The forest clearing crackled with tension as the much-anticipated rematch between Sam and me unfolded.
Elekid, fueled by three months of intensive training, was buzzing with excitement, ready to prove its newfound strength.
The air was charged not only with electricity but also with the banter between Sam, Beedrill, and Elekid.
Elekid signaled with a throat-cut gesture, its thunder-infused finger emphasizing the challenge.
Sam, unfazed, pricked his ears, causing Elekid's veins to bulge in anger.
Beedrill joined in with a high-pitched buzzing that resembled laughter, hovering in the air with its sharp stinger glistening with an air of superiority.
The banter continued as Sam and Beedrill playfully teased the little Elekid. As he is the youngest, he is the target of teasing in the house since he hatched from an egg.
Feeling the need to knock Sam and Beedrill down a notch, I commented, "Hey, Sam, you might want to ease up on the teasing. After all, you do owe me a considerable amount for Beedrill's specialized diet plan."
My tone dipped with amusement at the money owed to me for acting as a Breeder to his Pokemon.
Sam's confident demeanor wavered for a moment as the reality of the debt settled in.
He exchanged a glance with Beedrill, which seemed to have lost some of its haughty posture. The banter had ended with me cruelly kicking in the sore spot of the Dregen household, and their financial debt to me.
In a way, it is Dregen's fault for not using the money he liberated from the gangs, on himself.
Anyway, time to get the battle started.
ARCHER VS SAM
The battle kicked off with Elekid wasted no time in unleashing a Thunder Wave toward Beedrill.
However, Sam's experienced partner effortlessly dodged the attack, prompting me to challenge them, "Try withstanding it this time."
Sam scoffed at the stronger thunder wave, but his confidence remained strong. With a wave of his hand, he commanded Beedrill, "Buddy, use Posion Jab."
I saw that this Jab is more potent than the jab from the previous match. As expected, Sam has also improved with the attack.
Despite the increased power, Beedrill hadn't yet mastered the move, allowing the following sequence of events to occur.
"Elekid, dodge!" I shouted. Responding swiftly, Elekid executed a Quick Attack to the left, and in an instant, initiated Thunder Wave as part of our strategic plan.
The lightning-fast move landed successfully, and I am damn sure that Beedrill felt the impact this time.
Sam, unfazed at our vindicative repeat of the previous move, ordered his Pokemon, "Beedrill, Agility."
In response, I countered with a decisive "Thunderbolt."
"Shit."
However, much to my frustration, Beedrill employed the protective move "Protect," leaving me to express my dissatisfaction, "You shamelessly buy TMs instead of paying me for the diet plan, you...!"
Sam, maintaining his calm demeanor, "Sorry about that," but swiftly commanded, " Come to one Beedrill, Venoshock."
This time, Elekid, having used the thunderbolt, couldn't dodge the poisonous move due to the backlash.
But he deftly caught the poisoned stinger in one hand while the other hand crackled with thunder. A mirrored smirk adorned both Elekid's and my faces, down to the gleam of our teeth. Our body followed the sequence of our ace in the hole, "Take this, Thunder Punch!" I exclaimed.
Elekid clenched its fist, delivering a powerful punch rippling with thunder into the torso of Beedrill. The impact had sent the Bug-type Pokémon crashing into the ground.
Looking at the Beedrill that lay unconsciously on the floor, Elekid roared triumphantly, releasing a Thunder Wave in celebration of its victory.
The forest echoed with the victorious roar and crackling electricity from Elekid. This marks a significant moment for Elekid. I am sure he will remember this moment in the future to overcome his defeats. If he doesn't, I will remind him.
As the battle dust settled in the forest clearing, Sam and I rushed to our respective Pokémon, both reaching for our potions and antidotes. "Congrats! Your little monster succeeded in Dad's conditions," Sam exclaimed with a smirk, offering a potion to Beedrill. I mirrored his actions, treating Elekid with care.
I chuckled in response, acknowledging the victory. "Well, your Beedrill put up a good fight. Elekid had to push its limits to match up."
Sam nodded, his gaze focused on Beedrill. "Yeah, that Thunder Punch move took us by surprise. I'll admit, your Elekid has grown stronger."
As we treated our Pokémon, Sam's words triggered a flashback to the serious conversation with Dregen about the conditions for applying to the Kanto Circuit. A thing that requires Dregen's help. Because it is not easy to apply for a different circuit from our countryside. Such is the case for special countries that retained their identity despite joining the league as a whole.
