Helix and Hooves: Trainers of the Future

by The Kelduo

Chapter 9: Attack of the Interviewers

After restoring our Pokemon's health at the Pokemon Center, the Doctor and I made our way east out of Turffield. It pained me somewhat to leave the natural beauty of Turffield, but I quickly reminded myself that my type would resist any stray Water-type moves from the Gym Trainers in Hulbury.

Besides, I needn't worry about leaving the beauty of nature; after crossing the stone bridge, we discovered that Route 5 was a forested area where plenty of wild Pokemon roamed. In the distance, I could see a Pokemon Day Care. Or perhaps it was a Nursery? I would have to get a closer look.

My analysis of the route was interrupted when the Doctor asked me, "Say, is it normal to run into pairs of Trainers?" He pointed towards the first Trainers on the route: a reporter and a cameraman.

"It is, actually." I took out a Poke Ball in preparation for battle. "When you encounter a pair of Trainers, they tend to battle by each sending out one Pokemon."

The Doctor gave me an annoyed look. "But isn't that a tad unfair? It would be two Pokemon against one, and the opponents would be able to have double the normal amount of Pokemon to battle with!"

"It seems that way at first, but there are actually many types of battles. You're used to the most common style of battle, Single Battles. That's where each side sends out one Pokemon."

The Doctor's expression changed to one of curiosity. "Oh? So there are battle formats in which each side can send out more than one Pokemon?"

I nodded. "When each side sends out two Pokemon at a time, it's considered a Double Battle. But two Trainers can also team up and battle alongside each other to battle two other Trainers. That's called a Multi Battle. To make sure things don't drag on for too long, Multi Battle Trainers each only use three Pokemon."

"That's interesting. But would it be possible for one Trainer to battle a pair of Trainers?"

"Most definitely. Trainers such as Brendan and Nate have often had to battle pairs of Trainers alone, in which case they would send out two Pokemon at a time to battle the opposing team's two Pokemon on the field. Depending on how you look at it, this could be considered a Double Battle from the single Trainer's point of view or a Multi Battle from the point of view of the pair of Trainers."

"I see. So, Double Battles and Multi Battles? Such kinds of battles must invoke a multitude of clever strategies and move combinations! I would like to try one out for myself! Although..." The Doctor's sudden burst of excitement subsided as he explained one of his concerns. "Seeing as I am still a beginner, I feel that it would be too difficult for me to focus on two of my Pokemon at the same time as I analyze the opponents' moves and strategies. Would you be so inclined as to assist me as I take on these two Trainers?"

I flinched at first, because it had been a long time since I had engaged in a Double or Multi Battle. However, this was not the time for me to back down and go refine my Double and Multi Battles at the Battle Tree. I quickly pulled myself together with a grin. "Of course, partner. Let's take those two down!"

We initiated the start of the battle against the reporter and cameraman by making direct eye contact. The reporter was certainly happy to have found some Trainers to battle. "Oh, you must be the new Gym Challengers! That means it's time for a special interview! But first..." The reporter brandished her Poke Ball. "...we should get to know each other with a battle!"

The cameraman got his camera rolling. "I can't wait to see how your Pokemon really shine on-camera!" He sent out a pair of interlocked gears with faces. "Are you ready, Klink? Action!"

The reporter sent out a yellow lizard with frills on the sides of its head. "It's showtime, Helioptile!"

I stopped the Doctor before he checked his Rotom Phone. "Leave it to me, Doctor." I pointed at the interlocked gears. "That's Klink, the Gear Pokemon. A Steel-type, Klink are always found in pairs, because they spin while interlocked in order to generate the energy needed to live. They cannot mesh with others or else they will become separated. You could say this makes them twins." Then I changed my focus to the lizard. "And there's Helioptile, the Generator Pokemon. It's an Electric- and Normal-type that gathers energy from the sun by spreading out the frills on its head. These frills have special cells that generate electricity when exposed to sunlight, like solar panels." I then sighed as I muttered to myself, "You probably don't know about solar panels since Ponyville doesn't have advanced technology..."

The Doctor gave me a somewhat smug smile. "First of all, I heard that! And second of all, I do know what a solar panel is. As a matter of fact, solar panels are one of the different kinds of technology I've tried working with. When it comes to dealing with Klink and Helioptile, I believe I have just the Pokemon for the job..." He sent out Onix, most likely the same Onix that he caught at the entrance to the Rolling Fields. "Let's see how you deal with Rattlerock!"

