Chapter 17 - Monjayaki


Yuta and Reina had left the group the day prior to get to Reina's next contest on time, and it was now time for Seshiru's second Battle Frontier match in Kanto. The group walked to the southern side of Saffron City where the battle was set to take place. Seshiru didn't seem like she was in the mood to talk, so the others just followed close behind in silence.

Seshiru called it the Battle Arena, and it was much different from the tent that she had battled at before. This was a building seemingly built many decades ago, but it was well kept. It contrasted the other buildings in Saffron with its wooden architecture and its shrine-like appearance.

Upon entering, they were met with chants and yells from those who were training at the dojo. They struck martial arts poses alongside their Pokémon, and the appearance of the four trainers didn't seem to bother them. They continued on with their drills while the four trainers walked down the path to the main part of the dojo. Seshiru slid open the paper door and walked in. A teenage girl wearing a blue and purple gi stood in the middle of the dojo. She had blonde hair that was curled inwards and a stirn expression on her face.

"What is your business," she asked, getting straight to the point.

Seshiru bowed her head. "I'm here to challenge the Frontier Brain."

"You?" the girl asked. "You look so weak."

Seshiru continued her bow without an answer.

"So be it. My name is Kogomi, and I'm known as the Arena Tycoon. The rules of my battle are simple. It is a three on three battle with no substitutions. Does this sound fair?"

"Yes," Seshiru answered, her head still lowered.

"Your friends can watch from the sidelines."

Logan, Yurie, and Maleah all walked alongside the edge of the tatami mats. This time, there were no stands for them to sit in. Yurie was the first to sit, lowering herself and sitting on her shins. Maleah shrugged and then followed suit. Logan, who just had the boot removed from his previously fractured leg, sat down and pulled his knees to his chest in what was still an uncomfortable position.

There was a loud and slow drumming noise as the two trainers took their positions, and the lights dimmed around the battlefield. Kogomi was first to move, and she threw her Poké Ball forward. A Pokémon that Logan was faintly familiar with appeared on the field. It had what appeared to be a green mushroom for a hat on its head, and it bounced on thick legs. It had two small hands that were retracted into its body. Logan knew that they could extend though, and they could do it at a moment's notice.

Breloom is a Grass-type, so I'm already at a disadvantage. Whatever I do, I have to keep myself from making my situation worse, Seshiru thought. She pulled out her Poké Ball and threw it into the air. Floatzel appeared, her dual tails winding up rapidly behind her.

"Have you ever seen a Floatzel battle?" Yurie asked.

Both Maleah and Logan shook their heads and they sat forward, ready to observe the rare Pokémon in action.

There was a sound of a drum once more, and Kogomi took her chance.

"Giga Drain!"

"We gotta be faster! Use Earthquake!"

Breloom leaned over and started to shake its head. Green balls of energy dropped from the green helmet that it wore, and they slowly made their way across the field. But Floatzel wasn't deterred. She stomped her legs onto the ground, and the entire gym started to shake. Breloom's focus was broken, but the orbs didn't stop moving. They connected with Floatzel, and she let out a cry. Meanwhile, Breloom was shaken, and it fell backwards, but the energy absorbed by the Giga Drain had seemed to balance out the damage she had taken.

"Focus Punch!" Kogomi yelled.

"Fight back with Aqua Tail!"

The tails on Floatzel's back started to glow with aquatic energy, and she bounded forward. Meanwhile, Breloom started to focus chakra into its fist. Floatzel was fast, and reached Breloom in no time. She spun her body around and swung her tails at Breloom. The two used their attacks, and there was a small clash of energy. With a small explosion, Floatzel was sent reeling backwards. She landed hard in the middle of the field while Breloom remained cloaked by the smoke.

"Headbutt!" Kogomi commanded.

"It's coming in close!" Seshiru said. "Use your Ice Fang!"

Breloom exploded from the smoke at an insane speed, and Floatzel barely had the chance to stand back up. She was dealt a direct blow to the middle of her stomach, making her bend over from the pain. This didn't stop her attack though. In her bent over position, she formed ice at her jaws and then clamped down onto Breloom's tail. The Grass-type let out a shriek before Floatzel stepped back. She pulled, yanking Breloom into the air, and with a twist of her neck, she tossed the Grass-type upwards..

"And one more Aqua Tail!"

Floatzel was slower than before, but she raced forward. As the aquatic energy circled around her body, she twisted, slamming her tails into Breloom as it crashed into the ground. Breloom rolled against the tatami field, but it eventually found its grip before coming to a stop. It slowly stood back up, although its legs shook slightly.

"Got them on the ropes," Seshiru said calmly.

