~{Author's Pre-Notes}~
(A Mimikyu stands in the middle of a black and red distorted-looking subway, wearing a black coat and white mask over its eyes as black distorted masses wearing several masks wander about in the distance.)
Dear god... To think the day I returned would be the day right before the next school year officially starts once again. Man, it's been a while...
(Starts sparkling innocently)
And I'm not apologizing for it! Granted, I know, it's been a long time since the last update, about ten months, to be exact. And the reason why is actually pretty simple, I ended up kinda losing myself in the new ideas I made into new fics in addition to trying to enjoy my school-free break the best I can. I'm sure readers of my other fics (at least on ArchiveOfOurOwn and ) know that I ended up kinda going into a spiral from danmachi, or as it's actually called, 'Is It Wrong To Pick Up Girls in A Dungeon' (yes, that name is exactly what you'd expect), and ended up making and primarily updating those two fics around that anime because of my passion for it and the huge support it received.
Sorry, not sorry.
But I do admit, I did put off this fic more than the others over time, and part of that is because I actually had no idea what direction to take the next chapter, but now I'm here!
Thank you all for still being readers despite my absolute mess of inconsistency; I hope you all enjoy this chapter!
(One of the large, vaguely humanoid mass shadows with masks sees him and an exclamation mark pops up before he charges.)
Uh oh, that's my cue!
(Grabs mask)
Come, JACK FROST!
(Tears off mask and bursts into blue flames.)
"Hee-ho!"
Answered Comments (Oldest to most recent):
Madko Ota Sanchez V2: Thanks for the comment Madko. I don't think I'll be mentioning Scarlet or Violet nor terrastilization unless if it's the off chance that I miraculously finish this fic and either start a new one or have Victor go to Paldea.
chimchar14: Lol, Victor just runs into Cynthia and is just like 'Please kick my ass! Figuratively, of course.' Because gaining the opportunity to fight a champion is so cool to him.
ninfamespinal: Well guess whaaaaaaaat? :D
nexusplayer: Victor's team has already been decided by me, now it's just a matter of introducing the remaining two.
~{Northern Stony Wilderness}~
Victor sped through the wet fields of the Wild Area, appearing as a blur of pink and red electricity sparking across the terrain, causing the many Pokemon in the vicinity to glance in shock as the shape passed by. To the left of him was Ace, who was matching him quite well in speed. Above them, Twilight soared in the sky with Midori riding on top of him, expertly gliding through the air and easily keeping up with their companions on the ground. As for Tesla, he remained sleeping peacefully in Victor's backpack despite his increased speed, the rocking motions of his movements actually helping the bug Pokemon snooze away.
It had been over an hour since the boy's meeting with Colress, and he spent most of it running steadily with his newfound ability that he opted to call 'Dynaboosting.'
Not very original, but it was simple to say and still sounds a little cool despite its simplicity. Or at least, that's how it is in Victor's eyes.
Regardless, Victor did learn a few other things about Dynaboosting as he used it to traverse the wilds better. One, while he knew he could gain a massive amount of Watts of Dynamax energy from Raid Dens by fighting the Dynamax Pokemon there, he could also still get a decent amount of Watts just by going by the entrance with his outstretched hand holding his Dynamax Band. Granted, it wasn't a significant recharge like how it had been when fighting that Dynamax Togepi, but it still felt like he got a good amount from it.
Second, while using Dynaboosting improved Victor's strength and speed overall, the current amount of it he was continuously using only really allowed him to match the basic capabilities of base-state Pokemon or the weaker evolved ones, as despite using Dynaboosting to help speed him up through the fields, Ace was still able to match it naturally without much trouble. But then again, that might be because a Raboot's base speed numeric-wise is ninety-four, which is pretty fast for a second-base-form Pokemon.
But the new source of speed he's getting is still great, as he doesn't have to use short-burst moves like Agility to increase it! Not to mention, using Pokemon moves to increase his abilities tends to cut out more of his stamina, so having an alternative that takes less of it is perfect!
The boost of overall power to his body also helps to mitigate a significant weakness he has, and that's his human limitations. His mother had always said that because he's primarily human, he's unable to completely replicate the natural strength and power Pokemon have, even if Slaking DNA had somewhat enhanced his body.
After all, since he doesn't have the same natural body attribute, or 'typing,' as any of the moves he uses, none get any of the same-type attack bonuses, or S.T.A.B., like regular Pokemon would get when they use a move that matches their type. And even ignoring S.T.A.B., Victor's attacks have always had a weaker base power than the average Pokemon that uses them.
But thanks to this new development with Dynamax Energy, he's now found a way to close the gap between him and the standard, naturally more powerful Pokemon! And the gap will only close faster as he learns to push more Dynamax Energy into his body at once to further power himself up.
So, to put it simply, Dynaboosting is awesome!
Victor pushed another surge of Dynamax Energy through his body, granting him a burst of speed as he ran atop a large, sloped landscape rock, leaping off the peak and soaring through the air.
"YAHOOOOOOO!"
He flew at a grand height not possible for an average human, even having to clutch the precious beanie on his head as he descended toward another diagonally sloped stone pointing upward at him.
This one was perfect, as its angle and wetness from the previous night's rain allowed Victor to land and slide down the slope on his feet, to which he slid onto the grass of the Stony Wilderness and continued to run from there.
"This feels great!" The boy laughed as Ace came up beside him. "It's like I've got heat pads all over me!"
"Boot! Boot!" Ace came to his side as they ran, shaking a fist (paw?) at him with glaring eyes.
"Oh, don't worry Ace! There's usually a lot less people in the Northern Wild Area at this time since most trainers don't even make it past Kabu. And Twilight has a birds-eye view of the place to let me know if he sees anyone. You know how good the eyes of a bird pokemon with the Keen Eye ability are!" Victor reassured his Pokemon.
Ace just shook his head disapprovingly but said nothing else as the group kept their pace through the expansive fields of the Wild Area, passing by all kinds of water Pokemon still out after the recent storm.
Besides a few short stops to rest and restock water, Victor and his group had been running for nearly an hour, traveling through the terrain faster than anyone on foot could without any Pokemon to help. And it seemed that cut of time had them finally nearing the next area of their adventure even before the sun had a chance to start setting.
Seeing a clearer image of caramel colors ahead, Victor jumped atop one boulder before hopping to another, taller rock. He landed at the flat top surface and put a flat hand over his eyes, squinting them as he saw the mass amounts of sandy terrain forming ahead.
They then fully opened as he stood up straight and pointed forward.
"There it is boys! The Dusty Bowl, just up ahead!" He declared.
Ace landed beside him on the large piece of rock while Twilight started flapping in place beside him, Midori peeking over the Pokemon's head.
"Like I said before with the others, it should take about three days to go through the desert and arrive at the Giant's Cap!"
He grinned and pumped a fist.
"Buuuuuuuut, that was before I learned Dynaboosting! I honestly think we might be able to get through it all in just one day if we keep moving!"
"Boot? Raboot?" Ace motioned his hand towards the desert ahead, to which Victor shook his head.
"No, let's not go in yet. It's already about six in the afternoon, so it'll be turning night soon. We should camp out and head out in the morning."
Ace raised an eyebrow. "Raboot?"
Victor looked down in thought, putting his hand on his chin.
