Chapter 15
Battle! Whittington VS. Jack!
Ein was puzzled.
No, redact that. Ein had found something that was causing them, to borrow a human term, to tunnel vision. And for good reason, too. This human had somehow managed to replicate the same type of Auric technique that the move Curse used, and in an entirely different manner.
Normally, this would simply be an interesting curiosity. While yes, humans being able to use Aura in the same manner as a Pokemon is indeed rare, it is also quite a bit more common than the average person believes. The pitfall making it so that the ones who can have been heroified & are historically far and few between is the fact that one, often times the amount of Aura they can handle is only enough to make them healthier than the species average, and two, that becomes an even bigger issue due to the fact it is so rare that a human can be properly trained to use it that they physically cannot do it anymore; the Aura "muscles" become too atrophied for it. However, humans that do reach that point have been exceedingly creative with their powers.
The anomaly here comes from the specific Type of Aura used and the fact that he did it without flexing the aforementioned Auric "muscles".
Humans were wrong to reclassify Curse as using Ghost-Typed Aura. If only it was that simple. No, Curse uses something entirely foreign to the natural world. It twists Aura into something abyssal, a mockery of what Aura has come to represent. Whereas regular Aura is an expression of naturally occurring elements & to a degree self-expressive, the Aura used to fuel Curse is like plastic. It is what is generated when you are singularly dedicated to a goal, to when you have forsaken everything but this idol set atop a pedestal. It is uniform in every manner, sapping all unassociated ambition. It is self-destructive, depressive & antithetical to Aura.
And yet. This human was able to perfectly generate it. To use it like most Pokemon would use Normal-Typed Aura. To use it to create an entirely new move.
The worst part is that, if Ein understood the effects correctly, it bypassed the very reason people & Pokemon alike were given Aura in the first place.
It was quite a while until I had finished with the first of obviously countless training sessions. And I learned many things…. For instance, the walls generated from Light Screen & Reflect were very much so solid. And presumably, it will scale with the user's strength & skill. Definitely something we should test. In addition, I learned the moves that they all know. Of note from Ria was Quick Attack, Metal Claw, Force Palm & from Dottler were the Walls as mentioned earlier, Sticky Web, Infestation. Well, onward to Battle I guess.
"I'm ready."
Jankie Chan is startled by my statement. Did he not prepare enough? Unfo-
"When did you get here?! I couldn't hear you at all!"
...Well, it would seem I stand corrected.
"I just got here. Why should you have heard me? It would seem you would be more focused on training?"
"When I was training Macho, er, my Machoke, I was pitting him up against dangerous flying types. The likes of Crobat, Swoobat, Corviknight, and even some Altaria. I can pick up on the slightest of flaps, yet I could not hear you come in. Are you some kind of ninja?!"
...An interesting choice of class to pick later. Operative word is later, however.
"No. Perhaps you were just focused on them too hard?"
He sighs, running his hands through his dreadlocks... Hm. I... I did not notice he even had hair until just now... Concerning. Filing for later.
"Regardless, I have prepared my Riolu and Dottler for battle. Are you ready?"
He blinked a bit. Hm, perhaps I spoke a bit too fancifully.
"Did you not give them a name yet?"
Of course.
"The Riolu was a... Minder's pokemon, given to me to help with a personal issue; Ria is their name. I simply find it easier to refer to them by species."
That got his brows to furrow. Hm. I'll need to keep that in mind.
"Alright... Alright, Ty, Ross! Break!"
At that moment, I remember that there was scouting to be had. My sight darts to the training area, picking up a Tyrogue and... A Throh. Definitely a more esoteric pick. The Tyrogue seems eager and bouncing with energy, acting much like the shounen protag I had picked Junkie for... Until promptly freezing at the sight of me. They immediately take a defensive position, before the Throh trundles forward, putting a hand on their shoulder. Something quite easy for it, as the Tyrogue is only about ⅔'s of it's height.
"Hm. A Tyrogue and a Throh? Odd, but they certainly have potential. Shall we go to the arena?"
He nods, and I begin the trek. Well, 'Trek'; according to the map, it should only be about a minute until we reach there. And all for the better; Junkie appears to be getting antsy... Perhaps an icebreaker?
"I have not given you my name yet. Apologies. My name is Whittington; might I have yours?"
"Jack... And, mind if I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"Even when I'm focusing 100%... I still can't hear your footsteps. Are..."
