EX:
(v1.02)
-v1.00: Draft version
-v1.01: Fixed most typos and grammatical errors
-v1.02: Removed last paragraph from v1.01; added ending line
4: Registration
As June being his fifth Pokémon, Lorryn was finally qualified to enter the upcoming tournament which determines the next Gym leader for the Holon Gym. Lorryn went to register in the foyer of the Gym, but he found there were much more people signing up than he had expected, so it was very crowded, and the queues seemed to be out of shape as some impatient people always tried to push in and fill up every single gap in the middle of the line. Lorryn’s temper was about to explode after waiting for over a whole hour in the seemingly never-progressing queue, but he forced himself to stay calm. After another hour or so, Lorryn had finally acquired an entry form, which he needs to take it aside and fill in. So he did; he took it outside of the foyer as it was far too crowded, not to mention it was hot and sticky as well. He read through the form, and it was simple: all he needs to do was fill in his name, address, Trainer ID number and all the Pokémon that are going to participate in the tournament. That didn’t take him long, until he reached the “Participating Pokémon” section… He filled in the panels provided as follows:
1. Species: Armaldo Level: 119 EX: Yes δ-Type: No
2. Species:
Crawdaunt Level: 55 EX: No δ-Type: No
3. Species: Alakazam Level: 47 EX: No δ-Type: No
4. Species: Shuppet Level: 33 EX: No δ-Type: No
But he stalled on the last one:
5. Species:
Gardevoir Level: EX: δ-Type:
He just realized that he knew absolutely nothing about June’s level and her types, and that he couldn’t make anything up because all participating Pokémon must be examined by the officials before entering the tournament. So he squeezed a way to the counters and asked one of the registrars about what he should do if he is unsure about one of his Pokémon’s level or type, and the answer he got was simple – take it to a Pokémon Center and have it examined – well, that seemed simple to them, at least…
Having her examined by a
“Hey, June, here’s something you got to fill in yourself, because I don’t know anything about your type or level… You said you’re a Delta-Species, right?” Lorryn asked.
June had a look at the entry form and frowned. “How’d I know my own level? And how am I supposed to find out my types? I know I’m definitely part Steel, but I’m not that sure about my other type – I know those normal Gardevoirs are purely Psychic-type, but I doubt I am one, because I don’t know any Psychic attacks…” She shrugged her shoulders…
“Well, I’ll just have to take you to a
“Don’t be; it’s all right, I’ll go, because I’ve made my commitment to help you with the tournament, and I will help you!” June smiled to him. Her kindness and faithfulness have really moved Lorryn, as he’d never expected this much from just a friend; he realized that June is really someone he can call a “true friend”…
Lorryn led June to the nearest
“Oh, what a beautiful Gardevoir you have here! Is she your Pokémon?” The nurse was amazed by June’s characteristic appearance.
“Yeah, sort of…” Lorryn nodded at her question.
“Oh, you must’ve raised her really well in her Kirlia stage, because they are known to grow more beautiful when well-raised and exposed to positive emotions!” She commented. Lorryn was just about to say that it was actually the other way round, that it was June who “raised” him instead of he her, and also that he doubt that she’d been exposed to positive emotions in her Kirlia stage, but he held back, because he didn’t want to remind June of her perhaps dreadful past. So all he said was a “thanks”.
Anyway, the nurse did a brief scan on June with one of her hand-held devices, and she showed Lorryn the detailed result:
Species: Gardevoir
Gender: Female
Type: Dark/Steel (Delta-Species Category D)
Level: 193 (EX+93)
Nature: Impish
ID: -----/---
OT: N/A
Statistics:
- HP: 583 (12)
- Attack: 688 (0)
- Defense: 715 (504)
- Special Attack: 451 (0)
- Special Defense: 775 (504)
- Speed: 372 (0)
Upon seeing her scan results, both Lorryn and June were shrouded in wonderment and disbelief. Lorryn couldn’t believe that June was at such a sky-high level, but on the other hand, June took a hit; she couldn’t believe that she’s always carried the characteristics of a Dark-type. She believed that it was a mistake, so she went up to the counter and asked the nurse, “Um, excuse me, nurse, are you sure that I’m partly Dark-type? Because I don’t see anything ‘dark’ or ‘evil’ about myself…” She forgot that she was a Pokémon, and she wasn’t supposed to talk – she wasn’t even supposed to be able to talk.