"I mean, we could try traveling through the entire way right now through the night, but I think attempting that will be a little counterproductive. Traveling for a full twenty-four hours is gonna be tough. I'd rather we stock up now and get a good night's rest before heading out. I can deal with some heat if we travel in the morning, how about you guys?"
"Cor." "Boot." Both Ace and Twilight nodded that it'd be fine.
"Mm... Kirl?" Midori gave a half-unsure gesture, for he had never gone anywhere so hot before.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you! The Dusty Bowl doesn't actually get that hot or cold despite it technically being a desert! It's rather small for one and surrounded by green land and rivers, after all. It's the vague bowl shape made from the surrounding higher elevated areas like the Giant's Cap that have caused it to become dry, hence the name. But besides the occasional rare smoldering heat, the most it can feel is like going out on a hot summer day."
"Kirl?" Midori seemed surprised by this but also relieved.
"Yup, so let's set up camp and head out tomorrow morning to try setting a new record of traveling through the Dusty Bowl on foot!" Victor declared, earning voices of acknowledgment from his Pokemon.
And so, whatever daylight was left was used to build his tent by a lake and set up a small campfire, where he then proceeded to start heating a pot of curry.
Victor let the curry gently simmer while he was seated on a rock in front of it, looking down at a picture of a young Sonia winking at the camera.
"She really does look happy," he mumbled, noting how expressive the girl on her old league card was with her Pokemon surrounding her.
Speaking of which.
"Hopefully all that happiness returns when I bring back her Pokemon. I already got Ariel already, so there's just two more..."
Victor flipped the card over and looked at Sonia's old team. Her Yamper was with his trainer, Ariel was waiting at the Lake Of Outrage, so that left two Pokemon left for him to find.
"A female Meowstic, and a Ninetails..."
Unlike the primarily dark blue colors with a touch of white of the male, cat-like Constraint Pokemon, the female Meowsitc was the inverse, with predominantly white colors with some dark blue parts. Also, while a male Meowstic had green eyes with light blue scleras, the female had red eyes with yellow scleras.
As for Ninetails, it looked as much like Kabu's as it did any other one, with its golden-white fur and beautiful numerous tails behind it. However, compared to other Ninetails, the fluffy crest on the head of Sonia's had visibly apparent red streaks in it. Quite the clear distinction to it that Victor could only hope there were still signs of to this day to make finding her easier.
Sadly, the same couldn't be said for Sonia's Meowstic, which had no unique traits to differentiate it from all the others.
"Snow White and Rapunzel." Victor adorably smiled as he read the respective nicknames noted for Meowstic and Ninetails, recalling how Nessa told him how Sonia had named her Pokemon based on iconic fairy tale princesses of the past. "I wonder if she'll keep up the trend if she ever decides to rejoin the gym challenge and fill out her team." He chuckled.
Victor then pulled out his Rotom Phone and searched up the habitats of both Pokemon.
"Ninetails, most likely to be found... in the Lake Of Outrage during intense sunlight? And for a female Meowstic, either at Route 7 or during foggy weather at... the Dusty Bowl?"
Victor's eyes widened at the prospect of finding both Pokemon on the path he planned to follow, but then he closed them with a sigh. He couldn't get his hopes up and expect to magically encounter both Pokemon in these locations. All the Pokedex told him is that these are the more favorable habitats of these Pokemon, and not only is it not guaranteed that he'll even see one of their species, but there'll be an even smaller chance of him finding Snow White and Rapunzel.
And... even if it was the case that these two spent their time around these areas, with the time that's passed and the ones who must've wished to find a Ninetails and Meowstic of their own going here, isn't there a chance that someone had captured them already?
Victor frowned at the prospect, as he hadn't even considered it before. Are both of Sonia's Pokemon already with new trainers? Are they happy enough where they are to this day?
Well... He'll get to that when it comes.
"Boot." Ace, who was on another rock across the pot of curry, got Victor's attention as he pointed at the slightly shaking pot.
"Whoops! We don't want that burning!" He shot up from his seat and out the fire with a weak Water Gun from his palms, to which he then lifted the lid off the pot and let its aroma waft the area.
The moment he did, his backpack on the side opened to reveal Tesla with flashing eyes. Twilight and Midori reacted similarly, swerving their heads from stargazing as their eyes seemed to become stars themselves.
"Alright, dinner is served!" Their trainer grinned.
Unbeknownst to the boy, as he and his companions started digging in, the smell of food flowed with the night breeze, its scent catching the noses of several Pokemon not far away, their pupils shrinking as an animalistic hunger overtook them.
It was when Victor finished his first plate that he realized that something was off, mainly from noticing how Ace's rabbit ears twitched as he narrowed his eyes. Similarly, Tesla abruptly stopped scarfing down food and sharply turned his head as if being warned by some sort of sixth sense.
And having the thought reminded Victor that he technically has such a thing.
"This is a perfect time to use Aura again."
So he closed his eyes with a deep breath.
"Alright, just like you did yesterday during the storm..."
Clearing his mind and drowning out all sound, the world darkened around Victor before a blue pulse emitted from him and spread around the area, projecting every shape and object in sight, whether moving or not.
He detected the Aura of several types of Pokemon that had gathered in a circular pattern around their camp, all creeping stealthily toward them, their intentions obvious.
Victor's eyes shot open with a sharp gaze.
"Looks like we've got company."
Twilight raised his head from his given plate, narrowing his eyes as he caught sight of movement in the grass. As for Midori, he immediately jumped from his seat on the ground and made his best determined, angry face he could like his companions, but his natural baby face and the curry around his mouth just made him look adorable.
Not that Victor was focused on that, for he stood up and stepped right next to the pot of leftover curry, knowing that it must be the gathering Pokemons' end goal.
"Oi, we know you're out there!" He called them out, hoping they would show themselves and allow an alternative solution rather than continuing their plan to sneak attack him.
All seemed to go still for a moment before several types of Pokemon emerged from the grass surrounding them.
A few Scraggys, several Impidimps, and several more Zigzagoons all emerged with hungry expressions and a hint of savagery in their eyes.
And showing up taller than the rest at nearly five feet, a Grimmsnarl emerged between all the Pokemon, evidently their leader.
"Dark Type Pokemon... The typing to be reported most likely to cause mischief or problems with others... which, I don't know, sounds kinda racist if you think about it." He sweatdropped.
Victor's own Pokemon gathered around him while the wild ones seemed to try and subtly close their circle upon them. So before a fight broke out, he put his hand out in a halting gesture.
"Wait!"
His sudden cry made everyone pause.
"Look, I know you're all here for the food." He started, motioning at the pot behind him. "I'd even be willing to share it along with some of the berries we've stocked up on. We honestly don't have too much but we can share what we can and try to find alternatives for you as well. Just calm down and back up, please."
However, rather than seeming to appease the Pokemon, their eyes just grew crazed at the prospect of eating an abundance of berries in addition to the meal in front of them.
Victor grimaced, seeing what the group was thinking from their faces alone, especially when the Pokemon turned to the Grimsnarl, who gave them the order to get ready.
"Sorry, but if you're planning to attack us then... we'll have to fight back."
But he was going to give them one last warning. He did so by using Dynaboosting to send out an abrupt boost of power outward, lighting up in pink and red from the electricity sparking around him.
The eyes of all the surrounding wild Pokemon widened as they instinctively backed up, feeling how... unnatural the human in front of them was. And yet, this shock only lasted for a moment, for as another draft of Victor's curry spread through the area, it returned their determination to get it.
