Chapter 26 – Crasher's Waves

Crasher frowned. He was seriously tempted to postpone the match coming up. Cynthia seemed to think that wasn't a good idea however. He slid on his bracers and his belt. The champion looked at the gym leader.

"I will search the city. I can have some local police search as well for something out of place."

"No one knows this city as well as I do Cynthia. This is my job!" Crasher said in a low and intense voice.

"I understand that but to postpone and get everyone spread out would incite panic."

"If there is to be an attack on this city…"

"Then I would rather have a majority of the people under your care in the gym." Cynthia's statement was final, and brokered no argument. Crasher, still frowning, nodded. While the champions words made sense, it left a sour taste in Crasher's mouth. He should be out there helping search for whatever storm was that was coming.

"Do you even know what you're looking for?" It was Cynthia's turn to frown. Because that was the most troubling thing about the whole situation. She had no idea. "That doesn't instill confidence Champion." Crasher grumbled.

"I know. Trust me the league is doing everything we can to track down whatever it is that Team Galactic is planning. And besides, you're not going to want to miss this match."

"Mommy, I want the Crasher Wake mask!" the young boy said. Jill smiled as she walked through the growing press of people entering the gym. The smells of ocean overtook the senses around the gym. The rest of the city kept the smell of the wetlands. And while the wetlands and ecotourism were the main attractions to the city, Crasher Wake had brought a whole new revenue stream to the quiet city. Jill was acutely aware of how popular the gym leader was as she walked into the challenger's entrance.

Jill looked out at the field she would be battling on. Perhaps field wasn't the correct term. Instead where most gyms seemed to have ground, Crasher instead used a massive pool of water. There were wooden trails that wound their way through the pool, connecting various platforms. Jill could only assume that these were for terrestrially based Pokemon. They would still be at a serious disadvantage though, compared to those who could swim or fly.

Growing crowds created a low buzz as Jill walked onto the field. This gym experience however was different. Something was off, however, the young woman couldn't quite put her foot on it. Everyone was still talking while Jill looked around. It suddenly clicked as to what was missing. The gym leader. Every other gym had the leader ready and on the field when the challenger was brought out. Crowds went quiet as finally Crasher Wake's voice boomed out over the loud speakers.

"Welcome challenger to the Pastoria City gym! You're about to face my Pokemon, a team toughed by the stormy seas!" Crasher walked out to his side of the pool, a middle-aged man whose body looked like it was just exiting its prime. The man's stomach was robust but not overweight. He still appeared solid. And of course, he was wearing his trademark battle mask. Jill was caught off guard by his tone however. This Crasher Wake didn't sound like the overly boisterous and exuberant man Barry had told her about. He almost seemed distracted. "Come now, let us begin!" the voice boomed out. Jill watched as he grabbed a Poke-ball. She readied herself as well.

Barry had given Jill one little hint about what Crasher had in his arsenal. A rather menacing sea serpent that many would rather run from. No, instead, Crasher had managed to not only tame a Gyarados but he had also trained it. The gym leader also knew that because of its reputation, his particular Gyarados would be the only one many people would ever see. And it was this roaring monster that the water type gym leader had chosen to start out the battle with.

"This will be a three on three battle" the ref called out, barely audible over the thrashing roars. Jill nodded her affirmation as she sent out her first Pokemon onto the closest platform to herself. Everyone was shocked when Crasher's Pokemon quieted for a moment before roaring once more. Even Crasher paused and broke from his distraction as his Pokemon appraised its opponent. What could give his powerful Gyarados a reason to hesitate? That small little… he paused. This girl who challenged him had sent out a rather powerful electric type, one that even he was familiar with.

"Well chosen!" Crasher called out. It was Jill's turn to smile now. She and Chase could give a Gyarados pause. Chase's grin was feral. He slowly stalked his way further out into the pool. He was suddenly wary as his footing went from solid too unstable as the lynx stepped out onto one of the connectors. As he looked down, the serpent struck. Disappearing beneath the waves, the Gyarados travelled faster than Jill could've believed. In moments it was bursting up beneath Chase. The crowd gasped and even Jill couldn't mask her face as her beloved electric type was pulled under without a command from Crasher.

"Chase!" the young woman yelled. He reappeared moments later grasping at the ruined connector. Spitting out water, Chase uttered a low growl of displeasure. He was also sparking. It gave Jill an idea, but she had a feeling that Crasher would be expecting something of the sort.

"You have to get out of the water quick!" Jill called out to her friend. He kept pawing through the water finally reaching his original platform, a solid structure to climb upon. He growled once more, shaking himself dry before searching around for the sea serpent under the rough waters. Jill could barely make out the dark shape, but the size looked off. It was massive.

