Thanks for the encouragement. If I could find a better way to express my happiness, I would… ^_^
Disclaimer: Pokemon will never belong to me.
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"… Any signs of cheating or excessive damage will result in automatic disqualification. State your name, shake hands, and let's get this battle underway!" Gerald raised the cone to his mouth at the very end, earning noisy cheers from spectators around him.
"Well… Meowth, go!" Leon tossed his pokeball into the center of the badly drawn rectangle. The cat pokemon rubbed the coin on his forehead and kissed his paw.
"Talon, go!" The Hoothoot immediately stared at her opponent, determined not to let him out of her sight. She'd paid dearly for it last time. Pyra's pokeball rattled briefly; she was clearly annoyed that Agility hadn't chosen her.
A reason why older trainers rarely watched young trainers battle was the lack of variety in pokemon attacks. Most of pokemon found along New Bark Town to Cherrygrove City knew only Tackle, Growl, or Tail Whip. Few of the young trainers had enough knowledge of the last two attacks to use them effectively (if it didn't damage the opponent's pokemon, it was considered useless); so most of the battles consisted of trainers yelling the word "tackle" over and over again.
"Tackle!"
"Tackle!"
"You got him on that one, Talon! Use Tackle again!"
"Tackle her, Meowth! Yeah, that's it!"
"Tackle!"
Leon paused. "Celadon Escape!"
Caught off guard by the change in attacks, all Pokedexes (including Agility's) were activated in unison. As one, all Pokedexes droned to their owners that the attack had simply been created. Meowth rubbed his coin again and looked at the cloudy sky, waiting patiently.
"While its distracted!" Because she couldn't fly far and wasn't used to running, Talon made a clumsy hopping motion towards her distant opponent. Meowth took no notice, and grinned at the clearing clouds… Agility chuckled. It was too easy!
The coin on Meowth's forehead began to glow with a radiant light. It was small at first, but then everything in front of Talon burned white. She hooted in panic and tripped, signaling for Meowth to move in for the kill.
Leon didn't have to say anything, but he followed up on his last command. "Now finish it! Falling Strike!"
Meowth jumped high, impossibly high, and flipped in midair for show. Aided by Agility's screams, Talon slowly got up and realized her opponent was nowhere to be seen.
"In the sky! He's in the sky!" Agility warned, thrusting a finger upwards. It was a grave mistake following her finger. Talon's recovering eyesight again failed as she looked at the sun. "Never mind! Move back!"
It wasn't fair for Talon at all to lose the one advantage she had over other pokemon. With her sight gone, Talon desperately followed Agility's order and pushed herself backwards with all her might. Meowth landed painfully and forced himself forward.
Agility ground her teeth in frustration. "Flap your wings! Talons up!" Meowth yowled terribly as he collided with Talon. The attack had weakened the Hoothoot considerably but at a painful price. Seeing the potentially lethal talons, Meowth aimed lower to avoid it. The talons raked across Meowth's back and sent them both tumbling. They leapt away from each other to plan their next moves.
"How's your sight, Talon?" Agility asked her tired fighter.
"Good not so!" She yelled in distress. "Where waits the cat?!"
"He's-" Agility paused. Where was Meowth? The cat had vanished from view, leaving only the smiling Leon at the opposite end of the battlefield. Then she saw Meowth for a brief second, a flickering image not too far from where Talon was standing. Agility's eyes widened with horror. "Fly high! Fly as high as you can go!"
"Tackle, Meowth!" Leon ordered, watching him lunge. Agility had ordered a second too early, though, and Meowth missed Talon by centimeters. Talon squawked when several tail feathers were ripped from her body. Fortunately it was more embarrassing than painful. Leon again spoke. "She can't do that again! Go!"
"Talon, are you getting any better?" The Hoothoot was recovering quickly now, and her sight was restored just in time to see the blur of Meowth.
"I see! Very much better I see!"
"Great!" Meowth was closing in fast, ready to charge. "Now Growl!" Talon whirled on her opponent, gaining altitude quickly and forcing out a raspy screech similar to a Fearow's. Meowth was visibly startled by the harsh cry and hesitated for the few precious seconds Talon needed to attack.
