Meh, for whatever reason, I couldn't think of any more development that should come before this. Might as well get this part out there, then head back to development later...
Chapter 9 – Sights Unseen
Parts. Portions. There are many aspects to a story. The second player is in play. However, there are still actions that must be taken, or that already have been taken. At times, the only way to advance is to retreat. This time is like no other, and every other. The pendulum that has swung forward now swings back…
* * *
Mid-terms. The subject of immense pleasure for teachers, and a horror unbounded for the students for which these exams are formulated. Countless hours are spent each semester studying for these exams, yet none of these anticipations can truly prepare the students for the terror that awaits them. This particular student knew this all too well. The knowledge did not stop him from preparing in every way possible using all of the information known to him.
He poured over his notes at his desk. History notes, telekinesis tips, Mindscape diagrams; everything that his teachers had given him over the semester was spread over his desk. He was hunched over his desk at the moment, trying to force a pen to write his name on a piece of paper. His brow furrowed, and his lip twitched. A moment of perfect concentration, and the student could have it no other way.
“Hey, Bull…”
The student quite literally jumped out of his chair, hitting his knees on the underside of the desk in the process. “Owww, crap!” Bull turned to face Cassidy, who had just walked into the room. He rubbed his kneecaps. “Don’t sneak up on me like that! You know how intense I can get while studying!”
Cassidy walked over to his chair and crouched in front of him. “Sorry. Man, you’ve been really hitting it this semester. I’ve never roomed with anybody who studied this much. Really, I think you need a break.” She smiled, and put a hand on his knee, trying to massage the pain away.
Bull blushed, noticing that she was wearing sweats instead of her usual summer dress, and put his own hand on hers and smiled slyly. “You’re probably right. It’s a particular failing of mine. Once I get working on something, I can’t stop until the task is completed. It’s what makes me such a good student!” He grinned a toothy, silly grin.
Cassidy smiled and punched him in the arm. “Silly! Too much stress isn’t good for you.” She got up and grabbed his hand. “I know that you have Pokemon. I’ve got something to show you.” She yanked him out of his chair and out the door, her brilliant raven hair flowing into Bull’s face as she ran in front of him.
Bull was startled, but quite enjoyed the time he was spending with Cassidy. “Where exactly are we going?”
Cassidy smiled back at him. “A small portion of the school that you probably didn’t know about. We have our own Pokemon stadium, mostly for people to just fool around in. I’m guessing that you haven’t so much as touched your Pokemon since you got here. Why not give it some exercise in the form of a battle?”
Bull looked surprised. “Whoa! A battle? With who? I haven’t seen so much as a Pokeball since I got here. Who has Pokemon to battle with?”
The two walked into the elevator at the end of the hall, and Cassidy pushed the button for the basement. “Almost everybody, actually. They just keep them hidden during class. I haven’t seen you leave your room without your Pokeballs yet, so it’s something different from what I’m used to.”
Bull tried his best to hide his thoughts. If only you knew… The elevator doors opened, and the pair walked out into a set of bright lights. When Bull’s eyes adjusted to the new level of lighting, he could barely contain his awe, even though he had been down here many times before.
Even the best Pokemon battling grounds that he had seen were no bigger than a high school basketball stadium. This surpassed everything that he had ever expected from a Pokemon stadium before coming to the Institution. There were grandstands that rivaled those of major sporting arenas, and the size of the battling area was absolutely massive, measuring at least the size of a soccer field. Bull acted stunned, forcing himself into naivety. “Is this that ‘little’ stadium you were talking about?”
Cassidy shook her head. “Nope. This is where the tournaments take place. Quite an area, dontcha think?” She walked to her right, out of the massive arena, and into another area, much larger than the last. “This is our training grounds.”
The area was massive, but broken up into many different battling areas, each about the size of a basketball floor. More than enough room to battle with small Pokemon, but not quite enough for the bigger Pokemon to have a good battle. A couple of them were in use. One had a Nidorino going up against an Abra, the other had a Charmander facing off against a Bellsprout. All four battlers looked completely intent on their battles, and didn’t notice as the two second years walked in. Cassidy ignored them and walked straight to a desk with an attendant standing behind. “My roommate would like to battle.”
The woman behind the desk smiled. “OK. What’s your name, young man? Bull Doshi? What level Trainer are you? The levels range from S, the highest, down to E, the lowest.”
