FallenKoala: Thank you so much for the review. It really brightened a fairly difficult day. My intent with POVs is to mostly keep them amongst Marcus's team and a few outsiders, with a few others depending on the arc.
Also, 9,000 words in one chapter. What can I say? Every time I get into one of these big multi-Pokemon brawls, I seem to end up writing way more than I intend to.
I'm not sure whether that means I should write more or less of those.
Tsareena felt the sun hit her face as Gladion, Elio, and Hau surged out of the main Aether Building. From here, she knew from Gladion's shouts as they'd run through the building that there was a lengthy street between the building and the mansion where Lillie was most likely being held.
But before they could even take more than a few steps onto the street, all three Trainers stopped dead. Tsareena peered out of her Ultra Ball to see none other than Plumeria, standing in the middle of the street with several Team Skull Grunts around her.
"This is as far as you go," Plumeria said. "I knew I shouldn't have trusted you, Gladion. How could you betray us like this?"
"You betrayed me," Gladion retorted. "You kidnapped my sister."
Plumeria frowned. "I'll be honest - I didn't know she was your sister. But that doesn't change things. I ain't gonna let you anywhere near Lusamine. Team Skull, stay back. I'll handle this."
Tsareena felt the familiar feeling of release as Elio, Gladion, and Hau sent out all of their Pokemon. Tsareena felt her gaze flick across Gladion's team and frowned. Just like he had in the docks area, Gladion had left one Pokemon unreleased.
"Type: Full," Plumeria said, releasing the Pokemon in question as she did so. "Deal with them."
Tsareena's first reaction was that Type: Full looked even stranger than Hau had described it as. It was an abomination, for lack of a better word, composed of so many different clashing body parts that it looked like a dozen other Pokemon had been sewed together.
Type: Full crouched as all of the Team Skull Grunts and Plumeria took a step back. The abomination glanced across all of his adversaries, eyes flickering faster than normal.
"RKS System: Ground Memory," Type: Full intoned, body shifting to a dark brown color. "Multi-Attack."
Ground energy exploded out of Type: Full's body, hurling flagstones everywhere as the path shattered under the powerful blast.
If there was one major thing Kamado spotted almost instantly about Faba's team, it was that more than half of them were Psychic-types. Up against four separate Dark-type teams, those Psychics would be extremely vulnerable.
Hopefully that would make this at least a little bit easier for the various Packs. Kamado had no doubt that Faba was a capable Trainer. Most Trainers only wielded six Pokemon at most, with Marcus only exceeding that value due to essentially having two separate teams. Faba had brought eleven to the table; that alone marked him as strong, even before Kamado factored in the confidence on each of his Pokemons' faces despite the seemingly long odds.
He looked around, eyeing each of the four Trainers around him as they opened their mouths, ready to begin giving out commands.
And then an Alakazam appeared in a burst of Psychic energy right next to Kamado.
"Telekinetic Hold."
All four Trainers froze in place, their eyes flicking towards Alakazam as he hovered in midair, spoons glowing purple. Kamado snarled. "Rock Attack!" he growled, summoning as many rocks as he could and flinging them at Alakazam.
Without even a word, Alakazam Psychically grasped the rocks in midair and threw them back at Kamado. Pain wracked Kamado's body as the impact sent him flying across the docks. Then he, too, froze; the ground beneath him had faded away, and Kamado didn't have to look down to realize that he was suspended in midair, above the pounding ocean.
"Don't try it. I doubt the Tyrunt can swim."
Alakazam's words were to Serena's Eevee, who had leaped out of her Pokeball snarling; she glanced over to Kamado and reluctantly relaxed.
Kamado snarled furiously, but in Alakazam's Psychic grip he was helpless.
"Don't worry, I'm not here to actually hurt any of you," said Alakazam. "I'm just here to even the odds a little bit. With such numbers, I doubt your Pokemon really need their Trainers to command them. So we're just going to stand here and watch. How does that sound?"
The Trainers were unable to reply, their mouths frozen shut.
"No protests? Good." Alakazam sat down in a meditative posture in midair and turned his gaze towards the battle, looking the very picture of calm.
As Medicham rushed Faba's team, her eyes locked with Faba's Hypno; the Psychic-type's pendulum was swinging wildly as he rushed his opponents. In the blink of an eye she recognized that Aura would not be helpful against an enemy Psychic. "Psychic Blast!" she cried, seeking to overpower Hypno with a quick burst of Psychic power, honed over her week of training with Darkrai.
Hypno twisted to face her. "I don't think so. Dream Dust."
His pendulum swayed, and a spray of Psychic energy flew from the object, colliding with Medicham's in midair. Medicham was shocked to see Hypno's attack cleave through hers and continue onwards; quickly she concentrated, firing another Psychic Blast at the Dream Dust, exerting all her will into forcing the Psychic attack backwards.
And then a flash of Psychic energy heralded Hypno's teleportation directly to Medicham's side.
"You think you're some kind of Psychic?" Hypno mocked. "You're nothing compared to me. Dream Dust."
"Aura Avoidance!" Medicham felt Detect tug her out of the way of another blast of Psychic energy. "Aura Blast!" She knew it wouldn't do anything, but maybe the speed would be enough to startle Hypno.
She was disappointed once again as Hypno swatted the Aura Blast out of the air with his pendulum. All around Medicham, she could see her allies were encountering similar difficulties as they clashed with Faba's team. Her heart leaped into her chest as she spotted Kriesh and Serena's Altaria struggling to land a hit on Faba's speedy Crobat, saw Drapion squaring off with his Kecleon, saw-
"Eyes on me. Mind Shatter."
This time Hypno's attack took the form of a Shadow Ball, rippling oddly as it flew towards Medicham. Again Medicham managed to fling herself out of the way with Aura Avoidance, if only barely.
"Pure Power: Aura Barrage!" Medicham's response was half a dozen Aura Blasts; as she flung the last one she charged after them, kicking off the ground to gain more speed. She knew Hypno would overpower her in a ranged duel; her only chance was to get in close.
"Enough of this!" Hypno swept his pendulum in an arc, dispersing each of the Aura Blasts with yet another Dream Dust. "Insomnia!"
