Hard Enough-Chapter 181: Haunting moments and feathery situations

Trainers! Are you ready? called todays referee.

I nodded, my hand fixed on the pokeball.

Id analysed his team which consisted of Haunter, Dusclops, Mismagius, Sableye, Golbat, Vileplume, Cacturne, Crawduant, Shiftry, Parasect, Beedrill, Venomoth, Ninetails, and Scyther.

I had dismissed most of the bug pokemon from contention. Hed have been mad to send them against me. The same was true for Golbat but hed used that in his match yesterday along with Dusclops and Shiftry.

I was expecting Vileplume or Cacturne as his opening options.

To mix things up I was going for Link, Knight, and Jormungandr.

His Ninetails might have been a threat against my steel type but I was confident theyd be able to deal with it should the need arise. It was also one pokemon against my own roster that was littered with rock or water types.

Hed be mad to use it.

Across from me, Han had his own pokeball in hand, idly tossing it up and down as if he wasnt bothered by being matched up against me.

I pointedly didnt look to the side and ignored the flashing lights with practised ease.

With Missys choice of stress release and the subsequent feeding frenzy of the media, there was a lot more interest in this match from them. A lot of trainers, who had previously been tied up in their own matches, were also watching the match.

With only thirty-two trainers still in the tournament right now, there was a need to pick and choose which matches you would watch on the fields. And with my ranking and status as a Gym leader, there was a lot of demand to get a good angle to watch it.

I could see a few of the faces that my group had spoken about.

Scarlet was here with a small group, a number of people holding up cameras themselves to catch different angles.

Also of note was the face I couldnt see.

Masked Owl stood alone, he had a circle of space around himself as no-one seemed willing to linger close to him.

Release! shouted the referee, their flag dropping.

I hurled my pokeball forward as Han caught and flicked, his hand blurring with speed. Damn, he was quick.

His pokeball hit the ground before mine and his pokemon appeared in the midfield.

Craw! roared a strong looking Crawdaunt.

A water-dark type pokemon. That was a rather good selection for him. Hed reacted to my showing with Sanchez, knowing that I couldn't lead with my rock-electric type to take an early favourable match up.

Sadly for him, I had other options.

Fable! chirped Link as he appeared with a cascade of light, hopping back and forth lightly before locking eyes with the Crawdaunt.

Tch! said Han, whipping his hand to catch the pokeball as it returned only to activate the recall instantly.

I blinked, caught out by the speed of the reaction. He must have known that Link would tear through him with Links fairy typing.

Sadly, Link didnt have any moves that would allow him to buff up while Han pulled out another pokeball, with how fast he was being I was barely able to get out my order before he was whipping out another pokemon.

Baton Pass, I said and Link vanished as I raised up another pokeball.

For Hans part a pokeball disgorged another pokemon revealing a Haunter that blinked in surprise at the empty field only to lean back in mock fear when Knight took to the stage with a clack of metal plates.

Bully it with Stone Edge! I ordered.

Nope! said Han, as he made his Haunter soar to the side only to then withdraw it once again.

I twitched.

Was this guy seriously going to use only going to meet me if I gave him favourable matchups?

Hed used two of his switches already! He only had one more allowed to him.

Autotomize! I said, Knight just barely got the order done before a Ninetails appeared.

Damn it! That should have been a bad pick for him! I mentally goraned in annoyance but outwardly leaned forward, anticipating a hard fight ahead.

Han watched me to see if I was going to withdraw my pokemon and when I didnt he stabbed his hands straight ahead. Fire Blast!

Dig! I responded. Knight burrowed quickly and easily evaded the attack.

I made sure to watch Ninetails and when a shimmer appeared around it I reached out and pulsed a feeling of caution into the bond I shared with Knight.

A long silence drew out and Han started to frown only for a section of earth to the side broke as Knight rose with a roar, lashing out and breaking the Substitute that Ninetails had been trying to get away with.

Id been careful to watch for it this time and knew that through some careful tremor sense, Knight should be able to find his way to the real threat and not where we thought Ninetails had been. It just required you to slow down a little.

Fire Spin! ordered Han as Ninetails skidded to a stop and glowered at Knight.

Ninetails inhaled and then unleashed a huge gout of fire straight at Knight.

