I give up. It's too much for me and Ian to handle. Puff is once more ughing at our failed attempt to trap a Rattata in a fight. The thing moved too quickly and was too small to stop. "Ian, how much do you want to learn block?" I give him a tired look and he seems to consider his options. He sheathes his sword twice. No more. That strange sweet scent picks up again but soon passes once more, I swear I could die of the sweetness overload.
Ian floats into my hand again after being flung, something we developed over the course of a couple battles. Lately the Pokemon challenging us have been getting weaker, a sign that we are nearing the city despite the forest overhead being so thick. The rangers really keep this road safe it seems.
As I search around the small riverbank to find a whetstone to my liking, I think about how the ranger supposed to be protecting our area hadn't ever been to the vilge and was this 30 something trainer who is a poison type specialist, particurly butterfly and moth ones. Kelsy(the teacher's assistant) had once made the journey to Blossom to try to get him to clear out our area on a particurly bad year but the trip was in vain. We received a notice months ter from the league that said the problem had been taken care of and to contact them online or through email for any other incident reports (like we even could, I don’t even know what those terms mean). The Shiinotics had stopped fighting around us on their own after a gang of Wigglytuff attacked them in a different part of the forest and forced them to unite, moving the war instead of ending it. In this time, I found three rounded and smooth whetstones before I moved on.
The edge of the Strange Forest was very dramatic and bright. About a hundred yards in from of me I saw this bright white wall. As I got closer the wall got brighter until I walked through the light and exited the tree line. There, about a mile away from me was Blossom city, with three story buildings and huge domed structures. All of it decorated in pink, floral lighting and the air looked to have a sweet smell somewhat different from the strange one I was struggling to assign to a single point of origin. For miles to each side the city stretched and a very nicely kept grassnds separated me from the pce.
Disgusting. I spit on the ground in the city’s direction. From what I read, the bill for those accessories was in at least the millions of dolrs range, if not tens or hundreds of millions and could revamp Forestree into a defensive stronghold with the test technology a hundred times over. Ian felt my anger and an eye held its position, watching me. Destiny bond had been a great move, able to knock out anything around as strong as Ian and damage stronger ones. Not even normal types were safe in our testing. He even connected to me when he figured out I was easier to practice on. Because of the oath I knew.
By now I knew that the humming was his words. I could feel like I could almost understand them today. Puff was very expressive without me understanding her individual words and that helped a lot but Ian didn't have much I could rete to physiologically.
Puff gazed on in wonder from my head in spite of my cloudy thoughts and I could understand why. The sight was beautiful and impressive, like I was about to walk across a perfect field to enter a fairy type's heaven if the forest didn’t exist. I ended my staring by continuing to walk, both of my Pokemon being carried along as I did.
I could see a couple grass, fairy, water, fire, flying, and normal types gathering and some battling. They were all weak Pokemon that a kid from the city could catch if they wanted. The fourth Pokemon I wanted, albeit regretfully, was an electric type and wasn't found here.
I would have to make a trade with someone across the continent near the capital and the main power generator to get it, maybe I would even have to purchase it if that wasn't an option. I had a tendency of liking slow Pokemon and I had forced myself to choose one that was a bit faster to guarantee that I wouldn't get run circles around by some Minior.
I kept walking with my trusty walking sword and saw some trainers scattered about the grassy field, battling each other and the wild Pokemon under the watchful eye of some Jennys and their helpers. None of the wild ones tried anything beyond the understood rules of battle and it looked like a pyground. One of the other trainers walked up to me "My name is Stewart Pidgey, I am going to be a Pokémon master and the best there ever was! I challenge you to a battle!"
I smile, a strange connection leaping to the forefront of my mind, ‘funny name there’. If I shortened his first name to Stew and his st name... "My name is Max Bo, I'll take you on but I'll bet once I see your Pokemon."
"Wise move, for my Charmander and Ralts are really strong! Feast your eyes on their greatness!" he releases his partners at the same time and they strike a pose like they've been taught or something. With a name like that, I did expect greatness and I wasn't disappointed by his Charmander. It has big teeth and cws, looking really fierce while the Ralts looks like a normal one.
"I bet 200 pokedolrs then, in a two on two battle. Is that fine Stew?" I ask, crap I wasn't supposed to say Stew. Ian starts vibrating although I can’t tell why. By the finger length cws Ian was staring at, I figured this Charmander was an attack variant. Rare for sure.
"Yes, and I will be so kind as to allow you to call me Stew like my friends, for your loss is all but to be expected! I'll even give up double if I lose here!" he said confidently. Is he bluffing? No way he's actually that good. He probably got a Pokemon for free just like me and he didn't even have to fight his way here.
"Puff your up" I say, moving back to get into a decent spot to watch and command her. She trills loudly and fps into the sky.
"Then it’s up to you Hero!"
(Author's Song Suggestion: Let's Get it Started by Bck Eyed Peas) "When this berry hits the ground we start" I say, taking a berry to toss, one of the oran berries that are so plentiful. I have like 10 stocked up now and a few others for Puff to eat. I toss it up but instead of nding, my Swablu grabs and swallows it. We both command our Pokemon anyway, good enough. I swear I saw a smirk from that bird though.
