Do tell me if you prefer chapters of 8k-10k length chapters or chapter with 5k-6k length. The latter take less time to make which means less time to upload while the former take a bit longer to prepare. Choice is yours readers!
Sorry for the late update, was having Writer's Block!
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.
Xxx
Hatching!
Cynthia was enjoying Route 16 immensely.
She was happy to be on her own in the wild again. Celadon City was nice, if a bit populated. After spending so long in the wild, the blonde started to prefer it more than civilization.
The mayor had rewarded her nifty amount of money too. Cynthia had refilled on all of her supplies, buying a surplus amount just in case. She didn't plan to stay on Route 16 that long but it never hurt to be prepared.
Route 16 was a pretty short route. Cynthia wasn't sure why they couldn't just call it Route 17 altogether. It wasn't as if Route 16 was something crucial.
It acted as a connecter between Celadon and Route 17. Very few trainers and wild Pokémon wandered around it. Pokémon like Drowzee and Meowth, who had adjusted to cities, resided here majorly.
Route 16 would be over pretty soon, Cynthia knew that. She'll most probably cross it by tonight or tomorrow morning. It was a short walk which would prepare her for the long walk that came in the form of Route 17.
Route 17 was a very big stretch. Easily the biggest route in Kanto. Cynthia wasn't sure how long it'll take to be completely covered. It'll take more than a month that much was certain.
But the journey to Fuchsia didn't end just yet. Route 18 still existed, and it was pretty lengthy as well. Cynthia didn't want to extend it, but she was sure it'll take around two months to reach Fuchsia.
The blonde was a bit overwhelmed from the amount of time she'll have to spend in the wild. But she couldn't back down.
She'll never will.
And here she was. Traversing Route 16 with no one but only her Pokémon at her side. The blonde wasn't worried.
"You know Roselia," The blonde idly conversed with her Grass Type. "Our egg is about to hatch soon. Excited?" Roselia nodded. The Thorn Pokémon awaited his arrival more than the blonde herself.
"I wonder what species it'll be." The blonde told the Grass/Poison Type. "I've already asked it countless times but no one has replied. Nurse Joy said that she wanted it to be a secret." Cynthia puffed her cheeks. "While I do like secrets, I don't really stand them." She told Roselia.
Cynthia saw a trainer, an uncommon occurrence on this route. Cynthia prepared for it. "Want to fight this one Roselia?" The Grass Type nodded.
And Cynthia fought the first battle of her long journey.
Xxx
Viper was at a dilemma.
She had been feeling a strange energy collecting inside her from the past few days yet she wasn't able to harness it. The Snivy had asked Mystic about it but she didn't know anything about it.
Viper wanted to ask Zeus about it but since Ash had sent him to Professor Oak's lab at the current moment, she wasn't sure who else to consult.
Ash may know about it but the Grass Snake doubted it. He wasn't a Pokémon for one. She didn't know how to properly explain it to him as well.
Maybe Skylar would know about it. She was a fellow Pokémon though the two hadn't interacted much. Viper wanted to talk to everyone in the team a bit more, including Lairon.
The Rock/Steel Type was part of the team now; she'll have to put up with him.
"Anything up Viper?" Ash questioned his Grass Type. She had been oddly quiet. Viper snapped out of her train of thoughts and nodded. "You're zoning out. That's out of your character." Viper shrugged.
Route 10 was a rocky straight route with the sea not far away by the side. Not many trainers resided on Route 10 due to its nature. Ash actually liked that fact. It meant he would be able to travel faster and reach Lavender Town.
Off course, his injuries were slowing him down as always. The Palletian wondered sometimes why he got injured so much. She wouldn't be surprised if someone ambushed him here…
"Missing Zeus?" Ash questioned Viper. The Grass Snake shook her head. "Then what's the problem? You can tell me girl." Ash pressed. Viper collected her thoughts and replied.
She tried to explain to the best of her ability about the strange energy emanating inside her and how it was making her feel giddy and restless sometimes. To her surprise, Ash seemed to know why exactly she was feeling like that.
"You're feeling the energy that causes a Pokémon to evolve." Ash told her. Viper looked at him with attention. "Zeus felt like that when he was a Pichu. He woke us up midnight because he was pretty close to evolving."