I merely grinned. Dig! I said, knowing that it was an annoying strategy to have used against you, but it was still valid.

Han scowled. If I was right, his Swift, said Han, revealing that he had done his own homework and come up with somewhat of an answer to my pokemon evading him.

Knight was peppered by several stars that shot down into the ground only for the ground to buckle as Knight shot out of it, aiming for Ninetails.

The fire type leapt back but Knight wasnt to be denied, not with his increased speed. He came on fast and grabbed Ninetails and hammered it into the ground.

Damn! Baton Pass! shouted Han, holding up a pokeball.

Ninetails vanished, just barely conscious enough to pull the move off as a larger form appeared in Knights grip.

Craw! roared the Crawdaunt once again.

Take Down! I barked straight away. I didnt want to give that pokemon time to go to work on Knight, so instead I went on the attack.

Knight, with Crawdaunt still caught in his grasp, jumped, spinning as he did so only to reposition himself so that as he fell Crawdaunt was guaranteed to take the worst of the damage.

Razor Shell! ordered Han.

His pokemon slammed its claws into Knights body hammering for all it was worth despite being restricted. It wasnt enough to break Knights grasp as he slammed into the ground atop Crawdaunt.

The ground buckled with their combined weight but Knight stood without issue.

Kip up and catch him! snapped Han. Crawdaunts tail kicked into the ground and caused it to rise up so that the smaller front legs could wrap around Knight.

With this new position, Knight was locked and Crawdaunt had the room to start throwing serious hits into my pokemon.

I mentally noted that Knight needed to learn to keep his foot on his opponent in such situations instead of backing off. That would have been enough to drop a weaker pokemon, but with the matches we were having these days, it wasnt going to be enough to hit them hard once.

You needed more.

Knight, use Stone Edge! I said. If this hadnt been an open field with so many people around, I might have ordered Giga Impact, but with potential injuries if the much weaker barriers didnt hold up, Id be at the centre of a tragedy of my own design.

Knight hammered into Crawdaunt and Crawdaunt replied with its own claws glowing blue with water energy.

Both of them tanked and blasted at each other but in the end, Crawdaunts choice of attack was enough to edge out Knight. His defence fell off with the repeated strikes of Razor Shell despite his much higher defence and power.

Knight fell and the crowd gasped, surprised that one of my pokemon was the first to drop. I didnt mind. Id already weakened two of Hans team with this and created an openning to finish this match with my clutch pokemon.

Return Knight, you stood up well out there, two pokemon are on their last legs thanks to your efforts and both times you were fighting from a disadvantage, I said to his pokeball as I clipped it back onto my belt.

I then selected the last pokemon I had chosen for todays match.

Go! Jormungandr! I shouted. As I did so I was very conscious of the bracer that was hidden under the shirt I had chosen to wear tonight.

I might have had an easier time with Selene in this match, but I instead decided to use her in another match. I needed to consider not just my match today, but also my match tomorrow against Masked Owl.

Jormungandr, for all that he has Mega-evolution, wasnt going to be as beneficial as Selene would be. After tomorrow the restrictions of the three on three matches would be lifted and Id be able to use whoever I wanted, barring the three Id used now.

For tomorrow, I wanted as many options as possible and Selene offered me that.

Jorm glowered at the fatigued Crawdaunt and Han pointed his hand at my towering pokemon. Water Gun!

Dragon Breath, I countered. Jorm rose and fell before exhaling a torrent of purple flame that cut through the weaker water attack and slammed into Crawdaunt.

Crawdaunt reeled back and toppled, falling to the side as it lost any energy to fight. Han sighed, and returned his pokemon only to grab up another pokeball. Use your strengths! he shouted, as he sent out Ninetails again who looked to barely be able to stand.

The referee signalled a pause with a shrill blow of their whistle as they inspected Ninetails.

Han twitched in surprise, only to scowl. Ref! He can fight! Ninetails stood a little taller and kept its gaze locked on Jorm who held his position.

The referee hummed and nodded slowly. You are very close to pushing beyond what would be considered good for your pokemons health. It is my duty to make the call, for now I agree, said the Referee, stepping back and raising his flags. He nodded to me and then Han and dropped them.

