In this chapter, time for the battles to really get started! Will Ayame, Will, and Reiner be able to fight off their opponents? Will Sango and Aidan be able to get away and get help? Or will the volcano erupt, and destroy them all? Well, hopefully not that one. Review!
KedharS: Hopefully so.
Hellraiserphoenix: Well, Blake will keep trying. Hopefully, Caelia will get the message.
Seamitar X: Quarantine helps me have nothing to do. But even then, it only takes a few hours to write a chapter.
JoshGamerV: We're about to find out.
Aakareo Kokokuhikari: Yes, Ayame can fight, she's just not used to it. And yes, it was the same Charmander that is now her partner Charizard. It's a complicated relationship that will be explored in more detail later on.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 149
Sango watched helplessly as the plateau was shaking, glancing worryingly at Ayame.
"Sango… Aidan…" Ayame said, reaching down to her belt and removing a pokeball. "You two get going. You need to get up the mountain and contact the teachers."
"What?! No!" Aidan said, shaking his head. "We aren't just going to leave you here!"
"Yes, you are!" Ayame barked, glaring at him. "You fuckers move, got it?!"
"She's right!" Sango cried, tears in her eyes. "Aidan, we need to go!"
"You guys are rangers," Will said, putting his hand on Aidan's shoulder, glaring at the three trainers threatening them. "Your pokemon aren't suited for fighting. You rangers focus on protecting the mountain, and let us handle taking on these guys, okay?"
"But Ayame isn't a battler either…" Sango said worriedly.
"Hah, I've learned a few tricks in my time!" Ayame laughed. "Don't count us seniors out so easily, even Caretakers! Members of the Empress's Faction aren't all as incompetent at pokemon battles as the boss is."
She threw her pokeball into the air, and from it, six small round pokemon emerged, the group gathering together in front of her in a phalanx formation.
"Links!" Ayame's Falinks growled, pointing their shields at the Camerupt.
"Bring it on, little missy," Ayame said, smiling. Alk glared at her, her harmonia flaring up.
"Troops, time for a good first impression!" Ayame ordered, the Falinks charging at the large cow pokemon and striking at it in formation, battering at the large pokemon from all sides with their shields.
"Well since Alk's handling the tall girl…" Rui batted her eyelashes at Reiner, smiling. "…I guess that means it's me and you, cutie! Let me introduce you to Val!"
Rui threw a pokeball into the air, which a large pokemon resembling a turtle emerged from. The pokemon's body was made of ice, and it somewhat resembled a big, lumbering iceberg. The Avalugg let out a roar, but not one that intimidated Reiner, at any rate.
"Scipio, go," Reiner said, sending out his trusty Armaldo to fight the ice pokemon.
"So, I guess that leaves me with what's leftover, huh?" Rast said, glancing at Will, hardly impressed by what he saw.
"Sorry to be a disappointment," Will scowled, narrowing his eyes at the other boy.
"Not a bit!" Rast laughed, removing a pokeball from his belt. "A battle's a battle! Feran! Tear them to shreds!" Rast sent out a large blue crocodile pokemon standing on its hind legs. Large red spines went up and down its back and its jaws opened wide, the Feraligatr growling threateningly at Will.
"Go, Ness," Will said, sending out his Lapras.
"A water type user yourself, huh?" Rask smiled, his eyes flashing excitedly.
"We've got this, Sango, Aidan, you two get going," Ayame called over her shoulder.
Sango grabbed Aidan by the hand and ran toward the winding path up the mountain, an action that didn't go unnoticed by Alk and her Camerupt.
"Moomin, don't let them escape," Alk shouted, her hair standing on end. The mountain began shaking, nearly tripping up Sango and Aidan as they ran. Cracks began to rip open in the ground, waves of earth and stone shooting towards the two.
"Troops! Defensive formation!" Ayame ordered. Her Troops ran in front of the attack, three lining up and then two standing atop them, with the leader on the top of the pyramid. They held their shields up, their bodies hardening, creating a barrier of light in front of them. The stones buckled against the iron defense attack, much to Alk's frustration.
"Keep going," Ayame said, running between the two rangers and their pursuers. "Troops! Hold the line! Use no retreat!"
"Links!" The Troops shouted out, holding up their shields. In the face of a foe they couldn't flee from, their stats rose in accordance to fight on until the very end.
"Moomin, use earth power," Alk ordered.
