Sad news: my laptop is in no shape to be used any further. Although I was able to upload this chapter (which was originally another two part thing) via my phone and transfer the following chapters to a usb drive, I don't know how long it will take me to get a new laptop and finish this up.
Disclaimer: Blu Rose doesn't own the Pokémon series: only this fic.
X-X-X
~Versus the Elite Four!~
The trek to the Pokémon League from Opelucid was tough. Along Route 10, there were plenty of trainers who challenged us for training before taking on the champion, but the walk through the badge check gates was a relatively easier time despite how drastically they all differed in appearance. Then came Victory Road, which went in and out of a tall mountain several times, and ended all the way at the top. Just like the route before it, there were plenty of trainers eager to get a bit more training in, along with wild Pokémon who were just as eager to pick a fight with us. Add in the rough terrain and it was easy to see why Victory Road could only be handled by trainers who had gotten all eight badges.
"Are we there yet?" Tiny asked for what had to have been the tenth time as we stepped out into the sunlight once more, sounding as exhausted as I felt.
"Give me a sec to figure it out," I said as my eyes readjusted to being exposed to the sun once more. When I got used to seeing sunlight once more, I was granted with a breathtaking view of the land that spread out before the cliff side we had been standing on.
"This is it!" Black spoke up, causing me to look aside. He was standing in front of a large archway several feet away from the tunnel we had exited out of. Tiny and I walked over to him and took it in. It was made of aged stone and was cracked in a few places, with a Poké Ball symbol carved along the top. The archway framed a path that looked about as long as Victory Road did.
Tiny and I both sighed from exhaustion as we slumped over. "Not another long walk…!" We both complained.
Black nudged both of us forward, saying "Come on. We can rest once we reach our destination."
We continued down the path, and in less than half an hour, we officially made it to the Pokémon League. I didn't have the strength to marvel at the four towers that stood around a large statue, or the large, majestic-looking stone building that stood behind the towers. I was only concerned with the nearby Pokémon Center, whose appearance surprisingly matched that of the other buildings in the area since it was made from stone.
"At last!" I exclaimed as I ran into the Pokémon Center. The moment the air conditioning hit me, I smiled and relaxed. Seconds later, Black and Tiny came in after me.
"Alright. Let's go heal our Pokémon, restock, and get a bite to eat," said Black.
I took a look around the Pokémon Center. "Geez, this place is empty." The only people around seemed to be those who worked there, like the nurses, doctors, and Poké Mart salespeople. "I thought with all the trainers we met on the way here, this place would be packed."
"Well…there is the stuff about N challenging Alder at some point. Maybe they want to avoid him, considering…" Black trailed off before he approached the front counter.
"Less people is a good thing, right?" Tiny asked with a look of fire in his eyes. "That means that no one can get in the way of our conquest!"
"Conquest? I wouldn't exactly call it that." Still, it reminded me that if I was capable of beating Alder, I should've been capable of going toe-to-toe with N in a Pokémon battle. And just like in the video games I played as a kid, to get to the champion, I would have to beat the Elite Four first.
Black and I soon handed our Pokémon over to the nurse in charge. With no other trainers to tend to, our teams were quickly healed and returned to us. The same went for buying goods at the Poké Mart and getting lunch at the cafeteria. When we left the building, it felt like we had finished preparing all too soon. We stood in a tense silence as we stared at the stairs leading up to the statue in the middle of the area. Then that silence was broken with the ringing of our Xtransceivers.
When we answered, it turned out to be Cheren and Bianca on the other end. "Hi, guys! Where are you now?" Bianca asked, looking cheerful as ever.
"I'm in Opelucid City. I'm in the middle of getting my final badge from Iris," Cheren stated as he pushed up his glasses.
"Oops! I hope I'm not interrupting!"
"It's okay. I'm not in a battle or anything important, so stopping to chat is okay."
"What about you two, Black and White?" Bianca asked. "Are you guys preparing to get your last badges, too?"
"We got them this morning," I said with a smile. "Actually, we're at the Pokémon League right now."
Both Bianca and Cheren looked shocked. "What?!" They both exclaimed at the same time.
"I didn't think I'd be so far behind…" Cheren began, looking uncharacteristically depressed. "I wanted to challenge you one last time before you went there, to see if we were both ready for N." He sighed and closed his eyes, as if thinking hard. "I know I'm not 'chosen' like everyone says the two of you are, but I still want to use my strength to help you out, however I can."
"Aw, don't worry, man! We've battled one another so often that you've been helping me out from the start, just like I've been helping you," Black said with a smile. "And even if you're late to the party, it doesn't mean that you can't help."
"I guess…"
"Hey, if you hurry, you might be the first to challenge Champion Black to a battle!"
"Uh, excuse me? What if it's Champion White?" I intruded. "I'm here, too, you know."
Black looked at me with half-lidded eyes, looking all casual. "Last I checked, you didn't care about the Pokémon League beyond gym badges."
"That doesn't mean I couldn't become the champion before you! I'm just as skilled of a trainer as you are!" I said with a frown. "Besides, at some point, you stopped caring about wanting to become champion!"
"If someone has to be it for the greater good, it ought to be me."
The childish argument was stopped by the sound of Bianca stifling a laugh. "This…is so funny!"
"I'm not sure if Black and White arguing is funny. More like sad, considering the situation…" said Cheren
Bianca stopped laughing and continued, "The other day, Professor Juniper was telling that we've all changed since we left Nuvema Town on our journeys, even if we weren't aware of what changed about us. I knew I changed a little, but…I never thought about how much you guys changed, too."
The rest of us fell silent for a few seconds until Cheren spoke up, smiling, "In the past, I blindly chased after the ideal of strength without thinking of what I would use it for. I thought being the strongest was all that mattered. Now I realize that I can use my strength to help others."