"Snarl!" So Grimsnarl pointed forward with a battle cry, prompting all the Pokemon to rush in simultaneously.
They made their choice, and as much as it pains Victor to fight a group that was simply starving, he had warned them.
And hey, he won't hurt them too badly.
~{Hammerlocke}~
Sonia... isn't entirely sure how she ended up here.
Sitting in orange nightwear on a purple couch of a neat and spacious hotel room, she stared blankly while the Cynthia herself sat right next to her, wearing her purple-colored sleeping gown while holding... more ice cream, eating it from the very tub with a spoon.
"Mmmm, MM~!" The champion moaned in delight before swallowing, then licking her lips as she looked down at the treat in her lap. "This new flavor really is delicious! I'm so glad I bought a tub of it!"
Trying to rack her brain on how she ended up in Cynthia's hotel room, Sonia thought back to earlier in the day. After Looker had left and Cynthia had dragged her away, the two had spent nearly the entire afternoon traversing from ice cream shop to ice cream shop, searching for the fabled new flavor the blonde was looking for, but not without still trying so many other flavors within each shop.
Sonia had gotten completely swept up in the Sinnoh champion's mood, for her love of sweets and Cynthia's bright personality had overpowered her coherent thoughts. The two had laughed and traveled through Hammerlocke together as if knowing each other for their entire lives. No ancient ruins were mentioned, nothing archeologically related was said, and there weren't even any mentions of Pokemon battling; it was simply the two of them having fun, that was it.
Not that hanging out with Cynthia was bad! Far from it! It actually feels like all the times she had hung out with Nessa, just two friends smiling as they appreciated each other's company.
But still, she had somehow gotten wholly swept up in accepting Cynthia's offer to stay at her hotel as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Was this just the natural charisma of a champion?
How dangerous...
And now that she's thinking about it, Victor is sort of the same, isn't he? So innocent and carefree, yet more mature than he lets on, with a joyful personality like Cynthia's that has the potential to completely drag people with him even without meaning to do so.
"How dangerous... That boy is gonna grow up to be quite the man..." Sonia thought, remembering just how bright his smile could be.
She was suddenly brought out of her thoughts by a finger poking her chin.
"Whatcha thinking about?" Cynthia, who had noticed Sonia lost in her thoughts with a happy face, cheekily smiled at her. "A guy?"
Oh god, she's even doing the whole 'girl talk' thing she and Nessa sometimes do whenever one sleeps over with the other. She just hoped it wouldn't also derive into the two getting drunk and taking jabs at each other about their lack of love life...
"Technically you aren't wrong, but it's not in the way you think." Sonia huffed. "I just thought... you're kinda like Victor."
"Oho? Such high praise for me, comparing me to a boy you're so fond of~." Cynthia teased.
But Sonia rolled her eyes. She's had enough of this from both the boy's mom and Nessa during that time the two had met in the Turffield cake shop.
"Oh yes, he's sooooooo perfect and soooooo dreamy. I'm just waiting for him to sweep me off my feet." She fake-swooned in an exaggerative voice, even wiping her forehead with an arm.
Cynthia laughed and leaned herself against the armrest of her couch.
"Good to know you've got such a wonderful prince charming, princess. Tell me about him. Is he really as good at Pokemon battles as people are making him out to be?"
Sonia nodded, relaxing. "Apparently. I've been keeping tabs on him and his friends, Gloria and Hop, since they were endorsed by Leon. I know them personally, but it's actually Victor I know about the most because of all the times his mom told me about him to get me interested in taking him."
Cynthia processed those last words with a blink.
"Wait, what-?"
"But actually meeting him-" Sonia moved on. "-you can tell he's a really nice boy with a gentle aura. Apparently, his mom taught him everything he knows about Pokemon and battling, so it doesn't surprise me that he's good at it. He's got the smarts to take him far, but he doesn't try to turn a Pokemon battle into some absurd calculation like most mathematically intelligent battlers do. Or at least that's the feeling I got when I watched his battles; he's... got a lot of heart." She finished, smiling fondly.
Cynthia ate another spoonful of ice cream before using the utensil between her fingers to nonchalantly point at her new friend.
"Sounds like you can tell quite a lot about trainers. You have your fair share of battles?"
At that, Sonia awkwardly chuckled.
"I suppose so... I did take on the gym challenge myself when I was younger. But that was years ago."
Cynthia's eyes brightened in interest.
"Did you now? How far did you get?"
Sonia shamefully looked away.
"I... I made it to Opal before um... yeah."
Rather than the flat look Sonia had expected from the champion, the woman gave her an impressed hum.
"Wow, so you're actually pretty good?"
"Huh?" Sonia turned back to her in surprise before raising her hands in denial. "N-No, I wouldn't say I'm good! I just..."
Cynthia cut her off. "Hey, from what I heard, most people don't even get past Kabu, and that rate drops even more with Bea! So you should be proud of yourself, Sonia!"
She placed her now empty tub of ice cream on the coffee table in front of them, now fully attentive toward the woman.
"I'm not sure what made you stop before, but I'd love to see what you can do! Maybe I can even give you a few tips?"
Contrary to the excited joy Cynthia expected to see at the prospect of training with her, she received a sad, reminiscing smile, where Sonia's hands balled together on her lap.
"I... Sorry, but I can't do battles anymore..."
Cynthia's smile fell to a neutral look.
"Oh... Why is that?"
Sonia once more turned her head away in shame.
"My team isn't with me anymore."
Cynthia gasped.
"Oh Arceus, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean-"
"Er, wait, sorry, it's not that they died." Sonia quickly corrected with a forced chuckle. "I just... I let them go."
"You released them?" Cynthia's eyes widened. "But... why? I can't even imagine how hard that must've been for you."
Sonia sighed as she leaned back on the couch, head looking straight up at the ceiling.
"I was in a rough place at the time, getting a few losses that had really gotten to me... I ended up deciding to drop out of the Gym Challenge because... Well, it just felt like it wasn't ever enough. Not my Pokemon, but just me."
She anxiously rubbed her hands together.
"I didn't think I was a good enough trainer for them. And because I had decided to succeed my grandmother as a Pokemon assistant... I don't know; I guess I just thought they'd be better off finding better lives or better trainers than staying with me."
There was a pause of melancholy silence between the two, with Cynthia breaking it.
"So rather than not believing in your Pokemon, you didn't believe in yourself?" She sighed in understanding. "Everyone has bad days, Sonia. Even I had a time when my win rate pretty much crashed. But I think you beat yourself up too much over this..."
"You think I don't know that?" Sonia groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I was just an immature kid that got really emotional easily, so I probably wasn't right in the head when I let them go."
"...do you regret it?"
A nod.
"Every day..."
"And... you've never tried looking for them?" Cynthia asked hesitantly.
She didn't expect the voice-cracking laugh of anguish Sonia gave, and even though the apprentice Pokemon professor turned away, the Sinnoh Champion could tell she was trying not to cry.
"You think I never did? It hadn't taken me long to realize how stupid I was being, but I had unknowingly released my Pokemon when the Gym Challenge was at its peak, with everyone out in the Wild Area trying to better their teams or make new ones... So whether they had hidden out of sight or had gotten captured, I-I never found them..."
Sonia buried her face in her hands, suppressing a sob.
