Hey everybody, I'm back with an update for Rise to the Challenge. In this chapter, we have nonstop action with our heroes battling against Lenora. I thought it was a great way to wrap up this long arc of Nacrene City and what better way to do it with a more difficult gym leader. This chapter is long, so I hope you all enjoy it. I spent the last few hours here typing it after finishing two papers back to back, so my hands are cramped as hell. Now, sit back and enjoy the final chapter of the Nacrene City arc.
Chapter Summary: Tom and the gang finally get their chance to face off against Lenora and quickly find out that she is no pushover in skill. At the end of it all, Tom learns some information regarding the reason he came to Unova in the first place.
Bold- Message Bulletins/PA System/Plaques/Books
Italics- Thoughts/Letters/Flashbacks
Bold Italics- TV/Radio/Pokedex (AKA Dexter) Descriptions/Xtransreceiver Messages/ Xtransreceiver Conversations
Tom was standing outside the museum that held Lenora's gym inside. A small breeze graced his person and he felt his spine tingle from the chill and excitement he was feeling. It was time to earn his second badge for his Unova League run. He felt Sparks shift a little from his perch on his shoulders and glanced at him. Sparks was staring at the gym with a determined look on his face. He was no doubt ready to battle and win the next badge for Tom to get one step closer to their goal. Their eyes met and they nodded at each other.
"Let's do this, buddy," Tom said as he raised his fist.
"Rai," Sparks replied as his paw bumped his fist.
Tom entered the building and continued his walk to a pair of double doors that were at the top of a small staircase. Stopping just before the doors, he took a deep breath and grasped the handles and pushed. The large doors creaked open and he entered the large room. The bright lights met his eyes and he squinted to shield them from the piercing light. Once his eyes regained their focus, he could see Vanessa, Corey, Elliott, Kenta, Hayley and Eric. They looked at him and gave him a wave as he made his way over.
"How's it going, dude?" Eric asked as he fist bumped him.
"I'm doing great. I am getting ready to earn my next badge," Tom replied.
"Well I need to see what else you can do. Eric and I already have the Basic Badge since we battled her a couple hours back," Hayley said with a smirk.
"Don't worry about that. I will win."
Lenora made her way on to the battlefield where the trainers were and had her hands on her hips as she eyed her new challengers. She gave them a smile and had a look of gratitude on her face when she looked at Tom.
"So, are you ready to earn your next badge, Tom?" Lenora asked.
"You know it. Let's see what you got!" Tom replied.
"I admire the enthusiasm and confidence. By the way, thanks a bunch for getting back that skull for my exhibit."
"No problem."
Lenora turned to Eric and Hayley and politely asked them to stand off to the side of the field where they would be allowed to watch the battles. Eric and Hayley complied after giving Tom a pat on the back and wishing the others luck. Tom, Elliott, Corey, Kenta and Vanessa walked to their end of the field and got into the battler's square.
"I want to tell you how this is going to work," Lenora began. "Since there are so many of you, I'm breaking out a rule so you don't all have to wait to do a full battle with me. With this rule, I am allowed to test a group of challengers by doing one on one battles with each of them. If you don't believe me then you can check the official Pokémon League Handbook."
"We'll take your word for it, Lenora!" Kenta replied.
"Good. Now which of you is brave enough to face me first?"
Tom, Corey, Kenta, Vanessa and Elliott got into a huddle as they started to come to a decision on who would have the first match. After a quick elimination game of rock, paper, scissors, Elliott was deemed the first one to go. After Elliott it would be Vanessa, then Kenta, then Corey and finally Tom. Elliott picked her Pokémon and stood in the center of the box as the others cleared it to give her room.
"You got it, Elliott!" Kenta and Vanessa cheered.
"Hey, Tom, where's Eri?" Corey whispered.
"She's in her room sleeping," Tom replied.
"Is she coming here?"
"No idea. I left her a message on her Xtransreceiver telling her about the battle, so we'll see if she comes or not."
Corey nodded as his gaze returned to the field as the battle was about to start. He was curious as to how strong Lenora would be and he was glad he was not the first one to go as he wanted time to analyze her strategy before making his choice.
Elliott stood confidently as she held her Poké Ball in her hands. She was not sure what she could expect from Lenora, but she wasn't going to drop her guard. She knew she had the type advantage with her team, but according to the information she got from Eric and Hayley, Lenora was no pushover.
"Are you ready, Elliott?" Lenora asked as she held her first Poké Ball.
"I'm ready when you are!" Elliott smirked.
"Alright, let's go!"
Lenora and Elliott threw their balls into the field and they opened with a loud snap. Two white glows started to form on the field and when they vanished, they revealed a Stoutland and Elliott's Sawk, Ace.
"Stoutland, use Take Down!" Lenora yelled.
The speed of Stoutland was impressive as he sunk low and sprung at Ace. Ace was caught by surprise when Stoutland was suddenly in front of him and continuing his powerful tackle. The Take Down crashed hard into Ace's stomach and made him hunch over and his face scrunched up in pain. Ace skidded back a little bit from the force of the hit and held his chest in an attempt to recover from the stunning blow. Stoutland tensed up from the recoil of his attack and Elliott saw her chance to move.
"Ace, use Counter!" Elliott hollered
Ace shook off the hit and jumped at Stoutland who was still shaking off the recoil. His fist was brought back and he slammed it directly into Stoutland's side, launching him across the field. Stoutland came to a stop just short of the edge of the field and struggled trying to get up.
