Into the Unown (Pokemon Fanfiction OC)-Chapter 217.5: Kerry vs Bugsy

Into the Unown (Pokemon Fanfiction OC)-Chapter 217.5: Kerry vs Bugsy

“Fooo…. You can do this Kerry-Anne Joy. Fighto!” Kerry breathed and gave herself a few light smacks on the face before walking up to the platform.
“Wooo!!! Kick his ass, Kerr!!!”
The girl smiled and looked towards the audience where her two friends sat, cheering her on with maximum fervour.
However, once she actually stopped to properly take in the arena before her, Kerry’s confidence began to falter once more.
Unlike Falkner who used a rather plain and standard arena for his non-Star battles, Bugsy only had one universal arena for all tiers — that of a lush and expansive indoor forest. One so dense that it was almost impossible to see what lay within.
There were some clearings, strategically dotted around the field. But getting there would be a problem in itself, requiring precise communication between Pokemon and trainer.
If
Bugsy’s Pokemon did not get to them first.
Taking in another breath, Kerry steeled her nerves and expanded her Pokeball as she tried her best to glare at the pretty boy Gym Leader across from her; those mesmerizing purple eyes, silky smooth hair and snow white skin.
“Gosh, he’s prettier than most girls I know…”
The glare turned into a swoon and Kerry vigorously shook her head to dispel her fantasies.
“Get it together Kerr! Everyone’s watching!”
Fortunately at this point, the speakers blared to bring her back to reality.
“This will be a battle between Kerry-Anne Joy of the Joy Clan and Bugsy of the Azalea Gym!” The referee declared. “Trainers, are you ready?!”
“”Ready!!””
“Three, two, one… and begin!”
Kerry threw out her Pokeball at the same time as Bugsy. And just as Nina warned her, the purple-haired young man did not even bother to declare his pick — a perfectly valid strategy among trainers of equal standing. But when the Pokemon was hidden behind treelines and viewed in the context of a Gym battle, it came across as decidedly boorish.
Therefore, Kerry did not see the need to declare her choice of Pokemon either, which was Lynxie. She was hoping that the Luxio’s senses as an apex predator would help him silently track down the opponent Pokemon.
“LUXIOOOO!!!”
Not that it mattered, because the silly lion cub immediately started howling his species name the moment that he entered the field.
“Oh Lynxie, what am I going to do with you…”
The girl chuckled in exasperation.  “Never mind… Track them down and start zapping, Lynxie!”
“LUUUUX!!!” At the Luxio’s call, the forest lit up with a booming Thunderbolt.
“Xio!” But just as quickly, that mighty cry collapsed into a yelp of pain.
“Lynxie! What’s going on, buddy?” Kerry had no idea, her vision was completely obstructed by the dense canopy of trees.
The nurse girl frowned and bit down on her tender lips. “Use your speed! Get to a clearing, Lynxie! Don’t try to fight them in the forest.”
Another flash of electricity and more cries, accompanied by the buzzing of wings. And finally, Lynxie bursted out from the bushes and into sight, looking bruised, haggard and purple from Poison. His star tail dim and droopy, unlike usual.
“Thunder Wave, Lynxie!” Kerry cried in distress. “Just stay there and wait for them to come to you!”
The Electric lion flashed in a pulse of paralytic wave and held his ground to no effect. The tense silence remained. Until a blur of black and yellow abruptly shot out from the trees, lancing towards Lynxie’s back.
Kerry smirked. And at the same time, a second round of Thunder Wave erupted from her Luxio. The first attack had been a feint, a partial release of Lynxie’s stored Electric Energy to bait out their opponent. It was when the yellow flash, which Kerry now identified as a Beedrill, revealed itself that Lynxie properly let loose.
The Beedrill spasmed. Now Paralyzed, it crashed onto the ground next to Lynxie amidst excited cheers from the audience.
“Don’t let it recover, Lynxie. Crunch on its wings!”
“LUUUX!!!”
Lynxie howled and bored down on his opponent with gleaming, Dark imbued fangs. But right before as he was about to Crunch down, the red flash of a Pokeball returned the bee Pokemon to Bugsy, causing the Luxio’s maw to find nothing but air.
Kerry frowned, teeth grinding in frustration while a mixture of cheers and boos sounded from the audience. The former came from members of Bugsy’s fan club while the latter represented the feelings most people felt towards the rug pull, Kerry’s friends included.
“Nina’s right. This is super annoying!”