"I wished I never let them go! I wished I had never betrayed them like that! But I guess it's just like that old saying... you don't know what you have until it's gone, and I've got no one to blame but myself..."
Cynthia remained quiet as the ginger finally finished releasing her frustrations, letting her start calming herself down with a look of sympathy. A few moments later, the champion scooted next to the assistant professor and gently patted her back.
"You went through a lot, haven't you?"
She received a shake of disagreement. "No... I just made some stupid decisions because I kept looking down on myself..." Sonia sighed, quelling the tears that had threatened to come out.
"I'm sorry I can't say much to make you feel better, but you can't do anything about it now. You could only really hope that you're Pokemon are happy... wherever they are." Cynthia whispered.
Sonia gave a slight nod, sniffling.
"I just hope the others don't make the same mistake I did..." She suddenly stopped, realizing something before forming a small smile. "Well... I won't have to worry about Victor doing it, at least... I can't see that guy ever losing his fire."
That brought a smile of relief to Cynthia, seeing her new friend cheer up a bit.
"I've only ever heard you say good things about him; you must really think he's special, don't you?"
Sonia chuckled.
"Yeah. I don't actually know why... Maybe it's the way he wears his heart on his sleeve? He also tends to just say whatever he's thinking, but it's always nice things while holding some tact. He's just a really good kid."
Cynthia crossed a leg over the other, smirking.
"You should introduce me to him once he shows up to Hammerlocke. I'd like to meet him myself."
That had Sonia turn to her with a flat look.
"So you can 'bully' him into his first loss?"
"Hey! Don't you say that too!" Cynthia recoiled, scandalized. "I just tend to teach trainers a thing or two! Give them a few eye-openers and making sure they don't get full of themselves, you know!?"
Sonia snorted. "While Victor is confident, he isn't even close to arrogant. He's smart and studies a lot about many aspects of Pokemon and matchups, so I doubt he'd ever lose easily. And even if he does lose, he'd probably just accept the loss and immediately move on to how to improve from it."
"You realize that just makes me want to battle him more, right?" Cynthia grinned, part of her wanting to watch the boy grow as a trainer.
"Well, I can't stop you, and if anything, he'd probably be glad to fight you too. Just... you know, maybe take it easy on him?" Sonia sweatdropped.
"I'll see what I can do." Cynthia innocently smiled.
That didn't reassure Sonia in the slightest.
*Bzzzzz! Bzzzzz! Incoming call!*
"Hm?"
Sonia grabbed her Rotom phone from the table, checking the screen before smiling.
"Oh, it's Nessa!"
"The water-type Gym Leader for Galar, right?" Cynthia piped in interest. "That's right... I didn't ask, but you sounded like you knew her personally when I mentioned the media's rumors about her and Victor being together." She said, earning an awkward chuckle from Sonia at the reminder. "Are you two friends?"
"We are! Besties, actually! I think you'd love to meet her! She actually really enjoys sweets too!"
"Oho? I think I like her already." Cynthia beamed as Sonia happily answered the call.
"Hi Nessa! How are you-?"
*SONIA! THE MEDIA IS CALLING ME A CRADLE-ROBBER!* Nessa's voice screeched through the phone.
Cynthia choked on air while Sonia recoiled.
"Hah..." The latter sweatdropped as incoherent ranting leaked through the shaking device. "Looks like she saw those articles about her and Victor..."
A look of understanding came from Cynthia.
"Yeah, it's not easy being an icon..." She sighed.
"That sounds like it's coming from personal experience."
Cynthia. Sighed.
"Poison Jab!"
With his arm glowing purple, Victor shot forward and thrust his fist right into the Grimmsnarl's chest, the Pokemon seeming to distort from the blow as it released a wheeze.
It almost seemed like the blow had suddenly slowed the world, only for the Pokemon to be abruptly shot back like a bullet.
Several wounded Impidimps and Zigzagoons watched as their leader was sent so many meters away, only stopping as it crashed into a boulder with a cloud of dust exploding from the impact. Fear filled their eyes as they realized just how out of their league they were, with the mysterious human's display of power and all the second-stage Pokemon that were quickly able to overwhelm them even without instructions from their trainer.
"Zag!" One of the Zigzagoons shouted, prompting all the other dark-type Pokemon to retreat, scattering in all directions.
Victor let them go with a disappointed stare.
It wasn't like he couldn't understand what they wanted. If anything, it seemed clear that food significantly influenced many conflicts between Pokemon in the Wild Area.
But had it really gotten so bad that they'd try to mercilessly ravish others for all they're worth? Or have the more powerful, organized Pokemon in the Wild Area simply learned to be crueler in order to gain what they wanted?
Either way, it didn't change that Victor had no choice but to fend them off. Hopefully, it'd get them to consider not attacking others anymore...
He sighed before glancing back at his camp.
"Is everyone okay? Anyone need healing?"
Victor received shaking heads from all his Pokemon, bringing him some relief. Besides the Grimmsnarl, all the other Pokemon hadn't even been that strong, but that didn't mean Victor wouldn't be a little worried for his own Pokemon after each fight.
"Okay, clearly we have to be more careful about camping out. There's no telling just how many groups of wild Pokemon will try their luck like those guys..."
Victor pointed at Twilight.
"Twilight! You're a night owl, right?"
The Pokemon confusingly tilted his head.
"I mean that you tend to stay up at night, right?"
A nod of confirmation.
"Good! Then could you keep watch while everyone else sleeps? Just wake me up when you get tired and I'll take your place."
"Cor."
So the group proceeded to get ready for the night, putting away the remaining curry and cleaning up the few items that had been knocked over during the fight.
And for the entire time, despite being alert and Twilight's sharp eyes scanning the area, none could see someone standing far off in the distance, a man standing on the edge of some of the cliffs near Motostoke, watching from afar.
The tall, thin young man wore a white, mid-sleeved shirt with a black shirt underneath, skinny beige pants, cider green shoes, and a black and white cap to finish his attire. In his hands were binoculars that he looked through as his long, tea-green hair, done in a ponytail that gently flayed with the wind.
"Hm..."
"Noi! Noi!"
The Noibat on top of the man's head chirped out happily.
The man finally lowered his binoculars from his eyes, revealing a pair of grayish-green eyes, eyes that looked curious yet serene.
The man set his binoculars aside before reaching up and gently grabbing the Pokemon from his head, holding him into his arms with a smile.
"I see that you're quite fond of him, aren't you?"
"Noi!" The Noibat nodded.
The man then glanced at the several Pokemon surrounding him, all of the Pokemon that the boy of his interest had helped during the previous day's storm, including the other Noibat and Impidimp saved from the tree trunk they had been stranded on.
"A boy with a gift no human should have, but uses it regardless for the sake of others..."
It had been surprising for the man to learn from these Pokemon that another could understand them so perfectly. But then that surprise had turned to horror when he heard that the boy holds powers no average person should. He knows that there are people in the world who have supernatural abilities, such as telekinesis. But this? From what he's seen from the boy so far? This is something completely different and unnatural.
And it's on someone so young...
Could... Could he have been a product of experimental grooming? Raised for the sake of becoming what he is now?
He doesn't like this; he doesn't like this one bit...
It had his scent all over it.
"Noi?"
The man blinked from his thoughts as he looked down at the Noibat in his arms, finding it looking up at him rather worriedly.
