Beta: Gerald_Of_Revea
Exams are over, this story ain't. Apart from that, I will blame Tears of the Kingdom for the late chapter. I got it for Christmas and had to 100% it. That's done now. Had trouble with the formatting, if there's any mistakes, my bad.
-Claydol-
"Lucario, Galvantula, Whimsicott, Chansey, he's most likely to pick Chansey next, you should adapt accordingly."
Seeing his master fret over her beloved, he had the sudden urge to drill himself into the ceiling in some attempt to ignore it all.
To the world, he was just a normal Claydol. A very well trained one, but a normal one nonetheless.
To his master, he was her therapist.
'Clade the Claydol. Battler by day, therapist by night.'
He felt a small bit of amusement at the thought.
'Like my master would ever give me a name.'
Everytime her master gave an order to switch the Pokéballs of Geeta's opponent, he feels her inner-disgust. However, she was very quick to bottle up that emotion. Something very common when it comes to Geeta.
"It's not that Cloud doesn't like Geeta, it's that he made a public spectacle. I understand that not everyone can like her, but Cloud sent her a glorified hate campaign. And what does he do instead of apologizing? He goes after more of her team!"
Cloud putting his own Pokémon on the line cemented his place in his master's eyes as being scum. A villain beyond redemption.
And that by roping him into this, it didn't matter that he was tampering with the match. That in the end, he would be helping six Pokémon from an abusive Pokémon trainer.
It was funny that she thought he would have cared in the first place.
His job was to listen to his master. He will do that. Why she thought he would care about the ethics of this, he did not know.
"I never understood you."
He would have groaned if it wouldn't have given away the fact he was there in the first place.
Seeing his master being perplexed by the statement, he slumped against the wall. It seemed he wouldn't be avoiding the drama anytime soon.
"You often say that Paldea couldn't ask for a better champion," Geeta continued, advancing on Rika "That I am the prime example of what a champion should be. I've always disagreed with you on that, but that's a different conversation altogether."
"It's because you are," His master blurted. "You are the strongest, most helpful, most kind-"
"You don't even believe the words you are saying," Geeta giggled, "I don't think I have ever told you this before, but I find you to be truly fascinating." she said, making him mentally wince.
Rika was going to be gushing about that for at least 4 hours when they got back home. It was not a conversation he was eager to have.
"It's the small things you do," Geeta spoke sashaying towards Rika. "Just the week before, you wanted me to train," she paused for a moment, giving a considering look. "In hindsight, I appreciate that, but you wouldn't have thought it was necessary if you believed that I was the strongest."
"That was so you could 6-0," Rika said quickly "I never doubted-"
"But now I'm starting to wonder why you proposed I make the bet in the first place," Geeta hummed. "An attempt to make Cloud back down in the first place or use weaker Pokémon. While I do admit to enjoying Rookie crushing, there's no point to it if the other side is not trying their best. At that point, it is just a waste of time."
"Geeta," Rika swallowed, struggling to find the right words. "What exactly are you getting at?"
"I cannot figure you out," she shrugged. "You tell me I am the strongest, then recommend I train. You insisted on the Paldea ruleset instead of the international standard. And now worst of all…" she paused, giving a narrowed-eye look.
"You are interfering with my battle."
He remained silent, waiting for his master to deny the claim, but a stern look from Geeta shut that down completely.
"I have to do it," Rika breathed, her shoulders dropping, "It's not simply about winning a battle, it's about saving Cloud's Pokémon. I will gladly play the villain if it means saving innocent lives by the end of the day."
"That's a very heroic way to look at it if you ignore the fact you only started cheating halfway into the match," Geeta countered. "If he had called foul, the match would have been halted, and Cloud's Pokémon would still be in…confinement, if you actually believed that to be the case."
"But your Pokémon would be safe as well!"
"Which means you truly don't believe I am the strongest trainer," Geeta rolled her eyes as Rika flinched as if struck. "Not only that, you have made a mockery of this battle. I'm tempted to just end this battle here."
Geeta shifted to face him directly, locking eyes to glare at him.
"Interfere with my battle again and I will forfeit the match on the spot."
Geeta gave a winning smile to a stunned Rika that disappeared as soon as she started walking back to the battlefield.
After a few more moments of silence from his master, she let out a shaky breath, collapsing on the nearby bench.
He felt his master's emotions and didn't bother to hide his groan.
She couldn't just listen for once, could she?
-Rika-
In any other case, she would have listened. It was not like she had a habit of 'fixing' matches but the stakes were too high.
