Things got out of hand.
That is all I will say.
"Make sure no Pokemon try to ambush me from the grass. I'm going to make a call."
Hatenna watched concernedly as Bede sat down by a tree and began dialing a number on his Macro Cosmos-issued Rotom Phone. There was no way she could have missed the tightness in Bede's voice, the slight trembling in his body. Marcus's words were still affecting him; Hatenna felt a flash of hatred for the Gym Leader as she eyed her Trainer. Perhaps Marcus hadn't known the true effect of his words, but he'd hurt Bede badly all the same.
"Is Master okay?" Solosis asked worriedly; Bede had sent all four of his team members out to guard him while he made the call. "I do not think he sounds okay."
"Neither do I." Ponyta, the newest member, was keeping his head fixed on the surrounding grass, glancing from side to side as he obeyed Bede's command. He'd joined mere days ago, a newcomer in a team that had otherwise been with Bede for over a year now, and as such was clearly anxious to prove himself.
"That's because he is not." Gothita spoke up from Bede's other side. "I have not seen him this tense since Sabrina…you know." She trailed off, clearly unwilling to speak further.
"I should comfort Master," Solosis gurgled, beginning to rise off the ground.
"In private, Solosis," Gothita chided.
"This is private enough," Solosis pointed out. "And Master clearly needs it."
"He won't want to be disturbed," said Hatenna. "Leave him alone."
Gothita glared at Hatenna. "Do not forget that Solosis and I have been with him far longer than you have," she warned. "We are his partners. Rose and Bede may both have declared you leader, but that does not mean you can tell us what our Master wants."
A blast of energy distracted all three of the Psychic-types from their burgeoning quarrel. Ponyta swallowed sheepishly, light fading from his horn. "Sorry! Thought I saw a Zigzagoon."
Gothita scoffed.
"Don't worry about it, Ponyta," Hatenna comforted. "Gothita, Solosis, let's just get to watching like Ponyta is. There's no sense in quarreling, especially not now."
"That is true." Solosis swiveled away and began to cast his own gaze out over the Wild Area. With a huff, Gothita did the same. Hatenna, however, did not, instead focusing on Bede as he raised the Rotom Phone to his ear and began to speak.
"Chairman," he said. "I've gathered seventeen more Wishing Stars, and I'm heading over to Hammerlocke to deliver them."
"Young Bede." Rose's voice emanated from the phone, filtered but still clear. "Are you alright? You sound troubled."
Hatenna's eyes widened. If Marcus's words hit Bede so hard that Rose can instantly tell he's off…
Bede sighed. "I met Marcus and Gloria in the second mine," he admitted. "She wanted to fight again. I felt it was a waste of time and told her as much, and you know how she's a little crybaby, so of course she started wailing and ran off. Marcus got offended, and…" His voice began to shake as he continued. "He told me I was pathetic. That I was only saying what I said because I knew Gloria was stronger than me, and…and I was never going to make it in this world because-"
"Bede!" Rose interrupted sharply. "He was wrong, and you know it! I would not be sponsoring you if I thought otherwise. You know that, don't you?"
"Of course, Chairman."
"So don't listen to a foreign Gym Leader who doesn't know what he's talking about," Rose urged. "You are not pathetic. He was just trying to defend his protege and lost his temper, that's all. Don't even worry about him. Besides, in all likelihood, he'll be leaving Galar soon enough."
"Right." Bede took a deep breath, reining in his emotions. "So…Hammerlocke?"
Rose let out another sigh. "All right, Bede, but I must say this again - we have enough Wishing Stars."
"But more of them will make things easier, right?" Bede asked eagerly.
"Yes," said Rose, "but-"
"Then I'll deliver more!" Bede announced. "I'll deliver all the Wishing Stars in Galar if I have to! You can count on me, Chairman!"
A noise that might have been a chuckle came from the other end of the phone. "Of course, Bede. Now, I must ask you a question. Is it true you're using the devices I gave you already?"
Bede's voice dropped in volume. "The Eviolites? Of course."
"That is what I meant, yes," said Rose. "I gave you those for emergencies. Just in case you needed a little bit more insurance for an important victory. Not to beat down on every Trainer who crosses your path. Young Gloria told me of your rather brutal victory over her-"
"I told you, she's nothing but a crybaby." Hatenna noticed that Ponyta had completely abandoned his watch in favor of staring, shocked, at the Rotom Phone. Bede was frowning. "Chairman, I know what I'm doing. I'm hiding the Eviolites, I'm having my Pokemon hold back so as not to cause injuries, and I'm making sure to recall them once they've taken an appreciable amount of damage. You gave me these Eviolites so I could use them how I wanted to, and I am."
"Are they necessary, though?" Rose asked. "Your Pokemon have been training with you for years, and I'm sure at least some of them are approaching evolution. They are likely plenty strong even without Eviolites."
"But they're stronger with them," Bede insisted. "With Eviolites, there isn't a Trainer in the Gym Challenge who can stand up to me. And it's not like any Pokemon have been injured, right? Like you said, it's just a little bit more insurance for my victories."
A sigh. "Yes, Bede. Just be careful. If you are caught-"
"Understood," said Bede. "I'm heading to Hammerlocke now. See you soon, Chairman."
"Of course, Bede." Rose's words had barely filtered out into the air before a loud beeping noise indicated he'd hung up. Bede stared at the phone for a few seconds, then rose from his seat and stowed it in his pocket. "Come on, you four," he said. "Time to get to Hammerlocke, and then it's back to Motostoke. Ponyta, I think-"
"Hold on," Hatenna interrupted telepathically, staring at the still-frozen Ponyta. Out loud, even though she knew exactly what the source of Ponyta's shock was, she said, "Ponyta, what's wrong?"
"Eviolites?" The word came out of Ponyta's mouth in what was practically a whisper. "You've all been using Eviolites? Is that why you're so strong?"
"Yes, we have," said Hatenna.
"But…" Ponyta swallowed. "Doesn't that mean you're…cheating?"
Hatenna sighed. I knew this was coming. Bede, I warned you this was a dangerous path you were heading down…we can't afford disloyalty among your own Pokemon. Part of her hoped Ponyta would leave because of this. But deep inside, she knew he wouldn't. After all, she'd had similar reservations when Rose had first introduced Bede to the concept of Eviolites, and she was still here.
"It's not really cheating." As expected, Gothita stepped forwards. "Not the way we're using them. Yes, they're illegal, but that's only because they cause injuries. And we're being careful to limit our strength so that we don't cause injuries even with Eviolites. So all we're doing with them is just…like Rose said, giving ourselves a little bit more insurance on our victories. After all, we're still strong enough to beat anyone who crosses us even without Eviolites, right?"
"Of course," Solosis gurgled immediately. Hatenna, trying not to make her emotions known, managed a silent nod.
Ponyta frowned. "It still feels wrong to be using something illegal."
"You'll get used to it," said Gothita. "Besides, you don't want Bede to lose, right?"
"Of course not!" Ponyta cried.
"Then the Eviolites will make sure he doesn't." Gothita smiled. "All it takes is a little bit of rule-bending. No one gets too badly hurt and no one finds out, so…again, like Rose said, no harm done."
Ponyta lowered his head. "I…I guess…"
"Good," said Gothita. Hatenna turned away, pretending to search the surrounding grass once more, in order to hide her expression of disgust. She hated Eviolites. She hated the very concept of cheating. But no matter how many times she tried to bring it up, Bede was set on using them, and Gothita and Solosis were just as set on backing him up.
And I can't protect Bede if I'm on the outs with both him and his team.
Swallowing, Hatenna telepathically told Bede, "We're ready now."
Bede nodded silently, reached for Hatenna's Pokeball, and then froze, his eyes turning to the left.
"What is it, Bede?" Hatenna asked, shifting her own gaze to follow his. Her question was answered instantly as she spotted a familiar curly-haired, dark-skinned boy dressed in a blue jacket running out of the Motostoke entry gate.
"The Champion's brother and his sponsored Trainer," Bede murmured. "This is perfect. I haven't faced him yet. If I beat him, then I prove Marcus wrong. After all, I can't be pathetic if I smack down the brother of our undefeated Champion, can I?"
Gothita smirked. "Oh, this is going to be fun. Right, Solosis?"
Solosis gurgled his approval. Ponyta swallowed, but said nothing.
Hatenna frowned. "I presume you're still going to be using the Eviolites?"
"Of course," said Bede with a smirk. "He's not going to know what hit him."
Hatenna hid a sigh as Bede recalled her and began heading for Hop. This is so dangerous, she told herself. If anyone - one single person or Pokemon who's the tiniest bit too moral - discovers the Eviolites, everything we've worked so hard to accomplish for Bede will be ruined.
And no matter how much I hate the idea of cheating…I won't let that happen. Hatenna stared out of Bede's Pokeball at the growing form of Hop. I made a promise to the Chairman to protect and serve Bede, and I will keep to that promise.
No matter what it takes.
