"Alright, are the two of you ready~?" asked Ellaine, rolling her right arm, Poké Ball in hand, roughly twenty meters from Jason's and Ren's positions on the beach.
"Rio rou...!" exclaimed Ren, striking an excited guts pose with the black appendages on the sides of her head flapping excitedly. Jason was less enthused, but his heart was probably beating even faster. He was about to have his first Pokémon battle, and unlike the games and anime, there was a very real chance that Ren could be seriously injured or killed if he made a mistake commanding her or she simply refused to listen.
Taking a knee and placing his right hand atop Ren's head, causing her to look back and up at him curiously, Jason did his best to exude confidence as he expressed, "I'm not going to lie to you, Ren—the two of us are at a pretty extreme disadvantage. But I know your moves, and I've spent the entire day watching what you can do. I will let you battle to your hearts' content, but I need you to trust me and listen to my commands...we can do this, but only if we work together..."
Though she could sense Jason's fear, concern, and hesitation, Ren could also tell he wanted her to win. The look on his face was grim, but his eyes were clear and determined.
"Allow me to introduce you to your opponent," interjected Ellaine, nimbly twisting her body with her right hand trailing behind her before she sling-shot the Poké Ball in her hand, its spin and velocity comparable to a Major League Pitcher. What emerged from within as it hit the ground at roughly the center of the battlefield left Jason speechless.
'It's a Miltank...' Jason recognized, referring to a species of Pokémon that resembled a bipedal cow with a pear-shaped build, strawberry pink fur, a cream-colored underbelly tipped with four pink udders, and a cute bovine face that resembled a young calf but with bright blue, almost human eyes. The fur around its head and angular, oval-shaped ears was black, but its face and a diamond-shaped marking on its forehead were pale pink. Atop its head sat two tiny white horns, its hoof-like hands and feet were tipped black, and its pink-furred tail had a rounded, almost spherical tuft of black fur that thumped the sand as it crouched in a relaxed pose reminiscent of a sumo wrestler.
"Miroooooo~" chimed the Miltank, prolonging Jason's befuddlement as it had a surprisingly humanoid, distinctly female voice instead of producing the deep, throaty vocals of a cow.
"Rio rou...!" responded Ren, dropping to all fours with her butt and tail wagging excitedly like a cat preparing to pounce despite her opponent being nearly three times her size and weight. Then, without waiting for Jason's command or Korrina to announce the battle's commencement, she charged forward using Quick Attack.
"Oh? Well, aren't you a feisty one?" remarked Ellaine, voice calm as she watched Ren impact the Miltank's belly with her head. Despite the size difference, she managed to push Miltank back a short distance, but the pink-furred cow—well-known for its stamina, durability, and speed—was largely unaffected.
"Alright, Miltank! Grab and toss her high into the air...!" shouted Ellaine, causing the Miltank's blue eyes to flash as she tried to grab Ren with her flexible, hoof-like fingers.
'I can't just stand and watch...!' Jason exclaimed internally, outwardly shouting, "Ren, back away and use Quick Attack! Don't attack from the front!"
Though her ears twitched at Jason's command, Ren's reaction was too slow. She had backed away after her Quick Attack, but instead of opening the distance, she performed a swift spinning kick that produced a watery, drum-like sound and sent a ripple through the Miltank's belly.
"Miluuu~" chimed the Miltank, moving with surprising speed to grab and squeeze Ren's body.
"R-Rou...!" exclaimed Ren, feeling her bones creak before the Miltank spun rapidly and flung her, straight up, nearly twenty meters into the air.
"Alright, Miltank! Let's intercept her fall with Headbutt...!" shouted Ellaine, making a cutting gesture with her right hand.
"Miltank...!" responded Miltank, her body, particularly around her head, becoming enveloped in hazy, white, luminous energy as she leaped into the air like a rocket taking flight.
Around the same time that Ellaine issued her command, Jason, feeling panicked but focused, shouted, "Ren, use Endure! Then use Howl to boost your attack!"
