Chapter 20
A spiralling, rapidash-like horn, bony head plate, tiny thorns surrounding the head like a crown. The entire back was now covered in small barbs, and the tail, far more muscular than before, thumped the ground lightly; impatiently. All this, swathed in what seemed like molten metal, glossy and glowing with an inner fire.
Tom frowned. *Something's fishy here. This is not a rock type. Ground steel mix is unlikely, since rhydon's main type is rock. Maybe...* Tom withdrew the pokedex, distaste written all over his face; not to vanish at the display.
Pokedex display:
Name: Unknown pokemon. (Please insert name)
Gender: Male
Type: ???/Steel
Resistance: Unknown
Immunities: Unknown
Weaknesses: Unknown
Further Information: NA
Shingo was laughing hysterically, at Tom's reaction. "Oh come on, go update your 'dex. That is so outdated. Tom glowered at the gym leader, but nevertheless activated the update. Seconds later, the scroll of information went past the screen, revising the database. The updated files were shown in a list, but one section caught Tom's eye.
New Type:
War
Resistance: Normal, Fire, Water, Electric, Grass, Ice, Ground, Flying, Rock
Immunities: Fighting
Weaknesses: Poison, Bug
Tom gaped, and instantly regretted not upgrading the software sooner. He triggered the scan again, and waited for a moment.
Pokedex display:
Name: Unknown pokemon. (Please insert name)
Gender: Male
Type: War/Steel
Resistance: Normal, Water, Electric, Grass, Ice, Flying, Psychic, Rock, Ghost, Dragon, Dark, Steel
Immunities: Fighting, Poison
Weaknesses: None
Further Information: This pokemon is built for warfare. With zero resistances, this pokemon can easily overcome most pokemon in the wild, and may crush the average military-grade vehicle with ease. Its immense strength and superb senses give it an advantage in any terrain, and the only notable weakness is its stubborness and utter will in standing its ground in even the most dire situations. Even more aggressive than a tyranitar, it is not to be taken lightly.
Tom thought a moment, and asked the silvery pokemon, for the bellow was nothing more than a challenge, and did not reveal its name. "What's your name?"
"Rhythor."
Shingo stared, then started to laugh. "Thor. The god of thunder. Also called the thunderer. It is rumoured that Raikou is in fact, Thor in disguise. A laughable idea at best... but the name fits. Anyway, I'm glad I shan't have to face that thing anytime soon. Good day."
Shingo tossed Tom a jaunty salute, and with a half-bow, hurried off to the pokecentre.
Tom went over to his new pokemon, pocketing the other stone.
Rhythor was gushing, "Oh that was unexpected... I didn't think the stone would work... I mean I expected to get stronger, was this... OH..."
Tom chuckled, and trotted over to Shalla. "What do you think?" He waved proudly at Rhythor. Shalla, in a mild tone, replied casually, "Not bad."
She bit back a giggling fit at Tom's horrified expression, but the shaking could not be controlled. Tom rolled his eyes, and returned the excited war type, beckoning for Shalla to carry on with the journey.
***
The dawn broke, the horizon a brilliant flood of colours. Peaks loomed in the distance, visions of nature's beauty, set against a fantastic backdrop of radiant light. Shalla yawned, and with eyes still shut, rolled over, and sat up immediately. Tom's sleeping bag was vacant; it was already rolled up and settled right on top of the rucksack.
Her sharp vision instantly noticed that Tom's pokeball belt was missing as well. She relaxed. *He's probably off somewhere training his pokemon.* Moments later, a loud thump, followed by a distinctive grunt easily identifiable as that of Shyru was heard, shattering the peace of the moment.
*What the... What can take down that terranite?* Shalla scrambled for her bag, and hurriedly changed in her sleeping bag, wriggling furiously for a few minutes before emerging, full dressed but her hair a mess. Nevertheless, she grabbed a comb and took care of it, rushing towards the source of the sound earlier on.
Minutes later, Shalla was greeted by a unbelievable scene.
It was a clearing, and all of Tom's pokemon were out there, firing projectiles and energy beams and what not at... *something*. The particular target in question however, could not be seen, and indeed, seemed just to be a mass of attacks that exploded upon impact with some sort of shielding. The barrier seemed impregnable, and none of the ice beams, flamethrowers or the like penetrated it.
