Note: Alright lot of things happened this chapter, and one thing I noticed starting with this episode in particular is Pokemon battles are incredibly short things with barely any moves happening between each trainer probably like 10 moves max if that which is a contrast between fights that I make which have like 16 moves being thrown out, it probably not gonna change I find it a bit more dynamic the way I do them currently but definitely something I noticed during this episode/chapter
Chapter Summary:
Pokemon XY(anime): Ep. 20
Pokemon XY(game): Cyllage City
Breaking Tiles At The Chateau: Ash's Group
Ash, Serena, Bonnie, and Clemont had all woken up and started to get ready for the day once more, due to the events that had happened the prior day Bonnie had a few nightmares causing her to lay with her brother for comfort which the older sibling gladly allowed, Serena was also somewhat shaken up around the event it had been the first time she experienced being in real danger with the teens around it always felt like things were calm and under control no matter what the situation but without them and with no way to contact them made her feel isolated, she went along with Ash because other than the teens she also trusted him immensely to protect her but after what happened that day she realized that she couldn't always just rely on others to protect her but even more than that, as she thought about how Disheartened Ash was when his pokemon was kidnapped made her realize How could she expect to help anyone else if she was simply waiting around to be protected all the time.
Facing off against Eyesight was technically the very first time she used Fennekin in a battle and she couldn't help but think that she didn't do all that she could if the snake women had been really under mind control like the rest, who knew what could have happened to them and whatever that Malamar had been planning, the sheer thought brought shivers to her spine, she thought back to the teens once more, more about both Tsu and Uraraka the two of them were both competent heroes in their own right as she thought back to how the two girls quickly reacted to and took down that pokemon smugglers car with such grace and function like it was second nature to them to leap into action at a moments notice just like Ash and wondered for a moment if they could do it then she could as well.
She might not have the powers that they did, but similar to Ash, she had her Pokémon by her side that could step up when necessary. Still, it was she who needed to step up for it; just as it had been feeding off her mood in the observatory, the way that her Fennikin was dispatched so easily could also be considered her fault, as she wasn't that good of a trainer to give the small fox Pokémon orders. She wanted to correct that, while she wasn't aiming to be a Pokémon champion, she was still a Pokémon trainer heading on an adventure through the region all the same, and who knows what could lie in the dark out there, so she needed to prepare herself for that, but now the question was how? She could attempt to find something online or…maybe she could perhaps ask Ash to teach her a thing or two about battling.
Her thoughts began to drift once more to the two of them training in the dead of night, similar to when they were in Santalune City, but now a romantic element was soon injected into her imagination, turning a near loss to her by Ash, and as a result, she got to kiss him, but before that happened, her embarrassment and Bonnie, who had been sitting next to her, asking if she was all right and that she was daydreaming along with her face being red. Serena quickly smacked her face for a moment and told the small girl that she was doing fine and that she was just thinking about a few things the other day.
The girl understood her plight, still, a bit creeped out about what had happened and still somewhat bitter about what Eyesight did to them just as a joke when they were taking it so seriously, but the small girl couldn't deny that she still wanted to play with the snake women if she apologized for what she did to them, which, given how the woman sounded, Serena very much doubted she would, but she allowed the small girl to think the woman might. She thought back to her conundrum as she finished getting her food and sat down; as Ash sat down from across from them, her memories dredged back up once more, but she quickly banished them and decided that maybe she should try something else to help her become a better Pokémon trainer as she looked on her phone for any places where she could see multiple trainers battling one another.
She had been lucky with that however as she saw a building that they were coming on very quickly which was something called the battle chateau, an area where Pokemon trainers gather to battle one another not only for sport or money but a rank that they would be getting out, she looked at where to go before putting her phone down to continue eating and discussing with the others she was confident that she likely didn't need to do much convincing to have Ash accept her offer to go their given that he was aiming for the Kalos league as she slid her phone over towards the boy and told him and Clemont about it. Clemont expressed that he knows about the Chateau palace and some of the gym leaders regularly visit there to hone their skills and battle against each other sometimes.
This immediately caught Ash's attention, and he asked what the significance of the place was for them to all meet up with Clemont. Clemont was about to explain the running system that they have in place before a hand suddenly budded in front of his face, causing everyone to turn and look at two kids. One of the kids was a wide person who wore a red sweatshirt with overalls over top of it, while the second kid was smaller, about the size of Clemont, who wore an orange sweatshirt with a hoodie and green cargo shorts. Both of them wore light red caps, although both of them were backward-facing.
The large kid remarked that the battle chateau didn't give out "ranks" but noble titles instead, which got Ash interested, while Clemont admitted to not knowing the correct term for it, but in principle, they acted fairly to the ranks one would attain. Still, Ash had to admit that Nobel titles sounded way cooler as he was about to ask if the boy could explain more about it. However, he stopped when he spotted a mysterious Pokémon on top of the boy's shoulder; he quickly brought out his Pokédex to scan over the Pokémon.
(Fletchinder, the Ember Pokémon: The hotter the flame sac on its belly, the faster it can fly, but it takes some time to get the fire going.
The larger kid didn't very much appreciate having the Pokédex being shoved in his face, although he said it in a very strange way, almost attempting to keep a rhythm and continually using the words "yo" at the start and end of all of his sentences. The two kids seemed to figure out that most of them weren't around here and suggested that they start following their methods, which was first the "legendary river walk, yo," which was just the two of them walking with their hands folded across their chest. Serena asked Clemont if that was something they did here, and the boy shook his head and remarked that he heard nothing of the sort from any of the other Gym leaders. Serena also questioned the peculiar way that both boys spoke and asked if that was their attempts at rapping which completely left them frozen and disheartened Serena quickly attempted to apologize, not meaning to offend them or anything and just saying it was a bit forced.
The slight pause in the conversation was stopped when Ash once more talked about the noble titles; however, the two boys remarked that it would be a bit too difficult to explain and that they should all just head over together, as they were just about to get themselves in the first place. The group all agreed before offering up their names to the two strange-talking kids, and the two returned the favor as the larger boy told them his name was Nico and his little brother was named Chester. The boys both had Pokémon, with Nico having a Fletchinder while his brother possessed its pre-evolved form of Fletchling. With the introductions fully out of the way, the group finished their food and decided to head out immediately.
The group traveled along the long road next to a lazy river and after about 30 minutes of walking they came upon sight of the large castle above the water, multiple glass window planes reflected the light and made the blue almost look white in appearance. The multitude of windows and the size of the building signified just how large the building was, and seeing such a large and magnificent building got all of the group eager to hurry up toward the place. As they got closer, the building continued to get larger until they were finally at the door. There was a large arch that had some strange writing on it that Ash couldn't decipher, which Clemont did for him, which the arch read, "Battle Chateau: Show your strength with a title."
This drew Ash's interest as everyone started to make their way inside; into the large castle, they were immediately greeted by a rather clear room with a checkered-pattern floor. Just like the other castle they visited, it had multiple armors stands on either side of the walls with knight armor on them, a few paintings of historic figures, and swords posted above on display. The single person they met in the lobby of the castle was a maid of some kind. The woman bowed as she welcomed "Baron Nico" back to the battle chateau. Nico told the woman that he brought his brother along with him so that he could have his graduation battle. Ash mentioned that he too was there for a battle, and after a moment's hesitation and bated breath, Serena stepped forward and said that she wanted to do a battle as well.
Hearing Serena wanting to fight was quite a surprise to the group wondering where the girl had gotten the idea to do so the girl told them how she felt very helpless in comparison to the rest of the group on their journey other than being sweets and how she wanted to pull more weight and be relied upon if the situation called for it especially if they were going to be harassed by Team rocket for their entire Journey, this got an admired gaze from Bonnie while Clemont commented how he didn't think she wasn't doing her part and how he and his chespin enjoy her poke puffs, Ash, on the other hand, was happy that the girl was giving it and shot and hoped that they could have a pokemon battle when the time came which Serena hesitantly agreed to as she blushed with how close Ash got into her face as his excitement carried him to clasp both of her hands and shake them up and down.
She was saved from her inability to speak by someone else entering the lobby, a much older gentleman dressed in fancy clothes and wearing a monocle; he greeted Baron. Nico once more before remarking that he and his brother had excellent timing given that they had a bunch of potential Baron's candidates coming up at the moment, which his brother could face his graduate battle against. Nico and Chester were happy to hear them pumping a fist before remembering Ash and the group present as he introduced them to the owner of the battle chateau, Hennessy Turner. The owner gave a nod to the group, and noticing Clemont, he offered a greeting to the Gym Leader as well, remarking about how rare it was for him to come to the chateau, which the scientist mainly explained by mostly being busy with his inventions to come along with some of the other Gym leaders to the place.
Hennessy hummed at that for a moment and thought that he was initially here for or asked to come by Grant, which surprised the young teen as he asked if Grant was here. Hennessy confirmed that he was passing through after finishing a business adventure he explained before offering to come show him where the man was. All of the group began to travel along to the waiting area during their travels. The man asked where Clemont had found his present company for his party, and Ash explained that he was from the Kanto region, a town called Pallet Town, while Serena explained that she was from Vaniville Town here in the Kalos region. Clemont told Hennessy that through some hardships following Ash's arrival into the region, they all decided to go on an adventure together as Ash wanted to travel around to win all the badges needed to join the Kalos league. Hennessy asked if he had beaten him yet, but Ash explained that Clemont wanted him to get four badges first before fighting him and that he was on his way to getting his second badge from Cyllage City.
Hennessy commented in a sarcastic tone that it was a bit rude of Clemont to bring his challenger to his friends' doorstep first, but Clemont took the comment seriously and attempted to defend himself by remarking that the idea wasn't his and that it wasn't like he was saying that he was a better trainer than Grant or anything before his huff was stopped by the owner's small chuckle as he admitted that he was only joking as the group got to the doorway to the prime waiting area. This was opened by the women, allowing them all to enter inside and see a couple of tables and the upper portion of the room, which extended out to the right, and many trainers ranging from fellow kids to adults alike.
Hennessy announced to the group of people that Baron Nico had arrived; this turned a few heads from those who may have been interested in the coming upstart, which wasn't many of the people inside the room. Ash was amazed by the number of people inside and asked if he could just choose anyone to battle but Chester corrected him and remarked that you could only battle someone who held the same noble title that you have and for someone like himself who was on his graduating battle he needed to face someone that was also on there graduating battle.
Serena was the one to mention it and asked about what graduating battles meant, but she was cut off by Pikachu pointing to something on the ceiling. Everyone turned to where the Pokémon was pointing and was shocked to notice that someone had been climbing up on the ceiling, making the person turn around. Clemont waved as he told them that Grant was the rock-type Gym Leader, which once more surprised everyone present. Nico mentioned that Grant was a really strong competitor in the battle chateau, being among the highest noble titles one could get.
This brought Serena back to her questions about noble titles and graduating battles, asking how many of the former, while what was the meaning of the latter, Chester explained the noble titles in order of lowest to highest: at first all trainers start as knights by default, and then once they have done enough battles, they begin to proceed upwards through the titles, which are signified by a cool cape that they give them white for Barons and Baronesses, blue for Viscounts and Viscountesses, green for Earls and Countesses, yellow for Marquises and Marchionesses, red for Dukes and Duchesses, and purple for Grand Dukes and Grand Duchesses. The group was surprised by how many there were before Ash asked the boy to continue with graduation battles, and he explained that it was exactly how it sounded like it was the battle before one went up to the next rank; it was one of the few battles played out in the patio for everyone to see; this battle would decide who gets to rank up or not.
Serena mentioned how that seemed like a lot of pressure on them for the final match and it was Nico who remarked that that was what the battle Chateau was all about as he walked to the front of the group and issued an challenge open to the room a for anyone that held a graduating match for the noble title of Baron to come out and face him at that moment, it didn't take very long for the boy to receive his answers as a pair of white gloves were flung through the air and hit him in the shoulder, the boy bent down to pick up the gloves at the person that threw them made his appearance known another well dressed young male teen with Blonde hair he put an arm across his chest and introduced himself as Baron Farrell.
