POKEMON: HEART SOUL ADVENTURES
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Chapter 49 - Double Challenge
"Pooch!" Max's Poochyena snarled, nimbly dodging a Gust attack from Hilde's Mothim, and his Ledian, a beautiful and sleek ladybug-like Pokemon that had resulted from the recent evolution of his Ledyba, avoiding the girl's Treecko's Tackle attack by simply hovering a little higher above the ground. Max's Ralts, for his part, was doing his very best to dodge the attacks from Hilde's newest Pokemon, an agile and cunning Spearow that the young girl had captured only a few days before, and that was now fluttering around attempting a Peck attack every now and then. Luckily, the diminutive Psychic-type Pokemon, thanks in no small part to the training Max had done with him, had learned to use his Teleport move in new and surprising way, in order to attack from unexpected and sudden angles.
"Okay, Ralts! Use Teleport now!" Max exclaimed as Hilde's Spearow launched himself at Ralts in a Fury Attack, trying to slash him with his talons and his wings. The small raptor only clenched his claws on thin air when Ralts disappeared in a flash and reappeared right behind Spearow, his eyes glowing a mystical blue. "Perfect! And now, Ralts... use Confusion!"
"C'mon, Spearow! Fight back and use Leer!" Hilde cheered them on. "And you, Mothim, don't fall asleep just because it's still daytime! Use Mega Drain! And you, Treecko, use Agility!"
Spearow screeched and fiercely glared at Ralts before the small Psychic-type could concentrate hard enough to unleash his budding psychic powers, making him lose focus and misfire the burst of mental energy. A glowing orb of azure energy was fired by Ralts, but missed Spearow by a rather wide margin, and the small bird of prey fought back with an effective Peck attack that forced Ralts to step backwards.
Mothim was hanging in midair, spreading her wings as a bunch of luminous green spheres floated out of Poochyena's small grey-furred body and into the Bug/Flying type's wings, causing the latter to feel stronger, and the former to lose balance for a moment. Poochyena whimpered as one of his paws lost strength, while Treecko attempted another Tackle attack, this time dashing behind Ledian with incredible speed, and then jumping at her with all of his power! But the giant ladybug, despite being caught off guard, was able to efficienty retaliate with a Supersonic attack, emitting a burst of concentric sound waves that stunned the small lizard and forced him to land again, a hand placed on his head to regain his bearings.
While Max and Hilde were doing their best to direct their Pokemon and get the better of each other on the battlefield, May was doing her own breed of training, along with her faithful Blaziken and her other Pokemon - Wartortle, Venusaur, Beautifly, Glaceon and Munchlax. All of them were deeply concentrated, determinated to avoid at all costs a repeat of what had happened with Team Vicious. The same could be said for her younger brother and his friend/rival, whose teams had admittedly gotten a lot better in those last couple of weeks. There was still that rivalry between Max's Poochyena and Zigzagoon, but aside from that, both their teams were balanced and confident.
Which was going to be a good thing for another reason - soon enough, the team was going to arrive in Dewford Town, where the challenge with Brawly and his powerful Fighting-type Pokemon was waiting! Judging from how they were giving it all they had got, May could already imagine that her brother and Hilde would have won quite handily, but May knew very well that a Gym match could be pretty unpredictable, and the young surfer dude could have a lot of surprises for the two upstart trainers.
She took a glance at Max's Poochyena unleashing an Howl attack, and then delivering a painful Bite attack to Mothim's right wing, causing the moth-like Pokemon to stumble and lose altitude. With a relieved smile, May took courage in the fact that, once again, her little brother was going to prove himself as a trainer...
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Two days later...
Dewford Town, on a small island near the coasts of Hoenn, was a bright seaside town known for the great tidal waves crashing on its beach when the wind was favorable... which made surfing one of the favored activities among the young people living there. Which shouldn't come as a surprise, in fact: it was no secret that Brawly, the Gym Leader of Dewford Town, was quite the skilled surfer himself, other than a capable martial artist, and many boys were holding him as an example to follow... just as many girls would have loved to impress him. That day wasn't much different, as a strong wind was blowing , and several surfboards were cutting through the turbulent sea! Many tourists and fans were watching the spectacle from the beach, applauding lously every time a surfer managed to do something particularly difficult or spectacular.
May, Max and Hilde were unsurprisingly among those who had stopped there to admire the surfers' skills. Or rather, May and Max were applauding, while Hilde was simply clapping her hands, not putting that much effort into it. She was obviously much more interested in the Gym battle than seeing a bunch of people having fun on the surfboards...
"To be honest, I really don't see what's so great about this whole thing..." the reddish-haired girl murmured, trying and failing to keep a cowlick of hair down on top of her head. "I mean, what is the big deal about surf, actually? It's just a bunch of guys showing off on gigantic ironing boards..."
"I think it's quite the sight, actually!" May answered. "Besides, Hilde, we do have to spend our time somehow, as we wait for the Gym challenges to be opened. The Gym is nearby, and we won't take long to reach it."
Hilde knew that May and Max had been to Dewford Town already in the past, but she was still somewhat surprised that they seemed to know so much about the town, even though she was careful not to let it show. May and Max could hardly remember a moment where Hilde was frowning, and Max had to ask himself how could a girl her age look so annoyed the whole time.
"Really?" she asked, never changing the tone of her voice. "And where is it, exactly?"