I could vividly recall the stern expression on Dregen's face as he laid out the terms.
"Remember the two conditions, Archer," Dregen had said, his tone firm. "First, you have to beat Sam's Beedrill with Elekid. Second, you must return to Bharatsa and settle down."
The first condition was achieved today with Elekid's victory, and the significance of the moment wasn't lost on me. The second condition, however, Dregen's insistence on returning to Bharatsa was unwavering, a testament to his strong belief in roots and responsibility for his homeland.
After all, this was a man who came back to this corrupted and culturally conflicted country to change it, to the point of committing murder, even though the victims are some scum.
I sighed, acknowledging Sam's comment. "Yeah, it's a step closer to meeting one of the conditions. The second one, though..." I trailed off, a hint of uncertainty in my voice.
Sam shot me a sympathetic look. "I get it, Archer. Family and homeland are important to Dad. But sometimes, we have our paths to walk. Maybe one day, you'll figure it out."
"No, in fact, I respect Dregen for this condition and even moved into your household due to that."
"Isn't it for the convenience of earning money as an underground Pokémon breeder?"
"Haha! That too."
The banter continued as we packed our bags. I soon got to Beedrill's Poison Jab and care to be taken while to attain mastery with it. Sam noted the points with extreme dedication, especially ones that I referenced from Koga's interviews.
I was really lucky in the match and only won because I was the breeder for Beedrill. I had all of its data to craft the most suitable strategy. However, Sam's next question caught me off guard.
"Is it really alright for Elekid to Learn Thunderbolt? There is a reason it is usually learned after thunder shock."
[Wave, shock then bolt. Finally at the top – Thunder. -quote from Lt Surge on the progress of electric moves.]
It is the order for most Electric Pokémon to learn moves before diverging to their respective signature moves.
I explained to Sam. "While Wave uses a small amp of electricity to cause paralysis. Shock pushes it a bit to cause damage, but it will take double the time to push down Shock's habits and then learn to bolt again."
"Then isn't it better to learn Bolt directly?"
"NO, in fact, the only reason I did that is because I modified each charge and diet daily for Elekid to not damage it. There is a change in Elekid's Pokéblock composition every day, from morning to afternoon based on the smallest increase in electricity, muscle, or health status. You must know that each change requires multiple calculations filling pages of a notebook."
"Seriously!"
"Yes."
It is quite surprising, considering even the topmost breeder won't change the diet from day to day. Since they are responsible for multiple Pokémon and may not necessarily accompany the Pokémon in the long term. They mostly change it from week to week and it is also too much work. Trust me, I know the workload.
But Elekid is mine, so it requires the best. And I had the AI to do the grunt work. It is the reason he could learn Thunderbolt so soon without any trauma to its health.
It was while we reached the house we saw telltale signs of Dregen's Hypno teleporting. Quite suspicious considering he usually isn't back for days most of the time.
But the sight that greeted my eyes was Dregen and his friends collapsed in blood with various wounds.
Hell, Jonathan [Jon's dad] had an amputated leg. "Oh! Fuck."
------Dregen Household------
Immediately, my instincts from past experiences in disaster relief kicked in as I sprang into action. I swiftly triaged Dregen and his friends, grateful for the training that had prepared me for such urgent situations.
With the assistance of AI, I started processing their vitals, color-coding them into categories—few in green, many in yellow, and the critically injured Jonathan marked in red.
[Yellow]
[yellow]
[Green]
[yellow]
[Green]
[yellow]
[yellow]
[Green]
There was no time to waste. My focus shifted to treating Jonathan, who had suffered an amputation.
I urgently shouted toward the stunned trio of Sam, Beedrill, and Elekid, "Sam, get out of the daze and help me." Noticing his concern towards his father, I shouted out, " Dregen is fine. He only has a few minor bruises, but others need our help. Start cleaning the wounds of everyone now."
"O-OK, what about you?" Sam stammered.
"I will make sure Jonathan survives the night," I replied confidently.
[red.]
My first task was to check Jonathan's airway and breathing, and a wave of relief washed over me as I confirmed they were functioning fine. Moving swiftly, I searched for any signs of shock—none, good.
