Will I ever give out a plain "I own only my original characters" bit? Probably not.
Tales of the Braven Region: Generation V
Academy Saga
Chapter 6: The Final Exam: Real Battle
"Cyndaquil, ball up in the air, and upon landing use Ember!"
"Cyndiii…"The fire mouse Pokemon took a quick charge before leaping up into the air. He curled up into a tiny ball, spun around a bit, and uncurled right before landing. Landing safely on all fours, the flames on his back flared, and he unleashed several small orbs of flame into the air. "Quiiiiiiiil!"
"You burn the house down, and I'll take it out of your allowance for the next hundred years!" Karl Richton stated, sitting out on a lawn chair while watching his daughter practice for the third exam the next day. "And it's getting late, so why don't you come inside already? Your mom's already tucking Kelly in," Kelsey shook her head.
"Just because I'm just facing Vinny tomorrow doesn't mean I'm going to go unprepared," She tried to explain. "I've got no idea what kind of Pokemon he received, so I have to make sure Cyndaquil is ready for anything!" Her father sighed as she spoke, and walked closer towards her. He patted her on the head, and walked over towards Cyndaquil. He bent down, and pet her on her head. The feeling made her lose the flames on her back, and she wanted to lie down and relax.
"What did you just do?" She asked in shock, watching the battle-trained Cyndaquil fall helpless. Her father stood back up, and gave her a smirk. Kelsey responded to this by crossing her arms.
"You're telling me you didn't know?" He asked sarcastically. "You could say it's the equivalent of 'scratching behind the ears'. Every Cyndaquil has a certain spot that makes their normally timid nature become calm and relaxed. Now, most Pokemon experts already know this fact, but I guess those that only study the battle aspect of Pokemon wouldn't know such a stupid idea." He gently scooped the relaxed Cyndaquil in his arms, and handed her off to Kelsey. She took her Pokemon, but the Cyndaquil struggled in her not-so-gentle hold. Even so, she managed to find a comfortable position.
"I'll take a little break," She finally conceded. She turned around to walk back into the house, but stopped when her father spoke again.
"You have a couple spots like that, too," He said. "On your sides beneath your arms. I've also noticed that three years ago, you've developed a habit of crossing your arms so you can cover them up." She paused for a second, but walked back inside without turning around. She used to be just like Kelly is back then. Ever since then, she's become so aggressive and reserved. What on Earth happened to her?
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Tori wasn't pleased at all. Not only did Derek bring home these two… weirdos home with him, but he forgot to make extra beef stew to accommodate for more people! If it weren't for Jonathan Pierce doing an overnight job, there would only be crumbs for each of them.
"Only a mere commoner is fit for such a meager meal!" "King" Geck the Treecko suddenly declared. "I demand a fitting meal for a king like me!"
"Give it up already…" Mudkip muttered. "Be lucky you were even released from your Pokeball to eat dinner in the first place…"
Geck stood up, already offended by the "commoner". "What!? I was only captured because of your treacherous foul play! When my strength fully recovers, I shall challenge you to a rematch, Mudkip!"
"What recovery? We got you without even giving you a scratch!"
"Would the both of you just shut up already!?" Tori finally yelled out, tired of the two's bickering. "Both of you just give me my meal back!" The Torchic looked like she was about to break into tears. "This sucks, dammit! Dammit dammit dammit dammit dammit!" She was giving quite the fit.
"And what's your deal?" Mudkip finally asked.
"Derek's gonna be a Pokemon Trainer soon… and he won't be around here to cook ever again!" Thus the dilemma of the Torchic came to light…
"Hey, where's Derek, anyway?" Mudkip asked, looking around. Tori stopped her fit to point at a closed door.
"Derek said he wanted to get some sleep for tomorrow. He must want to beat Thomas really bad!"
"So the human is asleep, hmm?" The Treecko seemed to have something up his sleeve. "Very well… Commoner! I order you to kill the human in his sleep, and freedom will be ours!" Mudkip and Tori looked at each other, then glared at the Treecko.
"Yeah… we're going to beat you up now..."
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"Your Heracross and Bulbasaur will be perfectly fine. As for your friend's Starly and Shinx… Please tell her not to waste our time giving us perfectly healthy Pokemon." The Pokemon Doctor told Vinny, handing Vinny the Heracross's Pokeball. He had long silver hair, and a deep scar and eyepatch across his left eye. He also had a rough and gruff voice, and Vinny wondered if he was even a doctor. "That Heracross is surprisingly well built, but he did get hit over the head by a tree, so he'll be in and out of it for a couple of days. As for your Bulbasaur... Well… this isn't the first time we've had Pokemon that spoke the human language, but… Could you please tell him to watch his mouth during a simple inspection? He started acting up and offending the nurses, so I had to tranquilize him," He pulled out a handheld tranquilizer, and then shot a male nurse with it. He slumped to the ground in less than five seconds. "All that guy does is hit on the female nurses, anyway. Bulbasaur should be up and around in a couple of hours. Do you have his Pokeball?"
