Ch.24
Worth
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It's been a few long days for our heroes; Catherine managed to earn her badge with moderate difficulty as buizel and geodue had evolved during the gym battle as Catherine made them each take on one opponent each out of respect for Gardenia and so they both could earn valuable experience. Luka had told Maris that she should have just stayed behind in the room and taken a nap seeing as how she wasn't needed at all. Delia and Dragonite recovered as well as the jolly dragon joined in on Dmitri's training sessions as Delia just opted to watch for now and see how Dmitri ran things. She was impressed with what she saw; Dmitri had Sparkplug teach all of her dragons how to do iron tail, Maris helped the dragons hone focus blast and brick break and when Dmitri saw Druddigon needed help honing revenge, he calmly walked over to the frustrated dragon and began tutoring him by himself. Realizing that Druddigon drew upon anger and concentration to fuel his powers similar to Maris, he told Druddigon to imagine that instead of himself taking the hit, it was Dragonite or Delia and to use proper breathe control.
Druddigon did so and was able to strike out with much more fury and power than he previously had been able to causing Druddigon to scoop Dmitri up in a tight hug and profusely thank him causing Dragonite to let low growl of jealously as he wanted his partner to put Dmitri down. When everyone had learned or honed the moves they wanted, he made them all choose sparring partners and told them to go hard, but not all out. The pairs were unexpected as Delia furrowed her brow at the choices the pokemon made; Haxorus, who use to dread the idea of being partnered up with Maris at anything, had walked over to her and requested to be her sparring partner. Delia laughed as she watched Maris do a double take and pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming, but eventually walked over to a sufficiently opened space where they could freely spar.
Druddigon and Sparkplug chose to fight against one another on the basis that since they both had much to learn, perhaps they could teach each other something new. Dragonite and Hydreigon squared off based on their pride; Hydreigon couldn't allow usurpers to take his position as the strongest on this team so defeating one of his opponent's mates could possibly curb him from attempting to do so while Dragonite wanted to fight in order to knock him down a peg and show that their gaps in power weren't that big as he believed.
"Okay guys, let's go for two minutes then you guys partner up with someone else. Ready, go!" Dmitri shouted as all the pokemon yelled and charged at each other.
Delia was impressed with Maris's progress as she used one of her whips to latch onto a lamp post and yank herself into the air while striking out with her other towards Haxorus who caught it and pulled her toward him. Instead of showing surprise, Maris smirked as extended her foot and caught Haxorus right in the face while managing to dodge Haxorus's attempt at slashing her by leaning back. Delia watched them go at it for a while as Maris used her whips to move gracefully in the air like an acrobat while Haxorus found himself hard pressed to counter this new fighting style Maris was using as it was very different from her wild, yet disciplined brawler/grappler fighting style she so commonly employed. Eventually, Haxorus managed to tag Maris as he slashed her with azure claws infused with draconic energy causing Maris to grunt and tumble to the ground while clutching her chest. Delia smirked as she came to a realization while continuing to watch Haxorus and Maris spar; Maris was catching up. She wasn't quite at Haxorus's or Hydreigon's level yet, but stronger than Druddigon and somewhat near Dragonite's level.
Her attention was cut off when a blinding white light caught her attention as she saw Sparkplug glowing ethereal energy as it completely overwhelmed her and when it subsided, no longer did the little, brave Luxio stand there; in her place stood a warrior who was ready to do battle with any one challenged her with indomitable will and a steeled resolve. Druddigon nodded at her respectfully which Sparkplug sent back with a slow, focused nod as she crouched down at the ready, prepared for combat.
Hydreigon and Dragonite were now in a dogfight as Hydreigon twisted and spun in the air to avoid any of Dragonite's attacks and occasionally send back attacks of his own which his foe either batted aside or leaned out of the way.
"Okay guys, that's time; find a new partner!" Dmitri shouted as Maris landed a solid, hard punch with her paw covered in leaf green energy into Haxorus's gut while the axe jaw pokemon connected with a powerful cross on Maris's cheek while being encased a violent, furious azure aura as the force of both their attacks sent them skidding backwards until they came to a stop.
Haxorus and Maris smirked at each other as Maris raised her paw and slowly wiped the blood away with her forearm while Haxorus sucked in a breathe and stood up straight as they both nodded at one another and searched for different partners. Dmitri and Delia stared at one another in shock as they saw Maris and Haxorus, bitter rivals ever since they did a fateful battle when they were both young, show each other genuine respect. No trash talk or snide remarks from Maris and no belittling insults or boasts of power from Haxorus; just a simple show of respect.