"Excellent move, Elliott. I would expect nothing less of someone with a Fighting-type," Lenora complimented.
"Thanks. Your Stoutland is no pushover either," Elliott replied.
"I hope you have more energy because this fight is just getting started."
"Bring it on!"
"As you wish. Stoutland, use Bite!"
Stoutland was back on all fours and lunged at Ace once again. This time he was too fast for Ace and his jaws clamped down on Ace's arm. Ace's face scrunched up in pain and he let out a loud cry as he started flailing his arm wildly to detach Stoutland. Stoutland's bite was too strong to shake off, so Elliott knew she had to get Ace to break his hold on him with a hard hit.
"Use Brick Break!" Elliott barked.
Ace's eyes snapped open as he focused on Stoutland and blocked out the pain. He brought his hand over Stoutland's head and gave a swift chop. The side of Ace's palm struck Stoutland on his crown and made him release his bite.
"Now use Low Sweep!" Elliott yelled.
Ace sunk to the floor using his momentum and gave a quick spin as he stuck his leg out. His leg spun all the way around and smashed into Stoutland's feet, making the large Pokémon fall to the floor in a heap. Ace stood upright and jumped away to put some distance between him and Stoutland again. Stoutland got back to his feet, much to the surprise of Tom's group. Despite having a severe disadvantage with the type, Stoutland was still going strong, no doubt due to Lenora's strength as a gym leader.
"Use Focus Energy!" Elliott hollered.
"Stoutland, use Take Down!" Lenora barked.
Ace was already a good distance away from Stoutland as he pressed his knuckles together and closed his eyes in concentration. As Ace was building power, Stoutland followed through with Lenora's order. He sank low and shot at Ace like a bullet. His head smashed directly into Ace's chest, knocking him from his concentration and off his feet. The blow was so strong that it sent Ace out of the arena and crashing into a nearby wall. The wall caved in around Ace from the force of the hit and made a small indent of his body inside it. Elliott clenched her fists and growled in anger. There was no way she was going to lose here, especially not to a Pokémon that had the type disadvantage against her.
"Ace, get up! We're going to finish this!" Elliott yelled.
Ace stood up shakily and clutched his shoulder as he glared back at Stoutland who was dealing with the recoil of his last attack. He jumped back into the arena and was immediately in front of Stoutland to dish out his next move. Without waiting for a command from Elliott, he swung his leg out to sweep Stoutlands legs out from below. Stoutland recovered from the surprise attack and jumped up just in time to avoid the hit, but this left him defenseless and that is what Ace was waiting for. The moment Stoutland was in the air to jump over the sweep, Ace brought back his arm and gave a punch under his stomach, lifting him up higher. Ace followed Stoutland up and managed to get above him.
"End it with Brick Break!" Elliott barked
Ace's hand began to glow with power as he brought it on top of Stoutland's back. Stoutland was sent plummeting to the floor and landed hard when he hit it. Ace landed gracefully in front of Stoutland and slouched forward and grabbed his shoulder again as the dull throbbing pain came back. He was able to push the pain out of his mind as he focused on Stoutland who had yet to stand up. Seconds ticked by and when Stoutland failed to stand, the referee made the call.
"Stoutland is unable to battle! The winner is Elliott Kane of Accumula Town!" The referee declared.
"Booyah!" Elliott cheered as she thumped her chest.
Ace walked back over to Elliott and received a high-five from his master for a job well done. Lenora returned Stoutland to his ball and smiled down at it.
"You performed marvelously, Stoutland. Thank you," Lenora said as she pocketed the ball and pulled out another.
Elliott was laughing away as Ace picked her up and sat her on top of his shoulders. Lenora let out a laugh as she saw the bond between Elliott and Ace and could tell that the pair of them would make a great team and become very strong in the future. She looked at the trainer box and saw her next opponent standing inside of it holding her Poké Ball.
"Vanessa, right?" Lenora asked as she looked at the trainer.
"Yeah, that's me," Vanessa replied with a small smile.
"What is your dream?"
"My dream…"
Vanessa was a little thrown off by the random question as she was expecting to jump straight into the battle instead of having some light banter. She already knew what her dream was before she set off on her journey years ago.
"My dream is to become a Dragon Master and beat Lance and become the Johto League Champion!" Vanessa replied firmly.
"That's a great goal!" Lenora nodded.
"Well, according to Trent Phoenix he said I was wasting my time because I couldn't beat him with my Salamence after he got a lucky shot with an Ice Beam."
"Ah, yes, I met that boy yesterday. Don't let him get to you. If he had to sink that low to throw an insult at you after a close fight like that, then it just shows how pathetic he is."
Vanessa nodded at Lenora's words and could not agree more with what she said. She didn't take Trent's words to mind yesterday as she already knew that he got lucky with his victory and the next time she fought him she would mop the floor with him. She clutched her ball tightly and waited for the referee to give the signal to start the battle.
"Let the battle between Lenora and Vanessa begin!" The referee said.
Lenora and Vanessa threw their Poké Balls to the center of the arena and they opened with loud cracks. In front of Lenora stood a Miltank and in front of Vanessa was Salamence. Although Lenora didn't show it, she was very surprised that a young girl like Vanessa was able to have such a strong Pokémon under her command, much less have control of it. She could see that Salamence was ready to engage and that he and Vanessa were in sync with one another.
"Miltank, use Rollout!" Lenora yelled.
"Salamence, fly up!" Vanessa countered back.
