The next few chapters are already nearing completion. Hoping to get the next one out in a week or two. Until then, got a long chapter here today, so enjoy!
Chapter 56: Siren
The following transcript was taken from the November 1st, 2012 interview between SNN senior reporter Tom Collins and newly crowned Elite 4 member Martin Hornsby, following his inauguration. The interview originally aired on the Skitrexian News Network and Skitrexian Trainer News before its current publication in Skitrexian Trainer Weekly.
Collins: First off, I'm going to be a little bit biased and unprofessional here in saying that I'm incredibly happy to see you become the newest member of Skitrex's Elite 4. You have always been one of my favorite trainers to watch in battle. You really do have a knack for breaking the script, if that makes any sense.
Hornsby: Well, I'm glad I have a fan in you. I'll be honest; there are plenty of people who don't like my battling style. I've received quite a bit of hate mail in my day.
Collins: Your style is often referred to as "trickster" or "dirty" battling. That last term carries quite the connotation.
Hornsby: (laughs) They can call me whatever they like. I've never broken the rules, but like you've said earlier, I've broken the script. Some of the best trainers out there have a difficult time adjusting to that sort of play.
Collins: Definitely. So, has it set in yet, the fact that you're a member of the Elite 4?
Hornsby: It's weird when you say it out loud. So far, my life doesn't feel all that different, but I've been a gym leader for some time now. Losing that title feels like losing an old friend since it's so familiar to me. Though who knows? Eventually, I might take up that mantle again. But for now, my fellow Elite 4 members and Champion Richard Kaiser have made me feel very welcome as their colleague. They're all very good people and very talented trainers, as you know.
Collins: You're easily one of the most infamous gym leaders in Skitrex, not only for your battling style, but your sheer dominance. At pretty much every tier, trainers have described you as their "wake-up call" gym leader, and there's been a running joke in this region that every trainer who has amounted to anything in Skitrex has been beaten by you at least once. Your gym has a stellar defense record as well. To what do you attribute to your success?
Hornsby: It's probably because I handle most of the battles myself. You see a lot of gyms these days with multiple gym leaders or where the gym leaders have their apprentices battle for them at different tiers. But honestly, in my opinion, the Crystal Cliffs gym is the only gym that pulled off a program such as that successfully. I'm not knocking the other gyms, since they still run great programs, so much as I'm saying that they lack consistency. When you handle most of the gym defenses yourself, you tend to be pretty consistent.
Collins: You've left some pretty big shoes to fill back in Loamford. Have you chosen a successor yet?
Hornsby: Unfortunately, it's not that simple. You've noticed in Ashlin how they're having a difficult time right now filling the gym leader position. It really stresses the importance of filling the position properly. I have a few protégés who may be up for the task, but it's going to be some time before the council and I can come to a decision. In the meantime, they'll be balancing out gym duties between each other.
Collins: In past interviews, you've talked about why you specialize in rock and ground-types. Considering that both of these types have weaknesses to grass and water, how do you plan to adapt to any league challenger who comes in with those elements?
Hornsby: (laughs) The same way I've dealt with them running my gym, Tom. When you specialize in certain elements, you pick up tricks on how to conquer your weaknesses. Sometimes, it's all in the dual-typing. Other times, you have to be more strategic. Besides, I've branched out. In my last league challenge, I used a Maractus and a Mawile. I like Grass and Steel-types as well, and I plan on using more elements in my future challenges. Gyms are all about preparing trainers for all sorts of scenarios. As an Elite 4 member, one has to practice what they preach, being ready to and willing to throw the toughest teams against the challenges they face.
Collins: How's Stoneridge doing, by the way? He's getting up there in age, isn't he?
Hornsby: Stoneridge is doing fine. He's past his prime, but he makes up for it with his experience.
Collins: It's interesting that you never evolved him. He's considered the most powerful Rhydon on earth and arguably one of the most powerful non-fully evolved pokémon. Why did you make the decision to keep him as a Rhydon?
Hornsby: I have a few friends who raise Rhyperior. They're strong and can tank hits for days, but they're sluggish. Stoneridge has been able to make use of his speed, and we've played that gambit for a while now. No need to fix what ain't broken. If I want to tank out hits, I'll use my Shuckle or something in a similar vein. But even Stoneridge is no slouch in that regard.
Collins: Would you mind me asking you a personal question? It's about your family.
Hornsby: (Pause) Well, you may as well. Considering how most of my life is covered in my Wikipedia page, I really don't have much to hide.
Collins: You went through a nasty divorce last year. Your ex-wife went to "The Chatot", among other tabloids, and revealed some very personal information in regards to you and your marriage. Would you be willing to talk about that?
Hornsby: (Pause) I figured you would ask me this... so I might as well come clean. I was considered one of the best gym leaders in Skitrex, but by my own admission, I was one of the worst fathers and husbands. Alongside being married to Shannon, I was married to my job and the drink. The job does take a lot of time, but I pushed aside my other obligations. That wasn't fair to Shannon and it definitely wasn't fair to Kasey. There is far more to talk about… but I don't want to discuss that today. It will be in my book, which I am working on right now. When I'm ready for it to be published, your questions will be answered. I wish that Shannon hadn't aired our dirty laundry publicly, but I guess that is what pushed me to make these changes. I've been sober for three-hundred days, as of next week, and even though it's tough, I've never felt better. I'm hoping that not only will my sobriety allow me to be a better trainer, but also a better father to my son. And I hope I can inspire people who struggle with similar demons.
Collins: Thank you. It's very brave of you to be able to speak publicly about this.
Hornsby: Tom, there's no shame in honesty. At least the way I see it.
Collins: So, lighter subject: there are already a few challengers lined up to face the Elite 4 this year. Logan Kyle, last year's Diamond Beach winner, has announced that he will be using his opportunity to challenge the Elite 4. Rita Cutler has also been granted an opportunity to challenge, following her success on the global circuit. What are your feelings on these developments?
Hornsby: I'm excited. I'll always enjoy a good battle and I especially like it that I'll be defending against these trainers in a best of three. Three battles with the same good trainer allows for an amazing experience to exchange information in a way that allows for growth… Not that I'm going to let a trainer get to the third battle with me. (laughs)
Collins: What about Daryl Jones, this year's Diamond Beach Champion? Do you think you'll be facing him soon?
Hornsby: I had the privilege of battling Daryl in the South African Invitational last year. He certainly has made his mark on the global scene, having placed high across the world… But he's never won a major. Neither have I, but I won our last battle. He's good, but he ought to wait before challenging us. He still has nearly five years to train before his opportunity expires, so I recommend he use that time.
Collins: (laughs) Am I detecting a bit of shade there, Martin?
Hornsby: (laughs) I just call it as I see it. Daryl is an excellent trainer and his Slaking is one of the best among its species. But it will take more than that to beat me, I promise you.
Collins: And you? As an Elite 4 member, you'll be allowed a yearly opportunity to challenge for the championship. A few years ago, you failed in your second attempt after an excellent showing against the champion himself. Do you think you'll finally succeed this time around?
Hornsby: I've made the challenge twice in my lifetime thus far, just barely missing the target each time. But if I didn't think I could become champion, I wouldn't be a suitable Elite 4 member. Simple as that.
Collins: Would you mind if I ask you some questions about your former fellow gym leaders? I would love to hear your opinions on the current state of Skitrex's gyms, following your departure.
