Wow! Finally another update! Sorry for not updating in a while, life and stuff happened. Anyways, in apology, have a super long (for me) chapter!
Lady Swellow was correct. Trainer Wes came immediately after school got out, and he took the team to the fourth of the legendary trainers. With all the Pokemon in all the boxes cheering them on, the main box party pressed on, fighting with a ferocity that was unmatched by any of their other battles. They moved fluidly and in sync like nothing ever before. The other team didn't even know what hit them, they could barely land any hits though Mightyena was close to fainting and Wailord was Poisoned. A few Potions later and an Antidote, everyone was back to full health. It was on to the Champion, Steven Stone. This would be the toughest battle of all, especially with the distinct type weakness.
As Trainer Wes took a break homework, the Pokemon were psyching themselves up for the fight.
Ivy was hopping around, loosening up her neck muscles and shaking out her arms. "Aw man, guys! This is it! We're gonna fight Steven for the Champion's title! Whew, this is insane!"
"Eh, we'll be fine, its just another trainer, no big deal," Mightyena shrugged and lay his head on his paws.
"Any other trainer? This is Steven Stone we're talking about! This battle's gonna be epic! I can't wait to see how my steel moves match up against those guys' defense!" Aggron jabbed at fake opponents in front of him.
"Trainer Wes is smart enough that he probably won't use any of those, it has a type disadvantage you know. He'll probably make use of your ground or rock type moves," Swellow murmured, tapping a wingtip to her beak as she surveyed the whiteboard in front of her for the statistics of the opposing team. "It doesn't look like I'll be extremely useful asset in this fight, I'll probably be used for a revive decoy at some point. Manectric, as you know you're going first. And you'll be pitted against Skarmory so he'll most likely have you use Thunder Fang. Do you have that down? You won't miss?"
"No ma'am, I think I've got it. I won't miss," Manectric nodded vigorously.
"Of course you won't! You've got this!" Aggron clapped him on the back while Wailord leaned back and nodded in approval.
Swellow nodded and turned back to the board where she began making other speculations about how each member would contribute, making lines and circles with a marker and moving magnets around. Eventually they would all go prepare themselves for what were probable scenarios in the battle which really gave them an edge in the fight even though Steven's Pokemon were no doubt doing the same.
Aggron had been talking to Manectric more, trying to get him to light the fire, when he saw Ivy by herself in the corner, seemingly concerned. As Wailord joined into the conversation to talk to Manectric about technique and the importance of using speed, Aggron slipped away and shuffled over to Ivy.
He walked up in front of her and bent over to look up into her downcast face. "What's up?"
She focused her eyes on him and smiled sadly. "I don't know. I guess I'm just thinking."
"About?"
"Stuff."
"Which means…?"
"…"
"I-vyyyyyyy?"
She shook her head and leaned up against the wall and slid down into a sitting position. "All the starters were educated about all the possibilities of gameplay by Professor Oak. We learned all the different modes and told about how our lives could turn out. I'm just scared is all."
"I never got that talk, wanna elaborate on that?" Aggron sat down beside her with a metallic groan and a thump.
She glanced at him and sighed. "Well, there that whole thing with the game being forgotten for a while like we experienced. But then, at the end, after the trainer beats the game, they can either go on with the story and fill the Pokedex or forget about the game completely. If Wes doesn't restart the game…" Ivy looked Aggron in the eyes. "I don't think I can do that forever…"
Aggron met her gaze with a renewed sense of respect. "You've carried that information around with you for this whole journey?"
"Um… yeah, I guess… why?"
He turned so he was facing her. "That's pretty brave, ya know? I don't think that I coulda done that. If you can do that, I think you can be strong enough to hold our team through this whole thing if the worst happens. We'll be fine, Ivy. Don't worry so much." He gave her a crooked grin that brought out a small one from her.
"Thanks, Aggron. You always know what to say." She leaned towards him and wrapped her arms around him in a hug.
He hesitantly returned the hug and smiled rather sheepishly. Glancing over her shoulder, he saw Mightyena watching him and snickering. The wolf-like Pokemon nudged Lady Swellow who looked over as well. Aggron visibly paled as Lady Swellow handed over an Amulet Coin with slight irritation. Aggron quickly separated from Ivy who had started to become uncomfortable leaning on the metal and stone Pokemon and was going to end the hug soon anyways.
