If this one seems short, it's because all the buildup for this gym badge was in the previous chapter. No beating around the bush. It's time for some dark type battles!
I stepped onto the concrete floor of the warehouse and followed Piers to the center of it. "No, like, registration or anything?" I asked nervously.
Piers let out a harsh laugh. "Never was one for Paperwork. The badge itself is proof you beat me. B'sides, Rose sent me one of his mutts, he can figure it out." He jerked his head to the right, indicating the sound booth, where a very uncomfortable looking man in a Macro Cosmos uniform was hunched over a tiny laptop between two muscle-bound and heavily tattooed sound and light technicians, typing frenetically, as if there were a gun to his back. Neither of the two technicians paid him any mind, but the one on his left, a beefy woman with a fully bald head and a Dragonair tattoo wrapping around the curves of her chin and around her eyebrow, was staring directly at us with a crooked smile. She pushed a couple faders on her board and all of the lights surrounding the fenced in area began to dim, while the spotlights over Piers and me grew brighter and brighter. The yelling from the fans grew louder and more intense, and soon a loud chanting of "Piers! Piers! Piers!" began to overpower all the individual screams.
"Got quite the fanbase," I joked with a nervous laugh.
"I do what I can," Piers shrugged. "Now I'm required by the league to give you the rundown, but you know it. Four on four, first to knock 'em all out wins the pot, same shite as always. Alright?"
"Alright."
"Let's go, then." And he swiftly turned and made his way to the stage at the far end of the arena. As he did, the band launched into a fast song. A guitarist and a bassist slammed their heads forward and back, as if fighting to see who could play the loudest and dirtiest power chords between the two, and the drummer kept a steady but lightning-fast tempo. After two minutes, the song was over, the audience was roaring, and Piers and I stood on opposite ends of the arena, Piers in front of his own backing band.
Next to Piers was a tall microphone on a stand. He swiped the stand and bellowed into it, causing a squeal of feedback. "ALRIGHT, SPIKEMUTH?" He roared, as the rabid fans screamed their answer. "Looks like we got a long night tonight, so let's hear you get loud. Let's do this, Gloria! One-Two-Three-Four!"
The band came alive again, and as they thundered into the first verse of the second song, Piers chucked out an Ultra ball with his first Pokémon. I ripped Rapidash's Pokéball off its spot on my belt and did the same, and soon Rapidash was standing off against Piers' first Pokémon, a gruff-looking Scrafty.
"Of course, he'd have one of these, too," I groaned, before turning to Rapidash. "Let's just go right for it, then! Dazzling Gleam!"
"Fake out," Piers roared, somehow louder than the band despite tossing the mic back behind him with a loud thud and squeal as it fell to the ground. As Rapidash reared up on her hind legs and let out a chilling neigh, Scrafty jumped right in front of her and whipped its hand right across her face. Rapidash stumbled backwards, surprised at the speed of her opponent, and shook her head clear.
"He can't do it again!" I shouted. "Dazzling Gleam for real now!"
"Sand attack!" Piers ordered, and as the brilliant light white burst from Rapidash's horn, Scrafty hung low and swiped his hands along the ground, catching bits of gravel and dirt that had come loose from previous battles on the concrete and sending it flying towards Rapidash. Despite taking heavy damage from the bright light, Scrafty was still standing, and looked like it still had plenty of fight left in it. Rapidash shook her head again, neighing angrily.
"Stomp!" I yelled, and Rapidash charged at Scrafty, but a combination of a face full of grime and her own anger and frustration of it allowed Scrafty to dodge with ease. Piers ordered a Payback attack, and though Rapidash took the hit, she looked even angrier.
"He can't dodge light! Dazzling Gleam one last time!" I cried. I saw Piers move suddenly before everything disappeared in the burst of white from Rapidash's attack. The light quickly faded, and I saw that Scrafty was no longer there – in its place was a large, grumpy looking purple Skuntank, who blinked away with attack like it was nothing.
"Alright, Skuntank," Piers said with a malevolent grin. "Screech!"