The doorways on the left side all began to open up the glass doors sliding open to the outside bas the maid from before went towards the center and gestured with a bow for both Nico and Farrell to take their places outside on the battlefield while all others Knights could view the battle on the terrace, before the two went down the steps as soon as the challengers stepped outdoors they both were offered their capes on either side of them while the maid in the center was given a blue cape that signified a Viscount, the three proceeded down the steps their capes blowing in the wind which Ash and Bonnie thought were super cool, Clemot committed that the atmosphere was completely different from traditional battles even Gym battles didn't have this much fanfare.
His inquiry was answered by Hennessy as he remarked that this was due to it being tradition explaining that the Battle Chateau was founded on the principles of a knight duel, the aim was to elevate Pokemon battles through the spirits of chivalry, to become much more than just two trainer battling with their best pokemon in a contest of moves but a battle culture that held civility in high regard was formed.
He explained with some sadness in his voice that the Pokémon Leagues and Gym battles have monopolized and somewhat tainted people's views on Pokémon battles due to it becoming mainstream, but he was confident that many people were still willing to give the Battle Chateau's version of Pokémon battles that one could only experience in the Kalos region, he said as he looked forward at the arena below just as the two were about to take their places.
The two shared a strange ritual beforehand where the opponent would place his Pokeball on top of the others in outstretched hands before clicking both of their balls togather singling the confirmation of the battle as the two walked away to either side of the area the maid acted as prospector holing up the blue cape and remarking how as a gradation match the winner would be advancing into the noble title of Viscount, the battle will be 1 vs 1 elimination and without any further rules she wished both participants the best and to give their utmost in the coming battle while maintaining the knight's code of chivalry. Both of them sent out their Pokemon for Nico was a Fletchinder while Farrel brought out Dusknoir, Ash was able to tell what the Pokemon was but Serena had never seen such a Pokemon before as she took out her pokedex to scan it.
(Dusknoir the Gripper Pokémon: This feared Pokémon is said to travel to worlds unknown.
The battle began as both knights gave out their orders. Nico ordered the use of (flame charge while Farrel used ( thunder punch, the two Pokemon dashed at each other but as the fletchinder made contact with its opponent its body seemed to evaporate into nothing but a ghastly echo, it flew into the air to recover and look for its opponent once more but the ghost type was hot on its heels seemingly disappearing and reappearing at random closer ad closer until the thunder punch landed striking the flying type before it dashed back down to the ground as the ember pokemon fell, Clemont remarked about how the lighting type move was super effective against flying types but his concentration on the battle faltered when a sound from someone behind him caught their attention it had been none other than Viola, the women waved at them and thought it was a bit surprising that she managed to meet up with them once more, especially at the Chateau.
Ash asked what she was doing, and the woman explained that she was taking a break from working with the teens to be at the Chateau; it was a good pastime for her; she even earned the rank of Duchesse, which made them believe her sentiment of finding it enjoyable. Clemont asked what she meant by working with the teens. She put a finger to her lips and remarked that it was a secret for the moment; all of the Gym Leaders were called in to look at what they were going to be doing. Still, given his connection, they assumed Clemont would have already known, but the boy explained that he didn't, although the girl remarked that it sucked for him, as he would have to wait for the surprise like everyone else; it would be revealed in the next two days, so they wouldn't have to wait very long.
However, all eyes were back on the battle once more as Viola looked up at the bird Pokémon falling from the sky, showing life once more as it seemingly burst once more with energy. It came down incredibly quickly, using its speed gravity to come at the Dusknoir hard and land a critical attack flame charge straight to the head of the ghost Pokémon, which, after the dust settled, revealed that the Pokémon had been knocked unconscious from just that single attack, which amazed Clemont, but Chester was more sure, and he remarked that his brother and Fletchinder had been training for this moment for a while and that he knew that there was no way that they were going to lose.
Hennessy gathered all of the remaining knights on the patio in a round of applause for the now-Viscount Nico however this wave of applause had been slightly interrupted by the sound of Grant falling from the ceiling in all of the excitement, Viola playfully admonished Grant for his behavior and not containing his urges to clime things which the man claimed was merely impossible as the battle chateau walls beauty seemed to beckon to him and believed that as a Photographer the women should have some insight into what he was talking about and while she did admit that they could come to terms that the battle chateau was a beautiful place she did not understands his obsession with the walls in particular.
Viola also took the moment to introduce Ash to the rock Gym Leader which drew the man's entrance as he looked the boy up and down and remarked how he had heard much about him from their meeting the day prior and if regions were a bit more open to each other he reconned a guess that he would probably be a bit more of a famous individual given all that's he's done n his travels. Ash was surprised to hear that they had learned about him and asked what the meeting was about.
Grant remarked it was about whatever special thing had been happening with him, and the other two even went so far as to say that he had already met Elliot over in Cyllage City. Hearing the name Ash asked if the man had beaten him to get the Cliff badge yet; however, he was surprised when the dark-skinned man shook his head and remarked that unfortunately, he hadn't even challenged the boy yet, given he had failed in the handicap matches prior.
Clemont took the moment to ask what was the man's handicap challenge in the first place and the man boldly and extravagantly exclaimed that it was rock climbing, of course, Viola simply sighed at the display and his obsessions were, Serena asked Viloa what was her challenge like and the women explained that it was mostly timed tight rope contest with some pitfall scattered here and there, she also uses it to determine who goes in what order if her Gym is suffering from overcrowding and told Ash that he technically got lucky getting her when she was just getting back.
Speaking of challenges, however, Ash asked Grant about what his ran was as he wanted to battle him like a teaser to their eventual battle at his Gym but given the rules, he couldn't battle him if he was at a higher noble title and Grant explained that his Nobel title was that of a (Duke which Serena correctly summarized that that was the same as Viola's while Clemont remarked about how it was the second highest noble rank in the place.
Ash was a bit bummed out about how he couldn't challenge him but guessed that would have to wait for later and Grant remarked that he would be looking forwards to it for now however Ash and company and everyone else outside on the terrace went back inside to where they would be called upon and be taken to the battle centers the group divided up to see who would go where in support of Ash or Serena as Clemont, Grant, and Nico went with Ash while Bonnie, Chester, and Viola decided to watch over Serena's match.
Round 1: Ash vs. Estelle
Pikachu vs. Hoppip
Ash greeted his opponent which had been a small girl around the same age or about a year older than Bonnie, he didn't know what to expect from the small person but he thought out of respect for the smaller kid he would offer her the first attack, and the girl did something he didn't expect as her first move was (stun spore as the small pink pokemon blew out an orange cloud of spores that had completely consumed Pikachu, the small yellow pokemon breathed the spores in and sneezed them out for a moment as its body was completely locked up its body as it began to twitch and shiver in place, the next attack the girl attempted to use was (bullet seed as told his Pikachu to fight through the paralysis and dodge the incoming moves while using (quick attack. Pikachu answered his trainer's call before mustering its strength in its paws and legs to dash forward, avoiding the initial seeds sent its way and running in a zigzag pattern to avoid the other bullet seeds that had been headed its way before landing the hit directly against the Pokémon and surprisingly knocking it out in one blow.
Round 1: Serena vs. Marseille
Fennekin vs. Ralts
Serena had been fairly nervous walking into the battle arena by herself; above them had been the viewing area behind a soundproof glass where she could see Bonnie and her Dedenne waving at her from above along with the others that had followed along with her. She gave the group of them a wave back before looking forward once more at her opponent, who arrived on the opposite side. It was a young man about her sister's age, and the two shared an introduction and sent out their Pokémon, and the match officially began.
Serena was mainly freezing up on what she should do so the opponent went first telling its Pokemon to use (double team, being somewhat familiar with the move thanks to Ash the girl wasn't as surprised by the multiple after images of Ralts that had suddenly appeared but that didn't make it any less intimidating as the girl looked around at the many clones trying to deduce which one or even what she should do if she even found the right one, she was forced into action when the boy told his ralts to use (charge beam next the several clones began to charge all at once seemingly before a beam shot out directly at Fennekin which Serena told her pokemon to dodge out of the way, the movement came a little slower so the attack landed against her pokemon lower back causing it to spin out for a moment as its momentum carried it across the ground she asked if her pokemon was ok which it struggled up for a moment before righting its self and giving a cheerful bark back.
Serena thought for a moment and wanting payback decided to go on the offensive and told her Pokemon to use (hidden power as she saw yellow energy course through the opposing Pokemon, three blue circular energy balls emerged in front of the fennekin's mouth, and fired off at the ralts and its trainer countered by using (teleport making Serena shocked as the small green pokemon winked away in a blue wave completely avoiding the strike and suddenly appearing right behind her Fennekin. The opponent continued using (Draining Kiss on her Fennekin as the Ralts puckered its lips and kissed Fennekin on the cheek, making it spazz for a moment, thinking quickly on her feet. Serena told her Fennekin to use (Scratch to knock the Ralts away, which the fox Pokémon did as its claws glowed white, and it lashed out in two claw swipes, knocking the offending Pokémon away.
Despite what she saw such an attack do to Ash's froakie she was surprised by how well off her Fennkin had been from taking that attack just now, she wondered if it could have been an ineffective type of advantage she wondered as the opponent used (double team once more before using (charge beam once again but maybe it was her newfound confidence from the exchange but the girl told her Fennekin to counter with (Ember this, unfortunately, missed however striking a clone and her pokemon had been blowing back by the electrical discharge which seemed to power up the pokemon once more once finished.
Fennekin took another rough landing but still rose and gave her a look of confidence once more, believing in her, and that look gave her the confidence to come up with some strategy as she told her Fennekin to use (hidden power once more but only fire one at a time. As expected, her opponent used (Teleport to dodge the first and second balls but couldn't for the third and final one. While the damage was less, she applauded herself and her Fennekin for managing to land the blow. Her opponent wasn't going to take that lying down, however, as he commanded the use of (double team once more. Knowing his ploy by now, Serena patiently waited as the charge beam was coming next. As soon as she could identify where the beam was coming from, she immediately told her Fennekin to use (Flamethrower.
The Two attacks clashed in the center going back and forth with one another for a few seconds and Serena watched with a held breath but released when she realized that she was winning the struggle and overcame it striking the ralts dead on. It flew backward a moment from the explosion but managed to stand up; his trainer told it to use (teleport once more into a (draining kiss, which Serena responded to once again with a (scratch, which he blew, knocking out the offending Pokemon and making her the winner.
Small break
Serena was greeted with a round of applause and praise as she exited the battle arena, making her bashful as she twisted her hair with a finger. Viola commented on how she had some good thinking skills but could use a bit more confidence in her battle style; if she had waited any time sooner, that last clash could have been going in the opposite direction, as she explained the charge beam's unique property of increasing the wielder's special attack, which was something the girl acknowledged herself and explained was one of the reasons she was doing this. Their conversation was slightly placed on hold as Ash and his crew had been rushing over wondering if the girl had won yet she confirmed that she had and the boy praised her for it making her bashful in response before asking how his match went which the boy remarked that it was kinda over in a flash and he was making his way over to the second now and which arena it would be in, she nodded before heading towards one of the pokemon stations and depositing her Fennekin there and leaving to see Ash's match to see if she could draw some inspiration for her next coming match.
(Round 2: Ash vs. Moray
Fletchling vs. Fletchling
Ash quickly made his way to the stands and greeted his opponent and quickly threw out his Pokemon; both trainers were surprised that both of them had managed to throw out the same Pokemon at the same time. However, his opponent's Fletchling was more of a beige color on its body instead of the traditional red as was custom with the Pokemon. Ash asked if that Fletchling was shiny, which Moray confirmed as he told his Pokemon to use (Steel Wing and Ash told his Pokemon to counter with the same move, (Steel Wing. The two robin Pokémon flew directly at each other as both of their wings glowed a bright white, clashing in the middle before driving past one another, circling in mid-air, and coming back at each other, clashing their wings three more times before Moray instructed his Pokémon to stop and use (Razor Wind, and once more Ash mirrored his opponent as he told his Fletchling to use the move once more. The two birds mock-charged at each other and suddenly halted as the two of them began to flap their wings at one another, sending out large white blades of air that collided in the center in another draw.
