Bryneby, Thronemarch Province, Kingdom of Eidros
August 22, 2034
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#Pokemon Care
Fighting Types
Clobbopus Line
Topic: Best way to get wild caught to obey?
Hanna_Koppel14 (Verified)
Date: August 22, 2034
Hey everyone, first-year here. I caught a Clobbopus a few days ago that attacked my campsite and I'm looking for any tips and tricks people might have for getting this species to obey you? This guy was the alpha of his gang and I have a tournament in three days that he needs to be ready for.
➤Oldric_Gastomaer03 (Verified) (Seven-Year Tourer)
You can forget about having him tournament ready. He's going to be too wild still. I'd recommend letting him out in a controlled environment and just slowly acclimate him with food and basic care. Always operate from a position of strength. That's rule number one of Fighting types.
➤ Tyler_Childern08 (Verified) (Five-Year Tourer) (Warlord Quarter-Finalist)
As someone who has a Grappeloct that I raised from a Clobbopus, ignore this guy above you. These dumb squids (yes I know they aren't, shut up) only respect one thing. Power. Mods can ban me, but the only way you will get it to follow you is to prove your strength. By beating it into the dirt. It took me three straight days of boxing and wrestling the little fucker before he acknowledged me as the alpha.
So it is possible to get him ready, but you better put down the phone and start whooping him now.
➤ Stella_Svenson04 (Verified) (Five-Year Tourer)
Wow, way to just casually recommend Pokemon abuse. Great way to get this poor girl hurt too. Actually trying to do hand-to-hand combat with Fighting Types is how you end up in a wheelchair or dead, you fucking idiot.
Hannah_Koppel14 I doubt it's possible to get him ready for whatever tournament you are entering. Just take it slow and easy and don't appear weak. Make sure you get saline-rich water for it to bathe in too. It keeps them healthy and improves their mood a bunch.
➤Tyler_Childern08 (Verified) (Five-Year Tourer) (Warlord Quarter-Finalist)
It ain't abuse if you can't really hurt the little fuckers. It's what they do in the wild to establish their pecking order. Some Pokemon are just violent and have to be approached with a firm hand. If the first-year wants this thing ready now, then this is what she has to do.
➤Nicholas_Kraust11 (Verified) (Three-Year Tourer) (Indigo Conference Entrant)
So, I don't have a Grappeloct or Clobbopus, but my best friend breeds them alongside several other Fighting types for the Royal Army and Navy. You CAN beat them into submission, but it takes longer and good Arceus is that a good way to get fucked-up. The Navy divers that use them pretty much take them as Clobbopuses and have them attack them. Box them for a bit, just enough to let them know you aren't running, then put your palm on their forehead and hold them in place. It takes a bit of strength, but I guess they can't reach up there to knock your hand off. They will throw an unholy tantrum (friend regularly comes home with vicious bruises on her arms from them) but after a bit of that, they will acknowledge you as being far stronger than them and just generally fall in line. Hope that helps!
➤ Erik_Kolm90 (Verified/Veteran)
Hannah_Koppel14 Ignore everything but what the poster above me said. That method will have your little tentacled terror tamed in a few hours.
Source: Was a Navy diver that had a partner Grappeloct that I raised from Clobbopus. Served in the peacekeeping forces during the Dereval Civil War. If you raise him right, you'll have a powerful partner and friend you can trust with your life.
➤ Hannah_Koppel14 (Verified) (Original Poster)
Thanks everyone, sounds like I'm going for the military method. Wish me luck lol. Will report on success in the thread later!
"Well, I guess that's what we need to do," Hannah said softly, looking over to Surtr, who cocked his head at her. They were in the waiting lobby of Bryneby's Spearpoint Training Center, waiting for their room to open up. Hannah had marched out here early, getting up before all of her friends actually. She had grabbed a quick breakfast sandwich from the cafeteria on the way out before heading further downtown to Bryneby's largest training facility. Because she was League registered, she got in for free and only had to pay if she wanted private coaching or access to the harder courses.
She had signed up with the clerk before waiting in the lobby, browsing care guides for both Cyndaquils and Clobbopuses, before trying her luck on the League forums. Which had proven to be somewhat helpful at least. As long as I don't get too beat up from this, it's worth a shot, Hannah thought to herself as she looked around the lobby. It was full of Trainers waiting for their turn on various courses, many of them looking over videos of training regiments posted online by seasoned pros. Most of the people in here were either late teens or around Hannah's age.
Lots of Pokemon here, Hannah thought as she bounced Surtr lightly in her lap to try to calm her nerves, Never even seen some of these in person. It was true. There was a girl who couldn't be older than eighteen who had a Lairon laying beside her feet, keeping a wary eye on the blue and yellow Shellos that was happily munching on some kibble the seat across, its owner scrolling through videos absent-mindly. Hannah couldn't help but smile as across the room, a boy who probably was sixteen, the lowest age you could be on Tour, was showing a video of training techniques to his two Pokemon, a Salandit and a Cottonee, both of whom were seemingly enraptured with the video, hanging on their Trainer's every word. In the corner, a man who looked to be in his late twenties, wearing a gold and white Voltblast tracksuit was listening to something on his earpods, a Fraxure standing at attention next to him and sharpening its tusks with some sort of whetstone.
Surtr nudged her and she stroked his head. There was going to be a lot of stiff competition this year. Hannah had done her research. The Warlord Conference had been fierce but ultimately underwhelming to most spectators. Sven Yelengarter hadn't managed to defeat a single Elite Four member. Champion Katrina reigned unopposed. Many oldbloods had announced their retirement. Yelengarter's overwhelming loss to Mikolav had him declining to Tour again, while Kristopher Rangek and Tomi Firyen had decided to retire to focus on other pursuits. Oher heavyweights that had dominated the Conference for a few years had also moved on or were taking a break.
Which meant that there was a power vacuum in the Trainer world. Trainers like Ari Vysarch, a second-year who was the breakout star of the first years last Conference or Jorge Senhammer, a third-year who had exploded in popularity over the devastating Double Battle he'd had with Utani Verdant that had nearly broken through the security barriers with its raw power. Other Trainers were coming home from Tours abroad. Holly Anders, riding high from a second-place finalist win at the Lumiose Conference, already sponsored by Grupman Vitamins thanks to her Ursaluna's well documented diet and training regiment. Kyp Galanter, semi-finalist in Unova, a Steel type specialist who was favored to make it to at least face Astrid in the Elite Four. Alanna Terpitz, Jack Korhonen, Erwin Jakonsen. All previous Conference attendees in other regions. All back home to Eidros, gunning for the crown.