Aggron walked over to Mightyena briskly while Ivy headed to her quarters. Mightyena was admiring the coin in his paws smugly. He looked up when Aggron approached.
"Well hello, Aggron, how are things?" Mightyena said smoothly.
"What was that?!"
He made a face of mock shock. "Whatever do you mean?" He tilted the Amulet Coin so it reflected into Aggron's eyes.
"You know very well what I mean, Scruffy! What, were you guys betting on us somehow?"
Mightyena put the coin down and looked at Aggron with unusual seriousness. "Now, now. That was a bit uncalled for. I won't take it to heart because I know how very untrue that was, as my fur is always perfect, but you should calm down. Didn't you want this? To get closer to Ivy?"
Aggron hesitated and looked down. "Yeah…" he mumbled.
"Well then whats the harm in a few people rooting for you, huh?" Mightyena waved the Amulet Coin in Aggron's face before he got up and carried it off to his room. He looked over his shoulder and called back, "Learn to live a little, my friend! In this case, being raised in a cave is no excuse for lacking social skills!" The door closed behind him.
Aggron sighed. Looking around, he realized that he was the only one still in the main area and everyone else had gone to their rooms. The in game clock stated that it was past the time when Trainer Wes went to bed, so they had all decided to get some shut-eye. He looked at Ivy's door.
"I did want this. So why am I freaking out so much about getting what I want?" Aggron murmured. There was no one to answer him and he trailed off to his own room.
In the Box System, all the Pokemon in each of the boxes was chattering on about how exciting the last battle had been. Everyone was ignoring the fact that the end of the next battle could be the last time Trainer Wes ever appeared.
Swinub continued to hope. He was ready to become a professional battling Pokemon and travel through Hoenn at Trainer Wes' side, fighting off whatever Pokemon landed in their way. He wanted to be a mighty Piloswine and be talked about by the occupants of all the boxes, each would be in awe of his strength and power.
He was afraid as well, but until the unthinkable happened, he would keep fighting.
The next day was the start of the weekend. Trainer Wes came to his Pokemon bright and early and they were ready for him. It was time to challenge the Champion. As he went through the oration with Steven before their battle began, the Main Box Pokemon stood readily at the monitor to witness this occasion.
"Welcome Wes," Steven said as he turned around. "I was hoping I would get to see you make it here one day."
"Well, here I am. It's pretty exciting!" Wes replied.
"Tell me, what have you seen on your journey with your Pokemon? What have you felt, meeting so many trainers out there?" Steven asked, walking towards the young trainer.
"Uh, well, I don't know… those are some pretty existential questions you got there Steven," Trainer Wes said a bit awkwardly.
"Traveling this rich land of Hoenn… Has it awoken something inside you?"
"Yeah, I guess you could say that. I was never one for competition before I began my journey, and now here I am, facing the Champion! I want this battle to show everything I've got!" Wes said, taking a fighting stance.
Steven nodded. "Very well. I want you to come at me with all that you've learned. My Pokemon and I will respond in turn with all that we know." He paused for a moment with his eyes closed and then opened them with a fire in his eyes.
"Let it begin!" Steven announced. With that, the two threw out their Pokemon.
On cue, Skarmory was the first of Steven's Pokemon to face. Manectric exploded out of his Pokeball with a crackle of electricity. He was nervous, but he hid it behind his spectacular light show. When he landed lightly on the balls of his feet, Skarmory looked slightly impressed.
"That was something, kid. But don't think some sparkles and flashes are going to knock me off my guard," Skarmory said, lifting off into the air.
"Of course not, sir."
In a swift movement at the direction of Steven, Skarmory attacked with Spikes, making it difficult for Manectric to pick his way around the battlefield. But the Discharge Pokemon was unfazed and used Thunderbolt, striking Skarmory with the powerful blast. The Steel type was set off course for only a moment before he got close to Manectric and struck him with an Aerial Ace. Manectric was launched backwards, but quickly hopped to his feet and waited for Skarmory to come in for another hit. When he came close, Manectric bit onto his wing with a Thunder Fang. Skarmory screeched and tried to shake him off, but Manectric's grip was powerful and he was carried into the air.
A fall from that distance would certainly result in a faint for Manectric, but he continued to hold on and inflict electrical damage on Skarmory who was losing altitude fast. Inside the Main Box, Aggron was cheering excitedly for his friend.