Moray commented about how they seemed to have half of the same moves. Ash let out a chuckle at the coincidence before asking if Moray had this next move, which was (peck; the man remarked that he didn't, but he had something better as he told his fletchling to use (quick attack. Moray's was clouded with a white outline as it exploded forward with an insane burst of speed completely surprising Ash's as it was knocked backward from the full-on tackle its attack itself missed the mark as if began to fall to the ground below, and Moray continued with his attack now using another move that Ash didn't posses which was (ember the ember pokemon letting out a large squawk as the fire burst from its mouth forming into a symbol and launching down at Fletchling, Ash told his Fletching to get out of the way and dodge the incoming striking which the pokemon did so raising its head before flapping its wings just a moment before it hit the ground and began to dash forwards and come up just under the flame attack, Ash whooped in praise before telling it to use (double team and combined it with (steel wing once more as the bird moved forwards with incredible haste, Mayroon attempted to counter with (razor wind sending blades of air all through out the dozen after images but not managing to hit the real one as his bird was struck in mid-air, Ash trained the move and told his bird to use (peck neck striking the bird while it was falling sanding it careening to the ground.
Moray's fletchling crashed with a thud and took a moment to get up once more but managed to do so as it took to the air, Moray commanded to use (quick attack once more and Ash told his bird to counter with (steel wing as both birds dived head first into one another once more and the Moray was unable to call his pokemon off in time as they slammed together and the steel wing won out completely bulldozing Moray's out of the air and making his Fletchling fall to the ground unconscious, he ran on to the field to catch his pokemon just before it reached the ground before congratulating Ash on his victory and hopes he would get to face him again sometime which Ash replied that he would be ready anytime as he waved him off and hurried out of the arena, he briefly met Serena who congratulated him on his victory before heading over to retrieve her Fennekin from the station and head over to her next match, Ash next match was mostly immediately after given he registered all three of his pokemon before a minor break between his fourth match so he wished her luck and hope that they could meet up and battle as he was escorted to his next challenger and the party separated again this time in reverse of those that had followed the other.
Round 2: Serena vs. Beatrice
Fennekin vs. Tentacool
Serena was a little less anxious stepping into her second battle at the battle chateau but that anxiousness came flying right back at her and hit her in the gut when she found out what she had been up against in the second round, she had been going up against a direct counter one could say as the opponents pokemon had been a water type which almost instinctively made her a bit on edge and nervous this was mirrored itself in her pokemon as she could see some trembling start too occur in the small fox so to wipe away that fear she wanted to be strong for it in this moment as she ordered the first move as she told Fennekin to use (hidden power the three blue orbs shot forwards at the tentacool but Beatrice told her pokemon to dodge out of the way before firing back with an (confuse ray, the attack came fast and struck Fennein in the center the fox pokemon remained standing for a moment but it had been a little wobbly on its feet she noticed she wasn't so much of a rookie that she couldn't tell what was happening as se understood that her pokemon was now (confused so any morve she made now was going to be a gamble and while she was steady in her thoughts Beatrice continued with her move telling her Tentacool to use (acid making Serena quickly focus and tell Fennekin to dodge out the way which despite the confused state it just managed to do only being niced int he tail by the substance that burned but the fox pokemon quickly shook off.
Beatrice continued on the attack as she told her Pokemon to get in close thinking it was going to be a close-range brawl Serena told her Fennekin to use (Scratch as the Pokemon drew closer the attack carried through successfully, however, the woman did something surprising as she ordered her Tentacool not to attack but to use (protect instead as the two slashed went forwards they impacted instead against the glowing white buried doing minimal damage before Beatrice commanded the use of (water pulse, in such proximity the only thing Serena could do was go all out as she told her Fennekin to counter with her strongest move (flamethrower but as the fire moved charged up in the fox pokemon mouth it had exploded on top of the fox pokemon itself flinging its head up high and exploding its body for a direct hit with the water pulse straight to the gut sending the fox pokemon flying back and exploding in a shower of water. As the dust cleared, it became obvious that Fennkin was unable to battle, making Beatrice the winner.
Serena was a bit bummed out by her loss but was more concerned about her Pokemon as she rushed forwards to scoop the fox up and see if it was doing ok, it let out a weak huff before closing its eyes once more to rest as Serena praised Fennekin for trying its best and quickly thanking her opponent before quickly heading out in earnest towards pokemon station, the others followed her and attempted to cheer her up from the lost she just took but she simply waved their worries away and sad that she wasn't that hung up about it but she guessed that would be the end of her battling time and would just like to watch Ash finished off his battles for now, Grant didn't completely buy that and explained to the girl that life was much like a large infinitely scaling wall and there would be many times where she and her friends will have to face that wall to get to where they need to be and while it may feel hard or impossible sometimes as long as they kept proceeding up than you will eventually make it to the sumit before waving a two finger goodbye and checking in on Ash's next match. Serena sat contemplating that as she waited for her Fennekin to heal near the Pokemon station.
Round 3: Ash vs. Camille
Froakie vs. Bidoof
Ash came into his next battle fully pumped up and ready to win as he threw out his Froakie, which had also been excited about winning the fight given its recent losses and inability. This battle meant something more to it than just victory but proving to itself that it was still strong, so it was ultra-ready to beat any rival trainer's Pokémon despite the odds. Ash's opponent this time had been a Bidoof by an older girl who admitted that she was a bit of a beginner hoping to make a name for herself in the battle chateau. Ash asked if she was planning on going for the Kalos league but the girl shook her and explained that that was a little too much attention for her taste and she enjoyed the more subdued atmosphere of the battle chateau more which Ash could understand at least a little bit as the battle officially began.
Camille took the lead in the battle ordering her Bidoof to use (Yawn as the Pokemon raised on both of its hind legs and let out a large yawn that overtook the area as the sound reached froakie it began to lean one way to the next becoming a bit tired but it was still able to fight as Ash ordered it to use (pound the pokemon hoped forwards quickly and jumped into the air before coming down with a glowing fist Camille countered by telling her pokemon to use (defensive curl and the pokemon did use its hard tail to cover over its body and flexing its muscle to harden its defense as the punch came down on top of it mainly mitigating most of the damage before the pokemon pushed the froakie away completely before she told her pokemon to use (blizzard.
It quickly turned around and waved its tail directly at the froakie generating a storm of frost that blew the Pokemon backward before it could find its purchase but slipped due to its drowsiness once more, the attack wasn't very effective however as Ash told his froakie to use (double team but the before he was about to give it the command to use (water pulse but just as the attack was charging once more Camille ordered the use of (Yawn once more as the plump mouse pokemon reared on its back legs once more and let out its sound, as soon as it reached Froakie it had completely fallen asleep the dozen or so after images that it had created had completely disappeared and the attack it was charging dispersed as the frog pokemon fell on its face asleep. Ash was shocked by the sudden sleeping form, but Camille remarked that it was just as she planned, as the girl had then ordered that her Bidoof use (Work Up, which the Pokémon followed suit, slapping its tail along the ground as it hopped from side to side as a wealth of power flowed through its body as a bright red aura surrounded it.
Ash could do anything but yell for his Froakie to wake up once more but that only fell on death ears as Camille ordered her Pokemon to use (Blizzard once more knocking the Froakie away once more and waking the frog Pokemon up it was still not too an effective move but given the prior move it did hit a bit harder than before, Froakie recovered quickie however even angrier than before and despite Ash not having told him to it had already been preparing to launch a (water pulse straight at the opponent this surprised both trainers but Camille was still able to tell her pokemon to use (defense curl curling up as the waterball struck against it flack budging it and making it slide backward in the stone floors of the arena, Ash decided to not admonish Froakie for its decisions and decided to just go with it as he told the froakie to charge in now with a (pound, the girl attempted to tell her Bidoof to doge out of the way but it was simply to slow as it was struck hard in the chest forcing it backwards.
It recovered itself with its tail before Camille told it to use (Yawn once more and again Froakie had started to get a bit drowsy but Ash informed it to use (water pulse on itself, the frog pokemon looked back at its trainer for a moment and seemed to receive a dedicated nod which pushed it into believing its trainer and shoot the attack down at its chest and to its surprised its sudden loopiness seemed to just go away Camille seemed to understand this as well as she quickly ordered her Bidoof to use (blizzard but Ash countered and told froakie to use (Double Team to dodge out of the way and the pokemon did so avoiding the strike as it circles the Bidoof with several clones and Ash told to follow up the attack with (bubble. The overwhelmed Bidoof had no chance of avoiding the strike and was completely consumed and pushed back from the water attack. Ash continued on the offensive as he told his Pokémon to use (pound once more as it charged after the flailing Bidoof, which Camille could only counter by using (defense curl once more to block the strike, but this was what Ash was hoping for as soon as the defensive move concluded, and Froggy was flung backward. She ordered it to use (water pulse in the opening, leaving it open to a direct strike.
The waterball struck hard and blew the Bidoof up completely throwing the Pokemon on its back although this time it didn't rise again as it was knocked unconscious making Ash the winner, Camille congratulated him on his victory and wished him the best and Ash did the same as he left out of the arena and headed over to the pokemon station, despite Pikachu not liking to go inside his ball it still cooperated at least for the moment to just to ensure it was in tip-top shape, he only needed two more battles until he becomes a baron which he was excited about, he talked to Serena to see how her battles had been going but the girl explained that she had lost her second battle and decided to simply take off for the rest of their time there which Ash was somewhat disappointed by as he would have liked to face her in battle at least once and that she shouldn't give up after loosing just one time.
Serena explained that she didn't see it as giving up per se and that she was only really doing it for the experience of battling in the first place, and it seemed the Fennekin also had enough for the day, as she was more concerned about her fur, as the girl had been brushing it out from the water attacks that left it frizzled out. Ash understood what the girl was saying, and if that was the reason, she could have just asked him for some advice, and he would be happy to help her, Serena thanked him for the offer. Once Ash's Pokémon had been fully healed up from the station, he now had the problem of choosing who would come into the next two battles, so he decided to cover his eyes as he switched around his Pokéball in his hands before choosing two of them and expanding them out to see both Froakie and Pikachu on display. He asked the two who wanted to go next, and Froakie, being somewhat trigger-happy, raised its paw first, which meant that Pikachu would be his partner going into the finals, which made the frog Pokémon frown when hearing that as Ash was called for his next match.
Round 4: Ash vs Renée
Froakie vs Scatterbug
This was the final match before Ash's graduation match so he was sure to be on top of his game as he introduced himself to his next opponent another girl who had been a tad bit younger than he was part of him felt kind of bad that he was technically a bit overqualified for the rams but he wouldn't hold back on his opponents due to in his eyes that being even more disrespectful to not only to his opponent but his pokemon as well as he throughout his froakie and he was greeted with a familiar sight on his adventure so far in the Kalos region which was a scatter bug, despite the small size discrepancy he knew from experience that these pokemon can evolve into powerful pokemon in there own right which he informed Renée on which the smaller girl appreciated as she remarked that more than a couple of people laughed at her choice of pokemon which Ash told her that they shouldn't as it can evolve into a Vivillon which was something that Viola the Gym leader of Santalune City uses and its really strong as the match officially began.
Ash opened up the match by using (Water Pulse immediately off the back as the Froakie sent the attack outwards toward the small Pokémon. The girl countered by using (String Shot, shooting out a bunch of web strings from its mouth, which, while not being able to burst the attack open, was able to deflect the attack away from itself enough to avoid a direct hit. The girl told her Scatterbug to use (Stone Spore next as it took in a deep breath and blew out a clear orange mist. Ash told Froakie to jump high above the attack to dodge it, which Froakie did before telling it to come down hard with Pound. Then, she told her Scatterbug to counter with (Bug Bite as they closed the distance with each other, and the small Pokémon's fangs glowed a bright white as it latched down on Froakie's shoulder just as the punch sent it flying backward.