We better get into shape if we want to get anywhere near the good prize money, Hannah thought determinedly, sitting up as her number appeared on the waiting screen near the entrance to the facility. Even if I don't want to do Training full-time, I need to win. I need to earn enough to take care of Adrian and Tove and go back to school. I'm not going back to scraping and struggling, working myself to death for scraps. Not anymore.
Stepping through the gate, Hannah's eyes widened as she took in the sights, cradling Surtr like a baby in her arms. This place was massive. Hannah knew that this facility was nowhere near the size and capabilities of the ones in the big cities, but Bryneby blew Hearthstone out of the water. There had to be at least a dozen practice arenas, most of them full of battling Trainers, psychic barriers shimmering blue and violet as stray attacks impacted on them. Several longer and walled off areas held training courses to test stamina, strength, and agility, while there was even a fully equipped and expansive gym for both humans and Fighting types to use. Hannah wasn't going to any of them however. They had booked a smaller training room, sealed off for privacy.
Hannah flashed her Trainer ID to the attendant outside the room, a large bearded man whose eyes were the only thing that betrayed his youth.
"Going to be acclimating a Clobbopus to taking commands," Hannah said to the attendant, "If I need help, I just scream really loud right?"
"I'll be monitoring you from the tablet," the man ignored or maybe didn't register her joking tone, "If you are in any danger, I have a Medicham that should be able to keep your Pokemon from harming you or anyone else. This a fresh wild caught?"
"Yeah and he's a fighter too," Hannah said as she opened the door, "Wish me luck. Going to try some stuff I was recommended online."
"Good Gods," the man breathed quietly, "Just be careful in there."
Hannah wasted no time once she was in, locking the door. The interior of the room was simple hardwood, with a table that had boxing gloves on it, several heavy rubber balls, and target sheets. There were a few training dummies in the shape of Machamps near the back of the room. She set Surtr down gently, the little Fire type bristling. Hannah had prepped him that he might need to be ready to attack right away if his new teammate wanted to be difficult. Hannah grabbed Thresh's ball and took a breath to steady her nerves. She hit the center button and vocally called out "Thresh, come on out!"
A flash of white and the Clobbopus was out on the floor. Hannah expected him to perhaps be groggy or unbalanced from being in the ball so long, but tensed when the scarred Fighting type immediately gurgled out a hostile ground, raising his fists as he scanned the area. To Hannah's relief and a bit of astonishment, he lowered his guard some when he spotted her and Surtr, though his fists were still raised. He gurgled at her questioningly.
"Alright, let's get our introductions out of the way," Hannah kneeled down, reaching into her pack as she got out a bright purple package she had picked up on the way here, "My name is Hannah. This is Surtr. I take it you remember us?"
The Clobbopus eyed her warily, but Hannah smiled when it nodded its head. Clobbopuses and Grappeloct were about as smart as human toddlers. Which was both a blessing and a curse, according to those who Trained them. "We won our fight and our deal was that you were coming with me. I am your alpha now."
She frowned when the Clobbopus screeched, punching the ground hard enough to fracture some of the wood. She sighed, knowing it wouldn't be that easy.
"Well, that's too damn bad Thresh, which by the way, is your new name," Hannah stood up to her full height as Surtr growled, flames emerging from his back, "I am in charge now. I'm on Tour, which means I have a lot of strong enemies that I need to beat and prove my strength too. You're going to help me with that, but that means you will follow my orders. Is that clear?"
Thresh eyed the two, gurgling as orange energy gathered around his fists but dropped his guard when Hannah tore open the package she had in her hand. A strong smell of fish, salt, and seaweed filled the air as Hannah pulled out a dried Wishiwashi from the pack, waving the dead Water type in front of the Clobbopus.
"You haven't had anything to eat since I caught you," Hannah kept her voice commanding, watching as Thresh's eyes followed her hand like a camera tracking a thief, "I'm a generous leader. I'm willing to share my catch, but only if you submit. Or best me. Until then, Surtr can have some."
She tossed the dried fish at her starter, who caught it happily, munching it down so fast that the only thing that proved it once existed was the smell and the scale-flakes on the ground. The Clobbopus watched in horror, before screeching, waving its arms up and down and swinging wildly at the air. Hannah took a step back, feeling around on the table behind her and pulling the boxing gloves to her. She put the package on the table, and then slipped the gloves on, before crouching down, wincing slightly at the bruise that was still on her side. Courtesy of the little cephalopod before her.
"Fight it out it is then," she said as she pounded her gloved fists together, "Come on and take it then Thresh!"
Thresh screeched and rushed forward. Hannah swung a left hook at the creature, who went to hit her fist, only to be caught off guard as she pulled back and swung with her right. She didn't hit hard, but it was enough to surprise the Fighting type, who jumped back. Hannah grinned and still crouched down, took a few steps forwards, waving her arms around like Thresh had done. It was how they intimidated rivals in the wild apparently.
That's right, I'm a motherfucking Clobbopus right now! She laughed in her mind as Thresh took another hesitant step back, before looking past her to the package of dried Wishiwashi. Narrowing his eyes, the Clobbopus growled and charged forth again. This time, he took Hannah's left hook to the face and threw a punch of his own, hitting Hannah in her right arm as she brought it up to block. She yelped in pain, the pale white skin already turning purple but growled back and shoved the Pokemon back with all her strength.
"Not getting it that easy!" she hissed, "Submit and eat or fight and starve Thresh!" The Clobbopus took the bait, yelling as Surtr looked on worryingly, the little fire type raising a paw up in anxiety. Hannah stopped her squatting position and got on her knees instead and threw a flurry of punches at Thresh, who blocked some and took others to the face, determined to push past her and feast on the fishy goodness on the table. Hannah seized the opportunity, chucking the right glove off as she planted her palm on the Clobbopus' head, right at the top.
"Holy shit!" she cursed out loud, straining as put all her strength into her grip. Thresh took a moment to realize that he wasn't moving, before going cross-eyed trying to look up at Hannah's arm. A second passed before he let off the angriest, wettest gurgle Hannah had ever heard and began thrashing around, arms swinging wildly at her in a desperate attempt to dislodge her. Hannah gritted her teeth as one of Thresh's fists glanced off her already bruised arm, but refocused.
"I said submit!" Hannah yelled, getting off her knees to take one foot, bracing herself as the Fighting type raged. They went back and forth for a few minutes, Thresh slowly tiring as Hannah remained as immovable as a mountain. At least that was how she hoped she appeared.
Holy shit am I glad that I still make myself go to the gym! she thought to herself as she blinked away the sweat from her eyes. Her whole body was trembling, straining against a creature that barely came up to her knees. After a few seconds, she felt the tide of anger she was gripping against subsided. She looked down.
