"So we meet again! Are you up for another match already?" Byron, the steel type gym leader of Canalave City, looked ominously down upon Kevin as he grinned maniacally. Kevin still couldn't decide whether this guy was scary or awesome.
Kevin cleared his throat. "Yeah, I think so. Is that okay with you?"
Byron laughed and grabbed a Pokéball off his belt. "Of course it is! You already know what I'm going to use, so let's not waste any time!" He threw the ball with an astonishing speed. "Go, Bronzor!"
Once again, the lifeless-looking dark blue disc emerged in a flash of light. It stared at Kevin unblinkingly, but he tried not to pay attention to it. Kevin sighed.
All right, it was still a three on three. But this time, it would be different. He'd thought things over, and he'd decided he'd have to let the others have their time to shine. He was still a super effective fire type, so he'd still be in the match, but he'd let the others handle it, too.
He turned to Lana and the team behind him. "Mist?" he asked, gesturing for her to get up there.
The Floatzel looked extremely nervous, giving Kevin a look of despair. He rolled his eyes.
"Are you forgetting you won this the last time? Come on," He suddenly remembered Mist's crush on him and hastily tried a different tactic. "I mean, please?" he said, smiling.
Mist blinked before scurrying into the battlefield. Kevin turned around, hoping to feel less awkward as the battle progressed. "All right. Let's go."
And so, the battle began. Predictably, Bronzor opened up with a Confuse Ray, which Mist was prepared for and easily dodged. Oh yeah. No way was he letting the disaster of a battle that happened before repeat itself.
"Let's try Aqua Jet," said Kevin cautiously. That had been the winning move before, but only after plenty of other attacks. Bronzor was a defensive Pokémon, that was for sure.
Byron laughed heartily. "Don't think you're the only one who's learned from the last time! Hypnosis!"
"What?!" That thing knew Confuse Ray and Hypnosis? What a cheap little plastic plate. "Mist! Go straight up instead!" Everyone around him seemed to think of it as a strange command, but jumping usually worked for him, so…
Mist didn't manage to propel herself very high up – only four feet or so – but the quick re-aiming of Hypnosis missed anyway. Kevin breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing he needed was for Mist to fall asleep.
"Flash Cannon the ground!" yelled Byron. Kevin narrowed his eyes. This was getting to be annoying. Relentless attacks seemed unfair, even if they weren't.
The ground cracked open upon the beam's silvery impact, creating a rocky fissure for Mist to land in. Excellent. She fell with a cry, the rocks striking her painfully. Come on, there had to be something he could do. If the previous strategy didn't work, quick thinking would have to!
Bronzor was a disc. What did people do with discs? Aside from being plates, they were also CDs. And other things. Damn it!
"Water Gun," Kevin said, stalling. Discs were the shapes of targets, sort of? But an enemy Pokémon was a target anyway. A Frisbee…? Would that even work?
As Kevin tried to figure out how Mist could possibly beat Bronzor while treating it as a Frisbee, Byron ordered an Extrasensory, hitting Mist hard.
…Wait a minute. What was he even doing? A Frisbee? There was no need to resort to anything so ridiculous. All he needed to do was keep his cool and battle like he usually did. Nothing else to it.
"Sonicboom," Kevin said, narrowing his eyes. No matter what, Sonicboom always inflicted the same amount of damage – it didn't matter if you were a defensive tank or a newborn Wurmple. Well, it kind of did, because a newborn Wurmple was unlikely to even have enough stamina to take a hit at all, but regardless, Sonicboom would do damage.
Mist growled and sent a strong, swish of air from her tails at Bronzor, hitting it square in the face. It seemed to ignore the hit, but Kevin knew it had at least done something. And at this level of competition, Kevin had a feeling it'd be effective.
"Let's keep doing that," said Kevin, finally gaining a smirk. He was itching to get to battle Steelix again, just so he could get the badge already. Mist nodded, swishing her tails a second time.
Bronzor dodged the new wave easily. "Whittling down diamonds only makes them stronger!" declared Byron, sending his fist to the sky as he towered over everyone else on the battlefield. "Sparkle with some Flash Cannon!"
"Diamonds?" Kevin muttered. Byron was the craziest person alive, aside from maybe Chuno. "Er, stand your ground and try to counter with Water Gun!"
Mist sent a powerful jet of water towards the silver light, slowing its progress. It was clear that Water Gun wasn't nearly as powerful, though, as the silver cannon was beginning to push the Floatzel back a bit.
…Silver cannon. He'd seen this move used by someone else— Oh, right! In the Pokémon Contest. It was part of the Flashing Cannon Combo Marianna had used. The electricity had circled around the beam, somehow.
Kevin frowned slightly. "Mist, can you use Whirlpool?" he asked, wondering if his new, sudden plan would work.
She ceased fire and ducked quickly, letting the rest of the Flash Cannon zoom past over her head and into the wall. "Um, maybe?"
"Try it," Kevin said, hoping her attempt would be decent enough. She began to do something like an Aqua Jet, only her tails were twirling and drawing the water towards the tips of her tails. Once she had a sizable amount of water, she sent it flying towards Bronzor, who dodged.
