Lin wasted no time in resuming the battle. She kicked off her right foot, dashing towards Noblesse with all the agility her Weavile body could muster. Adrenaline was pumping through her body, revitalizing her both physically and mentally, and with the storm beginning to subside, her eyes were picking up on details that she had been blinded to mere moments ago.
Noblesse shifted his stance, but his movement seemed more sluggish than before, and Lin could not hide a smirk as she drew closer. The Ampharos' transformation had altered very little of his body structure - he had gained no additional mass or size, save for the wool adorning his head and tail, and in the current weather, this was a disadvantage. In addition, the Ampharos did not seem well-practiced with the transformed state, and so his sense of balance seemed to be off by a fraction of a second.
And even such little difference was enough to cost you when it came to fighting against a Weavile.
Black energy engulfed Lin's claws, and she raked them viciously across Noblesse's stomach. The water rolling down his body played a small role in resisting the damage, as her claws tried and failed to catch on some irregularity in his body's grain, but she also noted that the skin seemed tougher than the last time she had attacked Noblesse with her claws.
A crackle of electricity interrupted any further notes Lin could make, as each of the orbs protruding from Noblesse's fluffy tail lit up, one by one. The Weavile leapt backwards, tilting her body into an expert backflip, as yellow bolts of lightning erupted from the Ampharos' tail, the beams criss-crossing one another and turning the air around them into a dangerous grid of electric wires. By some miracle, Lin's maneuver had enabled her to avoid taking any direct hits, but she could smell the sizzling in the air and had felt the heat emanating from the close misses of the electric beams.
Her eyes widened as she landed, the red eyes gazing warily at her opponent. Either Noblesse had been completely sincere in agreeing to go at her with his best efforts, or the transformation itself had supplied him with an absurd increase in power. Logical to assume the latter, for if each of those energy orbs produced powerful electricity under normal circumstances, then having a whole bunch of them at his disposal meant his electrical output was massively amplified.
The gem at Noblesse's forehead glowed vibrantly, and a pulse of electric-blue energy lanced towards her. Lin pivoted hastily, but a simple tilt of his head allowed Noblesse to redirect the aim of his attack, the beam tracing a line across Lin's torso. Blazing heat raged through Lin's body, as if Noblesse had carved the line into her flesh with a welding torch. The physical effect of the energy was not quite that dramatic, but to Lin it still felt like her very skin was on fire, and continued to burn long after the attack had subsided.
"What the hell was that?" Lin demanded. It was physical pain far beyond anything she had ever experienced before. It was worse than taking a direct hit from a Flamethrower attack, or even feeling the sting of a vicious enemy's claws. There was no doubt left in her mind that the transformed state of the Ampharos had provided a significant boost in power, but her mind was struggling to grasp the technique that had just been used against her.
"Uh...Dragon Pulse," Noblesse answered, sounding a little perplexed. Lin conjured icy energy around her paws and pressed them firmly against her burning skill, dulling the pain a little, and she stared intently at her opponent. The blue-green energy from before was shimmering around his body, and for a fraction of a second, Lin could see the outline of the stone's sigil reappearing in his eye, like some malformed pupil. At the same time, the wool on his head and tail seemed to puff outwards, engulfing his body in a faint blue glow.
"It shouldn't sting that much," Lin hissed, but even the pain searing her body was not enough to keep her from continuing the fight. Battle was the ultimate joy for a Weavile, and there were few things Lin enjoyed more than the thrill and excitement of facing an opponent with different tricks than the norm. Something had changed about Noblesse, but she couldn't put her claw on it yet. Not just the damage output, but something more subtle than that. Something that made something like Dragon Pulse sting far more than it should have.
Lin was not going to just stand idle, no matter how painful it was to move. She couldn't bring herself to disappoint her opponent, after he went to so much trouble to bring her a genuine challenge, and she doubted his transformation would last forever.
Mega Evolution...
