It's been too long but here's a new chapter. Normally I didn't put deadlines on myself but I'm going to go ahead with a plan that will help me pop out chapters more often. Enjoy!
Jason and Kristine sat side by side on the far twin bed within their room. Veronica just broke the news to them about the truth behind James' death, tears rolling down her eyes. Kristine reacted in the same fashion, with the palms of her hands over her face.
Jason clenched his fists in anger. He got straight up, heading towards the door.
"Jason!" Kristine pleaded, feeling the bed soften as her brother got up.
"I need to be outside," Jason looked back. "I just need fresh air," he then opened the door, walking right out.
"Give him five minutes," Veronica advised. "Then go after him."
"We saw him," Kristine faced her mother. "We saw Rafael. I looked right at him, and he looked right at me."
"Do you know why he was there?" Veronica crossed her arms. "What brought him all the way across Inventum?"
"I don't know. They did something to drive all the fearow crazy. It was powerful enough to knock me and Jason down, that's for sure."
"Whatever he was after, I'm sure Aria is on his trail."
"Aria? What does she have to do with this?"
"She was the one who broke the news to Professor Wall. And he broke it to me. One of her best rangers went out to find out why all the fire pokemon showed up in Cheron Forest and nearly burned it down."
"Bradley?" Kristine perked up.
"I don't know," Veronica shrugged. "Whoever went out there, they found out a whole lot more than they bargained for. But ultimately, they found the truth about your father's passing."
"Whatever Dad was about to discover, Rafael wanted it all for himself," Kristine concluded.
"We'll have him locked up. Once the proper authorities go after him, he's done for."
"I hope so."
"Anyways, go find Jason before he starts punching walls in the lobby. I don't want Nurse Joy slapping him with a bill."
"I'm afraid the fuse is lit," Kristine got up, tears still visible on her face as she tried to wipe them away.
"Be his friend. Help him through it," Veronica advised.
"Right," Kristine sighed. "We're all in this together, aren't we?"
Veronica smiled. "Never forget that."
Kristine proceeded towards the door. "Well, see you soon?"
"I'll be in town for a couple days, and I'll be up here for a while."
Kristine gave a nod. "I'm so happy to see you again."
"Same here, dear. I just wish it was for a more pleasant reason."
Kristine headed out the door, heading all the way down to the lobby from the fourth floor. She knew Jason mentioned going outside, so she continued past the exit, following the trail back to the garden behind the pokemon center. There was Jason, alone, quiet, and sitting on a nearby wooden bench.
Kristine walked up, making herself known to Jason. She sat right next to him as they both stared off into nothing.
"Deep breaths," Jason spoke up a moment later. "I cry, it hurts. I get mad, it hurts. Nothing's going to bring Dad back."
"Do you need anything else from Nurse Joy with those broken ribs of yours?" Kristine asked.
Jason shook his head.
"There's going to be justice, now that people know what really happened. Aria's involved and that means Team Mystic is behind us. It's only a -"
"You know why Jessie and James eluded capture for a very long time?" Jason interrupted.
"Because they're the luckiest dumb criminals alive?" Kristine recited the answer to a common joke about two of the world's most well known members of an old criminal syndicate.
"They were persistent. They were constantly on the move. It didn't matter if everyone knew who they were. If Rafael made it this far before anyone freaking knew how Dad died, then he's going to be a free man for a very long time. But if he does get caught, I want to be there and give him one punch for every single day that has passed since Dad died."
"Jason," Kristine spoke sternly, facing her brother. "Do not speak like that."
Jason took a deep breath. "Then what should I do?"
"Rafael would want us to be torn apart. He left us to the fearow swarm. There's no doubt he will do that again if he ever drops in the neighborhood."
"Let him come to us again. We will be ready."
"By we, you also mean me."
Jason faced Kristine.
"We're in this together. We suffer together, and we prevail together. I'm no more accountable than you are. We won't let Rafael tear us apart. We continue living our lives as trainers. And if he's smart, he will stay far away from us."
Jason smirked. "Then we continue on. For Dad."
Kristine nodded. "For Dad."
"Wait," Jason got up. "How long is Mom here for?"
"Until the day after tomorrow."
"Uh, sis?"
"Yeah?"
"Our gym battle is tomorrow."
Kristine glanced over to the back wall of the pokemon center. "You think Mom will watch us?"
Jason contemplated for a brief moment about the possibility, but he had no doubt in his mind their mother would spectate their gym battle. "No pressure or anything."
Team Gale's headquarters was a white, six story complex located in Kenalta's entertainment stretch on the north side of town. The top floor consisted of a dome, the battle field itself. Like many other organizations in Inventum, Team Gale employed rangers and were contracted by Inventum's government to preserve and protect the natural environments within their area of operations. For a large city like Kenalta, this included the preservation of wild pokemon inside the city limits.
John walked down a pristine white hallway within the fifth floor of the complex. He was walking back to his office from a meeting room, where he would oversee and delegate ranger tasks every morning. By then, Avery had taken the elevator on the far side of the building up to the city floor. He proceeded towards his father's office, with John noticing his arrival.
"Welcome back, son," John approached Avery. "How'd it go?"
"We're cool now," Avery crossed his arms. "Something you wanna tell me though?"
"They suspect it, don't they?" John rubbed his chin.
"They probably did. Dad, am I really fighting alongside you against them?"
"Consider this your test at being a gym leader."
"These kids have what, four badges? And they've traveled halfway through Inventum."
"Don't let their profiles spook you. I fight plenty of trainers with eight or more badges."
"It's my first time battling like this. Don't you think you should put me against someone a little newer to this?"
"Son, there are two things going on here. First, you need to give yourself credit. Your pokemon show commitment. They can take pretty much anyone in this building. Second, have you looked at yourself on the net?"
"Uh," Avery seemed confused. "No?"
"Well, they know I have flying pokemon," John began to crack a smile. The gap between his front teeth was all too visible for Avery.
