Chapter 134: Brock v Will (3)

Chapter 134: Brock v Will (3)

Shrek, Dig! I ordered, eyeing the distance that divided Slowking and him. Trying to sprint across it wouldnt work, especially with Trick Room in effect. I could also have him do a dogged advance, but that wouldnt work as well for me.

Instead, I was going to bet on something else happening. Calm Mind, said Will merrily, with his pokemon acting quickly under the Trick Room effect. Shrek burrowed down, slower than Id ever seen him dig.

Will flicked a finger. Another! he said, causing his pokemon to repeat the move. He then raised a pokeball. Change! he ordered, his pokemon vanishing in a red beam of energy as another pokemon popped forward to where Slowking had been.

Exeggutor! said the grass-psychic type.

I frowned, Will had chosen a pokemon once again that was slower than my pokemon, allowing it to make the most of the Trick Room still in play. But that wasnt what had me worried.

Slowking as a species should not know Baton Pass, and that wasnt how Ally Switch was supposed to work.

I was certain of that. I had trained with Sabrina enough to know this. If this was a doubles battle, that would work, but it should have been a Baton Pass to get a pokemon out of a pokeball.

Unless I flicked my eyes around the field at the rectangular space that encompassed the battlefield. Was this a Psychic Terrain interaction?

I had to shrug it off due to not knowing enough about how it worked, and instead focus on what was about to happen.

Shrek emerged to meet an Exeggutor with his maw glowing with Bite. His Bite sank into Exeggutors body, and the palm tree pokemon shouted in surprise at the attack. The Trick Room faltered and then collapsed into itself a moment later, allowing me to breathe a sigh of relief.

Exeggutor! Use Wood Hammer! shouted Will, causing his pokemon to lunge forward with a glowing green leg seeking to kick Shrek in the face.

Dip! Low Kick! I shouted. Shrek crouched on all fours and had the attack sail over his head. He then lashed out with his own kick at Exeggutors other leg, causing the pokemon to buckle and topple like a tree that had been cut by an expert woodsman.

It wasnt down for long, however, as before it hit the ground, its heads glowed blue, and it levitated itself back up onto its feet. I clicked my tongue. Was this Psychic field coming into play and making it stronger?

Uppercut IP! I barked out.

Shrek surged up sending Exeggutor flying with an Ice Punch between the legs. Exeggutor got up with a shivering snarl, and Shrek responded with a loud ribbit that caused his neck to inflate.

Hed just one-twod Wills pokemon and obviously thrown down a taunt.

Control yourself! Will snapped before chopping down. Use Leaf Storm!

Dig low! I shouted, causing Shrek to dip into the ground underneath the attack before bobbing up quickly in another position just as Will started to give another order.

Use Earth He cut himself off just in time. No! Disable! he shouted.

Bulk Up! I ordered quickly.

Shrek started flexing, only for the move to be Disabled.

Will clicked his tongue, and I smirked. He wasnt getting my pokemons mobility move that easily. And even if he did, I had another option.

Use Leaf Storm! Will barked frustratedly, only for my pokemon to dip into the ground and then back out.

Dig mid, I said, giving a slightly different order from last time.

Tch! Use Future Sight! he barked, causing his pokemons eyes to all glow as Shrek popped back up.

Seed Bomb! Will said as his own eyes glowed slightly, making me know some sort of trick was afoot.

Exeggutor unleashed a barrage of Seed Bombs but its attacks arced up high. Theyd be very slow with an arc like that, I thought to myself.

Ice Beam on him, I ordered, deciding to punish the slow attack. Shrek unleashed a powerful blast with a large white-blue beam of energy.

Let the main head drive! Sidestep!! Will ordered as most of his pokemons heads looked up at the now-falling Seed Bombs. The front head, a dopey-looking face, smiled wider and seemed to focus on moving the main body.

Arc the beam to the side! I ordered Shrek, who did as commanded.

Wil grasped a hand up at the falling Seed Bombs. Use Psychic and hurl those at your foe!