I groaned. "Stomp!" Rapidash rushed at Skuntank, but despite its size, the thing was remarkably quick. It dodged the attack again and then screamed in a hideous voice that everyone in the first three rows behind the fence had to cover their ears in response to it. Ponyta neighed and glared at Skuntank, looking so furious that she was just about ready to kill Skuntank. I had barely called out for another Stomp attack when she rushed forward with all her might and speed, head lowered and horn pointing directly at Skuntank.
"Sucker punch!" Piers shouted, and just as Rapidash was about to run through Skuntank, the Pokémon shifted to the side and swung its paw up, landing a clean hit right underneath Rapidash's jaw. Rapidash immediately crumpled.
"Rapidash!" I cried out, bobbling her Pokéball in my hands before returning her.
"Woulda figured you to be able to knock out one of mine with your fairy type," Piers said with a sly grin.
I grimaced. I had never fought a Skuntank before, but I had heard Hop weigh the benefits of having one of them on his team for the finals.
"Bloody tanks, they are," he had said. "Only thing they're really afraid of is an earthquake attack. Any ground move, honestly."
My grimace turned into a frown, but then into a smile. I didn't have any Pokémon that could cause an earthquake, but I did have…
"Vibrava! Let's go!" I cried, and Vibrava burst into the light, already buzzing around in circles, far away from those terrifying claws.
Piers sneered. "Ugh. Dragons. You've been hangin' around Raihan, haven't you. Toxic!" Skuntank nodded and looked back up at Vibrava expectantly.
"Stay nimble and use Dragon breath!" I cried, and Vibrava flew just close enough to Skuntank to let a burst of dragonfire out of his mouth, but as he did, Skuntank's tail lifted, and it turned so it was facing away from Vibrava. It secreted a gleaming purple poison that shot out and landed squarely on Vibrava, who buzzed angrily, but notably slower. I grimaced again. Even if Vibrava was able to take out Skuntank now, it'd only be a matter of time before the toxic poison wore him down to a point where he could no longer battle. "Let's finish this quickly then," I groaned. "Bulldoze!"
Vibrava shot forward, low to the ground to pick up some of the refuse, much like Scrafty did, and crashed directly into Skuntank. Piers shouted out a move so Skuntank could retaliate, but it was futile. With a wobble, Skuntank fell to the ground, unconscious.
Vibrava's victory was treated with a mixed reception. Hop and Victor and a few members of Team Yell screamed with excitement, but there was a large amount of booing coming from the crowd standing behind Piers, who returned Skuntank to its Pokéball with a grunt. "Tough crowd," I muttered, running my fingers along my belt, wondering who else should jump into the fray. Vibrava sped around the arena, but I could see the pain in his big green eyes as he dealt with his poisoning. He stopped in front of me and nodded, indicating he was still ready to battle, before zipping back up into the air. I couldn't put my finger on the why, but he seemed intent to prove himself after his lackluster performance on the battleship.
Piers tossed out his next Pokéball, and both Vibrava and I were taken aback at what came out. It was a giant floppy thing, looking like a Grapploct standing on its head. Its skin was a desaturated lavender, as if it was the skin of a Pokémon no longer alive, but I could see small eyes amidst a flurry of tentacles on its head, glaring at Vibrava and me. I wracked my brain, trying to remember what Pokémon this was, and as I did, Piers seized his opportunity.
"Malamar!" He roared. "Night Slash!" The Pokémon spread its tentacles out as wide as it could, revealing a scary looking beak – what a strange Pokémon this was – and using what seemed to be a similar psychic aura I had seen from Bede's Pokémon, flew through the air towards Vibrava.
"Right, er, counter with Bug Bite!" I called. Vibrava, even while poisoned, was just a hair faster, and dodging a couple tentacle strikes, managed to sink his fangs into Malamar's large, spooky body. Malamar reeled back, and with one final strike of its tentacle, knocked Vibrava to the ground, where I saw him flinch from the pain of the poison still overtaking his body. And yet, Vibrava immediately bounced back, pushing himself even harder, and zipped back around Malamar.
"Alright, I think I know what'll do it!" I cried, reaching for a Pokéball as discreetly as I could.
