Chapter 3
Aaannnd done! All the paperwork is in place, and that Espurr you found is now officially yours!
Took you long enough. Thanks for letting me train her while we wait though.
Yeah, about that...are you sure it is wise to leave your Pokemon team unsupervised?
They know what they're doing. I'm sure that they're fine.
...
Oww!!
THWACK!
Ester! You okay?
I-I'm okay. Thank you.
Look out, T. You shouldn't be so eager to try and take out a flying-type on your own, you know?
Yes, Terran. Please leave the Spearows and Combees to me and Gorne. We are much better equipped to defeat them.
O-okay. Sorry.
P-psst.
What's wrong, Ester? What's that in your hand?
I-I found this near a Cherubi I defeated...Back in the nice old man's garden. I want you to keep it. A-as thanks....
Aww...I love it! Thanks, Ester!
R-really? I'm glad!
Glad about what?
Eden! You're back!
Did things go well?
Yup. I got the paperwork done. Seems that Ester's last trainer has a record of abusing his Pokemon already. Humans like him shouldn't be allowed anywhere near Pokemon for the rest of their lives if you ask me...I'm glad that you can smile so brightly again here, Ester.
Mhm! I have a new best friend now!
B-best friend? Me?
A-are we not best friends?
N-no! Of course we're best friends! I was just surprised...
Yay! Friend!!
Woah!
*Snicker* Don't cling on him too tightly, Ester. He might tip over, and it'll be hard for a turtwig like him to get back up.
Alright, let's see how your training went.
Without knowing beforehand if I can easily get Sunny Day for Cherren, I opted to focus his training entirely on Speed and not commit to the attacking stats yet. He doesn't have any good damaging moves anyway.
Gorne, Kay and Zena, predictably, focused entirely on Speed and Attack. Zena has a pretty bad IV pool and nature for me to work with, but with this, she should be able to pose a solid threat with Headbutt.
Terran focused on Attack and HP. A Torterra isn't going to outspeed anything anytime soon, so the least I could do is to make sure he stays alive while going second. Luckily, he has solid defensive IVs, which kinda makes up for his horrid attack IV and Nature. By the way, this screenshot was before I gave him the Miracle Seed Ester plundered from a Cherubi, which is why he still has the Rose Incense a random NPC gave me.
Finally, I had Ester fight Cherubis and Sunkerns in the old man's garden before moving her to Spearows and Combees to raise her Special Attack and Speed. Sassy Nature is kinda negated by her high Speed IV, and her Special Attack IV is nothing to scoff at either.
Nice job, everyone. The city's still locked down, but why don't we take a break here?
Ooh, I wanna check out that huge building over there!
I wouldn't recommend it. Large abandoned buildings is usually a place for...
What do you know about the--
*Sigh* Trouble. What's going on here?
❗ Hey! Back off! Unless you're with this loser--
E-Excuse me!
Get back here! ... ...Tch. Faster than he looks.
What's your problem anyway?
My problem? What's your problem? You with that guy? In cahoots? Cuz I don't think you know who you're messing with.
I've met plenty of people who used that phrase. Usually I don't know who I'm messing with because they aren't worth knowing about.
So, you think you're a smartass, huh? Name's Fern. I'm the cool cat, the top dog.
I did not ask. What kind of name is "Fern" anyway?
Hmph, you seem like the clueless type, so I'll spell it out nice and clear for ya. I don't appreciate you interfering with my business. As the one sitting at the top of the social hierarchy, it's--
I'm gonna have to stop you right there.
What?
Top dog? Social hierarchy? What are you, 12?
You--! I won't sit here and take insults from a lowlife loser who comes along bumbling into my way and f*cking everything up! That was the culprit responsible for the accident at Grandview Station, no mistake!
What?! Why are you wasting your time insulting me here instead of going after him then?
Says the one who let him get away in the first place! I bet you're actually one of them!
Oh yeah?! You couldn't even keep a lowly grunt in your sights with a distraction as minor as a "lowlife loser" like me! Seems like your own incompetence is what let him escape!
Oh, you crossed the line now! You better start taking notes!
Cuz you're about to get schooled! Budew, go!
Fine. Kay, you're up. Slice it up.
