AN: bows low my humble apologies for the late arrival of the chapter. I know excuses are worth about as much as the dog fur under the my rug, but I shall make one anyway. It's my senior year in highschool and I have AP classes. Nuff said.
I would like to thank bumbleboxer, Elemental Bitch, xx.:Jade:.xx for prodding me along with their reviews, it was thanks to them that the chapter got out at all. bows to them thank you all.
Standard disclaimer applies: I own the original characters, but not the whole pokemon concept.
Chapter 29
"Let's make this quick! Dewgong, get out here!" Pierce shouted, throwing his pokeball.
"My thoughts exactly! Bo! It's time to go!" I yelled back, letting Bo out of her pokeball at the same time. Dewgong and Bo appeared out on the arena, but there was one little problem. I had forgotten, the arena was made entirely of ice! Bo promptly lost her footing and started to slip and slide all over the place.
"Reeep!" she cried, frightened and confused, and frantically tried to get her footing, which only made it all the worse.
"Bo! Calm down!" I shouted. "Stop! Don't move!"
Pierce chuckled menacingly, "heh heh, Dewgong, take down attack!"
"Gong!" Dewgong used it's flippers to effortlessly push it across the ice, gaining momentous speed and heading straight toward where Bo was still trying to stand up!
"Bo! Quick! Slid away!" I shouted desperately, Bo tried to run, but her little hooves kept slipping and she fell on her face just as Dewgong hit her full force, slamming my poor little sheep into the wall.
"Bo!"
"Hon!" Both Beowulf and I cried out.
"Reep…" Bo looked like she was about to cry.
"Bo, return!" I called out, bringing forth my pokeball. She was zapped back into the ball, and I smiled softly at it, "It's alright Bo, you did great. I'm very proud of you" then I clipped it back onto my belt.
Pierce laughed. "Did great did she? HA! If all your pokemon are as weak as that little cry baby, then this will be over sooner then I thought"
I growled, but not as loud as Beowulf. What came out of his mouth was more of a roar then a growl! His fur was up, his tail was up, his ears were up, and if looks could kill Pierce wouldn't even be twitching.
"Aaaw is the little puppy angry?" Pierce asked in fake sympathy.
"Beowulf!" I snapped, "Calm down! He hasn't beaten us yet! And you're not helping matters!"
"You'll get your chance for revenge Beowulf! Hang in there!" Raven added from the side. Beowulf snorted, and glared at Pierce, but he sat down next to me. I took out another pokeball and enlarged it.
"Alright Fang, show him what you can do!" I called and tossed the pokeball into the air.
"Diiiile!" Fang shouted happily and landed lightly on the ice.
"Fang! Watch it, that's slippery ice you're standing on" I warned. Fang gave me the thumbs up. He didn't look like he'd have much trouble manipulating the ice, not like Bo and her hoofs. Pierce harrumphed.
"Looks like this one can at least stand up. Alright Dewgong, another take down attack!"
"Alright Fang! Just like we practiced! Up!" Fang angled a water gun at the floor and flew up high.
"What the!" Pierce shouted, dumbstruck. So was Dewgong, it was so surprised to see Fang go up into the air that it forgot to stop it's take down and slammed itself into the wall.
"Fang! Use an Air tackle!" I shouted, suddenly inspired.
"Toto….diiiiiile!" Fang shouted as he stopped his water gun, then as he came down from the air, he angled his body toward Dewgong, gaining momentum from his fall and slamming into Dewgong.
"Dewgong! Don't let that damn croc get to you! Use tail whip!" Dewgong made a fast recovery and whipped it's tail around, sending Fang skidding across the ice on his stomach.
"Get back in there and use Bite!" I shouted. Fang dug his left claws into the ice, causing him to make a sharp turn and head back toward Dewgong, still sliding on his stomach.
"Use another tail whip!" Pierce growled, and Dewgong whipped its tail around again, but this time Fang clamped his jaws around Dewgong's flipper!
"Hold on tight Fang!" I shouted encouragement, while Dewgong frantically whipped it's tail back and forth, trying to dislodge him.
