Chapter 79: Lucas vs. Liza and Tate
After three days on the ferry, Mossdeep City finally appeared on the horizon. The first shape to appear over the level blue line of the ocean was Mossdeep's world famous launch pad. The island was home to Hoenn's space program, where on a semi-regular basis, manned and unmanned missions were launched into the sky to learn not just more about other planets, but more about the Earth itself. Soon after the buildings and land itself became visible and Lucas knew he would be arriving shortly at the home of the seventh Hoenn League Gym, and his next badge.
Since his sixth badge in Lavaridge so much had happened it wasn't until getting ready for his seventh Gym battle that it really hit him. Since facing Flannery, he had seen a legendary Pokemon, finally revealed his feelings to Skyler, saw one of his former crushes again and finally taken down Hoenn's Team Cosmic branch, led by his ex girlfriend. After all the excitement, the Gym match almost seemed like a step down in important events, but if even by comparison it didn't seem as significant, Lucas knew he had to take this match seriously.
The Mossdeep Gym would be unlike any match he had had before, it would be a double battle. According to the file on the Pokevice, the Gym was a Psychic type, led by a pair of twins: Liza and Tate. He had not met them personally; only seeing them briefly at the recent Pokemon League efforts to take down Cosmic. Lucas had very little experience with double battles, and had never fought anyone two-on-one. Being that this would be the seventh Gym alone would make it difficult for a Trainer, but now that Lucas had a Championship under his belt, the challenge would be that much more significant. Careful preparation and training would have to be taken before challenging the twin Leaders.
As such, he was in no immediate hurry, and instead he and Skyler found the Pokemon Center first to get settled. They intended to spend the day sightseeing like they had done in the previous cities they visited, but a reunion changed the plans. At the counter of the Pokemon Center was Steven Stone, talking to the nurse as his Pokemon were healed. The young CEO immediately spotted the pair and waved them over, "Lucas! How wonderful to run into you again so soon! Feeling better? I hope you enjoyed the snacks I had sent over to the hospital,"
"Yeah, it was great and everything...but what are you doing here?" While Lucas didn't dislike the blue haired executive, seeing the man always made him cautious.
"I live here," Steven replied brightly, "Well, more accurately, this is one of the homes I live in. I don't have to tell you that I have various homes not just all over Hoenn, but the various Pokemon Regions. But the one is Mossdeep is the house that feels the most like home since it's closest to the space program. Silph/Devon had been investing in space exploration back even before the companies merged. I'm actually thrilled to see you, I wanted to talk to you about something and you being here saves me some time. I love when that happens,"
"What about?" Lucas asked hesitantly. He learned as cheerful and kindly the CEO seemed, everything he did always came with some sort of catch.
"When you two are done setting up here, I would appreciate if you stopped by my house. It isn't too far from here, and it's impossible to miss," Steven picked up the Pokeballs from the tray the nurse offered and put them away.
"How will we find it? You didn't give an address," Skyler called after the young man as he turned to leave.
"Easy. It's the biggest house on the island," with that, Steven gave one of those smiles Lucas always knew meant trouble, and left the Center.
As Steven had asked, Lucas and Skyler went to the CEO's home after getting their Pokemon checked out and having their room arranged. Like he described, Steven Stone's home was the largest and most impressive mansion on the entire island of Mossdeep City. Several stories tall with ornate architecture, the grounds surrounding it were surprisingly small and simple. Rather than a large garden or impressive statues, there was simply a large fence surrounding the building with an equally tall gate at the front that was currently open. The grass and plants were kept wild to encourage wild Pokemon to use the area freely. There was a small security detail posted but they waved Lucas and Skyler in, immediately recognizing the now-famous Trainer. The tattooed teen couldn't help but marvel at such a moment. A year ago security workers like those would have tackled him to the ground and demanded to know what he was up to—invitation or no.
Inside the mansion truly felt like Steven's home, as the style was just like him: neat, modern, stylish with just a hint of humor. Modern art sculptures and paintings mixed with displays of stones, fossils and examples of Devon tech through the years. But also on the walls were posters of old cartoons and video games, and a life sized statue of a female character Lucas had a crush on as a child. A smartly dressed assistant showed the two Trainer's into a home office where Steven was just finishing a conversation while playing with one of the stainless steel rings on his fingers. He disconnected the phone and waved welcomingly to his guests, "Lucas! Skyler! Welcome to my humble abode. Can I offer you two anything? I can get lunch arranged. I imagine you probably haven't had anything too great since being on the road,"
"That would be most generous," Skyler accepted graciously, "And you do have a lovely home,"
"Want it? Lucas can have this one too. All it will cost is another ad campaign," Steven smirked as he pushed a button on his intercom to let his employees know he wanted something to eat. He then got up and walked over to the two Trainers.
