"Good and ready to go!" Axel exclaimed as he healed up his three Pokemon with potions.
"In that case, let's begin," Ramos said as he took his position and nodded to the referee.
"The Courmarine gym battle between Ramos, the gym leader, and Axel, the challenger, will now get underway. Both trainers will have the use of three Pokemon. Furthermore, only the challenger will be permitted to substitute Pokemon." The referee announced.
"Well, shall we begin?" Ramos said with a smile.
"Sure!" Axel replied.
"Now, Jumpluff! Let's go!" He said as he threw out a Pokeball.
"hehehe! I'll cover the world with cotton spores!" It declared as if floated onto the battlefield gently.
Axel cringed at the sight of the cheerful Pokemon- he had had enough Jumpluff for the day.
"Let's finish this quickly, Pika!"
"Bring it on!" Pika said as it emitted sparks from its cheek pouches.
"Let the battle begin!"
"We'll make the first move! Pika! Thundershock!"
"Take this!!" Pika jumped up as electricity crackled from its cheeks. A blast of electricity shot out at the Jumpluff.
"Cotton Guard!" Ramos commanded as he cut the air using his shears.
Shaking its cotton balls, cotton fluffs started pouring out, forming a shield of cotton to block the attack completely.
"Saw that coming!" Pika yelled, doing a spin in midair and slashed its tail out at Jumpluff.
"Sunny Day!"
"Sunlight! Sunlight! Sunlight! Hehehehehe!" Jumpluff giggled. A blinding beam of energy shot down from the sky towards it.
"Wah-" Pika shielded its eyes from the pillar of light and bounded backwards.
Where'd it go? Pika thought as he looked around. The Jumpluff was nowhere to be seen.
"Bullet Seed!"
Axel whirled around in confusion, trying to figure out where it is. He too had lost sight of the Pokemon.
Puffing its cheeks, Jumpluff suddenly appeared behind Pika.
"Behind you!" Axel hurried.
Pika spun around to come face in face with Jumpluff, preparing to discharge a Thundershock. However, before it got the chance to hit it, it darted away with a swish, and the seeds hit Pika on the back.
Axel gritted his teeth. Chlorophyll. An ability which increases the user's speed dramatically under harsh sunlight. High speed stats, further boosted by Sunny Day, and impressive defense thanks to Cotton Guard.
"Pika! Charge in with Quick Attack!" Axel said. We'll counter speed with speed!
Seeing Pika charging at it, Jumpluff retaliated by firing seeds at it.
"Trying to hit me again? Not so easy! Eat this!" Pika dodged the incoming bullets swiftly with no signs of slowing down.
"Teehee! You'll never catch me!" Jumpluff chuckled playfully, dodging the attack once again. Pika skid to a stop, huffing. It's fast. Can't keep up with it even at max speed.
Axel observed Jumpluff's movements as it darted around the battlefield, baffling Pika. Calm down and think.
"Pika! Go get it with Quick attack, once more!" Axel decided.
Nodding, Pika boosted its speed, running around the battlefield. Using the sturdy tree branches as foothold, it leaped off and assaulted Jumpluff in midair.
"Cotton Guard!"
"Gotcha!" Pika beamed as it went over Jumpluff's head.
"Hehehe! Where're you aiming at? " It asked with a snicker.
"At you!" Pika replied as the white aura around it disappeared. It whirled around in mid-air, facing Jumpluff's unguarded back, and discharged a strong surge of electricity at it.
"Kyaaaaa!" It screamed as it got electrified, barely maintaining its balance as it struggled to catch the breeze in midair.
"Way to go Pika!" Axel cheered as Pika landed on the ground with a grin.
"Not bad," Ramos complimented as his Jumpluff staggered upright.
"Pika, get ready for phrase 2 of the plan!"
"I'm all set!" It agreed as it took off running again with Quick Attack.
Ramos nodded thoughtfully, wondering what Axel's next move will be.
"We're getting in close!" Axel warned Pika. Pika charged at Jumpluff again and again from different directions.