"Foul Play!" Piers roared, his eyes glistening, eager to score another KO on Vibrava, but in a flash of white light, Vibrava had disappeared, and standing behind Malamar came a second flash of light, and suddenly Malamar wasn't the only giant menace in the arena. Malamar clocked it and swiveled around immediately, but Bewear grunted, barely feeling it at all.
"You're not the only one with tricks," I taunted, clipping Vibrava's ball safely back to my belt. "Bewear, pummel it with a Hammer Arm!"
"Psycho Cut!" Piers said, uneasily. Malamar lashed out again, and while his blows were harder than Bewear or I were expecting, with a hefty swipe of his paw, Bewear sent Malamar tumbling back to Piers, unconscious.
The audience roared again, and though it was hard to tell, the boos were much less silent this time. "Losin' your fans, Piers?" I asked cockily.
"Lucky break," he sneered, though I could see that he was hiding a smile underneath, just like Marnie had a habit of doing. I glanced back at her and saw that she had a small smile as well. She stood there, giving her silent approval, while Hop and Victor howled with the rest of the audience like rabid Electrike. I turned back just in time to see Piers throw a Pokéball. Scrafty reappeared, and Bewear braced himself.
"Hammer Arm!" I called out.
"Fake Out, and then Sand Attack!" Scrafty managed to give Bewear a healthy uppercut, causing Bewear to lose his nerve for a second and stumble backward, and thought I ordered another Hammer Arm, before Bewear could even raise his arm, Scrafty had kicked up even more dust and dirt directly into Bewear's face. Bewear roared and swung wildly, missing by a wide margin.
"Revenge!" I cried.
"Brick Break!" Piers roared, and this time, Scrafty was truly the fastest one around, hopping up and landing a Karate chop-esque move square between Bewear's eyes. Bewear paused, and then crumpled, much to the delights of Team Yell surrounding us. I was down to two, but with Vibrava's poisoning, it was really more like I was down to one. I knew that Cinderace would be able to do a number on Piers' last two Pokémon, but if I could just get a couple more hits in with Vibrava…
"Alright, Vibrava, let's show 'em how much fight you have left!" I cried, throwing his ball out. Vibrava appeared and did a quick lap around Scrafty.
"I can't tell if you're bold or just stupid," Piers scoffed.
"A little bit of both, actually, I said with a wink. "Bug Bite!"
"Sand Attack!" Piers roared. Vibrava approached, and as he did, Scrafty leaned down, ready to throw some dirt into Vibrava's eyes, but Vibrava was just a bit quicker, making a barrel roll to the left and sinking his fangs into Scrafty's shoulder. The bite, paired with Vibrava's momentum, was enough to knock Scrafty prone, and it landed hard on the pavement with a crack. Vibrava flew upward, avoiding all the dust, waiting for me to make the call.
"Dragon Breath!" I called, and Vibrava, strangely rejuvenated despite everything, blasted Scrafty at point blank range. After the flames were done licking its body, Scraggy was officially down for the count.
The crowd roared with glee, pounding on the chain links, while Piers scowled and called Scrafty back into its ball. I looked back into the crowd and pumped my fists, which only energized them more. "GLO-RI-A! GLO-RI-A! GLO-RI-A!" I heard Hop and Victor start belting, and soon, a good half of the audience picked up with it.
I turned back around and was face to face with Vibrava, who despite all logic, looked as if there wasn't an ounce of poison running through his body anymore. "You ready for one last rumble then?" I asked. He buzzed happily and turned to face Piers, who was glaring at us through squinted eyes, a single Pokéball in his hand.
"Right, just have one more number in this set, don't get cocky though!" he yelled, and threw the Pokéball. Out popped his final Pokémon; one that I had never seen before, but instantly recognized from stories I had heard as a kid. It stood taller than anyone else in the arena, leaning forward, with its head down and glaring at us through vibrant red eyes. Its fur zigged and zagged down a long neck into its torso, which puffed out with thick grey fur that reminded me of a vest. It stood in a battle-ready stance, baring sharp black claws and a long pink tongue. An Obstagoon, in the flesh. As it let out a sickening roar, the backing band switched up their tune, and now played a thundering and reckless song that was pounding just a hair faster than my own heart.