Leon watched Meowth get tackled into the road. The cat was unable to do anything but wave a paw at Talon's merciless scratching. "All right then!" The beam of red energy retrieved Meowth quickly. "The secret weapon!"
Agility tensed. She felt she was ready for anything he threw at her. Talon braced herself, ready to see her tougher opponent.
"Pichu!" Both Talon and her trainer's mouths worked uselessly as the young rodent woke up from his nap.
"Pichu?" Agility whispered to anyone. "Pichu?"
Leon smiled down at his little friend. "She's a bit tough. Take 'em down for me, will ya?"
"Kay!" He clapped his tiny paws together and jumped for joy.
Agility shook her head free of confusion. "We got this one, Talon! Tackle attack!"
"Charm!" Leon gently nudged the young pokemon with his foot. Pichu nodded and danced merrily, jumping up and down in cheer. Talon slowed and stopped her attack, backing away from the rodent. What could this cute thing do to hurt anyone?
With a little squeak from Pichu, Talon was sent flying with an electric blast. She landed at Agility's feet and stared upwards at the sky. "Talon! Are you okay?"
"Clouds cover sun… I use eyes… Lose how could I?" She muttered before closing her eyes. Agility silently recalled her and grasped the second pokeball at her waist.
"Pyra, go!" The Cyndaquil was less than pleased to face her opponent. She turned angrily back to Agility.
"What is this? I thought this was a battle!" She protested.
Agility herself found it hard to believe that little Pichu was dangerous. "He wants you to think he's helpless! That Pichu's strong!"
"You're kidding m-" Pyra's comment went unfinished. Another strong thundershock blasted her into reality.
"What did I say?" Agility knelt to see if Pyra was all right. She didn't need to.
"You'll pay!" She snarled, rushing at the Pichu without Agility's consent. Pichu sidestepped the attack easily, and did the same for the second assault.
"Cool it, Pyra! You're gonna lose if you keep charging!" Pyra growled and turned away, ignoring her trainer.
"I'm not losing anything!" She tried another Tackle. Pichu beamed at her and disappeared, jumping into the air with the same ease as Meowth. Pyra's body was pressed downwards by her opponent, who landed on her head. "Rrr… Get off!"
"Hee-hee!" He held on tight, cheeks sparking. "You gonna lose!"
"Thundershock, now!" Agility swallowed. It couldn't end so soon…!
Gerald watched the fight in fascination. He angrily brushed off a scrawny boy who tried to get this attention. "Theo, I'm busy!"
"But Gerald-"
"I'm watching this fight, Theo. Go away."
"But-!"
"Go!" Theo looked nervously at the Route to Violet City and ran for the bell atop a rusty slide. From a pokeball he released a raccoon-like pokemon with huge ears, a bushy tail, and a giant circle on his chest.
"Sentret, warn the others! Thorn's back!" The furry scout nodded sharply and balanced on his tail, waiting for the signal to start. Both trainers and pokemon alike were soon victim to a ringing bell and a Sentret's scream.
Gerald whirled towards the route Theo had seen before his warning. His eyes widened in fear at the Bellsprout that hobbled unsteadily into town. "Everyone inside! Thorn is here! Thorn is here!"
The crowd backed away and began to scream in fear for their lives, fighting each other to get in the Pokemon Center in time. Agility looked at Leon in confusion.
"Who's Thorn?" She yelled across the battlefield. Leon stared at her for a moment.
"Hmm… I believe it's that." Their eyes were locked on the Bellsprout. It burbled an unintelligible cry before swinging a root at the nearest trash can. "I don't see why everyone's so afraid…"
Thorn paused and took a moment to examine the two children who hadn't yet run inside. His eyes narrowed at Pyra and Pichu, both still in the grips of battle, and shook with rage upon sight of the Cyndaquil. He set forward to destroy her with a shrill, unsettling cry.
Pyra managed to kick off the clinging Pichu after countless volts of electricity had run through her body. She whirled towards the Bellsprout and laughed dryly. "Another challenger? Bring it on, I've yet to fight!"
