Pride of Your Soul
Chapter 8: Old Veterans
AN: Hey, I'm back from college kicking my ass :D Wait, I'm not done yet? D: *sigh*
In all seriousness though, sorry for the late update. College started, and proceeded to kick my collective ass and taking up my time so that I don't die. I at least managed to finish off Color of Your Soul's epilogue though (if you haven't checked it out yet, please do so), so it wasn't like I didn't go two months without providing something new. But in the two months I've been gone from this story and Fidelity (which reminds me, I need to actually work on that); Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon was released for Japan (which took up more of my time btw), the Smash Poll ended, Persona 5, Star Fox Zero, and among others got delayed (goddamn it), and Zygarde turned into a dog, a cell, and a super robot. You can bet your ass I'm using this in Fidelity. On another note, am I the only one who thinks super robot Zygarde is cool as fuck? C'mon I can't be the only one.
And since I never bothered to reply to any reviews in CoYS, I'm just gonna reply the ones for the final epilogue here (this might contain some spoilers to said aforementioned epilogue. Don't say I didn't warn you):
Defender31415: Thanks. Y'know, you can always follow me if you want to know when exactly the Platinum fic will be published, considering it'll notify you when I make a new story. But still, look forward to it.
Anonymous Trainer: Yeah, that should give you something about Nate's ulterior motives. And at least you get more PoYS today.
xQEAx: Well CoYS may be your favorite story, but it certainly isn't everyone's favorite. I don't really expect CoYS to do that well in the contest to be honest, there's plenty of great stories that're more appealing over there.
soraroxas123: Yeah, I haven't seen any DPP fic where Dawn was a Satanist (don't quote me on that), and considering Giratina's the closest thing we got to Pokemon Satan, I figured the idea was interesting and unique.
Knight of Wings: No worries and thank you! Oh yes, in all honesty I was expecting Hilbert to lose that battle, so I at least made it as epic as possible, even throwing in the literal Deus Ex Machina in there. Hope you had a good feel as to what kind of character my interpretation of Dawn is, and look forward to the Platinum fic.
And now for the reviews from last chapter:
Anonymous Trainer: Nah, nah, nah, Arceus is God. You should know this considering CoYS. So wait, what's Pokemon Jesus then? Mew?
I. M. Poik: Well only time can tell what happens to Colress. Although you did get the bird part right.
Tony Anderson: Gee, thanks!
Defender31415: Thank you! Yeah, I guess that's why you guys like my stuff, because I'm pretty decent at character development. Also at making brutal battles that would probably piss off PETA. Yeah, I like battling.
Guest: So did you know that Hugh x Iris is called 'VileCastleShipping'? I certainly didn't, but then again there're some rather...'colorful' shippings in that list where I found out what Hugh x Iris was called. On another note I haven't seen any Hugh X Iris fics, but then again, I can understand why. Only in this world could such a shipping possibly work.
Oh and you're gonna have to find out whether or not Nate knows. Or cares for that matter.
Pale1357: Hopefully the reply to the guest's review up above answered your question.
ProfessorRice: And apparently so do I! Or at least have a back up plan if Hugh X Rosa doesn't work because of the plot.
Senpai bby: Yeah, Cowlick is a funny nickname.
Acethe69th: Ok first of all, I never abandon something unless I really want to abandon a story, and this story is fun as hell to write; if not one of my more successful stories so far, so don't expect me to just quit. Just understand that my life is trying to murder me, so odds are I'm preoccupied at times.
...Holy shit this is long.
"Hey remember that one time when I said that last time wouldn't be the last time we run into Colress?"
"Yeah, I remember that."
Currently, the trio were in front of the entrance of Route 4, where they ended up running into a familiar scientist, who was in front of a giant wall of giant cubical rocks that resembled layers of the mantel.
"Oh, it's you three," Colress said.
"Told ya so," Nate muttered to Hugh
"Whatever," Hugh muttered.
"And what are you doing here?" Rosa asked.
"Well, I merely came here to test a device," Colress explained, taking said remote control-like device out. "You three can see the horde of crustles behind me, correct?"
The three kids glanced behind him to see the wall of giant cubical rocks, before nodding to the scientist.
"Good," Colress smiled. "Now, observe."
Colress pushed the button on the remote-like device, where a strange light began to emanate from it. While Hugh and Rosa saw it as a simple light, Nate suddenly recoiled from it.
"Agh...! The hell...?!" Nate grunted in pain.
"Nate?" Rosa asked in concern.
"Right, you have similar senses to a Pokémon," Colress noted. "So you would be able to sense this."
"What's going on?" Hugh asked.
"My machine radiates an energy that vitalizes dormant Pokémon, such as these crustles for example, utilizing frequencies audible to only Pokémon, that stimulate the nerves and rejuvenates them," Colress explained. "Since this was only meant for Pokémon, it would seem that your friend, being a human, is taking some negative effects from it."
Soon enough, the giant blocks began to rumble, before revealing themselves as large hermit crabs using the mantel-like rocks as shells. The horde of crustles then began to converse with one another, before moving out away from the humans. With the subjects revitalized, Colress cut off the machine, allowing Nate to relax a little.
"Ugh, I feel like I'm gonna puke," Nate groaned.
"You know, if I was any less of a humanitarian, then I would aspire to capture you as a prime test subject," Colress commented.
"You sick fuck," Nate growled in disgust. "I should stab you..."
"Which is why I am not some heartless scientist," Colress scoffed. "Although it would be intriguing to see how devices like these that are designed to only affect Pokémon work on you; who are on a similar plain of senses as Pokémon."
"...Again, you sick fuck," Nate snarled.
"Anyways," Colress said, deciding to move along with the subject at hand. "I do believe I haven't gotten your names the last time we met."
Colress faced Rosa and Hugh, who shifted back in caution.
"...Rosa Echoes."
"...Hugh Matis."
"Hm...Very well, I shall remember that," Colress said.
"So tell us, Colress," Hugh said, crossing his arms. "What are you doing here asides from testing out your creation? Plotting to steal more Pokémon from other innocent people?"
"Of course not," Colress scoffed. "Unlike Ghetsis, I don't steal. I obtain my own research materials with my own hands; hand-picked from the wild and returned once I am done with my experiments."
"Yeah right, coming from the leader of Team Plasma," Hugh didn't buy it one bit.
"Like I said before, boy," Colress drawled. "I was only recently appointed the position by Ghetsis. Honestly, he only did that so he wouldn't have to look after them."
"So you're just babysitting them," Nate said.
"Exactly," Colress sighed. "Oh, how I wish to just wring his neck sometimes. Taking my research time away just so that he can do whatever it is that he plans to do."
Nate narrowed his eyes at the scientist. Something was off.
"And what would those plans be?" Rosa asked.
"Unfortunately, Miss Echoes, I am not stupid to just reveal them in my own rantings," Colress said. "Nice try though."
"Alright then, new question," Nate decided to test his suspicions. "What's your motives?"
"Ah, yes, my reasons as to why I even bothered to join Team Plasma," Colress said. "I am a scientist after all. Every aspiring scientist needs a theme to their research. And my theme is such, 'bringing out the power of Pokémon'."
"Excuse me?" Rosa asked.
"Exactly what it says on the tin can, Miss Echoes," Colress said. "Is it possible to bring out their maximum power through the bond they share with their Trainers? Or is there some other, different method? Or perhaps, is there one true method to this madness?"
"Hypotheses upon hypotheses, experiments upon experiments," he went on. "I have tested countless of them, but all have failed to reach satisfactory results. However, I have noticed one trend among my research expeditions. The bond of Pokémon with their trainers."
"The bond?" Hugh asked.
"Yes, the bond," Colress answered. "Coordination, cooperation, synchronicity, trust, confidence, etc. All these elements make up a strong bond between a Pokémon and their trainer. With said bond, the Pokémon thrives to put out nothing short of their best performance for the sake of their trainer. And the trainer executes their commands to the best of their abilities, with trust that their Pokémon will follow through with the best of their limits. I have earlier suggested the possibility of one true method. I believe that it is this bond that is the one true method."
"...Sounds kinda hypocritical, coming from a Plasma member," Hugh criticized.