Geeta had far much more to lose than Cloud if he lost. If Geeta lost, she would be losing her Pokémon, that is true. But she would lose her title of La Primera, and not having a full team of six would make it monumentally more challenging to keep the Champions title.
It would still involve knocking out 4 of her Pokémon, but she would be going into the battle with a disadvantage from the get go, and it takes time to train Pokémon to a standard that suits the champion.
She understood why she took such a harsh stance against the interference. Her Pride, her ego; she thinks it's being tainted by needing the advantage. She does not need the advantage, she was just intend on ensuring the best possible scenario happened.
But no one in the world knew Geeta as well as she did. Geeta would not be happy, but she would not stop the match due to her interference. That would involve losing her Pokémon, and her Pokémon matter more than the integrity of a Pokémon battle.
And in the slim chance Cloud did win…
Claydol floated down to her, giving her a small pat on the back.
She gave a weak smile before nodding to the field.
"Chansey this time."
If Cloud were to win, she would admit to fixing the match. Not in Geeta's favor, but in Cloud's.
Fabricate a story that she was intending to take the Champion's Position from Geeta through any means necessary or some other nonsense.
She would lose her position as an Elite 4, but it would be worth it in the end. Geeta was worth it.
'The things we do for love.'
"So that is your plan."
"Who said that?!" she jumped, snatching a Pokéball from her belt only to yelp as she was suddenly teleported.
Her attempts to release her Pokémon were futile as she suddenly became still, her body being surrounded in Psychic energy, allowing her to better see her surroundings.
'A Cave,' she instantly realized, but it wasn't one she recognized. As a ground-type specialist, she didn't think there was a cave or pathway that she didn't know about in Paldea, especially one that had such a large cave system.
As she looked closer at the rock formations & stalactites she felt a dawning sense of horror set into her stomach.
'I am not in Paldea anymore.'
"You are correct."
She tried to turn to the voice, but couldn't. She could not move nor could she pinpoint a direction the voice was coming from.
But at that moment, she realized something.
She recognized that voice.
"Cyclone?"
"Oh." he unintentionally confirmed, making her snarl.
Prepared to go into a tirade, a pair of inhuman eyes met her own, making her close her mouth shut.
The Pokémon started glaring at her, rage boiling in his eyes as he made his displeasure known to her.
"You shouldn't have said that."
-Cloud-
"Sludge Wave!"
'She really likes that move doesn't she?' I noted, lazily calling out a Protect before the attack could hit Eggman.
I wasn't happy with this matchup. Eggman's only attacking move is Seismic Toss, and I don't have a way out of this like I did with Ryu & Dragon Tail.
I was very glad she wasn't using Nasty Plot, or more likely, doesn't have it in the first place. If she was going to try and set up, I would have had to Seismic Toss stall in order to take it out or make her withdraw.
"Sandstorm!"
"Soft-Boiled!"
There were a few groans from the audience with the use of the two moves. Sandstorm makes it exceedingly more difficult to tell what is happening on the field and it looks like people are starting to get annoyed at Eggman.
'Stall' isn't even a term commonly used when discussing Pokémon teams or Playstyles. Sure, the regulars in my chat understand what I mean but the wider-world wouldn't. But I don't doubt if they saw Ryu continuously healing every time he got hit by Avalanche people would say "It wasn't a real win," or something similar. And I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't find that annoying.
"Return" I called, Geeta following suite with Glimmora.
It was hard to see Geeta through the sandstorm, but that didn't really matter. My Pokémon was switched out again, meaning Psyclone was dealing with whoever was rigging my match.
A small grin worked its way onto my face as I grasped a Pokéball, probably the final Pokémon I will be sending out before this battle ends.
Geeta had 3 Pokémon left, and Bison can easily take down all of them.
"Trainers, send out your Pokémon!"
"Go Bison!"
"Houndstone."
"What the fuck?"
-Sonia-
"Egh, of course Geeta is a dog person." Meowth muttered, gazing at the Pokémon in disdain. "Explains why she's the worst champion."
"So you agree with Cloud then?" Rotom queried.
"Nah, Geeta is the worst champion because Cloud is beating her. Anyone that loses to Cloud is just worse than trash."
"I will break your spine in two."
"Enough you two!" she snapped. "Don't you understand what this means?"
"What, that Geeta isn't using Veluza?" Meowth snorted. "Probably the smartest thing she has done this match. What about it?"
"She replaced it with a Houndstone!" she accentuated. "You know, one of the Pokémon Cloud was planning on getting?"
"Then he won't have to train a new one from scratch," Psyclone nodded. "I do not see the issue with this."
