NOVEL NEXT B1 — 16. The Froakie Dance
5:58 P.M. June 12, Saturday, 106 PH (Post Hoopa Event)
Events: The second to last day of battles for the First Preliminary Match Week in preparation for the Kanto & Johto Summer Indigo Cup. Many tourists are traveling through Pallet and Viridian to arrive at Silver City for the big tournament while also supporting the Summer Bronze League kick-off.
They returned to Route 1’s well-traveled grassy fields after passing across the bridge, the new area occasionally dotted with trees. People were mostly progressing in small groups across the path, but Rhea sometimes caught sight of a solo Trainer.
The popular Routes were heavily utilized by the population, and after centuries of use, the wild Pokémon adapted to the areas. Weaker Pokémon tended to gather around them in hopes new Trainers would bond with them; it also provided a safer environment to relax in, and with the mandatory Bronze Journey for young Trainers in each region, it wasn’t all that uncommon for these types of Pokémon to find a binding partner.
Pallet’s Route 1 grasslands wound through the hilly city-state’s territory in a serpentine pattern, rising in a gradual slope to Viridian before falling back down to sea-level. Just off the hardened dirt path grew the tall grass, where shy Pokémon would gather.
Human activity frequently spread quickly across Pallet Forest through Flying Pokémon, making high-traffic hours filled with groups of low-level amiable Pokémon, waiting to show their stuff with the hopes of finding a good Trainer to travel the world with and get stronger.
Rhea, Amira, and Mallory talked to the three other girls about wanting to catch Pokémon that were more aggressive and off the beaten path since it was an easy indicator that a Pokémon was somewhat competent on their own.
Amira even complimented their Pokémon for having the guts to take on a swarm, saying they had potential; however, she cautioned them to also be practical and not jump into something that could get their Trainers hurt, and the nighttime incursion rode that line.
Rhea took pictures of the other girls and the wild Pokémon along their trip back to the lowlands. She commented on a few of Jason’s posts, many of which were just random shops, popular attractions, and the massive skyscrapers of Viridian.
Amira promised to show them around Viridian when they arrived; Rhea was bouncing with anticipation, hoping she’d bring them to the best spots since it was her hometown.
As they drew nearer to the checkpoint, Rhea’s gaze turned to the village’s scenery, mirroring the overgrown ivy facility’s aesthetic the place was inspired by; the roads were well-maintained since the Xanadu Nursery Foundation and its partner stores capitalized on the popular route’s tourist traffic.
According to Amira, a lot of the area around the Pallet public road and route was owned by the Xanadu Nursery Foundation, and the buildings around them were actually leased by businesses during different times of the year; most were transient stores from start-up businesses.
A few of the establishments were open year-round. The plant nursery had contracts with Pallet and the Indigo League for various things, one of which was a Center License, which allowed them to tap into the League and city-state tax budget to offer their herbal treatments on the public dime.
According to Amira, the establishment’s profit on that front came from tax cuts, but that wasn’t an issue since it provided a way station between cities, attracting Trainers that would buy their private healing products at a bit of a price hike compared to Pallet and Viridian.
One of the staple facilities was the Xanadu Inn, a large group of buildings to the left side of the trail, situated by the small Pallet Police Branch that patrolled the city’s route.
Rhea found it a bit funny when Amira mentioned city-hired Gold-tier Trainers were rarely assigned to route duty, and the lower-wage task was typically given to Silver-tier with a Gold-tier Supervising Officer that had stepped on someone’s toes.
Pallet’s road system was restricted for walking use since it was the city’s heart-blood, only allowing vehicles and mountable Pokémon; even a small block in traffic carried with it a hefty fine. Rhea didn’t know all the laws regarding it but figured it was left to common sense for the most part.
The road and trail grew closer to each other near Xanadu, pavement running along the right side of the village with Xanadu’s charging station for the electric vehicles; Silph still had the majority of the market share in the Car Industry.
The village had two main roads, one for hikers on the left and one with noise barriers for cars on the right; businesses ran down the center and on either side of the traversable areas with walkways for tourists. A bridge was constructed to allow traffic to continue unimpeded.
To the right of the road was an offramp, leading to a parking lot, a pathway to the Xanadu Nursery, and the Xanadu Family Mansion. The path from the inn went straight by the center and under the highway to the nursery.
Rhea’s gut tightened when arriving at the center of the village; just as Amira feared, there were clusters of foreign Trainers that seemed intent on staying for the night, eyeing potential battle candidates to increase their elo and experience. Mallory sang and taught Gables different dance moves on the way, which Rhea took note of with amusement.
Gables and Amber had returned to their pokéballs once they’d made it to the public path to not draw more notice. Most of the people they passed hadn’t paid much attention to them since they had their sunglasses and caps on, giving them a passable mask that hid their features at first glance. It seemed several boys’ eyes were pulled by their looks.
However, they couldn’t hide from the Trainers ahead of them, phones open, app open, and scanning for match candidates in range.
Who’s gonna jump on us first?
They tried to ignore the groups of Trainers as they continued through the village, Amira talking in low tones on their way. “I want to grab another potion here; they should have a decent stock since they sell the excess product to Rocket facilities in Pallet and Viridian.”
Mallory leaned in with a small grin. “What we thinkin’; two vs. three, you and me, Amira? Gables wants to show off a bit. Amber’s been gettin’ all the hype lately.”
“Umm … yeah, that’s fine; we just need to make them rescind a Triple Battle request by baiting them into a handicap match.”
“I got ya.”
Rhea smiled at Sam, Hannah, and Jade, drawing attention from them by their nervous fidgets; their Pokémon might have been in a battle last night, but they hadn’t experienced it themselves. “How are ya feeling?”
“Hehe, nervous,” Sam chuckled, arms folded under her chest. “Hector’s saying we’ll be fine, but … yeah, what if I mess him up?”
Hannah nodded, vision darting to Amira from time to time before swiftly averting her gaze to focus on anything else. “... I’m nervous … how do you guys do it … you know, the big stadium and everything?”
“Honestly?” Rhea hummed, glaring at the dirt. “I wasn’t really focused on any of that … I just wanted to help Amira. I guess I just tuned them all out after it started … I couldn’t really concentrate on anything else but my Pokémon once it started.”
“Huh … I didn’t really think about that,” Jade mumbled. “That doesn’t seem so bad. You just get caught up in the match.”
“Yeah … something like that,” Rhea chuckled; they still didn’t know why her Pokémon weren’t out or why Amira and Lori were concerned about a Triple Battle challenge.
They stopped as a few phones gave a sharp musical note, unique to their own personal settings that indicated they’d been challenged. Rhea’s brow furrowed while glancing to her left at Sam, Hannah, and Jade; their faces drained of color.