That's what Noblesse had called it. The term was foreign to her, completely unknown. Did that mean it was not a standard form of evolution, but something different entirely? Honestly, she didn't care to know the answers right now - she had a battle to win. And it was time for her to really go all out.
A predatory smile grew across her face, displaying her pointed teeth that normally only showed through her smirks of amusement. Rain dripped down her face, soaking into the feathers of the red crown that ringed her neck, underneath the waterlogged scarf.
Lin swept her paw across the air in front of her, each of her claws shimmering with an icy blue glow. In the wake of her movement, rain solidified rapidly into ice crystals, peppering the grass with white flakes of snow. Every raindrop that fell within the same range of space experienced a similar transformation, until it was no longer rain falling upon the Weavile's body, but snow and ice. The temperature of the air, already chilly from the bombardment of water, descended rapidly, so that even the occasional breeze felt cold as it passed across her body.
Noblesse shivered a little, and produced a sphere of electricity between his paws. Sparks bounced between the rain that still fell around his body, and in a fluid motion, he launched the electricity in Lin's direction.
"Perfect," Lin purred, and she cleaved the air horizontally with her claws, kicking off the ground immediately afterwards. Snow was a fascinating form of water, for it fell to the earth much slower than either rain or sleet, and Lin planned to take advantage of that trait. As rain entered the space she had carved into the air, the hyper-chilled air rapidly changed the water droplets into snow, but rain was entering the chilled space much faster than the snowflakes were falling away from it, causing the flakes to stick together. By the time enough rain had gathered within that space for the snowflakes to form a thin sheet of snow and ice, Lin was already airborne, and as soon as her feet made contact with the surface, she used all her agility to spring off the makeshift platform, shattering it to bits in the process, but netting her some extra height and distance.
The Weavile's grin widened as Noblesse's Electro Ball passed beneath her, and she dropped down onto the bewildered Ampharos, both her paws glowing with icy blue energy. She exhaled forcefully as she descended, unleashing a gale of ice and snow into the electric sheep's face, forcing his eyes shut. His forehead gem glowed with vibrant light, and a powerful bolt of sparkling energy erupted from the center of the gem, but his eyes were closed, so he could not aim. The Weavile tucked her body to the right with all the training and finesse of a gymnast, veering away from the instinctive attack. She landed with nary a sound, but it was clear that the chill her body was giving off somehow registered with Noblesse's senses, because he desperately jerked his head towards her, bringing the energy beam along with it.
Lin reacted with sheer instinct, punching her paw forward until her fist collided with the Power Gem beam. Coldness radiated from her fist, creating a thin layer of ice around her paw, supplying just enough of a chill to defend against the intensity of the Ampharos' attack. She smirked calmly, focusing all her mental energy towards maintaining this otherwise flimsy defense. Noblesse's projectile techniques contained raw power, but not longevity. He would not be able to keep up this bombardment, at least not long enough to break through her defense. Once his assault paused, she would end this battle in one swift strike.
Part of her wanted to prolong the fight a little longer, and test out her tactics just a little more. It was so rare that an opponent forced her to use her ice abilities over her claws, but many of her stronger opponents had been fellow Ice-types, such as Frost. A shame, because this battle was reminding her how effective her ice abilities could be, as an unexpected element, or even as a support for a more direct strike.
At this range, snowflakes were falling around both of them, and Noblesse was cringing from the cold, shivering far more intensely than he should have. Did the wool on his body not supply him with any additional warmth? Something slowly clicked within the Weavile's mind, and her grin widened in triumph. If her hunch was correct, then victory was definitely hers.
As expected, Noblesse's energy soon tapered off and he opened his eyes warily. Lin didn't even allow him the chance to realize the threat of her presence before she acted, closing the gap between them in an instant. There wasn't even much need to direct energy into the claws for some extra range and damage, for they still shimmered with the icy energy she had used to defend. Without even the slightest hesitation, the Weavile raked her claws viciously across Noblesse's chest, then brought her other paw to scratch his stomach. She alternated her paws with each strike, mercilessly directing her blows to every conceivably vulnerable area she could find. Chest, shoulder, stomach, leg. Repeat.