Max motioned for Hilde to follow him, and the newbie trainers, under May's watchful gaze, made their way through the crowd, reaching a point on the beach where a large rock, jutting out of the water, was visible. An artificial grotto had been dug into the rock, which was connected to the beach by a long trail of earth and sand that just about emerged from the tumultuous waves crashing ashore. "There... do you see that big rock ober there? That, strange as it may sound, is Dewform City Gym." the glasses-wearing boy explained, raising his voice a little because of the surrounding noise. "That's where my sisters and I watched Ash's battle with Brawly. Well, to be honest the first battle was a bit of a letdown... but he more than made up for it in the rematch!"
"I see." Hilde answered, scratching her cheek. "Quite the unusual place for a Gym."
"Well, it does make sense, considering the kind of person Brawly is." May said, reaching the younger trainers at that moment. "Sure, it's kind of a strange place, but believe me, there are even weirder Gyms around."
Hilde nodded, memorizing every single thing her companions were saying. May and Max kn ew more than she expected, and to think she had initially pegged Max for a beginner... she was about to say something else, when a roaring round of applause welcomed a young and good-looking young man with spiky white-blue hair who had just arrived on the beach riding a colourful blue and azure surfboard that contributed to the happy and festive mood of the place. He was tall and athletic, with well-toned muscles, the result of a long time spent training in the open sea, plainly visible under the red-and-blue wetsuit he was wearing. His skin was tanned, made shiny by the saltwater, and his eyes were bright and filled with energy. Hilde had no need for May and Max to confirm it, since judging from the warmth and enthusiasm he was greeted withm it was clear that he was Brawly, the Gym Leader of Dewform Town.
"That's him. Brawly, Fighting-type Gym Leader of this city." May confirmed anyway. Another surfboard had appeared right behind him, upon which a robust and proud Poliwrath, a Pokemom similar to a massive dark blue tadpole with strong arms and legs, his white belly decorated with a great black spiral, and a pair of small black eyes placed on top of its body. A final wave brought it to the beach, and the Water / Fighting type dismounted and, with a skillful movement of his leg, flipped the surfboard around and caused it to land upright in the sand.
"Very nice, Poliwrath! Looks like you really took to those surfing lessons I gave you!" Brawly complimented the giant tadpole, who gave him a thumbs-up in return. "Well... that's it for today's joyride! Time to go see if someone is waiting for me at the Gym!"
"WRATH!" the Pokemon answered energically. Brawly chuckled in good spirits and, after picking up his surfboard and placing it under his arm, started waving at the spectators as he began walking to the part of the beach where May, Max and Hilde were standing. The younger trainers looked at each other for confirmation, and then, after May had nodded to them as well, they approached Brawly and his Poliwrath...
A Poliwrath, Max noticed uneasily. A last-stage evolution of a rather strong Pokemon line. Facing such an opponent in a Gym match would have been quite a problem for him and Hilde, but this wasn't the time to start getting worried.
"If you're thinking of retreating just because you're seeing a Poliwrath in front of yourself..." Hilde warned, as if she had read his mind. "...know that this doesn't hold for me. My Pokemon and I have trained enough to be able to say that we can face this challenge. And I'm not one who gives up without even trying."
"Hey, hold on a sec! I never said I was going to give up like that!" Max answered back. "Sure, I was just thinking that a Poliwrath isn't usually what beginners like us have to face. It is a kind of Pokemon that is fitting for Brawly, admittedly."
"Yo, kids! You were talking about me and my Poliwrath, huh?" Brawly's bright voice exclaimed as the young surger reached the two friends and rivals. Max and Hilde jumped up a little in surprise when they saw that the Gym Leader had already arrived while they were chatting between themselves. "Hehee... and s it just me, or I've seen one of you before?"
"Hey there, Brawly!" May exclaimed, reaching the younger trainers. "Pleased to see you again, how's it going? Yeah, we've already met... about two years ago, when I was starting my journey as a Pokemon coordinator!"
"It's you, May!" Brawly answered, recognizing the young girl. "Sure, I remember... you were the girl who was travelling with Ash, that young man who challenged me... and ended up getting all the Badges and placing quite well at the Hoenn Conference! He was one skilled trainer... and now, let me guess, it's your little brother's turn to challenge me in a Pokemon battle, right?"
"You can say that! My friend Hilde and I are here to challenge you! Of course, you get to choose which one of you will face you first..." Max answered, adjusting his glasses in an attempt to come across as tough and collected.
Brawly thought about it for a moment. "Fine... how about both?" he proposed. "Come to my Gym tomorrow morning, and I'll see to it that both of you have your shot at a nice Knuckle Badge, okay?"
"A Double Battle, then. Works for me." Hilde answered, her eyes showing a short but visible flash of excitement.
"Cool! Then, kids, rest well tonight, and make sure you bring your best Pokemon!" Brawly answered. "Be it known that we ain't going to make it easy on you just because you're beginners! Oh, and don't worry about Poliwrath here! Sending him to fight you would be a little much."
"WRATH!" Poliwrath answered, showing off one of his powerful biceps, as if underscoring that they were lucky not to face him. For her part, Hilde felt relieved at the idea, while Max asked himself what Brawly meant when he had said that THEY weren't going to take it easy...
