I've seen some of you ask for a physical reference for Cassius—and to that I say, rejoice! While I am absolutely atrocious with the brush, the wonderfully generous TheSuperiorVision graciously offered to draw Cassius in full. You can find their work on Twitter/X under the handle LeventeTarr. Appreciate the piece, and thanks for being patient with this chapter!
As if on autopilot, Cassius recalled Hyla to her capsule. Though his mind was swimming, he had enough presence to at least apologize to her. "I'm sorry," he muttered quietly. "You did great."
And really, she had. She'd executed most, if not every command he'd given her as best as she could. For only having trained a handful of weeks, and for as nervous as she clearly was, she'd done wonderfully. No, the blame didn't fall on her. It fell entirely on him.
Cassius allowed himself a deep, tired sigh. What was he even doing here? This entire thing had started because of one stupid mistake. Maybe the most comical series of events and misunderstandings to have ever occurred one after another, and it had happened to him. What game was the universe playing at? Why him, when there were so many other real trainers who deserved it over him?
He wasn't stupid. He knew there was no way to get himself to Hop or Gloria's level with as little time as he had to train himself. He was okay with that, even—all he wanted to do was at least be good enough. That newfound competitive spirit in him wanted more than that, of course, but that was an idealistic goal at best, and a harmful one at worst. Skill like that didn't happen overnight. Anything that was worth something took time. He knew it, and had reassured himself of that over and over and over again.
But... fuck, he just wanted to win. Maybe he wasn't the best. Maybe he never would be. But for once in his boring, aimless, pathetic life, Cassius Hargreaves wanted to know what being a winner felt like, even if it was just once. Even if he ultimately worked hard for nothing, even if he didn't have enough time to hone himself into a trainer worthy of the lofty expectations that came with a sponsorship from Leon, even if it was selfish and stupid and nothing but a ridiculous pipe dream—Cassius wanted everyone who had ever thought he wouldn't be anything more than a faceless loser to have to live with the fact that they'd been wrong. Because, against all odds, he had won at something.
Clutching Sizzlipede's Poké Ball, he tried to muster back up the resolve that had suddenly escaped him. When that didn't work, he called upon whatever lingering spite Gloria had instilled in him before the fight. That would have to be enough for now, as he felt the crowd and Milo looking at him expectantly. "Here we go, Sizzlipede," he announced, perhaps not as enthusiastic as he should have been.
Sizzlipede took a moment to survey the field after materializing, wriggling about excitedly until her eyes landed on Flapple. Cassius almost thought it was a trick of the light, but he noticed the flames on her whiskers almost glow brighter and higher as she saw her gaze linger on their opponent. He'd been around her long enough to know that meant she was excited for her upcoming battle.
Then, her gaze turned to him, excitement turning to expectation—and then, what might have been worry. Did his face really give that much away? Or had Sizzlipede been around him long enough to know when he wasn't feeling his best?
Hop's words resurfaced in his head. '"There's a difference between being nervous, and telling yourself you're gonna lose before you even step onto that pitch. If you do that, you've already lost."' What followed that statement was just as true—it wouldn't be fair to any of his Pokémon if he decided to give up and mail it in because of any perceived inadequacy on his part.
They had trained as hard as they could to meet the challenge Milo was presenting them. It fell on him now to match that intensity. He'd have plenty of time to wallow in his own incompetence later, if it came to that. For now, he owed it to his Pokémon to at least try. Taking a breath, he gave Sizzlipede a determined nod, and that was enough to get her to loosen up with an encouraged hiss, turning back toward her opponent with a smolder of fiery embers dancing in anticipation across her frame.
Reengaging, Cassius focused on where he could go from here. Sizzlipede was a more experienced fighter than Hyla, but was similarly exposed to a super-effective move courtesy of Flapple's Wing Attack. With that in mind, he had to once again juggle getting in close with spacing Sizzlipede out enough to protect her from harm.
A swell of boos had risen from the crowd, doing their damndest to get in his head. Cassius was chagrined to admit it was working—beyond the deafening noise forcing him to nearly scream all of his commands, it was hard to get a constant rhythm of thoughts in his head when cheers and shouts burst from the crowd after every move. Maybe he should have underwent all his prior training with Gloria shouting obscenities at him, to get him used to the assault on his ears,
No time for regrets now. Another deep breath, and brought himself back to the pitch. Delman Thomas raised his hand, about ready to resume the fight. "Continue!" He shouted as the hand came down.
Milo, perhaps looking to capitalize on his streak of success, sprung into action immediately. "Twister!" While it wouldn't be as effective as it would have been against Hyla, the move would still prove cumbersome at best, and extremely damaging at worst.
Or at least, it would have. Thankfully, Sizzlipede was about as fast as Hyla, if not a smidge faster. And fresh out her ball, it was of little consequence to order her to skitter out of the way. "Don't let it catch you!" A few clicks, and Sizzlipede was wriggling well out of the attack's range, with the benefit of already being on opposite sides of the pitch certainly aiding her.
Cassius knew it wouldn't be so simple the rest of the fight. Given Sizzlipede's similar lack of ranged moves, he would once again have to maneuver in close. Though, Cassius noticed Flapple seemed to be fatiguing—it hopefully wouldn't take much more to knock out of the fight. One or two solid hits, and he dared to hope Sizzlipede could get it done.
'Or you could Dynamax,' he suggested to himself. Cassius shot a brief look to the Dynamax Band snugly wrapped around his wrist. While he'd yet to subject any of his Pokémon to the transformation, he wasn't so against it that he'd go the entire fight without utilizing the power. Not even Gloria had been that stubborn. The problem instead came with timing. If he burned Dynamax now, he'd be more certain to take out Flapple, but he'd be without the option against Gossifleur. Even with the overwhelming type advantage Sizzlipede (and Korvis, if necessary) had against Gossifleur, it was still a strong Pokémon utilized by a skilled gym leader, and he was still a novice trainer.
Conversely, if Sizzlipede could knock out Flapple and still have enough in the tank for a Dynamax against Gossifleur... well, it was a crude idea, but Gloria's scorched earth tactics were very much in the cards. Unsophisticated though it was, there was no denying its effectiveness when he'd watched her Scorbunny essentially melt its opponents. In any case, he wasn't in any position to be picky with how he won. If he could manage a K.O. against Flapple, and Dynamax his way through Gossifleur, that would at least give him a fully-healthy Korvis with the straight one-on-one she'd wanted against Eldegoss. And anything Sizzlipede could manage against Eldegoss if she lasted that long would have been gravy.
Once again, he was probably thinking a few too many steps ahead. But it was either believe in his new plan with everything he had, or pray for some miracle to fall into his lap and hope for a string of absurd luck. Fat chance of the latter happening, so his half-baked plan was currently all he had.
Not that Sizzlipede would have minded. She looked thrilled just to be here. If all went well, she would end up having a turn against all three of Milo's Pokémon. All she could have asked for, he was sure.
