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Ever Play Competitive - Chapter 18
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Beta: Gerald_Of_Revea
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Beta: Gerald_Of_Revea
-Cloud-
Regirock, Registeel & Regice.
Together, they make up the Regi trio, representing the Rock, Steel, and Ice Types respectively.
Regigigas, the 'leader' of the trio.
A Normal-Type Pokémon so strong that it was said to be strong enough to move continents.
And for a while, that was all that we thought there to be. The trio and its leader.
Competitively, they were all shit. The best of the bunch was probably Registeel if you wanted a solid wall. Despite its Pokédex entry, Regigigas was worse than all of them, crippled by its ability.
For generations, that was all that made up the Regi-family, then the Pokémon Company made Regieleki & Regidrago.
Regidrago was good. Much better than the previously known Regi Pokémon. Very high health, a very good ability.
Regieleki is the strongest Electric-Type in the series. It was one of the first Pokémon I looked for. It, and the rest of the legendaries in Crown Tundra. Those were the Pokémon I was most annoyed about coming up empty-handed.
"Your luck ends here." My opponent stated, glaring at me from across the field. "Tricks will not help you win this battle."
I didn't particularly know what to think of Brandon. Or most of the Frontier Brains, now that I thought about it. Most of them have been defeated; the only two that have gotten this far are him and Anabel.
I never understood why the roles were switched between the games and anime. In Pokémon Emerald, she is the strongest of the Frontier Brains, while in the anime, that role belonged to Brandon.
Brandon seemed to actively dislike me for some reason. I couldn't fathom why. I'm practically perfect.
"It is not just your careless disposition or apathy for others," Brandon continued to rattle on. "But you have never looked in the mirror and reflected on your own actions!"
I don't like using Legendary Pokémon. I want to make better trainers and want people to follow from my example.
Instead of trying to get Legendary Pokémon, they should be engaging in eugenics. If you can't find the best Pokémon, breed the best one.
All you need is an Everstone, Destiny Knot, and Ditto. The fact that Pokémon Breeders haven't even figured most of this out is mind-boggling. I mean, it's so obvious.
I blinked, reminding myself that I had a battle to win. Something I wasn't worried about in all honesty.
"Even now, you act as if nothing happened! Do you not feel a sliver of responsibility for the Pokémon lost yesterday?"
"Hey, quick question, do you have Regieleki?"
"That's all you have to say? Asking if I have a fake Pokémon?! The Legendary Giants are a trio. They are-" Brandon continued to bark at me, before I decided it wasn't worth the effort.
If he only had the original trio, there was nothing to worry about.
Regirock, Registeel & Regice.
Together, they make up the Regi trio, representing the Rock, Steel, and Ice Types respectively.
Regigigas, the 'leader' of the trio.
A Normal-Type Pokémon so strong that it was said to be strong enough to move continents.
And for a while, that was all that we thought there to be. The trio and its leader.
Competitively, they were all shit. The best of the bunch was probably Registeel if you wanted a solid wall. Despite its Pokédex entry, Regigigas was worse than all of them, crippled by its ability.
For generations, that was all that made up the Regi-family, then the Pokémon Company made Regieleki & Regidrago.
Regidrago was good. Much better than the previously known Regi Pokémon. Very high health, a very good ability.
Regieleki is the strongest Electric-Type in the series. It was one of the first Pokémon I looked for. It, and the rest of the legendaries in Crown Tundra. Those were the Pokémon I was most annoyed about coming up empty-handed.
"Your luck ends here." My opponent stated, glaring at me from across the field. "Tricks will not help you win this battle."
I didn't particularly know what to think of Brandon. Or most of the Frontier Brains, now that I thought about it. Most of them have been defeated; the only two that have gotten this far are him and Anabel.
I never understood why the roles were switched between the games and anime. In Pokémon Emerald, she is the strongest of the Frontier Brains, while in the anime, that role belonged to Brandon.
Brandon seemed to actively dislike me for some reason. I couldn't fathom why. I'm practically perfect.
"It is not just your careless disposition or apathy for others," Brandon continued to rattle on. "But you have never looked in the mirror and reflected on your own actions!"
I don't like using Legendary Pokémon. I want to make better trainers and want people to follow from my example.
Instead of trying to get Legendary Pokémon, they should be engaging in eugenics. If you can't find the best Pokémon, breed the best one.
All you need is an Everstone, Destiny Knot, and Ditto. The fact that Pokémon Breeders haven't even figured most of this out is mind-boggling. I mean, it's so obvious.
I blinked, reminding myself that I had a battle to win. Something I wasn't worried about in all honesty.
"Even now, you act as if nothing happened! Do you not feel a sliver of responsibility for the Pokémon lost yesterday?"
"Hey, quick question, do you have Regieleki?"
"That's all you have to say? Asking if I have a fake Pokémon?! The Legendary Giants are a trio. They are-" Brandon continued to bark at me, before I decided it wasn't worth the effort.
If he only had the original trio, there was nothing to worry about.
-Brandon-
He was losing.
He didn't want to admit it, but the glaring '2-1' on the scoreboard made that clear.
Cloud is everything a trainer shouldn't be. Arrogant. Immature. But his worst trait?
Influential.
He has noticed more and more trainers use the tactics Cloud has brought to light.
Overreliance on items. Stat-boosting paired with Baton Pass, the most annoying were people combining Status Conditions, like Confusion and Paralysis.
They were all nothing but cheap tricks. Shortcuts to success instead of utilizing hard work.
And ignorant children didn't know better. They saw better results in the short term and decided that's the best way of battling, all the while ignoring the generations of battlers that came before them.
