Kalos. Out within a forest. Day.
Within a forest in the Kalos Region, a van could be seen by the Pokemon living here. Within that van was a certain group who were on a mission. The Dazzlings along with their mother Vivace. They have been searching for the other sirens as their mission had led them to the Pokemon World.
The Pokemon cleared the way for the van with Vivace being at the helm. Adagio was currently holding her phone, seeing what she could entertain herself with whilst Sonata was slumped on the seat, exhausted. Aria yawned, feeling tired as well. Close to this forest was a city known as Fleurrh City. A city with a Pokemon Showcase theatre located between Couriway Town, Snowbelle City and of course, close to this forest.
"We'll stop here for a bit." Vivace had stopped the van right near the city.
"Huh?" Sonata blinked once the van stopped. "Oh, where are we now?"
"Looks like we're in Kalos." Aria rubbed her eye. "Are you sure this is the place to be, mom?"
"If we're to find the rest of our species, the only way to do it is by magic." Vivace opened the doors to the van, exiting it with Kricketot jumping out. "Prior to us being sent to that Human World, I perfected a spell that would help find other sirens. Sort of like a dog tracking down someone's scent."
"Not that effective if we haven't found any of them yet." Adagio sighed.
"You need have trust in the magic, Adagio. It's leading the way, guiding us to here next. Most likely, they've found gateways to this world after being in the Human World for so long. The magic is telling us to head for a place known as Anistar City. And also this map of Kalos helps to know which location is which." Vivace then held out a map, summoning it with her magic. A map of Kalos was granted to her, making this mission easier along the way.
"Gives us a good excuse to the tour the world, doesn't it?" Aria hopped out of the van. "Not sure why'd they here though."
"Why not? Who wouldn't want to visit the Pokemon World?" Sonata replied.
"Speaking of which...You girls. Would you call yourselves experts with how long you've been with Pokemon?"
"Not even close. It's only been 3 years." Adagio shook her head. "If anyone's at least somewhat of an expert, it's Aria."
"That's right. I ranked fairly high in the Canterlot Tag Competition. No biggie." Aria shrugged as she had some pride in that achievement. While she didn't win, she did end up creating the biggest upset alongside Twilight as her partner. "I'd say I'm a strong trainer overall."
"I'm in second place!" Sonata raised her arm, believing that she was second to Aria as a skilled Pokemon Trainer.
"And that would mean you would be last, Adagio. That's odd." Vivace smirked at her oldest daughter. "Usually, you're always at the top, surpassing your sisters."
"It's only for that!" Adagio roared, putting her phone away. "I'm still the better singer here! Why would I even need to bother myself with Pokemon anyway?"
"But you love Kricketot, don't you?" Sonata put her arms behind her back, giggling while sliding over to Adagio. "He's your best friend."
"Just Kricketot. The only Pokemon I'll tolerate." Adagio looked up as Kricketot hopped into her massive hair.
"Kricketot!" Kricketot loved the sound of that.
"Wouldn't kill you to get some more." Aria shrugged. "Just saying. What about that Pheromosa you were given? Tried talking to it?"
"I got rid of that Pheromosa. Its Poke Ball is elsewhere." Adagio scoffed. "No way I'm letting that thing be with us with the trouble it can cause. But if I were to catch another Pokemon..."
Adagio's next sentence had been cut off via an explosion of Infinity Energy nearby. The sirens were all started as the acre of trees had rustled violently from that outburst. A flock of Pidgey had flown away from the explosion as well as their attention had been averted towards the scene.
And flying out of the smoke was the Pokemon that received the explosion. That Pokemon was a Clawitzer. "C-Clawitzer!" Clawitzer cried out as it tumbled to the ground. The sirens witnessed the Water-Type's body trail out smoke as it got up, shaking its head.
And the one responsible for dealing that damage to Clawitzer was none other than Garchomp.
"Garchomp!" Garchomp jumped out of the smoke, roaring into the sky while also intimidating Clawitzer. It was surprising to see a Garchomp here. Such a rare Pokemon to boot. However, as the sirens watched in awe, they soon realized that this Garchomp was not alone.