"You ready?" He asked her, voice once again forced to project over the noise from the crowd. "We'll go as far as you can take us. Can I trust you to bring us back?"
Sizzlipede's whiskers were almost burning white hot in anticipation, her clicks accompanied by an almost feral quality. He took that as a yes. "Good. Then get ready!"
If Sizzlipede was going to have any success, she had to get in close. Hyla's struggle had been utilizing her less-than-ideal speed to try and close the distance, having to contend with a slew of attacks along the way. Unlike Hyla, Sizzlipede had a means of getting close, and hopefully unscathed. One that they'd worked on in training.
"Flame Wheel!" Curling up, Sizzlipede engulfed herself in familiar fire and somersaulted forward, morphing into a wheel composed of, well, flames. The shape wasn't so important compared to the speed at which she moved, however, as she launched herself in Flapple's direction at a pace much faster than her earlier gait.
The idea had hit Cassius when he'd reflected on their time in the Galar Mine. Granted, Sizzlipede had the benefit of rolling down a wall to build momentum, but even on flat land, Cassius had learned through their training together that her speed while in Flame Wheel posed a considerable threat to anyone who wasn't expecting it. Not to say that she was slow without it, but with it, she was able to add an element of speed that made her a much more challenging and unpredictable fighter. And that was without the added benefit of being covered in fire, meaning she couldn't be deterred from her path with something as simple as a physical shove, punch or slap.
If nothing else, it made her all but impervious to Leech Seed, which meant no healing Flapple through that move. Which narrowed Milo's available moves to three, and maybe even two, since he wasn't sure Milo would have wanted to risk Wing Attack making physical contact with the fire, even if it was super-effective. And since Flapple had just whipped out a Twister, that probably meant...
"Acid Spray! Get them off track!" Another gob of acidic spit shot forth from Flapple's maw. Cassius, having successfully anticipated the attack, was thankfully prepared. "Lean right!" No sooner did he get the words out did Sizzlipede angle herself to the right, not so hard as to change course entirely but more than enough to get herself out of the way of the attack. That had been the harder part of training for the maneuver—not only was it a precise command, but due to Sizzlipede's speed while in Flame Wheel, he had to be equally fast in calling out evasive maneuvers as she rolled. Any hesitation on his part, and she would have ended up spinning right into a smartly placed attack.
It hadn't been easy, and even then, he wasn't entirely comfortable with pulling it out in their first fight. But they were starting to teeter on the verge of desperation. That feeling was only emphasized as Milo prepared another volley. "Wide arc Acid Spray, Flapple!"
Similar to what he'd done against Hyla, Milo was forcing Cassius to get creative when dodging. His counter maybe wasn't so much creative as it was excessive. "Veer right!" Instead of a simple lean, Sizzlipede instead turned a hard ninety degrees to the right, curving herself just out of way and around the arc of acid. "Veer back left!" Cassius commanded once she cleared the arc, getting her to correct her course as best she could back toward Flapple.
The benefit of Hyla lasting as long as she did meant that Flapple couldn't hover as high as it had when the battle started—again, the Pokémon was not meant for long, drawn-out fights. It was a great boon to Cassius, since he had no idea how he could have found a way to launch Sizzlipede in the air and pin Flapple to the ground. But Flapple was still flying above the ground, however low it might have been, which posed a problem for the ground-based bug.
But, Flapple's wings were attached to its arms. And if Cassius could somehow occupy Flapple's arms... "As close as you can get, Sizzlipede!" The momentum with Flame Wheel kept her speeding toward Flapple, not in an exactly precise course, but close enough.
Milo was right to assume he would attack. "Back up, get ready with Acid Spray!" He was probably anticipating something like an Ember, perhaps thinking back to Gloria's strategy. Even if an Acid Spray didn't manage to hit Sizzlipede, it would at least douse the Ember.
But there was no Ember. "Disengage, and Smokescreen!" Popping out of her Flame Wheel, Sizzlipede released a plume of smoke almost in exact rhythm with Acid Spray. Not only did they catch both Milo and Flapple by surprise, the Acid Spray had been shot with the intent of colliding into a flaming projectile, and when it was instead met with resistance-less smoke, it sailed harmlessly by the dual Fire-Bug type. Sizzlipede continued to produce the smoke from her whiskers in Flapple's direction.
The smoke billowed toward Flapple, and the Pokémon couldn't escape in time. The effect was instantaneous as the smoke filled its lungs, producing a series of coughs and wheezes. Most importantly, however, the smoke got into its eyes, forcing it to alternate between having to keep itself upright in the air and rubbing the sting from its eyes. A task it was unable to pull off successfully, as it was forced to the pitch with a thud.
Sizzlipede probably would have moved by herself if Cassius hadn't immediately gone on the attack. "Wrap!" Not even a second later, Sizzlipede had enveloped herself around the smaller Flapple, beginning to clamp down. Flapple cried out in pain as Cassius saw the rings on Sizzlipede's belly glow a little brighter, pressed tight against her opponent.
"Sizzlipede wraps prey up with its heated body, cooking them in its coils." Cooked indeed. And just for good measure, Cassius gave what he hoped would be the finishing blow. "Bite!" Angling herself against the squirming Flapple, Sizzlipede bit down on Flapple's neck, drawing another pained shriek.
'Come on,' Cassius chanted mentally. 'Come on, you pain in the ass. Just faint already. Faint!' He saw the struggle in its eyes, even through the smoke from his own trainer box. Cassius could loosely register Milo shouting commands, and knew he probably should have been paying attention, but all he was focused on was Sizzlipede trying her best to subdue the Pokémon that had taken out her friend, along with so many others in this first leg of the challenge.
Sizzlipede squeezed and squeezed, Flapple squirmed and fought. Until finally, after what felt like an eternity, one of them gave out—and Cassius sighed the biggest sigh in his life as he saw Flapple finally yield, falling limp in Sizzlipede's hold.
"Flapple is unable to continue!" The referee announced. "Leader Milo, please prepare your next Pokémon!"
Cassius couldn't celebrate—not yet. There were still two entire Pokémon he had to deal with, each presenting their own series of problems. But for the moment, as Cassius saw Milo recall Flapple, he let a fleeting burst of pride and accomplishment wash over him, even as the boos returned from the crowd tenfold. His first takedown as a professional in a sanctioned fight, and he'd had to earn it.
"Great job, Sizzlipede!" He called earnestly. She'd been just about flawless, and she seemed to know so, wriggling happily and preening beneath his praise, reveling in all the attention she was receiving. Cassius should have figured she'd have thrived here—the unruly Pokémon that had tailed him for days seemed like she was made for this kind of pressure-filled environment. And now, under the gaze of so many spectators, she was shining under the lights. More than ready for their next opponent.
Momentum was a bit of a finicky thing in sports, but there was no denying its presence once you felt it. Scoring four or five unanswered buckets in front of a home crowd had an effect—Cassius would know, because he'd been in those crowds. And while his current predicament wasn't exactly comparable to basketball, knocking out the Pokémon that had taken out so many others in this first leg of the circuit had returned a bit of his lost confidence.