"Umm… sorry…" Vinny apologized. "I just sorta got him today, and haven't had the time to properly scold him for his manners… And his Pokeball sorta… broke…" He scratched the back of his head, and the doctor took it as an apology. "Anyway, thanks for looking over my Pokemon, Dr…. umm… Scar…"
"Just doing my job," He said while nodding. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to perform a life-saving surgery, and it's hard enough to do without any depth perception. Goodbye."
"That's one badass doctor…" Vinny commented when he walked right back towards the cafeteria. Much to his surprise, the table at his booth was already full of empty plates, only crumbs remaining.
"This all you can eat for free thing is really gonna work out for me…" He heard Alli say in a voice that definitely wasn't hesitant or timid, and right after a rather loud belch. He found her leaning back on the seat, her hanging her arms and head over the seat. "Anyways, I better clean these things up before…" She suddenly noticed Vinny standing right next to her. Her face immediately became crimson red, and she suddenly started waving her hands between the space between the two of them. "Umm… I just got a little hungry, and…" Vinny started chuckling at her sudden defense.
"Did you even leave any food for anyone else?" He asked, looking at plates stacked upon plate.
"Of course!" Alli protested, obviously offended. "I'm not a pig!"
"Yeah… I can see that…"
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At the Viridian Park, there were few people playing around at six in the morning. And though he wasn't exactly playing, Ronald was sitting down on the bench they were around yesterday. He caught sight of Chad Ian's black-clad figure heading towards him. "Glad to see you're here early," Ronald said as he walked closer.
"I had a feeling you'd be wanting to talk to me," Chad replied, giving a slight yawn. "But why come here six hours early?" Ronald shook his head, trying to fight off the weariness. He hadn't slept, let alone took a nap for a couple of days.
"Eight hours," He answered. "I've been here since four. And I wanted to make sure I had time to talk to you." He pulled out the Pokeball, and released it right in front of him. A familiar Ice and Grass type stood before him.
"Snover!" He cried out proudly, waving to both Ronald and Chad. Ronald quickly recalled him back inside, however.
"Is this entire thing some sort of sick joke?" He demanded, his normally calm and serious voice now sounding completely pissed. "This is all some sort of game to you, isn't it?"
"I thought you'd appreciate the joke of the 'random assignment'," Chad replied with a cocky smirk. Ronald wanted to beat it right off of him at that moment, but even a public at six in the morning was still a public.
"Giving that Pokemon to the one with the least potential and perhaps he'll remain unnoticed, I can understand that much, but you've no idea what you've just done. You need to remember that
potential isn't something that can always be covered up. Just like it is with your eyes, when you really need to, you'll take those shades off and reveal your true eyes, won't you?"
"What are you trying to say?" Chad asked, losing his patience. "Don't tell me you just feel like lecturing."
"I'm saying not to underestimate them," Ronald finally answered. "Some may look like they have potential and some don't, but you can't truly tell until the time comes."
"If that's the case, shouldn't you be more worried about your match this afternoon?" Chad replied with a smirk, turning around and walking away. "I'll be back at noon."
"Now you're underestimating me…" Ronald muttered under his breath.
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"Good boy!" Thomas praised, patting his Growlithe on the head, then scratching him behind the ears. The others simply stared in wonder.
"Is it Trainer and Pokemon, or master and pet?" Vinny asked, and Bulbasaur replied with a shake of his head.
"Saur." He replied grudgingly. Speaking normally would only get me stares and questions in this situation, but you still owe me BIG time, damn it… He looked up at his "Trainer" and sighed. Alli gave him a curious look, and he replied by shrugging.
"Hey, what's wrong with wanting to play with this energetic boy?" Thomas asked playfully, getting down on the ground to scratch the dog Pokemon's sides.
"Growl! Growlithe!" the Fire type responded by wagging his tail frivolously.
"Shouldn't you be doing less playing, and more training?" Kelsey asked, crossing her arms at the sight. "You don't get to keep that Growlithe if you fail to become a Trainer, you know!" The thought of failing didn't seem to occur to Thomas, and after thinking about it for two seconds, he went back to his casual face.
