Simon stepped forward, followed by an energetic Shadow.
"I'm next." the trainer announced. While taking the remaining steps to the platform Simon eased his glasses out of their case and slid them on. Shadow turned in a circle before sitting down. The Mightyena's tail thumped against the floor making his trainer grin briefly.
But there wasn't any time to waste. "Horsea. Poliwhirl, Go!" Misty's shout was followed by a grand sweeping gesture with one arm that looked practiced. Simon dropped his pack on the ground with one hand and pulled out his Pokedex with the other. This Poliwhirl was a bit darker than the one that had just battled. And the Horsea appeared to be young.
116 Horsea
Dragon Pokémon
HT 1'04"
WT 17.6 lbs
It makes its nest in the shade of corals. If it senses danger, it spits murky ink and flees.
061 Poliwhirl
Pokémon
HT 3'03"
WT 44.1 lbs
The spiral pattern on its belly subtly undulates. Staring at it gradually causes drowsiness.
'Not good.' Simon thought. The data confirmed what he'd already known. His team had no natural advantages. Then again, Aeris had used a
Fire Pokémon. It was worth a shot. "Shadow, you've got Poliwhirl, okay bud?"
"
Migh." Shadow ran for pool without waiting for further instructions. Simon paused with his hand hovering over the three occupied Pokeballs he had left. Brynn was out of the question, Penn might be able to dodge but...
'Should have had that training session. Simon berated himself. He unhooked a battered Pokéball and held it carefully at his side as it engaged.
"
Drowww?" Drowzee appeared, yawning, and immediately spun to look at its surroundings. "
Zee?" the Pokemon asked.
"Hey." Simon said quietly, kneeling down to the Pokémon's level. "I need your help." He pointed to the Horsea in the pool. Unlike its tense companion Horsea was swimming around in the pool and making happy, contented sounds. "But you don't have to fight if you don't want to." Simon continued. He wanted to be clear. He still had Penn if Drowzee backed out.
"
Drow..." Drowzee scratched his head and shuffled forward without crossing the painted line. He looked at where Shadow and Poliwhirl were taunting one another, at Horsea, and finally to where Misty was standing on the platform. The gym leader's foot was tapping impatiently.
"
Zee." Drowzee nodded and walked toward the pool. As the Pokemon advanced Simon took a few seconds to appreciate the Pokémon Center's healing facility. All of the recent injuries Drowzee had received were gone. And even the older scars had been minimized. For some reason they'd been unable to heal the hole in Drowzee's ear but Nurse Joy had insisted that the injury was very old and no longer caused any pain. Sensing Drowzee's approach Horsea swam forward to meet its opponent.
"Poliwhirl, use Watergun. Horsea, water gun." Misty called. One low and one high pitched cry answered her.
Simon watched with a mixture of curiosity and dread as Horsea took a deep breath and Poliwhirl did something with its hands underwater. "
Sea!" "
Whirl!". Bubbles shot out of Horsea's mouth and a sudden spray of water erupted out of the pool. Several bubbles hit the unprepared Drowzee. "
Zee. Zee. Zee." Each bubble that hit was punctuated by a cry of pain. But on the eighth one Drowzee began running alongside the edge of the pool.
Simon heard a high pitched canine yelp and turned to see Shadow sliding on the floor. Though the initial attack had missed, all of the water directed at Shadow was now covering the floor making it hard for him to stay upright. Poliwhirl was treading water near the edge of the pool as he waited for his trainer's next command. Poliwhirl was actually
very close to the edge. What if a water Pokemon was taken away from water? "Shadow, get him out of there!." Simon called, pointing and hoping his Pokémon took the hint. "
Na." Shadow answered. Lunging forward Shadow clamped his teeth around Poliwhirl's arm and
pulled.
"Drowzee," Simon quickly thought through the Pokemon's attacks. Hypnosis seemed like a good option. The addressed Pokémon had other plans. Without any prompting Drowzee held up its hands and began murmuring quietly. To Simon's surprise Horsea began glowing.
'Ah.' Perhaps that was better than hypnosis.
"
POLI!" An angry cry and answering growl caught Simon's attention. Shadow had managed to halfway haul Poliwhirl out of the water. The Tadpole Pokémon had one hand clamped firmly one the edge of the pool and was struggling to get back into the water. Shadow's growls echoed oddly but Simon could also hear an odd chugging sound that he realized was Poliwhirl.
"Poliwhirl use Body Slam. Horsea use Bubblebeam." Misty called.
Poliwhirl gave an affirmative cry. The water beneath Poliwhirl's hand began churning. Horsea prepared his own attack.
"Drowzee, be careful." Simon warned. "
Zeee. Drowzee answered calmly. "You too, Shadow."
"
Mi-" Was all Shadow got out before Poliwhirl released his hold and slammed its full weight into Shadow. Simon stared as the considerably lighter Pokémon managed to send Shadow backwards several feet. Shadow's whine was more annoyance than pain. Simon then realized Shadow was sliding. '
Not good' Shadow snapped at Poliwhirl as the two continued to move farther away from the pool.
