Ch.17 - The Water Bender - Pt.3
Summoning of Chu
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Chapter 17
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The Water Bender - Pt.3
Once perched comfortably next to Nica’s brother, Pikachu looked at Ace with curiosity, a question coming to life. “I was wondering,” he murmured, capturing Ace’s attention. “Since Nica was training with you, she must’ve fought you as well. Considering your type advantage, have you defeated your sister in a pokemon battle?” He started intently at the Raichu, waiting for his response.
“Well… yes and no…”
Pikachu’s ears perked up, his eyes widening in surprise. If he learned anything about the friendly, female Raichu, it was that her extreme survivability and impressive skills could overcome any odds and beat any foe in battle. Even legendary and other very powerful pokemon have failed to defeat her. “Meaning?”
“In a normal fight, I lose to her every time. Our battles are pretty one-sided.” He gave a nervous chuckle and continued, “I’m definitely making progress, but even with my advantage in combat, I’m still no match for her incredible skills. She endures my every attack and is always one step ahead. There is an exception though.”
“Now I’m curious. Come on… tell me, tell me!” Pikachu begged, but paused as he saw Dash preparing for her stunt.
Both gazed at the sky in awe, pausing as they watched the mare’s spectrum of light flash across the atmosphere, lighting the heavens with a stunning tint of color. Every cloud was blown away, torn apart into wisps of vapor as the pegasus dashed by. A loud boom followed, seemingly setting their heads ringing. Pikachu giggled as the mare twisted and turned throughout the air, the rainbow trailing behind. Soon as the display was over, he turned back to the Raichu next to him and grinned, poking his side as a cue to continue.
Ace smiled widely, admiring the spectacle as he clapped his forepaws. Once the colors vanished, he looked at Pikachu, finally acknowledging the pokemon’s jabbing at his side. Continuing, he asked, “I’m sure you’ve faced many gym leaders using water pokemon, correct?” Pikachu nodded. “While their battling field has many floating platforms, it is mostly filled with water.”
“True,” Pikachu said with a nod, a memory of facing Milotic on such a field surfacing in his mind.
“Well... “ Ace tapped his forepaws together. “I once challenged my sis to fight me on such a field, to give me an even bigger advantage. The battle lasted for half-an-hour, both of us fighting to our very limits, but in the end I managed to defeat her… just barely.”
Pikachu gasped, nearly falling from Ace’s tail. “That’s incredible! And here I thought she’s unbeatale. How did you manage that?”
As Ace was about to answer, Dash glided down, sparks of her recent rainboom still slipping off her wings. Seeing the two converse, she grumbled, “Hey, are you even watching?” Crossing her hooves over her chest, she frowned in annoyance and hovered over to the levitating Raichu.
“Of course! Your speed was incredible, not to mention that stunning display of colors. Though, even while I was watching, I was able to talk to Pikachu. No biggie.” Ace explained, nodding energetically.
Dash merely shrugged, asking, “So, what were you two chatting about?”
“Well, Ace was just about to tell me how he actually managed to beat Nica in a one versus one battle. Wasn’t that right?” Pikachu exclaimed, giving Ace his best puppy eyes.
“Wait, what?” The mare shouted in excitement, stretching out her wings. “Sounds awesome! You have to tell us all about it.”
Litten approached, staring at Ace with a growing curiosity.
“Fine, but only if you explain to me how you learned that amazing trick of yours later today,” Ace muttered, giving in to the begging of the creatures around him.
“Deal,” Dash said, booping Raichu’s forepaw with her hoof.
With a grin, Ace slipped into his normal persona and pushed up his glasses. “Listen closely, my adoring fans, because your jaws are about to drop in amazement!”
“In your dreams,” Litten teased, before continuing, “But by all means, do try to amaze us.” He raised a single forepaw and held it up to his mouth, pretending to yawn in boredom. “Wake me up once you’re done.”
Ace gazed around in awe at the stadium towering around him. It was specially made for explosive battles between trainers, represented by the reinforced steel support beams and extra strength platforms. With a thundering rumble, the area shifted. A large circle in the middle of the room split in half, giving way to a massive container crawling from the ground. Moments later, small hatches on either side opened and released an endless stream of water into the vessel. Platforms sprung forth, seemingly popping up from underneath the ground and began to float, bobbing and swaying as the water continued to fill the container up to the brim. Both Nica and Ace gave the other an eager grin as only a clutter of buoyant podiums remained, both pokemon taking their place on either side of the stadium.
