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Equilibrium	By : jvperric Category: Pokemon > General Views: 12587 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Nintendo does. I make no claim towards any of the copyrighted intellectual property contained herein. I am making no money from this story in any way.

Chapter List
- 11
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*****Chapter XII: Stratagem******

No battle is decided by strength or fleetness of foot.

—Sederan proverb

*****

Geshrude City stood in uneasy silent slumber. The Sederan capital was ringed in roadblocks dotted with automatic weapons and soldiers to man them. Air defense turrets scanned the skies slowly from the rooftops of the federal buildings, and far above the clouds a detachment of fighters maintained air supremacy with a tightly focused holding pattern. The streets were empty, save for the occasional armored patrol vehicle, and a curfew kept the sidewalks clear.

Atop the Sibrant Hotel, near the city’s outer perimeter, a door swung open. Two men walked out onto the roof and shut the door behind them. One tossed a Pokéball and a Dragonite appeared, leaning forward to give the men a chance to climb on its back. The large Pokémon pawed the ground, trying to find purchase on the concrete, and flared its wings. It snorted and shot forward into empty air.

One of the jets above saw a blip on its radar near the edge of its control zone. It flashed once, twice, and then vanished. The pilot opened a radio channel, but closed it without a word.

The Dragonite shot over the countryside, holding at a comfortable altitude, for almost two hours until descending as it approached Shortide City. It touched down in a field about a kilometer from the city limits and returned to its Pokéball. The two men began walking.

*****

It was still dark when Jason awoke. He sat up, rubbing his sore back as he did, and looked around. A clock on the end table provided some dim illumination, and Mira’s outline sprawled out over the futon. Little snores escaped her mouth every time her small chest rose. Most of the blankets had been kicked off to the sides of the mattress or onto the floor, but one thin sheet remained on her, dipping slightly whenever she exhaled.

Jason looked at the clock again. It was almost six when he finished gathering his things and slipped out of the room. He showered and dressed in the bathroom and then tried to feel his way out of the apartment and into the Gym proper. One door he ran his hand along was slightly ajar and swung noiselessly open at his touch. Nadine was inside on her own bed, lacking any blankets or clothes, lit up by her muted television. Jason paused for a moment, staring at her, but shook his head roughly and closed the door.

Eventually he found the door that led back to the lobby. A few wall sconces decorated like rocks were still on, providing enough light to walk unaided onto the battle floor that dominated most of the building. Every fifth light was on, creating small oases of brightness in a long sea of black. Jason took the Pokéballs from his bag and sat on the bleachers as he released his team.

Mightyena and Lucario were still asleep and appeared dozing on the ground. Gallade bowed his head and surveyed the arena, making mental notes of all the loose stones around the battlefield. Rufflet hopped around groggily, finally settling in beside Lucario, nuzzling into the fur on his chest. Jason frowned.

“You three were up late, weren’t you?” Jason asked. Rufflet answered with a noncommittal chirp. The others offered only silence.

Jason whistled loudly and clapped his hands. Lucario kicked out involuntarily and Mightyena barked until she saw the source of the noise. “Time to get up,” he said.

“It’s dark out,” Mightyena said, rolling over.

“It wasn’t a suggestion.” His tone brooked no argument.

They sat up, groaning. Mightyena scratched at her ear while Lucario rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Rufflet perched on the bleachers beside Jason and Gallade stood beside his teammates.

“Why are we up so early?” Lucario asked.

Jason scratched the feathers on Rufflet’s head. Rufflet trilled and pushed his head up into Jason’s hand. “Because I didn’t get a chance to tell you how I planned out today’s battle last night. This is a Ground-type Gym. I decided on a one-on-one, two Pokémon match yesterday. Now, the Leader’s definitely expecting me to use Rufflet here, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

He looked down at the little bird and took his hand away. “You’re leading. I don’t know what Nadine’s got, but you’ll have the advantage. Basic strategy’s going to be to harry her Pokémon and tire them out before any serious attacks. If you can wear them down before you make a move, it’ll be a lot quicker. Go on up, I want you to get a feel for the height of the building. Watch the lines on the ground and stay inside them, too. If you fly out of bounds, I have to recall you.”