Shalla just stood there, incredulous and completely mystified at the going-on. Here was a pokemon, if it was alive, that was impervious to anything that was thrown at it. *Impossible.* Tom jogged over, and chuckled at Shalla's reaction. "Cool huh!"
"Who... What is that thing?"
"Skarmory. The herald of the gods. He came over this morning and offered to help train my pokemon."
"And that so-called training involved everyone attacking him?"
"Not precisely, but close. You see, being the herald, Skarmory is a symbol of their power, and therefore is far more powerful than any pokemon, except the gods themselves. In any case, none of my pokemon can match up to that, so they are fighting twelve on one... and losing"
"What?!"
"See for yourself. Skarmory isn't even trying to retaliate, and the others are already wheezing hard."
And it was true. The light screen and barrier combination move only prevented the attacks from penetrating, and nothing else. Shalla gaped, and a thought occurred to her. "Wait. You used to own *that*?"
"Well, skarmory wasn't *quite* as powerful back then. Besides, I received him from a gym leader when he was still little."
"Uh huh..." The reply came in a dry tone. Shalla was still staring at the battle. "Hey look! Skarmory's doing something..."
Above, the barrage of energy beams had paused, providing a glimpse of the metallic bird, shimmering. Skarmory then grin maliciously, and let loose. The glimmer, in fact just huge unaccountable amounts of stored energy, surged out as one massive column...
Yes, column. No other word could describe that great gush of power, thick as a tree trunk, blasting straight towards the ground. Instinctively, both Shalla and Tom shielded their eyes, turning away from the awful sudden glare.
Seconds later, they opened their eyes, expecting a huge crater or something to that effect... They were however totally unprepared for the sight. A layer of frost covered everything in sight...
*No. Not frost.* The little voice at the back of his head spoke again, startling Tom somewhat. Nevertheless, he cautiously went forward, and glanced at the landscape. "Tom?" Shalla's voice had a slight tremor in it, betraying her feelings.
"Look. That's some kind of crystalline substance..." Tom looked at skarmory, wondering just how much his old pokemon had grown...
***
"Nurse, please heal these pokemon. Thank you."
"No problem." Joy took the offered belt and retreated to a back room, presumably to start the treatment. Tom turned back and dragged himself over to Shalla.
"Tell me about your parents."
Tom frowned at the unexpected question, and studied her face. Seeing that she was serious, Tom sobered up and answered.
"Well, my mother was a teacher of pokelogy, by all accounts very good at what she does. I guess I learnt much of what I know about pokemon from her. She used to bring me to see baby pokemon when I was young; probably what sparked my interest in training these magnificent creatures. My father... well he was a trainer in his time I suppose. Waaaaay back though. Before the pokedex, back before even Ash Ketchum started his journey." Tom paused, then chuckled, "before The Azure League was properly established. My dad encouraged me to become a trainer once he found out about my interest, but he would refuse to tell me any tips about the actual battles. 'It all comes with experience,' he said. That's true, but I was very frustrated back then, and did all I could to learn from the books. But *nothing* beats learning with your own pokemon."
Shalla nodded. "How were they like? Your parents I mean."
"My parents... Well they mostly treated me with respect, and cared for me, but they would get this sad look in their eyes every time I left my village for the annual pokemon camp."
"They were afraid to lose you, to be unable to see you in the course of the years that is needed to actually become *someone*."
"Yeah. You know, my father actually refused to tell me anything about his career as a trainer. My mother said that he was a great trainer though..."
"Hm..."
An somewhat awkward silence elapsed, during which the nurse called Tom to the counter to collect his pokemon. As Joy was about to turn away however, Tom interrupted her. "Um excuse me?"
"Yes?"
"Well, I was just wondering, where is the gym? Its theme is poison, correct?"
"Huh? Oh, you haven't challenged the leader yet. I thought, since you were healing your pokemon, that you had lost..."
"*Lost*?!"
"Don't be offended, but that's the natural assumption for this gym. There are two gym leaders, its rumoured that they were formerly part of Team Rocket's Elites, but ever since they became the gym leaders, the gym's record is almost unblemished. Out of ninety-seven challenges by forty different trainers, there has only been two trainers who walked away with the badge. One was Master Ketchum. The other was just a few months ago. Sorry, but I do not know his name... or even if it is a 'he'."
"Why?"
