He should obviously expand his Aura training to Fire-type.
I think Dark typing has that more than covered. 😆
Hard Enough - Pokemon SI
- Thread starter Viva01
- Start date
- Users' Choice!
-
- Tags
- pokemon self insert
Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
I think Dark typing has that more than covered. 😆
- Pronouns
- She
Really warms me to see how far things have come with Flint reintegrating into the family 
And Munchlax is such an amazing pokemon
And Munchlax is such an amazing pokemon
FunkyEntropy
Occasionally insightful, possibly grumpy
- Location
- Los Angeles
Munchlax is so wholesome <3
Although I'm still rooting for him to become one of Yolanda's team so she can be a chonk type specialist.
Although I'm still rooting for him to become one of Yolanda's team so she can be a chonk type specialist.
Chapter 173 - The storm speaks
Viva01
Uncomfortable with all the hugs he is given
- Location
- Australia
I didn't Teleport into the front entrance.
Instead, I found myself brought directly onto the roof where police were ready with their pokemon already out.
No fewer than eight Arcanine were present which was a strong showing by the police but this was only the tip of the visible iceberg. A shadowy section of the building got a mere look over as I otherwise documented all the changes.
A quick glance up allowed me to see that even with it being late afternoon there was a wide ring of pokemon flying around the League, shepherding the office workers or staff working in the League to land. From there I could see a bus terminal with various transport pokemon ferrying the grounded workers.
I glanced over the side of the roof and looked down to find that there were several security guards on the ground with fences set up to keep out what looked like a horde of reporters and their technicians.
"Looks like someone kicked over a Trapinich nest," I said with how people were marching back and forth hurriedly. I could see some harried-looking staff being hounded by the media as they exited the fenced-off League entrance. They kept their heads down and still got into and out of the building before being ferried away by pokemon or a car in the rare instance.
Sabrina hummed. "I've spoken with my parents about this, they say this is nothing. It was worse for some of the capital cities during the war."
I grunted, knowing that she was likely right. If a Pokemon World War was anything comparable to my past life's wars, there would have been even greater restrictions. I eyed the beating heart of the Indigo government. It was a flurry of activity, but at the same time, it could be worse.
"This place wasn't even here back then." I pointed out.
Sabrina nodded as she indicated the reporters being held at bay. "Lance has announced that they have made the biggest raid, capture, and detainment in the League's history. He has not released names, but there is a growing call from the media for it."
"He's holding back and trying to wrap things up neatly, sadly," said Agatha, stepping out from a shadow to the side. I merely grunted, having spotted her earlier.
Sabrina nodded to Agatha and then vanished into another Teleport, having other jobs to do rather than escort me to Surge. Her time was in high demand.
"How are you handling all this?" I said, glancing at the ancient woman now playing chaperone for me.
"Feh! This is nothing! If you wanted to see people hard at work you should have been with me decades ago! I didn't sleep for a week straight because I needed to work with Samuel and Blaine to get the cities of Kanto to accept us! People don't ever want to give up power Brock! But we made them! We were tenacious! And we got things done!" she said with a firm stamp of her cane.
I blinked having not considered how much work the literal welding of two nations into one might have required.
I considered Agatha with this new information. I rubbed my chin and cocked my head to the side. "How the hell are we not in another war if it was up to you—"
Her cane flashed out and aimed for my kidney but I dodged her, well used to her antics.
I waved her off. "I'm joking! I'm joking! I know you're great when you set your mind to it," I said, making sure to calm her down with some compliments.
She waved her cane at me threateningly. "You and Samuel!" she said before huffing and marching off without so much as a warning. "Keep up! I have other, more important tasks to perform! I'm not retired yet, young one!" she said.
I jogged after her, surprised by how energised she was today. "Has anything else happened since I departed? Any more raids?" I said.
There hadn't been, at least not any that the Guardians were aware of, and with how Sabrina, Koga, Agatha, and I had been heavily involved in the entire affair it was practically guaranteed that one of us would have heard something to pass on to the others.
Koga more so than anyone else.
I glanced around out of habit. Chances were— I'd learned thanks to training with the Guardians— that just thinking about him would sometimes see him appearing at your side.
"No, there hasn't been anything serious. Merely clean up, Johto had just as many raids as Kanto. Thankfully with Olivine City's Gym leader being one of the trainers that Sabrina is still slated to interrogate." Agatha sniffed. "The fools think that she will have a rather easier time of it with how she is dating you!"
"Ah, they don't consider who my starter is and how that impacts things," I said conversationally.
Agatha nodded and continued to march on. Each time we reached a checkpoint or a door, her shadow would extend an arm and tap in a code, display a card with Agatha's name and picture on it, or merely wave cheekily.
"It's rather unique, isn't it?" I asked as I stared down at her shadow, where I knew a teeming mass of Gengar were usually located.
Agatha merely cackled, resulting in the next door we made our way up towards, already being held open with the guard waving us through.
"Only one person can laugh like that," he said when I'd shot him an unimpressed look.
I wanted to protest but I found I couldn't.
No one laughed like Agatha. It had a tinge of something beyond the veil of life that tickled up your spine when you heard it.
It was like a sinister joke being made by a person that you knew, could, and would hurt you given the chance, despite the person doing nothing at the time. It was like a man holding a bare knife only to juggle it with several others.
You could laugh along eventually with exposure, but if it was done slowly enough, you never forgot the moment of trepidation.
"Have there been any attempts at anyone being broken out?" I asked.
"No," Agatha said. "I would have expected something from Blaine… or Giovanni's other subordinates, but it is very telling that nothing is amounting from them. We believe that whoever is left has formed a splinter organisation which is why information that we can access to deny them anything is so important. We've shut down many accounts, and pokemon storage facilities and other sites, but still haven't worked out how much of the pie we're missing."
At my grimace, Agatha waved a hand and elaborated. "It's much less than half, I believe the auditors even estimate we have as much as eighty percent of Team Rocket's holdings. But… what we do have is extensive."
Agatha continued to march, leading me deep into the league. I recognised a lot of the hallways we were moving along now, having come here when Daniel was being interrogated.
"Are they still in Indigo?" I asked, feeling like that was the next question that needed to be asked.
"That is one of the questions we are trying to figure out. We're unsure where they would have gone and while we have some goodwill with Hoenn and the island nations, we still don't have any authority to act internationally."
She smirked. "Yet."
Agatha frowned. "Oh, and there's Fiore I suppose as well," she said in an offhand manner.
"What's up with Fiore?" I asked.
"Nothing honestly. They're just crowing to whoever will listen. They don't believe us that during the Silph Co. raid, the masterball was in fact destroyed, despite all the evidence we have provided. They are adamant that we still have one, if not the capabilities to make such a pokeball."
Agatha rolled her eyes. "Meanwhile they are touting their own horn to anyone back home that will listen about how they got us to destroy the 'abomination' that was the Masterball." Agatha shook her head. "Politics at its finest; they are presenting the story in a manner that suits the needs of different people."
"Huh," I said. "I think I hate it."
My comment merely got a cackle of glee from Agatha. "Ohoh? You will learn young one! You will learn!" she spoke with the tone of one who knew my opinion far too well for my liking. Had she been the same before or when she'd become an Elite Four?
I wasn't sure I liked what she foresaw in my future. My expression got another laugh out of her and I huffed at her. "So, Surge? I'm surprised you didn't get him to talk," I said changing the topic as we closed in on the interrogation room.
Agatha opened the door. "I felt it wasn't my place, plus, while I can scare him, fear is a poor motivator for truth."
She turned and looked at me, her expression oddly soft. "I learnt that sometimes, the softest touches can get people to open up. For better or worse, he is still trying to reach out to you."
I locked eyes with Agatha and clenched my jaw. "Yeah, we'll see how that goes for him," I said.
I walked into the room and was surprised to find Looker in the waiting area with Officer Jenny from Pewter. I could tell thanks to the epaulets on her shoulder marking her as such. There was another man in the corner, with a pair of Haunter floating around the room.
The pokemon's gaze swept over us as we entered and they gave Agatha respectful nods before leering at me like I was fresh meat. Not willing to let them play their games, I pulled up some dark energy and flexed it slightly.
They stiffened and found something else to do as the people in the room turned to us.
"Agatha," Looker said before nodding to me. "Brock, thank you for coming." His eyes searched my face, "I know this is a… tough situation with how Surge was a mentor for you."
"Yeah," I said noncommittally while swallowing down the feeling of rising emotion. "Guess he was." I stepped up to the glass and stared at Surge.
They'd given him a chair to match his frame instead of attempting to push him into the standard chair they used. He lounged in it with his chin on his chest, asleep or at least pretending to be.
He looked carefree, like this was just another day for him. If the chair could have been kicked back he'd have been leaning back and snoozing, I had no doubt.
He looked far too comfortable for a man behind bars.
His hair was still spikey despite lacking any product and he didn't have any signs that he'd been mistreated.
Not that I expected Lance's League to suddenly resort to physical means of interrogation.
No, they mostly had gentler methods, like Sabrina, to pry secrets from people. Which was so much more genteel. I wasn't going to ask anyone, nor spare any time wondering what would happen to the Grunts or Executives when they had pried what they could from them.
You could scour a man's mind psychically, but physically beating on him would be too much. What did that say about the League? I had to wonder.
That wasn't something I shouldn't have any say in. But that didn't mean I couldn't speak up if I didn't want to.
I just… wasn't sure I wanted to.
I stared at Surge and he stirred and opened his eyes to look around, knowing with some sixth sense that he was being observed.
"Hmmm? It lunch time yet?" he said, looking at me unknowingly.
"So, what do you want me to get him to say?" I asked to the room at large.
"We mainly want things tidied up. It is rather open and shut with current rulings and his being caught while supporting Team Rocket as he did. This is just to make sure there is nothing that can see him worm his way out," Agatha said quickly.
"Ahem!" said the man in the corner, stepping forward.
I already didn't like him just from the way he gave off airs of importance. Here was a man who delighted in crossing a t or dotting an i and making people's livelihood's crumble.
The man adjusted his glasses in an overly officious manner. "Gym Leader Brock?" he said plaintively.
Apparently, he expected me to look at him when he cleared his throat. I kept looking Surge over. He looked kind of ridiculous in his orange jumpsuit.
They apparently didn't have one his size, as part of his calf was on display while the suit was crumpled up around his body. He looked extremely frumpy.
I didn't laugh.
"Gym Leader—" said the man once again and I flicked my eyes at him.
"Yes? What do you want?" I said.
"I'm Fred Fan—"
I held up a hand. "No, I don't care who you are. I meant what do you want?" my patience for this entire endeavour was already short.
The man shifted, ruffling himself up like a pokemon trying to make himself look bigger. "The League wants to discover any acts of negligence that Surge has committed. We want confirmation that he knew about Giovanni's role, and that he denied the League such information!"
"Hmmm right," I said. The League wanted to take their cut and take back Vermilion, I mentally translated.
Despite myself, I felt annoyed for Surge.
Perhaps it was just that the League was showing their hand to me. Or rather this little pencil pusher was trying to do it. Did Lance know this was being pushed or was he turning a blind eye to it?
If they had the chance, would they try to repeal my own family's Gym charter?
It felt like yes, and the part that bugged me the most about it was the way the man stood there so gleefully at the idea of snatching such a thing. Like anything about this moment was good.
This entire situation was a story spanning years in the making.
And it was up to me to find out what the story was. A comedy? A tragedy?
Or, I thought, what Surge claims the story is. He didn't need to tell the truth to me. Or he didn't need to tell me anything but his version of the truth.
What was my truth?
He acted against me.
That was a betrayal.
Don't see what you want to see, just what is, I reminded myself.
I inhaled and clapped my hands together before dispelling the dark energy.
In its place, I started to fill myself with rock energy. Before I could become lethargic from filling myself I made sure to move, walking around through the only door into the interrogation room.
Surge perked up when I opened the door only to sit up properly and put his hands on the table that rested between the two chairs.
I paused in the doorway to give him another once-over before marching in and claiming my seat.
"So, I'm—" I started to say only for the door to swing shut behind me with a loud boom causing me to frown.
Surge chuckled. "Heh, it's a security feature they have. Can't keep the door open for too long. You'll also need one of those folk out there to buzz you out when you think you've heard enough," he said.
His eyes swept over me. "You look good."
"You look like shit," I spat angrily back at him.
Surge smiled. "Ah, it's the orange jumpsuit isn't it? It don't match my complexion, does it? When they send me off I think I'll have to request somewhere with khaki as their jumpsuit colours!" he said.
I stared at him. That... was such a typical Surge answer that I found myself almost wanting to laugh.
Then the anger came back. I lashed out and slammed my fist into the table. An echoing boom rang out and Surge blinked in surprise at the dent I'd left in the table. "This is not a joke Surge. I'm here but honestly? I'm not sure what for! To listen to you play everything you did off? To let you tell some as you'd no-doubt call it, 'Sally sob story'?"
I waved a hand towards the one-way mirror, my own reflection on this side copying me. "For them to get all their t's and i's crossed and dotted?"
I waved a hand in disgust. "Give me a reason I shouldn't walk out of here now?" I said. And I knew in that moment, that I could. It hadn't been like I'd feared, that upon entering I'd be stuck here. I could leave, cut myself off from him if I wanted to.
Surge nodded. "A reason… yeah… Well, first of all, I'm sorry things played out the way they did."
"You're sorry you got caught, not that you did it," I said.
He wobbled a hand in a so-so gesture. "Yes and no. You've given me time to sit and think about this for a while and… I'm not a good person Brock." He said with a humourless smile. "I never really styled myself as one. I know I'm too tough on the squirts that come in. I beat em up too easily and am prone to waving away their complaints."
Surge looked down at his hands. "I'm also a terrible dad. Something you know a thing or two about."
He looked up. "You must have been told about Visquez by now right?"
I merely grunted and nodded. "Yeah, I have."
"She's mine, full-blooded and everything which… well, I'd been told it would never happen. Injury during the war you see?" He waved a hand at his groin. "Not able to produce anything viable, shooting blanks whatever you call it, Visquez is a miracle and I wasn't there for her until she was twelve and she kicked in the door of my gym."
I shifted before frowning. I was being dragged into the story of Visquez, but that wasn't what I was here for. It might be what Surge wanted to talk about, but he could take a long walk off a short pier right now. I should have felt a spike of annoyance but due to filling myself with rock energy I was happy to sit and wait.