Bull shrugged. “I don’t really know. I’ve never really tested myself against anybody really tough. I’ll put myself down as a C for now.”
The attendant cocked her head, slightly confused. “C? Are you sure? You sure you wouldn’t be better off as an E or D level?”
Bull smiled slightly. “I’ve been studying battle tactics for a long time, even though I don’t have the experience. One of my minor research projects. I know as much, if not more, than most Trainers out there. What I lack is experience.”
The attendant shrugged. “OK, C it is then. I think we already have a C waiting to battle you. Please wait while I call him over.” The woman leaned over the desk to a microphone. “Would C Trainer Great Fox please come to the front desk? You have a challenger.”
Within moments, an older Trainer approached the desk. He was taller and more muscular than Bull, and wore a red outfit with a fox tail around his waist and coming out of his ball cap. “Fox here. What’s up?”
The attendant pointed to Bull. “He’s called himself a C trainer. Looks like you actually have somebody to battle this time!”
Fox smiled. “I look forward to the battle!” He turned to Bull. “What kind of rules do you want for this battle?”
Bull looked at him, confused. “I’ve only got one Pokemon. If you want to use more than that, feel free. Doesn’t really matter to me.”
Cassidy looked shocked. “Bull, only one? Your belt always has 4 Pokeballs attached to it!”
Bull smiled sheepishly. “Well, it’s kinda a defensive measure. I won’t tell you about it, though. Something I came up to protect myself. The fewer people that know about it, the better.”
Cassidy looked slightly annoyed. “Why not share stuff with me? What’s wrong with you?”
Bull waved her off. “Another time, Cass.” He called her by a nickname he had given her when he first moved into the Institute, one which tended to annoy her more than anything.
Cassidy sighed. “Oh well. Good luck with your battle!” She sulked away to the side of the arena, while Bull and Fox moved to one of the battling areas.
The two took up spots on opposite sides of the battling area. “I’ll use my only three Pokemon. Don’t wanna go soft on you, now would I?”
Bull shrugged, and pulled his PDA out of his pocket. “Whatever. It doesn’t really matter to me. This is just a little bit of fun, a break between studying.” Before anything else, Bull enjoyed feigning ineptitude when he really understood every part of a situation.
Fox looked surprised. “Good attitude. Without further ado, I call forth my first Pokemon.” He reached around his belt, and picked off one of his Pokeballs. “Flareon, let’s see what this guy’s made of!”
The Pokeball shot forth, and the graceful firecat appeared after a brief flash. Bull was not amused. “Oh well. Looks like another quick battle here. Totodile, have fun with this guy.” Bull threw one of his Pokeballs forward, and the fun loving crocodile Pokemon burst forth. “I’d at least like to make this an interesting battle, so we’ll give you the first move.”
Fox smiled. “Type advantage, eh? No matter. Flareon, let’s start with Body Slam!” Flareon nodded and turned towards its aquatic opponent, only to find that it was no longer where it once was. Flareon looked around the arena, mystified that its opponent had simply disappeared, only to find nothing of the small crocodile that had once been its opponent. Suddenly, Flareon felt something hit it on its back, and it was thrown across the arena towards Bull’s Trainer box. Totodile closed from above, a stream of water shooting from its mouth, and a second, much more deadly, wave of water following it from behind. Flareon had no idea what hit it, and it was knocked out instantly, with not so much as an attack coming from the fire cat Pokemon.
The trainer with the Charmander cried out, as the Surf attack had engulfed the entire arena and left the flaming lizard all but extinguished. His opponent recalled the Bellsprout, and the pair dashed to the stands to watch Bull’s battle.
Fox was stunned as he walked over to his felled Pokemon. He looked to Bull, the emotion pouring from his face. “…How…?”
Bull smiled something sinister. “An opening gambit that we’ve trained a long time to perfect. The moment that an opposing Pokemon turns its head to acknowledge its Trainer’s command, Totodile shoots its Water Gun straight into the ground, shooting it to the ceiling. Once there, it scampers around until it finds the perfect angle to attack, and launches its second Water Gun attack towards the ceiling to increase its own speed. After that, it releases, launches a third Water Gun, and follows it up with a Surf attack. When the combination works like it just did, it doesn’t really matter the type advantages or disadvantages of the two Pokemon. Totodile simply overwhelms them with its power and speed.” Bull crossed his arms. “I’m hoping that you can provide much more amusement than this with your next Pokemon.”
