Chapter 2: Fuck it, We ball
Just looking at the creature sent me in a shuddering state. Even so, my eyes remain glued to the creature.
'So… this is my first Pokémon battle.'
I looked toward Snorunt, who was shaking off a pile of snow and waddled forward. Shellder opened its shell and slapped its tongue on the snow.
Looking back toward the land shark, adjusting its body and widening its mouth as saliva flies out. Looking at Gible, I saw flared ribs litter the ruby belly.
'Wait, this big Gible is malnourished!?'
I definitely do not want to see a dragon like this in their prime… would it be twice the size? Shaking my head out of such thoughts.
'I have a 4x effectiveness, I should be fine… right?'
"Snorunt! Shellder! Use any range move now!"
Two spheres of ice materialized in front of Shellder's still body, contrasting with Snorunt's shivering body.
Gible cracked another fearsome roar that resounded throughout the clearing.
At that moment, the duo released their orbs that cracked into trails of three icicle shards. A pulse of cold air brushed past my face as snow kicked up.
Whoooosh—!
As if launching like a batch of missiles, six shards of ice burst straight from their mouths and proceeded to devour the dragon.
Baaaaaang—!
It swallowed Gible in an explosion of snow laced with frost dust. The snow fan outward from the detonation to further obscure the beast.
"Nice!"
Kssshhhk—!
The eerie sound of ice shattering.
Tiny claws coated in a metallic shine clawed through the veil. Threads of smokey coldness twirled like a storm but swept away to expose an angry dragon covered in the residue.
The light blue powder from the ice dissipated with no effect.
The once homely cold faltered against the newly born star from the gullet of the beast. Tendrils of purplish flame oozed from the lair of teeth, and small plumes of steam rose.
"Oh shit! We gotta run."
I ripped the stationed Shellder from the folds of snow and looked toward Snorunt.
"Snorunt, do you have any mobility moves?!"
To my relief, Snorunt nodded.
I pivoted my body toward the slope and pointed my finger.
"We got to follow the blood trail in the distance now!"
My feet moved without hesitation and sank into the porcelain ground. I desperately dragged my feet out of the sinkholes of snow.
Snorunt, on the other hand, jumped into the air and fell onto the tip of his cloak. His body started to spin faster and faster to make a tornado of smeared yellow and orange. The beyblade converged in front of me and made a trail of flattened snow, making the run easier.
Passing by a multitude of trees, I held Shellder in the air.
"Shellder used the same move from before."
Baaaang—!
All I could hear was the initial burst and persistent whistle of the unknown ice move. From my peripheral, I saw bursts of snow jutting outward from my sides.
We got closer.
'Come on. Keep running. Keep running. One step at a time.'
Snorunt rushed to the slope and slid down, out of my vision. I was a couple of steps away from it.
"C'mon!"
BOOOOOOM—!
A golden hue reflected off the snowy surface, and a shockwave of hot air washed my body. From the corner of my eye was filled with glimmers. My eyes settle on the image of a blaring pillar of fire raging toward me.
"Oh shit."
My next action was almost by instinct.
I bent my knees and gave strength to my legs. Then, I kicked off the ground and dove toward the ledge, hurriedly tucking Shellder into my arms. My body had a few seconds of airtime before slamming into the snow and rolling down the slope.
"Uck!"
I caught a glimpse of the lance of molten heat slamming into the tree before my trajectory. The attack pierced through the wooden hull to slice another tree.
A cold gale blew against me with the intent of slowing my descent. Softly rolling to the flat ground of the forest, I saw Snorunt cheerily jump in celebration of his successful plan.
"Good boy… Ack!"
Snorunt slammed into my body and sent me flying. Above me was the burning tree falling and lighting the darkening sky. The second tree fell to my right and blocked our path in a wall of fire.
Rather than the expected snowfall it was a shower of sparks that lit the sky in an orange hue.
Slurp!
Shellder licked my face and hopped off my arms to stare at the fire. A sphere of water that reflected our surroundings grew larger until it was bigger than Shellder.
The waterball expanded until its breaking point. A clash of elements occurred as a stream fought against the flames, resulting in an outbreak of steam.
My eyes shimmered in excitement when I saw Shellder's attack quell a portion of the fire, forming a split large enough to pass.
"Nice Shellder! Let's go!"
I picked the clam and ran toward the path of dampened wood. Not far behind me was Snorunt prepping his spin. Passing through the gap gave me a sense of relief when I saw the scenery of a calm forest.
The hue of orange helped partially reveal the path of blood. I bashed the direction into my noggin to remember.
'Ok straight, straight, straight, straight.'
"…"
"SKKEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA… rongk!"
