Chapter 46
The next pokemon I had to deal with came floating in from across the other side of the island. Projecting a mist around itself as it travelled, I was almost shocked to see a Lapras come into view, before I remembered I was up against a Gym Leader. Who probably had this Lapras imported, if she hadn't caught it after many years on the road.
Still, it was worth keeping Hariyama in another round for. "You good to keep going, big guy?" I asked, before receiving his signature battle cry.
Time to rock and roll.
"Close Combat!" I shouted, before changing my mind. "Pull back!" Hariyama stopped abruptly in the middle of his charge, kicking up a mass of dirt. On the edge of the lake, Lapras was still a good twenty metres away from the shore. If we were to do this right, I couldn't do something so foolish as to leave the ground. Land was where the majority of my team had the advantage. Yes, it did limit me rather severely, but I was not going to give it up. Going back to the large amount of water however, Manectric could still be of immense help.
I made the switch, and the canine returned to the field. However, I could tell by his gait he still felt what had happened earlier, in his fight against the Wailord. To keep him in would be giving up a potential game changer later down the line, but I didn't really have options. Swellow would probably be best to save for later on, in case I needed the surprise, and Grotle was still recovering, so he was definitely out.
Plus, I was still required to save Swampert for some reason I still couldn't figure out. Was she going to drop that Shiftry on me? Or did she have something specific in mind, that would push me well into the danger zone? Both of these were realistic possibilities, and neither of them were very attractive to me. Of course, not my main concern right now.
"Discharge!" I commanded, and then watched Lapras writhe in pain, imprisoned in the electric shock by virtue of location. The attack eventually came to an end however, and I immediately had to face a retaliation. A familiar blue laser encased the ground near Manectric in solid ice, the attack missing by mere degrees. Any closer, and Manectric would have been done.
Before I could call for the next round or Manectric's assault, Lapras unleashed a second burst of Ice Beam, and I had to recall my first loss of the battle. Great. Now I had to make another difficult choice... Hariyama couldn't get close, but resisted Ice Type attacks. Grotle still needed rest, but could fight effectively.
Swellow however, quickly proved to be my best option. Descending into an Aerial Ace, she had to pull up as the orb of water turned into a shockwave-esque blast, otherwise known as Water Pulse. Barely getting out of the blast's radius, I watched Swellow begin to stall.
And then, it hit me- They were pushing themselves as hard as I was pushing myself. My team that is. And we hadn't struggled. I was up a Pokemon still, even though she now knew my lineup... but that didn't matter. All we had to do was win each battle as they came.
Watching Lapras move, I noticed the huge blind spot in behind its head. If it couldn't turn its neck past a certain point, it would have to move its body to get the needed coverage. Swellow could probably outpace it. And then the sheer size of its back made for a gigantic target. Hell, most trainers with Lapras generally used them for transport. Why would Mizuko have chosen it, when she knew the way I battled?
"Try and go around!" I called out, a grin sliding across my face as Swellow began to make the long, arcing flight in towards the target. Lapras however began to automatically move, as if used to this approach. This was going to be too close for my liking. "Faster!" I prompted Swellow.
Zooming in closer to the water, kicking up a wake trail now and breaking the air around her as she went, Swellow made Lapras look like a statue. Firmly behind the gigantic blue sea creature, Swellow's wings began to take on a metallic sheen. Steel Wing. Striking Lapras for a critical effect, Swellow pulled back into her holding pattern.
Instead of moaning in pain, Lapras began to sing. Mournful notes began to come through the air and I stopped, listening to it in the moment. I really felt for the first time in a while, and I couldn't believe that this was where it was happening. Still, how was the song helping her?
"Another Steel Wing!" I prompted. Swellow began to pull up into the air once air, gaining altitude with each and every moment. Mizuko followed Swellows' path, and visibly showed how much this frustrated she was by this development. Clearly, I had stumbled across something. Maybe, I'd reached a point where I was out of range? Not impossible. If anything, this would be the Arceus-send I needed. Sure, I could have Swellow fly endlessly in circles, but that wouldn't help me at all. If anything, the drop would add velocity and... I needed to study physics.