"I'm sorry, sir," said the salesman, "but I can't seem to find a Teleport TM among my stock. Perhaps one will come in the next shipment, but I wouldn't cross my fingers. Those TMs are pretty rare."
Cloyster sighed. He and Marcus both knew this had been a long shot at best, but all the same, he really wanted to start teleporting. It was going to be so cool!
"It's all right," said Marcus. "Thanks anyway."
"No problem." The salesman smiled, clearly relieved that Marcus wasn't angry about the failure to find the TM. "Is there anything else I can get for you?"
Marcus looked down at Cloyster's Pokeball and smiled slightly. "Actually, yes," he said. "Do you happen to have any Focus Sashes?"
Cloyster felt his jaw drop. A Focus Sash? Aren't those really expensive?
"Why, yes, I do!" said the salesman. "Just wait here and I'll fetch one for you."
As he trotted off, Marcus glanced after him for a moment, then looked back down at Cloyster. "Sorry I couldn't get the TM," he said, "but I hope this'll do as a consolation prize."
Consolation prize? Cloyster scarcely refrained from laughing out loud. He knew what a Focus Sash was; when the Pokemon it was tied around fell unconscious, it would automatically dematerialize into energy that then flowed straight into the Pokemon's body, instantly bringing them back to consciousness and revitalizing them. It was one of the most expensive non-reusable items one could buy - only the wealthiest Trainers could consistently afford Focus Sashes, and even then only for one or two of their Pokemon at most.
So for Marcus to splurge on a Focus Sash for him…Cloyster couldn't help but beam at the prospect. That kind of thing was often the difference between a lost battle and a victory.
"Here you are," said the salesman, stepping back behind the counter with a bright red ribbon in his hand. "That will be fifty thousand Pokedollars, please."
Cloyster coughed. I didn't realize it cost that much!
But Marcus paid without hesitation, and before long he had exited the store, Focus Sash in hand. As soon as he stepped out onto the sidewalk, he released Cloyster. "So, Cloyster," he said, "ready to win your next battle?"
Cloyster grinned. "You bet I am!" he said, unable to stop himself from wriggling in excitement.
Marcus knelt down, reaching out towards Cloyster with the Sash - and then, all at once, it wasn't in his hand anymore.
"Hey!" he cried, leaping to his feet; Cloyster spun in time to see a small boy, looking no more than ten years old, running into a nearby alleyway with the Focus Sash in hand. "Get back here!" Marcus yelled, recalling Cloyster even as he rushed after the fleeing boy.
As they dashed into the alleyway, Cloyster saw the boy ducking to the right, seemingly deaf or uncaring of Marcus's calls. The alley itself was a lot dingier than the rest of Motostoke - trash and detritus covered the stone surface of the alleyway, and up around them arose the walls of various buildings, many of them flat and windowless. Naturally - no one would want a window that looks into such a dirty alleyway. Which makes this the perfect place to hide for, say, a young pickpocket. Part of Cloyster felt instinctively sorry for the boy - there was no reason someone so young should be on the streets, reduced to stealing to survive.
And then Marcus rounded the corner, and all of Cloyster's sorrow faded. For the boy had disappeared - instead, there was a man standing there, facing Marcus with head lowered and obscured by what looked like a black-purple baseball cap, along with a similarly colored jacket and pants.
The man was standing in what looked like a disused stone driveway, surrounded by tall red brick building walls on all sides. Cloyster could instantly tell that these walls were part of apartment buildings, or at least had once been - there were windows on these walls, regularly spaced in columns and rows upon the walls, but they were mostly boarded-up, and no light came from within. This entire area, it seemed, was currently disused.
The perfect place for an urban-set Pokemon battle. Cloyster swallowed as he saw the Focus Sash clutched in the man's left hand. This whole thing was a trap, and we've walked right into it.
"What do you want?" Marcus asked challengingly.
The man looked up, revealing a face Cloyster didn't recognize - brown eyes, a stern expression, and the smallest bit of brown hair peeking out from behind his black-colored hat. "I am Joshua," he said. "You have felled many of my compatriots in battle. This cannot stand. As an Admin of Team Yell, I will avenge them here today. Gym Leader Marcus Grayson, I challenge you to a three-on-three battle. The victor receives the Focus Sash. Do not try to simply take the Sash - I have multiple avenues of escape prepared, and you will never see it again. Do you accept?"
Marcus clenched his fists. "Of course," he growled. "I should've figured some sort of Admin would show up sooner or later. You have a deal, Joshua. But don't think you'll win this."
Cloyster watched Joshua nervously as the Team Yell Admin shifted his hand down to a full belt of Pokeballs. On one hand, Team Yell had been pushovers so far, whole groups of them easily defeated by one or two of Marcus's Pokemon. On the other hand, Joshua clearly was confident if he'd set all this up just to challenge Marcus like this. And Cloyster couldn't forget what had happened with Team Skull. He still wasn't entirely certain if Marcus was capable of defeating Guzma.
"Toxicroak."
Joshua's first Pokemon emerged onto the field, fists clenched tightly, already braced for battle. Huh, Cloyster couldn't help but think. Isn't Team Yell supposed to only have Dark-types?
Marcus reached for Medicham's Luxury Ball, then stopped, shifting his hand two Luxury Balls to the left. "Kriesh, start this off with a win."
Kriesh materialized before Toxicroak, spreading her wings and screeching a challenge. Toxicroak responded with nothing more than a mute crouch, preparing to fling himself across the battlefield the instant the fight began.
"Low Kick," Joshua ordered.
"Counter with Drill Peck!" Marcus cried, and in the next moment the battle was joined.
Toxel's fist met that of Marnie's Scraggy; the resulting blast of energy sent both flying backwards. Toxel simply landed back on his feet; Scraggy did a flip and landed in a crouch, reaching out with one hand towards Toxel.
"Sand-Attack!" Marnie ordered.
"Dodge it, Toxel!" Gloria cried.
"Dirt Toss!" Scraggy growled. Toxel leaped to the side, but Scraggy was too fast, the attack too widespread. He felt some of the spray strike him in the face and staggered, letting out a loud sharp cry as he brought his hands to his eyes.
"Head Slam!"
Toxel opened his eyes in time to see a blur streaking towards him; then Scraggy headbutted him in the chest, knocking the wind right out of him. He heard a succession of cheers from the nearby Team Yell Grunts. "Go, Marnie!" "That's our girl!" "Kick its a - ow, what'd you punch me for?"
"Acid!" Gloria yelled as Toxel reeled, coughing for air.
Somehow, in the midst of both blindness and pain, Toxel managed to reach out and summon Poison energy to his hand. "Acid Splash!"
"Dodge!" Marnie cried, but Scraggy's yell of pain indicated he hadn't managed to get away in time. Quickly, Toxel reached up and rubbed his eyes again; they still felt sore and raw, but at least Toxel could somewhat see Scraggy as the Dark/Fighting-type stood back up.
He couldn't help but feel relieved that Gloria had sent him out first. That was at least a sign that she wasn't going to just abandon him after what he'd done. But to make absolutely sure of that, he had to at least beat this Scraggy…and maybe one or two others if possible.
Besides, some revenge against Team Yell would definitely not hurt.
"At him, Toxel!" Gloria cried. "Land a Nuzzle!"
"Don't go lettin' him do that!" Marnie ordered. "Meet him fist to fist!"
Toxel lunged, tapping into Flail; Scraggy responded in kind. Toxel's fist met Scraggy's own, and this time Toxel pressed, pouring Electric energy into his next blow to try and paralyze Scraggy. "Electro Strike!"
But Scraggy was quick to duck the punch and come up with an uppercut straight to Toxel's chin. As Toxel staggered, Gloria cried, "Look out!" Toxel shifted; his fist came up just in time to catch Scraggy's next blow. Toxel twisted, flinging Scraggy forwards and coming back around for a punch straight to the back of the Dark/Fighting-type's head.
Scraggy rolled with the blow and came back up, swinging one clenched fist around towards Toxel. He opened it as it came into view, revealing a cluster of energy-formed particles grasped within it. "Dirt Toss!"
Again the Sand-Attack hit home, and this time Toxel took it full in the face. Momentarily forgetting himself, he cried out in pain, clawing at his eyes to try and clear his vision; it was only when Scraggy hit him that he remembered he was still in a fight.
"Beat Up!" Marnie yelled.
Toxel stumbled, and Scraggy did not let up. "Pummel Slam!" he yelled; a fist cracked against his right cheek, another hit his left cheek, and then a third rammed straight into his stomach, doubling him over. He felt a hand grab the back of his head; in the next moment Scraggy rammed him face-first into the lobby floor hard enough that Toxel heard the distinct crack of tile giving way. Idly, as blood filled Toxel's mouth, a random thought flitted into his mind.
Wow, hotel staff's gonna have a field day cleaning this up…
"Flail!" Gloria's scream brought Toxel back to reality. A snarl of rage escaped Toxel's mouth as he blindly flung himself upwards; he felt his head crack against Scraggy's chin, and a strangled wail of pain sounded as the weight disappeared from atop Toxel's head.