Horsea was making agitated sounds and squeaking anxiously at its trainer. Unable to fulfill it's trainer's command the little water Pokemon was panicking. Simon laughed. Drowzee turned and made a happy sound. "Well done." Simon called. "
Drow." Drowzee waved his hand.
"You only disabled one attack." Misty remarked, not at all impressed. "Horsea, calm down and use water gun. Poliwhirl, keep using body slam."
"
Poli." Poliwhirl dashed forward. Unlike Shadow the water Pokémon had no problem gaining speed on the wet surface. Horsea stopped squeaking and inhaled audibly.
"Confusion!" Simon called. Drowzee's hands were already moving, faster than they had previously. Simon hoped he was using the right technique. "Shadow, keep moving!" he called. "
Miy!" Shadow replied. A bizarre game of tag began as Poliwhirl tried to body slam Shadow and Shadow slid and dodged out of the way. When he couldn't dodge with his own speed Shadow tackled the air. Around and around the pool the two Pokemon went.
"
Sea!" Suddenly a stream of bubbles flew between the two, neatly intercepting Poliwhirl's attack. Caught off-guard, Poliwhirl rolled twice before recovering its balance. "
Poli!" The Pokemon cried angrily as it waved in the direction of the pool. Shadow noticed he was no longer being pursued and stopped. Even at a distance Simon could see Shadow was panting with exhaustion.
In the pool Horsea was squeaking anxiously again. "
Sea. Horse. Sea. Sea." Shaking its whole body up and down the Pokemon appeared to be apologizing.
"Drowzee." Simon said slowly, making the word a question. He didn't want to attract too much attention.
"
Zee." Drowzee began another attack. Simon waited until Poliwhirl's turned toward Horsea, still arguing with his teammate. "Shadow, now!" the trainer called.
"
Migh!" Shadow tackled the water Pokemon. Poliwhirl cried out in pain but had enough energy to shove the canine away. The battle of tag resumed.
"
Seeaaa...." Across the arena Horsea was sinking.
"Oh come on." Misty scowled at the sleeping form, now fully submerged. "Wake up!" she called. But Horsea was already under water. And, Simon guessed, Misty couldn't revive the Pokémon without having enough Awakening to fill the pool. "Return." Misty called. A flash of red light briefly turned the water dark as Horsea was recalled.
"Ha! Good job, Drowzee." Simon enthused. He grinned at the Pokémon. Instead of looking pleased Drowzee pointed. "
Zee!" the Pokémon insisted. With a frown Simon turned just as a loud collision sounded.
"Shadow!" Poliwhirl was standing over his unmoving opponent. A low whine just barely stopped Simon from leaving the trainer platform. His shoes slid and the trainer was forced to kneel to keep from falling. Simon slowly looked up, putting one hand on the ground to stay balanced. Shadow's paws were twitching, Simon noted with relief, and he was still conscious. But then came an awful wheezing sound and another whine.
Simon yanked his pack closer and began shoving items aside. As he searched, Drowzee walked back toward the trainer platform. Simon closed his hand around the bottle he needed and quickly gauged the distance to his downed Pokémon. The last attack, which must have been Poliwhirl's body slam, had taken them to the complete opposite side of the gym. Too far for Simon to throw the healing agent as he had done once before. Still keeping the bottle in one hand Simon detached Shadow's Pokeball. "Return." Simon called. The red light stretched across the pool and for a terrifying second Simon thought that it wouldn't reach. But then Shadow's form disappeared. Poliwhirl kicked water from the ground where Shadow had once been. "
Whirl." The Pokemon muttered with a note of satisfaction before diving toward the pool.
"So you forfeit?" Misty asked Simon, sounding a big smug.
"No!" Simon protested. He was doing no such thing.
"You have no Pokémon on the field." Misty pointed to the pool which contained only her Pokemon. Definitely smug.
Simon frowned. He yanked a potion out of his pack and set Shadow's Pokéball on the ground, flicking the activation button with one finger. Light coalesced and revealed Shadow's still paralyzed form. They were halfway to winning. So close. Simon snapped the tops off and upended both bottles, covering Shadow, part of the floor, and one of his own shoes. He didn't care at this point. Water had already soaked into his pants from his kneeling on the ground.
"Well?" The gym leader's foot began tapping impatiently again. An official-looking person Simon hadn't noticed before stepped toward the pool with one hand raised.
Simon sighed quietly and reached out to pat Shadow's head. At his trainer's touch Shadow whined. The sound was clearer than before and the awful wheezing had stopped. But the paralyze heal wasn't done yet. As soon as the this was over, Simon decided, he would return his Pokemon and head to the Pokémon Center. They could come back and try the battle again after some training.
"
Poli?"
"
Drow!"
"Huh?" Simon looked up to see Poliwhirl glowing bright pink and gesturing angrily at Drowzee. Instead of returning to the platform Drowzee had detoured to the pool. The mysterious official nodded once then vanished to the sidelines again.