"And of course White's changed. Before, she fainted at the sight of even the most harmless Pokémon. But now she's got no problem with them!"
"I wouldn't say that, but…I've at least grown more comfortable around them. I still think Pokémon can be dangerous. But…I remember now that like people, there are bad ones and there are nice ones. All it takes is a bit of common sense and interaction to set them apart," I spoke.
"Hmm… But you know, I think the one who hasn't changed at all is Black," said Cheren.
"That's right! I don't think he's really changed at all, do you, White?" Bianca asked.
"How should I know? The only one who can figure that out is Black."
Black remained silent, his expression neutral. "So I don't know what's changed about me. Big deal."
"One thing is for sure: I have no regrets about running away from home and going on my journey," Bianca said with a smile.
"Neither do I. Minus the running away part," Cheren said, smiling as well.
"It's been really fun," I said, thinking back on how far I'd come since leaving Nuvema—both physically and figuratively.
"And it's not the end. I won't let it," Black said with a look of determination. "It's all because of our Pokémon that we experienced the adventures that we each had. So I won't allow Team Plasma to put a stop to it when it's only just begun."
"Wow! How dramatic!" Bianca said with bright eyes.
"You're not doing it alone, you know. We'll make sure we all get to spend more happy days together with our Pokémon!" I added, mirroring my brother's expression.
"I expect nothing but the best from you two. Good luck. I'll try to be there as soon as I can," Cheren said before he suddenly hung up.
"Ah… I just realized that I have something to do," Bianca spoke slowly. "Good luck, guys! I believe in you! You're two of the strongest trainers I know! Bye!" And then she hung up as well.
Black and I didn't say anything more after that. With Tiny behind us, we proceeded up the stairs, only to be stopped by a man who stood at the top of them. "Have you both come to challenge the Pokémon League?" He asked.
"Yes," we both responded.
"I see… Four great warriors form this Pokémon League. In the southwest tower is one who doesn't fear the Ghost type. In the southeast tower is one who channels the power of the Fighting type. In the northwest tower is one who has mastered the Dark type. In the northeast tower is one who knows the mind of the Psychic type. Defeat these warriors with your courage and wisdom, and you will be granted passage to the summit, where the champion awaits." He stepped aside so we could pass and said, "Proceed. And know that if you leave this area or fail to defeat them, you will have to start your challenge over from the beginning."
"Understood," Black said as I nodded. We all walked over to the statue and took a look around. "Well… Where are you gonna go first? I doubt we'll be able to enter the same place together."
"I think…I'll go to that one first," I said as I pointed at the southwest tower.
"Then I'll choose that one." Black pointed at the southeast tower. He then looked at me and smirked. "Let's make this interesting, shall we?"
I arched an eyebrow. "How so?"
"Well, if you think you can become the champion…let's see who gets to Alder and defeats him first: you or me."
I mirrored his smirk and laughed, "Oh, you're on!" We then turned and ran towards our respective towers. This wasn't the time for playing games. I knew that in the back of my mind. But it helped me to relax a little, believing that this was just a friendly competition between my brother and I, and not that we were racing to become champion so we could protect our region from a group of well-intentioned extremists.
The door to the southeast tower was wide open, so I ran inside. Tiny barely made it over the threshold before the door suddenly slammed shut behind him. The Raichu shrieked and jumped forward, grabbing onto my leg. I silently coaxed him off of me before I took a look around. The lighting was dim, mostly because the only source of light came from a series of lanterns hanging from the walls. Before us was a spiraling staircase that went up and around a tall, circular bookcase. With no other choice, Tiny and I walked upstairs. As we went along, it seemed as if the images in the paintings on the wall changed to resemble horrifying faces, and creepy voices whispered to us. The stairs led us to the very top of the bookcase, whose top resembled a battlefield. On the far side of the battlefield was a desk, and sitting behind the desk was a woman with short purple hair who was writing in a book. She wore a purple dress with black gloves long enough to reach her shoulder, and had a large black ribbon around her neck with a bright red broach on it. As we walked closer to her, we could hear her speaking softly to herself.
"Eyes brimming with dark flame, this man rejected everything other than himself in order to bring about one singular justice… Yeah, that's good," the purple-haired woman spoke while looking down at the book, her eyes hidden by a pair of large glasses whose lenses were glinting by the light of the lantern next to her.
"Um, excuse me?" I asked.
She quickly shut the book and looked up at me. "You didn't see anything, did you?"
"Uh, see what?"
"What I was writing for my novel. I can't have anything getting out to the public, or I'll have to scrap the idea and get to work on a new one."
"Oh. I didn't."
The purple-haired woman sighed and hung her head. "What a relief..!" After a few seconds, she made a noise of confusion, then stood up abruptly and walked around the desk, speaking, "Oh, my! Where are my manners? Of course you're a challenger. I am Shauntal of the Elite Four, and I specialize in Ghost type Pokémon." Once she was in front of me, she smiled. "And who might you be?"
"I'm White Ketchum."
"Well, White. Let's get started." In a few minutes, we were both standing on opposite ends of the battlefield. Instead of holding a Poké Ball, Shauntal was holding a book and pen. "I'm always inspired by the trainers and Pokémon I get to face, so I hope you and your Pokémon will be good subjects. But a good beginning is important for both novels and battles, so I will begin with Cofagrigus!" As if on cue, a Poké Ball opened from somewhere behind Shauntal, and in a flash of light, a gold and blue coffin appeared in front of her. Four shadowy hands suddenly leaked out of its cracks and parts shifted to reveal the Cofagrigus's smiling face.