Medicham felt as if her brain was trying to claw its way out of her skull; she skidded to a halt, collapsing on one knee, clutching her head as her mind screamed with a level of agony she hadn't felt since Geosenge. As she looked up with bleary eyes, her entire body seized up at the sight of Bringer-Of-Visions, the Absol's cruel eyes mocking her as she smiled tauntingly.
Medicham stumbled backwards, now heedless of the pain inside her head. "N-no," she whispered. "Get away…"
Bringer-Of-Visions advanced on her, her face filling her vision. Mind rippled across her horn as she lowered it slowly, making her intentions clear.
And then Bringer-Of-Visions was gone as Hypno whirled, barely bringing its pendulum up in time to deflect Seeker-Of-Endings' horn. The pendulum flashed with Fighting energy as it batted Seeker-Of-Endings' strike away; the Absol twisted in midair and landed next to Medicham, facing Hypno with a snarl on his face.
"Careful," Seeker-Of-Endings growled as Hypno twisted to face them once more. "Insomnia allows him to locate your dreams and manifest them in the real world. He can summon your worst nightmares to use against you. And if he's a good enough practitioner, which I have a feeling he is, he can make those dreams feel like reality."
Hypno smirked. "Indeed. So the Medicham who is afraid of Absols is saved by an Absol. I wonder what you dream about at night. Insomnia."
"Oh no, you don't." Seeker-Of-Endings let fly with a barrage of Pursuit rays, forcing Hypno to cut off his Insomnia in favor of a swift Teleport; the rays couldn't turn fast enough to avoid slamming into a nearby crate.
Medicham stifled a curse. She wouldn't begrudge the help, of course, but of all the Pokemon to come to her aid, it had to be Seeker-Of-Endings.
Hypno reappeared to Medicham's left. "Dream Dust!"
"Down!" Seeker-Of-Endings growled, hurling himself around Medicham to take the Psychic attack. But as he did so, Medicham spotted a surge of Fighting energy leap to Hypno's pendulum, soaring forth alongside the Dream Dust. "No!" she cried.
Seeker-Of-Endings grunted with surprise and pain as the attack hit home; Medicham had to leap over his flying body with Aura Avoidance The Absol skidded across the floor, rolling over and over until he managed to dig his claws in and regain his footing. But even as Medicham landed, the Detect around her body fading, Hypno teleported right next to her.
"Mind Shatter."
This time Medicham could not muster an Aura Avoidance in time. The attack hit home, sending her flying across the room as well, her mind screaming as Ghost energy ripped at it.
"Insomnia," Hypno intoned. Medicham clenched her fists, knowing what she would see as she looked up.
She locked eyes with Bringer-Of-Visions. "You're not real," she snarled through gritted teeth, trying to force back the pounding of her heart.
Bringer-Of-Visions smiled. "I am as real as I want to be."
She lunged with Dark energy, and Medicham raised an Aura-enhanced arm to block, but her horn ripped through Medicham's defenses and slashed deep into her arm. Medicham bit back an agonized scream. She looked around for Seeker-Of-Endings, only to see him crouched on the floor, paws over his ears, eyes squeezed shut and whimpering.
What kind of nightmare could so easily overcome him?
"Aura Strike!" Medicham's fist flew out, but Bringer-Of-Visions simply disappeared in a surge of shadows. In the next second she reappeared behind Medicham and stabbed her horn straight through Medicham's right shoulder. This time Medicham couldn't quite hold back her pain; she cried out as she fell, throwing out her left hand to steady herself.
Bringer-Of-VIsions' paw slammed into the back of her head and thrust it into the stone floor. Medicham tasted blood as her jaw cracked against the stone.
Do these illusions have the powers of their true selves? If so, could Hypno not just summon a Legendary? Could it be possible that he's truly that strong?
"Your mind is mine," Bringer-Of-Visons hissed. A Mind-infused horn touched the back of Medicham's head, and she could barely hear her own screaming through the sheer mental agony as she thrashed helplessly in the Absol's grasp.
On Drapion's right and left, he could see his allies engaging Faba's Pokemon, but his eyes were mainly locked on the opponent that had apparently chosen to face him.
Kecleon stared back at Drapion, undaunted in the face of its much larger opponent. Drapion wasn't an idiot. He knew Faba's team would be powerful. And he knew this Kecleon was definitely tougher than its small size and unassuming appearance seemed to communicate.
"So what're ya supposed ta do?" Drapion growled.
Kecleon smiled thinly. He waved his hand in the air, and to Drapion's surprise words formed in the air between them, made up of blue bubble-like letters floating in midair.
THIS.
COLOR CHANGE: COLOR SPRAY.
And then Drapion's vision went completely black.
"Gah!" Drapion snarled in surprise. "Blast!" A blast of Poison energy flew towards where he'd last seen Kecleon, but at that exact moment a fist slammed into the side of his face, sending him stumbling. Growling furiously, Drapion lashed out blindly with one of his arms, but hit empty air, and another fist promptly struck the other side of his face, this time drawing blood. And all the while, though Drapion blinked his eyes several times trying to clear his vision, he could see nothing but impenetrable blackness.
"Pierce!" Drapion unleashed a barrage of spikes from every part of his body. He heard a small grunt and then his vision was clear again; he could see Kecleon stumbling with a spike embedded in his foreleg.
So pain disrupts his concentration on that blindness thing. Good. I can deal with that.
"Rend!" Drapion lunged, hurling a swift arm-strike at Kecleon. This time he saw how Kecleon dodged; he simply faded in a burst of Distortion and reappeared on the other side of Drapion's swinging arm. Shadow Sneak.
"Tail!" Drapion growled.
But again he was frustrated, this time by a swift Protect that deflected his tail strike. Again Kecleon waved his hand in a vague arc, and again words formed in midair before him. COLOR CHANGE: MAJOR IMAGE.
Colors swirled through the air around Kecleon, forming into a dozen identical Kecleons; Double Team, though it seemed to be a construct of Kecleon's Ability rather than the actual move.
Burrow was out due to the hard stone floor, removing one of Drapion's main weapons against Double Team. But he still had another weapon available. "No Escape!" he growled, firing a flurry of Pursuit rays at the thirteen Kecleons. Immediately they all twisted in midair and flew at one of the thirteen, but that one flashed with Ghost energy and the rays sailed right through the Kecleon's body. Drapion was surprised was the fact that even though the illusory Kecleon was struck, the illusions stayed, unlike a normal Double Team; the Pursuit rays left no sign of an impact behind.