"Whip that croc into the wall!" Pierce yelled.
"Let go Fang!" I shouted back. Fang let go before he could be slammed into the wall, and was flung into the air.
"Now use water gun on Dewgong!"
"Toto!" Fang spewed out his most powerful watergun, catching Dewgong in the face. It was too much, and Dewgong fainted.
"Whoo hoo! Take that!" I shouted happily and danced along with Fang, who was doing his traditional victory dance on the ice. Beowulf snickered, while Pierce recalled his pokemon.
Pierce smirked, "You did alright kid, but we'll see what happens when you have to fight THIS pokemon" He tossed the ball nonchalantly into the air, "Glalie, come out" The ball opened, and out came a pokemon I had never seen before. It was looked like a black and white ball, with blue eyes and black ears and a very mean expression on it's face.
"What the heck is that?" I asked as I pulled out my pokedex.
"Glalie, a face pokemon" my pokedex stated. "This pokemon can freely control ice. It can instantly freeze its foe solid. After immobilizing its foe in ice, Glalie enjoys eating it in a leisurely fashion"
"Eating it?" I repeated horrified.
"Careful Robin!" Raven called out, "this pokemon is one of the new ones discovered in the Hoen region." I nodded and put my pokedex away, "right, okay Fang why don't you retur-" Fang shook his head and glared at the Glalie who was smiling menacingly at it.
"TotoDIle!"
I bit my lip in concern, "you want to stay and battle? Are you sure" Fang nodded.
"Can we get this battle started today please?" Pierce growled impatient. I nodded.
"Okay Fang, let's do this!"
"Glalie, use Powder Snow!"
"Fang, in the air!" The Glalie shot out a bunch of icicles in Fang's direction, but Fang shot into the air and avoided it with ease.
"Alright Fang, another Air tackle!" Pierce scoffed.
"That won't work again, use Icy Wind" Fang stooped into a dive, but the Glalie just floated in the middle of the arena. It's eye's, which were closed in concentration, suddenly shot open and glowed. A wind picked up around it, swirling like a tornado. Inside it's funnel where chunks of ice. The funnel went straight toward Fang, who was still in the middle of his dive! The wind caught Fang up, swirling him around as he was knocked to and fro with the ice chunks.
"Crap! Fang use water gun and try to get out of there!" Fang tried, but the water he spewed out was also caught up in the wind going in all directions.
"heh heh. Glalie, use crunch" Pierce drawled. The tornado suddenly stopped, and Fang was dropped, falling right into the Glalie's awaiting mouth. It bit down. Hard.
"Diiiiiiile!" Fang cried out in pain.
"Fang!" I screamed, grabbing my pokeball with trembling fingers "re-"
"TOTO!" Fang roared. This time in anger. He shook his head frantically, and I could see the determination in his eyes. He still wanted to battle. But he was caught up in the Glalie's sharp teeth, and no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't get loose. I knew that in less I called him back, or something drastic happened, my gator would be seriously hurt. As I held up his pokeball, Fang started to glow.
With another roar my new Croconaw used his now longer limbs and sharper claws to slash at the Glalie's eyes. The Glalie cried out in pain and dropped Fang, who landed, breathing heavily, on his feet.
"Fang! Are you alright?" Fang looked back at me and gave me the thumbs, or in his case claws, up. I breathed out the breath I hadn't realized I was holding.
"Wow!" I heard Raven comment to Murkrow, "He evolved."
"Murk krow" Murkrow said dryly. It sounded like she was saying no duh.
Pierce snorted. "It doesn't matter. That croc is on it's last legs as it is." I knew that Pierce was right, Fang was on his last legs. He was breathing very hard and was bruised up pretty badly. He wouldn't be able to dodge Glalie's attacks, and his own would be severely hampered. But I knew that look in Fang's eyes. He was angry as hell and he wouldn't give up. At least not until he had gotten some of his own back. He had evolved for just that reason. There was only one thing we could do.