Once again I turned to see a Gible erupt from the bottom section of the slope, bathing in its fiery entrance. An arm slammed into the snow with a furious might followed up by another. Its claws tightly gripped the snow out of rage.
"What the fuck!"
Gible started to run on all four in pursuit at a pace faster than I expected. Before long, Gible moved closer to the snow and slid into it the same way a crocodile might slide into water. The dorsal fin vanishes entirely as it immerses itself in the depths of the earth.
"…"
"…"
"…"
Rustle—
Snorunt brushed past some bushes with berries and I kept following the trail.
One sole thought reigns supreme.
RUN.
My feet ran on their own like a chicken with its head cut off.
"Haaa… Haaa…"
I started to breathe heavily to release a smokey breath that was illuminated by the pristine moonlight. My stamina was running low but I didn't care.
RUN.
Crunch Crunch—
The crunching sound of my shoe stepping onto the flattened snow. My saving grace was the freezing air that soothed my lungs with each inhale.
"Haaa… Haaa…"
How long have I been running for?
Where are these pokeballs and gear?
Just how far did this kid walk with a bleeding body!?
My feet started to waver, and my legs quivered with aches littered about.
'Maybe I should just fight it without knowing the moves… No! That would only get me and new friends killed in the process.'
Just keep running and stop thinking.
A thought popped into my head as I remembered a specific infamous… running scene from a dub of the Ghost Stories anime.
I erupted in a wheeze of laughter. Shellder looked at me in confusion, and I assumed it was the same for the spinning Snorunt.
"Sorry… Haaa…"
A brief sense of comfort flourished within me, however, that quickly vanished.
Pugh!
Luckily, the fireball missed us and lit the way, skimming past a few trees. The draconic fire slowly devoured the vulnerable leaves or bark armor without remorse.
Boom!
A detonation roared throughout the hauntingly quiet forest, and the shockwave shook the sparks toward us. My eyes squinted at the area of the explosion, which brightly glowed. A hue settles on two round objects and a lump of fabric.
'Holy shit!''
"Yeeesssss! Guys, we are close!"
So what if Gible could hear me? This creature was already chasing me the entire time. Finally, I can have a chance to fight off this damn demon spawn.
'I'm praying for a good move set.'
We ran past three scorching wrecks of trees that eventually collapsed in a mild explosion of sparks. I saw the pair of pokeballs resting against a shredded backpack with puddles of blood around it.
"So close!"
Let me get this over with and beat this dragon so I can collapse to exhaustion.
In peace.
Pebbles on the snow started to rumble, and the snow pile on our left was bulging outward. A massive jaw of teeth lunged out, aiming toward me.
I halted my feet by digging my heels deeper into the snow, resulting in my back falling backward.
"Uck!"
Gible, fully committed to that surprise attack, flew midair until latching onto a doomed tree and decapitating it with a terrifying bite. It turned toward me with its vicious appearance, preparing another lunge.
Bang!
Snorunt smashed into the dragon's right side. Gible dug its feet into the ground as a trail of snow formed. The reptilian stared at Snorunt, whose spin unfortunately ran out of momentum.
The left claws tightly interlocked into a fist shimmering in a metallic layer.
Bash—!
The punch drilled dead center on Snorunt's face. A crack reverberated across the proximity, Snorunt's desperate attempt to block its face by overlapping its cloak. However, Gible's fist boasted enough power to shatter that defense.
"Gah!"
Snorunt was sent flying into a tree and stuck in a crater of wood. From the power alone it started a chain reaction of the tree crinkling until its eventual fall. Snorunt dangled his feet in the air.
I rolled in the snow to my left to dodge another onslaught of bites. Shellder shot a few more ice attacks to no avail. My vision was enveloped by a void decorated with razor-sharp teeth.
"S-Snorunt!"
Gible was sent flying into a fallen tree and Snorunt stood in front of me as he breathed heavily as his body was covered in entirely ice.
I took advantage of this opportunity.
"Shellder! Snorunt! Fire!"
Without a second notice, they fired a volley of ice onto the dragon, who was lifting its body. It bore fruit to a cloud of steam that clashed with the horde of sparks.
I saw the pokeballs behind us.
"Snorunt! Hold it off."
Snorunt nodded his head and sent another attack of ice.
My legs were burning, but I persevered and kept charging for this grasp of a Hail Mary.
"Haaa… Haaa…"
'I'm so close! Just a few more steps!'
The pokeballs were within arm's reach.
Crunch Crunch—
My arms descend toward the spherical objects.
"SKKEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA… rongk!"
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr—!
"Ahhhhhhhhh!"
My body revolted at the piercing noise and my hands clasped my ears to barricade them from further harm. I turn my gaze to the frontline and drop Shellder in the process.
