Love in the Time of Trials

Chapter 23: A Smile

The conclusion to the Ceremony and other things are in this chapter. You won't want to miss this, and get ready, because there'll be no stopping soon. Time for Chapter 23!

Chapter 23

A Smile

"Shelgon, start us off with Scary Face!" Leko called, clenching his fists as he stood there in a fighting stance. He was certainly not one to wait for very long, Serena noticed. As soon as the bell had rung for their battle to begin, he'd called out his Shelgon and Cloyster, opposite to Serena's Pancham and Sandshrew, the two brothers looking ready to battle.

"Leko starts off the battle with a quick move, though it's doubtful to earn him a flower," Maika commented. Serena didn't need her announcement to know that. Pancham and Sandshrew returned the glare, but Serena wouldn't let any loss of speed affect them. This was a Ceremony battle, after all.

"Sandshrew, use Rapid Spin!" Serena called, pointing her hand downward with a grin. The little one took energy from that grin and began to spin like a top, almost drilling in a way. She had to wonder if he was taking some inspiration from Toucannon, from back when she was a Trumbeak. Nevertheless, he raced forward across the stage for the two slow-moving Pokémon that were his opponents.

"Hydro Pump, on the ground." Serena grimaced a little. Cloyster's shell opened, and its face sent a torrent of gushing water that coated the entire stage, dripping off the edges. The crowd gasped at the move, but Serena refused to be deterred, even as Sandshrew tripped up, landing with a splash on his stomach.

"No time to falter. Pancham, knock them up into the air with Stone Edge," Serena told her trusted partner. Pancham nodded, slamming his hands onto the stage. The stones raced out, gleaming a bright blue, and he was running for them, flipping on top before they could reach their opponents. The stones erupted underneath Shelgon and Cloyster, sending their somewhat prone forms up into the air. "Now, get above them and use Arm Thrust!"

"Champan!" Pancham pushed himself upward, into the air above the two of their opponents. His arms glowed white and punched onto Shelgon's hard shell before flipping over and doing the same to Cloyster. They dropped, and soon after impacted with the surface of the stones, shattering them into a fine, glittering powder. The score was even now, one flower each. She wouldn't let herself fall behind like that again, if she could help it.

"Keep it going. Sandshrew, use Ice Ball, rapid succession!" She knew Sandshrew could do it after all of their work on the move over the last few weeks. He may have been a baby, but Sandshrew was certainly taking after Pancham, and just a little bit of Pikachu.

"Saaaaaaaand..." Sandshrew's head raised up as he began to summon all of the ice to himself before pitching forward, still acting as though he were sneezing. "Shrew! Shrew! Shrew!"

The ice chunks fired out, soaring through the air, large and gleaming in the late afternoon sunlight. Leko appeared to blink, watching them on their crash course for his Pokémon. Not that it truly mattered if they impacted or not. "Break them with Spike Cannon!"

"Cloooooy..." Cloyster breathed out. The tips of its spikes all glowed a bright gleaming white. It remained in place and fired them off, the three white-glowing spikes jettisoning towards the Ice Ball and impaling in each of them. The Bivalve Pokémon rocked back a bit from the force of firing its attack, but otherwise didn't move.

"Pancham, let's make that attack ours and use Arm Thrust!" Serena called. Pancham nodded, leaping towards Sandshrew, whose hard back made the perfect jumping up point. The little one tucked in, providing the springboard surface for his partner. Pancham leapt up, spinning like a corkscrew as his arms glowed and he slammed onto the impaled orbs of ice. They flew forward, spinning around the spikes as they broke apart and hit into the opponent that had fired them. Two chimes sounded, indicating that Serena had just jumped ahead by two points. No time to rest on her laurels, however.