At this point, I've realized that I can either maintain the quality of the Pokemon battles, or maintain a consistent length for the chapters of this fic. I have chosen quality, and have officially given up on trying to maintain any sort of consistency with regards to chapter length - aside from trying to keep them at 6,000 words or over, because I really don't like shortchanging you all.
FallenKoala: As (darkly) hilarious as that scenario would be, I will confirm that Gholdengo's metal prisons do include airholes. He may be shortsighted, but he's not stupid. And yes, Good as Gold is ridiculously OP - partially because it's OP in the base game as well, and I wanted to carry that feeling over to the fic.
As dawn broke over the first day of the third round, Liepard was prepared for a lot of things. She'd spent the entire last day preparing, after all - at least for the amount of time she hadn't been resting off the exhaustion brought on by the second round. If that was what every day of being a Gym Leader was like, Liepard had to admit she needed to strengthen her endurance.
Nevertheless, she had worked hard with Marcus yesterday to be ready for whatever Valerie threw at them for the third round. But as she stirred in her Luxury Ball, mentally readying herself once more for the difficulty that lay ahead, she was decidedly unprepared for the door of Marcus's room to fly open and a messy-haired Raymond to storm in.
"Has anyone seen my Brambleghast?" Raymond asked.
Marcus groaned. "Knock, please…"
"This is serious!" Raymond cried. "My Brambleghast is missing!"
Marcus rose from his bed, blinking sleep from his eyes. "Missing?"
"Yes!" Raymond practically shouted. "I went to sleep last night with my entire team in my room, and when I woke up Brambleghast's Dusk Ball was empty and she was nowhere to be found!"
"All right," said Marcus, "I'll see what I can do. I'm sure she's fine."
This clearly didn't satisfy Raymond, but recognizing that he likely wouldn't get any more, he turned and dashed out of the room, heading towards another door.
Marcus sighed. "This is not what I needed on the morning of the third round…"
"So, we're all agreed that this is obviously faked?" Jaya asked.
Marcus and Ilima nodded. "Even putting aside that Raymond's faced no sabotage up until now," said Ilima, "the timing is just too perfect. The saboteur knows all suspicion is pointing to Raymond - this reeks of a clumsy attempt to try and get suspicion off Raymond."
"But we have to be worried about Brambleghast all the same," said Marcus. "Especially if this is indeed a third party - if things go wrong for them, they could hurt Brambleghast the same way they might hurt Jolt." He saw Jaya's expression shift and gulped. "Sorry."
"It's okay," said Jaya. "Yeah, you're right. We do need to be worried. But what's bugging me is…what advantage does the saboteur get out of this? Sure, it might deflect suspicion off Raymond, but do you think Raymond's going to be at all mentally prepared for this third round? He scored twenty points in the second round, remember?"
"Yeah, that's true," said Marcus. "It confuses me, too…maybe there's some secret part to this plan that we don't know anything about?"
"Or maybe," said Ilima grimly, "he and the saboteur planned this."
"What do you mean?" Jaya asked.
"Think about it," said Ilima. "Reactions can be faked. And I see no strategic advantage to the saboteur faking Brambleghast's kidnapping…unless Raymond knows about it, and gave it his approval." Ilima sighed. "What if we've been going about this wrong this whole time? Raymond may not be the saboteur…but what if he's known about it from the start? Been planning things with the actual saboteur?"
Marcus and Jaya glanced at each other. "That…could be true," said Marcus. "Though his mental state in the second round kinda belies that…"
"Actually, it doesn't," said Ilima. "For all we know, the guilt was just getting to him. Guilt is a powerful thing, you know. It's one of the many reasons lies are so dangerous."
"So what do we do?" Marcus asked.
"There is nothing we can do that we haven't already done," said Jaya. "We just have to keep this in mind, and hope his guilt cripples him this round. Remember…if he loses, so does the saboteur."
"All right," said Marcus. "Let's finish this."
Valerie had told the various prospective Gym Leaders to report to the Laverre City Gym at 8:00 sharp for the third and final round of the Gym Exam, and as such, at 8:00, all four were standing inside the by now familiar 'lobby' of the Gym, facing Valerie, who as usual was wearing her costume, and her four Gym Trainers, for once undisguised.
"Welcome to the final round of the Gym Exam," said Valerie brightly. "By noon tomorrow, our winner will be decided - any one of you could be a Gym Leader tomorrow afternoon!"
Muted clapping came from everyone.
"Now, the third round is going to be what the four of you have likely been waiting for this entire time." Valerie grinned. "Head-to-head, four-on-four Pokemon battles, utilizing your Gym Leader teams. This will be accomplished in a round-robin style - three rounds, every participant playing every other participant. The first round will be this morning, the second this afternoon, and the third tomorrow morning."
Finally, Liepard thought, aware that most likely a lot of other Pokemon were thinking the same thing.
"Points will be awarded thusly," said Valerie. "A victory in battle gives you ten points. At the end of the round, whoever scores the most points in the round will be awarded an extra twenty points. If the score is tied between two competitors, then whichever one of those competitors defeated the other in battle will be considered the winner, and will be awarded the extra points."
Valerie cast her gaze across all four competitors. "Your Gym Trainers and other Pokemon are allowed - even encouraged - to watch the matches," she said. "My Gym Trainers will officiate. The matches will be picked randomly; the first match will start in half an hour. Good luck, have fun, and regardless of who wins, I hope to see some most captivating battles."
The matches for the first round were swiftly decided: Jaya against Raymond, and Marcus against Ilima. That left Marcus with half an hour to prepare, and as such he sent out his team as soon as he could find some privacy.
"All right, we're up against Ilima in the first battle," he said. "Remember, her team's Diggersby, Furfrou, Smeargle, and Kangaskhan. I don't know which of them are going to use their Abilities, but I'm pretty sure Kangaskhan's going to be one of them."
He looked at Pangoro. "Pangoro, you're my ace in the hole for this one - I have no doubt he's got some countermeasures for Fighting-types, but I also have no doubt you can find a way to work around them."
Pangoro grinned. "Can't wait."
