As apology for that sudden break, I'm giving you all an extra-long chapter today!
(The length of this chapter was totally intentional.)
Serena was waiting at the chosen arena, one of the many fields dotted throughout Vaniville. She looked nervous as Connie and Marcus moved to opposite sides of the field, releasing their teams in preparation for the battle. "Houndoom, Pangoro, Drapion," Marcus said. "You're on for this one."
Houndoom watched carefully as the various Pokemon shifted into their positions. Liepard moved over to the side of the field along with the rest of the team. Houndoom was a little surprised Marcus was using Pangoro instead of Liepard, but then again, Liepard wouldn't be too useful in this battle.
For Connie had already made her team selection. The same three she'd used in the Kalos Pokemon League Tournament: Shiftry, Scrafty, and Tyranitar. Of those, Houndoom knew he was meant to handle Shiftry, and the other two would simply respond to Liepard's fast-paced, tricky fighting style with simple raw power that would eventually overwhelm her. No, Houndoom had to admit, Marcus was right to refrain from using Liepard for this battle.
"The battle will be three-on-three, only Dark-types," said Serena. "The Gym Leader will release first. League rules apply. Let's…have a good match."
Houndoom didn't miss the hesitation in Serena's words. He knew what she was feeling because he felt the same thing. Even though they'd only been traveling together for about a week, it felt like Connie was already an integral part of the group. To lose her would be difficult.
Was Connie thinking the same thing? Houndoom had assumed her unsmiling face meant she was taking this battle seriously, and nothing more, but perhaps she, too, was struggling with the possibility that she might have to leave. Houndoom shook his head. Not important right now. He knew that if she won this battle, she would leave. It was not a question of whether she wanted to or not; as a longtime Gym Trainer, Houndoom knew she would not serve under a Trainer she was stronger than, no matter how much she desired it.
So whether she wanted to stay with Marcus or not did not matter right now. All that mattered was this battle, and Houndoom had no intention of disappointing his Trainer.
"Let us begin," said Serena. "Ready?"
Both Marcus and Connie nodded with steely determination in their gaze.
"Gym Leader, release," said Serena. Marcus hesitated, glancing between Houndoom and Pangoro, and now Houndoom recognized his dilemma.
He'd chosen Houndoom specifically to counter Shiftry. The Grass/Dark-type's high speed and extremely versatile Pickpocket Ability would enable her to put up a good fight against any other member of the team. Houndoom had the type advantage, good speed of his own, and Flash Fire, which would enable him to counter Shiftry's Pickpocket via the control he could exert over his own flames. But if Marcus sent him out now, Connie would just send in Scrafty or Tyranitar, both of whom had good type matchups against him.
However, if Marcus sent in Pangoro first (he was saving Drapion for last), Connie would send in Shiftry, guaranteeing a positive initial matchup. Frustrating. But Houndoom knew that was the omnipresent problem with releasing first. Someone had to release first, after all.
"Pangoro, you go first."
The Dark/Fighting-type grinned as he stepped into the arena. "Shiftry," Connie called immediately; the Grass/Dark-type moved into the arena opposite Pangoro. Pangoro frowned, glancing over to Tyranitar; evidently he'd been hoping to fight the Rock/Dark behemoth. Slowly, he turned to Shiftry, glaring down at the Grass/Dark-type as they both readied themselves.
"Begin!"
"First Blow!" Shiftry's reaction was instantaneous, slamming into Pangoro with a Fake Out before the Dark/Fighting-type could do more than raise his fists. Pangoro staggered under the swift strike, and Shiftry darted forwards before Pangoro could recover. "Leaf Blade!" Her Grass energy-infused arm slashed across Pangoro's left leg. Pangoro bit back a snarl of pain.
"Bullet Punch!" Marcus ordered.
"Iron Fist: Bullet Blow!" Shiftry's attempt to dance away was thwarted by the surprisingly fast priority move. "Swift Blow!" Shiftry cried, attempting to counter the fist with a Sucker Punch, but Pangoro's Iron Fist Ability would not be stymied by such resistance. Houndoom winced at the nasty crack that filled the arena as Shiftry staggered, clutching her left hand tightly.
"Iron Fist: Crushing Blow!" Pangoro lunged for Shiftry, seeking to take full advantage.
"Shiftry, focus!" Connie cried. "Evade and Air Cutter!"
Shiftry's eyes narrowed. Crouching, she leaped away from Pangoro's charge, twisting in midair. "Air Blade!" Pangoro had no time to react; the super-effective Flying-type attack slashed into his cheek, eliciting another pained snarl.
Houndoom allowed a snarl of his own as he watched the fight. Pangoro was actually not too bad of a counter to Shiftry; his lack of ranged attacks meant her opportunities to use Pickpocket were very limited, and Bullet Punch would allow him to equal Shiftry's speed despite his ponderous frame. But Shiftry's Flying-type coverage changed the equation. Now that she was ready for Bullet Punch, Shiftry could just dance away from Pangoro and hit him with Air Cutters until he fell.
And it was clear Marcus recognized that. "Pangoro, return," he said. "Houndoom, you're up."
Houndoom knew the switch was risky. League rules prevented Connie from instantly switching in response, but from what Houndoom could tell, the rules for the amount of time she had to take before a responsive switch were fairly vague. Houndoom had the advantage for the time being, but eventually Connie would switch into Scrafty or Tyranitar, trapping Houndoom in an unfavorable matchup for a period of time.
Pangoro was glaring at Shiftry as he stepped off the field; clearly he was displeased that Marcus had switched him out so early. He'd definitely wanted to get more than a single Bullet Punch in on the Grass/Dark-type. Houndoom walked past Pangoro and out into the field. He could hear his teammates cheering for him, could hear Connie's cheering for Shiftry; he could see her Zweilous, Thievul, and Skuntank standing on the sidelines beside the rest of Marcus's team, calling out praise for Shiftry's handling of Pangoro.
Let's see how long that praise lasts.
"Begin!" Serena cried.
"Flamethrower!"
"Dig!"
Both Trainers called out orders at the same time, but even as Houndoom let fly with a Flame Tongue, Shiftry smirked. "Pickpocket: Ground!" she cried, reaching down towards the earth beneath her feet; in the next second she disappeared into the ground, faster than any normal use of Dig would allow, and Houndoom's Flame Tongue flew overhead, missing entirely.
I swear, that Ability gets more ridiculous every time she uses it. What's she going to do next, Pickpocket the ocean and split it in two?
"You really didn't think Shiftry had a counter for Fire-types?" Connie called across the arena.
"One move doesn't make a counter," Marcus retorted. "Houndoom, Inferno. Blast the ground apart."
Houndoom saw Serena hide a small smile and remembered her Delphox doing the same, blowing up the earth itself to counter Drapion's attempt at Dig. "Flame Surge!" Houndoom snarled, unleashing an explosive blast of Fire energy into the earth. The powerful Flame Surge erupted as it struck the ground, sending dirt and grass flying everywhere amidst a thunderous boom.
