I have made a few consistency/grammatical corrections to earlier chapters. Also realized that I don't know whether you all are alerted to those or not, which makes my previous comment on 'irregular edits' seem kinda stupid.
So, if I was wrong and you aren't alerted to those changes, disregard that comment, and just know that I've cleaned up a few of the more dumb errors in previous chapters. This practice will continue. Hope you enjoy today's chapter!
"I don't think I've ever seen him so angry before," said Medicham. "Even…even when he learned about the Power Plant, he was just concerned. But this…I didn't want to hurt my Trainer, I just wanted to help my friend, and now all I've done is made Marcus angry…"
"The anger will pass," said the Whisperer.
"And…I've made him angry at Kriesh, and Liepard…"
"Helping your friend is not a bad thing," said the Whisperer. "Like I said, it will pass."
"And that Absol!" Medicham growled. "I know he told Marcus about us leaving, I just know it!"
"Why?" the Whisperer asked. "It does not seem like he has any business doing such a thing."
"I know," said Medicham, "but they-" She stopped short. Did the Whisperer know about the Heralds? And if he didn't, could she really tell him?
"You may continue," said the Whisperer. "The Heralds need not know of this."
Medicham sighed in relief. "I…" A flood of conflicting words rose into her throat and she barely refrained from choking on them. "You know about them?" she asked lamely.
"I do," said the Whisperer. "I told you when we first met that I knew your story. Your suffering. The Heralds figure prominently in your dreams."
"Walker-Of-Paths…I think he must've thought I was going to try and tell Espeon about the Heralds…" A sudden thought struck Medicham. "Do you think they're going to go after Espeon now? I-"
"Medicham." The Whisperer's voice was firm. "Listen to me. You are panicking. Remember the Toxicroak. Panicking, losing your head, that doesn't solve anything. Take a deep breath and focus. Okay?"
Medicham obediently forced herself to take a breath, abandoning the whirlwind of thoughts in favor of focusing on her breathing. In, then out. In, then out.
"Everything is going to be fine, okay?" The Whisperer's tone was concerned and soothing.
"Yes," Medicham whispered. "Everything's going to be fine."
"Your Trainer's not going to release you over this," said the Whisperer. "Is he?"
"No, of course not," said Medicham.
"Then do not worry," said the Whisperer. "Treat it as a lesson for next time."
"All right," Medicham said with a nod.
"Now," said the Whisperer, "do you wish to skip training for tonight? It is fine if-"
"No," Medicham interrupted. "We should start."
"As you wish." The forms of two Pokemon began to take shape across the room from Medicham: a Gengar and a Froslass, both floating up into the air, glaring down at her.
"What would you use against these?" the Whisperer asked.
"Psychic techniques against the Gengar, Fire Strike - wait, no. Mind and Blaze."
"Good catch," said the Whisperer. "Remember, just because they do not come does not mean you are doing it wrong. Now. Defend yourself."
The Gengar twisted, hurling a rippling sphere of Ghost energy at Medicham, while the Froslass charged forwards, a cloud of frost beginning to form over her head, indicating the summoning of hail. "Aura Avoidance!" Medicham cried, sidestepping the Gengar's attack. "Blaze Strike!" Fire energy flickered across her fist as she charged the Froslass, but as the Whisperer had said, that was perfectly all right.
And so the remainder of the night passed.
Kamado blinked his eyes open slowly as the sound of footsteps came to his ears. Ever since he had been awakened by Marcus heading downstairs, which he now knew had been to intercept the three members of the Pack who had snuck out, he had been unable to sleep.
He could not understand why Marcus was angry at Medicham. Yes, the three members had been out of line, and Kriesh and Liepard deserved Marcus's anger. But even if Marcus was the Pack's Trainer, Medicham was Pack-Leader, and so was it not her job to protect the other members of the Pack? Did she deserve Marcus's anger for doing that job?
The question had nagged at Kamado for a while: was it Medicham who was truly Pack-Leader, or was it Marcus? Both, in some ways, behaved like Pack-Leader, and yet they were not true co-leaders. So it was that he had not been able to return to sleep; he simply lay where he was, by the side of the bed that Marcus now occupied, stubbornly awake.
So when he heard the footsteps, it was immediately clear to Kamado that no one else had. He knew Medicham, Kriesh, and Liepard were currently confined to their Luxury Balls; he could see all of the other team members from here, and they all looked as if they were sound asleep. Curiosity struck him like an itch, and Kamado stood. Glancing around one last time, he stepped towards the doorway, which thankfully was open enough that egress was possible without opening it further.