So it's not like a normal Double Team. It's not twelve illusions and one real enemy; it's thirteen illusions with one real body that can swap between them at any time he wants with Shadow Sneak, and these illusions don't go down when hit.
Drapion could have sworn the thirteen Kecleons smirked as further words appeared before the squad. COLOR CHANGE: DARKNESS.
And then blackness engulfed Drapion's vision once more, though this time it wasn't an instant thing like Color Spray. Instead, he saw a sphere of blackness form around him, starting at the ground and rising upwards until it encompassed him.
Drapion grinned. This newest obstacle could be overcome easily. All he had to do was leave the sphere.
But as he began to hurl himself forwards, a blast of Electric energy slammed into his front, sending him staggering backwards. As he tried to recover, Ice energy drove into his right side, swiftly followed by Fire energy to his left. "No Escape!" Drapion snarled, hoping the Pursuit rays might hit and drop Kecleon's concentration. But even as he released them, he knew Kecleon would just evade with Shadow Sneak, and as expected no grunt of pain sounded and the sphere did not drop.
"Battle Armor!" Drapion activated his chitin reserves, spreading them out all over his body to try and take the attacks better. It didn't help; a second later several Rock energy-formed projectiles pounded into his face, and then a blast of Water energy rammed into the side of his head, overbalancing him as he staggered from the rocks. Drapion fell to the ground, landing hard on his back; another blast of Ice energy struck his chest as he tried to stand again, dropping him to the ground once more.
He knew exactly what Kecleon was doing. He could picture it in his mind: Kecleon's illusions surrounding the sphere of blackness, the real Kecleon flickering between them with Shadow Sneak, launching a random attack into the Darkness every time he landed. And Drapion was large enough that the attacks would most likely hit; even if they didn't hit, it wasn't like it was going to hit Kecleon. Battle Armor and his held Black Sludge would allow him to take the hits better, and Block might deflect a few, but the hits were coming far too fast for him to simply stall Kecleon out.
And if Drapion attempted to retaliate, not only would the blindness interfere, but Kecleon could just Shadow Sneak out of the way. He'd never expected the Ability to control the color of things to be so brutal. Drapion emanated a low, frustrated growl as he tried to stand once again only to take a Fire-type attack to his right flank and fall yet again.
How in Distortion am I supposed to beat this stupid thing?
Liepard's eyes darted around the room, searching for a fit to intervene in. All around her she could see her allies struggling. Faba's Pokemon were definitely strong; in a few places Liepard could see at least three of her allies taking on one of Faba's Pokemon and clearly having difficulty.
But Liepard didn't have eyes for those battles. Rather, she was scanning the room for battles of a single one of her allies against one enemy. She could see Medicham facing a Hypno, but saw Serena's Absol beside her and reasoned she should be fine. She could see the enemy Kecleon, split into several illusory copies, firing blasts of multicolored energy into a sphere of darkness; she decided that it was not in her best interest to head over there.
But as her gaze flicked to the right, Liepard saw Houndoom facing the enemy Smeargle on his own. A smile came to Liepard's face. "Magnifique," she whispered, gathering her haunches and leaping towards that fight.
She could see Smeargle's tail flashing through the air, white with a green color at the tip, flaring with Fire energy as the Normal-type watched a Flame Storm fly at him. "Sketch!" Smeargle cried. "Own Tempo!"
His tail darted through the air, conjuring a copy of Houndoom's Flame Storm; each mote of Fire energy in the copied Flame Storm suddenly flared with increased power, and as the two Flame Storms impacted against one another it was Houndoom's that was overcome.
"Dark Surge!" Houndoom snarled, firing a wave of Dark energy outwards that blasted the Flame Storm away. "Sketch! Own Tempo!" Smeargle cried. His tail flicked, and a copied Dark Surge burst from it, growing in size as it flew until it struck and overcame Houndoom's Dark Surge. Houndoom dug his claws into the ground, readying himself for the incoming hit.
"Farceur: Imitateur!"
A small burst of energy flew from Liepard and connected with Smeargle. Liepard grinned as she copied Sketch; a completely identical Dark Surge flew from her body, slamming into Smeargle's Sketched Dark Surge and dispersing them both. Smeargle's eyes narrowed at the new arrival as Liepard skidded to a halt by Houndoom's side.
"You're not the only copycat in this fight," Liepard hissed, chuckling a little at her own joke.
"Maybe, but I'm still the better one," Smeargle shot back, tail flicking through the air once again. "Sketch! Own Tempo! Flame Storm!"
"Farceur: Imitateur!"
Two identical Flame Storms flew at one another, dispersing as they collided. Houndoom leaped strongly around Liepard. "Flame Tongue!" he snarled, attempting to take advantage of the stalemate.
"Sketch! Own Tempo!"
Smeargle's stronger version of Houndoom's attack cut straight through Houndoom's Flame Tongue and slammed into Houndoom, hurling him backwards. "Sketch! Own Tempo! Flame Tongue!" Another jet of Fire energy came roaring at Liepard - "Farceur: Imitateur!" - and was blocked by an identical stream.
"It seems we are evenly matched," said Liepard as the flames dissipated. "Houndoom, go find another fight. I think I should be able to handle this one."
Smeargle chuckled. "Oh, please. You think your friend's the only Pokemon I've copied moves from? Sketch! Own Tempo! Earthquake!"
"I don't care how many moves you've copied," said Liepard. "I can copy each one all the same. Farceur: Imitateur."
"Sketch! Teleport!"
Even as Liepard slammed her paws down on the ground, sending a wave of Ground energy at Smeargle's identical wave, Smeargle appeared right next to her, tail flicking. "Sketch! Own Tempo! Extreme Speed!"
A brutally swift impact slammed into Liepard's side and she flew through the air, landing on the ground some thirty feet away, her side afire with pain. "Flame Surge!" Houndoom barked furiously. Smeargle smirked. "Sketch! Own Tempo!" Houndoom's massive wave of Fire energy disappeared in another identical wave, a wave that drove into Houndoom's body and sent him skidding backward.