Turning my attention to the amputation, I observed the clean burn indicating cauterization. Unfortunately, the purple edges revealed the reason—Toxic.
"Elekid, get me the white box in my room now," I ordered. Then, addressing Jonathan, I said, "You are one lucky fellow. If it wasn't for me buying the surgical kit out of reminiscence, you would be dead."
As Elekid swiftly fetched the required supplies, I began the urgent process of treating Jonathan's toxic wound.
With urgency in my every move, I retrieved the converter and modified the outlet to function as a makeshift cautery machine.
My lovable Elekid jumped out of the window to fetch the surgical kit, showing the kind of dedication only a true partner could have.
Taking a deep breath, I grabbed a scalpel from the surgical kit and made an incision on the toxic part of Jonathan's wound.
He screamed in pain, but I couldn't afford to stop—I had to save his life. Swiftly and decisively, I removed the toxic portion and then, using the modified prongs, re-cauterized the wound.
As I worked, some of the patients on the floor began to regain consciousness. Seizing the opportunity, I called out urgently,
"Someone, speak out. Which Pokémon used Toxic on Jonathan?"
Sam followed suit, asking everyone, "Uncle Ank, please try to remember the Pokémon."
A hesitant voice spoke up, "Arbok."
[calculating the dosage from the references of poison- by Koga]
[Including parameters – Patient status stable, Heart rate: 84,]
In an instant, I instructed the AI to bring up the composition for Arbok's toxic cure—a ratio of 10:7 of Miracle Berry and Peachaberry.
I quickly had the juice poured into a syringe and injected it into Jonathan, hoping for a swift and effective antidote.
Disregarding the questions and concerns from others, I rose from Jonathan and swiftly moved on to the next patient, who was on the verge of going into shock. Recognizing the urgency, I took a moment to breathe and then, with a sense of purpose, began performing CPR to revive her.
During the chaos, I called Elekid over and instructed, "Remember the juicy charge I used to give you when you were a baby." Elekid nodded in understanding. I lifted the lady's dress, exposing a spot over the area connecting to the S.A. node nerves of the heart.
Pointing to the specific location, I directed Elekid, "Charge it here."
With a surge of electrical energy, the lady sprang back to life, gasping for breathing.
[Expected to recover vitals: 95 %, time: 1 minute]
As I continued treating each person in the clearing, ensuring their stability and attending to various injuries, the urgency of the situation weighed heavily on me. The painful moans and cries of the injured resonated in the air, contrasting with the buzzing tension of the recent battle. Sam, Beedrill, and Elekid assisted me diligently, their initial shock giving way to a focused determination.
After what seemed like an eternity, I finally managed to stabilize everyone. The forest clearing, once filled with the echoes of battle and now with the aftermath of a disaster, became eerily silent.
As the last person's vitals stabilized, I addressed the group sternly, "Considering your state, I can imagine your Pokémon. Now, release them. For those of you who don't know, while Pokéballs stabilize the Pokémon, they run on the Pokémon's energy. Which is not ideal for the injured Pokémon. So, get moving now."
My frustration surfaced as I cursed under my breath, observing the dozens of Pokéball monitors in varying states of status. There were some red conditions here, indicating the critical states of the Pokémon. Without hesitation, I rolled up my sleeves, preparing for the next phase of this impromptu disaster relief.
"Time to get to work," I muttered, focusing on the task at hand. With the help of Sam, Beedrill, and Elekid, we began releasing the Pokémon from their Pokéballs. Each release revealed the varying extent of the damage.
I moved methodically from one Pokémon to another, assessing their conditions and administering necessary treatments.
The backyard, once a beautiful garden, now became a makeshift Pokémon triage center. I directed Elekid to assist with electrical stimulation to help paralyzed Pokémon, while Beedrill used its stingers to suck out the poison.
Sam, despite his initial shock, followed my lead and helped in cleaning wounds and administering necessary medications. The urgency of the situation demanded swift and decisive action.
As the chaos transformed into an organized effort to save Pokémon lives, I couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment.
It was a challenging and emotionally charged task, but one that needed to be done.
As the last Pokémon was treated, I took a moment to look around at the improved state of affairs.
The next steps would involve transporting the injured Pokémon to a Pokémon Center for further care, but for now, the immediate danger had been averted.
Unfortunately, I heard a Dregen shouting out his reaction to my words, "No, the Pokémon center will not be contacted."