"Cofagrigus, huh…? In that case…" I grabbed Panacea's Poké Ball and sent her out.
"Oh, an Audino! You're going to rely on the immunity that Normal type Pokémon have to Ghost type attacks, I see. But we do prepare for such obvious strategies… Cofagrigus, Grass Knot!" Vines suddenly poked up out of the floor and wrapped around Panacea's legs before tugging with enough force to make her fall over. "Now use Psychic!" The eyes of Shauntal's Cofagrigus glowed before Panacea was struck by an invisible force from above. "Cofagrigus can't learn Fighting type moves, but she doesn't need to attack an elemental weakness to win."
I frowned as Panacea got back on her feet. "Shadow Ball!" The Audino began to form a ball of shadowy energy between her paws. With a cry, she fired the ball at the Coffin Pokémon. When it hit, the Cofagrigus didn't flinch or move, as if the impact wasn't all that effective.
"Disable!" Once more, the Cofagrigus's eyes glowed. Panacea flinched and a gray aura surrounded her for a moment. "Now no more pesky Shadow Balls."
"You're not the only one with backup strategies. Panacea, Flamethrower!" The Audino opened her mouth, revealing the flames that built up in the back of her throat. She then breathed a stream of fire in the direction of the Cofagrigus. Just like with the Shadow Ball, the Coffin Pokémon took the attack and didn't even flinch as the flames left a burn on its body.
"Psychic!"
"Protect!" Just before another burst of psychic energy could hit her, Panacea held her arms out in front of her. When the attack hit, a bubble-like shield was made visible for a brief moment. "Now, Ice Beam!" She then followed up by firing a beam of ice cold energy at her opponent, which covered part of its body in frost. That time, the attack caused the Cofagrigus to flinch a bit.
"Oh! It seems that you've managed to start tiring my Pokémon out," said Shauntal, sounding surprised while she continued writing in her book. "I suppose I ought to finish things up. Use Hyper Beam!" The Cofagrigus shook off the frost on its body and placed all four of its ghostly hands together. Its hands glowed bright red as a ball of red and black energy formed between them. With a shriek, the Ghost type fired a large beam of energy.
"Protect!" Panacea held her arms out in front of her once more, but instead of blocking the attack, the Hyper Beam broke through her shield and blasted her off of her feet. "Oh, no…! Panacea, please be awake!"
"…Oh…!" A sound of pain came out of her mouth as she flinched.
"Eat the berry! Please eat the berry!" I insisted, practically pleading.
Panacea rolled onto her side and pulled out a Sitrus berry. She opened her mouth wide, shoved the berry into her mouth, and chewed it a few times before swallowing. After a few seconds, she got back up on her feet, still looking pretty beat up, but at least capable of moving again. "I…was almost done for…!" The Audino gasped as she caught her breath.
"Thank goodness…!" Ordinarily, I never really used things like berries or items in a battle. But this was serious business. I was expected to fight against four powerful trainers in a row, then the champion, and I only had so many revives to use on them. I had to make sure I wouldn't waste too many of my items so I'd have some left over in case of an emergency, and as far as I knew, berries were one of those 'fair game' items in official Pokémon battles.
"Oh, my. I was hoping that would be enough to knock out your Pokémon," Shauntal spoke as her Cofagrigus sank closer to the floor, looking exhausted.
"Use Flamethrower!" Panacea took a deep breath and blew a stream of flames at the Cofagrigus. As flames consumed the Ghost type, it shrieked in pain and flailed its shadowy arms in the air. It seemed like it was finally weakening. The Cofagrigus visibly shuddered, definitely feeling the pain now as it recovered its stamina. After a few seconds, Panacea's body flickered with a gray aura once more, symbolizing that her Shadow Ball was no longer disabled. "And Shadow Ball!"
"Grass Knot!" As Panacea formed a ball of shadowy energy between her paws, vines poked up out of the floor and wrapped around her legs. Just as she fired the Shadow Ball, the vines tripped her, causing her to fall flat on her face, but it still wasn't enough to knock her out, so the Audino got back on her feet. "It seems like this chapter is coming to a close…" Those words gave me confidence.
"Alright! Finish it off with one big Shadow Ball!" Panacea formed another ball of shadowy energy and fired it at the Cofagrigus.
"Destiny Bond." Seconds before the Ghost type was hit by Panacea's Shadow Ball, its body glowed with an ominous purple light. The impact of the attack caused the Cofagrigus to cry in pain and fall to the floor with a heavy thud. At the same time, Panacea gasped in pain as a similar light radiated from her and suddenly fell, just as the Cofagrigus's face became hidden behind its golden mask once more and its arms slid back inside of its body. "I'm sorry, Cofagrigus. Your sacrifice won't be in vain."
"Panacea…!" I whimpered before both of us returned our Pokémon to their balls. "So much for not wasting more items than necessary… But you'd have won if it wasn't for that Destiny Bond. You did great."
"It's time for the second chapter to begin!" Shauntal suddenly proclaimed as she sent out her next Pokémon, a female Jellicent. It easily dwarfed the Cofagrigus that came before it, casting a large shadow beneath it as it floated above the floor. I already knew from past experiences with Frillish that they could absorb energy through their tentacles and learn Grass type attacks, so using Shion seemed like a bad idea. And I wanted to leave Killia for her last Pokémon, so that left one options.
"Tiny, go get 'em!" I shouted as I pointed out at the battlefield. The Raichu put on his game face and ran out onto the battlefield without a word.
"Ah, Raichu! An Electric type Pokémon that cannot be found in Unova," Shauntal mused as she tapped her chin with her pen. "How it reminds me of that man from Sunnyshore… The first thing he said to me was 'Do you know Thunderbolt?'"
