Sandford: I understand where you are coming from, and I won't try to change your opinion, but I'll explain why Reid had to struggle in this battle. You can decide then. 1. Phanpy is a much higher level. Two months of dedicated training vs no training at all. 2. Goly is weak. Without allowing Extreme Speed, his only usable attack was tackle. They dominated the first half, but didn't have a strong enough move to put her down. 3. Similar to above, a low-level Zigzagoon doesn't have many battle options. With so few moves, there aren't many tactics that can be used. With all that in mind and his only strong attack sealed, can an easy win really be justified? Survival skills do not equal battle strength. Make no mistake, Goly is not strong yet. Things will drastically change with a more powerful offensive option like Headbutt.
Zyxis: I really love Tropius, visually and conceptually, and I always have. In my childhood playthroughs of Ruby and Emerald I had always tried and failed to find a way to make him viable in battle. More recently, I have been playing around with some Gen 3 Pokémon who aren't seen as traditionally strong, and he is one of the ones who I found a bit of success with. I thought of him for a long time for this story. It's great to see another Ariados fan though, there are not many of us out there.
BJJPanda: Crap! Good Call! Somehow forgot about Normal-type's immunity. Just fixed it. Thank you!
Here's a real long one. For some reason, I just couldn't stop writing this time.
Addison didn't say a word to me after the battle.
She returned her Phanpy and took off running in the direction of the Pokémon Center, her shoulders lurched with hiccups and sniffles.
Instead, as I was being flooded with the cheers and excitement of the children, it was someone else entirely who called out to me.
"Reid," Mrs. Melda's raspy voice called out from the upstairs window. "Come see me in my room after you've taken care of your Pokémon." The window closed before I could muster up a response.
I'm curious, but there's no time to think about what that's all about.
I look down at the battered warrior in my arms and decide that he needs healing just as badly, if not more desperately, than Phanpy. With that realization, I push through the swarm of toddlers and children until I'm alone on the path to the Center.
I confirm that Goly is asleep in my arms before my mind drifts to something else. The entire battle plays on repeat for the entire trip.
What do I need to become a better battler?
My immediate reaction is that there is too much to count. Even as the battle was playing out, I felt that I'd been outplayed as a Trainer. Not to mention, this was a battle against a child with only two months of training under her belt.
I replay the entire battle sequence in my head to find out what went wrong.
With Extreme Speed sealed, closing the distance and interrupting her Rollout was the best starting move we could have done, no matter how much I think about it.
What followed was an unrelenting offense, similar to what we used on Beedrill. The result was also about the same.
Just like Beedrill had before her, Phanpy endured the barrage of Tackles and bided her time for a chance to counterattack.
Also similar to the Beedrill fight was that she surprised us by being at a higher level than I'd assumed and had pulled out an unexpected move, but that doesn't excuse the loss of control.
We had been dominating the battle up to that point and had full control over the tempo. Our opponents were in a state of mental breakdown and had frozen up with no answers to our offense. But eventually, they turned it around.
Why?
It doesn't take long to see the answer.
Goly was too weak to put them down. Both Beedrill and Phanpy took probably 5 to 10 times as many hits as they dealt out, but their attacks hurt worse. Every hit they landed had a distinct effect, whereas our attacks did little to nothing individually. Having only Tackle to work with meant that we didn't have a finisher. In Smash Bros terms, we were building up the damage meter, but we never hit hard enough to get the K.O.
Was there something I could have done to work around this?
Probably. If I had recognized the problem during the battle, I could have mixed some Tail Whips into our barrage to help increase the damage we were doing.
However, now that I think back on it, I'm not even sure I can say that Addison was the better Trainer. Her initial plan failed and she fell into a panic without giving proper orders to her Pokémon. Our lack of offensive options was the only reason she had time to collect herself and turn things around.
Well, her Phanpy's mastery over Rollout was impressive, even if she still had a slow start. Addison mentioned Whitney during the battle, so I wonder if she learned by watching that pink menace's Miltank.
Regardless, the shortcomings that were made apparent in that battle are all just the results of my determination to have a Zigzagoon as my partner. We will need to work around having less power, fewer moves, and fewer options than most of our opponents. I always knew this, but it's much more real now than it ever was when I was just playing a game.
It's my responsibility as both a Trainer and as the one who has shown Goliath my, now our, dream to find ways to overcome those shortcomings. Better yet, I will turn them into strengths.
If we only have a few options in battle, we will simply have to get so good at what we can do that nobody can stop us. Even if our opponents know exactly what our battle plan is, we'll still dominate the world with it.
My conviction is established and my path is chosen just in time for me to arrive at the Pokémon Center doors.
Entering the Center, I waste no time walking to the counter. There is currently nobody there, but two bells are sitting before me. On the left is a red bell labeled "emergency," and on the right is a silver bell labeled "non-emergency." I press down on the silver bell.
"Please wait a bit," A light voice calls from the back room. "I'll be out there as soon as I can!"
We are a couple of months into this year's league circuit, so the place is pretty busy. After all, Watson is known to be a great Gym Leader to challenge at the low-badge level. Just from what I've heard around town these couple of days, I know that he offers great advice to trainers who challenge him for their first, second, or third badges. From the fourth badge and beyond, it's more about a test and less about being a learning experience.
Anyways, the amount of trainers healing up their team after battling with him or his Gym Trainers means that it's a couple of minutes before the lovely Nurse Joy steps out from the back and greets me.
"Oh," Her eyes light with recognition upon seeing me. "Hello Reid, I was expecting to see you again soon. Dear Addison told me that Goly here had quite the battle with her Phanpy! By the looks of things, she was right."
"Yeah, I'm proud of him, but he's in rough shape," I set Goly on the counter between us. "He should be fine after some rest with you though, right?"
"Oh, absolutely!" Joy assures me with a smile as she moves my tiny raccoon to a small cart pushed by her Chancy. "He looks like he really pushed himself, but it's nothing serious for a Pokémon. In fact, he's resilient enough to recover from something like this on his own, given plenty of time and rest. With our help here, he'll be back to one hundred percent after about half an hour of care."
"Ok, please take care of him then." Once Joy promises to take care of Goly, I turn to leave before a sudden thought strikes me. "By the way, do you know where Addison went? I don't see her."
