Like No One Ever Was

Unfortunately, we couldn’t have our match right away. Hassel was busy and had to leave not long after he threw down the gauntlet. We arranged to have the match in a few days time, a week before my birthday. We also set out the ground rules: four vs. four Pokemon, two switches each, Terastalization allowed, and held battle items too (though given his remark about ‘if I wished,’ I felt like it was a handicap he was giving me here).

One good thing about the extra time (beyond the chance to rest up after that training session) is that it’s given us the chance to prepare a few new tricks that Hassel won’t be ready for just from having seen our training before. I just don’t know if it will be enough. In the back of my mind, I knew it wouldn’t; he was an Elite Four, and I had no (official) Gym Badges. I shoved such doubts down, refusing to focus on them. The only thing that matters is that we try our best.

Hassel arrived on dragonback, his Dragonite serving as his ride once again. Finally, I’ve had everything set up for the past fifteen minutes and just been fidgeting here, waiting. Which was more on me than him, as he was perfectly on time - I was just too excited to wait.

“Hello there, Nemona,” he said, his words snapping me out of my thoughts. Inclining his head slightly towards me before dismounting onto the beach, he recalled his Dragonite. My parents and the staff knew about this fight ahead of time, but I’d asked not to have them crowding around; the battle at hand felt like it would be best suited without any peanut gallery gasping over us. Which just means they’re watching us from the giant window up in the living room in my house, but that’s fine. No one is out here to distract us. I think even most of the wild Pokemon scattered when his Dragonite dropped down.

“I’ve been looking forward to our match,” Hassel began after I was silent for a minute, taking slow, steady breaths. “As your tutor, it’s been my job to look after you and guide your growth. While I hope this match helps you improve, I think I’m going to put that focus aside and devote myself entirely to defeating you!” He ended his declaration by pointing out a finger at me with one hand, grasping a Pokeball with the other (distantly, I noted that it wasn’t Dragonite’s Pokeball he was leading with).

I couldn’t help it; I flinched back. The sheer force his presence held was a stark contrast to the stern yet caring teacher I had dealt with before. Part of me wanted to avert my gaze from his, as if showing submission to the dragon before me might spare me.

But I didn’t avert my gaze, my grin widening even as my hands shook. “Thank you. I can’t wait to show you everything I have. I hope you’re ready!” Pulling out a Pokeball with one hand, I grabbed a remote out of my pocket as well, pointing the latter at a boombox I had set on a rock nearby.

“Do you have some music to accompany our battle?” He blinked, his draconic visage flipping over to a musician’s joy in an instant. Something about my expression must have given the game away because he guessed, “Is this a new song? What’s it called?”

“Yeah, fun little bonus track I wanted to add to the album. No lyrics, but as for the name? Megalovania.” I like Nemona’s champion theme too, but… I’m not her. Not exactly. Admittedly I’m not Sans either, but hey, I figure the skeleton would be cool with someone being too lazy to pick their own theme. With a press of both buttons, the music started, and I released my first Pokemon.

Miles took to the field, lightning zapping off their refrigerator body. The music was good, but I couldn’t appreciate it as much as Hassel was, my feelings more in line with Miles. Their lilac plasmic eyes narrowed in concentration as they stared down the foe Hassel had just released. I meant for this to be my battle theme that strikes fear into the hearts of anyone challenging me, but despite the music being on my side, I feel like I’m the kid about to have a bad time.

With glistening yellow-green scales and a red-tipped axe blade jutting out of his mouth, Haxorus gave a mighteous roar. His red eyes locked onto the form of his foe, and he snorted dismissively. But he keeps his gaze on us. Just a ploy to try and rile up enemies, or too well trained to let his feelings get in the way of ending matches quickly?

In any case, Miles didn’t let that get to them, focused as they were on the strategies we had prepared. Haxorus wasn’t the best choice for them to face, but hardly the worst. I won’t use a switch right away then, only if things get bad.

“We will begin on the count of three.” I wanted to grit my teeth at him giving me yet another advantage, but knew better than to complain. Especially when I know it’ll still be an uphill challenge. “Three, two, one, begin!”

“Will O Wisp!” I led with seeking to cut the output of Haxorus physical Moves down greatly. My opponent sought the opposite, calling for a buff.

“Dragon Dance.” Skillfully, the Dragon Type weaved his sinuous body around the battlefield, moving between the myriad spectral flames Miles was conjuring while speeding up. And getting stronger too; I can’t let him run away with the game like this!

