Author's Corner.
Vann: Aaaaaaaaalright! Let's get this party started!
Scarlet: You're not bringing in strippers again are you?
Vann: Uh…No.
White: Ginger! There's a girl clown at the front door and she say's Vann ordered for her.
Scarlet: I said no strippers!
Vann: I didn't bring a stripper! I brought a clown stripper. There's a difference.
White: Oooooohhh….
Scarlet: Clown fetish…you don't see freaks like those anymore.
Vann: Hey! What did I say about discriminat-
DISCLAIMER: SLYBILL OWNS POKEMON NOT. ELSE MISTY WOULD HAVE HAD AN INCREASE IN CUP SIZES BY NOW!
Nimbasa Gym, Nimbasa City.
White stepped into a small room with an tunnel knocked into the wall. Not too far from her was a small carrier on some train tracks.
"That better be not what I think it is," Scarlet groaned as he eyed the roller coaster. Jolteon just whined in horror.
"Relax!" White laughed confidently, giving the hunter a hard pat on the back. "Elesa's gym was remodelled so the roller coaster ride isn't too scary!"
Shoving the duo into the carrier, White jumped in and, before Scarlet could protest, pushed a button. The carrier jerked forward and passed the small tunnel which opened to reveal a long set of colourful, neon loops and dips in a very vast room.
"I thought you said it was remodelled!" Scarlet yelped as the carrier ran forward along the tracks.
"It was! The roller coaster used to be far longer than this!" White exclaimed as they took a belly-turning dip. Ten loop de loops later, the shaky trio clambered out of the roller coaster and in front of a door.
"The battlefield should be behind that door," Scarlet stated as he pushed back the breakfast piling up his throat. "Remember, Sandile is a ground type so it'll be very effective against Elesa's electric pokemon."
"But you also said her Emolga can fly. What should I do about that?" White asked as she took out her pokeball.
"Wing it," Scarlet replied flatly and the door slid open showing a long runway with a lighted stage at the end. At both sides of the runway were dozens of screaming fans who had come to witness another of Elesa's electrifying battles. The model herself stood at the centre of the stage in front of a huge screen which would show her battle to those farthest from the stage.
"Welcome White," Elesa called coolly. "Did the fantastic speed of my roller coaster leave you dizzy?"
"Trust me, being dizzy is the least of my problems…" Scarlet muttered as that sick wave of earlier washed over him again.
"Thanks for accepting my challenge Elesa," White said and bowed slightly. "Try not to be mad when we beat you."
"Beat me?" Elesa exclaimed and flicked her hair haughtily. "I haven't been beaten in six years now. I'm at least hoping you'll take out my first pokemon."
Scarlet watched as the White from Castelia Gym took over (Battle White as he had termed it) and clenched her fist in excitement.
"I'm getting fired up! Watch me coach!" she exclaimed and lifted her pokeball.
"Let's begin this show!" Elesa stated, grabbing her own pokeball. "My beloved Pokémon will be the next one to make your head spin! Go!"
The orb opened and light streamed out before taking the shape of a Zebra-like pokemon.
"Zebstrika, the Thunderbolt Pokemon. This ill-tempered Pokémon is dangerous because when it's angry, it shoots lightning from its mane in all directions," Scarlet's pokedex beeped loudly. White smirked and tossed her pokeball. In a flash, Sandile appeared and gazed defiantly at its taller opponent.
The referee cleared her throat and raised her hand. "This is a three-on-three match between Gym Leader Elesa and Challenger White. Only the challenger is allowed to switch pokemon. Furthermore the battle is over when all three of either trainer's pokemon are unable to battle."
Scarlet and Jolteon walked off the runway to find close enough seats among the crowd.
"Hi Scarlet~" four familiar female voices rolled in unison. Before the paling hunter could look back, both he and his pokemon were seized from behind and dragged into the crowd.
"Oh great…" Scarlet groaned as Elesa's attendants dragged them off to Arceus-knows-where.
"Let the battle…BEGIN!" the referee called, bringing down her hand.
"First move White!" Elesa called.
"Gladly!" White replied. "Sandy! Dig!"
Complying, the desert croc roared and disappeared underneath the stage. Zebstrika darted its eyes left and right to see where the attack would come from only to be hit from behind by a sudden swish of Sandile's tail. This didn't seem to damage it though.
"Again!" White cried and Sandile leapt back into the floor. Elesa smiled wryly.
"Flame Charge!" the model called and Zebstrika jammed its hooves into the ground generating dust and fire around itself.