Hearing Jason's commands, Ellaine and Korrina, especially, couldn't help but nod in approval. It was his first Pokémon battle, but he was doing his best to stay calm, and his commands were clear. Many Trainers froze up in their first few battles, and some completely lost their focus after seeing their partnered Pokémon taking damage. If Jason could maintain his until the end, he would be ahead of the curve.
Fortunately, Ren had also heard Jason's commands. And since she didn't know what to do in her current position, she activated Endure, causing her body to become veiled in a thin but durable layer of glowing, bluish-white energy. Miltank's attack struck her center mass, causing a pulse of pain to radiate through her body, but she withstood it.
Recalling Jason's second command, Ren released a high-pitched Howl as she was launched higher into the air by Miltank's Headbutt. The luminous energy veiling her body briefly tinted a fiery red, and though the effect was only temporary, the muscles in her arms and legs bulged visibly, full of barely contained power.
Taking advantage of Miltank returning to the ground first, Ellaine struck a pose and shouted, "Let's wrap this up, Miltank! Aim for where she's going to land and use Rollout!"
"Miluu~!" responded Miltank, leaping a short distance into the air and contracting her seemingly amorphous body into a near-perfect sphere that emitted the same white energy as her Headbutt. At the same time, she began to spin rapidly, causing her to bounce forward, kicking up a large amount of sand as she rapidly accelerated upon contact with the ground.
Not sure what else to do, considering Ren had no obvious means of propelling herself or changing direction mid-air, Jason, at the top of his lungs, shouted, "Ren, use Detect! Read her attack and bounce off of it!"
Once again heeding Jason's commands, Ren's eyes shifted from pale red to a luminous shade of blue as she fell in the path of the rapidly spinning Miltank. From her point of view, time appeared to slow to a crawl, which, under normal circumstances, would have allowed her to react and dodge just about any physical attack. At that point, all it really allowed her to do was see the Miltank's attack coming directly at her.
PSHAA
"Rooooooou—"
Unable to dodge, Ren was sent slamming into the sand by the Miltank's rapidly spinning. For a brief moment, she was crushed under the heavier Pokémon's weight, but due to her inordinate durability and the ground's softness, she was pulled under and shot out spinning across the sand as her opponent continued forward.
"Ren...!" shouted Jason, running forward while feeling as though he had just witnessed a kindergartener get run over by a tire dislodged from an eighteen-wheeler. He knew Ren was inordinately strong and durable, but she was still a fresh hatchling, not even a day old. She shouldn't have to endure such pain so soon after she was born.
"Rio rou...!" barked Ren, causing Jason to stop in his tracks as she rose quickly to a standing position and made a stopping gesture with her right paw, her pale red eyes full of determination as she followed the Miltank's trajectory as the latter doubled around in a wide arc.
'So this is the determination of a Fighting-type...' Jason noted, his eyes blazing with unshed tears and his jaw tensing painfully as he suppressed the urge to forfeit the match. Instead, in a deep, restrained voice, he said, "You won't be able to land a solid hit while she's spinning. Wait for her to stop and aim to get around behind her. Don't let her knock you into the air like before."
"Rou...!" responded Ren, nodding in understanding before taking off on all fours. She had also realized she couldn't attack the Miltank head-on, so as Jason made his way back to his outlined starting position, she did her best to remain adjacent to the Miltank, following her in roughly the same arc to avoid being in her direct path.
'She's gotten faster...' noted Ellaine and Korrina at nearly the same time, referring to how Ren's speed had increased despite her injuries. The two had yet to see her Status, but Korrina, at the very least, recognized that Ren must have the Steadfast Ability, causing her speed to increase when she took damage. With a Hasty Nature and moves like Detect and Endure to shore her defenses, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that Ren had won the proverbial Pokémon lottery...