"That's not part of the-look at his entry on Houndstone," she pressed, temporarily muting the stream. "Look at what he says on Last Respects."
"Let me see," Meowth muttered, shuffling away on the computer. "Houndstone…Last Respects…does 50 dama-oh."
"It does 50 damage and does 50 more damage for every Pokémon that has fainted in your party."
"But it's so slow tho," Meowth pointed to its speed stat. "It's basically a glass cannon! A super slow one at that."
"Its ability is Sand Rush." Psyclone pointed out. "Its speed is doubled whenever a Sandstorm is on the field. It does not have 68 speed. It's currently 136. It is faster than any of Cloud's Pokémon."
"So Cloud is fucked then," Meowth started to giggle. "I can't wait to see the apology video."
"Do you truly think Cloud won't win this battle? That because Geeta changed one of her Pokémon that he suddenly cannot beat her?"
"It's the Pokémon in question that's the issue." she countered. "Cloud told me it can do twice as much damage as a Hydro Cannon when the rest of the Pokémon are knocked out. That's not taking into account Terastallization either. I'm not even sure the barriers can take that damage."
"That does not answer the question."
"I...don't know," she admitted, letting out a sigh. "He came into this battle with certain expectations. And instead of fighting a Pokémon he is well prepared to face, he's going against a Pokémon that can fight on par with legendary Pokémon."
"Then clearly you do not know him as well as you think you do." he stated, taking Sonia aback.
"If Cloud could not adapt to change, he would be a worthless Pokémon trainer."
-Cloud-
'Is this karma?' I wondered, looking at the Houndstone on the other side of the field. Houndstone, the Karma Pokémon?'
I had a small staredown with the Pokémon, or tried to anyway. I don't think it could see me but it seemed happy to be on the battlefield.
As the announcer exclaimed his surprise on 'Geeta's newly revealed Pokémon,' the little Murder Death Machine was wagging its tail side-to-side as it animatedly chatted with Bison.
Out of all the Pokémon I have seen Geeta use thus far, Houndstone had the lowest level.
Houndstone: Level 68
Lucario: Level 82
It was probably the scariest out of all of them as well.
Bison won't be outspeeding Houndstone any time soon. Not with Sand Rush active, but that was fine.
Shadow Ball go brr
"Let the battle begin!"
"Shadow Ba-Oh fuck me."
Geeta wasted no time at all attempting to wrap this battle up. Before I could even finish my order for an attack, Geeta was charging up her Tera Orb.
As Houndstone was engulfed in the crystals of Terastallization, a Shadow Ball formed in Bison's hands, growing bigger in size as every moment passed.
As the Terastallization process completed, Houndstone revealed himself to the world, his Tera-form being purely Ground.
"Stomping Tantrum!"
'Wait, what?'
In a moment, Houndstone was on top of Bison, kicking his face repeatedly in an attempt to bring him into the ground.
The attack was strong. Enough to knock out Bison if it wasn't for the saving grace that was the Focus Sash.
Bison didn't take too kindly to being rushed down, snarling as Houndstone continued to walk all over him.
But it was not enough for Bison to let go of his Shadow ball. As soon as Houndstone stopped attacking, Bison grabbed it by the throat, lifting it off of the ground.
A malicious grin came onto his as he shoved the Shadow Ball down Houndstone's open mouth, making it still for a moment before it was suddenly shot back.
'That's a crit.' I noted, wincing as Houndstone let out a welp of pain, forcibly being tossed away to the other side of the field before landing in a heap.
It wasn't as bad as I hoped it was though. Instead of being knocked out, Houndstone instantly hopped back onto its feet, letting out a few angry barks.
'This battle just isn't going my way is it?' I shook my head in amusement. 'As soon as I start winning, random bullshit is thrown my way.'
I was starting to regret not bringing my starter, Dovahkin would have easily wrapped up these guys. Including Houndstone.
"Again!"
"Flash Cannon!" I called, knowing it would be pointless, but would have hurted Bison's pride more if I did nothing.
Before he could try forming the move, Houndstone was in his face once again, stomping his body into the ground with fever.
"Lucario is unable to battle, point goes to Champion Geeta!"
-Clavell-
"It seems this match is going just as I expected it would."
"Oh you have got to be kidding me," his History teacher, Ms. Raifort exclaimed, waving her hands in the air. "There's no way you thought Geeta would reveal one of her new Pokémon, show the world she owned a Z-crystal, and probably the biggest reveal of all, that Kingambit can Mega-Evolve?!"
"Oh if you think that is interesting, you are going to love to see how Dynamax works when paired with Terrastalization."
She stared at him for a long moment, mouth agape as she looked back and forth between himself and the field.
