Kapitel 10: Nova vs Ray!

Not expecting to win with the odds stacked against him, Nova didn't prepare much beforehand. Logically Skorupi and Ray would have more experience, higher levels, and just be better overall.

A few hours of training or learning TMs wouldn't overcome that gap so easily. He had little hope for victory.

"Skorupi, use Leer."

"Rush 'em with Iron Head, Pawniard!"

That didn't mean he wouldn't try, however. If he did manage to win, it'd be a huge boost for Pawniard.

As they spoke, Pawniard approached Skorupi at its fastest pace but by the time it arrived the scorpion Pokemon already finished its Leer.

What Ray didn't know, however, was that this action only made it stronger.

The ability that Pawniard had, Defiant, sharply boosted its attack as it slammed into Skorupi with an extremely powerful Iron Head.

"Keep up the chase and clamp onto her!" Nova followed up and had Pawniard rush at her again, hoping to clamp down on the bug pokemon similarly to the Stunky they fought.

"Use agility and dodge its advances," Ray knew Skorupi was already naturally faster than Pawniard normally, and with the difference in levels, it was even quicker. So why shouldn't he take advantage of that?

Skorupi shook itself to get rid of the daze from Iron Head before focusing intently on Pawniard. Dodging left and right, it was obvious that there was no way Pawniard would catch it now.

As it started to glow a light pink, it became much faster. After that, it was clear that Pawniard had a very low chance of winning. It even started jumping on its head while dodging, clearly mocking him.

Nova clicked his tongue, a grimace appearing on his face as he wracked his brain for a way out of this situation. This was a major flaw in Pawniard's fighting style. If something was faster than it, it had no area of effect moves or stunning moves to stop it, the sharp blade Pokemon would simply lose.

Suddenly his eyes flashed with hope and a glint of mischief. He had an idea. It might've been a stupid one, but he couldn't think of anything else with his limited set of moves.

"I didn't want to reveal this yet, but use Explosion!"

"Huh?!" "Skrii?!"

The sheer stupidity of that command stunned both Skorupi and Ray for a single second. Pawniard, however, didn't stop moving. Although it didn't show it, the steel type was getting increasingly frustrated as the battle continued.

The moment the bug began to mock it during battle, Pawniard became focused on a single goal. To catch Skorupi. It was a Pokemon that many would describe as a no-nonsense killer. To torture an opponent or mock them during battle was disgraceful to him.

So instead of listening to anything Nova had to say, it took that brief moment of inaction to strike.

"Skriii!!" Skorupi gave a cry as Pawniard clamped onto it.

It was only then that Pawniard came out of its tunnel vision and wondered what to do next now that he finally caught her.

"Now use Leer, we've gotta one-shot this bitch,"

"Counter his with yours Skorupi," Ray finally came out of his dazed state and reacted accordingly, not wanting Nova to have the upper hand.

Both Pokemon used Leer on each other, lowering defenses once again.

Ray's eyes shined with mirth while Nova's smile threatened to split his face. Both had ideas of what would happen next, assured of their victory.

"Iron Head, full power!" "Pin Missile,"

The blade on Pawniard's forehead shined a bright light, before solidifying into a steel-like material, something it hadn't done before. Rearing his head back, he slammed downwards onto Skorupi with brutal strength.

At the same time, all of the claws on Skorupi's body glowed white and shot off its body with a surrounding green aura. All five 'pins' aimed at Pawniard's body, surrounding it so it wouldn't be able to dodge.

Upon impact, the field was obscured from vision, the sheer power of that exchange causing a dust cloud to rise. The sound of glass shattering could be heard coming from the clash.

Nova was anxious to know if Pawniard succeeded or not. This battle could've gone much worse if Ray didn't play around as much. After all, he could've commanded Skorupi to just spam Pin Missile while dodging.

Pawniard would've had no chance of even getting close, much less winning.

That was why as the smoke cleared, Nova was still happy despite the bittersweet result. Ultimately, it could've been much worse.

"Both Pawniard and Skorupi are unable to battle. There is no winner, as the match is a draw."

Although the judge didn't seem to care at the beginning of the match, the surprise in his voice spoke volumes about what he thought of the outcome.

Ray stood there stunned, staring at his Skorupi in disbelief. He never expected to actually draw against someone who obtained their first Pokemon a day ago.

That stunned look broke into a smile, as he began to chuckle. This was the first time Nova saw any emotion on his face that wasn't just a depressive state. To hear him chuckle was even weirder in his book.

"How? No, don't tell me. I'll find out. That battle was much more interesting than I thought it'd be. Maybe this tournament won't just be a stepping stone after all. See ya," Ray said with a smile on his decrepit face.

Returning Skorupi into its Pokeball, he simply walked away toward the base without saying another word.

What he still failed to understand was Pawniard's ability, Defiant. That last Leer from Skorupi boosted Pawniard just enough to make her faint.

Nova watched him as he did, before hurriedly coming to Pawniard's side. He was knocked out cold, so there was no point in talking to him.

Still, he muttered under his breath apologies for having to put him in his Pokeball. While Pawniard wasn't exactly heavy, he didn't want to run around with a fainted Pawniard in his arms.

Returning to the base, he went straight to the healing station they had. There was no nurse to deal with more grievous injuries, but the healing station could fix up minor injuries caused by battle.

Nova didn't see Ray there, but he figured Ray must have a ton of healing items if he so easily could give him 10,000 Pokedollars just for a battle.

Since Nova had time to spare while he waited for Pawniard to heal, he sat on the floor of the medical bay and began to meditate once again.

Instead of clearing his mind, however, he replayed the battle in his head and tried to find Pawniard's glaring flaws. He would have to remedy those for the tournament, now that Ray most likely caught onto them.

First, there was the issue of speed. If a Pokemon was faster, he didn't have anything to counter that. Nova figured he could buy a TM or two to remedy that, however.

'Is Sucker Punch a TM? Or is that an egg move? I'll look at the TMs later.'

Then, there was his lack of range. If a Pokemon was flying, what could Pawiniard even do? Nothing. He'd just lose.

In the end, Nova spent hours in the medical bay thinking of things he had to do. Once again, his mind was cluttered with ideas.

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A/N: This was a relatively small chapter, but I didn't want to add anything except for the battle.

Also, yay! 10th actual chapter complete. The first 15,000 words acquired, which means I get power stone ranking. I don't actually know what that does but it's nice to see :)

Thanks for voting on the Generational thing btw. I'll delete it now that I have a sufficient amount of votes.