"This one too?"
"Lucas here ended up getting the house I used in Sinnoh when I was doing evolutionary stone research there. My intention was to sell it when I was finished with my work, but it turns out my real estate agent liked betting on Ponyta races a little too much and gave away my house in order to skip town and avoid the loan sharks. Lucas' Pokevice campaign was just his little way of making it up to me," Steven threw an arm around Lucas' shoulder casually, "And I have some big ideas for the next campaign, right Lucas?"
"No! I'm not doing anymore of those stupid commercials and you can't make me!" Lucas snapped.
Steven started laughing and clapped the younger Trainer on the shoulder, "I'm just teasing, Lucas. I know you didn't like doing the commercials the first time around. And you didn't have to do the first set of them either, though I really appreciate that you did. I only keep bringing it up because I know it drives you nuts. As the leader of a company I constantly have to do boring things like fundraisers and golf games, forgive me for using you as the source of my entertainment,"
Lucas just grumbled while Skyler smiled, "Ah! Lucas mentioned vaguely about what happened with a house in Slateport City. It's nice to finally get the rest of that story,"
"So if you aren't hounding me for another endorsement deal, what was it you wanted?" Lucas asked.
Steven let him go and nodded. He walked over to a credenza on the other side of the office, "There's something I wanted to give you,"
"What's the catch?" Lucas replied skeptically.
The young CEO pulled out a Pokeball, "No catch, I promise. If anything, even after this I still owe you. These past few months Team Cosmic have been wreaking havoc on my Region. Even if you're Pokemon League now, you're still an outsider, but you took on all those dangerous missions without even hesitating. Honestly, I'm not sure we could have taken them down without you, you were that instrumental. And for that I want to thank you. This is a Beldum. Aside from teasing you, my hobbies are studying stones and meteors involving Pokemon, and breeding and training steel types. This one was bred from my personal Metagross,"
Lucas grabbed the Pokeball Steven offered tentatively, "Steven, I don't know what to say. This is really, well, generous of you..."
Steven gave another one of his worrying, not-entirely-innocent smiles, "I must confess, this gift isn't entirely altruistic,"
"I knew it..."
"The other reason I'm giving you this Pokemon is because I know you're going to be facing the next Gym and the Elite Four soon. And I want you to have a fighting chance, especially when you have to face me,"
Lucas looked at the executive in shock, "You're one of the Elite Four? I thought you said you were just a former Champion,"
"I am. But I also joined the Elite Four just a couple of years ago. Like I said, I need all the entertainment I can get. This was largely why I was in charge of so many of these operations against Cosmic, not just because of position and wealth with the company. So most likely the next time we meet, it's going to be in battle. When that happens, I want it to be at least a somewhat challenging fight," just then a cart full of food was wheeled into the room and Steven motioned for his guests to sit and help themselves, "But that's for another day in the future. For now, let's eat and talk. I'd like to think of us as more than colleagues, but as friends,"
"You seem pretty sure that in a Pokemon Battle you'd win," Lucas sneered as he started piling food on his plate.
"I'm in business. I have to assume I never fail at anything," Steven laughed and tossed a grape to Gizmo, "But in all seriousness you have to be extra careful in your upcoming Gym battle. The Mossdeep Gym is not to be taken lightly,"
"Is there anything you can tell me about the Leaders?" Lucas asked.
Steven rubbed his face in thought, "It would be highly unethical of me to disclose their strategy, of course, but I can tell you about the kind of Trainers they are. You know that stereotype about how close twins are? Liza and Tate definitely fit the bill. They work closely together, even if they didn't have that deep psychic bond. If you treat the battle like you're fighting two separate people, you'll lose,"
Lucas nodded thoughtfully, "That was what I thought might happen,"
"But if there's anything I've learned having known you these past several months is that you'll eventually figure it out. And when you do, I know I'll be seeing you soon at Ever Grande and I'll have the buzz I need to really promote my next campaign for the Pokevice starring a potential two league Champion!"
