The final chapter has come at last. Oshawott faces Snivy once more with one major difference: Hilda. Will it be enough for the duo?
Chapter 10: Snivy Strikes Back
Oshawott whimpered and tensed up when Hilda carried him into the laboratory's primary battlefield. They followed Cheren towards the center while the Sea Otter Pokemon's mind replayed all of the worst battles he had in this room like a bad clip-show. Most if not all of them involved Snivy naturally.
It didn't help that the Grass Snake Pokemon was standing in front of Oshawott on Cheren's right shoulder. Her nose was even stuck up like a tyrant presiding over her domain. The icy cold stare in her right eye alone turned towards him, sending a message as clear as crystal: you are mine.
Hilda could see Snivy's stare with her own glare in response and feel Oshawott shakily breath in her arms. His heartbeat could win a literal race at its pace. She softly petted him on the head with her right arm and felt his anxious ticks decrease. However, Hilda's mind was hard at work strategizing her opening gambit. Only one thing came to mind.
No choice, Hilda thought with a slight grimace. We will have to use that technique.
All the while, Aurea had led Bianca to the bench just on the sidelines and sat with her in the middle for the best possible view. While the Professor was organizing her papers on an old fashioned clipboard for preservation's sake, Bianca secretly tapped the small com in her ear to activate it.
"Will you be okay?" she asked Cheren with her most hushed voice possible.
"I think I'll be able to drag this out," Bianca heard him while glancing to see Aurea still preoccupied. "I'll just pretend to be going easy on a rookie."
"No, I mean," she replied, making sure her voice is still down, "battling like a Trainer again." She turned her head to her left in order to hide her worrisome face. "It's just that the Tepig and-"
"We didn't don our armor because it was easy," she heard Cheren reassured however hastily while he neared the center.
"But because somebody has to do it," Bianca finished softly with a sigh.
"Excuse me?" Aurea asked curiously, making the inspector gasp.
"Just... reminding myself not to worry," Bianca hastily claimed, barely even lying this time. She reached back to pretend that she was rubbing her neck in discomfort when she really taps her com to make it go radio silent.
All the while, Cheren turned around to face Hilda in the middle of the battlefield before picking Snivy off of his shoulder and setting her down.
"Let's shake on the match to come," he offered with a friendly enough demeanor, "and let our Pokemon do the same."
Hilda clenched her jaw to keep her from disputing and making another scene. It didn't help that Oshawott was holding her arm a tad tighter at that moment.
"To a good game then," she sighed in resignation while setting her Starter down. "Don't hold back on my account because I will know." She held out her hand for Cheren to take.
"The Professors have told me nothing but good things to come," the inspector replied with a tone of determination, somewhat sincere. "I was about to ask the same really."
Down below, Oshawott clammed up when Snivy stepped over with her usual cold stare before she suddenly made a slight smile.
[To our next battle...] she claimed, holding out her tiny strand of a right hand.
Oshawott felt more at ease by this and put out his right paw however cautiously. Snivy took it to shake before leaning her head in and dropping any trace of warmth from her face.
[And a well-deserved punishment,] the Grass Snake Pokemon hissed coldly into Oshawott's face. [I have but acted within the parameters set by Professor Juniper yet now a League Official has arrived to assist me with your... remedial lessons as they were.]
Any ease the Sea Otter Pokemon felt evaporate when he saw Snivy's brow knit more than it'd even done before. He could tell that she was going to squeeze every last bit of suffering into this match.
Before Oshawott could be fully frozen in fear, Hilda snapped him out of it by pulling him away ever so slightly with both hand to his hips. He craned his head up and saw the most reassuring sight in Hilda's defensive glare aimed squarely at Snivy.
"He's not alone this time," she declared while squatting behind her Starter, "and the bullies I've met are bad with numbers." She saw the Grass-type scoff in dismissal before walking back towards a curious looking Cheren.
"Trainers, take your positions," Aurea called out, her firm tone trying to keep things clean...ish.
"You... don't seem fond of Snivys," he ventured forth, remembering how she seemed to be attentive to his Pokemon before. She had to be responding directly then.
"Some tend to be... a bit much," Hilda admitted, straightening out her posture and demeanor. "Come along, Oshawott."
Cheren saw her turn away and lead her Starter towards her side of the battlefield before turning to do the same with Snivy. However, he couldn't help but glance back in his growing intrigue.
[T-thank you, Hilda,] Oshawott managed to get out, his anxiety alleviating. [It's weird but... I actually don't feel quite as nervous facing Snivy again.] He smiled up at her with what felt like a lighter weight on his heart. [Not when you're with me.]
"I can't keep her from pushing you around out there," Hilda sighed with a weathered tone of voice, "but I know we can give her a taste of her own medicine together." She cast a soft yet determined smile down upon him. "Do you trust me?"
[With my life,] Oshawott replied, nodding his head in a mini-bow.
Both Trainers and respective Pokemon reached their end of the battlefield before turning around to face each other. Oshawott kept Hilda's glare fresh in his mind if only to make his own towards Snivy herself. Even if he went down, he wanted to go out as brave as his own Trainer.
"Take the first move," Cheren offered as Snivy stood before him. "My treat."
Oshawott swallowed. He told himself that whatever move Hilda ordered was going to be perfect. The flipper in the door to victory would be all but secured for them.
"Who's says chivalry is dead?" Hilda snarked with a battle ready smirk. "Oshawott, give us a Tail Whip!"