"Come to think of it, I played with him all day yesterday and forgot to capture a Pokemon…" He said in wonder. "But I won't lose this match!" He gave Derek a slight smile, and he responded by nodding.
"I'm still not going to take it easy on you," He replied, Tori the Torchic sitting right next to his feet.
"Is that your Pokemon you caught?" Vinny asked. Derek shook his head, and held up two Pokeballs.
"No, I'm only watching her today because dad is out for the day and Tori will eat half the fridge if we leave her alone today!" The Torchic pouted at this statement, despite knowing it was true.
"Zzz…" They heard Ronald from the bench. A bubble was deflating and expanding with each snore, and Vinny couldn't help but giggle.
"I found him like this when I came here," Kelsey said, a slight smirk playing on her face at the sight. "He must not have gotten much sleep, since the benches here are pretty crappy," She looked over at Alli, crouching down and looking at the ground. Her back was facing everyone. "Hey, are you okay, Alli? Nervous much?"
"A little…" She muttered. "But… I stayed out late last night, woke up an hour ago. I didn't even have time to change and I feel completely dirty!"
"Heh. It's not so bad once you get used to it!" Vinny commented, and Derek replied by holding his nose. Vinny looked over at Ronald's sleeping face, and walked right in front of him. "But you know, he actually looks like a little kid when you see him sleeping like this…" Ronald's hand suddenly grabbed Vinny's throat, and he gradually opened his eyes. After yawning, he realized that he was choking someone to death, and let go.
"Good morning," He said, giving another yawn, and straightening his face to his usual unchanging scowl. "Sorry, but it's a defense mechanism I developed so people wouldn't mock me in my sleep. Whenever someone close by says 'little' or 'runt' my body unconsciously attacks." His explanation freaked out the rest of the group, until Thomas chuckled a little.
"Sensitive about it, aren't we?" He said, making a couple of others laugh at Ronald's expense. It was then that they noticed Chad walking towards them, this time without Eevee walking beside him. As expected, it was exactly noon.
"Let's get on with the battles," Chad said, not even hinting at a "hello". "And be quick about these battles. I don't want to spend all day watching a bunch of rookies sweating over the opponent using a Tackle or Growl. Who was first up, again?"
"That would be me!" Thomas said, standing back up after petting Growlithe one last time. "So let's go, Growlithe!" He gave a nod to the Fire type.
"Growl!" The Pokemon replied in excitement.
"I'm ready whenever you are," Derek said, holding a Pokeball in each hand. Looking into Thomas's confident eyes, Derek almost became intimidated. I highly doubt Thomas was just "playing" with his Pokemon all day yesterday. More than likely he beefed him up in some sort of way. So my Mudkip may have a type advantage, Growlithe might have some sort of trick up his sleeve…
"Everyone ready?" Chad asked, making Vinny, Bulbasaur, Kelsey, Alli, and Ronald back off. "Feel free to go as wild as you want. You can choose either a single battle two Pokemon each, or you can settle things with a double battle. The two of you decide already. And if you don't have another Pokemon, then you're shit out of luck." Derek and Thomas looked at each other for a second.
By using two Pokemon against his one, I would probably be at the best advantage… Derek thought. With Treecko's speed and Mudkip's power, I could lure Growlithe into various traps… No, that wouldn't work out after all. From the looks of it, Treecko wouldn't get along with Mudkip at all. My best bet would be using Treecko's speed and evasive abilities to scout out Growlithe's abilities and wear him down, then finish him with Mudkip.
"I don't know about you, but I'd rather do a one-on-one battle," Thomas said after Derek finished his general analysis. Derek then nodded in agreement. Then he'll use the one he captured, probably his weaker one to gauge Growlithe's abilities, and use the Mudkip to end the battle. He gave Derek another confident stare, and pointed at Growlithe. "Ready when you are!"
"Okay then, go Treecko!" Derek unleashed his Pokeball, and Treecko soon emerged from the light released.
"You dare summon King Geck like some common Pokemon!?" Treecko demanded of his Trainer. The Growlithe across from him suddenly barked, and the Grass type realized the situation. "I see, you wish to borrow my power in order to defeat this foe… Very well! I shall lend to my strength, but it will come at a price!"
"Shut up, already!" Tori cried out while standing next to Derek. "Just get on with the fight!"
"Hey, who has the advantage in battle?" Vinny asked, tapping Ronald's shoulder. He simply shrugged.