"He, or she wore a cape that hid most of his or her features. And after his gym battle, he pass one pokeball to me for recovery. You know what that means, of course."
Tom gaped. **One* pokemon. He defeated the nearly invincible gym leaders with just one pokemon.*
"Now don't get me wrong. The gym leaders play by the rules. But well... you'll see."
Tom nodded, and grimaced. *No wonder so many people that start off in the Azure League end up going to the other leagues, getting into the top five, and using that to enter the Azure League Championships. This is one of the chokepoints. Out of the eighteen gyms, sixteen badges are enough to qualify, but people very often fail even to get that amount. Getting all eighteen badges means to go straight past the heats.*
"Cheer up! You know the trainer that recently, won?"
"Yeah?" Tom fully expected bad news, and was not fully disappointed.
"Well, I heard he breezed through all eighteen gyms without using, at any time, more than three pokemon. In fact I highly suspect that those were the same three pokemon."
*Oh brother, a guy who has three or more super pokemon, and is already in the championships. Great. One more rival.*
A gloomy Tom trudged back to Shalla. Amused by his expression, she asked, "What's the matter? Daunted by the task? Just tell yourself that those two are NOT invincible, and neither are their pokemon, and you should be all right."
"I'll try... But that is only part of what I'm worried about."
***
Tom look at the purplish building, constructed to look like a Muk, or just a pile of goo, Tom could not tell. Either way, as Shalla put it, "Its shapeless."
Tom sighed, took a deep breath, preparing himself, and pushed the door open. It was easily moved, but looking closely, it seemed to be some sort of metal alloy, *a feet thick*. Tom shuddered; the door gave the impression of great weight, precisely balanced; well maintained.
He looked forward and the sight pulled his attention away from the massive door.
The entire gym was a pool of depths unknown, filled to the brim with a lavender slime. The gunk stank, and had little bubbles popping on its surface from time to time. A snaking path, apparently the same material as the door, led to the trainer box, which was constructed of, again the same alloy. Small circular pillars extended, presumably from the bottom of the "pool" to just a feet above its surface. Numerous such platforms dotted the arena, each about five meters in diameter.
In the opposite trainer box, two people stood tall. On Tom's left, a red head with long, curling hair crossed her arms, fire in her eyes, and a fiery aura surrounding her. The other had blue hair, and he had a cool, calculative look, calm and collected.
They both nodded briefly, and shouted across the arena.
"Two on Two, both out at once. No time limit."
Once again, they mirror each other, and threw their pokeballs. One, a violet thing that looked like multiple balloons fused together. The other, a cobra with devilish patterns on its chest. *Wheezing and arbok. Damn. That wheezing can float; hard to reach in this arena. And arbok... I don't know what it can do here, but I'm even more worried about the fact that the gym leaders don't mind letting me have my choice of pokemon after knowing theirs...*
*Let's see. I will need versatile pokemon for this, but also an type advantage. That leaves only...*
"Come on out." Tom hurled his pokeballs, only to find his aim slightly off the mark, and the balls plopping right into the toxic liquid. However, the automated devices opened up facing up, thus letting the alakazam and rhythor appear on platforms, and not in the pool. *Great start.*
The gym leaders were nonplussed, but Tom was burning with embarrassment. He glared at the leaders, as if they were somehow responsible for the accident. "Ding!" The bell interrupted the tense silence of the moment, and signalled for the battle to commence.
The arbok immediately plopped right into the toxic, probably feeling right at home in the vile substance. Wheezing started spewing smoke everywhere, and soon the entire arena was obscured from view. Tom grimaced. *As if having that sort of arena isn't enough, that wheezing had to go ahead and use a smog attack. Alakazam! Light screen.*
Then, the poisonous atmosphere abruptly cleared, revealing alakazam, surrounded by the semi-transparent bubble. Rhythor was unaffected, instead charging up a positively huge orange sphere at the tip of his horn. Wheezing gazed at the rapidly expanding orb calmly, then its image shimmered, and ten or so "wheezings" winked into existence, arrayed against rhythor. Tom groaned, but rhythor, it seemed, had other plans and fired massive hyper beam anyway.
Thick as a tree trunk, the shaft zipped at the right most duplicate, and struck, utterly destroying the image. But the beam did not stop, instead seeming to pause for a moment, and bent abruptly, nowing rushing through the aligned clones, killing six or so, before suddenly exploding. The real wheezing was hit, apparently, and Tom smiled in relief. The tactic was not infallible, and they were lucky it succeeded; it would not again.