Viper nodded, finally understanding that. "You're about to evolve Viper!" Ash told her enthusiastically. "You'll be a Servine then." Viper didn't seem so excited about it though.
Viper questioned Ash if Zeus changed after evolving. Ash considered the question before replying. "He lost his prankster attitude." Ash informed. "As a Pichu, he looked to prank me. He shocked me to consciousness every morning." Ash told the Grass Snake, feeling nostalgic. That was so long ago at the beginning of his journey.
"But he gradually lost that part of him after evolving into a Pikachu." Ash continued. "Everyone changes given time. Don't think evolution will change you completely or anything Viper." The Grass Type considered it. "It's a part of life."
"We should embrace changes instead of running away from them." Ash continued. "If we don't change, we'll stagnate." Viper knew about that. She had changed. Changed from the hating snake she was to a… well, less hating snake?
"Have you asked Skylar about it?" Ash asked. "She'll know a lot more about evolution and can provide you better answers." Viper nodded. She hadn't questioned her yet. Ash grabbed the Pidgeotto's pokéball and enlarged it.
"Skylar! I choose you!" The avian came out, shrieking dominantly. She landed on Ash's other shoulder, chirping in greeting. Ash gestured to Viper. "She wants to ask you something." Ash told her, knowing that the two weren't well acquainted.
Skylar looked at Viper who asked her about evolution. Skylar considered the question before asking her to question what she wanted to know about evolution. Viper replied that she wanted to know whether evolution changed someone or not.
Skylar replied that it depended on the one evolving. Personally, she didn't change much after evolving. Just got a lot more confident. Viper replied with Zeus's example, saying that he changed a lot after evolving.
Skylar repeated her answer and asked that was Viper afraid of changing? Viper shook her head resiliently at the accusation. Why would she be afraid of change?
But deep down, Viper knew that she didn't want to change. She was afraid of changes. She didn't want to leave her unique personality just to change into a Servine.
Skylar said that if changing was the reason Viper was so wary of evolving, she should remember that she'll change overtime anyway. No one remains the same for long.
She added that after evolving, a person matured instead of changing as she so put it. Viper considered that and nodded. Skylar questioned if she wanted to know anything else to which Viper shook her head. That much was enough.
Skylar took off from Ash's shoulder, telling Viper that she was going to stretch her wings. The Grass Snake nodded and thought about the information Skylar had told her.
Would she change? Viper didn't know.
All she knew was the evolutional energy inside her was rising.
Xxx
Three Weeks Later…
By each passing days the hatching neared. Cynthia was getting more excited. She had finished Route 9 pretty quickly and was about a third quarter through Route 10 when the egg hatched.
It was about nighttime and Cynthia, tired from the long walk and battles, had finished serving food to her Pokémon. In her lap was the incubator and inside was the dark blue egg.
"When are you going to hatch?" Cynthia told him. "You've been giving all the signs of hatching since the past three weeks yet you still haven't hatched. Hurry up." Cynthia told him.
The egg shook at that. A thin crack formed at the top making Cynthia blink. The blonde rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't dreaming when the crack widened.
"He's evolving." Cynthia announced to her team, pulling the egg out of the incubator and setting it down on a towel. Squirtle walked forwards, knocking he'll have to wash the amniotic fluid off the newborn first.
Cynthia's entire team stopped eating and stared at the egg. The smile on Cynthia's face stretched from one cheek to another. The blonde couldn't wait! She had waited so long for this!
As the cracks continued to spread, her excitement grew. There was a cry, and a head came out of the top. Cynthia's eyes grew wide as she vaguely knew about the species.
The egg fully hatched, revealing a small, blue canine Pokémon. It stared around, trying to find its parent when its eyes landed on Cynthia.
'Mom?' The infant spoke up, surprising Cynthia. She looked around to find if someone else had heard it but given their reactions, none did.
"Hey Riolu," Cynthia greeted back with a bright smile. She gestured to Squirtle who told Riolu that he'll wash him off first. Riolu looked at his parental figure for confirmation. "Don't worry."
Squirtle inhaled and sprayed the newborn baby with lukewarm water. Riolu blinked at the liquid but adjusted pretty soon. Cynthia gestured Squirtle to stop after a few moments and picked Riolu up with the towel.