His footfalls cushioned by the room's plush carpet, Kamado crept to the edge of the doorway. His ears picked up a pair of hushed voices conversing at the bottom of the nearby stairwell; peering around the corner, he beheld Karen and Theo standing face to face.
"What do you think of him?" Karen whispered.
"I don't know," Theo answered. "On one hand, I know Connie. Even if it wasn't with only Dark-types, Marcus has to be good if he can beat her. He seems like a fairly likable guy as a person. And he's got his Pokemon in Luxury Balls, so he clearly cares about them. But as a Trainer…it feels like he's taking some things for granted that he shouldn't be. Like he's convinced himself that just because he's been invited to take the Gym Leader test means he's already basically a Gym Leader. And if his Pokemon are disobeying him as badly as we saw this evening, what am I supposed to think?"
Karen nodded. "So if you take his strengths and weaknesses into account, and you feel as if they present you with a stalemate, then…"
"…then I battle him," Theo finished. "And if I like what I see, then I join him."
"Very good," said Karen. "Remember, you're not going to battle like a Gym Trainer. You have to battle like it's just an ordinary fight."
"Karen," said Theo, "I've been training for this sort of thing for years. Trust me: I have a plan to counter every single one of his Pokemon."
This brought a slight frown to Karen's face. "Careful, Theo. Remember that plans aren't everything."
"I remember," said Theo. "I'm ready for tomorrow."
Karen's frown remained, but she nodded slowly. "Okay."
"Good night, Karen," said Theo.
"Good night, Theo." Karen turned on her heel and walked off to the left, disappearing from view. Theo began to ascend the stairs, slowly and taking great pains to be as quiet as possible.
Kamado swiftly retreated, and by the time Theo was at the top of the stairs the Tyrunt was curled up in his spot again, once more closing his eyes in an attempt to bring sleep.
Drapion stood at one end of the arena, Marcus behind him, Houndoom and Liepard flanking him. Across from him stood a fierce-looking Weavile, the sight of which had understandably driven Trevenant from the room; the Ghost/Grass-type was even now watching Karen's yard, making sure no unwanted intruders showed up; it was a job one of Karen's Pokemon normally took, but they were happy to cede the duty to Trevenant in favor of watching this fight.
To the Weavile's right was a Crawdaunt, to his left a Cacturne, and behind the trio stood Theo. The opposing Trainer was looking down at his team, sharing last-minute thoughts with them in preparation.
"Remember," Drapion heard Marcus whisper, "this guy's been training to be in a Gym for years, whether it's to be a Gym Trainer or a Gym Leader. We can't underestimate him."
The three chorused affirmations. Drapion could not help but look over at the stands, where Connie, Karen, and their respective teams were sitting, along with the rest of Marcus's team and the fourth member of Theo's team, a Mightyena that once again reminded Drapion far too much of Team Flare.
"So!" Theo's voice cut across the room. "Shall we?"
Marcus nodded. "Let's do this."
"Remember, a Gym Leader releases first," said Karen, standing up; she had agreed to referee the match, something that had clearly excited Marcus.
"Liepard, like we discussed." Marcus's order was clear and held no trace of bitterness. Drapion remembered his anger last night; it had been enough to make him shiver, especially since Marcus was not usually that furious. Thankfully, it seemed he'd set that aside, at least for the moment.
Liepard padded out into the arena, eyeing the ranks of her possible opponents. Theo's command was a whisper too quiet for Drapion to hear, but Cacturne was the one to step forwards.
Liepard glanced back at Drapion with a slight grin. Drapion averted his gaze. She'd gotten slightly better about personal space, but she still made Drapion feel uncomfortable every time they locked eyes.
"Begin!" Karen slashed her hand down, and both Liepard and Cacturne exploded into motion.
Clearly, Theo's whisper had included what Cacturne was meant to do first. But as Cacturne hurled himself forwards, several spikes on his outstretched arm glowing with Bug energy, Liepard darted into the fray. "Tranche Rapide!" she hissed, driving a paw straight into Cacturne's stomach. Cacturne stumbled, his attack abandoned.
"Tranche Vicieuse!" Liepard's next strike slashed across Cacturne's cheek. But the Dark/Grass-type recovered annoyingly quickly. "Spine Slash!" Bug energy flared to life on his spines once again as he swung one arm swiftly at Liepard.
"Tranche de Ventouse!" Liepard unleashed a third blow, this one to Cacturne's left leg, and dove to the side as the off-balance Cacturne sent his blow swinging over her head.
"Pin Missile, left!" Theo ordered.