"I'm sending Liepard out first," said Marcus. "Get used to it, Liepard - keep in mind that you're going to be my lead in actual Gym battles. Remember, no Prankster."
Liepard nodded. I'm still a little surprised that he allowed Pangoro to keep his Ability over me…but I suppose there had to be a compromise in there somewhere.
"Be ready for anything," said Marcus. "Normal-types are tricky and versatile, and Ilima's been at this for years - he'll be hard to take down. Supposedly, we're all going to be fighting at about the same power level, so this will be a test of our skill alone. Adaptability is the key word here - on both our parts."
The four Dark-types nodded in anticipation.
"Now let's get out there," said Marcus. "And let's win this thing, sabotage or no sabotage."
Liepard emerged onto the field, casting her gaze around for her opponent. She didn't have to wait long; across from her, Ilima's Smeargle was released, landing on the ground in an awkward crouch.
Liepard's mind flew back to the Smeargle she'd fought in Aether Paradise. I can Taunt them, removing their ability to Sketch new moves. That way I can drastically limit their options. With any luck, this Smeargle won't be able to use Own Tempo - that would make this much easier if I can't get the Taunt off in time.
Tupp, Zipp, Rapp, and their Pokemon were sitting on one side of the stands, while Connie, Serena, Theo, and their Pokemon were sitting on the other. The front row was occupied by the remainder of Marcus and Ilima's teams. Liepard noticed that Cloyster seemed to be barely paying attention, his eyes wandering. She pushed that momentary thought aside. Battling first.
Blossom, one of Valerie's Gym Trainers, stepped forwards. "This will be a four-on-four battle, substitutions allowed," she said. "Are both contestants ready?"
Marcus and Ilima responded with affirmation.
Blossom smiled. "Let's have a good battle, everyone!" she cried, raising a hand high. Liepard tensed up, readying for her first move; across from her, she saw Smeargle doing the same.
A few moments passed that felt like minutes, and then Blossom slashed her hand down.
"Go!"
"Taunt!" Marcus ordered immediately - apparently he'd had the same thought as Liepard.
"Raillerie!" Liepard cried, missing the instantaneous feel that came with Prankster. The attack seemed sluggish, the Dark energy firing off all too slowly. But it did its job; Smeargle's tail, raised into the air, fell back to the ground, and the Normal-type lunged, abandoning whatever move it was going to Sketch in favor of a simple charge.
Good…now he's limited to whatever moves he came into the battle with. The question is, what moves are those?
Normal energy flared around Smeargle's body as he lunged at Liepard. Liepard grinned - her status moves may feel sluggish, but none of that sluggishness would affect her standard claw-swipes. Accordingly, she met Smeargle's charge with paw upraised. "Tranche Vicieuse!"
"Extreme Speed!" Ilima cried.
Smeargle grinned, echoing his Trainer's words - it seemed to be commonplace among the Smeargle line to use Trainer names for their attacks - as he abruptly surged forwards much faster than Liepard had expected. His shoulder rammed into her chin, sending Liepard reeling.
"Flamethrower!"
"Left!" Marcus cried; more instinctively than anything, Liepard obeyed, half-stumbling out of the way of the jet of Fire energy that poured from Smeargle's tail.
"Energy Ball!" Smeargle cried.
"Poursuite!" This time Liepard had recovered enough to see the attack coming; swiftly, she poured a flurry of Dark energy-formed rays from her mouth, intercepting the sphere of Grass energy that flew from the tip of Smeargle's tail.
"Extreme Speed!"
"Tranche Ventouse!" Liepard called, but Smeargle slammed into her before her Sucker Punch could sink into his body. Raising a foot, he pushed off of Liepard's body and swiftly leaped clear of her swinging paw, landing in a crouch on the ground as Liepard toppled backwards.
She rolled with the impact and managed to land back on her feet, digging her claws into the ground. He's forcing me to answer his ranged attacks, then hitting me with Extreme Speed while I'm off-balance…a basic but clever strategy. If I had access to Prankster, I could answer with Copycat, but without it this'll be tricky.
He used me as a springboard - if I can stop him from hitting me, he'll probably be knocked off-balance himself, and I can take advantage of that. The problem is stopping him from hitting me - not even Substitute will work, because I can't use Prankster, and he'll just hit me before I can create the Substitute.
So how do I answer this?
"Flamethrower!" Smeargle cried, unleashing another blast of Fire energy at Liepard.
"Liepard, dodge right!" Marcus ordered. "And get ready!"
Liepard twisted, leaping to the right. Smeargle's cry of "Extreme Speed!" was not surprising; she waited, ears straining to hear Marcus's order.
"Fury Swipes!" Marcus cried.
Liepard smirked as she landed; balancing on her hind legs, she twisted towards the oncoming Smeargle, claws glinting with Normal energy. "Tranche Furieuse!" she hissed, unleashing a rapid flurry of blows as Smeargle's body came at her.
Of course…even at his speed, he can't reach me through a constant barrage of blows.
"Back!" Ilima cried, realizing the same thing. Smeargle abandoned his Extreme Speed, skidding to a halt. "Hit him!" Marcus cried; Liepard abandoned her Fury Swipes and launched herself at Smeargle as he skidded. "Tranche Sournoise!"
"Brick Break!" Ilima cried.
Smeargle's tail slashed upwards, glinting with Fighting energy as it swung towards Liepard. Liepard's paw met Smeargle's tail with an audible crack; the tail felt like iron, and a searing pain shot up Liepard's wrist. Quickly, Liepard spun, using her paw as leverage, pushing through the pain with gritted teeth; swinging around Smeargle's extended tail, she lashed out with a swift Dark energy-enhanced kick that drove straight into Smeargle's stomach.
Gotcha.
Smeargle flew halfway across the arena and landed on the ground with a loud thud; it took some effort for him to rise to his feet, and by that point Liepard was back on her own, crouched in readiness.
"You all right, Smeargle?" Ilima asked. Smeargle nodded quickly. "Good," said Ilima. "Double Team, then Extreme Speed."