Predictably, June had only given the nurse another huge
surprise. “Wow! Was that really you? Can you really talk?” She asked in her immense
astonishment. Her exclamation had also directed the attention of everyone else in
the
“Yeah, it was me, and I can talk…” June realized that she wasn’t supposed to talk in the public, even though she can, but as she’s already done it, then so be it… “I’m just asking that…”
“Oh, your results, right? They’re a hundred percent correct, and you really are a partly Dark-type Pokémon!” The nurse rapidly replied, “Why? There’s nothing bad about being a Dark-type, so why don’t you like being one? By the way, just look at yourself – you’re such a sexy little temptress, and that’s more than enough to make you ‘evil’!” She gave June a playful grin to show that she was only joking. But June seemed to have taken it literally… She says I’m a temptress huh? Then I’ll be one… for Lorryn! She thought, and her fire-red eyes sparkled with an impish idea…
5: Tournament
The fifth Pokémon on Lorryn’s entry form was finally filled in like this:
5. Species:
Gardevoir Level: 193 EX: Yes δ-Type: Dark/Steel (DS Category D)
He returned the form to the registrars, and hence officially entered the upcoming tournament. However, after he went home for some rest, he suddenly realized that he doesn’t know any of June’s attacks, and that could be a real pain in a match if he doesn’t know what attacks to call for. He got out of his bed and sneaked into the Phantom Meadows again, to ask June, incase he forgets about it when he wakes up.
As soon as he arrived at June’s cottage at the far end of the forest, rain started pouring down, and it was a thunderstorm, too. So he banged on the door, which was locked, and shouted to ask June to let him in. And she did. It all took at most thirty seconds, but Lorryn’s clothes were already soaking wet… “Damn this bloody stupid rain!” He cursed the weather.
June was quite surprised to see him at those hours of the day, not to mention it was raining, too. “What brings you here at this time?” She asked while helping Lorryn to peel off his wet clothes.
“Nothing urgent, but it’s pretty important; and I might forget it next morning.” Lorryn said as he grabbed a corner of his singlet and dried his hair with it, “I just need you to tell me what attacks you can use, considering you don’t know any Psychic attacks.” He shivered in a chill.
“Oh, come on; let’s worry about my attacks later! We need to get you dried and warmed up first, or you’ll catch a cold!” June was concerned as she saw him shivering in his wet clothes. “I don’t have a heater here so getting into my bed is probably the best you can do right now. Don’t worry; I won’t be sleeping until one or two in the morning.” She suggested.
“Fine…” Lorryn replied as he slipped into June’s bed, stripped of all his wet garments, and wrapped himself with a thick blanket to keep warm. The thunderstorm was still raging on outside, and it wasn’t showing any sign of subsiding. “It looks like I’ll have to stay here again…” He pointed towards the window.
“Yeah, Lorryn, stay with me and I’ll get you warmed up…” June said in an impish tone, as she, too, slipped into the bed, and posited herself beside Lorryn.
“Hey, I thought you weren’t sleeping until after
“I didn’t say I was going to sleep, did I?” June replied, while she wound her arms around Lorryn’s torso, and rested her chest onto his. “This is got to warm you up! And it’s much easier to talk this way, right?” She asked in a suggestive voice that Lorryn had never heard from her.
Not quite understanding June’s intention, Lorryn only felt her sensor stabbing into his stomach, and it hurt a little. He complained, “Oh, come on, June, don’t act like a little girl! And can you please get your, um, ‘thing’, off me? Because it, um… Ah, don’t worry…” He was just about to say “Because it hurts”, but he stopped as he sensed those soft mounds pressing against his chest, right above where it hurt, and they felt really good… So he decided to let her stay like that for a while…
“Um, Lorryn, did you want to know what attacks I can use?” June reminded him of the reason that he came to her place.