You got it! That's one~! *Cough* Ugh, got pricked by one of its poison thorns.
You good?
It's fine~ Cuz that's two~!
Tsk. Rowlet, go!
Zena, your turn. Headbutt!
Of course.
Hang in there, Rowlet! Confuse Ray!
Zena, can you still fight?
Why, of course! Mental discipline should always be at the forefront of one's training.
For if you know not where to point your blade, it matters not how much you've sharpened it. Understood, Eren?
Eden.
That's what I said.
You clearly won't be in condition to fight for a bit. Switch out. Terran, finish it.
Sandile, you're my last chance!
Go Terran! You can do it!
Oho, look at that, Terran! You got a new fan.
I hope you aspire to be a good role model for her~
Don't tease me, you two...
Yay! Terran won!
What are we? Chopped liver?
Kay, please refrain from allowing jealousy to interfere with our work. It is only natural for a child like her to imprint on someone she looks up to early on.
I know, I know. I was just kidding.
*Pfft* Ha! Way to get lucky.
Sore loser much?
Whatever. I don't have time for this. I gotta go find that guy and cover for your mistake now.
Ha! I bet I'm the one that's gonna need to cover for your mistake. I still owe those assholes for almost blowing me up.
No need. While you two were busy horsing around, I already caught the perp. Reborn City Official Inspector, at your service. You all can move along now.
Bullsh*t! That's it?! Just "move along"?
There's no way that the main perp would be cornered by some kid like him!
She's one of them too, I bet! She helped him escape just now!
If you don't have proof, I must ask you to refrain from making accusations like that.
No! You're going to sweep this under the rug like the rest of the shady businesses that;s been going down here! Everyone knows that the police doesn't do a damn thing!
As much as I hate to say it, he's right. You can't just wrap things up like this!
Tsk tsk tsk. Children like you should learn to listen before you speak. Torkoal and I already took the liberty of having a little chat with our perp. The culprit's in custody, and we'll be arranging a raid on their little gang's hideout just as soon as the paperwork clears. I'm afraid that there's no room for kids like you to be playing vigilante. You should go home before anyone gets hurt.
Where's this hideout?
Classified info, pipsqueak. Obviously I'm not going to leak info about a nearby criminal den to whelps like you. Ask your mommy once it's on the news.
He just said it's nearby.
...and there's only one other building here big enough to serve an operation like blowing a train up.
Since it's not this building...
...it has to be the other one.
Obviously that "paperwork" is either going to take too long...
...or never be finished before they escape. This place reeks of corruption.
So I'm going to do something about it.
...and raze that place to the ground myself.
...
...
Stop finishing my sentences!!
Stop starting mine then!!
Here's what's gonna happen. I'm going in there to take them out, and you're coming with me! I need to keep an eye on you!
Funny. I was planning on going there myself even if you turn out to be too chicken to do so!
FINE!
FINE!
I'll see you there! Don't you dare be late!
Don't you dare chickening out! ... ...gods. I thought he'd never leave.
Sheesh. You two fight like you've hated each other for years. You sure this is the first time you've met him?
Yeah. Something about that asshole just gets on my nerves. Come on, we got a base to demolish.
You actually came. Got orders from your leader to stay deep undercover?
I just had to restock on supplies. Planning ahead, ever heard of that term?
Hmph. This place is shut tight, but that figures.
So we'll have to find another way in.
FLASHBANG ENTRANCE!! ✨✨✨✨✨
What the--!
MY EYES!!
Gooooo, Electrode!!💥💥💥
KA-BOOOOOOM!!!
ARE YOU--
--f*ckING INSANE??!
Where did you even come from?!
Ask your sister to tell you when you get older~! 😏😉
I'd rather not, thank you.
That's his sister? They look very similar.
What are you two doing here exactly?
Stopping the bad guys, duh!
Recent police intelligence suggests multiple large-scale destructive operations are being coordinated from within the given industrial facility.
Why is she talking like...that?
*Sigh*. Florinia here is allergic to words less than three syllables.
No such allergen exists. This speaker simply understands the importance of maximizing precision and efficiency of language through whatever vernacular is deemed most efficacious.
Like I said. Some people call her Flobot cuz of that.