"Booyah! Never give up, just like I tell ya, Manectric!" He pumped his fist in the air.
Swellow nodded and looked back at the screen. "Yes, he's progressed quite a lot since he joined our team, nothing like the timid Electrike he was when we met him."
Mightyena walked up behind Swellow and jabbed her wing lightly. "Yeah, those were the good old days weren't they? None of us had evolved yet, and we were living the dream," He gazed at the screen, nostalgia flashing through his mind.
Swellow looked down at her old friend, smiling. "Yes, those were the best of times."
Mightyena grinned back, his teeth pointing out of his mouth. "Heh, you were so much less uptight back then too."
Swellow glared at him, "Way to go, Mightyena. You killed the moment."
He laughed lightly. "Well, if I was all filled with sentiment like you guys, what would I be here for?"
They turned their attention back to the monitor. Manectric had beaten Skarmory towards the beginning of their conversation and was now and was now fighting Steven's Aggron, however, Manectric had been poisoned by Skarmory's Toxic and was in bad shape. Aggron clearly had an advantage with his Earthquake attack. But Manectric was holding on with his Flamethrower and Crunch attacks while dodging Aggron. Whenever they thought Manectric had the upper hand, he was stricken with the poison.
Aggron looked at the screen with an unusual tenseness in his frame. "Whoa… that Aggron is huge…" He looked at the TV screen that held Trainer Wes' image. "He's gotta take him out soon right? Right?" Aggron looked at Ivy with concern, but she only shook her head.
"It's a common tactic to leave a Pokemon in until they faint. That way they don't lose a turn. He'll be okay, don't worry. He knew something like this would happen," She said with a deadpan face.
"So you agree with this?!" He said incredulously.
"I said it was common, I didn't say I agreed," She turned away from the screens and leaned against the common room table.
Aggron looked back. Manectric was hit with the effects of the poison at that very moment and collapsed, fainted. But he had done considerably well against the Aggron, paralyzing and taking his HP down by more than half.
Wes pulled him back into his Pokeball and when he materialized into the Main Box, he was beaten up and couldn't stand up. Aggron ran up to him and kneeled down, lifting his teammate's head and waving his hand in front of Manectric's eyes.
"You okay, buddy?"
"Yeah… Did… Did I win?"
"You did great. Just get some rest." He lay Manectric's head back down and settled him down in the infirmary area.
At that moment, Mightyena began to swirl into pixels.
"Well, looks like I'm up. See you guys later," Mightyena saluted them as he disappeared.
Within a few turns, Mightyena had defeated the Aggron as well as the Claydol that came after it. When Cradily came, he was confident, yet she took him down with two blasts from a Sludge Bomb. Mightyena came back in similar shape to Manectric. Swellow began to disappear and she appeared on the screen moments later. She was expecting Wes to use a Revive for her turn, but was surprised when he ordered her to attack. She used Brave Bird, hitting the Cradily with all her might, but when she landed, she was struck with the recoil. Cradily had been taken down to half HP in that one hit, but Swellow wasn't in good shape either.
The female Barnacle Pokemon came back with Ancient Power, but Swellow was able to dodge the move and hit with another Brave Bird at Trainer Wes' request. Cradily fainted and Swellow was pushed to the brink of the red on her HP gauge. Surprisingly, she was called back into the box and Aggron was switched out to fight Armaldo.
Ivy helped Swellow to her nest.
"Are you alright?"
"Y-yes… Brave Bird just takes it out of me, I suppose… I'll be fine in a moment, don't worry," Swellow answered, trembling a little. "Just leave me alone a minute, I suspect you will be up soon."
Ivy nodded and looked back to see how Aggron was doing. He was holding his own with the Armaldo, but the higher leveled Pokemon was slowly beating down her friend. In a few turns, Armaldo landed a lucky critical hit and Aggron fainted.
Aggron came back into the Main Box and was left where he lay. None of them could lift him except Wailord who had just been brought into the battle. Ivy went to his side and looked at her team. She realized that she and Wailord were the last two Pokemon who were in good enough shape to fight. Wailord was worn down a bit by Armaldo, but he quickly defeated him with Surf and Heavy Slam. Suddenly he was pulled out of the battle and Swellow was put in his place. Surprised, Wailord whirled around with his shrunken body to look at the screen.
