Pokémon Legends: Court of Kings

[Marsuru]

Lumiose City Gym - The Arena

Clemont sighed. Loki still wasn't going down. It wasn't fair. 'You do realise I have eight more matches booked today, don't you? You're being very inconsiderate.'

Magneton threw up a 'Light Screen' in preparation for Loki's assault. The Kadabra had so far doubled his special defence and increased his special attack to maximum. Even with the level difference and type advantage Magneton held, Loki was getting dangerous. Still, Clemont had a few more tricks up his sleeve if Helena refused to quit.

'Magnet Rise,' Clemont ordered. So far, Magneton had suspended itself in the air by its natural magnetic power, which could be disrupted by ground-based attacks. It was also limited with how high it could fly. But not anymore. Magnet Rise surged electricity through Magneton's body, sending it soaring skyward. Now much more mobile, it'd have a fair shot at avoiding Loki's attacks if the Kadabra attacked at range. Up close, it wouldn't matter too much, but Loki would be an easier target as well.  

[Spinne Biss]

Loki focused his energies to create two psybeams, which he would hold to maintain. Next he would fire the first one at Magneton, and the second would be fired in response to Magneton's dodge, whichever way he decided to move with it.

Helena continued to watch the match. For now she was waiting for Magneton to use the right move, for them to make their attempt.  

[Marsuru]

When he saw Loki charge two attacks, Magneton raced towards him, using his Magnet Rise to close the distance.

Holding onto his attacks meant that Loki had his hands full. Unless he released them both, he wouldn't be able to Teleport, and Teleportation was his only real means of dodging in the air, especially at close range. As the psychic made to volley the first attack, Clemont countered by calling 'Psych Up.'

Which meant that all the effort Loki had expended powering himself up went directly to enhancing Magneton's stats. Now Magneton had fully upgraded special attack, which would easily demolish Loki's defences. Magneton's level advantage and doubled special defence combined with his type advantage over Psybeam and the damage reduction coming from Light Screen. Ultimately, it meant that he took around an eighth of his health in damage from Loki's best attack. More than enough of a trade.

As he was swamped by the first Psybeam, but before Loki could release his second, Magneton used 'Mirror Shot.' His whole body flashed brightly, expending a wave of steel type power that would engulf the area around him in every direction, which easily encompassed Loki's position. He would continue moving towards Loki, so that even if the psychic tried to use his second Psybeam to evade, it wouldn't be enough to avoid another Mirror Shot, which would trigger before Loki could regather his energies and Teleport.

One Mirror Shot would be all it would take to end this battle. Clemont wasn't giving up until it connected.  

[Spinne Biss]

Loki teleported. The first Mirror Shot exploded into the range of where Loki had been. Taking the time to Psych Up while taking the first Psybeam meant that Magneton had time between that move and the first Mirror Shot where Loki released the energies of the second Psybeam, and used those energies instead to teleport up high.

"Stop him! Disable that attack!" Helena called instead.

Loki complied. His powers at their maximum, it gave him a hyper awareness of what he only had a semi-awareness of before. Prior to powering up, Loki had become aware of the opponent. He couldn't read him, not his thoughts, actions nor emotions, but he was aware of their existence. Like an unreadable language that he couldn't touch.

At this stage, there was still a lot that Loki couldn't do, because he simply didn't understand it. That said, he knew he could 'turn off' Magneton's ability temporarily. He could understand that and feel it now. Unless Clemont or Magneton had a guard against it, Magneton would lose his Mirror Shot and Loki, still high up, would split with the power of Double Team.  

[Marsuru]

Losing Mirror Shot didn't make a difference. As Loki began to split, Magneton let loose another divided Thunderbolt. This time the power was split into two, but thanks to Magneton's increased stats, both bolts had enough strength to one shot Loki.

And because he was caught splitting into two, Loki had no other means of evasion against the lightning-fast electric move.  

[Spinne Biss]

Finding Loki would take time. Even with Clemont's help, it wasn't a process of shooting attack A in response to attack B without complications. Loki had, even if it was a short amount of time, the time to calculate Magneton's trajectory and response. As he split, he'd twist himself in the air and make use of the fact that he was falling, and his center of gravity was also shifting in the air, to avoid an attack made as a near-immediate response.

