Secrets of the Night
DISCLAIMER: I Do NOT own Pokemon!
Chapter 49: The Traveler from Sinnoh, Part 2
"Are you ready, Blaze?"
Blaze simply nodded and responded yes. Then he looked at Gertrud to check if she was still up for battle. He noticed that she was wincing in pain ever so slightly from Arana's powerful psychic attack, but was otherwise fine.
"Here we go. It's your turn, Genbu!" Neo unleashed his third pokemon which was an indigo-blue turtle with a furry wave-like tail and a snowflake-printed pattern on its brown shell. Genbu let out an eager cry as he swished his elegant tail.
"Phew. Finally, a male pokemon," Chase commented after noting that the battles so far were between female pokemon, three of which were fairy-types.
"Chase…"
"Yeah-yeah. Enough commenting and on with the refereeing," Chase waved him away while casting a lopsided grin.
"Strange, I wouldn't pick you for someone who'd go for a type disadvantage. I don't have anything not weak against fire, so I had no choice. There must be something special with that Wartortle." Blaze closely inspected the Wartortle but couldn't see anything too obvious from the front of the Pokemon.
"Genbu is not exactly the typical Wartortle," Neo started. He thought that Gertrud was open to being a telepath so it meant she was had psychic capabilities. So he thought that it wouldn't hurt to point out Genbu's uniqueness. After motioning to his pokemon, Genbu turned around and proudly flashed the white print on his shell. "It's a birthmark of sorts. I caught Genbu in a cavern called the Icefall Cave."
Blaze simply grinned at the little birthmark. "So, I guess that means he has some sort of ice-type specialty." Given Gertrud's psychic ability, he wasn't as surprised as he assumed some trainers would be.
"I'm still figuring most of it out," Neo admitted with a half-sheepish smile. "But what better way than to test it on the battlefield, correct?"
Blaze just nodded in agreement. "So, you make the first move." He quickly mouthed something to Gertrud, making sure that she knew what the start of the plan for this fight was. The Roserade nodded before turning right back into the fight.
"Alright." Neo traded looks with his Wartortle. "Start off with Ice Beam, just like we practiced."
Grinning widely, Genbu launched a freezing ray from his maw that swept across the battlefield and headed towards Blaze's Roserade, coating the ground with a layer of ice in its wake. Blaze could see how fast the ice was coming, and so could Gertrud. It was impossible to dodge, maybe Gertrud could redirect it with Extrasensory, but certainly not enough to completely miss.
"Gertrud, Extrasensory, movement version, guide it towards your feet. We both know this isn't going to be dodgeable. Let's just hope you don't get frozen to the floor, that could be problematic." Gertrud's eyes glowed gold and the Ice Beam glowed with the same colored outline. It was still rapidly approaching, but the rose pokemon was able to bend the beam enough to have it aimed at her foot instead of directly at her chest.
"God damn it Blaze, you Jynxed it." Gertrud's foot was covered in ice, pinning it to the floor, preventing her from possibly dodging any future attacks.
Neo wasted no time and seized the chance. "Genbu, Ice Beam again. Dead ahead."
Aiming for the currently immobilized Roserade, Genbu stood firmly and fired another icy ray.
"Arceus damn it." The Ice Beam had gone off while Gertrud was still trying to break off the ice from her foot. This time it hit her straight on, dealing critical and effective damage. She cried out in pain from the shot as frost began coating her body.
"Gertrud, see if you can hit with a Giga Drain," Blaze instructed as a last minute strategy.
Gertrud whipped her two arms downwards and twin thorny vines came out. As they extended, the root around her neck started to glow. The Roserade flung the two vines towards Genbu in an attempt to wrap one around the Wartortle. But her limited mobility hindered her ability to hit her opponent and she only connected briefly with the Wartortle's chest. The attack had failed and the root around Gertrud's neck stopped glowing.
The frost around the Roserade continued to spread, already passing her waist. It was then that Neo signaled Genbu to stop the onslaught. "I think Gertrud is at her limit. Any longer and she would have been frozen completely. I'm asking if you'd like withdraw her?"
"I concede defeat. One more attack and I'm done." Gertrud's breaths were heavy and coming out in clouds of white vapor, her body also shivered in the cold. She definitely couldn't continue any longer.