"Crap!" Sango exclaimed, the ground beneath their feet beginning to shake, light boiling up from below.
"No!" Aidan shouted, turning back to Sango in shock.
"Ah, fuck!" Ayame hit Sango in the back with her shoulder, knocking her forwards. Sango crashed into Aidan and the two picked themselves up as the ground beneath Ayame erupted in a blast of rock and fire.
"AYAME!" Sango exclaimed, turning back from the start of the path. Ayame hit the ground hard, blood trickling from her mouth. Her shirt was ripped open and large, dark blotches had begun to appear on her stomach. Her arms were also rather badly cut open.
"Don't worry!" Ayame coughed, glaring at the two. "Get goin' ya little shits!"
"Sango!" Aidan grabbed Sango by the hand and pulled her forward, the two rangers running up the path. Silver glanced behind him, as worried as his partner, but floated after Sango all the same.
"Heh… there we go…" Ayame coughed, rolling over. She leaned back against the mountain face, holding her stomach in pain. Her Troops gathered in front of her in a defensive formation. "Mission complete… they got away safely… sorry to break it to you, little missy…"
"Getting in my way…!" Alk's expression was twisted with anger, her Camerupt mirroring her expression. He stamped his feet in frustration, sending tremors down through the mountain.
"How pointless," Alk said, shaking her head. "Taking wounds like that! I don't understand! Why!? WHY?! Why did you get in my way?! Just let me stop them… big brother, I-"
"Well, you seem a little angry, little missy," Ayame coughed. Ouch, just laughing hurt. "Not used to not having your way?"
"Big brother said… needed to stop them, gotta stop them…" Alk muttered, her eyes flashing angrily. "Moomin, make her pay!"
"You just don't get it," Ayame coughed, shaking her head. "I ain't letting you hurt those two, now that they're safe… I don't give a damn. …But I ain't just letting you get me, either! Troops! Rock slide!"
The Falinks raised their shields and pushed forward, sending a wave of rocks at the Camerupt, countering the pokemon's quakes. The rocks absorbed the force of the shockwaves, and the Falinks charged at the large orange pokemon.
"Don't get it… sacrificing… yourself for someone else… stupid!" Alk growled. "MOOMIN! Lava plume!"
"CAMERUPT!" Her Camerupt, Moomin, roared, stomping the ground. Magma erupted from the small volcanos on his back, the attacks flying around Alk without causing her any harm, raining boiling rock upon the small group of fighting pokemon. The Troops raised their shields up to protect themselves as they advanced on the larger pokemon, withstanding the fire attack as well as they could.
"Hey… little missy…" Ayame coughed. "You speak… with your pokemon, ain't that right?"
"What?" Alk snapped, glaring at her.
"You got any… human friends?" Ayame asked. "Or just that brother of yours?"
"…" Alk snarled at Ayame, who smirked.
"I don't mind getting hurt to protect my friends… Sango… she's a sweet girl… and the boy I love… she's one of his best friends. If anything were to happen to her…"
Ayame smiled.
"Just thinking of how much that'd hurt makes a little pain like this seem like a breeze, little missy. Besides, if Sango and that kid get away safely, that's game over for whatever you guys are planning. Just gotta hold out until then… yeah…"
Ayame's eyes felt rather heavy. It seemed like she'd sustained a lot more damage than she thought. She nodded happily, bursts of darkness spraying across her vision as she tried to keep from nodding off.
Ah, fuck… this shit is a lot worse than I thought… Ayame could feel her consciousness slipping away. Those freshmen… they're still fighting, and I'm giving in here… I really am… a shitty chaperone… fuck…
Assuming her last moments were coming upon her, Ayame pictured something that would make her smile.
Hey, Blake. Sorry… guess we didn't get to say goodbye… least I got a last kiss from ya last night before I went… Still, I had a bunch more dates I wanted to go on with you… a bunch more kissing I wanted to do with you… I wanted to see that smile of yours that makes me go floaty… one more time, at least… Pity you weren't here to see it, but I protected those two like a senior's supposed to… I was so damn heroic you'da fallen head over heels for me, I'll bet… Ayame smiled, her eyes closing in contentment. But I'm glad you aren't… if only to keep you safe… if you were here, you'd come running in like a big old idiot, trying to save me… and we both know I'm fool enough for the both of us. Hope you and Caelia get to safety… hope you and that lonely girl you're looking after… you treat her as good as me, and I bet she'll love you forever, yeah. …Ah, gotta apologize to Olivia, too, before I go… sorry boss, but I won't be able to help you… thanks for everything... I love you… And sorry little guys… I can't even call you back… stay safe… maybe she'll let you go after… after…
"Crap, Ayame," Reiner said, glancing at the unconscious senior.
