Note- 7 months... SEVEN. Man, life has been WILD these past seven months. All of it good though! Last chapter, I was in a wonderful relationship. Now, that's evolved into an engagement! I also will be moving in the next month... and getting married... and finding new employment in this new location...
I hope my defense for this delay doesn't come off as heavy handed... but life really has been wild. Thankfully, my love of Pokemon has also grown with me! I've been LOVING New Pokemon Snap! It lived up to a hype I was afraid was too great! I'm also excited about Legends Arceus... though the performance in the trailer has me a bit concerned. I'm excited to explore the Pokemon world in so many ways and times, and to do it with my favorite Johto Pokemon ;)
And speaking of Pokemon, we join Chris and his team today as they head east! An eager reunion, fascinating introductions, and intense battles await them AND us today! So let's get into it and see what this installment brings us! Hope you enjoy! Please Review and Subscribe!
Chapter 57
"It's alright."
Chris glanced down and felt a tear slide out of his right eye.
Shoot.
He took a deep breath, trying hard to ignore the cold sweat pooling on his lower back.
"It's okay."
Once his left hand made it to the next hold, he'd surely be halfway up. As that hand came to rest on said hold, his eyes snapped backed toward a cracking sound.
Frick.
The rock beneath his right hand had begun to break apart. He forced his eyes off the crumbling stone and toward the top of the bluff. "It's okay," he managed through gritted teeth. He had just a bit further.
The stone grip beneath his left hand crumbled. Chris nearly regurgitated his stomach as his body swung back toward the right. A sharp pain stabbed his shoulder now that it held all his weight. His feet kicked hard into the sandstone. They didn't find much of a foothold, but enough of an indention existed to provide footing, and take most of the pressure off his rotator cuff.
Chris found his breath now coming in quick gasps. His heartbeat filled his ears to the point where he could barely hear the voices below.
The voices.
He glanced down and felt his face flush. Weepinbell had several feet of vine stretched extended and suspended just below Chris's feet. It seemed a bit unnecessary when Scizor and Nidoking could almost reach him from their spot on the ground simply by stepping onto their tiptoes. And even with Crobat and Typhlosion off scouting, Espeon was also there to telekinetically catch him if need be. And even with all these safeguards, his five minutes of climbing had netted him approximately ten feet of verticality.
Is this the peak of embarrassment?
"Need any help?"
The sound of flapping wings and a gust of wind against his face preceded the appearance of a large, white bird. The creature came down to hover beside him. The young man on its back brushed his swirling hair from his eyes and flashed a smirk that almost put Chris's to shame.
The climber let his head fall gently against the rocky bluff. No, this is.
"You know, you could have asked me for directions to my house."
The woodland around Luke and Chris was dense. Cherry and oak trees, some wider than Chris had ever seen, lined a narrow trail that most likely had been created by Stantler and not people.
"Well then I couldn't have taken thirty minutes to climb a twenty foot rise," Chris replied.
Luke gave Chris a knowing look before glancing around to make sure none of Chris's team were within ear shot. "We both know you weren't making it much further on that one."
"Maybe I would have found my second wind if I'd given it more time. Who knows?"
"If you didn't want to be the first guest to arrive, you could have just waited longer to leave."
Chris shrugged. "Wanted to give myself time to explore a new location. And besides," he paused to shoot a wink, "if I wanted to learn how to be late, I would have asked the master."
Luke shook his head but didn't hide his grin. The trainer's Pidgeot circled high over head, body and long hair shimmering in the midday sun. Luke hadn't revealed any other teammates yet, but he'd thrown several glances toward the Cherrygrove native's team. Chris hadn't seen him do it again since Typhlosion and Crobat had rejoined the party.
"Did Pidgeotto evolve during these past two months?" Chris asked.
Luke didn't answer right away. He had a strange look on his face as they walked several more feet and topped a rise. "Yeah, about a month and a half ago. During one of our trips back to Johto."
"One of your trips? You mean you couldn't stay at home for a couple months?" That got a hearty laugh out of the Tohjo Falls' native. Chris joined in with a chuckle before continuing. "Looks like you stayed home long enough to get a fresh cut. Looks good, man."
"Thanks. Looks like you got one recently, too."
Chris ran a hand over the short hair lining the sides of his head. "Hit up a barber in Goldenrod a few weeks ago during my circuit around central Johto."
"I probably wasn't far from there around that time," Luke said, rubbing his chin. "I've made several trips to Ecruteak over this stretch, so my timeline is a little fuzzy."
That brought a frown to Chris's face. He had beat himself up these past few weeks for not swinging north to visit Ecruteak again. As they dipped back down into a wooded valley, he couldn't contain his curiosity. "What kept bringing you back to the hometown of a legendary trainer?"
"Hometown of a—" Luke stopped at the sight of Chris's smirk. He gave the young man an exaggerated eye roll. "I was visiting an actual legendary trainer."
