//------------------------------// // Cold-Hearted Battle // Story: My Little Pokémon: Grander World // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Galar. Wild Area. Afternoon. A powerful snowstorm had come and gone, startling and catching many of the Pokemon in the Wild Area by surprise as no one saw it coming. This was thanks to Pokemon Hunter J's Protean Vambrace as she completely bewildered many of them. Especially Ash's group. By controlling the power of the snowstorm, she managed to separate most of them from Sci-Twi. For one reason. To obtain her Alpha Pokemon. And as a bonus, take advantage of her weaknesses. Now, Sci-Twi was alone, ready to face off against Hunter J. "I'm going to have fun crushing your spirit!" Hunter J exclaimed, holding out a Great Ball. She would then launch it, revealing yet another Alpha Pokemon. This time, it would be an Ursaring. "Ursaring!" The Alpha Ursaring unleashed a powerful roar, creating a mild gust that would reach Sci-Twi and Alpha Pikachu. "An Alpha Ursaring..." Sci-Twi shuddered at this intimidating combination of categories. As if Ursaring needed to be any more terrifying than it already is. "But I'm not scared!" Twilight would quickly throw a Poke Ball upwards, summoning one of her Pokemon. "Please help out! Heracross!" "Heracross!" Alpha Heracross would emerge. An excellent pick on Sci-Twi's part as she immediately went for the Pokemon that could deal the heaviest hits to Ursaring. However, prepared for something like this, by using the Protean Vambrace, J used the Ice-Type function yet again. "Ghh...!" But even though she was equipped to challenge Hunter J, the chilling snowstorm was a problem. Even though it died down, it was still powerful, causing Twilight, Heracross and Pikachu to shiver. As for Ursaring, J made sure it was kept warm, using that ring of fire on the Normal-Type's back. "It's still too cold!" "Too chilly? Unfortunately for you, Ursaring doesn't need to hibernate from this. Attack, Ursaring! Hammer Arm!" "Ursa!" Along came Ursaring, putting most of its strength around its arm before then charging at Heracross. "Oh! Heracross, use Megahorn!" "Hera!" Once Alpha Ursaraing approached for a swing, Heracross would immediately meet that with his horn. It was a strong collision between two highly-physical Pokemon. The snow around them would be blown away and tremble at the might of these two Alpha Pokemon. They struggled against each other, locking eyes in the process. "Here you go." Hunter J used the Protean Vambrace once more. But this time, for another purpose. She revealed another feature of it that was made by Colress' genius. The brilliance of the Team Plasma scientist had brought out the best in this object since he originally made it and the extraordinary things it could do were shown as J would aim it once more at Ursaring. From the Normal Infinity Energy, a stream of white energy flew over to Ursaring while it was still locked trying to overcome Heracross. But the two seemed equal as far as it went. But that all changed once the Normal Energy would enter Ursaring's body, filling the Hibernator Pokemon with a sudden surge of strength that made its eyes glow white. "Ursa!" "W-What is this?!" Sci-Twi pulled back once Ursaring's eyes flashed white. And because of this interruption, it was Ursaring who managed to win this struggle, pushing through Megahorn. "C-Cross?!" "Ursaring!" After winning that struggle, Ursaring would knock Heracross away, causing the Single Horn Pokemon to spin through the air. "Heracross! Are you alright?!" Sci-Twi gasped as Heracross managed to recover by using his wings. The Single Horn Pokemon was still overwhelmed by that. He was on the same level of strength as Ursaring and all of a sudden, that changed once Ursaring received that boost. "What did you just do?" Sci-Twi uttered. "A boost?" "Clever girl. I'll always give my Pokemon a boost depending on what type they are. It's always a massive bonus on my part." "No fair..." Sci-Twi puffed her cheeks as J was resorting to these sorts of tactics to gain an advantage. First, it was the snow and now it ended up being this ability to power up her Pokemon depending on what type they were. "I use whatever I can to get an edge, brat. But don't get confident thinking you're better than me because of this. I'll show you why you're still beneath me! Ursaring! Fire Punch!" "I'll beat you and it'll prove that I am!" Sci-Twi was determined. And thanks to what J had done, she wanted to win more than ever now. "Heracross, please use Brick Break!" "Hera!" Heracross would approach Ursaring who would also advance. This battle would mostly be an up-close and personal battle with these two currently out. Heracross went for an overhead strike with Brick Break, only for Ursaring to suddenly move faster than before. This was thanks to the boost as the Hibernator Pokemon would zip to the side, evading the Brick Break. "Hera?!" "Saaaa!" Ursaring would then