The fight is really heating up, and Gabrielle's seized a good advantage over Alcea's Ludicolo! It cost her a Mamoswine, but now Rayne is trapped in a cloud of insects and Alcea can't recall her to her pokeball! Without being able to break through Frosmoth's aurora veil, the bug pokemon's incredible special defense will be hard to get through! Will Alcea be able to pull it off?
KedharS: She's definitely in a tricky position.
Rowlets and Oshawotts: For now, though, she only has eyes for Olivia.
Pokemon Academy: Beginning of Beginnings
Chapter 1168
"I see, so that's your goal, is it?" Alcea scowled. "By sealing our retreat, you've forced us into battle against a foe of this caliber."
Gabrielle smirked. "I saw an opportunity to seize the advantage and I took it," she said bluntly. "Frosmoth, use bug buzz!"
"Frosmoth!" Frosmoth fluttered through the air and released a devastating sonic blast that shook the battlefield. Alcea shielded her ears while Rayne cried out in pain, injured by the ferocious attack. But her Ludicolo was tough.
"Rayne are you alright?" Alcea called out when her hearing returned.
"Ludi…" Rayne nodded. His ears were ringing but he wasn't defeated.
"Magnifique," Alcea nodded. "Now, if retreat is impossible, we have no choice but to make the most of our situation! Use toxic!"
"Ludicolo!" Rayne hopped up and sent a blast of poisonous sludge flying towards Frosmoth, another gift from a certain Kate Nomia.
"Frosmoth, use quiver dance to dodge," Gabrielle ordered. Her Frosmoth flapped her wings, sending a swirl of scales flying, and danced through the sky. With her elegant movements she was able to easily evade the poison.
"No way!" Olivia cried. "She can move that fast?"
"This isn't good," Vic said, frowning. "Frosmoth have a special ability known as Ice Scales that halves the effectiveness of special moves. Combined with that aurora veil and the boosts from quiver dance, and Gabrielle's sculpting a pokemon that Alcea's Ludicolo will never be able to beat!"
"But… but-!" Olivia didn't want to think about things like an "inevitable" loss. She wanted to believe that Alcea could defeat anyone!
But there was a reason Gabrielle had kept Rayne from retreating, and they were seeing it right now. It was exactly as Vic described, her plan was to boost her pokemon's power while remaining safe against any attack Alcea might try to throw.
A tactic she'd borrowed from Dokukage.
"There's no need to panic, Rayne," she assured her Ludicolo with a smile. "Frosmoth is a powerful opponent… but I believe in your abilities. Oui, you will do the best you can!"
"Ludicolo!" Rayne nodded, his eyes brimming with confidence.
Olivia fell for Alcea all over again. The sight of the girl she loved standing so regally even in the face of such an incredible foe was just… oh, it was perfect! Alcea knew as well as anyone else that there was little chance that Rayne could win. But did she let that fact discourage her? Of course not! She remained steadfast, with her head held high like a true queen should!
A wistful sigh escaped Olivia's lips.
"Rayne!" Alcea shouted. "Use whirlpool!"
"Ludicolo!" Rayne raised his hands and a torrent of water swirled up around Frosmoth, trapping her in a water spout.
"Frosmoth?" Frosmoth looked around, confused, as the water battered the aurora veil, while she remained safe and dry inside her barrier.
"What kind of trick is that?" Gabrielle asked, raising her eyebrow. "A move of that caliber has no chance of breaking through our barrier. And I have no intention of switching Frosmoth out any time soon, I promise you that."
"Oui, of course not," Alcea nodded. "I just needed to slow you down a little, is it?"
Gabrielle scowled. That didn't sound good. One of the most frustrating things about fighting Alcea Vermeil was the fact that even if she was in a bad position, she always carried herself with dignity as if disadvantages such as these were just a minor inconvenience to her, and she was certain to win in the end.
It was infuriating.
"Frosmoth, ignore it!" Gabrielle spat. "Use icy wind to break free of that pesky whirlpool!"
"Frosmoth!" Frosmoth opened her mouth and sent a blast of cold air out, which froze a portion of the whirlpool enough where she could easily break out. Once free, she turned her attention to Rayne, and fired a blast of ice down towards the grounded pokemon.
"Dodge, Rayne, and use sweet scent," Alcea ordered.
"Ludicolo!" Rayne nodded, releasing a pleasant aroma across the battlefield.
