Plot-Scorbunny 3: Ruby vs. Nemona Part 1

Today was the day and both Ruby and Nemona were ready to battle their hearts out.

After agreeing to the battle yesterday, Ruby had spent the rest of the day mulling over her best options for this battle. Nemona was a Champion ranked trainer, so she was bound to be a very strong fighter. Unlike her battles back in Galar where she would defend her title, she was going in at a complete disadvantage. She had no idea what Pokémon Nemona even used so she would be fighting blind. How could she pick which ones to use herself if she had no idea what she was up against? Nemona could have a Dragonite or a Gyarados or just about anything for all she knew! And this was an unfamiliar region to her with Pokémon that she'd never seen before because they couldn't be found in Galar. That would make this challenge even harder for her since she had no idea what to expect. Would Nemona use Pokémon she recognized or would they all be Paldean exclusives? For the first time since she'd become Champion, she was actually nervous about this battle. Emerald and Sapphire had noticed and did their best to support their sister.

"You'll win this battle Ruby! We know you will!" Emerald said optimistically, "There's no battle out there you can't win!"

"But I have no idea what Pokémon Nemona uses. How will I battle against that?" Ruby noted, "I really don't think this is a battle I can win."

"Maybe it's not, but why get hung up about it?" Sapphire asked, "Nothing's at stake here. It's not like Nemona's trying to pinch your title. It's just a friendly competition between two Champions. If you lose, so what? There's nothing to gain or lose here so I think you should just have fun taking up this new challenge. What do you think?"

Those words felt like just what Ruby needed to hear. Sapphire was right. Why worry over a battle that had nothing on the line for her? She should approach this for what it was: a friendly competition between new friends.

"Thanks Sapph. That was just what I needed." Ruby said appreciatively, "I'm still playing to win, but I don't have to get too hung up over this battle considering that it's just a friendly match. I bet with Nemona being a Champion ranked trainer, I'll be in for an awesome battle."

"I'm curious to see what new Pokémon we might be seeing in action." Emerald said keenly, "Given this is Paldea, who knows what new Pokémon you'll be fighting."

"True that." Ruby acknowledged, "Good thing we still have Sapphire's guide to Paldea she got from the airport. Maybe in preparation, we could study it to see what Pokémon are indigenous to this region."

Sapphire handed Ruby the book so she could study it. Ruby opened it up and began reading as much as she could about the Pokémon that were exclusive to Paldea. She would try to memorize what types they were above all else. As for her own team, she'd already decided to keep Bugs, Lancelot and Reaper on hand. Lancelot would get a chance to show off his new strength as a Kingambit while Reaper would get a chance to see how strong he was despite being a recent catch for the silver-haired Champion. The other three would be all up to her and she was sure whatever she chose would be enough to win.

Come the day next day, Nemona and Salma had arrived early. It was typical of Nemona to be ready stupidly early for a Pokémon battle. Salma swore that if this was for anything else, Nemona would happily lie in for a bit but for a Pokémon battle, she was always ready before her opponents were. Ruby and Nemona had arranged for the battle to take place in a secluded forest somewhere so they could battle privately without an audience. Neither Champion was in the mood for fans rushing in for autographs, pictures or to interrupt the fight. They'd arranged for the battle to take place at 9:30 but Nemona being Nemona meant that she'd arrived a whole hour too early for the match! The Paldean teen decided to just keep herself occupied until Ruby arrived. She'd even decided to just have some fun with Salma while they were waiting. The two playfully chased each other around trees and once Nemona caught her girlfriend, she pinned her to a tree and started toying with her bare stomach. Salma giggled as Nemona's fingers caressed her belly. Then the taller girl started to lean in close, her lips inches away from the shorter girl.

"Oh no…" Salma purred impishly.

"Oh yes…" Nemona purred back.

"Oh no Nemi, I couldn't possibly!" Salma giggled, "You're much too hot for me to play with!"

"If you think that's hot, cutie pie, then brace yourself for I'm gonna turn up the heat!" Nemona teased.

Then her lips locked with Salma's and they started to make out passionately against the tree. The only thing the two girls loved more than Pokémon battles was each other and they didn't care if they were open about it. They wanted people to know they loved each other. After they stopped kissing, the two slumped against the tree and took a moment to catch their breath. Salma looked to her girlfriend and ran a hand down the side of her face.

"So…feeling nervous about today?" she asked softly.

"Me? Nervous? Ridícula! I'm NEVER nervous about battles!" Nemona snorted, "I'm excited as all hell more like!"

