Pokemon: Way of Life Chapter 28

Hi all,

Sorry, this chapter is later than usual, but it's unavoidable as I currently work longer hours. 6.30 -7.00 pm (NZST) will be the new time I post chapters, about three hours later than usual. Thanks for understanding.

Chapter 28

Lucas entered the stadium with Faith and his Pokemon team beside him. The Pokemon League stadium was quite sizable, with a seating capacity of five thousand. When it wasn't being used for Trainer Battles, it hosted several other important events.

Lucas stopped at the reception desk, where a woman was waiting to serve customers.

"Good afternoon," she greeted. "Are you going to be participating in some trainer battles? Do you have your identification with you?"

Lucas handed over his Pokedex, and the woman scanned it into her computer.

"Lucas Walker, Student Rank. Currently, you have one win and zero losses to your name. You have twenty Trainer Points. You need to register before you can participate in trainer battles. You need to install the Pokemon Stadium App on your phone. Here is the link."

As Luke downloaded the App and registered, she explained the various functions and rules pertaining to the stadiums.

"When you enter the waiting room, you must synchronise your Pokeballs to an area expressly set aside for the Pokemon. You can use your App to do this with the push of a button. They will wait there until they are summoned. It also has a healing station for injured Pokemon after they have battled.

We will match you up with trainers with similar records. Depending on the number of trainers in the stadium, you may have to wait a while between matches.

You can register for a match on the application. Once it has been arranged, you must be at the stage on time; otherwise, you automatically forfeit the match after a minute has passed. There's one important rule to remember. In the first two levels of the Junior Trainer rank, hold items cannot be used in official battles."

"Okay, thanks for the help," Lucas nodded. He turned to his Pokemon. "Let's go."

Lucas and Faith separated, with her going through the exit towards the stands. He was walking down the hallway to the waiting area when he spotted a janitor cleaning the floor ahead of him. The man was so focused on his task that he didn't realise someone had stopped to observe him.

Lucas frowned. There was something familiar about the janitor. The man had short blue hair, but Lucas couldn't see his face with the man's head looking down at the floor.

As if finally sensing him, the man looked up, and Lucas stepped back in shock. "What the hell are you doing here?"

It was James from Team Rocket. Beside him, Dante tensed in preparation, a look of anger on his usually placid face.

“Who are you,” James said impatiently. “I have work to do.”

"Who am I?" Lucas shouted. "I am the person you attacked and kidnapped, you moron."

James gripped the broom's handle too tightly, causing his hands to whiten. His expression was priceless, a mixture of dismay and contriteness. "Oh, yeah, I remember. Please forgive me. At the moment, my memory recall has gotten a little shaky."

Due to the man's lack of Pokemon, Lucas was prepared to give him the smackdown. He paused when he saw James' downtrodden appearance.

"Why are you not in jail?" Lucas asked. "You kidnapped me, then killed a boy."

"I was not in control of my actions during that fight," James said. "Once you refused to come with us, Dr Goldman took control of us. Jessie and I were merely observers trapped in our own bodies."

"You had one of those control devices on you? But you were still in control of your actions before then. You still followed orders in trying to kidnap me for Team Rocket."

"In my defence," James replied. "I don't claim to be a saint who doesn't bear some responsibility for the events that day. I'm still on probation and won't be allowed to own any Pokemon for three years. My Koffing has been sent to a Pokemon Reserve until that time."

"What made you join Team Rocket in the first place?"

James leaned against the wall and looked up as if recalling a memory. "As kids, Giovanni rescued Jessie and me from a terrible situation, and Jessie has been devoted to the man ever since. I followed along because I didn't want to be separated from Jessie. Joining Team Rocket was a foregone conclusion by then, and we chose to dedicate our lives to him. Although, he was disappointed in us because we lacked the ruthless edge needed in this kind of business. For this reason, Dr Goldman equipped us with the controllers in order for us to accomplish the more despicable tasks."