"Spine Salvo!" Liepard, mid-dodge, stumbled as the spines on Cacturne's swinging arm suddenly flew outwards. Some flew wide, but three drove into her fur, eliciting a hiss of pain from Liepard.
"Copycat!" Marcus retorted.
"Farceur. Imitateur: Cacturne." As a line of energy shot from Liepard to Cacturne, a flurry of Bug energy-laced spikes materialized out of nowhere and flung themselves at the latter. Unfortunately, with a cry of "Spine Shield!", Cacturne raised a surprisingly spiky-looking Protect to block the copied Pin Missile.
"That's Spiky Shield!" Marcus warned. "Don't hit it if it comes up - you'll get hurt!"
"I know what Spiky Shield is!" Liepard hissed, already springing at Cacturne again. "Tranche Vicieuse!"
"Spine Slash!" Cacturne lunged forwards, meeting Liepard with another slash of his spine-covered arm. "Tranche Sournoise!" Liepard cried, ducking the swipe and carving a thin scratch across Cacturne's side.
"Spine Salvo!" This time, though, Liepard was ready. She flung herself forwards, darting around Cacturne's side and evading the Pin Missile altogether. "Farceur!" she cried. "Aider: Drapion!"
The line of energy that formed between Liepard and Drapion was, as always, not uncomfortable, but the fact that she always did it to him was annoying. Houndoom, with his multitude of supereffective ranged attacks, would have been much better in this situation.
That said, the X-shaped burst of Poison energy that slammed into Cacturne's back, nearly knocking him over, told Drapion that at least Liepard had gotten lucky with the attack she'd pulled. Even better, Cacturne shivered as the attack faded; apparently it had also managed to inject some poison into the Grass/Dark-type's system.
Perfect. At this rate, this fight would be over quickly.
"Poison Sting, full spread!" Theo cried.
"Right!" Cacturne snarled. "Venomous Volley!"
Poison energy lit Cacturne's body purple as nearly a dozen spikes flew off in all directions. "Dodge!" Marcus cried, but even Liepard's reflexes couldn't evade all of the flying spines. Two struck her, and she stumbled slightly, a clear sign that she, too, had been afflicted with poison.
"Now, Sandstorm!" Theo ordered.
"Taunt!" Marcus countered.
Despite the poison clearly already beginning to wrack her body, Liepard's Prankster Ability enabled her to near-instantly obey Marcus's command. "Farceur: Raillerie!" she cried.
But the spurt of Dark energy splattered against Cacturne to no avail. Cacturne grinned. "Sand Storm!" A swirling cloud of sand erupted from Cacturne's body, filling the arena to an extent that Drapion could barely see the other side.
"I don't know if you've encountered this before!" said Theo. "But Prankster's a pretty weird Ability. It's been discovered to use Psychic energy in its activation, and as a result, a Dark-type who's prepared for it can just shrug it off!"
Drapion emitted a low growl. Liepard had affected him pretty well with that same technique back in the forest. Guess I wasn't prepared for it, he growled mentally. I'll keep that in mind for later.
"You know what to do!" Theo called over the noise of the storm.
"Of course!" Cacturne cried; despite being able to see Liepard and even Theo through the storm, Drapion could barely see Cacturne; it was almost as if he was blending into the sandstorm, fading in and out even as Drapion watched. "Sand Veil! Seed Salvo!"
"Dodge!" Marcus cried, but Liepard clearly had no idea where the attack was coming from, and her reaction came too late. What was definitely a Leech Seed struck her in the side and sprouted instantly, wrapping around her back right leg.
"Sand Spray!" Cacturne cried from somewhere in the storm.
As sand from the storm began to divert from its course and spray into Liepard's face, forcing her to shut her eyes and shake her head from side to side to try and keep it from digging in, Cacturne's strategy became perfectly, frustratingly clear. Sand Veil was clearly an Ability, allowing Cacturne to blend into the sandstorm that he'd summoned, making himself very difficult to spot, let alone hit. From there, Sand Spray would screw with the opponent's vision even further, and poison plus Leech Seed slowly drained the opponent's health while they were practically helpless.
From the way he was biting his lip, Marcus was already trying to think of a workaround. "Liepard, Pursuit!" he ordered.
Liepard spat out a mouthful of sand. "Poursuite!" she cried. Five black rays spewed from her mouth, disappearing into the swirling sand in an instant.
Five? Drapion frowned. He still could only muster four; he'd have to improve on that.