I shook that off, knowing it wasn't what I needed. I could do that, but I needed to be active and not let myself fall into the lull of patience.
"I don't care," I said, flipping the metaphorical table of this conversation.
"Fuck you and Rhyhorn you rode in on and are now trying to peddle to me. I'm not interested. What the fuck were you doing with Giovanni? Have you always been a Team Rocket plant?" I demanded.
"Fuck no!" Surge said. "Remember that listening post? I was pissed about that when I learnt about it. That wasn't no dummy post Brock. That was a legit post meant to track my movements and dig up dirt. Fucking Giovanni knew about Visquez when every other prick out there didn't!"
He cracked his neck. "Course I didn't know it was him digging for anything I said in my Gym until I arrived at the hangar. By then… I wasn't going to fight him on it, I was bound by a debt of blood."
"A debt of blood?" I said incredulously.
Surge nodded seriously. "Brock, I've said before I didn't start out as a Lieutenant when the war started no? I was a private when things began and I moved up the ranks fast. The brass didn't like me but they didn't have no choice but to do it cause I was the only person coming back or making it out of the scraps they threw my squad into."
He leaned back "We were a tough-knit group, formally, we were platoon six of battalion eight of the scouts, but we were known better as the wreckers."
I arched an eyebrow and considered if I should once again disrupt him. I decided not to after a moment's consideration, instead deciding to let it play out. It was rare that anyone would talk about the bad times of the war.
"The wreckers, we were given all the tasks they considered impossible. Once got assigned a mission to blow up the warehouses and lighthouse in Olivine you know? Made it out with four men after going in with fifteen. The brass didn't mind though. We got the job done and they loaded us up with fresh-faced punks within the week." Surge waved a hand about.
"Got used to all the others dying and having to limp back home, in the end, it was just me and the captain. Course when Visquez made captain she always made sure to be upbeat about our chances, came up with plans to make it so as many people as possible had fallback points and everything." Surge trailed off slightly, his eyes growing distant as memories took hold.
"Your daughter, you named her after this woman?" I asked rather redundantly, wanting to prod him along.
"Yup," Surge said, his smile wide as he rubbed at a scar on his wrist. "Now, the brass at the time took this as a sign that we could handle more assignments with less downtime between missions… that or that we were just getting pressed during the war and they had no choice but to call us back up. Zapdos knows I had to beat back that asshole Matt from Hoenn enough times it's a wonder I didn't kill him. That Shelly woman with him was always ready to interrupt our fights or get out," Surge said.
I blinked, surprised that I recognised the names of two Team Aqua Admin.
"Anyway, we got another mission… It ended up being the last mission we'd ever have to run with Sammy Oak stepping up a week later, but well, things were bad. You remember the stories about Legendary pokemon awakening during the end of the war? It weren't no myth, I witnessed them."
"Them?" I said.
Surge nodded. His hands moved to tap on his shoulder where I knew a sizable scar was located. "I was fighting a battle with some real hard Johto soldiers. There was enough of them that they had us pinned down. Now usually Visquez would have gotten us out of there but she got hit early in the fight by a lucky shot from them, started bleeding rather badly, I could do nothing but hold back the Johto pricks with the rest.
"Raichu and I alone must have taken out sixteen of them that day and still they came on trying to get into Vermillion so they could charge on up into Saffron where the main HQ was at the time. The fighting got so bad a freaking Zapdos swept the field shooting lightning out like it was nobody's business. It helped me stay in the fight longer but it soon left."
Surge mimed a phone with one hand. "We got on the blower and started screaming for support, other trainers, heck anybody but no one could hear us or was able to respond."
Surge shook his head. "I'm not sure what it was, but no one was coming for us anyway, so we started to drop. Hank, Dave, Charlie, Betty, Chuckie, Lave—" Surge rattled off eight names and I waited for him to announce Visquez but it never came.
"I got pushed back to where our medic was patching up whoever she could at the time, but she was running low on supplies, energy and time." Surge shifted. "I could see the writing on the wall and the sickos from Johto, they were calling out what they'd do to us, cause they knew we'd held them up long enough and weakened them enough there was no way they'd be able to make a run for HQ. They weren't the sort to pull back neither!"
Surge smiled a dark, humourless smile. "So I realised I needed to go down a blaze of glory. I charged out with Raichu, Electrode, and any pokemon I could but it wasn't enough, got crippled as I tried to make my last heroic charge."
Surge's expression hardened. "I remember how they laughed at me, telling me they'd make me watch."
Then he smiled and his face became that of a Meowth that watched his greatest rival suffer a deserving fate. "Instead I got a front-row seat to watching them getting taken in the rear. See, we'd fought long enough that a nearby group, against their commanding officer's orders, sallied out and attacked from Celadon, which was where the supplies were being kept."
I sighed knowing what was coming. "That small group fought tooth and nail and they paid a huge price for it in blood. Of their platoon, only five made it out. They rescued us and then got their asses chewed out for doing it. The CO even went as far as to hide what they'd done. They never got official medals or recognition for it and I couldn't do nothing about it with how delirious I was."
Surge sighed. "Those five men? They visited me in hospital to check on me and I thanked them for what they did and swore If they ever needed anything, I'd come and help them, no questions asked."
Surge raised his hand and counted down the fingers. "I spent three years training Blake's daughter when she was ready to go out into the world. I helped John build a house and shed for his family, ramps and specialised wheelchair carrier and everything for him. Samantha? She got a ship that I owned." He chuckled. "I won it through a poker game. Didi? She died before I could ever help her out… So I helped her family out of debt and got her kids a starter pokemon each."
Surge waggled his last finger. "Giovanni never wanted anything from me. Said he had everything but that he liked having me in his debt. I knew he was greasy when he said that, but it didn't matter; thanks to him, my platoon… what was left of them, got to see the end of the war and then some."
"And he called in your debt," I said leaning back.
I sighed, finding myself… annoyed at myself that I could understand why Surge would do what he did. In that sort of situation, it made all too much sense.
I stared up at the ceiling for a long while and sighed again before looking down. "That is entirely too believable for my liking," I said. "Although that's the issue, isn't it? How can I trust anything that comes out of your mouth after what you did?"
Surge worked his jaw a few times before looking down. "You can't Brock… I know this hits you close to home the most with how your dad—"
I raised and swung my hand through the air between us. It caused the air to 'thoom' with pressure. "No," I said firmly. We weren't going there. Actually, seeing as he'd brought it up. "You're just as bad if not worse than flint you realise?" I said.
Surge reeled back like I'd struck him and part of me felt good at that. Then he growled and my hair stood on end as if a storm was approaching. "I am nothing like that rookie reservist! I fought in battle after battle! I had people hunting for me! I wasn't putting Visquez into the spotlight before she could handle herself, even still it might be too early for her."
"Convienent," I said. "It worked out for you. Did you ever try?"
Surge's jaw worked back and forth and I knew I'd nailed another point on him. "I tried to help out with money, not like with your pa and well your ma? Don't get me—
He stopped talking as I left some of my dark energy loose. He watched me for a moment as I inhaled and exhaled.
"You don't get to comment on that. As it is, I'm not sure if your coming to help wasn't some sort of trojan hor…" I shook my head knowing I'd said too much. I cast around for something that was like a trojan horse for this world, but the pokeworld didn't have an example that I could call to mind. "The point is that I can't trust what you say. You talk a good talk but I'm not buying the Ekans oil you're selling."
"Brock, I'm not asking for anything myself, I'm asking for my daughter. She could use someone to look out for her."
"Tsk," I said. I leaned forward. "How come you signed over your Gym to her when you did? You must have known something was up."
Surge met my gaze unflinchingly. "I had a suspicion. Old wounds started to itch again like they haven't since the war, and I started looking around and finding out what was going on. I wasn't certain but… I had fears, fears that turned out to be true."
Surge put his hands on the table. "Brock, you know I'm as blunt as they come. A spade is spade and I know spades having spent a lot of time digging in with them, but when I give my word on a debt, which came about thanks to Giovanni helping my men and captain live? I wasn't going to let laws stop me. It was only when I realised I'd be going against you that I backed up and went through the motions."
Surge grimaced. "Anyone else? Lance, Lorelei on her own? Professor freaking Oak? I'd have thrown down as hard as I could."
"Not you and Sabrina though… You're good kids," Surge said.
I huffed and looked away.
"What happened to your captain?" I asked more for something to say than any actual interest.
Surge sighed. "She woke up from a coma, three weeks after the battle and… Well, she didn't remember me or much of the war. I figure that was good cause well, there wasn't a lot that was good about the war. By the end, it didn't feel like it was about winning or losing, just surviving. Visquez lives on Mikan Island these days with her husband and family. Her daughter picked up her skills and apparently runs a sort of Gym down there these days."
Surge smiled. "You fought her husband when you made your Journey through there," he said.
I blinked, realising that I had met her. She'd come up after our match and delivered tea for us.
Sabrina had looked very confused back then about the wife but hadn't been able to explain why the woman confused her. It must have been the chip in her brain that stopped Sabrina from reading her mind casually.
"Huh, small world," I said.
"Ain't it?" said Surge with a chuckle.
I eyed him. "So, what are you going to do now? Break out, or go to jail?" For a moment I wondered if the shadows in the room shifted slightly when I mentioned 'breaking out'. Surge shifted, letting me know it wasn't just me that had noticed.
"Jail I reckon," Surge said seriously. "But I have a few depots of old guns and such that I'm licensed to handle for the League." He grinned at the mirror. "Oh, whoops! I was licensed to handle! I guess I need to hand those guns, mortars, and tanks over now don't I?"
I glared. "I think it would be good if you complied with them going forward Surge."
"Oh I intend to but I also know that these sorts of things? Well, they're fluid. I'll have some forms put in front of me and a map I think. They know what I have to offer and I'll trade fair."
Surge smiled. "But I know there ain't no way I don't end up in a cell Brock."
He stood and bowed his body, uncaring of the chains that hampered the action. He kept his head down as she spoke. "Can you please help my girl with the things she doesn't know she doesn't know? There's going to be a lot of Fearow circling on her now."
I huffed. "I'll think about it," I said deciding that I had done enough. I stood and departed the cell. "See you around Surge," I said over my shoulder.
"I hope so Brock, I hope so," Surge said with a tinge of something.
I looked back and locked eyes with Surge and he offered me another bow that seemed so strange. It was weird to see the proud man with his head bowed to me.
I stepped up and the door buzzed open for me before shutting. I glanced at the people who had been watching the drama play out. "That good enough for you?" I asked the room at large.
Looker nodded, his eyes darting down to a stack of papers that had black lines all through them in various points. "Yes, yes I think that worked out wonderfully. We have confirmation and a high rate of accuracy. I think we can accept his rationale for his acts now."
"Hmmm motive, you mean," said the League official. "The courts will—"
"Surge can't ever see a public courtroom. Any knowledge of his involvement with the Wreckers might see certain groups seeking to kill him, his family and torture information about other members out of him. International criminals like Team Aqua are one such example. Lance will accept a deal for anything else he knows," Looker said firmly.
I huffed. It was playing out precisely how Surge thought it would. Guess you can't trick an old hound like that.
"I think I'll head off unless there is anything else you want from me," I said moving towards the door.
Jenny darted over to stop me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Are you alright?"
I gave her a quirk of the lips. "I think I will be," I said.
She nodded and let me go after giving me a quick hug.
I marched out of the hallway only to encounter Sabrina waiting for me on a couch. "I heard you were here, want to go home?"
I nodded. Sabrina and I vanished in a flash of light. I lay on my bed with Sabrina on my chest running through the events of the day. I was emotionally spent and just ready for this day to be done and over with.
Eventually, Sabrina stood to have a shower. I stayed where I was, tossing around what I should do.
It had been… about what I expected. I wasn't overly surprised by anything, it all just… Fit in a way that I hadn't known it would. It all made too much sense that Surge and Giovanni would have known each other.
It was awfully fortuitous of Giovanni to get Surge in his debt like that, but it made sense.
I sighed and raised my Xtransciever, staring at the contact details for the Vermillion Gym. I really had enough on my plate. These days even with the trainer surge having moved along.
… which likely meant Visquez was in the thick of it right now.
I dialled the number and found myself annoyed despite myself. Sabrina must have detected something as a gentle pressure squeezed my arm, causing me to twitch for a moment only to relax as I realised what was going on.
"Hello? Uhm this is the Vermillion Gym?" said a young woman. I stared at the tanned features and noted how some of them matched Surge's.
"Hey, " I said for lack of anything better.
"Oh! Gym Leader Brock! I was hoping you'd call! Dad said you might!" she said with a grin that died away.
I felt a pang of sadness. She smiled like him. She rubbed the back of her head in a sheepish manner that was all too familiar to me. "Sorry if he caused a big mess. He wasn't all too clear on what he was doing, just that it might go south… seeing as I haven't heard from him and the League is sniffing around I guess that was about right. He wouldn't tell me what was going on cause of something about plausible deniability."
She blushed. "Sorry! I'm babbling," she said only to break off with a yawn that ripped out of her. She yawned so wide that all of her teeth were on display. " Sorry! I get this way when I'm tired."
"I see," I said. "I was calling to… check in on you. I spoke with Surge earlier."
"Oh? You did?" The girl squirmed. "Did he talk about me at all?"
"A fair amount actually," I said truthfully. "He asked for me to check in with you," I said neutrally.
She tilted her head at that and hummed. "Oh! Right cause you run a really solid Gym and I need to look after things for him while he's away," she said and I had to frown.
"I don't think he's going to be back," I said. "You…" I considered telling her that she should have the League set up a talk with him but that would send her into the deep end for something highly emotional. It was best she heard from me what happened and then she could make up her mind.
"So—" I laid out how things had gone down to Visquez and she remained quiet.
By the time Sabrina was done in the shower, I had hung up and Sabrina gave me a look. "So? What's she going to do?"
I smirked. "She's heading up to the League to beat the hell out of Surge for being a deadbeat," I said with a chuckle.
Surge had been right, she and I were going to get along pretty well. Right now we were united in being annoyed at him
I sighed and stretched, letting myself relax. "Seems like there's going to be a lot of change happening this year," I said as Sabrina slipped into bed with me.