"Indeed," Colress said. "Team Plasma said we should recognize the potential in Pokémon and liberate them from humans. Plausible, if it were not so ridiculous."
"What's so ridiculous about that, if you don't mind me asking?" Rosa asked.
"Everyone knows that society is built around the cooperation between humanity and Pokémon. They are a crutch to us, as we are a crutch to them," Colress explained. "By separating these two factors, you're asking for both sides to collapse from the inside. Of course, that's what they wanted in the first place."
"So I assume you take the opposite argument," Hugh said.
"Yes, I disagree with them!" Colress boomed, suddenly flinging his arms out for dramatic effect. "Conversely, it should be humanity who bring out the hidden potential in Pokémon! It is the bond between human and Pokémon that brings out a potential that surpasses logical limits!"
Colress took a deep breath, before calming down.
"I apologize, it would seem that, I have 'lost my cool', as they would put it nowadays," Colress said.
"As infuriating as you maybe," Nate said. "Your hypothesis is far from ridiculous. Hell, I think it's the most logical thing I've ever heard from you Plasmas in my life."
"Of course," Colress said. "I have met many trainers who have worked together with their Pokémon to overcome many odds, and bring out a fervent potential. Hilbert, being the shining god to my thesis."
"You mean Hilbert Warren?!" Rosa suddenly raised her voice.
"Yes, the famous 'Hero of Ideals'," Colress said. "With his abilities to understand Pokémon, he and his trusty companions overcame impossible feats, and vanquished Team Plasma once. He is the prime evidence that supports my hypothesis. And in his place..."
Colress faced Nate.
"There is you, oh brother of Warren," Colress said.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Nate asked, crossing his arms.
"While Hilbert able to speak with Pokémon through artificial means, you along with N were able to gain such an ability by yourselves," Colress said. "Could it be perhaps that with a more natural way of communicating with Pokémon, can one further enhance their Pokémon? Surpassing the feats of your brother even?"
"...Y'know, I'm surprised you didn't insert a translator chip inside Hilda," Nate said, not letting go of his glare. "You would've had a more consistent test subject by doing so."
"Of course not..." Colress said. "I have been entrusted with her safety after all."
"By who?"
"By...by...huh...?" Colress murmured, tilting his head in confusion. "Who was it...again...?"
So that's it, huh?
"I see..." Nate muttered. "So you're just a victim too."
"Huh?" Rosa asked. "What do you mean by 'victim'?"
"...I'm not gonna jump to conclusions until I get a full confirmation," Nate told them. "But for now, I think we don't have to worry about him."
"What?!" Hugh growled. "But he's with Plasma!"
"He's clearly thinking separately from their mindset as it is," Nate argued. "The chances of him going rogue are pretty high. He doesn't even hold any true loyalty to them. At best, he's a neutral party."
"But..." Hugh grumbled.
"He doesn't know where your sister's purrloin is," Nate said sternly. "So if you want information on that, then you're gonna have to look elsewhere."
Hugh gritted his teeth in frustration, before calming down.
"...You better be right about that..." Hugh grumbled.
"If I may," Colress said. "While I don't know anything about your sister's purrloin, I do believe I may be able to provide you with a lead."
"What?!" Hugh gasped.
"Aspertia City...yes, now I remember," Colress said. "That was the sight for Team Plasma's first liberation mission, if I recall."
"Who was involved in that?!" Hugh demanded.
"Your demands should be pointed to the Shadow Triad," Colress said.
"Those ninjas..." Nate muttered.
"...It would seem that I have wasted enough time as it is," Colress said, checking the time on his watch. "I should get going. Ghetsis will blow a gasket if I am late yet again."
Colress bowed before the kids, as Magnezone suddenly materialized behind him. The scientist then got onto the magnet Pokémon, as it rose into the air and took off.
"...We're seeing again, aren't we?" Hugh asked.
"Oh, you have no idea," Nate said.
"So...what do we do about him?" Rosa asked.
"He's still a part of Plasma, so he's an enemy," Hugh growled.
"I'm not too sure..." Rosa admitted. "I mean, yes we can't completely trust him, but his motives...they're completely contradictory to Team Plasma's. And when he mentioned Ghetsis, I couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit of disdain for him."
'Oh, so control that giant ego of yours and you actually are capable of thinking rationally instead of jumping to conclusions like you normally do after all,' Nate thought to himself.
"At best, he's a neutral party, until he does something that would make him look like he's supporting them," Rosa said.
"So he's innocent until proven guilty," Nate interjected, earning a nod from Rosa, before facing Hugh. "And besides, he was nice enough to give you a lead, so at the very least he did help us out."
"...Fine," Hugh grumbled. "But if he gives me a reason to suspect him..."
"Yeah, yeah, go nuts when that happens," Nate drawled. "Now then. Now that that's out of the way..."
Nate turned to the open desert. Hugh and Rosa looked at him, confused as he took a deep breath. Then without warning, he let out a whistle so loud, that it echoed throughout the entire desert. Rosa and Hugh had to cover their ears since they were close to him.
"What was that for...?!" Rosa groaned as he finished.
"Oh, just calling an old friend," Nate said.
Rosa and Hugh looked at him funnily, before a loud squaw rang throughout the desert, getting their attention. They all looked up to see a large, avian Pokémon with dark red feathers on its back and dark blue feathers on its underside, flying towards them.
"A braviary?" Hugh asked.
"A wild one? Here?! I must get it!" Rosa beamed.
"You touch Brav and I'll kill you," Nate snapped at her.
Right before Rosa was about to retort, the avian descended down to Nate, a jovial smile written upon his beak.
"-Nate, my boy! It's been a while!-" the braviary chuckled.
"Yo, Old Man Brav," Nate chuckled. "How's the wild life going for you?"
"-It's pretty relaxing,-" Brav said. "-You on the other hand, you better not be getting into any trouble, young man.-"
"Well, hehe, too late for that," Nate snickered.
As Nate conversed with the eagle, Rosa and Hugh glanced at each other confusedly, before glancing back at Nate.
"Nate, do you know this particular braviary?" Hugh asked.
"Ah? Oh yeah," Nate said, letting Brav face Rosa and Hugh. "Numb nuts, this is Brav, my caretaker."
"You were raised by a braviary?" Rosa asked.
"Yeah, I had a colorful childhood," Nate said.
"-So, since you called me, I'm guessing that it's time for me to join you on your endeavors once more?-" Brav asked.
"Yeah," Nate said, taking out a pokéball. "You can always back out though, I don't wanna overwork you, Old Man."
"-Please, this old coot still has some fight left in him,-" Brav boasted.
"Right," Nate snickered as he tossed the pokéball to Brav.
Brav showed no hesitation as the ball hit him, dragging him into the ball in a red light. The ball dropped, shook three times, and predictably flashed, indicating that Brav was captured. Smiling, Nate picked up the ball, and let Brav out into the open.
"Welcome back, Old Man," Nate said.
"-Good to be back, my boy,-" Brav responded.
"Well, now you have a new member too," Hugh congratulated Nate.
"Wait what do you mean 'too'?" Rosa asked the azure-haired boy.
Hugh glanced at Rosa, before taking out a pokéball and letting Tirtouga out.
"WHAT THE–?!" Rosa yelled, bugged-eyed. "When the hell did you get that?!"
"Oh I got him from Iris before she left," Hugh explained.
Tirtouga glanced around, before spotting Hugh.
"-So, yer my new master, eh?-" Tirtouga mumbled, giving Hugh a gaze-over. "-Meh, not as bad as that girl...we'll just see what yer made of soon enough.-"
Hugh gave him a somewhat confused glance, glancing at Nate for a translation.
"He's curious to see how good of a trainer you are," Nate said.
Hugh looked somewhat surprised, before glancing back at Tirtouga.
"Well then, I guess I'll just have to meet up to your expectation," Hugh said.
Tirtouga nodded satisfied. Meanwhile, Nate decided to release the rest of his members. Nite and Kid glanced at Brav with a slightly confused look, while Luca was ecstatic at the sight of the old bird.
"-Grandpa Brav!-" Luca squealed as she leaped intot he bird for an embrace.
"-Haha! It's good to see you too, Luca,-" Brav laughed as he returned the embrace.
"-Who is he, Boss?-" Nite asked Nate.
