บท 8: Chapter 8
Frustration. That was the feeling that had grown inside Atsumu after the gym battle had finished. This was the second gym he challenged and it ended with his complete victory.
' Dammit! ' Atsumu has buried his head into the pillow, the sunlight penetrating through the windows of his room at the Pokemon Center. Atsumu groaned, the pillow muffling the intensity of his groan.
' Atsumu...you need to relax. ' Mimikyu said softly, but firmly.
' This was always going to happen. There was... No other outcome! ' Mimikyu said with a deadpan tone.
' I guess. ' Atsumu said, turning his body to the side to look at Mimikyu, holding the pillow close to his chest.
' You GuEss!? ' Mimikyu mocked. ' Oh please, Atsumu. We were always going to win. Do you think that you'll get actual hard challenges when we spent hours upon hours challenging the Battle Tree!!? Honestly, I feel like we're wasting our time. '
' He's not wrong. ' Marshadow said, appearing from the shadows with a box of chocolate chip cookies in one hand, while the other hand was preoccupied with a cookie, and a few crumbs on his face.
' After we finally decided to stop battling at the battle tree and entire the Alola league, we beat people on our first try, with very little effort. ' Marshadow said, munching on a cookie. ' Heck, we just did it so that the gym leaders here would use their actual teams. '
' Yeah, I know. But professor Kukei had explained that most gym leaders would be able to do extremely well in the battle tree. ' Atsumu said with a sigh, taking the cookie Marshadow had offered him.
' Yeah, well, that buff old man was right. They are strong. If they weren't they wouldn't have that position. It's just... the small fact, really it's not that large, won't make too much of deference...That. We. Are. Just. Better. Than. THEM. ' Mimikyu said sarcastically stressed.
' That too. ' Marshadow said, pointing to Mimikyu while looking at Atsumu.
' Yeah, I know. So far, we haven't met anyone that has been able to give us a challenge. ' Atsumu said.
' No shit!. Probably the reason why you wanted to shout out Hypnosis, just to give the guy a heads up, so maybe, just maybe, he could, actually do something to make the battle interesting, before his inevitable loss. ' Mimikyu said.
' Yep. ' Atsumu agreed, as he took another cookie from Marshadow. ' There are 6 more gym leaders in the region. But there's also the elite 4 members and the champion as well. '
' Kukei did say that the elite four are pretty strong, comparable to the island kahuna's when they are at their full strength...' Marshadow pondered.
' And we beat all of them when they were at full strength. ' Mimikyu added.
' Yeah, but to challenge them directly without them having the choice to refuse, we would have to win the Kalos league first, as the chances of them agreeing to our challenge is quite low. ' Atsumu said.
' More like if they see our battles with the gym leaders, then they probably would. But I doubt they have the time to care about trainers challenging the gym circuit. ' Mimikyu said.
' That too. ' Atsumu said, pointing his finger at Mimikyu while Marshadow tried to get as many crumbs as possible from the box.
' Well, we could challenge Siebold, couldn't we? ' Marshadow said as he chucked the box into the trash can.
' I mean... he owns a battle restaurant, Restaurant Le Yeah, I think. If we ask for the most expensive dish or... I don't know... ask the head chef, Siebold, to surprise us..maybe he'll give us a battle. ' Marshadow said.
' Well, that's one possibility...but it's just a theory. ' Mimikyu said.
' Well, we could go test that theory when we arrive in Lusmiose again after defeating the 4th gym. ' Atsumu said.
From the shadows, Dusknoir and Eevee appeared in the room, with Eevee leaping onto the bed, going to Atsumu's pillow, and burying her head into it, letting out a loud frustrated groan, that was muffled by the pillow.
' So... What's wrong? ' Atsumu asked.
' She's frustrated she hasn't been able to evolve yet. ' Dusknoir said.
' Well considering that we don't know how to trigger the evolution we just need to wait patiently. ' Marshadow said.
' Yes, that is the most logical course of action. But Eevee was quite persistent and wanted to evolve, so she began trying to find ways to trigger her evolution. ' Dusknoir explained.
' And nothing has worked so far! ' Eevee whined.
' You are trying to evolve in ghost-type Eeveelution, a pokemon that has never been recorded before in history and no one knows how to obtain. Just take it easy, we will find the correct process eventually. ' Mimikyu said.