Cheap gimmicks and items only hurt these trainers. They are crutches that hold a Pokémon back from reaching its full potential.
Cloud's tactics shouldn't have helped this much. His Registeel and Regice have fainted thanks to his Chansey hiding behind Protect and Soft-Boiled.
Annoyingly, the only reason why Chansey fainted is because of a critical hit paired with Toxic.
Now he had only one Pokémon left, while Cloud had two.
However, that didn't mean he would lose.
Not when he had the strongest Pokémon.
"Your luck ends here, Go Regigigas!"
"What the-" Cloud stumbled, the ground shaking as Regigigas made his presence known, making him nod in satisfaction.
For the entirety of the battle, Cloud has looked only bored and uninterested. Now, Cloud's reaction mirrored the audience, a mix of both excitement and fear.
He didn't think he would need to use Regigigas. That he needed to use two Pokémon was already a blow to his pride, but he won't lose this battle.
With his hands, Cloud would get his comeuppance.
Because no one had a Pokémon capable of defeating Regigigas.
"Brandon," Cloud spoke, breaking the terse silence.
"What the fuck are you doing?"
He was losing.
He didn't want to admit it, but the glaring '2-1' on the scoreboard made that clear.
Cloud is everything a trainer shouldn't be. Arrogant. Immature. But his worst trait?
Influential.
He has noticed more and more trainers use the tactics Cloud has brought to light.
Overreliance on items. Stat-boosting paired with Baton Pass, the most annoying were people combining Status Conditions, like Confusion and Paralysis.
They were all nothing but cheap tricks. Shortcuts to success instead of utilizing hard work.
And ignorant children didn't know better. They saw better results in the short term and decided that's the best way of battling, all the while ignoring the generations of battlers that came before them.
Cheap gimmicks and items only hurt these trainers. They are crutches that hold a Pokémon back from reaching its full potential.
Cloud's tactics shouldn't have helped this much. His Registeel and Regice have fainted thanks to his Chansey hiding behind Protect and Soft-Boiled.
Annoyingly, the only reason why Chansey fainted is because of a critical hit paired with Toxic.
Now he had only one Pokémon left, while Cloud had two.
However, that didn't mean he would lose.
Not when he had the strongest Pokémon.
"Your luck ends here, Go Regigigas!"
"What the-" Cloud stumbled, the ground shaking as Regigigas made his presence known, making him nod in satisfaction.
For the entirety of the battle, Cloud has looked only bored and uninterested. Now, Cloud's reaction mirrored the audience, a mix of both excitement and fear.
He didn't think he would need to use Regigigas. That he needed to use two Pokémon was already a blow to his pride, but he won't lose this battle.
With his hands, Cloud would get his comeuppance.
Because no one had a Pokémon capable of defeating Regigigas.
"Brandon," Cloud spoke, breaking the terse silence.
"What the fuck are you doing?"
-Cloud-
I couldn't hide my shock if I wanted to.
There is literally no worse legendary-
I paused at that thought, briefly forgetting about Phione, Cosmog & Cosmoem, and adjusting the thought.
There is nearly no worse legendary Pokémon Brandon could have sent out. I tried finding something that would make me think otherwise, but I couldn't find a keystone.
Brandon looked taken aback, not just him, but the audience as well.
I was more desensitized to seeing legendary Pokémon, but that wasn't why I was calling Brandon 'fucking stupid.'
"Insults will not help you win this battle. Nor would denying what is in front of you. If you resign here, no one will fault you for it."
"You actually have no fucking idea." I blinked, which only made his frown deepen. "Brandon, do you know what ability Regigigas has, yes or no?"
"You do not know my Pokémon better than I do," he snapped, glaring at me. "So stop delaying, and release your Pokémon!".
The answer was clear enough that he didn't know what its ability is. He didn't bluff, he didn't say something like 'Why would I reveal my secrets to you?', he just dodged the question entirely.
Even if he didn't know what ability it had, it's not like Brandon knew Regigigas's base stats. Did he not do the least bit of testing? Did he just think Regigigas was naturally that slow or weak?
I was starting to regret all the times I insulted Geeta's intelligence. It felt wrong having her in the same category as Brandon.
I sent out Dracovish, and the battle resumed.
"Regigigas. Normal-Type, 680 base stat total, the leader of all the Regi Pokémon. Despite being the leader, it is the weakest of the bunch."
I cringed as Brandon ordered Regigigas to use Crush Grip. Not because it was a strong attack, but it was the opposite.
Crush Grip won't take out Dracovish.
The thing is, if Brandon wanted any hope of defeating me, it needed to be something worth being scared about. He didn't Terastalize, use Z-Moves, nothing.
And he would lose for it.
As the giant of a Pokémon tried to grab Dracovish, Dracovish instead ran up its arm, before biting down hard on its shoulder.
It didn't let out a cry; instead, the lights on its body started to flash inconsistently. Regigigas eventually recovered enough to move, grabbing Dracovish from its shoulder and squeezing the Pokémon as tightly as it could in its hands.
"While the other Regi Pokémon have a lower base stat, they don't have an ability that cripples them for battle."
Dracovish grunted in pain, but he was already charging for his next attack.
My boy knew what to do.
"Slow Start," I grinned. "For the first five turns, Regigigas's Attack and Speed stats are halved."
160 Attack, 100 Speed. It's the most crippling ability a legendary Pokémon has. And that five-turn counter resets every time the Pokémon is switched out.
Dracovish bit down on Regigigas, his jaw glowing a bright white as another attack stronger than Hyper Beam hit Regigigas, with the bigger Pokémon being unprepared for it.
