Hey everyone, its me, The-Ell-Star, and I'm back with the next chapter of 'From High School to Badges'. Quite a few things have happened since I last updated; got addicted, and still am, to the console version of World of Tanks,had my hopes of a good recent Mystery Dungeon game dashed, Pokemon GO got released, got around to completing the ever-so fantastic Bladestorm Nightmare, Robot Wars made it's glorious return, and most importantly, I finished all nine exams (collimating in 17+ hours of exams) for the 'academic' year. I plan on going to Uni, so don't expect all time no longer doing work devoted to writing unfortunately.
A bit of info on the chapter; things may look different regarding when "" are used. Turns out as an Englishman, this is how we're suppose to use them.
Enough ramblings though, on with the chapter! (A/N, may want to read the authors bit at the bottom of the page (if you don't normally) after finishing the chapter, as there's a couple of housekeeping stuff I would like to sort out).
Exam time had dawned upon the students, many of whom cursed the very existence of them. Whether this was due to them just barley recovering from all the parties, the fact they had done next to no revision for them due to all the said partying beforehand, or whether it could be attributed to the fact they would be forced to be dead silent in a hall for at least an hour multiple times. Of those left who didn't curse the exams, many were quietly confident about how the exams would go. Dawn herself was one such student, she had done plenty of revision during the remainder of the holiday, whilst leaving enough time for relaxation, and felt ready for these exams. As for Ash…he'd been ready the earliest for these exam and felt extremely prepared for anything that may appear.
The first few exams did seem to drag somewhat for Ash and Dawn, mostly likely to due to trying to get into the swing of things, whilst seeming like an eternity, however, for many other students. But once the main bulk was upon the students, the exams seemed to fly by, almost as if watching life on fast forward. Ash found he was completing exams with relative ease, literally blitzing his way through all of them. Dawn too, found completing exams was relatively easy, mainly thanks to the revision she and Ash had done during the weeks break. Though not blitzing through them like Ash, she had found a comfortable pace for working through the various papers. As for the populars…they had resorted to guessing answers based on what limited knowledge they had picked up and could vaguely remember, whilst spending the rest of the time just staring into blank space, or just going to sleep.
A glorious respite awaited students in the form of a PE exam, which took place after all other exams had finished. Unlike in other subjects where the exam was question and answer, PE exams were tests on students battling ability. Unlike the typical lessons, the battles would take place against someone in the battling world, usually a gym leader using loaned Pokemon in order for a balanced fight. The only problem with this set up, was that the student to professional battler ratio was too high, so to deal with this, students would be grouped together and would be given a time slot to when their battle would commence.
Surprisingly, and somewhat conveniently, Ash and Dawn had ended up in the same group, and would be the last two battlers for their group which, much to Dawn's relief, didn't contain any of the popular group she had associated once with. Currently, the duo were sitting just outside today's battling hall in a smaller room. The reason the battle hall was used rather than the usual battle field was because it was in use by a younger year group. Ash was as calm and collected as ever, wearing his always present hat, a blue hoodie with a white shirt underneath, jeans and black trainers. Around his waist, a great ball and Poke ball were present, his trusty Mudkip and Pikachu ready for battling. As if contrasting his calmness, Dawn's nerves were being put to the test as she seemed to get more nervous the more she thought about battling. She was wearing a blue t-shirt, light blue jeans and black sneakers, but somewhat unusually, also had a white beanie with half of a red Poke ball design perched on top her blue hair. On her waist, two regular Poke balls, housing her ever loyal Piplup and Buneary.
The two had sat there in relative silence for a while, only the distant sounds of battle, caused by the student that entered earlier, randomly popping up would cut the silence. Much to Dawn's chagrin, the silence wasn't helping with her nerves, being the only thing she could so currently was think about was the upcoming battle she'd have to partake in.
"Ash?", Dawn suddenly blurted, no longer able to take the silence anymore, turned her head to meet the ravened haired trainer next to her, who's eyes were closed, evidently deep in thinking.
"Yeah Dawn?", Ash replied, opening his eyes to see his blue haired friend.
"D-do you think we'll do ok in this?", she asked, worry evident on her face.
"Well yeah.", Ash plainly responded with, "Why'd you ask?".
Dawn shifted uncomfortably in her seat "I-I'm just worried for the both of us, t-thats all".
Ash just merely smiled "I appreciate the concern, but you don't need to worry about me. You should be more concerned about yourself and your battle".
Dawn mumbled in agreement, before averting her gaze from Ash and to blank space, which Ash noticed and sighed in response to. "Dawn?", he gently prodded, getting his friends attention. "You're clearly worried about battling again aren't you?" Dawn was about to retort, when Ash beat her to it, "Don't even try denying it, its etched on your face".
Dawn blushed in embarrassment, "I'm that obvious huh?" before sighing "Yeah I am, I-I guess I'm still nervous about battling, the thought of being examined on my battling ability isn't exactly helping either".
Ash smiled sympathetically, "Unfortunately theres not a lot that can be done to help with that, aside from just experience".
Dawn nodded he head, but was cut off from saying anything by one of the teachers walking into the room with a clipboard in hand, "Dawn Berlitz?" the teacher asked, though probably knew which of two teens left Dawn was.
Said female stood up and replied to the teacher, "Y-yeah?".
"You're up now", was all that was uttered before the teacher retreated back into the battle hall. Dawn gulped nervously, and began to follow the teacher in, but only made a few steps before Ash reached out and griped onto her arm, causing her to flinch and spin hurriedly to face him.
"Get yourself into the same flow you were in when you battled me and you'll be fine", Ash stated, before releasing his hold and smiling at her, "You'll smash this, don't worry about it".
Dawn smiled and nodded her head, "Thanks Ash". And with that boost in confidence, Dawn made her way into the battle hall, leaving Ash once more to his thoughts.
Dawn's first glimpse of the battlefield was quite surprising; it was pretty much normal and undamaged, despite being certain some form of explosions took place in the battle prior. Forcing any nervous thoughts out of her mind, Dawn walked onto the battlefield, where the teacher with the clipboard (Who shall be known hence forth as Mr Clipboard. If you got the reference, dunno whether to give you a bonus point 'cause you know the reference, or a drink to help you forget it.) and a girl was waiting for her.
Once close enough, the clipboard teacher spoke "Dawn, this will be your opponent for your exam battle", whilst gesturing his arm outward towards to other female present, allowing Dawn to quickly examining her; Red hair, a white and red top, blue jean shorts, gray and white socks and red and white sneakers. "Her name is Whitney, she is the normal type gym leader for the Johto region", he lowered his arm, before lazily adding, "Obviously for this fight Whitney will use loaned Pokemon to allow for a fair fight. And with that I'm done all I need to do, I'll be outside when the battle is over", and with a quick spin of the heel, the clipboard teacher made his exit.
During his speech and subsequent exit, both females looked stunned at his attitude. Dawn's mouth finished slightly agape, whilst Whitney had a dumbfounded look which quickly changed to a sweat drop once the clipboard man had left.
"Some teacher you have there…", she commented, bringing the blue hair teen out of her shocked state. "Really glad I never had one like that…anyway", she smiled at Dawn before continuing "Assuming you are ready, we shall commence the fight".
Dawn somewhat shakily nodded, "Y-yeah, I believe so".
"Hey, no need to be nervous", Whitney gently said, tilting her head with the carefree smile still present. "All we're doing is testing you battling ability. It doesn't even matter if your Pokemon faint, that doesn't really have that big of an impact…more so because thats what happens to most people…", Whitney sweat dropped again, before recovering. "But the point still stands, just make sure you battle your heart out, ok?".
Dawn, after taking in Whitney's gentle encouragement and recalling Ash's words as well, finally felt confident about this. No longer feeling as nervous, she faced Whitney with a serious face, "Alright then…lets do this".
"Thats what I like to hear", Whitney grinned. Both females soon took their place facing each other on opposite sides of the battlefield. No referee would be present due to these battles, due to these battles not being official battles. Of course, both battlers knew of the rules, and following tradition (despite not being official), the gym leader would send out their Pokemon first.
Gripping a normal Poke ball and enlarging it, Whitney threw it up into the air, "VULPIX LETS GO!". The Poke ball opened, releasing the red fox Pokemon with six tails. It landed on the ground with four paws, let out a cry of "VULLPIX", before readying into a battle stance.
