Weathering The Storm... (A Pokemon OC Story)

Chapter 93: Riding the Waves of Battle!

The lights flickered dimly above as Lucas walked forward into the arena with a bright smile on his face and a plan in his head. He'd thought about it for a very long time. That week spent in a hospital bed had given him quite a while to think about the battle ahead of him. Everything from the different Pokémon he could use, to the different moves that he and Brawly could both use against each other. Everything had been studied. So, when he stood proudly on the battlefield, he knew he was prepared for the battle ahead. He did end up making a switch to his choice of Pokémon ultimately, though he believed it was the best choice despite wanting to tough it out with his original team. It would be for the best. Brawly stepped forward as Lucas approached, crying out,

"Greetings challenger! I am Brawly of Dewford Town. I've battled through the harshest waves and through the depths of Granite Cave to make my Pokémon strong enough to break through any team! If you think you've got what it takes to break through, then show me all your strength!"

Lucas had heard it all before, but the energy that Brawly had was nothing short of contagious. Lucas' drive to win was only exemplified as he shouted,

"Let's make this a battle to remember then! Vibrava, I choose you!"

Vibrava soared out of the Pokeball, looping high in the air before landing smoothly on the ground, hovering just slightly above the ground with the sound of its wings vibrating echoing ever so slightly around the room. Brawly tensed his muscles as he selected his first Pokémon, pulling his arm back and then launching the Pokeball across the battlefield,

"Machoke, let's do this!"

The Pokeball split open as Machoke skidded across the ground, landing in the centre of the battlefield as it flexed its muscles. The referee looked to both sides, noting a deep fire in both of their eyes.

"Battle begin!"

"Mud Slap, let's go!", Lucas called out instantly, not giving Brawly even a single chance to think. Vibrava dug its wing into the ground, spewing out mud straight at Machoke, then spinning around to its other wing and repeating the process. Normally the attacks would be slow enough to dodge just on reaction. But, the momentum from the spin carried in Vibrava's thrust through the ground, throwing the mud so fast Machoke could barely see it coming. Machoke put up its arms, blocking the first few attacks but finding its defence being overwhelmed by the sheer speed of the blasts. Machoke's arms were blown away and it was smacked in the head by a blast of mud, being sent back. But, before another could land, Machoke quickly rolled away. Then, it continued to slide just out of the way, fading back as far as it possibly could. Then, once it was comfortably out of Vibrava's range, Brawly yelled,

"Alright, Bulk Up, let's go!"

Machoke tensed up its muscles, rippling as they grew stronger at every point in its body. Then, it smacked its fist against the palm of its hand, the sound of impact echoing throughout the entirety of the gym. Lucas knew that one wrong move against Machoke would be a bad time for Vibrava, now more than ever. Lucas knew he'd have to be more careful now, but was prepared to keep Machoke away. He looked to Vibrava, telling the Dragonfly Pokémon,

"Get closer to Machoke at a range where you can hit it with Mud Slap."

Vibrava nodded and swiftly flew through the air, slicing its wings into the Earth and sending huge swads of mud flying at Machoke. Machoke put up its arms again, and Lucas quickly found out that its larger muscles weren't just there for strength, they were there to make it more endurant to attacks. Even as Vibrava picked up the momentum in every slice of its wings, Machoke's guard held strong. Brawly clenched his fist as he yelled,

"Alright, start making some ground while keeping your guard up!"

Machoke stomped the floor with a passion, letting out a mighty roar as it took slow and steady steps through the battlefield, letting the mud fly past as it blocked the constant attacks. Then, finally, it had Vibrava in its sights. Lucas quickly yelled,