"You seem concerned about something" Crasher Wake called out from the other side of the pool a hint of a smile finally playing at his lips.

"There's no way your Gyarados can be that large" Jill said. Crasher smiled increased a fraction.

"He's no larger than the average Gyarados so far as I'm aware. However, I don't tend to fight many wild ones!" The gym leader waved again, and the shadow lurched. Chase was still looking around, but Jill had managed to find the head of the monster.

"Chase on your right! Use spark!" The electric type built up the latent static and crouched. A massive frothing wave burst up once more, attacking before Chase could. And once more, the lynx was sent into the waves. Jill was ready this time though, recalling her electric type when she saw his head again. A ground strategy wasn't going to work against a Pokemon like Gyarados. Still, she hesitated when she grabbed the ball of her partner that could potentially defeat the water demon. The part flying type rose out of the water again and roared, sending the crowd into a frenzy. It was that battle call that had Jill send her smallest friend into the fray.

Urim looked around and couldn't believe his eyes. Of course, the others had told him what it was like to fight in a gym battle. Jill put everything on the line to defeat whoever the leader was. And the rest of the team could feel that energy, could use it to excel and become more powerful. It wasn't the same as experiencing it.

The fairy type could feel Jill's emotions to an extent from behind him. There was a rock-hard determination present. The thrill of battle filled Urim causing his usual glow to increase. He could feel the crowd slightly as well, the awe they openly showed for him. He was unaware this was because of how rare Togetic were. Even more rare were the trainers who used them in battle. In fact, the only other two people who were known to use a Pokemon from this evolution line were both champions. Even the gym leader was taken aback. Crasher knew in an instant why Cynthia had said he wouldn't want to miss this battle. All other thoughts of what may be happening to his city faded to the background of his mind.

Yet Urim was oblivious to all of this. What he was aware of was Jill was trusting him to defeat this overlarge Pokemon in front of him. This wouldn't be like fighting Chase or Caladan. No this would require him to pay closer attention to Jill's commands. But he was not nervous. Quite the opposite in fact. He was ready.

"Urim start with ancient power!" Jill said. Her voice wavered slightly. Urim smiled though, eager to show his trainer that he was strong enough to do this! He quickly summoned forth that power which resided within him, heaving up the broken connector and sending it flying at the Gyarados. Power coursed through him and he called out in delight as his attack crashed into the water type. Urim's delight was short lived however; he had closed his eyes briefly to summon his power and in that moment, the Gyarados had dived once more beneath the waves, dodging the attack. Urim quickly flew higher and looked down. The dark shape of the Gyarados was clear against the waves which would not settle. The crowd was cheering their pleasure, seeming to know what was coming.

"A Togetic!" Crasher said laughing. He was truly astounded. That this challenger had one said wonders about her as a trainer. Where she had come across a Togetic or Togepi Crasher would probably never know, but that didn't change how he would handle this. "I'm seriously impressed Jill!"

Jill gave the leader a small smile but was scared that her idea wouldn't work. This was her first time battling with Urim in this setting and if they didn't get this right, he could be seriously injured. But looking at her flying type, she could see his joy and his willingness on full display.

"Urim start with ancient power!" Jill called out. Urim's glow, which was normally a brilliant white, changed briefly to purple as he channelled his power. Jill watched as the broken connector was lifted into the air and heard the crowd gasp as the attack was fired at Crasher's Pokemon. The attack missed, but the side effects were what Jill was hoping for. Urim was moving just a touch faster and she watched her friend climb higher into the sky. Both Jill and Crasher were smiling now, each thinking they had the other right where they wanted them.

"Time to see what that rare Pokemon of yours can really do! Gyarados, use waterfall!" Crasher said. The crowd roared their approval and Jill watched carefully. Just how high could the serpent really reach? Her question was answered within seconds as a massive fountain of water rushed out of the pool and straight towards Urim.

"Dive out of the way Urim!" Jill cried out as the monster climbed higher and higher out of the water. Urim wasn't quite fast enough and was buffeted by the torrent of water, but the attack wasn't a direct hit. Jill let out a sigh of relief as the water type crashed back into the pool sending a wave of water over the edges. The young woman shivered slightly as the cold water splashed against her shins. The crowd was still cheering as the front rows got wet. This was what they came to see.

Okay so Crasher has it attacking from below like a Sharpedo… Jill thought to herself. How could she turn this against him? Crasher started ramping up the strikes, causing gysers of water to shoot into the air, all in an attempt to take out the little flyer. It seemed that Jill's choice was the right one as Urim's small size was helping him dodge the attacks. Finally, Jill sensed an opening.