“Huh,” Lori’s lips shifted to the right with the small packs of people moved around them along the wide trail, most heading to Viridian. “Didn’t expect y’all to get the first request.”
Amira breathed a long sigh, vision darting to three tan-skinned boys with confident smiles as they walked their way. “Honestly, I should have expected it … they’re unranked while we are, and then they need to work up the nerve to challenge us.”
A lump dropped down Hannah’s throat. “So … they think we’re easy targets?”
“Yeah, something … great…” Amira trailed off, holding up her chiming phone, playing a cute electric remix song.
Rhea studied her own phone.
Battle Requests: 2 Pending … 3 Pending … 4 Pending.
At least we have options.
The first to challenge them had priority, and they could order the next pending requests, which would be significant; there was a three daily request cap that allowed Trainers to decline without penalty, but it also had some exceptions and a grace period of an hour given after the end of each battle.
After three daily matches, a Trainer could put on a decline status, and now that Rhea thought about it, she could have her friends challenge her, but on second thought, that wouldn’t be fair to them.
Many city districts were also Battle Issue Restricted Zones, and when a Trainer’s Pokémon was at a certain stamina level, monitored by the Battle App through the pokéball’s integrated technology, they would be exempt from challenges.
She tapped on the request, identifying their first opponents.
Triple Battle Challenge:
Lisette Vigouroux - 3W:0L
Battle Tier: Bronze 1
Kanto Battle Rating: 547
Kanto Battle Rank: 22,184,223
Region: Kalos
Daily Battles: 2
Distance: 15 Meters
Bet: 200 Credits
Aude Auger - 2W - 0L
Battle Tier: Bronze 1
Kanto Battle Rating: 532
Kanto Battle Rank: 22,393,223
Region: Kalos
Daily Battles: 1
Distance: 15 Meters
Bet: 200 Credits
Clotilde Dupuy - 3W - 0L
Battle Tier: Bronze 1
Kanto Battle Rating: 546
Kanto Battle Rank: 22,193,223
Region: Kalos
Daily Battles: 2
Distance: 16 Meters
Bet: 200 Credits
Rhea’s own team’s Battle Rating was 516 since they’d all won one match against someone near their own elo. Elo started at 500 with a 32 maximum change rate, and a Trainer couldn’t drop below 100. It was weighted, so the increase would get smaller per victory and lose more points when defeated.
The current elo only counted the year’s battle data unless set to view the previous years’ ratings, and your rank was determined based on Trainers that participated in at least one official battle this year inside Kanto. If you didn’t battle throughout a year, your elo would remain the same but not be counted for the new season. A record was kept of each rank at the end of each year.
Based on the data, Lisette and Aude battled someone that already won a match, coming out victorious, while Clotilde only went against unranked Trainers.
Rhea glanced around after checking her phone for the distance; the group of girls to their right seemed to be the ones standing beside the Xanadu Treatment Center. They were all shades of blonde, wearing knee-length skirts and shirts of various colors.
Amira and Mallory moved toward them to work out a 2 vs. 3; Rhea lingered with Nova trying not to release longing emotions to participate. Mya was sound asleep.
“Hey, you’ll do fine!” Rhea encouraged, holding her hands behind her back as the boys approached. “Just do your best, and once you’re done, we’ll meet you at one of the inns.”
“Thanks,” Jade mumbled, trying not to look nervous.
Rhea’s smile brightened. “Oh, actually, no, we’ll meet you at the treatment center! I’m sure we’ll all need to go there anyway, right? Maybe Amira and Lori will do some unofficial sparing after.”
“Hehe,” Hannah rubbed her left arm, “I bet Lori and Amira … hey, uh … so, you want to battle?” She asked with a light laugh, greeting the boys.
A black-haired boy in the center engaged. “Aloha! We just saw that ya three haven’t battled yet, and wondered if ya wanted to give it a shot? Oh, my name’s Akanahe, by the way.”
“From Alola, I assume?” Sam asked, hiding her hands and phone behind her back.
“That’s right!” The brown-haired boy beside him jumped in. “Kanto’s so much bigger than I thought.”
Rhea waved them off. “Okay, well, good luck, guys! Catch ya after.”
“Yeah, thanks … see you guys when we’re done,” Jade replied.
She got four steps before Akanahe stopped her. “Wait … aren’t you Rhea, one of the Kanto Master picks?”
“Uh … yeah. Nice to meet you, but I should probably get over to my team.”
The boys each gave each other an unsure glance before eyeing Sam, Hannah, and Jade; Rhea realized that they might be thinking they put their feet in their mouths, thinking the girls were an easy target, but if they’re friends with her, then there could be more to them.
It put a smile on her lips while jogging to the street side, dodging around the busy crowds. After hearing her exchange with the Alolan boy, several people were pausing, curious to see if she’d be in a match.
“... You seriously think we’re that weak?” The shortest of the girls growled. “We’re undefeated.”
“Oh, scared we’ll make you look bad?” Mallory snickered.
“Fine, yeah, whatever,” the tallest mumbled, not looking thrilled about the outcome. “So, which of you are ducking out?”
“Oh, that’d be me!” Rhea replied with a forced chuckle, ducking around the last group to join them.
“Wait … you’re the one with the Mawile and Eevee?” The shortest asked.
“Mhm … oh, which are you … ah … there’s your pictures…” Rhea mumbled, eyeing each of the photos on the challenge app. “Umm, yeah, so where are you guys going to take it?”
Clotilde was the smallest of the bunch, barely 5’ tall, and had the shortest cut hair, ending just above her shoulders. Lisette had shoulder-length hair and was the tallest, while Aude had the longest, reaching halfway down her back.
“Why are you not joining?” Clotilde asked suspiciously. “We wanted to go for the Triple Battle prize pool…”
“No, no, it’s fine, Clotilde,” Lisette chucked, pulling back her hair before giving Rhea a fake smile. “Maybe she’ll decide to join later … you know, the new challenger rules.”
Rhea’s left eyebrow lifted, and she adjusted her cap.
Was that supposed to be some kind of off-handed insult? Maybe it was a joke, and I just don’t get it because it’s Kalos humor?
Amira’s red irises slid to the left, barely visible beyond her rosy glasses, and a small smirk lifted her lips. “I highly doubt she’ll need to.”
The girls glared at her.
“Fine, Rocket girl,” Clotilde huffed. “We can use one of the battlefields down the road.”
“Oh, they have battlefields here?” Rhea asked with a bright smile. “That’ll make things easy.”
They moved to follow the girls, and a small crowd was already tailing them.
