(Due to size limits, some of the updated chapters are not going to fit in one post anymore. It should be possible to just keep scrolling and not miss anything, but I would advise taking breaks at scene changes or chapter titles to avoid losing your place. Enjoy.)
Their world didn't have many problems, it was true. Once, supposedly before Pokémon ever came to be, humans had been forced to deal with issues of water shortages, air pollution, violence, etcetera. It was commonly taught in history classes of multiple grade levels that the old world had eventually collapsed in a very large war, only rising again when Pokémon appeared, and solved many of these problems.
Energy, water, food, pollutants, there were Pokémon to combat every negative aspect of human existence. Some people claimed Pokémon had always lived with humans, but Alex's granduncle had disagreed when the subject had inevitably come up during their many basement chill sessions. Alex in his naiveté had regurgitated what he'd been taught in public school, and as was his wont, his Gruncle had expanded his knowledge with some hard, factual truths, namely, movies from the ancient world, revived and reformatted for modern technology, that had no Pokémon in them whatsoever. Slowly, Alex realized that these movies had Pokémon added to them, giving them the 'classics' that Pokéstar Studios had simply re-made for the modern age.
Like the skeptic he was, Alex had asked for more evidence from the Professor, as he too had thought a world without Pokémon simply impossible and anyone with a phone could make a movie, and in response, had been shown stories in truly ancient books, now only existing on the PokéNet, that didn't contain a single mention of Pokémon, but had plenty of animals that had long since gone extinct. It was hard to believe, since everything in the world he'd known had some tie to Pokémon, but the stories he had been shown when he was younger contained no trace. Just humans with the aforementioned problems, and many others in addition.
The ancient fairytales about King Arthur or the notorious archer of Galar, Green Hood, were good examples of tales without Pokémon, but most people saw them as just that: tales. Pokémon had been around longer than anyone could remember, and a few fairy tales from pre-history would not be enough to convince the Poké obsessed humans they had once never existed on this planet. Most simply said it didn't matter, they were here now, and were worth bonding with. After a very long time since their initial contact with humanity, Pokémon and their Trainers had become an integral part of any advanced society, as they were immensely superior to most firearms, though that hadn't stopped those with darker agendas from advancing projectile weaponry anyway.
Some problems still remained in their all but utopian society of peace and plenty, with the largest being, as always, human greed. Money controlled many aspects of the 'real world', as Alex's father had called it. It was fine for Pokémon Trainers to run around on the road, eating for free, and battling for fun. But, he had been told, society needed currency to function.
That was one point his granduncle and his father intensely disagreed upon. The aging Professor had insisted that many of the issues they did face would disappear if humanity gave up currency. They existed in a society capable of supplying them with whatever they could possibly need thanks to the rising popularity of Item Printers, and it wouldn't be long before those were taking in basic ingredients and printing out food.
He'd claimed that as long as greedy humans had some kind of currency to hoard, they would do whatever they could to hoard as much as possible. Far too many simply didn't care what they had to do to achieve a comfortable lifestyle, even if that meant ascending to disgustingly wealthy levels by stepping on the backs of their fellow man.
His father had responded by saying new issues would rise to replace those that had been solved. Alex had done his best to remain neutral in this debate that he, as he'd gotten older, realized was at the core of the separation in their family.
But now, looking into the faces of total strangers who all but begged to serve him, lest they lose their job and their access to currency if they failed to do so, he started to understand why his granduncle was so passionate about defeating human greed. If these people just relied on Pokémon instead, they could be just as well off, but no, they needed currency like a crystal addict needed dust. Crystal was one of the 'harder' substances available in shadier places, that had similar effects to Leaf, but far worse consequences. It was also highly illegal, mostly because it was so dangerously addictive, and damaging.
For his part, Alex didn't really see the issue with jobs in their world, as most gave more than enough to live somewhat modestly. In the infamous League Court case against three members of the now disbanded Team Rocket, evidence had been presented that showed, on numerous occasions, the criminals in question had scraped together funds for hundreds, if not thousands, of giant robots designed to catch Pokémon.
They obtained these funds, supposedly, by working at menial jobs that nine out of ten times had involved hard work and selling things. Apparently, they paid just as well as Pokémon battles, and were far more reliable for income. The cost of living in this modern age was low, thanks to Pokémon. Said criminals had then eventually gone on to create the first of many PokéNet streams, and their imprisonment had led to the rise of the next generation of streamers, like Iono.
As Alex subtly watched and spoke briefly to the numerous aides flitting about the dressing rooms of the PNN building's lower floors, he realized these poor people were essentially slaves to whatever 'celebrity' happened to be entertaining their audience that night. It was a business, and like every business, some parts were considered more important than others.
The aides assigned to him were obviously on the bottom of this business totem pole. They didn't even have name tags, and as he looked closer, more than a few had bruises. He felt Arthur's ball shake, as he waited to be called onto the stage for his interview.
He thumbed the release. "You sense it too, don't you." It wasn't a question.
"Gallade." The response was solemn and understanding, but under the surface, Alex sensed the same fury at this ridiculous workplace setup. The more he saw, the more he noted flagrant violations of Unovan laws meant to keep employees somewhat dignified as they toiled. It helped that Arthur had a strong nose for dark intentions, and Alex decided that while some jobs were probably fine, preferred even, the majority of humanity's potential was simply wasted on ones like the aides found themselves in. He also doubted most people wouldn't mind not having to work them, in favor of doing literally whatever they wanted.
That wouldn't be true for everyone, of course, but if there was some way of assigning the right people to the places they were needed most, he was sure the reliance on Pokédollars would diminish further. He didn't have a better alternative for distributing currency. He knew others had been tried before, only to succumb to power hungry tyrants.
This current currency based system had eventually beaten all the others, and his Gruncle had warned him that speaking against it, especially in public, would make you a pariah. One simply did
not question the system.
The door opened, and the younger male aide from before, who had to have been around ten or twenty years older than Alex, came in. He had the strange navy-blue uniform on still, the PNN logo was sewn into the chest of it, but otherwise, it was little more than a bland suit.
No name tag, no Pokémon belt. Even the man's features were unremarkable. Brown eyes, dark hair that was cut short, a clean-shaven face. Each of the aides assigned to him had looked this way.
"Mr. Crimson is ready for you, sir." He said, looking hurried.
Sir. Alex had never been called 'sir' before he'd left home, but as he'd traveled, he noticed that amongst the few who'd heard of him, he was regarded with more respect. They'd called him 'sir' too. 'May I have a Battle, sir?' 'Might I have your autograph, sir?' 'Please sir, keep your Torterra from defecating on the grass.'
Was that what he had to look forward to? A future where, eventually, he stopped even noticing aides like this entirely? He noticed Arthur staring at him, and the Pokémon smiled, sensing his emotions, and put a hand on his shoulder. Confidence filled him. He knew that his Gallade would keep him honest, if nobody else did. Alex nodded, smiling back, and then recalled him to his ball.
"Thank you. What was your name? I didn't catch it." The aide blinked, and Alex could tell, nobody had ever asked him that question. His face betrayed a hint of nervousness, and Alex understood. He wasn't supposed to have people ask him his name. Judging by the beads of sweat forming on his brow, he thought he was in trouble.
Which meant that his superiors were either listening, or he thought he'd somehow offended this guest, which was, he assumed, an offense that resulted in being fired. Alex put a hand on his shoulder.
"Relax, you're not in trouble. I just wanted to know your name." If the younger man had looked put-off before, he was doubly so now. A Trainer with enough nepotism to be interviewed by the legend, five-time Pokémmy award winning reporter John Crimson, taking notice of him? Unlikely, if not impossible, or so he'd come to believe. And yet, it was happening.
Alex gave the shoulder a squeeze, and the aide finally stammered a response. "I-I'm Joey."
Alex gave what he hoped was his best comforting smile. It needed work. "Well Joey, I need you to do me a favor, and it's going to sound unusual." The man's eyes faded back into the practiced neutrality he maintained as part of his job. Eyes that were dead, with no spark of hope whatsoever. He hadn't been noticed, this was just another wannabe celebrity with a fetish or something.
Even his response was robotic. "Of course, sir. Whatever you need, PNN will provide."
Alex had expected such a response, you couldn't undo programming like this with a few sentences after all, and he was due to be on the air. "After I'm done, when I come back for my things, please bring in the other aides that were assigned to help me. Can you do that, Joey?" The man blinked again, wondering what new perverted hell awaited him and his coworkers now. You could never tell with Trainers.
"Of course, sir." He said, not betraying a hint of worry. "We'll be waiting here once you and Mr. Crimson are done. Now if you please, we really should be getting upstairs."
He was shown to the stairs leading up into the studio where he'd be interviewed, and before he could utter a word of thanks, Joey was off. Putting the man from his mind, and focusing again on his public face, he wandered onto the studio.
"Ahh, there he is. Mr. Redwood! Over here." Being waved over in such a friendly manner by a legend like John Crimson was going to take getting used to. He began walking over, and did a double take when he saw who the legendary reporter was talking to, over a shared dinner of steak, waffles, french fries, and of course, Scotch.
Professor Gilroy Redwood. His granduncle. He broke into a smile. If John Crimson was someone his Gruncle could stand to talk to, he couldn't be all bad. From the way they were sitting, close, friendly, and with a pair of Scotch glasses, they seemed like old friends. He'd always assumed the old man had been full of it, when he'd mentioned he had connections.
John Crimson offered a hand as he made his way over. "It's nice to properly meet you, lad. Your granduncle and I go way back, and you're the only relative he ever talks about favorably."
Alex returned the handshake, smirking at his Gruncle, and then the reporter. "I usually go by Alex. Only this old fart calls me 'lad' anymore."
Alex grunted as he felt a hand slam into his back. He gave his Gruncle a look, and the old man shrugged. "What? I had to be sure you were really back. And that this crimson fox didn't take advantage of your naivete."
The aging reporter feigned offense. "Take advantage? Me? I'd never do that, Gil. You're practically family, and he's your grandnephew, which makes us…"
"Very distantly related." Alex said, smirking. The blood tie to his favored relative was already thin enough, he had enough trouble remembering all his cousin's children, let alone all the family more closely related to his granduncle.
At a hand signal from one of the crew, who were similarly garbed as Joey had been, but did actually have name tags, at least, John Crimson led Alex onto the stage. It was a simple setup. Two chairs, a table, and glasses of water. There were of course, many ways to interview people.