"Who knows?" He replied. "Growlithe has the type advantage in this battle, but Mudkip will have the type advantage in the next battle. But if Growlithe can take Treecko down without any serious injuries, it will be a one-on-one battle between him and Mudkip…"
"Begin the battle!" Chad suddenly cried out, interrupting the moment, and silencing the others.
"Treecko, use your speed to get behind Growlithe, then use your Quick Attack and attack from behind!" Derek commanded. Treecko begrudgingly complied, running on all fours past the side of the Growlithe. The Pokemon simply stood there, allowing Treecko to get his back. He's luring me… "Treecko, stop the attack!" Derek then cried out.
"No! I have the enemy's back, and no one can get past my Quick Attack!" Geck replied, charging straight towards Growlithe. Though it was definitely at high speeds, it still wasn't fast enough to avoid the dirt and sand that Growlithe kicked Geck's way before he made contact. In fact the speed made it impossible for the Treecko to avoid the Sand Attack at all. He immediately jerked back, canceling the attack, and leaving him wide open to attack. "How dare you kick dirt at my face! I shall have you beheaded!"
"Okay Growlithe, use Ember to take this Pokemon down!" Thomas ordered, and the Growlithe replied by spinning around and launching small fireballs right into the unguarded Grass type. Geck was sent flying back right next to Thomas, several burns on his stomach and chest. Even so, the Grass struggled and stood back up, hunching over and holding his gut. Derek wanted to recall him in his Pokeball, but looking into Treecko's eyes, he wouldn't allow it.
"A King would… would never give up… at minor… injuries like… this," Geck declared, glaring defiantly at the Growlithe's general shape, vision blurred. Opening his mouth, he delivered a barrage of light green pellets right in Growlithe's general direction.
"Bullet Seed," Derek said, having no idea that Treecko could even use that technique. Even so, Growlithe was easily able to dodge the attacks, due to his lousy aim.
"Finish him up with Take Down!" Thomas replied. By just narrowly dodging the Treecko's attacks, Growlithe charged with full force and slammed right into his body. Geck was sent flying backwards, but Thomas caught him before he could get too far. Eyes barely open, all he was a blurry face. "You did pretty good, but you were just too careless," Thomas tried to explain to the Treecko.
"Foolish commoner… put me down… or I'll have you executed…" Geck replied, closing his eyes and starting to lose consciousness. Thomas immediately heard a growl coming from his Pokemon. It seemed that he was jealous that he was touching another Pokemon.
"I guess they don't call you a territorial Pokemon for nothing, huh?" He said, gently placing down the Grass type. Derek pointed the Pokeball at his fallen Pokemon and a red beam of light absorbed Treecko up and recalled him back into the Pokeball.
"Sorry, Treecko. Tactical error on my part…" Derek said, putting the Pokeball down in his pocket. He looked at Thomas's Growlithe. He had a mark on his shoulder, from when he slammed right into Treecko. Meaning the only damage dealt to him was the one inflicted upon himself. He grabbed his other Pokeball, and threw it out. "Now it's your turn, Mudkip!" Mudkip soon appeared, already standing his ground.
"Mudkip!" He cried out proudly. It seemed he already wanted to throw down.
"Looks like Mudkip's ready!" Derek said. "You sure you don't want to throw in the towel and spare Growlithe a defeat?"
"Not a chance!" Thomas replied with a smirk. "Growlithe, let's take the offense with this one! Use your Ember!" Growlithe unleashed the flames from his mouth, and Mudkip was ready to defend.
"Just take it, Mudkip!" Derek replied, knowing the flames wouldn't do too much harm to the Water and Ground type. He's faster, and has just as much attack strength, but Mudkip has the higher defenses. I just need to wait until Growlithe gets in closer to get him!
"Just great…" Mudkip complained, tensing up for the oncoming attack. Taking the various flames, Mudkip didn't like the order given to him in the least. I could have dodged that, you know!
"Follow up with another Take Down!" Growlithe charged head on, right towards the distracted Mudkip.
"Now! Water Gun!" Derek cried out.
"Finally! Something offensive!" Mudkip replied, shooting out a stream of water from his mouth. Growlithe stopped in his tracks, and narrowly dodged the attack. Unfortunately, he then began charging again! "Now cancel, use Mud Slap in front of you, and crouch down!" Mudkip shut his mouth to cancel the Water Gun. Mudkip then shot out a flurry of mud right where Growlithe was about to charge.
"Growl?" Growlithe found himself unable to get a steady grip on the ground while moving at such speeds. He tried to stop, but ended up skidding right towards the Mudkip. As soon as he was about to ram right into the crouching mud fish Pokemon, Mudkip pushed him upward, using his strong muscles to launch Growlithe straight up into the air.