"Miltank! Break out of Rollout and use Tackle...!" shouted Ellaine, sporting an increasingly excited smile. It had been years since she last battled, but as evidenced by her passion for Pokémon Battle Royals, she relished the rush that came with them. At the same time, she felt a faint but noticeable tingle in her lower body, causing her skin to glisten with perspiration, and a sense of anticipation to build within her.
"Ren, use Detect! Then use Quick Attack to target her legs...!" exclaimed Jason, his panic gradually settling as his body capped out on the amount of adrenaline it could produce. He felt more exhausted than when he had completed his ten-kilometer run, but he forced himself to remain upright and focused on the battle.
Following their respective Trainer's orders, Miltank broke out of Rollout in a surprising display of athleticism before charging forward with her hands angled back and horns angled forward. Despite her size and pear-shaped build, she was actually faster than Ren. Fortunately, the latter was smaller and had better traction on the sand, her pale red eyes shining with a blue glow as she waited until the last moment to dodge Miltank's attack. Then, using Quick Attack, she did her best to remain in the Miltank's blind spot before ramming headfirst into her right haunch.
"Miru...?"
Though she barely flinched, Miltank felt a jolt of pain radiate through her leg as Ren's attack impacted her hip. And when she didn't find anything upon turning around, a wave of confusion washed over her, replaced by alertness as Ellaine shouted, "Miltank, use Defense Curl! Then use Stomp on the ground! Kick up the sand!"
"Miuuruuu~!" responded Miltank, contracting her body, causing her fur to puff up and emit hazy white light as her impressive defense was boosted further. Ren impacted her haunch a second time, but unlike before, there was no pain. Before she could begin using Stomp, however, Jason's voice cut through the air, causing her fur to stand on end as he shouted, "Ren! Use Bite on her tail and then back away quickly!"
"Riolu~!" responded Ren, placing her trust in Jason's commands as she grabbed the Miltank's tail and promptly bit down on it. This caused the bovine Pokémon to startle and leap forward, but as Ren had relaxed her jaw quickly, she wasn't dragged along or thrashed about.
"Miru miii...!" growled the Miltank, glaring at Ren with teary, determined eyes. She had been playing around and having fun before, but now she was serious—determined to punish the naughty child before her.
"Miltank, use Headbutt...!" shouted Ellaine, prompting Miltank to dart forward much faster than before. She couldn't change direction quickly due to her size and build, but she was nearly twice as fast as Ren, even with the latter's boosted speed. Were it not for Ren using Detect, which was starting to strain her eyes and make her brain feel tingly, she would quickly find herself trampled.
'Damnit, if only she knew a Fighting-type move...' lamented Jason, his fatigue building to the point his vision began to darken along the edges. Normal-type Pokémon like Miltank were highly susceptible to Fighting-type moves, but Ren's only attacks were Dark and Normal-type, dealing neutral damage. And with stat-boosting abilities like Howl and Defense Curl appearing to only provide a temporary increase, he couldn't simply have Ren boost her attack six stages like in the games...
'So what can we do...?' Jason asked himself, his vision tunneling to the point he could barely track Ren narrowly dodging Miltank's attacks. He didn't want Ren to lose, and it wasn't because he would be rewarded by his System. It was because she wanted to win, and he didn't want to see her disappointed...
With such thoughts in mind, Jason opened Ren's Status and began using his AP to boost her Strength. Boosting her from 35 to 40 cost him 30,000 AP. After that, each additional point cost him eight thousand, but since AP served no purpose simply accumulating, he used 128,000 of his remaining 129,000 to boost Ren's Strength to 50, simultaneously shouting, "Ren, we can do this! Use Quick Attack to avoid her and splash her with sand...!" with every ounce of determination he could muster...
"Rioooo~!" responded Ren, finding Jason's command odd but doing as she was told. As she did, a feeling of warmth permeated her body, filling her with strength. This filled her with even more confidence. Meanwhile, having sand continuously showered on her caused the Miltank to become increasingly frustrated as she had to shield her eyes to avoid being blinded...
...
..
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