Tom returned his attention to the battle, and found the wheezing already recovering, and staring at rhythor menacingly, challenging him. Unable to resist, wheezing stared right back, and the two were locked in a contest of wills -- and pride. Tom chuckled. *Perfect. Come on. Confuse ray.*
Rhythor did as instructed, smirking as his own eyes blazed with a variety of colours, momentarily blinding the hovering poison sack, and consequently, it floated out of control, slamming into the platform. The female gym leader frowned at the turn of events, and called out a command, for the first time in the battle.
"Surf."
*What? Arbok can't use surf...* It dawned on him, and Tom screamed out, *Come ON. Alakazam, psychic to locate that arbok, and then teleport out of the way. Light screen for safety as well.*
The only confirmation of that order, Tom received, was a simple nod, and alakazam was deep in a trance, his face a mask of concentration. His eyes were closed, but they snapped open quickly enough when the target was found... together with the incoming attack.
It started as a swell on the surface, but soon grew to a wall of vile gloop. The miniature tidal wave paused for a moment, and then washed over the entire pool, leaving all the platforms hissing from the acid. Tom searched anxiously for any signs of his pokemon, but came up empty. Until...
*Hey Tom, missed me?* Tom's head jerked up at the telekinetic pull, and saw his starting pokemon, floating in the air, surrounded by a violet flame. The radiance flared, then from below, a wheezing and arbok rose, immobile and muscles tensed, ready to break out. Alakazam waggled his fore-finger disapprovingly, and knotted his eyebrows. The two poison types accelerated, then heading towards the surface at insane speeds. At such high velocity, the liquid would be as hard as diamond, and the gym leaders winced, turning away as their pokemon crashed.
Alakazam landed moments later, on the same platform as rhythor, and gave him a high-five... But their triumph was short lived. The wheezing rushed out of the pool just beside their platform, flashing a maniac grin. It flashed, and started shimmering. Tom's pokemon instinctively shielded themselves, as the opponent made one last kamikaze attack. Both went flying, plopping into the dense liquid without much of a splash.
A spiralling, rapidash-like horn, bony head plate, tiny thorns surrounding the head like a crown. The entire back was now covered in small barbs, and the tail, far more muscular than before, thumped the ground lightly; impatiently. All this, swathed in what seemed like molten metal, glossy and glowing with an inner fire.
Tom frowned. *Something's fishy here. This is not a rock type. Ground steel mix is unlikely, since rhydon's main type is rock. Maybe...* Tom withdrew the pokedex, distaste written all over his face; not to vanish at the display.
Pokedex display:
Name: Unknown pokemon. (Please insert name)
Gender: Male
Type: ???/Steel
Resistance: Unknown
Immunities: Unknown
Weaknesses: Unknown
Further Information: NA
Shingo was laughing hysterically, at Tom's reaction. "Oh come on, go update your 'dex. That is so outdated. Tom glowered at the gym leader, but nevertheless activated the update. Seconds later, the scroll of information went past the screen, revising the database. The updated files were shown in a list, but one section caught Tom's eye.
New Type:
War
Resistance: Normal, Fire, Water, Electric, Grass, Ice, Ground, Flying, Rock
Immunities: Fighting
Weaknesses: Poison, Bug
Tom gaped, and instantly regretted not upgrading the software sooner. He triggered the scan again, and waited for a moment.
Pokedex display:
Name: Unknown pokemon. (Please insert name)
Gender: Male
Type: War/Steel
Resistance: Normal, Water, Electric, Grass, Ice, Flying, Psychic, Rock, Ghost, Dragon, Dark, Steel
Immunities: Fighting, Poison
Weaknesses: None
Further Information: This pokemon is built for warfare. With zero resistances, this pokemon can easily overcome most pokemon in the wild, and may crush the average military-grade vehicle with ease. Its immense strength and superb senses give it an advantage in any terrain, and the only notable weakness is its stubborness and utter will in standing its ground in even the most dire situations. Even more aggressive than a tyranitar, it is not to be taken lightly.
Tom thought a moment, and asked the silvery pokemon, for the bellow was nothing more than a challenge, and did not reveal its name. "What's your name?"
"Rhythor."