That changed Chris's expression. "Morty?"
"Yeah."
"I knew he felt bad about you getting lost and hurt, but man, he must have really taken it to heart."
"No kidding," Luke said without a hint of humor. "He's been very accommodating, especially with the rush of trainers trying to win their badges before the deadline."
"I'd say that's kept you guys from going on anymore expeditions."
That brought the faintest hint of a smile back to Luke's face. "One of several reasons."
The path took on a gradual incline, though the woodland remained just as packed. A flurry of flapping sounds and black wings drew Chris's attention to canopy overhead. A flock of Murkrow had burst from a cluster of pine trees to strike at Crobat. The initial surprise allowed the closest Murkrow to scratch Crobat with his talons and let another member smack Crobat's head with a wing.
Luke began to shout to Pidgeot, but Chris cut him off with a wave.
"Crobat's got this."
As the attackers went to peel off, one of them found Crobat's wing wrapped firmly around a leg. The member who had struck with his own wing shrieked in pain as Crobat's fangs sank into his outstretched appendage.
"Bring them together!" Chris shouted.
With a twitch of his head and wing, the two Murkrow violently crashed together. The other would-be attackers peeled off as their two comrades plummeted into the shrubbery below. Crobat, along with Nidoking and Typhlosion, went to pursue them, but Chris called the trio off.
"They got the message, boys."
The Skyler homestead didn't differ much from the surrounding land. The hills still rolled and were packed with trees. The home and its immediate yard were the exceptions. Sizable divots now rested where trees had grown. A few actual stumps still remained at the edge of the yard, where the treeline swallowed the land back up. A Machoke and a stump grinder resided not far away. Past the stumps and divots resided an open field that surrounded the house. Scorch marks and craters left this ground in equally turbulent shape. Chris had seen enough of these spaces to know exactly what its purpose was.
A sentient, tusked bull rumbled by the party with an Electabuzz in hot pursuit. In the distance, a Quagsire and Feraligatr took turns spitting jets of water at a row of cans lined atop a fallen tree trunk. But a boisterous voice pulled everyone's attention toward a couple of sparring Fighting-types.
A tall, stout man stood draped over the railing watching the sparring session. His pudgy, clean shaven face made him look fourteen; his long, filled out frame had him pushing thirty. He looked up at Chris as the party arrived.
"So this is the C-man?"
Chris did about as poor a job of hiding a horrified expression as he'd ever done. He fought the urge to turn and glare daggers at Luke's no-doubt grinning face. "That's… that's me."
The Fighting-types halted their training as the mountain of a young man shimmied over the railing to join them. Despite being on even ground, he still remained at least four inches taller than his contemporaries.
"Are you still thinking you'll head out, Mitch?" Luke asked.
The taller trainer nodded. "I can't afford to pack on any more weight from your mom's cooking. This past week wiped out all my progress from traveling around Johto."
"Shoot man. We're gonna be eating here in a few. You sure you don't want to stay?"
"Yeah. I'm gonna get the team healed up and then head west. I want to try and get over to New Bark to see the rest of my team before dark."
"I gotcha."
"Well," Chris said, slowly extending his hand, "I guess it was nice to meet you, at least."
Mitch's grin was as goofy as Chris had expected. "For sure. I'm looking forward to seeing what you got at the Silver Conference. I've seen some good tape and heard solid things from Luke."
"I'll make sure we don't disappoint."
With a loud whistle, Mitch gathered up his squad and departed with a wave.
Luke ushered Chris through the front door, with both trainers leaving their Pokémon outside.
"How'd you meet Mitch?" Chris asked as Luke ushered him through the front door. He held up a hand behind him to keep his team outside.
"We met around Olivine back in the summer. He was on his way to battle Chuck and I was prepping for Jasmine. A battle to help us both prep made sense."
"You got the 'dub… right?"
Luke grinned as they passed a staircase and entered the small living area. "For sure. And a couple evolutions also."
A boy lay stretched out on the couch face down, but Luke paid him no mind as they passed through an archway and entered the dining area. The smell that greeted Chris's nostrils had his mouth watering instantly.
"Hey, Mom."
A woman stepped out from behind the cabinets and bar of the adjoining kitchen. The oven mitt on her hand was nearly as big as the smile on her face. "Why, hello!"
"Hey hey!" Chris replied in a failing effort to match her enthusiasm. "Thank you so much for having me."
"And who do I have the pleasure of welcoming into our home?"
"I'm Chris. And you must be the incredible cook I've heard so much about."
The dark haired woman's sweet smile stretched further as a melodic laugh passed through it. "Well, this cook's name is Ann. Though, I'm sure you'll hear me addressed as 'Mom' a hundred plus times before you've left."
"It's great to meet you, ma'am."
A door opened into the kitchen and a teenager stepped through. He carried a crate in his arms and had a wooden block balanced on his short, light brown hair.