Aude hummed thoughtfully, glancing back at her while fingering her studded earring. “Wouldn’t you know … since you’re from this region?”
Rhea just shrugged. “ Uh … I’ve never been here before.”
“Uh-huh,” Lisette rolled her eyes.
Aude’s lips curved into a smirk while eyeing Rhea. “Maybe you should get a new belt in Viridian; the white just doesn’t go with the sailor look.”
“Mmh, I’d just go without a belt, honestly,” Clotilde commented. “Well, maybe just get a smaller belt; that giant thing just looks weird. Why don’t you want to battle us? Too good?”
Rhea’s back stiffened at the dreaded word; if there was one thing she didn’t want, it was to be the weird girl, but Amira swiftly butted into the tag-team, eyeing the three with pursed lips.
“Hmm, did you get those skirts in Kanto?”
“This?” Clotilde asked with confusion, slowing a bit while plucking at the yellow hem. “No. Why?”
“Mhm … figured,” Amira replied dismissively, brushing past her to take the lead.
Clotilde’s cheeks reddened, but she didn’t respond, increasing her pace to keep up. The other two were also glaring at Amira’s bouncing, thick red ponytail that fell to her lower back.
Okay, there’s a lot of passive-aggressive tensions flying around…
Her focus darted right as Mallory giggled, nudging her with a small smile before whispering just loud enough for the girls ahead of them to hear. “Look at the yellow skirt … the back hem.”
Vision falling to the weaving fabric, she saw what the other two had noticed; there was a small tear in the material, barely noticeable, but it would probably increase.
“My guess,” Lori went on, making Rhea’s gut churn as the three foreigners began to catch on, “they’re aiming for the prize money to get new clothes … see why? Maybe we should just donate a bit to them a little later. Shh … don’t you feel a bit bad for them?”
Rhea winced as the girls’ faces burned, especially Clotilde, hands flying behind her butt to try and pull attention away from her skirt with her bright blue phone.
C’mon, Lori! You don’t need to keep rubbing it in … or is it just a dirty pre-battle tactic to throw them off their game … Grimsley was her step-dad … worse, they can’t really say anything back, or it’ll look like they’re just trying to save face. Amira spotted it and drew attention to the spot, but Mallory zeroed in like a Sharpedo!
Oh, no … people are looking at them now…
The rest of the walk there was held in silence, but the mumbles from the groups surrounding them only drew Rhea’s mind into a spiral of paranoia, fearing the criticism of the girl’s skirt was spreading and expected they were having the same thoughts. It wouldn’t be bad enough to make her cry, but her mind would be anything but clear for a battle.
Nova actually seemed to be taking notes from the encounter.
Hey … don’t be too mean to other Pokémon. We want to be nice girls … unless they’re not nice, which … I don’t know, maybe Amira and Mallory started it to get them angry to do a two versus three battle … gah … it’s just so uncomfortable!
Her little Eevee actually tried comforting her, following her previous line of thought that this was all a part of the plan.
She stopped on the sidelines of the field Amira guided them to, and a crowd of onlookers gathered around her, making her feel a little boxed in when the arena was massive.
Amira and Mallory released their Pokémon first; it didn’t matter since they all had one Pokémon. Rhea tried to ignore the whispers about why she wasn’t participating and people nudging each other, hyping up their buddies to ask her about her Pokémon. Surprisingly, Nova was focused on the fight, watching through her.
Clotilde glared at the shiny Froakie and Fennekin, possibly angry they were using Pokémon most commonly found in her region. The fox was sitting on her butt, tail fire licking off its tip, waiting for the opposing Pokémon to make an appearance while the frog stretched out, much like his Trainer was always doing.
“Don’t think this will be so easy,” Clotilde growled. “I guess it’s easy credits.”
“Keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better, sweetie,” Amira smirked behind her tinted glasses, left hand on her hip. “Did you watch our match?”
The three didn’t respond, lips tight while glancing around at the crowd they were attracting as word spread; someone was going after the Starter bounty.
“Yeah, okay,” Aude huffed, tossing her pokéball up and down three times before releasing her Pokémon with the others. Without an official referee, it would go on until the Battle App signified a knockout or one side gave up.
Rhea was a little surprised upon seeing Clotilde’s Spritzee. Next came Lisette’s Roggenrola, and finally, a Sentret for Aude. The Pokémon greeted each other with chirps, and Gables started doing some kind of strange dance, shuffling left and right as if low-key jamming to a song, and if Rhea didn’t know any better, he was singing.
Mallory giggled, clapping her hands, singing the song he must have been copying; it seemed to be one of the dozens of tracks they’d practiced in their tent or on the trail.
The girls gave each other strange looks, and Amira just gave her a questioning glance, but Mallory didn’t seem bothered in the least as the frog continued to bust moves to the laughter of the crowd; a few even started jumping in.
After several seconds, the Kalos girls hesitantly marked that they were ready to start, and her teammates did the same. Gables did a backflip while pointing at the Roggenrola before blending into his environment. The battle had begun.
* * *
Gables popped out of his pokéball, releasing a low yawn.
Amber was nearby, giving him a charming smile. “Finally, ready to get involved?”
“Oh, girl, I was born ready! Oof … just gotta stretch out a bit … yeah, that’s the burn!”
The flaming fox giggled. “By the way, what was all that stuff you were doing with your Trainer?”
“To the left … to the right … eh, you’ll have to be a bit more specific than that.”
“The whole singing bit? I’ve seen humans do it, but not any Pokémon,” she hummed with interest.
Their attention momentarily shifted to their opponents, and Gables zeroed in on the stubby Rock Pokémon as Mallory sent excited instructions through his link with her.
“Oh! He’s weak to your Bubbles. Watch out for that bird-looking one, though; I’m pretty sure Spritzee has some decent Moves. It’s probably a long-range attacker. Rock-dude is slow as dirt. Sentret … eh, probably not much of a threat. Amber will probably focus on the Spritzee. You can take out that Roggenrola easy-peasy. We got it in the bag! You two probably stomp their speed, too.”
The female Spritzee chortled as Lori privately broke down his opponents; its allies surrounded her. “You two ready to get creamed?”
“You’re right, Klisi! Their Trainers are so stupid!” The female Sentret snickered. “They are, too, apparently.”
The Roggenrola shifted a little bashfully while looking at Amber. Gables couldn’t disagree with the shy behavior; she was quite the looker, but more friend material for him, personally. With a bit more exposure, he thought she’d be fun to hang around.
The pink bird smirked at them. “We’ve got so much more experience than both of you.”
“Look, Gables,” Amber mused with a small smile, “the poor things are delusional.”
