AN: As with the last fic, I will be doing review reviews at the top of every chapter! Peoples' support is always appreciated, and I want to make sure it does not go unanswered! As these did get a bit lengthy last time, I might try to shrink them a bit so you all can get to the chapter faster, but I make no guarantees.
AnonChan1: It has been a very long time, hasn't it? I do hope to make this fic far better than the last attempt! I've always enjoyed reading your long, very passionate reviews. As for your questions, yes Tom Tom is named that because he's a tomcat. The Battle Course students might all have a champion they look forward to, as well, but that's only natural! As for Primal Dialga…I do keep an eye out for those choice of words on purpose…
coolhuh0526: Here's hoping it is! I hate having to rewrite, and hopefully this time the fic is good enough to prevent me having to do so again. I do like seeing your analyses of my worldbuilding and your theories on future lore! It might even influence me subconsciously sometimes, heh. As for the lack of Pokemon, hopefully this chapter makes up for it!
SnowLabrador: Glad to have a new reader on this fic! Looking forward to any thoughts on it you have in the future.
Omesta: Nah, I wasn't gone permanently, just unable to do anything on here for several months. And yes, previous submitted characters will show up, but I have drastically cut down the cast to make it easier to write.
KedharS: Glad you enjoyed!
Hyphenman: I think you accidentally copypasted something from the other Academy fic here…but skipping past that, glad you enjoyed! Do be careful what you spoil in the reviews from the other version though, there are new readers here who might not want to know about all that though…and yes, Sherman is the knight-obsessed kid, and Dravilius should be making his debut next chapter.
Anyways, that's all for now! Let's get this chapter started for reals! (-o-)
—-
As soon as Principal Oakleaf declared the start of the battles, Jason was braced for action. He loved battling, and was smart enough that he could often edge out a victory.
He spotted another young man approaching him, who was just about the exact same height as him. He had messy black hair, dark brown eyes, and skin that matched his eyes. He was currently wearing a dark red shirt and jeans, his shoes a mix of black, red, and white. He wore glasses upon his face, but that did not make him look any less like a worthy challenge.
"Alright, new guy, I challenge you to a battle!", the boy declared.
Jason grinned. "You're on!"
He cast out his first Pokeball, which opened up to reveal a relatively moderate-sized black and white bird with a thin rainbow-colored bill. This was his Trumbeak, Cloud.
She looked rather alarmed at all the people around them, and took off into the air. She gave her opponent a wary look, nervously anticipating their choice of Pokemon.
The young man declared, "A Flying type? I know exactly how to deal with those! Titus, go!"
Appearing with a cheerful bark was a Rockruff, who looked more like he wanted to play a game rather than fight another Pokemon. He wagged his fluffy tail in excitement as he looked up at Cloud, ready to get this battle started.
Jason grinned. "Oh, looks like you made an error! Cloud, use Bullet Seed!"
The Trumbeak chirped eagerly, flying back and spitting out five seeds at high velocity towards Titus. The Rockruff tried dodging around them, but most managed to strike his fur, sending him sliding across the ground with a pained yip.
"Rock Tomb!", shouted the opponent, "Let's make that bird an easier target!"
Titus barked excitedly, digging up the ground and throwing a storm of rocks into the air. Cloud tried to fly out of their range, but they pummeled into her and forced her to come crashing to the ground. She squawked in alarm as her tail feathers got trapped under one of the larger stones.
"Great work! Let's close that distance and hit her with your best Fire Fang!", shouted Jason's challenger.
Titus began sprinting towards the trapped Trumbeak, his jaws lighting up with flickering flames as he hoped to deliver a painful blow. Jason narrowed his eyes as the Rockruff closed in, and shouted, "Cloud, counter with Rock Smash! Let's show this Pokemon how we deal with pesky Rock-types!"
Cloud chirped in recognition, and as Titus closed in, she raised her talons and brought them down in a crushing blow as the Rockruff tried to bite down on her wings. The Rockruff yelped in pain as several of the rocks hidden in its fur were broken off, and Cloud squawked in pain as the Fire Fang scorched her feathers.
Titus leaped back, shaking out his fur and sending dust flying everywhere. Jason could tell that he had done some damage, and might have successfully managed to reduce the Rockruff's defenses. Meanwhile, while the Fire Fang had hurt Cloud, she was still quite capable of fighting. She just needed to get out from under those rocks, and then Titus would have a much harder time dealing with her.
Unfortunately, she was still stuck fast, and Jason's opponent seemed to know how to avoid repeating his last mistake.
"Titus, Double Team!", he shouted, and suddenly the field was filled with Rockruffs, all barking excitedly as they ran about everywhere and left Cloud quite disoriented.
"Bullet Seed!", Jason countered, "Try and gun down as many copies as you can, and make sure none can take you by surprise!"
Cloud tilted her head back, before unleashing a hailstorm of bullet seeds across the field, taking out several of the images and clearing some of the field. Many also missed, however, and flew off in every direction. Jason winced as he heard some big guy shout, "Ow, what the hell!?"
Thankfully that guy was too busy with his own battle to check where the Bullet Seed had come from.
Finally, Cloud's efforts were rewarded when one of the images gave a startled yelp and didn't vanish. They had found the real one!
Unfortunately, the real Titus was across the battlefield, and Jason already knew what was coming next.
"Rock Tomb!"
Once again, heavy rocks fell from the sky, and Cloud could do even less about it. However, Jason realized something he should have done earlier and immediately felt stupid for it.
"Use Rock Smash on the boulder that's pinning you! Get out of there!", he commanded.
Cloud whirled around, and used her beak to drill into the rock trapping her. The rock crumbled, and she darted out of there right as the Rock Tomb crashed down upon the spot she'd been trapped in before. She flew back, her eyes scanning for Titus and spotting him again.
