HEARTHOME CENTER, 09:02
"Hear the news?" asked Barry, sitting down next to Claus and Dawn on the bench that they'd been eating breakfast at.
"Good morning, Barry," said Dawn in reply. "And no, I have no idea what news you're talking about."
"Yeah, me neither," added Claus, snatching a slice of an apple off of Barry's plate and biting down on it.
Surprisingly, Barry didn't even comment on the theft, instead pulling out his dex and scrolling for a moment. "Look at this. They released more information on Absorption."
Absorption was what they had called the bug that had been the star of the recent emergency broadcast fiasco, after the reports that it had absorbed the strength of its victims. Claus, curious, peered over at the screen.
The screen of the Pokedex showed the beast, with a clear, high-quality photograph, a far cry from the blurry fakes posted so far on the internet. The beast was large, about eight feet tall as the broadcasts had said, and with bulging muscles on its arms, chest, and abdomen. Or was it a thorax? Claus wasn't really sure. Despite the proboscis and antennae, the creature was unmistakably humanoid. Its head, however, was charred and smoking, and cuts and burns riddled its body.
"They've called it Buzzwole," said Barry. He looked absolutely delighted. "Here, look: 'Samples taken from the corpse of Buzzwole and scans have shown that its genetic composition is part bug and mostly fighting.' And they called it Buzzwole." He laughed. "I am so glad that scientists have a sense of humor. It's a breath of fresh air."
"That's not exactly news," said Claus offhandedly, examining the picture. "Most Pokemon names are puns or portmanteaus, this one's just one of the more obvious ones."
"True," conceded Barry, "but it's still hilarious." He squinted at the picture. "It honestly looks like… I don't know, something fake? Like a cartoon character, or something."
"That's right," added Dawn. "I can't think of any Pokemon that look anything like it. If it has any evolutionary links to other bug types, then they're unbelievably distant."
"It's like an Incineroar and a Ninjask had a baby," remarked Barry, prompting startled laughs from both Dawn and Claus. Barry joined in, and the three of them received quite a few looks from the other trainers.
"It's kind of sad that it's dead," said Dawn after they'd all calmed down. "We could have learned so much more if it was alive. I wonder what killed it."
Claus thought of the Machoke and the Skiddo that had been found dead next to it, not eaten but rather sucked dry, and suppressed a shudder. He couldn't agree less. The sooner people learned about the thing, the sooner it would stop feeling so terrifying. Already, giving the creature a name had eased his concerns slightly. It was a lot more difficult to be afraid of a Buzzwole than a mysterious nameless killer.
ROUTE 208, 12:45
"Hear me out, guys," said Barry frantically. "We can make this like a sort of pre-gym tradition, you know? Every time we're ready to take on the gym, we test our strength with a battle. It makes for good training, and it's fun too! Seriously!"
Dawn frowned. "Why does it feel like you're trying to pressure us into the battle? I, at least, never disagreed. And I don't think Claus does either."
"Nope," agreed Claus easily. "No need to get defensive. It's a good idea, and we did agree last time."
"...Huh. I don't… well." He shrugged. "Good point. Well, then, what are we waiting for? Let's get started! Same order as last time. Claus, let's go!"
"Sure," replied Claus, slipping his hand surreptitiously into his jacket pocket.
"Nope! Nuh uh," said Barry instantly, pointing at the offending hand. "No focuses allowed. You're not slick. That's an unfair advantage."
Caught. Claus let his hand drop away from the recently purchased harmonica hidden in his pocket. "Fine. On the count of three?"
"On Dawn's count of three. No funny business."
Damn. Barry was really not letting him get away with anything today.
"All right, then," said Dawn. "Three, two, one- go!"
"Go, Pello!"
"Get him, Lyn!"
Barry had finally switched his Starly's Pokeball to a standard one, so there was no time delay to take advantage of this time. Barry's mouth curved into a wide grin when he saw his opponent.
"Lyn, we've got this! Into the air, out of reach!"
This wouldn't be easy, but Barry had made a mistake right off the bat by getting Lyn off the ground. Claus didn't think Lyn could reach Pello from up there, but there wasn't much that was really out of reach for Pello.
"Razor Leaf, Pello!"
A grass attack on a flying-type wasn't going to do much, but damage was still damage. Lyn swerved to dodge the projectiles, immediately going on the defensive.
