Pokemon: Mega Tactics - Chapter 6.1

"Now Fennekin, quick Hidden Power!" Serena cheered on her pokemon.

"Fenne!" cried Fennekin from her position mid-air, after jumping off of her opponent. In front of her mouth, a swirling orb of blue hydro energy formed into existence and with a thrust of her head, she launched it.

Her opponent, a Sandshrew was unable to dodge in time and the sphere of water type energy slammed into it, exploding in a wave of water that ploughed the ground type into the ground beneath it.

When it fell, it didn't get back up.

"Way to go Fennekin, you won!" Serena ran over and scooped up Fennekin, hugging the little fire type.

You stood off to the side, nodding your head, "Not bad, you're getting the hang of battling now." you praised.

It had been seven days since the night you first set up camp in the badlands and began travelling through towards Coumarine City and the location of your second gym battle.

You'd probably have already reached Coumarine City by now, if it weren't for how often you tended to train with your pokemon. You trained with them in the morning, trained with them at lunch breaks and trained with them at night as well. And in the meantime, while on the move, you took on any strong looking wild pokemon with your own, and let Serena get some practice in against the weaker once you came across.

Her Fennekin surprisingly, despite being a girly girl of a pokemon, was putting in a lot of work with that water type Hidden Power she knew. Though that Budew was definitely not too shabby either.

Serena turned to you with a grin, flashing a 'V' at you with her fingers, "At this rate we might catch up to you." she teased.

You opened your mouth to reply, but just as you did, the ground around you began shaking massively, spiderweb cracks appearing. A massive roar resounded throughout the area of rocky plateaus you were travelling through.

A scream from Serena drew your attention, and your eyes went wide when you saw one of the huge rocky plateaus beginning to break apart, massive bits of debris falling from the top down towards her.

Serena made to run towards you, but hesitated and looked back at the unconscious form of the Sandshrew she and Fennekin had just defeated. To your shock, she heaved up and threw Fennekin towards you and ran towards the Sandshrew, pulling a pokeball from her skirt pocket.

As you caught Fennekin, She skidded to her knees and touched the pokeball to Sandshrew, sucking it inside the ball and tried to get up, but as she did, her knees buckled beneath her and you noted bloody scrapes on them.

Your hand went to your belt, to the pokeball of your newest pokemon and you released the pokemon within, your arm a blur of speed, "Ralts, Teleport!" you ordered before the red and white sphere had even opened fully.

Bright light burst from the pokeball and blipped out of existence, appearing beside Serena in a split moment, and then back to you. All in, it took less than two seconds, and it was just as enough as a split moment later, the massive chunks of debris slammed hard into the ground, shaking the ground even harder.

Serena lay at your feet, curled up into a ball clutching the pokeball Sandshrew was sucked inside. You idly noted that it had already stopped glowing, meaning it had been captured, but you were more focused on Serena, who was just staring forward with wide eyes.

"Serena!" you reached down and picked her up easily, helping her to her feet, "Are you okay?" you fretted over her, looking her over for injury. But besides the scrapes on her knees you couldn't see anything.

That was when you noticed, the trail of liquid going down the insides of her knees. And then liquid start appearing in the corner of her eyes, that trailed out and down her cheeks as tears. And the damn burst, as she slumped forward and into you, "I almost died!" she screamed into your chest. You just stood there for a moment, it was so sudden you had no idea how to react for a moment, "And I peed myself like some little girl in front of you." the terror and embarrassment present together in her voice, made for a near heart wrenching tone.

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She was supposed to be the older one between the two. She was eighteen, a good few years older than Cobalt. Yet, it was her crying her eyes out, and she couldn't stop. It was her trembling hard, clutching on to him and couldn't stop. It was her that was terrified because she almost lost her life, and it was her that felt so embarrassed because it was her that peed herself despite being a grown woman.

'I'm so pathetic!' she raged internally. Yet, despite knowing that, she couldn't stop herself!

If Cobalt's Ralts was just two seconds slower, she would have been dead!

