Pokemon - Solo's Strange Journey

Narrator-POV:

Summer has arrived in the Sinnoh region with all the heat and sunshine it loves to bring along. Today especially had been blessed by Solgaleo himself with a blistering 25 degrees Celsius when it was still noon. The air has cooled a little since then, but it has still been the hottest day on record for Sinnoh in years.

A wild Meowth and Purrloin - their friend, an outdoor pet Litten as well - soak up the heat on top of the asphalt streets of Eterna City. Their paws are outstretched, their tails lie flat on the ground; not even the passing human with his long-casting shadow can bother them.

Our hero - sweaty from days' worth of hiking - is on the prowl, stalking through alleys like a stray Delcatty. He found the apartment of his mates cold and empty. Its current owners are out and about.

Sharp Pyroar eyes blink through the clear window of a cheap restaurant. The cheapest, in fact. Their food is decent, but it is the paltry prices that turn the meager meals into fulfilling feasts for any penny-pinching people.

He spots a certain Glameow. Her trainer's hand strokes along the fur of her back, up her tail, straightening it out until her only arm proves too short to reach the very tip. As soon as the girl releases the tail, it pulls itself back together like a spring.

The hero watches his one-armed, red-headed tomboy for a while. Her single functional hand alternates between handling food and petting her pokemon. It is cute, in a way, but he could never say it out loud. He wouldn't want to hurt the feelings of his cute, retarded girlfriend.

He only ceases his staring when he spots a young man and his Espurr glaring back at him from another booth. The man, a white knight in the making, believes he has found a creep harassing a young pair of ladies. 

Espurr does not have any noble reasons for her frowning. It is merely her face; she always frowns.

A sharp knock on the window causes Dawn to jump in her seat. The phone she held out to show Zoey a funny cat video of a Sprigatito slips from her hold, clattering on the table.

Her face morphs through a variety of emotions.

First her mouth and eyes were open in a startle, then anger graced her eyes, surprise, and finally she beams in joy when she recognizes the perpetrator.

"Swole!" The hero in question grins, hearing the muffled voice of her other girlfriend. "Come in!"

The bell above the door chimes when he does as told, entering the cheapest city diner once more.

It is the evening rush hour. All booths are filled, and the stools at the bar have hard-working men and women enjoying their meals without any restraint in their volume at all.

Everyone is enjoying their time. Quite a few pokemon too; they are out and about without any supervision.

The restaurant owner's Kirlia is supposed to use her psychic powers to deliver plates to awaiting customers, but she is slacking off next to a sleepy Slakoth.

A Mime Jr. has caught her attention with his stunts and tricks. The little guy dances around on the spot, juggling balls and spoons while Kirlia laughs at his display. 

"Food is taking longer than usual." Mime Jr.'s owner is too busy complaining to his friends about the slow deliveries to notice his pokemon ran off to entertain the waitress.

"Hey girls." Swole steps into the booth, leaning down to share a quick kiss with each of them before his pokemon crowd in, squeezing themselves into the cramped space.

Any group of trainers - especially one with such a large entourage of pokemon - is bound to catch attention, and this booth is no exception.

Just moments after they all settled in, a little boy, no older than six, bolts to the group, glancing back at his mother for reassurance before speaking. "Hey, Mister! I saw you on the pokeweb! Can I play with your Lopunny??"

Swole cannot keep a frown from appearing briefly before putting on a friendly act.

"I don't think Lopunny wants to play. Sewaddle, do you--" She retreats into the hem of his shirt. The attention within the crowded room proves too much for her. "I'm sorry, I guess she doesn't want to either."

Dawn butts in. "Don't worry! Mawile loves to play!" She collects a few bemused stares from her friends. "Just try to stay away from her horn. She bites. Grrr."

"Who are you?"

The smile on Dawn's face strains a little while her eyelid twitches. "I'm also a famous pokemon trainer, you know? I had a historic debut as a coordinator. I am one of the few trainers to reach second place in a major city on their first attempt."

