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In the days since Serena arrived in Cyllage City, the only question on her mind had been a simple one: How does she beat Grant? She'd pored over her notes, considered her strategy, and now she would have her mentors check her work.
First though, it was time for some catch up.
"After that, I caught this little bundle of joy, and have been trying to figure out what to do ever since." Serena lifted Eris —Eris being the name she'd given to her Eevee— up to the Pokémon Center video screen, presenting her newest Pokémon like she had plucked her off the street mere moments ago. It almost looked like it'd be irritating for the subject in question, if Eris wasn't a glutton for attention.
The moment she saw herself on screen, Eris struck a pleased pose and waved her paw, much to the delight of her audience, Ash and Clemont.
Serena paused to give Eris a squeeze, before depositing her back onto her lap for her daily grooming.
"So yeah! I figured that even if Fennekin and Eevee aren't strong against Rock-Types by themselves, maybe they could learn some moves that are!" she explained, her mind going back to the last few days. After getting Eris up to speed, it was off to the races with training— To little result. "Unfoooortunately, we couldn't really find anything for either of them, at least not before they evolve, heh."
With her problem laid out, the conversation moved to Ash and Clemont.
"I'll say this, you're starting from a good place, Serena!" Clemont spoke first, eager to praise her line of thinking. "Coverage moves can often be the key that turns a battle one way or another!"
"What moves do Fennekin and Eris know already?" Ash, in contrast, was far more interested in the practical side of things, ready to talk shop with his question. At it, Serena beamed and reached for her journal, pausing Eris's brushing for just a moment to flip up to a certain page.
"I wrote them down here! My Pokédex helped me figure it out— Fennekin knows Flamethrower, Ember, Scratch, and Hidden Power." The mention of that last move caught Ash's attention for a moment, though for what reason, Serena couldn't parse. As quickly as that moment came, it passed, as Ash racked his mind.
"Hmm, not much to work with."
"Au contraire!" Where Ash was stumped, Clemont surprisingly came to the rescue. "Hidden Power might be the key to Serena's victory!"
"Oh?" With Clemont's enthusiasm, Ash's swelled in turn.
"What do you mean?"
"Hidden Power is a very special technique! Unlike most moves, it's actually capable of being nearly every type!" Clemont muttered something about the lack of Fairy-Type Hidden Powers, before he continued. "The move's type is decided as a matter of genetics, but there's a distinct possibility that Fennekin's Hidden Power could be effective against Grant's Rock-Types!"
"That's awesome! I never knew that!" Ash was practically jumping out of his seat at the new information, with Pikachu similarly excited. It was subtle, but Serena could definitely see the gears in his mind turning. She couldn't blame him. The possibilities were racing through her head as well.
"Amazing! So that means Fennekin could have what I need after all!" With her excitement came more questions. "How can I figure out what type her Hidden Power is?"
"Your best bet is to try and experiment by using the move in a few battles," he explained, a bright grin on his face as he went deep into teacher mode. "It's not fool-proof, but you should be able to narrow it down by how effectively it works against certain Pokémon."
"Okay! I'll do that then!" So that was Fennekin handled for now— Onto the adorable lug sitting on her lap. Serena gave Eris a squeeze and one final brush before she reached for her journal again. "Eris's moves are Charm, Baby-Doll Eyes, Tail Whip, and Copycat."
"Hmm, I think I have to agree with what Ash said earlier." Where Clemont was a bastion of knowledge before, now he pulled up short, shaking his head after a moment of thought. "There isn't much to work with here."
"Nah, no way!" Ash surprised Serena and Clemont with a sudden declaration, picking up the camera at his end and raising it up to his face. A conniving grin took his expression, the sort of look Serena only saw when he was right in the middle of a battle. He was hatching a plan right there and then. "I know exactly what you're going to do!"
Her smile soon took the same shape.
"Let's hear it!"
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"Okay, let's try this."
With Ash's suggestion in hand, it was right back to the grind. Serena and her team relocated to the edge of the city, where the developed areas gave way to the natural landscapes of Kalos. At the base of a cavernous mountain, the party began their training. The number one priority? Uncovering Fennekin's Hidden Power type.
"Eris, I'm going to ask Fennekin to use Hidden Power on you— Would that be okay?" Crouching down to meet her Pokémon face-to-face, Serena laid down the terms of their exercise. Eris, ever the agreeable one, grinned and nodded. "Fennekin, you've gotta promise not to go overboard, okay?"
"Fenn? Fennekin!" Amused by the implication, Fennekin scoffed and rolled her eyes, before glancing over to Eris with a smirk.