Liepard's eyes narrowed as she saw Smeargle split into half a dozen copies. All of their bodies flared with Normal energy as they lunged at her, coming from half a dozen angles. No way I can catch them all with Fury Swipes…and if I get it wrong he gets a free hit.
So it's a good thing I'm not going to get it wrong.
"Hone Claws!" Marcus ordered.
"Augmenter L'Attaque!" Liepard cried, tapping into that particular reserve of power. She felt strength flood into her muscles, her vision grow more focused, and her eyes darted to one of the charging Smeargles, one whose body had a little bit more substance, a little more clarity, than the others.
"Poursuite!"
Smeargle's eyes widened comically as the flurry of Dark-type rays streaked straight for him. Abandoning the Double Team, he raised his tail and fired an Energy Ball out of it, blasting the rays apart. But Liepard was already charging, and she was through the cloud of dissipating energy before Smeargle could react.
"Tranche Vicieuse!"
Smeargle was sent flying again, a set of three claw marks down one side of his face. Liepard landed on the ground artfully as Smeargle landed on the ground and rolled to a stop. The Normal-type arose shakily once more, but it was clear who was getting the worst of their battle.
And Ilima noticed.
"Smeargle, return," he said, raising an Ultra Ball and recalling Smeargle. "Furfrou, you're up."
Liepard adjusted her stance as the fluffy Normal-type appeared on the field. It looked inoffensive, but Liepard knew better than to underestimate it. Normal-types in particular had a habit of looking weaker than they were.
"Begin!" Blossom shouted from the sidelines.
"Cotton Guard!" Ilima ordered.
Marcus's eyes widened. "Taunt!" he cried.
If Liepard had been using Prankster, she would have been able to stop Furfrou's Cotton Guard from going up with ease. But without it, the Taunt was just a hair too slow; Furfrou's fur seemed to expand, encompassing the Normal-type's body in what looked to be a large fluffy cloud.
Furfrou grinned as the Taunt landed. "Too slow…now my defense is unbreakable. I saw how you fought Smeargle - you won't be able to deal any damage to me."
"We will see about that," Liepard hissed. Hone Claws was boosting her strength already, and there was no reason she couldn't just use the technique again, while her Taunt would prevent Furfrou from using Cotton Guard to increase his defense further.
If this is to be a war of stat-boosting, then I've already won.
"Return!"
Liepard hesitated for a crucial second, momentarily thinking that Ilima was swapping his Furfrou out; then his body blazed with Normal energy and she realized it was the attack Return. Whatever Trainer named that technique was not the smartest Pidgey in the flock, that's for sure.
"Fluff Charge!" Furfrou cried, pounding across the ground.
Liepard lunged to meet him, claws glinting. "Tranche Ventouse!"
Furfrou leaped, and Liepard's paw swung around and buried itself in the fluff surrounding his chest. It was like punching a massive pillow - Liepard's paw sunk deep in before resistance halted it, but nothing but softness greeted it.
The same could not be said for Liepard's face.
"He's slow - use your speed!" Marcus cried as Liepard reeled back, blood dripping from at least one broken tooth. Furfrou came on again. "Fluff Charge!"
Swiftly, obeying Marcus's instructions, Liepard darted out of the way; Furfrou's Fluff Charge struck empty air as Liepard whirled. "Tranche Furieuse!" A flurry of blows struck Furfrou's body, but again they sunk into softness and were stopped without hitting flesh.
"Back!" Marcus cried as Furfrou spun with a snarl of "Fluff Slam!" Furfrou's shoulder barely missed Liepard as she sprang backwards, landing with a slight stumble on the ground.
"Giga Impact!" Ilima cried.
"Assist!" Marcus ordered.
Liepard dug her claws into the ground. A risky move…but if I get the right thing, it just might work.
Furfrou sprang. "Fluff Smash!" His body blazed with Normal energy as he sprang into the air; Liepard realized that even if she dodged, the resulting explosion of energy would likely send her flying.
And if I can't get the right move, it'll be all too easy for Furfrou to take advantage of that.
"Aider: Houndoom!" Liepard hissed. Calling on the Fire-type's moves had failed in the past, but both Drapion and Pangoro relied on physical hits, something that Furfrou's Cotton Guard would enable him to easily take. Come on, Houndoom, don't fail me now…
A light began to blaze from Liepard's jaws as Furfrou began to descend. What came out was clearly Ember; several tiny motes of Fire energy shot from Liepard's jaws and struck Furfrou as he came down. The impact was definitely not enough to blunt Furfrou's charge.
"Left!" Marcus screamed. Liepard spat in fury as she twisted and leaped. As she'd expected, even though Furfrou's Giga Impact missed her, the force of the explosion buffeted her as she leaped, turning her jump into an uncontrolled somersault. Liepard landed on her back, but Furfrou did not pursue; Liepard looked up in time to see him rolling across the ground, the massive cloud of fur around his body ablaze from the fiery motes she'd struck him with.
So that fluff of his is vulnerable to Fire energy. That is certainly useful to know.
Sadly, the Ember had not been enough to truly set Furfrou's fluff on fire, and as Furfrou rolled to his feet the last sparks winked out. Furfrou's gaze burned with anger as he leaped again with a smaller but no less intimidating blaze of Normal energy surrounding him; Liepard hadn't had time to get up from the Giga Impact.
"Substitute! Get clear!"
Liepard winced. "Remplaçant!" she hissed, forcing the Normal energy out of her body as fast as possible. Her body screamed in protest, but she bit back the pain, knowing it would hurt a lot more to take a fully-powered Return from Furfrou.
As soon as the Substitute formed, Liepard rolled to her feet and dove away as Furfrou's body slammed into the energy-based duplicate. The resulting explosion of Normal energy was spectacular, but Liepard had no time to appreciate it; she skidded to a halt near Marcus, her entire body aching, and looked up at him.
"I would like to be switched out, please," she said.
Though Marcus couldn't understand her, he clearly realized what Liepard was getting at. "Liepard, return," he said, recalling her into her Luxury Ball. "Houndoom, you take this one."