Hornsby: Certainly. But for the record, I have respect for all of the leaders in our region. The last thing I need is a grudge to start off my new position. (Laughs)
Collins: Okay, so you were considered one of the toughest gym leaders to defeat in Skitrex, regardless of tier. Now that you're out, who takes that mantle?
Hornsby: Wow, putting me on the spot right away! (Laughs) If I had to pick a top three, I'd say it's Veronica Lee, of course, the Scottish Dragon, Ken McCrae, and Chauncey Silver. It's difficult to say who is the best of the three, but they all have impressive records. Chauncey especially… I'm going to need to ready myself for his inevitable Elite 4 challenge because he is one of the best in Skitrex. As for Lee, her credentials go without saying.
Collins: What about a rising star? Who comes to mind when I say that?
Hornsby: Hmm… there are so many I'm thinking of, but I'll be biased and mention my favorite: Vila Procházka.
Collins: Vila… one of the co-leaders in Knife Water?
Hornsby: That's the one. She interned with me for six months and the fact that she qualified for the top sixty-four at the 2010 Diamond Beach event at the age of nine… That speaks for itself. She's an incredibly bright young woman. She's destined to go far someday, but mature as she is already, she's still young. Plenty of time to become champion.
Collins: What about underrated trainers right now? Who do you think needs that "aha" moment?
Hornsby: Two come to mind. Eagle Ashton and Cherry Ames. Both gym leaders, both talented, and both with bright futures if they work just a little bit harder.
Collins: What about them stands out to you? Obviously, they're both very talented, but what makes them stand out to you and what do they need to work on?
Hornsby: Eagle has the pedigree, that's for sure. His father is a legend in his own right, and Eagle has been getting better and better every year. As for Cherry, if you listen to her podcast, she has overcome so much controversy and hatred that she didn't deserve to suffer through in her early life. I would go into detail on the specifics, but it's not my place to talk about her personal life like that. But she's easily the best double battler in Skitrex, whether it be her on her own or teaming up with somebody else. Some people would say that Lily Harding and Beckett Channing are better, but I respectfully disagree.
Collins: Okay, so what do they need to work on?
Hornsby: Well, (looks into the camera, smiling) I know you two are either watching this live or on Youtube, or you're reading a transcript that came out after this aired. You both got talent and nobody can take that away from either of you, but you two are overdoing the partying. Appearing in the tabloids every other week isn't going to help your career, so I would highly recommend finding a balance in your lives if you want to break through the barriers you may be facing.
Collins: Before we end, may I ask you about former Champion Veronica Lee?
Hornsby: What about her?
Collins: Well, back in 2006, you penned an article about the necessity of adaptation in battle. In the article, you criticized Lee's style, complimenting her skill and strategic mindset, but also stating that her rigidity was a large factor as to why she ultimately lost her championship title.
Hornsby: That is true, yes.
Collins: Shortly after, she challenged you to a six versus six match at Battle in the Ballroom, a trainer charity function. You accepted, you two had a great match, and both of you raised a lot of money for Nesting House, a foundation that cares for orphaned pokémon. You ended up winning that match, and since then, there have been rumors about there being bad blood between the two of you. Is there any truth to that?
Hornsby: I have not spoken to Veronica Lee since that event and I cannot speak for her as to her opinions about myself. All I can say is that I respect her as a person and as a trainer, and that if there is something she wishes to discuss with me, I am eager to listen. Or if she wants to battle again, she knows where to find me. I suppose that's the politically correct answer to give, but it's also how I feel.
Collins: Well, let me just say again, congratulations on your new title. As a fan of battling, I can't wait to see you defend against Elite 4 challengers and I suspect this is going to be a big year, challenge-wise.
Hornsby: Thank you for having me, Tom.
Collins: Do you have anything you want to say to our viewers and readers before we sign off?
Hornsby: Yes. (Looks into the camera) For those of you who are fans, thank you for your support over the years. I cannot express how much it has meant to me. As for the trainers out there, whether you're just starting out or you've been playing this game for awhile, I have one piece of advice: be smart and think about the decisions you make, no matter how small and trivial they may seem. That means making good decisions for yourself and for your pokémon. Remember that you are accountable for your actions, big and small. Even so, you will make mistakes. We all do. I certainly have. It's just a matter of learning and growing from your mistakes. And do what you can to learn from the mistakes of others as well, because you never know when that wisdom will come in handy.
The Crystal Cliffs gym was a beautiful structure in a beautiful city on the edge of a beautiful cliff overlooking a beautiful valley. The building's structure was very modern in its design, giving visitors a feeling that they were immersed in a technological marvel of gargantuan proportions. The gym itself was divided into several sections: the first room, the entrance, not only had a reception desk, but also the city's pokémon center, a food court, and a media hub playing live battles from major events all over the world. Having a pokémon center connected to a gym actually made a lot of sense, as it created a safer environment for battlers all around.
The second section of the gym was filled with indoor battle rooms for regular trainer battles that could be reserved or used by walk-ins, should an opening exist. Many trainers still battled outside, but on days when the weather wasn't so agreeable, indoor battling right next to the pokémon center had its perks.
Below the main floor were the labs. The leader of the Crystal Cliffs gym was a top researcher in battle theory, so below the surface was where experimental battling techniques and other research projects were studied. A budding trainer could only wish to gain such knowledge, as only members of the gym and the research team were allowed in the sub-levels.
Finally, in the rear of the immense structure was where the gym battles took place. The battle rooms were expansive, with one wing of the room allowing for spectators while the other side was where researchers watched from behind glass, recording the battle and taking notes as a part of their study. While Veronica Lee was the gym leader, like in many Skitrexian gyms, she was not the only one who defended the badge. Numerous colleagues, students at Crystal Cliffs Academy, and apprentices battled under her supervision. In fact, it was uncommon to battle the actual gym leader at all at Crystal Cliffs. And that was probably for the best, because Veronica Lee was a massive threat, regardless of the tier she competed at.
"You three checking in for pre-battles?" a young woman behind the desk in the north wing of the building.
"No, just us two," Cody replied, nodding towards Heather.
"Very well, I have a few slots open," she said as she turned to her desktop screen. "Would you mind if I add you both to the 1:30 and 2:00 PM slots? Which one of you would like to go first?"
"That's fine," Heather answered, "I'll-"
"Dibs on first!" Cody cut in. He knew that he wasn't battling for the badge that day but he couldn't wait to battle in a top-notch facility. He had definitely annoyed Heather with that, but she reluctantly nodded and the receptionist began filling out the forms.
"You're a dick," his friend said to him under her breath, though she didn't seem all that angry with him after all.
"Sorry, I'm just so pumped. I-"
"All set," the receptionist interrupted. "Both of you will be battling in Arena R6. For now, the men's and women's dressing rooms are down the hall to your right. An attendant will complete your measurements and assign you your battling uniforms. You will use these uniforms today during your pre-battles, as well as during your badge battle. These uniforms are not to be removed from the premises and must be returned following your battle. So long as you are registered for gym battles here, your uniform will remain reserved and it will be cleaned between usage. Understood?"
"Uniforms?" Heather questioned. "What… what do you-"
"Yeah, they make you wear those long-sleeve jackets here for battling," Brooke answered, happily taking advantage of the fact that she knew more about the gym than the two more experienced trainers. "They're actually really comfy."