"It is a rather unusual way of accepting a challenge... and I'm betting he has a surprise ready for us tomorrow." May commented. "The rules are somewhat different from a single battle, especially since some moves can hit your own partner, or hit both the opponent's fielded Pokemon."
"Yeah... I already know that, sis!" Max answered calmly. "After all, I did my homework before embarking on this journey. I'm sure Hilde and I will be able to think up a good strategy!"
"Why are you speaking about 'us', pray tell?" Hilde asked back. "Oh well... it's not all that different from a normal battle, so I've got no problem with it. We'll do some more training this evening, and then, we're going to bed early. I want my Pokemon to be well rested for the deciding moment."
"Right." May answered, before the trio waved goodbye to Brawly and began walking away from the beach, casting a few more glances at the daring surfers still showing off among the waves. The crowd cheering and the crashing of the tides on the beach could still be heard in the distance, but Max and Hilde weren't paying too much attention to it any more. They were thinking of the battle they would face on the next day... and May, for her part, was thinking of something else, that had never really left her mind ever since she and Max had been kidnapped by Team Vicious.
It had been some time ever since she and her Pokemon had trained for a coordinator competition, or anything like that. With everything that had transpired, the chestnut-haired girl hadn't had time to think of that... and she needed to take care of this problem soon, or her coordinating skills would have taken a hit. Furthermore, she realized, ifshe hadn't taken care of making her Pokemon stronger, she would have been unable to protect her brother and Hilde when Team Vicious would inevitably come back for revenge...
She promised herself she would get right back to training as soon as the Gym battle with Brawly was done with. For now, all she could do was watch Max and Hilde's match, and hope everything was going to be okay. She trusted the girl's spunk and her brother's strategic skills, but she also knew she could expect anything from a trainer of Brawly's skill...
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The next day...
As soon as the sun had risen upon Dewford Town, and the inhabitants of the coastal town had returned to their everyday life... while a trio of Pokemon trainers, along with their Pokemon, was carefully walking along the road that brought to the Gym. Max's Ralts and Mudkip were at his sides, looking ready to battle and nervous abot it at the same time. It was an important battle, especially for the former... sure, Max was a good trainer, but now was Ralts' real chance to prove himself.
Luckily, Max understood what was going through his friend's head, and allowed him to climb on his shoulder, gently patting him on the shoulder in order to reassure him. "Don't worry, Ralts, I'm sure everything will be alright!" the glasses-wearing young man answered, knowing of the Psychic-type's dominance over the Fighting-type. "You just need to keep it cool, and work together with Hilde's Pokemon. As for the rest, I already know you're doing your best, so don't push yourself too hard. That's all I need to tell you, really!"
"Ralts..." his old friend answered, not looking too convinced, as he took a look at Mudkip, who was happily trotting alongside Max, enjoying the spraying salt water. Hilde's Spearow and Mothim seemed more collected, even though they radiated confidence as well. The main issue now was to see if such confidence was justified.
"Alright, this is it..." May murmured, seeing the Gym Leader appearing at the entrance of his Gym and waving to the challengers... but she was surprised to see the other person who was with Brawly, a beautiful young woman that seemed to be a couple years younger than him, with long sky-blue hair tied in a long ponytail flowing down her back, wearing a red tank top with matching bike shorts, a pair of blue fingerless gloves, and a pair of trainers. She was an old acquaintance of the Maple siblings just like Brawly - Shauna, Brawly's self-appointed pipil and girlfriend, who had challenged Ash soon after his defeat after the first battle with Brawly. And now, there she was, standing beside Brawly...
"My, my, will you look at that! Long time no see!" Shauna exclaimed. "Say, Brawly... isn't that the girl who was with Ash when he arrived in Dewford Town to challenge you?"
"yeah, that's her alright. And the challengers are... the two kids who are with her right now!" Brawly answered as soon as Max, Hilde and their Pokemon stopped a few feet away from them, close to the entrance. "Well then, kids... welcome to Dewford Gym! As I said, we'll resolve both your challenges at the same time. And before I forget, this charming young lady here with me is my Gym assistant, Shauna! She'll be my partner in this official challenge, with two Knuckle Badges on the line."
Shauna smiled confidently and bowed to the challengers, feeling proud of the way she had been introduced, even though she privately admitted she would have preferred to be referred to as Brawly's girlfriend. "Very well, I'm sure it will be quite the heart-pounding match! If you'd like to come in, we can start right now! Please follow us!" she said, motioning for the trio of young trainers to follow her. Max, Hilde and their Pokemon followed suit, with May to close the procession.
"Well, the Gym is just like I remembered it." May commented, taking a look around herself. The ring had been sculpted from a large piece of rock inside of the cavern, and it was surrounded by a rather deep trench, whose sides were lined up with rocks, stalagnites and other rocky formations that made the sight quite a bit more lively that what the young challengers had expected. It was otherwise quite barebones... and in fact, Max reflected, it was rather appropriate for a Gym specialized in Fighting-types. At the farthest side of the square, May and her friends recognized the Poliwrath Brawly had been surfing with the day before, now holding a pair of flags, one white and one red, like the referee of a martial arts match. As Poliwrath bowed in greeting, Brawly and Shauna took their positions and motioned for Max and Hilde to take their places themselves, as May wished good luck to her brother and his friend/rival and sat down on a nearby rock.