Dawn eyed the fire fox, her mind going through various thoughts at once, "Hmm…who should I use, Piplup has the obvious type advantage, but I may need him for the next Pokemon…and I have been relying too heavily on him in my previous battles. Alright, I'm going with Buneary". Taking a deep breath, Dawn grabbed Buneary's Poke ball, enlarged it, and threw it into the air, "BUNEARY TAKE THE STAGE!". The Poke ball opened, releasing the rabbit Pokemon, who upon realising she was being used for a battle, squealed in delight, before composing herself and eyed up her opponent.
Whitney gave it a few seconds, evidently allowing both trainer and Pokemon to eye each other, before issuing her command, "LETS START THINGS OFF! VULPIX QUICK ATTACK!". Complying with the trainers orders, the orange fox sprung into action; dashing towards the rabbit Pokemon with great speed.
Dawn was thankful that she had done some preparation for this, though most of it was spent getting to know her Pokemons' moves. After Ash's battle with her mother, Dawn had spent a significant amount of her free time slowly getting into training her 2 Pokemon. The first step being figuring out the aforementioned move sets. Shockingly, Dawn had discovered her Buneary had already unlocked a couple of egg moves, including the same one Piplup had unlocked fighting Ash's Pidgey; Double hit. The same could also be said for Piplup, and Dawn promised herself she'd try to use these moves effectively.
"BUNEARY MEET IT WITH YOUR OWN QUICK ATTACK!", Dawn commanded, not even realising that she had started off the fight without any nervous feeling. Buneary complied, dashing towards the speeding fox at a matched velocity. The two collided for a few seconds, before both were sent backwards.
Whitney immediately tried to capitalise, "VULPIX USE EMBER!". Vulpix released dozens of small fire embers at Buneary with a cry of its name.
"BUNEARY DODGE!", Dawn hurried commanded. Thankfully, the rabbit Pokemon was expecting the dodge command, and jumped left just before the embers would've hit her.
"VULPIX EMBER AGAIN! THEN QUICK ATTACK!", Whitney wasn't going to let up easily. Vulpix fired off another salvo of fiery projectiles, before darting towards Buneary with a white light surrounding her.
Dawn took in the situation whilst her mind raced to find a solution, "Of the two attacks, Ember has to be the more dangerous…so that takes priority in avoiding…but that'll leave me open to the Quick attack…but perhaps I can soften the blow". Hurriedly formulating a plan, Dawn made her move, "BUNEARY DODGE THE EMBER AND USE BABY DOLL EYES!"
"Clever", was all Whitney had in response to Dawn's command. Buneary easily dodged the fiery projectiles, and before Vulpix had the opportunity to ram into it, stared into its eyes with the cutest and most 'please don't hurt me' eyes she could muster. This had the effect Dawn was hoping for; Vulpix hesitated before ramming Buneary, lowering the impact of the attack, evident by how little Buneary was forced back after taking the hit.
Now the two Pokemon were in close proximity, Dawn decided to go on the offensive, "BUNEARY POUND!". Due to the aforementioned proximity, Buneary was able to quickly charge one of her long ears and slam it into Vulpix, who was forced back whilst letting out a cry of pain.
Whitney tried to counterattack, "VULPIX QUICK ATTACK!". But Dawn was not going to let her assault end there.
"COUNTER WITH FAKE OUT! FOLLOW UP WITH DOUBLE HIT!". Springing forward at impossible speeds, Buneary clapped at Vulpix's face, causing the latter to finch in surprise, which had the effect of cancelling the quick attack it had been preparing. Utilising the sudden flinch, Buneary charged both of her ears before delivering two swift strikes to Vulpix, with the last strike causing the orange fox to be flung backwards into the air.
"VULPIX QUICK RECOVER!", Whitney accompanied the command with an outstretched arm. The fire fox was able to shake off the damage, and not a moment too soon, as it had just barely enough time to land back on the ground without taking damage. It was obviously winded, but it still had energy with which to fight with.
Whitney breathed a sigh of relief when Vulpix recovered. This battle was getting her pumped up, especially after having boring battles with other students. Despite being told not to by the teachers, Whitney decided to step up her game, "VULPIX IMPRISON! THEN FIRE SPIN!".
Dawn wasn't expecting two halves of a wax seal spontaneously appearing in front of Buneary, which was followed by the two halves joining together, accompanied by a violet light encircling Buneary. Too distracted by the move, Dawn failed to acknowledge the fire spin traveling straight at Buneary, landing a direct hit. Though the move itself wasn't very powerful, the dangerous factor of the move immediately came into play, with a fiery circle surrounding the weaken Buneary.
"…Not good". Dawn's mind realised the problem she was now it, "Buneary's now on a time limit. I can't afford to trade blows, I need to finish this, or at least get close to finishing this, NOW!", seizing the initiative, Dawn barked her order, "BUNEARY QUICK ATTACK!" Expecting the rabbit to lunge forward surrounded in white light, it was a rude awakening for both females as Buneary wasn't able to carry out the move. Dawn's eyes widened in shock, as her mind tried desperately to figure out what was wrong.
Then it dawned (no pun intended) on her.
"The only non damaging move Whitney has used was Imprison…though I'm not sure the conditions for how the move works…its safe to say Whitney has sealed off Buneary's Quick attack so I can't use it!" Dawn gritted her teeth upon this realisation; Quick attack was Buneary's only method of covering distances in a short space of time, and Dawn was counting on it to get Buneary up close and personal. Perhaps adding more salt to the wound, Dawn further realised if Vulpix had been closer, then she could've used Fake out to get in close. But as things stood, the fire fox was too far away for Fake out to have any effect.
"VULPIX RAPID FIRE EMBER!", Whitney was clearly showing no mercy now, she was too invested in the battle to show restraint like she had done with other students.
Dawn was now on the defensive in a big way, and had her back against the wall. The only way out would be to either knock out Vulpix, or at least buy her and Buneary some breathing space. "BUNEARY KEEP DODGING!", Dawn flung her arm outward, empathising the importance of the command.
Buneary complied, though it wasn't easy thanks to the damage she had sustained so far, and things weren't helped when after every few ember volleys evaded, the ring of fire from the fire spin would rise up momentarily and inflict damage. It was quite surprising that Buneary had the concentration to dodge after each infliction of damage from the fire spin aftermath.
Whilst this occurred, Dawn was racking her brain, trying to find something, anything that could be used to break away from the situation at hand. None of Buneary's normal moves could be used to get out of this situation, quick attack could've, but was currently unusable. Then she thought about her egg moves, "Double hit…Fake out…Low kick…Mud sport…", there was nothing she could use. That was, until, she went over the last move, "Mud sport?…Mud sport!", from out of nowhere, Dawn had an idea. She had no idea whether it would work, but at this point was acting on instinct so barked a command without hesitation, "BUNEARY SPIN MUD SPORT! FOUCS IT UPWARDS AND NOT ON YOURSELF!"
Whitney's eyebrows raised involuntary, "What in Arceus's name is she planing?"
Buneary, too, was wondering what was going on in her trainers head. But given her current situation, she wasn't exactly in a position to start suggesting other ideas, as another barrage just narrowly missed her. Trusting her trainer, Buneary become connected to the earth below her feet, and instead of allowing the earth to form a protective layer over her body, she concentrated on just flinging the mud upwards. Remembering the part where Dawn wanted her to spin, and deciding that attempting to spin and keep concentration would be impossible, Buneary focused on the mud chunks to rotate around her. Though not particularly fast, the chunks began to orbit the rabbit Pokemon as they were flung sky high.
This all happened within the space of a second, though to Buneary it felt longer, and much to Dawn's joy, the chunks began to block the fireball volleys. Whitney was at a complete loss for words upon seeing this; up until this point, she'd only seen Mud sport been used only to counter electric attacks, and yet here it was, being used to block ember attacks. Whitney would have to praise Dawn after the battle, that move was pure genius.
Buneary had managed to keep up the defence, despite taking constant damage from the fire spin, for long enough for Vulpix to get tired from spamming embers. Noticing her foe haltering her attack, Buneary stopped her defence, and in doing so, an enormous wave of vertigo overcame her, almost causing her to fall completely down on the floor if not for the fact she was supporting herself with her own paws. Even so, Buneary was panting heavily, clearly she was on her last legs.
Dawn, somehow keeping her emotions in check at the sight of her Pokemon in clear trouble, knew now, more than ever, she had to finish it, "Hang in there Buneary", Dawn tried to mentally convey to the rabbit Pokemon, whilst taking a glance at Whitney. Whitney noticed, and smiled apologetically.