"Change is always happening," she murmured.
"Ain't that the kicker," I said, agreeing with her.
I shut my eyes and let sleep claim me as I relaxed.
Change might be constant but that wasn't a bad thing. Things were settled as much as they could be.
I'd still be here though and I'd make the most of what was to come.
For now, that meant advancing up the Ace rankings.
A.N. Thanks go to my patreons for your continued support.
It also goes to Twmmy for betaing this chapter.
Instead, I found myself brought directly onto the roof where police were ready with their pokemon already out.
No fewer than eight Arcanine were present which was a strong showing by the police but this was only the tip of the visible iceberg. A shadowy section of the building got a mere look over as I otherwise documented all the changes.
A quick glance up allowed me to see that even with it being late afternoon there was a wide ring of pokemon flying around the League, shepherding the office workers or staff working in the League to land. From there I could see a bus terminal with various transport pokemon ferrying the grounded workers.
I glanced over the side of the roof and looked down to find that there were several security guards on the ground with fences set up to keep out what looked like a horde of reporters and their technicians.
"Looks like someone kicked over a Trapinich nest," I said with how people were marching back and forth hurriedly. I could see some harried-looking staff being hounded by the media as they exited the fenced-off League entrance. They kept their heads down and still got into and out of the building before being ferried away by pokemon or a car in the rare instance.
Sabrina hummed. "I've spoken with my parents about this, they say this is nothing. It was worse for some of the capital cities during the war."
I grunted, knowing that she was likely right. If a Pokemon World War was anything comparable to my past life's wars, there would have been even greater restrictions. I eyed the beating heart of the Indigo government. It was a flurry of activity, but at the same time, it could be worse.
"This place wasn't even here back then." I pointed out.
Sabrina nodded as she indicated the reporters being held at bay. "Lance has announced that they have made the biggest raid, capture, and detainment in the League's history. He has not released names, but there is a growing call from the media for it."
"He's holding back and trying to wrap things up neatly, sadly," said Agatha, stepping out from a shadow to the side. I merely grunted, having spotted her earlier.
Sabrina nodded to Agatha and then vanished into another Teleport, having other jobs to do rather than escort me to Surge. Her time was in high demand.
"How are you handling all this?" I said, glancing at the ancient woman now playing chaperone for me.
"Feh! This is nothing! If you wanted to see people hard at work you should have been with me decades ago! I didn't sleep for a week straight because I needed to work with Samuel and Blaine to get the cities of Kanto to accept us! People don't ever want to give up power Brock! But we made them! We were tenacious! And we got things done!" she said with a firm stamp of her cane.
I blinked having not considered how much work the literal welding of two nations into one might have required.
I considered Agatha with this new information. I rubbed my chin and cocked my head to the side. "How the hell are we not in another war if it was up to you—"
Her cane flashed out and aimed for my kidney but I dodged her, well used to her antics.
I waved her off. "I'm joking! I'm joking! I know you're great when you set your mind to it," I said, making sure to calm her down with some compliments.
She waved her cane at me threateningly. "You and Samuel!" she said before huffing and marching off without so much as a warning. "Keep up! I have other, more important tasks to perform! I'm not retired yet, young one!" she said.
I jogged after her, surprised by how energised she was today. "Has anything else happened since I departed? Any more raids?" I said.
There hadn't been, at least not any that the Guardians were aware of, and with how Sabrina, Koga, Agatha, and I had been heavily involved in the entire affair it was practically guaranteed that one of us would have heard something to pass on to the others.
Koga more so than anyone else.
I glanced around out of habit. Chances were— I'd learned thanks to training with the Guardians— that just thinking about him would sometimes see him appearing at your side.
"No, there hasn't been anything serious. Merely clean up, Johto had just as many raids as Kanto. Thankfully with Olivine City's Gym leader being one of the trainers that Sabrina is still slated to interrogate." Agatha sniffed. "The fools think that she will have a rather easier time of it with how she is dating you!"
"Ah, they don't consider who my starter is and how that impacts things," I said conversationally.
Agatha nodded and continued to march on. Each time we reached a checkpoint or a door, her shadow would extend an arm and tap in a code, display a card with Agatha's name and picture on it, or merely wave cheekily.
"It's rather unique, isn't it?" I asked as I stared down at her shadow, where I knew a teeming mass of Gengar were usually located.
Agatha merely cackled, resulting in the next door we made our way up towards, already being held open with the guard waving us through.
"Only one person can laugh like that," he said when I'd shot him an unimpressed look.
I wanted to protest but I found I couldn't.
No one laughed like Agatha. It had a tinge of something beyond the veil of life that tickled up your spine when you heard it.
It was like a sinister joke being made by a person that you knew, could, and would hurt you given the chance, despite the person doing nothing at the time. It was like a man holding a bare knife only to juggle it with several others.
You could laugh along eventually with exposure, but if it was done slowly enough, you never forgot the moment of trepidation.
"Have there been any attempts at anyone being broken out?" I asked.
"No," Agatha said. "I would have expected something from Blaine… or Giovanni's other subordinates, but it is very telling that nothing is amounting from them. We believe that whoever is left has formed a splinter organisation which is why information that we can access to deny them anything is so important. We've shut down many accounts, and pokemon storage facilities and other sites, but still haven't worked out how much of the pie we're missing."
At my grimace, Agatha waved a hand and elaborated. "It's much less than half, I believe the auditors even estimate we have as much as eighty percent of Team Rocket's holdings. But… what we do have is extensive."
Agatha continued to march, leading me deep into the league. I recognised a lot of the hallways we were moving along now, having come here when Daniel was being interrogated.
"Are they still in Indigo?" I asked, feeling like that was the next question that needed to be asked.
"That is one of the questions we are trying to figure out. We're unsure where they would have gone and while we have some goodwill with Hoenn and the island nations, we still don't have any authority to act internationally."
She smirked. "Yet."
Agatha frowned. "Oh, and there's Fiore I suppose as well," she said in an offhand manner.
"What's up with Fiore?" I asked.
"Nothing honestly. They're just crowing to whoever will listen. They don't believe us that during the Silph Co. raid, the masterball was in fact destroyed, despite all the evidence we have provided. They are adamant that we still have one, if not the capabilities to make such a pokeball."
Agatha rolled her eyes. "Meanwhile they are touting their own horn to anyone back home that will listen about how they got us to destroy the 'abomination' that was the Masterball." Agatha shook her head. "Politics at its finest; they are presenting the story in a manner that suits the needs of different people."
"Huh," I said. "I think I hate it."
My comment merely got a cackle of glee from Agatha. "Ohoh? You will learn young one! You will learn!" she spoke with the tone of one who knew my opinion far too well for my liking. Had she been the same before or when she'd become an Elite Four?
I wasn't sure I liked what she foresaw in my future. My expression got another laugh out of her and I huffed at her. "So, Surge? I'm surprised you didn't get him to talk," I said changing the topic as we closed in on the interrogation room.
Agatha opened the door. "I felt it wasn't my place, plus, while I can scare him, fear is a poor motivator for truth."
She turned and looked at me, her expression oddly soft. "I learnt that sometimes, the softest touches can get people to open up. For better or worse, he is still trying to reach out to you."
I locked eyes with Agatha and clenched my jaw. "Yeah, we'll see how that goes for him," I said.
I walked into the room and was surprised to find Looker in the waiting area with Officer Jenny from Pewter. I could tell thanks to the epaulets on her shoulder marking her as such. There was another man in the corner, with a pair of Haunter floating around the room.
The pokemon's gaze swept over us as we entered and they gave Agatha respectful nods before leering at me like I was fresh meat. Not willing to let them play their games, I pulled up some dark energy and flexed it slightly.
They stiffened and found something else to do as the people in the room turned to us.
"Agatha," Looker said before nodding to me. "Brock, thank you for coming." His eyes searched my face, "I know this is a… tough situation with how Surge was a mentor for you."
"Yeah," I said noncommittally while swallowing down the feeling of rising emotion. "Guess he was." I stepped up to the glass and stared at Surge.
They'd given him a chair to match his frame instead of attempting to push him into the standard chair they used. He lounged in it with his chin on his chest, asleep or at least pretending to be.
He looked carefree, like this was just another day for him. If the chair could have been kicked back he'd have been leaning back and snoozing, I had no doubt.
He looked far too comfortable for a man behind bars.
His hair was still spikey despite lacking any product and he didn't have any signs that he'd been mistreated.
Not that I expected Lance's League to suddenly resort to physical means of interrogation.
No, they mostly had gentler methods, like Sabrina, to pry secrets from people. Which was so much more genteel. I wasn't going to ask anyone, nor spare any time wondering what would happen to the Grunts or Executives when they had pried what they could from them.
You could scour a man's mind psychically, but physically beating on him would be too much. What did that say about the League? I had to wonder.
That wasn't something I shouldn't have any say in. But that didn't mean I couldn't speak up if I didn't want to.
I just… wasn't sure I wanted to.
I stared at Surge and he stirred and opened his eyes to look around, knowing with some sixth sense that he was being observed.
"Hmmm? It lunch time yet?" he said, looking at me unknowingly.
"So, what do you want me to get him to say?" I asked to the room at large.
"We mainly want things tidied up. It is rather open and shut with current rulings and his being caught while supporting Team Rocket as he did. This is just to make sure there is nothing that can see him worm his way out," Agatha said quickly.
"Ahem!" said the man in the corner, stepping forward.
I already didn't like him just from the way he gave off airs of importance. Here was a man who delighted in crossing a t or dotting an i and making people's livelihood's crumble.
The man adjusted his glasses in an overly officious manner. "Gym Leader Brock?" he said plaintively.
Apparently, he expected me to look at him when he cleared his throat. I kept looking Surge over. He looked kind of ridiculous in his orange jumpsuit.
They apparently didn't have one his size, as part of his calf was on display while the suit was crumpled up around his body. He looked extremely frumpy.
I didn't laugh.
"Gym Leader—" said the man once again and I flicked my eyes at him.
"Yes? What do you want?" I said.
"I'm Fred Fan—"
I held up a hand. "No, I don't care who you are. I meant what do you want?" my patience for this entire endeavour was already short.
The man shifted, ruffling himself up like a pokemon trying to make himself look bigger. "The League wants to discover any acts of negligence that Surge has committed. We want confirmation that he knew about Giovanni's role, and that he denied the League such information!"
"Hmmm right," I said. The League wanted to take their cut and take back Vermilion, I mentally translated.
Despite myself, I felt annoyed for Surge.
Perhaps it was just that the League was showing their hand to me. Or rather this little pencil pusher was trying to do it. Did Lance know this was being pushed or was he turning a blind eye to it?
If they had the chance, would they try to repeal my own family's Gym charter?
It felt like yes, and the part that bugged me the most about it was the way the man stood there so gleefully at the idea of snatching such a thing. Like anything about this moment was good.
This entire situation was a story spanning years in the making.
And it was up to me to find out what the story was. A comedy? A tragedy?
Or, I thought, what Surge claims the story is. He didn't need to tell the truth to me. Or he didn't need to tell me anything but his version of the truth.
What was my truth?
He acted against me.
That was a betrayal.
Don't see what you want to see, just what is, I reminded myself.
I inhaled and clapped my hands together before dispelling the dark energy.
In its place, I started to fill myself with rock energy. Before I could become lethargic from filling myself I made sure to move, walking around through the only door into the interrogation room.
Surge perked up when I opened the door only to sit up properly and put his hands on the table that rested between the two chairs.
I paused in the doorway to give him another once-over before marching in and claiming my seat.
"So, I'm—" I started to say only for the door to swing shut behind me with a loud boom causing me to frown.
Surge chuckled. "Heh, it's a security feature they have. Can't keep the door open for too long. You'll also need one of those folk out there to buzz you out when you think you've heard enough," he said.
His eyes swept over me. "You look good."
"You look like shit," I spat angrily back at him.
Surge smiled. "Ah, it's the orange jumpsuit isn't it? It don't match my complexion, does it? When they send me off I think I'll have to request somewhere with khaki as their jumpsuit colours!" he said.
I stared at him. That... was such a typical Surge answer that I found myself almost wanting to laugh.
Then the anger came back. I lashed out and slammed my fist into the table. An echoing boom rang out and Surge blinked in surprise at the dent I'd left in the table. "This is not a joke Surge. I'm here but honestly? I'm not sure what for! To listen to you play everything you did off? To let you tell some as you'd no-doubt call it, 'Sally sob story'?"
I waved a hand towards the one-way mirror, my own reflection on this side copying me. "For them to get all their t's and i's crossed and dotted?"
I waved a hand in disgust. "Give me a reason I shouldn't walk out of here now?" I said. And I knew in that moment, that I could. It hadn't been like I'd feared, that upon entering I'd be stuck here. I could leave, cut myself off from him if I wanted to.
Surge nodded. "A reason… yeah… Well, first of all, I'm sorry things played out the way they did."
"You're sorry you got caught, not that you did it," I said.
He wobbled a hand in a so-so gesture. "Yes and no. You've given me time to sit and think about this for a while and… I'm not a good person Brock." He said with a humourless smile. "I never really styled myself as one. I know I'm too tough on the squirts that come in. I beat em up too easily and am prone to waving away their complaints."
Surge looked down at his hands. "I'm also a terrible dad. Something you know a thing or two about."
He looked up. "You must have been told about Visquez by now right?"
I merely grunted and nodded. "Yeah, I have."
"She's mine, full-blooded and everything which… well, I'd been told it would never happen. Injury during the war you see?" He waved a hand at his groin. "Not able to produce anything viable, shooting blanks whatever you call it, Visquez is a miracle and I wasn't there for her until she was twelve and she kicked in the door of my gym."
I shifted before frowning. I was being dragged into the story of Visquez, but that wasn't what I was here for. It might be what Surge wanted to talk about, but he could take a long walk off a short pier right now. I should have felt a spike of annoyance but due to filling myself with rock energy I was happy to sit and wait.
I shook that off, knowing it wasn't what I needed. I could do that, but I needed to be active and not let myself fall into the lull of patience.
"I don't care," I said, flipping the metaphorical table of this conversation.
"Fuck you and Rhyhorn you rode in on and are now trying to peddle to me. I'm not interested. What the fuck were you doing with Giovanni? Have you always been a Team Rocket plant?" I demanded.