"This is our new member, and my old caretaker, Brav," Nate explained. "I want you all to get along. I've been under his care for a good portion of my life."
"-Oh, so you two are Nate's new friends,-" Brav said as he looked down to the two Pokémon. "-Hope the lad hasn't been working you two too much.-"
"-Of course not, Old Man Brav!-" Nite addressed the elder. "-I'm more than happy to serve Boss!-"
"-In all honesty I wish I got more action,-" Kid shrugged.
"-Oh, so we have some rowdy bunches eh?-" Brav chuckled. "-How promising!-"
"Oh great, so you get a braviary, and you were just given a tirtouga like a birthday present, and I get NOTHING?!" Rosa complained.
"Oh quit bitching you," Nate grumbled. "There's a reason why I brought you here."
"What?! What exactly is this so-called 'reason' for bringing me here?" Rosa growled, still angry that her two friends got a new member before her.
"Brav, wasn't there a mandibuzz around here?" Nate asked the eagle.
"-Hm? Oh her,-" Brav said. "-Yeah, she's here.-"
"You mind telling her that she's issuing a challenge to her?" Nate asked, pointing to Rosa. "Knowing a gang boss, I'm sure she won't refuse a challenge."
"-Very well then,-" Brav said as he flew into the air.
"Alright," Nate said as he turned to Rosa. "The so-called 'reason' why I bothered to drag you here with me is because I decided to be generous."
"Generous?" Hugh raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, generous," Nate said. "I don't usually do this kind of charity."
"-Nate boy! I brought her!-"
The gang looked back up to see Brav, now accompanied by a large avian Pokémon resembling a turkey vulture.
"A mandibuzz?" Rosa asked.
"Yep," Nate said.
"-We're here, Mandibuzz,-" Brav told the vulture.
"-I can tell, Braviary,-" Mandibuzz rolled her eyes, before spotting Nate. "-Oh, it's been a while, boy.-"
"Surprising that you still remember me," Nate replied.
"-It's hard not to remember when this old fart keeps mentioning you every day,-" Mandibuzz mumbled.
"I don't see how that's my fault," Nate shrugged his shoulders. "How's the flock by the way?"
"-They all grew up and moved on with their lives,-" Mandibuzz sighed. "-I'm all by my lonesome now.-"
"Isn't that sad," Nate said casually.
"-You aren't much for empathy, are you boy?-"
"I'm not exactly the emotional type, no."
"-Whatever,-" Mandibuzz muttered. "-So? Who is my opponent?-"
Nate pointed his thumb to Rosa, leading Mandibuzz's gaze to the girl.
"-I see...-" Mandibuzz murmured, seemingly scanning the girl with her cold gaze. "-She seems fairly competent. Although looks can be deceiving.-"
"Hey she has SOME potential," Nate defended the bunhead. "Her ego's the only thing getting in her way."
Before Rosa could give out a retort, Nate grabbed her and brought her in front of him.
"That's your opponent," Nate said. "You can catch her, assuming you can beat her."
"Wait, so this is why you brought me here?" Rosa asked. "To potentially give me a new teammate?"
"Didn't I say I decided to be 'generous'?" Nate shot back. "Now focus. The mandibuzz is a seasoned battler."
Rosa quickly shifted from Nate and focused on Mandibuzz, who was already charging up a Dark Pulse. Rosa quickly sent out Eve, who jumped out of the way as Mandibuzz unleashed the Dark Pulse.
"-Quick instincts...-" Mandibuzz mused.
"Take Down!"
Eve charged at Mandibuzz and leaped for it, but the turkey simply flew above the fox, easily avoiding the attack.
"Rosa, it's in the air! Contact moves are gonna be avoided easily!" Hugh yelled.
The bunhead ignored her friend in favor of her own irritation. Of course she knew that, but it wasn't like Eve had many options to work with. Eve's move set consisted of Take Down, Shadow Ball, Dig and Hyper Voice. Take Down could be easily avoided, Mandibuzz resisted Shadow Ball due to her being a Dark-type, and Dig wasn't exactly the best choice, considering that it was a Ground-type move, and she's clearly fighting a Flying-type. And if Nate was any indication, then this mandibuzz was very experienced, so she couldn't send out the less-experienced Ottavia or Nina, so Eve was her only option. In the end, Hyper Voice was Eve's only mean of doing reasonable damage, but she was sure that Mandibuzz would be able to prepare an answer for it once she knew about it.
She had to play it carefully.
'I guess I'm gonna have to whittle it down...' Rosa thought. "Shadow Ball!"
Eve created a shadowy orb in her mouth and launched it at Mandibuzz, who shielded it rather easily.
"-Hmph! Is that all you can do?-" Mandibuzz scoffed as she swooped down for an attack.
"Watch out!" Rosa warned Eve.
The bones on Mandibuzz's 'skirt' began to glow, before extending into long spikes as the vulture charged at Eve. The fox kept jumping back, avoiding the spikes as Mandibuzz tried to strike her down with them.
"Bone Rush...?" Rosa muttered. "Now, Take Down!"
After avoiding another Bone Rush, Eve pushed back and slammed herself into Mandibuzz, sending the bird back. Eve landed back, suffering from some recoil damage, before shaking it off.
"Are you okay?" Rosa asked Eve.
"-Yep! I can still go!-" Eve barked.
"-Well now, that actually hurt,-" Mandibuzz commented.
"Don't let it escape! Take Down, once more!" Rosa yelled.
Eve charged at Mandibuzz while she was down, but the vulture shot a Dark Pulse at the incoming fox, which she evaded. Mentally cursing at Eve's persistence, Mandibuzz continued to fire at Eve, who kept dodging it. As she gained distance, Mandibuzz shot a Dark Pulse at Eve, while simultaneously releasing a blade of air towards where the fox would land after she dodged it. Eve dodged the Dark Pulse as predicted, but the fox managed to duck and spin as she landed, avoiding the Air Slash while still keeping her momentum.
"-What?!-" Mandibuzz gasped.
With a loud growl, Eve crashed into Mandibuzz, sending her back even further onto the road they were fighting on, as Eve jumped back.
"Hm...Bunhead improved," Nate commented.
"You think so?" Hugh asked.
"Compared to how she did against me, she's certainly learned from that little spar," Nate said. "And she's utilizing Eve's 'Anticipation' greatly in the approach; avoiding Mandibuzz's predicted shots."
"-That girl's quite formidable,-" Brav mused. "-However...-"
"I'm sure that mandibuzz won't just roll over that easily," Nate remarked.
"Shadow Ball!"
Eve charged another Shadow Ball and launched it at Mandibuzz. Growling, the vulture managed to recover and evade the projectile at an alarming speed.
"What?! Where did this speed come from?!" Rosa yelled, shocked that Mandibuzz was MUCH faster than just a moment ago.
"Weak Armor," Nate stated, getting the bun head's attention. "Whenever it gets hit by a physical attack, its defense drops, but its speed gets boosted."
"What?!" Rosa gasped.
"Focus!" Nate yelled, looking back up to the sky. "She's coming in!"
Rosa twirled back to the fight as Mandibuzz charged at Eve at the same blinding speed. The fox didn't see it coming, as Mandibuzz bombarded her with several Air Slashes.
"-Kh!-" Eve grunted as she defended herself.
"-C'mon! Is that all you got?!-" Mandibuzz yelled as she fired off another Dark Pulse. "-What happened to that confidence from earlier!?-"
Eve's fur stood up slightly, as Eve side-stepped to avoid the Dark Pulse, and began to run to avoid the onslaught of Air Slash. Eve tried to shoot a Shadow Ball at Mandibuzz, but it was effortlessly shot down by an Air Slash, leaving the fox helpless from the ground, while the Dark-type was in a much more favorable position.
"Tch, looks like she won't come down anymore," Rosa muttered. "Eve, change of plans! Hyper Voice!"
Eve nodded as she avoided another Air Slash, before letting out a horribly echoed echoing scream, blasting Mandibuzz with the sound of it.
"-Agh!?-" Mandibuzz winced in pain as she withstood the Hyper Voice.
"-That's...quite a Hyper Voice...!-" Brav muttered.
