Pokemon: Way of Life Chapter 46

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. It belongs to Nintendo and Game Freak.

Hi all,

Here's the next chapter. Not much going on in this one, but he does obtain a new team member. 

The group returned to the first floor of the gym after some interaction with the fan club and his fans.

Lucas placed his gym badge in his inventory, as he didn't want to risk losing the precious item. He was now an Advanced Student after he won his first gym and received five hundred trainer points for conquering the highest level of difficulty. It would take a couple of hours for it to become official, but then he could add another Pokemon to his team. Furthermore, he got a small discount on trainer services and a number of stores selling Pokemon items.

While he was waiting, he checked out the gains from the gym battle. He had increased his level to fourteen, but his Pokemon didn't have enough experience in their cache to level up. The experience to level up further took a noticeable jump after reaching level ten. Now that the first gym battle was done, he could raise their levels to fifteen in preparation for the second. He still hadn't decided whether it should be the Pewter or Celadon Gym.

Something caught Lucas by surprise as he scrolled to the end of the notification.

=====

As a result of specific actions, Dante has learned a new trait!

Energy Manipulation: The user has gained a better understanding of how to harness energy. It may be possible to alter moves in order to make them behave differently. There is also the possibility of adding properties to types.

It is now possible for Dante to harness Grass Knot in two different ways!

Grass Knot: (Grass-Type)

• Attack: ------ [Power: --] (Cost: 8) [Mastery: Max]
• Defence: ------ [Power: 20] (Cost: 15) [Mastery: 2%]

Please choose names for the derivative moves.

=====

Lucas was incredibly happy with the outcome. This was the result of experimenting with Grass Knot during battles with Dante, but he never expected him to learn energy manipulation so soon. It was something that was a lot more common among higher-level Pokemon and elite trainers. Essentially, it allowed him to expand a move beyond its normal boundaries and come up with creative uses in battle. He wasn't sure if every Pokemon could learn it, or if it was tied to their potential.

Lucas didn't think about the names for too long and chose Vine Smash for the typical attack, and Vine Barrier for the defensive move.

He didn't think that every move was able to be altered like Grass Knot. This is because a lot of moves were similar in execution, and so may overlap in specific areas. Additionally, some moves were so unique that he didn't see a way that they could be altered. However, it was still a broken trait as it made Pokemon battles more dynamic and exciting when an opponent pulled off something you were not expecting.

Furthermore, Dante now had the ability to add properties to his type-energy. Lucas had learned a bit about this from Misty, as she had altered her Pokemon's ice-type energy to be a lot more slicker, which allowed her to create a skating rink as a viable battle strategy. He would have to research this further, but the most effective way would probably be to experiment and see what he could come up with. It was now a priority for all his Pokemon to learn the trait, as it would add so much to their versatility.

Lucas opened up Dante's status page and checked out the updated Grass Knot. One thing that he noticed was that the power of the Vine Barrier was dependent on Dante's Defence and Special Defence. It meant that the barrier wouldn't be able to take much damage until he increased them further.

"Look," Jason pointed out the window. "The army has mobilized. Do you think it has anything to do with the attack on Stone Town?"

Lucas looked outside and saw a line of army trucks rumbling by, heading towards the eastern gate. "Most likely. Stone Town is located east and slightly south of Viridian City."

Faith looked sad. "With Viridian being the nearest city, I bet there are a lot of people here that have family that lived in Stone Town."

"I just hope they catch the bastards soon," Misty said. "I don't know how I feel about capital punishment in general, but in this case, it seems entirely justified."

"Do you really think that those hooligans you met in the forest had something to do with it?" Jason asked Lucas.

"If they are, Charlie will find the information," Lucas replied. "Until then, I am not allowed to enter the Viridian Forest until they have been detained."

"That sucks," Misty frowned. "Are we supposed to sit on our asses until then?"

"There is still plenty I can do to train my Pokemon," Lucas shrugged. "In any case, they are entitled to a break for the rest of the day."

Faith glanced at the treatment centre and murmured, "I hope Duke isn't too upset.".