"Sorry Dawn…but I want to win this", and with that, Whitney gave what she thought to be the final command, "VULPIX QUICK ATTACK!", the fire fox obeyed, and lunged towards the doubled over rabbit in a white light. Whitney was sure she had this all wrapped up, so was understandably confused that Dawn had a smirk on her face.
In Dawn's mind, there was only one thing going through it, though she hadn't planned for it this way around, she was going for it, "…Gotcha!", arm outstretched again, Dawn put everything into her next command, "BUNEARY FAKE OUT!"
Acting on instinct and pure adrenaline at this point, Buneary shot forward towards the advancing Vulpix, and like before, clapped in front of the firefox's face, causing it to flinch. It was at this point Whitney gasped as she realised her mistake, she shouldn't of gone in close, she should've stuck with range. She knew there was nothing she could do to stop what was about to happen.
Dawn, who also had adrenaline flowing throughout her, gripped her outstretched hand, barking her next command, "NOW LOW KICK!" Buneary delivered a kick to Vulpix, sending somewhat airborne due to Vulpix's low mass. Dawn had unknowingly banked on that, as the move she believed would finish this round would be a dam side easier to execute, "FINISH IT DOUBLE HIT!" Buneary obliged, using what little energy she had left to deliver two swift strikes to Vulpix, causing the fire fox to be slammed into the earth.
Buneary stumbled back after her assault, clearly not in a state to battle anymore, as she was panting extremely heavily whilst somehow managing to stay upright. Thankfully, she needn't battle no more, as Vulpix's eyes had became swirls during the last assault. Whitney, knowing her eagerness for a swift end had resulting in her loss, sighed in defeat before returning Vulpix to her Poke ball. Dawn was about to do the same for Buneary, when she noticed Buneary was about to collapse on the floor. Acting on her emotions, Dawn rushed forward, just in time to catch the rabbit Pokemon in her arms.
"Bun…Buneary", the rabbit weakly called out, only just able to raise her head to meet Dawn's, who was currently kneeling down on the floor, and had a smile plastered on her face.
'You were AMAZING Buneary", Dawn gushed in glee, figuring now was an ok time to let some emotion out, followed by hugging her Pokemon. Though Buneary had taken some painful knocks and had used all of its energy securing the win, she knew it was worth it to just to hear her trainer in such good spirit. Releasing the hug, Dawn pulled out Buneary's Poke ball, adding "Get some rest now ok?", before returning Buneary.
Whitney had witnessed the entire scene unfold, and couldn't help but smile at the sight. It seemed Dawn truly cared about her Pokemon. Whitney cleared the throat, grabbing Dawn's attention, "Sorry to interrupt but…", Whitney's right hand found its way onto her hip, "…we still have one more round of battling".
Flustered somewhat, Dawn made hurriedly made her way back to her side of the field, before getting herself into a loose stance. Figuring Whitney was going to send her her other loaned Pokemon, she was startled by said red head calling out to her, "Though this is going against what I've been told to do, based off the previous fight, I'm going to use one of my personal Pokemon", Dawns eyes widened a bit, before Whitney explained, "I believe this should give you a much bigger challenge!" Whitney gave Dawn the thumbs up, before exclaiming, "Now, are you ready?"
Though somewhat nervous, Dawn had confidence for this fight; she'd be coming off of a win, so had momentum. "Besides", she thought, "no matter what happens, it will be good training". Nodding to herself, Dawn had made her, though not a particularly hard decision, mind up. "I'm ready!"
Whitney smirked, before pulling out another Poke ball, enlarged it, and threw it into the air, "CLEFARY LETS GO!" The Poke ball opened, releasing a small pink Pokemon, with similar pointy ears to Pikachu, a swirl on its forehead, and a pink tail.
Dawn, not even needing the breath to steel her nerves, grabbed Piplup's Poke ball, enlarged it, and threw it into the air, "PIPLUP TAKE THHE STAGE!" The Poke ball opened, releasing the blue penguin once more. Like what Buneary did in her match, minus the squealing, Piplup began cautiously eyeing his opponent. Likewise, Clefairy was eyeing up Piplup. Evidently both Pokemon were looking for any weaknesses in the other.
As before, Whitney would be the one to start the match off, and did so with an outstretched arm, "LET START OFF WITH YOUR SIGNATURE, USE METRONOME!". Clefairy complied, wagging its outstretched finger and randomly choosing a move to use.
Dawn elected to not do anything just yet, instead waiting on the result of the metronome first to determine her course of action. Clefairy soon stopped it wagging, her mouth opening up revealing serval white fangs. The move hyper fang had been selected. The fairy Pokemon then began its charge towards Piplup. Dawn, now seeing what move metronome had selected, responded immediately, "PIPLUP BUBBLE!" Not needing to be told twice, Piplup spewed a small barrage of high speed bubbles at the approaching Clefairy.
Without even needing a command, Clefairy popped the bubbles with the white fangs, albeit resulting in hyper fang wearing off. Due to Clefairy's close proximity to Piplup, Whitney decided to for a close rang offensive, "CLEFAIRY USE DOUBLE SLAP!". Clefairy sprang at Piplup, with her right arm encased in a white light.
"COUNTER WITH DOUBLE HIT PIPLUP!". Dawn threw her arm outwards whilst issuing the command, believing the two moves would cancel each other out. Piplup threw himself forwards, two fins surrounded by white light, and parried two slaps from Clefairy. It came as a surprise to both Piplup and Dawn however, when a third, and subsequent fourth slap came Piplup's way, forcing the penguin backwards.
Dawn couldn't believe a move called Double slap could hit up to 4 times, "Who gives these moves their names?".Shaking that thought out, Dawn refocused on the battle. Realising the proximity of the two Pokemon, Dawn went for Piplup's powerhouse move, "PIPLUP NOW! BUBBLE BEAM!"
Smirking, Piplup unleashed a torrent of bubbles at Clefairy. Even if Clefairy wanted to, she had no chance of dodging, so took the brunt of the direct hit against her. Thankfully for Whitney, Clefairy was made of stern stuff. A single bubble beam wasn't going to put it down easily. Knowing this of course, Whitney planned her attack. "CLEFAIRY USE DISARMING VOICE! FOLLOW UP WITH A DEFENCE CURL!". Clefairy let out a charming, but heartbreaking, cry which dealt damage to Piplup, the latter ending up covering his ears so as not to feel guilty about attacking. With time bought, Clefairy curled up into a ball, beefing up its defensive capability.
"PIPLUP SNAP OUT OF IT!", Dawn cried out, thankfully getting Piplup's attention. "So she's buffed up defence…two can play the stat game!", "PIPLUP USE GROWL!". Piplup let out an endearing growl…well squark, at Clefairy, causing its physical attack capabilities to be reduced somewhat.
Whitney, though gritting teeth would betray her stance, wasn't bothered by the growl. She had beefed up Clefairy's physical defence, meaning all she really had to worry about was Piplup's ranged attacks, which Whitney hoped metronome would do for her. "CLEFAIRY METRONOME!". Wagging its finger once more, Clefairy selected a random move, and had ended up charging a ball of brown fighting energy and flinging it towards Piplup.
Though Dawn didn't recognise the move, she figured Piplup probably didn't want to be hit by it, "PIPLUP DODGE!" she cried out. Piplup respond in kind, leaping away from his current position in time to avoid the direct impact of the focus blast, which had impacted the ground, violently erupted in an explosion and lots of dust was spewed up. Though loud and startling, Dawn managed to get out a command,"BUBBLE BEAM!".
Ash was still sitting, thinking outside the battle hall where, unbeknownst to him, Dawn was battling her heart out. He was sure Dawn was doing alright, though with not being able to see or hear the battle, he couldn't confirm anything. He was going to continue thinking, however a rather loud explosion caught him off guard, snapping him into full on attention and causing a sudden leap out of his seat.
"What was that?", he mumbled, fully aware no answer would be given. He then, barely, heard a voice shouting out an order, "Piplup Bubble beam!" Realising this to be Dawn, Ash was somewhat alarmed by the previous explosion, "I thought they only used loaned Pokemon against us, so what in Arceus's name caused that explosion?"
Again, Ash's thoughts was interrupted, this time by another female voice barking out a command, "Clefairy dodge! Then Disarming voice".
Although it was clear by another command, "Piplup don't let her, Bubble!", that Dawn was not going to let her opponent get away with it. Ash chuckled slightly, "At least she seems to be enjoying herself…"
Though Piplup wasn't able to stop the Disarming voice, Clefairy was equally incapable of blocking the high speed bubbles, resulting in both parties sustaining more damage. It seemed clear, however, that both sides were still eager and wiling to continuing battling. Dawn, wanting to seize the initiate, gave her command, "PIPLUP GET IN CLOSE WITH PECK!".
