"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.
"Go, Monarch."
"Juggernaut, you're up."
Simultaneously, both Pokemon were released from their balls. On Juan's side was a large, imposing Pokemon with a regal aura, as its name suggested—a Kingdra. On William's side, however…
Juan covered a little chuckle with his hand. "That's the Pokemon you're fighting with?" he asked, slightly bemused.
Compared to the serious, king-like Pokemon, William's Pokemon was a Palafin—a cute-looking dolphin with a friendly smile on its face.
The two Pokemon were in complete contrast to each other.
If Kingdra was a king, then Palafin was the court clown. Not for long. He was about to be the hero.
"Looks like I made a mistake," William said, purposely taking his time. For Palafin's ability to activate he needed to wait a bit with his weaker form outside of his pokeball.
"Monarch, end it quickly! Go in close—Outrage!" Juan capitalised on it.
With its Swift Swim active, Kingdra rushed towards Palafin at blinding speeds.
"Flip Turn!"
Faster than one would expect, Palafin turned into a rush of water and slammed into Kingdra before Outrage could activate. It went back to his pokeball.
William returned the Pokeball to his side and seemingly put it away. However, in reality, he kept hold of it, immediately sending out Palafin again—in his great evolved form.
"That's more like it," Juan said, though his words did nothing to mask his caution.
He had most likely never seen this Pokemon before, given that it was from all the way in Paldea—and by his look of confusion.
The rain still bled into the sea, though it wouldn't last much longer. The problem was Kingdra's swift swim ability. He could already tell from the way it effortlessly swam in the water it was going to be a problem. He needed to find a way to cut off that mobility through some method.
"Dive, Juggernaut!" William commanded. Palafin quickly dove below the water. He hadn't been with the hero Pokemon long, but long enough to teach a few tricks. whenever he told juggernaut to dive, what it was meant to do was:
Dive under - Bulk Up - Submerge on Opponent.
Juan, however, had different plans, "Whirlpool!"
William slapped the water three times—a signal to quickly submerge, but for Kingdra—a Pokemon known for creating whirlpools—this attack was no pushover.
A deadly spinning storm of water began to form. It spun rapidly, and at the center of it, a vortex of high spinning water hurting everything in its path formed, with Juggernaut right there.
"Escape! Shoot water out of your blowhole!"
Juggernaut nodded, twisting backwards to face the sea before shooting a steady and powerful stream of water—out of the blowhole on his head—to propel itself upwards and out of harm's way of the deadly whirlpool.
Kingdra being Juan's ace combined with its ability to create strong whirlpools and the rain, it was a devastating combination.
During this time, Kingdra hadn't remained stationary. Instead, it had used the time to set up a Dragon Dance. However, judging from the increased size of Palafin's already bulging muscles, it had also managed to get off a Bulk Up before being caught up by the whirlpool.
"Dragon Pulse, Monarch!"
"Dodge it! Get in close!" William ordered.
Utilizing its speed, Palafin leaped across the ocean, dodging the beam of draconic energy coming its way.
"Now! Ice Punch!"
An iced fist was headed full force towards Kingdra, however it simply utilised its speed to move out the way, rendering it completely useless.
"Tch!" As long as that rain was up he was at a disadvantage. He was stuck using non-water-type moves for proper damage— because of Kingdra's 1/4 resistance toward water—despite the rain. Kingdra was also in a completely different speed class with it up. As expected of his Ace.
Should I switch? William thought. He looked at Palafin, before shaking his head. Juggernaut was strong, but he hadn't had nearly enough time to practice with him and gain some chemistry. This would be the perfect time for it. He needed to trust his Pokemon.
"Now! Dragon Pulse barrage!"
"Dodge it!"
Draconic energy surged towards Juggernaut at flying speeds. Juggernaut—who was standing on water with the use of its seafoam limbs—jumped to the side, dodging the attack. But Kingdra was already on the move again.
Without giving Juggernaut a chance to breathe, Kingdra swam through the water almost as if there was no resistance at all, positioning itself in Juggernaut's blind spot, stopping for a moment, and firing off another deadly dragon pulse.
"Behind you! Punch it!"
Palafin's muscles bulged and smashed the Dragon pulse head on, dissipating the energy into thin air. But the barrage kept on coming.