The scatterbug managed to recover somewhat fairly before standing up once more and Renée telling it to use (tackle enshrouded by white energy the small bug charged forwards at the Froakie but Ash countered by telling his Fraokie to use (double team as the bug Pokemon came close it had struck nothing but an after image after trying once more and failing again Ash told froakie to use (bubble and the attack shot out striking the small bug pokemon once more and knocking it over once again, despite the blow it still managed to stand as Renée told it to use (stun spore once more only to get the same result as previously however this time Renée was waiting for it as she told her pokemon to use (string shot now that froakie was in the air this attack landed on the blue frog pokemon tying him up and allowing for Renée to follow up with another (tackle striking the pokemon dead center in its fall downwards, Froakie quickly recovered as Ash told it to use (water pulse once more which was only barely just avoided however the impact of the attack sent the bug pokemon in the Froakie's direction allowing Ash to follow up with a quick (pound which struck the bug type hard in the gut and after a slight wobble eventually collapsed the pokemon down to the ground.
Ash was marked the winner of the match and he whooped in celebration as Froakie ran into his arms, he also walked up and congratulated the girl for the hard-fought battle as he shook her hand and told her to take care, he took off outside and greeted everyone once more which complimented him for the battle as they returned to the gathering hall once more it was there where they had been partially surprised when Ash had a pair of Gloves thrown in his face which he was surprised by but was pleasantly surprised when it came from Chester, the boy announced to the room that he would like to challenge Ash to a graduation match which Ash gladly accepted as he picked up the gloves. Hennessy made himself known once more as he gathered the people that had been around in the room to gather on the terrace once more for the upcoming battle to crown the noble title of Baron to either Ash or Chester.
They began to step down towards the battle arena along with the head mead which carried the white cloak that signified the rank of Baron, Grant and Viola had taken the opportunity to get some hot tea as they spectated the battle at from one of the tables that had been open out front, Viola wanted Gran'ts thoughts on Ash from the battles he's seen so far of him remarking that judging from her battle with him she could tell that he was a fairly gutsy trainer which was mirrored by his pokemon with a drive and passion that steers him wherever the wind blew, Grant acknowledged that he could see that as well in the battles he faced so far, he was looking forwards to when the boy winds up in his Gym and hopes for a good battle although he did wonder what happened to the boy's other pokemon however given that he's been to several regions before this one and compteded in numerous leagues he should have a good deal many to choose from instead of what looked like starting from the basic as he was, Viola asked her sister about that as well, and she speculates that Ash simply wants to become more in tunene with the region he's in, so he only uses Pokémon he caught from that region to compete, except for his Pikachu, of course, which Grant simply nodded at before both of them turned their sights on to the match that was beginning below.
Round 5 Graduation Match:
Ash vs Chester
Pikachu vs. Fletchling
The maid announced the rules once more, and the winner would receive the noble title of Baron. The two performed the small ritual of placing their Pokeballs on top of each other before clicking the two together to agree to the match before taking their places on their sides of the field. Ash sent out Pikachu while his opponent sent out his Fletchling. Nico was partially surprised by this given that Ash had put his Pokeball that he clicked with away, but Clemont explained that Pikachu didn't like his Pokeball very much, so Ash often never put him in it.
Seeing the Fletchling, Ash remarked how he would have the edge given that Fletchlingg was a flying type, but Chester was confident in his Fletchling, replying that he had trained very hard right alongside Nico's Fletchinder so he would be prepared for anything Ash had in mind. Ash responded by putting it to the test as he told Pikachu to use (Thunderbolt. In response, Chester told his Fletchling to use (Agility. The Robin Pokémon was soon cloaked in a brief red aura before it launched off of Chester's shoulder. It was perched on completely avoiding the strikerike of electricity and continuing to dodge out of the way of three more from the small rat Pokémon before Ash decided to switch it up and use (Electro Ball. This attack, like the ones before, still failed to reach its target as the Robin Pokémon soared overhead and out over the water, dodging the electricity ball completely.
The robin Pokemons swooped back in incredibly quickly coming towards pikachu and then rearing upwards to be above the rat Pokemon as its trainer told it to use (feather dance, the pokemon complied flapping its wings that turned a silvery blue color, and dropping from its body came feathers of the same color that rained down above the pikachu as a heap fell upon the confused pokemon and slowly started to meld into its body the sight taking Ash for confusion for a moment as his Pikachu glowed a bright red for a moment, seeing the confusion on Ash's face he commented that he had made Ash's attack weaker with the said move which Ash was surprised by, off in the stands Clemont hummed in thought about the play, and Nico beside him took that to mean that it was a genius play, boasting about how he taught him, but Clemont shook his head, which prompted Serena to ask if Chester did anything wrong, and at that, he didn't know.
In terms of the current match, it would be wiser for him to use something more like (confide instead of (feather dance, as it would weaken the attacks that it needed to worry about which prompted Bonnie to ask for further explanation as she thought that what Feather Dance just did but Clemont explains to the young girl but firstly chided she should have already known the difference if she had been keeping up with her studying as he asked of her before explaining that what feather dance does was weaken Pikachu's regular attacks but not its special ones so the super effective moves like (thunderbolt and (Electro ball were unaffected this lead Nico to sightly Panic and worried that the move was for nothing but Clemont responded he wasn't so sure about that either as it will have an effect on Ash's Pikachu's other two moves which is why he was undecided if the move was effective or not as they watched the battle continue once more.
Chester told his Fletchling to use (steel wing next as the bird's two wings glowed a bright white and came to slam down on top of Pikachu's head, Ash wasn't one to call it quits just yet however as he told Pikachu to use (iron tail to counter the interesting part about clash was that it was a dead even split between the two as they collided knocking both opponents back to a neutral position on the field, Serena was the first to catch on and realized what Clemont had been saying early as she looked at the stats of the two pokemon in comparison to one another, which Clemont agreed with explaining that traditionally Ash Pikachu should have won that clash with not only the stronger attack but stronger move as well, Leaving Bonnie to comment how amazing feather dance was.
Chester told his Fletchling to use (Steel Wing once more and again Ash told his pikachu to counter with Iron Tail, the electric mouse leaped into the air and struck out with its tail one time as the Robin Pokemon countered with its wings before pushing off, and slashing at the Pikachu which blocked with its tail before pushing back once more and striking out again, there was an equal trade between the two pokemon as they progressively got lower and lower to the ground leaving Chester completely shocked by the phenomenon given that this was a Pikachu that had been weakened but Ash remarked that he and his Pikachu have been on a lot of adventures together getting stronger and stronger so some minor debuff wouldn't work against him as Pikachu got an edge on the conflict with an overhead slap that the robin pokemon was barely able to block as it was slamming straight into the ground.
Ash followed up his attack quickly. Ash told Pikachu to use (Thunderbolt just as the Robin Pokémon was attempting to take to the air once more, making the Pokémon get struck dead center and fall back down to the floor unconscious, making Ash the winner of the battle. The spectators clapped for the winner while Nico remarked that he was bummed that Chester lost, guessed he would just have to train with him more for next time; he would even think about taking Clemont's advice and getting that Pokémon move he told him about.
Ash was awarded his white cape with a red shoulder pattern making him and Offical Baren that everyone clap, Chester congratulated him as well with a handshake before both of them went upstairs and Ash started to show off his cape to his friends, Viola wanted to get a picture of the boy in his new cape which he agreed with and the others of his party wanted to join in as well but just as she was done taking the picture the woman had some white gloves thrown over her shoulder.
The group was partially surprised but Viola wasn't as the challenger had revealed itself to be Grant himself the women gladly accepted his challenge and seeing this was also going to be a graduation match, everyone remained out on the deck as the two dawned their capes and walked down the aisle with the main maid holding a purple cape in her hands, everyone was super excited for such a high stakes battle and Ash even took out all of his pokemon to view the event hopping to cheer on Viola, Serena did the same with her Fennekin keeping in the spirits of the tournament, their had even been some sportsmanlike betting on the match to decide who would win between the two, Ash asked Clemont who did he think would win between the two given that as a Gym Leader her likely new them the best between the party and Clemont remarked that well if he had to give his choice he would choose Grant but fully admit that it might just be his biased showing given that he just knew him better and he wasn't doubting Viola strength but Grant was really deserving of being called the rock type Gym leader which made Ash even more eager for the fight and his upcoming battle with the man.
Graduation battle: Grant vs. Viola
Onix vs. Surskit
The two parties went to their separate corners after their ritual as their red capes with yellow highlights flowed in the wind, Viola sent out her Surskit while Grant sent out an Onix, the large rock Pokemon drawing the crowd's immediate interest in comparison to the small surskit of the opponent, Ash remarked that he used to travel around with a friend that had one and specialized in rock type pokemon named Brock, Serena curious decided to look at the pokedex entry for the pokemon which read;
(Onix the Rock Snake Pokémon: Opening its large mouth, it ingests massive amounts of soil and creates long tunnels. As it digs through the ground, it absorbs many hard objects. This is what makes its body so solid.
Viola was the first to make a move using (Ice Beam, but just like in her gym fight, it wasn't targeted at the enemy but at the ground to create a slippery arena that her Surskit could easily and quickly move around on. Grant countered this by using (Rock Tomb the onix let out a roar generating several large boulders above its head which all shot down at the small Pokemon as the small Pokemon slid along the ice to avoid the incoming attacks but this wasn't just any old and ordinary rock tomb, the rocks were being placed with a purpose in mind the audience quickly realized as the surskit had been completely huddled into a small enclosure with nowhere to go as a larger rock drop right on top of its head, Viola told her Surskit to use (bubble beam to break out of the rocks enclosure to dodge the attack coming its way but the even as it escape one fate the rocks came raining down and the Surskit was getting a bit discombobulated attempting to dodge them all only to end up in an enclosure once more forcing Viola to use (protect to stop the incoming rocks and break out of the enclosure and to keep moving.
Grant complimented Vila on dodging the move, but she didn't acknowledge it as she told her Surskit to use (Signal Beam, and to counter that, Grant told his Onix to use Flash Cannon. The Theo attacks collided in mid-air, and there was a slight struggle back and forth; however, the Signal Beam won out more in the exchange as the colliding wave of energy exploded more on Onix's side of the battlefield, leaving it obscured, and if Vilawas was lucky, confused, but she was unlucky as Grant told Onix to use its next move, which was (Rock Polish. The rock snake emerged from the smoke, brimming with electricity coursing down its body as it seemed to get even faster, charging through the smoke as Surskit drew closer. The small Pokémon took evasive maneuvers, but the rock Pokémon was right on its heels, blocking its path on each turn across the ice. Serena looked at the Pokédex and was partially surprised that Onix was faster than Surskit already, but whatever Rock Polish did made it even faster.
Onix gilded across the ice as Viola attempted to use (bubble beam but missed her target before using (ice beam and managing to capture a part of the tail of the creature she immediately went to use (signal beam once more on the now stuck Onix but Grant told his Onix t free itself with (iron tail which broke the ice allowing it to dodge and strike out with its long tail which forced Viola to use (protect once more blue shield sending the tail flying backward and Surskit to slide back for a couple of moment Grants used the momentum of the defense to tell his onix to jump up as it used its tail almost like a spring board slamming it on the ground and shattering a bunch of the Ice in the process before telling his onix to use (rock tomb once more now that the ice had been violently fracture the Sursict had even less room to maneuver and was easily caged once more but instead of a rock headed its way Grant told his onix to use (flash cannon to slam down in the center which Viola was completely helpless to defend against as the attack crashed down blowing everything away in a wave of power and as the dust cleared it revealed that Grant had been the winner and now he was graduating to the noble title of Grand duke.
