Skye pulled her shirt and boots off the moment she and Ruki were inside, tossed the top and yesterday's outfit with her trainer one, and went to part the curtain nearly halfway to let some light in. With a sigh, she crawled into bed and rested her cheek on the pillow, slipping her cold hands under its warmth. "What a day…" she mumbled.
She liked more and more the independence this trip was giving her. It was power Skye needed in her life. She stretched her legs and aching calves, but as tired as she felt, she still wanted to see where the stairs in the courtyard led to. Adventure always got the best of her. Skye sat up and looked ahead at Ruki, who was sitting on the carpet while grooming himself. "Ruk'."
He stopped mid-lick and lowered his paw to look at her.
"I want to see where the courtyard's stairs take us. Want to come with?"
Ruki nodded. Of course. He wouldn't let Skye go anywhere alone if he had a say, and he knew what she was referring to. He was just as curious.
She grinned, "okay. Give me some more time."
They rested for close to an hour before she began feeling hungry, and evening closed in. Skye yawned and sat up on the bed, pushing strands of hair behind her ears and looking at Ruki napping beside her. He looked adorable while sleeping, but she had to wake him since he wanted to go. "Baby…" She placed her hand on his side, shaking him lightly until he woke up and yawned.
"Did you get enough rest? You looked super tired today. Felt laggy?"
Ruki nodded. He felt a lot better after a short nap. Hopefully, he was all caught up now.
She gasped playfully, "what was it? Some day fatigue, hm?"
Ruki nodded again, outstretching his legs while yawning again. He was glad it hadn't been dizziness. That would have made the day even more of a drag.
"My poor baby. I saw you yawning. I felt a bit disoriented on our first night too. It's when my sleep was broken and I woke you up accidentally." Skye reached her hand and scritched his head. "I'm glad you're better, but are you better enough to go up the mystery stairs?" She watched him sit up within a second, making her giggle.
His curiosity and anticipation gauge was at max the instant she'd woken him. Ruki would need a bit to build the required energy, though.
While he gathered himself, Skye went to her backpack to find a different shirt. There was no way she was putting on that tight safari one again.
Ruki watched her get into and zip up the thin white jacket she wore during the cruise from Alola since it matched her pants well enough, then go and turn on the heater.
"I'm gonna do this now so we can come back to a warm room." Skye wanted to avoid a repeat of last night.
Ruki was indifferent since he could live in subzero temperatures. He had always ensured to keep Skye warm, though. He got down from the bed and followed her out the door after she put on her white boots.
It was colder than ever with constant low winds whistling against the suites and rustling bushes. Luckily, she had on her jacket, but it didn't prevent her from shivering since the air hit her hands and face. "It's up here." She took a right from their suite and headed north toward a tan-colored building with a blue roof. Skye also spotted a pool at the far west end of the courtyard on the way with several people around it and a couple in the water, which she hadn't noticed until today. Who gets in a pool in this kind of weather? Skye wouldn't be anywhere near it.
Ruki caught whiffs of food as they approached and watched Skye push open the door when she got there, holding it open for him. This had to be a restaurant, which Ruki would be stoked about if so.
Plenty of people, mainly trainer types, were sitting at rows of wooden tables with napkin holders and salt and pepper shakers in what Skye now assumed was a restaurant as well.
A chubby, rugged, bearded man sat at a table with his garchomp while drinking a beverage from a can. A group of what looked to be a biker gang occupied four seats around another, who'd stopped chatting and turned from their meals to look Skye and Ruki up and down after they entered, a couple of creepy grins following. Other tables had teens in extravagant outfits with hardened battle pokémon beside them, most keeping to themselves with their heads down, eating at plates. Skye felt out of place here.
Ruki felt the vibe too and caught a lucario and cranidos eyeing him from across the room by the teens, along with others. This place wasn't the most welcoming, and it was obvious that he and Skye didn't fit in, but Ruki wasn't the type to shy away. He returned the two pokémon's solemn stare with just as much energy. No one here would beat him down, and he wouldn't let them get anywhere near Skye.
The walls were a soft tan, and slow rock reverberated. It looked like a middle-class setting, which wasn't what she expected at a hotel like this. The exterior looked more inviting, but she gave everything a chance. Skye noticed a young man in a black suit with white hair standing by the entrance off to the side, and he spoke after she looked at him.