Gables smiled; their comments reminded him of a song Lori showed him on her new phone while getting ready for bed. “Yo, Amber.”
“Mmh?” Her head tilted, shifting a little to focus on him.
“Check it, Lori showed me this
song…” Trying to mimic the moves he’d seen the human do in the video, Gables sang it while Amber chuckled at the lyrics; he pointed at their opponents and Amber during key parts.
“Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me;
“I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed…”
The three Pokémon seemed baffled by his sudden performance, but the two girls were soon glaring at him as he continued.
“She was looking kind of dumb with her finger and her thumb
“In the shape of an "L" on her forehead.
“Well, the years start comin’, and they don't stop comin’,
“Fed to the rules, and I hit the ground runnin’.
“Didn't make sense not to live for fun,
“Your brain gets smart, but your head gets dumb.”
Klisi puffed up as he continued to sing, and the humans began chanting with him. “Are … are you calling us dumb?”
“What’s he saying, Klisi?” The Sentret mumbled.
“He’s making fun of us … get ready, Nuca, Lukimi! We’re gonna own these fools.”
Gables giggled with Amber as their Trainers told them the battle started, and he did a quick backflip, sucking in the energy Lori sent him to swiftly use Camouflage.
Their opponents paused, expressions turning from confusion to panic, heads darting right and left to try and spot him, and even going so far as to flip around to check if he’d gotten behind them.
Amber giggled at the Pokémon, seemingly taking the opportunity to build up energy for a large attack, but the other three weren’t far behind, recovering to face her.
Gables figured the Fennekin was preparing a Heat Wave, looking to end the battle quickly. He hoped they’d provide more entertainment than that; he hadn’t been able to show off his skills, but Amber had a lot of power behind her.
He swiftly judged what his best course of action was, big eyes darting between Amber and the other group, keeping close while charging their own Moves after the momentary hesitation. They’d be too slow to stop her at this point.
Not wanting to get caught in the heat, Gables moved closer to Amber for the intercept when they inevitably charged. He was actually a bit bored, continuing to utilize his internal force to stay camouflaged; it was second-nature since the Move was a part of his genetics.
He glanced over at the pretty fox beside him; she had a lot to prove after the fight with Cobalt, and he figured prolonging a battle for fun wasn’t much in her nature, but there was a bit of a playful side to the Fennekin he’d seen over the last few days.
She’d tried to flirt with him at first to get him flustered, but when that didn’t work, they’d just kind of become more friends. The Fennekin had a particular taste of teasing, and she was very aware of her looks, which prompted her to play with other Pokémon that were smitten by her, which Nuca certainly was.
The Roggenrolla had been trying to come to terms with the attraction for a bit now, which caused what should have probably been a pretty short charge-up Move to be much longer. However, Lukimi, the Sentret, surprised him.
The furry Pokémon’s serious expression turned to horror. “... Nuca, Klisi, scatter; she’s using that big Move!”
Oh? Some kind of detection Move? No, probably just her Trainer watching the Starter match … if she’s going to dodge that way … perfect.
He began charging his own attack, swiftly crawling across the ground toward the scattering Pokémon; his target had been acquired.
The Spritzee darted right as the Sentret took to the left, leaving Nuca in a bit of a stupor since he was too slow for such movements.
Amber opened her glowing mouth, clearly a bit frustrated that they’d predicted her most powerful Move. A gust of blazing heat sprayed out of her jaws, spreading out in a cone to engulf the space in front of the Fennekin, widening to a two-meter area just behind where the three had been standing.
Roggentolla surprised Gables by sending out a Sand Attack to dampen the effects, but it only slightly mitigated the Stab Heat Wave’s initial blast, sending the sand back into his face with the sheer pressure.
The stone battlefield was left with a blackened imprint from the heat as Nuca’s body steamed after the fire infused wind passed, forcing the girls and some of the crowd to cover their faces and step back a bit; these arenas didn’t appear designed for that powerful of a Move, even if from a low-level Pokémon.
Klisi appeared to be releasing some kind of faint pink mist from her glowing body, keeping her distance as Amber shot an Ember at her. The Fairy Pokémon had plenty of space to dodge the attack, even if it was faster, and stronger Pokémon from other Trainers were coming out to block any attack that tried to exit the arena.
Nuca was still recovering after being blown back a few feet. He took a decent amount of damage but didn’t seem burned.
The Sentret was shockingly fast while running from the attack, gaining a short burst of speed; she’d run right into Gables’ trap, and Lori’s instruction and energy continued to feed through his connection to her.
Pop-out of camo before attacking for Type advantage!
Lukimi’s mouth dropped open with shock, eyes widening as the frog appeared in front of her with a bright smile, the energy returning to Fighting-type after releasing Camouflage.
Power rushed through Gables’ body, infusing it like a drug while condensing orange and yellow light gathered around his hand. “Tag!”
His fist smashed into Lukimi’s stunned face, generating a concussive burst of force that instantly changed her course as her body tried following its previous momentum. Lukimi was sent flying into the sky with a sharp wheeze. The orange-tint of Power-Up Punch continued accelerating her ascent before dissipating to allow the kinetic energy to take over.
The human’s gasps could be heard around the field with the blazing ball flames that shot out of the corner of Gables’ vision, exploding against the defenseless Sentret and forcing Lukimi to soar over her Trainer’s head, out of the field; the girl followed her Pokémon’s descent with a horrified expression, and Mallory’s confirmation came soon after.
She’s super done! Double-time, double-time!
Gables was a little disappointed at how easy it was, but his attention swiftly shifted to Amber as the pink haze Klisi released earlier was catching up to her. She’d been easily keeping the slow Rock Pokémon at a distance while trading Embers with the Spritzee’s Fairy Winds; both were dodging fairly proficiently or having their Moves cancel each other out, but Amber was far more elegant in her movements.
Klisi and Nuca both cried out their fallen companion’s name after witnessing the powerful combo. The Roggenrola appeared to have gotten over his flustered feelings as he shined, causing Mallory to send a giggle through their connection; apparently, that was a lousy Move to use.
He sent a Bubble at Klisi to try and distract her before preparing Camouflage again.
Nuca was so easy to kite; in fact, he didn’t seem to have any long distance attacks. His slow Tackles were somewhat laughable, and once figuring out Amber was too nimble for him, he decided to change targets.
Gables knew he could end the Rock-type’s advance with a Bubble or two but debated if he really wanted to end it that quickly. However, he grew distracted by Amber suddenly tripping and falling on her face to tumble across the field, landing in a heap.
Huh?
The pink mist must have been the cause because the proud Fennekin appeared somewhat loopy while trying to make it back to her feet.
Gables’ eyes sparked with light, canceling his building Camouflage to utilize the Move to read Klisi’s mind.