"Pickpocket!"
"Flash Fire!" Houndoom growled the instant he heard Shiftry call out her Ability, seizing control over the flames and hurling them towards where he thought the voice had come from. A cry of pain indicated some of the controlled flames had gotten through, but before Houndoom could do anything more Shiftry burst out of the ground, white fur singed slightly, a growing aura of Rock energy radiating off her as she lunged for Houndoom. "Rolling Blow!"
Rollout.
"Solar Beam!" Marcus ordered. Houndoom drew upon his Power Herb, summoning the large amount of Grass energy required for the technique to his jaws in but a second. "Solar Surge!" Houndoom roared, unleashing the powerful blast against Shiftry's incoming Rollout.
"Dodge!" Connie cried. With the Rollout augmenting Shiftry's speed even further, the Grass/Dark-type lunged to the side, avoiding the Solar Surge, and continued pounding towards Houndoom. Houndoom twisted, arcing the beam across the field, but Shiftry dodged sideways further, then ducked under the beam as it flashed overhead and lunged straight for Houndoom's face.
"Foul Play!" Marcus cried.
With a brutal crunch, Shiftry dealt a vicious Rock energy-enhanced blow to Houndoom's jaw, snapping his head to the side and cutting off the Solar Surge. Dark energy flared around Houndoom's body as he retaliated with an attempted snap of his fangs, but Shiftry dodged easily. Skidding to a halt, she lunged for Houndoom again, this time from the other side. Houndoom leaped to meet her, trying to clamp his jaws around her again, but again she dodged and dealt a stinging strike to Houndoom's side.
Enough of this.
"Dark Surge!" Houndoom bellowed, unleashing the omnidirectional blast of Dark energy before Shiftry could make another Rollout-enhanced strike. "Pickpocket!" Shiftry cried, abandoning Rollout; swiftly, she reached out and grasped the Dark energy coming for her, plucking a piece out of the Dark Surge and absorbing it into her arms as the rest dissipated into the air around her. "Catch and Return!" she called, unleashing it in a retaliatory blast at Houndoom. Houndoom countered with a swift Flame Tongue. "Flash Fire!" he growled even as the flames punched through Shiftry's Pickpocketed Dark Surge; at his command, the Flame Tongue arced towards Shiftry, crackling hungrily as it flew.
"Pickpocket: Ground!" Shiftry attempted to evade with her Pickpocket-enhanced Dig, but the Flame Tongue arced downwards, following her even as she disappeared into the earth. Another cry of pain sounded from underground. Houndoom crouched, readying himself for another Flame Surge to blow up the earth, but even as he readied himself Shiftry erupted out of the ground right next to where she'd dug in.
Her fur was scorched and her body was smoking as she lunged once more. Part of Houndoom was wondering why Connie wasn't switching Shiftry out; the rest of him realized that Shiftry was already weakened enough that she wouldn't be able to do much even against Pangoro. One good Bullet Punch would be enough to bring her down. So Connie was attempting to get as much damage in on Houndoom as possible before Shiftry went down.
"Hurricane!" the Galarian Dark-type Trainer cried. "Let's end this!"
Houndoom winced. That would not have been fun for Pangoro to take; out of the corner of his eye he could have sworn he saw Pangoro frown at Connie's latest order. "Air Blast!" Shiftry cried, her voice strained as she raised her hands high and unleashed a powerful spinning tornado of Flying energy straight at Houndoom.
"Inferno!" Marcus ordered.
Houndoom inhaled. "Flash Fire: Flame Surge!" he snarled, and at his command a wave of Fire energy burst from his gaping jaws and coalesced into a fiery tornado similar to Shiftry's. The two tornadoes impacted, exploding against one another in a spectacular display, Fire and Flying energy uniting in a spinning whirlwind that drew amazed gasps from the sidelines.
And then Shiftry darted in from out of nowhere. "Explosion!"
Houndoom had no time to react before Shiftry's body erupted in a cataclysmic blast of Normal energy; the sheer force of the Explosion sent Houndoom flying, his body flailing through the air for at least a few seconds before landing hard on the ground. Houndoom rolled, only coming to a rest after several more seconds of uncontrollable flailing.
Houndoom groaned; he wanted to get up, but his body refused to obey. Through half-closed eyes he beheld Connie recalling Shiftry, whispering praise into her Pokeball. The Air Blast was never her ultimate attack, Houndoom realized. 'Let's end this' wasn't just encouragement. It was an order.
"Houndoom, return," Marcus urged, his voice sounding like it was coming from the other end of a long tunnel. "You're done, okay? Take a rest."
Houndoom accepted the confines of his Luxury Ball with exhausted gratitude. At least he'd taken out Shiftry. That had been his job. Now it was up to the rest of the team.
Privately, despite his anger at Marcus recalling him so quickly, Pangoro was glad he didn't have to fight Shiftry. Her Flying-type attacks would have hurt, her fast and ranged attack-heavy fighting style would have allowed her to run rings around him, and that Explosion attack…
Pangoro would admit that Shiftry was a lot stronger than he'd given her credit for.
"Scrafty, you're up," said Connie.
"Pangoro, back in," Marcus ordered.
Pangoro had wanted to fight Tyranitar. The Rock/Dark-type had proved to be strong in his own right when they'd battled that irritating Bruxish together. Now, though, he had a feeling he'd be satisfied with Scrafty. If Shiftry, of all Pokemon, had been that strong, the other Dark/Fighting-type might actually be able to give Pangoro a decent fight despite his comparatively diminutive size.
"No Swagger," Connie told Scrafty as he stepped into the arena. "He fights in melee anyway - you'll just be giving him an attack boost."
"Right," Scrafty growled. He crouched opposite Pangoro, glaring up into Pangoro's eyes. Pangoro glared back, readying himself.
"Begin!"
At Serena's cry Scrafty lunged at Pangoro. Pangoro recognized his strategy in but a moment: to take advantage of his smaller size to dodge Pangoro's attacks and get under his guard. Pangoro didn't need Marcus to tell him what to do; he remembered how he'd countered Shiftry when she'd tried the same thing. "Iron Fist: Bullet Blow!" he snarled, lashing out with the swift priority move to break Scrafty's charge.
"Foul Barrier!"
It wasn't until he'd launched the attack that Pangoro considered Scrafty would have remembered how he'd countered Shiftry's charge as well. The Protect that Scrafty summoned deflected Pangoro's Bullet Punch as Scrafty himself slid under Pangoro's extended arm. "Foul Punch!" he snarled, unleashing a swift Fighting energy-enhanced blow straight into Pangoro's left hip.
Pangoro dropped to one knee, but still managed to twist in time to lash out with a Piston Blow that only just missed Scrafty's face as he ducked to the side. As expected - another evasive fighter. Pangoro lashed out with a Fighting energy-enhanced kick, but without Iron Fist to strengthen it Scrafty was able to meet it with a swift punch that deflected the blow.