But he couldn't let it go to his head. Momentum could be just as easily lost as it could be gained. In any case, Cassius was finding out in real time how hard it was to manage emotions in the middle of a match—he'd been about ready to freak out about five separate times so far, give or take.
Milo's voice returned him to the fight. "Here we go, Gossifleur!" No deviation in his battle order, thankfully, as he released the pure Grass-type into the fray. Materializing, Gossifleur floated gracefully atop the turf, spinning slightly with what looked like a tiny smile. In any other setting, the sight might have almost been amusing, but it was currently his and Sizzlipede's opponent, so any admiration would have to wait.
"Continue!" The referee barked, and the action resumed. "Magical Leaf!" Milo shouted, taking the initiative. Familiar with the move's accuracy, Cassius figured he'd save Sizzlipede the trouble of dodging. "Don't worry, you can take it!" Sizzlipede's typing meant that Magical Leaf would be even less effective against her than it had been against Hop's Grookey. Cassius sighed in relief when he was proven right, the leaves barely drawing a small wince from Sizzlipede as they pricked her, before burning up almost immediately.
Milo shrugged. "Ah well, worth a shot. Let's try Sing!" Changing gears, Gossifleur released a soothing melody this time, projecting the song over the buzzing crowd in Sizzlipede's direction. She and Cassius both weren't having any of that. "Back up! Tune it out as best you can!" Complying immediately, Sizzlipede retreated almost to where Cassius was, letting the song falter and lose itself into the cacophony of noise the stadium provided.
Cassius went over Gossifleur's moves in his head; Magical Leaf, Round, Sing, and Rapid Spin. Magical Leaf, even with perfect accuracy, was of virtually no concern to them. That just left Round, Sing and Rapid Spin. The lattermost move would prove a little challenging, considering it could shrug off Sizzlipede's Wrap. Round and Sing were sound-based, which meant there was little hope of dodging them completely outside of making distance whenever they could.
'None of that really matters if you Dynamax though,' he reminded himself. It had been his plan after taking out Flapple, and he quickly saw there was no reason to deviate now after he'd worked so hard for it. Better to not risk taking on Gossifleur on even ground when he could help himself and Sizzlipede out, and considering Korvis' aversion to the gimmick, if he didn't do it now, then when?
Never mind that he'd never actually Dynamaxed a Pokémon before, but given he was from Unova, he supposed the public would be at least a little forgiving if he looked a little uneasy in his first time Dynamaxing. So, with a huff of resolution, he gave a look toward Sizzlipede. "You ready?" He didn't think she could look more excited, but the eager wriggling and clicks he got in response conveyed she was more than ready. Nodding, Cassius recalled her into her ball, and activated the Dynamax Band.
Though the ball got larger, it didn't feel particularly heavy. Which was probably a good thing, as the Poké Ball quickly took up enough space to require both arms to hold it. Emulating what he'd seen other trainers do, Cassius heaved the ball behind him with a grunt, watching as it sailed surprisingly high into the air, expanding further as it flew. A massive flash ensued, releasing Sizzlipede as her size multiplied once, twice, and then a final time, the ground shaking as she crashed onto the pitch. Though she didn't take up the entirety of their side of the pitch, she still easily dwarfed him in size, a fact that was hammered home by the deeper, reverberating clicks that sounded from her maw.
Still, even as red clouds swirled atop her form and she almost glowed with power, her gaze found his, clearly energized but dutifully awaiting instruction from her trainer. A part of Cassius had been concerned that she'd lose herself to the sudden influx of power Dynamaxing would provide her—he'd assumed this would be her first time being Dynamaxed, and there wasn't really any preparing for the experience—but Sizzlipede looked the same as she always did, if more invigorated. With that worry squared away, Cassius shifted his thoughts to actually fighting while in the Dynamax state.
Cassius had been fairly certain that he'd be Dynamaxing Sizzlipede in the event he Dynamaxed at all, so he'd gone ahead and studied the effects and properties of Max Moves—because of course, it couldn't ever be as simple as using the exact same moves while Dynamaxed. Flame Wheel turned into Max Flare, Bite turned into Max Darkness, Wrap turned into Max Strike, and Smokescreen turned into Max Guard. They possessed the same attack classifications as Max Moves, meaning physical attacks were still physical, and special attacks were still special.
An added wrinkle, however, were the environmental or stat changes the moves presented. Max Flare, for instance, would create harsh sunlight for a brief period of time. Max Darkness would lower their opponent's special defense. Any of those secondary effects would prove beneficial, especially the added sunshine, but in the interest of dispatching Gossifleur as quickly as possible, he wouldn't have much incentive to experiment and play around with what he could do with Dynamaxing. The focus was setting up Korvis in as good a position as possible for Eldegoss, if not winning outright with Sizzlipede, unlikely as that was.
So, if he needed a quick, efficient way to knock out Gossifleur, it seemed that scorched earth was the way to go. But Gloria had the benefit of having Scorbunny torching nearly the entire field with a Max Flare Ember—Sizzlipede didn't know a ranged Fire-type attack. He'd just have to hope Max Flare Flame Wheel would have roughly the same effect.
Only one way to find out. "Max Flare!" He commanded, trusting that Sizzlipede would understand his intent and sense of urgency. With an affirmative click, Sizzlipede wreathed herself in fire, and even through the blue flash of the protective barrier surrounding the trainer's box, he could feel the heat. Curling in on herself, she took her familiar wheel shape, but her flames continued to spread from her body, filling the immediate area around her with a slowly spreading fire.
She took off much faster than Cassius expected, and he assumed Milo felt the same way judging from the urgency in his voice. "Dodge! Get to the left wall!" Gossifleur wasn't particularly known for its speed, so even as it produced some wind from its mouth to propel itself to its left, Cassius wasn't entirely sure that would get it out of harm's way. It ended up being just enough, as Sizzlipede's giant wheel of fire just skirted past Gossifleur, but the excess of fire and heat managed to clip some of Gossifleur's body, not unlike the debris kicked up from Flapple's Twister. Though Gossifleur managed to put the tiny flame on its body out relatively quickly, even that much seemed to do a decent amount of damage.
The plan was working—they just needed one clean hit to probably do Gossifleur in. He had to keep up the offensive. "Keep it up! Max Flare again!"
"Hug the wall!" Milo responded. "Don't give them any space to maneuver! Make yourself small!"
He was trying to make them play the wall for space. And with all the fire and smoke, he was trying to make it tough for Cassius and Sizzlipede both to make out where Gossifleur was. Cassius wasn't sure how that would mitigate Gossifleur's speed, but it would make it tricky having to maneuver along the wall—
Wait. Using the wall for Flame Wheel... they'd done that before. 'Use the environment...'
"Sizzlipede! Build up momentum, and aim for the opposite wall!" He ordered. "Use it to get to Gossifleur!"