"How nostalgic," I spoke flatly. It's not like I meant to be rude, I just wanted our fight to start already. "Tiny, Thunderbolt!" The Raichu's cheeks began to crackle with electricity before he unleashed a Thunderbolt that zapped the Jellicent, causing her to shriek and flail her arms in pain until the attack stopped. "As expected, that Jellicent can take a hit."
"But of course! Jellicent, Recover!" The Jellicent closed her eyes and began to glow with a bright green aura. Most of the signs of having been shocked quickly vanished from the jellyfish Pokémon's body. "Now use Toxic!" One of the Water type's tentacles lashed out and struck Tiny across his face. In seconds, his face gained a blue tinge as the poison took effect.
"Grass Knot!" The end of Tiny's tail glowed bright green before he slammed it against the floor. Vines shot out of the floor, wrapped around some of his opponent's tentacles and sank back down just as quickly, pulling the Jellicent along with them and slamming her against the floor in the process. "Volt Tackle!"
"Hex!"
Tiny fell on all fours and his body suddenly became surrounded by a ball of intense electricity as the Jellicent formed an orb of shadowy energy bearing a glowing red eye in the center. The Jellicent was the first to attack, throwing the orb towards the Raichu seconds before he dashed forward. The attack hit Tiny, but he refused to slow down, gaining speed until he was close enough to jump up at the Jellicent and tackle into her. The impact of the attack was powerful enough to send her flying backwards, past Shauntal, off the platform, and into a wall, while Tiny collapsed on the floor, unconscious. I guess with the poisoning he'd gotten, that Hex was just powerful enough to weaken him to the point where the recoil of that Volt Tackle knocked him out. "This is why I don't like him using Volt Tackle…" I muttered to myself as I returned Tiny into his ball. It was a bad move in my eyes, even if it seemed to have knocked out his opponent. "Way to end it with a bang, little guy."
"Oh, no! Jellicent!" Shauntal gasped as her Pokémon slowly slid down the wall and out of sight. She ran over to the edge of the platform and looked down. After a few seconds, she sighed and returned the unseen Jellicent to her ball before going back to her spot on the opposite end of the battlefield. "How exciting! Another double knockout. But it isn't over yet!" In a flash of light, she sent out a Golurk. While smaller than the Jellicent, it was still pretty tall, and its eyes glowing ominously did nothing to make it seem less intimidating. "I hope you've still got your nerve. You're an entertaining subject to research and I don't want it to end yet!"
I snorted and narrowed my eyes. "I haven't lost anything! I'm certainly not gonna lose this fight!" That's right. Confidence was good. Just enough confidence will push me forward no matter the obstacle. I grabbed another Poké Ball and sent out…
X-X-X
"Mars, finish it!" I shouted as I sent Mars onto the battlefield. Under the light of the giant chandelier hanging above the battlefield, his carapace seemed to shine.
On the other end of the battlefield—which stood on a checkered platform that had plush red carpeting, the opposing Scrafty tugged up the shed skin that he wore as pants in an attempt to look intimidating. His trainer Grimsley, the dark-haired man wearing a black and red suit with a yellow scarf, finally decided to stand up from the sofa he had been lounging on for the first three battles.
"Man, oh, man… Now things seem to be getting exciting. Battles like these are proof that you're really living!" Grimsley said as he threw his scarf over his shoulder. He flipped a coin and glanced at it before looking over at me with a smirk. "Tails. You go first."
I huffed, growing agitated with his way of fighting. Or maybe it was his success thus far. He'd managed to take out Shion with his Scrafty, followed by Tiny, which had given the Dark type a sharp boost of power because of his ability, Moxie. I supposed it was a strange sort of karma since Shion had beaten the Liepard and Krookodile that came before. "Mars, Iron Defense!" The Scolipede stood still as his body momentarily gained a steel coating.
"Thinking defensively. That's smart! But being defensive doesn't always help. Scrafty, Sand Attack!"
"Defense Curl!" As the Scrafty kicked up dust, Mars curled up into a ball to protect his eyes from getting blinded.
"High Jump Kick!" Grimsley's Scrafty tugged his skin up once more before quickly running towards the curled up Mars and leaping forward with a jumping knee kick. His knee made contact with Mars's carapace and sent him rolling backwards. "Stone Edge!" After the Scrafty landed, he punched the floor. The floor shook for a moment before a large, sharpened stone suddenly jutted out of the ground…seconds after Mars had rolled over the spot. The Scrafty gasped as he caught his breath while Grimsley shrugged, as if the missed hit was nothing important. "That's the way it goes."
When Mars stopped rolling, he uncurled and was back on his feet. "Use Poison Jab!" The tips of his horns glowed bright purple before he bowed his head and charged forward. The Scrafty couldn't react quickly enough to dodge and ended up getting stabbed by his horns. "Now grab it!" Using the series of claws going down the front of his neck, the Scolipede grabbed hold of his opponent's head and clenched tightly. Grimsley's Pokémon flailed his arms in a panic as he struggled to pull himself free.
"Use Low Kick!" The Scrafty used his feet to perform as well of a sweeping kick as he could, kicking Mars's forelegs out from under him. Although it may not have hurt very much thanks to his type and how much he managed to beef up his endurance, the attack was enough to sweep him off of his feet, letting go of the Scrafty in the process. The smaller Pokémon stepped back, his face tinged blue—a sign that he had been poisoned from coming into such close contact with Mars. "Chip Away!"
"Venoshock!" As the Scrafty raised an arm to strike, Mars looked up at him and sprayed a stream of a thick purple liquid into his opponent's face. The force of Mars's attack had been strong enough to knock the Dark type off of its feet and fall to the floor, unconscious. It might not have worked if that Scrafty hadn't at least taken some damage from Shion and Tiny before knocking them out.