Serena rolled her eyes in turn and snorted, before ruffling Fennekin's hair lightly. The two had formed a bit of a rivalry over Serena's attention in the past few days— Though if you asked either one they'd feign ignorance of the whole thing.
"Okay, then let's go!" Serena hopped to her feet, as her team quickly made distance. With everyone in place, it was time. "Fennekin, use Hidden Power!"
"Nekin! Feeen!" Rearing her head back, Fennekin charged up a chromatic plume of energy at her maw. For a moment, she ballooned it to its maximum size, before pulling back and shrinking it to something more manageable. Eris was unphased by the feint. "Fennekin!"
Without another moment's delay, Fennekin fired.
"Eevee!" Hopping up and closing her eyes, Eris braced for impact, taking the blow head-on. It pushed her back several paces, before dissipating away. With a huff, she shook off the attack.
"Hmm, okay, not too bad, but not too good either." Serena looked down at her journal for a moment, pouring over the type chart she so often relied on. "I think that means it was a neutral hit! And since that was against a Normal-Type, that means your Hidden Power type can't be Ghost or Fighting-Type, Fennekin!"
Two types down, sixteen more to go. Time for test two.
"Alright, Eris, now I want you to use Copycat, to copy Hidden Power!" At Serena's command, Eris's eyes narrowed into a mischievous smirk, one that made Fennekin pause in surprise. Her teasing was coming back to bite her!
"Vee! Eeeee!" Eris closed her eyes and focused on the move Fennekin had just used, thinking of how she pooled that energy together at her maw. In a flash, she replicated the process, and found her own chromatic ball of energy ready to go. With one final snicker, she ballooned the attack, and fired! "Eeeeevui!"
"Fenn!?"
"Eris, that's too much!" Serena's warning came too late. The attack connected, crashing into Fennekin an instant after it was fired, and—!
"Fenn?" —dissipated into dust just as fast.
"Veeveeveevee!" Eris cackled with that same mischievous tone she had in her rampage through Cyllage, betraying the innocent persona she'd been managing up till now. Oh, the look on Fennekin's face!
Fennekin growled, embers flaring from her ears as she took a step forward. With that, Serena went to intervene.
"That's! Good enough! thank you." Placing herself between Fennekin and Eris, Serena quickly put a stop to any feud before it began. She couldn't be having that, especially when she hadn't even challenged the Gym Leader yet. Fennekin huffed and looked away, while Eris was back to the sweet and innocent routine, one Serena couldn't help but find amusing. With a shake of her head, she returned to the matter of hand. "It looked like that didn't really do much damage at all, did it, Fennekin?"
"Fennekin, fenn." Quick to dismiss any claim to the contrary, Fennekin confirmed Serena's suspicion. It had barely hurt. The move wasn't very effective!
"Perfect! That means whatever type your Hidden Power is, it has to be weak against Fire-Types!" Referring to her type chart, Serena began compiling a list of all the candidates. "So, it could be a Fire, Grass, Ice, Bug, Steel, or Fairy-Type move. That narrows it down!"
Looking over her list, Serena's enthusiasm dampened.
"...A little." They'd eliminated twelve types, but there were still six to go. And only half of the remaining options would be helpful against Grant. Racking her mind for what to do next, Serena sighed. "You guys can take a break, I need to think this through."
Deciding to give their trainer some distance, Fennekin and Eevee nodded and left her be. With that, she began to pace in place.
"What to do, what to do. Clemont said I should experiment by trying the move on different Pokémon, but I don't have any other Pokémon." Her gaze turned to the mountains at her back, and to the forest that grew off in the distance. "I don't want to just go around attacking wild Pokémon again. I know how that feels, too well."
Serena recollected her target training with Fennekin, where she was the target.
"There has to be another way."
Looking down at the list of types she had noted down, Serena dwelt on her options.
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Fennekin was having a terrible, horrible, very bad week.
Okay, that was an exaggeration. The week just felt that way.
First Serena had told her she wouldn't be able to beat Grant on her own— Then they had that nightmare chasing down Eris through Cyllage— and then she had to put up with that attention hog robbing her of precious bonding time with Serena!
Sure, Serena hadn't paid Fennekin any less attention than usual, but the fact that Eris was getting just as many grooming sessions as her was rubbing Fennekin the wrong way.
Fennekin sighed, shaking her head and dismissing the jealous thoughts all at once. Maybe she was being unreasonable. It was silly to expect to be a one-fox team forever, and Serena was never going to neglect her other team members in favor of her. Their time with Diancie had proven that for certain.
Maybe she should try being more open—
"Eevee! Veevee!?" Hey! Where're you going!
Welp.