"Gertrud has conceded. The victor of the round is Neo," Chase announced, earning a cheer and applause from Kashu and Arana. Faith and Blaze's other two pokemon also clapped along.
"B-Blaze, got any Full Restores on you?" Gertrud inquired, her mental voice beginning to quiver as well.
Blaze nodded as he took off his backpack and opened it, pulling out a green spray medicine bottle. Glancing back at his pokemon, he saw that Gertrud was still able to move her arms relatively well so he threw it to her. She caught it easily and sprayed herself with it, first over the frost, then over the more problematic injuries. The latter made her wince slightly as she applied the medicine on them.
"Arceus damn it, I never get over how much that thing stings. Still, I'm glad that someone managed to invent those, Pokemon moves aren't great for restoring statuses." The last little bit of medicine was able to clear up her more minor scratches and she walked back over to her trainer's side. "Times like this I really wish I could stand back up on your shoulder without it being awkward."
"Gertrud, you're making it awkward by saying that." The Roserade sprawled herself on the grass before looking over at the stands and smiling at Arana who was now hovering over Kashu. Blaze turned his attention back to Neo. "Well, I guess I'm down to my last Pokemon. I just have one quick question Neo... Do you know what Mega Evolution is?"
"I've heard about it, read about it but I've never actually seen one personally," Neo admitted, momentarily exchanging looks with his Wartortle who seemed to sense a hint of dread in the air.
Gertrud picked her head up off the floor and looked at Neo, giving him a slightly malicious grin. "Get ready for something completely epic."
"Great Goomys, now you're copying Hextilda, Gertrud." Blaze cleared his throat before grabbing his final Pokeball. There was a musical note inscribed on it, referencing the origin of the Pokemon's nickname vaguely. "Azusa, you're up now."
A short bipedal pokemon with yellow fur and crimson eyes emerged from the Pokeball's light. Its legs formed into a sort of hakama while its head had twin ear-like extensions that hung either side of its face. Despite the overall nonthreatening appearance, it had a very notable, unmissable feature and that was the long narrow jaw that grew out of its head.
The nagging voice of dread continued to gnaw at Neo as he eyed the pokemon carefully. For safety precautions, he opened up his pokedex and looked up the pokemon.
Mawile
The Deceiver Pokemon
Mawile has jaw-like appendages at the ends of its steel horns. It deceives any opponent who lowers its guard with its hypnotic expression, then quickly spins around to bite them.
"The thing looks kind of cute," Chase commented, eliciting an angry grunting sound from the pokemon. He flinched and took another good look at the massive jaw that was actually almost twice the length of the said pokemon. "O-Okay… maybe not."
"He doesn't like to be called cute... I learnt that the hard way." Blaze shook his head at memory before his expression radiated with pure enthusiasm. "Anyway, let's show them what you can do Azusa."
Blaze's Mawile curled one of his hands into a fist and, in an attempt to look intimidating, pounded it against his other open palm. Blaze was meanwhile fiddling with his Poketch. The screen folded away and a stone appeared inside on a holder. There was a weird pattern on it that matched the yellow and black stone that Azusa had on a necklace.
Both Blaze and Azusa flicked their stones in tandem, triggering a resonance between both spheres. A purple light began to emanate around the both of them. Blaze's Mawile was then engulfed in a weird brilliance, similar to the white evolution light, but a stranger color.
Blaze's Mawile started to change shape. The jaw on Azusa's head split into two as it grew in size, becoming more bulky and accented with spiky tufts. The twin-tails also lengthened and ended into two-points instead of the plain straight ends. When the light finally faded, a Mawile still stood on the same spot, but the changes were indeed undismissable. A magenta shade now adorned his legs and sleeved-like wrists. And the earlier features added to the overall intimidation that it previously instilled.
"I totally take back the cute comment. I don't want to be anywhere within ten meters of those jaws." Chase stared wide-eyed at the modified Mawile, his hands raised at either side of his face.
"So that's Mega Evolution…" Neo muttered aloud as he marveled at Blaze's Mawile. He was growing eager to find out what exactly it was capable of, but partly dreading the fact that he and his pokemon were on the receiving end. He glanced at Blaze and zeroed in on the glowing stone on his wrist. "Those items… Yours is called the Key Stone, if memory serves."
