Chapter 15 Exam week

  As the final week of the school year began, the entire campus was filled with energy that rippled through every hallway of the Academy. Monday and Tuesday were consumed by end-of-year written exams, back-to-back.

  Wendel had studied relentlessly in the weeks leading up to it, but even so, there was a creeping uncertainty gnawing at the back of his mind. He thought he did well enough, but some of the questions had been brutal, especially in Evolutionary Theory.

  Professor Rowan’s newer theories had made a surprise appearance in multiple sections testing his knowledge to their limits.

  By Tuesday evening, the written exams were finished. The weight didn’t lift; it shifted. There was no time to dwell on scores. Battles began at dawn.

  ***

  The sun was already high in the sky by the time Wendel’s first match was called. Around the perimeter, students and teachers crowded the stands. It was time to prove what this year had taught him.

  “Match twelve: Wendel Ironwood versus Nolan Tarren,” the judge called.

  Wendel walked across the field with a determined look in his eyes. The weight of his team was heavy on his hip.

  Nolan was already waiting, arms crossed. “Hope you’re ready.”

  Wendel plucked a ball from his belt. “Always.”

  “Begin!”

  “Furfrou, you’re up!” Nolan shouted.

  The elegantly groomed Normal type took the field, shaking out its thick fur and planted itself with a low growl.

  “Rhys, let’s go!”

  The familiar red flash resolved into the small shape of Riolu, who landed light on his feet, and bounced from foot to foot. His eyes narrowed and focused on his opponent as his aura sensors twitched.

  “Baby-Doll Eyes!” Nolan shouted.

  Furfrou’s eyes shimmered, its gaze softening Rhys’s offensive energy as he hesitated ever so slightly.

  “Rhys Feint,”

  Rhys ran forward in a blur, and struck a sharp, fast blow against Furfrou’s side. The canine let out a startled bark.

  “Retaliate, now!”

  Furfrou lunged at Rhys.

  “Double Team!”

  Multiple clones of Rhys split across the field in a blink. Furfrou’s attack passed harmlessly through one.

  “Drain Punch!”

  From behind, the real Rhys leapt high and brought his fist down on Furfrou’s hip. The hit landed hard and Furfrou stumbled, momentarily dazed.

  “Don’t let up!”

  Rhys used his momentum to pivot and strike again, this time landing a bullet punch into Furfrou’s side.

  Furfrou collapsed to the ground in a heap.

  “Furfrou is unable to battle!” the judge called.

  The crowd gave a murmur. But Wendel kept his eyes on the field.

  Nolan grit his teeth. “Let’s go, Pyroar!”

  The majestic Pokémon landed on the field, his mane was a torrent of raging flames, even from across the field Wendel could feel the heat.

  “Pyroar, Hyper Voice!” Nolan commanded

  “Detect,” Wendel said firmly.

  A sonic wave rippled outward, but Rhys dug his heels into the dirt and crossed his arms, a barrier appeared in front of him, He grunted as the blow struck, sliding backwards but he stayed on his feet.

  “Roast him! Use flamethrower!”

  “Dodge and try and close the distance using quick attack.” Wendel shouted sternly.

  The jet of molten fire exploded across the battlefield, but the flames couldn’t touch him. Rhys was too small and too fast.

  He darted around the edge of the flames, his aura sensors twitching as he tried to read Pyroar’s mental state.

  Rhys clenched his teeth together in frustration as he still couldn’t fully control his aura sensors.

  He lunged forward and struck Pyroar across the shoulder. Bouncing backwards Rhys landed and pushed forward again.

  “Sweep the legs! Low kick”

  Pyroar fell to the ground as his back legs were swept out from under him.

  “Now—drain punch!”

  Another punch hit Pyroar square in the chest.

  “Good combo Rhys!”

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  Pyroar slid backwards and let out a deep growl. His mane flared in response, the temperature on the field continued to rise.

  Flame charge! Nolan yelled.

  “Quick! Counter!” Wendel snapped.

  Rhys’s eyes flashed as his aura flared.