Thresh was breathing heavily and his skin was starting to dry in some places. His tentacle-arms hung limply at his sides, before he fell over backwards, letting off a sad gurgle. Hannah got up to her full height, massaging her aching back and wiping the sweat off her forehead. She looked down at the little creature, who looked absolutely defeated.
"Do you submit?" she asked again, trying to make sure she didn't sound too out of breath. The Clobbopus gurgled, before getting up and stretching both arms rigid out to her. She grinned as her days of research paid off. That was the Clobbopus posture of submission. She grabbed the packet of Wishy Snacks and squatted back down, gently offering one.
"Good boy," she said as the Clobbopus gently took the dried fish and quickly gobbled it down, "You can have the rest and some water. I need you in top form. We have a lot of work to do." She glanced down as Surtr came over and grunted at Thresh, who tilted his head at the Fire type beforing looking up at her. Hannah smiled as she rubbed Surtr's head before shaking one of Thresh's tentacles.
"Welcome to the team."
"Surtr, you are doing great! Keep bouncing between them! Do not speed up in a straight line, keep moving around!" Hannah directed her starter in the training room, watching him bounce between the training dummies at a blurring speed. They were working on teaching him Quick Attack before moving on to the trap-shoot course to shoot Ember at moving targets. The Cyndaquil was picking up quick, which Hannah guessed wasn't surprising. His species was literally bred over generations to be one of the perfect partner Pokemon.
"Thresh, you gotta learn to be more reactive! I'll get the wheel spinning again, you need to be faster!" Hannah walked over, hitting the switch that got the spinning wing chun going. Her Clobbopus gurgled angrily, but obeyed, striking at each joint as it went past and blocking or ducking as the boxing glove arm swung by him. Hannah nodded at his good start, while going back to her position, resuming her own reps with the fifteen pound weights. Her muscles burned and she was coated in sweat.
I can't expect them to work themselves to the bone without improving myself either, Hannah thought as she finished her reps, giving herself a small breather before she'd move on to the sit-ups next. They had moved on from the private room to a bigger training area that was currently shared with two other trainers and their teams, a woman in her late twenties putting a Liepard through some physical training and a man who was lifting weights while timing his Joltik on how fast and intricate it could make it's Electro-Webs. This area had human workout equipment as well and Hannah had quickly seen that it was an unspoken rule that if your Pokemon were training, you were too.
They had been going at it for about an hour and half. Thresh had so far proven compliant with her orders, though he would gurgle back at her when she tried to correct his form. She reminded him she was the alpha and threatened to hold him in place again and the Clobbopus would obey. Hannah wondered what had caused the scar that ran across his right eye, because the little dude was quite the monster. With some food and water in him, he was able to pound the cinderblocks the facility provided for Fighting and Steel type training into dust easily. Offensively, his moveset, while limited, was solid and he could both take and throw a punch.
Where he lacked was defense. Hannah knew she could use his Detect move in battle to avoid anything too hairy, but that move tended to be a crutch for many Trainers. Same with Protect. Undeniably useful, but many Trainers would panic and waste the move on attacks that were able to be dodged, blocked, or outright tanked. Hannah wanted him to be a bit more able to handle things on his own without resorting to Detect anytime the situation got a little dangerous.
She was also finding out how easily frustrated Clobbopuses got. Surtr took orders and corrections without complaint, as long as he got water, small breaks, and these foul-smelling but protein packed crushed Orthworm and Scatterbug pellets that Hannah had bought for him when they set out on their journey. Thresh threw a tantrum every time a wooden arm on the wing chun sped by him or knocked him in the head.
Going to have to work on that, Hannah thought as she laid down on the mat, getting ready to do some crunches, That's too easily exploitable as a flaw. An opponent with Taunt or Swagger will make him uncontrollable. We'll have to work on that. Maybe I can get Z to use Priscilla or Blumpy? We can practice staying calm and obeying orders when the fight is totally against us.
They kept up the workouts for another half hour, Hannah having Surtr Quick Attack into a Tackle or Rollout into Thresh, who was only allowed to use Detect once and had to either side-step or block the attacks. Which resulted in loud crying, fists being beating a training dummy into dented plastic and gel, and Hannah having to hold the Clobbopus in place again. But…
But it slowly started to work. Surtr still needed a bit of a running start to get off his Quick Attack, but he could turn and drop into a Rollout in it with just a few directions. Thresh was further behind, but Hannah was more concerned with him just following commands at this point. Which was getting better. They still had two days before the tournament to get some training in.
"Okay guys, take a fifteen minute break," Hannah clapped to get both of their attention, "Let's get some water. Surtr, I have more of your bug pellets and Thresh, you can have the last pack of Wishi Snacks. Then Thresh, you are taking a dip in the saline pool they have to refresh. We're challenging a Trainer to a Double Battle next." She smiled as both of the Pokemon let off happy sounds at the prospect of food.
She quickly filled the two metal bowls she had with her up with water, before sprinkling some pellets on a napkin next to Surtr and handing Thresh the packet, watching with fascination as the Clobbbopus delicately tore open the package before devouring the fish within. Hannah took a seat in the room, next to a blowing fan, the cool air feeling good on her sweat-slicked skin. She had ditched her yoga pants and T-shirt for a teal tank-top that was drenched in sweat and athletic shorts she usually wore around her house to relax in.
"Well, if nothing else, going here will get me in great shape," she mumbled to herself. Quite a few Trainers, especially older ones, scorned using the modern facilities to Train, saying that only training in the wilderness would give you optimal results. That it made you a real Trainer, being connected to nature or something like that. All Hannah knew was that she was going to be paying monthly dues starting in October and if using a high-tech facility that millions of krone and countless hours of research had been poured into to create the optimal environment for the most efficient Training of both Pokemon and human was not proper Training, well tough shit. She was going to use it.
She checked her phone and saw she had a few messages from her friends. Colton claimed to have a big surprise to show everyone tonight, Jacob was currently back on Route 3 working on bonding with Truffles, as he had named his Lechonk. Apparently that involved gathering wild mushrooms and berries and rolling around in the grass, if his photos he had sent were anything to go by. Zeara had already signed up for the New Beginnings tournament and was apparently in one the smaller arenas near Topaz Hall battling other trainers. Currently on a four streak win, though she had lost her first challenge to a guy with a Nickit.
"Z's going to be the one to watch out for," Hannah mumbled to herself, "Girl's idea of training is just to beat the hell out of everyone else, everyday, all the time." Not that it wasn't a bad strategy. Perfect form and poise in the gym was one thing, but nothing would trump pure battle experience. Hannah took a swig from her own water bottle, before laying back and idly focusing on the TV that they had near the rest area part of the room. It was a live news feed from downtown Bryneby, with Channel 7 news crews interviewing a tall and skinny man in a stylish blue suit. He was at some kind of rally, with probably the most diverse crowd Hannah had seen there. People of all skin tones and facial features were holding up signs and chanting.