The penguin complied, his beak growing in size as he charged at Clefairy. Whitney quickly countered, "BLOCK IT WITH WAKE UP SLAP!". Clefairy charged a sizeable white glow in her right arm, before swinging it at the oncoming penguins beak. Though she managed to parry the attack, due to her reduced attack stat, Clefairy was left staggered.
Seeing the chance, Dawn went for it, "PIPLUP DOUBLE HIT!". Piplup's fins were enveloped in white light as he slammed both into Clefairy. Though not particularly damaging, thanks to the defence curl, it had the effect of prolonging Clefairy's stagger. "FOLLOW UP WITH POUND! THEN BUBBLE BEAM!", Dawn commanded, bringing her arm up with a clenched fist. Piplup once more slammed his fin into Clefairy, before unleashing a point blank torrent of bubbles.
Clefairy screamed in pain and it was sent sprawling back. Though she was experienced, Clefairy knew a powerful attack when it hit her. Whitney gritted her teeth, she couldn't rely on metronome for long range anymore, meaning Piplup held that advantage. But, despite Piplup having the advantage for close range fighting thanks to its unaffected attack power, Whitney could easily make that Clefairy's advantage with one move. And given she didn't have a whole lot of other options, thats what she went for, "CLEFAIRY…BELLY DRUM!".
Dawn could only look on horrified as Clefairy began slapping at her belly, whilst doing a jig of some kind. She knew what belly drum did, "She's maximised her physical attack power…but at the cost of half of Clefairy's energy…meaning I need to keep her at range". Dawn hastily called out a command, "PIPLUP BUBBLE! DONT LET CLEFIARY GET CLOSE!"
Piplup certainly agreed, as he began firing bubbles towards Clefairy. Whitney grew an evil smile however, like she knew this wouldn't stop her, "CLEFAIRY DOUBLE SLAP! POP THOSE BUBBLES!".
Dawn continued to feel horrified as Clefairy just scythed her way through bubble after bubble. The bubbles may of have been wet paper for the help it did at keeping Clefairy at range. Bit by bit, Clefairy drew closer to Piplup, the latter trying desperately to land a bubble attack. Dawn, rather hastily, decided that the more powerful bubble beam should be able to halt Clefairy advances, "PIPLUP BUBBLE BEAM!".
But as Piplup prepared to unleash a torrent or bubbles, it was apparent that Whitney was prepared to deal with the change in move, "DISARMING VOICE NOW!"
"NO!", Dawn mentally screamed, "PIPLUP!". Nothing could stop Clefairy from releasing her charming, heartbreaking cry which again forced Piplup to cover his ears with his fins, leaving him open for attack.
"LETS FINISH THIS! CLEFAIRY WAKE UP SLAP!". Clefairy leapt forward, hand ready to deliver a truly powerful strike. Piplup had recovered and had removed his fins, just in time to be backhanded across the face by Clefairy, sending him flying across the battlefield.
Dawn cried out in despair; yet again she left her trusted starter in danger, and again she had failed to prevent him from getting pummelled. She figured after it happening twice she'd of learnt, but apparently not. Tears threatened to fall from Dawn's eyes, the momentum of the previous win now gone, all that plagued her mind was how much of a failure she was to Piplup.
At the same time, Whitney had been wathcing Dawn, and was regretting going full force, "…She's still a student…I guess she never got over that tag battle…", she felt bad about evening going with Clefairy now, let alone ordering the powered up wake up slap.
Piplup, who was still conscious, had one thought going through his head, "…Ow, that stung!".Shaking his head in an attempt to feel less groggy, Piplup slowly rose from the ground, expecting another attack to suddenly come his way. When was able to stand up, and take a look around him, Clefairy was still in the same position she had slapped him in, Whitney had an impressed look on her face, and Dawn was staring at him, with a few tears collaborating in her eyes, but in contrast, had a smile on her face.
"P-Piplup, y-you're ok!", Dawn gushed, finally letting a few tears fall from her eyes. Piplup, not understanding that these were tears of joy, immediately felt guilty. He didn't want his trainer to feel bad about this situation, it wasn't her fault. If anything, he felt he had let her down by not being able to stop that attack.
Suddenly, Piplup felt a weird feeling surround him. Dawn looked on, seeing Piplup become surrounded in a blue glow. At first, she wasn't sure what was going on, "Can't be an evolution…thats a white a light…its not a move, none of Piplup's do that…wait…I-is this torrent? Is this what torrent looks like?", Having no other ideas, Dawn figured this was indeed Piplup's ability torrent. Though she wasn't sure on the finer details, she knew that torrent kicked in when a Pokemon was close to running out steam, and the effect increased water type moves. "The wake up slap must've been enough to get Piplup into torrent range!".
"Are you ready to continue battling Dawn?", Whitney called out from across the battlefield, figuring she had got caught up in all that had happened.
Dawn wiped the few tears off her face, as she looked at Piplup, who in turn looked at her. After a few seconds, Piplup nodded his head, indicating he wanted to continue battling. Dawn unknowingly let out a breath, as a smile crept up on her face. It was like she had been given a second chance to amend for her mistake. Feeling ready, she responded to Whitney, "I'm ready".
Whitney smirked, "Ok then", before issuing her command, "CLEFAIRY DOUBLE SLAP!". Clefairy shot forward, both hands ready to slap Piplup.
Knowing that going for double hit wouldn't work, Dawn decided to see how powerful torrent could be, "PIPLUP BUBBLE BEAM!". Piplup unleashed a now colossal torrent of bubbles. Dawn was already impressed, there must've been at least double the normal amount of bubbles present.
Whitney, though impressed, wouldn't let this stop her, "YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO CLEFAIRY!". Clefairy prepped to scythe the bubbles out of the way. But as she attempted her first swipe, she was sent staggering backwards. Though that swipe had taken out most bubbles, some went unblocked, and hit Clefairy, causing to further stagger backwards.
Dawn, seeing an opportunity similar to the Buneary battle, hurried to formulate a plan of attack,"Get in close, get Clefairy airborne, finish with a spinning Bubble beam", without even stoping to consider her last part of the plan, Dawn began her assault, "PIPLUP PECK, GET IN CLOSE!" Piplups' beak grew with a white light, before lunging at Clefairy. Though Whitney called for a dodge, Clefairy wasn't able to, so took a peck straight to the face.
Piplup was in close, just as Dawn had planned, so called out her next command, "DOUBLE HIT! SEND CLEFAIRY AIRBORNE!", with an outstretched arm. Complying, Piplup struck Clefairy twice, with the last strike sending the fairy Pokemon airborne.
As a last ditch attempt to turn the battle around, Whitney barked, "CLEFAIRY METRONOME!". Clefairy wagged her finger as fast as she could, resulting in a barrier forming just in front of her. At first, Whitney thought it was light screen, but the greenish tint of the barrier made her realise it was reflect. Sighing once more in defeat, Whitney knew Dawn was going finish with a ranged attack, with reflect would not be able top stop.
With a clenched fist once more, Dawn called for her last attack, "SPIN, BUBBLE BEAM!", only just realising on what a strange command she gave. Piplup apparently didn't mind, as he began to once again unleash a torrent of bubbles, whilst attempting to spin on the spot. Though the spin wasn't exactly graceful, it was enough to result in an unrefined, but still cool looking, spiral of bubbles. Piplup kept it up for a few seconds, before stopping to avoid becoming dizzy. Fortunately, a few seconds was all that was needed to render Clefairy unconscious, who crashed down on the floor.
Whitney was impressed by the spiral of bubbles, though unrefined, she was certain with proper practice, it could be a really cool, even beautiful, move. Dawn too shared the same thoughts. Piplup, though slightly dizzy and tired, felt accomplished, he'd finally got a win for not only himself but Dawn. Remembering her fainted Clefairy, Whitney returned her to her Poke ball, thanking her for a great fight. Dawn however, raced towards Piplup, who was understandably startled when one moment he was on the ground, and the next he was being spun around Dawn in air, but not before she pulled the penguin into an embrace.
"I'm so proud of you Piplup", Dawn whispered to Piplup, who respond with a cry of its name. Hearing footsteps approaching her, Dawn turned her head to see Whitney approaching her with a smile on her face, despite losing both rounds.