Rufflet chirped and took off towards the ceiling, weaving in and out of the lights hanging there. “My hope,” Jason said, “is for Rufflet to sweep Nadine without using my second Pokémon. Failing that…”

Jason opened his bag and retrieved the Technical Machine. They all looked at it, shining in the low light. “…we have backup plans.”

*****

TEST SITE MOLTRES, 0648 21-5-2000

Dr. Curtis wrote on his clipboard as snow filtered through the early morning sunlight on the other side of the country. Richard stood out in a field on the outer edges of the Scion compound, draped in a long black coat that blustered in the wind and pressed the shearling collar against the side of his face. Beside him stood a Venusaur, pawing at the ground and facing a large square target set up near the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean. Several other men in white coats stood some distance away, observing both target and Pokémon. Several high-speed cameras were trained on the test site, standing by to record.

“Control test ready,” Dr. Curtis yelled out.

Richard scratched behind Venusaur’s ear. “Solar Beam, girl.”

Venusaur snorted and planted her feet in the ground. Richard backed away, looking between his Pokémon and the target they had set up. The flower on Venusaur’s back began to gather energy, and after a moment she unleashed a narrow beam of light towards the cliff, hitting the target on the left side, leaving a large chunk suddenly absent.

Dr. Curtis came up to Richard, giving the signal to shut off the cameras. “We can run the next test when she’s had time to recharge—”

“No. We’ll do it now. Set up a new target.”

Three men carried a new target over and removed the old one. Richard waved another aide over and he ran up, taking a small emerald out of his pocket as he approached. Venusaur glanced back at it, stomping her front feet.

“What are your estimates?” Richard asked.

“Our most generous projections predict a twenty percent increase in attack power, but shouldn’t we wait until Venusaur has had time to rest?”

“We’ll see. Solar Beam again.”

Venusaur reared back and came down with enough force to stumble everyone in the field. Richard kept his footing, holding the Earth Gem up to his Pokémon. The flower on her back began to glow brightly, and then faded as the light shot out of her mouth in a much wider beam, completely engulfing the target square and blocking out their vision.

When the light had faded, Richard saw the results first. The large wooden target was gone, along with a cone-shaped chunk of the cliff, carved neatly where the Solar Beam had struck. Smoke rose up out of the molten earth, still glowing red from the heat. A huge jet of water plumed up from the ocean a kilometer away, as if a depth charge had detonated just under the surface.

“Twenty percent,” Richard said, walking away. Venusaur lumbered after him, back towards the compound. Xavier and Erica watched with the scientists, observing the sheer destruction.

*****

A few spectators had begun to trickle into the Gym by the time the referee arrived. Jason sat quietly on the bleachers, reclining against the hard wooden seats. The lights had all been turned on, and anticipatory murmurings had begun among the people present. Mira strolled into the arena, still yawning, and sat on the bottom row of bleachers. Jason looked at her from a higher seat.

One of the spectators, a young Trainer with a single Pokéball on his belt, sat near Jason. “Hear anything about this challenger?” he asked.

“Just a bit,” Jason said, drumming his fingers on the seat behind him. “What about you?”

“Some upstart from up north. Man, he doesn’t even need to face Nadine. We’re tough down here in the Gulf, you know? I’d go one on one against him with my Graveler right now.”

“Is that right? I heard he’s got a pretty good Fighting-type.”

The boy scoffed. “He could have a Machamp, I’d still wipe the floor with him. We train down here, by the shores. Can’t get that kind of experience up on the mainland, yeah?”

“Wouldn’t know. I’m not from here.”

“Shit, where are you from?”

“Up north.”

Jason stood up and descended the bleachers without another word, heading towards the referee’s table. He nudged Mira’s shoulder as he passed her and she wished him luck. The referee and her Xatu watched him approach and produce his Trainer’s card.

“I’ll be battling today. All my forms should be there.”

“Yes Mr. Sato, we have them here. You can take your place in the challenger’s box whenever you’re ready. If you like you may release your other Pokémon to watch, but if they enter the battle area you’ll be disqualified.”