Cassidy smiled. Good. He looks much looser now than I’ve seen him since he got here. Even with Batty coming to the school, he’s always tense. It’s quite nice to see him having fun like this. She crossed her arms, and waited for the battle to continue.
Fox smirked as he recalled his Flareon. “You got me. I kinda knew what your Pokemon was in advance, which is why I used Flareon to begin with. I wanted to test your skill, and you passed marvelously.” Fox turned his back on Bull, and walked back to his Trainer box. “However, now the battle really begins. Vaporeon, it’s your turn!” He tossed a Pokeball over his shoulder, and the graceful mer-cat Pokemon appeared. It stared at its watery opponent, daggers in its eyes. “Vaporeon, let’s start simple. Go with a Bite.” Vaporeon didn’t even nod, it simply moved towards Totodile, who just stood waiting for its order.
Bull smiled. “Take the hit, then have your fun.” Totodile knew exactly what was coming. Vaporeon opened its small mouth, and Totodile aimed the hit towards its stubby arm. Once it was certain that the attack had been a success, Totodile countered with its own Bite attack, only a much more vicious one, on the fragile tail of Vaporeon, and Vaporeon let go of Totodile immediately. Totodile also let go of Vaporeon’s tail, revealing that a small portion of the tail was missing.
Bull laughed a little bit. “Now, while you have its attention. Focus Punch!” Totodile reeled back, charging energy in the fist that had not been hit by Vaporeon, while Vaporeon started to nurse its injury.
Fox started to shake a little bit. “Vaporeon! Move, quickly! Get off your Body Slam!” Vaporeon momentarily stopped licking its wound and looked at its Trainer. At that moment, Totodile rushed forward and connected its fist with Vaporeon’s face, sending the mer-cat Pokemon flying across the arena much like Flareon before it. Vaporeon refused to stay down, though. It was up after a moment of struggling with its own limbs.
Bull frowned, then snapped at his Pokemon. “Totodile, what have I told you about battling? Always go for the weakest points of your opponents. Those weak points will always be their downfall.” Cassidy was genuinely surprised. Before this, she had never heard Bull utter a single word of malice towards anybody. Before she could ponder over this any further, Bull had already ordered his next attack. “Slash Combo One” Cassidy watched in silence as Totodile glared at its opponent, baring its teeth while rushing the stunned Vaporeon.
Fox was genuinely surprised by the tenacity of both the Pokemon and the Trainer. “Vaporeon, Protect, then get underground!” Vaporeon shone brightly as Totodile rushed it and slashed at the mer-cat’s tail with its claws. Of course, it did no damage. Once Totodile had moved away, Vaporeon used its front paws and quickly dug itself a hole into the arena.
Bull did not look amused. “Is this really the best you can offer? Totodile, shoot an Ice Beam into that hole, then wait a moment.” Totodile did as it was told. Within a few moments, Vaporeon was unearthed several yards away from Totodile.
Fox looked visibly shaken. “OK, that didn’t work. Let’s try a simple Hyper Beam!” Vaporeon began to charge the attack, and was almost ready to fire.
It never had the chance.
“Mega Kick.” Totodile rushed its opponent again, this time performing a perfect jumping kick to Vaporeon’s still vulnerable tail. Vaporeon fired its Hyper Beam attack straight into the ceiling, bringing the rafters down on the remaining two combatants. Vaporeon shrieked, then fell to the ground.
Nidorino now was completely unable to battle, and had been replaced with a Gastly. The Abra opponent, however, called a halt to the battle the moment the rafters were brought down directly on top of both Abra and its Trainer. The pair glared at Bull, but joined their companions in the stands watching Bull’s intense battle.