"You can put those supplies in the basement, sweety," Ann told him as she stepped over to an oven. "And let your father know that lunch is pretty much ready."
"Got it."
As he went to pass Chris and Luke, his eyes flashed over to the former. "Did your friend shrink three inches and lose forty pounds?"
Chris managed to hold in his laughter, but Luke made sure to let out enough for both of them. "Nah, this is Chris."
"I'd shake your hand but it's full," Chris said with a smile. "And I'm pretty sure that piece of wood would give me a concussion if I tried to hug you."
"A quick intro will have to suffice," he said as he stepped past them and nudged open a door with his foot. He turned sideways and began to carefully shimmy down a staircase.
"That's Benjamin," Luke added.
"Or Ben," came the young man's voice from below.
Ann's voice came from out of sight as well. "Where's Tommy at?"
Luke's smile vanished. "Passed out on the couch, like usual."
"My baby boy needs his sleep to grow as tall as you."
Luke scoffed and shook his head toward Chris. "I never slept that much."
The two boys settled down at the kitchen table and chilled for a couple more minutes. Ann brought a beef casserole out of the oven, prompting a rumbling from Chris's stomach before it had even hit the table. He wasn't the only one with an appetite. Steps echoed up the staircase and Ben emerged again, followed closely by an older man of similar height, but with slightly darker hair and a patchy beard. Before either man could acknowledge Chris, a third person filed in from the living room; he was a lanky boy with long messy hair and a face that made the visitor do a triple take.
"My GOSH," Chris gasped. "He's Luke 2.0!"
"Tommy, actually," came the boy's monotone correction.
"And you must be…" the older man's raspy voice paused, "well, I'm not sure."
"Chris, sir." The Cherrygrove native stood up and shook the short-haired man's hand. "Thank you for having me in your home."
"I guess I didn't get much choice in the matter," the man said with a smirk. "I'm Marcus. And I'm the man you can thank for these three hoodlums."
"I'll do my best to not make it a quartet, sir."
That got a chuckle out of Marcus. "Well, you're doing a damn fine job with your first impression. But if you want to keep it up, you'll stop your talking and we'll get to stuffing our faces."
The simplicity of the meal did nothing to take away from its quality. Only a few bites into his casserole, Ann brought out a boiled vegetable medley, several loaded baked potatoes, and a ginormous pot of white rice. That kept everyone quiet for several minutes. Chris had grown to love his mother's cooking over the years, especially after having traveled on the road for nearly eight months. Even with her tendency to burn things, which she of course said was intentional, Jennifer Aedan was a talented cook who could make a variety of dishes. But the flavor packed into something as simple as this casserole, the seasoning and melt in your mouth nature of the vegetables, and the way everything blended together had Chris eating a much larger portion than even he was used to.
"This is excellent, Ms. Ann," he verbalized after taking what felt like his hundredth bite.
"It really is," Luke added.
"Oh, good! It wasn't hard to make at all."
"But nobody can make it like you," Marcus said with a chuckle. He glanced over at Chris. "You're among a family of cooks. Do you like to?"
The visitor let out a nervous laugh. "I do when I have the time. But I'm not very experienced or great at it. My mom has some talent, and my dad definitely does. Though, I only get that blessing when he visits me or I visit him."
"Are your parents divorced?" Tommy asked.
"That's not a very appropriate question," Ann chided.
"Real stupid," Marcus growled.
"Nah, it's okay," Chris said, throwing on a reassuring smile. "They're still together, just not physically. My dad's job at the Radio Tower keeps him in Goldenrod. I lived with my mom in Cherrygrove until I started my journey."
"Hmm," mused Marcus as he chewed. "That brings us to a very important question." He paused to swallow his food and took a quick sip of water. "Who's your team?"
"My…" Chris's momentary confusion vanished as he noticed for the first time all the pictures on the walls. Calendars, action shots, and autographed memorabilia—all in reference to the Goldenrod Engineers. Chris did his best to hide his gulp. "I'm, uh, a Cobras fan."
Marcus's eyes turned steely. "That's unfortunate. And after we had gotten off to such a good start. I do feel bad that you have to cheer for the second best team in the region."
A heat began to build around Chris's collar. "Yeah, Goldenrod has really had their number recently."
"And they used to be my second favorite team," Marcus continued. "They had some fun teams back in the day. But once they did their last coach dirty and brought in that Unovian slimeball to stay these last fifteen years, it has me taking joy in their every loss."
"Oh, yeah?" The Chris of even two years ago would have most certainly got into an argument with someone pushing this hard. His struggle with needing to respond to everything had been well documented throughout his childhood. But something kept him from firing back this time. Why not just avoid conflict? And why ruin his first impression as a friendly guest? Whatever the reason, he managed to stay silent as finished up his meal.