He nodded and released all of his Pokémon when he reached the challenger’s area. Gallade, Mightyena and Lucario stood behind him, watching the crowd warily, while Rufflet perched on Jason’s outstretched arm. His sharp eyes swept over the battleground, looking at where he might roost if he needed. Several chunks of stones jutted from the ground, most of which were not high enough to perch upon safely for more than a few moments. There was a thick stone spire on the far side of the field high enough to stay out of danger, but it was well within Nadine’s zone of control.

“How are you feeling?” Jason asked.

Rufflet stretched his wings and flapped them slowly, letting out a small squawk as he did. Nadine strolled into the arena, a Geodude hopping along beside her feet. She was met with sparse applause from the bleachers, but not for lack of support; the audience was sparse to begin with. Mira was the only spectator not clapping, instead clutching her stomach with her face twisted up into a frown. Jason saw her and was tempted to go over, but Nadine had taken her place, and so he stood still.

The referee and her Xatu went up to the edge of the battle floor, standing just outside the thick chalk outline. She nodded to them and her Xatu took flight, making slow circles about the arena, looking down impassively at the Pokémon assembled. Rufflet gazed jealously up at the larger bird, puffing his own feathers out as he did. He clicked his beak and tightened his talons around Jason’s forearm, eliciting a low grunt from his Trainer.

“Cool it,” Jason said, moving his arm back and forth. “Save it for the opponents.”

There was no announcer, and the battle commenced without any fanfare. The referee simply waved both Trainers on, and Rufflet shot out into the arena, making his best effort to sound off the kind of cry he remembered from his first nest. His beak opened and some kind of sound came out, but it was a pitiful imitation of the sounds he remembered from his own father, short and crackly where his goal was a long, high shriek. He shook his head and made a circle inside the boundary, watching the white outline below and taking care not to stray over it.

“Just harry them,” Jason had said. “You’ve got a type and field advantage. Stay high, and all they’ll be able to do is throw rocks. Just be watchful, and save your strength. I’ll let you know when to attack.”

Nadine nudged the Geodude by her ankles and it backed away, sitting solidly in the area reserved for extra Pokémon. She took a Pokéball from the back of her belt and tossed it almost lazily, while it opened in a flash of light and released her first Pokémon.

“Oh, fuck me,” Jason said.

The Claydol hovered just off the ground, rotating slowly as it took in the arena. Each pink eye gazed and blinked independently while its arms flailed about. Jason grimaced; Nadine smirked.

“Gravity,” she said.

The fat black Pokémon wrapped itself up in bright strands of psychic energy, and then there was a great creak all over the room, composed of many smaller noises as everything became uncomfortably heavy. The bleachers groaned under the new stress, and one spectator nearly fell from the edge of his seat. Jason, Gallade and Lucario all struggled to stay standing, while Mightyena sat beside them, entirely unaffected. Nadine stood upright, without any signs of discomfort. Only then did Jason notice a pair of weights that lay discarded by her feet.

Rufflet had watched as the unfamiliar Pokémon drew up the light, and then veered downward as he felt his body double in weight. He almost fell into a nosedive before correcting, and after that he strained with every beat of his wings. His talons, once a natural part of his body, almost an afterthought, were now nothing but extra weight dragging him down, ready to fall from his small body. Above him, near the ceiling, he saw the Xatu, encased in its own psychic bubble, unaffected by the new gravity.

“It’s funny,” Nadine said quietly. “Everyone leads with Flying-types. It’s painfully predictable. No one ever thinks it might lead to an effective strategy, just because I use Ground-types and you’re all stuck on simple type advantages. It’s a shame. I had heard you might’ve been smarter than that.”

Jason gritted his teeth and called up to Rufflet. “Dive at it, Aerial Ace.”

Rufflet angled down into what looked like a suicide run, shooting recklessly down towards the Claydol. It made a short sputtering sound and turned its head up, looking at Rufflet with empty pink eyes. Claydol teetered this way and that before sharply sliding left, leaving Rufflet diving at empty space. He pulled up, but not fast or hard enough, and ended up skidding five meters on his feet before taking flight again.

“All right, change the plan, go for broke,” Jason shouted. “Keep hammering it.”