Floatzel let out a growl and lowered her head, preparing for Seshiru's next command. But then, her eyes started to droop. Her shoulders lowered, and within only a few seconds, she fell asleep.

Kogomi started to chuckle. "That's Spore for you."

"What?" Yurie wondered as she looked at the sleeping Pokémon. "What happened?"

Logan sighed. "It looks like Floatzel was put to sleep by a move called Spore. If used, the opponent is guaranteed to go to sleep."

"Which puts Seshiru in a pretty bad position," Maleah added.

"Giga Drain!" Kogomi ordered.

"Floatzel, wake up!"

But it was useless. Breloom unleashed orbs of green energy from its body that made their way across the field. The orbs connected with Floatzel and took over the entirety of her body. In her sleeping state, she still managed to release a loud yell that filled the whole field. She then slumped even further, but somehow, she remained standing.

"We'll finish this with one more attack!" Kogomi exclaimed. "Focus Punch!"

"Floatzel!"

Breloom let its chakra flow through its body and into one of its small hands before it looked up and then bounded forward. It extended its arm and raised its whole body, preparing to strike one final blow.

But then, Floatzel woke up with a sinister look on her face. Ice crystallized at her mouth, and she unhinged her jaw. Breloom was too focused on her attack to notice, but Floatzel was ready. She ducked, narrowly avoiding the strike before jolting upwards and clamping her jaws down onto Breloom's neck. The Grass-type let out a pained shriek while ice started to surround her body. She took a few steps back before collapsing completely. Floatzel let out one cry herself before she fell forward. Both Pokémon had used all of their energy.

Instead of the referee making the call, there was a single loud drum that was beaten. Seshiru and Kogomi, without a word, withdrew their Pokémon, and then made their next selection.

"Heracross, go!" Kogomi yelled. A blue beetle Pokémon emerged onto the field. It had a large horn that was rounded at the tip, and it lowered its head, trying to show off how impressive it was.

Logan scanned the Pokémon with his dex. "Heracross, the Single Horn Pokémon. This powerful Pokémon thrusts its prized horn under the enemies' bellies then lifts and throws them."

Logan looked at the info on the Pokémon and its pictures. "This is the female variant," he said. "I've read about Heracross before, so I'm interested to see how it battles."

The commonality between Breloom and Heracross is their Fighting-type traits. I don't have any clear advantages over them, so I'm going to have to simply battle smarter than she does, Seshiru thought.

With that, Seshiru's Kingler materialized on the tatami field. She clamped her giant pinsirs together and bubbles foamed at her mouth as she tried to intimidate Heracross.

"Heracross, start with Megahorn!"

"We're going head-on! Crabhammer!"

Heracross' move allowed her to dart across the field while Kingler awaited with her pinsirs opened up wide. The horn on Heracross' head lit up with dark green energy, and she jabbed forward, directly into Kingler's claw. She clamped down, but the energy that surged throughout Heracross made her able to withstand the attack. With one heave, Heracross tossed Kingler into the air.

"You're gonna have to be much stronger than that if you want to win!" Kogomi yelled. "Heracross, use Rock Tomb!"

With Kingler airborne, there was nowhere for her to go. Heracross dug her horn into the tatami mat, tearing a stone from the ground. With one more heave, she tossed the stone high into the air, breaking it into pieces.

"We can't dodge, so destroy them!" Seshiru ordered.

Kingler followed orders, and she swung her massive pinsir. Using the energy that she had built up from the previous attack, she easily smashed through the stones, crushing them into rubble. She then landed back on the ground safely and struck her claws together in an intimidating fashion.

"We have to go for a strong attack!" Seshiru declared. "Use Guillotine!"

"Guillotine?!" Logan wondered.

"What?" Yurie asked.

Both of Kingler's pinsirs began to glow with a white energy, and she walked forward as quickly as she could, holding out her claws. When she was within a few feet of Heracross, Kogomi made her command.

"Endure!"

Kingler struck, clamping her pinsirs down on the entirety of Heracross. There was a small explosion of energy, cloaking the two Pokémon. When the smoke faded away, both Pokémon remained standing. Heracross looked at Kingler with a sinister look in her eyes.

"What happened?" Yurie asked.

"Guillotine is usually a guaranteed one hit KO attack," Maleah said. "It's considered one of the strongest attacks in all of battling. It drains all of your opponent's energy."

"But then Kogomi had the perfect counter. She used Endure, which allows her Pokémon to absorb any strike, no matter how powerful," Logan said. "But now Heracross is on her last thread of strength. One more strike, and she's finished."

"Reversal!" Kogomi yelled.