"As far as I know, that's right. There is some weird connection with the Mega Stone and the reacting Key Stone that causes a half transformation. I'm pretty sure that Genbu would have a Mega Evolution when he evolves, and Faith has a Mega as well." Blaze gestured to both Pokemon individually.
"Hey Neo, do you think Gremio find us stuff like that?" Chase joked, though part of him was serious. After all, with the Takamoto heir's resources, was there anything he couldn't get?
"I'll call him to look into it, after the prior issue," Neo's tone changed at the last part, a sort of iciness was etched into those words. He caught Blaze's gaze at that and returned to his calm demeanor. "It's nothing important. Shall we get on with the battle? I want to see the full extent of what Mega Evolution is capable of."
"Hold on, I just want to clear something up. You will have to get a Key Stone yourself. These people in each region test your resolve and stuff. I don't think either of you would fail that test though." Blaze then looked at Neo and Genbu. "Yeah, let's get back to the fight now, Azusa's getting eager."
With a nod, Neo turned to Chase who gave the signal for match to begin.
"Alright Azusa, Rock Tomb. Let's slow them down," Blaze began.
Azusa obligingly complied and stomped the ground. Two rocks flung into the air, which the Mega Mawile caught with his two sets of monstrous jaws. He aimed one Genbu's feet and the other at the Wartortle's body. With a fluid twist of his body, he threw both rocky projectiles.
"Genbu, aim low, use Ice Beam on the first rock and take the second one with your shell," instructed Neo, already beginning to marvel at the Mawile's abilities.
Acting quickly, Neo's Wartortle released a freezing bolt that struck the first boulder, encasing it in ice and anchoring it ultimately to the ground. The second one then came flying through, smashing the first rock before rocketing towards the intended target. Genbu, reacting swiftly, turned around and braced himself for impact. The second projectile hit squarely in the middle of the snowflake pattern, knocking Neo's Wartortle to the ground as it broke into several large shards, some of which pinned him down on the spot.
Azusa made a fist pump, celebrating his successful attack, but kept his eye on his opponent, waiting for the first sign of recovery to snap back to action.
"Oh wait, it's our move Azusa." Blaze couldn't believe that he'd lost the flow of the battle. The Mawile seemed quite surprised as well, seemingly caught up in his victory pose. "Use Power-Up Punch."
Both of the Mega-evolved Pokemon's arms started to glow in an orange light as Azusa charged towards Neo's Wartortle. As he closed in, he noticed that the turtle Pokemon was starting to recover from the Rock Tomb attack, but the rock fragments were still sticking around.
"Genbu!" Neo called out to his pokemon. "Now or never! Use Aqua Jet."
Genbu's eyes narrowed as he let out a grunt. Water rapidly surrounded his body as Blaze's Mega Mawile lunged in. With a burst of speed, Genbu shot across the ice-covered ground, evading the attack as it came down, shattering the layer of frost and creating a large crater on the barren soil.
Azusa, furious of the missed attack, glared at the Wartortle who continued to zoom inside a torrent of clear blue liquid. Abruptly, Genbu swerved and headed back towards the Mega Mawile. There was little time to react as the water missile collided with Azusa, creating an explosive burst of water which rained across the war-scarred battlefield.
"Even after the Rock Tomb attack… Damn, that was fast. Sometimes, I hate moves like that." Blaze said aloud as Azusa flipped through the air, but managed to land in a controlled roll. "It's a good thing that I've trained Azusa in being nimble." He cast a grin and his Mega Mawile skidded to a stop by digging it's hands into the ground. Azusa looked pleased with his work before getting up and looking at Blaze.
Genbu did the same, rolling through the air but allowed the momentum as well as ice and earth to decide when and where he ended up. Fortunately, he had tucked inside his shell during that and popped out only when he came to a complete halt, preventing any additional damage.
"Same as before Azusa." Blaze nodded at his Mega Mawile before Azusa's fists once again became energized by a vivid orange glow. Without missing another beat, the steel-type fairy rushed towards Genbu once again with the same intention.
"Genbu, Water Pulse!" Neo commanded. "Keep them coming."
As his opponent drew near, Genbu conjured up spheres of light blue energy and hurled them at the charging pokemon. Azusa, twisting around, brought forward his two sets of monstrous jaws and blocked the attack by letting the water projectiles either collide against the upper jaw or simply crushing them in between vicious-looking set of chompers.