"Fuck no!" Surge said. "Remember that listening post? I was pissed about that when I learnt about it. That wasn't no dummy post Brock. That was a legit post meant to track my movements and dig up dirt. Fucking Giovanni knew about Visquez when every other prick out there didn't!"
He cracked his neck. "Course I didn't know it was him digging for anything I said in my Gym until I arrived at the hangar. By then… I wasn't going to fight him on it, I was bound by a debt of blood."
"A debt of blood?" I said incredulously.
Surge nodded seriously. "Brock, I've said before I didn't start out as a Lieutenant when the war started no? I was a private when things began and I moved up the ranks fast. The brass didn't like me but they didn't have no choice but to do it cause I was the only person coming back or making it out of the scraps they threw my squad into."
He leaned back "We were a tough-knit group, formally, we were platoon six of battalion eight of the scouts, but we were known better as the wreckers."
I arched an eyebrow and considered if I should once again disrupt him. I decided not to after a moment's consideration, instead deciding to let it play out. It was rare that anyone would talk about the bad times of the war.
"The wreckers, we were given all the tasks they considered impossible. Once got assigned a mission to blow up the warehouses and lighthouse in Olivine you know? Made it out with four men after going in with fifteen. The brass didn't mind though. We got the job done and they loaded us up with fresh-faced punks within the week." Surge waved a hand about.
"Got used to all the others dying and having to limp back home, in the end, it was just me and the captain. Course when Visquez made captain she always made sure to be upbeat about our chances, came up with plans to make it so as many people as possible had fallback points and everything." Surge trailed off slightly, his eyes growing distant as memories took hold.
"Your daughter, you named her after this woman?" I asked rather redundantly, wanting to prod him along.
"Yup," Surge said, his smile wide as he rubbed at a scar on his wrist. "Now, the brass at the time took this as a sign that we could handle more assignments with less downtime between missions… that or that we were just getting pressed during the war and they had no choice but to call us back up. Zapdos knows I had to beat back that asshole Matt from Hoenn enough times it's a wonder I didn't kill him. That Shelly woman with him was always ready to interrupt our fights or get out," Surge said.
I blinked, surprised that I recognised the names of two Team Aqua Admin.
"Anyway, we got another mission… It ended up being the last mission we'd ever have to run with Sammy Oak stepping up a week later, but well, things were bad. You remember the stories about Legendary pokemon awakening during the end of the war? It weren't no myth, I witnessed them."
"Them?" I said.
Surge nodded. His hands moved to tap on his shoulder where I knew a sizable scar was located. "I was fighting a battle with some real hard Johto soldiers. There was enough of them that they had us pinned down. Now usually Visquez would have gotten us out of there but she got hit early in the fight by a lucky shot from them, started bleeding rather badly, I could do nothing but hold back the Johto pricks with the rest.
"Raichu and I alone must have taken out sixteen of them that day and still they came on trying to get into Vermillion so they could charge on up into Saffron where the main HQ was at the time. The fighting got so bad a freaking Zapdos swept the field shooting lightning out like it was nobody's business. It helped me stay in the fight longer but it soon left."
Surge mimed a phone with one hand. "We got on the blower and started screaming for support, other trainers, heck anybody but no one could hear us or was able to respond."
Surge shook his head. "I'm not sure what it was, but no one was coming for us anyway, so we started to drop. Hank, Dave, Charlie, Betty, Chuckie, Lave—" Surge rattled off eight names and I waited for him to announce Visquez but it never came.
"I got pushed back to where our medic was patching up whoever she could at the time, but she was running low on supplies, energy and time." Surge shifted. "I could see the writing on the wall and the sickos from Johto, they were calling out what they'd do to us, cause they knew we'd held them up long enough and weakened them enough there was no way they'd be able to make a run for HQ. They weren't the sort to pull back neither!"
Surge smiled a dark, humourless smile. "So I realised I needed to go down a blaze of glory. I charged out with Raichu, Electrode, and any pokemon I could but it wasn't enough, got crippled as I tried to make my last heroic charge."
Surge's expression hardened. "I remember how they laughed at me, telling me they'd make me watch."
Then he smiled and his face became that of a Meowth that watched his greatest rival suffer a deserving fate. "Instead I got a front-row seat to watching them getting taken in the rear. See, we'd fought long enough that a nearby group, against their commanding officer's orders, sallied out and attacked from Celadon, which was where the supplies were being kept."
I sighed knowing what was coming. "That small group fought tooth and nail and they paid a huge price for it in blood. Of their platoon, only five made it out. They rescued us and then got their asses chewed out for doing it. The CO even went as far as to hide what they'd done. They never got official medals or recognition for it and I couldn't do nothing about it with how delirious I was."
Surge sighed. "Those five men? They visited me in hospital to check on me and I thanked them for what they did and swore If they ever needed anything, I'd come and help them, no questions asked."
Surge raised his hand and counted down the fingers. "I spent three years training Blake's daughter when she was ready to go out into the world. I helped John build a house and shed for his family, ramps and specialised wheelchair carrier and everything for him. Samantha? She got a ship that I owned." He chuckled. "I won it through a poker game. Didi? She died before I could ever help her out… So I helped her family out of debt and got her kids a starter pokemon each."
Surge waggled his last finger. "Giovanni never wanted anything from me. Said he had everything but that he liked having me in his debt. I knew he was greasy when he said that, but it didn't matter; thanks to him, my platoon… what was left of them, got to see the end of the war and then some."
"And he called in your debt," I said leaning back.
I sighed, finding myself… annoyed at myself that I could understand why Surge would do what he did. In that sort of situation, it made all too much sense.
I stared up at the ceiling for a long while and sighed again before looking down. "That is entirely too believable for my liking," I said. "Although that's the issue, isn't it? How can I trust anything that comes out of your mouth after what you did?"
Surge worked his jaw a few times before looking down. "You can't Brock… I know this hits you close to home the most with how your dad—"
I raised and swung my hand through the air between us. It caused the air to 'thoom' with pressure. "No," I said firmly. We weren't going there. Actually, seeing as he'd brought it up. "You're just as bad if not worse than flint you realise?" I said.
Surge reeled back like I'd struck him and part of me felt good at that. Then he growled and my hair stood on end as if a storm was approaching. "I am nothing like that rookie reservist! I fought in battle after battle! I had people hunting for me! I wasn't putting Visquez into the spotlight before she could handle herself, even still it might be too early for her."
"Convienent," I said. "It worked out for you. Did you ever try?"
Surge's jaw worked back and forth and I knew I'd nailed another point on him. "I tried to help out with money, not like with your pa and well your ma? Don't get me—
He stopped talking as I left some of my dark energy loose. He watched me for a moment as I inhaled and exhaled.
"You don't get to comment on that. As it is, I'm not sure if your coming to help wasn't some sort of trojan hor…" I shook my head knowing I'd said too much. I cast around for something that was like a trojan horse for this world, but the pokeworld didn't have an example that I could call to mind. "The point is that I can't trust what you say. You talk a good talk but I'm not buying the Ekans oil you're selling."
"Brock, I'm not asking for anything myself, I'm asking for my daughter. She could use someone to look out for her."
"Tsk," I said. I leaned forward. "How come you signed over your Gym to her when you did? You must have known something was up."
Surge met my gaze unflinchingly. "I had a suspicion. Old wounds started to itch again like they haven't since the war, and I started looking around and finding out what was going on. I wasn't certain but… I had fears, fears that turned out to be true."
Surge put his hands on the table. "Brock, you know I'm as blunt as they come. A spade is spade and I know spades having spent a lot of time digging in with them, but when I give my word on a debt, which came about thanks to Giovanni helping my men and captain live? I wasn't going to let laws stop me. It was only when I realised I'd be going against you that I backed up and went through the motions."
Surge grimaced. "Anyone else? Lance, Lorelei on her own? Professor freaking Oak? I'd have thrown down as hard as I could."
"Not you and Sabrina though… You're good kids," Surge said.
I huffed and looked away.
"What happened to your captain?" I asked more for something to say than any actual interest.
Surge sighed. "She woke up from a coma, three weeks after the battle and… Well, she didn't remember me or much of the war. I figure that was good cause well, there wasn't a lot that was good about the war. By the end, it didn't feel like it was about winning or losing, just surviving. Visquez lives on Mikan Island these days with her husband and family. Her daughter picked up her skills and apparently runs a sort of Gym down there these days."
Surge smiled. "You fought her husband when you made your Journey through there," he said.
I blinked, realising that I had met her. She'd come up after our match and delivered tea for us.
Sabrina had looked very confused back then about the wife but hadn't been able to explain why the woman confused her. It must have been the chip in her brain that stopped Sabrina from reading her mind casually.
"Huh, small world," I said.
"Ain't it?" said Surge with a chuckle.
I eyed him. "So, what are you going to do now? Break out, or go to jail?" For a moment I wondered if the shadows in the room shifted slightly when I mentioned 'breaking out'. Surge shifted, letting me know it wasn't just me that had noticed.
"Jail I reckon," Surge said seriously. "But I have a few depots of old guns and such that I'm licensed to handle for the League." He grinned at the mirror. "Oh, whoops! I was licensed to handle! I guess I need to hand those guns, mortars, and tanks over now don't I?"
I glared. "I think it would be good if you complied with them going forward Surge."
"Oh I intend to but I also know that these sorts of things? Well, they're fluid. I'll have some forms put in front of me and a map I think. They know what I have to offer and I'll trade fair."
Surge smiled. "But I know there ain't no way I don't end up in a cell Brock."
He stood and bowed his body, uncaring of the chains that hampered the action. He kept his head down as she spoke. "Can you please help my girl with the things she doesn't know she doesn't know? There's going to be a lot of Fearow circling on her now."
I huffed. "I'll think about it," I said deciding that I had done enough. I stood and departed the cell. "See you around Surge," I said over my shoulder.
"I hope so Brock, I hope so," Surge said with a tinge of something.
I looked back and locked eyes with Surge and he offered me another bow that seemed so strange. It was weird to see the proud man with his head bowed to me.
I stepped up and the door buzzed open for me before shutting. I glanced at the people who had been watching the drama play out. "That good enough for you?" I asked the room at large.
Looker nodded, his eyes darting down to a stack of papers that had black lines all through them in various points. "Yes, yes I think that worked out wonderfully. We have confirmation and a high rate of accuracy. I think we can accept his rationale for his acts now."
"Hmmm motive, you mean," said the League official. "The courts will—"
"Surge can't ever see a public courtroom. Any knowledge of his involvement with the Wreckers might see certain groups seeking to kill him, his family and torture information about other members out of him. International criminals like Team Aqua are one such example. Lance will accept a deal for anything else he knows," Looker said firmly.
I huffed. It was playing out precisely how Surge thought it would. Guess you can't trick an old hound like that.
"I think I'll head off unless there is anything else you want from me," I said moving towards the door.
Jenny darted over to stop me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Are you alright?"
I gave her a quirk of the lips. "I think I will be," I said.
She nodded and let me go after giving me a quick hug.
I marched out of the hallway only to encounter Sabrina waiting for me on a couch. "I heard you were here, want to go home?"
I nodded. Sabrina and I vanished in a flash of light. I lay on my bed with Sabrina on my chest running through the events of the day. I was emotionally spent and just ready for this day to be done and over with.
Eventually, Sabrina stood to have a shower. I stayed where I was, tossing around what I should do.
It had been… about what I expected. I wasn't overly surprised by anything, it all just… Fit in a way that I hadn't known it would. It all made too much sense that Surge and Giovanni would have known each other.
It was awfully fortuitous of Giovanni to get Surge in his debt like that, but it made sense.
I sighed and raised my Xtransciever, staring at the contact details for the Vermillion Gym. I really had enough on my plate. These days even with the trainer surge having moved along.
… which likely meant Visquez was in the thick of it right now.
I dialled the number and found myself annoyed despite myself. Sabrina must have detected something as a gentle pressure squeezed my arm, causing me to twitch for a moment only to relax as I realised what was going on.
"Hello? Uhm this is the Vermillion Gym?" said a young woman. I stared at the tanned features and noted how some of them matched Surge's.
"Hey, " I said for lack of anything better.
"Oh! Gym Leader Brock! I was hoping you'd call! Dad said you might!" she said with a grin that died away.
I felt a pang of sadness. She smiled like him. She rubbed the back of her head in a sheepish manner that was all too familiar to me. "Sorry if he caused a big mess. He wasn't all too clear on what he was doing, just that it might go south… seeing as I haven't heard from him and the League is sniffing around I guess that was about right. He wouldn't tell me what was going on cause of something about plausible deniability."
She blushed. "Sorry! I'm babbling," she said only to break off with a yawn that ripped out of her. She yawned so wide that all of her teeth were on display. " Sorry! I get this way when I'm tired."
"I see," I said. "I was calling to… check in on you. I spoke with Surge earlier."
"Oh? You did?" The girl squirmed. "Did he talk about me at all?"
"A fair amount actually," I said truthfully. "He asked for me to check in with you," I said neutrally.
She tilted her head at that and hummed. "Oh! Right cause you run a really solid Gym and I need to look after things for him while he's away," she said and I had to frown.
"I don't think he's going to be back," I said. "You…" I considered telling her that she should have the League set up a talk with him but that would send her into the deep end for something highly emotional. It was best she heard from me what happened and then she could make up her mind.
"So—" I laid out how things had gone down to Visquez and she remained quiet.
By the time Sabrina was done in the shower, I had hung up and Sabrina gave me a look. "So? What's she going to do?"
I smirked. "She's heading up to the League to beat the hell out of Surge for being a deadbeat," I said with a chuckle.
Surge had been right, she and I were going to get along pretty well. Right now we were united in being annoyed at him
I sighed and stretched, letting myself relax. "Seems like there's going to be a lot of change happening this year," I said as Sabrina slipped into bed with me.
"Change is always happening," she murmured.
"Ain't that the kicker," I said, agreeing with her.
I shut my eyes and let sleep claim me as I relaxed.
Change might be constant but that wasn't a bad thing. Things were settled as much as they could be.
I'd still be here though and I'd make the most of what was to come.
For now, that meant advancing up the Ace rankings.
A.N. Thanks go to my patreons for your continued support.
It also goes to Twmmy for betaing this chapter.