Frantically, Toxel rubbed at his eyes as he rose; again he managed to blink them open enough to at least somewhat see what was going on. Scraggy had one hand to his mouth, his other clenched into a fist at his side; the glare in his own eyes was absolutely furious, and Toxel realized that Scraggy had probably bitten his own tongue as a result of that hit.
Good. He deserves it.
"C'mon, Scraggy, you got this!" Marnie urged.
Scraggy lowered his hand from his mouth, spat a mouthful of blood onto the tile floor (which, yes, was very much cracked), and hurled himself at Toxel. "Punching Slam!"
Again Toxel met him, this time blocking Scraggy's fist with an elbow. Drawing that same hand back, he lashed out with a backhand that cracked across Scraggy's face. Scraggy stumbled away; Toxel pressed, but as he did so, he saw Scraggy smirking, saw the Dark/Fighting-type's hand coming up towards him, clenched once more.
I'm not going to fall for the same trick forever!
"Dirt Toss!" Toxel ducked; Scraggy's Sand-Attack sailed overhead, but the Dark/Fighting-type barely paused. Toxel barely had enough time to notice Scraggy shift before his foot cannoned straight into the back of Toxel's legs, sweeping them out from under him in one fluid motion. Toxel landed hard on his back; Scraggy reared up above him, raising one fist high. "Punching Slam!"
"To the side!" Gloria yelled.
Toxel rolled; Scraggy's fist shattered the tile where he'd been lying a second earlier. As he rolled, Toxel brought his hand up towards the kneeling Scraggy. "Acid Spray!" he cried; Scraggy cried out as the Acid blasted out from Toxel's hand, the force of the blast strong enough to knock him over.
"Now, Toxel!" Gloria cried. "Eat that Oran Berry, and use Belch!"
Marnie cursed as Toxel hastily grabbed his Oran Berry from where he kept it on his body and popped it into his mouth. "Protect, Scraggy!"
Still on the floor, Scraggy spun, raising one hand up. A barrier of energy sprang outwards from it as Toxel opened his mouth. "Acid Burst!"
The wave of Poison energy exploded outwards from Toxel's mouth as it had many times before. But this time, instead of washing over his opponent, the attack bounced off Scraggy's Protect, dissipating uselessly against the barrier. Toxel knew what Protect was - everyone knew what Protect was - but he still froze for a second, shocked at the failure of an attack that had, up until now, blasted through practically every foe he'd faced. (Nessa's Drednaw didn't count.)
And Marnie and Scraggy took full advantage of that shock. "Now, Scraggy!" Marnie ordered. "Leer, and get 'im with Beat Up!"
Something flashed in Scraggy's eyes; a feral grin split his face as he hurtled for Toxel again. As they had in each clash so far, Toxel blocked, trying to ignore the strange feeling of nervousness that filled his heart.
He was not expecting the strength of Scraggy's punch to overpower his block. Toxel lost his balance and staggered, a stumble that Scraggy did not hesitate to capitalize on. "Pummel Slam!" he yelled, hurling a fist that inexplicably hurt more than it previously had into Toxel's nose.
As Toxel reeled, his nose definitely broken, Gloria's desperate cry reached his ears. "He's hit you with a Leer - you can't defend against him! Go on the offensive - Nuzzle, now!"
Leer - right. Weakens my resolve and lowers my defenses - no wonder I can't block him anymore! Toxel gritted his teeth and hauled back with his right hand, readying a punch. "Electro Strike!"
Scraggy lunged forwards, letting out a loud growl; his hand clamped down around Toxel's right upper arm, his other hand did the same to his left, and through sheer strength Scraggy picked Toxel up and slammed him backfirst onto the ground, almost certainly cracking more tile in the process. Toxel tried to grab Scraggy, but Scraggy knew what he was doing; the Dark/Fighting-type's hold on his arms was such that he couldn't bend them enough to touch his hands to Scraggy.
"Nice try," Scraggy growled. "But you're not beating me."
"Scraggy, no!" Marnie yelled. "Don't waste time - finish it!"
Too late. Toxel smirked. "You wanna bet?" he asked. "Electro Strike!"
And his head came forwards and slammed straight into Scraggy's jaw.
Electric energy crackled forth, streaming into Scraggy's body; the Dark/Fighting-type cried out in pain as he reeled backwards from the surprise hit. The watching Team Yell Grunts let out mingled cries of shock; Toxel paid no attention to them, focusing on his opponent as he opened his mouth. "Acid Burst."
This time, no Protect got in the way. Scraggy was picked up by the wave and sent flying, his body sailing through the air as the Poison energy propelled him off Toxel. Toxel was privately somewhat impressed by how, even after that, Scraggy managed to land on his feet. Even paralyzed and clearly wounded, the Dark/Fighting-type set his stance as Toxel rose, ready to finish the fight.
Toxel had no intention of making any more of this a fight. "Acid Burst."
"Protect!" Marnie yelled; again Scraggy raised a hand, and again the shield burst forth just in time to intercept Toxel's Belch. This time, though, Toxel was expecting it, and was already charging even as the wave of energy dissipated before his eyes. Even if Scraggy had expected the charge, he wasn't able to do anything about it; Toxel saw a flicker of electricity ripple up his body as the Belch faded into nothingness, and realized paralysis had struck Scraggy at the worst possible time.
For him, at least.
Toxel rammed a fist into Scraggy's face, then hauled back and did it again, relishing Scraggy's agonized cries as he stumbled from the force of Toxel's punches. "Finish it with Belch!" Gloria yelled; Toxel had been hoping to maybe get a few more punches in, but orders were orders, and so he obediently opened his mouth one more time. "Acid Burst."
Marnie recalled Scraggy just as the wave hit.
Toxel grinned; his grin grew even wider at the sound of loud booing coming from the Team Yell Grunts. Guess they're not too happy about their associate taking the first loss.
On the contrary, though, Marnie didn't seem too displeased. "I figured you'd be strong," she said. "But there's no way I'm gonna lose. If you think you've won this just 'cause you drew first blood, then you'd better think again!"
"Mar-nie! Mar-nie! Mar-nie!" the Team Yell Grunts cheered as Marnie threw out her second Pokemon - a Croagunk, who wasted no time in assuming a battle stance, leering at Toxel.
What, is this girl a Fighting-type Trainer or something? No, Morpeko isn't Fighting-type…huh. Weird. Toxel dropped into a fighting stance himself, ready for-
"Toxel, return for now."
What? Toxel shot a reproachful glare at Gloria. I can take this guy no problem!
"I know you want to fight some more," said Gloria, "but remember what happened with Nessa? I don't want to push you too hard. Take some time to recover, and then maybe I'll send you out again later in the battle, okay?"
Toxel sighed, but nodded reluctantly. You'd better send me out again later in the battle, he thought as Gloria recalled him.
Then the adrenaline wore off, the pain hit, and Toxel realized that maybe Gloria had been right. He did need some recovery time. Not to mention his eyes were still really sore. Besides, he thought as he sat back in his Pokeball, I think I did all right.
I just hope I did enough to stop her abandoning me.
Kriesh was furious. This was supposed to be a calm shopping trip. A well-deserved break before what would likely be a battle with Kabu tomorrow. Instead, here they were, fighting against yet another evil team's Admin.
Kriesh hated evil teams. Despised them. So what if Team Yell seemed to be more schoolyard bullies than actual threats to the region? An evil team was an evil team. And Kriesh remembered how pathetic Team Skull had seemed before…well, everything in Alola.
This battle was for more than just a Focus Sash. If Marcus lost this, then Team Yell had proven it had members with the capability to battle and defeat Gym Leaders. They would almost certainly be emboldened, increasing the number and size of their protests, secure in the knowledge that fear of more members like Joshua would keep the vast majority of Trainers from interfering with them.
And Kriesh would not allow that. Of course, that meant defeating this Toxicroak, which was already proving to be a somewhat difficult challenge.
A grunt escaped Toxicroak's throat as he lashed out with a wickedly fast kick. Kriesh deflected it with her beak, then twisted, lashing out with a cry of "Steel Impact!" But Toxicroak reached out, caught her wing with his fist, flung it away, and lashed out with a rapid punch from his other hand that caught Kriesh in the cheek and sent her stumbling backwards.
Toxicroak pressed; he wasn't calling any attacks, merely pummeling Kriesh with an endless, tireless barrage of punches and kicks that forced her to stay on the defensive, blocking and dodging as many as she could. Medicham would be doing a lot better here, Kriesh thought. But Marcus didn't choose Medicham for this fight. He chose me.
Kriesh's back hit one of the brick walls surrounding the driveway. "Fly over!" Marcus yelled; Kriesh obeyed, allowing Air to flow around her body as she sprang upwards. Toxicroak's Fighting energy-infused punch struck where her head had been a second ago, hitting hard enough to shatter brick and leave a gaping hole in the wall. "Now Hyper Beam!" Marcus ordered as Kriesh landed behind Toxicroak.
