•Kanto Ops HQ, Viridian City, Kanto•
•March 6th, Morning•
•Amber (Wolfe Alias) POV•
Chapter Forty-Seven
Almost a Team
Silver forcefully grabbed the handles to my wheelchair again as we all started making our way to the underground stadium. Really, it wasn't fancy. It was just a small area where one could hold a Pokémon battle. It was a room about the size of a small gymnasium, and the floor was made of cement.
Silver pushed me to the left side of the rectangular stadium while Dex and Darrius took the right. To my surprise, my dad entered the room. "I heard you guys needed a referee?" He asked cheerfully.
"Thanks, Officer Neilstone, for volunteering," Darrius responded with a nod. Dad and D went way back, so it wasn't a surprise to see Dad at all, really. Darrius probably told him everything going on.
"No problem at all. I think I'm going to enjoy this. Plenty of talent here," Dad smiled. "Anyway, let's get this battle started. It'll be a tag team battle. On the red side is Silver and Wolfe. On the blue side is Darrius and Dex. Each trainer may use up to three Pokémon. The victor is declared when both trainers of a team have no more Pokémon. No time limit, and substitutions are allowed. Alright, begin!" He waved his arm from the sidelines as soon as we were ready.
I turned my face to Silver. "Alright, let's put our differences aside for now and kick some ass, okay? I'm not going to lose to Darrius here."
"Speak for yourself, wimp. Just stay out of my way," Silver replied curtly.
"We have to work as a team! It's a tag battle, hello?" I replied in exasperation.
"Whatever. I'm my own team. I work alone. Do whatever you want. Croconaw, let's go!"
Silver's Croconaw appeared with a toothy grin on our side of the stadium.
"Ugh, fine! Mudflaps, let's show them a thing or two!"
My loveable Marshtomp appeared next to Croconaw, who glared at him. Mudflaps glared back.
I guess they can feel the animosity between their trainers…
Darrius laughed from his side of the field. "Come on, kids. Work together for this one. Ampharos, let's show them how it's done!"
Darrius' Ampharos appeared on the other side of the stadium. The bipedal final form of the electric sheep, Mareep, trilled in her high-pitched voice. Unlike most Ampharos, her body was black, and she had yellow rings around her tail and yellow colored ears. Her belly was a pale brown in color. The orb on her tail was a brilliant blue.
"Alright, let's help Darrius out! Go, Victreebel!" Dex called.
The yellow pitcher-plant-like Pokémon appeared with a very loud "Vic!"
"Let's go!" Called my dad from the sidelines.
"Fine, Croconaw, Ice Fang on Victreebel!" Silver commanded.
Croconaw sprung into action as its teeth were coated with ice. It then chomped down hard on Victreebel's soft body.
"Ampharos, help our teammate! Thunder!" Darrius interjected.
The Electric Pokémon sprung into action as a powerful electric charge surged from her black body and made its way to Croconaw in the center of the field.
"Mudflaps! Intercept that Thunder now!"
Mudflaps ran down the field and pushed Croconaw out of the way just in time as the Thunder hit my Pokémon instead. Mudflaps proudly grinned as his Ground Type negated any damage from the Electric Type attack.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Silver asked me hotly.
"Saving your ass!" I growled back.
"I said stay out of my way!" Silver snarled angrily.
I saw that Mudflaps shoved Croconaw a little too hard, and Victreebel got free of the Ice Fang.
"Victreebel! Razor Leaf!" Dex called.
The flower Pokémon fired off sharp leaves at both Silver's and my Pokémon.
"Ice Fang again!" Silver ordered.
Croconaw dodged the leaves, as did Mudflaps, but as the two jumped to avoid the attack, they collided into each other. Croconaw then surprised me by chomping down on my Mudflaps.
"Hey! What's that for?!" I asked Silver as his Pokémon attacked mine. "We're on the same side!"