"Ehhh? That sounds lame, Miss."

"You little s--" She curses under her breath before catching herself. "Go on, Mawile. I know how much you love to play. The two of you can play tag."

She means fetch.

Her pokemon slides out of the booth. Saliva drips from her horns' teeth as they gnash hungrily.

The boy, sensing the danger he is in, retreats a step.

The rejection stings deep in Mawile's heart. But determination grows; she must hug the ignorant boy to prove him wrong. Even if it means she has to chase him down.

He runs for his life, screaming like his life depends on it while the adults around him laugh at the innocent fun they are having.

"Damn." Zoey looks at the scene in abject horror. "You're evil, Dawn."

"The boy should learn not to be rude when asking trainers for favors. Is it too much to ask with a please at least?"

"True, true." Swole agrees, knowing he would only get Mawile sent on him if he dared to disagree. "Did your Prinplup evolve?"

"No. That's a new Empoleon, duh."

Zoey puts down the fork with which she was eating before caressing Swole's hand across the table. "Don't worry about her. She's just miffed because she lost a bet today."

"Oh?" Swole raises his eyebrow. "What bet?"

"Just some stupid, unfair bet." Dawn pouts. "I bet that Prinplup was going to lose fewer points for us than Mismagius. He evolved in the final battle, and none of his old tricks worked with his new body!"

"We still won, by the way." Zoey clarifies. "Now she has to clean up my room for the next month and take care of the tents for us while I get to watch her and gloat the whole time."

"Haha!"

"That's not funny!"

"It totally is. Why were you betting? And what would Zoey have to do in case she lost?"

"The same thing." Dawn waves her hand dismissively, completely overlooking the fact that she planned to make a cripple do all the work for her. "I didn't want to clean up our room today. Can you blame me?"

"No." Swole thinks back on the war zone he saw earlier when he looked for them. "I guess I can't blame you. Good job winning, Zoey."

"Hey!"

"Thanks, Swole." She chuckles. "By the way, I can't help but notice that your pokemon didn't evolve in the two weeks you were gone."

Most of his pokemon let their heads hang in shame at the comment.

"Yeah. It's unlucky."

"Lo. Lopunny."

"No, it's not because they suck. Don't be mean, Lopunny." He flicks her ear. "They simply weren't ready yet, and that's not a bad thing. We trained a lot during this time and became a lot stronger in the process. I am confident we are going to win, and that's all that really matters."

Dawn laughs. "That's the understatement of the decade. You're crushing the gym challenge. You had it in the bag even without extra training."

"Eh. I'm not too sure about that. My dad made sure I would get a harder fight."

Dawn tilts her head.

"Yeah... It looks like I will be fighting Jumpluff soon."

Her mouth falls open.

Zoey speaks since Dawn is too shocked. "From Gardenia's personal team?"

Every child in Sinnoh has seen the pokemon of the best trainers in the region over and over again on the television. Gym leaders, the elite trainers, and the champion are all celebrities to anyone with time to spare to watch their battles.

"Didn't she place on rank 10 last league, mostly because of Jumpluff?"

Swole nods. A bead of nervous sweat rolls down his face. "But only because Roserade didn't see much action. Besides, I have a plan! And even a plan in case the plan fails."

Dawn finally catches herself, her mouth snapping closed before speaking. "What about a plan in case the plan in case the plan fails fails?"

"Let's not think about that possibility."

"Are you boned, in that case?" She teases.

"Undoubtedly." He nods. "My third contingency is to wing it. I couldn't really think of many strategies that would be sure to work."

Dawn nods, a sage expression on her face. "It's almost as if you're fighting a professional trainer and one of their strongest pokemon."

"Yes. Thanks for reminding me."

"Hehe."