"Oh, have you come to battle?" he asked.
"Battle?"
"Have you ever been to Seven Stars?"
"No, sorry... This is my first time in Sinnoh."
"Ah, well, while a restaurant, this is also a prime spot for trainers to engage in double battles."
"Oh, well, I'm not–"
"And to have a meal— a free one… you would have to face the owners, Roman and Kylie, in a double battle."
"Huh?" She was taken aback. What kind of restaurant was this? It was starting to sound more like a shady bar. "But, I… I don't have two pokémon." Skye felt something nudge her leg. It was Ruki.
If allowed, he'd take on two opponents for Skye. Ruki had only battled her friends' pokémon as a vulpix. He had no experience as a ninetales and not much in general besides what his mentor and friends taught him back at home, but this was a grand opportunity to gain more.
"Hm. Hold, please." He went through a door at the other end of the restaurant.
Skye watched him disappear and crouched by Ruki. "I don't think we should do this. You need to take it slow since you've just evolved, and I'm not dressed to battle," she said. "We don't need anything for free either, you know?"
"Nin." He still wanted to try. Battling for free food wasn't something to pass up. Plus, he wanted to test himself and impress Skye. She just had to let him.
"Gosh, I don't even have potions…"
The door opened, and Skye stood again when the man approached.
"So, I have good news; the owners said you may still battle them... if you choose."
"Uh." Skye looked down at Ruki, who was giving her eyes that begged for a chance. She pondered, conflicted. "Mh... okay." She sighed. "We'll do it."
He gave a charming smile and motioned with his hand. "Right this way."
She and Ruki were led through the back door, a hot kitchen full of delicious smells, and finally to a decently sized indoor battlefield behind the restaurant. Fake trees and short bushes were planted along the edges, and the floor was a light aqua with white lining separating both sides.
Skye assumed the older man and woman with blue hair on the field were the owners. He wore an open white blazer and blue shirt while she was in a casual white dress with a pink underline.
He walked to her and grinned, "so, you would like to try your hand at battling my fiancé, Kylie, and me, right?"
"Uh, right. We'll try our best," Skye replied. What had Ruki gotten them into?
"Ready when you are." He walked back to where he stood prior.
She took a breath, leaning down to meet Ruki. "Remember, it's two against one. Look back at me if you want to give in," she stated. "I have faith in you. I'm just nervous, you know? This is new to us both."
Ruki nodded but felt confident enough to hold his ground, and if he couldn't, losing was a lesson. It's what his mentor always told him. He walked with Skye to the opposing end of the field and stood some feet in front of her while she backpedaled to give him space. Ruki just hoped the meals here were tasty.
Skye nodded at Roman to signal that she was ready to begin. That's when their adversaries, a girafarig and munchlax, were released beside each other on the field. Skye eyed both pokémon. They didn't look too tough. Maybe this was doable.
Ruki spread his hind legs, lowering his body into an offensive stance while shooting glances at both pokémon as his mentor taught him: 'Stance yourself in a fashion that leaves you ready to act and react.' Ruki would have to look out for two attacks at a time while listening to Skye's every command. That shouldn't be too hard, right? He kept his ears on alert.
"Iron tail!" Roman leaned in and called to his girafarig, bringing his fists up and pointing at Ruki.
His partner took a step forward and smirked," bodyslam and follow up with bite!"
Ruki's eyes followed both pokémon and caught the girafarig preparing to run first as expected; following that was the munchlax readying to, which overwhelmed him already. He wasn't sure what to do in this situation and could use some guidance right about now. His mentor hadn't touched often on two-on-one situations.
"Ruki!..." Skye called to get his attention as the girafarig began to run. She didn't know which direction to call out. She'd have to trust her gut and make a hard read fast. "Uh, R-Ruki, out of the way… To the right!" She leaned over slightly and pointed away. Skye had no battle stance, so she stood almost awkwardly.
He darted to the right, barely keeping his balance and nearly stumbling over his paws. While Ruki managed to dodge the girafarig's rear end and abnormal tail he wanted nowhere near him in record time, he'd thrown himself in the path of a body slam he couldn't react to. Ruki widened his eyes and braced before the munchlax slammed him with its belly. He bounced off and hit the ground on his side, sliding back with a chafe as his fur ran over the pavement and stopping far enough to reset the distance between himself and the munchlax on the field, leaving them at a neutral standpoint.