"Hit him low! Bulldoze!" I shouted. Vibrava sped forth like a bullet, picking up dust and shooting it in every direction.
"Obstruct!" Piers roared. Obstagoon braced itself, and just as Vibrava was about to make contact, crossed it arms in an X and leaned into the attack. The sudden collision sent Vibrava spinning off course, barely able to make a dent in his opponent's defenses and a little befuddled from the surprise body check.
"Alright, stay back then! Dragon Breath!" I cried.
"Not gonna be that easy! Throat Chop!" As Vibrava corrected himself and inhaled to prepare his attack, Obstagoon jumped from his spot and sprinted at a blistering speed towards Vibrava, sending a clawed arm directly underneath Vibrava's head just as he was making contact. Vibrava was able to get out some blue flames to lick Obstagoon's body, but the disruption was enough to keep it from doing too much damage. "Can't run, can't get close!" Piers sneered, "Do it again, Obstagoon!"
Obstagoon readied another reckless attack, but Vibrava and I were ready for it this time. "Bug Bite!" I called, and at the last moment, Vibrava flew just a couple inches backward, allowing Obstagoon's claw to miss his neck entirely. The second the claw passed him, he bit into Obstagoon's wrist, causing it to flail about and yowl in pain.
"Shake it off and go again! Shadow Claw!"
"Bulldoze!"
Obstagoon threw its arm down, but Vibrava broke free and flew in a wide circle around the arena, picking up speed and dirt for his next attack. Obstagoon stood at the ready and I could see his claw start to fade in and out of sight as an ominous black aura began encircling it. I grimaced, knowing that Obstagoon was too fast and too ready to miss Vibrava this time around, but it was too late to change tactics. Vibrava barreled forward, picking up more and more dirt, and Obstagoon swung into it again. Smoke and dust flew up as the two made contact, Obstagoon leaving a noticeable claw mark down Vibrava's side, and Vibrava colliding directly into Obstagoon's stomach. Obstagoon stumbled a few steps and fell to one knee, catching its breath, while Vibrava buzzed over and crashed into the ground. For a second, it looked like he was out for the count. I gulped and held up my Pokéball to return him.
But Vibrava had other plans. He sprung to attention, barely holding on, but carrying a determination that I had yet seen from him. I saw a couple white sparks of energy floating around him, but almost as soon as they started to turn his whole body white, they disappeared from view. He twitched and zipped back to me.
"Don't get me wrong, this is amazing, but how the hell are you still up?" I asked breathlessly. Up close, it was clear that he was barely hanging on, and only out of sheer determination. He began to glow white again, but with another twitch, he returned to his regular form.
"Are…are you ready to evolve?" I asked. He buzzed quickly. Angrily. He wasn't ready. Not quite yet. He had something to prove. I grinned. "You're a psychopath, you are," I laughed.
"Oi!" Piers yelled. "There's still a battle goin' on! Throat Chop!" Obstagoon sprang into action again, but he was noticeably slower after that last attack. Vibrava looked at me for my call.
"Give 'im hell, Vibrava."
With one short buzz, Vibrava turned and landed, staring down Obstagoon as it rushed him. The second its legs touched down, the entire floor of the arena began to rattle and shake. Pebbles began to vibrate away from Vibrava, who at this point was the only creature not being put off by the sudden rumbling in the ground. I had just realized what move he had decided to use and began to grin when a massive crack in the concrete appeared and made its way with ridiculous speed towards Obstagoon. Obstagoon's eyes widened at the last moment, realizing what was about to happen when the entire cement floor shot up around him with a terrible crunch. He was battered by rocks and chunks of cement left and right and Vibrava's Earthquake attack shook the entire arena. Those close enough to the fence held on for dear life. I felt my legs buckle and at the far end of the stage, Piers fell to the ground as well.
And then, just as soon as it had started, it was over. The cement fell back to the ground, looking now like gravel more than anything else. Half the audience were on the ground with us, and the few that were still standing stared at the Pokémon battling in silence. Vibrava was like a stone, still keeping an intense watch over Obstagoon, who was trembling on its knees, trying to regain its composure. It did not, and instead slumped forward, unconscious. Still, everyone looked at Vibrava, dazed.