His Flying-type was flexing his talons, raw from the botched landing, but nevertheless swept himself up and went vertical. He flew so high and beat his wings so hard he thought he might faint then and there, but he stayed conscious and hung still in the air for an instant.

The sudden rush of blood to his head seemed to slow everything down; he could clearly see every face on the seats down below, the looks of concerns from his teammates, the blank, dead stare from the Claydol. He exhaled and then drew in a large breath, pitching his head downward and shooting toward Claydol like a bullet.

“Explosion,” Nadine called out, and in the instant after Xatu had thrown up a barrier around the arena, Claydol exploded, with Rufflet on a collision course.

The light pink barrier stopped just short of Jason and Nadine, but when the shockwave reached it the protection rippled violently and burst, sending them both backwards. Nadine jumped back and dug her heels into the ground, just managing to stay upright, while Jason stumbled away and fell on his rear. Gallade and Lucario helped him up while Mightyena paced back and forth, snapping and snarling towards the battleground.

The dust cleared after Xatu whipped up a whirlwind and they saw both Rufflet and Claydol lying on the floor, twitching slightly every few seconds but otherwise not moving at all. The referee called something out and they both recalled their Pokémon and put them into stasis.

“Send out your second Pokémon,” the referee said.

Jason nodded toward his team, and Lucario stepped onto the battle floor, flexing his paws and hopping up and down on the balls of his feet. Nadine nodded slowly, and sent out another Pokéball. A Swinub appeared from it, skittering across the field on its stubby legs.

“Watch for Earthquake,” Jason said. Lucario nodded and dashed towards Swinub, building an Aura Sphere in his paw. Swinub waddled backwards and shot a stream of ice from his mouth, coating the ground between him and Lucario. Just before Lucario put a paw down on the ice and lost his footing, he jumped and landed in a slide on the ice. He slid too fast, though, and wobbled before tumbling face-first onto the ice. Swinub made a low, gruff noise that might have been a laugh and ran away, climbing one of the rocks jutting from the ground with surprising agility.

Lucario clambered up, easing his way off the ice and back onto the dirt. “Don’t let him do that again,” Jason said. “Keep your distance and just fire off Aura Spheres.”

He nodded and began hurling small blue masses of energy, which Swinub met with more ice, drawn from a seemingly endless supply in his body. The ice would envelop the Aura Sphere until it dissipated, leaving Lucario a bit more tired and Swinub unharmed.

Jason paced inside his little box, the added gravity having been lifted when Claydol fainted. “Keep it up,” he would call. “The ice has to run out sometime.”

Except it didn’t. No matter how much ice Swinub shot from his mouth, there was always plenty more to throw in the way of the next attack. Lucario was panting with the effort of launching so many attacks, and growing more and more frustrated when they all failed to land. He grunted and channeled all the energy he could into one more attack, an Aura Sphere twice as large as his head, and flung it towards Swinub.

Ice met aura, as it had before, but this time the aura won out. The sphere broke through the stream of ice, sending large shards falling to the floor. Swinub tried to scramble away, but was knocked off the rock by the attack, which kept going towards Jason. He was about to jump out of the way when Gallade stepped in front of him and threw up a Light Screen, absorbing the attack when it connected.

“Thanks,” Jason said. Gallade nodded and moved back towards Mightyena. “Lucario, end this. Use the move.”

He grunted an acknowledgement and eased himself down to a sitting position. There were murmurs from the crowd, and even Nadine cocked her head. Mira leaned forward, curious about what they had planned. Gallade readied another shield and Mightyena moved closer to Jason, her fur bristling. Swinub climbed back onto the rock, twitching and constantly shifting his weight.

Lucario sat Zen-like on the floor, his head bowed down so that the bottom of his muzzle scratching against the fur on his chest. His eyes were closed, but he saw all the aura in the arena flowing into him, twisting and swirling through the air. He saw his teammates outlined in their dominant colors, Gallade in his deep purple and Mightyena in her black, alongside Jason with his burning red. It flowed from them to him across the battlefield, drawing into the focus point deep in his chest that Jason had shown him.