Satisfied, Liepard sat down in her Luxury Ball and cast her gaze out of the crack in it as Houndoom took his place opposite Furfrou. This shouldn't be too difficult for him. I do wish I'd gotten to take out one of her Pokemon, but forcing her Smeargle out is good enough.
At least, for now.
"Go!"
"Flame Tongue!" Houndoom snarled.
"Surf!" Ilima ordered.
Furfrou smirked. "Fluff Bath!" From Furfrou's fur arose a wave of Water energy that surged towards Houndoom, obliterating his Flame Tongue as it came.
How in Distortion does that thing know Surf?
"Dark Pulse!" Marcus cried. Obediently, Houndoom unleashed a Dark Surge that blasted away the wave of Water energy. Out of the explosion of energy leaped Furfrou, body ablaze with Normal energy. "Fluff Charge!"
Houndoom didn't need Marcus to tell him to dodge; with a swift movement he leaped out of the way, his greater speed enabling him to avoid Furfrou's attack. But as Furfrou came past Ilima called out another order. "Sand-Attack!"
Furfrou spun - "Fur Cloud!" - and sent a flash of Normal energy straight into Houndoom's eyes.
"Gah!" Houndoom staggered, trying to blink away the energy-based grit that was clouding his vision.
"Fluff Charge!"
"Right!" Marcus cried. Houndoom lunged to the right, feeling a rush of air as a black blur that must have been Furfrou lunged past his receding hindquarters.
"Surf!" Ilima cried.
"Fluff Bath!"
Blinded, Houndoom couldn't react in time; a wave of Water energy slammed into his side and knocked him sprawling to the floor. He sputtered, spitting out some water that had gotten into his mouth.
"Did you think Furfrou wouldn't have countermeasures against Fire-types who can ignite his fur?" Ilima's voice was disapproving. "If this is your best Pokemon against Furfrou, this battle will be over quickly."
Houndoom but back fury as he scrambled to his feet. Come on, I can do this! It's not like I'm going to fold to anyone who's got a Water-type move!
"Fluff Bath!"
"Turn left and Solar Beam!" Marcus ordered.
Houndoom spun, allowing the Solar Beam to form in his jaws. He could fire it in a second normally, but one of the things Marcus had mandated for Gym Battles was that Houndoom restrict Solar Beam to a five-second charge.
And Houndoom would keep to that.
One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Release.
From the sound of the explosion, the Surf had been mere inches from Houndoom when he finally fired the Solar Beam. The sound of the Surf imploding under the Grass-type blast was music to Houndoom's ears; the squall of pain from Furfrou was even more satisfying.
"Inferno!" Marcus ordered.
"Focus!" Ilima cried. "Surf again - don't let him ignite your fur!"
"Flame Surge!" Houndoom barked, his cry overlapping with Furfrou's snarl of "Fluff Bath!" A sheet of Fire energy burst from his jaws, sailing at where he knew Furfrou was; a dark shape, likely Furfrou's Surf, rose to meet it.
"Follow it with Flamethrower!" Marcus called.
"Flame Tongue!" As the Inferno and the Surf came together in a staggering display of steam, Houndoom unleashed a thin stream of Fire energy from his mouth. The stream shot forwards, blasting through the dissipating Inferno and Surf. The sound of scuffling feet indicated Furfrou was attempting to dodge; the scream indicated he hadn't succeeded.
Houndoom finally managed to blink away enough of the grit to gain some semblance of vision. Furfrou was rolling around on the floor, desperately trying to snuff out the flames that had taken hold across his fur, crying out in agony as the heat burned him. "Surf on yourself!" Ilima cried, eyes wide.
Marcus grinned. "Houndoom, Thunder Fang!"
Ilima's eyes grew even wider as Furfrou, with a growl of "Fluff Bath!", summoned another surge of Water energy around his body, dousing the flames. Houndoom rushed him, pounding across the ground. "Get up!" Ilima cried. "Giga Impact!"
"Thunder Jaws!" Houndoom snarled, making a flying leap towards the rising Furfrou. Furfrou smirked, presenting his furry shoulder, clearly expecting his heightened defense to take the physical attack.
Houndoom's Electric energy-infused jaws sank into the pillowy fur, and electricity burst forth, conducted by the water that Furfrou had soaked himself in, and blazed across Furfrou's body.
Furfrou howled, his body gyrating as Electric energy coursed through it. Houndoom leaped back, landing on the ground as Furfrou collapsed, twitching. Swiftly, Ilima recalled the soaked, electrified Normal-type.
"Furfrou is forfeited," said Blossom. Houndoom grinned. That one felt good.
"Smeargle, you're up again." The long-tailed, bipedal Normal-type landed back on the field, facing down Houndoom with tail flicking back and forth.
"Begin!" Blossom cried.
"Surf!" Ilima ordered. Smeargle parroted Ilima's cry as he sent a rapidly expanding burst of Water energy from the tip of his tail towards Houndoom.
Oh, for Arceus's sake! Houndoom twisted and dashed to the side, barely evading the blast of Water energy. Seriously! Do all of his Pokemon have Surf?
"Extreme Speed!"
Right…I completely forgot about Smeargle's strategy. Houndoom had no way to react in time; before he could even get an attack off, Smeargle's shoulder was in his flank. Houndoom staggered, losing his balance and toppling to the floor.
"Dark Surge!" he snarled, trying to use the attack as cover to stand back up.
"Surf!" Smeargle retorted; the wave of Water energy slammed into the burst of Dark energy, and the two attacks dissipated against one another.
"Extreme Speed!"
Again Smeargle burst through the cloud of fading energy and struck Houndoom hard, snapping his cheek to the side in a spray of blood and saliva. Smeargle skidded to a halt before Houndoom's eyes, twisting to face him. "Brick Break!" Smeargle called; with a swift movement he punched Houndoom in the other cheek, sending him stumbling once more.
"Sludge Bomb!" Marcus cried.
"Poison Tongue!" Houndoom snarled, twisting to fire a blast of Poison energy at Smeargle. But Smeargle was once again ready, raising his tail and pointing it straight at the oncoming sphere. "Flamethrower!" Fire energy exploded out of Smeargle's tail; even as it impacted the Sludge Bomb, consuming it, Houndoom knew Smeargle would go for another Extreme Speed.