Delia watched as Haxorus approached Sparkplug and requested her to be his sparring partner to which the electrical lioness agreed to as she took a few steps back and readied herself while Maris approached Dragonite with a grin as the two pokemon exchanged fist bumps and went over to a separate area to spar. Druddigon and Hydreigon merely glared at one another viciously as Delia could clearly see that they both wanted to smash the other into oblivion. Hydreigon wouldn't hurt Druddigon too bad, Delia was certain of that, or they would be hell to pay. She knew Hydreigon now had the opportunity to quell any thoughts of taking his position, but if he wasn't careful, he may just find himself on the dirt battered and bruised.
"To think Haxorus and Maris now finally respect one another. I'd never thought I'd see the day," Delia remarked as Dmitri nodded and put his hands in his pockets.
"I'm just as surprised as you are; when we first battled Maris put up a good fight; I guess that's why Haxorus held a grudge against her for so long," Dmitri replied as he continued to observe the sparring matches while Delia began to reminisce about her first battle against her brother.
"Haxorus was pissed when Maris completely broke off one his tusks," Dmitri said with a snicker as Delia chuckled and leaned against the wall remembering how Haxorus, who was an Axew at that time and Maris was a Mienfoo, was fighting back tears when Maris had done that while the young fighting type awkwardly handed him broken pieces of it in the hopes he could use it again.
"He knew it would grow back, but I guess the shock of it happening was too much for him at the time," Delia snickered causing Dmitri to laugh as well they both continued watching the sparring matches.
Delia saw Haxorus get smacked in the side by Sparkplug, but he brushed it off and swatted her away while Druddigon had successfully landed a powerful cross fueled by his rage right on the brutal pokemon's cheek causing Hydreigon's spit to fly off to the side. Hydreigon flew up into the air and rubbed his cheek where Druddigon had hit him while Druddigon held a smug smirk on his face and just as Hydreigon charge at his foe, ready to defeat him here and now, Dmitri called an end to this round causing Hydreigon to snarl angrily and float towards Haxorus; impatiently demanding the dragon face him in combat. Maris and Spakplug locked eyes, observing one another with great interest, as Maris gestured over to a small patch of land which caused the electric lioness to nod slowly and walk over there with a smirking Maris.
Dmitri sighed when he noticed Sparkplug and Maris immediately go at it the moment they got to the small patch of land; not even bothering to wait for him to say go. Delia, however, looked at Hydreigon and nodded in approval of how far he's gotten in power and self-control. After another two hours had passed, Dmitri called an end to training for the day and told the pokemon to rest up. Maris exchanged fist bumps with Dragonite and Druddigon before they were sucked back into their pokeballs along with their teammates as Dmitri handed the pokeballs to Delia which the battle ace gave a kind nod to.
"Thanks Dmitri, you've trained them well in my absence and I thank you for the strength you've given them," Delia thanked him causing Dmitri to blush briefly as Maris snaked an arm around his neck and pulled him in close.
"Your welcome Delia; I'm assuming you're going to face Gardenia tomorrow?" Dmitri asked her causing Delia to nod.
"Not yet; I'm going to go train to control my power and then ask Catherine about her gym battle," Delia stated simply as she clipped the pokeballs to her belt and gave a backwards wave to Dmitri and Maris leaving them alone with each other.
"(So…want to go to the room and make out?)" Maris asked Dmitri bluntly causing him to flush red and rub the back of his head while Sparkplug shook her head and returned herself to her pokeball.
"Sure," Dmitri replied embarrassedly causing Maris to smirk and take his hand into her paw as they both walked back to the room.
Tomorrow
Delia, Catherine, Luka, Dmitri, and Maris all sat atop Dragonite as they neared Amity Square for the great news; the Sinnoh Champion was there and they would not miss this golden opportunity. Despite the long distance, Dragonite was more than happy to transport them over there, feeling it would give him a good work out, while Hydreigon only agreed to transport Delia, Dmitri, and Maris. So with Catherine and Luka riding Dragonite and Dmitri, Delia, and Maris riding Hydreigon they made it there in record time due to Hydreigon trying to keep ahead of Dragonite which the jolly dragon saw as a challenge and promptly picked up his pace. After disembarking and thanking the dragons for the transport, they asked around if they saw the Sinnoh Champion and when they found out she was in Amity Square they hastened their pace. When they arrived, they saw her, the champion in all her glory, licking an ice cream cone and studying a stone tablet with some kind of markings on it.
The champion was either ignoring the people gawking at her or just didn't care as she continued observing the stone tablet and finished up her ice cream cone while Delia stared at her interestedly.
"It's kind of funny; Cynthia's this powerful trainer, yet here she is, acting without a care in the world," Delia mused quietly as Cynthia saw Dmitri out of the corner of her and put a smirk on her face as she began to walk towards them with her eyes solely trained on the young battle ace.
