Chapter 23.5 - Strength
Little Lost Raichu
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Chapter 23.5
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Strength
"When backed into the corner, one fights even more fiercely, and you can expect nothing less from us. At worst, we’ll apply for another league and come back stronger!” The young boy, Lauki, clenched his fist and swung it. “But if we’re going down, we’re going down with a bang!”
Lauki’s Pikachu pointed at Nica and shouted, <You think you can win easily because you’re bigger? I’ve taken down stronger pokemon than you! Come at me! I’ll show you what a determined Pikachu is capable of!> As several seconds passed in silence, Pikachu’s determined face softened a bit. <Still nothing to say? And what’s up with your sad face?>
Nica looked to the side, not feeling comfortable in the least.
The crowd murmured among themselves, unsure who to cheer for.
“Pikachu, attack with ‘Thunderbolt!’ Show everyone your true power!” Lauki commanded.
Pikachu nodded before jumping up, sending the strongest attack he could muster.
Nica glanced at Pikachu and raised one paw, summoning ‘Light Screen’ for additional protection. She pressed her tail into the ground behind her. She didn’t blink as the weakened electricity went through her towards the soil, causing minimal damage.
“Great work! Now, counterattack with ‘Volt Tackle’ and ‘Iron Tail’ at the same time!” Astra commanded, only to be met with silence. “No… Not again!” She sat and wrapped her arms around her knees as she released a sigh of disappointment. “Fine, do whatever you want. We’ll win anyway in the end.”
Pikachu blinked in confusion. <You… You’re not going to attack?>
Nica shook her head in silence.
<Well, that’s unexpected. Why are you hesitating?> Pikachu asked, taking hesitant steps forward. He stomped and clenched his left forepaw. <If you’re looking down on me, I–>
<Being a Raichu gives me an unfair advantage. You can attack me as much as you want, but I refuse to fight back,> Nica said in a saddened tone. By feeling the strength behind the last attack, she knew the power difference between them. Any attempt of attacking would end up as picking on a weaker and smaller pokemon. <I’m not going to bully you.>
“Hey, stop underestimating us! Pikachu, attack with ‘Quick Attack!’ Show them that you’re not a small fry!” Lauki commanded.
Pikachu nodded before running towards Nica, picking up in speed with each passing second. <You may be bigger, but let’s see how well you handle my speed!>
Nica looked to the side, sending a small portion of power into her tail before swinging it. The moment Pikachu’s head was about to make contact with her belly, her tail pushed him lightly to the side.
Pikachu pressed his paws into the ground, spreading dust all around while pushing himself to a full stop. <W-what just happened?>
Nica stared at the sky absentmindedly. <I pushed you aside with my tail and you missed. You’re welcome to try again.>
Pikachu grit his teeth. <This… isn’t funny.>
<I’m sorry if I offended you,> Nica responded as she lowered her head, now staring at the ground in guilt.
“Pikachu, ‘Thunderbolt!’” Lauki commanded.
Pikachu heeded the command, only for Nica to leap to the side, evading the attack.
<Thunderbolt is an attack that can last for several seconds, and you can adjust its trajectory,> Nica explained and turned around, now facing the smaller pokemon. <Watch closely.>
She slowly raised her left leg, allowing her body to tilt slightly to the side before jumping left using her right leg. The moment she landed on her right forepaw, she looked behind her and pushed herself up and backward, performing a backflip. <I tilted myself to the right before leaping, and I looked behind before backflipping. Even the smallest body movement can indicate which direction I’m going to dodge. Try to read my movements and attack not where I am, but where I’m going to be.>
Pikachu blinked. <Okay… I’ll… consider it.>
<Don’t consider it, just try it out immediately!> Nica shouted, her tone suddenly commanding. She spread her forepaws as an invitation.
Pikachu took a step back and nodded hastily.
Nica observed movements of her opponent before jumping to the side, evading another ‘Thunderbolt.’ As she had hoped for, the trajectory of the attack shifted in her direction. The moment her rear paw made contact with the ground, she pushed herself up and in the opposite direction, performing a backflip over the bolts of electricity before rolling on the ground. She stood up on her four paws. <Better, keep practicing.>
Pikachu started breathing lightly as he gathered electricity for another attack.
