Chapter 11- Rival battle I

  Naturally, Professor Rowan takes the stance of referee and Erdd goes to one side of the battlefield. The others don’t yet move to either side yet.

  The professor starts announcing the rules “This will be a series of back to back one versus one matches where the loser of each match is eliminated and the next person takes their place. Erdd will fight first. Who will be his opponent?”

  Instantaneously a voice jumps out “I WILL! No way I would let this chance slide!” Barry shouts and sprints to the side of the battle area opposite to Erdd. He moves with such enthusiasm and energy it makes you think he is attempting to escape the confines of his own flesh body. “Chimchar, let’s show this guy who’s boss!”

  That gets an energetic “Char char!” as Chimchar gets into position on the field. Sever does the same on Erdd's side of the field.

  “Go get him with a Scratch attack!!!” Barry shouts and points at Sever. “But watch out for his teeth!” and Chimchar starts running in, eyes on Sever in case he has to dodge a projectile attack.

  Erdd refrains from giving his pokemon an order until Chimchar is almost on him “Match him. Scratch.”

  With the energy glowing in both pokemon’s hands they start fighting. Chimchar should be at an advantage with a lighter body and longer arms, but no matter how he moves around or increases the ferocity of his attacks it doesn’t work.

  All Sever does is use Scratch to clash with Chimchar’s attacks with a single minded focus, no longer absent minded holding back the hunger, he fights with precision, reading every move his opponent might make.

  “Ahh!! This isn’t working! Chimchar, forget attacking and start running in circles to confuse him! Hit him if you get his back open!”

  “Finish this.” Erdd also gives another order, trusting his pokemon to understand his will.

  As Chimchar starts running in circles around Sever the Dragon does not move to keep the Fire type in his view. Instead he concentrates, waiting for the perfect moment. Chimchar finally decides to take the opening and charge at Sever’s back!

  It is over in a second.

  Nay, less than a second, a single instant before Chimchar’s Scratch lands it happens. Sever turns to face him, not turning so much as is now facing him. With his movements seemingly being forgotten in the eyes of all the watchers.

  But the Slash is clear in their mind, radiating sharpness. The body of Chimchar flying away with a great gash from hip to shoulder imprints itself in their mind.

  The moment seems to stretch indefinitely, but does not last forever. Chimchar lands with a thud, unconscious and bleeding from his wound.

  “Chimchar is unable to battle, the winner is Erdd and gible!” Rowan is the first to speak, being no stranger to a messy battle.

  “Huh?” Barry says, briefly not comprehending what happened before coming to his senses and shouting “Chimchar!” and running onto the field to hold his pokemon, muttering to himself the whole way. The wound is not as bad as he feared with only a small trickle of blood given the hardy nature of pokemon given the energy that runs through them.

  Still Barry hurriedly recalls his pokemon after confirming he’s all right. With the important thing out of the way, Barry turns his attention to Erdd.

  “HEY! What was that! You seriously hurt Chimchar with that attack! What if something went wrong and you’ve scared him for life!?? This is just a casual battle between friends!” Barry shouts at Erdd and after he finishes speaking he is right in Erdd’s face, glaring harshly.

  Even though Barry is noticeably taller than Erdd, Erdd still looks down on him as he speaks “You fight and rage like a candle, easy to snuff out. If you desire to grow strong, do not hope to be gone easy on.” a small sneer “My pokemon has grown strong through the bond we have forged and tempered in unforgiving combat. This is no game, this is my life’s work.”

  Finally, Erdd looks up to meet Barry’s gaze “Go get Chimchar to the Pokemon Center.”

  Barry’s eyes waver, but he turns his head away and begins to stomp off, but looks back before getting too far “One week of training, huh!? Well by the time I make it to Oreburgh I’ll have a week of training and Chimchar and I will show you what a bond means!! Hurmp!” After saying his peace Barry breaks out into a sprint to the Pokemon Center

  Professor Rowan interrupts the heated but hushed whispers going on between Lucas and Dawn “The next person to battle please take the field.”

  “Well, I guess I’ll go next then…” Dawn hesitantly says.

  After she takes her position, Erdd speaks up “Fear not, I shall not treat you so harshly. That boy was over the line of recklessness so I simply reminded him what was at stake. Be bold, do not be reckless.”

  “Umm, ok? Thanks, I guess.” She fiddles with her hair before composing herself. “I’ll start this show! Piplup, use Bubblebeam!” Dawn calls out.

  “Match her, Dragon Breath.” Erdd orders in response.