“Blizzard,” I called out, and Miles complied, opening his refrigerator doors to unleash a massive storm of ice down upon the field. Opening the doors also revealed the item I had given Miles and the reason for the power of their Move.

Over the howling winds and ice, I caught Hassel mutter “A Life Orb.” The slight clenching of his hands at his sides was the only sign of worry he had as his scaly Pokemon desperately raced around, trying to avoid the worst of the Ice Type attack. The bad news was he succeeded, only getting a bit of frost coating his body and moving so fast that his Dragon Dance must have completed as well. The bright side was that he’d had to rush through some of the wisps and was now Burned.

“Close Combat,” Hassel said, his calmness a stark contrast to the vicious glee on his Pokemon’s face. Crapbaskets!

Ripping my Tera Orb out of its case, I hurled it out over the battlefield, where it burst into light and a massive crystal block encasing Miles. Haxorus didn’t let that stop him, rushing up and smashing through the crystal to hit the Pokemon within, revealing Miles with a lightbulb crystalline crown above their head. Repeatedly, the Dragon slammed my Pokemon back with claw strikes, knees, and tail slaps in a frantic yet controlled manner.

“Ro-to-to!” Miles gave out a pained sound as they were pushed back. At least it wasn’t as bad as it could have been with the Ice Typing defensively. But with Terastalization, I still get to use it offensively.

“Blizzard, don’t let him escape!” Miles was more than glad to pay Haxorus back for the pain inflicted on them, blasting everything in front of them with a wide cone of cold. The speedy Dragon tried to dart past and slip away, but my second Pokemon had been learning from my fourth; they don’t need to outspeed their enemies if they can catch them in the attack by just redirecting their bodies a little.

Haxorus was fast, but he couldn’t cross the arena and get around Miles before they turned a bit to the left and released a storm upon him. The Dragon collapsed to all fours as the Move hit him directly, moaning in pain. But in a flash, where I barely had time to realize he wasn’t finished yet, Haxorus had scuttled forward like a bug. When underneath Miles, he jumped up and slashed hard into the Rotom, sending them spiraling through the air.

By the time Miles had managed to control their flight again, Haxorus had once again run behind Miles. “Substitute!” I shouted a split second before the Elite Four member shouted “Dragon Claw!”

Miles split off, leaving behind a duplicate for the Dragon to tear through with his sharp claws. Turning, my Pokemon tried to track their foe, but he was already on the move, keeping well away from the frigid cold Miles could conjure.

“Substitute again.” Once more, the Move saved Miles from an untimely end, and despite the burn sapping away at Haxorus’ strength, the Dragon Type carried on relentlessly.

“Discharge,” I called out, changing up the tactics. Despite the obvious weakness of the Move against a Dragon Type, Miles didn’t hesitate, unleashing a widespread burst of electricity all-around, inflicting further wounds on Haxorus. With the Tera boost and regular STAB, the Move can compete even with Haxorus’ Resistance. With this strategy, I’ll be able to whittle him down while Miles can avoid the counterstrikes.

Haxorus jumped up to attack Miles again, claws gleaming in the sunlight. “Subsiwhoops,” I said, watching as Miles was ‘driven’ towards the ground, away from the claw. As Haxorus’ clawed feet began glowing with brown energy, Miles flipped around by the handle, smacking Haxorus in the back of the head with his heavy refrigerator body.

The force of the Foul Play sent the Dragon’s head into the ground at about the same time as his feet hit, the Ground Type energy released through them shaking the whole arena in a massive Earthquake… which only hit its own user, Miles pushed up higher in the air, away from the churning earth. I know your game plan! I’ve had a (virtual) Haxorus before, I know they get Mold Breaker and Earthquake, we aren’t falling for that one.

Haxorus was more cautious from the point on but didn’t hesitate to push himself back up and maintain pressure. Without any more openings, we were forced back into the same Substitute-weak Discharge pattern.

A few more iterations of this passed, with Hassel occasionally calling out for Breaking Swipe or Dragon Tail rather than Dragon Claw. With a bit of direction on my end, Miles weaved around all those different attack patterns, zapping Haxorus with Discharge twice more.

“Your foe is weak; flood the field with dragon fire, Dragon Rage!” Hassel suddenly shouted, and I realized how right he was. Life Orb and Substitute have both been exhausting Miles, and Dragon Rage will cut right through their tough body in a second.

“Protect!” I instinctually countered, and it worked well. As blue flame poured out of Haxorus’ mouth and began ‘jumping’, bouncing off the arena floor to hit everything, Miles conjured a honeycomb forcefield around themselves.