He darts his eyes around, making sure the coast is clear. Whatever fo-
"Are you a ghost?"
I am so stunned by the assumption that I have to stand still for a beat. And then I can't help but burst out cackling. He was perfectly correct after all; the man is infinitely more intelligent than I gave him credit for. Maybe he is one of those people who just likes to live simple?
"Wh- HEY! So-rry for trying to ask a question!"
"Oh, if I am to be a ghost, I wouldn't hunger, no?"
He huffs, crossing his shoulders as if he were some kind of Tsundere. The only way it could be more picture-perfect is if he had immediately called me 'baka'. Thank god he didn't. Instead, as we stepped within the arena, he took his side.
"You do realize this means war, right?"
Deep within the holes in my eye socket, I can feel something glimmer. And with what I learned about the walls, I hastily reconsider my desire to keep Dottler on the sidelines.
"Dottler. Ria. We shall go together."/"Ross, you're on!"
I held out Dottler's ball, calling them out. They startle as if they were asleep. Meanwhile, the frowning Throh trundles up to the stage, taking a wide, crouching stance suited for what I can assume it's throwing-based fighting style is. I make no hesitation commanding Dottler.
"Reflect! Surround yourself with walls!"/"Ross, Bind!"
Dottler's blue spots immediately begin to glow as shimmering panes of light sprout up around it. With a shocking amount of speed for both it's size and it's age, as I assume it to be rather young, rushes towards them. Unfortunately, it is too late, as all he is able to grab at are the walls, which remain stiff with the concentration of Dottler.
"He wants the walls? Give it to him. In fact, surround him in a cage of Reflect."
"What?! Ross, get out!"
With the commands given, the Throh begins to disengage, but the speed from the start is gone; meanwhile, Dottler's reaction speed is more than sufficient, quickly blocking him off.
"Ack! Ross, if you can't grab 'em, then you gotta shake things up!"
Hm. Obvious code. My mind immediately goes to earthquake, but it is probably Bulldoze or Magnitude instead; Earthquake is too strong for a toddler.
"Dottler, jump! Float on a Reflect panel!"
Dottler just barely manages to jump in time as Ross begins to perform a series of stomps akin to Shiko, destabilizing the ground the two stand on with my command no doubt compromising the stability of the other panels in order to avoid damage from the shaking ground. On closer inspection, I saw little spikes & blocks of what I presume to be Aura jutting out from the ground.
"Ross! You have to be able to break out now!"/"Confusion."
From their platform, Dottler fires a weak jolt of pinkish energy, more like a fast-moving haze. While Ross vibe checks the walls, unfortunately breaking through, they stiffens as they are helpless to mitigate the damage. Which, considering the fact they have begun to pant, must have been significant. I know what to do now.
"Grrr! Alright, Ross, that's it! Go in and throw 'em for a loop!"/"Infestation."
As Dottler summons up a jade, shadowy haze, Ross simply runs through it, suffering the swarm. I was unable to command more walls as Ross latches on without any relent.
"Confusion, point blank! Take him with you!"
The Throh visibly weakens under the haze, as the Dottler, panicking, fires two much less stable hazes. Despite the presumed lack of power, Ross still manages to pull through with his attack, flaring up with energy. He begins to spin as he releases his death rattle, throwing Dottler to the end of the arena... Being sucked into the ball?
"Ross... Well, you managed to get a hit in! Good job, return! Ty, you're up!"
He did not hesitate to return the falling humanoid. In his place, the pinkish child takes his place, still wary of me it seems. Dottler's ball seems to be affected by the energy Ross used, so I toss out Ria. She appears to already be ready. Smart.
"Ria, rush them."/"Ty, cut 'em off!"
What could that- ugh. Of course. The Tyrogue leaps out, clapping in front of Ria's face, interrupting the plan. Afterwards, I can feel her eyes narrow more than see it as she moves faster than I had seen her during training, barraging the Tyrogue with glinting claws, feinting strikes, and glowing fists. Tyrogue, while definitely on the back-pedal, still manages to get some good hits in, including a real bastard of a gut punch. I assume it to be Counter, considering it did much more damage than the other hits did. Eventually, Ria stops playing around, and channels what I can feel is aura. She slams her palm into his chest, and after a while, cannot get up.
"Ria, return."
I return Ria to the pokeball, and cross the field. I stood in front of Jack, and extended my hand.
"Good game."
He has a confused look for a moment... And shook my hand.
Did I say something wrong?