I wing-bumped the Doctor. "That was a clever play on words, Doc. Using the onomatopoeia of the sound certain snakes make when they shake their tail, which can also be considered the sound rocks make when they roll, was quite ingenious!" I sent out Hotshot. "Even more so than the name I gave my starter, which implies that he might as well evolve into some kind of fiery soccer player."

When I sent out Hotshot, he shook his head with a sigh. "C'mon, seriously? You're gonna wait until just now to tell me why you named me Hotshot? So much for surprising you with my final evolution..."

I deadpanned. "Your pre-evolution Scorbunny was literally blazing around the court back at Hop's place, leaving behind burning footprints. Considering not only your powerful hind legs but also the fact that sports are a recurring theme in Galar, I was almost certain you'd evolve into a mighty goal-scoring fire rabbit, hence Hot-shot."

Hotshot began to make a counter-argument, but ultimately failed to find fault in my assumption. "...Eh, you got me there. I'll give you props for your spot-on reasoning." He turned to Onix. "Rattlerock, was it? How's about we rock their world?"

Rattlerock nodded. "Time to rock and roll!"

"Looks like everyone's ready." I turned to Hotshot with fierceness in my eyes. "Use Flame Charge on Klink!"

As Hotshot cloaked himself in flame, the cameraman stayed defiant. "Get ready for a turnaround! Klink, give 'em a dose of Vise Grip!"

I was surprised to see that when Hotshot charged at Klink, the two gears separated to dodge the attack before coming back together and grinding Hotshot with their teeth. "Oh no! Get out of there!"

"I'll help!" the Doctor said. "Rattlerock, use Tackle on Klink!" Rattlerock rammed into the two gears head-first, knocking them away and freeing Hotshot.

I smiled at the Doctor. "I owe you one for helping Hotshot out like that."

"No need. I'm just doing what friends do best."

I looked back at the action just in time to see Helioptile racing towards Hotshot at a fast pace. "Hotshot, jump and use Double Kick!"

"Thanks for the warning!" Hotshot dodged Helioptile's Quick Attack with a jump and delivered two powerful kicks to its back. "You had enough yet?"

I shook my head. "I wouldn't think so. From my experience, interviewers tend to back each other up in battle whenever they're pushed into a corner."

The reporter gave a determined grin. "You've got that right!" She turned to the cameraman. "Cam, time to do what we do best!"

The cameraman returned the grin. "You got it, Gillian!" He turned to Klink. "Klink, cover for Helioptile!" Klink promptly got in front of Helioptile, ready to take attacks.

"Helioptile, use Charge!" The electric lizard spread open its frills and began absorbing energy from the sun.

I gave the Doctor a short explanation: "When a Pokemon uses Charge, the power of its Electric-type moves goes up considerably. Be careful!"

The Doctor seemed to be in deep thought. "Maybe we can somehow interfere with the process. Helix, perhaps attacking Helioptile while it's charging will do something."

My eyes narrowed in inquisition. "That... just might work. But first, we need to get past Klink."

"I won't let you!" The cameraman plugged his ears after giving another command to Klink: "Use Metal Sound!"

Acting quickly, I tossed my High-Tech Earbuds to the Doctor. "Don't ask, just put these into your ears and tune out the attack!"

The Doctor did as he was told and I plugged my own ears before Klink made a dreadful grinding noise from the two gears scraping against each other, causing Hotshot and Rattlerock to cringe in agony. "Klink appears to be quite the troublemaker!" the Doctor said. "Rattlerock, pull through the earsplitting noise and use Rock Throw!"

Opening his eyes in frustration, Rattlerock slammed its tail between the two gears. With the tail jamming the gears, Klink was unable to rotate and fainted due to the lack of kinetic energy. Klink having fainted, the cameraman turned to the reporter with a sorrowful look. "Sorry, but it looks like Klink's act was cut off early. It can't back up Helioptile anymore."

"It's okay," the reporter answered. "Helioptile's almost done charging."

Right on cue, I exclaimed, "Hotshot, use Quick Attack!"

Hotshot slammed into Helioptile, interrupting the charging process. This, in turn, appeared to make Helioptile grow very weak. The reporter continued with a sad smile, "Besides, we didn't engage in battle against these Trainers to win, we did it to learn about them."

The Doctor pumped his hoof in joy. "Excellent! The opponent was weakened from being interrupted during its attempt to charge! Let's finish off Helioptile in style!"