He looked back to the side and at his sister, who gave him a warm smile in return. <Are you sure you want to battle?>
<Totally!> Ace shouted before levitating forward, zipping around atop random platforms as water flared up in his wake. He stopped at the edge of the fighting area, staring at his sister. <This sure is one fancy stadium you got here. Being partner of a champ comes with someone serious benefits.>
<Thanks,> she nervously chuckled, adding, <though I would prefer if we didn’t destroy the place during our training. There’s a budget to cover for the damage during our battles, but even the champs have their limits.> Nica let herself down, falling to four paws as her stance relaxed. Her tail was held high, shining silver as her cheeks sparkled with excess lightning. <Are you ready for some solid exercise, Ace?>
<On such a beautiful field? Always!> He levitated towards the middle of the field, summoning small geyser of water to surf on.
<Perfect. While your progress on land is… average at best, your performance on naval terrain is exceptional. With this battle I’ll find out if its best to focus your training on your speciality or help you become more well-rounded.>
<Yea, yea… whatever. Stop trying to postpone my defeat and let’s battle!> He raised his forepaws, summoning a large wave and hopping atop it as he gazed at his sister from the higher ground. <What am I saying? Maybe on this field I will finally defeat you. Get ready to be washed away!>
Channeling his psychic power, his ears twitched as the massive summoned wave began to shift, changing course at an alarming speeds as Ace directed it around the battlefield. Nica merely smirked as she spotted it, using her powerful hind legs to launch herself into the air as Ace floated back and abandoned his post. The breaker flew past, shattering and dispersing as it slammed into the stadium wall, with Nica still descending in the air.
Thinking fast, she unleashed one weak ‘Thunderbolt’ after another, forcing her opponent to zip around on the naval field as her third attack struck him. With a flourish of her tail, she landed and steadied herself against the water’s wild rocking.
<Not bad,> Ace called out. <But that was just a warm up! Get ready for the real show.> He summoned another wave once more, but now, the breaker was twice as big.
<Hmm, pulling the same tricks?> Nica shouted, cupping her paws around her mouth. <That’s not gonna work on me.>
<Hehe, not so fast sis,> Ace mumbled, grinning as he launched himself headfirst into the water. Nica watched on in confusion, frozen until she spotted small flickers of lightning. Ace’s cheeks flared to life, setting the entire wave sparking as the Alolan Raichu released burst after burst of electric energy into the water. Soon, he came out, drenched, but he wasn’t done yet. His ears twitched, coating the water in a silver aura as it created a circle around Nica and prevented any form of escape.
The Raichu crouched low to the ground and prepared to jump, hoping to out scale the waters, but the moment she jumped, Ace flew from top of the wave, bouncing her back towards the platform.
He followed up with a Thunderbolt, forcing his sister to evade while keeping the rest for his combo attack, speaking, <Nice try, but you're not evading this one.>
Glancing around, Nica froze and braced herself as she realized she couldn’t escape the wave’s punishment. She raised her tail in a defensive stance and channeled her ‘Iron Tail,’ before following it up with ‘Light Screen.’ Moments later, the wave crashed and hit its mark.
Ace floated higher and observed the battle field as the wave cleared away. Though it wasn’t shocking, he was disappointed as he spotted Nica still standing strong, her tail raised high in the air with ‘Light Screen’ and ‘Iron Tail’ still shining. Other than a few burns littered on her coat, it seemed as if the wave hardly phased her.
<Wow, your power certainly has improved!> she cried, attempting to be heard over the waves. <Good hit.>
Ace rubbed his nose with white patch of his forepaw. <Thanks, sis. As long as there’s a lot of water nearby, my waves are way bigger and hit a lot harder. Larger waves really help to contain your agility.>
<I suppose this means I don’t need to hold back anymore.> A small splash of water crashed over Nica, yet when the wave dispersed his sister was nowhere to be seen. <It’s time for you to practice your aim against a very agile opponent,” Nica reappeared from behind him and darted from platform to platform, delivering a demanding series of blows towards Ace.