Cody knew which uniforms she was talking about. Aagni Bhatia wore them when she was defending the badge in Ashton. They were the official league uniforms for battling, but up until then, Cody hadn't seen any gym trainer or gym leader wear them. They were usually optional, but the Crystal Cliffs gym made them mandatory for both those challenging for the badge and those defending it. He kind of liked that concept, the more he thought about it. It made the battles seem special.
"Thank you," he replied. Wordlessly, the three followed the hallway until it split into two doors on opposite sides. From there, both Heather and himself left Brooke waiting as they went to get measured.
The changing room looked a lot like a school locker room, with dozens of lockers lining the walls. Thankfully, the room smelled a lot better, since the trainers themselves weren't sweating much, although there was a shower room. A few trainers were there, ranging in age from fifteen to forty, some of them getting ready for big matches while others were changing into their street clothes. Cody ignored them as he went to greet the attendant who waited for him. Much to his surprise, the attendant was an Oranguru, an intelligent species of orangutan pokémon that were native to Asia and Alola. They were part psychic-type (and incredibly smart ones at that), so the ape helped him with all of his needs. Telekinetically, the Oranguru used measuring tape to measure Cody's dimensions. Following that, the ape picked out a uniform for him to wear.
The uniform was comfy, if not slightly bulky, but he felt like he looked stylish in the jacket and gray slacks. Down the outside of the arms and legs of the uniform ran light-blue lines. The color signified his position as a trainer. In Skitrex, the challenger's color was determined by status. Challengers always wore blue, gym trainers wore gold, gym leaders wore red, Elite 4 trainers wore indigo, and the champion wore purple (although the current champion was a tad more flamboyant in his style). Once finding that the uniform fit, Cody thanked the attendant, stored his street clothes in an empty locker, and returned to the hallway.
"Looking good!" Brooke chimed when he rejoined her in the hallway. "It suits you."
"Yeah, they're pretty cool, he admitted, doing a quick turn for her. "They make me feel a little bit better going in."
"Yeah, they're pretty cool," Heather said, joining them in the hall. She looked good in the get-up as well.
"Right, let's get to R6." Going back to the check-in counter, they checked the gym's map and determined where they needed to be. Fortunately, it wasn't far away. So far, aside from the mandatory uniforms, the whole thing felt pretty standard and that made Cody feel confident. He had never lost a pre-battle, so why worry?
"Hmm… Nobody here," he muttered to himself when they arrived. "Where is-"
"Sorry I'm late. It's a bit chaotic today."
Cody turned and felt his confidence melt away when he saw who was standing there wasn't some gym trainer, but the famous gym leader herself, Veronica Lee.
Of all the current gym leaders in Skitrex, Veronica Lee was the only leader who was a previous champion. Having had a "classical" training experience, she became a top tier threat in Skitrex at an early age. She won at Diamond Beach at twenty-five and became champion five years later, holding the title for ten years. She was not able to reclaim the gold following her eventual loss, but in interviews, she described the experience of losing as a "blessing in disguise". As a leading figure in the field of battle theory, she found that she could had more access to data by working in a gym, testing hypotheses in battle, either herself or through her colleagues and students. The team Veronica Lee used outside of the gym was diverse, but her favorite type, the type she defended the badge with, was the normal-type, simply for the sheer diversity in battle styles among the element. Her two most famous pokémon were Hank "The Hulk", a Bouffalant with sheer power, and Jack "The Giant Killer", a Persian who earned the moniker after doing the impossible at Diamond Beach by defeating a Steelix in a match-up that took seventy minutes. From what Cody had found out, Hank still worked lower tier matches in his old age, while Jack had passed many years ago.
For a woman in her late fifties, Veronica Lee looked good. Not "attractive" in Cody's opinion, but good, nonetheless. She looked to be in decent shape and her face, while slightly wrinkled, still had some youth. Her hair was cut short, sort of like a boy's haircut, pepper colored, but with dashes of gray.
What do I even do? "Uh… Ms. Lee- no, former champi- no!" He was completely unsure of what titles he was supposed to address her by. He had never met a former champion before. None of the other gym leaders he had faced had earned that level of prestige. Hell, he wasn't even sure why she was there. It was just a pre-battle. Surely she had more important things to worry about than greeting every new trainer that walked in. Nonetheless, when Lee extended her hand to shake his, he obliged.
"Ms. Lee is fine, but feel free to add any additional titles," the woman answered. The way she worded it, one would think she was trying to tell a joke, but her voice was entirely humorless.
She did have sort of an authoritarian aura about her, which definitely made Cody feel much more nervous than when he had talked with other gym leaders. He could see that Heather looked a little bit anxious a well. Brooke didn't seem phased, however, possibly because she already had the Cerebral Badge, possibly because she didn't know enough about the league to think of Veronica Lee as somebody special, or it might have had to do with her just always being so chipper.
"So, Mr. Storm," she said, looking at her tablet, "you're scheduled for the 1:30 PM slot?" she asked.
"Um, me. That's me, yeah," Cody said, glancing around. "I don't see anybody else here."
"Well, this gym is a pretty busy place," Lee answered, clearing up her vagueness as she continued. "You see, Randall LeVonn, one of my students, was supposed to battle you, but he had a family emergency to attend to. His back up, Emily Iris, is out with the flu. So we're a bit understaffed right now and I have to fill in for the 1:30 PM slot."
I have to fill in for the 1:30 PM slot. Within the following few seconds, Cody ran that line through his head nearly a thousand times, absorbing the weight it carried. It wasn't a joke either. Not only was Lee known for being rather humorless, but the league uniform was adorned with gold stripes on the sleeves. "I… I have to battle you?"
"Relax, if you're meant to be here, you'll do fine," she answered comfortably, seeming to sense his hesitation. "I borrowed three pokémon from one of my other students that are at your level. Will that be okay or do you need to reschedule?"
"Huh? No, no, I'm fine. I'm… I'm ready," he lied.
"Good. I'll meet you inside. I look forward to testing you." She nodded and turned to enter the arena. For the next ten seconds, Cody stared into space, trying to collect himself.
"You okay?" Brooke asked whilst touching his arm. "What's up?"
"Brooke, you realize who that was, right?" Heather asked, slightly condescending in her tone. "That's-"
"Heather, it took me six tries to win this badge! I was here for months! I know who she is! I'm not an idiot!" Brooke snapped. "I'm just saying, there's no reason to be nervous. She's not going to use her top tiers for this battle or anything like that."
"That's not the point…" he finally mustered.
"Regretting taking the first slot from me now?" Heather teased, but he shook his head.
"No, no, this is a good thing." Taking a deep breath, he went through the doorway alone into the arena.
The arena he was fighting in was peculiar, as it was designed specifically for research. There were no bleachers for an audience, but long, one-way windows that ran along the sides of the room. He couldn't see through them, but he knew it was possible that the battle was being observed from behind the glass for research purposes. And that made him even more anxious. But hopefully, Heather and Brooke could watch through the window next to the doorway he entered through and would cheer him on, even if he couldn't hear them.
His anxiety boiled down to Veronica Lee herself, who stood on the opposite side of the battle plot. It was not unusual for former champions to work as gym leaders at a later point in their careers. It was, however, an atypical scenario when one had to fight a gym leader during their pre-battle and one of their supervised students for the actual badge. But the idea of battling a former champion of Skitrex in the pre-battle to qualify for the gym's challenge… that was absolutely absurd.