land Fire Punch from the side, dealing a super-effective blow to the Single Horn Pokemon. Heracross grimaced from this blow as he was once again pushed back. But this time, it would be an unrelenting attack. "Once more!" And by J's command, Ursaring would begin an assault on Heracross, moving in for another Fire Punch while the Bug-Fighting-Type was still bewildered from Fire Punch. "It's faster too!? Fly up, Heracross! Quick!" "C-Cross!" Heracross would then unleash his wings once more, this time, using them to ascend once he recovered. But it was a close call as the recovery was a bit delayed thanks to the Fire Punch dealing such a super-effective hit. He rose up, evading the next Fire Punch narrowly as the flaming claw of the Hibernator Pokemon would smash into the ground, melting away the snow. With a deep breath from all of this snow, Sci-Twi recollected herself. She couldn't let this speed increase get to her, even if it was unexpected. "This will keep us safe for now. Night Slash!" "Hera! Hera!" Heracross would then use the alternate form of Night Slash. With his horn coated in darkness, he would swing it, sending out dark crescent-shaped attacks. "Ursa!" Ursaring would begin deflecting them with Fire Punch, crushing as much of the Night Slash as it could. "I-I've got this..." A chilly Twilight said while holding onto Pikachu to try and keep him warm. Standing out here in the middle of this snowstorm was dangerous but with J's presence, everywhere was dangerous thanks to that Vambrace and all the options she had with it. Sci-Twi has already witnessed what it can do after all. "I have you to myself, girl." J suddenly eyed down Sci-Twi, aiming the vambrace at her as well as the Arm Cannon. She was going for both Twilight and Alpha Pikachu. "Pika...!" A chilly Pikachu growled at Hunter J, ready to pounce out of Twilight's arms to intercept whatever was coming next. "Wait, Pikachu!" But Sci-Twi saw the risk that came with that. There was a chance that Pikachu would be turned to stone thanks to the Arm Cannon. J would go for the Electric Option. "Heracross?!" As for Heracross, he noticed the impending danger approaching his friends. He would immediately cease his clash with Ursaring just to rush over. Heracross would ignore Ursaring, soaring to Twilight's side. A stream of electricity flew out of the vambrace along with that beam that could perish Pokemon who were unfortunate enough to be hit by it. Thankfully, Heracross avoided that but he didn't manage to avoid the stream of electricity. The Single Horn Pokemon shoved Twilight and Pikachu out of the way, taking the hit for them. "No! Heracross!" Sci-Twi yelled after being pushed back, stumbling as she managed to recover. The same couldn't be said for Heracross as he found himself being shocked by a vicious number of volts. "Pikachu!" "H-Hera...!" It was worth it though. Protecting them both was too important to ignore as Heracross slid on the ground, tasting the cold snow. "Bad call, bug!" J scoffed as she was hoping to land her beam at least once. So far, that hasn't happened. "Ursaring, get them! Fire Punch!" "Ursa!" This time, both hands were coated in flames as Ursaring would go for not just Heracross but also Sci-Twi and Pikachu. Heracross was just now getting back up while Ursaring's boosted speed allowed it to get close. And with Twilight within range of Ursaring's massive arms, this Fire Punch could hit its mark. "Chu...Pika!" However, Alpha Pikachu would intercept this. By this point, the natural rules had been thrown out of the window thanks to Hunter J. She certainly doesn't bother with a standard Pokemon Battle at all. Thus, this was fair game. Alpha Pikachu would use Quick Attack, moving at lightning speeds while leaping out of Twilight's arms. "R-Ring!" Ursaring was interrupted by this Quick Attack. It was a direct hit to its face, dealing the most damage to its nose. The Hibernator Pokemon grimaced and was even slightly pushed back by this surprise attack. Just enough time for Heracross to stand back up. "Pikachu...Thank you." Twilight sighed as Pikachu would stand in front of her, flaring his red sacs with electricity. Pikachu felt the need to chime in now thanks to J's various surprise attacks. "But...It's still too cold here. I hope Ash and the others are doing better than I am." "You don't have to worry about them. They'll come back and see you in the worst possible state." J said before holding out her Protean Vambrace once more. "But I'll give you this. You're not half bad, brat. But you're still lacking something!" Just then, J would use the Ground-Type Infinity Energy, slamming her hand into the ground. The energy from the vambrace would travel into the ground, immediately interacting with the Earth. And with this massive sheet of snow, it would all be manipulated as well. Sci-Twi and her Pokemon felt the ground shake a bit, expecting an Earthquake to come along. But that wasn't the case. Instead, the ground