The strategy seemed to pay off as Marcus soon got off onto other topics with his family. And once conversations circled back to Chris's own journey and his family's occupations, Marcus had only praise.
"Now that's the right way to go about it!" he boomed. His voice projected incredibly well despite its raspiness. "Having a good chunk of change saved up and having financially stable and supportive parents. A situation like that is one of the few perfect scenarios for a potential trainer. And it keeps you from having to rely on those hard to get sponsorships."
Chris smiled and nodded, but his eyes shifted to the young man beside him. Luke sat rigid, shoulders hunched, with his fork clenched tight. He had finished his food, but the utensil still dug into the plate like he was trying to skewer a steak. His mood didn't seem to improve once Marcus gained insight into Chris's regiment, battles, and performances in later tournaments. He inquired about Chris and Luke's previous battles and took keen interest in Ampharos's victory over Charizard.
"Guess I can't be too mad that you beat Luke then," Marcus said after Chris had finished. "But I'd still love to see where you two boys are now."
That aligned both trainer's postures. They looked over at one another with equal confusion. Chris's mouth dropped open, but he couldn't find any words.
"We'll give you boys thirty minutes to digest your food. I'm sure your Pokémon could probably use the same courtesy."
The two trainers sat in silence as everyone began to move and Anne collected dishes.
"We don't have to do this man."
Both trainers sat out on the front porch. Chris had stretched out on the bottom step to help his food better digest. Luke sat behind him on the bench by the front window. Fractured rays of evening sunlight broke through the treeline and gave color to the front yard's withering grass. It also illuminated the backs of Chris's team as they stared down at their trainer. "I don't mind a three-on-three spar," he said. "It would be good for a couple of my less experienced teammates."
Luke shifted in his seat and threw a glance at the door beside him. "Yeah. Some of my team probably need to shake off the rust."
They sat there in silence for a couple more minutes as Chris petted Espeon and watched Nidoking try and fail to put Scizor in a headlock. The rest of his team seemed content to loaf around. Normally Chris would try to get them active, but the intense travel to the Skyler house had warranted a rest. Well, apparently except for the three teammates he'd be battling with. "Weepinbell, Espeon, and… Crobat," he finally said after studying his team. He waited till Crobat and Weepinbell had made it over to him and then gave Espeon one final pat. "Go ahead and get loose. You guys will be battling here in a bit."
Surprise eclipsed whatever exhaustion had been on their face. Then an eagerness.
Chris stood up and stretched till his lower back popped. When he turned around, he found Luke had made it to his feet as well.
"Where did your team run off to?" Chris asked.
"I try to keep them away from my dad if I can help it."
"Does he make them nervous?"
Luke shook his head. "He makes me nervous, which in turn stresses them out."
"Dang."
"We need to do well in this tournament," Luke continued, much to Chris's surprise. "We need to show him what we're capable of. That my path wasn't a mistake."
"Man, look at what you and your team have accomplished! You guys completed the Gym Challenge. There's been years where not even a hundred people have done that."
"Yeah. But I don't know if I can reach where I'd want or potentially need to be to sustain it."
"I guess that's always a possibility. Have you thought about what you might do if that's the case?"
"I dunno." Luke looked over his shoulder before rubbing it. "Outside of getting lost and nearly dying, I really enjoyed that excavation. And I've always wanted to explore the secrets of different regions. Maybe something like that." A gleam entered his eye as he turned it onto Chris. "What are you going to do after the Silver Conference? Do you have a plan if you don't do well?"
"I'm going to…" Chris's mind blanked. He closed his mouth and then opened it, but no words came out. He gave a short laugh and then tried again. All that emerged was a soft, shrill whistle.
"Chris?"
A loud smack made both trainers jump. Marcus came shuffling through the door he'd just flung open. His other two sons followed a little bit further behind. He seemed perplexed when he nearly barreled into his oldest child.
"Why aren't you two out in the yard?" he asked.
"I haven't gathered my team," Luke calmly answered.
Marcus barked out a round of laughter. "Well, that might make things tricky." He turned to look at Chris and noticed his three teammates close by. "You can't let Chris stay one step ahead of ya."
Luke's lips curled but the trainer stayed silent as he shuffled out into the yard. He lifted his face to the sky and yelled before his father could get another word in. "Come on in!"
Movement from almost every direction had Chris unsure where to look. Six Pokémon converged on them in a relatively short period of time. Chris had seen them all, but he did note one major absence.
"Glad you're sparing me from having to scrap with the big boy."
Luke's confusion went away after glancing at his team. "Oh, yeah. I stored him in the PC on my last trip to Ecruteak. Flew back on Pidgeot."
"Alright," Marcus said, clapping his hands together. "Let's get you boys a bit further from the house. And we'll go with a three round system. So Luke, get three of your teammates out of the way."
Luke looked more confused than upset. "Why go with rounds?"