The Alolan Raichu surfed in a zig-zag pattern in attempt to evade, using the rocking waters to his advantage to improve his mobility. His efforts were useless though as at least half of Nica’s attacks connected. He was forced to grit his teeth and bare it. Though not very strong, the continuous electric shocks and metallic tail strikes took a heavy toll on his weak defenses. His own ‘Thunderbolts,’ ‘Surfs’ and even ‘Psychic’ attack damaged the platforms as his sister kept leaping over the water, jumping from one to another. While they both showed a lot of speed on this field, Nica showed a big edge in terms of accuracy and skills, even when battling on an area fit to his specialties.
Ace paused. With how fast Nica is, I’d be lucky to even land a single blow on her. If I manage to hit her, it needs to be powerful. He hovered high into the air and began to channel a dark aura. It twisted and snaked through the air, surrounding Ace before disappearing in a puff of smoke. With ‘Nasty Plot,’ my special attack is greatly increased, but only for a bit. I need to make my next attack count.
Squinting his eyes closed, Ace channeled his ‘Psychic’ and listened, his ears flashing with silver power as a plan formed in his head. Levitating backward, Ace steeled his nerves as his rear legs kept him balanced on his tail. His sister leaped from platform to platform while repeating “Rai, Rai, Rai,” over and over again, before being surrounded by an aura of electricity. The moment Nica jumped towards him, Ace spread his forpaws, wincing from the incoming impact. He nearly toppled off his tail at Nica’s supercharged tackle but somehow managed to stay on. He wrapped his paws around his sister, holding her in grim lock as they both fell into the water.
After a moment of struggle, Nica swung her ‘Iron Tail,’ freeing herself from Ace’s hold before following up with a quick ‘Thunderbolt,’ the water increasing the damage of her attack.
Ace grit his teeth, ignoring the resisted damage before returning the attack in kind, causing an explosion of electricity, lighting the water in a flashy display. Pushed away by the explosion, he flew up towards the surface. As he emerged and flew into the air, his attention focused on the surface of water, awaiting for his sister. The moment he saw her head peek out and take a deep breath, he unleashed a powerful ‘Psychic’ and pushed her back underwater.
A confident grin adorned the Alolan Raichu’s face, motivating him even while covered in an array of burns. While his mobility wasn’t all that hindered underwater, the same couldn’t be said about his sister. He knew his sister well, knowing how incredibly important agility and speed was to her. With a major factor that worked in Nica’s favor gone, he stood a chance to actually beat her… for the first time, and he was going to take it.
"And whenever I got her underwater, we traded blows in my favor due to my Psychic typing. My sis learned it the hard way and was forced to fight carefully, afraid she would end up pushed into the water, while I was afraid to press my offense on land, resulting in a long battle. When I was about to lose from exhaustion, my sister lost consciousness from her injuries." All three creature’s had their mouths open in shock, glancing at the Raichu as he gave a sheepish grin. “So, whatcha think?”
“That… that… was amazing!” Pikachu called, with Dash eagerly nodding in approval behind the pokemon.
Litten stalked closer, admitting, “Well, I’m still awake, so I must admit, not only an impressive battle but great story-telling skills. I felt like I was there, in the middle of the round with you and Nica.”
“Either way, whatever you did with that wave was so cool! You certainly are a master when it comes to water.” Rainbow shouted out, giving the Raichu a friendly hoof-bump.
“What can I say? While I still lack skill and experience, when it comes to naval warfare, I’m nearly unstoppable. I was even afraid that using the riverside to my advantage against you in a battle would have been a bit overkill.” Spotting Pikachu’s annoyed look, he desperately shook his forepaws and added, “Not that I’d beat you too fast. Just that tends to be my secret techniques in battles.”
He placed his forepaws on his hips and raised his head in pride. “When Astra needed someone to deal with criminals operating on the water, I was the one to lead the charge with Primarina and Starmie right by my side.” He patted his chest, giving a confident smirk. “Be it an attack on an armored ship, underwater base or sabotaging a rogue submarine, I was always the expert for the job.” He paused, rubbing his paws together evilly. “The best part, I got to annoy Team Aqua and Team Magma to no end.”
