Chapter Ten – Crossing Swords
Aleister and I both stood in awe at this newest development. I'm sure he wasn't expecting his oldest partner to evolve today, and I know I sure wasn't expecting to have to deal with a fifty-year-old metal behemoth in my second gym battle. Toothpick scrambled to his feet and looked at me in alarm; how are we supposed to beat this thing?
Aggron roared again, a menacing cry of self-assuredness and physical dominance shaking the air itself. The Pokédex says that an Aggron is almost seven feet tall - this is yet another case of the Pokédex being very wrong. The one opposing my partner and I today easily surpassed ten feet, and I'm starting to come to understand how they can claim an entire mountain as their own territory. Aggron flexed and swung his tail casually, tearing through the crumbling metal platform he'd crashed into moments ago as if it were wet cardboard.
So much for an easy gym battle.
"Toothpick, change of plans! You're small enough to dodge anything he throws at you, keep your distance and wear him down!"
He shook off his alarm and nodded at me decisively, scampering over to the nearest tunnel he'd dug prior to roar out for a Sand Tomb attack. The twisters of dirt and dust came swirling out of each opening to aim directly for Aggron, and while the sand didn't do all that much damage, it distracted him and kept his vision obscured while Toothpick ran back into his tunnel network momentarily. I can't see what he's doing underground, but judging by how he keeps popping up on opposite sides of the field, I've got a feeling he's trying to weaken the ground underneath Aggron to attempt to trap him in a makeshift sinkhole.
Aggron bellows out in frustration, too busy trying to wave away the annoying sandstorms to notice Toothpick carving up the terrain beneath him. I trust my partner to follow his own judgment, and within moments I see him rocket up from below Aggron to attempt an attack at his weaker stomach area. Aggron sees him too, however, and swats at Toothpick with a high-power Metal Claw.
For the first time in the match, an attack lands squarely on Toothpick, and he hammers into the ground hard from the force of Aggron's newly evolved strength. I can barely watch as Aggron attempts to take advantage of this opportunity to leap into the air with surprising grace and slam his entire weight into my poor Sandile.
Even though he was painfully bruised from the impact into the arena floor, this was the moment he'd been waiting for, and Toothpick rolls onto his feet and dashes as quickly as he can manage out of the way of Aggron's Heavy Slam attack. Our plan worked like a charm and the ground of the battlefield collapsed like an imploded building under his weight, sending Aggron sinking several feet into the dirt. Thundering out in indignation, Aggron tries to clamber out of the sinkhole; but like prey trapped by a Trapinch, the more he tried to escape, the deeper he sank into the soil.
"He's stuck Toothpick! Go wild!"
He was already a step ahead of me, honing his claws and teeth again before lunging in to Crunch down on one of Aggron's horns. It seems those are a bit of a weak point, at least that's my assumption judging by the way Aggron howled in pain and anger. He thrashed against his confines, but Toothpick held fast, and I had to hold back another laugh at the image of my partner being whipped back and forth like a pennant. It wasn't much longer before he was flung off, but he ran back and immediately latched back on to the other horn, and it was at that point I saw how much damage he was really doing. Aggron's horn had taken on some bite marks and even had been bent at a slight angle by the force of his jaws.
Aggron kept trying to claw his way out of the pit to no avail, and he kept roaring in frustration at his predicament while Toothpick kept gnawing away. Without understanding why, I started to get a bad feeling about the situation, and I had to intervene.
"Back off Toothpick! Something's coming!"
He jumped backwards, and it was right on time too, as Aggron suddenly sunk deeper into the sandpit with hardly any warning and was quickly buried all the way underground. Other than the large cone shaped pit and the wreckage of the platforms Aggron had destroyed, the field looked as if Sandile was alone out there. It was almost eerie how quickly he'd gone from roaring and thrashing about to just… gone. Judging from Aleister's expression, or lack thereof, I knew we had to be cautious from here. For all we know, Aggron's known how to Dig this entire time and we're about to get a taste of our own medicine.
I wish I wasn't so good at predicting these things.
With frightening precision, Aggron's hand reached up from under the arena floor and grabbed Toothpick, and with a shriek he was pulled underground to fight on equal terms. Just how deep below the floor does this battlefield go, anyway? I'll have to ask Aleister about this building's construction after this battle is over. My architectural curiosity notwithstanding, I leaned over my podium railing in futile hopes of seeing some sign of the pair fighting below the earth. It seems that with all the tunneling and uses of Sand Tomb, the floor had been transformed into what was effectively a giant pit of loose sand, and while this would normally be Toothpick's preferred battleground, the fact that our foe could fight just as well in this terrain took away any advantage we might have had. I would occasionally see one of the metal platforms tip over onto its side, showing that there definitely was action going on below the earth. I felt a little helpless knowing he's fighting down there alone without me there with him.
All of a sudden, I heard a heart wrenching screech of pain when Toothpick bolted out of the sand onto one of the platforms, and I saw that his face was dripping red. My level of concern immediately multiplied when I saw Aggron lurch out of the sand across the field. While he was battered from Toothpick's own subterranean assault, his central horn was dyed scarlet with my partner's blood, and he wore a sneer on his face at his victory. This has gone too far. I know battles are never safe, I know injuries happen even in more tame conflicts, but this is my best friend we're talking about.
