Chapter 28

Hair wrapped in a towel, wearing a plain t-shirt and shorts, Tobias sat crisscrossed on his bed letting out Murkrow and Scraggy whom he just received from Nurse Joy. Upon being let out, Murkrow and Scraggy looked at Tobias and his sitting position, copied it, and sat on the bed in front of him. 

" Tomorrow... " Tobias said. " Tomorrow is the day we challenge Viola. " 

" She is a formidable opponent and not to be taken lightly, especially with our inherent disadvantage towards Bug-types. We've studied as much as we possibly could, but battles are unpredictable. We won't know what will happen tomorrow, so stay sharp. 

However, we aren't going to lose tomorrow. "

Murkrow and Scraggy's expressions mirrored Tobias's, a face of determination and confidence for whatever was going to come their way. 

" Good. Get a good night's rest. We'll get up tomorrow as usual and warm up before going to the gym. " Tobias said, rubbing Murkrow's head with his finger while giving Scraggy some head pats. 

Murkrow and Scraggy gave a small cry of agreement, then moved to get comfortable for bed. Tobias turned off the lights and headed off to sleep. 

...

Leaning back against the tree, Decidueye stared at the brightly lit Laverre City, completely relaxed. The soothing aura he'd grown accustomed to, washed over him in waves, bringing a small smile to his beak.

Looking through the window to Valerie's office, Decidueye's eyes landed on Spectreon, happily running around playing with Sylveon. Atsumu and Valerie sat extremely close to each other on the couch, watching something on TV while taking a few peeks here and there as the pair of Eeveelutions rolled around on top of each other. 

Decidueye smiled, it was nice to see Spectreon have some time to interact with others considering how patient she's been with all the stuff going on recently. A thought popped into his head, perhaps it's time to let Spectreon be revealed to the world. But that's a thought for another time, not now. 

Right now, it was time to relax and sink into blissful ignorance. Decidueye leaned back, pulling the strings on his cloak, leaning only his beak exposed while the rest was covered. Letting himself go, Decidueye immersed himself in the unique feeling of the tree he was leaning on and in the process, he fell asleep. 

Time went on, Laverre City dimmed, its illumination coming solely from street lights as all the stores closed up for the night. A slight breeze wafted through, brushing against the trees, rustling them. Up on the branch, Decidueye's feathers were ruffled by the wind as his fingers twitched. 

He felt uncomfortable, so he tossed and turned to get into a new comfortable position without opening his eyes, to no avail. Irritation bubbled inside his chest, soon reaching a breaking point as Decidueye stopped moving and sat still. In the great sea of aura Decidueye had been bathing in, there were tiny balls of sludge that appeared only for an instant, and they are annoying.

Opening up his cloak, Decidueye's piercing eyes glowed in the night, darting to his left, neck craning in that direction. His eyes narrowed in on his target and teleported there. Appearing behind the cause of his irritation, Decidueye stared down at his target, his eyes promising pain for ruining one of the best naps he's ever taken! 

But... his eyes widen in shock. 

A Floette stood before him but this Floette was unlike any other Floette he'd ever seen. Her tail and eyebrows were blue, and the rings around her ears were red, yet it was the flower she was holding that was the most prominent feature. It had 6 petals, 3 large and 3 small, unlike a normal Floette's flower having 5 petals all of equal length. The stem was red and lifeless, the stigma was black, and the top of the 3 big petals were red and black. 

Decidueye could feel an ominous aura coming from the flower itself, powerful yet steeped in misery. Floette stared back at Decidueye, her head tilted to the side upon seeing Decidueye just stand there, not even blinking occasionally. Worried, Floette floated up to Decidueye's face, waving her hand in front of him. 

' Hello. ' Flowette called out. ' Are you okay? '

' ...Yes, I'm fine. ' Decidueye responded. ' Sorry about that, I was heavily distracted by the aura coming from your flower and its appearance. ' 

' It's alright. ' Floette replied. ' Sorry. '

' Huh, why are you apologizing? ' Decidueye asked.

' It's... because I was curious and wanted to speak with you. ' Floette said. 

