Ledian blurred as it moved to attack. Nautilus barely had time to use Hypnosis as Ledian landed a punch right into his face. The Psychic move put Ledian to sleep, but it woke up in the same amount of time it took Nautilus to recover.
'Damn, Early Bird.'
The Trainer's face was stone cold, giving me no information. "Psybeam."
"Supersonic."
"Disable!" Last month, we had a Task that required us to capture a Plusle and Minun wreaking havoc in the business district of Santalune. They were a duo that caused Nautilus and me many headaches. We learned that Disable, if used after a move like Sweet Kiss, Encore, and, oddly enough, Destiny Bond, canceled out the effects of certain moves along with preventing their use.
I didn't miss how Nautilus switched from Psybeam to Disable with little effort and hesitation. He deserved a treat after this.
Supersonic hit, but Disable landed just a moment later and saved Nautilus from the splitting headache of confusion.
"Psybeam again!" / "Swift!"
A barrage of stars shot out from Ledian's wings. Nautilus used Psybeam to destroy some stars, but a few remained and slammed into him. Ledian then moved in close with Mach Punch, if the speed and brown energy were anything to go by.
"Peck!" I ordered. Nautilus blocked the attack with his own and used Psybeam to get some damage in. I heard a ding from my phone, but that was nowhere near important enough to check right now.
"You've got to do more than that if you want to win. Swift again!"
"Sustain Psybeam, you've got this," I said, wanting to encourage my little squid. He was facing an evolved Pokémon and didn't have many moves to choose from. He had a lot of stamina, but I doubted it was enough against an evolved 'Mon. Especially if Ledian could close the distance with Mach Punch and keep it open with Swift.
"Peck!" I commanded, followed by a soft, "then Payback." I was banking on Ledian retaliating after Nautilus opened himself up.
"Block then Comet Punch!" the other Trainer yelled out, her face still void of emotion. Ledian's fist blazed with a brown aura, most likely Fighting-type energy. It punched Nautilus' face, blocking his Peck, then let loose a flurry of jabs. Each punch either added a bruise or cut along his face. It looked brutal, but Nautilus took each hit like a champ.
He wasn't the most defensive Pokémon, not by a long shot. But I'd be damned if he couldn't persevere. He had a will like no other I've encountered, and I was damned proud of him. That's why, when the attack ended to reveal his bloodied face, I copied his smirk and held my fist in the air.
"Fuck 'em up, buddy!" I shouted.
Nautilus swelled with Dark-type energy and uppercut the bug with two tentacles. Time slowed down as I watched the Trainer's face twitch with annoyance. Ledian flew backwards and crashed into the fog.
"Inkay!" my starter yelled. He floated back, hugging me tightly.
"I knew you could do it," I whispered. "You deserve the win, and a special treat."
The Trainer walked over, Ledian already in its PokéBall. "That was a good battle," she said, "but if that was a struggle for you, you will likely lose against Viola."
"Thank you for the warning," I told her, taking out another Oran Berry for Nautilus. "Nautilus can handle more. We almost took out a Pyroar three weeks ago. But I also know we have more training to do. The next five days will see us do some catching up in that regard."
She studied me for a minute. "Viola has an eye for potential. If she gives you any advice, I urge you to make note of it."
"Oh, I will," I responded. "It would be dumb of me to dismiss any sort of teaching from a Gym Leader."
She smiled at that. "Well, it seems you are wiser than I was at your age. You'll do fine in the future."
"Thank you," I told her. "Now, how do I get out of here?"
0-0-0
Five days. That's all the time I had left to prepare Nautilus. I watched many of her Gym's posted videos. They were used for educational purposes in schools, but they were all legitimate First Badge battles. The first battle always saw Surskit and Vivillon. If a Trainer lost and signed up for a rematch, Viola used Scatterbug and Spidops.
Nautilus could easily handle Surskit and Scatterbug. The few we battled in the wild didn't use elaborate strategies like Viola's did, but they were used to fighting for survival and did not go down easily like the games. Vivillon would be tough, but I knew we could power through.
'Will she even use the same Pokémon?'