Surge is a man of honor and he owed Giovani way way to much to not repay him, but he still made his choice. Brock being more hurt by this compared to Flint makes sense since it wasn't that Surge broke under the pressure it's that he valued a debt more then he valued their relationship.
Surge all things considered did right by his daughter though, he made sure that she had some really good support when she's taking over the gym. It's kinda poetic that Brock is mentoring the daughter of the man who mentored him.
Surge all things considered did right by his daughter though, he made sure that she had some really good support when she's taking over the gym. It's kinda poetic that Brock is mentoring the daughter of the man who mentored him.
There's probably also a factor of him having seen it coming with Flint. He knew how things were "supposed" to go, so he expected Flint to run off. With Surge... it was unexpected and the wounds are still very raw.
Aside from that, I think Brock unconsciously think of Surge as a father figure more than Flint as Surge was basically the one who watch him grow from a kid that got forced out of his travels where he would mature to the respectable gym leader that he is right now.
xbox432
Lover of Editing
This is physically impossible. By Surge's own words he didn't even know his daughter existed until she was 12 and kicked in his door.
Why would she "hear he was here"? She KNEW he was here because she was the one who dropped him off. Hell, didn't Brock tell Lance to send him transportation? With Sabrina being in high demand, wouldn't Lance have sent a League Psychic to pick him up rather than getting Sabrina to do it?
- Location
- Scotland
Brock should already now have a reputation of being the guy you want to come back and fight before even thinking of going after the Elite Four. After all, he took on Lance and won, plus he's seriously moving up the Ace Trainer ranks.
I enjoy these slices of how horrific the war was, it really sells why everyone was ready to just repress it as hard as they could on an unprecedented international level. I feel like Giovanni could have been explored in a more multi-faceted way like this earlier but I'm glad to see it now and Surge comes out very nicely as a complex but very human character.
In a way it's making the Will Arc better in retrospect as well. In contrast to the war-generation villains his motivations are just so petty that it hurts, and maybe that's the point?
In a way it's making the Will Arc better in retrospect as well. In contrast to the war-generation villains his motivations are just so petty that it hurts, and maybe that's the point?
- Location
- Scotland
Frankly the more I hear of this Pokemon War the more I have to think of some unholy amalgamation of both World Wars crossed with the fact that not only are your fellow humans trying their damnedest to kill you but Mother Nature herself has said "Fuck All of You" as well.
Also, I agree that it really does also put into perspective just how much of a shallow little dick Will really is. He wanted fame, fortune and everything that goes with it but on some level I think he knew that while he was talented he knew that he wasn't talented enough to get what he wanted through even mostly legitimate means so he turned to Team Rocket and the most despicable, underhanded and Downright Dirty methods he felt he could get away with to get what he wanted. Now it's all backfired on him and all his hopes and dreams have vanished like a mirage, good riddance says I.
- Location
- Canada
Yano, her name sake likely had a larger impact than just Surge's own life.
Artwork by Ozlyk - The Storm Speaks - Contains spoiler for Chapter 172
Wtf. I can see his eyes.The following artwork is big and is from Ozlyk having been inspired by the recently released chapter.
- Location
- Texas
This story has been blessed with a lot of great fanart.
Akatsunami
The Bonetatoist
- Location
- Brazil
Now he has learned to mega evolve his pokemon, he can use the mega stones in his pants to mega evolve himself.
Chapter 174 - Ace battle! Fields of green!
Viva01
Uncomfortable with all the hugs he is given
- Location
- Australia
I arrived at the field for the proposed ace match with a small entourage of Rachel, Missy, A.J, and Dennis.
Tori had her own entourage with them, having arrived with the Plains and Meadows Co. It was amusing that an entire business sector revolved around providing battlefields for pokemon trainers.
I glanced over to the cameramen, who had a small rig set up to allow them to float thanks to a trio of Magneton that each cameraman had. Another pair of Magneton held cameras and seemed to act like drones would in the future.
"Welcome battlers!" said the Plains and Meadows representative.
She offered a bow to Tori and me with a wide smile. "Thank you for choosing our humble facility for your match today!" she said. "I understand that you have both agreed on a specific region of our meadow battlefield today?" she said, indicating the area around herself.
Tori nodded quickly but I had to tilt my head. Something about what she had just said.
"Is that not how it's usually done?" I asked.
Tori coughed and looked away while the representative blinked. "Well, there's not a true method, but the norm that most trainers using our facilities is to do a shared matching first."
At a gesture from me, she kept talking. "We would meet in the office on Route Eight where you would each select five sites. If any sites matched they would be put up on offer, if no sites were matching you could then select a randomised battlefield or narrow down options and try to match once more."
The representative made a sweeping gesture. "It is not an issue at all though, as long as you both agree to the site and are willing to go ahead." She then coughed something quickly that sounded like "a small fee will still be required to pay due to our terms and conditions," but I couldn't be certain of that.
I scratched the back of my head. "Huh, looks like my understanding was off, but then again I've not been a regular on the Ace scene till this year so I suppose there is bound to be some information I'm not aware of." I glanced at Tori who seemed to have relaxed now that it was obvious that I wasn't annoyed by this.
"We're still doing the specific selection first though right?" I said, checking that my information wasn't entirely out of date.
Tori nodded seriously, and I hummed before turning and giving the meadow around us a serious look.
Tori's group broke apart and a number of them started jabbing poles into the ground that lit up with green, blue, or red lights.
A.J. squinted after them. "What are they doing?" he asked suspiciously.
"They're checking the nutrition of the soil," I said casually, waving for them to jog along with me in a lopping run.
"So they're going to be setting up for Grass types then?" he said after a few minutes, jumping straight to the heart of the matter.
I nodded. "Yup, one thing to consider with matches like this is if you start testing for things too obviously you make it very clear what you're aiming for. The gadgets? You don't really need that if you have a good eye for soil."
"And you do!" said Missy with glee.
I snorted. "Nope! But I've been to Erika's Gym enough times to know what excellent soil quality looks and feels like," I said, signalling a pause to push my fingers into the ground before waving them on. A.J. and Missy hurried to copy me and I rattled off what was and wasn't good, to feel in soil. Then I started taking large bounding strides where I began landing heavily and trying to skid every ten metres or so.
"The ground's a bit rubbery, soft, and nutrient-rich here," I commented over one particular patch, making a mental note of where it was.
When I got into some long grass, I paused and glanced around to see what the viewing angles into and out would be like. Then I led my group over to the single tree on the field that was included in our space.
I ran a circuit and then doubled back, taking in the lay of the land, where it was low, where it offered good vantage points, and where it would hide certain details from an opponent.
I nodded to myself eventually and clapped my hands together. "Well, she's gotten herself a good site," I said nodding my head towards Tori.
Missy frowned. "But you only dug your hands into like five spots?" she asked, confused by my cavalier statement.
A.J. snorted. "Yeah, but her group have stabbed those sticks everywhere, right?"
I pointed at him and nodded. "Good instincts and eyes there A.J." I said, pleased that he'd picked up on things. I then made sure to clarify to Missy so she wasn't left out of the loop.
"If the other group is openly testing for something like that, you don't need to waste your time doing so yourself. You can look for other things that suit you. This entire meadow suits Tori, she's just being a perfectionist and looking for the best site. Not unless they were faking us out, but that was what I'd actually been checking those five areas for originally," I said, causing both my protege trainers to make noises of understanding.
"So she's going to be relying heavily on her Grass type pokemon, isn't she?" A.J. said.
"Yup!" I said, making sure to pop the p. "Should make for a fun fight. Now, run over there for me, will you please?" I waved for him to sprint up to the other side of the meadow and back before pointing in another direction for Missy to do the same. They both didn't question it and when they got back I nodded my head.
"Slight downhill from this point," I said, glancing at the tree off to the side. I clicked my tongue a little and then nodded. "Let's see what we can get." I waved to Tori and indicated I had my selection ready which caused her group to begin hurrying up.
One thing that I had brushed over quickly during my recent lesson was that you only had fifteen minutes total to look over the area. As soon as one person indicated they were good to go, the other side had to wrap up their own tests within a minute to keep things moving along.
I watched her team hurriedly dash up to her and give their assessment with a furious whisper. A few of them eyed me and my group before gesturing at where we'd run and where I was positioned at the moment.
Tori quickly wrapped things up and joined me near the representative.
"I have observed your assessment; is everything to your liking?" the representative said with a placid smile. When we both nodded she pointed to our transceivers.
"You have each received a link to set out the battlefield where you desire. Please make your selections and we will do our best to include your area. If a discrepancy occurs, the average of each site will be used instead," said the representative.
I raised up my transceiver and selected the area I wanted straight away.
Tori and the representative stared at me. "You… Gym Leader Brock you understand you have another few minutes to separate and make your selection, don't you?" said the representative.
I paused. I hadn't known that, and what she said made a lot of sense.
I decided to fall back on audacity. "Ah, sorry, I just… don't mind?" I said with a playful shrug.
Tori narrowed her eyes and glanced at her own map. She could probably see where I'd selected, but now she could skew the field if she wanted.
She swallowed, glanced at her own, waiting entourage and then straightened her spine. "This is my own selection," she said. She then picked an area almost identical to mine that saw us both on opposite sides of a small gully with the tree to one side of the field.
I smiled and nodded like that was what I'd planned for all along. The representative sent us on our way to confer one last time with our groups.
Missy tilted her head. "So where are you going to…" she blinked at me as I rubbed my head sheepishly. "Oh, you already made the selection, didn't you?"
I nodded and everyone blinked at me. Dennis coughed but it sounded more like a repressed laugh to me. I shot him a look and he wouldn't meet my eyes.
A.J. shifted from foot to foot. "What're you talking about?" he said, and Missy filled him in on how things were supposed to go.
Rachel shot me an amused look upon hearing this. "Going to have to make sure you're up to date on that one when you teach it, aren't you?" she said teasingly.
I huffed. "If I had been teaching it I think I would have done better. I would have researched it more."
Rachel raised an eyebrow as if to say and you didn't for today? I could only grimace. I'd done a cursory look into how things worked but there was obviously a lot more to this than I'd assumed.
This was a mistake that I was going to get away with by playing confident. It felt… well it felt a little good to be able to get away with the mistake, but I would personally rather have been in the position that never needed to bluff like that.
It was a bit of a wake-up call that there was more to fighting Ace battles, than I had assumed.
"So, about your match tomorrow," Rachel said leadingly.
"I'll review the facilities to make sure they're not too different tonight." I shot a glance toward Tori. "Our analysis for her and her team still holds up, however," I said, refocusing. As we spoke, I noticed that the cameramen had taken themselves for a walk before shooting into position to hover on one side, while another hovered up into the air behind where Tori would be. They created a small white boxed outline that would be for where either I or Tori would stand during the match.
The representative clapped her hands. "It is time dear combatants! I shall be your referee, please have your entourages withdraw to the viewing rooms in our base facilities," she said. A pair of Hypno appeared with a flash of Teleport and the two groups soon departed, leaving me and Tori to face off.
"Flip for call?" Tori asked waving a hand to either starting point. I glanced between them, not seeing a huge difference beyond orientation.
I shrugged. "Lady's choice," I said, deciding to be magnanimous.
She stared at me for a long moment and I got the feeling I'd made another faux pas without meaning to.
"Hmmm so you're that confident then?" Her eyes narrowed and she waved to one position while I scratched my head sheepishly before turning to my own group and marching over.
From my spot, the tree that I'd been eying was to my left and just within the field of play.
Otherwise, there were no huge differences or points to worry about beyond the slope. The grass wasn't long enough here to offer any blindspots but that didn't mean a dedicated grass type couldn't boost the growth and see the field become much more difficult for me.
"Trainers! Are you ready?" called the referee.
I glanced over Tori and she had her chin slightly raised in defiance. There was also a slight smirk on her lips like she knew something I didn't.
I merely smiled back and palmed my first choice for today.
"Release!" shouted the referee and I hurled out my first pokemon in time with Tori.
"Go Zephyr!" I called.
"Brelo—" Tori started to say only for some very unladylike words to escape her mouth as her Breloom appeared. "Fuck nuggets!" she said as she spotted Zephyr, my Noctowl, taking to the sky.
I cocked an eyebrow. She was expecting something else, wasn't she?
"Zephyr use—" I started to say only for Tori to not hesitate. Instead of trying to match her grass-fighting against my normal-flying type, she went for something else with a quick recall.
I twitched in surprise at the speed of her reaction before readjusting the order I'd been giving. "—CM!" I ordered.
Zephyr flapped his wings serenely and a glow formed around him as he performed Calm Mind.
Tori narrowed her eyes as she popped out another pokemon. "Let's try this out! Go Jolteon!" she shouted, sending out a much more favourable match-up for her.
I hummed, considered it and then stabbed my hand forward. "Hypno!" I called, deciding that I would commit instead of trading out Zephyr. I'd been expecting her Raichu as an answer to Zephyr, but this would still work for me.
"Blast them!" shouted Tori. Her Jolteon flashed with a powerful burst of lightning that shot up only to come down a moment later.
"Dip into AA!" I barked. Zephyr tucked a wing and flew to the left allowing himself to fall just into the canopy of the tree as Jolteon's Thunder descended.
The tree exploded. Branches flew every which way and shrapnel flew freely. With the sawdust of the tree's destruction hiding Zephyr's fate Tori could only lean forward in anticipation.
A moment later, she gasped in surprise as Zephyr appeared in a burst of speed directly behind Jolteon. Zephyr slammed himself into Jolteon and then held him down with a large claw, forcing Jolteon to lock gazes.
Zephyr's eyes glowed and pulsed with Hypnosis.
"Jolteon! Discharge!" Tori screamed only for her pokemon to weakly twitch and slump as sleep claimed it.
"Ah damn it!" she said only to grin. "Sleep talk!" she said with a grin as her asleep pokemon out of nowhere sparked up and unleashed a powerful blast of lightning.
"Win—" I tried to order Zephyr to plant his wings with Steel Wing but was nowhere near quick enough forcing Zephyr to tank a super effective attack.
When the lightning died away Zephyr was revealed, ruffled and twitching in pain but still standing tall. "Dream Eater," I said, making as much of Jolteon's state as I could.
"Sleep Talk again!" said Tori deciding to back her pokemon.
We both leaned forward as Zephyr created a link of energy between himself and Jolteon energy coursing its way into him.