And so, even as Smeargle called the attack, Houndoom snarled, "Dark Pummel!"
Smeargle leaped out of the cloud only to meet a wall of lashing claws. As it had been with Liepard, so it was with Houndoom; Smeargle's speed was not enough to dodge all of the attacks, and as he attempted to backpedal one slashing paw caught the Normal-type in the side and knocked him prone.
"Got you!" Houndoom snarled. "Flame Jaws!"
"Houndoom, wait!" Marcus cried, but Houndoom was already midleap, maw open and ready to clamp down on Smeargle's shoulder. Smeargle, lying on the ground under him, grinned.
"Surf."
Houndoom was caught in midair by the full force of the Water-type attack and sent flying backwards, his Flame Jaws erased by the torrent of Water energy. He hit the ground hard and lay there gasping, for a few moments too tired to stand.
I've taken far too many super-effective hits. Another one of those and I'm done.
"Extreme Speed!"
"Houndoom, Inferno, quick!"
Houndoom twisted, still prone, in time to see Smeargle rushing him once more. I'm not going down without a fight! "Flame Surge!" Houndoom snarled, opening fire with a massive wash of Fire energy at the oncoming Smeargle.
Smeargle was going too fast to avoid it. He dashed right into the teeth of the flames; a pained scream came from the Inferno, and for a second Houndoom grinned, believing that the battle was over.
And then Smeargle leaped out of the flames, trailing fire behind him, still ablaze with Normal energy. The Normal-type lashed out with a vicious kick to the temple that drove Houndoom's chin into the ground. Springing off, he leaped into the air, twisting as he did so and pointing his tail down at Houndoom.
"Surf!"
The onrushing wave of Water energy was the last thing Houndoom saw.
"I forfeit Smeargle," Ilima said calmly as Liepard was sent back out onto the battlefield.
Indeed, as Liepard eyed Smeargle she noticed the Normal-type shivering as pain and exhaustion made their marks upon his body. Worse, a small blaze seemed to be periodically rising up across his form, and he seemed on the verge of dropping to his knees as Ilima recalled him.
So that last Inferno left Smeargle with a Burn. Not that it mattered much, since I could have finished him off fairly easily, but still quite an impressive display from Houndoom. I will have to congratulate him after the battle.
"Diggersby, you're up."
Liepard readied herself as the large, massive-eared Normal/Ground-type appeared on the field. Neither Smeargle nor Furfrou had used their Abilities, which probably meant Diggersby was the second of Ilima's Pokemon who had access to theirs.
I doubt I can win this…but with any luck I can clear the way.
"Go!" Blossom cried.
"Earthquake!" Ilima called immediately.
Liepard blanched as Diggersby crouched. "Huge Power: Earthshaking Hop!" The Normal/Ground-type leaped into the air and came back down, the force of his landing unleashing a massive, fast-moving shockwave of Ground energy at Liepard.
Oh, brilliant. He has the same Ability as Valerie's Azumarill - the one that almost one-shotted Pangoro.
Perhaps even 'clearing the way' is pushing it.
Gathering her hindquarters under her, Liepard hurled herself into the air, soaring over the shockwave with inches to spare. She was halfway down when she saw Diggersby grin.
"Huge Power: Rocket Hop!"
Diggersby jumped again, surrounding his body with Normal energy as he did so; as he came down he curled his feet, landed on the tips of his toes, and with a grunt of exertion launched himself like a rocket at Liepard in what was quite clearly a Quick Attack.
"Liepard, watch out!" Marcus screamed, unnecessarily and a good few seconds too late.
Diggersby slammed into Liepard headfirst, and the impact was enough to send Liepard flying all the way across the arena. She barely managed to keep unconsciousness from descending, forcing herself to rise; she glared at Diggersby, who was hopping in place, grinning ear to ear.
Forget clearing the way. I'll settle for wiping that stupid smirk off his face.
"Poursuite!" Liepard hissed, hoping that Diggersby's defenses against ranged attacks would be lacking. She was sadly disappointed, as Diggersby's massive ears flared with Ground energy and flew outwards, sending a blast of the energy at Liepard's Dark-type rays. The attacks dissipated against one another, and as the remnants faded Diggersby was crouching again.
"Huge Power: Pinball Hop!"
This can't be good, Liepard thought, beginning to summon up the energy for a Substitute. He likes to commit himself, same as Smeargle - though unlike Smeargle, he has the raw power to back that commitment up.
But he has the same vulnerabilities as Smeargle - if I can catch him off guard, I can deal a solid blow before he can recover.
Again Diggersby leaped up into the air, came down, and sprang off the ground at rapid speed. This time, though, he launched himself straight up; as he neared the ceiling, he raised both his massive ear-arms to the sky. They touched the ceiling, bending under the force of Diggersby's landing, and then to Liepard's utter shock Diggersby used his ear-arms as a springboard to launch himself feet-first at her.
"Remplaçant!" she cried, releasing the Substitute she'd been building up and diving to the side. Diggersby's feet struck the duplicate with a nasty crack; Liepard twisted and flung herself at the Normal/Ground-type as he landed. "Tranche Vicieuse!" she hissed; Diggersby, still crouched from his landing, couldn't react in time to avoid the strike, and Liepard's paw gashed across his face.
"Tranche Sournoise!" Liepard snarled, unleashing another blow to Diggersby's stomach. "Tranche Vicieuse!" she cried again, aiming another one for Diggersby's cheek-
And then Diggersby's right ear-arm shot out and grasped her paw. "Huge Power: Ear Grasp."
A loud snap filled the arena as Liepard's wrist broke. Groans of sympathy emanated from the sidelines as Liepard cried out in agony. Diggersby, face twisted in fury, whirled around. "Huge Power: Ear Slam."
At the very least, Liepard thought half a second before the attack hit, he's no longer smiling…
Marcus was frowning as he released Pangoro onto the field. Houndoom's heroics had seemed to have put him into the lead, but Diggersby had put Liepard down with such ease that the lead had been all but erased.