“Oh, yeah, I need to know your attacks so I know what to do in the tournament.” Lorryn replied, putting his right hand onto her body and caressed her instinctively, which made her blush a little…
“You know I can’t use any Psychic attacks, but I can use quite a few other attacks like Brick Break and Shadow Ball, also I know most of Steel-type moves as well, like Iron Defense and Metal Claw. But my best attacks are still Double-Edge and Pursuit; I never hurt myself with Double-Edge, thanks to my Steel-type traits, and I can sometimes stop the opponent from withdrawing their Pokémon with Pursuit…” June gave Lorryn a list of her skills, but she stopped and blushed redder as Lorryn unconsciously wound both his arms around her petite body, and pulled her even closer onto his chest, and spontaneously took pleasure in the enchanting sensation of her tender chest and the aura of warmth around her body… “Oh, Lorryn, you naughty boy…!” June snapped him out of it as she deliberately stabbed him with her sensor.
“Ouch!” Lorryn realized what he was doing; some things are just so easily done when you’re having such a cute girl by your side… “Oh, I’m sorry, June!” He quickly apologized, “I didn’t realize what I was doing…” Damn! He thought, lucky she’s a Gardevoir… I don’t know what could’ve happened if she was a “real” girl; still, she felt so good, and the strange thing is that she felt so soft and warm even though she’s a Steel-type – she’s not like one at all! The image of a Steel-type in Lorryn’s mind was something like a Metagross or a Steelix.
“Oh, don’t be sorry, ‘cuz you liked it, didn’t you? I know you did…” June gave him a playful grin.
“Come on! It was instinctual, and you’re the one who’s clinging onto me in the first place…” Lorryn was a little embarrassed, but he tried not to let it show. “Anyway, it’s not my fault that you’re so cute...” He commented.
“Do you really think I’m cute?” June was excited upon hearing Lorryn’s comment.
“Yeah, you are quite cute when I look at you now, although I was actually afraid of you when I first saw you. Anyway, that was ages ago…” Lorryn replied.
“Then, do you… um, love me?” June came up with such a surprise question…
Lorryn was dazed as he heard June’s unexpected question coming right out of the blue. Oh my goodness, this is just wrong! He thought, what the heck is going on? What is she thinking…? He didn’t know what to answer, or how to react. But as he looked back to the past, when June was like nothing but a big sister to him, her question didn’t seem to surprising anymore… “Yes, I do love you, June; you’re the most important individual in my life! I’ve always looked at you as my big sister, for how you were so kind and caring, and you even helped me to train my Anorith and make it evolve into an Armaldo, so it can protect me from those other Delta-Species. I know I’m not a little kid anymore, and I stopped treating you like a big sister, but you’ll always be my best friend…” Lorryn answered; he didn’t want to upset June by saying no, but at the same time he didn’t want to guide things in a wrong way – after all, he is an elf and she is a Gardevoir…
June was a little disappointed to hear Lorryn’s answer, simply because it wasn’t what she was expecting, but she also felt satisfied, for that he truly loves her, as a sister and the best friend. “Thanks, Lorryn; I love you, too…” She rested her head onto his shoulder. It’s better to let things stay this way, she thought, it’s never supposed to happen anyway, because we’re indeed different after all…
A few days later, the tournament had finally started. There
were exactly 256 trainers participating – mostly lab workers and newbies, just
as Chris said. After the two-on-two preliminary screening, one in four will
remain. Although Lorryn didn’t expect that many people competing for just the
position of the local Gym leader, he successfully passed the screening with his
Armaldo alone and made into the first round, in which another one in four will
go on to the quarterfinals. But as he registered his team of three for the
first round, which are his Armaldo, Crawdaunt and Shuppet, the officials
required every participant’s Pokémon to be examined for legitimacy and special
conditions, because they have found some trainers using rental Pokémon and
Pokémon borrowed from their friends, and some were even infected by the
PokéRus, which might spread during battles. They used the same device as the
one the nurse used in the
The first one was Armaldo:
Species: Armaldo
Gender: Male
Type: Rock/Bug
Level: 119 (EX+19)
Nature: Brave
ID: 65535/001
OT: Lorryn Bruonstud
Statistics:
- HP: 401 (232)
- Attack: 475 (208)
- Defense: 305 (0)
- Special Attack: 229 (0)
- Special Defense: 355 (284)
- Speed: 135 (0)
Then Crawdaunt:
Species: Crawdaunt
Gender: Male
Type: Water/Dark
Level: 55
Nature: Rash
ID: 65535/002
OT: Lorryn Bruonstud
Statistics:
- HP: 172 (252)
- Attack: 185 (252)
- Defense: 128 (0)
- Special Attack: 135 (6)
- Special Defense: 77 (0)
- Speed: 85 (0)
And Alakazam, which he trained a little, just before the tournament:
Species: Alakazam
Gender: Male
Type: Psychic
Level: 48
Nature: Modest
ID: 65535/003
OT: Lorryn Bruonstud
Statistics:
- HP: 116 (0)
- Attack: 46 (0)
- Defense: 89 (252)
- Special Attack: 201 (252)
- Special Defense: 97 (0)
- Speed: 125 (6)
And then Shuppet, which also had some training:
Species: Shuppet
Gender: Male
Type: Ghost
Level: 35
Nature: Jolly
ID: 65535/004
OT: Lorryn Bruonstud
Statistics:
- HP: 82 (0)
- Attack: 72 (0)
- Defense: 70 (172)
- Special Attack: 45 (0)
- Special Defense: 49 (24)
- Speed: 58 (64)
“Where’s your fifth Pokémon, Lorryn Bruonstud?” The examiner demanded.
