Virbank Arc: Astonishing Result
"Can you still fight, Absol?" Jacky asked. Absol nodded and stepped from one paw onto the other. Gabite seemed to make it nervous. When Gabite noticed, it reared up, stomped its foot, and hissed loudly. Absol backed away and then stood still bravely. "Gabite, please..." Mari approached her Pokémon, and the dragon turned its head toward her. Its eyes gleamed belligerently and angrily at the same time. "...Please, stay calm", Mari said, looking at it. Nothing happened for a moment, then Gabite nodded slightly and closed its mouth. Mari breathed a sigh of relief before Gabite turned back to his opponent. "Okay... Dragon Claw!" Gabite's right claw began to glow blue and it went for Absol. "Counter with Scratch!" Jacky shouted. Absol came towards it and the attacks clashed. But before Mari could call out a new command, Gabite backed away and hurled a Rock Tomb attack at Absol. "Break through it with Razor Wind!" Jacky shouted. Absol sent blades at the rocks, destroying them. Some blades flew at Gabite, but it simply destroyed them with Dragon Claw. Then the dragon's mouth filled with blue flames and it spewed a Dragon Rage at Absol, which couldn't avoid the hot flames. It backed away, yowling. Gabite jumped back. "Gabite, what are you doing?" Mari asked. "Stop that!" Gabite ignored her and pawed the ground with one leg. "Dragon Rage!" its trainer shouted, but Gabite seemed to have something else in mind. Its claw lit up and lunged at Absol with Dragon Claw as it struggled to stand up. "Double Team!" Jacky shouted. Absol got onto its feet and went on the defensive, its silhouettes charging toward Gabite. The dragon destroyed them with its claws and fought its way through to Absol. "Rock Tomb!" Mari ordered, but Gabite ignored her again and struck out at Absol with Dragon Claw. Absol jumped back to avoid it and Gabite struck at nothing but the wind. This seemed to anger the dragon and it roared loudly, causing the ground to shake, and then spat blue flames at Absol. "Jump now!" Jacky shouted. Absol leapt into the air and escaped the fire. Its crescent lit up. "Razor Wind!" Blades shot through the air. "Rock Tomb!" Mari yelled, and this time, Gabite obeyed her. It created rocks that it threw at the blades, deflecting them. One of the rocks hit Absol, which howled and then collapsed. "Absol!" Jacky knelt down to it and withdrew. "You were awesome, you more than earned that break!"
Mari stared at Gabite, somewhat stunned. The dragon had simply fought its own battle. It had probably only listened to Mari because her plans had coincided with its own this time. "What was that about?" Jacky asked as she stood back up. "True, Gabite won, but you just let it do what it wants.",
"I gave it commands! What else was I supposed to do?" Mari defended herself. "I told you from the start that I didn't know if it would listen to me!",
"Mari, Gabite did absolutely not what you told it to do." Jacky reiterated to her and walked over to her. "And that can't be happening. What if one of us had gotten hurt? You have to show it that you are its trainer and therefore, it should do what you say."
Mari pressed her lips together. "I told you I'd try, but you can't expect it to work right away... I'm trying my hardest right here!",
"Gabite and you, you're partners." Jacky grabbed Gabite's arm and dragged it in front of Mari. The dragon growled in protest and snapped at Jacky for the audacity, but she was faster and withdrew her hand. "You fight together and not each for themselves. When Gabite starts trusting you, the two of you will become inseparable." Mari stared at Gabite, who returned her gaze with a growl. For a moment, they just stared each other down as if they were enemies, but then Mari sighed. "Jeez... This could be something. Listen to me, Gabite." She squatted down so she could look the dragon directly and sternly in the eye. "You're going to do what I tell you to do, do you understand? If you don't, then I'll have to think of something, but I hate that kind of thing. So do me a favor and stop pretending I'm not here, got it?" Mari's voice was surprisingly strict, and Gabite appeared surprised itself for a moment. Then, it growled reluctantly and nodded. "Go on." Mari straightened up again and nodded at Jacky.