"Don't take her teasing to heart, Swole." Zoey jabs Dawn's side with her stump. "Just prove her wrong. Put her in her place two days in a row. Hey, Dawn, let's bet on his win."

"What? You think he has a chance?"

"Nnnnot necessarily. But I owe him for bringing me back to life, haha."

"Thank you so much for your votes of confidence, girls." Swole reaches over to Dawn's plate before stealing the leftover half of her hamburger and fries.

"Hey!" She tries to steal it back but cannot manage to overpower her boyfriend, who devours the meal in a few moments. "I was still eating that!"

"Muamf muamf. Ahhh. That was so tasty! Alright, gotta go. I need to go look for some steroids before the fight tomorrow." He means Vitamins. "See you in the apartment later."

"Thief!"

Zoey laughs as Swole runs off, stuffing Dawn's fries into his mouth.

"You damn thief! I will get you for this!" Dawn swears her impotent vengeance until the bell chimes, signaling his successful escape. 

She looks down at her empty plate on the table. "..." Just one fry remains.

"It's your own fault for eating so slowly." Zoey pops the last one in her mouth.

"..."

Their pokemon have also finished their food.

"... His pokemon still need to eat. I can make him dinner in the apartment and then eat his portion in front of his face!"

---

Ben Solo holds his hands behind his back as his eyes track a young hero walking through the streets dozens of meters beneath him.

He already knows about tomorrow's fight. After all, he made sure the battle would be worthy for his offspring.

A hand taps on his shoulder. "Hey, I saw you planned a vacation day tomorrow. What's up with that?"

Through the reflection of the windowpane, he spotted the red-headed woman's approach long before her attempt to startle him.

Her other hand holds a steaming mug of coffee. A grunt comes up the elevator whenever the break room's coffee pot threatens to run empty, refilling it with fresh Alolan brew.

"Not in a mood to talk with little old me?"

His eyes roll in their sockets before they find Swole walking in the streets again. Just a few more meters and he will be out of sight.

Mars turns around, heading back to her office and living quarters. "Well, have it your way--"

"You like my son, right?"

"Argh!" The sudden personal question causes Mars to stumble. "Hot!" Some coffee spilled over the lip of her mug right on her hand. "I don't like your son. I don't even know him. Whatever gave you that idea?"

She takes a sip to help mask her expression.

"Hm. But to Jupiter, you said that he is the young stud you have always dreamed of."

A grunt will need to clean up her spit-take.

"You're spying on your coworkers again?"

"Why would I stop?"

"Because I kindly asked you to stop?"

He simply shakes his head. By this point, his reason to look out of the window is long gone. Yet, he keeps his back turned to Mars.

"Ugh. Alright. Keep spying, old-timer."

"I will. How is your operation at Lake Verity doing?"

Mars places her mug on the break room's coffee table before letting herself drop onto the black leather sofa.

A sigh escapes her lips. "I know that you know that the mission was a bust. Mesprit is missing."

"I know." Ben Solo dodges the little decorative pillow that was sent at him with ease. "I also know Cyrus will send you to support Jupiter once he has read my report. It will be a good opportunity to cool your temperament."

A second pillow comes flying. "Her mission sucks! I don't want to be stuck in Snowpoint City! I hate the cold and--"

"My son will be there."

"... What's your angle here?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

Mars is out of pillows to throw. All that's left are her most evil glares that demand answers.

"You're 33 years old. You need to look for a partner before your eggs--"

A mug of coffee comes flying with piping hot liquid trailing behind it. It stops in the middle of the air as if time was frozen before reversing directions.

The liquid collects itself back inside the mug, and the container floats into Mars' grasp. "Thank you, Bronzong. I still wanted to finish this."

"Ignoring how old you actually are, you still look and act young. You are a capable trainer and a great addition to his harem."

Mars takes a sip from her coffee. "Shouldn't you teach your son to be monogamous? You know, as his father should be doing?"