Break off! I said to Shrek, causing him to stop chasing the furiously sprinting Exeggutor and instead focus upwards. I considered blasting them out of the air for a moment before discarding that idea. Protect! I shouted, causing Shrek to hunker down as Seed Bombs dropped right on him.

Or rather, around him. I blinked in surprise and shot a look at Will who was grinning.

Boom! he said theatrically as all the Seed Bombs detonated as one. Shreks Protective shell was rocked back and forth, and I wasnt surprised when the smoke cleared to see him slightly dirty from being shaken about.

While the attack didnt get through, it did rattle the cage.

I opened my mouth to give an order, only for a final Seed bomb that Will must have been keeping in reserve to slam into Shrek and detonate.

Shrek croaked in pain but stood strong, his gaze focused on the now smirking Exeggutor.

I clicked my tongue; had that been his Future Sight coming into effect? Surf! I said much to the confusion of the crowd. I could hear more than a few people point out that water-type moves were not very good against grass-types.

Will merely narrowed his eyes. Use Seed Bomb again!

Shrek didnt hesitate, however, and instead leapt backwards onto a rapidly forming wave.

He hunkered down as the wave built up. Slide like Suzie and use Ice Beam! I said cryptically.

Shrek understood the reference and nodded. When the wave rose up high, he let himself slide back first over the wave, like Suzie would do at the playground, before firing off his Ice Beam directly into the wave. It froze, only for Will to hurl Seed Bombs at it.

Ice Punch! I said. Shrek slammed his fist into the now-frozen wave as it exploded across multiple points. The punch blasted a wave of ice blocks forward. Ice rained down and began to fall onto Exeggutor.

Psychic! Will ordered. His pokemon glared up at the threatening ice wave and grasped it telekinetically to catch it in the air. Then he shifted it to the sides. When it was out of danger, it let the ice blocks smash into the ground.

When he did so, the field that had been glowing to signify Psychic Field flickered and collapsed.

I couldnt help but frown. Damn, that move had hung around for a long time.

I did not want to let Slowking set that up again.

I considered ordering Shrek to repeat the Surf and Ice Beam combination but decided against it after a moment. Hed been working through a variety of moves and was now looking rather tired. I knew I could push on with him, but I wasnt sure that was the best move right now.

I had a rather good option for Exeggutor on my team, however.

Shrek return! Youve done great! Rest for now! I pulled him out quickly and mentally noted that Id used three returns so far to Wills two, with his Baton Pass?

Move side to side with one head! The rest of you! Use Sunny Day! His pokemon began darting back and forth as a small orb of fire rose up and shone harshly down. The mud that had built up started to steam and dry up, forming odd pockets of restricted vision.

Go Gawain! I shouted, sending out my Kleavor once again. He buzzed angrily and shifted from foot to foot before locking eyes with Exeggutor.

Solar Beam! shouted Will

Agility! I barked, causing my pokemon to leap into action.

Teeter around! ordered Will, making his pokemon stand on one leg and pirouette.

Dart into the steam clouds! I shouted. Gawain dropped out of sight even more as he sprinted into the steam and then around the teetering tree. I eyed Exeggutor for a moment before punching forward. Now! X-Scissor!

Use Hypnosis! All heads! Will ordered to counter. From all the heads, a small series of waves radiated out and caught Gawain as he sprinted in with his axes upraised.

I grimaced. Will had really taken the multiple heads and stretched them for all it was worth, hadnt he?

How had he done that with so many pokemon? That was a Jynx, a Slowking, and now an Exeggutor with specialised skills. That was insane. Part of me wanted to deny it; he must have gotten the pokemon from a backer with deep pockets. The only other option was that he was a damn good trainer with the skills to train pokemon like that?

It was much more palatable that he had a deep-pocketed backer. With the tactics hed used so far, I felt like Id spit blood if I were to ever acknowledge Wills abilities as a trainer.

I was stunned at what happened next.