  The attacks meet in the middle of the field and cause a large commotion as the bubbles in Piplup’s attack pop and release steam in the center of the battlefield.

  Dawn is the first to speak after their attacks end “Now reposition and do it again”

  The attack only serves to cause a lightshow, and as much as Dawn would like that to be the goal, she knows this is a battle to impress her boss first and foremost.

  Dawn pleads with her pokemon “If you know any other water moves please use them! Whirlpool, Water Gun, anything different!"

  “Pip?! Piplup!” Her pokemon responds by switching the Bubblebeam for a Water Gun, running in a semicircle to get close to Sever without charging straight in.

  “Match her. Maintain a consistent Dragon Breath.” is all Erdd deigns to speak.

  Something tugs at the back of Dawn’s mind as she watches her pokemon strafe, but never catching her opponent off guard. The origin of all Sever’s attacks never change, all from the center of the arena and only as close as Piplup gets to him.

  “Piplup! He’s not moving! Use Bubble to break line of sight then hit his position from an unexpected direction.

  The Water pokemon’s attack isn’t offensive in nature but the bubbles cover the field between Sever and his prey, distorting his view of Piplup like she is in a hall of mirrors.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  Erdd’s face twists into a predatory grin as he sweeps out a leg to widen his stance and howls at the sky “YES! DISCOVER THE LAWS ON WHICH THIS WORLD SPINS! SEVER, FULL POWER DRAGON BREATH!”

  Piplup’s Bubblebeam directly hits Sever through the clearing smoke, the damage is visible on his body when the attack ends. But that didn’t stop him from charging up a full power Dragon Breath.

  Dawn notices something’s up, “Piplup! Dodge!” but it’s too late.

  Following the trajectory of Dawn’s final attack, a great wave of bluish purple flames impact Piplup with a bang! She is sent rolling from the attack and doesn’t stand up again.

  Rowan calls “Piplup is unable to battle, Erdd and gible are the winners.”

  Erdd takes a deep breath to compose himself, a malevolent chuckle escapes, but he contains it again. “Good eyes, young one. Develop that insight and it will serve you well.”

  “Uhh, We’re the same age, but, thanks?” Dawn answers absent mindedly while recalling Piplup. “I think Piplup is fine enough to wait until Lucas is done so I’ll stick around.”

  Lucas takes the chance to voice his thoughts on the state of the back to back challenge “I really don’t see the point in this battle, Erdd is obviously a good trainer but his pokemon is just so much more powerful than our starters it’s not a contest. Why would we fight a battle we have no hope of winning? I think we should call it here and go have breakfast.”

  Erdd answers him “You are correct in saying that your goal is not to win this battle, but neither is mine. The point is to challenge yourself and your pokemon in a safe environment. Safety is a rare commodity on a pokemon journey.”

  “Well if I need a tough fight Barry is probably gonna train his arm off to overtake you and I might have a chance in those battles. I’ve learned my lesson or whatever you were trying to show me.” Lucas lackadaisically replies.

  Erdd sighs. “If you truly require a reason to battle, we are in the same year of the Conference, when we meet later when your pokemon are as powerful as mine surely then you doing your best to gain information here would serve you when we meet later in our Gym Challenge?”

  “Fine,” Lucas laments “That will have to be enough. Turtwig, I chose you.” and finally his pokemon takes to the field.

  Rowan begins the countdown and when he signals to start Lucas is the first to bark out an order.

  “Use Withdraw!” While his pokemon performs his move, Lucas rambles strategy just loud enough for his pokemon to hear “Attacking from range or close didn’t help anyone earlier so focus on status moves to stay ahead of him.”

  “Leer. Beat him at his own game.” Erdd dismissively calls.

  The effects of Water energy enhancing Turtwig and the Normal energy Sever uses to sabotage him cancel out.

  Lucas gives his next order, not overly concerned with the strategic stalemate “Keep going! They have to break the stalemate.”

  Erdd sighs, knowing he will fail to motivate anyone with this zero-sum game Lucas wants them to play. “Walk, Sever. Give them a clock.”

  The ball is back in Lucas’ hands and he knows it. Thoughts roll through his head, thinking that he has to keep this out of close combat if he can’t set up because of that dangerous Slash. But he would fail a ranged battle to Dragon Breath… Or maybe they aren’t different plans at all.

  Plan coalescing in his mind, Lucas sends his next order “Turtwig, wait for neutral before hitting him with Razor Leaf! A quick one!”

  “Match him.” Erdd tells Sever

  The attacks meet between the two pokemon, causing a small commotion and tossing up smoke from the burning leaves, Sever slowly advancing all the while.