"That's what I expected you to say, honey." Salma teased, "Please be honest with me though. You ARE nervous, aren't you?"

Nemona wanted to continue denying the fact but she hated having to lie to her girlfriend. Sighing, she lowered her gaze.

"OK, I am nervous…a little." the Champion trainer muttered, "I mean, this is the first time I'm battling against a Champion from another region! I'm used to people on my home soil but this is a girl all the way from Galar! Galarians don't battle the same way we do so I have no idea what I'll be up against. Ruby could have some super awesome tactics that I've never seen before! And her battles we've watched on TV don't tell us everything about her either. She could still have tonnes of Pokémon we've never seen from her before and I have no idea what she'll be bringing to THIS battle! She might be bringing a Legendary for all I know! This is just a friendly competition but still, I'm really feeling my nerves tingle! Will I win this or not?"

"Don't focus on that, darling. Just focus on having fun out there." Salma said sweetly as she stroked Nemona's cheek, "No matter what happens, you're a winner to me Nemi."

"Heh…you always say that." Nemona said appreciatively, "What'd I do to deserve you, mi amor?"

"Being the most awesome, adorable and funny person I've ever met? Is that enough?" Salma replied, batting her eyes.

"Yeah, I'll take that." Nemona said with a chuckle.

The two were about to kiss again until Nemona's phone suddenly started ringing. She quickly answered it. Ruby had called to say they were on their way and they'd be there in a few minutes. Nemona thanked her and put her phone away.

"They're almost there! It'll be time to go!" Nemona said excitedly, "Gosh, I dunno if I'm gonna pass out from all the excitement at this rate!"

"Remember to slow down and breathe easy, Nemi!" Salma giggled, "Don't make me have to get Arven to use CPR on you again!"

Nemona rolled her eyes but said nothing.

A few minutes later, the Silverlock sisters arrived. Nemona had provided them coordinates for where the battle would take place and the sisters had followed them so they could find it. Nemona and Salma climbed to their feet and greeted their friends warmly.

"Glad you could make it, amigos." Salma said kindly, "I hope you didn't have too much trouble getting here."

"No trouble at all." Ruby said brightly, "We rode our Cyclizars so we'd get here quicker and avoided any trainers and Pokémon on the way. How are you two?"

"I barely slept a wink last night because I was so hyped for this match!" Nemona squealed, "Don't worry about me, I've still got the energy I need for the battle! You ready for a Paldean pummelling Ruby?" she challenged.

"Only if you're ready for a Galarian greeting!" Ruby challenged back.

"Girls, girls, we get it. You're both bloodthirsty warriors! Calm it down will ya?!" Salma cut in, "We can't start the battle yet. We have one more thing to do first."

"Oh yeah, that!" Nemona realized, "Good thing you're on the ball Salli! I would hate to be going in with an unfair advantage after all…"

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.

Salma walked up to her and handed her a strange item. It was a black Pokéball shaped item with a hexagon shape in the centre. Ruby was confused. Was Salma handing her a new Pokémon?

"This is a Tera Orb." Salma explained, "It allows you to Terastilize your Pokémon. You know what that is, right?"

"Me and my sisters have read about it." Ruby confirmed, "It gives your Pokémon a power up, right? All moves of its Tera Type get a power boost and its Tera Type can vary. So how does this work?"

"It's very simple." Salma explained, "When you want to Terastilize your Pokémon, you hold the orb up high and call for its power. There's no fancy chant you need or some kind of secret word to it, just call for your Pokémon to Terastilize and watch the magic happen! Nemona has one so I thought I'd let you borrow mine for the battle so you can Terastilize too."

"That's very kind of you. Thank you." Ruby said graciously, "I must admit, I'm curious to see how this thing works and what it'll be like to have a Tera battle…"

She put the orb away in her pocket to use for later. The two Champions took up their positions and stared each other down. There was a clearing in the forest with no trees in the way and a wide enough opening for the sun to beam down on them. There was plenty of space for their Pokémon to battle and enough space between the trainers so they wouldn't be too close to the fighting. Salma volunteered to be the referee for the match.

"This is a full six-on-six battle with switching allowed and no time limit!" Salma announced, "The first person to lose all six Pokémon will be defeated! No cheating will be tolerated, but as if I need to tell you two that." she added humorously, "I know Nemi would never cheat and you don't strike me as a dirty fighter either, Ruby."

"Please. The word "cheat" never crosses my mind in a Pokémon battle." Ruby scoffed, "Cheating is for losers. I'm ready to go."