As Mars got back on his feet, Grimsley recalled his Scrafty to its ball, a smirk still on his face. "Well, I'm on my last Pokémon. But I never retreat from any battle. It's time to end this!" He took out another Poké Ball and sent out a Bisharp, who glared at Mars from across the battlefield before blades popped out of the sides of its arms. Once again, Grimsley flipped a coin and caught it in his hand. "Your move again. Are you going to draw back or go all in?"
"Both." Grimsley looked confused by my response, but I had a plan in mind before he even sent out his last Pokémon. "Mars, use Steamroller!" The Scolipede stomped his feet for a few times before he rushed towards his opponent. The Bisharp crossed its arms in front of itself to lessen the damage as Mars barreled into it, shoving it backwards.
"Use Torment."
Grimsley's Bisharp smirked before folding its arms across its chest. "Let me guess: you're the kind of Pokémon whose trainer realized they're good for doing just one thing," it spoke in a regal and feminine voice. "How sad it must be to be a one-trick pony."
The usually calm Mars snorted and stomped his feet in aggression. Now he wouldn't dare use the same move twice in a row. Fortunately, he had more moves that could be useful. "Screech!" He made an ear-piercing screech that made the Bisharp flinch.
"Metal Claw!" With her smirk growing wider, the Bisharp leaped towards Mars. When she landed in front of him, she spun around on one foot to slash Mars twice with her arm blades. "Night Slash!" On the third spin, the Bisharp's blades glowed with a dark aura before slashing Mars once more, the strike causing the Scolipede to stumble to the side.
"Megahorn!" Mars soon recovered, lowered his head, and smashed his antennae against the Bisharp. He then finished up by tossing her up into the air.
"Aerial Ace!" The Bisharp recovered in midair and began falling down head first, the blade on her head glinting.
"Baton Pass to Killia!" After a puff of smoke, the Scolipede was replaced by a baton spinning in midair. And in another puff of smoke, it was replaced by Killia. When Grimsley's Bisharp landed on top of Killia, she sprang off of him and landed a few feet away from where he was facing. Because of Baton Pass, Killia got to enjoy the same buffed up endurance that Mars had, so the Aerial Ace ended up not doing very much. "Incinerate!" The Zweilous breathed out twin streams of fire and soon covered the Bisharp in flames. After a few seconds, he stopped, revealing that his opponent was severely injured, but still conscious.
"Ah, what a shame. So much for the Liechi berry," Grimsley spoke as his Pokémon tossed aside a small black lump that crumbled into ashes as soon as it hit the floor. "But even in a bleak situation, there's a way to triumph! X-Scissor!" The Bisharp leapt at Killia and swung her arms in an X-formation, striking both of his heads. Righty had been hit particularly hard and got knocked out.
"Dragon Pulse!"
"How dare you knock out my better half?!" Killia shouted before he fired a dragon-headed beam of purple energy down at the Bisharp's face. The force behind the attack had sent his opponent flying backwards until she landed on her back, unconscious.
Grimsley sighed and returned his fallen Pokémon to her ball. He then approached Killia and me in the middle of the battlefield, the former attempting to wake up his other half by biting his neck. "Congratulations are in order, I suppose. Victory shines like a bright light, and you and your Pokémon are shining brilliantly right now." He then pointed his finger in front of my face. "But know that real warriors don't dash off in pursuit of their next victory, nor do they throw tantrums when they lose a battle. A real warrior ponders the next battle."
"…Huh?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Who is this nut job?" Killia asked while he was still chewing on his other half's neck.
Grimsley sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Now you've got only two members of the Elite Four left to challenge. But I warn you: they've both got incredibly difficult personalities. But that's just my opinion…"
X-X-X
Minutes later, I was climbing another set of stairs up to where the Fighting type specialist of the Elite Four resided—and I was not looking forward to it since half of my team was weak to Fighting type attacks. A massive oversight on my part, but it's not like I'd been in a situation before where type advantages and weaknesses were incredibly important. It didn't help that any Fighting type specialists that I fought weren't part of some gauntlet.
When I made it to the top, I realized that the large, metal platform I had been circling around was the base of a fighting ring that had a large Poké Ball symbol in the center. In the middle of the ring was a tall, muscular-looking man who appeared to be practicing martial arts. He was certainly dressed for it, wearing hand guards and loose-fitting clothing with a black belt tied around his waist. He punched and kicked, shouting out each time he made a move, and only stopped when he happened to turn in my direction to perform a backhand strike.
"Greetings, challenger. And who might you be?" He certainly sounded polite, even if the hard look in his eyes was kind of intimidating.
"I'm White Ketchum."
"Ketchum. Like that boy who was through here a while ago? So I assume you're the sister," the man said as he folded his arms across his chest. "My name is Marshal. My mentor, Alder, believes you and your brother have potential as Pokémon trainers, and as such has taken and interest in you. So I'll be testing you to see if his beliefs are true."
Oh, boy. So now I have potential. No pressure there. "Of course! I'll show you how right he is!" I exclaimed, trying to pump some confidence into myself before the match could start.
In seconds, we were standing on opposite ends of the ring. "First I will use Sawk!" Marshal announced, and in a flash of light, a Sawk appeared on his end of the battlefield. Sawk resembled a blue-skinned human-being wearing a karate gi with a black marking framing one of its eyes. But this one had another belt wrapped tightly around its upper arm.
I thought about who out of the three who wasn't weak to Fighting type attacks I would send out first. I ended up sending out Shion. Her eyes met with the Sawk and they began to glare at one another. First things first… "Shion, use Rain Dance!" The Samurott raised her head and gave a loud cry, causing dark clouds to suddenly form over the battlefield and rain to fall.