I feel like speaking like that is a lot less efficient than just saying "I'm a snob that likes using words no one understands.".
That was not what this speaker intended to convey with the previous statement.
Me giving a f*ck wasn't what I intended to convey either, and yet here we are.
Hey! Don't bully Rini! It's as she said, we got a report saying a group here is plotting to blow more stuff up than just Grandview Station. Like the Gym! MY Gym! The only one that gets to blow up my Gym is me!!!
So I was on the money...
...they really are hiding out here.
As it happens, we're here to clean up the police's mess too.
Well, and this kid's/Eden's. My
Despite traditionally "good" intentions, breaking and entering property without proper warrant and procedure remains punishable by law.
Hey, Flobot. You ever heard of this thing? It's called "not being a wet blanket"?
Rini is right! As average citizens, you could get in serious trouble for trying to barge in on private property unnauthorized!
...Luckily, we're both Gym Leaders, so consider yourselves authorized! Now let's get in there and get to business!
According to super top secret ultra ninja intel, this building belongs to a group called "Team Meteor"! ☄️🪨
Why do they always call themselves teams?
I know, right?! Isn't that just broadcasting to the world that they're bad news? Duh-doy~
But they're totally the same ones that blew up Grandview Station! And if we don't get in there and boom their faces off, they're gonna cause havoc! A practice I normally approve of, but not like this... 💥💥
Sooooo, all troops, move out!
Leave it to the electric leader to steal our thunder.
There's no way they're taking us seriously.
They plan on using us as bait and distraction while they fight the real enemies.
Can't be helped. Anyone with a position of authority always thinks that they're above everyone else.
But I'll prove them wrong.
I'll be the one to find the one responsible...
And kick his ass. Let's go, then...
...just don't slow me down. The observed wine hue is indicative of exorbitant levels of pollutants. Estimated toxicity: 90+%. So they're polluting the lake as well as committing arson. Either way, they're still the bad guys. We gonna do something about it, or are we just gonna stand here snivelling? Rather than a source of active pollution, this facility appears to be collecting data on the water, and--
Data purge suspected. Hypothesis: Facility operatives have begun procedural deactivation of non-critical systems to avoid divulging gathered data and information. Then let's stop twiddling our thumbs and get moving already.
We don't exactly have the privilege of stealth after a someone decided that blowing open the front door was a good idea.
What, am I just supposed to NOT blow things up?! Don't be rid-- 😩
YES! Do you have ANY idea what the mortality rates of Voltorbs and Electrodes are when they use Explosion?! NOT LOW!
*Pff*. If they didn't want to explode, why can they do it in the first place? They appear all the time in the power plant anyway, so I never run out!
You--!
Enough.
...
The path diverges ahead. The most efficient course of motion through the facility for thorough investigation and reclamation of the property necessitates a similar bisection of the party.
Then I'm going with you! No way I'm getting stuck with that meanie Eden! Let's go! 😛
Proceed with caution.
I always do, sis.
You were not the intended recipent of my previous statement. Permission for you to be life-endangeringly reckless: Granted.
...
Has your sister ever learnt to speak in English?
Beats me. As you can see, she didn't get enough hugs growing up. Not my problem.
...it's not my problem, but--
You're right. It's not. Let's move.
...yes. Let's.
I know they say you should knock before you enter, but I don't think they quite meant for you to knock the entire door in! Kind of you to announce your calling though-- Not that it was entirely necessary when we already got a tip that the police had just found this place--
See? Corruption.
Want an award for that deduction, Detective Pikachu?
--But kind nonetheless! Boop! Data was released to the wild. Bye-bye data!
Wait a second. OHHHH I get the joke now.
First rate agent, statistician, systemic admin, master magician--
One of them is not like the other...
And professional dead end to meandering little vagrants like yourselves! In the first place, you should know that I'm more steamed than a sauna that we have to go around dumping all this carefully-collected information! I mean, sure, it will be on the network--Who doesn't use cloud storage these days? But still, it FEELS bad! How could you do this to me? And there's so much to go through and delete! These file transfers say it's two hours remaining! Wait, two minutes! Nope, three hours! Who knows how long it'll take? So if you'll just stay there in place, stand right there, exactly like you're doing now, we'd be much obliged.
