Searching Far and Wide - 126

Teams:

Pierce Lawson:

- Narcissa, Beedrill

- Orion, Onix

- Cygnus, Kadabra

- Bellatrix, Gyarados (Shiny)

- Andromeda, Vaporeon

- Regulus, Meowth

Lillian Dale:

- Root, Ivysaur

- Talon, Spearow

- Gem, Geodude

- Star, Cleffa

- Cinder, Vulpix

Vermillion City XIX

[Robert Surge]

His eyes scanned the field as his pikachu tried and mostly failed to dodge the particularly aggressive beedrill.

Which was saying something, considering how hostile the entire line generally was.

He saw a few openings he could have used to help pikachu, admittedly. The fight could have been a lot more even, truly. But that’d require him to actually try. Besides, leaving him to his devices would teach the little Electric rat that being good at range only wasn’t a good idea. Just because it was a Challenge battle didn’t mean Robert couldn’t train his pokemon while he was at it, after all.

There was also the fact that he wanted to give more attention to their opponents too.

Or, more specifically what they were doing, because he’d gotten a bit of an inkling during the fight with the kadabra, sure, but after that he was certain something was going on. Sure enough, when he saw the man call for the beedrill to intercept their escape before Robert even gave his order, it was evident that something was afoot. If he hadn’t known any better thanks to Sabrina’s many reports, he’d have thought the man had used Psychic Arts.

However, going over the Challenge up to that point, Robert knew it was something else. And if he was right in his guess, then Lawson was just piling reasons for the League to keep eyes on him. First was his generally, almost definitively supernatural ability to interact with pokemon. Second was the Psychic talent that Sabrina said he had, even if he was just starting on that path. Third was what Lance had seen and suspected from back during the Wave Incident…

And now, this.

Admittedly, maybe the lesser of all of his peculiarities, but that was just because the other three were that crazy. After all, Robert hadn’t seen what he suspected since… ‘Since the war,’ he thought, keeping his expression neutral.

“Spark!” he called, almost halfheartedly. That particular fight had been over almost from the beginning, actually. Whatever Lawson had done – ‘Is this actually…?’ – between Saffron and Vermillion to change his fighting style, it had definitely worked. Robert almost wanted to take off the kid gloves, but it was a four badge Challenge. The League was already watching him like hawks for pushing challengers more than he ought to, according to them.

The last thing he wanted was to bring trouble on himself because he went too hard on the newest rising star.

Although, he was honestly too busy trying to confirm if his suspicions were correct, because if they were. Well, Lawson would be one to look out for in a whole new way. Not as an asset in desperate times or to handle pokemon issues, but as a trainer which was something decidedly not in his profile at that time. It could put the man right up there with the other three, Oak’s golden students.

So, Robert watched closely, giving orders almost like an afterthought. His focus was certainly helping him keep the battle at the level it was supposed to be, otherwise he’d have been liable to raise it just because of how exciting it was to come across someone surprising. Usually, the good challengers only came around his Gym at the end of the competitive year.

“Fury Attack,” he heard Lawson call and the man’s arm punched forward at the same time as his beedrill stabbed with her stinger. ‘It’s not,’ Robert decided, tilting his head, no less curious and intrigued. ‘But he might get there, the absolute menace,’ he added, a grin tugging at his lips. ‘You’ll have to work harder, Lawson.’

“Quick Away,” he ordered and he saw the twitch from Lawson. The man clearly realized that something was different, it shocked him out of whatever state he was in, at least a bit. He’d have to work on that. His loss, Robert’s win. “Forward,” he added right when their opponents made the adjustment, another surprise hit them when pikachu dashed closer instead of further. The little rat passed right under the beedrill before she could adjust her position and then- “Thunderbolt,” Robert ordered calmly, smiling faintly when he saw the electricity arc shoot right at the flying Bug.

“Drill Run,” Lawson called immediately, making an impressive recovery from that surprise. In the state he’d been in, a shock should have been even worse than it would normally be. However, he’d pulled through, which Robert could definitely respect. It was a good call too, considering pikachu himself was kind of getting his feet under him after that maneuver. The hit landed and he grinned.