"B-But Dynamax is impossible outside of Galar!"
"Indeed," Clavell admitted, taking a sip from his tea. "That part I was making up."
He failed to hide his amusement as she grasped the air in a vain attempt to choke the life out of him like she was a Psychic.
He really shouldn't be winding up his staff, but at the end of the day, it was harmless.
Of course this match wasn't going as expected. He was more surprised that there was a third interval more than anything.
He was expecting a one-sided beat down from either side, though he was more expecting Cloud to be winning on that front.
It was a surprisingly even battle, although the match was still in Cloud's favor.
Maybe he had been getting his hopes up a little. Geeta is still the champion, expecting a one-sided beatdown may have been unrealistic.
Then again, if Cloud had a Z-crystal or bothered to use Mega-Evolution himself, he doubted he would have had the same line of thought.
'He's holding back,' he realized sitting there stunned before breaking out into a small chuckle.
'To hold back, even against a champion.' he shook his head in amusement.
It does leave an old mind to wonder.
-Cloud-
'Am I cursed?' I wondered for the nth time this match, letting out a long breath before returning Bison back into his ball.
One Shadow Ball. That was all that was needed to take out Houndstone.
Then Geeta goes and terastallizes. Negating the potential 1-hit KO.
Why the hell wasn't she using Veluza anyway. I mean-
I paused, blinking as I came to a sudden realization.
Why am I treating this like it is a bad thing?
Sure, the battle will be harder, but that isn't why I came here. The whole point of this match in the first place was to show Geeta's team was trash.
She has actually improved on multiple points now that I thought about it. I don't think I have seen her use items in any of her previous battles, but that has changed. Her Pokémon's movesets? A lot more streamlined. And now the biggest improvement.
"You removed Veluza from your team!"
Is this what it feels like to be a teacher? Watching your student learn from your example to become more skilled in your craft?
Geeta seemed both a bit startled and confused at my exclamation, and the audience was no different, but I paid them no heed.
"You are using better Pokémon!" I said excitedly. "You realized Veluza was a terrible Pokémon so you replaced him with something better!"
"Ah" she blinked, "I… see how you came to that conclusion. But that would mean he is stronger than Veluza." she replied, sounding a bit sheepish. "That's not the case. He is one of my more recent captures, with far less training then what Veluza has. Before our battle, I was training with Houndstone… I may have forgotten to switch him before our match."
"Just because Veluza is better trained doesn't mean Houndstone isn't stronger," I countered. "It's-"
"AHEM!" the referee coughed, gaining our attention. "Let me remind the both of you that this is still a Pokémon battle."
Probably the nicest way of telling us to hurry up, but I didn't mind.
Geeta returned Houndstone into its Pokéball, probably knowing I would take it out with Chansey given the first opportunity.
"Trainers! Release your next Pokémon!"
Giving Geeta a brief nod, I tossed Raiden's Pokéball onto the field, gripping the mega-stone on the podium tightly once I saw Kingambit.
I wanted to see it. Reveal to the world what Mega-Kingambit would look like to the world, even it would have put me at a disadvantage.
But I couldn't.
It didn't matter that it wouldn't be helping me, you can't just give a different item to a Pokémon in the middle of a battle for any Pokémon. Especially to an opponent's Pokémon.
'I guess that will be something I will have to see for myself later.' I thought, before getting back to the battle at hand.
"Let the battle begin!"
But no attacks came.
We both waited for the other to give an order for an attack only to be met with deafly silence, knowing the moment one of us did, it would be the end for the other.
Raiden was faster than Kingambit. But it was not faster than Sucker Punch. That paired with the fact its ability gave it a boost in attack meant that if I ordered Raiden to attack, it would easily be knocked out by Sucker Punch.
This meant the only move I could use that would hit first was Sticky Web. But the moment after, Geeta would use Stone Edge, a move that's super-effective against a Bug-Electric type like Galvantula.
So the both of us did the best possible move in this scenario. Nothing.
As time started to pass with neither of us doing anything, Raiden starting to take some damage from the Sandstorm. Letting out an agitated try before furiously shaking the sand out of his eyes.
Despite neither of us calling out an attack, the Sandstorm was affecting Raiden. He was also noticeably getting agitated, making me worry he was going to do something prematurely.
"Raiden, ACDC!" I shouted, getting a chitter in response.
The both of us were at a stalemate. The winner of this round would be the one with the most patience.
The problem with Raiden is that he is not patient.
Despite my own order, Geeta did not call for an attack. The right move in the given circumstance, but made my own all the more riskier.
