Three Lillipup, three Herdier and one Stoutland. While the enemy numbers were down, Eloy wasn't technically sure that this was an improvement on the situation. Still, he knew he had little to fear with Nora and Khutulun on their side and it wasn't like he and Lauren were slouches.
The canine Pokemon rushed forward, the Herdier and Lillipup in the lead with the Stoutland pacing himself behind them. The vanguard split off, moving either direction towards Deacon and Eloy or Lauren and Mortimer. The way was clear for the furious Stoutland to charge Khutulun. The Kangaskhan didn't waver, staring down the opposing Normal type with supreme confidence. Eloy felt for sure they had things covered. Then everything went wrong.
"Watch out!" Nora yelled suddenly. The Herdier and Lillipup had at the last moment closed in on Khutulun instead of attacking the smaller Pokemon. Caught by surprise, the powerful Kangaskhan suddenly found herself with six sets of sharp teeth sinking into her body. The Kangaskhan cried out in pain and thrashed about, trying to shake them loose, and that was the lesser of two concerns.
The Stoutland turned, changing targets. The leader of the pack was now bearing down upon Mortimer and Lauren, his teeth crackling with electricity as he prepared to launch a powerful Thunder Fang.
"Protect, Mortimer!" Lauren instructed. Immediately, Mortimer was engulfed by the green glowing barrier that Eloy had come to be familiar with. The Stoutland collided with the Protect and stumbled back, growling viciously.
The Protect disappeared and the Stoutland made to dive for Mortimer again, but Lauren was as on the ball as always and was already commanding a counter-attack. An eerie blue flame appeared before the Duskull and was fired at the Stoutland, forcing the larger Pokemon to abandon his attack and jump to the side to avoid a crippling burn.
Eloy had watched the unfolding events in shock, but his mind finally caught up. Khutulun had thrown the Lillipup loose and had succeeded in knocking two of them out already. Nora was an Elite Four member and her Pokemon were monstrously strong. Lauren was good, but she was in more need of help.
"Deacon, Poison Sting on the Stoutland!" Eloy instructed. Deacon shot past where Khutulun was still trying to shake off her attackers and ran at the Stoutland from behind as the tip of his horn began to glow purple. He caught the rampaging Stoutland by surprise as it prepared to lunge for Mortimer again.
The Stoutland cried out but it did not falter or fall like its pre-evolved stages may have. Instead, it abandoned its attack on Mortimer and whirled on Deacon, lunging for the Nidoran with razor blade teeth. This time, Lauren and Mortimer came to Deacon's rescue instead.
"Dark Pulse!" Lauren commanded and an instant later, the swirling Dark Pulse struck the Stoutland and knocked it off balance, causing it to miss the attack and stumble.
"Peck!" Eloy called, capitalising on the advantage. Deacon lunged forwards and struck the unbalanced Stoutland with his horn, succeeding in knocking the larger creature over.
The Stoutland rolled back to its feet and ran for Mortimer only for the green light of the Ghost type's Protect to explode into being around him again. The Stoutland skidded to a halt before he could collide with the shield again, giving Deacon an opening.
"Deacon, Poison Sting!" Deacon shot forward and jabbed the glimmering tip of his horn into the Stoutland's undefended side.
The Stoutland growled savagely as the attack hit, taking it and then lashing out with his head. Deacon scurried back but wasn't quick enough to avoid the strike and was sent rocketing along the ground with a squeal.
"Will-o-Wisp!" Lauren gave the order before the Stoutland could follow up on the attack. Mortimer's ominous blue fireball struck the Stoutland from behind and for a brief moment its whole body was engulfed in blue fire. Then, the blaze faded, revealing a singed and very angry Stoutland, wincing in pain.
The Stoutland rounded on Mortimer again, running hard for it, seemingly unaware of Deacon returning to his feet and giving chase. It opened its mouth wide, Thunder Fang crackling with dangerous voltage.
