic!" Neo commanded. As instructed, his Lampent spewed jets of thick purple liquid, drenching the area around it with a harsh posion. Immediately, the Growlithe released the lamp-like pokemon and landed back unto the ground, desperately trying to paw out the stinging pain from its eyes and the rest of its system.
"Growlie, hang in there!" Naomi clenched her fists at the sight of her poisoned pokemon, cringing in pain. Should she switch out? Instinctively, she reached for a third pokeball, but then her attention shifted when her Growlithe began to stand back up, its body outlined in red. Naomi took that as a cue. "Alright, Growlie! Use Outrage!"
With its eyes and body glowing vividly red, it rushed at its opponent, unleashing a raging onslaught of tackles and kicks. Arana tried desperately to remain aloft and conscious under the surging series of attacks.
Neo wasted no time and shouted his next command, "Arana, use Hex!"
The Lampent's yellow eyes faded into an ominous flaring purple shade. Arana then called forth a sinister sphere of black energy over her head which formed into a massive blood-red eye, surrounded by dark tendrils. As the atmosphere grew cold and the shadows thickened, the ominous eye expanded, emitting a series of blue and magenta rings that coiled around the opponent, dealing damage and intensifying the pain of its poisoned state.
Overshadowed by rage, Naomi's Growlithe kept pushing on the assault, leveling both of his and the Lampent's energy into equal grounds, while as Arana tried to retaliate, only to remain helpless under the intense rush of attacks. After its onslaught simmered down, Growlie felt the full force of the poison that he had been enduring, which was now coupled by his dizzy state. Collapsing at one side, Growlie growled as he desperately tried to snap himself out of confusion. Arana, on the other hand, was barely hovering off the arena ground. Both pokemon stood on their final legs, gasping and fighting hard to stay conscious.
"Arana, use Hex now!" Neo yelled out. Gathering the ghostly energy from the shadows, Neo's Lampent conjured another ominous black matter with an evil red eye that casted a wave of magenta and blue rings towards the enemy.
"Growlie, you can do it! Use Crunch!" Naomi cried out, hoping her pokemon could muster one last attack.
Staggering to its feet, her Growlithe grit his teeth and lunged at the Lampent as the sinister effects of Arana's Hex gradually enveloped the brown canine's body. Enduring the pain, Growlie planted his sharp jaws on the Lampent,thus knocking both pokemon out cold unto the warm red-earthed arena floor. One had no more energy to go one while the other succumbed to the harsh poison.
As the announcer declared the third round a draw, Neo and Naomi rushed to their pokemon's aide and hurriedly applied revives, drawing the Growlithe and Lampent back into a conscious state. The two individuals scooped up their respective pokemon and commended them for a great performance in battle. Then the next moment, Naomi and Neo exchanged looks with a smile before returning to their respective sides.
It was now an even match with both sides having two pokemon remaining. The crowds cheered relentlessly as Neo and Naomi reached for their third pokemon. With both individuals poised for the fourth round, they presented their choices.
"Let's heat things up! Go for it, Lisanna!" Naomi threw her pokeball into the air and summoned an orange monkey-like pokemon with a flame-tipped tail, a thin white spiky collar and a King's Rock, just like the one her previous pokemon had.
Neo turned on his pokedex and learned that it was a Monferno, a pre-evolved state of Natsu, Naomi's Infernape. He noticed the similarities so he it didn't surprise him. His only thought was if whether or not Naomi was ever going to use Natsu in battle. Quickly, he shut off his pokedex and sent out his third pokemon, a dull-black bulky Cyclops with yellow band accents, large hands, and a single glaring crimson eye. "I'll be counting on you, Novus."
"Fourth round, begin!" The referee declared.
"Lisanna, use Thunder Punch!" Naomi commanded. With a fist bursting with electrical charges, her Monferno sped towards the Dusknoir.
Seeing the impending enemy, Neo reacted quickly. "Novus, Shadow Sneak!"
Before Naomi's Monferno fully closed in on the spectral Cyclops, Novus' shadow expanded from underneath him and zoomed towards the fire monkey. Then mirroring the Dusknoir's uppercut motion, the shadow burst forth from the ground and swung a black fist, striking the opponent down. Lisanna tumbled across the dusty arena floor, but she scrambled back to her feet and lunged for the attack, swinging a fist full of yellow lightning.
"Novus, Shadow Punch!"
"Lisanna, use Fire Punch!"
Novus raised his arm and blocked the first attack. Then he followed up by swinging with his other arm, an ethereal fist coated in a grayish aura. Lisanna, after striking a Thunder Punch attack, was struck hard by the unavoidable move. She was abruptly launched into the air, but then she quickly recovered and countered, spiraling down towards the enemy with a balled up fist cloaked in crimson-hot flames. The attack struck the Dusknoir's shoulder, but it barely fazed the large ghost-type.