To be deprived so close to victory… It was infuriating! The girl was aware of the Azalea Gym’s special rules going into the match — infinite swaps allowed — and was even asked to sign a consent explicitly agreeing to the fact. But to suffer through it in person was an entirely different matter.
“Leader Bugsy has returned his Beedrill.” The referee declared. “He will have thirty seconds to make his next pick.”
The young man in question just stood there with an innocent smile, taking full advantage of the 30 second grace and waiting until the very last second to throw out another Pokeball
into
the darkness of the forest, because of course he did. Meanwhile, Lynxie continued to suffer under the effects of Poison, breath becoming more ragged by the second. Except this time, Bugsy did declare his Pokemon.
“I choose you, Metapod.”
Kerry grimaced. She knew exactly what the conniving Gym Leader intended — to waste time and stall against Lynxie’s deteriorating state. The solution was simple, she would not allow herself to fall into the jerk’s tempo.
“Return, Lynxie!” With a flash, the nurse girl recalled her precious lion cub to his Pokeball as well and immediately set it to full stasis. Then, not wanting to allow her opponent anymore time, Kerry immediately tossed out her next pick — Duo, her Noctowl.
“You know what to do, Duo! Hunt down that Metapod!”
“Hooot.”
Noctowls had perfect night vision and felt perfectly at home in a dark forest environment. No doubt Bugsy’s Metapod would continue to hide, throwing out inane moves from time to time to appease the referee while continuously buffing up its defense with Harden and Iron Defense for the matches to come.
But little did she know, Bugsy had trained his Metapods to not just be limited to defensive moves, but also be capable of retaining some of their movesets from the Caterpie phase. In particular, String Shot.
While Metapod was buffing itself, it was also continuously weaving an elaborate web of silk between the trees, thoroughly hiding itself within the sticky maze while completely encumbering the advance of the prowling predator bird.
In a fit of frustration, Duo exploded in a barrage of Air Slash, the wind blades indiscriminately slicing through the obstructions in his way. But still, the Metapod remained to be seen.
“Extrasensory, Duo! It doesn’t matter if you can’t see them!”
The owl Pokemon affirmed with a curt hoot and perched himself atop a tree branch. Then, in a flare of Psychic Type Energy, he amplified the senses of every mind present on the field, causing even the slightest of stimulation to invoke excruciating pain.
Unfortunately, due to the chrysalic nature of Metapod, physical pain eluded it. Though it did receive quite a severe migraine from the assault to its mind. Try as it might to enhance its physical defense, there was nothing to protect its mind.
Bugsy frowned, recognizing the futility of his persistence. So he ordered Metapod to slingshot itself into the air, past the treetops, to be returned back to its Pokeball.
His next pick, however, was less of a pushover — a Scyther. The very menace that Nina had warned her about before the match.
Kerry bit down on her lip. Her friend had advised that she switch out for either Kaipo or Rocky, her two aces, when faced with Bugsy’s signature Pokemon. But she was hesitant. She had a feeling that the vexatious Abra of a man would just respond with another switcheroo.
“Keep at a distance and wear them down, Duo!” Scythers had limited range options. That was something that Kerry had learned from her long acquaintance with Justin’s Scyther.
Except, the core difference between her friend’s Pokemon and Bugsy’s was their different approach to battle. Something that became painfully clear to her as the battle dragged on. Because while Justin’s Scyther was trained for frontal combat, Bugsy fully embraced his Scyther’s nature as an ambush predator and doubled down on it.
Within the shade of the forest and the winding maze of tree barks and latticed branches, Bugsy’s Scyther was like a phantom, flitting in and out of sight, utterly disorientating even the keen-eyed Duo.
“HOOT!!!” Duo cried out in pain at the green flash that struck at his back before disappearing again.
“Extrasensory and Air Slash on all sides, Duo! And Fly out of the forest!” Kerry cried, but before the Noctowl could act, there was another Slash, this time, aimed precisely at his shoulder joint, dropping the owl Pokemon onto the ground.
“Duo!” Kerry was panicking at this point. Too flustered to think clearly. If Nina were by her side, she’d chide her for relenting so soon. There was still hope for the round so long as they maintained a constant barrage of Air Slashes to keep the Scyther at bay.
However, in her distress, Kerry remained passive while her Pokemon suffered from a cyclone of Double Team and Swords Dance empowered Fury Cutter.