It was Hop who finally broke the spell. "Gloria, you mad woman, you did it!" Instantly the stadium roared, hundreds of voices coming together as one. I picked myself up off the ground, giddily watching as Vibrava zipped in circles around the whole arena, observing his handiwork. Finally, seeing I was up and walking around, he sped up to me, crashing into my arms.
"You really are something else, you know that?" I laughed, squeezing him tight. As I did, he started to glow white a third time, and this time, he did not push it back down. I held him tightly in his arms, feeling his body twist and contort into its new shape. It was far too bright for me to watch this time, but as I finally felt him stop growing and darkness returning to the world around my, I opened my eyes. Vibrava was now a Flygon, and my arms were draped around his long neck. He spread his massive wings wide and let out an excited roar, which only sent the audience into a bigger frenzy. I squeezed him even tighter and felt his body give way, and soon we were both on the ground, me underneath his exhausted body.
"Guess I know why 'respectable institutions' have a rule about usin' ground type moves," I heard Piers say. I looked up to see him scowling over me, Obstagoon just over his shoulder.
I laughed meekly. "Sorry about your floor," I muttered sheepishly.
Pier sneered, and then broke into a smile, giving me his arm. "Don't be. It's about the most punk rock thing I've seen in Spikemuth in years. Put 'er there." I grabbed his arm, and he pulled me out from under Flygon with a surprising amount of strength. "Reckon you'll need this, then," he said, presenting me with a Dark badge, a golden plate with a tiny black metal gem inlaid on it. "Hell of a battle, kid. Looks like my kid sister is rubbing off on you."
"More than you'd know," I said, glancing back at Marnie, whose cool veneer was completely absent as she hopped and cheered alongside Hop and Victor.
"Gross," Piers said. "Anyway, we got a couple more sets to get through, so now that you got your badge you can piss off." I glanced back in surprise at the curt words but was given a wink in return. I smiled and returned Flygon to his Pokéball and slowly walked back to the metal gate. "Gimme that Nambarek kid, let's see if he's as good as his brother!" Piers shouted after me.
Hop was ready to go by the time I got there, needing no extra encouragement to hop into the arena himself. I watched him strut confidently onto the newly graveled floor and quickly caught Piers' eye as he was exchanging one set of Pokéballs out for another – for a brief moment I wondered if I had fought his best or not – and he gave me another wink. Before I could respond, I was enshrouded by the chaos of the crowd around me, recklessly pumping their fists in any direction they wanted. Marnie soon appeared and gave me a congratulatory kiss, which just made them scream more.
Yeah, I could get the hang of Spikemuth.
Ok, a few notes:
1. I deeply, deeply love the Pokemon Piers uses in his gym battle. Big fan of Dark Types in general, and a special shoutout to Mr. T the Scrafty, Stinky Steph the Skuntank, and Zippy the Obstagoon, Pokemon that I personally have used on playthroughs of various games to great effect.
2. Throat Chop only hampers sound-based moves in games, so sorry for using a little bit of the classic dumb anime logic this time around. But I feel like IRL, throat chop would do similar effects to breath based moves too, so here we are.
3. I said I was done with Pokemon evolving at the climax of gym battles, but I also stupidly forgot to evolve Vibrava and I need him to be a Flygon VERY soon for plot reasons (not just for battling Raihan, as cool as Flygon v. Flygon would be). I also realized I never gave him any really big Ws yet, so taking down a third of Piers' team before allowing himself to evolve should do fine to catch him up in the battle to be Gloria's MVP.
4. Yes Vibrava did the whole friendship mechanic of enduring a move with 1 HP and expelling poison because he loved his trainer so much. I've seen a few people complain about this game mechanic and you know what, they're wrong, I think it's adorable every time it happens, it's cute as hell and I want it in my fic too.
5. I was going to have Hop and Victor have their battles this chapter too, just in a very abbreviated form, but this felt like a good place to end it. They'll be the warm-up for the main event of next week's chapter...
NEXT WEEK: MARNIE'S SECRET WEAPON