' So, that was you. ' Decidueye said, ' You interrupted something special, what is it? '

' Do you like it? ' Floette asked. 

' ...Like what? ' Decidueye asked. 

' That tree. ' Floette said, pointing at the tallest tree at the center of Laverre city, the same tree the Fairy Gym is built around and Decidueye's current bed. 

' Yes... I like it a lot. ' Decidueye answered. Floette smiled upon hearing this, bouncing a little while floating in front of Decidueye. 

' What do you like about it? ' Floette asked. 

' The serenity it gives. ' Decidueye said. ' The aura is an... ocean of calm. Not only for me but for the entire city as well, even though they aren't fine-tuned to detect it in the first place. Kind and gentle, those words describe it well. ' 

' That's... great. Thank you. ' Floette said softly, a smile on her face. 

' Thank you... why would you say that... are you the creator of that tree? ' Decidueye asked. 

' Yes, I am. ' Floette confirmed. ' I made that tree over 1500 years ago, and this is the first time I asked someone their opinion. ' 

' You... don't look a century closer to death for someone who's lived that long. ' Decidueye responded, and Floette chuckled, having a small smile. 

' Thank you. ' Floette said. ' I'll let you get back to your nap, I've taken too much of your precious time. ' 

' No. ' Decidueye denied. ' You did not waste my precious time, you simply ruined a candidate for my top 10 favorite naps list. ' 

' oh... ' Floette responded, her expression dropping into one of shame and regret. ' I apologize, I've caused you trouble. ' 

' Uh, that was sarcasm. ' Decidueye said. ' You didn't cause me any trouble. ' 

' Sarcasm? And I haven't? ' Floette asked with wide happy eyes. 

' It's where you say something you don't mean and yes, you did not cause me any trouble. ' Decidueye said. 

' Oh. Then... it wasn't a pleasure meeting you. ' Floette said awkwardly and Decidueye stared at her. 

' How was that? Did I use sarcasm, correctly? ' Floette asked full of hope. 

' It can use more work, but it was pretty good. ' Decidueye said. 

' Okay... can we... see each other again? ' Floette asked bashfully. 

' Of course. ' Decidueye confirmed bringing a smile to Floette. 

' You can find me there... ' Decidueye said, pointing towards the tree. ' I'll mostly be sleeping on... does the tree have a name? ' 

' Tree's... require names? ' Floette asked, tilted her to the side. 

' Not particularly, no. But considering that this tree has been alive for so long and is one of the largest trees I've ever seen, I figured it should have a name. ' Decidueye said. ' It just feels wrong to say... that tree or point at it to get a point across. '

' Oh... but why ask me? ' Floette asked. 

' ...Because you grew the tree. ' Decidueye said. ' As the one who planted and nurtured it, you have the right to name it. '

' Okay... ' Floette said.

Floette turned around and stared at her creation from a distance. Decidueye stood by idly as Floette sunk deeper into her thoughts, her face downcast, her hands clutching her flower a bit harder. 

' If you can't decide on a name... just decide on the first name that came to mind. ' Decidueye said, catching her attention. 

Floette nodded, then looked back at the tree and spoke, 

' Herbert... ' 

' His name... is Herbert. ' Floette said. 

' That... is an excellent name. ' Decidueye smiled, causing Floette to smile. 

' Thank you. ' Floette said gratefully. 

' It's no problem. ' Decidueye said. ' If you ever want to talk, I'll be with Herbert. '

' Okay. It was a pleasure to meet you. ' Floette said. 

' It was a pleasure to meet you as well. ' Decidueye said, before teleporting away. 

Floette floated in the air, surprised at the fact Decidueye just... poofed out of existence. A smile was brought to Floette's face as she giggled, before staring at Herbert. 

' Did I just make a friend? ' Floette thought. ' I hope so. I'll ask him next time. '

Decidueye appeared on Herbert's branch, getting comfortable, and sighed. This was unexpected, but it was it was nice. He can reflect on this later though, for right now, it's time to go back to sleep. 

The next morning, 

' Woah, this is a weird book. ' Sylveon commented, reading the book made by AZ with Spectreon. 