"You can talk Riolu?" Cynthia questioned him while wiping him with the towel. Riolu giggled when Cynthia tickled him on his stomach. "Aren't you a cutie Riolu?" She said, leaning in and nuzzling him.
As the blonde played with her new Pokémon, her team formed up on her. Cynthia turned to them with a smile. "Riolu, this is our family." Cynthia told them. "Why don't you meet them yourself?"
Riolu shook his head frantically, clutching Cynthia's neck tightly. Cynthia winced a bit at the force Riolu applied. He was a Fighting Type, after all. "Don't worry Riolu." Cynthia told him with a genuine smile.
Riolu wasn't letting up however making her relent instead. "Okay then. I'll introduce you to them, okay?" Riolu nodded, letting go of her neck but still staying pretty close to her.
"This is Braixen, my starter." Cynthia gestured to the Fire Fox. Braixen raised her stick in a warm greeting. Riolu shyly waved back. "This is Nidorino, my first capture." The overprotective Poison Type growled in response.
Riolu felt intimidated from him and let out a scared cry. 'He's scaring me!' Riolu whined. Cynthia held him a bit tightly, giving a reassuring look.
"Don't worry Riolu," Cynthia told him. "He may look scary, but he's a big softie from the inside." Riolu looked at Nidorino again who looked a bit hurt from his reaction.
Riolu waved to him as well, uttering an apology. Nidorino nodded, accepting it. Cynthia smiled at the bonding and turned to Roselia. "That beautiful flower," Roselia giggled at the description. "Is Roselia." Roselia released a soothing aroma in response. Riolu relaxed immediately and waved excitedly at her. Cynthia beamed at the interaction. Riolu would most definitely be spending a lot of time with her.
"Then we have Buizel." The Sea Weasel stood there; face betraying none of his emotions. "He may not show it, but he cares for everyone." Riolu looked at the Water Type who stood there, arms crossed.
'Doesn't seem all that nice.' Riolu grumbled. Cynthia gave the newborn a look.
"Don't act like that Riolu. Everyone's nice." Riolu pouted a bit at that. Cynthia turned to the last Pokémon. "Last but not the least is Squirtle." The Water Turtle gave Riolu a smirk, acting all cool. Riolu felt impressed and gave him a bit of an awe filled greeting. "He's your cool uncle."
Cynthia wanted to introduce Riolu to Ash too but unfortunately he wasn't here. She felt a pang of sadness in her heart. Ash's Charmander must've hatched by now and she was sure Riolu would love meeting another Pokémon his age.
'You okay Mom?' Riolu questioned her. Cynthia gave him an assuring smile.
"Yup." She looked at her team. "So Riolu, why don't you go interact with everyone?" Riolu gave her a wary look. "Don't worry, I'm right here. No one will hurt you."
Riolu gave in this time and Cynthia let him down. Riolu immediately headed over to Roselia's side, feeling secure there. As her entire team began to interact with him, she put the towel and the empty incubator back in her backpack.
She sat down, feeling the tiredness crawl over her again. Riolu's hatching had given her some really needed energy but the adrenaline was now over.
She gestured Braixen over. The Fire Type walked over, looking at her trainer. "I'm going to fall asleep now." Cynthia told him. "Take care of Riolu, okay?"
Braixen questioned that she didn't eat anything. "I'll eat later. Feeling really exhausted now." Braixen nodded and Cynthia smiled. "Goodnight Braixen." Cynthia's eyes shut after that.
Sleep overtook her within moments.
Xxx
Viper didn't know why she was not evolving.
Every time she felt the energy surge to its limit inside her, it didn't release. Instead, it got restrained and after a few moments of excruciating stress, died back down.
The Grass Snake didn't know what was more worrying, the fact that she was unable to evolve or the exhaustion that followed when she failed to evolve.
She would talk to Ash about it today. Maybe Skylar or Mystic. The two must know about it, especially the latter since she had evolved. Ash may be able to give her some insight on it too.
One morning, Viper felt her evolution nearing her during breakfast. She had just swallowed a pellet of her Pokémon food when a bright white glow surrounded her.
Her teammates, unaware of her struggle with evolution, watched on in awe. Viper clenched her fists as the energy surged inside her, heart beat fastening.