Fox had no idea what to say. He couldn’t even move after the vicious assault. Bull picked up on the mood, and started talking, but with a much more condescending tone. “Slash Combo 1 is a Scary Face followed up by a Slash. Quite obviously, the Scary Face made it through your Protect, and made the Dig attack much less effective.” Bull smirked something evil. “The Ice Beam into the ground was to mess with Vaporeon’s sense of direction while underground. It also forced it to unearth itself prematurely, meaning that the attack couldn’t have possibly succeeded. However, it was your Hyper Beam call that really won me the battle. You see, Scary Face lowers the opponent’s Speed significantly. It was all too easy for my speedy Totodile to attack your Vaporeon’s glaring weakness with one of its most powerful attacks.” Bull crossed his arms again. “Now, where was that battle I was promised? I thought this was supposed to be some sort of a challenge. Are you sure that you’re a C level Trainer? Could’ve fooled me.”
Cassidy could barely move after this statement. Where did this ferocity come from? Bull is one of the nicest, most gentile people I’ve ever known. How could he be so merciless? She looked at her roommate with obvious concern in her eyes.
Bull, who are you?
Anger flowed into the face of Fox. He was obviously flustered. He had assumed that his opponent would be a fairly easy one, and he was completely unprepared for the onslaught of tactics, speed, and power that a single Totodile could create, and it was wreaking havoc on his team. “You… I’ll… Jolteon, smash this guy!” He was beginning to take things personally, and Bull could barely contain his excitement.
Bull sneered at his opponent and the flash that had begun to reform. “Finally,” he said as the thundercat appeared out of the flash, “something interesting.” Jolteon appeared completely, and immediately began charging around the arena.
Fox smiled. “Good, keep it going, Jolteon. Keep that Agility going. The more speed, the better.” He leered over at Bull, who was still sneering. “We’ll keep him on his toes like this.”
Bull was beginning to get worked up. “Totodile, use your Double Team!” The single Totodile began running around the arena, matching Jolteon step for step. In fact, it was moving so fast that it appeared like there were two Totodiles moving around the arena. Then there were three. Then four. Then a whole lot more. The arena was filled with Totodile clones, though only one of them was the real one. “Now, Totodile, go for the tactical kill. Use Dig!” The many Totodile clones began to dig themselves under the surface of the arena, creating many different holes around the arena.
Fox laughed, obviously nervous. “If it worked for you, it’ll work for me. Jolteon, shoot your Thundershock down into those holes! Flush that Totodile out of em!” Jolteon, without so much as a second thought, began shooting electricity through the holes that the Totodile clones had created. However, nothing happened above ground.
Bull threw his head back and cackled. “Bwahahahahaha!!! You really think that an Electric attack would work underground? The electricity gets absorbed by the earth itself. Oh, and you’ve just wasted whatever time you had. Totodile, let loose. Show him what an attack is really like!” At that moment, a single Totodile leapt forth from beside Jolteon, who stepped in the opposite direction from the blast. Then, another Totodile, from directly behind Jolteon. Then, many different Totodiles started jumping out of the ground all around Jolteon. The thundercat Pokemon was completely immobile, too afraid to move for the fear of getting hit by one of the swarming Totodile.
Fox frowned. “Move! Only one of them is real! Just keep mov…” Too late. Totodile, the real crocodile, burst forth from beneath Jolteon, sending the cat flying across the arena, into a corner by the arena boundary.
Bull sneered and cackled. “Now, Totodile! Finish this pathetic piece of swine off! Don’t leave any pieces remaining from its worthless carcass!”
Cassidy got up and screamed. “Bull!!! What are you doing! Who are you! Think about this!!!”
Bull looked over at her, completely stunned, then balled up his right fist and hit himself on the head. Repeatedly. And endlessly. And he appeared to be mumbling to himself and trying to stop his right fist with his left. Cassidy was dumbstruck. “Bull? Are you OK?”
Bull screamed. “You win. I forfeit.” Bull ran from the arena, now clutching his head, past the dumbfounded receptionist. He was so hasty that he even forgot to recall his Totodile, who simply stood where it was, unable to move.
Fox stood stunned on the spot, his Jolteon struggling to regain its footing. Slowly, he trudged over to the stands where Cassidy was still standing and put a hand on her shoulder. The other four Trainers had already gathered around her. One had put a reassuring arm around her shoulder. Fox could barely walk, and he was mumbling to himself. When he finally made it to Cassidy, he lifted his head, and his hands were shaking. “Hey, what was that? He’s a good battler. Why quit like that?”
Cassidy dropped to her knees, completely unaware of her surroundings. Totodile crawled to her side, underneath her arm, and she started stroking its head unconsciously, mumbling the entire time. “Who … are … you?”
