Chapter Forty-two: Focused
The Next Step
It was very warm in the small room between the fields. The door that leads to Daisy was closed, and the door that leads to the next Elite was right in front of me. I used a potion on Spiritomb. She was handy, and I needed her fight-ready. I was leaving Thumper fainted, saving my Revives for later.
I took a deep breath and walked through the door. This field was brown, and the floor was dirt. In one corner there was a murky pool, and in another there was a tree. The walls were covered in vines and mud splatters. Grass grew out of the ceiling. That was odd, but a neat touch. On the other side of the field, a lady stood. She walked over to me. She was gently smiling. Not the warm, gentle smile like Grandmothers, but a nice smile. She had grey hair, yet only a few wrinkles, and she wore a lab coat with what looked like hiking ware. "I am Bertha. Your next opponent. I may seem like an old lady, but I'm Pastoria born and raised, straight from the muck. With roots like that, you can fend for yourself. I've been training Ground Types since before you were even thought about, and I know how to use my team." She spoke with careful clarity, and not any fancy accents. I knew I would like her.
"Alright then, let's get started." I said. No need to introduce myself. We went to our sides of the field, and Bertha released her first weapon.
"Gastrodon, fight!" A large, pink and brown slug came out. It had three eyes, two in the regular place and one on its forehead, and had six slug legs that stuck out of its body. It looked tired and weak. But you never judge a book by its cover.
Ground and Water Type, I had the best Pokémon for that. "Roserade, let's go!" My Grass Type came out, and posed elegantly. She turned her head and looked at me. I nodded to her.
"Hidden Power!" Bertha commanded, her voice shaking a bit. Much like Grandmothers did when she raised her voice. The opponent breathed in deep, you could hear it snort from across the field, and it lit up. When it breathed out, a huge ball of light shot to Roserade. It was so fast; if you blinked you would have missed it. Roserade crashed to the floor. The first of many falls, I presumed.
"Magical Leaf." I shouted. She jumped up, and as quickly as she jumped up, leaves swirled around her, then were gashing Gastrodon.
"Muddy Water!" The foe shook off the leaves, and they disappeared as they floated to the ground. The slug opened his mouth, and you could see goop form in it.
"Mega Drain." Roserade focused, and the goop in Gastrodon's mouth overflowed and spilled at its…Feet things. Then it fell on its side; cringing with pain. Roserade was pleased with herself.
"Recover!" Gastrodon immediately got back up, and light surrounded it. You could see that it was replenishing its health.
"Break its concentration!" I yelled. Roserade quickly went into action, meeting the Pokémon and readying herself to slam into it. But the rival created a huge bubble around him, and Roserade ran into the bubble and was pushed backwards a few feet. Then reality hit me in the face, I was in a very serious battle. I had to step way up.
"Toxic." I commanded. The bubble broke, and the foe came back to the game. Roserade lunged forward and touched Gastrodon with two purple arms. It gaged and looked like it would vomit. It was poisoned. Then, Roserade swirled her arms, and lots of leaves, flowers, petals and thorns spun around the two of them. She was using Petal Dance. I had almost forgotten she even knew that move, I was very happy she decided to step way up too. The petals and leaves and smashed into Gastrodon. It fell to the ground, and Roserade ran back to me.
"Body Slam." Bertha yelled. Gastrodon didn't wait a second, it jumped up and dashed over to Roserade. Without stopping, it slammed into Roserade. The opponent was so fast, Roserade didn't even try to dodge. They both fell to the ground.
"Mega Drain." While lying there, Roserade sucked the last bit of energy right out of the foe. Gastrodon cried out, threw up purple poison, and then fainted.
Bertha simply nodded. She returned her Pokémon and grabbed another ball. I kept Roserade out, she was vital for this battle. She looked in pretty good shape, not close to fainting. "Golem, let's fight well." The huge rock came out. It was the final evolution of Geodude, and you could tell.
"Magical Leaf." I commanded. Roserade shot the large group of leaves over to the foe, Golem roared when the sharp ends left slashes in his rock body. He lifted up his hands to show his inches-long claws.
"Stone Edge." Bertha looked like she was deep in thought. I wondered what I looked like. Probably surprised and confused. Golem sprinted to Roserade and leapt upward, he held his right arm up as he jumped, and it transformed into a huge rock. He brought it down hard on Roserade, she fell to the ground.
