Pokemon: Bounty Hunter Alex

Lisa had just lost her first Pokémon, while Milotic had only taken a bit over 25% damage from the earlier Substitute. The battle had initially favored Seaking, but momentum quickly shifted to Milotic's side after Wrap succeeded.

"Since you like Wrap so much, how about you deal with this," Lisa challenged as she released a mid-Expert rank Tentacruel, roughly equal in level to Milotic.

"Wrap, Toxic, then Giga Drain," Lisa called out one command after another, wearing a smug expression.

"Aqua Ring," Alex responded calmly.

Tentacruel was faster but needed to close the distance, allowing Milotic to finish summoning Aqua Ring before she was caught in the enemy's tentacles. Unfortunately, Tentacruel's speed meant Toxic landed immediately afterward.

Even so, the enhanced Aqua Ring effectively countered both Wrap and Toxic, leaving the battle state relatively even.

"Bulldoze."

With Tentacruel tightly wrapped around Milotic, she surged forward, radiating Ground-type energy that severely damaged Tentacruel.

Since they were battling in water, Ground-type moves typically didn't work unless used on the ocean floor where solid ground was present. At the surface, that advantage was gone, but the energy alone could still inflict heavy damage.

Moves like Earthquake, for example, only worked in water if the user stomped directly onto the opponent, transmitting the energy through contact.

Because Tentacruel was coiled around Milotic, Bulldoze hit with full force, delivering maximum damage.

Tentacruel countered with Giga Drain, but the damage was minimal, and the amount of health recovered was just as insignificant given Milotic's high Special Defense.

Milotic pushed through with another Bulldoze, bringing Tentacruel dangerously close to fainting.

"Protect."

Hoping that Wrap and Toxic would eventually overpower Aqua Ring, Lisa turned to stalling tactics. The next Bulldoze was blocked successfully by Protect.

"Substitute," Lisa called out next, fully committing to the Toxic stall strategy.

Alex responded calmly, "Recover, then use Bulldoze again."

Recover easily restored the slight health deficit that Aqua Ring could not keep up with, bringing Milotic back to full strength. Then Bulldoze was used again, over and over, until the Substitute finally broke.

But not before Lisa gave a parting command.

"Gunk Shot!"

The hit landed cleanly, dealing significant damage. Milotic's health dropped again, slightly below where it had started, just as Tentacruel finally fainted.

Lisa wasted no time releasing her final Pokémon, Golduck.

"Wonder Room," she immediately called out.

Alex evaluated Milotic and decided she had done enough. Using Rest would not be worthwhile, especially now that Golduck had the upper hand. With Wonder Room active, Golduck could fully capitalize on its numerous Psychic-type moves.

"Dragon Tail," Alex called out.

The attack landed just after Wonder Room was established, dealing some parting damage before Milotic was recalled to her Poké Ball.

Alex then released his next Pokémon, Tsareena, who happily splashed into the water and swam her way straight toward Golduck.

"Blizzard," Lisa commanded.

Golduck obeyed and instantly summoned a freezing storm that coated the water's surface in ice, dealing heavy damage to Tsareena as a pure Grass-type.

Unfortunately for Lisa, the attack was not enough.

Tsareena closed the distance even faster over the frozen surface. With a confident flip of her hair, she struck with a devastating Power Whip, knocking Golduck out in a single blow, without Alex needing to say a word.

"Winner, Challenger Alex," the referee declared.

Among the recent additions to the away team, Tsareena was a battle maniac who took after Alex's own heart. She constantly sparred with the other Pokémon, often including those at the Elite level.

As expected, her growth had been the most significant, nearly reaching Elite rank thanks to her frequent battles and her unusually large appetite for Elite-rank meat.

"Well done. Now, off you go," Lisa said as she returned to her beach chair and resumed sunbathing.

Alex released Clawitzer to heal both Milotic and Tsareena, while having Milotic use Haze to cleanse the poison from her system.

Once they finished healing and resting, Alex continued with his challenges.

His next opponent was a swimmer who happened to swim by as Alex followed the submerged path.

"Fancy a battle?" the man asked as he got out of the water and stood on the path with Alex and the referee. 

He wore a swim cap, goggles, and a speedo, with a belt slung around his waist holding a single Poké Ball.

"Sure."

"All right. Now, I know it's cheating, but I only have one Pokémon, so it should still be fair," the man warned before releasing an Elite-ranked Blastoise on the path.

"Blas, toise! (Sup, bro!)"

"It's fine," Alex said before releasing Tsareena and backing away a safe distance.

"Singles battle, 1v4. Gym Trainer Jake versus Challenger Alex. Begin!" the referee called out.

"Blizzard," Jake called out immediately, prompting Blastoise to unleash a powerful frozen torrent upon the area, almost reaching Alex, Espeon, and the referee.