Out of the smoke which was fading away, a final figure had emerged from it. A human. Walking into the scene was a familiar face to the eyes of Aria Blaze and an old rival to Ash Ketchum.
Paul.
"Had enough?" Paul said to the Clawitzer. "I'd hate to continue this battle. You can just move on and pretend this never happened, got it?"
"C-Claw!" Clawitzer certainly did as it immediately fled from Paul and Garchomp, jumping into the nearest lake. It looked like a battle had gone on between them both prior to this with Garchomp emerging victorious.
"Good job, Garchomp. Return," Paul said to the Garchomp that was revealed to be his. The Mach Pokemon had returned to its Poke Ball.
"Hey...It's you!" Aria cried out to Paul, grabbing his attention.
"Hm?" With Paul finishing up with his Clawitzer predicament that could only be guessed without context, he shifted his head to the side, recognizing Aria as well. "Well...Look who it is."
"Oh, who's that?" Sonata leaned in, asking Aria as Paul started approaching.
"The one who helped me find you back then when we split up. I didn't mention him, now that I think about it. This right here is Paul."
"Your name's Aria, right?" Paul asked, hoping he remembered Aria's name. It had certainly been a while. 2 years apart since their last encounter which was their only encounter at the time. "Been a while."
"Sure has," Aria smirked, crossing her arms. "Looks like you still have that serious look on your face."
"Look who's talking," Paul replied, pointing out how Aria also had a serious look on her face at all times. If not, then she was either bored or neutral. They looked at each other with synchronized smiles. Despite them meeting for the second time in so long, they already felt familiar with each other. "This is what you look like as a human, huh? Not bad."
"W-What do you mean not bad?" Aria pulled back.
"Take it how you will. That's all I'll say. And these four are?"
"My sisters and my mother." Aria introduced. "You should at least know who Adagio is, right?"
"Student of Princess Celestia right here." Adagio showed off, flipping her mane as she felt that being a student of Princess Celestia was a massive title. "Surprised to see me here, hm?"
"Oh, okay." But to Paul, that didn't matter much as Adagio's high spirit had shattered. Adagio's status became an afterthought to him.
"Hey there! Name's Sonata! Nice to meet you for the first time!" Sonata held her arm out, attempting to shake Paul's hand. Paul looked at her hand before then holding it out. Sonata went to grab it, expecting to be the one to shake it, however, she soon found out that Paul's grip was stronger than expected. "Wow! Your grip is strong!" Sonata exclaimed as Paul ended up being the one who shook her hand instead.
"What was that all about with that Clawitzer by the way?" Aria asked.
"It was bothering some Pokemon when I was journeying through here. Nothing much to it. "Speaking of Pokemon...how's that Popplio of yours? The one I helped you catch way back then."
"Not a Popplio anymore. She's a Brionne. And she's been doing great." Aria held out the Poke Ball, unleashing the Pop Star Pokemon that resided within it. Brionne.
"Brionne!"
"Hm. I was kind of expecting Primarina by now but you can't rush things. Especially if you're all still so new to Pokemon." Paul looked down at the Water-Type. Brionne had noticed Paul, remembering him from when he and Aria first showed up at the lakeside.
"Don't call us new anymore. I've gotten better with Pokemon to know what I'm doing." Aria shook her head. "I already talked about this with my sisters anyway..."
"Ah. So nice that you have more friends outside of Equestria." Vivace spoke. "And this boy is the one who helped you reunite with your sisters?"
"Just Sonata. We...had a fallout a while back before I met Paul." Aria uttered, not wanting to go into that fallout. "Two fallouts, now that I think about it."
"So, if you've gotten better...that means you're an above-average trainer now, right?" Paul asked, smirking while also taunting Aria in the process.
"I'm way more than above-average!" Aria pointed at herself.
"You sound pretty confident about it." Paul liked what he was hearing. "That's what I like to hear from a Pokemon Trainer. How about you prove it then?"
"With a battle? Read my mind." Aria already knew what Paul was going for as she picked up Brionne.
"Battle? Hold on!" Adagio could see that this was another time-waster incoming. Then again, this entire conversation had deviated from the original mission already. "Skip out on that. We're on an important quest right now. To find the rest of our species. We don't have time for a Pokemon Battle."