"Addison went straight to Wattson's Gym after leaving Phanpy here with me," Joy informs me. "She said she has to prove herself before she starts her journey. I'd Imagine she's finally registering for a Gym challenge."
With my curiosity satiated, I thank the kind-hearted Nurse for all her help and set off back towards the orphanage. It's a ten-minute walk, so I figure I can take care of my conversation with Mrs. Melda and be back in time to pick up Goly.
As for Addison, I only asked on a whim. My first battle with her was indeed a valuable experience, but she's not the type of person who I need to concern myself with. She can do as she pleases.
Standing in front of Mrs. Melda, I fidget slightly as she chooses to ignore my presence in favor of reading the newspaper in front of her.
"Mrs. Melda? You wanted to see me?" I break the silence.
She flicks the paper in her hands with a crisp noise before folding it up and setting it down.
"I watched your battle with Addison." She states plainly.
"Yes," I respond slowly, unsure where this is going. "I saw you in the window. It was a pretty exciting battle, no?"
"Hmph," She sneers at me and crosses one leg over the other. "It was a battle between two Trainers who can't even be called beginners. Remember this Reid, a close battle isn't the same as an exciting battle."
"I see. Then what did you want to talk about?" Since she's going to be rude, I decide to cut straight to the point. "I imagine it's not to congratulate me."
"No, it is not." She replies while looking into a hand mirror that she had picked up and fluffing her curled black hair. "I have an offer for you that was originally going to go to Addison." She pauses to take a peek at me but continues when I don't respond. "As a Trainer of moderate promise, I wanted to sponsor her Trainer's journey in the name of the Mauville Orphanage, but I now believe that you would make a better investment."
That is… unexpected. Of course, just looking at Leon from my Pokémon Sword playthrough told me that sponsorships are a thing here, but I didn't expect to be offered one for a long time. I had assumed those would only be offered to Trainers who had earned them.
When I voiced my thoughts, Mrs. Melda had a simple enough explanation.
"That is, of course, the case for any sponsorships that come with serious money and benefits. Large companies only look for established powerhouses, rising stars, or Trainers who have something else going for them, like beauty." She explains. "What I'm offering is more commonly called a local sponsorship, and it won't come close to what you would get from a company like Silph, but that should be obvious."
"So what are you offering specifically, and what do I need to do?"
"To get straight to the point," she replies. "I will grant you a start-up fund of 5000 Poke, a new set of travel gear, and I will supply you with an adequate starter Pokemon once you are of age. You may practice with your Zigzagoon until then. I promise that you will never see a better offer than this given to a no-badge beginner trainer of no renown. Just take that as a sign of the promise I see in your future as a Trainer."
"And what do you want from me in exchange for such an investment?" Honestly, it sounds like far too good of a deal. It's good to the point that I'm hesitant.
"Only two things," she leans back in her seat and fixes her gaze into my eyes. "The first is that you wear something advertising our Orphanage and mention us in any interviews you have along the gym circuit. I want you to paint a picture that this orphanage is what kept you on the right path. If you become a rising star, the money will find its way back to me by association."
That sounds somewhat shady, but it's not a big ask compared to what she's offering.
"And the second?"
"The second is much simpler." She claims with an offhand tone. "It's just that you take your Zigzagoon off your team when I give you a better starter."
"What?" I almost wonder if I heard her wrong. "Even though you just saw him win against Phanpy."
"Look," she sighs. "I get that it's your first Pokémon, but no large sponsors will support or expect anything from a Trainer whose ace is a pest Pokémon. Besides, that battle should have shown you all you need to know. The only reason you struggled was because your weak Pokémon held you back. Had that been an Aron, for example, instead of a Zigzagoon, you would have won with little to no damage."
"I get that Goly is still weak and that Zigzagoon aren't considered a glorious species," I automatically move to defend my partner. "But didn't you see how we only won because of his persistence and talent?"
"No, that victory was entirely a result of you leading your much weaker Pokémon precisely along the one and only path to victory. Make no mistake, Addison is much stronger than most beginner trainers. She moved here from Goldenrod City in Johto, and has obsessively trained her Phanpy to take after their young Gym Leader." Mrs. Melda immediately rejects that Goly won the battle of his own merit. "The fact that you won at all against such poor odds is why I called you here."
I bite the inside of my lip at her words to stop myself from saying anything I will regret. Reminding myself that she doesn't know about Extreme Speed helps, but I'm still pissed.
However, I have to admit that what she says is probably reasonable in most cases. Her goal is for me to attract bigger fish to sponsor me, and to sponge money off of them. There is a reason why certain Pokémon aren't seen at the highest levels of competition. After all, even I would be hesitant to place my money on a kid with a Ledyba.
"So you absolutely need me to lose Goly if I want the Sponsorship?" I ask. "There's no room for negotiation there?"
"Nobody will invest in a trainer with no future." Her eyes have a bit of regret in them. She can tell that I'm not going to agree. "I guess I'll have to make do with Addison, but let me give you some advice anyway."
"No need." I turn towards the door. "I need to go pick up Goly."
"Well hear it anyway," she says as I'm walking out the door. "If you want to live up to all your talent and potential, you need to catch Pokémon with as much potential as possible to match." I'm already out the door and heading down the stairs, but a husky shout leaves me with one last sentence. "Don't throw away what you could be for sentimentality!"
"Electrike, use Quick Attack!"
"Protect," My order is out before my opponent finishes saying his command. "Follow up with a Sand Attack and a Headbutt!"
The following sequence is fast enough that only an incredibly focused eye could catch it all. Electrike rockets forward and turns into a blurred line, only to be stopped in his tracks by a green sphere that appears around his opponent. Before he can recover from the painful collision, a compact stream of sand blurs his vision and a heavy impact sends the poor electric dog rolling back towards his Trainer.
"Electrike, no!" The battered canine stands on shaky legs in response to his Trainer's call. "Alright! Great job, buddy! Now, let's end this!" As my opponent prepares his final attack, I quickly call out our countermeasures.
"Time to put our practice to the test, Goly." My partner yips fiercely in response.
"Shock Wave!"
"Dig!"
A small stream of electricity shoots out from our opponent. It's far slower than I feel lightning should move, but still fast nonetheless. However, it's not so fast that we can't react. Goly's paws turn into blurs as he rapidly overturns the dirt below him and dives underground, just in time for the electric current to pass over him.