Grant gave credit to his Onix, however, and the hard work it endured as the audience was stunned by the event. The group had been inspired by the precise control of Grant's Rock Tomb; even Clemont hadn't seen something like that before, although now that he thought about it, it had been a long time since he challenged one of the other Gym Leaders himself. Everyone had started to celebrate the crowning of a grand duke, which involved food and beverages for all, and as the sun started to set, the group decided it would be time to set their sails as well, saying a partial goodbye to Grant, which was more like a see you later, as he was the next target on Ash's list of gym leaders to face, which Grant said he was looking forward to facing him alongside his Pikachu, wondering how he would handle being on the other side of the effective type advantage, which Ash replied he was fully up to the task as he waved goodbye.
The group heads off an hour or so later with Chester and Nico, Ash thanked the two boys for showing them around the place and getting them started and the boys replied that it was no problem on their part but that the next time they see them around that they to will have earned the title of grand duke and get much stronger which was something Ash echoed as well, so they wished each other luck on their respective journeys and went their way, Serena suggested that Ash may want to work on the way to get around the rock tomb before they get to cyllage City which Ash agreed was a great idea as he spoke to his Pikachu which gave a reassuring chirp in response as the group continued onwards.
What To Do: Elliot
This was a first and a surprise for Elliot where he was all on his lonesome for the time being he found it a bit funny at first initially he thought that this was how his journey was going to be like from the very beginning but ever since he stepped foot outside of his home he had been accompanied by at least someone and constantly back by his guard friends as well he was curious about where they were at the moment training with the pokemon ranger sounded exciting but also tough he didn't know all the ends and out of the organization but given their prevalence in most things involving pokemon they would need to see a lot or be highly adaptable to any situation and speaking of that he needed to adapt to his new found boredom.
He wasn't going to let the day waste away just because the Gym leaders weren't present at the moment; it would be a waste of an opportunity, so he might as well look around and explore the city a bit. He thought there hadn't been many things to do in Cyllage City, but there had been a few lofty spots where teens of his age would hang out or a couple of arcades that littered the cityscape. The most prominent activities that the city had were mainly those done outside; bike riding was quite a famous sport, but there had also been a couple of traditional scatterers that passed him by on the sidewalk, some even nearly bumping into him.
His curiosity peaked he decided to go over to a nearby skate park where not just skaters congregated like skate borders or rollerskaters but it also allowed bikes as well whether that be double-wheeled or single-wheeled some of the group he hadn't had much experience with the stuff himself but he was up on trying something new everyone once and while especially if he had very little to do at the moment.
So he got a ticker to enter and even rented out some rollerskates he figured that between the options available it would be the easiest one to get used to but of course just because it was the easiest doesn't mean it would be easy, he had slipped up numerous times and a fell a couple more thankfully the kneepads and helmet also came with the rental allowing them to not be too egregious of falls he had some help in his struggling with some of the instructors although he had to admit that it was a little embarrassing when kids much smaller than him could show him up on the tracks he didn't let it get to him as he simply wanted to enjoy his time in the place, some people did recognize him and asked about the strange company he had been around most of them had been people younger or around his age so he was more prompted to tell the truth of the matter wanting to not believe that media outlets would start ad rope children and teens into their scams for the latest story.
He still decided to play it safe however as he explained that he didn't know where they were and that it had something to do with the police but he made sure that it wasn't because they did something bad and it was most likely to do with them being just a bit special however he kind of regretted speaking about it at all as it seemed the hivemind of questions continued to grow and grow about them taking away from what he was there to do but this was mainly from the younger generation who had likely been keeping an eye out on pokevision for the latest trends and stuff as he could hear some of the young adults question why he was so popular and special even though he looked somewhat mundane.
Eventually, he was able to skate for a couple of horses before deciding it was enough and carrying on to the next thing he wanted to do which was to get some lunch once more sitting alone by himself felt a bit weird for the moment as he used his phone to see if anyone had been doing anything worth texting over, other than Trevs sending in multiple images of "special" pokemon he found on his Journey and the occasional update with Tierny on his rhythmic Btallting style with his pokemon nothing seemed to be going on too much, one thing he did want to ask the group was what pokemon did they get from the egg, he was so eager to trade his off that he forgot to take a picture of the pokemon itself. It didn't take very long to receive a reply from them. Tierno said that the Pokémon that he got was a (Tyrogue. Elliot looked into the Pokémon line using his Pokédex and asked the boy what evolution he was aiming for. Tierno remarked that it was obvious that he was going to be going for the (Hitmontop as soon as he read that it could spin on top of its head. He thought it would make the perfect position for his Pokémon dance team, which Elliot guessed he couldn't deny him as he wished him luck.
The Pokemon that Shauan had managed to get was a (Skitty, she remarked that the small pink fit in nicely with the team she was picking up she didn't know what Pokemon she would get next or if she would get more at all but the moment she liked all of the pokemon she had so far and believed that she could get far with them even sending a picture of her new pokemon laying in her lap, Trevor was the last one to show the pokemon that had managed to hatch was a big surprise to them all as it was an (Amaura this was an incredibly rare thing to happen and even Calem couldn't hold in how Jelsouse he was of that he wasn't there to get his egg, Elliot asked Trevor if he was going to keep it or surrender it to a pokemon Lab for a price and the boy for the moment was considering to keep the ancient pokemon.
Most fossil Pokemon were rare specimens that scientists would likely love to keep to themselves but dig sites were open to everyone and most trainers even held the capability to do digging of their own if they got a Pokemon for the task at hand it wouldn't be much of a problem for them to find a fossil of pokemon on their own and take them ad sell them to the scientist or simply keep them to raise on their own like Grant did with his, them being able to breed with pokemon of the present was fairly surprising though and when he looks at the evolved form of what the amaura turned into he couldn't help but imagine what the trainers used to get an egg for it, barring a ditto of course but that pokemon also extremely rare to find of itself. He typed to his friends on the phone for a bit longer before deciding to let them continue with what they were doing for the day while he continued with his.
He went to the skate mainly as a distraction from what he needed to do which was to practice he wasn't confident enough to believe that the next time he took the penalty game he would be able to just completely ace everything in one shot so he wanted to prepare for the inevitable of how many trainers he would have to be facing to reach the Gym leader and if he fought more people like Bendard than he was confident he would have a big hill to climb with the third trainer he would have to face but he was going to be ready this time, the first part of his journey was heading over to the local pokemart, he ignored most of the things present and headed straight towards the TM and TR he didn't want to neglect the other pokemon he had on him during his time so he thought about something he should get for Zoro in the meanwhile, a lot of the these were fairly pricey likely running from smallest one ranging from 1k poké to even 100k poké and one of them that he really wanted was Hydro cannon but that was an easy 100k poké so he would definitely have to save up for that or he could ask his parents but he wanted to see if he could manage the funds first however well at least half of it.
He wasn't interested in anything special for the moment; however, the move that he looked to give Zoro now was a very simple down-to-earth move, which was (protect. He wanted to up the small Axew's defensive capabilities and allow it to survive more to hopefully do more damage in battles. Dragon types were strong, but in the Kalos region, where fairies were pretty prominent, they could also be a liability, so he wasn't in much of a rush to teach his Axew a bunch of dragon-type attacks. He also decided to buy the move as a TR instead of a TM it was usually cheaper, in this case, being 7,000 poké instead of 10,000 poké which still was a good dent to the amount of money he had which suggested to him that he maybe need to look for some trainers to battle or side-jobs he could do on his travels what he was going to do is stop renting days at a hotel instead of just taking the free complimentary housing that pokemon centers provided to young trainers especially now that he was alone and the others were gone until tomorrow.
He took the TM to the front and for good measure bought two more hyper-potions just for the match-up once more before he exited the store and took a look at a map of the city trying to gauge if there was any place good enough to get some training for his pokemon, given it was a seaside town, the best place to train pokemon was probably near the beaches so that was exactly where he went to go, despite Technical records were different than raining moves in that pokemon would still have to train to use the move at all. Still, for that, it was seen as an addition to their skillset instead of a replacement entirely leading to a lot of trainers giving their thoughts on which one was better or more cost-efficient until the inevitable all-natural trainer came into the conversation just screaming about how both camps were wrong and that both TMs and TRs were bad and that trainers that used them were using crutches most of the time.
He had to admit that the conversation or rather controversy around using these moves in his opinion was mainly overblown he understood how some people argued that the store-bought moves seemingly favored the rich who could afford to buy them much easier allowing them with a constant nearly revolving door of skills at their disposal just because they have money but just like that person he fought at the chateau it wasn't like it was an instant win just because you could get your hands on some perfect powers right off the bat the person needed to know how to use those skills to rally get the most out of them but if they did then what? It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to say that some Pokémon benefited from TMs and TRs over their natural counterparts, so he understood it from that perspective: rich people technically have an advantage, but they weren't that expensive to the point it was impossible to buy at least a couple, but maybe that was just his situation in comparison to others.
He finally got to the seaside there were a couple of other people present but for the most part everyone was content to simply enjoy the view or play in the water instead of looking for a Pokemon battle so he was mainly left alone to his own devices, he went to further down the beach line to give himself a wide birth from everyone else that had been present next to a rocky outcropping that outlined the very end of the beach and the rest of the ocean waters so for the time being he, now that he pulled out the TRs he realized this was technically the first time he's ever used one they seemed to work like TMs so he held the data ship into the center of the Pokeball and waited for a moment as the light began to blink yellow rapidly before turning Blue for a moment signaling that the information was fully transferred now he had to wait a couple of minutes until the blinking Blue light stops for the transfer to complete fully and the pokemon to understand the information being given to it.
After that was done he took out all of his Pokemon from their pokeballs so that they could ebony the beach as well, he would likely need one or two of them to help Zoro with his training the TR came with a small URL and QR code that would help trainers in the training process so for the moment he gave his pokemon free reign to go have fun along the beach ashe sat a watched the video, video was done by someone and he explained that using the move protect was an equal parts physical move that it was mental, using control threats is a good way to train your pokemon to learn the maneuver but stressing to give the pokemon time to adjust to the new skill alternatively certain pokemon can respond to protecting others instead of itself better but it was still wise to be mindful of the pokemon and not push it past its limits and how positive reinforcement was the best teaching method for pokemon.
Elliot looked down from his phone at his Pokemon once more a couple of them had been in the water playing around the Skrelp and Zoro had been playing around in the ocean with skrelp spraying the dragon Pokemon with sprits of water from its mouth as they played a weird sort of whack-a-mole game with each other as Zoro attempted to use its tusk to bonk it on the head in retaliation. His eyes were drawn over to his other two Pokemon this brought about a sour note however Evergreen seemed like it had been trying to cheer up Seaquake who was just huddled near the edges of the ocean likely still bummed about its performance so for the time being he was going to put his training his aside to talk to him. He went over towards the bent-down Pokemon, Evergreen spotted him and made a bit of room for him to sit down next to the marshtomp.
The Pokemon didn't even look at him as it sat and pouted but he managed to drag the Pokemon face to face him once more and told his friend once more that their loss wasn't its fault but his, he was the one that overthought things and gave him a bad moves and it was his fault he couldn't work with that moveset against the opponent he was up against, the marshstomp pointed an accusatory fin towards evergreen seeming to imply that despite the odds it did better than him, he explained that evergreen just seemed to have a better counter to the skills presented but it wasn't like he found the pokemon better than he, he liked all of his pokemon equally but giving the marshtomp a side wink that only it could see by being close to him.
This did get the marshtomp to chuckle at least a little which drew a smile to his face as he went on to say that the Pokemon didn't do anything wrong and that he was confident that the next time they take on the gym they would surely be able to win. He didn't expect things to be easy with his first go around and Marshtomp shouldn't either. Still, they should just practice so that against any challenge that they go through first they need to beat the Gym leader.