Grunts of pain indicated that Cacturne, unprepared to actually be hit by an attack, had not been fast enough to raise a barrier. "Next time she does that, Spiky Shield!" Theo ordered, quick to remedy that hole in Cacturne's defenses.
Pursuit had done some damage, but not nearly enough to bring Cacturne down, and the Leech Seed was still draining Liepard's vitality and countering the poison afflicting Cacturne even as Cacturne's poison still ripped through Liepard's system. Now Liepard was looking pale as her vitality was drained, and Marcus was back to biting his lip.
"Run out of options?" Theo asked. "That's what happens when you bring a fresh catch into an important battle!"
A scowl crossed Marcus's face. "Come on, come on, there has to be…wait." He smiled again as an idea lit his eyes. "Liepard, I've got a plan! Hone Claws, and keep doing it!"
Liepard nodded. "Augmenter L'Attaque!" she cried. Dark energy began to flare around her body, concentrating around her claws and, strangely, her eyes. Drapion hadn't seen this technique before, but the aura was beginning to grow stronger, and as he watched, Liepard's eyes opened, a shield of Dark energy blocking the sandstorm's assault on her face.
Suddenly she twisted and lunged at a particular spot in the sandstorm, uncaring about the Leech Seed still twisted around her leg. "Crap!" Theo cried. "Spiky Shield, now!"
At that point, Drapion realized two things. Firstly, whatever Cacturne's training had been for this strategy, it didn't seem he could see perfectly in the sandstorm either, and was at least partially reliant on Theo's commands.
Secondly, somehow, Liepard could see Cacturne just fine.
A spiny barrier sprang up between Liepard and Cacturne, but Liepard, heeding Marcus's advice, ducked away, not allowing her paws to touch the spiny surface. "Tranche Sournoise!" she cried, driving a paw into Cacturne's left leg. Not expecting the blow, Cacturne toppled to the ground with a hefty crash.
"Tranche Furieuse!" Liepard was swift to follow up. "Needle Arm!" Theo cried desperately, but from what Drapion could see, Cacturne didn't have time to obey as the furious Liepard rained a flurry of claw-swipes down on his prone body, the aura of Dark energy around her lashing along with her, augmenting every strike. Blood was flowing from several parts of Cacturne's body now, visible through the swirling sand. Liepard was staggering now as sand and poison and the Leech Seed took their toll on her body, but still she slashed again and again.
"I forfeit Cacturne!" Theo cried.
The hiss of a Pokeball heralded Cacturne's disappearance. The sandstorm faded, revealing Liepard standing alone towards the right of the arena, looking as if she was about to topple over from poison. A mixture of cheers and groans rose from the stands; the cheers from Marcus's and Connie's teams, the groans from Karen's and Theo's.
"Liepard, return." Marcus hastily recalled Liepard back into her Luxury Ball.
Theo smiled, nodding respectfully. "Nice improvisation. I completely forgot that Hone Claws also improves a Pokemon's accuracy."
"Thanks," said Marcus. "That was a pretty terrifying strategy; you had me on the ropes there."
Theo nodded in answer, a thin smile on his face.
"Theo, your Pokemon fainted before Marcus recalled his, so you must choose first!" Karen said.
"Crawdaunt, you're up!" Theo didn't bother with a whisper this time.
"Houndoom!" Marcus countered.
"Houndoom?" Drapion growled in surprise. Why would Marcus send in Houndoom against a Water-type? Sure, he had anti-water coverage, but coverage was meant for when Water-types were sent in against Houndoom, not for the opposite!
Theo seemed equally surprised as Houndoom stepped into the arena, snarling at his opponent. Crawdaunt, for his part, was silent as he raised his claws in preparation.
"Begin!" Karen shouted.
"Hyper Cutter!" Crawdaunt's massive claws shone with energy, blazing blue. They hummed with power as Crawdaunt lunged straight for Houndoom, clearly aiming to make this battle quick.
"Solar Beam!" Marcus ordered.
"Solar Surge!" The Power Herb hanging from Houndoom's neck flickered. Houndoom's practice at refining Solar Beam meant that with the Power Herb, it was almost instantaneous; one moment Crawdaunt was charging confidently, the next he was staring into the face of a massive beam of Grass energy.
"Protect!" Theo ordered.
"Thunder Fang, now!" Marcus cried.
Crawdaunt raised his claws up in an X formation between him and the incoming Solar Beam. To Drapion, it looked as if two miniature Protect barriers arose, one around each claw. Crawdaunt swept his claws forwards and to the sides, slamming them into the Solar Beam. An explosion of energy erupted as scattered shards of Grass energy flew every which way, peppering the sandy floor of the arena. Crawdaunt glared triumphantly forwards, energy-wreathed claws to his sides like the wings of a plane as the Solar Beam dissipated.