"As am I!" Nemona declared.

"Then let the battle commence!" Salma cried, holding up her hands to start the match.

"At last! Let's have us a fruitful battle, Ruby!" Nemona said eagerly, "I get first dibs! Tinkaton, vamos!"

She threw her first Pokéball. She had a strange, stiff way of throwing her Pokéballs, something that Ruby noticed straight away. She'd noticed yesterday that Nemona seemed to wear an armbrace and she was wearing it again today. Did Nemona need that to throw better or something? The Champion put the thought aside for the time being as she saw her first opponent. It was the Fairy/Steel type Pokémon Tinkaton. Ruby wasn't at all surprised to see that Nemona's first Pokémon was already one she didn't recognize. Tinkaton was a small pink humanoid Pokémon with a large pinkish white growth resembling twin-tailed hair that was so long it reached down behind her feet. Ruby imagined the hair being used as an extra pair of legs to keep Tinkaton stable. The most striking thing about this female-only species of Pokémon was the enormous metal hammer it carried in its hands. It was larger than Tinkaton itself and weighed 100kgs. It was said that Tinkaton loved to use this hammer to send rocks flying towards Corviknight that flew overhead, hence why Corviknight weren't used as Flying Taxis in this region. Emerald and Sapphire stared at Tinkaton in amazement.

"How can it even LIFT that thing?!" Emerald exclaimed, staring at the hammer, "I doubt even Kerchak could pick that up without straining!"

"I imagine it's much stronger than it looks." Sapphire murmured, "So Ruby's up against a Fairy/Steel type. I hope she's got the perfect counter for it…"

Ruby took in Tinkaton's cute yet intimidating appearance. She too had to ask how she was able to carry such a huge hammer with ease. The little fairy Pokémon could probably swing it with ease too!

"Good thing I read up what types of Pokémon these Paldean ones have last night." Ruby murmured, "I made sure to bring a Fire-type for just such an occasion! Reaper, you're up first!"

She threw her Pokéball and brought her newly required Ceruledge to the field. The ghostly knight Pokémon adopted a battle ready stance and held up his twin blades, ready to start slicing up the competition. Salma's eyes widened in surprise.

"Wow, you have a Ceruledge too? I didn't see that coming!" she gasped, "Nemona's had a lot of experience fighting mine so she'll know what to expect…"

"Don't get too ahead of yourself, Salli." Nemona warned, "Just because you have a Ceruledge, it doesn't mean I'll fare any better against this one. Ruby might've trained it differently to how you train yours so we'll just see for now…"

Ruby took this in with interest. It was clear that Nemona was in her element when it came to battles for she was showing more intelligence and maturity than usual. It also showed her that Nemona was very experienced in battling if she knew that battling the same Pokémon over and over didn't mean she'd know what to expect. This was going to be an interesting battle indeed…

"OK Reaper, I know you haven't had as much training as my other Pokémon given I literally only caught you a week ago, but I know you're strong enough for this match!" Ruby cried supportively, "Now let's start off with Swords Dance, then follow up with Bitter Blade!"

"Tally hooooooooo!" cried Reaper as his blades extended in length and he sprinted towards Tinkaton.

Nemona wasn't surprised by that move. EVERY Ceruledge she ever fought always used that move! It was Ceruledge's signature move, a fiery cutting attack that drained the opponent's health. She was nervous about Reaper's Swords Dance as well. With boosted attack, he would be even stronger than before! The Ceruledge spun around on the spot with his blades slicing the air in an elegant dance. Then he rushed towards his opponent. Reaper moved so quickly that Tinkaton didn't even have a chance to block or dodge the attack. He sliced into her with his fiery blades and Tinkaton found herself a little weaker than before thanks to the attack. She staggered back and winced from the burning blow. Reaper jumped back over to his side of the field and held up his blades.

"Ha! I've stricken the first blow! Now come at me, valiant opponent!" he dared.

"Careful what you wish for, amigo!" Nemona taunted, "Now's the time we get serious! Tinkaton, use Stone Edge!"

Ruby gasped worriedly. So that Tinkaton knew a Rock-type move?! It was clever of Nemona to teach it that as it gave Tinkaton coverage for its Fire-type weakness. The Fairy/Steel Pokémon conjured up a bunch of stones that seemed to form out of thin air and she used her hammer to bat them towards Reaper. Every rock hurtled towards Reaper as if shot out of a cannon and though Reaper tried to dodge them, he couldn't dodge all of them. Some of the stones cut into his armoured body and he cried out in pain as they cut into him. Tinkaton giggled as if getting some sadistic pleasure out of watching her opponents suffer. Ruby felt unnerved at this. A Pokémon that seemed to think her opponents getting hurt was funny was never a good sign. Reaper picked himself up, still in pain but far from out of the match. If anything, he just seemed to think "So my opponent has some fight in them…this'll be fun!"