"It may be a positive thing for him to lose so badly. It may help him get rid of some of his repulsive attitude." Imara snorted.

"Don't you dare mention that to Duke. He needs your support." Lucas said.

Approximately an hour later, Lucas stepped up to the counter, where Duke was waiting for him. The little guy's head was hanging low. It was evident that he was upset by the way he was taken out of the match.

Lucas picked up the Pokemon and hugged him close to his chest, squeezing him tight. "Why are you so down in the dumps?"

'I was a disappointment.' Duke looked away.

"Really? Who said that? That loss was just as much my fault as it was yours."

'I didn't follow your instructions. I thought I knew better.'

"At that time, I gave you the order to climb high into the air even though I knew you weren't so comfortable with heights." Luke stroked his back softly, and Duke buried his head deeper into his chest. "It was just one loss. In the future, there will be more of them. It is an unavoidable fact. I am sure that there are plenty of strong trainers out there."

'Dante didn't lose.' Duke said petulantly, looking at Dante with jealousy.

"I have spent the most amount of time training with him. On the flip side, I have spent the least amount with you."

Duke didn't answer, refusing to talk anymore. Lucas carried him back to the others, whilst thinking of a method to get Duke out of his funk. He had one idea, but he wasn't sure whether it would be a smart idea to introduce his Pokemon to one of the most addictive activities. It should be fine right?

{0(((..)))0}

'I fold.' Dante threw his cards down in disgust.

'Same.' Imara said, staring at the cards as if she wanted to set them on fire.

'Raise it by five Pokedollars.' Max grinned, pushing the chips into the middle. He had a healthy stack of chips on his side of the table.

'Fold.' Duke sighed. In the same vein as every other round, he did not look at his hand before conceding. Lucas ignored him for now, not wanting to acknowledge his depression. He would give him time to process his emotions on his own first before he did anything. To match Max's wager, he pushed the chips into the middle.

Lucas had decided to introduce his team to the joys of poker, and the most popular version, No Limit Texas Hold 'Em. It served the dual purpose of getting his team to relax and also testing out whether he could raise his luck with games of chance. If he could, it would enable him to earn some incredible rewards in the future. In order to start the game, his team was given a hundred Pokedollars worth of fake poker chips. Whoever had the most chips at the end of the session, or cleaned everyone else out, would get to keep the total winnings.

So far, he had yet to win a hand, to his frustration. Max had won most of them, to everyone's surprise. Although he may seem simple on the surface, he had some hidden depths that were worth watching out for, or else you would be burned.

However, he now had the chance to win as he was now holding a pair of aces in his hand. He stared at his opponent, trying to discern the cards in his hand from his facial expressions. It was hopeless. Max had a pretty mean poker face.

Lucas placed three community cards face up on the table. He tried to keep his expression neutral when he saw that there was another ace, which meant he already had a three-of-a-kind.

"I suppose I can raise it by another five," Lucas sighed as if he was struggling with the decision. Max squinted at him, trying to read him in return. In the end, he called the bet and added the chips in the middle.

Lucas dealt the next card, and he almost cheered out loud as there was now a pair of tens alongside the ace in the middle. It meant that he already had a full house.

He raised the bet by another five Pokedollars, and Max followed him. Next, Lucas dealt the river card, but it didn't change his hand in any way. He raised the bet once more, before placing his cards down on the table. "Full house."

'Darn it.' Max tossed the cards onto the table.

Lucas received a notification at that moment, revealing that his luck attribute had been raised by one. His celebration shifted from cheering to getting up and performing an impromptu dance.

'It was only one win.' Max stared at him as if he was crazy. If only Lucas could tell them why he was celebrating so much.

He could now raise his luck attribute by playing poker, which meant that he could increase it to twenty. He was holding onto some AP to increase it further, so then he would be ready for the big leagues.

Lucas couldn't wait to get to Celadon City to check out the Game Corner.

An hour later, Lucas was still duelling it out with Max when he received a call from Charlie.

"Hello, little brat," Charlie said in greeting.

"Hi, Charlie. We haven't really spoken much since I broke your nose. It was a bit hasty on my part, so I apologize."