"Urim, you need to get low, close to the waters surface. When I say so, you're going to use your new move" Jill said all the while keeping an eye on their opponent.

Urim got as close as he dared to the waters surface. He wasn't sure what Jill had seen. Her vantage point wasn't as good as his up in the air, but he trusted her. He made sure to be brave in the beginning, but now he was starting to get nervous. Missing his first ever gym attack wasn't very good, and almost being eaten by a giant water snake multiple times wasn't a good feeling either. The crowd seemed to be cheering for the water monster too, which Urim didn't think was very fair.

He was skimming the surface over wave crests listening for that call by his trainer. He could hear the other trainer calling out commands too, telling his monster where Urim was flying. He circled back and sped to Jill's side of the field. When he faced back to the middle, Urim was greeted with a sight that would make anyone freeze in fear. Jaws were coming up fast right behind a wall of water.

"Now Urim!" Jill called out. Channelling his power once more, Urim lanced out with lightning. His new move, what Jill called shockwave, sent out bolts of lightning, tracking down the target. Urim launched the attack then quickly shot back up into the air to still avoid the charging Gyarados. Because of his haste, the attack wasn't as powerful as it could be, but it still caused pain.

Jill and Crasher both watch the Gyarados thrash in response to the arcs of lightning tracing along the serpents' length. Crasher was impressed but he wasn't done just yet. He changed up tactics, getting his water type to fire jets of salt water at the smaller flyer. It only took two shots to knock the little guy onto a platform. Jill winced as Urim crashed down, relieved that he managed to land on a platform and not in the pool itself. Crasher sent his Pokemon on the offensive once more, but Jill was finished with running around.

"Urim, time to finish this. Use shockwave once more!" The part fairy type nodded and gathered himself for another blast. He waited until the Gyarados burst out of the waves once more. Lightning lanced out and crashed into the water/flying type, finally silencing the monster. One more wave was kicked up as Crashers Pokemon fell unconscious.

"Well done Jill! But Gyarados was just my first Pokemon!" Crasher said with a grin. Jill's face fell slightly. He was proving to be the toughest gym leader yet, forcing her to think faster than ever before. The young woman's nerves were also shot and frayed watching Urim out there. He had preformed brilliantly, but still, even the flyer was looking a bit tired. Crasher was sending out his second Pokemon, but Jill knew that Urim was done for now. Quickly she recalled her youngest and took stock. What she saw caused her mind to go blank.

The pool was a mess of debris. Only the platforms which must have been supported by pillars underwater were still in one piece. All of the other connectors were completely destroyed and now were just flotsam. Suddenly Jill realized what the other purpose of the constant waterfall attacks by Gyarados was. And with Urim needing rest, she was left to either Chase or one of her other Pokemon. Caladan could use the platform, but without being able to move around or make use of the ground, anything in the water would simply pick him off Jill rationalized. Sphyrna could move but has no effective attacks and is part ground… Epona is weak to water… Jill had been looking at the water lapping at her feet and thus looked back up as the crowd grumbled about what was taking the challenger so long. Crasher was still grinning and had the look of a leader about to finish up with a challenger quite quickly and easily.

But he had handed Jill the answer by releasing his second Pokemon already. A Quagsire stood looking at nothing in particular. Jill smiled back knowing how to win this battle. She grabbed the second pokeball and let out her third choice for battle.

"Icarium, close the gap quick and use leaf blade!" Jill said as the fighting type materialized on the platform closest to Jill. Crasher raised and eyebrow but didn't comment about the choice, rather focusing on countering Jill.

"Mud shot!" the leader roared above the crowd. They saw another lopsided battle, this time however for the challenger. Icarium's speed would make short work of the dopey looking Quagsire. In fact, some in the crowd were questioning what Crasher was thinking sending out one of his slower water types. They had already forgotten about Jill's first Pokemon it would seem.

Globs of mud were fired at the fighting type as he jumped from platform to platform. Icarium made use of a strategy that he and Jill had worked on while fighting against Sphyrna. While he moved, Icarium also made use of the move swords dance. The graceful sliding dance not only allowed Icarium to dodge attacks, but it boosted his power as well. In what seemed to be like the blink of an eye, the part psychic type was on top of the Quagsire, glowing green arm blades scything forward only to slide off the slimy skin as the water type jumped into the water. Both Jill and Icarium were taken aback.