“Right here,” Lorryn answered, pointing at June, who was standing by his side, “I never caught her in a Poké-Ball, so you can just check her like this.”
“Hmm, strange…” The examiner scanned June’s data, and his facial expression changed almost immediately. “What the heck? Are you entering a Pokémon without a Trainer ID number?” He demanded.
“Well, I told you I never ‘caught’ her, so how could she have a Trainer ID number?” Lorryn replied matter-of-factly.
“But you know you cannot enter a wild Pokémon in a tournament, whether it’s official or not…” The examiner shook his head and frowned.
“Hey, don’t call me a ‘wild Pokémon’!” June gave him a stark glare with disgust, “I’m his friend, so by the official rules I am eligible to participate as a member in his team! Is there anything else?” She was clearly annoyed by his attitude.
“Uh, no… Yeah, I mean, nothing. You can enter now…” The examiner was too astonished to hear June talk, which, again, attracted just about everyone’s attention…
“Thank you.” Lorryn responded ironically. He turned to June and grumbled, “June, how many times do I have to tell you not to talk so loud in the public? I don’t want everyone to stare at us…”
“Don’t worry! They all think I’m a Psychic-type, and all Psychic-types can at least use telepathy to communicate with people, so it’s all right if I don’t talk too much.” June replied with a playful smile.
“Oh, whatever…” Lorryn shrugged his shoulders; he could find nothing more to say.
The first round began. Lorryn was facing Victor, a researcher from the Holon Research Institute, who had a Machoke, a Linoone and an Altaria on his team. Lorryn started the match with his Shuppet, and Victor with his Machoke. It looked like Lorryn’s Shuppet had a huge type advantage, because Machoke is unable to use any of its Fighting-type attacks to hurt it, so Lorryn called for a direct Shadow Ball attack.
Victor ordered Machoke to avoid the Shadow Ball with its Double Team, and it was successful. Then, Victor countered with a Flamethrower, which was totally unexpected by Lorryn; he had no time to think, so he could only call for a counterattack with Night Shade. The two projectiles collided in midair, and set off an explosion, which knocked out both Pokémon.
Victor’s next Pokémon was his Altaria, which looked incredibly strong. Lorryn wanted to save his Armaldo for last, so he sent out Crawdaunt.
“Altaria, Sky Attack!” Victor ordered, and his Altaria glowed bright red with an aura of flame.
Lorryn had never seen a Sky Attack before, so he had no idea how it works or how strong it is, but by the looks of it, it must be an extremely strong attack. So he ordered Crawdaunt to use Bubble Beam to mess it up.
Crawdaunt fired a volley of explosive bubbles into midair and some hit Altaria, but they were not enough to mess up its Sky Attack, so Altaria finished charging and dived straight at Crawdaunt.
“Think you can beat Altaria with just a Bubble Beam huh? Well, too bad!” Victor commented.
“It’s not over yet! Claws – use Guillotine when it comes down!” Lorryn remained calm.
As Altaria charged into Crawdaunt, Crawdaunt raised its right claw and jumped up; it grabbed hold of Altaria’s neck and slammed it into the ground with full force for a one hit knock out. So it gained Lorryn an advantage of having two Pokémon against Victor’s last one.