"Foul Blast!" Scrafty's other hand came around, flaring with Fighting energy; with a swift exertion Scrafty threw the energy at Pangoro in a rough, rippling sphere. Guess that's what it's supposed to look like. "Iron Fist: Devastating Blow!" Pangoro snarled, lunging forwards even as he hurled an Iron Fist-enhanced punch into the oncoming blast. The explosion stung his fingers a little, but Pangoro ignored the pain and continued forwards, rushing Scrafty with head lowered and arm outstretched.
"Foul Barrier!"
"Iron Fist: Bullet Blow!"
This time Pangoro expected the Protect; even as he slammed into the upraised barrier, Pangoro brought his other fist forwards in a swift right hook. Scrafty took it on the chin; blood spurted from the smaller Dark/Fighting-type as he staggered under the blow.
Pangoro pressed. "Iron Fist: Bullet Blows!"
Scrafty dug in his feet. "Foul Punch Barrage!"
Even as Pangoro let fly with a flurry of Steel energy-enhanced punches hardened even further with Iron Fist, a devastating barrage that had in the past been able to tear through even large boulders and leave them nothing but rubble, Scrafty unleashed his own salvo of punches. Each blow Pangoro dealt met Scrafty's fist, eliciting a crack-crack-crack as the two adversaries' fists collided. At first Pangoro was surprised; did Scrafty not realize that with Iron Fist such an exchange would only cause him pain? And at first, it seemed he was mostly correct. Sure, each hit stung Pangoro's knuckles, but each hit also made Scrafty wince, each clash driving him backwards a little, his feet tearing little furrows in the earth. But as the opposing flurries continued Pangoro saw an aura of energy beginning to flare to life around Scrafty, an aura that grew a little more prominent with every exchange. Scrafty began to give less and less ground, react with less and less pain, until, with one final exertion, Scrafty hauled back and threw a punch straight into yet another Iron Fist-boosted Bullet Punch from Pangoro.
And, impossibly, it was Pangoro that staggered from the impact, the sheer force of Scrafty's punch too much for his footing.
"Moxie!" Scrafty snarled. "Full-Power Foul Punch!"
"Iron Fist!" Pangoro crossed his arms in front of him, enhancing them with his Ability, and took Scrafty's next punch on both crossed forearms. But yet again the absurd power of Scrafty's punch surprised him; he felt himself thrown back from the force of it, his feet tearing great ruts in the ground as he skidded backwards, coming to a halt only after skidding nearly ten feet.
"What's this?" Pangoro snarled. "Where did this come from?"
"I'm glad you asked," Scrafty retorted. "My Ability, Moxie, increases my power the more damage you take. And every counterpunch I delivered caused you a little more pain, therefore increasing my strength to levels where I could overwhelm even your Iron Fist ability with raw power! You may be larger than I am, but size means nothing in this clash!"
Pangoro felt a savage grin come to his face. His instincts had been right; Scrafty was definitely a powerful adversary. One of sufficient strength to justify going all out. "In that case," Pangoro growled, "then let me show you my true strength as well! Battle Aura!"
Even as the aura of power formed around him, increasing his strength even further, Pangoro hurled himself at Scrafty. Connie raised her voice. "Foul Play!"
Scrafty echoed his Trainer's instruction, hurling himself at the charging Pangoro with Dark energy rippling around his form. "Iron Fist: Shattering Blow!" Pangoro snarled, thrusting a Fighting energy-wreathed fist at Scrafty, but instead of mustering a Protect, Scrafty countered the blow with his own, their fists colliding with an explosion of energy. Pangoro ignored the pain lancing up his arm and brought his other forwards in a left hook, but now Scrafty manifested a Protect, not even waiting for the blow to impact against the impenetrable barrier before lunging forwards and burying a fist in Pangoro's stomach. Pangoro felt at least one rib crack under the blow, and it was all he could do to stop himself from doubling over, retching.
"Body Slam!" Marcus called.
Pangoro abandoned all semblance of punching strategy in favor of a full-force tackle that caught Scrafty entirely off-guard. The two tumbled to the ground, Scrafty pinned beneath Pangoro. Pangoro hauled back - "Iron Fist: Piston Blow!" - and drove a fist into Scrafty's face. Then he hauled back and slammed it down again, but before he could do it a third time, Scrafty recovered enough of his wits to lash out with a punch that caught Pangoro square in the face. Pangoro tasted blood as he recoiled; Scrafty slipped out from under him, twisted, and with a snarl of "Moxie: Foul Kick!", unleashed a powerful strike with his foot that caught Pangoro in the side and sent him flying across the arena.
Pangoro landed hard on the dirt, bouncing a few times before finally coming to a rest. He let out a low groan and rolled over, planting his fists in the ground and forcing himself to his feet despite the aching of his body. Looking up, he could see that Scrafty's Moxie aura was stronger than ever, burning so brightly Pangoro had to refrain from shielding his eyes.
"Pangoro," he heard Marcus urge. "He may be stronger, but you're bigger. Which means he's lighter. Use that."
Pangoro stifled a snarl. What was that supposed to mean? He'd tried Body Slam; it had only made Scrafty stronger? So what did-
Oh.
Pangoro smirked. Yes, he could now see exactly what Marcus meant.
"Focus Blast, don't let him approach." Connie clearly had no intention of allowing Pangoro's plan to take shape. As Pangoro kicked off the ground and hurled himself at Scrafty once more, Scrafty summoned Fighting energy around both hands. "Moxie: Foul Blast!" Scrafty growled, thrusting his fists forwards; the Fighting energy surged outwards, manifesting into a pair of spheres that arced towards Pangoro at rapid speed.
Pangoro braced himself and charged straight for the oncoming blasts. "Iron Fist: Bullet Blows!" he snarled; two swift fists collided with the blasts. The force of the explosion, and the pain that resulted, nearly bowled Pangoro over, but he managed to keep his feet and continue his charge. "Moxie: Foul Blast!" Scrafty snarled, readying another burst of Fighting energy to toss, but with one great leap Pangoro closed the distance before Scrafty could hurl it.
Pangoro hauled his fist back in an intentionally telegraphed blow. Scrafty abandoned the Foul Blast and instead shot out his own arm to contest the strike, but Pangoro wasn't going for a punch. As Scrafty threw his punch, Pangoro reached out and closed his massive fist around Pangoro's outstretched right arm.
Marcus was right. Scrafty was stronger. But his smaller size meant he was still lighter than Pangoro.
Guess size does matter after all.
With a snarl of effort Pangoro lifted Scrafty off the ground. The smaller Dark/Fighting-type was too busy flailing against Pangoro's grip to recognize the danger he was in in time. Pangoro slammed Scrafty into the ground, sending up a spray of earth. "Iron Fist: Piston Blow!" Pangoro snarled; rearing back, he raised Scrafty upwards and slammed him back down three times, spraying up more earth each time.
"Low Kick, target the arm!" Connie cried desperately.