Turning back, Fennekin found her subject in question in fast pursuit, running along the rocky cliff face to meet Fennekin where she stood. The two were above a dozen paces away from Serena, near a cave entrance leading into the mountains. With a deep breath, Fennekin greeted her teammate.
"Fenne, nekin, fenn!" Hey yourself, new girl! Fennekin smiled. She at the very least could afford to be amicable.
"Eeevui. Eevee, eevee!" Whatcha doing! Hopping to a stop at Fennekin's side, Eris gave her one of her devilishly charming smiles. Fennekin could never tell how sincere they were.
"Nekkin! Fennekin fenne, fennekin." Why, brainstorming of course! Thinking of how I'll be defeating Grant with Serena. Fennekin pressed a paw to her chest and turned her head up with a grin. A little ego never hurts to keep the spirit up.
"Eeeeve? Eevee?" Oh? With that cool move you were doing before? Eris seemed unphased by said ego, not even paying Fennekin's claim mind as she walked in a little circle around her. With a pause, her gaze seemed to wander to the cave entrance.
Fennekin joined her side.
"Fenn! Fennekin, nekin fenn. Fennekin." Of course! But don't worry, new girl. You've got a lot to learn, but I'm sure you'll be on my level someday. Itching to prove her point, Fennekin looked deep into the dark cavern before them, and smirked. She reared back, and fired an Ember down its length!
"Eeveui!" Whoa! Eris's eyes widened at the sight of the Ember flying through the cave shaft, disappearing into the dark after a few moments. She was impressed.
Fennekin smirked. Perhaps she could get used to—
"Eevee, vee!" My turn! Before Fennekin could even ask what she meant, Eris turned her head up and clenched her eyes, focusing on the attack Fennekin had just used. Her tail flagged upwards and small cinders formed at her cheeks. With that, she fired her own Ember down the cave, this one twice as big as the one Fennekin produced.
Eris duplicated the move with Copycat!
"Eevui~?" How did I do~? The question came with an unbearable smirk, the words sincere but her tone very much goading.
Fennekin could never resist being goaded. Feeling the challenge, she collected herself.
"Nekkin! Fenne!" Pretty good! But you're a long way from me, new girl! Digging deep, Fennekin fired another Ember, this one way bigger than what came before. It tumbled down the cavern, landing past Eris's attempt and quickly proving itself to be the bigger one.
Eris wasn't done, however.
"Veeveevee, eevee!" I don't know, I think I'm catching up! Crouching down and digging deep, Eris repeated her move once more, sending the biggest Ember she could manage tumbling down the cave. Despite not going as far as Fennekin's, it just about cleared it in size.
That just wouldn't do.
"Fennekin!? Nekkin, fenne fennekin!" Oh yeah!? Well, can you do this! This time, when Fennekin fired, it wasn't an Ember she launched, but a full-throated Flamethrower! The attack barreled down the cave, flying past the fading Embers and disappearing down into the cave system below.
Confident she had won their little competition, Fennekin turned back to Eris, a smarmy grin across her muzzle as she matched the Eevee tit-for-tat.
"Fenne—" But before she could rub it in, or Eris could retort, a third voice entered the ring.
It was a screech, from inside the cave.
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"Okay, I think I've got it!" It took quite a bit of cross-referencing, but Serena had a plan! All she needed to do now was find—
"NOI!" A piercing screech rang through the air, knocking Serena off balance in an instant. Her journal nearly tumbled out of her hands as her gaze snapped up in shock. Fennekin and Eris were up ahead by one of the caves.
They were being attacked!
"Oh no!" Stumbling into a sprint, Serena rushed towards the scene. Some purple, bat-like Pokémon she didn't recognize was flying in circles above the group, clearly angry about something and taking it out on her team.
"Noi! Noi, noi, noi, baaaat!" With a charge and release, the Pokémon fired a super sonic wave, slamming Eris into Fennekin and forcing Serena back a few steps.
"Guys, what happened?!" In a flash, she pointed her Pokédex up at the assailant.
Noibat, the Sound Wave Pokémon. Flying/Dragon-Type. Noibat's ears emit ultrasonic waves that can disturb its prey's sense of hearing and damage opponents.
"Nekin! Fennekin, kin!" Fennekin quickly assured that the situation was not her fault, cold comfort to Serena as she resisted being blown back.
"Nooooibat!" With a dive, the Noibat descended upon Fennekin and Eris, tackling the latter and sending her tumbling back.
"Eeveui!"
The sight of her Pokémon in pain made Serena's heart jump into her throat.
"Okay, we're getting out of—!" Serena swept Eris off the ground before she froze, an idea forming in her mind in an instant. Noibat was a Flying/Dragon-Type. This could be exactly what they needed! "Fennekin!"