Barry's grin slid off his face. He wasn't stupid, and realized the issue immediately. "Leppa! Hit him hard!"
Another code word, but this one was pretty easy to guess. It'd probably be some sort of attack, if Lyn was supposed to hit him hard, so…
"Blind her, Pello!"
It was an indirect order, so it took Pello a moment to understand what it meant. He grunted angrily and, just as Lyn dove down closer to strike Pello with her outstretched wing, Pello sprayed sand from the ground straight into her face.
Lyn screamed, her Wing Attack going wide, and flapped her wings hard. The Sand Tomb wouldn't have much effect on a flying type, either, but the diversion was helpful, since it gave Claus time to withdraw Pello back into his ball and send out Franklin instead.
"Switching, huh?" Barry grinned. "Lyn, Wiki!"
Barry had really been working on those code words recently, huh. Claus watched in surprise as Lyn screeched- damn, she was loud for such a tiny Starly- and zipped across the field, leaving Franklin to gurgle in surprise as it was confronted by what appeared to be three copies of herself.
Clever. "They're not real, Franklin! Only one of them is!" said Claus. They could work around this, right? "Don't worry for now. Stealth Rock!"
Barry frowned as Franklin created a volley of stones, flinging them so that they covered a large area. It would be really hard for Lyn to land now without taking damage from the Stealth Rocks. Claus reminded himself to thank Roark for that TM eventually.
"No problem! Persim!"
Claus grinned. He'd thought of an idea to deal with that Steel Wing, and he really hoped it would work.
Pokemon that used moves that weren't of their own type generally only used the element in question for the duration of the attack. For instance, a Skarmory using Steel Wing would come much more naturally than the same move would to a Starly, since the Skarmory would have much more natural steel-type in its body than the Starly. This meant that the Starly would probably have to focus the limited steel-type energy into its attacking wing.
Lyn's wing glowed with a metallic sheen as she and her illusory clones dove toward Franklin. Claus focused with his steelsight, and sure enough, he could sense the wing that was imbued with steel. And if he could sense it…
"Rock Throw, Franklin!" called Claus, even as he focused and shoved hard on Lyn's wing. She squawked at the unexpected resistance, tumbling straight to the ground. Her clones vanished as the Stealth Rocks Franklin had set up dashed against her body. Now that there was only one target, Franklin's Rock Throw struck true, knocking out Lyn.
Claus grinned. Franklin was still untouched, and Pello was mostly healthy too. If he could keep up this pace, then this battle would be a decisive victory.
Unexpectedly, Barry grinned too. "That was good!" he said. "Didn't think your affinity could get Lyn while she was using Steel Wing." He pulled out his other Pokeball and threw it onto the field. "But we'll still put up a fight! Roy, show them!"
Claus nodded as Roy materialized onto the field, screeching in surprise and slapping his flaming tail onto the ground as the Stealth Rocks from earlier struck him.
Wait, tail?
Claus gawked as Roy, now a Monferno, stood tall and faced down Franklin, settling into a fighting stance. He was taller and lankier now, and Claus was reminded of Riley and his demon of a Riolu by the coiled power apparent in Roy's long limbs. Dawn, still watching the match, let out a gasp of surprise.
"He evolved when we were training yesterday," explained Barry with a proud smile. Roy grinned at Claus, too. Battlers or not, they were still friends.
"Congrats!" said Claus, feeling a temporary glow of pride for his friend's Pokemon. This was an issue, though. A fighting type would be much harder for Franklin to take down, and Barry was sure to have thought of something to deal with Pello's Sand Tomb after the first battle.
But there was no way he would be going down without a fight.
"All right, Franklin, Thunder Wave! Slow him down!"
Barry winced, probably preparing to order a dodge, but it was too late. Franklin might have been slow, but the wave of electricity that it unleashed was anything but, zapping Roy before he could react.
"Fine!" Barry said. "You're not the only one with fancy moves! Power-up Punch!"
There was no code word, so Claus knew what was coming, but he was still powerless to stop Roy. Despite the paralysis, Roy leaped forward with astounding speed and slugged Franklin right on its red nose, the fighting-type energy flowing up his arm and throughout his body.
Oh, shit. This really wasn't good. "Franklin, uh… Rock Throw, point blank!"
"Power-up Punch again! Don't let up!"