"Moxie: Foul Kick!" As Pangoro raised Scrafty yet again, Scrafty kicked out, slamming the heel of his right foot into Pangoro's elbow. Bone shattered under Scrafty's kick and Pangoro howled as his right arm bent at a horrific angle. Cries of shock arose from the watchers as Pangoro staggered; Scrafty managed to roll to his feet, chest heaving, but it was clear he couldn't take much more punishment. His Moxie aura was now so bright that it seemed Scrafty was a miniature sun, too bright to look at without squinting.
"Moxie: Full-Power Foul Punch!" Scrafty snarled, lunging with fist drawn back.
Pangoro readied his left arm. "Iron Fist: Devastating Blow!"
He thrust his fist forward to meet Scrafty's, and once again the two punches collided. Pangoro felt his left wrist break from the sheer strength of Scrafty's punch, felt his arm give way beneath the powerful blow, and he nearly gave in to the pain, but Marcus's voice brought him back to reality. "Low Sweep, now!"
Pangoro's vision snapped back to reality as he spotted Scrafty's unguarded, unprotected stomach. Spurred on through adrenaline alone, Pangoro threw all the Fighting energy he could muster into his right foot and delivered a full-force kick right into Scrafty's belly.
Connie's cry for a Protect came a split second too late. Scrafty's eyes bulged as Pangoro's kick landed; then he was flying ungainly through the air, the loose flailing of his limbs indicating unconsciousness. Connie recalled him in midair.
The battle was done, but the cheers from the audience barely registered in Pangoro's ears. Exhaustion and agony overcame him; he was halfway to the ground when Marcus mercifully recalled him into his Pokeball.
That was a good fight, Pangoro thought as he descended into unconsciousness. It's strange, really…I can't help but feel that if Marcus hadn't been there, I would have lost. I never really understood how Trained Pokemon could be so much stronger than Wild Pokemon until now…strange indeed…
"Drapion, you're up."
"Let's go, Tyranitar."
It was as if Arceus himself had decided this match would happen. To be honest, Drapion had expected the match to come down to him against Tyranitar. But he'd never have imagined it would happen like this. Two double knockouts back-to-back to ensure he and Tyranitar would both come into this battle as fresh as could be.
Tyranitar grinned as he surveyed Drapion. "No interruptions this time," he growled.
"Yeah," Drapion growled. "Just how ah like it."
Tyanitar emanated a guttural growl, crouching in readiness. Drapion did likewise, setting his stance, with nary a glance towards the closely watching audience.
"Begin!"
"Earthquake!" Connie called instantly.
"Protect!" Marcus retorted.
Both Pokemon obeyed their Trainers' commands, and Tyranitar's opening Storm Quake was frustrated by Drapion's Barrier. "Pierce!" Drapion snarled, retaliating with a hail of Bug energy-wreathed spikes, but Tyranitar countered with a Rock Storm that dissipated the Pierce. Drapion countered that with a No Escape, and the two attacks dispersed against one another, leaving both combatants unmarked.
That was all right. They'd been testing the waters. Now it was time for the battle to truly begin.
"Sandstorm!" Connie called.
With a snarl of "Sand Stream!", Tyranitar unleashed the familiar swirling storm of Rock energy from his body. Quickly, Drapion activated his Battle Armor, filling the cracks in his armor so that the sand couldn't eat away at him the way it usually did to anyone trying to fight Tyranitar within it.
"Storm Claws!" Tyranitar dissolved into a vaguely Tyranitar-shaped whirlwind of Rock energy and rushed at Drapion, reforming to Drapion's right with claws flashing. "Battle Armor: Slam!" Drapion growled, lashing out with his right arm to counter the blow.
"Hyper Beam!" Connie cried.
"Protect!" Marcus's order was superfluous, for Drapion had already raised the barrier as Tyranitar unleashed the powerful Normal energy-formed beam into what he'd intended to be Drapion's side. Drapion rounded on Tyranitar, hurling a Battle Armor-enhanced swipe at him, but with a snarl of "Storm Barrier!", Tyranitar raised a Protect to take the attack.
"Storm Quake!" the behemoth growled just as Drapion lunged. "Battle Armor!" Drapion countered, forming a barrier of chitin around his face to take the attack; even so the force of the super-effective attack staggered him, but he twisted with the impact and drove his tail into Tyranitar's side before the Rock/Dark-type could dematerialize again.
"Storm Blade!" Tyranitar's attempted retaliation bounced off yet another Barrier, but the X-shaped burst of Poison energy Drapion let fly with in return soared uselessly through Tyranitar's body as he dodged with Sand Stream. Tyranitar lunged, rematerializing only when he was inches from Drapion's head, claws drawn back. "Storm Claws!"
"Rend!" Drapion lunged, clamping his teeth around Tyranitar's stony shoulder just as Tyranitar's claws drove into his right cheek. "Dematerialize!" Connie cried, and Tyranitar obeyed; one moment Drapion's teeth were digging into rocky flesh, the next they were clamping down on swirling sand as Tyranitar dissolved in his grasp.
"Storm Quake!" Tyranitar rematerialized right next to Drapion and unleashed a blast of Ground energy that Drapion's hastily-summoned Battle Armor did very little to blunt. Drapion was sent flying, landing hard on the ground some fifteen feet away.
Drapion scrambled to his feet, holding back an enraged snarl. There was no question that Tyranitar had gotten the better of their first exchange. He could feel his Black Sludge rippling across his body, soothing the pain, but even so Tyranitar's damage output would very quickly outmatch the Black Sludge. A few more clashes like that and it would be over. He'd have to try something different.
"Drapion, charge again," Marcus ordered. "Use all your limbs - he can't block them all. Try and poison him."
Not a bad idea, Drapion admitted to himself. If he could inject some of his natural poison into Tyranitar, the behemoth would be forced onto the offensive in order to prevent Drapion from outlasting him. And dealing with an adversary on the offensive was something Drapion could do quite easily. With Battle Armor, Barrier, and his Black Sludge, he could likely withstand Tyranitar's onslaught long enough for his poison to cripple the behemoth - that is, if he wasn't too badly damaged.
Right, let's do this.
"Blast!" Drapion let fly with another burst of Poison energy, then charged as Tyranitar deflected it with a Rock Storm. "Rip!" Instead of covering his claws with Battle Armor for a harder hit like he usually did, Drapion extended his claws, pumping his poisons into them in preparation to inject them into Tyranitar. Just one good hit will do it.
Of course, Tyranitar wasn't going to give away that hit for free.
"Sand Stream!" Drapion was unsurprised to see Tyranitar dematerialize, phasing through Drapion's slashing claws with ease. He reformed himself behind Drapion and launched a Storm Blade at his rear, but Drapion spun, deflecting the blast of Rock energy with a Barrier, and retaliated with a Pierce that forced Tyranitar to respond long enough for Drapion to close again.