The Sea Otter Pokemon felt the wind taken out of his sails and nearly collapsed from exasperation alone. All the while, Snivy raised her eyebrows in intrigue over this choice.
"That's what she's going with?" Cheren questioned in confusion.
[B-b-but,] Oshawott spluttered while turning back toward Hilda with such a pout, [you promised it would be a last resort!] His fore arms flailed up and down in his protesting before his Trainer knelt down to his level.
"When I thought you wouldn't have to face Snivy," Hilda reassured up and down, looking Oshawott softly in the eye. "But we here we are."
"What are you up to?" Cheren asked himself, observing his opponent conversing with his Pokemon yet again.
Snivy's cold stare tensed into a frown over this silly back and forth unfolding.
[But I'll...] Oshawott began to protest despite knowing Hilda had a point, [you know...] He stopped when his Trainer put her palm on his cheek and smiled.
"Just show them what I love about you," Hilda encouraged warmly, looking on as Oshawott settled down.
However, Snivy's frown evolved into a full on scowl over what she perceived as a mockery of her skill.
[All of this fluff is liable to make me ill,] she declared spitefully before turning towards Cheren. [Are we meant to merely stand here and take it up the-?]
Cheren had been trying to sus out Hilda talking with Oshawott when Snivy's hiss hit his ears like ice water and sent shivers down his spine. He looked down to see his Pokemon all worked up and even protruding a vine from her shoulder petal. No one needed to speak her native tongue to pick up on her ire.
"Guess we're lighting the fuse ourselves," Cheren supposed to himself, sensing his Starter's impatience. "Snivy, Tackle 'em!"
Hilda and Oshawott immediately dropped their little heart-to-heart to look towards the other side frantically. There was Snivy sprinting towards them in a tearing hurry and building up Normal-type Energy all the while. From their vantage point, she looked like a real snake slithering at a breakneck pace.
"Showtime," Hilda proclaimed while springing back up to her feet. "Tail Whip, Oshawott!"
[Here goes nothing,] the Sea Otter Pokemon decided with a gulp, [...or everything.] He stepped on out onto the battlefield and turned his back onto the oncoming Snivy.
At first, Snivy was perturbed by Oshawott leaving himself wide open like that. Then her stone cold face fell in disbelief when her opponent began to shake his hide from side to side and whip his tail all the while. She felt so incredulous that her feet slowed to a near crawl just to take it all in and soon stopped with her energy diminishing.
[I knew this is too embarrassing...] Oshawott whined with his usual pout even as he kept up the shake. [Hilda, are you sure-]
"Ooooooooo," his Trainer squealed with grin of delight. "Wook at the wittle guy wigglin' his tail." She even held her fist up to her chin in this continuing fit of adoration.
[Well, at least somebody's enjoying themselves,] Oshawott grumbled in annoyance, forgetting to be humiliated even with his growing blush.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Hilda furiously insisted, collecting herself best she could. "But you weally are sow kyute."
Oshawott might've pouted but secretly enjoyed Hilda gushing all over him. And not just her when he looked back to see his opponent's reaction
[Is this all but a game to you?] Snivy demanded to know in her offense. [Or should I interpret this as your unconditional surrender?]
"Wait..." Cheren pondered to himself, slowing piecing it together. "I think I know this one."
Aurea smirked in pride while Bianca giggled in adoration of Oshawott's little booty shake. "Bold choice, niece," she remarked, jotting down her notes.
"Wash 'em out with Water Gun!" Hilda belted from out of the blue.
Snivy's irritation turned into confusion when Oshawott swung around on his flipper tips and quickly spewed out concentrated water with quite the glare. He was charging his throat with Water-Type Energy on the fly and building up the pressurized output for as long as he could hold the attack.
Snivy had been caught off guard too much to not get hit by the blasting liquid. She stood her ground at first but quickly lost her footing and got flung backwards towards her side of the battlefield. Snivy hit the hard floor painfully once the blast died down and rolled to a stop. She felt wet, dizzy and humiliated in a horrible three-for-one deal.
"Now that's over-watering the lawn!" Hilda cheered, punching the air.
"It was so stupid-looking that we let our guard down," Cheren irrately muttered, clenching his fist. "So much for buying time..."
"Most rookies see non-damage attacks as a waste of battle time," Bianca asked with slight admiration back on the benches. "Well, at least, I use to."
"Hilda use to just like her mother tended to," Aurea proudly proclaimed, jotting down more notes. "But my father and I personally believe in the value of every kind of attack."
Oshawott panted heavily. Not just from the on-the-spot Water Gun but from disbelief of what had just happened. There was Snivy stumbling while trying to stand back up because of an distraction and attack he had pulled off. This never happened before. But then again, he had never been able to pull off Tail Whip before she got the last word-
"Keep the ball rolling, Oshawott!" Hilda ordered, only sparing second for him. "Tackle Snivy while she's still out of it."
Oshawott snapped out of his stupor of success and immediately set his sights on the Grass Snake Pokemon. He knit his brow while sharing Hilda's triumphant grin and charging his body with Normal-type Energy.
"Okay!" Oshawott affirmed before racing off in a tearing hurry.
"Snivy, try to gain some distance," Cheren urged, snapping back into the battle himself. "Get ready to Tackle on my mark!"
Snivy clenched her teeth and widened her eyes upon seeing the Sea Otter Pokemon heading her. She didn't know what was making her tremble more. The fact that Oshawott got her to fall for that juvenile gambit or the fact that she felt damage from a Water-type move. Either way, this mistake had to be corrected.