He simply danced around the Roggenrola, making him look like a fool while doing aerial acrobatics over him. Nuca tried to use Sand Attack to catch him, but he was far too slow to offer any kind of real threat. The rock attempted to jump and time his attacks, but Gables was just too nimble and fast.
“Amber, jump as high as you can to the right!” Gables yelled, “She’s trying to confuse you; dodge the pink!”
A few heart shapes were sent from the Spritzee while Amber recovered, but she managed to follow either his or Amira’s instructions. The haze clouding Amber’s mind from the mist vanished shortly with it, and the back and forth continued, lobbing insults at each other.
Gables figured she had it and more than likely didn’t want his help with how personal the two seemed to be attacking one another with words and attacks; he turned his attention to Nuca with a small smile.
“So … how are you doin’?”
“Grrr … why won’t you just stay still and attack!”
“Like this?” Gables asked, landing behind him to slam his glowing fists against the Roggenrola’s back. “Oof, yeah, you’re pretty tough, my little dude.”
Numa hopped around to face him, body glowing as he jumped to tackle him. “Just … stay still!”
Gables just started singing, absently flipping around Numa to watch Amber and Klisi do their ranged battle; Mallory giggled with the crowd as he casually led the frustrated Rock Pokémon around the edge of the field.
The Fennekin was much more restrictive on her Ember shots, taunting Klisi while prancing at the edge of her light mist and dodging her Fairy Wind cyclones with elegant grace.
“Was that aimed at me?” Amber giggled before sending an Ember at her, floating high above the field; the flames brushed past the Spritzee’s wing, dangerously close to its detonation radius.
Klisi was so focused on Amber that she hadn’t even seemed to notice the Roggenrola's troubles. “Like you can talk!” She spat, but her voice quivered a little. She’d been trying to drape the Fennekin with the sparkling pink dust, but the veil dispersed far too quickly to close in the vexing vixen below. “You can’t even hit me from up here.”
Gables noticed the failing tactic pretty soon after Amber dodged the first attempt; sadly, with all the energy the Spritzee was spending on her confusion strategy, she appeared to be slowing down and hovering lower than she probably anticipated. It wouldn’t be that much longer, and other Trainers and Pokémon around the field had noticed it, too.
He didn’t think the pink mist and multiple heart attacks were that bad of a play, but Amber wasn’t going to get caught in the same trap twice; it would have probably beaten most opponents.
The plan was straightforward; disorient them to land a confusion attack, then stomp them with a few Fairy Winds, but if you avoided the first two attacks, the strategy fell apart, and Amber was far quicker on her feet than the Spritzee was in the air.
Figuring he should probably wrap up the match soon, Gables turned his attention back to the frustrated Roggenrola with a bright smile, concluding the song. “You know, your Trainer really should help you learn some distance Moves, my man!”
“... C-C’mon … you’re making me look bad,” Nuca moaned, sounding a bit breathless; he’d wasted a lot of his energy on Sand Attacks and Tackles that never hit their mark. “How … are you so fast?”
“Genetics, my dude,” Gables shrugged, landing a few feet away from him. “Maybe you’ll get some stronger Moves later.”
Nuca stood still, releasing a low groan from deep within his rocky body. “... Was there anything I could have done?”
“Mmh … keep attacking me at least.”
“... I can’t even get close,” he groaned, rushing forward with his glowing body as he went for another Tackle.
“Eh, honestly,” he jabbed a finger at Klisi before hoping to his right; the bird was growing more tired by the Move. “Ya can really blame your guys’ loss on her. If she used that mist to get me in a corner, you could have maybe landed a team hit on us while we were disoriented for a moment; it might even knock me out of camo. She’s just too triggered by Amber. Your girl over there has the Moves, but not the brains.”
Nuca sighed as Gables darted around him with two quick hops, did a quick summersault to wedge himself between the Roggenrola’s back and the ground before launching him a few feet into the air. Flipping back, he let loose a few Bubbles, knocking the poor guy out of the match.
He felt a little bad for the guy, performing a small bow toward him as his depressed Trainer returned the knocked out Pokémon.
Doing a backflip with a half twist, he took the center field with Amber, performing another dance and song Mallory had taught him, moving around a chuckling Amber; they both darted around the few attacks Klisi sent their way with the Froakie’s concert.
Mallory recognized a few of the actions, clapping while singing with him, and he matched up to her own tempo; several entertained Trainers followed the chant with his movements around Amber.
“Back to the street where we began,
“Feeling as good as lovers can, you know!
“Yeah, we're feeling so good…
“And we know that it could be,
“And we know that it should,
“And you know that you feel it too.
“Cause it's nine in the afternoon,
“And your eyes are the size of the moon.
“You could cause you can, so you do.
“We're feeling so good.
“Just the way that we do...
“We're feeling so good...
“Do you know what I mean?
“Back to the place
“Where we used to say,
“Man, it feels good to feel this way!
“Now I know what I mean!”
Predicting where the frustrated Spritzee would dodge with Mind Reader, Gables’ eyes glowed white, landing on the ground beside Amber. He pointed a finger at the spot, holding a bubble in his mouth while lifting up his other three-fingered hand into a victory-sign.
Amber caught on without a word, sending a second Ember to the spot; the fireball hit the stunned bird in the face, sending her flying to the edge of the field. Her Trainer’s body was rigid with dread as Amber pounced on top of her, staring down at her with a wicked grin. “Hey!”
Klisi’s feet struggled to kick her off, but she didn’t seem to have the strength, and before she could gather the energy to blow her off, Amber’s eyes glowed purple. Pulses of psychic force rippled through the Spritzee’s frame, hypnotizing her.
Gables hopped over to her with a forced smile. “Oof, you aren’t thinking of … yup.”
Amber got off, sitting down with a smug smirk. “She was calling me names and insulting our Trainers. Get up, Klisi.”
She complied, eyes showing a light inner glow that indicated she could be influenced by the opponent.
“Good,” Amber cooed, “now go dance with Gables.”
“Savage!” Gables chuckled, watching the stunned and red-faced expression of her Trainer. “But … I won’t deny a dance. Shake those tail feathers!”
He continued the song for about twenty more seconds before she began to snap out of the hypnosis, blinking in confusion about where she was, and Gables drew energy to his fist. “Sorry, dear…”
“Huh?” Klisi’s eyes opened wider once noticing him in front of her, but his gathering energy cut off as Mallory communicated that they surrendered. “W-What happened…” The Spritzee asked, tears welling up in her eyes as Amber huffed with disappointment.
Gables just gave her a short shrug. “I’d rethink how you’ve been using that sparkly stuff. Good luck in the next match!” He added, patting her on the shoulder.