Dmitri couldn't help but feel intimidated by her; here was this powerful trainer who could match his mother in a pokemon battle and here he was with only two pokemon. Only one of them stood a very slim sliver of a chance against her while the other, while brave, would easily fall. Nonetheless, he stood his ground and suppressed the urge to shudder when she finally approached him and continued to stare at him; observing him, studying his actions.
"So you're Karen's son right; Dmitri? It's nice to meet you, you probably already know, but I'm Cynthia," the Sinnoh Champion said kindly as she extended her hand to Dmitri which he grasped in his own and gave it a little shake before releasing his grip as Cynthia then looked to Maris who was ignoring the people gawking at her.
"Hello, you're Maris right? Karen told me about you, and it's nice to meet you in person," Cynthia said softly as she extended her hand to a grinning Maris as the martial arts pokemon clutched her hand and gave the champion a brief, yet firm handshake.
"You must be Delia then and I already know who you are, Catherine Wayne. It's nice to meet you two as well," Cynthia said in the same gentle tone as she extended her hand to Delia who gripped it and gave it a firm shake; amusing Cynthia, while Catherine tentatively reached out for it and gave it a shake; still in disbelief that the champion of all people was talking to her.
"I'm unfamiliar with you however; you're one of Catherine's pokemon then?" Cynthia inquired curiously as Luka nodded and folded her arms.
"(My name is Luka; it's nice to meet you champion Cynthia)," Luka responded through aura causing the champion to nod as she looked back to Dmitri and put her hands in her pockets.
"So Dmitri, would you care for a battle?" Cynthia questioned him as Dmitri's eyes widened in shock while Maris raised a brow and folded her arms; thinking Karen was responsible for this brazen challenge, and watched how this would unfold as murmurs amongst the crowd did little to help her.
"What, the champion challenged him?!"
"What makes him so special? He doesn't look that tough!"
"He'd be a fool to accept; there's no way he can beat her!"
"I accept," Dmitri answered determinedly causing the crowd to burst into rude, mocking laughter until Hydreigon burst out of his pokeball with a booming, bestial roar which spurred the crowd into silence as Hydreigon toothily grinned at Dmitri and zipped back into his pokeball while Dmitri grinned sheepishly and waved awkwardly to the terrified crowd.
"Hold on just a minute," a gruff, rude voice interrupted as Delia growled and clenched her fists; recognizing the voice, while Catherine folded her arms and narrowed her eyes at the newcomer, not appreciating the interruption.
Cynthia turned to the voice and found a young man with purple hair and hard gaze glaring at her causing her to regard him coolly while also noting the hostility Delia showed when he appeared.
"Yes, may I help you?" Cynthia asked coolly as the vibe this young man was giving her set off alarms in her head.
"My name is Paul and I challenge you to a pokemon battle. I'd be more of a challenge to you than this guy anyway," Paul rudely stated causing Maris to snort while Dmitri narrowed his eyes at Paul and folded his arms.
"What makes you so certain of that?" Dmitri asked calmly as Paul turned his attention to him and glared darkly at him.
"How many badges do you have?" Paul questioned him bluntly as Dmitri didn't lose his composure and answered in kind.
"One," Dmitri responded simply causing the murmurs to start up again in the crowd.
"How many pokemon do you have?" Paul interrogated tersely as Dmitri yet again kept his calm and responded calmly.
"Two," Dmitri responded just as bluntly as Paul had asked him causing the purple haired trainer to smirk cruelly and turn his attention back to Cynthia.
"See? This guy doesn't even have a full team nor does he have two gym badges. I'd be-"
"Maris and Sparkplug have the strength of three pokemon," Dmitri cut off coolly as Paul glowered at him while Delia smiled in amusement the attitude Dmitri was giving the trainer she despised.
"Is that so?" Paul spat as he removed one of his pokeball from his belt and pointed it at Dmitri.
"I challenge you then. Winner-"
"Shut up, let's do this," Dmitri interrupted as Paul was taken aback by this and walked over to the other side of the field with a stunned face while Delia, Catherine, and Luka burst into merry laughter and clutched their sides as Dmitri unclipped Sparkplug's pokeball and held it to his lips while Maris leaned in close.
"Finish this quickly; don't give him a chance to do anything weird," Dmitri ordered as Sparkplug's pokeball rumbled violently while Maris nodded as Dmitri threw the pokeball into the middle of the field to reveal Sparkplug who was glaring at the trainer who dared insult hers.
"What pokemon is that?" a voice mused while Delia frowned; recognizing the voice, and snapped her head to the cause of it to confirm her suspicions.