Jolteon twitched and a gleam of energy built up around him and I exhaled in relief. Agility, her pokemon had ended up using Agility instead of frying my pokemon.
Tori clicked her tongue and whipped up her pokeball. "I withdraw Jolteon from the match!" she declared quickly.
I had to mentally applaud her for acting decisively. She would allow me a free move, yes, but she wouldn't allow Zephyr back to full health with another Dream Eater.
Zephyr could only glower as Jolteon was removed from the field with the referee declaring that I'd gone one up.
I looked Zephyr over. He still looked very rough and I would have to pull him out for the moment. He wasn't in a good condition to be fighting against something fresh. It was better to save him.
I raised his pokeball. "Return Zephyr," I said.
Tori grimaced and let her hands glide across her pokebelt in thought. With her pulling her pokemon out first, I would have a small buffer to send out my next pokemon in response to her choice.
She clicked her tongue and sent out a green and white pokemon that I barely got a glimpse of before it dashed into the tallest grass it could. It wasn't tall enough and my earlier decision to force Tori to wrap up her assessment of the field was paying dividends.
If she'd moved the field off, away from the tree, she would have gotten some longer grass that she could hide pokemon in.
"Go Don," I said, happy to match an Aerodactyl against a Shifty that, despite its speed, was easily visible thanks to being too tall to hide in the grass.
Tori sighed and set her jaw. "Of course you brought that brute!" she called out to me.
I shrugged, pleased that our read on her team was good. She'd been trying to game me with a number of grass types due to my reliance on rock-water pokemon.
Sadly for her, I had the answer for that with two of my pokemon and another few answers if she tried to use a fighting type against me.
"Icy Wind!" called Tori to start things off.
"Trips D!" I shouted and Don responded by plummeting.
Just before he hit the ground, his wings snapped open and he swept back up with a rush to arc his way out of danger from the Icy Wind where he could perform his Dragon Dance uninterrupted.
Tori locked eyes with me glaring her defiance. "One more time!" she said, stabbing her hands forward.
"Fly high Don!" I called.
Don slammed his wings into the ground and practically bounced into the sky.
I was taken by surprise when Shiftry didn't unleash another Icy Wind but instead held an arm aloft where an orb of bright light started to form.
Ah, she'd tricked me into a fake order. It was something that she must have practised.
That hadn't been something our scouting had picked up, I thought to myself. I'd have to make sure to start looking out for such tactics.
I had no doubt that my own 'Go' order was well known by now throughout the Ace rankings. I would need to learn some of the tricks of the other higher-ranked Ace trainers if I wanted to keep advancing. I gave Tori a smile and a nod, acknowledging her tactic.
With Don up high and Shiftry empowered I found myself at a bit of a standoff. Closing would be a challenge. Especially if Shiftry had Chlorophyll as its special ability.
I held a hand and whistled. I clenched me fist, holding it up high to give Don the his order instead of shouting. Chances were he'd be able to hear me, but I could stall out Tori by obscuring the command
Don got off another Dragon Dance, and I grinned as Tori scowled.
She shot her hand up and Shifty didn't hesitate as she gave her next command. "Blast them!" she said, her eyes narrowed on the still high-flying Don. Shifty raised its hands and unleashed a powerful beam of grass energy that lit up the field.
"Hard drop," I shouted even as the Solar Beam soared upwards.
Don stared down the oncoming beam nd I felt a trickle of fear. Was he going to stare it down and play chicken with it?
Moments before it slammed into him he tucked a wing and this time locked himself into as small a profile as possible. Solar Beam blew past him and I exhaled while Tori cursed.
A shrill whistle rang out as Don dove straight down. Tori flinched at the surprising noise.
Don couldn't usually pull off such a fast drop, but thanks to two applications of Dragon Dance he was incredibly fast. Shifty had enough time to drop the Solar Beam only for Don to sweep in with his wings snapping out wide.
Shifty kicked off the ground to lessen the damage but Don wouldn't be denied as he swept past Shiftry, his wing slamming into his foe's body and buckling the grass type with a super-effective move.
Shiftry dropped to his knees and gasped in shock only to collapse onto its face. Tori swore. "Shit! What are you feeding these pokemon? Shiftry shouldn't be going down like that! He's one of my strongest pokemon."
I nodded, knowing that Don wasn't even one of the top six strongest for me these days. He offered me a lot of versatility, however and with his showing now, he was in a much stronger position. "As is Don," I replied.
She blinked. "I mean… I guess? But this strong?" she said as she returned her pokemon.
I smiled. "I've been pushing my pokemon for a good while. Often the Elite pokemon in my roster have to face off against an entire team." I shrugged. "It's not all the time and not often, but my earlier creation of a prestige badge? It's given my pokemon results to keep up their training. Don there? He has a lot of pride. He trains hard so he can keep sweeping trainers. That might not be the case this year though. There's a lot more attention coming our way."
Don screeched his disagreement and a glint entered his eyes that let me know he would be working twice as hard at the next few training sessions. He glared at Tori and the girl stepped back before stiffening her resolve.
The referee coughed politely. "The score is zero to two in Brock's favour," she said, prompting a response from Tori.
Tori rolled her shoulders and slapped her cheeks with her hands making them glow red. "Alright, time to dig deep," she said, selecting her next pokemon.
I leaned forward feeling my anticipation building. She'd pressured me a few times now so I had to keep my guard up. What else was she going to bring to the fight?
"Go Starmie!" she barked, throwing out the water-psychic pokemon.
It appeared with a flash and a quick gleam but I wasn't too worried about the type advantage, not with Don being buffed like he was.
"Bubblebeam!" ordered Tori. Her pokemon spun and from around it, a wall of bubbles formed that began to waft outward.
Hmmm, this was a new spin on the use of bubbles on the battlefield. It was rather well-controlled as well…
"Don! Spin to win!" I said, twisting my hands as I did so.
Don grinned evilly as he swept his wings out wide and began to rotate in the air. Around him, a torrent of wind began to build until there was soon a sizeable Hurricane that pushed back all the bubbles.
Don surged forward sweeping the Hurricane through where Starmie had been.
Interestingly I didn't see Starmie anywhere once the wall of bubbles was cleared from the field.
I narrowed my eyes. There must have been a quick set-up there. What had she done? Substituted? Mirage? Or…
I clicked my tongue in annoyance as I saw something tiny shift before I lost track of it.
She'd used Minimize.
I swept my gaze about the field only to not see anything that gave away if Don's Hurricane had impacted Tori's Starmie. Damn, it apparently hadn't been big enough.
Well, I had options for that. "Return for now Don! Let's go Shin!" I said quickly pulling Don out of there for someone with a few wider attacks.
As Shin took to the stage I kept a sharp eye out for a flicker of energy, a twitch of the grass. Something to reveal where Tori was hiding her pokemon.
"Hydro Pump!" shouted Tori as Shin formed. From the grass that I'd dismissed earlier, a huge torrent of water shot forward.
"Jet out of there!" I barked, sweeping my hand wide. Shin responded by instantly launching himself out of danger. I locked my gaze on the grassy patch and stabbed a hand at it.
"Bubblebeam again! Move around Starmie!" shouted Tori, suddenly seeming like she had a lot more control of this match than she'd had moments ago.
I frowned. So she was going to play keep away was she?
"Aqua Jet with your blades out!" I said making a zigzagging pattern. Shin swept forward, blades out to cut through the grass with his passing, leaving it well-trimmed and scattered behind him with each sweep.
Shin dodged once again and I was forced to grind my teeth. Come on, think, think! What could I do to disrupt this without putting my stronger pokemon in danger? Minimize caused some moves to hit with double damage, but that was only if they hit! I needed something big.
"Surf," I ordered, deciding to go for a full field effect that Starmie would be caught up in or have to deny. I leaned forward ready for any response only to be surprised as the Surf swept forward faster than I had anticipated.
Ah, that would be the slight gulley we're standing on, wouldn't it? The wave surged down and then straight into the other side where it splashed down heavily.
That… had been rather impressive; I hadn't considered the physics of Surf but that had rather played into my favour just now.
Tori scowled. "Thunder!" she barked and from the splash zone a bolt of lightning shot up and then back down to Shin.
"Metal Claw," I responded.
Shin stabbed his claws into the earth to avoid the worst of the powerful electric attack. Shin endured it and emerged from the powerful attack still smoking.
"Aqua Jet to the other side!" I barked, realising that I could really make use of the terrain here, especially if Tori hadn't moved her pokemon.
Tori stiffened as Shin bolted in close to her, only to turn .She was already starting to understanding what I wanted.
"Surf!" I roared. Shin wept his claws out behind him a wave rising up as he did so bearing him up high.
"Thunder!" responded Tori.
From both our pokemon, powerful attacks swept forward only to clash with water sweeping forward as lightning wracked Shin and hurled him from the wave.
The wave still crashed home and I now had a good idea where Starmie must be.
Shin fell to the ground with a defeated sigh and I bowed my head. His matchup had been a horrorible exchange, but thanks to his efforts, no other pokemon were going to fall to this trick.
I returned him and hurled out my next pokemon without waiting.
I didn't want Tori to have a second to shift her pokemon out from where the wave would have pushed it on the field.
Sanchez hit the ground with his hands raised to the sky. "Go Go Lem!" he shouted, only to blink when there was no response from an opposing pokemon. "Lem?" he said uncertainly.
"No time for that! Discharge!" I barked, and he responded with a powerful wave of lightning that swept over the area around him, only to catch out Starmie.
"Yes!" I shouted, pumping my fist.
I hadn't been able to pick where it had been during the earlier exchanges but by pushing Starmie into my side of the field, I'd denied Tori any chance to escape from an area of attack move.
"Again!" I said, deciding to make sure of it. Sanchez exploded with lightning again and I saw a spark flash onto a certain area.
I pointed and was about to order another attack only for Tori to raise her pokeball and return the now-revealed Starmie. "I withdraw Starmie!" she shouted.
I settled back and exhaled my tension. Yes, that had been more like it!
"Go… go?" said Sanchez with an oddly withdrawn tone. I blinked and glanced down to find him looking about with a lost expression. What was he… I blinked as I realised what he was doing.
"Sanchez! We're fighting in a specialised field! We're being broadcast through the cameras! Wave to your fans!" I said pointing to the two cameramen.
Sanchez instantly perked up and I had to laugh incredulously. I should have realised not having a crowd to hype him up might have impacted him. It was an interesting point to take note of, but Sanchez did feed off a crowd.
"Go Breloom!" shouted Tori. I shook off my idle thoughts and got myself back in the fight. Fighting grass against rock-electric? Alright, this I could do.
"Stealth Rock," I said, sweeping my hand and surprising Tori by going defensive.
"Close in!" ordered Tori and her Breloom bounced forward with its fists and legs primed to punish Don.
"Dig dip!" I barked right before Breloom could get close enough to actually injure Sanchez. Sanchez rolled himself to the side only to fall to the ground where he vanished into a quickly closing tunnel behind himself.
He then popped back up close behind Breloom. "Go lem!" said Sanchez with the air of a professional Tauros fighter.
Breloom didn't bother turning but merely kicked back, launching itself back towards Sanchez.
In mid-air, the Breloom flipped and led with its foot slamming into Sanchez's face.
I winced. That had been a good play, I'd not been expecting that from the mushroom kangaroo.
Sanchez flew back from the strike before getting to his feet while adjusting his moustache. "Golem!" he said with a grin.
Breloom twitched and swept its tail from side to side.
I considered the match-up and what Sanchez had for moves. I considered raising his pokeball before my eyes fell upon the Stealth Rocks.
Hmm, that could work for an advantage. "Stealth Rock," I said, amused that the power of Breloom's kick was now working against it.
"Seed Bomb!" shouted Tori, chopping her hand towards Sanchez.
Sanchez got off another Stealth rock before diving into the earth to evade the super-effective attack. When he emerged he did so with one of his knees buckling, revealing that the explosion of grass energy had still gotten him, even if slightly.
I quickly raised my pokemon and returned him. "I withdraw him!" I said, deciding to give Tori the respect she was owed. She'd taken down two of my pokemon now.
I grabbed Don's pokeball and flicked it out. He re-emerged with a glower that soon turned vindictive when his eyes alighted on Breloom.
Tori considered returning her pokemon but I could see she had doubts with Stealth Rock on the field now. I grinned. I had her right where I wanted her now.
It had been a while, but Stealth Rock set-up was still a strong play. I'd have to keep that in mind going forward.
"Don, soar up high!" I said and once again Don rose up to glare at the Breloom.
Breloom got off a quick buff that I didn't recognise. I wasn't too worried. I dropped my hand and once more Don tucked his wings and streamlined himself.
Once again, the wind screamed as he tore through it like a bullet. Before Tori or Breloom could react Don slammed into his target and Breloom was hurled away.
The referee raised a flag straight away when Breloom failed to so much as twitch. "Breloom is unable to battle! The match is now four to two!"
Tori gritted her teeth and shot a glare towards the Stealth Rocks on the field along with Don as he beat his wings in anticipation. "Screeeeh!" he said in challenge.
Tori palmed another pokeball and I found myself nodding as she sent out her next pokemon to face me.
It didn't last long as I went for no mercy. As soon as the pokemon was out the Stealth Rocks slammed into the Machoke. Don then slammed into it with a Wing Attack to topple it.
Tori inhaled sharply and shut her eyes. She then shook her head and returned her pokemon before calling out her last pokemon.
"Go! Nidoqueen!" she said, releasing what we'd identified as her starter pokemon.
I felt a speck of pity for her as the Stealth Rocks closed in on her pokemon. She shrugged them off admirably, but she wasn't able to shrug off Don's follow-up attack.
I merely punched my fist forward while Nidoqueen was distracted. "Go!" I said with an air of finality.
Tori had a second to realise what was coming only to be unable to react as Don unleashed a powerful Hyper Beam upon Nidoqueen.
When the dust cleared it revealed a downed pokemon and Don announced his victory with a high-pitched screech.
I grinned. That had been a much harder fight than a good deal of other matches I'd had of late, some of that was due to my own mistakes, but it also revealed a level of tactics that I would need to be careful of. That Minimize could have been troublesome to deal with.
It was a good thing I was learning about this now and not during a tournament where I might be more restricted.
I glanced over the torn-up field.