Snivy forced herself to stand back up steady when her left foot stepped onto a patch of water from Oshawott's attack and made her slip. While she tried to maintain balance, the Sea Otter Pokemon stepped onto a patch himself in his mad dash and slid across the floor. He kept himself balanced when he found that his speed was increasing.
"All according to plan," Hilda confidently claimed, her finger folded before her mouth.
Snivy regained her footing but only then just looked up in time to see Oshawott closing on her. The slip enhanced his Tackle as the Grass Snake Pokemon soon felt when he rammed full force into her. Snivy barely had time to register the pain before she hit the floor and rolled flat onto her front.
"Seeeeeetrike!" Hilda cheered while Oshawott braked to a stop.
No way did she plan that out, Cheren thought audibly to himself, Snivy laying only two feet from him. She just improvised terribly well. He began to grin when a beep sounded in his ear.
"Don't get invested," Bianca warned anxiously over the comlink. "That Snivy's only getting battered for the sake of the greater good."
"I'm not trying to," Cheren whispered back defensively, trying to glance towards his partner. "But I need to make this last somehow."
Oshawott panted heavily from the two attacks in a row he had pulled off and from the sight of a soaked Snivy struggling to get back up. This was actually happened. He was actually standing a chance. A smile widened on his face as he caught his breath and felt a well of confidence bubble up inside of his heart.
[This is inconceivable...] Snivy exclaimed while still slouching from her attacks. [You are meant to plead for my mercy!] Any attempt at a calm demeanor flew straight out of the window.
[What can I say?] Oshawott began with such co*cksure, pretending to be too cool for the room. [I'm just doing my best.]
Snivy's scowl seethed when she remembered how he once said something similar but as the whimpering whelp he was supposed to be. The sight of Oshawott being so sure of himself really was about to make her puke.
Snivy glanced back to see that Cheren was trying to figure out his next move and looked back to Hilda. Her opponent was clearly waiting on her side to make the next move and pivot accordingly. Of course, Cheren wasn't her actual Trainer so...
[As I cordially informed you, Water Boy,] Snivy hissed while empowering her eyes with Normal-type Energy, [your "best" will NEVER suffice!] She make eye contact with Oshawott with a flashing glint in her furious pupils.
Seeing the Sea Otter Pokemon shudder and lose all trace of his confident smile was nothing short of cathartic for Snivy. She almost thought that Hilda's expression of dismay was her getting a look at her near paralyzing stare. Either way, their little hot streak was about to run cold.
"Snivy, wait!" Cheren protested, snapping out of his thoughts. "I didn't give the order yet."
[Then cease your indecision and deliver me an actual tactic,] Snivy hissed back, tempted to Leer right at him too.
The Grass Snake Pokemon's frustrations transcended any language barrier as far as Cheren was concerned. He decided to play it by ear lest she took any further initiative that might cut the battle short.
"Deep breaths, Oshawott," Hilda advised her Starter. "Don't let her get to you."
Oshawott steadied his breathing as ordered but felt his defenses dropping like stones and his whole body trembling almost involuntarily. However, he clung to his confidence and reminded himself that he's still gone this long without taking a hit.
"Snivy, lash out with Vine Whip," Cheren ordered.
Yet.
Oshawott trembled further upon seeing Snivy strut towards him while extending the vines out from under her shoulder. The glare she wore was like she caught him sneaking desert before dinner. A crack of her right whip on the floor made his heart skip a beat.
[I knew this was too good to be true...] Oshawott whimpered, slipping back into his familiar anxieties.
"Defend with your Shell Blade!" Hilda hastily ordered, seeing her starter beginning to cower. "Keep an eye out for any fast ones!"
Oshawott gritted his teeth and grabbed his Scalchop off of his bellybutton just as Snivy slowly stepped within striking range. Her cold glare remained unchanging as her right vine surged forward upon his left. The Sea Otter Pokemon channeled Water-type Energy into his shell just in in the nick of time.
Oshawott unsheathed his Shell Blade and held it flat to block the first whip, bracing himself from falling over. However, Snivy's left vine was quick to stretch ahead as soon as the right had struck.
"On your right!" Hilda warned just in time.
Oshawott swiftly deflected the left vine away from him with a Razor Shell slash in a near blink of an eye. Snivy winced but didn't deter from having her right vine make another attempt while still in range.
"Jump back!" Hilda hasilty ordered.
Oshawott leaped backwards on cue and barely missed the right vine when it passed his belly. He reflexively delivered a diagonal slash upwards to deflect it once Snivy made another attempt.
"My turn now," Snivy whispered upon spotting the opportunity she was looking for.
The right vine slithered around the Shell Blade as soon as it made contact and would've been yanked right out of Oshawott's hand if he didn't dig deep enough. He yelped while holding onto the Scalchop with both of his paws and trying to pull it back.
"I didn't order that," Cheren exclaimed, sharing the same look of concern with Hilda.
The tug of war distracted Oshawott just enough for Snivy's left vine to slap him across the face. The Sea Otter Pokemon felt onto a lingering puddle with a splash and winced at the shining red bruise on his right cheek.
"No..." Hilda muttered when she saw her Starter fall, berating herself for being too shocked to warn him. "Oshawott, hurry and get up now!"