Heracross quickly backed out from Kinger's pinsirs, and then she snapped forward, striking her body against Kingler with tremendous strength. The Water-type flew backwards, and she landed in front of Seshiru. Her legs wobbly, she managed to stand back up, but she looked incredibly weakened by the attack.

"What a technique…" Logan muttered. "Reversal does damage depending on how much health you have left. The less health you have, the more dangerous Reversal is."

"And since Heracross is the weakest she can be, Reversal is really dangerous?" Yurie asked, putting it all together.

Seshiru bawled up her fist. If we can hit one attack, then we'll finish off Heracross, but with how strong Reversal is, we're putting ourselves at risk of fainting. One strike from either Pokémon, and this battle is over.

"It looks like I've backed you into a corner," Kogomi said. "Still think you have what it takes to beat me?"

Seshiru smiled. "I'm not backing down from a challenge."

"Neither are we. Heracross, Reversal!"

"Kingler…"

Heracross started to glow with a slight red veil of energy. She lowered her head and then bounded forward, tearing up some of the tatami mats below her feet with the power that she exuded. When she was only a few feet away from Kingler, Seshiru made her command.

"Uppercut with Crabhammer!"

Kingler seemingly mimicking Heracross' previous movements, took a step backwards and then ducked her head, narrowly avoiding Heracross' long horn. And then, with her claws covered in aquatic energy, she uppercutted, sending Heracross into the air. The Bug-type crashed into the ground, her body limp from the battle.

Once again, there was no referee, but instead a single beat of a drum. Kogomi nodded and returned her Pokémon before looking out at Kingler. The Water-type bobbed up and down, breathing heavily from the damage taken from Reversal.

"I really like strong trainers, so you've impressed me so far. But our battle isn't over yet," she said before drawing out her last Poké Ball and throwing it forward. A Pokémon familiar to Logan and Yurie, Medicham, materialized on the field.

"A trainer with a Medicham won the Hoenn Grand Festival last year," Yurie muttered. "Seshiru needs to be careful."

Seshiru observed the two Pokémon. Kingler was going to be done with one more attack, and whatever it was that she decided to do next, she had to make sure that it counted.

"Focus Punch!" Kogomi commanded.

"Perfect!" Seshiru responded. "This is your chance! Hit 'em with Guillotine!"

"If that hits, then she'll win!" Yurie said.

As Medicham bent over and began to charge chakra into her fist, Kingler started to run forward. Her pinsirs lit up with bright white energy, and she swung, but it was too late. Medicham was fast, easily ducking under the massive claws. She then jabbed, getting a direct hit on Kingler's face. The Water-type Pokémon froze in place, and then her legs buckled, and she collapsed to the ground.

The sound of the singular drum beat bounced off of the walls, and Seshiru nodded. She returned her Pokémon, and then thought for a moment, considering her last few options against Medicham.

"Speed hasn't been working against you," she said. "If I want to beat Medicham, I'm going to have to simply overpower her." With that, she threw her Poké Ball forward, and Quagsire emerged. He scratched his head and playfully smiled, seemingly irritating Medicham.

"I see," Kogomi said. "Ice Punch!"

Medicham pulled her hand back before she ran forward. Her arm started to crystallize as an ice energy took over it.

"Muddy Water!"

"Quag!" the Pokémon cried out as he twisted his body around. Dirtied water exploded from around him, forming an aquatic shield. Medicham didn't stop though, and she punched it, freezing the water, but also freezing her hand in place.

"Got 'em!" Seshiru exclaimed. "Now, use Mud Bomb!"

Quagsire smiled as he lifted his arms into the air, forming a ball of mud. He heaved before tossing it forward, blasting through the ice wall. It exploded upon impact, blasting Medicham backwards. Medicham did a roll before recovering. She shook her head, trying to get some of the mud out of her eyes.

"Ice Beam!" Seshiru ordered.

"Ice Punch!"

Quagsire was fast for his size. He unleashed the beam of ice from his mouth, and Medicham jabbed forward, putting the blast to a stop. The two attacks mixed together, and a block of ice began to form where the attacks collided. It then exploded, sending shards across the tatami field and seemingly mystifying the air.

"Focus Punch!" Kogomi commanded.

We can't see her, so now's the time for her to charge her attack. We need to come up with an immediate countermeasure, or we'll be put in a rough spot, Seshiru thought.

As the mist began to fade away, Medicham with her fist full of chakra, came into view. She smirked before rushing across the battlefield.

"Hold your position!" Seshiru called.