"Bulk Up!" The Sawk tightened the belt around its waist and its muscles seemed to grow in response for a few seconds before going back to their normal size. "Now, come at us with all you've got!"
Oh, no. I knew better. I knew Sawk learned Counter naturally. Going for Razor Shell at the moment would be a dumb move—especially considering that Bulk Up upped its endurance. "Scald!" Shion reared her head back and unleashed a spray of scalding hot water from her mouth. The spray of water hit Marshal's Sawk, but sadly didn't cause a burn.
"Grass Knot!" The Sawk stomped its foot on the floor, and in seconds, a glowing green vine had popped out to wrap around Shion's leg and pulled hard enough to send her falling down. "While it's down, Close Combat!" The Fighting type quickly ran towards Shion while she was on the floor, totally prepared to unleash its fury on her.
"Use Fling!" Still on the ground, Shion drew one of her seamitars and threw it at the oncoming Sawk, hitting it in the stomach and knocking the air out of it. I assumed that maybe it had lowered its defenses just enough for that attack to surprise it and cause it to get hit, and I was happy to see that I was right.
"Use Fling as well!" The Sawk picked up the seamitar and threw it back at Shion. But instead of getting hit, she stood on her hind legs and grabbed the sword between her paws before it could hit her. "Impressive."
"I'll say," I muttered. Could she always do that? I certainly didn't teach her how to catch sharp, pointy objects like some circus performer!
"Close Combat!" And seconds after that excellent display, the Sawk managed to get in close and start punching and kicking away at Shion, fists and feet moving like blurs with each blow it landed. After a while, it jumped away from her, exhausted from the frenzied melee attack.
"Now's your chance! Get in close with Aqua Jet!" Water enveloped Shion before she shot towards the Sawk like a rocket. She tackled into it head first, the horn on her head doing most of damage. "Now use Razor Shell!"
"Counter!" As soon as the water around her burst, the Samurott quickly drew one of her seamitars again and slashed the Sawk in a diagonal manner across its stomach, chest and upper arm. At first, it seemed as if the Fighting type was going to strike back in retaliation, but then grabbed hold of its injured arm and collapsed on its knees before falling over. "Can you go on?" The Sawk silently nodded and ended up flinching. "Don't be stubborn. You've lost this fight." Marshall then returned his Pokémon to its ball.
Marshal's concern made me look over Shion. Although she was covered in bruises from the Sawk's barrage of blows, she was steady on her feet. "What about you? Are you okay to keep fighting?"
"I can take a hit," Shion said coolly as she sheathed her sword.
"For my second choice, I choose Throh!" Marshall shouted before sending out said Throh, which also had a black belt wrapped around its upper arm. A Throh looked almost identical to a Sawk, but it was more squat and red-skinned, as well as being skilled with different kinds of moves. In particular, a Throh naturally learned Circle Throw, which could cause its opponent to switch places with another. It seemed likely that Shion would be thrown out anyway because of the boost she was getting from Rain Dance, so…
"Shion, come back."
"Huh?!" The Samurott exclaimed in surprise before she was called back into her ball.
"Sorry, but I might need you later on," I apologized to the Poké Ball before taking out another. "Tiny, get in there!" The Raichu appeared in front of me in a flash of light.
"What took you so long?" He asked.
"I'm sorry I was exhausted from climbing all those stairs," I answered sarcastically.
"Throh, Bulk Up!" Like the Sawk before it, the Throh tugged on its belt and its muscle size swelled for a brief moment before returning to normal.
"Tiny, Thunder Wave!" The Raichu charged up and zapped the Throh with a paralyzing jolt of electricity.
Marshal narrowed his eyes and frowned. "You've just made a big mistake," he said as his Throh's body began to radiate a crimson-colored aura. "My Throh's ability is Guts, which increases his attack power when afflicted with something like paralysis."
"Uh-oh…" Tiny and I both spoke at the same time, dreading what their next move would be.
"Use Bulldoze!" After stomping both of its feet on the floor, the Throh charged forward with its arms outstretched. The one upside to having been paralyzed was that the Fighting type was now moving slower.
"Quickly, use Thunder!" As the Throh approached, Tiny's body began crackling with an immense amount of electricity. Finally, with a loud cry, he unleashed a giant bolt of electricity at the charging Throh. The attack hit, thanks in part to the rain, and the Throh suddenly stopped in its tracks to scream out in pain. When the attack was finished, it fell back, unconscious. "…Oh my gosh, that was a one-hit KO!" I shouted, both shocked and happy at the same time.
"Woo-hoo! I rock!" Tiny exclaimed as he pumped waved his arms in the air.
"Dumb luck," Marshal commented as he returned his fainted Pokémon. And to be honest, his comment was probably right. Sweet, dumb luck most likely prevented the situation from getting ugly. "But I'll admit that your Pokémon are strong, and that makes my heart dance!" For someone whose heart was dancing, he didn't seem excited. "For my third Pokémon, I choose Conkeldurr!" In a flash of light, a Conkeldurr appeared a few feet away from Tiny. I hadn't seen many people with one of them, but they certainly stood out since they looked like retired circus strong men who used large stone pillars to support themselves like canes. The Conkeldurr easily dwarfed Tiny in size and was smirking down at him.
"Why does this happen to me…?!" The Raichu squeaked as his tail flopped to the floor.