John Crimson however, liked to say he was 'old school'. For a reporter, Alex supposed this was as old school as it got. He took his seat, the old reporter took his, and the countdown began. Alex knew the drill, as he'd told them earlier that he'd seen plenty of these interviews before. Mr. Crimson would start them off, but it soon became obvious he was reading directly from the holoprompter, thanks to his squinting, and failing eyesight.
"Tonight, on Poké News Network, we have a story from our home region of Unova! I, John Crimson, will be reporting on and interviewing one of the newest hotshot Trainers in our region; Alex Redwood, a supposed rookie with a winning streak, an epic adventure, and even an Elite Four level win on his record already. There's been a lot of talk about his exploits lately, and as always, we're here to separate fact from fiction. Shit from seed."
Hearing the intro for his own interview was almost surreal, and Alex wished he'd actually done more before agreeing to it. Three badges was nothing. That wish faded as one of the crew mumbled into their ear pieces, "Stay on script John. We're live. And manure is actually used to fertilize crops."
"Well that is disgusting. Poop does
not belong on food." Crimson said, loud enough for the mic to pick it up. "Script!" came the voice again. The old reporter turned his focus on Alex then, and he put on his trademark smirk as he desperately tried not to burst into laughter.
"So Alex," He said, dropping formality as he'd requested, "Hows life? Two Badges and a string of victories from here to Unova University. Not many people would believe it, from a rookie Trainer in his first year."
He let his smirk grow appropriately, before answering. John Crimson was stroking his moustache very obviously as he spoke, and he seriously considered a career in acting as he managed not to laugh.
"Three Badges, actually." He managed in a weak tone. He coughed, and spoke stronger, louder. "Burgh was kind enough to allow me a challenge before I came here tonight." He paused, enjoying the look of surprise on the old reporter's face. Interviewees didn't usually drop a brand-new story at the start of an interview, but it seemed like John Crimson was more interested in the badge itself.
"Can we see it?" Alex stared for a moment, then shrugged, and nodded. The old man stared at it openly and spoke not-so-subtly, "Ooooh. Shiny. But wait, that's not a standard Burgh Badge, is it? It looks different."
Alex blinked, wondering if he'd meant 'bug badge', despite the fact that the official name for it was 'Insect Badge'. "Erm. No, it's not. It's part of the League's latest challenge. You ask the Gym Leaders to Battle you with their original teams, and in return, you get a special version of their Badge, showing you beat them at their best."
The silver fox nodded, still very obviously stroking his moustache. "Interesting. You know, I Battled Burgh, once. Great guy. Great Trainer. We made a bunch of happy little clouds after the Battle. Good times." Alex blinked. Did he just imply that he too had shared Leaf with the bug training painter? It didn't seem too hard to believe. His Gym was right across the street.
"As for how I am?" Alex continued smoothly as the crewman shouted "SCRIPT!" through their earpieces once more, "Well, I've watched your show since I was five. I never thought I'd be on so soon…not before beating the Victory Plateau, at least. It's exciting. Thank you for having me." His own prompts were more free form, and Alex had to reply on the fly.
John Crimson tried to sip his water smoothly, but ended up taking too much at once, and began coughing. "Ugh! What is this...tasteless garbage? Vinny, who was in charge of getting the Scotch out here?" The old man looked back at the stage as his crew manager grabbed a piece of white cardboard and wrote 'SCRIPT' on it.
As the crewmen tried to keep from laughing while on the air, John Crimson eventually recovered and found his voice again after sliding the glass of water away in disgust, and turning back to squint at the prompter, "So...who was the herdest...oh, oh, hardest...who was the hardest Leader you've faced, so far?"
Alex paused a moment, stroking his patchy beard, and biting his lip hard as he tried to focus, and not laugh. "Marlon. His Mantine had my Torterra at a field advantage, and a type advantage with Wing Attack. Terra was really hurting after that fight, but we managed to pull it out in the end."
"Always a good idea to pull out, lad." The crew burst into giggles and heavy sighs, but John Crimson continued, unfazed as Alex facepalmed, and tried not to smirk. They'd given up on shouting 'script' over and over.
"Terra…so I'm guessing that's the one you beat that Tyrantrum with at the start of the summer?" John asked again, this time apparently reading from a folder full of scripted notes that he'd failed to secret away before recording started, and now had broadly open on his lap. It seemed the prompter's script was too small for his old eyes.
Alex nodded, unable to stop smirking. "Aye, I took the University's final test with a bit of a handicap, but we made it through." Mr. Crimson adjusted his seating then, and Alex felt the tone shift.
A look of competence came over John Crimson, and Alex saw a spark of what had made him so famous flare to the surface for a moment, and he sat a little straighter. "The last time we spoke, you'd just returned from Draconis Mons after a fairly harrowing experience. I know that I, and many of our watchers have been eagerly waiting to hear the full account."
Alex let his smirk fade, and then sighed, nodding. "I don't know about the full account, that would take quite a while, but if you have questions, I'll answer them with as much detail as I can."
John Crimson nodded, and continued, flipping very obviously through his folder and tossing cards he'd already read behind him while the crew tried not to laugh. "Very well…let's see...ah!"
He underlined the holo prompter's words with a finger in the air as he read them. "What we saw on that video was quite an aerial display. Many have been wondering; how exactly do you give commands to a Pokémon that's in the atmosphere?"
Alex chuckled, and wrung his hands out of reflex. "You don't really. What you need to understand is, at that point, we'd been living in that mountain for weeks. It was hot, uncomfortable, and what little food we could get was usually pretty nasty. Blaze couldn't leave the mountain, and I had to appear dead so that Lizardon wouldn't have a reason to attack him."
Alex paused, for a moment, then continued, "Blaze and Shruikan were doing whatever we could to beat that monster, and free not just ourselves, but the entire mountain. He was dominating all of them, even the Dragon Types. I told Blaze that, if he flew high enough outside in the sky, he'd eventually run out of air. I guess he remembered that, and figured he could get the advantage on his larger, healthier, and more experienced opponent if he fainted from lack of oxygen. But I didn't command him to do it. Once they Mega Evolved, they were fighting on instinct."
The old reporter grinned, and Alex knew what question was next. "I see," he said in his smooth baritone, "So I guess the next question is…how did a wild Charizard Mega Evolve?"
Alex gave a mirthless smirk, and then looked into the camera directly behind John. "Well, there are a number of ways. We've seen it before, but only in Legendary Pokémon, and only with a stone containing Infinity Energy. My granduncle and I theorized that Lizardon must've had a stone like mine somewhere nearby, and used it on his own. I think he could've been classified as a legendary Pokémon, more or less. His speed was clocked at matching known Latios and Latias, and he was, at heart, half dragon. He lived among Dragon Types. He was a unique case, to be sure, but he lived in a unique environment. That mountain is...special."
John Crimson gave him his best attempt at a knowing look. "I see. A good answer that, but I assume you've heard that many are starting to claim that this transformation was an Act of Arceus, as the same satellites that caught your Battle also caught a familiar outline in a nearby cloud, according to the Arcean Church. Would you agree with that assessment?"
Alex sighed, "No. And even if it was, I couldn't really blame Arceus for bestowing the power. That Charizard was a product of
our society. Some rich snot probably thought he'd be the next Leon because he had Daddy buy him a unique colored Charmander. He probably lost a few Battles, and went back to doing whatever it is rich snots do, abandoning his Charmander."
Alex looked down at the floor then. "I've never seen so much rage in a Pokémon before, and when I started to beat him with my Shelgon, he was roaring at the sky in frustration. Even I pitied him then. You didn't have to be a Pokémon to understand that he was asking why he couldn't have been the Charmander who got a skilled Trainer. I don't think he wanted to end up on that mountain, powerful and alone."
He looked up at the camera again, staring it down. "But of course, none of the Arceans claiming Arceus gave this power on purpose to wipe out Humanity or something, were actually there. They didn't see that part of the Battle. I did. And while I pitied him, truly, he was too far gone to ever be reached by a Human. In the end, his rage consumed him. Act of Arceus or not, the deed is done, and Lizardon is a threat that Unova won't have to deal with. The Dragon Mountain is free again, and as long as Humans have enough sense to
stay away, it will remain free."
John Crimson sat, listening, fingers entwined as he let his interviewee speak. "I see. Bold words from a strong Trainer." He gave a slight smirk then, his deep tone taking on a humorous tint. "So, how is it you know the mind of the Alpha Pokémon so well?"
Alex chuckled, and shrugged. "I don't claim to, I want to make that clear. But, if I were in his position, with the power to help that abused, vengeful Pokémon in his hour of need, I would've done the same thing. Blaze was going to Mega Evolve anyways, as I planned to use the crystal, somehow, just not that early. We wanted to damage him more, then finish him quickly, but fate had other plans. All his evolution did was balance the scales, and Blaze still came out the victor."
John Crimson nodded. "I see. It's getting late now, and I need a Reuben, so we should wrap this up. A few final questions. What's next? What should your fans be on the lookout for?"
Alex blinked, speaking before thinking. "I have fans?" He knew he'd been asked for battles, autographs, Holociever numbers, but he always assumed that's just what you did when you met a strong Trainer. Fan clubs were for Champions, no?
John Crimson nodded, pointing at words only he could read within the folder. "Quite a few it says here, after that video of your Battle. All around the world, in fact. What a surprise. People like a strong Charizard."
That was when it finally hit Alex. He was on, live, with arguably the most famous news man on the planet, being watched by uncountable numbers of eyes, in an uncountable number of countries, and this footage would exist on the Pokénet, forever. Even if human society collapsed, modern humans had perfected and quadruplicated their backups, in case of another mass extinction. He resisted shivering as he felt a cold chill up his spine.
PNN had a presence everywhere, and TV sets sold cheap these days. Then of course, the Pokénet would have this interview on it tomorrow, too. There was a whole playlist of John Crimson interviews that was always growing. He was on a stage, and a good portion of the Trainer world was probably watching him, either live or in the future. He took a deep breath, trying to ignore the sudden feeling of millions of eyes on him. His voice came out shaky, and he had to clear his throat several times.
"Wh-what's next…let's see... I'll be hitting the rest of the Gyms, of course. Then…uh, Victory Road, and... on to the Unova League. I'll challenge the Elite Four, so…I guess I would tell them... to keep an eye on the next Champion of Unova...?" He spoke with what he hoped was confidence.
John gave his 'I'm-going-off-script-look' to Alex, and said, "Whooooee. Boys got some balls. Where does this confidence come from, eh? You do realize who the Champion is, yea? The Tamer of Reshiram and Zekrom. What training method makes you so confident that you can go up against two Unovan Legends?"