Kingdra continued its attack, as wave after wave of dragon pulses was sent at Juggernaut from all directions. Kingdra seemed to ride off the barrage—its momentum steadily increasing before reaching a crescendo as Juggernaut was bombarded with dozens of blue bombs of draconic energy.
The full extent of the damage was revealed when the dust settled. Kingdra—slightly exhausted—watched as the dust clouds slowly dissipated. Along with its trainer, they seemed certain of their victory.
But to their sudden surprise, Palafin stood amist the wreck—damaged, yes, very damaged—but still very much conscious, and judging by the look in its eyes, very much in fighting condition.
"Are you still there buddy?" William asked. He certainly wasn't expecting that, Juan's chemistry with his Kingdra was amongst some of the best he had seen.
Like he had just won a boxing match, Palafin raised one of his fists before thumping his chest. He assumed a fighting stance.
William smiled, "Do you trust me?"
Juggernaut looked back, smiled, and nodded.
"Good, then wait for my signal of attack. Don't attack before then."
William looked up. By now the rain had slowed down quite a bit. He had been keeping track of it, how long it had stayed up, and the rate in which it was decreasing. If he timed it right…
"Juggernaut, close the distance!"
"Don't let him get close! Monarch, use Hydro Pump, end it!"
A powerful blast of water made its way towards Palafin, but with a simple dive underwater as though he were a swimmer, the attack turned out relatively harmless. Juggernaut continued to advance, but every time he got close Kingdra simply utilized its speed to move out of the way.
"Trail him!" Juggernaut stuck to kingdra like a parasite, always slightly behind because of the speed difference, but certainly always there.
"Wait for it…" William muttered. Then, as though a flip had been switched, he shouted, "NOW! Jet Punch!"
Kingdra tried to dodge, but in that exact moment the rain had stopped and any form of speed boost stopped along with it. The sudden reduction of Speed in such a crucial moment had made the Kingdra freeze up, and a large water shaped fist smacked into it. It had barely done any damage, but that wasn't the point. That was just the starter.
"Dodge, and then Double Team!"
"Follow it up with Aqua Jet! Then Drain Punch!" taking advantage of the disoriented Kingdra, Juggernaut turned into a great arrow of water and rushed into Kingdra. Now they were in Palafins domain. With one hand he grabbed the Seahorse like Pokemon by the neck, and with the other his fist begun to glow brown.
His fist slammed into Kingdra's side. It let out a cry of pain.
"Monarch, use Yawn!" a puff of smoke hit Palafin. It resisted the urge to yawn, and continued to punch Kingdra.
It punched again, though with much less vigor. Juggernaut's eyes flickered. It was already barely holding on after the barrage attack. Sleep must have felt so enticing…
Its eyes flickered again, and his grip on Kingdra loosened. It closed its eyes, ready to fall asleep…
"Juggernaut, use Focus Punch! Don't fall asleep!" The command hit him like a train. Palafins eyes suddenly shot wide open and gained a sharp edge. The ability to focus had staved off the inevitability of sleep.
Juggernaut honed his focus, gathering energy in his fist. The air grew tense. With a devastating impact, the focus punch hit Kingdra, rendering it unable to battle. However, as the Kingdra fell down to the ocean floor, it gave one last look of defiance, and then the meteors came.
Juan withdrew his Pokemon just as the meteors descended. Juggernaut—bless his heart—swayed from side to side, exhausted and drowsy, but still very much ready to fight the meteors heading his way. The odds looked almost impossible to fight against. Juggernaut was done, William knew that.
So he simply withdrew him. And the meteors hit nothing but water, sending bits of water geysering upwards into the sky. As the rocks floated into the ocean, the water bubbled from their heat.
"Wha–" Juan said. It wasn't proper etiquette in the league to withdraw your Pokemon just before it was about to be hit by an attack. Idiots.
"What did you think I would let my Pokemon—who can barely stand—get hit by that?" William chuckled, "How stupid do you think I am?"
"We agreed to 6v6 standard League rules!"
"I agreed to a 6v6, which is simply standard league rules. I never agreed to any of your other stupid rules or typical league agreements. This is a real fight, not a performance to impress the crowd. My Palafin is as good as out, it's not as though I could bring him back in. I'm not risking my Pokemon's life over respect to some stupid rules." He explained.
Juan didn't respond.
They both locked eyes with each other, and then, at the same moment, reached down and grabbed a pokeball each. Williams' hand hovered towards a specific one.
"Looks like it's finally your turn…Britney."