Pangoro clenched his fists. Let's see what I can't do to take it back.
He was unsurprised that Marcus had chosen now to release him. Diggersby's Ground-type attacks would fell Drapion with ease. He readied himself for the upcoming battle. So Diggersby has Huge Power…and from the look of it he's got some sort of priority move as well. Arceus, it's like fighting that damn Azumarill all over again.
"Begin!" The sound of Blossom's voice snapped Pangoro's attention back to the battle. Diggersby was already beginning to bounce in place. "Quick Attack!" Ilima called.
"Meet him with Bullet Punch!" Marcus ordered.
"Huge Power: Rocket Hop!" Diggersby landed on the ground at an angle and launched himself at Pangoro as he'd done with Liepard. Unlike Liepard, however, Pangoro was braced and ready for the attack. He drew back his fist. "Iron Fist: Bullet Blow!"
Diggersby came on. Pangoro threw his punch. Fist and head connected with a loud explosion of energy. For a moment, Diggersby hung in the air, and then gravity took hold and he toppled to the ground with a groan of pain.
Pangoro grinned. Even with Huge Power, headbutting a block of metal isn't going to do wonders for his well-being…let's be honest, that's probably a concussion.
"Diggersby!" Ilima cried, alarm in his voice.
"Hammer Arm!" Marcus ordered.
Pangoro lunged at the staggering Diggersby. "Iron Fist: Devastating Blow!"
"Double Kick!" Ilima called.
Diggersby's eyes snapped back to reality. "Huge Power: Pinball Hop!" The Normal/Ground-type leaped up into the air as Pangoro charged, flopping backwards as he did so; Pangoro's fist passed over Diggersby's face, and Diggersby's two massive feet, enhanced with Fighting energy, slammed into his stomach.
Agony ripped through Pangoro from the double-strength, super-effective hit, and he doubled over as Diggersby pushed off his body and launched himself away, twisting again as he flew so that he landed on his feet. He still looked a little woozy, but Pangoro harbored no illusions that Diggersby was out of the fight.
"Earthquake!" Ilima ordered.
"Huge Power: Earthshaking Hop!"
"Brace yourself!" Marcus cried. Pangoro gritted his teeth and dug in his heels as Diggersby landed back on the ground, releasing another powerful shockwave in his direction. The shockwave slammed into him, tearing at his fur and threatening to topple him even as it unleashed another wave of pain through his body, but he stood strong.
"Again!" Ilima ordered.
If I had access to Focus Blast, I could have ended this already. Pangoro snarled in rage. No. I refuse to be whittled down like this!
Springing into action, Pangoro hurled himself forwards. "Huge Power: Earthshaking Hop!" Diggersby cried, jumping up in the air and landing on the ground again. Another shockwave of Ground energy exploded out of his body, but Pangoro lunged into the teeth of it without hesitation. The pain hit him like a wave, but he pushed it back and kept going.
"Again!"
"Huge Power: Earthshaking Hop!" The third shockwave was the most powerful yet, and as it struck Pangoro he felt at least something break inside him. For a moment he blacked out, but then his vision cleared again and he forced himself first to stand, then to keep running.
"How in Distortion-" Diggersby muttered.
"Bullet Punch!" Marcus cried.
"Stop it with your ear!" Ilima ordered.
"Iron Fist: Bullet Blow!" Pangoro snarled, his fist flying forwards. Diggersby reached out with one of his massive ear-arms and caught the punch, clearly seeking to do the same thing to Pangoro that he'd done to Liepard.
And for the second time this battle, Diggersby was reminded of the fact that Pangoro's fists were as strong as iron.
"Argh!" Diggersby snarled, recoiling, his left ear-arm bent backwards, the wrist clearly shattered. Pangoro smirked. "Iron Fist: Bullet Blow!" His own left arm came around and drilled into Diggersby's face, right between his two big front teeth. Diggersby howled, staggering backwards.
"Finish it!" Marcus ordered.
"Iron Fist: Devastating Blow!" Once more Pangoro's fist drew back, a Hammer Arm ready to plunge into the reeling Diggersby's face.
But as he sent it forwards, Ilima cried, "Quick Attack!"
Diggersby's motion went from backwards to forwards in an instant. "Huge Power: Ear Slam!" Caught off-guard, Pangoro had no defense; even as his foot sunk into the space between Diggersby's eyes, Diggersby's right ear-arm drove straight into his stomach.
He barely had time to see the light in Diggersby's eyes go out before he, too, succumbed to unconsciousness.
This is certainly a close battle, Drapion thought as both Ilima and Marcus recalled their fallen Pokemon. I expected Pangoro to at least get to Kangaskhan…now I have to face that Pokemon alone.
I guess Ilima does have years of experience. This was never going to be easy.
"Drapion/Kangaskhan, you're up." Both Trainers released their last Pokemon onto the battlefield. Drapion glared into the eyes of his enemy; the Normal-type was at least twice as tall as he was, muscles bulging across his body.
"Your Pokemon are determined," said Ilima. "I can see their fire, their desire to win. That is good - it shows that they truly care about you as a Trainer."
Marcus accepted the compliment with a nod.
"But grit alone will not grant you a victory," Ilima warned. "It is skill that is the true decider. And my Kangaskhan has skill aplenty. Do you think your Drapion can match it?"
"If I didn't, I wouldn't be here," said Marcus.
Ilima grinned. "Well spoken. Let's see whose desire comes out on top."
Drapion lowered into a crouch. From Ilima's account, I know Kangaskhan's Ability and how it works. Heightened reaction time, enhanced senses, greater intelligence. I've had days to think of a countermeasure…and yet I haven't come up with a single one. Stupid. I should have thought about this more…should have prepared better.
If I lose this for Marcus, I'm never going to forgive myself.
"Begin!" Blossom cried, her hand slashing down for what would be the final time this battle.
"Hold back - he looks powerful up close," said Ilima. "Use your ranged attacks."
Kangaskhan reacted near-instantaneously to Ilima's orders, raising one of his two massive hands. "Electric Blast!" An unmistakable Thunderbolt burst from his outstretched hand, soaring across the battlefield towards Drapion.