Nica’s attempt to evade this time was met with failure as one third of the electricity managed to intercept her evading maneuvers in mid-air, leaving a few tiny burns while pushing her backward. She smiled proudly and started clapping her paws. <You actually hit me, great work!>
<T-thanks…> Pikachu said as his ears drooped, his mind a mess.
“Hey, Pikachu, stop attacking without my commands! Are you doing what that Raichu is telling you to do?!” Lauki shouted.
Pikachu glanced at his trainer and rubbed back of his neck, chuckling nervously. <S-sorry.>
“Confuse this Raichu with ‘Double Team!’”
Pikachu nodded before summoning his copies, surrounding Nica from all sides who in response closed her eyes.
As several seconds passed without a single response, Lauki commanded, “Use ‘Quick Attack!'”
Nica sensed the aura of Pikachu among all the copies, performing a backflip while lightly pressing her tail against real Pikachu’s back, pinning him against the ground while the copies vanished all at once. She noticed how smaller yellow paws pressed against the ground in an attempt to push his body free from under her tail away… fruitlessly.
<Using ‘Double Team’ to catch someone off guard is a good idea, but you’ll increase your chances if you attack the moment they attack one of your fakes,” Nica lectured, still pinning her foe. “Using a powerful attack requires focus and time. The moment they attack, you gain a few extra seconds to strike against them before they can even see you coming.> She withdrew her tail and helped Pikachu stand, wiping dust away from the yellow fur with the help of her forepaws. <Unless they know how to attack all of your copies at once, in which case it is better to withdraw and regroup.>
<Why are you telling me this? We’re in the middle of battle. Shouldn’t you attack me or something?>
Nica shook her head and patted Pikachu on the shoulder. <I told you before, I won’t attack you. I also noticed a few ways to improve your fighting skills and you can practice on me as much as you want.> She glanced at the audience stands, noticing a familiar Dewott before waving at him, who hid his blush behind his hand in response.
Pikachu smiled nervously. This was going to be a weird day.
As the battle dragged on for nearly half-an-hour, Nica struggled to stand, each of her limbs and most of her body now covered in bruises and burns. Despite her massive advantage, telling her opponent what to do to hit her and how to bypass her defenses led to her accumulating damage from numerous electric attacks and then some.
She observed her adversary who lied flat on the battleground on his belly, sweat covering most of his body. It became clear to Nica that Pikachu’s stamina was at its limits.
<Can you stand?> Nica asked, approaching as her bruised feet trembled with each step. She carefully pushed her tail under Pikachu’s belly and heaved, pushing him to a standing position, only for him to trip over onto his back.
<S-sorry, Sensei Nica… that’s as much as I can do…>
Nica chuckled. After the first ten minutes of… friendly sparing… the Pikachu started calling her his “sensei,” no longer seeing as a rival or opponent, but more like an idol and mentor. Not that she minded. Training seemed to be the only part of battling that brought her enjoyment for those past months, and an opportunity to pass her knowledge to a young talent seemed very attractive. In fact… training another instead of fighting him left a pleasant feeling of happiness and fulfillment in her heart.
She gently picked up Pikachu with her forepaws, now approaching his trainer with struggle in each of her steps. Despite the bigger size of her rear legs, being struck twice in a row by ‘Quick Attacks’ on the bronze patch of her leg still hurt a lot.
The trainer looked her in the eyes and gently picked up his Pikachu into his arms. “Well… I can say that I found it to be weird at first, asking myself why my Pikachu started attacking on his own, doing tricks I didn’t teach him, and also why didn’t you fight back.” Lauki smiled. “But all this time you were just sharing your experience, didn’t you?” The moment he received a nod as an answer, he added, “I suppose I should thank you. As weird as you are to turn an official battle into a training session… not to mention win without fighting back, you helped me learn plenty about my Pikachu and what he can do by watching you two.”
<Don’t thank me yet, just wait until you get my battle notes I’ll send you. I’ll write down every single weakness I noticed in your Pikachu’s battlestyle and how to improve it,> Nica said with glee. As she started walking back to her own trainer and no longer distracted, she sensed an aura of admiration and looked around at the gathered crowd as a simple question was born in her mind. I didn't fight back or did anything impressive... so why are they admiring me?