This was no ordinary blizzard. It was one enhanced by a 50% damage increase as an Advanced move from an Elite-ranked Blastoise.

The immediate area froze, burying Tsareena in an ice storm.

Fortunately, Tsareena beat Blastoise to the punch as she protected herself with a Light Screen upgraded with Priority +1 that significantly reduced the damage, dealing less than half health.

"Blizzard."

Jake didn't let up as he ordered another Blizzard, confident it would be enough to snuff out Tsareena without a fight.

The storm raged on, piling ice on the frozen surface, but Jake suddenly noticed the world wasn't completely frozen white. There was the unmistakable tinge of green splattered on the frozen surface.

Tsareena had cast Grassy Terrain, healing her slightly as she weathered the storm.

Jake figured Tsareena was just a sliver of health away from fainting, so he went for the kill.

"Brick Break."

Blastoise charged through the storm as it used a Priority +1 Advanced Brick Break, heading for the only color in the frozen hellscape, confident in bringing down its opponent.

Tsareena, meanwhile, waited for just the right moment before parrying Blastoise's fighting energy-covered fist to the side with a swift kick to the elbow, accompanied by a light hop to the side that took her safely out of the fist's path. The blow shattered her Light Screen but missed her entirely.

Jake had been right, Tsareena would have fainted from the hit had she taken it.

Unfortunately, she was well versed in the martial arts Alex had taught her, and part of the basics was redirecting force.

As Blastoise overshot its attack, Tsareena whipped out with her hair, dealing a devastating Grassy Terrain-enhanced Power Whip that sent Blastoise flying to Alex's feet, fainted.

Even as an Elite, a Power Whip from Tsareena was almost enough to knock it out, but enhanced with Grassy Terrain, it guaranteed a one-hit knockout.

"Winner, Challenger Alex," the referee declared.

Tsareena used Synthesis to heal herself to full health, then skipped over the frozen surface to Alex, who patted her on the head.

"Did you have fun?" he asked with a proud, fatherly smile.

"Tsa, Tsareena! Tsareeena! (Yes, so much fun! Sooo much better than before!)" she replied excitedly.

"Good. We still have more battles ahead, so pace yourself."

"Tsa~. ('Kay~.)"

Alex continued along the path until he met his fourth opponent, a woman wearing a simple two-piece blue bikini.

"Hiya! Ready to battle?" she asked with the energy of the sun itself.

"Alright," Alex replied.

"Singles battle, 3v4. Gym Trainer Marina versus Challenger Alex. Begin!" the referee called out.

"Think you can take this one?" Alex asked Espeon beside him.

She had plenty of time to observe how water battles worked, so it was a good chance to give her a turn.

"Spee," she replied, stepping forward and walking gracefully on the water's surface.

Marina, meanwhile, released an Expert-ranked Cloyster who was weaker than Espeon.

"Shell Smash!" Marina commanded with confidence.

Alex raised an eyebrow in doubt.

'Shell Smash now? In front of an Espeon? Don't mind if I do,' he thought.

"Wait for it," he instructed calmly.

Espeon obeyed, silently watching from atop the water. She did not particularly enjoy battles. She understood their necessity, but she didn't enjoy them. She would much rather be back downstairs at the water park with Alex.

It took a moment, but once Shell Smash finished, Alex saw his opportunity.

"Psych Up."

Espeon responded instantly, copying Cloyster's stat changes. Her Defense and Special Defense dropped by two stages, while her Attack, Special Attack, and Speed increased by two. She was ready to sweep.

"Now! Icicle Spear!" Marina shouted enthusiastically.

Cloyster, bolstered by its stat boosts, fired five rapid Icicle Spears, sending them barreling toward Espeon, who had taken just a bit too long with Psych Up.

Fortunately, Protect activated just in time. A shimmering barrier appeared, shielding her from harm.

As the last spear clattered harmlessly against the barrier, Espeon fired off a single, focused Psychic. Cloyster was instantly knocked out.

Still full of energy, Marina released her second Pokémon, an Octillery. It barely had time to charge an Octazooka before another Psychic struck it down on the spot.

Unfazed, Marina sent out her third Pokémon, a Clawitzer. It tried to prepare a Dark Pulse but collapsed the moment a final Psychic hit its mark.

The sweep began and ended as expected.

"Winner, Challenger Alex," the referee declared.

"Wow! You're strong! Good luck with Misty!" Marina said brightly, recalling Clawitzer and jogging off to heal her team.

"Is she okay?" Alex asked the referee with concern.

"She has her own tempo. Don't worry, she's fine. Trust me, everyone will know if she's truly upset."

"That can't be healthy."

"She's just naturally upbeat and positive."

"I hope so. Because if she's faking it, she won't last long."

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