"Rest of your species?" Paul repeated.
"Yeah, we do." Along came Sonata, responding to Adagio with something else to say. "We helped out Sunset back in the Human World, didn't we? You know with that whole jail thing?"
"Well yes, but that was just a one-time thing." The oldest sibling crossed her arms. "We promised we'd keep on track of what we set out to do, right?"
"Uhh...No." Aria and Sonata did not remember any promise that resembled those words.
"But I did say that we should take some time to help others," Vivace said as those were words that Adagio hoped she wouldn't hear. She understood that her mother had changed but to Adagio, there were some changes she could do without. "Especially those who you three see as friends. And it's clear you have another friend here, don't you, Aria?"
"We're not friends." Despite the conversation. "Aria did not call Paul a friend. She felt as if a second meeting was not enough to bring him to that level.
"Then what is he then?" Sonata teased her second oldest sister, nudging her. "Someone special?"
"Don't you even...!" Aria grabbed Sonata by the face as the youngest of the three sisters still kept a cocky look on her face whilst it was being pulled by Aria Blaze.
"Well, I'm not getting involved in family affairs, that's for sure," Paul replied with his hands in his jacket pocket.
"We're still having that battle though, Paul. Let me show you how good I've gotten if you think I'm above-average!" Aria declared the battle to be official, vigorously pointing at Paul. "It'll be our first time battling, but you'll be surprised at what I can do."
"If you say so. Don't disappoint me with a pathetic display, Aria." Paul accepted it as the two of them would end up having their battle afterwards. They were already in the forest so the stage had already been set.
The two Trainers stood side by side from each other. An acre of trees surrounded them as if they were on a circular ring. Sonata brought over a log as she and Vivace took a seat. However, noticeably, Adagio walked off, obviously not feeling interested in this battle.
"Where are you going, Adagio"? Sonata asked.
"I'll pass on this. I'm heading for that city instead. They might have something nice for me to buy and wear. Come along, Kricketot." Adagio chose to head to Fleurrh City.
"Krick!"
"Shopping? Now that you brought that up..." Sharing Adagio's interest and love for fashion was Vivace. She pondered immediately, thinking about which would be better to indulge herself in. Seeing her daughter have a Pokemon Battle or go shopping. "Oh, decisions..."
"You don't have to worry for long on what to do instead, Mrs Vivace," Paul spoke. "This battle's gonna be short. I can tell."
"Oh, can you now?" Aria adjusted her jacket before taking out her first Poke Ball. "Better not underestimate me, Paul, or else you'll be stuck here for a while. Go, Ledian!" By throwing the Poke Ball, Ledian was up first.
"Ledian!"
"I'll take it a bit easy on you. Drapion! Standby for battle!" Paul sent his first Pokemon out which turned out to be his fearsome Drapion.
"Drapion!"
"So...How about you make the first move?" Paul asked, insisting that Aria went first.
"Trying to get me into a trap? Either way, I was thinking about going first! So, Ledian! Use Mach Punch!"
"Ledi!" Ledian went first, lighting up his four hands before then moving at blinding speeds. The Five Star Pokemon was already close to Drapion, having four different Mach Punches ready for it.
"Drapion! Cross Poison!"
"Dra!" Drapion would meet with Ledian's incoming hits via Cross Poison. With its sharp claws being coated in a glowing poison aura, it swung then at Ledian's incoming arms, initiating an immediate clash between the two. However, it did not last long as the moment Mach Punch and Cross Poison interacted, Drapion overpowered Ledian with Cross Poison emerging as the superior force.
"L-Ledian!" Ledian's Mach Punch had been pushed back as Drapion's claws smashed into him. The Bug-Flying-Type had been knocked back afterwards, hurling at surprisingly swift speeds.
"Ah! Ledian!" Aria gasped. But she had nothing to fear. Ledian managed to recover, despite how hard he had been hit.
"Pin Missile!"
"Drapion!" Drapion continued the assault. Drapion's claws were illuminated white and are raised above its head, where a thin, white line forms and connected them. Drapion thrust its claws forward as white streams of pins were shot at the Five Star Pokemon.