Brooke did make a good point about the pokémon Lee would be using, though. They wouldn't be anything he couldn't handle, he figured, as pre-battles were never anything to worry about if you were a good trainer. The trainers fought in pre-battles were slightly below the challenger's anticipated tier, which was why he always won his pre-battles; they were meant to sort out who was ready for the badge battle and who wasn't. The problem was that Veronica Lee was not like your typical pre-battle trainer, who typically young and also in development themselves. This was a former champion with decades of practical battling knowledge and wisdom on her side.
The possibility of there being people taking notes for him was nerve-wracking as well. He was going to use Antonia in the fight, but what if that exposed her? What if they took notes on her, found a weakness, passed it on to whoever he'd have to fight for the badge, and said weakness was exploited? He decided he'd have to save his ace for the main game, hoping that he could get by on lesser cards.
"Whenever you're ready," Lee ordered, disinterested. She was already holding a pokeball in her right hand and her tablet in her left, which held more of her attention.
"I'm ready," he replied, and with that, they both released their pokémon onto the field.
Ferrari was his first choice to face off against Lee's first pick: a muscled ape-sloth looking creature with short-legs, long, two-clawed arms, a thick upper body, a tuft of red hair from between the monster's two, fierce eyes, and a bulbous red nose that almost detracted from the pokémon's intimidating appearance... almost. Cody had a little familiarity with this pokémon's species. Following Daryl Jones's victory at that year's Diamond Beach, he researched the Slaking line to see if the species would be worth training some day. They would be, if he ever found a Slakoth. They were incredibly powerful, albeit super smart, stubborn, and unwilling to work with a trainer that didn't command every bit of their respect. The Vigoroth stage of the evolution was considered the "adolescent" stage, where they had the most energy and the least patience. Vigoroth were so powerful on their own that they would sometimes make appearances in top tier battles, even without evolving. But he knew his Whirlipede could handle the immediate Vigoroth. He had the defense to endure blows and the speed to outmaneuver the foe. However, many trainers who used the Slakoth line would teach their pokémon the "Façade" technique that allowed them to amp up their already impressive power in the presence of an ailment. That meant no Toxic Spikes, something that Cody loved having his pokémon use as an additional hazard, and no poison moves. Limiting, but not impossible.
"No poison!" he shouted out to Ferrari. "Keep it simple with a Rollout!"
"Fury Swipes," Lee ordered. She didn't even look up from her tablet as she called that move. Cody wasn't sure if she was taking notes on the match itself or if she was multitasking with her work, but if he could catch her off guard, he'd take it.
"Tlick, tlick, tlick, tlock!" his Whirlipede clicked before instantly rolling towards the ape-sloth. The wild Vigoroth was already in a frenzy, smacking the ground with his massive claws and screeching like a maniac. The first Rollout hit, crashing through the Vigoroth's slashes, and it hit again as Ferrari circled around. When he went for a third hit, he was stopped dead in his tracks. It turned out that the Vigoroth was only testing his strength versus the attacker.
"Now, Reversal into Encore."
"Dodge!" Cody shouted, but Ferrari was going too fast. He was caught by the Vigoroth mid-roll and was suplexed onto his side. The wild sloth the started clapping his paws together above his head, which sparked something in the Whirlipede. Despite the protests of his trainer, the bug rolled into another Rollout, but each time he tried to hit the foe, the Vigoroth struck back with Counter. The move Encore was truly something else, as even though trying the same move over and over again in failing attempts was obviously stupid, some pokémon had the ability to override common sense with moves like that.
"You need to shake it off! Pin Missile!" He didn't know what else to call for. Strong as Ferrari was, Whirlipede had very linear attack patterns since their main form of offense involved rolling and crashing into enemies. Since Cody didn't want to call for poison-type attacks, Pin Missile, a non-poisonous shard attack, was his best bet.
"Substitute," Lee called out, sounding incredibly bored as she still didn't look away from her tablet.
Crud. He wasn't expecting the Vigoroth to pull off something so sophisticated. With a guttural roar, the ape-sloth used part of his energy to create a false copy of himself that stood in front of him. Cody expected the double to cover the pins as it retreated, but on Lee's orders, the Vigoroth marched forward as its double absorbed the assault.
"Get out of there!" Cody shouted, but it was too late. As the substitute faded, the Vigoroth was right in Ferrari's face, so to speak.
"Hit the spikes," Lee had ordered.
Cody saw what was happening, but Ferrari did not and he didn't respond in time. The wild sloth struck one of the Whirlipede's poisonous spikes, poisoning himself in the process. That was what Lee wanted.
"Facade!"
"HREEEEE! HREEEE!" Though already feeling the effects of poison, the Vigoroth took a swipe at the bug and sent him flying back with a stupidly powerful smack. That was not an easy feat, as Ferrari was no featherweight.
"You gotta take it out fast! Use Screech!" But to Cody's dismay, the Vigoroth's adrenaline seemed to have doubled. He rushed forward and bodychecked his enemy. Ferrari fell to his side and the attacker began slamming and slashing his clawed paws into the Whirlipede's side. He used Iron Defense, one of his newer defensive tactics, to soften the blows, but the wild sloth was relentless.
Wait, it's already poisoned. Might as well go all out. "Venoshock!"
His Whirlipede sprayed the attacker with a purple mist that caused the Vigoroth to scream on contact. Spinning on the ground back into an upright position, he reared forward quickly to strike the shocked sloth with one of his spikes. Though losing his tail in evolving, the attack was Ferrari's Poison Tail equivalent.
"Facade," Lee called out, that time glancing up from the tablet for just a moment.
Once again, the Vigoroth slapped Ferrari back, but the wild monkey had gone insane from the pain of the poison and the Venoshock. With all sense gone, the sloth charged forth, only to get hit by a Venom Drench. That technique didn't hurt the Vigoroth in any way, but it did cause him to collapse as the drenching mixed with his current poisoning caused his muscles to temporarily go limp and fail. Ferrari replied with a Steamroller, rolling right over his foe. The move wasn't pretty, but it got the job done.
"Return," Lee called out as the Vigoroth was sucked back into the pokeball. Without saying another word or missing a beat, she released her second pokémon onto the field.
The Vigoroth was a large pokémon, but Lee's second battler dwarfed it in comparison. The brute that stood before Cody and his Whirlipede was a towering Ursaring, identifiable by the yellow ring on its chest, the bushy hair on its tail and shoulders, and that foul scowl on its face. It wouldn't be as fast as the Vigoroth, but it would be far stronger. A tactic for that match-up would be to strike from a distance or go for a series of hit and run attacks, although Lee likely had a strategy to counter those movements.
"Knock him out with a Steamroller!" Cody ordered.
"Scary Face," Lee commanded in response, still bored and still working on her tablet.
It was far more than just a Scary Face. The bear combined his pissed off mug with an eardrum-shattering roar. That stopped Ferrari right in his tracks and the Ursaring retaliated with a barrage of Fury Swipes. The Whirlipede was savvy enough to use Iron Defense before the claws hit, but it was still going to hurt.
"Toxic!" Cody ordered. He realized that there was a chance that the Ursaring also had Façade, but since most pokémon could learn that move via TM, he couldn't always be worried about that. He couldn't live in fear every time he needed to poison an enemy.