You-- You're braindead if you think that we won't stop you!
You'll certainly try. Grunts! What an unfortunate name, by the way. Isn't that disrespectful? But if you wanted to be called something else, you should've been better, Anyway-- Little grunts, please slow our guests down! Buy me enough time and I'll buy your wages another day!
Oh you are going to get it!
Calm down.
Let go of me! I'll clock that co*cky bastard right in the face!
She's far from co*cky. Notice what she said to the grunts. "Slow our guests down", not "Defeat them". She doesn't think that they can take us on. Despite her words, she isn't underestimating us.
...tsk. Fine. There's an elevator over there, let's use it.
...password locked. But knowing these "teams"...
...most of these grunts probably can't remember the password for the life of them.
And they'll probably have it recorded somewhere. Come on...
...it's time to beat some small fries up.
We won't let you pass!
Don't count on it.
Terran! I defeated a bad guy!
Nice job, Ester! Keep it up! O-on second thought--
Don't risk it, Ester. Switch with Zena.
Don't worry, I'll cover for ya.
Budew, Stun Spore!
Let's take it out!
My thanks for your assist.
Ain't nothing, mate.
U-umm...yes.
I gotta heal them both up...think you can stay here while I head to the Center?
No need to waste your time, I got tons of potions. Sis' Gym always has surplus.
Thanks. Is it okay to use stuff from a Gym, though?
It's only the normal varieties, so I doubt that sis gives a damn. As long as it isn't something "efficient", she doesn't care.
She deems you efficient?
No shot. A four-part password stored separately. Of course.
Let's go find the others. You and your sister don't talk much then?
Hardly. I don't think she cares much about me.
I disagree.
What are you, some kind of home therapist now? You just heard her say that I have permission to be "life-endangeringly reckless".
You only say something like that to someone you hate or someone you love. Definitely not someone you don't care about.
You have a weird definition of "love".
Maybe. I'm probably the last person you should ask about something like this, to be honest.
I just don't think you can chalk up what she said to you as just indifference.
Again, this is none of my business, but... Maybe try talking to her? I'm no master of communication. I don't know if there's any reason to be quiet when you don't like something, or to pretend not to love someone when you do.
You're...one of the lucky ones. All I'm trying to say is...don't waste that luck.
...whatever. We have the full password now, right? Can we get on the elevator and kick some ass already?
Gladly.
Boop.
...
SNAP!!
Sorry, little wannabes! I'm afraid that the power has been cut on your little hit-and-run operation! The 'trapped-in-a-box' trick gets them every time!
Kay? Terran? Zena?
KLANG! BANG!!
Sorry, boss. It looks like the metals too strong for me to cut through~
Terran and I are also unable to make a dent on its surface.
Give it up! This elevator is specially reinforced to prevent accidents! So just be good little fledglings and stay put there until the show's done and we've dealt with your Gym Leader friends, will you?
Like hell we will!!
Oh--well, that's awkward, because, you see-- You don't actually have a choice in the matter? It was one of those rhetorical questions, you know? Don't worry, little one. You'll figure those out eventually.
Does she ever get tired of her own voice?
Actually, here's an idea! You two are obviously strapping young trainers with a sense of justice and urgency. I know you just got here and this offer usually comes closer to the climax, but let's just get it out of the way now! Would you consider joining us?
...what?
What?!
Our methods might not be popular--and that's kind of the point, you know? But I promise you this, little heroes, we're the ones looking out for this region. We come with great insurance and a family plan! Give it a think, yeah?
Let us out of here and I'll tell you exactly what I think!
Do you have dental?
Gah! I knew that you're with them!!
Kidding, kidding. You have a weird way of "looking out for this region" if it involves blowing up one of their train stations.
Hmm~ I'll come back and check on you once we're all cleaned up, so until then, just stew on my offer a bit long--!
BOOOOOOOM!!!
Ugh, there's Julia.
Agent! The front wing has been destroyed! The Gym Leaders are coming up!
Tch. Just when we'd gotten a break. I suppose I'll deal with it myself. Hang tight, you two!
Bzzt
The lights are back...
Elevator power restored.
