Author's note: Howdy, y'all!
This chapter took a while to write, coz it was a little bit overwhelming. But VGS2's advice helped me a lot. 'Don't think of it like an obstacle, think of it like a challenge!' Probably paraphrased.
Anyway! In other news...
I'm a bit pouty that no one figured out what outfits May and Drew are wearing in the fic! XP Well, fine, I'll tell you. May's wearing her Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby outfit, and Drew's dressed like the male Ace Trainer from the same game(s). Seriously, have you seen those guys? I could only ever see Drew whenever I battled one. Lol.
Well, with that, I hope you enjoy the chapter! Battling galore, for once! Though don't expect me to do it too often. XD It's hard work.
Chapter Twenty-Two: Beauteous Bout
"Alright, Granbull, Stone Edge!" the girl with long red pigtails called out with a frown.
Granbull glowed white, forming two orbiting rings around herself. When the glow faded, she instead had dozens of sharp rocks orbiting her. Flinging her paws outwards, she sent them hurtling over the pool in Buneary's direction.
Pikachu knew that the rabbit had a decent amount of battling experience - since she'd won the rounds she'd been used in the Sinnoh Wallace Cup and Sinnoh Grand Festival - but she didn't have nearly as much as most of her teammates. Because of her being mostly suited to appeal rounds, that was where Dawn tended to use her.
He was intrigued as to how this would go.
... He also only just realised that Dawn wasn't wearing her usual contest dress. Huh. Well, he supposed it was more of a Sinnoh thing anyway, so it made sense that she wasn't wearing it in Johto, and perhaps even Hoenn.
"Buneary, Bounce!" Dawn called out with a determined smile.
Buneary's feet glowed white, before she bounced into the air.
Pikachu blinked. Since when had Bounce made her feet glow? Had she picked that up from her training?
He was briefly reminded that he hadn't seen her battle at all while she'd been in Unova, and he was also reminded why, but he got distracted by what he saw next. Buneary was jumping across the sharp stones, one after another, never once touching the pointed ends, all while still above the pool. He stared, impressed.
"What in the-?!" the pigtailed girl cried angrily.
"Now jump!" Dawn called out.
Spring-boarding off the last stone, Buneary leapt high into the air. Extending a glowing foot, she fell rapidly toward her opponent.
"Granbull, Dazzling Gleam!"
... Dazzling Gleam? Pikachu had never heard of that move before.
He watched as Granbull's body glowed an intense white. He squinted against it, as did the humans. Buneary, who'd gotten the brunt of the light, shrieked and covered her eyes. It was then that rainbow-coloured beams of light shot out of the glow, striking Buneary in mid-air. She fell straight into the pool with a splash.
Once the glow died down, Pikachu rapidly blinked his eyes to get his sight back. Was Buneary okay?
A smirk appeared on the pigtailed girl's face. "Now, Granbull!" she cried. "Water Pulse!"
Glowing a faint shade of blue, Granbull thrust her paws into the pool. There was a rumbling sound, before the entire middle section of the pool rose up in a swirling pillar of water. A shrieking Buneary was caught inside it.
Pikachu's eyes widened. What a creative use of the pool, and of Water Pulse! Actually, it reminded him a lot of Drew's absol, strangely. How was Buneary going to break free of it, though?
"Now, Stone Edge again!" the pigtailed girl called out.
Glowing once more, Granbull formed the rotating rings. The moment they turned into sharp rocks, she flung them upwards, towards Buneary.
"Buneary, spin!" Dawn called out.
Nodding, Buneary twisted her body around, following the flow of the spiral. When she reached the peak of the pillar, she jumped on top of it.
"Now, Thunderbolt!" Dawn continued.
Pikachu's eyes widened again. Right, Thunderbolt! He'd almost forgotten she had that!
He watched as the fluff around Buneary's waist, and on the tips of her ears, started sparking. Letting both of her ears spring up, she unleashed a bolt of electricity. It looked just like his own as it electrified the entire pillar of water, causing the sharp rocks to bounce harmlessly off it.
The crowd roared as she back-flipped off, all the way back down to her side of the pool, where she gracefully landed and posed. The electrified pillar of water collapsed in front of her, destroying any remaining sparks.