Lucas glared, "Don't start that again,"
The CEO stuck out his tongue, "Spoil sport,"
After lunch, Steven took Lucas and Skyler on a private tour of Mossdeep, including behind the scenes of the Space Center. The public area was a museum that showed previously used rockets to launch satellites, samples of rocks and other matter collected in space, photos from missions and some of the surprising results of their research. With his company connections, the executive took the Trainers to the back where more research was being done with collected samples and trying to replicate results with experiments originally done in space. He also showed the teens where new instruments were being developed, though for secrecy reasons couldn't disclose what was being planned with them. Lucas found the tour quite fascinating but he was disappointed to discover that no launches would be happening while he was in town. The earliest launch for a new satellite would be the following week, when he imagined he would have moved on to the next town and the next Gym.
While the tour and day had been exciting and entertaining, as evening rolled around the two Trainers returned to the Pokemon Center and Lucas focused on his next immediate task. He studied the data from the Pokevice again and seriously considered what Steven had to say. Long after Skyler was already in bed and asleep, Lucas remained awake at the Pokemon Center's computer tinkering and puttering with his Pokemon in an attempt to create a sound strategy. Double battles were not simply a matter of throwing two Pokemon at two other Pokemon, but also in making sure the two could complement each other as much as they would have an advantage over their opponents. Add in the wild card abilities and duel typing psychic types tended to have, it made his selections all the more difficult. The only thing he was certain of was Diablo's role in the match, and even then the stubborn Pokemon's jealousy and possessiveness made the choice risky. As he glanced the time in the computer screen's corner and realized it was almost three in the morning, he mentally chided him for overthinking. His best strategies came from giving himself as many options as possible and thinking on his feet, too much strategizing would only cause himself to not pay attention to what was actually happening in front of him.
Because of the late night before, Lucas did not arise as early as he had gotten used to, and it was well past noon before he was ready and left the Pokemon Center. After Steven's tour Lucas found the Gym near the Space Center. Compared to the beacon of technology and the future, the Gym's roots were firmly set in the past. The building looked like an old zen monastery and the only indication of Pokemon League affiliation was the official sign out front announcing the Gym's winners, and the Leader's introduction: Liza and Tate, the mystical combination. The tranquility of the atmosphere and the freshly scrubbed planks of the floor made the Trainer feel like he should take off his shoes before entering. Past the entrance was the first room with a junior Trainer set in a sand garden, an elderly woman in dark blue Tai Chi robe and pants, sitting on one of the large weathered boulders in introspection. Lucas wasn't sure how, or if, he should bother the woman, but the decision was made for him when, without opening her eyes, she addressed him, "Challenger of the Gym, be aware that the world is full of cosmic forces we can never hope to understand. To underestimate them is to invite disaster, as is to assume you can defeat me,"
"Oh goody, another 'psychic' who thinks they've already predicted the outcome of a match against me. I hate to break it to you lady, but not one of you have been right so far," Lucas smirked and the match began. The old woman's first Pokemon was a Medicham, a psychic and fighting type Lucas had seen before in his Gym match against Brawly and Lucas repeated the same strategy he used back then. Diablo was stronger and knew a better variety of attacks than he did back in Dewford. As the Medicham attempted to hit the Mightyena with its physical assaults, the dark type used its speed and agility to its advantage. Poison Fang and Iron Tail made short work of its opponent, and Crunch against the woman's second Pokemon Baltoy made the second round even faster. The last Pokemon the old woman summoned was a Solrock and Lucas recalled the canine Pokemon in favor of his Tentacruel. Though at a disadvantage because of its poison type, the water and grass moves it had mastered, and its superior speed gave Lucas the first match.
The second room of the gym looked like a shrine, with shelves full of statues of Buddhist and Taoist deities surrounded reverently with flowers lining the back wall. The second junior Trainer was a much younger man, this time in the robes of a practitioner of Xiaolin martial arts. The next fight ended almost as quickly. Though the man was less brash than the old woman in the garden, his Grumpig, Baltoy and Lunatone were no match against Lucas' Beautifly, Torterra and repeat performance against the Tentacruel.