'ACDC', a command disguised as a delayed attack, taking exactly 111 seconds for the attack to hit.
For the first minute, the attack is not even charged. A feint for the opponent to make a move of their own. However, for the other 51 seconds, the attack is being charged. Silent, and slowly.
As another minute passed, the crowd started to get a bit rambunctious. When neither side makes a move, it can go to a draw. Or in some cases disqualification. However, in this case, since Raiden was taking damage, the battle was still active.
51 seconds. If Kingambit is given an order to use Sucker Punch within that time frame, Raiden will be knocked out, with Geeta having the advantage for the first time in our battle.
However, that did not come to pass.
As those 51 seconds passed, a cloud started to take form in the sky. It was not noticed by many as it was hidden by the top of the Sandstorm, obscuring it from view and out of sight.
Just as people in the crowd started to boo from the lack of interaction, it was just as quickly broken.
Screams echoed throughout the stadium as lightning shot from the cloud above, charging into Kingambit as if it was a lightning rod.
Pain racked through its entire body as it let out a soundless scream. The sound of Thunder rippled throughout the stadium a moment after the attack started, allowing another wave of screams that did not stop until the attack was done.
On the field, Kingambit laid still. Sparks of electricity visibly danced across his body before puckering out. He did not move for another few moments, making me think his Focus Band saved him once again, but I was wrong.
As a stiff breeze hit him, Kingambit fell over, finally out of the match.
"Kingambit is unable to battle, point goes to Cloud."
The crowd ruptured into cheers, applause and jubilant roars that I had no problem lapping up.
I was cackling like a madman, and Raiden wasn't any better.
'Wait, he's going to try and eat him isn't he?' I realized, letting out a small sigh as I saw him start to skitter towards the downed Kingambit.
"You can't eat metal you dumbass," I said, returning him before him before he could make the attempt.
It's times like these that make me wonder if I'm a bad trainer. While some Pokémon are more aggressive than others, I feel like mine tend to be worse than most.
Looking at the field, I gave an appreciative nod. While the Sandstorm hasn't fully cleared up, it was definitely on its last legs. There's probably only about one or two turns left in it, so it was a perfect opportunity for her to let her Houndstone let loose.
Hovering over Eggman's pokéball for a moment, I paused. Really thinking about the situation for a moment.
My match ups so far have been pretty poor all things considered. Even before someone started interfering, the matchups had been rather shit.
Something I often do is imagine myself in the other trainers shoes. 'What would I do, if I had these Pokémon?'
Geeta doesn't think in terms of META. If she did, she wouldn't have started with Gogoat, not used Kingambit when only two of her Pokémon were knocked out and used Glimmora earlier in the match.
If she used Glimmora as her first Pokémon and there weren't any of these stupid field changes, I would have been put on the backfoot from the very start.
My predictions on which Pokémon I expected her to switch out have been shit. Not because I have been underestimating her, but because I expect her to play the most effective tactic available.
"Trainers send out your next Pokémon!"
Tossing Rambo's Pokéball onto the field, I let out a pleased grin once I saw Glimmora take to the field.
'Looks like my luck is starting to turn-what the fuck?'
Cries from the audience broke the silence as Rambo let out a small yelp, lifting him from the ground as his body got caught up within the Sandstorm.
A moment later, he regained his control, giggling as he let the Sandstorm decide his course.
"Show-Off!" I shouted, making him laugh heartily as he started to do some tricks in the air.
Whimsicott as a species tend to favor the wind. In their Pokédex entry, they are said to appear alongside Tornados, Whirlwinds and gentle breezes, showcasing their affinity for the air currents.
Where most Pokémon of his size would have been caught in the Sandstorm, he was different.
He was riding the wind.
"He's alright," I told the ref, who looked at me pointedly. "He can't stay on the ground, he's too light for that. He will just get caught up in the Sandstorm again."
He paused for a moment, seemingly not too happy with the situation, but relented.
"Very Well, Whimsicott vs Glimmora. Let the battle begin!"
"Sludge Wave!"
"Substitute!"
It was a repeat of our first bout, but it was what I was expecting to happen. What I didn't expect was the Sandstorm to pucker out only after the first move.
Rambo gracefully floated to the ground, freezing for a moment as he noticed how dirty his suit was, but quickly dismissed it.
The battle was more important than his suit. And he knows Rotom will have it fixed before the end of the day.
"Sandstorm!"
"Stun Spore!" I snapped, grinning as Rambo did a series of front flips before slamming directly into Glimmora, back first.
Glimmora was engulfed in Rambo's wool, the spores directling setting onto her, creating an ephemeral glow.