"Fang! Use Rage!" Fang roared and braced himself as Glalie tackled him grabbing onto Glalie as they both careened into the wall. Then Fang used all his pent up fury, added it to the last of his strength, and clawed and bit at Glalie for all his worth. Fang tore at the Glalie's ears, its eyes, it's mouth, anything vulnerable.
"Glalie! Don't give up! Keep ramming that damn croc into the wall!"
"Lieee!" Glalie grunted out, obviously in pain, and continued to slam Fang into the wall. After the third slam, Fang finally slumped down in defeat.
"Alright! Stop! That's enough!" I shouted, vaulting over the rail of the box I was in and sliding over to Fang's side, Beowulf right behind me. The Glalie, almost as bruised as Fang was, and breathing just as hard backed off and I picked up Fang into my arms.
"Fang…" I whispered. Fang opened his eyes and gave me a little grin. I smiled back, a bit teary eyed, and I hugged him gently.
"You were wonderful. I am so so proud of you." I pressed my cheek to the top of his head as Fang rested it on my shoulder.
"Naw…" Fang sighed, content. Fang looked down at Beowulf, who was standing on the ice with ease, his ears and tail up. The exchanged a look, and Beowulf nodded. Fang nodded in return. Pierce cleared his throat, loudly.
"Very touching" he sneered, "but we aren't done here yet. I have one more battle to win." I glared at the old man and carefully made my way back to my trainer's box. Raven met me half way and grabbed my arm, helping me back up.
"I wouldn't get so cocky old man" Raven told him as he slipped an arm around my waist and lifted me the rest of the way up to the box. "If there's one thing I know, its that Robin always comes through. And her pokemon take after Robin a lot." I blushed at the compliment, pleased in spite of myself that he defended me. Beowulf gave an evil little chuckle while Pierce snorted. I set Fang down besides me, and handed him a potion.
"You drink that then get into your pokeball for a rest alright?" Fang slurped the potion and didn't reply. I turned and faced Pierce, my eyes hardening.
"Let's do this. Beowulf, go!"
"Harrooo!" Beowulf howled as he leaped down from my trainer's box to land lightly on the ice.
"Glalie! Use Ice beam!"
"Beowulf! Ember attack!" The two forces clashed together, fire and ice, in a flash of light. But Glalie was already very weak from it's fight with Fang, and couldn't withstand the heat. Beowulf's ember overpowered it and it fell to the floor in a dead faint.
"Hmph. Glalie, return" Pierce grumbled, holding out his pokeball. I tensed in anticipation, and saw Beowulf do the same. Both Pierce and I were now on our last pokemon, whoever won this battle would win for keeps. Pierce fiddled with the pokeballs on his belt, then smirked.
"Why not?" Pierce muttered, almost to himself. He hooked a pokeball and enlarged it. "Let's see how you and your little doggy do against this. Pilowsine! I choose you!" A huge hump of a pig came out of the pokeball. It was so covered in fur that I couldn't see it's face or any of it's legs, just a snout with two long curving tusks. I bit my lip. Pilowsine, while being ice, is also a ground pokemon. Both pokemon were weak against each other.
"You got this Robin! Don't give up!" Raven shouted from the side.
"Crocnaw!" Fang added, having ignored my order to get inside his pokeball, and was now clinging to my shoulder.
I nodded. "Beowulf! Let's end this quickly! Use another ember attack!"
Pierce smirked, "Piloswine, endure."
"Piilo" I blinked in surprise as Piloswine just stood there on the ice as Beowulf spewed out fire. Soon the pig was engulfed in flame and Beowulf stopped to catch his breath.
"Careful Beo-" in the middle of my warning Pilowsine suddenly shot out from the flames and rammed into Beowulf in a devastating takedown attack.
"Beowulf!" I shouted, surprised and fearful. How could Piloswine be unaffected by Beowulf's flame? I shook my head, I'd have to think about that later,
"Beowulf, use bite!" I cried, and Beowulf whipped his head around to sink his teeth into Pilowsine's soft snout.
"SWIIIINE!" Piloswine shouted in pain.
"Pilowsine, Horn attack!" Piloswine jerked its head up and jabbed it's tusks into Beowulf's stomach.