"Now use another Water Gun!" helpless in midair, Growlithe couldn't help but take the attack full force. Pushed far away from the Mudkip, Growlithe tumbled to the ground, muddy and wet.
"Growlithe!" Thomas yelled out, concerned for his buddy's well-being. Luckily, Growlithe then stood up, but definitely hurting. He gave a chuckle in relief, and the smiled at Derek. "Like I did against Treecko, you used Growlithe's speed to your advantage! Looks like I can't outsmart you like I wanted to…" He gave a slight grin.
"Does this mean you give up?" Derek asked, returning the smile with smirk. Thomas looked over at Growlithe, and the puppy Pokemon replied by shaking off the mud and water on him.
"I'll take that as a no!" Thomas said. "Growlithe, looks like you're gonna have to use that one technique we worked on yesterday! Get ready!" Growlithe then stopped shaking. He closed his eyes, and his breathing slowed. Then, the water and mud started to evaporate off of his hot body. And all of a sudden, Growlithe burst into flames!
"There's no way…" Kelsey then remarked at the sight. "Is it…"
"Flare Blitz!" Growlithe charged straight towards the Mudkip at incredibly high speeds. By using the flames on his body to propel himself, Growlithe took one quick leap after another. Whatever direction Mudkip tried to take to avoid the attack, Growlithe seemed ready to intercept. Eventually, the flaming dog rammed straight into the mud fish Pokemon, sending him skidding across the ground, body smoking.
"Damn… he got me…" He muttered before fainting. Derek quickly recalled his Pokemon, and watched in shock as the flames around Growlithe dispersed. With burns all over his body, Growlithe didn't look in very good shape. He quickly collapsed to the ground, and Thomas came running to his side.
"Growlithe…" Thomas said in an oddly quiet and gentle voice, placing his hand on the Fire type's belly. His hand immediately started to burn, but he bore the pain in order to comfort his Pokemon. "Congratulations on winning. I promise I won't make you push yourself so hard anymore…" He recalled his Pokemon and stood up with his usual grin. "Well, looks like it was a draw!" Derek shook his head.
"No, you won," He replied, walking right to the other Trainer. They clasped hands for a second, then pulled back. Vinny, Bulbasaur, Kelsey, and Alli all looked in awe.
"Derek lost…" Tori said, holding her head down. "I make a lousy good-luck charm! Damn!"
"Then this match goes to Thomas," Chad said calmly. The strongest Fire type attack Growlithe should know at this stage right now is Ember… How the hell did this guy get his Growlithe learn such an advanced technique like Flare Blitz, and in one day, no less? His demeanor hardly reflected his true thoughts. "The next match, please…"
"Do yourself a favor…" Ronald started, catching Alli's attention. "And just give up. You won't be able to beat me with just a Shinx and Starly," Vinny, Bulbasaur, and Alli were shocked at his statement.
"How did he know what…" Alli started, but cut herself off. That's right… He said he's able to tell what kind of Pokemon is inside a Pokeball if he focuses… so it's really true?
"Alli," Kelsey said with her arms crossed and a serious face. "Don't listen to him. He's probably just trying to make you nervous!"
Well it's definitely working…! Alli replied mentally. "Ronald… I… I really wish I could afford to make things easier and just give up… but…" She stood up straight and tried to give him her best stare. "Even if it means me receiving the beating of a lifetime, please prepare for a battle…" Ronald glared at her for a few seconds, wondering if she was going to back down. Though she was still a little shaky, she did her best to stand firm.
"In that case…" Ronald said, getting out of the bench. He gave Alli another fierce glare, then turned around. "I'll forfeit." Everyone there suddenly face-faulted.
"Wh-what?" Alli asked, completely confused.
"Your little monologue has ruined my mood, so I don't feel like battling much today. Besides, I've already passed the first two exams, so there's no point in continuing now that I'm guaranteed on becoming a Trainer," He gave a glare right towards Kelsey. "And I'm not one to interfere with or delay someone's journey just because I'm obsessed with perfection," With that said, he walked away, passing Chad along the way. He made sure to whisper. "Sorry, but I'm not going to let you observe my battling skills today. If you won't trust me, then there's no point in trusting you. You're on your own." Chad gritted his teeth as he walked away, wanting to clench his fists as well.
"This match goes to the little girl by forfeit, then," He finally said, regaining a cool composure. "Let's just move onto the final match. Choose between Single or Double…" He was definitely sounding impatient, but it could also be perceived as the desire to leave as well.