Unlike the previous fights, the final match was against a four year veteran, Grey, whose intimidating team and merciless approach caused hundreds of gasps among the crowd more than once. Outside of power, he was also well known for hospitalizing his opponent’s pokemon… into a critical condition, often commanding his pokemon to unleash overkill blows against opponents which weren’t tough enough to endure it. It was a fight they needed to take seriously.
As Astra raised her hand for a handshake, it ended up being slapped to the side.
“Sorry, but I don’t shake hands with weaklings and lossers,” Grey said, ignoring the noise of the disappointed crowd.
“Weaklings and lossers, you say,” Astra said with narrowed eyes.
Grey looked down at Nica and said, “Of course. How else should I call a trainer who uses a pathetic pokemon like Raichu who doesn’t even listen to them?”
Nica’s ears drooped as she looked down and tapped her paws together. During this league she was doing nothing but holding her trainer back.
Grey chuckled before going to his platform, waiting for Astra to do the same. “Allow me to show you true power! Go Metagross.”
The massive blue head with four limbs landed on the area with a loud thumb and weak quake. Grey armor in the shape of an ‘X‘ being present between its eyes.
“Metagross is the one of the most powerful non-legendary pokemon in the world. I would even say it’s powerful enough to give legendary pokemon a hard time!” Grey shouted with an arrogantly raised head and crossed arms. He rubbed his nose and added, “Powerful offense, extremely solid defenses, strong steel typing and above average speed. With him by my side, I’ll overpower the Elite Four and take the well deserved title of Sinnoh champion!”
Nica narrowed her eyes. Did this trainer just say that Metagross was close to the power of a legendary pokemon? She jumped towards the arena on her own.
“Nica?” Astra asked before smiling. “It seems my partner is interested in beating your ace!”
“Partner? Raichu is your partner? Don’t make me laugh!” Grey shouted.
Nica’s ears perked up as familiar voices caught her attention. She looked at the audience, noticing Dewott dancing with his shells like a cheerleader.
<Fight bravely and show everyone honor and skills, Milady Nica!>
The Pikachu she faced in last battle cheered for her from Lauki’s head.
<Show that cruel jerk the power of a Raichu, Sensei Nica. Thunderbolt him into the Pokemon Center!>
Nica smiled cheerfully, feeling encouraged by words of her former opponents and new friends.
“I mean, why did you even decide to train Raichu? Of all electric pokemon, this one is probably the worst!” Grey shouted.
Nica turned towards the arrogant trainer, listening with full attention.
“Magnezone have better typing, more power and durability, and Electivire is just as strong. They both are powerhouses,” Grey pointed out, giving Nica a sassy smile. “Even weak pokemon like Ampharos and Luxray are still a better option, while Eelektross has no weakness due to his levitation.”
“Power isn’t everything!” Astra responded as she clenched her fists. “Raichu’s speed and agility aren’t to be underestimated.”
“Oh puh-lease. If speed is what you’re after, you could just get Jolteon. He’s faster and stronger, far superior to Raichu in every way. To be honest, Raichu’s whole evolution line is the worst. Even Electivire’s first evolution is stronger than Raichu’s second one.”
Pikachu on Lauki’s head yelled with all strength in his lungs. <Nica! Destroy his pokemon, humiliate him!> He continued while stomping on his trainer’s head who grabbed him with his hands in attempt to restrain him. <Rain electricity from the sky over his stupid arrogant face! Unleash your true power and annihilate!>
Electricity started escaping from dots on Nica’s cheeks as she narrowed her eyes and bent her legs, her tail raised threateningly.
Astra grinned and murmured to herself, “Oh please, do go on.”
Grey activated DNA helix in the center in a small rounded stone on his belt as it started to shine. His Metagross shone brightly, transforming before Nica’s very eyes. The large head was now floating above the battlefield with four limbs now looking like four large arms with three big claws on each. A large spike was present on its head.
“The power of Mega Metagross surpasses even the power of a legendary pokemon. With its might on my side, I’ll crush the Elite Four and even the champion with ease. Compared to this magnificent pokemon, your Raichu is but a Caterpie to step on. This pokemon is superior in power to nearly every pokemon in the world!”