The Rockruff immediately used Double Team again, scattering illusions of him across the field as he tried to escape her gaze. But Cloud had been anticipating that, and her Bullet Seeds flew far more accurately. Titus cried out as the explosive seeds pounded into him, weakening him even more. He stumbled on his paws, disoriented.
Cloud, recognizing her opportunity, dove in for the knockout, striking her claw into the Rockruff's back with another Rock Smash. Titus cried out, falling over and fainting.
Jason's opponent winced. "Ah, well, you did your best! Get some rest!" He readied his next Pokemon. "Glynda, your turn!"
Appearing with a maniacal cackle was a floating purple Pokemon, with a large witch-like hat on its head, and a flowing cloak for a body. The gems around its neck glowed a bright red as the Pokemon prepared to fight. A Mismagius!
Jason frowned. This wasn't gonna be as easy a fight as the last one. However, he at least knew she couldn't hit him with any Ghost moves, since they just phased through Normal-types. Plus, he didn't have any Normal type moves he'd want to try and hit her with, so he could maybe still pull ahead.
"Cloud, use Wing Attack!", he ordered, "Let's hit that Mismagius with a real attack!"
The Trumbeak dove in for an attack, but Glynda immediately dived into Cloud's shadow and vanished. Cloud squawked in surprise, and Jason narrowed his eyes. He knew that Mismagius could come back out from anywhere, although since this was a Ghost move it wouldn't do any damage.
At that moment, the Mismagius appeared above Cloud, dark energy swirling around her. She screeched in a sound that startled everyone around her, and fired a pulse of shadowy power directly at the back of Cloud's neck. Caught by surprise by the Dark Pulse, Cloud cried out in pain and nearly fell out of the sky. She had been weakened by the Rockruff, and it seemed this Mismagius was on a whole different field of power from that Pokemon.
Cloud spun around to try and hit the ghost with a Bullet Seed, but Glynda simply laughed and summoned a swirling storm of pink flames. The Mystical Flame burned through the seeds, before spinning further forwards and burning through Cloud's feathers. The Trumbeak cried out, barely keeping herself in the air as she fought through the pain. She darted forwards, swinging her wings in a desperate strike to hit Glynda before she could escape again.
The Mismagius screeched as she was struck, but immediately countered with a point-blank Dark Pulse. Cloud gave one last cry before falling to the ground, knocked out by the strike. Jason returned her, but he knew that this wasn't over yet.
"Doom, your turn!", he declared, sending out his Absol. The Pokemon howled fearsomely, baring his teeth as he stared down the ghost. Glynda cackled in response, which only made the Absol angrier.
Jason knew there wasn't much use in trying to control Doom when he was in a rage. The Absol generally knew what to do anyway, thanks to their premonition skills. Jason was just willing to sit back and let the Absol take the show.
It seemed his opponent had the same policy when it came to his Mismagius, for he did not issue any commands as the two Pokemon charged for each other.
Doom immediately went for a Night Slash, his claws lighting up with volatile dark power. Glynda, meanwhile, laughed as three blue orbs lit up around her, flying towards the Absol and seeping into his skin. Doom howled in pain, and Jason winced. That Will-O-Wisp was gonna complicate things.
But since she had used the attack rather than try to escape, that meant Doom's Night Slash hit her unimpeded. Glynda wailed as the Night Slash cut into her, sending pain running across her body. Unfortunately, it had not been the critical hit Jason had been hoping for, and Glynda immediately phased into Doom's shadow.
The Absol growled angrily, his piercing red eyes scanning the surroundings for where she might come from. When Glynda appeared behind him, Doom immediately whirled around, firing a Shadow Ball he'd been secretly charging up. Glynda was caught by surprise, and cried out as she took heavy damage from the blow.
Jason cheered. "Yeah, you go get her, Doom! I have faith in you!"
His opponent frowned. "Glynda, fall back. He's too powerful to try and hit close up. I'm sure you know what to do!"
Glynda laughed evilly, sinking into the shadows again and reappearing across the battlefield. As Doom howled and started running for her, she sent a wave of electricity rippling across the field. Doom's muscles seized up, and Glynda immediately followed up by casting a dark spell. The burn and electricity hurting Doom flared up immediately, and the Absol howled in pain. Jason winced, knowing how much that should hurt.
But if that was meant to stop Doom, it did not have the desired effect. Doom howled again, his anger flaring up, and he charged again, ignoring the speed drop from his paralysis. Glynda, not anticipating that, was struck down by another Night Slash, and this time Doom struck at the gems around her neck. Glynda wailed in agony, collapsing to the ground from the critical hit. Doom howled triumphantly, firing another Shadow Ball at her for good measure.
Glynda fainted, and Doom staggered back, his injuries starting to catch up to him. Jason's opponent looked impressed. "Wow, your Pokemon are tough!", he complimented, "But you'll find Stoker won't go down nearly as easily!"
He readied his last Pokeball, and sent out a large, bipedal black-and-orange pig wreathed in flames. An Emboar!
Jason knew a fully-evolved starter Pokemon like that was not going to be an easy foe. Fire-Fighting was a very dangerous and powerful type combo as well. But he knew he was gonna have to try.
Doom leaped back, charging up another Shadow Ball. Stoker beat his chest in response, summoning a fierce storm of flames around him. Jason's eyes widened as he realized what was coming.
As the Shadow Ball hit, Stoker tanked it effortlessly, and replied by stomping his foot. All the flames building up around him were unleashed in a brutal explosion, striking Doom with full force and sending him flying all the way back across the field, crashing near Jason's feet. The Absol struggled to get back onto his feet, but the attack had been too much even for him. With one last growl, he fainted, dropping Jason down to his last Pokemon for the match.
"Alright, let's do this, fire starter versus fire starter!", he declared, "Blaze, let's show em what we can do!"
Appearing before him was his Torracat, his oldest and strongest Pokemon. The cat meowed excitedly, the fiery bell around his throat ringing. Stoker roared in reply, but he was still recovering from the Blast Burn and so couldn't move.