"He pisses me off so much…" Kelsey said, tightening the grip on her crossed arms. But what he said also made sense. It's pretty obvious that Vinny was one of the two that failed the exam. And if he loses this battle, then he would have failed it entirely…
"Hey, Earth to Kelsey!" Vinny suddenly cried out, snapping his fingers in front of her face.
"What do you want?" She replied angrily.
"Just wanted to let you know that if you take it easy on me and I win, I'll never ever let you live it down," He said casually. "Now, you want a single or double battle? Either one's fine with me,"
"Like I'd ever let you win! And a double battle's fine with me!" The two started to walk away from each other, getting a bit of distance between them. Vinny nodded to Bulbasaur, and he stepped right in front of him. Kelsey released both of her Pokemon at once, white lights emerging from each hand. Cyndaquil and Wurmple emerged side-by-side. "These are my Pokemon!" She proclaimed. Vinny nodded towards Bulbasaur, and he stepped forward.
That one doesn't look so bad… but I hope the other one's not so scary… Cyndaquil said. I don't like scary creatures…
Aww yeah! Time to get this party started! Hell yeah! Let's get ready to rumble! Bring it on! I'm ready! Let's go! All of the Wurmple's thoughts were approximately in the time span of one second.
"As you can see, this is Bulbasaur," Vinny explained. "As you can see, nothing too special. Just your average, everyday Grass type Pokemon…"
"Like hell I am…" Bulbasaur muttered under his breath.
"And the other one is… Heracross!" He released the large Pokemon, everyone watching in shock as the large Pokemon appeared before them.
"Why is everyone staring?" The Heracross wondered, glancing over towards Bulbasaur. "And what may I ask is going on?"
"That idiot behind you is using us to clobber the Pokemon of the girl. It's two-on-two, so I'm stuck fighting with you…" Bulbasaur answered in his native tongue. Heracross looked over towards his opponents. The Cyndaquil was starting to shake in nervousness, and the Wurmple looked excited. Heracross then waved to the "idiot" behind him.
"Uh… Hi…" Vinny replied by waving, taken aback by the Heracross's behavior. Please tell me he's able to fight… He thought, wondering if the hit in the head yesterday was really affecting him.
I didn't expect him to have such a strong Pokemon like Heracross... Kelsey thought, wanting to bite her lip due to the pressure. I didn't think that he was even capable of it, but I guess even Vinny has his share of luck… This will be tougher than I thought… "Cyndaquil, Wurmple, get ready!" She called out, more to assure herself than her Pokemon.
"O-Okay… but such a scary-looking Pokemon…"
"What the hell do you think I've been waiting for!?"
"Begin the battle!" Chad finally yelled out after the tension couldn't get any thicker.
Cyndaquil's a Fire type, so I should take her out quickly before she can do some damage! "Heracross, use Horn Attack on the Cyndaquil!" Vinny yelled out. Heracross suddenly floated into the air, and charged straight in. Bulbasaur looked back over towards Vinny, but he replied by shaking his head.
"Cyndaquil, jump on the end of Heracross's horn!" Kelsey commanded. "Wurmple, stand by to intercept Bulbasaur if he makes a move!"
"Damn it!" The Wurmple yelled out, but obeyed. Cyndaquil started to shake nervously, and she unconsciously flared up the flames on her back.
"Here goes!" Cyndaquil yelled out, jumping into the air right as Heracross would have made contact. Cyndaquil gripped the end of his long horn with all fours, making sure she had a steady grip. Despite Heracross's attempts, his arms weren't long enough to reach to the spot Cyndaquil was holding so dearly onto. After trying to swing his horn back and forth, he realized that Cyndaquil wasn't coming off easily.
"Not good…" Vinny muttered. He nodded over towards Bulbasaur. "Heracross, try to stay still for a second! Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip to smack Cyndaquil right off of Heracross's horn!" She'll get thrown into the air, and Heracross can take her out then! Bulbasaur immediately ran in and extended his twin vines, both of them stretching right towards Cyndaquil. Wrapping around the flaming Cyndaquil wasn't a good idea, but just smacking her would do the trick.
"Wurmple, use your String Shot to block off Bulbasaur's attack!" Kelsey responded. Wurmple shot out a stream of white silk, sticking right onto Bulbasaur's vines. And for good measure, Wurmple shot a little on the ground and crawled right into it, sticking herself right into the ground. "Cyndaquil, use Ember to torch Heracross's back!" While still holding onto Heracross's horn, Cyndaquil shot the flames right onto Heracross's back. Much to the Bug and Fighting type's dismay, a small fire started to take place there afterwards. Running around helplessly, Heracross couldn't put out the fire on his back. Cyndaquil jumped off of the flailing Heracross, and after rolling in midair, she gave a perfect landing while simultaneously unleashing another Ember barrage right in Heracross's chest. The colossus fell to the ground, thankfully dousing the fire on his back. Even so, the Pokemon wasn't getting up any time soon.