"Ash and his friends are here," Delia spat angrily as Catherine hugged her arm and tried to calm her down while Luka massaged her shoulders and Cynthia glanced at her and then back to Ash.
"Friends of yours?"
"No, just people we know," Delia answered with as much calmness as she could despite wanting to walk over and punch Ash in the face; not his Pikachu though, he was alright.
"Chimchar, stand by for battle!" Paul shouted as the fire monkey materialized into the field and uttered its name while Sparkplug raised a brow in amusement and crouched down as she saw her prey in her sights.
"Chimchar, fire spin!" Paul ordered as Chimchar opened its mouth and prepared to blast Sparkplug with swirling, scorching flames had she not let out a loud, ferocious roar which terrified Chimchar into submission and caused him to shield his head with his hands.
"(Aw, don't worry, I'll make this quick,)" Sparkplug whispered viciously as Chimchar suddenly fell onto his belly with void eyes while Sparkplug snorted and allowed the powerful, white aura surrounding her hind legs to dissipate as she regarded her foe with pity.
Paul returned Chimchar and glared at Dmitri who nodded at him as Paul turned to Chimchar's pokeball and regarded it in disgust as if he was holding trash.
"You ought to be ashamed of yourself," Paul spat causing Cynthia to narrow her eyes as she now was secretly rooting for Dmitri to win.
"Good job on that modified roar Sparkplug," Dmitri praised his pokemon who smirked at the praise as she turned her attention back to the battle.
"Weavile, stand by for battle," Paul yelled as Weavile materialized with a cruel grin while Dmitri returned Sparkplug to her pokeball which she didn't protest to as Maris stepped onto the battle field and dropped into a fighting stance.
"Good choice; Mienshao-"
"Maris; her name is Maris," Delia cut off Brock rudely as Brock was surprised by the interruption, but nodded in thanks before turning his attention back to the battle at hand.
"Right; Maris I'm assuming is a fighting type so she'll be a very effective against Weavile whose a dark/ice type," Brock surmised as Delia grunted and turned back to the battle.
"Weavile, Blizzard!" Paul yelled as Weavile did so and shot a blast of icy winter at Maris who rolled forward to avoid it and sent one of her whips forward which smacked Weavile across the face and sent Paul's pokemon stumbling off to the side until it gasped when it felt strong arms tackle it to the ground and felt Maris's feet trap both of its arms under her heel.
Maris, glaring at Weavile, brought her hands together and took a deep breathe in as a small, blue ball materialized in her hand and with a war cry it grew to the size of a beach ball causing Weavile's eyes to widen in shock as it struggled to break free.
"Weavile, ice beam!" Paul shouted as his trapped pokemon did so and shot a beam of chilling ice at Maris whose eyes widened in shock and barely weaved her head to the side to avoid the blast and simultaneously launched her attack which Weavile could do nothing but stare at as the blast engulfed it and caused a large, powerful explosion.
Dmitri stood strong as Maris's attack rocked the area and caused minor tremors while most of the crowd had to balance on someone else to maintain their footing (excluding the obvious people) and when the dust settled Paul wordlessly returned Weavile who had its eyes closed and various bruises around the facial area due to Maris's attack.
"Murkrow, stand by for battle!" Paul yelled as Maris back-flipped gracefully and landed near Dmitri's side as Sparkplug was once again sent out for combat.
"Murkrow, Haze!" Paul ordered as Murkrow unleashed a fog of black smoke causing the gleam eyes pokemon to jump out of the fog and to her surprise her foe was no longer there and searched around for it until Murkrow flew behind her.
"Murkrow, sky attack!" Paul shouted as she clenched his fists.
"Sparkplug, brace yourself!" Dmitri yelled to his pokemon who crouched down and encased herself in an electrical aura as she began sprinting at her opponent who was flying towards her at a fast pace while covered with a powerful, white aura and just as they were about to collide, Sparkplug jumped over and wrapped her tail around Murkrow's neck.
Murkrow gagged and broke off the attack as it flapped and flailed violently as Sparkplug tightened her grip on Murkrow's neck causing Murkrow's struggles to weaken and finally cease allowing Sparkplug to release her grip on the bird pokemon. People in the crowd covered their children's eyes while others stared in shock at what Sparkplug did; more specifically Brock and Dawn.
"Is…is that allowed?" Dawn asked Brock shakily as the pokemon breeder nodded grimly and folded his arms.
"There isn't a rule against it, but that was a dirty move. I don't like how Dmitri is letting his pokemon do whatever they want and it makes me think that he actually doesn't have any control over them," Brock stated as Dawn looked at Dmitri and wondered if what Brock said was true while Paul returned his fallen pokemon without a word and grabbed another one from his belt.