"Monogamy doesn't rebuild a region." Ben pulls out a sheet of paper from his briefcase before allowing Alakazam to float it across the room into Mars' outstretched hand.

She reads the page of the report in a few seconds. 

Extinction event.

"You're thinking humanity is going to stall out the end of the world again, and you're preparing your son to take over a large chunk of control afterwards."

"It is plan D, but yes. He's going to be the next champion, you know?"

It doesn't take her long to envision the details of his plan or to map out what his A, B, and C options are.

"Cyrus is not going to like it that you're preparing for his failure."

"Cyrus is just a man." Ben counters. "It's unreasonable to assume his plans will work out in the face of gods."

Another sigh escapes Mars' lips before she vacates the sofa. "You're lucky your son is cute. I will overlook this breach in loyalties. If you will excuse me, I need to pack for the cold weather."

"Wear something nice for him."

The empty cup comes flying once more, coming to a halt just moments before striking the back of his head.

The reflection of the man shows a pleased grin.

Meanwhile, the reflections on another windowpane show another man who is pacing back and forth in his apartment.

His team of pokemon relaxes on top of his bed while his thoughts are racing. 

What if it is not enough? What will happen if he loses? "But I won't lose. Not with my pokemon by my side." But what if the strategies fail? "And the contingencies too... then we are fucked."

~"You should relax."

"... You're right, Lopunny." He says, but his pacing continues for a while longer. "Yes. I need to rest to be in the best possible shape tomorrow."

The springs of the mattress strain when he joins them in bed. Despite the strain, they hold.

"Riolu, remind me not to let Akari pick out sleeping arrangements next time."

~"Will do." She agrees before taking her spot, lying down on his left side. 

Riolu avoids placing her paw on his stomach or chest because she knows it would only get trapped underneath Lopunny again.

On his other side, Salandit smacks her lips a couple of times after yawning. ~"You know? You could have looked for a different nessst after Akari left." 

She curls up like a cat, resting her head on top of her tail while using Swole's torso as a source of warmth to combat Sinnoh's cold nights.

~"Or you could bring your mattress wherever you go. Like I do." Lopunny then plants herself on top of Swole, claiming her warm and cuddly mattress.

"I'm not a mattress."

~"Shush. Furniture doesn't talk."

Last but not least, Sewaddle climbs on top of the pile. Lopunny doesn't mind it when she crawls across her fur. 

~"Good night." Sewaddle pulls a thin thread with her mouth, and her leafy hood closes up.

"Can you turn off the lights, Riolu?"

Suddenly, darkness befalls them.

"Thank you."

~"That wasn't me."

"Oh. Thank you, Banette."

The ghost pokemon does not reply.

"Good night, everyone."

---

Swole Solo strolls along the streets of Eterna City like a rock star. One girl hooked around each arm - his personal cheer squad - while Lopunny walked behind him, delegated to the role of a simple bodyguard.

She frowns, not liking her role at all, but it only serves to improve her threatening aura.

The girls soak in the attention thrown Swole's way.

Most of the people passing by look at him as if seeing a pimp walking in broad daylight with his neat clothes and combed-back hair.

Some, however, whisper among themselves. "I saw them on TV. He beat Roark with just one pokemon."

Another couple whispers how a live battle would be a perfect surprise for their son.

The stares of the crowds accompany our hero the whole way until they reach the front gate of Eterna City's botanical garden and gym. A Rotom drone catches his first step into the property on film before following the trainer closely.

He does not get distracted by the flowers of all colors, the creeping plants, or the towering trees along his way. A thought tickles in the back of his mind that he would seem cooler if he took the time to look at some roses. But he is too nervous to take note of them.

The path to the arena is clear. All he has to do is follow the subtle signs until reaching a line of densely packed trees.

Three paths continue forward.

Dawn and Zoey say their final good luck wishes before heading down the middle. Swole takes a last look at Lopunny.

"Lopunny." She says with a determined nod.