Lucas swallowed his anger, still feeling like he should punch the man's lights outs for the ordeal he had been put through. Even so, he refrained from using physical violence since he understood how it felt to be controlled by that madman.

"Where is your teammate?" Lucas asked.

A look of despair filled James' eyes. "While she was not directly responsible for the boy's death, her Arbok was the one who struck the fatal blow. Additionally, her devotion to Giovanni was deemed to be too excessive. It was determined that she needed to be hospitalised for mental health issues to break free from her conditioning."

"You're not the same?" Lucas asked sceptically.

James smiled wryly. "I was already devoted to Jessie before Giovanni came along. So any form of indoctrination didn't affect me as it did Jessie. I usually just followed along with what she was doing."

Taking a deep breath, Lucas said, "I must be going. Despite what you put me through, I hope the two of you find some contentment outside of committing crimes. It would be an understatement to say I don't want to see your ugly mug again."

"That's understandable. For what it's worth, I am genuinely sorry for what you experienced because of Jessie and me," James grabbed his broom. "Well, Team James is sweeping off again at the speed of — forget it, I'm terrible at coming up with catchy lines. That's Jessie's thing."

Lucas continued down the hallway and into the waiting area, where some trainers were waiting for some matches.

Several services were available, including a stand where you could purchase copies of your Pokemon battles and a small shop selling healing items. He walked over to the area set up for the Pokemon and synchronised their Pokeballs with the location. His team entered and wair=ted with the other Pokemon to be summoned.

The upcoming battles were displayed on an electronic screen on the wall, and Lucas searched for his name. He still appeared not to have an opponent, so he sat down and waited.

"Hi, cutie. Can I sit next to you?"

Lucas looked up from browsing his phone to see a girl standing there with a massive grin on her face. She certainly looked cute with her long blond hair, hazel eyes, and slim, curvy figure. He might have been interested in flirting with the girl if he wasn't dating Faith.

"It's a free country," Lucas shrugged.

She sat down and leaned closer to him, and Lucas shifted slightly away. A somewhat overpowering flowery fragrance overtook Lucas' nose as she invaded his space. It was for this very reason that he didn't manipulate his Senses to increase his ability to smell since it amplified every unpleasant odour to an unbearable level.

"I'm Kylie, and I'm a big fan of yours on Tweak."

"Well, it's nice to meet a fellow fan," Lucas replied politely.

"Do you want to go on a date?"

"I'm flattered, but I already have a girlfriend."

"I'm sure we can share," Kylie waved dismissively. "I'm open-minded."

With his enhanced hearing, he could hear a girl mutter something rude about Kylie under her breath. Lucas smiled before responding to the irritating girl. "Well, I am not interested. Sorry."

"You are rejecting me?" Kylie asked, looking flabbergasted.

Surely her ego wasn't so great that she never contemplated that he would reject her.

"Listen up, hussy," the girl nearby spoke up. " Get a clue. He is not interested, so sashay off to the other males in the room that may be interested in your charms."

Kylie glared at the girl, but to her credit, she didn't make a scene. She left after looking at Lucas once more, and he breathed easier.

He turned to the girl who helped him out. "Thanks for the assist. I'm Lucas."

"Skye," the blue-haired girl replied. "I was glad to help."

"Are you competition?" Lucas grinned. "I'm a newbie, so I might not match up with you."

"I'm challenging the Junior League Conference this year," Skye took out a small case and opened it up to reveal eight gym badges.

"Nice," Lucas whistled. "I will watch the finals, so I hope to see you there. Are you hanging around town until you leave for the competition?"

"That's right. I'm training my Pokemon to prepare for the finals. Battling trainers of similar skill levels is beneficial."

The phone vibrated, and Lucas checked The Stadium App. It appeared that he had his first battle in five minutes. The opponent's name and match history appeared on the screen. With three wins and one loss, the opponent had a pretty good win percentage. In spite of this, there weren't enough matches to determine their true abilities.