"I guess she was originally saving that one," Nate grumbled, covering his ears. "But then again since the vulture won't come down, her options were forced."
As Eve stopped the attack out of tiring her vocal chords, Mandibuzz managed to recover from the attack, glaring daggers at the small fox.
"-Okay, enough games,-" Mandibuzz declared. "-I'm finishing this now!-"
Mandibuzz let out a growl, as she dived down towards Eve at a blinding speed, becoming covered by a violent blue aura.
"Crap, that's Brave Bird!" Hugh warned Rosa. "Eve won't last if she gets hit by that!"
"I know that!" Rosa grumbled, until an idea sparked in her head. "...! That's it! Dig!"
Not deciding to question her decision, Eve quickly burrowed underground, evading the attack altogether. Surprised, Mandibuzz made a u-turn back into the sky, scanning the area to see where the fox would appear. Mandibuzz then spotted the hole that Eve made, and prepared a Dark Pulse, intent on pumping it with the vile aura.
"Now!" Rosa yelled.
Eve shot out from the ground and behind Mandibuzz while the bird was still charging the Dark Pulse.
"-Crap–!-" Mandibuzz swore as she hastily aimed the Dark Pulse at Eve.
The fox managed to lunge at the bird and cling onto her. The vulture tried to shake Eve off, but the fox clung on for dear life.
"Finish this now! Hyper Voice!"
Still clinging onto the bird, Eve let out a nasty Hyper Voice at point-blank range, blasting Mandibuzz with the horrible sound. Screaming in pain, the bird desperately tried to get Eve off of her for all of a few seconds, but couldn't handle any more of the pain, and began to plummet to the ground. Seeing that the bird was down for the count, Rosa quickly took out a pokéball and hurled it at the falling mandibuzz. The ball smacked Mandibuzz on the head, swallowing the bird into the capsule via a red laser, before dropping to the ground, along with Eve, who fell on her rump after losing something to keep her in the air. The ball shook three time, before it sparkled slightly, signaling a successful capture.
"Yes!" Rosa squealed in delight, before running over to pick up both the ball and Eve. "We got her, Eve! You were great out there!"
"-Hehe!-" Eve puffed her chest out in pride.
"Congrats seem to be in order," Nate said as the group approached the girl.
"How's that?" Rosa boasted. "I was able to catch that mandibuzz."
"Well, I was expecting you to do that," Nate said matter-of-factly. "I went through the trouble of organizing this fight, so I would've been disappointed if you didn't catch it."
Rosa stuck her tongue out as she released Mandibuzz. The vulture glanced around, recovering from the previous attack, before spotting Brav and Luca.
"-So I lost?-" Mandibuzz asked.
"-Yeah,-" Luca said, seemingly not caring too much.
"-You put up a good fight, Mandibuzz,-" Brav said.
"-I guess,-" Mandibuzz shrugged. "-The girl and eevee were fairly competent.-"
The buzzard glanced back to said girl and eevee.
"-It would seem that I'm now in your care,-" Mandibuzz addressed Rosa.
"You are now a part of my team," Rosa said, as she released the rest of her team. "Let's work together from now on."
Mandibuzz examined the girl carefully. The rather determined look on her face was mixed with an air of pride. She has potential; her coordination with the eevee is proof enough, but she obviously has too much pride. No, more like arrogance. Obviously starting her journey, or was in the early parts of it at least.
"Well, you know Eve," Rosa introduced her team to the mandibuzz. "And this is Ottavia, and that's Nina."
The buzzard shifted her glance to her team. The eevee she had fought, a dewott, and a growlithe. The eevee, she was already familiar with. The dewott seemed fairly timid, judging from her expression and overall fidgeting posture. Despite that, the dewott held a decent amount of skill. And the growlithe shared a similar eager air akin to the eevee. Unlike said eevee, however, this growlithe seemed fairly unskilled. A new catch, perhaps? Oh well.
This was the team she was working in. Somewhat unpromising when compared to Brav, the lucario and that boy, but alas, this was her team. She would have to make do with it.
"-This is gonna be a long road,-" Mandibuzz sighed. "-Oh well.-"
"Alright then, from now on, you shall be called 'Mandi'!" Rosa declared.
"-...She's not very good at the naming game, is she?-" Mandibuzz, now 'Mandi', asked the boy, not impressed by the girl's sense of naming.
The boy simply shrugged. It wasn't like he was one to judge, but then again, names like 'Luca' or 'Nite', were basically meant for simplicity while differentiating. Rosa's sense of naming were a different story.
"-Very well,-" Mandi sighed, addressing Rosa. "-You are my new trainer nonetheless. I guess I'll have to fight at your stead.-"
Rosa stared at her new catch with pride, before glancing over to Nate.
"What did she say?" she asked him.
Mandi face-palmed herself. This is going to be a long road.
Over with that ordeal, the group returned to the pokécenter to heal their members, and then headed for the next destination; the Castelia City Gym.
"So how're we doing it this time?" Nate asked, before glancing down to Nite. "I'm gonna assume that you still want to fight the gym."
"-You bet, Boss!-" Nite roared.
"-Hold it, I get to fight in this one!-" Kid growled.
"-What?! Why!?-" Nite argued.
"-Because, moron! You got to fight the last one! Also you've been getting WAY too much screentime!-" Kid shot back. "-Now it's my turn to shine!-"
"While I'm gonna assume that this city's gym is Bug-type orientated," Nate decided to cease the argument. "Kid has a point. Which is why, despite having evolved recently, Nite you sitting out in this one."
"-WHAT?!-" Nite gasped, while Kid nodded approvingly.
"Oh c'mon, Kid needs to fight too, y'know," Nate reasoned. "You got enough combat as it is recently."
"-B-But, this is a Bug-type gym, right?-" Nite tried to reason back. "-Surely a Fire-type like me will be useful?-"
Nate then pointed to Brav.
"I'm sure I'll be fine," Nate said, causing Nite to look dejected. "Look, I'll use you in the next one, since you're probably gonna bug me until then."
"-...If that's what the Boss wants...-" Nite sighed in defeat. "-Then allow me to support you by cheering for you from the sidelines!-"
"Sure, you do that," Nate muttered, before turning to Luca. "Sorry, but you're sitting this one out too. You won't have much of a good matchup against Bug-types."
"-Understood,-" Luca said. "-Just don't overwork them. Kid's still young, and Brav is still old.-"
"-I guess this'll be a good time to show what I'm made of,-" Kid smirked, pounding his fists together.
"-You worry too much, Luca girl,-" Brav assured the jackal. "-I still got some game in me.-"
"Just don't push it Old Man," Nate said. "Well, I'm gonna use Kid and Brav. What about you two?"
"I'm going with Nina and Mandi," Rosa declared. "A Fire-type and a Flying-type will make quick work of this gym."
"-Right!-" Nina barked eagerly.
"-I wouldn't be too sure,-" Mandi rolled her eyes.
"Magby and Tirtouga," Hugh informed.
"-Finally I get to do some fighting!-" Magby roared.
Tirtouga simply yawned, somewhat bored.
"Alright then, let's go," Nate said, as everyone recalled their team and entered the gym.
...And within five seconds Nate wished he hadn't bothered to visit the gym at all.
The gym was huge, and completely covered in silk. Several floors and platforms that reached up to a large cocoon-like dome hanging from the ceiling, with smaller cocoon-like structures on each platform.
"This is some freaking horror movie shit right here," Nate muttered to himself.
"This is the gym...?" Rosa asked incredulously and with much disgust.
"Well...you gotta give him points for creativity," Hugh said.
The trio looked around, exploring the quiet, yet vast gym, approaching a cocoon-like dome not too far from the entrance.
"So, how does this work?" Rosa asked as she approached it, only for Nate to suddenly stop him. "Huh?"
Nate leered at the dome, snarling quietly as he readied a pokéball.
"Something's in there..." Nate warned her.
"Something...?" Rosa asked as she slowly leaned forward to the dome.
As she was about to touch it, the dome suddenly ripped open, as a sewaddle suddenly pooped out from it.
"What the–?!" Rosa yelped as she jumped back, as the cocoon ripped open, where more Bug-types began to flow out of it.
"Oh yeah, definitely some kind of horror movie," Nate grumbled as he released Kid. "Ice Punch!"