Oshawott struggled despite the damage he took and got up just in time to see Snivy's right vine grip his Shell Blade tighter. So tight that it eventually gave way and shattered into the water molecules, the Scalchop falling to the ground. Oshawott felt his spirits reach a new low from such a cruel flex of power.
"Water Gun!" Hilda hastily ordered, trying to shake off her own dread.
"Snivy, let's reign it in," Cheren softly suggested, worried that his Starter was about to really go rogue.
[My thoughts exact,] Snivy remarked while shooting her left vine forward at a near breakneck pace.
Trembling all over, Oshawott felt his throat dry up from his growing anxieties and was slow to charge it with Water-type Energy. Too slow to avoid Snivy's left vine grabbing his right flipper and hoisting him up into the air.
"Whoa!" he yelped frantically, knowing what was to come.
"Oshawott!" Hilda screamed in desperation, clenching her fist.
There was her Starter hanging upside down and flailing his paws about in a feeble attempt to get free. Worst still was seeing Snivy use her right vine to whip Oshawott. First, across his left check. Then, across his belly. Soon the Grass Snake Pokemon was striking her living punching bag indiscriminately any which way she could.
Hilda winced with every strike she saw and heard. That pit in her stomach grew to the size of a mini Giant Chasm the more she looked on helplessly. Hilda took out her Poke Ball in contemplation of calling off the match when she remembered everything she told Oshawott. Her promises. Her faith in him.
Hilda swallowed hard. There was a slim chance that Oshawott could make it out. But "slim" was putting it kindly.
"This is too much," Bianca claimed to Aurea back on the benches. "We have to call off the match now."
"Not unless one of the participants claims a surrender or lose," Professor Juniper replied with a rather cold voice, still writing on her clipboard. "You should know the regulations for these inspections." She wore a rather rigid expression all the while.
"Forget regulations," Bianca proclaimed in her worrisome tone of voice. "Isn't that your goddaughter out-?"
"The League wanted to determine if I was playing favorites with family," Aurea retorted with a bit more a stern vibe in her words. "Hilda wouldn't let me hear the end of it even if it was for Oshawott's sake."
"But-" Bianca began before realizing that she could blow her cover. "It's too cruel..." She clenched her fists before turning away and tapping her ear com to whisper. "Cheren..."
"I know," Cheren replied under his breath. "But Vanessa still needs time." His teeth clenched in his guilt when he heard his partner sigh in despair. "I'm sorry... truly."
Back on the battlefield, Snivy continued to ignore Cheren in favor of punishing Oshawott. She was very particular with the strength of her Vine Whips and only utilized fractions of her Grass-type Energy for small by painful stings. A quick defeat would never be enough to rectify the Sea Otter Pokemon's disobedience.
Sure enough, Snivy loosened his grip on Oshawott's right flipper and allowed him to fall to the floor while drawing back her vines. The Sea Otter Pokemon felt too sore all over to brace himself and grunted when he hit the floor like a sack of potatoes front first. He could hardly believe that he wasn't half dead already.
[You brought this all upon yourself, you know that?] Snivy hissed vehemently while stepping forth. [You and this sentimental simpleton you call a Trainer.] She saw Oshawott groaning as he began to push himself up slow but shakily. [I have given you every opportunity to remember yet even now, you dare to have ideas above your station.]
"What is your damage?" Hilda demanded to know in her exasperation. "So you didn't get picked, big whoop!" She could only hope to draw her attention. "Who would want to deal with your rank attitude?"
[Somebody who might actually values true strength for instance,] Snivy hissed back, approaching Oshawott with her right vine poking out. [Enlighten me, will you?] She wrapped tightly around his chest just under his armpits and lifted him up. [What potential could you ever hope to see in this pitiful whelp?]
Oshawott breathed more easily but panted just from behind held up to his feet. Seeing Snivy's face contorting more into a furious scowl didn't feel as scary as before. It was almost as though she'd put him through so much that he hardly felt like he had much to lose.
"My mother and Auntie taught me something that I could never forget," Hilda began with a tranquil fury in her growing voice, her fists balled. "That even the most weak Pokemon in the world can become something special with a Trainer who believes." Her blue eyes almost seemed to shimmer like fire set to scalding heat. "And I believe in Oshawott."
Cheren was distracted from his concerns with Snivy upon hearing Hilda most certainly talk with his Pokemon. Bianca didn't say anything to Aurea but shared her partner's returning suspicions. They kept to themselves to observe further.
"And even if he doesn't become the strongest Pokemon in Unova, well," Hilda began again while lifting her glare into more a grin, "I'll at least have my new best friend." Snivy's scowl turned more confused if anything.
Oshawott's weary eyes lit up ever so steadily when he began to know why he wasn't so scared like before. At that same moment, Aurea's mostly neutral expression cracked a warm smile.
[This malignant stain?] Snivy retorted in aggravated exasperation, turning her gaze back at Oshawott. [He's piteous, spineless, insignificant-]
[-able to attack at point blank range,] the Sea Otter Pokemon spoke up, his confident tone of voice making a comeback.
[What?] Snivy gasped before Oshawott widened his mouth and blasted a huge concentration of water in her face. Her vine came loose when she was pushed back towards Cheren.
"Whoa!" the inspector cried when he hastily dodged Snivy.
The Water Gun soon died down and let the Grass Snake Pokemon hit the floor just a few feet shy of the wall. Snivy slide to a stop on her front and coughed up water that got in her mouth. All the while, Oshawott managed to stand upright while noticing a slight blue glow surrounding his body curiously.