The clone wasn't so lucky, being demolished by Magneton's attack. Each one of Magneton's attacks were made in response to one of Loki's. He was trying to make use of the gaps between techniques to strike the psychic type down.

Instead, Loki would begin to gather his energies around himself. Magneton was three selves combined as one, it allowed him to create multiple attacks. This gave Loki an idea, if he could gather enough energy it would allow him, theoretically, to perform two psychic attacks rapidly, back to back.

Loki was aware that he'd have to respond to Magneton's next attack, but he had the hope that it would be some plan breaking technique.

"This is pretty brutal for a second badge match," Helena said to Clemont. There was nothing she could do in the split seconds of their attacks to aid Loki. Instead, she decided to talk.

"I'm definitely not paying for the floor, but I'll buy you lunch if you tone it down," Helena said instead. If Clemont accepted, Helena was banking on him being unaware that it was, in fact, free pancake day.

That said, even Helena was aware that Clemont was playing way too strong for her second gym battle. Though she knew a part of it was that her Pokemon, on average, were way too strong to be using her weaker ones in a match.

Another part was that Clemont had clearly decided himself the winner, and wanted to immediately finish Helena off to get to his other matches.  

[Marsuru]

'Yeah, well, I don't like your attitude,' Clemont sniffed back, adjusting his glasses. 'Don't come in here half-cocked, smash my floor, then start complaining. You won't survive long in the league like that.'

Magneton rolled its eyes all at once when Loki avoided yet another attack. It'd had enough by this point.

Because Clemont and Helena were busy speaking, neither trainer could give their pokémon commands. Which meant it was truly Magneton vs. Loki. It let Loki fall, aware that the psychic would just keep Teleporting himself up to avoid hitting the electric terrain. Magneton thought about just letting that happen for a while. After all, Teleport only had 20 PP. It wouldn't be long before Loki ran out entirely.

But the gym battles weren't just about badges. They were a show. And shows needed stuff blowing up or what was the point.

Magneton positioned himself in the centre of the arena, and unleashed a Shock Wave. It had to be careful where it used this move, or else it'd risk damaging Clemont's equipment, so the middle was the safest spot. The Shock Wave created a dome of electric power that radiated outward, filling not just the arena, but the circular area leading right up to Clemont's sound barrier and the spectator stands, stopping before it hit them.

It wasn't just the initial wave that was dangerous. Everything caught inside the dome would be damaged as well, and Magneton's stat bonuses meant it would take Loki out if it hit. The psychic would quickly run out of places to teleport to; there was a reason that Shock Wave was said to be unavoidable. Meanwhile, Shock Wave could overpower and disrupt anything Loki threw at it without losing traction.  

[Spinne Biss]

"Fine, lunch and dinner and I wont even take advantage of free waffle day," Helena said in response. "But seriously, I'm sorry for hurting your feelings, and your arena, and anything else I might have hurt like your Pokemon. Don't you think you're getting a little too emotional for a gym leader, though?"

Loki only had one shot at this. Magneton and Clemont were a smart team. They were almost half as smart as Loki and Helena put together, Loki summarized. Still, it wasn't just about timing for this, it was about technique.

The strategy, in essense, is something that Loki had been doing for a long time. He simply had never been forced to do it this quickly. As the shockwave started up, Loki knew what he had to do.

Magneton's attack was meant to take out everything, and with the heightened power it also meant that it was dangerous to be touched by it, even for a fraction of a second. Loki had absolutely no room for error for his one chance shot at the electric/steel type.

As the shockwave moved to engulf every corner of the arena, Loki waited. Having faced such a timing before, and now that he was even stronger and smarter, he could calculate it. Loki disappeared right before the wave crashed into him. The attack was fast, and Loki banked on shockwave ending faster than his reappearance. Not that it mattered if it didn't, the psionic energies he'd built up were already taking form once he'd appear.

Loki would appear to grab on to Magneton, already in the position to have hold of him upon his arrival. Unless Magneton could get around the technique, he'd be teleported alongside Loki to the out of bounds area.

To Loki, it didn't matter if the electricity got him at that point. The teleport would be fast enough, if it worked, to go off before Loki was shocked through and through by Magneton's attack.

Ideally, both Pokemon would end up disqualified and it'd force the match into its next stage.  