"Immigrants and Refugees welcome to our space, hate has no place!"
Hannah tilted her head, as the man who according to the news banner below was Benjamin Thursgard, Spokesman of the Equality For All Foundation.
"So Mr. Thursgand, your group has faced some significant criticism from several concerned parties in the Commonwealth," the reporter was practically shoving the microphone into the man's face, who backed away a step, "It is true that the recent wave of Orrian refugees have had some serious trouble integrating with the Eidrosian way of life. Is the solution to this to really bring in more immigrants to a system that is already struggling?"
"These people are refugees fleeing increasing gang violence and warlords fighting over a failed government," Thursgand was at least passionate, his voice not the sleazy insincerity most politicians had, "A government that we had a hand in destabilizing with sanctions and port seizures, I may add. Yes I acknowledge that there have been some cultural clashes, but we can help these people to have a better life. We have a labor shortage in this region and our docks can barely keep up with demand. Many of these Orrians were stevedores and port officials. Most of the people behind me help unload trucks and trains coming from Bridge before going home to their families or spending their hard-earned krone in local stores. Jobs that are vital to Bryneby are being filled by some od these hard-working people."
"Thronehold PD has published that many of there recent arrests were Orrians with ties to drug smuggling, assaults, and Pokemon theft," that got a frown from Thursgand, "Certain concerned Eidrosian groups are making a good case that its the gang members fleeing to expand their criminal network oversees. If that is the case, is rehabilitation even possible, let alone integration?"
"You can say that it's Team Ragnarock and the Heartland Party that are peddling their racist ideology as public concern," Thursgand spat back at the reporter, "The same people that have been harassing immigrant neighborhoods and calling the cops when their victims fight back? The same people who have gotten caught twice now fabricating stories of immigrant crime? The same people that these questions seem to have a strong bias towards?"
"Well," the reporter looked sheepish at the confrontation, "You have to admit that crime has been up since the refugees started arriving. Assaults of all kinds are up across the board and there does seem to be a common denominator here." The reporter jumped back when a Haunter materialized next to him, spooking him, as a brown-skinned man with a shaved head shouted at the reporter in heavily accented Eidrosian.
"We are good people!" he yelled as the Haunter returned to him, "I unload trains everyday while people give me evil looks. They spit on me and call me names. I just want to work and live. No hate, only brotherhood!"
The crowd cheered as Hannah smiled as someone threw an empty water bottle at the reporter, who was backing away, looking like Meowth with its tail tucked between its legs. Thursgand took a megaphone and shouted towards the camera.
"All are welcome to Eidros! This is a region of love and understanding and for the love of the Gods, vote for Labour! Do not let Heartland and its cosplaying goons stop us from being the bastion of decency and acceptance I know we are! One Eidros for Everyone!"
The crowd repeated the chant, yelling as the feed cut back to Channel 7's news anchor, who looked less than pleased. Hannah tuned out as the man started spouting some sort of racist drivel about hostile immigrants.
She had seen Jacob and his family deal with enough of this shit when they were in school. Hell she had been called some slurs by her nastier classmates for being such good friends with the boy. His mother had gotten actively shunned from some circles too, for daring to fall in love with a man from Orre. A software engineer who had studied in Unova before moving to Eidros to work with a chemical plant writing code for their computers.
"Fucking assholes," Hannah mumbled to herself before getting up to take Thresh to the saline bath. They still had a long day ahead of them.
"You want to battle me?" the boy asked, looking around to make sure Hannah wasn't talking to someone over his shoulder. Hannah just gave him a smile and nodded.
"Yeah, you. You're a first-year too, right?" The boy gave a really shy nod, scratching the back of his neck as he averted his eyes away from Hannah, "I saw you in the lobby. You just have two Pokemon like me right?"
"Uh, oh, yeah. Just Cookie and Histi," the boy nervously wrung his hands a bit, "Um, yeah I guess a battle would be fun! I've only done a few around town." He looked up nervously, "Can we make it a Double Battle? There's a tournament I wanna practice for-"
"Dude, that's perfect!" Hannah laughed, "I'm entering that too! Was just going to ask you that. I'm Hannah by the way, the two little guys by my feet are Surtr and Thresh. Thresh is the grumpy one if you couldn't tell. Hannah smirked when she heard her Clobbopus blubber indignantly. She held out her hand to the boy. He kind of reminded her of her brother. Dark hair and gray eyes, freshly shaved stubble on his face. Lanky, but well dressed. Those were new Razorthin track shorts and shirt and his shoes looked like Cobas', bright blue with white edges and laces.
Must come from an okay family, Hannah thought as the kid's face went red as he shook her hand. He was..sweatier than she expected.
"Mattias, but my friends just call me M-Matt," he stuttered out, "I'm ready to battle if you are. I still have a training arena for twenty or so minutes." He gestured to the arena he had come out of and Hannah rejoiced that her assumption had been true. Prowling around like a Vullaby had paid off. This was far quicker than waiting three hours for her own arena.
"Lead the way," she said as she beckoned for her Pokemon to follow her. She decided to keep the conversation going as Matt told the attendant they were going to have a battle.
"You from Bryneby?" she asked when Matt finished up and they scanned their cards in, names, pictures, and Pokeballs appearing on the holo-board in the arena. Matt nodded.
"Yep, born and raised. Though I've been to Barrowdon, Thronehold, and everywhere on Spear Island," he sounded like he was trying to brag, "I took my Tour Year as soon as I turned sixteen in May. I'll still have to do classes online, but I'll get to travel and battle. I've never seen you before, do you go to a school here or on the island?"
"I'm from Hearthstone," Hannah said as they entered, before putting their bets in, "Currently, taking a gap year from college. I won my Cyndaquil in the Raffle and decided now was as good a time as any to give this whole Training thing a try."
"Oh so you're a college girl," Matt's voice sounded both deflated and slightly excited at the same time, "Oh so you like hiked it all the way here. That's pretty badass."
"I did get attacked by yours truly here," she pointed at Thresh, "But I've got my eyes on that championship prize money. Nothing's going to stop me. You ready to do this?"
"Sort of," Matt laughed nervously, "Never Double-Battled before. This should be either interesting or overwhelming. Maybe both!"
The attendant, an older woman probably pushing forty, came over and gave them the rules. After some nods and agreement, they were told to send out their Pokemon. Hannah bent down to her two Pokemon, putting her arms around both of them.
"Alright guys, I know we had a long day of training and working out, but we need some real battle practice," she said seriously, the two hanging on her every word, "Just know that no matter we win or lose, I'm proud of both of you for the work today. Now let's go!"