Both of us reacted, not too thrown off by the interruption.

Fire Blast! Ninetails unleashed a powerful gout of flame that sailed towards Jorm.

Dig Dip! I countered, making Jorm dive under the ground only to pop up close to Ninetails.

His giant tail whipped around and slammed into Ninetails ending the match before it could develop any further. Ninetails flew through the air and landed heavily.

It twitched once, in an attempt to get up only to slump down. I had to give it credit for trying to get itself back into the fight after being brutalised by Knight and Jorm.

Han sighed, and called back his pokemon. He then sent out his last pokemon, his Haunter.

Haunter locked eyes with Jorm and stuck its tongue out mockingly, but Jorm didnt react beyond shifting into a better position to strike.

Hypnosis! ordered Han.

Dig to point A! I said having trained my pokemon for situations like this. Dig wouldnt work thanks to Haunters habit of hovering off the ground, but I didnt want to hit him, I wanted to get in close.

Argh! Thats getting annoying! Shift away Haunter! ordered Han, making his pokemon scurry away from where it had been. Jorm popped up out of the ground only to detonate a Dark Pulse when he appeared. He turned and found Haunter, just out of range, but I just waved a hand, signalling for Jorm to not attack.

Han had just gotten his pokemon out of striking distance.

Still, it didnt matter if that didnt work, there were other methods to win this match.

Sandstorm, I said and Jorm dove into the topsoil before vibrating quickly. From him, a great wave of sand rose into the air and started to obscure visibility. Which would also make it harder for moves like Hypnotise to work.

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Han was just visible as he waved his hand and his voice carried over the winds. Shadow Ball! He ordered.

Dig into zone A-one! I shouted and once again Jorm dove into the ground.

Han cursed and signalled for his pokemon to move, but they decided to go for something clever, and instead of moving about the field, they went to where Jorm had been moments before.

I grinned as Jorm shot back up and locked eyes with the Haunter as it realised it had been baited and trapped.

Dark Pulse, I said, happily causing Jorm to explode with Dark energy and crush Haunter.

Haunter collapsed artfully and I was about to signal a halt only to recall some of Agathas tricks. Get ready in case theyre faking out! I called out, and Jorm grasped a boulder, preparing to hurl the rock into the down and out Haunter.

Han sighed and raised his pokeball. Ill call it there, he said, resigned to his defeat. Brock is ready for my tricks a little too much for my liking to try and push them, he said.

I nodded. He wasnt wrong, between my spars with Agatha, and Karen, I was used to being Sucker Punched, and Faked Out to know to be on the watch for them with certain pokemon.

Both women were the sorts of people that you thought were down and out only for them to reverse their positions in an instant.

Ace Trainer Han withdraws his Haunter from the match! The match is three to one! Brock is therefore the victor! shouted the referee.

I bowed in thanks and advanced. The match had been a bit scrappier than Id hoped, Han had good enough pokemon to threaten me if things had played out differently but it would rely on small chance attacks or mistakes more than being a sure thing.

Good match, I said, clasping Hans hand in mine.

He squeezed it firmly, meeting my gaze with a small smirk. Well, at least I get to claim I was the first to put down one of your pokemon in this Tournament. Along with making you use all three of your pokemon. You were on a bit of a streak there.

I considered that for a moment before shrugging. I wasnt trying for it, it just worked out that way. I think you had enough pokemon and tactics to force that sort of exchange.

I decided to not point out that I could have forced things into my favour by trading out but that wasnt a style I was comfortable using. Youve got quick hands for the recall style of fighting. What made you get into that style of battling if you dont mind me asking?

Han shrugged. Grew up with quick hands that I worked out could be converted into my battling. There arent many that can get off such fast switches so it works more than it doesnt at my level of fighting. Wouldnt have minded fighting you when we were in the same bracket.

I tilted my head. Hundred and fifty? I was only in that bracket for a few days before I got enough Ace trainers beating down my door.

Hmmm, still, I have to wonder how Id go with a full team of tricksters and switchers, he said, rubbing his chin.

I shrugged. Id like to say that Id be wise to your tricks now, but now that Ive experienced your style I have to say Im impressed. And didnt that feel weird.