"I said stay out of my way. Your Pokémon ran into mine!" He grumbled.
"Well, while you two are busy, Ampharos, use Signal Beam!" Darrius took advantage.
A bright red and blue wave appeared from the orb of the Pokémon's tail and hit Croconaw in the face, allowing Mudflaps to get free.
"Mudflaps, use Water Pulse!" I called.
Mudflaps did use Water Pulse, but in a rage, he used it on Croconaw instead. "What the hell?! Mudflaps! Use it on Ampharos!"
My Pokémon ignored me.
"Hmph. And now who's the one attacking their teammate?" Silver asked smugly.
"Your Pokémon started it!" I hissed back.
"No, yours did! If your Pokémon wouldn't have been in our way, that Victreebel would be down right about now!" He shot back angrily.
"So you'd just let your Croconaw take a full fledged Thunder?! That's a super-effective attack, and Darrius' Ampharos is a much higher level! That's asking your Pokémon to be knocked out!" I reasoned hotly.
"It doesn't matter. Just a little more, and Victreebel would have been down, too!" Silver shot back matter-of-factly.
I was so busy arguing with Silver, I didn't realize that both of our Pokémon were knocked out, and Darrius and Dex were eyeing us. Darrius looked like he was chuckling, and Dex looked a bit confused.
"Both Croconaw and Marshtomp are unable to battle!" Dad called.
"Now look what you've done. Quit getting in my way, okay?" Silver stated firmly as he recalled Croconaw.
"Fine, let yourself lose. It doesn't matter to me. I'll win this for us just so we don't have to go through the survival course." I grumbled.
"Aren't you two peppy?" Darrius replied as he recalled his Ampharos. Dex recalled his Victreebel as well.
"Whatever," Silver replied. "Gastly, go!"
The gaseous Ghost Pokémon appeared floating above the stadium's floor.
"Chika, let's do this!" I called out my beloved Bayleef, who appeared with a battle cry as she swung the leaf atop her head. She looked at her teammate with a grin on her face. Gastly had a glint in its eyes.
"Alright, Manectric, go!" Darrius called out his dog-like Electric Type. It was blue with a whitish yellow head and a spry body.
"Let's go, Grumpig!" Dex called out the bipedal psy-pig. It was black and purple in coloration with black pearls on its body and a coiled tail.
"Let the battle commence!" Dad waved his arm to start the next round.
"Manectric, use your Crunch attack on Gastly!"
Although it wouldn't seem like it'd be possible to bite a gaseous Ghost Type, Crunch, a Dark Type move, was super-effective, thus it'd do a ton of damage. The electric dog's fangs turned a sinister black as it sprung into action across the stadium.
"Chika! Vine Whip on Grumpig!"
Chika complied, and powerful vines whipped across the stadium and held Grumpig in a bind. And, to my luck, they whipped out right in front of Manectric, so the electric dog ended up tripping.
"Grumpig! Psychic! Get those vines off of you!" Dex called.
The black pearls on the pig's head began to glow as the vines unwrapped themselves from Grumpig. Chika began to panic since she couldn't control her vines.
"Gastly, use Mean Look on Manectric while it's down!" Silver called.
Gastly's eyes turned a sinister red as it glared into Manectric's eyes. The electric dog found itself unable to move from the spot.
"Smart move," I commented.
"Hmph, whatever."
"Manectric! Thunder!" Darrius countered.
Manectric couldn't move from its spot, but it still was able to launch a powerful Thunder at Gastly.
"Alright, Grumpig, send those vines back to the Bayleef!" Dex called.
Grumpig hurled Chika's vines right back at her, and unfortunately, they were caught up in the crossfire again, so Chika ended up taking the Thunder through her vines, which hurt her a bit, even if Grass Types weren't too affected by Electric Type moves.
"I said stay out of my battle!" Silver growled.
"It's not like I had a choice in the matter!" I argued.
"It's because you're weak!" Silver spat.