Then Houndoom lunged out of the dissipating energy, teeth crackling with Electric energy. "Thunder Jaws!"
"Hyper Cutter: Hammer Blow!" Twisting, Crawdaunt slammed one of his glowing claws into Houndoom's crackling teeth. Another energy explosion was the result; out of the blast came Houndoom, skidding across the ground, tearing furrows in the earth with his claws.
Crawdaunt lunged after him, looking decidedly unfazed. "Hyper Cutter: Double Blow!"
A whirring claw swept inches from Houndoom's face as the latter backpedaled. The second strike Houndoom ducked, again just barely; the Dark/Fire-type leaped forwards, trying for another Thunder Jaws. But Crawdaunt simply threw up another claw, emblazoned with a Protect, and batted the strike away. Houndoom landed on his feet, blood dripping from his jaws.
"That all you've got?" Theo asked. "Crawdaunt, Bubblebeam!"
Crawdaunt raised his claws once more. "Dual Beam!" This time, a beam of Water energy shot from each claw at Houndoom. "Dark Surge!" Houndoom snarled, countering with a wave of Dark energy that blunted the incoming beams.
Houndoom followed that up with a Poison Tongue, but yet again Crawdaunt batted it out of the air with a Protect-enhanced claw. Drapion let out a snarl of frustration as he watched Houndoom's attack fail yet again. Just like Cacturne, Crawdaunt seemed dependent on one main strategy; in this case, utilizing Hyper Cutter and Protect to turn his claws into massively potent offensive and defensive weapons. Compared to Crawdaunt's powerful-looking claw strikes, the Dual Beam had been surprisingly understrength.
But if Houndoom couldn't get his attacks past those claws, it wouldn't matter how understrength Crawdaunt's ranged attacks were.
"Ember!" Marcus ordered.
"Flame Storm!" Houndoom sent a wave of Fire energy-formed motes flying at Crawdaunt, aiming to at least break through his opponent's guard. "Bubble!" Theo retorted; Houndoom's hopes were dashed as Crawdaunt, with a snarl of "Beam Barrage!", swept one of his claws in a diagonal swipe, releasing a spray of Water energy-formed bubbles to intercept the Flame Storm.
Again, the ranged attack was understrength, but this time type advantage equalized the two attacks, and the Beam Barrage and Flame Storm dissipated against one another. "Charge!" Theo cried, and Crawdaunt lunged again, claws humming.
"Thunder Fang!" Marcus ordered.
"Come on, you know that's not going to work!" Theo cried as Houndoom charged the oncoming Crawdaunt. "You've already tried that…before…" Drapion saw his eyes widen in realization. "Crawdaunt, watch out! He's-"
"Left!" Marcus cried. Crawdaunt, arm raised to deliver a brutal blow, hesitated at his Trainer's command. Houndoom dove to the left, sliding under the now-clumsy blow, and fired a Poison Tongue straight into Crawdaunt's exposed side.
"Thunder Fang!" Marcus ordered.
Unfortunately for Houndoom, while it was clear Crawdaunt preferred to manifest his Protects across his claws, they weren't the only place Crawdaunt could use Protect.
Houndoom slammed into the Protect that formed across Crawdaunt's side and stumbled backwards, giving the Water/Dark-type all the time he needed to recover. "Hyper Cutter: Double Blow!" Crawdaunt bellowed.
The first hit Houndoom barely managed to evade.
The second he wasn't nearly as lucky.
A nasty crack sounded as Crawdaunt's left claw impacted against Houndoom's jaw. Drapion felt a measure of revulsion as he saw Houndoom's jaw twisted in a way it clearly wasn't supposed to; several groans of sympathy arose from the spectators. Marcus curled his lip. "Houndoom, Foul Play, now!"
Now Drapion recalled that Foul Play was a move based on the opponent's strength. The more power the opponent's moves held, the stronger Foul Play would be in retaliation. And with those Hyper Cutter-boosted claws, Crawdaunt's strikes had a lot of power behind them.
Houndoom, jaw clearly broken, lunged forwards surrounded by an aura of Dark energy. Gleeful at finally landing a solid hit and not expecting a head-on attack, Crawdaunt was completely unprepared for his opponent to leap forwards.
Houndoom drove his shoulder into Crawdaunt's face, sending the Water/Dark-type flying across the arena, claws flailing wildly. The impact staggered Houndoom too; he stumbled, panting hard, the breath coming out strangely due to his twisted jaw. Theo grimaced. "Crawdaunt, return," he ordered, raising his Pokeball.