The third room didn't look like a battle arena at all with shelves full of fragile vases, and paper and wood screens used for decoration. As destructive as Pokemon battles could get the decor seemed in tremendous danger, but Lucas soon discovered what was keeping the items safe. The final junior Trainer for the Gym was a teenage girl slightly younger than himself. Though her dress was contemporary, she wore a large beaded necklace of round and comma shaped jade stones. Friendlier and easier going than the two before her, she also presented the most challenge. While the older Trainers may have studied mystical lore, she seemed to actually be able to control these forces. As Lucas battled the Trainer he realized her metal training was keeping the items safe when a blast from her Espeon sent his Torterra skidding into a wall, only to have him bounce harmlessly off rather than smash the pottery behind him. Lucas fought back with Gizmo and his reliable Shadow Ball and Bite attacks against the eeveelution. Another Grumpig challenged him next, but after the fall of the girl's final Pokemon, a Xatu, he realized he was ready to face the Gym Leaders.
Lucas took in a deep breath and opened the final set of doors behind the teen girl he had faced and readied himself for the final opponents of the Gym. He steeled himself, Steven's warning about not taking the Leaders lightly echoing in his mind. The final room was surrounded by candles and oil lamps stacked high on a stepped back wall. The side walls were lined with spinning cylinders etched with prayers. Based off of the Trainers he faced before him, the warnings he had gotten about the Leaders' mystic powers and the atmosphere of the Gym itself, Lucas had in his mind a strong impression about what his opponents would be like, but when he finally saw them, he became extremely confused.
They were clearly twins. Roughly sixteen, of similar height and built with almost identical faces. Like Skyler, Liza and Tate were clearly of Asian decent, but unlike the heavily Japanese influence of Johto, these two seemed to be Chinese. Their black hair was held up in tight topknots though Liza's was thicker and far more elaborate. Liza wore a light blue, figure fitting dress with floral embroidery and dark blue roped knots that closed the dress on the side from her neck to just past her hips, leaving a slit on the side for her to take normal strides. Tate's colors were inverted: dark blue shirt and pants with light blue roping, and on the reverse side of his body from his sister's outfit. Visually, they complemented each other perfectly. Personality-wise, however, Lucas did not see what mystic bond the two held at all.
Liza was chatting animatedly on a cellphone while sitting on the Leader podium and eating shrimp flavored chips from a bag. She was discussing a party and what she planned on wearing, and whether she was considering getting a manicure in a color to match the outfit, or if she would save the money so she and her friends could got to a movie afterwards. Tate was sprawled on the ground, leaning on his elbows while reading a book of poetry by Lord Byron, a stack of other sophisticated literature piled next to him. Occasionally he shot an annoyed look at his sister, shook his head and returned to his book. Lucas knew enough about siblings to know just because people were related didn't mean they always shared interests—after all, he and John had next to no things in common—but to have twins being so drastically different in personality struck him as odd. When neither sibling seemed to notice his presence, he spoke up, "Um, excuse me!"
"Miyu, I've got to go. I've got like a challenger or something. No, it probably won't take long. Later gator!" Liza hopped down and nudged her brother with her feet, "Wake up nerd, we've got company!"
"You should show me more respect, I am your elder sibling, after all," Tate scowled.
"Yes, respect for all that wisdom and experience you get for coming out ten minutes before I did, Big Brother," Liza stuck out her tongue.
It finally seemed to dawn on the boy that there was a challenger in the room and tabled his squabbling. He stood up, brushed himself off and gave a very formal bow to Lucas, "Greetings and salutations to the Mossdeep Gym, stranger. Are you here to challenge the Leaders of this Gym today?"
"Do you always have to talk like that Tater-tot? It makes you sound like you're an old grandpa,"
Lucas tried to ignore the confusion he was feeling and responded, "You guys are the Leaders right? There's not like another set of twins in the back somewhere?"
Liza giggled, "Nope, me and Tater-tot are the real deal! This Gym's Leadership has been passed down in our family for generations, to the oldest kid. We were born twins, so we both got stuck with the job! We've been running this Gym for what, like, six years?"
The tattooed teen took a moment to absorb the information. No matter how many odd or eccentric Trainers he ran into, he marveled how he could still be taken aback, "But yeah, I'm here to challenge the Gym. Also, I'm obligated to inform you that as a Champion of Sinnoh, I'm going to face your advanced team,"
"Oooh, that's going to be fun! We don't often get to use our A-team!" Liza responded brightly.