Uh, no you just did not! That's MY security station, woman! Drat!
I guess Flobot can be good for something occasionally.
Let's get out of here before they lock us in again.
One, I could take. Two's a fair bout. But three's a whole crowd~ And four is right out! Consider this a tactical, if temporary, retreat! The commander will have further orders, I'm sure.
Oh no you don't--
--Get back here!!
TTFTT-- Ta-ta for the time!
Ha!
Coward...
Meteor Headquarters confirmed beyond gate.
Then it's just a matter of opening it up! I'm sure an Electrode could blow this up, but I've run out of them already!! I gotta catch more when I get back to the Gym~! 😩
This facility's digital security system appears sub-standard. The primary firewalls have been accessed. Only a secondary one remains. A brute force attack should suffice. Please hold.
Brute force? Rini, I don't think we're gonna be able to punch through the door!
Buuuuut, they were responsible for blowing up the station and they were planning to hit my Gym too, right? I bet they'd let us borrow their boomies if we asked really nicely!
And maybe punch them in the face! 👊👊
And then asked nicely again!
If we can get those, I can get us past here no problem-o! Eden, Fern, think you two can find where they keep the explosives?
Julia, when Flobot said that she'll do a brute force attack, she doesn't mean--
Sure. Whatever.
Huh?
Come on. Let's just move.
...yeah. Let's.
...
...we're gonna have to do the whole thing again, don't we?
We have to do the whole thing again.
f*ck's sake.
...hey, Ed--
Hey Eden, are you okay?
What?
Why wouldn't I be?
Well, when Julia was talking, you were gripping your fist so hard that I'm pretty sure you were trying to cut your own flesh with your fingernails.
...no I wasn't.
*Pfft* Yeah, sure you weren't.
Why do you care anyway? I'm just a lowlife loser.
I admit, you've proven to be slightly more competent than I expected.
I would rather not have you distracted by pointless things while we fight these goons. You might end up dragging me down more than you already are.
POINTLESS THINGS?? Did you hear her?! She just said that it was completely fine that she forced her Pokemon to kill themselves for no reason at all!!
She was ready to catch more and more just to replace the ones that died so they can die too!! How could someone like her become a Gym Leader?!
...yeah. She's f*cking unhinged.
That doesn't even begin to cover it.
You...really love Pokemon, don't you?
It's no so much I "love" them as I treat them like living beings.
...
...thanks. I needed to get that out of my system.
Well, feel honoured that one of the top dogs in this region decided to hear your problems out.
Truly, I am unworthy of your presence sir...what was your name?
You forgot?! It's Fern!
Fern...that's a stupid ass name.
I am so kicking your ass when we get out of here.
Come on, there's one more number we need to find.
I never found the last number. I still have no idea where the computer for it is. So I just brute-forced the last number, just like Florinia was doing for the firewall.
Finally.
We should've done this a long time ago. I told you.
You didn't say sh*t, grass boy.
Ugh, let's just get the explosives and go.
BOOMIES! 🤩🤩🤩 Beautiful, bombastic boomies! Ooo, Verdignite! This stuff is fun! 😈
You know the specific type of explosive?
Maniac.
Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, obviously! It's named for it's green color, but it's unique cuz--
You know what?
I don't care.
Just do your job already.
Okay, let's do this!
...all set up. Now, three! Two! Kaaaaaaa.... ...huh?
Secondary firewall overriden in line with secondary security failure. Access granted.
But the--
BOOOM!!
...well, okay. Not that there was nothing to even blow up anymore, buuuuut I'll take it!
Your penchant for wanton destruction remains decidedly superflous.
You're right! It IS super! And now we charge ever forward! Goooooooooooooooo Team!
...indeed.
How is she not arrested yet?
Beats me. Let's get a move on.
And if I am?
We're gonna blow your face off for what you did to Grandview Station!
Amusing. Tell me, what power do you think you have to do so? Two among you are Leaders of the league, sure. A considerable obstacle, yet hardly much concern. Two others, mere smoke in the wind.
For someone so confident in himself...
...you sure are doing a lot of stalling.
Hmph. Such arrogance. We are Team Meteor. Though few know it, we are keepers of the history. Shepherds of the region.