With cries of excitement both of her Pokemon took to the field, passing through the psychic barriers a pair of Meditite on the sidelines were maintaining. Matt gulped, before taking the two Pokeballs off his belt and throwing them out.
"Cookie, Histi, look alive!" A Salandit and a Cottonee appeared, the Salandit crawling rapidly in front of Matt, tail already glowing red from the heat. The Cottonee flitted up above it, making a happy squeal, cotton puffs floating from its center. Matt pointed to the two Pokemon across the field from them, "It's a Double-Battle guys! Let's do our best okay!"
There were two flashes of a red light, then a flash of green as the attendant swung out her arms and called out "Begin!"
"Surtr, close the gap with the Cottonee and blast them point blank! Thresh, keep the Salandit occupied, remember to dodge!" Hannah called out as her team sprung into action. Only to immediately cover her face as Thresh, too excited to get into the combat, ate Surtr's Quick Attack into his back, the little Fire type unable to change course so suddenly. Her Clobbopus let off a gurgle of anger as Surtr growled in frustration at him.
Holy fuck this is embarrassing, Hannah thought before movement brought her back to the situation at hand, "Surtr, move!"
Too late. The Cottonee surged forth at a speed that made it blur to Hannah's eyes, giggling as it did, before sweeping low like a dive bomber from the Conflict Era and dispersing hundreds of thumb-sized yellow spores. Thresh ducked back, but Surtr wasn't so quick. Hannah bit her lip as her starter let off a surprised yelp as the pollen absorbed itself into his skin and his movements became sluggish.
"Stun Spore, shit," Hannah mumbled. So much for using that Quick Attack, "Thresh stop gawking, get in there and beat that Salandit into the dirt!" Already two Embers were coming their way as Thresh turned. Thankfully, he dodged the first and brought both of his fists up to guard and lessened the impact of the one that did connect, before surging forth as fast as his tentacles would carry him.
"Cookie, Smog at him and then move! Histi, Stun Spore him too!" Matt yelled and Hannah realized she had two Pokemon to manage right now.
"Fuck! Surtr, Ember until you knock that Cottonee out of the sky! Keep it away from Thresh! Thresh, avoid and then Brick Break!" she commanded, foot tapping impatiently. Surtr obeyed, opening up like a small turret, fireballs streaming from his mouth. None of them were impacting, but seemed to be doing the job of keeping the Cottonee dodging and weaving instead of delivering another paralysis off. Thresh skidded around to the right as a thick purple cloud of poisonous gas erupted towards him, before slamming his fist into the floor of the arena as the Salandit had already circled to the left, before popping off an Ember at him. Thresh took the attack to the face and screeched.
"Lead your shots, Ember ahead of him!" Hannah commanded her Cyndaquil as the little Fire type finally scored a hit. Matt's face paled as his Cottonee let off a shrill shout of pain, cotton burning into black as the little Grass type fell to the ground. Hannah grinned menacingly.
"Blast until it stops moving Surtr!"
Her starter obeyed, but was thrown off-guard as the Salandit threw a Sand-Attack at Surtr, who yelped and shot an Ember high, where it impacted off the barriers. Thresh was following behind and a Brick Break followed onto the Salandit.
Only for a shimmering blue field to appear as the Cottonee flew back up, a Protect shielding the Salandit from the blow. Hannah blinked, feeling the situation slipping from her lead as Matt cheered.
"Poison Gas on the Clobbopus! Hisiti, Stun Spore!" At point blank range, there wasn't much Thresh could do. Sickly violet gas went into his open pores, causing the Clobbopus to cough and shudder in pain as the Salandit's poison rippled through his body. The spores impacted as well and Hannah panicked.
"Surtr, push through! Quick Attack into a Rollout! Thresh, Brick Break, right on the tail!" It came out as more of a plea then a command, but luck must have been on her side. Surtr growled before forcing himself into a Quick Attack. It was slower than earlier, more jerky like an old stop-motion flick, but he closed the two and half meter gap between him and the Salandit before coating himself in Rock type energy and slamming into the salamander Pokemon. Hannah then watched in amazement as Thresh blinked at the spores that were falling off of him, flailing to stick to his slimy skin, and brought his right fist down right on the Salandit's tail as soon as Surtr hit him.
I am such an idiot, Hannah chided herself, Clobbopuses have Limber. They can't get a paralyzed! Good news though it was, Thresh was still poisoned. Between that and Surtr's paralysis, they needed to end this fight quickly. Thresh acted without command as the Salandit, dazed and hurt, tried to flee and brought a Rock Smash to its face. Matt cried out as his Pokemon went limp. The announcer made the call.
"Salandit is unable to battle. Matt, return your Pokemon!"
"Cookie! Shit, Histi, Fairy Wind!" Matt called out as he returned his unconscious Pokemon, frustration in his features.
Oh fuck that's not good, Hannah thought as the Cottonee gathered a vaguely pink covered breeze around it, before spending it out with an angry chirp.
"Detect!" Hannah shouted as Thresh jumped up and over the breeze, propelled by Fighting type energy as Surtr was slightly impacted, letting off an annoyed grunt. Thresh caught himself down, but was breathing hard, the slickness of his skin starting to dry out. The poison was working quickly. Matt wasted no time and ordered Cottonee to hit Thresh with a Mega Absorb and though Hannah commanded a dodge, it wasn't enough. Green energy hit the Clobbopus and sapped his strength, the Cottonee giggling in triumph as stamina was restored and minor wounds healed.
"Fairy Wind! Full power! Then Mega Absorb on the Cyndaquil"
"Surtr, Ember! Try to move if you can! Thresh, Detect!"
Matt's Cottonee ate an Ember to the face as it gathered the fairy energy to it, then another, but it still got off its blast. Thresh tried, but Hannah knew the move wouldn't work as soon as the Clobbopus raised his arms. He was too beat down by the poison. The Fairy Wind hit him like a truck, sending the cephalopod Pokemon flying into one of the psychic barriers. The Wind hit Surtr and judging by the fact his back was blazing hotter than normal, he was on his last legs too, Hannah knew she was done. Unless they got off this next blast.
"Clobbopus is unable to battle! Hannah, return your Pokemon!"
"He's about to drop! Don't attack until I say!" Hannah watched, gripping the railing of her stand of the arena with one hand while recalling Thresh with her other, watching as the Cottonee sluggishly moved forth, glowing green as it charged a Mega Absorb. Matt called out for a zigzag pattern and his cotton ball Pokemon obeyed, flitting erratically as it got within the range of where its absorbing energy tendrils would be able to hit. Hannah could feel herself sweating as she tracked every movement, waiting, waiting until the tendrils of wispy green were coming off the black-scorched body of the Cottonee.