Shingo stared, then started to laugh. "Thor. The god of thunder. Also called the thunderer. It is rumoured that Raikou is in fact, Thor in disguise. A laughable idea at best... but the name fits. Anyway, I'm glad I shan't have to face that thing anytime soon. Good day."
Shingo tossed Tom a jaunty salute, and with a half-bow, hurried off to the pokecentre.
Tom went over to his new pokemon, pocketing the other stone.
Rhythor was gushing, "Oh that was unexpected... I didn't think the stone would work... I mean I expected to get stronger, was this... OH..."
Tom chuckled, and trotted over to Shalla. "What do you think?" He waved proudly at Rhythor. Shalla, in a mild tone, replied casually, "Not bad."
She bit back a giggling fit at Tom's horrified expression, but the shaking could not be controlled. Tom rolled his eyes, and returned the excited war type, beckoning for Shalla to carry on with the journey.
***
The dawn broke, the horizon a brilliant flood of colours. Peaks loomed in the distance, visions of nature's beauty, set against a fantastic backdrop of radiant light. Shalla yawned, and with eyes still shut, rolled over, and sat up immediately. Tom's sleeping bag was vacant; it was already rolled up and settled right on top of the rucksack.
Her sharp vision instantly noticed that Tom's pokeball belt was missing as well. She relaxed. *He's probably off somewhere training his pokemon.* Moments later, a loud thump, followed by a distinctive grunt easily identifiable as that of Shyru was heard, shattering the peace of the moment.
*What the... What can take down that terranite?* Shalla scrambled for her bag, and hurriedly changed in her sleeping bag, wriggling furiously for a few minutes before emerging, full dressed but her hair a mess. Nevertheless, she grabbed a comb and took care of it, rushing towards the source of the sound earlier on.
Minutes later, Shalla was greeted by a unbelievable scene.
It was a clearing, and all of Tom's pokemon were out there, firing projectiles and energy beams and what not at... *something*. The particular target in question however, could not be seen, and indeed, seemed just to be a mass of attacks that exploded upon impact with some sort of shielding. The barrier seemed impregnable, and none of the ice beams, flamethrowers or the like penetrated it.
Shalla just stood there, incredulous and completely mystified at the going-on. Here was a pokemon, if it was alive, that was impervious to anything that was thrown at it. *Impossible.* Tom jogged over, and chuckled at Shalla's reaction. "Cool huh!"
"Who... What is that thing?"
"Skarmory. The herald of the gods. He came over this morning and offered to help train my pokemon."
"And that so-called training involved everyone attacking him?"
"Not precisely, but close. You see, being the herald, Skarmory is a symbol of their power, and therefore is far more powerful than any pokemon, except the gods themselves. In any case, none of my pokemon can match up to that, so they are fighting twelve on one... and losing"
"What?!"
"See for yourself. Skarmory isn't even trying to retaliate, and the others are already wheezing hard."
And it was true. The light screen and barrier combination move only prevented the attacks from penetrating, and nothing else. Shalla gaped, and a thought occurred to her. "Wait. You used to own *that*?"
"Well, skarmory wasn't *quite* as powerful back then. Besides, I received him from a gym leader when he was still little."
"Uh huh..." The reply came in a dry tone. Shalla was still staring at the battle. "Hey look! Skarmory's doing something..."
Above, the barrage of energy beams had paused, providing a glimpse of the metallic bird, shimmering. Skarmory then grin maliciously, and let loose. The glimmer, in fact just huge unaccountable amounts of stored energy, surged out as one massive column...
Yes, column. No other word could describe that great gush of power, thick as a tree trunk, blasting straight towards the ground. Instinctively, both Shalla and Tom shielded their eyes, turning away from the awful sudden glare.
Seconds later, they opened their eyes, expecting a huge crater or something to that effect... They were however totally unprepared for the sight. A layer of frost covered everything in sight...
*No. Not frost.* The little voice at the back of his head spoke again, startling Tom somewhat. Nevertheless, he cautiously went forward, and glanced at the landscape. "Tom?" Shalla's voice had a slight tremor in it, betraying her feelings.
"Look. That's some kind of crystalline substance..." Tom looked at skarmory, wondering just how much his old pokemon had grown...
***
"Nurse, please heal these pokemon. Thank you."
"No problem." Joy took the offered belt and retreated to a back room, presumably to start the treatment. Tom turned back and dragged himself over to Shalla.