... Wow. So that was what her Thunderbolt looked like.
As the judges and the announcer endlessly praised her performance, so did the humans sitting next to Pikachu on the couch. He could hear Cilan rattling off food terminology, while explaining the effectiveness of Buneary's combination, but then a distant memory crossed his brain, drowning the connoisseur out.
A memory where he'd given Buneary the cold shoulder over her having learned Thunderbolt in the first place.
Seeing it in action, though, made him feel a bit guilty. Perhaps he'd been a bit hasty to assume that she'd learned it purely to impress him? It wasn't as if he'd trademarked the move, after all. It just happened to be his signature move. His thing. A move he'd had since Ash had cheated in his youth, using a generator and a waterwheel to help him beat Brock's gym.
Buneary had made the move her own, using it in ways he didn't tend to, since there wasn't much use for flash in gym battles. Had he really been too hasty? Maybe she'd learned the move simply because she'd wanted to, and he'd been a jerk about it...
His ears dipped slightly at the thought.
The pigtailed girl growled, grinding her teeth in annoyance. "Alright, Granbull!" she yelled. "Show 'em a different kind of Stone Edge!"
"(Yeahhhh!)" Granbull replied.
Her fist now glowing white, she punched the ground with all of her might. There was a loud rumbling noise.
After a moment, several stone pillars rose up from the bottom of the pool, forming a set of platforms above it.
... Huh. That had been a creative way of using Stone Edge.
"Now get in there and use Play Rough!" the pigtailed girl yelled.
... Play Rough? Yet another move Pikachu had never heard of? That, plus Dazzling Gleam and Grassy Terrain, must have come from a region he hadn't visited yet.
He watched as both of Granbull's fists glowed pink. Then she hopped across the platforms as fast as she could, heading towards Buneary.
"Buneary!" Dawn called out. "Get in there and use Dizzy Punch!"
The fluff on Buneary's ears glowed rainbow colours as she hopped across the pillars. Meeting Granbull in the middle, she swung one of her ears. Since Granbull was swinging her fist at the same time, they clashed, sending out a shockwave of energy.
"Play Rough again!"
Granbull swung her other fist towards Buneary.
"Dizzy Punch!"
Buneary swung her other ear, blocking the attack and creating another shockwave.
The pigtailed girl frowned. "More! Use Play Rough more!"
Granbull wildly swung her fist at Buneary.
"Dodge it!"
Buneary jumped backwards, avoiding the glowing fist, and landed on the pillar behind her.
"Now come back with Dizzy Punch!"
Buneary jumped forwards again, landing on the pillar and punching Granbull square in the jaw. The dog flew backwards, barely landing on the pillar behind her.
"Oh, so we're playing jumping games now? Fine! Granbull, get in there and pummel her with Play Rough!"
Granbull leapt across the gap, aiming for the pillar that Buneary was standing on.
"You do the same with Dizzy Punch!"
As Granbull landed on the pillar, the dog and rabbit exchanged blows.
Pikachu watched for a while as the two fought, jumping back and forth across the pillars, attempting several times to hit each other, then continuing to jump around on the pillars.
He couldn't tear his eyes away. It was just like one of those martial arts movies he'd watched at a pokémon centre once, with the fighters punching and kicking each other on the tips of bamboo sticks.
Next to him, the humans and Axew were going wild with excitement. It truly was a sight to behold.
... Had Buneary always been this strong?
"That's it!" the pigtailed girl yelled angrily. "Dazzling Gleam!"
Halting her attack, Granbull jumped backwards, landed on the pillar behind her and began glowing.
"Watch out!" Dawn cried.
A blinding light engulfed the screen, and Pikachu had to squint to protect his eyesight. Still determined to watch, he saw the entire pool glisten from the light. It was a beautiful appeal that everyone watched in awe. Concerned about Buneary and the points she might lose, he glanced at the rabbit. He was surprised to see that she was covering her eyes with her fluff.
... Clever.
Then came the rainbow-coloured beams of light, which shot towards the rabbit.
"Thunderbolt!" Dawn called out.