  Pyroar lunged forward, raging flames billowed wildly around him.

  He crashed into Rhys, a massive amount of energy left Rhys as the counter sent twice as much force right back at Pyroar.

  The lion was sent flying across the ring sending dust everywhere as he landed.

  For three seconds the arena was dead quiet.

  “Pyroar is unable to battle! Victory goes to Wendel Ironwood!”

  Cheers erupted in the stands, some were stunned, others thrilled.

  Rhys stumbled and fell to one knee; he turned to face Wendel. His eyes gleaming with pride.

  Wendel knelt next to him and smiled. “You were incredible.”

  Rhys pressed his fist briefly to Wendel’s before nodding, his tail swept back and forth across the ground.

  Wendel scooped him up in his arms and made his way off the field towards the academy’s courtyard, where students milled about between matches.

  Wendel found Annabelle seated on the stone edge of the fountain, already halfway through a sandwich. She glanced up as he approached, and her face lit up.

  “There’s the undefeated duo,” she said, smirking.

  Wendel dropped down beside her with a soft exhale, unwrapping the warm baguette sandwich he’d grabbed from the mess hall. “After that match Rhys is exhausted.”

  “Didn’t look like it from the stands. He handled both of them like a pro.” She bumped her shoulder gently against his. “Seriously, Wendel. You’ve gotten good.”

  He ripped the sandwich in half and handed it to Rhys, who was already half asleep.

  Wendel smiled and took a bite, chewing thoughtfully before replying. “Thanks. We’ve been working hard.” He hesitated. “Though I’m guessing your match was tougher?”

  Annabelle raised her brow. “It was… interesting. First half went about how I expected, a Gible gave me a bit of trouble, dang thing tried to burrow under the field. But Hank flushed him out with a flamethrower.”

  Her smile widened. “You should’ve seen him, Wendel. The second he hit the field, the whole crowd just went quiet. And then—bam Extreme Speed. I swear no one even saw him move.”

  Wendel chuckled. “I wish I had”

  They sat in silence for a while as the fountain trickled behind them. The sun warmed the backs of their shoulders. Around them, the school buzzed with activity but in their little pocket, it felt still.

  “How are you feeling?” Annabelle asked. “You’ve got another match soon, right?”

  “Yeah, in about forty-five minutes,” Wendel said. “I’m fine. Just trying to not psych myself out.”

  “You won’t,” she said confidently. “Just trust your team.”

  He looked back down at his food, heart a little lighter. “Thanks, Annabelle.”

  “Anytime.”

  She stood and brushed the crumbs from her lap. “Come on. Let’s go find a shady spot to digest all this before your next match.”

  He took her hand and stood beside her, “Yea, sounds like a great idea.”

  The sun had dipped below the walls of the castle just enough to bathe the battle arena in soft light, and Wendel stood across the field with his next opponent waiting. The crowd had somehow grown even larger, teachers and students gathered for the late rounds.

  “Wendel Ironwood, your second match,” the announcer called. “Opponent: Jasper Lore.”

  Jasper gave a confident wave to the crowd and called, “Let’s make this quick, big guy!”

  With a flick, he tossed out his Poké Ball. A towering Pangoro hit the ground with a growl, cracking the dirt underfoot. It flexed its arms and narrowed his eyes at Wendel.

  Wendel grinned. “Let’s go, Gretchen!”

  The Noibat soared from her Poké Ball with a flutter of wide ears and sharp wings. She hovered three feet off the ground, eyes locked onto her opponent.

  “Say anything you want out loud to throw him off. I’ll only respond to what you think.”

  “Begin!”

  “Pangoro, use Ice Punch!”

  Wendel shouted, “Gretchen, Gust, now!”

  But Gretchen ignored the verbal cue entirely.

  Instead, his voice echoed through her mind.

  “Air Slash, banking wide left.”

  Gretchen snapped into motion, her wings glowing as she curved left, then she flung a crescent shaped blade of compressed air toward Pangoro.