"Fine, I guess there isn't much more to say, at this point. Us Fighting-type trainers always preferred facts to words anyway." Brawly stated. "Each one of us will use two Pokemon, and victory will be of the pair that knocks out all of the opponents' Pokemon. Any questions?"
"Not from me." Max affirmed. Hilde said nothing, but shrugged her shoulders as if saying everything was clear. "Well then... I think we can start already! And I'll have my Mudkip start this match!"
"Very good. You go first, Spearow." Hilde said. The mudfish and the small bird of prey placed themselves upon the battlefield, while Shauna smiled and sent out her first Pokemon.
"Alright, if that's how it's going to be... I'll be glad to show you just what we're made of! Your turn, Mankey!" the blue-haired girl exclaimed.
"Then I'll choose... Machop!" Brawly affirmed one second later. Two Pokeball hit the ground a moment later, and two of the most well-known Fighting-type Pokemon popped out: a Machop, a small humanoid Pokemon with a lean and robust physique, and azure skin; and a Mankey, a chimpanzee-like Pokemon with thin limbs, covered in shaggy fur, and with two angry eyes leering out of its fur-covered face! Those two Pokemon were certainly a worthy challenge for two upstarts, but Max and Hilde didn't allow themselves to be intimidated, and started off strong.
"Those Pokemon's strong suit are physical attacks." Hilde said. "Let's put a damper on that. Spearow, use Growl!"
The small bird of prey, thanks to his natural speed and his training, was able to act first, croaking threateningly and causing oth Mankey and Machop to hesitate for a moment. However, Brawly and Shauna were soon on the counterattack.
"Not a bad start, girl." Shauna admitted. "But it won't be a problem for us. We'll show you what true temwork means. Mankey, use Focus Energy!"
"Machop, use Meditate." Brawly answered, accepting the riskof his Pokemon remaining exposed to an attack. Mankey placed the palm of his hand upon his closed fist and concentratedm while Machop sat on the ground Indian-style and did the same thing. Focusing a little better on the fight at hand, the two Pokemon stood up again, just in time to respond to the next attack.
"Hmm... I don't like the way they've started..." Max murmured to himself, recognizing the strategy. He had been a great fan of powering up his Pokemon before the battle started in earnest, even though he realized it had its risks if overdone. "Let's not waste time, Mudkip. Start off with Water Gun!"
The blue mudfish sprayed a jet of water at Machop, but the small Fighting-type executed a flawless backwards roll and dodged the attack with unsuspectable ease! Then, as Mudkip turned and tried to attack again, Mankey and Machop approached each other.
"This is perfect! Thank you, master... now, go with Light Screen, Mankey!"
"Mankey!" the monkey-like Pokemon exclaimed, before holding his hands up and, much to Hilde's surprise, putting up a semitransparent energy screen in front of himself, protecting both himself and Machop from enemy attacks. Both she and Max were beginning to get worried. The Gym match had just started out, and it was already starting to turn sour.
"Darn... I have to say, they know their stuff..." Max affirmed, as another Water Gun attack splashed harmlessly upon the Light Screen. It was going to take some time before the Light Screen dissipated, more than enough for Mankey and Machop to get the upper hand on them. He needed to find a solution fast.
"Alright, Max, think about this..." he said to himself, trying to find a weak point in Brawly and Shauna's excellent teamwork. Hilde frowned slightly and ordered an Aerial Ace attack, causing her Spearow to swoop fown on the opponents. The physical move was able to get through the Light Screen attack and hit Mankey, but the small bird made himself vulnerable to a counter attack from the two Fighting-types... and Mankey was quick to take advantage of that.
"Physical attacks? No problem. Mankey, use Counter!" Shauna ordered. As Spearow hit, Manket reacted quickly, grabbing one of his talons, and then pulling inwards and throwing Spearow to the ground! The Normal/Flying type screeched in pain and surprise and rolled away before his opponents could attack him again, while Hilde sighed in relief as she saw that her Pokemon was not down for the count yet.
Unfortunately, that didn't make the situation any better. Brawly and Shauna's Fighting-types were still protected by Light Screen, and were just waiting for their opponents to make a wrong move.
May frowned slightly. Brawly and Shauna were using a simple yet effective strategy: protecting their Pokemon from long range attacks, and therefore covering their Pokemon's typical weak point, via Light Screen... and using Counter to hit back whenever they were hit by a physical attack. Max and Hilde were going to need a bit more ingenuity to win this one...
Max tried to think fast. There didn't seem to be a safe way to attack Brawly and Shauna's Pokemon, at least not without taking a dangerous counterattack... in order to have a chance, they needed to take down the Light Screen or get around it somehow. And in order to do that, they needed a better teamwork than the Gym Leader and his pupil's. He just hoped Hilde would cooperate without so mny objections.
"Say, Hilde... I think I have an idea, but we need to be in unison if we want it to work." he said, turning to his companion, who at least seemed to be aware that this wasn't a time to argue. "Can you have Spearow try to draw their attention?"
"Of course I can." the girl asked. "But what are you getting at? Oh well, no matter.. I just hope you know what you're doing."
"It's not a fool-proof plan, I'll admit that... but it's the best I can do right now." Max answered. "Listen... make sure your Spearow stays close to my Mudkip, and don't have them separate! I'll try getting closer to those two."
"Okay." Hilde answered. "Spearow, keep close to Mudkip, and be ready to attack as soon as I tell you to!"