Ace looked at the sky with a dreamy smile painted on his face. “Evading torpedoes and Sharpedo while underwater, defeating Team Aqua’s pokemon and kicking Team Magma’s backside. Good times.”
“Wait… but aren’t Sharpedo water and dark types? Were you not afraid of facing their super effective biting moves, especially on their turf?” Pikachu asked, tilting his head to the side in confusion.
Ace looked at him and shook his head, projecting an arrogant grin. “Their turf? Water is my turf too and even dark types won’t scare me there. Not to mention that my bud Primarina always had my back with her ‘Moonblast,’ even taking a couple ‘Crunches’ when times got tough. My naval friends always had my back when I needed them most, and I’ll always have theirs.”
“I personally prefer combat in the sky, but underwater fighting sounds really cool. You totally need to tell me about it,” Dash said before landing in front of Ace. With a glance back at her wings, she paused, adding. “If only my wings didn’t become useless when soaked. I’d be Equestria’s fastest flyer and Equestria’s fastest swimmer.”
Ace shook his face before looking at the smaller pokemon, meeting his admiring gaze.
“I must say, I’m really impressed,” Pikachu began, his words filling the Alolan Raichu with satisfaction. “What about pokemon battles against other trainers. What are some of your best victories?”
“I’ll tell you… if you’ll tell me yours first,” Ace answered.
Pikachu rubbed his chin. “Well… from the top of my head, I think my greatest victories were when I defeated Regice in a one vs one fight. Oh, also when I defeated Tyranitar and Metagross in a row, and still had enough strength to do a big chunk of damage to a Charizard during the Kalos League.”
Ace gasped. A Pikachu with such fragile defenses defeating two pseudo-legendaries in a row. No wonder Nica admires him. He’s one tough cookie.
“By the look on your face, I assume that’s quite a big deal,” Dash said. “I hope Twilight will let me check out that world of yours. It must be really fun in there.” She swung her hooves high, performing a couple punches mid-air. “I bet I’d be just as good as any pokemon in your world.”
“Watching and participating in pokemon battles can be fun, but watch out, Rainbow Dash,” Pikachu warned, “someone may mistake you for a pokemon and try to catch you. I assume you wouldn't fancy being dragged around by someone else.”
“Let them try,” Dash called as she puffed out her chest. “I may not be as strong as you guys, but I want to see anyone try to capture me,” she pointed at her wings, “when I use these bad boys.”
Pikachu stepped from Ace’s tail, gazing up at him with a startling amount of expectation. “Now your turn. Come on, impress me.”
Ace shut his mouth and nodded. “S-sure.” He brainstormed, trying to think of any event that would impress the heroic Pikachu. “Well, there was that one time when Emily challenged the Elite Four in Sinnoh, trying to follow in Astra’s footsteps. When Emily fought Flint, her six pokemon versus his five, the deciding match was between me and his partner Infernape.”
“Flint’s Infernape? He defeated me and another two of Ash’s pokemon. He’s one of the strongest opponents I ever faced.” He pointed at him, staring in disbelief. “And you beat him in a one vs one?”
Ace shrugged. “What can I say. My psychic typing helped me resist his ‘Close Combat,’ my ‘Surf’ countered all of his fire moves, and my ‘Psychic’ attack was super effective against his fighting typing.” He lowered his head and rubbed his arm with his forepaw. “But despite having so many advantages, I just barely beat him. My sis can do it no problem even though her ‘Iron tail’ is weak to both fighting and fire moves.”
“Maybe, but it’s still really impressive. That Infernape is so strong that he would no doubt beat Tyranitar, Metagross, and maybe even overcome the mega-evolved Charizard. Defeating him is a large achievement. Besides, battles aren’t all about who has the advantage. You couldn’t have won if you weren’t smart and skilled, out maneuvering at least some of his more devastating moves.”
Ace smiled. “I guess you’re right.”
“What about the champion?” Pikachu asked.
Ace stood on tips of his rear paws. “Oh, right. Ever since Astra became Pokemon Master, Flint took her spot and became the champion, at least until Cynthia defeated him and defended her title for many more years to come.” He hunched down, rubbing his neck. “We tried to defeat her… and lost.”