Nica’s tail turned into metallic grey, shining with power, while bolts of electricity started appearing on her entire body. Her ears perked up, muscles tense, all senses sharp and at full alert.
Astra looked to the side, held one hand on her hip and said, “I must thank you, Mr. Grey.”
“Thank me? Whatever for?”
“For triggering my Raichu. Thanks to your long and motivating speech, Nica is finally going to unleash her full potential.” Astra chuckled. “Your words convinced her that she’ll battle against impossible odds, so now she won’t hold anything back. In other words, I won.”
Grey rubbed his nose arrogantly. “Full potential, such garbage, Mega Metagross, attack with ‘Meteor Mash,’ crush this Raichu with your overwhelming power and show its inferiority!”
Nica stood on her two feet and spread her forepaws, observing her large foe with full attention. Mega Metagross held four of his clawed hands together before charging forward, its body surrounded by a blue aura. The moment all the claws were but a centimeter in front of her belly, she grabbed them with all four paws, feeling the massive speed and power pushing her against a stone formation with force far superior to the one of Mega Gyarados.
“Mega Metagross’ ability increases the power of all contact moves. In language a trainer like you can understand, it’s over,” Grey said as he fixed his hair in a taunting gesture. “Huh, what’s that?” He asked as a large portion of electricity started to escape from the descending dust.
“You forgot that steel attacks aren’t very effective against electric pokemon, and trust me, my Raichu can take a hit,” Astra said as she crossed her arms and grinned.
The cloud of dust cleared out, revealing Nica standing strong with numerous cuts visible on her white belly. The floating giant’s eyes were closed as numerous sparks were circling all over its metallic body.
“B-but… he struck your pokemon with so much force…” Grey said, his mouth agape.
“And she paralyzed your pokemon with her ability, Static. She purposely took the full bulk of its hit on herself, focusing all her willpower to paralyze your pokemon. Not to mention that with the cloud of dust in the area, she probably added a ‘Thunderbolt’ or two while your pokemon was still blinded by it.”
Grey grit his teeth and swung his arm. “No matter, my pokemon have plenty of power, bulk and speed. Mega Metagross, use ‘Zen Headbutt.’”
“A psychic move that isn’t resisted by my Raichu and take advantage of your pokemon’s skill, I say, it would be truly devastating if…” Astra paused as Nica jumped over Mega Metagross, sending electricity against it from above. “If this attack actually hit. My partner purposely paralyzed your pokemon to slow it down, and now she can evade everything it can throw at her.”
“We’ll see about that, Mega Metagross, use ‘Meteor Mash,’ ‘Zen Headbutt,’ ‘Bullet Punch’ and ‘Hammer Arm.’ Crush that Raichu with everything you’ve got! Keep on the pressure!”
Massive explosions and quakes overtook the area as the floating metallic pokemon slammed its sharp claws and even entire body all over the battlefield, using one powerful attack after another without a break. In response, Nica jumped from one rocky formation to another, leaping to the side while keeping track of her opponent, using ‘Iron Tail’ to push her opponent’s arms or Mega Metagross itself to the side. Like a fencer evading and parrying powerful hits while using only bits of her strength, she slowly tired her opponent, finding its attacks to be… too predictable. All brute force and not a single bit of finesse. In a sense, her opponent was doing her a big favor, becoming slower and more tired at a quick pace while only occasionally giving her a few scratches.
After only three minutes, Mega Metagross crashed into the ground from fatigue.
“You have an opening, get on its back and switch to full offense!” Astra commanded.
Nica did as she was told, holding the edges of the metallic giant with her forepaws while wrapping her tail around thin part of its arms. With a loud scream, she summoned a ‘Thunderbolt’ in a flashy display.
“What are you doing, shake her off!” Grey commanded.
“I must congratulate you, Grey. You managed to make your pokemon lose more than half of its stamina in only three minutes. I’m impressed,” Astra said with a sassy smile, causing her opponent’s face to turn slightly red.
Mega Metagross endured one electric attack after another before pushing itself into the air, now moving in random directions while hovering above the ground. Little it did as Nica’s tail anchored her to his arm and provided stability.
“Squash her against the ground and rocks!” Grey commanded.
