Chapter 8: Airborne Fighting!
"This battle is between the Gym Leader Falkner of Violet City and the Lost Trainer Kevin of Kanto," a student declared, posing as a judge. "Each trainer will be able to use 3 Pokémon. There is no time limit. Both trainers have agreed that Kevin will not be able to switch Pokémon in battle, as he has requested. The challenger will be competing for a Zephyr Badge. Let the battle begin!"
"You sure you don't want to change your mind about that last rule?" Falkner asked.
"I've battled like this for many years, Falkner," Kevin answered. "And I'll not lose this way now!"
"Suit yourself," Falkner sighed. "I choose Hoothoot."
Kevin pulled a Pokéball from his beltbox. "And I choose Chikorita!" he declared, throwing it and sending out his Pokémon.
"Bad choice," Falkner said. "A champion of Kanto should figure out by now that a grass-type Pokémon is weak against flying."
"Well thanks for pointing that out, Falkner," Kevin shot back. "Seriously, though, you should know that I've learned to do things to give me the advantage." Then, turning to his Chikorita, Kevin said, "Chikorita, you know what to do!"
"Hoothoot! Go in for a tackle attack!" Falkner said to his Hoothoot.
Hoothoot shot off Falkner's shoulder and began racing toward Kevin's Chikorita. Chikorita, regardless that Kevin had not given a direct command, already knew what it Kevin wanted her to use. Leaping up into the air, she unleashed a powerful Razor Leaf attack on the unsuspecting Hoothoot, causing an impressive amount of damage.
"You planned out your attacks ahead of time?" Falkner asked out loud. "Not a good idea."
"No, I didn't plan our attacks, I planned the phrases for our attacks," Kevin said. "You see, sometimes it's easy to block a move when you know what it is. However, I created certain things to say for every move. That way, I always have the advantage of surprise unless someone figures it out early."
"I see…" Falkner suddenly grew more serious. "Hoothoot, get up, get high, and get moving for a full-force Tackle!"
Hoothoot suddenly flew up to get out of the way of another Razor Leaf attack from Kevin. "Ahh, the classic swoop and strike tactics. Chikorita! Do what you must do!" Kevin said.
However, to Kevin's dismay, the Hoothoot had gone faster than he thought. Catching his Chikorita by the forehead, she went down without much effort. "Argh, no! Chikorita!" Kevin shouted.
"Chikorita is unable to battle. The victory goes to Hoothoot!" the student declared.
"What did I tell you?" Falkner said. "You're just like the last one who came here to battle me, except you actually managed to hit once and went down faster."
"I'll have to remember to ask who battled you last," Kevin said, recalling Chikorita. "But for now, it's time to end this. Go, Cevan!!" putting away the last Pokéball with Chikorita inside, he pulled out the gold-laced ball and threw it.
"Scyther!" Cevan shouted as it came out from the ball.
Falkner gave Kevin an awkward look. "Don't you learn anything?" he asked. "First a grass-type, now a bug? Is this all you have?"
"You are not the first to misjudge my Scyther, Falkner," Kevin replied. "But you'll be the first to know in this continent directly from me that Cevan is the most strongest Bug Pokémon in the world!"
"Your Scyther? I would've expected a Dragonite or something a little bigger to be your strongest, but not a Scyther!" Falkner said in surprise.
"Do you not know my title? I was known as the Blade Trainer," Kevin said back. "Dragonites don't have blades." Turning toward Cevan, he said, "Okay, Cevan! Our first battle in years. Let's hope you haven't gotten rusty!"
"Hoothoot, fly up into the air and go in for a dive!" Falkner shouted. Then he turned to Kevin and said, "Let's hope that your Scyther has a way to counter that."
"Scyther, initiate operation heavystrike!" Kevin said. Cevan understood and began moving his blades around, almost as if it were expecting an attack in any possible direction.
Hoothoot reached the top of its attack and began coming in for the attack. Rushing straight at Kevin's Scyther, the Scyther suddenly stood it's ground, holding the flat sides of the blade as shields.
"Good, Scyther. Be prepared for any sudden actions," Kevin said.
It took only a few seconds before Falkner realized that Kevin's Scyther was going to take the impact. "Hoothoot! Hit him at the side!" he yelled.
Hoothoot continued diving. As soon as it was within several feet of Cevan, it moved left to strike the Scyther's side. Unfortunately for the Hoothoot, Cevan also moved to his right. Falkner's fears had been confirmed. Cevan took full force of the impact from Hoothoot. Although the Scyther was knocked back slightly, the large bulk of the Scyther knocked the bird senseless from impact.
"Now, Scyther! Strike it hard!" Kevin ordered Cevan. The Scyther leapt up at the shaken bird and, with its attack increased by the dance before the Hoothoot's attack, dealt a slash that could cause more damage than the bird's dive ever could have done.
"Hoothoot!" Falkner shouted as Hoothoot bounced twice on the floor before rolling to his feet.
"Hoothoot is unable to battle. Victory goes to Cevan, the Scyther!" The student declared.
"Sorry about your Hoothoot…" Kevin commented. "I've never seen Cevan cause anyone to bounce on the floor from any attack, let alone a slash attack."