"Ah, my apologizes for not recognizing you earlier, Trainer. You are Lucas, the foreigner who was helping our League against Cosmic. It is an utmost honor to finally meet you formally and engage in combat," Tate gave another formal bow while Liza rolled her eyes at her older twin. The two stood at their place on one side of the arena while Lucas took his place opposite them before Tate began speaking again, "For generations, we of the Mossdeep City Gym have trained psychic types, arguably the most powerful and mysterious of all Pokemon types. Through meticulous study, cleansing rituals and intense introspection, we have enlightened ourselves to the power of the mind-"
"-So prepare to have your butt handed to you!" Liza jumped with a raised fist in the air.
Tate threw his sister another dirty look, shook his head and summoned his Pokemon, "Go! Chimecho!"
"Go Claydol!" Liza mimicked, "Remember, this is a two on two battle. You'll need to summon two Pokemon to fight us!"
"Tentacruel, Torterra! Let's get his started!" Lucas nodded and responded by throwing out two of his own Pokemon. The Claydol was the evolved form of Baltoy, a Pokemon Lucas had faced while challenging the Junior Trainers. The Chimecho was a mystery to him, the Pokedex showing it was a pure psychic type. He decided his best strategy was to focus on the part ground-type first, "Tentacruel, use Surf! Torterra, Earthquake!"
"Chimecho, use Taunt," Tate stated calmly.
"Claydol, Protect," Liza said at the exact same time as her brother. Both of Lucas' Pokemon' attacks bounced harmlessly off of their opponents as the Claydol psychically shielded itself and its partner. At the same time, the smaller Pokemon closed its eyes and a glow formed around his own Pokemon. Additionally, while his Torterra's attack did nothing to its opponents, Tentacruel got hit with the ground attack at full blast. While less injured because of its grass attribute, the Torterra was also hit by his partner's move.
Lucas cursed himself for his lack of double battle experience. He had overlooked that some attacks affected all the Pokemon on the field, for good or bad, including his own. And in the last turn he effectively had his Pokemon attack each other. He would not make the same mistake again. Additionally, the Taunt attack made sure that for the next few rounds his Pokemon would be forced to attack. "Tentacruel! Use Hydropump! Torterra! Leaf Blade!"
Once again his opponents called out their attacks simultaneously, neither sibling looking at the other. Tate commanded, "Chimecho! Use Safeguard!"
"Claydol! Earthquake!" Liza mirrored the move Lucas had tried to use to much further effect. Because of Chimecho's Levitate ability, the powerful ground move avoided her brother's Pokemon, but once more Lucas' Pokemon were badly hit.
While the Chimecho's attack hit first, Both Tentacruel and Torterra were able to do heavy damage to the Claydol before the Earthquake hit. Tentacruel was down for the count while the Torterra was in bad shape. Lucas had made a dent, but lost a Pokemon and was cornered as to what moves he could use. The Taunt was still in affect for several more turns, while the Safeguard meant that poisoning, burning, paralyzing and confusing his opponents were off the table. He had to switch tactics, and quickly, "Torterrra! Tentacruel! Return! Go! Blobby Bob and Diablo!"
The surly dark type and massive water type took to the field ready to fight, Blobby Bob barely fitting in the Gym at all. The Gym Leaders looked at each other and nodded. Tate ordered his Chimecho, "Use Heal Bell!"
"Double-edge on the Wailord, Claydol!"
"Blobby Bob! Hydropump! Diablo! Crunch attack! Aim for the Chimecho this time!" Heal Bell was especially frustrating. Even with Double Edge causing damage to itself and its previous damage, the Claydol was healed almost entirely to full by its partner in battle. Blobby Bob was not seriously harmed, the large Pokemon could only be seriously injured by only the most massive of hits. The two Pokemon hit their target, but the progress would not last for long.
"Heal Bell again Chimecho! This time for yourself!" Tate responded.
"Earthquake Claydol!" Liza added.
Lucas finally understood Steven Stone's warning. Liza and Tate were very different in personality, but their strategy made the best of both of their traits. Tate, the cautious older brother, used his Pokemon for support, keeping both his and his sister's Pokemon healthy and protected, and undermining his opponents' ability to act. Peppy, reckless Liza was the muscle, knowing that she could use all the force she needed because her brother had her back. If Lucas focused his attacks on the Claydol, the Chimecho would protect it. Focus on taking out the Chimecho meant opening himself up to the part ground type's brutal physical abilities. If he was going to win this Gym match, he needed to keep his Pokemon as in unison as his opponents, targeting both their team at the same time. Like he was fighting one single force.