"Fenn!?" Stumbling to her feet, Fennekin locked eyes with her trainer. Serena made her intent very clear.
"Use Hidden Power!"
"Fenn!" Fennekin grinned. She'd do so gladly. Rising to the occasion, Fennekin locked onto her fluttering opponent overhead, and fired! A potent stream of chromatic energy crashed into the Noibat— a direct hit!
"Yes!" Locking onto their assailant, Serena stood in wait. She needed to see how effective this was.
"Noi!? Noibat!" The Noibat was dazed, tumbling through the air after the sudden return fire. Yet, as quickly as they'd been knocked down, they got right back up, shaking their head clear. The attack had barely hurt them.
It wasn't very effective!
"Noooooi!" With a pitched screech, Noibat descended upon the three, fangs bared as it went for a Bite. At that, Serena decided their business was done.
"Eeeee! Let's get out of here!" Stumbling into a sprint, Serena took off, Eris in hand and Fennekin in fast pursuit.
𝒴
With the information on Fennekin's Hidden Power in hand, Serena turned to the next vital thing she'd need: Her team in tip-top shape.
"Use Ember, Fennekin! And dodge it, Eris!"
In a practice field near the Pokémon Center, Serena, Fennekin, and Eris were hard at work. Attacking, and dodging was the name of the game, and they needed all the training they could get. Thankfully, Serena had the perfect example on how to do just that, from Ash.
"Fenn!" Fennekin stood in the center of the field, firing splatters of cinders in regular bursts.
"Veevee Eevee!" The mischievous Eris, meanwhile, was putting her slippery skills to good use, flipping over and evading the attacks as they came. All the while, she took every opportunity she could to fire back a taunt or jeer, throwing in a good Tail Whip at times for good measure. She still had quite a lot of energy from her rampage through Cyllage to work through, and Fennekin was the perfect target. "Veeveevee!"
"Okay, now switch! Use Copycat, Eris! Your turn to dodge, Fennekin!" In a flash, the dynamic flipped. Eris needed to pause and duplicate Fennekin's attack, whilst Fennekin began to run circles around her teammate. After a moment's pause, Eris fired, sending her own barrage of Embers reigning down on Fennekin.
"Fenn! Ne! Kin!" Fennekin's dodging wasn't as elegant as her opponent's, but the same was true for Eris's attacks. The burning coals splattered across the field, as Fennekin leapt away in hops and bounds.
Serena couldn't hide the smile growing on her face. Though this was still humble beginnings, she was putting a real team together! She was a real Gym Challenger, and this was going to prove it.
Her mind drifted to her plan, the collective result of her efforts alongside Clemont and Ash's advice. It was going to need some precise timing on her team's part, but Serena was confident they'd be able to execute it. Ash's Froakie and Fletchinder had their rivalry after all, and they worked together like a well-oiled machine!
All she had to do was make sure that Fennekin and Eris could—
"Fennekin!" A sudden shout from Fennekin derailed Serena's train of thought in an instant. The pillar of flames that followed made sure of that.
"Huh!?" Some argument or another must've broken out while Serena was thinking, because Fennekin was back on the offense. She sent waves of powerful Flamethrowers flying across the field. Each just barely missed her opponent while she ducked and dodged.
"Eevee! Veevee!" Eris was right in her element, avoiding Fennekin's attacks by the skin of her teeth, while a taunting grin never left her face.
Serena almost didn't want to stop the two, if only because the display was absolutely heart-racing. Still— a mere observer she was no longer.
"Stop!" With a half-panicked shout, Serena threw herself into the field, waving her hat through the air to make her point. All at once, the battle ceased. "That's enough, thank you."
"Fennekin! Fenn!"
"Veevee, Eeveui!"
Both sides immediately launched into a game of deflecting blame onto the other, and it was like the fight hadn't even stopped. Serena sighed.
"Training two Pokémon at once seems like a real handful." A new voice entered the ring, pulling Serena from her stupor.
No, not a new voice. She recognized it.
"Sawyer?" Serena was right on the money. Stepping onto the practice field, with his Treecko on his shoulder, was Sawyer, the trainer she'd met at the Gym days before. "Hi! I should've guessed you'd still be in the city."
"I thought the same. I guess we're both in need of more EXP before we're ready to face Grant again." Despite the boy's peculiar choice of words, his relaxed tone was mellow and his smile kind.
"That's one way to put it!" On that word, Serena pulled Eris up into her arms before she could bait Fennekin into another bickering contest. "Eris, this is Sawyer! We met him a little before we ran into you."