Olivia took a deep breath and sighed. "Haaah… it smells like pineapple," she said with a smile, luxuriating in it.
She wasn't the only one. The sweet scent had entranced Frosmoth as well, who found it difficult to think about dodging in the face of such a pleasant aroma. Gabrielle found herself entranced along with her pokemon, stunned momentarily.
Of course, that was exactly what Alcea wanted.
"Leech seed!" She ordered, and Rayne fired a burst of seeds out of the large plant hat on his head. The seeds arced through the air and implanted themselves in Frosmoth, infesting her before she realized what was going on, or could even think about dodging.
It was the effect of the seeds taking root that finally snapped trainer and pokemon out of their daze. Gabrielle could feel her strength being sucked out of her pokemon, and her as well, which wasn't good at all.
Connecting with Frosmoth using harmonia had given her pokemon a massive jump in power. And now Alcea's Ludicolo was tapping into that power! Something like that couldn't be allowed for long. She immediately put the plans of stacking quiver dance boosts on Frosmoth aside. There wasn't time for that now, not when she had a pesky pokemon to deal with.
"So that's how you want to play it? Fine," she growled. "Frosmoth, change of plans! We're taking out that Ludicolo immediately! Use bug buzz!"
"Frosmoth!" Frosmoth unleashed another barrage of deafening screeches, this time with a shriek powerful enough to make Rayne fall over. Alcea could tell her Ludicolo couldn't take much more of this, so she had to do something, and fast.
"Rain dance!" She shouted, praying her voice could reach over the sonic assault.
By some miracle, it did.
"Ludicolo!" Rayne raised his hands, and began to dance from side to side. As he did, the dark clouds overhead slowly began to grow, and the snowstorm increased in power until it wasn't snow falling any longer, it had all melted into a downpour.
If Olivia had any concern about getting soaked from the rain, it didn't show. She stood tall and watched the fight even as she was drenched. She needed to see this through to the end, for Alcea's sake. It's what the other girl needed in order to win.
"So that's your plan," Gabrielle scowled.
"Without the snow, that aurora veil of yours has no effect, is it?" Alcea replied, wiping the rain off her brow. "Without that, even Rayne might be able to score a hit on you!"
"Don't think it's so simple!" Gabrielle snapped. "We can replace the snow in an instant! Frosmoth, use snowscape!"
"Frosmoth!" Frosmoth cried, flapping her wings and beginning to glow white. She prepared to summon a burst of energy that would return the weather to its rightful place.
"Did you forget already?" Alcea asked, narrowing her eyes. "Rayne! Whirlpool!"
"Ludicolo!"
Another massive spout of water surged up from below, engulfing Frosmoth as she tried to summon the snow again, much to Gabrielle's surprise.
"So fast-!" She gasped.
"Of course it is," Alcea replied. "Rayne's ability is Swift Swim! The rain need not be here for long, but in this situation, it's perfect! Now, use toxic!"
"Ludicolo!" Moving at incredible speed, Rayne shot forward in the rain, opening his beak and firing a burst of toxic sludge into the whirlpool. The poison blended together with the water and turned the attack into a torrent of toxins that Frosmoth couldn't defend against. Without her aurora veil to protect her there was nothing to stop the poison from seeping into her scales. And even when the snow returned and the whirlpool died down, she was still poisoned at the end of it.
Leech seed, and now poison… oui, this should be good enough, Alcea decided. She breathed a sigh of relief at the fact that she and Rayne were able to prepare this much. Even with the aurora veil back in place, they'd set the stage for a future victory.
Just one more step and it will be perfect…
"Frosmoth!" Gabrielle shouted, enraged at the state her pokemon was in. She could feel her energy being sapped away from her, while a devastating poison coursed through her veins. "Finish that thing off with bug buzz!"
"Rayne!" Alcea shouted. "Grassy terrain, now!"
"Ludicolo!" Rayne gathered up all his strength as he was set upon by a devastating blast of sonic energy. He began to glow green, directing that power into the ground and once again summoning forth a massive field of grass that covered the battlefield.
It served as a nice cushion when he fell over and lost consciousness from the bug buzz attack that ravaged his hearing.
Alcea sighed and recalled Rayne to his pokeball. "You did very well," she said, planting a gentle kiss on its surface. "In the face of such a tough situation, you didn't back down for a second. Rest now, the others will finish things."