Even with all the noise from the battle, Cassius could hear a few upset sounds from the crowd. Some even called for a whistle from the ref. Mr. Thomas didn't intervene, however, meaning Cassius didn't have to worry about the legality of it all. All that was left for Sizzlipede to execute, and she seemed more than willing, recognizing his plot with a few excited clicks and aiming for the far wall. After taking a second to take her shape and reignite, she took off, speeding up as she approached her target.
The crowd's viewing area surrounding the pitch was vaguely bowl-shaped, meaning that the wall Sizzlipede was planning to ride up on wouldn't be a hard ninety degrees. Cassius had never been particularly interested in geometry, but he figured the wall being just the slightest bit slope-shaped was very conductive for Sizzlipede maintaining her speed. Silently thanking the planners and builders of Turffield's stadium that he'd never know or meet, he watched as Sizzlipede's speed helped her spin up the wall, turning herself to her left as she rode the wall toward Gossifleur.
Maybe Milo was shocked, maybe he wasn't sure of what to do, or maybe he simply gave up on delaying the inevitable. Whatever it was, his commands seemed laced with a tinge of resignation as he watched Sizzlipede hone in on Gossifleur. "Dodge as far away as you can! Any direction, just move!"
It was a valiant effort, but even with Gossifleur propelling as much air as it could, it just wasn't fast enough. Sizzlipede closed the distance, riding the momentum and gravity down from the wall to run right into and over Gossifleur. Sizzlipede's speed hadn't decreased even a little as she rolled over where Cassius presumed Gossifleur was, the plume of fire and smoke briefly obscuring his vision. Sizzlipede came to an eventual stop near Cassius, looking over her handiwork.
The blaze eventually subsided, revealing a singed path of turf, and one combatant laying flat on its side. And while Gossifleur didn't look like it would need immediate medical attention, the blackened petals along its body were enough to draw a grimace even from Cassius.
"Gossifleur is unable to continue! Leader Milo, please prepare your next Pokémon!"
The constant energy and noise from the crowd when the battle had started seemed to have completely evaporated now. What had originally been cheers for Milo and jeers for Cassius had now morphed into unsure muttering. Some pockets of diehards in the crowd tried vigilantly to keep up the energy for the hometown leader, but even that paled in comparison to the sudden silence that had overtaken the crowd.
In all honesty, Cassius had been a little worried that Sizzlipede would quite literally flatten Gossifleur—Pokémon were far more durable than essentially every other creature on the planet, especially ones trained to battle, but a tiny Grass-type getting ran over by a Fire-type the size of a building seemed like the kind of reckless combat that was excessive, even in a professional bout. A part of him was relieved to see that either Gossifleur was hardier than it looked, or Sizzlipede had the awareness to ease up a little.
Though the latter seemed unlikely, he recognized that she had almost single-handedly brought him back into this fight, and in the process had mostly neutered the hostile crowd. They'd only been training for a few weeks together, and she looked like a seasoned veteran against two difficult opponents she'd likely never seen before. 'And to think, I could have gone into this fight without her.'
"Great job!" He shouted up to his Pokémon, who even in her giant state, still wriggled excitedly at the praise and victory. It was encouraging that she still looked like she had plenty of gas left in the tank for Eldegoss.
Perhaps just as important to note; his sudden plan had worked. He'd thought of an idea he'd seen in practice before, and applied it quickly and effectively in an official fight. A decisive command that Sizzlipede had carried out to perfection. He'd felt like an actual trainer.
'You can win,' the hopeful side in him whispered. Milo was down to his last Pokémon, while he still had two, both of which had type advantages. 'You can finally win something.'
He had to physically pinch himself to calm down. He couldn't afford to think that way right now. Assuming victory before it actually happened had been the downfall for plenty of athletes before him, and Milo was still a gym leader. His focus had to remain steady, or else Sizzlipede and potentially Korvis would slip up with him.
Milo looked the complete opposite of him, clearly enjoying himself despite the uphill battle he was facing. Or maybe he didn't think it was an uphill battle at all. "Let's get back in it, Eldegoss!" His final Pokémon materialized, floating in what looked like a more regal manner than Gossifleur had earlier. It was sporting a similar grin, not phased by the moment at all.
Milo didn't waste any time matching Sizzlipede's size, either. "Let's make this fight even, yeah?" Recalling Eldegoss, he proceeded to let its capsule swell in size before launching it into the air. Dynamax Eldegoss formed with a great burst, floating atop the turf and announcing itself with a bellow.
That seemed to wake the crowd back up, the energy from before slowly but surely returning. Cassius did his best to tune it out. The referee raised his hand, and dropped it. "Begin!"
He wouldn't overthink what it was he needed to do. "Max Flare!" He didn't have much time left in Sizzlipede's Dynamax state. Better to try and land their most effective attack before time ran out.
Milo had a counter ready. "Max Guard!" Cassius deflated immediately—of course that would be Milo's play. Why would he even risk doing anything else? He was left to watch helplessly as Sizzlipede wheeled into Eldegoss with as much power as she could muster, but ultimately proving fruitless as Eldegoss erected a shield of cotton that held the Fire-type from dealing any damage whatsoever.
Sizzlipede eventually was forced to relent, backing away angrily. That anger only seemed to double when she and Cassius both noticed her growing smaller. It was in progressive increments, first a little, then a lot, and then not even a few seconds later, Sizzlipede was back to her usual size, left to look up at Eldegoss from her suddenly smaller position on the ground.
Judging by how long Sizzlipede had operated in her Dynamax state, Cassius assumed they had to survive two more moves from Dynamax Eldegoss. He assumed that was the downside of Dynamaxing at different intervals—it gave you the obvious advantage when you did it, but it put you in a big hole when your opponent did it back. Even with the type advantage, Cassius had to tread carefully. "Get ready to move," he warned Sizzlipede. She didn't look happy about it, but nevertheless prepared herself to wheel away from danger.
Milo wasted little time. "Max Strike! Try and follow where Sizzlipede is gonna go!"
Max Strike denoted a Normal-type Max Move... which going by Eldegoss' moveset meant it was probably taking the form of... "Round," Cassius grimaced. He had no idea how he was going to get Sizzlipede to dodge a giant sound-based move. "Flame Wheel straight back!" He wasn't sure what other choice they had.
Sizzlipede about-faced as quickly as she could and burned back toward Cassius, but even she might have felt how fruitless her attempt at outrunning literal sound was. Eldegoss fired up a great projectile in its mouth, before releasing a huge burst of sound that blasted in essentially every forward direction. That naturally included where Sizzlipede was, with the force of the impact so strong that it lifted her a foot or two off the ground, disrupting her Flame Wheel and sending her skidding across the turf.
Though the barrier surrounding the trainer's box did its job, even Cassius felt his ears ringing a tad from the attack. Sizzlipede was far worse off, visibly discombobulated as she shakily returned to an upright position. There wasn't any way she could take another one of those attacks head-on.
"You'll dodge the next one!" Cassius attempted to encourage her. An idea struck him. "See if you can't ramp up the wall to dodge Max Strike!"