"Mega Drain." She needed that extra bit of life. She quickly had Golem on the ground, roaring and wincing. Her face was sagging somewhat, but it morphed into its usual form. She gained energy from the foe.
"Earthquake." Bertha called. Uh oh. That won't go over well with Roserade, Mega Drain or not. I thought. Golem focused, an earthquake erupted under Roserade's feet. She flopped around, crying the whole time. I worried.
"Roserade, we have to step up." I had no other way to communicate, I had to say it. Roserade nodded, and hope flickered inside of me. "Petal Dance." She swung her arms, seeming worried herself, and shot them all and Golem fell to the ground with a roar. It was super effective. Then her arms turned purple, and she hit Golem. That didn't do anything but make him vomit poison. At least that was something.
"Rock Blast." The rival jumped up, held his hand up, and rocked formed and shot to Roserade. She jumped out of the way for three blasts, but the last one hit her hard.
"Magical Leaf." I was panicked. I couldn't afford to have another Pokémon faint. Roserade started to use Petal Dance, instead of Magical Leaf. That was a smart move. She hit Golem, and he fell to the ground hard and hid eyes rolled back in his rock head.
Bertha didn't respond. She grabbed another ball. I returned Roserade, knowing she was close to fainting. Very close. I chose my next Pokémon, the obvious choice, Milotic.
"Rhyperior, let's win." The huge, bipedal rhino came out. He roared, and he made me shiver. This may not go very smoothly.
"Milotic, take them down!" She came out of the ball, looking as huge and magnificent as ever.
"Take Down." Bertha shouted. The huge opponent slammed into Milotic, both of them hitting the ground, and both of them taking damage.
"Aqua Ring." Milotic surrounded herself with three rings of water, it would replenish her health after every hit. The water disappeared. "Aqua Tail." Her tail became translucent water, and she slammed it on the foe. He fell over and quickly got up.
"Earthquake." Rhyperior started an earthquake under Milotic, and she cried out in pain. "Horn Attack." He stopped the earthquake, and ran like a bull with his horn pointed at my Pokémon. He collided with her, and she screamed out. Then, the water ring appeared, and you could tell her health had been replenished.
"Hydro Pump." I commanded. The foe had fallen on top of her, but when she used Hydro Pump, she blew him off and across the field.
"Take Down." He jumped up, he was so mad there was steam coming out of his mouth. He took off across the field and hit Milotic, they crashed to the ground again.
"Aqua Tail." Milotic lifted her watery tail and slammed it back down, but Rhyperior swiftly dodged the attack.
"Earthquake." He used the move perfectly. My Pokémon was flopping around like the fish she really was. She screeched; I knew she was taking a rough hit. And there was nothing I could do. I looked at Bertha, I couldn't read her face. She was still in thought. I tried to mimic that look. Aqua Ring activated; Milotic sighed with relief.
"Twister." I called. Milotic slithered in the air and other to the rival, where she slithered around him quickly. Then, a tornado started, and Rhyperior was lifted into the air. He squirmed and yelled. "Hydro Pump." Milotic used Hydro Pump while he was in the tornado, and knocked him out of it just as the twister dispersed.
"Stone Edge." The foe was blistering mad. He shot up and over to my Pokémon. He used the move like a charm, and she crashed to the floor. It took her everything to get back up. Aqua Ring restored some energy, and I knew she could fight on.
"Aqua Tail." Milotic smashed her tail, and gallons of water, on Rhyperior. He fell to the ground with a bang, and he stood up slowly. It was only a matter of time until he fell.
"Horn Attack." The opponent knocked Milotic to my feet, and then he tackled her, using Take Down. Milotic cried out, and he big eyes locked with mine. A large tornado formed, and Rhyperior was flung off of her, and he fell to the ground. He was down for the count. Aqua Ring appeared, and it replenished her energy, but that was the last of the water.
Bertha sighed as she returned her Pokémon. "You're doing well, child. You have toughness as your ally, but not strategy. Yet, you're still prevailing!" She shook her head. She pulled another Pokémon. "Hippowdon, go!" A huge hippo Pokémon came out. He was brown and tan, with holes covering his body and sand spilling out of them.
"Milotic, use Aqua Ring." She created the water rings around her. "Water Pulse." Water appeared in thin air and smacked the foe across the face.
"Crunch!" The rival leapt up and over to my Pokémon, he opened his huge mouth and bit down on Milotic's snake body. She squirmed in his mouth. "Earthquake." Bertha called. Hippowdon let Milotic go, and she fell flat on the ground, rumbling around.