"Now!" Hannah screamed as Surtr did as well, the largest Ember she had ever seen shooting out of his mouth. Matt's Cottonee was so focused on trying to get its Mega Absorb off, that it didn't even have time to register the ball of fire. It hit with an explosion that looked like a movie special effect, smoke billowing away as the Cottonee dropped to the ground, smoke wisps coming from the top of its head. Hannah exhaled as the attendant made her final call.
"Cottonee is unable to battle! Victory goes to Hannah! Trainers, return your Pokemon and clear the field!"
Hannah held up her Pokeball, recalling her starter as he slumped to the ground in contentment, cradling his ball as she picked up Thresh's too.
"You two were amazing, thank you so much," she said softly, "This was a rocky start, but that's on me. I was fighting two separate battles instead of one. I promise you we will get better."
She put her Pokeballs back on her belt as Matt came up to her. He looked sad, but there was a hint of smile on his face as he held out his Trainer ID to her Pokedex. They had both bet a thousand krone and Hannah was still coming to terms with making two and half paychecks for only ten minutes worth of work. He held out his hand to her too, which she gladly took.
"Thank you for the battle, you were amazing. Your Clobbopus and Cyndaquil are going to be ones to watch out for on Tour," his tone had a hint of sadness to it, "I'm rethinking signing up for this tournament. I was so confused, trying to keep track of two fights. I just stood there and let stuff happen instead of taking charge. I think I might need some more training before I leave town for the Tour too."
"Dude, are you serious?" Matt looked caught off guard by the incredulousness in Hannah's voice, "You about had me whooped. If I hadn't gotten lucky with Clobbopus being immune to paralysis and hitting you with two attacks while you were charging up that Fairy Wind, I was done!" She grabbed both of his shoulders, ignoring how red the boy got, "You have potential and I honestly was floundering out there too. This was a learning experience for both of us!"
"I-I guess so," Matt was suddenly glad his friends had bailed on joining him for training, "Would…would you be up for meeting here tomorrow and battling each other? Only if you want to though!" He held up his hands as she let go of his shoulders and Hannah put a finger to her chin as she thought on it before nodding her head.
"Okay, but two things. One, I need to earn money so we will have to battle some other Trainers here too," Hannah held up two fingers, " And two, you are coming with me to sign up for that tournament right now! Can't have you Sneaseling your way out of competing!"
"You know that kid is absolutely bragging to all of his friends and probably complete strangers that he got a college girl's number right?" Jacob said, amused as his raven-haired friend gave him a sour look,
"Don't twist it like that. He was a total sweetheart, unlike some men I know," Hannah felt a gentle poke from a claw as Surtr looked up at her questioningly, "Present Pokemon excluded of course!"
It was about eight at night in Bryneby and Hannah, Zeara, and Jacob had all met back up at the Pokemon Center cafeteria, enjoying tonight's meal of Combusken tenders with mac'n'cheese and crisp fries. Hannah had made her way to Topaz Hall to sign up for the New Beginnings tournament, toting Matt with her. They had exchanged numbers to meet up tomorrow for some more training, before Hannah had to come back to the Center and left her Pokemon in the medical ward to get healed. She had spent the time waiting by relaxing in her room, mindlessly watching TV as her aching muscles got some much needed rest before getting the notification that her team was ready to be picked up, no worse for the wear despite how tough today had been.
"I still can't believe you got that little monster to listen to you so fast," Jacon looked over at Thresh in a mixture of amazement and weariness. The little cephalopod was busy chowing down on a special blend of kibble made out of Wishiwashi, Remoraid, and eggs. He had tried to punch both Jacob and Zeara, though Hannah had quickly put the creature in its place with the forehead palm technique. Zeara had been fascinated at how it seemed to instantly calm down the Pokemon, while Jacob's eyes had gone to the vicious looking bruises on Hannah's right arms.
"I just followed a military method," Hannah shrugged, "No complaints so far." She gestured to the Lechonk that was currently napping on the seat next to Jacob, "No problems with Truffles today?"
Jacob beamed happily as he was petting his new partner, "Dude was cool as a cucumber. We foraged for food, fought some Starly and Rattata. Mr. Bungles learned how to Snarl. We found a little stream near town, took a nap. Honestly, I was hesitant on the whole training out in the wild, but I think the old guard has a point. It felt good. Natural, like that's the way you were supposed to train with your Pokemon."
"Well damn, you going to become a country boy now Jakey?" Hannah teased as Jacob took a bite of his food, shooing away Bungles from eating off his plate, "I'll stick to the training facilities. They come free with the League membership and I got a good workout in today too with my team. Could always compete and see which method is better. High tech versus all natural."
"You do you Han. I'm not going to run my team as ragged as you did yours today," Jacob said as he looked over to Zeara, who was unusually quiet, the girl sketching on her pad as Blumpy hovered near her. The Drifloon seemed to be keeping a wary eye on Thresh, while Priscilla, her Rookiedee, perched on the table next to the woman, eating a pile of fries that Zeara had set aside for her. "You good over there Zeara?"
"Hmm?" the young woman looked up with her pencil still in her hand, only half listening to the conversation as Hannah shoveled some fries into her mouth.
"You are kind of quiet," Hannah's voice was muffled from the fries, "You got some inspiration from beating up poor youngsters and taking their money?"
"Yes actually," Zeara said plainly, "Blumpy and Pricisilla were marvelous today. We mastered some new moves, painted the arenas with a riot of attacks! A war dance that swept up everyone in its path! So many colors and expressions! Do you wanna see some?! I still need to color them in, this is only line work right now but-"
"Z, I am always down to see your art," Hannah smiled as her friend let out a happy squeal and put the sketch pad on the table. Jacob whistled as Hannah gave her friend a big cheesy grin.
"As talented as ever my dear Z. I take it you won this fight?"
She meant it too. Zeara would call it basic sketching, but she had drawn a highly detailed scene of one of her battles earlier today. Blumpy menacingly moving with an Astonish as Priscilla danced around a Wooloo, a Sunflora throwing out Razor Leafs at the two with a derpy grin on its flowered face. Zeara had drawn the background of the outdoor arena, trees and spectators looking on, the opposing Trainer's frustration and excitement sketched out as clearly as the urban backdrop of Bryneby's market district..
"Eh, it's okay. Needs some more details and I need to get some new colored pencils," Zeara said as she went to fix a detail but Hannah reached out and gently grabbed her pencil from her.
"Z, it looks amazing, but you need to eat," Hannah chided, using the same tone she did on her siblings, "You can work after you have a full stomach." She frowned when Zeara stuck out her tongue, but relented, grabbing a tender and dipping it into a cup of honey-mustard and took an exaggerated bite out of it.