Noblesse cried out in shock and pain, but Lin noted that her claws were not breaking the skin. He was receiving scratches and blows, but nothing that would incapacitate him as an opponent. She struck again and again, finding her hits unsatisfying, for there was not even a trickle of blood being drawn. The Ampharos was recoiling from her blows, wincing and yelping and even flailing desperately to try to dislodge her, but Lin remained stalwart and relentless.
The water that had been rolling down Noblesse's body had become icy, clinging to his body like a thin layer of insulation. Lin could see from the Ampharos' eyes that the cold was excruciating for him, far more than it logically should have been, and the feeble sparks his body was giving off indicated that the ice was stifling his electrical currents, the opposite effect that the rain had been having during the first half of their battle. With the cold sapping his strength, and his electricity unable to fire off as quickly, powerfully, or effectively as before, Noblesse was effectively neutralized as a threat. Victory was hers.
Yet the Weavile did not cease her assault. Her mind was a haze of aggression and growing frustration. Her claws struck viciously at the opponent's body, yet she was still not breaking the skin, nor leaving so much as a single crimson mark across his unblemished white stomach. It made no sense to her! She had managed to leave scratches upon him earlier in their fight, even with the rain, yet after the transformation, Noblesse's body resisted the damage for no logical reason.
Ice was crawling along the entirety of the Ampharos' body, and his movements had become sluggish. His eyes were glazing over a little, as the cold seeped deeper into his body, sapping his energy. At this rate, he would pass out from cold-induced drowsiness before Lin so much as left a scratch on him.
"Stop it, Lin!" Kaito shouted, and Lin froze, alarmed. Never before had she ever heard Kaito shout like that. It was stern and commanding, a far cry from his normal demeanor. There was something else laced within his tone as well, but Lin could not immediately place it. Concern? Shock? Perhaps, but it was something different...something that made her insides squirm with guilt and embarrassment. Disappointment?
Lin didn't have time to puzzle it out any further. Out of nowhere, a pressurized jet of water blindsided the Weavile, striking her with enough force to knock her clean off her feet. She tumbled across the grass, crying out once as her head bumped against the trunk of a tree. Everything seemed to be spinning around her, and she groaned, clutching her head with one paw and keeping her eyes closed in an effort to reduce the nauseating effects she was experiencing.
"Oh crap," Kaito muttered, just loudly enough for Lin to hear him.
"Aureia, keep your eyes on it," a male voice said sternly from somewhere nearby. The Weavile's ears pricked up, but whenever she tried to open her eyes, she was overcome by dizziness and forced to reclose them. "Is he okay, Rachel?"
There was movement nearby, and Lin managed to open her eyes a crack without ill effects, enough to make out the silhouette of two humans, presumably one male and one female, based on the given name and voice. One of them was examining Noblesse with obvious concern, and a pang of regret stabbed into Lin's gut as it began to sink in how viciously she had been attacking, and what it must have looked like to the newcomers. No wonder she had been sniped by the water jet.
She groaned again and rolled onto all fours, making an effort to sit up. She got no further than the roll before something heavy slammed into her side, forcing the wind from her lungs, and she coughed violently. To add insult to injury, something pressed down onto her back, forcing her stomach against the ground. The weight did not lift off afterwards, and Lin quickly determined that whatever was on top of her had four paws, indicating that there was a quadruped literally sitting on her back.
"Get off me," Lin grumbled, immediately attempting to roll the weight off of her, but found herself unable to. Whomever was pinning her had their weight pretty evenly distributed over her body, preventing her from shifting one way or the other.
"Nuh-uh," a female voice said, sounding like it was coming from right beside her ear. Lin was loathe to admit that she was actually slightly relieved to know that it was a female Pokemon currently pinning her. Not that this made the current arrangement any more enjoyable, not least of which because the Pokemon's voice sounded like she was in fairly good spirits.