"It was nice to meet you," Lucas stood. "I've got my first match coming up."

"Good luck," Skye smiled.

After leaving the waiting room, Lucas entered the arena, where a few stages were set up, and trainers were currently involved in Pokemon battles. His match was scheduled for stage three, so he made him over and waited for the current match to finish.

Lucas looked up and searched for Faith, finding her sitting about halfway up in the stands. He waved enthusiastically to her, and she smiled and waved her fist in encouragement.

"Lucas Walker and Myles Copper, please get up on the stage to begin your match."

Lucas stepped onto the small red platform at the end of the stage and faced his opponent at the other end, standing on the blue platform.

The platform protected the trainer from damage from stray Pokemon attacks. It raised a transparent barrier around the two trainers, identical to the one going around the stage.

Despite looking ordinary, Lucas did not underestimate his opponent and waited for the referee to start the match.

"Before we begin, you must put a wager on your match. Since you are both Student level trainers, the limit is between one hundred and a thousand Pokedollars."

"A thousand!" Myles shouted quickly.

"I have no problem with that," Lucas shrugged.

"Very well. The wager has been set. Trainers who do not pay the wager at the end of the fight will incur a penalty to their Trainer Level," the referee said. "I will flip a coin to decide the order. Trainer on the blue side, heads or tails?"

"Heads."

The referee flipped the coin in the air, and it landed on the ground. "The blue trainer has the correct call, so the red trainer must summon his Pokemon first. This is a two vs two battle with no substitutions. If the Pokemon is recalled, it cannot return to the stage. The trainers' Pokemon must stop attacking once its opponent has fainted. Are both trainers ready?"

After their confirmation, the referee brought the flag down. "Match Start."

Lucas didn't think about his selection too much and summoned Imara onto the field.

Imara breathed out some fire into the air and roared.

"Hi, girl. Are you ready for some good fights?"

'Naturally. Where's my opponent?'

"A Charmander off the bat," Myles scoffed. "How predictable. Let me introduce you to my first Pokemon, who will douse its flames with its powerful water attacks."

The trainer did an elaborate dance before finishing in a pose with his hand raised, clutching the ball.

'I want to flame that guy so badly.'

'I don't blame you.'

"Get on with the fight, you poser," someone heckled from the crowd, causing many of them to laugh.

The trainer flushed but held up admirably well under the ridicule. He summoned his Pokemon into the stage.

"Psy?" The Pokemon tilted its head, a bewildered look on its face. It was very disarming, as it looked like it couldn't fight itself out of a paper bag.

Psyduck ~ Level 5 ~ HP: 130/130 ~ Aura ~ 115

'Imara, let's start with free-form fighting to gauge its strength while preserving your Aura. Besides, I don't want to telegraph all the tricks up our sleeve from the outset.'

'Got it.'

The two Pokemon faced off against each other from a distance of five metres. Lucas and Imara's bond was so solid now that she could instantly respond to his commands.

Psyduck initiated the fight with a Water Gun—a swift deluge of water poured from its mouth and rocketed through the air.

Imara dodged the attack easily enough and closed in on Psyduck.

Two metres separated the two before Psyduck raised its claw, glowing a faint white Aura. It swung sideways at Imara, who crouched down with her short legs spread and arms raised in a cool-looking pose. A few cheers from the crowd indicated that they loved the incredible evasion.

Imara raised its claws as Psyduck was unbalanced and scratched it brutally across the eyes.

Psyduck has taken 9 damage.

Psyduck - HP: 121/130

Psyduck cried out in pain as one of its eyes was gouged, leaving it with one effective eye. It was a dirty tactic, but this was a battle, and it was impossible for Pokemon not to be hurt.

"Psyduck", Myles cried in panic.