Maybe it would have worked, maybe it wouldn't have. He'd never know, since Sizzlipede didn't look to have heard him at all. Were her ears still ringing? Cassius wasn't even sure she had ears—but she had to hear somehow, right? He'd never bothered looking up her specific anatomy before, and now it was biting him in the ass.
Sizzlipede's apparent loss of hearing was starting to wear on her from the looks of it, her posture unsteady and her gaze unfocused. She looked more than a little dizzy, and her balance was now starting to fail her too. It was so unusual—to his knowledge, Round didn't cause confusion. Was Sizzlipede specifically sensitive to sound attacks?
Before he or Milo could do or say anything else, they were interrupted by the whistle of the referee. "Time!" Delman Thomas called, promptly pausing the fight. Jogging over to Sizzlipede, he came to a knee beside her, a look of stern concentration etched onto his face. Cassius, though thoroughly confused, didn't dream of interrupting him, and since the fight had been temporarily halted, there was little he could do but watch and wait for Mr. Thomas to finish whatever it was he was doing.
Carefully, Mr. Thomas gently felt around Sizzlipede's head, before staring into her eyes—looking for something, it seemed. Sizzlipede looked too out of it to even register what was happening. He then put a finger up, slowly moving it in front of Sizzlipede's face. A few more moments and tests passed before Mr. Thomas returned to his feet, tapping the earpiece in his left ear to turn off the microphone. He looked to have changed channels, as he was now seemingly engaged in a private conversation with someone. Though he covered his mouth with his other hand, Cassius could vaguely make out his mouth moving. Whatever this was, it couldn't have been anything common; even the crowd seemed a little on edge and confused.
Cassius saw two more figures enter the pitch—judging by their garb, they seemed to be medical practitioners. Cassius' chest tightened as they then performed similar tests, Sizzlipede showing a similar response that she had to the referee. Time seemed to drag on forever as they continued working in haste, before they eventually turned to Mr. Thomas and engaged in a hushed discussion.
Finally, Mr. Thomas nodded and ended his conversation and sent the two practitioners on their way, appearing to turn the microphone back on. Immediately, he crossed his forearms in an 'X'. "After further examination and review, Sizzlipede has been deemed unable to continue battling per the advisory of our on-site medical personnel, and per the adherence of Pokémon battling safety guidelines. Challenger Cassius, please prepare your next Pokémon."
Whatever apprehension Cassius was feeling before was now replaced by equal dread and worry. "What happened?" He immediately asked the referee, hoping he sounded more concerned about the wellbeing of his Pokémon than he did upset at the loss of an asset in the middle of a battle. Even he knew the optics of the latter wouldn't have reflected very well on him.
"Concussion-like symptoms," Mr. Thomas explained, though not without first turning the microphone off. "Coordination was lacking, eyes were unfocused, was overall out of it. Can't risk having a Pokémon fight in that condition."
"You're sure she wasn't just... normal confused?" Cassius hoped that sounded right. "Like, the Confuse Ray type of confused, instead of... this?"
"Status confusion, though discombobulating, does leave the afflicted Pokémon with enough presence of mind to properly interpret and execute commands, attacks, and basic manoeuvres. Though they might hurt themselves in the process, they will almost certainly make an attempt, at the very least. Your Sizzlipede made no such effort or indication of having registered your command, which prompted an examination, and after further deliberation with our personnel, the decision was made." It was clear he wouldn't budge on this. "I am sorry, but the decision is final. Though the symptoms appear mild at worst, I would strongly advise you visit a Pokémon Center immediately after the conclusion of this match. In the meantime, I ask that you please prepare your final Pokémon."
Even if Cassius did want to argue, what could he have said against two experts and an experienced referee? More than that, however, he was right in that it would have been extremely irresponsible of him to force Sizzlipede to fight in her condition. Still... of all the rotten luck in the world, of course he would have had a Pokémon concussed in the first official fight of his career, right when he'd been riding all that momentum.
He was left to nod tensely. "Got it. Sorry, just wanted to ask."
"Of course." Mr. Thomas didn't seem to hold it against him. "In the event of medical disqualifications, trainers are given as much time as they need to check in on their Pokémon and ready their next combatant. Please, take as long as you need to prepare yourself."
"Thanks." Cassius then walked over to beside Sizzlipede, who thankfully seemed to acknowledge that he was next to her. "Hey there. How're you feeling?"
She gave it a valiant effort, flaring her fiery whiskers in a show of readiness, but even doing that much made her stumble slightly. Never mind that she'd been unable to look him directly in the eyes when she did so.
"You gave it a good try," he consoled her. "And you got us back in the fight. You've earned some rest. And a treat, when we get back."
That finally seemed to do her in, as she sagged slightly at the mention of food. Even without the potential concussion, that Max Strike had put her on her last legs. Recalling her into her capsule, he retreated back to his trainer box as he palmed his final Poké Ball, gingerly running his thumb over the release button. He'd been given as much time as he needed to ready himself, and he was absolutely going to use it.
"Well," he muttered, eyeing the massive Pokémon staring him down from across the pitch. A part of him had been hoping that the brief delay would run out Eldegoss' Dynamax state, but evidently not. "Here's your chance, Korvis. Hope you're ready."
About as prepared as he was ever going to be, Cassius tossed the capsule. Korvis almost immediately found Eldegoss' gaze as she materialized, staring it down with as fierce a glare as he'd seen from her, accompanied by a low warble. "Krrr..."
At least she was still her usual combative and haughty self. "Don't think they have much longer in Dynamax state. I'd say maybe one or two more moves at most." That glare of hers turned to him, and he quickly threw his hands up. "Relax, I won't have you hang back and wait it out. We're going right at them." As much as he would have liked to do otherwise, he'd promised her a fight, and it was a promise he'd honor. He'd just have to scheme something up to get her a clean shot.
He'd have to figure it out quickly, whatever the case. His dream as a trainer, and to a larger extent the rest of his life, depended on it.
"Ready?" Delman asked him. When Cassius nodded yes, he raised his arm up, gave a quick glance to both sides, and dropped it for the final time today. "Begin!"
Korvis looked about ready to leap into action immediately, but Cassius quickly told her otherwise. "Wait." That drew a series of incensed chirps from the Tiny Bird Pokémon, who looked about ready to ignore his orders to get what she was promised.
Cassius couldn't have that, not with this many people watching. "Trust me, Korvis," he implored her. "I might have something that could get you up there. Right by the head."
That got her attention. Her chirping stopped, replaced instead with a critical stare that was just the tiniest bit curious. Cassius took note of that, and gestured to her wings. "How would you feel about giving flying a go?"
It was brief, and almost unrecognizable on her usually stern countenance, but Cassius was able to recognize it—apprehension. "I know," he quickly assured her. "But I know you've been working hard on it. You've gotta trust yourself, just like I trust you. Can you do that for me?"
She snorted, insulted that he'd dare perceive her as anything but proud and strong, but Cassius knew better. She was uncertain, and maybe deep down, just the tiniest bit scared. For as much as she wanted this, maybe the magnitude of the challenge she was undertaking was finally hitting her—as well as what she'd have to do, and how hard she'd have to push herself to win.