Neo and Genbu stood in shock at the display of power but their expressions shifted into utter horror as Azusa's fist connected with the pale yellow underside of Genbu's shell. Neo's Wartortle was sent flying back. He tumbled forcibly across the ground until he skidded into a stop and cried out a weak whimper.
After the attack connected, a wave of orange electricity coursed over Azusa's body, for a second before fading away. "Alright, attack boost!" Azusa rolled his eyes, Blaze stating the obvious was one of his pet peeves.
"Anyway, let's go for a Crunch attack now, Azusa!" Blaze yelled out to his pokemon.
On cue, the two sets of jaws on the back of the Mega Mawile's head started glowing with a violent white light, an occasional streak of orange sparks flashed over them, indicating the temporary increase in power. Emitting a snarling cry, Azusa then charged towars his foe.
"Genbu, let's make this count!" Neo called out to his Wartortle with encouragement and hope as Genbu staggered to his feet and winced at his injuries. "Give it all you've got. Ice Beam!"
Genbu let out a determined growl and unleashed a violent bolt of ice, aiming straight for the the Mega Mawile's jaws. The earlier water attacks made the monstrous chompers damp, allowing the ice to quickly form and encase them, ultimately immobilizing the attack.
"Good strategy Neo, but I've got one better." Blaze smirked. "Continue charging and smash the two frozen maws into Genbu, Azusa!"
Given the overall strength of the pokemon, the ice on the back of Azusa's head didn't affect him as much as it had Gertrud before, and he kept running towards the Wartortle. As Azusa reached Genbu, he swung his head around so that the frozen maws smashed into the indigo-blue turtle. The ice was too strong to be shattered, but it was still able to do enough blunt force to send Genbu flying.
Sensing it was the end of the line for Genbu, Neo quickly called for his Wigglytuff. Kashu instantly sprung into action, rushing to Genbu's line and inflating as much as she could. Genbu impacted against Kashu but the makeshift cushion prevented any further damage. Kashu, now cradling the unconscious Wartortle, raised a thumbs up and winked at Neo's direction.
"Crude but effective…" Chase commented, half-dumbfounded before resuming his role. "And this round goes to Blaze!" He declared before the handful of pokemon clapped and cheered. He then let out deep breath and stared in awe at Blaze's Mega Mawile. "Wow. So that's what Mega Evolution can do…"
"I was so amazed the first time I saw it, I thought it was something absolutely beautiful and terrifying at the same time. I've heard of people's Pokemon going out of control when they Mega Evolve, and I'm glad that didn't happen to me and Azusa." Blaze was grinning at Chase's compliment about his Pokemon and the Mega Evolution.
"I do sometimes get frightened when Azusa Mega Evolves, if you thought Amy was competitive, he's ten times that." Gertrud shivered slightly at an unpleasant memory before grinning at her trainer. Amy was singing a little cheer song while Noire was staring at Neo, wondering what she had done wrong to lose in two moves.
Neo had just finished reviving Genbu. He praised him for his efforts before leading him to the sidelines where he could stay and watch with the others. After that, he glanced at Blaze's Mega Mawile and wondered how he could beat it. He was fortunate that the earlier strategy impaired Azusa's Crunch attack, for the only choices he had left were weak to dark-type moves. But how long would it last? Taking a deep breath, he decided to pin his hopes of winning on one pokemon.
"Ready Neo?" Chase inquired, glancing at his friend and wondering if he needed another dose of the special medicine, seeing as he was starting to become out of breath.
Neo understood his silent intention and smiled his refusal. Instead, he picked out his pokeball and prepared to send out his final pokemon. Casting one last look at Blaze, he released his pokemon unto the battlefield. "I'm relying on you, Novus!"
In a bright burst of crimson light, a large bulky figure formed in mid-air. It had thick arms and a cylindrical head that sat atop of a round body. When the light died down, a loud reverberating moan echoed and a brownish gray ghost with a single menacing red-eye appeared, hovering above the damaged soil.
Blaze whistled, expressing his admiration. "A Dusknoir. I'm pretty sure Persephone would like to have one of those."
"She'd probably think it's really cuddly and try to hug it. It would probably get annoyed. I don't think that getting her a Dusknoir is a good idea Blaze," Gertrud retorted jokingly.