"Happy mother?" Zeara said with her mouth half-full as Hannah just nodded. Zeara was a bit of a stereotype in that she could get lost in art projects, forgetting to eat, drink, or sleep. That was part of the reason she had caught Prcisilla when she had gone into college. The little bird Pokemon would peck her out of her workflow so she could take care of herself, something that Blumpy never did, content to simply observe his Trainer at work.
"So we are all signed up for the tournament, right?" Hannah asked, her mind wandering back to Training and battling. It was doing that a lot these days.
"Yeah, me and Zeara actually signed up together when I got back in town," Jacob said, "So it should be all of us. Except for Colton."
At her longtime crush's name Hannah perked up, "Speaking of which, where is he?" She hadn't seen or heard from him at all today.
To be fair, I was super focused on training today, Hannah thought with a bit of guilt, I could have at least shot him a text.
"He actually texted me a little bit ago and said he was going to be late but that we were going to be excited when we saw him," Jacob had cleared his plate, eating like he was in prison to keep Bungles from stealing any food. The Zigzagoon had already ate earlier, but seemed to be a bottomless pit. He had tried to steal from both Thresh and Surtr earlier, but had been warned off with a fist to the face and a gentle snoot boop respectively.
"I wonder if he went back into the wilds and caught something," Zeara mused as she ate a tender with one hand and absent-mindedly shook one of Blumpy's arms with the other, the Drifloon singing happily.
"In a manner of speaking."
They all turned to see Colton standing before them, dressed in a white tank top and some athletic shorts, holding what appeared to be a bundle of red and green blankets close to his chest. Baldric was at his side, looking very alert, the Machop locking eyes with Thresh, who gurgled and put his fists defensively. Hannah was about to scold the little Clobbopus, but watched fascinated as Surtr grunted at his teammate and gently put a paw on Thresh's left arm and lowered it down. Thresh kept the glare on Baldric, but seemed to relax at the Fire type's insistence.
Look at my little guy taking charge! Hannah thought excitedly as she gave Surtr a grateful pet on the head, We still need to work on some things, but Thresh just listening to him with no fighting like that. I have a good feeling about this tournament.
Hannah was snapped out her thoughts as Colton got a little closer and she noticed the bundle of blankets in his arms was wiggling around a bit. After a moment, a black furred head popped out, a Maschiff sniffing the air curiously.
"Everybody say hi to Bella," Colton said proudly as they all stood up and crowded around him, a lot of cooing coming from the two females of the group as both Hannah and Zeara held out their hands for the little canine Pokemon to sniff. Even Jacob wasn't immune, lightly petting the Dark type's head as he gushed over her.
"Aww she is so cute!" Hannah gushed as the Maschiff gave her fingers a happy lick, "I see why you were so busy today. Where did you catch her?"
"She seems so tame for being a stray," Zeara noted, bending down to study the Pokemon at eye level, bright blue eyes staring at warm brown, "Were you working with her all day?"
Colton laughed as Bella retracted into the blankets from all the attention, "Feeling shy? That's okay, you snuggle in for a bit," he turned his attention to his friends, "Oh she's tame because she's not wild. She's got a good pedigree actually." Colton felt his positivity deep when he saw the looks of disbelief on his friends' faces.
"Dude, no, you didn't!" Jacob looked horrified, his Lechonk waking up from the commotion and letting off a confused oink.
"Colton, really, after hearing you rant on and on about the 'proper, no-pussy way' of being a Trainer?" that was Hannah and Colton found that her air quotes and impression of his voice stung a bit more than he was expecting.
Zeara looked befuddled before quietly asking, "Did you cheat?"
"It's not cheating! Like not technically! There's no rules against buying a Pokemon out right!" Colton didn't like how defensive he sounded.
"Yeah same with taking a bus or car to the cities on Tour, it's not against the rules but you still aren't supposed to do it!" Jacob sounded less disappointed and more frustrated, "All three of us caught our second Pokemon in the wild! Well Zeara caught hers in town but same deal! Just buying your second? That's beyond fucking lame dude."
"What was I supposed to do!?" Colton let some aggression in his voice as Bell snuggled harder against him, not liking the confrontation, "That tournament is in two days! There was no way I was going to catch a second and have it trained in time to enter! That'd be impossible!"
"Are you kidding me? Both me and Hannah caught ours on the same day! Truffles is already listening to me and Hannah got that little psycho mostly under control! That's just a cheap excuse dude," Jacob was pulling at his hair, "How did you even afford her? It's at least, what, ten grand for a purebred? Cause I know you didn't skimp on the easy route did you?"
Colton glared at the dark-skinned boy and Hannah got in between the two, holding her hands up.
"Easy, both of you," Hannah said, before looking at Colton, "I'm willing to let this go because Bella is absolutely adorable, but dude. If you say anything about how to be a proper Trainer again on this Tour, I'll have Thresh use you nuts as a punching bag. This was not cool."
"I-I…fine," Colton said through gritted teeth, before looking to Jacob, "I asked my dad for a loan. You fucking happy? I thought you guys would be excited."
"If you had done this the way yo preached about, instead of taking the easy route, we would have been," even Hannah blinked at how cold Zeara's tone was, "At least you'll have a trained and well-bred partner for Baldric to sweep through the kids and college students who scraped to get their teams ready for the tournament. How very noble of you."
"Z, easy," Hannah couldn't say she could disagree, but the pure venom that had been in that last sentence. The last thing she wanted was her friend group imploding over a fucking dog, especially one that was currently whimpering from the shouting. They were getting stares from the other Trainers in the cafeteria. Lots of whispered conversations and dirty looks directed at them.
"You know what, I don't think I'm hungry," Colton said cooly, glaring daggers at Zeara, "I'm going to feed my Pokemon in my room. I'll see everyone tomorrow". He turned and left, body rigid. Baldric went to follow before shooting what Hannah swore was an apologetic look to them before following after his Trainer.
What the actual fuck, Hannah thought in bewilderment before glaring at a group of Trainers who looked to be in their late teens. They were whispering loudly to each other, Hannah picking up the word posers and jealous before she lost it, rounding on the table. "You got something to add? Come on and say it if you want to join the fucking conversation?!"
Their faces went bleach-white and Hannah heard Thresh's gurgle of pure rage as he hopped down, fists ready to go as Surtr lit the flames on his back. The cafeteria was as quiet as a tomb as the group put up their hands and took their empty trays, suddenly finding they had other places to be.
"Arceus Han, that was a little much," Jacob said carefully, treating Hannah's temper like enraged Tauros and keeping a good distance from her, "Take a breath. I don't want you getting kicked out of the Center." Hannah shot him a glare, before her look softened and she let out a breath she didn't even know she had been holding. She bent down and rubbed both of her Pokemon.