She grimaced. "I'm not very good," she told him quickly before avoiding another Confuse Ray.
Kevin shook his head. "That's okay, I think it's good enough," he said. She raised an eyebrow.
"I don't know what you're planning, but I have a feeling it'll be interesting!" said Byron with a grin. "Let's use Flash Cannon one more time!"
"Whirlpool!" Kevin shouted. Mist, acting fast, sent a sloppy Whirlpool at the nearing beam of silver. If it worked like Kevin hoped it would, it would wrap around the beam and strike Bronzor at the end it came from.
It didn't. Instead, the Whirlpool drew in all the energy from the cannon and exploded, sending a shower of water and bits of metal everywhere. Kevin shuddered; the water had hurt combined with the sharp debris. He frowned.
"Okay, fine! At least it didn't get you!" Kevin shouted to Mist, who seemed to be less damaged than he was, probably because the water didn't hurt her. "Just Aqua Jet and Sonicboom until it faints!"
He was getting irritated. The first part of the battle wasn't supposed to be taking this long. Thankfully, Mist was quick on her feet, quicker than before, actually. She responded to the command with what was essentially her own form of a Close Combat: a tackle from Aqua Jet, a punch (which couldn't have felt nice on her knuckles), a Sonicboom, and a Water Gun.
And… That was it. Bronzor was down. Kevin blinked. Why hadn't she moved that fast earlier? It would have saved a lot of time.
"Clever use of Swift Swim! I wouldn't think a few drops of water from the sky would trigger it, but I guess it did!" said Byron happily.
Kevin blinked. "Uh, right," he said.
Byron stared at him. "You didn't plan that?" he asked, still smiling.
"…Not really," Kevin admitted, still a bit confused.
Byron did not blink, nor did his smile falter. "Well, good on you anyway! Steelix!" He threw his next Pokéball, allowing the massive, steel snake to emerge once again.
"Okay. Mist, it's my turn," Kevin said.
All right. This was his time to shine. Kevin stepped out onto the field. Steelix wasn't weakened like before, but that wouldn't matter. He wouldn't need his strength saved up for Bastiodon this time, if it all went the way he wanted it to.
"Sandstorm!" called Byron, setting up the persistent irritant of small rocks and sand that would pelt Kevin for the next few minutes. Kevin narrowed his eyes. No sweat. This wouldn't take too long.
He opened with a Mach Punch, setting him up close to the towering behemoth of a serpent. The punch barely grazed Steelix, which was intentional; if Kevin punched any harder, he'd only end up hurting himself.
"Dragonbreath!" Byron commanded. Steelix immediately responded with a rush of blue flames aimed at Kevin. Surprisingly, they actually hurt. They were flames, but they weren't actual fire. It felt more like an acidic burn. Kevin frowned. So this was a dragon type move? Interesting.
He shot a Flamethrower at Steelix, hitting him in the face. Once again, Steelix reeled, the fire super effective against his cold, steel body. Kevin took a deep breath and used another Flamethrower, not wanting to take any hesitation.
The battle of flames didn't last long. Kevin was hit with another Dragonbreath as Steelix was engulfed in Flamethrower after Flamethrower. Eventually, it was too much for the snake, and he collapsed heavily.
Kevin breathed deeply. All right, that went well. He stepped back towards the trainer's section of the field, trying to regain his breath. It had taken a lot to breath that much fire, and he was feeling a little drowsy. He looked at Lana.
"Send out Kari," he said to the girl. She bit her lip and tossed him the Pokéball.
Kevin stared at it. He'd never actually thrown a Pokéball before… But whatever. He tossed it on the ground, watching Kari emerge. He stared for a second before turning and lobbing the ball back to Lana. It was weirder than it should have been.
"You never told me I was going to be in this battle," Kari said, not bothering to turn her weight around to make eye contact with him.
Kevin sighed. "If you weren't being all grumpy, then you would have known. Are you going to listen to me or what?"
Kari chuckled. "Fine," she said simply.
Byron didn't seem to make note of their conversation as he whipped out the Pokéball that could only contain Bastiodon. "Are we ready for the end?" he asked, excitement shining in his eyes.
Kari chuckled again while Kevin grinned. Byron hurled the ball, releasing the prehistoric monster known as Bastiodon. Kevin breathed. Okay, this was it.
"Kari, you know Leech Seed, right?" Kevin asked.
"Mm hmm," Kari replied.
"Then do it," he said.
"You just love telling me what to do, don't you?" Kari chided. Even so, she still shot a seed from the tree on her back at Bastiodon. The seed landed on his foot, sprouting tiny vines that wrapped around and cut into his hard skin. Nice.
Byron shook his head. "Our unbeatable combination won't be stopped! Iron Defense!" Byron said. Kevin wondered why he was so dramatic. Not that it was bad, but it was kind of hilarious.
"What now?" Kari asked impatiently. Kevin went over her moves in his head. Grass type moves were likely a stupid choice, along with Crunch, but Earthquake would be decent, even with defense boosts.