"I don't see anything wrong with it." Neo smiled encouragingly as he gazed at his Dusknoir. "Novus is actually pretty gentle. In fact, he was one of the two individuals who helped raise me in my father's place." The words just came out before Neo even realized it. He looked away and hid his growing melancholy behind his calm persona.
Blaze almost missed what Neo had said about his father. He was about to open his mouth and question Neo, but realized the gravity of Neo's speech and decided not to ponder it. "I won't ask you to bring up any negative memories for my curiosity, Neo. Focus on the battle, it might help you clear your head of it."
Neo nodded in silent gratitude before Chase chipped in, attempting to ease the tenseness. "Just so you know, Neo wasn't raised completely by ghost-types. I mean, despite being born in Lavender Town, he doesn't scare people for a living, talk with souls or…"
"Chase. He gets it." Neo chuckled and gave his friend a sincere smile.
"Chase, I don't think you realize how unhelpful are sometimes," Gertrud scolded the teen referee before turning back to Blaze and then to Azusa. "You'll be at a disadvantage with Azusa's jaws frozen. You can't move them at all, can you?"
Checking the ice-encased maws, Azusa shook his head at his teammate before sizing up Novus. Now this was an opponent that seemed pretty tough. Azusa was pumped, but realized something quickly. "Ma-Mawile."
"He's right Blaze, Power-Up Punch won't work. You'll have to rely on Rock Tomb and the jaw swinging." Gertrud translated Azusa's speech for Blaze and the rest of the human audience.
Blaze laughed. "Just like our first battle with Hextilda only one reliable move." He suddenly frowned at the memory. "We didn't win that…"
Gertrud shook her head at her partner.
"So… uhm…" Chase cleared his throat. " Last round! ...Everyone ready?" Neo nodded as did Blaze but slightly more hesitant. With that, Chase raised his hand and quickly brought it down. "Begin!"
"Novus, start strong with Shadow Punch!" Neo commanded, his black eyes growing serious.
Novus raised both his closed fists as a dull grey energy enveloped them. Then after aiming them at the Mega Mawile, he launched the fist-shaped projectiles.
"Azusa, maw block, then Rock Tomb." The Mawile nodded, not turning around to look at Blaze. He crossed the two jaws over his body to block where the Shadow Punches would've hit. The impact forced back Azusa which surprised him and Blaze. However, it wasn't enough to completely throw Azusa off his game. In fact, it just got him even more fired up for this fight.
The Mega Mawile stomped the ground once again, bringing up two rocks that he threw at Novus, one in an arc and the other in a straight line, attempting to split the ghost type's attention.
Neo thought quickly. "Novus, destroy them with Thunder Punch! Then charge in."
Pounding his fists together, streaks of golden-yellow sparks surged from his hands up to his elbows. Novus then took a firm stance and as the two boulders closed in. He drove a hard straight at the first one that was above him, striking it like a lightning bolt before pivoting about and slamming the second with the ball of his sparking fist and the side of his forearm. The act dealt damage to the ghost cyclops, but his expression remained the same.
Both rocks shattered explosively into pieces, sending brown clouds of dust into the air, concealing Novus from view. But then out of the shroud, Neo's Dusknoir appeared and darted towards the Mega Mawile.
Azusa was both impressed and surprised as Novus not only negated the attack without drawbacks, but also used his own attack against him. Without any sort of command from Blaze, the Deceiver Pokemon swung it's two frozen fake jaws into Novus' path as both an attack and block at the same time. It was enough to lessen the blow that the Mawile would've taken, but he was still hit for a large amount of damage from the blow.
"Wow, Novus really is strong. To be able to do that to a Mega Mawile, Arceus, I do not want to get on his bad side." Blaze was laughing at his predicament.
Gertrud was completely surprised at this turn of events. If this had happened during most battles, Blaze would've frozen up after his strategy failed, but this time he was standing tall and laughing. She had only seen this happen during his friendly battles with people he really knew. What had happened to make Blaze feel this close to Neo all of a sudden.
Neo, on the other hand, was pulled deep into the heat of the battle just as much as Blaze. Rush of determination rolled off of him. He was taking in the unfolding battle with deep focus and enjoyment. Currently, he knew he had the upper hand but the tides of the battle could quickly change, given time. Time which he was rapidly losing.
Watching the close combat between the two fighters, Neo noticed the ice around Azusa's jaws were starting to thaw, coupled by the force of the previous attacks and blocks, cracks have also formed. He had to act fast. "Novus, find an opening. Then use Shadow Punch!"