"Firebringer die slow…" Thorn hissed, acid dripping from its mouth. He was darker than normal. Where normal Bellsprout had a healthy yellow shine and glossy round leaves, this one was almost brown in color with splotches of green and black.
"Arrogant little weed, aren't you?" Pyra laughed, ready to bring the plant pokemon down. Thorn responded by spewing a short burst of acid from his huge mouth. He missed, but the corrosive liquid ate through the street and left a bubbling, nasty smelling soup of rocks and tar where Pyra once stood.
"This can't be good…" Agility twitched and laughed nervously. "Hey, Leon…?"
Her friend nodded. "Pichu, Thundershock!"
Pichu sent several bolts of electricity at Thorn. The Bellsprout bent over backwards to avoid it and shot a vine at his enemy. Pichu squealed as the thorn-covered vines wrapped tightly around his neck, driving him into the ground again and again. Pyra came to his aid with a cloud of thick smoke, blinding Thorn and making him scream. With one last thrash he threw Pichu away from him and desperately tried to escape the smoky area. Pichu landed a small distance away, blood running from the puncture holes in his neck.
Agility watched Thorn recover in the sunlight. "Pyra, keep using Smokescreen! Don't let him get away!" Now Pyra obeyed, sending wave upon wave of smoke at Thorn. He screeched in pain, feeling the embers catch on his twisted leaves. Thorn staggered about, managing to free himself of the smoke again. He was blinded.
"Firebringer not win… Firebringer burn with my poison!" When his eyes opened again, he saw not Pyra but Pichu standing in his path. His wounds had healed (thanks to Leon's potion) and his cheeks were sparking.
"Weed wrong. You burn!" Lightning struck Thorn's thin chest and sent him flying against the wall of the Pokemon Center.
"Pokeball, go!" Leon shouted, throwing the red and white sphere at Thorn. The Bellsprout swatted it away and stood, green liquid trickling from the burns on his body. He foamed at the mouth with acid and swayed dangerously.
"Jeez, it's strong!" Agility growled, motioning for Pyra to get ready.
"Hey, Agility!" The voice came in a harsh whisper. It was Gerald, hiding behind her. His entire body was shaking in fear. "Where's your Hoothoot? Give her to me and I can get to the Center!"
She grasped the pokeball and shoved it in his hands. "Hold on, Gerald… Leon!" He turned to Agility, not happy to be distracted from the battle. "Give me your Meowth!"
"An odd request… Could I ask why?" Leon reached for his pokeball.
"Just do it!" He complied, tossing the pokeball in her direction. She caught it with difficulty but gave to Gerald when she regained control.
"I'll be back!" He rushed back into the building across the street from the Center.
After twenty minutes of fighting, neither side seemed to be winning. Thorn's body was turning a shade of black from absorbing so much smoke. Acid leaked from his wounds constantly, making it impossible for Pyra to tackle him—she could do nothing more than pour out smoke and dodge his attacks. Pichu found that his Charm didn't work, and was using up the last of his energy to electrocute Thorn.
A strange cry sounding like a mix between a Fearow and a Rattata was enough to distract Thorn from his battle. The Bellsprout cried out in pain as Meowth and Talon pecked/clawed mercilessly at his wounded body. "Get away!" He forced them back with acid, spraying wildly in all directions. There was a singed tail and a few burnt feathers, but no real damage had occurred. Pyra moved to the front, snorting irritably.
"All of you back up! This is my fight! And when I'm done with the Weed…" She turned to Pichu. "We got a battle to finish, understand?"
Pichu squeaked furiously. "Your fight? You no even attack!"
"Come on, when is it gonna get through your head that you need our help?!" Meowth growled, stepping forward in challenge.
"This doesn't concern you, Cat. When I'm done with the Chu I'll defeat you as well."