A gentle hand rested atop her head, pulling her face tighter into his chest while his other arm wrapped around her utter back, "Shhh, shhh, shh," Cobalt lulled her back and forth, "It's alright Serena, you're fine, I wouldn't let any happen to you, I promised remember?"

'He did.' she sniffled a bit.

"You don't need to be embarrassed about any of this, it's perfectly natural for this to happen when you almost lose your life," he continued, his voice low, soft and comforting, "Even I acted a bit like that when I had a few close calls early on, and none of them were even close to what just happened."

"Y-you were way younger than I am now though!" she hiccuped out a protest.

"So? You've only been training pokemon for a week, I'd already had Gible for a good two years by that point and been in plenty of battles," he refuted, before his arm tightened around her back, hugging her tighter, "Besides, you were really brave there, I was terrified for a second, but it was really cool of you regardless."

"How am I brave at all!? I was so scared I peed myself!" Serena refuted right back.

"Being brave isn't about not being afraid, you can only be brave when you are afraid," Cobalt replied as he rubbed the top of her head, "You put your life on the line to save that Sandshrew, despite how terrified you were. Like I said before, you're a pretty impressive girl Serena."

He stepped back then, unwinding his arms from her, and despite the situation, Serena found herself missing the warm and comforting embrace, "You've got absolutely nothing to be ashamed about," he gave he a boyish grin, "And once you've gotten used to pokemon battling a bit more, you won't freeze up like that again, especially when you have some strong enough pokemon to deal with that kind of things yourself easily."

She quite liked that grin on his face. It just seemed so him, it just fit him. That was when she remembered what state she was in and crossed her legs together, "Ehhh...can I get some privacy...I kind of need to change." Serena mumbled, avoiding eye contact, and she could feel her face flushing.

"Yeah, I'll do," he chuckled sheepishly, before his easy going look faded to an almost stone cold look, "Plus, I have something I need to take care of right now." he said, as he outright began cracking his knuckles.

It was only when Cobalt began walking in the direction that roar had come from earlier, Ralts on his shoulder, that Serena realised something, 'My pokemon could have easily stopped that debris with Protect couldn't they have?' she thought.

She slumped to her knees with a sigh, ignoring the sting from her scraped knee caps. Fennekin made her way over and brushed up against Serena lightly, "Fene?" the cute little furry fire type looked up at her worriedly.

"I'm alright now Fennekin," Serena smiled down at her, "I'm sorry you have a mess like me for a trainer."

"Fene ne!" Fennekin shook her little fluffy head and jumped into Serena's lap, despite how much she hated getting dirty, and Serena was pretty filthy right now, covered in her own urine.

The pokeballs in her skirt pocket shook and burst open, and seconds later, Vespiquen and Budew appeared at both of her sides and hugged her, "Thanks you guys." Serena felt warmth flow through her.

If nothing else, she was supremely happy that she started this journey and got these three as her pokemon.

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You were stepping out beyond the rocky plateaus, and had been walking for over a good minute while the ground shook and the sounds of battle reverberated around you, before you realised. Your hands were balled into fists.

You were angry. Very angry. Livid even. You may have only been travelling with and known Serena for nine days now. But that had been enough for you to become really fond of the girl. And whoever caused the crap that reduced her to tears and feeling so down on herself, well, they were the target of your ire.

Moments later, your eyes landed on two figures rampaging through an open area of rocky plain. A massive Steelix breathing out a huge gout of greenish yellow flame from its massive mouth.

And a Lairon, firing a large silver beam of energy from its own maw, against the flame attack of Steelix. Dragonbreath and Flash Cannon if you were not mistaken.

The two long ranged attacks clashed mid-air, before swelling up and exploding, sending a shock wave blasting outwards from the radius of the attacks and shaking the ground.

Before the plume of smoke and debris kicked up even dissipated, both shot forward. Lairon launching itself through the air like a rocket, clad in a massive silver aura of power, while Steelix slithered forward rapidly and spun, lashing out with its massive tail, glowing with a similar silver colouring.