Gawain, whod run face-first into the Hynopsis thanks to my poor orders and Wills trap, leapt instead of allowing himself to fall asleep. His axes were held in front of him, with Bug energy crawling over them. He slammed into Exeggutor and sent the larger pokemon soaring back.

Yes! Nicely done, Gawain! I shouted. That had been entirely due to his good instincts and the weapons training hed practised. Hed kept his axes up, and that had made all the difference to allow him one move before he fell asleep.

Synthesis! Now! shrieked Will in surprise as his pokemon struggled.

I could see a few heads of the Exeggutor shutting their eyes only for one to flinch slightly and glow green. I grimaced as, under the Sunny Day effect, Exeggutor regained a serious part of his health.

Gawain staggered and snored, his eyes falling shut as his Axes fell to the ground. Damn it! WAKE UP BUDDY! I shouted feeling a small hope for him to die.

Gawain shook himself then and opened his eyes, stunning me. He raised his Axes and brandished them.

Klea! Vor!! he shouted.

Yes! I shouted in glee and I thought I heard a good number of younger voices also take up the cry with me. I could imagine a swarm of Bug Catchers trainers had joined in shouting for Gawain to wake up.

Will clicked his tongue and eyed the now ready-to-fight Kleavor before him. Exeggutor! Return! shouted Will, not willing to back himself.

Swords Dance! I ordered for Gawain, making the most of the pause for my pokemon to buff himself up. He nodded and flicked his axes about in readiness for his next opponent as I assessed him. He was still a bit tired, but he seemed nothing but determined right now. Three returns to three now

I nodded, deciding to keep him out and fighting.

Go Jynx! Will called as he released a pokemon I was looking forward to putting in the ground. N0v3lRealm was the platform where this chapter was initially revealed on N0v3l.B1n.

Future Sight, was the first move he called for. I knew that would take a while to work, so I punched forward.

Finish her with X-Scissor! Kleavor leapt to the side, only for Jynxs eyes to glow and for her to perform a fast hop to the side.

Ha! Nice try Brock! My pokemon is forewarned of your pokemons strongest moves! Will crowed.

I held back the urge to point out how cliche it was for a villain to spout lines like that. Will was obviously feeling pretty strong in himself with how his pokemon had evaded my attack.

I tilted my head. In that case, Stone Axe. Get close and hit her in her I was going to say mouth but Kleavor accelerated forward and slammed an axe into her throat.

If Jynx was weaker, I expect there would have been another emergency call out for Chansey with a critical case. Instead, it lifted Jynx off the ground and threw her backwards.

Rumour had it that she could lift a Snorlax with her mind!

So, perhaps a small comment from her was actually a huge deal?

Gary swept his eyes over the crowd before snapping back to the battlefield as another pokemon hit the ground, causing Mia and everyone in the arena to shoot to their feet and shout.

Gary inspected both of the trainers on the field. They no longer smiled. Both of them bore serious expressions that merely showed how close this match had become.

Johnny of Chapter House Six lit a candle.

He and the rest of the boys that made up Chapter House Six of the Bug Catcher Club clapped their hands in thanks.

Brock might be a Rockie, one of the natural enemies of Johnnys kind, but with his newest pokemon, hed shown the entire world the strength of Bug Types.

No longer would other kids mock them in school! Their parents would stop badgering them to look into proper pokemon.

Girls might even Johnny coughed.

Yeah, that was a bit of a stretch. Most of the girls hated bugs. Or at least the ones he talked to about it did.

They always had a look on their faces when he talked about the cool pinchers and beady eyes that bugs had.

All those in favour of inviting Gym Leader Brock to our Chapter house? he said to the other members of Chapter House Six.

Aye! the other five club members said.

One boy raised his hand. Johnny drew himself up and nodded seriously. Yes, visiting member Bugsy? he said, making sure to emphasise that the boy wasnt part of their clubhouse.

Johnny wouldnt deny him entry to the clubhouse; he was a sworn-in member of the International Bug Catcher Club. He was also whispered about as a possible Gym Trainer of Azalea Town! Johnny didnt believe that!