Milo's patience seemed to run out, as he took it upon himself to make the first move in their final matchup of the day. "Max Strike again, Eldegoss!" Another sound-based blast charged up, and Korvis tensed in preparation for it.
That had been what Cassius had been hoping for. Why go away from what worked? It's what he would have done, anyway. Never mind that it played into what he would attempt to have Korvis do. "When that attack is launched, I want you to jump up as high as you possibly can. Use the wall if you have to, but get on top of that blast, and use the force it produces to get you as high up in the air as you can go. Think you can do it?"
Max Strike Round had been powerful enough to completely lift Sizzlipede off the ground by a few feet, and she'd been hit just about dead on. Korvis, meanwhile, had wings, and if she positioned herself just right on top of it, and could withstand the damage... well, all that sound was just another form of wind, wasn't it? Or maybe it wasn't—much like geometry, the specific properties of sound eluded him too.
He'd be placing a lot of trust in Korvis to know how to handle herself in the air, considering she'd never truly flown on her own before. They'd briefly worked on it in training, but given Cassius himself wasn't a bird, there was only so much he could do for her. But he'd been working to show Korvis that they needed to trust each other to win, hadn't he? And in the biggest moment of both of their lives up to this point, he was placing his faith in the abilities and battle instincts she took such pride in. He hoped she'd take it as a sign to trust the plan he was laying down for her in turn.
He mustered up as much genuine emotion as he could. "Please," he whispered, almost lost to the sound of the crowd. "You can do it. I know you can."
Eldegoss unleashed Max Strike, and the familiar burst launched itself once again toward Cassius and his Pokémon. He was forced to cut eye contact with Korvis to return to the battle. "Go now! Get on top of it!" To his unending relief, Korvis appeared to listen, making a beeline straight for the attack... before immediately performing a one-eighty, running back toward Cassius.
'Did she lose her nerve?' But there was no way. Korvis was a lot of things, but she wasn't a coward. But then why else would she suddenly run away from the massive attack that was quickly rushing toward her back—
His eyes widened in realization. 'She's getting a running start!' The Max Strike eventually reached Korvis, but right before it made impact, she leapt as high as her body would take her, spreading her wings in tandem. The attack met her backside, pushing her roughly in the air, but giving her plenty of tailwind to propel herself upward.
Cassius noticed the grimace on her face as she weathered the attack as best she could, and also witnessed her briefly falter as she flapped her wings to take her higher. "Come on..." he muttered, cheering her on quietly. She descended briefly, before finding a literal and metaphorical second wind, and with a determined caw, she ascended to well above the ground—and went higher still, riding the lingering blast high into the sky.
"Good job, Korvis!" He wasn't sure if she could even hear him from all the way up there, forcing him to strain his voice more than he already was. Still, it was well worth it for their plan, and more personally, to see Korvis finally get the hang of something she'd been working her entire life to learn.
Or maybe not, as Cassius noticed her faltering a little. "Flap your wings!" He shouted, hopefully helpfully. "Just hover in place for now! Stay up in the air!"
Thankfully, Korvis seemed to stabilize herself, either thanks to his advice or figuring it out on her own. Regardless, Cassius was thankful. "Keep flying in circles for now! Make sure you're good!" He wanted to make absolutely sure Korvis could handle herself in the air before proceeding. Thankfully, they seemed to have plenty of time to figure it out—even with Eldegoss' Dynamaxed size, Korvis was simply too high in the sky to do anything about it. Milo must have realized that too, seeing as he seemed content to wait for Korvis to come to Eldegoss rather than fire off potshots into the air at random.
Cassius was becoming aware of the increased booing coming from the crowd. "He's stallin'!" One particularly disgruntled fan called out. "Wastin' all that time in the air, that's against the rules!"
Was it? Cassius shot another glance at the referee, who again didn't look ready to whistle him for any foul play. Until he did, Cassius would keep on with his plan—he'd deal with the aftermath of disgruntled fans after he won.
After a few falter-free circles in the air, Cassius prepared his next command. "Fly over to the top of Eldegoss!" He shouted. His microphone must have carried particularly well, as Korvis immediately broke her circular pattern and flew over so that Eldegoss was directly below her. Still, Milo was waiting.
Cassius figured he wouldn't wait much longer after his next command. 'Moment of truth.' "Dive down, Korvis! Aim for the head!"
Korvis folded her wings in on herself, letting her tiny body fall and gain speed with gravity's assistance. Before long she was diving like a bomb dropped from the sky, speeding toward Eldegoss.
Milo immediately retaliated. "Max Strike! Shoot her out of the sky!"
It reminded Cassius somewhat of some of those overly-dramatized war movies his dad liked watching—fighter jets and bombers taking evasive maneuvers to dodge anti-aircraft gunfire from massive battleships. Except the bomber was his Pokémon, and the massive battleship was a much, much bigger Pokémon. "Roll out of the way!" He commanded, drawing some inspiration from those particular evasive movie bombers. "Spin right! Don't lose your momentum!"
It was a lot like how he trained Sizzlipede to dodge while moving around with Flame Wheel. With so much speed on their side, he had to be quick and decisive in how he had Korvis dodge, and to where. That thankfully prepared him to call out the correct dodge, which Korvis managed to execute with a flawlessly-timed barrel roll. Though the supercharged Round still managed to draw a wince from Korvis, it was a much better alternative than being hit dead-on in a free fall.
And more than that, that should have been Milo's final move in Dynamax state. Sure enough, the familiar shrinking process began to overtake Eldegoss in slow increments. But it wouldn't be fast enough, as Korvis was only seconds away from contact. The culmination of Cassius' airborne plan. "Peck, Korvis! Aim for the face—you'll just get lost in the cotton fluff on top of its head!"
It was as good a shot as Cassius could have hoped for. Milo likely couldn't order anything while Eldegoss was transforming back into its usual size, and Korvis was diving quickly enough to get one super-effective hit in. The shifting size may have presented a bit of a difficult target for her, but if there was any Pokémon he could reliably trust to get a clean hit in, it would have been the one with the most battle experience out of any of his Pokémon.
Having readjusted her course, Korvis aimed for a dead-on strike. With a trill that Cassius managed to hear from across the pitch, Korvis maintained her speed as she dragged her beak sharply across Eldegoss' face as she fell. It was so fast that Cassius almost missed it, but even if he had, the agonized cry that shook Eldegoss as it shrank further would have been confirmation enough that Korvis' attack had landed. The Tiny Bird Pokémon, meanwhile, had opened her wings for a sudden stop to her momentum, and while it was hardly a perfect landing, the damage from the sharp impact with the ground seemed minimal. From the height that she'd started from, Cassius would readily take that.
Eldegoss had fully transformed back now. And while it looked much worse for wear, it was still conscious. 'As if it would have been that easy,' Cassius sighed. For as solid a Peck that Korvis had landed, anything less than a critical hit wouldn't have one-shot Eldegoss. Maybe not even with a critical, considering it had technically still been in Dynamax state.