Miltank curled up into a ball and began to roll in place before shooting at Salamence with surprising speed. Salamence was already one step ahead of Miltank and was airborne after Vanessa let the command out. Miltank rolled under Salamence and missed after he took to the air and immediately. Salamence did a quick loop and got Miltank in his sights as Vanessa got ready to give her next command.
"Salamence, use Flamethrower!" Vanessa yelled.
"Miltank, use Protect!" Lenora ordered.
Salamence opened his mouth as the blistering heat built inside and he kept his eyes fixed on Miltank. Miltank got ready to defend herself as Salamence continued storing power in his fiery attack. After Salamence finished gaining the power he needed, he took a deep breath and sent the stream of fire down on Miltank. Miltank raised her hooves and a small green dome formed around her just as the flames engulfed her. The dome was covered in the searing until Salamence ran out of breath and the attack ended. When the attack ended, the flames vanished and the dome vanished from sight as Miltank smirked back up at Salamence.
"Miltank, use Ice Beam!" Lenora yelled.
"Salamence, dodge and use Hydro Pump!" Vanessa shouted.
Miltank took held up her hooves again and aimed them at Salamence as she took aim. A light blue ball began to form before it suddenly fired a beam at Salamence. Salamence gave a quick flap with his wings and swerved out of the direct path, but the icy attack struck the side of his wing. Ice formed on the bottom of the wing and sent him plummeting to the ground. The frigid ice limited the use of Salamence's wing and he could no longer stay afloat. Salamence crashed into the ground with a loud crash.
"Salamence, get up, quick!" Vanessa barked.
"Miltank, use Rollout!" Lenora yelled.
Miltank quickly curled up into a ball again and started to roll in place. Salamence was pushing himself up slowly after recovering from the nasty fall from the Ice Beam. His wing was still frozen and that limited his mobility greatly. He glared at Miltank as he saw her start rolling at him.
"Salamence, use Hyrdo Pump, now!" Vanessa yelled.
Salamence opened his mouth after taking a quick breath and a massive blast of water came shooting out. The water intercepted Miltank and managed to hold her in place as she continued to roll against the water pressure. Vanessa and the others were stunned with the strength that Miltank's Rollout possessed as she fought against the attack. It was common knowledge to all trainers that Rollout got stronger when used in succession, but it was another thing to see it in the first play hold out against an attack of that magnitude. However, Miltank's rolling started to die down and that gave Salamence the advantage. The Hydro Pump held out and overpowered Miltank and sent her careening into the air and to the other side of the field where she started.
"Impressive," Lenora said with a nod. "Your Salamence is strong."
"Thanks," Vanessa replied with a smile.
"Let's try this. Miltank, use Ice Beam!"
"Salamence, use Flamethrower!"
Miltank and Salamence began storing power for their attacks as they kept their stares fixated on one another. Once their attacks finished building to their fullest potential, they were sent. Scorching flames met freezing ice in the center of the field in a loud hiss as the ice started to melt on contact. The flames ate through the ice and continued eating through until it was upon Miltank and surrounded her. Miltank let out a loud cry as the flames burned her and jumped out the fire.
"Miltank, use Rock Tomb!" Lenora barked.
"Salamence, use Thunder on the rocks!" Vanessa shouted.
Miltank held her arms out as the ground gave a loud crack. Large chunks of rock broke from the ground and hovered around her. She brought her arms back and gave a thrust as the rocks flew high into the air and started to drop towards Salamence. Salamence's body started to glow yellow as electricity began to charge. He gave a loud roar as a large, powerful bolt was released from his body and shot at the rocks. The bolt broke through the rocks easily and reduced them to harmless rubble as it rained down.
"Miltank, use Rollout!" Lenora hollered.
"Salamence, use Dragon Claw!" Vanessa bellowed.
Miltank rolled at Salamence again and was upon him almost instantly. This time, Miltank was able to land a direct hit on Salamence as she crashed into his head. Salamence gave an angry roar as he raised his arm. His claws started to glow green as he brought the sharp talons down on Miltank. His nails raked across Miltank's back and earned a loud cry of pain from the smaller Pokémon. Although his attack landed on Miltank, it appeared as though she shook it off quick.
"Ice Beam!" Lenora ordered.
Miltank dove under Salamence as he gave another slash with his claws and aimed her hooves at his belly. The strong ice attack formed in her hands and was launched at its target. The devastating ice attack hit Salamence in the stomach and made him freeze from both shock and pain. He gave another loud roar as he swung his tail in a wild attempt to swat Miltank away. This worked as Miltank was sent bouncing across the floor and to the opposite side of the arena, stunned.
"Salamence, don't give up! Aim for the ceiling and use Hydro Pump!" Vanessa yelled.
Salamence did not question Vanessa's order. He knew that she wouldn't have him deliberately target something else unless she had a plan she wanted to keep hidden until last second. He opened his mouth and released another powerful blast of water to the ceiling. The blast of water hit one set of lights and killed them. The others were wondering what Vanessa was planning, but Corey, Kenta, Eric and Tom saw what was coming. The water that went to the ceiling made a small rain shower that drenched the field and added to the puddles that were created from Salamence's first Hydro Pump.
The water finally stopped falling and left the field completely soaked. Now all Vanessa had to do was time her next move and the match was hers. Miltank was no standing upright after recovering from her stunned state. She sent a glare back at Salamence who calmly looked back.
"Use Rollout!" Lenora yelled.