I'd need to do a lengthy review after this.
My pokemon had stood up well, better than well honestly. Zephyr and Shin had outlasted some moves that should have put them in the ground. It seemed the training was paying off with them being a cut above.
I just needed to make sure I made the most of their strength. I had made more than a few mistakes this match and Tori had exposed a possible weakness with my pokemon. I needed ways to deal with Minimize better than I had. That, or I'd have to take a pokemon dropping each time. It was worth thinking about. As much as a perfect sweep was a great thing to have, it wasn't the end goal, victory was.
I marched forward to clap hands with Tori for the good match.
"Good match," I said.
"You too," she said with a shake of her head. "I'm surprised there's such a gap in our pokemon. Guess having lots of pattles really can make a difference," she said.
"You had some good strategies that had me scrambling and a good read on which pokemon to use. I just anticipated what you were doing." I nodded at the torn up field. "You made it kind of obvious you were going for a Grass heavy team," I said.
Tori stared at me. "You realise I might challenge you again right?"
"Yeah? And?" I said, tilting my head to the side.
Tori sighed. "This isn't like the Gym circuit Brock, giving hints to people, especially in the higher ranks is going to bite you in the backside eventually."
I laughed sheepishly. "Well we're both learning something then!" I said, causing her to snort in amusement before bowing and waving off. I met up with my own team, chatting idly about how the match had gone, but not really giving it the attention it was due.
Most of my attention was turned towards tomorrow's match.
A.N. Thanks go to my patreons for their continued support.
It also goes to Twmmy for betaing this chapter and offering some helpful additions.
Tori had her own entourage with them, having arrived with the Plains and Meadows Co. It was amusing that an entire business sector revolved around providing battlefields for pokemon trainers.
I glanced over to the cameramen, who had a small rig set up to allow them to float thanks to a trio of Magneton that each cameraman had. Another pair of Magneton held cameras and seemed to act like drones would in the future.
"Welcome battlers!" said the Plains and Meadows representative.
She offered a bow to Tori and me with a wide smile. "Thank you for choosing our humble facility for your match today!" she said. "I understand that you have both agreed on a specific region of our meadow battlefield today?" she said, indicating the area around herself.
Tori nodded quickly but I had to tilt my head. Something about what she had just said.
"Is that not how it's usually done?" I asked.
Tori coughed and looked away while the representative blinked. "Well, there's not a true method, but the norm that most trainers using our facilities is to do a shared matching first."
At a gesture from me, she kept talking. "We would meet in the office on Route Eight where you would each select five sites. If any sites matched they would be put up on offer, if no sites were matching you could then select a randomised battlefield or narrow down options and try to match once more."
The representative made a sweeping gesture. "It is not an issue at all though, as long as you both agree to the site and are willing to go ahead." She then coughed something quickly that sounded like "a small fee will still be required to pay due to our terms and conditions," but I couldn't be certain of that.
I scratched the back of my head. "Huh, looks like my understanding was off, but then again I've not been a regular on the Ace scene till this year so I suppose there is bound to be some information I'm not aware of." I glanced at Tori who seemed to have relaxed now that it was obvious that I wasn't annoyed by this.
"We're still doing the specific selection first though right?" I said, checking that my information wasn't entirely out of date.
Tori nodded seriously, and I hummed before turning and giving the meadow around us a serious look.
Tori's group broke apart and a number of them started jabbing poles into the ground that lit up with green, blue, or red lights.
A.J. squinted after them. "What are they doing?" he asked suspiciously.
"They're checking the nutrition of the soil," I said casually, waving for them to jog along with me in a lopping run.
"So they're going to be setting up for Grass types then?" he said after a few minutes, jumping straight to the heart of the matter.
I nodded. "Yup, one thing to consider with matches like this is if you start testing for things too obviously you make it very clear what you're aiming for. The gadgets? You don't really need that if you have a good eye for soil."
"And you do!" said Missy with glee.
I snorted. "Nope! But I've been to Erika's Gym enough times to know what excellent soil quality looks and feels like," I said, signalling a pause to push my fingers into the ground before waving them on. A.J. and Missy hurried to copy me and I rattled off what was and wasn't good, to feel in soil. Then I started taking large bounding strides where I began landing heavily and trying to skid every ten metres or so.
"The ground's a bit rubbery, soft, and nutrient-rich here," I commented over one particular patch, making a mental note of where it was.
When I got into some long grass, I paused and glanced around to see what the viewing angles into and out would be like. Then I led my group over to the single tree on the field that was included in our space.
I ran a circuit and then doubled back, taking in the lay of the land, where it was low, where it offered good vantage points, and where it would hide certain details from an opponent.
I nodded to myself eventually and clapped my hands together. "Well, she's gotten herself a good site," I said nodding my head towards Tori.
Missy frowned. "But you only dug your hands into like five spots?" she asked, confused by my cavalier statement.
A.J. snorted. "Yeah, but her group have stabbed those sticks everywhere, right?"
I pointed at him and nodded. "Good instincts and eyes there A.J." I said, pleased that he'd picked up on things. I then made sure to clarify to Missy so she wasn't left out of the loop.
"If the other group is openly testing for something like that, you don't need to waste your time doing so yourself. You can look for other things that suit you. This entire meadow suits Tori, she's just being a perfectionist and looking for the best site. Not unless they were faking us out, but that was what I'd actually been checking those five areas for originally," I said, causing both my protege trainers to make noises of understanding.
"So she's going to be relying heavily on her Grass type pokemon, isn't she?" A.J. said.
"Yup!" I said, making sure to pop the p. "Should make for a fun fight. Now, run over there for me, will you please?" I waved for him to sprint up to the other side of the meadow and back before pointing in another direction for Missy to do the same. They both didn't question it and when they got back I nodded my head.
"Slight downhill from this point," I said, glancing at the tree off to the side. I clicked my tongue a little and then nodded. "Let's see what we can get." I waved to Tori and indicated I had my selection ready which caused her group to begin hurrying up.
One thing that I had brushed over quickly during my recent lesson was that you only had fifteen minutes total to look over the area. As soon as one person indicated they were good to go, the other side had to wrap up their own tests within a minute to keep things moving along.
I watched her team hurriedly dash up to her and give their assessment with a furious whisper. A few of them eyed me and my group before gesturing at where we'd run and where I was positioned at the moment.
Tori quickly wrapped things up and joined me near the representative.
"I have observed your assessment; is everything to your liking?" the representative said with a placid smile. When we both nodded she pointed to our transceivers.
"You have each received a link to set out the battlefield where you desire. Please make your selections and we will do our best to include your area. If a discrepancy occurs, the average of each site will be used instead," said the representative.
I raised up my transceiver and selected the area I wanted straight away.
Tori and the representative stared at me. "You… Gym Leader Brock you understand you have another few minutes to separate and make your selection, don't you?" said the representative.
I paused. I hadn't known that, and what she said made a lot of sense.
I decided to fall back on audacity. "Ah, sorry, I just… don't mind?" I said with a playful shrug.
Tori narrowed her eyes and glanced at her own map. She could probably see where I'd selected, but now she could skew the field if she wanted.
She swallowed, glanced at her own, waiting entourage and then straightened her spine. "This is my own selection," she said. She then picked an area almost identical to mine that saw us both on opposite sides of a small gully with the tree to one side of the field.
I smiled and nodded like that was what I'd planned for all along. The representative sent us on our way to confer one last time with our groups.
Missy tilted her head. "So where are you going to…" she blinked at me as I rubbed my head sheepishly. "Oh, you already made the selection, didn't you?"
I nodded and everyone blinked at me. Dennis coughed but it sounded more like a repressed laugh to me. I shot him a look and he wouldn't meet my eyes.
A.J. shifted from foot to foot. "What're you talking about?" he said, and Missy filled him in on how things were supposed to go.
Rachel shot me an amused look upon hearing this. "Going to have to make sure you're up to date on that one when you teach it, aren't you?" she said teasingly.
I huffed. "If I had been teaching it I think I would have done better. I would have researched it more."
Rachel raised an eyebrow as if to say and you didn't for today? I could only grimace. I'd done a cursory look into how things worked but there was obviously a lot more to this than I'd assumed.
This was a mistake that I was going to get away with by playing confident. It felt… well it felt a little good to be able to get away with the mistake, but I would personally rather have been in the position that never needed to bluff like that.
It was a bit of a wake-up call that there was more to fighting Ace battles, than I had assumed.
"So, about your match tomorrow," Rachel said leadingly.
"I'll review the facilities to make sure they're not too different tonight." I shot a glance toward Tori. "Our analysis for her and her team still holds up, however," I said, refocusing. As we spoke, I noticed that the cameramen had taken themselves for a walk before shooting into position to hover on one side, while another hovered up into the air behind where Tori would be. They created a small white boxed outline that would be for where either I or Tori would stand during the match.
The representative clapped her hands. "It is time dear combatants! I shall be your referee, please have your entourages withdraw to the viewing rooms in our base facilities," she said. A pair of Hypno appeared with a flash of Teleport and the two groups soon departed, leaving me and Tori to face off.
"Flip for call?" Tori asked waving a hand to either starting point. I glanced between them, not seeing a huge difference beyond orientation.
I shrugged. "Lady's choice," I said, deciding to be magnanimous.
She stared at me for a long moment and I got the feeling I'd made another faux pas without meaning to.
"Hmmm so you're that confident then?" Her eyes narrowed and she waved to one position while I scratched my head sheepishly before turning to my own group and marching over.
From my spot, the tree that I'd been eying was to my left and just within the field of play.
Otherwise, there were no huge differences or points to worry about beyond the slope. The grass wasn't long enough here to offer any blindspots but that didn't mean a dedicated grass type couldn't boost the growth and see the field become much more difficult for me.
"Trainers! Are you ready?" called the referee.
I glanced over Tori and she had her chin slightly raised in defiance. There was also a slight smirk on her lips like she knew something I didn't.
I merely smiled back and palmed my first choice for today.
"Release!" shouted the referee and I hurled out my first pokemon in time with Tori.
"Go Zephyr!" I called.
"Brelo—" Tori started to say only for some very unladylike words to escape her mouth as her Breloom appeared. "Fuck nuggets!" she said as she spotted Zephyr, my Noctowl, taking to the sky.
I cocked an eyebrow. She was expecting something else, wasn't she?
"Zephyr use—" I started to say only for Tori to not hesitate. Instead of trying to match her grass-fighting against my normal-flying type, she went for something else with a quick recall.
I twitched in surprise at the speed of her reaction before readjusting the order I'd been giving. "—CM!" I ordered.
Zephyr flapped his wings serenely and a glow formed around him as he performed Calm Mind.
Tori narrowed her eyes as she popped out another pokemon. "Let's try this out! Go Jolteon!" she shouted, sending out a much more favourable match-up for her.
I hummed, considered it and then stabbed my hand forward. "Hypno!" I called, deciding that I would commit instead of trading out Zephyr. I'd been expecting her Raichu as an answer to Zephyr, but this would still work for me.
"Blast them!" shouted Tori. Her Jolteon flashed with a powerful burst of lightning that shot up only to come down a moment later.
"Dip into AA!" I barked. Zephyr tucked a wing and flew to the left allowing himself to fall just into the canopy of the tree as Jolteon's Thunder descended.
The tree exploded. Branches flew every which way and shrapnel flew freely. With the sawdust of the tree's destruction hiding Zephyr's fate Tori could only lean forward in anticipation.
A moment later, she gasped in surprise as Zephyr appeared in a burst of speed directly behind Jolteon. Zephyr slammed himself into Jolteon and then held him down with a large claw, forcing Jolteon to lock gazes.
Zephyr's eyes glowed and pulsed with Hypnosis.
"Jolteon! Discharge!" Tori screamed only for her pokemon to weakly twitch and slump as sleep claimed it.
"Ah damn it!" she said only to grin. "Sleep talk!" she said with a grin as her asleep pokemon out of nowhere sparked up and unleashed a powerful blast of lightning.
"Win—" I tried to order Zephyr to plant his wings with Steel Wing but was nowhere near quick enough forcing Zephyr to tank a super effective attack.
When the lightning died away Zephyr was revealed, ruffled and twitching in pain but still standing tall. "Dream Eater," I said, making as much of Jolteon's state as I could.
"Sleep Talk again!" said Tori deciding to back her pokemon.
We both leaned forward as Zephyr created a link of energy between himself and Jolteon energy coursing its way into him.
Jolteon twitched and a gleam of energy built up around him and I exhaled in relief. Agility, her pokemon had ended up using Agility instead of frying my pokemon.
Tori clicked her tongue and whipped up her pokeball. "I withdraw Jolteon from the match!" she declared quickly.
I had to mentally applaud her for acting decisively. She would allow me a free move, yes, but she wouldn't allow Zephyr back to full health with another Dream Eater.
Zephyr could only glower as Jolteon was removed from the field with the referee declaring that I'd gone one up.
I looked Zephyr over. He still looked very rough and I would have to pull him out for the moment. He wasn't in a good condition to be fighting against something fresh. It was better to save him.
I raised his pokeball. "Return Zephyr," I said.
Tori grimaced and let her hands glide across her pokebelt in thought. With her pulling her pokemon out first, I would have a small buffer to send out my next pokemon in response to her choice.
She clicked her tongue and sent out a green and white pokemon that I barely got a glimpse of before it dashed into the tallest grass it could. It wasn't tall enough and my earlier decision to force Tori to wrap up her assessment of the field was paying dividends.
If she'd moved the field off, away from the tree, she would have gotten some longer grass that she could hide pokemon in.
"Go Don," I said, happy to match an Aerodactyl against a Shifty that, despite its speed, was easily visible thanks to being too tall to hide in the grass.
Tori sighed and set her jaw. "Of course you brought that brute!" she called out to me.
I shrugged, pleased that our read on her team was good. She'd been trying to game me with a number of grass types due to my reliance on rock-water pokemon.
Sadly for her, I had the answer for that with two of my pokemon and another few answers if she tried to use a fighting type against me.
"Icy Wind!" called Tori to start things off.
"Trips D!" I shouted and Don responded by plummeting.
Just before he hit the ground, his wings snapped open and he swept back up with a rush to arc his way out of danger from the Icy Wind where he could perform his Dragon Dance uninterrupted.