"Looking at other girls?" Rui huffed. "That's no good! Val, show him what happens when he treats us so coldly!"
"Av!" Her Avalugg, Val, roared, ice gathering on the flat top of her body, creating a torrent of ice that fell in an avalanche towards Reiner's Armaldo.
"Scipio!" Reiner cried.
"Arm!" Scipio winced, enduring the barrage of ice with his tough shell, his powerful defenses protecting him as he advanced toward the Avalugg. Fortunately, the hot environment reduced the damage of the ice attacks, allowing him to move forward without too much harm.
"Scipio, use rock polish and then take her down with metal claw," Reiner ordered. Light began to shine across Scipio's claws, and he scraped them across his shell to lighten his weight and increase his speed. He charged through the melting snow at the bulky ice pokemon, raising his claw.
The Avalugg opened her mouth and fired a beam of ice at Scipio, who tilted down and dodged under it, raising his claw up and striking at the pokemon's tough, icy exterior with a powerful attack. But Scipio's strike could not even crack the pokemon's tough shell.
"Arm!" Scipio gasped in shock, confused by the lack of damage.
"Sorry to say, but as flirty as I might be, I don't let down my defenses that easily," Rui winked, blowing Reiner a kiss. "If you want us to fall for you, you've got to be more attentive to detail than that!"
Reiner rolled his eyes. He had already made it pretty damn clear that he had a girlfriend, and Nikita was a lot more fun to be around than this bizarre flirty girl. She was really starting to get on his nerves.
That pokemon's defense is incredibly tough… Reiner frowned, considering his options. Let's see if her special defenses are just as capable of withstanding our assault…
"Scipio, get back! Then, use ancientpower!"
"Armaldo!" Scipio nodded, skidding away from the large ice pokemon as the Avalugg dropped another avalanche on the spot he had been standing. Scipio raised his claws, light glowing around the rocky debris littering the ground from Ayame's fight, and infused the stones with ancient energy. The stones floated up into the air, and barraged the bulky pokemon.
"No, Val!" Rui wailed, but her coy smile never faded. "That was some damage! But you haven't melted my icy heart just yet! Now that we've stored up some power… time for the real avalanche to come!"
"AVALUGG!" Val roared, stomping the ground, a massive column of ice and snow building up on her body. She sent it crashing in a massive wave toward Scipio, burying him underneath.
"I don't have harmonia like these two," Rui sighed, shaking her head, "so I have to use every trick in the book in order to win."
She winked at Reiner again.
"We're still a tough matchup, wouldn't you say, cutie?"
"Scipio," Reiner called out. "Are you okay?!"
"Armaldo!" Scipio burst out of the ice, panting. He picked himself up, and charged at the Avalugg again. This time, though, the ice and snow was impeding his progress. The last attack had been much more powerful than the ones that came before, and the snow was melting far slower, slowing him down.
"Now that we've got you where we want you… Val! Use surf!"
"A water move?!" Reiner exclaimed, the ice turning to water and surging toward Scipio, washing over him in a powerful tidal wave.
"Rock types don't like water much," Rui giggled. "You should have been aware of what happens when you try and melt a young maiden's heart!"
Reiner twitched in irritation.
"Scipio might be weak to water… but he's no stranger to it," Reiner said, smiling.
"Eh?"
"Scipio, go forward!" Reiner shouted. Scipio lowered his head against the rush of water, and shot forwards, plowing through the waves at high speed. He emerged from the waves, covered in a veil of water.
"A rock type that likes water? Now that's a surprise," Rast said, glancing at the rock pokemon using an aqua jet attack. "Rui, careful!"
"I know!" Rui shouted back at him. "We-"
"Brine," Reiner ordered, Scipio opening his claws, the water around his body surging off. A torrent of water rained down on the Avalugg, Val crying out in pain from the massive damage the water did to her already weakened hide.
"Not bad, not bad," Rui purred, her red lips curling up into a smile. "But not good enough, either. Trying to beat us with water won't work! Val, recover!"