"Ugh." Skye winced but couldn't dwell on the knockdown and knew Ruki was resilient. He'd get his revenge. "Ruki… get up, dodge, and use ice beam on that munchlax!"
He shook the attack off and was back on all fours in seconds to see the munchlax running at him with its mouth agape. Ruki wasted not a moment preparing the ice beam with his open maw, feeling it press against and cool within a designated sack beside his stomach and and traveling up his chest, aiming at the pokémon that just attacked him. It was a spherical blue aura growing in size over his tongue that crackled while forming.
"Watch for that ice beam!" Kylie called.
Ruki twitched his ear. Wait, he knew what he could do here. Perhaps he could condition the munchlax; that way, he'd know exactly what was coming.
He swayed to the left ever so slightly, turning his head in the same direction as if about to attack, feigning it. The munchlax hopped to the right and threw itself at Ruki face-first, and that was what he hoped for. He'd learned mind games like that in one-on-one situations from his mentor years ago and couldn't believe it worked in a real battle. This was a casual battle, and this munchlax obviously didn't think in layers, but still.
Promptly, he dashed aside and aimed, watching the munchlax munch air and leave itself wide open. He released the frigid thick beam, whiff punishing it effectively. "Ni!" Its recoil slightly pushed Ruki back, and the frozen projectile hit the munchlax point-blank in its face with enough power to knock it over. It didn't faint it but seemed to have done significant damage.
"Nice, Ruki," Skye said under her breath. "Weather ball'll rid of it!" Ice beam was his strongest attack since she had him use it often as a vulpix on top of it being one of the strongest general ones an ice type can use when mastered, with weather ball coming in second and psyshock and ice shard following pertaining to Ruki's moveset.
There was no technical bearing in what moves he knew how to use most effectively, at least on Skye's end. She just had him perform what visually appealed to her back then in battles and during training sessions, and she didn't know the ins and outs of teaching pokémon specific moves. She'd researched a few to teach Ruki, but it sometimes took a week or longer of trial and error for him to catch on and understand how to draw the ability from within his stores— and he sometimes never caught on, resulting in Skye giving up.
However, Ruki's mentor trained him with a competitive mindset and edge, focusing on a group of four moves for Ruki and knew precisely how to teach them to him through years of experience and techniques the internet wouldn't tell her. Under his mentor's direction, Ruki learned moves in a couple of days and became effective at controlling and putting astounding power into them in a couple of more.
Anyway, she didn't want to tire him out by having him repeatedly charge up an attack that could drain him.
Ruki watched the munchlax push itself up off the ground and opened his maw as it did, bringing energy from within and creating a cloudy ball. Since they were indoors, its variation would be normal type.
"Evade that weather ball and take another bite!" Kylie threw her hand up and shouted to her pokémon, then looked over at Roman. "Overwhelm that ninetales. We must attack at the same time."
Roman nodded. "Right." He glared at Ruki, who was focusing on her munchlax and about to attack. "Interrupt with psybeam. Quick!" he ordered his girafarig.
The girafarig opened its mouth and charged the projectile. It sounded like airy static while winding up, the inside of its mouth glowing a bright yellow. It aimed at Ruki's shoulder with a determined glint in its eyes.
Skye caught on quickly and noticed that Ruki hadn't because he was tunneled on that munchlax. He couldn't do that when it was two versus one. "Ruki, look out! Watch both pokémon!"
He was about to shoot but stopped and looked ahead in time to see the start of a yellow beam heading straight at him. Ruki then looked aside and saw that the munchlax had recovered and was lunging to bite him.
"Uhm... u-uh." Skye shifted her feet and held her temple. He could only tank one of those attacks. "Ruki, t-take the bite! Take it and attack the munchlax again!" She needed that pokémon off the field. Ruki had already hurt it. Skye just hoped he wouldn't cancel his weather ball.
With less than a second to react, He held his weather ball and jumped at the munchlax, wincing upon the girafarig's hot beam singing his fur while passing by. Knowing what was coming, Ruki braced and endured a vicious bite to the side of his neck. "Nnh," he grunted as the munchlax's teeth pierced his skin upon it chomping down.