"Eevui!" Ever the maker of good first impressions, Eris gave her cutest grin and waved her paw, making greetings. The display quickly charmed Sawyer and his partner, Treecko, who both smiled and waved back. After a moment, Treecko hopped down from Sawyer's shoulder, and exchanged looks with Fennekin.
"I've been trying to get her and Fennekin up to speed before we try taking on Grant ourselves," Serena explained. "I thought this training would help, but I guess it's a bit harder than it looks."
Guess emulating a style of training Ash so often used wasn't the best idea off the bat.
"Ah, strength in numbers! A simple strategy, but no less effective!" Sawyer paused to pull out his notebook, before freezing once he saw the stoney look on Serena's face. Immediately, his gaffe was made clear. "I— Not to imply your strategizing is simplistic! Just—!"
"I'm guessing this is going to be a consistent thing with us." Serena broke through her deadpanned look with a snort. "My plan's a bit more complicated than just that! We're still sorting out the last few details, but I think it'll be enough to win it!"
Leaning down, Serena let Eris back onto the ground.
"How about you? Did you end up teaching Treecko a Grass-Type move?"
"Hmph, more than just that! We gained enough experience to level up twice!" His explanation was odd, but Serena nearly got what he meant. Nearly. "Perhaps I could show you in a battle! My Treecko versus your Fennekin?"
"Huh?" Serena paused, taken aback by the request for a moment, before her heart began to strum an excited beat. A real battle with another trainer, not a Gym Leader— This'd be her very first! Her fingers began to jitter as a smile grew on her face. Yet, as quickly as her excitement took her, she took a moment to pause. "But, Treecko's a Grass-Type? Aren't you worried about the type match-up?"
With a smile to prove his confidence, Sawyer replied.
"Trust me, I think I'll be able to handle it."
With that, the stage was set.
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The practice field was cleared and the trainers had taken their places. There was just one last item to check off before the battle began— Seating the spectators.
"Eris, I want you to do your best to watch Fennekin out there." Serena sat her Pokémon down at the sidelines, crouching to speak face-to-face. "I know you two have your disagreements, but you still have a lot to learn from her, okay?"
"Eee! Eevui…" Though she harrumphed, Eris quickly made peace with Serena's request, smiling and nodding and taking her seat. With that, Serena was ready to begin.
"So, since you're the challenger, does that mean I get the first move?" Serena teased Sawyer as she took her place opposite his, their Pokémon between them, ready to pounce. Sawyer laughed at that, before he tucked his notebook away.
"I believe that honor goes to whoever can take the first move." If those were the terms, Serena was happy to oblige. Her heart began to pick up a beat.
Begin.
"Flamethrower, Fennekin!"
"Treecko, Quick Attack!"
"Tree!" Though it was Serena who called her move first, it was Sawyer's Pokémon who acted first. The wood gecko Pokémon took off into a wild sprint, straight for Fennekin.
"Fen-ne-kin!" Fennekin was no slouch, however. In a flash, she sent a pillar of crackling flames barreling down the field, forcing Treecko to the right as he sprinted.
"Follow him, Fennekin!" With a whip of her head, Fennekin sent a wave coursing down her attack. Its peak was set to crash right into Treecko.
"Jump over it!" Fennekin may be no slouch, but Treecko was no easy target. In a single bound, he cleared straight over Fennekin's attack, and went for its source.
"Fenn!?"
"Treecko!" Treecko smacked into Fennekin's side, before jumping away just as quickly.
"Fennekin!" This wasn't good. Treecko was just as fast as Viola's Surskit, and equally nimble to boot. She'd have to be at the top of her game, just like back then. "Stop and hit him in the air, Fennekin!"
"Nekin! Fenn!" Rolling to a stop, Fennekin fired a crack shot of flames, aimed at Treecko right at the peak of his jump. The attack went wide, but still managed to clip his side.
"Careful, Treecko!" A moment of panic took Sawyer's voice, flushed away as his partner landed at his side, still raring to go. With a breath, he looked back to Serena. "Impressive shot!"
"Thanks! Me and Fennekin have been practicing that move for a long time now!" Though she stopped to accept the praise, Serena's mind didn't pause for a second. Her first thought was her next move and the opponent in front of her. "You and Treecko are pretty fast, but I think we'll be able to handle you!"
Sawyer smiled, raising his hand forward as he spoke.
"We'll see about that! Treecko, let's show her our first level! Use Mega Drain!"
"Huh!?" Serena watched in shock as a green whip erupted from Treecko's palm, the vine pulsing with pure, verdant energy. With a sudden start, he blitzed forward, flicking the attack through the air behind him. "Keep him back with Flamethrower!"