"Quick! Dodge and use Bug Buzz!"
"Ledian!" Ledian ascended, immediately beginning to evade the incoming pins. However, these pins looked to be homing as even when flying upwards, Ledian did not fully escape from them. This forced the Five Star Pokemon to start flying in different directions while also waiting for the right time to use Bug Buzz. "Led! Led!" This proved difficult as Ledian did not expect them to home in on him.
"Grr...Blow them away with Bug Buzz!" Seeing that the pins were hot on his trail, Aria decided to get rid of them immediately.
"Led!" Ledian did just that. He had faced the pins, using Bug Buzz on them instead as a green sound wave had been sent with powerful vibrations, breaking the pins apart.
"Now, jump and grab Ledian!"
"Dra!" Right after Ledian got rid of the pins, Drapion advanced while his back was turned. Leaping at a surprisingly high height for a Pokemon this big, Drapion cast a shadow over Ledian, alerting the Bug-Flying-Type.
"L-Ledi!?"
"Are you crazy?! The air's where he has the advantage! Comet Punch!"
"Ledi...An!" Ledian took advantage of Drapion being in the sky. Focusing on its lower body where its stomach could also be spotted, Ledian charged up his punches before then unleashing them in a furious flurry as if comets were being thrown at Drapion. A vulnerable position that was taken advantage of as Drapion was being hit by these repeated hits from Ledian at swift speeds. "Led-Led-Ledian!"
"D-Drapion!" Drapion seemed to feel it as the consecutive hits stunned it in the air.
"Ledian!" Ledian delivered the final blow, ending Comet Punch as Drapion could finally fall. However, the second the flurry of punches ended, Drapion not only recovered in a heartbeat as if all of those attacks did nothing to do it, but it had also grabbed Ledian's body with its claws, dragging him down. "L-Led!"
"Gotcha. Even in the air, my Drapion can still grab its opponents. And you know what comes next, right?"?
"Ledian! Break free with Bug Buzz!"
"L-Led! Ledi...!" Ledian tried pulling off Bug Buzz, only to be too late as Drapion had slammed him into the ground with its claws. "D-Dian!"
A truly meaty hit as a massive cloud of dust had formed from the impact. Sonata even had to grimace from the collision. Drapion was fine even after falling to the ground. But the same could not be said for Ledian. That slam was enough to finish things off as Ledian had fainted.
"Ledian..."
"That's that for your Ledian," said Paul. " Didn't last too long but it did get something in at least."
"R-Return, Ledian." Aria had returned Ledian as she was already at a disadvantage. "Thanks for trying."
"Come on, Aria! Just take out one of his Pokemon!" Sonata cried out, cheering for her big sister. "Uh, if you can!"
"Oh, I can. Croagunk, go!" Up next was Croagunk. She would battle Poison with Poison.
"Croagunk!"
"Oh, you have a Croagunk now. Not a bad choice. Let me see what Croagunk can do"
"Oh, you'll see alright. Bullet Punch, go!"
"Croa!" Croagunk went first, also using an attack similar to Ledian's Mach Punch. A quick-acting physical move that was intended for the first hit as Croagunk rushed at his fellow Poison-Type.
"Stop Croagunk with Pin MIssle!"
"Dra!" Drapion would keep Croagunk at bay, unleashing those same glowing pins from its claws in multiple streams. The pins rained down, bombarding Croagunk's vicinity as the Toxic Mouth Pokemon was forced to evade them while also still approaching with Bullet Punch.
"You can't dodge them all, Croagunk! Hit some of them back!"
"Gunk!" Croagunk understood clearly. With so many of them, dodging every pin was impossible. Unless some of them were knocked back which is exactly what Croagun had done. He used Bullet Punch to his advantage, slugging some of the pins with the speed of a bullet.
A successful strategy as some of the pins were sent flying back at Drapion. Drapion got a taste of its own attack, being pelted and assaulted by the pins as another successful hit on Drapion had been made. "Dra!"
"Yes! Now strike!" Aria pumped her fist before pointing ahead.
"Croa!"Croagunk rushed in while Drapion was still feeling its own puns. The Poison-Fighting-Type delivered Bullet Punch straight to the face.