That's bad. If Sandile pops up, she'll take the full brunt of that fire attack, Scarlet thought as he pushed the attendant dangerously close to his face. As he predicted, Sandile came up and was instantly enveloped in searing heat. The desert croc cried in pain and landed shakily before her trainer.
"Don't let the heat get to you," White said encouragingly. "Try Sand Tomb!"
With a nod, Sandile slammed her forefeet into the ground and caused small sand tornadoes. These were then sent towards Zebstrika who growled at the incoming attacks.
"Flame Charge," Elesa snapped. Coating itself in fire, the zebra-like pokemon charged head-first into the tornadoes dissipating them with its power. Not stopping, it galloped straight for Sandile who jumped to avoid the attack.
"Stone Edge!" White ordered and a circle of pointy rocks formed around Sandile. With a cry, she launched them at devastating speed at Zebstrika.
"Blow them away with Discharge," Elesa calmly ordered. The white stripes on Zebstrika's body glowed golden yellow as the pokemon released a blinding shockwave, instantly blowing away the incoming rocks.
"She's just knocking away the attacks," Scarlet muttered. This model clearly had the brains to run this gym as opposed to the common stereotype on models. White better come up with something soon or she's toast. And that will really hinder my progress.
"Get in close and use Bite!" White ordered as the electricity died down. Falling onto the Thunderbolt pokemon's broad back, Sandile sank her small but pointy fangs into its neck and held on tightly.
"Thrash," Elesa countered and Zebstrika bucked wildly. Sandile hung on for all her worth as her opponent kicked at the air and reared up on its hind legs.
"That Sandile's gonna get tired eventually," an attendant commented, holding tightly to Scarlet's waist. Scarlet stared at the thrashing pokemon and smiled coyly. Battle White was quite smart; he had to give her that.
In a few seconds, Zebstrika started swaying dangerously to and fro in a state of confusion.
"Yes!" White cheered, glad to see that her plan worked. "Now Sandile! Stone Edge!"
Sandile jumped off her opponent and fired stones ferociously at it. They hit their mark as Zebstrika was too confused to dodge properly. However, Elesa kept up her smile.
"I should probably go on the offensive now," she stated mockingly. White tensed and looked at Zebstrika who had shaken off the confusion thanks to the hits from Sandile's move. "Giga Impact!"
Light-purplish energy swirled around Zebstrika who started stamping at the ground dangerously. Suddenly and without warning, the pokemon dashed forward at an increased speed and slammed into Sandile, sending her flying into a wall. Sandile moaned in pain as she slid down the wall and landed heavily on the ground.
"This is not going according to plan," Scarlet sighed as White grit her teeth in frustration. All of Sandile's moves were being repelled by Zebstrika and the desert croc pokemon couldn't take another attack or else she'd faint.
"Take a break Sandile," The trainer called as she held up her pokeball.
"Good choice, it wouldn't have been wise to lose your ground-type," Elesa commented as Zebstrika trotted back to her. "I've had a fair share of battles against ground pokemon so, naturally, I developed techniques for defending against their attacks."
Sandile was beamed back into her ball and White took out another pokeball. Scarlet pondered on what next she'd bring out.
"Go! Pignite!" she called and tossed it into the air. Pignite burst out and landed on the stage before giving a battle cry.
"Looks strong," Elesa smirked and pointed at the fire pig. "Wild Charge."
Zebstrika snorted before enveloping itself in raw electricity and galloping towards Pignite.
"Jump!" White called and Pignite responded by leaping high into the air, dodging the attack. "Now use heat crash!"
Surrounding herself in red heat energy, Pignite dropped herself on Zebstrika causing a huge explosion that threw smoke all over the battlefield. Pignite jumped out from the smoke and landed before White. Peering into the smoke, one could see Zebstrika shaking in pain as burns coated its smooth hide.
"That's a fast Pignite, White," Elesa stated as Zebstrika recovered and neighed defiantly. "But it'll take a lot more than speed to take this guy down. Discharge!"
"Wait for it…" White muttered as Zebstrika began charging another attack. Pignite stood her ground and eyed Zebstrika calmly. Scarlet wondered what exactly White was planning before remembering something.
"Do it!" Elesa called and Zebstrika prepared to fire its built up electricity. White smirked a little and blocked her ears, Pignite did the same and Scarlet jammed two of the attendants on either side of his face.
A deafening BOOM was heard as Zebstrika fired its attack…which actually enveloped the Thunderbolt pokemon and fried the stuffing out of it. Zebstrika tossed and turned in agony before collapsing on the floor, unconscious. Elesa stared blankly for a full minute before gasping and knocking her forehead in exasperation.