She raise her head, looking across the field at Gabrielle. There was so much she wanted to ask the other trainer, but now wasn't the time. She needed to capitalize on the advantages that Rayne had bought for her.
"Anastacia!" She shouted.
Her Tsareena reappeared, standing confidently in the grassy field. She was freed from the effects of Glaceon's charm, and ready to make the most out of her offensive power.
"Of course you would rely on her," Gabrielle said, narrowing her eyes. "I can always count on you to do the predictable thing, Alcea! Frosmoth, use blizzard!"
"Frosmoth!" Frosmoth flapped her wings and sent a massive blast of ice and snow at Anastacia to freeze her solid. But Alcea was having none of that.
"Anastacia, use bounce!" She ordered.
Taking advantage of her powerful legs, Anastacia leapt into the sky. She soared above even the blizzard itself, disappearing among the clouds.
"Yikes, that's some good leg strength," Tommy said, impressed by Anastacia's performance.
"So now what, Gabrielle?" Alcea asked her opponent. Gabrielle glanced her way, unamused.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"I've set up grassy terrain," Alcea said, shrugging her shoulders and looking around the battlefield, which was overflowing with natural energy. Even the falling snow couldn't get a foothold, melting immediately when it hit the ground. "Aren't you going to freeze it with another ice spinner?"
Gabrielle's eye twitched. That was all the answer Alcea needed.
"So you can't, is it?" She asked. "I see. So apparently, your Frosmoth does not know the move either, is it?"
"So what?" Gabrielle growled.
"Nothing at all," Alcea responded with a smile. "Just passing the time. Now…"
"Tsareena!" Anastacia cried as she fell from the sky, aiming her leg at Frosmoth. The icy bug couldn't get out of the way in time, and could only allow her foe to come crashing down on her, knocking her into the ground.
But as Anastacia's foot made contact with the back of Frosmoth's wings, a blast of rainbow light burst out from the spot of impact. As strong as Anastacia's kick was, it wasn't enough to break through the aurora veil, even when she smashed the pokemon into the ground.
Anastacia leapt back, putting some distance between herself and Frosmoth as the Bug type pokemon floated weakly back up into the sky. She hadn't taken damage from the attack, but the poison and leech seed were starting to take their toll on her.
"Anastacia, use brick break!" Alcea ordered.
"Tsar!" Anastacia nodded, running towards Frosmoth at top speed. She jumped into the air once more and spun her leg, hitting Frosmoth in the chest. And this time, her kick broke through the barrier, sending Frosmoth spinning through the sky.
"Urrgh!" Gabrielle groaned, clutching her chest. That one stung. But as a Bug type, Frosmoth only took neutral damage from that hit. And even with Anastacia's high attack stat, she'd need a lot more power to overcome them.
"This situation is a tricky one," Vic said thoughtfully, staring up at the sky. "In this snow, Frosmoth's defense receives a massive boost. And with Ice Scales, her special defense is high as well. With those two things going for her, it's as if Gabrielle's Frosmoth has an entire separate layer of screens set up, one that can't be broken through."
"Alcea will find a way," Olivia assured her. She hadn't lost faith once in abilities. "She always finds a way to win."
It disgusted Vic to agree with the Empress, but she couldn't help but admit that she felt similarly about her friend. Or was that hope?
It felt odd, rooting for someone besides the Commander.
"Tricks like before with bounce may help you evade our blizzards, but without a power herb it's far too slow," Gabrielle said. This time, if Alcea tried to jump over the blizzard, she'd have Frosmoth use quiver dance in preparation. "I let you distract me last time, but not again. If you try that trick again, it won't work!"
"It already does what I need it to," Alcea replied. "It stalls for time. While Anastacia is up there, she won't get attacked. Your pokemon is weakening by the second, Gabrielle, you know that better than I do."
Gabrielle grabbed her left arm out of reflex. She'd already lost total feeling in the limb from the poison, and it was starting to shake. She ground her teeth together.
"It won't matter!" She spat. "Use blizzard!"
"Frosmoth!" Frosmoth flapped her wings, sending a wave of ice and snow across the battlefield towards Anastacia.
"Light screen!" Alcea shouted.
"Tsareena!" Anastacia nodded. She raised her hands and created a barrier of green light in front of her. The powerful blizzard slammed into the barrier and wrapped around it, leaving Anastacia completely safe inside.