The heat was sweltering, and even from behind the arena’s barrier, I felt myself sweating. For a second, I wondered if Miles could hold out, but then Haxorus’ attack suddenly cut off, the Pokemon spasming. Paralyzed and Burned, here’s our shot!

“Blizzard! Slipping around, Miles opened up the refrigerator doors once again, the ice and wind pouring out. Haxorus stumbled, trying to run away, but they couldn’t possibly outspeed the cold.

… The recall beam from Hassel’s Pokeball could, however, pulling Haxorus back and out of harm’s way. “Switch. Your Pokemon is artfully trained, I can see that I’ll need to change the beat if I’m to survive. Go, Baxcaliber.”

The icy Dragon towered onto the battlefield, looking a little less sleek than the prior Pokemon but no less dangerous for it, the massive spine on his back promising a swift end for anyone impaled on it.

“Draco Meteor.” Hassel’s voice was casual, as if he was going out to get milk from the store. A drastic underemphasis considering Baxcaliber spit a flaming rock up high in the sky where it broke apart into several smaller meteorites raining down on the battlefield.

My momentary hesitation, caught off-guard by the special attack and the dramatic nature of the Move cost me. While I still called for “Protect!” It was too late, and Miles was struck down by the attack, knocked out.

Recalling Miles, I stood in shock, trying to plan out my next strategy. Ok, so I lost Miles and I used Terastalization up without taking out any of his Pokemon. That’s fine, this is fine. I am ok with the state of things. I just need to deal with Hassel’s ace. Nightwing is right out with double Ice Weakness, and Dun is good, but he’ll have a hard time matching this guy physically… best tip the odds in his favor first.

“Go, Notch!”

The Carbink took the field, narrowing their bright blue eyes at the Dragon before them. Despite facing a foe that naturally countered them, there was no hesitation or weakness from Baxcaliber as Hassel gave his command. “A new song requires us to dance to a different beat, Iron Head!”

Lowering his ice-covered face, the Dragon charged at Notch, a steely gray sheen covering his head as he did so. “Trick Room,” I called out, causing Notch to ignore the threat headed their way and focus on setting up the necessary Move. Right before he connected with my Pokemon, I heard a crunch sound and breathed a sigh of relief, glad that they remembered the drills we practiced before.

They were pushed backwards, with some significant cracks forming across their body. Nothing debilitating, however, all because of the green stain now coloring Notch’s white mane. I knew he’d have some Steel Moves handy to deal with my Fairy. So glad I gave them a Babiri Berry for this fight.

I also knew that the effects of the Berry wouldn’t last long, which is why I got worried when Hassel ordered his Baxcaliber “Again! Her tempo won’t last.” However, as the Dragon Type sped towards my Pokemon, just before he could reach them, the momentum abruptly slowed down.

“Dodge it!” I cried, and with the Trick Room now fully in effect, the distorted dimensions allowed Notch to speedily zip around Baxcalliber’s attack. Well, they still both look like they’re moving as fast as they regularly are, it’s just that Notch is covering distance in less time than our opponent- ugh, Trick Room is weird.

Not that I wasn’t grateful for its properties right now, as it turned what would be a losing match into a winning proposition. “Body Press!” Notch circled halfway around the Dragon before throwing their own body into his side, the impact leaving a sickening crunch.

“Back off, Icicle Crash,” Hassel said, his lips pressed in a thin line as he glared at the psychic ‘room’ our Pokemon battled in, as if it had personally offended him.

“Power Gem, break through his attacks and pin him in.” My words were easier said than done. In spite of Notch’s best efforts, Type advantage, and the ‘speed’ they held here, the sheer power the Dragon had was enough to break through the Rock powered beams Notch was firing and even clip them a bit.

Still, they managed to hone in on Baxcaliber, moving to hit them again when- “Switch!” Hassel called out once more, using his last switch to save his ace Pokemon. His next Dragon had a deceptively flimsy-looking purple and brown body. It had two flippers/wings and a tail with a red crest on top of its angular head.

“I hadn’t planned on using Dragalge for this battle, but you forced my hand-” He began, his soft words cutting off as he saw my glare. I appreciate the praise, and I’d love to hear it after the match, but right now, I don’t want him looking proud of me like a student, I want him to see me as a challenge and face me with nothing held back! His eyes narrowed, and he did so.

“Water Pulse” was Hassel’s first command, and his Dragalge carried that order out with remarkable alacrity, an unfortunate effect of the Trick Room I had set up. Notch still dodged the attack, only a bit of the rings of water their foe had sent at them splashing onto their rocky body.