The switch out style was seen as a rather poor battling style but I suspected Han made it work thanks to his speed at recalling and getting another pokemon out. It spoke of not just his physical skills but mental agility to work out what he needed and react in an instant. Hed need to have a very good grounding, one which pokemon were which types and which pokemon could have certain moves for coverage of any weaknesses they possessed.

I think Id like that, I decided to say after a moment. Talk with Rachel, I think an Ace match showcase would be a good idea. I considered the other styles I knew. Might be interesting to showcase that there are more out there than people think of. I drummed my fingers. Any chance I could hire you on as an instructor for a training camp Im running towards the end of the circuit?

Han blinked. Huh, I wasnt expecting to be offered a job from today, but thats not a terrible thought.

He nodded his head thoughtfully. I would like a bit more respect for what I do. Sure, Ill have my people talk with your people, he said.

I chuckled and shook his hand again, then I turned, collected my entourage and departed for the Nurse Joy tent.

The reporters pounced straight away. Brock! What did you think of Hans Switcher style? Did it give you trouble?

I was pleasantly surprised that it is a more nuanced style than I had considered. While Han seeks the advantage rather doggedly, I think it is a viable strategy and Id like to see how far he and others that call it their own could take it.

The reporters tilted their heads in surprise at my response, or perhaps it was that I was being so verbose after being taciturn with them for the last few exchanges where theyd ambushed me. I chuckled, I was in a good mood after the fight and more willing to endure them.

I made some comments as to the fight, praising Hans fighting style and how he had come into the match. When I handed over my pokemon for healing the media backed off, content with their sound bites.

At first, I thought they were going to depart, only to notice their attention shifting to the side and then back onto me.

Something was up. I frowned only to tilt my head when a space opened up in the crowd to reveal Masked Owl marching towards me.

A chorus of whispers broke out from the people around me and I caught snippets of them. Hed almost been late to his match but it didnt matter! He wiped the floor with his opponent!

Hes gone through the first few matches without losing a single pokemon!

Did you see that Pidgeot? It was huge!

I hummed, watching as Masked Owl deposited his pokeballs before raising his gaze to mine.

Both of us were aware that we were set to face off in tomorrows match. We locked gazes and a spark of tension shot between us.

I narrowed my eyes as Masked Owl advanced on me. I straightened up, ready for any action from him.

Gym Leader Brock, he said, his eyes still locked with mine. I could see the brown colour of said eyes through this mask, making it instantly a million times better than locking eyes with other masked individuals who were currently enjoying prison.

... Masked Owl, I said eventually, deciding to play his game and acknowledge him by his nom-de plume rather than his actual name and give him away.

He stilled, noticing my hesitation. So, we will be doing battle tomorrow, I see youve kept your Electric type golem free for it.

It, and many of my other pokemon. Im going to be going into it with quite the advantage, I should think.

Heh, is that what you think? he said, his chin jutting out slightly.

I narrowed my eyes. Ive faced stronger opponents before, I said with a shrug. I then smirked and remembered an old joke. Some like to even attribute Lance as a pseudo flying type specialist. Do you think yourself at his level? I said, deciding to go for a bit of a jab.

Masked Owl, or rather, Walker, scowled, his mouth morphing into a snarl. He is not a flying type specialist! That man has no grace! No skill! Flying Type pokemon are all about freedom and wonder! They dont seek to dominate the sky like dragons! They know that to be an idiots dream! No one can tame the winds! They instead become them! Carefree and light! They are not held down! Masked Owl said heatedly.

I blinked, having not expected such a response quite like that. Ah, I suppose that would be true. Then I tilted my head. For a pokemon type that wasnt supposed to be held down wasnt he being rather held to the idea of revenge?

I nodded slowly. I suppose you will have to show me what it means to be a true Flying Type specialist.

I straightened and raised my fist towards him. But dont expect me to hold back! Im winning this tournament and you might be the next fight but Im planning on going all the way!

Masked Owl stared at me for a long moment. I will be ready for you. I am well versed in the weaknesses of my chosen pokemon type. You will not defeat me! he said, turning and swishing his cape of feathers to theatrically march away.

I stared after him

Nurse Joy, whod been standing nearby waiting for the drama to finish coughed politely. Both of your pokemon are ready for collection! Thank you for bringing them to us, we hope you have a nice day and come again! she said with a winning smile.