"Tell me about your parents."
Tom frowned at the unexpected question, and studied her face. Seeing that she was serious, Tom sobered up and answered.
"Well, my mother was a teacher of pokelogy, by all accounts very good at what she does. I guess I learnt much of what I know about pokemon from her. She used to bring me to see baby pokemon when I was young; probably what sparked my interest in training these magnificent creatures. My father... well he was a trainer in his time I suppose. Waaaaay back though. Before the pokedex, back before even Ash Ketchum started his journey." Tom paused, then chuckled, "before The Azure League was properly established. My dad encouraged me to become a trainer once he found out about my interest, but he would refuse to tell me any tips about the actual battles. 'It all comes with experience,' he said. That's true, but I was very frustrated back then, and did all I could to learn from the books. But *nothing* beats learning with your own pokemon."
Shalla nodded. "How were they like? Your parents I mean."
"My parents... Well they mostly treated me with respect, and cared for me, but they would get this sad look in their eyes every time I left my village for the annual pokemon camp."
"They were afraid to lose you, to be unable to see you in the course of the years that is needed to actually become *someone*."
"Yeah. You know, my father actually refused to tell me anything about his career as a trainer. My mother said that he was a great trainer though..."
"Hm..."
An somewhat awkward silence elapsed, during which the nurse called Tom to the counter to collect his pokemon. As Joy was about to turn away however, Tom interrupted her. "Um excuse me?"
"Yes?"
"Well, I was just wondering, where is the gym? Its theme is poison, correct?"
"Huh? Oh, you haven't challenged the leader yet. I thought, since you were healing your pokemon, that you had lost..."
"*Lost*?!"
"Don't be offended, but that's the natural assumption for this gym. There are two gym leaders, its rumoured that they were formerly part of Team Rocket's Elites, but ever since they became the gym leaders, the gym's record is almost unblemished. Out of ninety-seven challenges by forty different trainers, there has only been two trainers who walked away with the badge. One was Master Ketchum. The other was just a few months ago. Sorry, but I do not know his name... or even if it is a 'he'."
"Why?"
"He, or she wore a cape that hid most of his or her features. And after his gym battle, he pass one pokeball to me for recovery. You know what that means, of course."
Tom gaped. **One* pokemon. He defeated the nearly invincible gym leaders with just one pokemon.*
"Now don't get me wrong. The gym leaders play by the rules. But well... you'll see."
Tom nodded, and grimaced. *No wonder so many people that start off in the Azure League end up going to the other leagues, getting into the top five, and using that to enter the Azure League Championships. This is one of the chokepoints. Out of the eighteen gyms, sixteen badges are enough to qualify, but people very often fail even to get that amount. Getting all eighteen badges means to go straight past the heats.*
"Cheer up! You know the trainer that recently, won?"
"Yeah?" Tom fully expected bad news, and was not fully disappointed.
"Well, I heard he breezed through all eighteen gyms without using, at any time, more than three pokemon. In fact I highly suspect that those were the same three pokemon."
*Oh brother, a guy who has three or more super pokemon, and is already in the championships. Great. One more rival.*
A gloomy Tom trudged back to Shalla. Amused by his expression, she asked, "What's the matter? Daunted by the task? Just tell yourself that those two are NOT invincible, and neither are their pokemon, and you should be all right."
"I'll try... But that is only part of what I'm worried about."
***
Tom look at the purplish building, constructed to look like a Muk, or just a pile of goo, Tom could not tell. Either way, as Shalla put it, "Its shapeless."
Tom sighed, took a deep breath, preparing himself, and pushed the door open. It was easily moved, but looking closely, it seemed to be some sort of metal alloy, *a feet thick*. Tom shuddered; the door gave the impression of great weight, precisely balanced; well maintained.
He looked forward and the sight pulled his attention away from the massive door.
The entire gym was a pool of depths unknown, filled to the brim with a lavender slime. The gunk stank, and had little bubbles popping on its surface from time to time. A snaking path, apparently the same material as the door, led to the trainer box, which was constructed of, again the same alloy. Small circular pillars extended, presumably from the bottom of the "pool" to just a feet above its surface. Numerous such platforms dotted the arena, each about five meters in diameter.