"How could I forget?" she shouted as she pulled on her side bangs. "Wild Charge affects the user with a horrible rebound."
"I figured that would happen," White stated as she unplugged her ears and high-fived Pignite. "Coupled with the pent-up energy from Discharge, the rebound was triple the damage. If I can't beat Zebstrika with strength, then I'll just have to use its power against it. That's what coach taught me."
"Not bad," Elesa replied and called back her pokemon. "You really did your homework on battle strategy." Taking out another pokeball, she threw it skywards and Emolga popped out and glided towards her owner.
"Emolga, the Sky Squirrel Pokémon. The energy made in its cheeks' electric pouches is stored inside its membranes and released while it is gliding," Scarlet's pokedex beeped again.
It's part flying too so White better pull Pignite out, the hunter inwardly remarked as he pocketed his device.
"Up for round two?" White asked her pokemon and Pignite was just about to nod when Sandile's pokeball began to rattle before opening to reveal the now re-pumped pokemon.
No way in hell am I gonna let you show me up bitch, Sandile growled and pushed Pignite out of the battlefield. Pignite made to push back when White placed a hand on her shoulder.
"She wants to help out, so let's give your best friend a shot," White said with a confident smirk and Pignite sweatdropped before returning back to her pokeball. "Let's do this Sandy!"
"Emolga, Aerial Ace!" Elesa ordered. Jumping off her shoulder, Emolga flew into the air for a moment before coming down hard on Sandile numerous times. The beat down continued for a few more seconds before Sandile had had enough.
"Stone Edge!" White called as Emolga neared her pokemon again. Before the Sky squirrel could stop, Sandile had summoned a ring of pointy rocks around herself and launched them at the pokemon.
"Acrobatics!" Elesa cried but it was too late as the small pokemon took the full brunt of the super effective attack. Shaking off the pain, Emolga soared high into the air before zigzagging its way across the field at frightening speed. White's eyes darted to and fro in hopes of seeing a pattern to the incoming attack. Finding none, she decided to wing it.
"Sandy, shoot as many stones as you can and in any direction too!" She ordered and the crowd gasped as Sandile summoned several rings of bigger stones. Turning to the crowd, White shouted "TAKE COVER!" and jumped off the stage. Scarlet instinctively grabbed Jolteon and hid behind the girls in front of him.
With a loud roar, Sandile launched the stones haphazardly in every direction she could think of. People screamed as stones crashed into the ceiling, the walls, the floor and other places dangerously close to them. Within minutes, a yelp of pain was heard and the frightened crowd turned to see Emolga hovering weakly in the air, obviously affected by the unorthodox attack. White jumped back onstage and pointed at the pokemon.
"Take it out with bite!" she ordered confidently and Sandile jumped into the air before gripping the weakened pokemon in her jaws. With a sharp twist, the desert croc flung Emolga towards the ground, the latter causing a small crater where it had landed.
"Get up Emolga!" Elesa yelled, panicking slightly. Her pokemon struggled to its small feet and wobbled uneasily before looking up to see its opponent still in mid-air.
"Assurance!" White called out and Sandile coated her right fore-paw in black energy before shooting herself at the Sky Squirrel below.
"Emolga!" Elesa cried as Sandile made contact with her pokemon and smoke billowed from the collision. Within minutes, the smoke cleared and Sandile stood victoriously over her fainted opponent.
"Yes!" White exclaimed and punched the air with both arms. Sandile strutted towards her trainer and huffed in pride.
"Your girlfriend acts like a ditz but when it comes to battling, she's something else," an attendant cooed as she absent-mindedly toyed with Scarlet's hair.
"She's not my girlfriend," the hunter flatly denied. "And can you girls get off me?"
Meanwhile, Elesa had returned her pokemon and kissed it apologetically. "You and Zebstrika did wonderfully well, rest well," she murmured to the pokeball before turning to face White with a smirk. "I'm impressed. You and your Pokémon... are shining brilliantly!"
White rubbed her head in her usual goofy manner and laughed. "Gee thanks," she said before Battle White took over again. "So are we finishing this or what?"
Sparks flew between them as they eyed each other haughtily. Elesa flicked her hair and her face took on a different tone.
"Uh-oh, Elesa's switch was flipped," the girl next to Scarlet muttered and smiled. "Sorry pretty boy, but your girlfriend's gonna see hell on that stage if she ain't careful."