' But I wanna evolve. Then I can fight on the same level as you guys. ' Eevee pouted.
' Yeah... No. All you'll get is a power boost. You'd still need to go through a shit ton of battles before you get to our level. ' Mimikyu said.
' Well. Since today hasn't given us what we want, let's go to the beach and just have a nice relaxing afternoon there. ' Atsumu declared.
' Better than staying here. ' Mimikyu agreed.
...
Grant held his phone in his hand, staring with a nervous expression at the name present on the screen. He continued to stare, as his finger hovered above the answer button, shaking as he tried to press the button, scared of what kind of conversation would be given to him.
He couldn't do it, as the phone screen shut off as the maximum number of rings had been reached. Grant grit his teeth in frustration, disappointment, and self-loathing. His phone started ringing again, as Grant looked at the screen again and mustered the will to answer the call.
" It took my second try for you to answer your phone. " Viola's voice echoed through the phone into Grant's ears.
" You are way deeper in the dumps than I thought you would be. " Viola whispered, her voice full of concern for her friend/rival.
" I saw...it. I saw the entire fight. He...destroyed you completely. " Viola said softly, unable to find the words to comfort Grant, after watching the footage.
" Y-Yeah. He did. " Grant said, a broken chuckle that Viola could hear through the phone.
" I couldn't do I thing against him. He beat... No, utterly destroyed me. I couldn't do a damn thing. All that bravado, all the ' I'm going to be the one to beat him ' statements, all worthless... and it wasn't even close. " Grant sadly, the self-loathing obvious to Viola.
" Yeah..well, you aren't the only one. " Viola said with a chuckle, catching Grant's attention. " I also underestimated him a lot... thought I was better than him... you saw how that turned out. A one-sided victory, with him only needing two pokemon. "
" Yeah, that did happen. It happened twice in a row. " Grant said.
" If you don't count on how he used a lot more strategy against you than me. " Viola said with a small smile.
" I guess. " Grant chuckled. " I was expecting the battle to be something else entirely. A back and forth strength against strength match, just two pokemon going all out. "
" You weren't expecting so much planning and strategy from him. " Viola said.
" Yep! " Grant said. " How do you think Korrina will do against him? "
" No clue. After all, he hasn't used a mega evolution at all. " Viola said.
" ugh...Don't remind me. " Grant said.
" You're battle was only a few hours ago. You've suffered worse losses. " Viola said.
" This is going into my top 5, you know? " Grant said.
" Eh? Seriously? " Viola asked, surprised.
" Yes. "
...
Ash walked across the beach with Pikachu by his side, barefoot, the sand easily slipping through the gaps in between his toes, though a few pieces of sand had stuck onto his foot.
' Oh crap! Look out! ' Eevee yelled.
Pikachu's ears perked up at the familiar voice, looking in Eevee's direction as Ash looked in the same direction. A shadow loomed over them, which Pikachu noticed as he looked up to see a volleyball headed right towards them, which ended up hitting Ash square in the face.
' Ash! ' Pikachu cried out in shock as Ash staggered backward, grunting in pain as he held his nose, as the volleyball hit the sand.
' Oh crap! I'm so sorry!. Are you okay? ' Eevee asked worriedly.
' Eevee? ' Pikachu asked, looking at the familiar pokemon.
' Pikachu! ' Eevee yelped, looking at the yellow electric mouse.
" What the... Eevee? " Ash muttered, blood running down from his red, swollen nose.
' We should patch that up immediately! ' Chandelure exclaimed after looking at Ash's face, causing Eevee and Pikachu to look in his direction, seeing him and Atsumu.
" Atsumu. " Ash said.
" Yo. " Atsumu said nonchalantly, staring at Ash's nose. " Yeah, we should. "
" Well come on, let's take care of that nosebleed. " Atsumu said, motioning for Ash to follow him.
Ash followed Atsumu back to his little setup on the beach. He had a beach chair, with an umbrella next to it along with a water cooler and a bag on the chair itself. Atsumu reached into the cooler and grabbed an ice pack.
" Sit here. " Atsumu said, pointing to the chair.
Ash sat down, looking at Pikachu playing with Eevee as they ran around with the volleyball on the beach while Atsumu grabbed some tissues. Ash used the tissues to wipe most of the blood off and soak up the extra blood flowing out. He then placed the ice pack on his nose.