"Oshawott, I could kiss you!" Hilda cheered before checking her PokeDex.. "With your Ability, Torrent, you can boost your Water-Type Attacks when back into a corner."
Snivy got back up in time to see Oshawott jumping for joy and felt her body actually start to ache. Was she... really about to lose? To him?
Cheren looked back at that same moment and worried that Hilda would end this far too soon until his comlink activated.
"Almost done cleaning house, boss," Vanessa's voice chimed in. "You good on your end?"
"Depends on your definition of 'good'," Cheren replied as quietly as possible. "Wait for my call." He turned off the comlink quickly when he heard Hilda explain Torrent. It got him to remember that his Starter had a similar ability.
"Leaf Tornado!" Snivy heard Cheren order, snapping out of her stupor. She had been so thoroughly thrown for a loop that the thought had never occurred to her. Straightening her posture, the Grass Snake Pokemon charged her body with every bit of Grass-type Energy she could scrap up.
Oshawott stopped jumping and looked back up at Snivy. His eyes shrunk in terror when he saw her returning to the battlefield and the way her body also glowing green. The Sea Otter Pokemon never seen her Overgrow Ability on account of losing so much but he knew it when he saw it.
[Now where were we?] Snivy pretended to ponder, feeling herself bursting at the seams with a massive influx of Grass-type Energy. [Ah yes... extinguishing your hopes and dreams.] She jumped into the air with a spin and continued to rotate when the air in the room began to whip around her.
It only took a second for a cyclone to form around Snivy, full of green leaf-like projectiles that surrounded her. Hilda and Oshawott tried to shield their eyes from the battering winds while keeping their footing solid enough while Cheren had his glasses to help him. The water from the previous attacks dried up in no time thanks to the cold gusts.
Despite spinning to keep up the attack, Snivy kept her head clear enough to move the Leaf Tornado forward towards Oshawott's general location. Hilda managed to put on some Go-Goggles straight from her Personal Computer just in time.
"Oshawott!" Hilda shouted. "Get away fast!"
Oshawott opened his eyes just enough to be freaked out by the giant green vortex of certain doom. He ran as fast as the whipping winds would allow him and found it miraculous that he was able to stay on his flippers. He zig-zagged as much as he could but the terrifying tunnel of wind stayed on his tail near perfectly.
[At least receive your defeat with a modicum of dignity,] Snivy spoke even if her voice would be obscured by the winds.
Oshawott was getting some distance before he looked ahead and saw that Hilda was just a foot away. He looped around to his right and led the Leaf Tornado so his Trainer wouldn't get swept up.
Instead, Aurea and Bianca felt the wind blast them as he and the massive funnel rushed past them. Professor Juniper would've been upset over her papers being scattered if she and the inspector could see through the ever growing gusts.
"Call her off!" Bianca cried to Cheren through her ear-com, sure that Aurea wouldn't be able to hear her. "This is overkill!"
"I've been trying!" her partner called back. "Either she can't hear me over the wind or she's not listening."
Aurea was indeed not paying any mind to Bianca's secret chats and more concerning herself with Hilda. She could see such a tense expression on her goddaughter's expression, her brain being wracked for any solution however unlikely.
"Give her strength, Helga," the Professor whispered to herself hopefully.
Hilda scanned the battlefield for anything at all, gritting her teeth and clenching her fist in growing desperation. She could still remember Oshawott's overwhelming sadness when he sobbed, the way he bared his soul to cry out for her help.
"Not again," Hilda vowed to herself, her brow knit like the Gordian Knot. "Never again!"
That when it finally caught the corner of her eye to her right despite the winds.
"Oshawott, bank right!" Hilda barked out over the loud Leaf Tornado. "Eyes to the floor!"
Oshawott knew he hardly had any other ideas and looped around the right side of the battlefield before he got too close to Cheren. Snivy's massive wind tunnel of doom followed close behind just as he spotted what Hilda had spotted: his Scalchop.
The Sea Otter Pokemon managed to sprint just a tiny bit faster and get closer to his Scalchop all while the wind tunnel closed in on him. He had only snagged his shell when he felt his flippers leave the ground and the wind pull him towards the Leaf Tornado.
"I believe in you, friend," Hilda pleaded as she saw Oshawott become sucked into the cyclone. "Now believe in yourself."
Oshawott winced when the leaf projectiles battered him and the wind tossed him around like clothes in a spin-cycle. In spite of this, he focused his Water-type Energy into his Scalchop and looked up to get a clear view of Snivy. Slowly but surely, the Sea Otter Pokemon was rising up towards her and figuring out the rest of Hilda's plan.
Snivy was so caught up in assuming victory that she never noticed Oshawott's blue aura until he unsheathed his Shell Blade just one cycle down from her. He held his Scalchop with both paws and swiftly served a vertical slash upwards across her torso. She was spinning far too fast to defend herself or properly evade.
The Leaf Tornado destabilized and dissipated almost all at once. Both Snivy and Oshawott felt too damaged to brace themselves for a very rough crash landing, the pair ending up on their fronts. The Scalchop skidded across the floor to Aurea's foot before she picked it up.
"I declare this match a tie!" she bellowed, smiling warmly.
Cheren grimaced while Hilda doubled punched the air with a rousing roar of victory and sprinted towards Oshawott just as happily. The inspector walked towards Snivy and couldn't help but wince over the bruises across her body.