Imara was relentless. While his opponent was crouched down, holding one of its injured eyes with its claws, he swung his tail and struck the Pokemon with the flame on its tip.

It's not very effective.

Psyduck has taken 4 damage.

Psyduck - HP: 117/130

Was that considered Fire-Type, even though it wasn't a Move? Interesting.

Psyduck recovered and retreated hastily, with Imara in hot pursuit. It shot another Water Gun but executed it poorly and shot above Imaras' head.

The battle of contrition continued, with Imara continuing to whittle down the Psyduck's health with free-form attacks. There were a few hairy moments when Imara was close to getting hit with Water Gun, but she managed to dodge at the last second.

Imaras' speed was superior, and she knew how to use her body more effectively. It didn't help that Myles panicked whenever his partner got hit.

The crowd had gone quiet watching the match; they were enjoying the battle, as it was undoubtedly a strange method of fighting for a rookie trainer. It was more common in the higher levelled matches.

Imaras' Aura slowly ticked down, but Lucas wasn't too concerned. This method of fighting was a great experience for Imara. The more she fought this way, the more effective she would come in preserving her Aura and using her movements more effectively.

When the battle had gone on for a few minutes, and Psyduck was sporting a lot of shallow wounds, Lucas finally decided to end the fight. There was no enjoyment left, and he didn't want to torture the poor thing anymore.

'Imara, use Scratch to finish it off.'

Imara obeyed, and the match ended when she scored a hit.

Psyduck has taken 24 damage.

Psyduck has fainted.

The referee blew his whistle and raised the flag. Imara retreated to Lucas' side and waited for the next opponent.

"Psyduck is unable to fight. Charmander is the winner. Trainer from the blue side, retrieve your Psyduck and summon your next Pokemon."

The trainer withdrew the Psyduck back into his ball, and the Pokemon disappeared into the waiting room.

"How are you feeling, girl? Do you need a break?"

'Please. That was just a warm-up fight.'

She was not wrong. Besides the last attack, she never once utilised a Move, which meant she still had over two-thirds of her Aura left in the tank.

Myles grabbed another ball onto the stage, this time without the theatrics. He looked angry, and Lucas could hardly blame him. His Psyduck had been systematically dismantled with ease.

Lucas looked at the menu displaying the Pokemons parameters as the Pokemon appeared on the field.

Grimer ~ Level 6 ~ HP: 180/180 ~ Aura ~ 140

Imara returned to the field, and the match continued. Instantly, Grimer executed a Move on itself, and its entire body glowed white, indicating a Normal-Type Move that was targetting itself.

Since Lucas was unfamiliar with the Move, he decided to observe it before it ended.

=====

Stockpile | Normal | Power: --  | Aura: 20

Description: Stockpile raises the user's Defense and Special Defense by one stage each and charges up power for use with companion moves Spit Up and Swallow.

Stockpile can be used up to three times before its companion move, which will attack or recover HP respectively.

Appearance/Conditions: The entire body glows with white energy before summoning balls of bright light, which it absorbs into its body. Stockpile may be interrupted if the user is inflicted with a status effect or flinches, which will cause the Pokemon to lose all its defensive bonuses. Depending on its mastery, each Stockpile may last up to three minutes. Once a companion move is used, defensive stats will return to normal.

Mastery: Power: n/a ~ Aura Cost: 15 ~ Can be used up to four times before using a companion move.

=====

Lucas grimaced. This fight got more complicated as Imara could no longer rely on attacking free-form as it would be almost useless. Stockpile was a great move in raising the Pokemon's defensive stats, but if it had a companion move, it could also be used to attack or heal itself.

He was betting that the trainer had at least one companion move, which is why he could win three matches with Psyduck being so weak. The kid had struck the lottery with the Grimers egg moves.

If he had Maximus on the field, then simply using Thunder Wave to interrupt Stockpile would have made for an easy fight. He would have to rely on Imaras' Ember to whittle down its HP while hoping for the burn status effect to take effect.