"You all die!" Thorn yelled, lashing out with his vines again. The pavement was ripped apart by the whipping attack. Attempting to impress the others, Pyra charged Thorn. Surprised by the directness and sheer speed of the attack, Thorn had no time to brace himself and was hit hard. Pyra trampled him the best she could, digging her paws deeper in wherever he screeched the loudest. Her body heated up again. It felt like millions of tiny needles pressing into her skin when more blood flowed into her veins, and the little flames that spurted from her back erupted into a full fire. Thorn bucked her off, fearing the heat. "Firebringer die, Firebringer-"
"Firebringer wins. I suggest you yield lest I burn you to ashes!"
"You lie!" He hissed, trying to hit her with a vine. Pyra jumped backwards and braced herself, a new sequence of functions going through her mind. Her body responded by sending forth a wave of flames towards Thorn. Now he truly began to scream. The fire ate at his body, consumed his leaves, and slashed at his wounds. Only by rolling around on the ground was he able to put out the fire.
"Yield." Pyra repeated, back arching up for another Ember attack. Thorn tried to cover himself with his burnt leaves, shaking in rage.
"I yield to no one. Firebringer especially!"
"Pyra, knock it off! Stop attacking him!" Agility yelled. Meowth and Pichu remained by Leon, who was trying to figure out why they stopped fighting. Talon was waiting for orders from Pyra or Agility.
"Why?" Pyra laughed. "This Weed could use a few beatings to get some sense into him! Come, capture him so I can train this thing personally."
"I've got a better idea…" Agility held up a pokeball and recalled Pyra. The ball shook with Pyra's anger. Leon cleared his throat.
"Er, I don't suppose you'd be mad if I captured him…?" Leon took Agility's silence as a "no." This time the pokeball met no resistance. Thorn put up a weak and futile fight against the capture device.
News of Thorn's defeat traveled quickly. Kids and parents rushed out to congratulate Agility (who wasn't able to flee from them in time), Leon, and their pokemon. The celebrations that followed soon after led all of them to the local pizza place, where the trainers and the pokemon were treated to free pizza and kibble. Gerald, who had claimed he was the one who healed half the team, was given a pizza coupon to shut him up.
Talon wasn't pleased with all the kids coming up to pet her, but she let them do so with no complaint. It wasn't until she was through with her meal that someone talked to her.
"Hey, come here." It was Pyra. Talon landed beside her fearfully.
"Y-yes, Firebringer?"
"Come, let's go for a walk." Talon hopped alongside of her and made it out the door. They strolled along in silence for a long while. She didn't want to upset Pyra and say something, so she went along with despite her curiosity. What was she planning?
She wouldn't have to wait long. They reached the edge of the forest surrounding Cherrygrove in minutes. Pyra looked back to make sure they were alone, and then turned to Talon.
"Did you see what happened back there?" Pyra asked, voice quiet and low. Talon didn't like it.
"When-when?" She hooted nervously.
"At the end. Before I used my attack. Think, stupid!"
Talon cringed. "W-well… Cat and Mouse were…"
"Yes?"
"Talking back, yes?"
Pyra snorted loudly, causing Talon to jump back. "That's right. That Meowth and Pichu were rude, even though I could beat them both. Do you know what that's called?" She didn't allow Talon to answer. "Disrespect. There is a rule in life that I want you to remember… The weak are to follow the strong."
"Weak follow strong, yes…" The Hoothoot responded quickly. "What about trainer?"
"If she does not live up to her role as trainer, you must listen to me or fight your own battle."
"Yes…" Talon thought it was a horrible idea to disobey the girl who promised to get her stronger, but she wouldn't dare disagree with Pyra.
"You know, for a bird you're pretty smart." Pyra walked past her casually. "It's just the two of us now but… There's going to be more pokemon coming on this team, and I won't stand for insubordination. I'm going to need someone like you to help me with decisions leading this team. You are the next in command. You are the Second Trained. You are my adviser. Understood?"
A sharp nod. "Yes, Firebringer!"
"And Talon…?"
"Yes, Firebringer?"
"You are to call me Pyra."
"Yes, Fir- Pyra."
"Good. You are to follow me now, so we can discuss future matters." Talon loyally hopped beside her. Names had been exchanged. The bond was formed.
Talon wouldn't let her down.