"Use Shadow Sneak, Novus!" Neo yelled.
"Thunder Punch again, Lisanna! Then follow up with Fire Punch!" Naomi instructed.
The battle heated up into an intense fist fight. Lisanna launched a barrage of combos using Thunder Punch and Fire Punch, while Novus summoned shadow fists that sprung out randomly from below. Yellow sparks, orange cinders and black energy streaks flew from the collision of pokemon. Lisanna used her nimble body and flexibility to close in and land some punches while making full use of the effects of King's Rock in order to deal extra blows. On the other hand, Novus, being an experienced veteran, withstood most of the elements and counter with unpredictable attacks that just fly off the domain of shadows below, whilst seizing opportunities to land a Thunder Punch or Shadow Punch, under Neo's instructions.
The match was about resilience and power, whether endurance prevailed or the strength behind one of the pokemon's will. It was simply a matter of time before one stood better than the other in such areas as defense, offense and ability.
Suddenly, Lisanna broke off the fray and returned to her side of the arena, covered in blackened injuries and panting with exhaustion. Naomi's Monferno then let out a pained groan. A series of yellow sparks coursed throughout its body, forcing her down unto one knee. Naomi feared that her pokemon was paralyzed by one of the Thunder Punches that the Dusknoir used. Novus backed away as well, the damage of the onslaught evident throughout its large body. The scorch marks were the majority of the injuries. Many emitted fresh smoke, indicating the searing sensation that Neo's Dusknoir was experiencing.
One was paralyzed while the other was burnt. The situation felt grim on either side, but as each individual exchanged looks with their pokemon, their fiery determinations flared up. Lisanna's tail suddenly grew into a blazing inferno as Naomi commanded her to attack with Fire Punch. Sharing the same burning desire to win, Neo called out to his Dusknoir and told him to use Shadow Sneak.
The black silhouette beneath the Dusknoir took on a will of its own, surging across the battlefield and materializing into a black fist that swung at the charging Monferno. Lisanna was blown to the side, but she skidded into a rough halt before rushing once again at the ghostly Cyclops, fist and tail burning with power. Bounding into action, Lisanna swung her arm and the Fire Punch landed with almost explosive power. The assault dealt was severe and the effects of burn added more damage to the Dusknoir.
Unfortunately for Naomi and her pokemon, Novus was not yet down for the count. With his burns scorching throughout his body, Novus glared at his enemy. Neo's voice resonated from behind, calling out an attack. A gray flare of aura enveloped the Dusknoir's hand as it launched a Shadow Punch attack. The spectral fist struck the Monferno with great force and knocked her unconscious.
Naomi, along with Natsu, rushed to the fallen pokemon. After applying another healing item, Lisanna gained consciousness. Smiling kindly, Naomi commended her Monferno for her hard work and told her how proud she was. Lisanna smiled, half disappointed and half thankful for her trainer's words. Natsu noticed the emotions flickering in her fellow pokemon's eyes and he beamed up with positive encouragement. Lisanna let out a smile in response before she was ushered away by Natsu to the sidelines so that the final rounds could begin.
Naomi stood up and faced the opposing side where Neo and his Squirtle were fawning over Novus. The burns on the pokemon were still evident, but most of had gone away. After some reassurance that Novus would still be able to battle, Neo drank another dose of that beverage he had before. He wiped the sweat off his face and breathed out deeply. Genbu and Novus displayed much concern for him, but Neo simply smiled in response and glanced at Naomi. The two exchanged nods and returned to their respective spots to continue.
Genbu once again turned to Neo and looked at him, wondering if he had any intention to let him fight. Neo caught his gaze and bent down, placing a gentle hand on the turtle's round head. "Get ready, Genbu. Novus and I understand that he won't be able to win this round. He'll do his best to weaken the enemy. Then it'll be up to you. Everyone's hopes… Nero, Arana, mine, and of course, Novus… We will be counting on you to finish what we started." Genbu stared in awe before clenching his little turtle fists and nodding with conviction.
Naomi grabbed her last pokeball, showing Neo that she had no intention of using Natsu for the gym battle. With a deep inhale of breath, she gripped the pokeball firmly and tossed it into the air with a whirl. Splitting open, a crimson red matter shot out and materialized into a bipedal, yellow fox-like pokemon with a furry white collar, red wavy tufts sticking of out both of its ears and a twig resting atop of its bushy tail. Grinning slyly, it eyed its severely injured opponent and trailed a paw across the glasses it wore.
"This is it… I only need to beat this last pokemon," Neo said to himself. After recalling Faye Lin's starter, he recognized the pokemon as a Braixen, an evolved form of Fennekin. It was basically fire, but it should have developed the properties of a psychic-type by reaching its secondary evolution. For precautions, he opened up his pokedex to confirm. It was indeed an evolved form of Fennekin but it was a mere Fire-type with a handful of known psychic moves. If it was part psychic-type, his Dusknoir could deal more damage. Unfortunately, it wasn't.