"Noblesse, can you hear me?" a second female voice asked urgently from further away. Lin opened her eyes a little further, straining to see what was going on from the corner of her eye. The two humans were still inspecting the Ampharos, who was definitely recovering a little bit from Lin's freezing assault, but Lin expected that he was still a bit drowsy. "Are you hurt?"
"I didn't know Ampharos still had wool after evolving," the male human commented.
"They don't," the female human replied blankly, before it clicked. "Oh, Noblesse, you're so dumb sometimes!" she griped, but Lin noticed her tone was far more amused than angry. "Were you using your Mega Stone to flirt again? Aureia, is that Weavile a girl?"
"If you think I'm going to CHECK, I promise you, I'm not that bored," deadpanned the voice near Lin's ear.
"Aureia...I think Rachel meant you should ask," the male human noted, sounding incredibly amused. Undoubtedly responding to an inquisitive look from his female counterpart, he chuckled. "She was giving you her 'Are you a moron?' look."
"...you both are morons," Aureia muttered.
"Excuse me," Kaito said, moving forward into view, but he seemed to be addressing the Pokemon pinning Lin, rather than the humans. The weight on Lin's back shifted a little, but remained there, as the Pokemon turned its attention to the Togetic. "I can clear up the confusion here. Lin and Noblesse were having a spar that admittedly got a little intense near the end. She's not dangerous, and does not need to be restrained."
"Oh good," Aureia replied blandly. Something slapped the ground loudly from right beside Lin, and she flinched, but still found herself unable to move. Both humans turned towards the sound, looking alarmed from the glimpse of them that Lin could see. "He said stuff, blah blah blah, I'm getting off her now," Aureia stated, lifting one paw off of Lin's back to gesture in Kaito's direction.
This was followed immediately by the weight being lifted from Lin's back, and she sat up, massaging the side of her head that had collided with the tree. Now that she could look around, she was able to confirm that the Pokemon that had been pinning her had been a female Vaporeon. The most curious quality that Lin could see from just this brief glance was that the Vaporeon's eyes were devoid of emotion, although her tail was flicking with subtle happiness. Judging by the droplets of water clinging to its body, Aureia had been outside during the receding rain shower and found the weather to her liking.
The male human was watching Lin closely, perhaps not entirely convinced of her lack of threat. She sized him up in return, and remained in a seated position. She still needed some time to fully collect herself, so it was probably in her best interest to simply wait until the humans had left before attempting to leave. The human was fairly young by human standards, she supposed. No facial hair to indicate older age, and his features were youthful. She estimated that he was probably in his early adulthood, although she knew humans aged much slower than Pokemon did, so getting an estimate of his age in years was beyond her skill set.
The female human seemed similar in age, but like with the male, Lin was not likely to get an accurate approximation. Raven hair extended to her shoulders and her clothing was modest, yet comfortably fitting. The only reason the style caught Lin's notice at all was that she had known some human females to prefer tighter clothing that accentuated their figure, but this young woman carried herself with confidence and grace despite not dressing for the sake of allure.
"Noblesse doesn't seem too bad, Adrian, just really cold," the female human continued, looking up from her inspection of the Ampharos. The wool that had been adorning his features had disappeared somehow, and the black bandana with the gemstone clasp had somehow reappeared in its place. Noblesse himself seemed to be recovering, but ice crystals still clung to his body, and he was shivering.
"You should probably still get him checked out at the Center," the male human said seriously. "Make sure he doesn't have internal injuries or something like frostbite."
"The cold wasn't that severe," Rachel said, shaking her head. "Noblesse, what were you even thinking?" she continued, turning to the Electric-type with a stern frown. "You know messing around with your Mega Evolution is taxing, and you're part-dragon in that form, so why would you spar with an Ice-type?"
"Ha! Knew it!" Lin purred, but her grin was a bit forced. It had occurred to her that the extra force behind the Dragon Pulse and his sudden susceptibility to cold might have indicated Dragon-typing, it somehow failed to occur to her how stupidly dangerous it was for her to assault him with Ice Punches and ice-infused Slashes when he was unable to reliably defend against them. Maybe not all the nausea in her gut was from the rough tumble she had taken. All that had mattered to her had been winning, but why hadn't she forced him to yield, like she had with Frost, when victory was assured? Why had she not stopped her hunter instincts from taking over this time?
