Castelia Arc: Let The Crawling Begin
"Okay, Gabite... Let's start with Earthquake!" Gabite growled, making the earth tremble. "Screech, Durant!" Burgh shouted, and an extremely loud cry resounded across the field. Mari covered her ears. "I know this game already..." Gabite just growled and sent rocks flying at the ant.
"Agility!" Durant's body lit up and it nimbly dodged the rocks. "Darn..." Mari gritted her teeth. "And that's my game..." Durant dashed across the field. Gabite waited for a few moments before it used Earthquake again. This threw the ant Pokémon off balance. "Dragon Claw!" Mari shouted. Gabite took advantage of the situation and struck, but Durant kept its distance. "Screech again!" Gabite bared its teeth and narrowed its eyes before lashing out with at the ant with Slash, hurling it away. "Rock Tomb!" Growling, Gabite pelted its opponent with rocks. "Fury Cutter!" Burgh shouted. Durant dodged the rocks again and hit Gabite's leg, but it barely left a scratch. Gabite stared at its opponent in irritation, then attacked with Dragon Claw. Durant hissed. "I know the sturdiness of my Pokémon," Burgh said in a calm voice. "However, I have never seen a Dragon Claw of this strength before... from a trainer on your level. Respect.",
"Thank you. Hearing that from an gym leader is the best praise you could ask for." Mari smiled and then extended her arm. "Dragon Rage!" Gabite spat flames at Durant. The latter dodged again. "Now is our time to attack!" Burgh announced. "Unleash a veritable Fury Cutter barrage!" Durant let out a metallic hiss and then attacked. Gabite growled and struck at it, but it was far too fast. The attack grew stronger and stronger with each hit. "Crap, now what I'm gonna do...?" Soon, Gabite sank to his knees and growled. Mari knew that Fury Cutter was getting stronger the more times this attack was executed in a row. Gabite had taken harsh damage and was already having trouble getting up. "Let's finish this round, Durant! Guillotine!" Alarmed, Mari's eyes widened. "GABITE, WATCH OUT!" The dragon leapt to the side, escaping Durant's scissors before it could be hit by the one-hit K.O. attack.
'Using Agility to speed up and Screech to lower the opponent's defenses, then strike with Fury Cutter...' Jacky thought to herself, sniffling at the edge of the field and snorting into a tissue. 'This could end badly...',
"Gabite, attack with Dragon Rage!" Mari shouted and Gabite charged at the opponent. '...Especially if Mari attacks recklessly... She needs to be very careful what she's doing from now on.' Gabite sent flames at Durant and it dodged to the left. "Now! Dragon Claw!" Gabite struck quickly to the left, hitting Durant in the side. It squinted its eyes and hissed. That had been clever of Mari. She had known that Durant would dodge a ranged attack. Gabite's quick change of tactics from ranged to melee attack was one of its strengths. "Can you still fight, Durant? "Burgh asked, and his Pokémon nodded. "Interesting", he then said. "Gabite's movements are strong and it can quickly switch between two types of attacks. Truly impressive."
Mari stretched out her arm. "Earthquake!" Gabite let his claws crash against the ground and ripped it open. Durant hissed and scrambled up a bush before pushing off and jumping. "Now! Dragon Claw!" Gabite pushed off the ground as well and flew above the ant Pokémon before smashing it to the ground. It bounced onto the ground and stayed there, not being able to get up again. Gabite landed and growled proudly. Burgh nodded appreciatively. "Not bad. Really, this was a clear demonstration of skill. You've gathered some experience already." He withdrew the Pokémon and Mari breathed a sigh of relief- possibly also because she didn't have to see this, in her opinion, disgusting Pokémon anymore. "However, there are still gaps that can be mended, despite impressive teamwork. Taming dragons is no easy task. For that, you have my utmost respect." Mari walked over to Gabite and patted its snout. "You did a good job here. Thank you. Get some rest." She withdrew it and preferred not to think back to the fact that Gabite had presented her with quite the challenge in the beginning.
"Trainers and Pokémon are meant to charm themselves and others with the moments and images of their deeds. Whether battles or demonstrations, the heartbeats of the trainer and their partners are the same. I see the passion in your attitude, your courage and ambition to give everything. Oh, what I would do here and now for a canvas and colors." He pulled out a new Pokéball. "The bond between me and my Pokémon is as delicate as silk, yet as hard as steel. How about you?",
"In the beginning, I didn't always understand how much it means to trust your Pokémon and yourself completely and give them the courage you have. I doubted and underestimated how much value there is in showing what you can do... I learned that the hard way and now I know better, I think... That's why I know that I have to fight together with my Pokémon until the end and we're on the same page." Mari armed herself with the next Pokéball as well.
"Then show me if you're right about it!" The gym leader tossed the Pokéball. "Leavanny, help me with this!",
"Skarmory, give it your all!" With a loud cry, Skarmory appeared on the field by her side. "Oh, a Skarmory." Burgh nodded, but seemed unimpressed. "A really smart choice, but whether it will be enough is another question.",
"That remains to be seen. Skarmory, let's get started. Agility!" Skarmory's body lit up and it flew higher. "Sticky Web, Leavanny!" The Pokémon bombarded Skarmory with sticky threads. "Steel Wing, Skarmory!" The bird screeched, slicing them apart with its wing as if with a sword. "Now Swift!" Skarmory's first attack hit, but didn't leave much damage. "Sunny Day!" Burgh shouted. Leavanny spread its arms, and the sunlight streaming through the gym's glass ceiling grew more intense. Mari had to squint her eyes. "Aerial Ace!" she shouted. Skarmory attacked, but Leavanny dodged it with a sudden, higher speed. "Woah...!" Mari was surprised. "So fast!" Jacky looked at Leavanny in amazement. "That must be the effect of its ability, Chlorophyll!",
"Agility!" commanded Mari, who knew very well what that meant.
"You won't be able to catch up with my Leavanny!" Burgh shouted. "Energy Ball!",
"Swift!" Skarmory smashed the Energy Ball with a counterattack.