Viper let out a pained cry as the energy fought against itself, twisting and burning her from within. She could faintly hear someone shouting in concern as she collapsed on the ground.
The bright white glow began to flicker, intensifying for a few moments. Viper felt dizziness overtake her as various visions made themselves known.
Old memories arose, memories she had thought she had moved on. Viper felt her body forcibly fight against changing. Viper let out a pained scream before collapsing down.
The glow around her dimmed before emitting outwards in a spectacular fashion. Viper drove the energy out of her forcibly, feeling all of her energy getting sucked out of her.
The Snivy went limp, panting heavily. Immediately someone picked her up. The Grass Type vaguely knew who it was but in her semi-conscious state, nothing was clear.
"Viper? Viper!"
Xxx
When Cynthia woke, she saw something that warmed her heart.
Riolu was next to him, clutching her tightly as his head rested on her chest. She had unconsciously wrapped her arms around the baby, pulling him close to her.
Nidorino was asleep close to Riolu, most probably to guard the rare Pokémon. Braixen was next to Cynthia, curled up around Squirtle who had withdrawn in his shell.
Buizel was asleep a little away. Cynthia smiled at a bit at the relaxed look on his face. Buizel always acted so tough around everyone but this was a one of the few rare occasions he was relaxed.
She winced a bit at the sun began to beat down it unforgiving heat. The hottest period of summer was approaching in a couple of weeks. Her journey would be its hardest at that point.
Cynthia rubbed Riolu's back soothingly, thinking about the Fighting Type. She hadn't scanned Riolu yet and didn't know much about the species. Riolu were rare to find and even rarer to study.
Cynthia wanted to slap herself hard. She didn't even bother to capture the Fighting Type last night to confirm it belonged to her. What if someone had swooped in and stole him?
The blonde doubted that. Nidorino wouldn't let anyone get near them and roar so loud everyone would wake up. Still, Cynthia could've just captured him just to make sure.
'Hey Mom.' Riolu greeted. Cynthia looked down, finding the Emanation Pokémon already up.
"Good morning Riolu." Cynthia greeted back. "I'm going to capture you now." She reached for her backpack, something she had been using as a makeshift pillow, and pulled out a pokéball.
'What is that?' Riolu questioned curiously.
"That's a pokéball." His mother explained. "This will mark that you belong to me. No one will be able to mark you as someone else's then." Riolu looked at the sphere with surprise.
'It can really do that?' Riolu asked. Cynthia smiled in reply.
"Why don't you find out?" Cynthia handed the Fighting Type the pokéball. Riolu inspected it curiously, accidently tapping the capture button.
He was really surprised as he was sucked inside the pokéball. The pokéball dinged after a few moments and Cynthia released him out. Riolu gave Cynthia an astonished look.
'What was that?!' He exclaimed.
"Now, you belong to me." Cynthia told him.
'Could've warned me Mom.' Riolu grumbled. Cynthia giggled.
"Let's get going now." The blonde stretched and shook off any lingering sleep off her. "Guys, get up." She told them, shaking Braixen. The Fire Fox opened one eye and got up with a sleepy yawn.
"Let's get this day going." Cynthia said, getting up. Braixen woke everyone up and Cynthia started the day off with one of the most important matters. "Riolu, I'm going to scan you first." She pulled out her pokedex and aimed it at him.
"Riolu the Emanation Pokémon. It uses the shapes of auras, which change according to emotion, to communicate with others. This Riolu is Male and has the ability Steadfast. It knows the following moves: Foresight, Force Palm, Endure and Quick Attack. Egg Move is Bullet Punch."
"You're pretty strong." Cynthia told the curious Emanation Pokémon. "We'll get you even stronger in the upcoming days, okay Riolu?" The Fighting Type nodded.
"But for now, we need to get going. Fuchsia City is pretty far away." She told him. "So, let's get started."
Xxx
"What happened to her?" Viper faintly heard someone ask, concern present. "I need to ask Professor Oak about this." Viper opened her eyes with some effort and saw Ash typing in his pokedex.
Viper turned as Mystic approached her, yipping in concern. She leaned in, nuzzling her soothingly. Viper leaned into her touch, feeling some much needed comfort.
The Eevee helped Viper in a sitting position, letting her lean against the Evolution Pokémon. Viper felt her head grow dizzy and gripped Mystic tightly.