"Torterra, stand by for battle!" Paul roared as he threw a pokeball onto the field and the continent pokemon materialized with a mighty shout while Sparkplug readied herself for combat once more until she felt the presence of the pokeball's red beam cover her body and allowed herself to be sucked into it once again.
Maris stepped onto the battlefield and readied herself; she could tell by the powerful chi Torterra was giving off that this battle was going to be a tough.
"Torterra, stone edge!" Paul yelled as Torterra shouted loudly and summoned stones from the earth itself and let them circle around him as a yellow chi blast collided with the stones causing some of them to shatter, but most of them still remained and sent them flying towards Maris who quickly hardened her paws with chi and punched them all to dust.
Maris brought her paws to her side and charged two yellow spheres of chi in them and flung them at Torterra who grunted when they made contact; doing a decent amount of damage, but Torterra was far from out of this fight. Maris flung her whips forward and latched them onto Torterra's legs and flung herself forward as she stuck her foot out causing Paul to smirk as the kick made contact causing Torterra to hiss, but nevertheless he stood his ground. Maris then hammered Torterra with a quick three hit combo; a stiff palm heel to the chin powered by her chi, a vicious hook to the side of the face with her paws covered in a powerful, leaf green energy, and brutal front kick that sent Torterra sliding backwards much to Paul's shock.
"(Why doesn't Torterra-I see; that's good Paul, now let's use that against you,)" Maris analyzed as she looked to Dmitri who nodded at her causing Maris to smirk as she once again charged at Torterra who dug his feet in and braced himself.
When Maris struck out once again, she made sure to restrain the blows just enough for Dmitri to notice. Dmitri looked on intently as Torterra suddenly stood up on his hind legs to avoid one of Maris's devastating haymakers and crashed back down on top of Maris who coughed violently and felt the air leave her body from feeling so much weight on top of her chest. Maris was motionless under Torterra causing Ash to urge Maris to break free to no avail. Paul smirked at Dmitri, but his opponent showed no concern or worry causing Paul to frown.
"Torterra, Frenzy Plant!" Paul shouted as Torterra yelled to the heavens and started summoning vines until Maris suddenly sprang up and struck Torterra with a vicious, powerful uppercut which sent Torterra flying up into the air causing the spectators watching the battle to gasp as Maris, who seemed to be better now as some of the injuries she had received were now healing thanks to her brutal uppercut, jumped into the air and grabbed Torterra's spikes on the side of his face. Maris roared determinedly as she smashed Torterra's face into the ground causing the ground to split as Maris then kicked Torterra in the belly and knocked him onto his back. Maris gave out a war cry as she proceeded to mercilessly pound the continent pokemon's exposed midsection with forceful drain punches that gradually restored her health as Paul gritted his teeth and gave out another order.
"Giga drain!" Paul shouted as Torterra started glowing bright green and shot green tendrils of nature's energy at Maris who flung out her whips and latched onto the tendrils as both pokemon were now engaged in a tug of war with one another with neither letting up.
"(I fucking hate this move because of Stephanie!)" Maris yelled irritably as she dug her feet in when she felt Torterra pulling as she felt her strength slowly being sapped as Dmitri could tell by the sweat and strained look on her face that she wasn't going to last much longer.
Maris, with herculean effort, gradually pulled Torterra towards her with the continent pokemon doing his best to resist her to no avail as Maris trapped the tendrils under her armpit and continued tugging her foe towards her. When he got within striking distance, Maris wasted no time and chopped him on the top of the head with her two paws just as Torterra engulfed her in a hurricane of leaves causing Maris to howl in pain when she felt herself getting cut at every angle. Maintaining her focus, she curled herself up into a ball and expelled her chi outwards with a loud shout; dissipating the leaf storm. Maris landed violently back on her feet with most of her weight shifted onto her left leg as she gritted her teeth to block out the pain.
"Maris, come back!" Dmitri ordered as Maris pointed at Paul and smashed her fists together with a loud, audible crack and back-flipped to Dmitri's side while he sent out Sparkplug once again.
"I don't get it; why did Maris allow herself to get trapped like that?" Dawn asked to no one in particular so Brock once again answered for her.
"Maris figured out Torterra's strategy to just take hits and then wait for the right moment to counter attack and she managed to tell Dmitri this by holding back her attacks and let herself fall into Torterra's trap. Risky, but ingenious on Maris's part," Brock told Dawn logically as Dawn nodded and looked back to the battle.
"Sparkplug, go!" Dmitri shouted as his second pokemon nodded and charged at Torterra who readied himself for her while Paul smirked when he saw that Sparkplug was dangerously near Torterra.