"Watch out Electrike," I can see that my opponent is worried. He didn't expect us to still have more in our arsenal. After all, in all my battles here, I've only attacked with three moves: Tackle, Headbutt, and, on rare occasions, Covet. "Stay on the move! Don't stop until he comes up!"
"Electrike!" The green and yellow dog begins to jog around the battlefield, still a bit wobbly after getting his bell rung by Goly's Headbutt.
"Now!" I call out the final blow when Electrike stops to turn at the edge of the battlefield.
"Zagoon!" An aggressive call for victory accompanies my partner as he bursts from the ground!
"No!" My opponent's voice is resigned.
"Elec!" A wild shout of fright escapes his prey! "Trike?" A confused pup questions what happened with a tilted head.
Goly had erupted from the ground in response to my words.
However, he had emerged under and attacked a small boulder in the middle of the battlefield, rather than his enemy who stands at the edge.
"Run him down and finish it with another Headbutt!" I yell out before anyone else breaks the stunned silence. I keep my voice level and unphased, but I can feel my cheeks burning.
"Wait, no! Electrike, dodge it!" My opponent's flustered voice comes out too late.
The poor pup is still confused about everything and trips over his own feet in his frantic response to his Trainer's voice. That's all it takes, as Goly slams his silly head into the crown of Electrike's skull, sending him to the ground one last time.
"Electrike is unable to battle!" Nurse Joy calls out from where she had been standing as the referee. "Reid and Goly are the winners!"
Goly yips happily, runs to meet me and jumps in my arms, but the crowd's response is a little different. Laughter erupts from each of the dozen or so people surrounding the field.
"What was that?" A voice calls out, breathless from being wracked with chuckles. "How can he just act like nothing happened?"
"I'd die," A girl in her teens responds. "That's embarrassingly cute. Just when I was feeling impressed that he taught a Zigzagoon a ground-type move too."
"Alright, alright. Quit laughing and pay up," A boy in his late teens walks between the spectators. "The Zigzagoon kid won again."
Small amounts of money, 10s and 20s, are passed around, accompanied by mild grumbles.
"Good match, Reid." My opponent, a 1st year Trainer with only one badge named Kyle, walks across the field and shakes my hand. "Even if the ending was a little silly."
"Thanks," I scratch the back of my head, slightly embarrassed. "It's still a work in progress, as you can see. Goly can't quite figure out how to sense what's going on above him when he uses Dig."
"Zag! Zagoon!" My partner protests below me.
"It wasn't a fluke," I dismiss the ornery raccoon. "You can only hit still targets consistently in practice too. You miss anything that moves half the time there too."
"Zigzagoon." Goly sulks before running away to be pampered by Joy.
"Anyway, thanks for the battle, Kyle." I can hear Nurse Joy gushing over my Pokémon in the background. He sure knows how to play cute when he wants to. "I had been wanting to get more practice against some fast electric-types."
"Looking ahead to Watson already?" He asks with a grin. "Isn't that still a few months away Mr. Overeager?"
We begin to walk off the field as two new battlers approach. Joy carries Goly with her as she returns to the referee's box.
"This will be the last battle before I heal all combatants who need it." Joy's voice rings out. "This is a one-on-one battle between…"
"Six and a half months, to be exact." I return to my conversation with Kyle. "But you can never start preparing too early. Besides, most Trainers around here get an electric-type as their starter, so I'll probably face a lot of them at the start of my journey, even outside the Gym. Unless I want to go broke early, it's best to start preparing now."
"I suppose so." He replies as we sit down to watch the battle that's about to begin between a Nuzleaf and a Flaaffy.
A month and a half after my first battle with Addison, and I've fallen into a consistent schedule.
I start each morning at 5 A.M. with a two-hour physical strength training session together with Goly. My plan to make him capable of battling at the highest level requires him to be able to hit very hard, so it's imperative that his strength is trained to the highest capacity. I got a membership to a Pokémon and Trainer gym (not the badge kind). I'll lift weights, while Goly will attack various sandbags with Tackle while being weighed down by a heavy full-body vest. His strength had already impressed me when he carried so many of his fallen packmates, back when I first met him, but seeing Goly wear a 200-pound vest at his size is a clear reminder of how absurd this world is.
I then go to my Trainer prep school from 8 to noon, after a shower and meal. This school is actually far more useful than I had expected. I half expected it to be incredibly shoddy, based on how little Ash knew about Pokémon at the start of his journey. Now I know that Ash must have just been a little slow because these schools are thorough. So far we have gone over care and maintenance for various Pokémon types, basic Trainer etiquette, how to set up a camp, and safety lessons for traveling in the wilds. Looking at the syllabus has me excited for the rest of the course, with units on things like Pokémon tracking, egg care, Pokémon dietary planning, battle tactics, and the final unit teaching new moves.
I work at a small poffin shop which recently opened up from 12:30 to 4:30. I don't make much here, based on my short working hours, but it's still important that I build up some funds for the start of my journey. Looking at the prices of Trainer-related items tells me that being a Trainer is anything but cheap. I've already sold my Leaf Stone for 2,500 Poke, but that won't get me far. A lot of that has already been eaten up by getting dietary supplements like Pokémon Protein and Carbos for Goly, and regular protein powder for myself. Besides, I just like working here. Mrs. Haily is a sweetheart who has taught me all kinds of poffin recipes and never lets me leave without a little bag of treats for both Goly and myself.
5:00 P.M. is battle time. I head to the field behind the Pokémon Center and try to get one or two battles for Goly each day. Thus far, we haven't lost, nor have we had a battle as close as the battle with Phanpy. Having a hard-hitting move like Headbutt helps, but it's also true that the Trainers who hang around Mauville Pokémon Center this late in the Gym Circuit season and are willing to battle a kid with a Zigzagoon are either those who washed out early after 1 or 2 badges or those who had a very late start in their journey and are practically fresh-faced beginners. They aren't exactly Ace Trainers. In fact, Mauville's Gym challenges have slowed down to the point that Nurse Joy can even enjoy taking the time to ref these battles.
Thinking back to my battle with Addison though, Mrs. Melda has been keeping me up to date on her progress. Apparently, she blitzed her way through her first three badges on the first month of her journey. Mrs. Melda said this brought minor attention to Addison, but the fourth badge is where the Gym Circuit turns real and those who aren't serious begin to fall out in droves. Addison is still training for her challenge against Brawly for her fourth badge.