"Several reasons," Marcus snapped. "Those were the kinds of battles I used to ref. It also guarantees that each of you get to use three teammates. The more practice the better. And," Marcus paused to shoot Chris a grin, "it wouldn't do Chris much good if he only gets to use one Pokémon."
Chris forced his gaze anywhere but in Luke's direction. Tommy had stretched out on the porch's couch and looked on the verge of falling back asleep. Benjamin had plopped down in the grass. Chris's own crew had shuffled back to the treeline with three of Luke's bunch. The two groups didn't mingle, but it was hard to miss Nidoking and Electabuzz's targeted posturing. That brought his gaze back to the battlefield, where his opponent's three remaining Pokémon resided.
A Dark-, Normal-, and Fighting/Steel-type.
Looking at his own trifecta, there really only seemed to be one terrible matchup. And a pretty good chance of getting a type advantage in one of these rounds.
"On three, you'll call out your choice," Marcus explained. He looked to be really enjoying running these proceedings. "One… two… three!"
Both names melded together, but the holders of the titles heard them clearly enough.
Flapping wings brought Crobat onto the battlefield. Across from him, Luke's largest teammate shuffled forward. Outside of her initial capture, Chris had never seen the joey-less Kangaskhan in action.
"Not Lucario, but I'll take it," Chris muttered. That now meant 50/50 odds for Weepinbell having to matchup against the Fighting/Steel-type. If that were to happen…
"Begin!"
Despite not knowing the large creature's moves, Chris knew exactly where Crobat's advantage lay. It didn't take even a second for the trainer to direct Crobat to charge. Kangaskhan was on the move a moment later, with one of her fists pulling back as Luke called for Mega Punch.
"Confuse Ray!"
Crobat let out a screech and released an eerie, pale ring at the oncoming foe. Kangaskhan was too big and had too much forward momentum to possibly—
"Duck!"
Confusion turned to horror as the seven foot tall creature dropped her entire upper body nearly parallel to the ground. As Crobat's attack passed harmlessly over her, she pounced into the air, bringing her entire body with her—her fist swinging in a wide uppercut.
"Wing Attack!" Chris quickly shouted.
Kangaskhan's punch rebuffed both wings that swung down to meet it. It would have caught Crobat's skull had the Bat Pokémon not recoiled backward. As the Bat Pokemon went to create separation, Chris's heart finally dropped from his throat.
"Don't retreat!" he called.
"Follow up with Iron Tail!"
Kangaskhan's tail already had a brilliant glow before she'd even landed. Her feet barely touched the ground before she was back in the air, her tail whipping toward her foe.
"Dive below and use Crunch!"
The Normal-type's attack found nothing but air. Crobat dropped past his foe, but not before delivering a dark-energy fueled bite to the back of her knee. And as the Bat Pokémon went to create some separation, Chris once again called for him to hold up.
Kangaskhan landed hard, her face wincing as she shifted her weight away from the struck knee. Crobat remained only a few feet away, his lower wings flapping in rhythm to keep him balanced in the air. Chris wished he could tell his teammate what their strategy was, but the trainer trusted his teammate to adapt and pick up on it.
Luke's shout nearly shocked Chris out of the moment. From that roar came a command. "Show them your Crunch!"
Kangaskhan bounced from her kneeling position and snapped at Crobat with an energy extended maw. The fangs grasped nothing. They snapped out again but missed as Crobat flew above them. Chris's plan to wait for an opening came to fruition earlier than he'd expected, as Luke had Kangaskhan attempt the move a third time.
"Defend and strike with Wing Attack!" Chris directed.
As Kangaskhan went to snap down on Crobat's body, the bat's upper right wing swung out to knock the extended fangs to the side. That opened up her neck to a blow from his other wing.
Luke's teammate staggered backward, but stayed on her feet. The hosting trainer was shouting all manner of encouragement in a shrill voice that almost sounded pleading. Chris forced his vision to stay on the battlefield as Kangaskhan came rushing back in with a Mega Punch. Crobat pivoted in the air to avoid the massive haymaker and delivered another one-two strike with Wing Attack. Kangaskhan bumbled past Crobat and forced Chris to jump back as she nearly stumbled into him. From this close, he could see beads of sweat pouring off her chin and hear her labored breathing. Chris stepped to the side and saw his teammate not far behind her. He's caught on.
"Cross Poison!"
A high pitched buzz filled the space as Crobat launched forward with the force of all four wings. As he drew near, his top two wings pointed inward and took on a deep purple glow.
"Lift up your tail!" came Luke's distant command.
Chris found it an odd direction, but didn't see the need to adjust Crobat's own. Her large tail would serve as a fine target for—
"Iron Tail!"
Crobat's poison-tipped wings might as well have smashed into a brick wall. As the dazed Bat Pokémon attempted to bring himself back into the air, Kangaskhan managed to spin around with a pair of glowing fists at the ready.
"Now's our chance! Dizzy Punch!"