"D-Dra!"
"Poison Fang!"
"Drap!" Drapion's eyes flashed as once again, its recovery speed was impressive. The second it had been socked in the face, its fangs started glowing purple. It took advantage of Croagunk being up close in its face, immediately heading for its arm. Soon, Croagunk received some retaliation as Drapion's fangs sunk into its arms. Not only that but now Croagunk was stuck within the Ogre Scorp Pokemon's grasp because of this.
"Croa?!"
"Not again!" Aria growled as this was the second time her Pokemon have been grabbed by Drapion. But this time, she wouldn't let that grasp be her downfall. "Fine! Go ahead and do your worst!"
"You're just going to let me attack Croagunk? Fine then." Paul smirked. "Slam it!"
"Drapion...!" Drapion was about to slam Croagunk much like how it did to Ledian earlier. However, this is exactly what Aria Blaze wanted as she seized this opportunity.
"Here goes...Dig!"
"Croa!" Once Croagunk was slammed towards the ground, this gave him the chance to use Dig. Only available from the ground and how fitting that he was heading for the ground. Once he slammed into it, Croagunk used the chance to use his only free arm to burrow into the ground.
"You're still trapped within Drapion's grasp." Paul saw that this tactic had one major flaw. Even do Croagunk managed to make a hole, his other arm which was being held by Drapion was restrained, preventing him from fully fleeing.
"You think I don't know that?! Use Poison Jab to toss the rocks!"
"Croa!" Croagunk and Aria thought on the spot that surprised even Paul. Croagunk used his free arm, shifting into Poison Jab before then hitting the rocks that emerged from Dig. A clever strategy as Drapion's face and eyes had been hit by these rocks, causing it to flinch.
"Drapion!" Thanks to the flinch, Croagunk had been freed as Paul couldn't help but smile at Aria's quick thinking.
"Well..." An impressed Paul said.
"Now, Dig!"
"Croagunk!" Croagunk was now free to dig. He jumped into the hole he previously made, burrowing it even further before then travelling through the ground.
"Look alive, Drapion!"
"Drap!" Drapion kept a sharp eye, looking out for Croagunk and where he could eventually pop out from. Aria was now starting to improve. Paul could see that she seemed to work better when she was starting to feel at a disadvantage. That kind of adaptation and style reminded him of a certain rival from Kanto.
"Croagunk!" Croagunk eventually emerged and that was right underneath Drapion. Much like how Ledian attacked Drapion's stomach, Croagunk went for Drapion's stomach, bursting out of the ground with an uppercut ready.
"Now!"
"Pion!" However, that all meant nothing as Drapion's ability to manipulate its body in a unique way. Apart from being able to turn its head 180 degrees, Drapion could also straighten or bend its body. And that had been shown as it had bent its body back, resembling the L shape from a certain angle. Croagunk's attack had been dodged, much to the shock of the Toxic Mouth Pokemon and Aria.
"Now, Cross Poison!"
"Dra...Pion!" Drapion had struck Croagunk midair, unleashing a slash at its fellow Poison-Type in an 'X' formation.
"Croa!" Croagunk felt that one no doubt as he had been rocketed to the ground right afterwards. Croagunk slid on the ground with the grass blades tickling his face. Aria closed her eyes with some dust getting on her clothes.
Unfortunately, that was her second Pokemon taken out by Drapion. Croagunk was down and out. "Croagunk..."
"Return, Croagunk. Good try." That was it for Croagunk as he had been sent back into his Poke Ball.
"Aw." Sonata sighed, saddened that Aria had lost another Pokemon while Paul was sitting pretty with just his Drapion. "This is starting to be a bummer now..."
"This is truly exciting." Vivace found absolute fun in this, loving how exciting a Pokemon Battle could be. "Glad I'm not too late to witness Pokemon Battles. But Adagio is certainly missing out."
"So far, your performance is mediocre." Paul closed his eyes. "Ledian was okay and Croagunk was slightly better. But the one I'm looking forward to the most is Brionne. Your first Pokemon. Maybe then, I won't have to go so easy on you."
"You call this going easy?" Aria narrowed her eyes before revealing her final Poke Ball. "Here I go. Even if I lose, my Brionne's going to catch you off guard! Go Brionnne!"