Mega Metagross turned upside down, falling towards the ground.
Using her climbing abilities and improved reflexes, Nica ran to the side, using her tail to push herself to the arm of the giant before climbing onto other side of the pokemon’s head, sending another ‘Thunderbolt’ against it.
<Keep up the pressure!> Pikachu shouted.
<Use your opponent’s size against him!> Dewott shouted.
Mega Metagross flew up and rolled, repeating his previous trick, only for Nica to already climb to the other side of its head. In desperation, he flew towards the rocky formations, smashing its own body against it as the numerous stones left scratches and bruises on Nica’s fur.
Mega Metagross crashed into the ground with little energy left as its opponent clung to him, sending never-ending electricity through its metallic bones.
“Mega Metagross, return! Snorlax, use ‘Body Slam!” Grey shouted after quickly switching his top pokemon for another.
<Dodge, dodge!> Pikachu shouted before biting his paws nervously.
Nica raised her head, staring at the descending giant while devoid of fear. Full weight and force of the attack pressed against her as her body sank into the soil, only to unleash paralyzing electricity. Dewott, Pikachu and their respective trainers looked to the side and bit their lips.
Using the full strength of her bigger limbs, Nica crawled and pushed herself free from under the heavy pokemon, returning the crushing gesture with a swing of her ‘Iron Tail.'”
Both Pikachu and Dewott wipe sweat from their foreheads and sighed in relief.
“How’s she still standing? No matter, there’s no pokemon tough enough to endure Snorlax’s Z-move. He’ll flatten your Raichu.”
Astra kept staring at the battle with crossed arms and satisfied smile. “Nica, wait for the right moment and jump.”
Nica did as she was told, observing as the giant bag of meat charged at her like a speeding train. The moment it jumped, so did she… and her jumping proved to be much higher. With a fully charged tail while performing a triple-somersault, she slammed Snorlax’s head from above, sending him crashing towards the ground while flying even higher due to the recoil. Using the momentum of her falling speed, she repeated her name and delivered a combination between 'Volt Tackle' and ‘Iron Tail’ while her large foe struggled to free himself from the ground.
“Time for a Z-move of our own,” Astra said as she performed the pose for ‘Gigavolt Havoc,’ yet nothing happened. “W-what the? My Z-crystal, what happened to it?”
Nica glanced at her trainer for a moment before looking directly at her opponent. Whatever happened to the Z-crystal, she couldn’t let it distract her even for a moment. She started a barrage of ‘Thunderbolt’s, ‘Iron Tail’s and ‘Volt Tackle’s while evading her slow and paralyzed opponent. Snorlax was called back into his pokeball.
She landed on the ground, breathing heavily. Despite conserving her stamina, fighting many powerful pokemon in a row started to tire even her.
“Go Heatran, use ‘Lava Plume’ and next ‘Magma Storm,’ fill the area with lava!” Grey commanded.
Nica took a step back, never before encountering such a pokemon. In terms of shape, it seemed similar to a Metagross. Most of its body bronze and covered by orange flaming dots, while steel armor was present on most of its head and each of its limbs. As if a mix of dirt, lava and steel.
“Nica, watch out, it’s a fire/steel type. Your ‘Iron Tail’ won’t protect you, but your ‘Light Screen’ will!”
Nica nodded before jumping onto one of the two last stone formations still present on the battlefield before summoning a barrier with her paw. Drops of sweat started falling down her forehead as lava surrounded her from all sides. She jumped up over the concentrated stream of lava. The moment she landed, she grit her teeth, struggling not to scream in pain. The stone she used as a safe island was now melting under her feet. With help of electricity, she pushed the melting part of the stone away, yet the safe island shrank in size as the result.
She glared at Heatran who stood on a large stone as well. After sending a ‘Thunderbolt’ at her opponent who didn’t bother to dodge, she waited for another ‘Magma Storm’ before using ‘Volt Tackle.’ Now surrounded by electricity and protected by ‘Light Screen,' she ran into the sea of lava, dashing through it before emerging from the hot substance, striking the Heatran with her own head. The heavy pokemon splashed against the lava of its own creation.