Val roared, a blast of cold air erupting out from her body. The water covering her began to freeze, filling in the dents and cracks on her icy body, recovering her health.
"So because her body is made out of ice, she can freeze water to heal herself, too," Reiner said, frowning. "That's annoying."
"Why do you want to end things so early?" Rui huffed, blowing him another kiss. "We're just getting started, cutie!"
"Lucky boy, Reiner," Will scoffed. "Getting the attention of such a cute girl. And meanwhile…"
"Sorry to disappoint," Rast laughed, his Feraligatr swinging its powerful claws to strike at Ness. Because they were on land, Ness's mobility was severely hindered. "I've got my own way of doing things! Feran! Beat her down with superpower!"
"Feraligatr!" Feran roared, raising his claws, energy coursing through his body to maximize his power. He lunged at Ness, the water pokemon unable to avoid the attack, forcing her to do the only thing she could in the situation.
"Lapras!" Ness cried, opening her mouth, a blast of draconic energy shooting out. The dragon pulse hit the ground beneath Feran's feet, throwing off his strike, while at the same time propelling Ness out of the way.
"Not bad, not bad!" Rast cackled, his eyes flaring as Feran's strength boosted. "But a water pokemon like that is worthless on land! That's why you need to use one like this!"
"I didn't choose Ness for her mobility," Will snapped. "Ness! Life dew!"
"Lapras!" Ness cried, sending a blast of glowing water up into the air. The water fell over her body, as well as Scipio and Troops as well, restoring some of their health.
"I don't much care for others," Will frowned, "but in this circumstance we all need to take care of each other. Now, Ness! Confuse ray!"
This guy has harmonia… I remember in Elaina's matches, she was disabled with confusion before… If we can do the same…
An eerily glowing light disoriented Feran, causing him to stumble slightly. Rast held his forehead in frustration, narrowing his eyes.
"Feran!" Rast shouted. Feran quickly regained his senses, charging at Ness.
"What?!" Will gasped, shocked.
"I don't know what you think you're doing, but you can't beat a powerful harmonia user with tactics like that!" Rast smiled. "Instead of confounding our senses… we can clear our pokemon's minds quite easily!"
"So confusion won't work… in that case, we'll have to do something else! Ness, use surf!"
"Lapras!" Ness raised her head and cried, water swirling around her body and forming a massive tidal wave that she surfed atop, coasting towards the large Feraligatr.
"Using a water move, eh? Ridiculous! Feran!"
"Feraligatr!" Feran roared, his power surging. He raised his claws, and sliced down, sending blades of water that struck the tidal wave, parting it. Ness fell out of the sky, and Feran leapt towards her, raising his claw and striking her in the face with a powerful superpower attack, slamming her down into the ground.
"Lap…" Ness whimpered, raising her head shakily.
"Finish her off," Rast ordered. Feran landed on the ground and stalked towards the prone pokemon, raising his claws threateningly.
"Ness!" Will cried out.
"Lap…" Ness raised her head to glare shakily at Feran, opening her mouth.
Will smiled.
"We've still got that one!" Will shouted. "Freeze-dry!"
"Lapras!" Ness cried, sending a blast of freezing air out of her mouth, the icy wind swirling toward the large water pokemon.
"An ice move?" Rast laughed. "That won't do a damn!"
"Feral!" Feran laughed, charging into the icy winds without caring.
"Oh, Rast, you idiot," Rui scoffed.
"Eh?" Rast shivered, crossing his arms over his chest. It suddenly grew very cold, even though the air around him was hot.
"Fer?" Something was wrong, Feran could tell that much. The cold… it was unbearable! The water covering his body… it was starting to freeze!
"Freeze-dry isn't any normal ice move," Will smirked. "It's an ice move that's super-effective against water type pokemon! You can thank Gabrielle Breaux for that one, Feraligatr!"
Rast shivered, the cold becoming overwhelming as Feran was covered in ice, frozen solid.
"He's been handled for now," Will cried. "Ness, use life dew again. We've got to keep our strength up!"
"Lapras!" Ness nodded, her healing water recovering her health and the health of her teammates.
This battle… we just need to hold out until help comes… Will glanced at Ayame. Hopefully, whoever comes… they'll be able to take care of her… we just need to wait a little longer…
This battle is going to be a tough one! Hopefully the three of them will be able to defeat these strangers, or at the very least, hold out long enough to wait for the reinforcements.