Dropping her fluff, Buneary quickly built up electricity in it, then released it. It crashed into the rainbow beams, causing a small explosion of electrical sparks and rainbow-coloured sparkles.
The pigtailed girl let out a cry of rage.
"Now, Buneary!" Dawn continued. "Use Ice Beam on the pool!"
"What?!" the pigtailed girl cried in disbelief.
Leaping up into the air, Buneary formed a light blue ball in front of her mouth, before shooting out a beam of icy cold energy. Moving her head, she spread it across the entirety of the pool, freezing both the water and pillars.
"Granbull, move!" the pigtailed girl yelled.
Granbull turned around, frantically hopping from one pillar to the next, eventually making a safe landing by the side of the pool. The dog and her trainer breathed a sigh of relief.
Now the entire pool was covered in ice.
Falling back down, Buneary gracefully landed on one of the icy pillars, twirled around and posed at the camera.
Pikachu couldn't help the smile that curled up at the corner of his mouth. Heh. Show-off.
The pigtailed girl ground her teeth, snarling. "Fire a Water Pulse!"
Granbull formed a swirling ball of water between her paws. Ah, yes. That looked more like the one Pikachu had been used to seeing from Buizel. He watched as the dog fired it upwards, towards Buneary.
"Dodge it!" Dawn called out.
With a short hop, Buneary landed on her rear and slid down the icy pillar, completely avoiding the ball of water. It crashed into the top, breaking off a few chunks of ice.
"Water Pulse until you hit her!"
"Keep dodging!"
Granbull fired off Water Pulse after Water Pulse, while Buneary gracefully slid around on the pool like an ice skater, expertly avoiding every single one. More chunks of ice fell from the surrounding pillars.
The pigtailed girl growled. "Get closer!"
Granbull stepped onto the ice, then immediately slipped. She scrambled to stay upright, firing off another Water Pulse.
"Bounce against the pillars, Buneary!"
Dodging the Water Pulse, Buneary leapt into the air, her feet glowing white. Turning sideways, she kicked outwards, completely destroying one of the pillars. Chunks of rock and ice went flying in Granbull's direction.
"Dodge!"
Granbull ran around in a panic, slipping and sliding as the chunks crashed down around her.
"Again!" Dawn cried as Buneary came in for a landing.
"Oh no, you don't!" the pigtailed girl yelled. "Play Rough on the ice!"
Dawn's eyes widened. "What?"
Granbull stopped in place, her fists glowing pink. With a cry, she pummelled the ice beneath her feet several times. Large cracks crept along it. With a final punch, she leapt off and landed on her side of the pool.
"Buneary, get back!"
Buneary leapt backwards, landing on her own side of the pool. All the ice and rock crumbled, caving in on itself and landing with a splash in the water.
"Alright, Granbull, throw a Stone Edge!"
Granbull glowed white, surrounding herself with two rings of light. When they turned into sharp, orbiting rocks, she flung them at Buneary.
"Bounce across them!"
Her feet glowing white, Buneary leapt across them like stepping stones, much like she'd done at the start of the match.
The pigtailed girl smirked. "Alright, give 'em a Water Pulse!"
Granbull glowed a faint shade of blue, which she'd only done once before. Pikachu's eyes widened.
The dog thrust her paws into the pool, and a rumbling sound followed. As Buneary bounced off the last sharp rock, a tidal wave rose from the pool, heading straight for the rabbit. She was tumbling directly into its path.
Dawn looked panicked for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure. "Buneary, Ice Beam!"
Forming another light blue ball, Buneary shot out a beam of icy energy, completely freezing the tidal wave in place.
"Oh, come on!" the pigtailed girl yelled angrily.
While she was at it, Buneary also froze the water underneath herself, forming a platform to stand on.
"Now Bounce!" Dawn called out.
Her feet glowing white, Buneary hit the ice and bounced high, doing a forward somersault, before landing on the top of the tidal wave. She slid down it, straight towards Granbull.
"Fire a Water Pulse! Now!"
Forming a swirling ball of water between her paws, Granbull fired it. It travelled up the length of the icy tidal wave.
"Dodge!"