"Prankster, right?" Smeargle grinned. "Speed buff, not too bad…but my Own Tempo Ability allows me to add my own power to my copied moves! And since I can use Extreme Speed, even you can't outspeed my powerful hits, while I counter everything you throw at me with even stronger versions!"
Liepard forced the pain back and rose to her paws once more, glancing sideways at Houndoom as she did so. "Any ideas?" she muttered.
"He can only sketch one move at a time," Houndoom growled. "Looks like we'll just have to try and overwhelm him."
Liepard swallowed, glaring back at Smeargle. The Normal-type beat his tail against the ground. "Sketch! Own Tempo! Earthquake!"
"Farceur: Imitateur!" As Liepard countered Smeargle's Earthquake with her own, Houndoom leaped forward strongly, jaws flaring with Dark energy. Liepard rushed forward a half step behind Houndoom, both combatants bearing down on Smeargle.
Smeagle idly swung his tail as he crouched, readying himself for further combat. "Fine. Guess you'll just have to learn your lesson the hard way."
Pangoro had been having the time of his life. With his power, the Aether Pokemon had fallen before him like so many leaves off a tree. He'd relished in the cracking of their bones under his fists, their screams of pain as he tore into them and tossed them away.
Which made this Bruxish all the more annoying.
"Dazzling!"
"Gah!" Pangoro snarled as light flared from Bruxish's body, blinding him yet again. "Aqua Jaws!" Bruxish's teeth clamped down on Pangoro's right leg and he kicked out only to meet empty air as Bruxish danced away yet again.
"Iron Fist: Crushing Blow!" Pangoro, his vision clearing, hurled himself at Bruxish with one fist outstretched. But the nimble Bruxish, surrounding itself with a ball of Water energy, dodged out of the way yet again, and Pangoro left another crater in the stone floor.
"Storm Blade!" Connie's Tyranitar rose from where a powerful Aqua Blast from the Bruxish had knocked him down and fired a Stone Edge at the evasive Water/Psychic-type. But yet again Bruxish jetted out of the way. "Dazzling!" Bruxish cried; Pangoro and Tyranitar both shielded their eyes against the light, but it left them open, and Bruxish wasted no time in taking advantage of that. "Aqua Shots!" A blast of Water energy drove into Pangoro's gut, and from the sound of it Tyranitar had been struck as well.
"Sand Stream!" Tyranitar snarled.
Bruxish grinned. "Nope. Rain Dance!"
As a wave of sand erupted from Tyranitar's body, Bruxish shot a burst of Water into the air. The sand had scarcely begun to sting Pangoro's body when the rain extinguished it, dispersing the Rock energy that formed the Sandstorm and replacing it with a gentle rain.
Pangoro lunged, frustrated. "Iron Fist: Shattering Blow!"
Bruxish simply dodged again, fired a swift Aqua Shot at Pangoro's shoulder to stagger him - it hurt even worse powered up by the rain - and then lunged away from a Storm Blade Tyranitar flung at it. "Storm Quake!" Tyranitar snarled, slamming the ground; a rippling burst of Ground energy flew in a steadily-expanding wave towards Bruxish.
"Gah!" Bruxish looked surprised for the first time as it attempted to jet out of the way of the expanding wave. Clearly it couldn't jet into the air to avoid it.
Bruxish wasn't quite fast enough to avoid the edge of the wave. He spun in a circle as the Storm Quake impacted his tail, wincing in pain. Satisfaction filled Pangoro. Finally, some progress!
But all that satisfaction ebbed when Bruxish glared at Tyranitar. "Disable," Bruxish snarled.
Pangoro clenched his fists as Tyranitar shook his head. Disable worked by implanting a Psychic block in an enemy Pokemon's head, preventing them from accessing one of their moves; in essence, they completely forgot that they even knew that move. For whatever reason, the technique worked on Dark-types whereas most Psychic-type techniques would be deflected by the Dark-type's natural immunity.
All this meant that Tyranitar could no longer use the one attack that had actually worked against Bruxish.
Fantastic.
"Dazzling!" Pangoro had to shield his eyes once again. "Aqua Jaws!" A grunt of pain from Tyranitar indicated that Bruxish had elected to target him with its attack.
This was going nowhere.
"Iron Fist: Bullet Blow!" Pangoro lunged again; Bullet Blow was his fastest attack, a priority move, one of his best against evasive opponents. But Bruxish's Aqua Jet seemed to also be a priority move, for Bruxish had no trouble evading that strike as well. "Aqua Shot!" Again Pangoro took a blast of Water energy to his side; by now several parts of his body were burning with pain. Pangoro gritted his teeth as he swiveled to glare at Bruxish again.
He's just using the same exact strategy over and over again. But it's a damn effective one. Without Tyranitar's sandstorm, he can't match Bruxish's speed, and…
And I can't either.
Pangoro hated those words as they entered his mind. Even Drapion had felt like a challenge he could overcome. He'd landed hits, plenty of them, and the battle had definitely been close. But this was like trying to grab a flitting Cutiefly. So difficult it seemed to approach impossible.
But Pangoro hadn't survived in the wild by not trying. And as he glared at the Bruxish, eyeing the Water/Psychic type's toothy smile, the beginnings of an idea flickered into his head. I don't like relying on others for aid. But I like winning more. And Tyranitar might be my best shot here.
"That Storm Blade," Pangoro growled quietly to Tyranitar. "Can you fire it several times in quick succession?"
"I've got an attack that works like that," Tyranitar responded. "I think I see your plan. Go, I'll do my part."
"Right." Pangoro clenched his fists and sprang. "Iron Fist!"
"Rock Storm!" Several shards of Rock energy sailed past Pangoro, aimed to the right and left of Bruxish. From the look on Bruxish's face, the Water/Psychic-type realized exactly what was going on. Swiftly, Bruxish lunged backwards, augmented by Aqua Jet, seeking to escape the charging Pangoro. "Aqua Shot!"
Pangoro ignored the blast of Water energy and continued onwards, but Bruxish abruptly stopped. "Dazzling!" Pangoro grunted as light blasted his eyes once again; instinctively he kicked at where he knew Bruxish was going to be, but instead Bruxish didn't even strike him. Instead, he felt a rush of air past his right leg as Bruxish dove past it, evading the Rock Storm and Pangoro's charge.
Damn! Almost got him…just need to-
"Storm Smash!"