"Protect!" For a third time, the shield sprang up around Mortimer, the Ghost type not even flinching as the murderous Stoutland rushed him. This time though, the Stoutland was ready. It skidded around and wheeled suddenly even as Eloy called for another Poison Sting. Eloy cried out for Deacon to retreat but it was too late, the electrified teeth closed down on the Nidoran.
Deacon screamed out as the crushing force of the bite and the shock of the electricity hit him in unison. Eloy had learned that as far as the general power levels of attacks went, Thunder Fang was on the lower-middle part of the spectrum. Seeing it coming from such a powerhouse Pokemon made him inclined to disagree with such a generalisation.
"Deacon!" he shouted, helpless to intervene.
Thankfully, he didn't need to. Khutulun had succeeded in dislodging all of her attackers now and one of them was hurled into the Stoutland's side. The larger canine, was knocked sprawling, dropping Deacon to the ground so he could scamper away.
The Herdier that had been used as a projectile shakily got back to its feet, ready to rush Nora's Kangaskhan again. Out of nowhere though, the Stoutland lunged up off the ground with a savage Take Down and knocked its subordinate flying across the battlefield where it struck the ground and didn't get back up. The Stoutland howled angrily, wincing from a combination of recoil from the attack and Mortimer's burn slowly sapping its stamina.
"Dark Pulse!" Lauren took that as her queue. Mortimer attacked again, the churning black and purple blast striking the Stoutland hard. It skidded back several feet before breaking through the attack.
"Fury Attack, Deacon!" Eloy called out and instantly regretted the choice to choose a move that would require his Nidoran to stay within range. That was why he'd been avoiding Double Kick even though the move was much more effective on a Normal type like Stoutland.
It was too late to take it back though, Deacon had given a war cry and rushed in with a battle fervor. Deacon jabbed in with his horn twice in quick succession, each strike eliciting and angered response from the Stoutland. The Stoutland dived for Deacon as he went in for his next strike, but Deacon narrowly managed to dodge under the Stoutland before it could land and then struck again into its side.
The Stoutland whirled around to attack Deacon again but suddenly pulled back, rearing up on its hind legs as a Dark Pulse from Mortimer struck the ground where the front half of his body had just been, spraying debris into the air.
Deacon took this as his chance and shot forwards to strike with his horn again. He drove his head up to stab at the Stoutland's underbelly even as gravity began to bring the bigger creature back down. White light engulfed Deacon's horn, the natural weapon glowing brightly and seeming bigger for it was the attack landed and the Stoutland was smashed backward, hitting the ground on his back before tumbling onto his side.
"That was new!" Eloy shouted, surprised by the development.
"Horn Attack, very good!" Nora chimed. Despite the situation, her tone was warm and congratulatory. She seemed legitimately excited for Deacon's new move, like a teacher celebrating the success of a struggling student. Eloy noted that she was even still wearing the same pleasant smile, even as Khutlun dispatched the one of the Herdier with a Drain Punch during her outburst. Only one Herdier and the Stoutland remained now.
The Stoutland was back on his feet now, and a look of absolute bloodlust distorted his features. It growled savagely, then ran for Deacon.
"Dark Pulse!" Lauren instructed and Mortimer intercepted the attack with his own. The Stoutland whipped around, foaming at the mouth with his malice as bit down on the blast. The attack shatter and exploded in a cloud of dark smoke. The Stoutland didn't even flinch.
"Horn Attack!" Eloy ordered. Deacon's horn glowed bright again and he ran at the Stoutland with newfound confidence, injuries forgotten in the thrill of developing this new skill. The Stoutland rounded on Deacon and swatted him aside with ease, sending him skidding along the ground. Then, it turned its attention back on Mortimer, rushing the Duskull again with single-minded rage.