"Aqua Tail!" Once the quake stopped, Milotic slammed her tail against the foe.
"Stone Edge." Hippowdon's eyes narrowed, and then rocks plummeted down on top of my Pokémon. A saw Aqua Ring take effect.
"Twister." Milotic spun up a tornado that stopped the rocks, and she pushed it to the opponent. The huge Hippowdon was lift into the air, caught in the wind. Then, she used Hydro Pump, making it a critical hit on top of that.
"Crunch." Bertha commanded; she wasn't very happy…Well, at least that's what I thought. The rival jumped up, but my Pokémon quickly avoided the move, and water slapped the foe to the ground.
"Aqua Tail!" Milotic's scales turned to water, and she used the move once again. She pushed Hippowdon across the field. He stood up slowly. I knew he was about to end.
"Earthquake!" Bertha yelled. Milotic started to flop, but the quake didn't last long, and Aqua Ring replenished some of her health.
"Water Pulse!" I shouted. Milotic slapped Hippowdon across the face with water, and he was down for the count.
Bertha returned her last Pokémon. She had an emotionless expression, either that or I couldn't read her expression. I returned Milotic and met Bertha on the other side. "Your strength is impressive. How can you rely on strength only?" She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. Your next opponent relies only on strength, as well. You'll need strategy to outwit him. He's egotistic, though. But I'm sure you'll prevail." She smiled.
"Thank you." I matched her smile. "Is there anything you could tell me about the other Elite? Or Lea?"
She thought. "Draken, the last one, is the newest to join us. Ellory just got the boot, and was replaced with Draken the other day. Lea's kept him away from us. No one knows anything about him. As for the Champion…He's a Dark Type trainer, with a few others up his sleeve. But he takes battling very seriously, especially this battle. His strategies change. I'm sorry, but that's all I know." Bertha shrugged. "Lea keeps away from us. He doesn't think of us as well as Annie did."
"Thanks." I walked into the in-between room. I took a deep breath. Strategy. That's going to be a challenge. I thought. I thought about my Pokémon, I was purposely not doing anything with Roserade and Milotic. They weren't fainted, but they were too close to fight with. But I was taking my chances by betting that there would be a different Type trainer behind that door. I walked up to it; it slid up into the ceiling.
I stepped in. The room was captivating. The walls were painted a bright yellow, and the ground was painted in black lines. There was a chandelier hanging in the middle, and electricity bounced around the pipes and coils that constructed the light. The floor was metal, and I noticed that the walls were also metal; just painted. Electricity buzzed up and down and all around the walls. They were quick flashes in some places, and continuous patterns in other. On one of the walls, the electricity spelled the word "Victory." It was very neat. The door across the room opened, and a man strolled in. He wore a yellow and black costume of sorts. The pants flared out in some places, and so did the coordinating jacket. His hair was black with yellow streaks, and spiked completely up. He wore dark shaded glasses and a huge grin.
"Greetings, Cynthia! Electro is my name, and Electric Types is my game!" He chuckled. "I have to be honest, I didn't think you'd beat Old Lady. Surprise, surprise, huh?" He chuckled again. "Yeah. Let's battle it up." We took our sides. I readied my Pokéball, and he readied his. "Luxray, let's go!" The large cat came out and growled. He opened his mouth, revealing large dagger-like teeth. This Luxray was muscly; you could see the strength it held.
"Put up a good fight, Lucario!" Lucario came out and put her paws out in front of her. She looked as nervous as I felt. I wish I could tell her it would be okay, but I had a hunch Electro couldn't tell we were nervous anyway. I had gathered enough to know Electro wasn't the observant type.
"Thunder." Luxray looked up at the ceiling, and then electricity exploded from his body. The electricity traveled—so quickly—over to my Pokémon, and collided with her. She was hit in the stomach, and was pushed to the ground. She yelped, and then got up.
"Bone Rush!" I commanded. Lucario held up her right paw and sprinted towards the opponent. The blue bone appeared, and she whipped it around and released it. It flew and knocked Luxray in the head, making him stumbled forward, then the 'bone' came back to Lucario's paw, and she slammed it into the foes body again. Making him fall to the floor.
Luxray growled and pounced at Lucario. They fell to the floor, and my Pokémon kicked the Electric Type off. "Crunch." Luxray pounced again and sunk his teeth into Lucario's arm. She winced and punched the rival in the face. He let go and hissed.