Rambo quickly pushed back, executed a series of backflips to get back to my side of the field. As he landed, he snapped his fingers, making Glimmora freeze in place.
Before the Sandstorm could take form, it quickly died out as if nothing was there in the first.
Glimmora was paralyzed, it couldn't move.
"Follow up with Substitute!"
"Again, Sandstorm!"
I wasn't as lucky this time around, the Sandstorm taking form without issue, but Rambo didn't seem to mind that. He rided the winds of the sandstorm with no issue, putting on a show for the audience to see.
"Sludge Wave!"
"Encore!" I snapped, doing my best to hide my grin as Geeta sent me an annoyed look.
Encore forces the target to use the last move it used for 3 turns. That move being Sandstorm, and since Rambo outspeeds Glimmora on every level, that instantly shifts to the Pokémon using Sandstorm.
Which instantly fails since a Sandstorm is already on the field, locking it into a scenario where it can't even attack.
Rambo, already knowing my next order, didn't wait for me to give the command. With a spin and snap, a seed was launched at Glimmora. It connected, the seed sprouting into an array of leaves before fully encompassing the Pokémon.
Rambo let out a joyful breath as Leech Seed took effect, taking some of Glimmora's health for himself.
Glimmora was swiftly returned.
"Well, I must admit this has been a fun battle!" I smiled winningly. "But there isn't much point to delaying the inevitable. There isn't a way in hell you are getting out of this one."
I used to have a policy. Never celebrate too early.
Later in life, I changed that policy to: 'Celebrate when you have a 100% chance of winning.'
I admit, the Z-Move surprised me. I might have been put a lot more on the backfoot if Kingambit could have Mega-Evolved. And her having a Houndstone scared me for a moment, but it didn't matter at the end of the day.
Houndstone was at most, 50% health. Glimmora? The only health it lost was due to the Leech Seed, but there is literally no possible way of losing this.
It's like a Chess Grandmaster seeing mate in 5, there was literally no way-
Shit Leech Seed could miss.
'Nah,' I dismissed the thought. Even if that did happen, Eggman & Raiden would be able to wrap up this battle fairly easily.
Geeta respectively said nothing about my little jibe, but Rambo gave me a death glare, not happy at the idea of his fun ending early.
Unsurprisingly, she sent out Houndstone, taking full advantage of the Sandstorm. With a substitute up, I didn't bother returning Rambo.
I had this in the bag.
"Let the battle begin!"
"Stomping Tantrum!"
"Leech Seed!"
As Houndstone jumped, intent on bringing Rambo back to ground level, his Substitute took form, blocking his path. He quickly ripped through it, though he was quickly engulfed by the Leech Seed.
'Why isn't she using Last Respects?' I wondered, freezing slightly as a thought came to me.
'She doesn't know.'
She has a walking version of a Nuclear bomb on her team and she doesn't know how broken it can be.
'That's a good thing.' I realized, glad there wasn't going to be an influx of trainers getting Houndstone.
I did not want a repeat of the early Gen 9 competitive anytime soon.
"Again!"
"Substitute!" I repeated, the same moves repeating themselves but I didn't care.
The match was soon going to be over.
"Full Restore!"
"...wait what?"
Houndstone quickly rushed to Geeta, The woman seemingly pulling out a Full Restore from the podium and started applying it to Houndstone.
"She is using a Full Restore." I blinked, turning to the ref. "Ref, she is healing mid-battle!"
"I am aware."
"...And you are not doing anything about it?"
"Has she done-You didn't read the rulebook did you," he sighed before clarifying. "A single Healing Item is allowed to be used by either party any time during the match. The default provided is a Full Restore."
I stood there, my mind taking a moment to process exactly what I was told.
Rigidly, I looked down at my podium, only now noticing a symbol of a cross.
Pressing it, a Full Restore showed itself, making me feel a level of disgust I didn't know I could.
'Fuck this.' I thought, throwing my hands up in the air. 'Fuck my original plans. Sorry Sonia, I lied.'
I'm taking her Pokémon by the end of this battle and going to use them for giveaways on my stream.
Any bit of respect for the person I had in front of me just evaporated into thin air. I couldn't believe I was actually complimenting her battle style before. She's the living embodiment of-
Wait a minute.
Wait a fucking minute.
'...I'm ranting? About my opponent?'
The realization hit me like a ton of bricks. I couldn't help but feel bewildered at the thought.
It wasn't a foreign feeling, but it was one I haven't felt in a long while. Not since-
"Not since my Showdown days-" I muttered, being hit by a small wave of nostalgia. A small grin came onto my face, my eyes lighting up, as they met Geeta's.