Crobat spun around to avoid the first blow, but Kangaskhan's right jab dug into his lower torso. The blow knocked the breath from his teammate, and Chris feared the move's side effect might also set in. Luke seemed to think so too, as he had Kangaskhan follow this up with a Mega Punch haymaker.
"Crunch!"
Crobat's incredible speed was all that kept Kangaskhan's fist from finding his vulnerable face. The energy fangs extended out to clasp onto Kangaskhan's glowing left fist. Hope filled Chris as his fear of Crobat being confused faded. It was soon replaced with concern as Kangaskhan shook Crobat off of her fist and the bat skipped across the ground. But as Luke called for a follow up, the Normal-type hesitated and gently gripped her bitten hand with the other.
"Cross Poison!"
"Dizzy Punch!"
Crobat bounced out of the dirt and brought his top set of wings forward. Kangaskhan, through gritted teeth, charged energy into both her fists and swung out with her healthier one.
"Aim for her other one!" Chris directed.
Crobat drifted left, avoiding Kangaskhan's punch by the narrowest of margins, and slashed the tips of his wings into his opponent's withdrawn fist.
Kangaskhan let out a roar, swayed backward, then to the left, and finally toppled over. Chris thought about attempting to catch Luke's teammate, but then remembered that she had several pounds and a whole foot on him.
"The first round goes to Chris," Marcus declared.
Crobat had made sure to avoid the toppling giant and soon came to hover by his trainer.
"Fantastic work, Crobat. I know we didn't have much of a chance to discuss strategy, but you adjusted beautifully."
Kangaskhan disappeared in a flash of light as she returned to Luke's Poké Ball. He said some words as he put the device away but Chris couldn't make them out. Likewise, Luke's brothers chatted among themselves, but spoke too low for him to hear.
"Great strategy there, Chris!" Marcus boomed. "Weakening her defenses and then delivering the critical hit… that's the kind of battling needed to succeed at the highest level."
That brought a smile out of Chris, but he tried to somewhat dampen it. "Thank you, sir. Crobat did a great job to make it happen."
Luke's father nodded. "It's been a while since I've seen a Pokémon move that fast. You've trained him well."
Looking back at his victorious teammate, Chris was happy to see some satisfaction in his mostly stoic face. Outside of a couple bruises, the Bat Pokémon looked like he could go for a while longer. Maybe they could grow this lead.
"Alright," Marcus bellowed, "onto round two. Bring out your next Pokémon on the count of three."
Shoot.
Despite his frustration, Chris didn't need the three seconds to choose his next partner. And it turned out not to be the worst matchup. As Weepinbell hopped forward, Luke's long time canine companion stepped up to oppose him. The squad from Johto had dodged the most hopeless matchup, but that didn't leave Chris feeling much better. It would take some careful maneuvering to—
"Begin!"
Mightyena snapped his teeth twice and let loose a wail that sent a visible shiver through Weepinbell. The dark furred hound had come a long way from his cute puppy days. And with that showing, and Weepinbell's response, his Intimidate ability had most definitely kicked in.
"Charge in with Take Down!" Luke directed.
As Mightyena closed the distance, Chris kept his eyes on Weepinbell. With the Flycatcher Pokémon's physical strength now weakened, they'd have to be even more selective about trying out their new move.
"Fire off an Acid!"
Much like the last battle, Luke's Pokémon avoided the initial projectile. This time, however, Chris was better prepared with a follow up.
"Vine Whip out wide!" he called.
Two vines rocketed out from underneath each of Weepinbell's leaves and swung out in wide arcs. Luke kept Mightyena's focus on the charge, even as the two bands curled in toward him. The Dark-type winced as the vines smacked into each side of his body.
"Now, Bite!"
Mightyena sank his teeth into the vine on his right, drawing a shriek from Weepinbell. The hound then whipped his head around, bringing the vine and his opponent with him. Weepinbell smacked into the ground on the other side and rolled several feet.
"Come down with Iron Tail!"
Before Chris's teammate had even come to a stop, Mightyena was in the air. The Bite Pokémon spun around as he dropped, his glowing tail arcing downward at his grounded foe.
Despite being on their heels, Chris found humor in his next command. "Don't stop rolling!"
With his smooth, round anatomy, that wasn't a hard command to follow. Mightyena's tail smacked the cold dirt, blasting a chunk of it ten feet into the air. Weepinbell had created a couple dozen feet of space by the time the dirt rained back down.
"Don't let him get away. Pursue with Take Down!" Luke directed with added vigour.
"Roll into a ready position and fire away with Poison Powder!"
Chris watched with great satisfaction as Weepinbell used his momentum to twist his body upright while simultaneously releasing the dark purple cloud toward his pursuer. Mightyena's momentum brought him into the poisonous spray and back out the other side, but his target had already moved away.
"How many of your Pokémon know Iron Tail?" Chris asked with a chuckle.