"Well," Alex said, smirking, "I want to be a Master, and we have the skills to be the best. But, I admit freely, that without my friend Nick's training plan, I wouldn't have a chance. Legendary Pokémon are forces of nature, and Reshiram and Zekrom will be...intense. "
John Crimson tilted his gray head. "Who is this...Nick?"
Alex waved his question off. "A friend from University, from my home town in fact. My first year there, he helped me devise a training regimen for my future Pokémon team. Diet, vitamins, exercise method, everything. It was his goal to be a Gym Trainer, although, not in the Pokémon sense. He trains people, mostly. I followed his plan to the letter, for months, and my Turtwig reached a level of power that beat a Tyrantrum. It's not for everybody though. In fact, you'd have to be insane to follow the same regimen he does…but I managed to survive intact, and so did my partner."
In actual fact, the plan had called for even more workouts than Alex had done, no days off, and a diet of strictly vegetables. He'd had to change it up a bit, as he would always be an omnivore at his core. Meat was as much a part of the 'circle of life' as any vegetable, and after raising a grass type, he didn't see a difference between killing animals or vegetables for food. It always came down to survival. You either ate something once living, or you died. Just like his Gruncle had said.
His response made the old reporter chuckle, as he clearly understood about a fraction of what he'd just said, and then he closed out the show with his usual catch phrase of 'Stay Classy Castelia'.
Before Alex left the set with his granduncle, John Crimson stopped him and said, "Lad, I hear from my loyal man, Danny, he's right over there behind the camera, that you have quite a lovely lady traveling with you." The old five-time Pokémmy winner handed him a dark bottle that was black, light blue, and streaked with gold. "Musk up with this before you see her. It's Luxray Musk. Illegal in nine countries. Makes women
crazy."
Alex stared at the old man with the glorious mustache that was offset by his crooked bottom teeth, for a long time. Then, he pocketed the bottle, and said, "Thank you. I don't really need it though. I actually own a Luxray."
"Getting it from the source. I like that. It's smart. But trust me, sixty percent of the time, it works
every time." John Crimson winked, as he watched the Trainer leave. Alex shook his head.
"He took the bottle." Professor Redwood said, grinning, and the two old timers laughed for a good minute before their aged lungs forced them into a coughing fit.
Chapter 9: Unova, Part 1
Basement Level of PNN's HQ - New Tork City, Unova Region
Alex thought long and hard about what he was about to say, ironically, more than he'd thought about what to say in an interview on live TV. He considered this next conversation one that was far more important.
He was on his way to his dressing room, where he'd left his bag, when he was suddenly tackled from behind, though the smaller form didn't move his larger one very much. Feeling a familiar press against his back, he smirked, even as dainty hands covered his eyes.
"There you are…so…how did I do?" He felt Jess giggle against him.
"You're wasting time. Do you know how many Trainers he interviews weekly? You could be in Opelucid by now." Her tone was teasing, but true. He'd been dragging his feet a bit since coming back from the Dragon Mountain, and it became obvious why when he'd battled Connor.
Now he was dragging again, hoping to run into his friend and travel with him, the way they'd wanted to since they were ten, envious of Trainers in places like Kanto who started so early, but usually without a thorough education.
"I have one more thing to do here. Wait for me at the Pokémon Center. I won't be long, and then we can get to Driftveil." He felt her nod, and then slide off of him.
"I'm going to challenge Burgh, and then fly to Nacrene, and get that badge, while you waste time." She bopped his nose, then walked away, swaying her hips on purpose. He shook his head, then continued on down the hallway, stopping when he heard a creepy noise from a dark adjoining hallway, leading down presumably to the basement, or sewers.
"Muuuuuuuuuuuuuuk." Alex blinked, watching as a literal herd of poison type sludge monsters came towards him. "Mmmmmmmuuuuuuuuuukkkkk!" They cried continuously.
Then as they reached for his pocket, he understood why, and brought out the bottle of Luxray Musk. They stared at it, their sludge-eyes forming into hearts as they saw it. Finally creeped out, he threw it down the hallway, and he was pretty sure the Muk it landed on was devoured by the others.
Alex was just about ready to leave the city, after that display. The scent of a Muk was what gave people cancerous tumors in their lungs. If you left it in a sewer, and not open air, at least. This wasn't the first time he'd seen strange places for Pokémon to live while in the city. It was definitely a unique place, with unique people. You couldn't walk down the street without seeing someone his rural townies back home would call 'abnormal'.
He stopped again, before descending to the lowest basement where the dressing rooms were. There was a…nagging sensation in his head, like a voice, but not, urging him to come towards it. Normally, his skeptical nature would make him ignore such a strange thing, but he could tell this one was tinged with worry, loneliness, fear, and many other negative emotions.
He followed the directions, and instead went to the penthouse of the building. Once he met the source of the nagging sensation, it guided him to another floor, where he surmised the employees of the PNN building lived. Living at work was illegal for many reasons, but only one group got away with it, claiming that their 'beliefs' would be infringed upon if it wasn't allowed.
He didn't have to guess which group was using freedom of belief to hide behind and abuse their workers. It was a play straight from the Acrean's own handbook, a titillating read that his Gruncle had a copy of, and had let him peruse once.
Fuming inwardly after what he'd discovered in the two upper floor rooms, he once more descended to the basement, and the dressing rooms, two Pokéballs heavier. Several of the gathered aides were female, and rather attractive, but there was one blonde in particular who, in his opinion, came rather close to Jess in looks. A 'perfect ten' as the numerous male influences in his life would 'rate her'. She was very obviously holding a can of some kind of spray he had a feeling was made specifically to repel creepy men. She was about to say something, as she saw his eyes, drawn by pure instinct to her generous attributes, when Joey appeared between them.
"Oh, hello Mr. Redwood. Welcome back. We're here, as you requested." They were all very obviously still on edge, and eyed him expectantly.
He was almost tempted to try to poke fun at them, just to see the reaction, but then he remembered the conditions he'd found upstairs. He sighed instead, saying "What have these zealots
done to you people?"
The tension bled from the room, and the blonde lowered her can. Finally able to tear his eyes from her glorious cleavage, he closed his eyes, letting the pause grow as he calmed himself.
This took about half a second as he looked back up at all of them this time, saying "I called you all here because I saw the conditions you're forced to work in, and wanted to help...but then I discovered the conditions I can only assume you're forced to sleep in, as well." The group shared nervous looks. They'd been expecting some strange sexually oriented request, but his tone was veering towards rebellion against their employer. At a normal job, loyalty might have kept them from considering it. At this one, it was fear, and terrible living conditions, that kept them in line. The blonde girl, despite her looks, was no idiot. She knew a way out when she saw one, and this Redwood had sway with John Crimson himself.
The blonde was definitely gorgeous, easily on par with Jess, but his momentary distraction was based on instinct as old as the human race, and those instincts had been controlled years ago, by pure willpower. His eyes did not wander as he met the eyes of each person gathered. The blonde raised a brow at him. They all did, as if they didn't quite believe what he said.
Alex turned to Joey then when nobody spoke, "I found your... 'apartment'. I'm guessing they gave you that 'room' because you're in charge? Well, the door was unlocked, and there were some shady people in there, stuffing your Pokéball into a bag, as there was nothing else of value in there except a sleeping mat." Alex held out the Pokéball. "You shouldn't leave home without it. It's dangerous to go alone." Joey took the ball, and it shook, opening, and revealing a Raticate in a flash of white.
Joey knelt down to his friend. "I'm sorry…" He looked up at Alex, "You're right…my Raticate is the best, in the top percentage of Raticate actually, and he should always be with me. But…" He looked back down at his Pokémon, "The higher ups don't allow us to let them out, or have them on us. This building is owned by the Arcean Church, you see…and they don't allow Pokémon they don't control on their property...and since we all essentially live here and work fourteen hour shifts…we have no choice but to leave them in their balls."
The blonde spoke up, then. "Even our bosses don't have Pokémon, but John Crimson doesn't work enough to miss his Ninetales these days. I know that during your interview, he didn't have his Ninetales on him though. Like Joey said, they're...strict."
Alex had a good guess as to what she meant by strict. He was familiar with the Church's not-so-subtle punishments, and knew what employees like these risked by asking for a raise, let alone bringing in their Pokémon. The disciplinary actions given out by Arceans were well documented. From physical beatings to psychological torture while they were hooked up to a Pokémeter, the very least they risked by involving their Pokémon was having them taken, and never seeing them again. There were rumors though, that sometimes, the Pokémon in question did return...but when they did, they were violent, constantly angry, and had a tendency to attack anything that moved, ordered to or not. His granduncle explained that these were the signs of Shadow Infusion, a highly illegal and immoral practice, but one the Arceans often used, or so the Professor claimed. He had refused to elaborate on how he knew that, though. The Church, of course, denied any such actions were ever given out. They denied
any negative allegation, loudly and publicly. Even when hard evidence to the contrary was readily accessible. It was a good bet that if they denied something oddly specific, they were responsible for doing it. Often, one could accurately guess what they were guilty of, as their denials were usually focused on a single misdeed, instead of vague ones.
More than that, they accused the people who reported these incidents of being the worst kind of scum. Pedophilia, thievery, drug use, any seemingly negative, and usually baseless, accusation they made was a total fabrication. Little more than an attempt to slander people. And yet, many humans bought into it.
When a large group of people picketed your neighbor's house and told you they were a pedophile, most people were gullible enough to buy into the lie. It was an effect of being in crowds. He'd written a report on it, once, back in University.
Alex considered the blonde woman's words. "That means he doesn't have it with him now. Joey. Let's go pay your 'boss' a visit."
Joey nodded, and the two left the room, and headed back up into the shooting studio. Arthur appeared alongside Joey's Raticate, acting protective over all of them. He'd had trouble forming his arms into swords, hence his use of Psychic and not Psycho Cut, but it didn't seem to be an issue now that he needed them.
He was readying a Night Slash, and as their group reached the studio, a pinkish white energy appeared within the dark energy on his arms, swirling into a Taijitu symbol on each arm.
Neither Alex or Joey seemed to notice the swirl of energy, but their audience did. Most of the vacationing elite of Castelia were still there, partying in the now vacated studio, but John Crimson was in a corner, with an ominous older gentleman, clad in a large cloak that looked like it had been purchased from a movie involving one of those classic stereotypical villain types. Alex and Joey walked over to them, with both of their Pokémon out.
The older gentleman was wearing a badge upon his chest in the shape of Arceus' symbol that very obviously insinuated that he was a 'holy man' of the Arcean Church. What was strange, however, was the fact that he was wearing a hood, indoors. A flash of red gleamed from beneath the hood as the man raised his head to examine the two youths approaching him.