It sort of sounded like Wallaces claim of having a girlfriend who liked bugs but lived in Cerulean. If that wasnt a lie, Johnny was a Mankeys uncle!

Bugsy coughed into his fist. Ah! Chapter Leader Johnny! Can we not just go up to talk to Brock?

Johnny shook his head and adopted his kind boss pose number six as he crossed his legs and raised his Caterpie up to scratch behind its antennae as she liked. Ah, one does not simply walk into the Pewter Gym! he said.

Bugsy tilted his head. But I did that last week to book a match? he said.

Johnny blanched but recovered quickly For non-gym purposes! You cant just walk up to him about his Elite pokemon!

Bugsy nodded slowly, understanding Johnnys true brilliance. Right! Ill ask him after our match! he said, clenching his fists. Bugsy then levelled a megawatt smile at the rest of the group. Want to come to watch my match? Then we can see it together if he says yes!

This caused a stir, and Johnny had to force down a scowl. Damn trainers from Johto! Coming around and stealing his cool points!

He accepted, as leader of the group, and then directed their attention back to the match. Maybe Will might use something like a Venomoth. They were cool bug pokemon that had strong Psychic powers.

It was a shame that Brock didnt have another bug-rock pokemon that would be cool. But there were no chances of that. Nope! Zero!

Johnny was about to suggest that Venomoth might be one of Wills pokemon but before he could, the door to the Clubhouse opened.

Hello boys! Enjoying the match? said his mother with a cheery smile.

Johnny slumped. Muuuuuuuuuuum! Were having a Clubhouse meeting; you cant just come in!

Oh, said his mother, obviously stumped at being called out on entering the basemeClubhouse! The other boys nodded firmly at this, while Bugsy smiled sheepishly and waved at his mother.

His mother shifted. Does that mean you dont want any snacks? She proffered a tray of snacks that had been arranged into a Beedrill arrangement.

Oh wow, it smelled amazing, and were those chocolate chip cookies? His mother beamed as the other members betrayed their leader and invited her in.

She happily trotted in and sat with them, with Caterpie leaping out of his hands to cuddle with his mother. The traitor!

Johnny sighed and bit into his snack, his eyes turning back to watch the next exchange of blows.

Go Jormungandr! I shouted as I released my Steelix. Jorm came out with a roar, and he swept his gaze around to lock it onto his foe. When he spotted the Medicham, he snarled from deep within his throat, causing the ground to rumble.

Will leaned back to assess the new threat. You can take him Medicham, he said.

I narrowed my eyes. Rock Slide, I said Jorm responded by whipping his tail about, dragging it through the ground, and hurling the broken rocks like a rolling avalanche towards Medicham.

Dance over it! was the reply, with Medicham sprinting towards the attack.

Then it jumped, dancing with light feet over the top of the Rock Slide like it was merely a wobble on the floor rather than an actual threat.

Crunch straight forward, I said, making sure to enunciate the command clearly. Jormungandr heard me and leapt forward with fangs glowing with darkness, just like wed practised.

Force Palm! ordered Will as his pokemon closed. Just as it was about to land, a hand cocked back to fire off, only for Jorm to not shoot straight at him but rather right in front of the Medicham.

The earth cratered at the impact as Jorm dug his head straight into the ground, anchoring himself. Then he shook himself like a wet Growlithe, causing the earth to tremble underneath him and shake. It wasnt a true earthquake, but it was enough to make Medicham stumble instead of landing cleanly.

The third part of the attack sequence then came into effect. With Jorms head stuck in the ground, his tail could become a whip. He swept it around in a tightly controlled arc, glowing with silvery steel energy.

Jump! barked Will, only for his pokemon to not be able to leap as high as he normally would. In most scenarios, a fighting type closing with a Steelix would see them taking the advantage, but Id seen how Medciham reacted when he didnt have good footing. It might have even been why Will didnt bring Medicham out while the ground was slick with mud.

With that weakness revealed, it became all too clear what I needed to do with Wills pokemon.