The giant fell to its knees, causing another tremor as it started to shake in place, the lights on its body going haywire.
Whatever hope Brandon had of winning vanished as the giant lost all energy, falling into a heap on the ground.
"Regigigas is unable to battle! Brandon is out of usable Pokémon; the winner is Cloud!"
A smirk tugged at my lips.
'Fucking boomers.'
I couldn't hide my shock if I wanted to.
There is literally no worse legendary-
I paused at that thought, briefly forgetting about Phione, Cosmog & Cosmoem, and adjusting the thought.
There is nearly no worse legendary Pokémon Brandon could have sent out. I tried finding something that would make me think otherwise, but I couldn't find a keystone.
Brandon looked taken aback, not just him, but the audience as well.
I was more desensitized to seeing legendary Pokémon, but that wasn't why I was calling Brandon 'fucking stupid.'
"Insults will not help you win this battle. Nor would denying what is in front of you. If you resign here, no one will fault you for it."
"You actually have no fucking idea." I blinked, which only made his frown deepen. "Brandon, do you know what ability Regigigas has, yes or no?"
"You do not know my Pokémon better than I do," he snapped, glaring at me. "So stop delaying, and release your Pokémon!".
The answer was clear enough that he didn't know what its ability is. He didn't bluff, he didn't say something like 'Why would I reveal my secrets to you?', he just dodged the question entirely.
Even if he didn't know what ability it had, it's not like Brandon knew Regigigas's base stats. Did he not do the least bit of testing? Did he just think Regigigas was naturally that slow or weak?
I was starting to regret all the times I insulted Geeta's intelligence. It felt wrong having her in the same category as Brandon.
I sent out Dracovish, and the battle resumed.
"Regigigas. Normal-Type, 680 base stat total, the leader of all the Regi Pokémon. Despite being the leader, it is the weakest of the bunch."
I cringed as Brandon ordered Regigigas to use Crush Grip. Not because it was a strong attack, but it was the opposite.
Crush Grip won't take out Dracovish.
The thing is, if Brandon wanted any hope of defeating me, it needed to be something worth being scared about. He didn't Terastalize, use Z-Moves, nothing.
And he would lose for it.
As the giant of a Pokémon tried to grab Dracovish, Dracovish instead ran up its arm, before biting down hard on its shoulder.
It didn't let out a cry; instead, the lights on its body started to flash inconsistently. Regigigas eventually recovered enough to move, grabbing Dracovish from its shoulder and squeezing the Pokémon as tightly as it could in its hands.
"While the other Regi Pokémon have a lower base stat, they don't have an ability that cripples them for battle."
Dracovish grunted in pain, but he was already charging for his next attack.
My boy knew what to do.
"Slow Start," I grinned. "For the first five turns, Regigigas's Attack and Speed stats are halved."
160 Attack, 100 Speed. It's the most crippling ability a legendary Pokémon has. And that five-turn counter resets every time the Pokémon is switched out.
Dracovish bit down on Regigigas, his jaw glowing a bright white as another attack stronger than Hyper Beam hit Regigigas, with the bigger Pokémon being unprepared for it.
The giant fell to its knees, causing another tremor as it started to shake in place, the lights on its body going haywire.
Whatever hope Brandon had of winning vanished as the giant lost all energy, falling into a heap on the ground.
"Regigigas is unable to battle! Brandon is out of usable Pokémon; the winner is Cloud!"
A smirk tugged at my lips.
'Fucking boomers.'
-Geeta-
Day-after-day, battle after battle, it was the same story with a new set of characters each time.
She hadn't lost a single Pokémon during her battles. Though unlike Cloud, she wasn't hiding what Pokémon she had.
After all, she was utterly incapable of holding back in Pokémon battles.
She thought she only enjoyed rookie-crushing, but after her last few battles, she realized that it wasn't quite as encompassing.
What she loved was overwhelming victory.
Every face tells a story. Every time she saw the hope vanish from an opponent's eyes, their face fall in defeat, was the easiest way to make her genuinely smile.
Sadly, each victory felt hollow without her Pokémon. The team she had since the beginning.
She couldn't use them. She knew that now. Not if she wanted to win.
She and Cloud had dozens of Pokémon battles over the last few months.
Each time they fought, Cloud would record the battle, explain what they should have done better, and go from there. He even made a graph showing her progress and how that compared when she wasn't using the Cloud-approved Pokémon.
Cloud was more receptive to her reserve Pokémon. While he thought Chesnaught was 'decent', he was thrilled to learn she had a fully trained Dragapult.
And with some small tweaks to its moveset, rambling off strategies that work with Dragapult?
Well, it was one of the reasons why this battle was going so easily.
"Dragonite, use Dragon Dance!"
It was strange. She wouldn't have second-guessed the move before, but now she already knew how the battle would play out. "Dragon Darts!"
Cloud had explained to her the rarity of his own Dragonite, how its 'hidden ability' is what makes it so enduring compared to a regular Dragonite. Most have the ability 'Inner Focus', which means the Pokémon, no matter the circumstance, will flinch.
She was almost certain Palmer's Dragonite had the same ability.
Dragon Darts, being a dual-hitting attack, meant that while the first attack was mostly absorbed by Multiscale, the second hit breached its defense without issue.
Which meant she could end the battle on her own terms.
'Cross arms, create a sphere, imagine it starts spinning in place, expanding as your arms become further away,'
Her body flowed through the well-practiced choreography, both Z Crystal and Ring glowing respectively as she prepared to finish this battle.
"Go for a Dragon Rush!"
"Devastating Drake!"