His arm holds her white pokeball. "I trust you will."

Lopunny disappears in a flash of red light.

Alone. No drones in sight. Swole allows his facade to crumble for just a moment. He takes a deep breath, cracks all the joints he can, before heading down the path on his right.

The forest grows denser. Much denser than naturally possible. The pokemon help the trees along to flourish even when daylight fails to reach them underneath the canopies of their parents.

They darken the path enough to create the same effect as his other gym entries before.

"And today's challenger is the man who claims to be too good for the gym challenge!" A female announcer hypes up the crowd.

Smugly smirking, Swole Solo emerges from the shadows of the trees, revealing a face full of confidence and cockiness.

His dark suit allowed him to stay hidden in the darkness until stepping into the bright light of the day.

The business style serves as a stark contrast to the natural atmosphere of the arena. Like a villain coming to pave over the meadow for a new shopping mall.

Surrounded by trees on all sides is a field of flowers of all kinds. Not as vast as Floaroma's ocean of vegetation, but certainly impressive enough to humble any hobby gardener into submission.

Occasional trees litter the arena with thick trunks and neatly trimmed foliage. They serve as obstacles without allowing anyone to hide inside them. At least, that is their purpose.

A pokemon that is small enough or camouflaged could still hide among the leaves.

"His track record is humbling to all our beloved gym leaders! He destroyed Byron's strongest trainer, he personally defeated his younger brother Roark with just a single pokemon, and now! Now he has come to challenge our dearly beloved, the eternal blossom of Eterna City, the stunningly beautiful, the master of all grass pokemon, the bane of Pastoria City-"

The crowd laughs, united in their common hatred of the water gym leader's city.

"Gardenia!"

Cheering erupts.

The unnaturally grown bleachers are packed, mostly with young women who adore Gardenia over everything else.

Swole recognizes quite a few faces when his eyes quickly scan the audience.

There is the red-headed woman from the diner. The man he met in the bike store. Andrew - the Magikarp trainer who helped him across the lake. All three of the women who stalked him when he first entered the gym.

But most importantly, there is a girl wearing a white beanie hat and his favorite cripple right beside her.

They hold up three thumbs as they cheer for him.

"Today's fight is different than all others." The woman's voice continues. "Gardenia will not only meet this challenger personally... She will try to match his prowess with her own personal pokemon!"

Paid actors in the audience gossip among themselves, and the regular viewers follow their leads. "He has no chance." - "Can you believe it? It's just his third match!" - "Back in my days, trainers had to work for years to receive that privilege."

Nobody believes he stands a chance.

Opposed to Swole stands Gardenia. Toned abs proudly on display as she watches her opponent closely. Her two-toned bob flows neatly to her shoulders, her frayed shorts hang from her wide hips by a hemp belt, and her shoulders are covered by a forest green poncho.

She stands close enough for Swole to lose himself in her sight. It takes some effort to free himself from her super-effective temptations.

She has a wild, untamed look, opposing his discipline and order.

"Jumpluff, it's your time to shine!" She pulls the pokeball out from the inside of her poncho before throwing it high into an arc in a single fluid motion.

The pokemon pops free, high in the air, where the sunlight scatters through the dandelion-like puffball on top of her head. It gives her the appearance as if she herself is shining brightly while she slowly hovers down to the ground.

When she lands with her tiny feet, she jumps off again with a twirl, showing off her speed and agility while mocking her opponent.

Swole, in the meantime, removed the Friend Ball from his belt, clicked the button to expand it to full size, and then held out his arm straight.

"Sewaddle, come out."

A beam shoots out, forming a small blob on the ground.

The tiny pokemon barely peeks over the surrounding flowers. Only her head is visible, but from that alone, something can be seen that reveals a glimpse into her trainer's mind.

Sewaddle is defenseless and naked. She misses her hood and her leafy cocoon.

The crowd chuckles.