He gave it a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. And I have no intentions of doing anything to him."
A flash of relief came to the Noibat before it tilted its head curiously.
"Noi? Bat?"
"As of now...? Nothing." The man softly breathed. "I don't intend to make any moves until Team Rocket makes theirs. If I go and introduce myself to him now, then someone I know can learn that I'm here... Because of all the reasons they'd risk being here in Galar, I can't think of anything but that boy, so they must be trying to watch him, too."
"Noi." The Pokemon corrected.
"Victor?" The man blinked before chuckling. "Victor... So that's his name."
He raised his head and gazed off into the distance at the small ball of light that was the fire of the boy's campsite, watching it until it was put out moments later, making the area practically disappear in darkness.
"I will watch him from afar as he and his Pokemon grow. Team Rocket cannot get their hands on him. And if he's as pure of heart as you've all stated, then perhaps with his abilities... he can help in making the world a better place, for people and for Pokemon."
The man fully turned around in confidence.
"Isn't that right, Zekrom?"
Just to the side, the large rocks shadowed a Pokemon's towering figure, its glowing red eyes piercing the darkness.
~{Dusty Bowl-The Next Day}~
"Are you guys okay!?"
"BOOT!"
"I know, Ace! I know! But how was I supposed to predict that a sandstorm would hit us when it was supposed to be sunny here!?"
As Victor had said, he and his merry group had woken up early and had proceeded to start the trip through the Dusty Bowl, having checked the weather to see that it'd be relatively sunny throughout the whole day in that area.
But of course, a sudden sandstorm just had to hit him and his group, leaving them trekking through the dense area that only the surrounding ground-type Pokemon like Hippopotases and Shuckles can genuinely enjoy.
As for Victor, he could already feel the grains of the desert getting into his clothes, and he was barely avoiding them from violating his face thanks to the cloth tightly wrapped around his head. But even then, he had to hold a hand forward to keep it from getting into his eyes.
"Ugh! I can't believe I'm saying this since I wanted to come here, but I think I don't like sand! It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere!"
Ace and Midori, who were forcefully pushing forward behind him, deadpanned.
But Victor paid them no mind as he squinted and looked slightly above him.
"Are you doing alright, Twilight!?"
"COR!"
The Flying-type Pokemon only flew a few feet above his companions, testing his resolve by trying to keep balanced under the violent winds, seeing it as training for his flight.
And as for Tesla?"
"Zzzzzz..."
He was where he usually was.
"Ugh, I didn't think I'd feel jealous of Tesla as I do now!" Victor wined as he continued to force his way against the wins. "I wish I had a way to protect myself from all this sand-"
He abruptly stopped.
"Hey, wait a minute..."
A light bulb appeared over his head, and Victor stuck out his arms in front of him.
"Protect!"
Focusing hard, a transparent dome emerged in front of Victor's hands. However, rather than the dome covering all around him, it was rotated on its side like a shield, one that Victor held with his focus to block all incoming sand blowing in his direction.
"Yes! It worked!" He cheered, both relieved and proud of himself for thinking of a simple solution so fast.
Ace and Midori immediately grouped behind Victor and let him lead the way, although the former curiously looked up at him.
"Boot?"
"It seems to be working fine! And Protect doesn't take much energy if nothing clashes with the barrier, so I'm sure I can hold it for a while!" His trainer beamed. "Let's get somewhere to spend the night! We should be nearly halfway through the Dusty Bowl, but it wasn't as fast as I would've liked because of this sandstorm! From what I remember from the map of the geography, there should be a large archway of stone coming up that we can use for cover, so keep your eyes peeled, alright!?"
"Kirl!/Boot!/Cor!/Zzzz..."
"Alrighty then! Let's keep going!" Victor cheered, pushing against the wind as he pressed on.
The travelers kept on at a steady pace throughout the desert, with Victor letting his Pokemon deal with any aggressive wild ones who used to sandstorm to their advantage.
And not much longer throughout the day, Victor and company found the landmark of the dusty bowl the trainer had mentioned not long earlier.
"There!"
The boy pointed off into the distance, where, despite the dense storm obscuring most of their vision, they could faintly see the vague but enormous shape of a giant stone archway.
Victor hurried forward, as did his Pokemon, rushing underneath the large stone structure and moving to a part where the sandstorm didn't hit them, leaving only the loud sounds of the wind to bother them.
"Phew... Dang it, I really wanted to get through the Dusty Bowl by the time it gets dark, but that's definitely not happening now," The trainer sighed, scratching the back of his head as he dropped to his butt and seated himself against the stone arch wall.
"Boot, boot..." Ace agreed, shaking his body of sand stuck in his fur.
"Hey, look on the bright side, even though this sandstorm suddenly popped up and got in the way, it also kinda helps us." Victor chuckled.
"Kirl?" Midori curiously tilted his head, his hands pausing from getting sand out of Twilight's feathers, who also tilted his head.
"Well, besides wanting to be on my own so I can keep practicing with my powers, I also wanted to see if I could make some distance between us and Rainbow Rocket." Victor started, placing his backpack on the ground and dusting it off. "Since Colress has to report back to them, I'm sure that they're following where I was before in the Stony Wilderness. Going into the Dusty Bowl was partly to hope I could lose them, and this sandstorm really helps with that."
"Kirl, kirl." Midori nodded in understanding, now finishing to clean the dust out of Twilight's wings, his companion bowing in appreciation.
"Raboot? Boot?" Ace asked, finishing to get sand off his ears.
"From here?" Victor smiled as he stood up and pulled out his Rotom phone, tapping the screen a few times to show a map of the Northern Wild Area. "According to the map, if we head straight northwest from here, then we should find a large lake, and when we go past that, there should be a trail and a steep hike to the Giant's Cap!" He finished with a grin.
"Cor?" Twilight's eyes became intrigued.
"Yup! There should be even stronger Pokemon in the Giant's Cap, so it'll be perfect for all of us getting stronger! Well, assuming that they're even more aggressive there like I read about." Victor said.
Twilight closed his eyes and nodded in satisfaction.
But then they snapped open in a sharp look, one aimed at his trainer, who recoiled.
"Eh? Did I say something wrong?"
Rather than immediately answering, Twilight took a few steps to the center of their improv shelter, gaze never moving from Victor's as he opened his wings in a challenging stance.
"Cor!"
Victor blinked.
"Eh? You wanna fight me!?"
"Cor! Corvisquire!"
"Ah..." Victor sweatdropped.
"Oh shoot, I forgot that Twilight initially joined to get strong enough to challenge ME specifically."
"...Cor?" Twilight deadpanned.
Victor masked his guilt with a fake scandalized gasp.
"Of course I didn't forget, Twilight! I just, uh, didn't think you'd challenge me so suddenly! I did just learn how to use Dynamax energy, too!"
Twilight didn't seem convinced, but his eyes narrowed in determination rather than suspicion.
"Cor!"
"Ah, even he knows he might be outclassed and yet..."
Victor gave him a large smile before gazing at his other Pokemon, including Telsa, who was slightly poking out of his backpack.
"You know what? You're right!" He beamed. "You guys should try sparring against me! I'm probably gonna be the most unorthodox and diverse fighter you'll ever meet, and that should help you guys adjust to any surprises you might get from future opponents! Sometimes trainers are really clever with movesets, after all."
"Kirl!" Midori vocally agreed while Ace nodded, and a half-asleep Tesla gave a grumble.