"So do I," Avery quickly added. "I don't see the point here."
"My point is they have an idea of who I will be using. My money says Kristine will be using Snorunt and Pikachu. Jason will for sure use Jolteon, given Jolteon's success against three of the gym leaders and the Power Duo, and possibly Growlithe. But they do not know who you have. If they go all in with type advantage, then you can negate that. We just need to work together to achieve that."
"Oh!" Avery realized what his father was getting at. "I see. We need to plan it right, so they won't know what's coming!"
"I need to give 'em a challenge, after all."
The elevator on the far side suddenly opened. A tall man with a brown coat emerged, approaching John and Avery.
"Gentlemen," the man greeted with a deep, monotone voice.
"Professor Wall?" John seemed surprised, looking up at Wall. "What are you doing here?"
"Personal business here, mostly," Wall responded. "By now I know you've heard of an incident at Fearow Hill."
"Yes. We were tipped but we couldn't make it to the site on time," John briefly looked down in regret. "Whatever those goons ran off with, I hope it's not that important."
"I can only suspect that it was very important," Wall shook his head. "We need to stay one step ahead of them and figure out what it is they're planning."
"Professor," John took a step forward, curiosity getting the best of him. "Why are you here?"
"I went with Jason and Kristine Kyar's mother," Wall shifted his eyes before locking them back to John. "She had to break it to them that James Kyar's death was a homicide, not an accident."
"Someone killed him?" Avery seemed surprised. "That's messed up."
"Messed up indeed," John agreed. "I feel bad for the kids."
"Pretty sure she told them by now," Wall continued. "I gave them their privacy. I was wondering about any updates you could provide on the local wildlife."
"Uh, yeah," John cleared his throat. "The fearow at Fearow Hill are observing an increased resistance to cold weather, given they're a bit out of their element roosting on a mountain."
"You might want to capture one and test its DNA to see if they're developing into a new variant of fearow," Wall suggested.
"An ice type fearow?" Avery seemed to ponder the idea.
"Probably won't happen for at least a hundred years," John added. "But I can see what we can do."
"Didn't Jason catch one?" Avery recalled. "Just pluck a feather from that one when they come to the gym tomorrow."
"There we go," Wall gave a nod. "And how about the city pokemon?"
"Well, this electrode used Self Destruct at a grid and disrupted half the city's power the other day," John addressed. "It was caught since then. We still have quite a bit of the voltorb and magnemite lines roaming about. As they say, the average Kenalta-born trainer has one of those and a spearow, in addition to their starter."
"At least you don't have quite the ecosystem as Viceport."
John laughed. "I don't know how that city functions, but I guess Spark finds a way."
"Wait, Professor," Avery had a thought come to mind, caught up with previously mentioning Jason and blurring out the chatter that followed. "You came here with the twins' mom, right?"
"Mmhmm," Wall nodded.
"Why not come to see the gym match tomorrow with her? It'll be a tag battle. Might keep Jason and Kristine on their toes."
John smiled. "I like how you think, son."
"I would be curious to see how they've grown as trainers," Wall seemed to like the idea. "Having their mother spectating will change the dynamic of the battle. Be warned, losing will not be an option."
"I'll be as ready as I can be," Avery spoke with confidence.
Later in the afternoon, the twins and their mother strolled down Kenalta's shopping district. Designer clothing stores were all over the place, as were trainer apparel and supply shops. Most of these shops took the ground floor of massively tall buildings that were used for apartments, giving the indication that the shopping district doubled as an urban residential area.
Veronica, Jason, and Kristine walked across Kenalta partly to explore the city, and mainly to distract themselves from the devastating news they were trying to cope with about James' death.
Kristine took notice of three mannequins displaying professional trainer's gear beyond the glass of one of the stores. One had a closed white coat, black boots and black gloves, while another showcased a purple blouse and yellow leggings. The one that caught her eye displayed a green shirt, with a long sleeved black undershirt, to go with a green belt and black leggings. She began to walk towards the glass where she could get a closer look at the display.
"Green and black are her two favorite colors," Veronica mentioned, Jason standing next to her.
"Green with anything black or white just speaks to her," Jason added.
"Wonder how much this is," Kristine muttered. She looked back to her mother.
"Dear, you know that'll run for hundreds, if not thousands," Veronica crossed her arms. "That's top notch gear. Tournament level top notch gear."
"We plan to participate in the Junior Circuit soon," Kristine gave a playful smile.
Veronica walked over next to Kristine, examining the mannequin. "Do you know why this is practically covered head to toe?"
Kristine shrugged. "Autumn wear?"
"When the next Inventum Cup begins, take a note of what the trainers will be wearing. That green shirt is slim-fit for mobility. Both the undershirt and leggings are element resistant. That means it helps protect you from fire, water, electricity, kinetic impact, you name it. Trainers invest a whole lot of money into something like this."
Jason walked up. "One day, sis."
"Tell you what," Veronica faced Kristine. "Get all twelve badges. I still get some discounts from my career as a contest coordinator."
Kristine looked over to Jason. "We have to get all twelve badges now."
Jason laughed. "I thought that was the plan from the beginning."
"And Jason," Veronica added. "You'll get an outfit too."
"Sweet," Jason smiled.
"Eight more badges," Kristine glanced at the outfit she was determined to earn. "We have the next one just around the corner."
"Right," Jason added. "John and probably Avery."
"And I get to see you two in action!" Veronica gleefully replied.
Jason and Kristine looked over to each other. Their sense of nervousness kicked in, having their mother ready to spectate them in person on their next gym battle. They assumed this would happen anyways, but the confirmation alone gave them chills.
"And Professor Wall will likely want to see you two battle as well!" Veronica displayed an innocent smile.
"Professor Wall!?" Jason and Kristine responded in shock at the same time.
"Yep! He came here with me! I think he mentioned something about visiting the gym in Kenalta for a follow up on some research."