"Get back Beowulf!" Beowulf thrust his paws into the Piloswine's face and pushed off, doing a back flip and landing on the other side of the arena where he let loose another ember attack. This time it did some damage. Piloswine squealed and quickly slid across the ice to get away from the flame.
"Don't let that damn dog get you down!" Pierce shouted to his pokemon, "use Mud shot!" Pilowsine skidded to a halt and spat out a great wad of mud right into Beowulf's face. Beowulf howled and shook his head, pawing at his face as he tried desperately to get the mud out of his eyes.
"Use another take down attack!" Pierce shouted, and Pilowsine charged toward Beowulf.
"Beowulf! When I say now, jump forward!" I called. Beowulf, still blinded by the mud in his eyes, barked and crouched down. My hands clenched into fists and my heart beat rapidly as I watched Piloswine charge forward. Not yet, not yet….
"NOW!" I yelled and Beowulf leaped forward, over Piloswine's hump and back onto the ice where he slide and skidded until he had turned around.
"Now use faint attack!" I shouted. With Beowulf being temporarily blinded, I knew that Beowulf would undoubtedly miss if he used a regular attack like ember. But faint attack is a move that uses a supernatural sense that only a few pokemon have, and it almost never misses. Beowulf faded from sight to reappear on top of Pilowsine, right on its hump. Beowulf dug his claws into the thick fur on either side of the hump and sank his teeth into the sensitive flesh right on top.
"Beowulf! Use Ember!" at such a close range, it would do a lot of damage.
"Piloswine, Endure! Quick!" Beowulf let loose a mouthful of flame, burning through Piloswine's thick fur, then rolled off the pig.
"Over here Beowulf!" I called to him, and Beowulf slid toward the sound of my voice, still unable to see. The Piloswine was badly burned, but miraculously it was still standing.
"This is it! Piloswine use earthquake!"
"PiiiLOOOO!" Piloswine cried, throwing up it's head as the arena began to shake. Shards of ice from the ceiling were shaken loose and began to fall, crashing around and on top of Beowulf.
"Ooooour!"
"Beowulf!" I shouted, desperate, "Piloswine is right in front of you, charge in and headbutt it!" Beowulf crouched low and pushed with his back feet, sliding faster and faster heedless of the ice crashing around him. He slammed into Piloswine, his momentum causing him to send Piloswine careening against the wall. The shaking stopped and Piloswine slumped down, fainted. Everyone was still, the only sound being Beowulf's heavy breathing. Then Raven, Murkrow, and Fang broke out in cheers.
"You guys did it!"
"Murkrow!"
"Croc!"
Pierce closed his eyes, and held out his pokeball. "Piloswine…return." Once again I vaulted over the trainer's box to land on the ice in a crouch. Then I carefully made my way to Beowulf, with Fang still on my shoulder. I sat down carefully on the ice, and pulled Beowulf into my lap, rubbing his back and crooning praise.
"Fang, can you wash the mud out of his eyes?" I asked my croc, "carefully though." I gently held Beowulf's head in my hands as Fang trickled water into his face, causing the mud to run down out of his eyes. When it was all out, Beowulf stepped out of my lap and shook himself. He then looked at me, his tail waving merrily in the air.
"Ahem" I looked over at Raven who was clearing his throat purposefully and motioning at Pierce with his head. I looked up at the old man, who was looking down at me with a weird glint in his eye.
"You did well. Very well." He muttered, no hint of sarcasm in his voice. He stared at me, then glanced over at Raven. "Both of you, come with me." And with that he turned and started down the trainer's box. Beowulf, Fang, and I made our way back to Raven, who once again helped me off the ice. I looked back over at Pierce, to find that he had disappeared, further back into the gym. I glanced at Raven uneasily. Suddenly I had a bad feeling. Raven, following the direction of my thoughts, nodded.
"I feel weird too. But we have to follow him, if just to get your badge."
I bit my lip. "True. Come on guys." And with that we proceeded to follow Pierce through the gym.
Please review, they really do keep me going.