' I know right? ' Spectreon said. ' There's so much here. ' 

' Indeed. ' Sylveon said, turning the page. Her eyes focused on the current page, body tensed up, catching Spectreon's attention from her change in body language. 

' What's up? Something wrong? ' Spectreon asked. 

' No. ' Sylveon said. ' It's just that, this Floette is unlike every other Floette I've seen. ' 

' ... How so? ' Spectreon asked. 

' The flower. ' Sylveon said. ' It has 6 petals inside of 5 and is withered beyond belief. Look at the top, it hasn't even bloomed. '

' Really? Do you think we'll meet her? ' Spectreon asked. ' After all, almost everything else in this book has been true. '

' Perhaps you will, considering everything that's been going on. ' Sylveon said. ' But who knows when that will happen. ' 

' Guess we'll see. ' Spectreon said, closing the book and placing it back inside the shadows. 

' What should we do now? ' Spectreon asked. 

' Well, Decidueye is still asleep... ' Sylveon said. 

' Are you saying we should scare him? ' Spectreon asked. 

' You said it, not me. ' Sylveon said. 

' Hmmm... let's do it. ' Spectreon smirked. 

' Alright. ' Sylveon smirked, ' Follow me. ' 

" Val, when did you wake up? " Atsumu asked in concern as the two Eeveelutions left the room. 

" At around... 4, I think. " Valerie said before she reassuringly added. " Don't worry, I'm completely fine, I got enough sleep. Plus, I finished the designs for my new lineup! " 

...

Waking up, stretching, eating a fulfilling breakfast, and taking time to mentally prepare, Tobias followed this routine and stood outside Viola's gym once more. His last fight appeared in his head, Tobias took a deep breath to calm his mind. Grabbing the door handle, Tobias gently opened it and walked inside. 

Hearing footsteps, Viola looked toward the entrance. Recognizing Tobias, Viola got up from her seat and walked over to greet him. 

" I wasn't expecting you. " Viola said. 

" I have a dream to complete. A setback won't stop me forever. " Tobias said. 

" Interesting. Then, are you saying you managed to help your Darkrai get back to tip-top shape? " Viola questioned, smirking. 

" No. " Tobias said, looking down in regret. " I... can't help him right now. I have no idea where to start, but until I can, I'll still move forward. "

" I see... that is commendable. " Viola smiled. " So, if you're not battling with Darkrai, who are you battling with? "

" I'm here for a regular gym battle, not the advanced one. " Tobias said. 

" Well, I'll be... " Viola said in surprise. " You started over from scratch, didn't you? "

When Tobias nodded, a large smile appeared on Viola's face. 

" You are incredible. " Viola praised. " I believe you know the rules then? "

" Yes. I've been preparing for this. " Tobias said. 

" Okay then, let's battle. " Viola said, calling over a referee after she and Tobias went over to their respective sides. 

" This is a regular Gym Battle between the Challenger; Tobias, and the Gym Leader; Viola. It will be a 2v2 battle. The challenger is allowed to make substitutions but the Gym Leader is not. The battle is over when both Pokemon on either side have been defeated. Are the rules clear? " The referee said. 

" Yes. " Tobias responded while Viola nodded her head. 

" Very well, bring out your first Pokemon. " The referee said. 

Viola grabbed a Pokeball and sent out her first Pokemon, a Surskit. Tobias reached inside and brought out his first Pokemon, Scraggy. A confused and slightly shocked expression appeared on Viola's face but then changed instantly, looking at Scraggy and Tobias. 

" Gym Leader Viola has sent out Surskit and the Challenger Tobias has sent out Scraggy. Now, Battle... Begin! " The referee states. 

" Scraggy, Snarl. " Tobias commanded. 

A growl came from Scraggy, dark-type energy building, and released the moment Scraggy snarled. Spreading out in all directions, the blast traveled across the battlefield towards Surskit. 

" Take it and use Ice Beam on the ground. " Viola commanded. 

Surskit braced himself and took the attack from Scraggy. He felt himself grow weaker, Snarl's additional effect had occurred, his special attack lowering. However, it's not enough to stop him. Charging up an Ice Beam, Surskit immediately aimed at the floor, freezing it over. 