"Torterra, Hyper Beam!" Paul ordered as Dmitri's eyes widened in shock when he realized his mistake and all Sparkplug could do was watch as her opponent shot a powerful, orange beam of light at her.
To Dmitri's relief and to Paul's shock, Sparkplug was doing her best to resist the powerful beam as she was skidding backwards with her feet tearing up the ground sending rocks flying everywhere. With great effort, Sparkplug barely managed to twist her body out of the way of the attack allowing it to pass by her and heading straight for Dmitri as the young trainer could only close his eyes and brace himself for the impact. To his surprise, he felt no pain causing him to open his eyes and see that both Delia and Maris were holding it back as Delia let out a furious, animalistic roar and swung her hand at the attack with the same azure energy her dragons possessed causing the attack to break off and blink out of existence.
"Hey, what's the big idea you asshole?! Why didn't you tell Torterra to aim away from Dmitri?!" Catherine snapped angrily at Paul who shrugged and folded his arms while Torterra grunted and turned his head away.
"It's not my fault that he's too weak to dodge," Paul replied coldly as Torterra seemed to share this sentiment causing Delia to advance towards him, but was held back by Hydreigon who materialized out of the pokeball and wrapped his tail around her legs and his arms around her waist.
Torterra's cries of pain caused Paul to turn his attention back to the battle and found Sparkplug hammering away at the continent pokemon's sturdy legs with powerful iron tails and devastating double kicks as Torterra did his best to stand his ground.
"Torterra, leaf storm!" Paul yelled as Torterra's trees started glowing a vibrant bright green and just as he was about to launch the attack with a loud shot until Sparkplug roared furiously and struck him with her metallic tail right in the inside of the mouth causing Torterra to gag violently and stumble backwards in order to recover some air.
"Damn, we're hammering him with everything we've got, but he's still standing. Torterra has some impressive stamina," Dmitri analyzed as Sparkplug had resumed her fury driven assault and swung her tail at Torterra's face causing him to grunt just as Sparkplug suddenly jumped up in the air and dropped kick Torterra in the nose causing the continent pokemon to hiss in pain, but nevertheless he stood strong.
"Spakplug, retreat!" Dmitri ordered as the electric lioness rolled backwards and onto her feet only to be peppered by a barrage of stones causing her to howl in pain and slide backwards which tore up the ground and sent rocks flying everywhere as the gleam eyes pokemon snarled and struggled to stay on her shaky feet.
"Alright, that's enough. It's clear that if this continues neither of us are going to win. Let's call it a tie," Paul stated gruffly as Maris and Sparkplug looked to Dmitri who nodded warily and recalled Sparkplug who went into the pokeball without protest causing Catherine and Delia to look at the purple haired trainer suspiciously.
"(He didn't do it out of care for Torterra's well-being. He just wanted to save face,)" Luka snarled angrily as Catherine glared at Paul with all of her fury until Delia put a calm hand on her shoulder after managing to free one of her arms.
"Let's not dwell on that; we have to tend to the wounded," Delia assured her angry friend as Luka walked over to Maris and put a paw on her chest and released a wave of aura onto the surprised martial arts pokemon's chest as she felt a wave of pleasure and warmth from whatever Luka was doing and felt her strength returning.
"Thanks Luka," Dmitri said kindly as Luka nodded and gently removed Sparkplug's pokeball from Dmitri's belt and sent her out causing the recently evolved pokemon to look around confusedly until her eyes met with Luka.
Luka said nothing as she released a gentle wave of aura onto Sparkplug who purred when she felt it restore her and when Luka finished she tapped the pokeball to Sparkplug's forehead and watched her get sucked back in. Luka handed it to Dmitri who uttered a thank you and clipped it back to his belt to watch Paul walking away with his hands shoved into his jacket pockets.
"The pokemon center is the other way!" Dmitri shouted to him as Paul ignored him and continued walking away until Cynthia finally lost her cool and demanded Paul to go heal his pokemon which to everyone's surprise, he agreed to.
When they found out that that Nurse Joy was performing surgery on another Pokemon, Cynthia volunteered to heal Paul's pokemon herself which spurred Brock to volunteer to help her. Delia and Catherine decided to let their team out to stretch while Dawn stared in awe at the powerful pokemon that the two trainer's possessed and much to Delia's chagrin, Ash walked over and attempted to pet some of her pokemon, but Hydreigon got in front of him and growled causing him to back off as his teammates all narrowed their eyes at Ash angrily.
Hydreigon had been told that this boy had called Delia a disgraceful trainer and he would not forgive him until Delia had done so. Dmitri and Catherine had released their teams as well as Sparkplug conversed and laughed heartily with Graveler and Floatzel while Luka and Maris talked about various muscle drinks and the ways to hone their aura and chi senses. Dmitri and Catherine talked about Dmitri's inevitable battle against Gardenia and ways to beat her.