I forgot that he had a Pokemon that slow, this will complicate things. “Psychic, keep the mouth away from you,” I told Notch, who attempted to put pressure on the Poison Type. As the telekinetic field took a hold of them, the seaweed-looking Pokemon thrashed about, ultimately able to resist the power Notch could put out.

“Drown out their noise, Hydro Pump!” Hassel declared, and there was no dodging this time. A massive stream of water poured out of the Dragon’s mouth, cutting across the field and slamming Notch back into the far barrier on my side. Rock and even a few slivers of crystal chipping off their body, drawing a sympathetic wince from me. It’s hard to tell how much Notch actually feels about a lot of things, and I know the crystals can recover with time, but any time those get damaged, they get noticeably upset.

Part of me wanted to recall them right away, while the rest of me knew we needed more set up for the next team member to take over, so I compromised. “Light Screen!” There, that should help protect Notch against further attacks while shielding the next one to come in too.

Of course, Hassel had his own plans for that. “Toxic Spikes,” he announced, changing from offense to match our set up. Shit! Do I swap fast before-? No, let Notch get the barrier up, then switch.

The moment the pink light of the nearly invisible Light Screen flashed into place, I was swapping out my Pokemon. “Switch! I choose you, Dun!” The instant my land snake hit the field, the poison-coated spikes rose up and shot into him. None of them penetrated deep, but from the purple discolorations growing on his scales where they impacted, I knew he was Poisoned.

“Get in close, Ice Spinner!” Dun rose up to his very impressive full height and began spinning on his tail, ice swirling around him as he approached Dragalge. Dun was unfortunately a bit faster than his foe, which meant for the time being, Hassel’s Pokemon was able to outspeed him, dodging the attack.

“Venoshock,” the Dragon Trainer’s words heralding their counterattack. With a flap of its flipper wings, Dragalge shot out a barrage of pinpoint Poison energy into Dun, the attack reacting nastily with the Poison already in his veins. And that was with half of those shots stopped by the Light Screen. An Elite Four’s Pokemon are no joke. But neither is Dun!

“Let the bodies hit the floor!” Dun took the command for what it was and let his whole three-segment body slam against the ground with resounding force. Hassel hadn’t paid close enough attention, and his Pokemon was too close to dodge as the Earthquake rippled throughout it, chunks of the ground rising to smack hard into Dragalge.

With an extra little kick to the Move from the Expert Belt tied around Dun’s middle section. Like all my other Pokemon, I’d given Dun an item to hold for this battle as well. After debating long and hard, I realized he needed an item to best make use of his diverse Movepool. Other items might have boosted the super effective Moves he could have used against all or most of Hassel’s Dragons, but a fight isn’t like the games where you can just spam the best Move over and over. Flexibility in how you attack plays a huge role.

Dragalge was hurt by the attack but hardly out of the fight, floating up much higher above the ground to avoid future Earthquakes. “Triple Yawn.” With a deep breath, Dun released the clouds, one after another, to begin floating towards his foe. During that time Dragalge blasted Dun with streams of water that I was sure could cut through steel (and did cut small gouges in the arena), but he weathered the blows well. In part due to the screen, which will run out soon, but not before—now!

“Glare!” I shouted as Trick Room ended. The sudden change, slight as it was in their relative speeds, threw Dragalge off, leaving them open for the full force of Dun’s terrifying gaze. They remained floating but shuddered in the air, caught for a moment by that Move, which was enough to let the Dragon Type be enveloped by the previous clouds Dun made.

Chancing a glance downward, I saw Hassel staring off impassively at the battle. He’s not worried. Welp, that leaves me worried.

“Once more, with feeling, Venoshock!” He cried out while making a subtle downward motion with his hand. Dragalge obliged both, dropping out of the clouds and raining poisonous vengeance upon my starter.

“Protect,” my command, letting Dun shield himself from the blow at the last moment, the venomous attack bouncing off his shield. Feels like a waste to not utilize the Light Screen while it’s here, but all I have to do is not take any damage for a bit, and it’s lights out for him.

Hassel then surprised me by giving an unusual command. “Smokescreen.” Even as Dragalge’s eyes were drooping and they drifted down to the ground, they coughed out a copious amount of smoke to cover their prone form. That’s an odd Move. In high-level battles, you pretty much never see it; too many Moves can disperse the smoke or just hit everything in the area regardless. Plus, your Pokemon has to stay in the smoke for it to help them avoid any attacks as well.