"Clever of you to have type coverage." Ruby acknowledged, "It never ceases to amaze me how it's dead obvious to me that your Pokémon should have that, if they can learn it of course, and yet so many trainers don't think to do so!"

"Ditto!" Nemona agreed, "As a trainer, it should be a training standard to cover your weaknesses! Hence I taught my Tinkaton a move to shoo off those pesky Fire-types she struggles with! But she's got more tricks…well, not up her sleeves as she doesn't have any, but you get what I mean." she added, "Show off your mighty Gigaton Hammer my brawling beauty!"

Tinkaton rose her hammer up high and sprinted towards Reaper. Incredibly, it was running towards him with absolutely no issue carrying that colossal hammer. It was as if the hefty weapon weighed nothing in her hands! Then Tinkaton jumped into the air and swung the giant weapon towards Reaper. The Fire/Ghost Pokémon dodged the attack and Tinkaton was left smashing the spot where he'd once been standing. The hammer slammed down heavily, creating a massive shockwave that knocked the girls off their feet. Everyone tumbled down onto their backs and they had to pick themselves back up. Emerald and Sapphire groaned while Salma rubbed her bottom.

"Ugh…that happens every time with that Gigaton Hammer." she grumbled.

Ruby stood back up and rubbed her back. She was glad Reaper had managed to dodge the attack as Gigaton Hammer sure looked as if it would've done a lot of damage, even if Reaper resisted Steel attacks! The attack seemed to have left Tinkaton worn out for she was panting and the hammer had been lowered as if she couldn't pick it up anymore. This was her chance to attack! Ruby ordered Reaper to use Bitter Blade again and regain some of his health he'd lost from Tinkaton's Stone Edge. Reaper sprinted into action with his blades raised and ready to strike once more but unfortunately, Tinkaton hadn't been as exhausted as Ruby had hoped. The fairy Pokémon seemed to recover quickly and fight back as Nemona ordered her to use Brutal Swing. Tinkaton spun around on the spot, her hammer glowing red as she whirled around and around towards Reaper. She walloped Reaper hard with her hammer and Reaper was sent hurling across the field and into a nearby tree. Emerald and Sapphire gasped while Salma cheered for her girlfriend. That Brutal Swing was always a brutal blow to the opponent!

Reaper picked himself up and shook his head. Tinkaton was not making this easy for him! He had to find a way past that hammer or he'd never land another blow. Reaper sprinted back onto the field while Nemona ordered her Pokémon to use Stone Edge again. Tinkaton batted sharp rocks towards Reaper once more but none of them were able to land a hit this time. Reaper weaved out of the way and jumped into the air to dodge the flying rocks and he somersaulted his way towards Tinkaton with his blades extended out. He looked like a flying purple disc with blades sticking out as he closed in on his opponent. Tinkaton held up her hammer to protect herself. Reaper slashed against the hammer multiple times as he churned into it but the hammer held firm and Tinkaton pushed her opponent away. Reaper came back at her and the two clashed weapons together a few times. Ghostly blades clashed against solid metal as they swung and hit each other over and over, both sides trying to find an opening so they could score a big hit on each other. Reaper swung in an overhead arc but Tinkaton blocked with her hammer and pushed him back. Then she butted Reaper in the gut with the pummel of her hammer. Reaper jabbed back with his blade, hitting her in the stomach and making her cry out. He sliced across her face but Tinkaton withstood the hit and swung the hammer into him, knocking him aside. Reaper rolled over the ground but he got back onto his feet and the two crossed weapons again. Ruby ordered Reaper to use Shadow Claw this time. An ectoplasmic energy force formed around his arm and bore the shape of large claws. Reaper lashed out at Tinkaton only for the attack to be blocked by the hammer again. Reaper held his ground and pushed against Tinkaton's hammer while Tinkaton pushed back. It was like a sumo match only they were using their weapons to push each other with instead of their hands. Despite this, Ruby smirked at the outcome. Nemona recoiled.

"Hey, what you grinning at?" she demanded.

