[Josh Devlin]

"A Skiddo!" Hiro smiled, again applauding Josh, though the challenger thought it was more sarcastic than a real compliment. Why did he act surprised? He knew Josh's team choice from the beginning. "Another fine choice. Now the question is, will he sink or swim? What say you, home team?!" Gesturing to the small crowd watching, the section behind him started chanting "Sink! Sink! Sink!"

Nitro was barely able to hear Josh's shout to "ram it off the platform", the grass-type lowering his sturdy horns, leaping to the nearby platform the surprisingly large water-type was hunkered down on.

"Hide in your Mist, Lotad!" Hiro cried over the small but loud section of the gallery that wanted to see Josh win. The Leader's Pokémon was able to release a thick cloud of mist from its lily pad head just as Nitro rammed and trampled his foe. His hooves screeched against the platform, barely able to avoid falling into the water as he finished skidding to a stop.

The mist made it difficult to see what was going on - Josh had to trust his Pokémon could see better than he could. He kept one eye on the scoreboard and another on the battleground itself. His only clues of what was going on inside were the sound of fleshy impacts, which he assumed were Nitro's attacks, the two different Pokémon cries, and watching the numbers on the scoreboard. Once the mist cleared, Nitro had the Lotad all tied up in twin vines extending from his leafy mane. "Alright!" the challenger cried, fist-pumping.

"...That's enough," Hiro conceded this round, recalling his exhausted and trapped Lotad...though Nitro was no worse for wear as well. Though he wasn't too wounded, he was almost completely out of energy to battle. Knowing the Skiddo would only be able to struggle against the foe, he pre-emptively recalled the grass-type, Illumina taking his place, this time in the pool itself.

"Both competitors have withdrawn their Pokémon," the head official announced, holding both green and red flags up. "This round is a draw. The winner of the next round wins the match."

"Up until now, this has been the mere calm before the storm. If you are truly worth of the Surf Badge, then I want to see you ride the tallest wave I can throw at you!" He lobbed the Poké Ball containing his anchor Pokémon, Josh's nerves spiking...

---

LOmkfu4ip_

CHALLENGER                 LEADER
Josh Devlin                Hiroto Kaimana

1> Electrike           0  1> Binacle              0
KO        +1  0  0  0 +1  KO         +2 -1 +2 -1 +2
2> Skiddo             61  2> Lotad                0
WD         0  0  0  0  0  KO          0  0  0 +1  0
3> Chinchou          227  3>
Nm         0  0  0  0  0  Nm          0  0  0  0  0

{WC: 371}

[bone]

You won!

Here comes a new challenger

Josh Devlin

Hiro instructs Mareanie to hang in there and fish for an opportunity.  One Poison Sting in just the right place, and Merciless Venoshocks could spell the end for Chinchou!

ZZw6hpBWp_ - 60 = 21 just on the cusp of Hard! Yet Chinchou has the advantage, so you only need 500 words!

You are challenged by Hiro's Mareanie!!

	Mareanie Lv15
		5 Energy
	Huge!	Serious
	Merciless
MOVES
Poison Sting, Bite, Wide Guard, Venoshock
NOTES

[Josh Devlin]

Both sections of the crowd rose to their feet upon seeing the combatants' final Pokémon dive into the central pool free of platforms; a Chinchou on Josh's side, and a Mareanie on Hiro's. "Mareanie? Another Pokémon I've never heard of before," Josh thought. It looked somewhat defensive, standing in the very center of the pool bottom like a land mine waiting to be tripped. A spiked land mine, at that. He had to find a way to burst that thing before it exploded in poor Illumina's face.

"You got this, girl!" Josh encouraged. "Keep your distance from it as much as you can! Use your Electro Ball!"

"Hurry and fling your Poison Sting at it!" Hiro shouted. The Water Leader had not been this invested in a simple Gym challenge in quite some time - this battle would come down to which Pokémon could land a decisive strike first. What a thrill to have such a challenge take place this early in the season.

Illumina's feelers both started flashing like a strobe light, discharged an orb of electricity that spiraled toward the Mareanie at great speed and with an even more erratic trajectory than normal. Water was a great conduit for electricity, after all, making Chinchou and Lanturn some of the deadliest aquatic predators around.

At nearly the same time, the Mareanie whirled its tentacles, sending fine needles flying through the water in all directions. They were so fine that neither Illumina nor Josh could see them very well. The two speedy attacks passed each other halfway across the pool. When the wave of needles breached the surface, the challenger had to duck behind his podium to avoid the barrage, his only cue being the choppy water in the center pool.

A direct hit, and right on top of the Mareanie's head spike, at that! The poison-type lurched backward, stumbling about and exposing its soft, main body mid-recoil. The excited Illumina seized the opportunity to move in...buffeted by the wave of needles too fine to see. She, too, lurched backward, her soft belly exposed to the tail end of the barrage. She let out a screech, evidence that the needles were a vector for the Mareanie's strong venom.

Hiro couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "...Checkmate," he said, a big smile on his face. "Time for you to be swept away in the current, challenger! Mareanie, flood the pool with your Venoshock!" The spiked Pokémon whirled her tentacles around a second time, this time tainting the pool with a highly acidic, highly toxic compound designed to dissolve away prey that was already immuno-compromised--such as Illumina. It was difficult for either trainer to see what was going on. All Josh could see were bubbles around where his Pokémon was, as well the impacts of their attacks and two cries neither of those Pokémon should have been able to make. It sounded like both of them had taken extremely heavy hits.

"Chinchou is unable to battle," the side judge announced as the fainted electric-type floated to the surface, belly up. "Leader Hiro wins the match!"

"You made quite the splash, I must say," the smiling Leader complimented Josh on his valiant effort. "The entire match came down to that last volley. I look forward to our rematch in six--" He trailed off, noticing all the match officials were in a huddle. Neither one of them said a word.

After another minute or so, the head judge spoke up as the murky water cleared, revealing a motionless Mareanie at the pool bottom. "The final battle of this match is under booth review." Josh peered toward the scoreboard, which read solid zeroes down both columns. Both Pokémon clearly fainted during that last exchange; it was a matter of which went down first. Both trainers' eyes followed the judges as they disappeared into a side room to review the match footage.

Nearly eight tense minutes later, the judges re-entered the main arena, huddling one last time before the head judge took the microphone. "After reviewing the battle, the call on the field is overturned. Challenger Josh Devlin wins the match." Josh, overcome with joy, dropped to his knees and started sobbing as the trainer platforms lowered to the ground level - even his young heart could not take mood whiplash like that. Hiro could only applaud.

---

{WC: 728}

[Jenesis]

Congratulations!

Your thread is complete and now locked.

Josh Devlin

Your thread has been locked. For defeating Gym Leader Hiro, you receive the Surf Badge, 300 pen, TM - Scald, 6 Upgrade Vouchers, and 2 OOC Gems.