Jason and Kristine looked at each other with a sense of uncertainty. All of a sudden, the weight of the world pressed down hard on their shoulders.
"The man who gave us Jolteon and Espeon is going to watch us first hand?" Jason asked.
"Not to mention Mom is going to watch us too," Kristine added in dismay.
Veronica laughed. "What's the big deal? Don't you remember the Power Duo? Gosh, it seems like ages ago. You do know a good chunk of Inventum tuned in or caught the replays, right? Besides, I saw you two battle in the final round."
Kristine turned to her mother. "How did we do?"
"I cried at the end because of how well you did," Veronica admitted. "And now I get to see the same display you put on in person!"
"Talk about pressure," Kristine muttered.
"Well, we can't waste any time," Jason continued onward. "We need to find the In Your Element in this city.
Kristine took one final look at the outfit of her dreams before catching up to her brother.
"You know, they didn't have those when I was growing up," Veronica followed the twins.
"So Jason," Kristine walked up to his side. "Any ideas of what you want your pokemon to learn?"
"I want Jolteon to help teach Pikachu Thunderbolt," Jason replied with confidence. "If you allow it, of course."
"Great idea!" Kristine patted Jason on the back. "Given John will use flying pokemon, we can easily zap them out of the sky."
"And whatever Avery brings to the table, we'll be ready," Jason added.
"Just one more thing I'll have Pikachu look at," Kristine tapped Pikachu's pokeball on her belt. "In case there's any curve balls thrown at us, at least we can be ready."
Jason and Kristine retired to the pokemon center later that night after they got some training inside Kenalta's In Your Element. Veronica seemed impressed by the facility's advanced designs, from the dark interior with hardwood floors to the training and environmental simulation rooms. It sure made the floppy disks back when she was her kids' age seem archaic in comparison.
Veronica walked with Jason and Kristine back to the center before heading back to the nearby hotel she booked a room in for the next two nights. The twins headed up the stairs to the fourth floor, proceeding towards their room.
"Well that was a day," Kristine mentioned.
"That's one way of putting it," Jason replied.
"How's your chest?"
"Eh," Jason took a deep breath. "Still hurts if I breathe quickly."
"You should be stationary tomorrow."
Jason faced his sister right before the door to their room. As the door flung open, Kristine went in first. "Have you seen me battle, sis?"
"I know you like a good book," Kristine turned around. "You still need to take it easy. Your pokemon have a lot of energy anyways, and are self motivated."
"Fine," Jason slightly sighed, heading into the room.
"We need to get our minds straight for tomorrow," Kristine walked over to her bed, sitting down at the far edge.
Jason took a deep breath, approaching his bed. "We're dedicating this next battle to Dad."
Kristine smiled. "For Dad. He'll be watching over us, and we're going to make him proud."
A clear, sunny sky set over Kenalta the next morning. Jason and Kristine woke up at the same time, each one mentally preparing for the match ahead.
"How do you feel?" Kristine asked Jason.
"As long as I don't sleep on my stomach, I'm fine," Jason stretched. He was the first to get up, walking over to the bathroom.
"Hey, while you're there," Kristine got up, reaching into Jason's backpack, and tossed him a set of fresh clothes. "Suit up."
Jason gave a nod before closing the door.
The twins made their way towards Team Gale's pristine white facility a short while later. They looked straight up as they approached the automatic glass doors.
"Quite the building," Kristine observed. "Everything Team Gale does probably comes from here."
"What do they do other than ranger stuff?" Jason asked, heading inside along with his sister.
"Habitat research, geology, community relations, and marketing," Kristine began to look around. The floors were slick white, and she wondered about the amount of effort needed to keep them clean. The walls and ceiling were sky blue, giving the interior a bright, cool vibe.
The twins passed through the annex into the main lobby. Glass walls surrounded them as the interior opened up to give a glimpse of five floors, with a massive circle containing Team Gale's wing sigil making up the ceiling of the lobby. The ground floor was a serene garden itself, with trees and walkways throughout. On the far end from the twins was a cafeteria, with more than a dozen employees of Team Gale sitting around. Some appeared to be taking their break early, while others were typing away on their laptops, perhaps in their own way of remote work.
Jason and Kristine realized each floor served a purpose. The rangers had the second floor, while the business and community departments had the third. The science and administration departments shared the fourth and fifth floors. The sixth floor consisted of the battle dome.
"Let's find the elevator," Kristine suggested as she and Jason continued to look around their surroundings.
Jason pointed to his left, where a nearby massive column contained two cylindrical glass elevators. The two headed inside.
"Good, they're labeled," Kristine gazed over the buttons before hitting the button for the sixth floor. The door sealed shut, with the sudden rapid ascent sending the two stumbling for just a second.
They were able to see through the elevator and the glass walls beyond, giving them a nearly clear view of the entertainment district below. The view of the bustling streets below lasted only a few seconds as it became obstructed by a steel wall leading up to the arena floor. The elevator then slowed its approach.
Jason and Kristine faced each other. They didn't say a word to each other, but they knew how important this battle was. Not only were their mother and Professor Wall spectating, this battle was going to be fought in honor of their father's memory.
A glimpse of a man with short, wavy dark brown hair came to their minds. His turquoise eyes, stubble beard and calm yet determined demeanor were apparent. It seemed as if he was standing between them for just a moment as the elevator came to a stop. That feeling then vanished. The twins, still locked at one another, simply nodded at each other before the elevator doors opened.
Jason and Kristine walked no more than ten feet down a hallway before taking a right, walking out into the open dome of the facility. There were bleachers ten rows up on both sides, and the field itself seemed to be standard, made up of dark green artificial grass.
More than twenty members of Team Gale were in attendance, scattered on both sides of the field. At the front and center of the twins' left were none other than their mother and Professor Wall. Veronica smiled and waved at her children, while Wall, with his arms crossed, only nodded without showing any real emotion. Jason and Kristine both waved back, slightly smiling only out of courtesy.