Kid sprang into action, creating an icy blue aura around his fist and smashing it into the nearest sewaddle, encasing it in ice, as more bugs began to approach them.
"Yeah I'm pretty sure there was a horror movie like this before," Nate muttered as Rosa and Hugh took out their Fire-types.
"Flame Burst!"
"Flame Wheel!"
Magby spewed a bursting flame at the horde of bugs, as Nina rammed into them as a fiery wheel, engulfing them in an explosion of fire.
"Shock Wave."
Kid rotated his arms rapidly, releasing a wave of electricity at the horde as Nina backed off, blasting them with the electricity combined with the fires left from Flame Wheel. Kid slowly approached the horde cautiously, until he confirmed that the horde was down.
"We good?" Nate asked Kid.
"-Yeah, we good,-" Kid gave his trainer a thumbs-up.
"So we have to do this for all of the cocoons?" Rosa asked.
"Seems like it," Hugh said, examining the opened cocoon. "But how do we get to the upper levels...? Using this?"
"Let's find out," Nate said as he appeared behind Hugh, while Kid appeared behind Magby.
Before they could react, Nate and Kid kicked them into the cocoon. As they was shoved into it, a strange vacuum-like noise came from it, as a large lump traveled up from the strand of silk that was connected to the dome, until he ended up in another cocoon. A few seconds later, a loud tearing sound could be heard from up above, along with several thuds, followed by a scream that the two could recognize as Hugh's.
The two glanced at each other, as they recalled their Pokémon and reluctantly entered the cocoon, where they were sucked in like a cocoon and traveled through the long strand of silk as two lumps, before being thrown out of the exiting cocoon.
"Damn it, you two! Would you help...me...?" Hugh growled as he turned to the two, only to have his jaw drop at the sight.
"Ugh...what the hell feels so soft...?" Nate mumbled. "Where did this cushion come from...?"
"Uh...Nate..."
Nate slowly grumbled as he looked up, to see an extremely flustered Rosa under him. He then glanced down to the 'cushion' his head was resting in, before putting two and two together.
"...I didn't mean to I swear," was all the boy said, before Rosa smashed her knee into his gut, causing the boy to crumple onto the floor.
"Never mention this to anyone," Rosa hissed in a threatening tone, glaring at both Nate and Hugh as she got back up.
"Duly...noted..." Nate groaned in pain.
"Hmph!" Rosa looked away angrily, hiding a faint blush on her cheeks.
Hugh went over to help the boy up, as Nate was still suffering from the pain from Rosa's knee strike.
"You alright there?" Hugh asked.
"...I'll manage..." Nate groaned. "...So I'm gonna assume that there was a horde of bugs waiting for you in there?"
"Yeah," Hugh said. "Took me by surprise too."
"Well I would've been surprised if you weren't surprised," Nate muttered. "So I guess we have to repeat the process with the other cocoons too, until we reach that one?"
Nate pointed to the giant cocoon hanging from the ceiling.
"That would be the most logical assumption," Hugh said.
"Let's just get to the gym ASAP," Rosa grumbled. "This gym is already getting more and more detestable."
Rosa stomped over to the next cocoon, leaving the two boys to follow after her.
"So uh, Matis..." Nate leaned over to him. "How old is she again...?"
"Huh? Rosa?" Hugh asked. "She's fourteen."
Nate stared at him, before glancing back at Rosa, giving the girl an examination with his eyes.
"...You sure she's fourteen?"
"...Yes...?"
"...And you haven't tried anything on her...?"
"What? No...?"
"What're you two blabbering about?" Rosa angrily shouted from afar, leading the two boys to stop conversing and rush up to her.
"...She's at least a C-cup, just to let you know."
"...What...?"
After at least a half an hour of bug extermination and cocoon travelling, they finally reached the final cocoon. Inside of it was a vast studio, with the floor covered in various colored paint like a faint pond, with several buckets of paint and brushes scattered across the field and strands of silk hanging from the ceiling. At the end of the studio was Burgh, currently painting a portrait. The artist heard the footsteps, and turned to see the trio.
"Oh there you three are!" Burgh said jovially. "So how do you like my newly redesigned gym?"
"It's...creative, for a lack of better words," Nate said bitterly.
"I guess you hadn't have the best time in my gym," Burgh chuckled nervously, sensing the bitterness in his tone.
"You could say that again," Rosa spat spitefully.
"Anyways," Hugh said, intervening between Rosa and Burgh. "Let's just get the gym battle started."
"Alright then," Burgh said. "Well, since there's three of you, and fighting all of you one at a time would take a lot of time, how about a triple battle?"
"A triple?" Nate asked.
"I heard about you three from Roxie," Burgh explained. "While she did a one v one with all of you, I decided to do something different. I'll do a triple battle against all of you. You all get to use two Pokémon, while I can use my entire team. And as for difficulty..."
"Challenge, please!" Rosa exclaimed, all of her bitterness gone for that sheer second.
"Figures," Burgh chuckled. "So this should be interesting."
Burgh stepped back as he released three bug-types; a crustle, an insectoid Pokémon resembling an ant with a steel body, and a large bee-like Pokémon with a yellow and black striped abdomen resembling an elegant gown. While they recognized the crustle, Rosa and Hugh took out his dex and scanned the ant and bee.
"Durant, the Iron Ant Pokémon," Rosa's pokédex read. "Individuals each play different roles in driving Heatmor, their natural predator, away from their colony."
"Vespiquen, the beehive Pokémon," Hugh's pokédex read. "It houses its colony in cells in its body and releases various pheromones to make those grubs do its bidding."
"Well, aren't we upping the ante," Nate said as he released Kid. "So Kid deals with the vespiquen, and you fire-types can deal with the crustle and the durant."
"Sounds like a plan," Rosa said as she released Nina, while Hugh released Magby.
"Well now...let's get right to it!" Burgh yelled.
"Magby, Flame Burst!"
The battle started off with Magby shooting a smoldering flame at Durant, but Crustle shielded the ant from the Fire-attack with its giant shell.
"Durant, Dig! Crustle, Rock Slide!"
"Ice Punch at Vespiquen!" Nate yelled.
"Nina, Flame Wheel!" Rosa yelled.
As Durant burrowed underground, Crustle formed a large rock in his claws and launched it above his opponents, where it burst, creating a shower of rocks to rain upon them. While Magby was forced to shield himself, Nina and Kid were fast enough to evade it, as Nina formed into a burning wheel aimed at Vespiquen, while Kid followed from behind, Ice Punches ready for attack. Before Nina could reach Vespiquen, Durant suddenly shot out from underneath Nina, smashing into the fire pup with the full brunt of his attack. Kid jumped from behind, lunging at Vespiquen.
"Protect."
Before Kid could reach Vespiquen, the bee projected a barrier, protecting her from the ice Punch.
"-Tch!-" Kid clicked his tongue as he jumped back.
"Flame Burst!"
As Kid fell back, a bursting flame shot from behind, passing Kid and nailing Vespiquen as her barrier dropped. Seeing an opening, Kid lunged at the queen bee as she was blasted by the Flame Burst and smashed an Ice Punch at her, freezing her abdomen.
"-Heh! Nice assist,-" Kid said to Magby, who had managed to withstand the Rock Slide.
The Fire-type in question simply gave Kid a thumb's up, as he redirected his attention to Crustle.
"Earthquake!"
Crustle slammed his claws into the ground, releasing a vicious earthquake, catching everyone on the ground in it.
"Goddamn it!" Nate yelled as he held his balance. "Another bug that's just shaking the earth?!"
"Alright, top priority! Take the crustle down!" Hugh yelled as Magby shot Flame Bursts at the crustacean.
"Durant!" Burgh yelled.
Durant, still wrestling Nina to the ground, hurled the dog towards Crustle, where the dog ended up taking the Flame Burst.
"Nina!" Rosa cried in concern.
"While the Fire-types are distracted, Attack Order!" Burgh commanded, noticing Kid's approach towards Crustle.
The queen bee released several grubs from her hive, all of them flying towards Kid and pelting him with their own bodies.
"-Gah! The hell!?-" Kid yelped as he was pelted by the grubs.
"Shock Wave!"