Lenora, for her part, was sure of what Vanessa was planning but she was confident she could still win the fight. Granted if Miltank got caught with the next attack it would definitely spell defeat, she was not going to lose because she failed to take the risk of getting an attack in. She watched as Miltank curled into a ball once again and started to roll. As she looked at the field, she saw that there was no possible way to dodge the attack unless he got a jumpstart and passed the two large puddles of water before the attack hit. Miltank started to roll at Salamence and Vanessa made her move.
"Salamence, use Thunder, now!" Vanessa shouted.
Salamence started to glow yellow again as the electricity coursed through him and was begging for release. He gave a loud roar as the large bolt left his body and went straight for the puddle Miltank was heading for. Miltank hit the puddle and was halfway through it just as the electricity met the water. Miltank immediately went rigid and stood upright as the electricity shocked her to the core. When the attack ended, Miltank swayed in place. She finally fell face first and hit the ground with a splash as she landed in the puddle.
"Miltank is unable to battle! The winner is Vanessa Blake of Blackthorn City!" The referee declared.
Salamence managed to fly over to Vanessa and landed beside her to receive a hug around the neck. He licked Vanessa cheek as she gently stroked his head. He may have been dealt a bad hand against Trent but this victory was a definite boost. Next time he and Vanessa fought Trent, he would be sure he would be the one to finish the fight.
"I'm proud of you, Salamence," Vanessa said as she stroked his head again and held up his ball. "Take a nice rest. You earned it."
Salamence was returned to his ball and Vanessa sauntered off the arena and to her friends. She was met with multiple high fives and claps to the shoulder for the good fight. Lenora's eyes spared a look at her three remaining opponents. She heard from Burgh about the strength of each of them and was well aware that they were not to be underestimated. She saw Kenta step into the trainer's box and pull out a ball for the battle. Lenora pulled out the ball containing her next Pokémon and her eyes met Kenta's to see that he was going to give it all he had.
"Let the battle begin!" The referee announced as he dropped the flag.
"Ponyta, let's go!" Kenta shouted as he threw his ball out.
"Watchog, standby for battle!" Lenora said as she, too, threw her ball out.
Both balls opened with a snap as Ponyta appeared in front of Kenta and a Watchog in front of Lenora. Lenora smirked at Kenta and waved a hand for him to make the first move. Getting the message, Kenta smirked back and looked at Ponyta as he prepared to make the first move.
"Ponyta, use Flame Wheel!" Kenta yelled.
Ponyta covered herself in a veil of flames as she started to gallop at Watchog. As Ponyta neared the calm Pokémon, Lenora had yet to give an order to Watchog. Just was Ponyta was upon Watchog, Lenora made her move.
"Watchog, dodge and use Confuse Ray!" Lenora ordered.
Watchog narrowed his eyes and easily evaded Ponyta's attack as she charged by him. He quickly wheeled around and got Ponyta in his sights. As soon as Ponyta turned around to run at him again, he made his move. Watchog got in a straddle stance and clapped his hands before stretching them out at Ponyta. There was a bright flash of white light and Ponyta came to a grinding halt. She started to shake her head and buck wildly as she was sent into a state of confusion.
"Ponyta, snap out of it!" Kenta yelled.
"Use Super Fang!" Lenora barked.
Watchog jumped at Ponyta and opened his mouth wide as his sharp buckteeth came into view. He landed on top of Ponyta and sunk his teeth into her back. Ponyta stopped flailing and let out a loud cry of pain as she tried to deal with the pain of the teeth in her back. She gave another wild buck and Watchog was sent into the air.
"Now use Ember!" Kenta hollered.
Ponyta shook off the pain from the Super Fang and took aim at Watchog as he fell to the floor. Small balls of fire shot at Watchog and pelted him repeatedly as he hit the landed on the ground. The burning sensation made Watchog take a knee as he dealt with the burning pain that hit him.
"Ponyta, use Flame Wheel!" Kenta barked.
Ponyta, still confused, did something different. She trotted up to Watchog and stood on her hind hooves as if to stomp down on him instead. Taking advantage of Ponyta's confused state, Lenora acted quickly.
"Watchog, use Hypnosis!" Lenora yelled.
Watchog's eyes glowed red for a moment as he stared directly into Ponyta's eyes. Large golden rings went from Watchog's eyes and straight into Ponyta's, making her freeze as she tried to step back. Ponyta's eyes began to droop as she started to doze off from the attack until she fell to the ground in a peaceful slumber. The surprise attack from Lenora and Watchog caught Kenta completely off guard and he knew that unless he got Ponyta to wake up, he risked getting hit by another Super Fang which would end the battle.
"Ponyta, wake up!" Kenta yelled.
Kenta's cry fell on deaf ears as Ponyta continued to sleep. He tried once more to wake up his comrade, but his attempt failed once again.
"Finish it up with Super Fang!" Lenora barked.
Watchog lunged at Ponyta with his mouth wide open once again. Kenta could only watch as his cries to wake Ponyta up failed again and Watchog sunk his teeth into Ponyta again. Ponyta's eyes snapped open in pain before she shot to her feet and jumped away from Watchog. Kenta let out a sigh of relief when he saw his partner was still standing and was prepared to continue the fight. On the other end of the field, Lenora and Watchog were surprised that Ponyta was still able to fight after the damage they dealt to it.
"Ponyta, use Smokescreen!" Kenta yelled.
Ponyta opened her mouth and exhaled a large, thick cloud of black smoke. The smoke quickly engulfed the entire arena, concealing the movement on the field. Inside the smoke, Watchog kept calm and carefully scanned his surroundings as he tried to detect Ponyta's movement.
"Ponyta, use Stomp!" Kenta shouted.