Gabrielle was beginning to grow agitated. Samarra couldn't allow that, so she stepped in and restrained the other girl's out of control emotions.
I could break through that barrier… but then she'll just use another move… and if I leave Frosmoth out here, she's going to succumb… I'll call her back and send out Cetitan, Gabrielle decided. He would be a far better match for combating the physically-offensive Anastacia.
But when Gabrielle moved to recall Frosmoth to her pokeball, she found that she could not. A tornado of water swirled up around her pokemon, trapping Frosmoth inside- and trapping her in the battle, as well.
"The whirlpool," Gabrielle growled in frustration. With the whirlpool from Alcea's Ludicolo still active, she couldn't call her pokemon back!
"You were very comfortable," Alcea said quietly, staring Gabrielle dead in the eye. "When your Frosmoth was behind her aurora veil, you prevented Rayne from escaping, oui? Because you knew that there was nothing he could do to defeat your pokemon."
"That's…" Gabrielle was having her own strategy thrown back in her face, and she didn't like it.
"When I was faced with this dilemma, I had my pokemon fight to the bitter end, making what successes they could," Alcea said quietly. "I hope you don't disappoint."
To anyone else, her words would have sounded like mockery. But Gabrielle knew her rival well. She wasn't mocking her, but goading her, challenging Gabrielle to rise to the challenge and put up a better fight, like she knew she was capable of.
And Gabrielle had no intention of letting her down.
"Frosmoth, use defog!" Gabrielle ordered. There was one crucial difference between Alcea's position with Rayne and Gabrielle's position right now, and that was the fact that Alcea couldn't have removed the aurora veil with her Ludicolo.
That was not the case for Gabrielle.
"Frosmoth!" Frosmoth flapped her wings, sending a blast of wind across the battlefield. Anastacia's light screen shimmered and then disappeared, opening up an avenue for an attack. But Gabrielle wasn't done yet. She knew that if she attempted another blizzard now, Anastacia would just leap over it. And that would cost time she didn't have.
As much as it pained her to expend Frosmoth this way, she knew it was the right thing to do, if she wanted to win.
And more importantly, Samarra was telling her it was the right thing to do, and Gabrielle couldn't ignore her friend's advice.
"Frosmoth, use tailwind," she ordered.
"Frosmoth," Frosmoth nodded. Another flap of her wings called a powerful gust behind her, increasing her speed. She shot across the battlefield towards Anastacia, ice and snow whipping up around her in a tornado.
"With our speed now, you won't be able to jump out of the way!" Gabrielle promised. "Frosmoth, use blizzard!"
"Frosmoth!" Frosmoth cried. The storm she'd been building up was unleashed, and there was no stopping it.
"No, Alcea!" Olivia cried.
Alcea smiled in spite of herself. She knew this attack was going to hurt, but still… she was proud of Gabrielle for rising up to meet her challenge.
True to Gabrielle's word, there was no chance for Anastacia to dodge. So she didn't even try. She raised her arms to shield herself from the attack, focusing her strength on withstanding the blizzard.
When the wind died down and the half-dead Frosmoth could look upon her opponent again, Anastacia's condition was stunning.
She was still conscious and still standing. She had withstood the force of Frosmoth's blizzard and come out the other side. Even while shivering, even while half-frozen, she stood triumphant in the face of the attack with a glowing green aura, and Gabrielle knew that she'd done all she could.
"The restorative properties of the grassy terrain kept us from succumbing to your attack," Alcea explained. "And the boost in energy from the leech seed helped as well. If not for Rayne's preparations, Anastacia would have fallen. Now Anastacia! Finish this with your acrobatics!"
"Tsareena!" Anastacia stepped forward and immediately disappeared. With her incredible legwork she struck at Frosmoth with a blizzard of her own, but this one was made up of a series of kicks and punches that left the icy pokemon incapable of fighting back.
When the last blow was struck, Frosmoth plummeted from the sky, landing in the grass with a thud. Four of Gabrielle's pokemon had now fallen.
Nice work, Alcea! Even in the face of such a dangerous foe, she didn't lose her cool or let her pokemon faint unnecessarily, she did everything she could in order to weaken her opponent and guarantee the win! And Gabrielle was pretty impressive herself, overcoming such a major disadvantage of her own and doing some serious damage to one of Alcea's best pokemon! These ladies are giving it all they've got!