I found a scumbag!
"Rambo return!" I called, letting him get the final bit of health from Leech Seed before returning him.
Geeta followed suit, returning Houndstone back to his Pokéball now that the Sandstorm was gone.
I followed up by sending out Raiden, chittering as Glimmora came onto the other side of the field.
"Let the battle begin!"
"Sandstorm!"
"Thunder!"
Thunder hit first, Raiden's ability Keen Eye ignoring the usual 70% accuracy of the move, ensuring that it would hit every time.
It hardly phased Glimmora, easily shrugging it off as another Sandstorm came into effect.
"Sludge Wave!"
"Volt Switch!" I grinned, switching to Eggman at a drop of a hat, allowing her to take the full brunt of the attack.
Due to the extremely high HP & Special Defense given to the Chansey line, the attack barely registered to her.
"Power Gem!"
"Finish her with a Seismic Toss!" I said with a flourish, Eggman quickly following suit.
Due to Glimmora still being paralyzed, and paralyzation making her considerably slower, Eggman was able to easily outspeed Glimmora.
Seismic Toss does the same amount of damage as the level of the user. Eggman is level 78, meaning the attack would take away exactly 78 health points.
Considering it had been hit earlier by Thunder, Volt Switch & had an eighth of its health drained from Leech Seed…
Well, luck wasn't going to save it this time around.
Rushing towards Glimmora on its stubby legs, Eggman quickly enveloped it into a hug, grappling it tightly to ensure there was no escape.
She then threw her into the air. Making me freeze in place.
Seismic Toss usually sends a Pokémon high into the air, the attack isn't registered until gravity makes it hit the ground.
Something that isn't exactly possible with a ceiling in the way.
The crowd erupted in screams and shouts as a sound resembling a cannon blast reverberated throughout the stadium, Glimmora making a noticeable indent, with cracks spread around the impact point.
"Ah shit," I muttered, watching Glimmora fall helplessly to the ground, not showing any signs of consciousness as it did nothing to stop its fall.
Luckily for Glimmora, Geeta was able to recall Glimmora before it could hit the floor.
"Glimmora is unable to battle, point goes to Cloud!"
Time to have a little fun.
-Geeta-
She was losing.
It wasn't by a small amount either. Overall, her Pokémon are stronger than Clouds. That wasn't up for debate. The problems came when he started using recovery moves like Leech Seed and Roost.
'His Dragonite was something else entirely' She couldn't help but think, the image of it casually shrugging off a full powered Ice attack like it was nothing continuously looping in her mind.
She didn't like how she had to regulate her Ace Pokémon to be in a supporting role for her Houndstone either. Over the last few days as she rewatched that part of the stream, she couldn't help but feel annoyed at herself.
Because he was making a point.
'Now let me tell you why it is utterly wasted the way she is using it now. Glimmora has one of the best abilities a Pokémon can have. If it gets hit by a physical attacking move? Basically setting up Poison Spikes. Happens again? Worse Poison Spikes! Toxic Debris would fuck over any team that doesn't have protection from entry hazard moves. She isn't even treating her own battles seriously.'
Information on the Glimmet line was very sparse. And the fact he offhandedly explained should have given her more caution. What it did was make her more excited for the battle to come.
Then the bet was made, and she upped her training by tenfold.
As the days passed, she recognized there was some merit in his statements, but it does not work as well when using the Paldean ruleset.
What she did realize was there was a way for her Glimmora to help the newest member of her team: Houndstone.
She caught the Pokémon on a whim. She had been training with it for the last few months and saw potential in it.
A few months into training, after a rather grueling training session, she understood the true power of Houndstone.
Last Respects… it is a truly devastating move. She understood that the move got more powerful when more Pokémon in her party had fainted, but she thought it would be a minor increase.
She wasn't prepared for the sheer amount of devastation it caused.
It would be risky. Morally questionable, it's irresponsible to show the world the pure destruction such a move can cause.
But there was a problem with that.
She was utterly incapable of holding back in Pokémon battles.
"Trainers, release your next Pokémon!"
She considered it good luck Cloud had returned Chansey. If he didn't, the end result of this match may have gone differently.
A small laugh escaped her lips, quickly developing into a burst of laughter, silencing all the stadium.
She cackled, she laughed, she roared.
She didn't understand it.
She could lose her Pokémon depending on the outcome of this battle.
Then why…
'Why am I having so much fun?'
Taking another breath to calm herself down, she tossed Houndstone onto the field, Cloud hesitantly sending out his Whimsicott, who started to look a bit drowsy after being poisoned from the Toxic Debris.