Elesa took out a pokeball and clenched it tightly. "I haven't battled like this in years so saying I won't hold back is an understatement. As thanks for your exhilarating effort, I'll outshine you with this pokemon."
White took notice of the seriousness in her voice and fingered Pignite's pokeball.
"A properly dramatic victory requires a dash of danger and a pinch of peril," Elesa stated as she clicked the button on the pokeball and it swelled in size. "Shine brilliantly my electric queen!" and with that, she dramatically tossed the pokeball into the air. In a brilliant flash of light, an eel-like Pokémon resembling a lamprey, with a long tentacle-like, finned limb extending from its head materialized and reared up to her full 6 foot 11 inches in height before giving a long ear-busting screech.
"Eelektross, the EleFish Pokémon. With their sucker mouths, they suck in prey. Then they use their fangs to shock the prey with electricity," Scarlet's pokedex beeped for the last time that day. The attendants giggled as they eyed Elesa's prized champion with glee. At the same time, the crowd started chanting Eelektross's name hysterically, knowing that a pummeling was coming White's way.
"Come at us, White!" Elesa declared with a flick of her hair. "The real show starts now!"
White adjusted her hat and glanced at the opponent's scary-looking pokemon. "Can you still go on, Sandy?" she asked and Sandile nodded confidently. Though she was way smaller than Eelektross, the look in her beady eyes showed that she had more than enough confidence in her own abilities.
"Alright!" White called as she pointed at the opponent. "Stone Edge"
Once again, pointy stones were hurled at Eelektross who received the attack without so much as a yelp. White furrowed her eyebrows in annoyance as she noticed no scratches whatsoever on the Elefish pokemon.
"Flash Cannon," Elesa ordered with a grin. Eelektross opened her sucker mouth and threw her head back as metallic-silvery energy formed from the base of her throat.
"That can't be good," Scarlet observed as White ordered Sandile to go underground. The attendants grinned in unison at White's order.
"You know what to do," the model said and Eelektross jammed her mouth down on the hole Sandile had made.
"Sandy! Get out of there now!" White cried.
"Fire!" Elesa yelled at the same time and Eelektross let loose all the energy into the hole causing a massive tremor that shook not only the stage but also the audience along with it. Sandile was forcefully blasted out of the ground and high into the air.
"Dragon Tail!" Elesa ordered. With a speed that defied her bulk, Eelektross launched herself into the air with her tail covered in a glowing red aura. Before White could call out a move, Sandile was smacked into the wall where Zebstrika had previously sent her flying to. This time however, she was down for the count.
"W-Woah..." White stuttered as she returned her pokemon. The crowd cheered again at Eelektross' impressive display of power and speed while Scarlet simply stared at the battlefield.
"That pokemon's tough..." he murmured under his breath. Jolteon looked at his master and wondered if he was worried.
"Next victim please," Elesa sneered playfully and White pulled out another pokeball.
"Pignite, you're up!" she yelled and gave the ball a toss. Pignite came out and took on a battle stance before beckoning Eelektross with her paws as if taunting her. "Flame Charge!"
Pignite rocketed herself towards the Elefish pokemon, ready to slam into her with all her might.
"Strength!" Elesa called and Scarlet noticed a noticeable build-up in Eelektross' arm muscles. With a screech, the pokemon smacked its paddle-like palm into Pignite, sending the fire pig flying into the ground not too far from White.
"Strong!" White gasped as Pignite got up in a daze. "Flamethrower!" Taking a deep breath, Pignite was about releasing a devastating stream of fire when Eelektross appeared from nowhere and clamped her wide palm on her opponent's snout, effectively stopping the attack. Not finished with that, Elesa ordered for another Strength and her pokemon was only too glad to slug Pignite in the head with her free arm.
"Free yourself!" White ordered frantically and Pignite struggled against Eelektross' iron grip.
"How naive!" Elesa snapped. "Thunder!"
Eelektross' eyes glowed yellow and she unleashed a brilliant yellow bolt of lightning on the struggling Pignite who in turn squealed in pain as volt upon volt surged violently through her body. In a minute, the torture was over and Scarlet could have sworn he smelt fried bacon as Pignite was released.
"Pignite!" White cried, voice tinged with panic. Pignite, however, began to glow red suddenly and Scarlet breathed a sigh of relief.
"Blaze?" Elesa asked with a raise of her eyebrow, not sounding worried at all.
"When Pignite's in blaze, no one can stop-" White started but was cut off by Elesa's whistle to her pokemon.