Pangoro had briefly forgotten about Tyranitar; from the look of it so had Bruxish, for he only just managed to dodge out of the way as Tyranitar's Normal energy-enhanced body flew past Bruxish's flicking tail. "Aqua Shot!" Tyranitar staggered, the attempted Giga Impact leaving his side wide open, and Bruxish grinned as it sailed freely, twisting back around to fire another Aqua Shot at Pangoro.
Pangoro punched it out of the air with an Iron Fist-enhanced strike, but it was clear the plan had failed. "Got any more ideas?" Pangoro asked.
"One," Tyranitar growled. "But it's risky."
"I can work with risky as long as it does something," Pangoro retorted.
"All right," Tyranitar snarled. "Here goes." His eyes shut, his body flared with Normal energy, and his swift breathing slowed to a steady in-out, calm amidst the surrounding battle.
Rest? His big idea's Rest? How in Arceus's name is that supposed to help?
Bruxish seemed confused too, but apparently it figured Tyranitar's strategy out before Pangoro did, because its eyes widened and it leaped away a second before Tyranitar's body exploded to life.
Blasts of Rock and Ground energy flew from Tyranitar in all directions; Pangoro had to shield himself from an errant Stone Edge with another Iron Fist activation. Bruxish was swiftly forced onto the back foot as it tried to avoid the random assault. Then an Earthquake flew from Tyranitar's foot, and once again Bruxish simply couldn't evade the powerful wave.
Pangoro grinned as Bruxish flew ungainly into a crate and bounced off right into another Stone Edge. Sleep Talk. Of course - Disable affected a Pokemon's conscious thought, preventing them from thinking about using a specific technique. But Sleep Talk worked unconsciously, simply summoning random attacks that the Pokemon knew, ignoring whether they remembered that they knew those attacks or not.
With Sleep Talk in conjunction with Earthquake, Tyranitar might have even proved a challenge for Bruxish on his own.
Pangoro charged Bruxish, who finally seemed to be showing some wear and tear; Bruxish was busy avoiding a Rock Blast, but as Pangoro rushed it Bruxish twisted, glaring at him. "Psychic Fangs!"
Bruxish gnashed its teeth together, and the shards of Rock energy suddenly halted in midair. Then all of them changed course to fly at Pangoro, half a dozen different Rock-type attacks coming at him from all directions. Pangoro crossed his arms in front of him. "Iron Fist!" Most of the attacks shattered against his iron-hard fists, but a few found flesh and Pangoro staggered. "Aqua Jaws!" Bruxish's teeth ripped into Pangoro's leg, and Pangoro lost his footing and fell to one knee. Another Earthquake rippled through the ground, but Bruxish ducked behind Pangoro; the Earthquake slammed into him and sent him tumbling to the stone floor as Bruxish was untouched.
So all that Aqua Jet nonsense wasn't Bruxish's true power. He's got a ridiculous amount of Psychic strength, but he couldn't very well use it against a pair of Dark-types. But Sleep Talk means Tyranitar has less control over his own attacks. Once he's awake and has more control, Bruxish shouldn't be able to do that again.
Pangoro slammed his fist into the ground and hauled himself up as Tyranitar's eyes opened, his Rest finished. Tyranitar sighed as he saw Bruxish still up, though clearly more wounded. "I'm not going to be able to do that too many more times," the Rock/Dark-type growled.
Pangoro, his entire body aching with his wounds, clenched his fists again as he watched Bruxish warily. "I've got a card left to play," he said reluctantly. "It's big. It'll mean I'm pretty much done for this battle. But it might do the trick."
"Do it," said Tyranitar.
"Right." Pangoro called upon the energy within his body. "Battle Aura!"
His body flared with the power of Work Up, blazing with light as Pangoro felt raw strength course through his veins.
Bruxish darted forwards yet again. "Dazzling!"
"Rock Storm!" From the lack of pain as Pangoro shielded his eyes, Bruxish had been forced to break off its attack in order to avoid the Rock Blast Tyranitar sent at it. The instant Pangoro's vision cleared he lunged at the backpedaling Bruxish. "Iron Fist: Bullet Blows!"
"Rock Storm!"
As soon as the first Rock Storm ended Tyranitar fired a second one, the rocks flying at Bruxish just as Pangoro lunged with both fists swinging. Clearly Bruxish realized even he couldn't evade all of it. "Psychic Fangs!" Bruxish growled. His jaws clamped down again, and a wave of Psychic energy arrested the rocks.
But as Pangoro had predicted, Tyranitar's wakefulness meant he had more control over his attacks, and the rocks stayed suspended in midair, neither Bruxish nor Tyranitar able to prevail against one another. In that moment, Pangoro's fists swung at Bruxish's face.
Bruxish leaped backwards for dear life. The first fist brushed against the tip of Bruxish's lips, drawing the tiniest amount of blood as it skimmed past Bruxish's body.
And then the second pounded straight into Bruxish's side.
Bruxish screamed in agony as several scales shattered under Pangoro's Iron Fist and Battle Aura-enhanced blow. Distracted by the pain, Bruxish couldn't react in time to avoid Pangoro opening his hand and clamping it around Bruxish's body. Pangoro knew he would savor the expression of pure terror in Bruxish's eyes for a long time.
A wicked grin adorning his face, Pangoro reared and slammed Bruxish down onto the stone floor. Then hauled back and slammed him onto it again, and again. It took four full powerful slams before Bruxish finally lost consciousness, its body a mess of blood and ruined scales.
Pangoro dropped Bruxish and let out a deep breath, sagging as he did so. The Battle Aura had sapped much of his remaining stamina.
"Need a hand?" Tyranitar asked, sounding exhausted himself.
"No," Pangoro growled. "Like I said…I think I'm done. Go…crush someone else's head for me, will you?"
Tyranitar smirked. "Will do." The Rock/Dark-type turned and ambled away, giving Bruxish's body a small kick as he did so.
Satisfied, and concentrating on the falled Bruxish, Pangoro toppled to the ground, slipping into unconsciousness a few seconds later as the last of his stamina gave out.
Trevenant watched as Shiftry and Scrafty raced at Faba's Jellicent from opposite sides, dodging swiftly past a pair of blasts of Water energy as they did so. "Water Absorb: Energy Manipulation," Jellicent burbled. The blasts of Water energy curved back on themselves, striking the two Dark-typesand knocking them to the ground, soaking them from head to toe.