“W-Why did … why did I dance with you?” She asked, sniffling a little out of the embarrassment. “Why d-did that happen?”
“Because you’re weak-minded, sweetie,” Amber snickered. “Probably shouldn’t have tried punching up your weight class.”
They noticed the three foreign Trainers mumbling with one another as people started to disperse, and Rhea moved to talk to them with Lori and Amira.
“Eh, I don’t know,” Gables hummed, figuring Klisi felt humiliated with the flashback her Trainer gave her. “I thought they did pretty good, all things considered. The confusion strategy actually had me worried there for a second.”
“I … I tried,” the Spritzee whispered, really trying to hold back her tears.
“I guess,” Amber mumbled, glancing away. “You weren’t … terrible. Just learn how to corner your opponent better.” She released a low grunt before saying, “I’m going to sit by Amira.” After a short distance, she paused, glancing back with a small smile, “Gables … maybe you could teach me some of those dance moves … they look a bit fun.”
“Yeah, sure!” Gables grinned. “There’s a few songs that would fit you pretty well! Oh, maybe we can do some Contest stuff together; that’d be fun.”
“Yeah … Amira’s not really … nevermind…” Amber mumbled, jogging to her Trainer’s side.
“Hmm…” Gables glanced to his left at the depressed bird.
Klisi was slumped over, mumbling to herself. “I was supposed to win … we needed to win … what are we gonna do now?”
“What’s up?” Gables asked, dropping to his butt with a pleasant smile.
“Oh … uh, no, it’s nothing,” Klisi whispered, trying to give him a forced smile. “You two really are really strong … I guess Amber was right.”
“Aww, you didn’t catch it?” He asked.
Her eyes lifted to him. “Catch what?”
“She complimented you!”
“... Only to make me feel better…”
“Hehe … you don’t know Amber that well!”
“What do you mean?” She blinked, swallowing, and sniffing back her wet eyes.
“Amber doesn’t just compliment people because she feels bad. She has a bit of a hard time expressing feelings.”
“No, I don’t!” Amber yelled back at them, clearly able to hear them with her big ears.
“My mistake! My mistake!” Gables chuckled back, waving at her red-eyed glare from Amira’s side while giving Klisi a wink. “Anyway, don’t feel too bad. We just had a lot of Moves that your Trainers and you hadn’t seen before.”
“We knew about the Heat Wave,” Klisi sighed, “but the whole invisible thing was … that was pretty cool,” she said with a small smile.
Gables grinned, seeing Amber roll her eyes with a mumble too low for him to catch. “Well, okay, Klisi. Thanks for the battle!”
He held out his hand, and the bird hopped forward, touching it with her small wings; he gently shook them.
“Yeah … it was really helpful. We haven’t fought anyone as strong as you two.”
“Be glad Mya wasn’t in the match!” Amber shot across the field with a small snicker.
Klisi shifted to eye Amber for a moment. “Right … Mya … is she really that strong?”
“Eh … let’s just say I’d be pretty intimidated,” Gables forced a chuckle. “She’s a powerhouse and doesn’t pull her punches.”
“Wow … umm, I’m glad I didn’t end up facing her, then,” Klisi giggled. “Umm … thanks, Gables … for uh, cheering me up a bit.”
“I think she wants to kiss you!” Amber shouted with a sly smile, causing Klisi to blush and shift uncomfortably.
“N-No … I just, umm … geez, you’re so rude!”
“Am I, though?” Amber mused.
“Yes!”
Amber turned her head away from them with a small smirk. “Geez, can’t even take a joke.”
Klisi huffed, nervously turning back to him. “Umm … thanks. I’m gonna…”
“Yeah, no problem,” Gables replied with a thumbs up. “See ya around!”
“... I hope so,” she whispered, flapping over to land on her Trainer’s shoulder.
Gables hopped over to Amber, giving her a wry smile. “You really are a savage, girl,” he whispered.
“I don’t know, I thought Mallory was pretty savage,” she giggled.
He slowly nodded. “Eh … mmh, can’t argue there, hehe.”
* * *
Rhea winced at how bad Gables and Amber were making the three Kalos Trainers and their Pokémon look. A swift knockout, followed by other Trainers jumping in to meme on them, recording and already posting the battle to MemeStar. It said something when a Pokémon used Hypnosis as a meme against an opponent, then had them start dancing.
Unsurprisingly, all of the battle requests that they’d gotten had been retracted after the other Trainers witnessed the match. Rhea really felt terrible for the girls and their Pokémon, but Nova was just laughing at Gables’ antics.
She glanced down at the update that hit her device; she had the current match up on her phone, and once Lisette forfeited, seeing the end coming with a +1 Power-Up Punch Stab Ember combo, their Battle Rating was updated.
Handicap Triple Battle Challenge:
Lisette Vigouroux - 3W:1L
Battle Tier: Bronze 1
Kanto Battle Rating: 532 (-15)
Kanto Battle Rank: 22,393,340 (+209,117)
Region: Kalos
Daily Battles: 3
Bet: 200 Credits
Aude Auger - 2W - 1L
Battle Tier: Bronze 1
Kanto Battle Rating: 517 (-15)
Kanto Battle Rank: 24,333,543 (+1,940,320)
Region: Kalos
Daily Battles: 2
Bet: 200 Credits
Clotilde Dupuy - 3W - 1L
Battle Tier: Bronze 1
Kanto Battle Rating: 531 (-15)
Kanto Battle Rank: 22,426,134 (+232,911)
Region: Kalos
Daily Battles: 3
Bet: 200 Credits
Combined Pre-Battle Rating: 541.66667
Combined Bet: 600 Credits
Result: Loser
Vs.
Amira Rocket - 2W - 0L
Battle Tier: Bronze 1
Kanto Battle Rating: 533
Kanto Battle Rank: 22,353,194 (-3,292,774)
Region: Kanto
Daily Battles: 1
Bet: 200 Credits
Malory Medina - 2W - 0L
Battle Tier: Bronze 1
Kanto Battle Rating: 533
Kanto Battle Rank: 22,353,224 (-3,292,774)
Region: Unova
Daily Battles: 1
Bet: 200 Credits
Combined Pre-Battle Rating: 516
Combined Bet: 400
Result: Winner
Rhea was a little surprised to see Amira was ahead of Malory but figured it was probably because they had entered into a match under the New Challenger rule, which weighed in the negative since they hadn’t been in the event as long as Amira. The redhead had more battle time than them.
Once the battle concluded, she walked over to the three depressed girls, whispering to one another in a worried tone; the bet funds were already transferred to Amira and Malory.
