Battles Of Varying Types

Whenever something weaker than itself stood in its way…

It was cut down and cast aside.

All but myself.

Not even I could defeat it.

Only banish it.

Dream Eater closed the door after Judgment. He never took his eyes off the boy who called himself Shadow Force. He might be a simple child, but Dream Eater could tell that there was more to this kid than meets the eye. He didn't know what exactly quite yet, but he was getting a vibe that was unmistakable.

Shadow Force held his gaze calmly. He seemed very comfortable, given his position. Wasn't he scared? Wasn't he afraid of the pain he was about to receive?

Then again, Dream Eater thought. I've fought so many battles with a trans-attack. It gave me an advantage. Suddenly, I don't want that advantage anymore. Not against this kid, at least.

It wasn't that Dream Eater didn't want to hurt the boy. He was in no way worried about that. He simply thought it would be too easy for his Gengar to slip past his Pikachu's guard and hit him with Hypnosis, putting him to sleep. That would make the task of defeating Pikachu an incredibly effortless task. Dream Eater knew from experience that a Pokemon without a trainer was not half as effective in a battle.

Dream Eater didn't want this battle to be easy. Phillip would definitely be able to beat Judgment. The difference in battling prowess there was significant. The other two roaming around the building were outnumbered, so they would eventually be captured as well. This was probably the only real battle Dream Eater would get for a long while. He wanted to make the most of it.

"Should we get started?" Shadow Force asked. Dream Eater sensed a tiny amount of eagerness in his voice, so slight he had almost disregarded it.

Dream Eater paused. The boy wanted to battle with him. Judgment had gone straight to business as well, but there was more determination in his words than anticipation. Like Dream Eater was only an obstacle to him. A tough one, for sure, but only a blockade.

Shadow Force had a different mindset. He didn't care at all about getting past. He didn't care if he made it in time to help his friend deal with Phillip. He was in it for the thrill of the fight. The thought of it sparked something inside Dream Eater, something that had been inactive for a long time.

"Would you like me to remove the trans-attack from my Gengar?" Dream Eater asked. "It's the thing that allows me to harm you," He clarified.

Shadow Force blinked. "Why would you offer that?" He asked, looking puzzled.

It was Dream Eater's turn to be confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean, wouldn't you want to use everything at your disposal to stop me?" Shadow Force asked. "Isn't that the most efficient way to get rid of me?"

Dream Eater sighed. "Kid, I'll be honest. I'm really bored. I don't want advantages anymore. I want an even fight. It creates more suspense and excitement."

Shadow Force shrugged. "Yeah, I guess I know what you mean." He averted his eyes as he thought for a moment in silence. After the moment had passed he looked back up at Dream Eater. "How many do you have?"

"What?"

"Trans-attacks. How many?"

Phillip had given every member only one device each in order to preserve resources. However, a special case was made for Dream Eater. Phillip had explained that it was possible for the devices to break if a battle became too intense, so he had given Dream Eater a spare, which he kept in his pocket next to Midnight's Dominance Ball in case he ever needed it. He hadn't.

Dream Eater dug into his pocket and pulled out the spare trans-attack. "Two," he replied.

Shadow Force held out his hands as if he expected Dream Eater to just toss it to him.

"What, you want me to get rid of one of my best weapons against you?" He asked lazily.

"Wouldn't it be more fun?" Shadow Force asked. "If we both had trans-attacks, we could go for each other as well as our Pokemon. That would make the game more intense, don't you think?"

The game. That was what he had said. This was all just a game to him. He was doing this just for sport.

"These things don't tickle, you know," Dream Eater cautioned. "You'll definitely have some scars afterward."

Why am I concerned? That's not like me.

The answer was clear, of course. Dream Eater just couldn't see it yet. At least, not until he saw what Shadow Force did next. Standing there, with his hands in the pockets of his black jacket. In a relaxed and casual posture.

The boy smiled.

It was in no way a smile that warmed the heart of the standard person. It was hideous to look at. It wasn't the smile of a boy who was going to an amusement park. It wasn't the smile of a man who had just found out that the love he had for a woman was requited.

It was the smile of the devil, coming to a world where he was free to do as he wished. It was the smile of the insane man as he prepared himself for pain. It was an eerie and creepy smile, one that would leave a small child with bad dreams for the night.