"That's right, keep arguing. Manectric, finish this with a Thunder on Bayleef!" Darrius shook his head.
"Grumpig! Psychic on Gastly!" Dex followed.
Before either Silver or I could react, Chika was struck by a powerful Thunder while Grumpig's Psychic caused Gastly to dissipate into nothing but two eyes and an ominous mouth. Both of our Pokémon hit the ground, defeated.
Darrius had a smirk on his face. "You know, I thought you two would have gotten your act together by now, but I guess not." He recalled Manectric while Dex recalled Grumpig.
I glared at Silver. "If you'd quit making me take my eyes off the battle, maybe I'd have a chance at least since you seem to not really care if your Pokémon take damage or not anyway!"
"If you'd just mind your own damn business, maybe I wouldn't have to yell at you in the first place!" We were both seething.
"Can we continue the battle, please?" Dad asked from the sidelines. I could tell he was really concerned that Silver and I were fighting like that.
"Sure. Lizardus, you're up!" I called my little Charmander into battle.
"Hmph. Yes sir. Sneasel, let's get serious."
Darrius chuckled. "Ah, so now it's Sneasel? Guess that means I'll have to go with a special surprise. Blitz!"
My own Jolteon appeared on the battlefield with a yip. He sniffed the air and made eye contact with me. I smiled at him. I had given Darrius permission to watch over him since Blitz was my trusted partner, and I knew how much Darrius loved his Electric Types. And so, for the last two years now, Darrius had Blitz on his team.
"You're using Amber's Jolteon?!" Silver's tone reflected both shock and hurt.
"Yeah. Blitz is under my safe keeping for now. Right, boy?" Darrius smiled at my electric fox, who yipped in reply.
"I'll counter your Charmander with this. Go, Tentacruel!" Dex called out the Pokémon I probably hated and feared the most.
I was surprised that the large jellyfish-like Pokémon could even battle out of water, but it actually levitated above the ground and gave a hideous gurgle-like noise. The red gems on its blue jellyfish head glistened.
"Round three, begin!" Dad called.
Crap…a Tentacruel. Those things creep me out. I could tell I went a few shades paler at the sight of it.
"Blitz! Magnet Rise!" Darrius ordered my Jolteon, who used electromagnetism to levitate above ground as well.
"Tentacruel! Earthquake!" Dex followed.
The jellyfish slammed a massive tentacle on the ground, which made it shudder and quake. A rivet of cement bulged from the ground at both Lizardus and Sneasel.
"Sneasel, jump onto Tentacruel!"
Sneasel's acrobatic ability was faultless as he landed on top of Tentacruel's head.
"Lizardus! Get out of the way!!"
My Charmander tried to run, but he was too slow as the ground underneath him tore upward and hit him, which sent him flying.
"Blitz! Signal Beam on Sneasel!" Darrius followed up.
"Dodge it!" Silver countered.
Sneasel was fast, but Blitz was faster. The red and blue beam shot from Blitz's white spiked collar of fur and hit Sneasel dead-on, which caused Sneasel to fall to the ground with a thud.
"Get up!" Silver demanded.
Sneasel looked pretty worn already thanks to the fact that Signal Beam, a Bug Type move, was super effective against a Dark Type like Sneasel.
"Liz! You've got to hang in there!" I called to my Charmander, who was laying face down on the ground. I saw he was panting hard.
This isn't good. Blitz and Tentacruel are way too high level for my little guy. And they're too fast for him. I can't use Dig; Earthquake will have more of an effect underground. Flamethrower won't do much against Tentacruel, and we probably can't catch Blitz. That leaves Dragon Claw and Crunch, but Tentacruel could sting Liz if he gets too close, and it'd be all over…
Silver smirked. "Leave this to me. Sneasel, Blizzard!"
Sneasel got back to his feet and fired a Blizzard at both Blitz and Tentacruel. It didn't do too much to Tentacruel, but Blitz was caught up in it.