"Thanks for backing me up guys, " she said softly as Surtr grumbled happily and Thresh tried to half-heartedly move her hand away. She had discovered he really liked the top of his head being scratched. She then got up and looked at Zeara. She wasn't mad at her friend, but annoyed.
"That was a little harsh Z," Hannah said coolly, "I think he took the easy way out too, but the noble comment? His family suffered just like yours too."
Guilt flashed in Zeara's eyes and Hannah expected her to start cracking and swearing to apologize, only to raise her eyebrows as Zeara steeled herself and wiped the expression from her face.
"This probably wasn't the best time and place, but if he's willing to take the easy way this early when the Tour hasn't even started," Zeara frowned, "I'll apologize tomorrow, but I meant what I said. If you two will excuse me, I'm going to go up to my room and finish my line work. Goodnight Hannah-Banana. Goodnight Jakey."
"Goodnight Z," Hannah said quietly as her artist friend swiftly packed up her things and headed out of the cafeteria, her two Pokemon in tow. She looked over to Jacob, who also looked defeated and tired.
"Well that was a nice dinner. Better than when my mom's family comes over at least," Jacob humorlessly said as he returned both of his Pokemon, who had wondered off to harass another table for scraps. He looked at Hannah, opened his mouth and then closed it.
"I think I'm heading to bed too. We have some training to do tomorrow and I want to head out early. Night Han," and like that Hannah was left with just her Pokemon in the cafeteria. She looked down at their two partners, Surtr looking at her with a worry in his littl black eyes and Thresh death-glaring anyone who even snuck a glance at them.
"What a fucking day," Hannah said to them, "Let's head to the room before this night gets worse.
Benjamin Thursgand panted as his lungs burned, sweat dripping down his face as his legs pumped beneath him, a purple ball narrowly missing his head as he ducked down, the street light above him exploding in a mist of purple as lightbulb glass rained down on him. He closed his eyes and brushed his hair, flinging glass and hot wire out as he took a right, desperately trying to lose his assailant.
Of fucking course the one time I travel I leave my Pokemon with my wife! He thought in anger. Had his loyal Houndoom been here, he'd have stood his ground against whoever this was. But the death threats against his family, followed by one of his security detail being outed as a Ragnarock member had left him paranoid. He had left Smokey with Greta, to protect her and their three year old daughter. The Houndoom was a war dog and more than capable of defending his home.
"Security!" He said into his Poketch as he ran to the auxiliary trainyard, the bright industrial lights and the whistling sound of a train pulling in to be unloaded of its cargo providing a hopeful respite from the murderous darkness, "Oskar! Karl! Please, I'm under attack at Bryneby Auxiliary Railyard! The police aren't answering my calls!"
He had gone out for a simple drink with one of the Orrian refugee leaders, telling his security to keep their hotel locked down. He hadn't even made it to the bar he had agreed to meet the man when he got attacked by a man on the street, who shoved him into an alley before siccing some sort of Pokemon that he couldn't see on him. How stupid. He was so stupid.
Static came from his watch and Thursgand felt his blood chill. Jammed. This wasn't a random attack. He had lobbied hard in the Commonwealth, gotten the Traditionalist and Labour parties to both pass the bill opening up the number of asylum seekers from Orre and Dareval regions. There were plenty of enemies he had made in his quest to help others.
He ran into the yard, through an open gate that had been carelessly left open by a rail worker. Fortunate for Thursgand, as he started shouting, waving his arms.
"Help! Please somebody help!" he screamed, desperately scanning the yard. There was no one. All of the workers must have been in the center depot, where the hiss of steam and noise of crane engines drowned out any human voice. Thursgand went to duck between two empty rail cars when shimmering blue and pink energy appeared around him. Thursgand went to scream and run, but found he couldn't move. Or speak.
No no no no! Not like this! Benjamin Thursgand was panicking, watched as the industrial spotlights around him went out, the light literally being sucked out of them. An eerie whistle filled the air, a perversion of an old Eidrosian children's tune. Little Light of Mine. It was all wrong though, the notes discordant, off-key.
Breathing rapid as the area descended into a blanket of pure darkness, only the moon above providing some light, Benjamin Thursgand braced himself. For a blade to pierce through him. A blunt fist of a Fighting type that would reduce him to mush. Anything as the whistling got louder, before stopping.
A purple light appeared by one of the spotlights, floating down as a pair of yellow eyes stared maliciously into Benjamin's own. As soon as it whistled and floated down closer, Benjamin wished for nothing more than to dig into his wallet and look at his photo he kept of Greta and Kaia one last time.
The Lampent laughed, a childish sound as it reached forth and sucked the life out of Benjamin Thursgand. It was relatively quick, though not painless. Had there been no Imprison on the spokesman for Equality for All, his screams may have breached even though the industrial soundscape to alert the workers. His body hit the dirt as a shriveled gray husk, face contorted forever in absolute pain.
The Lampent laughed, savoring the life energy as the purple flame within burned brighter, before it gathered flames around its body, ready to shoot it forth at the corpse.
"That's enough," a cold, even voice called out from the darkness, "Body needs to be found. No flames. Return so I can send proof."
The Lampent pouted, whistling an off-kilter tune that its owner vaguely recognized as being an old song about sharing from some off-air Eidrosian kids cartoon. He ignored it though, walking over and with an old-style flip phone, snapping a picture with the flash on of his Pokemon's grizzly handiwork.
He brought up the one message chain in the phone's history and sent the photo.
Extra dusty, as ordered, he texted with it. After a moment, there was a reply.
In the location we specified? He rolled his eyes at the insulation.
Auxiliary train yard. Easy to find. Good enough? There was a ten second delay before the message he needed to see came through.
Excellent. Payment will be at the spot discussed previously. Will contact you again when your services are required.
He smiled before taking the SIM card out of the phone and throwing it to his Lampent, who incinerated it with glee.
"Come on, we're done here."
This chapter was supposed to be posted Monday. It kept getting bigger and real life intervened but here it is, in it's over ten thousand word glory.
Yes, the forum posting takes a huge inspiration from I Will Touch the Sky by Soussoru. One of my favorite bits from it and I will be using it a bit (along with non-League websites. Expect a tour through the Pokemon dark web at some point.)
A note. I'm not a huge fan of constant training chapters. Hannah will get a focus here for her first time entering a tourney, but training will only be used to show milestone later on or to introduce new teammates to the fray. As always thanks for reading!
Also, any errors that are spotted, do not be afraid to point them out. I do proofread, but stuff will still slip by. I promise to fix any typos or grammatical errors if pointed out.
ARandomOne: First floor means ground floor for me. Always assume the American definition with me, as that is where I hail from.