“Go, Linoone!” Victor launched his Poké-Ball, and the
Linoone streamed out. Linoone is quite a rare sight on the
“Hey, Lorryn,” June shouted from the spectator seats, “watch out for Linoone’s speed attacks; it’s one of the fastest Pokémon out there! And I think you should switch to your Armaldo, because it’s resistant to Linoone’s attacks!” She advised him, and of course, at the same time attracted every spectator’s attention, once again!
“Thanks, June! But I think I’m all right with Claws!” Lorryn shouted back; he was too busy battling to notice the spectators. He returned to the battle, “Claws – use Bubble Beam!”
Crawdaunt fired a volley of bubbles towards Linoone, attempting to reduce its speed, but Linoone was way too fast for it; it jumped up before any of the bubbles hit it.
“Now, use Head-butt!” Victor ordered. Linoone shot straight down like a bullet towards Crawdaunt; Lorryn knew that Guillotine isn’t going to work this time, so he had to risk another Bubble Beam. However, he failed, as Linoone was far too fast for Crawdaunt to counterattack; it crushed Crawdaunt into the ground before it had the chance to aim its Bubble Beam.
Damn! This isn’t looking good! Lorryn thought; it is indeed too fast! I’ll have to tire it out first before switching to Blade… So he ordered Crawdaunt to use Harden and Protect on every incoming attack from Linoone instead of countering, and that worked to some success, because Crawdaunt’s crust had become so hard that each direct attack from Linoone ended up hurting itself more than it did Crawdaunt, not to mention that Crawdaunt’s Shell Armor makes it impossible for anyone to land a critical hit on it.
Victor, however, didn’t seem worried seeing his Linoone’s ultimate Extreme-speed failed to do any damage to Crawdaunt, and that it was nearly tired out. He knew that Lorryn was probably going to attack soon, so he ordered Linoone to stay evasive instead of offensive.
“Now, Claws – use Sludge Bomb; it’s worn out!” Lorryn finally decided to attack.
“It’s our chance, Linoone; use Thunderbolt!” Victor shouted.
Crawdaunt threw a barrage of Sludge Bombs all over the stadium, but none of them landed a direct hit onto Linoone, which then leaped up and charged for a Thunderbolt and fired it at Crawdaunt. Crawdaunt, being a part Water-type, is weak to electric attacks, so it took some serious damage and became paralyzed. Lorryn had to make a switch. He sent out his Armaldo. “Blade, use Rock Blast!” He ordered.
“Linoone, Water Pulse,” Victor called for a counterattack that is aimed at Armaldo’s main weakness. “And hit it from above!”
Linoone, again, leaped up to avoid the hail of rocks from Armaldo, and it charged for a Water Pulse in midair. But just as it was about to fire the Water Pulse, Armaldo realized what it was trying to do and lunged up with a forceful beat of its giant plates; it knocked Linoone down with one clean hit from its Aerial Ace, and then finished it off with another direct hit from Iron Tail.
It was a long battle, but the victory still belonged to Lorryn and his Armaldo, and that enabled him to go onto the quarterfinals, in which only the top sixteen trainers that have won every match so far will compete…
6: Delta Appeal
“You know, Lorryn, if you’d used your Armaldo in the beginning, you’d won the match in no time…” June commented on their way back home, after the match with Victor.
“Yeah, probably,” Lorryn said, “but it’ll eventually get worn out though…”
“No way,” June retaliated, “your Armaldo is an EX and it’s twice as strong as all his Pokémon put together!”
“Well, it is an EX all right, but I doubt that it’s twice as strong as all his put together…” Lorryn responds, “It just got past the level-100 mark, unlike you – you’d probably be twice as strong as all mine put together! Lucky you’re on my side…”
June blushed a little upon hearing his somewhat flattering remark, but she tried not to let it show by lowering her head and staring at the panels of her skirt. “You really should put more trust into you Pokémon, you know…” She mumbled, “And who says I’m that good? A Fighting-type will beat me up in a flash, thanks to my weird types…”
“Speak of that, June – you really should learn at least one Psychic-type attack; it’s for your own good, because it’ll counter your main weakness.” Lorryn suggested, “By the way, I might just have what you need in my shop – a TM-29! I’ll go and check later.”