"Your Scyther obviously has some form of power that makes it different from any other that I've seen," Falkner said, recalling Hoothoot. "But you won't stand a chance against my next Pokémon. Dodrio, go!"
Dodrio came out with a flash. "Not a bad choice, Falkner," Kevin said. "A surprise tactic to any trainer who doesn't know about Dodrio's jump, but nothing new to a master of the past."
"Maybe so, but I have another plan for you," Falkner shot back.
Kevin thought about it. :What's another attribute Falkner has in mind?:
Other than it's jump, what's an ability of Falkner's Dodrio? Duo-Cevan asked.
I'm not sure…
The battle commenced. Dodrio charged at Cevan, while Cevan dashed at Dodrio.
Dang! Now I remember! Kevin thought. Dodrio's fast, so he's trying to out-move me!
"Dodrio!" Falkner shouted. "Move in and hit him with a drill peck!"
"Cevan!" Kevin yelled to his Scyther. "Don't even try dodging it. Block it and concentrate!"
When they reached striking distance, Cevan moved his blades in front of himself. An audible crash of beak against blade was heard as the three heads of Dodrio struck at Cevan. However, three heads proved much more difficult to block when the bird began again. He swatted two heads aside, but was struck backwards by the third.
"Now, Dodrio! Catch him off guard and use your Tri-Attack!" Falkner yelled. Immediately, the Dodrio charged the three heads as it prepared to strike. Cevan shook off the previous attack, but only looked up in time to see the Tri-attack launched at him in a flash of color.
"Cevan! Look out!" Kevin shouted.
Cevan didn't move. Instead, he disappeared from the path of the Tri-attack.
"What??" Falkner said in shock. He looked around. "Where did your Scyther go?"
"Good, Cevan!" Kevin shouted. The plan had worked. Cevan had performed Double Team so well that neither Falkner nor his Dodrio noticed him moving from his position. "Now from the skies! Strike!"
Cevan suddenly swooped down from the air, pulled up before hitting the rooftop, and flew straight at Dodrio. Aiming for the bird's legs, he rammed Dodrio with a fierce Wing Attack. Completely caught off guard, the Dodrio's legs were completely knocked out from underneath, causing it to flip over and crash hard into the floor.
"Dodrio!" Falkner said. "Try to get up!"
Dodrio struggled to fight itself back onto its feet. After what seemed to last for ten seconds, Dodrio got back up, determined.
"Well, looks like the bird isn't ready to go down yet," Kevin said.
Falkner noticed something about his Dodrio that Kevin hadn't yet. "Yes, nor is he ready to stop fighting either," he said to Kevin. He then turned his attention to his Dodrio. "Dodrio! Tri-attack!"
"What?" Kevin said in shock. All three points of the Tri-attack launched from the Dodrio. Cevan was about to dodge, but noticed that there was no way he could move aside. He instead took the blow in a braced stance.
"Good, Cevan! Nice defense! You chose the right move," Kevin shouted. Kevin rarely gave out encouragement verbally, but this was one exception. "Now, retaliate!"
Cevan leapt at the bird and immediately used a Slash attack. Unable to react because it was too weak, the Dodrio took a full blow of the blade and crashed to the ground.
This is hard on Cevan, Duo-Cevan commented as he and Kevin noticed Cevan's heavy breathing. He may not last another move from a flying-type.
He didn't have this sort of problem before we were separated, Kevin said back, so I may need to train him a little more. But he will survive at least one more unless it's strength surpasses Cevan.
"Dodrio!" Falkner yelled. The judge announced Cevan the winner of this match.
After recalling it, Falkner switched Pokéballs. "Your Scyther is very impressive. I've never seen a Bug Pokémon last through two of my birds, nonetheless one," Falkner said to Kevin. "But it ends here. Pidgeot, go!"
Pidgeot came out with a flash and a cry. Kevin looked at the massive bird. Uh-oh… he said to Duo-Cevan. Looks like we now have a big problem here with Cevan.
Bad joke, Kevin, Duo-Cevan groaned, and bad timing. You deserve to be punished. Can I hurt you with a Psychic blast?
The battle commenced. Cevan stood his ground. "Pidgeot!" Falkner shouted. "Fly up into the air and come in quickly to attack that Scyther!"
Pidgeot flew up into the sky. Both Kevin and Cevan kept their eye on the bird. "Wait for the attack, Cevan. Then show that bird what you've got!"
While keeping an eye on the bird, Cevan proceeded to do a movement with his blades, much like he did against Hoothoot. Falkner watched the motions made by the Scyther. "I don't understand… what attack is that?" Falkner asked.
"Heh…" Kevin chuckled. "That's my own secret. But I'll give you a hint… I devised a pattern of movements to double as an official move and an effective way to block physical strikes."
"How can that be an official move?"
"Because instead of spinning, he moves his blades around," Kevin stated.
Pidgeot dived. Cevan stood ready, preparing to make his move. Not making any movement himself, Kevin watched the twitch of every feather on the Pidgeot, making sure that their plan would work.