And Roy didn't let up at all, using his other arm for another strike. This one sent Franklin stumbling back noticeably, gurgling in pain. Before Roy could land another one, though, the paralysis caused his arm to seize up, allowing Franklin to deliver a Rock Throw to Roy's face.
But the attack was hasty, and Roy wasn't as weak to rock moves anymore. The Monferno geared up for another Power-up Punch, and this one knocked Franklin out entirely. By now, Roy was glowing with the dark, blood-red fire of fighting-type energy, a stark contrast to the bright burn of his tail.
Claus recalled Franklin, nodding. "Well, this doesn't look good. Pello, let's see if we can turn the tides!"
Pello chirped happily at the sight of his friend, now evolved. Roy screeched back eagerly, waving.
"We're gonna have to give them some time to catch up after the battles," said Barry, laughing. "But for now, let's finish this. Roy, Leppa!"
"Pello, Sand Tomb!"
The sand at Roy's feet began to stir, but before it could damage him, he was already dashing forward with a Mach Punch. Pello screamed as Roy slammed him in the side, sending him skidding backwards.
"Wiki, while you're close!"
How did he remember all the damn code words? Nevertheless, it was rather obvious what the new move was when spinning flames cloaked Roy and he dashed straight at Pello.
"Sand Tomb again!" Claus really hoped this would work. There was no way Pello could take a Flame Wheel after Roy had boosted up with Power-up Punch not once or twice, but three times.
Thankfully, this time, Pello struck true. Roy hissed as the sand whipped up right in his face, stumbling backwards.
"Change of plans! Ember, widespread!"
Roy screeched again, launching a rapid-fire volley of Ember attacks. It didn't matter if Roy couldn't see if aim wasn't even a factor, Claus realized.
"Heal up with Absorb!"
Pello would need it, after that Mach Punch. The attack began to drain away Roy's vitality.
But Claus quickly noticed that Pello's body wasn't glowing with the usual faint green of draining attacks, this time. Instead, his eyes were closed, and he was trembling slightly.
Realization hit Claus like a Thunderbolt. "We forfeit!" He said hastily, whipping out his dex and flipping to the recording function. "Pello's evolving!"
Barry's jaw dropped, and Dawn rushed up from her spot on the sidelines.
It was a tense moment of waiting later that Pello began to show visible change. He grunted as his feet sprouted claws, three on each, and his lower jaw developed spiky protrusions. The leaves on his head withered and vanished into his skull even as his shell lightened from brown to a golden-yellow.
And then, Pello really started to grow. His legs and body thickened, going from small to sturdy over a period of about twenty or thirty seconds and only stopping when he was almost four feet tall. His shell grew and stretched over not only his back, but also his neck and tail, hardening into armor-like plates. New plant life grew at startling rates fed by the energy of evolution, growing into dense bushes along two ridges on his back. And, finally, the rowan sapling that was previously on his head sprouted anew from his shell, but taller and thicker than it was before.
Pello's eyes opened again when it was over, and they were yellow no longer, instead peering at Claus in a clear, pure white.
The cheers of the four of them, including Roy, echoed against the cliffs of Route 208.
Buzzwole is such a funny name
And time for some battling again! I chose to focus on the Claus and Barry battle again, but it won't be too long until we get some Dawn battling, too. (Dawn, overall, has been a fairly background character, but don't worry, she will have the spotlight. It just needs some time for the story to get there.)
This battle is fun. Claus's funny little trick of pushing the Steel Wing was cool, but it's a one-time trick. It worked because Lyn is a Starly. Something stronger than that, like a Tropius or something, would simply overpower the influence of Claus's unboosted affinity. Starly has very little mass and is not very strong. (Now, with the focus that hasn't been used yet? That's a different story.)
Roy has evolved! I always thought Chimchar evolved ridiculously soon. But yeah, Barry has been doing some offscreen grinding, with this evolution and some more code words in his arsenal.
PELLO EVOLVES first on screen evolution! I didn't want to just make it a "flash of light moment" like in the games, but I still wanted it to be a fairly quick transformation. The transformation would take longer for a species that undergoes a more drastic change, such as a Dratini evolving to Dragonite, but for less dramatic transformations, like Dratini evolving to Dragonair, the time required for evolution would be much shorter.
See you in the next chapter! Which will probably have less of a wait than this one did. College really did beat my ass, and the chapter I was writing right now had me suffering from some pretty bad writer's block too.