The small raptor bird cawed noisily and flew low, hanging close to Mudkip as they inched towards Mankey and Machop, both of whom stood ready to counter their attempt.
"Alright. I'm sure they are going to try something surprising now." Brawly affirmed, recognizing a new strategy when he saw one. "Be ready for everything. I have no idea what they are trying to do, and though they may be beginners, they are not fools. Their Pokemon are rather well trrained."
"Of course, master!" the surfer girl answered. "But I'm sure we won't have any problem. Mankey! Get ready to stop that attack and hit back with Seismic Toss!"
"Same thing, Machop!" Brawly answered. The two Fighting-type Pokemon raised their arms slightly, in order to grab and hold their opponents as son as they were in range. Unfortunately for them, that was exactly what Max hoped they would do, and he smiled slightly as his glasses shone.
"Just as I hoped they would do!" he said "Now, Mudkip, use Mud Sport and cover both yourself and Spearow!"
"What?" Hilde protested, her usual stoicism faltering in indignation. "Did you send your brain on vacation, or what? Spearow won't be able to fly well like that!"
Mudkip didn't wait for her to finish and sprayed a wide stream of mud all around himself, dirtying both himself and Spearow... just a second before Machop and Mankey could grab them in their Seismic Toss attack! The two Fighting-type Pokemon lunged forward to grab their opponents... but they found themselves grabbing at thin air when Mudkip and Spearow literally slipped out of their hold! Hilde cried out in surprise when she realized that Mud Sport had covered their Pokemon in mud and made them slippery and much harder to grab!
"Mankey?" Shauna's Mankey exclaimed in shock as Spearow flew up and then swept down once again, using Peck to inflict damage on him!
"I get it now, Max!" Hilde exclaimed. "I really hadn't thought of this... Now, Spearow! Use Mirror Move to give Mankey a taste of his own medicine!"
Spearow grabbed Mankey by the shoulders with his talons and then flew up again, circling in midair for a short while... finally, as soon as he had gained enough momentum, he dropped down and slammed Mankey on the floor, hard enough to dent the ring! Light Screen was completely useless against such an attack... and in fact, Mankey widened his eyes in surprise and pain before crumpling to the ground. He tried to climb to his feet, but Spearow was faster, and at Hilde's order, he executed a flawless Aerial Ace attack, striking with his beak and talons, and then throwing Mankey to the ground once again. This time, after a brief attempt to stand up again, the chimp Pokemon gave up and fainted.
"One down!" Max exclaimed. "And we won't have to wait long for the second one to follow! Mudkip, get on your back and slide away!"
Mudkip was keeping Machop occupied in a frenzied hit-and-run battle. A Tackle attack hit the Fighting-type Pokemon, closely followed by a Water Gun that further confused and annoyed Machop. Then, before Brawly's Pokemon managed to get his bearings back, Mudkip plopped down on his back and, using the mud he had covered himself with a moment before, slid away and out of the range of the Karate Chop attack Machop had tried to counted with.
"Fine then... Machop, attack with Low Kick!" the surfer exclaimed. Machop smirked, stepping on puddle of slippery mud Muskip had left on the floor... and then slid towards his opponent and hit him with a powerful kick! The unprepared Mudkip was hit and sent tumbling to the floor, but managed to get up again, stepping back in an attempt to take his opponent's measure. After reflecting for a moment, Max decided that a direct attack would have been too risky, and that it would have been better to double back on a more defensive strategy. He motioned to his Mudkip to stay put, and Mudkip nodded and held tightly on the ground with his short paws.
"I think we need to wrap this up now." Brawly answered. "Machop, use Headbutt and take out your opponent!"
"Chop chop!" the Fighting-type Pokemon answered, lowering his head and charging Mudkip, who did nothing to get out of the way and simply stood there, bracing for impact. Max mentally crossed his fingers, hoping that his Mudkip was really as tough as he tried to look.
The Water-type yelped in pain as Machop delivered a powerful headbutt to his forehead, causing him to pace backwards. His rear legs buckled, and for a split second, Max grit his teeth, fearing he and his starter had bitten off more than they could chew. Luckily, Mudkip managed to climb back to his feet, and a red aura began to glow around him, a sign that his strategy was working!
"What?" Brawly exclaimed, realizing he had fallen into a trap. "Darn, that was a Bide attack! I didn't see that one coming at all..."
Thankful that his strategy was successful, Max smiled back. "Phew! Thanks, Mudkip, I knew you could do it!" he affirmed. "Yeah, that was my idea in a nutshell. Absord Machop's attack, and pay it back with a vengeance, just as miss Shauna was doing with her Mankey's Counter. And Light Screen cannot protect from that, so... now, Mudkip!"
"Mud mudkip!" the Mud Fish Pokemon answered as the red aura around his small body flared up! With renewed vigor, shrugging off the fatigue of the battle, Mudkip charged Machop and trampled him with all of his strength. The Fighting-type Pokemon grunted in disappointment before flying to the border of the square and fainting, his eyes turning into spirals.
Brawly's Poliwrath raised a white flag towards Max and Hilde, and May clapped her hands at the two upstart trainers, congratulating them over their victory. Brawly and Shauna shrugged and recalled their defeated Pokemon in their Pokeballs.
"Nicely done, Max!" Hilde praised him. "And nice job to you too, Spearow! Sorry for the mud, but at least it was useful!"