"Easy girl." Ash told her, lifting her up and placing her in his lap. "How're you feeling Viper?" The Grass Snake gave Ash a small smile, wanting to assure him. "Don't look like it." His pokégear beeped. "One minute please."
Viper lay back down, closing her eyes. She heard someone walk up to her and opened one eye.
It was Charmander, giving her a concerned look. He gave a small, sad cry making her feel guilty. Viper let out a shaky vine which rubbed against his cheek, assuring him that she was fine.
Charmander stepped forwards and placed a paw on her face. Viper smiled at the gesture and forcibly got up. Ash noticed that and helped her stand.
Bulbasaur reached them by then, offering a vine. Viper nodded, gesturing to her waist, and he wrapped his vine around her waist. Charmander questioned what had happened to his favorite aunt.
Viper didn't have proper answer to that so Bulbasaur had to intervene. He said that his aunt was tired due to not sleeping on time and if he wanted to remain strong, he must sleep on time.
Charmander, being little and naïve, bought it easily. Bulbasaur then told Charmander to let his aunt rest and gestured Mystic over. The Eevee came over and took him a bit away.
Skylar landed on Ash's shoulder, chirping something to him. Viper gave her a confused look and Skylar replied that she had gone to see if there was any Pokémon Center near them.
"Was there any Pokémon Center near?" Ash questioned the Pidgeotto. She shook her head. "Oh." He scratched her under her beak appreciatively.
"I talked to Professor Oak about your issue Viper." Ash told the Grass Snake. "He said that evolution was a natural process and isn't hindered easily. Tell me, do you still fear changing? He said that some Pokémon don't want to evolve."
Viper shook her head. She had crossed that bridge already. "Then mind telling me what you're feeling?" Viper thought about it. She replied that she didn't feel anything at all regarding evolution. "There must be some issue causing this."
Ash handed her an Oran Berry to snack on. Viper ate it immediately, remembering she hadn't even taken lunch properly. "I don't know what would cause this." Ash told the Grass Snake apologetically. "Maybe the issue isn't psychological." Viper paused.
"Maybe it's physical." Viper really feared that. "We won't get to know about that until we reach a Pokémon Center." He opened his Pokégear and frowned when he saw how far they were from Lavender Town. "We're pretty far from Lavender Town right now."
Viper felt enough energy come back in her body and stood up on her own feet. Bulbasaur let go of her carefully. "We'll figure this out Viper." Ash vowed. "Don't worry at all." She nodded and Ash got up. "We need to get going now. Get ready guys."
Viper questioned where Lairon was to Bulbasaur who said that he was in his pokéball. Apparently he had made some snide remarks about her being too weak and pathetic. Viper felt her eye twitch at that but knew she wouldn't be able to do anything to him currently. Even with Overgrow he had defeated her.
She'll just have to train harder.
"Do you want to go in your Luxury Ball or do you want to stay out?" Ash asked her. Viper said that she wanted to eat something first. She barely took breakfast before the incident. Ash nodded and reached inside his backpack.
He served food to her, telling her to eat up slowly. Viper nodded, taking her time with breakfast. Meanwhile, Ash prepared to leave. Viper looked down at herself, wondering just what was happening to her.
Xxx
Cynthia finally knew how Riolu was able to talk to her.
She had contacted Professor Oak about the matter through her pokégear and he said that he had researched on the matter beforehand.
Apparently, Riolu were able to use aura to talk to her. Cynthia didn't quite understand the term being used; 'Aura Connection', but she vaguely understood it.
Riolu had formed a strong bond with her, enhanced with aura. That meant that he could utilize his aura to talk to her. It was pretty confusing, and Cynthia had exhausted herself trying to wrap her mind around the aura thing.
The blonde had heard some stories about Pokémon talking with trainers but most of them were myths and a few true ones mostly involved Psychic Pokémon.
Psychic Type Pokémon were considered one of the most intelligent Pokémon. Pokémon like Alakazam and Metagross were smarter than humans.
But Riolu was far from being a Psychic Pokémon. And this concept of aura was way too different from the former to be related. Cynthia wanted to look into his matter later on.