"Water Absorb: Bubble Prison," Jellicent gurgled again. Scrafty and Shiftry began rising into the air, eyes widening as they tried to move and found they couldn't.
"Right now, you're both surrounded by Water energy," Jellicent informed as if having a pleasant conversation. "And with Water Absorb giving me perfect control over Water energy, it's as if I control your very bodies. Now, let's see how well you fight if all your limbs are broken." He began to shift the Water energy surrounding the two Dark-types' bodies, twisting their limbs in very unhealthy-looking directions.
This did not seem good for their side, so Trevenant raised one of their vine-like arms. "Leech Seed!"
Jellicent saw the attack coming. "Water Barrier." A Protect deflected the Leech Seed. "Well, it seems I'll have to cut this experiment short." Jellicent slammed the two Dark-types to the ground, holding them down with their surrounding Water energy even as he turned towards Trevenant.
"Ah, a fellow Ghost," said Jellicent. "No limbs to break - you'd just repair them. And, as far as I know, Ghosts don't need to breathe. You might actually be a fairly tricky opponent."
One of his tentacles indicated Shiftry and Scrafty, who were still immobilized on the ground. "They, on the other hand, do need to breathe. So I'd hurry up if I were you. Otherwise, I doubt you stand a chance of defeating me before they run out of air inside my bubbles."
Trevenant glared at Jellicent. Such calmness he radiated even as he discussed strangling a pair of innocent Pokemon. It disgusted them.
"Shadow Ball!" Trevenant cried.
"Water Blast." Jellicent's blast of Water energy was strong enough to dissipate Trevenant's Shadow Ball. But even as both attacks dispersed, Trevenant fired a Leech Seed through the fading energy; Jellicent was quick on the uptake, deflecting the attack with a Water Barrier. "Water Wave." A burst of Water energy, clearly a Surf, flew from Jellicent towards Trevenant.
"Ingrain!" Trevenant cried. With a gesture, they summoned a surge of vines between them and the oncoming wave. But with a gurgle of "Water Absorb: Energy Manipulation", Jellicent took full control over the wave. With a gesture of his own he raised the wave and sent it flying over the top of Trevenant's vines. Trevenant took the Water Wave straight to the face, staggering under the blast.
"Water Absorb: Harden." Trevenant felt their entire body lock up as the Water energy soaking their body suddenly hardened at Jellicent's command. Jellicent floated around the vines. "Now, a Trevenant isn't exactly the most evasive type of Ghost. Without a nice helpful tree, you might not be able to take much damage from this, but I doubt you can escape."
Trevenant couldn't really call an attack when their mouth was frozen, but a gurgle escaped their throat anyway along with a Leech Seed, fired from their frozen arm and aimed at Jellicent.
Jellicent deflected it with another Water Barrier, but that had just been cover for the jet of Ghost energy that soared from Trevenant's gaping mouth.
Jellicent staggered as the Confuse Ray struck it head-on. At once, Trevenant felt the water release from around them, dropping him to the ground. Shiftry and Scraft gasped, hacking up water as their own prisons receded.
"I'm going…to kill…that stupid Jellicent," Shiftry snarled.
"Try Pickpocketing the water," Scrafty suggested.
"I did try that," Shifty retorted. "He's got too much control over his own Water energy. It just slid out of my grasp every time."
"We owe you one," Scrafty told Trevenant. Trevenant grinned in response. "Now let's get that thing."
But Jellicent was surprisingly quick to shake off the Confuse Ray. "Oh, that actually hurt a little," the Water/Ghost-type growled. "Now I'm going to really make you suffer."
Scrafty grinned, his body flaring with Dark energy.
"You won't get the chance," Shiftry retorted. "Leaf Blast!"
Jellicent raised his tentacles in preparation for a Water Barrier, and then abruptly lunged straight for Scrafty, ignoring the Leaf Blast as it slammed into him, peppering his water body with wounds. Trevenant smirked as they recognized Swagger; they remembered Scrafty had used the same technique to great effect against Medicham back in the Kalos Pokemon League Tournament. Now that had been fun, even though Trevenant had only really gotten to fight twice.
"Water Wave!" The problem with Swagger was that Jellicent was now aiming attacks at Scrafty, and Water Wave wasn't something Scrafty could dodge easily. Trevenant grimaced; stuck in place with Ingrain, all he could do was raise a wall of vines between Scrafty and Jellicent. It was enough to stop the Water Wave, but it also broke Jellicent's line of sight to Scrafty, and Jellicent quickly managed to shake off the confusion just in time to raise a Water Barrier to deflect Shiftry's Leaf Blade.
"Shadow Ball!" Trevenant cried as Jellicent attempted to nail Shiftry with an Ice-type attack. "Pickpocket! Catch and Return!" Shiftry cried, grasping the Ice Beam out of the air and flinging it back at Jellicent. "Water Wave!" Jellicent attempted, but though his hasty blast deflected the Ice-type attack, Trevenant's Shadow Ball hit home and sent Jellicent flying backwards.
"Leech Seed!" Trevenant cried, but Jellicent managed to deflect it with yet another Water Barrier. Scrafty lunged, Dark energy wreathing both his fists, Shiftry a step behind. "All right, that's enough," Jellicent burbled. "Water Spout."
Before Trevenant's shocked eyes, a massive gout of Water energy flew into the air from Jellicent's body, arcing down upon all three of Jellicent's opponents. Trevenant didn't have much time to react; in a flash they summoned a surge of vines around themselves, a surge that encased them in a shell of Grass energy-formed plants.
The Water Spout hit, and the plants buckled under it but held. Cries of pain indicated that Shiftry and Scrafty had not been able to defend themselves.
Trevenant retracted their vines to see exactly what they'd feared; Shiftry and Scrafty immobilized in shells of Water energy once again, and Jellicent floating towards Trevenant slowly. "And now it's just you and me again," said Jellicent, the calm back in his voice. "But this time I know your tricks. So let's just shut you down. Taunt."
A burst of Dark energy flew from Jellicent's body, and Trevenant's mind could suddenly only think of one thing. Attacking Jellicent, hurting the Water/Ghost-type for what he had done to Scrafty and Shiftry, simply unleashing the most powerful attacks they could at their enemy.