Unlike Liepard and Drapion, Houndoom did not have Pursuit, and so he and Marcus could only watch frustratedly as Crawdaunt disappeared from the field. "Weavile, you're up," said Theo; the last member of Theo's team was already strolling into the arena, staring down Houndoom scornfully, with no pity in his eyes for Houndoom's condition.
"Houndoom, you all right?" Marcus asked. "Do you want-"
"Yeah, I'm fine." The words came out garbled, but the aggressive nod that came along with it told Marcus everything he needed to know.
"Begin!" Karen cried.
"All right," said Marcus. "Flamethrower, and Ember if he dodges. Then-"
"Now!" Theo yelled.
Weavile glared at Houndoom. "Pressure."
A wave of pure force erupted from Weavile, a wave that at once brought a chill to Drapion's heart. He remembered this kind of Ability, for he'd seen it once before, from Giratina, Lord of Distortion, in the chamber of the Ultimate Weapon.
Weavile's Pressure was, thankfully, far less all-encompassing than Giratina's. Drapion felt himself stagger, and a quick glance at the stands showed several Pokemon on both teams grimacing in obvious discomfort, but none were knocked unconscious by the wave.
Houndoom, though, was an entirely different story.
In sharp contrast to Giratina's omnidirectional Pressure, it was clear Weavile's Pressure had been focused mostly on Houndoom. The Fire/Dark-type was crouched, a feeble whimper-snarl emanating from his mouth, eyes squeezed tightly shut.
Weavile lunged.
"Houndoom, dodge!" Marcus cried, but Houndoom was deaf to his Trainer's commands.
"Power Multislash," Weavile intoned, Fighting energy manifesting on his claws as he swung them at the reeling Houndoom. A blow struck Houndoom's already-broken jaw, two more overbalanced him, and a brutal uppercut to the chin sent Houndoom onto his back.
Marcus recalled Houndoom before Weavile's fifth strike could land on the near-unconscious Pokemon's flank. "I forfeit Houndoom."
The sound of cheering from Karen and Theo's teams intermingled with the fury positively radiating from Marcus's. Drapion hadn't expected Houndoom to win, what with that broken jaw, but he hadn't expected Weavile to beat him that effortlessly.
But Drapion's hunch was that Weavile was just like Crawdaunt and Cacturne in that he had one main strategy, that being Pressure to knock opponents off-balance for him to deliver a brutal combo. Pressure also appeared to be fairly draining, for Weavile was breathing hard despite having seemingly exerted almost no effort in finishing off Houndoom.
With any luck, Drapion could tank his way through Weavile, and then it was just him against the weakened Crawdaunt. This battle wasn't over yet. Not by a long shot.
Marcus said nothing as Drapion moved into the arena to face Weavile. Drapion looked up at Theo; the opposing Trainer's face was cautious, but triumph was already beginning to edge its way into his expression. He already considered this battle won.
"Begin!" Karen cried.
Theo's confidence showed in the tone of his voice as he gave his order. "Pressure."
Weavile obeyed, echoing his Trainer as he locked eyes with Drapion.
This time, the wave of force drove into Drapion like a tidal wave. Drapion felt weightless, like he was falling through an endless void; somewhere in the back of his mind he knew this wasn't right, but all he could see was Weavile, many times his size, towering over him, baleful gaze locked on his tumbling form.
I am your conqueror, came Weavile's voice, echoing through Drapion's ears and in his mind. You will submit to me.
"…otect!" Another voice. Marcus's. "Drapion, Protect!"
Drapion let out a furious growl as reality came flooding back. "Block!"
Weavile's Fighting energy-enhanced claws bounced off Drapion's Protect. "Pierce!" Drapion snarled; unprepared for his opponent to break free of Pressure, Weavile couldn't dodge in time; half a dozen Bug energy-tipped spikes stuck in Weavile's body, eliciting a howl of pain from the Dark/Ice-type.
"Use your speed!" Theo ordered.
Weavile lunged sideways, clearly aiming to replicate the trick Houndoom had pulled on Crawdaunt. But Drapion was ready. "Battle Armor!" he snarled, manifesting a barrier of chitin before Weavile's claws. A weak stab of pain told him that it wasn't a perfect counter.
But it was enough.
Weavile descended into a frenzy of slashing, twisting and jabbing, lunging at every part of Drapion's body he could reach as Drapion tried to fend him off. Every swing of his arms and tail was ducked or dodged, every ranged attack he fired avoided as well. Even No Escape failed; Weavile simply leaped over Drapion, forcing him to protect himself with Battle Armor against his own attack.