"Don't worry about it. I probably deserve it after the comment I made about Nora. It's not the first time I've been punched for being insensitive."

Lucas wasn't surprised in the least. "So what can I do for you? Is this about the massacre?"

"Yeah. I need to borrow Giro. He is going to be a great help in my search."

"Sure," Lucas said, before calling out for Giro, who appeared beside him. "Where are you?"

"In the lobby of your hotel. Can I come up?"

"Sure," Lucas said and he hung up the phone. He turned to Max. "Hold on. I have to talk to Charlie."

There was a knock on the door and Lucas opened it. If it wasn't for his enhanced eyesight, he may not have recognised him at first. Charlie was in disguise and looked like an average salary worker with a bit of a beer belly.

Lucas waved him in and Charlie stepped into the living room. He nodded at Faith, who was lying on the sofa reading a book.

"What's with the disguise?"

"In my line of work, it always pays to be cautious," Charlie replied, before getting to the crux of the matter. "I will need him for a couple of days."

"Sure," Lucas said. "Just don't tell my dad you are borrowing him."

"Can you show me the area where you encountered the group?"

Lucas grabbed a piece of paper and drew the general location from memory. "Does Grandad have any clues as to who did this?"

Charlie shook his head. "Not really. He has a couple of ideas, but they are both very unlikely. We are in trouble if it does turn out to be either."

Lucas tried to get more information out of him, but the man was reticent. Charlie left with Giro not long after and Lucas returned to the poker game with some heavy thoughts. What exactly was Charlie referring to? He tried to recall anything from history he had studied, in case he recognise a specific group or organisation, but nothing came to mind. For now, he put the matter aside. If it was of importance, then his grandfather would let him know at some point.

{0(((..)))0}

November 7th

The next day, Lucas decided to visit the Pokelodge to see if he could bond with Scyther. His Pokemon were back on their training schedule, with the exception of Duke and Imara. The former was still in a foul mood. Lucas would have to address the situation soon as he couldn't allow it to continue like this for much longer. He just hoped he could get through to his partner. It seemed that he had an overinflated sense of his own superiority, but his mental state was fragile and wasn't able to handle any setbacks.

As for Imara, he was taking her with him because he needed help subduing Scyther. He wanted to take the entire team with him initially, but Imara convinced him that she could handle the Pokemon herself.

A large number of businesses and homes were darkened by the hanging of black banners as a sign of mourning. There seemed to be a sombre atmosphere that hung over the city. There did not seem to be as much activity as usual, and people appeared to be going about their business with less liveliness.

As he approached the west gate, he noticed an increase in the number of soldiers. In the city, many people feared that the same thing would happen to them in the near future, no matter how unlikely the possibility might be. The city was too secure to suffer such an attack, but fear could not be rationalised. Then again, he could be wrong. He never imagined that someone would wipe out the entire town. There was a news conference held by Mayor Stokes last night in an effort to reassure residents of the city. However, his silver tongue did not seem to be able to ease their concerns.

After showing his identification, Lucas stepped out of the gate and followed a road a few hundred metres to the entrance of the Poke Lodge. Once again, he had to prove his identity before he even stepped inside. Not something he had to do a few days ago, but everyone was on high alert.

The PokeLodge was similar to Professor Oak's Pokemon Reserve. It had some central buildings surrounded by huge tracts of land that were taken up by gated habitats for the numerous Pokemon residing there. Lucas first visited the reception area to retrieve his key card to unlock the gate to the habitat. For a substantial fee, he was allowed to take one of the staff with him to offer him some protection, but he declined the offer.

It took Lucas fifteen minutes to reach the location where his two captured Pokemon were staying, and he stopped next to the fence. There was a transparent window running the length of the fence, which allowed him to see into the habitat.

The workers had separated the large habitat in two, with Scythers on one side and the Caterpie on the other. Lucas spotted the latter first, who was a few metres away, munching contentedly on a leafy plant. He hadn't decided what to do with the Pokemon yet, but he couldn't keep him there forever. Capturing it was an impulsive decision, but he didn't regret it. Perhaps he could release him on the island? There had always been plans for him to establish a Pokemon Reserve on the island. His main priority was the town and resort, so that would take a long time.