Kid rotated his arms rapidly, charging up electricity, before releasing a Shock Wave, frying the grubs on his body. Kid then shot another one at Vespiquen, who had to shield herself from the attack.
"Looks like they won't let us," Nate grumbled. "Deal with them first, then take care of Crustle. Ice Punch!"
"Defense Order!"
As Kid lunged at Vespiquen to smash his icy fist into her, Vespiquen called upon many of its grubs, forming a shield in front of their queen, taking the blow for her.
"Damn it!" Nate swore.
"Now, Attack Order–!"
"Flame Wheel!"
As Vespiquen was about to summon more grubs, Kid glanced behind, as a giant wheel of flame came charging straight for them. Kid jumped back, allowing Nina to smash through the shield and hitting the queen. Vespiquen cried in pain as the wheel lit her on fire.
"How did the Flame Wheel become–?" Burgh muttered to himself, wondering how the growlithe's fire attack suddenly became stronger.
"Finish it off! Ice Punch!" Nate yelled.
Kid grinned as lunged at Vespiquen while the bee was distracted, and then proceeded to rapidly smash Ice Punches at it, before finishing it off with one uppercut, sending the bee flying, before it crashed back down, unconscious.
"One down," Nate muttered as Kid and Nina jumped away to avoid Durant suddenly shooting out from the ground below them. "Five more."
"Let's make that two!" Rosa exclaimed. "Nina, Flame Wheel!"
Nina roared as she lunged at Durant in the same giant wheel of fire that overwhelmed Vespiquen.
"Dodge it!" Burgh yelled frantically.
"Hold it still!" Nate yelled.
Right before Durant could get away from it, Kid suddenly got behind him and blasted Durant with a Shock Wave, forcing the bug to defend himself from the attack. While the ant was distracted, Kid jumped back, allowing Nina to crash into the steel ant with her Flame Wheel, scorching the Bug-type in a giant inferno. Once the fires ceased, Durant collapsed, unable to withstand the Flame Wheel.
"Now to deal with Crustle," Rosa said.
They all turned their attention to the bug in question, who was right now shielding himself from Magby's constant Flame Bursts.
"This isn't going well," Burgh muttered. "Shell Smash!"
Crustle's body began to glow a bright crimson, as the bug proceeded to exit his shell while purging the aura as if it was a layer that broke into many pieces.
"Oh this ain't good..." Nate muttered.
"X-Scissor!"
The now shell-less Crustle lunged at Kid at an alarming speed and slashed him with his claws in the form of a X. Kid had to shield himself from the blow, but was being pushed back with little effort on Crustle's side.
"-What the–?!" Kid muttered in shock.
"Help him out!" Rosa yelled, prompting Nina to rush at them.
"You too, Magby! Fire Punch!" Hugh yelled.
Magby's fist was ignited on fire, as the Fire-type charged at Crustle alongside Nina.
"Rock Slide!"
Crustle saw the two Fire-types coming, and pushed Kid back away from him, before bulleting towards the two Fire-types.
"Flame Burst!" Rosa frantically commanded.
Crustle formed a rock in his claws as Nina tried to shoot him down with a large Flame Burst. The crustacean avoided it easily, jumped over them, and released the rock right above, causing a rock slide to form above them. The attack came in much faster, and pelted the two Fire-types with even more power than before.
"-Agh!-" Nina yelped in pain as the rocks did their punishment.
"No Nina!" Rosa cried.
Once the Rock Slide ceased, the two Fire-types fainted, unable to withstand the boosted attack.
"And now we're even," Burgh said, watching as the two trainers recalled their Fire-types. "And that growlithe has Flash Fire, doesn't it?"
"So you noticed?" Rosa asked.
"I was wondering how your growlithe's Flame Wheel suddenly became stronger," Burgh said. "But then I remembered how Durant threw her into Magby's Flame Wheel, so Flash Fire would make the most sense."
"Well isn't that nice," Nate muttered as Kid glared down Crustle. "Now how to deal with this little shit...?"
"X-Scissor!"
"Shock Wave!"
Kid shot a Shock Wave at Crustle as he charged for the Electric-type. The bug jumped over the attack and lunged for Kid, smashing him with the X-Scissor. Kid had to put his arms up as Crustle crashed into him, as the Bug-type pinned Kid to the ground. Crustle tried to break through Kid's defenses, while Kid did his best to keep it up.
"So how do I want to do this...?" Nate muttered.
As Crustle pushed Kid to the ground, the paint ended up drenching the duo, as Kid tried to wrestle out of Crustle's grip.
"...Well, I can't exactly electrocute paint, so this should do," Nate muttered. "Ice Punch!"
Kid got the memo and managed to land the attack at Crustle as it was struggling to push him down. The icy aura began to freeze the crustacean, encasing him in ice.
"-What the–?!-" Crustle gasped as he saw himself getting frozen solid.
"Now!" Nate yelled.
As Kid squeezed out of Crustle's clutches as the bug froze, the Electric-type smirked as he let loose one final uppercut to the bug's jaw, sending him flying. Crustle fell to the ground, unable to fight any longer.
"Yes!" Rosa cheered as she saw the crustle go down.
"That takes care of the first three," Hugh muttered.
"Impressive," Burgh commented as he recalled Crustle. "Looks like I'm gonna have to step up my game."
Nate glared at the gym leader, as Kid put up a fighting stance, ready to face his next opponent. Grinning, Burgh revealed a pokéball and released a beam of light from it, where something darted straight for Kid. Before the Electric-type could process what happened, he felt a sharp pain across his body, before falling.
"The hell?!" Nate blurted.
Standing above the fallen Kid was Burgh's Leavanny, sharpening its leaf-like arms like blades.
"Welp, there goes that," Nate muttered as he recalled Kid. "You did good Kid. I'm sure you gotten a lot stronger after beating the crap out of so many bugs. Now leave the rest to your friends."
With that, Nate replaced Kid with Brav, who stretched his wings out magnificently. Rosa sent out Mandi, while Hugh sent out Tirtouga.
As Leavanny returned to Burgh's side of the field, he released two more Pokémon to accompany Leavanny; one was a large, bipedal beetle-like Pokémon covered in a blue exoskeleton with a long, pronged horn on its forehead, while the other was a bug with a large pink head reminiscent of a helmet adorned with green stripes.
"Oh my..." Nate mumbled as they scanned the new adversaries.
"Leavanny, the nurturing Pokémon," Nate's pokédex read. "Upon finding a small Pokémon, it weaves clothing for it from leaves by using the sticky silk secreted from its mouth."
"Accelgor, the shell out Pokémon," Rosa's pokédex read. "When its body dries out, it weakens. So it wraps a membrane around itself for protection while it spits poison."
"Heracross, the single horn Pokémon," Hugh's pokédex read. "No matter how heavy its opponents, it flings them far away with its prized horn."
"Well isn't this an impressive lineup," Nate smirked predatorily. "Come at me."
"Accelgor, Focus Blast! Leavanny, Leaf Blade! Heracross, Megahorn!"
Accelgor charged up a blue orb in its arms and shot it at Mandibuzz, while Leavanny and Heracross lunged for Tirtouga and Brav.
"Deal with the heracross and the accelgor," Nate yelled. "That leavanny's mine!"
Mandibuzz avoided the Focus Blast, Tirtouga met the Megahorn with his shell, and Brav roared as he charged at Leavanny, meeting its Leaf Blade with his own talon. Leavanny tried to escape the grip, but Brav proved too strong for the nurturing Pokémon.
"Slam it to the ground!" Nate growled.
Brav obliged, lifted Leavanny into the air, before slamming it into the ground. As Brav flew back, Leavanny quickly got back to its feet and lunged for Brav.
"Struggle Bug!"
Leavanny shot several streams of red aura at Brav, who soared through the stage, avoiding the projectiles and never taking his eye off of the opponent.
"Brav, Return!"
"Retaliate with Aerial Ace!"
Brav went for a dive bomb, bulleting towards Leavanny, who suddenly disappeared as Brav was about to ram into it. Brav stopped midflight, and suddenly shot his talon behind, managing to catch Leavanny during its attack as it reappeared behind him.
"-What?!-" Leavanny gasped.
"-Don't take an old man lightly,-" Brav chuckled as he hurled Leavanny away.