"Now!" I exclaimed, only to miss what had just happened due to an inopportune blink. Still, Lapras was in horrible shape. I just needed to score that last hit, and I'd be golden.
"Swellow, go for the finishing blow!" I called out. Flying in to perform this round's final divebomb, both of them suddenly crumpled. Lapras' head fell, and its eyes were peacefully closed as if resting, but Swellow just dropped. Falling into the water, I panicked and didn't grab her Pokeball fast enough, letting her take the entire plunge. Finally making the recall as the splash finished, the beam refracting off the water, I had no idea what had just happened.
Did that song take out Swellow? Or did she push herself too hard? Neither of them made much sense, and truthfully I was scared about what this meant. If Mizuko had the power to make such cutting changes in how many pokemon were available to ourselves, I might not end up lasting to the surprise she mentioned.
"Perish Song. Beautiful attack really, delicate yet powerful. You're not the first trainer to react that way, and won't be the last. You see, Water as a Type, for all its control and grace, has one of the strongest edges. After all, what's the one force that can wear down earth, snuff out a flame and still be the lifeblood of all?" Mizuko began to explain. "I thought you knew that by now. Oh well, just-
"Could you just wrap this up already?" I interjected. "Kind of in the middle of a battle?"
"Fine. Here comes my next choice," she sighed, clearly miffed she didn't get to perform her little rant. Which was probably recycled half a dozen times from the last round of trainers she took under her wing. Whatever. I needed to put things back into perspective.
Say... had I just regained energy? I felt better than I had before the fight had begun. I guess all the nerves had worked themselves out of me.
"Synchronization's brand new to you, isn't it?" Mizuko asked me.
"Yeah. How come nobody's ever mentioned it before? If it's such a game changer, why isn't every champion and their grandmother boasting about it?" I asked.
"It's new to this type of battling. It was mostly a Coordinator thing until maybe a couple seasons ago in America, and then there were a lot of skeptics worried about injuries and side effects. Clearly, you've taken to it well though. Manectric and Hariyama responded to you well. You're really a big family, you and your team, aren't you?" Mizuko countered.
I paused for a bit, then smiled. "Yeah. I guess we are. Don't we have to finish this battle though?"
"She's already here," I was told, before hearing a persistent clicking noise. Turning around, I saw a large crab, with one very large pincer that was bigger than my pet Growlithe back home.
"Kingler," she announced.
"Man, you aren't one for the stereotypical favourites, are you? Alright, come on out Grotle!" I said, releasing my turtle. Just by examination, Grotle was the best choice. No issues with speed, a Type advantage, maybe I could even have him absorb a blow of that pincer in a pinch- no pun intended.
"What can I say? Crabhammer," Mizuko replied, a sly grin once again across her face. Instantly, the gigantic claw slammed into the ground, kicking up a huge cloud of dirt and dust. Out of the miniature smokescreen, an orb of blinding white energy shot towards Grotle, but didn't even come close to him. As I breathed outward relieved it had missed by such a wide margin, Mizuko visibly tensed up.
That pincer was too heavy. It was a weakness for Kingler, and she had to deal with it every time she swung her humungous appendage. Time to use it to my advantage.
"Grotle, get in close with Crunch, then point blank Razor Leaf!" I commanded. Grotle began to move its legs in his own style of sprint, which amounted to a jog in my terms, Kingler suddenly split into six copies of herself, all of which surrounded Grotle. My pokemon wildly swerved his head, trying to desperately get a bead on the real Kingler, but we both knew it was pointless. Grotle didn't have a move that could reliably break through the copies, at least when surrounded. Meanwhile, the copies began their own sort of silent walk, making the six seem like one endless string of enemies.