He almost lost his weather ball since he wasn't focused. It started disintegrating, but Ruki reformed it and turned to the munchlax after it spit him out, immediately shooting the sphere at its head and hearing a thud upon impact.
"Lax!" Its head was thrown back by the solid ball, falling and hitting the ground as the attack turned to smoke and vanished.
"Ugh, that was a smart play..." Kylie gritted her teeth and took out her pokéball. Her munchlax was incapacitated. "It's weakened, Roman. You can end this."
"Of course."
Critical hit? Ruki smirked with triumph and wiggled his tails while the munchlax was returned in a split-second flash of white before turning back to Skye for approval with a paw raised. She saw that, right? Maybe he was stronger than he thought. He was loving his new form.
"Ruki, the battle!" She pointed ahead. Skye didn't want to take his attention from what was important. There was time for praise later.
Okay, okay. She was right. Rookie mistake. He set his paw on the ground and looked back to see the girafarig preparing to strike a second time. He missed its trainer call the attack, so he didn't know what it was until the pokémon darted at him abruptly.
"Zen headbutt, Ruki. Dodge that! Dodge it!"
That would be easier to do if he was prepared for a zen headbutt. Ruki did his best and attempted to roll to his left, but as he started to, the girafarig slammed headfirst into Ruki's.
"Arig!" Their heads connecting with such force made a loud, dull, shallow crack. It sounded twice as brutal compared to the weather ball fainting the munchlax.
And the impact caused Ruki's chin to hit the ground below him. His hind legs were forced upward as he slid back before collapsing, his tails hitting the floor.
"F-uck…" Skye gasped underneath a concerned exhale and covered her mouth after seeing him take such a horrifying knockdown. She lowered her hand and took a step forward but stopped herself. "Ruki?" She had nothing to give him. Her potion was in her backpack.
His eyes were winced shut, teeth clenched, and his breathing stuttered while he trembled. Ruki had never been hit that hard before. "Ssntales..." Arceus, he really should have been paying attention. His head was spinning— throbbing, but he had more left in him.
Ruki slid his paw out in front of him and pressed it onto the ground until he found it in himself to get up. He opened his eye, keeping the other shut as everything was out of focus and distorted, including Skye's voice. He stood slowly, his legs shaking, and stumbled to the side before somewhat regaining his balance and composure.
Skye needed this to end, preferably with a conscious Ruki. She could stop the battle and spare her boy the pain, which tempted her, but she knew he wanted this. It was his first true battle as a ninetales in a new region. Skye knew he'd be a wreck if she took that from him. "Ruki… Ruki, ice shard! Use ice shard!" The problem was that he counted on her, and she was just as new to battling, so her decisions may not be ideal.
He heard a muffled feminine voice, which had to be Skye. Ice shard, she said. Ruki opened his mouth enough to form several sharp crystals emitting a frosty smoke. He somewhat made out the girafarig in front of him and tried his best to aim them.
Ruki's unstable movements kept his opponent guessing, and a second later, he expelled five solid pieces of flash-frozen ice in a spread-out manner.
The girafarig braced and was pelted by three of them, making it flinch. However, it still stood and was ordered to use psychic. It gave a sly smile, knowing this ninetales was through after barely surviving the headbutt. It was easy to tell that Ruki was a newbie.
Skye knew that was virtually undodgeable. Ruki would have to take it and retaliate with something more robust. "You can do it, Ruki," she whispered. "F-Finish with another ice beam!" She'd commanded him to use ice shard first because he was recovering and didn't have to be as accurate with it, but ice beam may have been a better call since it could have fainted the girafarig if Ruki landed it.
Ruki's vision had fallen back into place for the most part. A pink aura came toward and sat over him, mesmerizing to look at, almost, but it wouldn't help his headache. It encompassed him for several excruciating seconds, an intense migraine plaguing him. "N-Nnhn..." He tensed and shut his eyes while it pounded his head and threatened to faint him. He swayed on his paws, quivering and fighting to stay conscious until it faded, leaving him dizzier than before and resetting his vision. His eyes felt like they'd pop out of their sockets.
"End this with a double kick!" Roman called with a smirk, looking to finish Ruki off.