She could publish an entire paper based on personal experience. Maybe then she'll be accepted as a Field Researcher! Cynthia felt giddy at the thought.
It was her dream to be a researcher and achieve knowledge, just like Professor Oak. Though she knew it was near impossible to acquire half the knowledge he possessed, one could dream.
That's why she travelled and battled Gym Leaders instead of staying in a lab. Professor Samuel Oak was also a trainer in his younger days and had acquired majority of his knowledge during that time.
Cynthia wanted to follow in his footsteps. She would gain a lot of knowledge and would be able to hopefully work alongside Professor Oak as his junior.
If, and that was a big if, she managed to be intelligent enough to impress him. If not, then she'll just have to work harder. Cynthia had analyzed a lot of things she had observed on her journey and noted them down in her pokégear.
She had tested Nidorino's Confusion on Braixen when she was a Fenniken in order to try and wake her psychic capabilities before evolving and it had failed.
That didn't mean she'll give up though. Cynthia had a long journey in front of her and she'll utilize it to the fullest. Cynthia wondered just what life held for her next.
It was pretty unpredictable, after all.
Xxx
A Few days later…
"Huh?" Cynthia muttered as an unknown number called her on her pokégear. Riolu was on her shoulder and peered over in the phone. "Who'll call right now?" The blonde questioned, looking at the shining sun.
She picked the call, raising her wrist to her ear. "Hello?" Cynthia spoke up.
"Hey blondie." The answer came. Cynthia couldn't help the wide smile that spread on her face. Riolu looked at his mother curiously, not quite understanding the cause of the sudden shift in excitement.
"Ash!?"
Xxx
Cynthia was in pretty high spirits after the call. She had just explained everything to Riolu regarding Ash and his newly hatched Charmander. The Fighting Type took that in stride, saying that he'll love to meet Ash.
However, she also spotted someone else on Route 17, someone she hadn't hoped to see again so soon.
"Paul?" The purple haired trainer, who had been resting under a tree shade, looked up and saw the golden haired trainer approaching him.
"Cynthia," He acknowledged, getting up. "You heading to Fuchsia too?" The blonde nodded.
"I wanted to ask but never got the chance." Cynthia locked eyes with him. "Want to battle? Three on three?"
"Sure. Why else I'm here?" Cynthia tensed, preparing herself. Paul walked back a bit of distance, leaving space between them. "Three on three."
Cynthia nodded, expecting nothing else. She would've asked if he hadn't before. Paul was a very strong trainer, evident from the meeting they had in Celadon.
Cynthia couldn't help but feel the need to prove herself. And she had some strong motives to do so too. Leaf had defeated Erika on the first try. Ash had a strong Rhydon to rely on and his Pokémon all had trained in Rock Tunnel.
Gary had a lot of Pokémon capable of countering a lot of types. He'll be hard to plan for in the future. She didn't quite know about Ryan, but judging on how confident he was, she had no doubt he was pretty strong too.
And then came Paul. He saved her from the kidnappers in Celadon and defeated Erika pretty easily too, someone she had lost horribly against and nearly lost the second time too.
Cynthia couldn't help but feel that she was falling behind her rivals. Leaf, Gary, Ash, Ryan, and Paul all were strong trainers and she feared that they'll leave her in the dust sooner or later.
So, winning against Paul would boost her self-confidence by a lot. That's why she wanted to fight Paul in a fair three-on-three.
"See this carefully Riolu." Cynthia said, setting her newborn done. Riolu nodded and stared at Paul as he selected one of his pokéball.
"I'll choose first." Paul said, gripping one of his pokéball. Cynthia nodded, grabbing Squirtle's battle. Both threw their respective pokéball and out came their first choices.
"Sandslash stand by for battle!" Cynthia smirked as the Mouse Pokémon came out, slashing through air for warm-up.
"Squirtle battle dance!" The Water Turtle came out, giving the Sandslash an arrogant smirk. Riolu watched the battle curiously by Cynthia's side.
"Sandslash use Crush Claw!" Sandslash lunged forwards, claw glowing. Squirtle retorted using Withdraw, letting his claws slash uselessly against his hard shell.
"Use Water Gun!" Squirtle popped out of his shell and tried to blast the Ground Type with his favorite move. Sandslash ducked out of the way, lunging forwards for another Crush Claw.