Some "shepherds" you are.
We kicked your whole based in already!
Pat yourself on the back as much as you'd like, but we never had any reason to stop you. Like a toddler who will kick, scream, and cry themselves to eventual sleep, you've been allowed to do as you pleased. Our purpose here was forfeit already. Your city has been watched for quite some time. If it exists, we probably knew about it! And just like that, everthing is off the system!
We've got metrics on everything from water quality to Pokemon population and the lives of the people!
We made the mistake of overestimating your little raiding party. Time was ample. And I grow tired of this dalliance. Aster. Eclipse. Deal with the small fries.
Damn.
What?
These two have names.
sh*t, we might actually need to use real moves this time.
Your confidence seems to be in ample supply, let us see if you can back it up with action. Ace?
You and me on the Leaders? Consider the deck stacked!
We'll deal with these small fry real quick.
Won't take more than a minute. Cherren?
Aye aye, boss!
Huh...a bit stronger than I expected. Can't your Turtwig deal with these two easy?
Maybe...but I don't want to risk switching him into a big attack. Cherren, leech the one on the right.
These two are way stronger than I expected. Luckily, Cherren should be able to tank a few hits with Daylight and Leech Seed...
Uh huh...that's a lot more damage than I expected...not good...
NOT GOOD! NOT GOOD!! ABORT! ABORT! THIS ABSOLUTE f*ckER HAS A FIRE FANG ROCKRUFF! THEY USE EGG MOVES IN THIS GAME??
The Budew did get the last laugh with Poison Point, though.
Crap! Budew, switch out!
You too, Cherren. Staying in is a death wish. Gorne?
You got it! Barely felt that.
Now for payback time! Time to finish them off?
You take the left one and I take the right?
Deal.
One down...
Two down. You're not half bad, friend.
Ditto to you.
Can't you incompetent grunts do anything right? These two aren't so tough, but the four of you together... Well, it was an amusing diversion. Ace.
One smokescreen evacuation coming right up, Commander! The disappearing act is a staple of any magician~ Now you see us~
Oh no you don't!!
Do not make the mistake of believing you've won. You will be remembered, enemies of the region.
...are they gone?
Affirmative.
Cowards.
We sent them packing with their tails between their legs!
Great job, team! You too, Electrode, return! Now let's see...
...what are you doing?
Got it! You all should start running now!
Huh? What did you do now?!
Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa--
OH sh*t!
YOU ABSOLUTE PSYCHO!
Evacuation of the premise is advised.
NO sh*t!
...
Uh huh. If you're done with your pyrotechnics, I'm out of here. I can't just stand around all day while there's still stuff to be done.
I hope you don't break your arm lifting above your weight level, plant boy.
I hope you break both of them. Peace!
... What to sour the mood! That was a perfectly good victory! 😔
"Souring the mood" remains one of his few veritable competencies.
...well, I'm off too. Training for the whole league challenge and...stuff.
Before you depart, Eden. Have you observed terrain-variant effects during that operation?
No?
More commonly known as Field Effects, certain environments may influence or alter various Pokemon or attacks. The building had an Electric Terrain, due to the power of the machinery increasing the power of nearby electric type attacks.
I guess I didn't notice since I didn't have an electric type. Is this leading somewhere or...?
This speaker has created an application to catalogue these effects. Please allow the beta version to be installed into your Pokegear for further data collection.
Sure. Thanks, I guess.
Currently, only the data on the Electric Terrain is stored in the device. Please--
Wait, electric terrain? Rini, that's for MY Gym! Are you trying to give Eden a lead on me? 🥺🥺
You have an advantage on the field in your Gym? Seems unfair.
Most Gyms possess similar features. It will be beneficial for you to learn how to negate them or turn them to your advantage. This speaker will report today's activities to the local authorities before leaving for the Obsidia Ward. Farewell.
And I gotta head back to my Gym! See ya later Eden!
Yeah...See you...
...
Eden?
Oh, Zena. You done with your training?
Yes. What Victoria told you was true, that man with an inexplicable amounts of xp candy is happy to battle us however much we desire.
Good. Good...
What seems to be troubling you?