[Marsuru]

'Are you trying to bribe me for a badge?' Clemont asked, looking embarrassed. 'Please tell me you aren't. That'll get you disqualif-'

The speakers next to both trainers let out a sharp electronic beep that jerked Clemont to attention. The display above the stands showed the match from a television's perspective, and it was now flashing up pictures of Magneton and Loki, crossing them out with a big, red X each, before miniaturising the pictures and slotting them next to the trainers' names. Clemont's face dropped, but he quickly gathered himself and refocused.

He tossed Emolga's ball into the arena. Shock Wave had detonated Magneton's leftover Magnet Bombs, meaning that the only entry hazard Tyrant had to deal with was the electrified terrain.

Emolga appeared in a flash of light, ready to use Agility as soon as her opponent made his entrance, which would signal the final leg of the battle.  

[Spinne Biss]

Loki returned to Helena's side for her to recall him. "That was a joke, I'm not actually paying for anything, I'm broke." She took Tyrant's ball and looked out at the arena. She had no control over the rest of this match. Maybe she could do this or that to try and influence how things might go, but she couldn't go any further.

It was all up to Tyrant.

"Look, I'm all saying is maybe you're a little angry and you should calm down. Even if you have fifty more matches before you can eat for the first time in three days, it's your obligation as a gym leader to do them all fairly, not dial it up cause you're mad."

The talking to was game. Helena had absolutely no control over the rest of this match, the only thing she could do was talk as casually as possible and hope Clemont didn't catch on to the fact that she was anxious about the fight.

Tyrant materialized on the same safespot he did before. He located Emolga, his lunch, and the rumble of a growl started in his throat. Tyrant felt the paralysis, and knew there wasn't much he could do. He would never catch Emolga, not by chasing, charging, or lobbing attacks.

Instead, Tyrant built up the air in his lungs, braced himself, and let out the biggest roar he'd ever managed. Except, it wasn't Roar, this attack could on force as it exited Tyrant's lungs.

This was Round.  

[Marsuru]

'I'm more bored than mad,' Clemont sighed, taking off his glasses and rubbing them with his thumb. 'You're not bad, but you're not as good as you think you are.' Clemont slid his glasses back on, fixing them in place with his finger. 'And you're definitely not as good as I am.'

Emolga took off with her speed enhanced by Agility. Tyrant had her outgunned, but he was a sitting duck and she was nimble. Round carried its user's energy through a beam of compressed sound waves. An experienced pokémon could predict where Round would be aimed based on where Tyrant pointed his head. Emolga worked out Round's trajectory and flew over it, arcing around the beam so that she could continue to dodge even if Tyrant shifted his aim. She was lucky he was paralysed, or he might have been able to clip her.

Evasion at long range was simple enough, but she needed to get in close to win this. Emolga rose over Tyrant, then activated another 'Agility' to speed past him. The pokemon would be forced to turn around to keep on attacking her, and definitely if he wanted to keep track of where she was. Turning wasn't a Tyrantrum's strong point, and Emolga banked paralysis making it even more difficult.

She aimed to make distance and give Tyrantrum time to turn while she arced around the edge of the arena, preparing another run at him. If things went to plan, she'd use another Agility to maximise her speed before beginning her assault in earnest.  

[Spinne Biss]

Tyrant did indeed twist around to face Emolga. The creature was spinning and he waited until she tried to make the pass at him. That was when he Roared. Emolga couldn't retreat back to her ball, and Tyrant wasn't used to Pokemon fleeing into flashes of light. Instead, the circumstances he expected then were the ones that'd likely happen here.

Emolga would, unless she had a way out of it, momentarily freeze up in fear and/or shock, and that's when Tyrant's Roar would turn into a Round, to hit the slowed, if not outright immobile target.

If the attack hit, Tyrant would slam one foot into the ground, to fire up a flurry of Ancient Power stones molded from the arena floor to assault Emolga before she could regain her composure.

"You could always forfeit instead of me if you're that bored." Helena decided against arguing with him over who was better. Smack talk wasn't her strong suit, even if she had learned how to capitalize on a joke from her brother. "Then you'd never have to see me again instead of seeing me tomorrow, and the day after that, and so on and so forth."