It was seeing that smile that gave Dream Eater his answer as to why he was concerned. He returned the smile at first, then began to laugh wholeheartedly. It echoed across the corridor, bouncing off the cement walls. He hadn't laughed in a while. Then again, he hadn't had much to laugh about.

But this was something new and different. For the first time in his life, Dream Eater was looking at a person he felt a connection with. It was because this boy was him.

That was why he had been worried. Dream Eater had never felt such a bond with someone, and the two hadn't even known each other long or talked to each other much. He didn't want to harm the boy.

But he had been foolish. Of course Shadow Force would want this. It was, after all, the only thing Dream Eater knew that could make the battle as entertaining as possible.

Dream Eater tossed the trans-attack to Shadow Force, who caught it easily. He leaned down and placed it on his Pikachu. The Pokemon seemed slightly reluctant at first to what was about to happen, but Dream Eater could tell it wasn't because it worried about hurting another person. It was only worried about its trainer and what he was getting himself into.

Shadow Force consoled his Pokemon, who eventually accepted how things would be transpiring from then on. He straightened his back and nodded to Dream Eater.

Dream Eater removed the Dominance ball from his pocket and opened it. Midnight materialized in the empty space in front of him, ready to fight. Dream Eater had changed one of its moves since he had fought last, something he was grateful for. If he had kept the move Thunderbolt, it wouldn't have done him much good in this battle, as Pikachu was an electric type. It had replaced the old move with Poison Jab.

The trainers stepped back from their Pokemon. Dream Eater's back was two inches from the door, but the Pokemon still had a lot of space to battle. It might be hard for them to get past their opponent and strike the trainer, but that was the whole fun of the game. That was what the outcome of the battle rested on.

Dream Eater and Shadow Force watched each other silently and Dream Eater felt another pulse of connection and understanding.

One might think it would be better if we weren't enemies, Dream Eater thought to himself. Personally, I believe that's the part about this that makes it the most fun. Neither of us can afford to lose. Doing so would not only hurt our pride but our bodies as well.

The two grinned at each other and called out moves simultaneously.

"Thunderbolt!"

"Shadow Ball!"

Eve and Null danced around each other while their trainers evaluated their opponent's strength. Neither of them were landing any attacks, the were simply jumping and feinting. They were getting a feel for how the other Pokemon moved.

"Let's leave them to it for a while," Leader said. "They want to get to know each other before they start going all out. Besides, I want to tell you about the game I created for you and your friends."

Kyle didn't take his eyes off the battle in front of him. He suspected that Leader wanted to distract him so that there was an opportunity to land a heavy strike. In a situation like this, Kyle couldn't afford to be careless.

Leader didn't seem to mind that Kyle kept watching the fight. He talked anyway.

Great, this is probably going to end up being some huge monologue, Kyle thought tiredly.

"I put my ice-type grunts on the top floor," Leader explained. "I know you weren't trying to escape, but I thought I'd put them there in case your friends showed up. They have orders to use Ice Beam on anyone who comes out of the stairwell. If your friends aren't quick enough, they'll be frozen solid. If they are, then at least the door will be frozen shut, giving you nowhere to run if things become dire."

This caught Kyle's attention and his focus slipped slightly. They said they would go up first. Have they reached that point by now? Kyle shook his head and cleared his mind. He's trying to get me to lose my concentration so he can take advantage of it. I can't let him.

"I also know you would probably want to contact help," Leader continued. "Now, this is where it gets interesting. I shut down the connection of all the computers in the building, save for mine and one other room. I wonder if you'll be able to find that room? I certainly don't think you'll get to use these computers since you're going to lose." Then he chuckled. "And even if your friends do find that room, they'll have two full teams waiting for them. I wonder how they'll fare"

Kyle kept his mind mostly steady, but he couldn't help but feel a little curious once again. Why would he do things like this? He wondered. Making the match even. Giving us a fighting chance. Is he mocking us? Or is he just that bored?

Kyle didn't respond to anything Leader said. The boss of Team Dominion didn't say any more about his game.

Null swung its head around, trying to strike Eve with the structure on its head, but the brown-furred Pokemon ducked below the swing and pushed itself forward to bite one of Null's legs. The strange Pokemon moved out of the way just in time and fell into a defensive stance.

