Out Of The Ashes (A Pokémon Fanfiction) ~on Hold

chapter 21: we are totally winning this!

Chapter 21:
We are totally winning this!

"All right, then!" Brock shouted, smiling widely. "Geodude, you're on!"

The Pokemon grumbled its battle-readiness and levitated forward onto the field. Ash fingered the two shiny Pokeballs at his hip and thought. He didn't know what Pokemon Brock used as his second combatant. But he did know Geodude, enough that he was willing to save Tank from spending himself in the first fight. After all, if Tank had knocked it out easily enough yesterday, then Ash should be able to take it down with Shade as well.

"Okay, Shade," he said, and thumbed the release on the Gastly's Pokeball. "This one is yours."

The ghost/poison-type looked far too gleeful as it manifested from the red cloud.

"You can have the first move, Ash!" Brock yelled across the field. His arms were crossed confidently and Ash grinned. Battles up until this point had been easy, due to Tank's type advantages and Shade's craftiness. But now, this was a fight that would actually test how well Ash could command his Pokemon against an experienced expert. Now he would know if his wins up until this point had been luck or actual skill.

"Night Shade!" he ordered. The special attack had a complete advantage over the Geodude, whose moves were primarily for close-combat. In addition, Geodude's signature move Defense Curl would be useless, because Shade wasn't inflicting physical pain. Night Shade was all mental.

Shade's eyes swirled and pulsed with eerier power. His fanged grin widened until it revealed the red insides of his mouth, very much resembling a bloody gash in the midst of the gas mixture. Brock recoiled in surprise. Perhaps he hadn't been expecting the Gastly to be strong or old enough to know the move. It was the single instance where Shade's previous master had done Ash any favors.

"Rollout!" Brock shouted quickly, but Geodude was too slow. Its squinty eyes filmed over in horror as an unimaginable terror appeared before it, an illusion crafted by the gleeful Gastly. Short, squealing grunts began tearing from its mouth as it wobbled and swayed. In its frenzy, it beat itself over the head multiple times. Tiny rock fragments rained down from the blows.

"Snap out of it!" Brock ordered, but it was as if Geodude couldn't hear. Shade began lazily sailing in circles around the helpless Pokemon, giggling softly. Though his body was made of gas, his cloud generally hovered around four-and-half feet in height and width. Compared to the foot-tall Geodude, the contrast seemed mockingly strange. It was a chilling sight, and Ash was suddenly thankful that Shade was on his team.

"Geodude, listen to me. Whatever you're seeing is not real. We're in a battle. Can you hear me?" Brock urged, but his tone was different, more collected and soothing than before. Ash frowned as the Geodude actually faltered and blinked dazedly, brought out of its fugue by its trainer's gentle voice. Was this what Brock had meant in his whole speech about stability? Remaining steady and focused under pressure?

"Lick," Ash said. Shade rushed in like a shadow and suddenly an enormous pink tongue lolled out and lathed over the Geodude's entire body in one upward swipe. Geodude shuddered as it was draped in strings of saliva. It had been weakened by its frenzy during Night Shade and, by unknowingly beating itself, had exposed chips in its body. The toxin in Shade's saliva acted that much quicker for it.

Geodude managed one weak jerk towards Shade, as though trying to perform Rollout, but it could not hold itself aloft. It crashed to the ground and stayed there in an unconscious heap. Face down, it was indistinguishable from any other rock dotting the field.

Brock seemed like he couldn't decide if he wanted to smile or frown. He recalled his fainted Pokemon without further dramatics. "I'm proud of you, Geodude," he muttered to his Pokeball. Ash saw it wiggle once before it was returned to its slot on Brock's belt.