He wanted him to be in the game for that, they just needed to get some more experience and they would be able to beat any rock type they come across in the future, well at least he hoped so he thought internally. Still, soon and with some encouraging words from Evergreen as well Seaquake soon started to get a smile on his face once more and stood up once more facing the ocean and offering a small shout.
He laughed and smiled at the enthusiasm as he clasped his friend on the shoulders and told him that he liked the enthusiasm before telling him that he needed his help for the moment he called Zoro over and told Evergreen to go play with Skrelp while they practiced which Evergreen responded positively with heading over and jumping into the water as the Skrelp barely dodged out of the way of the incoming Grass type. As the two of them went to play he got his other two Pokemon off to the side further from the pool up the beach making sure that he still could keep an eye on his Pokemon that had been playing in the water.
He began to tell both Evergreen and Zoro what they were about to do and both Pokemon nodded in understanding as the two spread out a few meters from each other Zoro prepared himself for the worst of it, the video described that the Pokemon would need to flex its muscle in preparation for an attack similar to move to harden, so that was the first thing they worked on he told Zoro to flex as much as it could in preparation for the attack that was coming in as he told Seaquake to use water pulse and to not pull its punches either given that the typing disadvantage should mitigate things although he did take the precaution of putting their two pokeballs togather to balance them out Marshtomp was still in a higher evolutionary chain and held more experience than the newly caught Axew to the point its regular type advantage may not matter.
The water pulse struck the Pokemon head first, Zoro predictably was a little taken back from the attack as he slid backward but it remained standing as it did so, and with a sharp roar it crossed its arms as it was proud of doing so as well, he praises Zoro efforts telling the small pokemon to remember that feeling well before he told seaquake to use muddy water, the pokemon obliged as the sand around the pokemon began to darken with water become a muddy wreck which surges forwards dousing Zoro completely and blinding it for a moment as it stumbled down to a knee as the mucky water washed over him, once the pokemon was ready and cleared itself from the stuff he told Zoro to flex once more but this time imagine that it creates a wall around himself, the pokemon nodded understanding for a moment before trying to do so but found no luck so instead Elliot suggested to start of smaller to just create a wall in front of itself and use its arms to imagine like it was pushing against an invisible force.
Zoro seemed to understand once more and did as instructed and to its and Elliots and his surprise, it seemed to work at least partially a blue energy field seemed to flicker into life in front of the small Axew it was large enough to block all of its front halves but most of its body but Elliot took that as a good sign as he asked if Zoro was ready which it nodded at before he told seaquake to attack once more with a water pulse the attack came and Zoro put both of its arms out in front of it creating the blue barrier once more but it was incredibly fragile and easily broke the concentration from the move easily allowed the attack to take the small pokemon off its feet this time around as it crashed down into the dirt ground and slid backward, Elliot was a bit worried for his pokemon but it seemed to notice and quickly recovers shaking its head to and fro to get the sand off before coming back and insisting it was ready once more.
He tried a couple more times waiting as Zoro got his hands in position to face forward and for the small blue barrier to appear in front of itself once more the barrier seemed to be a bit bigger this time around extending its radius now to its bottom legs and the top of its chin, it was a good start but the move correctly being made was a shield around its entire body protecting it from all sides which was something they would need to work on but for now it was a good start as he swapped Seaquake with Evergreen so that his other pokemon could have some fun in the water as well Axew were also resistant to grass type moves so it shouldn't effect him to much.
The move he decided to use to test was seed bomb, the attack came in quickly and fast his Quilladin mouth opened wide and outshot out multiple large orange seeds that impacted and exploded against the shield, the shield was only able to absorb three of the five attacks however before shattering and blowing Zoro away for a moment he looked on in a bit of worry as he asked if Zoro was still ready to continue the pokemon got to its feet once more almost defiant not wanting to let him down even if he told it to not push itself for his sake but the pokemon seemed adamant to continue wanting to get the move right before it was over and he wasn't going to spit in the face of that resolve as he told Evergreen to use the move once more but whispered to pace them a bit to ensure that once the shield was cracked wouldn't take a direct hit, resistance only went so far he thought as the training continued.
They had tried for a few more moments the shield having gotten progressively larger and stronger after each stage but now he needed to figure out a way for the Pokemon to expand its training to work the shield elsewhere around its body, amid his pondering and training Seaquake seemed to have snuck up on him or more like he wasn't paying attention very much as he was lost in thought as the small pokemon pointed in the direction of his other pokemon which was his skrelp who seemed to also be looking down as it looked over at them practicing, he didn't need understanding on why the pokemon seemed a bit down it seemed like he was excluding it out on the practice this was on top of I comparison to everyone else he didn't actually give it a name as it wasn't one to give it but he definitely shouldn't keep ignoring it as he had been so far, so he thought a bit more and then snapped his fingers and got a way to get skrelp in on the action as well.
He gave Zoro some Apricot Berries from the berry farmer they had passed about a week ago after the Pokemon finished eating he could see the effect start to shape up better and better before he gathered everyone together and told them what they were going to do all three were now going to be helping Zoro in his practice, as the four of them all went out further into the ocean where they would play a game of sorts of whack a Diglett game, a common game found in arcades but instead of the Zoro wacking them he would have to defend against the other three all popping out of the water at different times, this should be given Zoro the motivation to cover much more of his body with the shield instead of just one single way. This took time, however, as Zoro first attempted to block the attacks thrown his way with his shield once more, but this only allowed him to get attacked from a different direction.
Zoror was able to partially solve that issue by spreading the shield from both of its hands to one on each hand separately this originally shrank the shield down a bit but was a notable improvement of what they had been working on and soon enough both shields grew to the point that they had become the same size as the one he held out with both hands previously now the other three pokemon had somewhat of a difficult chance scoring a blow given how big it was but they had still been getting some lucky blows here and there which annoyed the axew greatly thankfully under the preview of a trainer match.
The berries also had the added benefit of increasing his pokemon's defense against special attacks which all of them were using so the practice lasted long into the evening until just as he was about to call it quits and when all of his three pokemon took up separate quadrants of him and all fired at the same time which forced the pokemon to finally do it as it thrusts out with both of its arms side-ways unleashing a blue shield around its entire body as the three attacks collided against it the better it held up for only a moment before it cracked and exploded creating a geyser of water to spurt into the air, with a tinge bit of Fear he started to take his shoes and socks off as he dashed into the water to go look and see if Zoro was ok, the small pokemon had been knocked unconscious floating in the water but there had been a pleasant smile on the small pokemon face and as he moved closer its eyes seemed to flicker open for a moment as it gave a weak roar and a thumbs up as it knew that it won which he praised the pokemon for as he scooped it up in his hands.
The sun was starting to set, and he achieved what he wanted to do, so he guessed that he would call it for the day. He thanked all of his Pokémon for their help before putting them back in their Pokéballs and telling them that he would take them all to the Pokémon Center before taking them out to eat somewhere for their hard work, which each of them appreciated in their small gesture, as he went to follow through from what he just said.
Ranger Training: 1A+, Monsters
The class, along with their monsters and monsters' friends, had spent mostly the entire previous day on housework, whether this was them working on the inside and setting up all the things that they bought or working on the outside and fixing up the homestead by trimming or cutting off loose shrubbery that had grown from nature attempting to reclaim the land. They also had to work on some shelter for both Eyesight and Lord Great White, the two large monsters being incapable of even fitting inside the mansion. However, with the help of Momo and Mineta and the surrounding landscape, they had plenty of materials to craft the place out of. Given the now empty slot, also a place for them to put the rather large home, it wasn't anything too special for them in comparison to the prison cells that they had been in previously; it could be looked at and upgraded, which doubled since they could leave it at any given time.
Eyesight technically had some questioning to do by the class as they were concerned about this Pokémon movement, but Eyesight was dismissive to call such a thing a "movement." It was nothing more than a group of Pokemon using their power to control others to do its bidding, she didn't know how strong the hypnotization of the Malamar was but according to the police it was the strongest in the world which explained why it could control a couple of pokemon at once some even regarded with the threat level of demon, Eyesight remarked that it reminded her of one of purebloods minions that he named after the sins of humanity she believed that it was the sin of envy which Silver chain remarked that she had an encounter with that being and fully understood the type of threat that they possessed although she did slightly ribbed the monster in not finishing the threat off so they wouldn't have to worry about it for later the snake monster remarked that it likely wasn't working by itself so it was a moot point.
On this day the entire group was greeted by a couple of representatives of the Pokemon Rangers; each of them wore a matching uniform of red jackets, complemented with red combat boots, combined with a black undersuit of some kind, which saw some variance between jeans, shorts, or even skirts. Each of them also wore a cap with the symbol of the Pokémon Ranger, which looked like the upper half of the Pokéball with a white portion taken out of the chunk at the top of it. They also seemed customized with many straps and belts that held many items. Some of the more knowledgeable of the group could instantly notice the repel cans, the potion cans, and undoubtedly several antidotes that would be helpful for people in the wilderness.
When everyone stepped out to get a good look at the group, there had been a total of about 10 rangers present, but only four of them seemed to possess the Capture Styler that the group had known them to have in the game. Given that they expected that whatever they were there to discuss would have to include the monsters as well, there was a bit of trepidation about whether the monsters would be included in their hero organization or not. Ultimately, it was their choice in the end, and they accepted just so they weren't completely bored while in their stay, it also freed up the teens not to have to keep an eye on them either. The group had set up a table for the team outside of the mansion in the foreigner, and Momo ensured that the group had gotten refreshments for them all as they sat and discussed their next steps.
The leader of the Pokemon Ranger in the region was a man named Dean he had heard somewhat interested in the young teen's proposal of a "hero agency" but they were somewhat skeptical of the whole process, from the records that the police gave them they could be acknowledged that in terms of physical capability, all of them were more than qualified for such tasks but he was worried about some of their other qualifications according to the information that he had been given the term her comes with several different task that they would be able to do and he was curious just how certified some of them were in actually fulfilling these tasks of course the class were all forthcoming about their thoughts on the matter giving the person more insight in some of their skills and abilities when relating to hero work, each of them excel in certain fields of hero work raging form community services to minor mechanics, or even transportation.
They explained that they would send out the appropriate person suited for the job that would be tasked to them, the leader asked the obvious question asking if such a person wasn't available the the caller would be referred to another professional that could help the caller instead, the main focus was going to be helping police and the pokemon ranger with dealing with poachers and other bad guys while offering services elsewhere if they could, they were pretty confident that most of the jobs asked of them would likely be things more light-hearted like birthday parties or maybe just to appear somewhere do to how unique they were to the others in the populous and the attention they gained so far.
Dean seemed to understand a bit more about what the group was trying to do but he still wanted to test them, he wanted to test some of their skills for himself in some mock test that he had his rangers go through, while he wouldn't force them to go through all of ranger school curriculum he found it important that they know and learn of their ways so that if they do indeed work together in the future they all would be better prepared.
All of the group unanimously agreed with the sentiment, although Dean had a plan for them all to be separated. Three of them would be traveling together with one of the rangers present and would be taken to an area around the region where they would teach them about their ways and what they do in the field. He will also be offering them a Pokémon Ranger guidance book for each of them, which will be delivered at a later time, and he hopes that they read or at least skim through it to learn some of the more complicated things that may transpire and how they work with the populous.
The group agreed and all began to line up and allow the Pokemon ranger to choose which of the groups they wanted to take with them, the only interesting thing to note with the selection was Pokemon rangers that had the capture stylist all had chosen the monsters although only the more interested people had realized such a thing none of them verbally mentioned that fact, not wanting to stir up some controversy and the teens knew that even they knew likely why such a precaution would likely be in place given the fuss they raised over in Alola also it would likely be important to see if they could be subdued by the capture styles and given the potential dangers of the Malamar hypnotism it would technically be a boon for them to know if they could be infected by it. Once all the groups had been picked they went about to their new locations of course to speed things up the group offered to simply carry the people along with their vehicle towards the location instead to save them on time which the Dean agreed with as the faster they make it there the more training they could get for the day.