Blaze wasn't interested in waiting for him to recharge. The Torracat immediately took off, firing off a Flamethrower at Stoker. The Emboar effortlessly tanked it, but he was meant to - Blaze dashed in close, his claws lighting up with shadows as he unleashed a Shadow Claw on the back of Stoker's leg. The Emboar fell to a knee, roaring in pain as Blaze leaped away. Stoker staggered back to his feet, and with another stomp of his foot massive stone spikes tore out of the dirt and hurtled towards Blaze. The cat nimbly dodged most of them, but one spike managed to strike him and sent him flying.
Blaze yowled in pain as he rolled to the side, shaking his fur as he got back onto his paws. Stoker, his flames recovered, barreled towards him at high velocity, cranking back an arm for what would be a truly painful blow if it hit.
Blaze tried to roll out of the way, but Stoker was faster. The massive fist came crashing down, sending Blaze sprawling across the ground. Stoker followed up his attack by rearing back and spraying a boiling stream of water at the Torracat. Blaze yowled as the water seared his fur and weakened his flames, but he wasn't going to be so easily defeated.
He pounced up, digging his claws into Stoker's shoulders and slashing at the flames around the Emboar's neck. Stoker bellowed angrily, trying to pry the cat off his back, but Blaze wasn't going anywhere. The Torracat started spamming Shadow Claws, hoping to tear down Stoker through attrition.
But Stoker was still quite strong, and he finally managed to get a good grip on the angry cat. Using his superior strength, he yanked the cat off his neck, and threw him across the arena. As Blaze soared towards the ground, Stoker stomped his foot again, and stone spikes rose up to intercept Blaze. The Torracat tried to escape them, but it was no use. The spikes struck hard and fast, and Blaze crashed to the ground. He gave Jason a sad look before fainting, and Jason returned him.
Stoker roared in triumph, and his Trainer whooped in excitement at his victory. Then he carefully navigated around the loose rocks lying around and walked up to Jason. "That was a great battle!", he cheered, "My name's Evan. How about you?"
Jason answered, "My name's Jason. Congrats on winning. Now I know I must get stronger…"
Evan grinned, "Heh, we always can get stronger! Just don't let it get you down."
Jason nodded. "Of course not! This was just a casual battle anyway. Next time we fight, I guarantee you'll have a much harder time."
Evan pumped his fist. "Yeah, that's what I'm talking about! What say you and I become rivals? Looking at this crowd, you're the only guy that I think would be perfect for the role!"
Jason smiled. "I don't see why not. Our teams are quite well-matched, this would work quite well for both of us!"
Evan beamed. "Yes! Of course! Our battles will be legendary! And one day, we'll be the strongest students in the school because of it!"
Jason chuckled. "Well, I dunno about that, but it is certainly a worthy goal! How about we go and watch some of these other battles, so we can try and figure out what we're up against?"
Evan nodded. "Definitely! Let's do it! I'm sure Stoker could take all of them, though."
The two new rivals immediately set off towards the nearest battle, eager to see what it would show them. (-o-)
While Kealoha themself wasn't interested in battling at the moment, they were very interested in watching everyone else. These Pokemon battles were exciting! So many new people, testing their skills against each other in all sorts of exciting ways!
Kea had always loved meeting new people and seeing new things from all sorts of cultures, and here at Uxira University they could see all of that all over the place already!
They had just finished watching a battle between two guys named Harold and Devon, and it had been amazing! The mighty Pokemon clashing, Harold's Cinderace fighting off against a really bulky Hippowdon and a literal Tyrantrum and somehow surviving, the elegant dance of Devon's Lilligant…Kea couldn't wait to see more!
They didn't have to wait too long either.
Travis had sat down nearby, listening to the music in his headphones. However, almost as soon as he had sat down, Grant had set his eyes on him, and strode over with Pokeball in hand.
"I challenge you!", he declared, "You look easy enough to take on."
Travis looked alarmed. "Uh, I don't actually want to battle anyone right now…"
Tom Tom scoffed. "Nonsense! I'm sure your Pokemon would love to try fighting us, seeing how cooped up they've been on that boat trip here. Besides, I don't think the principal told everyone to battle only for some people not to."
Travis shook his head. "I don't think he cares either way. This school is for a lot more than battling. Could you maybe find someone else to fight?"
Tom Tom crossed his arms. "Alas, just about everyone else is taken. It's gonna have to be you!"
Grant smiled in an attempt to look friendly. "Come on, it should be fun!"
Travis looked around nervously. Kea wondered if they should step in.
However, before they could act, someone else did.
"I will challenge you!"
Grant spun around, causing Tom Tom to slip and nearly fall off his shoulders…if it wasn't for his claws. Grant hissed as the claws dug into his shoulder, before looking at the new challenger.
Asher beamed as they readied their own Pokemon. "Since you're so interested in finding an opponent, how about you battle me? Unlike him, I am more than ready for a good fight!"
Tom Tom started, "Uh, we had already called an official chall-"
Asher sent out their first Pokemon. "Come on, don't be shy! Let's go, Arlen!"
Appearing before them was a Snivy, who was quite tall for his species and a much brighter green than normal. He wore a gold bead necklace around his neck, and had his hands folded back behind his back nervously.
Kea thought he looked rather adorable. They would absolutely have to snuggle the little plant baby later.
Tom Tom growled, "Alright, fine then. Grant, send out Smolder! That should take care of this guy easily!"
Grant rolled his eyes. "I know basic type matchups…" He tossed out a Pokeball. "Smolder, go!"
Appearing before him was a large Charmander, with scars on his stomach and a defiant look in his eyes. He growled fiercely, causing Arlen to tremble in fear.
Kea couldn't believe it! Another cute starter that they'd have to snuggle later! Especially since this one looked like he'd been through a lot…he definitely needed a few cuddles, Kea could tell that right now.