"Okay Paul, your pokemon are all healed. I must say, they're all well trained especially your Torterra," Cynthia praised with a kind smile as Paul thanked her for what she did with a much kinder tone which surprised Dmitri; believing him incapable of genuine gratitude.
"Torterra was my first pokemon and we traveled though the Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn regions where I didn't win a single championship and that's where I also got Weavile and Murkrow," Paul explained as Ash seemed to take a particular interest in this causing Delia to raise a brow and subtly listened in on the tale while staring out the window.
"So how did you get Chimchar, Paul?" Cynthia asked curiously as Paul folded his arms and stared straight ahead.
"I got Chimchar when I returned to Sinnoh and I was training it to be the strongest of all my fire types, but seeing him cower in fear at that Luxray was disgraceful. He didn't even get one good hit in," Paul spat bitterly while Ash glared at him and clenched his fists and addressed his rival angrily.
"You just don't care how many of your pokemon get hurt do you Paul?"
"Your point?"
"How can be such a heartless bastard to your pokemon? Is it really so much effort to show an ounce of care to your parnters?!"
"If I do that then they'll get spoiled and won't try hard enough in battle. Chimchar is a perfect example of this," Paul retorted until he heard the loud, hysterical laughter of all of Delia, Catherine, and Dmitri's combined teams causing the Veilstone native to look at them with a surprised expression.
"(If you believe that Paul, then you truly are a fool and an unworthy to be called a pokemon trainer. We work our asses off for our trainers, our friends, so we can get stronger together and cover each other's weaknesses. That's why we're a team,)" Luka told Paul firmly as he was about to say something in retort, but Luka held up her paw to silence him.
"I use to be like you Paul; not caring about my Pokemon, insulting others for their supposed weakness, and do you know what happened? A pokemon nearly me killed because my actions!" Catherine shouted at Paul furiously as he narrowed his eyes and turned his attention to Catherine who was giving him a stern, disappointed look.
"I fail to see how this relates to me," Paul countered coldly as he gasped in pain when he felt a strong arm slam him against the wall and hold him up by his collar as he stared into the harsh, glowing eyes of Luka who was giving out loud, angered breaths.
"(This relates to you Paul because I was the pokemon who nearly killed Catherine! I also killed her entire team of pokemon too because of her belief of the strong live and the weak die. Well, guess what?! It takes more than strength to win a battle!)" Luka roared at Paul through aura causing Ash, Dawn, Brock, Cynthia, and Paul to widen their eyes in shock as Luka kept her strong grip on the hapless trainer until she felt Catherine put a hand on her shoulder causing the aura pokemon to growl viciously and slam him against the wall one final time before stalking off.
"So you went through all this effort and yet you didn't win a single thing. It's funny; you worked so hard for so little," Delia cruelly remarked as Paul clenched his fists tightly and gritted his teeth as he glared darkly at the battle ace who was leaning against the wall with her arms folded and held a cool gaze.
"You're one to talk Delia; I've beaten both times we battled and it was because of your poor control over yourself and that Hydreigon of yours," Ash countered as Delia snorted and gave Ash an ice cold glare which Ash responded with a stern gaze while Dmitri and Maris prepared to intervene if necessary.
"At least I don't dump off all the pokemon I trained with, slept with, and struggled with off at a ranch to never be used again. They feel forgotten and abandoned Ash; all your struggles you guys went through go to waste as you just leave them in unfamiliar territory with only their small groups of teammates you captured to rely on. You have no right to preach that trainers and pokemon should work together when you just leave them to travel to another region," Delia spat angrily causing the entire room to go silent as Ash looked down at the ground with a stunned, hurt face while Pikachu did his best to comfort him.
"(Wow…)" Maris breathed out as Dmitri nodded with a surprised look on his face.
"You're wrong Delia; I'm been using rotation since I've started-"
"Yeah, now use rotation to switch in the pokemon who were left to rot by you. You call me a disgraceful trainer for sacrificing one of my pokemon, yet the only disgrace I see is you. You had only recently begun considering your other pokemon who had worked so hard for you," Delia snarled fiercely as Ash continued to look down at the ground like a hurt puppy until he raised his head with renewed resolve.
"Delia, you're no better than Paul! You put your pokemon through the same torturous training as him while claiming to care about them!" Ash exclaimed causing Delia's eyes to change to a dark, bitter maroon as she glowered darkly at Ash; wishing nothing more than to tear out his throat here and now.