"Hehe! Too slow! " Jumpluff taunted as it dodged them swiftly, keeping up with the speed of the repeated attack.
"Now!" Axel shouted.
"Die!" Pika growled as it jumped above Jumpluff, charging Iron Tail.
"Won't work! Cotton Guard!" Ramos instructed as Jumpluff put up the cotton barrier again.
"Thanks for cooperating!" Axel winked, "Pika!"
"Oh?"
Pika slammed its tail into the fluffy layer of cotton, electricity sparking from its cheeks, channelling the current into the tip of its tail. The two attacks merged, and Pika's tail glowed brilliant gold as the voltage crackled around it.
Thanks, Ash! Axel thought, "We're calling this Crackling Crash!!"
Luna groaned at the ridiculous name choice of the attack. Couldn't he have gone with something which sounded cooler?
Light exploded from the tip of Pika's tail, and the impact of the attack caused an explosion, knocking both Pokemon back.
Slowly, the smoke cleared, and Jumpluff was revealed to be lying on the ground, motionless, with swirls in its eyes. "Ughhh..." it moaned.
"Hah! Now who's the loser? " Pika shot back.
"Jumpluff is unable to battle. The winner is Pichu!" The referee announced as he went to check on its condition.
-
"Let's keep this up!" Axel cheered as he high-fived Pika.
"Jumpluff, thanks. Now give yourself a good rest," Ramos said as he recalled his first Pokemon, "That was impressive."
"We're just getting warmed up!" Axel called back.
"Yeah! I'll totally beat y'all up till you're dead!" Pika agreed, fired up.
"So are we, Weepinbell!"
A yellow Pokemon with a gigantic mouth landed on the battlefield with a thud.
"A Weepinbell... Pika! Let's keep up the momentum! Thundershock!" Cheeks crackling with electricity, Pika curled up and released a flash of thunder at Weepinbell.
"Hm, dodge that and leaf blade." At an astounding speed, it darted out of the way, slashing out its two leaves, sending razor-sharp leaves flying right at Pika, who wasn't able to evade it in midair.
"Ahh! Damn!" Pika yelped as it fell.
"Need a lift?" Weepinbell asked as it leaped up (seriously?! How???), grabbing one of the dangling vines hanging from the tree, swinging then ramming into Pika, flinging it onto the ground with a thud.
"That speed-" Axel gasped, shocked, looking up at the sky. Sunny Day was still in effect, and judging by the Pokemon's abnormal speed, its ability must be the same as that of Ramos' Jumpluff- chlorophyll.
"Pika! You alright?" Axel asked. Although Pika hadn't taken much damage in the last battle, it was pretty tired out by all the constant moving around.
"Course I am!" Pika shouted back at him as it staggered upright.
"In that case, Quick Attack!" It darted forward, encased with white light.
"Hm," Ramos smiled. Weepinbell's eyes glowed green. Two vines shot out from the ground, tying themselves together to form a knot.
"Grass knot! Pika! Dodge that!" Axel shouted. Too late. Pika tripped on the knot and stumbled forward, and Weepinbell, taking the chance, pelted it with yet another round of leaves.
"Follow it up with Slam." Ramos instructed calmly.
Weepinbell leaped up high into the air and slammed down right towards Pika, who barely managed to dodge the powerful attack by rolling out of the way at the very last second.
"Pika! Iron Tail!"
"Hrng!" Pika grunted as it got onto its feet and darted behind Weepinbell, charging an Iron Tail.
"Grass knot."
Right before the attack hit, two vines erupted out of the ground, wrapping itself around Pika's tail, trapping it in place.
"Ah! Pika!" Axel shouted as he panicked. This isn't good. Pika had already sustained a lot of damage.
"Arghhh! Just get off me you stupid vines!" Pika gritted its teeth as it tried to yank its tail out of the sturdy vines. Charging a thundershock, it tried to channel the electricity to the tip of its tail again. If it can't break it out from the outside, then it'll try from the inside. Light peeked through the gaps of the vines, as if ready to explode anytime.