“Pikachu is unable to continue,” the referee called and Robert simply nodded, recalling his young partner. ‘Maybe you’ll listen next time I tell you to practice more for close combat?’ he wondered to himself, but he wasn’t holding his breath for that. “Gym Leader Robert will release his last pokemon,” was the next announcement and he was already reaching for his pokeball.

Normally, he’d ride the suspense a little more, but he wanted to continue witnessing what Lawson was doing. He needed to make sure he got as much out of the challenge as he could and wasting time would just work against him. ‘You’re up now,’ he thought, releasing one of his electabuzz.

“Challenger Pierce, you can switch your pokemon now.”

“I’m switching,” Lawson said, once more, and Robert’s eyebrows shot up.

Sure, the beedrill had taken a not small amount of damage, but considering how in sync the two were, why would he switch pokemon then and there? That kind of threw a wrench in Robert’s plans. After all, he wanted to observe this odd coordination that Lawson was pulling off. If the man himself was giving up on it, well, that’d be a shame.

However, Robert’s interest doubled when he saw the onix appear. Or rather, when he noticed how, just as the stone serpent uncoiled and looked at his electabuzz, Lawson stretched in an eerily version of the same motion right behind it and at the same time. ‘That’s…’ That was even faster than with the kadabra and the beedrill. Was he getting better right in front of Robert’s face?

‘Absolute monster is really trying to achieve battle bonds without even knowing anything, isn’t he?’

[}-o-{]

[Pierce Lawson]

It was a shame to make Narcissa step back – ‘Or is it fly back?’ –, but Pierce would have found it difficult to face Orion if he didn’t allow the onix to fight at least once during the Challenge. The poor guy had been told repeatedly that he was the strongest card for that Gym. It wasn’t his fault that the battles had gone surprisingly well, all things considered, especially Narcissa’s.

“You ready?” he asked, but he already knew the answer. He grinned when he heard the affirmative growl and saw his onix nod. ‘Good, I can pull this off well enough,’ he noted to himself.

He’d been afraid that he might not be able to connect well with Orion, especially after having to cut off the synchronization with Narcissa so abruptly. It wasn’t the same, obviously, but he’d managed to switch mental gears well enough. ‘Now, just gotta figure out how Electabuzz fights,’ he thought, a little wary. Not only because of that, but also because Surge had kind of shifted how he fought at the end of the battle with Pikachu and it made him nervous.

What if he fought in a completely different way with Electabuzz? That’d screw over whatever-

“Start!”

“Storm’s Eye!”

“Low Kick,” Surge called and it made Pierce incredibly grateful for his own command. Because that was one move that he did not want Orion to get hit with. A Fighting move that dealt more damage the heavier the target was? For all Pierce knew, that shit could take out Orion in one hit, depending on how strong Electabuzz was. Granted, he doubted that would be the case, but it’d still make their chances lower dramatically if it landed.

So, having his onix turn the battlefield between himself and their opponent into sand was very lucky. ‘Close combat move right off the bat, Fighting type too,’ he noted to himself as Surge cancelled his previous call warily. Not knowing what Pierce and Orion were up to had him a little cautious, obviously. When he didn’t immediately call for a ranged attack, Pierce grinned. ‘Opposite of Pikachu? A close combat specialist, maybe to counter Narcissa in her own field and with a great move to use against Orion,’ he analyzed, feeling fairly good about his guess.

Right at that moment, as if to put the period at the end of his observation, Orion unleashed Twister over the now very sandy battlefield. The tornado turned the whole place into a mess that was difficult to see through for either Surge or Pierce. The pokemon inside could see better, but only just. They couldn’t pull off a proper Storm’s Eye yet, since his idea was to completely block the outside while leaving the inside clear, but it was still a usable combo, as far as Pierce was concerned.

“Dig!” he commanded.

Orion wouldn’t be able to go very far under the surface, at least not if they wanted to keep Storm’s Eye up. Still, Surge would have to adapt to the new approach, so that’d give them some wiggle room. Even if the Leader could deal with the new development, Electabuzz likely couldn’t. Pierce could see it in the glimpses he got from inside the storm. The way the Electric type glanced around, the way it moved, stiff and twitchy. It was nervous, uneasy.

And they could use that.

