"Zweilous, follow up with Assurance!"
"Roar!"
"Shelgon, meet it with Dragon Claw!"
Early on New Year's morning, the backyard of the Moore household was already ringing with the sounds of battle.
Despite having stayed up well past midnight, David and Aria had both risen early. It was the first day of the new year — sleeping in wasn't an option. Since they had free time before the day's plans began, the two siblings had decided to settle things the way trainers usually do: with a battle in the backyard arena.
Aria's partner was her Zweilous — the same Pokémon that had faced David's Zorua in an earlier match when it was still a Deino. Half a year had passed since then, and it had since evolved.
David, meanwhile, sent out his newly caught ace: Shelgon. Two second-stage Dragon-type pseudo-legendaries, facing off in a friendly sibling rivalry.
(Author's note: Evolution levels in this story do not strictly follow the games, where Deino evolves at around level 50 and Hydreigon at around level 64. Those thresholds would not suit the pacing of this work.)
At Aria's command, Zweilous moved quickly. Sensing the small injury Shelgon had taken from an earlier exchange, it gathered Dark-type energy in its claws and raked hard at the opening — Assurance, hitting harder for the existing damage. It pressed the advantage without hesitation.
Shelgon didn't flinch. It answered with Dragon Claw, the two colliding in a sharp clash of energy. They traded blows back and forth, but even with Assurance's bonus damage, it was becoming clear that Zweilous was losing ground.
David pulled up Zweilous's information.
Name: Zweilous Level: 36 Aptitude: Light Red
Half a year without seeing it, and Zweilous had grown considerably. Level 36 was impressive progress for a Dragon-type pseudo-legendary — notoriously slow to develop. It had even been overtaken by David's Zorua, which had been two levels below it at the time of their earlier match and had since climbed to level 37 during the winter break.
That kind of growth in a Dragon-type was almost certainly the result of generous resources and the influence of Aria's ability.
Zweilous's higher level, and its notably large size compared to most Zweilous of its age, gave it a real edge in mobility. It used that mobility well, staying in motion and refusing to let Shelgon pin it down. But in a straight exchange of strength, there was simply no contest.
Shelgon's mass was overwhelming. Its sheer physical power was such that even a professional-level Torterra would be pushed back in a raw test of strength. Against Zweilous, which wasn't that far off in level, the gap felt enormous. And then there was Shelgon's shell — dense, layered armor that absorbed hits in a way that made trading blows feel almost pointless for the attacker. David's Shelgon had leaned into exactly that, adopting a direct, pressure-forward style from the start.
They clashed again. Zweilous skidded back a full dozen steps, struggling to find its footing on the other side of the arena.
There wasn't much it could do. The physical gap was too wide. Short of another Pokémon with naturally dominant raw strength, David couldn't picture many things putting Shelgon at a disadvantage at the same level.
"Shelgon, Fire Fang!"
Flames erupted from the gap in Shelgon's shell, blazing hot as it charged forward. Its enormous body surged across the arena floor, each step sending a tremor through the ground that could be felt well beyond the arena's edge.
Watching it come — like a boulder given legs, or more accurately, something considerably larger than a tank — Aria's expression shifted.
"Zweilous, Protect!"
A barrier of shimmering green light flared up, stopping Shelgon cold just before the Fire Fang connected. Shelgon pressed against it, unable to push through.
Zweilous used the moment to create distance. It needed range.
"Dragon Pulse!"
Two heads, one burst of violet energy shaped like a surging dragon, fired across the arena at Shelgon.
"We can do that too. Dragon Pulse — push it back!"
A matching Dragon Pulse launched from Shelgon's side, the two colliding in the middle of the arena in a sustained beam struggle. Energy crackled between them as both Pokémon held firm.
It didn't last long. Zweilous's Dragon Pulse broke first.
Shelgon's pulse continued through the gap and bore down on Zweilous. It rolled hard to the side, narrowly clearing the blast — just a graze on its flank, but enough to sting.
"Roar~"
Zweilous let out a frustrated, two-headed cry, both heads turning briefly toward each other before refocusing on their opponent. Even Aria, watching from the sideline, had to press her lips together to keep from smiling.
This was not how Zweilous was used to fighting. It was an aggressive battler by nature — powerful, durable, and most comfortable pushing straight through an opponent on the strength of Dragon-type physiology alone. But against Shelgon, that approach was completely shut down. Every time it closed the distance, that massive shell bore down on it like a living wall.
And Shelgon wasn't only physically dominating. Its defense was extraordinary. Zweilous had landed Dragon Claw multiple times in the earlier exchanges, and most strikes had left nothing but shallow marks on the thick shell. The pain registered, but the effect on the battle was minimal.
Long-range was equally frustrating. Their Dragon Pulses were roughly matched in power — neither clearly stronger than the other — but Shelgon's reserves of energy simply ran deeper. Zweilous had been relying on its superior mobility to stay in this fight at all, and even that advantage was beginning to wear thin.
It had felt pressured during its earlier battle with Zorua. Shelgon was worse.
"That's enough. Let's call it here."
Aria finally spoke, and the battle wound down. It had started with energy and ended somewhat quietly — but that was fine. It had only ever been a way to pass the morning, and both siblings knew it. Win or loss didn't really matter between family.
"Not bad, David," Aria said, stepping forward and giving his shoulder a light pat as both trainers called their Pokémon back. Indeedee and Blissey moved in to take over from there, helping the two Pokémon recover. "You only caught Shelgon recently, and it's already pushed my Zweilous this far — and I've been training it for nearly half a year."
"Honestly, it's just Shelgon being Shelgon," David said, a modest smile on his face — though from his expression, beating his older sister clearly felt quite satisfying. "Zweilous is strong. It's just a bad matchup. In a different fight, it wouldn't have ended up like this."
He meant it. If the matchup had been different, Zweilous would have been a much harder opponent. Both Pokémon were physical fighters at heart, with solid enough special attack capabilities on top. Zweilous had won plenty of clashes by pushing through opponents on raw Dragon-type durability. It simply had the misfortune of running into something physically stronger, better armored, and just as capable at range. The only edge Zweilous had managed to hold onto was its speed, and even that hadn't been enough.
"Alright, you two, enough of the mutual compliments."
Their mother appeared at the edge of the backyard — she had drifted over at some point during the battle, drawn by the noise. "Your father and I are heading out. Do either of you want to come along?"
"Sorry, Mom — I already made plans. Going out with a friend." Aria answered first.
"I actually have something on too," David said at almost exactly the same moment. "You two should go together."
They looked at each other.
Their mother laughed. "You two rehearse that?"
"Aria started it."
"You did the same thing, so neither of us has any ground to stand on."
The first days of the new year had a rhythm to them — visiting relatives, receiving visitors — and neither sibling had much enthusiasm for either. Their mother gave them both a knowing look, shook her head with a smile, and left them to it.
A short while later, Blissey returned with the recovered Pokémon. The siblings gathered themselves and went their separate ways.
Aria headed off to meet her friend — whether that had been a genuine prior arrangement or a quick decision made on the spot, David couldn't tell.
David, for his part, had no particular destination. His closest friends weren't in Imperial City over the holiday. But he couldn't stay home and sleep, not on the first day of the new year. After a moment's thought, he decided to head to a nearby Battle Center.
It had been a while since he had touched his ranked battles. Too long, honestly.
Time to do something about that.