"Watchog, stay sharp!" Lenora warned.
Watchog slowly looked around and kept his senses sharp for any sudden movement. Everything was silent and he could not detect Ponyta's presence anywhere. His senses suddenly went off and he quickly sidestepped to the left and avoided Ponyta's jumping stomp. Ponyta proved to be quicker than expected as she stood on her hind legs again and stomped down as hard as she could on top of Watchog. Her hooves slammed down on top of Watchog and pinned him to the ground. Watchog's face scrunched up in discomfort but he kept from crying out in pain. He would not give Ponyta the luxury of hearing his pain. Instead, he opted to get ready for the counter attack to win.
"Watchog, use Retaliate!" Lenora shouted.
Watchog focused his strength and rolled as hard as he could to the left. He got out from Ponyta's pin and sprang up. His head crashed under Ponyta's jaw and managed to lift her off the ground. Ponyta landed in a heap in front of Watchog and the smoke that filled the field lifted. The group was surprised at the sudden turn of events and could only look on as Ponyta lay unconscious in the center of the field.
"Ponyta is unable to battle! The winner is Lenora!" The referee declared.
The group was surprised at Kenta's loss. They knew that gym leaders were strong, but they weren't expecting Kenta to lose after seeing victories from both Elliott and Vanessa. Kenta let out a sigh and smiled at Ponyta as he held up her ball. The red beams hot from the ball and landed on her, returning her back inside.
"You did your best, Ponyta. Thank you," Kenta said as he tucked his ball away.
"It was a good battle, Kenta. I can see you and your Pokémon work well together. You'll have better luck next time," Lenora said as she recalled Watchog.
"Definitely. I'll win when I come back tomorrow."
"We'll see."
Kenta bowed at Lenora as thanks for the battle and the compliment and stepped out of the trainer's box. He was met with supportive claps on the shoulder and words of encouragement from his friends. He looked at Corey and Tom and gave a nod. It was just the two of them that had to battle and Kenta had no doubt that they would be successful. Once Kenta was off the field, Corey and Tom exchanged looks to which Tom nodded at the trainer's box. Corey smirked and unclipped the Poké Ball from his belt and stepped into the box. The group could see a gleam in Corey's eyes as he clutched the ball in his hand. Corey felt it was time to unveil one of his oldest Pokémon.
"Let's see what you got, kid," Lenora said as she pulled her next ball off her belt.
"With pleasure." Corey smirked. "Magmortar, I need your assistance!"
Corey and Lenora both threw their balls into the arena and they opened with a loud snap. Two Pokémon materialized onto the field. In front of Corey was his Magmortar who looked ready for battle and in front of Lenora was a Lickilicky.
"Magmortar, use Flamethrower!" Corey yelled.
"Lickilicky, you use Flamethrower too!" Lenora countered back.
Two hot streams of fire left both Pokémon and soared towards each other. The two attacks met dead center of the arena and created a huge fireball before exploding, sending a blast of hot air around the room. Corey narrowed his eyes from behind his glasses as he was a little surprised from the unexpected attack.
"Let's try this then," Corey muttered. "Magmortar, use Thunderbolt!"
"Lickilicky, use Thunderbolt!" Lenora yelled.
Once again, Corey was thrown for a loop. How many of Magmortar's moves did Lickilicky possibly know as well? He cursed as he knew he could not recall Magmortar as the battle format was one on one. He watched as the two large bolts of lightning met in the center of the arena like the flames. A loud buzz filled the room as the electricity built into a large ball and everyone's hair stood on end. There was a loud bang as the electricity became too much and exploded in a ball of energy.
"Magmortar, get in close!" Corey yelled.
"Lickilicky, use Ice Beam on the floor!" Lenora hollered.
Magmortar was running at Lickilicky as fast as he could but ended up slipping and landing on his back after Lickilicky fired a beam of frigid ice from his mouth and at his feet. Magmortar landed hard on his back and let out a pained grunt as he tried to sit up. He gingerly tried to stand up, but slipped and lost his balance again and fell to his knee.
"Lickilicky, use Thunderbolt!" Lenora yelled
"Magmortar, use Flamethrower!" Corey shouted.
Magmortar aimed his free cannon at Lickilicky and took careful aim as the fire began to build inside. Lickilicky started to glow yellow as the powerful bolt of electricity started to flow through his body. There was a whoosh as Magmortar's Flamethrower burst out of his cannon and straight for Lickilicky who was engulfed in the attack. Corey smirked and the hit but was surprised when he could see the yellow glow from inside the flames.
"You've got to be kidding me," Corey thought as he glared at the Lickilicky.
He saw the giant yellow bolt shoot out of the flames and hit Magmortar straight in the cannon he had aimed at Lickilicky as he was firing the Flamethrower. Magmortar let out a loud cry of pain as his attack immediately stopped and his arm hung limply at his side. No doubt he was stunned from the intense shock but he was possibly paralyzed as well.
"Magmortar, use Flamethrower on the ice to stand up!" Corey barked.
"Lickilicky, use Ice Beam!" Lenora shouted.
Magmortar used the cannon that was buried into the arena floor for support to generate his next Flamethrower after his right arm was rendered numb from the Thunderbolt. The blast of fire melted the ice instantly and created a small puddle of water. He stood up and shielded his face from the Ice Beam just in time. Magmortar smirked as he felt the feeble attack hit him but it turned to surprise when his cannon started to freeze over.
"Magmortar, use Confuse Ray!" Corey ordered.