With its leap not as strong as usual, Jormungandrs tail whipped around and swatted Medicham out of the air. Medicham tumbled when he landed and struggled to rise up.

Recover now! Will ordered quickly.

Jorm raised his head and, in doing so, broke off a large chunk of rock from the battlefield, causing craters to form from where hed gouged with his head. With the rock blocking his field of view, he couldnt tell where Medicham was. Thankfully, this was where I came in.

Stone Edge, two oclock! I said. Jorm reacted instantly, his rock energy grasping the easiest rock and launching it straight at Medicham, who was still sinking into a meditative pose. Its eyes widened as the boulder slammed into it.

When the dust settled, it revealed Medicham slumped against the back wall as the barriers that protected the crowd flickered and strained.

Dennis raised a flag. Medicham is unable to battle!

I nodded. Two down. That left Jynx, Slowking, Exeggutor, and one other to play.

The first three pokemon were all worn down as well. I eyed Jormungandr and noticed how he rippled and flexed his segments. Of my pokemon Titan and Jormungandr were still fresh, while Shrek was winded but by no means fatigued.

I nodded. I could do this. I had setbacks, but now I had the chance to claw this back.

Will returned his pokemon and drummed his fingers on his pokebelt. Then he clasped a pokeball at the front and nodded at me.

Go Alakazam! he shouted.

I leaned forward, knowing hed just sent out his ace.

I once again relaxed when I noted the lack of jewellery about the Alakazams body. With this pokemon sent out, Will had revealed his last pokemon.

Now things were locked in, and we were in the endgame.

The few Stealth Rocks I had around once again lashed out and peppered Alakazams form, only for it to shake its head in annoyance.

Stone Edge! I said, giving the order and trying to make the most of the momentary lapse that came with every new pokemon Will sent out.

Psychic! Will barked. His pokemon raised its spoons and grabbed the Stone Edge before it could cross half the distance. It then rocketed back at Jorm, only for him to bend his body out of danger. The Stone Edge slammed into a barrier, making it glow orange for a moment, highlighting just how powerful that attack had been.

I clicked my tongue. Alright, I needed something more. That Alakazam was no joke.

I raised Jormungandrs ball as I detached Titans. I wasnt going to play games or try to have him hold out against what I knew would be a very powerful pokemon.

So instead, I returned him and whipped out Titan. I didnt announce it or make a big show of it.

I needed my strongest to come out and fight now.

Will chopped his hand forward, and Alakazam clashed his spoons together, unleashing a cube that expanded from the spoons. The move had barely started to expand as Titan landed on the field in the central position.

I could see that despite Wills hurried usage of yet another Psychic Terrain, it seemed to have a larger impact as small rocks rose upwards, like gravity was being reversed enough to cause them to rise.

A stacking effect from the earlier Psychic terrain? Another oddity.

Titan hit the ground and snarled as his eyes locked on his foe, just as the Psychic terrain engulfed him. The crowd rose and roared in approval of Titan taking to the field.

I once more channelled my reserves of aura into the latest pokemon on the field, causing Titan to shift as he felt his own energy levels rise.

Will swiped his hand and left the Psychic field half-formed. It wavered horribly, and I knew it wouldnt last anywhere near as long as the previous Psychic Field. Will smirked and waved his hand forward.

Alakazam vanished into a Teleport. I had to blink in surprise when he teleported right into Titans grasp.

DP! I shouted, knowing that this either had to be a trap or a mistake on his part.

Will didnt say anything as his Alakazam suddenly faded into an all too familiar red energy, only to be swapped out with a much larger form.

Exeggutor formed up and took the blast of Dark Pulse face first, causing it to stagger backwards.

It even started to topple.

The various heads slumped, with one coconut-like head hanging on as it glared at Titan. I could see Stealth Rocks coming in even as Exeggutors single head tried to raise its body.

If Will thought he could get away with

Self Destruct! shouted Will, his smirk firmly in place.

Oh fuck this asshole, I thought to myself as the battlefield erupted.