Nica screamed in pain as smoke was rising from her body. Despite her protection, her beaten body was now slightly scorched. Was it just lava, or maybe the pokemon she struck rapidly increased temperature of her body upon contact. She grit her teeth and opened her eyes, focusing on Heatran who emerged from the lava.
“Use electricity to keep it in the lava!” Astra commanded. “This pokemon seems to be hurting, its ability must be ‘Flaming Body’ rather than ‘Flash Fire.’ Let’s use its own lava against it.”
Nica did as she was told, ignoring her pain as she struck her opponent each time its head emerged.
“Heatran, return. Go, Mega Metagross,” Grey shouted as he pointed at Nica. “There’s little room to evade. Attack with Zen headbutt, destroy the rocky formation she’s standing on!”
Wasn’t steel type weak to fire attacks? Nica glanced at the surrounding lava and grinned as plan was born in her mind. The moment Mega Metagross slammed into the rock, she wrapped her tail against one of its arms, taking a ride. <You missed my electricity, then have some!> She used one ‘Thunderbolt’ after another before pushing Mega Metagross into the lava with a solid slam of her tail.
She jumped up as high as she could before sharing her foe’s fate. Upon seeing head of her opponent emerge from the lava, she started repeating her name, surrounding herself with aura of electricity before striking her foe with full might of ‘Volt Tackle’ and gravity while causing a massive splash of lava. She shook her head, finding herself standing on Mega Metagross which was sinking into lava while walls of hot liquid were closing in from all sides. She jumped up in an instant before falling into the hot substance once again.
Much to her relief, she was summoned back into her pokeball and then released next to her trainer’s legs.
With a bit of struggle, she pushed herself to stand on her trembling legs as she now observed the pool of lava from the platform. Mega Metagross emerged from it and returned back to its original form before losing consciousness.
“I have never seen you fighting with such incredible skill and dedication, Nica, you were amazing,” Astra said as she was about to rub top of her head.
Nica pushed herself to the side, losing balance in the process. <N-no touching.> She was breathing heavily and struggled to keep her eyes open. She grit her teeth upon feeling the unpleasant heat and started searching for leftovers of lava while noticing tiny flames among her fur. <I really need to cool down.>
Astra bit her lip upon noticing smoke still coming from her partner’s fur before turning towards the battlefield, sending Ninetales into the field who now stood on tips of its paws, balanced on a small leftover of destroyed stone.
Nica turned her head, now looking at two familiar pokemon in the audience stand who looked back at her with a mix of shock and admiration. She glanced back at the battlefield and breathed heavily. Once the lava cooled down a bit and the fire the on her fur weakened, she was going back into the field. There were still some bits of stamina and durability left in her, and she didn’t plan to rest until she used it all to the last drop.
With the golden cup trophy symbolizing their victory in Astra’s hand, Nica walked side by side with her trainer, her body still showing numerous burns. The rest of the team seemed only a little better. While Grey lacked here and there in terms of trainer skills and his team lacked in finesse, in terms of power they seemed unmatched, giving them all a hard time. Though the crowd certainly seemed happy that Grey didn’t earn the trophy in the end.
They walked through a tunnel towards the exit from the stadium with the Pokemon Center as their destination.
Nica stopped in her tracks and turned around, sensing a strong aura of malice nearby. Could it be Grey? No, if it was the case, she would sense embarrassment, humiliation and jealousy, and certainly not this amount of malice. Her ears drooped as realization struck her. She ran towards her trainer’s backpack and wrote a warning.
Astra narrowed her eyes before digging out the healing potions she had for such an emergency. Healing their team was interrupted as familiar faces and voices caught their attention. Pikachu, Dewott and their respective trainers approached, no doubt to congratulate them.
Nica bit her bottom lip. If her instincts were correct, they were but minutes away from the deciding confrontation with ‘Deathblow.’ She wouldn’t forgive herself if those two trainers and their pokemon ended up in the crossfire. She already had one death father haunting her consciousness, she wasn’t going to fail again… no matter what.
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Grey. Why did you have to go and smash her besrk button...15 TIMES!!!
8926757
Because he was an idiot who only cared about power. He would sooner rather then later get curb stomped by a major trainer and seriously injure all of his Pokémon. Tobias was better even though he spammed legendaries durning his battle with Ash in the anime.