Orion came out of the ground with a roar, hitting the Electric type from the side.

“Bind!” he called then, because they couldn’t risk allowing Low Kick, not yet. They needed to buy themselves time, get some damage done. Any hit from that could decide the battle against them and Pierce wouldn’t allow that. Fortunately, Orion was one of his most flexible fighters. Most strategies would work with the onix.

So long as he didn’t receive too much damage, especially too quickly. Orion had been marked by what had happened to him during Pewter’s incident. He had problems when it came to receiving too much damage, feeling weak and broken. That was what they had to avoid. Granted, damage was unavoidable, but what Pierce had to avoid was Orion feeling like he was weak, helpless, and that was something manageable. Not easy, but doable.

“Throw him!” Pierce called then, anticipating-

“Brick Break!”

‘Definitely a close fighter,’ he confirmed to himself, a wry smile on his face. His reading had been accurate, and he was very proud of that. He was, however, decidedly less happy with the fact that his command seemed to have come too late, the Fighting move hitting Orion before he could get rid of the Electric type. Granted, it wasn’t as solid a hit as it could have been, but still. ‘It’s okay, not too much damage, just avoid it happening again.’

“Tomb!” he called, narrowing his eyes. Orion would want to keep his distance after that. Fortunately, they had options for that, if not ideal ones. “Rock Throw!”

“Quick Attack!”

‘More like Slow Attack,’ Pierce thought, grinning as he saw Electabuzz trying to power through the pseudo-quicksand with the Normal type move. To his credit, the pokemon managed a decent speed all things considered. It was just that it was nowhere near enough.

“Sideways,” Surge called and Pierce’s smile twitched as he saw their Rock attack miss by a hair. “Go for it!” ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ he wondered, but he couldn’t risk finding out, unfortunately. So, it was time to make a guess.

“Iron Tail!” When in doubt, try to get the enemy away. In this case, try to smack them away. Unfortunately, Electabuzz was just good enough to avoid the attack and then go for his own. ‘Low Kick, fuck,’ he cursed internally, taking a deep breath in immediately and trying to guess…

Orion would be shaken by that, more what the damage meant than what it actually did. He’d want to prove something and get rid of the danger. If he couldn’t, he’d crash. So, with all that in mind…

“Bind!” Pierce called, getting a roar from his pokemon that would have made the meanest gyarados in the school proud. Tellingly, the Twister keeping Storm’s Eye going grew stronger, more erratic and definitely more dangerous. The shine coating the stone serpent brighter than Pierce had ever seen it.

“Brick Break!” Surge commanded and the move was used effectively… or so Pierce assumed. The roar Orion let out sounded more painful, but he could hardly see much of anything other than the white light coming from his onix through the flying sand.

All the same…

“Come on, Orion!” was all he shouted at his pokemon, because there was no need for more. Orion didn’t need orders then and there. No, what he needed was motivation. “You’re not weak!” he told his pokemon and what followed that was another roar, just as loud as the previous ones.

Not long afterwards, the shine receded… and then Electabuzz was sent flying off to the side, through the storm and into a wall.

“Rock Throw!” Pierce called immediately. He’d thought Orion would just use Bind until either their opponent fell or he did, but that was actually better. “And keep it up!”

“Quick Attack,” Surge ordered and Pierce decided to change approach then and there.

“Dig!” If he was going to come for them, they’d meet him halfway. He’d hit Orion up close and personal, so they’d hit back just the same way. That would be cathartic, he was sure, the same way Bind had been before. Maybe then Orion would get back to normal.

That’s what Pierce hoped for as he watched the two pokemon clash, Electabuzz charging through Storm’s Eye and Orion jumping out of the ground. Both pokemon hit each other and Pierce narrowed his eyes as the sand around started settling. That meant his pokemon had let up… or had been rendered unconscious. With the field clearer, both Surge and him were now free to look at their pokemon properly for the first time in the whole match and…

“Electabuzz and Onix are unable to continue.”

“Yes,” he hissed under his breath, but the celebration was somewhat dampened by the fact that Orion was out too. All the same though, he knew the onix would be happy to have won, especially because that electabuzz was probably the strongest of the three they’d faced. Pierce was almost sure about that. “That wasn’t a normal fourth badge pokemon, was he?” he asked, for confirmation, as he recalled Orion and stepped into the field. The sand made it a little annoying, but he was used to worse out on the routes.