Magmortar jumped to the side and watched out of the corner of his eye as the Ice Beam continued to the wall behind him. Regaining his focus, he glared back at Lickilicky and managed to slam his arms together with a loud clap and a bright flash of light filled the room. Lickilicky shielded his eyes and started to blink and sway as he tried to regain composure.
"Alright, use Thunderbolt!" Corey yelled.
Magmortar started to glow yellow as he generated the Thunderbolt and he held out his cannon that was frozen over. The ice that formed over the tip started to glow a bright yellow until it finally shattered when the lightning shot out of it and towards Lickilicky. The bolt of lightning hit Lickilicky right on his tongue and he gave a yelp in pain as his body went rigid from the attack. When the attack ended, Lickilicy's tongue seemed to protrude more than normal and he was stiff as a board.
"Now use Flamethrower!" Corey shouted.
Magmortar raised both of his arms and both of the cannons started to glow red and orange as both prepared to release the blistering hot attack. While the attack continued to build, Lickilicky came back to his senses after shaking off the stun. Magmortar was just about finished getting the energy he needed to fire the attack and Lenora knew she had to act fast. She decided to pull out her trump card.
"Lickilicky, use Surf!" Lenora bellowed.
Lickilicky shook his head as he managed to get his focus back from his confused state. He raised his arms and head towards the ceiling and almost instantly, a large tidal wave of water formed and carried him high above Magmortar. Magmortar's look became one of surprise and horror as he saw the impending pain coming for him. Corey was fairing no better and he clenched his fist. There was no way Magmortar could dodge the attack and if he was able to stand after it, it would be a miracle. He opted to do the next best thing.
"Magmortar, focus! Try and hit Lickilicky as he comes down!" Corey urged.
The wave started racing at Magmortar who was steadying his nerves and trying to time his attack. Lickilicky began to slide down the front of the wave and the wave started to come crashing after him. The wave got closer and closer just until it was almost pointblank with Magmortar. Magmortar finally fired the Flamethrower at pointblank range when Lickilicky was about to smash into him. The flames from Magmortar's attack blasted Lickilicky back into the waves which reduced the burning pain and the waves slammed into Magmortar and carried him back towards Corey's end.
The wave reached the end of the field and Magmortar was lying face down. The field was now drenched with large puddles covering the entirety of it. Corey's mouth went dry as he was hoping Magmortar still had some fight within him after the hard hit. He let out a sigh of relief as Magmortar stood up trembling. He looked back and saw Lickilicky was fairing no better as his body was covered with obvious burns. Corey's eyes then met Lenora's and he saw nothing but pure determination to win and he was not going to let her have that luxury.
"Magmortar, hang in there! End it with Fire Blast!" Corey shouted.
Magmortar nodded at Corey's command and raised both cannons to aim at the ceiling. Whatever heat was in the air was being drawn in and a bright orange glow began to take shape in both tips. The glow got brighter and brighter until it was a blinding. Magmortar got Lickilicky in his sights and was bringing the cannons down when Lenora made her move.
"Lickilicky, use Thunderbolt on the puddles!" Lenora shouted.
Lickilicky glowed a dark yellow as he released the Thunderbolt that built inside of him. However, since he was still in a semi confused state, he could not properly control it. He let out a loud scream as the Thunderbolt hit the puddle he was standing in and shocked him, but this also worked out in Lenora's favor. Lickilicky managed to get the attack out just as Magmortar fired the giant fire star from his cannons. The puddles were all connected and the lightning collided with Magmortar's foot and engulfed him. Magmortar let out a loud cry and sunk to his knees as the electricity continued to shock him. He cracked open his eye and smirked as Lickilicky gave another cry as he was blasted off his feet from the Fire Blast.
The Fire Blast successfully stopped the Thunderbolt after it sent Lickilicky out of the puddle and out of the arena. Magmortar landed face first on the ground out cold. Lickilicky was also unconscious giving the referee his time to make the call.
"Both Pokémon are unable to battle. This match has ended in a draw, resulting in no badge for the challenger," The referee said as he crossed both flags high.
Corey blinked and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was not too thrilled about the draw and that he had to try again tomorrow in order to get his badge. He held up Magmortar's ball and recalled him to it and smiled down at it.
"Thank you, Magmortar. You put up a hell of a fight," Corey said with a nod.
"I must say I am very impressed with all of you so far," Lenora said as she returned Lickilicky to his Poké Ball. "All of you showed me the bonds with your Pokémon and all of you work together well as a team."
"Thanks," Corey replied with a nod.
"You did well, Corey. Yours and Magmortar's resiliency against Lickilicky's Surf really impressed me. I've seen veteran trainers freeze up in situations like that. You stood your ground and did very well. I'm looking forward to our rematch tomorrow."
"Thanks. That does make me feel more badass now."
Lenora let out a hearty laugh at Corey's response to which he let out a chuckle of his own. Corey gave a sigh and stepped out of the box and was met with encouraging words just like Kenta. He looked at Tom who was the last one of the group to battle. He held up his fist and Tom bumped it with his own.
"Go do your thing, bro," Corey said with a grin.
"I'll do all that and more," Tom said with a nod.
"Good luck, Tommy!" Eric and Hayley yelled from the stands.
Tom took a deep breath before stepping in the box. His loss against Langdon yesterday was still in the back of his mind, but it wasn't filling him with dread for his battle against Lenora. He was now filled with motivation at bettering himself and getting his next badge for the Unova League. He watched as Lenora pulled out the last Poké Ball from her belt and silently wondered what other Pokémon she had up her sleeve. He was not going to take whatever it was lightly after witnessing what happened to Kenta and Corey.