"Block with Cross Poison!" Marcus ordered.
"Blast!" Drapion unleashed the X-shaped burst of Poison energy at the oncoming Electric-type attack; the resulting explosion indicated that the attacks had dissipated against one another.
"Ice Blast!"
"Protect!" Marcus cried as an Ice Beam flew from Kangaskhan's other hand. "Block!" Drapion snarled; the blast of Ice energy broke against the barrier Drapion flung up, none of it touching him.
"Fire Blast!"
What came out was not actually Fire Blast; rather, a Flamethrower issued from the twin upraised hands of the small purple baby Kangaskhan in the larger Kangaskhan's pouch. Drapion knew enough about the Kangaskhan line to know that the 'babies' were just extensions of the actual Kangaskhan's power. "Battle Armor!" Drapion growled, raising his chitinous barriers to block the stream of Fire energy. The heat warmed him uncomfortably, but the pain was minimal.
"Electric Blast!"
This is getting nowhere, Drapion thought. If only one of us is attacking, only one of us is going to win.
Marcus seemed to have the same idea. "Dig!" he cried. "Get up close!"
"Burrow!" Drapion snarled, slamming his arms into the ground. The smart material of the ground gave way, allowing him underneath the floor.
For a second, he was grateful to be free of the barrage of ranged attacks, and then Ilima's voice rang out once more. "Earthquake."
Oh, crap…
"Up!" Marcus cried, but his order was overlaid with Kangaskhan's growl of "Ground Slam!" The ground exploded around Drapion, pain searing his body as the earth practically vomited him back up. Drapion landed hard on the floor, struggling just to get into a standing position.
"That was sloppy, Marcus," Ilima pointed out. "Close in, Kangaskhan - hit him while he's down."
Drapion gritted his teeth as Kangaskhan rushed him. "Normal Slam!"
For someone so intelligent, he's not all that imaginative at naming his attacks.
"Block!" Kangaskhan's fist struck an impenetrable wall. "Battle Armor: Slam!" Drapion snarled, unleashing a hammer blow at the Normal-type, but using Early Bird, Kangaskhan leaped out of the way, his feet leaving the ground practically the instant Drapion readied his attack.
Drapion smirked. Exactly as I expected.
"No Escape!" Kangaskhan saw the seeking rays coming, but had no way of dodging, midair as he was. The rays slammed into him one after the other, sending him stumbling with a snarl of pain.
"Battle Armor: Slam!" Drapion sought to follow up with another hit; again, though, Kangaskhan's Early Bird meant that he could see the attack coming instantaneously and react to it just as fast. The attack whiffed completely as Kangaskhan dodged out of the way and retaliated with a swift Thunderbolt. A quick activation of Battle Armor saved Drapion from anything more than some minor pain, but his follow-up Pierce was avoided as well.
"Infestation!" Marcus ordered as Kangaskhan danced through the flying spines.
"Grasp!" Drapion snarled, sending the cloud of Bug energy at Kangaskhan. "Flamethrower!" Ilima retorted; with a growl of "Fire Blast!", Kangaskhan unleashed a torrent of Fire energy that ripped through the Grasp and continued on towards Drapion. This was met by a Protect, but Drapion knew he couldn't keep going like this. He'd definitely taken more damage than Kangaskhan - he needed a strategy, and fast.
Normally, fast-reacting Pokemon can be handled by overwhelming them until they just can't react fast enough, but Early Bird means Kangaskhan's reaction time is too fast for that.
"No Escape!" Drapion snarled, hoping to repeat his earlier success. This time, however, Kangaskhan blew the rays away with an Ice Beam. "Earthquake!" Ilima cried.
"Ground Slam!"
"Block!" Drapion used another Protect, deflecting the blast of Ground energy. "Pierce! No Escape!" he snarled, firing both attacks one after the other. But Kangaskhan was ready, Early Bird boosting his reaction times - even as he ducked and wove through the flying spines, he unleashed a Thunderbolt that blasted the seeking rays out of the sky, leaving Kangaskhan untouched by both attacks.
This is absurd! How is this meant to be a fair challenge to Gym Challengers? There has to be some sort of weakness…something I'm not getting…
Oh.
Drapion thought back to his one successful hit in the entire battle - his Pursuit that had struck Kangaskhan in midair. He was able to take out successive uses of No Escape using his ranged attacks - why couldn't he do that then?
The realization struck Drapion like a Thunderbolt. Because his body was angled in such a way that it was impossible for him to move enough to answer. He might be able to react instantly, but if there's no way for him to actually avoid the attack, it's not like knowing it's coming is going to prevent it from hitting.
"Pierce!" Drapion snarled; this time, he charged as soon as the attack was fired off. Again Kangaskhan wove through the barrage with almost contemptuous ease, but this time Drapion was watching him carefully. Duck…twist…sidestep…turn…there!
Kangaskhan rose up on one leg to avoid a spike that passed under his foot, momentarily putting all his weight on the other foot. And Drapion lunged straight for that foot. "Inject!"
Kangaskhan could see the attack coming from a mile away. What he couldn't do was jump out of the way - with all his weight on the foot that was Drapion's target, there was no way to pivot or shift away from the attack. Drapion's claws struck true, jabbing into Kangaskhan's ankle and swiftly injecting poison into Kangaskhan's bloodstream.
Kangaskhan snarled in rage and pain. "Normal Slam!" A powerful punch drove into Drapion's face, but it was mostly deflected by Drapion's swiftly upraised chitin. Drapion lunged for Kangaskhan's exposed chest. "Rip!"
And another thing, Drapion realized as his teeth clamped down upon the Normal-type's body. You can't exactly dodge your opponent if your opponent is attached to you.
"Grasp!" The point-blank Bug-type attack slammed into Kangaskhan's stomach and began eating at his body, joining the poison in slowly whittling the Normal-type down. The two battlers toppled to the ground, Drapion on top. "Prey!" Drapion snarled, giving into his wildest instincts. Eschewing strategy, Drapion simply sank claws, teeth, and spines into every piece of flesh he could find. His Battle Armor was spread over his entire body, a thin layer to absorb at least some of the damage from Kangaskhan's flailing fists.
