A/n: Vote with your stones!
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"Go, Frostfang!" Juan shouted.
"Leviathan, destroy them," William said calmly.
Simultaneously, both Pokemon were released onto the open waters below. No silly little platforms like the league did, this was a fight on open waters.
Across from William was a very familiar Pokemon—a Walrein. However, unlike the usual Walrein he typically saw, this one was much bulkier than the rest, with an ideal fat-to-muscle ratio for battling.
It was indeed a Gym Leader's Pokemon, as expected. However, whereas a normal person would be intimidated, William felt a surge of excitement bubbling up in his chest despite the severity of the situation. If he lost here, it would practically be over for Team Aqua. If he won however, it would elevate them to greater heights.
In fact if he lost the right here then he never deserved to be team aqua's leader in the first place. He had spent years training his Pokemon, and he was absolutely confident in their strength. He had always wanted to test his worth against a Gym Leader.
And he would begin that test with the great Leviathan—his Gyarados.
William and Juan stared intensely at each other. Their partners replicated the action, sizing one another up. The atmosphere was tence, just from it both of these Pokemon could tell the importance of this fight. Gyarados sharpened its eyes and growled— a sign intimidate was used— and coiled its body, ready for battle.
"Ice Beam, Frostfang!" Juan commanded, breaking the deadlock of silence.
William smirked. "Submerge, Leviathan."
A sharp chill cut through the morning air as Frostfang shot a solid beam of ice from its fanged mouth. It moved with terrifying speed, and Leviathan scarcely dodged it as it responded to William's command, coiling its serpentine body down and diving into the waters below.
Silence.
Then, William knelt down and slapped the surface of the water twice in quick succession. It was code for "Use Dragon Dance, then quickly submerge from the water and try to attack the unsuspecting enemy with crunch".
"Frostfang, freeze the water below!" but it was too late. He and Leviathan had spent years training this exact routine. It could now be done as quickly as possible. The water below Walrein suddenly erupted like a geyser as Leviathan emerged with its jaws gaping wide, intent on devouring its opponent.
"Frostfang, dodge!" Juan screamed, recognizing the danger.
The gaping jaws narrowly missed Walrein, but the danger wasn't over yet.
"Leviathan, Aqua Tail!"
Water energy formed around Gyarados' tail, and in a sharp sweeping motion, it snapped through the air like a whip, striking Walrein, who was defenseless in midair. Leviathan had seamlessly transitioned from one action to the next as though it were weightless.
Walrein slammed into the waters below as Gyarados gave chase. William had spent years training his Pokemon and finding out their weaknesses, but also their strengths. Leviathan's greatest strength was undoubtedly his attack, and when you combine that with aggressiveness and an unrelenting pursuit, you get something terrifying.
Juan, recognizing the immediate danger, shouted, "Frostfang, Body slam!"
"Meet it head on, Crunch!" William commanded.
As Walrein slammed into Leviathan, Gyarados' gaping jaws shut and clamped down tight. Walrein struggled in its grasp, fangs turning into ice and clamping down on Gyarados, but Leviathan's grip didn't cease.
"Walrein!" Juan cried out.
"Throw him up. Hyper Beam—let's end this," William said.
Gyarados flung its opponent high into the air. Left flailing helplessly, Walrein could do nothing as Leviathan charged up a devastating Hyper Beam before releasing it at full force.
Juan's cries were silenced by the devastating attack. It sounded like a dozen bombs going off simultaneously.
William covered his ears. As the smoking Walrein splashed into the sea, Juan quickly withdrew it. He kissed his Pokeball and held it to his forehead, muttering something.
William began to ponder.
Leviathan's aggressiveness and fluidity in the water, along with his biting capabilities, were some of the most trained aspects of him. His teeth were trained to draw blood. Back when William encountered that large pack of Gyarados, Leviathan had been the most eager to challenge Lochness. When he lost, and William offered to make him stronger, he joined without hesitation.
He looked across at his opponent. Juan's hands hovered between different Pokeballs, hesitating.