"It's true, I do put them through Hell, but not to the point where they actually might die or pass out from exhaustion like Paul. I do this because we all agreed to push each other to our limits and beyond because unlike you, we're not afraid to put in some sweat and shed plenty of blood to get to our goals. If one of us falls, then we all pick them up and help the other where they failed," Delia retorted as Ash growled and clenched his fists.
"That's not right Deia; we don't need to push our pokemon to the brink of exhaustion just so that they can get stronger. We can get plenty strong by just going through it at a slow pace," Ash countered passionately as Pikachu barked in agreement and sparked his cheeks causing Haxorus to step in front of Delia as his tusks started shining a vibrant maroon.
"Both of you calm down; both sides make good points so there's really no right side to this argument," Dmitri reasoned sternly as Maris put a paw on Haxorus's chest and urged him to calm down which did nothing as the axe jaw pokemon was still huffing and puffing angrily as Delia stepped forward and glared at Ash.
"We'll battle again to settle this, but not today. We still need to go back to Eterna City so Dmitri and I can get our gym badges," Delia snarled as she returned all of her pokemon back to her pokeballs and kindly told her friends she would be waiting our front for them.
Catherine returned Floatzel and Graveler as well and told Dmitri she'd be waiting for him out front with Delia leaving Dmitri, Maris, and Sparkplug in a room full of strangers. Maris simply leaned against the wall next to her teammate with her eyes closed and her arms folded while Sparkplug sat on her haunches and stared blankly at the people in front of her.
"Dmitri, I'm curious. During the battle you barely gave any commands to your pokemon; is it because you don't have any control over them?" Brock questioned him warily as Dmitri shook his head and rested his arms against his sides.
"No, it's because they're the ones fighting out there, not me. They're the ones putting their bodies at risk, not me. I offer my input and advice when needed as you saw in my battle," Dmitri calmly answered as the pokemon breeder nodded while Dawn got a surprised look on her face.
"Delia does that too; when she battled Ash I rarely saw her give commands to her pokemon," Dawn gasped in realization as Dmitri pursed his lips while Ash narrowed his eyes at him.
"It's wrong what you guys are doing. Pokemon and trainers are supposed to get stronger together not just sit back and watch the other do all the work," Ash stated as Maris growled and pounded her fists together as she flared up her aura and extended it to everyone in the room courtesy of Luka's training.
"(You SHUT THE FUCK UP! Dmitri lets us do what we want in battle because he trusts our judgement! You say I do all the work right? Well guess what? I wouldn't be as strong as I am now without Dmitri and Delia's calm reassurance pushing me to do my best each and every day and if I mess up? Dmitri Is there to help me and we both work on it together!)" Maris shouted through aura in defense for Dmitri causing her boyfriend to flush red and look off to the side while Sparkplug sent a restrained blast of electricity at Ash which sent tingles up his body, but did no damage.
"(Ash, I understand your logic, but I prefer Dmitri's loose, yet rigid training style as it gives me more freedom to do what I want and it gives Dmitri the chance to make adjustments when he sees his opponent is at an advantage. As for what you said, I was abandoned as a hatchling and Dmitri and Maris were there for me. Training was hard in the beginning, but I adapted to it thanks to Dmitri's guiding hand and Maris's hard, but beneficial sparring sessions,)" Sparkplug informed Ash through her electrical string as Ash looked at Dmitri long and hard while the Unovan native looked back calmly.
"I still think you and Delia are wrong with you're training and battle methods, but at least you guys are treating your pokemon well," Ash conceded as Maris and Sparkplug fist bumped while Dmitri grinned slightly.
"Ash, Delia is right; why did you only now start considering your other pokemon? Do you not care about them as much as you believe?" Dmitri rhetorically asked the Kanto native as he began to depart with his arm linked with Maris's while Sparkplug grinned and happily trailed behind them as Cynthia excused herself and satisfied seeing that Dmitri and his friend's had left already, she took out her pokegear and called her old friend.
"Karen, you there?
"Cynthia! It's good to hear from you again!"
"I bet; look I just watched Dmitri battle and to be honest, his Mienshao was a lot stronger than you described and his Luxio that was nowhere near evolving was a Luxray who pretty much took down two well-trained pokemon by herself."
"Wow, that's surprising."
"Oh, you sound worried Kit Kat; concerned that Dmitri might be able to beat you after all?"
"Very funny blondie; thanks for the heads up and stay safe alright? It was good to hear from you again."
"You too Karen; good luck with the training."
Karen hung up and looked to her team who had expectant gazes on their faces causing her to sigh and run a hand through her hair.
"So the good news is Dmitri is progressing faster than I had predicted and the bad news is Dmitri is progressing faster than I had predicted. We'll have to redouble our efforts guys, now whose with me?"