Hey everyone, I'm back with another update for Rise to the Challenge. Again, short chapter, but I'm trying a different approach to my writing by making them shorter with less than necessary detail since a lot of my reviews say I'm still detail oriented. Anyway, let's get to it. I implore you all to take a look at the author's note at the end since it will give future news about all of my stories starting at the end of this month.
Last Time: Tom and Russell managed to team up and fend off the ravenous Scolipede before meeting up with Chris and heading for the bus station. Tom's gang found out he left them behind and they all had mixed feelings about his sudden departure. To top it off, Trent came back looking for another battle with Tom to settle their tie from the Nacrene City Tournament, only for Russell to step in to battle Trent instead.
Bold- Message Bulletins/PA System/Plaques/Books
Italics- Thoughts/Letters/Flashbacks
Bold Italics- TV/Radio/Pokedex (AKA Dexter) Descriptions/Xtransreceiver Messages/ Xtransreceiver Conversations
Charmeleon and Serperior bolted for each other as fast as they could. However, given the difference in power and speed, Serperior was faster. She slithered around Charmeleon with ease after dodging his Slash attack. Once behind Charmeleon, two sharp, long leaves extended from her back and lashed at Charmeleon. The first slashed him in the face and the second across his stomach. The hits forced Charmeleon to hunch over from the attack in discomfort. He sent a glare up at Serperior who brushed it off a swish of her tail.
"Charmeleon, use Flamethrower!" Russell yelled.
"That's not going to work!" Trent laughed. "Serperior, do it!"
Charmeleon unleashed a giant stream of fire at Serperior, but she vanished in the blink of an eye. She all but sprang into the air and was swallowed by the sunlight. Charmeleon shielded his eyes from the light as he tried to find Serperior, but it was futile. Barely two seconds had passed before Serperior appeared again and dove headfirst into Charmeleon's chest.
The hit forced the air out of his lungs and made his eyes widen in surprise. He was sent rolling back and came to a stop at Russell's feet, gasping for air. He gingerly stood up and glared at Serperior who had an uninterested look plastered on her face.
"Just save yourself the humiliation and throw in the towel." Trent smirked and crossed his arms. "You have no business challenging me."
Russell said nothing and shifted his eyes back to Charmeleon. Their eyes met and he gave a subtle nod to show he was ready. He knew that Serperior was too fast for them to keep up with her, but they had type advantage on their side to allow them more time to fight. Now that he had an idea of how Trent battled, Russell got ready to make his move.
"We're not done yet." Russell shook his head. "Your Serperior hits like an old lady."
Trent and Serperior's cocky expressions became livid a second later. Russell smirked at successfully getting under Trent's skin. He clenched his fist and his brow furrowed when he gave his next command.
"Charmeleon, use Fire Blast!"
A massive star of fire flew at Serperior who was caught off guard by the sheer size of it. Quickly shaking it off, she got low to the ground and slithered under the attack, but did not come away unscathed. A nasty black mark and burns covered the back of her tail, tender to the touch. She shot at Charmeleon who looked at her calmly.
"Now!" Russell and Trent both shouted.
Serperior stood tall and her eyes flashed a light green. The wind kicked up and dozens of razor sharp leaves flew from her body. They spun around violently before shooting for Charmeleon who countered back with Flamethrower, reducing the leaves to ash.
Charmeleon sent another Flamethrower at Serperior. This time his aim was true. The jet of fire engulfed Serperior and earned a cry of pain from her.
"Don't you quit! You hear me?" Trent yelled at Serperior.
Serperior fought through the pain and dashed out of the fire at Charmeleon. She slithered around him and wrapped him up with her tail. She hoisted Charmeleon in the as he struggled to break free. The vice grip she had on him proved to be strong as failed to get his arms free. She took it a step further and raised her tail high before bringing it down. The loud crash echoed around the station and ceased the voices of the audience that stopped to watch. One slam after another, Serperior continued to beat Charmeleon into the ground.
The brutal attack garnered mixed responses from the audience. Some cheered while others jeered at Trent and Serperior and accused them of fighting like cowards. For Russell, he was feeling nothing but anger at the cheap tactic Trent was using. He growled and his mind raced as he tried to think of a way to get Charmeleon free.
"Charmeleon, use Fire Blast on the ground!" Russell yelled.