Kevin smirked. "Earthquake," he said.
Kari frowned. "And knock you out too? Kevin, did you think this through at all?"
He blinked. Oh, right. Earthquake rattled everyone on the field, but him, more so. He frowned. "'Kay… No problem."
"What?" Kari asked. Bastiodon continued to use Iron Defense in the background as Kevin hopped up on Kari's back. He climbed the small tree and grinned.
"There. Now use it," he said.
Kari was stunned. "I… All right," she said. She stomped her front legs into the ground, sending shockwaves in all directions. Kevin had to hold onto her tree to steady himself; although he wasn't feeling the ripples in the ground firsthand, the attack shook him and Kari, too.
Bastiodon cringed. Kevin smirked. Finally. Something that could actually hurt this guy! Across the field, Byron was scratching his head.
"Well, I'm not sure if that's legal or not, but I'll take it!" he said, laughing. "Let's use Flash Cannon some more!"
Kevin was getting sick of the sparkling, silver attack. "Counter it," he said quickly.
"With what? You have to be more specific!" Kari shot back. Kevin grimaced as the beam hit her on the shell.
He sighed. "Well, if you can't counter, at least dodge. Earthquake again," he said, squeezing the branch of the tree.
She drove her legs into the ground once more. "You didn't tell me how to counter! And I can't move quickly, especially with you crushing my branches," Kevin only tightened his grip as he was shaken a second time.
"You can't even feel it," he muttered, eyeing Bastiodon, who was readying Ancient Power.
Kari growled. "Yes, I can! And at the moment, it hurts enough that you're cancelling out what I'm getting from Leech Seed!" She aimed a few Razor Leaves at his hand, causing him to let go.
"Sorry," he muttered, hopping out of the tree and steadying himself with one of the large rocks on Kari's back instead. "Don't tell me you can feel this too. Earthquake again."
Kari made another Earthquake, this one more powerful than before. She seemed to be channelling her anger through the ground, instead. Bastiodon was hit as he sent several large rocks hurtling at Kari, who did her best to tank through each hit. (Kevin had to dodge a bit as well.)
The battle went on similarly for some time, Kari using Earthquake repeatedly and Bastiodon somehow staying conscious through it all. It was clear that both of the bulky reptilians were getting fatigued, however. Kevin himself was quite tired and really wanted to lie down and take a nap.
"Flash Cannon!" yelled Byron again. By contrast, Byron was still very excited with the battle. Kevin never would have thought that anyone would be even more passionate about battling than he was, but here was Byron, pumped as he could be. He was beginning to remind Kevin of his Uncle Nick.
Kari's breathing was getting heavier. Kevin sighed, patting her tree. "Hey, let's switch out, okay? I'll finish up," he offered.
Kari shook her head. "No way. I haven't had this much fun in years," she breathed, sending another powerful Earthquake through the ground and to Bastiodon. Kevin blinked.
"Really?" he asked. "You like it?"
She laughed. "Yes. I really do," she said happily. Then she smiled. "Now get off my back."
"Wha— No!" said Kevin.
"Suit yourself," Kari said. She made sure she was balanced before charging something.
"What are you doing?" Kevin asked quickly, narrowing his eyes. Across the stadium, Bastiodon was unmoved.
She grinned. "I want to try something," she answered. Suddenly, a barrage of leaves from her tree flew off, aimed for Bastiodon. Quite a few hit Kevin along the way, leaving him with several tiny cuts. Although it didn't hurt him too much, he bit his tongue from the pain. Geez, that stung.
The leaves were sharp enough that they clinked when they hit Bastiodon's shield of a face. At first, Bastiodon was stoic and unfazed, but once the attack ended, his knees buckled, sending him falling to the ground. Bastiodon fainted.
Kevin blinked. "…Was that Razor Leaf?" he asked, amazed that Kari had amassed so much power in such little time. Kari giggled, shaking her head.
"No, I think it's something else," she said, sighing in content. "I won," she said happily.
Byron was laughing. "So you did! That was an excellent match!" He walked over to them, his hand digging around in his pocket. Finally, he pulled out a small silver and brown piece of metal. "This is your prize. The Mine Badge," He placed the badge in Kevin's hand.
Kevin blinked. "…Thanks," he said.
"I don't know, I just felt so exhilarated! I never realized battling was so much fun, really!" Kari said happily. Her face was lit up in pure bliss. What a rare sight.
Kevin tossed the badge in the air and caught it. "If I'd known you were this good, I would have made you battle in Veilstone and Hearthome, too," he muttered, smirking. "Which reminds me, where to next?"
Kari suddenly frowned. "Oh… Snowpoint City," she said disdainfully.
"And that's bad?" Kevin asked.
Kari's frown deepened. "Well, I think I'll be in my Pokéball for most of that trip," she replied.
Kevin raised an eyebrow. "Because…?"
"Are you that dense? Snowpoint City. In the winter. We'll be lucky if Lana doesn't freeze to death."
Ah. That wouldn't be good.