"Alright, let's do this," Tom thought as he plucked his chosen Pokémon from his belt.
"Tom! I have to thank all of you for what you did yesterday! You really helped me out by getting the skull back for my exhibit!" Lenora said.
"It was no trouble."
"Don't be modest! All of you really did something that others probably wouldn't have done. So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you."
Tom smiled back and nodded at her as he enlarged the ball in his hand. A determined look came upon his face as he wound his arm back with Lenora mimicking his movement. Both balls were thrown into the arena and opened with a snap. In front of Tom was his Lucario and in front of Lenora was a Kangaskhan.
"Let the battle between Lenora and Thomas Sandbourne begin!" The referee announced.
"Lucario, use Extremespeed!" Tom barked.
"Kangaskhan, use Aqua Tail!" Lenora shouted.
Lucario vanished on his first footstep and was immediately beside Kangaskhan and crashing into her side. Kangaskhan did not look the least bit phased from the attack as her tail was covered in a thick cloak of water. She gave a hard swing and her tail slapped Lucario across the face and sent him bouncing back. Lucario used the momentum of the roll to roll to his feet and stop. He looked up at Kangaskhan and got ready for his next move.
"Lucario, use Aura Sphere!" Tom yelled.
"Kangaskhan, use Fake Out!" Lenora countered.
Lucario held his paws apart as a large blue ball took shape between them. As he was building his attack, Kangaskhan quickly covered the ground between them and towered over Lucario who took a step back in surprise from her speed. Kangaskhan had a wicked smirk on her face as she bent low and clapped her hands in front of Lucario. At first nothing happened. Suddenly a blast of air crashed into Lucario and sent him airborne. Lucario let out a wheeze as the air left his body, but he fought through the pain. When he was mid-flip, he maintained control of the Aura Sphere with one hand and got eyes on Kangaskhan.
He wound his arm back and threw the Aura Sphere like a baseball. The blue ball of power shot at Kangaskhan and hit her in the head. Kangaskhan let out a roar of pain as she stumbled back a little and tried to shake it off. Lucario smirked at his lucky shot and at Tom's side comment.
"Fastball down the middle, eh, Lucario?" Tom hollered.
Lucario stood up and got back into a fighting stance as he watched Kangaskhan closely. He was not sure what to expect, but he kept his guard up.
"Kangaskhan, use Outrage!" Lenora yelled.
Kangaskhan looked back at Lucario after shaking off the pain from the Aura Sphere and her eyes began to glow red with rage. Her body was surrounded by a light red aura as she got ready to go berserk. This could spell trouble for Tom and Lucario if they did not act accordingly.
"Lucario, get ready to do some dodging!" Tom warned.
Kangaskhan did a mad charge at Lucario who was now standing on his tiptoes to prepare for a dodge. Kangaskhan was on him almost instantly and gave a vicious right hook. Lucario ducked under the punch and brought his forearms up to block the jab from her knee. He bared his teeth as he felt his arms go numb from the hit, but he continued to focus. He sidestepped Kangaskhan and avoided another haymaker but did not see the left jab. Kangaskhan's punch connected with his cheek and knocked him off balance and he stumbled back. She got inside his guard and gave a wild knee jab and hit him in the stomach, sending him into the air. To finish up the combo, Kangaskhan gave a final punch and hit Lucario in the ribs and sent him across the arena.
Lucario hit the ground and struggled to stand upright from the hard hits that were dealt to him. He winced as he felt his ribs throb in pain and tried to block it out as best he could. The sooner he could end the match, the sooner he could get some rest. With Kangaskhan's rampage ending, Lucario would now be able to get some hits in. Outrage not gave the user incredible physical strength, but it eventually riddled them with confusion from the exhausting aftereffects.
"Lucario, now's our chance! Use Aura Sphere!" Tom shouted.
Lucario formed another large blue ball of spinning energy in his paws and fired it at Kangaskhan. The ball smashed into her chest and made her hunch over. Lucario continued to advance slowly, all the while firing one Aura Sphere after the next. By the time he was within striking distance, Tom was ready to give a new command.
"Now use Close Combat!" Tom yelled.
Lucario jumped at Kangaskhan and smashed his fist into her chest. When Kangaskhan hunched over, he gave another punch. This time the punch hit her in the face, but she had no time to react as another punch hit her under the jaw. Lucario jumped up from the floor and his arms became nothing but a blur as they rapidly punched Kangaskhan. As he was about to finish the barrage of his punches, Lenora gave her order.
"Kangaskhan, use Hammer Arm!"
Wham! Kangaskhan managed to block out the pain long enough to divert power to her arm. Her arm was glowing white with menacing power as she brought it forward after parrying Lucario's last punch and striking him in the chest with her swing. Lucario's eyes widened in pain as he felt the air leave him for the second time that day and he was sent flying back to the center of the arena. He hit the ground with a hard thud and lay stiff as a board. He gave a grunt as his arms trembled when they moved out to push him up.
"C-c-c-combo break!" Elliott said from behind Tom.
This earned looks of irritation from the gang as they looked at her. Tom gave her a "Whose side are you on?" look to which she shrugged and smirked.
"Hey, it was funny," Elliott said with a laugh.
Tom shook his head and looked back at Lucario who managed to get to his knees. He was not out of the game yet and that helped him relax.
"Kangaskhan, let's finish this up with Hammer Arm!" Lenora yelled.