Even Gardenia cannot help but smirk. "I can only hope you are taking me seriously; that this is part of a grand plan, Swole! Either way, know that I won't hold back!"

"I will hold you to it! You'd better not underestimate us! Once you lose, there will be no excuse!"

The announcer breaks into their banter. "Tough words for a tough little man! Our Gardenia won't ever lose to you!"

Gardenia blushes as her announcer picks a side without any restraint, and the female part of her audience joins in the jeering. She can clearly hear the loudest voices: they are all of her gym assistants with a blatant display of their bias.

The only voices booing back against the tide of mockery are the few people Swole has met personally.

Alas, such is the fate of a villainous challenger.

---

"Both contenders have selected their pokemon! Are you ready to battle?! And are you all ready for the fight of the century?!"

The crowd goes wild.

"The first question went to you, trainers!"

Gardenia chuckles at her announcer's enthusiasm. 

The opposing contenders give their nonverbal confirmations.

"Let the battle... begin!"

"Substitute!" - "String Shot!"

The pokemon follow their trainers' orders on the spot, already knowing what the orders were going to be.

A thin, high-pressure string shoots out of Sewaddle's mouth. Her training results in a perfect aim, arcing through the air poised to strike Jumpluff.

As Jumpluff charges her move, she takes on a shimmer and bounces to the side, easily dodging the attack.

When the shimmer fades, a clay-like appearance covers Jumpluff from her little feet all the way to the top of the dandelion bulb on her head.

She sacrificed a lot of health points to create a sturdy barrier around herself.

"String Shot missed!" The announcer describes the events for the viewers.

"Stick with the plan!"

"Do Swords Dance next!"

A continuous stream of String Shot flies across the arena, keeping Jumpluff on the move while she twirls and dances through the air with a grace and confidence that stems from years of training.

Every once in a while, Sewaddle swivels her head to the sides, causing lines of sticky webbing to be ejected and land between the treetops.

Gardenia understands the plan and views the course of the battle in her mind.

Jumpluff will get slowed down in the webs. Even if she dodges everything, avoiding the obstacles will cost precious time. Time that can give Swole's team the upper hand against one of her fastest pokemon.

"Aerial Ace!" The order comes just moments before Swords Dance completes.

Another moment later and Jumpluff disappears in thin air.

"Protect!"

The tiny shell protects Sewaddle, but the two bounce off of each other, throwing Sewaddle away. 

Jumpluff steadies herself midair.

"Aerial Ace, again!"

"So fast! Endure! And then phase two!"

Code phrases don't help against a grass pokemon master.

Experience and knowledge allow her to sort through the possibilities.

'Worry Seed, Struggle Bug, or Synthesis. With Chlorophyll, Sewaddle is fast enough to complete any of it. Perfect weather for Synthesis, but Sewaddle isn't hurt. We cannot dodge Struggle Bug. Worry Seed is the greatest threat; Jumpluff can dodge it easily.'

"Stay ready to dodge!" The words reach Jumpluff just before she disappears again.

Aerial Ace strikes true. The move knocks Sewaddle across the arena again. "Worry Seed, now!"

Tiny seeds shoot through the air. Again, Jumpluff jumps out of the way, avoiding the move.

Jumpluff keeps her Chlorophyll ability. "Finish it off with Aerial Ace!"

Yet another Aerial Ace draining on Jumpluff's stamina.

"Return!" A red beam shoots out and retrieves Sewaddle from the battlefield in the last second.

The next instant, Jumpluff strikes.

"Fuck me." The attack swoops through the remnants of the red beam. Swole is starting to breathe heavily. "That was too close."

He quickly checks the watch on his arm. A timer ticks down; it has only been a few dozen seconds since he added the tracker for Protect.

"So fast..."

"That was the first recall the challenger is allowed to use!" The announcer's voice exists solely for the viewers.