"Counter with your own!" Joshua cried.
Kriesh hadn't expected a Hyper Beam from a Toxicroak, but the brilliant beam of energy that shot forth from one of Toxicroak's arms could not be anything but. Even as their two beams of energy came together, Kriesh saw Toxicroak dart to the side, lunging for her with one fist drawn back. "To the sky!" Marcus called.
"Not happening!" Joshua retorted. "Taunt!"
Toxicroak grinned, eyes lighting up with Dark energy; all thoughts of flight left Kriesh's mind as her anger at this evil team Admin took hold. She charged straight for the Poison/Fighting-type, who met her with a rapid punch that halted her momentum entirely, before landing an uppercut to her chin that sent her reeling. Toxicroak pressed, and once more Kriesh was forced into doing nothing but dodging and blocking Toxicroak's attacks, slowly backpedaling across the driveway.
This time, it was Joshua who broke the silence. "Sludge Bomb!"
"Steel Wing!" Marcus countered instantly. "Then Drill Run at his legs!"
A sphere of Poison energy flew from one of Toxicroak's arms, only to be met by Kriesh's Steel energy-clad wing. Toxicroak ducked away from the wing as it shot overhead. Kriesh smirked. He's got to be off-balance now.
"Earth Impact!" she cried, flinging herself forwards. But to her surprise, Toxicroak reacted insanely fast, sidestepping the attack with unexpected speed. Kriesh skidded to a halt; Marcus's cry of "Behind you!" was her only warning before Toxicroak slammed into her from behind, knocking her to the ground. Claws raked at her back.
Claws? Wait…Toxicroak has fists and those knifelike protrusions on its hands. How does it have-
Oh.
Suddenly everything made sense. The lack of called attacks, the unconventional fighting style, the odd bursts of speed. "Sniper," Kriesh growled. "Vox Impact!"
A howl burst from Toxicroak's mouth - or rather Zoroark's mouth - as he reeled, the illusion of the Poison/Fighting-type fading to be replaced by the recognizable form of the infamously tricky Dark-type. Kriesh rose back to her feet, turning to face her foe. Zoroark let out a snarl, baring its teeth and raising its claws.
"Charge her!" Joshua yelled, and Zoroark did so. Kriesh knew that he wanted her back on the defensive. That he wanted to get back into that rhythm of her stuck dodging and blocking instead of attacking. But compared to before, even despite the clear strength Zoroark wielded, Kriesh wasn't all that worried.
She had been struggling because she'd been trying to fight a Toxicroak. Now that she knew her opponent was a Zoroark instead?
She knew exactly how to win this fight.
"Sniper: Odoratus."
Kriesh tapped into Sniper, enhancing her sense of smell, and focused on the Zoroark rushing towards her. She knew from experience that a Zoroark's illusions were insanely lifelike, to the point where even lengthy examinations could barely distinguish the illusion from the real thing. But one thing a Zoroark's illusions couldn't possibly duplicate was the genuine article's scent. Illusions, by their very nature, didn't smell like anything.
And, sure enough, Odoratus instantly picked up a scent coming not from the charging Zoroark, but from a few feet to its left.
"Use Dark Pulse!"
Kriesh barely heard Joshua's cry; Marcus's order of "Counter with Hyper Beam!" similarly fell upon deaf ears. Unlike Kriesh, Marcus didn't know both the Zoroark and the Dark Pulse were illusions. Kriesh began to charge up a Hyper Beam, feigning obedience - the Zoroark didn't know she'd figured it out either, and she wanted to keep that the case for as long as possible.
As she charged it up, she smelled the actual Zoroark splitting off from the illusion, coming at her side with what was likely a Night Slash or something. It was closing in at the same rate as the illusory Dark Pulse, ready to strike the instant Kriesh countered the illusion with her Hyper Beam. Kriesh inhaled, gathering Energy within her beak…
…and then she twisted. "Beam Impact."
The Zoroark howled in pain as the Hyper Beam struck him full in the stomach; his illusion shattered, the Dark Pulse and the fake Zoroark dissipating into nothingness as the real Zoroark was sent flying away. The Hyper Beam propelled him straight into one of the surrounding brick walls with enough force to drive him several inches deep.
"Bounce!" Joshua ordered, sounding surprisingly calm despite the sudden reversal.
Irritatingly, Zoroark had enough presence of mind to heed his Trainer's command. Flying energy exploded out from the crater, propelling the Dark-type away from the Hyper Beam. Kriesh dropped the beam as Zoroark landed back on the ground in a three-point crouch, the force of his landing enough to send up a cloud of dust. His fur was ruffled as he raised his head to glare at Kriesh, his eyes narrow as he let out a ragged breath. "Should've guessed my illusions wouldn't fool a Sniper user," he growled, frustration evident in his voice.
Kriesh raised her voice - there was no sense in further subterfuge. "Medicham," she said, "tell Marcus that I'll handle things from here. I can see through the illusions - he can't."
Zoroark took another breath. "Risky move, Fearow. So what if your Ability is a perfect counter to mine? Illusion is only one facet of my strength. I'm far from finished."
"I believe you," Kriesh retorted. "Sniper: Beak Impact!"
"Oblivion Slice!" Zoroark lunged for Kriesh, raising claws tipped with energy as black as night; Kriesh's beak clashed with Zoroark's talons, sparks flying as the two scraped against one another. Zoroark lashed out with his other set of claws; Kriesh ducked the blow, then broke away as Zoroark spun and lashed out with an Oblivion-infused roundhouse kick that narrowly missed Kriesh's head as she pulled it back.
"Oblivion Beam!" Zoroark snarled, opening his mouth; Kriesh had no time to react to the Oblivion-infused Hyper Beam that roared forth from Zoroark's jaws. Yeah, he's definitely stopped holding back now that he doesn't have to pretend to be a Toxicroak. The force of the impact was enough to send her flying backwards, her wings flailing for purchase even as pain radiated throughout her body; she landed hard on her back, the remainder of the beam sailing over her prone body. Odoratus picked up Zoroark's scent rapidly approaching the instant the beam's energy faded - there was no time to get up.
"Sniper: Earth Impact!" Kriesh cried, flicking out a wing. She heard a hiss and knew the attack had hit; quickly, she scrambled back to a standing position, rising back to her feet in time to see Zoroark wiping the thrown mud off his chest, glaring at her as he did so. Kriesh's eyes narrowed right back at the Zoroark even as her sense of smell continued to scan the area. Zoroark wasn't bothering with illusions right now, but that didn't mean he'd entirely given up on them - she fully expected him to try and pull some kind of trick.
"Oblivion Rush!"
"Sniper: Beam Impact!" Kriesh cried as a Night Daze shot out from Zoroark's claws. Her Hyper Beam met it in midair, the two attacks exploding in a shower of Oblivion and Energy, but Zoroark was already charging, clearly not having expected the attack to do anything more than distract. "Oblivion Rain!" he bellowed, hauling back.
Kriesh steadied herself, digging her claws into the stone ground as best she could, and snarled out "Sniper: Multi-Beak Impact!"
Zoroark's claws flew forth, and Kriesh's beak rose to meet them at every turn, the two battlers striking again and again at an impossibly rapid rate. Zoroark was stronger - Kriesh could feel herself sliding backwards as her talons fought for purchase in the cold stone beneath her - but none of his blows landed as her Ability guided her Air-enhanced beak to counter each and every attack.
She tried to think of a way to counter, but her mind had barely set to work when Joshua yelled "Bounce!"
Again Flying energy burst outwards from Zoroark, buffeting Kriesh; the Fearow stumbled as Zoroark hurled himself into the air, flipping over as he did so. Kriesh twisted in time to see Zoroark suspended over her, both hands outstretched towards the small of her back, his jaws shifted into a wide grin. "Oblivion Rush."
There was no time to launch a counter-attack. But there was time to use one of her lesser-used options.
"Mirror Impact!" Kriesh called as Zoroark fired. Her body glowed with a sudden outpouring of energy just as Zoroark's Night Daze slammed into her. She felt her body scream in pain as the blast hit home; her vision went blurry for a second as shards of Oblivion ripped through her limbs and into her mind. But all the same, she clearly saw the look of surprise in Zoroark's eyes as an exact copy of his Night Daze erupted off Kriesh's body and flew straight towards him.
"Bounce again!"
Only Joshua's order saved Zoroark from the hit; the Dark-type blasted himself away with another burst of Flying energy, barely evading the Mirror Move and landing back on his feet. Kriesh bit back a snarl as she rounded on Zoroark, not wanting to present her back to the illusionist even for a second. He's fast, and clearly good with Bounce - it's almost like that Choice Scarf-augmented Absol from the train. Not quite as fast, but that's matched with more versatility - not to mention having a Trainer. And…wait a minute.
"Beak Impact!" she cried, twisting to the right; Odoratus had given her just enough warning to deflect Zoroark's Night Slash. As the Dark-type shimmered back into existence, though, his illusion fading, he was smirking. And it was at that moment that Kriesh realized her beak - her single limb that Zoroark was within reach of - was holding back Zoroark's claw.