"Fenn!" Stepping back, Fennekin sent a wave of sweeping flames across the battlefield, to little effect. Treecko merely leapt over them, whipping his attack down for a direct hit! "Nek—!?"
"Treecko!" The vine wrapped tight around Fennekin's tail, before wrenching up and sending her face first into the dirt.
"Burn it away with Flamethrower!" Whatever Sawyer was planning with that thing, Serena didn't like it.
"Drain now, Treecko!" Sawyer knew that, and thus moved his plans along.
In perfect unison, Fennekin threw her head back as Treecko landed and pulled his vine taut. Green energy began pulsing through the whip, but not for long— Fennekin's flames cut straight through it!
"Tree!?" Treecko dived back, as the flames just barely missed him. With his attack cut short, he was forced to retreat to his trainer's side of the field.
As he did, Serena noticed the green energy from his whip retreating into his body. The mild burns from Fennekin's earlier attack faded ever so slightly.
What had happened struck her all at once.
"Mega Drain attacks and heals you at the same time?!" Serena had no idea such a move even existed and now she was seeing it in action.
"Good observation! That's one of the many specialties of the Grass-Type. Recovery moves!" Sawyer joined his explanation with a touch of praise. "Absorb, Mega Drain, Synthesis— And this next move!"
With a confident grin, Sawyer reached out to Treecko.
"Here's our second level! Treecko, use Leech Seed!"
"Get ready, Fennekin!" Taking a step back, Serena prepared to take Sawyer's attack head on.
Treecko ran across the field, making zig zags to keep Fennekin's aim moving and unsteady. Then, with a feint, he leapt into the air.
"Eecko, treecko!" Treecko balled his fist and threw a pitch, scattering a shower of seed pods down on Fennekin.
"Flamethrower!" Quick on the upkeep, Serena countered with a shower of her own— A barrage of flames to meet the seeds. Though the counterattack burned away most of Treecko's move, a few of the seeds managed to make it through. Serena watched in horror as they quickly buried into the floor at Fennekin's feet. "Get back, Fenne—!"
"Fennekin!?" All at once, the seed pods burst into a swarm of vines, which wrapped around Fennekin's body. She struggled against their taut hold to no avail. She was locked in place!
"Oh no, Fennekin!"
"Perfect! The move is set!" At Sawyer's pleased call, Treecko landed back on the ground, his fist raised towards Fennekin like he was waiting to receive a gift. Soon, though, a gift he would get. The vines around Fennekin pulsed and glowed, drawing energy from her and routing it into their roots. After a moment, that energy coalesced into a sphere, which then flew back to Treecko!
Serena watched in awe as yet more of his injuries began to fade and lighten.
"That's— That's amazing! You didn't hit Fennekin directly, but it still healed your Pokémon!" Mega Drain was surprising, but Leech Seed was something else entirely.
"Leech Seed is a powerful status move— Every so often, it'll drain your Pokémon of its energy, and return it to my Treecko!" Sawyer explained, a smile wide on his face as he broke down his maneuver. "This is how we're going to beat Grant!"
Serena furrowed her brows, her mind racing as she thought of her next move. Perhaps she could keep Treecko at a distance, to minimize how much energy he could drain. Or maybe she could surprise Sawyer, striking from her immobile position. Or perhaps—!
Serena shook her head.
Perhaps, sometimes the best way over something was straight through it.
"First you're gonna have to beat me! Fennekin, burn away the Leech Seed!" At her command, Fennekin tensed, smoke rising from her ears and cinders pouring out of her maw. Wrenching against the vine's grip, she aimed straight down.
"Quick Attack, Treecko!" Sawyer was fast to counter, but still too slow. Treecko barely made it a step before Fennekin fired.
"Fennek!" A pillar of flames consumed her and the vines, burning them away in an instant. With that, the battle was on once more.
"Follow Treecko with Flamethrower, Fennekin!"
"Dodge and use Mega Drain, Treecko!"
The combatants shot into action, Fennekin clearing the flames around her with her next attack whilst Treecko blitzed away. He rolled and leapt and sprinted all across the field, just barely dodging Fennekin's flames as they followed in hot pursuit.
"Tree!" With a leap, Treecko shot straight towards Fennekin, another green whip already forming at his hand. This time, however, Serena was ready.
"Jump up and burn it with Ember!" At Serena's command, Fennekin hopped into the air, Treecko's Mega Drain swiping through the space beneath her feet. In a flash, she fired a red-hot ember, which burnt straight through the Grass-Type attack. "Perfect! Now Flamethrower!"
"Get back, Treecko!" Skidding to a stop, Treecko scrambled, Fennekin's blistering flames licking at his ankles as he pulled back. "Jump and Mega Drain!"