Well...it's this. Gorne can eat electric attacks no problem, but it would be a problem if she decides to pull her exploding bullsh*t in battle. I'm confident that Terran and Ester can survive the blast if need be, but if it's boosted by the terrain....
I see...May I propose a solution?
I'm all ears.
Why the f*ck do we have to blow up the doors to your gym?!
Cuz it's more fun that way, duh.
One of those voltorbs almost DIED!!
It's okay! More will appear later! 🧠 🧠
You know what? No. Spare me the chit-chat. I'm kicking your ass right here and right now!
That's the spirit! Go Minun! ⚡⚡
Zena, take the stage.
That random NPC wasn't kidding when they said that all the Gym Leaders had full teams. This is gonna be tough.
Even worse, the battlefied is electric terrain, so she's going to be throwing out explosions and electric type moves with extra power.
Unfortunately for her, I have Zena, and Zigzagoons learn an often ignored move at level 17 that became crucial for this battle.
Zena! Do it!
Hey! No fair! Now my electric terrain is gone! 😔
On the contrary, now the battle is fair. Zena, use-- ...fine. Zena, switch.
Minun, Charge Beam!!
Gorne?
Mmm~ Delicious! Thank you for the meal!
Oricorio! Head in and dance to the beat!
Don't worry, boss! I can take her out in three turns, tops!
ARGH!!
Oh no.
Oh no.
Ester, do you think you can eat two of those?
Y-yes!
...Gorne, switch.
Be careful!
I will!
O-oww...I-I can do this!
Yes!
Nice job, Ester!
Yeah. Switch out with Terran. I need to heal Gorne up.
...why did I get a weird sense of foreboding?
Ah. It's because this bitch who runs the first gym in the game has Sonic Boom. Of course she does. Luckily, Terran has just enough HP to tank three of these...
Terran! Are you okay?
A-A bit busted up. B-but I'm okay.
Most of the team is busted up, and Kay has no shot of surviving an Explosion, so I sent Zena out to hopefully get some heals in.
You good, Gorne?
Yeah, thanks for the heal!
Voltorb, Sonic Boom!! 🔊📢
Ugh--
Unlike Terran, there's absolutely no way Zena is surviving Explosion with 26HP, so I swapped her out with Cherren, but this presented me with another problem.
After healing Gorne again, Cherren will be left at 7 HP after a Sonic Boom. Now, I can just switch Cherren out, but without any good answer to Sonic Boom, I will be doing this dance for a while, not to mention the amount of potions I do not have. After some serious consideration, I made my choice.
Cherren, you okay?
I'm okay, Eden! Just heal the rest of the party!
At least heal yourself first! Or else you'll--
Cherren!!
Cherren!!
Yup, I sacked Cherren. Was this death avoidable? Probably. But it also would've come at a high risk of a different death because of Julia's Pokemon's Speed and Explosion. All things considered, sacrificing Cherren felt like my best move, and I had Terran already, so it wasn't too bad.
Now you've gone and done it!
Ugh...And stay down!
That was a nasty aftermath, Gorne. Kay, think you can take down the Plusle?
Already ahead of you.
Nothing personal~ But your friend killed my friend, so~
E...Eden? I want to finish this.
Be careful!
Yeah, take a potion first.
Thanks.
I don't want anyone else to get hurt... Not anymore.
...that's all 6 of them.
...
Just give me the damn badge so we can move on our separate ways.
Fine. Have this whatchamacolit badge.
First badge obtained. It took someone dying to get it, but a win is a win.
Oh, and as per league rules, I hafta give you this.
I was half-expecting her to give me the TM for Explosion, so consider me delightfully surprised. Charge Beam isn't the best electric move in the world, but it is a electric move, which should prove helpful even ignoring the Special Attack boost.
...
Shoo now! I need to take a nap.
...Cherren. I'll be honest. I forgot that you existed a lot of times. You might not be the most powerful Pokemon on the team, unhelped by the fact that you're a grass type which is what my starter is, you might have a horrible Special Attack IV, you might have no good moves in your moveset at all up until the day you died, but....
Umm...
I guess you had a pretty high speed stat.
Rest in peace, Cherren. You will be remembered. Probably.
Oh and give me back that Rose Incense.