That just meant they were dead even, then. Eldegoss' attacks hadn't landed dead-on, but the continuous damage sustained from the very edge of the massive sound waves was definitely accumulating—and that wasn't including the damaging fall Korvis had suffered. But Korvis' Peck had done obvious damage, too. As it was, whoever won this next exchange would likely win the battle.
Despite the pressure of it all, Cassius could have laughed with how dramatic this had become. A simple one-on-one to decide the fight. Like something straight out of a movie script. Milo must have felt the same way, as he sent over an enthused smile. "Some battle, huh?" He spoke, gesturing to the pitch, and then to the crowd, who cheered in response.
Cassius couldn't even pretend to feel otherwise. "Sure is." For as dramatic, nerve-wracking, and emotionally exhausting as this was... he'd never felt more alive in his life. A lot of what he'd feel in the immediate future would ride on what happened in the next few minutes, but in the meantime, he'd treasure what it was he was feeling now. Because, for as tense as this was, Cassius Hargreaves was having fun.
The crowd, reenergized for the home stretch, gave Milo their loudest chant yet. A familiar one they'd bellowed out for the entire first leg of the challenge.
"Miii—looo—
"Miii—looo—
"Miii—looo—"
Cassius figured he'd be joining Marnie in the land of the voiceless after this fight was over with how much yelling he'd done so far, so if he was gonna lose his voice regardless, he figured he'd yell louder than he ever had before to ensure Korvis wasn't left out to dry by herself. "Winning time, Korvis!" He shouted. "Need all you got, right now! I know you didn't come all this way just to lose!"
For maybe the first time since they'd met, Korvis seemed to agree with him wholeheartedly. "Krrraw," she warbled, up for the challenge with a determined puff of her chest.
That was all Cassius needed. "Hone Claws!"
As Korvis got to sharpening her talons, Milo responded in turn. "Round, Eldegoss!"
It would be a close call, but Korvis had seen enough of the move to know how to dodge the worst of it by this point. And so did Cassius. "Hop right once you're done!" Not a second too soon, Korvis leapt to the right of the main shockwave of the attack, leaving her to deal with the outermost sound the attack wrought. The edge of the sound blast pushed her back slightly, but it wouldn't be nearly enough to take her down.
That was about all the stat-boosting they could afford for now. Fortunately, that was all they needed. "Get in close, Korvis!" She obeyed, opting to rush in speedy hops rather than take to the air again.
"Sing!" Milo commanded, attempting to take advantage of the sudden close quarters to score a sleep effect. Cassius wouldn't have that. "Keep going! Leap up when you're close!"
As Eldegoss started singing, Cassius noticed Korvis slowing slightly, but nevertheless she managed to leap up in time before letting the drowsiness take hold. In the air now, Milo opted for a change in approach. "Leafage, while they're in the air! They're going for a Peck!"
Got him. "Drop down, Fury Attack down low!"
Right as Eldegoss shot forth a barrage of defensive leaves, Korvis forced herself to sink like an anchor weight back to the dirt. It took only a second for Eldegoss to readjust its target, but that second was all Korvis needed. With a dash forward, Korvis once again slashed Eldegoss across the body with her beak, aided by her increase in attack and accuracy.
She followed a familiar pattern to Fury Attack she had when she'd gotten Hyla with the move. Strike the left side first, then the leg, before leaping up over and returning to the opponent's field of vision. She didn't stop after two hits this time, however, apparently possessed of enough speed and stamina to make another pass at Eldegoss' right side. Three solid hits, landed without issue. And to think, he'd called her ground game the weakest part of her offensive arsenal not too long ago.
Milo tried for a quick counter. "Round, wide arc!"
"Glide up, keep moving!" Taking a quick breath to recover, Korvis leapt up and opened her wings, taking to a glide as she angled herself out of the range of Round. Eldegoss tried valiantly to lock the attack onto her, but Korvis was simply too fast as she hovered and hugged Eldegoss' left side in the air.
Cassius noticed Korvis was still in relatively close proximity to Eldegoss, and sought to capitalize with another familiar maneuver he'd seen used against Hyla. "Drop down with a Power Trip!" Cutting her glide off, Korvis once again tucked her wings in, her body coated in a purple miasma.
"Magical Leaf!" Milo called out. Cassius figured he was tired of not landing a direct hit, and needed an attack to throw Korvis off her course, no matter how ineffective it might have been.
That was a risk Cassius was willing to take. "Tank it!" Though Eldegoss' attack did land a few painful pricks, it wasn't enough to deter Korvis from her attack as she crashed atop of Eldegoss for the second time in the match, this time with her full body.
Still, it wasn't enough, as Eldegoss floated back up and shrugged Korvis off from on top of it. 'The cotton on its head must have taken the brunt of that,' Cassius figured. If Korvis' entire body weight wouldn't take it out, there was no way a Peck would have managed to reach anything meaningful on Eldegoss' body from that overhead angle, even if it was super-effective. They needed to aim for strictly body shots from here on. It was a lot less real estate than they would have liked, but they'd just have to make it work.
Giving Korvis a few seconds to catch her breath, he issued what he hoped would be his final order. "Not much longer now. We're ending this here." Believing otherwise wasn't an option. "Charge in again!"
Milo might have sensed the battle was nearing its end, too. "Last stand, Eldegoss! Magical Leaf!"
Once more, Korvis bore the brunt of the largely ineffective assault, but it was clear that the little cuts were beginning to pile up. Her speed was dwindling, and her movements weren't as precise and focused. If Milo opted for a Round at this point, he wasn't entirely sure she would have managed to get out of the way.
He'd just have to prevent them from getting any attacks off, then. "Fury Attack, Korvis! Aim where I tell you to!"
Even in her fatigued state, Korvis didn't seem to take kindly to that order. "Kaw!" She squawked indignantly.
"Just trust me!" Her usual pattern wouldn't cut it here. Especially if Milo recognized it. "Just go where I tell you to, and you'll be fine!"
Milo wouldn't give them any time to debate. "Round, point blank!"
"Slide underneath!" Cassius frantically commanded. Korvis didn't even have time for her usual snark as she propelled herself beneath the floating Eldegoss, just narrowly avoiding a finishing shot as she popped back up behind Eldegoss. "Alright, Fury Attack, left!"
Korvis aimed for a stab on the left—her left, and not Cassius'. "Crap, dodge!" Cassius ordered, just as Milo deduced the direction. "Round, to your left!" Korvis only barely managed avoided that shot too, stumbling back with an angry warble.
He needed to be more specific. "My bad! We'll go by Eldegoss' anatomy! Get in on its right flank!"
Milo again prepared a counter. "Charge up Round!"
"Roll to the opposite side! Left flank!"
"Fire Round to your left!"