"Brionne!" Finally, Brionne had emerged. Just what Paul was waiting for. Paul expected Brionne to do better than the last two with exceeding results. From the beginning when Aria caught her, he put a lot of faith into what they could do in the future.
Upon emerging, Brionne had noticed that Aria was a bit dirty. The dust from before got on her clothes and that sight did not sit well with the Pop Star Pokemon. "Bri..."
"Hm? What's up, Brionne?" Aria asked.
"Brionne!" To clear Aria up, Brionne had suddenly used Hydro Pump, blasting her trainer with a stream of water. It turns out Aria was the one who was caught off guard, flinching and almost falling over from the water. She was now wet but on the bright side, the dust was gone. "Bri!"
"Thanks, Brionne..." Aria uttered with Sonata laughing at her sister being drenched. Vivace let out a small chuckle whilst Brionne felt proud about cleaning Aria up, even if it was without warning. "Anyway. Let's just focus on the battle okay? If we can just take out that Drapion...we can get somewhere."
"Bri."
"If you can. Come on. Show me what you two can do."
"Let's pick up where Ledian and Croagunk left off! Hyper Voice!"
"Bri-Bri-Ioooonne!" Brionne started off strong by letting out a beautiful sound that was music to everyone's ears. Everyone except Drapion, who had received an alternate variation of it. The soundwaves from Brionne's Hyper Voice travelled fast, blowing the blades of grass and even rustling the trees.
"Counter with Pin Missile!"
"Dra!" Drapion sent out the glowing pins against the soundwave, retaliating with a consecutive force. However, Brionne's Hyper Voice could also be considered consecutive.
"Raise the volume, girl!"
"Brionne!" Brionne increased her tempo, utilizing her talent of singing in her battle strategy. The size of the soundwave increased as Pin Missle kept bombarding it. Neither side managed to get the advantage as the two attacks cancelled each other out.
"Now, Play Rough! Go!"
"Bri!" Brionne leapt into the air with a pink light surrounding her body. It would be a direct attack from above.
"Cross Poison, Drapion!"
"Drap!" Drapion unleashed Cross Poison, sending it as a ranged attack upwards.
"Pirouette around it!"
"Bri!" Brionne had used her dancing skills whilst in the air to her advantage. Once the poison approached her, she managed to do a stylish pirouette that allowed her to evade the attack while still keeping that momentum of Play Rough.
"Hm?!" Paul raised an eyebrow.
"Drapion?!"
"Brionne has the ability to dodge attacks by dancing! And mine can do it in the air! Go, Brionne!"
"Bri!" As if she was a slingshot, she propelled herself downwards after finishing her dance, crashing herself into Drapion. A large cloud emerged as Brionne could have her way with Drapion amidst the mess. She struck Drapion multiple times with Play Rough as she already showing great promise.
"D-Dra!" Drapion's head poked out of the cloud of Fairy Magic, crying out. It had then been knocked out of the cloud as Play Rough had ended.
"Now, use Hydro Pump!"
"Bri...Onne!" Brionne followed up with Hydro Pump, unleashing a high volume blast of water.
"Duck!"
"Dra!" Drapion had once again manipulated its body. It lowered his head and tail, mimicking a straight line now as the blast of water ended up missing.
"Now, use Pin Missile!"
"Drapion!" Drapion unloaded its own ranged attack in the form of Pin Missile, sending those streams of glowing pins once more.
"He really is going easy on me..." Aria growled as Drapion had only used three moves in this entire battle and they were all efficient. "Dance around them, Brionne!"
"Brionne~" Brionne would use her dancing strategy once more, gracefully performing moves to avoid the pins. The dancing was also efficient as Popplio used each dance trick she knew that helped her evasion. However, Paul had already caught onto this strategy and decided to shut it down.
"Toxic Spikes!"
"Drapion!" Drapion finally unleashed its fourth move only seconds after Aria brought it up. Drapion opened its mouth as a dark purple orb formed inside it. It then fires the ball into the air, which spiralled and releases four small streams of purple smoke from the top of the ball. The orb then exploded, forming into multiple smaller orbs that came crashing down.