There was a long moment where everyone who had been watching, along with Masked Owl and myself felt like the world had just tilted slightly and we were suddenly off balance.

I caught the flickers of a gleeful smirk twitching at Nurse Joys lips up for a moment before it vanished. Another of the Nurse Joys facepalmed while the other giggled into her fist at how things had played out.

Ah, shed held back until wed had our dramatic moment before inserting herself deliberately.

She must have been the type of person to create awkward situations to thrive on them.

I chuckled ruefully, rubbing the back of my head as I blushed for being called out on our melodrama like this.

Ah, thanks, I said, taking back my two pokemon.

Masked Owl about-faced and marched back to claim his own two pokemon stiffly. My thanks, he said formally. Then he nodded at me and made to leave.

I was going to leave Masked Owl with what wed said before I realised that there was one more thing that I felt needed to be said to him. You shouldnt have ditched your responsibilities like you have. I whispered lowly.

Masked Owl paused and looked at me in confusion.

Your son, just because hes holding his own doesnt mean it is good for you to dump your duties on him, I said firmly, my gaze boring into him. He might be a flying type specialist, but I had the high ground with this.

Masked Owl staggered back at that. His hand shooting up to his mask. You know? he asked.

I nodded. I put a few clues together, I said firmly. Dont be a deadbeat, or rather, stop being a deadbeat.

The man wavered before his mouth thinned into a hard line. You dont know what youre talking about! he said, stalking away properly.

Tch! said Nurse Joy. I was trying to cool you trainers off but youre determined to have your drama arent you? she muttered under her breath.

I stared at her and she twitched and adopted an innocent smile. Is there anything else we can help with today sir? she said loudly.

I shook my head and backed away, much to her and the other Nurse Joys amusement.

When I made it back to my group Yolanda was beaming at me. What? I asked.

She just shook her head. No, I was just happy you spoke to Masked Owl like that, it was good! she said.

I hummed and decided to leave it at that, instead turning my attention towards the coming match up. On paper it would be an easy match for me with the pokemon I had available to me.

Paper, and reality however were very different things.

We set out our whiteboards and set ourselves up a number of different projections of Masked Owls previous history of matches along with his known roster of pokemon.

Names and teams were put together from the list we had.

Pidgeot, Fearow, Butterfree, Dodrio, Noctowl, Crobat, Xatu, Delibird, Beautifly, Swellow, Skarmory, Masquerain, and Tropius.

Its interesting that he doesnt seem to have any of the pokemon that Lance has such as Gyrados or Charizard. Both are great additions to a Flying type specialists roster, I said.

Missy perked up but Rachel beat her to the punch. Oh! I know this one! Hes been asked this before and hes stated that he wants to embody a more purist approach!

I snorted. There were only a handful of pure flying-type pokemon in existence with the only one I could think of off the top of my head being Tornadus.

And Walker, as skilled as he might be, wasnt going to have that pokemon.

I gave the sky outside a glance in consideration.

Was it overkill to have Empress ready to rumble along with Titan? Theyd been able to stand up to Mewtwo

No, thats not required.

I clapped my hands and directed everyone to list out their observations so far.

I quickly learned that Walker was a fan of taking a high position and raining down powerful attacks or doing divebomb runs on his opponents. When that wasnt viable he could close with a number of different attacks and his pokemon had quite a number of different moves to their names. His Fearow especially.

He knew about using Steel Wing to negate electric attacks along with how to use aerial Ace to a degree that was uncanny.The blurring of his pokemon allowing close range dodges that I was used to attributing to martial arts fights rather than flying type pokemon.

There was also a rather handy combination move that he had which had to be U-Turn, mixed with Aerial Ace. It was a nifty trick to have.

There wasnt a lot of information on him facing off against a Rock specialist however and for that, I was more confident than ever going into tomorrows match up.

I checked the watch and nodded. Right, I think were starting to retread old ground. I say we call it here, have some time off for the next three hours and meet up for dinner to go over any final thoughts.

The others perked up for this and Yolanda bounded in her seat. Is it time to go to the Department store? she said excitedly.