"Toothpick! Buddy! Are you okay? Should I forfeit?" I cried out, almost in tears at the image of him in such pain, but he glared at me with his good eye, almost as if to say that he wouldn't forgive me if I gave up now. I grimaced at the sight, seeing just how seriously injured he really was, but he's decided this is where he needs to make his stand, so I'll trust him and be right here for him when this is over. For better or for worse.
Aggron roared out in conquest, claiming his victory, but to his credit Toothpick returned the favor with a snarl louder than any I've ever heard from him. The look of anger on his face was startling, and all of a sudden, I remembered why there's a large faction of people that are terrified of wild pokémon. I was even scared of my own best friend for a moment. But I pulled myself together, and I knew I had to be there to support him.
Aggron lowered his head in preparation, and charged full pelt at Toothpick's platform, who stood there in bated anticipation. Almost as if his attack from earlier that caused Lairon to evolve was a dress rehearsal for this final performance, he leapt into the air instantaneously as soon as Aggron crashed into the pedestal, doing a flip in midair. He plummeted at top speed into Aggron's back, and Aggron's impact into the sand was powerful enough to shake Aleister and I's podiums. I heard a loud, messy crunch underneath the sound of the ground rumbling, and Aggron immediately coughed up blood of his own. Toothpick hopped off his back, almost daring him to stand up after that attack, and while Aggron gave a valiant effort, he collapsed into the sand unmoving.
We won. I can't believe we won.
The automated referee announced that Aggron was unable to battle, and it was finally done. Toothpick roared over his vanquished foe, and I leapt off my podium and tumbled into the sand to sprint to my best friend. I swept him up into a bear hug, being sure to avoid his injuries and especially his hurt eye, and he chattered away happily in my arms. I didn't see until he got closer, but Aleister approached us with a wide smile on his face. He shook my hand and gestured to the stadium bleachers, where it looked as if the entire gym had come to watch the battle, all applauding us both.
"My sincerest congratulations, Sir Samiel, and especially to you, Toothpick. I can't grant you knighthood myself, but you aided my partner in fulfilling his true potential, and for that you will always be vaunted in these halls. That final Earthquake attack will be something we'll both remember for years to come. You, more than almost any before you, truly deserve this badge, and if you ever need an ally, you have my sword. Come, let's finish this paperwork so you can get your partner the treatment he deserves."
He recalled his Aggron, escorted us off the field and led the way through the halls of the gym, before arriving at his office in short order. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, but it was incredibly different compared to Wattson's office. When he said I'd have his sword, he was speaking literally: there's an actual sword hanging from the wall. Not one of those cheap, garish prop katanas either: full tang construction, a gilded hilt, even his name and title etched into the face of the blade, Sir Aleister of Camphrier. He asked for my trainer card, then sat at his desk and tapped away at the computer for a minute, before he looked back up at Toothpick and I with concern.
"You should probably recall him. A wound to the eye like that is easily agitated by the artificial lighting in buildings like these, and pokéballs are designed to put the pokémon into a stasis of sorts so no further damage occurs."
I looked down at my partner in my arms, and he shook his head vigorously at the suggestion.
"Toothpick doesn't like being in his ball even on a good day, let alone when he's hurt like this. But you're probably right about the lighting - I hate fluorescent bulbs too. But I think I've got an idea."
Shifting him gently into one arm, I used my other to dig into my pack and grabbed my Go-Goggles and that new pair of sunglasses I'd just bought. Holding them up for him to pick between, he didn't remotely hesitate to go for my goggles, so I put my sunglasses away and gingerly tried to slip them onto him. They clearly weren't designed for a pokémon's head shape, but I still got them on with little effort. He snuggled up to me, happy to be wearing the glasses I'd spent the last several years in.
"See? All better. They're good for protection from sandstorms, but they're also UV and blue light resistant. Plus, I feel like his mental health is more important right now than his physical. We're not battling any more today, maybe not for a couple of weeks based on how beaten up Edward and Toothpick are. We need to spend some time recuperating after Aggron."
He smiled softly, before handing my card back, a shiny new badge icon emblazoned on it.
"A prudent observation. Aggron himself will need a while to recover after that monumental battle. It's almost strange not calling him Lairon anymore, he's been in that form probably longer than you've been alive. I truly don't know how to thank you enough. I honestly thought he was going to be stuck that way for the rest of my life; he's had some insecurities about being unable to evolve for a very long time. I never would have expected the one to get him to cross that threshold would be another pokémon that most trainers would have evolved by now."
I laughed and gently scratched Toothpick's head, noticing he had fallen asleep in my arms.
"Toothpick's just a special guy. He's told me in more ways than one that he can evolve whenever he feels like it, he just doesn't want to. Don't tell him I told you, but I think it's because he knows once he evolves he won't be able to sit on my shoulder anymore. Krokorok might have a little more physical power than Sandile, but your Aggron can attest that that's not a problem for Toothpick. Besides, I'm sure everyone's heard by now about that one guy with a Pikachu who managed to beat 'The Undefeated' Leon. Toothpick can stay small as long as he likes, and if he wants to evolve that's his choice."
Aleister smiled warmly at that, before shaking my hand again and handing me a physical copy of the Anchor Badge.
"You're a stellar trainer, Samiel, and I'm sure your team can see it too. I'm confident you'll be able to do whatever you set your mind to in Unova. Thank you for today. If you ever need Aggron and I, you know where to find us. Take care of yourselves."
I grinned happily at him, gently placing Toothpick on my shoulder where he belongs and making my way out of the gym.
Unova, here we come.