"This is the perfect situation for me." Ruby crowed, "Tinkaton's stuck now. She has to use all her strength in keeping that hammer in position so she won't get hit by Shadow Claw. However, Reaper has another blade free so he can attack again…"

"…with Bitter Blade!" Nemona shrieked in horror, "Oh no! Tinkaton, get outta there quick!"

But it was so use. Tinkaton was so hyper focused on keeping Reaper's Shadow Claw at bay that she had no time to react as Reaper suddenly lashed out with Bitter Blade. The flaming sword cleaved into Tinkaton, scoring a direct hit as the Fairy/Steel Pokémon couldn't block it. Tinkaton wailed in pain as she was simultaneously burned and drained of energy from the single swipe of Reaper's sword. His health was replenished and Tinkaton's was depleted. She collapsed onto her back, her hammer lying forlornly beside her. Despite being new to Ruby's team, Reaper had managed to win his first trainer battle! Ruby punched the air excitedly as Salma gave the results.

"Tinkaton is unable to battle! Ceruledge wins!"

"Alright! Way to go Ruby and Reaper!" Emerald cheered.

"It was lucky for Reaper he could use Swords Dance as that gave him the strength to keep up with such a powerful Pokémon." Sapphire acknowledged, "Not bad considering he's only been training with us for a week now."

Nemona returned Tinkaton, looking visibly disappointed that her first Pokémon had gone down despite showing so much promise.

"Don't worry Tink, your efforts won't go to waste." she said kindly as she put Tinkaton's Pokéball away, "Great show there Ruby!" she complimented, "Taking advantage of Tinkaton's predicament to land a hit like that was absolutamente fantástica!"

"Yeah, I noticed it seems too reliant on its hammer to do any actual fighting so immobilizing said hammer to leave it wide open for an attack was the only logical move for me to make." Ruby explained, "And given Reaper was a recent catch, teaching him Swords Dance was a way to mitigate his shortcomings. If he can boost his attack then he'll be on the level of your Pokémon despite not so much training."

"Clever you!" Nemona said with admiration, "But it'll take more than cleverness to beat me. Armarouge, vamos!" she commanded.

She sent out her next Pokémon, which curiously enough was the other Charcadet evolution. Armarouge also resembled a knight, albeit a more top-heavy looking one compared to Ceruledge. It had the same helmet like head with a much larger plume of flames spouting up from the top and was coated in thick yellow armour that covered its torso and shoulders. It had long skinny legs with toeless feet. Ruby was curious about Nemona's next choice of Pokémon. Why Armarouge? It was half-Psychic type which gave it a disadvantage against Reaper! Unless Nemona taught it a type coverage move too…

"I bet that thing has some surprises for us." Ruby murmured, "It might know a super-effective move against Ghost-types. Best we can do for now is battle on and see if we can get a feel for Armarouge and what it can do…"

She made the first move by commanding Reaper to use Shadow Claw on Armarouge. With her opponent being half-Psychic type, it was the most logical attack to use against Armarouge. Reaper charged into battle with an ectoplasmic energy claw surrounding his blades and he prepared to slash at his armoured opponent. But Nemona caught them both off-guard by ordering Armarouge to use Shadow Ball. Armarouge's pauldrons moved down from its shoulders to its arms and clamped together to form a giant cannon that it then used to shoot the Shadow Ball straight at Reaper. The Ceruledge cried out from the blow as he was blasted by the purple ghostly sphere and he crashed down onto his back. He grunted and tried to shake off the pain as he pushed himself back up. Ruby took this in grimly. Some Psychic types often learned Shadow Ball or a Dark-type move like Dark Pulse to cover their Ghost weaknesses so this was hardly a surprise for her. She had to admit the way Armarouge attacked looked pretty cool with how its armour pretty much formed into a weapon for it to use.

"So it can use Shadow Ball. I thought as much." Ruby muttered, "We'll have to fight more carefully if we're to win this, mate."

"You might find that tricky." Nemona taunted, "My Armarouge is a long range fighter and his opponents often tend to struggle when trying to get close to him!"

"With the way it literally shoots the opponent, I'm not surprised!" Ruby exclaimed, "But I got around Tinkaton so I'll find a weakness in your Armarouge. Try again with Shadow Claw!" she ordered.

"Shoot Reaper again with Shadow Ball!" Nemona commanded simultaneously.