“Hey! Your Pokémon did pretty well.”
They turned to give her a scowl.
“You don’t need to rub it in,” Clotilde mumbled.
“No, no, I’m serious,” Rhea said with a forced chuckle. “Your Pokémon really gave it their all.”
The three girls released sad sighs, vision falling to the grass.
Aude rubbed her shoulder. “What do you mean … Lukimi and I were taken out in like ... under a minute. We got destroyed … she doesn’t even really know how she got taken out; it was so fast.”
“Gables thinks they did a pretty good job!” Mallory cut in with a short chuckle once reaching them.
Amira shrugged, glancing back at the three Pokémon; Amber seemed to be teasing the little pink bird. “You should have tried trapping us in a corner with the Sweet Scent.”
“We tried … once,” Lisette uncomfortably mumbled. “She was just too fast.”
Mallory winked. “Well, it was the hesitation in the beginning that really set you guys back. Next time you see a Pokémon vanish like that, you’ll know it might still be in that area with Camouflage.”
“Yeah … I guess. Umm … thanks for the battle … your Pokémon really are strong,” Aude mumbled, glancing between them at Klisi and Gables talking to one another. She seemed to be a bit happier, but Amber’s chirp caused the bird to return a heated tone.
“They were bred for battle,” Amber noted. “The Roggenrola’s big problem was his lack of mid-range and decent Status Moves. If you’re against weaker Pokémon, he’d steamroll, but any kind of speed or mid to long-range…”
“I know, I know,” Clotilde groaned, sweeping back her blonde bangs. “It’s hard, though … I mean … TMs are expensive, and Pallet’s were all sold out when we got here.”
“Not that we could afford one,” Lisette grumbled, looking away with pink cheeks; her Spritzee fluttered to her shoulder. “Umm … anyway, we’re gonna head over to the Center … thanks for the battle.”
Rhea watched the group walk off, talking lowly to one another; Pokémon naturally healed on their own if they’d only been in knockout range, which was a natural defense reaction that told them they were getting to the point of real harm. Centers provided a way for Pokémon to receive fast-acting treatment through various methods that could top them off within a few minutes if only knocked out.
However, if they continued to take damage, then they’d be forced out of their safe recovery phase, and after that point, real damage could occur, putting their lives in danger. Pokémon Center treatments would be severely diminished, requiring anywhere from a few hours to a week of emergency support.
Once a Pokémon’s natural defensive energy shield was utterly exhausted, they fought with their life on the line; super effective elemental types would deplete that protection faster than non-effective energies.
It was a League felony to attack a Pokémon after it fainted; there were some exceptions if a Trainer or their Pokémon were in danger within the wild, but they were strict, and an investigation would follow.
“Mmh,” Rhea moved closer to her team with a worried expression. “Do you really think they’re short on cash?”
“With how they acted?” Amira’s full lips pulled to the side. “Probably.”
“Umm … what if we donate a bit to them?”
“Eh, hehe, Rhea,” Mallory gave her a soft sigh. “We can’t just give money away to every team. We need to be worried about ourselves … credits go fast as Trainers.”
“I know,” Rhea mumbled. “I just feel … I don’t know, a bit bad for them; they know they’ll get roasted on MemeStar after that match.”
Amira held up her phone, looking at the Battle App. “It shook off the Sharpedos that were out for blood.”
“Eh … okay, okay,” Mallory adjusted her cap and sunglasses with a small frown. “Maybe one time, okay, Rhea? Uh … 370 to 400 credits to each girl … returning a bit more cash to make it a bit more inconspicuous, uh … later tonight through an anonymous donation?”
Amira didn’t seem too thrilled, folding her arms under her chest. “Why? They’re the ones that challenged us.”
“Mhm,” Rhea nodded, holding her hands behind her back with a forced smile, “but … they didn’t know they’d get memed on. Once the others discovered Gables’ personality, they dropped the challenge. They didn’t have the chance … I don’t know, maybe I’m just being too soft-hearted,” she mumbled, playing with her ponytail.
“Umm … just this once, Amira, please? I’ll do it; you don’t need to use your own money, but … I mean, we’re a team and we kind of share funds. I won’t do it if you are really against it.”
A low groan passed through the redhead's throat before she bent down to pet a happy Amber, puffing her chest out triumphantly. “... No … I’ll help. Just this once, though … people need to work for their own money, or they won’t value it.”
“Speaking from experience?” Mallory asked with a curious hum.
“Yes,” Amira replied, getting up to play with her phone. “I worked for all of my credits … I didn’t take any money from my parents or grandparents.”
Both Rhea and Mallory’s eyebrows rose with surprise.
“No joke?” Lori asked.
“Yeah … there was this old couple that … I worked at a pokéball sleeve store.”
“A what?” Rhea asked; she’d never heard of a pokéball sleeve.
Mallory folded her arms, pushing up slightly on her breasts while glancing over at Gables, seemingly trying to teach Amber how to dance. “Uh … wait, are those the … I think I heard something about that.”
Amira shrugged. “No, it’s pretty cool … I’ll probably grab one when we get to Viridian,” she mumbled. “It’s not that popular, sure … I mean, most people love the generic look to show off.” Releasing an agitated sigh, she adjusted her glasses. “Whatever … umm, yeah, I worked for two years there to save up 4,343 credits.”
Rhea was floored; she had way more money than Amira. “Oh … umm…” It suddenly hit Rhea why Amira was so hesitant about giving up her money to random people, and a new layer of guilt clouded her heart. “Umm … you don’t have to…”
“No,” Amira huffed, folding her arms again, “if you’re going to give them money, then I will, too, but … just make sure this is the only time.”
“Yeah … okay, umm … thanks, Amira.” Rhea cleared her throat, tentatively asking,“Uh … you’re not a hugger, are you?”
“I am!” Mallory giggled, jumping forward to wrap her arms around her; she squeezed tightly, pulling Rhea forward a bit to be pressed against her body. “I’m so glad you are too!”
Rhea chuckled, returning the embrace. “Yeah!”
Amira tried not to stammer, arms tightening around herself. “Umm … I haven’t really … you know, had friends to hug … but, umm … I’m not really against it…”
“Come here then!” Mallory cheered, opening her arms to give her a space to enter.
“I don’t know,” Amira’s cheeks started to flush a little, “Isn’t this a … just a bit embarrassing?” She mumbled, glancing around to see several people still glancing their way every so often, their battle probably the current conversation.
“Nope!”
“Eh?” Rhea hopped on one foot, trying to keep balanced with her pack as Mallory pulled her toward the hesitant redhead, forcing her into the middle of their embrace. “Trapped!”