"We'll dodge that too!"
"Bri!" Brionne continued to dance, however, it was the spikes falling that Aria and Brionne had to worry about. Toxic Spikes sunk into the battlefield, masking themselves.
"Now, Play Rough again!"
"Brionne!" After they sunk, Brionne was ready for the next attack. However, this was where Toxic Spikes kicked in. The moment she decided to take one step forward, the spikes had struck her. "B-Bri!" Brionne's body had been injected with poison, crying out. "Brionne!"
"Should've seen that coming," said Paul. "Let's see how well she does when she's all poisoned. Cross Poison!"
"Oh, I assure you! She can do fine even when poisoned! Hydro Pump!"
"Drapion!"
"Brionne!" A clash of attacks had ensued. Cross Poison and Hydro Pump. Even when poisoned, Brionne had the strength to continue, even if it was damaging her. Hydro Pump and Cross Poison equalled out in the end.
"I can't use Encore because all of Drapion's moves are big trouble..." Aria thought to herself. "He's already had Drapion use Toxic Spikes so there's no need for that move again...I need to think fast."
"Stuck?" Paul noticed that Aria was in deep thought. "Now's not the time to be contemplating! Approach and Poison Fang!"
"Dra!" Drapion would get up close and personal, rushing through the smoke.
"Ah! Brionne, dodge it quick!"
"Bri..." Brionne would try and dodge it via dancing, but the poison was getting to her. She groaned as Drapion had enough time to grab her. Drapion grabbed the Pop Star Pokemon with its claws as its bottom fangs glow purple. "Brionne!"
The purple glow then moved down its arms, making the whole section glow as it does. When the glow reached the last section, it skips towards the hands and the claws, transferring all the power there. Then, multiple purple sparks surrounded the claws as Drapion tightened its grip around Brionne. "Dra!"
"Ionne!"
"That all you can do?" Paul asked, hoping for more.
"It isn't over yet! Let Drapion have it at full volume."
"BRIONNE!" Brionne would unleash Hyper Voice even when being held. And being up close and personal in Drapion's face was the best time to do this. She sang at the loudest volume she could, not only attacking Drapion with a soundwave, but she had also damaged its ears.
"Dra!" Despite this sound blast, Drapion did not let go.
"Hydro Pump!"
"Bri!" Brionne followed up. Her mouth was still open, allowing her to switch from Hyper Voice to Hydro Pump in a second.
As Drapion's ears had been assaulted, it had then received a high-pressure blast in its face. That was enough to free Brionne as the force of the Hydro Pump ended up pushing her back through the air momentarily. Drapion had been knocked back by this pressure.
Drapion even almost fell over as the damage done from the previous two Pokemon was certainly starting to show its effects. Paul could see that this was a somewhat familiar scenario. A scene where multiple Pokemon were needed to handle his Drapion. It reminded him too much of his battle with Ash back at the Lily of the Valley Conference more than 10 years ago.
"Bri...Bri..." Brionne breathed in and out from all of the poison. It was painful for her body.
"Hang in there, Brionne!" Aria exclaimed as Brionne slapped herself in the face.
"You've got spirit. But you can't keep it going with the state you're in. Let's put an end to this, Drapion."
"Drapion."
"Not before that Drapion goes down! I've got a plan for you! Let's use Play Rough!"
"Bri...!" Brionne closed her eyes, digging deep into her Fairy-Type capabilities. Her body radiated that mystical pink fairy glow. However, there was something different. Paul could notice a change in the way this attack was building up. The energy of Play Rough was being converted as Brionne's mouth opened up.
"Huh?" Aria soon noticed this along with Sonata and Vivace.
"Bri...Brionne!" Instead of using Play Rough, Brionne had used something else. But it wasn't an attack she already knew. It was not Hydro Pump, Hyper Voice or even Encore. This was a new attack that had replaced Play Rough with Brionne abandoning it.
Moonblast.
The power of the moon had been gathered as out of Brionne's mouth, a pink sphere had been summoned via Brionne's latent power. When at a disadvantage, she dug deep enough to gain a new move.
"Moonblast?!" Aria gasped.