Iron Head and Iron Tail Clashed, and once again, the earth rocked beneath your feet.

Your fists clenched harder, to the point where you could feel your nails digging into your palm and soon would draw blood.

Your hands went to your belt and you grabbed two pokeballs, "Gible! Charmander!" you called out, releasing them both in front of you.

Before you could even make a command, Gible was shooting forward, an aura of dark energy surging over his body. That aura was soon joined by a pair of massive ethereal looking green energy claws.

Gible might have been the cool, calm and collected type. But there was a reason you feared he would rampage back when you heard about what was going on with your uncles Garchomp. He was a fiercely protective pokemon of those you and he cared for, and like you, Gible had taken a bit of a liking to Serena.

"Gible!" Roaring angrily, Gible bounced across the distance in all of a few blinks and before either of the two clashing pokemon could realise what was going on, Gible slammed both giant green energy claws into the silver aura around the Lairon, and right through it.

The Lairon gave a bellow of shock as it was rent into hard by the claws and sent soaring rapidly to the side from the sheer force of the strikes. Steelix pulled back with a roar of anger, then swung again with Iron Tail using its gargantuan metal tail.

Gible merely hopped over it without even looking, red hot flames licking at his lips before he threw his squat body forward and unleashed a huge gout of fire with Flamethrower. Lairon still in the air bellowed once more in pain as the flames caught up with it and ploughed into it, carrying it even further through the air, slamming it hard into a huge rock pillar, creating a large crater that began to smolder and melt from the heat of Gible's attack.

Steelix roared again, opening its mouth, green and yellow flames licking at its own lips, but before it could, you had already made an order.

"Mander!" Charmander gave a shout, and Steelix roared as the little fire types own Flamethrower slammed into the side of its head and threw it to the ground.

"Brick Break!" you ordered next without pause.

Lairon fell as Gible cut off his flamethrower, plummeting twenty or so feet to slam into the ground, unconscious. Gible turned to face Steelix, just as Charmander zipped forward, jumping through the air to come down with twin glowing arms and slam a pair of super effective Brick Break attacks into Steelix head just as it struggled and tried to rise, slamming its head back into the ground, hard enough to make the ground shake.

Before Steelix could try to struggle again, Charmander jumped up and spat out another Flamethrower attack, while Gible copied him and did just the same.

Steelix roared in pain for a few moments under the intense scorching heat of two powerful fire attacks, before slumping into the ground hard.

Your two pokemon cut off their attacks, and while Gible spat to the side, Charmander landed triumphantly atop Steelix's body, and began pounding his chest with his two little arms.

Your eyes widened, when the little fire type erupted into bright light and began to grow and morph before your very eyes. Growing from barely up to your knee in height, to easily over your waist, and a horn forming on the back of his skull.

"Charmeleon!" your newly evolved Charmeleon roared, pounding on his chest still when the light burst apart to reveal his new form.

Your eyebrows rose up into your airline when Charmeleon's arms suddenly started glowing blue and then he slashed his arms through the air, firing off a pair of wind blades up through the air.

The newly evolved fire type turned to you then, a massive fanged grin on his face and he exploded forward, running forward towards you like a blur and launched himself through the air, arms wide, "Char!!"

Shaking your head in amusement, you opened your arms and caught him, "Way to go buddy! You evolved already!" you celebrated with him.

You spun the fire type around, getting a laugh of glee from him. You would have continued sooner, if Gible wasn't suddenly at your side, tugging at your pants leg.

You looked down at him, pausing in your celebrating, to see him pointing at the downed forms of Lairon and Steelix, beaten pretty damn badly by the pair of them. Your pokemon didn't go easy on them at all. And you had no idea why they were fighting..so the one who woke up first might just finished the other off.

You sighed and set Charmeleon down, your hand going to your pocket to retrieve a pair of shrunken pokeballs, "Guess I can't just leave them here." you mused.

Mind made up, you tossed the pair of pokeballs at the unconscious steel types, and caught them without issue.