One thing that bothered him was how the massacre would affect his plans for the island. Would people want to visit such an isolated place when there was a possibility that they would be attacked? He sure hoped that grandpa would catch the culprits soon, or he may have to reconsider his plans for the island.

Lucas quickly turned his attention to the other side as Scyther was the one he really wanted to see. Using his ability, he was able to see the Pokemon's aura as it concealed itself behind a tree.

'Let's go already.' Imara said impatiently.

"You shouldn't be in such a rush to fight," Lucas said. "Even with your type advantage, it won't be an easy fight."

Lucas unlocked the gate and entered the small partitioned-off area that led off into two separate areas. Before stepping through the left entrance, he took a breath and made sure his Telekinesis Barrier was in place. The area where Scyther was located was divided into two, with the front part being a small grassy field. The second half was a densely forested area where the Scyther was currently hiding.

He retrieved the Great Ball from his belt and prepared himself for a fight. The Great Ball had better odds of bonding with a Pokemon than an ordinary Pokeball. Combining that with his Pokemon Bond skill, he felt quietly confident that he could successfully initiate the bond. The real issue was incapacitating the Pokemon in the first place, as he only had Imara. The only reason that he had listened to her proposal was that he felt like it was more honourable to bond with the Scyther using only one Pokemon to fight it, unlike how he had ganged up on it last time to capture it. Something was telling him that this was the better approach. In the event that they were unable to succeed, Lucas could give up and come back to try again at a later time.

Imara stepped forward, looking like she wanted to rush into the forest, but Lucas told her to be patient. There was no way he was willing to have her fight in such a cramped area. Besides, he didn't want to set the entire grove of trees on fire. Time ticked by as the Scyther continued to observe them. It seemed that it remembered him, so it acted a tad cautiously. While it was still wild, and wouldn't hesitate to attack him in normal circumstances, this was not the usual situation. It was confined to an unfamiliar area, and food was brought to it three times a day by humans. To say that she was puzzled by the situation is an understatement.

Eventually, it got tired of watching and ventured out into the field and hissed at the two standing at a distance. Lucas retreated to the entrance. If things went south, he could return Imara to her Pokeball and escape before Scyther could get to him.

"Imara, when you're ready," Lucas said.

Lucas took a quick look at the moves and affinities that Scyther had since he hadn't bothered to take a closer look last time. Her move selection was surprisingly robust for a low-level wild Pokemon, and she had two egg moves, which meant that her parents must have had some measure of strength. But it was in her type affinities that she really shined. All three of them were at a decent level. He shouldn't be surprised as she was already over a year old, but it was still impressive.

=====

Moves/Mastery

Physical

Quick Attack: (Normal) [Power: 50] (Cost: 5) [Mastery: Max]

Fury Cutter: (Bug) [Power: 40] (Cost: 6) [Mastery: 81%]

Wing Attack: (Flying) [Power: 60] (Cost:10) [Mastery: 67%]

Night Slash: (Dark) [Power: 70] (Cost: 13) [Mastery: 67%]

Status

Leer: (Normal) [Power: --] (Cost: 5) [Mastery: Max]

Double Team: (Status) [Power: -- ] (Cost:10) [Mastery: 43%]

Baton Pass: (Status) [Power: -- ] (Cost: 15) [Mastery: 1%]

=====

Affinities

Type Attack (Trainable)

Bug ~ 54% | Flying ~ 41% | Dark: 48%

Type Defence (cannot be changed}

Rock: -200% | Fire: -100% | Electric: -100%| Ice: -100%| Fly: -100%|

Grass: +75% | Fight: +75% | Bug: +50% | Ground: Immune |

=====

'Ember.' Lucas commanded.

Imara only needed to land a couple of the attacks to reduce Scyther's HP to almost zero. He didn't want to knock the Pokemon out, so he refrained from using Imara's special ability and her new move, Weather Ball. They would probably deplete her HP in one go if you took Imara's type advantage into account as well. The only issue was being able to land the attacks, as Scyther's speed was superior to hers.