“What’s a TM-29?” June asked; she had never heard of those things known as Technical Machines before. “It is some sort of a drug? If so, then please forget it; I’m not taking drugs to cover up my own weaknesses – it’s just cheating!” She suddenly became serious, which was unlike the playful and impish, usual her…
“Oh, come on, June! Haven’t you heard of the Technical Machines before? They’re not drugs; they’re special machines that teach certain skills to compatible Pokémon. They won’t hurt or anything, so don’t worry.” Lorryn explained it to her. “The one you want is a TM-29. It teaches you the strongest Psychic-type move – the Psychokinesis attack. If you can use that, then Fighting-types won’t stand in your way any longer!”
“Um, well… I think I’ll give it a try… But are you sure I’m compatible with that machine?” June wavered.
“Well, to be honest with you, I have absolutely no idea. But from what I know, all Gardevoirs should learn that attack in their Kirlia stage, and most Dark-types can also learn it using the TM-29, so I think you shouldn’t have any problem with it.” Lorryn answered optimistically.
“Yeah, okay…” June agrees, however, she was still not sure whether she wanted to learn an attack using a TM, as a “machine” in her mind was something like those metal beasts in factories…
June followed Lorryn back to his store. Lorryn searched the storage for that TM-29 he talked about, and he found it in an old TM case, along with a number of other TM’s that he taught to his other Pokémon, and those that were incompatible with them. June found out that a TM is actually a round disc like those that are used to store data, but it is used in a different way, and that removed the fear in her mind about the concept of “machines”; actually, she was wondering why they were even called “machines”, but she didn’t ask, because she knew that Lorryn wouldn’t have any idea, either.
Lorryn took out another hand-held device known as the “TAD” – Technical Activation Device. It is used to load and teach TM’s to compatible Pokémon, and it also identifies which Pokémon are compatible with the loaded TM, and which are not. He loaded the TM-29 into the TAD, and it displayed on its screen:
Loaded TM-29 (PSYCHOKINESIS)
Scanning Party Pokémon… … … Found: 4
ARMALDO (ROCK/BUG) – NOT ABLE
CRAWDAUNT (WATER/DARK) – NOT ABLE
ALAKAZAM (PSYCHIC) – LEARNED
SHUPPET (GHOST) – ABLE
Scanning Pokémon within perimeter… … … Found: 1
UNIDENTIFIED (DARK/STEEL) – OPTIONS: 1. Auto Identification; 2. Input genetic data.
Lorryn chose option 1 for a start, and it jumped to the next screen:
Initiating Auto Identification process… … … Success
Please point the IR scanner to the Pokémon to be identified.
He followed the instructions on the screen and pointed the TAD towards June. The screen on the TAD went black for a little while, and then came back to the Auto Identification screen with an error message saying:
Auto Identification failed.
Error 1024: Invalid Pokémon type match; no Pokémon with type (DARK/STEEL) found in database.
Available options:
1. Re-scan
2. Manual input Pokémon species
3. Manual input Pokémon genetic data
Of course this thing’s not gonna recognize any Delta-Species… Lorryn thought, I guess I’ll have to enter the species myself… He chose option 2 and entered Gardevoir as the species, assuming that would bypass its type-checking procedure. And it did; he came to some success while fiddling with the “manual overriding procedure” under those “expert options” in his TAD. He re-scanned “Pokémon within perimeter”, and now the “UNIDENTIFIED (DARK/STEEL)” finally came up as “GARDEVOIR δ (PSYCHIC/STEEL)”…
“It looks like you’ll have to update its software, Lorryn!” Someone treaded into the store; it was Chris, and he had been watching Lorryn with his TAD for some time through the window.
“Oh, Chris, it’s you…” Lorryn was still focused on his TAD. “Can’t you see the ‘closed’ sign on the door?”
“Yes, I saw that. That’s why I’ve been watching you through the window, and you really make me laugh, Lorryn!” Chris said. “Your TAD is too outdated to recognize those weird Delta-Species, forcing it to recognize them won’t do you any good, because its database is too limited.”
“I know! It’s not like I know how to update its database, and I can’t be bothered, I ain’t got any Delta-Species except June anyway. So no point updating it just to teach her the TM-29, that is, if I can work out if she’s compatible…” Lorryn said; he was getting a little frustrated with that thing.