"Shadow Ball!" Trevenant cried. Jellicent deflected it with a Water Barrier. "Water Wave," Jellicent gurgled. "Shadow Ball!" Trevenant cried again, unable to muster any other attacks due to the Taunt. The Shadow Ball broke against the powerful wave of water, and the wave slammed into Trevenant, coating him in Water energy that Jellicent immediately hardened with Water Absorb.
"I'll just keep you under Taunt so that you don't try anything else funny," said Jellicent. "Then I'll just suffocate these two, and then I'll start doing the same to the rest. Do me a favor and tell me: which ones are your teammates?"
Jellicent flashed a taunting smile as Trevenant tried vainly to break free of their watery prison. "Just so that I know to finish them off first."
"Impenetrable Shell!" Cloyster cried yet again. Once more his defense was enough to stave off the assault of Faba's Malamar; a second later it was forced back onto the defensive, tentacle-like arms swaying to deflect a Spine Slash from Cacturne. "Ice Flurry!" Cloyster called, attempting to overwhelm Malamar's defenses, but with a retort of "Cihcysp", Malamar blasted the barrage away with a burst of Psychic energy. Cloyster had to roll to the side to avoid the blast; in that moment Malamar's tentacles flared with Fighting energy and it drove a swift strike into Cacturne's midsection.
Cacturne grunted in pain; he managed to deflect a follow-up strike with a Spine Shield and force Malamar back again with a Spine Salvo, but it was clear the hit had done him no favors. He'd already taken three like it, and it was clearly having an effect on his battling; at the beginning of this battle he would have been able to fully deflect an onslaught like that.
Worse, it seemed that with every hit, Malamar was growing even stronger. Cloyster could see an aura of Fighting energy around Malamar's body, an aura that had gradually been growing more and more apparent with each Fighting energy-enhanced hit Malamar dealt. There was no way that was a coincidence. Was Malamar using Power-Up Punch? Or was it some kind of Ability?
Regardless, it at least didn't seem to be boosting Malamar's speed and defenses, not that Malamar needed that boost anyway. Its fast reflexes and Psychic defenses, not to mention the Reflect and Light Screen it had conjured around itself at the beginning of the fight, had meant that despite the battle being two-on-one, neither Cloyster nor Cacturne had been able to get more than a couple glancing blows in.
And Cacturne's next move clearly showed that it had decided to kick things into a higher gear. "Sand Storm!" he cried; the localized sandstorm that arose from Cacturne's body obscured Cloyster's vision as well. Cloyster had to blink as the sand drove into his eyes; he could see the faint outline of Malamar, and the closer but even fainter outline of Cacturne. Sand Veil was doing exactly what it was supposed to.
"Yspot-Yvrut."
And then abruptly Cacturne was clearly visible; in fact, he was as visible as if the sand wasn't even there. His eyes went wide as Malamar lunged for him. "Spine Salvo!" he cried, but Malamar batted the barrage aside with another utterance of "Cihcysp" and slammed a Fighting energy-wreathed tentacle into Cacturne's gut.
"Wave Blast!" Cloyster cried, sending a wave of Water energy into the sandstorm. Malamar narrowed its eyes as it saw the wave coming, clearly too large for its Psychic abilities to deflect.
So instead, even as the wave came at it, Malamar glanced at Cloyster. "Cihcysp."
"Impenetrable Shell!" Cloyster deflected the attack again, but even as the Protect faded Cloyster realized that he'd played right into Malamar's hands, for the Dark/Psychic-type was smirking. "Sisonpyh," it stated.
"Defensive Shell!" Cloyster knew it wouldn't work, but it was at least worth a try.
The wave slammed into Malamar; the Light Screen and Reflect kept it standing, but it clearly winced in pain under the powerful hit. At the same time, the wave of Psychic energy it had summoned forth struck Cloyster inside his closed shell. At once Cloyster felt his eyelids droop. No! I have to...I have...have...
"Gah!" Cloyster cried as something slammed into his shell and sent him flying. He felt the back of his shell hit the stone ground several times before he abruptly came to a stop. Groaning, Cloyster opened up his shell and looked around. How long was I out?
Here, he saw Serena's Meowstic on the floor, unconscious, as the rest of Serena's team battled against Faba's Claydol and Alolan Raichu, the battle surrounded in a storm of Electric energy as the Alolan Raichu and Serena's Jolteon traded blasts. There, he saw the non-Cacturne members of Theo's team trying to overcome Faba's Slowking; even with its clearly higher power level, the three-on-one fight was proving too much for the bulky Water/Psychic-type; though it was healing what wounds Theo's team could deliver to it with Regenerator and flinging Water, Ice, Rock, and even Fire energy at them in an impressive multicolored display, it was looking haggard, exhaustion beginning to set in as it endeavored to force its opponents away.
Over there...was that their Trainers, caught in the Psychic grip of an Alakazam?
Cloyster narrowed his eyes at Alakazam. So Faba had a twelfth team member? Had that Alakazam been there all this time? Cloyster readied himself to charge at the Alakazam, the rest of the battle forgotten. His Trainer was in danger.
But then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Marcus looking straight at him.
Cloyster met Marcus's gaze. With what looked to be a strenuous effort, Marcus managed to shift his head to one side. His eyes glanced towards the battle, and Cloyster knew what he meant.
Slowly, though it pained him, Cloyster turned away from his Trainer and back to the battle, searching for Cactune and Malamar. He spotted them immediately; by now Malamar was fully on the offensive, deflecting every strike Cacturne could throw at it and retaliating with swift blows that nearly drove Cacturne to his knees with each strike.
Grimacing, Cloyster hurled himself back into the battle.
Kriesh flung herself through the air with a fervor that surprised even herself. She couldn't help but recognize that she'd been approaching this fight a little more violently than usual; the sight of Faba's Hypno had brought up a few memories Kriesh would have preferred to stay dormant, and she was itching for a chance to dig her beak into that Hypno's midsection.
First things first. Need to take care of this Crobat.
