Augur: A Pokémon Insurgence Novel

Chapter Seven

As Zander had predicted, Damian would not be an easy wall to overcome. Corphish had backed Charmander into a corner with sheer brute force. Zander grit his teeth and clenched his fists as he watched Charmander barely avoid the pincers of the speedy crustacean.

"Dragon Breath!" Zander shouted.

"Counter it with Bubble Beam!" Damian retaliated.

The two attacks collided, creating a cloud of steam that overtook the battlefield for a brief moment before vanishing. During that time, Charmander had seized the opportunity to use the cover given to dive into the shadows and sneak up behind Corphish, hammering him from behind. Corphish landed flat on his face and was declared out of the fight.

"Good work Corphish, you rest up now and let your buddy do the rest!" Damian stated as he thrust Bulbasaur into the fight.

All eyes were on the new arrival, leading everyone to wonder where and how these two obtained the Deltas they possessed.

"Alright Bulbasaur, let's kick things off with Confusion!"

"Shadow Sneak!" Zander countered.

As Charmander began to slide into the shadows, a powerful psychic force took hold of his body, rendering him motionless. Struggling in the air, he strained against the power holding him captive but to no avail. Bulbasaur planted his feet and surrounded himself in a rainbow colored shine before lunging at the helpless bone dragon. A roar of pain erupted from Charmander's throat as the power of Bulbasaur's Dazzling Gleam overwhelmed him, sending him crashing to the ground and out of the fight. Declared unable to battle, Charmander was returned to Zander's belt and replaced with Treecko.

The poisonous lizard flicked his tongue out at the Crystal Pokemon and hissed, baring his fangs.

"I need to be careful here don't I?" Damian muttered to himself as he eyed Treecko warily.

He was fast and unpredictable to say the very least. While Bulbasaur held the defensive advantage, he knew that he wouldn't be able to simply overpower Treecko with the same strategy that dealt with Charmander. He needed to really plan out his moves in order to have a shot at winning this fight. So he did the only thing that made sense.

"Shadow Sneak!" Zander bellowed, starting the match with guns blazing.

So he knows that too huh? that's fine, no worries... "Reflect!" Damian countered, prompting Bulbasaur to set up his defenses.

And set up he did, reducing the damage that would come significantly by setting up a barrier that surrounded his entire form. The power of the attack that came after was cut in half as it struck the barrier, making it much easier for Bulbasaur to endure his weakness. As Treecko prepped another attack, Bulbasaur set up yet another barrier to endure the effects of the incoming Sludge attack that was sure to hit him even harder if he didn't act quickly. As planned, Damian's strategy worked out as well as he'd hoped as the toxins didn't immediately poison Bulbasaur like they had that Riolu.

Great... he's set up now. How the hell am I supposed to do any significant damage when he's got those walls up? Zander thought, biting his thumb as he surveyed the scene. My only chance is to wear him down considering how bulky he's become. If I recall correctly, those barriers are only temporary. Even so, he could still win if I'm not careful...

"Okay Bulbasaur, it's our turn to attack! hit him with Fairy Wind!" Damian instructed his teammate.

"Get under it with Shadow Sneak!"

Launching himself into the shadows, Treecko evaded the gust of relentless winds that overtook the side of the arena he had been on. Upon reaching Bulbasaur, he shot up out of the ground and lashed out at the Crystal Pokemon, only to find himself caught in the trap that had been set in the form of a Leech Seed assault that ensnared him followed by a Fairy Wind that blew him away.