"Don't worry Arlen! I know you've got this!", cheered Asher, "We just gotta make sure that Charmander can't get to you! Trap him with a Leaf Tornado!"
Arlen chirped in reply, whipping his tail around and summoning a whirling storm of leaves. It rushed towards Smolder, slicing into his scales as the vortex rose around him.
Grant glared angrily. "Oh yeah? Flamethrower that little snake!"
Smolder snarled, breathing out a jet of flames. The Leaf Tornado, however, immediately swept it up and turned into a blazing fire tornado. While cool and scary-looking, however, that also meant the Flamethrower hadn't hit the target.
Smolder growled and rolled out of the tornado, before looking to his Trainer for guidance. Grant commanded, "Alright, try with Flamethrower again! Get closer this time!"
Arlen, meanwhile, flicked his tail nervously before giving Smolder a mocking look. The Charmander hissed, lowering his guard at the perceived insult. This allowed Arlen to immediately close in, vines extending.
"Did you know that even the youngest Grass types can snap their vine whips at a speed of up to three times a second?", asked Asher, "It's coded into their muscles and DNA, since this is generally their first and only way to properly defend themselves! And it can be very powerful when properly trained…as it looks like your Charmander is gonna learn!"
Arlen hissed, and immediately began slapping away at Smolder's face at high speeds. The Charmander yelped and tried to escape the onslaught, but Arlen was relentless. Smolder cowered under the onslaught, seemingly forgetting how to defend himself.
Asher seemed to notice, and looked hesitant. "Is your Charmander alright?", they asked.
Grant narrowed his eyes. "Yes, of course! Smolder, counterattack now!"
Smolder shook his head as if clearing his mind, and swiped his tail around at Arlen. The Snivy yelped as the flame scorched his scales, and fell back. Smolder began to charge, but Asher commanded, "Arlen, use Wrap! Let's keep our advantage!" Their momentary hesitation had been seemingly forgotten for the time being.
Arlen nodded in reply, lashing his own tail around and wrapping it around Smolder's arms and tail, trapping him where he stood. His vines then rose up again, and resumed slapping his face without stop. Smolder was reaching his last legs, and Grant seemed to notice.
"Flamethrower!", he ordered again, "Take that Snivy down with you!"
Asher beamed. "Oh, that was predictable. Arlen, you know what to do! Use Vine Launch!"
"Use what now?", asked Grant, looking alarmed.
Arlen lifted up Smolder as he built up a Flamethrower, and used his vines to throw the Charmander into the air. Arlen tracked the Charmander's momentum, and as Smolder reached the peak of his arc, Arlen summoned a Leaf Tornado and sent the Charmander flying up into the atmosphere.
"What in the-", exclaimed Grant, as his Charmander discovered flight two evolutions early. Kea watched in astonishment as the Charmander went impossibly high up, to where one could barely see him.
Tom Tom cried, "Look, she's returning her Pokemon!"
Asher returned Arlen with a "Great job out there!", and then readied their next Pokemon. As they did so, they commented, "I'm not a her, I'm actually nonbinary. Easy mistake though!"
Kea felt a smile come across their face. Another nonbinary here at the school? This was awesome! They hadn't thought they'd see another one here. From what they'd seen, outside their family it wasn't all too common.
Asher smiled cheerfully. "Now, I'm assuming you want Smolder to come down now? Let me help!"
They tossed out their next Pokemon. "Aster, let's send that Pokemon back down to the earth!"
Appearing with a piercing cry was a mighty Braviary, with pristine well-groomed feathers and a pair of orange star-shaped goggles over his eyes. He immediately flew into the air, quickly reaching the same height as a now plummeting Charmander. He rose a large talon, and swung it down, sending the Charmander crashing directly into the ground and creating a new crater.
Kea winced. That had looked extremely painful. They hoped the Charmander would be all right after that brutal hit. Especially after the way he had frozen up earlier…
Grant returned him, looking shaken. Tom Tom looked nervous as well.
"It's a Braviary!", he cried, "That's one of the strongest bird Pokemon in existence! We're gonna need to pull out someone tough!"
"Go, Prickles!", Grant declared, "You're more than a match for this thing!"
Appearing before him was a Nidorino, who hissed and brandished his spines defiantly at the Braviary. Burns mottled his hide, and a long scar had taken one of his eyes. He looked quite terrifying.
Kea felt worried. Why was Grant and all his Pokemon so scarred up. Had someone hurt them. Were they okay?
Tom Tom slapped himself in the face. "You should have sent out Not Dinner. Prickles can't fly."
"You said someone tough! Prickles is the toughest Pokemon we have!", Grant replied.
Tom Tom groaned. "Ugh, do I really need to tell you everything you need to do? You're the one supposed to be battling, not me!"
Grant shrugged. "Oh well. He's not gonna go back into the ball now that he's seen a tough opponent."
Prickles bellowed fearsomely, staring down Aster. Aster screeched back in response, flying higher up into the air and getting ready to attack.
Asher looked thoughtful. "Ooh, this'll be a tough one! Aster uses a lot of physical moves, but Nidorinos are infamous for their many poisonous spines that break off and stab any Pokemon that hits them directly!"
Then they smiled. "However, not all Nidorino have lots of those. You mentioned how he really likes fighting tough opponents and won't back down? That sounds like Rivalry to me! If he has that as his ability, he'll hit harder for sure, but it also means he's lacking that pesky Poison Point! In that case…"
Asher commanded, "Aster, use Aerial Ace!"
The Braviary zoomed towards Prickles in a blur, slamming into the unfortunate Nidorino and sending him sliding back across the turf, and nearly into Smolder's crater. Prickles retaliated with a fearsome Fury Attack, slashing at Aster repeatedly and leaving bloody gashes in his feathers.
Aster screeched defiantly, and flew back into the air. Asher declared, "Alright, let's see how fast we can go! Tailwind!"