I sense romance between Nica and that Dewott.
What happened to the Z-crystal?
Not sure if that is going to be a good thing for me or not, but I wait and see what is going to happen.
Nice to see Nica was always about improving others. That Grey guy was a moron.
8926757
He was a four year veteran who managed to capture many pseudo-legendaries. He most likely rolled over most competition with ease and grow arrogant because of that. After all, even if Nica managed to overcome her fight against Mega-Metagross, most opponents most likely went down very quickly against such a powerhouse.
Also, he saw that Nica doesn't listen to her trainer and isn't fighting seriously, so he didn't consider her as a threat.
8926835
I don't think idiot is a proper word to describe him. He was had a "arrogant full of himself" mindset similar the one that Gary had. As a four year veteran who caught many peudo-legendaries and could mega-evolve his strongest pokemon, he became very arrogant after easily defeating countless foes. (At some point he stopped carrying how much his opponents could handle and badly injuried many pokemon in his way).
Still, I don't think he would be curb stomped as easy as you think. The reason why Nica did so well against three of his pokemon is because:
1) She's used to fight agianst more powerful opponents, so it was her field of speciality.
2) Nica was properly motivated and held nothing back.
3) Nica's fighitng style focus on defense and evasion as she tire her foes in a long battle. She's very good when facing strong foes who fight without conserving their stamina and lack finesse.
Every elite trainers would have a hard time fighitng Grey's team unless they knew how to deal with opponent who goes for brute force.
On a side note, a must ask, why do you think that Tobias was way better than Grey? Is it because Tobias was less arrogant, or because he went for legendaries, when Grey for pseudo-legendaries and mega-evolutions? Or is it something else?
8926865
Yes, she is, but it is something she decided for herself. She prefer being too nice than being a bully she was as a Pichu.
8926877
A water pokemon falling in love with an electric one, not the most safe relationship if I can say (though considering how careful Nica is with her own electricity, she would never leave Dewott with a shocking experience).
Ever since Nica started pushing herself to near death, Astra became more open with her emotions and their relationship changed, and it affected the Z-crystal in a way. The reason why Gigavoc Havok no longer work is because the crystal transform into an exclusive one that suit the bond between Astra and Nica. (It will take time before they learn about it).
8927087
Not always. She was still somewhat competitive as a Pikachu, but after fighting three legendary pokemon for half a year to earn her evolution, failing to save a life, and after surpassing her own limits by repetively putting her own life in danger, she stopped carrying about winning fights and showing off. Nica has become extremely durable, fast and skilled, and she can't stand the idea of hurting weaker opponents in one-side battle, so instead she started finding enjoyment in helping others to improve. You could say she became a master, and instead of competing, she wants to share her experience and help others improve.
Not sure if he's a moron if he managed to catch so many pseudo-legendaries and mastered mega-evolution with his metagross, so he did something right. His pokemon were extremely strong, just lacked finesse, and his idea to fill area with lava and make his opponent fall into it was actually quite smart and very dangerous. Nica had enough skills to overcome such manuver, but you can no doubt imagine many trainers struggling against such strategy (unless pokemon is resistant to fire or can fly, it is a bit hard to fight when most of the battlefield is filled with super hot liquid).
8927380
It was he was far less arrogant. That made him somewhat tolerable even though until he faced Ash he had been exclusively using Darkrai and no other Pokémon.
Good to see so much of her past revealed. Since we got so much in the last two chapters it would seem that the seal has nearly collasped completely now.
good chapter hope to see some more soon
8909935
true that is very true i have no counters for that
8910111
while i know it wasn't directed towards me
i find the character to be well made while i might not understand most of her reactions, i do understand that everyone has a different personality, if they didn't then stories (good or bad) would be boring. this one is interesting (and good) so i hope you keep up the good work
Grey? U dun goofed.
When backed into the corner, one fight even more fiercely
bypass her defenses lead to her accumulating damage
your Raichu is but a caterpie to step on
more than half of it’s stamina in only three minutes
1. Fights.
2. Led.
3. Forgot to capitalise.
4. Its.
Good grief, I've really really been enjoying this story so far but did you have a proofreader while writing this? I don't think you spelled Dewott's name correctly once in the whole chapter. Devot? Dowett?