Things kept going like this. After a few moments of silence from the two trainers, Kyle was beginning to feel uneasy.

Is he going to call out a move? He wondered nervously. Should I call out a move and try to catch him off guard? Should I-

"Air Slash!" Leader called.

Damn! I wasn't paying attention!

Null leaned its head forward and to one side.

It's going to make a horizontal slashing motion, Kyle deduced. "Jump!"

Eve followed its trainer's reasoning and leaped straight up into the air. Kyle saw that he had been right as Null moved its head in a horizontal arc, creating a thin blade of air that shot towards Eve with the speed of a falling raindrop. It missed the bottom of Eve's feet by a hair's breadth. Kyle sighed with relief that his distraction hadn't cost him anything.

"Tri-attack!" Leader called.

What?

Null didn't waste any time following up its previous move with another. It snapped its head up from the position it had ended when it had used Air Slash. Three beams of energy, each one varying in color, shot from Null's helmet and flew towards Eve like geysers.

Eve continued to hang in the air. Since it didn't have its feet on the ground, it couldn't do anything to avoid the attack. Kyle cringed as the three beams simultaneously hit Eve mid-air and threw it backward. The Eevee tumbled to the ground in a heap.

Most Pokemon need time to switch from one move to another, Kyle thought. But this one switches between moves faster than any Pokemon I've ever seen. It was a great advantage for Leader to have, and a major disadvantage for Kyle.

Kyle wanted to think that he had a few tricks of his own, but all he really had were the evolution stones. Nothing else that he could do to gain an advantage over Leader came to his mind. He couldn't even use one of Eve's moves, Sand Attack, because there was no dirt or sand in this room to use.

I need time to think of a strategy, Kyle thought as he concentrated. Crap, I should've done this earlier.

Leader wasn't wasting any more time now to talk or to let their Pokemon dance around each other. Kyle didn't get a chance to think of anything that might help him before Leader ordered his Pokemon to use its next attack.

"Iron Head!"

Eve was on its feet in time to see Null charging forward, head pointed at its target. It was able to dodge the attack, however. While the movement might not have been graceful due to blow it had taken just moments before, it saved the Eevee from being hit again.

An opening! "Now, counterattack with Bite!"

Kyle hadn't even said the first word before Leader voiced another command.

"Lean out of the way and use X-scissor!"

Eve moved in to bite it's opponent's leg, but when its teeth clamped down, they only met the other set of teeth. Null had moved just as far as it needed to avoid the attack. Eve was completely exposed, and Null used this to raise both of its front legs and slash its claws in an X pattern across Eve's body. The Pokemon cried out in pain.

Dammit! Come on! Kyle was growing increasingly frustrated and anxious at the same time. He needed to start turning things around, but his mind was still racing to find a solution. The foresight Leader had made an annoyingly effective combo when combined with his Pokemon's speed.

Kyle was finally hit with an idea. It wasn't really a strategy as much as it was a theory. If I can just use his foresight against him, make him believe something is going to happen before changing my plan at the last second…

"X-scissor, again!" Leader ordered.

Null lifted its front legs to strike again in the X pattern. While it did this, it left its balance on its back legs and left its entire front exposed.

"Move in and use Double Kick!" Kyle shouted.

It was clear that Eve was fighting through pain as it dashed forward and underneath Null's front legs. However, as Kyle had been calling out his order, Leader had once again been a step ahead.

"Use your hind legs and jump backward!" He shouted. "Catch it with X-scissor on your landing!"

Null did as its trainer commanded, pushing itself away into the air and away from Eve's attack. At least, away from where Eve's attack would've hit if Kyle hadn't been prepared for something.

"Keep running and use Bite on it in the air!" Kyle shouted before Null's back feet left the ground.

Eve didn't show any confusion or puzzlement at the change in the way it was attacking. It continued running forward as Null leaped into the air. Eve jumped to follow it and sank its teeth into Null's chest. The sound of the Pokemon's cry was muffled by its bulky helmet.

Kyle grinned. There we go. Now we're in business.

Leader raised his eyebrows. "Well, it seems you can pull a few things out of your sleeve," he commented. Despite his facial expression, he sounded unimpressed. "But can you keep up?"