Both fiery knights leapt into action with Reaper sprinting towards Armarouge again while Armarouge took aim and fired with Shadow Ball. This time, Reaper was able to dodge the attack by jumping up out of the way before the Shadow Ball could hit him. He somersaulted through the air, becoming a purple blur with blades scything towards Armarouge. The Shadow Claw became a purple and black blur that surrounded him like a ring of asteroids circling a planet. Armarouge was too slow to react and was slashed repeatedly by Shadow Claw. He was knocked back and he fell to one knee but he wasn't down for long. Even with Reaper's attack boost from Swords Dance, Armarouge had still withstood the hit. He stood back up and took aim with his cannon again. Reaper back flipped to avoid another Shadow Ball but as he dodged, Nemona suddenly commanded Armarouge to use Psychic next. The Fire/Psychic Pokémon held up his hands and used one hand to grab Reaper and hold him in place with psychic energy while using his other hand to grab the Shadow Ball that had missed. Reaper sensed the danger and struggled furiously to break free of Armarouge's grip. He was at least able to move but he couldn't fully break out of the psychic hold and was helpless to do anything as Armarouge redirected the Shadow Ball back to him. He was hit by the ball and was thrown down onto his side.

He grimaced and tried to get back up again but Nemona was taking no prisoners this time. She ordered her Pokémon to fire another Shadow Ball at Reaper while he was down. Armarouge took aim and blasted his opponent with Shadow Ball one last time. Reaper was hit full on and this time, it took him out completely. Reaper lay on the grass, his eyes becoming swirls as he drifted into unconsciousness.

"Tis a sad day for this fellow knight. Bested in combat by a knight stronger than myself. What an honourable end for me…" he droned as he passed out.

"Ceruledge is unable to battle! Armarouge wins!" Salma announced.

"Aww, that's a pity. Reaper was fighting so well." Emerald said solemnly.

"It's hard fighting with a close-range battler when you're against a long-range battler." Sapphire observed, "Armarouge can fight from a distance while Ceruledge can't, so Nemona had the advantage there. But we know Ruby will have this next one." she added with a wink.

Emerald winked in acknowledgement. They knew what Pokémon Ruby had chosen for today so they knew she'd brought a Water-type for in case Nemona brought any Fire-types with her. They watched as Ruby returned Reaper and sent out that very Water-type now. She'd brought out Chomps the Drednaw, the very first Pokémon she'd ever caught after starting her journey and being given her starter. Chomps bared her teeth and glared at Armarouge. This Pokémon was new to her so she didn't know what kind of battle she was in for.

"Good thing I bought a Water-type for this occasion!" Ruby said eagerly, "Now WE have the advantage!"

"Do you though?" Nemona sneered, "You really think I wouldn't have planned for that outcome either?"

"You're gonna tell me that Armarouge can use a Grass move, aren't you?" Ruby sighed in exasperation.

"You got it!" the Paldean teen confirmed, "Shoot that Drednaw with Energy Ball!" she commanded.

"This is gonna be so bad!" Emerald shrieked, "Chomps has a double weakness to Grass moves!"

"Yes, but that'll depend if it actually manages to hit…" Sapphire said cryptically.

All eyes were on the two Pokémon as they made their next moves. Armarouge aimed with his cannon and fired a green energy sphere straight towards Chomps. Ruby hadn't expected this, but she had battled Pokémon that used Energy Ball in the past and had trained Chomps to get around this.

"Block it with Stone Edge!" Ruby ordered.

Sapphire grinned with pleasure as Chomps conjured up a bunch of sharp rocks and made them spin around to form a protective shield to block the attack. Naturally, Ruby had learned that move from her faithful Krookodile she'd named Terri. She'd caught her in the Isle of Armour and taught her that Counter Shield strategy. Ruby had been so impressed that she wanted to use it herself and had taught Chomps to do it as a means to protect herself from Grass attacks. The Energy Ball hit the Stone Edge and exploded harmlessly in front of Chomps. The rocks had done their job and the Drednaw was completely untouched. Nemona blinked heavily, clearly needing a moment to process what had just happened. She'd NEVER seen a Stone Edge done like that before! Salma was equally as incredulous. Who knew it could be used like that? Satisfied, Ruby made the next move by commanding Chomps to use Liquidation. Chomps surrounded herself with water and rocketed towards Armarouge. She scored a direct hit, ploughing straight into Armarouge like a giant watery missile. Armarouge didn't even cry out as he was hit by Chomps and the two crashed down onto the ground together. They skidded to a halt and Chomps clambered off of Armarouge to see if he could stand back up again.