“Hah, TM-29, are you saying that your little Gardy cutie doesn’t even know the ‘Psychic’ attack? How strange… even for a Delta.” Chris remarked. “Here, load your TM on mine for now; it’s updated enough to recognize those newer Deltas. And I’ll take yours to the lab and get it updated. Oh, and your PokéDex as well, if you don’t mind.” He offered Lorryn his TAD, which looked exactly the same as Lorryn’s one, but has a newer database.
“Yeah, okay. Thanks for that…” Lorryn loaded his TM-29 onto Chris’ TAD, and gave him his one and the PokéDex to have them updated.
“Um… are you sure it’s worth the trouble just for me?” June asked Lorryn, quietly; she felt a little uneasy.
“Nah, it’s okay, it only takes a few seconds, my little cutie!” Chris answered her with a mocking smile.
“Hey mate, she was asking me, not you! And can you please show her at least some respect? She’s the one who brought me up; she’s like my big sister, you know… And being a Delta-Species ain’t that easy for her!” Lorryn sounded annoyed with the way Chris treated June. And he turned to June, and said, “It’s all right, my PokéDex is a bit long in the tooth anyway, so it’s time I had it upgraded.”
“Oh, sorry, Gardy – what’s your name again? Oh right, June! Sorry, June…” Chris apologized, only because Lorryn made him to. “Anyway, Lorryn, use my TAD for now, and I’ll get your stuff upgraded. Come meet me in the lab tomorrow lunch time, okay? You know where I work, so laters, I got to go now.” He went back to the Institute.
All their words had made June blush. “Stop treating me as if I’m a little girl, please! I’m too old for that…” She pulled Lorryn’s sleeve and said, “By the way, does that TM thing work on me at all?”
“I’m not sure; his software is different from mine, so I got to work out how to actually use it first…” Lorryn was again absorbed in the TAD, and he finally got his TM-29 booted into that familiar screen. He did another scan of “Pokémon within perimeter”, and it finally correctly identified June as “GARDEVOIR δ (DARK/STEEL)”, however, a “NOT ABLE” was displayed next to it…
“Well, does that mean I can’t use that TM…?” June saw the screen, and lowered her voice. “Sorry if I’ve wasted your time…” She began to feel bad about all that trouble Lorryn’s been through just to teach her the Psychokinesis attack…
“No, you can’t, I’m afraid, not the TM-29 anyway…” Lorryn shrugged his shoulders with a forced smile on his face. “But, before you feel that you’ve wasted my time, let’s try out some other TM’s I’ve got here. This machine can identify you, so I don’t see why not to!”
“Um… Okay… If you like…”
“Hey June, here’s something you might like to learn!” Lorryn pulled out another TM from his TM case; it was a black disc, and it has a white “TM-49” printed on the surface.
“What is it?” June bent over and had a closer look at it; she didn’t really like the look of that disc considering it is black… In comparison, that TM-29 Lorryn put away has an attractive fuchsia color. “Is it some sort of Dark-type attack? If that’s the case, then I’ll say no; it’s not like I’m happy with my Dark-type traits…”
“Well, it’s not exactly an attack, but it’s a Dark-type technique all right…” Lorryn replied, “It’s called Snatch; it allows you to steal the beneficial effects of your opponent’s moves before they can have it, you know what I mean? For example, if you’re up against a Scyther and it uses Swords Dance, you can Snatch its effect, so you get the boost in attack power, but the Scyther doesn’t. So, in short, your opponent does the work, you get the benefit.” He explained.
“Um… I really don’t like the sound of it… Got any others?” June shook her head lightly to show her disapproval.
“Yeah, I got heaps, like sixty or seventy, but some you’re definitely incompatible with, like Flamethrower and Blizzard, and you wouldn’t want Body Slam either – you’re not big enough for that; it’s made for Snorlax and likes…” Lorryn commented as he searched through his collection of TM’s. “Oh, here’s another good one for you!” He pulled out another black disc with a “TM-12” on it.
“Another black one - what is it this time?” June asked.
“It’s called Taunt. Use this to stop your opponent from defending by forcing it to use attacking moves, so it leaves itself vulnerable. You’ve got excellent defenses, so it should suit you fine.” Lorryn suggested.
“I like the idea of it, but let’s look at some of the others first.” June showed a little interest in the TM-12.
They continued to explore Lorryn’s TM case, and Lorryn pulled out yet another black disc, and he recommended it to June.
“Hey, if you like the TM-12, you’ll need this one for it to work even better!” He was quite excited to find that he actually had a TM-41 in there.