  “Again!” Lucas shouts.

  “Match him.” Erdd answers back.

  “Again!” comes the same call.

  Erdd doesn't reply but Sever does with his own attack.

  The Dragon is somewhat obscured by the smoke from their attacks clashing. Erdd Smirks fiendishly. The latest clash has fully obscured Sever in smoke. Lucas calls out a different order this time.

  “Withdraw! He can’t use Leer if he can’t see you!”

  Erdd cackles like a mightyena and that turns into full belly laughter at Lucas’ next order.

  “Now use Tackle! Get one good hit in!” The new trainer is engrossed in the dance of rules and powers, tactics and strategy, solely focused on the incoming blow he’s oblivious to his foe’s mad behavior.

  Just as Turtwig makes his final stride into the smoke, Erdd’s face snaps to the battle and calls out “Dig.”

  “Wai what?”

  Turtwig is surprised when the target of his attack is seemingly missing from the fading smoke cloud. He stumbles to adjust for the unexpected lack of resistance to his movements.

  Just as he is about to regain balance the ground beneath him erupts in a shower of dirt and scales as Sever lands a direct headbutt to Turtwig’s underbelly, sending him flying out of the smoke and rolling to a stop after hitting the ground, eyes up, even through his defense boost.

  “Turtwig is unable to battle, the winner is Erdd and gible!” comes the referee’s decree.

  After returning his pokemon, Lucas is frozen, looking in shock at Sever standing proudly in the makeshift arena.

  Soon enough the new trainer regains thoughts and goes “You-” He swings his arms in frustration “Why the-” He kicks the grass in fury, finally getting a recognizable string of words “I WAS SO CLOSE!!!!!!” The still child dramatically falls to his knees, protesting the unfairness of life.

  Erdd manages to hold in his laughter now, and speaks “Well, it seems you’ve achieved the goal I gave you, but not the one you chose for yourself it seems. Good. Set ambitious goals for yourself and your pokemon, it will help you grow.”

  Lucas jumps to his feet, suddenly more energized than he was a moment ago “Goals? Oh I got goals now alright! Nobody is gonna pull something like that on me again! How about this for goals, Barry won’t be the person you’ll have to worry about working the hardest or overtaking you, because that’s gonna be me!”

  He starts storming off towards the pokemon center “Next time your tricks won’t work, you hear me!” comes on last cry before he’s around the lab’s corner.

  Dawn finally takes this chance to speak “Well, professor, I better go check on those to make sure they aren’t causing trouble. It was nice meeting you, Erdd. I’ll see you around.” She holds his gaze long enough to show her resolve before taking the same path her friends took, but at a walking pace, talking to her piplup along the way.

  Rowan mutters under his breath “That’s why she’s my favorite”

  “WHAT??” Dawn shouts from across the yard.

  “Uuuuh, CHECK ON NURSE JOY FOR ME” Rowan hurriedly cobbles some words together

  “OKEY!” Dawn does another wave before turning back around.

  Rowan sighs before looking at Erdd. “Well, it seems you’ve earned the reading material I’ve sent to you…”

  Only to find him ignoring the professor and spoiling Sever with babble talk and scritches behind the crest, seeming to be completely divorced from the stoic or manic battler he was just twenty seconds ago. Rowan didn’t have a migraine in the morning, feared he might gain one during the battle portion, but it is now descended in full.

  Irreverent of his benefactor's incredulity, Erdd flawlessly interweaves tossing treats, bellyrubs, and scritches with energy bars for lost stamina and a wipedown for the dirt covered Dragon, resulting in Sever looking like he never fought and has been going to the spa for the last three battles.

  Now he has melted into a puddle of happiness at his trainer’s care.

  Rowan waits for Erdd to turn his attention to himself, and when that doesn’t happen in a reasonable time he says “You have everything you need for your travels on you right?”

  “Yep.” Erdd says without looking up from Sever

  “Jubilife’s east exit to Route 203?” he double checks.

  “Yep.” Erdd replies in the same manner

  Rowan hums thoughtfully while pulling a pokeball off his belt and releasing a bronzong. The professor makes a shooing gesture at his guests and the Bronze Bell Pokemon’s eyes glow before Erdd and sever find themselves on a paved road at the foot of a staircase leading out from Jubilife City. By the time anyone looks up the bronzong is gone

  “Good job in the battle, you did what I asked from you and more. But it is time now, to continue our journey.” Erdd stands up, gazing at the road ahead of him and all the lessons he is yet to learn.

  So one again the little man and little monster set off walking in the morning sun, this time on Route 203.