  The blast slammed into Pangoro’s broad chest, driving him back two steps and forcing a deep grunt out of him.

  “Get close and Ice Punch again!” Jasper barked.

  “Double Team and evade.”

  Illusory copies shimmered into existence, fanning out in a circular motion around the lumbering Pangoro. It swung wildly at one, missing entirely.

  “Gretchen get behind him and use Aerial Ace!”

  She zipped low, silent and precise, striking with a clean, slicing pass. Pangoro stumbled forward then collapsed onto the ground.

  “Pangoro is unable to battle!”

  The crowd let out a mix of gasps and cheers.

  Jasper frowned, recalling Pangoro. “Okay, time to get serious. Shellgon, let’s do this!”

  The dragon emerged with a slow, solid thud. Its armored hide gleamed in the sunlight, and its eyes locked on Gretchen from deep within his shell.

  “Stay high and evade his attacks, he is too slow to get in close. Hit it with a Dragon Pulse.”

  A glowing purple sphere built between Gretchen’s jaws before launching in a streak across the field.

  “Shellgon, Protect!”

  A shimmering shield flickered around Shellgon’s body.

  The pulse hit the green dome of Protect and fizzled harmlessly.

  “Shellgon, Zen Headbutt!”

  The bulky dragon burst forward faster than he had expected.

  “Dodge and Double Team again!”

  Gretchen split into copies mid-air, Shellgon crashing through one harmlessly before turning back towards Gretchen.

  “Time to play smart, use Supersonic.”

  A shrill pulse tore through the air. Shellgon staggered, disoriented.

  Wendel yelled out loud a false move “Now dragon pulse!”

  “Shellgon brace yourself!” Jasper shouted.

  “Get close now and hit him with a Dragon Claw.”

  With the real Gretchen hidden among the copies, she dove. Her wings glowed with energy, and her claws extended mid-spin.

  CRACK!

  The hit connected across Shellgon’s side. He slid back, his armored hide scraping across the stone.

  Shellgon snarled and shook off the blow.

  “Zen Headbutt again!” Jasper commanded.

  Shellgon pivoted quickly, catching Gretchen in mid-air. His thick shell rammed into her, and she flew backwards from the hit and tumbled across the ground.

  Gretchen lay on the ground struggling to breathe as her lungs refused to work.

  “Shellgon body slam!”

  A shadow encircled her as Shellgon descended from above.

  “Gretchen move now!” Wendel shouted mentally.

  Air rushed back into her lungs as she let out a groan and rolled out of the way.

  Shellgon slammed into the ground leaving a divot where she lay just moments before.

  Wendel clenched his teeth. She can’t take another hit like that.

  In the observation seats above, Headmaster Jorgen adjusted his glasses, watching intently.

  “She’s not listening to his verbal commands,” he murmured. “Finally, he’s using that telepathic link properly.”

  “Shellgon, Iron Head!”

  “Get airborne. He’s coming in again, Protect!”

  Shellgon, mid-charge, slammed into Gretchen’s barrier with full force. The green shield shimmered as the blow stuck, and for a heartbeat the air shook with pressure. The shield cracked slightly… but held.

  Shellgon stumbled back, dazed.

  “Now. Dragon Pulse center mass.”

  A purple glow enveloped Gretchen. She fired the beam directly at Shellgon from less than two feet away.

  Shellgon staggered backward from the attack, his legs slipped on the stone, and for a moment his body trembled.

  Then he toppled with a thud and his eyes spiraled into unconsciousness.

  “Shellgon is unable to battle! Victory goes to Wendel Ironwood!”

  The crowd erupted in applause. Gretchen fluttered back toward Wendel and landed on his shoulder, draping one wing across his neck.

  “I did it,” she breathed in his mind.

  Wendel reached up and patted her on the head. “You were awesome.”

  From the upper deck, Jorgen allowed himself the briefest smile.

  “She has to be close to evolving” he said quietly.

  His finger pressed a button on his Pokédex to stop the recording.

  “I better forward this… did I save his number under P? Or was it under O?”