Buneary did a short hop, somersaulting over the Water Pulse.
"Now Bounce!" Dawn continued, pointing dramatically.
Extending her foot, which glowed white, Buneary smashed it directly into Granbull's jaw. The dog flew backwards, hitting the floor and sliding along on her back.
As she stopped sliding, Buneary landed on the floor in front of her.
"Time's up!" the announcer called out.
As Granbull scrambled back to her feet, everyone waited in anticipation for the results.
"And the winner is..." the announcer continued, indicating the large screen behind her, where the points were being displayed.
Pikachu's eyes widened. It was plain as day. There was only one clear winner that he could see.
"Dawn!" the announcer finished.
The humans and Axew celebrated, while the pigtailed girl stomped her foot, recalled Granbull and stormed off-stage. As for Buneary, she hopped around the pool and leapt into Dawn's arms. The two hugged and laughed, clearly very pleased with their victory.
Pikachu couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. It had been a while since he'd seen Buneary so happy, so he was glad that she could have this win. She deserved it for all the training she'd clearly been doing.
Something stabbed at his heart again, reminding him that there was only one reason she'd look so happy after everything that had happened. His smile melted into a slight frown.
... No. He didn't want to ruin the happy mood by thinking about that. Though it was a little hard not to think about it.
She'd... really gotten over him, hadn't she?
... Well... it was better this way, he supposed. This way, the two of them could get on with their lives, and focus on other things. As a result, there'd be a lot less heartbreak.
For both of them.
Pikachu watched the next three rounds of the Wallace Cup pass by. May battled a boy with side-swept silver hair. The problem was, he wouldn't stop flirting with her the entire match. She looked very uncomfortable as she tried to ignore his remarks. Pikachu frowned, unable to blame her. He seemed incredibly shallow, especially since he occasionally stopped to flirt with other girls up in the audience. A human Oshawott, if he ever saw one.
After a bit of a struggle on May's end, due to her being horribly distracted, her munchlax eventually defeated his seaking.
In the next round, Drew battled a boy with messy blond hair, who wouldn't stop pulling ridiculous poses, and calling out even more ridiculous move names. None of which, according to Cynthia and Jervis, were actual move names.
Drew's butterfree made quick work of his shiftry, helped largely by the huge type advantage.
In the final round, Harley battled a girl with long dark blue hair, who was wearing rather boyish clothing. She wore such a serious expression the entire match that Harley joked about her face sticking like that. She was not amused.
After a long battle, his banette eventually defeated her dewott, ending the first set of the battle rounds.
Next to Pikachu on the couch, the humans excitedly talked about the recent set of battles, and how much they were looking forward to the next set.
Pikachu had to agree. It was shaping up to be a pretty lively Wallace Cup!
After much deliberation by the four judges, the announcer declared the match-ups for the next round.
First up, Dawn would battle Harley. Oh boy. Pikachu couldn't help wonder how that would go, especially since Harley was known for his dirty tricks.
After that, Drew and May would have battles against trainers that Pikachu didn't know, or care to know. He only cared if Drew and May would beat them or not.
... Well, he supposed Buneary's time in the spotlight was over. That was fair enough, though. He'd seen all he needed to see. He'd probably stick around for the other battles, too, but he was satisfied. She really had gotten over him completely, it seemed.
He'd known she would, but...
He shook his head. No. This was good. Of course it was. It was stupid to think otherwise.
Continuing to watch, he saw Dawn emerge again. Harley emerged on the other side, blowing kisses to the crowd.
Pikachu wondered who Dawn would use in this battle. Piplup? Pachirisu? Quilava? Mamoswine? It could be any one of them, really.
Heh. He briefly wondered if Ambipom was watching this, over in Vermillion City in Kanto.
When Dawn and Harley stood on opposite ends of the pool, they each readied a pokéball. One coordinator was smiling, while the other was smirking.
Dawn enlarged her pokéball and threw it. "Buneary, spooootlight!" she called out.
Pikachu's eyes bugged in their sockets. What?! She was using Buneary again?
The rabbit materialised on the field. "(Yeah, let's go!)" she said excitedly.
... Okay, now he was really interested in this battle.