I glanced at the Doctor with youthful hope in my eyes. "You mean..."

"That's right! A teamwork attack!" He turned to Rattlerock. "Grab Hotshot with your tail!" Rattlerock wrapped the end of his tail around Hotshot. The Doctor looked at me. "See where I'm going with this?"

I smiled. "Hotshot, get ready for a Flame Charge!" Hotshot cloaked himself in flames. "Now Rattlerock's got himself a burning rattle!"

The Doctor returned the smile. "I knew you'd get it! Time to show them what we can do!" He exclaimed, "Rattlerock, slam Hotshot on Helioptile!"

"Who rocks?" Rattlerock used the weight of his rocky tail to bring Hotshot down hard on Helioptile. "We do!"

To the Doctor's curiosity, Helioptile fainted not only from the powerful attack but also from major burns that it suffered from the Flame Charge. "Uh, Helix... do you think we went too far with this?"

The reporter shook her head while returning Helioptile to its Poke Ball. "It's okay, you didn't go too far. You just triggered Helioptile's Ability, Dry Skin. That Ability causes Helioptile to take more damage from Fire-type moves but heal from Water-type moves. It also takes damage in harsh sunlight and heals in rain."

"Well, that's good to know." The Doctor returned Rattlerock to its Poke Ball. "Now I'll know which Pokemon to use against Helioptile if we ever have a rematch."

I returned Hotshot to his Poke Ball. "By the way, we never did properly introduce ourselves. My name's Helix."

"And I'm Doctor Hooves, but you can simply call me Doctor."

"Nice to meet you two." The reporter shook my wing. "I'm Gillian, and this is my cameraman, Cam. We're interviewers who've been scouring the region for tough Trainers like you. It's been such an honor to battle with you!"

"Thank you for noticing our battle skills," the Doctor replied, "but I've only just begun my career as a Pokemon Trainer."

I added, "And while I may be a skilled Trainer, I'm nowhere as good as Trainers such as Red or Steven."

"Don't be so hard on yourselves! We could tell just how strong you two are from your interactions with your Pokemon." Gillian held her microphone towards us. "Tell me your thoughts on the battle so the viewers can hear your opinion."

The Doctor answered, "Seeing as this was my first Multi Battle, it certainly opened me up to new experiences. I especially enjoyed the teamwork concept of the Multi Battle format because back in Equestria where I live, friendship is an important trait. That's why my philosophy is that you're only as strong as the bond between you and your Pokemon."

"That's a wonderful philosophy, Doctor! And what about you, Helix? Would you care to add your own thoughts?"

I nodded. "Certainly. It is very important to have a strong bond with your Pokemon, although it does help to have a good strategy when you go into battle. If you ask me, I would not advise neglecting strategy and focusing only on strengthening the bond you share with your Pokemon. You've got to have a good balance between friendship and strategy when going into a battle. I mean, think about it: a strong bond won't save a Shedinja that's fighting a Haxorus with Mold Breaker as its Ability."

Gillian seemed impressed by my remark. "Seems like you really know your way around Pokemon battles, Helix! Thanks to both of you for taking the time for an interview. You might want to turn on the television when you reach the next town, because we'll be airing later today. We hope to see you again someday!"

As we walked past the interviewers, the Doctor turned to me. "I'll be honest with you, I don't have a clue what you were saying about this so-called Shedinja or Mold Breaker."

My eyes widened in realization. "Oh! How could I forget to tell you about Shedinja?! See, Shedinja is a Bug- and Ghost-type Pokemon whose signature Ability, Wonder Guard, is overpowered. This Ability protects Shedinja from all damaging attacks except for super-effective moves. However, it does not prevent indirect damage, as from poison or burn; and it doesn't affect status moves either. The catch?" I chuckled. "Shedinja only has one HP, or hit point. Hit points measure a Pokemon's amount of health. In other words, Shedinja's laughable HP stat means a level 1 Vulpix could knock out a level 100 Shedinja with Ember. Additionally, the effects of all Abilities that would normally affect the damage output or effects of a move will be nullified when a Pokemon with the Mold Breaker Ability executes a move."

"An Ability that negates attacks, and an Ability that negates Abilities?" The Doctor put a hoof to his chin. "How interesting..."

Author's Note:

Knowledge is power, so the Doctor is growing more powerful with each chapter.
Of course, he's still a rookie, though. It'll take some time for him to become a good Trainer...

...right?