Duel with a Drifter
"How about- no," Alexa said to Nick Sawyer. "Seems to me like you're just an Ash Fanboy. You know how many of those I've had to face since he got his Crown?"
"I battled him once before. I'm just curious to see how you stack up," The trainer said in his southern accent. "Maybe you'll put in a good word for us and I'll get to face him for his Title."
Striking a nerve with Alexa, she clenched her fist. How was some random stranger to her going to steal her brother's title of Champion before she could? Taking a step forward, she was soon cut off by her prodige.
"Hey! Miss Alexa deserves a little more respect than that! How about you take on me and my Bulbasaur!"
"Saur!" The starter exclaimed, charging in at the Drifter's partner Roserade.
Peeling its eyes, the Roserade positioned its red rose to its left side. In a flash, the Sinnoh Pokemon darted forwards, delivering a bright green slash across the neck of the Seed Pokemon. Collapsing onto the ground with a pair of swirly eyes, Bulbasaur was taken out with a single strike. Raising its right hand, Roserade retracted a long green blade back into its flower.
"That was- so fast," Bryce said, shocked by the Pokemon's speed. Suddenly, the crowds of people around him broke out into laughter, as he hung his head in embarrassment.
Alexa glared at the boy in front of her, as her anger began to boil over.
"Roserade sure is quick to the draw," Nick Sawyer said, adjusting his hat. "Now how about we take on that squirt Abra!" He said with confidence on his face, as the audience roared around him.
As laughter pierced her ears, Alexa clenched her left fist. In the blink of an eye, the Psi Pokemon teleported from its trainer's side, appearing in front of the Bouquet Pokemon. With a single finger, flicking the Roserade on the forehead, a massive burst of purple Psychic energy sent the Sinnoh Pokémon flying backwards into several backwards somersaults. A deafening silence fell on the people surrounding the battle.
"Wha- what was that!" Nick was shocked to see his Roserade unconscious. Recalling it to its ball, he placed it back into his short's pocket with a shaky hand.
"Let's go Bryce," Alexa said with an annoyed tone, as her Abra teleported back to her side. "We don't have to deal with this poser."
"Okay," Bryce said with his unconscious Bulbasaur in his arms, looking up at his mentor.
"Hey!" Nick exclaimed, drawing out a shrunken Pokeball from his Pocket. "I'm not done yet!"
Pinching the bridge of her nose with her fingers Alexa thought: 'I guess we're doing this today.' Annoyed, she turned to her Abra who gazed up at her. "Abra, can you do me a favor and Teleport Bryce and Bulba back to our spot. And tell The Big Guy to get over here for a battle."
"Abra." The Psychic type said with a nod of its head. Touching Bryce with a single finger, they were gone in a flash.
"Wha-" Nick said, uncertain of what to do next.
"You can throw out your Pokemon," Alexa said with a serious face and crossed arms. "Mine'll be here any second now."
"Well in that case, Gogoat!" Her opponent said, whipping his Pokeball forwards. Emerging onto the sand, the Kalos Pokemon scraped a single foot across the ground, letting out a puff from its snout. With lush vegetation around its neck and a large set of horns atop its head, it glared at Alexa, awaiting its opponent's arrival to the battlefield.
Suddenly, various gasps from the beachgoers behind her caught the attention of all observing the battle. As a black tornado of energy weaved through the crowds, it came to a halt at her right side. Dissipating the swirling energy, Alexa's bipedal feline appeared with its fangs bared and crossed arms, mimicking its trainer.
'What's the situation?' Alexa's feline Pokemon said in a gruff tone of voice, speaking words through the Aura that only she could hear.
"This fella's been picking on my student," Alexa said to her Pokemon. "Now he wants a piece of us."
'Then let's teach him a lesson,' The Fire/Dark type said, uncrossing it's arms to crack its knuckles. Without breaking its gaze with the opposing Pokemon, the Incineroar watched as Nick Sawyer's Gogoat scraped a single foot across the beach in repetition, preparing for a charge.
"Go, Gogoat!" The hat-wearing trainer exclaimed, sending his Pokemon into battle. As his Pokemon broke into a sprint in Incineroar's direction, a dark aura appeared around its opponent, forcing it to skid to a halt several feet away. "What happened?" Nick said, noticing the fear plastered on his Pokemon's face. From the Pokemon's perspective, all that it could focus on were the sharp teeth and bulging muscles of its opponent.