"Protect!" Lauren ordered as the Stoutland leapt for Mortimer, foamy mouth mouth wide open. The Stoutland collided hard with the shining defensive shield. The Protect halted the attempted Crunch but the sheer ferocity of the assault caused the barrier to explode into a shower of green glitter.
The Stoutland's fangs glowed a vibrant pink and it struck again. This time, his attack was a success and Mortimer was caught in the vice of his mouth before being tossed aside like a ragdoll.
"Mort!" Lauren gasped, shocked. The Stoutland paid her no mind, turning back to Deacon.
The Stoutland barked loud and then started its run forward. As it did so, a blazing aura of purple exploded up around it, streaked with a vibrant orange emanating from the focal point in front of the Stoutlands head.
"Out the way!" Eloy yelled, instantly recognising the attack as Giga Impact, one of the most destructive moves a Pokemon could learn. Deacon was just barely managing to stand back up, his beating finally catching up with him. The Stoutland closed in fast.
In an instant, the Stoutland lunged to close the distance as a huge shadow fell across Deacon. Khutulun leapt forward, the struggling Herdier tucked unceremoniously under one arm and thrust her free hand forward, palm open wide. The Stoutland collided with the Kangaskhan's palm with an explosive force that Eloy not only saw and heard but
felt as a shockwave radiated out from the impact.
Khutulun skidded back several feet, stopping just before she'd have crushed Deacon underfoot. Her confident look was replaced by a strained grimace as her knees flexed against the force of the blow. Then, the onslaught was over and the Kangaskhan's confidence quickly returned.
"Nicely done, Khutulun," Nora chirped, still donning her school teacher smile, "You can finish it up now. Dizzy Punch!" Khutulun pulled her hand back from the Stoutland, the canine seemingly frozen with shock at its most devastating attack being halted with such ease and not even trying to escape. The Kangaskhan's hand closed into a fist as several flickering orbs of yellow light appeared around it.
Khutulun drove her fist down hard onto the Stoutland, smashing it into the ground beneath its feet and knocking it out instantly. Then, she grabbed the remaining Herdier out from under her other arm, and with casual ease, tossed into the trunk of a tree where it too felt to the ground and fainted.
Eloy's mouth dropped like an anvil. Sure, the Stoutland had taken a fair few hits from Deacon and Mortimer, but it had demonstrated pretty easily how easily it could shake them off. He knew that the Pokemon of an Elite Four member were at an entirely different level, but seeing one in action up close was very different than watching from a distance. Khutulun's raw power was at an almost incomprehensible scale compared to the likes of Deacon or Mortimer.
"Everyone okay?" Nora asked cheerfully, "You both did very well."
"Mort and I are fine," Lauren responded. Mortimer was in her arms happily nuzzled against her chest. He was definitely hurt, but seemed content and not seriously injured.
"You doing okay, Deacon?" Eloy asked his Nidoran.
"Ni!" Deacon replied enthusiastically before promptly fainting on the spot, beaten up and exhausted.
"Deacon!" Eloy started, alarmed, bending down to check his Pokemon over. From what he could tell, the Nidoran hadn't sustained any truly serious damage although there were small gashes on his back where the Stoutland had bitten down, spikes be damned. "Well, he did take quite a walloping."
"I'm sure he'll be fine with some treatment and a bit of a rest. For now though, you can both have one of these." Nora produced a potion each for Deacon and Mortimer. Eloy and Lauren accepted them gratefully and proceeded to spray their partners and return them to the safety of their Pokeballs.
"We should capture them all before any of them wake up," Lauren said, looking around at the defeated pack. None of them were stirring yet, and it was unlikely that any of them would be after taking hits from a powerhouse like Khutulun, but Nora nodded her agreement.
"It's better to be safe than sorry, let's get to work." She still sounded every bit more like a teacher on a field trip than a fearsome member of the Elite Four. Eloy and Lauren set to work alongside her and soon the pack had been rounded up and the three of them were making their way back to Topa Town.
Team Eloy