Besides, there was no real arguing that Clemont was better suited for this. Helena might be able to challenge him if she had the same tools, but she didn't. For Helena, Clemont was better, she just wasn't sure he was better in every way.  

[Marsuru]

Clemont stayed quiet. He couldn't just give badges away, he'd lose his job. And it was fairly obvious that Helena was trying to distract him. He kept his attention on the battle. By his, or rather his scanner's calculations, Emolga needed three hits to finish off the Tyrantrum. It was doable as long as she wasn't hit first.

Regardless of whether Emolga froze in shock or not, it wouldn't halt her momentum, so she still had a chance to evade. When Tyrant unleashed his roar, Emolga toppled to the side, buffeted by the attack but not taking damage as she span out from its force. When Round came again, she was ready with another Agility, speeding along the length of the arena out of its way. Assuming he wanted to keep track of Emolga, Tyrant would have to keep turning on the spot.

She shot inwards, moving like a bullet. She was on Tyrant's flank before he'd be able to guard it, soaring over the top of him. If he tried to use Round on her here, he'd have a difficult time bracing himself from the kickback of his own attack; he wouldn't have his full body behind it, just his awkwardly-turned neck. Regardless, Emolga was already anticipating his counter, and would dodge outside of his turning angle before he could hit her.

Her fur sparked, and she dropped an Electro Ball like a jet dropping a bomb. With her speed at its maximum and Tyrant caught in paralysis, Electro Ball was at its most powerful. Despite that, it still needed to land three times to knock Tyrant out. It didn't have far to fall, and if it hit then the mighty Tyrant would be staggered while Emolga sped off for another pass.  

[Spinne Biss]

Tyrant couldn't twist. His body locked up instead and his throat rumbled in a growl. Emolga made for her pass, and instead Tyant jumped to escape the range of it, moving in a different direction than Emolga.

The Pokemon was mostly a blur to him. As Tyrant landed, Ancient Power launching after Emolga, though mostly just a tactic to destroy the panel to avoid further electric shocks. Tyrant watched her move, and this time he settled.

Tyrant was a hunter. King of the age, but something had changed. At first he was hungry, not he was angry. Nothing was familiar, and the whole world was a landscape of unfamiliarity. Before him was a nimble target that he had no hope in taking on as he was.

His body was paralyzed, locking up and hard to move. Instead, Tyrant relaxed himself. It was the nature of his kind to charge, to brutally savage creatures with overwhelming power. Tyrant was smarter then that. He learned as he hunted, as the best of his kind did. Not a single one grew this powerful by just gusto alone.

So Tyrant would avoid the shadow of death that followed Emolga's movements, that tried to drape over him. Instead he would grow still, only breathing, focusing on that. He wouldn't react until Emolga made her next assault.  

[Marsuru]

Emolga's Electro Ball barely missed Tyrant as he leapt free of its range. He'd likely be fully paralysed after throwing himself around like that, but he still had enough time to rip up the panel and send shards speeding after the flying squirrel.

They hadn't a hope of catching her, not with her speed boosts. She shot off at a ninety degree angle, letting the Ancient Power crash into the reinforced mesh that protected the crowd. A protective barrier activated alongside the sound barrier, preventing any shards from breaching, keeping the people safe. Electro Ball hit the ground that had been broken previously, blowing it apart in a whipping arc of electric power. That gave Emolga an idea.

She zig-zagged in the air on the way back to Tyrant, activating Rain Dance. Clouds immediately gathered indoors, letting loose a heavy sheet of rain that drowned the arena. Each time droplets hit the electric panels, they sparked, generating a whip of blue electricity. They were charged enough and conductive enough that the electric bolts would leap across the previously safe panels. Where the panels were broken, the sparking was worse. If Tyrant stayed where he was, the violent pops of blazing sparks would sear away his flesh.

The Rain Dance created an electric sea that completely covered the arena. It was intended to passively damage Tyrant; if Emolga couldn't take him down traditionally, she'd have to wear him out. But now she couldn't land or get too close to the arena floor or she'd be injured by her own attack.

At least now she didn't have to hit Tyrant directly. She used Thunder, which immediately bolted out of the rain clouds. It aimed for Tyrant, but even if it didn't hit, it would rebound off the electrified panels and home in on Tyrant regardless.