Again Tyranitar used Sand Stream, dissipating into Rock energy. This time Drapion responded with a No Escape; the seeking rays lanced out, twisting towards Tyranitar as he materialized to Drapion's left. At the same time, Drapion swung his tail towards the left, seeking to overwhelm Tyranitar with attacks. But Tyranitar countered with a Rock Storm to his left, blasting the Dark-type rays into smithereens, and a Storm Barrier to his right to blunt the swing of Drapion's tail. Drapion spun as Tyranitar lunged for his side. "Storm Claws!"
"Rip!" Once more Drapion extended his claws, seeking to bury them in Tyranitar's shoulders. "Giga Impact!" Connie shouted. With a snarl of "Storm Slam!", Tyranitar drove his full body, enhanced with Normal energy, into Drapion's left shoulder even as Drapion's claws ripped into his stony bulk, tearing at flesh and injecting poison.
Both recoiled from the impact; Drapion managed to keep his footing, but only barely. His shoulder was afire with pain, but he contented himself with the fact that he had clearly managed to inject some poison into Tyranitar. The Rock/Dark-type was shaking slightly, the areas around his wounds purple with poison.
But Drapion's satisfaction lasted for all of a second before he saw Connie smirk. "Rest," she ordered. Tyranitar closed his eyes; a barely noticeable wave of Psychic energy surged up his body, and to Drapion's shock the poison seemed to disperse, borne upon the wave.
What was that?
"C'mon, Marcus, you know I've got that move," Connie said disapprovingly. "Now, Tyranitar, Sleep Talk."
Does Rest remove conditions like poison in addition to soothing pain? Drapion dug his claws into the dirt furiously. I took that Giga Impact for nothing?
Come on, there has to be something I can do. How did I hit him last time?
The memory came to him that Tyranitar couldn't use Sand Stream while in the midst of Rest. After that, Drapion remembered simply launching attacks at Tyranitar, and Tyranitar doing the same to him. Had the pain overwhelmed Tyranitar, causing him to fight more offensively, with no heed towards defense? Had that been how Drapion had finished him?
Regardless of whether that was it or not, Drapion knew he had at least some semblance of an opening.
Tyranitar roared wordlessly, unleashing a flurry of random blasts of Rock and Ground energy as Sleep Talk drew upon his multitude of attacks. Drapion charged Tyranitar once more, raising a Barrier to deflect a Storm Quake and using Battle Armor to take a Rock Storm.
"You might be able to heal poison," said Marcus, "but Rest can't get rid of this! Infestation!"
Drapion grinned. If Marcus's information was accurate, and Drapion had no reason to believe it wasn't, that would force Tyranitar on the offensive just the same as poison. Swiftly, he raised another Barrier to deflect a Storm Blade that came at him and twisted around a poorly-aimed Storm Blast. "Grasp!" Drapion snarled, spitting a mouthful of Bug energy at Tyranitar. Tyranitar stumbled, eyes flashing open as the Bug energy began to eat into his body. He shot a furious glare at Drapion, who glared back.
"Tyranitar, blitz him!" Connie ordered. "Don't let him escape you!"
Tyranitar clenched his claws and hurled himself bodily at Drapion. Drapion hid a smirk. He hadn't used Sand Stream to advance; his strategic instincts had been lost in the seeming necessity to overwhelm Drapion before the Infestation could bring him low.
Tyranitar swung a Storm Claws at Drapion, Drapion blocked with a Barrier, and the battle descended into a lengthy stalemate.
Tyranitar unleashed flurry after flurry of attacks against Drapion, and Drapion raised as many defenses as he could, deflecting some attacks with Barriers and taking others with Battle Armor. His Black Sludge was working overtime, but even so Drapion could feel the damage Tyranitar was doing adding up. But Drapion was dealing damage to Tyranitar too; he managed to get in a few Pierces and No Escapes in brief moments where Tyranitar had no opportunity to evade with Sand Stream, and the Infestation continued to claw at Tyranitar, sapping his strength with every passing second.
Tyranitar was growing noticeably more and more frustrated at his failure to finish Drapion off. Drapion was somewhat surprised that Connie wasn't calling out any orders; perhaps she was confident in Tyranitar's ability to ultimately win out. But Tyranitar's frustration hindered him; his attacks were wilder and more askew, and Drapion had an easier time deflecting them.
The finale of the battle began when Tyranitar materialized to Drapion's right and fired off a Storm Quake. By now Drapion's Barrier was practically instinctive, as was his follow-up No Escape. But this time Tyranitar didn't charge, or dematerialize to attempt an attack from another direction. Before he could do either, Connie finally called an order. "Thrash!"
Tyranitar threw back his head and emanated a wordless howl. Gasps came from the audience as Tyranitar didn't even charge so much as throw himself bodily at Drapion. His eyes were blank and mindless, unheeding of the No Escape that rammed into his stony skin.
He'd thrown aside all thoughts of strategy, all inhibitions, every scrap of intelligence in favor of a last-ditch, all-out attack. A final gambit to break Drapion's defense. Drapion quickly mustered another Barrier, deflecting Tyranitar's body, but Tyranitar simply threw himself forwards again, and then again, each charge causing the Barrier to crack under his weight.
"Battle Armor!" Drapion gritted his teeth and summoned all the chitin he could muster between him and Tyranitar as the behemoth shattered the Barrier through sheer weight and slammed into him. Even through the layers of chitin Drapion was knocked backwards, pain ripping across his face. Tyranitar lunged again, a ceaseless roar emitting from his jaws as he pressed the attack.
One more hit like that will bring me down, and Protect can't hold forever. Is this it?
"Dig!" Marcus cried. "He's locked in!"
The widening of Connie's eyes told Drapion all he needed to know. "Burrow!" he roared triumphantly, slamming his arms into the earth and allowing the ground to collapse under him. Tyranitar's swinging rocky fists hit empty air as Drapion disappeared underground.
"Earthquake!" Connie cried, desperation in her tone, but true to Marcus's word, Tyranitar's mind was gone. He was a savage beast, snarling and swiping at empty air as he searched for his adversary.
"Finish it." Marcus's voice was low and held an edge of finality.
Drapion twisted in the ground and lunged upwards. In his mindless state, Tyranitar had no way to react in time. Ground energy surged forth as Drapion exploded out of the ground, the force of his strike sending Tyranitar staggering. Drapion landed on the ground in a crouch. Somehow, Tyranitar was still up; with a furious roar, the behemoth lunged for Drapion, fist drawn back.
"Slam." With that one word, Drapion hauled back and buried a Battle Armor-enhanced arm into Tyranitar's gut.
Tyranitar doubled over around Drapion's outstretched arm; the shock of the blow had knocked him out of his mindless state, and intelligence was back in his eyes as he glared down the length of Drapion's arm. Drapion could not quite hide his shock. Is he still conscious?
Tyranitar's face split in a toothy grin. And then, as if in slow motion, the Rock/Dark-type toppled backwards, eyes rolling backwards in his head as he slammed into the ground with enough force to send up a cloud of dust.