A fearsome wind tore across the battlefield, ruffling through Kea's hair and causing Prickles to shiver. Aster flapped his wings fiercely, moving with far greater speed as he prepared for his next attack. Kea was in awe of how strong Aster seemed.
But more importantly, they were obsessed with the cute little goggles. It made the otherwise imposing Pokemon look cute and silly, and Kea was all for that! They wondered where Asher had gotten the goggles from…and if they could get a pair for their Pokemon too!
Prickles roared angrily, fighting against the wind as he ruffled up his spikes. He started firing them off at the Braviary, thin little needles speeding through the air and threatening a poisoning if they hit.
Aster then proceeded to flap his wings, sending a Whirlwind through to disperse them. He then proceeded to use Aerial Ace again, speeding forwards and tackling the Nidorino head on. Asher grinned as they proceeded to use their next strategy.
"Aster, let's go! Mighty Dive!", they commanded.
But as Aster took off into the air, Tom Tom shouted, "Prickles, use Toxic!"
Prickles tilted his head back, and sprayed a stream of steaming poison at Aster. While the Braviary dodged most of it, some still splattered onto his feathers and seeped into his skin. The Braviary cried out as the poison started damaging him, and Asher winced.
"Well, that makes things harder doesn't it?", they commented, "But Aster is more than capable of enduring some poison, no matter how vicious it may be!"
Aster flew high, high, high into the air, becoming nothing more than a silhouette against the sun. Meanwhile, Grant and his Meowth started arguing again.
"What happened to me being the one supposed to be battling?", Grant demanded.
Tom Tom replied, "You being a freaking lunatic, obviously. Toxic is like the one thing Prickles has that can take down that bird, and you weren't even thinking about it!"
Grant retaliated, "It's a freaking status move. Actually hitting the Pokemon is more fun and interesting to watch!"
"Actually being able to take down the freaking Pokemon is more important!", hissed Tom Tom, "If it weren't for that, the Braviary was gonna demolish our entire team without breaking a sweat! You should actually be using that noggin of yours, not that there's much in there to use."
Grant looked frustrated. "Why you-"
Asher called, "You should wait to have your battle until this one is over, you know."
Grant huffed angrily and turned back to the fight. Kea felt bad that they hadn't done anything to help with the argument. A Trainer and their Pokemon shouldn't be arguing like that, right?
Then again, it probably wasn't their business…
There came a piercing cry from the clouds, as Aster began his descent. Asher beamed. "Time to show you another trick we can do! When a Braviary finds their prey, they can descend from a really high height at speeds reaching over 200 mph! By folding their wings in, they can move incredibly fast, and when they hit…such high speeds and their powerful talons can do a lot of damage!"
They smiled. "Especially when they have Sheer Force! That gives my dear Aster a massive boost to their strength, even if it means he can't gain any stat increases or bonus effects from it. Not to mention the Tailwind helping us move even faster!"
"Prickles, get out of there!", cried Grant in alarm.
Asher shrugged. "I think you're a little late on that."
Aster slammed into Prickles with enough force that an even bigger crater was created, sending dirt and grass flying everywhere. Travis cursed as a bunch of it splattered over him. Kea knew he'd been watching silently this whole time, so this was the first time he'd said anything during this entire battle. They wondered if he was lonely and shy or something. Perhaps he could use a friend!
But right now, this battle was taking up Kea's attention.
As the dust cleared, Aster flew up, looking a little rough from the Toxic. Prickles on the other hand…the Nidorino had been completely knocked out, which astonished Kea. That Pokemon had looked so strong, only to get completely wiped out by this one attack!
Kea wondered how Grant would be able to turn it around from this, if he even could. He'd already lost two out of three Pokemon, while Asher hadn't even lost one! Things did not look good for the poor boy.
And clearly he was realizing it. Hesitantly, he got ready to send out his last Pokemon for the match, Tom Tom staring carefully at him as if to ensure he didn't mess this one up.
"Alright, I choose you, Not Dinner!", shouted Grant, sending out his chosen Pokemon.
Which turned out to be a very plump, angry Fearow with much darker feathers and a terrifying look in his eyes, as well as, yup, more scars. Kea once again found themself worrying about Grant and his Pokemon. It looked like they'd been put through a meat grinder!
The Fearow screeched angrily, and hovered into the air to face off against Aster. The poisoned Braviary, while definitely getting weaker, still looked ready to fight. The two birds cried out as one, and started circling around each other looking for weaknesses.
However, since Not Dinner was fighting against the tailwind, Aster took the advantage. Aster zoomed towards the Fearow at high speeds, proceeding to pummel them repeatedly with his talons with unmatched power, causing a red aura to flare up around him. The Fearow screeched out in pain, nearly getting knocked out of the air by the ruthless blows.
"Of course it knows Superpower.", groaned Tom Tom, "Of freaking course…"
Not Dinner screeched furiously, a malevolent look in his eyes. Without guidance from his Trainer, he flew right back towards Aster, and proceeded to deliver a fearsome Drill Peck right into Aster's chest. The Braviary cried out, falling back as the disheveled angry bird pressed the attack. The two birds entered a truly vicious match, neither falling back for the other. Kea shivered as they watched the battle between birds of prey. They were being so savage to each other!
But finally, Not Dinner won out, the combination of Toxic and his relentless attacks causing Aster to fall. Asher returned him to his ball, declaring, "You did awesome out there! Don't worry, we'll get you healed back up soon enough!"
Then they looked towards Grant, and beamed. "You've been doing awesome so far! Unfortunately, I don't think our match can continue much longer. Your Fearow's not looking too good."
Indeed, while Not Dinner had won, he was looking quite worse for wear. Even though he'd been heavily disheveled to begin with, now he looked like a giant ruffled-up mess. Kea decided they'd have to find a way to help give him a good grooming to help fix that Fearow back up.
Grant gave Asher a defiant look. "I think we can take whatever you have left, no problem! I'm not gonna lose my first battle here!"
Asher shrugged. "If you say so. Time for the triple A of Triple A's team! Let's go, Abbie!"