Meanwhile, Hilda slowed down when she reached Oshawott and found him rolling around onto his back in his attempt to lift himself up. She caught her breath and settled her excited grin into a simmering smile when she saw how rough of a shape her little guy was in. The young lady slowly sat herself down with her legs crossed.
Oshawott regained enough strength to lift his head up and see a sitting Hilda smiling down at him with such pride in her eyes. It was enough to ease his aches and pain however little as he merely laid there and smiled back, happy tears beading in the corner of his eyes. They didn't have to say it by now. Just sharing each other's company was enough.
"Snivy!" Cheren called out, reaching his fallen Starter at that moment. "Are you okay?" He reached out his hand to help her up.
Snivy was frustrated enough over her lose on top of how battered her body had become. As a result, the look of sympathy and worry she saw on Cheren's face above her came across as pity at best. She had enough strength to sprout her right vine and slap the inspector's hand away.
Cheren winced while rubbing his wounded right hand and saw such a vicious scowl on Snivy's face that answered his questioned wordlessly. He replied with a rather solemn look on his face and took out her Poke Ball.
"Return and take a rest," Cheren ordered, trying to keep his emotions in check. However, the bad memories began to flash back in his mind.
The Poke Ball shot a red beam that converted Snivy's body into energy. As she was pulled into the device, the Grass Snake Pokemon cursed with every hiss over how she could have been defeated by such a faillure.
She was the better... right?
She was the proper choice... wasn't she?
The Poke Ball snapped shut before Cheren looked down on it and began to become lost in his thoughts. This loss... hurt the inspector's feelings more than it should. He failed to get his Pokemon to listen to him when he needed it. He even failed to properly keep in control when their strategies fell apart.
It really was like being a Trainer all over again.
From the benches, Bianca caught a stern if troubled frown from Cheren that told her that it was time to get ready. She swallowed hard and turned towards Aurea. The Professor was luckily preoccupied with collecting the very last of the papers that'd been blown to the floor.
"Professor," Bianca called out, strolling towards Aurea. "I would like to discuss something pertaining to Snivy's... troubling behavior if you don't mind." Professor Juniper thankfully looked her way and took her attention from the battlefield just in time.
Cheren waited for Bianca to start talking with Aurea before heading over towards Hilda and Oshawott. As luck would have it, she was already heading his way with her Starter craddled in her arms. He steadied his breathing and urged himself to act naturally enough once they met in the middle.
"I'm sorry I didn't listen to you about Snivy," Cheren apologized with a sheepish front. "I would've recalled her but I was too sure about reigning her in."
"I did tell you not to hold back, didn't I?" Hilda chortled ever so slightly, setting a mostly rested Oshawott down by her feet. "Careful what you wish for." She blepped her tongue out in cheek.
"All the same, I put Oshawott through hell thanks to my judgement," Cheren sighed with a more melancholy frown, eyes drifting off slightly. "Now I remember why I'm not a Trainer anymore..."
[I appreciate your apology, sir,] Oshawott replied with a cordial bowed, still sore but also still respectful. [Though... I'm glad that you did... if only so I could show myself what I could really do.] He glanced up at Hilda to share a grateful smile with her. [I think... my best just might be good enough...]
Cheren raised his right eyebrow. "He's... taking this all very well," he replied to Hilda in slight concern. "He did just get whipped to hell and back, right?"
"Pokemon are made of sterner stuff than we human will ever be," the rookie happily responded while squatting to pet Oshawott on the head. "You just need to have faith that they can roll with the punches even if it gets dicey."
"I see..." Cheren claimed in disappointment. "They brainwashed you good, didn't you?" He reached into his pocket just as Hilda looked up at him in confusion.
"Snag Ball, go!" Cheren cried out loudly while jumping backwards and throwing a projectile.
Everything seemed to happen all at once. Oshawott felt something small hit his forehead and saw it land before him as a regular Poke Ball. However, it opened up to unleash a net that ensnared his body before he could think to yelp for help.
Hilda had sprung to her feet instinctively and was mortified by Oshawott wriggling around in the net, clearly too weak to make a tear in it. She was about to ask Cheren what the hell was going on with some very strong language but instead found the inspector throwing something glowy at her.
A zap was loud enough to tear Aurea away from her talk with Bianca and got her to see Hilda falling onto the floor back first. Electric sparks popped from her body when she twtiched and clenched in a fit of pain. She then saw Cheren run from her to grab the net containing a protesting Oshawott.
"What the f-" Aurea began to say in her disbelief.
"I am... so terribly sorry for this," Bianca promised, the Professor turning back for her. Her right hand swiftly took out a small glowing marble and threw it at the Pokemon Researcher.
Aurea cried out in pain when the ball hit her in the belly and gave her what she recognized as an electric shock. It was as strong as one of the Joltik from this morning and just enough to make her fall over. Her nerves were aflame with trembles and twitches occurring all over herself.
[Lemme go, lemme go!] Oshawott cried, rocking about in the net. [HILDA, HELP!]
Hilda managed to endure the fresh shock enough to start lifting herself up and look towards the door. She gritted her teeth tenaciously and saw Bianca join Cheren to open the exit with her key card. The rookie had a million questions swirling in her mind ranging from "What" to "the actual hell" but that mean diddy when she saw the inspectors leave.
"Get... back... here..." Hilda called out, unclenching her jaw.