The model snapped her fingers at Eelektross and pointed at the rising Pignite. "Hyper Beam." And that was it. White, Scarlet and Jolteon watched in shock as an extremely rapid beam of light came flying out of Eelektross' mouth and onto the unsuspecting Pignite causing another large explosion.
Pignite lay on the ground, passed out and the audience cheered once again for Elesa's surprise attack.
"You did great girl, take a good rest," the trainer muttered as she returned Pignite back to her ball.
"It's over..." Scarlet whispered to himself and ran a hand through his hair. If that Eelektross was too tough for even Pignite then there was no way Scraggy would win.
A few hours ago...
White fingered her pokeballs as Scarlet reviewed the battle plans. When he noticed she wasn't paying attention, he walked over to her and pinched her nose, bringing her back to planet earth.
"You're not gonna beat Elesa if you don't even prepare ahead for her pokemon. At least tell me you know what beats electric-types?" he sighed as he withdrew his hand. White tapped her chin a little before a light bulb popped above her head.
"Fighting!" she cried and Scarlet's hand automatically went back to her nose and twisted hard.
"You mentioned that five times already. Is something up with your Scraggy?" he guessed as he eyed the orange lizard-like pokemon staring at him from the corner of the room.
"Well...Scraggy didn't respond to any of my orders during my battles on the subway. When I checked my pokedex, it said he didn't know any moves.
"Not even one...?" Scarlet asked sceptically. White shook her head sadly. "Now that is strange..." the hunter replied and glanced at the Shedding pokemon. "You can always use Beartic-"
"No!" White replied sharply with a vigorous shake of the head. "Only in emergencies and not for gym battles...yet."
Scarlet cocked an eyebrow and sighed again. "Well, if all goes well, both he and Scraggy won't be needed during your gym battle so don't worry too much," he evaluated and picked up a book.
"Now again...what beats electric-type pokemon?"
"Shit!" Scarlet hissed into his collar as White took out a pokeball. And he guessed whose pokeball that would be.
"Go Scraggy!" White called and silence spread across the room as the Shedding pokemon stepped into the stage. Not long after, laughter erupted throughout the hall as everyone pondered on how badly the small dark/fighting pokemon would be pummelled.
"Is that your final choice...?" Elesa asked a little stunned. She wasn't stunned by the small pokemon in front of her but by the memory of how she had suffered a miserable defeat at the hands of a similar Scraggy who'd just happened to belong to a certain champion-in-the-making back then.
White nodded and twisted her hat backwards. Scraggy continued to stare at his huge opponent with a look that resembled a cross between defiance and pure retardation. Most opted for the latter.
"I won't hold back, FYI," Elesa smiled as White walked up to her pokemon, knelt and glued her eyes to Scraggy's.
"I understand. Just give me a sec to try something out," the trainer replied without turning from Scraggy. Scarlet stared at the two, asking himself what they were doing.
"Now's not the time for a staring contest!" one man mocked and froze as both pokemon and trainer turned to stare at him creepily. Returning to their previous activity, White turned her head slowly to Eelektross and thumbed at her. Scraggy did the same and slowly nodded before pulling up the molted skin around his legs and trudging over to the Elefish pokemon.
"I'm ready," White stated as she went back to the challenger's square and dusted her knees.
"Okay! Begin the final round!" the referee called and Elesa made the first move.
"Dragon tail!" She called and Eelektross sped over to Scraggy with her menacing tail raised high in the air. Scarlet and Jolteon closed their eyes in anticipation of the blow and heard a loud BANG!
Peeling their eyes open, the first thing they noticed was complete silence from the crowd. Even the attendants hanging onto him had frozen in place with their glossed lips slightly ajar. Looking to the stage, the duo's jaws dropped as they saw what could be described as impossible.
Scraggy had stopped Eelektross' thick tail easily with one arm and was charging a blue ball of energy in his other arm. Eelektross herself couldn't seem to free her tail from the smaller pokemon's grip and avoid the attack. In a split-second, Scraggy's focus blast made contact with Eelektross' back and the Elefish was thrown back by the tail, landing painfully on her side next to Elesa.
"H-How did you..." Elesa stammered as Scraggy pulled up his 'trousers' and strutted back to his trainer. White looked up and Scarlet noticed the alarming purple where her golden irises had once been.
"Come at us Elesa," the snowy haired girl called confidently and placed a hand on Scraggy's head. " And We'll show you what a real show looks like!"
Author's Corner.
White: Yay! I'm so cool!
Scarlet: You said Scraggy doesn't know any moves!
White *in a deep voice*: All shall be revealed in the next chapter...
Meanwhile...
Vann: Where'd my clown go?