Swole and Gardenia are totally deaf to her chatter. "The first of two! That's right! In today's lopsided match, the dastardly villain is allowed to fight with everything he has against our precious, radiant marigold and her brave little dandelion!"

The rules are always in the challenger's favor. The system does not exist to keep people away from fighting in the league. Instead, it exists to test the bare minimum to participate.

"As a reminder, since this is his third challenge, Swole Solo of Twinleaf Town gets to use four pokemon and two recalls! Gardenia can only use one pokemon! But that's more than enough to beat a bratty trainer who's still green behind his ears!"

Swole's eyelid twitches in annoyance. He does his best not to listen to her speeches, but the laughter of the audience makes it difficult to ignore.

"It looks like he is struggling to come up with a plan against our thorny thistle! I will be a lenient judge today and allow him the extra time to think of something. Take your time, challenger!"

Swole wants to shout he has a plan. That he is simply getting distracted by the annoying judge, announcer, and moderator. But he knows losing his cool would only play into Gardenia's cards.

"Lopunny! It's your turn! Show them what we can do!"

---

"Oho? What a strange decision! What could be his strategy?"

Lopunny appears low on the ground. She is immediately ready to sprint. The String Shot hangs just high enough for Lopunny to run underneath as long as she does not jump too high.

A harsh limit for the rabbit pokemon, but they trained for this scenario.

"His ace appears in the second round! Does he think he can sweep the floor with our Gardenia like he did with Roark, the hard-headed rocks-for-brains?"

Both contenders suppress their smirks at the description to the best of their abilities.

"Either way, you both look ready enough! Continue!"

"Rain Dance!"

"Lopunny knows Rain Dance?!"

"Solar Beam, while you still can!"

The power of the sun charges up on top of Jumpluff's head faster than any pokemon should reasonably be allowed to do.

Lopunny has barely begun her sensual motions to call upon the heavens when a blindingly bright beam as wide as a car comes crashing into her.

Dodging is impossible. The sheer speed and size of the move are simply too much.

Lopunny lets out a cry as the attack swallows her whole.

When the light thins out, the destruction it wrought becomes apparent. A long oval has been burnt into the ground where nothing but bare soil remains. Even the ashes have been vaporized.

Swole's foot would have been cooked well-done if it had not been for the protective measures of the gym's Trevenant protecting the trainers and audience from stray attacks.

The wall of roots that formed itself in front of Swole - blackened by the heat on one side - retreats into the ground. Finally, he sees the results for himself.

Lopunny pulls herself back to her feet just an arm's reach away from him. The power of the move knocked her off her feet, carrying her all this way.

Her fur is singed in some places. Yet as soon as she gets up, she completes her twirls for Rain Dance without just a growl of complaint before pointing a glowing finger up into the sky.

A white orb shoots up and pierces the heavens.

Heavy storm clouds, thick with rain, crackling lightning coursing through them, originate from the white orb. Like a maelstrom, it reaches out, blotting out the sky and covering the arena in a blanket of darkness.

Drip. Tsss.

The first drop of rain falls onto the searing-hot ground, where it evaporates in an instant.

Just a few moments later, the clouds belch out water at full power.

The arena transforms. The trees reshape to protect the audience from the rain. Floodlights, hidden among the outer trees, illuminate the battlefield back to full brightness while the trainers get drenched in the rain.

Jumpluff's Chlorophyll ability can no longer boost her speed.

"Time to get your revenge, Lopunny!" Swole shouts over the noise of the storm.

"Get us the good weather back; use Sunny Day!"

Lopunny's world slows to a crawl when her move finishes preparing. The raindrops seemingly freeze in the air. She picks up the pace, running across the battlefield.

First, over the cracked dirt where rainwater waits for time to resume to fill her paw prints with water. Then, through the bountiful flowers, knocking water off petals with every step.

Finally, she jumps low, bridging the gap to strike Jumpluff midair. The power flows into Lopunny's target, making her perceive the world at normal speed once more. Jumpluff short circuits, forced to abort her attack.