behind Sci-Twi was starting to descend. J had manipulated the shape of the ground, transforming it from a flat land into a hill. It was extraordinary to see J accomplish such a feat as the immediate transformation of the hill meant that it went downwards. And the height was exceptionally high as cracks started forming at the lower levels, bringing about gaps in the Earth. "Woah...Woah!" Sci-Twi stumbled once more. She was the closes to the edge, nearly falling over. Behind her was a plethora of gaps that led to the underground of the Wild Area. And from this height, it would be a hard fall. Hunter J would then raise her arm before looking at her Vambrace. After manipulating the ground, she saw each of the Type Crystals flashing suddenly. They would all go off, flashing continuously. "Tch. I used up a lot of its strength it seems. A quick recharge will do." Indeed. After what J had pulled off, the Vambrace had its limits. It couldn't last forever and needed some time to recover. But even without the Vambrace as an advantage, J still had a lot to offer, unfortunately. Ursaring was one of them. "But I suppose I can throw in one more Type before it recharges!" Despite the vambrace needing time to recharge, Hunter J would use it once more, going for another Type. And this time, it was Ice yet again. By shooting a light beam into the ground, she would manipulate all the snow around this area. The snow would rise up from J's control, towering over from behind. Sci-Twi and her Pokemon looked up to see this giant sheet of snow rising and resembling that of a maw. It was clear that Hunter J was going for an avalanche. And from this close to the edge, disaster was written all over this. Most of the snow had gathered, bringing back some of the lush green environment. "Not good...Pikachu! Use Thunder! Heracross, Night Slash!" Sci-Twi desperately shouted, seeing what could stop this massive avalanche that was coming. "Go, Ursaring! Hyper Beam!" "Ursa...!" And to add to that, Ursaring would use Hyper Beam, only adding extra pressure to this. From the Hibernator Pokemon's mouth, a powerful beam of destruction would be shot out, having the width to engulf Sci-Twi, Pikachu and Alpha Heracross. "Pikachu!" Pikachu would ignore the avalanche and only focus on the Hyper Beam, unleashing Thunder onto it. Meanwhile, Heracross would only handle the Avalanche, swinging his horn as fast as he could to cut all the snow apart. The struggle between Thunder and Hyper Beam was fierce. Two powerful moves going at it and at such a risky position. It wasn't like Sci-Twi had many positions to choose from. Near the edge was the only area she could choose from thanks to what J did to the ground. "You two can do it!" Sci-Twi cheered her partners on. "I have to win...I just have to!" "Ridiculous! You should learn when to quit!" J bellowed as the avalanche was still being held back by Heracross who thankfully had the strength to do so. But thanks to the boosted power from the Protean Vambrace, Ursaring's Hyper Beam was too difficult to overcome. With an extra push, Pikachu only managed to tie with the Hibernator Pokemon. Hyper Beam and Thunder cancelled each other out. But this was the worst possible for them to tie. The ground around Sci-Twi would be affected by this equalizer while also summoning a strong shockwave. While Heracross was swarmed by the snow, Sci-Twi and Pikachu would find themselves being pushed off the edge of the hill. And with this snow, Sci-Twi inevitably slipped off. "Ah...Aaaaah!" After realizing what had occurred, at the top of her lungs, Sci-Twi would screech. Pikachu would also scream as the two were prime to either crash into the ground or fall through the gaps that J had made. Either way, either result would turn out poorly for them. "Heracross...!" Heracross heard the cry of Twilight and Pikachu. Yet again, he would come to their rescue. With his brute strength, he moved away from the avalanche, going for Sci-Twi and Pikachu, being the only Pokemon in her team that could fly. "Not this time." But J was expecting Heracross to go after them. And with only one weapon available to be used, she would aim her Arm Cannon at the Single Horn Pokemon, using her visor to get a clear shot. Once Heracross was within range, she unleashed the beam from her arm cannon. "Hera!" Heracross' arms were wide open as Sci-Twi would raise hers while falling to her potential doom. And this left him vulnerable. From behind, the beam would hit one of his legs. And that was all it took "H-Hera?!" "Gotcha." J deviously said. The process had begun. It started from Heracross' leg and was only going to start growing from there. And yet, that wouldn't stop Heracross. He would persist in trying to save Twilight, using all of his strength before the stone could envelop him. "Cross!" Heracross managed to grab Sci-Twi and Pikachu, holding them both close to him. At least he ended up reaching them even with the stone taking over