"What is he doing?! She can't handle Metagross!" Wailord yelled, leaning towards the screen. "This is outrageous!"
Ivy sighed. "He's using her turn to heal you. He was saving both of us to take out Metagross together."
He looked at her with panic and then spun around again to look at the monitor. As predicted, Trainer Wes used a Hyper Potion on Wailord for Swellow's turn. With one Zen Headbutt, Lady Swellow was knocked out as well. When she came back to the Main Box, Wailord lifted her back into her nest.
"Thank you, my friend. I won't let you down."
Wailord was sent into battle at that moment and attacked with Surf. Metagross was unfazed and Steven unleashed the power of Mega Evolution, using Giga Impact which hit Wailord hard and sent the giant reeling backwards. While Metagross was unable to move, Wailord hit it with an Earthquake attack. This brought Metagross' HP down to the red.
"Haha! You've got'em now!" Trainer Wes cried. "Now, use Surf!"
"Not so fast! Metagross, use Meteor Mash!" Steven called.
The Metagross' superior speed hit faster than Wailord's Surf. So while Wailord plummeted to the ground, Steven used a Full Restore.
"Gah! I thought I had it…" Trainer Wes looked at his last Pokeball as Wailord was beamed back. "Alright, Ivy. You've been with me forever and I'm trusting that you've got this fight. Go, Ivy!"
Ivy exploded in a blast of light and appeared already in her Mega form, knowing what her Trainer was going to call out before he knew himself.
"Awesome! Okay, Ivy, use Leaf Blade!"
Ivy grinned and a the leaf fins on her arms extended and sharpened in a glow of light. She ran towards the floating Pokemon swiftly, crossing her arms across her chest.
"Metagross, use Giga Impact!"
The two made contact in the middle and landed across from each other, backs facing each other. Ivy landed, hunched over with her arms steading her on both sides. Metagross on the other hand, floated above the ground, arms dragging lower than they had been before and frozen in space from Giga Impact.
After a few grueling seconds passed by, Ivy felt the effects of the attack and dropped to one knee. The attack had left her with half HP left while Metagross was still paralyzed in his place with a fourth of his HP gone.
"Quick, Ivy use Giga Drain!" Wes yelled.
Ivy stood up and whirled around as quickly as she could in her weakened state and used Giga Drain at the order of her Trainer. This took another fourth of the opposing Pokemon's HP and added it to her own. Metagross recovered from its attack, completely recharged and rushed at Ivy with a Bullet Punch, even more powerful with it's four, forward facing arms. She stared him down, waiting until the last second. Trainer Wes had a plan, she knew it. And sure enough, he did.
Just as Metagross was about to hit Ivy, Wes yelled out, "Quick, Ivy! Jump in the air and use Dragon Claw!"
And that she did. Leaping high in the air she descended upon the blinded Metagross, who, when looking up could only see a small shadow blocking out the shining lights above. Before it knew it, Ivy was directly on top of it and slashing at it's face with a powerful, mega Dragon Claw. Ivy landed heavily on the ground, Metagross landing behind her. As the dust cleared, Ivy alone was standing while Metagross lay awkwardly on the field behind her with it's eyes glazed over.
The referee waved his flags. "Metagross is unable to battle, Ivy is the winner! And that means the victory goes to, Wes!" He called.
Wes looked at the Pokemon in shock and then burst out into a huge smile.
"Finally! Whew, only had one Pokemon left, that was close!"
Steven looked down, smirking. "So I, the Champion, fall in defeat…" He looked back up to the ceiling as if remembering something. "This means that I am no longer the Champion, Wes. You are.
So there it is! No, the story isn't over... We haven't even gotten to the part where Swinub actually does things; this actually became a lot more about the other Pokemon than I thought it would be originally. So now it's confirmed that this takes place in the Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire world, and I managed to throw in all the lines that Steven actually said in the games! So since I just decided what games it was based in while writing this chapter, ignore the fact that there was randomly a wild Swinub or Bibarel in this... I don't think you can actually catch either in the games. Alright, so don't be expecting a new chapter for this story soon, I'm actually working on a new story (Which is probably stupid because I can barely update the stories I have...) and I barely have any time for that as it is... so just be patient and enjoy this story! Feel free to make predictions on how the story will go and reviews are nice! Laterade!
~SilverKirbee