Cassius had caught on to the wordage—charge, not fire. He'd been baiting Korvis to swap flanks, and then fire off where he figured they were actually aiming. "Slide under!" A quick flap to accrue speed, before Korvis once again dodged underneath Eldegoss. He could almost hear Korvis panting in exertion now, even above the roaring of the crowd.
Still, they'd been given a brief window to attack, with Eldegoss recovering from so many consecutive charged attacks. They needed to capitalize now. "Peck, now!"
"Magical Leaf!" Milo called at the same time. Cassius had underestimated Eldegoss' stamina, as it managed to summon the homing projectiles and launch them before Korvis could make contact with her beak. That was enough to stop her attack, the leaves managing just enough damage to break her concentration.
'Save Peck for the finisher,' Cassius decided. Fury Attack would be their fastest move. They needed to land enough of those to stun Eldegoss enough to land Peck. They'd just have to get to that point first. "Fly up, prepare to dive!"
One more flap of her wings, and Korvis was airborne again. Milo stuck with what worked. "Magical Leaf!"
"Dive to the left flank!" Korvis obeyed, falling quickly to beside her opponent. Eldegoss looked shocked for a split second, before a pained wince was drawn from it—one of its own leaves had impaled itself on its body.
"Yes!" Cassius cheered. Maybe Magical Leaf always did hit, but there was only so much a projectile could do when its target suddenly obscured itself behind a sudden obstacle—the obstacle being its own summoner, in this instance. One singular leaf hadn't been able to maneuver around Eldegoss in time to correct its course and hit Korvis, and was forced instead into Eldegoss. Maybe its accuracy had to do with Eldegoss' concentration, maybe it didn't, but the surprise of being hit by its own move thought to never miss had bought them time, even if Korvis had gotten hit by the rest of the attack. It would come down to who could recover first.
Fortunately, it appeared to be Korvis. "Fury Attack, across the front side!" With a burst of speed—Cassius wasn't sure how many of those she had left in her reserves—Korvis slashed across Eldegoss. But they couldn't stop there. "Again, on the back!" Another quick hop, and Korvis managed two hits in a row.
"Round!" Milo called out, tinged in desperation. Cassius was ready for it. "Hop over it! Get on the other side and hit again!" The pained Eldegoss couldn't lock on in time, firing a wayward burst of sound as Korvis hopped over top of it and landed another hit of Fury Attack as she fell.
Cassius could scarcely feel himself breathe. Simultaneously, almost every inch of the battle felt visible to him—like every small movement, every fidget, and every possibility was clear to him. Maybe it was a flow state; being in that zone that so many athletes before him had described in various terms and metaphors. He hadn't felt this engaged and focused since he'd ran for his life in the Slumbering Weald, when he'd commanded Hyla to buy them time. Like everything was pure instinct, popping into his head and spilling forth from his lips in milliseconds.
He felt more in control than he'd ever felt in his life. Korvis felt like she was an extension of himself. And despite the heat and pressure of it all, it didn't feel that unwelcome. The opposite, actually.
"Make a barrier with Leafage!" Milo opted for a defensive approach, Eldegoss erecting a sudden bulwark of leaves in front of Korvis that slowly launched pieces of itself in increments toward Korvis. More intended to keep Korvis off than do any meaningful damage, really. Cassius, mind swimming with options, answered immediately. "Use Power Trip to charge through!" Her purple aura returned, and her heightened strength combined with the ineffective nature of Eldegoss' attack provided little in the way of resistance as she plowed through the makeshift barrier, tackling Eldegoss in a head-on collision.
Everything was working. Eldegoss was one good hit away. They just needed one more push. But he knew Milo wouldn't go down without one last gasp...
Almost immediately after finishing that thought, Milo belted out one more command. "Round, wide arc!" Cassius caught on to the beam of sound that had suddenly appeared in Eldegoss' mouth—it must have known they would go for one last sound wave, hoping to connect a lucky shot. That it had begun charging even before Milo verbally spoke the command spoke to the bond they shared, and the experience they boasted.
But unfortunately for them, Cassius had been able to anticipate it and counter it in kind. "Jump up!" The attack passed harmlessly under Korvis as she leapt up and over the blast. Even the close proximity to the sound-based assault didn't seem to deter her, as much like their opponents, she seemed to figure what Cassius would command of her before he even put it into words.
"Dive down with Peck!"
An impassioned warble Cassius had never heard from her filled the pitch, and with the full weight of her body behind her Peck, Korvis landed the super-effective hit right where she needed to—directly into Eldegoss' chest. The force of which was so strong, it smashed Eldegoss against the turf, sending tiny spider cracks splintering off from the ground upon which they'd slammed against. With one final, defiant trill, Korvis leapt back some distance away, huffing and puffing, but still conscious.
All that was left was to wait. To see if Eldegoss would get up. For as detailed and visible as everything had felt in the heat of battle, this sudden wait seemed to stretch on for eternity to Cassius. He waited, and waited, almost anticipating any flinch of movement from Eldegoss, or any sudden command from Milo. Anything to convey to him that the battle was not yet over, and that Cassius needed to keep his foot on the gas.
Seconds passed. Maybe minutes. Maybe hours. Delman Thomas entered his field of vision, appearing to inspect Eldegoss carefully. Cassius couldn't even hear his own breathing anymore, much less anything from the crowd. A part of him dared to hope that it was over, and that part of him grew with every passing moment.
Cassius Hargreaves was a faceless non-entity that people would never remember. The fact was, people like him didn't win. For every prodigious talent like Hop or Gloria or Leon, there were thousands of people like Cassius who would never amount to anything more than stepping stones for those kinds of talents. And if that was true, why even try? Better to accept the reality of it now than risk soul-crushing disappointment down the line. Cassius had subscribed to that kind of thinking for almost his entire life, and even now, it taunted him in the far recesses of his mind.
To dare to hope was just asking to get hurt. But as the referee raised his hand and signaled toward Cassius, and as the wave of relief threatened to topple his legs out from under him, Cassius decided then to bask in this raw, fickle hope that he'd pushed away and closed off so many years ago. It was foreign, and overwhelming, and it still might have hurt him in the future. But for now, that didn't matter. None of it did.
Because at long last, finally, Cassius Hargreaves was a winner.
"Eldegoss is unable to continue! Gym Leader Milo is out of available Pokémon! Challenger Cassius Hargreaves is hereby declared the winner!"
Again, y'all's patience with me is extremely appreciated. A combination of work stuff and unfortunate weather incidents took some of my attention away, but even then, a two month wait for probably the most important chapter yet is asking a lot of y'all. Thanks for sticking it out for me.
But, after 37 chapters, and a little over 200,000 words, Cassius has won his first battle in the circuit! We've come a long way since chapter one, and there's plenty more ahead for Cassius and crew, but this obviously represents a major turning point for our protagonist, both personally and professionally. Much will happen from this point onward, and certainly not all of it will be sunshine and rainbows. In the meantime, Cassius gets to enjoy that sweet feeling of victory. For now.
I'm excited to carry on with what happens next. As always, feedback is appreciated. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you all again soon.
~Slalem