Tori locked eyes with me glaring her defiance. "One more time!" she said, stabbing her hands forward.
"Fly high Don!" I called.
Don slammed his wings into the ground and practically bounced into the sky.
I was taken by surprise when Shiftry didn't unleash another Icy Wind but instead held an arm aloft where an orb of bright light started to form.
Ah, she'd tricked me into a fake order. It was something that she must have practised.
That hadn't been something our scouting had picked up, I thought to myself. I'd have to make sure to start looking out for such tactics.
I had no doubt that my own 'Go' order was well known by now throughout the Ace rankings. I would need to learn some of the tricks of the other higher-ranked Ace trainers if I wanted to keep advancing. I gave Tori a smile and a nod, acknowledging her tactic.
With Don up high and Shiftry empowered I found myself at a bit of a standoff. Closing would be a challenge. Especially if Shiftry had Chlorophyll as its special ability.
I held a hand and whistled. I clenched me fist, holding it up high to give Don the his order instead of shouting. Chances were he'd be able to hear me, but I could stall out Tori by obscuring the command
Don got off another Dragon Dance, and I grinned as Tori scowled.
She shot her hand up and Shifty didn't hesitate as she gave her next command. "Blast them!" she said, her eyes narrowed on the still high-flying Don. Shifty raised its hands and unleashed a powerful beam of grass energy that lit up the field.
"Hard drop," I shouted even as the Solar Beam soared upwards.
Don stared down the oncoming beam nd I felt a trickle of fear. Was he going to stare it down and play chicken with it?
Moments before it slammed into him he tucked a wing and this time locked himself into as small a profile as possible. Solar Beam blew past him and I exhaled while Tori cursed.
A shrill whistle rang out as Don dove straight down. Tori flinched at the surprising noise.
Don couldn't usually pull off such a fast drop, but thanks to two applications of Dragon Dance he was incredibly fast. Shifty had enough time to drop the Solar Beam only for Don to sweep in with his wings snapping out wide.
Shifty kicked off the ground to lessen the damage but Don wouldn't be denied as he swept past Shiftry, his wing slamming into his foe's body and buckling the grass type with a super-effective move.
Shiftry dropped to his knees and gasped in shock only to collapse onto its face. Tori swore. "Shit! What are you feeding these pokemon? Shiftry shouldn't be going down like that! He's one of my strongest pokemon."
I nodded, knowing that Don wasn't even one of the top six strongest for me these days. He offered me a lot of versatility, however and with his showing now, he was in a much stronger position. "As is Don," I replied.
She blinked. "I mean… I guess? But this strong?" she said as she returned her pokemon.
I smiled. "I've been pushing my pokemon for a good while. Often the Elite pokemon in my roster have to face off against an entire team." I shrugged. "It's not all the time and not often, but my earlier creation of a prestige badge? It's given my pokemon results to keep up their training. Don there? He has a lot of pride. He trains hard so he can keep sweeping trainers. That might not be the case this year though. There's a lot more attention coming our way."
Don screeched his disagreement and a glint entered his eyes that let me know he would be working twice as hard at the next few training sessions. He glared at Tori and the girl stepped back before stiffening her resolve.
The referee coughed politely. "The score is zero to two in Brock's favour," she said, prompting a response from Tori.
Tori rolled her shoulders and slapped her cheeks with her hands making them glow red. "Alright, time to dig deep," she said, selecting her next pokemon.
I leaned forward feeling my anticipation building. She'd pressured me a few times now so I had to keep my guard up. What else was she going to bring to the fight?
"Go Starmie!" she barked, throwing out the water-psychic pokemon.
It appeared with a flash and a quick gleam but I wasn't too worried about the type advantage, not with Don being buffed like he was.
"Bubblebeam!" ordered Tori. Her pokemon spun and from around it, a wall of bubbles formed that began to waft outward.
Hmmm, this was a new spin on the use of bubbles on the battlefield. It was rather well-controlled as well…
"Don! Spin to win!" I said, twisting my hands as I did so.
Don grinned evilly as he swept his wings out wide and began to rotate in the air. Around him, a torrent of wind began to build until there was soon a sizeable Hurricane that pushed back all the bubbles.
Don surged forward sweeping the Hurricane through where Starmie had been.
Interestingly I didn't see Starmie anywhere once the wall of bubbles was cleared from the field.
I narrowed my eyes. There must have been a quick set-up there. What had she done? Substituted? Mirage? Or…
I clicked my tongue in annoyance as I saw something tiny shift before I lost track of it.
She'd used Minimize.
I swept my gaze about the field only to not see anything that gave away if Don's Hurricane had impacted Tori's Starmie. Damn, it apparently hadn't been big enough.
Well, I had options for that. "Return for now Don! Let's go Shin!" I said quickly pulling Don out of there for someone with a few wider attacks.
As Shin took to the stage I kept a sharp eye out for a flicker of energy, a twitch of the grass. Something to reveal where Tori was hiding her pokemon.
"Hydro Pump!" shouted Tori as Shin formed. From the grass that I'd dismissed earlier, a huge torrent of water shot forward.
"Jet out of there!" I barked, sweeping my hand wide. Shin responded by instantly launching himself out of danger. I locked my gaze on the grassy patch and stabbed a hand at it.
"Bubblebeam again! Move around Starmie!" shouted Tori, suddenly seeming like she had a lot more control of this match than she'd had moments ago.
I frowned. So she was going to play keep away was she?
"Aqua Jet with your blades out!" I said making a zigzagging pattern. Shin swept forward, blades out to cut through the grass with his passing, leaving it well-trimmed and scattered behind him with each sweep.
Shin dodged once again and I was forced to grind my teeth. Come on, think, think! What could I do to disrupt this without putting my stronger pokemon in danger? Minimize caused some moves to hit with double damage, but that was only if they hit! I needed something big.
"Surf," I ordered, deciding to go for a full field effect that Starmie would be caught up in or have to deny. I leaned forward ready for any response only to be surprised as the Surf swept forward faster than I had anticipated.
Ah, that would be the slight gulley we're standing on, wouldn't it? The wave surged down and then straight into the other side where it splashed down heavily.
That… had been rather impressive; I hadn't considered the physics of Surf but that had rather played into my favour just now.
Tori scowled. "Thunder!" she barked and from the splash zone a bolt of lightning shot up and then back down to Shin.
"Metal Claw," I responded.
Shin stabbed his claws into the earth to avoid the worst of the powerful electric attack. Shin endured it and emerged from the powerful attack still smoking.
"Aqua Jet to the other side!" I barked, realising that I could really make use of the terrain here, especially if Tori hadn't moved her pokemon.
Tori stiffened as Shin bolted in close to her, only to turn .She was already starting to understanding what I wanted.
"Surf!" I roared. Shin wept his claws out behind him a wave rising up as he did so bearing him up high.
"Thunder!" responded Tori.
From both our pokemon, powerful attacks swept forward only to clash with water sweeping forward as lightning wracked Shin and hurled him from the wave.
The wave still crashed home and I now had a good idea where Starmie must be.
Shin fell to the ground with a defeated sigh and I bowed my head. His matchup had been a horrorible exchange, but thanks to his efforts, no other pokemon were going to fall to this trick.
I returned him and hurled out my next pokemon without waiting.
I didn't want Tori to have a second to shift her pokemon out from where the wave would have pushed it on the field.
Sanchez hit the ground with his hands raised to the sky. "Go Go Lem!" he shouted, only to blink when there was no response from an opposing pokemon. "Lem?" he said uncertainly.
"No time for that! Discharge!" I barked, and he responded with a powerful wave of lightning that swept over the area around him, only to catch out Starmie.
"Yes!" I shouted, pumping my fist.
I hadn't been able to pick where it had been during the earlier exchanges but by pushing Starmie into my side of the field, I'd denied Tori any chance to escape from an area of attack move.
"Again!" I said, deciding to make sure of it. Sanchez exploded with lightning again and I saw a spark flash onto a certain area.
I pointed and was about to order another attack only for Tori to raise her pokeball and return the now-revealed Starmie. "I withdraw Starmie!" she shouted.
I settled back and exhaled my tension. Yes, that had been more like it!
"Go… go?" said Sanchez with an oddly withdrawn tone. I blinked and glanced down to find him looking about with a lost expression. What was he… I blinked as I realised what he was doing.
"Sanchez! We're fighting in a specialised field! We're being broadcast through the cameras! Wave to your fans!" I said pointing to the two cameramen.
Sanchez instantly perked up and I had to laugh incredulously. I should have realised not having a crowd to hype him up might have impacted him. It was an interesting point to take note of, but Sanchez did feed off a crowd.
"Go Breloom!" shouted Tori. I shook off my idle thoughts and got myself back in the fight. Fighting grass against rock-electric? Alright, this I could do.
"Stealth Rock," I said, sweeping my hand and surprising Tori by going defensive.
"Close in!" ordered Tori and her Breloom bounced forward with its fists and legs primed to punish Don.
"Dig dip!" I barked right before Breloom could get close enough to actually injure Sanchez. Sanchez rolled himself to the side only to fall to the ground where he vanished into a quickly closing tunnel behind himself.
He then popped back up close behind Breloom. "Go lem!" said Sanchez with the air of a professional Tauros fighter.
Breloom didn't bother turning but merely kicked back, launching itself back towards Sanchez.
In mid-air, the Breloom flipped and led with its foot slamming into Sanchez's face.
I winced. That had been a good play, I'd not been expecting that from the mushroom kangaroo.
Sanchez flew back from the strike before getting to his feet while adjusting his moustache. "Golem!" he said with a grin.
Breloom twitched and swept its tail from side to side.
I considered the match-up and what Sanchez had for moves. I considered raising his pokeball before my eyes fell upon the Stealth Rocks.
Hmm, that could work for an advantage. "Stealth Rock," I said, amused that the power of Breloom's kick was now working against it.
"Seed Bomb!" shouted Tori, chopping her hand towards Sanchez.
Sanchez got off another Stealth rock before diving into the earth to evade the super-effective attack. When he emerged he did so with one of his knees buckling, revealing that the explosion of grass energy had still gotten him, even if slightly.
I quickly raised my pokemon and returned him. "I withdraw him!" I said, deciding to give Tori the respect she was owed. She'd taken down two of my pokemon now.
I grabbed Don's pokeball and flicked it out. He re-emerged with a glower that soon turned vindictive when his eyes alighted on Breloom.
Tori considered returning her pokemon but I could see she had doubts with Stealth Rock on the field now. I grinned. I had her right where I wanted her now.
It had been a while, but Stealth Rock set-up was still a strong play. I'd have to keep that in mind going forward.
"Don, soar up high!" I said and once again Don rose up to glare at the Breloom.
Breloom got off a quick buff that I didn't recognise. I wasn't too worried. I dropped my hand and once more Don tucked his wings and streamlined himself.
Once again, the wind screamed as he tore through it like a bullet. Before Tori or Breloom could react Don slammed into his target and Breloom was hurled away.
The referee raised a flag straight away when Breloom failed to so much as twitch. "Breloom is unable to battle! The match is now four to two!"
Tori gritted her teeth and shot a glare towards the Stealth Rocks on the field along with Don as he beat his wings in anticipation. "Screeeeh!" he said in challenge.
Tori palmed another pokeball and I found myself nodding as she sent out her next pokemon to face me.
It didn't last long as I went for no mercy. As soon as the pokemon was out the Stealth Rocks slammed into the Machoke. Don then slammed into it with a Wing Attack to topple it.
Tori inhaled sharply and shut her eyes. She then shook her head and returned her pokemon before calling out her last pokemon.
"Go! Nidoqueen!" she said, releasing what we'd identified as her starter pokemon.
I felt a speck of pity for her as the Stealth Rocks closed in on her pokemon. She shrugged them off admirably, but she wasn't able to shrug off Don's follow-up attack.
I merely punched my fist forward while Nidoqueen was distracted. "Go!" I said with an air of finality.
Tori had a second to realise what was coming only to be unable to react as Don unleashed a powerful Hyper Beam upon Nidoqueen.
When the dust cleared it revealed a downed pokemon and Don announced his victory with a high-pitched screech.
I grinned. That had been a much harder fight than a good deal of other matches I'd had of late, some of that was due to my own mistakes, but it also revealed a level of tactics that I would need to be careful of. That Minimize could have been troublesome to deal with.
It was a good thing I was learning about this now and not during a tournament where I might be more restricted.
I glanced over the torn-up field.
I'd need to do a lengthy review after this.
My pokemon had stood up well, better than well honestly. Zephyr and Shin had outlasted some moves that should have put them in the ground. It seemed the training was paying off with them being a cut above.
I just needed to make sure I made the most of their strength. I had made more than a few mistakes this match and Tori had exposed a possible weakness with my pokemon. I needed ways to deal with Minimize better than I had. That, or I'd have to take a pokemon dropping each time. It was worth thinking about. As much as a perfect sweep was a great thing to have, it wasn't the end goal, victory was.
I marched forward to clap hands with Tori for the good match.
"Good match," I said.
"You too," she said with a shake of her head. "I'm surprised there's such a gap in our pokemon. Guess having lots of pattles really can make a difference," she said.
"You had some good strategies that had me scrambling and a good read on which pokemon to use. I just anticipated what you were doing." I nodded at the torn up field. "You made it kind of obvious you were going for a Grass heavy team," I said.
Tori stared at me. "You realise I might challenge you again right?"
"Yeah? And?" I said, tilting my head to the side.
Tori sighed. "This isn't like the Gym circuit Brock, giving hints to people, especially in the higher ranks is going to bite you in the backside eventually."
I laughed sheepishly. "Well we're both learning something then!" I said, causing her to snort in amusement before bowing and waving off. I met up with my own team, chatting idly about how the match had gone, but not really giving it the attention it was due.
Most of my attention was turned towards tomorrow's match.
A.N. Thanks go to my patreons for their continued support.
It also goes to Twmmy for betaing this chapter and offering some helpful additions.
- Location
- Elsewhere
"Nope, but I know all about bad rocks! Too squishy, too wet."
xbox432
Lover of Editing
I could actually see him making a joke like that, hah!
Hmm, this does remind me... Didn't Brock get some advice a while back about not holding onto Titan for a big finisher, to bring out his big guns a bit earlier sometimes so as to catch his opponent off guard? I can't help but wonder if he'll do so in one of his upcoming matches...