There were some advantages I realized, especially with his Pokemon asleep for the time being, but it was still odd. Not that I let the strangeness stop me from shouting “Earthquake!” Right as the other Trainer whispered something that sounded a lot like-

As the arena shook from Dun bashing his body against it, a globe of nasty-looking purple liquid flew out from the smoke, arcing in the air to land straight on my starter. An agonized hiss was elicited from him and a frustrated one from me as the pieces clicked into place and I realized why Hassel was so unconcerned before.

Sleep Talk! None of the battles I’ve seen him in before showed that his Dragalge knew that Move! Shit damnit!

“Blow the smoke away, Hurricane! Then charge in and go wild,” I told Dun, who started beating his six wings frantically. The heavy winds dispersed the smoke and picked up the sleeping Pokemon, crashing them against Hassel’s end of the barrier. Still sleeping, they gathered a pulse of energy in front of them, the beam firing hard into Dun.

He was breathing heavily, panting as he raced across the field to the other side, Poison and prior attacks taking their toll. Drawing on that pain, he started thrashing about, destroying everything in his path (which was mostly just chunks of ground already torn up). Whipping his own body around, he beat the sleeping Pokemon hard, each hit eliciting cries of pain despite the slumber.

Dragalge was knocked out in short order, but Dun continued his attack. Though Hassel quickly withdrew his fallen Pokemon, Dun thrashed about, trying to utterly destroy enemies long gone.

“Outrage, a powerful Move, and I can’t deny the strength of your Pokemon,” Hassel quietly admitted. “But he lacks the heart of a true dragon to conquer the terrible anger within and wield that power fully! Go, Haxorus!”

I smirked, knowing we had a plan in place for situations like this. Without a single command, Dun began to settle down, curling in and flapping his wings down. Confusion is one of the tougher statuses to deal with. Just trying to ‘push through it’ can often lead to you hurting yourself more. But then we stumbled on the fact that when Dun tries to use Roost, he can’t hurt himself! He’ll just focus on healing up the damage Haxorus deals until the disorientation is gone.

Hassle however, had different plans than hurting us. At least, not immediately. With a sad shake of his head, the Elite Trainer said “Dance.” His Dragon began going through a complicated power-up routine, but this time the dance was less sinuous with sharper steps, slashing around his axe-tusks violently.

Oh no. Ohnoohnoohno. That’s not Dragon Dance, that’s Swords Dance. “Earthquake!” I called out, desperate for Dun to land a Move. Hassel’s Pokemon had pushed through the Burn, but was still severely weakened from the beating they had taken before. If I could land a good hit or two…

But it wasn’t to be. Dun was too well-trained. He pushed out any outside disturbances while confused, brushing off what might be tricks of his mind in confusion and simply focused on healing himself.

Our opponent didn’t give us much time either, launching into an attack as soon as his first Swords Dance was done. “Show her the power of a Dragon. Outrage!” With a mad gleam in his red eyes, Haxorus, stomped the ground, cracking it from sheer force as he pushed off, charging towards Dun. Slapping Dun aside with a vicious tail blow, the Dragon disrupted his healing, sending him flying through the air. Disoriented, Dun tried to recover while I shouted out different attacks for him to use, but to no avail; Haxorus continued the assault not letting up for a moment.

Haxorus ripped into him, his claws tearing apart what meager defenses Dun could raise and batting aside any offenses he tried with the axe-shaped tusks. My starter fell, defeated - and Haxorus instantly stopped. Oh sure, he stomped the ground nearby and roared in victory, but there isn’t an ounce of confusion in his little red eyes! How did Hassel do that?

There wasn’t time to wonder about that further, as I had to recall my starter and send out my next Pokemon. Haxorus was weak from the previous battle, but I knew that Notch wouldn’t be a great choice here, unable to deal with the Dragon Type’s prodigious speed and power (especially since I knew from past study that this Haxorus knew Iron Head and Iron Tail). With the Swords Dance further powering him up, there was only one choice that was able to deal with this mighty foe.

“Nightwing. Dig,” I gave my order instantly as I released her, and it was almost too slow. She materialized, gem bouncing on the strap around her neck as she tore through the arena floor with her pincers, diving into the hole right before Haxorus trampled over the spot where she had been.

“Earthq-” Hassel stopped himself, and his Pokemon, who had one large foot raised, ready to stomp the ground, gently placed it back down, awaiting future orders. “Get ready for her to jump out at you, dodge it.” Smart. Earthquake is a good Move for dealing with Pokemon that try to hide underground, even most Ground Types being hurt by the shifting earth as they burrow beneath. But that won’t help you against her. Gligars are creatures of both the ground and the sky, able to traverse freely through the earth and any gaps between. He can’t hurt us under there, but when she leaves...