Serperior was bringing her tail down for another body slam, but did not expect the surprise counter. When her tail was about to make contact with the ground, a blast of fire surrounded her tail and covered the ground, courtesy of Charmeleon. The pain forced her to drop him and he rolled away after being released.
"Follow it up with Slash!" Russell continued.
Charmeleon ran as fast as he could at Serperior. He closed the gap between them quickly and ran up her body. He ducked in time to avoid a Leaf Blade attack and jumped. His claws were sharp and gleamed as the light hit them. He brought his arm down as hard as he could and his nails raked across Serperior's face.
Serperior let out a loud screech. She thrashed around violently as her eyes stayed glued shut. Charmeleon's attack managed to hit her eyes and all but blinded her. This made Russell smirk and Trent furious.
"Focus, damn-it!" Trent barked at Serperior. "Don't let that loser beat you!"
"Juice her with Fire Blast!" Russell pointed ahead.
Another flaming star shot from Charmeleon and much like the Flamethrower, engulfed Serperior in blistering flames. The audience cheered for Russell and Charmeleon's comeback and began to root for him. The sudden change of tempo in the fight and audience was becoming distracting for Trent and it infuriated him.
Trent glared at Charmeleon and Russell who put him on the defensive and all but immobilized Serperior by blinding her. His fists clenched and he shook with fury. There was no way the kid in front of him would win. He was an elite trainer and he was on a different level than him. He glared at Serperior, his strongest Pokémon. She was failing him and he did not like it.
"Serperior, when I tell you to do something, you do it!" Trent sneered.
Serperior only nodded as she fought through the burn effect. She tried to open her eyes, but only managed to open her right. Her left was sealed shut from the attack. She found Charmeleon and kept her eye on him.
"Let's wrap this up, Charmeleon!" Russell nodded. "Use Dragon Rage!"
Charmeleon opened his mouth and medium sized orange ball of power took shape. The swirling ball shot from his mouth a second later and soared at Serperior.
"Cut it and follow up with Attract!" Trent shot back.
Trent had enough and decided to finish Russell off here. He crossed his arms and watched as Serperior brought up a sharp, long leaf and sliced through the attack. The ball of energy was cut in half and exploded on both sides of Serperior, leaving small holes in the ground. He smirked and watched Serperior put their plan into motion.
Serperior adapted a more cute and innocent look before she winked at Charmeleon. A series of transparent hearts appeared around Charmeleon who looked around in surprise. He tried to run out of the circle, but it followed his every move. The hearts stopped circling around him and pelted his body.
Charmeleon's defensive stance became lazy and he stood up with a distant look in his eyes as he stared longingly at Serperior. Russell cursed inwardly at Trent's unexpected and tricky counter. His chances of winning the fight just dropped significantly. If he could not snap Charmeleon out of his entranced state, they would lose.
"Serperior, use Leaf Storm!" Trent smirked.
"Charmeleon, take the attack!" Russell shouted.
The sharp leaves swallowed Charmeleon whole and slashed him repeatedly. Russell stayed silent and prayed that his call would work out. His mouth felt dry and his palms were sweating profusely. He released a breath he did not realize he was holding when the attack ended.
Charmeleon slumped forward and swayed as he tried to stay standing. His eyes drooped in exhaustion. He kept his focus on Serperior who calmly watched him from the other side of the battle zone. He was functioning on sheer willpower to stay conscious. He grit his teeth and stood upright and held his claws up in front of his face. His claws tapped together and tiny sparks burst from them.
"That's it, Charmeleon! Just hang in there!" Russell nodded.
Charmeleon raised his head high and sent a stream of fire into the air. He found his resolve and his second wind was in its final stage.
"Use Dragon Rage!" Russell hollered.
"Use your tail and send it back!" Trent countered.
The tip of Serperior's tail glowed white and her eye stayed fixated on the orange ball of energy. Just when it was about to hit her, she swung her tail. There was a loud crack as the power in Serperior's tail met the power of the Dragon Rage. The orange ball of power rocketed off Serperior's tail and went back for Charmeleon like a bullet. A loud bang came a second later and a cloud of smoke surrounded the fire type.
When the smoke cleared, Charmeleon had fallen to a knee and was doing everything he could to stand up. Seizing the chance, Trent gave his final command.
"Aerial Ace!"