The groups all wished each other luck, and Iida remarked that each of them should be on their best behavior and strive to live up to their school name, as the group was dropped off, and it once more didn't go completely unnoticed how some of the areas they had placed the teens in were an area where their abilities would be somewhat hampered in comparison to how they would naturally be, at least to the ones that were capable of doing such things;
Eyesight, Tsu, Bakugo: Frost Caverns
Pokémon Ranger Ambre Observations:
Despite being susceptible to the elements around them, the trio of otherworldly beings had each managed to compensate for this in their ways, Eyesights body which traditionally had similar snakes that would begin to shut down in colder climates and had an internal heat that burst from within making the snake creature incredibly hot to the point of negating the climate entirely but also so hot to the point that she melted the snow around her, Tsuyu had been interesting she had to ways of dealing with the climate the first way that she had went to was using her power to summon the resistance of a "wood frog" which is an "animal" from their homeworld but while this gave her some resistance it wasn't perfect comfort and the girl changed surprisingly channeling the power of a (poliwrath her body had undergone some changes resembling the pokemon in color and she had notably increased in muscle mass as well the girl held no such deficiencies from the cold anymore and was stronger than ever with her new form eve being able to replicate the moves (Bubble Beam, Mud Shot, Mind Reader, and Haze. The girl reports that the moves she gains seem to be only four at a time and random, although that remains to be determined if she is telling the truth.
The last person Bakugo's only addition when operating in the cooler climate had been the adoption of longer sleeves, his abilities had been partially weakened although the boy used that to his benefit during the tests, on the first test which had been trainer rescue, the operators had to move smoothly, Eyesight with her ability to sense heat had been the fastest one to locate the target and her bodies warmth had been great in accommodating the targets temperature while Tsuyu accommodated for person needs making sure the person was properly hydrated and kept calm during the meanwhile, Bakugo however didn't seem very invested at all in the person and gave no words of comfort or safety to the individuals allowing the other to take care of it fully while he looked for "threats" even after being told that there wouldn't be any which he didn't know to commemorate the teen for forwards thinking and not relying on provided intel completely as in a real situation thighs could change at any given moment or admonish the teen for it instead but ultimately the task was done successfully and efficiently.
The next test which revolved around a Pokemon dispute was also handled fairly quickly however this was because Eyesight possesses the capability to speak directly to Pokemon although she was a bit more forceful than likely required demonstrating her power over both Pokemon to force them both into submission and enforcing her ruling of the argument which while could create a short term solution doesn't solve the problem once she Leaves, Tsu held a different more cooperative approach to both pokemon her ability also allowing her to understand their speech allowing for a much cleaner and stable resolution, Bakugo followed much more on the side of Eyesight if not even more violet in fact, beating both of the arguing pokemon up which ended the dispute but could cause definite problems in the future especially if the pokemon took that as threats against other trainers. Bakugo, however, has great control over his explosions so as not to disturb the surrounding area, although his power is naturally reduced because of it.
The third test was mainly in the act of helping trainers that had been passing through the cavern; given their popularity and uniqueness, none of the interactions could be used completely faithfully, although Bakugo's personality still had a lot to be desired.
Iida, Koda, Lord Great White: Dahara City
Pokémon Ranger Lee Observations:
Iida's ability was naturally more prominent on hard surfaces than on desert sand that typically surrounded Dahara City. While this did naturally diminish some of the boy's speed, it didn't have much notable impact, outracing most Pokémon they had him against, which included things such as (Rapidash, Boltund, and Manectric. He can skate across the sand with incredible speed although the heat makes him overheat much sooner than he would originally by a couple of minutes despite his suit system countermeasures, Lord great white very much disliked being in the heated area although other than becoming his smallest size which was still fairly massive it didn't bother the creature too much other than the odd complaint occasionally although the shark monsters did posses the ability to seemingly "swim" through the sand at great speed, Koda was mainly the same as a regular person his isolated nature from pokemon which were sparse int he desert other than the occasional Hippowdon heard landed him to be treated more like a superpower human being and nothing more.
The first test was to search through the desert for a trainer-escaped Pokémon. The combination of Iida's speed along with Koda's limited controlling abilities and his and Lord Great White's ability to speak with Pokémon allowed them to find the target Pokémon fairly easily and manage to convince it to come back to its trainers without much need for conflict. The secondary test had been one located in the city proper; this was in conjunction with a handful of the police as well, as they were tasked with dealing with an incursion of a Hippowdon pod that had found its way into the city.
The task had been done somewhat effectively; the Lord Great White's size, which would traditionally have made it hard for the large monster to navigate the city streets, was used to create a perimeter to deter cars. The group had made use of pedestrian water-type Pokémon to shower the ultra monster, granting it a larger size, which drew more attention and blocked more of the roadway as the other two escorted the wandering pod of Pokémon back into the desert.
There had been a sight snag in the operations as the other local phenomena of the region had made an appearance which had been the mythical Pokemon (Hoppa the small Pokemon seemed to have just come out of nowhere through a ring-shaped portal, the small Pokemon seemed incredibly curious about Lord great white and not knowing what the creature was and asking more than a few questions to mainly the monsters annoyance although when it realized that the creature had seemingly fed off water it did something incredibly dangerous opening a portal that seemed to have been connected to the bay area nearby which could have washed over the streets of the city completely however Lord great white showed the unique ability to not only absorb water but also (control as the water that would have washed away down the city block had completely revolved upwards and in a tornado of water instead before fluctuating back into the ring-shaped portal and partly holding the water bac before demanding the small pokemon to close it. Hoppa did so and apologized for the stunt in return; it helped the group successfully get the pod out of the city by simply teleporting them back out into the sands proper.
The third test was simply patrolling the large sands in search of weary or inured trainers there had been a handful of targets that were scattered about the environment that would, given their enhanced abilities this task was performed easily and without flaw, Koda was able to use his power to talk to pokemon his range from his voice emitter extended his reach to a 50miles radius, importantly to note however is that the device could also be made to extend into a spectrum that humans weren't able to hear but it was able to be heard by the pokemon just fine as well as Lord great white, Iida took a more measure approach to the result waiting and allowing his teammates to locate the victims before he would go out to retrieve given his limited operating capacity interestingly his abilities powered by orange juice almost like a car's engine runs on gasoline.
Lord great white given its now large massive size was even quicker when moving into the ground and thanks to its ability to manipulate water it was capable of saving travelers who may have been suffering from dehydration without any of the extra baggage to boot although its size did noticeably decrease upon the time the trail had been through. Both of the boys seemed to treat the targeted trainers well while the large shark creature was mainly indifferent about them, merely picking them off and dropping them off at the requested area using its body as shade but not checking more than what could be gleaned from a visual indicator of a problem, which could be an issue if the person was hurt and couldn't speak of potential internal injuries….
Uraraka, Jiro, Toru: Kalos Canyon
Pokémon Ranger Melina observations:
The Kalos canyons were a strong drafty environment that proved to be a fitting testing ground for these three the strong updrafts that the canyon walls created were often used for sky-trainer training in comparison to the teen's abilities they had managed to mitigate some of the strong winds well, Uraraka which could remove gravity on her targets had built in air compression devices that one would find on space suits built into her wrist and legs attachment pieces which helped her to navigate through the treacherous weather conditions although at the cost of a reduced speed and at the reduction of her operation time due to her needing to expend more of her air canister to resist the strong current, to slightly alive that the girl would also "fly" or more precisely glide by using her "spirals" according to her the large metallic orbs had been 100 tons each which I don't have the material to verify properly but I can confirm that objects are extremely hefty even my poliwhirl had struggles to move them when it isn't affected by her power.
Toru also held some difficulties in handling the cannon updraft mostly steeming from balance the girl had the extraordinary ability to bend light to her will allowing her to glide along the platforms moved by her mind although this took a good portion of her dedicated focus to do which went more when countering the updrafts while also having to work on her balance on the platforms that she can create ultimate fixing the issue with simply creating bindings that locked her onto the platform itself although this required even more concentration on her part.
Jiro didn't seem to have too many issues involving the updraft of the canyons; her boots and arm support items combined with her ability to emit sound waves provided more than enough thrust to negate the problems in their entirety just with some extra force being applied. The group 1st task in the mountain was to find a traveler who had been lost in the canyon, the group of girls used their mobility to scour over the hill, Jiro helped the capability to hear from a distance of about 20miles radius and once connected with the ground itself could hear vibrations from as far as 100 miles if heavy enough however the target of rescue was a practice dummy making her ability rather pointless although this rarely encountered if a target is knocked unconscious completely she would struggle to be able to find them, it took a moment but Toru was able to identify where the training dummy eventually was due to her ability to manipulate light redirecting the reflected light in a given area into her eyes and allowing her to see much further than normal even around corners but this required her to stop flying entirely and sit down cross legged with maximum concentration.
The second test was a simpler task of escorting a group of trailers through the canyon; they were given a map of the way they were supposed to travel to lead them to safety, and there was a list of obstacles present to impede their path, which ranged from giant boulders, wild Pokémon, and some Pokémon criminals.
To make the activity any challenge at all, they restricted the group of girls from simply flying over the canyon with the group of travelers in tow, which would avoid all of the obstacles of the challenge, although they did recognize that flying above the cavern when they knew that they were enemies around made them a target, and they likely wouldn't do so in general, which I gave them props for understanding.
The test went smoothly; the giant boulders had been taken care of by both the group, rather easily bulldozing through them with their abilities while ensuring that the people that they were escorting remained out of the way of the range of any scattered debris that may come from it. For the wild Pokémon, this had taken a more evasive approach, mainly seeking to avoid them on their travels, and if an encounter was inevitable, Toru was able to use her light manipulation using another stunning ability, which she called( "light redaction," is capable of stripping the sight from the Pokémon and allowing them to pass by almost completely unimpeded as they used Urarka ability combined allowed them to pass by without much sound as well just in case the pokemon could detect them by sound as well. The last obstacle had been mainly a test of fighting, which they all were proficient in, but the lack of Pokémon on their side made things interesting. While Toru could control the criminal's sight to some extent along with their Pokémon, some of them launched attacks out at random, leading to more chaos than it solved. The group didn't engage the criminal, instead opting to simply run away with the civilians in tow still towards the goal. They explained that saving the people was prioritized over capturing the villains, but traditionally, once they could get them to safety, they would double back for them later.
The third test was in conjunction with the Pokemon sky-trainers this was mainly for patrolling purposes and picking up skills to use when hovering above an area, each of the three adapted well to the training and cooperation with the group however, this could be due to them seemingly having prior relations with one of the sky trainer ina young girl named Y and along with their popularity among the populous that have been curious about them…..
Ojiro, Sato, Mineta: Shalour City
Pokémon Ranger Maurice Observations:
These were seen as more of the normal members of the class given Mineta's ability to create sticky balls that would last for hours at a time, a small city seemed like the best way to see how the teen handles his ability in such an environment given that random passerby could potentially get stuck in his traps and be stuck for a rather long time if skin contact is made, the boy held an unique solution that allowed him to maximize his mobility while also semi keeping out of the way of the regular civilian populous by targeting the upper part of buildings and bounding from ball to ball, while this had the intended effect of avoiding people from getting accidentally caught on some of them, the same couldn't be exactly said for pokemon however they could cut themselves free if given the time after calming themselves down from being caught, alternatively the boy also had unique shoes with his hero outfit that allowed him to have his bouncing properties on his person almost like spring shoes, it required for him to insert one of his popoff orbs on inside of the heel of his shoe which was covered by a film o the bottom to ensure that it wouldn't get stuck on the ground.
Ojiro had a unique style of movement if he was attempting to rush places the boy would occasionally slam his tail into the ground propelling himself faster and quicker into the air and the direction he wanted to go, he was also mindful of the street ensuring not to damage too much for the boost in speed either, he also held the possibility of creating another tail and fusing them offering a greater speed by spinning them around each other almost like hitmontop spinning on its head, Sato power was essentially just super strength so he showed no difference in navigating then the normal person.