Holding his own against a fierce adversary, Novus' fist continued to keep the Mega Mawile's jaws at bay, although with great difficulty. He was being pushed back whenever he took a second to breathe. With his now free hand, he aimed downward at the small gap just between the tips of the massive maws. A greyish energy coated his fist and the spectral projectile burst out and curved just before it hit the ground.
Blaze was shocked to see how fast Novus was moving. A number of strong blocks and parries from one of its arms had been enough to let the bulky ghost move into Azusa's blind spot and hit him with a direct Shadow Punch. Azusa was knocked straight to the ground. He only just had enough time to brace himself when he collided with the ground. Despite it all, the situation allowed the steel-type fairy to roll away from Novus and create for space himself.
"Alright, Azusa, see if you are able to break free from the ice. It looks like it's thin enough." Making sure he had enough space between himself and the Dusknoir and swung his head backwards so that the two jaws on the back of his head smashed hard against the ground. The impact sent mild shock waves, making the onlookers flinch. The slivers of cracks multiplied as more and more larger fractures formed across the icy layer.
The Mega Mawile then strained to pull his false jaws apart. A shatter noise like glass breaking flooded the air until finally, his twin sets of massive chompers were free. Azusa turned towards Novus and grinned, certain that he could still turn the tides around.
Blaze wasn't as confident about Azusa's chances of winning. The amount of damage that Azusa had taken as a result of the direct Shadow Punch was visible on Azusa's face. Other trainers would not have seen it, but Blaze knew his Pokemon well enough that Azusa was half-beaten at least, given the damage it sustained during the last battle, coupled now by ones it received from the Dusknoir. Not to mention, he had yet to deal any significant damage to the bulky Pokemon.
"Novus. This is where things get really serious," Neo warned his Dusknoir who groaned in agreement. "Stay clear of those jaws. Shadow Punch!"
From where he hovered, Novus fired another set of Shadow Punches. But this time, he fired them from different directions. Like homing missiles, the spectral fists changed direction and honed in on the Mega Mawile from different angles.
"Using my strategy against me, nice one Neo." Blaze smirked before turning to his pokemon. "Azusa, dash at Novus and hit him with Crunch. Use the momentum first blow to push yourself faster."
Azusa nodded and charged forward, jaws emitting a piercing white light. As the first shadow fist came in, he let it scrape the surface of one of his jaws until it slid off and collided on the ground. And using the force of the impact, he sprung and angled his body towards Novus, using his second set of jaws to crush the second grey energy shot. The move stung Azusa a bit, but he was able to keep charging in.
Landing on the ground near Novus, Azusa dashed straight for his opponent and grabbed the shadowy body with both white glowing jaws, the rows of sharp teeth sunk halfway. Normally, Azusa would've jumped off after inflicting damage for about a second, but he knew he was losing. He clung on, continually dealing damage in the hopes that he would be able to do enough damage to Novus before the ghost type was able to KO him.
From the sidelines, both Gertrud and Amy were cheering Azusa on. After the tough fights they had had, they didn't want to see Blaze lose. Gertrud had a slightly sullen look on her face though, as if she didn't like Azusa's chances. She looked at her partner to see his face displaying absolute desperation. He knew that what Azusa was doing was a last ditch effort, and he didn't like the chances either. "Blaze?"
"Hang on Azusa, don't worry about any blows that Novus deals, just keep holding on. We might be able to pull through on this one!" Blaze wasn't sure whether he was trying to convince himself or his Pokemon.
Meanwhile, Neo was frantically coming up with countermeasures. He could tell Novus' time was running out. Other than the super-effective move, the Mega Mawile's power was not not be trifled with, given the sheer display of power Azusa demonstrated. He had to act fast before everything he and his team had done were all for naught. "Novus! Fire Punch!"
Despite the continuous throbbing pain inflicted by Blaze's Mega Mawile as he continued to bite down on Novus' body, there was a small hindsight; Azusa was in arm's range. Gritting through the agony of the situation, Novus ignited his balled up fists with sizzling crimson fire and slammed them against the steel-type.