“On the upper end, yes,” Surge replied with a grin. “Well done,” the Leader added, extending his hand and passing him the Thunder Badge. ‘So much for such a small thing,’ he mused, fidgeting for a moment with the somewhat unassuming reward. “That was an interesting way of battling, by the way,” the man told him and Pierce blinked, before looking up.

“I guess,” he replied, a little self-conscious. “I’m just trying to find a way to play to my strengths. I’m good at understanding pokemon, so…” he explained simply, finishing with a very eloquent shrug.

“That so,” was all Surge said, but there was something in his expression that told Pierce there was plenty that he wasn’t sharing with him. Maybe he’d misunderstood something? He didn’t think so, but- “Well, I’d love to sit and chat, believe me, but I have work to do. Don’t be a stranger though, especially if you need anything with that project of yours,” the man added, looking almost annoyed at the prospect of having to continue with his job as a Leader. Pierce imagined it got like that at some point when you had to battle for most of your days.

“Well, we have decided on a place and have to get started on getting it ready-”

“Say no more, if you need people to help build or anything else, just send your manager my way and I’ll give her some contacts,” Surge reassured before he could even finish, punctuating that with a smack to Pierce’s back that almost knocked the air out of his lungs. “Good to see you doing well, Lawson.”

“Good to see you too, Lieutenant,” he replied with a half-smile.

Soon, he found himself walking towards the Gym’s exit, his eyes locked on his new badge. ‘Four badges, halfway there,’ he noted to himself, keenly aware of the other three badges, even if they were inside his backpack at the center. He didn’t know how to feel about the fact that he was a four badge trainer now.

It didn’t sound like much, not really. Didn’t feel like much. Yet, he knew, after so long being there, that each badge meant you were someone that was a bit more important. It meant you had power and that you were worth something. Because being a trainer, having a strong, effective team, involved more than just luck. It meant that you were that good, in a number of aspects, and the pokemon world’s culture acknowledged that.

‘Only gets harder from here though,’ he reminded himself, but he found himself strangely excited. Maybe he’d channeled his inner battle maniac to coordinate with his pokemon too much. After all, he knew that the next four Challenges would be much harder. The first four were the introductory period, not quite tutorial – that was the first badge – but like the first proper level in a game. In that analogy, the second half of the circuit was when the game truly tested you, no more kid’s gloves and no more soft approaches, if you’d somehow avoided those Leaders that used such in the first place.

And then, the Conference, the last stage, the ending.

Then, the Elites, the Champion, the optional, ridiculously hard bosses hidden after the end of the game.

‘... We can do this,’ Pierce thought.

[}-o-{]

“Can we do this?” Pierce asked.

“Yes, we can do this,” Grace reassured him. “I’ll get in contact with Surge after his Challenge hours. I have some names ready, but if you say he might offer us more reliable and maybe more affordable options, I’m gonna check them. So, yes, we can get the property now and get things started. You said we had to, didn’t you?” the platinum blonde told him, raising an eyebrow for good measure.

He knew what he’d told her, but still, it felt like a huge decision now that he had to actually take the step. He wasn’t changing his mind, but Pierce would admit that it was a little overwhelming to have the crossroads right in front of him. Alas, there were pokemon that needed help, that needed him to make the calls and do stuff.

So, Pierce would do it.

“Alright, go ahead. Just tell me what you need me to do. The sooner we can have those pokemon in a better place and give them some more freedom, the better,” he said, sighing and leaning back as he took a sip from his cup of coffee. “We’ll need to get a lot done once we have the place though,” he added, almost to himself. Because he knew that’d be the case. They’d need to start hiring people to refurbish the building, hire people to take care of the pokemon, hire people to run the place, purchase supplies, get a lot of paperwork done and other things that he probably didn’t even know about.

“On that note, I found some people for the team you offered to make,” Grace replied and he almost sighed in relief.

“That’s great, did you hire them already or are you still considering them?” he asked and that seemed to take the woman aback. “What?”