As soon as he realised this, he transmitted the information to Imara, instructing her to keep her distance and spam Ember attacks.

Imara obeyed and shot a long stream of fire at the Pokemon, and Grimer didn't even attempt to get out of the way.

Grimer has taken 14 damage.

Grimer - HP: 166/180

Grimer used a second Stockpile, and Imara tried to interrupt it by using another Ember, reducing the Grimers' Hp some more but not inflicting the status effect.

Lucas had considered using Growl or Bite because they could cause status effects like confusion or flinching, but they were both short-range Moves, which left her vulnerable to retaliation.

In truth, he had lost the initiative after the first Stockpile was used, and while retreating sounded like the logical step, it also meant that Grimer was in control of the fight.

Lucas was tempted to peek at the Grimers' full parameters to see what Moves it had at its disposal, but he resisted the temptation. There was still another Pokemon in reserve, and it was inevitable that his partners would lose eventually. He should be fearless of the possibility, or else it may hamper his growth in the future.

After the third Stockpile, Imara retreated to the edges of the stage and waited for the next attack.

Grimer finally moved, and its amphoras body was surprisingly swift, moving across the ground. It tried to back the Pokemon into the corner, but Imara was too fast. Finally, it settled on a distance of four metres away to unleash the decisive attack.

A massive beam of white energy erupted from Grimer; the power and speed were incredible as it rocketed towards Imara.

At this time, Lucas was observing the Move, which ended up being Spit Up. Three stages of Stockpile increased the companion Move's power to 250, which was not a small number, but he expected it to be worse.

She tried to avoid the attack, but the wide beam overwhelmed her, and she was struck hard. She rolled across the ground like a rag doll, coming close to touching the barrier at the edge of the stage.

"Imara," Lucas called out frantically.

Imara has taken 85 damage.

Imara - HP: 93/178

Imara stood up slowly, her knees trembling as the Grimer used another Stockpile. What the hell was Myles doing? With the amount of Aura it took to execute the four-move combo, it had barely enough Aura left to execute it again. Was he gambling on it to defeat Imara? But he would lose the match anyway, as Lucas still had another Pokemon waiting.

Did Myles even want to win this fight? Or was he still sore about the first round and getting some petty revenge?

'What do you want to do, Imara?'

'I want to defeat this stinky pile of garbage.'

'Alright, let's give it our all. Execute Sunny Day.'

Simultaneously, both Pokemon executed their next Moves. Grimer predictably did another Stockpile. Imara executed hers — a small intense ball of sunlight rose above their heads and saturated the stage in an oppressive heat.

Although he was behind the barrier, he still could feel sweat collecting on his brow as the temperature rose.

Fire-Type Moves were now raised by fifty per cent, and it lasted almost a minute with its current mastery.

'Ember.'

Imara executed another Ember as the Grimer tried to use its final Stockpile. The stream of fire struck the Pokemon, and this time, Lucas got lucky.

Grimer has taken 10 damage.

Grimer has been inflicted with Burn.

Grimer has lost 5 Hp due to Burn.

Grimer cried out as the status effect took effect.

"Grimer," Myles yelled.

The stored Stockpiles were used up, and all of its defensive Stats returned to normal. Since the Pokemon had little Aura left, its only option was to fight free-form, which was a wasted effort with Imaras speed advantage.

Imara used another Ember as the Grimer tried to catch her, which caused some significant damage with Sunny Day in effect.

Grimer has taken 50 damage.

The fight held no suspense from there, as the Ember combined with the Burn effect quickly whittled down the Pokemon's Hp. Lucas half expected Myles to forfeit the match since the outcome was so obvious, but he didn't seem so concerned about his Pokemon.

Grimer has fainted.

"Charmander has won the battle. The winner is the trainer from the red side. Please retrieve your Pokemon and shake hands to commiserate a great fight."