"Close Combat." Lucario tackled Luxray, and they rolled around the floor hissing and growling; punching and kicking. Soon, Luxray pushed my Pokémon across the field.
"Hyper Beam." Electro shouted. Luxray focused, and then a beam of light poured out of him. The light engrossed Lucario; she squirmed and fell to the ground.
"Bone Rush." I needed to get her back up. Lucario called the ghostly bone, and held it against the light. The light was deflected, and Luxray stopped. My Pokémon jumped up and ran to the foe, she slammed the bone against Luxray and sent her a few feet away.
"Crunch." Electro yelled. Luxray got up and pounced, he bit Lucario on the leg and pulled it out from under her, making Lucario fall on her back. "Thunder." Luxray let go, then lightning bolts zapped Lucario. She screamed and flopped around on the floor.
"Aura Sphere." The lightning stopped, and Lucario leapt up instantly. She went down on one knee, put her palms together, and the light formed in her hands. It shot out and collided with Luxray, pushing him to the other wall and making him slam against it.
"Thunderfang." Luxray wasn't happy when he got up. He sprinted over to my Pokémon and sunk his teeth in her once again. This time, Lucario slammed to the ground, and there was a black mark on her arm.
"Close Combat." I commanded. Lucario tackled the rival, and they started knowing at each other and scratching and punching each other. "Bone Rush." Lucario got up, pulling Luxray up with one paw, and threw him across the field. With her extended arm she called the bone, and she threw it while running. It knocked Luxray, then found its way back to Lucario's paw. She whaled it on the foe, and he was down for the count.
Electro bit his lip and returned his fainted Pokémon. He grabbed his next Pokémon. "Raichu, show her that Electric Type's overrule!" The evolved form of Pikachu came out. This one was bigger and taller than Volkner's, which made me worry slightly.
"Bone Rush!" I called. Lucario repeated the last move. She threw the bone, it knocked Raichu over, it came back to her just in time for her to whip it around and knock the Pokémon across the field.
"Hyper Beam." Electro called. Raichu's eyes glossed over, and light shot out of him. I put my arm over my eyes. Thunderbolt!" I moved my arm just as the light dispersed. Raichu scrunched up and roared, and a large bolt hit Lucario and sent her into the air, and smashing into the ground. Raichu slumped to his side and was taking raspy breaths. Double hits made him tired.
"Aura Sphere!" Lucario jumped up and the ball of light shot to the opponent. Raichu was knocked the floor. Electro yelled something just as I did. "Close Combat." My Pokémon found the fallen Raichu and attack him. Raichu hardly fought back.
"Thunder!" Electro commanded. Electricity shot out of the Pokémon and Lucario was pushed away from him. She stood up slowly and shook her body.
"Bone Rush." I yelled. She snapped back and slammed the bone into the foe. Raichu fell to his owners' feet. Electro looked at him and made a growling sound.
"Quick Attack." He screamed at his Pokémon. Raichu stumbled up and sprinted to Lucario. If you blinked, you would have missed it. He tackled my Pokémon, both of them falling to the floor. "Hyper Beam!" Raichu, still on the ground, used the move. The light covered Lucario. I couldn't see anything of her. The light stopped rather quickly, and Raichu looked close to fainting. He gasped for breath.
"Metal Claw, quickly!"
"Raichu, Thunder!" Electro tried to counter the move, but Raichu was too weak. Lucario sliced a nail down the rival's stomach, and Raichu's eyes rolled back in his head. Electro growled and returned his Pokémon.
"Magnezone, let's show her who's victorious!" Electro released another one. This one was a huge robot of sorts. It had three eyes, one large one of its main body part, and two other on its other parts to its sides. If you looked at him the right way, it looked like a robotic head and two arms coming out of the sides. It had big magnets as hands. This would be somewhat of a challenge.
I took a deep breath and returned Lucario. She was too close to fainting. I couldn't afford to have her faint. I grabbed my other Pokémon who would be any help. "Garchomp, I choose you." My Pokémon came out. Her Dragon eyes cut to me, then to the opponent. I didn't know what she was thinking, but I knew we could take him.
"Discharge!" Electro's voice was loud and confident. It intimidated me, to be honest. I wasn't that confident. What am I feeling? That wall inside me that was hiding my feelings was up and strong, and I wasn't going to take it down now. Electricity exploded from the foe. It covered Garchomp, and she stood tall; unaffected completely. Electro swore, and then grunted. I smirked.