The arena was silent, save for the occasional beat of Xatu’s wings above them. If it knew what was coming it gave no sign, only blankly watching the battle below that had ground to a halt.

Nadine began to say, “Is this some kind of—”

Lucario shot up and roared.

It was not the snarling, throaty sound he made when threatened or angry, but something deeper and louder, a dark draconic sound that shook the whole stadium and shocked everyone. The kind of sound the dragons of old made when they took wing or descended upon some unlucky prey.

“Now! Dragon Pulse!”

Nadine uttered some surprised order to Swinub, but it came too late. A visible ripple of energy rocketed across the field, knocking Swinub off his rock and back fifteen meters. He landed hard, skidding on the dirt floor before coming to a rest. The energy pulse faded out before it reached the edge of the battle floor. High above, Xatu screeched, and the referee gave orders to recall the Pokémon.

Swinub disappeared in a haze of red light as Lucario walked slowly back to Jason, panting heavily. The attack had taken most of his strength, and no sooner had he crossed the chalk outline than he collapsed into Jason’s arms, closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep. Jason hugged him tightly as he began to doze and recalled him.

Gallade pushed a pang of jealousy aside as Mightyena began barking happily, joining Mira and a few other spectators as they began to applaud. Nadine and Jason joined the referee in the middle of the iced-over field and she declared the winner.

“Gotta admit, I didn’t see that coming,” Nadine said, taking a badge from her pocket and handing it to Jason. It was a small circle, half green and half white, ringed in a thin bit of gold. He fastened it to his belt loop, under his Wing Badge. “The Core Badge is yours. You earned it.”

“Rufflet and Lucario earned it,” Jason said. “I should probably get them looked at.”

“We’ve got a machine in the back office. Looks like you’ve got some new fans, too.”

He looked back to the bleachers, which he had barely even noticed during the match. Most of the spectators were sulking, dismayed at seeing their Gym Leader defeated by a mainlander, but Mira and a few locals were standing and clapping loudly. Jason waved to them as he followed Nadine to the back office.

There was a healing machine inside, squished between a small metal desk and the exterior wall. Nadine loaded up the appropriate restorative schematics while Jason put Rufflet and Lucario’s Pokéballs on the depressions on the tray.

The machine whirred as it worked, and Nadine took an envelope from the desk, biting her lip as she gave it to Jason. “I have your winnings here, too. All yours. And…maybe there was something else I could offer?”

*****

Mira was sitting in the front lobby feeding Ralts when Jason returned, quickly tucking his shirt back in. She glared at him.

“Sorry, there was…paperwork to do. Ready to go?”

“Yeah. Hope you wrapped up your pen. Wouldn’t want to catch anything from paperwork.”

“I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Of course not. Well, while you were busy, I got us two tickets for a ship into Shortide in an hour. It’s leaving from the west harbor.”

“I guess the Fire Gem will be our next stop, then. We can load down in Darsky City and go in through the northwest entrance. Should we get something to eat before we board?”

“They’ve got that covered on the ship.”

The Serperior, as it happened, was not another freighter, but a cruise ship returning to its home port. Some passengers on their last excursion had elected to stay, Mira explained, leaving a few staterooms open. They flashed their tickets at the gangplank and went aboard.

“Sure beats the cargo hold,” Jason said, putting his things down in his room and following Mira up to the buffet.

She nodded. “We should get to Shortide in the morning. I’m going to the pool later. Don’t get caught up with too much…what was it, paperwork?”

“You sound discontent.”

“Discontent would imply that I give a shit,” Mira said, walking faster. “Fuck whoever you want, I’m not your girlfriend.”

Jason stopped, watched her walk away, and shook his head.

Of the six dining halls aboard, four allowed fully-grown Pokémon, and so Jason ate with his team near the starboard deck, looking at the massive wake the Serperior threw up behind itself. Redrock Island had disappeared, and the Air Spire was little more than a white needle jutting from the water. Gallade and Lucario sat with him at his table, while Rufflet sat on the table and Mightyena stood at Jason’s feet, all of them greedily eating the plates they had in front of them.

“Thith ith really good,” Lucario said, his mouth full to bursting with a cut of steak. A little juice dripped down the side of his muzzle.