And leave she did have to, tearing up the arena floor to lunge out at Haxorus. The Dragon Type was already jumping out of the way, having sensed her movement through the ground below, to which she gave an eager chase. “Acrobatics!” I shouted, and the gem on her neck cracked, breaking apart and becoming dust on the wind in response to her channeling the innate Flying Type energies she commanded.

The Dragon tried to attack, slashing at her with claws and his tusks, whipping his tail around. It was an impressive flurry of blows, and any one of which landing would spell disaster but miraculously, none of them did. Spinning around Haxorus in the air, Nightwing dodged his blows while dealing her own. She struck at him multiple times, tail and pincers battering him from every angle.

The Dragon hit the ground with a heavy thud, swaying once, twice, and then collapsing forward, defeated. Hassel returned his Pokemon, nodding appraisingly. “It seems our music has died down,” he said with a gesture at the boombox, which had stopped (only having prepared one song to play to start things off). “But we can make our own noise, Noivern!”

A huge black bat-like Pokemon with purple tips on her wings and underbelly emerged on the field. It was hunched over, her wingarms touching on the ground as well as her clawed feet as she roared at us. I was less worried about the sound from her throat and more from the large speaker-like ears above her head.

“Boomburst.” There was a faint frown on Hassel’s face as he said the word, as if he felt sad that he had to use it. I couldn’t think more about it, however, as a near-physical wave of sound washed over me, bringing me down to my knees and clutching my ears.

I used my Aura to tone down my hearing, fully blocking out any sounds for the moment while I recovered. Blinking my eyes open, I saw Nightwing doing worse than me, throwing up and collapsing on the ground. The barrier must have taken the worst of the attack from hitting me while she got blasted by the full deal.

I managed to gather my thoughts together and stood up while waving off the now very worried-looking Hassel. I gave him a thumbs-up to try and convince him further, hiding any more winces of pain, my head ringing. See, I’m fine. Wow, even Nightwing’s fine, or at least getting back on her feet… and charging at the bat that just blasted her recklessly out for blood.

She tried to latch onto the Noivern and sink her fangs in, but the Dragon Type swatted her aside, rising up to fly over her.

“Switch!” I called out, my ears still aching as I recalled Nightwing. My former music tutor looked a little concerned, for both the state of myself and my Pokemon, but he allowed the fight to continue. At least Notch being a Rock Type will give him an excuse not to use that Move. I’ve got to be more careful with my Aura. At least I can use it to try and speed up my recovery.

Notch took the field, and thankfully none of the Toxic Spikes jumped up to hit them - unlike in the games, if too much damage was done to an area, such hazards wouldn’t react to a new Pokemon entering, even one without Levitate or the Flying Type.

“Dazzling Gleam!” Then I quickly amended my strategy by shouting “Disco style!” As Noivern began racing around them, launching distorted spheres from her ears. She hissed in pain as some of the pink light struck her, speeding away as the Shadow Balls she had made rocked into Notch, chipping off more of their body.

Nevertheless, they persisted, even firing a few Power Gem beams off at Noivern as they retreated. Excellent initiative! They didn’t do much, unfortunately, as the bat swerved around all of them with ease. That thing is way too damn fast. But Notch isn’t in any shape to set up Trick Room… at least not do that and not get knocked out. If it gives a chance for Nightwing to win…

“Trick Room,” I intoned duly. ‘Sacrificing’ a Pokemon to win didn’t feel great to me, but it was the only path I saw for victory. My Aura had been cycling through me, helping me recover and feel better, but my hearing remained wonky for the moment. Because of that, I couldn’t tell if Notch chimed anything at me, but they did glance back, and I could see one blue eye questioning the call, before hardening with resolve as they expanded their psychic energy over the field once more.

Hassel and Noivern weren’t just going to stand by and let us, however. He gave some command to her, and she flew across the field, sinking her fangs deep (deeper than I would have expected) into their rocky body before tossing them aside. Flapping their wings furiously, powerful gales with Shadow Balls mixed within hammered against Notch.

Against the onslaught, they wobbled before hitting the ground, defeated. Just as I raised my Pokeball to recall them, I saw the Trick Room flash, pinky tiles settled into place around the arena.

“You did it. Thank you,” I mumbled to them inside their Pokeball after recalling them. The challenge before us was still great, but now we had a shot. “Go, Nightwing!”