Leaving her wide open as he opened his mouth. "Oblivion Beam."
All Kriesh could do was try and hurl herself backwards as fast as she could. All that succeeded in doing was ensuring the beam slammed straight into her chest.
Indescribable pain lanced through Kriesh's whole body as Zoroark's Oblivion Beam carried her across the driveway, shortly followed by even further agony as her back rammed straight into one of the surrounding brick walls. A scream left her beak as the Oblivion-infused Hyper Beam pinned her against the bricks, tearing at her body and mind the whole time. It was only by some miracle that she didn't pass out from the sheer pain.
No. The thought ripped through the Oblivion clawing at her mind. I refuse to let this end like my battle with Guzma. No evil team's Pokemon…is beating me today!
Kriesh let out a guttural snarl as she forced her head forwards. "Beam Impact!" she flung from her tortured throat, and with the words came her own Hyper Beam, impacting Zoroark's Oblivion Beam and pushing it back.
Zoroark clearly hadn't expected the resistance, but he reacted quickly; a snarl of his own left his jaws as he braced and poured more Oblivion into his Hyper Beam. The energies of their twin beams, one white and one black, cascaded against one another, hissing and sparking as both fought for ground. But Kriesh had been in this kind of beam struggle plenty of times. She knew it would only truly end when one side broke away.
And she knew exactly how Zoroark was planning to break away.
"Bounce!" The order left Joshua's mouth just as Kriesh had expected. As soon as Zoroark blasted himself into the air, Kriesh broke off her Hyper Beam, allowing the energies of the attack to dissipate as she raised her head towards the flying Zoroark, who was reaching out a claw towards her in preparation for another Night Daze. "Got you," she growled, bracing herself against the wall. "Sniper: Vox Impact!"
The shout hit home, and Zoroark bellowed in pain as, for the second time in this fight, his inner ears were assailed by noise. His Night Daze flew off to the side, blasting a crater in another wall as he tumbled downwards, hands clapped over his ears.
A Pokemon as strong as him wouldn't be disoriented for long. Most likely he'd recover before he even hit the ground. But that was all the time Kriesh needed. She exploded off the wall, ignoring the clattering of loose bricks tumbling to the ground as she summoned her reserves of Energy to her wings and beak. "Sniper!" she yelled. "Giga Impact!"
Zoroark saw her coming and reached out with a claw, but, still disoriented, he was just a heartbeat too slow.
Kriesh hit him in midair, and Zoroark flew like a ragdoll straight into the boarded-up window behind him. Wood splintered and glass shattered as the force of his flight broke through both; Kriesh landed on the ground, skidding to a halt, and looked up to see his legs dangling out of the window as the rest of his body lay on the other side.
She looked back down at Joshua, eyes narrowed as she fought back the pain. Maybe she couldn't beat another of his Pokemon…but she'd beaten this one. And that felt good enough for her to let out an intimidating, victorious screech, subtly enhancing it with Vox Impact just enough that Joshua felt it.
The Team Yell Admin stumbled slightly, but quickly recovered. A thin smile reached his face as he reached for another Pokeball. "Well played," he said, "but this next bout will not go so well for you." He touched his finger to the Pokeball, revealing his next Pokemon.
A Rotom.
A Rotom? Kriesh took a step back as the Electric/Ghost-type flitted in front of his Trainer, a robotic grin frozen onto its face. I know they're bred and used for Pokedexes and phones in multiple regions now, but outside that, they're extremely rare and all but nonexistent in the wild. Where did this guy even get a Rotom?
One thing was for certain - she wasn't beating something with this level of type advantage against her. Not in her state.
Marcus seemed to agree. "Kriesh, return."
As Kriesh rematerialized within the confines of her Luxury Ball, she knew she had to rest. After all, nothing was stopping Marcus from sending her out later, and Joshua's strength was clearly enough that that might be a real possibility. So, in defiance of her desire to watch the next round of the fight play out, she flopped back into the cooling gel of the Luxury Ball and tried to relax in spite of the mad pounding of her heart.
The grasslands of the Wild Area were a beautiful place, and so Hop had let out all three of his team members while he surveyed the area, looking around for some wild Pokemon he could train them against. Thwackey was lying on the ground next to the standing Wooloo, while Corvisquire was hovering some distance away, sweeping the area with her glare.
"She's been doing better since Turffield," Wooloo murmured. "I know I've said this before, but thanks for finally getting through to her."
"Hey, she's my teammate too," Thwackey replied.
"I know," said Wooloo. "But as the leader of this team, I felt like it was my responsibility to handle any…problems. And it felt so wrong that I couldn't make her feel like she belonged. So that's why-"
"Heads up," Corvisquire muttered. "We've got trouble."
Thwackey and Wooloo both turned to see Bede storming through the grass towards them, a Pokeball in hand. "You!" he shouted. "You think you're some kind of big deal just because you're the Champion's brother and sponsored Trainer? Then how about you prove it! I challenge you to a three-on-three battle!"
Hop wasted no time. "You're on! I'll show you I'm not as weak as you think! Time to show off my real skills in battle!"
Bede scoffed. "If you can. Gothita, beat him."
From the Pokeball in his hand he released the Pokemon in question. Thwackey at once racked his brain for what he knew about Gothita - he knew it was a Psychic-type, in keeping with Bede's clear type specialty, but he knew very little else other than that it was Unovan in origin.
"Corvisquire, you're up first!" Hop cried.
Corvisquire at once rose into the sky, beating her wings and glaring down at Gothita. The small Psychic-type looked up at Corvisquire, hostility glinting in her clear blue eyes. There was no friendliness, no softness - Gothita's gaze was hard and merciless, and Thwackey felt a stirring of nervousness as the two Pokemon faced each other down.
He remembered Gloria's story about how strong Bede had been. And he couldn't help but worry that Hop might've just gotten himself into a losing battle.
"Psyshock, Gothita," Bede ordered.
"Shred it with Power Trip!" Hop yelled. "Then take it out!"
Gothita reached up. "Feeler Shock." A burst of Psychic energy exploded out of her hand, rippling up towards Corvisquire with enough force that Thwackey could feel it from where he was standing. Corvisquire reacted quickly, though. "Power Trip!" she cried, flaring Dark energy across her talons. A loud tearing noise sounded as she ripped through the oncoming Psychic-type attack with her claws; a screech swiftly followed as Corvisquire dove, clearly hoping to force Gothita into a melee duel where Corvisquire would no doubt have the upper hand.
Bede simply smirked. "Charge Beam."
Gothita raised her other hand. "Static Shock." Thwackey's eyes widened as Electric energy lanced out towards Corvisquire, who wasted no time in hurling herself to the side, barely evading the blisteringly fast beam. Gothita twisted and fired another; Corvisquire was once again forced to dodge, and in the blink of an eye the Flying-type had been forced onto the defensive, wings flailing madly as she dodged Charge Beam after Charge Beam and ripped through a few Psyshocks Gothita sent out with retaliatory Power Trips.
"Hone Claws while you dodge, Corvisquire!" Hop cried.
Bede smiled but said nothing as Corvisquire's talons began to glow with more and more Dark energy. Gothita looked like she was getting frustrated; her Charge Beams were growing wilder, and now she was mixing in more widespread waves of Psychic energy and even what looked like a few uses of Hypnosis. Corvisquire dodged or sliced through each one, looking more and more comfortable as she settled into a rhythm.
Bede's certainly strong, Thwackey thought to himself. Those attacks look really powerful. But it looks like he's a case of all raw strength, no real skill.
Gothita let out an enraged howl and fired a pair of Charge Beams outwards, one from each hand. Hop grinned. "Now!" he cried. "Dodge and go at him - Power Trip!"
Corvisquire dove, wings spread as she flew just under the crackling Charge Beams and lunged for Gothita with talons extended. "Power Trip!" she screeched as she charged; Gothita's eyes widened in shock at her failure, looking terrified as Corvisquire streaked straight towards her-
And then, all at once, she didn't.
In one smooth motion, Gothita twisted to the side, a bone-chilling smirk resplendent on her face, all the nervousness and rage wiped away in an instant as if it had never been there. Fake Tears, Thwackey realized with a surge of sudden fear. Corvisquire hadn't expected anything of the sort; she'd completely overcommitted to the strike, and her talons tore into earth and grass instead of Gothita's body. "Pressure Shock," Gothita intoned.
And then her fist, clad in Dark energy, flew forth straight into Corvisquire's left eye.
Corvisquire's screech was gut-churning; the Flying-type staggered, wings flailing, as she tried and failed to keep her balance. Gothita reached out - "Sleep Shock" - and unleashed a point-blank Hypnosis at the stumbling Corvisquire.
"Dodge!" Hop cried, but Corvisquire was in too much pain to listen.
The Hypnosis took hold, and Bede grinned as Corvisquire tumbled to the ground, rendered momentarily helpless. "Finish it," he ordered, his voice cold.
Gothita reached out. "Dual Shock."