I snorted. Sure, today will be the first trip, I said.

First trip? Yolanda said with a tilt of her head, only for her eyes to widen. How big is the department store?

Huge, I said, leading her towards Celadon. I hope you saved up enough cause there are tons of shops there, I said, knowing that by taking Yolanda, I was resigning myself to hours of shopping trips in future.

When we reached the department store Sabrina appeared next to me, Ralts in her hand and a purse in the other. I foresaw this, she said preemptively to Yolanda. She shifted her handbag and patted my hand. Brock only knows how to do autumnal colours well, he doesnt know about shapewear, or buying fluctuating sizes.

I opened my mouth, about to correct her that I knew precisely what she was talking about, only to shut my mouth after I considered it for a moment. Hmmm, no, I dont think I wanted to broach that topic in fact. Yolanda would be better suited to get this talk from someone like Sabrina, as strange as that was.

Sabrina nodded. Were meeting my friends.

I raised an eyebrow. Im not carrying all your bags, I said, knowing who she meant.

Sabrina shook her head. Ill just Teleport them to your hotel room, she said.

I nodded, glad I wasnt playing into that particular trope today. Having a psychic girlfriend was so useful at times like this.

Sabrina! called a familiar voice.

I turned and found Erika with a group of girls, I vaguely recognised all of them having seen them about the Celadon Gym. also with them was Janine and Sophia.

Yolanda grinned. Oh this is going to be fun! she said.

A few hours later, once shed gotten a crash course on searching for bargains, timing your shopping for certain items for set points of the year and other things such as styling choices. Yolanda happily collapsed on her bed.

I lay on mine with Sabrina sitting next to me as I browsed through my pokemon roster for tomorrow.

I stencilled in two names. Titan and Empress.

Yolanda glanced over and her eyes bulged. Brock! You dont need to use both of them! Yolanda said in shock.

I chewed my lip. I really want to beat him, I said.

Sabrina glanced at the names and merely nodded seriously. Empress does need some experience in a match like this, she said neutrally.

Yolanda gave me a flat stare. It feels like overkill.

I shrugged. Yeah, maybe, or maybe not. I kind of want to send a message. And also? Sometimes I want to show off alright? I said adding Sanchez to the list.

With three spots chosen, I needed three others to fill in

Which wasnt hard. Selene was a guarantee, as was Shin, which left a spot for Hmmm who to pick? With both of my Tyranitars on the line, I could afford to test myself. I selected Dons pokeball and nodded to myself.

There, six strong pokemon for my lineup that offered unique benefits to me. Now I just needed to work out who Walker would use and thanks to the work wed put in earlier. I had a decent idea of who would have the highest chance of being on his team.

It just depended on how confident he was. That night I traded out some pokemon and got Empress sent over. I then explained to her what I was looking to do.

She gained a savage grin of delight and nodded her head, more than happy with my proposed plan.

If Walker wanted to throw down challenges like he had, he better be ready for me to throw my best punches.

Later, after Yolanda had left I spent a bit of time watching my match against Han, or specifically one part of it.

How had he gotten that flick off of his pokeball so quick? I watched it a few times and eventually picked up how he was twisting his wrist. I then went up and tried practising it a few times only to conclude it was very hard and would require a lot more practise. My estimate of Han went up a little more.

The next day saw me standing on the podium in Celadons main stadium. Unlike with Erikas match against Will, the stadium was far less decorated but it still held a certain charm. It was amazing to see that instead of leaning towards the Grass type speciality they were known for they instead had a number of concession stands dotted throughout the walk areas.

The city of commerce indeed.

Across from me Masked Owl stood with his pokeball raised, ready for the referee.

I relaxed on my podium, certain of my choice.

Trainers, are you ready?! called the referee.

We both nodded.

The flags rose and I reached up for my necklace grabbing the Greatball there.

I could see the crowd standing up in shock and even the referee was reacting, reaching for the buttons on his podium to power up the barriers more.

Masked Owl was committed though and he released his pokemon first to reveal a powerful-looking Pidgeot whose screech carried throughout the stands.

It was silenced a moment later as Titan merged from his pokeball and roared for all he was worth. I grinned darkly and felt for the bond.

This was going to be as one-sided as I could possibly make it.

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