But to Duo’s credit, being that he was just a wild Pokemon until recently, his instincts remained wholly intact and refused to allow Scyther to hit him for free, managing to break out into an Uproar and rattle the mantis Pokemon before finally fainting from the assault.
Kerry returned her Pokemon with teary eyes, believing that their defeat was the result of her loss in composure.
“Get it together, Kerry. It’s not over yet!”
She scowled, and without hesitation, she unleashed her Alolan Marowak onto the field.
Across from her, Bugsy furrowed his delicate brows and promptly returned his Scyther in response, not wanting to risk losing his ace to the Fire and Ghost hybrid. His next pick was a Butterfree, his intentions clear as day — to wear down Kaipo with as many status effects as possible.
“As if we’ll let you! Kaipo, burn it all down!”
A swarm of green Ghostly embers exploded in the forest at Kerry's call. They would have loved to start a forest fire at this point. But unfortunately, the trees were too fresh for the fire to hold. So Kaipo settled for surrounding the Butterfree with Will-O-Wisp and burning any bushes and withered leaves on the ground, creating an impromptu haze of smoke within the forest.
At the same time, the Butterfree flashed its colourful wings. And with a flap, dispersed a colorful cocktail of Poison Powder, Stun Spore, Sleep Powder and Rage Powder into their surroundings.
Kerry smirked. “Did you know, Bugsy? Heat rises while cold air sinks.”
The young Gym Leader looked a little confused. Until he saw the rising air currents carrying smoke and powder up and away from the forest.
“Smother the flames, Butterfree!!”
“Don’t let up, Kaipo! Remember what we practiced, Bonemerang and Fire Spin combo!”
“Wak!”
While Butterfree was busy fighting Kaipo’s embers, a flaming bone staff struck its wings, then doubled back around and began orbiting the butterfly Pokemon to trap it in an infernal vortex. Or at least it would have, had the Fire Spin been allowed to form.
“Return!” Bugsy called, right as the pillar of green Fire surged, depriving Kerry of her victory yet again.
Kerry felt her mood turn dark. It took everything the girl had to stop herself from yelling her lungs out, fist clenched tight, her usually genial eyes gleaming with tears of resentment. This was not fun. Pokemon battles were supposed to be a fun hobby for her. But she wouldn’t give in, Kerry would never forgive herself if she lost to such underhanded tricks.
Bugsy’s next pick was his Beedrill yet again and Kerry returned Kaipo in favor of Rocky, her Graveler. Only for Bugsy to pull another switch and bring back his Metapod. Which Kerry responded to by bringing back Kaipo. Then another switch and on and on they went, the sensible crowd in the audience thoroughly annoyed at this point, until Bugsy finally settled on Butterfree again with an almost confused frown leveled towards the bouncy pink blob it was facing.
“Chansey. Chance~”
Kerry giggled. “Hehe. It’s been awhile since you stretched your fins huh, Peppy?”
“Chaance~” Peppy could battle. It wasn’t like she couldn’t. But as a Pokemon whose life purpose was dedicated to love and healing, she just didn’t like having to hurt her fellows.
This match was different though, Peppy could feel the rage and frustration simmering away deep within her beloved partner. And
that
she could not stand. Anyone who made Kerry sad deserved a good spanking!
As before, Butterfree began by spreading debilitating powder and pollen all over the forest. However, the chirpy pink blob of joy and happiness just continued in her bouncing march, utterly unaffected by the Butterfree’s tricks.
“Wh-wha?” Bugsy gawked. Never in his many years as a Gym Leader had he ever faced a Chansey before. “Attack, Butterfree! Don’t let her come close!”
Butterfree’s wings fluttered and flashed a dizzying kaleidoscope of colorful patterns, empowering itself with Quiver Dance then, in a surge of Bug Type Energy, unleashed a buzzing swarm of floating projectiles towards Chansey — Bug Buzz.
“Cha-ance~” Peppy giggled at the ticklish swarm surrounding her, the antenna-like hair on her head bouncing in tandem as the soothing pink Aura enveloping her ovoid form shielded her from harm.
“R-return, Butterfree!” Bugsy called. But to his horror, that was when the menacing pink blob pounced. And in a feat of utter incredulity, the Chansey slapped the Pokeball’s light and sent it veering away from its intended target, causing the collective jaws of everyone present in the Gym to crash against the floor.
“The heck was that?!” The familiar, ever boisterous voice of Justin echoed.