If it was easier for him to turn, I bet he could pull it off. Still, I had to try. "Razor Leaf!" I called out. The leaves then shot out, destroying the one copy in front of him and leaving five others for us to deal with. Clearly, that did not go as I had expected.
The copies then all returned into the original Kingler, who had somehow gotten behind Grotle. Her giant claw was able to grasp around Grotle's torso without difficulty and lift him into the air, before tossing him into a tree. Grotle crumpled in a heap, momentarily scaring me, but lifted himself up. Still, his breathing had gotten heavier, there was less energy in his attack stance and his footing began to slip.
Was Kingler even tiring? I couldn't tell. At the rate I was going, no way could Grotle win the battle. We had to tough it out though. "Giga Drain!" I ordered. Promptly after, Kingler was covered by a thick, dark green aura as her energy started to slip back into Grotle. The Grass Type's strength had somewhat returned at this point, but he couldn't win the match on his own. Still, we had to try.
"Go in for another-" I began, before being suddenly cut off.
"X-Scissor!" Mizuko ordered. Kingler's claws glowed a blindingly vibrant light blue colour, before striking down on Grotle's back. Seeing the sheer impact of the damage, I was surprised Grotle was still standing after the attack, even though he'd managed to slide a few meters back from the attack.
My hopes were dashed however, when he collapsed face first down into the dirt, as we'd now moved inland on the island. Still, I needed to get past that Kingler. All I had to do was keep my pokemon at a distance, right? Simple enough, right?
Except for the fact I was supposed to save Swampert for last, and my only other remaining option was an Arceus-damn FIGHTING Type. A big one at that too, so avoiding the claw was not a viable option either. Screw it, we'd just go whole hog.
"Close Combat!" I ordered. Hariyama charged in, gigantic mitts flailing wildly. Each time a connection of hand to crab was made, Kingler slid back slowly, until the large claw wasslammed into Hariyama's gut. Winded, the Fighting Type stepped back as Kingler regained her lost ground.
"Vicegrip!" Mizuko countered. While this version of the attack didn't have the same effect as before, Hariyama was visibly struggling to breathe, the pincer barely containing his waist.
"Thunderpunch out of there!" I called out. Crackling with electricity, Hariyama's balled fist pumped a high voltage charge that slowly began to turn Kingler into crabcakes, before she broke off. At this point both had become physically exhausted, heavy breathing only made more obvious by their tired stances.
"One shot to see how this ends?" I offered. Hariyama looked over my shoulder, and with a nod began to charge up a Focus Punch. At this point I went back into the synchronized state from before, comfortably taking in the feel of all the power.
"You know it," Mizuko smiled. "Crabhammer like never before!"
Another orb of energy like the first round of Kingler's attack went flying towards Hariyama's face. This time, it was going to hit its target and likely spell our doom. Hariyama's glowing fist met with the sphere, and all of the combined desperation and intensity met at the impact. If Hariayama couldn't keep pushing it back, I'd be down to Swampert, and Mizuko's surprise would come in fully rested against me.
Suddenly, the sphere went right back in the direction it came and struck Kingler directly across the face...body...whatever. The lady crab's eyes turned to swirls, and I relaxed.
"Alright Hariyama! We did it!" I shouted, as he turned and gave me a thumbs up, before collapsing from exhaustion himself. Clearly, he wasn't up to the challenge of continuing on.
"Well, I didn't think you'd get this far. Still, I think you're really going to enjoy this next round," Mizuko said. Pulling a pokeball off of her belt for what I thought was the first time, she asked me a quick little question.
"On three?"
I nodded, and we counted, before making the simultaneous throws of the pokeballs. The white lights flashed, and I could not believe my eyes.
"No way," I gaped.
And, with that, I make my sporadic return. Updates happen when they happen, I'll try to get back on track, but school's a much bigger commitment these days. Review if you want, I understand if it's not up to snuff.