June wasn’t that psyched at all; she never liked anything black, or dark. “Oh, come on, Lorryn! Can you stop looking especially for those black ones? You know I don’t like them, and you’ve got heaps of others in there…” She complained.
“Wait, you’ve got to learn this one!” He held the TM-41 in his hand and shook it eagerly before June’s face. “It’s Torment; it prevents your opponent from using the same move twice. If you use Taunt, and then Torment, you’re sure to badly mess up your opponent’s strategies…” He lectured enthusiastically.
“Oh, come on! You haven’t had much battling experience, have you? Or you’re really an idealist!” June shut him out of his “strategy talk”.
“Why? Don’t you think it’s gonna work?” Lorryn was puzzled by her response.
“Don’t you realize, if I use Taunt on my opponent, they’ll beat me up with their strongest attack before I can seal it with Torment; so I might as well use Swagger on a mad Primeape!” She explained, “And if I use Torment first, their trainer will probably call for a defensive or stat-boosting move, or they’ll simply switch Pokémon to cancel its effect, if they’re allowed to. So, what I’m saying is, those so-called ‘move combos’ only work under ideal conditions, not every time!” She expressed her opinion towards Lorryn’s strategies.
It was clear that June is an anti-strategist who’d like to compete with their true abilities instead of playing tricks to catch their opponents off guard. Maybe that was how she trained herself to such a high level over the years, because it seems that strategists’ Pokémon are generally at lower levels than those of the antis’, as they gain relatively less battling experience over time.
At last, June fell before Lorryn’s constant persuasion and agreed to learn the three TM’s he suggested, not because they’re that useful or tempting, but she always wanted Lorryn to be happy, and learning new techniques could do her no harm anyway… To his surprise, June really demanded Lorryn to teach her the Aerial Ace attack via TM-40, as she said that would be sufficient to counter Fighting-types. And surprisingly enough, the TAD actually said that she was compatible with the TM-40.
It was
After they both had a wash and went inside the bed, with Lorryn next to the wall and June on his side, Lorryn’s natural instincts told him to hug June closer, just for warmth; however, June took it as an act of love… She wound her arms around his torso, and literally stuck her petite body onto his. Carefully avoiding stabbing him with her sensor, she rubbed her tender chest onto his body… “Do you want me to warm you up a little more?” She asked in a light and dreamy voice; she was unsure of whether Lorryn was awake or not.
“Huh…? What was that, June…?” He was half asleep, and was awakened by her…
“Um…” June blushed, “just want to know if you feel cold… if you do, I can warm you up a little more…”
“Huh…? Cold – no, how could I be cold when you’re next to me?” He was regaining consciousness… and realizing what June was doing at around his chest… He was shocked by her astonishing actions, “What the…? What the heck are you doing, June? Come on, this is just wrong! You’re at most a sister to me, and we can’t do that…”
He was cut off by June as she gently placed her hand onto his lips and pressed them. She then wound her loving arms around his neck, and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek, “I love you, Lorryn…” she whispered in a soft and seducing tone…
Lorryn forced himself to calm down, and tried to fall back to sleep; he knew that this time, June’s “I love you” meant something very different than that she always said to him when he was young. And they both knew that their love had gone far beyond that of a Pokémon and its trainer, or that of a sister and her brother… It was something that is absolutely natural but would appear completely immoral…
He couldn’t sleep; his heart was pounding hard in his chest, so hard that it was clearly audible. He knew that he certainly cannot let such a relationship of theirs progress any further, simply because it was “just wrong”. However, he didn’t want to upset June, because he knew that he loved her dearly, too… He slowly opened his eyes again, and gazed at that fascinating feminine figure that was almost fused with his body; he realized how desirable she really is, and that irresistible charm accelerated his heart rate even more… He had never been so close to a female before, and it was hard for him to bear the fact that the first female that he’d been so close to was none other than the Gardevoir that he’d always seen as a sister; he wished all this was but a warped dream which he could soon awaken from, he wished that the morning sun should free him from this gnarled reality, yet he desired for more of her soft touch and her tender body…
He realized that it was never a dream, and it could never be a dream, however, it is yet for him to realize that his first love is not only a Delta-Species, it is a figure of phantasm – an exile of this world…
=> To Be Continued