"Can't resist a pretty face?" Noblesse suggested with a weak shrug. He had evidently recovered enough to speak again, and it was clear from his trainer's expression that they had a close enough bond that she could get the gist of what he was saying, because she scowled at him disapprovingly.
"Are you sure he's going to be fine, Rachel?" Adrian asked, still unconvinced. The Vaporeon had wandered back over to where he was standing, and was watching the discussion with mild interest. Kaito had moved nearer to Lin's location, yet was hovering passively, giving Lin the impression he was using his presence as a reassurance that she was of no threat to the humans. The fact that neither the humans nor the Vaporeon had questioned Kaito's judgment struck her as rather odd, but then again, Kaito had taken residence here, so maybe he was fairly well-known or connected to the human community.
"Yeah, he just needs to rest and warm up a little more. Makes me wish I had a hot water bottle or something."
"Oh, no need to pamper me that extensively," Noblesse protested with a chuckle.
"Do you think I could borrow Ember for that purpose?" Rachel continued, paying no heed to the Ampharos' protests, and looking up at Adrian earnestly.
"Uh...probably not the best idea," Adrian said, wincing a little bit. "She's...in a bit of a mood right now. I don't imagine her being thrilled if I call her out during a dying rain storm just to use her flame."
"If you need heat, I'll help," another voice spoke up unexpectedly. Lin blinked, before remembering that there was another Pokemon present, who had gone almost completely unnoticed during the spar and intervention. Celes stepped out from beneath the shelter of the tree, casting a glance skyward to confirm that the rain had indeed slowed to a light drizzle.
The humans both glanced around, having heard Celes' voice, but had not noticed her presence either until now. However, the moment that the female locked eyes with the Flareon, she cried out and ducked behind Adrian, clutching his shoulders to utilize him as a shield between herself and the Flareon.
"...what are you doing, Rachel?" Adrian asked, bemused.
"That's the Flareon I accidentally hit with the Theater door!" Rachel explained. She offered the Flareon a desperately apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, again!"
"When was this?" Adrian wondered, bewildered.
"Right before I came to meet up with you," Rachel babbled, her eyes fixed nervously on the Flareon, who was now looking mildly annoyed at the reaction, and even a touch anxious over the sudden attention. If Lin had to guess, the Fire-type was already regretting her decision to try to help out. "She was coming in with an Altaria, and I didn't see her, and BAM! Door to the face. Do you think she's still mad at me? You're good at reading if Pokemon are aggressive, right?"
Adrian chuckled at his female companion's words. "Honestly, she looks harmless," he noted, shaking his head. "A bit nervous, but her fur isn't bristled, she's not growling, no display of teeth, and not spitting fire in our direction. I think you're safe. Aureia, do you mind exchanging a few words, just to be sure?"
The Vaporeon rolled her eyes, casting an indifferent look in Celes' direction.
"Uh...Vay-Ree-Por-On," Aureia stated blandly, carefully enunciating each syllable, then cocked her head inquisitively. "Por-Ree? Vay-On?"
"...what?" Celes asked, her brow furrowing in absolute confusion, and her brown eyes darting from side to side, as if this somehow would make it easier for her to process the nonsensical nature of what had just been said. Noblesse was looking amused, but putting impressive effort into hiding his laughter, probably to avoid Celes retracting her offer of providing heat if she thought she was being mocked.
"...you're literally just saying variations of 'Vaporeon' with different inflection again, aren't you?" Adrian asked, giving the Vaporeon a scolding look, but she merely tilted her nose away from him, her mermaid tail flicking with subtle enjoyment. Unable to hide his own amusement at his Pokemon's antics, Adrian shook his head. "I think you're fine, Rach."