Still in the air, Lopunny uses her arms and ears to Pound Jumpluff, spiking her into the ground.

The airy, almost weightless pokemon slows down with air resistance, avoiding any kind of stunning hit.

Lopunny falls down after her with one leg ahead. Jump Kick.

"Flash!"

Swole cannot believe his eyes when he sees the dandelion bulb on her head rapidly blinking like a bomb that is about to explode.

She recovered so fast! "Look away!"

Lopunny only gained a few precious seconds through Fake Out.

Suddenly the center of the battlefield lights up as if lightning struck; much brighter than the floodlights even.

A white trail remains in Swole's vision, starting in the center before trailing to the sides. He averted and closed his eyes too late.

Blinking through the pain, he tries to look past the obstruction, past the dense rain, to try and see the results of his plan.

Jump Kick missed. The cratered flowers show where her foot struck. But Double Kick hits.

Jumpluff's air-resistant properties are detrimental to her now. She keeps slowing down in the air too quickly. The knockback of Lopunny's kicks and strikes cannot push her out of the range of her next attack.

"Quick Attack! Push her into the webs!"

The looming threads hang from the trees just above the battling pokemon.

A single mistake is all it would take for one of them to get caught up in the webs.

However, Gardenia does not allow any mistakes. "Protect! And then Lunge! Stick to the ground!"

Lopunny bounces off of Protect.

"Protect! And then Pound and Double Hit!"

This time, Jumpluff bounces off of Lopunny's shield.

"Acrobatics!"

Lopunny smashes her ears towards the ground, but Jumpluff nimbly dances around and over the attack, as well as both punches of Double Hit, while striking back with every touch.

She gained height.

"Double Kick! Into the net!"

Lopunny catches Jumpluff out of position, allowing the first kick to land. Once again, she is just a tiny bit short of sticking to the web.

However, Swole sees that another objective is in sight. A fracture grew along her clay-like shell. Substitute is nearing its end.

"Quick Attack!"

"U-Turn!"

The pokemon clash in the middle, bouncing off each other. Lopunny slams with her back into the ground while Jumpluff comes to a halt just short of the net once again.

But Substitute has worn off. Fragments of Jumpluff's shell break off before tumbling in a rain of brittle clay, joining the puddles of water on the ground to become mud.

"Grab her! Now!"

"Double Team! And then Leaf Storm!"

While Lopunny gets off the ground, Jumpluff splits into five clones. Each one hovers around and above Lopunny with equal spacing while all of them prepare to use the devastating attack.

"The one in front! And Endure!"

Not even Gardenia knows which one is correct, but a feeling spreads in the pit of her stomach that he is right.

"Faster!"

All at once, the clones and the original let loose their attacks. Millions of leaves from all directions slam into Lopunny to slice at her fur and skin.

But with Endure, she does not care.

The first leaf that would knock her out simply bounces off, slicing through a couple of fakes instead. All others follow its lead.

Lopunny grins in bloodlust when she sees worry on the real Jumpluff's face.

She jumps through the storm before taking hold of a stalk of a limb.

There is no escape.

Just as she had to learn it the hard way when she was still a Buneary, so does Jumpluff have to learn it as the two of them continue to ascend until they hit the sticky webs above.

"Tackle! Just finish her off!"

However, a red beam shoots through the air, and Lopunny disappears in an instant.

The webs that were stuck on Lopunny simply stay behind while Jumpluff tackles thin air.

"His second and last swap!" The female announcer shouts across the stadium for everyone to hear. "Any further recalls will automatically disqualify the recalled pokemon!"

Gardenia looks at the very center of the battlefield: craters, sticky webs, and damaged roses.

Jumpluff returns to her spot. The white substance that covers her body sticks to the ground on every hop, slowing her down even more than the rain already did.

"Challenger, please select your next pokemon!"