The Z-Move shattered Dragonite's guard, its body folding as the force of the blast hurled it backward, eventually landing on the other side of the battlefield in a crumpled heap.
"Dragonite is unable to battle! All three of Palmer's Pokémon have been eliminated. The winner is Geeta!"
While the crowd cheered for her victory, her eyes went to the viewing box, and she had to stop herself from scowling.
It didn't make sense. Cloud was there, but he was looking off into space again. It meant one of two things. Either he knew she was going to win a while ago, or he was thinking about Red again.
Either way, it made her scowl deepen. He should have been focusing on her and her battle. Red was all Cloud seemed to care about these days. It was clear he believed if anyone was going to beat him, it was Red.
That wasn't going to happen.
He won't even get the chance to fight Red in the first place. After all, he still has to battle her.
She will defeat him. Red then Cloud. And then?
A small giggle escaped her lips.
He will find out in due time.
Day-after-day, battle after battle, it was the same story with a new set of characters each time.
She hadn't lost a single Pokémon during her battles. Though unlike Cloud, she wasn't hiding what Pokémon she had.
After all, she was utterly incapable of holding back in Pokémon battles.
She thought she only enjoyed rookie-crushing, but after her last few battles, she realized that it wasn't quite as encompassing.
What she loved was overwhelming victory.
Every face tells a story. Every time she saw the hope vanish from an opponent's eyes, their face fall in defeat, was the easiest way to make her genuinely smile.
Sadly, each victory felt hollow without her Pokémon. The team she had since the beginning.
She couldn't use them. She knew that now. Not if she wanted to win.
She and Cloud had dozens of Pokémon battles over the last few months.
Each time they fought, Cloud would record the battle, explain what they should have done better, and go from there. He even made a graph showing her progress and how that compared when she wasn't using the Cloud-approved Pokémon.
Cloud was more receptive to her reserve Pokémon. While he thought Chesnaught was 'decent', he was thrilled to learn she had a fully trained Dragapult.
And with some small tweaks to its moveset, rambling off strategies that work with Dragapult?
Well, it was one of the reasons why this battle was going so easily.
"Dragonite, use Dragon Dance!"
It was strange. She wouldn't have second-guessed the move before, but now she already knew how the battle would play out. "Dragon Darts!"
Cloud had explained to her the rarity of his own Dragonite, how its 'hidden ability' is what makes it so enduring compared to a regular Dragonite. Most have the ability 'Inner Focus', which means the Pokémon, no matter the circumstance, will flinch.
She was almost certain Palmer's Dragonite had the same ability.
Dragon Darts, being a dual-hitting attack, meant that while the first attack was mostly absorbed by Multiscale, the second hit breached its defense without issue.
Which meant she could end the battle on her own terms.
'Cross arms, create a sphere, imagine it starts spinning in place, expanding as your arms become further away,'
Her body flowed through the well-practiced choreography, both Z Crystal and Ring glowing respectively as she prepared to finish this battle.
"Go for a Dragon Rush!"
"Devastating Drake!"
The Z-Move shattered Dragonite's guard, its body folding as the force of the blast hurled it backward, eventually landing on the other side of the battlefield in a crumpled heap.
"Dragonite is unable to battle! All three of Palmer's Pokémon have been eliminated. The winner is Geeta!"
While the crowd cheered for her victory, her eyes went to the viewing box, and she had to stop herself from scowling.
It didn't make sense. Cloud was there, but he was looking off into space again. It meant one of two things. Either he knew she was going to win a while ago, or he was thinking about Red again.
Either way, it made her scowl deepen. He should have been focusing on her and her battle. Red was all Cloud seemed to care about these days. It was clear he believed if anyone was going to beat him, it was Red.
That wasn't going to happen.
He won't even get the chance to fight Red in the first place. After all, he still has to battle her.
She will defeat him. Red then Cloud. And then?
A small giggle escaped her lips.
He will find out in due time.
-Cloud-
Mega Evolution Z Move Dynamax Terastalization. What do you get when you use all four against Red?
A third Pokémon.
After seeing Zapdos, I was half expecting his team to be filled with legendary Pokémon. At the very least, two of his Pokémon weren't.
His Charizard was a known factor. Game Freak's favorite. Two Mega Evolutions, Gigantamax form, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a regional variant as well.
What I didn't expect him to have was Gengar. He didn't use it during our last fight, so I don't know how long he had the Pokémon.
What I do know is that it knew Shadow Ball and Dark Pulse.
And I have been stewing in silence ever since.
Hypnosis. If Red teaches Gengar Hypnosis, the chance of me beating Red drops down to single digits. Moreso if it can Mega Evolve and Shadow Tag is brought into the mix.
And to think it was Brock of all trainers that gave Red the most challenge.
"Evening," a familiar voice spoke softly, making my ears perk up.
"Sonia," I smiled softly. "It feels like ages since I've seen you."
She said nothing, simply rolling her eyes before taking the seat beside me. "Just needed a little break. Lucario is a handful at the best of times," she admitted, and I only now noticed the bags under her eyes.
I'd have to buy her some chocolate later. "Have you figured out what's wrong with him?"
"We've made some progress, but we're still not sure yet. It's a willful action. Whenever he becomes purified, he forcibly reverts the process."
"Shit," I cursed, "I don't know if that's a good thing or not."
"I'd argue it's better," Sonia countered. "It means we just need to convince him to stop."
"How can you expect him to be rational when he doesn't have the emotions to do so?"
"Shadow Pokémon have emotions, we have learnt that much. They can still feel them, but negative emotions are much quicker to come to the surface."
I certainly didn't know that.
It's barely been a few days, but she has already made more progress than I have in the last year.