Their next Pokemon appeared, and Kea couldn't resist a squeal of adoration. It was a big fluffy Galvantula with the most ADORABLE little knit beanie! Even though big bug Pokemon were normally creepy to most people, this one was the sweetest wittle thing!
Abbie stared up at the angry Fearow as it screeched and descended, talons raised. Asher called, "While Fearows are very good at hunting and defeating small bugs, I think you'll find this one's too big and strong for it! After all, Galvantulas are used to being hunted by birds…and learned how to turn the tables on them! Abbie, use Discharge!"
The Galvantula nodded, bristling her fur as the bird dove in. Grant tried too late to call Not Dinner back, and Abbie proceeded to unleash a brutal Discharge that sent lines of lightning running up all over Not Dinner. The Fearow struggled to fly away, reassessing its options and screeching angrily at the spider.
Abbie, meanwhile, began to weave a crackling yellow web around herself, her eyes focused directly on the Fearow as if taunting it to dare and try attacking her. The bird screeched in response, flying around faster and faster as it prepared another attack.
Unfortunately, it was all for not.
The Galvantula threw its web up into the air, gliding as light and graceful as lace. It snagged onto Not Dinner's wings, electrocuting the poor Fearow and hampering his flying. He fell to the ground, screeching, and landed in a large heap of feathers. He struggled to get back up and claw the electrical web off of him, but Abbie was already scurrying right for him. He started fighting her off with his talons and sharp beak, but Abbie had the advantage and knew how to use it. Yellow silk wrapped around the Fearow, weakening him even further.
But Not Dinner refused to give up the fight. Even as he struggled against his rapidly dropping speed and the webs around his body, he started channeling his own attack. Abbie dodged around his talons, but Not Dinner didn't need to hit with those.
He suddenly lunged forwards, his body getting surrounded in earth as his beak hammered with unparalleled speed. Abbie yelped in alarm as the Drill Run hit her, the earth draining the electricity from the web and weakening her aura. As the beak drilled into her side, she screeched in pain, and Asher winced from the sound. Abbie had taken a lot of damage from that surprise blow - a critical hit!
Not Dinner continued pressing his attack with all the strength he had, while Abbie struggled to bind him down again and finish him off. Sparks and dirt flew everywhere as the two hit each other with everything they had, and their two Trainers could only watch the powerful fight.
Kealoha felt amazed by all the power being displayed here. They were of course rooting for the cute beanie spider, but the Fearow was clearly quite powerful as well! This battle was nothing but exciting!
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Abbie fell to the ground, her energy expended. Not Dinner gave a triumphant screech…then his injuries caught up to him and he, too, fainted.
Grant grinned. "Ahaha, I win! He fainted after yours!"
Asher replied by sending a still standing Arlen, as the tailwind died down around her. The Snivy looked somewhat confused, but seemed to recognize that Asher was proving a point and gave his best attempt at a smug look.
Kealoha couldn't help but cheer the little fellow on. He was just too cute, and definitely needed the confidence boost!
Arlen reacted to Kea's whooping and cheers of "Good going, Arlen!" with a flush of dark green and hiding his face behind his tail. Aww, poor wittle guy was embarrassed!
Grant looked livid. "What!? I can't lose like this! I demand a rematch!"
Tom Tom sighed. "This is why you need to listen to me more. I knew this match was doomed from the start."
Grant replied, "Well, I didn't exactly have a choice!"
Asher shrugged. "Actually, it would've been just fine if you wanted to walk away. But clearly, you wanted a good fight, and I was more than willing to bring it, unlike that kid you were trying to force to fight you."
They turned and beamed at Travis. "You're very welcome, by the way! Hopefully he didn't rattle you up too much."
Travis blinked. "Oh, uh, thanks! I'm doing just fine right now."
He clutched his guitar case close to him, clearly just wanting to get out of here. Kea knew just what to do.
"Let's go explore the campus!", they declared, walking up to Travis and holding out a hand. Travis nervously took it, and Kea waved at Asher and Grant. "That was an awesome battle! But now I think it's time we went and started looking around at our new home!"
Travis nodded. "Uh, yeah, exactly! See ya later…"
The two immediately took off, leaving Asher and Grant to just stand there and watch. (-o-)
Gwendolyn stood separate from the rest of the crowd, her purple cape and black hair fluttering in the wind. She stood in the shadows of the statue as everyone battled around her, avoiding eyes as much as possible.
It was not that she didn't like to battle. Far from it. The problem was, she didn't want to interact with anyone here. She just wanted to go through, get her degree, and get out. Preferably without hurting anyone in the process.
But she kept a hand on her Pokeballs anyway, knowing that it was still quite likely someone would challenge her anyway.
And like a psychic predicted it, sure enough someone did.
It was that one guy writing in his notebooks and almost most certainly spying on everyone, Ray. He walked up to her with a calm look on his face, declaring, "You look like one of the very few who could actually give me a proper fight. I challenge you!"
Gwendolyn sighed. "As you wish." She readied a Pokeball into her hand. "I'm afraid you'll find yourself way out of your depth here, though."
Ray smirked. "Oh, you have no idea. Let's start small. Oliver!"
He sent out his first Pokemon, which turned out to be a Honedge. Its hilt had an odd golden sheen to it, though, and its banner looked larger and better tailored. Gwendolyn felt a soft smile come to her face. This would be good practice.
"Gomez, I choose you!", she declared, sending out her Gible. He was a bit smaller than normal, but crossed his arms and did his best to look intimidating anyway.
Ray narrowed his eyes. Clearly he didn't like this. After all, Gible was Ground-type and his Honedge was Steel-type. Gwendolyn was curious to see how he'd counter her, if he even could.
"Occisor!", Ray commanded. Gwendolyn blinked. She'd never heard of that move before…which meant it had to be a combo of some kind.
Gomez, endure it!, she willed, focusing on her Gible.