Null placed its front paws on Eve's backside and drove the other Pokemon into the ground as the landed, pinning it down. It then threw its head back and swung it down. Eve's legs gave out from the force of the attack as it was flattened underneath its opponent. Null then raised its legs again, claws glowing. It was using X-scissor again.

"Get out of there!" Kyle shouted.

Eve's legs shook as it stood, but it managed to dart away from Null's follow-up attack. However, it still sustained a small scratch from one of Null's claws.

Eve dashed backwards to where Kyle stood to regain its energy. There were claw marks and bruises all over its body, which was rising and falling shakily as it breathed. It looked as if it would fall over at any moment.

It can't afford to take many more hits. Kyle slung his bag off his shoulders and opened it. He stuck his hand inside and search until he found what he was looking for. He found a purple spray bottle and called to Eve. His Pokemon limped over, keeping an eye on Null, so its trainer could tend to its wounds.

Leader rolled his eyes as he watched Kyle spray Eve's body.

"I guess I'll let you recover," he said. "It wouldn't be as fun if the battle didn't last long, anyway."

Kyle wanted to growl, but Leader was right for treating him as a weaker opponent. After all, he was.

I planned on using this later, Kyle thought, feeling around for the stones in his pocket. But I need to gain the upper hand somehow. He alternated his fingers around the gritty leaf stone and cold ice stone. Finally, he settled on the Ice Stone and pulled it out of his pocket.

Leader tilted his head when he saw it. Then he smiled a little. "Oh, yes. I was hoping you had one of those on hand. It might make things more challenging for me."

Kyle ignored Leader's insults and held the stone out to Eve. The Pokemon hesitated for only a second as it placed one paw upon the stone.

The stone evaporated into glittering particles and Eve began to glow. All of its features became indiscernible as Kyle backed away. The Pokemon's shape began to change next. It grew a little larger and its tail became longer and less bushy. Two long strips descended from the top of its head like bangs.

The light dulled, and in the Eevee's place, a Glaceon now stood.

Its turquoise color was beautiful. The strips hanging down from its head swung around is it turned to face Null. They, along with its tail, were shaped like ice shards. Overall, it looked incredibly elegant.

Leader smiled. "Shall we continue, then?"

Jordan was getting annoyed with his and Carol's luck. They hadn't found a single working computer throughout this entire place, nor had they found where all the stolen Pokemon were stored. Not to mention they hadn't come across any more adversities to deal with. He had hoped they would find some when they opened the door to this floor, but there had been none.

Still, he had a little bit of hope left. They were beginning to narrow their search. That meant that they would encounter an opponent sometime sooner or later at least, as well as find the room filled with Pokemon. As for calling help…

Well, hopefully, they would find a working computer around here somewhere, eventually.

Fireball seemed to be itching for another battle, too. It seemed excited that it had gained the power to hurt humans. Jordan hoped it was for the reasons involving Team Dominion and nothing more sinister than that.

Carol groaned as they found another computer that didn't turn on.

"Come on!" She complained. She turned to Jordan. "At this point, I don't know if there are any computers here that work. They probably shut them all down."

Jordan shrugged. "There wouldn't be any point to abandoning the task," he said. "We might miss an actual working one if we do."

Carol nodded. "Yeah, I know. This is just getting a little tedious, is all."

The four moved down the hall to the next door. Jordan had noticed that most of them had names on them. They most likely belonged to Team Dominion members, seeing as how the ones with names had bed areas inside of them. When he had realized this, he had made sure Fireball was aware in case a member decided to pop out like the ones from the stairwell.

Carol tried the door. To their surprise, it was locked. None of the others had been locked, which should've been more surprising than what they were experiencing now.

"Here, let us," Jordan offered. Carol moved away from the door and Fireball stepped up to it. "Mach Punch!"

Fireball pulled back a glowing fist and aggressively punched the door. Though the attack had been powerful, the door didn't budge.

What the… "Try again."

Fireball did so and achieved the same result as before. The door didn't even show signs of having been punched.

"Whatever," Carol said. "Let's just moved on to the next door."

This one was locked as well. Jordan tried to make Fireball punch it again to no avail. They even tried Flame Wheel, which only accomplished everything Mach Punch had.

Jordan sighed frustratingly. "Fine, on to the next."