Quagsire did as he was told, and he stood still. Medicham punched, getting in a direct blow into Quagsire's belly, but somehow, the Water-type managed to stay still. Quagsire quickly jutted forward, and he grabbed ahold of Medicham, pulling her in closely for a tight embrace.

"Muddy Water!" Seshiru ordered.

The wall of dirtied water emerged once more, and it surrounded the two Pokémon, engulfing them completely. Quagsire was okay, as it was his natural environment, but panic began to set in for Medicham, who was helpless to do anything, and any and all of Kogomi's commands were muffled by the water.

"Finish it!" Seshiru said.

Quagsire looked down at Medicham, a now sinister look in what was once innocent eyes. He opened his mouth, revealing that he had been forming a ball of mud the whole time. He released the ball directly at Medicham. It exploded in her face, sending her flying from the muddy prison. She landed on the hard tamami, her eyes rolled back into her head.

There was the beat of one drum, and then complete silence. Kogomi stood still before taking a deep breath and withdrawing Medicham into the red light. She walked forward to meet with Seshiru and her secretly vicious Quagsire.

"You beat me today," she said with a smile. "I've taken a liking to you. Congrats."

Seshiru closed her eyes and bowed. She was a different, silent person when she battled. Logan and Yurie felt as though they didn't know this version of Seshiru.

Kogomi reached into her pocket, and she drew out a small golden coin with what appeared to be two thick L's forming a rectangle designed into it.

"You've earned the Guts Symbol," she said.

Seshiru remained silent as she took it. She held it and made sure to observe every part of the symbol closely. "Thank you."


The group of four found a small restaurant for dinner. They sat down at the counter where they could watch the food being made. It was fried on a massive flat grill, and the cook was quick with his tools, repeatedly mixing and turning the food on the grill, preventing it from ever getting burnt.

They watched in awe, and Yurie held her newly hatched Eevee in her arms. Eevee appeared mesmerized by the food, and her mouth drooled.

But despite Seshiru's win, she was still silent and distant. She watched the food being made, but it was as though she simply stared past it. Her thoughts were somewhere else.

Logan, Yurie, and Maleah were too obsessed with the monjayaki to notice.


AUTHOR'S NOTES:

I had a lot of trouble writing this battle. It took me a lot longer to write than I'd like to admit. But hey, Seshiru is now one step closer to clearing the Battle Frontier! I wrote this chapter while I was on a lot of medicine, so if there are an excessive amount of mistakes/weirdly worded sentences (more than usual), then I'm sorry.

Next chapter, we'll be moving onto Logan's fourth gym battle, and Maleah will be leaving the group.

REVIEWS:

CrescentApple - "oh jeez, I am so so bad with names. I thought Yuta was Haruto the whole time, until Eevee hatches and Yurie said "My brother..." Also, hehe, i thought Yurie was eating eggs, and her egg was moving. Bleh. Huh. Either Seshiru had an Eevee and it died, or she had to give it away... Or she always wanted an Eevee? Yuta traveling with Reina is interesting and unexpected. Its more funny Reina acts so... confident around Yuta. It's an odd duo I never wouldve imagined." - The use of Japanese names is something that may be confusing, but I like having it. Haha. As for Seshiru, I think you're not too far off.

pokemonking0924 - "Logan looks like he didn't get much sleep, either he's not much of a morning person or he was up all night thinking about Yuries new "boyfriend". I wonder what are his thoughts concerning that. Meanwhile Yurie's egg hatched into an Eevee and it looks like its species has an emotional effect of Seshiro, maybe the water type trainer used to own one and something happened to it. Something tells me we'll get answers to those questions an more soon enough. I'm also glad that Yuta finally has his own friend to travel with and Reina is doing a great job keeping her friends smart remarks in check." - As for Logan and Yurie's "boyfriend" it'll come up again down the line. I like the way that sitcoms approach drama where they introduce a dramatic element, and usually put it to the side for awhile until it needs to come back up again.

wisdom-jewel - "Stay safe. I'm guessing Leafeon or maybe Sylveon. Though a Flareon would be an interesting to see how she does it. And poor Reina missing out on a contest. Maybe next time she would enter a contest or two. I want to see any updates on her Pokemon. Best wishes for the next chapter." - I like the team that Reina ends up forming.

Sudipto Dam - "Wow ! What A Chapter , It Was Highly Unexpected. Bringing Yuta And Reina Together Was A Superb Idea Which Depicts Your Originality. I Wonder If Something Is Between Them ! . And Importantly- Stay Safe From The Virus ! Because We Are In Need Of You. Best Wishes !" - I appreciate the compliments! As for something between Reina and Yuta, I don't think so. They're form more of a brother/sister bond.