"I must say Dawn", she started, her smile growing more, "I'm very impressed, those battles were worthy of gym battles", Whitney then tilted her head to one side, "Even more so given your performance in that tag battle weeks back".
Dawn was about to thank Whitney, but then realised what Whitney had said about the tag battle, "I assume you mean the battle against Torchic and Snivy?", Dawn inquired.
Whitney nodded, "Battles are recorded and shown to us, so we know what fighting style the trainer uses and what Pokemon they have, so that we can give them a bit of a challenge. Some cases this doesn't work so well, and others like yourself, it works extremely effectively".
Modestly, Dawn agreed with Whitney, "I-I guess it does huh?"
"Theres no need to be modest Dawn", Whitney commented, "I dare say, you've grown since that fight. Our fight today proves that". Looking around, Whitney changed the topic, "I guess thats us done then. As much as I 'd stay and watch the next fight, I'm not really allowed".
Confused, Dawn asked, "Aren't you battling next?"
Whitney shook her head horizontally, "Nope, they've brought in someone else to fight them".
Just then, the teacher with clipboard made his return, coming back through the same doors he left in. "Ah, you've finished then?", he asked. Not waiting for an answer, he continued, "Right I'll get the next trainer then, you're free to leave".
He was about to open the door Dawn came out from, when said trainer called to the teacher, "Um excuse me?", this got the teachers attention, who turned to face her, "Sorry, I was wondering if I could actually stay and watch this battle?".
The teacher thought for a few seconds, before shrugging his shoulders, "I don't see why not, as long as you don't put the next student off", before turning to face Whitney, "I presume you're staying as well Whitney?".
"Yeah sure", Whitey replied with, before she and Dawn began walking to the side of the battlefield, with Piplup still in Dawn's arms. Whitney turned to face her, whilst rummaging around in her pocket for something, "Here", she said, pulling out a badge and presenting it to Dawn, "I think you deserve this; its the Plain badge, the badge I give out for trainers that can beat my gym".
To say Dawn was shocked was an understatement. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect to be presented with a gym badge whilst still in high school. "A-are you sure? I-i mean, it wasn't even an official gym battle. Are you even allowed to do this?".
"Yeah", Whitney plainly explained, "Gym leaders are allowed to give out badges should we encounter a trainer worthy of them, even if an official ref is not present. Its because the Pokemon league trusts in our ability to select and recognise worthy trainers. We don't give these out to anyone, unless a ref is present of course. And I feel you said worthy trainer".
"Wow", Dawn commented, embarrassed somewhat by the compliment Whitney had given her. Gladly taking the badge off Whitney, Deciding to pin it onto her beanie, Dawn had just put her beanie back on her head, when another female entered the room. She was black (A.N yes I know how incredibly dodgy that sounds, but how else am I supposed to describe her? Even more so given I couldn't find any background info on birthplace), turquoise hair kept tamed by a striped hairband, a white shirt, turquoise trousers and red shoes. She nodded her head to Whitney as she came closer to the duo, with Whitney in turn nodding her head, apparently recognising the new female.
"Hey Lenora", Whitney casually said to the older, now identified, female, who in turn greeted her. "I assume you've here for the last one yeah?".
"Uh huh", Lenora agreed, "Not too sure why given there's only one. Honestly they should've just let you have this one", Lenora was going to continue, but only just noticed Dawn standing next to Whitney. "Hello, I don't think we've met, as you can guess I'm Lenora", Lenora put an outstretched hand out, signifying a handshake, which Dawn returned.
"N-nice to meet you, I'm Dawn", Dawn was somewhat intimidated by the older female, but not enough so she was prevented from introducing herself.
Lenora gave Dawn a quick look over, and realised the blue hair teen had one of Whitney's plain badges on her beanie. "And judging by the fact you have the Plain badge, you not only managed to beat Whitney, but also do so in a manner that impressed her", Lenora inquired.
Whitney was the one to reply, though her tone was ashamed, she held a smile throughout, "Yeah, Dawn got a straight 2-0 win, she even beat my Clefairy!".
Lenora, though impressed at Dawn's battling ability to take out Whitney's veteran Clefairy, was alarmed by the fact Whitney had even used it in the first place, "Whitney, you were only supposed to use the Pokemon loaned to us. Isn't using you personal ones just an excuse to steam roll the battle?".
"Well yeah…", Whitney explained, "…but it would've only been a steam roll if the student really couldn't keep up with a Pokemon of that level. The fact that Dawn and her Piplup-", a cry came out from Piplup, who was snuggled comfortably in Dawn's arms, in acknowledgment, "-not only went toe to toe but beat my personal Pokemon justification of her ability?".
Thinking for a few seconds, Lenora slowly closed her eyes, whilst smirking in agreement, "Thats true. I'll admit, I'd love to use my own Pokemon, but I don't think I'll have to. This trainer can't be like you Dawn can they?".
"Boy are you gonna be in for a shock", was the thought that spontaneously appeared in Dawn's mind: Ash was not only like Dawn, he was miles ahead of her.
Speaking of Ash, the teacher had finished explaining what would happen, and the fact he'd have people watching him, both of which Ash wasn't bothered by, and had only just entered the battle hall. The clipboard teacher didn't even appear, apparently choosing to just leave and do something else.
Taking his first glimpse, he noted the small crater he assumed the explosion had caused. Before any of the three females could continue, Ash wanted the question on his mind answered, "Question", he called out, gaining the females attention, "what caused that?", and pointed towards the small crater.
Whitney, feeling somewhat embarrassed, answered, "Clefairy's focus blast. Wasn't expecting that from her metronome".
"That wasn't a loaned Pokemon was it?" Ash inquired, "I don't know many low level Pokemon that can perform a focus blast, let alone cause one to explode that violently, even if it was randomly selected from metronome".
"Yeah it was", Whitney sheepishly confirmed Ash's question, "Things got a bit intense for Dawn's second fight. Still didn't stop her winning".
Ash had an impressed look on his face,"Well done Dawn, I'm impressed", to which Dawn mumbled her thanks, whilst blushing somewhat. "So which one of you two am I facing?", Ash glanced at the two older females.
Lenora stepped forward in response, "That would be me, I'm Lenora".
"Pleasure, I'm Ash", Ash politely responded with, "Am I facing loaned or gym Pokemon?"
"Straight to the chase huh?", Lenora mused, "Unless you have a burning desire to battle my personal Pokemon, I guess loaned".
"A burning desire is exactly what I have however", Ash remarked, catching Lenora off guard somewhat. With nothing else to say, Ash made his way to his battlefield position, with Lenora doing the same also.
On the sideline, Whitney voiced what was going through her head to Dawn, "He's either confident or arrogant".
"Ash isn't arrogant", Dawn's answer caught Whitney off guard, "I've seen him battle several times, and even fought him. He has reason to be confident ", Dawn seriously concluded, whilst deciding to bring out Buneary again, figuring she'd want to watch this. Dawn also placed Piplup on the ground next to the rabbit Pokemon.
Whitney looked curiously at Dawn due to her answer, "If what you say is true Dawn…", then over at Lenora, "…then Lenora's gonna be in a big shock".
With both Lenora and Ash ready, Lenora threw a Poke ball into the air, "HERDIER!", the ball opened, revealing a brown and black dog of medium size, with star like cream tuffs of hair on its face. With a cry of its name, Herdier, the evolution to Lillipup, readied himself for battle.
Seeing the Herdier, Ash quickly made his Pokemon choice. Though he'd promised Pikachu the next fight, Mudkip would be a better match for the bulky normal type. Grabbing the Great ball, Ash threw it into the air, "MUDKIP I CHOOSE YOU!", the ball opened, with the mudfish Pokemon appearing, readying himself for another battle.
Though Lenora was indifferent, Whitney could've sworn she'd seen someone with a Mudkip battling whilst looking at the battle replays, though couldn't put her finger on it.
With both sides ready, Lenora called out her attack, "HERDIER TAKE DOWN!". The loyal dog Pokemon charged head on at Mudkip, which only caused Ash to sigh.
"I hope Lenora ain't gonna just attack directly, that would just be boring", along with his actual sigh, Ash also mentally sighed, before calling out his command, "MUDKIP WATER PULSE! AIM FOR THE FRONT LEGS". Mudkip complied, gathering a sphere of aquatic energy in his mouth before firing it at the incoming dog Pokemon.
Lenora, expecting a counter of some kind like Ash had ordered, was ready to avoid it, "HERDIER DODGE!". Not needing to be told twice, Herdier jumped and landed to the right of Mudkip.