"Lizardus! Flamethrower! Blitz is slowed!"
Liz managed to get to his feet. The fire on his tail was blazing more than ever.
Yes! Blaze kicked in! When a Charmander is low on health, Blaze powers up Fire Type attacks! I can use that right about now!
A powerful flame hit Blitz from the side. Unfortunately, it also melted the Blizzard, so Blitz was able to get away after a few seconds. He looked burned, though.
"I said stay out of my way!" Silver was vehement. "Sneasel, Night Slash on Tentacruel!"
"Tentacruel, grab Sneasel and use Poison Jab!"
Tentacruel managed to grab Sneasel in a tentacle and bound him, making him unable to attack. It then used another tentacle to sting him.
"Rescue Sneasel! Flamethrower!" I called.
Liz used Flamethrower on the Tentacruel's head as to distract it.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Silver yelled at me.
"Tentacruel! Catch that Charmander!" Dex ordered.
Liz was caught and trapped just like Sneasel.
I smirked. "Alright, Liz! Crunch!"
Liz bit down hard on the tentacle, which recoiled and released him. He then ran over to Sneasel and bit down on that tentacle, too. Sneasel got away hastily, but Tentacruel managed to recapture Liz and bound his head where he couldn't bite.
"Nice try. Tentacruel, Poison Jab!"
"Sneasel! Night Slash while Tentacruel is distracted!" Silver shot back.
"Not so fast," Darrius smirked. "Blitz! Charge Beam!"
A concentrated beam of electricity flew from Blitz and dashed towards Sneasel.
"Flamethrower!!" I called.
Liz, who was pointed in the direction of the Charge Beam, was able to fire off a Flamethrower, which intercepted the move. The moves collided with equal strength, and they caused a small explosion, which was just enough cover for Sneasel to strike with Night Slash at Tentacruel's head.
The large jellyfish recoiled and flung Liz away, who landed on the ground. He was panting harder than ever.
"Blitz! Finish off Charmander! Shadow Ball!"
Blitz fired off a dark ball of mass at Liz, and it struck, which caused my Charmander to fly into the air again. He rolled as he landed on his back. He looked pretty much knocked out.
"Liz! Are you okay?!" I asked in nearly a panic.
He weakly growled as he tried to stand up.
"Sneasel! Slash! Finish up Tentacruel!"
Sneasel used a fierce Slash, which hit Tentacruel's weak point, and the jellyfish went down with my father's declaration.
"Nice job, Tentacruel. You deserve a rest. Back out, Victreebel!" Dex called Victreebel back to the fight.
"Blitz! Signal Beam on Sneasel!"
Another Signal Beam headed towards Sneasel.
"Victreebel! Sweet Scent!" Dex called.
Victreebel released a soothing aroma, which caused Sneasel to linger instead of immediately evade the oncoming attack.
"Liz! Get up if you can!" I urged.
My Charmander got to his feet a bit woozily just as the Signal Beam passed above his head, and it struck him instead of Sneasel. Liz was knocked down yet again.
"Sneasel! Blizzard!"
Sneasel used the opportunity to send a Blizzard after Blitz and Victreebel. It hit both, but since Lizardus was in the way, he was hit as well.
"Liz!" I couldn't even tell if my Charmander was still breathing. I was just about to wheel myself into the fray when Silver stopped me by holding me back. "Let me go! Liz is hurt!"
"Recall him if you want. You'd be an idiot to go out there right now in the middle of a battle. Besides, look," his voice hinted he was smirking.
Where Liz was lying, a white glow appeared, and Liz's body grew. The end result was a young Charmeleon lying on the ground.
"He evolved…" I said a little in disbelief.
Lizardus stood up and growled at Blitz and Victreebel. The fire at the tip of his tail was much stronger than before. He was a red in color, and his fangs and claws looked sharp.
I grinned. "Alright, Liz! Flamethrower on Victreebel!"