Imara fired off an Ember, and the Scyther exploded into motion. It dodged to the side before launching forward off one foot and executing a Quick Attack.

Imara had some experience under her belt, so she knew to immediately dodge to the side, as Scyther arrived at her side in an instant. Scyther used its wings to stop its momentum when its attack failed to register and turned around to face her opponent.

Imara was already launching another Ember, but Scyther was able to dodge it easily enough. She raised her arms and bug-type energy gathered on her blades. Lucas instantly recognised the move as Fury Cutter and warned Imara to be careful. She retreated backwards as the first blade slashed downwards, barely missing her.

Now, bug-type moves were not very effective against Imara, so in most cases, she would not receive much damage from the attack. However, Scyther had the special ability — Technician. It raised the strength of moves with a power of sixty or less by fifty per cent. It basically cancelled out the advantage that Imara had in defence. Since there was a huge gulf between Scythers' Attack and Imara's Defence, even a few hits would deal some major damage. Furthermore, Fury Cutter doubled in power for every successful consecutive hit, up to a maximum power of one hundred and sixty. The second or third hit would take her out of the fight.

Scyther continued with a flurry of Fury Cutters, and Imara was hard-pressed to avoid the attacks. The final swipe managed to hit her, causing her to grunt in pain.

55 damage dealt to Imara.

HP: 150/205

Scyther prepared another Fury Cutter. This time it would hit with double the power, so Imara needed to avoid it.

'Growl.' Lucas called urgently.

Imara opened her mouth and roared, visible sound waves hitting her opponent at close range. Scyther paused as she was affected, but Lucas could see that the disorientation wouldn't last long, so he ordered Imara to attack with Ember.

Scyther recovered exactly at the moment she was hit with Ember, and the Pokemon hissed and retreated a couple of metres, having taken a lot of damage.

91 damage dealt to Scyther.

HP: 99/190

'Again.' Lucas commanded.

Imara fired off another Ember, but Scyther executed Double Team and the copy absorbed the attack. Scyther countered by raising its blades and dark energy coalesced on them, before swinging them down and launching two blade beams at Imara.

Imara dived to the side and the energy beams carved out a chunk of earth, sending dirt everywhere. Scyther took the opportunity to use Quick Attack while Imara was still recovering from her dive to the ground. It was too late for Imara to avoid the attack and she was sent flying.

67 damage dealt to Imara.

HP: 83/205

Lucas shook his head in frustration. Having low defence was really a pain, but his Pokemon couldn't be strong in every aspect. Maybe he could solve the problem when Arceus got back to him with the new function he requested with Prayer.

Scyther rushed forward with another Quick Attack, looking to finish her opponent off. Imara recovered quickly, getting up as her opponent arrived. Spotting a gap between Scyther's legs as it was about to slam into her, she rolled forward and managed to evade the attack. Scyther flared its wings to stop its momentum. However, Imara was able to recover more quickly.

'Double Ember.'

Scyther managed to create another copy in front of it just as Imara launched the first Ember. However, she cancelled the attack as soon as the attack hit the copy and launched another Ember. It surprised Scyther, who was rushing towards Imara again and she wasn't able to react in time to avoid the attack.

89 damage dealt to Scyther.

HP: 10/190

Scyther hissed as it was hit again, and stepped back a few steps. It was breathing heavily now, as the damage started to affect it. A Pokemon whose HP was below ten per cent started to feel the effects of the damage, and their performance began to suffer in battle. This is where most injuries occur. Normally, a wild Pokemon would flee at this stage, or be too injured to fight any further. Lucas thought the fight had ended, so he could now attempt a bond. However, he had forgotten about the Pokemon's trait — Relentless. Scyther wasn't about to give up the fight until she was unconscious.

Lucas sighed, realising that he had made a mistake. He needed another one of his team members who could restrain the Pokemon so he had a chance to try and initiate the bond. In his eagerness to get Scyther, he had not considered it. He would need Imara to capture Scyther and restrain her physically. Lucas considered for a moment before coming up with a plan.