Kangaskhan's arm began to glow white as the frightening power built up inside it again. Tom's mind was racing as he saw his upcoming demise if he did not make a move. As he watched Kangaskhan start running at Lucario, he got his plan.
"Lucario, use Aura Sphere, pointblank!" Tom ordered.
Lucario started forming the Aura Sphere from his kneeling position and watched as Kangaskhan got closer and closer. Time seemed to slow down as she was upon him and getting ready to swing her arm into his side once again. He fired the Aura Sphere and watched as it soared up and hit her in the face. The effect worked just like Tom was hoping it would. The force from the close hit stunned her and gave him the time he needed.
"Use Focus Punch!" Tom yelled.
Lucario jumped to his feet and ran up Kangaskhan's stomach, to her head and pushed off the top of it as hard as he could with his feet. He sprang high into the air and started building power in his arm. His arm started to glow white as he descended back down with his arm brought back. Kangaskhan recovered from her stunned state and swung with her arm, but Lucario managed to avoid it at the last second. He was now inside her guard and he drove his fist down as hard as he could. There was a loud thump as Lucario's fist smashed down on top of Kangaskhan's crown. The force of the punch sent her face first into the arena floor with Lucario's punch still connected to her head.
A loud crash filled the room as Kangaskhan lay face down in the ground. Lucario flipped back and let his arm that did the punch hang limply by his side as he kept his gaze on Kangaskhan. When Kangaskhan did not move, the referee called the match.
"Kangaskhan is unable to battle! The winner is Thomas Sandbourne from Viridian City!" The referee declared.
"Yes!" Tom cheered as he punched the air.
He hurried out to the field and managed to catch Lucario under the shoulder to keep him from falling to the floor. He could barely contain the grin on his face as he looked at Lucario and ruffled the fur on top of his head.
"Nice job, buddy! You really pulled through for me at the end there!" Tom said with a smile.
Lucario smirked as Tom gently sat him down so he could relax. Lenora returned Kangaskhan to her ball and smirked as she walked on to the field. She gave a sharp whistle to get the attention of the others. Getting the message, the rest of the group came onto the field to stand beside Tom with Eric and Hayley coming on seconds later.
"I have to say, I am very proud of all you for those battles. I can see why those Team Plasma clowns were no match for you," Lenora praised with a smile.
"Thanks for the compliment," Elliott said with a smirk.
"Now, Corey, Kenta, I hope you both come at me with just as much energy that you gave today."
"We will, don't worry about that," Kenta replied with a smirk of his own.
Lenora smiled and started to dig in her pocket for something. She pulled her hand out and she held three badges, one each for Tom, Elliott and Vanessa. The three of them took a badge and placed it inside their badge cases.
"Two down, six more to go!" Elliott cheered.
"You've still got a long journey ahead of you. Make sure to keep up to par with your training. It's only going to get tougher from here on in," Lenora said with a serious tone.
"I'm sure we'll do just fine, Lenora. Thank you for the battles," Vanessa said with a bow.
"I'm sure you will do well, too. Now, Corey, Kenta, I expect to see you both in here tomorrow morning for our rematch. Don't be late," Lenora said.
"We'll be up extra early," Corey replied with a smirk.
"Good. Now, be sure to take a look at that plaque before you check out."
The group hurried over to the plaque that was on the wall by the doors. Tom, Vanessa and Elliott's grins widened when they saw it.
Nacrene City Gym
Leader: Lenora
Certified Trainers:
Eric Stone
Hayley White
Elliott Kane
Vanessa Blake
Thomas Sandbourne
The group all gave each other high fives for the next accomplishment being achieved. Each of them now had their sights on the future gym battle in Castelia City. Kenta and Corey were busy bickering with Elliott that they would catch up quick tomorrow and that it could be her to lose next time.
"I'm not losing anytime soon, you better believe that!" Elliott smirked.
"Only a matter of time," Corey replied with a shrug. "This was just a minor setback. I'll be on top again just like that." He finished with a snap of his fingers.
"Hey, Tom, what's wrong?" Vanessa asked as she noticed his blank stare at the plaque.
Tom said nothing as he continued staring at the plaque. It was as if he was lost in thought about something. Vanessa could see Sparks trying to bring Tom back to reality by poking his head with his paw. Tom gently swiped the paw away as he kept his eyes on the plaque when he called out to Lenora.
"Lenora, when last was this plaque updated?" Tom asked.
"About eight months ago," Lenora replied as she walked up to him.
"That was around the same time the last Unova League badge run started, right?"
"Yeah, why?"
"That name on the top of the plaque. When was it engraved?"
"Same month the league started. I think it was about a week and half in."
"I see. Thanks for telling me."
Tom gave a respectful bow to Lenora and departed the gym, leaving the group behind. All of them were confused with the sudden change in their friend's demeanor and wondered if it had something to do with the plaque. The group gathered around the plaque and it was right there that Kenta, Corey, Elliott and Eric figured it out. The name at the top of the list of trainers on the plaque read Marcus Sandbourne.
Well, that's the chapter! To whoever still reads this story, I hope you all enjoyed it. I'm still having this story on the backburner, but now that I am done with this arc, I may be able to crank some more updates out for this quicker than expected, especially now that winter break is almost here for me. Thanks again for the continued support and I will see you all next time. -CaptainPrice
Updated Battle Record (W/L/D):
Tom: 6:2:2 was 5:2:2
Kenta: 8:3:0 was 8:2:0
Corey: 9:1:2 was 9:1:1
Elliott: 8:3:0 was 7:3:0
Vanessa: 8:1:0 was 7:1:0