As they approached their trainer's box within the field, a female referee came out onto the field. Kristine noticed her as the same red haired girl, Adrianna, who helped her to the pokemon center two days ago. John and Avery emerged right behind her.
"Welcome!" John warmly greeted as he approached his trainer's box alongside Avery. "May I first welcome Veronica Kyar and Professor Joseph Wall to Team Gale's headquarters. Thanks for being here."
"Thanks for having me!" Veronica happily replied.
"Thank you," Wall gave a simple nod.
John then faced Adrianna. "We're ready."
"Right," Adrianna nodded before giving her announcement. "Today's battle is an Inventum League official gym battle in the standard tag battle format! Gym Leader John and Avery will challenge trainers Jason and Kristine Kyar from Mountain Spring! Each side has two pokemon per trainer. The battle is over once one side's pokemon are all knocked out!"
Adrianna faced the twins. "Jason and Kristine, are you ready?"
The twins simply nodded at her with determination.
"John and Avery, you guys ready?" Adrianna turned her head towards them.
"Let's do it!" John replied.
Avery made no effort to reply. He had his eyes locked on the twins, ready to show his worth to Team Gale. He couldn't afford to mess this up.
"Then let the battle begin!" Adrianna declared.
John and Avery primed their first pokeballs.
"Come on out, Scyther!" John tossed his pokeball.
"Sigilyph, let's go!" Avery did the same.
The twins had an idea who John would use. It came down to three pokemon he would normally use in a standard battle. Scyther was a likely choice because of John's overall strategy and style of battle. Where Avery was more than likely using a support pokemon in this situation, it seemed apparent that John's pokemon would be the heavy hitters in this battle.
And suspecting this, the twins put all their cards on type advantage against John and John alone. The plan was to swarm him and take his pokemon out, leaving Avery to fend for himself.
"Growlithe, let's go!" Jason threw out his first pokeball.
"Showtime, Snorunt!" Kristine did the same.
Adrianna extended her right arm out towards the twins' side of the field, signaling they would make the first move.
"Move towards Scyther!" Jason ordered Growlithe.
"Snorunt, use Icy Wind on Scyther!" Kristine commanded.
"Snorunt!" Snorunt took aim at Scyther, projecting an icy vortex.
"Scyther, use Agility to evade that!" John responded. He was more concerned about Growlithe's approach, and turned to Avery. "Son, cover Scyther!"
"Right!" Avery responded, his hands slightly shaking. The spotlight was on him, and he didn't want to let anyone down. He felt all eyes from the Team Gale members were upon him. He took a deep breath and commanded with confidence. "Sigilyph, use Hypnosis on Growlithe!"
"Sigi!" Sigilyph took aim at Growlithe, projecting an hypnotic aura towards him.
"Protect! Now!" Jason yelled.
"Growl!" Growlithe halted his advance, projecting a barrier that deflected Hypnosis.
Meanwhile, Snorunt projected multiple false copies of herself through Double Team, with everyone noticing that was without any verbal commands from Kristine. With Scyther dodging Icy Wind, he was able to sprint through the battle floor at a remarkable speed thanks to Agility.
"Now!" Kristine yelled.
Scyther practically skated through the grassy terrain. No one would have expected the real Snorunt to emerge from the rear of her projections, catching Scyther off guard.
"Scy!" Scyther used his mantis-like blades to shield his body from the super effective attack. Though ultimately futile, this protective stance could have helped prevent a critical strike.
"Agility one more time!" John yelled. "Get out of there!"
"Scy!" Scyther leapt away from Snorunt, gliding his way back towards John and Avery.
"Flame Burst Sigilyph!" Jason followed up.
"Growlithe!" Growlithe fired a quick burst of flames at Sigilyph.
"Air Slash! Defend yourself!" Avery responded.
Sigilyph projected a horizontal slash against the air, effectively snuffing out Flame Burst and cancelling both moves out. Avery noticed Growlithe immediately making a run towards Scyther.
They had a game plan going in, Avery thought. Going after Dad's pokemon? Not if I have something to say about it!
"Psybeam Growlithe! Now!" Avery yelled.
Sigilyph fired Psybeam right at Growlithe, slightly leading in to ensure a direct hit.
"Cover Growlithe with Protect!" Kristine responded.
Just as Growlithe was about to get hit by Psybeam, Snorunt jumped in, deflecting the attack with Protect and leaving Growlithe open to chase Scyther.
John was comfortable with the situation, however. Scyther was able to outrun Growlithe and Snorunt with ease. He felt he could safely continue his overall strategy. "Scyther, Swords Dance!"
"Scyther!" Scyther projected a flurry of swords around him. Both Jason and Kristine knew this move drastically increased his physical attack strength.
Just then, Snorunt projected more false copies of herself in front of Sigilyph.
"Push through those copies!" Avery ordered.
Sigilyph pushed through several copies of Snorunt, dissipating them.
Kristine saw an opportunity to attack. "Bite! Now!"
"Sno!" Snorunt emerged from her remaining copies, lunging forward to hold onto Sigilyph for a critical hit.
"Sigi!" Sigilyph yelped.
"No!" Avery yelled in concern.
Jason and Kristine locked eyes for a split second.
"Scyther! Fury Cutter on Snorunt! John called.
"Growlithe! Take Down on Sigilyph!" Jason commanded at the same time.
Scyther dashed right towards Snorunt. He was able to reach Snorunt in a split second, striking her with Fury Cutter. Though Fury Cutter was not incredibly strong at first use, the Swords Dance alone was enough to make an impact, knocking Snorunt off of Sigilyph. Just then, Growlithe leapt into the fray, colliding with Scyther and knocking him to Sigilyph. Jason figured the recoil damage was worth inflicting a blow to both opponents, with Scyther taking the brunt of it.
"Now." Jason simply said to Kristine. "Growlithe! Protect!"
"Icy Wind, Snorunt!" Kristine called.