If not, then we'd have a much tougher battle. I guess we'd need to prepare like that's the only option. She already knows me, and I mentioned almost beating a Pyroar the last time we talked. Man, this was going to be tough.
Nautilus will have to focus on his moves and battle stamina. I'm sure she'll have lots of tricks up her sleeve, which means we'll need to have enough gas in the tank to deal with all of them. Especially since I'm not using Tetsu for the fight.
I returned my focus to the ice cream we were eating. Well, Nautilus and I were eating ice cream. Tetsu was absorbing a mix of metals, namely iron, titanium, copper, aluminum, and chromium. I didn't add gold to the mix because it was too pricey for now. "Buddy, we're gonna have to train hard for the next five days," I said.
Nautilus looked at me, his mint ice cream smeared all over his beak. "Inkay," he nodded.
"I just wanted you to be aware of that," I said. "But we got this. I'm expecting Viola to make our Gym Battle tougher than normal. But that just means she thinks we're strong enough to handle it."
I smiled. If she did use another team composition, that meant we were good enough to be taken seriously. And I wanted to live up to all expectations. Nautilus was plenty quick when he used his Psychic energy to move around instead of whatever Pokémon bullshit he normally used to float in the air. His moves packed enough of a punch, but I'd have him focus on concentrating the energy more efficiently.
I opened my Team app and looked at his moves. My smile spread quickly.
"Inkay?"
"I know exactly what we're training, Nautilus."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
[Viola POV, Santalune City Gym]
I stood at the edge of the field, waiting for the challenger I've been wanting to test for a while now. The cameras were ready to capture the footage. Normally, I only allowed my Gym Trainers to watch these battles. Most Trainers don't have the self-regulating skills to calm their nerves during their first Gym Battle. It is the main reason many lose the first time.
That is what I am here to teach. Confidence and collectedness. If you aren't sure of your ability, the tiniest of mistakes will snowball and cost you the battle. If you can't keep calm, those mistakes seem like the only choice you have.
That's why I enjoy battling Senior Trainers. I can test them in different ways, and this Trainer definitely warranted a different test. He was above what I used for most. An unevolved Bug Pokémon was an appropriate introduction to Gym Battles for most, while a second stage evolution provided enough challenge to weed out many. For Marco?
I smiled. When Janice came to me a few days ago to report on his Gym Challenge, I honestly expected her to say he lost. When she said he won after a short exchange of attacks, I reevaluated my plan for him.
"You've already earned the Badge, Marco. Now, I want Calem to see why."
I tossed my PokéBall. "Yeah, Stag will definitely show Calem Marco's potential."
The doors to the battlefield opened. Marco walked in, tall and confident. He didn't look like a typical Trainer at all. His physique screamed "Training under Bruno," but his outfit said, "Living without stress." Jet black hair tied in a ponytail, a lavender button-up shirt that fit tight across his chest and shoulders, jeans, and gray loafers that finished the nicer look. His Trainer profile said he weighed just over three hundred pounds, which made sense given Nurse Joy's physical fitness evaluation and motor testing. His gut didn't scream athlete, but his physical strength was leagues above the average person.
He stood on the other side of the field, clearly waiting for me to begin.
*click*
I took a picture, much to his surprise. "Inspiration can hit at any time," I called out. He smiled in return, his hand grabbing a PokéBall. I didn't see another, which made sense. His Ferroseed would not be ready for battle for at least another month.
"My name is Viola, and I am the Gym Leader of the Santalune City Gym. Challenger, this will be a one-on-one Gym Battle."
Surprise flickered on his face, but he hid it quickly. Good. Maybe I can get some brilliant pictures out of this.
"The battle will continue until one of our Pokémon faints or is recalled. Battle items will not be allowed, nor will healing items. If after twenty minutes both Pokémon are still standing, the challenger will be considered the victor. Are these rules clear, Marco?"
He stepped into the Trainer box. "Crystal clear."
"Good. Now here is your opponent," I told him, lobbing Stag's PokéBall into the air. The red energy zigzagged onto the battlefield, and the child of my own Pokémon materialized.