Anyways, after I've gotten my daily battles in and finished eating supper while watching the more experienced battlers and learning from them, I move on to two hours of technical training. This training session is much more private and takes place in a secluded clearing I found slightly off-route, outside the city. I always record every one of my battles with the Poketch I bought with about half of my Leaf Stone money. Goly and I start this training session by reviewing the day's battles and any other battles I feel contain things we can work on. We then brainstorm what improvements could have been made. This training session is where we practice our moves, train in various tactics, or try to learn new moves. Recently, the focus had been learning Dig, after I had to reject a battle against a girl with a Shuppet since I had no way to harm it. Our next goal, after mastering the accuracy portion of Dig, is to learn Iron Tail. It shouldn't be too hard, since I already know the exact method to teach it.
These training sessions are where I learned that I will need to shelf my plan to battle without giving orders. I had originally wanted to act as more of a sports coach than a battle commander, calling out every action. I wanted to teach Goly how to fight in our training, then leave it up to him in actual battles, merely calling a move or warning every now and then. However, while he has matured quite a bit since leaving the forest, Goly just isn't smart enough to battle on his own. Independent battling is still just a hope for our distant future. He doesn't understand tactics, falls for traps easily, and is far too eager to try and use Extreme Speed. As things stand, the only reason he has been able to resist using it in a match is because I let him use it all he wants in our final training session of the day.
That final session is another set of physical training that Goly and I do together. The focus here is speed, agility, and stamina. I mostly just alternate between jogging and sprinting with a minute-long break every ten minutes. It's intense, but so are the benefits. Goly, on the other hand, is a lot more busy during this session. He has obstacle courses that I've set up using logs, ropes, and the trees around the clearing. He has to move through the course at max speed while dodging attacks from the wild Taillow colony which I've been bribing into cooperating with some of Mrs. Hailey's poffins. We end the hour-long session by using Extreme Speed until he collapses. We've tried to fine-tune the move, but he can only move in a straight line with it at present. One use has him panting heavily, two has his legs shaky and his chest heaving, and three uses leave him a twitching pile of putty. In battle, one use would still make him all but worthless for the remainder of the fight.
We end our day with me walking home on tired, jelly legs. Goly is always fast asleep, laid out across my shoulders. I shower up and head straight to bed upon my arrival at the orphanage. Lying in my bed, I read whatever book on Pokémon Training strikes my interest until I fall asleep and do it all over again.
It may sound like a hard schedule, but I honestly believe that I am living the dream. Besides, my weekends, when I have no school or work, are spent goofing off around the city with Goly. There is a ton to do in Mauville, both inside and outside the city limits.
Life couldn't be better. Well, until my journey starts, that is.
That isn't to say that everything went well.
When our record at the Pokémon Center battlefield reached 82-0, nearly 4 months after our battle with Addison, we finally bit off more than we could chew. Our unofficial battle record, padded by many worthless wins over kids with Wurmples, Poochyenas, Taillows, and all other sorts of low-level Pokémon, had started to get to our heads.
"Kid, are you sure about this?" The Tiffany-blue-haired woman named Katie looked hesitant to battle a young kid with only a Zigzagoon. "I do have a new member to the team that I'm training up, but I'm still a 5 badge trainer."
"I understand," I asked her to battle because she seems incredibly familiar, though I can't remember where from. Interesting hair colors don't always mean you're important in this world, so I could be wrong too. "However, I think battling you would be very beneficial to Goly and myself. We are on a very long win streak, and battling the local beginner Trainers isn't helping us as much as it used to. Just think of it as a training session. Please!"
"Very well," She walks to her side of the battlefield. "Just don't take this to heart. Treat it like a learning experience."
I don't say anything to that, instead, I just send Goly out onto the field.
"Hey," Some of the nearby locals begin to gather around the field. "Reid's about to battle the Advanced Trainer from Lilycove!"
"He's been on a hot streak lately, but I guess that's going to end this time, huh? He hasn't battled anyone with more than three badges before, has he?" Another voice chimes in. Don't these people have anything better to do than bumming around at the battlefields all day, every day?
"I'll go ahead and step in as referee if you don't mind." Nurse Joy steps out of the Pokémon Center's backdoor to join the fun. She definitely should have something better to do. Well, I wish nothing but the best for Joy, so I guess she deserves her fun. "Are both trainers ready?" We nod. "Then this will be a one-on-one, unofficial battle between Reid of Mauville and Katie of Lilycove. Trainers, release your Pokémon."
"Let's go, Misdreavus!" Katie releases a floating ghost-type Pokémon, and I already know that I'm in trouble. The combination of being a ghost-type and having Levitate means that over half of our moves are ineffective.
"Be ready, Goly," I call out. "This isn't going to be easy. You can't beat a ghost-type fighting like you normally do."
"Trainers ready," Nurse Joy raises her hand between us, before rapidly slashing it downwards. "Begin!"
"Double Team!" I immediately call for our newest evasive move as a precaution against our more powerful foe. "Now, stay on the move and surround her!"
"Will-O-Wisp!" Katie's response comes quickly.
Three blue flames slowly float out from Misdreavus and move accurately toward the real Goly, drawn to his body heat. A look of panic comes across Goly's face when he realizes he has been found out already.
"Put out the flames with Sand Attack!" I can't afford to let him fall into chaos, so I'm quick to give him a new order to follow.
"Psybeam!" Katie's relentless and calculated offense continues.
"Mis! Drea!" A pink ball charges up in front of the ghost's mouth. "VUS!" And shoots as a powerful beam toward my Zigzagoon.
To make matters worse, the Will-O-Wisp simply passes through the sand, unaffected. Right, ghost fire; I should have expected as much. Either way, the battle barely started and we are already in a bind.
"Stop Sand Attack and use Protect!" The order gets off just in time, and both Psybeam and Will-O-Wisp dissipate harmlessly against the green shield. "Now, Pin Missile!" I order our only ranged move.
Four green needles hit their mark, one after the other, before Misdreavus manages to slip under the fifth.
"Astonish, then another Psybeam!" Katie sounds slightly more into the battle.
Misdreavus disappears, "Misdreavus!" only to pop out of the ground under Goly with a yell.