Gible disregarded the frosty pain and gripped the bark, tearing a network of rifts along the tree. It lifts its body and regains its posture. The mouth unhinged itself to enlarge and released a deafening roar.
The furious dragon's head was engulfed by silver. Gible pushed off its feet and launched itself like a rocket.
The stunned Snorunt faced the full brunt of the metallic headbutt and was sent in my direction.
"Aghhh!"
Snorunt slammed into my shoulder and sent me skidding along the snow. Shellder hidden in its shell underneath my aching legs, and Snorunt shivering in pain behind me.
Crunch Crunch—
Gible ran on all four toward me with its gaping jaw. The gullet glowed the same golden pit of hellfire.
I don't want to die again.
I don't want to die again!
I don't want to die again!
Memories of my death… my family… flooded my mind.
The thought of me wasting my second chance. Thinking about my new friends dying alongside me.
My chest grew tighter. My heart heated faster and faster.
Dun Dun—
I dug my fingers deeper in the snow and tightly clenched my fists. The cold snow conflicted with the burning of the fists that got tighter.
Something
Something was festering
Rage.
"…"
Desperation.
I was merely a corner animal. Instincts kicked in. Rationality was thrown out the window.
Gible got ever so closer with its victorious grin at its new meal. Its belly bled with a golden hue that lurched toward its mouth which flared in bolts of light.
Fuck it, we ball!
I got back to my feet only to collapse to pure exhaustion. My legs were still a wobbly mess.
'Come on!'
My knees buckled to a sense of dread looming over my body. I briefly stared up at the jaw that glowed brightly to rival the sun.
"Arghhhhhh!"
My hands grabbed onto Shellder and I forced my legs up in the last ditch attempt. Fully extending my arms in the air with the clam.
"RAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHh!"
I bashed Shellder down the dragon's mouth. Gible's claws were desperately trying to tear the sturdy shell of its mouth. Beams of light leaked around the shell. Gible's eyes were filled with worry as its belly bloated in energy.
"Shellder tuck in your tongue."
It encompassed itself fully in its impervious armor. I raised my knee to my stomach and slammed my shoe onto the shell, sending it deeper down its mouth.
The glow got brighter.
"Ah fuck."
BOOOOOOOOMMM—!
The explosion engulfed me and I was sent launching. My vision turned black.
"…"
"…"
"…"
"Uhhhhhh."
My dazed eyes opened to see a wall of fire surrounding the area. I moved my head upward to see a massive crater around the stunned Gible, who was oozing blood from the jaw and eyes turned white.
"Argh!"
Scanning my body, I saw numerous burns, cuts, and bruises that littered everywhere.
Slurp!
My cheek was licked by the unharmed Shellder.
"Such a cutie… wait!"
Behind the clam were the items I needed. My fingers dug into the snow to pull myself forward.
Rumble!
Gible's eyes rolled back and turned toward me with a newly found hatred. Spitting out loose teeth and blood and prepared to slide into the sea of white.
"S-Snorunt!"
Bang!
I grabbed my phone from my pocket and lifted it with my aching arm. Slowly but surely, my Arc phone finally touched the spherical object.
[Scanning pokeball id]
"Finally!"
[Move camera]
The camera captured Snorunt crashing into Gible with another spinning attack. Gible slowly opened its jaw to finish the job.
[Ability (Unlocked) ]
Ice body
[Move (Unlocked) ]
Headbutt, powder snow, icy wind, bite, double team, rollout, spikes, block, icicle crash.
Click!
Before Gible could chomp down on Snorunt, I placed him back in his ball. A crimson river flew toward me. Gible stared directly at me and started to gallop.
I looked toward Shellder and commenced the scan.
[Ability (Unlocked) ]
Shell Armor
[Move (Unlocked) ]
Tackle, water gun, ice shards, withdraw, icicle spear, protect, barrier, aqua ring, life dew, rapid spin, supersonic.
Gible's jaw lunged at me again, and I shoved Shellder back in its mouth face first.
"Supersonic!"
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr—!
The piercing sound vibrated at a ludicrous rate that ruptured the insides of Gible. Stunning the beast as its eyes rolled back.
"Rapid spin!"
Shellder spun its shell and ripped even more teeth in the process. Eventually, it spun toward me and met face to face. The backside of the shell completely shields Shellder's weak spot.
Gible gave up on the idea of Shellder to slash my flesh instead. My back fell on the snow, and I saw a tiny metal arm swing above my face.
"Ack!"
Its head turned metal and slammed into my shoulder and dragged me until my back slammed into a boulder. My right hand pointed my pokeball in the air and clicked the button.
Click!
A pillar of red rose to the sky and materialized in a triangular silhouette.