I really should have done this from the start.
"Want to go grab a bite?" I asked, getting a smile from her.
Its the least she deserves.
Mega Evolution Z Move Dynamax Terastalization. What do you get when you use all four against Red?
A third Pokémon.
After seeing Zapdos, I was half expecting his team to be filled with legendary Pokémon. At the very least, two of his Pokémon weren't.
His Charizard was a known factor. Game Freak's favorite. Two Mega Evolutions, Gigantamax form, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a regional variant as well.
What I didn't expect him to have was Gengar. He didn't use it during our last fight, so I don't know how long he had the Pokémon.
What I do know is that it knew Shadow Ball and Dark Pulse.
And I have been stewing in silence ever since.
Hypnosis. If Red teaches Gengar Hypnosis, the chance of me beating Red drops down to single digits. Moreso if it can Mega Evolve and Shadow Tag is brought into the mix.
And to think it was Brock of all trainers that gave Red the most challenge.
"Evening," a familiar voice spoke softly, making my ears perk up.
"Sonia," I smiled softly. "It feels like ages since I've seen you."
She said nothing, simply rolling her eyes before taking the seat beside me. "Just needed a little break. Lucario is a handful at the best of times," she admitted, and I only now noticed the bags under her eyes.
I'd have to buy her some chocolate later. "Have you figured out what's wrong with him?"
"We've made some progress, but we're still not sure yet. It's a willful action. Whenever he becomes purified, he forcibly reverts the process."
"Shit," I cursed, "I don't know if that's a good thing or not."
"I'd argue it's better," Sonia countered. "It means we just need to convince him to stop."
"How can you expect him to be rational when he doesn't have the emotions to do so?"
"Shadow Pokémon have emotions, we have learnt that much. They can still feel them, but negative emotions are much quicker to come to the surface."
I certainly didn't know that.
It's barely been a few days, but she has already made more progress than I have in the last year.
I really should have done this from the start.
"Want to go grab a bite?" I asked, getting a smile from her.
Its the least she deserves.
-Psyclone-
"We refuse."
He had been expecting the answer. He wouldn't be surprised if Team Galactic was conjuring some sort of plan to try to save their boss, but they will be found wanting.
"Then the negotiations are over."
"Hold on-" He cut the connection before they could respond, welcoming the quiet that followed.
He was curious about the respective teams. What were they more loyal to, their leader or their cause?
For Team Plasma, it was their leader. After much moral arbitration and joint consensus, they have agreed to trade Reshiram for the safe return of their king.
He had offered a similar deal to Team Galactic. For Azelf and Mesprit, he would return their leader and second-in-command.
It was a humorous affair. There were multiple people with multiple disagreements. In-fighting. Compromises were attempted. Offers to trade one legendary for their leader, and one legendary only.
It would be faster if he just collected the two of them at once.
His attention turned to another screen where a recording played on repeat. The most interesting battle in the tournament.
Perhaps in the world.
Anabel and Anabel. Neither clones nor twins, not even identical; biologically the same person, separated only by a decade.
With a thought, he shut off the screen, filled with a dull sense of disappointment. He would learn more about the elder later.
Another moment passed, and a set of three Pokéballs appeared in front of him, along with the broken tools.
DNA Splicers. They were designed with a specific set of Pokémon in mind. Zekrom, Reshiram and Kyurem. They can be used to combine Pokémon with a process known as Absofusion.
According to history, they were all once the same Pokémon. Split due to a superfluous and internal conflict on which concept was better. Truth vs Ideals. Reality vs Vision.
And so the Pokémon split itself into two, Reshiram representing Truth and Zekrom representing Ideals. And Kyurem? It was the husk that remained.
Three Pokémon born from the one event, at the cost of a much more powerful Pokémon.
With a thought, he crushed the DNA Splicers, teleporting the broken tool away as he started to pick apart the problem.
He was going to make them whole again. Partial success is partial failure. Humanity's tools will not help him here.
If the Pokémon was strong enough to split into three, then he will make them become one.
Whether they wanted to or not.
"We refuse."
He had been expecting the answer. He wouldn't be surprised if Team Galactic was conjuring some sort of plan to try to save their boss, but they will be found wanting.
"Then the negotiations are over."
"Hold on-" He cut the connection before they could respond, welcoming the quiet that followed.
He was curious about the respective teams. What were they more loyal to, their leader or their cause?
For Team Plasma, it was their leader. After much moral arbitration and joint consensus, they have agreed to trade Reshiram for the safe return of their king.
He had offered a similar deal to Team Galactic. For Azelf and Mesprit, he would return their leader and second-in-command.
It was a humorous affair. There were multiple people with multiple disagreements. In-fighting. Compromises were attempted. Offers to trade one legendary for their leader, and one legendary only.
It would be faster if he just collected the two of them at once.
His attention turned to another screen where a recording played on repeat. The most interesting battle in the tournament.
Perhaps in the world.
Anabel and Anabel. Neither clones nor twins, not even identical; biologically the same person, separated only by a decade.
With a thought, he shut off the screen, filled with a dull sense of disappointment. He would learn more about the elder later.
Another moment passed, and a set of three Pokéballs appeared in front of him, along with the broken tools.
DNA Splicers. They were designed with a specific set of Pokémon in mind. Zekrom, Reshiram and Kyurem. They can be used to combine Pokémon with a process known as Absofusion.
According to history, they were all once the same Pokémon. Split due to a superfluous and internal conflict on which concept was better. Truth vs Ideals. Reality vs Vision.
And so the Pokémon split itself into two, Reshiram representing Truth and Zekrom representing Ideals. And Kyurem? It was the husk that remained.