As my partner leaps into the air in fright, another pink beam is rapidly charged and released from the ghost's mouth. Goly is hit in the belly and sent tumbling through the air.
"Again, Psybeam!" Katie's offensive continues.
"Use Dig!"
"Zigzag!" Goly is quick to action and submerges himself before the next Psybeam can make contact.
"Will-O-Wisp into the hole!" Katie is quick to react, and another set of blue flames soon chases Goly underground.
"Zagoon!" His pained cry tells me that the Wisps of flame reached him. Unfortunately, he is unable to use Dig and Protect at the same time.
"Now, chase him with Shadow Sneak and attack with Confusion!"
Misdreavus sinks into the ground and my partner's pained cries return, amplified.
"Bail, Goly!" I cry out, now beginning to feel flustered. Katie has an answer for everything I'm trying. "Return to the surface!"
Goly pops out of the ground in front of me, just at the edge of the field, looking battered, but still full of energy. In game terms, he's burned, but still in the green.
"Mis Mis Mis!" Misdreavus chuckles in a slightly adorable fashion as she rises out of a shadow on Katie's side of the field, almost entirely unharmed.
"Do you want to keep going?" Katie asks, sounding genuinely concerned, but that somehow pisses me off more than if she was mean about it. "I think you've already proven yourself to be a very talented young Trainer."
"No," I respond gruffly. "We can keep going." I don't wait for a response, and instead order Goly's next move. "Double Team and charge forward at full speed!"
"Wide range Confusion," Katie responds. "Blast them all away!"
The following sequence once again highlights my partner's battle genius that I've grown used to seeing. A dozen Zigzagoons run towards Misdreavus in a fan formation in front of her. Misdreavus releases a wide wave of blue energy, causing all twelve images to disappear, leaving none left over. As the Pokémon looks around in confusion, the two trainers and all the spectators see where the real Goly is.
"Behind you, Misdreavus!" Katie cries out.
"Iron Tail!"
"Zig!" Goly jumps high above the floating ghost and starts a forward flip. "Zag!" A silver, metallic energy glows on his spiky tail. "GOON!" His tail connects with the top of Misdreavus's head as she turns from her Trainer's warning, slamming the Ghost-type Pokémon into the ground.
"Misdreavus, no!" Katie looks worried for the first time in this battle.
I know that Misdreavus is a Pokémon that doesn't take damage well, so one more hit might finish this.
"Again!" I cry out. "Finish it with Iron Tail!"
"Zigzag!" Goly Rushes toward his downed foe.
"Enough," Katie's voice sounds serious. "Confuse Ray."
"No! Protect!" But it's too late.
Already in the air with Iron Tail started, Goly can't switch to protect in time and is directly hit by the black swirling energy. His eyes immediately lose focus and the metallic energy on his tail dissipates. He even fails to stick the landing from his jump and lands on his head, dealing a small amount of damage to himself.
"Pain Split." Katie gives no room to spare.
A pink orb exits the bodies of both Misdreavus and Goly, with the orb coming from Misdreavus having a much darker red shade to it. The two orbs meet in the middle, blend until they are the same color, and return to each Pokémon. Misdreavus noticeably perks up, while Goly winces, even in his confusion.
"Goly, you need to snap out of it!" My voice is desperate, feeling the victory we had barely grasped slipping through my fingers.
Luckily, he winces once more and then shakes his head, his eyes seeming to clear up from the burn pains.
"Great job!" I cry. "Now…"
"Dark Pulse."
"GOON!"
Without the chance to do anything else, a ball of pitch black energy slams into Goly's body and he falls to the ground with a terrible cry of pain. I'm running out onto the field before my mind can catch up to what happened.
"Zigzagoon is unable to battle," Nurse Joy's voice is louder and more distinct than it ever has been.
"Return, Misdreavus. You did wonderfully." Katie's voice is also clear, though the crowd of spectators' is muffled and jumbled.
Katie and Joy both walk up to me at the same time. Joy is the first to speak.
"Ghost-type energy from moves like Pain Split can be very persistent if left untreated," She kneels down before Goly, Chancy right behind her, as always. "How about I bring both your Pokémon in for treatment right away, while you two talk?"
I take a deep breath and push down my frustration. Any decorated athlete knows the feeling of losing well, and I've long learned how to cope with it. It still hurts like hell, but the best thing I can do is to learn as much as I can right now, then vent and sulk later. There will be much bigger matches ahead.
"Of course," My voice isn't shaky. That's good. "Thank you, Joy."
"Here," Katie hands over her Pokeball. "Thanks."
"Of course," Joy flashes us a brilliant smile. "After such an incredible battle, it's the least I can do." She and Chancy then walk into the Pokémon Center, while Katie and I take a seat on a bench around the field.
"Truly," Katie starts. "You may not wish to hear this, but that was a battle you should take pride in. Misdreavus is a new addition to my team, but she is still better than most three-badge level Pokémon. The fact that she nearly lost to a Zigzagoon will be a great wake-up call to get her lazy butt in gear." She chuckles for a bit. "Honestly, nobody who sees that battle would ever think that you are a kid who hasn't even started his journey yet. It's honestly a bit scary." She looks down and mumbles for a bit. "Is this why they have the youngster license?"
"You only got serious after we hit you with Iron Tail," I respond, sounding a bit more sour than intended. "If you had been serious from the start, I wouldn't have had the chance to make it close."
"Maybe," She admits. "But maybe not. It's true that we underestimated you, but it's also true that you had the skill and ability to make us pay for that. Against a Pokémon that is capable of fighting at the four-badge level, ninety-nine percent of beginner Trainers wouldn't be able to take advantage of their carelessness. Be proud of yourself!"
"Still," I respond with a bit more energy. Maybe I had been reaching a little too far by expecting to beat a trainer at her caliber already. "A loss is a loss. As the first person to beat me, I have no choice but to get revenge."
"Wha…Hahahaha!" She breaks out into laughter. "You're a strong kid! I was in tears for days after my first loss. Sure, kid. We'll have to battle again." She reaches out her hand. "I'm Katie Kaide of Lilycove."
"I'm Reid Redwood of Mauville City." I shake her hand, knowing that we will meet again.
After all, I remember who she is now. She battled Ash at the Ever Grande Conference in the anime. I only remember that her Misdreavus took out Ash's Glalie with Destiny Bond.