"Throw it away!" Ramos commanded.
The vines reared back, swinging around then flung Pika out, sending it crashing headfirst into a nearby tree.
"You little..." Pika growled, speeding forwards at lightning speed.
"Pika! No! Getting in close is risky! You'll get-" Axel shouted frantically.
Weepinbell dodged the attack by spraying a plume of purple smoke from its gaping mouth. Pika dashed right through the attack.
"Poisoned," he finished with a sigh. Pika staggered as purple streaks of energy pulsed through it, damaging it from the inside. Damn. Got careless. Pain blazed through its body as it tried to move.
Ramos' famous strategy. I've done research on it. Tricking the opponent into getting in close then poisoning it with Poison Powder, and then...
"Weepinbell, Slam!" Ramos commanded, certain of his win.
Finish the opponent with Slam.
"Pika! Stand up! Dodge that with Quick Attack!" Axel shouted. Got to make an escape- and quick!
Move! Move! Pika's brain screamed as it watched the Weepinbell leaping high up, using one of the vines to swing itself towards it. Not yet! Can't lose here!
Pika pushed itself and evaded the attack with a flash. The pain pulsed through it again. It winced. That was way too close.
Axel, do something. He forced himself to think. There's got to be a way.
"Pi-chu-pi!" Pika shouted at him as it narrowly dodged another one of Weepinbell's attacks.
"Pika! Thundershock on the ground!" Axel said as he nodded at Pika, who probably had the same plan in mind.
Using Quick Attack, Pika darted around the battlefield, firing Thundershock on the ground randomly.
"Hmm," Ramos said thoughtfully as he watched the white blur rocketing off the trees. Soon enough, the battlefield was encased in a layer of smoke.
Weepinbell eyed its surroundings carefully. What an amateur move, it thought, ready to dodge any close range moves. In a thick smoke like this, long range moves would have a low accuracy, which means the opponent would have to get up close to deliver an attack. The yellow flashes of electricity stopped. Anytime now.
Pika hurtled out of the smoke, its tail glowing white.
Over there. Weepinbell leaped up above Pika, ready to slash out its leaves to fire a dozen of leaves at it once it comes up to hit it with Iron Tail.
Pika let out a mischievous grin and dropped down into a roll with a sphere of electricity glowing in its palm.
A fluke?! Weepinbell thought as it whirled around.
"Gotcha," Pika said with a grin as it fired the yellow sphere right at Weepinbell's face.
Axel crossed his fingers, hoping that the plan would work.
A bright light shot towards him, slipping into Pika's Pokeball with a crackle.
Out of Axel's pocket, another beam of energy emerged as Froxel popped out of its Pokeball, landing onto the battlefield. Axel nodded at it, and Froxel dashed into the smoke.
-
Weepinbell opened its eyes and glanced around. After being hit by the attack, it had lost sight of the Pichu.
"Pound!" A voice shouted.
Weepinbell braced itself for the attack.
To its surprise, a Froakie burst out of the smoke.
A Froakie?! It thought, amused, as the Pokemon leaped above it to deliver a Pound.
"You ain't tricking me a second time!" Weepinbell shouted as it flung a dozen of leaves at the Froakie.
It disappeared with a poof.
Double Team! Its mind flashed, whirling around to come face to face with the real one, who smashed its forearm into its face, beating it away and dispersing the smoke.
"How'd you like that!" Axel called.
"Hm, I see. Quick Attack to throw us off guard and avoid attacks, Thundershock to cover the area with smoke, Iron Tail as a fluke, then using Volt Switch to damage my Weepinbell and switch away your poisoned Pichu into a Froakie, then immediately follow it up with a combo attack of Double Team and Pound," Ramos analysed with a smile.
"I've done my research! Normal by-the-book attacks won't work, so of course I'll have to come up with strategies like these to counter yours! We've trained hard for this battle! We're here to win a badge, not to lose! Isn't that right, Froxel?" Axel said with a smile.