Ferrari sprayed the bear with Toxins and while the Ursaring did flinch for a second, it didn't seem that worried. The bear retaliated with a Slash, knocking the Whirlipede back before chasing it down at an impressive speed as Ferrari rolled away… almost too impressive to be exact. Then, Cody knew what he did wrong.
Ursaring were known for having impressive immune systems, allowing them to shrug off basic illnesses and infections. In battle, this also allowed them to amp up their power, something that Cody had forgotten about (he had known it already, but keeping tabs on hundreds of species of pokémon and their individual quirks, and being able to recall any given quirk on a whim was still difficult.) In the Teddiursa line, subspecies manifested this immunity in different ways. For some, having an infection would lead increased strength, while for others, it would cause an adrenaline rush for increased speed and movement. The Ursaring that Ferrari was facing seemed to be channeling the latter.
"Façade!"
Ugh, I should have known. He didn't think a former champion such as Lee would have brought two pokémon on a three pokémon team running a similar strategy, but maybe that was the point? Maybe by subverting expectations, she would be able to get an advantage? However, it was more likely that Lee wasn't all that concerned with a pre-battle when she borrowed the pokémon she used. It was just an assessment of his skills, after all, and she seemed to be more concerned with her tablet, doing whatever she was doing with that.
Ferrari was struck by the Façade, but he wasn't knocked out. Still, following the aggressive Vigoroth, fighting an Ursaring would probably be the end of him. He weakened the next blow by spraying the bear with a Venom Drench, but it only helped him so much.
"Back off and use Venoshock!"
"Rock Tomb."
Ferrari was able to get away, but before he could spray the Ursaring again, the bear hopped into the air and upon landing, a giant rock sprung from beneath the earthen floor, knocking the Whirlipede skyward.
"Double-Edge."
Cody called for Ferrari to get away, but the Ursaring had him right where he wanted him. With a forward lunge, he threw all of his weight into the attack and that ended the match-up.
"Return!" He called his Whirlipede back and whispered, "you did good." Looking forward, he knew that Elesa could handle the Ursaring, but he wanted to give Reflet a chance. She needed more experience competing at the sixth tier if she wanted to keep up with her teammates. "Go! Reflet!"
The moment his Espeon released into the battle, she had to start dodging the angry bear's slashes. Even with the speed buff, the Ursaring was still slightly too slow to hit most of his attacks and right before the last swipe hit, the Espeon blocked it with a Reflect.
[Wow, he's a big boy,] Reflet commented between dodges after her shield broke. [How am I supposed to do this?]
"Psybeam!" Cody shouted before giving her a clear answer. "He's fast, but he's poisoned. All you have to do is keep at bay. One good blow will end you. Got it?"
[I think you should have picked somebody sturdier for this match-up.] She shot a Psybeam, hitting the bear in the center of the ring on his chest as if it were a bullseye. [But I'll do my best.]
"Strafe back and use Swift!" he ordered. It was a safe option: keep dancing around the poisoned aggressor while using a weak attack that didn't require aiming. Eventually, the bear would succumb to the poison and his Espeon could pick up the pieces. She'd have to get used to fighting tankier enemies than her, since that was 90% of pokémon she'd have to face. Thankfully, the strategy seemed to be working. The Ursaring was being whittled down by the toxins and the star-shaped beams.
"Finish it! Psybeam!"
"Rest."
"What the-"
The Psybeam hit the target, but before it hit, the Ursaring fell asleep and its body seemed to glow blue. While the move couldn't heal serious injuries, it would restore the bear's fatigue, heal minor wounds, and revitalize his immune system, cleaning out the poison in his body. Most of the work that Reflet and Ferrari had put in had been erased, just like that. The saving grace of it all was that such the technique was so powerful that the Ursaring fell into a light sleep, even though he was still standing up. He would wake soon, but then was the chance to capitalize.
[So… what now?] Reflet asked looking back at her trainer.
"Hit it with your best Psybeam. Take your time to aim for a critical spot like its-"
"Snore," Lee ordered.
Cody's eyes widened. "Son of a-"
"ROOOOAAAAWWWWRRR!" the Ursaring snored, though it did not sound anything like a snore one would expect from a sleeping bear. Reflet was not prepared for that tactic, cringing in pain at the sound.
"Get behind him!" Cody shouted desperately.
"Sleep Talk."
That was when the sleeping bear started lumbering towards Reflet. She tried to get away, but using some sort of sixth sense, the Ursaring followed her perfectly, cornering her at the edge of the battleplot. She threw up a Reflect to block the thrashing, but it wouldn't hold for long against the mighty Ursaring's claws. She shot a Psybeam, but it wasn't all that strong, as she was trying to hold the barrier simultaneously.
"Soften the blow! Baby Doll Eyes!"
[Cody, he's asleep! He's not going to see it!]
"Oh snap, that's right." But he had another idea. "You have to step out of bounds, just for a second!"
[I could get counted out!]
"Not if you're only out for a second!" Cody shouted, frustrated that he had to explain it to her. Pokémon tended to have a mental block about stepping outside of battleplot boundaries after they had been trained to stay within them. Many of the best trainers would have to help their pokémon get over the fear, but Reflet wasn't there yet, even though she was smart enough to understand why. She'd have to be outside for ten seconds for a disqualification. And in a battle without a referee, who would be counting unless she was outside for too long?
Instead of listening to her trainer, Reflet squeezed her eyes shut and her body began to take on that "splitting" effect again as if she were trying to pull off Double Team. In theory, that could work as an escape route, but only if she could pull it off. Unfortunately, she didn't have the time to even try. The barrier was broken and the Ursaring got a direct hit. The Espeon was down.
"Good effort!" Cody shouted half-heartedly as he returned her to the pokeball. He felt the worry creep back in again as he realized that it was the first time he was at a deficit in a pre-battle. Again, a pre-battle with Veronica Lee, but he couldn't be losing that. Antonia would be the best option to take the battle home, but if Lee was taking notes on that match, the less she knew about his star pokémon, the better. He'd go with one of his other heavy hitters; somebody he trusted to finish the job.
"Elesa, it's up to you! Double Kick!"
The Ursaring had woken up and although he was a bit groggy, he charged at the Zebstrika who had entered the battle. But right before they clashed, the horse lit herself up with a Flash. The Ursaring's eyes were still adjusting, following his wake up, so the Flash seemed to be even more effective in blinding the bear. That allowed for Elesa to perform an impressive leap over her foe and kick him in the back of the head with her hind hooves while coming down. That staggered the Ursaring and the bear fell to his knees, trying to regain his footing.
"Elesa, don't finish him yet! Flame Charge!"
The strategy there was for Elesa to build up her speed while the bear was down. The next few charges she hit didn't do much besides singe the Ursaring's fur, but with each hit, her speed increased.
"Rest!" Lee ordered, but Cody had been expecting this.
"Spark!"
Before the bear could try and restore his health, Elesa flattened him beneath her hooves, let out a shrill neigh, and pumped him full of electricity, keeping the bear from using any method of recovery. It was a brutal way to end the match-up, but it was effective. Elesa had only taken one weak hit, so whoever Lee had next would have to work for the win.