Several months ago, even before my battle with Addison, I had gone to the local library to use their computers. I wanted to confirm which timeline I was in. The first thing I did was look up Ash Ketchum's name, and I was met with immediate results. A top 16 place winner in the Indigo Plateau Conference after his first year as a Trainer. An honored Trainer of the Orange League inducted into the Palace of Victory.
Since I've been keeping an eye on his progress from time to time, I know that he is currently advancing steadily through the Johto Gym Circuit, so I suppose that he will be starting his Hoenn Circuit at the same time as me. Armed with this knowledge, I've long since been writing everything I can remember, starting from the Hoenn anime all the way through the last anime I watched, Sun and Moon, in a notebook. Honestly, it's not much. I can remember quite a lot of details about Johto, and Sinnoh, as my favorite anime seasons, but even those are just scattered scenes without details. Like the fact that there is a shiny Metagross somewhere. No clue where though, so it's really of no help to know that.
No, I'm best off just having a few helpful reminders, like the names of people I should know, and otherwise taking in the world as though it were all new to me. That's because it is all new to me. Relying on a scattered memory of an old children's anime to guide me just seems like I'm asking to trip myself up.
I suppose that Katie's another name to add to my pages of notable figures.
Regardless of my thoughts, Katie and I continue to chat for the next hour until she has to leave on her way to Petalburg Gym. Before she leaves, we trade contact information for the sake of our future battle.
Not every day is so serious though.
That thought passes through my head as I float, face-up in the little pond I found near our training site.
A while earlier, when we were practicing using Iron Tail without needing a large jump and wind-up spin, a wild Ludicolo passed through our training site. This was the first third-stage Pokémon I had ever seen in the wild. However, instead of threatening us or battling, it simply began to dance. Its moves were reminiscent of Mirror B's Ludicolos in Pokémon Colosseum.
You see, Goly and I had recently taken to practicing while listening to music, so I had Unova's rock band led by Roxie named "Koffing and the Toxics" playing from my Poketch as we trained. I didn't expect punk rock to be a hit with nature, but Ludicolo seemed to love it.
Goly and I aren't ones to go around killing another guy's good vibes, so we just broke out into Ludicolo's dance with him. This thrilled the carefree Pokémon, and he led us in a conga line all the way to the pond he calls home.
Now here we are, surrounded by dancing Lotad, Lombre, and two Ludicolo, floating in a pond, listening to some punk rock. It doesn't get more surreal than that, but I can't help but smile at it all.
Goly's having a blast: shaking his tail, doing little pitter-patter stomps with his feet, and trying to stand on his back legs. He's just doing everything he can to try and dance with the Ludicolo family.
I'm just reminded of how much I love this new world I now find myself in.
This place is definitely one to return to.
"Alright class," Mr. O'Neill's rough voice calls us all to attention. "You've all done well and learned much throughout this school year. With your journeys just around the corner, it's time to show off the culmination of your learning in this course." The thirty-six students each have different reactions to this. Some are nervous, others confident. Some are excited, and others still are indifferent. Regardless, we all listen intently as he continues to speak. "This last week of class will be a miniature League-style elimination tournament. You will register one Pokémon to use for the entirety of the tournament. This can be a personally owned Pokémon or one of our school Pokémon. One round of the tournament will take place each day, starting tonight with the round of 36 and ending with only the finals on Friday. Anyone who loses will be required to write a page-long review of one battle from each of the subsequent rounds. Finalists will not be required to write anything. Your graduation gift from the school will be different, depending on which round you make it to." A girl with dark purple hair raises her hand. "Yes, Cathy?"
"How are you deciding our placement in the bracket?" She glances over at me. "If our prize depends on how far we go, being placed in a tough first-round draw could ruin someone's chances from the start."
"You will be seeded one through thirty-six, depending on your class rank. Rank 1 will face rank 36 in the first round, rank 2 will face rank 35, and so on and so forth." Cathy has a quick sigh of relief. "As for ruining anyone's chances, you will find that the Pokémon League is a world of winners. There is no consolation bracket in any League tournament. If you win, you receive praise and rewards. If you lose, that's it. Take this as your first experience in such a world. Is that clear?"
"Yes sir." Cathy responds.
"Now, rank number 1, Reid Redwood, am I correct in assuming you will be using your Zigzagoon in the tournament?" I confirm his guess. "Then you will have the first battle of the tournament tomorrow against rank 36, Jed. Jed, will you be using your Surskit?" Jed stutters out his confirmation. Not a single shred of confidence can be heard in his voice. "Good, then the next battle will be rank number 2, Cathy, versus rank 35, Justine. Cathy, will you be using your Nidorino?"
The class continues on in this fashion until the entire bracket is set. Mr. O'Neill then dismisses us so that we can prepare a strategy for tonight's first round of battles. All other rounds will take place during our regular class time this week. Our final test in this class is to show off all the skills and competence that we have gained throughout it. Regardless, I'm not going to worry about planning ahead. With only nine days until I turn 12, I have much bigger things to prepare for.
In these past eight months, Goly and I have worked ourselves to the bone for this day. With nearly a year of training and experience under our belts, we are no longer a toddler Pokémon and fledgling Trainer pair. No, we have countless hours of grueling training and strategizing under our belts.
On top of that, we even have over two hundred battles worth of experience, and that's not even counting all of our wild battles. The daily battles at the Pokémon Center were easily our greatest resource in this time. Our unofficial battle record currently sits at 197-7 and we have come to be seen as something of local legends at the Mauville City Pokémon Center. Granted, the vast majority of those battles (At least 150 of them) were against casual Trainers with 1 badge at the most. Still, there were quite a few intense ones mixed in there.
After our loss to Katie, we took things up a notch and began to challenge more and more trainers with three or even four badges. We've had many great battles, from a victory over a four-badge trainer's Mightyena to a crushing defeat against a three-badge trainer's Breloom. Regardless, I can confidently say that Goliath is currently at the level of a four-badge Pokémon, and only needs a small push to reach the five-badge level.
Honestly, it's to the point that Goly could have evolved a long time ago had I let him, but my research into the Zigzagoon/Linoone evolutionary line has led me to believe that I'm better off restricting his evolution for now. You see, the strongest Linoone currently used by any trainer belongs to Gym Leader Norman of Petalburg, and it isn't even used on his competitive team. There are also no known instances of a Linoone or Zigzagoon using Extreme Speed, so I can easily see how lucky I was to meet Goly. It feels more and more like fate has guided us together.