"Cor!" Twilight flared his wings more, red eyes seeming to glow as he stared Victor down.
The boy chuckled as he rotated his shoulder.
"Alright, Twilight..."
He then slid his feet in the sand as he got into a fighting position, Dynamax energy flaring around his body. His veins momentarily bolded out in red before fading into his now pinkish skin, and his irises changed into a reddish pink.
Victor held his right hand open in front of him while he held his left fist back, smirking.
"You're up first, I hope you don't regret it."
"Cor!"
Both human and Pokemon charged at each other.
The sandstorm continued until dusk fell, meaning that Victor and his Pokemon needed to camp in the giant stone arch for the night.
But this didn't mean the group viewed their time as being wasted. On the contrary, they had made the most of it by fighting against one another, with Victor even taking on all his Pokemon at once.
Even Tesla took part in the fights and proved himself to be... quite ferocious despite not having as much mobility.
Victor hadn't really thought about it much, but while Ace, Midori, and Twilight are fighters more centered around speed and mobility, Telsa was more about taking and powering through attacks while dishing out even stronger ones in return, or sometimes even finding ways to avoid taking as much damage with techniques involving brute force.
Simply put, Tesla was a really tough bug.
Continuing on, after sleeping the night away, the group had woken up to an early morning of clear skies and a plentiful calm atmosphere of dawn. So, after a quick breakfast and a few morning stretches, they were finally on their way again.
They continued into the straight path northwest Victor had mentioned before, traversing through the desert while fighting the occasional aggressive Croagunks, Koffings, and even a Mudsdale traversing the overworld.
With no sandstorm to slow them down anymore, Victor blazed across the sand with his new Dynaboosting technique, making it all the way to a small and large lake next to each other where the grass had started forming once again, and on the other side of the large lake was where the elevated terrain leading to the Giant's Cap started.
So, after figuring out how to actually cross the lake, which involved Victor returning his Pokemon to their pokeballs and building a raft from destroying trees, the group started the steep hike on the path leading upward.
They moved at a quick but careful pace, for traversing up basically a mountain was dangerous, for slipping could mean tumbling down a steep slope.
But as the next two hours went by, all traces of sand turned into hills and rocky terrain, and once they reached flatter land... Victor knew they had made it.
"HERE WE ARE BOYS, THE GIANT'S CAP!" Victor screamed with his arms up, his voice echoing through the mountainous landscape.
He stood on the high part of a steep cliff, gazing at a beautiful view of the Wild Area, including the Dusty Bowl, where he and his Pokemon had just been.
The Giant's Cap had what was considered the highest elevated area of the Wild Area, as the terrain for the section is literally on rocky mountains and mountain valleys. It's also where Pokemon truly started to get more vigorous compared to earlier sections of the Wild Area, as there are many second-stage evolved Pokemon and even final-stage evolved Pokemon here.
"Doesn't it look absolutely beautiful!?" Victor beamed as he started energetically walking his Pokemon around what he considered the epitome of the Wild Area. "The colder but refreshing air, the fresh spring water, and much tougher Pokemon we can get stronger with!" He finished by pointing at a Corviknight flying just off in the distance.
Twilight flew down and perched himself onto Victor's backpack, staring at what would be his final form as it flew away.
"Cor..." A part of him wanted to chase and fight his final evolution, especially since all his sparring against Victor the previous day showed just how much of a gap there was between them. However, he knew he couldn't just leave his group behind to do something so reckless.
So he did the next best thing: nag Victor to find other worthy opponents.
"Cor! Cor, Corvisquire!" He cawed, wings spreading.
Victor glanced back at him with a chuckle.
"Oh, don't worry, Twilight! Most of the aggressive Pokemon are more further ahead! I'm just as excited about fighting them to test out more of my new capabilities! Ooo, maybe we can all take on a Raid Den together! I do think we need the practice fighting Dynamax Pokemon overall."
"Boot." Ace nodded beside Victor, hands in his pouch as he eyed any wild Pokemon for signs of hostility.
Victor led them with childish giddiness as they went through a mountain valley with plentiful grass and a few rivers, pointing at all the beautiful sights nature gave them. It almost didn't feel like a toughening adventure to strengthen them but a sightseeing trip full of wonders.
But of course, this wouldn't last long, especially when the quickly moving clouds had darkened right upon them.
"Oh, please don't tell me it's gonna rain again." Victor hissed as he made it to an entirely rocky area without much grass.
His Pokemon hadn't been able to answer before their trainer pulled out his Rotom phone and checked the weather, only to muffle a curse as he saw that it was almost guaranteed to rain.
"Arceus almighty, why is the weather in the Wild Area so weird!? It could be snowing in one section, yet there can somehow be a heatwave in the next one!"
Ace, Midori, and even Twilight just shrugged with flat gazes, having never questioned how the Wild Area worked.
"Ugh, sorry Twilight. I think we're gonna have to focus on finding shelter again... But don't worry-" Victor quickly said before Twilight could make his disappointment known. "-I planned for us to stay here for a few days to train, so you'll have your chance, okay?"
Twilight huffed but didn't say anything, which was his way of agreeing.
"Cool! Now, lets-"
"GOOOOL!"
Victor sharply turned in the direction of a mighty roar, finding its source to be on the peak of a large rock.
It was a Pokemon that he'd already seen before. In fact, it was actually one of the same Pokemon that Nessa had.
"Ah! That's a Golisopod!" Victor shouted, eyes wide at the water-bug Pokemon glaring at them from ahead.
The hard-scale Pokemon glared at the group from afar, then took a deep breath before releasing an even louder roar that filled the area.
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOL!"
Victor heard movement and crunching rocks as he and his Pokemon looked around them, suddenly finding multiple Drednaws and Linoones, the evolved versions of Chewtle and Zigzagoon, running out from behind large stones and moving around them, each with the same malicious eyes as they took predatory stances.
"Oh shit." Victor rarely cursed, but seeing his group suddenly confronted with so many evolved Pokemon rather than their base forms like a day ago was quite a sudden step up.
He frowned as his Pokemon formed a circle with their backs to each other, with even Tesla popping out of Victor's backpack wide awake with glowing, angry yellow eyes.
"Okay, I guess we're doing this," Victor said, knowing these Pokemon wouldn't let them go without getting whatever they wanted. He quickly slipped off his backpack, which Tesla fully wiggled out of with sparking cheeks, and got into a fighting position.
The Golisopod leader jumped from the rock he stood on, falling a short height with a loud thud, eyes engrossed on the group ahead as Victor started instructing them.
"Alright guys, make sure to watch each others' backs no matter what. I'll take the Golisopod. Midori, use Disarming Voice or Draining Kiss on the Linoones while Tesla, you use Spark on the Drendaws. Ace, make sure to support them using Double Kick. Twilight, you're free to fly around and act as you want, but make sure you keep a keen eye on everyone and swoop in if it looks like someone's in trouble."
His Pokemon all nodded as the Golisopod approached them menacingly.
The rest of his group joined in stalking closer, intent on ambushing them together at once, just like the Grimmsnarl and his group had the other day.
However, a brief flash of lightning cut off everyone's movement, especially when the sound of thunder echoed with it.
Then... a drop of water came.
Then another.
And in no time, thousands of raindrops had already started falling down upon everyone.