Serperior took to the air again, hovered for a moment and then dove down. The wind howled as Serperior flew through it. A loud thud was heard when Serperior's head smashed into Charmeleon's. The force of the hit forced Charmeleon off the ground. He did three flips in the air before landing hard on his back at Russell's feet. Serperior landed and crept back to Trent who had a smug look on his face.
Russell said nothing as he recalled Charmeleon to his ball. He looked down at it and smiled. He thanked his partner for his hard work and a job well done for pushing Serperior as hard as he did. He clipped the ball back to his belt and glanced at the clock. The bus was going to leave in thirty seconds. He started for the bus, but Trent's voice called out to him.
"You were a waste of time!"
Russell stopped and took a deep breath to keep his anger under control. He was not upset that he lost, but he was upset with the lack of sportsmanship on Trent's end. In his mind, he and Charmeleon did a great job against Serperior who had an extra evolution and speed over them.
"I guess I should have expected that from someone who hangs out with Sandbourne, though," Trent continued, as he walked to him. "All of his friends are weak and pathetic!"
"I'm sorry, you seem to be taking me for someone who actually gives a shit about what you say," Russell said, glancing back at him.
"Big words, kid."
Russell's eyes narrowed at Trent. He still had the smug look on his face and his smirk only grew when he turned to face him.
"This coming from the little piss ant who got his ass beat by a Charmeleon?" Russell replied.
"Excuse me? Last I checked, I won!" Trent retorted.
"By the grace of whatever twisted karma you have. I gave you a good fight and almost won, so don't get all high and mighty. Okay, bro?"
Russell walked to the bus and stepped on, but he could hear Trent's footsteps behind him. He glanced at Trent and followed his gaze to where Tom was sitting on the bus. Getting an idea, Russell turned around and hit Trent with more words of wisdom.
"For the record, I've dealt with guys like you before. You think you're hot shit, but you're not. What I see in front of me is a scared kid who is all bark and no bite."
"What'd you say?" Trent sneered.
"You heard me. I almost pity you. That attitude of yours will make it hard for you to have any friends."
"Friends are nothing but a stupid commodity. I don't need friends, and I sure as hell don't believe having friends makes you strong!"
Russell frowned and shook his head. He had nothing else to say to the hotheaded teen in front of him. A smirk came to his face when the doors closed, locking Trent out who looked surprised. Trent tried to open the door, but the driver refused to open it.
"That's why you will never truly beat us and why I will never consider you a rival, Trent!" Tom said from the window.
"I'm your rival whether you like it or not!" Trent retorted.
Tom only shook his head and pulled his head back in the window. Trent's brow furrowed and he opened his mouth to snap back at him, but the bus picked up the pace and started to leave him behind. His face turned brick-red with anger when Sparks appeared out the window and gave him the equivalent of the middle finger.
"Have a nice walk!" Chris waved at him.
Trent shook with anger as he watched the bus vanish from view and turn on to the bridge. Rivals were individuals close to, or equal in strength. The only reason he considered Tom a rival was because he had yet to win against him. However, Tom did not view him as one and it angered him. He was more than worthy of being a rival and had the power to back it up.
"We'll see about that, Sandbourne!" Trent clenched his fists.
Again, short chapter, but it was straight and to the point. So we see some character insight on Trent and how he views friendship and rivalries. Anyway, I'm not sure when I will update again, but regarding updates for all my stories, check out the statements below here. Till next time. -CaptainPrice
Statements:
1.) The critique you all gave me last chapter is the stuff I like to see. Not that short "good chapter", "update soon", "well done" BS.
2.) Story update future schedule. Starting April 1st, I will not be on Fanfiction much, if not at all. I will be doing more military training towards my MOS down in Arizona all the way through July. The good news is I will have some more liberty than the last time this happened, but since this is training for my job, don't be surprised if I don't update much or at all, or even review for that matter. I will do what I can, but priority will go to training.
3.) Remember, OCs in Tom's group will be cut down significantly by Castelia City/ end of that arc since I don't want to keep writing a giant group since it's a pain and a lot of characters have too many similarities/goals.
OCs Featured in the Chapter:
Trent Phoenix (Trentavious Phoenix): Last appearance chapter 26
Thomas "Tom" Sandbourne (CaptainPrice): Last appearance chapter 26
Russell "Russ" Shepherd (Nobel Six): Last appearance chapter 26
Chris Walker (Flypandabear): Last appearance chapter 26