Growlithe jumped to face Snorunt, using Protect to shield himself from Snorunt. While it deflected some of Snorunt's attack, Growlithe positioned himself at the outer edge, thus opening the attack right on the stumbled Scyther and Sigilyph.
"Scy!" Scyther tried to shield himself from the blast.
"Sigi!" Sigilyph took the attack head on.
Both Scyther and Sigilyph looked exhausted. Meanwhile, Growlithe and Snorunt were standing strong, though Kristine was worried if Snorunt could take another hit due to her natural fragility.
"Woo!" Veronica cheered for her kids.
Wall sat there with his arms crossed. It was hard to tell what he was thinking, or if he was impressed.
"We just walked into that," John said to Avery. "I'm switching now while I can."
Avery had a look of surprise on his face, gazing at the determined twins on the other side of the field. How are we supposed to beat them like this? They knew exactly what to do, even with not knowing a thing about my pokemon.
"Keep 'em off, son!" John barked.
"Right!" Avery nodded. "Sigilyph, use Hypnosis!"
"Dodge!" Jason and Kristine yelled at the same time.
Growlithe and Snorunt dashed left and right respectively, dodging Hypnosis.
"Scyther! Baton Pass!" John commanded.
"Scy!" Scyther projected into a red beam, much like the red beam from a pokeball. John called him back, but not without leaving a baton on their side of the field.
John pulled out another pokeball. "Let's go, Farfetch'd!"
"Far!" Farfetch'd was summoned, picking up the baton on the ground and thus getting all of the statistical boosts Scyther acquired.
Right, Avery seemed to regain some confidence. If Farfetch'd can gain more strength and speed and switch back to Scyther, there will be no stopping them no matter what!
Adrianna raised her hand to the twins' side. Because John used a substitution, the twins were free to make the next move.
Jason and Kristine suddenly recalled Growlithe and Snorunt.
"Good work, Growlithe," Jason commended.
"You too, Snorunt," Kristine added. "Standby."
What? Avery was dumbfounded. They planned for this. It's like they have everything figured out. But if Farfetch'd can power up and give another Baton Pass to Scyther, we have this in the bag, right?"
He turned to his father. John looked ahead, his face displaying calm and determination.
"We have the next moves," John spoke. "Son, cover us."
"Will do!" Avery complied.
"Jolteon, let's go!" Jason called forth.
"Pikachu! Let's do this!" Kristine tossed out her second pokeball.
Adrianna caught herself with her hand still extended to the twins' side. "Oh whoops!" she withdrew her right arm and extended her left arm to John and Avery's side.
"Farfetch'd, use Agility!" John ordered.
"Far!" Farfetch'd took off from the ground, flying around the field.
"Sigilyph! Psybeam on Jolteon!" Avery called.
"Jolteon, use Agility and dodge that!" Jason responded.
Jolteon dashed out of the way, with Psybeam heading right towards Jason and Kristine.
The twins, anticipating the attack coming right at them, didn't duck or jump out of the way. Displaying a sense of calm, they merely sidestepped in perfect synchrony, turning to each other in the locked eyes at Psybeam shot right past them. As it slammed against the wall behind them, they both turned back to the field at the same exact time.
This drew gasps and cheers from the small crowd, including Veronica.
"Hmm," was the first sound made from Professor Wall this entire match.
Unreal, Avery observed.
"Pikachu, Electro Ball on Farfetch'd!" Kristine issued.
"Pika!" Pikachu conducted a front flip, hurling Electro Ball from his tail.
"Jolteon, Pin Missile Sigilyph!" Jason yelled.
"Jolteon!" Jolteon unleashed a volley of pins while on the move.
"Agility again, Farfetch'd!" John commanded.
Farfetch'd picked up speed, flying across the field opposite from Jolteon. He was able to dodge Pikachu's Electro Ball, even with a considerable lead-in aim.
"Agility again!" Jason called.
Jolteon picked up speed, keeping his focus on Scyther.
"Swords Dance!" John responded.
As Farfetch'd powered up, Avery had Sigilyph approach Pikachu. "Hypnosis!"
"Thunderbolt! Now!" Kristine called for the first time.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu delivered a powerful Thunderbolt, causing Sigilyph to narrowly dodge the attack and cancel his Hypnosis.
"Er, Psybeam!" Avery yelled.
"Electro Ball! Kristine ordered. "Counter that!"
"Pika!" Pikachu hurled another Electro Ball, colliding with Psybeam head on and resulting in an explosion.
"Agility again!" Jason issued.
"Jolt!" Jolteon pressed on.
"Move through the smoke and use Slash on Pikachu!" John commanded.
"Far!" Farfetch'd made a straight line through the smoke right at Pikachu.
Thunderbolt will be our defense, Kristine recalled Jason telling her the day before, at Kenalta's In Your Element. She knew that this could potentially be a one hit knockout dealt to Pikachu.
"Thunderbolt Farfetch'd!" the twins yelled at the same time.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu quickly fired off his attack.
"Jolteon!" Jolteon made a big leap towards the center of the field, firing off Thunderbolt in a split second.
Both attacks struck Farfetch'd, zapping him just a few yards shy of Pikachu.
"Farrrrr!" Farfetch'd fell over after the sudden counter attack.
No, Avery was shocked. There goes Dad's plan.
Avery could only watch in horror as the twins began to take over this match.
"Farfetch'd is unable to battle!" Adrianna declared.
"Return!" John recalled his pokemon. "When was the last time that happened to you, huh?"
He turned to Avery. "Listen, son. Their plan is in full effect. The battle will soon fall on you."
"What?" Avery turned to John.
"Do your best," John smiled. "Do not give up."
It seems like that is exactly what you're doing! Avery thought. How am I supposed to pull this off?
John pulled out his first pokeball. "Go Scyther!"
"Scy!" Scyther entered the field once more at basic strength from the beginning of the match.
"Agility!" John called.