While Juan was busy with performance plays and Pokemon contests, William was training.
That was the difference between him and Juan.
And he would prove that point today.
William had no intentions of switching Leviathan and instead waited for Juan's next Pokemon. After a short moment, he sent out his Lapras. It was a creature designed purely for the sea.
William felt something hit his shoulder. Then on his arm, then his head. It was raining. The rain spattered against his outfit and also into the ocean. It was a pleasant feeling, but a feeling he was all too familiar with.
That's why I became a water-type trainer in the first place, William thought, I've always had a special connection with water for some reason.
Turning his attention back to the fight, he quickly changed his decision and withdrew Leviathan. The rain was up, and Lapras had access to Thunder. As much as he would like to ride his momentum with Leviathan, he wasn't stupid.
And out came Lochness instead.
"Swampert…What kind of professor would give you a starter Pokemon?" Juan asked.
"It wasn't a professor… It was a trainer." William chuckled. "A rock to the face convinced him."
"You're a monster."
"There are two sides to every story. The way he treated that Mudkip, he was the monster." William responded.
"Ever since you were appointed Gym Leader, I did my research on you. Born into a rich household of professional Pokémon contest models, paid your way through trainer school, paid your way to rare and powerful Pokemon. Your head is so far up in the clouds, when you bother to look down you can only see the surface of the water."
"Not me. I was born in the depths. That's the difference between you and me."
"You're here fighting for prestige, fame, and influence. I'm fighting for my future—for my crew's livelihoods. I'll show you the difference between us, right here, right now."
Even someone not experienced in the art of Pokemon battling could tell that this Swampert was different from the usual. Standing over three feet taller than the typical Swampert, Lochness was a force to be reckoned with.
It was gigantic and wide, its thick frame packed with powerful and thick muscle. Its large hands looked like they could crush a head like a grape, and its gills seemed as if it were sharper than steel blades.
A Pokemon trained for years upon years with one singular goal—to win.
"It's your turn, Lochness. Show them no mercy."
Swampert nodded, determined. It had come a long way from its days as a Mudkip.
"Sapphire, use Perish Song." Juan said. Lapras began to sing.
"Are you serious?"
"Dead serious." Juan replied. "It looks like you have so much pride in your Pokemon, let's put it to the test." he said mockingly.
Fine then, it's obviously a trap but I'll bite. Your pathetic little gamble won't pay off. William thought.
"Lochness, use Mudshot!"
"Sapphire, Ice Beam!"
Ice and Ground collided, each the two elements battling for supremacy. Due to the type advantage one would think the ice beam would win, but Lochness' mastery over his ground type evened the playing field— evened it exactly. Both of the attacks had cancelled each other out.
"Hydro Pump!"
"Dodge it!"
Lapras managed to move out the way in time, but in the short moment it had spent focusing on the Hydro pump, Lochness had closed the distance between them—much faster than his size suggested— and descended upon Lapras.
"Water Pulse!"
"Tank it." William said. Swampert was bulky. "Brick Break, then go for his neck!"
A huge torrent of water blasted into Lochness, but he merely shrugged it off like it was a gentle shower. His right fist straightened and hardened itself in fighting energy, before being brought down like a guillotine on Lapras' head.
The attack had left it dazed and defenseless, so it could barely defend itself as Swampert wrapped his bulky hands around its neck in a chokehold.
"Wriggle out!" but it couldn't.
"Body Slam!" but Lapras couldn't generate enough force.
"Ice Shard!" little specks of ice hit Swampert, but again, it didn't flinch. It didn't do anything.
"End this!" William commanded, and the grip tightened once again, before all struggle from Lapras ceased. Lochness dropped the body, and it lay there unconscious and out.
"That was quick." William noted dryly. He quickly withdrew Lochness, and the threat of perish song disappeared. He trusted his ace could take care of the Lapras quickly, after all he had been with Lochness by far the longest. Compared to the rest of this Pokemon he was in a completely different league. He had gone through decades of high intensity training just for moments like these.
William: 2. Juan: 0.