A brief moment of silence passed, and then the rest of Marcus's team exploded in excitement. Drapion was very quickly mobbed by the group as they offered congratulations; even Liepard was smiling broadly, though she hung back as the rest of the team crowded around Drapion.
But Drapion was not paying attention to them. His eyes were on Connie as she recalled Tyranitar. Her expression was unreadable as she stepped across the arena towards Marcus, placing Tyranitar's Pokeball onto her belt as she moved.
Marcus faced her wordlessly. Connie stepped right up to him until they were almost face to face. They stood facing each other, neither one moving. Drapion eyed them nervously. What was Connie doing?
The Galarian Dark-type Trainer waited a few more moments. Then, in one smooth, practiced motion, she stuck out a hand, her emotionless expression finally breaking. "It's going to be a pleasure working with you, Marcus," she said, a smile adorning her face that Drapion could have sworn had some trace of relief in it.
"Likewise," said Marcus. "I'm glad to have you, Connie."
Drapion allowed a sigh of relief, noticing as he did so that Serena was doing likewise. Finally, he relaxed and allowed himself to soak up the team's congratulations, focusing on the sunny sky above.
One step closer to Marcus becoming a Gym Leader.
Unbeknownst to any of the Trainers or Pokemon in the clearing, in a nearby cluster of bushes a Pokemon watched the celebrating group closely.
"It's unmistakable," the Pokemon said, turning to look over their shoulder. "It's the Marked One. But he is with many others. We will not be able to overcome them all."
"Then we won't," said a second, deeper voice from behind the first Pokemon. "Call the fliers. Have them keep watch. Eventually, there will be an opportunity. And we will take full advantage of it."
Kriesh was as excited as the rest of the team about Marcus's victory. Connie had made it clear the day Marcus had first approached her that one day she would request this rematch. That promise had been hanging over the team ever since, like a single dark cloud in an otherwise blue sky. Now that promise was fulfilled. Marcus had survived another test. It was hard not to feel excited.
But when Marcus had stopped next to Kriesh on the way to the Vaniville Pokemon Center and asked her if she wanted to take a short flight by herself, Kriesh had somewhat guiltily felt her excitement increase even more. She'd felt a sort of primal thrill the instant Professor Sycamore had told Marcus that many Flying-types, Fearows included, enjoyed brief daily flights. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy traveling with Marcus, but sometimes she missed the feeling of flying freely across the open sky, unworried about Trainer obligations.
So she'd accepted without hesitation, and as Marcus turned to depart with Connie for the Pokemon Center, she'd launched herself off the grassy field and into the air, where now she soared, occasionally beating her great wings to keep herself aloft.
There was something about flying freely, with nothing weighing her down and the wind rushing through her wings, that offered Kriesh more excitement than any battle. She cleared the roofs of Vaniville quickly, turning her flight northward. The trees over here were less dense than elsewhere, and she preferred to be able to see what lay below her in full.
As she swooped over the forests near Vaniville, gazing down upon the fluffy green treetops, Kriesh felt a measure of familiarity. She was very near the forest she'd taken care of the flock in; for a brief moment she considered flying over there, if only to take in the familiar surroundings, but she knew that would be too far, at least for now.
Kriesh spread her wings as wide as they could go and dipped into a dive, exulting in the wind blowing past her face. As she neared the trees she swiftly leveled out, her stomach nearly skimming the treetops. She could have sworn she heard a few cries of alarm and awe from treetop-dwelling Pokemon below her, and could not fight a childish grin from her face. Professor Sycamore had been right. This was great.
Kriesh beat her wings against the air and launched upwards once more, aiming towards the sun that lay impossibly high in the sky. Then she twisted, looping, and came back down, once again streaking towards the treetops. This time she aimed for a gap in the trees, upon which she could see several Trainers. They all looked up as she swooped overhead, calling out in amazement. Kriesh flew upwards yet again, satisfaction bubbling in her belly.
Her sharp eyes picked out a few somewhat familiar rooftops. She'd only been to Santalune City once, and she'd spent all of that time in her Luxury Ball, but the buildings were fairly distinctive, especially the large fountain in the center that resembled a Roselia. I've gone pretty far. Perhaps I should turn around.
But as Kriesh began to arc around back towards Vaniville, she picked up something else out of the corner of her vision.
She'd recognize Valerie anywhere. The Kalosian Fairy-type Gym Leader's outfit was, as always, incredibly distinctive. She was some distance away, standing on one side of a field, the other side of which was camouflaged by a couple buildings. Kriesh's curiosity was piqued; quickly, she abandoned her arc and descended, landing amidst a copse of trees near the field. She could hear the sounds of battling, orders being called and attacks being let off. Kriesh moved to the edge of the trees to get a better view.
Valerie's Sylveon was dancing across the field, locked in a breathtakingly beautiful duel with a large, sleek Talonflame whose feathers flowed with flames. Curling whips of Fire energy swept outwards from the Talonflame's flaring wings, clashing with Sylveon's ribbons as they lashed through the air, emblazoned with Fairy energy. Though both Pokemon battled with equal grace and ferocity, both also looked tired and were marked with wounds indicating this battle had gone on for quite some time.
Valerie looked as calm as ever as she gazed upon the clash; on the opposite side of the field stood a young, brown-haired woman, from the looks of it around Marcus's age, who looked a good deal more nervous than the Fairy-type Gym Leader. "C'mon, Flare, you've got this!" the woman cried; something in her voice sounded oddly familiar to Kriesh, though she couldn't place it. "Dive, and use your Ability!"
The Talonflame - Flare, Kriesh presumed - twisted away from Sylveon's lashing ribbons. "Flame Body: Diving Flame Charge!" Flare cried; before Kriesh's eyes the Talonflame's body dematerialized into a facsimile made entirely of Fire energy, a roiling mass of flames in the approximate shape of a Talonflame. Flare dove, the energy now forming its body rippling as it soared through the air. From Sylveon's grimace, evidently she'd had experience with this Ability.
Nevertheless, Sylveon reacted with clearly practiced speed, body shimmering with an immediately recognizable Detect; she sidestepped Flare, twisted, and with a cry of "Pixilate: Moon Strike!", slammed into the Talonflame with body flaring with Fairy energy. But Flare's Fire energy-formed body was clearly able to resist the attack, and the Talonflame swiftly retaliated with a Steel Wing that forced Sylveon onto the defensive. Kriesh eyed Flare closely as the Talonflame's fiery form returned to normal. She'd watched Connie's Tyranitar as he battled Drapion; his Ability had been somewhat similar, allowing him to blend into the Sandstorm he'd summoned and essentially become living Rock energy. Flare's Ability seemed similar, but with Fire energy instead.
"Psyshock," Valerie called, her voice smooth and not even raised.
"Moon's Sting!" Sylveon unleashed a sudden blast of Psychic energy that Flare was clearly unprepared for. The Talonflame staggered, abandoning the attack, shaking its head to clear away the sudden pain.