The Gligar popped out, still angry but no longer in the uncontrolled rage they had been in before. “Acrobatics!” She swooped in slowly, but much faster than the glacial pace Noivern was moving at. Viciously, Nightwing harried her foe, flying circles around the bat. Sniping at her wings and smacking her tail into the larger Pokemon’s face, she brutally assaulted her, all while gracefully avoiding the Dragon’s counterattacks.

Hassel gave a command, yelling something I couldn’t make out. Whatever it is, it’s probably bad news. Let’s finish this before he can enact it. “Ice Fang” was my simple counter, along with the fact that it just took his Pokemon so much longer to react in the Trick Room than mine.

Already in close quarters, Nightwing latched onto the Noivern and began biting savagely, her fangs covered in an icy mist. The bat screeched, and I winced, holding my hands up to my ears as it fell, before Hassel recalled his Pokemon.

This… this is it! His last Pokemon. If he Terastalizes, he’ll lose the resistance to Ice attacks, and if not… well at least we still have Acrobatics. I’m on a timer with Trick Room, but if I can whittle him down beforehand, maybe Poison him, we might win this!

Then his ace hit the field, and in an instant, icy shards shot out from his mouth, impaling Nightwing and taking her down. What- Ice Shards. What I would call a ‘Priority Move’, not that they call those that here. What do they call them ag- focus! While her carapace was heavily cracked all over, Nightwing struggled back to her feet, pushing through the pain to charge back in.

“Lunge!” I shouted, desperate to turn her reckless retribution into something that might turn things around. Nightwing was trained well enough to instinctively respond to my order, using the Bug Type move to pounce at Baxcallibur’s shoulder, eliciting a grunt of discomfort from the Dragon Type.

The pain he felt brought a vindictive smirk to her face, and I knew she was back with me, no longer mindlessly lashing out. This was good as it was Hassel’s chance to counterattack, and I dimly heard what he said.

“Let them behold the majesty of a Dragon! Jump over her!” Baxcallibur followed the command, performing an impressive standing backflip over Nightwing. The obvious Move is Glaive Rush here… except he know we’re faster right now and will just dodge and counter when he’s open, so clearly he’s not going for that.

With a hiss, I called out “Protect.” The Move wasn’t great, especially when I was on a timer for advantage in the fight and not him, but I didn’t have a choice. I knew it was a trap, but not which trap, so I didn’t know how to counter it.

An instant later, and I was thankful that I had made that choice, as several icy spears were conjured from Baxcaillbur’s dorsal blade and shot all around the area where Nightwing hovered, the Dragon Type continuing his flip over her head. The ice, which would have otherwise immediately taken her out, shattered as it met her Protect.

“U-Turn,” I shouted out as the barrier she conjured faded away. Our foe was turning around from where he landed to face her, but she shot ahead, slamming into him and returning back. The odd, skittering motion of the Move, even in the air, let her avoid the retaliatory Ice Shards Baxcallibur spat out at her.

There was no Pokemon left for her to switch with, and no switches left either, but U-Turn still had some surprising applications in a fight like this for repositioning and unexpected movement. Such a trick would not work twice, however, so I called for another Lunge.

If we can weaken him physically a bit further then she might be able to tank another attack, or at least a glancing blow. Then- The same kind of barrier Nightwing had recently called around herself now encircled Baxcallibur, the Dragon weathering our latest assault… and waiting out the last of Trick Room, the dimensionally distorted space fading away.

“U-Turn, get out of there!” I cried, trying to think of how I could win. He’s on his last Pokemon, victory seems so close…

“O great dragon, take this Tera Jewel as your crown!” Hassel dramatically declared, holding aloft his own Tera Orb and tossing it above his ace Pokemon. The crystals shattered to reveal the red and blue dragon-looking ‘crown’ now attached to the top of Baxcallibur’s head.

With a mighty roar, his Pokemon leapt up, flipping in the air above Nightwing, before dropping down fast, faster than gravity should have carried him. She was already moving away from the blow, so his dorsal blade didn’t land head-on, but even the glancing blow sent my Pokemon skidding against the ground.

This was the moment, I realized. As his Baxcallibur awkwardly lifted himself off the ground, I knew we’d have had a chance at winning the battle there, with an all-out assault launched when he was vulnerable. But there was no way we were making it through that attack, and he knew it too.

Slumping to the ground, I recalled my final Pokemon. I had lost my first battle against an Elite Four.

***

All in all, I was actually happy with my performance. Sure, I had lost (which I was a little upset with), but it was an epic battle! A fact that is a bit easier to focus on with my hearing slowly coming back to me.