“Lost?” Dash asked. “Hmm, she must be very tough.”
Ace levitated towards Dash and explained, “Of course she’s tough, especially her super, powerful Garchomp. Battleship was our secret weapon against him, but she knew about him and kept her Garchomp in reserve until dealing with him, using a different pokemon to knock him out.”
“What about you, Ace? How well did you do in that fight?” Pikachu asked as he jumped onto Rainbow Dash’s head, now looking down at him from the higher spot.
Ace looked at Dash with a hint of jealousy in his eyes, already missing the feeling of heroic Pikachu sitting on his tail. “Well… this was actually my chance to shine.” He pointed at the riverside behind him. “You know that I specialize on fields filled with water. Let’s say that the fight between Emily and Cynthia prior to me being selected created a lot of large craters all over the battlefield. When Emily send me into the field, she told me to use ‘Surf’ to fill all craters with water, and soon more than half of the battlefield worked to my advantage.”
“I see, clever,” Pikachu said. “Sounds like something Ash would come up with.”
Ace chuckled. “What can I say? My trainer was always a dedicated field officer; good at examining her surroundings for an ambush, quick to use any terrain to her advantage and creative when dealing with unexpected scenarios.” He took a quick breath. “A complete opposite from Astra who freezes when facing the unexpected. My sis’ trainer is more like a long-term strategist who plans for months or even years in advance, while my trainer is more into what’s happening here and now. They’re both quick to grab a weapon and fight by their pokemon’s sides when in a pitch though.”
“If you say so,” Dash mumbled, trying to follow along with the two’s conversation. Growing bored quickly, she shook her head, giggling as she felt Pikachu’s annoyed huff from where he sat.
Litten approached and frowned. “Hey, Pikachu. If I ever decide to challenge Ace to a fight, shock the idea out of me. It means I’ve gone crazy.”
Pikachu chuckled at the remark.
Ace cleared his throat and continued, “Normally, Garchomp would have a massive advantage against me. However, ‘Earthquake’ and most ground type moves don’t work if the opponent is swimming in the water, or in my case surfing on it.”
Pikachu gasped and pointed at Ace. “So you got rid of your weakness to ground just like that. Impressive!”
Ace showed his teeth in a big smile, feeling a new surge of excitement flowing through him. “That Garchomp was really strong, tough and well trained, but as long as I could surf over the battlefield and dive underwater using the craters, I could evade his powerful attacks. Ground types aren’t affected by electric moves, but not to psychic moves, and since Garchomp is a ground and dragon type, he isn’t resistant to ‘Surf.’” He pointed at Pikachu. “I may not be as naturally gifted as you are in combat, but you put me in an area with water, I can shine brighter than any star.”
Ace and Pikachu stared at each other, both pokemon eyeing the other with a mutual respect.
It was clear for the levitating Raichu that he had managed to impress the very hero that his sister had admired for so long, an achievement that filled him with pride and happiness. Truly a day to remember and treasure for the carefree surfer. He stepped to the side, freeing more space on his tail. “Jump on. Let’s go surfing and have more fun.”
“Sure, but I have one important question that has been bugging me for a while,” Pikachu began.
“Shoot.”
“I’ve noticed that you’ve stood, sat, rode, danced and whatever else you can think of atop your tail, but never once have you stepped atop the ground.”
Ace’s eyes became wide, his ears perking up in alarm. He didn’t like where this was going one bit.
Rainbow Dash flew forwards, allowing Pikachu to grasp the Alolan Raichu’s cheeks. “How good are you at running?”
“R-running…?” Ace gulped, a few drops of sweat rolling down his forehead.
Litten grinned as he noticed his hesitation. “Yes, running.” He gave a devilish smirk. “Show us how fast you can run when you’re not surfing on that tail of yours.”
Ace opened his mouth, about to refuse, but was pressured by Pikachu’s pleading stare. “Come on, show me how fast can you run. Please?”
“B-but…”
“Come on buddy. Why are you hesitating?” Dash asked. “Oh, I get it. You’re chicken. Is running on your paws too much for someone as cool as you?”
Ace gave a sad whimper, his ears drooping as he realized his defeat. He levitated closer to the ground before carefully climbing down his tail. For the first time in a while, his rear paws felt soft contact with the grass. While balancing on even a single limb atop his tail was his field of speciality, taking steps on four was another story.”