Corvisquire's entire body jerked as Gothita unleashed a pair of Charge Beams straight into her side. Gothita did not relent; Electric energy poured from her hands as she directed the two constant streams into Corvisquire's body. Thwackey took a step back, mouth open in terror, as he watched Corvisquire shudder horrifically under the barrage, unable to even try to escape due to the Psychic sleep still afflicting her.
"S…stop it!" Hop cried, raising Corvisquire's Pokeball. A beam shot out, and in the next moment Corvisquire disappeared, recalled back into the sphere.
"By Pokemon League rules," said Bede as if nothing had happened, "your Corvisquire is forfeit. Send out your next Pokemon."
Thwackey's mouth was dry; he swallowed, trying to still his heart. The mounting hope he'd carried had been completely and utterly shot down - now he knew, without a doubt, that this wasn't going to end well for Hop.
There was no way Hop would give up. His voice shook, but he pointed regardless. "Wooloo…you're up…"
The confidence had gone from Hop's voice too. And as Thwackey looked once more at the evilly-grinning Gothita and her similarly smug-looking Trainer, he couldn't blame him.
"Croagunk, start things off with a Poison Sting!"
"Counter with Mud Shot, Bunnelby!"
Cries of "Barb Dart!" and "Ear Shot!" flew from Croagunk and the newly-released Bunnelby as the two fired attacks at one another. "To the side!" Marnie cried; sure enough, the Mud Shot ripped right through the Poison Sting and kept going, only narrowly missing the dodging Croagunk.
Bunnelby wrinkled her nose as a nearby potted plant was splattered by the errant Mud Shot. Unlike Scraggy and Toxel, who seemed perfectly happy to cause thousands of Pokedollars in property damage for the sake of a simple battle between Gym Challengers, Bunnelby was hoping she didn't cause any harm to her surroundings. Well, harm that couldn't just be cleaned up, at least.
Croagunk did not seem to have any similar qualms, judging by how he kicked off the floor hard enough to cause a few hairline fractures in the tiling as he charged Bunnelby. This place really wasn't built for Pokemon battles in the lobby, was it?
"Barb Fist!" Croagunk cried, racing for Bunnelby with a fist at the ready.
"Swift Ear!" Bunnelby's reaction was far too fast for Croagunk. Before the Poison/Fighting-type could even throw his punch, Bunnelby's ear was buried in his gut. Croagunk let out a choked cry as he folded around the punch, coughing wetly.
And then his head rose, a grin adorning his face, as Marnie called out "Revenge!"
Uh-oh. Bunnelby didn't have time to draw back or even defend herself before Croagunk's fist cannoned right into her two front teeth. She staggered, crying out in pain. "Poison Sting!" Marnie called.
"Counter again!" Gloria ordered, but Bunnelby, still reeling from the hard blow, was just too slow. The Mud Shot flew out, forcing Croagunk to dive to the side to avoid it, but his Poison Sting had already hit home.
Damn it, she thought as she felt the poison begin to work its way into her system. Half a minute in and I'm already poisoned. Guess I'll have to go on the offensive - not to mention avoiding getting hit by any more Revenges.
"Whirling Ears!" Bunnelby cried, dashing forwards.
"Venoshock!" Marnie ordered.
Okay, never mind. Bunnelby dove backwards as Croagunk called out "Barb Spray!", barely avoiding the blast of Poison energy that lanced out from Croagunk's hand. She knew full well what Venoshock was capable of; if that attack had hit, it would have reacted with the poison already in her body, drastically increasing the amount of pain caused by the successful strike.
"Keep at it!" Marnie cried.
"Barb Spray!" The snarl left Croagunk's mouth as he reached out again; Bunnelby leaped to the left to avoid another Venoshock, then had to fling herself to the right to evade yet another.
"Mud Shot!" Gloria yelled.
Come on, Bunnelby. Don't be scared off by these stupid Venoshocks! As Croagunk unleashed a fourth Venoshock straight at her, Bunnelby crouched and sprang into the air, one ear-arm glistening with Ground energy. "Ear Shot!" she cried, flinging the Mud Shot down at Croagunk, who was forced to break off his constant assaults in favor of diving forwards to evade the splatter.
Bunnelby landed back on her feet as Croagunk tucked and rolled; he came up just as Bunnelby lunged for him. "Barb Fist!" "Swift Ear!" Twin fists collided, straining against one another. Both Marnie and Gloria had the same idea; cries of "Venoshock!" and "Mud Shot!" arose from the pair, and Croagunk and Bunnelby wasted no time in bringing back their free hands, gathering Poison and Ground energy in their respective palms.
"Barb Spray!" "Ear Shot!" Both flung their energies forwards; Venoshock was stronger, but Mud Shot had the benefit of type advantage. The two attacks exploded against one another, the force sufficient to blast both combatants away. Bunnelby and Croagunk both landed on their feet; Croagunk promptly unleashed another Venoshock, forcing Bunnelby to dive to the side again. She stumbled as she landed, letting out a cough.
Right. Still poisoned. Croagunk and I seem pretty evenly matched, which wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't on a timer. So how do I get past his guard?
"Bunnelby, use Agility!"
Oh, yeah, good point. Bunnelby smiled as she tapped into the Psychic-type technique, feeling it infuse her leg muscles with additional strength, making her faster. "Don't let her set up!" Marnie yelled, a little slow on the uptake. "Venoshock again - keep her moving!"
Keep me moving? Well, I'm happy to oblige.
"Barb Spray!"
"Dodge!" Gloria's order was unnecessary; Bunnelby was already lunging out of the way. As the stream of Poison energy shot over her shoulder, Bunnelby hurled herself forwards, sprinting across the floor as fast as she could. Two more Venoshocks were easily dodged as Bunnelby came closer; she could see Croagunk's eyes widening at her speed as she sprang into the air, bringing up her legs in a classic Double Kick. "Whirling Kick!" she cried as she slammed both feet into Croagunk's torso, knocking him backwards. Bunnelby landed back on the ground; quickly, she lunged again, twisting in midair, and slammed one of her ear-arms into Croagunk's side, backhanding him across the lobby and straight into the great golden statue of the two ancient Galarian kings overlooking the area. He bounced off and fell to the floor with a thud; the Team Yell Grunts let out a mingled sympathetic cry of 'ooh'.
"Up, Croagunk!" Marnie cried. "Venoshock!"
"Barb Spray!" Croagunk snarled, once again firing off a powerful Venoshock. Again, though, Bunnelby, enhanced by Agility, was too fast; she darted to the side and surged forwards again, this time hauling back with one of her ear-arms. "Swift Ear!"
Croagunk reached out and caught Bunnelby's punch. Bunnelby could have sworn she saw Dark energy glinting around his fist; that same fist now lit up with Poison energy. Croagunk smirked. "Barb Spray."
"Back!" It was only Gloria's order, combined with Bunnelby's Agility-boosted speed, that enabled her to dive backwards just in time to avoid the Venoshock. As Bunnelby skidded backwards, she saw Croagunk charging after her, fists at the ready. Quickly, she planted her feet and hurled herself forwards, twisting as she did so and coming around with a Double Slap. "Whirling Ears!"
And then Croagunk's fist shot out again, this time burying itself in Bunnelby's stomach, and she realized the Poison/Fighting-type knew Sucker Punch.
"Barb Fist." Croagunk's other fist, clad in the telltale Fighting energy of Revenge, slammed right between Bunnelby's eyes. The force of the punch sent her flying; she landed hard on the tile, though thankfully not hard enough to crack it. Though at this point that was the least of her concerns - she could really feel Croagunk's poison doing its work, the places where Croagunk had landed blows were stinging madly, and that last punch had definitely left her somewhat dazed.
Croagunk chuckled as he advanced on her fallen body. "Ready to give up?" he growled. "You know you're not gonna last too much longer."
Bunnelby let out a cough as she rose back to her full height, or as close as she could manage whilst wracked by pain and poison. "Give up?" she retorted. "No. Not against you. I know your type, Croagunk - just like all the rest of this Team Yell. You're nothing more than a bunch of bullies."
Croagunk glared at Bunnelby. "Tarrin' us all with the same brush, huh?" He curled his lip. "Whatever you say. Though I gotta admit…" He gave Bunnelby a toothy grin. "You've been bullied before, ain't you? Makes sense, with how weak you are."
Oh, he just had to go there, didn't he? Bunnelby clenched her fists. "Weak?" she growled. "Tell me something, Croagunk. What do you get out of calling me weak? Does it give you satisfaction to talk down to others? You say I'm tarring you with the same brush, but like it or not, when you demean others just for being on the back foot in a fight, that makes you a bully."
Bunnelby rose even further up. "And yeah, I've been bullied before," she continued; Croagunk was backing away, and out of the corner of her eye Bunnelby saw blue-white light beginning to glow around her. "So I know what they look like. And there's nothing - nothing - I hate more than bullies. You can call me weak all you want, Croagunk…"
Bunnelby looked down, realizing only now that she was standing taller than she'd ever stood before. Her body was bigger, her ear-arms were larger, and she could feel energy swirling around her body, imbuing her with the knowledge of a move she hadn't even considered before, but one which felt quite applicable to the current situation.