“Chew, then talk,” Jason said. He ate one of the cookies he had picked out, then reached over and scratched Rufflet’s head. The little bird trilled and nuzzled his head against Jason’s fingers.

“You both did great today. I’m proud of you two. I hope I can expect the same kind of performance at the next Gym.”

“What kind ith that?”

“Dark-type.”

Gallade paused; Mightyena bumped her snout against his thigh and he jumped. “Relax, I know it’s no place for Psychic-types. You don’t have to be afraid of the dark.”

The blades on his elbows slid out slowly. “I’m not afraid of the dark,” Gallade said, his right hand curling into a fist, “I can’t hit them. It’d be stupid to make me fight them.”

“I know that,” Jason said, his eyes narrowing. “Although you could probably hit them pretty well with that stick if you took it out of your ass.”

Lucario burst out laughing, Mightyena snorted her food all over the floor, and Rufflet nearly fell over onto the table. Gallade sulked.

“Come on, I’m just kidding.” Jason put his hand on Gallade’s shoulder. “What’s eating you?”

He looked at Jason with his big red eyes. A pair of brown eyes met his gaze, curious and concerned. His skin tingled and a fire lit in his belly. “I, umm…nothing. I’m going to go find Mira.”

“Don’t hit her with that stick,” Lucario said as he walked away. Mightyena growled at him.

The Serperior coasted through the dark cold waters, its moonlit decks still bustling with passengers. Gallade wandered through the lower halls, trying to retrace his steps. He went in a circle three times before finding the right turn, and found himself in front of Jason’s room again. He knocked quietly on the door.

“Who is it?” a sleepy voice asked.

“Gallade.”

The door’s lock slid out and the door opened, with Jason behind it. “Hey. I thought you were staying with Mira tonight.”

“She went to sleep. And—I wanted to talk to you. I’m sorry for snapping at you before. I shouldn’t have.”

“It’s okay.” Jason motioned him inside and they sat on the bed. “Seriously though, is there something wrong? I don’t want you to feel like you can’t tell me.”

He took a deep breath and whimpered. Jason smiled weakly and put his hand on Gallade’s shoulder.

“Okay…well, I’ve had a bit of a crush on you since I evolved the first time.”

Jason nodded. “Yeah, I knew that. Your kind gets very attached to their Trainers if you grow up with them. I thought that goes away after a while.”

“M-most of the time.” Gallade drew his legs up to his chest and buried his face between his knees. He wanted nothing more than to silently retreat into his Pokéball and go to sleep, but something spurred him on. “And there was one other thing.”

“Yes?”

“How, what’s your word, attached are you to me being a Gallade?”

“As opposed to your being a Gardevoir? Is that what you want?”

He looked at his Trainer and nodded, his whole body quivering. His face was stained with tears. “I hate this body. I hate the way it looks, the way it makes me think, how angry I can get…I’m afraid I’m going to hurt someone. I never wanted to be this. My parents and sister were all Gardevoir. I just wanted to evolve normally, not be this…freak.”

Jason covered his eyes as his Pokémon wrapped himself in light and shifted. Gardevoir sat on the bed, still tearing up. “Hey, hey, come on now.” He hugged his Pokémon, making him shake even more. Gardevoir grabbed him about the waist and shoved his face into Jason’s shoulder, bawling.

“I stayed like that because it’s what you wanted,” he said, his voice muffled by the shirt in front of his mouth. “But I can’t, I’m sorry, I can’t…”

“Shh. Relax. Take a deep breath.” Jason stroked Gardevoir’s back until he stopped trembling. He took his head out of Jason’s shoulder and looked at him, biting his lip to hold back more tears. “I want you to be happy. You can stay in whatever form you want, okay?”

Gardevoir smiled and whined happily. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“Of course. It helps that you’re not very hard on the eyes like this, either.”

They shared a bit of nervous laughter, until Gardevoir leaned over and kissed the side of Jason’s neck. He stopped laughing. “Wait.”

“W-what?”

Jason worked his way out of Gardevoir’s hug, went to the door, and slid the lock back into place.
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Equilibrium