Luke smiled through gritted teeth. "I wasn't going to let Jasmine's offer go to waste."
Chris's eyes shifted back to Mightyena as the canine recoiled from his poisoning. "Now, go for Acid!" he called.
"Charge in!"
Mighteyna snapped his jaws tightly together and managed to take off toward his foe. Weepinbell had already prepped his attack by that time though. With his foe's straight on assault, Weepinbell's burst of green acid wouldn't miss. That fact confused Chris until a horrifying bout of déjà vu struck him.
"Iron Tail!"
Mightyena spun around and let the acid splash harmlessly against his glowing tail. Then, at Luke's direction, smoothly reoriented himself and delivered a full on Take Down. The blow knocked Weepinbell onto his back, preventing the Flycatcher Pokémon from using the momentum to roll that way. That turned out to be a blessing in disguise however, as Mightyena staggered backward from a combination of recoil and poison. Now was their best chance to try out Weepinbell's newest move.
"Bounce back up and go for Poison Jab!"
With their early success at a rolling attack, Chris still felt optimistic as Weepinbell swiveled upright and energized his right leaf. The Grass/Poison-type turned and spun along the ground over his right side, bringing himself fully back around as he reached the staggered opposition. Weepinbell used this momentum to swing out with his glowing right leaf as his target came into view. But Chris's partner had rotated too quickly, leaving a couple feet between them. That left Weepinbell's jab a foot short of Mightyena's skull. The energized jab instead swung down to graze his opponent's right leg.
"Bite!" Luke quickly called.
Mightyena's jaws snapped down on Weepinbell's hook-shaped stem, drawing out a cry of pain.
"Cinch it in!"
With another quick snap, the Dark-type had bitten down further; his sharp fangs now gripped the entire top of Weepinbell's head. Mightyena gave a couple vicious shakes of his head and began to lower his foe into the dirt. It was a hopeless position for Chris's teammate, and the trainer knew it.
Chris fought to keep his voice calm as he said, "We submit. You've won this round."
Luke let out a high pitched whistle, but Mightyena held on for a few extra, excruciating seconds. At the point, Chris was already halfway over to his teammate. As the trainer dropped beside Weepinbell, he realized Typhlosion had followed him over. That seemed strange to Chris as he dug into his backpack, until a low guttural growl caught his attention.
Mightyena remained only a feet away from his downed opponent. The Dark-type snarled at Chris as they locked eyes. Even a burst of pain from his poisoned condition didn't dissuade his malicious look. But it wasn't until Typhlosion took a step forward that the Bite Pokémon looked ready to live up to his category classification.
"That's the fire you want to see in a competitor!" Marcus shouted.
"Easy there."
Luke stepped around his victorious teammate and stooped to grab a paw. The creature turned his vicious expression on his trainer, but it quickly receded. After a few seconds of getting his paw massaged, the Dark-type looked as though he'd just woken from a nap.
The soft touch of a leaf on his arm brought Chris's attention back to Weepinbell. The Flycatcher Pokémon had somehow not fainted and looked to be trying to raise up.
"I'm sorry. You should be getting treated right now." Chris pulled out a potion and began to spray on and around the bite marks and bruises. "You battled hard. And your Acid and Vine Whip attacks were perfect." He paused to give the battler a chance to speak, but Weepinbell's gaze toward the leaf touching his trainer's arm said it all.
"Hey, man." Luke's voice pulled Chris's gaze away. "I'm really sorry about that. I'm not really sure what got into him. He can be aggressive, but usually it requires some real prompting."
Chris couldn't quite manage a smile as he returned his defeated teammate to his capture device. "Heat of the moment, man. It happens." As he stood up, he became aware of a strong heat radiating from close by. Typhlosion didn't need to have his flames out to get his feelings across. Chris didn't even have to look at him. He'll remember that.
"Get back in position, boys," Marcus barked. "We still still have one battle left."
"You know," Luke began as they took their positions once more, "it would be a lot smoother to have just let us do this as a normal battle. Then, Mightyena could have actually used the move that makes our entire strategy possible."
The intrigue Chris found in that comment was suffocated as Marcus ignored his son and called for them both to release their final teammate. The suspense over each trainer's pick was gone, despite Typhlosion's stare that suggested he call an audible.
As Lucario and Espeon stepped forward, Luke's younger brothers both sat up. Chris's teammates all inched out from the tree line. In fact, it seemed this tiebreaker had captured the attention of all surrounding parties. Typhlosion hadn't strayed too far from his trainer, leaving the young man's back coated in sweat as Marcus called for them to begin.
A pair of Quick Attack commands brought Espeon and Lucario into an immediate clash. Lucario's shoulder charge rebuffed Espeon's tackle, but the Sun Pokémon looked eager to give it another go. He had already begun moving forward before Chris could give direction.
"Brick Break!"