"I thought that Heracross was supposed to be a lot stronger than that…" Alli commented. Derek simply shrugged his shoulders.
"Not when he wore himself out like that," He tried to explain, or at least his hypothesis. Meanwhile, Bulbasaur was simply jerking back, trying to free his vines. "I really can't speak from experience, but you have to have a pretty sensitive sense of balance when you have such a long protruding horn like that. So when even a creature as small and light as Cyndaquil gets on there, he freaked out when his sense of balance was off. He wore himself down, and later dropped his guard when Vinny told him to stand still. He then proceeded to wear himself further when running around on fire. All it took was one solid blow to take him down.
"So I guess she really didn't need to prepare…" Alli marveled. When Vinny caught Heracross yesterday, she was actually thinking that he stood a chance. But now that his trump card went down the drain, it seemed was going to lose, after all. She looked as Vinny started to panic and recall his Heracross. Now it was only a two-on-one.
"Mmm… I'm not so sure about that…" Thomas said, sitting beside her. "That little stunt that Cyndaquil did at the end looked like it needed a little bit of practice. I know my Growlithe couldn't do such a thing!" Derek gave a slight chuckle at his statement.
"No, he can't master that technique… He can only master Flare Blitz in a day…"
"FINE!!!" They suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice cry out. The source was coming from… the Bulbasaur!? "If pulling won't work, I'll just push my way through!" He charged the Wurmple, smashing the Bug and Poison type with a fierce Tackle.
"Umm… I'll pretend I didn't hear that…" Derek said with his eyes wide open.
"Well, crap!" She yelled out as she was smashed by the rampaging Bulbasaur. She inadvertently bit off her string, though Bulbasaur's vines were still a tangled mess.
"Cyndaquil, use Ember!" Kelsey ordered, pointing straight towards the Bulbasaur.
"Quiiiiiiil!" She gasped, sending out the various small flames towards the Grass type.
"Bulbasaur, try and dodge…"
"SHUT IT!!!" Bulbasaur yelled out, throwing his tangled vines to block the flames. Luckily, the string caught fire faster than his vines, and Bulbasaur managed to shake off the burning silk. Though they were singed, Bulbasaur was able to block the Ember, and better yet, was able to use them once again. Even so, he retracted them for later use. "I've got better things to do than play along with your stupid little game!" He immediately began charging straight forward, towards the Fire type. "If you want to win, then let me do my own thing!" His orange eyes contracted, and blood vessels started to pop.
I've gotta stop his movements… "Cyndaquil, use Leer and stop him in his tracks!" She yelled out. Cyndaquil then face a fierce glare right towards Bulbasaur, his presence becoming unusually frightful.
"FUCK YOU!!!" The Bulbasaur hoarsely screamed, completely ignoring the glare and fearlessly continuing his charge. Ramming right into Cyndaquil, she was sent rolling back, eventually holding her ground once again.
"Cyndaquil… use…" Cyndaquil instinctively flared up her flames and shot out another Ember attack right at the Bulbasaur. As much as she wanted the help, Bulbasaur wasn't giving Kelsey enough time for orders.
Simply taking the attack, Bulbasaur charged right in, ramming Cyndaquil once again. When Cyndaquil stood back up, she saw two bruises on Bulbasaur's head where he so recklessly rammed her, and a few burns from her Ember.
"Bulbasaur, cut it out!" Vinny yelled out angrily. Completely ignoring his Trainer, Bulbasaur shot out several light green pellets, the Bullet Seed flying right at Cyndaquil. She countered by rolling over to the side and jumping back to gain some distance. Growling in anger, Bulbasaur charged recklessly towards Cyndaquil once again. Though she tried to flare her back, only a small fire with black smoke came out. Vinny raised his hand and looked to Chad. "I give up!" He announced.
Bulbasaur suddenly stopped his charge, skidding right in front of Cyndaquil. His eyes expanded to their normal size, and he looked right at the Cyndaquil. "Uh… I sorta lost my temper there… whoops…" Unfortunately, that was the best apology he could offer. The Cyndaquil replied by collapsing in exhaustion. Kelsey quickly recalled her, and gave a sigh of relief. Chad then cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention.