Neither Gym Leader nor his pupil seemed to be too worried. "What can I say, kids, you were quite impressive. But this was just a warmup. I think we can stop holding back now, right, Master?" the girl commented.
"Of course, Shauna. It will be my pleasure!" Brawly answered, opening up a second Pokeball and sending out a Pokemon that looked like a sumo wrestler, identical to the one Demitri had pitted against May in Team Vicious' hideout. The brunette shuddered a little, recalling that unpleasurable experience. "Your turn, Hariyama! Show what you can do!"
"And now... here's my ace Pokemon! Time to go all out, Meditite!" Shauna exclaimed. Out of the Pokeball popped out a Pokemon not much bigger than Machop or Mankey, looking like a small humanoid with an onion-shaped head who was sitting cross-legged on the floor in a lotus position. His ears looked like small spirals and were somewhat bigger than they should have been, while his cerulean eyes were large and brimming with energy.
"Hm. I never saw this Pokemon before..." Hilde said. She allowed Spearow to perch on her shoulder while she took a good look at her Pokedex. The handheld computer recognized the Pokemon and proceeded to describe it thoroughly.
"Meditite, the Meditate Pokemon. Fighting / Psychic type. Meditite undertakes rigorous mental training deep in the mountains. It continually meditates for hours every day. As a result of rigorous and dedicated yoga training, it has tempered its spiritual power so much it can fly. It survives on just one berry a day. Minimal eating is another aspect of this Pokémon's training." it said.
The young girl frowned. She had no idea there were Fighting / Psychic types, and this one looked like it was going to be a dangerous opponent. And as if that wasn't enough, she would have to deal with that gigantic Hariyama too. The battle was definitely getting harder. "Okay... I guess we need to get the first hit in!" the girl said, looking at Mudkip as he got ready for the second part of the match. Even Max looked wary, and with such an opponent in front of them, she certainly couldn't blame him. "Use Growl, and then Aerial Ace! It won't be able to hold out for long!"
"Mudkip, stay away, and use Growl to weaken them!" Max affirmed, trying to buy time to think of a strategy. Both Pokemon let out a battle growl, trying to lower their opponents' defenses... but once again, Shauna and Brawly appeared unconcerned, and fought back with an unexpected move of their own.
"Let's give them a nice surprise, Meditite! Use Guard Swap!" the blue-haired girl exclaimed. The Psychic / Fighting type Pokemon glared at Spearow and Mudkip, and both Pokemon shuddered as they felt the effects of their own Growl attacks being turned back on them. "How about that? Guard Swap switches any change to the user's defensive abilities, and places them on the target... and the other way round as well!"
"And just to show you what we mean... use Smellingsalt, Hariyama!" Brawly exclaimed.
"Darn... Mudkip, use Water Gun!" Max answered. His Pokemon sprayed a powerful jet of water that struck Hariyama as he launched himself at his opponent... but it was a completely insufficient attack compared to the power of the mighty Hariyama, who reached his opponents and smashed through both of them, slapping them with his enormous hands! Both Mudkip and Spearow were tossed aside and landed in a heap several feet away, in defeat! Poliwrath raised his red flag towards Brawly and Shauba, who turned to each other and gave each other an high-five!
"Well done, master! That was awesome!" Shauna exclaimed, blushing a little at the contact with Brawly's hand.
"That was a nice example of teamwork. That Guard Swap was a real treat!" the young surfer answered. Max and Hilde were in a bit of a bind right now. Two of their Pokemon had been defeated, without even scratching their new opponents. The score was even, and now they had to rely on the Pokemon they had in reserve. However, they were fairly sure they had reasonable chances of winning. Max sent an encouraging glance at his Ralts, while Hilde's Mothim fluttered nimbly in front of her.
"Okay, Ralts, it's time to give it all we've got!" Max answered, recalling Mudkip in his Pokeball. "Well done, Mudkip... you can rest now, you've done a great job!"
"Thanks, Spearow." Hilde said. "Your turn now, Mothim! Be careful, it's a Psychic and Fighting type. Your Bug-type attacks wouldn't be that effective."
"Ralts!"
"Mothmoth!" the two Pokemon inched forward, and once again, it was the more impulsive Hilde to open the fight. "Alright... Mothim, start with Guts on Meditite!"
"Hmm, I can see she knows type matchings..." Shauna murmured to herself, seeing May nodded in approval. Mothim waved his membranous wings, unleashing a burst of wind that unbalanced Meditite and sent him tumbling to the ground... but the Psychic / Fighting type soon got up again.
"Hariyama, use Arm Thrust!" Brawly exclaimed, and the sumo Pokemon charged against Ralts, executing a series of thrusts with his enormous hands...
Ralts frowned slightly and, making use of Max's training, used Teleport to get away from the Arm Thrust attack, leaving Hariyama to swat at thin air, and reappearing behinf him a moment later. "Well done, Ralts! Now, use Confusion!" he ordered, and the small Psychic-type concentrated for a moment and shot a small burst of energy that struck Hariyama in the back, causing him to stumble. He quickly recovered, turned again, and countered with a second Arm Thrust attack, managing to connect once before Ralys could teleport to safety. The small Psychic-type flinched, but managed to stay upright, floating a few inches above the ground.
"Not bad..." Shauna said. "Alright, Meditite, use Confusion on Mothim, and toss him at Ralts!"