"Now finish with Hyper Beam," Valerie urged.
"Not yet!" the brown-haired woman cried. "Flare, quickly! Me First!"
Valerie frowned as Flare reared up, summoning to its beak a copy of the massive Fairy energy-formed beam that Sylveon was readying. Flare let fly with its copy first, Sylveon with the original a second after; perfectly identical, the two slammed into each other and exploded in a wave of pink.
And over the top of that explosion came Flare, wings blazing. "Flame Body: Soaring Flame Strike!"
"Detect and counter," Valerie stated.
"Overheat!" the brown-haired trainer countered.
"No, wait!" Valerie's voice abruptly raised, but before Sylveon could process it Flare cried "Flame Body: Towering Flame Corona!" The Talonflame's Fire energy-formed body erupted in a cataclysmic spreading blast of Fire energy. No Detect could get Sylveon out of the way in time, and though she tried to leap away her speed was not great enough either. Valerie swiftly recalled the Fairy-type just before the Overheat slammed into the area where she had been with an explosion that would have made Houndoom jealous.
Flare landed hard on the ground and immediately dropped its Flame Body form. There it stood, panting heavily; the attack had taken quite a bit out of the Talonflame, adding on to its already existing exhaustion.
"Well done, Flare," said the brown-haired Trainer. She stepped up to the Talonflame's side. "I'm recalling you now, okay? You deserve a nice long rest."
"Thanks," Flare managed to get out through its gasping before the brown-haired woman recalled it.
Valerie frowned again. "Is that not your last?"
"There's no point in making Flare battle anymore," said the brown-haired woman. "Whatever you sent out would slaughter her."
Valerie smiled. "Good choice." She had been holding up a Pokeball, ready to send out her next Pokemon; now she placed it in her belt. "I must say, I was surprised when you requested a challenge. Most save their Gym Leader challenges for last - oftentimes they wait until the last couple weeks, to ensure their teams are as ready as possible. Very few tackle the Gym Leader challenge first."
The brown-haired Trainer smiled sadly back at Valerie. "I figured my team was ready," she said. "Guess it wasn't."
"I beg to differ," said Valerie. The brown-haired woman looked up, surprised. "I was fighting at full strength. This is the team I utilize when I am asked to fight a member of the Elite Four. And you defeated two members of that team. Not only that, you showed impressive tactical understanding and a good level of care for your Pokemon. In my eyes, you have passed this part of your assessment with flying colors."
"Really?" the woman asked.
"Really," said Valerie. "I have a feeling you'll be an excellent competitor for the new Gym Leader position."
"Thank you, Valerie," said the woman.
"Thank you, Jaya, for the excellent battle," said Valerie. "And I wish you luck in finding your Gym Trainers."
The second half of Valerie's words met deaf ears. Kriesh was too busy processing the name that Valerie had called the brown-haired woman. Jaya? That…that can't be. It has to be a different Jaya. There's no way she's actually-
"Is that another of your Pokemon over there?"
Kriesh started at Valerie's voice, only now realizing that her head was still sticking out of the copse of trees. Jaya's head shifted, her eyes looking directly into Kriesh's.
There was no way Kriesh could have missed the sorrow, the regret that swept through Jaya's eyes. And with that surge of emotion came confirmation. It is her.
Memories flooded through Kriesh's mind. For a few moments, she was a young Spearow again, untouched by suffering's grasp, eating tiny Oran Berries from a human hand.
"And why," Quinn's voice asked in Kriesh's memories, "do we feed young Pokemon Oran Berries instead of Sitrus?"
"Because Oran Berries are smaller and easier to digest!" Jaya chirped in answer.
"Very good," said Quinn.
"You like Oran Berries, don't you, Three?" Jaya asked.
In answer, Three brought her beak forwards and gulped down another Oran Berry, relishing the tangy taste upon her tongue.
"No."
Jaya's voice brought Kriesh back to reality. She blinked to see the brown-haired woman continuing to stare at her, eyes filled with a deep sadness Kriesh could never imagine the full extent of. She found herself torn between moving towards and away from Jaya, unable to decide on either.
"No," said Jaya quietly. "I don't have a Fearow."
"Shall I chase it away, then?" Valerie asked.
"She was just watching," said Jaya.
"It is a she?" Valerie asked.
"Yes," said Jaya. "The red tufted feathers on the head are spikier on males, and females have slightly shorter beaks."
"You certainly know your Flying-types," Valerie said approvingly.
"Comes with the territory," said Jaya. She took a step towards Kriesh. "It's okay," she said, keeping her voice quiet and soothing. "We're not going to hurt you."
The sight of Jaya moving towards her sent a sudden surge of terror through Kriesh's heart. I'm not ready for this! In a swift motion she withdrew, twisting and flinging herself into the woods. Jaya cried out, but her voice was lost in the rush of wind as Kriesh darted into the trees, leaving the clearing behind.
Kriesh leaped into the air, not caring about the branches that scratched at her face as she burst through the treetops. Her thoughts assailed her mind as she flew blindly, knowing only that she needed to get away from the clearing. How is this possible? How can she be here? Did she recognize me? What am I supposed to do now?
She beat her wings madly as if trying to escape the tearing thoughts, but they continued to claw at her, unyielding despite her attempts to shake them off. Should I tell Marcus? What would I say? 'Hi, Marcus, my flight was great! Oh, by the way, one of your rivals in the upcoming Gym Leader competition is the Trainer who raised me from an egg?' No, that's stupid. Damn it, how is this even possible?
Kriesh shook her head, clearing the thoughts away to a point where she could at least see. It wasn't like she was going to keep this from Marcus. There was no point in lying; he'd find out about Jaya eventually, and there was no reason to keep her connection with the Flying-type Trainer a secret.
She glanced around; for a few moments fear gripped her as she realized she didn't recognize the forest she was over, and then she looked to the left and saw the familiar roofs of Vaniville. She'd flown too far to the right, but thankfully she'd gathered herself before Vaniville was out of sight entirely. With a quiet sigh of relief, Kriesh turned towards the direction of Vaniville. It wouldn't take too long to return. She'd deal with exactly what she was going to tell Marcus once she landed.
A challenging cry cut into her thoughts.
Kriesh turned her head to see a Talonflame streaking out of the sky, wings tucked to increase the speed of its dive. Is that Flare? Her mind discarded the possibility almost as soon as it entered; this Talonflame was leaner, its features more menacing, and its cry sounded harsher and more throaty than Jaya's Talonflame. It took another half a second for Kriesh to realize that this Talonflame was coming at her with hostile intent, and by that time it had almost reached her.
"Sky Impact!" Kriesh launched herself upwards in a burst of Flying energy. But the Talonflame angled impossibly fast, seemingly ignoring inertia entirely, and caught her midflap; sharp talons dug into Kriesh's back and raked at her flesh. "Surrender!" the Talonflame squawked sharply, its voice resonating in her ear.