The tiny dragon braced himself as Oliver flew towards him at blinding speed, swinging his blade around in a blurred slash. Gomez yelped as the slash cut through his scales, but he managed to endure it successfully. Gwendolyn flinched, feeling the sharp cut across her back, but as Oliver flew towards Ray's side again, Gwendolyn smirked as she sensed the damage Oliver had taken in return.
"So that Gible has Rough Skin…", muttered Ray, clearly running through his options. Not that there were many - Honedges were swords and primarily physical attackers. But the rough scales on Gomez's body would cut away at that blade with every blow.
Gwendolyn was eager to see how Ray would handle this. Would he just have Oliver hack away at Gomez and hope to outdamage him, or would he have an actual strategy for it?
Then she saw him reach for his belt. Of course, he'd try to switch out for a better matchup. Trainers were permitted three switches in an official battle, so they wouldn't be stuck in unfavorable matchups. But Gwendolyn wasn't interested in letting him deal with this that easily.
"Trap him with a Sand Tomb.", she commanded, "There's no escaping us once we get started."
She knew she didn't need to say anything, but she had learned long ago that it was best to verbally issue her commands when fighting other Trainers. Best not to let them get suspicious.
Gomez grinned, and summoned a whirling tornado of sand, blocking the beam from the Pokeball and grinding away at Oliver even further. The Honedge shuddered, a thrum of pain running down his blade. Ray cursed under his breath. Gwendolyn simply watched.
Her Gible was having fun, she sensed. As the youngest Pokemon on her team, he hadn't gotten many opportunities to fight a Pokemon equal to his level. Everything was generally stronger than him, so Gwendolyn generally only brought him out for battle against trivial opponents, or for training. However, she had sensed this would give him a better fight, and hoped this would help him out quite a bit for his fighting skills.
Ray, unfortunately, didn't seem to like having Oliver be used as Gomez's training target.
"Iron Defense.", he commanded, "If she's gonna try and weaken us that way, let's make it less easy for her."
Oliver began focusing a steely aura around himself, reinforcing his iron body and making him far more durable. Gwendolyn narrowed her eyes, knowing she couldn't let him stack up too many of those.
"He can try and build his defense, but we'll just tear him down anyway.", she said coldly, "Bulldoze."
Gomez roared fiercely, although seeing as he was still quite small it wasn't very intimidating. He charged forward, causing the earth to rise up before him and plow directly into Oliver. The Honedge rang out in pain, the debilitating super-effective attack dropping his speed as well as dealing high amounts of damage. Gwendolyn felt a pang of sympathy, but knew that he'd be fine afterwards. Pokemon were quite durable creatures, and battled as a regular part of their life both in the wild and captivity. It would take a lot more than this to actually hurt him in a significant way.
And he'd probably faint before they got close to that point.
Still, Gwendolyn couldn't shake her faint worries of accidentally going too far, and found herself holding back a little. Gomez growled slightly, sensing his Trainer's discomfort, but didn't hold back. He just rotated around and came at Oliver from a different angle this time, using Bulldoze again. But this time, Ray was ready for it.
"Shadow Sneak!", he commanded, and Oliver vanished into the shadow of the rolling earth as Gomez barreled over where he'd been seconds earlier.
Gwendolyn glared at that spot with a look that could stun a dragon. Ghost-types were renowned for their ability to vanish into shadows, with moves of various strength. It was always so annoying, especially if one didn't have any way of countering it or using it to buff.
Instead, Gwendolyn simply focused on making sure her Gible could take the hit when Oliver returned. Not that she had any worries for Gomez - he was more than capable of withstanding it at his current health.
When Oliver returned, Gwendolyn braced herself as Oliver cleaved his blade over Gomez's body. This one hurt more, and Gwendolyn had to bite back the pain of the cut. Ray seemed to notice something, and rose his eyebrow. Gwendolyn immediately felt a surge of panic, that she promptly crushed back down.
'No one knows about it anymore. Maybe he guessed, but there's nothing he can do about that.', Gwendolyn told herself, 'He'll probably forget after this is all over.'
As Oliver shuddered from the bite of Gomez's rough skin, the Gible immediately counterattacked by literally biting him. While not as strong as his type-boosted Ground attacks, the bite was still a super-effective move and dealt even more damage to Oliver. The Honedge was not looking too good.
Ray seemed to notice, and set his face with determination. "It looks like we're gonna have to cut them down faster than they can cut us, then. Oliver, Aerial Ace! That's our one super-effective move, and they can't reduce the speed of that!"
Oliver turned into a blur of motion, speeding through the air with his remarkable skill at flying and constantly slashing Gomez at every opportunity. Every cut lashed into Gwendolyn's thoughts as it lashed into her Pokemon, but she fought past it and focused on making sure Gomez could withstand the aerial blitz. She had dealt with far worse.
As Oliver spun around the Gible, Gomez kept trying to hit it with attacks of his own - but this Aerial Ace spamming technique made it difficult for him to find a window to attack with, even with the sword's reduced speed. Gwendolyn knew that he wasn't gonna last too long, but felt determined to at least take the Honedge down with him.
As the two Pokemon fiercely exchanged hits, Gwendolyn poured more of her strength into her little dragon. Granted, this made the pain feel worse, but as long as Gomez could make it through this Gwendolyn could tolerate it. Meanwhile, Ray's eyes were focused and determined, as if waiting and expecting something. Gwendolyn knew something was off about that.
Finally, Oliver teleported behind Gomez, swinging his blade down decisively. The blade cleaved into Gomez's back, a critical hit that caused the Gible to finally fall. Gwendolyn was astonished. Somehow, Ray had gotten the first KO of the match!
She returned Gomez with a silent word of praise, and narrowed her eyes. This guy was stronger than most of her opponents. He was not to be underestimated.
However, Oliver wasn't doing too well himself. He looked ready to collapse, the abrasive sand and scales having dealt him quite a blow. Gwendolyn knew it would only take one, maybe two hits to finish him off.