Squirtle narrowly dodged it, hitting back with Headbutt. Sandslash stumbled back and Cynthia's Water Type kept on the pressure with Water Gun.
"Endure." Sandslash, unable to dodge the Water Gun, let it hit. "Swords Dance!" Sandslash boosted up his power, awaiting Squirtle's next move.
"Water Pulse!" Squirtle formed the compressed ball of water within moments and fired it. Sandslash dodged it without command, rushing towards Squirtle with Crush Claw again. "Withdraw!"
"Toss him!" Sandslash picked the shell and threw it away.
"Rapid Spin!" Squirtle spun his shell, regaining control. The Water Type hit the ground and ricocheted back towards the Mouse Pokémon. Paul smirked at the move.
"Rapid Spin." Sandslash curled into a spiky ball and rolled forwards. The two spinning Pokémon met at the middle, spinning against each other. To Cynthia's surprise, Sandslash broke through and sent Squirtle skidding back.
The Water Type came back out, looking a bit nauseous. Cynthia bit her lower lip at the dominance Sandslash was showing. "Squirtle use Ice Beam!" Squirtle inhaled and fired off the arcing beam.
Sandslash dodged it with Agility, closing in for another Crush Claw. "Withdraw into Headbutt into his belly!" Squirtle tucked into his shell, letting the Crush Claw hit it and blunt the damage.
"Don't let up!" Paul ordered. Squirtle was forced back inside as Sandslash kept on hitting his shell. Cynthia bit her lower lip and decided to pull out her trump card.
"Protect! Then Water Pulse!" A green barrier formed around Squirtle, pushing Sandslash back and making him stumble. Squirtle came out quickly and unleashed his compressed water orb, hitting Sandslash. "Now Ice Beam!"
"Protect! Earth Power!" Sandslash formed a barrier of his own, letting it absorb the Ice Beam, and then stomped the ground.
"Withdraw!" Cynthia hollered in alarm. Earth Power was a pretty strong attack and though the damage would be dampened a bit due to Squirtle's typing.
Squirtle tucked into his shell, just in time. The ground under him glowed and exploded, tossing his shell high in the air. "Stone Edge when he lands!"
"Rapid Spin Squirtle!" Squirtle reached the apex of his flight and began to drop. Squirtle began to spin, controlling his fall somewhat and aiming for Sandslash.
"Dig Sandslash." Paul ordered. Sandslash dug inside the ground making Cynthia growl.
"Water Gun! Slow down!" Squirtle let out his water through the holes in his shell. Cynthia blinked at the usage. Squirtle managed to slow his descent and hit the ground, ricocheting just a bit. "You ok?" Cynthia questioned as the turtle came out of his shell, looking nauseous.
Sandslash burst from his under him, delivering a clean Crush Claw. Cynthia let out a yelp as Squirtle landed on the back of his shell and Sandslash pressed on with Stone Edge.
"Withdraw!" Squirtle tucked inside as his shell was sent flying again. This time though, he landed down and struggled to get out. "Protect!" Another Stone Edge nearly hit Squirtle but got stopped by the shield.
"Crush Claw Sandslash!" Sandslash rushed forwards, both claws glowing. Cynthia wondered whether that move was Sandslash's favorite. Paul kept using it.
"Scald!" Squirtle, who had recovered a bit due to the Protect, inhaled and expelled boiling hot water. Sandslash altered his path, dodging the water, and closed in. Squirtle was ready though.
Sandslash pounced on him but the Water Turtle jumped to the side, blasting Sandslash with a close range Water Pulse. Sandslash gritted his teeth at the close range suffer effective hit, and Cynthia's turtle blasted him with Ice Beam.
"Rapid Spin!" Sandslash curled up into a spiky ball, rolling towards Squirtle. His spikes withstood the Ice Beam and he hit Squirtle. The Water Turtle leaned back, letting his shell's weight drop him down, and the Mouse Pokémon rolled over him.
"Water Pulse!" Squirtle aimed, and fired off the ball. He managed to aim right, and hit Sandslash on his rolling escapade. Sandslash uncurled, hitting the ground hard. Squirtle got back on his feet with some difficulty, staring at the Mouse Pokémon.