Lee's final pokémon for the pre-battle was much smaller than the first two. It was a Kecleon, a small reptilian pokémon with an intricate color pattern. The Kecleon had a unique coloration of pink skin where the skin was normally green and green skin where it was normally yellow. It wasn't a shiny, but it was definitely a rare coloration, possibly from being a different subspecies or a simple mutation. Tiny as the Kecleon was, it was the kind of pokémon that he expected Lee to have. Despite having numerous "brutes" on her teams in the past, Lee was famously known for using weird monsters that ran interesting strategies. Kecleon were no exception. In addition to a deep movepool, a Kecleon could change its skin color to the point of it becoming practically invisible. But their coolest trick was being able to change typing upon receiving hits, allowing for resistance to various attacks. In straight-up battle, Elesa would definitely be able to brute-force her way to victory against the little lizard, but here, both she and her trainer would have to be a touch more clever.
"Go invisible," Lee ordered right away.
For Cody, it was difficult to explain how the chameleon went invisible. He knew he had read about it, but he couldn't remember the details. It had something to do with reflecting the light and not truly being invisible. He could still see where the Kecleon was at when she was moving around. The problem was that Elesa could not, as she frantically looked around for her enemy. Zebstrika had naturally good vision for identifying threats from afar, but that did not include enemies who went 'invisible' at short-range. Afterall, Zebstrika and Kecleon didn't share the same environment and had no relations as predator and prey. For Elesa, this was new territory.
A long tongue appeared from nowhere across the stage, slapping the horse on her side. She immediately turned around, furious with the surprise attack, and released a blast of electricity in the direction of the Lick. She hit nothing. A second Lick smacked her in the face and she blindly released more electricity. Still, no hit. Thankfully, she wasn't paralyzed from the move. But the Kecleon used its weird skills to essentially negate the speed diference between Elesa and herself. It was a clever strategy.
Wait, this is easy. "Shock Wave!"
The technique was like a homing missile, locking onto the Kecleon and shocking it back into view. Elesa ran in to follow up with a Spark, but the results were underwhelming. While the physical part of the move did damage, the Kecleon didn't seem at all frazzled from the electricity. She got in a few Fury Swipes, but the Zebstrika retreated. The chameleon when invisible again, prompting another Shock Wave, and while the move did make the Kecleon go visible again, it wasn't phased much as it immediately launched a Headbutt before going invisible once more.
Cody got what was going on, although his pokémon hadn't figured it out yet. After getting hit by the first Shock Wave, the Kecleon adapted by changing its presenting type to electric. That meant that it could tank electric attacks with minimal damage at worse and no damage at best. Had Cody been a less perceptive trainer, he could have lost the war of attrition, but he noticed that the Shock Wave was still revealing where the chameleon was. That was all he and Elesa needed.
"Shock Wave! Flash!"
Once again, Elesa hit a Shock Wave. That time, mixing up her approach, the pink chameleon was charging a Shadow Ball, but the sudden flash of light caught her off guard and the attack missed wildly. That was the opening they needed.
"Hidden Power!"
"Neeeeeeiiiiaaagh!" Elesa whinnied as she briefly charged and let loose a green ball of energy around her. That hit the Kecleon hard, as it wasn't a move she was vulnerable to.
The problem was that every time any of the Zebstrika's moves hit, the Kecleon would change its typing. That meant that Elesa couldn't use the same, effective moves twice in a row in most situations. It was an annoyance.
Just keep it simple. If Elesa kept switching between electric and grass attacks, there wouldn't be too much ambiguity. At the very least, the Kecleon wouldn't be tanking every move thrown at it.
"Stomp!"
That time, the move did a lot of damage, throwing the Kecleon backwards. Rather than going invisible, the Kecleon was directed to get out of the way. Because Elesa's anatomy prevented her from making sharp turns, she couldn't react quick enough to the Ice Beam that hit her, but she blasted back with another Hidden Power. She was going for a Flame Charge next, but the chameleon burrowed into the earth. When the Kecleon dug underground, Elesa just waited patiently. That was normally a difficult practice for the Zebstrika, but after practice battles with Mars, she knew that she couldn't do much while the mole was underground. The practice also benefited her reaction, allowing her to Stomp on the Kecleon when she tried her sneak attack. Good as the Kecleon was, she wasn't all that difficult to deal with when digging in comparison with a mole who was built for that soul purpose.
"Go invisible and use Ancient Power," Lee ordered, still on her tablet.
After disappearing from sight, the Kecleon used some sort of ancient energy, forcing numerous small rocks to emerge from the ground and float in the air. It was sort of like Stealth Rock, but far less dense and the rocks began flying at the horse, striking her by the second. She released a Shock Wave, but the rocks would block the move from hitting the Kecleon, wherever she was.
"Charge!" Cody ordered. He knew that it was a wild goose chase to try and hunt down the Kecleon among the field of rocks, so the answer was for Elesa to bide her time and charge her power. The next hit could be the only one she needed.
"Neeeeeiiiiiaaagh," she cried, dodging some rocks, exploding a few with her back hoove kicks, and getting hit by the rest. It was all about endurance until the field was clear. Had all the rocks hit, she could have been worn down to the point of an easy finish, but she found a way to survive.
"Ice Beam!"
"Flame Charge!"
The Kecleon's ice attack mostly melted as it came in contact with the fire-lit horse. She ran a wide circle and charged in at the Kecleon who desperately tried one more Headbutt, only to be knocked down. Like with the Ursaring, Elesa pinned the Kecleon under her front hooves and surged all of her electricity into the target. The charged strike was enough.
Cody let out a sigh of relief when he knew he had won. In the end, he shouldn't have been so worried, but he still felt that his anxiety was justified. Still, he could brag about how he beat a former champion, he supposed, despite the fact that the fight itself wasn't as legitimate as it would be if he was facing her for the badge, against her top tier monsters, or if she wasn't on her tablet the whole time. But he was one step closer to taking one of the most difficult badges in Skitrex, so he gleefully took the win. He walked onto the field to congratulate his Zestrika, who was covered in dirt and rubble. She happily greeted him, but she gave him a look as if to say she wanted an extra long grooming session that night.
"Good showing," Lee stated as she walked up to him. "Definitely one of the more solid sixth tier performances I've seen all month. You've demonstrated quick thinking and your pokémon seem pretty smart as well. You must be putting in a lot of effort… your Espeon needs work, however, but I assume you already knew that."
"Yeah, she's… she evolved not to long ago. Still working out the kinks." Still, getting complimented by the Crystal Cliffs gym leader herself was huge for him. "Anything else?"
"Hmm…" She pondered for a moment, looking back at her notes. "You're talented and clever, but from what was displayed today, you seemed pretty straightforward, aside from a few good mix-ups. Obviously, brute strength can get you wins, but you may want to incorporate different styles and strategies in future battles. You must have learned that much when you battled Hornsby." Her voice took on a slightly venomous quality at the name, but as instantly as it arrived, it passed. "But you're young. That sort of thing comes in time. And you did use clever techniques to overcome obstacles, so that's something to be proud of."
"Yeah, you're right. Thanks." She wasn't completely wrong, but in all fairness, he didn't unleash anything too tricky that day, especially when coming from a deficit where his focus was catching up. He was too taken aback by having to fight her that the kept his strategy pretty simple, figuring that she wouldn't go too hard against a sixth tier prospect. But he also wanted to protect his strategies for game day. He could have sent one of his more "tricky" pokémon into the fray or have used Volt Switch as a means of switching up the battle, but he didn't. And thankfully so, since Veronica Lee was obviously taking notes. Whatever she sent to the leader who would face him could come back to bite him. Thankfully, those notes wouldn't be about Bastion or Antonia.