his body. But he would do more than that. Heracross wanted to cushion the blow. The Bug-Fighting-Type would rotate himself, putting Sci-Twi and Pikachu above him while he would be underneath, acting as a shield. "Wait a minute...No! Heracross!" That was certainly something Sci-Twi didn't want. But it's what Heracross wanted and saw as the best option. Heracross would shake his head, essentially telling Twilight not to argue against this. They were already close to the ground by now. With his actions speaking louder than words, this resonated with Sci-Twi. A tear would form in her eye as she was about to witness a full-on sacrifice from one of her Pokemon. This wasn't the result she was hoping for. She wanted to defeat J after all. But now, it seemed like that wasn't the case. J had done so much to turn everything in her favour and succeeded in doing so. Poor Twilight didn't have the options she had and that difference showed as it would potentially cost the well-being of Heracross. And just like that, Heracross' entire body was turned to stone. Hunter J reached the edge, waving her arm at Sci-Twi while she descended, speaking out while raising her visor. "I'll take the Poke Balls off you once you're finished. And if you fall through...Oh well. It is what it is. So long, little one!" J would give her farewell to Sci-Twi, seeing this as the end. She did say she would make this their final encounter and J certainly wasn't stretching it. No matter what, she wanted all of her threats out of the way. All Twilight could do now was hold on for dear life while keeping Pikachu close to her. And even when his body was nothing but stone, Heracross was still embracing them both, having a strong grip. But nearby, with a mighty gallop, a Pokemon with greater speeds than any of the others would swoop in, melting the ice just from the velocity. Coming to Sci-Twi, Pikachu and even Heracross' rescue was none other than Alpha Rapidash. She had been allowed to roam free earlier by Twilight, being lost in the snowstorm. But with the flames on her mane and tail, the snowstorm was nothing but a mild nuisance. "Rapidash!" Rapidash appeared, taking a nightly lunge as she caught them all on her back. All the snow around her would melt away instantly as a trail of her warm hoofsteps had been made. Responding to Twilight's cry, the Fire Horse Pokemon responded just like how Heracross would. "Rapidash!" Sci-Twi gasped as she, Heracross and Pikachu were saved. In the nick of time too as they were exceedingly close to the ground. "Tch. That Rapidash from before..." Hunter J scoffed as she saw Alpha Rapidash once more. The first Alpha Pokemon she ever failed to catch was the one to save her enemies a second time. "Dash!" With a quick glare that had hostile intent behind it, Rapidash would look up at the Pokemon Hunter before galloping off. She did not stick behind to exact some payback. Instead, Rapidash knew that the best thing to do was get Sci-Twi and the to hers out of here. After being saved and nearly experiencing her doom, Sci-Twi ended up fainting from the shock and rush of instances that went down. From Heracross being turned to stone, the high height and Rapidash appearing. Rapidash would disappear into the snowstorm, using her heat to keep her friends warm. "Hmph. Return, Ursaring." Hunter J would return Ursaring to its Poke Ball before witnessing Rapidash vanish. However, thanks to her warm body and all of the snow, her hoofsteps were still visible. "That's a killjoy. I didn't get to finish things off. But I bet her spirit has been hit by this battle. She'll think twice before taking me on again." "I doubt it." The Desire of Princess Twilight Sparkle that was within Hunter J spoke at last, staying quiet during this entire battle. "You may have only petrified and potentially scarred her. But her spirit hasn't broken just yet. Not when she has them by her side." "Bah. Whatever." Hunter J scoffed. "At least there's not much she can do now in that state. I still have an Alpha Lopunny to catch. As for that nuisance Ash, he's been perfectly occupied this entire time. It feels great to have him away from this." J would walk off, continuing on her mission. She failed to retrieve all the Alpha Pokemon Sci-Twi, even after turning Heracross into stone. But there was still one more Alpha Pokemon for her to catch. Alpha Lopunny. And with Sci-Twi fainting, she expected the assistant of Professor Oak to be unable to continue for a while, giving the Pokemon Hunter all the opportunity in the world to catch Lopunny before it was too late. Rapidash looked back at Sci-Twi while her flames staved off the harsh ice that affected her body. Unfortunately, the Wild Area did not have any caves for them to rest at. But Rapidash knew that the best option was to take her to more of her friends. As far as how this battle turned out, unfortunately, the winner of this one was Pokemon Hunter J as the journey continues. Chapter 32 End.