"In the rain!? Oh, come on!" Victor whined at how things were worsening since none of the aggressive Pokemon showed signs of hesitating despite the weather. In fact, the Drednaws and Golisopod seemed to be reveling in the rain as the Water-types they are.
"Gol!" The Golisopod roared, seemingly at Victor's Pokemon.
But the trainer pointed back at him.
"Ha, we're not surrounded!" He answered, surprising the Pokemon that hadn't expected to be understood.
He then released his Dynamax energy, the burst of power making the Pokemon all recoil in shock as he smirked.
"We just have the opportunity to attack in every direction! Get 'em boys!"
Taking advantage of their shock, Victor leaped forward, madly grinning as power burst from him.
~{Meanwhile}~
"I have to get stronger... I have to!"
Standing across from one another, even as rain poured on and around them, Bea stood across from her ace Pokemon, her Machamp, both in fighting-ready positions with their eyes unmoving.
Despite the rain and grey clouds, the Wild Area was still majority well-lit as it was still around the middle of the day, providing plenty of visibility for them.
The rest of Bea's Pokemon were just off to the side, taking cover from the rain underneath a small, curved cliff with a campfire between them, staring uneasily from afar.
The Gym Leader and Pokemon stared each other down, rain pelting them down as they stayed utterly still, their only movement coming from the breathing of their elevating chests.
And then... the sound of thunder boomed.
Machamp moved first, starting with a roar as he rushed forward before swinging his leg.
Bea reacted by lifting her right arm to block the kick aimed at the side of her head-
"Ngh!"
-only to grit her teeth at how it hurt far more than she thought it would.
"Too strong, have to dodge instead!"
Bea hadn't even been able to counterattack, for her Machamp had already pulled back and was using one of its left arms to try striking her, which she only narrowly avoided by swerving her head with a strained face.
"Too fast!"
Their fight had just started, and she was already on the defensive, backing up in panic.
She was forced to use her left arm to block another kick aimed at the other side of her head, resulting in her wincing as she further backed up.
And in her moment of weakness, her Machamp had pulled back its left arm.
"Ma-!"
Bea's eyes widened, and her instincts screamed as she held up her right forearm to block.
"-CHAMP!"
The punch connected right on her limb but came with a concerning crack.
"GAH!"
Bea didn't get launched, but she stumbled backward with a cry, her left hand grabbing her right forearm in pain. Her breathing became rigid as she fell to her knees, eyes closed as she whimpered.
"Ma...champ?" Bea's Machamp stood in front of her trainer's prone form, guilt and concern present all over her as she remained frozen, not knowing what to do while also registering what she had just done.
At the same time, the rest of Bea's Pokemon came rushing over into the rain the moment they had heard their trainer's cry of pain, with her Hawlucha arriving first.
"Hawl!" The Wrestling Pokemon came to her side, taking hold of Bea's arm to look at it.
Yet, Bea grit her teeth together as she practically shoved him off her, getting startled looks from her Pokemon.
"Top?" Her Hitmontop uttered, cautiously taking a step forward.
Bea hung her head with ragged breaths, feeling frustration like never before.
"Why...?" She breathed, her voice barely heard over the pitter-pattering rain. 'Why did I feel so weak!?"
She gripped her bruised arm tighter, ignoring the pain over the anger she felt.
"I've given everything to get stronger, for me to get stronger with all of you! And that hasn't been enough, why does it feel like it's never enough!?" She shouted, her body trembling on the ground.
Her Pokemon could only stand around their trainer with varying looks of heartbreak or pity, as if unable to recognize the person who had raised them with so much care.
"If I could at least fight together with you all at the same level, to gain a better understanding of how you all feel when battling, then maybe I can finally see what I'm missing! To see why I can't ever beat him!"
Bea curled up with her forehead hitting the ground, a small puddle forming around her from the rain.
"But I can't, can I...?"
Her expression heavily scrunched up.
"Is... Is it just impossible...? Is this just our limit...? My limit?"
A wretched cry came out.
"What am I supposed to do!?"
Her Pokemon looked absolutely crushed as Bea broke into small whimpers. They had never seen their trainer get so destroyed like this over any of her prior losses. Even the last battles she had lost against Leon had never gotten to her this bad, but then again, she had never come as close to beating the champion as she had in their previous match.
She had been so close to her lifelong goal, only to let her guard down and have it taken away from her. It must've been that very moment that she had reached her breaking point.
But the worst part was that despite her losses, despite all her anger and frustration having piled up, Bea had never once blamed her Pokemon for it.
She had only ever blamed herself.
And just knowing that crushed her Pokemons' hearts, especially since they didn't know how to truly help their suffering trainer.
*BOOM!*
Bea's eyes snapped open in surprise as she abruptly rose her head, looking outward towards the end of the cliff attentively, rain getting on her face yet ignoring it for what she heard. Similarly, her Pokemon had also heard the impact and glanced in the direction of it, but only for a moment, as they refocused back on the state of their trainer.
At the very least, the sounds of battle seemed to have distracted her from her frustration, for what most people would've mistaken as thunder in the rain, Bea knew it was the clashing of powerful blows.
"Someone is fighting?"
*BAM!*
Bea unconsciously sniffed and wiped her eyes as she clumsily got to her feet, returning to holding her arm as she made her way to the edge of the small cliff they were on, ignoring her Pokemon's cries of concern about her injury.
While Bea knew that sometimes people did come to the Giant's Cap, she also knew just how dangerous this area was. Hell, it was part of why she had come with her Pokemon to train here, to face powerful opponents.
And the battle she heard in the distance sounded rather intense.
Bea made it to the edge of the rock with her Pokemon close behind, able to see just below onto the rocky valley she herself had followed to get where she was.
What she saw seemed concerning yet not critical. She saw a stressed Raboot repeatedly using Double Kick on Linoones and Drednaws while avoiding tackles and Water Guns. Joining him was a Corvisquire that was primarily seeking Linoones with impressive flight movements while ramming into them with its beak, all while a Kirlia stood by a backpack using Disarming Voice to deter any Pokemon aiming for it. Then there was a Charjabug that quite frankly showed a ferocity she approved of, watching as two Drednaws attempted to jump on top of it, only for both to be blasted away by a burst of electricity by the screeching Pokemon.
And finally, she saw what she assumed was the trainer of the ambushed Pokemon. He was a boy who looked only a little younger than her. He wore a grey beanie that was soaked to the brim, as was his red shirt and partially ripped blue jeans. He stood out easily even in the rain as he was-
...
What?
Bea lost her breath as her eyes widened, their pupils dilating to the max.
*Clang!*
No.
*Bang!*
Impossible.
*Boom!*
What... What is she looking at right now!?
"H-How...?" Bea squeaked, unmoving eyes engrossed as her brain went to shambles.
The boy she was looking at wasn't instructing his Pokemon from afar while trying to stay out of danger as standard trainers would.
No...
He was fighting.
What she was looking at was a boy, a boy covered in pink and red electricity, ducking and swerving around slashes and overhead strikes from a Pokemon. And not just any of the weaker, first-evolution Pokemon that any grown adult could potentially fight off, no...
He was fighting against a Golisopod of all things, a Pokemon whose base attack was only five points lower than a Machamp's.
The Golisopod had a clear, murderous rage in its expression as it tried but failed to hit the nimble trainer in front of it. And yet, the boy was somehow keeping up to avoid or even block some of its attacks.