"Can we help you?" He asked, looking at Joey for an instant before moving his gaze to focus on Alex. Judging by the stoop in his back, and his voice, the man was older than he seemed. There was something familiar about him, in a manner Alex couldn't quite place. The cut of the robe's style, the gold and white mantle that surrounded his shoulders and almost looked like a castle parapet.
Alex was still smirking as he eyed the man, despite his growing feeling of unease, "No, not really. We have no need for any guidance in 'holy' matters. We're here to speak with Mr. Crimson." Alex pulled out another Pokéball that wasn't his own, an Old School crank turn type design that was as fiery in coloration as the Pokémon inside it.
Ninetales had led Alex into John Crimson's home, and Alex had figured out that the Pokémon had guided him there because 'Tailsy' as he was called, knew that his owner would soon need him thanks to a psychic premonition. He'd guided him to Joey's Raticate as well, just in time to prevent a theft. Alex knew better than to question a premonition of a Pokémon with latent psychic power. The ball opened on its own, and the Ninetales within appeared in a flash of fiery red light. He wrapped his tails protectively around John Crimson, and snarled at the strange old man.
The old man glared at the aging reporter. "Crimson...how dare you...you know the rules. Pokémon are not allowed at work, where they can be pushed around, and mistreated...you remember what happened the last time we allowed them. Leaving them at home is for
their benefit."
John Crimson looked down at his Ninetales, who looked at him at the same time. It was obvious where Tailsy preferred to be.
"Can you confidently say there is no truth in what I'm telling you?" The old man limped towards the reporter, and that was when Alex noticed he had a cane in his left hand, though he couldn't get a good look at it, the familiarity only increased, nagging at his brain to remember why this man looked so familiar.
"Pokémon contain unlimited potential..." He continued, in his gravelly but charismatic tone made hoarse by age, "They do not belong in Human buildings, confined to wandering small spaces for hours at a time, every day. You may think leaving them behind is cruel, but is it not more cruel to have them be bored? Or worse, abused by some stranger when you're distracted? At least their balls can be infinitely entertaining, and keep them safely in one place."
The old reporter kept his eyes on his fire fox. "I...I don't..." He was clearly struggling to argue against the relatively sound logic coming from the man.
That was when Alex realized who this old man was, as it all clicked in an instant. "Ghetsis…" He hissed quietly. He finally remembered. Long ago, when he'd been younger, he'd watched a video of the notorious villain, taken by way of camera phone, as he gave his first known public address, back when Team Plasma had appeared honorable, knightly, even kind. Their idealistic claims had drawn many to their cause. At first.
He'd used almost exactly the same words now, and Alex too had once thought that he'd had a point, even though he'd been young. It had taken his Gruncle to set him straight by reminding him of one simple truth that every Trainer shared, and as he remembered that lecture, he started to repeat parts of it.
"Some people have them as pets...others use them to Battle...at times we play together...other times, we work together..." The cloaked Ghetsis, Joey, and John Crimson were now looking at him, and Joey was grinning ear to ear. Every kid heard this speech at one point or another. Professors the world over went to classrooms all the time, making sure the next generation understood the world they lived in.
Alex stepped next to the old reporter, and put a hand on his shoulder as he quoted his granduncle, "But the most important thing to remember about Pokémon, any Pokémon, is that they're our friends." He turned his glare to Ghetsis then, and Arthur joined him in standing between the man and John Crimson. "There are no bad Pokémon...just bad Trainers."
"Nonsense!" The shout from Ghetsis drew the small crowd of the live studio audience's attention to their little corner once more, and murmurs filled the air as they noticed the Gallade with the shining arms, and the strange symbol. Gilroy Redwood, who'd been chatting up several older ladies in the crowd who were gray, but still far too young for him, also noticed the symbol, and stared at it in awe.
Few remembered now what the sign of the Unovan Dragon had been, long, long ago in Unova's golden age, but the Professor was a learned man with a specialty in ancient and unique Pokémon, and the myths surrounding them. He eyed his relative with a new respect. Perhaps he
would be the one to do it...that would make the effort of setting this stage for him worth it. He didn't quite know what Ghetsis had on his belt these days, but given the rumors coming from the Victory Plateau, he had a good idea. He'd maneuvered his idealistic grandnephew here knowing that seeing the Church's working conditions would set him on the path to the truth of what was going on in PNN's headquarters. He was bonded to a Gallade, after all. If this kind of thing didn't tweak his sense of justice, nothing would.
Ghetsis continued, devolving into a rant as he slammed his cane into the mahogany floor of the studio. "Pokémon are meant to be
used not played with! They're incredible sources of energy! Friends...pagh!" He spat on the floor then, glaring at the arrogant Trainer from under his hood, oblivious to the looks he'd drawn.
Alex turned his hat backwards, but did not smirk. This was too serious. "I knew this 'No Pokémon' rule was tied to Plasma filth..." He said, glaring right back, "The rest of Unova has accepted that Team Plasma was wrong, hypocrite. Your son helped dismantle your organization years ago. Move on already."
Arthur's eyes glowed with Psychic energy then, and the robes on Ghetsis' ancient body flared up, revealing a full-size team of six Pokémon on his belt. He glared at Alex furiously as the rest of the room noticed this literal hypocrisy.
"I'll meet you outside,
boy…I will not be humiliated by some random Trainer from who-knows-where..." He thumped out of the studio, and down the stairs, muttering, "Not again..."
The room went silent, and all eyes shifted to him. Alex understood then and nodded to himself. Nobody here was actually good enough to beat Ghetsis, a man known for abusing his Pokémon, and attacking civilians. They knew he was a criminal, but none of John Crimson's guests were willing to ruin their night by involving the police. He'd forced them all to follow his absurd rules through fear. Yet another Arcean tactic, straight from their 'Prophet' and his 'playbook' but it was one that would backfire. Alex was not afraid of the aged villain, and Arthur was practically glowing with confidence.
Alex hurried down to meet him outside, emerging to his Cofagrigus' Shadow Ball as soon as the building's doors opened. Luckily, Arthur was there with his Night Slash from his glowing, swirling arms. A second slash followed the first, slashing right through the tomb Pokémon's ghostly body. It fainted in a single hit, but Ghetsis already had his Bouffalant and Bisharp out. Blaze joined Arthur as Alex threw his ball, giving them the type advantage, as they'd practiced.
A pair of double Brick Breaks from Arthur into the charging Bouffalant and his partner damaged the Bisharp, but took down the bull Pokémon completely. Blaze finished off the Bisharp with a timely Flamethrower that was launched so fast mid-flight, it couldn't have been dodged.
Their training weights were off now, and they were benefiting from the long hours of wearing them in so many battles with Trainers on the road into Nimbasa, and then the Boulevard to Castelia.
As Ghetsis recalled his Pokémon, Alex did the same. This slippery bastard would claim the battle was unfair if he'd left them out during the next round. His notorious Hydreigon appeared, and Alex brought out Shruikan without hesitating.
Shruikan had been training solely for the Opelucid gym, and the battle against the Gym Leader, Iris, and now his weights were off as well. His minor temper flare during the battle with Connor had been smoothed out, and now his sole wish was to evolve. Anything that would help him get experience, he did willingly, trusting his Trainer to lead him on the right path to attaining flight. All he could do now to honor his fallen father was prove that the strength he'd inherited was worthy of recognition.
It was clear Shruikan was unusual somehow, his granduncle had muttered something about 'Pokérus' when he'd examined his ball, but hadn't explained what that meant, exactly. Alex figured that only flames from a Legendary Pokémon like a Moltres would be strong enough to evolve his Shelgon, so he'd been listening carefully to the world news, waiting for a Tamer of such a Legendary Pokémon to appear within his reach. For now, a fight against this Hydreigon would be a good test of how much stronger he was after so many battles.
Dragon Trainers were common in Unova, and Shruikan had seen some serious battle time. The two dragon types traded furious Dragon Pulses, and Shruikan rolled out of the way of them, firing back when he could, but both of the arm-heads on the fierce dragon type would launch Dragonbreaths as well, whenever he stopped. Ghetsis wasn't obeying League rules, and Alex adjusted accordingly. Shruikan's Dragon Pulse was, by now, a ball of dense energy, similar to his teammate's Moves like Energy Ball and Mud Shot or Water Pulse, but Ghetsis' Pokémon used a stream of that energy, wild and uncontrolled when it spewed from one of three mouths.
When Shruikan's attack blocked his Dragonbreath so easily, it infuriated the barely tamed Hydreigon, and all three heads attacked at once. Shruikan used Protect, taking the hit, and then retaliated with another dense, swirling Dragon Pulse, scoring a direct hit on the other dragon. It went down slowly, but Shruikan followed up with another Dragon Pulse, and ended the round.
Ghetsis' Drapion met a similar fate at the hands of Terra's Earthquake, and the old man laughed, then, in disbelief. "I didn't expect to need him for this. This was a routine security check for the building…it should've taken five minutes, and now I'm Battling a boy in the middle of a street whose pushed me to this..."
It was a summer night, and the foot traffic on the Castelian street had stopped to gather around the two Trainers duking it out. The crowd had only swelled when it heard Ghetsis was involved, his hood now fallen, many people recognized him.
What nobody could believe was that another Trainer was beating him, and he wasn't even a Champion. Ghetsis had evaded capture for years because of his power, and now, he was being beaten in public by a relative nobody.
He hadn't intended this battle to last past that first surprise Shadow Ball, but he'd forgotten about the glowing Gallade. The crowd gasped then, as he called out his ace, and Alex stared in horror at the monstrosity they had all heard was long gone. A forced fusion of Reshiram and Kyurem, by way of machines, the DNA Splicers. Man's last attempt to reunite the Original Dragon had only resulted in a forced fusion with either Zekrom or Reshiram, never both.
Alex knew what he had to do then as he recalled Terra, and brought out Shruikan once more. As hot as White Kyurem's Ice Burn was, Shruikan could handle hotter when he used Protect, and countered with a Dragon Pulse, hitting the abomination hard enough to stop it in its tracks.
Flames burned bright as the body of Kyurem connected to Reshiram's power, and it became apparent that Shruikan had merely stunned the Legendary Pokémon. As it readied another Ice Burn, it gave Shruikan time. The white half of the Pokémon seemed to be reluctant to listen, as if Reshiram was yet within, and aware of his chance at freedom. Kyurem had zero issues taking down a Shelgon, though. Even if it was at Ghetsis' order. The human was strong, and dragons respected strength.