"Cevan! Move!" Kevin suddenly shouted. Cevan jumped off to the side, making sure that the only parts of him standing in the way of the bird was his blades. A few moments later, Pidgeot rammed the blades in its path, unable to dodge them.
However, Kevin misjudged the remaining strength in his Scyther. Even without taking a full blow from the Pidgeot's impact, it caused Cevan to be shaken a little.
"Now, Pidgeot! Quick attack!" Falkner yelled.
Pidgeot suddenly gained speed and turned quickly to face the stunned Scyther. Now, without any blades in its path, Pidgeot gave a full-force quick attack to Cevan, knocking him to the ground.
"Cevan!" Kevin yelled. "Stand your ground. Get up!" Kevin watched as Cevan struggled to get up, but collapsed before he could get to his feet. The judge soon after declared Pidgeot the winner of the round.
"Good, Cevan. Now you can rest easy, knowing you've satisfied your trainer," Kevin said in a reassuring tone. Kevin recalled Cevan, then looked up at Falkner. "However, I've got one last Pokémon left! Falkner, tell me… how well do your birds do against electric-types?"
Falkner gave Kevin a fierce glare. "You dare insult my birds with electric-types?!?"
Kevin shook his head. "No… However, my real question is how well you fare against a rock-type!" Kevin pulled out the Pokéball he had retrieved before the match through the Pokécenter's computer. Throwing it, he shouted, "Go, Golem!"
"A rock-type?" Falkner wondered.
"Sorry, Falkner, but this is where my victory comes in. You may have been able to take down Cevan with your three birds, but your bird's size here won't matter against Golem's bulk!" Kevin threw his fist in front of him. "Now you see why I was the champion of Indigo Plateau for so many years… Cevan was indeed the strongest of all my Pokémon, but he had limits in the long run, so I had others back him up, just in case!!"
Almost as soon as the match had begun, Falkner told Pidgeot to fly. However, Golem waited, and soon Pidgeot came down to strike. Falkner attempted the technique of striking it from the side, but Golem just sat there. Taking every ounce of impact without budging, Golem caused the bird to lose control and crash on the ground.
"Now Golem! Let's crush the competition!" Kevin shouted. Golem complied, and fell onto Pidgeot with a Body Slam. The match was now over.
"Pidgeot is unable to battle. Victory goes to Golem and his trainer, Kevin!"
Kevin recalled his Golem and proceeded to walk toward Falkner. "Well done, Falkner," he said. "Your little 'ambush' there with quick attack earns my applause."
"You earned more than applause from me, Kevin," Falkner said. He pulled out something from his shirt. "And this is what you came for. The Zephyr Badge is yours." He handed it to Kevin.
Kevin took the reward. "I'll be sure to visit you again once news of my existence reaches the world," Kevin said.
* * *
"Wow… I didn't know you were that far behind in history!" Patrael said.
Still conversing with the Psychic, Patrael had told the Rogues in Violet city to watch for when "Kevin" would come out of the gym. When they saw anyone in a black suit coming out of the building, they would contact him immediately.
"Well, I did go into intensive Psychic training over the last nine years," The psychic said.
Swieten snorted. You mean eight years before last year, when you started training me, it said.
Patrael looked at the Murkrow, and then back at the Psychic. "I still don't understand how you managed to get that Pokémon to converse with Psychic," he said.
"Yes, and I can use Psychic skills with him, as well," the Psychic responded. He turned and shook a finger at Swieten. "So no smart jokes from you!"
Really now? I almost thought you enjoyed them. Swieten turned toward Patrael. Perhaps you find them more amusing than my master does.
"I heard that, Swieten," the Psychic said, glaring at the bird. "I trained you so that our minds could be intertwined. That includes speaking to others."
Swieten looked at the Psychic. Your inability to find true humor bewilders me, master, Swieten sighed. That and your capability of finding humor in others' misfortunes.
The Psychic raised an eyebrow at the Murkrow. "You hold your tongue before I decide to use that 'humor' on you, Swieten!" he barked.
Very well, but do not let that humor get the best of you, Swieten said. You may be strong in your Psychic skills, but don't let that strong mind of yours make you lose concentration of your true goal. It could be your downfall.
Just then, Patrael's phone began ringing. He pulled it out and flipped it open. "Hello?" he said.
"Patrael! We need to know now!" a female voice said. "Oh yes, it's Mala. Where is the Psychic sensing Kevin?"
Patrael looked at the Psychic. He saw his question in Patrael's look. "Just in front of the Gym," the Psychic answered.
Patrael sent the answer to Mala. Mala's voice suddenly became eager. "That's him! Perfect! Looks like he has a new disguise, which is why we couldn't identify him in the first place."
"What's the new disguise? Does he have a suit that's differently colored?" Patrael asked jokingly.
"No, but he appears human."
Patrael raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"
"Somehow, he changed his form so he looks like the average human, save for his eyes which seem fierce," Mala said. "None of us noticed it before, but his eyes, now that we look at it, don't seem to match the face too well. Maybe for someone who's angry, but someone who's just naturally walking just doesn't seem to match."
"Thanks for the update, Mala," Patrael said. "Now get back in position. I'll notify the others."