Feeling the shock waning, she stood back up just when the door slid shut and rushed towards it despite her shaky legs. Hilda would've kept going to the door if she hadn't saw her Auntie Aurea down in a bad way herself just to her left.
"Are you okay?" Hilda asked while straining to reach down and help her godmother up by hand.
"I was just zapped by... something before those inspectors robbed up so... been better," Aurea grunted while shakily getting up. "Something tells me they're not with the league."
"We can question them once we've caught up," Hilda replied while making a head start for the exit despite herself. "Put us on lockdown STAT!"
Cheren and Bianca found the suit chaffing just a tad as they booked it through the hallway. The leader found it moreso with Oshawott still rocking about in the net. Thankfully, they saw that the stairway door was just ahead.
"I think I held back on my throw," Bianca shyly admitted just when they arrived at the door. "I thought we could avoid combat."
"It won't matter with our head start," Cheren claimed while getting out his card key. "If it makes you feel any better, I held back too."
However, their little moment was cut short when he swiped his card and got a deep toned beep from the reader.
"Access denied," the machine claimed. "All Laboratories are on Lockdown until further notice."
"What?" Cheren cried in disbelief, swiping the card again and again desperately. "No, no, no, not this."
Bianca shared his growing dread while tapping her earcom. "Simon, Sammy?"
"We know," Sammy chimed in with a groan. "The whole system's had been bolted down but I've had worse."
"We've been trying to bust down the backdoor over here," Vanessa chimed in on the com, talking fast in her frustration. "They weren't kidding about that increased budget."
Noises of wood striking steel along with frustrated grunts could be heard in the background. "I told you guys we needed more incendiaries," Bright griped.
"Everyone calm down and give us a minute to figure this out," Simon insisted firmly before Cheren and Bianca heard loud footsteps rapidly rushing their way.
"Let my Oshawott go!" they heard Hilda wrathfully scream before they looked back.
There was the rookie and Aurea rushing side by side in a borderline sprint, still shaking off the lingering shock. Hilda was way ahead of Aurea with a scowl aimed firmly at the phony inspectors and her limbs stretched out wide like Georgia at the marathon.
[Hilda!] Oshawott cried out with a smile returning to his face. [I'm right here!]
"I don't think we have a minute," Cheren replied to Simon urgently, "or a second."
"I'll buy us a few," Bianca insisted while stepping up forward, taking out her Personal Computer. "Keep an eye on the door and let me know when we're good to go."
She tapped the phone to "Select" a new outfit and held out a Poke Ball. Bianca's sharp suit is swiftly switched to a grey bodysuit beneath a blue hood and white apron. At that moment, Hilda and Aurea slow to a stop at the sight of this change of attire. It wasn't just the fashion failure that took them aback. They knew a challenge when they saw it.
The Professor's attention was more drawn to insignia on Bianca's chest: a shield with "P" and a backwards "z" over it. Her brow knit in a dreaded sense of recognition.
"I know how this might look," Bianca began, holding out her arms to advocate for calmness, "but we promise that this is for Oshawott's own good."
"It looks like you're trying to rob us and take my best friend away from me," Hilda declared venomously, her fist balled for a brawl. "What the hell is 'good' about it?"
"If you'd just hear us out-" Bianca tried to insist, trying to stay calm.
"Tepig, singe her with an Ember!" Aurea interrupted.
The Professor had taken out a Poke Ball from her lab coat pocket and let the Fire Pig Pokemon out on the double. Seeing his friend in danger, Tepig angrily snorted steam and channeled Fire-Type Energy into his snout.
"I don't think they're listening, Bianca," Cheren replied, still keeping an eye on the card reader. "Defend yourself!"
"Sorry, Roggenrola," Bianca swored to her Poke Ball, unlocking it. "Harden yourself and defend!"
Tepig blew his nose to fire off a ball of fiery snot straight for Bianca. However, she flinched just when her Poke Ball opened and let Roggenrola out in mid-air. A small Pokemon made of living rocks channeled Normal-type Energy throughout her stone body to enhance her Defense and take the Ember without even wincing once.
"Flame Charge!" Aurea belted out just when Roggenrola landed on the floor.
Tepig stomped his fore-hooves on the floor rapidly to help build up his Fire-Type Energy again and snorted scalding smoke from his snout. All the while, Bianca gulped over what she might have to do next.
"Anything?" she called back to Cheren.
"Nothing yet," her partner replied with the same sort of tension she held. "You might have to get a little rough."
At that moment, Tepig burst into flames that armored him and allowed him to dash forth towards Roggenrola. Bianca clenched up and winced when the Mantle Pokemon took the hit like a champ. Her near perfect footing had her slide back only by a measily foot and tank most of the impact.
"Rock Blast!" Bianca forced out, fearing for her partner Pokemon's safety.
Tepig was still trying to knock Roggenrola down when she channeled Rock-Type Energy into her center chest cavity. A rock shaped projectile erupted from her craggy bellybutton and smacked into the Fire Pig Pokemon at point blank range.
"No!" Hilda cried out in dismay
Aurea hardly had the time to warn Tepig before he was flung backwards and left to smack onto the floor, smouldering in his unconscious state. Bianca covered her mouth over how she forgot to have her Pokemon hold back while Roggenrola hopped up and down in their victory.
"I'm really sorry," she swore up and down before light toned beep sounded.
"Access granted," the card reader's voice sounded out. "Card System has been shut down."
"Impossible!" Hilda gasped in her disbelief while Aurea recalled Tepig.