Anyway, Norman's Linoone had to learn Belly Drum to even reach the level that it did, but it isn't very good at it. You see, Belly Drum is one of the most difficult Normal-type moves to learn, with Hariyama being the only Pokémon to learn it naturally and easily. Even other Pokémon who were capable of learning it in the games, like Linoone or Azumarill, struggle immensely to learn it.
The idea of the move is that the Pokémon needs to build up an incredible amount of Normal-type energy in the core of their body, the belly for most, as in the name. After that energy has been built up to the point that it is nearly painful and ready to burst out of the Pokémon's body, they attack themselves with external Normal-type energy to send all of it vibrating throughout their body, filling their every cell to the brim with Normal-type power. Those vibrations do a number on the Pokémon's soft insides, which is why the move does so much damage to its user.
Now the concept of needing to hold in that energy is why I don't want Goly to evolve yet. As a Normal-type Pokémon, holding in his evolutionary energy is practically the same as the gathering of energy for Belly Drum. I suspect this is why most Pokémon who learn Belly Drum learn it at a much lower level if you don't evolve them. Using an Everstone would be pointless, but holding that energy back on his own will allow Goly to not only learn the move faster but also to have much greater mastery over it when he does learn it.
I had discussed this plan with Joy a while ago, due to some safety concerns I had. Her response was that physically, there is no harm in holding back an evolution. Where we could run into trouble would be mentally and emotionally. Pokémon are creatures of instinct. If they sense that they can ascend to a stronger form, and their trusted Trainer won't let them, they could feel hurt and betrayed. Joy and I both sat down with Goly after that and I told him how I thought waiting would allow him to grow much stronger in the future, but that he didn't have to if he didn't want to. Joy then warned him that restraining his evolution would feel uncomfortable without an Everstone to assist the process.
Goly didn't care. When he heard that it would make him stronger, he didn't need to hear anything else. Over the course of his wins and losses on the battlefield, he has fostered a hunger for victory and strength as great, if not even greater than mine.
Regardless, we have four more battles until our staggering unofficial record clears away to nothing and our official record of 0-0 is set. I have a folder in my private PokeTube channel titled "Unofficial Battles" with 204 videos in it, and right next to it sits an empty new folder called "Official Battles" and I can't wait to fill it up.
I'm certain that Goly only needs one good battle to learn Belly Drum and gain a new trump card, but with the new League Gym Circuit right around the corner, there are no Trainers here at the right level to push him there.
"The class battles aren't worth mentioning," I say to Goly, even as he sprints back and forth around the street. "This is where you will reach the next level."
Goly looks back at me, curious about what I'm talking about. When he sees me pointing to the Mauville Gym, his tail wags rapidly and he yips with joy. We have frequently been here to watch Wattson battle, and my partner has all but stormed the field to have a battle here every time.
The lights, the crowd, the intense battles, the electric atmosphere (pun intended): everything about the Gym challenge feeds perfectly into Goly's desires and excitable personality.
I walk through the front doors of the Gym with Goly crisscrossing between my legs after every step. My destination is a woman sitting at the reception desk.
"Hello, Reid," She greets me with familiarity. As I said, I'm pretty well-known here as the crazy Zigzagoon battle who challenges Advanced Trainers as a kid. "How can I help you?" She pets Goly as he hops up on the counter.
"Hi Aly, I'd like to register for a Gym battle with Wattson two weeks from today on the first of May." I can't help but grin with excitement at the thought.
"Is it finally going to happen?" She, too, smiles at the thought. "I just know that this one's gonna sell out. The whole city's been waiting to see 'the strongest Zigzagoon' versus Leader Wattson for months now. Even the old man himself has been excited about it." After a moment, she gains a slight frown on her face. "It's too bad that it'll be a one-badge match. I'm afraid the crowd won't get an exciting match like they want."
"About that," I never had any intention of facing Wattson's one-badge team. "I would like to request a special rules battle. I request a one-on-one battle with a member of Wattson's five-badge team."
"What?!" Aly drops her pen and looks at me like I'm insane, her green eyes opened wide. "Most Trainers at the five badge level have been training for two years! Even with all the time you've spent with your Zigzagoon, that's not even close. Not to mention, any Pokémon he chooses to use would be fully evolved you know. It's not going to be something a Zigzagoon can beat!" Her forehead is sweaty as she frantically warns me of my stupidity.
"I know, but a Gym challenge is only meaningful if it's a challenge." I simply smile at her. "If I'm certain that I'll win before I even go there, there's no point in doing it."
"Hah!" She barks out a disbelieving laugh. "You're absolutely crazy! But this will sell! This will sell like crazy!" She scrambles to pull a paper out of a folder and hands it to me with a pen. "Here, fill out this special request form and I'll get it to Wattson for review. I've already got you booked for the first, but we will email you confirmation of whether or not Wattson approves your request as soon as he's reviewed it. Between you and me, that old man totally will though."
"Thank you," I hand her the completed sheet and turn to leave. "I'll be waiting."
"Absolutely crazy." Her Transceiver is already out and dialing her friends to share the news. Hmph, why don't these Hoenn kids get that the Poketch is so much better?
Goly only now realizes that I'm leaving and regretfully hops off the counter and away from the lovely scratches he was getting to follow behind me.
I haven't even walked for 30 minutes before I get the email confirming that my request was accepted.
"Surskit is unable to battle," Mr. O'Neill's voice announces to nobody's surprise. "Zigzagoon and Reid are the winners!"
The battle wasn't worth mentioning. It lasted less than thirty seconds, and the only minor difficulty was catching the quick little bug. Double Team and a barrage of Pin Missiles, both fake and real, solved that issue. We planned to follow with Take Down, but just the Bug-type attack, which shouldn't have been very effective, was enough to put our opponent out of commission.
It makes sense. Level-wise, we should be around level 30, while Surskit was probably around level 5. Though I have come to find that the concept of levels doesn't actually exist as they do in the games, they are still an easy way to quantify the raw power that different Pokémon have attained.
"Meditite is unable to battle! Zigzagoon and Reid are your winners and move on to the quarter-finals!"
Another uninspired battle. My opponents come into the fight with no expectations to win, and they don't even try. Battling people who are already convinced of their loss is, frankly, a waste of time. Goly doesn't gain anything from it.