Unfortunately for Lenora, Ash had already predicted a simple dodge, "ICE SHARD NOW!". Complying, Mudkip fired serval ice shards at Herdier who, with no time to even think about dodging, took the full brunt of the attack and was forced back.
Lenora, mentally cursing for such a readable attack, devised a new plan, "HERDIER WORK UP! FOLLOW WITH BITE!". Herdier roused itself, boosting his attacking capabilities, before lunging and Mudkip, teeth bared.
Ash, giving no command, merely watched as the canine drew closer and closer. Mudkip too merely, just stood there, watching his opponent. On the sidelines, Whitney was in two minds about this, "Either both trainer and Mudkip don't realise what exactly is charging straight at them, or they have another plan for this".
The latter of Whitney's thoughts was correct; Ash had been waiting for Herdier to get close enough to Mudkip, and now Herdier was, he made his move, "MUDKIP MUD SLAP!".
Without hesitation, Mudkip slammed his front paws into the ground, creating a mud splatter that impacted against Herdier, causing the canine to stumble and tumble forward. Not exactly wanting to be crushed under the dog, Mudkip dodged right, not even waiting for Ash to issue a command.
Thanks to the aforementioned quick dodging from Mudkip, Herdier went crashing right past him. Wanting to capitalise, Ash issued his command, "MUDKIP WATER GUN!". Mudkip unleashed a torrent of water at Herdier's backside, causing to canine to be forced towards the arena wall, where the subsequent collision happened.
Herdier, though dazed a bit, got up from his head on collision, ready to battle some more. Lenora on the other hand was mentally slapping herself; she was getting schooled by a student trainer. "Actually thats a lie", Lenora thought to herself, "I'd be getting schooled if I was battling how I normally battle and this was happening. Guess I was subconsciously going easy…well, time to step up!" Nodding, Lenora made her move, "HERDIER WORK UP AGAIN! THEN TAKE DOWN!". Again Herdier roused itself, further increasing its attack potential, before recklessly charging at the mudfish.
Ash, figuring a repeated defence would be what Lenora was expecting, simply called for Mudkip to dodge. Waiting till the last second, Mudkip jumped out of the way of the take down. What caught before Ash and Mudkip off guard was Lenora issuing a follow up attack, "NOW TACKLE!".
Shifting the weight of his body in the same direction Mudkip had dodged, Herdier charged at Mudkip, slamming his whole body into the mudfish. The attack, being boosted by two work ups, understandably resulted to Mudkip almost having his head caved in due to force alone. Ash, hoping Mudkip didn't acquire any brain damage, made his retaliation, "MUDKIP AQUA TACKLE!".
Both gym leaders were confused by the command; Aqua jet wasn't a move Mudkip's could learn, add to the fact Ash had already created and named a combo using it. The confusion soon turned to looks of upmost disbelief as Mudkip propelled himself forwards by using tackle, then suddenly surrounding himself with water. Much like with the ice shard earlier, Herdier had no chance of dodging the mud fish, who could've been mistaken for an aquatic bullet, and was pushed back with Mudkip showing no signs of stopping his attack.
Though Lenora had to suppress her shock and try to recover from this situation, Whitney was still gawking, mouth wide open. She took a quick glance at Dawn, and was even more shocked to see the blue hair teen looking indifferent, watching the battle keenly. "Err…", Whitney got out, achieving in getting Dawn's attention, "Y-you're not surprised?".
Dawn, figuring Whitney was talking about Mudkip's aqua jet, merely shook her head in agreement, "Not really, I've already seen Ash battle, he's used aqua jet before.".
"How does it even know aqua jet in the first place?", Whitney questioned.
"I don't think Ash actually knows", Dawn explained to the best of her knowledge, "I'm sure Ash wouldn't mind explaining after the battle if you asked him".
"Y-yeah I think I'll do that", Whitney said, brining her attention back to the battle at hand.
During this conversation, Lenora was trying to get Herdier back into the battle, "HERDIER CRUNCH!".
Ash, knowing a powered up crunch wouldn't go down well, quickly countered,"STOP AQUA JET! AIM FOR THE MOUTH WITH WATER PULSE!".
Whilst Herdier prepared to crunch the mud fish, Mudkip ceased the aqua jet, whilst simultaneously launching a charged water pulse right into Herdier's gob. A resulting explosion ensued, with both Pokemon forced back in opposite directions, though with Herdier sustaining more damage.
Lenora realised Herdier was panting somewhat heavily, the damage sustained quickly adding up on the loyal canine. It was surprising, that a student was giving her a run for her money. Looking over at Mudkip, it was even more surprising to see that, while winded, he wasn't even panting that heavily.
Giving no room for breathing, Ash continued, "MUDKIP WATER GUN! THEN AQUA JET TO GET IN CLOSE!". Unleashing a torrent of water at Herdier, Mudkip sprang towards Herider at high speeds, surrounded in water.
"HERDIER DODGE! MEET MUDKIP WITH A TAKE DOWN!", Lenora ordered. Herdier complied, dodging right of the water gun, before charging at the advancing Mudkip. Lenora was sure that thanks to the two work ups, Herdier would be easily able to overpower Mudkip.
However, Ash wasn't going to let Herdier connect with his take down, "ICE SHARD FRONT LEGS!".
Lenora tried to call out to dodge, but she could do nothing to stop Herdier from being pelted by icicle shards shot from Mudkip, who was still in his aqua jet. "FOLLOW UP WITH BITE MUDKIP!", Ash barked.
Mudkip ceased the aqua jet once more, and using the momentum he still had, latched onto Herdier's body. More damage was caused, evident by Herdier's cry of pain, and as a bonus for Ash, Herdier spontaneously flinched in surprise to being bit. Figuring he had the time for it, Ash decided to go for a flashy finish for the match.
"MUDKIP AQUA JET UP! FINISH WITH WATER PULSE!", Ash gave his final command. Mudkip detached himself from Herdier, before jetting upwards. Once at a good distance vertically, Mudkip ceased jetting, and charged a water pulse in his mouth. During this, Lenora could only watch on, unable to do anything due to the flinch. Once sufficiently sized, Mudkip fired the water pulse downwards at Herdier, causing a mini explosion to occur around Herdier.
Mudkip, using his own initiative, safety descended to the floor using aqua jet, and landed just in front of Ash. Still raring and ready for more, both Mudkip and Ash looked on at Herdier, who after the last Water pulse, was knocked out. Lenora returned Herdier to his Poke ball, thanking him for the battle. In contrast, Mudkip waddled the small distance to his trainer, who was crouched and responded by petting Mudkip.
"Great job Mudkip!", Ash praised, scratching the top of Mudkip's head, whom seemingly enjoyed it by the cry of acknowledgement. Pulling out his Great ball, Ash thanked Mudkip for his battle, before returning him.
Standing up, Ash pulled out his other Poke ball, before calling out to Lenora, "I hope you're ready for round two Lenora!".
"Getting right into it I see", Lenora mused, before pulling out another Poke ball, "I hope you're prepared, cause I'm just getting started!". Throwing the enlarged ball into the air, Lenora called upon her second Pokemon, "WATCHOG!". Opening, the white light revealed a brown and yellow striped meerkat like Pokemon, with an equally striped tail with a white tip, ballon like cheeks and read eyes. Unlike Herdier before him, Watchog gave no cry of its name, choosing merely to look on with its eyes.
In response, Ash threw his Poke ball upwards, whilst calling his Pokemon of choice to battle, "PIKACHU I CHOOSE YOU!". The white light faded to reveal the electric mouse Pokemon, who much like Buneary, squealed in excitement at being used. Looking at his opponent, Pikachu soon became serious, and got into his battle stance comprising of being on all fours.
When Lenora sensed Ash was ready, she gave her command, "WATCHOG BITE!". With no hesitation, Watchog charged at Pikachu with his teeth bared, intent on latching onto the rodent.
"PIKACHU QUICK ATTACK!". With a cry of its name, Pikachu raced to meet Watchog, surrounded by white light.
As both Pokemon were about to collide, Lenora threw a curve ball, "LOW KICK!".
Realising that due to the proximity and use of quick attack, Ash knew Pikachu had no chance of evading the low kick. Watchog stopped his bite, and swung upwards with his foot, catching Pikachu under the chin and flying in the air.
Ash, trying to make the best out of the situation, barked in retaliation, "PIKACHU SHOCK WAVE!". Complying, Pikachu quickly charged and released a jolt of electricity towards the grounded Watchog. Ash thought this would be damage inflicted to Watchog, but Lenora wasn't going to let be an easier fight.