Rage filled Kriesh at the Talonflame's words. Not likely. Last time she'd been in this kind of situation, she'd slammed her opponent into a nearby wall to dislodge their grip. But this time she and her adversary were in the open sky, with no nearby surfaces. Right. Time to get physical.
Kriesh twisted in the Talonflame's grip, aware of the agony that resulted as its claws were forcibly yanked free of her. She glared up into the Talonflame's face. "Beam Impact!" she cried, unleashing a powerful Hyper Beam straight into the eyes of her adversary. The Talonflame shrieked in surprised agony and broke away, wings flailing madly. Twisting again, Kriesh hurled herself towards Vaniville Town. Whatever this Talonflame's intentions, there was no way it would be stupid enough to go anywhere near the Trainer town.
"Gale Wings: Air Raze!" Talonflame's voice called out from behind Kriesh. An Ability? I thought this was a Wild Pokemon - is this one Trained? Thoughts of Team Rocket and Team Flare danced in Kriesh's head, flashes of cages accompanying the unwanted worries. She pushed them away. Wild or Trained, it changes nothing. I need to get away either way.
Whatever that Air Raze attack was, though, Talonflame seemed confident that it would catch her. And so she twisted, recognizing that if that was the case, fighting the attack head-on would be better than attempting to evade it. What she saw was effectively a miniature hurricane, a whirlwind of Flying energy splitting the sky as it hurtled towards her.
"Beam Impact!" Kriesh bellowed again. Once more she released the powerful attack, and once more it accomplished its purpose, blunting the Air Raze and dissipating the Flying energy into a hundred tiny clouds. But even as the energy dissipated, Kriesh could see more adversaries rising from the treetops; at least half a dozen Fletchinder, all joining the Talonflame in pursuit of her, and all flying with terrifying speed. Kriesh saw Flying energy rushing around their bodies and swiftly recognized the effects of Tailwind. Damn it. There's no way I'm outflying them if they know Tailwind…I'll have to lose them in the trees.
Clenching her talons, summoning forth the memories of all the times she'd had to fly quickly through the forest to rescue a member of her flock, Kriesh dove, slicing through a gap between two treetops and leveling out before she struck the forest floor. "Don't let her get away!" she heard the Talonflame cry. The attendant Fletchinder let out affirmative shrieks as they dove after Kriesh.
Kriesh at once felt the forest close tightly around her, tighter than she remembered. Snaggly branches clutched at her feathers, and thick trees rose up in every direction, leaving gaps just barely large enough for her to fit through. She heard cries from the pursuing Fletchinder as they whizzed through the trees after her. Blasts of Fire energy flashed past Kresh on either side, narrowly missing her.
Kriesh spotted a tight cluster of branches and arced towards it, furling her wings as she neared it. It was so tight that she felt a few feathers tug free of her body, held tightly by the branches, but she spread her wings once more and managed to collect herself before she crashed. From the startled cries behind her, a couple of the Fletchinder hadn't been so lucky; she looked back in time to see two multicolored feathered bodies slam into the ground, sending up violent sprays of earth. She couldn't see the Talonflame; was he still above the treetops, waiting for the Fletchinder to flush her out?
Four Fletchinder remained, and Kriesh felt a sharp pain as one of their blasts of Fire energy skimmed along her side. The impact nearly propelled her headfirst into a gnarled mass of branches that would have brought her flight to a very rapid halt, but she managed to recover in time to duck the mass of wooden limbs. Twisting, Kriesh dove through a small gap between two thick trees and was rewarded by a nasty crunch, heralding the incapacitation of another of her pursuers. Three left.
Another large tree loomed up in front of her. Kriesh darted to the left, barely avoiding the tree; another crunch sounded from behind her as one of her pursuers wasn't quick enough to stop themselves. Two left.
"Gotcha!" The Talonflame burst through the treetops just in front of Kriesh, Fire energy coursing around his body. Again Kriesh was too startled to react in time; the Talonflame collided with her head-on, and the resulting explosion of Fire and Flying energy sent both tumbling to the forest floor. Kriesh rolled with the impact, rising in time to see the two remaining Fletchinder coming around to fly straight at her.
"Flurry Impact!" Kriesh let fly with a barrage of Dark energy-formed rays, and was satisfied to see both Fletchinder abruptly break away, clearly unprepared for Kriesh to unleash such an attack. One's wing clipped a tree branch and bent oddly, sending the Fletchinder flying uncontrollably into a copse of bushes, screaming all the way. The other couldn't evade the rays; two of them struck him, temporarily stunning him, and by the time he recovered he was moving too fast to avoid the tree in front of him. Yet another crunch hailed the fall of the last of the Talonflame's allies.
That left the Talonflame, who had just landed on the forest floor opposite Kriesh, wings tucked to avoid the encroaching trees. He glanced around scornfully at his fallen Fletchinder allies. "I'll be honest, that's about what I expected," he said. "Then again, a Trained Pokemon such as yourself is certainly no easy mark."
Kriesh glared at him. "What is this about?" she asked furiously. "What do you want from me?"
The Talonflame smirked, his eyes swiveling to Kriesh's right. "You'll have to ask him."
Kriesh didn't even have time to turn before something viciously slammed into her side with a hard and powerful blow. She staggered, exposing her stomach, and whatever had struck her launched another strike straight into it, driving Kriesh roughly into one of the many surrounding trees. As quickly as it had come, the weight disappeared, allowing Kriesh to tumble to the forest floor, coughing and struggling for breath.
It took several seconds before Kriesh managed to recover enough to look up. She'd expected the Talonflame's Trainer, some burly human keen on capturing her for who knows what reason. What she saw was a powerful-looking Drapion, rougher-looking than the one she knew, surrounded on all sides by a group of several other assorted Fire-types - a Houndour, a Slugma, two Litwick, and three Numel - and about a dozen Skorupi, all of whom were glaring menacingly at her.
Reluctantly, Kriesh admitted to herself there was no way she was escaping this, winded as she was. She lowered herself to the ground in a submissive position, glaring up at her assailants.
The Drapion's fanged maw split into a grin. "Excellent work, Talonflame," he growled. "And as for you, Fearow…let me make a few things clear. I am Razor, leader of the Firebreather Swarm. You are now our prisoner. And as for what we want…it is more along the lines of what the Swarmlord wants."
"And what does he want?" Kriesh asked sullenly.
"He wants a particular Drapion," Razor answered. "Brought to him dead or alive. This Drapion is known as the Marked One. And we know you are on the same team as him."
Razor leaned closer, his grin spreading wider. "You, Fearow, are going to help us obtain him," he growled. "Whether by choice…or as a hostage. You don't cooperate? I kill you."
Razor's claws glinted in the sunlight as he flexed them uncomfortably close to Kriesh's face. "So, Fearow. Do I make myself clear?"
Good news: I'm done with my finals, which means plenty of time to write. So hopefully I can remain on schedule for at the very least the rest of this arc.