Diggersby looked back up, eyes narrowed in a furious glare at Croagunk. "…but you'd better be ready to back it up. Whirling Quake."
Diggersby raised one ear-arm up and slammed it down on the floor, and a massive wave of Ground energy exploded outwards towards Croagunk, ripping through the floor and sending shards of tile flying. The Poison/Fighting-type tried to dodge, but the attack was far too widespread; he let out a yell of fright and pain as he was sent flying again, and this time he didn't land on his feet.
"Swift Ear!" Diggersby sprang forwards, raising her ear-arm again.
"Catch it and Revenge!" Marnie yelled.
Croagunk twisted; as Diggersby slammed her ear-arm down upon him, he lashed out with a Sucker Punch, catching the attack in midair. With his other hand he drew back, reading to plunge a Revenge into Diggersby's ear. "Barb Fist!"
"Whirling Quake!" Diggersby, still enhanced by Agility, was just fast enough to send out another wave of Ground energy. Croagunk was flung upwards, his Revenge missing completely.
Diggersby spun. "Whirling Ears."
Like a baseball bat striking a thrown ball, Diggersby's ear rammed straight into Croagunk's flying body. Marnie cried out as Croagunk flew across the lobby; his body slammed into a potted plant, knocking the whole thing over. Dirt spilled onto the tile; Croagunk rolled off the fallen potted plant, groaning in pain. He wasn't getting up.
Marnie heaved a sigh and recalled him. "Congrats on the evolution, Gloria."
"Th-thanks, Marnie!" Gloria took a moment to find her tongue, clearly struck by amazement at Diggersby's power. "And great work, Diggersby! That was really awesome!"
"Indeed." Marnie shot a glare at the Team Yell Grunts, who were booing again. "Shut up, you idiots! Morpeko, your turn."
As Morpeko stepped into the arena, Diggersby heard a slight rattling noise; on Marnie's belt, one of her other Dusk Balls was shaking madly. Diggersby frowned; whoever that Dusk Ball's occupant was, it clearly wanted out, whether to battle or for another purpose entirely.
Huh...that's interesting. Perhaps that's her fourth? Whatever it is, it seems excited.
"Alright, I'll admit it," said Marnie. "You've got me on the ropes here. But it'd be no fun if things ended just yet, right? I certainly ain't givin' up!"
Diggersby readied herself; her new form felt strange, and the still-acting poison, but she knew she would have no time to acclimate. I'm sure Marnie's got more than a couple tricks left up her sleeves.
The cheering of the Team Yell Grunts reverberated in Diggersby's ears as she and Morpeko stared one another down, ready to plunge once more into battle.
"Thunderbolt!"
"Counter with Earthquake!"
As orders issued from both Joshua and Marcus's mouths, Rotom and Drapion quickly unleashed the attacks in question. "Electrical Current!" "Quake!"
Drapion watched as his Earthquake ripped through the driveway, the surge of Ground energy enough to dissipate his adversary's Thunderbolt. Rotom avoided the actual attack easily, rising into the air courtesy of Levitate. "Form Change: Wash Form!" it cried as it rose into the air. Its body morphed before Drapion's eyes; whereas before it had taken the form of a tiny spherical orange face with an orange cone on the top, another on the bottom, and a pair of constantly fluctuating electrical prongs to the right and left, now it resembled a floating washing machine, still orange in color and with Rotom's grinning face.
From behind Rotom emerged an orange tube that twisted towards Drapion as Rotom smirked. "Bulky Cycle."
"Block!" Drapion snarled, forming a Protect barrier above him as a Torrent-formed Hydro Pump, so powerful and focused that it looked not unlike one of that Zoroark's Hyper Beams, burst forth from the newly-revealed tube.
In the next moment Rotom dipped, hurtling under its own Hydro Pump towards Drapion, shifting back to its base form as it did so. A plume of spectral flames, instantly recognizable as a Will-O-Wisp, was visible on the tip of one of its electrical prongs. Not happening, Drapion thought.
"Pursuit!" Marcus cried.
Drapion grinned as he flung a barrage of Pursuit rays out at the charging Rotom. The Electric/Ghost-type was forced to break away, diving to the side and soaring into the air in an attempt to evade the rays, but they curved and came at Rotom again, unnerring in their flight.
"Counter with Leaf Storm!" Joshua ordered.
"Form Change: Mow Form!" Rotom stated, changing forms again. Now it looked like a floating lawnmower as it spun towards the oncoming Pursuit rays. "Grass Spray!" A Leaf Storm erupted out of Mow Form Rotom's body, shredding through the Pursuit and continuing towards Drapion.
"Blast!" Drapion unleashed a Cross Poison in retaliation, scything straight through the oncoming Overgrow-formed leaves.
"Electrical Current!" Rotom met it with a Thunderbolt. The two attacks exploded against one another as Rotom dove back down to the ground. As it dove, it shifted forms yet again; a cry of "Form Change: Frost Form!" heralded a transformation into what looked like a miniature refrigerator. Rotom twisted towards Drapion as it landed, opening up its door just like it had in Wash Form. "Minimum Temperature!"
What was unmistakably a Blizzard flowed from Frost Form Rotom towards Drapion, who let out a snarl as he eyed the oncoming wave of Aurora. He could deflect it with another Protect, but that was getting him nowhere; all he'd done so far was play defense against this Rotom's barrage of attacks. No. I'm going to have to take some risks.
"Battle Armor!" Drapion growled, forming chitin across the front of his body as he charged straight into the Blizzard. "Fire Rend!"
Fire energy lit up his jaws as he tapped into Fire Fang; the Blizzard stung slightly, but Drapion forced his way through the attack and lunged, opening wide to crunch down on Rotom.
"Levitate: Telekinetic Shove!"
In the next moment, Drapion was flying backwards; he managed to land back on his feet, grimacing as Rotom rose back into the air. I should've guessed he'd be able to do more with Levitate than just float, he thought. Looks like this will…what is he doing?
Indeed, Rotom was now back in his base form, both eyes narrowed. Drapion heard a rattling noise from around him; glancing around, he saw the various bricks that had been knocked from the surrounding buildings during the fight between Zoroark and Kriesh now rising into the air, curving towards Rotom. "Stop him!" Marcus cried. "Pursuit again!"
"No Escape!" Drapion fired the rays, but one of Rotom's electrical prongs twitched and several of the bricks shifted, forming into a wall that interspersed itself between Rotom and the rays. The Pursuit dissipated against the wall, unable to even penetrate the bricks, as the rest of the blocks began to form into some sort of shape in front of Rotom.
A shape that Drapion instantly recognized, and began rushing towards as fast as possible.
"Levitate!" Rotom cried, hauling back his new brick-formed fist. "Gauntlet Punch!"
Drapion raised with one massive arm, forming a huge cluster of Battle Armor around it as he flung it forwards. "Battle Armor: Slam!" he roared; Rotom's cluster of bricks was no match for Drapion's attack, and the fist shattered as Drapion's arm burst right through it, heading straight for Rotom.
Who was already ducking to the side, evading Drapion's flying fist by a hair. Drapion glared at the evasive Electric/Ghost-type, and then his eyes widened as Rotom twisted, touching his leftwards-facing electrical prong to Drapion's outstretched arm.
"Gotcha!" Rotom cried, winking with one eye as the electrical prong lit up with ghostly flame.
And in the next moment, Drapion's entire body blazed with pain as Rotom's Will-O-Wisp seared straight into him.
Drapion bit back an agonized roar as he stumbled backwards. His whole body felt like it was on fire, his muscles seeming to fluctuate in strength as the Burn sapped him of his energy. He batted away another Thunderbolt using a hasty Protect as he backpedaled; it only occurred to him a split second later that he'd left himself wide open.
"Form Change: Wash Form!" Rotom cried as its body shifted back to the washing machine-shaped form in question. "Bulky Cycle!" Another Hyper Beam-like Hydro Pump surged forth from its tube, and this time Drapion didn't have a Protect at the ready to block it.
"Battle Armor!" Drapion snarled, raising as much chitin as he could muster to block off his face before the Hydro Pump struck him head-on.
Just like with Kriesh and that Zoroark's Oblivion Beam, Drapion was sent skidding backwards, propelled by the force of Rotom's watery blast. The Battle Armor could not protect him entirely; pain ripped through his face from the sheer power of the attack, and he had to spit out some water that came splashing into his mouth. But unlike Kriesh, bulk was his expertise; instead of being picked up and flung into the wall behind him, Drapion snarled and pressed against the tide, and though he felt his claws scraping across the stones he could at least resist the force of the blast a little bit.
And a little bit was all he needed.
"Burrow!" he growled, tapping into Dig. Ground energy rippled outwards from the tips of his claws, and the ground gave way beneath him, dropping him downwards as the remainder of the Hydro Pump flew overhead.