"WATCHOG DETECT!". Time slowed for Watchog, allowing him to see the shock wave jolt coming directly at him. With this knowledge, all Watchog did was simply sidestep to avoid the attack. In real time, the jolt was just about to hit the meerkat, when he sidestepped at a blistering speed to avoid being shocked.
Lenora looked over at Ash, expecting him to be scowling, or at least concerned with the recent turn of events. Instead, Ash was…grinning? Lenora was seriously confused by this, "Why is he grinning? His Pikachu has taken damage and Watchog has avoided his retaliation attack…".
Whitney too, was wondering why Ash was grinning, and was wondering for the exact same reasons as Lenora was.
Dawn was the only female present to have an idea why Ash was indeed grinning, "He's enjoying it, its the same when he fought my mother; he's found someone who's at a similar battling level as himself…", A smile grew on Dawn's face, before disappearing and turning into a frown, "Enjoys battling at his level…does that mean Ash didn't actually enjoy our battle…'cause I'm not at his level? ". Whilst Dawn's mind was now plagued with uncertainties, the battle continued.
"PIKACHU QUICK ATTACK", arm outstretched, Ash gave his command. Pikachu dashed for Watchog at a blistering speed.
Lenora waited for Pikachu to close the range before countering, "WATCHOG LOW KICK! THEN CRUNCH!", Watchog drew his leg back, waiting to deliver another kick to Pikachu.
Sadly for Lenora, Ash was hoping for Watchog to use low kick again, "PIKACHU DODGE LEFT! THEN GET IN!".
As instructed, Pikachu suddenly darted left, completely avoiding the low kick from Watchog, before darting back towards Watchog and slamming into the meerkat's back. This resulted in Watchog being thrown off balance, crashing onto the floor with Pikachu on his back. Ash wanted to take advantage of this,"THUNDERSHOCK NOW!".
A small jolt of electricity was charged up within Pikachu, before being transferred to the meerkat he was currently standing on, resulting in a small grunt of pain from Watchog.
Lenora quickly issued a command to get Watchog out of the situation, "WATCHOG PRESS UP AND SPIN!". Trusting his trainer, Watchog pushed himself up and into the air, whilst spinning. The manoeuvre resulted in both Pikachu and Watchog in the air, but with Pikachu closer to the ground thanks to the spin.
Sensing the opportunity to inflict some major damage, Lenora barked with an out stretched arm, "WATCHOG IRON TAIL!". Ash's eyes widened in alarm somewhat to the powerful steel type move. Watchog gracefully flipped in mid air head first, whilst his tail took on a metallic look, fully intent on slamming vertically down onto his opponent head.
"DODGE!" Ash cried out, hoping Pikachu could avoid being hit from the Iron tail. Landing on the floor, Pikachu instinctively leapt left, narrowly avoiding the oncoming tail strike. Missing his target, Watchog's Iron tail slammed into the ground with a deafening boom.
The boom was deafening enough to actually cause Pikachu's hearing to go, all sound picked up by the mouse was drowned out. Mentally, Pikachu was panicking; how was he gonna fight without Ash giving him commands?
Ash, not knowing his Pokemon was currently incapable to receiving commands, issued one, "PIKACHU SHOCK WAVE!". When Pikachu didn't react, and merely stood there, he got worried, "PIKACHU?"
"WATCHOG IRON TAIL AGAIN!", Lenora took advantage of her opponents apparent communication problem. Watchog's tail took on a metalic sheen once more, as he swung horizontally, trying this time to slam into the side of the electric mouse.
"PIKACHU JUMP BACK!", Ash ordered, instead however Pikachu dodged the attack by pressing low onto the ground, and swore Watchog's Iron tail barely clipped the tips of his head hairs.
On the sidelines, both females noticed the concerning look creeping on Ash's face, and though both were thinking it, Dawn was the one to ask about it, "Whitney whats going on? Why isn't Pikachu listening to Ash?".
"I dunno Dawn", Whitney truthfully replied, struggling to come up with an explanation, "I guess the Iron tail Watchog had used on the ground deafened Pikachu's ears, though that could be a long shot".
Dawn looked back at Ash, who's face was now evident with worry, "Come on Ash", She whispered, pleading for Ash to find a way out. Looking over at Pikachu, who had narrowly avoided yet another Iron tail from Watchog, she whispered the same plea for him.
As much as Ash didn't want to admit it, he was currently useless in the battle. With Pikachu's hearing presently shot, Ash reckoned the electric mouse would have to rely on his own wits till the teen was in a position to give commands.
Funnily enough, Pikachu was thinking the exact same, during what little time he could think thanks to the constant barrage of iron tails. After dodging just right of a vertical tail slam, Pikachu decided that staying on the defensive with dodging wasn't going to work much longer. Going for a quick attack, Pikachu landed a direct hit on Watchog,
"WATCHOG LOW KICK!", Lenora retaliated. Pikachu of course had no idea a low kick was coming his way, so when Watchog was about to deliver the kick, Pikachu was quite startled.
Acting on instinct, Pikachu decided to latch onto Watchog's leg instead of trying to dodge, though the force of the kick almost flung him off. Realising he wasn't about to find himself airborne, Pikachu's mind raced for what move to use to capitalise on the present scenario. Realising the perfect move, Pikachu rapidly released a weak electric current directly into Watchog, just in time for Lenora to call for get Pikachu off Watchog and use Tackle.
Though Watchog successfully got Pikachu unattached to his leg, trying to go for a tackle resulting in electricity to spark all around his body, whilst slumping down to one leg. It was revealed to both Lenora and Ash that the move Pikachu had previously used was Thunder wave; an instant paralysis if it hit. Noticing the effect, Pikachu decided to put some distance between him and Watchog, before charging a sphere of electricity in his lighting shaped tail. With a quick vertical flip, the orb went sent straight at the paralysed meerkat, netting Pikachu a direct hit, and a pretty big explosion to boot.
The spectators were amazed by Pikachu's recent turnaround; going from the defensive to being in control of the battle in a matter of moves, and without the aid of Ash! Dawn stole a glance at Ash, who was in contrast to finding out Pikachu was battling solo, was actually smiling with his arms crossed. Suddenly remembering the orb of electricity Pikachu had fired off, Dawn turned to Whitney, "Whitney what move did Pikachuu just use?".
As Whitney was about to open her mouth, it was actually Ash who beat her to the punch, "That was electro ball, an electric type move that deals more damage depending on how much faster the user is than the opponent". Both females jolted by the unexpected explanation. Spinning to face the male teen, Dawn's face was one of gratitude for the explanation, Whitney's was one of dumbfoundedness.
"H-how can you stand there explaining moves whilst you're battling?", Whitney scalded, completely forgetting the fact that in the current situation, Ash could do nothing.
"Well I can't exactly do much in this present scenario can I?", Ash pointed out the obvious, "And besides", he turned to look at the battle; Pikachu had evaded another Iron tail and was attempting to ram Watchog's side with a quick attack, only for Watchog to dodge thanks to a well time Detect from Lenora, who was understandably bemused that her opponent appeared to be having a chit chat in the middle of a battle, "I think he's got it under control".
And as soon as those words left Ash Ketchum's mouth, everything went to pot; It was like he had said the name of the Scottish play Macbeth. Pikachu mistimed a dodge for a Crunch from Watchog, only for Lenora to follow up with a well placed Retaliation. Pikachu was sent sprawling back across the battlefield towards Ash. The damage amount Pikachu had just sustained was significant; Crunch had managed to lower Pikachu's defence, and the Retaliation was super charged due to the fact Lenora's first Pokemon, Herdier, had fainted.
Slowly getting up from the attacks, Pikachu shot Ash a dirty look, accompanied by a few cries of his name, "Pika…PIKA PIKACHU!", which was probably Pikachu's way of saying 'You just had to say something didn't you?'.
Ash, completely oblivious to the fact Pikachu's hearing had apparently come back, retorted in kind, "That was going to happen regardless of if I said anything". It wasn't till Pikachu mumbled in disagreement that Ash finally realised, "Pikachu you can hear again!". Pikachu stood there dumbfounded for a few seconds, before nodding his head excitedly; clearly in the heat of battle, he failed to noticed it as well.
"Now that you can give commands again…", Lenora started, preventing anymore discussion between Ash and Pikachu, "…can we continue?".
Looking at Pikachu and receiving a 'go ahead' nod, Ash answered, "Yes we can!", before barking an order, "SHOCK WAVE!".