Rainbow Dash landed next to Ace and gestured with her forehoof. “Go on, run. Show us some crazy speed.”
Ace wiped sweat from his forehead, took a deep breath and ran, his steps lacking in coordination. His awkward running ended a few seconds later as his forepaws crossed, causing him to trip over and slam his face into the dirt.
Litten sniggered, then chuckled, and then burst into laughter as he rolled on the grass. “Looks like you’re literally eating the dirt!” He cried, wiping tears from his eyes as he chortled at the fallen Alolan Raichu.
Pikachu jumped from Rainbow Dash’s head and ran over, heaving Ace under his shoulder while helping him stand.
The surfing Raichu glanced at Pikachu for a moment, who returned the look in pity. He turned around, curled into ball and covered his blushing face with his forepaws and his tail.
Rainbow Dash approached with slow steps and muttered, “So…. you can surf, levitate, dive and fight underwater, but can't take a few steps on the ground without tripping over.” She shook her head. “Sorry buddy, but I need to cut a few points from your coolness score for this. I was even thinking about trading my Lucario for you with whoever takes care of you now, but I changed my mind.”
Ace groaned. His untrained forepaws failed to keep up with his strong rear legs, resulting in a disastrous combination, leaving him flat on his face. There was absolutely no coordination between his limbs. “And everything was going so well. I feel like sinking into the ground from embarrassment.”
Litten stopped laughing and stood up. “I can help with that. One deep hole to bury you in coming right up.”
“Don’t bother. I got this.” Ace’s ears flashed in with a silver aura as a big chunk of ground littered with some grass and a flower levitated up. He stepped into the hole and dropped hovering dirt on himself, his vision going black.
Pikachu and Dash looked at each other in confusion, and then stared at the red rose resting at the top of the pile of soil.
Litten’s eyes became wide in alarm as he rushed towards Ace and started frantically digging him up. “When I said I was going to bury you, I was kidding!”
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Rude
Ace just dropped a piece of the ground on himself. it's super effective... man, I feel bad for Ace
I would love to see the ponies travel through the regions. I can already imagine Ash trying to catch one of the ponies...I wonder how many trainers would try to 'catch first, ask questions later' and that includes a certain Team Rocket trio.
Ace used landslide...it's super effective...Ok well good chapter hope to see more soon
No, he was kitten!
9350991
I think term "brutaly honest" would fit as well.
Ace's day was going so well. He got to meet great ponies, surf on the riverside, meet and impress Nica's hero and even said hero honored him by surfing alongside him or by sitting on his tail by his side, only to embarass himself in the end. Poor Ace indeed. Hopefully Pikachu will not think of him less from now on just because he's terrible at running, it sure would hurt Ace's pride.
9351362
Seem more than one person thought of this. Is it even a ground attack, considering the soil was moved by Psychic?
9351625
Don't you mean "kitting" like kites... nah, that turned out poorly.
9351915
Yes, yes it did. “Kiting” and “kitten” have different pronunciations. The similarities between “kitten” and “kidding” are what make it a pun. “Kiting” has a long I which clashes with the other two’s short i’s
9351915
It may be brutally honest but it's still rude... then again this is rainbow we're talking about here
9351304
I imagine the pony's magic would protect them from the pokeballs, frying the pokeball in the process...
Magic and High-Level Technology do not go together!
9351915
well think of it like this...with the move Rockslide rocks are Teleported in with Teleport which, is in fact, a psychic type move, but the move in result is rock type, by this logic, Ace dropping a piece of earth on himself would equate to a ground type move since the ground there on is most likely muddy thanks to the nearby river...or at least this is what ran in my head at the time of my comment
9353310
Probably.
9353399
When you put it like that, outh. Ace covered himself in his own weakness.
9354053
I know, but I am unsure if I should change it or leave it for comedic effect.
Also, what do you think of the demo I send you, found any bugs? You have been very silent about it thus far.
9354247
Lol, get in line.
9354626
Wouldn't this be considered a torture (just because Hydra can grow its heads back doesn't make it less painful). I am not sure Nica would aprove of this in the least.