" Did you prepare well? For your upcoming match against Grant or did you have it already? " Atsumu asked, sitting in a backup chair.
" I'm having my gym battle with him tomorrow and I'll win. " Ash said confidently.
"That's good. " Atsumu said with a small smile.
" You've already battled Grant, haven't you? He didn't give the battle you wanted. " Ash commented as Astumu glanced at him before looking at the ocean.
" Yeah. He couldn't keep up. " Atsumu said with a disappointed sigh before taking a sip of his drink.
Silence loomed over them, the sounds of laughter from Eevee and Pikachu pokemon close by. Ash removed the tissues from his nose, sighing as he didn't feel any blood dripping out, placing the now rolled up ball of blood-soaked tissues on the side.
" Atsumu... " Ash called out.
" Hmmm... " Atsumu hummed as he looked at Ash.
" If I challenged you to a battle, would you have one with me right now? " Ash asked, glancing at Atsumu.
' A battle, huh. Well, this kid is participating in the league. He may have the capability to give me a challenge. ' Atsumu thought.
.
.
.
"Let's wait till your nose is healed completely, then we will battle. " Atsumu said.
" Wait seriously? " Ash said incredulously.
" I don't believe I stuttered. " Atsumu said.
" You didn't. " Ash responded truthfully, making Atsumu smirk a little at the remark.
...
' I won that! ' Eevee yelled in Pikachu's face.
' Like hell you did! I diffently beat you there! ' Pikachu yelled back, butting heads with Eevee.
' Really!? Cause all I remember is the ball landing on your side. I won ' Eevee declared.
' Hell no. It landed on your side. You have a bad memory. ' Pikachu countered.
" Oi Eevee. Come here. " Atsumu called out.
" You too, Pikachu. " Ash said.
Snapping out of their rivalry for the moment, both of them walked over to their respective trainers, curious about what they wanted.
" We'll be having a 1v1 battle. " Atsumu said, keeping it short. Their ears perked up as they looked at each other, nodding their heads in agreement, and voicing out their excitement.
In response, Ash and Atsumu walked to their respective sides, away from each other on the beach, Eevee, and Pikachu on either side respectively, ready for battle. Chandelure was in the middle, acting as the referee.
' Ready, begin! ' Chandelure said as he lets out a large blast of fire, signaling the start of the battle.
" Thunderbolt. " Ash said. Pikachu charged electricity in its cheeks, blasting the stored electricity straight toward Eevee.
" Protect. " Atsumu said. A blue spherical barrier surrounded Eevee, blocking the attack.
" Quick attack. " Atsumu said, Eevee bolting at Pikachu.
" Quick attack. " Ash said, Pikachu countering Eevee with his quick attack.
Eevee and Pikachu butted heads, stalemated in a deadlock before Eevee pulled away, stepping on Pikachu's head, using it as a platform to propel herself upward.
" Shadow ball. " Atsumu said, Eevee firing her attack straight at Pikachu.
" Quick attack to dodge, followed by Thunderbolt. " Ash said.
Pikachu used Quick Attack to increase his speed, moving out the way of the incoming shadow ball, before launching a Thunderbolt at Eevee who was about to touch the ground. Eevee had its front paws tensed, slamming into the ground, burrowing beneath the surface to avoid the Thunderbolt.
" Use Iron tail on the ground. " Ash said.
Pikachu lept into the air, spinning readying himself to slam his tail onto the ground.
" Iron tail. " Atsumu said. Eevee revealed herself from beneath the ground, meeting Pikachu head-on in an iron tail clash.
" Thunderbolt. " Ash said. While in the clash, Pikachu let a current pass through him to Eevee, who was touching him, electrocuting her. Eevee popped out of existence as Pikachu landed on the ground, surprised.
' A substitute! ' Ash thought, recognizing the move.
" Launch him into the air. " Atsumu said.
" Pikachu, hold still. When you feel the sand next to you shake, dodge, and then use Thunderbolt into the hole. " Ash commanded, Atsumu giving a raised eyebrow in response to his command.
Pikachu nodded as he closed his eyes, staying on all fours, tensed as he waited for when Eevee would pop out of the ground. Sand rustled right under Pikachu's feet, his eyes snapping open as he jumped to the left, avoiding the Eevee that popped out.