Then with a fanciful backflip, Peppy bounced up into the air and sat down on Butterfree with a Body Slam, trapping the butterfly Pokemon beneath her
modest weight. (Emphasis on “
modest
”!  ｡ •̀ ᴖ •́ ｡)
“Chance. Chansey, chance!”
“Hehe.” Kerry smirked, her face dripping with condescension. “I would like to request that Mr Bugsy withdraw his Butterfree from the battle permanently. This round is all but lost to you and Peppy would like to avoid harming a fellow Pokemon if possible.”
The Gym Leader scowled and wordlessly thrusted his Pokeball to try and return his Butterfree once more, only to be thwarted by a pair of stubby pink flippers yet again.
Kerry’s face darkened, her eyes glazed over with a stiff smile. “Please don’t make me repeat myself, Mr Bugsy. With. Draw. Your. Pokemon.”
“Eeek!” Bugsy squeaked as a chill shot through his spine, the sudden subversion of a Nurse Joy’s smiling face compelled him to raise a shaky hand and declare his Butterfree’s withdrawal. Because one does not simply provoke a member of the Joy Clan, not if they wanted to live a long and healthy life.
A small portion of the audience jeered. The boos mainly came from Bugsy’s fangirls and directed towards Kerry for daring to intimidate their precious idol, further darkening the nurse girl’s expression. Until a violent flare of Psychic Aura from Nina’s Espeon forcefully suppressed them, shoving the vitriol back into their throats.
“Ignore those pathetic simps, Kerr! Crush this spineless asshole!”
Kerry chuckled in spite of herself. For all that Nina liked to admonish her sisters from the Cerulean Gym for being uncouth, it was all too often that the girl would unconsciously mimic their vernacular.
Unfortunately, that was also it for Peppy. Kerry did not want to impose on her partner anymore than she already had. Any more violence might make the Chansey sad. And a sad Peppy was a tragic sight, potent enough to court ruin and devastation in her mind.
So with a feeble smile and a quiet thanks, Kerry returned her adorable pink blob and waited for Bugsy to make his next pick, dreading whatever underhanded methods he might employ next.
It was a hard-fought, meandering battle — the longest in Kerry’s brief career as a Pokemon trainer. One that left her emotionally and physically drained with Bugsy’s endless swaps and rug-pulls. It was so bad that the casual audience just began leaving with yawns and grumbles. A common sight, apparently, with most of them being passing tourists — the small population of locals had long since tired of Bugsy’s shenanigans.
That said, Kerry’s friends continued their cheers with unabated fervour — the only thing holding up her weary spirit amidst the frustrating grind. Battling Bugsy was like trying to catch a Ledyba with her bare hands — utterly vexatious.
Fortunately, Kerry did manage to win in the end, thanks to Rocky who put on a stellar performance by destroying the forest and being completely impervious to Scyther’s meagre attacks, no matter how agile it was in escaping harm.
“Urgh. If it was Nina, she probably would have had Rocky establish a domain right at the start of battle.”
The nurse girl chided herself for forgetting her friend’s professional advice.
“If the forest wasn’t in the way then Bugsy’s Pokemon would have nowhere to hide and I’d be able to communicate with my Pokemon better, and Lynxie wouldn’t be poisoned, and Duo wouldn’t have been hurt…”
And on and on she went, mentally berating herself for every single one of her regrets.
“Winner of this match is Kerry-Anne Joy! Will both trainers please come forth for the award ceremony.”
Her self-admonishment was interrupted by the referee declaring her victory, though Kerry did not feel very triumphant. The girl took in a shaky breath, trying real hard to hold back her tears as she descended onto the broken arena to receive her badge from Bugsy. The dazzling visage of the pretty idol boy smiling at her had long lost its lustre in Kerry’s eyes. Even as Bugsy’s fingertip accidentally brushed against her skin.
At least her body waited until she was back in the dressing room to shed tears of frustration.
***
Author's note:
I said last time in a rant that I wouldn't even allow Bugsy the dignity of a battle.
Well, I ended up changing my mind and wrote this bonus chapter.
That said, there
won't
be a battle next chapter. Instead, it'll just be Nina crushing an anthill using her big scary Dragonite.
Also, thanks to @Cigarettes for the rec. I finished reading through Cyberpunk: Shiny and Chrome throughout the week. Tried to start the Skyrim one as well but eh, it's a little too LitRPG for my liking.

Chapter 217.5: Kerry vs Bugsy