"Icicle crash!"
The tip of Snorunt's cloak pointed above Gible's head, feet dangled in the air. Starting from the tip the ice engulfed Snorunt into a giant icicle stalagmite.
Grraahhhhhhhh—!
Snorunt slammed on Gible's cranium and crumbled into a cloud of blue powder. A gust of cold washed over me, and I saw one of Gible's knees buckle up.
Amidst the desperate battle, I fell into a trance of clicking my pokeball in a cycle of returning and releasing.
More.
"Icicle crash!"
Graaahhhhhhh—!
Again, and again, and again.
Without rest, I relentlessly fired my meteoroid of ice, crashing on Gible's skull and devouring us in more clouds of frost. Constant streams of ruby filled the sky to accompany the shower of blue powder and orange spark.
A loop of materialization and dematerialization.
I couldn't think of anything else. I instinctively continued to rinse and repeat to incapacitate this Gible.
I woke up to reality as I felt a hefty weight slump on mine and pushed the body off. What caught my eye was Gible's white rolled up eyes and bloody forehead.
Crunch… Crunch…
My feet dragged closer, and bent my body to grab ahold of Shellder, yanking it out from the jaws of death.
"Haaa… Haaa…"
Snorunt materialized to my right and looked at the beast of a first form dragon. I rotated Shellder to aim at the fallen Gible and glanced at Snorunt.
"Just for safe measures, send another volley of ice shards!"
The subsequent explosion pushed tides of snow into my face and gave me a comforting chill. A beautiful mist of shimmering blue particles ran rampant around the crime scene.
"Haaa… Finally!"
I ignored the pain that developed my body in its entirety. I roared out like a beast as if my throat was to implode.
My wobbling legs finally collapsed, and the ground below welcomed my descent. I searched through the torn bag that rested beside me.
"Ah hah."
Staring at the pokeball.
"Finally."
I grabbed the round object and threw it toward the unconscious Gible, who dematerialized. The ball consumed the dragon and started to wiggle ferociously.
'Come on.'
1
2
3
Ping!
"Yesss!"
'I know it's not an ice type, but who can resist a literal pseudo legendary?'
In the bag I saw a few potions and berries, I couldn't resist the smell of the berries. My hands grabbed hold of the plump yellow and blue berry and dug in. I couldn't care less how messy I ate drips of juices cascaded down.
"Mmmmmm so good."
The sense of euphoria drowned out the pain and scorching burns. My breath and heartbeat returned to a normal state under a lovely trance. A sweet and savory taste filled my taste buds.
Ding!
My eyes looked at the phone resting in the folds of the snow.
[Part 1 is completed]
'HUH!? That was the first section!?"
Krrrrr!
Cr-Crackle—!
Brackish clouds intruded upon the presence of the pristine Moon. The sky was slowly darkening in complete darkness as it obscured the light. An eerie red glows dimly in the form of cracks. Dozens of maroon lightning bolts streak across the waves of black, slicing their path amongst the canvas.
Pillars of lightning crashed down, connecting the earth to the heavens. The snow shook intensely as an earthquake was born. Trees ripped from their stationary abode as a roaring tsunami of snow and debris swept toward me.
Grrrrraaahhhhhhhh—!
A massive creature appeared, and despite the distance between us, it felt so close. Two purple eyes scrutinized the vicinity with a colossal body that mainly consisted of white. Spikey appendages of green loom overhead, and the titan adorns a crown of crimson clouds.
'Dynamax Abomasnow!?'
"…"
UUHHErrrrrrrrrrrRRR—!
Another behemoth rose from behind a giant mammoth with tusks that rival entire houses. A visor of blue laid on the bulwark of fur.
'Dynamax Mamoswine!?'
I was between a turf war of giants that would tower apartment complexes.
"Damn you, Origin!"
＊＊＊
Arceus approached Origin. "Why did you place him in the Frost Fiend Range? The epicenter between three entire regions of Kalos, Galar, and Unova."
"Eh, I thought it would be fun, and he should be fine." Origin chuckled.
Arceus shook her head at such a response. She looked at the projector and laughed. "It's funny that he doesn't realize he has a mega stone."
"Should I notify him?" Origin looked back at Arceus with a raised brow.
Arceus pondered on the question, "Nah."
"Now that's the spirit!" Origin burst into laughter. "He will eventually find out anyway. That Shellder is quite a good safe for storage, hahaha."
Origin tapped its hoof on the ground, and a colossal pillar rose from the cloudy floor. "Maybe I went a little overboard. I should help the poor lad."
Origin and Arceus looked at the pillar with a certain bird that glowed.
"Reinforcement is coming. Zich, hopefully, you will enjoy the spectacle."