Three Pokémon born from the one event, at the cost of a much more powerful Pokémon.
With a thought, he crushed the DNA Splicers, teleporting the broken tool away as he started to pick apart the problem.
He was going to make them whole again. Partial success is partial failure. Humanity's tools will not help him here.
If the Pokémon was strong enough to split into three, then he will make them become one.
Whether they wanted to or not.
-Cloud-
When the tournament first started, there were 1024 trainers.
That number has been cut down to 32.
My eyes glanced over the scoreboard, showing the participants who have gotten this far. It wasn't all that I expected it to be, with a few outliers and those I've never even heard of in the first place.
Apart from Wallace, Clair was the only Gym Leader left. I knew she was decently strong, but I didn't think she would make it this far.
My attention went back to the battlefield, where my next opponent was looking at me with a death glare.
I wanted to throw sand in her eyes.
"You won't win this battle," Rika promised, and I had to stop myself from sighing.
I was beginning to forget the woman even existed. Psyclone had explained her reasoning for screwing with my battle. She was obsessed with Geeta being seen as the best, and she wanted to be her right-hand woman to help with that.
Fat load of fucking good that did.
"Just… choose a Pokémon already." I waved my hand, hoping this battle would end as quickly as possible.
Wordlessly, I sent out Dracovish.
With a manic grin, Rika tossed out her first Pokémon. One I forgot she even had.
'Clodsire!' I beamed, happy to see one of my favorite Pokémon from Paldea. It also told me why Rika was smiling so much.
"Let the battle begin!"
"Clodsire, use Toxic!"
"Psychic Fangs."
Rika's grin went rigid, and I had to choke down my laughter at the sight.
Instead of running Unaware or Poison Point, I'd guess her Clodsire had Water Absorb. Rika expected me to use Fishious Rend, and the only thing I could do after realizing my mistake, would be to switch out.
Luckily, I'm not stupid.
I wince a bit as the attack hits Clodsire, doing surprisingly more damage than I expected it to do.
"Clodsire is unable to battle; the first point goes to Cloud."
"You won't make me a liar," Rika promised through gritted teeth, and I had to bite back a yawn.
The Elite Four members were kind of weak. I haven't had trouble with any of the ones I battled.
Returning Clodsire, she followed up with Torterra.
"Round two, begin!"
Before I could call out an attack, I paused, watching Rika return Torterra back to his Pokéball. A moment later, I watched her Pokéball change colour, increasing in size as well.
'Shit, she's dynamaxing,' I scowled, thinking through my options and coming up short. "Psychic Fangs! Again!"
Dracovish was stuck using only Psychic Fangs thanks to the Choice Scarf. I could switch, but I didn't think that would be the best in the long run.
Torterra quickly grew in size, incrementally becoming taller and taller until it was nearly fifty times taller than before.
I quickly recalled battling Regigigas just yesterday, remembering how, as it fell, the ground shook.
This was much worse than that.
"Max Quake!"
A low tremor rolled through the earth, subtle at first, before it became much more intense. The field parted, a small ravine forming in the battlefield with cracks spidering outward, splitting the ground into jagged plates.
Chunks of the earth collided with Dracovish, almost squishing him at one point before he charged through the hurling debris head-on. Dracovish let out a roar of challenge, readying himself for the next attack.
'No hesitation,' I noticed, feeling a sense of pride as I wordlessly looked at my Pokémon. He likely knew he wouldn't win this. Not without me switching out or using a gimmick, but he didn't care. Dracovish was ready to go down, but not without a fight.
Originally, that was the plan. Let Dracovish whittle him down before Torterra eventually ran out of Dynamax energy.
But in that moment, that tactic…
It just felt wrong to do.
"Let's take things up a notch," I said softly, as the wristband on my arm started to glow.
In order to Dynamax a Pokémon, you needed a Dynamax Band. Something similar was necessary for nearly all the power-ups, but Dynamaxing is a bit different.
Unlike Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, or Terastalization, Dynamaxing didn't just trigger from the trainer; it had to be channeled. The Pokéball itself became the conduit.
With each moment that passed, the ball became bigger, eventually becoming almost four times its original size. The moment his Pokéball left my hand, the air bent.
A deep, distorted roar ripped out as Dracovish emerged, his body swelling in size, matching that of Torterra's in an instant.
Their eyes met.
And the battle continued.
"Max Overgrowth!"
"Max Wyrmwind!"
In truth, Dynamaxing made Dracovish weaker.
It didn't have any of the bonuses offered by its ability, Strong Jaw. Max Wyrmwind isn't a biting type move, so it won't get any bonuses.
What Dynamaxing does is something much more important.
Aside from the obvious boost in HP, Dynamaxing has a very particular effect with Choice Items.
It breaks them.
When a Pokémon is Dynamaxed and they have a Choice Item, they are no longer restricted to using only one move. They can use any of them.
As trees, plants, and foliage started to form around Torterra, Dracovish was much faster. A pair of twisters formed from either side of Dracovish and hurdled towards Torterra.
While the move damages the target Pokémon, it also lowers the target's Attack stat as well, which is very useful when going against a physical attacker like Torterra.
Torterra braced for impact, but even then, it still wasn't enough. It skidded back a few meters, its claws digging into the ground to keep it in place. As the attack dissipated, it went into its own, shooting giant seeds at Dracovish.
The seeds exploded into flowers and pollen, and while it affected Dracovish, it was clear it wasn't nearly as bad as Wyrmwind was.
Time to end this. "Max Geyser!"