' Surskit can walk on water, no, it's more like skating on water. Ice is just frozen water. ' Tobias thought. 

" Get in close, keep your distance, and use Water Pulse. " Viola said. 

" Protect. " Tobias called out. 

Surskit was fast, skating across the ice like a skier going down a steep mountain with exceptional control. He circled Scraggy and fired Water Pulses from all directions, hammering away at the Protect he set up. 

" Bulk up, Power-up-punch the ground. " Tobias called out. 

" Surskit, take it up a notch. " Viola called out. 

Surskit cried with understanding and doubled his efforts. Double the amount of Water Pulses appeared and were thrown directly into the Protect. Scraggy closed his eyes, lowering his arms, focusing intently before Bulking Up inside the Protect. 

' He's doing both! ' Viola thought, shocked at the turn of events. ' Maintaining Protect while being under fire and pulling this off, that's awesome! ' 

" Surskit, fall back. " Viola called out. 

Surskit stopped his attack and dropped back. Scraggy's Protect took a beating, cracks had formed all over, but it held. Scraggy brought his fist down, punching the ground with Power-up-Punch!

The force from Scraggy's punch broke through the thin layer of ice, hitting the ground below! A dust cloud full of tiny pebbles was created on the battlefield. It traveled forward, hitting the entirety of the arena, leaving no room to dodge and engulfing Surskit in it!

Due to how light Surskit is, he was lifted into the air. With no place to place his legs, Surskit looked down to see Scraggy staring at him. 

" Smack Down! " Tobias called out. 

Grabbing a piece of rubble, Scraggy winded up his pitching arm and threw a nasty fastball at Surskit! 

" Water Pulse! " Viola called out. 

In the air, Surskit watched the piece of rubble come straight at him. Making a Water Pulse, Surskit fired it to destroy the rock before it could hit. The two attacks come closer and closer, and as they make contact, Scraggy's thrown stone blasted straight through the Water Pulse! Shocked, Surskit instinctively tilted his body out of the way, avoiding the rubble. The rubble kept going and hit the roof! 

While still in the air, Surskit wasn't able to completely recover from the shock of the attack, so when he went to check on Scraggy, his eyes widened when he saw a piece of rubble right in front of him!

There was no time to dodge, no time to make another Water Pulse, and so, Surskit was smacked straight down from the air! Slamming into the ground, Surkit's body bounces back, before rolling to a halt. 

In pain, but still managing to hold on, Surskit looks up and his eyes widen. Scraggy just completed his full swing and a piece of rubble came barreling forward. The slab of stone slammed into Surskit's body, bringing him along for the ride. 

The rubble only survived for a bit before shattering and Surskit was the one flying back. Rolling on the ground, Surskit came to a halt when he hit the wall behind him. The referee waited for a few seconds but saw no signs of movement or struggle. 

" Surskit is unable to battle. Scraggy is the winner. Gym Leader Viola please send out your next Pokemon. " The referee announced. 

Tobias smiled while Scraggy gave a victory cry. 

" Well done, Scraggy. " Tobias praised and Scraggy turned around, giving a big smile and a thumbs up. 

" You did well. " Viola said after returning Surskit to his Pokeball.

' Bulk up plus Power-up-Punch, followed by a powered-up SmackDown while in the air where Surskit can't freely move. ' Viola thought. ' That's quite the strategy. ' 

" Did you plan that all out? " Viola asked. 

" Most of it, yes. " Tobias confirmed. " There are plenty of videos that show you use the same strategy with Surskit. I knew you would send it out so I had Scraggy practice using Protect while simultaneously using other moves. It was hard, but Scraggy managed it well. " 

" Fantastic! " Viola smiled. " That was one of the best strategies I've seen trainers do! Let's see what else you've got up your sleeve. " 

" Come out, Vivillon! " Viola called out, and Vivillon appeared on the battlefield. 

Vivillon had a variety of shades of the color pink on its pink, with splashes of white and light blue. Taking a few laps around the field in the air, Vivillon happily danced around before coming to a halt, opposing Scraggy. As the two stared each other down, the referee made his call.

" Vivillon vs Scraggy, begin! " 

__________________________________________________

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