Kriesh certainly hadn't expected to encounter so many Crobats today. Zubats, and to a lesser extent Golbats, were known far and wide for being common in caves, to the point where Team Rocket, and others like them, had caught and used quite a few Zubat only because they were easy to catch and no one would miss them. But none of those ever evolved into Crobats, for a Golbat only became a Crobat either when a leader and unifier was desperately needed amongst a Zubat tribe, or when their trust in their Trainer was so absolute that they'd be willing to do anything for them. If one saw a Crobat in the company of a Trainer, they instinctively knew that the Crobat trusted the Trainer enough to essentially place its life in their hands.
It just felt wrong for Faba to have a Crobat. From what Kriesh had gleaned of the Aether Branch Chief's demeanor, he seemed shifty and not at all trustworthy. Why, then, would he have a Crobat?
Could it be that he stole it from someone else?
"Inner Focus!" Crobat shrieked, a frenzied cry that pierced Kriesh's ears as Crobat dove upon her. "Wing-Blade Strike!"
Kriesh hurled herself out of the way with an Aerial Ace as Crobat shot through the air, narrowly missing her with its wingtips. As Kriesh spun, she eyed the Crobat's wings, flaring with Flying energy, and recognized at once that those wingtips were sharp.
"Flurry Impact!" Kriesh cried. Crobat spun in midair, hissing. "Four-Wing Slash!" All four of Crobat's wings flew forwards, and four blades of Flying energy flew out from Crobat's body, intercepting the Flurry Impact and dispersing it. Crobat itself used the momentum to fling itself upwards, arcing as it went so that it traveled in a half-circle and divebombed Kriesh again.
"Sniper: Beam Impact!"
Crobat abruptly folded its wings and dropped like a stone; as Kriesh's Beam Impact, aimed for where Crobat had been, arced downwards to pursue it, Crobat flipped in midair and rocketed straight for Kriesh. Kriesh saw it coming as if it were in slow motion; Crobat coming straight at her, the Beam Impact curving to follow.
Her mind flew back to a battle a long time ago. Medicham, then Meditite, had managed to use a quick Psychic dodge to lure her into the path of her own Flurry Impact. Kriesh suspected Crobat's natural speed would substitute finely; Crobats were known to be able to reach staggeringly fast speeds.
But during that battle in the past, Kriesh had been overconfident, diving at Meditite with a Sky Impact without even paying attention to the trap Meditite had set.
Not this time.
"Beam Impact!" Kriesh unleashed another Hyper Beam straight at Crobat; as she'd expected, Crobat immediately dove, and the two Hyper Beams slammed into one another in an explosion of Normal energy. What Kriesh hadn't expected was for Crobat to twist in midair once more, now facing towards Kriesh's belly.
"Sludge Spit!"
A blast of Poison energy slammed into Kriesh's underside, hurling her higher into the air. She was faintly aware of Crobat coming at her again as she tried to flap her wings against her momentum; then Crobat abruptly had to break off as Serena's Altaria lunged into view, a Dragon's Song flying from her beak.
"Flurry Impact!" Kriesh cried, seeing Crobat was too occupied with the Dragon's Song. But without even looking, Crobat shot off to the side; the Flurry Impact twisted after it, collided with the Dragon's Song, and dissipated along with Altaria's attack.
"Great," Altaria growled. "Inner Focus."
"Any idea what that does?" Kriesh asked.
"I had a couple of wild Crobats nearby when I was wild," said Altaria. "Inner Focus basically gives them a sort of battle sense. They instinctively know when an attack is coming and the best course of action to avoid it."
Kriesh grimaced. "Then we'll have to trap it. Stop it from dodging."
"You think we can trap a Crobat?" Altaria asked.
"I think we're gonna have to." Kriesh spotted Crobat circling around for another attack. "Got any status? Paralysis, Sleep-"
"I can put it to sleep," said Altaria. "But I need a clear shot."
"Then let's try and get one," said Kriesh. "Flurry Impact!"
Crobat hurled itself upwards, arcing over the Pursuit rays. They twisted to follow as Altaria spread her wings. "Moon's Song!" Twin blasts of Fairy energy flew from Altaria, one from each of her cloudlike wings. Crobat twisted, spinning around the blasts and allowing them to impact and disperse the Flurry Impact.
But Kriesh, seeing this coming, had already launched herself forwards. "Sky Impact!"
Crobat's eyes widened and it fluttered out of the way of Kriesh's attack, only to run straight into a Dragon's Song from Altaria. The Poison/Flying-type flew backwards, barely regaining control of its own body in time to avoid hitting the wall. "Sniper: Beam Impact!" Kriesh cried, but Crobat recovered too fast, and a swift dodge downwards was enough for Crobat to evade the Hyper Beam. It struck the wall uselessly as Crobat lunged towards Kriesh and Altaria once again.
"I'm gonna need more of an opening than that," said Altaria grimly.
"All right, let's try this again," said Kriesh, opening her mouth again. "Flurry Imp-"
"Thunder Release!"
A blast of Electric energy slammed into Kriesh's side, sending her tumbling uncontrollably through the air. She heard a cry of shock and alarm from Altaria, but couldn't see the Dragon/Flying-type as she spun, falling towards the ground, unable to stop her descent.
Kriesh managed to twist so that she slammed into the ground feet-first and managed to cushion her fall slightly, but it still hurt, and an agonized snarl came from Kriesh's mouth as she skidded to a halt. Thankfully, nothing was broken. Kriesh turned, her eyes searching for the Pokemon that had knocked her out of the sky.
She didn't have to search long, for the Pokemon in question was stalking towards her, ignoring the rest of the battle at its back.
"You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this," the Manectric growled.
Kriesh's eyes narrowed. "Ripper," she snarled, tensing in the face of her old adversary.
Fun fact: Quite a few of the major Trainers in Ultra Sun and Moon have five-Pokemon teams, but have removed and/or replaced exactly one Pokemon from their original Sun and Moon teams. So making six-Pokemon teams for those Trainers is just as easy as slapping the Sun and Moon-exclusive Pokemon onto their Ultra Sun and Moon teams. Faba is no different; he exclusively uses Bruxish, Claydol, Hypno, Alakazam, and Alolan Raichu in Ultra Sun and Moon, but in Sun and Moon he's got a Slowbro, so I just evolved that and stuck it onto his existing team.
So just in case any of you are aspiring fanfic writers who want to give Gen 7 characters six-Pokemon teams, there's a bit of advice for you.