"Psybeam Pikachu!" Avery yelled.
"Jolteon, Agility!" Jason responded.
"Electro Ball Psybeam again!" Kristine countered.
Scyther and Jolteon picked up speed as Pikachu and Sigilyph's attacks collided once more, emitting another cloud of smoke at the center of the floor.
Jolteon and Pikachu both jumped into the smoke. Seconds later, two Thunderbolts emerged from the smoke, striking Scyther despite moving rapidly.
Was this their plan? Avery wondered. Baiting my dad into going all in and getting him with a double Thunderbolt? And then picking us off one by one with Thunderbolts?
"Scy…" Scyther crashed to the ground.
"Scyther is unable to battle!" Adrianna declared.
No, Scyther! Avery was shocked.
As John recalled Scyther, the twins focused on Sigilyph. Five seconds later, Jolteon and Pikachu emerged from the smoke, projecting Thunderbolts to strike their opponent. Just like that, Sigilyph crashed down.
"Sigilyph is unable to battle!" Adrianna added.
Another round of gasps could be heard as Avery recalled his pokemon.
"Yes!" Veronica cheered.
"Hmm," Wall added.
Jason and Kristine locked glassy eyes at one another. They came in to win this, dedicating this match to their Dad. And they were one knock out away from winning this. Emotions began seeping in.
And just like that, it comes tumbling down, Avery was in despair. He then remembered what his father told him about Jason's match with Aria. He won because he didn't give up, John had told him. Display that tenacity, and there is no shame in defeat.
John turned to him. "All you."
Thanks Dad. Avery closed his eyes for a brief few seconds. He took a deep breath. He thought of the one advantage he had against Jolteon and Pikachu. Even if Kristine switched back to Snorunt, Avery thought all hope was not entirely lost. The best he could do was make the twins work for this win.
Time for a curveball, kids! Avery opened his eyes with sheer determination. "Go, Gliscor!"
"Gliscor!" Gliscor immediately glided at Jolteon and Pikachu, giving Jason and Kristine no time to assess the situation. Gliscor's ground typing changed the whole dynamic of this match; his flying typing meant nothing, at least for the two electric types out on the field.
"Toxic!" Avery yelled.
"Gli!" Gliscor spat out Toxic, aiming right at Jolteon and Pikachu.
"Dodge!" the twins yelled at the same time.
Jolteon was clearly able to get away thanks to numerous uses of Agility. Pikachu, however, was unable to fully escape the approaching Toxic. Part of the sludge hit his tail and hind legs.
"Pika…" Pikachu felt the poison coursing through his veins.
Kristine knew how significant toxic was as a move. The poison would start off slow, then take the pokemon by storm as time went on. Pikachu would faint inside a minute while out on the field. Recalling him would slow the poison down, but he would more than likely be able to battle if needed further down the road.
"Return, Pikachu!" Kristine made a quick decision to recall her pokemon. It would have been a sound decision regardless of Pikachu's afflicted condition in the eyes of the spectators; Snorunt was a more than ideal matchup against Gliscor given that a single Icy Wind had the potential to knock him out.
Kristine pulled out her first pokeball. "Let's do this, Snorunt!"
"Sno!" Snorunt made two hops forward as soon as she was summoned.
Adrianna extended her arm out to Avery's side.
Snorunt took a hit earlier, Avery recalled, facing Snorunt and Kristine with determination. We don't care about your type advantage! We can do this!
"Focus on Snorunt and use Toxic!" Avery issued.
"Gliscor!" Gliscor aimed at Snorunt, firing Toxic.
"Protect!" Kristine yelled.
"Jolteon! Pin Missile!" Jason ordered.
Snorunt projected a barrier, deflecting Toxic with ease. Meanwhile, Jolteon flanked Gliscor, firing a barrage of pins at him.
"Get out of there and hit Snorunt with Acrobatics!" Avery followed up.
"Gli!" Gliscor used his stinger to propel himself through Jolteon's Pin Missile, gliding right at Snorunt.
"Icy Wind!" Kristine yelled, seeing an opportunity to win the match.
"Use Agility, Jolteon," Jason commanded, seeing there wasn't much else he could do.
We can do this, Avery took a deep breath. "Hit her with everything you got!"
"Gliscor!" Gliscor closed in on Snorunt before she could fire off Icy Wind. He managed to strike her over and over, sending her tumbling back towards Kristine.
"No!" Jason yelled. "Jolteon! Pin Missile!"
"Jolt!" Jolteon fired off another barrage of pins.
Within a split second, Gliscor was getting bombarded by Pin Missile.
"Get out of there and fire Toxic at Jolteon!" Avery responded.
Gliscor leapt out of Pin Missile's area of effect and fired Toxic at Jolteon. Jason didn't need to give the command to dodge; Jolteon easily evaded the attack by leaping away.
"Snorunt…" Kristine watched in complete surprise as she and Jason weren't able to win this flawlessly. Snorunt was down and out.
"Snorunt is unable to battle!" Adrianna declared.
"Return!" Kristine recalled Snorunt. "Great job out there."
Kristine knew she needed to think quickly about how to overcome Gliscor when Pikachu would have roughly one minute on the field thanks to Toxic. She wondered about the brightness of Thunderbolt, or electric attacks in general. While the dim lighting at In Your Element amplified the brightness of Thunderbolt the previous day. Kristine wondered how being hit by such an attack would affect Gliscor's vision, if he would be affected at all.
She figured she only had a minute to find out before this match would fall on Jason's shoulders. A heavy burden to put on her brother, she thought, something that she convinced herself would not happen.
"One more use of Agility cranks Jolteon's speed to the max," Kristine spoke, keeping track of the uses of Agility. "Use Agility and then Pin Missile non stop. I will see if I can distract Gliscor."
Using Pikachu's pokeball, Kristine summoned her second pokemon once more.
I can focus on Pikachu and it'll just be me and Jason, Avery thought. Even if we come up short, we will still make them work for it!