"I have events to attend to. You'll want to schedule your badge battle with the desk and they should get you in next week. Good luck to you, Mr. Storm. But you shouldn't need it if you come prepared."
"Alright… thank you." He extended his hand to shake hers, but she was already headed towards the door.
The upcoming badge battle would be one of his most difficult yet, but thankfully, Crystal Cliffs was a hub for powerful trainers. His next seven days would be filled with every sort of preparation imaginable.
It had been an exhausting week. Cody had trained nonstop, only taking breaks for eating, sleeping, and showers. This training included battling, strength training, technique training, and so on. It was becoming draining, as it felt like he was cramming for a test, except the cramming lasted an entire week, rather than being squeezed into one night. But he would be ready to win and he promised Brooke that he would take her out on the best date he could imagine to make up for his neglect of her in the previous week.
He decided that Mars would be sitting out in the upcoming fight. Good as the Diglett was, he was outclassed without an evolution. Antonia would be his anchor, due to her raw strength, intelligence, and her elemental advantage. Bastion and Elesa would be his solid support options, as he could plug them in anywhere during a fight. However, the lack of Colossal was showing on his team. Cortez would do well, but Cody still didn't trust him 100%. Reflet was gaining more control of her psychic abilities, but she wasn't as ready as he'd hope she'd be. And while Ferrari was following orders, he was still kind of green compared to the rest of the team. It wasn't a perfect team, but he knew he could make it work. His opponent was the one who truly worried him, and that was who he was researching at the computer in the lobby at the hotel they were at.
Marla Kerrington was an enigma to him. There were few recordings of her battling, but from what Cody had found, she was very good. She was attending the Crystal Cliffs Academy, surpassing her peers in both battling and school in general. Battling an experienced, intelligent trainer was always intimidating. But having beaten a current Elite 4 trainer in a gym battle, he knew that he could win. She wouldn't be using her best monsters and she would possibly be using other pokémon of the tier that didn't belong to her. Plus, judging by the gym's records, it would be the first time she would be defending the Cerebral Badge. Cody remembered how nervous he was going for his first badge and how he had a panicky moment mid-battle. It was possible that Marla would be off her game enough for him to capitalize. Not that he wanted her to be off her game, but he recognized the possibility.
"I thought you said you were training," Brooke said, coming up behind him, putting her hands on his shoulders. "Taking a break?"
"Hardly. If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles," he quoted.
"I'm sorry… what?" Brooke didn't seem to catch what he meant there.
"It's from The Art of War", he explained. "I've done all the training I can for this battle, but I need to have a better understanding of who I'm fighting. There's not much to go off of, but I found a little bit about this girl. Otherwise…"
"You've read The Art of War?" she asked, sounding impressed. "I've never read it, but-"
"I didn't read it either. Just skimmed it while I checked it out of the library with a few other books over the summer. But that part made a lot of sense. Ever since the gym battle I lost earlier this year, I try to study every big trainer I face."
"And this is her, huh?" Brooke peered over at the computer screen, frowning. "She's really not all that pretty."
She wasn't wrong. Marla was stout and pudgy looking with dark, beady eyes, short, dark hair that was just long enough not to be a buzzcut, and a face that was so round that it looked as though she didn't have a neck. But Cody shook his head in response.
"How she looks is irrelevant," he reaffirmed, remembering how attractive the last gym leader he fought was and how he had few problems beating her. "This girl is good. Like, I'm gotta be on top of my game for this one. This gym might be my toughest challenge yet, even tougher than when I went for my third badge. I've been preparing all week for this and I still don't feel ready."
"Aw, poor baby." She began rubbing his shoulders, which felt pretty nice, as he was feeling tense after a long day. "What left is there to do? Are you even battling tonight?"
He shook his head. "No, can't do that. We trained for ten hours today and my pokémon need their rest. They're getting treated at the center overnight."
"And you? Don't you need your rest?"
"No, too wired." He was energized, but that was half due to nerves, half due to the coffee he had an hour ago. He didn't want to go to bed early, afraid that the longer he slept, the more likely Darkrai would interrupt his sleep. He especially didn't need that the night before a challenge. The current plan was to study late into the night, get a few hours of good sleep, win the gym battle, and then make up the rest of his sleep immediately after. Even if he wanted to sleep then, he'd likely just end up staring at the ceiling for hours as his anxiety coursed through his veins. If he was going to be up all night, that was time better spent preparing. "I just need to keep prepping." And he'd have even less time to do it after they changed the time he was supposed to be there the next day, due to scheduling complications.
"I missed you this week, you know?" Brooke slowly allowed her hands fall from his shoulders to his front as she leaned forward, pressing her chin against his rights shoulder. "I know this gym is a priority for you, but I think a break would be good for you. Good for us, even."
A break? When he was really in the zone, the concept sounded foreign to him. But it also sounded wonderful. Anywhere but staring at a computer or his notebooks all night. But he also knew how big the battle the next day was.
"I can take a break when I win. I'm not going to be much fun the night before a badge battle." Even before the Inferno Badge, a badge he knew he could win, he swamped himself in his strategizing, which paid off in a dominant victory. And he felt like he was going double-time in the past week.
"We could go to the park and watch the sunset, or we could go get dinner. I have some weed left if you-"
"No weed," he answered, shaking his head. The stuff would definitely relax him, but he didn't feel comfortable using it the night before a badge battle.
"Okay…" Brooke sighed, slightly frustrated by his refusal. "What about drinks then? Would you like that?"
"Drinks?" he repeated as if he hadn't heard her the first time.
"You know, like a bar or a club, or something, you know. We never did celebrate your birthday, remember?"
The thought of drinking never crossed his mind. It wasn't as if he had anything against drinking, as he and Laurence used to break into Laurence's parents' liquor cabinet from time to time when they could get away with it. Otherwise, he never drank when he was on the road, save that time the Brotherhood kidnapped him and offered him wine and cheese. There were two reasons why he didn't drink otherwise, the main reason being his age. He had just turned sixteen a few weeks ago, but he was still two years too young for Skitrex's drinking age. Hell, Brooke wasn't eighteen either. She'd turn eighteen in a few months, but it wasn't as if she could get him booze either. But the otherwise, his other reason for not wanting to drink was that he was never all that into it. Sure, it was fun, but so were a lot of other things.
"Probably not a good idea," he admitted. "I don't want to get drunk before tomorrow."
"Then don't get drunk! Just have one with me. I'll keep you in check," she jested, clutching his arms tightly in her hands.
The situation was beginning to feel like one of those peer pressure scenarios they put in the generic "don't do drugs" videos he and his classmates had to watch in school. Of course, there was a pretty girl trying to get him to drink with her. What straight, teenage boy wouldn't agree to that?
"So what, are you going to sneak me into a club? I don't think that's going to work. I assume they card everybody in this city with all the students that live here."
"Remember how I told you it took me six tries to win the badge here?" she recalled. "I was here for months and I was able to find out which places carded and which didn't. I know a good place that does card, but they won't card me."
How'd she accomplish that? Then again, she looked eighteen. Maybe even older. As for himself, even though he had gotten taller, he didn't look any older, and the acne wasn't helping his case.