Something Bea had just failed to do with her own Machamp.
How!?
Even his Pokemon were all handling themselves perfectly, as despite not even being fully evolved, they showed an incredible battle prowess equal to what Bea was seeing right now from their trainer. They... They were even wordlessly switching opponents when things seemed tough or just jumped in to save one another as if it was completely natural instincts they didn't even have to process.
How are they in such perfect sync!? What is that strength their trainer has!?
Bea's pupils shook as her Pokemon stared at the same sight, amazed but confused at what they were looking at. The Gym Leader's Pokemon never had the heart to refuse or try to reason with their trainer that she just couldn't measure up to fight them, and yet, here was a boy somehow doing so, albeit with... weird glowing around him.
Their whole collective thoughts were simply, 'What is this?'
Bea hadn't missed a single movement from the boy, watching in stunned awe as he moved his glowing reddish pink body with grace, clearly showing the experience of a fighter, but even more with the unnatural speed and ability he demonstrated with it.
And then... it happened.
The boy backed up and dodged the angry Furry Cutters of the Golisopod, waiting for the perfect moment. And he received one when the Water-type Pokemon attempted a broad swipe of its claws to take his head off.
The boy simply grinned as he ducked into a crouch while cocking his fist back.
Then, a burst of electricity erupted from it.
And just like that, Bea couldn't breathe.
"What!? Wha-?"
She watched as the Golispod's eyes widened before the boy thrust his fist in a straight upward slant, connecting it right into the Pokemon's chest.
"HYAH!"
"Gol-!" The Golisopod's eyes bulged as it felt the electric attack spread all over him, right before another burst of raw electric power from the boy's fist sent it flying upward.
Bea watched it all with eyes that practically looked like voids, watching as the Golisopod the boy had PUNCHED flew through the air before crashing onto the ground, the stone surface forming a large, webbed crack from the impact, showing just how much force had been used.
This shouldn't be possible.
What did she just witness? What was that ability!? That power!?
Just who was this!? She's never seen someone like-
Wait, no.
She knows him, Bea realized. She had seen this boy at the opening ceremony for the Gym Challenge, the trainer she had glanced over despite swearing that her fighter instincts had picked up something powerful.
Not only that, but this was one of the three trainers endorsed by the champion himself, one who was making waves in the Gym Challenge as an outstanding trainer who has yet to show any difficulty in his battles.
Was this why!?
His power, his techniques, his perfect sync with his Pokemon as he fought together with them, gaining firsthand experiences and understanding of their fights in a way that no trainer had ever done. With all that fighting, all that firsthand knowledge of fighting against Pokemon himself, it'd make sense if he could adapt it to his battles against trainers, having an advantage no other had in terms of insight.
It was precisely what Bea had been wanting, what she had been struggling for so much in the last few days.
This was her chance. She had been so close to losing all hope, but then this boy showed up as if he was Arceus's gift to her.
She had to know how he got so strong.
She had to learn from him.
She had to.
So, despite a possibly broken arm, she jumped and slid down the steep slope of the short cliff she was on, much to the dismay of her Pokemon, who immediately followed after her with cries of concern.
"Got ya!"
Victor pumped his fist in victory as the Golisopod he punched flew through the air, flipping a few times before he crashed to the ground with a loud impact.
And just like what had happened with the Grimmsnarl and his party before the Dusty Bowl, the moment the attacking Pokemon saw their leader get launched and turned unconscious, they all lost their confidence and turned tail to run away in fear, especially since Victor didn't even look to have broken a sweat.
Which was sort of true. Dynaboosting gave him a lot more energy and stamina to work with. Not to mention, Golisopods were incredibly slow Pokemon, so it hadn't been that hard or stressful to avoid its attacks.
But anyway, Victor tried to ignore the chilling cold of the falling rain on him as he turned around.
"Alright, who's not dead? Sound off!"
"Boot!/Kirl!/Cor!/Charja!"
Victor saw all of his Pokemon in varying spots, resting after the more intense than usual battle they had, although he noted how Ace looked very annoyed by how soaked he was.
Yup, that rabbit definitely hates rain now.
And then there was Tesla, who was... on top of two unconscious Drednaws stacked on top of each other, the Bug-type Pokemon holding a rather triumphant expression on him.
"What a guy," Victor smirked.
"EXCUSE ME!"
And just like that, he went pale.
"Oh no."
He saw all of his Pokemon stiffen at the foreign voice, with Midori even looking a bit horrified despite not being the one having been caught.
"Nononononono-!"
Victor was almost scared to turn around, but he did so, and his fears were confirmed as he saw someone running right for him.
And as if things couldn't get any worse, he recognized the iconic trainer and her fighting uniform.
"OH SHIT! THAT'S BEA!"
And wow did she look like a woman on a mission, especially with all of her Pokemon running right behind her not too far away.
So yeah, Victor was really freaking out right now.
"Oh Arceus no, she saw me! And now she's coming to absolutely take me down! My life is over! I'm gonna get locked up and prodded completely alone without Mom and Greninja or any of my Pokemon! What do I do!? How much did she see!? Could I somehow salvage this situation!? I could try to make her forget, but using blunt force would be dangerous and-!"
He had been so far in his panicked thoughts that he only snapped out of it when Bea was right in front of him, with her hands reaching out and firmly grasping his shoulders, making him squeak and curl in on himself.
Holding him down at arm's length, Bea was panting hard to catch her breath, a very intense look on her face as her earnest eyes remained unmoving from Victor's nervous orbs.
With a gulp of air, she then attempted to speak.
"Please..."
...
"P-Please?" Victor repeated nervously, hands bunched on his chest as his Pokemon got ready to act.
But Bea suddenly pulled him closer, her face only inches from his own.
"Please teach me!"
A null silence only filled by the sound of rain pouring over everyone. Bea's Pokemon, just catching up, froze with incomprehensible gazes, while Victor's own Pokemon had relatively flat ones as if collectively thinking, 'Of course,' dryly.
And Victor's stunned reaction? It was obvious.
"Y-You wanna run that by me again?"
~{Author's Post-Notes}~
(Mimikyu runs around in circles as a short, unique snowman-looking figure stares with a curious tilt of his head next to him.)
OH MY GOD! Okay, it's happening! Everybody stay calm, everybody stay calm! STAY FUCKING CALM!
(Stops in place.)
What the hell!? We're already here!? I thought it'd be at LEAST a hundred more chapters before we ever see Bea!
...
But yeah, our boy has finally met our favorite (fight me) fighting-type Gym Leader! In all honestly, I did have a bit of a plan for some activity to go down in the Dusty Bowl that'd take a chapter or two, but I mean, I just decided that it wasn't really that important compared to reaching a point that I'm sure so many people have been looking forward to, even if I did end it abruptly just when we got there.
Heh. I regret nothing.
Anyway, I hope that was a good chapter coming back after quite a while! I don't think the next one will take even close as long, but hey, you never know with me. I just write whatever and whenever I feel like writing. Stay tuned until next time when we see Victor deal with a not-okay but still pretty girl who won't let him out of her sight!
*clink* clack*
(Freezes in place at the sounds of dangling chains off in the distance as a figure menacingly floats towards them with guns.)
Like, ZOINKS, Jack Frost! We've gotta get outta here!
(The snowman-like being puts his hands on his cheeks with a gasp.)
"Hee-HO-NO-!"