Meanwhile Mandi flew above Accelgor's Focus Blast and lunged at it, forcing the bug to jump back.
"Mandi, Air Slash!"
Mandi shot several blades of air at Accelgor, but the bug kept moving at a blazing speed, making it hard for the vulture to hit her adversary. Clicking her tongue, Mandi kept a close eye as Accelgor zipped around the field.
"-Tch, how pesky...-" Mandi muttered.
"Try to predict where it's going!" Rosa called out.
"-Understood!-" Mandi replied as she shot multitudes of Air Slashes at Accelgor.
The bug ninja kept avoiding them with great ease, predictably. However, this allowed Mandi to see its pattern, and allowed her to shoot an Air Slash at where it was going to arrive upon avoiding her previous attacks. The attack landed, slashing Accelgor with the Air Slash, temporarily stopping it, and allowing Mandi to swoop in for a punish.
"Quickly, Bug Buzz!" Burgh yelled.
Accelgor nodded, jumped back to avoid Mandi, and raised its arms, releasing an ear-piercing noise that blasted Mandi at point-blank range.
"-Agh! Not again!-" Mandi hissed in pain, withstanding the Bug Buzz.
"Now Acid Spray!"
As Mandi was still suffering from the Bug Buzz, Accelgor shot a spray of acidic liquid from its mouth at her, further increasing the damage being dealt to her.
"Mandi!" Rosa cried in concern.
"-Gah!-" Mandi cringed in pain as she felt the acidic liquid burn her.
Before Accelgor could do anything, Leavanny was hurled straight at him. The bug ninja didn't see it coming, as the nurturing Pokémon crashed straight into him.
"-You alright there?-" Brav asked.
"-Tch, nice save, I guess,-" Mandi muttered.
Rosa glanced at Nate, genuinely surprised that he decided to get Brav to save Mandi.
"You were just in the line of fire, I guess," Nate shrugged.
Rosa still felt somewhat grateful for the 'assist', as Mandi managed to recover from the attack and flew back. While the two birds were preoccupied with that, Tirtouga and Heracross were having a test of will, the turtle refusing to yield to the Hercules beetle, while said Hercules beetle was pushing with all of his might to penetrate the turtle's defenses.
"-What's the matter?-" Tirtouga mocked calmly. "-Surely a heracross like yourself can lift a measly turtle like myself.-"
"-I'll show you!-" Heracross snarled, before channeling all of his strength into his horn, before ripping Tirtouga off from the floor.
"-Well now,-" Tirtouga mused as Heracross charged straight at him in the air.
"Close Combat!"
"Get out of there!" Hugh yelled.
Tirtouga glanced at Heracross's charging figure, and proceeded to flip around and perform an Aqua Jet, propelling himself down to the ground and narrowly avoiding Heracross, who turned around and chased after him.
"Now, Stone Edge!"
Tirtouga glanced as Heracross came charging down, and spun to the side, evading Heracross and getting the beetle to embed his horn into the ground in a huge impact. Using the opening Heracross gave him, Tirtouga summoned several sharp stones to emerge, stabbing at Heracross as the beetle desperately tried to get his horn out.
"-Keh! Too hasty,-" Tirtouga scoffed.
"Damn, Tirtouga's good," Hugh whistled as Tirtouga effortlessly toyed with Heracross, despite the difference in power and clear type disadvantage. "Although that heracross has some impressive power..."
Heracross managed to rip his horn out of the ground, shrugging off the Stone Edges being shot at him, and lunged at Tirtouga.
"Meet it with Aqua Jet!" Hugh commanded.
Tirtouga's body was surrounded with water as he tackled Heracross, causing both of them to bounce off of each other. Heracross slammed its arm into the field, getting back on its feet, as Tirtouga landed back onto the ground. The Hercules beetle roared as he lunged for Tirtouga once more. As Tirtouga was about to meet the attack, Tirtouga suddenly sensed something coming from the side, and ducked to avoid a Focus Blast that nearly got his head. Tirtouga glanced over to see Accelgor, focusing on him now, until being intervened by Mandi.
"-Looks like things are starting to become hectic,-" Tirtouga mused as he shot several Stone Edges at Heracross, who deflected them with his horn. "-I better deal with this quickly.-"
Meanwhile Burgh is starting to look somewhat worried. While he had a decent advantage in the first half, things were starting to look poorly for the gym leader. The first half of the battle seemed to be in his favor, having been able to take out the two Fire-types before picking off the elekid with Leavanny, but the three trainers then sent out three much more powerful Pokémon. The braviary and mandibuzz are proving to be extremely capable veteran Pokémon, the braviary handling his ace Leavanny rather easily, and the mandibuzz is slowly but surely figuring out how to fend off Accelgor and slowly whittling it down.
The tirtouga, in his opinion however, was the biggest surprise. From such a small Pokémon compared to its Flying-type partners, it was holding its own tremendously against such a powerhouse that was Heracross; especially with Heracross holding the type advantage. Even if Heracross was a recent addition, it proved to be more than capable to qualify onto his main team.
Burgh snapped out of his stupor as he saw the braviary smash Leavanny onto the ground, grasping the poor bug's head in his talon, while the mandibuzz managed to pin Accelgor down with Bone Rush.
"You wanna end this now?" Nate asked Rosa.
"Let's," Rosa agreed.
"BRAVE BIRD!"
Brav and Mandi nodded in response as they soared up into the air, before descending at a blinding speed, until both birds of prey were covered in a fiery and violent blue aura. Leavanny was struggling to get back up due to the head trauma induced to it, while Accelgor was busy trying to pry the bones that were pinning him down out of the ground. The two bugs were unable to avoid the birds as they crashed through them, blasting them onto the walls while the birds soared back into the air, suffering from the recoil of their moves. The bugs couldn't withstand attacks of such intensity, and were unconscious.
"And now, one left," Nate said as Brav returned to his side.
"How's everything over there, Hugh?" Rosa called out to him.
"Working on it!" Hugh yelled back as Tirtouga ducked under a horn strike from Heracross.
"Heracross, we need to end this now!" Burgh yelled. "Close Combat!"
Heracross roared in anger as he lunged at Tirtouga. Tirtouga withdrew into his shell, as the Hercules beetle proceeded to lash out on it with a series of violent punches, kicks and horn strikes. Once Heracross finished, the beetle was panting, while Tirtouga came out of his shell, somewhat weary from withstanding the attack.
"Thank Arceus for Solid Rock..." Hugh muttered. "Now! Stone Edge!"
Tirtouga leered at the beetle as he used Heracross's opening as a distraction to shoot several Stone Edges at him. Heracross couldn't react in time, and ended up taking the full brunt of the attack, being blasted away from Tirtouga. The beetle fell on his back, unable to battle any more.
"And that's that," Nate sighed as Brav returned to his side.
"-As expected, Nate my boy,-" Brav chuckled.
"Yes! We won!" Rosa cheered as Mandi returned to her side. "You did great, Mandi!"
"-Not bad, girl,-" Mandi complimented her trainer.
Hugh simply sighed in relief, as Tirtouga made his way back to his trainer.
"-Hm...Not bad,-" Tirtouga mused at his trainer.
"Well, that was intriguing," Burgh sighed. "I can't believe how poorly the second half of the battle became for me."
"Hey, we just had the type advantage on our side is all," Nate tried to comfort the gym leader and his hurt pride.
"Regardless, the fact was that I lost to you three," Burgh said. "You three have some well-trained Pokémon. They were phenomenal in battle. I guess it was no surprise that I lost."
Brav and Tirtouga puffed up their chest in pride, while Mandi simply smirked at the compliment.
"With trainers like you, the future looks promising," Burgh said as he reached into his bag and took out three badges and three discs.
"The Insect Badge," Burgh explained as he handed the rewards to them. "That's the third badge you're going to need if you plan to qualify for the Pokémon League. And the TM contains Struggle Bug."
"Thanks," Nate muttered as they accepted it. "So, where now?"
"The next gym is in Nimbasa," Rosa explained. "Which is the next town after going through Route 4."
"Ooh, then you're going to have to face Elesa," Burgh said. "I'd best be careful, she's one tough Electric-type trainer after all."