Mineta's other ability which he called "pop open" could also prove somewhat hazardous in a public environment but no more than a traditional Pokemon move and the boy had the added effect of being able to shape what his pop open ball contents would make, creating things such a stone wall or dome. The first test was navigating the city; the group had to find a rummaging Furret that had been causing a bit of havoc. The group managed to attain a map of the city and found where they needed to be. They also were able to work with strangers fairly effectively, asking and getting directions on where they needed to go next, being cordial and respectful in the meanwhile, even despite the rush they had been in for the test. Sato had the forethought for the test by actually buying a Poke Puff to coax the Pokemon into them and to earn the Pokemon's trust.
The second test was helping out with the community; this was in the form of helping out on the beaches, cleaning up trash along the sands, clearing out pathways that trainers normally travel down, and placing in discrete locations care packages that trainers could get if they explored around a bit. No attempts to take the items located in the objects were seen on even consideration between the three, although it is important to note that none of them have Pokémon of their own and the resale value of the items isn't very high, so they may simply have no motivation to do so.
The third test was a simple search and rescue while typically resolved by the police, some trainers disappear along routes due to several reasons, which could be the result of kidnappers, wild Pokemon, or even simple negligence on the person's part which gets them lost and not being able to return to their route, the group had been asked to scrub the route for the target with only having a picture to go off of, given they didn't have a stylist and lacked pokemon he expected it for them to take some time which it did, however, they found the small boy through a surprising turn of events Ojiro seemed to be able to "hear" the boy when he was close enough although this was impossible given the range at which he detected him and to make matters even more confusing a large almost howl seemed to emanate from the forest itself, the teens immediately prepared themselves for combat and as the howl got closer it was revealed that the perpetrator had been a Lucario but not just any Lucario as the staredown lasted for a while with neathier pary making any hasty movements.
This was until Ojiro stepped forward away from the group, and Lucario followed him and approached slowly. It seemed like something was said between them telepathically somehow, as Ojiro remarked that all of them could relax, and he casually approached Lucario as the aura Pokémon approached him. This was and sniffed him all over. The owner of the Pokémon came out, and surprisingly, it had been the mega evolution guru, (Gurkinn. The old man apologized for his Lucario and remarked that he had never seen it get so riled up before like that, and that was when Ojiro explained the possible reason, which was that he was an "aura guardian." The term seemed to be foreign but somewhat familiar to the older man, but I have no idea what that is, and searching online for the terms comes up incredibly sparse, but a man called (Riley had been mentioned in one of the articles, but the information is still sparse about what it means. More research is needed….
Volten, Kaminari, Aoyama: Azoth Kingdom
Pokémon Ranger Brooke Observations:
Given the power that both Volten and Kaminari control, I was curious about how these two would function inside of a mechanical city, surprisingly this had not been their first times within such complex machinations at least for Kaminari and he remarked that he learned his lesson from the last time he messed up leading him to get punished for that, Volten had always had good control of his powers ever since he had them as a child and this didn't change as he was "turned into" a monster, this remained true as the rest began, Aoyama despite his dark appearance with his dark black and purple suite seemed to flare around very flamboyantly which was in deep contrast to his blue laser that he could shoot from his navel, the group had been somewhat difficult to keep up with all of them help the potential to move extremely quickly given their powers, Aoyama interestingly could power his suit with his own navel laser giving him blue highlights that travel through the suit and allowed him to fly without having stomach pain after a prolonged period of time.
The first test was simply to act as perimeter guards along the walls of the large industrial city, despite the place being guarded by several (Golurk, the group of three progressed smoothly although Kaminari and Aoyama seemed to be more easily distracted during the assignment that others, the next mission was a simple task of delivery trainer passing around prototypes of inventions that the scientist had made from one point of the city to the next given their enhanced speed this task was done fairly perfectly and with incredible speed, the third task was to simply observe and watch over trainers that had entered into the mechanical city this was a place that was as unique as it was dangerous people could get trapped in gears or moving platforms malfunctioned which could cause problems, this task they took more seriously and vigilantly looked after the groups of trainers each of them seemed cordial enough and polite although Volten was a bit more straight with his interactions, the group entirely had more attention than the city around them.
Shoji, Aki, Kirishima: Azure Bay
Pokémon Ranger Shinobu Observations:
Given that these were mainly a part of the group that could not fly, tests were run on their adaptability to handling working in hazardous working conditions such as the sea, the three of them mainly adapted well as Kirishima's ability which he called "red riot adaptable" allowed him to essentially breath underwater and allow him to swim extremely quickly even being able to match the speed of my (Seadra, Aki was incredibly quick as well being able to run on the water itself although she couldn't very much slow down her tempo or she would fall into the water, Shoji didn't' have many unique ways to circumvent the water only being able to use his multiple hands to move somewhat faster than he traditionally would alternatively he would launch himself from small island to small island with his "buddha" ability which allowed him to summon massive large arms or any body part he decides which he empowers with something he called "tank top power" which was imbued inside of his unique tank top which was something he gained from the place he "last visited".
The first test was a timed trial for them to rescue a swimmer that had been drowning off the coast of course with two of their great speed they had managed to save the target without much trouble, the second trial had been about seeing some of their medical knowledge treating the saved drowning victim, the two knew about traditional chest compressions along with CPR, they also knew how to spot signs of internal injuries they passed the test and the target had been successfully saved, the third test had been one that involved more patients, redirecting away and protecting the ecosystem from potential harmful pokemon that wash up in the bay.
The testing target had been in this case a Gyarados shockingly Aki was able to defeat the Pokemon with a simple tackle that resembled the move of (flame charge despite the ineffective typing the move had been devastating to the Pokemon sending it far underground and showcasing a glimpse of how powerful the ultra monster truly was, more info would likely be needed of its true capabilities in comparison to the others especially if it turned violent….
Momo, Todoroki, Tokoyami: Reflection Cave
Pokémon Ranger Allison Observations:
These group's abilities were extremely variable and had many weaknesses; it was noted that while Tokoyami's ability of "shining light" was weak to dark, he could freely switch to his opposite ability to nullify this weakness, although in a limited capacity for the moment of up to twice a day. Momo's ability is something spectacular to witness in person; her skin seemed to stretch and burst outwards from her body when creating objects depending on the size of the object. A pink mist seemed to stand on the edge of it, allowing her to fashion it without much of a graphic visual taking place, as read in reports. She can also create things from a simple visual glance, but only temporarily, and it takes some strain on her mental facility to hold, which, depending on the weight and how many of the objects she created, needs to be a lot, but the concept itself is worrying to think about being in a teen's hands.
The 1st test was a simple exploration of the cave system, allowing the teens to inform themselves of the layout and design of the cave along with blocking out all of the indicating symbols to get a grasp on their navigation skills and see how long it would take them to lead themselves back to the front without it; the time taken was approximately five minutes. This is in line with most average Pokémon Ranger skills. The chain of command seemed to defect to Momo in this instance, liking showing her as a leader of the group, or this was simply because, by the nature of her ability, she was the smartest.
The second test was finding someone who had been lost in the cave. This process was straightforward given Momo's ability to create multiple small butterfly-like drones almost the size of a Butterfree's body, sending the multitude of drones down winding paths as she and her partners checked on other pathways that weren't covered. Given the girl's clear lack of strain from the activity, I could assume that the girl likely could have simply created a drone for each pathway and simply allowed them to find the target instead, allowing her partners to be included in the test. They found the target and escorted them to the correct exit in record time.
The third test was a simple Pokemon dispute within the cave, given the lack of a stylist they had to use force to separate the Pokemon as Todoroki and Tokoyami subdued both Pokemon and had the two attempt to come to some sort of agreement more peacefully, since speaking was out of the option the groups seemed to encourage the pokemon to mime out the problem to them which allowed them some understanding into the conflict and ways that they could correct it showing a great sign of empathy to the pokemon all the meanwhile showing great signs of being able to use their powers more carefully not to injure the individual being attacked….
Jackie, Sero, Mina: Orsay City
Pokémon Ranger Ashlee Observations:
Adventuring out with the group in the large city had been somewhat normal the group of teens' powers mainly being something that could be contained more than the rest, the group did not comment on some of the comments they would receive from random civilians that would about their obvious differences such as Sero's elbow or Mina's skin color and skin, the three tests had gone somewhat ok, the first test had been a find and recover mission of a pokemon that had been lost within the city the group was lost and scattered adn sometimes would but heads with one another on how they should proceed but they have a good spirit and could eventually get the task done, the second test was mainly a combat exercise with each of them by trainers this was to get a grasp on her their powers work and compare to pokemon, Mina, and Sero had managed to win against young trainers Staravia and Nidorino respectively, however, Jackie had taken a lost to her opponents Throh the gir being incapable of using her more deadly techquie which nice demonstrated was capable of chopping down thick trees foud in a central park.
The third task had been one of simple patrolling and keeping a lookout for any foul play, be it Pokémon or otherwise, although during this assignment a good deal of times the group had been distracted from their objective, but when an actual problem had broken out this time, being a simple pickpocket. Meowth of the Alolan variety, the group had quickly sprung into action, capturing the Pokémon and returning the stolen merchandise to the victim. While a bit playful, the group knew when to take things seriously, it seemed.
Brut, Torax, Tank top philosopher: Geosenge Town
Pokémon Ranger Logan Observations:
These three were an interesting bunch, none of them seemed to have many issues adapting to the climate that they found themselves in, the curious town folk that were curious about Torax were granted the opportunity to talk to, take pictures with, and even pet the large "tiger" monster before they continue with the test, Tank top philosopher or simply tank philosopher had something called "tank top magic" which was something imbued into his tank top allowing him to draw on a mysterious force that offered him power one such instance of this power was the book he carried with him, it allowed him to partially read the future along its pages or at least he says the pages to my eyes were simply blank but he was able to correctly predict when issues would arise around himself and give him hints on the task he set himself to although this was something even new to him it seemed. I asked Brut to stay in his monster form to see if he reacted to people, but he did not and greeted each of them normally.
The 1st test was searching for someone's child that had been left in the woods which had been quickly found by Torax's incredible sense of smell, the second test was to defend the small town from a small incursion of Pokemon in this instance being a handful of four Pangoro each of the enemies had been managed to be subdued without too much injury on eaither side of the spectrum although the ultra-monster had to be warned off from causing a fatal blow to the pokemon and the tiger apologized and remarked that it was in its "nature" to go for the kill against monsters it came up against suggesting a history of fighting with the monster, the third test was with helping out the town in any way that they could with the upkeep and support which they performed without incident or cause for concern.
Midoriya, Sylvia, Saren: Kiloude City
Pokémon Ranger Leader Dean Observations:
… Unfortunately, I can report nothing; all challenges or tests were done too swiftly for me to process much of it all. Civilian interactions with Midoriya were perfect, while the other two had been standoffish and not too interested beyond the mission at hand.
End note:
Ash and friends continued with their adventure, with the battle chateau arena, wanted to give it a bit more backstory here on why they went there instead of just Serena randomly suggesting it out of nowhere which develops her further, the Gym leaders are also more involved with things Clemont is actually acknowledged as the Gym leader he supposed to be which is my main criticism of him so far, it seems like they wanted to make him another audience insert character but he supposed to be someone that's been in kalos for a while and had developed multiple grand inventions for the regions primary city as well as be a gym leader so it just doesn't work for me when no one seems to acknowledge the kid.
Elliot's story continues, just giving more insight into the world and how the technology works and posing some interesting questions I had for the Pokemon world with said technological capabilities when it comes to wealth and disparity it causes which connects to one of the core tenants of team flare at least in the manga.
The teens and monsters story comes forward as they attempt to adapt their training to accommodate the things that Pokemon police and rangers would likely have to deal with in the setting, I don't know how much well will actually visit their adventures as poke heroes barring some hard cannon encounters this would mostly just be used to fill out a chapter if the 20k benchmark hasn't been hit during the writting phase as unlikely as that may be.