But Weavile wasn't doing much in retaliation. Drapion used Block whenever possible, and when that wasn't available he simply shielded himself with Battle Armor. Weavile's attacks were doing damage, sure, but not much. And furthermore, Drapion's Black Sludge was healing a lot of that damage, though as the fight went on the injuries from Weavile's successful attacks began to add up.
But Weavile was tiring. Two successive uses of Pressure had tired him out, and the frenzy of attacks wasn't doing wonders for his stamina. As the fight wore on, the pain from Weavile's strikes grew more and more pronounced, but Drapion's attacks swung closer and closer to Weavile's body.
It was only a matter of time until one of them gave out.
Weavile was the first to falter. By now he was perspiring, and as he danced away from Drapion's right arm, his foot caught on the sandy floor and he stumbled. That was all Drapion needed; with a bellow of "Slam!", he swung his tail at the staggering Weavile. The meaty thwack as his tail impacted against Weavile's side was music to Drapion's ears; Weavile shrieked in agony as he tumbled to the ground, sending up a spray of sand.
"Dig! Now!" Theo finally gave his struggling Pokemon an order. As the sand from Weavile's fall settled, Weavile was no longer there. Drapion knew Dig, of course; even now, he knew, Weavile was under the arena, sensing Drapion's location, ready to strike from the one angle he hadn't tried yet.
Two can play at that game.
"Burrow!" Drapion snarled, hurling himself into the sand himself.
At once Drapion cast out his senses, searching for his adversary. He knew Weavile would be doing the same, and had a head start; as such, he was unsurprised to sense Weavile burrowing towards his side.
Drapion twisted, wrenching one arm to the side in an effort to intercept Weavile. It did not move nearly as fast as normal in this sand; Weavile managed to burrow downwards, barely avoiding the swipe, and came up right into Drapion's side. Down here there was no room for Protect and barely any for Battle Armor; Drapion felt another sting of pain as Weavile's claws sunk into the chitin.
Drapion hurled himself sideways, satisfying himself with the sound of crunching as Weavile was caught between his side and the earth. The claws withdrew, accompanied by another pained shriek. Drapion twisted as best he could underground and, out of one eye, spotted Weavile crouched in the tunnel he had dug. Their eyes met.
"No Escape!" Drapion growled as Weavile lunged again; the Dark/Ice-type ran headlong into four Dark-type rays and reeled, clutching his face. Drapion stifled a grin. Theo had clearly waited until he was sure Drapion didn't have Earthquake before calling for Dig, but it hadn't mattered. Aboveground, the only thing that had been keeping Weavile in the fight was his vastly superior mobility.
Underground, that one advantage was lost. And Weavile realized it. His eyes flashed with panic. "Pressure!" he snarled, trying desperately to gain some room.
Again the wave of force slammed into Drapion, but he'd faced it before, and Weavile's stamina was far too drained. There was but a flicker of that massively tall Weavile, and the command to submit to the conqueror came as merely a desperate whimper.
Drapion glared at his supposed conqueror and spat in his face.
The vision cleared. Weavile, by now gasping for breath, had taken what very little time Pressure had earned him to raise his claws upwards, trying to ascend to the surface and regain his mobility advantage.
Drapion lunged forwards, bulldozing through the sands, one claw outstretched. He felt flesh before it and clamped his pincers down. Weavile screamed as Drapion surged upwards, clutching him in his outstretched claw.
They broke through the sand, Weavile pummeling at Drapion's arm, his strikes growing weaker as Drapion's natural poison began to rip through his body. As the sand exploded upwards around him, Drapion rose to his full height, balancing on his hind legs, carrying Weavile as if the Dark/Ice-type were a trophy.
Then, with all his strength, Drapion slammed Weavile into the ground, sending up another spray of sand as Weavile's bones cracked in his grip.
The struggling stopped. Drapion released his grip and stepped back, allowing Theo to recall his thoroughly unconscious Weavile. As the sound of settling sand faded away, Drapion basked in the cheering of the rest of his team.
"Crawdaunt, it's you." Theo wasted no time in calling his last Pokemon back into the arena. Drapion turned and stalked back towards Marcus for the restart of the match.
Crawdaunt was not doing too well; blood was dripping from his face from Houndoom's strong Foul Play, and a nasty wound was visible on his side from Houndoom's Poison Tongue. But Drapion still felt the stinging pain from the multitude of hits Weavile had landed on him, and he knew that he'd probably have to take a few more hits before this battle was over.