A jetstream came out of Dracovish's mouth, crashing into Torterra and sending it skidding once more. Except this time, Torterra didn't have the strength to stand, the strength of the attack causing it to cry out and topple over onto its back.
A second later, the Dynamax started to fade, the monstrous Torterra shrinking down and eventually reaching its natural size.
"Torterra is unable to battle! The second round goes to Cloud!"
As the audience started to cheer, I looked up as I felt rain hit my face. It was the other effect of Max Geyser. A built-in version of Rain Dance.
I tapped my foot impatiently, waiting for Rika to release her next Pokémon. But the Elite Four member just stood there silently, her head down, with her hair hiding her eyes.
Robotically, she sent out her final Pokémon, the choice surprising me.
A Claydol.
Slowly, it started to look up, its whole body tilting up before it looked back at Rika, gesturing towards Dracovish.
"Round three, begin!"
On her wrist, I saw something glow. I didn't care to find out what.
Anyway, I wasn't having any of that. "Finish it with Max Geyser."
"Use Psychic!" Rika shouted, and I had to choke down my laugh.
The attack connected, but not doing nearly as much damage as I hoped. Considering it was still standing.
Except now, a purple crystal in the shape of an eye was above its head.
'Terastalization, I nodded, appreciating the play. A smart way of circumventing the attack being supereffective.
Dracovish was unfazed by Claydol's attack, easily taking the hit.
And then, it started to shrink, having finally run out of Dynamax energy.
And Claydol was now looking a lot more confident.
"Physic Fangs!"
"Earth Power!"
It was then that I realized how clever Rika was with choosing Claydol. With Dracovish locked into using Physic Fangs with Choice Scarf active, not only did it take the Max Geyser better, it also has a resistance to Psychic Fangs as well.
Sadly, the attack wasn't strong enough. If it was a critical hit, it would have knocked Claydol. It wasn't, allowing Claydol to retaliate freely with Earth Power.
Dracovish jerked, recoiling as slabs of earth struck him. The impact drove him back a step, jaws snapping shut in shock.
But he didn't fall.
"What?" I muttered, not understanding. Dracovish should have fainted, he took too much damage from-
Then it clicked.
Max Wyrmwind. I forgot that Torterra's second attack was weakened from it.
A grin stretched across my face. "Dracovish, finish him off!"
He didn't hesitate. Dracovish pounced forward and followed through with brutal force, Claydol toppling over as it fainted.
"Claydol is unable to battle. Rika has run out of usable Pokémon; the winner is Cloud!"
As the crowd erupted into cheer. My eyes remained on Rika, briefly shifting to the viewing box.
I let out a grunt as Dracovish scurried into me, a grin crossing my face as I wrapped an arm around him.
"Ya did good out there, buddy. Real good." I said, and he guffawed, laughing so hard he topplied backwards onto the ground.
While he won, he was still tired, which was very evident. He had never Dynamaxed before, either, so that was probably taking a toll on him as well.
It was time he got something that was long overdue
"Hey Dracovish," I asked, making him turn towards me.
"How do you feel about getting a name?"
When the tournament first started, there were 1024 trainers.
That number has been cut down to 32.
My eyes glanced over the scoreboard, showing the participants who have gotten this far. It wasn't all that I expected it to be, with a few outliers and those I've never even heard of in the first place.
Apart from Wallace, Clair was the only Gym Leader left. I knew she was decently strong, but I didn't think she would make it this far.
My attention went back to the battlefield, where my next opponent was looking at me with a death glare.
I wanted to throw sand in her eyes.
"You won't win this battle," Rika promised, and I had to stop myself from sighing.
I was beginning to forget the woman even existed. Psyclone had explained her reasoning for screwing with my battle. She was obsessed with Geeta being seen as the best, and she wanted to be her right-hand woman to help with that.
Fat load of fucking good that did.
"Just… choose a Pokémon already." I waved my hand, hoping this battle would end as quickly as possible.
Wordlessly, I sent out Dracovish.
With a manic grin, Rika tossed out her first Pokémon. One I forgot she even had.
'Clodsire!' I beamed, happy to see one of my favorite Pokémon from Paldea. It also told me why Rika was smiling so much.
"Let the battle begin!"
"Clodsire, use Toxic!"
"Psychic Fangs."
Rika's grin went rigid, and I had to choke down my laughter at the sight.
Instead of running Unaware or Poison Point, I'd guess her Clodsire had Water Absorb. Rika expected me to use Fishious Rend, and the only thing I could do after realizing my mistake, would be to switch out.
Luckily, I'm not stupid.
I wince a bit as the attack hits Clodsire, doing surprisingly more damage than I expected it to do.
"Clodsire is unable to battle; the first point goes to Cloud."
"You won't make me a liar," Rika promised through gritted teeth, and I had to bite back a yawn.
The Elite Four members were kind of weak. I haven't had trouble with any of the ones I battled.
Returning Clodsire, she followed up with Torterra.
"Round two, begin!"
Before I could call out an attack, I paused, watching Rika return Torterra back to his Pokéball. A moment later, I watched her Pokéball change colour, increasing in size as well.
'Shit, she's dynamaxing,' I scowled, thinking through my options and coming up short. "Psychic Fangs! Again!"
Dracovish was stuck using only Psychic Fangs thanks to the Choice Scarf. I could switch, but I didn't think that would be the best in the long run.
Torterra quickly grew in size, incrementally becoming taller and taller until it was nearly fifty times taller than before.
I quickly recalled battling Regigigas just yesterday, remembering how, as it fell, the ground shook.
This was much worse than that.
"Max Quake!"