As the atmosphere in the arena became dense with tension, cheers continued to erupt within the bleachers. Firmly, the referee quieted down the crowd and raised his hand. With a deep breath, he declared in a loud voice, "Fifth round, begin!"
"Ricken, Flamethrower!" Naomi commanded.
"Novus, Shadow Sneak!" Neo countered.
As Naomi's Braixen unleashed a torrent of blazing hot flames, the Dusknoir's shadow darted across the floor and landed a blow, before the fire-type move made contact on Novus. Ricken was knocked off his feet, while Novus was engulfed by the fire. The Cyclops-like ghost roared in pain as the fires slowly receded, leaving a barely hovering Dusknoir covered in major burns.
"Novus! That's far enough…" Neo immediately called back his Dusknoir into his pokeball and told the referee that his pokemon was unable to battle, thereby declaring the winner of the round to be Naomi. As the onlookers cheered, Neo looked down unto Novus' pokeball and smiled. "You did well, Novus."
"Good call, Neo!" Naomi yelled from her side of the battlefield, diverting Neo's attention to her. She grinned brightly as her battle aura continued to flare. "Now, it's one on one with our last pokemon!"
Neo nodded in agreement before turning to his Squirtle. "Alright, Genbu. Let's finish this."
Leaping unto the arena, Neo's Squirtle stood proud and eager to battle. Murmurs started seeping into the crowd. Some were questioning the pokemon team that Neo had. At first, he presented a full ghost-type team, two of which were fully evolved, but now he chose a basic water-type with a snowflake print on its shell.
"Just ignore them, Neo! Do your best!" Chase cheered from the midst of the bleachers.
Neo waved a hand at him in acknowledgement before facing the battlefield before him. With the groaning voice of the lava below, the smoke and voices of people around, Neo breathed in and waited for the referee to commence the battle.
"Final battle! Begin!"
"Ricken, Psybeam!" Naomi commanded first. On cue, her Braixen pulled out the stick from his tail and conjured a multicolored particle beam that surged straight towards the Squirtle.
"Genbu, use Water Pulse!" Neo ordered. Becoming outlined in blue, the ice-born Squirtle raised his arms and summoned a swirling water ball above his head. As the psychic beam zoomed his way, Genbu hurled the aqua sphere and retreated into its shell, mere seconds after the Braixen's attack hit.
The Water Pulse attack whirled towards its target and exploded in a big splash. Ricken shook off the water as the rest evaporated in the atmosphere. Being a fire-type, it was damaging but as a pokemon owned by a gym leader, the Braixen wasn't one to succumb easily.
Grinning, Naomi signaled her pokemon. "Ricken, use Psybeam again!"
Raising his stick like a wand, the Braixen unleashed another multicolored beam at the Squirtle. The attack once again struck the opponent's shell, forcing it closer to the edge.
Neo clenched his fists in suspense as the Braixen's attack ended, providing the opportunity to counter. "Genbu, Aqua Tail!"
Letting only his tail out, the Squirtle summoned torrents of water to swirl around his tail. Firstly, he used the first motion to move away from the edge and unto the middle of the arena. Then as Genbu's tail reached the second half of the roundabout, he lashed out with a whip-like watery assault unto the enemy.
After receiving severe another blow from the Squirtle, Naomi shouted her third command, "Ricken, Grass Knot now!"
Before the Squirtle could land flatly on the middle of the arena, a pair of glowing green leaves grew out of the ground and lightly tipped off the shell, making the Squirtle land on his back. Sensing something was wrong, Genbu popped out of his shell and struggled frantically to get back up. Unfortunately, it proved more difficult. He kept rolling about like a top.
"Okay, Ricken! Psybeam!" Naomi ordered. Her Braixen summoned another psychic beam that bolted towards the enemy who was a sitting-psyduck. Genbu retreated into his shell as the attack struck dead center.
"Genbu! Don't give in! Use Aqua Tail!" Neo commanded.
Sticking his tail out again, the Squirtle summoned a whirling wave of water that slowly enveloped his tail. Then using the force, Genbu spun on the spot and launched himself into the air. Upon reaching the peak of the jump, Genbu flipped forward, lashing his tail that suddenly lit up with a white light.
End of Chapter 29
Showdown and Fanfic rarely mix. This is the result of careful research and tactics planning.
Note: I rarely play showdown. lol
Naomi is an OC gym leader created by one of my friends in Lake valor (Pokemon Forum which is not in Fanfic)
It ended in a sort of cliffhanger.
Evolve? Or no? Wait and see...
This is just one out of eight gym battles...
Oh, Arceus. I can barely imagine the next one. (Curse you Modnar! xD)
Longest chapter. lol. Review please! :D
Naomi's Artwork: ht$tp:/$/fav.$me/d878jgb