“I… I thought you’d want a say on who we hired,” she said slowly, as if she couldn’t comprehend why he’d have thought she’d hire them without his input. He just raised an eyebrow at her much like she had before. “What?” she mimicked, leaning back and looking mildly annoyed.

“They are going to work for you, you’re the leader of the team,” he pointed out and then shrugged. “Besides, you’re the one that knows what’s what on that side of things and I think you know how I work and what I look for too. So, the way I see it, whatever I say would barely be of any use, if at all. You can send me the papers though, if you want and I’ll look them over.”

“... I see…”

“Yeah, so go for it if you feel confident about them,” he said, taking a deep breath in. “Did you talk with the Sisters, by the way?”

“And my grandmother,” Grace answered with a nod, pushing some papers she had to the side. She looked like she was still processing what he’d told her though, her eyes unfocused and her words slow. “There should be no problem with your plan. A bit of a shame though, it’d have been fun to see you wearing some of those sponsor clothes.”

“Don’t even joke about it,” he groaned, but he was inordinately happy to hear the woman speaking freely and even teasing. That was very unlike the Grace he’d first met. “I’m so glad I won’t have to look at any of that as an option… hopefully,” he continued and he meant every word. Some of those outfits and pieces of clothing had been… questionable didn’t even come close.

Sure, they weren’t terrible, not really. Companies weren’t that dumb, after all. However, they were so blatant that it was jarring to even consider putting them on. Pierce imagined it’d have felt like being a walking advertising sign. Not something that he wanted to experience, at all.

“So, anything else we need to discuss?” he asked, taking another sip from his coffee.

“Still need to go over more of the staff applicants, first order of business is those that will run the place, however, and who’ll be in charge. By the way, I like your idea of having Misty be a stand in for you, but that’s only for the pokemon care side. You’ll need someone with actual administration skills,” Grace said, going through her endless supply of paperwork. Pierce wondered how she managed to find anything, because just from what he saw through the screen, there was a veritable mountain of sheets on her desk. “I’ll also have to contact the companies again to see if some of them change their mind now that you have four badges-”

He almost asked about that, but he knew better by then. They really might change their minds because of that alone. He wasn’t too sure how the thought process went, but according to Grace it demonstrated that he was capable beyond his main talents. He just thought it was an oddity of the pokemon world and its peculiar culture.

All the same, it had been one of the reasons why he’d rushed his Challenge a little.

“-, but I think I’ll put that off for now. Especially with those that gave very bad offers,” Grace said and there he saw a dangerous glint in her eyes through the screen. Pierce already feared what the woman could do if she wanted to, but he did doubly so at that moment. “They’ll keep doing the same if we don’t do anything.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” he replied, considering that and picking up his list of job applications to go through it. “Now, before I die a little more on the inside,” he added dramatically, getting a roll of the woman’s eyes in response. “Do you know how things are looking for my idea? How many times would I have to do it to make the money we need and all that?” he asked and Grace nodded, reaching for yet another piece of paper.

It wasn’t the celebration of victory he’d have wanted, but he could have that with his pokemon once they were checked and healed. For the moment, he had stuff to get done. It was better to use his time productively rather than just sitting around and waiting.

“So, I think we’ll have a better idea once you do the first one, but one thing I know is that it’ll be a lot more profitable. It’s been a while and your fame has grown a lot since your last show, after all, so-”

[} Chapter End {]

Hey guys! How’s it going?

And that’s that for the challenge against Surge. Sure, I could talk about a thing or two here and there, but I don’t want to inadvertently spoil something. It’s why I’m always kind of reluctant to write much in author notes other than my insecurities and such. I feel like story stuff should be left for the story, I guess.

There’s also a bit more progress with the sanctuary too and Pierce’s idea to get funds is revealed too. I feel like someone should have mentioned that at some point, but I don’t remember if anyone did. All the same, there’s that too.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Discord Link: discord.gg/UTDransjJZ

Random Question: Not sure if I’ve asked this before, but is there any fandom you’d like to see me write a story for? Can even be a fandom I’m already writing for or have already written for. I’ve been thinking a lot about what I’ll replace whatever story I finish first from the three I have going now, for some reason. I don’t know why, considering none of them seem even close to ending.

See you.