In absolute desperation, Azusa clung onto Novus, hoping not to get thrown off. He knew that if he let go, this battle was lost. He sunk his fanged-lined jaws deeper onto the ghostly form of the Dusknoir, but the ghost part was making it difficult to hold on. And then came the blazing hammer fists. On collision, Azusa's grip waivered for a second before he once again took control. Unfortunately, the force was weaker than before.
"Keep at it, Novus! Don't give up!" Neo yelled out. It was a battle of endurance now.
Novus let a hoarse cry as his blazing arms came down at the deceiver pokemon. One after another, the blows came. Azusa growled in pain and forced his two monstrous jaws to keep their hold firm but with every strike, he waivered, as did Novus. The throbbing pain of the dark-type move was sapping his strength. The once fiercely blazing fists were beginning to die down. Amber cinders crackled as the flames grew smaller.
Neo and Blaze held their breath as cheers from their respective pokemon echoed in the background. Finally, utter silence fell. Azusa's jaws completely slackened and he released the Dusknoir from his death grip. Novus huffed heavily and swayed from side to side, one closed fist still raised, the fires of which was dying out in the passing breeze. A light thud disturbed the atmosphere. Blaze's Mega Mawile fell back and lost consciousness.
It took a few seconds for the scene to sink in. Kashu, Arana and Genbu were the first to react with cries of victory, followed by Chase who, with a swift gesture of his hand, declared the winner.
"Azusa can no longer continue! The winner of the battle is Neo and Novus!"
Neo breathed in relief as Chase came over and slung an arm over his shoulders and handed him his medicine. Neo nodded his thanks and took a long drink before handing it back to his friend. Catching his breath, he unhooked himself away from Chase and walked towards Novus, placing a gentle hand on his thick arm, relaying his message of gratitude.
Meanwhile, Blaze stared at his fallen Pokemon, in utter disbelief at his loss. He hadn't liked his chances, but actually seeing Azusa knocked out, he couldn't believe it. He looked warily at Novus, wondering just how strong he was. After assuring himself he was in no danger from the Dusknoir, Blaze walked over to Azusa and gave him a Revive. As his eyes opened up, the Mega evolution faded as he returned to his regular form.
"You did great Azusa." Blaze smiled at his Pokemon. "I can't believe how strong Novus was though." The Mawile grinned at the mention of the Dusknoir. "Have you you found a rival Azusa? Too bad I don't think we'll see Neo again once we go back to Sinnoh." The Mawile jumped up onto its own feet and walked over to Novus and stretched out a hand in congratulations. Blaze walked over to Neo and did the same. "I don't know when was the last time I enjoyed a match as much that, Neo. I am glad to have you as an opponent."
Neo smiled pleasantly and shook Blaze's hand. "You were quite the opponent as well, especially with your Mega Mawile. It was a privilege to personally see a pokemon Mega Evolve. Thank you for that. "
Blaze got out his Xtransceiver. "Could I get your number? I'd like to keep in touch at some point, maybe if either of you get into the Pokemon League I can come and watch you."
Nodding, he exchanged numbers with Blaze, adding his name beside Arc. Afterwards, he glanced at Novus who was shaking hands with Azusa. "I don't know about the Pokemon League. It… isn't exactly my end goal." He ended the subject at that before turning to face Blaze once again. "But I do hope we'll meet again someday."
"You know, we were planning on challenging a gym over in Kanto for the fun of it. You got any suggestions?" Gertrud asked Neo and Chase as she came over. "And Blaze, I don't think I've ever said this before, but do you mind if we split up temporarily? I'm going to hold up my promise to teach Arana telepathy. You call Persephone and travel with her for a while."
Taken aback, Blaze shuddered at the thought. He hadn't been anywhere on his journey without Gertrud, but if his partner Pokemon was planning on helping out a friend, how could he object. "I'll call Persephone, and probably huddle myself in a corner till she gets her. I'll wait to challenge the gym until you and Arana are finished up."
"I have an idea." Neo cut in and took out the final pokeball on his belt. "While Gertrud is with me, I'll leave you Nero." He sent out his Gengar who materialized in midair before hovering over his shoulder. "He's my first pokemon so he's very dear to me, just as much as Gertrud is to you."
"And as for the gym," Chase piped up with an eager grin. "Why not try Cinnabar Island? The gym leader there is pretty cute- I mean tough." He elbowed Neo's arm and snickered. "She specializes in fire-types so it'll be quite the challenge. Are you're up for it?"