The Meditate Pokemon obeyed, and before Mothim could use another Gust attack, he used his psychic power to catch the Bug / Flying type in an invisible lock! As Mothim tried to wriggle free, Meditite telecinetically slammed him against Ralts, sending the both of them to the floor!
"Darn, this isn't going very well..." Hilde commented as the two Pokemon picked themselves up again. Meditite and Hariyama were closing on them, sandwiching them on two sides.
"Okay..." Max murmured. "We need to go for broke now! Ralts, use Calm Mind! We need to get our strength up and unleash it all at the right moment!"
"And you, Mothim... use Roost to recover!" Hitomi ordered. "It might not be much, but better than nothing."
As Ralts concentrated and powered up his attack and defense, Mothim placed himself on the ground and rested a little, regaining what energy he had lost. Hariyama raised a leg, slammed it on the ground, and charged once again, hoping to put an end to the match as soon as possible... but Mothim was faster, approaching Ralts and holding his small hand as Max made a split-second decision.
"Teleport again, Ralts!" Max exclaimed. Meditite tried for another Confusion attack to stop him, but the small Psychic type was faster, and managed to wink out of existence and reappear a little further away, carrying Mothim with himself! Hariyama grunted in annoyance and turned to the place where the two had teleported, seeing Ralts and Mothim soaring in the air, the giant moth holding the former in his legs!
"They can't reach you there!" Hilde exclaimed. "Use Gust once again, Mothim!"
"Ralts, lend a hand with Magical Leaf!" Max ordered. A bunch of leaf-shaped bullets of green energy appeared around Ralts, who tossed them at Hariyama and Meditite just as Mothim unleashed another Gust attack. The two moves combined, and the energy leaves were blown towards the two opponents, delivering a solid hit to the both of them. They managed to remain upright, and Hariyama motioned for Meditite to get closer.
"Their teamwork is quite impressive, too." Brawly commented. "Well, we won't hold back either. Hariyama, toss Meditite upwards!"
"And you, Meditite, get ready to use a point blank Hidden Power!" Shauna continued.
"Ralts, use Double Team to dodge it!" Max ordered, knowing he couldn't continuously count on his Pokemon's teleporting ability. Ralts tried to move away as quickly as possible, leaving a few after-images in his wake in an attempt to confound the two brawlers, but Shauna already had a counter for that.
"Meditite, use Mind Reader too!" the surfer girl ordered. As he climbed on Hariyama's huge hand, the Psychic / Fighting type narrowed his eyes at Ralts and Dustox... then, Hariyama roughly tossed Meditite upwards, towards the challengers' Pokemon, and the smaller Fighting-type created a small aura of energy around his body and expanded it, slamming both his opponents with it, and sending them to the ground!
"No! Mothim!" Hilde exclaimed as her moth Pokemon seemed to be about to crash. Luckily, Ralts teleported to safety and escaped a damaging fall, and Mothim quickly flapped his wings and regain his balance, aiming towards Hariyama this time! "Now! Use Psybeam!"
Mothim screeched and fired a beam of multicolored waves of psychic energy, which hit the unprepared Hariyama head-on and sent him to the ground, creating a small earthquake! Brawly grit her teeth as Ralts turned to Meditite, who was gently floating to the ground and was exposed to a counter.
"Darn... I thought we could take them out with that..." Shauna murmured. A split second later, Ralts' Magical Leaf struck again, sending Meditite to the ground and towards Mothim, who wasn't about to let this chance go to waste.
"Come on, Mothim! Use Gust again!" Hilde exclaimed.
Despite his fatigue, the butterfly-like Pokemon flapped his wings again and unleashed a powerful gust of wind towards Meditite, who couldn't hold out and fell to the ground in exhaustion! However, Mothim himself was too tired to keep fighting, and fell to the ground a moment later, blacking out. Shauna and Hilde were forced to recall their respective Pokemon, leaving Max's Ralts and Brawly's Hariyama as the last ones standing.
"Even after taking a Psybeam, that giant is still going strong..." May commented to herself. After all, she had firsthand knowledge of how dangerous an Hariyama could be. Still, Brawly's Pokemon was beginning to feel the fatigue himself, and the young surfer knew he had to end that battle right then and there. "Alright... to be honest, I didn't think that little Ralts would have given us this much trouble... well, that just means I'll have to use his best attack! Hariyama, use Body Slam!"
The Fighting-type Pokemon placed his hands on his knees, raised his left foot, and stomped it on the floor like a real sumo wrestler before launching himself at Ralts with incredible speed and power! But as soon as Hariyama started to move, Max gave the order!
"Now, use Confusion!" he exclaimed. Ralts' small body was surrounded by a light blue aura as he used his psychic powers to stop Hariyama's Body Slam attack! The massive Fighting-type barreled towards his opponent, trying to trample him with his incredible weight... and Ralts was barely able to stop him, holding him in place with his Confusion attack! Hariyama grunted and began pushing against the Confusion attack with all of his power, trying to reach Ralts and deliver a punishing blow. He managed to step forward a little, pushing the fatigued Ralts to his limit and causing him to fear he would be overpowered!
"Go for it, Ralts! I know you can do it!" Max cheered his Pokemon on. "I'm rooting for you, and you know this! I'm sure that if we met again, it's because we want to get to the top together! And we will!"