Even with type advantage, Liam, my opponent this round, had no plan to go with it. Once again, I simply used a combo of Double Team into Pin Missile and won in a single attack.
"Magnemite is unable to battle!" Mr. O'Neill's voice is even as always, giving no hint of his inner thoughts. "Zigzagoon and Reid are the winners. They will advance to the semi-finals tomorrow!"
This one took more than one move, but that was more due to the nature of Steel-types than any merit of my opponent's. When Magnemite flies high into the air and Dig can't reach it, I only have attack options that don't deal effective damage. Well, Goly has actually learned a move to deal with this, in case Wattson decides to use a Magneton or, heaven forbid, a Magnezone. Either way, it would be stupid to expose that move here.
Instead, Goly simply wore down on Magnemite with Pin Missiles and Iron Tails. None of its attacks could hit him anyway, so there was no rush.
"Loudred is unable to battle!" The result is accompanied by some actual cheering this time, rather than polite clapping. "Zigzagoon and Reid win and move on to the finals! Give another round of applause to Grace for making the semi-finals!"
The cheers were warranted this time. This was actually a decent battle. Not a difficult battle, mind you. It was still a landslide, but they seriously tried to win this time. I had to think and Goly had to put in some effort.
Facing off against a Pokémon that uses sound waves with Echoed Voice to attack was an interesting experience, though not really a pleasant one, as my ringing ears remind me.
Unfortunately, everyone in the class remembers when Grace's shy little Whismur evolved into a Loudred just last week, rocketing her up the rankings from the twelfth place up to fifth. Though she managed to defeat rank 4 Alex's Voltorb, her Loudred is still only a newly evolved Pokémon. She would have been a much better battle after a couple more months.
Either way, while still being easy, it was a fun battle, so I sit down next to Grace in the stands and chat with her about her Loudred while the other semi-final match takes place.
"Nidorino, use Toxic Spikes!" Unsurprisingly, my opponent in the finals is Cathy.
"Dig under them." I've battled Cathy more than a few times behind the Pokémon Center. As such, I'm more than familiar with her style, and more importantly, how to easily overcome it. I'm expecting a quicker fight than my semi-final match here, though not an easier one. Cathy's good enough that this will require an actual strategy and some skill on Goly's part.
"Use Focus Energy," Cathy responds. "Catch him when he comes out with a Double Kick."
I subtly stomp my foot on the ground. This is a signal to Goly, who's underground, that my next attack call should be a feint.
"Now, Attack!"
A bump of dirt emerges below Nidorino, who immediately reacts by jumping up and stomping the ground with his two back legs, both glowing with Fighting-type energy. Unfortunately, a bump of dirt is all it was that he attacked.
"Attack!" I call the real attack and Goly bursts out under Nidorino's new position, sending the larger Pokémon tumbling across the ground.
"No! Nidorino, get up quickly!" Cathy's voice urges her partner.
"Don't let up, charge him down with Iron Tail!" I don't give her a chance to breathe.
Goly deftly avoids the Toxic Spikes and soon plants a heavy Iron Tail attack on the crown of Nidorino's head, putting the poisonous beast down for the battle.
"Nidorino is unable to battle," Mr. O'Neill's voice rings out one more time. "Zigzagoon and Reid Redwood are your champions! A warm round of applause for both Reid and Cathy, as our promising two finalists!"
What followed was a little ceremony where we were given our graduation gifts and a little card that stated that we were graduates of a League-sponsored trainer prep school. After the ceremony, Mr. O'Neill surprises me by wishing me luck in my Gym battle and telling everyone in the class who can make it that they absolutely should. I guess Aly has been doing a good job of advertising it.
As the tournament champion, my graduation gift was actually much better than I had been expecting to receive. It contained 3 Great Balls, 10 PokeBalls, 5 Super Potions, and 1 Revive, which can literally save your Pokémon's life in a crisis.
Considering the price of all that, I have to imagine that the League sponsors these graduation gifts. It almost feels criminal how much I just got for such an easy tournament, especially when I see the 3 Pokeballs and nothing else that the kids who lost in the first round get.
Five days until the Gym Circuit and my challenge to Wattson, and I've finally turned 12.
A box and a letter for me arrived at the orphanage this morning. Both came from one Tracy Marks.
I had been keeping in contact with her ever since I received my Poketch. I still have the picture with the Zigzagoon pack set as my background photo. I even gave her access to my private PokeTube account so that she can watch all my matches. Otherwise, I just like to hear about her exploits as a Ranger.
I grab the letter first and am soon looking at a very brief bit of writing. How like her to write as little as possible. This is the type of woman who will abbreviate everything she possibly can in her texts, and use one-word replies at every opportunity. I sigh to myself and begin reading.
"Hi Reid,
Congrats on turning 12! As your savior and hero, I felt it only right that I get you a little something to celebrate the occasion. There are two gifts in the box for you.
The first is an outfit. You look like a grubby street rat in those battle videos you've shared with me, so I know that you have no sense for fashion. A Trainer's appearance is very important to their career, so I'll save you there too, no need for thanks. I bought a few sets of the same outfit, which is what most Trainers do, and put them in a Silph bag for you. You're not allowed to argue, just wear it all. That bag's damned expensive too, so hurry up and get famous enough to spoil me with a much better return gift.
The second gift, or I guess it's the third now, is a much greater surprise. Let's just say I recently found this thing and realized that I'm not the right match for it. When thinking of what to do with it, I could only think of sending it to you, feel free to be honored. After all, it's something every new Trainer should get. Cryptic enough for you? Good, then open it up.
Expecting greatness,
Tracy Marks"
A wide smile sits on my face as I turn to the box. Goly has been circling it like a shark, just sniffing away.
I cut the packing tape with a box cutter and open it up. The first thing I see is a sleek, black backpack with the Silph logo on it. At the base of the bag, resting near the straps is a single Pokeball with another envelope leaning against it. I can clearly tell that there's something in it.
Reid Redwood
Badges: 0
Pokémon: 2
Goliath (Goly)
Zigzagoon
Moves:
Headbutt, Take Down, Dig, Pin Missile, Iron Tail, Extreme Speed, Covet, Flail, Protect, Rest, Double Team, Growl, Sand Attack, Tail Whip
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Moves:
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