Armarouge weren't very bulky Pokémon and that last hit had been super-effective and powerful. Armarouge was able to stand again but Nemona could see very clearly that he wouldn't last much longer. She had to make this next move count or else this battle was over! As Armarouge stood up again, Nemona commanded him to use another Energy Ball. The fire knight took aim with his cannon and fired once more. Ruby was quick to command Chomps to block it again with Stone Edge but Nemona had other ideas. Before Energy Ball hit the Stone Edge wall, her Armarouge used Psychic to redirect the Energy Ball. It skipped over the stones and headed straight towards Chomps. Desperately, she retracted into her shell and started spinning around to try and deflect the Energy Ball. This retract and spin tactic was another move Ruby had taught her to block attacks. The Energy Ball still hit but the spinning manoeuvre lessened the impact so it didn't do as much damage as it would've done. Chomps stopped spinning around and came back out of her shell. Then she used Liquidation once again. She ploughed into Armarouge a second time and unlike before, he didn't get back up again. The water had quenched his flames and left him unable to battle any longer.

"Armarouge is unable to battle! Drednaw wins!" Salma declared.

"Whew…I thought that Energy Ball would seal the deal but nope, trust our sister to prove that type advantage doesn't mean an instant victory!" Emerald cried, wiping her forehead.

"It was lucky Ruby taught Chomps Terri's counter shield strategy or else this battle could've gone very differently." Sapphire mused, "I knew Ruby would put it to good use one day. Now let's see what Nemona has next…"

The Paldean girl returned her Armarouge.

"Looks like cleverness is gonna be what'll cost me this match. Ruby's quite the smart fighter!" she acknowledged, "I'll have to try fighting smarter myself if I have any hopes of winning…"

She drew out her next Pokéball and threw it. Ruby found herself face-to-face with yet another Pokémon she'd never seen before. She'd seen some wild Pawmi and Pawmo for the first week of her holiday, but this was new to her. Nemona had sent out the fully evolved form, Pawmot, to battle next. Pawmot was an Electric/Fighting type Pokémon, the only discovered Pokémon with such a dual typing thus far. It was orange in colour with yellow circular cheek markings, a bushy head of hair, a lightning bolt shaped tail and thick powerful arms for punching and fighting with. The Pawmi line was notorious for being another line of Pokémon that resembled Pikachu, while also being the only line of its kind to be able to evolve. Pawmot struck a fighting stance and its cheeks crackled with electricity.

"It looks pretty determined." Ruby observed, "This Pokémon's a scrappy little fighter, I take it?"

"It's a Pokémon I feel represents me the most." Nemona explained, "Pawmot was the first Pokémon I ever got and I've raised him up all the way from a Pawmi to a Pawmot. Our bond is closer than any bond a trainer and a Pokémon can have and it's why of all my Pokémon, I consider Pawmot my own personal partner! Much like myself, he loves to battle and he's much stronger than he looks!"

Pawmot bashed his fists together and cried out, almost like it was saying "Yeeeeeeeah!" in response. Ruby just smiled.

"I believe that guy probably packs a mean punch!" she said, "But don't think this'll be a done-in-one. Chomps can cover her Electric weakness…"

Nemona saw what Ruby meant when she ordered Chomps to use Earthquake. The turtle Pokémon stomped on the ground and created a huge shockwave that exploded through the ground towards Pawmot. The ground shook so furiously that Emerald, Sapphire and Salma grabbed onto a nearby tree to keep themselves from falling over. The Earthquake closed in but Pawmot performed a handstand and catapulted himself into the air to avoid the hit. Naturally, Nemona had had plenty of encounters with Earthquake users and had taught Pawmot how to avoid the attack. As Pawmot sailed through the air, he homed in on Chomps and Nemona ordered her Pokémon to use Double Shock. Pawmot surrounded his entire body with electricity and he aimed both fists at Chomps as he crashed down on top of the Water/Rock Pokémon's tough shell Chomps was electrocuted by the hit and she cried out loudly in agony. Ruby winced, feeling her Pokémon's pain. Double Shock was Pawmot's signature move and a very powerful attack. It was lucky for Chomps her defences were high or else she wouldn't still be standing right now. She panted but was otherwise still able to carry on the fight. Pawmot landed and clenched his fists, daring Chomps to try again.

Ruby ordered Chomps to use Earthquake once more. She was sure Pawmot wouldn't be able to dodge it this time. Chomps created another earthquake and it rushed towards Pawmot. The electric marmot tried to dodge but he was still exhausted from using Double Shock earlier so he was too slow. The attack hit him head on and he was thrown backwards by the force of the Earthquake. But to Ruby's confusion, Pawmot didn't seem too badly hurt by it. If anything, he seemed to take it well and was back on his feet again in no time!