Both were panting from the battle. Though Squirtle had taken more hits than Sandslash, Squirtle's defenses had lessened it. Plus, Squirtle's super effective attacks had hurt Sandslash heavily too.
"Stone Edge Sandslash!" Sandslash let the sharp rocks loose towards Squirtle who stared them down.
"Rapid Spin! Dodge it!" Squirtle tucked inside his shell and rolled out of the way.
Straight into Sandslash's trap.
Cynthia saw the Earth Power building but was unable to warm Squirtle. The Water Turtle was sent flying in the air from the blast yet again. Paul grinned as Squirtle fell down and Sandslash rushed to meet him.
Cynthia got an idea and she awaited the perfect moment. Paul was one tough foe. She'll be tough pressed to defeat him. But she wasn't giving up. She'll win this three vs. three!
"Protect!" Squirtle, who had very nearly reached the ground, activated his green shield. Sandslash slammed against the barrier and stumbled back, feeling like he had run into a steel wall.
Squirtle ricocheted off the ground towards Sandslash. The Ground Type let out a gasp as Squirtle's shell slammed into his stomach. "Water Pulse!"
"Protect!" Paul wasn't letting up that easily. Squirtle was pushed off Sandslash due to the Protect and his Water Pulse uselessly blasted against the barrier. "End this with Crush Claw!"
Sandslash jumped to his feet and readied his Crush Claw. Rushing forwards, he reached Squirtle and swiped.
But Cynthia couldn't help her competitive side and Protect was triggered once again. Sandslash's Crush Claw bounced off and Squirtle set off his Water Pulse.
"Stealth Rock!" Sandslash, instead of trying to dodge the Water Pulse, threw sharp rocks in their surroundings. The Water Pulse impacted him, sending him skidding in front of Paul. Sandslash glared at the cocky turtle and growled before collapsing down.
"Great job Squirtle!" Cynthia cheered. Squirtle cheered before falling down himself. Cynthia sighed as the strain of using Protect so many times showed itself.
Protect, while being a very useful tactic to use, drained a lot of energy from the user. Repeated uses without rest would burn the user out. That's what had happened with Squirtle.
Cynthia had expected that much. She just wanted Squirtle to take out Sandslash and make it a bit easier for them. Both of them returned their defeated Pokémon, wondering on what to do next.
"Your Squirtle needs improvement." Paul commented. "Sandslash is one of my recently captured Pokémon. If he was properly trained, Squirtle wouldn't have stood a chance."
Cynthia didn't reply, knowing that she'll be lying if she denied. Cynthia hadn't used Squirtle that much in battles and their battle style had yet to adapt.
Cynthia vowed to fix that in the future. Just like how she had with Nidorino, she'll fix it with Roselia and Squirtle.
But for now, she had a battle to win.
"Ready for Round 2?" Cynthia questioned, already having selected Braixen's pokéball. Riolu looked on, clutching Cynthia's leg. He felt a bit pumped up at the fight and from the excitement and adrenaline rolling off his mother.
"Ready when you are." Paul commented. The two threw their pokéballs, and out came their next choices. Braixen stared at the Electabuzz in front of her, tensing up.
Cynthia also recognized the challenge that Electabuzz presented. He was a skilled Pokémon who had defeated Erika's last Pokémon without any difficulty.
Any further thoughts were interrupted as Braixen let out a pained cry. "Braixen!" Cynthia hollered in alarm as sharp rocks dug into her. She looked around and saw the Stealth Rocks Sandslash had set up.
Braixen seemed a bit hurt from the Stealth Rocks if her expression was anything to go by. Paul seemed confident and Electabuzz seemed ready to pummel Braixen into oblivion.
Cynthia was already worked up from the first match and on how to defeat Electabuzz and these Stealth Rocks had to show up too.
The battle just got a lot more harder to win suddenly.
Xxx
Do tell me if you prefer longer chapters like 8k-10k words or chapters like these with 5k-6k. The latter means quicker updates while the former mean a bit longer break between updates. Now, I need to sleep so, Peace!
Response to Reviews:
Guest: Obviously bro. All of them will evolve with a few exceptions…
Issie82: And in this quarantine I'm very happy to have such supporting readers for my story.
UltimateCCC: How about a Pidgeot?
Kyu9930: Nice idea! I'll keep that in mind for later!