Unlike Houndoom, he was no good at dodging attacks. And he doubted Battle Armor would do too much to shield him from Crawdaunt's Hyper Cutter-enhanced attacks. As if to underscore this, the claws lit up once again, humming with energy as Crawdaunt stared Drapion down.
"Begin!" Karen's voice rang out for the fifth and final time this match.
"Hyper Cutter: Hammer Blow!"
"Battle Armor: Slam!"
Claw struck claw and energy boomed as a sharp pain lanced up Drapion's arm. Both he and Crawdaunt stumbled, neither one coming off any worse than the other. "Blast!" Drapion snarled, unleashing an X-shaped burst of Poison energy; unfortunately, Crawdaunt was quick to recover, and the Blast was batted away by a Protect-enhanced claw.
Crawdaunt did not bother with ranged attacks. He was on Drapion before the Blast even fully dissipated, swinging another savage blow at Drapion. Drapion mustered a Block, deflecting the blow, and flung his left arm forwards to meet the other one. Pain shot up that arm this time, but Drapion gritted his teeth and lunged forwards instead of stumbling like last time.
"Thunder Rend!"
Staggered by the clash and not expecting the attack, Crawdaunt couldn't raise a Protect in time. Drapion's Electric energy-infused teeth gnashed down on Crawdaunt's body. The Water/Dark-type writhed in pain as Drapion sank his teeth deeper into his side.
"Hyper Cutter: Hammer Blow!" Crawdaunt's next attack was stated through gritted teeth. Drapion barely had time to raise a chitin barrier before a brutal claw-strike slammed into his left shoulder. Even with Battle Armor's protection, the shock was nearly enough to make him let go.
But still he clung on. Even as Crawdaunt flailed at his left side, Drapion drew his right arm back. "Rip!" he snarled, forcing Bug energy to the tips of his claws as he drove the arm forwards.
Gasps arose from the audience as Drapion slammed his right arm into Crawdaunt's side. But at the same time, another brutal Hammer Blow landed on his shoulder, and this time it was enough. Both Drapion and Crawdaunt tumbled to the ground, bleeding from their wounds. Both glared at each other. Both raised their claws towards the other.
"Dual Beam!"
"Blast!"
This time, the two beams of Water energy flung from Crawdaunt's claws coalesced in midair, forming a single, larger beam that streaked straight for Drapion's face. Drapion fired his Blast at the oncoming beam with a snarl of effort.
Both Pokemon lay where they were as the two attacks impacted.
For a second, the X-shaped Blast hung in midair, held at bay by the Dual Beam. Then it began to move forwards, slowly at first, then faster and faster still. Theo's eyes widened. "Crawdaunt, Pro-"
He stopped as Crawdaunt looked back at him. As the Blast gained ground, dispersing the last of the Dual Beam before it, Crawdaunt gazed at his Trainer and slowly shook his head.
"It's over," Crawdaunt said morosely.
Theo sighed, raised Crawdaunt's Pokeball, and recalled him. "I forfeit Crawdaunt."
The Blast slammed into the ground where Crawdaunt had been standing, another spray of sand punctuating the exhilarated cheering that exploded from Marcus's team. Marcus himself couldn't hide his joy. "Good job, Drapion," he said, his voice filled with uncontained pride. "Good job."
Connie's team were cheering too, Karen's was clapping politely, and even Theo's Mightyena was nodding respectfully. Connie herself was grinning, excitement resplendent in her gaze, both for Marcus's victory and for their inevitable rematch. Karen was smiling slightly, the only indicator of her emotions. And Theo, although looking frustrated, was also nodding, if slowly. That was understandable. Losing never felt great.
But the opposing Trainer stepped over to Marcus anyway. "Congrats," he said ruefully. "You…I guess you beat me."
"So…are you in?" Marcus asked.
"After that," said Theo, "I'm not sure I can say no."
Marcus, a smile on his face, held out his hand. Theo took it, and as they shook hands Marcus's smile grew broader. "Glad to have you."
"Looking forward to it," said Theo. "So…I'd better start packing. I'm not moving my stuff out of the house until you've actually got the position, but I'm going to need to take at least some things."
"Marcus!" Connie called from the sidelines. "You should probably recall Drapion!"
Marcus sighed. "I always forget that…sorry, Drapion."
The sandy arena disappeared a second later, replaced by the temperature-sensitive gel of Drapion's Luxury Ball. Drapion finally allowed himself to relax, sighing in relief as the gel soothed his wounds.
Next up: Alola, and Serena.