Landing on the sand, Pikachu charged a thunderbolt, ready to fire into the hole Eevee burrowed out of before the sand filled it. Pikachu grunted as another Eevee slammed into him from below his feet, launching into the air a bit.
More Eevee's popped up, using each other as platforms, rocketing upwards to land direct hits on Pikachu, making him airborne. Multiple Eevee popped up from all sides, like in a game of wack of a mole.
" Shadow ball. " Atsumu said.
Each Eevee charged up a shadow ball in a second, firing them at Pikachu who was still airborne.
" Counter Shield!! " Ash yelled, catching the attention of Atsumu's curiosity.
Pikachu stared at the shadow balls headed its way, reacting quickly, regaining balance before twirling in the air, electricity wrapped around his body, shooting upward and downward in a spiral. The shadow balls collided with the counter shield, each one being destroyed as Pikachu spun in the air.
Atsumu stared in awe at the application, a smile blooming on his face, mirrored by the Eevee's expression who witnessed the technique as well.
" That's so freaking cool! " Atsumu gushed, as Pikachu landed on the ground while Ash was surprised by Atsumu's mood swing.
' What was that?! It was so cool! ' Eevee said as she went straight up to Pikachu, her curiosity reflected in her eyes.
' That was a counter shield. ' Pikachu said.
" Where did you come with that and why?! " Atsumu asked.
" Oh...It was a strategy I came up with in Sinnoh. It was something we used for offense and defense when needed. " Ash said, rubbing the back of his neck.
" That makes sense. The way you used it just now, was to act as a defense since Pikachu wouldn't be able to dodge in the air. Plus, a bonus is that most pokemon that make physical contact would get electrocuted. Though in other situations, it would work as an attack that would cover the entire battlefield, while making sure the user is protected considering the closer an opponent gets to the user, the harder it becomes and the chances of getting hit are increased. " Atsumu analyzed.
" Um...Yeah. " Ash said, surprised at how fast Atsumu understood counter shield.
' Woah! ' Eevee gushed, the applications of counter shield interesting her.
' He figured all that out and in such little time! ' Pikachu muttered, shocked.
" Your counter shield is incredible. " Atsumu praised sincerely with a smile, causing Ash to proudly smirk.
" Now then... let's continue, shall we? " Atsumu said with a smirk.
" Yeah. " Ash said with a smirk of his own.
" Iron Tail! " Atsumu and Ash yelled.
Eevee and Pikachu reacted immediately, their tails gaining a metallic coat before slamming against each other. Smirking, they began to rapidly attack each other, twisting their bodies while being light on their feet.
" Electro ball. " Ash called out.
" Quick attack, then point-blank shadow ball. " Atsumu commanded.
Pikachu jumped back as he launched an electric ball at Eevee, who dodged the attack with Quick Attack and rushed to Pikachu who was a few centimeters above the sand.
" Counter with Thunderbolt. " Ash said.
As the shadow ball slammed into Pikachu, he used Thunderbolt, covering his body in a thick casing of electricity that reduced the amount of damage from the shadow ball. As the shadow ball dissipated, Pikachu launched the Thunderbolt at Eevee, who dodged the attack, moving to the side.
" Iron Tail! " Ash said.
" Iron Tail! " Atsumu said.
Another clash between Iron tails occurred, and smiles appeared on both pokemon, signifying their enjoyment.
' This is fun! So much fun! ' Eevee thought to herself as she dodged an Iron tail.
" Thunderbolt Pikachu. " Ash yelled, Pikachu obeyed as he jumped in the air.
' You got your turn to do something cool, so now it's my turn! ' Eevee smirked, glancing at the volleyball before looking at Pikachu.
Atsumu was about to give a command but, the words hadn't escaped his mouth as he stared at the scene of Pikachu getting smacked in the face by the volleyball he brought along, coated in ghost energy.
" Pikachu, use iron tail to smack the ball away. " Ash called out, snapping out of his trance, when he finally processed the situation while Pikachu kept getting hit by the volleyball, gritting his teeth as he took the attack.
Pikachu grit his teeth, twisting his body so the ball hit his tail and smacked it away from him towards the ground, the ball slamming into the dirt. Pikachu looked at a smirking Eevee, whose eyes suddenly widened as a surge of energy erupted inside her, coating her entire body in magnificent blue color, bringing shock, awe, and pride in observers.
___________________________________________________
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