The fused dragons had been slowed long enough for Shruikan to aim an attack at the DNA splicer that was forcing the two together, destroying it would likely break them apart. Shruikan's Dragon Pulse turned red as he condensed the energy before his mouth, and fired the sparking ball of pure dragon power at the 'wings' on the ice dragon's backside, as he gave the Dragon Pulse the necessary spin to curve in the air, and hit where it needed to hit. As soon as that happened, the lines connecting Kyurem and Reshiram were torn apart by the Dragon Pulse. As they glowed bright white, one dragon became two, Reshiram was freed, and the monstrosity that was Kyurem roared, freezing the feet of every nearby human before it stomped off to the north, through the city, leaving a trail of icy terrain in a line straight to the Giant Chasm.
Life had just begun to return to the chasm, but now, it would surely vanish as the product of man's desire to war with each other, which had split the Unovan Dragon apart, returned with an icy vengeance.
Reshiram examined Alex for a long moment, and a noble, strong telepathic voice echoed in his skull, and his alone, "Come to the Victory Plateau...the time has finally arrived...come..." It gave him a last look over, then blasted upwards as its tail propelled it easily through the air, and headed north as well, but towards the Pokémon League, to his Tamer. The Champion.
Ghetsis stared at the shattered DNA machines on the ground in pure disbelief, and then rage. "You fool…what have you done!? You've ruined any chance of uniting the Dragon!"
Alex just shook his head. "My truth is stronger than your skewed ideals. You only want the Dragon for power, but the more you take by force, the less you will truly have. Over and over you have been shown this lesson, by each of Unova's many Champions. It ends here. You will never have the chance to cause strife like this again."
Arthur held Ghetsis in place with Psychic as Alex freed most of his team from their balls. Cofagrigus and Hydreigon stayed, but the rest left with Trainers from the onlooking crowd. Not even prison was able to split up Trainer and Pokémon, which meant the guards of their prisons had to be serious Trainers, lest they be overwhelmed. The police arrived with their various partners, as Castelia was quite diverse, and Ghetsis was finally taken away in cuffs. Hopefully he'd stay there this time.
With the PNN crew now outright demanding the allowing of Pokémon teams in the building from their Arcean overlords, Alex decided to move on, assuming that their issue with the Arcean's rules was over.
Beating one of their enforcers made it clear that he was ready and willing to back them up against any threat they received from Church members, and with Pokémon of their own, he hoped the employees would be able to avoid feeling threatened. The Church backed down against public displays like Pokémon Battles like the one he'd just had. Under no circumstance was it okay for an Arcean owned building to be visited by police. Their image
could not be tarnished.
Alex met up with a worn out Jess again several hours later at the Pokémon Center, and the two began the long trek to Driftveil as he explained what she'd missed. They spent most of the journey battling, as always. When they finally crossed the bridge into Driftveil, they headed for the Pokémon Center, and the next morning, were ready to hit the gym.
Or rather, Alex was. Jess went into the Clay Tunnel to train her Serperior, while Alex and his grass and water types, both of whom were quite at home surrounded by earth, steamrolled through Clay's miners. It didn't take the Underground Boss long to realize this latest challenger was taking out all of his Trainers in his maze of a gym challenge, on purpose, before coming to the Leader.
Clay muttered to himself. "Smug little…"
The Swampert got a Potion and Elixir, before the black and white clad Trainer finally approached Clay's platform, which then lowered into the mine, descending into a truly massive cavern, at the bottom of which was a standard ground themed battlefield, with the League approved layout.
Hydrus had honed his Water Pulse against the ground types, and his Mud Shot against the steel types, until the two Moves were at equal strength. By the time they reached Clay, Alex felt confident they could pull off a dual type Move, if they had to.
The Underground Boss looked over his challenger, as the lift descended. "You 'aint here for a regular ol' Battle, are ya son?"
Alex shook his head, and Clay nodded. His giant white hat nodded with him, and Alex resisted smirking as he continued. "In that case, I'm goin' ta hafta get my oldest friend to wake up...I saw how you rumbled my Miners. This here field of mine can handle any Moves you have, so don't be worried about lettin' 'em loose. It's
my job to make sure yer ready for what lies ahead. From here on, the Gym Leaders will be usin' a special kind o' Move."
Alex nodded. "Burgh mentioned something about that. We've been practicing a kind of dual typed Move...but once I see yours, I'm sure we can replicate it."
Clay chuckled. "Them there Plate crystals you discovered from the Dragon Mountain, we've always known they were somethin' special. Unovan Gym Leaders have been perfecting these kinds o' Moves with such crystals fer years. Yer the first to try'em for Mega Evolution, but whoo nanny, boy, you've started a trend."
Alex shrugged, as they finally reached the bottom of the mine. "I just pointed it at my Charizard...he did the rest."
Clay looked him over for a moment, then sighed. "Yer more involved than ya know...but once you master yer dual typed Move, you'll understand. It takes two, fer that kind o' power up."
Clay took his side of the field, and Alex waited patiently on his for the older Gym Leader to hobble on over to his spot. Once in the box, his posture straightened, and the pickaxe he'd been using as a cane was swung around effortlessly, before being slammed in the ground.
He drew his first Pokémon, and Alex saw a full team, waiting for him. Clay was usually regarded as a hard Gym Leader to beat, with how effective his 'double Earthquake' strategy was, for Trainers gullible enough to accept a Double Battle with the Underground Boss, but in a one on one, Alex assumed his strategy would probably shift. He reached for Hydrus's ball, and smirked, as he saw what Clay threw out first, true to form.
A massive Krookodile appeared across the field, and as the two ground types locked eyes, Alex knew, the Battle had begun. Hydrus looked at Alex, and made a pleading face, but he shook his head. He wasn't going to use Connor's crystal for Mega Evolution. He did intend to return it, it was vital for Gren's power after all. "You can handle this, Hydrus. Get close with Aqua Jet, and then use Water Pulse!"
Water surrounded the Swampert's entire body, and the usually slow on land mudfish sped through the air, as his hands formed his Water Pulse. Clay wasn't one to just sit and take a Move like that, though.
"Krookodile...counter it with yer Dark Mud Shot!" The dark and ground type made a similar motion with his claws, and between them, a projectile of dark energy and ground energy swirled together in a Taijitu pattern that was familiar to Alex's eyes, but seeing it in a Move was a first for him.
Hydrus's Water Pulse was dense enough to meet the dual typed projectile, and then cancel it out with type advantage, and an explosion. Both Pokémon slid back to their sides of the field, as their Moves collided.
Alex changed tactics then, to a move that probably should always have been classified as dual typed. "Muddy Water!" Hydrus inhaled, and then spewed a Water Gun at the ground. He raised his hands then, and the wave of water and mud surged towards Krookodile.
"Sand Tomb!" Clay said, as the Krookodile buried itself in its own Move. "Now while yer under there...rock'em with an Earthquake!"
"Hydrus, Earthquake as well!" Alex countered, and as the Krookodile popped up from the damp sand it had used as a shield, the two ground typed Pokémon built up the energy in their hands, and slammed them down. The entire mine rumbled, as pieces of earth smashed into other pieces of earth, but ultimately, it was Hydrus who got the lucky hit, as one of his jutting rocks nailed the Krookodile in the stomach. Alex capitalized on the opening. "Now Aqua Jet!"
Hydrus barreled into the dark ground gator, driving him across the field with what was essentially Tackle, but with water involved. Clay wasn't giving up though. "Krookodile. Tie it down with Grass Knot!"
"Ice Beam, now!" Alex said, and as the Krookodile tried summoning the grass energy, Hydrus froze him solid with a beam of ice to the face, at a very close range. "Boss Clay's Krookodile is unable to Battle! The round goes to the Challenger, and his Swampert!"
Hydrus roared as the Miner referee called the round, but Clay didn't waste time. "Seismitoad! Yer up!"
Alex grimaced as he saw the Gym Leader's choice, and knew that if he wanted Clay to play into his plan for this match, he needed to switch. "Hydrus, well done, take a rest." He said, as he called the mudfish. He seemed almost disappointed, but Alex wanted to draw out the Underground Boss' secret weapon. "Terra! Start us off with Seed Bomb!"
Terra appeared in a flash of green, opened his mouth, and drew in the grass energy, instead of condensing it. From the ash tree on his back came several oar shaped seeds, limned in grass energy. They began perforating the field as they came near the Seismitoad.
Clay had only a second to counter, but that was all he needed. "Hyper Voice!" The burly water and ground typed toad opened his mouth, and with nothing but sound, turned away most of the Seed Bombs.
A few managed to get through though, and Alex spoke again. "Seed Bomb! Bombard it until it falls, Terra."
Clay grimaced. "Dodg'em with Rain Dance! Then hit it with Ice Punch!"
The Seismitoad managed to dodge most of the projectiles with its odd dance, and as water began drizzling over the field, the Seismitoad got faster. Then, it charged at Terra, leaping across the field, its right fist encased in ice energy.
Alex smirked. It was a quadruple weakness for both sides, the winner would be whoever managed to hit harder. "Just before it strikes...Wood Hammer!" Terra crouched low as the relatively slow toad came for it.
As the Seismitoad punched, Terra whirled in place as he caused a circle of the earth beneath him to spin rather than try moving his massive bulk. The rotating turtle dodged the icy fist, and brought his green glowing armored head around to hammer his opponent with Wood Hammer. Terra had a slight bruise where he'd slammed the Seismitoad, but otherwise, he was still fine. Clay however, was less fine. His eyes were wide as his Seismitoad was sent hurtling across the field from what was arguably Terra's strongest move, aside from Frenzy Plant. Alex hadn't wanted Clay to take advantage of temporary exhaustion, and thus had gone with the self-damaging move instead. As Terra was still fresh, it hadn't hurt too much.
Clay recalled his Seismitoad, and glared across the field at his smirking opponent. "I think it's about time someone knocked you off yer high horse! Mamoswine!"
Alex gave the command as soon as the ice mammoth appeared. "Seed Bomb!" Terra didn't waste time, and in the perpetual light drizzle, his grass moves seemed stronger. A storm of green oar shaped seeds hammered the bulky mammoth, and it groaned, one front leg bending, as the super effective onslaught hurt it, but didn't bring it down. Alex hadn't expected a KO, as Mamoswine was a tank like Torterra. All they had to do now was survive.
"Mamoswine! Shake it off, an' then use Icicle Crash!" Clay gestured at the Torterra, and his Mamoswine began charging, as the bone-white tusks became encased in ice.
Alex and Terra kept their smirks consistent. "Protect." A barrier of energy kept the Icicle Crash from landing, as the Mamoswine struggled against it. Once the Moves ran out of power, Alex called his counter. "Wood Hammer!"