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I gulped as I stared at the young woman who had to have been a few years older than me—the youngest member of the Elite Four, it seemed. This particular tower looked about as luxurious as Grimsley's. It had all the looks of a fancy bedroom with its expensive-looking curtains, carpets, and an actual bed that my opponent, Caitlin, had been sleeping in before my arrival minutes ago. Not that she'd been dressed for bed. She wore a dress in various shades of pink with a transparent pink shawl and a hat, and her extremely long blonde hair had heart-shaped accessories along the end that caused it to float and prevented it from touching the ground.
After the few seconds of uncomfortable silence that passed after her Sigilyph fell to an Ice Beam from Eve, Caitlin smiled, and that somehow unsettled me more than the withering look she'd given me when I interrupted her nap. "It seems like a wonderful time is about to start. I'm getting excited!" In the blink of an eye, a Poké Ball appeared next to her, floating in midair. It opened and released a Musharna. I hadn't seen one of those in a long time. "Musharna, Hypnosis!"
"Don't look and use Hail!" Eve closed her eyes just as the Musharna's glowed bright pink, allowing her to avoid being hypnotized. She then howled, causing dark clouds to form over the battlefield. Seconds later, snow and chunks of ice of varying size fell from above. A particularly large hunk ended up hitting Caitlin's Pokémon on the head. On cue, her Snow Cloak ability activated, causing her to vanish from sight.
"Clever, but it's no good. Use Yawn." Caitlin's Musharna opened its mouth wide and yawned. From somewhere on the battlefield, I heard Eve yawn as well. Caitlin noticed where the Glaceon was from the noise alone and pointed in that direction. "Use Psychic!" A briefly visible burst of psychic energy appeared on one end of the battlefield, but it didn't sound like the attack hit. "You'll stop moving soon enough."
If Eve couldn't avoid falling asleep, she'd have to at least land a damaging attack. "Blizzard!" From somewhere on the battlefield, Eve howled loudly, causing a howling blizzard that hit the Musharna with enough force to cause it to drop to the floor, but not completely knock it out. As soon as the blizzard stopped, a soft snoring could be heard on one part of the battlefield.
"There it is! Use Dream Eater!" The Musharna floated back up into the air and drifted towards the spot where Eve apparently was. It rested on top of her semi-visible form and placed its mouth on where I assumed her head was, ignoring the pain as a hunk of ice hit it on the back. The pink spot on its head began glowing bright pink, and soon after, a cloud of dream mist leaked out, showing an image of Eve frolicking through a snow-covered field with a smile on her face.
"Eve! Come on, wake up!" I shouted as the Musharna continued eating her dreams without pause, but she seemed to have been in a pretty deep sleep. From the way its eyes crinkled, it seemed to be enjoying its meal until it finally let go of her. When the hailstorm suddenly stopped and the clouds cleared, revealing Eve's body sprawled out on the floor, I knew she was unconscious. With a sigh, I returned the Glaceon to her Poké Ball and then decided to send out Killia.
"As if we don't have options for opponents like this. Musharna, Signal Beam." The Musharna turned around to look at Killia. The spot on its head began to glow before it fired a beam of pink and purple energy at him, hitting Lefty in the head and making him cry in pain.
"Dark Pulse!" Killia began to radiate a dark aura. With a roar, he unleashed a wave of dark energy that swept across the battlefield and hit his opponent.
"Hypnosis!" The Musharna's eyes started glowing, but then it closed its eyes and shuddered.
"It flinched! Use Crunch!" Killia sniffed the air a few times, then hissed and charged towards the Psychic type. When he was close enough, the Zweilous pounced, tackling it to the floor.
"You smell like Razz berries!" Righty proclaimed.
"But do you taste like 'em?" Lefty asked before both heads bit different parts of the Musharna's body. The Psychic type flailed its stubby legs in the air as it screamed in pain, then it stopped once it fell unconscious. Lefty raised his head and smacked his lips. "Nope."
The Poké Ball floating next to Caitlin recalled the unconscious Musharna. It disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, then it was replaced by an Ultra Ball. "My last Pokémon… Even at a time like this, I will stay cool and collected." The ball opened and in a flash of light, a Gothitelle appeared. It resembled a woman dressed in classic gothic lolita clothing, its black body covered in a row of white feelers resembling ribbons. "Miracle Eye." The Gothitelle's eyes glowed bright purple, and seconds afterwards, Killia glowed a similar color.
"Dark Pulse!"
"Flatter."
As Killia began glowing with a dark energy again, the Gothitelle spoke up, "Oh, my. Aren't you an adorable little ruffian?" She spoke, managing to sound both stern and impressed.
"Adorable?" Lefty asked, sounding confused.
"Thank you! You look cute, too, in a creepy way," said Righty, completely unaffected by the attempt at flattery somehow. "But now I gotta wreck your cute face." With a roar, he unleashed the wave of dark energy that they had been building up as a whole. It hit the Gothitelle, but didn't seem to have the same sort of oomph that it did before. And when Lefty began thrashing his head about while the left side of his body began acting erratically, I figured out why. "Hey, now's not the time to start dancing!" Righty said before Lefty headbutted him in his state of confusion.
"Psychic!" A blast of psychic energy knocked Killia onto his back.
"What happened…?" Righty asked, coming to his senses but still sounding dazed.
"I lost you to the dance, but now you're back," said Lefty.
"…I'm sorry, what?" The Zweilous rolled himself back onto his feet and turned to face the Gothitelle.
"Signal Beam!" The Psychic type held out a hand that began glowing with a pink and purple energy before firing its own multicolored energy beam that went flying between Killia's heads and hitting the space between them. The attack cause them both to cry out in pain, but the Zweilous remained standing.
"Dark Pulse!" With a roar, another, larger wave of dark energy raced towards the Gothitelle, the force of her knocking it down on her bottom. "Dragon Pulse!" The Zweilous opened both of his mouths and fired a pair of purple energy beams that fused together to form a dragon-headed beam.