"I… I really don't think this is a good idea," he repeated. "I mean, maybe on another day, but- Even if they let you in, how do you know they'll let me in?"
"You'll just have to trust me," she proposed, winking at him. "One drink. It'll calm you down, you'll sleep well tonight, and you'll win tomorrow. I promise."
On one hand, Brooke was probably right about him needing to calm down. He was so on edge that he felt as if he were about to fall off the Crystal Cliffs themselves. On the other hand, sneaking into a bar or club presented its own set of risks. There was probably a middle ground compromise, but he already knew he wouldn't try to push for that.
The club Brooke had referred to was called "hYpnosis", spelled all in lowercase, save the "Y". The logo on the sign was actually pretty clever: the "Y" was shaped like a martini glass where the upper-half of a purple-colored Hypno extended from the glass. The mascot's arm extended over the "p" and the "n", and its pendulum that it held in its left hand was the "o" in the sign. It was a great use of imagery, even Hypno, in general, were off-putting to him.
He only had one nice pair of jeans and one nice "going out" shirt packed with his things. He had bought a new pair of shoes that week, as he wore through footwear quickly, but he didn't quite feel as dressed up as Brooke.
Looking at her curvy figure in that somewhat revealing black dress made him question himself again on why she even hung out with him. She looked stunning and confident while he found himself trembling a little as they waited in line. On one hand, he had an idea of how she'd convince the bouncer to overlook his age. Laurence snuck into clubs a lot (or so he claimed) and he said that he did that by bringing along a lot of attractive girls. Clubs wanted that sort of thing, and in Cody's mind, Brooke would be enough by the bouncer's standards. But he still felt like he looked way too young to get in. The anxiety he felt when he was attacked by ghost-trees and giant centipedes paled in comparison to how he felt in the line. The more he thought about that comparison, the more pathetic his anxiety seemed.
"This is a bad idea," he said for probably the tenth time as they were in line. "Maybe we should just go somewhere else."
"Shut up, it's going to be fine," Brooke reassured him, shooting another "sure of herself" look. "There's a reason I chose hYpnosis. I know the bouncer, or at least the one working tonight. You're getting into this club. Trust me."
"Okay… I trust you," he replied, half-heartedly. "It's not just the age thing, though. I've never been to a place like this before and I guess-"
"Oh, I get it. You're nervous. It can be a bit daunting for somebody new, but…" She turned to face him, reaching up to put her arms over his shoulders. "You know I've been wanting to get you to go out, and nothing helps like diving in head first. Just one drink and a little dancing and we'll leave. You need to loosen up a little bit. You'll thank me tomorrow."
Going out was not how he'd normally prepare for a match. But they were so far in line and Brooke looked so sexy that he knew she'd be getting his way. He looked away from her for a moment to see the next few people in front of them being allowed entrance into the club.
"Well, now or never," he whispered, giving Brooke a quick kiss before they both went to the front of the line next. Little did he know that their night would make all the difference.
He struggled to open his eyes against the sun that peered through the window. Why did his head hurt so much? Why were the sounds of traffic blaring in his ears when he wasn't too close to the road? Why did his stomach feel like it was carrying an ocean that swayed with every tilt of his body?
"Hey, you up? How are you feeling?"
He could hear Brooke, so he opened his eyes in a squint to see her peering down at him. She was smiling, but she still looked concerned.
"Yeah…" He sniffed at the air for a moment. "Is that coffee?"
"Yeah, I figured you'd need a pick-me-up, so I got some from the lobby." She reached over to the small saucer on the nightstand and brought the cup to him. "I didn't put anything in it yet.
"Yeah, thanks. Black is fine." Using all of his energy, he sat up and took a sip, feeling a bit underwhelmed. With coffee, he was usually conditioned to feeling a bit more perked up after a sip, but he still felt like he could barely maintain consciousness. "I can't remember a thing. What happened?"
"You don't remember?" Brooke asked, mildly astonished. "Whatever you had, it must have been strong… I'm just glad you're okay."
"Strong? What?" He couldn't remember a thing. The last memory he had was of him studying at the terminal in the hotel lobby. Everything else was a fog that he couldn't remember, even when he strained.
"Oh… well, shit." Brooke looked away, inhaling deeply. "We went out last night."
"Out? On the night before a badge battle?" He didn't understand. That didn't sound like something he would do.
"I pushed you a little. I thought it would relax you and-"
"Brooke, what happened?" he asked, suddenly feeling that jolt from the lack of clarity, if not caffeine.
"I'm not sure…" she answered, trailing off, looking away a little bit in embarrassment.
"You're not sure?" he repeated. He was definitely feeling some sort of hangover from the night before. "How can you not be sure?
"Last night, we went to hYpnosis, remember?" She paused, waiting for something to spark in his mind, but nothing did. "Okay, no… well, we weren't going to be out that long. I got you a drink. Just one, and it wasn't strong. I figured your alcohol tolerance was low, so we decided on one. We hung out, danced for a little… I told you I'd be right back because I had to go to the bathroom, but the ladies room was packed. Like, absurdly packed. Like, I didn't get out for ten minutes. And when I found you again… well… you definitely had had at least one more drink."
"So, that's it? This is just a hangover?" he asked, taking another sip. The headache just wouldn't fade, and he pressed his fingers against his temples. He didn't need her to answer, since her face told a different story.
"I don't think… you were acting really weird. Are you sure you don't remember? Because you were really out of it, and it may be possible that somebody dru-"
"I got drugged?" Suddenly, he was wide awake as he could have been, even though his head seared the more awake he was. "With what? Why didn't we get to a hospital or-"
"I don't know!" Brooke exclaimed, covering her face with balled fists, "and you wouldn't let me! I tried to get you somewhere, but you kept insisting that you sleep it off. You were going on and on about how the hospital could keep you too long and you'd miss your battle, so I took you back to the hotel and got us a separate room so we wouldn't wake Heather. I snuck back later on and grabbed our stuff, but… Look, I'm sorry, I-"
"No, I'm sorry. I must have done something stupid last night," he admitted, although he couldn't remember what that was. But he immediately stopped trying when he looked out the window at the sun, which looked to have been out for awhile. "Wait, the battle! What time is it?" Not waiting for an answer, he turned to the digital clock on the nightstand that he hadn't noticed before and felt the blood drain from his face. 9:42.
"Shit… Shit, shit, shit!" He bounced up to his feet, spilling the coffee all over the floor. "I'm running late!"
"What are you talking about? Your battle isn't until 2, right?" Brooke asked, stepping back in a startled reaction to his fuss.
"No, it got moved up to 10 yesterday." He remembered confirming that with the receptionist over the phone. "Didn't I say that last night?"
"No… I don't think so-"
"Nevermind!" He rushed into the bathroom, closed the door behind him, stripped down at top speed, and hopped into a cold shower. He would only be in there for less than a minute, but he hoped that would be enough to wash off the sweat and cure whatever funk his brain was in.
"Cody, anything I can do to help?" Brooke called in from outside the bathroom.
"Set out some clothes for me! It doesn't matter what, since I'm going to be wearing one of their uniforms anyway! And grab me a bottle of water!" Truthfully, there was little she could do other than that. He'd have to make a mad dash to the pokémon center to grab his team, check in for the battle, change into the uniform, and start his match. He wasn't at 100%, but he had battled sick before, albeit not from alcohol or illicit substances. He hoped that his next match wouldn't be that different for him.