In the opposite trainer box, two people stood tall. On Tom's left, a red head with long, curling hair crossed her arms, fire in her eyes, and a fiery aura surrounding her. The other had blue hair, and he had a cool, calculative look, calm and collected.
They both nodded briefly, and shouted across the arena.
"Two on Two, both out at once. No time limit."
Once again, they mirror each other, and threw their pokeballs. One, a violet thing that looked like multiple balloons fused together. The other, a cobra with devilish patterns on its chest. *Wheezing and arbok. Damn. That wheezing can float; hard to reach in this arena. And arbok... I don't know what it can do here, but I'm even more worried about the fact that the gym leaders don't mind letting me have my choice of pokemon after knowing theirs...*
*Let's see. I will need versatile pokemon for this, but also an type advantage. That leaves only...*
"Come on out." Tom hurled his pokeballs, only to find his aim slightly off the mark, and the balls plopping right into the toxic liquid. However, the automated devices opened up facing up, thus letting the alakazam and rhythor appear on platforms, and not in the pool. *Great start.*
The gym leaders were nonplussed, but Tom was burning with embarrassment. He glared at the leaders, as if they were somehow responsible for the accident. "Ding!" The bell interrupted the tense silence of the moment, and signalled for the battle to commence.
The arbok immediately plopped right into the toxic, probably feeling right at home in the vile substance. Wheezing started spewing smoke everywhere, and soon the entire arena was obscured from view. Tom grimaced. *As if having that sort of arena isn't enough, that wheezing had to go ahead and use a smog attack. Alakazam! Light screen.*
Then, the poisonous atmosphere abruptly cleared, revealing alakazam, surrounded by the semi-transparent bubble. Rhythor was unaffected, instead charging up a positively huge orange sphere at the tip of his horn. Wheezing gazed at the rapidly expanding orb calmly, then its image shimmered, and ten or so "wheezings" winked into existence, arrayed against rhythor. Tom groaned, but rhythor, it seemed, had other plans and fired massive hyper beam anyway.
Thick as a tree trunk, the shaft zipped at the right most duplicate, and struck, utterly destroying the image. But the beam did not stop, instead seeming to pause for a moment, and bent abruptly, nowing rushing through the aligned clones, killing six or so, before suddenly exploding. The real wheezing was hit, apparently, and Tom smiled in relief. The tactic was not infallible, and they were lucky it succeeded; it would not again.
Tom returned his attention to the battle, and found the wheezing already recovering, and staring at rhythor menacingly, challenging him. Unable to resist, wheezing stared right back, and the two were locked in a contest of wills -- and pride. Tom chuckled. *Perfect. Come on. Confuse ray.*
Rhythor did as instructed, smirking as his own eyes blazed with a variety of colours, momentarily blinding the hovering poison sack, and consequently, it floated out of control, slamming into the platform. The female gym leader frowned at the turn of events, and called out a command, for the first time in the battle.
"Surf."
*What? Arbok can't use surf...* It dawned on him, and Tom screamed out, *Come ON. Alakazam, psychic to locate that arbok, and then teleport out of the way. Light screen for safety as well.*
The only confirmation of that order, Tom received, was a simple nod, and alakazam was deep in a trance, his face a mask of concentration. His eyes were closed, but they snapped open quickly enough when the target was found... together with the incoming attack.
It started as a swell on the surface, but soon grew to a wall of vile gloop. The miniature tidal wave paused for a moment, and then washed over the entire pool, leaving all the platforms hissing from the acid. Tom searched anxiously for any signs of his pokemon, but came up empty. Until...
*Hey Tom, missed me?* Tom's head jerked up at the telekinetic pull, and saw his starting pokemon, floating in the air, surrounded by a violet flame. The radiance flared, then from below, a wheezing and arbok rose, immobile and muscles tensed, ready to break out. Alakazam waggled his fore-finger disapprovingly, and knotted his eyebrows. The two poison types accelerated, then heading towards the surface at insane speeds. At such high velocity, the liquid would be as hard as diamond, and the gym leaders winced, turning away as their pokemon crashed.
Alakazam landed moments later, on the same platform as rhythor, and gave him a high-five... But their triumph was short lived. The wheezing rushed out of the pool just beside their platform, flashing a maniac grin. It flashed, and started shimmering. Tom's pokemon instinctively shielded themselves, as the opponent made one last kamikaze attack. Both went flying, plopping into the dense liquid without much of a splash.