She carefully considered her choices, then decided which one she'd use next.
"Alright, Yaga, let's go.", she said, hoping that maybe this time she would be somewhat behaved.
Appearing with a cackle before her was her Weavile, her long and sharp claws extended. The Weavile smirked mercilessly at the weakened sword, and immediately lunged in for a killing blow.
Oliver, however, made no moves to block. The sword just hovered there as Yaga swung her claws around with a cleaving swipe, the Night Slash sending the Honedge clattering to the ground.
Suddenly Gwendolyn felt a surge of dizziness, and it felt as if all her energy had just drained out of her body. She staggered, but just as soon as it had come over her, it vanished.
As Yaga fainted on the battlefield before her, the Weavile looking just as stunned.
Gwendolyn's eyes widened in shock, then narrowed in anger. "What the Distortion was that!?", she yelled.
"Destiny Bond.", said Ray coolly, "You walked right into it. Now you have one Pokemon against my two. You might as well have already lost."
Gwendolyn gave a feral snarl, and a strong breeze suddenly whipped up from nowhere, causing her cape to flap around behind her. "Not on my watch.", she growled.
She knew just which Pokemon to use to set this idiot in his place.
"Sashimi, go!", she yelled, sending out her last Pokeball.
Rising up in front of her, towering over everyone else, was her Gyarados. Sashimi was Gwendolyn's oldest Pokemon and her closest partner, and was far stronger than any other Pokemon she had trained so far. A few scars lay scattered across her body, adding to her very intimidating presence.
Ray paled, but managed to keep his cool facade. "Falco, let's go! This looks tough, but you are more than capable of outspeeding her!"
Appearing before him was a Pidgeotto, who squawked fiercely at Sashimi. The Gyarados replied by bellowing a ferocious roar that shook the ground and alerted everyone else around that something big was about to go down.
Gwendolyn felt Sashimi's thoughts brushing against hers. The two shared a far closer bond than most, so much so that they could understand each other perfectly. They both knew exactly what to do.
As Falco took flight, gliding around the Gyarados as he awaited orders, the hurricane began to take form. Sashimi hovered into the air, spiraling around in a graceful dance that caused dark clouds to roll over the sky and rain to start pouring down. While many students were taken by surprise by the sudden shower, Gwendolyn simply smiled. This was where things got interesting.
Ray, to his credit, looked relatively unfazed. "That rain will be annoying, but she can't hit what she can't see! Dust Storm!"
Falco began flying faster and faster in circles, becoming a blur. Gwendolyn was a little surprised by just how fast this bird was, but knew it wouldn't matter when she was finished.
Then Falco dove towards the ground, tearing up a bunch of dirt and casting it into the storm. Suddenly he had created a tornado of dust, which scratched at Sashimi's scales and blinded her eyes. Gwendolyn's own eyes began to water, but she quickly wiped them clean and focused.
Sashimi shook off the sand, her graceful Rain Dance transforming into a faster, more fearsome dance. Volatile energy began crackling around her, and her strength and speed began increasing drastically.
A bead of sweat ran down Ray's brow. "We have to take her down fast.", he muttered, "Falco, Cross Gambit!"
The Pidgeotto screeched fearsomely, a bright aura flaring around him. The wind suddenly turned to blades, as he rushed towards Sashimi at blinding speeds. Gwendolyn looked on with alarm as Falco punched right into the Gyarados' chest, the many Air Slashes following suit and leaving deep cuts across Sashimi's body.
Gwendolyn staggered from the pain of the blow, but clenched her fists and stood her ground. "Thunder.", she commanded.
From the dark clouds above, a massive bolt of lightning charged up, striking down and blasting the stunned Pidgeotto straight into the ground. The devastating attack blackened his feathers and burned his skin, leaving the bird at Sashimi's mercy.
As Falco struggled to get back up, Sashimi lunged forwards, her tail getting wreathed in an aura of water. She brought it down with a crushing blow, sending Falco flying to Ray's feet. The unfortunate Pidgeotto had been completely demolished.
Sashimi roared in triumph as her attack increased further, delighting in her victory. Gwendolyn smiled in a scary way. Sashimi's Moxie had given her success in many a battle.
Ray set his face in determination. "Alright, then. You may have put us in a corner, but we won't back down! Mona, go!"
But appearing in front of him was a Charmeleon. And everyone around knew that he might as well have already lost.
Gwendolyn, however, wasn't focused on her easy win. Her eyes instead had settled on the blazing flame on Mona's tail, burning bright and lethally even in the rain. She felt her body freeze up, dark memories rushing to the front of her mind and clouding out all else.
Sashimi sensed Gwendolyn's sudden panic, and looked concerned. Her eyes then landed on the flame, and they lit up with pure rage.
With another earthshaking roar, Sashimi ascended into the sky, charging up a massive beam of water between her jaws. Mona hissed and prepared to attack…a futile gesture. Sashimi unleashed a Hydro Pump so strong, it blasted a trench through the landscape and completely buried Mona in the force of the attack. The Charmeleon, strong as she looked, stood no chance. When the water cleared, she had already collapsed.
She had been downed in one shot.
Ray's face was unreadable. "Good battle.", he muttered. Then he immediately turned and dashed off, leaving Gwendolyn and the gathered crowd behind.
Gwendolyn blinked, recovering from her episode. She heard the whole crowd burst into loud whispering, as Sashimi flew over to her side and wrapped her coils around her protectively. Gwendolyn wasn't sure what exactly just happened. All she knew was that she had to get out of here right now.
She returned Sashimi, before immediately taking off, pushing her way through the crowd in a desperate, primal instinct to get out of here and get to a safe, isolated spot. All of the students cleared out of the way, but still the whispering continued. Gwendolyn only quickened her pace, not wanting to deal with any questions, any problems.
Thankfully, she was very, very good at running away from problems. (-o-)