"Good. I'm not holding back, but I expect the same from you." the blonde-haired girl said as she ran back and tossed the next Poké Ball forward. "And my last Pokémon will show you! Go, Medicham!" It appeared in front of her and stood calmly with its palms touching one another. Gabite growled. "Don't you dare!" Mari hissed at it. She knew it would be hard for her to keep control of her Pokémon in this fight, especially since Gabite and Medicham hated each other like the plague for some reason. "Rock Tomb!" she shouted. Gabite grumbled and hurled rocks at Medicham. "Protect, Medicham!" With its cool composure, the fighting-type Pokémon stretched out its hands and all the rocks bounced off a green light shield. "Now Shadow Ball!",
"Repel it!" Mari shouted, and Gabite raised its arms protectively in front of it. It growled out as the Shadow Ball hit it, but it shook itself and returned a Dragon Rage. "Now, we'll show you our final attack." Jacky extended her arm. "Psychic!" Medicham's eyes lit up and the Dragon Rage was redirected by an invisible force. It flew back at Gabite and hit it. It growled and backed away. Dust swirled up. Gabite gasped softly before raising its head and preparing to counterattack. As it lunged at Medicham with Dragon Claw, Mari raised her voice. "Dragon Rage!" Gabite paused at the sternness in Mari's voice, then obeyed. It shot blue flames at Medicham again. Medicham dodged them with ease. Gabite hissed, raised its arms, and jammed his claws into the ground. The earth began to shake and crack open. "What the...?" Mari backed away. Jacky was startled as well, and Medicham backed away, swaying slightly from the moving earth. "What is it doing?"
Mari looked at her Pokédex. "It's Earthquake", she said. Medicham had regained its balance. "That won't do you any good either." Medicham charged forward. "Attack it with Brick Break!",
"Dragon Claw!" Gabite stopped Medicham with its counterattack.
Medicham grunted softly and braced itself against the dragon. But Gabite did the same and braced itself against its opponent with all his strength. "Psychic!" Jacky commanded. Gabite suddenly went rigid and couldn't move. "Darn it...!" Mari cursed.
"Throw it on the floor!" Medicham raised its arm and Gabite was yanked into the air until it hit the ground with a loud bang. Dust swirled through the air. Gabite tried to move, but already, Jacky was directing Medicham to the next attack. "Finish it with Brick Break! Don't let it get back up!" Medicham began to elegantly dance around Gabite, punching and kicking it again and again with Brick Break. Gabite growled and took the blows. "No!" Mari's mind raced. 'What should I do, what should I do!' Medicham lashed out one last time, and a strong hit hurled Gabite away in a high arc. The dragon hit the ground, covered in scrapes and scratches. "Gabite, are you all right? Get up, please!" Mari ran to it. Gabite growled and raised its head. "Grrrr..." It straightened up shakily. It seemed to have a lot of stamina, because it still seemed to have enough strength to fight. Surprised, Jacky looked at it. "Why...why is it still standing?" Medicham was also puzzled. Gabite used this moment to strike for liberation. With Dragon Claw, it managed to hit Medicham's chest. Astonished, it backed away. "Repeat that!" Gabite roared and attacked once more. "Brick Break!" Jacky shouted. Both attacks met. Gabite's knees gave way and it collapsed. But Medicham seemed to have been hit hard as well, because it was able to keep standing for a few seconds before collapsing as well. "A draw?" Mari raised her eyebrows. "Medicham can't keep fighting, and neither can Gabite." Jacky nodded and withdrew Medicham.
"Looks like it, then." Mari withdrew Gabite. Jacky came up to her and held out her hand. "I enjoyed the battle.",
"Yeah. it was quite... nerve-wracking." Mari smiled and shook Jacky's hand. Jacky smiled too and patted her on the shoulder. "Come on, let's take our Pokémon back to the Pokémon Center." Together, they walked to the building with the red roof and dropped off their Pokémon with the nurse.