Once more Pikachu charged and released a quick jolt of electricity, and once more Lenora was quick to counter, "DETECT!". De ja vu, Watchog sidestepped the attack with ease, only to be lumbered with paralysis, evident by the crackling electrics around his body.
Realising he had time, Ash wanted to inflict major damage, "QUICK ATTACK THEN SHOCK WAVE!". Though Pikachu was about to initiate quick attack, he felt a strange build up of electricity within him. The build up soon turned into something much more, evident by the fact electricity began surround the electric mouse; much like the white light that is present during a quick attack. Unknowingly understanding he had just learnt a new move, Pikachu decided to charge directly at Watchog, though he wasn't sure what possessed him to do so, resulting in the meerkat taking the brunt of an electrically charged Tackle.
"Sweet", Ash's mind figured out what Pikachu had just done, "He's learnt Spark!". Surpassing the excitement of one of Pokemon learning a new move, Ash continued his attack, "THUNDER SHOCK PIKACHU!". Pikachu complied, firing off a jolt of electricity at Watchog.
"IRON TAIL! ABSORB THE ELECTRICITY!". Lenora's move caught Ash off guard, as Watchog activated iron tail just in time to absorb the thunder shock. Now armed with an electric enhanced iron tail, Watchog went for the knock out blow on Pikachu with a horizontal tail swipe.
"DOUBLE TEAM!", Ash hurriedly issued, arm outstretched with fist clenched. Just as Watchog was about to connect, Pikachu hastily made many copies of itself surrounding the meerkat. Though initially confused as to why his attack went straight through his opponent, Watchog came to the horrific discovery of being faced with a dozen copies of his opponent.
And it was at this point that the paralysis appeared at the best, or worst depending on perspective, moment. Ash suspected he could finish it here, "PIKACHU SPARK!", the teen barked, though with excitement hidden in his voice. With a cry of its name, Pikachu surrounded himself with electricity again, and charged in at Watchog, scoring yet another direct hit, and sending the meerkat flying back.
This would prove too much for Watchog, and though Pikachu was panting with more than enough scrapes on his body, he was still conscious. The winner of the battle was clearly the electric mouse.
Whilst Lenora returned her second knocked out Pokemon, Pikachu scurried to Ash with what energy he still had left, and climbed until he was sat comfy on his trainers shoulder. Ash, waiting till Pikachu was comfortable, gave a quick scratch under his chin, which Pikachu happily accepted.
"Well…", Lenora started, walking up to Ash , "…You've certainly passed. In convincing style too". She grinned, "Plus, much like with Dawn, I think you're deserving of one of these", and presented Ash with her gym's badge; the Basic badge, which Ash graciously accepted. "Arceus help whatever region's gym leader you decide to challenge first!", she joked, earning a chuckle from Ash.
Dawn, who had returned her Pokemon, and Whitney had also made their way over. Upon spotting the Basic badge, Whitney smirked, "I'm guessing Ash impressed you with his battling skills huh?".
Sensing the irony behind the question, Lenora laughed, "He sure did", before adopting a more serious look, "Anyway, thats you two done then, you're more than welcome to leave now. You've certainly earned it".
Nodding in agreement, Ash, Dawn and Pikachu left the battle hall together; all in high sprits. As soon as the gym leaders were certain they had left ear shot, they looked at each other.
"How'd you think they'll get on?", Whitney asked the older and more experienced gym leader.
"Ash no doubt will do well, I wouldn't be surprised to hear him win big tournaments. He has that…aura about him", Lenora explained, unable to think of a better word than 'aura', "What about Dawn? After all you fought her".
"She has potential, but she was nervous going into our battle. It was the same of the double battle she partook in, but not to the same level. My guess?", Whitney shrugged "perhaps she doesn't like battling in front of people, its possible".
"More than likely", Lenora replied, closing her eyes to think for a few seconds, before changing the subject, "Right lets go report in to whoever's in charger of this here then".
"Right", Whitney agreed, only to realise she forgot to ask about Mudkip's Aqua jet. "SHOOT!", she exclaimed, catching Lenora off guard.
'What is it?", Lenora inquired.
"I forgot to ask about that Aqua jet!", which caused Lenora to sweat drop somewhat.
"Oh Whitney..."
In the deserted hallways of the high school, Dawn and Ash were making their way out together, whilst the blue haired teen went through her battle with Ash, as he wasn't able to watch it. Though Ash knew Dawn had won both rounds, he was still impressed by how she won them, especially the Mud sport counter she had Buneary do.
"It sounds like you're getting better every day Dawn", Ash said with a cheerful smile on his face, one Dawn was quick to copy.
"I feel like I am Ash", Dawn replied. She then remembered a certain train of thought during the male teens battle she had about Ash's enjoyment of battling, "Um…Ash?".
"Yeah?", Ash turned to give Dawn his attention, noticing the solemn look on her face.
"During you battle with Lenora…you seemed to really enjoy it, kinda like your battle with my mum…", she trailed off, not fully if she wanted to ask, but ultimately decided to do so, "…Do you only enjoy battling people of similar skill as you?".
Ash was taken aback somewhat by the question, "Where's this come from?".
Dawn looked at the floor sheepishly, "Its like I said, when Pikachu was against Watchog, I noticed you seemed to be enjoying the battle…It made me wonder whether you found our battle…".
"…Enjoyable because you weren't at a similar skill level to me?", Ash finished, causing Dawn only to nod ashamedly. "Dawn…I enjoy battling no matter the opponent. Sure I may enjoy a more similar and balanced battle, but why shouldn't I enjoy ones between friends, especially one I like", Dawns head snapped up, and before she knew what she was doing, she was hugging Ash.
"Whoa!", Ash slightly taken aback from her recent action, though wasn't complaining, "Whats this for?".
"For reassuring me, thats all", Dawn explained, before look directly at the male teen, "And for being a good friend".
For some reason that neither teen could think off, they were drawn to each others eyes, merely staring into the others. They stayed like that for a few seconds, until Dawn realised what they were both doing, and instinctively took a step back, subsequently releasing her hug. "S-sorry", she muttered, with a detectable blush on her cheeks.
Weirdly enough, Ash's composure cracked somewhat, evident by the light blush on his cheeks. "Its fine, don't worry", Ash attempted to casually brush off what had just happened, Which Dawn was more the happy to go along with.
"O-ok", Dawn timidly replied, before growing an equally timid smile, and attempt to change to subject, "Let's go home, shall we?".
Ash nodded in agreement, and the teens found themselves walking back to their respective homes together, both wondering what had just happened.
The walk back was filled with a comfortable silence, with odd topics coming up as discussions at various points. The first stop for Ash, and final for Dawn, was Dawn's house; due to it being closer to the high school.
As Dawn, who had already bid her goodbyes to the male teen, was about to leave Ash and enter her house, Ash managed to grab her attention, "Dawn?".
"Yeah Ash?", Dawn responded, not really sure what Ash was about to say.
"Now that the exams are over, and officially we can leave to start our journeys, I was wondering…", Ash started, before looking directly into Dawn's eye, whilst trying not to got lost in them as he did before, "…would you considering coming to Kanto with me?".
Ending on a cliffhanger...of sorts. I'd like to point out this chapter was actually bigger than the previous one by a significant amount, so don't be surprised if the next chapter breaks 20k words. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, so hopefully you enjoyed it, and that it was worth the wait.
Also, as I have the opportunity to, I'd like to respond to PhysicGeek's (big shout out to him/her) review. In my Physics course, we did Thermal Physics and a sub topic on Nuclei's (regarding radiation and space), where we have talked about atoms somewhat. Though as you probably guessed, it focuses more on the actual nucleus rather than the atomic structure as a whole. Atoms and bonding is something you'd usually see in Chemistry, which is probably how I mixed the two up, given of the 4 subjects I currently did, they were 2 of them, sorry about that.
Before I sign out, as mentioned above, I'd like to do some housekeeping. First and foremost; cover image. For any of you readers that are any good at art/drawing/photo editing, I'd like to give you the opportunity to design a cover image for 'From High School to Badges'. All submitters will receive a shoutout regardless of whether your image is selected, with a shoutout on the plot summary to whoever's design fits the best. Please PM me any designs you think would suit, if you're up for it. Second; my profile. I am thinking of expanding my profile to let you readers, and any other subsequent readers, into getting to know me better. Of course, I'm uncertain what would dignify suitable information you'd be interested in, so please send in any and all questions you'd like me to answer, topics to discuss, or just things you'd like to know. Thats the housekeeping stuff done, so with further ado;
See you next time!