Drapion flung himself forwards, tunneling through the ground as fast as possible. The Hydro Pump's sheer size might obscure his escape for a few moments, but it wouldn't take long for Rotom to realize he'd gotten out of it. As Drapion ripped through earth and stone, he could feel his Black Sludge flowing into him, counteracting the pain caused by the Will-O-Wisp. The muscle spasms remained - there was no way he could counteract the Burn's strength drain - but even so, the lack of continuous pain definitely helped.
All I have to do is hit it a few more times than I otherwise would have.
"He's out! Get up, Rotom, quick!"
The order from Joshua galvanized Drapion; without hesitation, he leaped upwards, throwing himself out of the ground in an explosion of stone and scattered brick. Rotom wasn't quite fast enough; Drapion's reaching arm clamped down around its body, and the Electric/Ghost-type cried out in pain as Drapion slammed it straight into the ground as hard as he could. His hunch had been right; Rotom hadn't realized Drapion's escape until it had been too late, even with Joshua giving orders.
"Inject," Drapion snarled, pouring Poison energy through his claws and sending it into Rotom's pinned body.
"Overheat, quickly!" Joshua ordered.
"Form Change: Heat Form!" Rotom cried; Drapion felt his claws forcibly bend backwards as Rotom expanded in his grasp, this time changing into a form that looked like some sort of microwave oven. "Overcook."
"Protect!" Marcus yelled.
Drapion raised one; in the next moment he was eternally grateful that Marcus's order had come as quick as it had, because the colossal explosion of Blaze that erupted from Rotom's body was strong enough to send him staggering backwards even with the Protect barrier between them. He did not want to know how much damage that would have done if he hadn't deflected most of it.
Rotom soared back into the air, though it was coughing and its body was glowing slightly purple. Drapion smirked. Looks like my Poison got him after all…which means now this is just a waiting game.
Rotom did not seem inclined to play that waiting game. "Form Change: Fan Form!" he cried. "Maximum Setting!"
A barrage of Air Slashes flowed out from Rotom's body, now resembling a desk fan, and Drapion opened fire in return.
A Cross Poison answered the Air Slashes, tearing the Air-formed blades into nothingness, but a follow-up flurry of Pursuit rays were frustrated by a Leaf Storm from the now-Mow Form Rotom. A Pin Missile was sufficient to rip away the remnants of the Leaf Storm and continue onwards, but an Overheat from Heat Form Rotom blasted the Bug-type attack out of the sky and came cascading down upon Drapion. Drapion answered that with another Cross Poison, the two attacks coming together so close that he felt the heat of the resulting explosion; Rotom chose that moment to drop, shifting back to Wash Form and readying another Hydro Pump, but this time Drapion was prepared.
"Block!" he snarled, lunging forwards at the same time. Rotom, his Hydro Pump rendered useless by the Protect, quickly began to rise back into the air. Drapion grinned savagely. "You're not escaping me this time," he growled. "Rip!" Oblivion surged across one arm as Drapion crouched and hurled himself into the air, reaching out for the slowly rising Rotom.
"Levitate!"
A strange energy flooded through Drapion as he leaped; in the next moment, he was frozen in place, his limbs and body no longer under his own control. Rotom was grimacing, clearly straining to control this new technique, but its eyes were alight with triumph regardless.
Its voice brimmed with robotic satisfaction as it spoke again. "Telekinetic Slam."
And then Drapion was flying to the side.
"Battle Armor!" he snarled, managing to raise a shield of chitin just before he was slammed into the side of a building. The wall cratered, several bricks tumbling to the ground below; Rotom jerked an electrical prong to the left, and Drapion was sent flying again, heading straight for another wall. Again Battle Armor protected him from the worst of the impact; Rotom jerked its electrical prong once more, and this time Drapion was sent streaking towards a boarded-up window. Wood and glass alike shattered under the force of his form as he burst straight through; Drapion felt splinters and glass shards piercing him even through his Battle Armor, and he snarled in pain a second before Rotom telekinetically dragged him backwards, raised him a few feet into the air, and then rammed him back down to the ground so hard that he burst straight through the stone and fell back into his own Dig tunnel he'd created earlier.
The force finally faded; Drapion took in a long, ragged breath as he stood shakily back up. He looked up to see Rotom dipping, clearly exhausted from poison and from using such a draining technique. Privately, though he wouldn't admit it, Drapion was extremely relieved - that kind of power was terrifying, and told him (as if it wasn't obvious enough already) that Rotom was a truly powerful practitioner of Levitate, exploring and utilizing the very limits of the Ability.
"Finish with Thunder!" Joshua called; for a moment, Drapion had forgotten the Trainer was there.
"Protect!" Marcus cried.
Rotom glared down at the still-standing Drapion. "Just stay down already! Direct Current!" His body blazed with Lightning; a second later a huge bolt of it shot outwards, angling downwards straight towards Drapion.
"Block!" Drapion roared, and then the Thunder was on him.
The smell of ozone filled the air as the huge bolt of Lightning tore at Drapion's Protect barrier. Already Drapion could feel the strain of keeping up the technique; he wasn't sure how long Rotom could keep up the Thunder, but he had a feeling it was longer than he could keep up the Protect. And he did not want to take an attack this powerful, even with Battle Armor absorbing some of it.
"-pion!" Dimly, Marcus's voice came through the loud crackling of electricity. "Drapion! Spear it!"
Drapion gritted his teeth. He knew how to form his Battle Armor into weapons, but he despised using those techniques. It reminded him far too much of the Swarmlord. But his ranged attacks hadn't been able to get through Rotom's defenses, whereas this…
This just might.
"Battle Armor," he growled, still straining to keep up the Protect even as he gathered all of the chitin he could muster across the front of one arm. "Spear."
The chitin shot out, an elongated spire of Oblivion-enhanced Battle Armor flying outwards towards the hovering form of Rotom. It was just barely long enough; the very tip of the spear pierced straight through Rotom's right electrical prong, and a screech of pain arose from the Electric/Ghost-type as he tumbled to the ground, the Thunder fading, its concentration no longer enough to even keep up Levitate.
Drapion lunged, raising his Battle Armor-formed spear. "This battle is over!" he bellowed as he hurled himself out of his Dig tunnel and onto solid stone ground, swinging his spear down towards the prone form of Rotom.
Rotom twisted towards him, its grin strained but still present. "Yeah," it said, forcing the words out through clear agony. "But not for me. Pain Split."
There was a split second of silence, and then agony.
Drapion screamed. There was no other word for it; the bellow that left his mouth was wild, uncontained, and of a higher pitch than Drapion had ever managed. The sheer amount of pain that flooded through him nearly knocked him unconscious right there - it was like being struck by several attacks at the same time, and Drapion was blind to his surroundings, deaf to Marcus's commands, heedless of anything but the torture his body felt like it was undergoing.
"…rm…ang…Hea…orm…" He thought he heard Rotom's voice, but it was echoing and barely understandable. And then the Electric/Ghost-type was right in front of him, now in its Heat Form, the grin back on its face, looking nowhere near as exhausted as it had been. The oven door was open, the inside of the appliance staring Drapion in the face.
"Overcook," Rotom stated with an air of finality.
The explosion was strong enough and loud enough that even more bricks fell from the destabilized walls around the driveway. Kriesh couldn't help but feel nervous that at least one of these facades might collapse before the battle was done, but she pushed that thought away in favor of sympathy towards Drapion. She couldn't imagine the kind of torment he'd gone through; Marcus looked similarly sympathetic as he recalled Drapion's charred, unconscious form, murmuring comforting words into his Luxury Ball even though he likely couldn't hear them.
Pain Split was nasty. Kriesh had heard of the technique before - yet another of the many, many complicated Ghost-type techniques, this one bound two souls together before, essentially, sharing their pain between them like some kind of twisted healing ritual. Kriesh had no idea how it worked, but its efficacy was clear as Rotom rose. It had clearly been on its last legs, while Drapion's Black Sludge and sheer bulk had ensured he'd been reasonably healthy despite all the hits he'd taken. Clearly, Drapion had therefore had a lot more energy to give than Rotom, enough that the Electric/Ghost-type looked almost completely revitalized.
"Who's next?" Rotom declared. It was still poisoned, but Kriesh knew it would be more than capable of putting up a fight against anyone else Marcus sent out. She grimaced. Joshua had proven himself to be very much a threat - after that display, Kriesh was genuinely unsure if Marcus could win this fight. This really is Guzma all over again.
Kriesh clenched her talons and glared at the hovering Rotom and its Trainer behind it. But I'm still ready to fight. And even if I have to go through every dreg of energy I have…I'm not letting this end the same way.
It's still two-on-two, one damaged on each side. This battle is far from over.
What do you do when you have three major fight scenes to get through and not enough chapters to separate them all out? Why, you squish them together, fling them into a two-parter, and then realize you somehow ended up with nearly 14,000 words in just one part and start panicking because you know the second part is going to be just as long if not longer, of course! Yay...