"Tailwind and then hyper voice!" I yell to Puff, getting into the spirit of the battle. I need to win and deal as much damage to that Ralts as possible before I send Ian out. It was a bad matchup but I was betting on my skills honed in wild attacks. That, and my willingness to hurt this charm scum.
"Mystical fire!" Stew yells in tandem. A thin fme shoots out from Ralts' mouth and fades before it reaches Puff. I cover my ears in preparation as Puff fills her lungs. She moves closer and then releases a piercing cry filled with normal TE that breaks through the fme in a single shockwave. When it reaches, the Ralts gets flung downwards, curling up to protect its ears. Emboldened, Puff fills her lungs for another hyper voice and gets closer.
"Get away! Don't let him in range or I'll feed you oran tonight! Target the ears!" that gets her attention and she stops her advance, even backing up a little before she cries out again. The Ralts had risen after the ringing stopped and Stew was still holding his ears. The second hit nds and the Ralts stays down this time, hyper voice seems to really suit my blue bird. The charm scum is recalled before the beast is sent out.
"Go get em' Monster! Show em' how strong you are!" the Charmander plods up, seemingly crushing the dirt beneath his feet as he advances, "Dragon rush!"
Thinking that the lizard will miss I repeat my order to Puff. Charmander takes a sprinting form, dragon energy lightly coating his body as he starts building up speed with strides low to the ground. He then takes a deep step and leaps up to Puff's level. Struck from below and still summoning another hyper voice from the bowels of her small body, she falls from the sky, tumbling with little grace as she does so. The Charmander crashes first and roars, its cws grow longer and more grey as it rushes to finish the job.
"I forfeit her, get out there Ian.” I've seen enough to know that he has specially bred Pokemon, ones with all the egg moves and this one even seems extra strong. I toss Ian into the ring and command him to use swords dance while that monster is still far away, hoping he just has physical moves.
"Go bite it, keep your metal cws going to block!"
Ok that thing has got to at least have ember. I don't believe for a second he's not baiting me but I don't have much choice. "Scratch when he gets close and be ready with wide guard!"
"Ha as if I would use tricks like super effective moves, CRUSH that sb of steel and show Max why I'm the protagonist of this story!"
"Be ready Ian!" definitely has something bigger than ember. Stupid rich people with their overflowing pockets. He holds his face as if he is distraught and I wonder how people like him actually exist: he's messing around and taking his eyes off my first trainer battle!
As a sword, Ian is able to nd the first hit, poking the Charmander in the snout and deactivating the bite but still gets beat back by the momentum as Monster clutches his injured snout. It's not even that bad but probably hurts a lot since it’s his nose. I sympathize with him, having memories of my own nose getting struck.
"Keep it up and strike his back if you can" I order.
"Monster metal cw! Don't let him circle you!"
Monster moves more timidly and pys defense, which is great but I see a couple wisps of fme coming out of his mouth that worry me. His trainer might be insane and not order a super effective move but I don't think Charmander would have any such issues.
Monster is faster than Ian and it is showing, Ian can barely can barely get a hit in with boosted strength, the sheathe he is holding is slowing him down as it drags behind, held in his ribbon.
"Toss the sheathe at him." I don't know why he didn't drop it before, maybe it is somehow more important to him than his previous actions would suggest. I know he can learn autonomize and that might be a great way to learn steel moves. Ian throws the sheathe weakly and Monster knocks it aside. Nothing changed except that Ian looks more natural in his movements now, floating as if he was controlled by a swordsman in cuts, stabs, and swings.
I keep trying to think, in this type of fight switching moves will not be quick and will be less effective damage wise. I look at Ian and see him getting parried and cwed up as Monster gets bolder. To hell with it "Ian-" Monster roars and smashes Ian into the ground, taking a wild swing at him and stomping his foot on the ft of the bde.
"That's right Monster! Show them how strong you are!" Stew encourages. He roars, in a long, drawn out fashion.
"Furry cutter now" I say to Ian. Now or never it seems. The small notches from the metal cw may be fine now since steel isn't good against steel but from that pinned position he'll be a sitting duck. Bug type energy coats his bde and Ian shakes around, slicing up Monster's toe cws before slipping out from under Monster's foot. The energy infests the wounds and Monster roars in pain, cwing at Ian once more.
As the bug TE stacks up it starts doing more and more damage, outpacing the frantic attempts to knock Ian out as he was able to escape. The continued fight works in Ian's favor as the wounds on Monster's foot cause him to be slower. He gets more and more exhausted and Ian even wraps his ribbon around the scaly arm as he slices at his neck. That ends the strong little beast and spirals come from his eyes as he falls to the ground.
Damn that felt good, but it was close. No showing off and Ian would still be trapped under that big foot.
I walked up and took Ian in my hand as Stew recalled Monster. He tosses me the money and says "Such underhanded tactics will get you nowhere vilin. Next time we meet I will be victorious and redeem my protagonist status!" He runs off to go to the nearby Chansey and nurse Joy.
What a weird kid, but hey, if he comes back he was good training and he gave me a lot of money too. I smile hungrily as I let Puff out. Your next Cire. I'm coming for that prissy little badge.