"Dig." I commanded. Now I was the confident one. Garchomp jumped up, and then slammed into the ground, going right through the metal like it was water. In the back of my mind I wondered how much money it took for those holes to be repaired. But I shrugged it off. Garchomp came up right under the rival, and hit him hard. He almost hit the ground, but started hovering again. Garchomp growled and her claw started to glow. She smacked the robot and knocked it to the ground. Then she burrowed back into her hole and popped out on the other side, looking pleased with herself.
"Hyper Beam!" Electro roared. A large beam of light shot to Garchomp. She roared and tried to fight back, but ended up falling on her haunches.
"Crunch!" She jumped up and the beam went away, and she lunged forward and glided to the opponent. She bit the side of his head, denting the metal robot.
"Flash Cannon." A flash of light sent Garchomp to the other side of the field, flying past me, and slamming into the wall. That wasn't good. She got up and roared angrily. "Hyper Beam!" My Pokémon made another hole in the metal right as the beam shot through the air. And then, she popped out and grabbed Magnezone and pushed him to the floor. Denting more of his metal and stopping the move.
"Hyper Beam!" Electro was getting irritated. The foe used the move again, this time not giving Garchomp enough time to escape. She fought hard, using all of her defenses.
"Dragon Rush!" I shouted. A purple glow covered my Pokémon, and she pushed through the light until she reached the rival. She tackled him and pushed him to the ground.
"Flash Cannon."
"Dodge with Dig!" I yelled, but I assumed I was too late. Garchomp shot down into one of her holes, breaking more of the metal, and dodged the attack just in time. She popped up under Magnezone, and he crashed to the floor, letting out a robotic noise as he left the battle.
Electro's fist balled at his sides. He returned his Pokémon, then he looked more comfortable when he pulled out his last Pokéball. He smiled. "Electivire, show her who's boss!" This Pokémon stood taller than I, maybe two more heads taller, and matched Electro. He had yellow and black stripes and fur that stuck out from his body. It grinned, just like Electro, and lifted his head proudly. Garchomp roared. I'm glad she had something to say.
"Dig, Garchomp." My Pokémon obeyed and borrowed through a hole. She made a new one behind the foe and tackled him from behind. They both fell to the floor, and then they both jumped back to their feet.
"Hyper Beam!" The light pushed Garchomp across the field, and I covered my eyes. When I moved my hand, the move ended.
"Dragon Claw." I commanded. Garchomp rushed over the rival and sliced her large claw down his arm, leaving a blood line. "Dragon Rush." Then, the purple that engrossed her claw moved and covered her whole body, and she pushed Electivire across the field towards me. He stood up and roared.
"Fire Punch!" He sprinted to Garchomp, large fist ablaze, and whaled on her. She took a hard hit. She roared and crashed to the floor. She stood up slowly, and I knew she couldn't have much left. "Hyper Beam!"
"Dig!" Garchomp avoided the attack and popped into a hole. Electivire realized what was going on and panicked. He started sprinting away, and Garchomp jumped through the floor and tackled him. He fell to the ground with a large thud.
"Hyper Beam!" Electro yelled.
"Dodge!" But I was too late. Garchomp was thrown to the floor, and stood up weakly. Her muscles shaking. She roared then hissed, then stood strong. "Bring it on" was what she was saying.
"Fire Punch." Electro shouted before I had enough time to think. The foe punched Garchomp, and she slid a few feet back.
"Dig!" My Pokémon dived into a nearby hole and popped out another right next to the opponent. She crashed into Electivire, and they both were knocked out.
Victory was sweet. It was sweeter when Electro kicked the metal floor, and then winced because it hurt. We returned our Pokémon and I approached the Elite. I held out my hand. "Good battle, you're a worthy opponent."
He smirked and shook my hand. "So are you. But you've got more to worry about."
Authors Note: Just a quick note: There's a poll on my profile to pick your favorite OC of this story...The reason why, is because once I'm done with this story, I am going to make you all wait for Static (The prequel, if you don't know), so I'm going to write a short story just for fun and so you guys have something of mine to read for the short time I'll be writing Static, and not posting it. Keep that in-mind as you vote. Who do you want to see a short story of? Possibly a backstory?
Thanks for reading! (By the way, EspEEEonage Espeon, I do owe you an apology! I'm very sorry for misspelling your penname. Thank you for the review!)