Blaze decided not to question Chase or Neo about their relations to the gym leader at Cinnabar. "Fire-type gym, I think it'll probably suit me to challenge that gym. Should I tell her you sent me or should I leave that part out?"
"If you tell her, then it might increase your chances of winning…" Chase chided, wondering how Naomi will react, probably flustered at the fact of all the gyms in Kanto, she was the first recommendation of Neo.
"As for transport, it's pretty far," Neo pointed out before taking out his phone. "I can arrange for a boat to get you to Cinnabar. Fuchsia City would be the closest dock."
Already reading ahead of Neo's plan, Chase inched close to Blaze and murmured to him with a sly tone. "Say Yes. You won't regret it."
Blaze's shy mode almost kicked in when Chase started to come closer to him. Despite their common home region, he was still uncomfortable with others crossing his personal space. "S-Sure… I guess… I hope there isn't a deadline of when I need to catch this boat, I'm not sure how long Persephone is going to be."
"It's fine. Just call me a day before so I can tell him," Neo informed him before he excused himself and brought the phone to his ear while stepping a few feet away. "Gremio… Yes, I'm fine… Alright… By the way, I need a favor…"
Blaze decided to take the time and make a call himself. Dialing on his Xtransceiver, he pulled it up to his ear and spoke.,"Yeah, Persephone. How're you doing?... " There was a series of exchanges and followed by a couple of loud squealing that made Blaze cringe and pull away from the Xtransceiver. With some effort, he explained the situation to the person at the end of the line and told her that she would rendezvous at Celadon Pokemon Center.
Blaze hung up and turned to Neo, nodding that he was all set to go on his separate way. "Oh, before I forget. Since I lost…" Blaze reached into his backpack and pulled out a note. "I'm assuming that you probably don't need it, but I don't really have any spare items to give you, so here is 2000 Poke."
"Blaze, just keep that." Chase held back a chuckle. He really couldn't picture Neo needing money other than his own. He decided to compromise so it wouldn't come out rude."Gertud teaching Arana telepathy is cool enough."
"I'll get Persephone to draw something cute then when we get to Cinnabar and send it to you with Nero then. She is a pretty good artist. Plus, I need to do something, cause Gertrud was probably going to come with you anyway." Blaze put the money back into his backpack before pulling out a pen and writing on the back of his hand.
"I'll look forward to that." Neo came back and turned to his Gengar. "You got all that, Nero?" The grinning purple ghost nodded. "Okay. Behave yourself. Don't cause Blaze too much trouble. I'll see you soon."
Nero placed a claw on his chest and crossed his heart, though the sly grin he was wearing made the promise questionable. He then hovered to his team and bid his goodbyes. He patted Genbu's head, nodded curtly at Novus and shared a hug with Arana who was surely going to miss him the most. After all that, he floated to Blaze and hovered beside him.
Gertrud walked solemnly over to Blaze, feeling guilty that she would be leaving Blaze alone. She jumped up and hugged his neck. "Don't get yourself into too much trouble without me."
"I won't, I'll see you soon girl." He hugged his Pokemon back before Gertrud ran back over to Neo. Blaze tossed the other trainer Gertrud's Pokeball as Neo did the same with Nero's. "I better get going. I'll see you guys around... I guess."
"Take care of yourself." Neo waved with Gertrud's pokeball in his hand. "Till next time."
After returning his current team back to their capsules, Blaze walked off in the direction of the Pokemon center, waving a hand behind him, slouching more and more as he left the vicinity of Neo and Gertrud until his face had reached the floor.
"Neo?" Chase nudged his friend and shrugged absentmindedly, his gaze focused on the direction that Blaze went. "He does know that we're still headed back to the Celadon Pokemon Center too, right?"
End of Chapter 49
Wew. That was an Epic Mega Evolution battle (one-sided though). xD
Thanks again SachiShimizu~! Looking forward to see how our pokemon do in our stories.
Hmmm... Will Gertrud help on the upcoming grass-type gym battle? Maybe.
Read and Review~!
I still have another pending collab battle with WrittenWhim (submitter of Aspen)
I'll be extending Neo's chapters up to Saffron since it's very near so the battle will be close at hand.
As for anyone else who wants a collab, my friend Scriffignano (the one who owns Arc) would be happy to do it.
Thanks so much my readers and reviewers!