"No worries," Rosa scoffed. "At this rate, we'll vanquish all the gyms with ease!"
Mandi rolled her eyes at the obvious arrogance in her trainer's words, clearly not impressed by them at all.
"Oh yes, it's not because you had a strong Flying-type that you managed to win against Burgh with ease," Nate drawled, the sarcasm dripping from his tone. "Oh no, it's totally your flawless skills that pulled you through."
"Hey, can it!" Rosa shot back.
"-Please tell me this is temporary,-" Mandi almost begged to Brav as she watched as the two humans began to bicker again.
"-Hahaha, I don't see the problem,-" Brav laughed jovially. "-It's nice to see Nate making new friends outside of Luca after all.-"
While the two were bickering, Hugh approached Burgh.
"You mind if I ask where you got that heracross?" Hugh asked.
"Oh? Interested in recruiting a magnificent Bug-type into your party?" Burgh asked with interest. "Heracrosses are found living in the Lostlorn Woods, not too far from Nimbasa. I caught mine over there too."
"The Lostlorn Woods, huh..." Hugh muttered. "Alright, we can make a quick stop there, before going to the gym."
"Sounds like a great plan," Burgh said. "So...how long are they gonna...?"
Burgh pointed to Nate and Rosa, who were still arguing.
"...Give it a minute or few."
Having no more business with Burgh, the trio left the gym andheaded back to the pokécenter to heal up their team.
"So, Nimbasa, huh..." Nate muttered, before a greedy smirk plastered onto his face. "Ooh, I could totally make a killing there..."
"You better not be thinking about stealing people's money over there," Rosa reprimanded Nate.
"What? Of course not," Nate said in mock innocence, earning a disbelieving stare from Rosa. "It's not stealing, if you don't get caught."
"Oh my Arceus..." Rosa grumbled disapprovingly, before changing the subject. "So, Hugh, you said you wanted to go get a heracross?"
"Yeah," Hugh said. "A member like that would definitely prove to be useful. Bug/Fighting would really help me out."
From his pokéball, Tirtouga was already aware of Hugh wanting to recruit a heracross into his party. The turtle didn't really have much of a good opinion of the species, considering the one he fought today was a complete letdown, but then again, the turtle was revived rather recently.
'-I guess it's quick to judge-,' Tirtouga mused.
Perhaps the heracross that Hugh will add to his party won't be a simpleminded wrecking ball, like his previous owner. Champion or not; the girl was rather simpleminded in regards to her tactics, much to the turtle's chagrin and annoyance. The boy, on the other hand, was already proving to be far more complex than her.
"Well, we can always go now," Hugh said. "But it's getting pretty late, so let's head to Nimbasa tomorrow."
Nate and Rosa both agreed with Hugh, so the vote was unanimous. As the group was about to head back into the pokécenter, Nate's Xtransceiver began to ring. Noticing it, Nate looked at it, to see Yancy calling him yet again. Rosa and Hugh glanced back to Nate, but the boy gestured them to go on ahead. As the two shrugged and left, Nate answered the call.
"Yo," Nate answered.
"Ah, Nate!" Yancy replied happily. "You answered..."
"Well, no duh," Nate chuckled. "So? What's up?"
"Oh, nothing really, I just wanted to talk," Yancy said, fidgeting with her fingers. "So...how did the search go?"
"Oh that? Yeah, we found something," Nate said offhandedly.
"Really?"
"Yeah. Don't worry about it, not much happened really."
Well, fighting a scientist and his giant floating magnet spaceship thing wasn't much to Nate.
"Oh ok then..." Yancy said. "You weren't hurt or anything though, right?"
"Nah, I'm fine," Nate assured her. "Oh by the way, how's that audino doing?"
"Oh, Audi's doing fine," Yancy replied. "She's growing real strong!"
"Is that so?" Nate asked, amused. "Then maybe next time I'll have to see just how strong your Audi's become."
"I guess," Yancy giggled. "So, where are you headed next?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, we're headed to Nimbasa now," Nate said, causing Yancy to stiffen.
"N-Nimbasa...?" Yancy asked.
"Hm? Yeah," Nate said, noticing how Yancy reacted. "Something the matter?"
"O-Oh nothing, really..." Yancy stuttered. "O-Oh! My colleague's calling me! I gotta go!"
"Huh? Oh yeah, I'll catch you later then," Nate muttered.
"Uh huh...bye bye..." Yancy hastily replied, ending the call.
Nate stared at the blank screen, before heading back into the pokécenter. Entering the lobby, he looked around, until he found a group of people, seemingly gossiping about something.
"So is it true? Is Nancy really gonna hold a concert at Nimbasa tomorrow?!"
"It's true! We need to go to that concert!"
"But tickets are sold out..."
"But nothing! We MUST get into that concert! Our idol Nancy is performing!"
"...Hey you guys," Nate said, getting the group's attention. "You mind telling me who this 'Nancy' is?"
"You don't know Nancy!?" one of the men gasped. "That's impossible! She's Unova's sweetheart! I mean look how drop-dead gorgeous she is!"
"Well, apparently I'm capable of the impossible then," Nate rolled his eyes. "So you mind educating me on this subject?"
"Very well then," another man said. "Nancy is a celebrity idol; recently started two years ago, and is currently one of the most popular, if not THE most popular idol in all of Unova right now. She's all the rage in Unova!"
'Uh huh...' Nate thought, until he spotted a magazine that one of the men were holding. On the front cover was a girl; seemingly an idol singer; with long bubblegum-pink hair put up into a curly side ponytail with light blue ends going onto the right. Outside of the different hairstyle and pop idol outfit, the girl looked strikingly similar to Yancy.
"Celebrity Pop Idol Nancy huh..." Nate muttered. "And her concert is tomorrow at Nimbasa, you say?"
"That's right," another guy said.
"...Thanks for the info," Nate dismissed them as he headed back to the rooms upstair.
The resemblance was uncanny. He wouldn't be surprised if Yancy was Nancy, considering that she was friends with Unovan rock star Roxie, and that she had complete access to Pokéstar Studios. Oh well. He would find his answers in Nimbasa tomorrow, if this 'Nancy' was holding a concert there tomorrow.
"Tomorrow...huh..." Nate muttered, before remembering something. "Ah."
Right. Tomorrow. More specifically, tomorrow night.
"I need to meet up with him in the Entralink tomorrow night."
To be continued
AN: I totally didn't forget about Nate's meeting with his 'employer'. Nope, totally didn't lose track of how many days it was in that setting, nope. But regardless, expect something like that to happen next chapter. And so our whimsical group makes Nimbasa their next destination, with Hugh wishing to add a heracross onto his team, Rosa aspiring to take down Elesa, and Nate, suspecting that little Yancy is teen celebrity idol Nancy. While this part was supposed to be a secret until like after thirty something calls in the actual games... C'mon now, you seriously think Nate's the type of guy to NOT notice that they're the same person when given enough evidence? I think I've proven enough that Nate's smarter than the average thug.
And in my opinion, the gym battle's kinda sub par compared to the other gym battles, but then again, I did also squeeze in a wild battle with Rosa vs Mandi, and then again Nate's group was armed with powerful Flying-types and a turtle. Compared to the first half of the gym battle, with three baby Pokemon versus Burgh's team, the results would be more one-sided in Nate's group's favor. Hopefully it was still enjoyable.
And now time to update the team roster:
Current Team Roster:
Nate: Luca (Lucario) / Nite (Pignite) / Kid (Elekid) / Brav (Braviary)
Rosa: Eve (Eevee) / Ottavia (Dewott) / Nina (Growlithe) / Mandi (Mandibuzz)
Hugh: Vibrava / Servine / Magby / Tirtouga
And in developing news on my stories; the Platinum fic finally has a title: "Platinum Witch", and is in progress, I'm planning to remake an old BlazBlue fic, and currently developing a new BlazBlue story, and CoYS is in a fanfic contest.
Now, time to work on Fidelity-what? It's 1:30 AM? Oh shit I should go to sleep shouldn't I? Yeah, I'm out. Once again, I apologize for taking so long, and I'll try my best to work faster. Just please understand. Life is a bitch.
Anyways, hoped you enjoyed the chapter, and as always, look forward to the next chapter. See ya next time!