Jordan tried to open the door this time. He wrapped his hand around the knob and twisted. To his delight, the door obeyed his touch. Jordan pulled it outward.

"Fina-"

There was a flash of light followed by a sudden blast that threw Jordan backward, causing his back hit the opposite wall. The impact knocked the wind out of him. He fell to his hands and knees and began to wheeze.

Pain.

"Jordan!" Carol exclaimed. She rushed over to check on him, but Jordan waved her off as he stood. His knees and back hurt, but especially his back. His spine was struggling to support him.

Jordan looked towards the door he had opened and saw a Pokemon that looked like a large owl appeared in the doorway. A Noctowl. Behind it was a smirking woman.

"Hey there," she greeted. "Are you enjoying your stay?"

The two doors Jordan and Carol had failed to open suddenly did just that, along with a few other doors in the area they hadn't gotten to yet. Men and women wearing black stepped out, along with Pokemon. Jordan did a quick scan and found that there were Psychic types and Poison types. Two full squads.

They were caved in on both sides, cutting off any escape. Jordan let his instincts kick in and turned to one side. Carol thankfully saw what he was trying to do and turned to face the opposite side, putting them back-to-back.

This isn't a battle we can win, Jordan thought. We just need to weaken them a little and then shift all of our focus to one side. Hopefully, we can break through with that method.

The woman who owned the Noctowl sighed when she saw their formation. "Are you sure you want to do this?" She asked. "This many trans-attacks at once will cause a lot of pain, you know. We could just take you in."

Jordan looked around again. On his side, he saw the woman and the man who had brought him there in the van. The woman looked especially eager to beat his ass.

Jordan grinned despite his situation. "Oh, well. I guess I'll just have to deal with it."

Dammit, Jordan. Sure, we don't want to get recaptured, but you don't have to act so eager to feel pain. Carol remembered the feeling when Manectric's Discharge had passed over her. She was in no way looking forward to getting hit by another Pokemon attack, much less eleven of them.

"Flame Wheel!

Carol heard the sounds of shouting from behind her, but they weren't coming from Jordan. She smiled.

Here we go, then.

"Hit them all with Twister!" Carol shouted.

Scarf threw a tornado down the hall towards the enemies in front of her. About half of them were wiped out by the force of the Twister. Humans and Pokemon were thrown against walls and knocked to the ground.

The ones that remained unaffected launched their attacks against her and Scarf.

"Air Cutter!"

"Sludge!"

"Psycho Cut!"

A Crowbat, a Muk, and a Gallade all sent their attacks toward Scarf and Carol. While Gallade and Muk's attacks were targeted toward Scarf, in particular, Crobat's Air Cutter seemed to be aimed directly toward Carol.

Carol dropped to the floor as a razorlike wind passed overhead. She felt relief at dodging the attack then began to panic as she realized that unlike her, Jordan wasn't in the clear. Unable to see the attack, the razors cut into his back and arms. He grunted and staggered before whipping around, growling.

Carol's eyes widened as she saw members behind Jordan attempting to take advantage of his distraction. Some of them were occupying Fireball, which left the rest with an opportunity.

A Skuntank and a Salazzle were both aiming attacks at the unaware boy. Carol jumped to her feet.

"Scarf, use-"

Carol turned and saw that Scarf was currently locked into a battle with three Pokemon at once. It was getting tossed around and didn't look like it would be able to do much given its current situation. However, it seemed it would be able to hold its own for a little longer without Carol's help.

Recognizing she had limited options, she threw herself between the Jordan and his attackers. As she passed him, he began to look confused before realization crossed his face and his eyes widened to twice their usual size.

Jordan was important. He couldn't afford to be taken out. His Pokemon was too strong to afford losing it.

Carol, however, was weak. She was expendable. It wasn't much of a difficult choice, really. She just wished it didn't have to involve so much pain.

Salazzle used Dragon Rage. From its mouth came a series of shock waves that rattled Carol's body and inflicting pain that had been worse than what Discharge had dealt. She tried to catch her breath throughout the experience, but she only succeeded in inhaling the poison gas Skuntank had blasted towards her. Carol coughed uncontrollably and her lungs burned. Soon, the pain became too much, and she collapsed on the ground, the world fading to black.