"Belly Drum.'

Imara executed the move, slapping her stomach and making a loud drumming sound.

Imara's Attack has been raised to the sixth stage. The current HP has been halved.

HP: 41/205

It was a risk to sacrifice Imara's HP like that. However, he needed her Attack stat to be on par with Scyther so it would be easier to restrain her.

'Smokescreen.'

Imara breathed out a billowing cloud of smoke that enveloped the two Pokemon and the surrounding area. Lucas focused on Scyther's aura so he could keep track of her. She dashed out of the smoke, but Imara was following closely behind her. Lucas ordered his partner to execute another Smokescreen, as she neared the border of the hazy smoke.

Scyther hissed in frustration as she was engulfed in another cloud of smoke. By now, the grassy field was mostly enveloped in smoke, with only the area near the entrance, where Lucas was standing, left clear.

He predicted that she would run in his direction. Therefore, he had Imara close in on her at an angle, creating a shortcut and eliminating Scyther's speed advantage. Imara leapt onto Scythers' back just as she emerged from the smoke, and was tackled to the ground.

Imara grabbed onto her scythe-like arms, underneath her armpits to prevent her from using them to attack her. They rolled around on the ground in the net for two minutes as Scyther struggled to get free, but it was futile. Imara was holding on for dear life, and she was winning the contest. After another minute, Scyther gave up the fight, collapsing to the ground.

"That was amazing, Imara," Lucas praised. "Keep a hold of her."

Lucas kneeled down next to Scyther, who was staring at him balefully. Lucas touched the Great Ball to her, and she froze. He wanted to try out a method now that he could access his bonds on a metaphysical level. He closed his eyes and entered meditation, and returned to the space where his bonds were visible. His current team was all there, along with the faint presence of Mew off in the distance.

However, a new faint sphere had emerged, but there was no strand connecting them. Lucas tried to manipulate his own sphere to reach out and connect with Scyther but was unable to. He was only a spectator as he waited anxiously for the bond to form.

Thankfully, he wasn't disappointed. A strand of green and purple energy emerged from the sphere and reached out for Lucas in the centre. After a brief moment, the strand connected, and the entire sphere pulsated for a moment.

Lucas exited meditation with a happy smile. Scyther had disappeared to the Pokemon Centre, where his Pokeballs were currently calibrated too, so he could finally relax.

To confirm the bond, he opened his notifications.

=====

Congratulations!

You have formed a bond with your fifth Pokemon.

10 Aura is permanently restricted due to Pokemon Bond.

Physique has increased due to Pokemon Bond

=====

He now had his fifth official Pokemon. Unlike his other Pokemon, Scyther was already starting at a high level and with a solid foundation. So it wouldn't take long before she would be utilised in battle.

"Let's go, Imara," Lucas said. He would have to let the staff know that he had withdrawn Scyther.

Later that afternoon, Lucas returned to the training facility and rented a room so he could continue working on the dragon-type incense. After returning from the Pokemon Centre with Scyther, he introduced her to the rest of the team. To say it was an awkward occasion was an understatement. Lucas and the rest of the team tried communicating with her over the bond, but she was very standoffish. He noted that their bond started off at fifteen, which was the lowest that it had ever been for all his Pokemon after initially bonding.

He would have to work on the bond and think of a name for her soon, but for now, he allowed her to acclimate to her new reality. She stood, leaning against the wall as she watched the other Pokemon.

Returning his attention to the incense, Lucas grinned. He had succeeded in creating it, which would keep Alicia off his back and increase his revenue shortly. Now he would turn his attention to solving the Eevee breeding in captivity problem. With the new bunch of ingredients at his disposal, he was confident that he would be able to succeed. It would only be a matter of time. He had increased his incense crafting skill a further three levels as a result of working on the new incense, which further increased his chances of gaining inspiration for new recipes.

He had to think about obtaining a couple of Eevees in preparation to test the incense when it was ready. Now, where could he obtain them?

So, what do you think? What should Scyther's name be? I have already got a name in mind, but feel free to offer your own suggestions.

Thanks for reading.