"Bianca, hurry!" Cheren called out after all but kicking down the staircase door. "We'll take the short cut!"
Bianca recalled Roggenrola to her Poke Ball while catching up with Cheren and going through the door.
[Hilda!] Oshawott cried desperately.
"I'm coming, buddy!" Hilda called back while sprinting after the imposter.
"What the hell is happening?" Aurea sincerely asked in her exasperation, chasing after her goddaughter.
With Bianca in tow, Cheren jumped and bounded down the stairs with Oshawott held steadily. Taking out his P.C., he tapped "Select" before landing and replacing his suit for an Armor exactly like his partner's. They then began down the second set of stairs for the first floor.
"Vanessa and I are waiting outside," Bright chimed in on their earcoms. "Think you can make it."
"Not with our hosts on our tail," Bianca chimed back, looking up to find Hilda and Aurea rushing down for them. "We're gonna have to use the short cut."
Out in the backyard, Bright and Vanessa ran across the research facility for the exact position while donning the own armor themselves. They got in front of the windowless wall and hoped that it was the spot.
"You... did set the charge exact, right?" Bright asked Vanessa with a gulp.
"What do you think these suits are for?" his adopted sister retorted before tapping her P.C. "Fire in the hole!"
A huge explosion blew an entire hole in the wall and billowed smoke nearly everywhere while they covered their faces with their gloved arms. Debris hit them but deflected off of the durable fabric of their armor while they kept smoke from blowing into their eyes.
A few seconds pass before Bright and Vanessa worried that the blast was more than their bosses could handle. Thankfully, Cheren and Bianca jumped out of the hole with the former still holding tight onto the net carrying Oshawott. Both of the Knights literally hit the ground running with their teammates keeping up with them.
"We're heading back to the campsite," Cheren declared. "Jet packs NOW!"
"I dunno," Bright posited. "You know how I am with heights."
"OSHAWOTT!"
Hilda's voice get the dashing Knight to looking behind him and see her sprinting towards them, actually seeming to gain on them by the second. The scowl she gave them was flat out feral.
"Up, up and away!" Bright gulped while taking out his P.C. to select from his Clothes Inventory.
Hilda was just about to reach out and grab Bright when some sort of metal pack materialized strapped to his back. Cheren, Bianca and Vanessa soon sported their very own while each pressing a button on their right straps. A fiery blast ignited from the bottom and elevated the four Knight just as they reached the trees.
[Hilda!] Oshawott cried out desperately, rocking about in the net. He repeated her name over and over until the trees finally obscured her.
Hilda's legs quickly gave out when she slowed to a stop and just looked up at the thieves taking to the sky. Sinking to her knees, she felt the fatigue catch up along with her breath and hung her head. The furious scowl Hilda had put on slowly descended into a frown once the reality of this surreal situation had sunk in.
Oshawott had been taken away from her.
Hilda had lost her best friend.
Possibly forever.
"Not him..." Hilda begged with a choke, a full on crater opening in her gut. "Not again..." She could still hear the ear-splitting explosion.
Aurea had finally caught up with Hilda after digitizing her lab coat to run better and stopped just four feet behind her goddaughter. She didn't have to see Hilda's face to know exactly how she was feeling but still did her best to keep it together. It took nearly a minute for the Professor to process what she could. However she could.
"Okay... okay..." Aurea panted out, trying to be strong for her ward. "Not the end of the world... sort of." Her buzzing mind was telling her otherwise while she turned around to pace and keep it in order. "Let's keep cool and take stock."
Hilda's hand slowed balled into a fist while her breathing steadied into something focused.
"First, we go and find if Dad's okay," Professor Juniper went on, trying to keep herself sane. "Then we call the police and report exactly what we've seen."
Aurea didn't notice when hashing out her plan that Hilda was slowly standing back up with a slight wobble from fatigue.
"Granted, they have jet packs and could be near Aspertia City for all we know," the Professor prattled on, her self-reassurance slipping. "Still, we just need to hunker down and..."
It was the exact moment that Aurea looked back at Hilda and found her already running a marathon straight for the woods. She vaulted over the wooden fence splitting the wild off from the backyard and made the most of her second wind by diving deeper into the sea of trees.
"...not do anything stupid," Aurea groaned wearily before rushing right after her headstrong goddaughter. "Get back here before you kill yourself!"
What Professor Juniper couldn't see was the brow knitted tightly on Hilda's face just above her frown. Despite her second wind not amounting to much, she pushed herself to follow the fading noise of the jet packs. Her shoes smashed the ground at her speed while her arms swam through the air for all it was worth.
Hilda hadn't drank any water nor ate a snack to refuel herself. The one thing driving her were the crystal clear images of Oshawott replaying in her mind like a slideshow. Him and her mother's immortalized smile made hot, stinging tears well up in her eyes.
"I'll save you," Hilda swore to herself with every few steps she raced. "This time... I won't run away!"
To Be Continued in Chapter Two...
Team Plasma has stayed low-key until now. With this first large scale operation, they are making a loud and proud statement to the world at large. However, they reckoned without the likes of Hilda being bullheaded enough to strike back.
Oshawott's fate shall be decided in... December, give or take, when I'll have plenty of to loosen up and adapt more of my draft.
Thank you for reading my fanfiction. This will be where I take a bit of a break for now. I hope to get feedback on the first story arc so far.
Write up a comment or a full blown review about what you liked or loathed about my work. I can roll with the punches so let me have it.