"Flamethrower!"
When Treecko made his distance, he rolled to his feet and leapt in one motion. Summoning another whip to his palm, he readied to strike at Fennekin from a distance— Only to find a pillar of flames ready to meet him.
"Treecko!"
"Tree—!?" He flipped back, letting the Flamethrower pass overhead, far too close for comfort. As Treecko landed back on the ground at Sawyer's side, his chest heaved with a mix of exhaustion and surprise. Sawyer tutted with thought.
"Your flames are too dangerous to take head-on." He led with a compliment— "Which is why the more indirect strategy will win the day!"
—Before going right back to action!
"Leech Seed, across the whole field, Treecko!" Treecko crossed his arms and made two fists, revealing two handfuls of seeds in his grip. Before Serena or Fennekin could react, he pitched them into the air, until they spread across the whole sky above!
"Burn them away, Fennekin!"
"Again, Treecko!"
Fennekin swung her head back and fired, a steady Flamethrower incinerating the swarm raining down on her. Yet, she couldn't hit all of them. A handful embedded into the dirt, growing into vines she had to stop and burn away.
By the time she was done, another barrage of Leech Seeds were already on their way.
Immediately, Serena recognized the problem. By having to focus on keeping Treecko's attack from latching onto Fennekin, they were stuck on a permanent defense. They couldn't push ahead, lest the potent move connect and drain Fennekin's health away, little by little.
She had to figure out a way to break the impasse, some way to push through— But how!?
"How can I attack and defend at the same time?" she muttered to herself.
A thought came to Serena then: Something Ash and Clemont had said, just a few weeks ago.
It's not just an attack, but a shield!
It's offensive and defensive, all-in-one!
Ash's technique, his last-ditch strategy to defeat Korrina. It was exactly what Serena needed— Counter Shield!
"This better work, guys!" Calling out to her absent friends, Serena pushed ahead with her sudden strategy. Fire burned through her veins as she looked on at her partner. "Fennekin! We're going to try something new! I want you to spin!"
"Fennek!?" Fennekin balked at the command, just as she burnt away a vine that had wrapped around her ankle. Still, she was never one to argue in the heat of the moment. Fennekin pressed ahead. "Fen-nek-kin!"
"What're you two—?" Sawyer stared in shock as Fennekin began to spin in place, her Flamethrower curling into a spiral that rose into the air. In an instant, Treecko's Leech Seeds were swallowed by the swirling flames. "Huh!?"
"Perfect! You're doing it, Fennekin!" Serena paid no mind to the lack of resemblance between her move and Ash's Counter Shield. If this worked, then it worked! With passion swelling in her chest, she pressed ahead. "Now, let's finish this Fennekin! Get them!"
"F-fennekin!" Fennekin swayed back and forth, her attention locked onto maintaining her attack and spinning all at once. Still, she would push ahead. For Serena, she'd push ahead! With passion burning in her throat, Fennekin stepped forward. "Fen-nek—!"
She stepped forward, and tripped over her own feet.
"Kin!"
"Fennekin!?"
𝒴
Fennekin's vision swam and swirled around her, her stomach doing flips as she tried to get her bearings. All that spinning had driven her utterly dizzy, and with just one step, she'd fallen over, right in the middle of a battle.
The battle. Fennekin focused her gaze onto her opponent, Treecko. Despite her complete vulnerability, he hadn't taken a step towards her. Why haven't they attacked? Used Leech Seed or Mega Drain?
Were they pitying her?
A voice pierced through Fennekin's daze, Serena's voice. It called out to her, asking her if she was okay, even though the answer was clear.
"Fennek— Fennekin." She wasn't okay. She had failed. Frustration grew heavy in Fennekin's chest as she rose to her feet, frustration in herself. She wished she were agile enough, wished she could do something like this well enough, like—
Fennekin paused. From the corner of her vision, she caught sight of the battle's lone spectator: Eris. Eris was watching her, a genuine look of concern on her face.
"Fennekin! Can you hear me!" Serena's voice called out Fennekin, finally cutting clean through the nausea. She was worried, oh so worried. Fennekin hated making her worry. "If you want to stop, we can stop, Fennekin!"
There wasn't a doubt in Fennekin's mind that Serena was telling the truth. But, she also knew better. Fennekin knew Serena wanted to win this. With that, Fennekin's mind was set.
She wanted to win this too!
"Fen-ne-kin!" Bursting with fiery passion, Fennekin gave her answer, sending smog and cinders billowing from her ears like smokestacks. With her declaration ringing through the air, their opponents quickly found their motivation to battle as well.
Sawyer grinned.
"I think she's ready to continue, and so are we!" he declared, Treecko crouching at his side, ready to sprint. "What do you say, Serena!"