The rebound off the Protect had left the icy pig mammoth open, at which point Terra headbutted it. It didn't sail like Clay's Seismitoad, but Alex's starter once more brought down a member of his team.
"That Torterra o' yers is somethin' else, son. I admit, y'all have quite a bit o' power on yer belt...but it'll take more'n power to win in
my Gym! Golurk! Yer up!" The Underground Boss tossed his next contestant, and he was quick to go on the offensive. "Take it out! Ice Punch!"
Alex grimaced, as he learned the hard way that Clay did in fact have a TM for that particular Move. The Golurk rocketed forward, one fist extended, and clocked Terra right on the jaw. He winced, but weathered the hit, and readied himself for the counter attack. "We can't let it hit twice! Frenzy Plant!"
"Toooorrrterra!" Green energy radiated from his grass tortoise's shell, and then, rapidly, it surged into the ground. Once more, the mine shook, and the onlooking Miners had semi-traumatic flashbacks as they recalled the last time their precious mine had been filled with vines, by the soon to be Champion, Rosa. That had also been around the time Clay had acquired his icy TM.
Golurk had been one of several on Clay's team who had been on vine clearing duty, and it was for this moment that Clay had gotten them used to punching through a Frenzy Plant. He only made one miscalculation, and that was the difference between a Serperior's vines, and a Torterra's.
Golurk found itself inexplicably stuck against the disturbingly sturdy dark green vine, but before its simple brain could process what had happened, the move hit, and took the ghostly ground type down.
"Return, Terra." Alex said, as he gave his battle worn partner a rest. Clay recalled his fallen automaton as well, and shook his head. "You shoulda kept 'im out, son. Yer Swampert ain't goin' ta fare well 'gainst what's comin'."
Before Alex could draw his ball, Hydrus popped free, onto the field, and slammed it with nothing but his bare fists. The mine shuddered, not quite as hard as when Earthquaked, but still enough to be impressive. "Swaaaaaamp!"
"I wouldn't underestimate my Pokémon, Leader Clay. They
can hear you. I know what's coming, and so does Hydrus. This was always the plan." Alex said, with a smirk. He turned his hat backwards.
Clay arched an eyebrow, narrowed his weathered orbs, and threw his next ball. "Big talk. But talk is cheap, son. Come on an' try backin' up yer words." What appeared next was a Flygon, and the lingering rain shifted to sand, and then mud, as Flygon appeared, but failed to summon the Sandstorm. For the moment.
Hydrus wouldn't have minded it either way. He liked rain, and sandstorms. "Ice Beam!" Hydrus fired the second his Trainer finished saying 'ice', and the Flygon had little time to dodge. One wing froze, dropping it to the ground, as it struggled to right itself.
"Flygon, use Giga Drain!" Clay said, as he grimaced and gave the command. The temporarily grounded Flygon raised its tail, and from it radiated the vampiric grass typed energy meant to damage, and heal. Hydrus winced as he weathered the hit, and like Terra, fell to about half his strength.
"Delaying the inevitable. Ice Beam!" Hydrus fired, right as the Flygon freed itself and dodged, but the mudfish kept firing, and two beams later, it struck the ground dragon once more with its quadruple weakness, and sent it crashing to the ground, fainted. The ref called the round, and Clay brought his last ball out.
"It's been a minute since I've had cause to call on this here Excadrill...time to wake up, ol' friend! We have a
serious Trainer, fer once." At his words the unmoving sleeping form of the Excadrill opened, and glanced at Hydrus. Slowly, it rose to its full height, putting them at eye level to the other. Excadrill flexed his claws, and Clay called the first strike. "Start us off strong, an' don' let up! Drill Run!"
"Dodge! Hit it with Water Pulse once it gets close!" Hydrus nodded, and formed the dense sphere of water, as the still Drill Running Excadrill continued to whizz past Hydrus, into the ground, and then up again.
Hydrus crouched low, and waited for the earth to tell him where the violently spinning Excadrill was coming from. Then, he turned, and whammied its face with the condensed water, sending it sliding across the ground back to Clay's feet. "Right then." Clay said, as he looked down, and then at his challengers. "It's about time we got serious. Ground on the right, Steel on the left. You know the drill! Crush Claw!"
Alex's brow furrowed, and then he realized what was coming. The problem, was that Hydrus needed a moment to charge his own dual typed Move, and Clay's was the kind of attack that took focus to dodge, with how fast it was. The Excadrill came for Hydrus, claws limned with differing energy types, as he charged forward.
Alex resorted to his usual strategy, as he needed to buy time. "Earthquake! Then start charging." Hydrus nodded, and responded immediately, once more shattering the underground battlefield. He saw quickly that the Excadrill was barreling through the jutting rocks coming for him with his dual claws, but in the upended chaos of the field, Hydrus had stealthed away behind a larger boulder, and began fusing his Mud Shot and Water Pulse into a single, balanced sphere of energy.
"There! See the glow, Excadrill? Crush Claw that boulder, an' anythin' behind it!" Clay crowed with triumph in his voice, but Alex was ready.
"Hop back, Hydrus. Then fire it." Clay's triumphant expression faltered, but it was too late. Excadrill crushed the rock with ease via its steel limned claw, and the ground typed one surged forward, only to meet a similarly dual typed Move, an impossibly dense sphere of water and ground typed energy, that the Swampert had tossed up, and then punched in his opponent's direction.
There was a boom, and a cloud of dust covered the field. When it cleared, the field was in one piece again, Hydrus stood, damaged but victorious, and Clay's strongest Pokémon lay unconscious on the ground. The Underground Boss recalled him then. "Well done, ol' friend. Ya did good."
Clay grabbed his pickaxe, and then hobbled to the center of the field. Alex met him halfway, and gave Hydrus a Hyper Potion. "Well done, son. You an' yer team 'ave got a lotta potential. What dream are ya aimin' for that gives you an' yer partners such drive?"
Alex scratched Hydrus' under chin as he answered. "The top, Leader Clay. I'm going to try to become Unova's latest Champion...and then, I'll be entering the World Tournament."
Clay smiled, at that. "I remember the World Tournament. Brought all kindsa folk on down to Driftveil, back in the day. It's been a minute since we hosted it, but now yall have that fancy new buildin', I guess ya don't need ol' Driftveil."
Alex shook his head. "Your TM vendors and Move masters are second to none in Unova, and the old PWT building is still battle worthy, isn't it?"
Clay shook his head. "Not since Nate and Lance had a go, and their dragons all but tore it down in the process. Listen, son if you plan on winnin' the World Tournament, yer gonna need to do a
lot more trainin'. I've seen Leon Battle, an' he aint alone in usin' Moves to keep his partners from bein' damaged. You've gotta master that, an' with only four Moves allowed, get a win. Still think yer World Champ material?"
Alex nodded. "We're just getting started. The latter half of Unova will take my team to where it needs to be for the Elite Four, and two Champions. I'm sure I'll find ways to get stronger after that, too. Red did. Maybe I'll hang around the Clay Tunnel's deeper levels for a bit, once I'm at the top."
"You become the Champ, an' you'll be welcome in my tunnels whenever ya like. Here's yer Elite Quake Badge. I'd give ya an Earthquake TM, but yer already stocked up, from what I've seen. Good luck against Skyla, an' a word o' advice...don't try usin' Rock Types against her. She's ready for'em. She'll never admit it, but she's less ready fer Electric Types."
Alex nodded again. "I have one that can sweep her Gym...he's due for some training anyways. Thank you for the Battle sir, until we meet again."
Alex took the elevator up to the top level, just in time to see a certain fiery redhead walk into the Gym, a bit muddier, and she looked like she'd just crawled through a cave, but otherwise, as beautiful as ever.
He waited in the stands as she and Serpi rumbled Clay in a similar manner Alex had. He did eventually bring Serpi down, and that was when Empolia stepped in, and won her Trainer the Gym Badge with a timely evolution into an Empoleon.
Before they left Driftveil, Alex and Jess paid a visit to the southern part of the city, and acquired the TMs for their teammates that they yet lacked. The two spent several minutes loading up their balls with the TM's instructional video guides on how moves worked, and it was only once they were done, that Alex noticed a trio of figures by the old Pokémon World Tournament building.
A trio of older gentlemen were battling in the old World Tournament building's main hall, as the stage was long since broken by the ferocity of the matches there. The new stadium was shaping up to be much more impressive, like the one at Wyndon Stadium. Still, this old building was used for battling by Driftveil's less than upstanding members of society, but today, the famous Triple Trouble Trio were offering a prize before they each finally retired.
Alex approached the men, and when he asked about the challenge, they revealed that they'd been battling all day, giving out their old elite versions of the Trio Badge, from their predecessor's era. The last ones had never all been given out, as the challenge had ended abruptly, and now these spares were offered by the League as counting towards the current challenge, until they ran out at least. They had one left, the pair discovered, and Jess sighed. Alex wanted it bad, she could tell, and his team was itching to battle strong opponents again.
She'd finally outpaced Alex in badges, but she saw the look in his eye, and knew he couldn't resist battling them. It was the perfect chance to train every part of his team. The trio accepted his challenge, offering him their final badge if he could beat them in three six on six gauntlets, one battle against each of them.
Alex agreed, and Cress was up first. He demanded a double battle, and so Terra and Leo teamed up to effectively wipe out his line up with a few Seed Bombs and Thunder Fangs. Leo covered for Terra's ice weakness by hitting those who might know ice moves first, and his Seed Bomb was strong enough to finish off most of them as well.
Cilan also wanted a double battle, which meant that Blaze and Shruikan were up. With a pairing of Flamethrower and Fire Fang, Cilan's team didn't even have a chance. That left Chili, and his fire types, who wanted the glory that came with a one on one battle.
Such battles also came with humiliation, as Hydrus smashed down each of them with Water Pulses and Mud Shots. Blaze had been watching Chili's match, as he had wanted to battle other fire types, and he was instead astounded to see the little Mudkip he'd never seen as much of a threat, or ally, prove how strong he'd become after their last three Gym Battles.
Chili then questioned Hydrus's strength, saying that only Rare Candies could've gotten him to such heights. Alex denied his accusation, and flashed his recently acquired badges. Between road battles and his weight training, Hydrus had become a legitimate threat, and a key battler on his team. Eventually, the hotheaded brother withdrew his accusation, at insistence from the other two. Accusing a Trainer of using such things was serious, and incidents without proof were not taken lightly. One could end up in just as much trouble for falsely accusing a legitimate Trainer.
With the pair several badges heavier, they set off for Mistralton City, and their next Gym Badge.