Skye's heart dropped. That would end this battle if it landed. She started to panic and raised her hands, clenching her fists. "Ruki, p-please, ice beam!" She didn't want them to lose. They couldn't. Ruki was too close, and it would kill her to watch him get knocked unconscious after enduring so much.
Ruki shook his head and, through muzzy vision, saw an out-of-focus pokémon darting at him. He dropped his jaw and half-charged an ice beam on the fly, waiting for his opponent to get close as he couldn't aim reliably in his current state.
The girafarig hopped and turned around in mid-air, raising its back leg and kicking Ruki between the eyes. A resounding echo of hoof hitting skull was heard throughout the room, making Skye want to scream— but before it could deliver the second one, it was hit in the chest and pushed back by forceful cold impact at point-blank, increasing its effectiveness.
"R-Ri." Its eyes widened, and its back hit the ground while it spun out, making it arch in response with gritted teeth and winced eyes.
"Impossible..." Roman muttered and peered at Ruki. How was this ninetales still standing? It had to be on its last breath. Surely all it would take was a sneeze to faint it.
"Double team..." Kylie whispered while watching and turned to Roman. "Roman, order double team. After zen headbutt, psychic, and a kick to the cranium, that snowflake has to be seeing double."
"Hm..." He nodded. "Good idea. Let's wrap this up."
"Nnts..." Ruki groaned deeply and fell onto his side with a thud, huffing and having trouble breathing after taking another hefty blow to the head. His limbs jerked from unbearable pain and shock.
Skye gritted her teeth and put her arm over her head. She wanted to run to him again. There was no way she could be a trainer. How did they watch their babies take constant abuse? "Ruki, y-you have to get up and ice beam one more time! Please get up, baby!" She knew ice beam was a gamble in his current state, but it was their last hope. Ruki could take no more. "He'll land it... Come on."
He knew the longer he lay there, the more the girafarig would recover. Ruki attempted bringing himself up multiple times to no avail. He stumbled and fell repeatedly, but after his fourth try, he got up slowly and spread his legs enough to keep himself standing, though he barely could at this point and felt as if he'd pass out at any moment.
His head drooped, his eye was closed, and his paws slipped, but he had to faint that girafarig. He had to.
Roman put one foot forward. "Hurry! Use double team and follow with psybeam!" he shouted. He could have commanded his girafarig only to psybeam, but as his lovely wife had stated, the additional mind game would aid after how heavily their pokémon shook up that ninetales.
Ruki saw his opponent glow and create a clone of itself, and it was beyond difficult to decipher which was real while disoriented and on the edge of fainting.
Skye let her arms fall beside her and watched the scene in silence. She had nothing. She had no more orders for Ruki, no more help. He just had to win. It was up to him to land one more ice beam on the correct girafarig.
Ruki went on to create another weak ice beam as the girafarig started charging a powerful psybeam. He'd shoot first. The girafarig must be confident in its double. He barely aimed his attack, shooting a thin, cold beam from his mouth at the girafarig standing on the right and nearly falling over from its recoil. The girafarig dodged it at first, meaning Ruki guessed correctly, but he couldn't allow that, and just before the beam disintegrated, he slightly repositioned his aim and hit the girafarig with enough of the attack to knock it over.
Ruki fainted.
He opened his eyes and looked around confusedly until they found Skye sitting in front of him. His headache was gone entirely.
"You did it." She spoke tenderly as he'd just finished a tiresome battle and reached to place her hand on top of his head. "Roman gave you a max revive. You're fine now," Skye grinned. She had to admit she was surprised Ruki outplayed and took out both pokémon in his new form, but she knew of his will and capability. He and Skye also had good chemistry, although it was clear they were amateurs.
Roman had gone into the kitchen to break the news to the chefs after the battle. He approached Skye from behind after a few minutes. "As promised, you've earned your free seven-course meal. Your pokémon is well trained."
Skye stood and turned to him. "S-Seven course?"
He nodded. "That's the reward." Technically, the battle's result was a tie, as both Ruki and the girafarig had fainted simultaneously, but Roman was impressed by Ruki's performance and accomplishment. He was a ninetales with potential.
That would be the most food she'd ever receive in one sitting, but Ruki deserved it for his performance. "Is there a way we could take it to go?"