"Hoh?" Paul was impressed. Granted, this was somewhat of a common thing for Pokemon to do. But while poisoned was definitely new.
"Alright! Go! Use Moonblast!" Aria went with it. Moonblast had replaced Play Rough and now was a good time to use the attack. She unleashed the sphere charged by the power of the moon at her current strength.
"Not bad. Your Brionne's strong, that's for sure." Paul had to respect and acknowledge strength when he saw it. Aria and her Brionne had already proved themselves. "But it's still the end. Cross Poison!"
"Dra...Pi...On!" Drapion used a bit more of its strength, forming the strongest Cross Poison in this battle. All of the poison went to its claws as it had smashed them against the sphere. Upon hitting it, Drapion felt some pushback as the power of this Moonblast was stronger than expected.
However, at the end of the day, Drapion managed to defeat it with the poison travelling through. Brionne winced with one eye open, witnessing the poison coming her way. The result was a direct hit with a purple explosion of poison.
"Brionne, no!" Aria cried out as Brionne felt out of the purple smoke. It was over.
"Brionne..." Three to zero. None of Paul's Pokemon had fainted. In fact, only one of his Pokemon had been used. His Drapion. As for Aria, she suffered a loss where all three of her Pokemon had fallen. Aria walked over to Brionne, picking her up as if she was a baby.
"Thank you, Brionne. You did your best." She hugged the Pop Star Pokemon.
"After all that, that Drapion didn't go down..." Sonata pouted. "There wasn't a chance from the beginning, was there?"
"How fun. You should've told me these Pokemon Battles could be so exciting." Vivace said.
"You both did your best. But looks like you have ways to go." Paul walked over to them with his Drapion. "At least I'm glad you made the right decision of choosing Brionne."
"Uh, thanks, Paul. Wish I took at least one of your Pokemon down. But...think we can have a rematch sometime? You know, when I'm better and stronger?"
"Anytime."
"Well done, you four!" Vivace applauded, approaching them. "Aria. Great job for trying your best. And you Paul. Those skills you have are something to behold."
"It was nothing. That wasn't my best anyway." Paul replied, turning away. "My work here is done anyway. I'm heading for Anistar City next. I'll test myself against one of the best Gym Leaders around. Olympia."
"Anistar City? That's where we're headed too!" Sonata gasped, remembering what her mother had mentioned about the magic guiding them. "Oh! You could come along!"
"Hm?" Both Paul and Aria looked at Sonata.
"Clever thinking, Aria." Vivace placed her hand on her youngest daughter's shoulder. "How about it? Not sure Adagio would approve."
"Hmm..." Paul thought about it for a moment. "I'll pass."
"Huh?!" They collectively exclaimed.
"I would say I prefer to go it alone but...I have my Pokemon with me. But you get the picture." Paul denied going along with them. "But I'll meet you there."
"Oh. Well, that's fine." Aria nodded, shifting her eyes. "Would've been kinda cool if you did..."
"Would it now?" Sonata appeared behind her sister with that same mischievous grin. "Why's that? Hm?"
"You...!" Aria had then grabbed Sonata's face, almost picking her up from the ground.
"I'll go at my own pace." Paul was ready to walk off before he heard his stomach growl, causing him to halt his movements momentarily. "But...I need something to eat first. Reminds me why I was heading for Fleurrh City."
"Well, this region is on the fancier side, isn't it?" Vivace stepped in between them. "Let's eat. And while you're at it, mind telling me, mainly my daughters here, some tips in battling."
"I can learn on my own." Aria crossed her arms, believing that she didn't need any tips or tricks. "It'll make one step closer to becoming a better battler."
"But you still need some advice along the way." Paul walked past Aria, heading for the city as the sirens promptly followed him. "Otherwise, you'll be stuck where you're at."
"Tch. I'll take my chances." A stubborn Aria replied as she and Paul kept bickering. They could continue this conversation whilst heading for Fleurrh City to eat, where Adagio was waiting and was most likely busy.
This mission to find the other sirens were filled with instances that wouldn't immediately lead the group to their related species. But, it was always the journey that counted. Although in this case, the goal was far more important than the journey as the journey continues.
Chapter 773 End.