The path took them through the Chargestone caves, and they found that even coming slightly close to the humming electric crystals made them zip away. The only thing the crystals didn't shy away from was electric types, and rocks, and Alex found out why, when he finally cornered one, and poked it. It was burning hot, and he marveled at the energy within, amazed that someone hadn't already found a way to harness it.
Compared to Clay, the scientists and hikers within the caves were extra experience for the two Trainer's less used Pokémon, and Arthur began seeing some battle time as well, for after Skyla, would come Brycen, and it would be up to the Gallade and the Charizard to give Alex and his team the second to last step on their road to the top of Unova.
Alex wasn't concerned about the flying type loving Gym Leader in Mistralton. By all accounts, Skyla was a bit of an airhead, who had almost lost her Gym license back in the day for handing out Badges in what she'd called 'air battles'. The rumor, was that an aspiring Trainer had set her straight when she'd claimed he'd lose against her, and he insisted on a real Battle anyway, and scored a win.
When they exited the Chargestone Caves, Alex and Jess opted to camp outside this time, as most of their teams were still fresh. Jess had been training up her Flaaffy with her Iron Tail against the rock types in the caves, and once they found a spot to camp out, they began working on their electric Moves. Leo helped, and got in some practice as well. He'd been taking out Unova's various flying types throughout their road battles, and Alex had promised the Mistralton Gym would make him genuinely powerful. He was also the only one still wearing the weights, and he snarled, willing to Bite whoever tried removing them. His coat had grown long enough to cover them with his fur, and it was unimpeded enough for electricity generation, and conduction. The weights were designed to raise his attack and special attack simultaneously, the only downside was that he was much, much slower.
As the sun set, the humans decided on a movie to watch via their available devices, and while Jess had several romcoms, Alex had insisted that they study Brycen, and his Beartic, which meant the movie of choice was Enter the Beartic. Alex and his father hadn't had many things in common, but the explosion of martial arts movies back in the day had been one thing they'd shared a love of. One movie became a marathon, and though Jess made it through The Way of The Beartic and Fist of Ice, she was asleep for the finale of Brycen's four-part Kung Fu saga, the long awaited Game of Ice.
Seeing she and her Pokémon were well and truly conked out, Alex found his primarily nocturnal Luxray, and the pair descended into the town. They came across a Pokémon Battlefield on the outskirts, where they found two Trainers going head to head. To Alex's eyes, one was using a freshly evolved Magnezone that had probably benefitted from the Chargestone Caves, while the other was struggling along with a tiny Joltik.
The Trainer with the Magnezone had red hair, a thin build, and confidence in his step, while his opponent seemed stressed by the imminent loss in his future. He had glasses, the same hair color as most of humanity, a similarly thin build, and it was then that Alex realized these two were newbies, fresh Trainers who weren't completely green, but still had several shades to go before they lost their green entirely. Alex knew he also had areas to work on, but he could tell these Trainers were fresher than he was in many ways. Most of his experience had come from an education, but these two seemed like they were taking advantage of the summer to train and travel Unova.
Alex watched quietly, his arms crossed, as the Magnezone claimed victory with stronger moves. Not long after their victory, the thin redhead Trainer waved at Alex and Leo from where they were watching, and greeted them with a cheery hello. Alex stepped forward then, and addressed the victor of the match.
"Hello there. I take it you're training your Electric Types for Skyla, right?" The redheaded teenager nodded, and then his eyes widened as he saw what Alex was standing next to.
"Holy Heracross! Is that a Shiny Luxray!? Wooow! So cool!" The excitable Trainer ran over, and offered his hand for Leo to sniff. Leo, as usual, seemed disinterested, but that didn't dissuade the Trainer. "Can I petim?"
Alex shrugged. "He doesn't bite...but you'll know if he doesn't want you touching his fur." The Trainer appeared to take his vague answer as a yes, and while Leo did enjoy the scritches, his sharp eyes were locked on the Magnezone, who was still on the field. Leo trotted away suddenly then, and took his place on the opposing side of the field. Electricity bristled through his fur, as he snarled at the Magnezone, who spun up its magnet arms in response. The air crackled as the two electric types revved up.
The redheaded Trainer watched, and then grinned. "Seems like he wants to Battle." He turned to Alex then. "I'm Rick. Rick Astley. Me and my friend Drake here are traveling Unova, to try to become stronger, and stop Team Plasma!"
Alex arched an eyebrow. "I'm Alex Redwood. Team Plasma was disbanded, Rick. Nate, Hugh, and Rosa took them out rather effectively years ago."
As he spoke, the other Trainer, Drake, approached, and pushed up his glasses. "Actually, we ran into them up in Bostonia. They almost stole our Pokémon, but we managed to win in the end. We came down here with one of Interpol's Agents, but he's gone to see the Champion now, so we're just getting Gym Badges at this point."
Alex nodded, and his eyes shifted to the other Trainer. "You probably found a training camp, if they were as far north as Bostonia. Skyla is pretty good at blocking Electric Moves...and Bug Types are weak to Flying Types. Are you sure a Joltik is the best choice?"
Drake shrugged. "It's all I have with a type advantage right now. That, and my Carkol."
At that moment, the two Trainers turned their heads as Rick suavely action swirled into his Trainer box on his side of the field. "I'm ready for more training! Let's do this!"
Alex nodded, and trotted over to his side of the field, when he noticed Leo scratching uselessly at his back. His eyes narrowed as he saw the aforementioned Joltik attached to Leo's back, leeching strength from his Luxray. "Oi! Drake, was it? Recall your Joltik."
Drake raised his Pokéball, then paused. "But eating electricity makes him stronger!"
Alex's eyes narrowed. He could remove it himself. "Leo. Thunder Wave. Aim upwards." The paralyzed Joltik fell off shortly, overwhelmed by the much stronger electric move, and Leo snarled at the tiny bug, sending it, and its fresh Trainer, running away. Drake had his Pokéball out, but the agile and tiny Pokémon dodged the recall beam, and seemed to be enjoying itself, despite its paralysis and the effort it was taking on its Trainer.
Alex looked back at Rick. "I'll let the fresher Trainer strike first." "Lux. Ray." Leo added, sounding rather impressively sarcastic for a Pokémon. The Magnezone spun up its 'hands' quicker, and sparks now flared over it, as well. Unlike Leo's golden ones, they were blue and white, with their intensity. Being a steel automaton, Magnezone could charge up as much as it wanted without fear of overloading. It made the final evolution of the Magnemite line rather intimidating in a battle.
"That mistake will cost you. Magnus! Use Flash Cannon!" The Magnezone began charging the strong steel typed move, and its electricity formed the outer layer of the dense sphere of steel energy.
Alex took the opportunity to get his primarily physical attacker closer to the floating steel type. "Close in while it charges! Double Team!" Leo charged forwards, splitting himself into several mirror images, as the Magnezone prepared to fire. The cyclopic orb shifted between each of the five thunder cats, fired, and then realized it missed. It began charging another Flash Cannon, but it was too late, by then. As Leo closed, Alex shouted, "Fire Fang!"
Flaming fangs sank into the lower leveled steel type, and as it was building up energy, it lost control of the heavy Flash Cannon, and its center of gravity, as it began spinning in the air. Rick tried to stay calm, and gave an order. "Right yourself! Switch to Thunder!"
By the time Magnus righted itself and dispersed the steel energy, Leo was already in position for his reacquired move that he'd learned from his sire, but had forgotten since leaving the breeding ranch. With a Heart Scale, it had been remembered in Driftveil City. "Finish it, Leo. Double Kick."
The Luxray shifted under the electric discharge of the off-balance Magnezone, and aimed both kicks upwards, simultaneously, sending Magnus high into the air before it came crashing down again, fainted.
Rick recalled his Magnezone with a sigh. "I guess I need more training."
"I'd say we both do." Drake said, as he returned, Joltik in hand, and safely in its ball.
Alex nodded sagely. "I can see how you survived Clay, but Skyla, while a bit of an airhead, is not an incompetent Battler. Did you guys train in the Chargestone Caves?"
Rick and Drake looked down, and then away from Alex. Rick spoke first. "Yea, I mean, we trained on the wild Pokémon...then came out here."
Alex nodded. "Go back and find the Trainers you missed along the way. That will get you where you need to be for this Battle. If you manage to catch up, I'll be on my way to Icirrus City after my Battle tomorrow. Keep training. Maybe I'll see you on Victory Road."
The two newbies retired for the night then, and Alex did the same, as battling the Magnezone had given his Luxray a bit of experience. The next day, Jess challenged the Mistralton Gym first, evolving her Flaaffy on Skyla's warm-up Trainers. Her hair was thoroughly mussed after all the wind turbines and air cannons she'd ventured through, but she emerged from the Gym one Elite Badge heavier.
Then, it was Alex's turn. As he walked in, he heard an exasperated sigh. "Another one!? Already?"
Alex set his eyes on the speaker, and found it to be Skyla. She was a bit older than her Poképedia page displayed, and lines of silver were woven into her red hair, or what he could see of it from under her flight helmet and goggles. "I'm here for a challenge, Leader Skyla. Against your best team."
Skyla sighed, as she'd been about to climb into what appeared to be some kind of plane, though it was heavily modified, and customized. "My team is resting. Come back at noon."
At that moment, Leo decided to burst from his Pokéball, and he roared at Skyla. Her Pilot and Bird Trainers murmured at the sight of the dazzling gold and black Luxray, and even their Gym Leader seemed impressed. "Interesting. Seems your Luxray is as eager as you are, unfortunately, you can't get an Elite Badge until my team is ready, and I have time for a flight before they're done resting. Just come back later."
Alex shook his head, as Leo did. "We'll wait right here. Don't take all day, I want to get to Brycen today too."
Skyla let out a deep sigh, hopped in her plane, and flew away as one of the walls of the Gym opened to admit her and her flying machine through. Alex and Leo ended up waiting an hour and a half, right next to the Gym door, before Skyla and her Trainers finally came back inside.
"Wow. You really sat here the whole time. You're either very patient, or very boring. Oh well. Let's get this over with. I want to squeeze another flight in before dinner." Skyla's far too cocky tone caused Alex and Leo's eyes to narrow slightly, as she hopped in a cannon, and glided via wingsuit to her spot at the far end of the Gym.
Mistralton's Gym setup was similar to the others Alex had experienced, and as with Marlon, Leo's ferocity tore through the flying typed Trainers with ease. Alex switched in his Charizard for a few of the tougher looking fliers, but as usual, healed and revitalized his partners before they reached Skyla, and her battlefield. The platform she waited on rose upwards once they landed on it, and they were brought to the Gym's upper level, where she had an entire field at the ready. The sky was clear above them, and the roof was still open from the Battle she'd had up here earlier.