As Espeon lowered his head to deliver another high speed tackle, Lucario brought a glowing hand down.
"Slide to the right!" Chris shouted.
The Psychic-type dropped to his belly just in time to avoid the downward chop. But the sudden shift downward paired with his high speed came at a cost. Espeon's face smacked the dirt and his entire body flipped over as he passed by his opponent's right foot. He managed to turn it into a roll that created a bit of distance, but Luke had already called for a charge before Espeon had even regained his bearings. Them turning this into a physical fight was the last thing Chris and his teammate needed.
"Shadow Ball!"
Backpedaling away from his approaching foe, Espeon managed to charge and fire a dark orb from the jewel on his forehead.
"Side step it and use Brick Break!"
Having been rushed, Shadow Ball may have sailed over Lucario's head without him needing to move. But the Aura Pokémon still slid calmly to his left and pivoted toward his unprepared foe.
"Tank it!"
Chris winced as the side of Lucario's palm found Espeon's side. The Psychic-type staggered backward on wobbling feet, but kept his eyes on his opponent.
Take your own advice, Chris silently screamed, before actually shouting, "Psybeam!"
At such range, Lucario wouldn't be avoiding this attack. The multicolored beam found Luke's teammate square in his chest. The psychic assault pushed Lucario back a few feet, but nothing like Chris would have expected from a super effective—
"He's part Steel-type," Chris hissed.
Lucario came back with another Brick Break, which Espeon managed to hurdle.
If Espeon could just create some separation…
"Get beneath them with Quick Attack!" Luke called
Espeon's jump had lifted him well above his foe, but gravity had already started to bring the two back together. As Lucario slid over to occupy Espeon's landing spot, it became evident that there'd be no immediate way to avoid a physical clash.
So speed would have to be the separator.
"Quick Attack!"
Espeon tucked his legs in and dropped toward his foe like a furry boulder. That change of pace seemed to surprise Luke, who stammered out a command.
"Counter!"
Lucario's left foot shot back to brace himself as Espeon slammed into his torso. The smack of their collision brought forth a pained grunt from the Aura Pokémon, but he did not falter. His arms wrapped tight around the ball of fur against his chest. Then, he was horizontal.
With a roar, Lucario snapped his body backward and suplexed his smaller foe into the dirt. The force of the impact inexplicably bounced Espeon back to a vertical base, though his legs gave out from under him almost immediately. That didn't keep his foe from once again rushing in.
"Shadow Ball!"
Choosing the larger attack turned out to be wise, as the ball of energy found the approaching Lucario's right side and stopped him a good ten feet from his target. This was their moment to regain the momentum.
"Force Palm!"
A brilliant blue aura encompassed Lucario's right hand. He lifted it just as Chris went to call for a command. The trainer's words were muffled as a low drone filled the air. A concentrated energy blast of the same color burst from Lucario's hand and crossed the final few feet to reach their target. The long range palm strike found the jewel atop Espeon's skull, whipping the creature's head back as it made contact. And then the rest of his body followed suit. The Sun Pokémon flipped over and smacked back-first into the ground.
"Roll back to your feet!" Chris called.
Espeon didn't move.
Chris went to call again, but Espeon's splayed, limp posture answered him before he spoke.
"Well, well," Marcus said, stepping slowly onto the battlefield. "Looks like Lucario and Luke are the victors."
Luke's expression was hard to read, but even from a distance, his eyes looked to be glowing. Both of his brothers had made it to their feet now, but they both went in opposite directions. As Ben stepped over to Luke, Tommy disappeared into the house.
Espeon had started to come to by the time Chris reached him. Even through his dazed expression, the pink edges of his mouth revealed a heavy frown.
"We just never found our rhythm," Chris softly explained. "That's on both of us, but especially me. I should have been more ready for Lucario's typing and what strategy they might implement."
Espeon didn't verbally reply, but his continued frown said enough as Chris began to heal him.
"Good battles, man," came Luke's surprisingly upbeat voice. He and Lucario had wasted no time in making it over to their downed opponents.
As Chris stood to grasp his friend's outstretched hand, he realized he still had a frown of his own covering a tightly clenched jaw. The best he could muster was a neutral tone and a half hearted, "You too."
Luke continued talking, but Chris was having a hard time concentrating on the words spoken. A heat had risen up around his collar, and he had an overwhelming desire to curl his hands into fists. Instead, he filled them with potions as he forced his attention back on Espeon.
Man... we leave off on a somber note. What does this loss mean for Chris and his team? What kind of growth does this show from Luke and can he build momentum off his victory? What other trainers and surprises might await our protagonists as they prep for the biggest battles of their young lives? You'll get the answers most likely (HOPEFULLY) this summer! No matter the chaos, Heart and Soul is near and dear to my own heart and I hope it can touch your soul regardless of release date! I hope to see you guys again soon! :) Please Review and Subscribe!