"Use Psychic!" Still sitting on the ground, the Gothitelle attempted to use her psychic powers to hold back the beam of energy before it could hit her. The Psychic type struggled for a few seconds before she simply got too exhausted to fight back. The Gothitelle stopped using her powers and the Dragon Pulse ended up hitting her, sending her skidding across the floor before she stopped in front of her trainer. Caitlin kneeled and touched her Pokémon before smiling. "Gothitelle, you did well." The Ultra Ball next to her opened once more, recalling her unconscious Pokémon.
"Killia, you were excellent!" I exclaimed as I ran to the middle of the battlefield.
"Yay!" Righty shouted.
"I deserve extra hugs and praise for all my hard work," said Lefty.
Caitlin met me in the middle as I was petting both of the Zweilous's heads. "As a trainer, you are both excellent and elegant. Your Pokémon have class…in their own unique way," she said as Righty and Lefty began biting one another. "I am very pleased to have battled with you."
"Um, thank you."
"Well, you have somehow managed to defeat the entire Elite Four of the Pokémon League. Perhaps Alder was right about you having potential. The only way to find out is by challenging the champion himself."
"Yeah, about that… I assume he's in that fancy-looking place that's apart from this section, but there's not exactly a clear way to get there."
"Ah, yes. Simply check the statue in the center of the plaza for the way to the champion's room. Now, off with you."
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Minutes later, after leaving the tower and healing up my Pokémon, I returned to the plaza with Tiny by my side.
"We're almost there, White! Soon, we're gonna be champions!" The Raichu exclaimed with bright eyes.
"I really don't care about being a champion," I admitted as we approached the statue. "I just wanna know if I'm at least strong enough to face N." Plus, I didn't really wanna snatch Black's dream away from him. I just wanted to prove that I was on the same level as him as a trainer. Who knows how he'd react if I became the champion before him? He may have said that he didn't care about becoming champion, but I knew he still thought about it. "Now, how does this thing work?" I asked as I stared at the statue.
As if on cue, four circular panels that had been set around the statue began to glow bright blue. This led to the area around the statue glowing with the same bright blue before it shook and began to sink into the floor. When it reached the very bottom, Tiny and I found ourselves standing in front of a tall set of many, many stairs, at the top of which was the building where Alder was surely waiting. "Not…more…stairs…!" The Raichu whined.
"Well…let's get this over with…" I said with a sigh before we proceeded to walk up the well-used stairs. As we went up, going through pillars along the way I took note of the color of the sky. The sun was beginning to set, turning the sky shades of red and orange. "What an exhausting day today turned out to be," I said. "But it'll all be worth it in the end…hopefully."
"It better. I didn't climb all these stairs to not get something from it," said Tiny.
Eventually, we made it to the top of the stairs and stood before the temple-like building. Tiny and I took deep breaths before heading inside. We passed through giant stone pillars and headed up another tall staircase before we reached the stone platform at the top. Standing there in the middle of the platform were Alder and Black, who turned to face us when they became aware of our presence.
"Oh! If it isn't White. You've made it, too. You and your Pokémon have done well to come this far," said Alder.
"But you just weren't quick enough, it seems!" Black exclaimed, beaming as he held his hands behind his head. "Because I'm the Pokémon League champion now!"
"Yeah, yeah. I'm sure you're ecstatic. It's not that big of a deal," I spoke flatly.
Black frowned, unable to tell that I was joking. "What do you mean?! I've accomplished a childhood dream of mine!" He turned his back on me to brood without my seeing his face. "Things may have changed, but I consider this a great accomplishment in my career as a Pokémon Trainer!"
"I'm not saying I'm not proud of you. But I think if you're gonna boast, you should do it after you beat me."
Black turned around to look at me in confusion. "Huh?"
I sighed. "You are the champion now, right? I beat the Elite Four, so now you're my last opponent.
"Oh. I guess I am, huh?" My brother then looked at Alder. "Um… Am I?"
"You are," Alder confirmed with a look of mirth. "This is sure to be interesting. The both of you, show me the intensity of your fighting spirit!"
Seconds later, Black and I were standing on opposite ends of the battlefield while Alder stood on the sidelines. Black adjusted his hat and smiled. "Well, White. How does it feel to be challenging the strongest trainer in the Unova region?"
"I dunno. You'll have to tell me that when I beat you," I said as we both readied our Poké Balls.
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Notes!
Cofagrigus learns Grass Knot, Psychic and Hyper Beam via TM. Audino learns Flamethrower via TM. Jellicent learns Toxic via TM. Scrafty learns Stone Edge via TM. Bisharp learns Aerial Ace and X-Scissor via TM. Sawk learns Grass Knot and Fling via TM. Samurott learns Rain Dance, Scald, Aerial Ace and X-Scissor via TM. Throh learns Bulldoze via TM. Musharna learns Signal Beam via move tutor. Zweilous learns Dark Pulse via TM, move tutor and breeding. Gothitelle learns Miracle Eye via breeding and Signal Beam via move tutor.
"That man from Sunnyshore City" is of course Volkner, who has a Raichu. Shauntal actually has a chance of referring to him if she's challenged again in BW's postgame.
The Liechi Berry raises a Pokémon's Attack stat when they're "in a pinch" and their health is below 1/4. But Incinerate is a move that destroys berries like that—except the Fire type attack-weakening Occa Berry—before they can be used.
The Expert Belt is an item that can be found on wild Sawk and Throh.
White challenges the Elite Four in the scaling order of their weaknesses: Ghost (Shauntal), Dark (Grimsley), Fighting (Marshal), and Psychic (Caitlin).
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