"What's going on here? Earthquake's super-effective against Electric-types! How is Pawmot still standing after that?" she demanded.

"Simple. He's no longer an Electric-type." Nemona explained, "After he uses Double Shock, he loses his electric typing so now, he's just a Fighting-type so Ground attacks are no longer super-effective! But there's just one tiny little thing wrong with Double Shock…he can only do it once." she muttered.

"Really? Why is that?" Ruby asked.

"Only Electric-types can use Double Shock so because Pawmot's lost the typing, it can't use it again." Nemona explained, "Which is why I often have to switch him out after using it so he regains his Electric typing. But for now, I think he can manage as he is, right my electrical partner?" she cooed sweetly.

Pawmot gave her a thumbs up in response.

"So Chomps can't exploit Pawmot's weaknesses anymore." Ruby muttered, "But you've given me a great idea now…"

She returned Chomps to her Pokéball and threw another one. This time she'd sent out Soundwave the Noivern, one of her personal favourites among her roster. The mighty bat/dragon Pokémon screeched loudly and flapped his huge wings. Emerald and Sapphire cheered for Soundwave while Salma stared at him in awe.

"Oh wow, she's brought her Noivern to this fight!" the purpled-haired girl exclaimed, "I've always enjoyed watching him in action! This is gonna be awesome!"

"Thank you Salma." Ruby said appreciatively, "But it'll be more awesome for me in this case. Soundwave, use Air Slash!" the Galarian girl commanded.

Soundwave whooshed towards Pawmot and sliced at him with his wings. Blades of air cut into the electric marmot and threw him off his feet. Nemona groaned in worry. Ruby had brought Soundwave out to exploit Pawmot's newfound weakness to Flying-types! Normally, he had no such weakness because of his half-Electric typing but now it was gone and he was a pure-Fighting type, he was now weak to the Flying-types he once resisted! Trust Ruby to be so clever and catch on so quickly! Pawmot picked himself up and shook himself off, clearly hurt but unwilling to go down so easily.

"Not so fast amigo, you've got no chance against this one." Nemona said firmly, "We're gonna need to swap out."

She returned Pawmot to his Pokéball and whipped out a different one.

"It's dragon on dragon time." Nemona declared, "Salamence, vamos!"

She brought out her next Pokémon and for once, it was a Pokémon Ruby actually recognized. Back in the Crown Tundra, they could find Salamence there and her cousin Gloria even owned one. The Dragon/Flying type Pokémon roared furiously and flapped its large axe-like wings to lift itself off the ground and match Soundwave's level. The two dragons stared each other down and growled, both keen to show off their true draconian power.

"A Salamence, huh? I didn't expect that." Ruby murmured, "It's nice to be fighting a Pokémon I'm familiar with for a change."

"They have Salamence in Galar too?" Nemona asked.

"Not in the mainland itself, but in the Crown Tundra." Ruby explained, "Our cousin actually caught one when we visited her last year."

"Neat! Then you'll know how powerful they are and why this match is gonna be epic!" Nemona cried excitedly, "Salamence, show Ruby what you can do!"

Salamence roared with excitement and flew towards Soundwave. Soundwave flew towards him too with both dragons closing in. The battle had already gotten off to a big start with both sides losing a Pokémon each and some strategic plays being implemented. Now with two Dragon-types on the field, it was bound to get even bigger…


Ruby's doing well so far but Nemona's Salamence is bound to be a tough opponent. This fruitful battle's just getting started! Can Ruby pull off a win in the end or is Nemona going to give her a Paldean pummelling? Find out in Part 2 next time...

Trivia: Nemona's team here is based primarily on what I personally think her "best team" is. The game implies she has a wide range of Pokémon to choose from and the team we see is just the one she builds to challenge the player in the game. We don't know what other Pokémon she has on her or what her strongest team is. We know at the very least she has a Fighting-type Paldean Tauros based on the game's opening prologue that shows her using one against another student, which you'll see her use in Part 2 next time. The rest is my imagination.

Pawmot is the only Pokémon you'll see her using in this story that she actually uses in the games. I was going to give her something else like a Zangoose originally but I really wanted to write Pawmot in this fight and Pawmot I feel is her signature Pokémon so it didn't feel right to have her not use one.

And as Ruby pretty much spelled out for you all, yes, Reaper knowing Swords Dance is just a convenient way for me to explain how he's able to fight toe-to-toe with Nemona's Pokémon despite only being caught recently. I know it's ridiculously contrived but what else was I gonna do?! XD