"Quagsire has slippery skin meaning that predators have a harder time latching on. It also helps in battle against a physical opponent!" Crasher said as his water type resurfaced. "Now let's see how you handle a water pulse!" The water type responded immediately, scoring a hit that knocked Icarium to the edge of the platform. Once more, Crasher started using his strategy of having his Pokemon duck beneath the waves, popping up only to attack.

"Icarium, we need to force him to a platform!" Jill called out. Her partner was using his leaf blade attack to destroy whatever pulses fired at him he could not dodge. It wasn't long before Icarium spotted an opening and went on the offensive again. He quickly swung his arm down and projected the scythe of psychic energy towards his opponent. Crasher was caught off guard by this move and wasn't quick enough to prevent Icarium from launching himself to the platform he had forced the Quagsire to. Landing just behind the water type, Icarium adjusted his leaf blade to strike true, knocking the water and ground type out. Crasher laughed as he recalled his second Pokemon. And here he thought he would finish this girl off quickly!

"Hey, now that there was a good move!" Crasher told Jill.

"Thank you, we've been practicing it for a while now" the young woman explained.

"Well I'm impressed but now you have to face my long-time partner, Floatzel!" At this, Crasher sent out his final Pokemon. Jill's energy was building even more now. Here she was finally on the precipice of victory once more! Her confidence was quickly reigned in as the Floatzel attacked.

Icarium barely managed to dive out of the way of the aqua jet, but Crasher's Pokemon was trained for such things. Water flowed past and off the weasel as it landed on the same platform as the psychic type.

"Follow up with crunch!" Crasher commanded. The crowd was roaring its pleasure as Crashers prized Pokemon landed a hard hit. Icarium's eyes squinted in pain, but he wasn't out of the fight yet. The water type was grinning with the fighter's arm in its mouth. So Icarium used his other arm to hammer on the Floatzel's exposed snout. Two strikes caused Crasher's Pokemon to drop back a step. What Icarium wasn't ready for was the blast of salt water from point blank range. The attack knocked him off his feet and into the pool.

Jill winced as her friend landed in the pool and quickly recalled him. That crunch attack and brine did some damage, enough that Jill didn't want to risk Icarium having to weather an aqua jet on top of that. It seemed that it was down to a one on one match now.

"Alright Chase, we need to wipe that smug smirk off this weasel's face!" Chase roared as he reappeared on stage. Jill grinned as Chase didn't even have to attack to case the grin from her opponent to fade.

"What no smile?" Chase taunted. Crasher pointed, and the weasel attacked before Chase could keep going. This battle was more feral than the ones preceding it. While the Floatzel had taken one attack, it didn't seem to have slowed it down at all. It was coming from all sides, slashing and biting if it could. However, it didn't seem to want to completely close with Chase. Instead Crasher was trying to get the lynx back into the water. Both Jill and Chase were ready this time though. The electric type jumped from platform to platform, avoiding the water types brine attacks.

When the two Pokemon did close, Chase was battling back just as hard, using claws and teeth to try to gain the advantage. Time and time again, Floatzel would close, only to dive back into the pool.

"Come back you coward!" Chase called out. He was starting to breath heavily and Jill could see it. She was watching waiting for that opening that she knew must be coming. There was no way a Floatzel could have this much stamina, even a gym leaders Pokemon. The young woman looked at Crasher and saw that he was weighing his options. There was a fierceness to his eyes, one that comes upon dedicated trainers when the battle is on the line.

"This is where it gets exciting!" he said, which sent the crowd into a frenzy. They knew it was coming down to one or two more sparring matches. Technically, Jill still had two more Pokemon in the wings, but she knew they were both too exhausted to fight much more. Chase was her hope to finish this.

"Aqua jet!" Crasher called out. His Floatzel dutifully carried out the command, shooting out from the depths.

"Spark!" Jill countered. Chase roared out and charged the incoming water. The attacks met in the middle of the platform Chase was using, knocking both Pokemon to the edges. Both were slow to stand.

"Finish up with crunch!" Crasher said. The crowd were all on their feet cheering. This battle was so intense they didn't want it to end, but they also knew this was it.

"One more spark Chase!" Jill said. She was as calm as could be, knowing her partner could do this. Both Pokemon moved in.

Jillian's Pokemon:

Caladan (Grotle) - level 31, ability: Overgrow, nature: Bashful
Chase (Luxio) - level 32, ability: Intimidate, nature: Impish
Epona (Ponyta) - level 31, ability: Run Away, nature: Naughty
Urim (Togepi) - level 33, ability: Serene Grace, nature: Brave
Sphryna (Gabite) - level 31 ability: Sand Veil, nature: Naive
Icarium (Kirlia) - level 34, ability: Trace, nature: Lonely