Jess watched from the Gym stands alongside a few other Trainers, as Alex had during her own match. The locals of Mistralton rarely got to see Skyla battle so often in the same day, and Alex wondered how such a lackadaisical person had become a Gym Leader. It was obvious she preferred being a pilot.
Alex threw Hydrus out first, and Skyla grimaced, before throwing her own ball. As with Burgh, Elesa, and Clay, he'd done his homework on Skyla's partners, and was not surprised to see her grass and flying type come out in response. She took the initiative as well, and called the first move once their referee was done announcing the two Trainers. "Alright Jumpluff, Energy Ball!"
"Water Shot, Hydrus." The Swampert grinned, and charged up his attack. The water energy became half ground typed, and the two swirled into a pattern similar to the one Clay had used. Alex had done some reading, and recognized it as the old symbol of Unova's long fallen Dragon Empire. He found it fitting, for moves that were dual typed, and as the sphere of dense double energy hurtled towards the Energy Ball, the moves collided, canceling out as type advantage did its work, and caused an explosion.
That, was when they countered. "Hydrus! Use Dig!"
"Fairy Wind!" Pink sparkles filled the air, and Alex grimaced as it washed over him, as well. The move missed his partner, but it did clear the area of the smoke and dust.
"Hiding, are we?" Skyla said, mockery in her tone. "You can't stay down there forever."
"Actually, we can. But...now, we don't need to." Alex smirked, and then pointed at the Jumpluff. "Ice Beam!"
From directly below the Jumpluff, the earth opened, to reveal the hidden Swampert. Ice formed in his maw, and it nailed the Jumpluff with a critical hit, giving Skyla's latest challenger an OHKO. Hydrus jumped back up onto the field then, and slapped his fins together as he readied for more. Alex spoke up, then. "Return, Hydrus."
His mudfish looked back at him, seemingly disappointed. "You'll come out again. Now return."
"Swamp." He muttered, as his ball converted his matter to light, and then shifted him to his own personal pocket dimension.
"Mandibuzz! Fly with me! "
"Leo. You're up."
The Luxray and Mandibuzz appeared simultaneously, but this time, Alex moved first. Leo's weights had finally come off, and the thunder cat was more than ready to rumble. "Let's go with Thunderbolt!"
Skyla smirked. "Protect." The barrier of energy summoned to shield the vulture Pokémon was black in color, and the Thunderbolt smashed uselessly against it. "Don't let it strike again! Air Slash!"
"Dodge, and use Thunder!" Alex said, countering as she had. Leo dashed skillfully out of the way of the rapidly fired Air Slashes, and once the Mandibuzz paused her assault, he roared, and struck back by bringing down a massive bolt of plasma from the sky. The move hit the Mandibuzz hard, and the difference in level between her and Leo became obvious as the Mandibuzz fainted. Alex smirked. "I wonder if I can get a single hit on your whole team...Hydrus! Let's find out!" The rapidly switched Swampert mirrored his Trainer's smirk, and Skyla's eye twitched, as Alex purposefully poked her last nerve.
"I'll show
you a single hit! Archeops, use Earthquake!" As Skyla switched, so too did her opponent, and once more, Hydrus took the field.
"Show them what a
real Earthquake looks like, Hydrus."
Both Pokémon raised their fists, infused them with ground energy, and then brought them down. It was immediately evident that the Swampert's was stronger, and the Archeops leapt backwards into the air awkwardly as it dodged the roiling mass of earth.
The dust built up, as the tremors finally stopped, and then from within the cloud, there was a loud thump. "Ice Beam!" Light blue energy burned a path through the dust as Hydrus planted his fists, aimed for the noisy gliding Pokémon with his fins guiding him, and fired.
Once more the icy beam struck home, but Archeops held on, despite a frozen wing. She was forced to land amidst the rubble of the field, but she seemed to be just as quick on the rocky terrain as she was in the air.
She hid behind a boulder, and Skyla grimaced, as she saw the defeated look in her Pokémon's eye. "We're not done, Archeops! Agility!" Her Trainer's voice brought her focus back, and her eyes flared with a brown aura, as she used her predator's mind to increase her speed.
"Muddy Water." Alex said, from the other side of the field. Hydrus once more hammered the field with his fists, and water erupted from the broken earth. It surged up rapidly, and while Archeops tried dodging, one could not simply avoid a wave like that. The damage caused the faint, and the Pilot referee called the round.
"Ready another Ice Beam, Hydrus." Alex said, smirking.
Skyla's eyes narrowed, and she threw her next ball. "Drifblim. Get in close."
The oversized blimp Pokémon closed the distance easily, spinning past Ice Beams. Alex expected a grass Move then, perhaps something outlandish like Vine Whip, but Skylaa's next command only brought fear, for Hydrus, as Alex knew it was going to hurt, and he couldn't stop it.
"Explosion!"
The Drifblim blew itself up without a second thought, and since it had a lot of HP, that damage transferred to Hydrus, taking him down with the Drifblim in a single Move.
When the smoke finally cleared, Alex chuckled, but there was little mirth in it. His Swampert remained standing, hiding behind a hastily constructed, and now melted, wall of ice from the readied Ice Beam that had taken the brunt of the damage, and left just enough health for Hydrus to hang on to consciousness with. He'd shielded his head with his forearms while firing, and they still smoldered, as silence fell over the field.
The crowd watching them was silent this time. Murmurs began soon after though, and the referee broke the silence. "Drifblim is...unable to Battle. The Challenger from Derrion wins the round!" The two Trainers recalled their partners, as a new round began.
"All the versatility of a dual-type...and you just blow it up." Alex's eyes narrowed as he once more switched Hydrus for Leo. "This is your best team, right? They all seem...younger...than Clay's or Elesa's or Burgh's teams."
"And compared to them I'm also the youngest. Only Marlon is as fighting fit as I am." Skyla said, as she flourished her next ball. "Braviary! It's your time to fly!"
"Thunder." Alex said, as Skyla called for a dodge. Evidently, her knowledge of electric types was lacking, or she would've never tried to dodge a Luxray. Leo's golden eyes stayed fixed on the brightly colored bird, and with a roar, once more the heavens boomed, and a bolt of plasma struck the flying type.
Leo arched an eyebrow, as the wounded, but still raring Braviary cawed, and Skyla called her counter as she realized he was still up. "Thrash!"
At his Trainer's command, the Braviary's eyes gleamed red, and his rage was unleashed upon Leo. He dove in fearlessly at the thunder cat, cawing as he struck and slashed over and over. Leo took several hits, before Alex called their own move. "Thunderbolt!"
From that range, the hit was inevitable, and type advantage once more did its job, as the Braviary let out a final caw, and then fell to the field. Leo panted, and then roared, placing a triumphant paw on the fallen war eagle. His intelligent eyes fixed on Skyla, as if he knew what Pokémon she had left on her belt, and was more than ready still to face it, even after a thrashing.
"It's up to you, Swanna!" Skyla said, as she threw her final ball. "Use Aqua Ring!"
Alex rolled his eyes, as she set up her electric defense early and obviously. "Thunder." Leo roared, and a massive bolt of plasma shattered the shield. The air hummed with electricity, and the Swanna seemed panicked, as it sensed the oncoming storm that was the Luxray below.
"Stay agile!" Skyla ordered, "Sky Attack!"
"Thunderbolt."
Leo filled the air with electricity, but the swift Swanna was hard to hit, and Leo realized that it had figured out his attack pattern. He smirked, and purposefully let up on the Thunderbolts, appearing to be out of breath as he did. Skyla perked up. "Charge it now!"
Swanna curved in the air, and then came in rapidly towards Leo. Alex smirked. "Thunder Fang."
Leo leapt, and delivered a single, perfect bite as his electricity surged through his fangs. He crossed the Sky Attacking Swanna's path with his leap, and the water and flying type landed behind him, before crashing to the ground.
The Pilot monitoring the match spoke up. "Swanna is-"
"Wait!" Skyla said, as the injured, but still conscious flying type struggled to its feet. Leo looked at the ref, and rolled his eyes. The Pilot shrugged, and then motioned for the Battle to resume. "This is it, Swanna! Hurricane! Then combine it with Scald!" The scorched bird flapped weakly into the air, but seemed strong enough still to Battle as it raised its wings towards Leo.
A ferocious tornado of wind appeared around Leo, and the Luxray snarled, as the flying typed Move hit him. The weakened Swanna had enough power left for a Scald as well, and soon, the tornado was a hot, watery prison.
By the time the attack faded, Leo was panting hard, and seemed to have been burned. Skyla clenched a fist in victory as she saw the condition, but Alex's smirk simply widened. "Oh, you've gone and done it now. Focus your rage, Leo...Thunder Fang!"
His strength was undiminished by the burn, as Leo felt a surge of power from his guts. His electricity flared over him as he summoned the power for a final strike. All at once, it shifted to his fangs, and the thunder cat was a blur, as he zigged, then zagged, and leapt for the Swanna, who hadn't flown all that high from where she'd almost fainted. He burst through the wind wall of the Hurricane with a roar.
This time, Leo brought her down, and he blinked several times as he panted heavily with the Swanna's neck in his jaws, before his Trainer saying his name got through his predatory instincts. He blinked again, and spat out the Swanna, who was caught by Skyla, and fed a Revive. Her more serious injuries lessened, and the Gym Leader applied a Potion as well, before recalling her ace.
She stood then, and turned to the challenger, as he gave Leo a rare Full Restore. After stocking up on everything else, the expensive cure-all was something he only had so much of. Skyla awkwardly scratched her head as she said, "You played on my temper...and it cost me the chance to whittle down your Luxray. A little more, from my Drifblim perhaps, and our dual typed Move would've finished you."
Skyla tossed Alex the Elite Jet Badge, and he caught it, before placing it with the others. "I still had an entire team behind Leo. Not to mention my Swampert. Have you actually gone on a journey with your partners?"
Skyla nodded. "Yea, we flew all over the world for a few months, before coming home."
Alex arched a brow. "No, I mean like...walking. From town to town. In a place you've never been, with just your Pokémon next to you. Maybe try that, if you find yourself losing too much in the near future."
As Skyla's brow furrowed with his forewarning, Alex departed the Gym, and met up with the other Trainer to beat Skyla today, leaving the crowd to murmur as they also departed. The hour was late, and everyone who knew Mistralton's Gym Leader knew she would be flying well into the early evening after a day with two losses in a row.