Jason glanced at Kristine with a nod. "Jolteon, use Agility!"
"Jolt!" Jolteon dashed across the floor.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt at Gliscor!" Kristine commanded.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu unleashed Thunderbolt, striking Gliscor. Kristine observed carefully to see Gliscor trying to shield his eyes with his right arm.
"Poison Jab Pikachu right now!" Avery ordered.
"Gli!" Gliscor regained his focus, physically unscated by Thunderbolt, and began to leap towards Pikachu. Just then, he was bombarded by Pin Missile.
"Gli!" Gliscor tumbled to the ground before leaping at Pikachu once more.
"Here goes nothing," Kristine decided to put another new move of Pikachu's to use. With poison coursing through Pikachu's veins, Kristine knew time was ticking, and fast.
"Dodge and use Iron Tail!" Kristine commanded.
Pikachu jumped right on Gliscor before he was able to land Poison Jab. Using Gliscor as a launching pad, Pikachu jumped up, conducting a flip before hardening his tail and striking his opponent. Gliscor stumbled backwards, not taking much damage from the steel-type attack, but he walked backwards into yet another Pin Missile barrage.
They're chipping away at him! Avery became concerned. They don't care about type advantages, or the fact that Pikachu is afflicted with Toxic!
"Thunderbolt one more time!" Kristine yelled.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu unleashed another Thunderbolt at Gliscor. The weary Gliscor leapt away while closing his eyes, taking his focus and awareness away as Jolteon locked him in with another Pin Missile.
"Iron Tail!" Kristine yelled. She figured all of these small hits would add up.
"Pin Missile one more time!" Jason sought the opportunity to win.
Pikachu closed in, striking Gliscor before Toxic ticked once more. Gliscor fell backwards into one more Pin Missile barrage. When it was all said and done, Gliscor was knocked out.
"Gliscor is unable to battle!" Adrianna declared. "John and Avery are out of pokemon. This match is over and the winners are Jason and Kristine Kyar!"
No, Avery stood there, distraught. No matter what we did, they planned around it. He recalled Gliscor.
Jason and Kristine recalled their pokemon.
"Excellent work as always, Jolteon," Jason commended. "Every single time, you've delivered."
"Great job, Pikachu!" Kristine added.
A flurry of emotions struck the twins like a ton of bricks. They locked eyes at one another as tears rolled down their faces. Jason fell on his knees, with Kristine quickly approaching him and kneeling to his eye level.
"Th-this is - f-for" Jason was choked up, struggling to muster out complete words between his emotions and his cracked ribs.
"Breathe," Kristine calmly replied, her hands on Jason's shoulders. "Deep breaths."
Jason did just that, trying not to get choked up. He remained silent as he closed his eyes. Kristine took off her visor and gently placed her forehead against his.
"For Dad," she softly whispered.
Veronica was in tears, witnessing her children's emotional victory. Wall watched on, seemingly unfazed.
Avery stood there, observing the twins. His eyes were glassy. They really wear their hearts on their sleeves. They were fighting for something - someone - that truly mattered to them.
Suddenly, John gave him a few hard pats on his back, breaking his train of thought.
"We tried our best, Dad," Avery faced his father in disappointment. "They were too good."
John laughed. "I know, son. We never stood a chance to begin with."
"Then why did we do this?" Avery asked, puzzled.
"I wanted to see if you were ready," John replied. "When I saw all those fearow on the ground back at the Hill, I knew that Jason and Kristine were already deserving of the Gale Badge, pending a little discipline. Maybe that's what they needed to show to receive the badge."
"A little discipline," Avery snickered. "At first, I thought they were just a couple punks. I was wrong in making that judgement. Guess you have to feel a little rebellious at that age."
"We were all a little rebellious at that age," John added. He gave Avery another hard pat on the back. "I'm proud of you, by the way."
Avery faced his father. "Really?"
John smiled. "You didn't give up. You ended up challenging them in the end. Sure, your battling needs a little refining but that will come in time. You sure put up a better fight than I did."
"To be fair, they had a game plan for you specifically."
"I made a mistake that got Farfetch'd KOed," John sighed. "Remember it's always a work in progress, no matter who you are."
"Right," Avery turned his head back to the other side of the field. By then, Veronica had gotten up to kneel beside Jason and Kristine.
John also faced the field. "I'll reward them with the badge once they've had their moment."
"Their father meant a lot to them," Avery observed.
"Let's head inside," John suggested.
"Yeah," Avery agreed, and followed his father inside the building.
Wall looked on as John and Avery walked back inside as the members of Team Gale exited the bleachers, most of them teary-eyed. He faced the twins and Veronica. My god, we are witnessing some spectacular trainers.
A short while later, the twins, Veronica, and Professor Wall walked across the field and back inside the building. John and Avery greeted them at the pristine white hallway, with John holding two small black boxes.
"I've had some trainers ace me in the past but that was pretty quick," John commended.
"We understood your strategy, but Avery was a mystery," Kristine responded.
"We figured you'd go with Jolteon and Pikachu," Avery added. "But we were blown away by how well you carried out your plan."
"Gliscor threw us off," Jason admitted. "We had to make something work."
"You showed discipline even during the unexpected," John said, presenting the Gale Badge to Jason and Kristine each. "You two are more than deserving of this."
The twins happily accepted their fifth badge. "Thanks!" they both replied at the same time.
"Your next badge is in Viceport," John mentioned. "Spark is the leader of Team Instinct and a household name there. He sometimes holds gym battles in his televised events."
"Viceport is Inventum's largest city," Wall added. "It is Sol Peninsula's major hub and the gateway to Inventum in the eyes of many around the world."
"Aren't they hosting the Junior Circuit in Pokeworld soon?" Avery asked.
"Yep!" Jason and Kristine quickly replied at the same time.
This drew laughter from Avery and all of the adults.
"Then you best get a move on!" John suggested. "Lucky for you it's right in the way of Viceport."