"What do I say?" It was all down to Serena now, and in that moment, there was only one thing she could say. A wild smile took her face. "How do you want to do this, Fennekin!"
"Nekin! Fen!" Wasn't it obvious? She wanted to try it again! Digging dip, she unleashed a pure jet of crackling fire, straight from her lungs: Her strongest Flamethrower yet!
"Our turn, Treecko! Jump and use Leech Seed!"
"Spin, Fennekin!"
In perfect unison, Treecko and Fennekin made their moves. Treecko leapt into the air, firing a barrage of Leech Seeds across the whole field, while Fennekin— Did the same?!
"Whoa!" Serena watched in awe as her partner leapt as well. Whatever Fennekin was planning, she would just have to go along! "Okay, now spin!"
"Fenne! Kin!" With a burst of energy, Fennekin spiraled through the air, the flames of her attack curling behind her into distinct plumes. As Treecko's Leech Seed barreled down on her, she let the attack burst forth. "Fennekin!"
It burnt away the seed pods in an instant, before the remaining plumes went straight for Fennekin's target, Treecko!
"Huh!?" Serena was shocked, as Fennekin executed a move she'd never seen before. "That's not Counter Shield, that's—!"
"Will-O-Wisp!?" If Serena was shocked, then Sawyer was flabbergasted. He was too late to respond. In the blink of an eye the attack slammed into his Pokémon, sending Treecko crashing back down to the ground below.
The exchange was done.
Fennekin landed with a rough roll, panting and exhausted, but very much still standing. Opposite of her stood a small cloud of dust, and from it, came her opponent.
"Tree… Treecko." Treecko stood tall as well. He was scuffed and a little bruised, but it was nothing a few Mega Drains couldn't fix up. For a moment, Fennekin's heart sank into her chest. That whole performance and she hadn't managed to clinch it.
Yet, then—
"Tree— Treecko!?" All at once, Treecko's body burst into flames.
𝒴
"What— Huh!?" Serena looked on with shock and horror. First, her Pokémon had used a move that she had never heard of before, and now her opponent's Pokémon was on fire?!
Yet, her panic passed soon after it came, when the flames died down and Treecko was left, panting and on one knee. After a moment, she spoke up.
"What, what happened?" As embarrassing as it was, Serena was forced to ask her opponent what her own move had done. Thankfully, Sawyer was the expositing type.
"Will-O-Wisp is a status move, like Leech Seed," he explained, letting out a sigh and pulling his notebook from his pocket. He jotted down one note before continuing. "When it connects, it burns the opposing Pokémon, and damages them every so often."
Right on that note, Treecko's burn lit up again to make Sawyer's point. The boy flinched, before he quickly revealed a Poké ball from his pocket. Serena paused when she realized what he was doing.
"Are you—?" Before she could get out another word, Sawyer returned Treecko to his Poké ball.
He was conceding the match.
"Your victory was inevitable," he explained, writing one last note before he put his journal away. "You could hold Treecko at an impasse for as long as you needed. Whatever healing I could do with Mega Drain or Leech Seed would've been outpaced. With that burn, the match was won."
"That means—" Sawyer's explanation clicked in Serena's head. "That means we won!"
"Fennek! Fennekin!" Fennekin whipped around and grinned at Serena, before she charged.
"We won, Fennekin!"
𝒴
"You should be proud, Serena. Will-O-Wisp is a powerful utility move!"
With their practice match finally complete, Serena and Sawyer had returned to the Pokémon Center. First order of business was getting their partners healed, while discussing the results of the match came second.
The two stood by the front desk, watching Nurse Joy at work on Treecko and Fennekin. Their Pokémon seemed to be having a discussion of their own, though of exactly what, neither Sawyer nor Serena could say.
Sawyer gave a sigh of relief before he turned to the notebook stowed in his hands.
"And if my notes are correct, it also reduces the attack of the burned Pokémon by half!"
"If it's half as good as you say, then I think that's just what we needed!" Serena let out a hearty laugh, a smile wide on her face. If her victory and a new move hadn't been reason enough to make her day, then the happy, chittering Eevee on her shoulder surely sealed the deal. Eris was chittering something or another about the move Fennekin had done. It seemed she wanted to try emulating it soon.
That thought then brought on another.
"Exceeeept, for one more thing." She turned and faced Sawyer, pulling out her own notebook and turning it open. With her most pleasing smile, she laid her next question on thick. "Would it be okay if Fennekin could spar with Treecko one last time? I have something I want to try."
Notes for Pokémon Battling #5: Moves are more than just powerful attacks. Status effects can often be the key to victory!