Shock and a hint of desperation tinged Ilima's next order. "Outrage!"
Kangaskhan let out a primal roar. Dragon energy exploded out from the Normal-type's body, the sheer force of the eruption throwing Drapion off. Kangaskhan arose, his entire body ablaze with the signature dark blue color of Dragon energy, roaring madly. Despite the new pain that flooded him, Drapion grinned through his bloodied teeth. This must be a last-ditch technique…throwing away all his earlier reflexes and analytic nature in favor of an all-out mindless assault. Powerful, to be sure…but much, much easier to defend against.
"Dig!" Marcus cried.
With a snarl of "Burrow!", Drapion once more disappeared beneath the arena floor, narrowly avoiding a vicious swipe from the charging Kangaskhan. Snarling, Kangaskhan twisted around, searching for Drapion; Drapion could hear his adversary stomping around on the surface, his mindless Outrage preventing him from answering Drapion's Dig technique with Earthquake.
"Battle Armor. Double Slam."
Drapion lunged upwards, exploding out of the surface and slamming two clublike arms into Kangaskhan's stomach. Kangaskhan doubled over, the Dragon energy dissipating from around his body as his Outrage faded under the sudden wave of pain. "Earthquake!" Ilima cried, now sounding truly desperate.
"Ground Slam!" Kangaskhan choked out, raising his head and stomping one foot to unleash a shockwave of Ground energy. But this was blocked with another Protect. "Battle Armor: Slam!" Drapion cried, lunging forwards.
"Meet it with Mega Punch!" Ilima cried.
"Normal Slam!" Kangaskhan hauled back and threw a punch straight into Drapion's Battle Armor-reinforced fist.
It wasn't enough. Kangaskhan howled as, just like Pangoro had done with Diggersby, Drapion broke his wrist with the sheer force of his punch. The Normal-type staggered, and Drapion took full advantage with another No Escape that sent Kangaskhan stumbling even more.
Still Kangaskhan stood, even through the pain of his numerous wounds, even through the Poison and Bug energy that wreaked havoc throughout his body. Now, though, he was damaged enough that Drapion could just sit back and stall him out. Between Battle Armor, Block, and his natural defense, it would be trivial, even without the Black Sludge that normally gave him so much extra longevity.
"I forfeit Kangaskhan."
Ilima's words came as a surprise to Drapion; even more so to Marcus, who stood slack-jawed as Ilima recalled his last Pokemon.
Ilima saw the shock on Marcus's face and smiled ruefully. "I saw the defense your Drapion can utilize - there's no way Kangaskhan can overcome that, at least not in the state he's in. And I'd rather reduce the amount of pain he has to endure. Congratulations, Marcus - you deserve this win."
As the realization came to Marcus's face, as cheers began to break out from his Gym Trainers and the rest of his team, and as Blossom raised her voice to call out his victory, Drapion finally allowed himself to relax. That was getting hairy for a bit there…with any luck the other two will at least be a little easier to defeat.
Speaking of the other two, I wonder how their battle will go?
The battle hadn't gone well.
Gholdengo had watched as Raymond's Froslass faced Jaya's Crobat in a fast-paced battle. She'd won, thanks to Will-O-Wisp and her type advantage, but Crobat's Dark-type moves had left Froslass badly wounded, and Jaya's Skarmory had been quick to equalize the score.
It had all been downhill from there. Raymond's team hadn't had a true counter to Skarmory, and it had taken out Jellicent before finally falling to Golurk's Fire and Fighting-type coverage. And then Jaya had revealed her Unfezant with Big Pecks, which allowed it to effectively manipulate its own beak, transforming it into a full-blown sword - with the aid of Night Slash spam, Unfezant had rapidly felled Golurk and Gengar for a 2-4 victory for Jaya.
And part of that loss had certainly been due to Raymond's lack of attention. Throughout the fight, he'd seemed even more distracted than he had been in the second round. He barely gave his Pokemon orders, what orders he did give were often unnecessary or completely useless, and he hadn't even tried to switch Jellicent out when it was clear he could do practically nothing to Skarmory.
"How could this have happened?" Gholdengo muttered as the referee, Linnea, announced Jaya's victory. "How could my plan have gone so wrong? I thought for sure Brambleghast's disappearance would garner him sympathy - but not only has it not, it's made him even more distracted!"
Gholdengo clenched his fists in fury. "This is all wrong! My plan was supposed to give him victory! To make him the strongest Trainer I can! But that wasn't even close! Arceus damn it…Jaya had her Emolga captured, and she was the only Trainer who didn't have a type strong in some way against Ghosts! This was supposed to be the easy fight! This…this isn't fair! Raymond's going to stay stagnant as a Trainer forever, and there's nothing I can do!"
"Then maybe it's time."
"What?" Gholdengo asked.
"Maybe it's time to just end it," said Ceruledge. "Look, Gholdengo, I know you want nothing more than to make Raymond strong. But maybe we need to look for another way. Maybe-"
"No!" Gholdengo snapped. "I've come too far to just give up. There has to be a way…there has to…"
"Maybe Brambleghast was right."
Gholdengo whipped around to glare at Ceruledge. "Brambleghast? She is a fool. She claims she knows what Raymond truly deserves, and yet she would have casually thrown away everything Raymond's worked so hard towards. Tell me, Ceruledge, do you intend to walk down the path of foolishness as well?"
"No, Gholdengo," said Ceruledge submissively. "I am just saying…it does feel like you're grasping at straws."
Gholdengo ignored him. "Come on…come on…there has to be something…"
Ceruledge attempted to speak up once more. "Gholdengo-"
"I've got it." Gholdengo's head shot up, a savage grin adorning his face. "Raymond's problem is that he lacks motivation. Motivation to escape the distraction that's been plaguing him. I just need to give him some more motivation to win."
"And how is that going to work?" Ceruledge asked.
Gholdengo eyed Raymond as his Trainer walked up the stands towards him, pulling out his Dusk Ball. "Watch and learn, Ceruledge. Just watch and learn."