"Same goes for Lake Sol!" Veronica added.
"One small matter of business before we part ways," Wall said, shifting his eyes to Jason. "Bring out Fearow."
"Uh," Jason seemed confused, pulling out the seventh pokeball from his belt. "Okay."
Jason brought out Fearow with a gentle toss.
"Fearow!" Fearow greeted, bowing his head toward everyone else.
"I'll take that!" Avery walked over to pluck a feather from Fearow's right wing.
"Are you running some sort of test?" Kristine asked.
"Professor Wall has a theory about environment adaptations in Inventum specifically, based on how other pokemon adapted to regions like Alola and Galar," John explained.
"And if I'm correct, fearow of Fearow Hill will develop a dominant ice type in their genetics," Wall added.
Jason and Kristine were taken back.
"So cool!" Kristine spoke up. "When?"
Wall crossed his arms. "I need samples to determine exactly when, but about one century from now, give or take."
"Well," Jason chuckled. "Too bad we won't be around to see that."
"Look at you!" Veronica approached Fearow to pet him.
"Jason, don't you have seven pokemon?" Avery asked.
"Yeah," Jason replied, watching Veronica pat Fearow on the head.
"What does Fearow want to do, anyways?" Veronica looked over to Jason.
"Serve us, willingly," Kristine replied. "He doesn't have to."
"It's a profound sense of guilt for attacking you at the Hill," Veronica mentioned. "Even if he is not interested in leaving, he believes fighting at your side will repay the debt he feels he owes you."
"If he's not at all interested in tagging along, I won't be offended," Jason replied. "I forgive him."
"Let me take him in," Veronica suggested. "Mountain Spring is really not that long of a bird's flight to Fearow Hill. That way he won't feel compelled to do anything he might not be interested in, and if he doesn't like it at home, well, he can always fly back to his home."
Fearow bowed his head to Veronica.
"Uh," Jason slowly handed the pokeball over to his mother. "I guess that works for me. Just take care of Fearow. And that pokeball."
"Fearow will be just fine," Veronica smiled. "But the pokeball?"
"It was originally Swellow's."
"I'll unbound Fearow when I get home and I'll find a special place for the pokeball in your room," Veronica assured him.
"Thanks, Mom."
Veronica recalled Fearow into the pokeball a moment later.
"Get some rest, kids," John said to the twins. "Enjoy your victory. You still got a long road ahead of you."
"Thank you, John," Kristine replied. "And Avery."
"Don't mention it," Avery gave a nod.
"Jason, Kristine," Wall faced the twins. "I will see you around."
"I'll walk out with you!" Veronica said to her kids.
The twins bid farewell to Professor Wall, John, and Avery, before taking the nearest elevator down with their mother.
"And son," John faced Avery. "Take the rest of the day off. Brief your pokemon and tell them they did great."
"Really?" Avery perked up. "Thanks, Dad!"
Avery was about to bolt to the nearest elevator when John stopped him. "Hey."
Avery turned around. "Yeah?"
"You're waking up with me at the crack of dawn. It's time for you to shadow me."
"I'm gonna shadow you?" Avery was shocked. He figured this day would come at some point, but not now. "I'm gonna actually train to be a gym leader?"
"You're ready," John spoke with confidence. "You won't improve without some hands-on learning, so it's time to learn."
"Sweet!" Avery leapt into the air out of celebration. "I won't let you down!" he stormed to the nearest elevator.
"Professor, you're a man of few words," John observed, turning to Wall. "But I know you're thinking an awful lot."
"I am," Wall gave a simple nod. "The chemistry the twins displayed is beyond remarkable and something only few in the world have achieved. Your son should not feel disappointed in his defeat. As a matter of fact, he held his ground well. Also, he ran off with the feather."
"Crap!" John ran down the hall. "Avery! Wait!"
Wall stood there, with a slight grin on his face as he quietly chuckled.
The twins and their mother spent the rest of the day shopping, dining, and relaxing within Kenalta. They were going to capitalize on this surprise reunion in every way they could, as they would likely not get to see each other for a long time. For Jason and Kristine, they knew much more work needed to be done. Five badges were out of the way, but fighting Avery taught them their opponents will devise strategies to counter theirs. They just needed to keep improving on their battling strategies and tactics, for themselves, for each other, for their pokemon, and for their father. They knew they made him proud today, and they just needed to fight exactly like they did against John and Avery from here on out.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this chapter I'm planning to have more chapters out in the near future. I'm confident enough to say more often than five months at a time! I'm bold enough to say I'll get a new chapter going once a week. I have some really awesome chapters in place between the twin's fifth and sixth badges and beyond, and I'd be doing myself and those who read or will read this an injustice if I never fleshed them out and shared them. Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter and we have an evolution next chapter!
An update on the twins' pokemon list and moves (parenthesis states special ability):
Jason:
Jolteon (Volt Absorb): Thunderbolt, Pin Missile, Wild Charge, Agility
Kirlia (Synchronize): Psybeam, Life Dew, Protect, Future Sight
Magikarp (Swift Swim): Splash, Tackle, Flail, Bounce
Riolu (Inner Focus): Brick Break, Endure, Reversal, Shadow Claw
Growlithe (Flash Fire): Fire Fang, Take Down, Flame Burst, Protect
Dartrix (Overgrow): Razor Leaf, Peck, Ominous Wind, Synthesis
Kristine:
Espeon (Magic Bounce): Psybeam, Calm Mind, Reflect, Swift
Fletchinder (Gale Wings): Flame Charge, Aerial Ace, Razor Wind, Agility
Pikachu (Static): Thunderbolt, Iron Tail, Electro Ball, Light Screen
Machoke (Guts): Foresight, Vital Throw, Brick Break, Thunder Punch
Snorunt (Ice Body): Protect, Double Team, Icy Wind, Bite
Dratini (Shed Skin): Flamethrower, Thunder Wave, Dragon Rage, Agility