"Well done, girl, " Lucas scratched her under the chin, and she growled in pleasure.

After scanning the Grimer and adding it to his Pokedex, Lucas confirmed that it also possessed Swallow, the other companion move. Wow, what a lucky guy. Also, it had a lot of Poison-Type Moves that weren't used in the battle, which he found strange but shrugged it off. Each of them had their own strategies, and if Imara hadn't succeeded in inflicting Burn, she would have lost the fight.

Myles retrieved his Grimer and shook his hand, quickly letting go with a sour expression. Despite Myles'poor attitude, Lucas tried to be polite.

"You Grimer has some nice combinations, but it's easy to inflict status effects to bring the entire thing down. I suggest you invest in getting him a Move that shores up that vulnerability."

"I don't need advice from you," Myles gave him a thousand Pokedollars and stormed off.

"What a dickhead."

Lucas and Imara walked off the stage to the applause of the crowd. A few signs were held up in his support, some with embarrassing messages. His fans had discovered he was competing and came to watch his matches.

Lucas returned to the waiting room and registered for another match. In the meantime, he checked the notification from his last match.

=====

Congratulations!

The player has won the trainer battle!

Lucas has earned 141 experience.

Title: Unstoppable has increased; +3% exp gain.

Imara has earned 100% of the experience for her contribution, 139 exp earned.

Imaras' level has increased to 6!

Due to a tough physical battle, Imara has increased her HP +1 and Sp Def +1.

=====

Three hours later, Lucas had participated in three more matches, utilising all three of his Pokemon. Since he didn't want to wait, he used Ethers to keep their Aura topped up. The matches were less exciting than the first, with the trainers less experienced and suffering from lousy matchups with type disadvantages.

Each double battle earned him twenty Trainer Points, so he now had one hundred. He decided to register for one more trainer battle before he called it a day.

Lucas looked up as a pair of legs stopped in front of him. the guy standing there was familiar, and it took Lucas a moment to recall where he had seen him.

"Benjamin Slater from the Trainer Camp," Lucas greeted him. "Fancy seeing you here."

"Indeed," Benjamin nodded stoically, his grey eyes observing him closely. "I'm here for the tournament next week; I imagine you are here for the same reason."

The guy needed to loosen up. He held himself as if he had a stick shoved up his rear. At least he didn't seem upset about coming in second place in the exam.

"So, what starter Pokemon did you choose?" Lucas asked.

"Charmander, the same as you," Benjamin replied. "I watched your matches. You have a powerful team already developing. I like how you are teaching them to fight using free-form fighting. I have been doing the same."

The grey-eyed teenager sat down next to him, and they got into a discussion about Pokemon training. He was a little too serious, but he made a great companion to bounce ideas off.

His next match was called, and Lucas stood. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Benji. I will see you at the tournament if we don't encounter each other before then."

"Call me Ben," Benjamin said seriously. "I look forward to meeting you in the final."

"Well, you are confident," Lucas smiled.

Lucas reentered the stage and faced his final opponent of the day. It was a girl that looked a couple of years older than him, called Eve.

After repeating the introduction, the referee tossed the coin. This time, it was in his favour, and the trainer released her Pokemon.

Lickatung ~ Level 6 ~ HP: 200/200 Aura: 150/150

Lucas considered his options. Lickatung had access to a wide range of Moves as a normal type, and he was a defensive powerhouse with plenty of HP. The Lickatung must have already gone through its second growth because it was looking pretty strong. How long did Eve train her Pokemon before entering competitive matches? No wonder the girl had a perfect record of seven from seven matches.

He got the sense that he was facing a powerful opponent, so he didn't hesitate to Examine the Pokemon.

=====

Pokemon: Lickatung | Age: 1 | Gender: F | Type: Normal | Potential: A |

Second Stage: The Pokemon has gone through its second growth.

Description: Its tongue can be extended like a chameleon’s. It leaves a tingling sensation when it licks enemies.