“H-Hey … you’ll smash some of my … the stuff in my bag!” Amira protested, but there was a smile on her lips.
They giggled while separating, fixing their glasses, clothes, and caps.
“Geez,” Amira mumbled, cheeks still burning. “Umm … so are we going to go see how your friends did, Rhea?”
“Oh, yeah! Let me text them…”
Her two teammates moved their attention to their Pokémon as Amber tried the two-step-like dance Gables was teaching her, and Mallory began clapping to a rhythm while singing some hip-hop song that Amira actually hummed along to.
6:28 P.M. Rhea: Hey, did you guys win? Where are you?
6:29 P.M. Sam: Uh … no, but we put up a fight! A lot better than we thought we’d be. It actually came down to Hector versus one of their Rockruff. We lost, but … they said we were pretty good.
6:29 P.M. Sam: Oh! We’re at the Center!
6:29 P.M. Rhea: Cool!
6:29 P.M. Rhea: Wait, well, not cool that you lost!
6:29 P.M. Rhea: Umm … yeah, we’ll meet you there.
6:30 P.M. Sam: Wait, did you win?
6:30 P.M. Sam: Nvm … just heard you did from some guys talking about it nearby.
6:31 P.M. Sam: Oh, they’ve got the video … see you here!
Rhea felt a little embarrassed what they might think about it but motioned for Mallory and Amira to follow her there. Amber seemed to pick up the simple side to side movement pretty quickly.
They talked about all the different music genres they liked on the way there and swapped to discussing both of their battles when they met up with Hannah, Sam, and Jade.
The three girls were a bit shy about some of the details; apparently, Hannah’s Ledyba got bodied by an Alolan Vulpix pretty early, but she was pretty low level and got taken out pretty soon after by Jade’s Pidey and Sam’s Pineco, blowing her into Hector’s Tackle with a Gust, before a second Gust could finish her off.
Hector naturally learned Protect and knew Counter, which helped him act as a wall while Orin attacked from the air with Gusts. Eventually, the opponent’s Pancham landed an Arm Thrust that caught Orin during a lower dive attack, knocking him to the ground where the Rockruff could finish him off. Hector was too slow to save the Pidgey but got a Tackle on the already battered Pancham, knocking him out. With the Rockruff and Pineco left, they duked it out with Hector, but the Sand Attacks blinded him to the point it was difficult to see, and in the end, he fell.
Rhea decided to take everyone for a cheap dinner of 10 credits each at one of the three restaurant options in the village, spending an extra 20 for some flavored Pokémon food they divided.
Since she was paying, they made her decide which one and Rhea selected the more Kanto-style meal. It took over 50 minutes to get their meal with how many people were traveling through, but they sat in the outside dining area, talking about their matches and Pokémon.
Amira wasn’t sure Pineco learned Counter naturally, and after checking on MovePlus, an App that showed a list of Moves Pokémon commonly were known to learn, discovered it was a Breeding Move, which meant Hector’s father had most likely been a Heracross.
According to Sam, Hector was floored at the news, and she found a new level of pride for her Pokémon, hugging him to her chest.
Realizing she didn’t have any information about her own Pokémon’s Moves, Rhea shot a quick text to her mother, somewhat frustrated with herself that she hadn’t done it sooner.
Most of them had ordered the simple Vegetable Ramen dish since meat cost 10 more credits each. It wasn’t the worst Rhea had, but it was far from what she made in the kitchen, much to her disappointment. Amira assured her the food in Viridian was much better; however, more expensive.
As they were getting ready to leave the restaurant to find a room at the inn, her mother sent an email list of Moves her Pokémon knew. All of them were floored when she opened it up.
From: Mom
Hey! I’m so sorry! I can’t believe I forgot to send you this … I guess I wasn’t in my right mind … hehe. Oof … way to go, Mom! Yeah, uhh … here you go!
Nova: Your adorable little Eevee!
Now, depending on which evolution she becomes, more Moves will open up, but she can only use those Moves in that form. Those in her base Eevee-form, not learned in her other forms, will not be able to be used unless she reverts to Eevee, which shouldn’t require any energy. Only going from base to a higher evolution demands energy.
Hope you enjoy it; here’s a list of just the base Moves she’ll learn once she gets into one of these evolutions. Yes, it will take time and effort to stay in that form for an extended period … this is unknown territory! Even if Nova is a higher level, she’ll need to practice her Moves to get used to them.
I’ll let the other ones (yes, other forms) be a mystery unless you manage to unlock them! Hehe … a lot of stuff I’ve discovered that the Eevee Evolution Laboratory has been biting at the bit to get. In time, in time … I bet they’ll be running to you once it’s discovered your Eevee can transform into every eeveelution. They can be persistent…
Oh, and your Eevee’s abilities also change on its form; its base stage abilities will transfer over, though, and when they go to the Dream World and Mega Evolution … oh, they’ll be precious!
Adaptability - Always Active
Run Away - Always Active
Synchronize - Umbreon and Espeon
Maya (Mya): Our hyper-aggressive Mawile!
It’s the same as Nova; Mya’s Abilities can always be active, and when she Mega Evolves and goes on her Dream World journey … she’ll be an absolute MONSTER!
Intimidate - apparently frightens away weaker Pokémon and draws stronger >.> watch out for that.
There you have it! Loves you, my little Swablu!
Her two little Pokémon were hyped by the information but already naturally knew each of their Moves since it was bred into them, making it second nature. However, her teammates and friends were freaking out.
“W-What’s up with that list?” Hannah whispered in shock, leaning in on their table as a waiter moved around them.
“Yeah,” Mallory mumbled, “like … I knew they were all that, but … not ALL that … Muk. No wonder … eh, yeah … wow…”
Sam’s eyes grew to the size of saucers as she read a bit of the text she could see. “All … eeveelutions … you’re joking?!” She hissed.
After the excitement died down, she ushered them to the inn to grab a room; sadly, they had to all cram into a three-bedroom rental when the clerk found out they were friends since so many people were coming and going. They each decided to double up; Amira and Mallory shared a bed, Rhea took one with Hannah, and Sam took one with Jade.
Room acquired, they went to the local stores to stock up on supplies before heading back to their rental; much of the stock was depleted, but they managed to get everything they wanted. The three of them sent the funds to the Kalos girls when returning, Rhea donating the most at 400 credits.
The topic of the night was Rhea’s Pokémon, to their great delight. The six of them shared the bathroom, which had cold water, to Mallory’s extreme displeasure, but Amber agreed to heat up some water for her with a bit of bribing, promising a treat in Viridian just for her.
With everyone washed and ready for bed, they called it a night; tomorrow, Rhea would finally see the massive city-state Viridian had become.