A low tremor rolled through the earth, subtle at first, before it became much more intense. The field parted, a small ravine forming in the battlefield with cracks spidering outward, splitting the ground into jagged plates.
Chunks of the earth collided with Dracovish, almost squishing him at one point before he charged through the hurling debris head-on. Dracovish let out a roar of challenge, readying himself for the next attack.
'No hesitation,' I noticed, feeling a sense of pride as I wordlessly looked at my Pokémon. He likely knew he wouldn't win this. Not without me switching out or using a gimmick, but he didn't care. Dracovish was ready to go down, but not without a fight.
Originally, that was the plan. Let Dracovish whittle him down before Torterra eventually ran out of Dynamax energy.
But in that moment, that tactic…
It just felt wrong to do.
"Let's take things up a notch," I said softly, as the wristband on my arm started to glow.
In order to Dynamax a Pokémon, you needed a Dynamax Band. Something similar was necessary for nearly all the power-ups, but Dynamaxing is a bit different.
Unlike Mega Evolution, Z-Moves, or Terastalization, Dynamaxing didn't just trigger from the trainer; it had to be channeled. The Pokéball itself became the conduit.
With each moment that passed, the ball became bigger, eventually becoming almost four times its original size. The moment his Pokéball left my hand, the air bent.
A deep, distorted roar ripped out as Dracovish emerged, his body swelling in size, matching that of Torterra's in an instant.
Their eyes met.
And the battle continued.
"Max Overgrowth!"
"Max Wyrmwind!"
In truth, Dynamaxing made Dracovish weaker.
It didn't have any of the bonuses offered by its ability, Strong Jaw. Max Wyrmwind isn't a biting type move, so it won't get any bonuses.
What Dynamaxing does is something much more important.
Aside from the obvious boost in HP, Dynamaxing has a very particular effect with Choice Items.
It breaks them.
When a Pokémon is Dynamaxed and they have a Choice Item, they are no longer restricted to using only one move. They can use any of them.
As trees, plants, and foliage started to form around Torterra, Dracovish was much faster. A pair of twisters formed from either side of Dracovish and hurdled towards Torterra.
While the move damages the target Pokémon, it also lowers the target's Attack stat as well, which is very useful when going against a physical attacker like Torterra.
Torterra braced for impact, but even then, it still wasn't enough. It skidded back a few meters, its claws digging into the ground to keep it in place. As the attack dissipated, it went into its own, shooting giant seeds at Dracovish.
The seeds exploded into flowers and pollen, and while it affected Dracovish, it was clear it wasn't nearly as bad as Wyrmwind was.
Time to end this. "Max Geyser!"
A jetstream came out of Dracovish's mouth, crashing into Torterra and sending it skidding once more. Except this time, Torterra didn't have the strength to stand, the strength of the attack causing it to cry out and topple over onto its back.
A second later, the Dynamax started to fade, the monstrous Torterra shrinking down and eventually reaching its natural size.
"Torterra is unable to battle! The second round goes to Cloud!"
As the audience started to cheer, I looked up as I felt rain hit my face. It was the other effect of Max Geyser. A built-in version of Rain Dance.
I tapped my foot impatiently, waiting for Rika to release her next Pokémon. But the Elite Four member just stood there silently, her head down, with her hair hiding her eyes.
Robotically, she sent out her final Pokémon, the choice surprising me.
A Claydol.
Slowly, it started to look up, its whole body tilting up before it looked back at Rika, gesturing towards Dracovish.
"Round three, begin!"
On her wrist, I saw something glow. I didn't care to find out what.
Anyway, I wasn't having any of that. "Finish it with Max Geyser."
"Use Psychic!" Rika shouted, and I had to choke down my laugh.
The attack connected, but not doing nearly as much damage as I hoped. Considering it was still standing.
Except now, a purple crystal in the shape of an eye was above its head.
'Terastalization, I nodded, appreciating the play. A smart way of circumventing the attack being supereffective.
Dracovish was unfazed by Claydol's attack, easily taking the hit.
And then, it started to shrink, having finally run out of Dynamax energy.
And Claydol was now looking a lot more confident.
"Physic Fangs!"
"Earth Power!"
It was then that I realized how clever Rika was with choosing Claydol. With Dracovish locked into using Physic Fangs with Choice Scarf active, not only did it take the Max Geyser better, it also has a resistance to Psychic Fangs as well.
Sadly, the attack wasn't strong enough. If it was a critical hit, it would have knocked Claydol. It wasn't, allowing Claydol to retaliate freely with Earth Power.
Dracovish jerked, recoiling as slabs of earth struck him. The impact drove him back a step, jaws snapping shut in shock.
But he didn't fall.
"What?" I muttered, not understanding. Dracovish should have fainted, he took too much damage from-
Then it clicked.
Max Wyrmwind. I forgot that Torterra's second attack was weakened from it.
A grin stretched across my face. "Dracovish, finish him off!"
He didn't hesitate. Dracovish pounced forward and followed through with brutal force, Claydol toppling over as it fainted.
"Claydol is unable to battle. Rika has run out of usable Pokémon; the winner is Cloud!"
As the crowd erupted into cheer. My eyes remained on Rika, briefly shifting to the viewing box.
I let out a grunt as Dracovish scurried into me, a grin crossing my face as I wrapped an arm around him.
"Ya did good out there, buddy. Real good." I said, and he guffawed, laughing so hard he topplied backwards onto the ground.
While he won, he was still tired, which was very evident. He had never Dynamaxed before, either, so that was probably taking a toll on him as well.
It was time he got something that was long overdue
"Hey Dracovish," I asked, making him turn towards me.
"How do you feel about getting a name?"