'Don't worry little princess, this battle will soon be over.'
"Let the battle begin!"
"Last Respects!" she snapped, a full blown smile on her face as she prepared for the outgoing devastation.
Her grin froze in place once she saw Cloud.
Who was currently charging a Tera Orb of his own.
"But how?" she whispered, but as she looked more closely at it she realized it looked quite different from the regular version. Instead of it being purely black, it was a darker blue in color, encrusted in bronze, giving it a unique design.
It did not take him long to charge, quickly throwing it at his Whimsicott to allow the Terastallization to take form.
'Oh no.'
There are 18 different Pokémon types in the world. The type a Pokémon Terastallizes into is completely random.
It was only bad luck that the Tera-type of this Whimsicott was Normal.
"Leech Seed!"
'Shit,' she cursed. "Stomping Tantrum, now!"
"Encore!"
Even with Houndstone's ability Sand Rush active, Cloud's Whimsicott was impossibly quicker. Entrancing Houndstone into repeating itself with Last Respects.
'Ah. I have lost.'
She did not bother calling the next move, knowing it would be a worthless effort.
Houndstone's fate was sealed when it was hit with Stun Spore.
She couldn't describe how she felt at that moment. She did not know if it was anger, a sense of loss or something different entirely.
She has never felt any of those emotions before so she could not be certain.
Cloud seemed content with letting Houndstone repeat himself using Last Respects. As this was happening, the Sandstorm died down, Rambo preening upon realizing that his suit was now shining due to Terastallization.
Another few seconds passed, and Houndstone eventually broke out of Encore. Barking as he did so.
She was going to lose. That is a fact.
But she was not going to give up.
"Stomping Tantrum!"
"Substitute!"
She did not know a Pokémon could be so frustrating based on only a few set of moves. It seemed like it was only there to be an annoyance.
As quickly as it came, Houndstone destroyed the Substitute, making her nod appreciatively.
Then Cloud returned his Pokémon.
'You have got to be kidding me.' she was tempted to groan, but she was better than that.
Chansey was sent out, the only option since Galvantula couldn't do anything with it, only having Electric-type damaging attacks. Still it was poisoned due to the poison barbs covering the field.
The referee for the match, Mr. Reglamento, only gave a stiff nod before allowing the final battle to commence.
It was the expected result. Despite Houndstone's overwhelming power, its speed was only a quarter of how it is when Sandstorm is active. Still, she ordered him to use Stomping Tantrum, regardless of the fact Chansey would reach him first.
"Seismic Toss!" Cloud finished, snapping his fingers as he gave the final order of the match.
Rushing towards Houndstone, Chansey picked him up before throwing him into the air.
Another indentation was made beside Glimmora's, a small whine leaving its body before he finally went limp.
A moment passed and he started to fall to the ground, only being caught by her raised Pokéball.
She had lost.
"Houndstone is unable to battle, point goes to Cloud. Champion Geeta has run out of usable Pokémon. The winner is Cloud!"
-Cloud-
The crowd was on their feet, cheering and screaming in an equal amount, but I didn't care. None of that mattered.
I walked onto the field, carefully avoiding the toxic spikes before Eggman rushed over, lifting me in the air for a bear hug.
"Not bad kiddo," I smiled, tussling her hair as she preened at me.
"Why don't you show off to the audience a bit more, alright?" I asked, nodding happily as she got my intended message.
"Your a good a ref…Mr. Reglamento, thanks for explaining the rules back there."
"It's my job," he frowned. "Though the thanks is appreciated."
"As it should be!" I grinned happily, sneaking snatching his microphone away before he could notice.
I continued on my way towards Geeta, a whirlwind of thoughts going through my head on what to say.
I had an entire plan before this battle. I wanted Larry to be the champion of Paldea. I would have given Geeta's Pokémon back to her on the basis that Larry would be the new champion, and Geeta would never become the champion of Paldea again.
I didn't expect her to be such a rare gem.
Sure, she has some shit Pokémon, but a bad team comp can be fixed! What is a lot harder to train in mentality.
Someone that goes out of their way to use Full Restores, Terastallization, Mega Evolution & Z-Crystals?
It's one of the most scummiest things I have ever seen in my life! To find a scumbag willing to go that low in order to try to win a Pokémon battle is rare. For them not to be completely evil? Next to impossible!
It is also the perfect mentality for competitive play.
As soon as I realized this a few minutes ago, my decision was made final.
"Geeta! I've decided!" I announced, my voice echoing throughout the speakers in the stadium.
You are going to be my apprentice!"