Stats

Level: 6 | Next: 22% | HP: 200 | Aura: 180 |

Attack: 70 | Defence: 90 | Sp Att: 70 | Sp Def: 92 | Speed: 45 |

Traits

Solid Defence - efficiently uses its body to defend against all forms of attacks.

Special Ability

Own tempo - Prevents the Pokémon from becoming confused.

=====

Sure enough, the Pokemon had already gone through its second growth period, and its Stats looked amazing. His only advantage was speed, but it would still take a while to whittle down the Pokemon's HP with its impressive defensive Stats.

Lucas made his decision and released Maximus onto the field.

'Is that the villain?' Max focused his attention on the Lickatung in front of him.

Lucas almost facepalmed. Did every opponent have to be a bad guy in Max's eyes?

'Max, be careful. The Lickatung here is powerful. Let's use your speed to get some licks in, no pun intended.'

'Okay.'

Max entered the stage, and the match began once they had taken their positions.

Lucas ordered Max to approach the Pokemon indirectly, utilising his speed advantage.

Meanwhile, Lickatung took advantage of the distance to execute a Move. Lucas carefully observed that a small white cloud appeared above the Pokemon's head, similar to a speech bubble, with a question mark inside.

Lickatungs' Special Defence has been raised by two stages due to Amnesia. Time duration: Three minutes.

Things just got a little more challenging. Raising or lowering Stats was seriously overpowered, revealing a deficiency in his team's Move set. He made a mental note to himself to remedy it later.

Lucas ordered Max to cast Thunder Wave.

The single lightning bolt shot through the air, but Lickatung managed to avoid the attack with a graceful movement. Its next Move was Disable, and Thunder Wave was temporarily removed from play.

Maximus's Thunder Wave has been temporarily restricted.

Time duration: Two minutes, thirty-five seconds.

Lucas gritted his teeth but remained composed.

'Quick Attack into Thundershock.'

'

Max's speed increased explosively, and he turned as he hit the Lickatungs blindside and executed Thundershock. Three electric arcs converged on the Pokemon's position.

Lickatung raised a shimmering blue circle of Aura instantaneously to protect its back without even having to turn around. The Thundershock hit the shield and petered out, and the shield vanished soon after.

So Lickatung knew Protect. He should have examined the Lickatungs Moves as well.

'Quick Attack.' He would have to get in close and do some melee combat. The trainer was reading him like a book. He wouldn't be surprised if she observed his battles to devise a game plan for this fight. Surely she knew that they would come up against each other eventually?

Lickatung turned and faced Max as he executed Quick Attack again. When was the opponent going to attack, or was it looking to tire him out by relying on its defence? It only needed to defend against Max's attacks while he used up all his Aura.

Quick Attack struck Lickatung, who had raised his arms to absorb some of the impacts, and it stood unmoving like a statue; its feet had not moved an inch.

Lickatung has taken 9 Damage.

At that moment, Lickatungs tongue rolled out and licked Max across the face, and the Pokemon cried out as its abrasive tongue scraped some skin off his face. Lucas grimaced as he witnessed the attack; he already knew what move it was; Lick was a nasty piece of work.

Maximus has taken 23 dmaage.

Maximus - HP: 78/101

Lickatung, with its solid defence, could absorb attacks and counter with its Lick at any time. Moreover, it had a thirty per cent chance of causing paralysis. The only saving grace was that Max had the Static ability, which gave him a chance to paralyse the Lickatongue in return.

Eve relied on false information if she expected Max to use up all his Aura on Moves. Max had yet to show that he could fight free-form since his opponents so far hadn't been much of a challenge.

It was a difficult fight. Nevertheless, Max enjoyed fighting a brawl more than anything else, so it was time to go old school.

So, what do you think? Lucas is facing the first real challenge of his trainer career. Will he prevail?

Thanks for reading.