"Since Vinny gave up the same time Cyndaquil was unable to battle, I'll ignore the forfeit and consider Bulbasaur to be unable to battle as well," His declaration shocked pretty much everyone. Definitely not the announcement they thought they'd hear.
"So… it's a draw?" Vinny asked, a slight smile ready to play on his lips.
"Therefore, I announce that this match goes to Kelsey, who still had one Pokemon remaining and fit for battle!" He pointed over towards the Wurmple, while still stuck in her own string, looked around in excitement.
"Damn straight!" She replied proudly. "Hell yeah! I rock!" Kelsey shook her head at Wurmple's strange little victory dance/wiggle and recalled the Pokemon to her Pokeball. Vinny on the other hand, simply fell to his rear and lied back down on the grass.
"Damn…" He said as calm as he could. Bulbasaur quickly went to his side, unsure of what to say.
"Then what the hell was the whole thing about?" Kelsey demanded from Chad. "Why not just accept the forfeit." He replied by shrugging his shoulders.
"Well, if I accepted his forfeit, then he'd be a quitter," He said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"You make no sense…" Kelsey replied, walking right past him and standing right over Vinny. "As for you, get up off your butt and let's leave," She seemed to be saying this all begrudgingly. "I'll treat you to dinner later, in exchange for crushing your chances of becoming a Trainer,"
"Gee… What a fair deal…" Vinny replied smugly, taking her hand and lifting himself up, nearly throwing her down in the process. "Wait, you're not going to cook, are you? That would be more like adding insult to injury… OW!!!"
"Bulbasaur." Bulbasaur said, looking up at Kelsey. She glared at him for a couple seconds, kneeled down, and poked him in the eye. "Gah, what the hell was that for…! Shit…" Kelsey looked over towards Vinny.
"I've never heard of a Bulbasaur that could talk human language, and it's incredibly rare for most Pokemon in the first place… What's the deal?" She asked, standing straight up. Vinny shook his head and sighed.
"I'm not sure, but lately I've been wishing he wasn't able to talk like this…" That got laughs from nearly everyone. Chad stepped forward and cleared his throat again.
"You'd best get all your Pokemon to the Pokemon Center," He advised. He pointed at Vinny and the Bulbasaur. "And you better get used to the talking Bulbasaur, too. I don't recall saying that you ever failed the test portion. Seeya." He then casually walked away, ignoring any comments made at him.
"So… I passed the damn thing?" Vinny asked, unable to catch a breath. "So… I passed the exam!? I'm gonna be… WHOOOOHOOO!"
"Hey, quit yelling in my ear!" Kelsey replied angrily.
"Wait… If Vinny didn't fail…" Alli began softly. No one seemed to hear her. "And me aside, who was the one that failed…?"
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On the fourth day, Vinny, Bulbasaur, Alli, Thomas, Kelsey, and Derek had to fight their way through the crowd in order to see the list that told the test scores. Derek's size helped a great deal.
"Let's see… Kelsey Richton… 100 Points, as expected," Derek said. "Next is… Thomas Cain… 94 Points?" Thomas simply grinned when everyone looked at him. "Derek Pierce… 89 Points…" He gave a slight smile as he read it. "Vincent Elias… 82!" Vinny wanted to jump up in excitement. But was afraid he'd land on Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur simply sighed at the fact that this guy was officially his Trainer. Derek moved his finger further down the list. Much further down. "Allison Black… 47 Points?" She lowered her head to avoid eye contact with the others. "So that leaves… Ronald Friese at…" He lowered his finger to the very bottom. "0…"
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Preview:
Vinny: On the next Generation V, we meet a strange kid…
???: Pika!
Vinny: Despite being only eleven years old, he really knows what he's talking about.
???: Pikachu!
Vinny: And what's more… our Graduation begins! So get ready for the next chapter of Generation V and the end to the Academy Arc!
???: Pika-
Bulbasaur: Oh, hell no! I'm the mascot in this story, dammit! Get the hell out of MY story!
???: Pika… *Cries*
Vinny: Next time on Generation V: The Prodigy and Graduation!
???: Pikachu!
Bulbasaur: Diiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
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Author's Notes: Well, here's Chapter 6, up much faster than I expected. It's mostly because I never plan out the actual battles in the chapter, and I just make them up as I type them. Thus, I either have a very hard time writing them, or they come very easy. Anyways, when the next chapter was referred to as a "Special", it means it's going to be considerably longer than a normal Chapter. This is mostly because I feel it's necessary to make it all one chapter, and not split it up as a two-parter. Anyways, that's all I've got to say. Enjoy the next Chapter!