"Offering me heat, my lovely stratus?" Noblesse asked, seemingly aware that the humans were unlikely to navigate the offer without a fellow Pokemon nudging one party along. "That's sweet of you."
Celes cast the Ampharos a withering look. "You still owe me information about the friend you told my brother to meet with," she reminded him crisply.
"That's true. I did not mean to cause you undue stress, little cirrus. I did not want to speak so plainly in front of Sorin at the time. I told Blaze to find Kuro, who could have set him up for the winter with the Violet City clan. However, I doubt he went, but revealing I knew that much might have tipped off Sorin that Kuro and I were in contact recently, and Kuro didn't want Kaito to know that."
"I'm right here, you know," Kaito noted, raising his paw to draw attention to his presence. The Togetic had been observing the exchange with mild interest, but increasing restlessness. Perhaps, like Lin, he was waiting for the humans to depart the area so that they could go on their way without any interference.
"I know. It was a moot point in the end, because I let slip Kuro's name in front of Sorin anyway, and our sparring match revealed my ace in the hole," Noblesse conceded with a sheepish shrug before refocusing on Celes. "So, about that warmth, how should we go about that? Hugging? Cuddling? Sit in my lap?"
"I could set your lap on fire," Celes retorted. The Ampharos winced.
"I'm open to alternatives," he said quickly. His trainer pressed one hand to her face and groaned audibly.
"Noblesse, please tell me you're not flirting with that Flareon," Rachel sighed. "Oh, who am I kidding? Of course you are."
"To be fair, he is cold, so it'd be totally understandable to want to get as close to a heat source as possible," Adrian noted. He glanced down at the Vaporeon next to him, and then furrowed his brow, perplexed. "Aureia, you all right, girl?" he asked.
Lin looked over at the Vaporeon, and saw that the water Eeveelution had tensed up considerably, and was watching Noblesse and Celes with a wary expression. The Weavile frowned to herself thoughtfully, but was unable to recall when the Vaporeon's attitude might have shifted. With so many different people and Pokemon around her to keep track of, Aureia's overall passive behavior had gone unnoticed for the past few minutes.
"Hm, maybe we should get going," Adrian said, when Aureia gave no indication that she was going to respond to his concern. Rachel blinked, but gave a quick nod of agreement. Clearly, wherever the two humans were heading, coming upon Lin's spar with Noblesse was an unintended detour, and not part of the plan. Kaito reached over and lightly prodded Lin's shoulder, and when she glanced at him, he jerked his head back towards the house where they had been staying the past few days. Lin gave a small nod of acknowledgement and rose to her feet, flicking one end of the waterlogged scarf over her shoulder.
"Leaving?" Noblesse inquired, to which Lin replied again with a wordless nod. "Very well, have a good afternoon. Don't be a stranger!"
"Are you coming or lingering behind?" Lin asked, directing her question to Celes. The Flareon had supposedly been traveling with Sorin, and Cecilia had joined them for the trip to Ecruteak, but both of those two were at the house, and she had no idea what Celes' plan was now.
"I'll catch up," Celes answered blandly. "I just need to defrost him a little."
"I'll let Sorin know," Kaito remarked, and he gestured for Lin to follow him, leading the way back towards the main city. Lin followed at a slower pace, her mind beginning to retrace the memories of her sparring match, and the concerns that were still lingering in the back of her mind.
It had been so long since the last time Lin ever felt she had gotten too swept up in her primal instincts. Only through constant self-observation was she able to fully command the impulses and desires that existed within her after evolution. She was not normally one to worry about such things, even in retrospect of a close call, but she did have one very large, very valid concern.
What might have happened had Kaito not been there to startle her out of that mindset? Even if one made the argument that the humans' arrival would have physically prevented her from going overboard, there was no guarantee she would have been restrained peacefully. A Weavile's base instinct on being attacked was to fight back. It was only her calmer head that had allowed her to take being sniped and sat upon without resistance. And she was only calmer at the time because of Kaito.
Not the most reassuring of thoughts.