He complied, and a very powerful flame engulfed the flower Pokémon, who gave a shriek.
"Victreebel, return! Grumpig, back out!" Dex called.
I looked at Silver. "You handle Blitz. Grumpig is all mine."
"Whatever," Silver smirked. "Sneasel! Slash on Blitz!"
Sneasel got in quickly and struck Blitz hard. Blitz collapsed to the ground. He was panting hard. He was definitely battling hard.
"Liz! Crunch on Grumpig!" I commanded, finding my rhythm.
"Don't think so, Wolfe! Grumpig, Psychic!"
The pearl glowed again as the psychic power tried to intercept Lizardus from attacking. It looked like it was making Liz's body slow and heavy.
"Liz! You can do it!" I encouraged.
Lizardus actually pressed onward and approached the pig Pokémon.
"Bounce! Get out of the way!" Dex decided.
The pig used its coiled tail to spring high into the air. It released the psychic hold on Lizardus.
"Jump! And Flamethrower!"
Lizardus did as commanded and struck Grumpig from behind. The pig Pokémon fell to the ground with a thud.
"Nothing like a little bacon in the morning," I said quietly to myself.
Silver overheard me and actually gave a small chuckle in amusement. "Sneasel! Finish off Grumpig! Night Slash!"
"Intercept it, Blitz! Signal Beam!"
Blitz regained his feet and was running in Sneasel's direction as he fired off another Signal Beam.
"Lizardus! Stop it! Dragon Claw!"
Liz actually managed to intercept Blitz just in time and struck with a pretty vicious Dragon Claw. Liz's claws glowed red as they hit Blitz's side.
"I'm your opponent, Darrius!" I taunted.
Meanwhile, Sneasel was able to finish off Grumpig with Night Slash.
"Return, Grumpig! You did great. I guess that's it for me. I'm not sending Victreebel back out." Dex conceded defeat with a grin.
"Alright, the challenger, Dex, is out of Pokémon. The match will now continue as Silver and Wolfe tag team versus Darrius!" Dad called out.
I actually grinned at Silver, who surprisingly, gave me a half-grin back. "Let's finish this! Liz, use Flamethrower!"
"Sneasel, Quick Attack! Strike just before Flamethrower hits!" Silver cooperated.
"Up!" Darrius commanded.
Blitz jumped, and Sneasel, who was facing opposite Lizardus, hit my Pokémon instead. Both fell over into a heap.
"Grr! I should've figured he'd dodge. Liz, back up!" I called.
"You too, Sneasel!"
Both Pokémon managed to stand up again.
"Too late! Charge Beam!"
Blitz fired multiple Charge Beams from the air, which hit both of our Pokémon dead-on. Both were summarily knocked out.
"Sneasel and Charmeleon are unable to battle. Both challengers Silver and Wolfe are out of Pokémon, so the winner is Darrius! And Dex too, I guess," Dad added with an amused grin. I knew he really wasn't a referee, but he made a decent makeshift one.
"You were awesome, Liz! You really put up a great battle; get some rest, little guy," I recalled my Pokémon to his ball.
"Not bad for once, Sneasel. Return," Silver recalled his Pokémon as well.
He then wheeled me to the center of the stadium, which was where Darrius wheeled Dex as well. Dad joined us.
"Hmm, looks like in the end you actually managed to pull things together," Darrius commented as his azure eyes looked us over. "Notice how whenever you weren't fighting, you had a better chance of winning?"
"Nice work taking out my team. Man, that was quite a comeback," Dex commented as he smiled at me.
"I do admit that was a pretty heated battle at the end. Reminded me of the Indigo League a few years ago," Dad smiled.
"Hmph. I just was concerned about winning, nothing more." Silver snorted as he crossed his arms.
"I think that's something we can agree on, in the end," I replied as I crossed my arms as well.
Whatever temporary truce we had? It was clearly already over.