"Frozen in your tracks by Incineroar's Intimidate Ability I see," Alexa said, shooting her right arm forwards. "I'm tired of you underestimating us."
Swelling it's chest, Alexa's Incineroar blew a mighty Flamethrower from its mouth which engulfed its opponent.
"Gogoat! Horn Leech!" The Kalos Pokemon emerged through the wall of fire, unfrozen by Incineroar's Ability, with a bright green set of horns atop its head. Slamming into the Alolan Pokemon's torso, several bright green particles of life energy were transferred from the target to the attacker. However, Incineroar would quickly focus on its opponent, grabbing onto its horns with both hands, wrestling it backwards across the beach.
Both Pokémon closely glared into each other's eyes, still locked up with one another. Incineroar would then use its bipedalism to its advantage. Bringing its right knee forwards, the Heel Pokémon bashed the face of the Gogoat.
Dazed by the strike the Gogoat stumbled backwards as Alexa's Pokémon released its grip on its horns. Suddenly, the Incineroar cloaked itself in a black Aura, entering a rapid spin. Zipping over to the left side of the Gogoat, Incineroar dissipated the attack around itself just as its opponent turned around to meet it. With a grimace on its face, Incineroar's right fist was soon cloaked in the same Dark energy and rocketed it into the face of its opponent. Sending the Pokemon flying backwards, it was soon back up on four feet, charging head on at its opponent. Letting out a roar, Incineroar dropped low to the ground, digging its claws into the sand. Before the Gogoat could make contact, Incineroar sprang up high, allowing the Kalos Pokemon to pass beneath it. Just as the Mount Pokemon had spun around to see its still airborne foe, Incineroar had pitched its hand forwards as if it was throwing a fastball. A cloud of fine sand from the beach hit the Pokemon in the face, blinding it.
"Gogoat!" The sun hat-clad trainer cried out, watching 'The Big Guy' hit the beach once again, before enveloping itself into another Darkest Lariat. Making circles around the blinded Gogoat, it had no way of pinpointing when or where its opponent would strike next.
'This is it,' Alexa thought to herself, feeling an energy spread throughout her body. 'I won't let anyone pick on my friends. I'll make him pay!'
'This is good… Give in to your emotions and defeat this boy.' A dark voice spoke out within her mind. One that she was unfamiliar with, but still sent a chill down her spine regardless.
'Who said that?!' The Ketchum teen thought to herself, as a red flash illuminated her pupils. When she came to, she witnessed her opponent sticking out his Gogoat's ball, returning his partner in a red beam of light before it could be harmed.
"You made your point," The trainer said. "I don't need my Gogoat to wait in fear before you hurt it. You win."
"What?" Alexa said in a soft voice, as her Incineroar stood before her, letting out a victorious cry.
"I'm out of here," Nick Sawyer said, spinning away from the girl, with his head hung low. "Sorry for what I did."
Before she could stop the boy in order to apologize for the outcome, her Incineroar charged forwards and threw her up onto its shoulder, wanting to celebrate its victory.
"Hey! Put me down, Incineroar!" The teen said in a serious tone. "I didn't want to win like that!"
'What do ya mean?' Her Pokemon responded in a gruff voice through the Aura. "A win's a win, and I'm all for playing dirty!'
"Well, I'm not! Battles are supposed to be fun!"
Her Pokemon stood upright, with a look of confusion on its face. 'If you're so upset by this… then why'd you make that call in the first place?'
"I- I did?" Alexa said, with her voice slightly shaking, having no recollection of commanding her Pokemon in that way.
'Woah kid! It's gonna be alright,' Her Incineroar said, noticing its trainer going slightly pale. 'Let's just getcha back to our spot so you can sit down. You can let Bryce know that you beat the kid who was pickin' on him. Then we can draw out a strategy for when we step into the ring with Surge.'
'Ok, Incineroar,' The trainer said, looking at the back of Nick Sawyer who had put quite the distance between them. In her mind, the battle didn't end the way she wanted it to. But more importantly, she couldn't get over the voice she heard inside of her head. Who was really calling the shots in that battle?