The staff had been watching from the windows and ran down to check on me… and also to berate Hassel. I should probably help him out with that. Getting up and pushing aside the other maids and butlers, I walked up to the Elite Four member nervously staring down an irate maid.

“It’s fine, Leah. Neither of us expected that Boomburst would cut through the barrier like that.” My half-fib wasn’t that convincing, but with a ‘hmph’ sound she stepped to the side, allowing me to thank Hassel.

Giving him a small bow, I began with, “Thank you so much for this battle. This was... Incredible.”

He raised an eyebrow and asked, “Are you sure you’re alright? That attack hit you pretty hard, I’m so sorry-”

“No no, it’s fine. I just have sensitive ears. Usually it’s not an issue, but I’ll keep that in mind for Boomburst. Did you know Dudunsparces can learn that as well?” He shook his head, looking mildly surprised. “We’ve been trying for a while but- well I can’t wait till we reach your level.”

Hassel nodded in silent contemplation, looking at me strangely and I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. If he felt I was reckless, dumb, or had done well. When he offered me his hand I didn’t hesitate to shake it. Then he started sobbing.

“That was- marbelous!” He wailed and I froze, not sure what to do as he kept on shaking my hand. “Sush fire, from sush a shmall dwagon!”

“Aha, thank you. You were incredible too,” I complimented him while pulling my hand back. “I can’t wait to battle you again.” My slightly ringing ears picked up a groan from Leah as I said that, but I couldn’t help myself. That battle was awesome! This, this is why I wanted to be a Trainer! Maybe not the Boomburst thing admittedly, and there were a few other decisions I’d make but-

Hassel cleared his throat, and I stopped mumbling my thought, realizing the man had recomposed himself as well. “I look forward to our next battle too. And as to what you said, I believe you shall indeed reach my level soon.” There was an odd expression on his face, awe and pride mixed with anticipation and jealousy. I couldn’t decipher it further before he finished with “Next time we battle it will be during your League challenge, and I expect that day won’t be long from now.”

Then, with a broad grin, he released his Dragonite, hopping on their back and flying off. “And I eagerly await the release of your album as well! Brassie and I adore your songs, Miss Nemona!” Like that, he was gone, flying off to the horizon.

Leah stomped up, tsking. “I can’t believe how reckless that was. You best not be thinking of trying to fight him again right away, Young Miss.”

Despite her stern tone, I couldn’t help the broad grin on my face, the battle high still coursing through me. “You don’t need to worry about that, I probably won’t be fighting the Elite Four any time soon.”

My words didn’t reassure my maid, instead causing her face to grow pale. Grabbing me close, she started scrutinizing my head closely. “Did you hit your head? Have a headache?” Turning to the others, she shouted, “I think Nemona has a concussion! We need to get her to a doctor!”

Pushing her off, I groaned. “Leaaaah. I’m fine. I don’t have a concussion.”

Placing her hands on her hips, the young woman asked, “Then why are you not jumping at the chance to battle Hassel again?”

"Well, that’s because-” I stopped, falling silent. There was no way to explain why I couldn’t go on a journey yet. That I had future knowledge of certain events I didn’t want to disturb.

The maid looked down at me, frowning, before she leaned down and gave me a hug. “I don’t always understand why you know so much, what drives you, and why you feel you can’t do some things. Which makes it all the more frustrating when I do understand the recklessness you display…” she muttered mostly to herself before getting back on track.

Looking me straight in the eyes, she said. “Whatever you want to do, we’ll support you. Within reason, of course, but your family, the staff,... I’ll support you. I know you well enough by now little girl to know you won’t give your reasons, but I think you’re ready. Bright enough to go to school, skilled enough to explore the land, and strong enough to take on any challenge. The only thing holding you back now is you.”

I openly gaped, caught off-guard. Don’t know why I am, Leah’s always been there for me. The rest of the staff too, but not as close as her. I saw the others behind her, acting particularly interested in the arena, not crowding in on the moment or reprimanding her for overstepping.

The only one who wasn’t was Hamber, the majordomo, looking a little displeased about the situation but not saying anything. Worrying, but a problem for later. Could I really just go on my journey? There’s so much more to do, so many things I might bump off the wrong course, changes I’d make that would ruin my future knowledge. I might change things for the better too.

“I will think about it.” I promised. There was a lot to look at there, but even as I said it, I felt a call pulling at my Aura, my very soul. My gaze drifting over to the edge of the horizon and all the adventures that might lay beyond.