Froxel nodded in response.
"Hmm, I like that spirit of yours, young man, but we don't have any plans to lose either," Ramos responded calmly, "Razor Leaf!"
"Dodge and counter it with Water Pulse!" Axel instructed. Froxel leaped out of the way, pulling back its arms to charge a sphere of water in its hands, then sent it flying at Weepinbell.
Weepinbell evaded the attack as well, grabbing one of the vines overhead to swing itself towards Froxel ready to deliver a Slam.
"Froxel! Double Team!" Axel said confidently. Dozens of clones showed up in midair, and the one Weepinbell hit disappeared with a poof.
The Froxel copies ran around Weepinbell in a circle as they both landed on the ground.
"Grass Knot, Weepinbell!" Weepinbell stayed still and closed its eyes.
"It- closed its eyes?!" Axel gasped, surprised.
All of a sudden, two vines shot out from the ground, knitting themselves into a knot. The real Froxel hit the knot and tripped, falling to the ground.
"Froxel!" Axel shouted as the clones faded away, "how-"
"You can make copies of yourself, but you won't be able to erase all signs of your presence," Ramos said with a smile as Froxel staggered upright.
"Tch," Axel gritted his teeth. So Double Team won't work either.
"Slam!" Weepinbell grabbed Froxel by the leg and leaped up, adding momentum by swinging on the vines overhead.
"Water Pulse in that position!" Axel shouted. Froxel shot up a blue sphere from its hands, right into the Weepinbell's gaping mouth.
Weepinbell choked and coughed, letting go of Froxel. Doing a spin in midair, Froxel landed on the ground swiftly, assuming battle position.
"Charge in with Pound!" Froxel's forearm glowed white as it jumped up, charging at the falling Weepinbell.
"Heh, don't be overconfident, kid," Ramos chuckled.
Weepinbell opened its eyes and shot a dozen of leaves towards Froxel before hitting the ground with a thud. Froxel, unable to defend itself in midair, was hit by the flurry of leaves.
"Poison Powder!" Weepinbell inhaled deeply and sprayed a cloud of poison powder at Froxel.
"Froxel! Don't breathe it in! Frubbles!"
Froxel darted forwards, holding its breath. Grabbing a chunk of Frubbles, it threw it at Weepinbell's mouth, blocking the flow of Poison Powder.
"With this Frubble mask, your Weepinbell won't be able to use Poison Powder!"
Froxel nodded and jumped up, delivering a slash to its face with a Pound, sending the flycatcher Pokemon crashing into a nearby tree.
Out of the smoke, blades of leaves shot out- with their target no more than Froxel, who was weak to grass type attacks.
"Froxel!!!" Axel screamed as the razor sharp leaves hit Froxel in mid-air.
Author's note 💖🤩 :
Hello there! Enjoyed the battle so far? I'm trying hard to come up with strategies for Axel ;-;. Gym battles are a bit tricky because I CAN'T JUST NERF THE GYM LEADER RIGHT? And so, I watched the anime episode for like 3-4 times just to write this chapter :/.
I have 5 tests next week. This is bad. I'll try my best to complete next week's chapter for 'Zeraora: Chronicles'. Also, if you remember about the chemistry incident I mentioned before, I didn't fail it. I barely passed it with a 18/30 though. Fml. It was slightly higher than the average but still- fck. I really have to study hard for the chemistry quiz next week.
-your busy head of lettuce
Extra: Right, so, you're probably wondering why Axel is in Courmarine City instead of Cyllage City.
Turning back to clock to what happened a few days prior the events in Chapter 18 (The Lost Skiddo in the Rain)
✨Preview for the next chapter✨
*🪴Vs Ramos: Tactics and Tenacity🪴*
Finally defeating Ramos' Weepinbell, Axel finds himself pit against Ramos' partner and ace Pokemon- Gogoat. How is he going to pull through and earn his second badge?
Out on 💖: 16/2 (Friday) around 7:30am PST