"Raaaaaalts!" the Feeling Pokemon exclaimed, putting all he had in that deciding attack... and a second later, his small body was engulfed in a coccoon of white light that left Hilde and the two representatives of Dewform Gym speechless! Hariyama was forced to step back, protecting his eyes with one of his huge hands, as Ralts began changing form before everybody's eyes. Even May seemed to be surprised by what was happening, standing up from her place to watch it... and as soon as the coccon of light faded, in Ralts' place stood a graceful Pokemon floating in midair that appeared to be wearing a white tutu. It had green "hair" that reaches down to its shoulders, and two red horns looking like hairpins, skinny green legs with pointed feet and thin, white arms that only had two fingers each. Once again, it was a Pokemon Max and May knew quite well... but the same couldn't be said for Hilde, who took her Pokedex out once again to check it.
"Kirlia, the Emotion Pokemon. Psychic type. It is said that a Kirlia that is exposed to the positive emotions of its Trainer grows beautiful. This Pokémon controls psychokinetic powers with its highly developed uses the horns on its head to amplify its psychokinetic power. When the Pokémon uses its power, the air around it becomes distorted, creating mirages of nonexistent scenery."
"That's fantastic, Ralts... I mean, Kirlia!" Max exclaimed. "We got this in the bag now! Use Confusion, again!"
Brawly and Shauna knew all too well that they had lost whatever advantage they had... and the stalemate that had taken place was shattered, going in the newly evolved Kirlia's favor. The massive Hariyama bellowed in surprise as he was lifted in the air and tossed upwards... but Kirlia was not done, as he teleported above his opponent, sending yet another burst of mental energy, hitting him head-on and sending him to crash on the ground near Brawly. A large cloud of dust was kicked up from the place where Hariyama had fallen, and Max's new Pokemon calmly floated down, while Hariyama placed a hand on the ground and struggled to stand up.
But he stopped in surprise when Brawly reached out to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, conngratulating him for having done his best even if he had lost. "It's okay, Hariyama. Thanks anyway. You did your best, and these kids were quite a handful! Wouldn't you agree, Shauna?"
"Yeah..." the blue-haired girl answered, even though she sounded a little disappointed from the defeat. "Sure, it was a bit of a pity to lose like this. But Max and Hilde did a good job, and surprassed us. We need to congratulate them and their Pokemon, and I'm sure the referee here agrees with us."
"WRATH!" Brawly's Poliwrath nodded, raising his white flag and pointing it at the challengers, declaring them the winners.
"Awesome job, Ralts... I mean, Kirlia! Man, I really need to get in the habit of calling you that from now on." he exclaimed as he hugged his newly-evolved Pokemon, with May clapping her hands from the sidelines. The Psychic type seemed to smile, and made a friendship gesture with his hand.
"Kirrrrr..." he said. Max turned to Hilde, and saw her giving him one of her rare smiles, a hand raised up and two fingers making a victory sign.
"And thanks to you too, Hilde! Thatwas a great victory, and we achieved it together!" he congratulated her.
"My pleasure, Max." she answered simply. "But don't get too happy about that. This battle was useful to me to see your battle style and catch on to your weaknesses. And you can be certain that I'll be the one to wn in our next match."
Max smiled confidently. "Really? Well, Ralts... I mean, Kirlia... and I won't be sitting on our hands waiting for you to do that!"
"Kirrrrr!"
May rolled her eyes and chuckled. She had a feeling Hilde would have answered like that...
oooooooooo
"There you go, kids... these badges will testify your brilliant victory." Brawly said as he delivered two Knuckle Badges to the challengers that had defeated both him and Shauna, under a warm spring sun. Max and Hilde took their badges with gratitude, before Shauna flipped her ponytail back and questioned them both.
"Well, I guess you'll be back on your journey now." she affirmed. "There are still many Pokemon to capture and many opponents to face, before you can qualify for this year's Hoenn Championship! And I hope you're ready to face any obstacle, because you certainly won't lack them in your journey."
"We know, Shauna. We had some pretty nasty encounters already." May answered, thinking of Team Vicious once again. She doubted those criminals had just given up, and in fact, she was asking herself whether that Demitri guy they had handed to the police had spilled some beans by now. "And I guess Max and Hilde will take different ways now, and train their own Pokemon in different ways."
"Exactly." Hilde stated nonchalantly after placing her Knuckle Badge in the appropriate case. The excitement of victory faded, the girl had returned to her usual aloof expression... though the Maple siblings felt she was a little more open now. "I have to admit it was fun to train alongside you. But I'll be carrying on by myself for nw. So, Max, you better not fall behind."
"Took the words right outta my mouth." Max answered, adjusting his glasses. "And I'm pretty sure we'll meet sooner than you think."
"I'll be ready anyway." Hilde concluded, smiling slightly. "For now, I wish you a safe journey. Thanks, and catch you later!"
"Likewise, Hilde! Good luck!" May waved at the retreating Hilde for the last time, as she walked along the narrow road going back to the beach, towards the Pokemon Center, in order to get her Spearow and Mothim fixed up.
"She's one cool customer, that Hilde girl." Brawly commented. "It was a pleasure to face her as well in this Double Battle. I'm sure you and her will be going places, Max."
Another day was over, and it was time to retreat, and think of what was going to happen next...
oooooooooo
TO BE CONTINUED...