"Poliwhirl, use Rain Dance." The gym leader instructed.
Poliwhirl shook itself then raised its hands to clap loudly. The pool darkened and began to churn. Waves formed only to be broken up as water shot up from the pool. Halting near the rafters the water began to form a circle in mid-air. The area around the pool and the trainer platforms became shadowed as the gathered water grew in size. Thunder sounded and when the sound ended the water had become a cloud.
"Woah!" Simon threw his hands up to cover his head as rain began pouring down. An
indoor cloud. Drowzee made a noise of complaint as he too was rained on.
"Confusion!" Simon called to Drowzee as he rose to his feet. He pulled his glasses off and shoved them in his pocket.
"
Zee." Drowzee's eyes filled with light that was echoed in a blast that radiated out from his hands and slammed into Poliwhirl. The rain continued but the pool stopped churning as Poliwhirl was pushed backwards.
Shaking his head, Poliwhirl looked up at his trainer.
"Water gun." Misty called.
'This again...' Simon frowned.
"
Poli!" A wave of water rose up from the pool and rushed toward Drowzee. Rain joined the wave and made it stronger. Drowzee was already moving, running as fast as his short legs could go. But it wasn't fast enough. "
Zeeeeeeeee" Propelled forward by the attack, Drowzee slid and tumbled then slid some more.
The waterlogged Pokemon slid to a stop at the far wall. "Drowzee..." Simon hesitated but the Pokemon was starting to rise. "Use Hypnosis." the trainer finished.
"Poliwhirl, Body Slam, now." Misty countered with her own instruction.
Poliwhirl rushed forward, its exit from the side of the pool causing a large wave to form and then crash down to flood the edge of the pool. Rapidly gaining speed Poliwhirl advanced on Drowzee who was just starting to move.
Simon recognized the hypnosis gestures. But Poliwhirl was moving too fast, and the movements were too slow. There wasn't enough
time. "Drowzee, move!" Simon called. With only a few feet to go Poliwhirl shoved off from the ground and threw its body expertly forward.
*Crash* Only to be stopped by the very solid wall
next to Drowzee.
For a moment Simon just stared. Then he turned to look at his Pokemon.
Drowzee, who hadn't moved at all, made a quiet sound. Almost like a laugh. Simon looked back at the now moaning Poliwhirl. Bits of plaster dropped to the ground as it turned.
"
Wh...ir...l" the confused Pokemon made a full 360 degree rotation before falling forward. Still not moving, Drowzee watched the other Pokemon stand and slowly move toward the pool. Simon half-wondered if Drowzee was going to trip Poliwhirl. It certainly wasn't a valid attack. But it would be effective..
"Drow!" When as Poliwhirl came within range Drowzee jumped forward. The head-butt hit Poliwhirl in the center of its back, sending both Pokémon in the direction of the pool. They hit the water and vanished.
For a moment there was nothing. Then Drowzee's head emerged and he swam for the closest side of the pool edge. Poliwhirl appeared a few seconds later, floating on its back. "
Wh...ir...l"
"Snap out of it." Misty demanded. She looked down at the pool from her platform. "Use water gun."
"Hypnosis," Was Simon's instruction. Then he couldn't help adding "You've got him."
"
Yen!" Simon's enthusiasm was echoed by the suddenly mobile Shadow. Shadow rose to his feet but remained still.
"Hey, bud. Welcome back" Simon reached out to pat Shadow's side. He kept his gaze on the pool. Drowzee was now sitting on the edge, muttering quiet phrases while looking at Poliwhirl.
"
Poliiii..." Already confused and tired Poliwhirl quickly succumbed to sleep.
"Again?" Misty's disbelief was fully evident in both syllables. The gym leader shook her head and muttered something Simon didn't catch. "Alright. You've won." Poliwhirl disappeared into its Pokeball. "Here are your winnings."
Simon stepped off of the trainer platform and carefully walked around the edge of the pool. He took the bag that was held out. Simon shook the bag lightly and a small badge fell into his hand. The bag was still heavy, with what Simon assumed was the money and standard TM. He closed his hand around the badge before looking up.
"Thank you." Simon said quietly.
"You got lucky." Was the gym leader's response. Simon frowned but the gym leader then offered her congratulations which sounded sincere.
'Lucky.' The word echoed in Simon's head as he stuck the gym badge to his bandolier. Sure he'd been kind of lucky. But...it wasn't
all luck. Simon looked at his two Pokemon who were patiently waiting for him. No...it wasn't just luck.
Returning to the platform Simon dropped down to one knee and addressed his two victorious Pokemon. "Well done, guys. You won. Let's go get you healed, okay?"
"
Drow." "
Yen."
After both Pokemon were safely returned Simon picked up his pack and slung it over his shoulder. His gaze slid to the group only briefly before focusing on the door.
'Lucky...' Simon stepped outside but still managed to hear the gym leader's cry of challenge.
"Next!"
